Do not harden your hearts!

Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God. He did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the Lord. He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God. He stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord, the God of Israel. All the officers of the priests and the people likewise were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations. And they polluted the house of the Lord that he had made holy in Jerusalem. The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose against his people, until there was no remedy. Therefore he brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or aged. He gave them all into his hand. And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon. And they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem and burned all its palaces with fire and destroyed all its precious vessels. He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years. (2 Chronicles 36:11–21)

I am beginning to feel like a prophet. It seems easy yet if true, if I broadcast my thoughts, most people would turn away. No one wants to hear anything that says, “Smarten up or face the consequences.”

Jesus died to give me new life, His life. He changed the world, but He had to be crucified to do it. Christian martyrs at formal count now average just over a dozen a day. It could be higher, and it could happen here as faith in Christ is increasingly mocked.

What is worse than being persecuted for my faith? How about falling into the hands of Almighty God for not living my faith? While He is merciful and gracious, He gave me this new life that I ought to live it. Christians are not to assume that grace means we can do whatever we want. God says to us:

See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:25–29)

At the same time, Jesus is also for me, willing to enable me to obey Him, even though it costs me time, money, and other sacrifices. If I refuse I will not lose my salvation, but eternal rewards. If I obey, I could be persecuted, even suffer death, but Christians cannot die — we only change our address!

Jesus, life here is unpredictable; however, the OT reveals what can be lost if I disobey You and the NT shows what is mine because You died for me. My obedience can be a powerful tool in Your hands. Even if it isn’t, enable me to willingly do what You say and deeply desire that You are honored and obeyed by others.

What does the presence of God feel like?

When someone says, “I feel the presence of God,” how do they feel? How is God’s presence known? Do the hairs on the back of the neck stand up? Is there an emotional reaction? Does His presence feel oppressive? Or light? Or threatening?

The word “holy” is used more than 650 times in the Bible. Many of those references describe the nature of God. This word basically means “other than” or “different.” God is not like us. He is set apart, lofty, even mysterious. He is without sin and never makes mistakes. He is beyond our comprehension. Yet He made Himself known and we can see what He is like by taking a good look at Jesus Christ. Jesus is God’s revelation of Himself, and the way we know Him.

That said, how then can we “feel the presence of God.” Is that feeling based on what He says about Himself? Or is it possible to “make God in our own image” and sense something that is not God?

He has been showing me that how I understand Him will have a definite bearing on what the “sense of His presence” feels like. If my understanding of God is as He revealed Himself in the Bible, “sensing His presence” will be the same as those who described it in Scripture.

On the other hand, I’ve been thinking about the people who describe God’s presence as playful, teasing, their buddy, and with other very familiar qualities. I’ve sometimes thought about God like that too, but is this an accurate understanding? For me, incorrect thoughts of God affect my worship, my obedience, and can result in me being less alert to His commands, and to His words of correction.

Biblical thoughts about God deepen my worship, heighten obedience, and affect everything that I do. They also bring a far better response to His discipline, as the writer of Hebrews describes . . .

See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:25–29)

Job and the psalmist both wrote about this reverence and awe toward God. Job said, “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.” (Job 28:28) and Solomon wrote, “To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth— Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:1–7)

John also wrote, “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.” (Revelation 15:4)

Scripture is filled with descriptions of God’s holiness and power, His grace and glory. While He made us in His image, that reflection is flawed because of sin. Without Christ, we don’t look like God as He intended.

With Christ, He tells us to obey Him and to be holy as He is holy. I’m to be different than I once was and different from those who do not believe, but I know that is impossible apart from Christ. Without Him, I am helpless and would be lost forever.

I also know that the Bible says that He will never leave me or forsake me. This is wonderful, yet I cannot find any description of Him as my playful companion. Instead, everything He says about Himself should fill me with awe. He saved me, the chief of sinners. I should feel a deep awareness of His holiness, but also remember my own sin and shortcomings with a willingness to be led, even rebuked and corrected when necessary.

Most of all, when those who wrote Scripture were in His presence, they fell on their face in humble adoration and worship. When I am aware of God’s nearness, I also should be filled with awe. This is God Almighty, the Creator of all things, the Mighty One who died for me, and the Lover of my soul who will never leave me or forsake me. This God is an awesome God.  

God is both near and beyond me . . .

Parents try to balance unconditional love and corrective discipline. Christians are told to “speak the truth in love” which can be a balancing act also. However, a greater challenge is to balance the nearness of God with the fact that He is far beyond us and transcendent, remembering that as He walks by our side, He is also the Almighty sovereign God of all creation.

I’ve forgotten both at times. When God seems silent, I forget He is never far away. When He speaks peace to me, I can forget that He is also Lord of all. When He shows mercy, I can forget that He will not tolerate my sin. The idolatry in both extremes is trying to exchange the glory of God into something that pleases me, meets my needs, answers to my whims.

The writer of Hebrews reminds me that God showed His power to the Israelites by shaking the earth. Not everyone survived His judgments. This is the same God that I worship through Jesus Christ, the same God that I love as my friend yet so easily forget His power and authority . . .

See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:25–29)

As a child of God and blessed by His grace, I need reminding that this God is also the judge of all the earth. So did His OT saints need those reminders as they drifted into taking God’s grace for granted. When that happened, He used prophets to warn His people that they had abandoned Him . . .

Thus says the Lord: “What wrong did your fathers find in me that they went far from me, and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?  . . . Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the Lord, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.” (Jeremiah 2:5, 11–13)

The Bible tells me to both love God and fear Him. Most agree that this fear means reverence and awe, yet there are verses where the words used for fear means dread and terror. In this verse, the “reverence” is for God’s judgments, but the “fear” of God points to dread . . .

My flesh trembles for fear of you, and I am afraid of your judgments. (Psalm 119:120)

Whenever my mind goes too far in thinking of my relationship with God as “chummy” or as “pals” then my concept of Him is in danger of idolatry. But if I become so afraid of God that He never seems to be my Redeemer and Friend, I’m in that same danger. Keeping both in balance is important.

This balance also makes a difference in how I live. If I think God will lovingly overlook my sin, then I don’t take sin very seriously. If I think God is always breathing down my neck about my sin, then I don’t take mercy and forgiveness very seriously. I know that God hates sin, but also that He loves me. It is both His love and hate that encourages me to put sin and idolatry where they belong.

One that cannot be shaken

This morning a person came to my door with religious material in the hope I would take it and be interested in what she had to say. She emphatically declared that she followed the teachings in the Bible.

As we talked, I asked her what would happen if she saw something in the Bible, realized it was true, but her organization did not believe it. She said she would go to her organization for a “fuller explanation” to show her where she was in error. Then I suggested that her authority was really not the Holy Spirit or the Bible but her organization. She denied that even though she had just indicated it, and seemed convinced that she had the truth based on what she had learned from those who were explaining the Bible to her.

Regarding the power of the Holy Spirit, I know that this organization does not teach that He reveals truth, just as they do not believe that Jesus is God revealed to man in human form. They have a desire for righteousness, yet do not claim or believe in the imputed righteousness of Christ.

She also talked about the end of the world and her lack of fear. She is very convinced. For those who do not know anything about their beliefs, she could be very convincing. As she walked away, I wondered if her “faith” could be shaken.

Then Spurgeon takes me to this passage! It is about the kingdom of God and about those who belong to it. The context includes the end of the world and the warning that God will shake both heaven and earth in His judgment. 

See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:25–29)

The devotional focuses on that phrase,  that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. This refers to the kingdom of God, which includes all those who accept His offer of eternal life by faith through grace, and do not refuse or reject the voice of Jesus. That is, when He speaks, we must listen and obey.

How do I know that Jesus is speaking to me? How do I know that Jesus is not speaking to that lady at my door? This is important, and this is how I know.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. (John 10:27–28)

The woman at the door makes no claim to hear the voice of Jesus. By my questions, it seems that if she did, she would verify it with the sages in her organization, not with the Word of God. In other words, they are the authorities who tell her what to believe.

Sadly, she also made no claim to have eternal life or the assurance of being with Jesus when she dies. Her convictions seemed solid, but she says she will stay on earth after she dies because she is not one of the “anointed ones” who get to go to heaven. She seemed to think that was better because she asked what people would do in heaven anyway?

Can she be shaken? I hope that she hears the call of God and responds, but that is not for me to know or decide. The more pertinent question is, Can I be shaken? Will my faith stand the test of a world turned upside-down at the hand of God who will judge it? Or is my doctrinal statement really the issue?

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Oh, Lord, my “faith” is not as much an issue as the object of my faith. I could put it in creeds, church teachings, interpretations and the like, but these can change or be in error. Instead, my faith is in You, the Lord Jesus Christ. You are who You are, and You never fail or are false. You died for me, yet death could not keep You in the grave because of the power of Your everlasting and sinless life. It is that endless life that is my salvation, not a religion nor a religious organization, not even my particular “beliefs” or interpretations. No matter what can be shaken, I am secure because You are secure. You cannot be shaken. You will remain, and in You, I am secure also.