day no. 14,314: not good without God

Psalm 16
I have nothing good apart from God. That is something on which to meditate. Whatever I may have, it is not good without God. With God, whatever I have is good.

day no. 14,313: our faith doesn't save us

"it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul." - Charles Haddon Spurgeon

One of Satan's best deceptions is convincing us to focus on ourselves. Our faith is too small, our hope is too wavering, and our deeds are too few. Of course, our Accuser is correct in these assertions. Our faith is too small and our hope is too weak and wavering. But no one is saved by achieving perfect faith or steadfast hope. It is our weak faith in a strong Jesus that saves. It is our stumbling hope in a striding Jesus that comes through every time. Satan's best deception is taking the focus off of Jesus and on to ourselves. Whatever we conclude, "I'm failing," or "I'm succeeding," Satan wins because our glance is turned inward to our self instead outward and upward to Jesus. We are not saved by turning inward, we are saved by what Jesus did outside of us. He lived. He died. He was buried. He rose again. He ascended to the Father's right hand. That reality that took place outside of me and had nothing to do with me has invaded me, has breached the perimeter of my defenses and changed this enemy into His friend, this outsider into His fold, this sinner into His saint. That is what He has done and our focus must be on that. Jesus saves. Our faith doesn't save us. It connects us to the One who saves. Our hope doesn't deliver us. It connects us to our Deliverer. 

day no. 14,312: you don't pray this way

Psalm 17

To beg God for justice is to assume you are on justice's side. If you are living in open rebellion. you don't pray this way. This is the prayer of someone who knows God, loves Him and is doing their best to obey Him. But this prayer shows that even when you live like that, you still have trouble. Life isn't rainbows and butterflies because you're doing what you're supposed to do. A godly life is one of constant dependence on God.

day no. 14,311: aunts and uncles and blisters and sneezes

Exodus 6:26-27

These are the Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said: “Bring out the people of Israel from the land of Egypt by their hosts.” 27 It was they who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing out the people of Israel from Egypt, this Moses and this Aaron.

This is an historical event. Moses and Aaron are not characters who serve as placeholders as "types" of people, they were real people with real moms and dads. They had aunts and uncles and blisters and sneezes. The names and dates have not been changed to protect the identities of those involved. These are the people, this was the time, anchored in real time history. These are not fables with moral lessons to be learned, this is history with divine revelation to be believed.

day no. 14,310: we are our response

Exodus 6:4-9

I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. 6 Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. 7 I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.’” 9 Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.

Take a moment to take in the number of "I will's" in this dialogue. This is indicative. This is God saying what He is going to do. This is promise and prophecy. There is nothing for us to do, but to listen. The imperative comes after hearing in the form of, "believe it! bet your life and livelihood on it." That is the command. God is going to do something. You better believe it. But they didn't because their spirits were broken by the harshness of their situation. They couldn't muster enough hope to imagine a life any different than the one they had. And yet their unbelief did not keep God from doing what He said He was going to do. His action and follow through is not contingent upon our belief. Indicatives don't care how you feel about them. They are true whether or not you like them, love them, hear them, or them. They are what they are. But we are our response to them.

day no. 14,309: ever increasing intimacy

Exodus 6:2

God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them."

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all knew the Lord, but Moses was the first to know Him by Name. The trajectory of revelation is ever increasing intimacy. From heaven to earth, from mystery to revelation, from vague to specific, from spirit to body, from dwelling in a tent to dwelling in us.

day no. 14,308 continued... inward and upward

Psalm 15

Who can live with God? Who can keep up with Him? That person must walk blamelessly, speak truth in his heart and out of his mouth, honor the Lord at all times and in all ways, keep a promise even when it doesn't turn out the way he'd hoped, give money without expecting a return, and judge rightly regardless of relation to the parties. This kind of person can live with God up high on His hill. Only that type of person can breathe that kind of air and survive. Every other set of lungs will burst or shrink under that kind of pressure. One can die there, but one cannot live there. This standard is unbending and eternal. This is the measure of the man who gets to live with God. And so those who accurately acknowledge this standard are left with despair when they look inward and faith when they look upward saying, "If I am to be saved, He must save me. I cannot save myself. Please God make a way for me. If You don't, I can't. Help!!!"

day no. 14,308: the zeal of the Lord of hosts has done this

Isaiah 9:6-7
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and His Name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over His kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Zeal accompanied incarnation.  High became low on purpose and the lifted up came down impassioned.

day no. 14,307: treated well by wicked men

Exodus 5:21-23

…and they said to them, “The Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.” 22 Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.”

We demonstrate the weakness of our faith by our desire to be liked and treated well by wicked men over our desire to be identified with the One those men oppose. We would rather share in the favor of a wicked king than share the suffering of the one, true King. We'd rather experience health, wealth and prosperity as our wages for serving sin than sickness, poverty and death as grace for standing with the Son.  

day no. 14,306: a pharaohble

Exodus 5:9

"Let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words.”

Works righteousness is a god that never rests, never bargains, never stops. It demands. It is relentless. If you take a moment to express that you find your burden too heavy to endure it, it will only increase the load reasoning that if you can find the time to complain, you can find the time to do more. Pharaoh is the epitome of self-righteousness: a self-made, self-proclaimed god who is unable to tolerate the weakness of his servants. He demands strength and provides nothing. He requires devotion and administers lashes. He expects worship and excavates exasperation out of his most loyal subjects. There is no rest in his brand of righteousness. He is the spirit of the anti-Christ.

day no. 14,305: you will do what God wants... eventually

Exodus 5:2

But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.”

Who is Yahweh that I should listen to him? That was Pharaoh's question and that is the question before us. Who is Yahweh? Is He God? Is He the only God? Why does He get a say in what I do? Why should I rearrange my plans in response to His commands?

Do you know God? If you do, it follows that you will do what He says. If you don't know Him, it makes sense that you don't listen to Him. Pharaoh was about to meet Yahweh, the one true God. And he would eventually do what God desired. He would let God's people go. But only after God used a strong arm of persuasion to convince him. It was, however, not to Pharaoh's credit, but to God's glory that he eventually relented.

How will your story end? You will do what God wants....eventually. Will it be for His glory and your good? It will be to His glory... whether or not it is for your good.

day no. 14,304: wise unto salvation

Psalm 14

There is not a single one of us who God sees and says, "Well done, good and faithful servant." The salvation of Israel will come out of Zion. He will understand. He will do good. He will seek God. He will hear, "This is My Son with Whom I am well pleased." He will restore to us what we forfeited. He will make new what we have darkened. He will make fools wise unto salvation by grace through faith in Him alone.

day no. 14,303: the indicative proclaimed and the imperative commanded

Exodus 4:31

And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.

Israel heard what God had done and what He was planning to do. They received the news and believed it. And having believed, they bowed and worshiped. The indicative was proclaimed and the imperative commanded. The drama was retold, the doctrine believed, doxology followed and discipleship now was to be done.

day no. 14,302: the family before the congregation

Exodus 4:24

At a lodging place on the way the Lord met him and sought to put him to death.

Moses was embarking on a mission aimed at calling Israel out of Egypt, but Moses' sons remained uncircumcised. Moses had earlier in life identified with Israel in the public sphere by striking out against injustice, but had failed to follow through in the private sphere by raising his sons in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. How could Moses lead a nation to follow Yahweh, when his own household was out of order? God here insists that Moses' family be in order before he steps out to lead the congregation and it serves as a warning to any who would desire to lead God's people without first leading his own family.

day no. 14,301: the end proclaimed at the beginning

Exodus 4:21-23

And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. 22 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son, 23 and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.’"

Again, we see God calling His shots before the drama ensues. Before Moses steps foot back in Egypt it is already determined by God that Pharaoh will resist and that the life of the firstborn son is at stake.  Pharaoh will know from the onset where this is all headed so that he has no one to blame but himself by the end of this when he buries his firstborn son. 

day no. 14,300: our responsibilities remain ours

Exodus 4:15

You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do

God's solution is not to send someone else as Moses suggested in vs. 13. He mercifully provides a friend, a brother to stand by Moses' side and promises to equip him also to embolden Moses. But Moses is being called to go. Aaron is being called in order to assist Moses, to encourage Moses, but Moses is going. God may call others to help us do what He has called us to, but He doesn't place our responsibilities on to them. They remain ours. But we receive help from God to carry them out.

day no. 14,299: we is more loved than me

I recently listened through a series of conference talks by Doug Wilson on "The Fooleries of Preaching." There were 4 talks total and after the last one there was a brief Q & A session (click HERE)

In response to a question about private consumption of sermons via YouTube, Vimeo, Podcast, etc… versus corporate participation in breathing the same air as the preacher, Pastor Wilson, made reference to Psalm 87:2.

Psalm 87:2

The LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.

God loves the communal gathering of His people MORE than the individual, private times of devotion. This isn't at all to poo poo private, devotional seeking of the Lord, but rather to emphasize that corporate worship is loved MORE by God than private. I think we assume the opposite. We find this Word from the Lord surprising. We would have expected it to be the other way around. Clearly the collected gathering is strengthened by the integrity of its individual member's private commitment and faith, but there is something peculiar and particular about meeting together as a body that brings delight to God that cannot be produced by individual consumption of spirituality. There are some things that can only be done in private, like praying before the Lord as Jesus commands in His sermon on the mount. But we are more loved by God than me. And that is hard to get your head around in an individualistic, privatized religious milieu like ours.

for more on Psalm 87 from Pastor Wilson, click HERE.

day no. 14,298: the next available excuse

Exodus 4:13

But Moses said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.”

Finally, the heart of the matter is exposed. It wasn't that Moses needed the power of a sign in order to feel equipped or that he needed the eloquence of speech in order to feel empowered, it was the fact that underneath all of it, he didn't want to. Isn't that how it is? You don't want to do something, but you don't want to say that you don't want to do something, so you make a convenient excuse that allows you to not do the thing you didn't want to do without looking like the kind of person who didn't want to do it. Until you meet someone who is for you and helps remove the excuse you used. Then you scramble for the next available excuse and again that person skillfully and lovingly addresses it. So all you are left with if you insist on pushing back is the cold, hard, underlying truth, "I don't want to!" 

day no. 14,297: the Bible is more than just a book, but it is not less

My wife sent me this Jen Wilkin quote the other day,

"…the Bible is more than just a book, but it is not less... We don’t get to approach the Bible or any other book according to our whim. Books yield their treasures to those who search earnestly for the meaning the author has placed there."

Amen, sister. Much of Biblical illiteracy is a product of being illiterate in general - not that most people don't know how to read words, but that most people don't know how to read a book.

day no. 14,296 continued... no one should be over until they are under

THE PRINCIPLE: 
those who are under authority will be given authority. 

THE TEXT: 
Matthew 8:9 "For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it."

THE EXPLANATION:
When the Roman Centurion wanted to give proof that he was a man under authority, he pointed to examples of people being under his authority. One man goes because he says, "Go," while another comes because he says, "Come." These initially seem like peculiar examples of being "under" authority. But don't miss the principle that the Centurion assumes. He believed that those who have authority must be under authority. Or said another way, those who desire to be in authority, must themselves first be under authority.

THE APPLICATION:
Do not be hasty in giving authority to those who are clamoring for it. Do not feel hard pressed to create opportunities for those who insist they're gifted at leading others. Rather, look for those who have faithfully placed themselves under authority and look for ways to give them a platform to produce more of the same downstream.

In other words, no one should be over until they are under.

THE BENEDICTION:
The faith of the Centurion is believing that those who humble themselves will be exalted and that those who exalt themselves will be humbled. God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Place your faith in Jesus and find your place under His authority.  

day no. 14,296: the law of hell is bait and switch; the rule of heaven is wait and see

Psalm 13

Asking, seeking and knocking are far more difficult than ask, seek and knock. That pesky "ing" makes it a process and like all things in process, it can be hard to wait while wondering, "How long is this going to take?!?!?!" It is hard to say, "Please," more than once. It tests your commitment to the request and your trust of the one you're asking. So David reminds himself in this moment of what has been true in the past: "I trust in Your steadfast love." I will not doubt it now. I will not doubt in the dark what I have seen in the light. I will sing for all that I have already received and trust the best is yet to come. The rule of hell is bait and switch: the best wine at the beginning and the bad stuff once you're drunk. The rule of heaven is wait and see: the best wine is yet to be served!

day no. 14,295: the power to pull it off and the dependability to follow through

Exodus 3:21-22

"And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty, 22 but each woman shall ask of her neighbor, and any woman who lives in her house, for silver and gold jewelry, and for clothing. You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.”

God here again calls His shots and says, "check the math!" It will all come to pass and I'm telling you ahead of time so that when your pockets are full of Egyptian gold, you remember: God is Almighty and keeps His promises. He cannot be thwarted. If He says something will happen, nothing can prevent it from happening since He possesses the power to pull it off and the dependability to follow through with it. Believe and see... then see and believe.

"Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe." – St. Augustine

day no. 14,294: he will because I will make him

Exodus 3:19-20

"But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. 20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go."

Pharaoh will not say, "Uncle" until I've broken his arm. He won't let you go unless I make Him. And trust Me, I will make him do what I desire. I will insert My will and it will be done.

day no. 14,293: He is Who He says He is

Exodus 3:13-14

Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

The Name of the Lord is YHWH. He is the great I AM. He is self-existent, depending upon no other person and no other thing in order to be. He just is. He is what He is and always will be. He is the same yesterday, today and forever and does not change. I AM said, "You go." We ought to believe Who He is and do what He says because we first believe He is Who He says He is.

day no. 14,292: everything by then will be different

Exodus 3:12

“But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”

God's sign to Moses remains in an unclaimed future. Your feet will again stand on this mountain. But by that time, they will have walked back to Egypt, gathered My people and walked out of Egypt. These same naked feet you look down at today will then have sandals caked with the dust of Egypt and the bottom of the sea on them the next time you stand here. 

This is your sign: you will be here again, but everything by then will be different... and I will remain the same!

day no. 14,291: it all depends on what mood you're in

Exodus 3:10

"Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”

Up to this point the sermon is indicative. God has done something, is doing something, sees something and has a plan. This is all in the indicative mood, reporting news about God that must be believed. But the charge doesn't come until verse 10 when He switches to the imperative mood by saying, "Come." Believe what I have said up until now and now act like you believe. A person who believes what I have said will act this way and thus demonstrate their belief. The imperative always follows the indicative - by necessity and in that order... always!

day no. 14,290: the low will be raised, the proud will be razed

Psalm 12

Those who attempt to carve out safety from the tapestry of life with their own scissors will be themselves cut off. There is no way to seek safety for yourself without stepping on the toes of your fellow man. This is not merely ignoring other people, but taking advantage of them for your benefit. But the Lord sees the plunder of the poor and groan of the needy and will rise to their defense. Those who need defending have a Defender. Those who groan find satisfaction. Those who are robbed find treasure. Those who long for safety will be protected, while those who have manufactured safety will be in grave danger. The low will be raised, the proud will be razed. God's words and His people both are refined by fire and tested by tribulation. 

"God had one Son on earth without sin, but never one without suffering." - St. Augustine

day no .14,289: and God knew

Exodus 2:23-25

23 During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. 24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.

God did not forget His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and suddenly remember it like I did this past year on Father's Day. I totally forgot to get my dad a Father's Day card as I usually do. I forgot and then I remembered, but it was already afternoon on Father's Day. It was too late to remember and have it mean the same thing. God did not forget His standing appointment with Israel. God knew. The whole time, He knew. It wasn't too late although it surely felt like a long time coming from Israel's perspective. It does make me wonder if perhaps it was Israel who had forgotten. Perhaps this was the first time in centuries that they had collectively turned their hearts heavenward in seeking a Savior.

day no. 14,288: happy birthday, Atticus!!!

Today my oldest child, my oldest son, Atticus Jacob Rhyne Van Voorst, turns 9 years old. You are a quiet man. You like spending time by yourself, building with legos and reading about World War II. You aspire to fight for your faith as a preacher and your country as a solider. You are a fantastic older brother. You love your siblings and lead them by your example. You are a great servant. You do your chores well and you often take the initiative in looking for ways to serve others. You are a joy to be around and make everything better. You love Jesus and read your Bible. You care about what is true and desire to make things right. You are a good man and you are growing increasingly good at being a man. I am grateful to God that I get to be your dad. Happy Birthday, son! I am proud of you.

day no. 14,287: suffering or sumptuousness?

Exodus 2:11-15

One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people. 12 He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, “Why do you strike your companion?” 14 He answered, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid, and thought, “Surely the thing is known.” 15 When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well.

Moses chose to identify himself with the suffering of slaves rather than the sufficiency of sumptuousness. He deliberately stepped out from under the luxury of licentiousness and joined the abuse of the abject. Moses was stirred to do something. He knew enough to know that something ought to be done and that if he didn't, no one else would. So he acted. He defended the poor, the abused and abased. He used his strength to defend the weak. He did check to see if anyone was looking, but either overlooked someone or assumed the ones he saw were on his team. Moses was astonished to discover later those he had rescued tattled on him, their deliverer. Perhaps this trial run as rescuer is what later led to his sheepishness in accepting God's commission. Perhaps not. But either way, he made a move in boldness only to be met with ingratitude and treason. And it would be to these very ungrateful, treasonous people that God would call him to deliver on a much grander scale as we shall soon see.

day no. 14,286: God above, trouble below

Psalm 11

The primary thing we see here is the struggle between watching the world go to hell in a hand basket while remaining people who have optimistic hope in the God of their crumbling world. The temptation is to say, "What's the use?" I can relate to this sentiment. Sometimes it seems like no one cares. It seems helpless and hopeless to wish for anything different. David's response is to focus on God above rather than trouble below. He doesn't pretend things aren't bad or try to downplay or undersell the difficulties of living in a world that is struggling to free itself from its leash. He doesn't act like things aren't so bad. He doesn't find the good in things. He finds the good in God. His hope is there. His confidence is not that everything has some good in it, but that nothing good can come without God.

day no. 14,285: fear and love

Exodus 1:17, 20-21

But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live... God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.

Midwives for the win! The midwives acted differently than Egypt. Egypt's self-interest and fear of the future led them to ruthlessly abuse people who had done nothing to them. The midwives' selflessness and fear of God led them to mercifully rescue people who owed them nothing. And God blessed the midwives and gave to them children of their own. Because they were faithful with the children of others, God provided them children of their own. Those who fear God and love people are seen by God. He notices.

day no. 14,284: ruthless

Exodus 1:12-14

But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel. 13 So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves 14 and made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves.

Israel never gave Egypt any indication that they were preparing to go rogue. They gave no hint of revolt. But the fretful imaginations of Egypt propelled them to treat Israel harshly. Egypt loved itself and was scared of what might happen to them IF Israel ever acted as their suspicions suggested. So they proactively abused those who had done nothing wrong. They oppressed and ruthlessly treated Israel according to their imagined crimes. They enslaved them in order to protect themselves. They imagined that IF Israel revolted and joined a foreign attack; they would become the slaves of others. So they enslaved Israel. They did to Israel what they feared would happen to them. They struck first to avoid the strike they feared. Egypt was so motivated by self-interest that they did to innocent peoples what they feared would happen to them. This is how we act when principle is ignored in place of personal prosperity. This is how the fear of being abused transforms the worrier into an abuser of others.