Category: Teachings
Fear, Faith, & False Repentance: Moses’ Mediation, God’s Mercy

Fear, Faith, & False Repentance: Moses’ Mediation, God’s Mercy

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We are coming to the end of this ongoing study on Numbers 14. Already I have shown you Israel’s sinful fear, God’s judgement on their unbelief, and Israel’s false repentance. Then, I showed you how Caleb’s courageous faith stood in stark contrast to Israel’s absence of faith. Now, I want to focus on Moses’ mediation.

You can glean a lot of truth from a narrative passage of Scripture just by observing how its characters relate to God. What do they do? What do they say? What do they not do or say? However, there is an even more important reason to study Moses’ mediation in Numbers 14: Moses illustrates what mediation looks like so you and I can better understand how Jesus mediates for His people.

So for this post, I want to give you one thing Moses did not do when mediating, and two things Moses did do.

“I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.” But Moses said to the Lord, “Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for you brought up this people in your might from among them, and they will tell the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that you, O Lord, are in the midst of this people. For you, O Lord, are seen face to face, and your cloud stands over them and you go before them, in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. Now if you kill this people as one man, then the nations who have heard your fame will say, ‘It is because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land that he swore to give to them that he has killed them in the wilderness.’ And now, please let the power of the Lord be great as you have promised, saying, ‘The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.’ Please pardon the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt until now.”

Numbers 14:12-19, ESV emphasis added

Moses does not plead Israel’s merits

Explanation

Sometimes it is helpful to think about what something is not so you can more clearly see what something is.

In this case, think about what Moses did not say as he pleaded for God’s mercy on the Israel. Not once does Moses mention Israel positively. In fact, Moses hardly mentions Israel at all in his prayer to the Lord. There are a number of things Moses could have pleaded as he mediated on Israel’s behalf:

  • Could talked about the good things Israel has done in the past
  • Could have reminded God of the times Israel did have faith
  • Could have argued destroying the whole nation is not proportional to the sin

But Moses says none of these things. Why? Because Israel had no merit to plead. No rights, nothing they “deserved.” Israel was a nation helplessly enslaved and doomed apart from God’s gracious action. And now, they were rebelling against that same God.

No good thing Israel had done, no moment of faith could counter Israel’s sin and unbelief. Moses does not approach God on the basis of good things Israel had done because no good work could counteract their sin or merit God fulfilling His promises.

Application

When you think of Jesus mediating and interceding for you, what do you picture? Do you imagine He mentions you, your character, your merits, your personal holiness? It is so easy to imagine that you and I have “something to bring to the table” before God.

Let Numbers 14 humble you and remind you there is no good work you have ever done that merits you any blessing from God. Jesus did not need to die because you needed some minor improvements. You had no righteousness to bring before God.

And that is the amazing grace of the gospel. It is Christ’s merits, not yours, that matter. When you are tempted to look at your own works, character, or “goodness” and imagine that somehow these grant you right standing before God, remind yourself of Moses and Israel in Numbers 14. You have nothing to bring. But Christ has all you need.

Moses pleads God’s reputation among the nations

Explanation

If Moses does not approach God on the basis of Israel’s merit or past goodness, how does Moses address the Lord? The first way is by pleading God’s glory among the nations. Moses starts out by saying if God destroys Israel, the nations who have heard of His “fame” will think less of the Lord.

Here you see again that Israel’s purpose was to display God’s glory among the nations. It started with God’s original promise He gave to Abraham in Genesis 12: “In you all nations shall be blessed.” In Deuteronomy, Moses says one of the reasons God gave Israel the law is so that other nations would look and say “Wow! What a nation! Israel is wise and their laws are righteous and their God dwells among them!”

What made Israel special was not Israel. It was God choosing to display His glory through Israel. Need more evidence of this?

  • In 2 Samuel 7, David prays and says God saved Israel from Egypt to make a name for Himself.
  • In 1 Kings 8 when Solomon is dedicating the temple, he says nations will hear of God’s great name and come to the temple to worship
  • The Psalms are constantly calling the nations to praise the Lord, often right after recounting God’s redemptive work in Israel: Psalm 96:3 “Tell of God’s glory among the nations! His wonderful deeds among all the peoples!”
  • Ezekiel 39:7- God says “My holy name I will make known in the midst of my people Israel, and I will not let my holy named be profaned anymore. And nations will know that I am the Lord, the Holy one of Israel”
  • And then in the New Testament: Romans 1 says “Through Jesus Christ our Lord we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of His name among all the nations, including you who were called to belong to Jesus Christ.”

If you get nothing else from these verses, see that God seems primarily concerned with the nations knowing who He is and seeing His glory. And that is why Israel was originally redeemed out of Egypt and that is what Moses pleads here in Numbers 14.

It is not about Israel’s righteousness or worth. It is God’s glory, God’s promise, God’s plan for the world. God destroying Israel in Numbers 14 would not be the main tragedy. The tragedy would be other nations thinking less of God.

And that is Moses argument: since the Egyptians know about what the Lord has done for Israel and God’s promise to bring them into the land, if God destroys Israel know Egypt will think less of God. So Moses pleads “Don’t damage Your reputation among Egypt and among the nations!”

Application

Why does God do what He does? This is a vital question to answer for you to make any sense of your life. Thankfully, Scripture seems incredibly interested in giving you that answer: God’s glory in all things. God displaying His magnificence and worth through His chosen means.

And what is most astounding of all: God chooses to display His glory by showing mercy to sinful humans. By saving His helpless, fallen creation. By choosing and calling a people for Himself to “declare the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

Is this comforting to you? Do you value God’s glory above all things? I think passages like Numbers 14 humble us and remind us what really is most important in the universe.

In a world that tells you to think highly of yourself, God’s word reminds you that His glory and the display of that glory is the most important.

Moses pleads God’s character

Explanation

Moses doesn’t just plead God’s glory. He pleads God’s character as revealed in Exodus 34, particularly God’s “faithful love.” The word is “chesed” and it is an incredibly important Old Testament word. It signifies God’s loyal, covenant love. In fact, the word shows up around 250 times in the Old Testament and is often mentioned in the same context as God’s character and covenant.

This loyal love, this covenant love expresses itself in kindness and mercy towards the object of God’s love. This covenant love is one reason why God in the prophets often compares His relationship with Israel to that of a marriage relationship. It is the same idea: God has entered a covenant relationship with Israel and is committed to doing them good, even when they don’t deserve it.

“Chesed” is not a feeling of love, it is a commitment God has made. And Moses’ mediation is specifically in light of this love: “God’s power be magnified (i.e. displayed), pardon the people’s wrongdoing in accordance with Your faithful love.”

What is God’s response to Moses’ mediation? God heard Moses’ plea on behalf of the people and though Israel proved unfaithful, God remained faithful and gracious. Of course, we saw in a previous post that Israel’s punishment was still severe. But God did not destroy the nation.

God is merciful to Israel but not at the expense of justice. God isn’t just rich in faithful love; He also does not leave the guilty unpunished.

God is faithful to His covenant, but He will discipline His people when they disobey Him.

Application

Moses pleading God’s covenant love and covenant commitment should become the image you think of when you read about Jesus mediating on your behalf. Jesus does not plead your merits. He pleads the “New Covenant in His blood.” Why is this a comfort? Because you can stop worrying about God casting you aside.

The “perseverance of the saints” is a marvelous doctrine, but many people (including myself) struggle to live out on a day-by-day basis. We know we are saved by grace alone in Christ alone, but it is still so easy to fall back into a “merit-based” theology. Numbers 14 is a comfort because it reminds us:

  1. Pleading your merits before a thrice Holy God will condemn you every time. You have nothing in your hands to bring.
  2. Despite this, all who believe in Christ have entered into a covenant with God. It is a covenant based in God’s promises and for God’s glory.
  3. Because of this covenant, “who can bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.” God will not destroy you, just like He didn’t destroy Israel in Numbers 14, because to do so would break His covenant.

When you are discouraged and feel like you have ruined any chance of God being merciful to you, think of Christ standing before the Father. What is He saying? He is pleading His blood, the blood that brought you into an eternal covenant with God. And until Christ’s blood loses its power to cover your sins, which it never will, then you are safe and secure in your salvation.

The New Covenant in Christ’s blood is what keeps you secure. Your good works can’t add to it’s power, nor can your worst sins nullify it’s effectiveness

Conclusion

One of my favorite hymns is “Before the Throne of God Above.” A verse from it is a fitting end to this post:

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within
Upward I look, and see Him there
who made an end to all my sin

Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me

Before the Throne of God Above

Moses’ mediation in Numbers 14 gives us a beautiful picture of Jesus’ mediation. It is not based on our merits or works. It is based on God’s covenant and commitment to His own glory. That is freeing truth. It shifts your perspective away from self and back to God.

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The Joy of Living in the Lord’s Presence

The Joy of Living in the Lord’s Presence

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In this ongoing series, the Psalms have shown us numerous vital truths about our happiness. Your happiness starts with the forgiveness God provides in Jesus. You daily receive joy from meditating on God’s word instead of listening to those who do not love the Lord. Living in obedience to God’s word by practically loving and serving others also is a source of lasting happiness.

Of course, there are always the false paths to happiness which tempt us daily: money, power, fame, success. All these false paths to happiness are centered around you. The Psalms, on the other hand, attach your happiness completely and entirely first and foremost to God and your relationship with Him.

It is not enough to merely seek for your own happiness: you must seek the God of happiness first.

And today, I want to emphasize this point by looking at Psalm 65, focusing on verses 3-4 in particular:

When iniquities prevail against me, you atone for our transgressions.

Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts!

We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!

Psalm 65:3-4, ESV emphasis added

It is living in the Lord’s presence that brings lasting blessing and happiness. There are three points I want to emphasize.

Point 1: God chooses who lives in His presence

The blessing of being near to God

The first reality I want to draw your attention to is God chooses who lives in His presence. Now, in the Psalms, God’s presence and dwelling place are referred to as places of blessing:

  • Psalm 16:11 “In your presence there is fullness of joy, at your right hand are pleasures forevermore“
  • Psalm 27:4 “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.”
  • Psalm 140:14 “Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name; the upright shall dwell in your presence.”

There are other passages, but the point to see living in the Lord’s presence is something the Psalmist desires. Certainly God is “omnipresent” as Psalm 139 describes, but there is a special blessing of intimate closeness with God. Indeed, Psalm 65 verses 5-13 describes God’s care for all of His creation. But here in Psalm 65:3-4 the focus is on “God’s courts”.

This is referring to the temple, the dwelling place of God, where His presence rested. Although God is always present, the Psalmist here and in the other Psalms above are making the point that closeness to God is where joy is found. So, if there is a special joy in knowing God, in closeness with God, in worshiping the Lord in His presence, the question follows “how do I get close to the Lord?”

Psalm 65:4 answers us: it is the one God chooses and brings near that experiences the blessing of His goodness. I have written before about the blessing of belonging to God. It is a similar point here: the one God chooses has a special privilege and happiness. It is not enough to merely “know God exists.” James says the demons know that much about God. To experience the blessing of living in the Lord’s presence you must first be admitted by the Lord himself.

Ephesians 2:13 makes the exact same point:

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Ephesians 2:13, ESV emphasis added

Because God is holy, no one can force their way into God’s presence. It is in Christ and His blood that anyone is brought near to the Lord’s presence. Therefore, it is only those who the Lord has saved that experience that happiness Psalm 65 presents.

God must choose you and bring you near to Himself in order for you to experience true happiness

Application: You cannot force or earn your way into God’s presence

If Psalm 65:3-4 is true, your happiness starts with your humility: humility in recognizing you cannot achieve joy by your own effort or will. God alone holds the happiness you desire. You cannot approach Him by your own efforts or just because you want to be happy. God must choose you, God must act if you are to be truly happy.

The rest of Scripture, especially Revelation, reveals that those who ultimately will live in the Lord’s presence forever are those who are saved by Jesus’ sacrifice. It is not those who work the hardest, who do the most good works, who want it the most. The humbled person who recognizes they have no claim on the Lord’s presence, who knows they cannot approach God by their own efforts are those who end up eternally happy. Why? Because they see Jesus is the only way God provided for them to approach God’s presence.

Point 2: God satisfies with His goodness and holiness

God’s presence and the temple

The second important truth to see in Psalm 65:3-4 is God’s goodness and holiness satisfies. The joy of living in the Lord’s presence is not tied to what God gives us. It is tied to who God is. God’s temple was the place where God dwelt in Old Testament Israel. Everything in the temple was centered around the worship of God: singing, sacrifices, and everything else prescribed in the Old Testament law. The Psalms don’t see this activity as mere “obedience for its own sake”. Worship of the Lord in His temple is seen as the highest privilege a person could have.

For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

Psalm 84:10, ESV

By comparison, no other place on earth is better than where the Lord dwells. Why is this the case? Psalm 65 answers: God’s goodness and holiness satisfies. You didn’t go to the temple to get “stuff”; you went to the temple to get God Himself. Now, one of the greatest truths of the New Testament is God now dwells in His people, not in a building built by human hands. But God Himself has not changed, nor has the reality Psalm 65:4 gives us:

It is God who satisfies, not material things God gives us

Application: Satisfaction cannot be found in anything apart from God

You will never be satisfied if you only ever want God to give you more things, solve more of your problems, or make your life easier. Non-Christians want these things same things, they just seek them without attaching “God” to it. The amazing thing about the Biblical worldview is everything in the universe centers on God. Including your happiness, your satisfaction, your lasting peace.

For the Christian, every happiness starts and ends with who God is. The Christian enjoys all the good gifts God gives because it is an avenue to thank and praise God for who He is.

  • Enjoying a walk outside? Christians see God’s power in creation and worship God for it.
  • Eating a good meal? Christians thank God for His provision and for the ability to taste.
  • Love your family? Christians are humbled that God would provide them with the warmth of the love of others, knowing it is a small picture of His love for them.

I could go on. Living in the Lord’s presence means seeing Him and enjoying Him above all things. That means you connect all things back to Him and His glory. Nothing you have or hope to have will bring you any joy unless you connect it to God.

Point 3: God alone atones for rebellion

What atonement means

The final point I want to emphasize is found in Psalm 65:3. God alone atones for His people’s transgressions. Why is this important in the context of living in the Lord’s presence? Psalm 15 gives a hint.

 Who shall dwell on your holy hill? He who walks blamelessly and does what is right
    and speaks truth in his heart;

Psalm 15:1b-2, ESV

It is only those who are holy that can approach a holy God. But no one walks blamelessly, no one always does what is right or always speaks truth in his heart. Humans transgress the law of God every day. So how can God forgive? How can sinful humans approach the Lord if He is just?

The answer is “atonement”. This word means “to cover” or “to reconcile”. God must deal with our transgressions against Him. As we saw in the first point, it is God who chooses and brings people into His court. How God does this is by providing atonement. In the Old Testament, this atonement was through the blood of rams and goats as prescribed in the sacrificial system.

However, the blood of rams and goats could not actually take away sin. The sacrificial system was a picture of the ultimate reconciliation Christ would bring. This reconciliation is explained most clearly in 2 Corinthians.

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God

2 Corinthians 5:21, ESV

Christ bears our transgression, we receive Christ’s righteousness. The result? Reconciliation with God.

Application: God has provided all you need for your happiness now and forever

The logic of Psalm 65:3-4 could be summarized as follows:

  1. Satisfaction and happiness is found living in the Lord’s presence.
  2. No human can enter the Lord’s presence because of their rebellion.
  3. God alone can atone for a person’s rebellion and choose to bring them close to Him.
  4. Therefore, God alone provides what you need for your happiness and you cannot get happiness by your own effort.

What good news! You need not wear yourself out to be happy. Long hours at work, more money, fancy vacations, comfort and health all won’t provide you with happiness. But God can. And God has. God has, at infinite cost to Himself, made a way for you to enter His presence.

Jesus said to him “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.”

John 14:6, ESV

Living in the Lord’s presence is impossible by our own effort. But all things are possible for God. And God has chosen to provide us with a way to lasting joy, a joy not based in circumstances and not dependent on our effort. It is a joy bought by the blood of Christ.

Any path to happiness that does not go through Jesus and the cross will disappoint.

This post is part of an ongoing series called “Happy?” Follow The Average Churchman on Instagram to get more content. Subscribe and share below.
Fear, Faith, & False Repentance: Caleb’s Courageous Faith

Fear, Faith, & False Repentance: Caleb’s Courageous Faith

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What is “courageous faith?” How does bold belief in God and His promises manifest itself? So far in Numbers 14, I have shown you how faith of any kind was completely absent from the nation of Israel. They were afraid of the people of the land. Israel wanted to turn back and return to Egypt. Even when confronted with God’s just judgment, Israel chooses to continue in unbelief rather than respond in true repentance.

Israel’s behavior in Numbers 14 is a stark warning of the consequences of unbelief. But thankfully, Numbers 14 doesn’t just give us a negative example of what not to do. Instead, the Holy Spirit has included in this account an example of courageous faith, even in the midst of widespread unbelief. This faith is exemplified by Caleb. If you don’t have an Old Testament “hero” yet, I would strongly suggest you consider Caleb. He is easily one of my favorite Biblical individuals.

In this post, I want to look at Caleb’s courageous faith, its source, and finally Caleb’s legacy. By studying Caleb’s role in Numbers 14, you can live out what Paul says in Romans 15:4.

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Romans 15:4 ESV

The call to courageous faith

At one level, Numbers 14 focuses on contrasting the unbelief of Israel as a whole with the faith demonstrated by Caleb (and Joshua). If you remember, Israel was terrified when they heard the spies’ report on the promised land. They had not even directly seen the land firsthand, but their reaction was immediate weeping and unbelief.

Joshua and Caleb actually saw the land. They entered it. And their reaction is completely different to Israel’s reaction.

And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.”

Numbers 14:6-9 ESV, emphasis added

Of all the spies who saw the land, only Joshua and Caleb remained faithful. They both knew that the strength of God’s promises were greater than the strength of the people in the land. And so, in the middle of Israel’s weeping and wailing and rebellion, Caleb and Joshua pleaded courage.

Several times in these verses they repeat “Don’t be afraid!” Why? Because God is fighting for Israel. Notice: Caleb and Joshua had the exact same information as the nation of Israel had. They were in the same exact circumstances. But rather than let external circumstances challenge their belief, Caleb and Joshua examined their circumstances in light of their belief.

Courageous faith means holding on to and acting on God’s promises even in frightening circumstances. It means trusting the Lord even if no one else around you is.

The basis of courageous faith

How could Caleb and Joshua have this confidence? Their courage isn’t a reckless foolishness or some abstract thing. The basis of courageous faith is the Lord and His promises. Joshua and Caleb hold fast to the belief that God will bring them into the land and God will enable them to defeat the nations.

Unlike the rest of Israel who was quick to forget God’s promises and His purpose for bringing them out of Egypt, Joshua and Caleb actually apply the promises, believe them, and live them out. To put it another way, Caleb and Joshua’s theology actually changes their response to this situation.

Want to test your theology? Watch how you respond to trying circumstances, discouragement, and difficulty.

Caleb and Joshua’s theology is practical and logical: God promised them this land. Therefore, if God wants to give it to Israel, the strength of the nations is irrelevant. Why? Because God is sovereign not only over Israel, but also the nations. Notice in Numbers 16:9, Caleb and Joshua point out that the nations’ “protection has been removed from them”.

The courage Caleb and Joshua are calling Israel to is not wishy-washy, abstract, or foolish confidence. It isn’t self confidence. It is courageous faith. Faith-fueled courage. Israel was looking at their circumstances purely in human terms. But Caleb and Joshua knew that God would keep His promises.

But courageous faith can be costly as well. Caleb and Joshua call out Israel’s sin in verse 9: do not rebel against the Lord. Joshua and Caleb label Israel’s fear and lack of trust in the Lord as rebellion. And Israel’s response is to try to stone them both.

Not trusting the Lord and His promises is a form of rebellion.

Caleb’s reward and legacy

But how does God respond to Caleb and Joshua? In the midst of this decisive judgement, God rewards their courageous faith. God not only punishes unfaithfulness; He rewards faithfulness. Those who believed His original promise received further promises.

But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it.

…not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.

Numbers 14:24, 30 ESV

Joshua and Caleb pleased the Lord through their faith and lived to enter the promised land. The rest of Israel died because of their unbelief. If you fast-forward to when Israel actually enters the land, Caleb still has as much faith and boldness as he did in Numbers 14.

Then the people of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God in Kadesh-barnea concerning you and me. I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought him word again as it was in my heart. But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the Lord my God. And Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land on which your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance for you and your children forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God.’ And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old. I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming. So now give me this hill country of which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the Lord said.” Then Joshua blessed him, and he gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance. Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the Lord, the God of Israel.

Joshua 14:6-14 ESV, emphasis added

40 years after Numbers 14 and Caleb is still talking about God’s promises. I find it interesting three times Joshua 14 talks about Caleb being loyal to the Lord. Five times it mentions God’s promise to him. After 40 years wandering, Caleb is still ready for battle and to claim what God promised him. And in the end, Caleb receives the promised inheritance. It took years and years but Caleb’s faith was not disappointed.

Faith means loyalty to the Lord just as unbelief is a form of rebellion.

Conclusion

Numbers 14 sets Caleb and Israel in stark contrast. Israel through their fear forfeited entering the land for 40 years, but Caleb through faith was promised a special portion of the land and lived to possess it. What a legacy! Caleb was loyal to the Lord even when in the minority. He knew God would fulfill His promises.

Matthew Henry in his commentary on Numbers 14, leaves us with the perfect application:

“Those that would follow God must have another Spirit from that of the world. The Spirit of faith of Caleb.”

Matthew Henry

When you see the courageous faith of Caleb in the promises of God, may you “go and do likewise.”

Click here to read any posts in this series you might have missed. If you want to listen to my sermon on Numbers 14, click here. Check out my other ongoing series “Happy?” where I expound on what the Psalms have to say about happiness in the world.

vocation
God, the Gospel, and Your Vocation

God, the Gospel, and Your Vocation

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Work. Vocation. Your 9 to 5. Most of us spend a good chunk of our week employed and exerting effort to benefit some company. Work is an ever present reality in most everyone’s lives, including Christians. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that Scripture contains extensive teaching on what work is, how to work, why you should work, and dozens of principles to help you understand how your day job fits into God’s larger plan for the world.

Tackling the Bible’s full teaching on work will take some time. For this post, I want to go through 3 New Testament verses that I think address Christians and their vocations. In particular, these three texts will focus on how God’s plan for the world and the gospel connect to your work.

God is sovereign over where you work

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:10, ESV

Like any theology, a New Testament theology of vocation starts with God. Not just “God” in general, but what God has done through the gospel. Before you were saved, work was a way to gain money. Power. Status. Everything you did, including your work, was self-serving and devoid of proper motivation.

But after Christ transforms your life, saves you from your sin, and brings you into newness of life, work does not stop. Paul says in the verse above that God has prepared good works for you to do. Now, certainly this verse is speaking more broadly than your day job when it uses the term “good works”. But I think “good works” certainly includes what you do for 40+ hours every week.

Your vocation is not a distraction from serving God. Where you work is an integral part of God’s sovereign plan for how you are to serve Him.

To have a proper understanding of work, you have to start with answering the question “how did I find myself in my current job?” You can give a number of reasons, but fundamentally you must grasp God had planned your vocation before time began. He prepared the good works ahead of time for you. Your job is to be faithful to where He has placed you.

Christians are not self-sufficient workers

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:17, ESV

“Whatever you do” includes a lot of things. It is a broad category that almost certainly includes your vocation. Your work, therefore, is to be done “in the name of the Lord Jesus.” What does this mean? It seems like a very abstract phrase. When the New Testament talks about the “name of Jesus,” it says a number of things:

  • There is no other name that saves (Acts 4:12)
  • Jesus has the most exalted name (Philippians 2:9-11)
  • Believers are to ask things in Jesus name (John 14:13)
  • Calling upon the name of Jesus saves a person (Romans 10:13)
  • Signs and wonders in the New Testament were done in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:30)

I believe the last verse give us insight into what Paul might mean in Colossians 3:17. When the apostles performed signs, they did it through the “name of Jesus.” That simply means Jesus was the source, the one who empowered the signs. It was not by their own strength and ability that the apostles acted. How does this apply to normal work?

Dependence on Christ, not self-sufficiency, should characterize your work day.

When you pray in Jesus name, we are acknowledging it is not through our own efforts that you can approach God. Salvation comes through Jesus name because He is the source of salvation. Doing all things in Jesus’ name means acting in constant dependence on Him and His grace.

God’s glory is the goal of your vocation

What is your goal for your job? Climbing the ladder? Making more money? These are all false paths to happiness which will disappoint in the end. Christians have a deeper, unshakeable goal for their work.

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10:31, ESV

If you want to understand how the glory of God relates to everything, I recommend working through “The End for Which God Created the World” by Jonathan Edwards. Essentially, Edwards argues God created the world so that His attributes could be seen by His creation and that His creation should delight in those attributes. As the Westminster confession states, it is mankind’s “chief end”: to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

It is easy to slip into the mindset that “glorifying God” takes place outside of work hours. Sure you can glorify God at Church or with your family, but sitting in front of a computer screen in a cubicle? But if Paul can command Christians to display and enjoy God’s attributes in something as mundane as “eating and drinking,” your vocation must also be centered around glorifying the Lord.

Start each new work day asking “how can I show through my work that God is infinitely valuable and glorious?”

Summary of doctrine

These are only three of numerous verses on vocation in the New Testament and the Bible as a whole. But I think they frame any discussion of work. How can we summarize and synthesize the truths given in these passages?

God provides Christians with their vocations and the power to perform their vocations to display His worth.

Christians have a fundamental new perspective of their jobs: they are from God. They have a new goal of working: to exalt and display God not self. And finally, Christians have been given the power of the gospel and of Christ to meet this new goal.

A few brief takeways

1. You are equipped to do your job in all the ways that matter

There is an obsession in America with productivity books. How to become a better worker. Books on successful leadership. How to develop marketable skills. These are all useful in a small way, but the good news of Scripture is “good work” isn’t measured by worldly success. It is measured by obedience to Christ.

You might not get that promotion. Perhaps you will never be the most skilled worker in your office. But if your goal is to display how marvelous and priceless Christ and the gospel are, then you have been given exactly what you need. Christ has given you “everything needed for life and godliness.” So yes, build up skills in your individual job. But always remember that it is Christ who equips you to do your work for God’s glory. No book, other than Scripture, can help you become “successful” in that.

2. Don’t focus on getting your “perfect dream job.” Focus instead on what God would have you do in the job you have now.

There is always a “better job” out there somewhere. The grass is always greener on the other side. A lot of times, how much you enjoy your current job can become the determining factor in how hard you work. For Christians, this should not be the case. You don’t need your perfect dream job to be happy. You need to start focusing on glorifying God in the job you have.

A lot of times, how you talk about your job and how much you enjoy are job is connected solely to yourself. How you feel. What you think of the job. But if you understand that God has chosen to place you in your current job, your perspective changes. Instead of asking God “why do you have me working here?” you ask “how do you want me to serve you today in this job?”

God didn’t mess up in placing you in your current vocation. Pray that He would show you what good works He has for you in your current workplace.

There is a lot more to investigate in Scripture about vocation and God’s purposes in work. But for now, remember that God has a plan for where you are working and has given you power through Jesus to go to your job seeking to display God’s glory. Don’t get caught up in working for yourself only. Pray that God would give you eyes to see how your work is a means by which He blesses the world, displays His attributes, and calls people to faith in Christ.

Read this post if you want more of my thoughts on Christians and work. Check out the “Thoughts” page for more topical reflections on life. Be sure to follow The Average Churchman on Instagram to get post updates and recommended resources.
Your Faith Needs Encouragement (Part 3)

Your Faith Needs Encouragement (Part 3)

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In my last post in this mini series on Romans 1:11-12, I showed from the New Testament how your personal faith can be an encouragement to other believers. Now that you understand the truths in Romans 1:11-12, I want to give you five implications the passage has for your life.

For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you—that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.

Romans 1:11-12, ESV

Implication 1: Your faith isn’t a static thing. It needs to grow and be encouraged

Think of Abraham. You see that he had faith in God’s promises. Yet this faith grew throughout Genesis until you see Abraham willing to even sacrifice his own son Isaac. Your trust in the Lord can grow and develop and find new expressions of obedience. And other Christians might have what you need to grow in your faith.

Your individual experience is not the whole of the Christian life. It isn’t even normative. You need the perspective of others to see where your faith is lacking or weak. It can be so easy to write people off in the Church. You can look at someone and say “well, they don’t know as much as I do” or “I don’t think they are obeying the Lord in this or that way” or simply “I don’t connect with them. I don’t care for them.”

But remember: Paul undoubtedly knew more truth than the Church in Rome. Yet Paul was aching to meet with the Church because he was not above being encouraged by those believers.

Anyone who loves the Lord has the potential to encourage you by their faith. Anytime you are going to meet with another believer, your soul should brim with anticipation.

Why? Any believer you meet with according to Scripture has the Holy Spirit dwelling in their heart, who has had their eyes open to see truth about the Lord, and who knows God. The living God. The creator of the universe! And God could use that interaction to grow or encourage your faith. To COMFORT you in a tough time you are going through.

You never know what is going to happen when you talk or meet with a brother or sister in Christ. That leads me to the next implication.

Implication 2: You need the local Church

Certainly, you can get encouragement from any believer. And you should!. Every Time you have a chance to talk with a fellow Christian, there is the potential for that conversation to help strengthen your faith. But where primarily are you going to interact with fellow believers? The Church. The local Church. Families who are not related by blood, but who have covenanted together to worship together, serve together, and live their lives together.

In my Church’s membership covenant, there is a line that says “I will bring to (the Church) such faith and comfort as I have means to render.” I love that line. Your membership is about glorifying God and blessing others. So bring your faith! Your faith encourages and comforts others in the body.

To put it another way, when you gather with the body, is this your goal? What are you aiming for in your interactions? Are you coming with a self-focused perspective? Romans 1:11-12 gives you a good goal and aim for when we gather together as a body: mutual encouragement from each other’s faith!

Do you have an intense desire to be around other believers? In Romans 1:11-12, Paul didn’t say “you know, if I get around to it, it would be nice if I got to see you Roman Christians.” Paul had an intense longing to visit this Church. A Church he had never met. Do you have that same sort of longing to be with believers? More particularly, do you long to be with Christians you have committed to in your local body?

If Paul had an intense longing to be among believers in Rome who he had not met, how much more should you long to be around believers who you know and see week after week?

So those are the first two implications: Your faith needs encouragement, and You need the local Church

Implication 3: Talk about your faith with other believers

One of my favorite passages is in Deuteronomy 6:

These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

emphasis added

If you want to encourage others with your faith, the first step is to talk about your faith. If you never share what is going on spiritually in your life or if you never ask another believer what God is doing spiritually in their lives, how are you going to mutually encourage each other?

Certainly seeing faith in action is an encouragement, but I would argue most of the time it is hearing about what God is doing in other believers lives that encourages you. How do you start those conversations? One time at a conference, I heard two really good questions to ask fellow believers:

One time at a conference I heard two really good questions to ask fellow believers:

  • How has the Lord been growing you in your knowledge of Him lately?
  • How has the Lord been growing you in living out your faith lately?

Ask questions like these when you are around other believers. Answer these questions when you are around other believers. Talking about your faith is the surest way to go from a normal conversation to a mutually encouraging one.

I’ll go a step further: Even if you don’t get asked spiritual questions, still answer them. Talk about the Lord! Sin and pride keeps us from always boasting in Christ and in God. But the more you talk about something, the easier it will become to talk about it.

Make it a habit when you are together with fellow believers to ask about their faith & their walk with the Lord

And the reality is: if you are individually pursuing the Lord and developing a relationship with Christ then it should not take much effort to start talking about Him with other believers.

Implication 4: Don’t think your faith is above encouragement from others

Christ’s address to the Church in Laodicea is one of the most sobering sections of Scripture in my opinion. And to me one of the scariest lines of all is simply this:

“Because you say I am rich; i have become wealthy and need nothing,” and you don’t know that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked

Revelation 3:17, ESV

It can become very easy as Christian at a spiritual level to think this about your faith. Self-satisfaction is a constant danger for the believer, particularly when it comes to faith. If your life is going fine, if you are “in a groove” spiritually so to speak, you can easily slip into the thinking “I don’t need to grow in my faith! It would be nice but I’m pretty much set right now.”

As soon as you slip into that mindset, you stop looking for encouragement from other believers. You stop asking other believers questions, you stop noticing the ways their faith is being lived out. Why? Because of spiritual pride.

As soon as you fall into the mindset of “I don’t need other believers,” you think that you are stronger than Scripture says you are. “You who stand take heed lest you fall.”

Spiritual pride says “I got this! My faith doesn’t need encouragement from others! In fact other believers should be coming to me for advice!” Let Romans 1:11-12 warn you against that mindset.

You would agree that Paul’s faith was undoubtedly strong, he was undoubtedly serving the Lord and loving Christ. Yet Paul was not above encouragement from other believers. Why? Because Paul was humble. Paul said to the Corinthians “What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?

The Christian is humble because there is no room for pride in the gospel.

Don’t be deceived. You need the body of Christ more than you think. Even if it is true that you are in a good place spiritually, there is still more to know and to grow. You serve an infinitely glorious God. There should never be a time when we have had enough of Him or enough of Christ. humble yourself and admit that you need other believers.

Implication 5: Even small things build up the Church

“Do not despise the day of small things.” It is so easy as a Christian in America to only focus on the big things: Numbers. Success. Impact.  You and I live in a culture where bigger is better and if you aren’t noticed you are told you are not important. I read this quote in a secular book a few months ago: “You are either great or you don’t exist.”

That is the wisdom of the world. You are either great or you don’t exist. What a sad, misinformed perspective. God is great and You exist because God is great to show God is great, to enjoy His greatness. But this mindset of “I have to be or do something great to make my life valuable” is everywhere.

How does this mindset manifest in the Church? Personally, I find in my own life I always have to be doing something. Maybe you feel like you need to serve in such and such ministry. Maybe you want to teach or be the “wise Christian” people come to for advice.

What Romans 1:11-12 encourages you to see is that even little conversations can have bigger impact than you think. “Don’t despise the day of small things.” You might not have a massive ministry, but you can encourage someone else in the faith. By encouraging a fellow believer you can bless them and the Church.

Other believers need to hear what the Lord is teaching you. You might think “I am not the smartest in the room, I don’t have the strongest faith, I don’t know the most Scripture.” Let Romans 1:11-12 encourage you: you do have something to bring to the table! You do have a role to play in the life of the Church.

Speak and share your faith. It doesn’t have to be eloquent but your faith, your walk with the Lord can be a blessing to others. You might not be able to teach a Sunday School, but you can share something God has been teaching you. You may not get called on to lead a ministry, but you can tell someone about an area God has allowed you to be obedient in. You might not be the one everyone goes to for life advice and wisdom, but you can share lessons God has taught you from your own war against sin.

God has given you everything you need to bless the Church, to help other believers: your faith. Your love for Christ. Your personal commitment to follow Him as laid out in Scripture. Your voice as you sing praises to God on a Sunday morning.

You are well equipped to bless your local Church and any other believer you come in contact with. Why? Because of Christ, because of the gift of faith God has granted you.

Conclusion

I have listened to sermons and read great books but the most impactful thing in my life has always been consistent spiritual conversation with other people who love the Lord and who know the Lord. Paul could not wait to get to Rome so that his faith could be encouraged and so that he give encouragement to the Roman Church with his faith.

Next time you are talking with a believer, ask yourself and ask the Lord “How is this interaction mutually encouraging our faith?” God uses ordinary conversations about Christ to produce fruit in our lives.

Click here if you missed any previous posts in this mini series. Check out my other teachings here. Be sure to follow The Average Churchman on Instagram so you don’t miss any future posts.
Your Faith Needs Encouragement (Part 2)

Your Faith Needs Encouragement (Part 2)

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In the last post in this mini-series on Romans 1:11-12, I showed you what “encouragement” meant and what believers are encouraged by in the New Testament. The question to answer now is how can another believer’s faith be encouraging? Paul actually calls the encouragement of faith a spiritual gift in Romans 1:11-12.

For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you—that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.

Romans 1:11-12, ESV emphasis added

Paul connects encouragement to faith. How does someone’s faith encourage or comfort you? How can your faith encourage or comfort someone else? In this post, I will give two ways and then describe the commonalities between Paul and the Roman Church that make this mutual encouragement possible.

Strong faith sets an example

Throughout the Bible, God gives us examples of strong faith. God doesn’t just say “have faith”. He also gives us practical pictures of what faith looks like. A great example of this is found in Luke 7 where Jesus marvels at the faith of the Roman Centurion.

You remember the story. A centurion’s slave was sick, and the centurion requested that Jesus heal him. In humility and faith, the centurion tells Jesus “There is no need to actually enter my house. You have authority simply to say the word and my slave will be healed!” How did Jesus react? The text says Jesus was amazed at the Centurion’s faith and said to the crowd “I have not found faith so great even in Israel.”

Jesus holds up the Centurion’s an example of strong faith to the crowd around Him. The Centurion was humble, came to Jesus in that humility, and had confidence in Jesus’ power and authority to heal. This is one way faith is an encouragement. When you demonstrate a strong faith in Jesus, other people are encouraged to imitate that faith.

Your faith can comfort other believers by setting an example of humble trust in Jesus and God’s word.

“Faith in God” can become an abstract thing in our minds, something very “heady” or intellectual. But thankfully in the local Church body, God gives us living and breathing examples of what faith looks like. A brother at my local Church mentioned a few weeks back “sometimes you don’t know how to live out a command of Scripture until you see another believer living it out.”

Faith is an encouragement because it sets an example to those around it. That is one reason Paul is anxious to come to Rome. His faith is going to set an example to the Roman Church, and the Roman Church’s faith is going to display what faith in Christ looks like to Paul.

Seeing faith in action increases our endurance

Faith doesn’t just set an example of the type of faith you should have. When you see someone’s faith in action, that encourages your faith to become more steadfast. This is exactly what happens in the 10th and 11th chapter of Hebrews. Hebrews 10 gives the problem with the Christians the letter was written to: they have faith, but they need endurance.

The author of Hebrews gives these Christian’s the encouragement to continue in the faith, to not draw back. How does the author of Hebrews then encourage enduring faith? In chapter 11, Hebrews gives a long list of what faith looks like in action.

Hebrews 11 goes through tons of Old Testament believers who had faith in God’s promises and lived in accordance with those promises. These examples didn’t just have faith, they acted on that faith. And did this in the midst of suffering and trial!

Then after going through this “cloud of witnesses,” the author of Hebrews turns again to the Church and says “therefore, you also run this race with endurance!”

When you see other Christian’s exercising faith, it encourages your faith to endure.

How? You see that you are not alone. That God was faithful to believers in the past and will therefore you can trust that He will hold you fast in the present. Hearing about someone’s faith in action encourages your faith to endure. And you know this is true in your own experience.

How many times have you read about some great missionary or Christian figure and felt your own heart hunger to live out your faith? When you see other people’s faith it gives you an example to follow and it also makes your own faith stronger.

That is how Paul can his faith and the Roman Christian’s faith can mutually encourage each other. Paul can say this because faith sets an example and also strengthens the other person’s resolve.

The foundation of mutual encouragement

But there is a final question to ask: what do Paul and the Church in Rome have in common? This might be one of the more important questions you could ask Romans 1:11-12. The apostle Paul is going to Rome and is excited to have his faith encouraged. But how could this happen? What common ground does Paul and the Roman Church have?

Apparent differences between Roman Church and Paul

If you take a superficial look at Paul and the Roman Church, they do not have a lot in common. If you focus just on externals, Paul and the Roman Church are pretty different.

  • Paul is from a completely different part of the world.
  • Paul lived and grew up in a completely different context than these Roman believers.
  • Paul an apostle specifically called by God.
  • Paul studied the Old Testament with Gamaliel, Roman Church was likely not near “his level”
  • Paul was traveling around planting Churches, Roman Church likely had a more ordinary local ministry

If you step back and look at the superficial differences, it should make you think “how could Paul and the Roman Church have anything in common? How could there be mutual encouragement when they had completely different backgrounds, lived in different parts of the world, had different levels of intelligence and Biblical knowledge?”

But if you leave the superficial, external differences, you can see just how similar Paul and the Roman Church were at a spiritual level.

Commonalities between Paul and Roman Church

Despite these superficial differences, Paul and the Roman Church on a spiritual level have many things in common. In fact, the whole of the letter to the Romans demonstrates the rich spiritual commonalities Paul and the Church in Rome have.

Same problem: Sinners under God’s wrath

Paul and the Roman Christians had the same fundamental problem: the wrath of God on their sins. Paul persecuted the Church. We might not know the specifics of what sins the Roman Church members were guilty of before believing in Christ but we do know “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Paul and the Church in Rome had the same problem, the same problem you and I face: every human has not given God the glory due to Him. Rather than glorifying God, acknowledging Him, worshiping Him, thanking Him, every human has exchanged God’s glory. Given it up. Instead we build idols of self or out of material things.

Neither Paul nor the Romans before they were saved looked for God. No one seeks after God, no one does good, not even one. Paul thought he was doing good when he persecuted the Church, but no, it was rebellion.

The law could not help either of Paul nor the Roman Church either. For “by the works of the law no human being will be justified in God’s sight, because through the law comes the knowledge of sin.” Paul and the Roman Church had the same problem when they were unbelievers: their sin and rebellion. It manifested itself differently, but deserved the same punishment: the wrath of God.

Same need: Christ’s righteousness

And so, because Paul and the Roman Church had the same fundamental problem, they had the exact same need:

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.

Romans 3:21-22a, ESV

That is what Paul and the Romans both needed. The law was a dead end, they could never keep it but God has made another way. “For what the Law could not do because it was weak because of the flesh Christ did.”

Jesus. He is the end of the law for all who believe. Jesus’ death and resurrection are the only way God can be just and justify sinful humans. Paul and the Church had only one question they needed to answer, the question every human being has to answer: “How can God still be perfectly righteous, perfectly just and yet forgive me?”

Through Jesus. God’s righteousness has been manifested, displayed, shown apart from the Law. How did God do it? God put Jesus forward as a propitiation. Jesus paid the punishment for those who would believe in Him. When Jesus was on the cross he cried “My God my God why have you forsaken me?” It wasn’t for His own sins that Jesus suffered.

It was because “God laid upon Him the iniquity of us all!” “it pleased God to crush” Jesus. Why? So that by His wounds, we can be healed. That payment, that righteousness is given to all who have faith in Jesus and His sacrifice. It is what Paul and the Roman Church both needed.

They were different in so many ways, but Paul and the Roman Church were now united. They were united in that they had both received mercy! Magnificent mercy! Costly mercy!

Paul and the Church had the same background and the same need. And everyone in the world also has the same background and need.

Have you received God’s mercy in Christ? Have you believed upon Jesus and this gospel?

The world tells you that you have a lot of problems and gives you a lot of solutions but the Bible is the only place you can find the truth about yourself. The truth about your real problem. And God offers to you His very son as the solution.

If have not repented, turned from your rebellion against God, and turned to Jesus by believing in His death on the Cross, there is only one implication for you: believe. Do not delay. There can be no encouragement for a faith that doesn’t exist. You must have faith before your faith gives and receives encouragement.

Conclusion

Paul and Roman Christians were united in all the important ways. They had the same needs, same present reality, same future. Therefore the encouragement really can be mutual. Even though Paul and the Roman Church had different backgrounds, they could speak into each other’s lives because their lives were the same in all the important ways, in all the essential ways.

Christians need other Christians so that their faith can be encouraged and can endure.

Fellow believers are one of the main sources of comfort God gives. Your faith can both set an example for someone else and also encourage a fellow believer to endure. The reason any believer can encourage you is that you are UNITED to any other person who believes in Jesus.

In the final post in this mini-series, I will lay out 5 practical implications of these truths from Romans 1:11-12.

If you missed Part 1 of this mini-series, find it here. You can also listen to me preach this text here.
Your Faith Needs Encouragement (Part 1)

Your Faith Needs Encouragement (Part 1)

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You need other believers. Your faith needs the encouragement only other Christians can provide. And Romans 1:11-12 are some of the most encouraging verses to think about the importance of the Local Church.

A lot of times when you want to emphasize the importance of the local Church, you go to 1 Corinthians 12 with the body analogy or Hebrews which constantly emphasizes the need to gather together. But I think these couple verses in Romans where the Apostle Paul shares his heart for this Church in Rome, a Church he has never even met before, really instructs you and I about what our expectations should be for the local Church

For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you—that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.

Romans 1:11-12, ESV

What are your expectations when you come to Church? When you gather together on a Sunday, what are you coming for? What are you hoping to get out of it? Why do you attend a midweek small group? Is there a reason to prioritize taking time out in the middle of your week to partake in a men or women’s bible study?

Even more broadly, what should excite you about having conversations with fellow church members or other believers in general?

These are important questions.

A lot of people’s expectations for the local Church are not biblical. They might want to be entertained. To simply hear things they already agree with, they might never want to have their behavior and beliefs challenged by the Word.

Romans 1:11-12 is helpful for answering these questions. In this 3 part mini-series, I will start by defining some key terms in the passage, then answer some questions that come to mind, and finally give some biblical implications from the point Paul gives in these verses.

Defining key terms

“Long to see you”

This word means “to earnestly desire, to passionately long for.” In 2 Corinthians 5:2 Paul uses it to describe his desire to be with the Lord. Philippians, 1 Thessalonians and 2 Timothy all contain this word referencing Paul’s desire to be with Churches he has planted and to be with Timothy.

Interestingly, the word is also used in 1 Peter 2:2 to communicated believers should long after word. The text uses a metaphor: a baby with milk. A baby’s longing for milk isn’t a casual thing. The baby isn’t saying “I kinda would like some milk, if it isn’t too much trouble.” No, the baby strongly desires it.

So the word Paul uses in Romans 1:11 doesn’t just indicate desire for something. It also indicates the intensity of that desire. Paul’s longing to see & encourage the Roman Church is intense, like a baby longing for milk.

“Spiritual gift”

This word is “Charisma” meaning “a divine grace, a divine gift”. It points to origin of gift, namely God. Don’t immediately think of “gifts of the Spirit” when you see this word. The New Testament uses “Charisma” to describe a variety of gifts that are from God.

  • Rom 5:16-17-the divine gift is justification in Christ
  • Rom 12:6- “spiritual gifts” i.e. gifts of spirit for edification of Church
  • 1 Tim 4:14, 2 Tim 1:6-gift of eldership/teaching

So by using the term “charisma,” Paul is highlighting where he got the gift from. In Romans 1:11-12, Paul is emphasizing faith is a divine gift from God. God is the one giving these gifts freely. The gift is not earned. Paul is saying “I have received this gift of faith from God, and I want to share it with the Church in Rome!”

This gift Paul wants to share with the Church is a divine gift, something Paul has received freely from God, namely faith.

“To strengthen you”

This word gets to the reason why Paul wants to share his faith with the Roman Church. The word means “to set fast”, “to turn in a certain direction” or figuratively “to confirm, fix.”

In the epistles it always is used figuratively: “establish and exhort you in the faith”, “so that he may establish your hearts in blamelessness and Holiness”, “establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”

In the Septuagint, this word “to strengthen you” is used in Exodus 17:12 where Israel is fighting a battle and Aaron has to hold Moses hands up. Aaron has to steady Moses, establish Moses, fix Moses’ hands.

Now, what is Paul strengthening or establishing for these Roman Christians? I think it is the gospel, if you keep reading Romans. The Roman Christians already believe in the Gospel. But Paul still preaches the Gospel, expounds the Gospel, argues for the Gospel because the Roman Church needs to be reminded.

Why? It is through reminding them of the gospel that Paul intends to establish them. Paul wants to remind them of the Gospel so the Church is more certain, more fixed, more established on that truth. And that goes along with what follows: Paul clarifies what he means when he says “strengthen”. It means being mutually encouraged by “each other’s faith, both yours and mine.”

“Mutually Encouraged”

This word is only used once in Bible and it is a combination of two words: one that can mean “comfort or encourage,” the other meaning “with”. So, this compound word really is well translated “mutual encouragement.” It is joint comfort, both groups are getting comfort and encouragement.

Paul isn’t just wanting to give encouragement. He also expects to receive encouragement.

So, in summary so far: Paul intensely longs to visit the Church in Rome so that both he and the Church will be encouraged by each other’s faith. This faith is a gift from the Lord, and the encouragement they receive from each other will help anchor their faith in Jesus, making it more steadfast and enduring. 

Christians need other Christians so that their faith can be encouraged and can endure.

That is you see just by looking at the words in these verses. Now, to better understand the truths in these verses, there are 3 areas of further study: what encouragement is in the New Testament, how your faith can encourage another believer, and what Paul’s faith and the Roman Christians’ faith have in common.

Encouragement in the New Testament

Why is encouragement and comfort important for believers? Paul’s letters are full of encouragement for local Churches. Why is this so important?

A quick look at the New Testament reveals that Paul and the other authors were concerned with encouraging the Church. The biblical concept of a God who comforts His people was not common in the ancient world. Pagan dieties would never comfort a suffering person. After all, why would a lowly human expect a god to care about his or her personal suffering?

The Bible reveals a completely different picture. The New Testament explicitly gives a number of sources of encouragement for the Christian.

The truth encourages the Church

For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:9-11, ESV

In the context here, Paul is talking about the hope of being with the Lord forever. Then Paul says “therefore, in light of this hope, encourage one another! Build one another up!” In other words, the application, the practical response to the truth of Christ’s return is it should encourage the Church.

Paul was not communicating spiritual truth to the Church merely for their intellectual benefit, or there general awareness. The truths of Scripture should comfort and encourage the Church.

Christ encourages the Church

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

Philippians 2:1-2, ESV

The “if” clauses here are hypothetical. Paul is implying the answer. Think of this verse as saying “since there is encouragement in Christ.” Paul sees Christ as a source of encouragement. And this encouragement Christ provides is Paul’s basis for commanding the Philippians to have unity. Christ comforts His Church and is the foundation of the Church’s unity.

God encourages the Church (and the Church imitates God)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4, ESV

The source of comfort and encouragement is God. God is the one who comforts us, and part of the reason He comforts us is so we can then comfort others. God comforts those in the body so they can comfort others in the body.

Christians encourage other Christians

This comes full circle to Romans 1:11-12. Believers offer encouragement and comfort to other believers. This is actually one of the main reasons the Bible gives for believers gather together.

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Hebrews 10:24-25, ESV

One of the reasons to gather together as a body is so Christians can encourage each other.

So in summary: encouraging the Roman Church was important to Paul because the source of Christians comfort matters. Paul wanted to encourage those believers who were a minority in their culture, who were facing persecution. Being a Christian in the ancient world meant sacrifice and suffering, sadness and loss.

But the New Testament is full of teaching about a God who comforts His people, especially through suffering. And God comforts His people through means. One of the main means is other Christians. God doesn’t give you superficial comforts like the world gives.

Paul knew this. Paul didn’t want to come to Rome to correct everyone or confront everyone there. He says here he wants to encourage the Church in their faith. And as I said before, Paul expects this encouragement to be mutual. Paul expects to get comfort and encouragement from the Roman Christians’ faith.

Other Christians are a God-ordained source of consolation in times of suffering.

Never let your suffering pull you away from other believers. If you do, you are cutting yourself off from one of God’s main means of comfort.

What is interesting in this text, however, is Paul says the source of the encouragement is faith. Paul’s faith is going to encourage the Church in Rome and their faith is going to encourage Paul. This leads us to the next question: how can your faith be an encouragement to someone else? I will explain in part 2 of this post.

Read Part 2 of this mini series here. You can find my other ongoing series in the “Teachings” page. If you want to listen to the sermon I preached on Romans 1:11-12, you can find it here.
Fear, Faith, & False Repentance: An Enduring Warning

Fear, Faith, & False Repentance: An Enduring Warning

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What is the difference between true repentance and false repentance? It is an important question. Jesus declared when He started His ministry “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel!” In 2 Corinthians, Paul talks about a “godly sorrow that leads to repentance.” But Paul also warns there is a “worldly sorrow which leads to death.”

The question is: are their any indicators that you are truly repenting? How can you discern whether your repentance is true or merely a worldly sorrow? Thankfully, Numbers 14 gives us a clear, memorable example of what false repentance looks like. We have already seen Israel’s fear and how it kept them from exercising faith in God’s promises. In the last post in this series, we saw God’s merciful yet just response to Israel’s lack of belief.

Today, I want to look at what Israel did after hearing God’s judgment. Israel’s response in Numbers 14 helps clarify what true repentance is and what it is not. Even though Israel was in a different circumstance than you would find yourself in today, this passage is instructive and vital to understand for Christians of all times.

Israel’s false repentance

Israel sorrowful again

When Moses reported these words to all the Israelites, the people were overcome with grief. They got up early the next morning and went up the ridge of the hill country, saying, “Let’s go to the place the Lord promised, for we were wrong.”

Numbers 14:39-40, HCSB

Moses reports God’s judgement on Israel’s sin. Israel had chosen to fear the people who lived in the land rather than believe in the God who freed them from Egypt. God declares His judgement and what happens? Israel is overcome with grief again! It is understandable reaction. God has just pronounced judgement for their sinful actions and it is pretty bad.

Israel would wander for 40 years in the wilderness and a whole generation would die because of their unbelief. Additionally, God had just struck down the spies who spread a false report about the land. Israel sees at once their error, and they respond emotionally as they did at the top of the chapter. Only this time, Israel is grieving not in response to a perceived threat of the nations, but grieving before the reality of God’s judgement.

Fear of man can be consuming until you come in contact with a God who is a “consuming fire.”

Israel even acknowledges they were wrong. They tell Moses they should enter the Land as God had promised. So Israel has sorrow, and Israel has an acknowledgement that what they did the day before was wrong. As a reader, you might think Israel is on the right track. After all, feeling sorry and admitting you were wrong would definitely pass as repentance in today’s culture.

If Israel felt sorrow for their sin and admitted they were wrong, does that mean they are truly repentant? What more could God want from them?

Israel try’s to fix things on their own

But look at verse 40 again. Israel feels sorry and admits they were wrong, but what do they do next? What is their plan? Go into that place that the Lord promised! To Israel it makes sense: they were wrong, they feel bad about it, but they are still right on the edge of the land!  Why not forget about yesterday and go take the land? God won’t mind right? They feel sorry after all!

The question you and I have to ask as readers is this: is this true repentance? Or does Israel have merely a superficial view of their sin? Thankfully, the text answers the question, because Moses responds to Israel’s plan. And it is Moses’ response that reveals what true repentance would look like for Israel in this situation.

Moses responds to Israel

Entering promised land without God is disobedience

But Moses responded, “Why are you going against the Lord’s command? It won’t succeed. Don’t go, because the Lord is not among you and you will be defeated by your enemies. The Amalekites and Canaanites are right in front of you, and you will fall by the sword. The Lord won’t be with you, since you have turned from following Him.”

Numbers 14:41-43, HCSB

Moses clarifies the problem with Israel’s plan: it is simply further disobedience. Rather than accepting the punishment and discipline of the Lord, Israel is trying a “quick fix.” Why? Because Israel does not like the consequences of their actions.

Notice: at no point in the passage does Israel cry out to the Lord. All we have in the text is that Israel is sad and doesn’t like the punishment God has declared. But Israel is missing the whole point. God wants their hearts to turn to obedience and by wanting to enter the land, Moses says they are not obeying the Lord!

Real repentance means accepting the Lord’s discipline and turning to Him in obedience. False repentance focuses on trying to fix consequences you don’t like

Entering promised land without God is doomed

Moses gives a further problem with Israel’s plan: if they try to enter the promised land against the will of the God that promised the land to them, Israel will be defeated. Why? Moses says “The Lord is not among you.”

Israel thinking they had the power in themselves to claim the promised land misses the point. It was never about Israel’s strength. God was going to enable Israel to defeat their enemies despite the nations weakness. Trying to take the land without God would be a disaster. Twice Moses repeats in verses 41-43 that God is not with Israel.

Moses then gives the reason God isn’t with Israel: since you have turned from following Him. Israel in all their weeping and confession of wrongdoing forgot the biggest piece of all: they had turned from following the Lord. They were disobedient and rebellious.

True repentance does not simply say “whoops God! Mistakes were made! Let’s get back on track.” Repentance means realizing dishonoring God was the fundamental problem.

Israel is in such a rush to get out of the consequences they forget to stop and think “is God with us still? Does He approve of this plan?” As a reader, you wish Israel would just stop here. That they would listen to Moses and seek God first. God had just declared Israel would not enter the land, yet Israel immediately says “Let’s enter the land!” Obedience and repentance in this passage would mean heeding Moses’ warning. But Israel still doesn’t get it.

The result of false repentance

Israel tries to claim God’s promise without God‘s presence

But they dared to go up the ridge of the hill country, even though the ark of the Lord’s covenant and Moses did not leave the camp. Then the Amalekites and Canaanites who lived in that part of the hill country came down, attacked them, and routed them as far as Hormah.

Numbers 14:44-45, HCSB

You wish the story ended here with Israel listening to Moses, their mediator. That Israel would turn back, TRULY repent before the Lord.But that doesn’t happen. Instead, the text said they dared to go up on the ridge of the hill country. And Israel did this without the ark of the Lord or without Moses. This is not just a throwaway line. If you go back to Numbers 10, you will see that the ark of the covenant is related to God’s presence

They set out from the mountain of the Lord on a three-day journey with the ark of the Lord’s covenant traveling ahead of them for those three days to seek a resting place for them. 34 Meanwhile, the cloud of the Lord was over them by day when they set out from the camp. Whenever the ark set out, Moses would say: Arise, Lord! Let Your enemies be scattered, and those who hate You flee from Your presence.

Numbers 10:33-35, HCSB emphasis added

Leaving the ark behind is equivalent to leaving the Lord behind. It is as if Israel said “alright, if God doesn’t want to help us out here, we are doing it ourselves.” Israel fails to remember the only claim they have on the promised land, is that their God promised it to them. That is it. But instead of seeking God, Israel continues their pattern of disobedience. They focus on what they want, rather than what God wants.

Israel is defeated soundly

What is the result? The text makes it clear Israel didn’t make it far at all: they were routed. What an illustration of what Paul ways in 2 Corinthians!

“For godly grief produces a repentance not to be regretted and leading to salvation, but worldly grief produces death”

In Numbers 14, the death is physical. Israel’s grief that they had in verse 39 did not produce repentance. It produced death. Therefore, Numbers 14 reveals Israel never truly repented but had merely a worldly grief.

To put it another way, this ending narrative shows the reverse side of Israel’s unbelief. At the beginning of Numbers 14, Israel didn’t trust God to give them the land. Then in desperation they attempt to take it on their own. At both the beginning and end of the chapter, you do not see Israel truly believing and seeking the Lord. Israel tried to gain God’s blessings apart from God. There is no true repentance because unbelief is still there. It has simply changed form.

Unbelief is like water: it can change forms and manifest itself in different ways, but at its most basic level, it is the same.

Application: false repentance vs true repentance

I will close this post with a helpful quote from Matthew Henry’s commentary:

It is folly to promise ourselves success in that which we undertake contrary to the mind of God

Matthew Henry, “Commentary on the Whole Bible”

Numbers 14 is an unparalleled picture of false repentance. Often times, you feel sorry for what you did, you might feel pained by the consequences and you want to quickly make it right as fast as possible. But don’t be deceived like Israel was:

Sorrow without obedience is not true repentance

The fundamental problem with your rebellion and unbelief is not what it does to you, but what it does to God. Therefore, if you want to truly repent, do not get merely upset with the consequences of your actions. See the ultimate issue: disobeying the Lord. Let that reality grieve you.

If you only focus on what your sin does to you, you won’t turn and change your fundamental behavior. You will just try to change your circumstances. True repentance means accepting Lord’s discipline and obeying rather than trying to fix the consequences of your sin.

Repentance is about turning from disobedience to obedience, not from consequences to no consequences

We live in a culture that thinks feeling sorry means repentance. Don’t be fooled. Heed the warning from Numbers 14. See how your sin grieves and dishonors God. Turn to the Lord in humility, accepting any consequences He gives. Commit to correcting the behaviors, thoughts, and/or heart attitudes that dishonor the Lord.

And most important of all: don’t try to correct yourself using your own strength. Don’t be like Israel leaving behind the Lord’s ark and leaving behind the Lord’s mediator (Moses) to try to take the land. Ask the Lord to empower you to correct your sinful behavior. Run to Christ, the better mediator, for “if anyone does sin, we have an advocate.”

May God empower you to flee false repentance and truly repent when you sin and “by the Spirit, put to death the deeds of the flesh.”

To read other posts in this ongoing series, visit this page. If you like this series, check out my other ongoing series “Happy?” where I show you what the Psalms have to say about finding true happiness.
Romans 1:11-12 Sermon: Mutual Encouragement and the Christian

Romans 1:11-12 Sermon: Mutual Encouragement and the Christian

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This past Sunday, I had the privilege of preaching at my Church’s evening service. Since I taught a narrative text from Numbers 14 the last time I preached, I decided this time to choose an Epistle. I chose Romans 1:11-12 for my passage. Sermon title’s always cause me some difficulty, so I settled on “Mutual Encouragement and the Christian.” The link to the sermon video is below, along with the link to the audio file.

Link to Romans 1:11-12 Sermon Audio

Why I chose Romans 1:11-12

I keep a google drive with all sorts of “sermon skeletons“. Essentially, when a text of scripture grips me, I make a brief outline to lay out how I would teach that text if I ever got the opportunity to. This allows me to be somewhat prepared ahead of time if I end up getting a chance to preach. Even though I had many of these sermon outlines ready to go, when my Pastor asked me to preach, there was only one text I wanted to teach: Romans 1:11-12.

For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you—that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.

Romans 1:11-12, ESV

Why choose these couple verses? First, because these couple verses at the front of Romans have been on my mind all year. As a goal for 2021, I have set out to try to memorize the book of Romans. One of the benefits and blessings of doing this is meditating on lesser known portions of the Epistle. Verses 11-12 of Romans 1 in particular stood out to me as containing important truths about faith, encouragement, and the Church.

The second reason I chose these verses is I saw them come alive in my interactions with the local Church. Seeing and experiencing mutual encouragement among my fellow local Church members caused my mind to jump back to Romans 1:11-12. I didn’t just know these verses. My eyes were seeing them lived out in front of me. I was experiencing the truths of the passage as I was encouraged in ordinary conversations with local Church members.

In the end, there was no other text I wanted to preach. Paul’s couple sentences to the Roman Church had stewed in my mind for a couple months and I had seen enough examples of the verses come to life that I was gripped. Preaching gave me an opportunity to delve deeper into the verses myself and to share what I had learned with the body.

How I prepared the sermon

There were a number of tools I used to prepare this sermon. The first was breaking the passage into its components. I tried to understanding the historical setting, where the text occurs in the flow of Romans, and the characteristics of the two main “characters” in the passage (Paul and the Roman Church). After that, I identified the key words and phrases I needed to define in order to understand the passage.

The tool I used most for this sermon, however, was Iterative Bible Study. As soon as I heard I was preaching, I made a very rough outline of the text fairly easily. Using that, I identified gaps in my knowledge which I needed to go back and fill. Check out my Iterative Bible Study approach to see how I actually did this.

Finally, once I had done a couple rounds of study on the text, I started thinking of practical implications. To do this, I used the Puritan application questions. I love these questions. Simply by answering them, I was able to come up with about 7 implications that follow from the truths of Romans 1:11-12. I only gave 5 implications in the actual sermon for the sake of time.

All in all, this was the easiest and most pleasant sermon preparation I have experienced yet. My other two times preaching took a lot longer and I struggled much more with the structure of the sermon. But because I had spent so much time thinking about the text personally and since I took advantage of some of my own Bible study tools, prepping for teaching was a breeze.

If you are going to teach, you need good tools. The better the tools, the less time you will spend thinking of where to start and the more time you can devote to meditating on the text itself.

Outline of the sermon

I conclude with the outline of my sermon. In a future post, I will format my notes for reading. In the end, I tried to structure my sermon the way John Flavel laid out his sermons: define the terms of the text, define the doctrine, expound the doctrine, apply the doctrine. I plan to do a future post on the different ways to structure a teaching. Personally, however, I found this structure very effective for preaching a shorter couple verses like Romans 1:11-12.

  1. Introduction
    1. Why text is important
    2. Overview of sermon structure
  2. Definition of terms and doctrine
    1. Define key words
    2. Summarize key reality/doctrine of text
  3. Expounding the doctrine
    1. Encouragement in the NT
      1. Truth encourages
      2. Christ Encourages
      3. God encourages
      4. Other believers encourage
    2. How faith can encourage
      1. Faith sets an example
      2. Other people’s faith in action makes ours more enduring
    3. What do Paul and the Roman Church have in common
      1. Not much at a surface level
        1. From different geographies
        2. Different levels of knowledge
        3. Paul called as an apostle
      2. Much on a spiritual level
        1. Same problem-sin
        2. Same need-Christ’s righteousness
        3. Same present-living out Christian life
  4. Implications of doctrine
    1. Your faith needs encouragement
    2. You need the local Church
    3. Talk about your faith with others
    4. Don’t think your faith is above encouragement from others
    5. Even small conversations build up the Church

There you have it! I truly am grateful to the Lord and my Pastor for giving me this third opportunity to preach from the pulpit. The best way to learn how to preach and to improve is simply to do it. I pray the tools on The Average Churchman will help you when you are called to teach or preach.

Check out the Tools page to look through resources I use to prepare my sermons and study a passage. To listen to either of my other two sermons, head over to the Preaching page. Be sure to follow The Average Churchman on Instagram if you haven’t already!
Helping the Poor and Having Happiness

Helping the Poor and Having Happiness

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Happiness is possible in this world. Despite the pain, suffering, and disappointment, God has revealed in His word the path to true, lasting, objective happiness. Thus far, I have shown you a number of Psalms which connect our happiness to our relationship to God. Now, Psalm 41 is going to connect your happiness to how you relate to others. In particular, this Psalm will explain how helping the poor impacts your happiness.

Happy is one who cares for the poor; the Lord will save him in a day of adversity. The Lord will keep him and preserve him; he will be blessed in the land.

Psalm 41:1-2a, HCSB emphasis added

I have found that discussions on how Christians relate to the poor can become heated and unprofitable. Psalm 41 does not give a list of ways to care for the poor. It simply gives the objective statement that your happiness is somewhat dependent on how you relate to those around you, particularly to those who are in need.

For this post, I want to first look at Psalm 41:1 and the following verses to see what truths it reveals. Then, I want to put Psalm 41:1 in the context of the Old Testament and the New Testament before drawing some applications for us. The most important instruction for how believers are to go about helping the poor is contained in Scripture.

If you desire happiness, you would do well to understand how the Lord wants you to relate to those in need around you.

Helping the poor: insight from Psalm 41

After declaring “happy is one who cares for the poor”, Psalm 41 gives a couple effects. In a sense, the Psalmist answers immediately the question “how can helping the poor make me happy?” From verses 1-3, there are at least three outcomes of helping the poor that the Psalmist lists: the Lord’s protection, the Lord’s blessing, and the Lord sustaining power in sickness.

The Lord’s protection

The Psalmist first declares that the one who cares for the poor will experience the Lord’s protection.

…the Lord will save him in a day of adversity. The Lord will keep him and preserve him…

Psalm 41:1b-2a, HCSB

Notice the flow of the sentence: it is the one who cares for the poor that the Lord will save. The Lord will keep and preserve the one who is helping the poor. Now, if you read the rest of Psalm 41, you can see that the Psalmist is dealing with a number of enemies. Enemies are planning to harm the Psalmist, and one of the Psalmist’s closest friends has betrayed him. It is in this context that the Psalmist declares:

You will not give him over to the desire of his enemies

Psalm 41:2b, HCSB

The “him” is still referring to the one who cares for the poor. So, the one who cares for the poor is happy first because God will protect him. The question is, how can the Psalmist connect caring for the poor with the promise of God’s protection? The answer to this question is found in the larger OT context. For now, simply understand that the Psalmist is confident that God will deliver Him from His enemies in part because the Psalmist has cared for the poor.

The Lord’s blessing

Next, the Psalmist declares the one who cares for the poor will experience God’s blessing.

The Lord will keep him and preserve him; he will be blessed in the land

Psalm 41:2, HCSB

The Psalmist does not emphasize what in particular that blessing is. But he does emphasize where the blessing will occur: in the land. Again, in order to understand how the Psalmist can say this, you must look at the larger OT context. For now it is enough to acknowledge that Psalm 41 connects helping the poor with God’s blessing.

The Lord’s sustaining power

Finally, Psalm 41 says

The Lord will sustain him on his sickbed; You will heal him on the bed where he lies

Psalm 41:3, HCSB

As if it wasn’t enough for the Psalmist to connect helping the poor to God’s deliverance and blessing, now the Psalmist connects it to God’s sustaining during sickness. Notice that this verse connects with verse 8 a little ways later

“Lethal poison has been poured into him, and he won’t rise again from where he lies!”

Psalm 41:8, HCSB

The Psalmist enemies are either plotting to poison the Psalmist or have already poisoned him. And in the face of this mortal danger to his life, the Psalmist declares God will heal him. Sustain him. Why? because it is part of the happiness reserved for the one who cares for the poor.

Now, Psalm 41 is a good example of a passage that you can draw false implications from if you don’t place it in the overall context of Scripture. If all you do is read Psalm 41 and immediately apply it to yourself without any further thought, you will expect God to always protect you, bless you, and heal you in thanks for you helping the poor. There are indeed implications for us from Psalm 41. But a broader look at Scripture must come first.

Compare every application and implication you get from a text with the rest of the Bible. If you are accurate, the rest of Scripture will confirm you. If not, Scripture will correct you.

Helping the poor: OT context

Now that we have seen the outcomes of helping the poor from Psalm 41, I will do a quick OT survey to help reveal why Psalm 41 can connect helping the poor to happiness. With just a brief look at the OT, three points come up: God makes provision for the poor in the Law, helping the poor is connected to the heart, and how one treats the poor reveals part of one’s relationship with God.

God makes provision for the poor in the Law

And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.

Leviticus 19:10, ESV

In the Law, God provides instruction for how Israel is to provide for the poor. If you are familiar with the book of Ruth, you will know how this works. When harvesting their field, Israel was not to scrape every last bit of produce. Instead, they were to leave some behind for the poor and foreigners to come and get. Notice, the poor would have had to come and work to get the leftover food. But God has provide a means by which the poor could be fed.

If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you.

Leviticus 25:35, ESV

God then takes it a step further. Not only does He set up a way for the poor to be fed and support themselves, He commands Israel to house any Israelite who cannot support themselves. It is interesting to note the text says “becomes poor” indicating possibly a tragedy or life event that causes poverty. Widows and orphans are good examples of people who would “become poor” because of a tragic life event in OT times. The emphasis here is God does not want someone who suddenly becomes poor to be rejected or neglected. His chosen people are to care for each other, whether poor or not.

Helping the poor is connected to the heart

Deuteronomy 15:7-8 repeats the previous command from Leviticus 25:35, but adds a new dimension.

If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be

Deuteronomy 15:7-8, ESV emphasis added

The command is the same as before: provide for fellow Israelites who fall into poverty. But this time, God connects withholding help from the poor to hardening your heart. The alternative to hardening your heart is to lend the person what they need. And lest Israel thinks hardening their hearts towards the poor is a light thing, God defines this hardness as evil and sin in the next verse.

Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the Lord against you, and you be guilty of sin.

Deuteronomy 15:9, ESV emphasis added

In this verse, the person has an excuse for not helping the poor person and so does not help him. The result? The poor person will call out to God and the hard-hearted well-to-do person will be guilty of sin. So, God views a hard heart and withholding attitude towards those in need, particularly a fellow Israelite, as sin.

You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. 11 For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’

Deuteronomy 15:10-11, ESV emphasis added

Now, God gives the alternative to hard-hearted withholding: cheerful giving to those in need. Again God emphasizes Israel’s hearts should be happy to give to those in need. What is interesting is here God connects giving to the poor to His blessing. This is the same thing the Psalmist does in Psalm 41.

God promises blessing to those who are open and generous with their resources.

Notice, God is not emphasizing here that Israel will end poverty through giving to the poor. He says quite the opposite: there will always be poor in the land. Jesus actually repeats this in Matthew 26:11. God does not say you can end poverty. But He does command abundant generosity to those in need.

The emphasis in Deuteronomy 15 is the heart. To give or withhold free support to those in need is connected to the heart. Guilt for sin is reserved for the hard-hearted or those who give with the wrong attitude while blessing is promised to those who give with an open hand and heart.

How you treat the poor shows something of your relationship with God

The book of Proverbs takes this idea of generosity to the poor revealing your heart and goes a step further.

Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.

Proverbs 14:31, ESV

This Proverb connects how one reacts to the poor with how one reacts to God. Oppressing the poor is insulting God, while generosity to the poor honors the Lord. This connection is the final step you need to understand Psalm 41:1. How can the Psalmist call those who help the poor happy? How can the Psalmist see God’s protection, blessing, and sustaining power all connected to helping the poor? We now have the answer.

How you treat those who are in need reveals both your own heart and your relationship with the Lord.

A person who turns away from those in need dishonors the Lord. But the one who loves the Lord and wants to honor him is a cheerful giver. A person who withholds or oppresses those in need is acting like the poor are lesser human beings. But the person who loves the Lord knows all people are made in God’s image. Therefore, the one who loves the Lord treats those in need with dignity and love.

So, the Psalmist in Psalm 41 can trust in God’s blessing and protection not because giving to the poor is a box to check or a lever to pull to get God’s blessing. Instead, Psalm 41 is saying the one who gives to the poor is happy and receives God’s favor because generosity towards those in need reveals a proper heart attitude towards God and towards others. That sentence bears repeating because it is of vital importance.

The one who gives to the poor is happy and received God’s favor because generosity towards those in need reveals a proper heart attitude towards God and towards others.

Blessing comes from helping the poor in the same way blessing comes from any time you live in obedience to God’s word. Happiness comes from helping the poor just as happiness comes whenever you live according to how God has ordained the world rather than living according to self-centered motives.

Helping the poor: what the NT says

The OT survey helped unlock the meaning of Psalm 41:1. But before I apply it, we must look at what the NT says on the subject. How does the NT Church understand poverty? A lot of the OT texts we looked at referred to how Israel was to care for those within their covenant community. Does the NT clarify how these principles apply to the Church? There are too many NT texts to go into here, but three points stand out.

The Gospel and how Jesus gave to the poor

What I find interesting is when Paul was encouraging the Corinthian Church to give to another Church in need, he didn’t quote any of the OT passages we studied above. Paul didn’t cite Deuteronomy 15. He did not quote Psalm 41:1 or any Proverbs. Instead, Paul went straight to Jesus and the gospel.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

2 Corinthians 8:9, ESV

Why should the Church give to those in need? Because that is exactly what Jesus did for believers at a cosmic scale. Jesus lacked nothing, had everything, was One with the Father from eternity past. And yet, Jesus made Himself of no reputation and came in the form of a servant. Why would Jesus condescend? Why would Jesus bear the shame of dying on the cross?

So that all who would believe in Him would become rich. You see, every human being is spiritually poor.

Even in America where wealth abounds, every single human being has not a penny of righteousness before a holy God.

What can make us right before God? It isn’t anything we earn. You and I cannot pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps in the spiritual realm. You may believe the idea of the “self made person”, you may say “I don’t want any handouts,” you may think you have enough to live off of in a physical sense. But spiritually, every human being is in desperate need of God’s generosity.

And guess what? The good news of the Gospel is Jesus has provided a way you can become rich spiritually. Not through hard work. Through faith, belief, acceptance of His own wealth of righteousness. And it is free, not based on anything you have done or can do. Jesus became poor for you so that you might become rich. He is the only way you can acquire the righteousness you need.

And Paul takes this glorious gospel and says “If Jesus was THIS generous to you at a spiritual level, then everyone in the Church should be chomping at the bit to give even a little of what they have to those in need at a physical level.” Paul connects the two.

Those who have received God’s generosity in Christ on a spiritual level will become generous people on a physical level.

So the question becomes for the Christian, why am I not generous towards others? Why do I harden my heart to those in need? The answer to that question may be because you have not meditated enough on the riches Christ gave up for you so that you might never have to stand poor and spiritually bankrupt before a holy God.

There is still blessing reserved for those who give

A question you might ask after our OT overview is “Well, I’m glad God blessed Israel when they cared for the poor back then. But how can I be sure there God still blesses generosity these days?” Thankfully, God answers that question.

In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’

Acts 20:35, ESV emphasis added

More blessing comes from giving and helping others than in receiving. There still remains a blessing from God which comes from giving to others. What is interesting is Paul (here talking to the Ephesian elders) connects working with giving to others. He made the same connection in his letter to the Ephesians.

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

Ephesians 4:28, ESV emphasis added

So for Christians, part of the reason for working is so you have something to give to those in need. Why? Because there is more blessing in giving what you have earned away to those in need than in simply receiving those wages and spending it all on yourself.

If you are spending all your money on yourself rather than giving to those in need, you are actually robbing yourself of happiness and blessing.

So when you read of the happiness and blessing of giving to the poor in Psalm 41:1 and following, don’t for a second think the principle does not still apply. You have a greater motivation to give to others because you understand the gospel. You also are told there is still blessing in giving to those in need.

Now, time does not permit me to go into other NT principles like those who are unwilling to work should not eat or making sure you are providing for your own household in addition to giving to others. But in light of the gospel and NT teaching, you should at this point see the connection between happiness and helping the poor. With all we have looked at in mind, I will close with some final general principles.

General applications for the Church today

Those who love God will love what He loves. Therefore, you should have a particular care for those in need in your Church and community

The moral and natural law of God both reflect His character. In the OT, God commanded Israel to care for the poor in their midst because God cares about the poor in their midst. As a Christian, the Bible says you know God and should imitate Christ. Therefore, part of your sanctification is progressively loving what God loves and hating what God hates.

If we did a survey of the OT prophets, you would see God’s heart towards the poor and vulnerable even more clearly. But even in this brief study today, it is apparent God cares about the poor. You might ask “If God cares about the poor so much, why doesn’t He do something about it?”

He has.

God has commanded you who are called to display His glory and reflect His values to care for the poor. The book of James goes as far as to call caring for orphans and widows (two very needy groups of people in NT times) as part of “pure and undefiled religion before God.”

Christians should have a particular heart towards those in needs, both for those in need within the Church and those in need in the community. God’s character has not changed. Now, if you want a resource to help you further understand the different categories of “the poor”, I recommend reading this brief and insightful article. I cannot recommend this article enough for thinking through how the Church should wisely and practically care for the poor.

There will always be poverty in the world. Therefore, there should always be generous Christians helping the poor

There will not come a time while this earth remains where poverty will be eradicated. Sound cynical? We have already seen in both the OT and NT that God has said it will be this way. The point of these verses is not to cause you to be fatalistic or hopeless. On the contrary: because there will always be poverty in the world, there is always work to be done.

Ignoring poverty or hoping to eradicate it from the globe are both not the answers. Instead, Churches should reach out to those in need in their community. With what? Both the gospel AND with items to deal with physical needs. Too often I hear arguments over whether the best way to help the poor is to simply preach the gospel to them or to simply give them food and clothing. This is a ridiculous false dichotomy.

The Bible is clear: the physically poor in this world need both the hope of the Gospel and the physical help of food and clothing. Both are in Scripture.

Oftentimes, helping someone with their physical needs will open up opportunities to speak about the generosity of Jesus. There will always be poor people to bless with physical care. That should encourage and spark zealous action among Christians! God has already said it is more blessed to give than to receive. So go pursue the happiness that comes from helping the poor and those in need.

Cheerful generosity will lead to blessing because you are living in accordance with God’s word. If you close your hearts towards those in need, don’t be surprised if happiness is also closed to you.

Let me conclude my going full circle back to Psalm 41. Happy is the man who cares for the poor. From the OT to the NT we have seen that this principle is true. Why? Because you were made to live under God’s rule. Anytime you instead try to rule yourself, you have lost your one path to happiness.

Because God cares for the poor and wants their needs to be met, don’t expect happiness to come when you are hard-hearted or indifferent to those in need. God is the source of all happiness. He has ordered the world so that you cannot find happiness apart from Him. Therefore, as you read what His word has to say about happiness, the only response should be ordering your life according to what God says.

And that includes what God says in Psalm 41:1. May God work in both your heart and my heart so that we are generous to the poor and needy around us!

I highly recommend this brief overview of the different types of poverty Scripture defines. Understanding biblical terms are important. If you want tools for analyzing, understanding and applying texts like Psalm 41, check out my Bible Study Tools page.