City of Refuge Fellowship

My son Noah has found a passage of Scripture that has completely captivated him. A few nights ago, as I was going to tuck him into bed I found him sitting in bed reading his Bible. As I came close to him he said “I just can’t get over this.” I looked down and saw that he was reading about Jesus and the thief on the cross. For some wonderful reason, at 8 years old he was identifying himself with the thief that was promised a place in the Kingdom of God. He found it amazing and moving that Jesus, during His death, was willing to listen, to love and to redeem. If there ever was a moment that things could have and should have been about Jesus this was it. But instead, He chose, in the midst of His pain, in the midst of His suffering, in the midst of bearing the sin of the world, to come close to the broken hearted and to provide peace for a man that was wounded.

This week I heard news of a friend of mine that finds himself completely broken-hearted. In a moment everything has changed, everything that was good seems to be gone and everything that was hidden has now been seen. While I have not had the opportunity to talk to him, I am sure that his life is like one large exposed nerve, everything hurts right now. When we get news like this our emotions seem to run a range like going through a musical scale. Often we consider how it makes us feel before we move to a place of intercession or comfort. We feel disappointment, sometimes anger, often we identify or think about what we would do in similar situations. The gravest of circumstances in the lives of others somehow become about us. We have a tendency to react with our flesh rather than to act with the Spirit of God that dwells within us.

The thief had a specific request for Jesus: “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” As I was praying for my friend yesterday my thoughts went back to this passage and my conversation with Noah. I realized that many of us, just like this thief, live in the fear of being forgotten. We are concerned that we will be overlooked, mistreated or just unappreciated. Even consider the lyrics of the popular old hymn, “While on others Thou art calling, do not pass me by.” We have thought God to be like a man, that His memory is short or even worse that He is self-consumed and concerned, that we somehow have to get His attention or we are in danger of being forgotten, not merely for the moment but possibly forever.

Jesus made an amazing announcement as He began His ministry. He stood up in the Synagogue of Nazareth, surrounded by those that knew Him the most and He read from Isaiah about Himself, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” Jesus announces to them, “I have come for you!” He is not a king coming to be exalted but a King coming to serve. He is not a god coming to prove himself but He is the God coming to approve of His children. He is not a mere prophet or a man that should be listened to, He is the King of all Kings coming to show all of the world that He has been listening.

One of the most beautiful passages of Scripture is found in Exodus 3 when God calls Moses to lead Israel out of the slavery of Egypt. He says to Moses, “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians”. God knows! God sees! God hears! We don’t have to remind Him, we have no reason to fear being forgotten or forsaken. God is not a man, He is not self involved and He is not short sighted or minded. He is for us, He is not coming, He has come to deliver each of us.

Psalm 147:3 says, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” This is His character, it is who He is to heal us. Our broken hearts are not insignificant, they are not tasks to be accomplished, they are the very character of who God is. He is not put out by our needs, He is moved by them.

Yesterday as I was praying for my friend God gently reminded me that He is the God that remembers. We don’t have to beg Him to come from heaven, to put down what He is doing and intervene on our behalf; He has always been present, He is not just near, He is here, dwelling within us, anointed to heal, to repair, to loosen and to pour out. If you sit with a broken heart today, don’t believe that you have been forgotten. Don’t give in to your pity and to your pain, trust in the God who promised to love you always. The part of Luke’s account of Jesus’ interaction with the thief on the cross that amazed my son is the part that also amazes me. After the thief asked to be remembered Jesus responded quickly, “today, you will be with Me in Paradise.” Jesus does not put us off, He does not think someone else’s need or request is more important, He does not even for a moment make the man hope that He will find favor. With a great resounding promise Jesus proves James’ words correct, “Mercy triumphs over judgment.” “Today!” “Today!” “Today!”

I am praying for my friend, I am praying that his broken heart would be mended today .I am praying for my city, that it will see the glory of God today. I am praying for my children, that they will hear the voice of God today. I am praying for our church, that we will walk in the fullness of God today. I am praying for all of us, that we will not believe the lie that God forgets, that God is slow or even that He delays. I promise you this, God hears, God sees and most of all God remembers! No matter what your situation today, you are not forgotten, I pray that you will receive the love of Jesus and the answer to your request, today.

The 23rd Psalm begins with David’s beautiful declaration, “The Lord is my Shepherd”. This refrain is familiar to most of us, but for some reason its implications seem to go unnoticed. If the Lord is my Shepherd then I am His sheep. If I am declaring that He is going to shepherd me then I must also be declaring that I am going to follow Him. I have a growing concern that we have placed so much emphasis on leadership that we have nearly excluded the most vital calling of our lives, to be followers.

The Gospels each share accounts of Jesus calling His disciples into their places of ministry; over and over again we read as Jesus says, “Follow Me.” The Apostle Paul boldly pronounces to the Corinthian church “follow me”. He didn’t end his sentence there as many of us have, he doesn’t merely apply himself as a leader but explains that he is first and foremost a follower, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” The notion of leadership in the church is an important and vital one, but it must be addressed and handled in context. God has left no one to simply lead, we have all been called to be led, from that place of servant hood we can then direct others into the same path of following. The greatest leaders have to be the greatest followers or else they are simply leading others astray.

If the Lord is my Shepherd then I must be His sheep. I have heard and read many people describe sheep as dumb. I take offense with this, the God who made us in His image and then pronounced His work as good would not call or even consider us dumb. What sheep are is dependent, we were created to be the same. Consider some of the statements of dependence in the Bible:

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”

In these three passages we read that our sustenance, our salvation and our very ability to live all come from God and not from our ability, our determination or our desire. We are creatures created to be dependent upon our Creator. There needs to be a new humility that courses through our lives in which we stop seeking to be leaders and we are motivated to “follow hard” after the Spirit of God and all that He desires for our lives.

As David continues with the picture of God as our Shepherd he proclaims that we will be led “in green pastures”, “beside still waters” and “in paths of righteousness”. David also wants it to be very clear that we will walk through the “valley of the shadow of death” and that we will have to sit and eat at tables that have been prepared for us “in the presence of our enemies.” We must understand that it is our Shepherd that leads us into all of these places. There are seasons in which you are led into that valley, by the Spirit of God, so that you can arrive beside those still waters. There are days in which God leads you directly into the path of your “enemy” because you must walk through that relationship to get to the green pastures. We don’t simply sit by still waters, we have not been told that we will live there, there is a great journey involved and the journey is bumpy but the destination is never in doubt because the Shepherd leads well.

I think that we have had too narrow a vision about our lives. To use a Biblical illustration, I think that we look at Egypt and then we look at the Promised Land but give little thought to the journey from one to the other. The journey is where Israel learned who God was, where their faith was tested, where His provision was proved, where they failed and were forgiven, where God’s presence became permanent and where His promises became reality. We need the journey, this is why we need a shepherd. We must become good and faithful followers because we have to be willing to trust the Shepherd when we think we know a better way. We need to be willing to believe that He loves us when our enemies pull up at our table. We must have enough faith to keep traveling when the shadow of death begins to look like the very presence of death.

The old song says, “Savior like a Shepherd lead us.” The shepherd leads to perfection, to peace and to fulfillment. That is the part that we like, it is the path to perfection, to peace and to fulfillment that we sometimes kick against. Sometimes you have to go through some thorns to get to next place of refreshment. Sometimes you have to trust the shepherd to lead you through a place filled with danger to get to the next place of peace. Sometimes you have to leave your favorite field you have ever laid in because the shepherd says that he knows of one even greater. The key for you and I, and for the Body of Christ today is not raising up leaders, but building up followers. What would change in all of our lives if we could truly sing “where He leads me I will follow”? Even more, what would change among us if we all decided that we would not merely lead but instead invite others to join us as we follow?

Have you ever considered that your greatest discomfort might be for your greatest benefit? I hate being uncomfortable, most of us do. We go to great lengths for comfort; furniture, food, clothing, relationships, it seems we want to be comfortable more than we want to be comforted. The difference is this: being comfortable is creating an environment that is without difficulty, trial or lack of control; being comforted is being willing to endure hardship, uncertainty and the leadership of another while fully confident that when the trial is done comfort will be provided. Comfortable places will always be tested, they will always be tried and truthfully, they will usually be removed. I am learning this, I grow the most when I am the least comfortable.

If my point about growth and comfort is true then God is going to cause discomfort in my life so that it can become growth. I find that I often desire to have situations change around me, but the concept of me being the one that needs to change often puts me off. I am fearful of difficulty, of trial, of testing, of anything that seems like it might destroy me. The problem that most of us have is that we tend to think that we can be easily destroyed. Last week we looked at I Corinthians 10 and the promise that we will never be tempted with more than we can bear. If we trust this as a promise, then we must realize that nothing can destroy us. I am serious, if we are trusting God and living lives of obedience then there is nothing and no one that can bring us harm, in fact, even what seems to be harmful will ultimately prove to be a blessing.

In Daniel chapter three, three Hebrew men refused to obey the edict of Babylon’s king to worship a golden statue. The punishment was to be thrown into a burning furnace. The king gave them a second chance before sentencing them to the furnace but they responded that they had no reason to even answer his questions, they would not be bowing down to any image. They announced, “our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” In his fury the king orders the men to be tied up and thrown into the fiery furnace. The servants complied and the men were bound and thrown to their apparent death. A few minutes later the king looked into the furnace from a safe distance. After looking he shouted, “Look! I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” The only thing that had burned was the ropes that bound them.

You and I probably haven’t faced any actual fires, but we face spiritual flames often. We are put in positions where we have to choose difficulty, choose testing, choose discomfort for the sake of obedience. We all have our faith tested by illness, by financial hardship, by the loss of relationships or the wounding of words. We face furnaces of faith often and in each occurrence we must choose to give in to being comfortable and do the easy thing or to stand firm, allow whatever difficulty that may come and believe in the goodness and comfort of God. The three Hebrew men could have easily bowed down in their bodies but not worshipped in their hearts. They could have justified that they were much more useful to God alive then dead. They could have decided to compromise for the sake of culture so that they could somehow be an influence later. They could have walked in fear but they didn’t. They understood that a moment of faith overcomes a lifetime of fear. It is the same for you and me.

There are two awesome things that happen in furnaces of the soul. The first is that the only things that burn are the things that were binding us. Look back at Daniel chapter three, the only things that burned in that fire were the ropes that held the men. We are so fearful of what we might lose, but the truth is that the only things that God ever takes from our lives are the things that are holding us back. In a furnace, the impurities are separated from the items of true value. Dross is removed from silver and gold and distraction, bondage, and flesh are removed from our souls. Not only are these the things that are removed by fire, it seems that they can only be removed by fire. The truth is, that many of us will not let go until the fire loosens our grip.

The second and most amazing thing that happens in the furnace of the soul is that we experience the presence and comfort of God. The ropes burned, the men stood and walked around in the fire and as the king looked in he saw a fourth man and cried out that it looked like “the Son of God.” Jesus is faithful to His promise to never leave us or forsake us, He is always near, but for some reason, we recognize Him more fully when we are in the midst of trial and difficulty. The young men were already sure of God, they already loved Him, worshipped Him and obeyed Him, they didn’t need Him to come so they could believe, and yet He chose to come. He chose to reward them, bless them and use them to shine His light. God wants to do the same thing through us. He wants to show us how near He has always been, to show us how dear we are to His heart and to show the world around us that He is real. This happens in the furnace of fire, He becomes more evident in the trials of our faith and the tests of life.

While I won’t tell anyone to go look for furnaces I will tell you not to hide from them. Peter and John rejoiced after being beaten for preaching the name of Jesus. Paul found purpose and power in being shipwrecked, beaten, stoned and accused. Jesus endured the cross “for the joy that was set before Him”. Hudson Taylor embraced a foreign land so that salvation could come to China. George Muller chose a life of poverty so that thousands of orphans could be housed, fed and taught the love of Jesus. There are countless others that have seen a furnace and not considered it a loss but a gift. I am trying to let go of being comfortable. I am trying to release the thoughts of what I might lose and truly desire what it is that I am promised to gain. Whatever the fire is that might surround you today, I am sure of this: the only things you will lose were never yours to hold onto and you will see Jesus more clearly than you have ever seen Him before. You will not be comfortable but you will always be comforted.

I am trying to really grab hold of a promise from God’s Word that I don’t believe I have taken nearly as seriously as I need to. We have probably all heard it at some point in time, but for some reason I think that it’s power has eluded us. In I Corinthians 10:13 Paul wrote, “God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able”. This is a promise that God has made to each one of us that He will always see to it that we are protected and prepared. He does not leave us to see if we can, He goes before us to teach us that He is able.

When Jesus was baptized many things were happening and there are pieces that I have missed in the past. Jesus declares to John that “righteousness” is being fulfilled. Jesus is being filled with the Holy Spirit and launched into the ministry of the Messiah, John is having his ministry come to a close, he is finishing his course to use Paul’s terminology. But there is also something that is being done on Jesus’ behalf, He is being prepared for temptation. After He comes out of the water, the Holy Spirit rests on Jesus in the form of a dove and then the Father speaks from heaven, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Matthew writes that as soon as the baptism was over that Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness for 40 days of fasting. In the natural this is quite odd. The baptism was a monumental moment in the life of Christ and also in the life of all humanity. In this type of moment we look for a celebration, for a revival, for something that will draw great attention. So why does the Holy Spirit lead Jesus into a place of barrenness instead of a place of banquet? For preparation and for protection. God knew what was coming next, He was fully aware that Jesus was about to be tempted by Satan and so there was no time for a celebration, it was time to be protected.

After 40 days of fasting the Bible tells us that Jesus was hungry. At that time Satan came and tempted Him. His opening line is interesting, “If you are the Son of God”. At the moment Jesus heard this I am quite sure that He also heard His Father’s voice from just 40 days earlier at His baptism, “This is My beloved Son.” I have always read this and thought this was an example of Satan attacking God’s voice and promise in Jesus’ life. There is probably a lot of truth in it, but this week I have seen another side as well, one that fills me with confidence and peace. God knew what Satan’s temptation would be. He was giving Jesus the answer before Satan asked the question. God was going before His Son, even into temptation so that He would be both prepared and protected. At the moment Satan questioned Jesus’ identity as the Son of God Jesus knew He didn’t have to prove Himself, because His Father had already approved Him.

How do we overcome temptation? The same way that Jesus did, we must believe in the voice of God, we must trust in His promises and obey His leading. Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into preparation, He was led to prayer and fasting that would give Him the power and the strength to overcome temptation. Jesus was never tempted with more than He was able and neither are we, if we will submit to the preparation and protection of God.

My last question is this, what has God spoken to you recently? I think that Scripture shows us that your promise will be questioned, your identity will be examined, and your character will be judged. God knew that these temptations were coming, that is why He spoke! Yes, Jesus was God’s beloved Son and He was pleased with Him, but that wasn’t spoken at some random moment. God wasn’t more pleased because of the baptism than He had been at any other time. He spoke it because He knew that Jesus would soon have it questioned. God knows our temptation. He knows its source, its timing, its power and its future. He has spoken to you so that you will be prepared and protected. Take His voice and follow it, believe it, trust it and be prepared by it. The Word of God will never leave us unaware or unable. The Word is “quick and powerful”, walk in its power, be led by its truth and be protected by its guidance. God isn’t merely speaking, He is working. We must let His voice work in our lives to the point that we come to believe and fulfill the promise that we will never be tempted with more than we are able, to not only bear, but to overcome.

God is our provider. I think that most of us know and believe this somewhere in our heads if not in our hearts. The concept is real but at times it seems that the details are skewed. We know in general but struggle to believe in the specifics. We are sure that God ordained a ram to be caught in a thicket for Abraham, that Jesus ordered Peter and the others to cast their nets on the other side of their boat and a miraculous amount of fish were caught, and that He rained manna from heaven when Israel was hungry. All these examples and experiences are sure in our heads, and yet we are often found fearful and even doubtful when we are not sure of what our next step will be.

One thing we have to understand about our Provider is that He is not simply one who doles out things, He is the lover of our souls. He is not an absent Father that is making up for His absence with things. He is an ever present Father that is much more concerned with our hearts and our character than our stomachs and our plans. I have often reduced God’s provision down to mortgage payments and gas bills not realizing that those things, while important in the moment are almost inconsequential in eternity. Yes, God does provide for my physical needs, but even more, He provides for my spiritual ones.

Paul writes two wonderfully true statements about God’s provision that seem to be polar opposites and yet they support one another fully. To the Philippians Paul wrote, “My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory.” This verse is a great promise that is being fulfilled in all of our lives every single day. The importance is to look at it as it is and not as our flesh wants it to be. As our provider, it is God that determines our needs, we determine our wants. The riches of His glory are not present to be spent to satisfy our fleshly wants, they are present to fulfill our God intended purpose. Paul, told the Corinthians about his “thorn in the flesh.” He said that three times he asked God to remove it and that each time the answer from God was no. Then, God spoke to Paul very clearly about the situation, “My grace is sufficient for all of your needs.” God’s answer was not that He was not able to provide for Paul’s request, it was that His provision in this situation was greater than what was being asked. Paul wanted a miraculous moment that would remove the issue, God was providing a miraculous amount of power that would give Paul the strength to endure the issue.

God gives. Every breath that we take is a gift from Him, every good thing that we have in our lives has been given by His hands. Without God’s provision we not only have nothing, we honestly are nothing. God’s provision is much greater than we have understood or explored. He didn’t just give the ram in the thicket, He provided the path of faith that led to that altar. There was far more happening that day than a simple sacrifice, there was the passing of a covenant, there was the building of faith and trust. God didn’t swoop in at the last minute, He had gone before to order all the plans, the needs and the steps that Abraham and Isaac would need for that divinely appointed day. The same is true for us. God isn’t merely giving stuff, that isn’t what makes Him our provider. He is giving Himself, He is changing our character, our minds and our souls. He is molding us and making us into His image. God is providing the grace that is sufficient for us to know Him more, He is providing the glory that is necessary for us to have our eyes lifted and our flesh pressed down and He is providing His Spirit to dwell within us that we might be led by Him and be called the “sons of God.” God is our provider, don’t ever doubt it. The path of righteousness will never be lacking and the hope that is within us will never disappoint.