A FAVORABLE REPUTATION

The Lord said to Moses, “Yet one plague more I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will drive you away completely. Speak now in the hearing of the people, that they ask, every man of his neighbor and every woman of her neighbor, for silver and gold jewelry.” And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants and in the sight of the people (Exodus 11:1-3).
Here is a passage of Scripture that always amazes me. Moses provided leadership that brought hardship and suffering to the people of Egypt as he announced God’s plagues upon them. The Egyptians could have logically considered Moses their worst enemy. It is a wonder they did not hate him and try to take his life. Yet we are told that Moses was considered great in the land of Egypt, even by Pharaoh’s servants.
The message of the gospel and Christianity is contrary, even offensive, to those who are outside of Christ. As contrary as our message may be to those who watch us and listen to us, it is possible, as Moses demonstrates, that we can still beheld in high regard.

PRAYER: IT'S ALL ABOUT GOD

Prayer is about the glory of our God and his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus made this statement: Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son (John 14:13). The focus of our praying must be the glory of God and of Christ. Many believers treat prayer as if they were a child requesting things from Santa. Prayer means that God gives me whatever I want. For others, it’s a form of self-help. Prayer helps me feel better about my problems. This creates a lot of confusion. People wonder why God hasn’t “answered their prayers.”

Idolatry takes over my heart when my focus becomes my glory, my personal fulfillment, my desires, my comfort, deliverance from mt problems. When I worship Christ, everything else pales in comparison. When I desire the glory of God my focus changes; my prayer life changes. I long for and pray that his name would be exalted and honored in my life, in his church, and among the nations.

As we enter a new year, may our focus in prayer be upon Christ and his glory, rather than our own pleasures.

GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST

Some of the most familiar words of the Christmas story are those the angels spoke to the shepherds, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is well pleased. How do we define "glory?" Is it one of those words that we communicate often without a real sense of its true meaning? The New World Dictionary defines "glory" as "worshipful, adoration, praise, splendor, beauty" and "glorify" by the words "exalt and honor God." The Dictionary of New Testament Theology defines glory as "God’s power, honor, and majesty."

Scripture tells us that Christ is the glory of God (John 1:14), creation reveals the glory of God (Psalm 19:1), and Christ would be glorified in his death (John 17:1). We are admonished in I Corinthians 10:31 to glorify God in our eating or drinking or whatever we do. God is glorified in his Son, in his creation, in the redemption of sinners, and in the activities of his children when they live out the normalcy of life with a focus upon him. To glorify God means that my life is God-centered, God-focused, and God-exalting. John Piper states it this way: "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him."

God is glorified in his Son as well as in the death of his Son and the redemption of sinners. Nothing is more important than Christ being at the very center of our lives. Paul was so consumed with the glory of Christ that he said, "Far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Galatians 6:14).

Celebrate Christmas by making Christ the center of your life.

SUCCESS FROM GOD'S PERSPECTIVE

Genesis 39:2, 23 tell us of the success that God gave to Joseph both in the house of Potiphar and in prison after being falsely accused by Potiphar's wife. The word in the OT language speaks of “accomplishing satisfactorily what is intended” (Theological Workbook of the Old Testament, Volume 2, page 766). In other words, God was fulfilling His purpose in Joseph's life. Whatever definition one may use for the word "success," God defines success as His purpose being fulfilled in our lives. Scripture uses the same word in Joshua 1:8 where God promises Joshua "success" if he obeys the Scriptures. It is also the word used in Isaiah 55:11 where God says that His word shall not return to Him "empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it."

The temptation Joseph faced was an attempt by Satan to thwart the plan of God, just as Satan attempted to thwart God's plan for Christ in tempting Him. Every temptation requires a response. Do I choose success, “accomplishing satisfactorily what is intended” by God, or do I choose to hinder His intended purpose?

INCARNATION AND TRANSFORMATION

The incarnation of Christ may be one of the best examples of what it means to be involved in people's lives for the sake of the Gospel and to be the salt of the earth. Jesus entered into the messiness of humanity. He did not observe us from a distance but he came to us. Too many of us in the modern church have done just the opposite. We have tried to influence from a distance. We have sent our missionaries around the world but we have not walked across the street. We have mistakenly believed that God has called us to separation rather than incarnation. We live in a believer’s bubble, isolated and unengaged with the people who need Christ. Too often the Christian community lives in isolation. We falsely conclude that “not of the world” means no interaction, no relationships with the people of the world. This is hardly what John meant. Jesus spent the bulk of his ministry with sinners, those with whom the self-righteous religious leaders refused to associate. If we practice such isolationism, how will we demonstrate truth and transformation before the lives of those who need Christ? Salt accomplishes nothing when left in its container.

SEWING THE SEED WITH CARE

One of the things that interest me about the sermons in the book of Acts is their historical context. They do not begin with the crucifixion of Christ or even the life of Christ as he entered humanity through the virgin birth. These sermons or gospel presentations begin with the prophecies related to Christ given throughout the Old Testament. Peter refers to the prophecy of David, given in Psalm 16:8-11, concerning Christ’s resurrection. Stephen’s sermon began with God’s calling of Abraham and alluded to Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua and Solomon and ended with his condemnation of his listeners for killing Jesus Christ (Acts 7). Phillip explained Isaiah 53 to the Ethiopian eunuch and its relation to the good news of Jesus Christ (Acts 8:34-35). Paul, on his first missionary journey with Barnabas, began his first sermon with reference to God’s choosing of Abraham and how he worked through the people of Israel before speaking to them about Jesus Christ and his death and resurrection (Acts 13:16ff).

When I was ordained I was asked the question, "What is the least a person needs to know in order to be come to faith?" This is not an uncommon question at ordinations or in theological discussions, yet I find it disturbing. The apostles spent three years with Jesus, watched his life and listened to his words. If these men, who heard the final command of Jesus to take the gospel into all the world, went to such lengths to explain the redemptive story, why do we attempt to minimize the information we share with others about Christ?

The gospel is the greatest news ever given to humanity. We must be careful that we clearly and fully communicate its message to those with whom we share. Great care must be taken that we do not attempt to manipulate a person's response.

Paul explained to the Corinthian church that he had planted the seed of truth, Apollos had watered the seed, but God gave the growth. We may plant or we may water. It is God who creates the fruit.

THE GIFT OF SALVATION

God created us to manifest his glory and to give us eternal life in fellowship with himself, but our disobedience intervened and brought us under condemnation. As members of the fallen human race, we come into the world estranged from God and in a state of rebellion. This original sin is compounded by our personal acts of sinfulness. The catastrophic consequences of sin are such that we are powerless to restore the ruptured bonds of union with God. Only in the light of what God has done to restore our fellowship with him do we see the full enormity of our loss. The gravity of our plight and the greatness of God's love are brought home to us by the life, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. "God so loved the world that her gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

God the Creator is also God the Redeemer, offering salvation to the world. "God desires all to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth" (I Timothy 2:4). The restoration of communion with God is absolutely dependent upon Jesus Christ, true God and true man, for he is "the one mediator between God and men" (I Timothy 2:5). and "there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Jesus said, "No one comes to the Father but by me (John 14:6). He is the holy and righteous one who was put to death for our sins, "the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God' (I Peter 3:18).

R.C. Sproul, Getting the Gospel Right, pages 49-50.