God’s answer to our sin

This morning’s ‘read through the Bible’ chapters were about the sin of David with Bathsheba. As a new Christian, I was told that because of David’s wars, he could not build the temple, therefore because I had been divorced and remarried, I could not join the church.

Last year, I was told that David’s relationship with God and his usefulness in the kingdom were diminished after his sin with Bathsheba. This one makes me wonder how much a person has to sin before God writes them off and puts them on a shelf. The older I get, it seems the more I can see (and regret) all those times I did not obey God.

Both dismissals of David seem to have scriptural basis, but both accusations forget something: David may not have flourished in some ways because of sin, but he did get to write most of the Psalms!

Had David been born a few centuries later and after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, would he be fighting the same accusations? I know that many Christians are convinced of things like, “I am useless to God because of the way I’ve lived” or “My sin was too great and the consequences have ruined my life.” If we don’t think it of ourselves, like Job’s comforters, we may think others have sinned and are therefore in trouble with God.

These accusations also forget God’s grace. The Holy Spirit often reminds me of a passage in Revelation that reveals that grace and also where those accusations come from:

And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God . . . . (Revelation 12:9–10)

The next two verses give God’s message to those who are being accused:

“ . . . And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” (Revelation 12:11–12)

His time may be short, but Satan still tells lies. He suggested to Eve that God didn’t really say that (command) and that He didn’t really want the best for her. This liar deceives the whole world with junk that makes us doubt the Bible, and doubt His great love for us. He accuses us before God and we hear those accusations in our minds, sometimes recognizing them, and sometimes feeling they are true and we and other people are ruined.

The victory is in the blood of the Lamb:

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24)

The victory is in the word of our testimony:

For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. (Romans 10:10)

The victory is in not loving our lives even unto death:

Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. (John 12:25)

The victory is in remembering that Jesus died for my sin so I can live for Him. I am healed from sin’s deadly blows. Every time that I proclaim it, I am strengthened. Every time I deny my fleshy self, the eternal life Jesus gave me wins a victory over the lies of the enemy.

Chambers says that the Cross is God’s superb triumph that shook the foundations of hell. There is nothing more certain in time or eternity than the redemption that took place there. The whole human race — sinners all of us — were given a way to be in a right relationship with God!

When Satan lies and accuses, the answer is Jesus, always Jesus – and the Cross – and His marvelous grace.

Loving God means…

The two great commandments tell us to love God with all our mind, soul and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. It seems simple, but the very nature of love defies and defines our success.

This love that the Bible speaks of is a sacrificial love. It is embodied in Christ who loved us in humility, giving up His own life that we could be forgiven and receive eternal life. As a basically selfish creature, that kind of love is more than a challenge; it is impossible.

And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” (Revelation 12:10–11)

The “accuser” is Satan. The book of Job tells how he comes before God and tattles on His servants. Job was a godly man, yet Satan said that Job would never trust God if God was always good to him. The rest of the book shows that the faith that God gives is more than adequate. Job didn’t like what happened to him and complained, but his faith held firm.

Job conquered all that Satan threw at him and at God in accusation because of those three things in Revelation 12:11. While the Lamb, Jesus Christ had not yet shed His blood, the Old Testament sacrifices were a picture or type that pointed to Him. As the OT people of faith offered a slain animal on the altar of God, they were demonstrating faith in the promise of God to send a Messiah. It was this promise that Job believed, and by it and the blood of the coming Lamb, he held fast.

Job also declared his faith. His “friends” accused him too, saying he must have done something wrong to deserve all his losses and sufferings. However, Job insisted he was not being punished for sin. He said,

Though he slay me, I will hope in him… (Job 13:15) For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God. (Job 19:25–26)

His testimony of faith remained, even as he lost his family, possessions, health, and nearly his life. He did not give up, even at the threat of death, and by doing so, he conquered the enemy and the accusations of his “friends.”

Not all people of faith have the same experiences. Some do die. I heard this week that about 200 Christians around the world lose their lives each day because of their faith. That is one martyr every seven minutes.

Would I? If authorities came to my door and demanded that I must renounce Christ or be shot, what would I do? This is the ultimate sacrifice, yet not the only sacrifice that I can make to show my love for God. A more “rubber hits the road” example is simply giving up what I want to do to obey what He wants me to do, usually some call to serve someone else.

Getting even more specific, sacrificial love holds its tongue rather than boasting, lying, gossiping or saying unkind words. It goes the extra mile to help those in need, giving time, money, or other resources without complaint, but joyfully. Sacrificial love even thinks good thoughts…

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Philippians 4:8)

… giving up sinful ideas, inner accusations, arrogance, or judgmental attitudes toward others.

How can such love be possible? Christ stopped at nothing, was willing to be made flesh, to be tempted, deserted, persecuted, and to die on a cross, and I struggle at times to speak a kind word or go out of my way to bless someone else.

To be like Jesus, I must rely on Him having a faith like Job. I knowing that Jesus lives in my heart to supply all my need, but I must be so taken by His sufferings for me, that He kindles a flame in me, a love that breaks forth in my words and ways to the praise of His glory.

And I must always remember that He said, “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” (John 12:25)

Self-denial eventually benefits those who deny themselves

A man named Simon was in Jerusalem, no doubt for the Passover. He was in the crowd watching another man carrying a cross on the way to be crucified, not an uncommon sight in this city under the rule of Rome. Since then, the idea of “cross-bearing” has been associated with punishment, endurance, and even death.

As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. (Matthew 27:32)

Most of the time, bearing a cross gets a bad rap. Christians talk of some difficult task or person in their lives that is painful to endure, but they must accept it as part of what God wants for their lives. It is their “cross” and they assume they must heroically bear it for Jesus, using these verses to justify the sacrifice they are making.

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:23–26)

And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. (Matthew 10:38)

John Piper, in his book Desiring God, invites readers to think about this in a different way. Instead of thinking self-denial as a strong indifference to what we want for ourselves and not caring whether we are destroyed, he sees this as a strong desire for something better. Being willing to bear a cross is more about a deep longing for true life, a better life, something greater than what we already have.  First Peter 3:10 says this desire for a “good life and better days” should motivate us to speak rightly and move away from evil. The same desire ought also move us to “deny ourselves all the lesser pleasures and comforts of life” so we might have something better. 

That is, if self-denial is a hatred of self, then Piper says we would be “indifferent to the value of God’s gift of life” and “would dishonor it.” He suggests that our longing for life should be measured by the amount of comfort we are willing to give up to get it. The gift of eternal life in God’s presence is glorified if we are willing to ‘hate our lives in this world’ in order to get it that better life.  

Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. (John 12:25)

This is how self-denial is God-centered, yet is still about what is best for me. It means that I give up the short-term benefits in favor of the long-term benefits. It is similar to what I do when saving money for a big item instead of spending it on immediate temptations, or when I eat less to lose weight. I do these things because I care about myself, not because I hate myself. I see a greater value in self-denial than in self-indulgence. 

This is what Jesus did when He went to the cross. He accepted the horror of it because of the greater glory that was coming beyond it, and bids me to think the same way...

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1–2)

Jesus denied self, but knew a greater glory was coming. For that glory, He endured the cross.

Simon didn’t have a choice when it came to carrying the literal cross of Jesus Christ. He was conscripted without any promise of a reward. On the other hand, God says that when I choose to deny short-term gain, or personal glory, or even what I assume is a safer way to live, then God will reward me. Do I want the very best? Or am I content with lesser rewards?

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Lord, daily You offer options. Do I take up whatever will reward me now, or can I fix my eyes on the rewards that will come after I deny myself to follow You? I also know that self-denial is not always about enduring pain or difficult people and circumstances. Instead, it is about walking so close to You that I can take on whatever You ask me without thinking that I might be missing something else if I refuse.