Ecclesiastes – Meditations (2)

 

“All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my reward for all my labor.” Ecclesiastes 2:10.

 

The “heart” is our center of gravity, the sun of our inner solar system. It informs and influences all that is within us, indeed, it also, in partnership with the mind, directs and affects our bodies. When we “set our hearts” on a thing, on a goal; when we fill our hearts with a passion; when we enlist our minds in a pursuit, we become transformed into the image of our pursuit. Absent the lordship of Jesus Christ, our pursuits become our idols and we reflect their images, we speak their language; these idols become the arbiter of our lives – we submit our decisions to them. Because our idols are the most valuable things in our universe, our decisions are made in light of their perceived worth.

 

For the Christian, and for the professing church, this is one reason why it is sin to allow anything, anything other than Jesus Christ to be the arbiter of our lives, anything but His glory to be the center of our gravity. I have said more than once in a Sunday sermon, in our nation (the U.S.A.) we might as well stop kidding ourselves and replace our crosses with a large dollar bills in our churches, for it is the dollar we look to rather than the Cross. We look at most things in terms of money, not in terms of the lordship of Jesus Christ.

 

Now, to be sure, those who have little in material things are often the most thankful and the most content. But once we enter the economic strata of consumerism, that consumerism defines our identity, it consumes our hearts and minds – within and without the professing church. Media, in all its various forms, has now reached its tenacles into our telephones, so that that which was once used for two-way communication, is now often used to feed the image of the beast (consume, consume, consume) into our souls.

 

I once knew a man who had a plaque on his office wall which read, “He who dies with the most toys wins.” Perhaps this was Solomon’s attitude during part of his life, perhaps this is what the above verse reflects. Solomon’s heart was all about consumption – he denied himself nothing. Yet elsewhere, at some point in his life, Solomon wrote, “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23).

 

What our hearts desire matters. Will I allow my heart to become polluted with the images of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life (1 John 2:16)? Or will I seek to love the LORD my God with all of my heart and soul and mind and strength; and love my neighbor as myself (Mark 12:28 – 31)?

 

Do we want to know the will of God? Then let us hear His Word to Micah, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk (live) humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). Our Father and Lord Jesus desire to fill our hearts with themselves, so that out of our hearts Living Water will flow to others, the Water of Life in Jesus Christ. We are not called to become consumers, we are called to be producers in Jesus Christ, to be fruitful vines (John 15), to be fountains of Life for others to drink from.

 

Can we say with David, “Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:25 – 26).

 

Will I learn to deny myself so that I will not deny Jesus Christ?

Overcoming – Four Principles in Revelation 12 (Part 5)

 

“And they overcame him because the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even unto death.” Revelation 12:11.

 

Continuing to consider “the word of their testimony,” we’ve seen that one aspect of this testimony is what Jesus Christ testifies about Himself in the Gospels and throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. His testimony about Himself must always be our testimony about Him – without deviation, without addition or subtraction, without mitigation; with all faithfulness, with all obedience, with all purity, with all love, and with all devotion. We are called to love our Lord Jesus with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and in Him we are called to love others as ourselves.

 

The second aspect of “the word of their testimony” is the historic confession of the Church. What has the Church believed down through the ages as the core of the Gospel? What are the foundation stones of the Building which God is constructing (Ephesians 2:19 – 22; 1 Peter 2:4 – 10)? While what I believe is important to me and to my relationship with Jesus Christ, what I believe is of no serious importance to the world – but what the Church believes is of critical importance. It is the testimony of the Church that is critical to the world, not my testimony. My own “personal” testimony is only important to the world as it is faithful to the testimony of Jesus Christ about Himself, and as it is faithful to the testimony to the Catholic Church (I use the term “Catholic” in its universal sense – and I use an upper case “C” because of the Church’s transcendence).

 

The above has its challenges in our individualistic world, for we have imported that individualism into the professing church. Let’s remember that the Bible was written to a people, it is a Book of the Revelation (unveiling) of God to His People (to the world, yes; but to His People particularly). Even those New Testament letters written to individuals were written to them in the context of their lives within the Body of Christ, the Church, the People of God. Is it not a travesty that we do not read the Bible as it was written, but rather read it individualistically and narcissistically?

 

Yes, of course God speaks to us as His individual sons and daughters; yes the Good Shepherd leaves the ninety-nine and searches for the one lost sheep. But the Shepherd seeks the lost sheep to bring it back to the flock, and the Father speaks to us as His individual children in order for us to live in His Family.

 

Let’s think about Paul’s words to Timothy: “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2).

 

Then we have 2 Thessalonians 2:15, “So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions (what has been transmitted) which you were taught, whether by word or by letter from us.”

 

Then compare 2 Thess. 3:6 and Romans 16:17:

 

“Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us.” (2 Thess. 3:6).

 

“Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them.” (Romans 16:17).

 

Not only are we to teach what we have received from Jesus Christ and His apostles and prophets, we are to live in conformity to that teaching. We are not to look the other way when fidelity in word and deed to the teaching of Jesus Christ is violated, we are to take action. There is a historical consensus, from New Testament times forward into the Reformation, that a foundational mark of a Biblical church, a congregation, is discipline. While we often use the word “accountability” in our discussion of small groups and churches, it seldom means anything because we seldom actually hold people Biblically accountable for their actions or their teachings. Since “discipline” is seldom found within local congregations and denominations (or whatever we chose to call associations of churches), perhaps we might consider whether or not there are any Biblical churches in our midst. Virtually all of the New Testament letters, including Revelation, contain a prominent theme of discipline and accountability.

 

The Church, the Temple of God, is “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone” (Eph. 2:20).  Paul writes that we must be careful how we build on the foundation of Jesus Christ, that some material will stand the test of Divine fire, while other material will be burned up by that same fire (1 Cor. 3:10 – 15).  

 

Yet, frankly it seems as if we remain infants, needing milk again and again and again (1 Cor. 3:1 – 2), not able to receive solid food. When congregations, and the greater church, ought to have significant groups who are able to teach, we must return to the “first principles” again and again and again (Hebrews 5:11 – 6:3). No wonder we don’t know what we believe! How can we maintain the testimony of Jesus Christ, and overcome with that testimony, which has been transmitted by the Church through the ages – if we don’t know what that testimony really is?

 

The fact that we do not acknowledge the infantilism of the professing church does not seem to bother many people. It does not seem to concern the publishers of Sunday school and small group material. It does not seem to be a problem for many best-selling authors and popular preachers and teachers. There is an entire “Christian” industry built on producing the equivalent of baby food and pampers. Pastors are expected to run adult daycare centers – this is what many “churches” have become. This is one reason why we do not know what we believe, any more than an infant knows where its food comes from prior to being fed.

 

My desire is to never preach or teach anything “new,” but rather to transmit that which is faithful to the testimony of Jesus Christ, His apostles and prophets, and which has been believed by His People from ancient times. Yes, I may communicate this in contemporary language and images, but never at the expense of the original language and images – I must always begin with those ancient words and images and seek, by the grace of God, to make them real and living to my contemporaries. We are called to exalt the language and images of Scripture – not to bring them down into the dirt of profane thinking and living. God’s Nature has not changed, nor has fallen human nature – humanity needs Divine language and images to deliver it from its slavery.

 

The Nicene Creed

I believe in one God,

the Father almighty,

maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.

 

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.

 

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.

 

I believe in one, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

 

Are we “contending earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints”? Do we know that this faith really is?

 

Ecclesiastes – Meditations (1)

 

This is the third month of the year, and in my Bible – reading schedule every three months I venture into Ecclesiastes. This morning 1:18 caught my attention.

 

“Because in much wisdom there is much grief, and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain.”

 

In 1:7 Solomon writes, “And I set my mind to know wisdom and to know madness and folly; I realized that this also is striving after wind.”

 

Well now, the Wisdom books lend themselves to much meditation and cultivation if they are to yield their fruit, and I don’t imagine that this crop will ever cease producing if we submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit.

 

There are times I think it is better to be stupid than knowledgeable, blind to what goes on around us than have a measure of insight. Knowing wisdom leads us to see “madness and folly,” but the reverse of course is not true; madness and folly lead to increasing madness and folly.

 

Our Lord Jesus Christ, who is Wisdom, knows the pain of our sorrow and sin and madness and folly. Our Lord Jesus in Whom is found all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3) has borne our sin and evil, He is that Man of Sorrows who is well acquainted with grief.

 

He calls us to participate in His sorrows, He calls us to intercede for the world, He calls us to participate in His sufferings for the sake of His People (Col. 1:24; 2 Tim. 2:9; 1 Tim. 2:1 – 4).

 

How can we not look around us and experience grief and pain? Superficial wisdom and knowledge can appeal to our egos; the wisdom and knowledge found in Jesus Christ leads us to life in His Cross.