The Defectors - 1 Chronicles 12:1-22

"At that time men came day after day to help David until there was a great army like an army of God."

1 Chronicles 12 records the assembling and organization of David's army during the years that David was in hiding from King Saul.

What's interesting about these warriors that joined up with David was that they were defectors!
     They changed loyalties!
          They transferred their allegiance!

Most or all of them were formerly followers of King Saul, even Saul's relatives.

There were ambidextrous archers from the tribe of Benjamin (vs. 2-7) and desert warriors from the tribe of Gad that crossed the Jordan River to join David (vs. 8-15).

And when even more Benjamites defected, David was reluctant to trust them until they swore allegiance to him under the inspiration of the Spirit of God (vs. 16-18).

Men as far away as Manasseh defected and joined David's army  (vs. 19-21).

All these defectors were skilled and brave warriors. They defected to David because they believed David was God's chosen king and they wanted to join him in his cause.

So the numbers of defectors grew until they became a great army. And, this army of defectors became the army of God!

A Glorious Display - John 2:11

"He displayed His glory and His disciples believed in Him."

When Jesus worked His first miracle at the wedding at Cana, changing the water into wine, the Apostle John concludes that it was a glorious display!

Although this first miracle was a quiet miracle--large pots of water suddenly were turned into wine--it apparently didn't go unnoticed by Jesus' disciples.

They must have heard  Jesus tell the servants to fill six pots with water and then watched as the servants poured twenty to thirty gallons of water into each of the pots. They must have listened as the chief servant described how fine the wine tasted after the water became wine.

Living for the Future in the Present, Part 3 - 1 Timothy 6:18-19

<<Living for the Future in the Present, Part 1
<<Living for the Future in the Present, Part 2

"Instruct them to do what is good, to be rich in goods works, to be generous, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good reserve for the age to come so that they may take hold of life that is real."

In Part 1 of this three-part SBM mini-series, Paul instructed Timothy to train himself in godliness in this present life in order to prepare for eternal life. In Part 2 Paul told Timothy to fight for his faith and start living the lifestyle of eternal life in the present.

In these verses Paul alludes to Jesus' admonition from the Sermon on the Mount to store up treasures in heaven: "Don't collect for yourselves treasures on earth... But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven... For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:19-21).

Jesus was saying that there are parallel universes at work in our lives that are in conflict with one another because the physical world in which we live is in rebellion against God's Kingdom.

Living for the Future in the Present, Part 2 - 1 Timothny 6:11-12

<<Living for the Future in the Present, Part 1

"But you, man of God, run from these things, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the faith; take hold of eternal life that you were called to and have made a good confession about in the presence of many witnesses."

This three-part SBM mini-series examines what the Apostle Paul had to say to Timothy about living in this present life in anticipation of and in preparation for eternal life!

In Part 1 Paul instructed Timothy to use this present life as an opportunity to prepare for eternity with God by becoming more like God. To accomplish this, Paul told Timothy to train himself in godliness through disciplined, rigorous practice in personal devotion and service to God.

Now Paul tells Timothy that he should fight for the faith and take hold of eternal life!

Take hold of eternal life means take on the lifestyle of eternal life.

But, it's not something you do when you are dying. It's something you do while you are living!

Living for the Future in the Present, Part 1 - 1 Timothy 4:7-8

"Train yourself in godliness for the training of the body has a limited benefit, but godliness is beneficial in every way, since it holds promise for the present life and for the life to come."

This is the first installment of an SBM mini-series. In this three-part series I will examine what the Apostle Paul had to say to Timothy about this theological supposition:

We live our lives in our present existence in anticipation of and in preparation for eternal life!

In other words, our present life is preparation for eternity.

This supposition is most apparent in the teachings of Jesus, particularly in His parables and proclamations of the near and coming Kingdom of God. When Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of God, He usually meant it as both present and future, already but not yet!

Paul's John 3:16 - 1 Timothy 2:3-6

"God our Savior...wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and humanity, Christ Jesus, Himself human, who gave Himself--a ransom for all, a testimony at the proper time."

If you are one of those laconic people who likes things stated simply, concisely, and succinctly, then you definitely like this summation of the gospel written by the Apostle Paul in his first letter to Timothy.

Paul sums up the gospel in just two sentences. God's cosmic, redemptive plan for humanity is stated in the first sentence and the theological basis for the plan is stated in the second sentence.

In this concise explanation of the gospel, Paul says that God wants everybody to be saved, to be in a covenant relationship with Him. Since we are separated from God by sin, then we need a Savior to mediate our sinfulness. Jesus Christ, God's Son, became human and paid the ransom (or penalty) for our sinfulness by His death on the cross.

Hold On! Part 3 - 1 Peter 4:10-11

<<Hold On! Part 1 
<<Hold On! Part 2

"Based on the gift each one has received, use it to serve others, as good managers of the varied grace of God." If anyone speaks, it should be as one who speaks God's words; if anyone serves, it should be from the strength God provides, so that God may be gloried through Jesus Christ in everything."

In Part 1 of this SBM mini-series on grace, we learned from the Hebrews writer in Chapter 12 that God's redemptive plan is for us to enter into fellowship with Him through a relationship or covenant based on receiving God's grace through Christ. God didn't intend to institute a permanent ritual sacrificial system under Old Testament law.

The Hebrews writer admonished us to actively hold on to God's grace when we receive it and allow it to become the source of our strength for serving God and His Kingdom.

God's sovereignty can best exert its rule and reign over our lives when Christ is manifested in our lives as a result of holding on to the grace God has shown us.

While the Hebrews writer told us to hold on to grace to see us through all the circumstances of life, Peter says in these verses that we are also the managers of God's grace that rules over our own lives.

Hold On! Part 2 - Hebrews 12:28-29

<<Hold On! Part 1

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us hold on to grace. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire."

In Part 1 of this SBM mini-series on grace we saw how the Hebrews writer assembled an argument showing that God's grace demonstrated to us through Christ is superior to the Old Testament law and temple worship because Christ was its culmination.

Thus, the new covenant is superior to the old because now we enter into God's presence through a relationship or covenant based on receiving His grace through Christ (what the Hebrews writer called approaching Mt. Zion), not on adherence to the law (what the Hebrews writer called approaching Mt. Sinai).

So, when we receive God's grace through believing in Christ as our Savior, then we must hold on to it! And then, the grace of God becomes the source of our strength for serving God and His Kingdom.

Although the Hebrews writer has argued that God's grace is superior to Old Testament law, in his final analysis in Chapter 12 he notes that while God's grace abounds, He is still the God of the Old Testament--a consuming fire! This reference to God's attributes comes from Deuteronomy 4:24: "For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God."

Hold On! Part 1 - Hebrews 12:28-29

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us hold on to grace. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire."

(This is the first installment of a three-part SBM mini-series on grace.)

Have you ever walked over some rocks that weren't firmly set in the ground or on a wobbly platform or a floor with rotting wood. Or maybe you've been in an earthquake where you could feel the actual ground beneath you moving.

Whenever our footing becomes unsure, our first instinct is to grab something that seems more stable and hold on.

 The Hebrews writer points out that in the past, in the Old Testament, when human beings encountered God it could be a terrifying experience. When the law was given on Mt. Sinai, even Moses was terrified and trembled at God's appearance (vs. 21).

A God Thing - Jeremiah 32:8

"Then my cousin Hanamel came to the guard’s courtyard as the Lord had said and urged me, ‘Please buy my field in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for you own the right of inheritance and redemption. Buy it for yourself.’ Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord."

Jeremiah was in prison because he had proclaimed to King Zedekiah and the people of Jerusalem that the Babylonians were going to conquer Jerusalem.

Although Jeremiah foretold of the coming Babylonian conquest and deportation of many of the Jews including the Jewish royal family, he also spoke of a bright future for Israel after the time of captivity:
"Look, the days are coming...when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah...I will put my teaching within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people...Look, the days are coming...when the city...will be rebuilt for the Lord" (vs. 31:31,33,38).

Through the circumstances and events of his life, God confirmed His word to Jeremiah.

When Second Is Best - Hebrews 10: 1-18

"He takes away the first to establish the second" (vs. 9).

In these verses the Hebrews writer makes a wonderful theological argument that the sacrifice of Christ on the cross replaced the Old Testament system of blood sacrifices and burnt offerings.

The Hebrews writer says that the Old Testament law was a representation of God's reality, not the reality itself: "The law has only a shadow of the good things to come, and not the actual form of these realities" (vs. 1).

In other words, the blood sacrifice and burnt offerings of animals had to be offered continually because they could never actually atone for human sins.

To reinforce his argument, the Hebrews writer asked a rhetorical question: If these sacrifices could atone for sin, then wouldn't they have stopped being offered once the worshipers were purified by the sacrifices?

Heavenly Invasion - Hebrews 6:4-5

"Those who were once enlightened, who tasted the heavenly gift, became companions with the Holy Spirit, tasted God’s good word and the powers of the coming age..."

I've lifted this phrase out of its context for a couple of reasons. The context of the verses is, of course, the (actual or rhetorical, depending upon your theological perspective) apostasy of believers in Christ.

First, it is beyond the scope of this meditation to defend one side or the other in  this long-standing debate over a doctrine of apostasy. Second, in the process of pointing out the effects of unfaithfulness, the Hebrews writer provides a comprehensive description of the way of life of the faithful follower of Christ, part of which I would like to consider here.

The Hebrews writer names five characteristics of a faithful follower. The faithful follower knows God's will, has received God's forgiveness and grace, has received the indwelling Holy Spirit, has been transformed by God's Word, and has experienced the powers of the coming age working in his or her life.

It is on the last item on this list of characteristics of faithful followers of Christ, "tasted... the powers of the coming age," that I want to focus in this meditation.