God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense

 

1 Kings 14; Psalms 97–98; Ezekiel 44; Colossians 1

At times, the Old Testament prophets say the most humbling things. God tells Ezekiel what to say to His people who have disobeyed Him. Even the priestly clan of Levites were involved in idolatry and must bear their punishment. This is what God says about them:

"They shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the temple and ministering in the temple. They shall slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before the people, to minister to them. Because they ministered to them before their idols and became a stumbling block of iniquity to the house of Israel, therefore I have sworn concerning them, declares the Lord God, and they shall bear their punishment. They shall not come near to me, to serve me as priest, nor come near any of my holy things and the things that are most holy, but they shall bear their shame and the abominations that they have committed. Yet I will appoint them to keep charge of the temple, to do all its service and all that is to be done in it." (Ezekiel 44:11–14)

They had sinned and were punished in their relationship with the Lord God YET He appointed them to the awesome duty of taking care of the temple. This is grace.

The NT says that those who believe in Jesus Christ are now the temple of God. He dwells in us and our worship is about our hearts, not necessarily a place. Yet all who belong to Him are also sinners. We are saved by grace and yet still battle the temptations of the world, the flesh and the devil. I am keenly aware that I fall short of the glory of God and that my righteousness depends solely on Christ my Savior. YET even with that shortfall, God holds me responsible to take care of His dwelling place. This is amazing grace.

The temple as God’s dwelling place a plural idea so that place is not just my own spiritual life but the spiritual well-being of others who believe in Him. I cannot save people (that is God’s work) and I cannot cause their growth or purify them (also God’s work), but by the grace of God I can intercede for them, love them, and treat them as the Lord treats me — with great mercy, thankfulness and consideration.

In the NT, Paul outlines how to do that and demonstrates it in his own life . . .

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints . . . And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:3–4; 9–14)

This man stuck to his calling — to share Christ, to live with His same love and care for others, and to intercede for His people. He had a big picture view of God’s plan but also a mandate to bring the people of God, who are God’s temple, to full maturity, regardless of the cost to himself:

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. (Colossians 1:24–29)

This is also grace!

APPLY: I’m deeply grateful that God gives me a small part in building His kingdom, that I can care for His people and encourage them to know and walk with Jesus as they are called to do. Our lives are bound up together in our knowledge of God through Christ and as we walk and work together, we are blessed and maturing together that He may be glorified by our faith and obedience. Despite the reality of our shortcomings, God still bestows amazing grace God to all of us.