Rejoice with TremblingJohn Piper
Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Serve the Lord with fear...
This command does not cancel out Psalm 100:2: "Serve the Lord with gladness." Serving the Lord with fear and serving the Lord with gladness do not contradict each other. The next phrase will make that plain ("rejoice with trembling"). There is real fear and real joy. The reason there is real fear is that there is real danger. Our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29). Yes, the elect are safe in Christ. But examine yourself, Paul says, "to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you-unless, of course, you fail the test?" (2 Corinthians 13:5). "Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall" (1 Corinthians 10:12). Confidence in Christ is not careless. Our security is rooted in God's daily keeping, not our past decisions. "[He] is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory" (Jude 1:24). Part of how he keeps us is by awakening the vigilance to rest daily in Christ and not in ourselves.
...and rejoice with trembling.
Fear does not rob us of our joy for two reasons. One is that it drives us to Christ where there is safety. The other is that even when we get there the part of fear that Christ relieves is the hope-destroying part. But he leaves another part-the part we want to feel forever. There is an awe or wonder or trembling in the presence of grandeur that we want to feel as long as we are sure it will not destroy us. This trembling does not compete with joy; it is part of joy. People go to terrifying movies because they know the monster cannot get into the theater. They want to be scared as long as they are safe. For some reason it feels good. This is an echo of the truth that they were made for God. There is something profoundly satisfying about being "frightened" when we cannot be hurt. It is the best when the trembling comes from the grandeur of holiness.
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way...
God is jealous for his Son. "You shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God" (Exodus 34:14). His anger is kindled when the affection designed for him is given to another. Of course there is a Judas kiss. That is not what he has in mind here. The kiss here is the kiss of adoration and submission-perhaps a kiss on the feet as we bow before him. There is no playing games with God. If we love another more, we will perish. He will be our highest treasure, or he will be our enemy. The safest place in the universe is at the feet of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. If we choose to turn from him for another treasure, his wrath will be against us.
Jesus Is Praying for Youby Max Lucado
Have you ever have anyone stand up for you? The answer is yes. Jesus stands at this very moment, offering intercession on your behalf! Jesus says to you what he said to Peter. Knowing the apostle was about to be severely tested by Satan, Jesus assured him, “But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail” (Luke 22:32).
Jesus promises to pray and stand up for you. When we forget to pray, he remembers to pray. When we are full of doubt, he is full of faith. Where we are unworthy to be heard, he is ever worthy to be heard. We’d prefer to have every question answered, but Jesus has instead chosen to tell us this much: “I will pray you through the storm.” Are the prayers of Jesus answered? Of course they are! And because God’s promises are unbreakable our hope is unshakable!
Our Heavenly Home
A Meditation on Psalms 2:11-12
Serve the Lord with fear...
This command does not cancel out Psalm 100:2: "Serve the Lord with gladness." Serving the Lord with fear and serving the Lord with gladness do not contradict each other. The next phrase will make that plain ("rejoice with trembling"). There is real fear and real joy. The reason there is real fear is that there is real danger. Our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29). Yes, the elect are safe in Christ. But examine yourself, Paul says, "to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you-unless, of course, you fail the test?" (2 Corinthians 13:5). "Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall" (1 Corinthians 10:12). Confidence in Christ is not careless. Our security is rooted in God's daily keeping, not our past decisions. "[He] is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory" (Jude 1:24). Part of how he keeps us is by awakening the vigilance to rest daily in Christ and not in ourselves.
...and rejoice with trembling.
Fear does not rob us of our joy for two reasons. One is that it drives us to Christ where there is safety. The other is that even when we get there the part of fear that Christ relieves is the hope-destroying part. But he leaves another part-the part we want to feel forever. There is an awe or wonder or trembling in the presence of grandeur that we want to feel as long as we are sure it will not destroy us. This trembling does not compete with joy; it is part of joy. People go to terrifying movies because they know the monster cannot get into the theater. They want to be scared as long as they are safe. For some reason it feels good. This is an echo of the truth that they were made for God. There is something profoundly satisfying about being "frightened" when we cannot be hurt. It is the best when the trembling comes from the grandeur of holiness.
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way...
God is jealous for his Son. "You shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God" (Exodus 34:14). His anger is kindled when the affection designed for him is given to another. Of course there is a Judas kiss. That is not what he has in mind here. The kiss here is the kiss of adoration and submission-perhaps a kiss on the feet as we bow before him. There is no playing games with God. If we love another more, we will perish. He will be our highest treasure, or he will be our enemy. The safest place in the universe is at the feet of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. If we choose to turn from him for another treasure, his wrath will be against us.
Jesus Is Praying for Youby Max Lucado
Have you ever have anyone stand up for you? The answer is yes. Jesus stands at this very moment, offering intercession on your behalf! Jesus says to you what he said to Peter. Knowing the apostle was about to be severely tested by Satan, Jesus assured him, “But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail” (Luke 22:32).
Jesus promises to pray and stand up for you. When we forget to pray, he remembers to pray. When we are full of doubt, he is full of faith. Where we are unworthy to be heard, he is ever worthy to be heard. We’d prefer to have every question answered, but Jesus has instead chosen to tell us this much: “I will pray you through the storm.” Are the prayers of Jesus answered? Of course they are! And because God’s promises are unbreakable our hope is unshakable!
Our Heavenly Home
As enjoyable as traveling may be, most of us would admit to having a sense of security and delight upon arriving back home. There's just something comforting about opening the door, seeing familiar things, and feeling we're where we belong.
The apostle John was given a vision that included glimpses inside our future home, the new Jerusalem. You may be surprised to know that some things from our old abode will be missing. But what replaces them will be infinitely better.
For one thing, there were no church buildings in John's vision, "for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple" (Rev. 21:22). No longer will denominations divide up the body of Christ. Nor will the sun or moon shine on the city in that day, "for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb" (v. 23). Imagine--no need for electricity, flashlights, or candles.
One other difference is that the city gates will always be open. Since sin will not be a factor, locks will be unnecessary in our heavenly home. Death and decay will also be absent. In fact, nothing impure will ever enter that future residence--utter holiness will characterize the heavenly place, and suffering will be a thing of the past. What we have to look forward to is the abundant life in Christ, pure and unmarred.
Think about the comfortable feeling you have as you open your front door. That's but a hint of what we'll feel some day on arriving at the place our Father has lovingly and personally prepared for us in heaven. We will finally--and permanently--be "at home" in a way that defies description.
Leadership Training
“Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.” (Exodus 3:1)
Moses was 40 years old when he began to recognize the burdens of Israel (Exodus 2:11). He expected acceptance because of his position in society, but they rejected his potential help and leadership (Exodus 2:13–14).
Moses attached himself to the family of Jethro in Midian, married Zipporah, fathered a son, and spent 40 years herding sheep before he heard from God (Exodus 3:1–2). Most of us need God’s training in humility before we can assume real servant leadership (Matthew 20:26–28).
Once God got Moses’ attention with the sight of a burning bush that was not consumed, the angel of the Lord appeared to Moses out of the bush (Exodus 3:2), demanding that he immediately submit to God’s authority in worship and deference (Exodus 3:5–6). God’s leaders will be God’s servants or they will not lead God’s people.
No doubt the burden that had been simmering in Moses’ heart over the decades was stirred to life again when God Himself identified with the affliction of Israel’s slavery (Exodus 3:7–9). But that renewed passion was tested when God insisted that Moses would be sent to do God’s work (Exodus 3:10).
Moses needed to be told and shown several times that whatever he lacked God would supply before he yielded to God’s order to “go!” (Exodus 4:12). Godly leaders can feel inadequate to the task God has set before them (Exodus 3:11), but God never assigns a task for which He does not empower the servant with the spirit “of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). HMM III
“Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.” (Exodus 3:1)
Moses was 40 years old when he began to recognize the burdens of Israel (Exodus 2:11). He expected acceptance because of his position in society, but they rejected his potential help and leadership (Exodus 2:13–14).
Moses attached himself to the family of Jethro in Midian, married Zipporah, fathered a son, and spent 40 years herding sheep before he heard from God (Exodus 3:1–2). Most of us need God’s training in humility before we can assume real servant leadership (Matthew 20:26–28).
Once God got Moses’ attention with the sight of a burning bush that was not consumed, the angel of the Lord appeared to Moses out of the bush (Exodus 3:2), demanding that he immediately submit to God’s authority in worship and deference (Exodus 3:5–6). God’s leaders will be God’s servants or they will not lead God’s people.
No doubt the burden that had been simmering in Moses’ heart over the decades was stirred to life again when God Himself identified with the affliction of Israel’s slavery (Exodus 3:7–9). But that renewed passion was tested when God insisted that Moses would be sent to do God’s work (Exodus 3:10).
Moses needed to be told and shown several times that whatever he lacked God would supply before he yielded to God’s order to “go!” (Exodus 4:12). Godly leaders can feel inadequate to the task God has set before them (Exodus 3:11), but God never assigns a task for which He does not empower the servant with the spirit “of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). HMM III
The Gift of Labor
“And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” (Genesis 2:15)
When God first created man, He gave him work to do. Although “the LORD God planted a garden” for man (Genesis 2:8), it was up to man to take care of it if he would continue to eat its fruits. Thus, having to labor for one’s living is not a divine punishment for man’s sin as people sometimes interpret it, but rather a divine benefit for man’s good.
Similarly, even in the new earth, when sin and suffering will be gone forever, there will still be work to do. “There shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him” (Revelation 22:3).
We don’t know yet what our assignments will be there, but they will somehow be commensurate with our faithfulness in serving the Lord here. “My reward is with me,” says the Lord Jesus, “to give every man according as his work shall be” (Revelation 22:12).
It is, therefore, a God-given privilege to be able to do useful work, whether that work consists of preaching God’s Word or improving God’s world. “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do” (whether being paid for it or not), “do it with thy might; for there is no work . . . in the grave, whither thou goest” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). As Jesus said, “The night cometh, when no man can work” (John 9:4).
No matter what the job may be that has been provided for us to do, it is important to remember and obey the admonition: “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:23-24) and “your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58). HMM
“And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” (Genesis 2:15)
When God first created man, He gave him work to do. Although “the LORD God planted a garden” for man (Genesis 2:8), it was up to man to take care of it if he would continue to eat its fruits. Thus, having to labor for one’s living is not a divine punishment for man’s sin as people sometimes interpret it, but rather a divine benefit for man’s good.
Similarly, even in the new earth, when sin and suffering will be gone forever, there will still be work to do. “There shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him” (Revelation 22:3).
We don’t know yet what our assignments will be there, but they will somehow be commensurate with our faithfulness in serving the Lord here. “My reward is with me,” says the Lord Jesus, “to give every man according as his work shall be” (Revelation 22:12).
It is, therefore, a God-given privilege to be able to do useful work, whether that work consists of preaching God’s Word or improving God’s world. “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do” (whether being paid for it or not), “do it with thy might; for there is no work . . . in the grave, whither thou goest” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). As Jesus said, “The night cometh, when no man can work” (John 9:4).
No matter what the job may be that has been provided for us to do, it is important to remember and obey the admonition: “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:23-24) and “your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58). HMM
Leadership Challenges
“And Moses spake before the LORD, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?” (Exodus 6:12)
Once the mantle of leadership has been accepted, God expects an unreserved commitment to follow through with the task. Moses had to leave Midian and likely saw little of his family afterward (Exodus 4:18-31). Jesus noted, “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).
Rarely is leadership simple or easy. Moses must first meet with and win over the elders (Exodus 3:16). Nor is it likely the people would fall in line without a challenge. Moses felt the rejection of Israel long before he received their honor (Exodus 6:9-27).
Opposition from the godless is a given. Our Lord Jesus taught, “The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also” (John 15:20). Moses faced the power and wrath of the court of Egypt (Exodus 5:2), which extended that power through their taskmasters to the people of Israel (Exodus 5:10-11).
The Lord is obviously in charge of events. “And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them” (Exodus 7:5). God always has a reason for His actions. Human leaders are His means to accomplish His purpose.
Also, the direct purpose will not overshadow the long-term objective. “And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them among the countries; and they shall know that I am the LORD” (Ezekiel 30:26). Human leaders seldom see the ultimate purpose fulfilled in history, but they will know the reality of it in eternity (1 Corinthians 13:12). HMM III
“And Moses spake before the LORD, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?” (Exodus 6:12)
Once the mantle of leadership has been accepted, God expects an unreserved commitment to follow through with the task. Moses had to leave Midian and likely saw little of his family afterward (Exodus 4:18-31). Jesus noted, “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).
Rarely is leadership simple or easy. Moses must first meet with and win over the elders (Exodus 3:16). Nor is it likely the people would fall in line without a challenge. Moses felt the rejection of Israel long before he received their honor (Exodus 6:9-27).
Opposition from the godless is a given. Our Lord Jesus taught, “The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also” (John 15:20). Moses faced the power and wrath of the court of Egypt (Exodus 5:2), which extended that power through their taskmasters to the people of Israel (Exodus 5:10-11).
The Lord is obviously in charge of events. “And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them” (Exodus 7:5). God always has a reason for His actions. Human leaders are His means to accomplish His purpose.
Also, the direct purpose will not overshadow the long-term objective. “And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them among the countries; and they shall know that I am the LORD” (Ezekiel 30:26). Human leaders seldom see the ultimate purpose fulfilled in history, but they will know the reality of it in eternity (1 Corinthians 13:12). HMM III
Leadership Situational Awareness
“Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land. And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 7:2-3)
When God calls a dedicated leader into His service, He almost always gives a vision to go with that calling. With Moses, the vision was given at the beginning, specified in advance throughout the implementation, and reiterated as the great exodus came to fruition.
The 10 plagues were thrusts from the mouth of God at the gods of Egypt’s polytheistic pantheon. Just so, our warfare is “not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12).
Just as Moses was told Pharaoh would resist each display of God’s power, so we are told to “be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Yet, even the Enemy of God’s people is subject to the Word of the Creator. While Satan may “roar” and “devour,” he will also “flee” when God’s leaders “submit . . . to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
There are times when the bad guys seem to have it their way. God does not see time the same way we do and will expect His godly saints to wait patiently for Him. Our instructions are to not be “envious against the workers of iniquity” but to “trust,” “delight,” and “commit” our way to the Lord, “and he shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:1-5). HMM III
“Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land. And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 7:2-3)
When God calls a dedicated leader into His service, He almost always gives a vision to go with that calling. With Moses, the vision was given at the beginning, specified in advance throughout the implementation, and reiterated as the great exodus came to fruition.
The 10 plagues were thrusts from the mouth of God at the gods of Egypt’s polytheistic pantheon. Just so, our warfare is “not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12).
Just as Moses was told Pharaoh would resist each display of God’s power, so we are told to “be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Yet, even the Enemy of God’s people is subject to the Word of the Creator. While Satan may “roar” and “devour,” he will also “flee” when God’s leaders “submit . . . to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
There are times when the bad guys seem to have it their way. God does not see time the same way we do and will expect His godly saints to wait patiently for Him. Our instructions are to not be “envious against the workers of iniquity” but to “trust,” “delight,” and “commit” our way to the Lord, “and he shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:1-5). HMM III
Leadership Transfer
“Now after the death of Moses . . . the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan.” (Joshua 1:1-2)
The Lord’s ministries are many and varied—even among the churches Jesus established on Earth. Leaders of those churches and of the many groups that serve the churches add layers of character and skills that must be replaced. As expected, the Bible is not silent on this important matter.
The replacement should be identified, trained, and ready before needed. “Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the LORD be not as sheep which have no shepherd” (Numbers 27:16-17).
By the time the earlier leader dies, God has already selected His next leader. “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it” (Psalm 127:1). “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon” (1 Corinthians 3:9-10).
The work of God’s Kingdom will continue with or without you. “For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself” (Galatians 6:3). “So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:7). “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD” (Psalm 27:14). HMM III
“Now after the death of Moses . . . the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan.” (Joshua 1:1-2)
The Lord’s ministries are many and varied—even among the churches Jesus established on Earth. Leaders of those churches and of the many groups that serve the churches add layers of character and skills that must be replaced. As expected, the Bible is not silent on this important matter.
The replacement should be identified, trained, and ready before needed. “Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the LORD be not as sheep which have no shepherd” (Numbers 27:16-17).
By the time the earlier leader dies, God has already selected His next leader. “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it” (Psalm 127:1). “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon” (1 Corinthians 3:9-10).
The work of God’s Kingdom will continue with or without you. “For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself” (Galatians 6:3). “So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:7). “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD” (Psalm 27:14). HMM III
Revive Us Again! - By Greg Laurie -
Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You? -Psalm 85:6
In the Bible's prophetic scenario, one nation we find absent from end-times events is the current reigning superpower, the United States of America. We can find Israel, Iran, and possibly even Russia and China in biblical prophecy. But one nation that we cannot find is the United States.
I have a thought as to why that might be. It may be that the United States is not mentioned in the Bible's end-times scenario because a massive spiritual awakening, a fifth Great Awakening (or maybe a sixth or a seventh) will take place and change the course of our nation.
If millions of Americans were caught up to Heaven, we wouldn't be the superpower we are today. I don't know how many Americans are Christians today. When polls are taken, typically half of all Americans say they are born-again followers of Jesus Christ. I don't believe those numbers, however.
There are currently more than three hundred million Americans. If we were to be very conservative and say that one-third of Americans really were Christians, then imagine if one hundred million people were caught up to meet the Lord in the air-if they just disappeared. Don't you think that would affect our nation? Of course it would. Imagine the effect on our country if one hundred million people-people in industry, government, the military, business, agriculture, education, and medicine-were to suddenly disappear from the face of the earth. It would certainly have a crippling effect on our entire nation and on our infrastructure.
This much we know. All nations, as we know them, one day will change, expand, or shift to some degree or another as the entire global situation rearranges for the events of the end times. Let's pray for another spiritual awakening in the United States.
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