glory Archives – Sonshine's Journal

February 15, 2015

The Depraved Heart

In Acts 12, Luke wants us to notice not only just the death of James and the deliverance of Peter but rather how longsuffering God is and how depraved men are and he accomplishes this by showing us the heart of Herod. Just as creation reveals God in all of his glory so the heart of men is revealed in all of their depravity. Herod, like us, falls into the category of one who has seen, heard, and experienced all of God’s grace. We all have a choice; repent and be forgiven or remain steadfast in our sins.

King Herod, rather than seeking to know about Jesus and His resurrection, seeks to silence the message and the messengers by arresting and beheading the Apostle James. Seeing how that pleases the Jews he has Peter arrested and plans his execution. But, God’s ways are superior to men and God will reveal Himself to Herod by delivering Peter because of the power of praying church. God’s grace is revealed to the guards and Herod through a unexplained miracle yet in retaliation Herod becomes livid and executes Peter’s guards. Pouting Herod retreats to Caesarea where he is proclaimed as God by men from Tyre and Sidon. Herod did not give the glory to God. Just as an umpire in baseball says: “you’re out!” so God called Herod and said “you’re out” “I am the Lord! That is my name! I will not share my glory with anyone else” [Is 42]

And yet, God graciously gave Herod 5 more days to repent. Did he or does he have this before him: Heb 10:31 “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Have you experienced God’s grace?

February 17, 2014

G.A.P. = God Answers Prayer (God opens Prison Doors)

We have walked alongside Peter from a small fishing village to a mountain top to his fearless preaching in the Temple. We have seen one who denied and yet was restored that he may lead the church in its beginning stages. We relate so much to Peter for his faltering steps are much like ours and our hearts yearn to meet him in glory! We have seen his impulsiveness and say, that is me. We see his denial and we say I have done the same once or twice. We see his love for Jesus when he said “if you are the Master, tell me come to you on the water.” And now in this chapter Dr. Luke will give us one more glimpse of his last days in Jerusalem with the exception of Acts 15. We find Peter in prison having earned the ire of Herod. And once again and as he has done before, Peter falls fast asleep. Peter it seems never has a problem with insomnia! He slept while Jesus prayed and He slept while Moses and Enoch talked with Jesus on the mountain. He just closes his eyes and falls asleep! This time, to be sure that Peter does not escape, Herod has him chained to guards in his prison. But man’s chains are no match for the saints’ prayers!

God is pleased with the saints’ prayers and often as he bends his ear to our words his heart is open to receive and answer as we beg. We must be like the Canaanite woman unwilling to give up but to seek an answer. When a brother or sister is imprisoned in some way, do we earnestly beg God for their deliverance according to His will or if truth be known is our mind here and there scattered with many thoughts or do we like Peter fall asleep on the watch? We would do well to take a lesson from these early believers whose very lives surrounded a lengthy time in earnest prayer. We remember what James wrote: “The prayer of a righteous person has great effectiveness.” Would that we be like the early church who pounded the doors of heaven for God to answer and deliver.

When Peter is released by an angelic visitor who had to shake him awake and lead him like a child outside the prison walls, we find him knocking at the door of where the believers were sequestered. He might have muttered: it was easier getting out of prison than getting into Mary’s house! Continuously knocking and finally gaining entrance the believers were astonished to see how God answered! Beloved, trust in the G.A.P. method…God Answers Prayers.

November 1, 2013

The Glory of the Lord!

In John 1 the Apostle John writes: We saw his glory – the glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth. Yesterday we noted that Philip said to Nathanael, “Come and See.” “When God gives us eyes to see the glory of Jesus—his beauty and greatness and worth—that seeing is the laser beam, as it were, along which great grace streams into our lives. Grace to love. Grace to rejoice. Grace to live forevermore.” [Piper] As we now move to view the first miracle we read again: 2:11 “Jesus did this as the first of his miraculous signs, in Cana of Galilee. In this way he revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.”

The two incidents in this chapter, the water turned into wine and the cleansing of the Temple, point to the power and majesty and glory of Jesus that He chose to reveal at opportune moments for one reason: that they may see and recognize He is the prophesied Messiah, the glorious Son of God. Jesus is as JB noted: the Chosen One of God. He has been made manifest that we may see our depravity when we stand in his presence and desire and seek his holiness and righteousness. Come and See the Chosen One who took what was deficient and provided the ample. Come and See the Chosen One who took the defiled Temple and cleansed it for worship. Both are pictures of what he does for each of us personally. We who are deficient in our own capacity he fills with the new wine of his grace and provides us with his love and righteousness. Our temple is defiled but he cleanses it with his blood making us fit for heaven.

To the unbelieving he answers with a riddle/parable: “I speak to them in parables: Although they see they do not see, and although they hear they do not hear nor do they understand,” but with those whose heart and eyes see and believe, he shares his glory. The religious leaders see with their physical eyes but are spiritually blind to the Savior. Instead they seek more miraculous signs. Jesus responds “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up again.” He did not say “I will destroy” but said ““You” destroy”” thus prophesying of his death and resurrection. The contrast could not be more black and white. The religious leaders come and see but remain in their darkness while the people who are only bystanders come and see and their hearts and eyes are opened and believe.

There is another nugget of beauty hidden in this chapter which we might just readily pass over but it is the same word used three different times: “believed.” The word has the idea of entrusting, put faith in, conviction and trust, saving faith. When his glory was revealed to the religious leaders they sought a sign. When his glory was revealed to the disciples and the temple bystanders, they believed/trusted in/put their faith in him. Matthew uses the idea of the eye is the lamp of the body. If the eye, like the window into our soul, is covered with grime, our view is distorted, but if our eye is clear we can see what is revealed clearly. Where has Jesus revealed or made manifest to you what was previously unknown but now is clearly revealed, that is his glory, and how will you respond? Jesus shared his glory with those whose hearts and eyes were open and ready.

Is your heart and eye open and ready this day to receive his glory?

October 5, 2013

Be a “Jesus Light” to the Perishing (2Cor 5)

As the days draw shorter here in the northern hemisphere so the use of artificial lighting increases. Some luminaries or solar devices will illuminate our walkways to aid visitors as well as to give beauty in our barren landscapes of winter. But as each day returns so the lights of these will fade. That is the picture Paul painted for us as he explained the fading glory of the Old Covenant but in contrast the picture of the New Covenant’s increasing glory as the Spirit of the Living God takes up residence within us.

In chapter 3 Paul used the imagery of the veil and in chapter 4 he continues to use that same imagery but in a different vein. In chapter 3 we saw that the veil is over the hearts of those who minds are closed and chapter 4 the source of that closing is the enemy himself, Satan. He places that veil lest they, who are the perishing, might see the glorious gospel of Christ, the very image of God. However there is a promise in chapter 3 that when one turns to the Lord the veil over hearts and minds is removed and one can now see Christ in all of His glory. It is then that the transformation process of becoming more and more like Him begins and our “Jesus Light” emerges. We become His luminary to emit His Light to those who are perishing.

Now Paul reminds us that even though the veil has been lifted and we are becoming more like Christ, it is the inner man not the outer man that is being transformed. The outer man continues to decay and is frail and vulnerable. Yet we have this promise: He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust“ (Psalm 103:14) So although we are still an earthen vessel, having been formed from dust, yet within our hearts His light is shining. God as the Potter has taken us from the dust, removed our veil and filled us with the Spirit of the Living God to be molded and shaped by Him for one reason: to emit His Light to those whose minds are veiled by the master schemer and deceiver. It is this power we have within plus the Word of God that rends the veil and removes the shackles that bind. Too, we must also remember that the master deceiver seeks to diminish our light. Therefore we must put on the armor daily and say as John the Baptist: “Jesus Christ must increase, but I must decrease.” Don Hoekster says: “God’s plan is to put extraordinary heavenly treasure into ordinary earthen vessels, so that the attention will go to the contents, not to the container: “that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.” How liberating and exciting to know that we are His to be used for His glory and to reveal His Light to those who are perishing!

The question thus for us this day is this: Am I a “Jesus Light” that penetrates the veil of the perishing?