Category: Uncategorized

“May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 3:5 (ESV)

The following is an excerpt from Pastor Charles H. Spurgeon. Spurgeon preached this text on June 17, 1888 at the Metropolitan Tabernacle. He entitled his message The Love of God and the Patience of Christ.

The second part of the prayer upon which we shall have to dwell is, “The Lord direct your hearts into the patience of Christ.” Now, beloved, I have another great sea before me, and who am I that I should act as your convoy over this main ocean? Here I am lost. I cannot take my bearings. I am a lone speck upon the infinite. I will imitate the wise apostle, and pray, “The Lord direct your hearts into the patience of Christ.

What a patience that was which Jesus exhibited for us in our redemption! To come from heaven to earth, to dwell in poverty and neglect, and find no room even in the inn! Admire the patience of Bethlehem. To hold His tongue for thirty years—who shall estimate the wonderful patience of Nazareth and the carpenter’s shop! When He spoke, to be despised and rejected of men, what patience for Him whom Cherubim obey!

Oh, the patience of the Christ to be tempted of the devil! One can hardly tell what patience Christ must have had to let the devil come within ten thousand miles of him, for He was able to keep him far down in the abyss below His feet. There is not much in a patience which cannot help itself, but you well know that all the while Christ could have conquered all foes, chased away all suffering, and kept off all temptation, but for our sakes, as Captain of our salvation, that He might be made perfect through suffering,  

His patience had its perfect work, right on to Gethsemane. Do you need that I tell you this? Golgotha, with all its woes, its “lama Sabacthani,” its abysmal griefs, do I need remind you of the patience of Christ for us when the Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all? Patient as a lamb, He opened not His mouth but stood in omnipotence of patience, all-sufficient to endure.

You have heard of the patience of Job, but you have need to enter into the patience of Jesus. Oh, the patience within Christ Himself! God never seems so like a God as when He divinely rules Himself. I can understand His shaking earth and heaven with His word, but that He should possess His own soul in patience is far more incomprehensible. Marvel that omnipotent love should restrain omnipotence itself.

In the life and death of our Lord Jesus we see almighty patience. He was very sensitive— very sensitive of sin, very sensitive of unkindness, and yet with all that sensitiveness He showed no petulance, but bore Himself in all the calm grandeur of Godhead. He was not quick to resent an ill, but He was patient to the uttermost. As I have said before, there went with His sensitiveness the power at any time to avenge Himself and deliver Himself, but He would not use it.

Legions of angels would have been glad to come to His rescue, but He bowed alone in the garden, and gave Himself up to the betrayer without a word. And all the while He was most tender and graciously considerate of everybody but Himself. He spoke burning words sometimes; His mouth could be like the red lips of a volcano as He poured out the burning lava of denunciation upon “scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites.” But the resentment was never aroused by any injury done to Himself. When He looked that way it was always gentleness; He cried, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Oh, the wondrous patience of heaven’s own Christ!

Now, beloved, what is wanted is that we be directed into this patience of Christ. The choicest saints in different ages of the world have studied most the passion of our Lord, and although nowadays we hear from the wise men that it is sensuous to talk about the cross and the five wounds, and so forth, for my part I feel that no contemplation ever does me so much real benefit as that which brings me very near my bleeding Lord. The cross for me! The cross for me!

Here is doctrine humbling, softening, melting, elevating, sanctifying. Here is truth that is of heaven, and yet comes down to earth; love that lifts me away from earth even to the seventh heaven. Have you ever read the words of holy Bernard, when his soul was all on fire with love of that dear name of which he so sweetly sang—

“Jesus the very thought of You,  With sweetness fills my breast”?

Why, Bernard is poet, philosopher, and divine, and yet a child in love.

Have you studied Rutherford’s letters and the wondrous things which he says about his own dear Lord? For an hour at glory’s gate commend me to heavenly Master Rutherford. Have you never held fellowship with George Herbert, that saintly songster? Hear him as he cries—

“How sweetly does my Master sound! My Master!                           As ambergris leaves a rich scent                                                                                   Unto the taster,                                                                                                                    So do these words a sweet content,                                                                               An oriental fragrance, my Master!”

O friends, I can wish you no greater blessing than to be directed into these two things—the love of God, and the patience of your Savior. Enter both at the same time. You cannot divide them; why should you? The love of God shines best in the patience of the Savior, and what is the patience of Christ but the love of the Father? “What God has joined together, let no man put asunder.” May the Lord lead us into both of them at this hour, and continue upon us the heavenly process all the rest of our lives, in all experiences of sorrow and of rapture, and in all moods and growths of our spirit!

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

“May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 3:5 (ESV)

The following is an excerpt from Pastor Charles H. Spurgeon. Spurgeon preached this text on June 17, 1888 at the Metropolitan Tabernacle. He entitled his message The Love of God and the Patience of Christ.

“Having turned the text over many times, I thought that we might be able to gather up a considerable amount of its real meaning if we thought of it thus; first, here are two precious things for us to enter into—the love of God and the patience of Christ, and, secondly, here are two eminent virtues to be acquired by us; the love of God, that is, love to God, and the patience of Christ—the patient waiting for Christ”.

“To begin, then, here are TWO PRECIOUS THINGS FOR US TO ENTER INTO. We cannot enter into them except as the Lord directs our hearts. There is a straight entrance into them, but we do not readily find it. It needs the Holy Spirit to direct our feet along the narrow way which leads to this great blessedness.”

“The first precious thing which we are to enter is the love of God. Beloved, we know the love of God in various ways. Many know it by having heard of it, even as a blind man may thus know the charms of an Alpine landscape. Poor knowledge this! Others of us have tasted of the love of God, have talked about the love of God, have prayed, and have sung concerning the love of God. All very well, but Paul meant a dove of a brighter feather. To be directed into the love of God is quite another thing from all that we can be told of it.”

“A fair garden is before us. We look over the wall, and are even allowed to stand at the door, while one hands out to us baskets of golden apples. This is very delightful. Who would not be glad to come so near as this to the garden of heavenly delights? Yet it is something more to be shown the door, to have the latch lifted, to see the gateway opened, and to be gently directed into the Paradise Sermon #2028 The Love of God and the Patience of Christ Volume 34 Tell someone how much you love Jesus Christ. 3 3 of God. This is what is wanted—that we may be directed into the love of God. Oh, that we may feel something of it while we meditate upon it!”

“This love we ought to know, and if the Lord will lead us into it, we shall know, that it is omnipresent. I mean by this, that whatever condition we may be in, the Lord is still active in love towards us. An omnipresent God means omnipresent love, and omnipotence goes hand-in-hand with omnipresence. The Lord will show Himself strong on the behalf of them that trust Him. His love, which never fails, is attended by a power that faints not, nor is weary. Oh, may the Lord lead you into such love as this! May the Holy Spirit lead you into the innermost secret of this joy of joys, this bliss unspeakable!”

“I would also wish that you may be directed into the love of God as to its entire agreement with His justice, His holiness, His spotless purity. I firmly believe that God loves sinners, but I am equally sure that He hates sin. I do believe that He delights in mercy, but I am equally clear that He never dishonors His justice, nor frustrates the sternest threat of His law. It is our joy that a holy God loves us, and does not find it needful to stain His holiness to save the unclean. We are loved by one so just, so righteous, that He could not pardon us without atonement.”

“I have thus spoken a little upon a vast theme. I fear it will seem to you mere surface-work, and yet I pray that it may lead you to deep knowledge of divine things, so that you may apprehend God’s love as yours, and then may feel the power, the unction, the savor, which come out of His love, making all your heart as sweet and aromatic as a chamber in which a box of precious ointment has been broken. Oh, that Sermon #2028 The Love of God and the Patience of Christ Volume 34 Tell someone how much you love Jesus Christ. 5 5 you might be led into the innermost secret of the Lord’s love till it shall saturate you, influence you, take possession of you, and carry you right away! The Lord direct you into the love of God.”

More to come. May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

“May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 3:5 (ESV)

The Apostle Paul, along with Silas and Timothy, were many things and were involved in many tasks. They were missionaries, evangelists, church planters, and apologists for the Gospel. They were also pastors. They fed, led, and protected the various churches the Lord established through their efforts. The trio did not consider believers in Christ, or the unconverted, as a means to the end of ministerial self-glorification or pawns for self-promotion.

They embodied the spirit of Micah 6:8: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”  

They also fulfilled the pastoral characteristics found in I Peter 5:1-3: “ So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: ² shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; ³ not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.”

Therefore, it should be no surprise the Holy Spirit would direct Paul to write today’s text. Therein is the key word: direct. Direct (κατευθύναι; kateuthyno) is an aorist, active, optative verb. This is an action to occur at a particular and decisive moment in the future. It is a wish. Paul wanted the Lord to guide, lead and literally make straight the Thessalonian believer’s hearts. It was another prayer by a shepherd for the sheep.  

The noun hearts (καρδίας; kardias) καρδίας) refers to an individual’s inner self. It is their mind, emotions and will. In other words, their soul. Paul wished the Lord would guide the believer’s soul toward a two-fold destination. These were not worldly objectives, such as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes or the pride of life (I John 2:15-17). Rather, they were the goals of love and steadfastness.

The phrase the love of God (ἀγάπην θεοῦ; agapen theou) is the self-sacrificial concern sourced in the will and which is sourced and possessed from God the Father alone. The phrase steadfastness of Christ (ὑπομονὴν Χριστοῦ) refers to the endurance sourced and possessed by God the Son; the Lord Jesus Christ alone.

Paul wished the Thessalonians would be captivated and guided by God the Father’s love, and the steadfastness of Jesus Christ, for them. The apostle did not want these believers to lose the awe and wonder of God’s love and endurance on their behalf. It is an awe and wonder Paul, among others, never lost.

“But although the missionaries have full confidence in the readers, they realize, nevertheless, that it is only with the help of the Lord that men will be disposed to keep the commandments. Hence, the pendulum swings back once more from the human to the divine,” states Dr. William Hendriksen.^[1]

“When the love which God has for the Thessalonians and which he is constantly showing to them becomes the motivating force in their lives and when the endurance exercised by Christ in the midst of a hostile world becomes their example, then they will do and will continue to do whatever God through his servants demands of them.” ^[2]

“Both “of God” and “of Christ” are to be considered subjective genitives. Not “their love for God” but “God’s love for them” is what is meant. That is regular Pauline usage (see Rom. 5:5, 8; 8:39; 2 Cor. 13:14; cf. Eph. 2:4). This is “the love of God which has been shed abroad in our hearts.” It is “his own love toward us.” It is “the love of God in Christ from which nothing shall be able to separate us.” It is “his great love with which he loved us,” concludes Dr. Hendriksen.^[3]

Are you so captivated and directed by the love of God the Father and the endurance and faithfulness of the Lord Jesus Christ? May this be our goal to never lose the glory, awe and wonder of our great heavenly Father and our wonderful Savior Jesus. May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

---

^[1] William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of I-II Thessalonians, vol. 3, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 197.

^[2] Ibid

^[3] Ibid

“And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command.” (2 Thessalonians 3:4 (ESV)

The secular worldview elevates self-confidence to the superlative. Without a faith in the One, True and the Lord Jesus Christ, self-confidence is all it has. As one popular recording artist once said, “To love yourself is the greatest love of all.” Consider the following, random quotations.

“It is confidence in our bodies, minds and spirits that allows us to keep looking for new adventures.” – Oprah Winfrey

“Self-confidence is the best outfit: Rock it, Own it.” – Anonymous

“Confidence is most beautiful thing you can possess.” – Sabrina Carpenter

“I was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence but it comes from within. It is there all the time.” – Anna Freud

According to Webster’s Dictionary, confidence is “a feeling or consciousness of one’s powers or of reliance on one’s circumstances.” It is “faith or belief that one will act in a right, proper, or effective way.”

The Scriptures portray an individual’s confidence to be centered in the Lord. “Confidence, in a biblical context, refers to a firm trust or belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something. It is often associated with faith and assurance, particularly in God and His promises. Confidence is not merely self-assurance but is deeply rooted in the character and faithfulness of God,” explains one commentator.

In the Old Testament, confidence is frequently linked to trust in God rather than in human strength or wisdom. Proverbs 3:26 states, “For the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.”  Likewise, Psalm 118:8-9 says, “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.”

In the New Testament, confidence is often associated with faith in Jesus Christ and one’s assurance of salvation. Hebrews 10:35-36 says, “So do not throw away your confidence; it holds a great reward. You need to persevere, so that after you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.”

The Apostle Paul frequently spoke of confidence in Christ. Philippians 1:6 says, “being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will continue to perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” This confidence is not self-centered but is grounded on the faithfulness of God.

In today’s text, Paul, Silas and Timothy expressed confidence (πεποίθαμεν; pepoithomen).  This refers to their continual and active persuasion and conviction, in the Lord Jesus Christ, about the persevering faith of the Thessalonian believers. The missionary trio was confidence these believers would do, presently and in the future, the will of God.

“Apart from “the Lord” (that is, Jesus Christ; see 1 Thess. 1:1) confidence in the readers and in their future conduct would have lacked a firm basis. One never knows what mere men are going to do. But by virtue of union with the Lord (for that is the meaning of “in the Lord”) the confidence which Paul has is well-founded, for the Lord perfects that which he has begun (cf. Gal. 5:10; Phil. 1:6). By means of obedience to the commandments (cf. 1 Thess. 4:11)—those issued before and also those which Paul is about to issue (in verses 6–15)—spiritual strengthening and protection is and will be attained. The readers are doing and are going to do what they are told to do,” explains Dr. William Hendriksen..^[1]

Verse 4 does not begin a new section. It is very closely related to the preceding verse, as we have shown. It also prepares for the things that immediately follow. It shows delicate, admirable tact. The commandment will not sound nearly as harsh when those who issue it (principally Paul, but also Silas and Timothy) are kind enough to preface it by saying, “We have confidence … that what we command, you are doing and will continue to do.” Verse 4 is therefore a window through which we can look into the wise, kind, and considerate soul of Paul.^[2]

Where is your confidence? Is it in yourself or some self-help motivational speaker? For the believer in Christ, our confidence must be rooted and grounded in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

---

^[1] William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of I-II Thessalonians, vol. 3, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 196–197.

^[2] Ibid.

^” But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” (2 Thessalonians 3:3 (ESV)

In contrast to the faithlessness of the unconverted (2 Thess. 3:2), The One, True Lord of heaven and earth is faithful. Faithfulness is one of God’s most familiar attributes. As previously noted, it is a predominant attribute of God throughout the Old and New Testaments. Faithfulness is God being trustworthy, dependable, committed and honorable, or worthy of worship.

It is because the LORD is faithful, believers in Christ can be confident of His consistent presence and purpose. Additionally, in the latter portion of today’s text there are two precious promises the Apostle Paul communicated to the Thessalonian church. On the basis of His faithfulness, God will not only establish believers but He will also guard them from the evil one.

To establish (στηρίξει; sterixei) is a future, active, indicative verb. It means to strengthen and make firm or steadfast. This is an activity the LORD promises to actively do regardless of what the future holds. This is because God faithfully sovereign over the future. 

To guard (φυλάξει; phylazei) means to watch over and observe. However, beyond just watching an observing believers the LORD actively protects His children. The Psalms poetically describe the LORD’s protection.

Psalm 3 (ESV) – “¹ O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; ² many are saying of my soul, “There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah ³ But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. ⁴ I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah ⁵ I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. ⁶ I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. ⁷ Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked. ⁸ Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people! Selah

Psalm 27:1 (ESV) – “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

Psalm 121 (ESV) – “¹ I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? ² My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. ³ He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. ⁴ Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. ⁵ The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. ⁶ The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. ⁷ The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. ⁸ The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.”

God’s faithful strength and protection for believers is because of the evil one (πονηροῦ; ponerou). This refers to one who is worthless, wicked, and criminal. This is a title for the Devil.

“Standing firm in the truth would give the Thessalonians a solid basis from which they could pray for the success of the gospel and the deliverance of Paul and his co-laborers from those who did not have faith in the gospel (3:1–2). But as we see in today’s passage, the failure of some to have faith in Christ should not discourage us. The faithlessness of men and women by no means negates the faithfulness of God to His promises and to His people. Paul makes this clear in today’s passage when he reminds us that the Lord will establish us and guard us against the evil one (v. 3),” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.

“Yes, we should pray to be delivered from the evil one (see Matt. 6:13), but we should never think that it is not God’s will to give us such deliverance. The Lord, in fact, delights to rescue us from Satan and his minions. We who trust in Christ alone will all experience ultimate deliverance from the devil, for we will live forever in a renewed creation while our enemy and his followers will suffer forever in the lake of fire (Rev. 20–21). Satan can have no lasting victory over the people of God.”

“One of the most precious truths about the Lord is that even if others are unfaithful, He is always faithful to us. We never need to doubt that He is working out His good purposes for us, and we must cling to this truth especially when we cannot understand what He is doing. In fact, we do not need to understand what He is doing; we need only to know that He is always perfectly faithful,” concludes Dr. Sproul.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Great is His faithfulness. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

^” But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” (2 Thessalonians 3:3 (ESV)

In contrast to the faithlessness of the unconverted (2 Thess. 3:2), The One, True Lord of heaven and earth is faithful. Faithfulness is one of God’s most familiar attributes. It is a predominant theme throughout the Old and New Testaments.

^9 “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,” (Deuteronomy 7:9 (ESV)

“Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.” Psalm 36:5 (ESV)

“O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O Lord, with your faithfulness all around you?” (Psalm 89:8 (ESV)

“Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! ² For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord! “(Psalm 117:1–2 (ESV)

²² The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; ²³ they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22–23 (ESV)

⁹ God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:9 (ESV)

 ¹³ No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV)

²³ Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23 (ESV)

Not only is Scripture filled with references to the Lord’s faithfulness, but so also are the hymns and songs of the church. Here is but a brief sampling of recent praise songs concerning the faithfulness of God.

1. Same God – Elevation Worship

How I need You now, yes
O Rock, O Rock of Ages
I’m standing on Your faithfulness
On Your faithfulness

2. Goodness of God – Bethel Music

And all my life You have been faithful
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God

3. Firm Foundation (He Won’t) – Maverick City Music

Cause He’s never let me down
He’s faithful through generations
So why would He fail now?
He won’t

4. Yes, and Amen – Chris Tomlin

Faithful, you are
Faithful forever you will be
Faithful, you are
All your promises are yes and Amen

5. Evidence – Josh Baldwin

All throughout my history
Your faithfulness has walked beside me
The winter storms made way for spring
In every season, from where I’m standing

6. Do It Again – Elevation Worship

Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I’m still in Your hands
This is my confidence
You’ve never failed me yet

7. He Is Faithful – Bryan and Katie Torwalt

He is faithful, He is glorious
He is Jesus, all my hope is in Him
He is freedom, He is healing right now
He is hope and joy, love and peace and life

It would be remiss if there was no mention of the classic hymn Great is Thy Faithfulness by Thomas O. Chisholm & William M. Runyan.

As one hymnologist recently wrote, “Few songs have brought more daily comfort than “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” Written in 1923 by Thomas O. Chisholm, a humble insurance agent and former Methodist minister, the hymn reflects his personal testimony of God’s steady provision. The music, composed by William M. Runyan of Moody Bible Institute, matches the lyrics with gentle strength and clarity.

“Inspired by Lamentations 3:22–23, the hymn declares: “Morning by morning new mercies I see.” This line alone has been the quiet strength for countless believers walking through seasons of suffering, change, and uncertainty. The hymn doesn’t celebrate dramatic miracles—it celebrates the daily, consistent faithfulness of God in ordinary life. That’s why it endures.”

“Among classic hymns of the faith, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” stands out not only for its poetic beauty, but for its theological richness. It reminds us that God’s character never shifts. His compassions never fail. In a world of instability, this hymn anchors hearts in the One who is always faithful. Whether sung in sanctuary choirs or at kitchen tables, it continues to minister peace to every generation.”

What does the Scriptures mean when it states God is faithful? In today’s text, the word faithful (πιστὸς; pistos) means trustworthy, dependable, committed and honorable. The Lord is all of these and much more.

“Between the strengthening and the guarding there is a very close relationship. By being positively strengthened in faith, love, every good work and word (1 Thess. 3:2, 12, 13; 2 Thess. 2:17) believers will be guarded against the sin of capitulating to Satan. In all this the Lord (Jesus Christ) will manifest his faithfulness (cf. 1 Thess. 5:24). His promise never fails. He ever completes that which he began (Phil. 1:6),” explains Dr. William Hendriksen.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Great is His faithfulness. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

Our current weekly study from Scripture concerns the subject of holiness. This week’s essay continues to examine the holiness of God from Isaiah 6:1-7.

“Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” (Isaiah 6:6-7).

Have you ever sensed the touch of God in your life? I refer to this touch as an overwhelming sense of the presence of God and His gracious forgiveness. Touch can also refer to a sense of God’s divine call to serve Him, perhaps in full-time ministry. I have encountered both of these events in my life, along with numerous moments of rededication, repentance of sin, and forgiveness from God as His child (I John 1:8-10).

To truly know God is to know that He is, according to Isaiah 6:1-3, holy, holy, holy. I Peter 1:15-16 says, “But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (Lev.11:44).  Isaiah 6 contains one of the most striking accounts of not only the holiness of God but also the un-holiness of man.

“When we truly encounter God’s holiness, we are changed. Consider Isaiah 6. Isaiah is overwhelmed by the display of God’s holiness. He is completely undone, crying, “Woe is me!” (Isa. 6:5). Encountering God’s holiness humbles us, exposes our sinfulness, and reshapes our minds and hearts, compelling us to align our desires and will with His desires and will. Recognizing our need for Him, we are set apart for His purposes and transformed into His likeness,” explains one commentator.

To truly know God is to recognize and understand that He is holy, and we are not. He is set apart from sin, while we belong and revel in our sin. How then can sinful creatures ever hope to eternally be in the presence of this God who is holy? How can we ever hope to serve Him? Our only confidence is in the gracious justification, redemption, reconciliation, and sanctification from the LORD. This is illustrated in today’s featured biblical text,

“Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar.” God alone, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is the one who takes the initiative in cleansing sinners from their sin. This is illustrated by one of the seraphim angels who, with one set of his wings, flew to Isaiah. The angel had in his possession a burning coal. This was a very hot live ember taken from the altar, presumably the Altar of Incense.

“Realizing his impurity, Isaiah was cleansed by God, through the intermediary work of one of the seraphs. It is fitting that a seraph (perhaps meaning a “burning one”) touched Isaiah’s lips with a hot coal … from the altar, either the altar of burnt offering, on which a fire was always burning (Lev. 6:12), or the altar of incense where incense was burned each morning and evening (Ex. 30:1, 7–8),” explains Dr. John A. Martin from the Bible Knowledge Commentary.

And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” The angel touched the prophet’s mouth with the burning coal. With that touch from God by His angelic emissary, the angel stated that Isaiah’s sinful guilt was removed and his sin atoned for and forgiven. This scene is a symbolic reminder that repentance is painful, but cleansing and purifying

Dr. R. C. Sproul adds, “The purification is specifically applied to the point of his sin—his lips—making the prophet acceptable as a minister of God’s words (Jeremiah 1:9).”

“The action of the seraph in touching the coal to the lips of Isaiah symbolized the fact of the necessary propitiatory sacrifice having been made, his sins were forgiven. Acting in accord with God’s behest, the seraph caused the stone to touch the lips of the prophet,” states commentator E.J. Young.

“This stone, taken from the altar, was merely a symbol of forgiveness; the fire in itself could naturally not cleanse from sin. The cleansing and purifying work is not that of the fire, but of God alone. God alone is the author of forgiveness, and the seraph is but His messenger, flying to do His bidding.”  

God forgave Isaiah and the prophet became useful for God. This was not on the basis of anything the prophet could have done, but solely based on the gracious mercy of God. When God touched Isaiah, the prophet became holy. Isaiah was now immediately set apart from the penalty of sin, purified from the power of sin and received the God-given eternal promise of freedom from the presence of sin.

Dr. D.A. Carson states, “People do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise; . . . we drift toward disobedience; . . . we drift toward superstition.”

Have the Lord touched you with a sense of His holy presence? If so, when and where? How do believers in Christ practically pursue God’s call to be holy as He is holy? This question will be considered when next we meet.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a God honoring and holy day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

“Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, ² and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith.” (2 Thessalonians 3:1–2 (ESV)

The following message is from Dr. John Piper. He is founder and teacher of Desiring God and chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is author of more than 50 books, He preached this sermon on January 13, 1985.

A Challenge to Pray

We stand at the end of the week in prayer and at the beginning of 1985. We have begun it in the way we should. The ministry of the word will run and be glorified at Bethlehem Baptist Church this year to the degree that we remain faithful to God’s word and to the degree that we pray for its victory. Everything of eternal significance happens by the word and prayer.

Let me hold out a challenge to you. Would you be willing to join me in resolving to pray this prayer every day this year? “Lord, cause your word to run and be glorified in the ministries of our church and in the missions we support.”

It implies praying that the word of God will win converts to Christ in our midst. It implies praying that the word of God will conquer sinful habits in our lives. It implies praying that the word of God will rise up and send out from among us ministers of the word at home and abroad. It implies praying that the teachers of the church will be kept from the evil one and will hold to the truth and be filled with spiritual power to proclaim and explain the word of God.

But all I am asking is whether you will make the promise. God helping me, I will pray each day in 1985 this simple prayer: Lord, cause your word to run and be glorified in the ministries of our church and in the missions we support.

Before I ask you to make that choice, let me close with an illustration of the kind of discipline and perseverance in prayer that might inspire you.

Illustration and Encouragement to Pray

David Howard, whose son teaches at our seminary and who is general director of The World Evangelical Fellowship, told recently in the Evangelical Missions Quarterly about a great movement of prayer that happened at Wheaton College when he and Jim Elliot were there in 1946.

Jim Elliot—the missionary killed by the Auca Indians in Ecuador—organized a campus-wide round-the-clock prayer cycle so that a student was praying for a mission’s movement during every 15-minute slot. One of the students’ named Art Wiens was moved during that week to pray systematically through the college directory, praying for 10 students by name every day. He followed this faithfully through his college years.

David Howard says that he did not see Art Wiens again until 1974, about 25 years later, at the Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization in Switzerland. As they renewed their friendship, Art asked David Howard if he recalled the great times of prayer they used to have. Then he said, “You know, Dave, I am still praying for 500 of our college contemporaries who are now on the mission field.” David asked him how he knew that many are overseas. He said, “I kept in touch with the alumni office and found out who was going as a missionary, and I still pray for them.”

Dave was so astounded he asked if he could see the prayer list. The next day he brought it to him—a battered old notebook he had started in college days with the names of hundreds of their classmates and fellow students.

Have you ever tested the desire to put your hand to a plow and not take it off for 25 years? Well, I would like to give you the chance to put it to the plow for one year, and the plow is very light. It takes eight seconds to say prayerfully, “Lord, cause your word to run and be glorified in the ministries of our church and in the missions we support. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

“Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, ² and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith.” (2 Thessalonians 3:1–2 (ESV)

The following message is from Dr. John Piper. He is founder and teacher of Desiring God and chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is author of more than 50 books, He preached this sermon on January 13, 1985.

God’s Word Triumphs Through Prayer

One of the texts that has done that for my own desire to pray is 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2. It’s short, but full of incentive for those of us who want to have a significant role in God’s purposes: “Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed on and triumph, as it did among you, and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men; for not all have faith.”

This text gives tremendous significance to prayer in God’s victorious purposes. We could state the doctrine like this: Through prayer the word of the Lord overcomes obstacles and reaches a glorious victory.

The word of the Lord is pictured as an athlete running in a race to attain the prize of glory. An athlete is glorified when he wins and is recognized and acclaimed as superior to all the others in the race. So the word of the Lord is running in the world. It will one day win the race of words—the race of philosophies and theories and worldviews. It will be recognized and acclaimed as superior to all other words and philosophies—IF we pray! “Pray for us that the word of the Lord may speed on in triumph.”

Now just think of it. Almighty God has spoken. If he is God, it is sure that his word will accomplish all his purposes. God’s truth must win the race of words, but the text says, “Pray that the word will be victorious!” I take this to mean that God will indeed cause his word to be glorified, but he does not intend to win the victory without prayer. Or to put it in the most amazing way, he does not intend to win without giving you a part in the victory.

This is simply amazing. God’s whole purpose of creation and redemption hangs on the success of his word. Jesus said that the gospel must first be preached to all the peoples (Mark 13:10) before the end will come. In the end there will be people in the kingdom from every tongue and tribe and nation (Revelation 5:9). The word must run in triumph to those peoples if the purpose of God is to be accomplished. If his word fails, if there are insurmountable obstacles, then the new heaven and new earth abort.

Therefore, since God does not intend to win the race of words without the prayers of his people, the very purpose of God in creation and redemption hangs on your prayers.

True Significance Comes Through Prayer 

If you’re hungry for significance—for ultimate, eternal significance, not a little nationwide 50-year significance—then devote yourself to prayer for the word of God to run and be glorified, because through prayer the word of the Lord will be victorious and you with it.

We count people great in proportion to whether they have produced anything great, so some people long to write a great novel, and some long to build a business that will rival IBM or Mobil Oil, and some long to be the coach of a Super Bowl champion team, and some dream of commanding a brilliant battalion in victory, and some dream of discovering a new form of energy.

In about two seconds, all of them and all of us are going to gather before the judgment seat of God. James says that your life here is like a mist that appears for a little while and then is gone. Earthly life is like the breaths you saw in the air as you walked in this morning—about two seconds. So, the only greatness worth pursuing is greatness that is going to last in the age to come. Nobody gets excited about two seconds of greatness. Would there be any takers if God offered to let you feel the greatness of being chief executive officer of IBM for two seconds in exchange for your life?

So, we are all there before the judgment seat of all. The novel is gone, IBM is gone, the Super Bowl is gone, the battalion is gone, and the new form of energy is a first-grade science project in heaven. But off to the side of this group of erstwhile greats is John Doe Christian who, in his life, had spent 30 minutes a day on his knees praying that the word of the Lord would run and be glorified.

And behind him, stretching as far as the eye can see, are people from every tribe and tongue and nation praising God and shouting, “Worthy art thou, Lord God Almighty, for thou hast put it in the heart of John Doe Christian to pray, and by his prayers didst cause thy word to run and be glorified in our faith. Long live the King! Long live John Doe Christian! Great is the Lord and great is the mirror of his glory!”

For those of us who long for eternal significance and hunger after true greatness, 2 Thessalonians 3:1 is a very exciting text. God has appointed prayer as the means by which we have a role in his saving purposes, which is greater than any greatness the earth has to offer. You just have to see things the way God does. 

God will be duly glorified when the knowledge of his glory fills the earth like the waters fill the sea. And the earth will be filled with the knowledge of his glory when the word of the Lord runs and is glorified. And the word of the Lord runs and is glorified through prayer.

Brothers and sisters, this is a high calling. Believe it or not, this is the kind of greatness and the kind of significance you are longing for—to be an instrument in the hands of God to cause the word of the Lord to speed on in triumph!

More to come. May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

“Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, ² and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith.” (2 Thessalonians 3:1–2 (ESV)

The following message is from Dr. John Piper. He is founder and teacher of Desiring God and chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is author of more than 50 books, He preached this sermon on January 13, 1985.

You recall from Ephesians 6:17-18 that Paul said, “Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God … praying.” Prayer is the power that wields the weapon of the word. 

Nevertheless—and this is the magnificence of prayer—God has put his word into the hand of prayer. He himself remains the source and goal of all things, but he has chosen to make prayer the power that wields the weapon of his word. He himself remains the source to that power, but he grants to use the privilege and joy of being the instrument of his power in prayer.

A Universal Desire to Mirror God

I believe all of you somewhere within your heart want to be the instruments of God’s power, and therefore, even if you don’t feel like it now, there is buried somewhere in your subconscious the longing to be a man or a woman of fervent and effective prayer.

The reason I am confident of this is that every one of you is created in God’s image. Each one of you was created to be a conscious mirror of God’s image. You were created to consciously reflect his glory like a mirror of God’s image. Before sin entered the world, I think Adam and Eve had an overwhelming longing to be used by God to image-forth his power and wisdom and love in the world. They wanted to be mirrors of his glory.

And that longing is deep within every person today, but it has been distorted by sin. In a sense, the distortion is only slight; but it is the difference between day and night. It is the difference between wanting to reflect his face and wanting to take his place.

The glory of a mirror is to put its face to the light and to let that light shine. This is what mirrors are made for. This is the deep longing of the heart. But then sin entered the world and its first manifestation was Adam and Eve’s discontent with being mirrors. They began to want to be their own source of light. They began to feel that mirrors are just glass with a thin black coating of tin and mercury.

They suddenly became conscious of the fact that to be a good mirror you have to turn whichever way the light moves. You can’t be your own master. So, they chose to be their own source of light; they turned their brilliant mirror-faces away from God, and now all they can do is block his light and cast a shadow across the world.

But I want you to see the longing of Adam and Eve to be the light is a distortion of a legitimate longing, namely, to reflect the light. The Bible teaches that everyone since the fall of Adam and Eve is born with these same distorted longings. We come into the world longing to be God. We want the world to revolve around our interests.

We want to decide for ourselves which way to turn our faces. We want people to esteem us and admire us and compliment us. We don’t like the thought of being a mirror which has no beauty except in the thing it reflects. We don’t like the idea of having to turn our face wherever the light wants to go. We want to be our own light. We want to be God.

This comes with our fallen humanity. It is the very essence of sin. If you are honest, you will admit that you have felt this way. But this universal experience of sin is Satan’s distortion of something wonderful. And the wonderful thing is the pure and righteous longing to be used by God to reflect his glory in the world.

It’s not wrong to want to be significant. It’s wrong to want your significance to reside in yourself instead of in the one you reflect. It’s not wrong to want to be important. It’s wrong to want your importance to be in yourself instead of the one you reflect. It’s not wrong to boast, but “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord!”

Concealed deep beneath our pride and our craving for esteem and our love of power and influence is a good thing that has been distorted, namely, the longing to be a mirror of God. To be a mirror of God is the highest honor to which a creature can aspire. And the most ludicrous sight in the world is a created mirror turning away from the light of God and then trying on its own to make a little spark to brighten the shadow it casts on the world.

We Mirror God Through Prayer 

Now you might have lost track of what this has to do with prayer, so let me try to retrace our steps. What I have been trying to show is that each of you, if not consciously, at least subconsciously wants to be a person of fervent and powerful prayer. That is, you want to have a significant place in the purposes of God. You want to be his instrument in accomplishing something worthwhile.

My argument for this has been that behind the universal desire to be God there is a distorted longing to be a mirror of God – to have the significance and the importance of reflecting the glory of God. But my unspoken assumption so far is that praying is the way we mirror God.

Surely that is easy to see. A mirror faces away from itself to its source of light so that it might have some use in the world, and prayer faces away from itself toward God so that it might be of some use in the world. A mirror is designed to receive light and channel it for the good of others, and prayer is designed to receive grace and channel it for the good of others.

The value of a mirror is not in itself, but in its potential to let something else be seen. And the value of prayer is not in itself, but in its potential to let the power and beauty of God be seen. A mirror is utterly dependent on the source of light from outside itself, and prayer is the posture of the childlike, utterly dependent on the resources and kindness of the heavenly Father.

So praying is the way we mirror God. And if I am right that each of you, in the image of God, has a deep desire to be a mirror of God, then it is also true that, even if you don’t feel like it now, there is buried somewhere in your subconscious the longing to be a man or a woman of fervent and effective prayer.

More to come. May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!