Restored Not Rebuilt

I heard this song a few days back.  And it spoke to my heart.  "I wasn't made to be tending a grave."  I am not rebuilt with my broken parts, patched back together again.  I am made for more than that.  I am fully restored and regenerated.  Made new.  I am not made to continually look at my sin, nursing my sorrow and guilt. I am made to look at my God, my Savior, and sing His praises, be filled with His joy, and live with His new life in me.  

This topic was also addressed in our Bible Study Fellowship class this week.  Restoration.  We were taken to Ezekiel 37:1-14   The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. 2 He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out. 3 Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?”  “O Sovereign Lord,” I replied, “you alone know the answer to that.”  4 Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! 6 I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”  7 So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons. 8 Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them.  9 Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’”  10 So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army.  11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel. They are saying, ‘We have become old, dry bones—all hope is gone. Our nation is finished.’ 12 Therefore, prophesy to them and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 When this happens, O my people, you will know that I am the Lord. 14 I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done what I said. Yes, the Lord has spoken!’”

God opened the grave for His people to be reborn and to live, not to stand at and weep.  He put new life into them.  Ezekiel 36:26-27 26 And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.  We are given a new heart, new breath, and made alive with His Spirit.  

What spoke to me in this song and in this lesson, what I feel God is really wanting me to understand is that I am not redeemed to my former broken state (the quote from our BSF lecture is "He doesn't redeem them back to their broken state so they find themselves in some desperate cycle of failure.).  I am redeemed to a complete regeneration of my spirit by the Lord's Spirit.  Made new.  

There are circumstances in my life, relationships I am in that I've been praying about for years.  Progress is slow and some days seems non-existent, and sometimes it seems to get worse.  These relationships started as broken.  But now I know that God does not want to bring the relationships and circumstances back to what they were, but to totally transform them into something new and beautiful, alive and flourishing.  

The more I look at this truth, this reality of regeneration, the more I will fulfill it in my daily walk with God.  The less I focus on the failure, the deadness, on what is broken and not working, the more I can set my mind on trusting God to fulfill all His promises of new life and wholeness.  This lesson, these God visits strung together have raised the flag of hope in my heart and I go forward today  knowing my Lord is at work and has victory in mind.  

Lord, give us the surety that You do not want us standing at a grave, mourning our brokeness, the deadness in our lives.  Instead, You want us to celebrate the new life You have put into us, the new breath and hearts You've given to Your children.  I think we forget this all too often.  I know I do.  You haave made us for so much more, You have such wonderful plans for us, even when it feels hard and when the victory seems so far off.  Thankk You for that victory.  It is ours because of our Savior.  We love and worship You for You goodness to us.  Lord, help us to walk as if we were made new because we are.  In the Name of our mighty Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen 

Newness

 14 One day the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and asked him, “Why don’t your disciples fast like we do and the Pharisees do?”  15 Jesus replied, “Do wedding guests mourn while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.  16 “Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before.  17 “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved.”

This passage has always been unclear to me.  I had a vague understanding of it, but it didn't shine brightly with clarity in my mind or my heart.  Today, while listening to J Vernon McGee explain it, the light bulb finally went on.  

He explained it this way.  He called this passage a "change in dispensations," meaning we were changing from the law of the Old Testament to the grace of the New Testament.  We were no longer under the law but under the grace of God.  Romans 6:14 Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

This I understood.  But what really opened these verses up to me was when Pastor McGee said that Jesus came not to patch an old garment, but to bring us a new garment.  Jesus comes and gives us a new garment, meaning the robe of righteousness.  When I think about this, I see the patches under the law as the sacrifices of lambs and goats.  They patched up people when they sinned.  But Jesus, He uses no patches, the shedding of His blood gives us a whole new garment that cannot become stained or ruined.  It's His.  His own perfect, eternal, complete righteousness.  

The new wine (grace) could not go into the old wineskins.  The old wine, the law, had done all it could, it was our guardian.  Galatians 3:23-24 23 Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed.  24 Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. 25 And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian.

But the Gospel of Jesus, the grace of our Lord, is expansive, it cannot be contained in the Old Testament law.  Think about when Jesus spoke about the law in the sermon on the mount.  He went so much deeper than just "Do not... or Do this...."  He went to the heart.  What the law was supposed to be in our hearts, a Spirit led change of thinking and doing and feeling could not be contained in a system of laws.  Grace does that.  The law does not.  

This whole discourse given by Pastor McGee really made this so much more sense to me than any other teaching ever had.  It let me see it in a way that was clear.  I think it was the new garment, the robe of righteousness that gave me a clear picture in my mind, and I needed that.  I pray that you will enjoy seeing it this way as well.  

Lord, Your Word is alive!  There is always something new, always a beautiful gem to be had.  It always goes deeper and deeper, changing our sight and our hearts.  Thank You!  You are amazing and Your Word is our bread!  Let each of us never tire of reading and studying it. Let it be our life!  In the Name of the One who saves us and gives us His own righteousness, Jesus.  Amen. 

Troubled Waters, from Mom

 The times we live in are so filled with troubles and chaos.  So many are lost in darkness, hatred, lies, anger, purposelessness.  We have quite the task of reaching this world, our countries, cities and even our own families with the Gospel, of being salt and light in this tasteless dark place.  But we are not without power or purpose.  We have been given the authority of our Lord and the power of the Holy Spirit to both lead and guide and work.  No weapon turned against us will succeed (Isaiah 54:17).  Whether we live in our own personal troubled waters or are just trying to navigate through living this in this daily world of turmoil, God is with us.  He has us in the palm of His hands.  He holds us and will be with us every step of the way.  Let's explore what Mom put down in her journal for this topic. 

Psalm 34 I will praise the Lord at all times.  I will constantly speak his praises.  2 I will boast only in the Lord; let all who are helpless take heart.  3 Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt his name together.  4 I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.  He freed me from all my fears.  5 Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.  6 In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened; he saved me from all my troubles.  7 For the angel of the Lord is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear him.  8 Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!  9 Fear the Lord, you his godly people, for those who fear him will have all they need.  10 Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry,  but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.  11 Come, my children, and listen to me, and I will teach you to fear the Lord.  12 Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous?  13 Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies!  14 Turn away from evil and do good.  Search for peace, and work to maintain it.  15 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right; his ears are open to their cries for help.  16 But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil; he will erase their memory from the earth.  17 The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help.  He rescues them from all their troubles.  18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.  19 The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.  20 For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous;  not one of them is broken!  21 Calamity will surely destroy the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be punished.  22 But the Lord will redeem those who serve him.  No one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

We learn in troubled waters.  We acknowledge and face the difficulty and allow God into it.  We rely on God's promises.  He will keep His divine eyes on us.  Open yourself to His guidance through this difficulty.  Maintain a really strong desire to follow God's way.  Be willing to be taught by God.  Have a willing spirit so we can be open to learn what God wants to teach us.  Yield to His will, commit to Him and walk by faith not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).  God asks that we have a tender heart and a teachable spirit.

John 15:5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.  Acknowledge our helplessness without Jesus.   

2 Chronicles 20:1-15  After this, the armies of the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites declared war on Jehoshaphat. 2 Messengers came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army from Edom is marching against you from beyond the Dead Sea. They are already at Hazazon-tamar.” (This was another name for En-gedi.)  3 Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the Lord for guidance. He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting. 4 So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the Lord’s help.  5 Jehoshaphat stood before the community of Judah and Jerusalem in front of the new courtyard at the Temple of the Lord. 6 He prayed, “O Lord, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you! 7 O our God, did you not drive out those who lived in this land when your people Israel arrived? And did you not give this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham? 8 Your people settled here and built this Temple to honor your name. 9 They said, ‘Whenever we are faced with any calamity such as war, plague, or famine, we can come to stand in your presence before this Temple where your name is honored. We can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and rescue us.’  10 “And now see what the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir are doing. You would not let our ancestors invade those nations when Israel left Egypt, so they went around them and did not destroy them. 11 Now see how they reward us! For they have come to throw us out of your land, which you gave us as an inheritance. 12 O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”  13 As all the men of Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, wives, and children, 14 the Spirit of the Lord came upon one of the men standing there. His name was Jahaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite who was a descendant of Asaph.  15 He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 

No problem is bigger than God.  Keep our eyes on Jesus.  Wait on Him.  His plans vill be completed for us.   Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.  (I added that)

Walk with Jesus through troubled waters.  He instructs us--"wait on Him" and He will give us insight into our situation and what steps to take.  He teaches us how to apply the truth He has given us.  Meditate on Scripture, the relevance of God's Word will be revealed by Him to our problem.  He guides us as He keeps watch over us.  The Holy Spirit gives us spiritual promptings to guide our actions and decisions. 

Psalm 93:3-4 The floods have risen up, O Lord.  The floods have roared like thunder;  the floods have lifted their pounding waves.  4 But mightier than the violent raging of the seas,  mightier than the breakers on the shore—the Lord above is mightier than these!  The storm will not last forever, cling to the Lord's promises.  

Romans 8:28-39 28 And we know that God causes everything to work together[m] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn[n] among many brothers and sisters. 30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.  31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.  35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.  38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[p] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him  Trust Him and be encouraged.  Life is continually changing, one problem is settled and then a new challenge pops up.  But we are to be confident in God.  He will continually walk us through each season of our life, each trouble of our day and not once will He fail us.  Whether we walk through our own personal trials or those that come from living in a world that hates God and His children, we never walk alone, we are never without His strength, and at the right time His plan will be revealed.   Proverbs 4:18 But the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.

Lord, we walk in a dark place, but we don't walk without light.  Each day brings troubles, each day brings new challenges, but You are with us.  This world is a chaotic, evil place where Satan seems to be winning.  But we know that is not true.  The battle belongs to You and we know the ending.  Jesus wins!!  Help us to keep our eyes on the prize, our eternal life with You.  Help us to store up for ourselves treasures in heaven and not be sidetracked or distracted by the things of this world.  Let us cling to You, keep our eyes on You and live by the faith You've given us.  Discouragement comes easily but You cause us to be overcomers.  Thank You for all Your promises.  We know they never fail.  It's in the Name of Jesus our mighty Savior and Sustainer we pray.  Amen.  

Lord, I also want to say a prayer for the family and friends of Charlie Kirk.  Once again evil has raised its ugly head and snuffed our a bright light for You.  Or so it seems   But Your Word and work continue on.  Please keep his wife and children in Your loving arms.  Comfort them and surround them with Your Presence.  We have lost a big voice for You, but Your voice will always come through.  Rest in peace Charlie Kirk, you've come to your reward.  Well done good and faithful servant.  (Matthew 25:21)