Remembering the Covenant

One of the sad tragedies which can creep in on any maturing believer is becoming overly familiar with Scripture. The tragedy is not in knowing the Bible, but being so familiar with the words to the point it no longer surprises you or carries the same weight as the first time you read it. I notice this with passages of Scripture I have literally read hundreds of times. I can effortlessly allow my eyes to roll right over words and phrases without considering what they mean.

That being said, one of the great remaining treasure fields full of surprises and weighty passages is the Old Testament. Let’s be honest, most of the prophets and more obscure writings are hardly read by most, including myself. However, there is as much gospel there, albeit unrealized, as there is in our favorite Epistle or Gospel. I recently uncovered one of these amazing treasures in the book of Ezekiel.

My reading plan takes me through one chapter from ten different books in the Bible each day. This forces me to read and consider the entire Bible not just my favorite books. These are not just ten isolated chapters held in individual silos. They are conspiring partners in crime. Not every chapter connects perfectly to every other chapter. Nor do they always address the same issues; but many times they do. It is important to see these consistent themes throughout all parts of the Bible.

I had one of these days recently as I read an all too familiar passage and one I may have never read consciously. I do not think the maker of the reading plan strategized this exact connection when he organized the groupings. However, I do think the Maker of the universe meant for these passages to stand side by side when he created the world and everything in it.

The first passage was Ephesians 5, and specifically the call on husbands to love their wives. I have read and studied this countless times in the past, but I still read through it and thought about the cost of loving another person. Loving a wife to the point of giving up your self is a very high calling. I casually jotted these verses down in my journal and moved on.

Next, I came to Ezekiel. I had been enjoying the simplicity and clarity of the book thus far and was looking forward to more. However, when I read the heading of the chapter I was not looking forward to reading it. The Lord’s Faithless Bride. Sometimes those kinds of chapters are the hardest to read. This might be because we don’t want to be confronted with sin and unfaithfulness. It’s not the brightest topic to start the day. But it might be the needed topic to start the day.

So I trudged through the passage trying to pay attention and understand what the author was saying. I was caught off guard by the picture he painted with his words. Ezekiel tells this story to the people of Israel to demonstrate their unfaithfulness.

There was this girl who was born to some sinful, terrible parents. They thought she was nothing special. They did not even try to keep her. They despised her and left her to die in the elements. As she was there alone, without hope in her desperation, a man happened by and had compassion on her. He took her in to his life and raised her. He gave her his love as a father. Then later, when the time was right, he set his love on her as a husband. He gave her himself and his best and put her forth as his prized possession. He promised himself to her forever. Everything he owned she now possessed too.

For a time they lived in this great marital relationship. As time wore on, she took advantage of her newfound position and began to think that she had made herself into who she was. She began to love the stuff he gave her more than him. She started to put herself out there to other men and eventually gave herself fully to them. It got so bad, that she was even paying them to take her and use her. This was the worst kind of unfaithfulness that this man ever had known. She chose to pay strangers to use her instead of living in the blessing and bounty of the marital promise. The man saw the destruction that she was heading toward and confronted her.

Now, this is the part that blows my mind. He did not take full advantage of his position and his right-standing. He did not completely throw her back to the elements. He could have rightly told her that he was getting on with his life. He could have just allowed her to chase these other things that were leading to her destruction. He could have lawfully removed himself from his obligations because she had broken the promise. He could easily backed away from the promise he made. But he did not do that. He chose a better way.

The man renewed his vows right there on the spot. He confessed his love for her. He recommitted himself to his side of the bargain.  He promised to continue in his love for her and to make all the things right which she messed up. He was going to bear the cost, again, of loving her even in her filth, pride, and unfaithfulness.

How’s that for love? How’s that for a real life picture of what laying down your life and your rights looks like? How’s that for an example to follow? How’s that for a love to live in?

The reality of that story is that the man is God. The woman represents the Israelites. They, and we the same, have not been faithful to our rescuing husband. But he loves us anyways. Now, he definitely wants our faithfulness in return. He wants us to be his and his only. But he loved us while we were still unfaithful.

May we not begin to think that we have made ourselves into who we are. May we not love his things more than we love him. May we not give ourselves away to be used by the world and shame our father. May we live in a manner worthy of the gospel.

This was a gem to find the other morning. What a beautiful picture of the gospel, even 700 years before Jesus would ever come to the earth.

“yet I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish for you an everlasting covenant. … I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the Lord … when I atone for you for all that you have done declares the Lord God.” Ezekiel 16:60,62-63

An Enduring Faith for the Trials of the Christian Life - Hebrews 12:1-11

This is a sermon I preached at Victory Memorial Baptist Church in Louisville, KY on July 21, 2013. The text deals with how Christians are to go through suffering and discipline and also why Christians go through suffering. I hope that it is helpful and encouraging for you.

Scattering and Gathering

From the very beginning, God has given us a mission to fill the earth with his glory. To our father Adam, he gave the command to take what was in the garden in Eden and fill the earth with it. "And God blessed them. And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it..." (Genesis 1:28) So what was in the garden in Eden? First, humans made in the image of God. Second, a cultivated garden of order and life. God's goal was to fill the earth with his image and with his creation. The purpose was that both his image bearers and his creation were to declare his glory in all the earth.

But in steps sin. Because Adam and Eve sinned against God, disastrous consequences occurred to the human race. But God's plan to fill the earth with his Glory was not thwarted. It changes slightly, but is not thwarted. "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea." (Habakkuk 2:14) God uses both the Scattering and Gathering of his people to accomplish his purposes, even when resisted against. Over and over in Scripture we see this imagery of Scattering and Gathering.

The first example in Scripture is Babel. Man was supposed to scatter to the ends of the earth and fill the earth. However, in Genesis 11 the people of the earth are outright resisting that command. "Then they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth." (Genesis 11:4) They not only did not do what God had commanded them to do, but they also were definitively selfish in their pursuits. They wanted to make a name for themselves and they did not want to be scattered. They were doubly evil. God forced them to separate and to fill the earth by creating many languages and cultures. God Scattered them and in the process created a more glorious redemption of all peoples.

Another example of Scattering and Gathering in Scripture occurs during the Exile. For many reasons beyond the scope of a blog post, God sent his people into exile away from Jerusalem. They were cut off from the land and from the only place they were able to worship the LORD. God scattered them because they were idolatrous and adulterous. Again, God uses scattering as punishment for sin. But, God would later use this scattering of people to accomplish his purposes.

Another example similar to the exile occurs after the Church has begun. Jesus has been raised from the dead and has given the Spirit to the Church to accomplish the Great Commission. However, we find the church just chilling in Jerusalem instead of going to make disciples of all peoples. A great persecution arose in Jerusalem such that they had to leave and fill the earth. They fled to all places, but specifically to these Jewish centers that remained from the Exile many years prior. It would be in these places that the gospel churches would plant first.

God scatters so that He might gather.
God will accomplish his purpose to fill the earth with his glory.

I often fear that I am too much like the people at Babel. I desire to make a name for myself and to stay at "home". I want to build my kingdom and increase my glory. I don't want to be separated from that which is comfortable and normative. I resist the call to go fill the earth with knowledge of the glory of God. But, I do not want to be like these people at Babel and resist God's call.

As the people of God are beginning to return from Exile, Nehemiah prays a wonderful prayer. As part of this prayer he says, "Remember the word that you commanded your servant saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though you outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there." (Nehemiah 1:8-9)

As I read this, I cannot help but think of Paul's word to Timothy. "If we are faithless, he remains faithful--for he cannot deny himself." (2 Timothy 2:13) God is faithful and his scattering of us will be to accomplish his purpose to fill the earth with the knowledge of the glory of God.

We must rest on this in our going. We are sent with a divine mission. We are about the King of the Universe's business. We are sent by the one with all authority. Let us not be like those at Babel seeking to make a name for ourselves. Let us go to the earth where the knowledge of the glory of God is not known and worshiped and there make him known.

Quick Update

I wanted to quickly update you on what God is doing in my life in Louisville.

Church Involvement - A wise man once told me: "Be careful of how invested you get into a small church, because before you know it, you will be leading the worship." Well, his wise words have turned prophetic. Other than helping co-lead our worship, God has opened many doors to serve, teach, and grow with the people at Victory Memorial. Community and church vibrancy has been so much better in 2013 and will continue to progress as we reach the neighborhood with the gospel. 

     ->Pray for our efforts in reaching our Hispanic neighbors with a newly hired Hispanic minister.

     ->Pray for our Pastor, Scott Lamb, and his family while pastoring a church in a tough environment.

Fall 2013 - I originally applied to go with the IMB to serve for this coming summer, but doors have opened for me to serve in Spain (most likely) this coming Fall. I will be helping teach English in a high school in Southern Spain and seeking to continue gospel relationships that have been formed already. I am stoked to get to spend ~4 months overseas and get some credit with Southern at the same time. 

     ->Pray a prayer of thanks to God for providing finances and pray for continued support of others so that I can do both school and missions.

Seminary - I am taking 15 hours this semester, which might be one too many classes. Along with this, I am helping to lead and organize a Seminary-wide service project in April. We are partnering with 20+ organizations across Louisville and plan to send 250+ volunteers to help meet their pressing needs. I am also helping to lead and serve in other ways across campus as part of the Student Leadership Council. Needless to say, life is very full right now. My favorite class so far has been Islamic Thought: Belief and Practice. It has opened my eyes to much that I was very ignorant of and hostile towards. 

     ->Pray that my necessary busyness would not lead to a hard heart, but sanctification and gospel growth in our city.

I hope you and your families are well! Share with me how I can be praying for you and your communities. 

Byron "Training to run a marathon at the end of 2013" Smith