Green Baggins

Genesis 41
Robert Dick Wilson, a professor at Princeton Theological Seminary before it went liberal, once heard one of his students preach. Afterward, he came up to the man and said this: “If you come back again, I will not come to hear you preach. I only come once. I am glad that you are a big-godder. When my boys come back, I come to see if they are big-godders or little-godders, and then I know what their ministry will be.” His former student asked him to explain, and he replied, “Well, some men have a little god, and they are always in trouble with him. He can’t do any miracles. He can’t take care of the inspiration and transmission of the Scripture to us. He doesn’t intervene on behalf of his people. They have a little god and I call them little-godders. Then, there are those who have a great God. He speaks and it is done. He commands and it stands fast. He knows how to show himself strong on behalf of them that fear him. You have a great God; and he will bless your ministry.” He paused a moment, smiled, said, “God bless you,” and turned and walked out. Joseph was a big-godder. He had a massive conception of who God was, and so must we. One of the biggest things about God that is important is that He has brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, and given Him the name that is above every name. But that great event in history is not the only time that God has done something like that. Even to the OT believers, God gave them a picture of what Jesus would look like. God gave them Joseph. That is why I have entitled this sermon “The Resurrection and Ascension of Joseph.” It is truly a great God that we serve, and that is proved over and over again in the pages of Holy Scripture.

God’s providence is evident in a particular way in the beginning of our story. For Joseph is made to wait two whole years before he is delivered from prison. This had a two-fold reason. One reason God did this is so that Joseph would be made perfect through suffering, just as Jesus Christ was. The second reason is that God wanted the perfect timing for the cupbearer to remember. If the cupbearer had remembered earlier, then very little good would have come out of it. But now, a great good will come out of it, nothing less that the salvation of the entire world from starvation. In a similar way, Jesus would endure two days in the grave, but on the third day, Jesus would rise again. If Joseph’s resurrection meant a physical salvation of the world, then Jesus’ resurrection means a spiritual resurrection, and then a bodily resurrection for His people.

The occasion of this great act of God was a dream on Pharaoh’s part. This dream was very scary to Pharaoh for a number of reasons. The first is that the Nile river was the source of life for Egyptians. That is what they believed. However, here the Nile is putting forth bad cows and bad corn. The Nile failed in the dream. That was also a failure of the god of the Nile, whose name was Hapi. The first part of the dream had to do with cows. Cows were sacred animals in Egypt, and symbolized Egypt itself. So Pharaoh knew that something very bad was going to happen, when he started seeing these cannibal cows. He will say later on that the cannibal cows, after eating the fat cows, didn’t even look any better than they were before. And then, after having awoken because of the vividness of the dream, he fell asleep and dreamed another very similar dream. In fact, the two dreams are so alike that Pharaoh thought of them as one. In verse 8, most modern translations say that Pharaoh told his dreams plural to the wise men. Actually, the KJV translates it accurately: he told his dream singular to the wise men. He saw it as one dream. But the interpreters thought of them as two dreams. That is why it says that there was no one to interpret them to Pharaoh. He wasn’t satisfied with any of their interpretations, because they thought of his one dream as two dreams. So the wise men of Egypt cannot interpret for Pharaoh, and they cannot even count right! Pharaoh knew they were really one dream, because there was the element of seven, the element of the later bad things destroying the earlier good things, and the completeness of the “victory” of the bad things.

In this whole process, the cupbearer suddenly remembers Joseph. He tells Pharaoh about Joseph, especially the fact that Joseph had interpreted the dreams correctly. That gets Pharaoh very excited, and all of a sudden, Joseph finds himself brought out, shaved, dressed in new clothes, and brought before Pharaoh. One little interesting detail here: the Hebrew men always wore beards, but the Egyptians never wore them. That is why Joseph had to be shaved. Otherwise, he would not have been presentable to Pharaoh. Pharaoh is so excited that here is one who can interpret dreams. However, Joseph quickly, though gently, corrects the Pharaoh. Joseph tells the Pharaoh that the interpretation belongs to God. It is the same thing that he told to the baker and the cupbearer in the previous chapter. In one word in Hebrew, Joseph disavows any claim to the wisdom necessary to understand dreams, and says instead that God gave it to him. It is vitally important to give God all the glory for any and all gifts that we have, any skills that we have. After having given a particularly devout and moving sermon one Sunday morning, Charles Spurgeon was greeted by members of his congregation. One man said to him, “Sir, that was the greatest sermon I have ever heard and that you have ever preached?” Spurgeon turned to him and said, “Yes, the devil told me that ten minutes ago” But Joseph here takes great care that the arrow should not point to him, but to God. The same thing was true with Jesus Christ. He did not point the arrow at Himself, but rather let His Heavenly Father proclaim what a good Son He had.

Joseph interprets the dream for Pharaoh. Finally, here was someone who could count. Joseph insists that the “two” dreams are really one and the same. The only they came in a two-fold manner was to emphasize how certain would be the fulfillment of this one dream.

Joseph tells Pharaoh that God has revealed what He is about to do. The future is not in the hands of Pharaoh, you see, but rather in the hands of Almighty God. However, after Joseph finishes interpreting the dream, he gives a solution. The dream presents quite a problem for Pharaoh. Joseph knows this, and so has compassion on the Egyptians, and presents them not only with the proper interpretation of the dream, but also with a solution to the problem. Joseph is not thinking of himself here as he describes what this discerning and wise person is to do. He is not jockeying for position. Joseph just wants to get out of prison! He has no idea of himself being the one chosen. That is quite important, because he did grasp after authority like Adam did. Rather, he did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking on him the form of a servant. As a result of this humiliation, God exalted him above every other name that can be named. Only in regard to the throne would Pharaoh be higher than Joseph. That also is reflected in Christ’s experience, as described in 1 Corinthians 15:27, which says this: “For ‘God has put all things in subjection under his feet.’ But when it says, ‘all things are put in subjection,’ it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him.” God the Father is not subject to the Son. Neither is the Son subject to the Father. They are equal, unlike Pharaoh and Joseph in that respect.
Pharaoh reasons very well here. He thinks that since Joseph not only interpreted the dream correctly, but also provided a solution to the problem, there could be no one better qualified to do this thing than Joseph himself. And so Pharaoh promotes Joseph beyond any other minister in the kingdom. He is the vizier. That is the term used here. Now is fulfilled one of Joseph’s own dreams. He dreamed that the sun, moon, and stars would bow down to him. That refers to the largest superpower of the ancient world, Egypt. Now it is a reality. It is only a matter of time now before the other dream will come true, since the famine will be severe not only in Egypt, but in the rest of the world as well.

The seven years of plenty follow immediately, and Egypt and Joseph are both fruitful and multiplying. Joseph gets married into one of the highest social circles of the land. Priests were very well respected in those days. Joseph has two sons by her: Manasseh and Ephraim. These years are fairly uneventful otherwise, and so we pass on to the years of famine. The people come to Pharaoh, who immediately directs them to Joseph, who is the only one who can give to them the Bread of Life. So also, Jesus is the only one to whom we can go for the Bread of Life. Verse 57 paves the way for the brothers to come, since the famine was severe in all the lands, not just in Egypt. However, because of Joseph’s wise policy of taxation, there was grain in Egypt. Joseph probably did not sell grain to the Egyptians until later years. He was actually rationing it carefully, so as to have enough grain for seven whole years.

So what can we take away from this story? Well, we have seen that Joseph prefigures Jesus Christ in many ways. So also, he prefigures the church. Therefore, the Joseph story also applies to us through Jesus Christ.

For instance, do we take credit for a gift or a skill that we have? It should rather be used for the good of others, and to the honor and glory of God alone. We are NEVER to use our gifts and skills for our own self-aggrandizement. We are never to puff up ourselves, thinking ourselves so great, when everything we have is a gift from God. Joseph could have taken credit for his interpretation of the dream, but he did not do so. Instead, he used his skill for the good of the world, and, as it turned out, for the good of the OT church.

It is important to head off at the pass an incorrect application of this passage. This passage is not telling us today that we should follow our dreams, to have them interpreted. Hebrews 1 is very clear about this: in the OT, says Hebrews, God revealed Himself in many different ways and at various times. In these NT last days, He has revealed Himself to us in His Son. We need no other revelation than Jesus Christ, as recorded for us in Scripture. If you want to have guidance for your life, then look to Scripture, not to dreams, and not to magic, like horoscopes. The Egyptian magicians were always shown to be incorrect in their interpretations, and incomplete in their knowledge. They couldn’t interpret this dream of Pharaoh’s properly at all. That kind of thing is the way of darkness and confusion. If we want light, then we must go to Scripture, and pray that the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth.

Furthermore, when we have the opportunity to do something great in front of someone else, we should not do it with an eye towards our own interests. This follows closely from what I said before. However, it certainly bears repeating. We are not to be interested in self. We are rather to have the same mind as Christ Jesus, who did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself, making Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant. That is what Joseph did, and it is what we should do. So, do the thing that no one else wants to do because it is too low. Jesus washed His disciples’ feet, and in the very process showed them what they must do for each other. Maybe you don’t want to take care of your elderly parents or grandparents. But shouldn’t you give them that service? Maybe you don’t want to help your neighbor out with something. Shouldn’t you volunteer? Maybe you don’t want to shovel manure and clean out someone’s cow stalls. Shouldn’t you do that very thing anyway? We should never think that any kind of service to others is beneath us. For Jesus Christ humiliated Himself far more than we ever even could humiliate ourselves. He did that for us so that we could be saved from the wrath of God. Then He tells us to go out and do likewise.

And then, we should not forget God’s providence in bad times. For two years, Joseph could have cursed God for having forgotten him. But God did not forget him. He is a great God. He never forgets, unless it be our sin, when we repent of it and turn away from it. But He never forgets His people. Our trust must be the same as Joseph. He trusted that God would bring him out of his dark and low circumstances.

Do you have a big God or a little god? Are you a big-Godder or a little-godder? Being a big-Godder means that you will experience resurrection and ascension, just as Joseph and Jesus did. God resurrects His people to new life and a place that is above every place that can be named.

Matthew 6:1-4
There are few things that a child needs or wants more than to be noticed by their parents. They want their parents’ attention almost more than food. Especially when they learn something new, they want to impress their parents. They will say, “Watch me, watch me!” This is a perfectly natural impulse on the part of children. The thing is that we never really lose that impulse. We always want our Heavenly Father to be watching when we learn something new, or when we help someone. The problem comes when we try to substitute other people for our Heavenly Father. We very often want our generosity to be noticed by other people. We want our alms to be noticed. We want our prayer to be noticed, and we want our fasting (if we even do that anymore!) to be noticed. It is important to realize that verse 1 here is a heading for the first 18 verses of chapter 6. There are three issues that should not be out in the open: our generosity, our prayers, and our fasting. They should be done in secret. If someone finds out, fine, but the point is not do it in order that people may see it and say, “Oh, what a good Christian you are!”

The first issue that Jesus talks about is alms-giving. Another word for it is charity. It is giving to the poor. Now, what often happened in those days was that there was a big horn-shaped opening to the treasure-box in the Temple. People would come in and put their money in that treasure-box. It was quite easy then to make it rattle all the way down so that other people would see that you put a lot of money in the box. The way we might do it today would be to somehow let is slip out to your really close friend that you don’t know whether you can make it financially or not, because you gave too much to the church this month or year. Or, you might make sure that your generous extra donation gets put in the bulletin so that everyone can see. We are not to do this sort of thing.

Now right away, we have to deal with a difficulty. Here Jesus says that we are not to do our righteousness in order to be seen by people. But in 5:16, we are told to let our light shine before men so that they may see your good works. Is there a contradiction here? No, there is not. The question is one of motivation. In 5:16, the all important qualifying clause is added, “and give glory to your Father who is in heave.” The glory is to go to God, not to us. Light by its very nature does not draw attention to itself, but to that upon which it shines. Furthermore, the particular actions that Jesus is talking about in chapter 6 are private acts of piety. They are not like sharing the Gospel, which obviously must be done in front of other people. Instead, Jesus is talking about those things that should be done privately.

We should not sound the trumpet before us when we give to someone. This is a rather vivid image. Imagine someone considering about giving some alms to people. He says to himself, “Where is my trumpeter today? I can’t go and give this money without someone knowing about it!” It is an utterly ridiculous picture that Jesus paints in our minds. And yet, how often is it that someone will give a gigantic sum of money to construct something, and then insist that the building be named after them. That is no different than what Jesus is talking about here.

Those who give alms in order to be seen by others are not actually giving anything away. They are actually purchasing something. And that something is a reputation, or an image. They buy an image of themselves as the perfect Christian, but that is all they have. It doesn’t buy them happiness, or salvation, or any reward in heaven. That is what Jesus says in verse 1: “If you do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them, then you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.” Why? Because you have already received your reward. There is a great word in verse 2 that describes this reward: it is a receipt. They have received their reward. That word “received” is the word used in receipts in those days. It meant “paid in full.” They purchased image: image they have received. Great donors are honored by all men as being philanthropists. But when they come before the judgment seat of God, and expect to be paid again for their good works, Jesus will say to them: “Depart from Me, I never knew you. You tried to buy your way into heaven, when all you purchased by all your generosity was a good image there on earth.”
 Doing righteousness before others is just what most people in the world do, in fact. That is the connection between chapter 5 and chapter 6. We are asked to love more than the world does. Anyone in the world loves the one who loves them. But we are required to love those who do not love us. We need to have a greater righteousness. That is exactly true here as well. We need to do our righteousness so that it surpasses the righteousness of the Pharisees. That is a tall order, since the Pharisees were known for being sticklers when it came to the law. However, the Pharisees often did their righteousness in order to be seen by others. The fringes on their garments were longer than other people’s fringes. They tithed even the herbs that grew in their garden. They must have hovered over the groun about two inches, since they were holier than anyone else. Jesus calls them hypocrites. Now, this is a very interesting word. It comes from ancient Greek theater. In theater, you often had to put on a mask in order to play your part, since you usually had to play more than one part. If you were one of those kinds of performers, then you were called a “hypocrite,” literally “one who wears a mask.” That is a very clear picture of what a hypocrite is. A hypocrite is someone who wears the mask of piety and holiness, while underneath is pure evil.

The church is always full of hypocrites. In fact, we are all hypocrites. There is no one in this room who is not a hypocrite. How many times have you given the impression to someone else that you are better than you really are? How many times have you given so that someone else may tell you that you are such a good Christian? Then you pat yourself on the back, and just go your way.

It’s like the man who sat through a church service and then on the way home he fussed about the sermon, he fussed about the traffic, he fussed about the heat, and he fussed about the lateness of the meal being served. Then he bowed and prayed. His son was watching him all the way through this post-church experience. Just as they were beginning to pass the food, he said, “Daddy, did God hear you when we left the church and you started fussin’ about the sermon and about the traffic and about the heat?” The father sort of blushed and said, “Well, yes, son, He heard me.” “Well, Daddy, did God hear you when you just prayed for this food right now?” And he said, “Well, yes son, He…He…He heard me.” “So, well, Daddy, which one did God believe?”

Or like this: There was a man who made free use of religious vocabulary. He talked about the blessing of the Almighty God and the Christian confessions that would be the supporting pillars of the new government. He assumed the earnestness of a man weighed down by historical rsponsibility. He handed out pious stories to the press, especially to the church papers. He showed his tattered Bible and declared that he drew his strength for his great work from it as scores of pious people welcomed him as a man sent from God. Indeed, Adolf Hitler had a great show of outward religiosity without any inward reality! Or, as Mark Twain puts it: “We are like the moon: we all have a dark side that we don’t want anyone else to see.” The actor Robert Redford was once approached by a woman who asked him, “Are you the real Robert Redford?” He answered, “Only when I am alone.”

As these illustrations show, hypocrisy takes many shapes and forms. And it can be extremely subtle. We could give something and not be very careful about letting it out into the open. Sometimes we even want someone to accidentally discover our generosity so that we can be praised for our saintly secrecy. It doesn’t get more subtle than that! How sinful our human heart is! How much we want the approbation of other people, when what we should really want is the approbation of God Himself. It is not wrong to want a reward. We are built that way. But God tells us that we should seek our reward from Him, and not from other people.

Jesus tells us that in order for us to receive our reward from God the Father, we are to be secretive that we are not to let one hand know what the other is doing. Normally we use our hands at the same time. We use both hands together rather a lot. So, when we are supposed to do it so secretly that one hand doesn’t even know about it, Jesus is using exaggeration to get the point across. We should not even try to remember our own generosity. Some scholars think that this metaphor has to do with not letting even our closest friends in on the secret. That is quite possible: not letting our closest friends know is certainly included in Jesus’ statement.

I hope that we have all realized that we are all hypocrites. There is no one among us who has not done hypocritical things to look better than we are. Isn’t there someone to whom you tell everything? Isn’t there someone with whom you can share the burdens that are on your heart? I know from experience that it is a great relief that someone knows of my struggles. And someone does. I don’t have to be a hypocrite if someone knows just how bad I am. Fortunately, god is in the business of saving hypocrites. Jesus wore the mask of death, that we might wear the mask of His righteousness, so that when God looks at us, instead of seeing our dirt and filth, He sees Christ’s righteousness. The difference between that truth and hypocrisy is that God is rewriting our lives to make the inside look like the outside. We must be clay in the hands of the Potter. How hard are you? Have you dried up in your life so that God cannot work with you anymore? Or are you fresh, young, clay, that God can mold to the image of the Son? May God the Holy Spirit mold us into the image of God the Son, by the direction of God the Father. Amen.

Matthew 5:8

US News and World Report did a study about television. That study showed that children on average will spend more than 20,000 hours before the television set, which is far more time than he will ever spend in a classroom. What do they see? Violence, perversion, lying, cheating, stealing, blackmail, embezzlement and other delights of our age. Violence, for instance, is so common on TV that it occurs five to nine times in on hour of prime-time television, and as often as thirty times in one hour during Saturday morning cartoons and after-school cartoons. Researchers have found clear evidence that “heavy TV watchers” are no longer shocked or horrified by violence. The report concludes in this way, “It will be difficult for the children who are raised in this era when they reach adult life to be decision-makers about right and wrong, because they have been without guidelines. They will have no idea what moral concepts are all about.” The date of this study? 1975. Has the situation gotten better or worse since then? Has it gotten better or worse in our community? What is purity of heart?

Often we think that purity is unattainable. We think that purity of heart is for those “super-Christians” out there who have got their act together. But Jesus says that only the pure in heart will see God. That means that we all need purity of heart.

Purity in heart comes in two sizes. The first one is purity of conversion. That means that when we come to union with Jesus Christ, we are clothed with righteousness. That is, while we are still sinners, Christ takes out our heart of stone, gives us a heart of flesh in regeneration. We are then clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. When God looks at us He sees Jesus’ righteousness.

By the way, if you do not know Jesus, now is the time to recognize that you are not pure in heart. None of us are really pure in heart. We need someone else’s purity to clothe us.

The second kind of purity is the process of purity. That happens throughout our lives and that is what Christ is mainly talking about here. Purity means unmixed holiness. When we say “pure gold” we mean that there is only gold there, nothing else. So when Jesus tells us that we need a pure heart, it means that our hearts need to be righteous without anything else in there. Thomas Watson says this, “A Christian’s great care should be to keep the heart pure, as one would especially preserve the spring from being poisoned. In a duel, a man will chiefly guard and fence his heart, so a wise Christian should above all things keep his heart pure. Take heed that the love of sin does not get in there, lest it prove mortal.”

When Jesus spoke the woes in chapter 23 that are the negative version of the blessings given here, one of the woes was spoken to the Pharisees. Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.” Jesus is talking about purity here. There needs to be purity not only on the outside, but also on the inside. It is not enough to say that we have not sinned outwardly. We also need to be sin-free on the inside, that part that no one can see.

But why? What reason is there to be pure in heart? First and foremost, because God will not tolerate impurity in His presence. What would God do with an unholy servant? Christ also says, “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you shall by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Another reason for purity is that God dwells in us. You would not want to go live in a house that was incredibly unclean, with roaches, ants, termites, wasps, and filth all over the place, would you? Then why do we expect God to dwell in us, when we have such filth in our lives? Why would God want to come live inside a dirty, filthy, rotten hole like our hearts? If our body is to be the temple of the Holy Spirit, our heart is to be the Most Holy Place, where God Himself has set up His throne. Those are the reasons why we must be holy.

What purity of heart is not can be readily seen. We must not be content with outward purity. As Christ said, a person can be spick and span outside, but be full of murder, adultery, covetousness, and all manner of other sins on the inside. Christ said that out of the heart comes all these sins anyway. Let me just say a word here about behavior. Often we think that if a person changes their behavior, then they must be okay on the inside, too. That is a lot like a parable one of my professors told one day in class. His wife was upset that their apple tree was looking very ugly. It has brown ugly fruit on it, and wouldn’t the husband please do something about it. So the next Saturday, the wife looks out her window to see the husband with a ladder, a bushel of apples, and a staple-gun. About an hour later, she looks out again and sees a beautiful tree full of beautiful apples. How long will it last? As long as those apples last. Those apples, though, are not connected to the root. If they were connected to the root of that tree, then they wouldn’t be such beautiful apples. Those apples are just like our outward behavior, and the root of the tree is just like our heart. If the root of the tree is sound and healthy, then the apples that will be produced will be sound and healthy apples. However, if he root is rotten, then no amount of fresh apples will change that root. The problem will only be temporarily fixed. Eventually, those apples will shrivel up and drop off the tree. In this community especially, I see a focus on behavior. There is nothing wrong with that. We want to see behavior change and come into conformity with God’s Word. But without a pure heart, it will not ultimately change the behavior. Eventually, the “new behavior” will look just like the old behavior. We cannot be satisfied with outward change. We need to be concerned with issues of the heart.

Any issue of the heart that introduces impurity will always have an idolatry associated with it. You can think of any sin in the world, and I will tell you what idolatry is going along with it. For instance, covetousness, theft, and envy have a heart idolatry of wealth. Wealth is desired more than God, and so God is set aside in the heart. You cannot add anything to just God in the heart without an idolatry. Another example: adultery and lust have as their heart idolatry man itself, and finding pleasure and ultimate satisfaction in something other than God. There is no sin that is not idolatry. Idolatry is the very definition of impurity. Instead of being filled only with worship of God, we introduce a substitute, something impure. What Christ is really saying here is “Blessed are those who worship God alone, for they will see God.”

What are some things that contribute to heart idolatry? Ignorance is one. Sometimes we pride ourselves on saying something like this, “I may not know much, but my heart is pure.” That is a lot like saying, “I may be blind, but my eyes are doing well.” Ignorance of God and the Bible is opposite to love. You cannot love someone you do not know. Hollywood says something different, I know. They think it is possible to love at first sight. Hey still believe that after all these years. But the fact is that you cannot love someone you do not know. That means that the less we know of God, the less it is possible for us to love Him. Ignorant minds are impure minds. You cannot go to heaven in the dark.

Another thing that contributes to impurity is a sense of self-sufficiency. Those who say that they do not need purity are those very people who need it the most. If you have cancer, and you keep on saying that you do not have cancer, that denial is worse than the disease. Do not deny that you need purity. Do not deny that you are not there yet. Do not say that you have arrived, and those poor other people out there are much less holy than you are. That is proof of an impure heart.

Another impediment to purity of heart lies in sin itself. Sometimes we think that we can be pure while holding on to just one sin that we cannot let go. But Satan can hold on to a person by just one sin. Another way we do this is to plan sin in our lives. Sinners cater to their own desires. For instance, if you know that you have trouble wasting time on the TV, why do you not throw the TV away? Or if you know that a bad program is coming on the TV, why do you make sure that everything else is out of the way so that you can watch that bad program? If you eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. That is, if your TV causes you to sin, take out the plug of the TV and throw it away. There are far better things in life to do than to watch TV.

Instead of doing these things, desire purity. That is the first step. A good sign of a pure heart is that it desires purity. How much do we desire purity? Oftentimes we will avoid sin merely because we want to avoid sin’s consequences. In our community, how often do we avoid sin merely because our neighbor would catch us at it, and we would lose our standing in the community? Should we not rather desire purity for itself, and because God wants us to have it? Purity of heart means desiring purity of heart.

Purity of heart also means avoiding the appearance of evil. The reason we should be afraid to sin in front of other people is not because we will lose OUR standing, but because we might cause someone else to sin. Purity of heart then means selflessness, not selfishness. Peer pressure can be intense. “Everyone else is doing it” is a common plea to justify our sin. A pure heart looks at God’s Word, which is pure, and says, “This alone is my guide for right and wrong.”

With whom do you spend your time? Do you spend it with sinners or saints? Now I know, the first objection that will come out of your mouth to this is that because Jesus spent time with sinners wanting to make them pure, therefore we should do the same. However, we are not Jesus. It is true that we must evangelize. But in what setting? How much evangelization has ever happened in a bar, for instance? If you want to spend time with an unbeliever for the purposes of evangelization, then invite him into your home. Let him see what a difference Christ has made in your life. Rather, we should spend far more time with other believers than we do now. Those are the people who can encourage us. They can sharpen us. If we want to be pure, then we must walk with those who are pure.

What is the promise for those who are pure in heart? They shall see God. Do we even know what a privilege that is? That is what Moses wanted more than anything else. He said to the Lord, “Show me your glory.” The Lord said that no one could see God and live. But he showed Moses just the backside of His glory as he passed by. Just that one glimpse was enough to set Moses’ face glowing so much that the people down at the foot of the mountain were afraid. If we were to really examine our hearts, we would find that the thing we really want the most is to see God. For one thing, seeing God transforms us. It is pure joy to be a pure child of God seeing the pure God of the universe. When the thief was on the cross, Jesus said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise. Paradise is seeing God. This will not be like some earthly pleasure that grows old. God will make us desire Him ever more fully, and yet He will fill us to the very last drop. He will increase our desire for Him, and keep that desire completely filled. Maybe at some point in your life, you have “seen God” with the eyes of faith. You have had one of those “mountain-top” experiences. It might have come at a very odd moment in your life. Maybe it was while you were combining on a crisp gorgeous fall day, like yesterday. Maybe you went on a vacation and saw beauty that pierced your heart. Maybe you had a dream that was so beautiful that you always wanted to get back to that dream and enjoy it again. Those desires that awakened in you are really desires for heaven and to see God. That is what you will receive immediately upon quitting this life, if you are pure in heart. Jesus says also, “Cursed are the impure in heart, for they will never see God, except as judge.” Do not put off the pursuit of holiness, and of purity. Get rid of your heart idols. Have fellowship with others who also desire purity of heart. Look to God, for then you will see Him.

television purity conversion imputed righteousness righteousness hypocrisy behavioral change idolatry sin friends

Cardinal Bellarmine, the main theological foil to the Reformation, once said of the Reformation that its fundamental sin was…assurance! That anyone could possibly know that they are saved was a gross sin, according to Bellarmine.

The Reformation thought quite differently about the matter. They saw assurance as quite possible, though they put careful qualifications onto their statements. Chapter 18 of the WCF is a model of care about this very topic.

Unbelievers may have some notion of salvation, but it will fall away eventually. They can have no assurance of salvation. It is quite possible for the believer to have a certain assurance that they are saved. What is the ground for such an assurance? You may be assured (!) that the ground of our assurance is mostly outside of us. It is made up of various elements: the promises of salvation given in Scripture, the testimony of the Holy Spirit working in us, the inward evidence of grace operating in our lives, the cross and resurrection of our Lord, and the other means of grace all work together to provide assurance.

The most important qualification that can be made about assurance is that even if one does not have assurance, one can still be saved. It is not so much of the essence of faith, but that many Christians struggle long and hard to attain it. It does not take a special revelation from God over and above Scripture to attain to assurance. Rather, it comes through the normal means of grace. The fruits of assurance (contrary to the Roman Catholic Church) are not licence to do whatever we want, but rather thankfulness and gratitude to God, peace and joy, strength and cheerfulness, and above all obedience.

Assurance waxes and wanes, depending on whether the believer is making full and diligent use of the means of grace. Sin also attacks our assurance. But even in the midst of falling into temptation, we can be helped. If we struggle, then that very fact is evidence of grace. The unbeliever has no struggle with the sin principle in his life. There is no need. But in the Christian life, it is different. There is a peace there that starts the war between the sinful nature that we possess and the grace of God. These are at war with each other. It is part and parcel of the battle between the two ages, of which I spoke here.

Notice clearly how many different things filter into assurance. prayer, Scripture reading, Holy Spirit testimony, election, the promises of Scripture, the sacraments, fellowship with other believers; all of these things feed into assurance. This is one of the problems with the Federal Vision: there is an over-emphasis on the sacraments in assurance to the detriment (not exclusion) of the other means of grace. Yes, baptism is a means of grace. But it is not the only means of grace, nor the most important. There is in the Federal Vision an almost complete aversion to any kind of self-examination with regard to grace. It is usually called “navel-gazing.” However, as Scripture says, the Holy Spirit testifies with our spirit that we are the children of God.

That being said, the dangers of immoderate self-examination are not to be underestimated. Robert Murray M’Cheyne had it about right when he said, “For every time you look inside yourself, look ten times at Christ.” If we look primarily to ourselves, we will sink, as Peter did when he was walking on the sea. But when he looked at Christ, then he was able to walk. Let us look primarily to Christ for our assurance.

Perseverance is a beautiful thing in the Christian life. To know that God doesn’t just abandon us to fend for ourselves in the fight against sin, but that He actively engages us in the pursuit of holiness. The doctrine itself states that those whom God has truly saved will by no means lose their salvation. There certainly are counterfeit saved people out there who appear to be saved, but fall away. These people were never really saved in the first place. That is, they were never truly united to Christ.

This perseverance depends on the decree of God and the efficacy of election. It depends further on the efficacy of the merit of Christ who intercedes for us, and the abiding of the Holy Spirit in us (that seed of holiness planted in us).

Certainly, some who are truly saved will fall away for a time through grievous sins and the neglect of the means of the grace. But all those who are truly of God’s flock will indeed be brought back by Christ Himself. Philippians 1:6 says this: “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

There are some out there who will argue that there is no ontological difference between the elect and the non-elect within the people of God, and that the only way to tell the difference is by perseverance. Some will persevere and some will not. However, this is based on a misinterpretation of John 15. John 15 says that those who do not abide in Christ will be taken out of the vine. But is the vine salvation, or is it simply the visible church? There is a difference between fruit-bearing branches, and non-fruit-bearing branches.

The warnings in Hebrews 6 and similar places are real warnings. But that does not mean that the elect can fall. it is precisely to keep the elect from falling that such warnings are given to us. In logic (of the Boolean variety), this is known as the null set. The sign “All trespassers will be prosecuted” is posted in order that there be NO trespassers. The home owner posts such a sign as a deterrent. So also the warnings in Scripture: all those who fall away are hopeless of remedy. This sign is posted so that there will be no members of the set “fallen away.” A failure to understand the nature of this function of the warnings has resulted in gross misunderstanding by the Arminians and by the Federal Vision.

Repentance is, I believe, one of the most misunderstood doctrines of the Christian life. People will say that they have repented from their sin, and yet they see no inconsistency with going on being enslaved to that sin. This cannot be. Repentance means a turning away from sin. This is quite evident from the OT Hebrew word for repentance “shub” (pronounced “shoove”). This word means a change in direction. That is what repentance is: a change in direction from sin to God. It is important to recognize also that repentance is a gracious gift from God. We, on our own, cannot turn away from sin. We, in our sinful natures, are dead in sin, unable to turn away from it.

The relationship of repentance to faith is often a hot topic. Obviously, there can only be a repentant faith, as well, conversely, as a faithful repentance. You cannot have one without the other.

Repentance involves a recognition of sin as sin. The way this happens is through recognition of what the law demands. This is one of the big reasons why OT law needs more than ever to be preached in our churches today: people simply do not recognize their sin, because they are ignorant of the law. Therefore, they are ignorant of their need of a Savior.

Repentance is a necessary, but not sufficient condition for pardon from God.

The WCF has this marvelously comforting thought about repentance: “As there is no sin so small, but it deserves damnation, so there is no sin so great, that it can bring damnation upon those who truly repent.”

Repentance is also a daily thing, though, in addition to being a once for all turning. This is part of that already/not yet condition in which the believer finds himself, being in-between the two comings of Christ. We need to repent of specific sins, not just our general sins.

Faith is a gift of God. Many people think that faith comes from within yourself. “Believe in yourself,” people say. Well, I happen to think that I am a very poor object in which to have faith. If it depends on me to be saved, then woe to me.

However, true faith is faith in someone else, namely, Jesus Christ. Faith is an accepting, receiving, and resting on Him alone for our salvation. Faith is an empty hand that simply receives. Furthermore, we cannot even stretch out that hand without God’s help.

Faith is an instrument. In justification, for instance, it is not faith itself that is imputed for righteousness, but rather the object of faith that is imputed, namely, the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Those who say otherwise are not understanding the nature of faith. Faith does not have a substance of its own, or a righteousness of its own. Rather, faith lays hold of something outside itself, making the believer united to Jesus Christ.

There are degrees of saving faith. That is, all saving faith has some inviolable characteristics. However, the degree of faith varies in different Christians. Some Christians, such as George Muller, had (or have) extraordinarily powerful and strong faith. Other Christians have weak faith. Let not the strong look down on the weak, but rather let them seek to help the weak grow.

Faith reacts appropriately to the Word of God. If there is one thing that is mostly lacking in churches these days, it is a desire to lead biblical lives. Most church-goers will say that they have faith, some more, some less. But how many actually make their day-to-day decisions based on Scripture? It is not too difficult to make large decisions based on Scripture, because we see the need of it more. But in the little decisions, all too often we are stricken with a lack of faith, and think that God doesn’t have anything to say to us about such matters. But the faithful person will look at God’s Word, and react according to how each passage should affect them. Faithful people react with wariness when warned, with joy when encouraged, belief when promised, etc. And faithful people love the study of God’s Word. How many Christians are there who absolutely love to dig into God’s Word? Precious few. Most of them think it is above them, and is only to be for the professionals. Or, they just don’t care. Faith believes that every word of God is precious, and is to be mulled over, and digested, and gnawed; in short, seen from every legitimate angle possible, so as to produce a harvest of righteousness. Glory be to God!

Genesis 35

Charles Hodge, the great professor of theology at Princeton Theological Seminary in the 1800’s once said this: “The sure test of the quality of any supposed change of heart will be found in its permanent effects. ‘By their fruits you shall know them’ is as applicable to the right method of judging ourselves as of judging others. Whatever, therefore, may have been our inward experience, whatever joy or sorrow we may have felt, unless we bring forth fruits meet for repentance, our experience will profit us nothing. Repentance is incomplete unless it leads to confession and restitution in cases of injury; unless it causes us to forsake not merely outward sins, which others notice, but those which lie concealed in the heart; unless it makes us choose the service of God and live not for ourselves but for Him. There is no duty which is either more obvious in itself, or more frequently asserted in the Word of God, than that of repentance.” Do we see the fruits of repentance in our lives? Or do we see backsliding? But then we must ask this question: if I backslide, does that make me a non-believer? These are some of the most plaguing questions that a Christian can ask. I believe that our text has something to say to these questions.

Jacob, you will remember, had relied on his wit and on his swindling ability for most of his life. He had used it to devastating effect time after time. However, that ability also came with certain drawbacks. His family picked up on his ways. His sin led to terrible consequences. God wrestled Jacob to the ground. And yet, Jacob often just went back to what was familiar. He slid backwards. We call such a person a backslider. Now, we are all backsliders to a certain extent. We all have tendencies to go back to our old favorite sins. We all enjoy that comfort that comes in old remembered sins newly minted in fresh situations. However, it comes with a terrible price-tag on our conscience, doesn’t it? We think that there is no hope for us, since we have crucified Christ afresh. We think that there is no more salvation left for us, since we have sinned our way out of God’s kingdom. How do we tell whether our fears are correct or not? How do we tell if we are genuine Christians or not? Well, let’s look at Jacob.

We have seen Jacob’s half-hearted obedience in chapter 34, and the terrible consequences to which it led. Now, in chapter 35, we see God commanding Jacob to be obedient to his vow, and go back to Bethel. Bethel was where Jacob had the dream with the ladder, or staircase. Bethel was where Jacob had seen God. God wanted him to go back there. God had said back in 31:13, “I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and made a vow to me. Now arise, go out from this land and return to the land of your kindred.” Here in chapter 35, God gives a very specific command to Jacob: “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” This call is something Jacob obeyed. And finally, we see that there is some fruit in Jacob’s life. He tells his household to get rid of all the foreign gods that are in their midst. This would include the teraphim that Rachel had stolen. You remember that Rachel had stolen the household gods of her father Laban. Those were still in Jacob’s household somewhere. Jacob tells his family to get rid of them. This was preparation for worship, you see. Worship is a very important factor in this whole chapter.

The text says that Jacob buried the gods under the oak tree near Shechem. This was probably the same tree under which God had appeared to Abraham in chapter 12. It was near Bethel, where Abraham also had built an altar to the Lord God. Like grandfather, like grandson. But notice that Jacob buries the household gods. This is one last jab at the foreign idols. They have to be manufactured, they have to be guarded, they can be stolen, they have to be protected by a woman having her period, and now they can be buried. Talk about having your head buried in the sand! These gods are not even powerful to look out after themselves, much less anyone else. What about our idols? Do we have to take care of them? How about money? You have to earn it, then guard it. You can sit on it, allowing it to do nothing, and it can certainly be buried, can’t it? Money is perhaps the closest idol to these household gods that I can think of. Money certainly cannot take care of us. Just when you need money the most, seemingly, is just when you don’t have it. Money deserts you right when you most need it. It is quite the fair-weather friend. Only God is a rough-weather friend. Let us bury our idols out of sight, and out of mind, even as Jacob did. And let us prepare to see God, even as Jacob was doing.

Notice that with such preparation goes cleansing. We have to be purified, and we have to change our garments from the filthy robes of sin that we have been wearing into the spotless robe of Christ’s righteousness. We do this when we come to faith in Christ. But we also do this when God cleanses us day by day. There is a daily renewal and cleansing as well as a once-for-all cleansing. When we come to worship God, we must have clean hands and a pure heart, as the Psalmist says. How do we have that? By confessing our sin and turning away from it, by God’s grace. That happens once for all when we turn to Christ. But it also happens day by day when we confess our sins.

Now Jacob journeys to Bethel. Ironically, the neighboring people are all afraid of Israel. You will remember that Jacob had said that the neighboring peoples would attack and annihilate him because of Simeon and Levi’s massacre. Here, however, it is the neighboring people who are intimidated by Israel, as they will be later on Israel’s history, when Israel comes in to invade Canaan.

In verse 8, we have a curious notice. Deborah, who was Rebekah’s nurse, dies. We hear nothing of how Rebekah died. Her death is not recorded. But her nurse’s death is recorded! Moses is clearly telling us here that Rebekah’s death in total obscurity is some sort of punishment for her part in the deception of Isaac.

After this curious notice, we have God reiterating His promise to Jacob. This is the same promise He had made to Abraham, and to Isaac. Now, it is made to Jacob. We have the promise of a nation, a company of nations, and many kings. We also have the promise of the land. When we hear these promises, we have to look beyond the physical promise to recognize that God promises that Jesus Christ will come, the King of Kings, and that Jesus Christ will lead us into the Promised Land, the new heavens and the new earth.

So we see that Jacob is here renewed to repentance. When we are renewed in this way, we receive the promises again. Jacob, who had repented, and turned away from his idolatry by burying the idols, has now received the promise of salvation again. His sense of assurance is at its full extent again.

But God does not let His people rest on their laurels. He will shortly send trials and tribulations in order to test our faith an purify our faith. Jacob next has to undergo the death of his wife. She meets her end giving birth to Benjamin. This is sadly ironic. For it was Rachel who had said, “Give me children, or I’ll die.” Here she has children, plural, and she dies. The text says that her sould was departing. That is another way of saying that her soul went to be with Jesus. Her soul did not sleep, and it did not perish. Rather it went away. With her dying breath, she named him “Ben-oni,” which means “son of my sorrow.” She felt that her life had been one of complete sorrow. Hardly an uplifting thought. Jacob certainly thought that the new son needed a better name, a more optimistic name. So he renamed the son “Benjamin.” “Ben” means “son,” and “jamin” means “right hand.” The phrase then means “son of the right hand.” We know that the right hand in Scripture is honored, and it is the symbol of strength. Benjamin is going to be Jacob’s “right-hand man.”

The second trial is the rebellion of his own son Reuben. Verse 22 tells us of Reuben’s shameful practice of lying with his father’s wife, a thing forbidden by OT law. However, what Reuben did needs to be understood against the background of the times. We must understand that when the patriarch died, the son who inherited the estate would also inherit the concubines. So what Reuben does here is an attempt to seize the position of head of house from Jacob. It doesn’t work, and later on in chapter 49, Jacob passes Reuben by in favor of Judah, precisely for this incident. A second reason that Reuben did this was probably for his mother’s sake. Leah had always been less favored than Rachel. Z

ilpah, who was Leah’s maidservant, would be easy to control. But Rachel’s maidservant Bilhah might become Jacob’s favorite wife after Rachel died. Reuben wanted to prevent that from happening. So he insured that Bilhah would never have a chance to become the favorite wife. However, his plan backfired, since the right of the first-born passed to Judah, a son of Leah!

The third trial is the death of his father Isaac. Yes, it is a time of reunion with his brother Esau. That old feud seems to have ended completely, since they both together buried their father Isaac. However, the trials are not over. To lose a parent is always difficult.

Through these times of trial, however, the Lord was teaching Jacob that he must rely on God alone for salvation. He must not rely on his own wit. His new identity is confirmed when God again gives Jacob the new name of Israel. God keeps reminding Jacob of his new identity so that Jacob will really believe it.

That must be true of us as well. God keeps reminding us of our new identity in Christ Jesus. We are a new creation in Christ. Do you want to know whether or not you really are a Christian? Then listen to 1 John 5:13: “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.” You can know that you have eternal life. How can you know? If you rest in Christ Jesus. That is your new identity. That is who you are. If you are in trials and tribulations, then do not say of yourself that you are a distressed person. Trials do not define who you are. The real you is hidden away in Jesus Christ. And it is He who has given us the Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we come into possession of it, as the apostle Paul says.

But if you do not rest in Christ alone for salvation, then you have no right to this assurance. There are many who will say, “Lord, Lord,” but Christ will say to them, “I never knew you.” But those whom God loves, He chastens. If God is letting you run pell-mell into sin, and you don’t even put up a fight, and it doesn’t bother you, then be very, very afraid. However, if you are a soldier, and are fighting, but occasionally lose; if you occasionally backslide, that does not prove that you are going to hell. Indeed, if you are fighting sin in God’s strength, that is one of the key clues that you are a Christian. As God did to Jacob, bringing him back to his identity in Christ, bringing him back to worship, cleansing him of idolatry, testing him with trials, so also God does to us in Christ Jesus. As Christ was tempted, so are we. As Christ was found to be pure gold, so will we. God needs to purify us yet, but that is what our whole life is about. It is the Christian life.

The doctrine of election is rather hideous to those people who are not Christians. The idea that God would choose some and not others makes God some kind of homicidal maniac. Especially repulsive is the idea that God does not choose based on any criterion to be found in us, but that His election is based solely on God’s good pleasure.

But to the believer, the doctrine of election is full of comfort. If I am a chosen child of God (by His good pleasure, lest I have anything of which to boast), then God will not let me go. His grasp is perfect, and His timing is altogether lovely.

The doctrine of election is not a doctrine worthy of speculation. John Calvin himself called it a labyrinth: we should not go wandering around in it, lest we become lost! We cannot read anyone’s heart but our own. Therefore, the doctrine of election is not for the purpose of beating someone else over the head saying, “Ha! I’m elect and you’re not!” (sing-song type of voice).

Instead, the doctrine of election comes into its own when doubts assail the believer. Do we doubt God’s love for us? Do we doubt whether God will keep us or not? Then know that since God has chosen us from before the foundation of the world, then we will not lose God’s love.

The doctrine of election is by no means a prop for someone who desires to live however he wants. Election does not mean that God has saved us; therefore we can do anything we want. No, the Bible specifically states that we are elected unto good works. We were elected to salvation precisely so that we would live as children of God.

Some out there will say that if people are elect or not elect, then that will hamper evangelism. Nothing could be further from the truth. God does not merely elect people. He also ordains the means by which each person will come to faith. That means is us. Therefore, election requires evangelism, as R.B. Kuiper says in his book God-Centred Evangelism. Actually, the doctrine of election is quite freeing with regard to evangelism: if I know that God will bring into His fold His sheep which He has chosen, then all I have to do is present the Gospel clearly. I don’t have to argue people into the kingdom. I don’t need the anxious bench.

And here is an interesting fact: Calvinist churches have always sent more missionaries per capita than Arminian churches have. You wouldn’t think that possible if Calvinist churches believed that election hampers evangelism. But it is true.

Election also requires the opposite doctrine of reprobation. This is even more hideous to prideful mankind. However, we must be careful how we define reprobation. There is no such case as someone banging on the door of heaven, and God not letting them in. Let me repeat that: there is no such case as someone banging on the door of heaven, and God not letting them in. If anyone is banging on the door of heaven, screaming to be let in, it is because they are elect! The reprobate rather, are those whom God has passed by. Furthermore, the reprobate want nothing to do with God. God is by no means crossing their wills in passing them by. In other words, election and reprobation are not symmetrical. It is not the case that all of humanity stands poised between heaven and hell, and God splits some off into heaven, and the others He splits off into hell. No. Rather, all are already headed to hell. All already deserve hell. That is why it is a miracle that any get to heaven. We don’t deserve heaven. We deserve hell. If anyone objects to this line of reasoning, then it must be because they do not really believe in the sinfulness of mankind. Election, therefore, far from being evidence of God’s homicidal tendencies, is rather the greatest evidence of God’s mercy that there ever was.

Genesis 15:1-6
Have you ever looked up at the stars in wonder? Have you ever thought that no one could ever count the number of stars out there? We have modern telescopes now which can see many light years beyond what the naked eye can see, and yet we are still discovering more stars, more galaxies, more planets. In fact, astronomers debate as to whether we are able to see the edge of the universe or not. There are billions of stars out there. So who would believe that Abram’s descendents would out number the stars? Abram himself did, and he was justified by his faith. We are also justified by faith if we believe in Jesus Christ for salvation, as Abram did.

Previous to our story here, Abram had just rescued the Sodomite kings, and had met Melchizedek. Probably Abram now feared that the four kings he had just defeated would come back to haunt him. It was certainly a possibility. He wanted to know from the Lord whether or not he was safe from attack. And so the Lord comes to Abram in a vision. This vision proves that Abram was a prophet. The Lord only showed Himself to prophets of the Lord. And in this vision the Lord says something very special to Abram. He says that Abram is not to fear, because he is Abram’s shield. You see, God knew exactly what was going on in Abram’s mind, and so He could speak directly to Abram’s state of mind. The Lord reassures Abram that He will protect Abram from anyone who dares to try to thwart God’s purposes for Abram.

But then the Lord says something rather strange to Abram. He says that Abram’s reward will be very great. Now, on one level, this is easily believed. Abram had just refused to be rewarded by Bela, king of Sodom, and so the Lord will reward Abram for his exemplary behavior with regard to Lot’s rescue. So far, so good. However, when Abram heard the word “reward,” he immediately thought of children. Psalm 127:3 says, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb reward.” Children are a reward from the Lord. So Abram immediately thinks of the promise that God has made to him. God had promised that Abram would be a great nation, and that his offspring would inherit the land, and that his offspring would be like the dust of the earth. However, the Lord had not yet told Abram HOW He would do this. Currently Abram is thinking that the heir Eliezer of Damascus would inherit Abram’s estate, and that the promise would be fulfilled through him. It is important to realize here that Abram’s questioning of God is NOT a matter of unbelief. Here Abram is actually calling on God to fulfill the promise that God had made. Abram is even hoping that the promise that God made is the fulfillment of the seed promised to Adam in Genesis 3 that would conquer the forces of evil in the world.

Notice that Abram lays it all out in front of God. He does not try to hide from God what he is thinking. He feels free to ask God why it is that the promise has not been fulfilled, and how it is that God will fulfill it. God already knows what is on Abram’s heart. Let me tell you that God does not appreciate your trying to hide from Him what you really think. He would prefer you to be honest. Take a good long look at the Psalms, checking for honesty. You will be amazed at how honest the Psalmist is when talking with God. Sometimes we have this view of God that He cannot be troubled with our sinful thoughts, because they are heretical, and we don’t want God to know about them. Well, of course, that is impossible. Instead, we should confess to God exactly what we are thinking. You will find that it is very freeing. Tell God that you are doubting His promises, if you are. He already knows it, but wants you to talk to Him about it. You won’t get answers to your doubts unless you tell God what your doubts are in the first place. That is what Abram does. But even his doubt is part of his faith. He knows that God will fulfill His promise to him. But since he doesn’t yet know how, he is wondering, curious, precisely because he already knows who he is (a sinner saved by grace through faith). So God answers Abram. Abram asks an honest question, and gets an honest answer. God tells him that a son born of his own flesh and blood, literally a “son born from his own loins” will be the promised son. This is new information to Abram. He didn’t know before how God was going to fulfill His promise. This tells us how. By a son born to Abram himself. He himself will be the father of this son. That rules out Eliezer, of course.

But now God does something very special. God takes him outside, and shows him the stars, and commands Abram to count them, if he is able. Of course, Abram is not able. But what is God saying here? God is telling Abram that the same power that made the stars out of nothing can bring life out of a seemingly dead body. And God brought countless stars into existence out of nothing. If God can do that, then is anything too hard for God? The answer is no.

But we must ask ourselves how it is that the offspring will be so vastly huge. This cannot have been referring merely to Israel. Israel was always described as the least of all nations. Time and time again they are counted in the OT. Their number is small. They never have more than a couple million people in the land of Israel, which hardly qualifies as being countless. The answer is that in Christ the promise is fulfilled. We who believe in Jesus Christ are the true seed of Abram. And truly, there have been many billions of people who have trusted in Christ, including the OT Israelites who believed in Jesus before He came, and the many Christians who have believed in Christ after He came. Either way, salvation was always be faith in Jesus Christ.

To believe in Jesus Christ means that we will be justified. That is what happened to Abram, and it is exactly what happens to us when we come to faith. It says here that Abram believed, and God counted it to him as righteousness. There is scarcely any more important verse in the entire Scripture than this. It is quoted no less than three times in the NT, and echoes of it go throughout Scripture.

How can an unrighteous man be righteous before God? Well, it certainly cannot be by works. There is no way for a man to be justified by works. Why? Because God is infinitely holy. The only way a man could be in the right before God on the basis of his deeds would be if they were perfect. That would mean that they perfectly matched up with God’s law. Only absolute perfection can be accepted before God’s holy throne. No other righteousness will do. However, Isaiah says that our righteousness is like filthy rags. That is, it is tainted with evil. It is not the case that our good deeds can ever outweigh our bad deeds. That is a very dangerous way of thinking. The only way then for us to be righteous with God is to have someone else’s righteousness clothe us. By faith, we lay hold of Christ and His righteousness. That means that we are united to Him by faith. We are married to Him, as it were. That means that what is His is ours, and what is ours is His. So our sin is laid on Him, and therefore done away with. But His righteousness is given to us, clothing us so that we can stand even now in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, and be perfectly holy, because His righteousness is perfectly holy.

Romans 4:13-25
For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

Notice something very key about this explanation of Paul’s. Resurrection is a key element in this faith that justifies. Christ was raised for our justification. We could not have justification, we could not be right with God unless Christ was raised from the dead. When Christ was resurrection, that was His justification, His vindication. And that was for our benefit.

Let it be known that we are justified our entire lives through faith, though this does not make justification a process. It is not faith itself that is our justification, for faith is an instrument that lays hold of Christ. Just as you would pick up something hot with tongs, those tongs are an instrument with which you can hold something hot. So also our faith is something that lays hold of Christ Himself. So faith is the instrument by which we lay hold of Christ. We cannot lay hold of Christ by works, since that would degrade Christ’s perfect life and sacrificial death. In terms of taking care of our sin, it has all been done by Christ. We contribute not one jot or tittle to the taking away of our sin. Paul in Ephesians 2 says that even our faith is a gift from God. We cannot even take credit for that faith. We would have no faith unless God had previously regenerated our hearts.

Now this means for us that now that we have been regenerated and come to faith, and been justified, there is everything for us to do. If works play no part at all in our justification, they are essential to the life after justification. We were created for good works, as Paul says, the same person who said that works play no part in justification. So we are called to work for God who has worked so mightily for us. It is essential that we keep works out of justification. But it is equally essential that we recognize the importance of works for the Christian life. Works and justification are distinct, yet they are inseparable. That is what James tells us, who is the other author in the NT to quote this passage. He says that faith without works is dead. Is he contradicting Paul? No. Paul says that faith without works justifies. James says that we can tell if we have genuine faith if we work. As Martin Luther said, our faith is a busy little thing.

So there is no room in the Christian life for those people who say that they have been justified, and so now it is time to kick up their heels onto their desk and do nothing for Christ. There is no room for them in the kingdom of God. There is also no room for those people who say that God will let them into heaven because they have been pretty good people. Such people are going to have a rude awakening when they receive God’s sentence of condemnation. And so, as is so often the case, we must avoid both of these problems. That is what is means to be justified by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone. We are the stars that cannot be counted.