"There will be 10,000 things for which you glorify Jesus, and you won't ever say anything higher than 'You were slain!'" (John Piper, in his sermon "Why Did God Create the World?")
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us to God by his blood, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. Blessing and honour, glory and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever. Amen! (See Revelation 5:9-14)
I Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Psalm 96 1 Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth! 2 Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. 3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! 4 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. 5 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens. 6 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. 7 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength! 8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts! 9 Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth! 10 Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.” 11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; 12 let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy 13 before the LORD, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.
How can you proclaim those excellencies to the LORD and to the nations if you don't study them (study Him)?
Perhaps you don't study His excellencies because you don't delight in them (in Him)?
Psalm 111 1 Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. 2 Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them. 3 Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever. 4 He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and merciful. 5 He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever. 6 He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the inheritance of the nations. 7 The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy; 8 they are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. 9 He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name! 10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!
And, if you aren't studying His excellencies (studying Him), can you truly praise and give thanks to the LORD with your whole heart?
Isaiah 5 8 Woe to those who join house to house, who add field to field, until there is no more room, and you are made to dwell alone in the midst of the land. 9 The LORD of hosts has sworn in my hearing: “Surely many houses shall be desolate, large and beautiful houses, without inhabitant. 10 For ten acres of vineyard shall yield but one bath, and a homer of seed shall yield but an ephah.” 11 Woe to those who rise early in the morning, that they may run after strong drink, who tarry late into the evening as wine inflames them! 12 They have lyre and harp, tambourine and flute and wine at their feasts, but they do not regard the deeds of the LORD, or see the work of his hands. 13 Therefore my people go into exile for lack of knowledge; their honored men go hungry, and their multitude is parched with thirst. 14 Therefore Sheol has enlarged its appetite and opened its mouth beyond measure, and the nobility of Jerusalem and her multitude will go down, her revelers and he who exults in her. 15 Man is humbled, and each one is brought low, and the eyes of the haughty are brought low. 16 But the LORD of hosts is exalted in justice, and the Holy God shows himself holy in righteousness. 17 Then shall the lambs graze as in their pasture, and nomads shall eat among the ruins of the rich. 18 Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood, who draw sin as with cart ropes, 19 who say: “Let him be quick, let him speed his work that we may see it; let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near, and let it come, that we may know it!”
As I alluded to in my last post, "What kind of racer are you? ..., as Christians, we constantly need to examine how we're running the race set before us, and in order to run effectively, we need to look unto and to consider Jesus:
Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
Jesus Himself is our primary and ultimate example, but not only our example – for Jesus Himself provides us with the supernatural power to run the race, through the gift of His Holy Spirit who dwells in believers to work in us to will and to do God's good pleasure (Phil. 2:12-18).
However, in addition to looking to Jesus, we're also commanded to look to the great cloud of witnesses God has set before us. That's emphasized in the preceding chapter of Hebrews, and these men and women are also referenced in the first verse of chapter 12. (We're also to take heed to the negative examples in Scripture ~ e.g. - see Hebrews 3-4, I Cor. 10, and please see my previous post for more about that.) In other words, as he arrives at chapter 12, the author of Hebrews is exhorting his readers, those Jewish converts who were on the verge of become sluggish in the race set before them: "Yes, look to these men and women who have gone before you as examples – but now, here's your ultimate and highest example: the Lord Jesus Christ, God incarnate, the God-man who lived a life of holiness by the power of God at work in Him." God has set before us not only the Lord Jesus but also such men and women of faith who were commended, as examples for us. Now, to be clear about it: these men and women are not be worshiped, yet such burning and shining lamps are to be followed, as they follow Christ... much like the apostle Paul wrote:
I Corinthians 11:1: Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
It's true that any and all writings outside and apart from the Bible are not God-breathed and not inspired like the Bible and are not on a par with the Bible, so we must be judicious as we chose what to read, and we must be extra cautious as we read, for we are commanded to test all things because the devil is a liar and a deceiver, and he is prowling, looking for a way to get a foothold and to distract or hinder us in the race set before us. However, keeping in mind those cautions, studying Church history and reading Christian biography remain two wonderful means of grace God has provided for us to run the race set before us so we obtain the glorious prize.
For over two weeks many of our eyes were glued to our television screens to watch the 2012 London Olympics.
Now that the Olympics are past ...
Consider how much time, energy, and effort we put forth to follow and to watch our favorite athletes and competitions over the 17 days of the Olympics...
And now, in contrast, consider how much time, energy, and effort we put forth over the course of 17 average days to consider Jesus and the great cloud of witnesses...
May God give each of us grace to consider our ways!
I'd encourage you to open your Bible to Hebrews 11, and ask God to put it in your heart to study the life of one of those men or women listed there (or another Bible figure), so you might grow in your desire and love for Christ and His Kingdom, and be spurred on and fortified to run the race set before you, to see that we are just like those men and women, that we too are strangers and exiles on this fallen earth, dwelling in our fleshly, sinful tents, batting against the temptations of the world and the wiles of the devil, and we are looking to and longing for that heavenly country. And, all the while, just like those saints, we're called to fight the good fight of faith and to run with perseverance and joy in our pilgrimage here so we might obtain the glorious prize that is set before us, and not become sluggish or slothful – or, as David Brainerd prayed:
"O that I may feel this continual hunger, and not be retarded, but rather animated by every cluster from Canaan, to reach forward in the narrow way, for the full enjoyment and possession of the heavenly inheritance! O that I may never loiter in my heavenly journey!"
If you come back to me and tell me, "Karen, you are nuts? Do you live in the real world? I simply don't have that much time to study the Bible!" – then I'll ask you how you managed to find hour upon hour to watch the Olympic competitions and to read about your favorite athletes and to watch the replays of their performances over those 17 days... (Or – if you weren't watching the Olympics, consider how much time you spend in leisure activities, including surfing the web, playing online games, checking facebook, shopping, etc., etc. over the period of a couple weeks...)
In addition to that challenge, I'd like to put before you an excerpt from the life of one of the great cloud of witnesses from Church history, a woman from Rhode Island – Miss Susanna Anthony (1726-1791). I first became acquainted with Susanna Anthony through a single diary entry of Edward Griffin (from "Memoir of the Rev. Edward D. Griffin, D.D., Compiled Chiefly from His Own Writings" by Edward D. Griffin & William Buell Sprague (New York: Taylor & Dodd, 1839), reprinted in 1987 by Banner of Truth Trust, 30. HT for the text: http://books.google.com/books?id=JbAEAAAAYAAJ)
Wednesday, Oct. 4 [1797]. In consequence of reading the prayers of Miss Anthony, and discovering her intense desire to obtain more clear and transforming views of God, I have been led to reflect on the great difference between her prayers and mine. I have been, for the most part, asking for particular exercises of divine power, to produce effects in regard to me, my friends, my people, and Zion at large. And in prayer my mind has been more on the desired effects, than on that fulness and glorious sufficiency of wisdom, power, goodness, majesty, condescension, patience, faithfulness and truth, which there is in God. Thus I have stopped at the threshold, without getting into the temple. Had I in prayer been more intent to gaze into God, and had I exercised myself more in adoration and praise, I believe my acquaintance with God would have been vastly greater, and my mind more transformed into his likeness. Let it in future be the burden of my prayer, "Lord, show me thy glory."
As way of brief introduction, suffice it to say – Miss Anthony was a Christian hedonist long, long before John Piper was born!
The sure fire way to make war against the flesh, to mortify sin, and to combat any and all passions, desires, and love for all that is worldly and fleshly is to ask the Holy Spirit to infuse into us a greater passion, desire, and love for Christ, i.e. - to come to know Jesus Christ experientially as THE LOVE DIVINE, ALL LOVES EXCELLING (as Charles Wesley wrote).
Writing here at age 17, Miss Anthony sets the bar very, very high for us. It's evident that she'd begun tasting Canaan's clusters here on earth. But, let us remember, it is God Himself who made Susanna Anthony willing in the day of His power, and it is God who can do the same in any of His children. The God of the 21st century is the same today as He was 18th century Rhode Island! Just as the leopard cannot change its spots, neither can we change our spiritual tastebuds or our appetites – however, God Himself can! Has our Heavenly Father not promised to pour out His Holy Spirit on those who ask?
May the Holy Spirit increase your love and passion and desire for God and for His Kingdom, and draw you into His courts as you read and consider the example of Susanna Anthony.
* * *
From: "The Life and Character of Miss Susanna Anthony. Who Died, in Newport, (R I.) June 23, 1791, in the 65th year of her age. Consisting Chiefly in Extracts from Her Writings, with Some Brief Observations on Them." Complied by Samuel Hopkins, Second Edition. (Portland, Maine: Lyman, Hall & Co. 1810), 49-51. (HT for the text: http://books.google.com/books?id=YO0QAAAAYAAJ)
SECTION III.
Containing extracts from her Diary, of different dates.
THE following paper is transcribed and inserted here, as it was written in her youth, when she was but seventeen years old, and expresses the views and exercises which she then had; and affords admonition and instruction, especially to those young persons who shall read it.
Oct. 25, 1743. I am just now entering into the eighteenth year of my age. And does the tempter tell me, that I chose religion when I was a child, and knew no better; when I knew nothing of the pleasures of this world: and that it may be, when these enjoyments and pleasures appear delightful, I shall forsake strict and solid religion, and run with the young, giddy multitude, into the excesses of vanity? Then, O my soul, sit down again, and make another deliberate choice; even now I am entering the prime of all my days: and let me picture the world with its brightest side outmost; and religion in a solitary dress; and then choose my portion. If my former choice has not been free and noble enough; come now, my soul, and make one. Let there be nothing in it mean and low; but let it be great, noble and free.
As to religion: can I sacrifice my name, and all that the world calls delightful, now in the prime of my age; and be accounted a fool and mad, by the wise, rich, and polite world? Can I withstand a thousand temptations to mirth and pleasure; and be a despised outcast among men? Now, if I conform to the world, I shall be a pleasing object to many, and a delight to them, who now despise me. What pleasure that the world can afford shall be withheld from me, if I once give myself up to sensual pleasure, and the gratification of my whole inclination; allowing myself all that mirth and jollity, that my youthful age will now admit of? If I now give a loose to my youthful appetites, and satisfy my carnal desires; what can then deprive me of pleasure, now I am free from pain and the infirmities of old age, which might give a disgust to these pleasures. Now I have life, health and liberty. If I yield to these desires, and seek to satisfy them by a thousand new and fresh delights; take my swing in the world; cast away sorrow, and indulge self in ten thousand new pleasures: what then can cross me?
And, on the other hand, if I choose strict religion now, I may expect reproach, disdain and contempt, from the world, as not fit for common society, or scarce to live. I shall be accounted a poor, mean, ignorant, despicable creature, unworthy the notice of mortals: and, it, may be, despised by formal professors, as being religious overmuch: they watching for my halting, and rejoicing at my falls. And besides, I must expect many dark and doubting hours, filled with bitter sighs and groans; denying myself, and taking up my cross; plucking out a right eye, and cutting off a right hand; daily meeting with crosses, and losses, and afflictions; and it may be, with persecutions, imprisonment and death, with the utmost distress. While the sensual libertine lives in pleasure, flourishing like a green bay tree, and has no bands in his death.
What a wide difference is here, between the strictly religious, and the sensual worldling! Come, then, my soul, and view them both as far as death; and now make a solemn and deliberate choice, either religion, or carnal pleasure. Come, my soul, and choose for eternity.
Soul. Upon considering the nature and properties of each, I am brought to a free and full choice. I see nothing in this pleasure that can satisfy an immortal soul; nothing worthy my notice; nothing but an empty sound. Nor can it have any part in my affections, for a portion. They are but mean trifles, unfit to attract and busy an immortal soul. But religion, though it have its troubles with it; yet it hath a sacred sweetness in all. I feel an inward pleasure and satisfaction, which gives a relish, as it were, to this kind of religious pain and sorrow.
Objector. Come, Soul, lay aside prejudice. What! nothing in all this pleasure, to delight thee. Search a little deeper. Or what can be in this melancholy religion, to allure thee to choose its ways?
Soul. I have found what it is. For in all these pleasures, the soul has no God, and no happiness, suited to its immortal nature; without which, all is but a sickening trifle. Wherefore, the soul which hath God for its portion, attended with ever so much sorrow, is unspeakably more happy.
Objector. But if you indulge yourself in pleasures, and strive to divert your company with mirth and jollity, you will gain the esteem of many, and they will greatly prize you, and seek your company.
Soul. I value the approbation of the most high God, before all the esteem of poor mortals; and deliberately make choice of him, and his way of strict religion, for my portion, pleasure and happiness.
I do now, with my whole soul and all my powers, choose God for my portion; taking his cross as well as his crown; esteeming the sorrows of religion greater riches than the pleasures of sin; looking on it a pleasure to be crucified with Christ. I despise every worldly enjoyment, compared with one smile from the lovely Jesus. I do, with my whole heart and soul, choose God and religion, though it may be through a sea of sorrow and distress, rather than the world in all its pomp and splendor, with ten thousand enjoyments. O most great and gracious God, I now choose thee as my sufficient, and every way suitable portion. I solemnly take God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, for my all, in life, death and eternity; and resign myself, soul and body, into thy hands. And I take all the holy angels in heaven; and even the Most High God, the possessor of heaven and earth, himself, to witness that I DO.
And now, Lord, I am thine. Do with me as thou wilt. I am thy clay, feeble, helpless, and hopeless. I throw myself, soul and body, life and health, liberty and pleasure, on thee, the boundless, infinite fulness of heaven, the immutable God. Lord, God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I this day and minute subscribe with my heart and hand, to be the Lord's. Even, so, Lord Jesus, Amen and Amen.
SUSANNA ANTHONY.
* * *
Miss Anthony was one of the great cloud of witnesses who was an extravagant lover of the Lord Jesus Christ because she had begun to taste and see and know the breadth, length, height and depth of the love of God. Therefore, she remained jealous and zealous for her soul, and she was adamant and would not permit mean, worldly trifles to come between the Lover of her soul and herself. Her soul's appetite was transformed. She hungered and thirsted for righteousness. She had tasted and seen the goodness and glory of God, and accordingly, she rejected and cast off all earthly treasures, and embraced Christ and held onto Him and onto Zion, for she had come to know Christ as the pearl of great price and her exceeding Joy. She knew that all other lovers were dung, for they were intent on stealing, killing, and destroying, and she knew all earthly lovers would lead her away from the life and life abundantly that Christ alone could give her.
Miss Anthony had learned experientially that "religion never was designed to make our pleasures less!" She thought on the bliss to come, plus she was graced to sup of that bliss here on earthly ground. While on this earth, she had begun to taste the celestial fruit and sacred sweets of which Isaac Watts wrote in 1707.
"We're Marching to Zion"
Come, we that love the Lord, And let our joys be known; Join in a song with sweet accord, Join in a song with sweet accord And thus surround the throne, And thus surround the throne.
Refrain
We’re marching to Zion, Beautiful, beautiful Zion; We’re marching upward to Zion, The beautiful city of God.
The sorrows of the mind Be banished from the place; Religion never was designed Religion never was designed, To make our pleasures less, To make our pleasures less.
Refrain
Let those refuse to sing, Who never knew our God; But favorites of the heavenly King, But favorites of the heavenly King May speak their joys abroad, May speak their joys abroad.
Refrain
The God that rules on high, And thunders when He please, Who rides upon the stormy sky, Who rides upon the stormy sky, And manages the seas, And manages the seas.
Refrain
This awful God is ours, Our Father and our Love; He will send down his heav’nly powers, He will send down his heav’nly powers, To carry us above, To carry us above.
Refrain
There we shall see His face, And never, never sin! There, from the rivers of His grace, There, from the rivers of His grace, Drink endless pleasures in, Drink endless pleasures in.
Refrain
Yea, and before we rise, To that immortal state, The thoughts of such amazing bliss, The thoughts of such amazing bliss, Should constant joys create, Should constant joys create.
Refrain
The men of grace have found, Glory begun below. Celestial fruits on earthly ground Celestial fruits on earthly ground From faith and hope may grow, From faith and hope may grow.
Refrain
The hill of Zion yields A thousand sacred sweets Before we reach the heav’nly fields, Before we reach the heav’nly fields, Or walk the golden streets, Or walk the golden streets.
Refrain
Then let our songs abound, And every tear be dry; We’re marching through Immanuel’s ground, We’re marching through Immanuel’s ground, To fairer worlds on high, To fairer worlds on high.
Refrain
Heavenly Father, have mercy upon us. You know our frames. We are dust, and we are prone to wander. Our hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked. We are prone to hunger and thirst for the worldly and fleshly, and all the while You have so much more for us: the unsearchable and all-surpassing riches of Jesus Christ – the True Bread and the Living Water! O! Open the eyes of our understanding, make us single-eyed for Christ alone by giving us a vision of the grace and glory and goodness of Christ. Use the witness of Miss Anthony to spur us on, so we might press on to know You, so we might not become lukewarm and loiter in our heavenly journey. Lead us to Your fount so we might increasingly glimpse and taste of Your beauty and life and riches, so we might see the emptiness and vanity and poverty of the world in contrast, and refuse and spurn all that is worldly and fleshly, knowing that Your fullness and all-satisfying joy and riches await to fill our cups to overflowing. You are our perfect portion and reward! Who is like unto You! Like Susanna Anthony, grant us an unrelenting passion for and pursuit of You and an increasing appetite for Jesus Christ, so when we are lured and tempted by earthly lovers, we might be able to consider all else as dung in comparison, and exult in You and sing out with full assurance of faith, "This is my Beloved – and He is indeed greater and sweeter and purer and lovelier and fairer than any and all other loves the world has to offer me! He satisfies my soul! I have supped with Him and know Him to be THE LOVE DIVINE, ALL LOVES EXCELLING!"
Merciful God, be gracious to us, for we are Yours in Christ Jesus, we are the sheep of Your pasture redeemed by the precious blood of the Lamb. According to Your good pleasure, tap the barrels of Your grace and grant us tastes of celestial fruits and sacred sweets here on earthly ground, so we might glorify You by enjoying You, and we might readily testify of You and Your goodness to all the nations throughout this fallen world, where men in darkness and bondage are crying out in despair, "Who shall show us any good?" O! As we know that our highest and greatest good is to draw near to our God through the Lord Jesus Christ, we will proclaim that good news to all the peoples, so they might be glad along with us! O! Let all the peoples praise You! Shine Your face upon us and revive Your Church so we might enjoy You and rejoice in You, and all the nations might likewise! Hallelujah! May the glory of the Gospel of Jesus Christ extend to the ends of the earth!
As we reread familiar portions of Scripture, it's a real danger for us to pass over words quickly and not to meditate on them as we ought, not to sink our roots down into them (Psalm 1) and not to gnaw on them. At the 2009 Gospel Coalition Conference, Don Carson explained that John Piper took Scripture and gnawed on it like a bone. A couple years ago, based on that, I exhorted my readers to Get gnawing, put your nose down in the Book to feed the white-hot flame of God's gift. Here's a little excerpt from that post:
Do we ever take the Scripture like a bone and chew on it and gnaw at it? ...
Put your nose down in the Book!... every precious word... We need to linger over words, like lozenges...wait on God... it's not quick...linger, stay there... stay close until the meaning is on fire...
I had recently read through Isaiah 50 and 51, and part of Isaiah 52. The fourth Servant Song, that portion of Isaiah 52 beginning in verse 13 and continuing through all of chapter 53, is all too familiar to many of us, myself included. As I sat in the library, and began reading, the Holy Spirit impressed upon me the word MANY in verse 15:
So shall he sprinkle many nations...
According to Strong's Concordance, the word many is the Greek word rabrab – abundant (in quantity, size, age, number, rank, quality):--(in) abound(-undance, -ant, -antly), captain, elder, enough, exceedingly, full, great(-ly, man, one), increase, long (enough, (time)), (do, have) many(-ifold, things, a time), ((ship-))master, mighty, more, (too, very) much, multiply(-tude), officer, often(-times), plenteous, populous, prince, process (of time), suffice(-lent).
Solomon expresses it this way:
Psalm 72:17 His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed. 18 Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. 19 And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen. 20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
And Isaac Watts like this:
Jesus shall reign where’er the sun Does his successive journeys run; His kingdom stretch from shore to shore, Till moons shall wax and wane no more...
People and realms of every tongue Dwell on His love with sweetest song; And infant voices shall proclaim Their early blessings on His Name.
At the time, I wrote the verse in my journal, capitalizing, circling, and double underlining the word many. (I can't do exactly the same here, but I think you get the idea.)
So shall he sprinkle MANY nations...
And then I wrote beneath the verse:
Can we say, "God bless America" to the exclusion of others?
Can we say, "God shed His grace on thee" without praying He would shed His grace on many nations?
My dear Christian brothers and sisters who live along with me in the United States, as we celebrate our country's 236th birthday today, let us beware of becoming hard-hearted and spiritually blinded, so we succumb to the sin of spiritual pride, much as what happened to the Old Testament nation of Israel. God's plan is not first and foremost for our political nation, the United States of America, but rather, His plan is and has always been to gather a holy nation out of all the nations (ethnic groups) scattered throughout all the earth.
For example...
On several occasions, the LORD Himself declared to Abraham that he was being blessed to be a blessing to many nations, including these words in Genesis 22:17-18:
That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
And again to Isaac in Genesis 26:4:
And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed...
Throughout the Old Testament, we see that truth that the Gentiles (all the nations) were going to be brought in to God's Kingdom, yet until the coming of Christ, it was a hidden mystery (Eph. 3:7-11). I'd encourage you to do a search for the word "nations" in the book of Isaiah (as well as throughout the whole of the Old Testament); you'll find a treasure trove there. For example:
Isaiah 2:2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. (You'll find a similar passage in Micah 4:1ff).
Isaiah 25:6 And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.
And, please indulge me, a little plug for the wonderfully rich and full, but often-overlooked book of Zechariah:
2:10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD. 11 And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee. 12 And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again. 13 Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.
8:20 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities: 21 And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I will go also. 22 Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD. 23 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.
If this doesn't thrill you, if it doesn't humble you that we are involved in God's grand scheme Gospel proclamation to bring dead souls to life, to pluck firebrands from the fire, and to bring glory to His holy name, if it doesn't make you long for the day that all the ransomed will be gathered around the throne in worship to the Lamb to the glory of God the Father – then pray that God's Spirit might baptize you afresh with His reviving fire, so it might exhilarate you! (I am saddened to say I had very little passion for missions for many years, and only in the past few years, but all praise, glory and thanksgiving to God, God Himself has begun growing that in me.)
Revelation 5:6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. 7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. 8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. 9 And they sung a new song, saying,
Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. 13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. 14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.
In stark contrast to that gathering described in the book of Revelation, according to the Joshua Project, at the current time, there remain billions of souls who have not yet been reached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ:
Total People Groups: 16,652 Unreached People Groups: 7,009 % People Groups Unreached: 42.1 %
World Population: 6.90 Billion Population in Unreached Groups: 2.83 Billion % Population in Unreached: 41.0 %
As John Piper has said, "Missions exists because worship doesn't."
God is all about Himself being worshiped and adored! That's our chief purpose as Christians.
Isaiah 43:7 Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him... 21 This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.
I Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
For the Christian, our true citizenship is in heaven. Yes, we are all citizens in nations on the earth; however, we have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, and we have been born again of incorruptible seed by the Holy Spirit into a holy nation, the family of God. Our primary prayer ought to be that our Father's Kingdom might come, that the glory of the LORD would cover the earth as the waters cover the sea – not that our form of democratic government might cover the earth. We have been entrusted with the everlasting gospel, the power of God unto salvation to all nations; therefore our commission is to export the Good News of great joy to all the nations, so they might join us in worshiping our God, to the glory of God.
In John 10, Jesus Himself declared:
14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. 15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
That phrase "I must" is known as the divine imperative, meaning Jesus had a holy compulsion to bring others to Himself who were not of this fold. By "this fold," Jesus meant the Jews. So, Jesus was emphatically saying, "I must bring sheep from all the nations because I am the Good Shepherd not only to the Jews but also to the Gentiles."
Do you have such a holy zeal, compulsion, and jealousy for all the nations to be brought into Christ's fold? If you have the Spirit of Christ indwelling you, if you are being conformed into the image of Christ, you ought to.
Question: How then does Jesus fulfill that divine imperative, how does He gather and bring sheep from all the nations since He has ascended and now dwells in heaven at the right hand of His Father?
Answer: Jesus commissions His disciples, and He equips them with His Holy Spirit to do that work.
Luke 24:46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: 47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And ye are witnesses of these things. 49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
Acts 1:4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. 5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. 6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Earlier in Isaiah 52, we read this commendation of those who take the good news to the ends of the earth:
7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
And the apostle Paul references that verse in Romans 10:
6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 or “‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
"God's purpose for your life is that you engage in His being known and praised and enjoyed and feared among peoples where He is scarcely, if at all, known at all. He wants you to be engaged. You've got three options: Go, Send, or Disobey. That's all. Are you an engaged sender?"
God forbid we put ourselves in the position of Jonah, and balk at going to our "Ninevehs," and instead we get on our boats to go to "Tarshish."
God forbid we stay at home and waste our lives and our energy and our resources day after day after, year after year after year, on matters that have no impact on eternity.
God's commandments are not burdensome. He has promised to give us all we need to serve Him. As we ask our Father in heaven, will He not give us His Holy Spirit? (Luke 11:13). As we ask, we will be given a zeal for the glory of God; a desire to embrace the cause of Christ in the world; God's compassionate heart of mercy to love and long for souls from all nations, including our enemies – so we might pray for all the nations, and go and preach to them, or else to be engaged in sending others to preach to them – with an eye to the glorious day that we will be gathered around the throne with all the saints from all the nations whom the Lord Jesus Christ has sprinkled!
Revelation 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. 11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, 12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
Christian hedonist in training. Pressing on to know more and more of the joy of the LORD. Pleading with God to rend the heavens and revive and refresh my own soul, as well as His Church, to His praise, honor and glory.
Thank God. He can make men and women in middle life sing again
with a joy that has been chastened by a memory of their past failures. ~ Alan Redpath
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