In the beginning, there is love, eternal love, the love of God.
‘Genesis’
means ‘beginning’. These opening verses challenge us to get our
priorities right - (a) The priority of God (Genesis 1:1). God comes
first. Before anyone else is mentioned, He is there. (b) The priority of
God’s Word (Genesis 1:3). God is the first to speak. Before any human
word is spoken, there is the Word of the Lord. (c) The priority of God’s
Spirit (Genesis 1:2). All was ‘empty’, all was ‘darkness’, yet the
‘Spirit of God’ was at work, and transformation was set in motion. Here,
we have God’s priorities, set out in the Bible’s first three verses -
Putting God first and listening to His Word, we are to pray for the
moving of God’s Spirit, ‘hovering over’ our lives to transform them. For
those who make God’s priorities their own, there is a promise of great
blessing (Psalm 1:1-2). It is the great blessing of knowing Jesus
Christ, our Saviour, as ‘God with us’ (Matthew 1:23).
God speaks,
and it is done (Genesis 1:3, 6-7, 11). God is pleased with what He has
done (Genesis 1:4, 10, 12). This is the pattern of God’s original
creation. It is to be the pattern of our life as a ‘new creation’ (2
Corinthians 5:17). God speaks to us and we say, ‘Your will be done’
(Matthew 6:10). We say, ‘let it be to me according to Your Word’ (Luke
1:38). God looks on such obedience, this ‘walking in the Spirit’
(Galatians 5:16, 22-23), and He sees that it is ‘good’ (Micah 6:8). In
these verses we read of the separation of the light and the darkness,
the separation of the waters and the dry land, and the fruitfulness of
God's creation. There are lessons for us here. We are to ‘walk in the
light’ (1 John 1:7). We are to let the Spirit's ‘living water’ flow in
us (John 7:39-39). Walking in the light, letting the living water flow -
this is the way of fruitfulness.
The Bible’s opening chapter is a
great hymn of praise, emphasizing that all things have been created for
the glory of God (Revelation 4:11). Nothing can be permitted to
distract our attention from the Lord. He alone is worthy of worship. The
creation of the ‘lights’ makes no reference to the sun and the moon.
These were worshipped by neighbouring peoples. They are not gods. They
are simply ‘lights’. Our worship is to be given to God alone. The waters
teemed with living creatures. The land produced living creatures. Here,
we have a picture of life. There is life where the living water of the
Spirit is flowing freely among God’s people (Ezekiel 47:5-9). This water
brings life to the land (Ezekiel 47:12). Moving with the flow of God’s
Spirit, we are to pray that ‘the water of life’ will flow freely ‘for
the healing of the nations’ (Revelation 22:2).
We now come to the
creation of humanity, male and female. Our creation is described in a
distinctive way - created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). We are
different from the rest of creation. We have been given dominion over
‘all the earth’ and ‘every living creature’ (Genesis 1:26, 28). We are
different from God. He is the Creator. We are His creation. Created in
God’s image, we have been created by Him and for Him. Though we have
sinned (Genesis 3, Romans 3:23), now - in Jesus Christ - we have begun
to live as a new creation (Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:9-10). The
Bible teaches us that Jesus Christ is God (John 1:1) and that ‘all
things were created by Him and for Him’ (Colossians 1:16). This is the
Saviour who is at work in us, enabling us to live as a new creation!
Creation has been ‘completed’ (2:1). Salvation will be completed
(Philippians 1:6)!
In the end, there will be love, eternal love, the love of God.
‘His
love endures for ever’. This is the great message contained in every
single verse of this Psalm. It’s a message worth repeating - over and
over again! God’s love is an everlasting love - ‘I have loved you with
an everlasting love’ (Jeremiah 31:3). God’s love is an unfailing love -
‘My unfailing love for you will not be shaken’ (Isaiah 54:10). Let us
‘give thanks’ to God for His love (Psalm 1-3, 26). In His love, the Lord
has provided for us ‘an everlasting salvation’. His ‘salvation will
last for ever’ (Isaiah 45:17; 51:6). We must not be like those who
refuse to love the Lord - ‘Pharaoh... great kings... mighty kings ...’
(Psalm 136:15, 17-20). Those who reject God’s love will not receive
‘eternal life’. Their future will be very different - the ‘raging fire
that will consume the enemies of God’ (John 3:16-18; Hebrews 10:26-27).
When you see a rainbow, remember there is love, eternal love, the love of God.
Here,
we pick up on the words of Genesis 7:16 - ‘the Lord closed the door
behind them’. What was going on outside of the ark is contrasted with
the haven of salvation inside the ark. What was it that made the ark a
place of salvation? - The Lord. What is it that makes Jesus Christ the
Source of our salvation? - God has given Him the Name that is above
every name, the Name of our salvation (Philippians 2:9-11; Acts 4:12).
From the ark, we learn of (a) the one way of salvation - The ark had
only one door. Jesus is ‘the Door’ which leads to salvation (John 10:9);
(b) the eternal security of salvation - All were safe inside the ark.
In Christ there is eternal security (John 10:28); (c) the absolute
necessity of salvation - Outside of the ark, there was certain death.
Refusal to come to Christ for salvation leads to judgment: ‘How shall we
escape...?’(Hebrews 2:3).
Following the flood, we have this simple
yet striking declaration: ‘the ground was dry’ (Genesis 8:13). Safe from
judgment! This is the message which comes to us from the Cross:
‘Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’ (John
1:29). The judgment has fallen upon Christ. We are no longer swept away
in the judgment. We can stand on solid ground: ‘On Christ the solid Rock
I stand’ (Church Hymnary, 411). He is our Support in ‘the whelming
flood’. God said to Noah, ‘Come out of the ship’ (Genesis 8:15). We are
in Christ. He is the Source of our salvation. God has brought us into
Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30). He does not bring us into Christ solely for
our own benefit. We are sent out to be fruitful (Genesis 8:17; John
15:16). We are to ‘abide in Christ’. This is the way of fruitfulness
(John 15:4-5). We are not sent out alone. Strengthened in ‘the ship’ (in
Christ), we step out with Christ and for Him.
‘When you see a
rainbow, remember God is love’. The rainbow reminds us of the gracious
promise of God (Genesis 9:13-15). If the love of God is revealed in the
rainbow, it is more fully revealed in the Cross: ‘We sing the praise of
Him who died, of Him who died upon the Cross... upon the Cross we see in
shining letters. ‘God is love’, He bears our sins upon the tree. He
brings us mercy from above’. When we read the Old Testament stories, we
must learn to see their place within the fuller Story, the Story of
God’s salvation: ‘I will sing the wondrous Story of the Christ who died
for me’. This is the greatest Story of all - ‘the Story of Jesus and His
glory, of Jesus and His love,... the Story of wonderful redemption,
God’s remedy for sin’. ‘This is our Story. This is our Song, praising
our Saviour all the day long’. This is ‘the Story to tell to the
nations’ (Church Hymnary, 258, 381, 132; Mission Praise, 59, 744).
Be still and know that there is love, eternal love, the love of God.
‘Be
still, and know that I am God...Shout to God with loud songs of joy’
(Psalm 46:10; 47:2). In our worship, there is to be both quiet trust and
loud praise. We read the great words: ‘God is our refuge and strength, a
very present help in trouble’ (Psalm 46:1). God’s Word brings peace -
‘in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength’. We must not
keep God’s blessing to ourselves. We must share it with joy - ‘Sing to
the Lord...let them shout from the top of the mountains. Let them give
glory to the Lord, and declare His praise in the coastlands’ (Isaiah
30:15; 42:10-12). The Lord is to be ‘exalted among the nations’. He is
not only ‘our King’. He is ‘the King of all the earth’ (Psalm 46:10;
47:6-7). ‘Father (Jesus/Spirit), we love You. We worship and adore You.
Glorify Your Name in all the earth’(Mission Praise, 142).
In Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, we see love, eternal love, the love of God.
Here,
we see Abraham in his relationship with the world (Genesis 21:22-34)
and his relationship with the Lord (Genesis 22:1-14). Abraham deals
honestly and wisely with the pagan king, Abimelech, who acknowledges
Abraham's closeness to God - ‘God is with you in all that you do’
(Genesis 21:22). We are to be honest and wise in our relationship with
the world (Romans 12:17; Colossians 4:5; Ephesians 5:15; 1 Peter 2:12).
Our relationship with the world is to be grounded in our relationship
with God. In the testing of Abraham, we catch a glimpse of ‘the Lamb of
God who takes away the sin of the world’ (John 1:29). Christ is the Lamb
whom God will provide (Genesis 22:8). In Genesis 22:14, we read, ‘On
the mount of the Lord it shall be provided’. On Calvary’s hill, Christ
died to bring us to God, so that we might learn to live for Him in this
world (1 Peter 3:18; 2:24).
After the renewal of God’s promise
(Genesis 22:15-18), Abraham went to Beersheba (Genesis 22:19). He
returned to the place where he had ‘called...on the Name of the Lord,
the Everlasting God’ (21:33). This is a good ‘place’ to be, the ‘place’
of calling on the Name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. As we read of
the death and burial of Sarah, we must remember this: the Lord is the
Everlasting God. The death of Sarah took place in God's time. Her death
signified that her work had been done. She had mothered the child of
promise. Beyond the death of Sarah, there was the continuing purpose of
God. The cave at Machpelah (23:19-20) became the burial place for Sarah,
Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Leah. We see the continuity of
history, and we thank God for His continuing faithfulness down through
the generations.
Our hope of eternal glory comes from love, eternal love, the love of God.
‘Thou
wilt show me the path of life; in Thy presence is fulness of joy; at
Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore’ (Psalm 16:11). In this
earthly life, there are many difficulties. For all of God’s people,
there is something better still to come. We must look not only at the
things which are happening now. We must look also to the glory which is
yet to come. Our hope of eternal glory is based on Christ’s
resurrection. David’s words (Psalm 16:8-11) are quoted by Peter in
connection with ‘the resurrection of the Christ’ (Acts 2:24-33). ‘Christ
has been raised from the dead...at His coming those who belong to
Christ...will be raised imperishable’ (1 Corinthians 15:20-23, 52). ‘The
Lord is my chosen portion...Therefore my heart is glad’ (Psalm 16:5,
9). Is this your testimony? Choose Christ and be glad.
In the redemption of Israel, we see love, eternal love, the love of God.
God
had redeemed His people. He was with them, and He was about to reveal
His saving power in a mighty way (Exodus 14:13-14). There is judgment as
well as salvation (Exodus 14:30). Looking to neither the ‘right’ nor
the ‘left’, we must look to the Lord (Exodus 14:21-22). Rejoicing in
‘the great work’ He has done, our faith ‘in the Lord’ grows strong
(Exodus 14:31).
God has given us a song to sing. We have a song to
sing. It is a song of redemption - God has redeemed His people; a song
of thanksgiving - we give thanks for God's redemption; and a song of
hope - we look forward to the complete fulfilment of God's redemption.
This is not only a ‘song of God’s people’. It is also the song of Moses,
a personal song. This is worship - not a mere formality, but worship
which arises from the depths of Moses’ heart. Deeply moved by the grace
and glory of God, Moses pours his heart out to God in worship: (i) He
praises the God of grace - ‘my strength... my song... my salvation’
(Exodus 15:2). (ii) He praises the God of glory - God triumphs
‘gloriously’ (Exodus 15:1). His ‘glorious’ power is demonstrated in His
‘glorious’ deeds (Exodus 15:6, 11). (iii) Worshipping this God of grace -
the redeeming God (Exodus 15:13) - and glory - the reigning God (Exodus
15:18) - , we say, ‘You are my God, and I will praise You’ (Psalm
118:28). Let us worship God - personally as well as publicly.
In the prophet’s words, we hear the Word of love, eternal love, the love of God.
The
Word of God is spoken - ‘Seek the Lord while He may be found...’
(Isaiah 55:6-7). No one seems to be listening. What are we to do? We
must remember God’s promise: ‘My Word will not return to Me empty’
(Isaiah 55:11). We do not see all that God is doing. He is doing much
more than we realize - ‘My thoughts are not your thoughts...’ (Isaiah
55:8-9). We may be feeling very despondent - ‘Master, we’ve worked hard
all night and haven’t caught anything’ (Luke 5:5). The Lord still comes
to us with His Word of encouragement: ‘You shall go out with joy...’
(Isaiah 55:12). Before there is joy, there may be many tears. When there
seems to be nothing but disappointments, we must remember the Lord’s
promise: ‘Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy...’ (Psalm
126:5-6). We must not ‘judge before the time...’ (1 Corinthians 4:5).
‘I
will praise You, O Lord... God is my Salvation... The Lord is my
Strength and my Song...’ (Isaiah 12:1-2). May this be our personal faith
– this is what the Lord means to me – and our public testimony - making
Christ ‘known among the nations’, telling ‘all the world’ what the Lord
has done for us (Isaiah 12: 4-5).
Be wise. Open your heart to love, eternal love, the love of God.
Hoping
for ‘good luck’, some people expect good things to happen to them - all
the time! God says, ‘Seek wisdom. Be ready for the hard times’. Wisdom
comes from God. He speaks to us with words of wisdom (Proverbs 2:6;
Proverbs 8:6-8). Wisdom is not only for ‘kings and rulers, princes and
nobles’. It is for everyone who loves the Lord (Proverbs 8:15-17).
Wisdom calls us to choose good rather than evil, life rather than death
(Proverbs 8:13, 35-36; Hebrews 5:14; Deuteronomy 30:19). The way of
wisdom is the way of happiness (Proverbs 8:32-34). Our path may not be
paved with gold. Wisdom is better than ‘silver, gold and jewels’
(Proverbs 8:10-11). Christ is our Wisdom. Receiving Him, we receive
wisdom. Growing in Him, we grow in wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:30; 2:6). As
you rejoice in Christ, remember: ‘He who wins souls is wise’ (Proverbs
11:30). Don’t keep Wisdom to yourself. Share Christ with others.
In
Proverbs 9:5, there is a Gospel invitation: ‘Come, eat of my bread and
drink of the wine I have mixed’. We eat bread. We drink wine. We
remember our Saviour (Matthew 26: 26-29). ‘The fear of the Lord is the
beginning of wisdom’ (Proverbs 9:10). ‘This sounds so old-fashioned’- so
the world tells us. ‘The fear of the Lord’- This is something we must
not forget. If we do not fear the Lord, we will forget Him. If we forget
Him, we are fools. What is foolishness? Is it a lack of education? No! -
It is a lack of obedience. When we do not ‘honour’ God, we are ‘without
sense’. ‘Claiming to be wise’, we show that we are ‘fools’. If we are
wise, we will keep ‘going straight on the way’, looking always to Jesus
Christ who is the true and living Way. He leads us from ‘the depths of
hell’ to the heights of heaven (Proverbs 8:13-18; Romans 1:21-22; John
14:2, 6).
In creation and Scripture, we see love, eternal love, the love of God.
God
reveals Himself in creation and Scripture. He speaks through His
created world. He speaks through His written Word. God is always
speaking. He is never silent. Through His created world, God is speaking
to us - every day, every night. He is showing us His glory (Psalm
19:1-2). He makes us aware of His presence. He whets our appetite for
His written Word. The Scriptures lead us to Christ. Through faith in
Him, we receive salvation (2 Timothy 3:15). Christ is the high-point of
God’s revelation. He is the living Word (John 1:1, 14). The testimony of
the Psalmist - ‘The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul’ (7) -
becomes real for us through faith in Christ - ‘I came to Jesus...My
soul revived and now I live in Him’ (Church Hymnary, 212). Make it real.
Come to Christ. Come alive in Him!
Through Christ, God looks upon us with love, eternal love, the love of God.
‘I
will look on you with favour’ (Ezekiel 36:9). Through Christ our
Saviour, God looks upon us with favour. Here are some words which will
help you to rejoice in the ‘wonderful grace of Jesus’ which is ‘greater
than all my sin’, the ‘wonderful grace of Jesus’ which ‘reaches me’.
‘Let me introduce you to a friend called Grace. Doesn’t care about your
past or your many mistakes. He’ll cover your sins in a warm embrace. Let
me introduce to a friend called Grace’. ‘His grace reaches lower than
your worst mistake and His love will run further than you can run away’.
‘He believes in lost causes when common sense would just give up. He
believes in lost causes and changes people with His love. There’s nobody
too far gone, no one beyond His reach. He believes in lost causes
‘cause He believed in me’. Let Jesus be your Joy!
May your soul be lifted up by love, eternal love, the love of God.
Three
times, the question is asked, ‘Why are you downcast, O my soul’. Three
times, the answer is given, ‘Put your hope in God’. Three times, there
is the response of faith: ‘I will yet praise Him, my Saviour and my God
(Psalms 42:5, 11; 43:5). Often, we are filled with questions. We must
bring our questions to God. We must learn to listen for His answers. The
Lord is speaking to us. Are we listening? God speaks to us through His
Word. Are we taking time to read His Word? He wants us to come to Him
with the prayer, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening’ (1 Samuel
3:8-10). Listen to the Word of the Lord. Let His Word be your Guide:
‘Send forth Your light and Your truth, let them guide me...’ (Psalm
43:5). ‘Deep calls to deep’ (Psalm 42:7) - Let ‘the Spirit’ show you
‘the deep things of God’ (1 Corinthians 2:10).
When the Spirit breathes upon us, we receive love, eternal love, the love of God.
It
was ‘a valley of dry bones’ (Ezekiel 37:1-2). Then, the Lord changed
everything - ‘I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live’
(Ezekiel 37:5). What a difference the Lord makes! ‘Breathe on me, Breath
of God. Fill me with life anew’ (Church Hymnary, 103). What happens
when the Spirit of the Lord breathes new life into the Church of God? -
‘The Church that seemed in slumber has now risen from its knees and dry
bones are responding with the fruits of new birth’. ‘Holy Spirit, we
welcome You. Let the breeze of Your presence flow that Your children
here might truly know how to move in the Spirit’s flow... Holy Spirit,
we welcome You. Please accomplish in us today some new work of loving
grace, we pray. Unreservedly, have Your way. Holy Spirit, we welcome
You’ (Mission Praise, 274, 241).
On the Lord’s pathway of victory, we see love, eternal love, the love of God.
The Psalmist prays, ‘Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord’ (Psalm 143:9).
He is not concerned only about his own welfare. He is concerned about
the glory of God: ‘For Your Name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life’
(Psalm 143:11). How does God lead us in victory? How is He glorified in
our lives? He brings to us the teaching of His Word - ‘Let the morning
bring me Word of Your unfailing love’ (Psalm 143:8). He gives to us the
strength of His Spirit - ‘May Your good Spirit lead me in good paths’
(Psalm 143:10). Through His Word and Spirit, God shows us His ‘unfailing
love’. He enables us to say, ‘You are my God’, ‘I have put my trust in
You’ and ‘I am Your servant’. He ‘shows us the way we should go’. He
‘teaches us to do His will’. He gives us victory over our ‘enemies’ (8,
10, 12).
In the story of God’s salvation, we see love, eternal love, the love of God.
In
Zephaniah 3, we have a story of sin - Woe to the city of oppressors,
rebellious and defiled! She has not obeyed His voice. She has not
accepted correction. She has not trusted in the Lord. She has not drawn
near to her God’ - and a story of salvation - ‘Sing, O Daughter of Zion;
shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O
Daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away your punishment. He has
turned back your enemy... The Lord your God is with you. He is mighty to
save. He will take great delight in you. He will renew you in His love.
He will rejoice over you with singing’ (Zephaniah 3:1-2, 14-17). The
story of our sin is full of sadness. The story of God’s salvation fills
us with gladness - ‘Rejoice and be glad! The Redeemer has come’ (Mission
Praise, 573).
Let us worship God: our response to love, eternal love, the love of God.
‘Exalt
the Lord our God... Make a joyful noise to the Lord’ (Psalms 99:5, 9;
98:4, 6; 100:1). We are to worship the Lord with joy. We are to glorify
God. We are to enjoy Him. In our worship, we must never forget the
holiness of God: ‘He is holy!... The Lord our God is holy!’ (Psalm 99:5,
9). In our worship, we rejoice in the love of God: ‘His steadfast love
endures for ever... He has done marvellous things!’ (Psalms 100:5;
98:1). The God of ‘awesome purity’ loves us with the most perfect love
of all: ‘No earthly father loves like Thee...’ Let us worship Him with
holy fear and heartfelt love: ‘O how I fear Thee, living God, with
deepest, tenderest fears... with trembling hope and penitential tears!
Yet I may love Thee too, O Lord, Almighty as Thou art, for Thou hast
stooped to ask of me the love of my poor heart’ (Church Hymnary, 356).
Living as a new creation: our response to love, eternal love, the love of God.
(a)
‘We know that our old self was crucified’ (Romans 6:6) - What a great
thing God has done! He has made you ‘a new creation in Christ’ (2
Corinthians 5:17). (b) ‘Consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God
in Christ Jesus’ (Romans 6:11) - Believe it. This is what the Lord has
done: ‘you are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit... the Spirit of
God dwells in you... Christ is in you... the Spirit of Him who raised
Jesus from the dead dwells in you... His Spirit dwells in you’ (Romans
8:9-11). (c) ‘Yield yourselves to God as men who have been brought from
death to life’ (Romans 6:13) - Act upon it’. ‘Walk in newness of life’
(Romans 6:4). Live as those whom God has made new. We are ‘not under law
but under grace’ (Romans 6:14). Keep your eyes fixed on the Saviour and
your obedience will be Gospel obedience and not merely legal obedience.
At the Cross of Christ, we see love, eternal love, the love of God.
‘The
Lord is high above all nations... Who is like the Lord our God, who is
seated on high?... Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, who
turns the hard rock into springs of water’ (Psalms 113:4-5; 114:7-8).
The Lord is greater than we could ever imagine. There is no greatness
like the greatness of the Lord. All human greatness cannot even begin to
compare with the greatness of God. His greatness is not only the
greatness of His power. It is also the greatness of His love. When we
sing, ‘How great Thou art’, we sing not only of His power - ‘Thy power
throughout the universe displayed’. We sing also of His love - ‘And when
I think that God His Son not sparing, sent Him to die - I scarce can
take it in, that on the Cross my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died
to take away my sin...’(Mission Praise, 506).
In the resurrection of Christ, we see love, eternal love, the love of God.
The
resurrection declares Christ’s victory over evil, the triumph of His
love. There is no need for fear: ‘He has risen’- His ‘perfect love casts
out fear’ (Matthew 28:5-6; 1 John 4:18). There has to be a new
beginning in faith. First, there was a new beginning ‘in fact - Christ
has been raised from the dead’ (1 Corinthians 15:20). Christ has won the
victory over the grave. Christ has taken the sting out of death (1
Corinthians 15:54-57). Between the new beginning in faith - making
disciples (Matthew 28:19) - and the new beginning in fact - Christ’s
resurrection - , there is worship (Matthew 28:9). The fact is not
dependent on our feelings. ‘He has risen’ (Matthew 28:6-7) - the fact
stands, even when many doubt and few worship (Matthew 28:17). As we
worship, we are strengthened in faith, strengthened for our task. We are
to invite people to come to the place where ‘they will see’ Jesus
(Matthew 28:10). We are to ‘make disciples’ (Matthew 28:19). Run and
tell - with great joy (Matthew 28:8)!
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