2009-09-04
Good Morning Cherished of God,
Once again, I am led to continue with our look at vertical righteousness in a comparison of MT 7: 7-11 with other verses and passages. You’ll remember that this passage in MT 7 deals with “ask, seek, and knock. Then it goes on to talk about what a parent would give a child vs. what the Father in heaven gives to those who ask Him. MT 7: 11, “As bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more, then, will you Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” By the way, the term vertical righteousness is to draw one’s attention to the believer’s relationship with God. If the term horizontal is used here it would be one’s relationship with other humans and how what we gain from God is shared with them.
The context of the Sermon on the Mount is that Christ hasn’t yet ascended into heaven at the end of His earthly ministry. Nor had the Holy Spirit been sent to dwell with the believers. Thus, the believers are to be asking for the Holy Spirit. At that point in time, the believers really didn’t fully understand Who the Holy Spirit is, so Christ explained, in JN 14: 16-18. “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor, Who will stay with you forever. He is the Spirit, Who reveals the truth about God. The world cannot receive Him because it cannot see Him or know Him. But you know, because He remains with you and is in you.” JN 14: 26, “The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you everything and make you remember all that I have told you.” The thought of having their Lord Jesus leave was upsetting to the people. Christ addresses this in JN 16: 7, 13-14. “But I am telling you the truth: it is better for you that I go away, because if I do not go, the Counselor will not from to you. But if I do go away, then I will send Him to you…When, however, the Spirit comes, Who reveals the truth about God, He will lead you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own authority, but He will speak of what He hears and will tell you of things to come. He will give Me glory, because He will take what I say and tell it to you.” In understanding Christ’s reason for this explanation, we can’t miss the undercurrent of disappointment and concern among the people at the thought of Christ’s no longer being with them. On the other hand, we can begin to see Christ’s relationship with the Father [JN 14: 6, 9b, and 11a]. For some, even His own disciples, we find out that they just don’t really understand. And yet, Christ’s words are so very true. He had to go to the cross for us to be saved, and He had to send the Holy Spirit to dwell in us, so that we might have a continuing connection between ourselves and the Father. These to two outcomes of Christ’s Atonement that are necessary for us to live the Christian life, which leads to eternal life with the Father. As for making judgments, we simply can’t do this alone without God’s loving intervention. We wouldn’t even know when we should make a judgment and when it’s only God’s right to do so without the Holy Spirit.
We who are parties to the Covenant of Grace receive the Holy Spirit the moment we receive Christ as our Savior. RO 8: 14-16, “Those who are led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. For the Spirit that God has given you does not make you slaves and cause you to be afraid; instead, the Spirit makes you God’s children, and by the Spirit’s power we cry out to God, ‘Abba! My Abba!’ God’s Spirit joins Himself to our spirits to declare that we are God’s children.” Think about this in relation to JN 15: 15-16. “I do not call you servants any longer, because a servant does not know what his master is doing. Instead, I call you friends, because I have told you everything I heard from My Father. You did not choose Me; I chose you and appointed you to go and bear much fruit that endures . And so the Father will give you whatever you ask of Him in My name.” This is no connection without feelings. Our relationship as a member of God’s family comes with all the normal emotions that closeness brings. And love is at the root of the whole thing. Once we have accepted Christ and repented of our sins, we are now ready to be a part of God’s family with all the privileges and blessings pertaining to this. We now have an open channel for communication with God 24/7, called prayer. It’s essential that we mustn’t forget that He has the right to speak to us any time He deems necessary. Our job is to learn to listen for Him and to turn to Him frequently in prayer, and also through studying His word. Sometimes He teaches or directs us through the circumstances of our lives. Surely we have a great need for Him when it’s time to make a judgment, most especially when the choices we must consider are not clear. That happens more often than we realize. I often find myself in this situation when my son, who is not a believer needs advice or presents me with a temptation to meddle which I must reject. With my son being a new father in his late thirties now, I must understand that he will only ask for advice when he feels he needs it, not just when I feel I should offer it. The Holy Spirit will let me know on those rare occasions when my son and daughter-in-law don’t realize they need some advice, and when and how I should offer it. Then again, I am no expert on today’s methods for raising children and must understand that. One last understanding I want to share: We should always be praying for our children, husbands, and families in general. That let’s God know the love in our hearts.
PRAYER: O Father, prayer seems to be the underpinning of everything we do, every kind of worship we offer. Through the Holy Spirit, Your generous Gift made possible by the Atonement of Your Son, the Perfect Sin Sacrifice [HE 10: 10], we gain a two-way channel for communication with You. We must learn to listen for Your direction. PS 32: 8, “The Lord says, ‘I will teach you the way you should go; I will instruct you and advise you.’” If we reach a junction where we need You, You have told us we can ask for Your help and get it. PS 25: 4-5, “Teach me Your ways, O Lord, make them known to me. Teach me to live according to Your truth, for You are my God Who saves me. I always trust in You.” Through the Holy Spirit You speak to us with words of amazing wisdom, wisdom so much greater than that of any human. PS 37: 23-24, “The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will not fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.” Many times in our lives we are brought to a place where we must make a judgment. I remember one in my own life where I had to hold back my son [at age 11] from entering into a friendship with another child. My reasons were sound ones, in that this child’s family were into using drugs. I was led to think about the long-term consequences to my son of being introduced to pot. He was angry with at the time, but I knew it was the right thing to do. You did too, because You gave me the courage to stand up to my son’s opposition. You have told us repeatedly that when faced with a difficult judgment, we should turn to You. JER 29: 11-13, “I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you not to bring disaster, plans to give you the future for which you hope. Then you will call to Me. You will come and pray to Me, and I will answer you. You will seek Me, and you will find Me because you will seek Me with all your heart.” It should always delight us that You chose us first and not the other way around. For, that is the love of Your heart is basis for Your main desire that we should one day return to You in heaven for a life of eternal bliss and sweet fellowship. We thank and praise You in the holy and mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Next week, our examination of vertical righteousness continues with a look at the comparison between MT 7: 7-11 and EPH 5: 18. In taking the time to see how the Scriptures inter-relate with one another, we begin to have a better understanding of God’s will, the kind of help we can hope for from Him, and His remarkable and loving generosity to us. It began with choosing us first [JN 15: 16] and bringing us to the point where we would repent of our sins, listen to the truth, and come to believe in the Lord Jesus. Then, what follows is the giving of the gift of the Holy Spirit and justification [the deeming of one’s righteousness before God]. This surely doesn’t mean that we can’t ever sin again. Sadly, we do. But there is a difference. We have the choice to recognize that we have sinned and to stop that sinning. RO 10: 9-10, “If you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised Him from death, you will be saved. For it is by our faith that we are put right with God; it is by our confession that we are saved.” With all these blessings, how can we miss? In the end, we are told, in RO 8: 38-39 an overarching truth that should give us great comfort. For I am certain the nothing can separate us from His love; neither death nor life, neither angels nor other heavenly rulers or power, neither the present nor the future, neither the world above nor the world below-there is nothing in all creation that will ever be able to separate us form the love of God which is our through Christ Jesus, our Lord.” Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn