Gifts can come in all shapes and sizes. There are square ones, round ones, and ones with truly odd shapes–tricky to wrap! There are tiny presents, and bigger ones, and really big ones too large to get into the house.
One Christmas, we wanted to give our son a present he had been requesting for a long time. It was actually quite small, but we decided to disguise it. So it would be a total surprise, we wrapped it in layer upon layer of paper, and put it in a large box. It worked. He was astonished and delighted when he got to the last layer and discovered his treasure.
Yes, gifts come in many shapes and sizes. So do idols. We have all seen pictures of the false gods of other lands or other times. A bird, or a cow, or other animal. Or some fantastic creature with an animal’s head and a man’s body, a nightmarish beast that was the product of superstitious imagination. There is an endless variety.
We usually think of an idol as being an object of wood or stone. But they can include intangible things as well. An “idol” is something that becomes the object and focus of special devotion. It takes the priority, and has a major and controlling influence on the decisions and behaviour of the devotee.
In this broader sense, there can be invisible idols too, things such as my plans, or my opinions, or my desires, or my habits. If they begin to dominate my schedule and mould my conduct, they could be thought of as idols. If we understand their true nature, it takes little thought to realize it is not only ancient or primitive tribes who have idols. Modern secularists can be idolaters too. So can Christians (cf. Col. 3:5).
There can be things in our lives that tend to crowd God out, competing with our whole-hearted allegiance to Him. Jesus said the “first and great commandment” is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matt. 22:37-38). Anything that hinders that allegiance could be classified as an idol. No wonder John’s urgent and departing word to the readers of his first epistle is “Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (I Jn. 5:21). Such things can prevent us from wholeheartedly obeying God’s will.
As Cecil Frances Alexander (1818-1895) pondered that truth one day, she thought about Peter and Andrew, called away from the fishing trade to follow Christ (Matt. 4:18-20). They responded promptly, but it might have been otherwise. What if they had refused? Those nets could have ensnared more than fish! Their habitual routine could have been their idol, causing them to say “No” to Jesus.
With that in mind, Mrs. Alexander wrote the hymn, Jesus Calls Us, in 1852, stressing the priority of the Master’s call. It begins, “Jesus calls us; o’er the tumult of our life’s wild, restless sea, / Day by day His sweet voice soundeth, saying, ‘Christian, follow Me.'”
A later stanza adds, “Jesus calls us from the worship / Of the vain world’s golden store, / From each idol that would keep us, / Saying, ‘Christian, love Me more’.” We’re called away from a hollow and unworthy devotion to anything that would ensnare and keep us bound, each worthless idol that would rob us of our freedom to live for Christ.
To crave anything more than we desire Him is idolatry. To put anything ahead of loving Christ, and serving Christ, is to allow a false god to crowd Him out of His rightful place. God the Father’s design is “that in all things He [Christ] may have the preeminence” (Col. 1:18). If that is not so in our lives, there could well be some idol in the way. May the Lord deliver us from each idol that would keep us from Him.
“Is my name written there?” became an important question to my wife and me. The telephone has made it simple to book accommodations at a distant place when we travel. But given that we are dealing with imperfect human beings, such services are not always reliable. Mistakes can be made. I recall that happening on a trip my wife and I made, several years ago. When we arrived, there were no reservations recorded in our name, in spite of the fact that I had been assured on the phone that there would be. It was only after driving wearily from one place to another, and still another, that we finally found a bed for the night.
Praise the Lord, He does not keep records in a careless and uncertain fashion! Heaven’s record books about our lives are both accurate and scrupulously thorough. In particular, there is one book whose contents should concern us above all others. It is called “The Book of Life.” That book is mentioned eight times in the New Testament. Once, it is called “the Lamb’s Book of Life”–the book belonging to the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ (Rev. 21:27).
Jesus speaks of the importance of having our names being “written in heaven” (Lk. 10:20). That addresses the vital function of the Book. It is a listing of those, from the beginning to the end of time, who have been granted eternal salvation. We must be certain that, when we are called to stand before the Lord, our names will be found in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
The issue concerned Mary Kidder years ago. Born Mary Ann Pepper (1820-1905), it is said she was blinded in her teens, but slowly recovered her sight. And she lived most of her life in New York City. We know little more about her, except that she had a gift for writing poetry. Mrs. Kidder penned about a thousand hymns, but only one remains in common use. In a song published in 1878, she asks, “Is My Name Written There?” meaning in the Book of Life. Good question! No other query should take priority over that one. As the author puts it, “Lord, I care not for riches, neither silver nor gold; I would make sure of heaven, I would enter the fold.”
So how does one do that? To be found in the Lamb’s Book of Life requires being rightly related to the Lamb! It will mean we have personally claimed His sacrifice on the cross as the one and only payment for our sins. As a verse of our hymn says, “Lord, my sins they are many, like the sands of the sea, / But Thy blood, O my Saviour, is sufficient for me; / For Thy promise is written, in bright letters that glow, / ‘Though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them like snow.'”
God’s Word promises “as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God–to those who believe in His name” (Jn. 1:12). His name represents His authority and His ability to save, as expressed in the name “Jesus,” meaning Jehovah is Salvation (or simply Saviour). The Apostle Paul states it succinctly: “I declare to you the gospel….That Christ died for our sins” (I Cor. 15:1, 3). That is how to be saved.
But can we know, for certain, now, that we are saved? Yes! “This is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life….These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God [says John], that you may know that you have eternal life” (I Jn. 5:11-13). On the basis of God’s promise, those who have trusted in Christ as Saviour can say, as Mary Ann Kidder does in the last verse of her hymn, “Yes, my name’s written there, on the page bright and fair!”
The word “heart” is used some 765 times in our English Bibles–nearly 900 times, if you count all the compound words like “hardhearted.” A few of these refer to the actual physical organ. (The Greek word for “heart” is kardia, from which we get words like cardiac and cardiology.) But by far the most times the word is used it is speaking of something different.
In the Bible, the word heart refers most often to: the conscious self, the whole inner person, including the mind, will and emotions. Our heart, in this sense, is the very centre and core of our being.
The symbolism is appropriate. Our physical heart is a vital organ, absolutely essential to our physical lives. In a way it is the centre of our physical being, because it pumps life-sustaining blood throughout all of the body. As The Bible says, “the life of the flesh is in the blood” (Lev. 17:11), and that life flows from the heart. So it is fitting that the Bible also uses the word heart of that which is at the very centre of our spiritual lives.
It should be noted further that God’s Word places a priority on spiritual matters, over those of our physical being. “The Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (I Sam. 16:7). So Peter says, “Do not let your adornment be merely outward…rather let it be the hidden person of the heart” (I Pet. 3:3-4). The whole “Hollywood” approach that glorifies outward beauty and attractiveness–seemingly above all–has it wrong. God is first of all concerned with what’s inside us. Our priority in life must be on beautifying that!
Note: The references in this study are based on the King James Version and New King James Version. Sometimes, other translations do not use the actual word “heart.” Though it is definitely found in the original Hebrew and Greek, you may need to compare one version with another to find the word in English.
1) It was noted above that our “heart” includes: our mind (the thinking part of us), our emotions (the feeling part of us), and our will (the choosing and deciding part of us). Check the following Scriptures, and see if you can detect which of the three is meant in each case: the mind, the will, the emotions. (Sometimes it may be more than one.) a) Matt. 5:28
b) Matt. 9:3-4
c) Lk. 24:32
d) Lk. 24:38
e) Acts 2:37
f) Acts 11:23
g) Acts 21:13
h) Rom. 6:17
i) II Cor. 9:7
j) Heb. 4:12.
Insight: The Bible states that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). That suggests the character of the heart of the unsaved person will be a direct contrast to the perfect righteousness and purity of God. In the following passages, see how the Word of God describes the unregenerate human heart.
2) What is it about the heart of the unsaved that God detests (Prov. 16:5)?
3) According to Jeremiah, what are some serious problems with the heart of man (Jer. 17:9; 49:19)?
4) What is another serious problem in the heart of man (Jer. 5:23)?
4b) And what is an associated condition to this that makes the problem uncorrectable (Rom. 2:5)?
5) When a human being defiantly sets his course against the will of God, and utterly refuses to change, what does God do (Rom. 1:21-32–especially vs. 21, 24, 26, 28)?
6) What is another serious condition of the heart of man (Eph. 4:18)?
7) What kind of behaviour originates in the heart (Matt. 12:34; Mk. 7:21-23)?
Insight: Other passages emphasize that the heart of the unsaved person by its basic nature and tendency is: hateful (Lev. 19:17; lustful (Prov. 6:25); and covetous (II Pet. 2:14). It is not a pretty picture. Though his behaviour often appears charitable, cultured, clever–and even religious–these things lurk in the sin nature of man, seeking an opportunity to break forth. But God, in grace, has provided a remedy for our “heart trouble.”
8) What fact about God is both fearful and reassuring (Ps. 44:20-21; also spoken of in I Chron. 28:9; Jer. 12:3)?
9) In answer to a condition described in Question #6, what does God do for the heart (Acts 16:14; II Cor. 4:6)?
Insight: When a person puts his faith in Christ as Saviour, he is born again, spiritually (Jn. 1:12-13). This is a work of the Spirit of God. And the Holy Spirit also takes residence within the individual (I Cor. 6:19).
10) What else does God promise to do for the heart (Ezek. 36:26-27)?
Insight: This is Ezekiel’s statement of the New Covenant, a covenant of grace made with the nation of Israel (Jer. 31:31), that includes the inward spiritual transformation of the Jewish people (Ezek. 36:26-27; cf. Jer. 31:31-34), and their restoration to the Promised Land in the last days (Ezek. 36:28-38; cf. Jer. 31:35-40). The national aspects of the covenant will not come into effect until Christ returns (Rom. 11:26-27). But more than Israel is affected by it–as with the Abrahamic Covenant, by which not only Israel but “all the families of the earth” are blessed (Gen. 12:3). The New Covenant rests upon the redemptive work of Christ (I Cor. 11:25). Through Him, by faith, individuals today may receive spiritual benefits described in the covenant (II Cor. 3:6; Heb. 9:15).
10b) What new ability and capacity does the heart have, through the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5; Gal. 5:22)?
11) What else does the presence of the Holy Spirit within mean to us (II Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:13-14)?
12) What does the Lord promise the one who trusts in Him (Ps. 27:14)?
Insight: The Lord is also able to “establish” (strengthen and stabilize) our hearts (I Thess. 3:12-13), and “enlarge” them (Ps. 119:32), giving us a greater capacity to know and love Him. But there is in each of the above a certain responsibility placed upon the individual as well, both to receive the work of God, by faith, and cooperate with Him in what He is doing.
13) What is one thing God expects us to do with our hearts (Prov. 4:23)?
14) What can happen to hinder God’s work in us (Ps. 66:18)?
14b) Of what are we to be cautious (Heb. 3:12)?
15) What kind of heart does God commend (II Kgs. 22:19; Ps. 51:17)?
16) What does “the Great Commandment” tell us to do (Mk. 12:30)?
Insight: In a related passage, Peter exhorts us to “sanctify the Lord God in [our] hearts” (I Pet. 3:15). He means we should reverence Him, and give Him His rightful place in our hearts and lives. Hannah’s testimony was, “My heart rejoices in the Lord” (I Sam. 2:1). Her lifelong desire to have a child had just been fulfilled. But her greatest joy was found not in God’s gift, but in knowing and serving the Giver Himself.
17) What else are we to do wholeheartedly (Prov. 3:5)?
18) And what else are we to do (Eph. 6:6)?
19) What is another thing that should characterize the believer’s heart (Rom. 10:1)?
Insight: This brief study cannot cover all that the Bible has to say on this fascinating subject. But it is hoped that what is included will enable each of us to aspire effectively to the kind of heart described by Charles Wesley in his hymn: “O for a heart to praise my God, / A heart from sin set free, / A heart that always feels Thy blood / So freely shed for me! A heart resigned, submissive, meek, / My great Redeemer’s throne; / Where only Christ is heard to speak, / Where Jesus reigns alone. A heart in every thought renewed, / And full of love divine; / Perfect, and right, and pure, and good, / A copy, Lord, of Thine!”
In the Garden is a gospel song with more meaning than some have realized. Here is its story.
C. S. Lewis, author of the Narnia children’s books, was an Oxford scholar of some note. In middle age, he also became a staunch defender of the Christian faith. A few years before his death in 1963, Lewis penned his autobiography, telling of his conversion from atheism to faith in Christ. He called the book Surprised by Joy. And “joy,” for the author, meant much more than mere happiness. He would describe it as child-like wonderment, resulting from a glimpse of the eternal. Even before he realized it, his whole life to that point had been a search for such joy. Then he found it in an unexpected place–in a personal encounter with the Lord Jesus.
The Apostle Paul could have said something similar. Heading for Damascus, “breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord” (Acts 9:1), he was confronted by the living Christ. His life was never the same again. In a vital relationship with the One he’d previously opposed, Paul found his heart suffused by joy. He writes on the theme in Philippians, referring to joy some sixteen times. He reminds us we Christians have a profound reason to rejoice in Christ (Phil. 3:3); that we should rejoice whenever Christ is faithfully proclaimed (1:18); and that even making a great sacrifice for Christ is cause for rejoicing (2:17-18).
Another who was surprised by joy is Mary Magdalene (Jn. 20:1-18). After Jesus was crucified, she came to the garden tomb early Sunday morning, only to find the stone rolled back from the entrance, and the tomb empty. Not comprehending the true meaning of what she witnessed, Mary began to weep. Then turning, she saw a stranger standing nearby. In the half-light of the predawn, her eyes dimmed by tears, she did not recognize who it was, but assumed he must be the gardener, hired to care for the property where the tomb was located.
Thinking perhaps he was responsible for what had happened, she said, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him.” But at that, Jesus (for it was He) simply spoke her name, “Mary!” She immediately recognized Him, overwhelmed by the utterly unexpected joy of hearing once more the sound of His voice. Mary sought to hold on to Him, as if to keep Him with her forever.” But gently the Lord responded, “Do not cling to Me.” Instead, He sent her to carry a message to His followers.
Austin Miles (1868-1946), a one-time pharmacist, turned hymn writer, was meditating on this lovely account at Easter time in 1912 when, as he tells it, “I seemed to be a part of the scene. I became a silent witness to that dramatic moment in Mary’s life, when she knelt before her Lord, and cried, ‘Rabboni!'” Inspired by his vivid mental picture of the incident, Mr. Miles wrote the words and music for the popular gospel song “In the Garden.” It begins, “I come to the garden alone, / While the dew is still on the roses; / And the voice I hear, falling on my ear, / The Son of God discloses. / And He walks with me, and He talks with me, / And He tells me I am His own, / And the joy we share as we tarry there, / None other has ever known.”
The hymn has been called sentimental and meaningless–which it might be if just any “garden” were in view. But the author had a specific one in mind. And he wanted to capture something of the emotion Mary experienced. Miles comments, “Just one word from His lips, and forgotten the heartaches, the long dreary hours….All the past blotted out in the presence of the Living Present and the Eternal Future.” Mary had been surprised by joy–a joy like no other. Many who have found the living Christ would say the same. And “though now [we] do not see Him, yet believing, [we] rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory” (I Pet. 1:8).
What had she done with her life? That question challenged a young woman named Frances Ridley Havergal (1836-1879). When she was twenty-two, she went to visit relatives in Germany. One day, she came in from an excursion, weak and weary. She seated herself in the parlour to rest and, looking up, observed a large painting of Christ.
In the picture, Jesus is stripped to the waist, bound, and crowned with thorns. Pilate, is in the act gesturing toward Him, calling to the boisterous crowd below, “Ecce homo!” (Behold, the Man!) Beneath the painting Miss Havergal read these words: “This have I done for thee; what hast thou done for Me?” The penetrating question stirred her heart, moving her to tears. She found a scrap of paper and a pencil, and quickly created a poem on the theme.
On her return to England, Frances Havergal re-read the words she had written. Thinking they were not worth keeping, she threw them into the fire. However, a sudden downdraft blew the scorched paper out into the room again. It was later found by her father, who read the lines and urged her to have them published. That is the origin of our hymn, “I Gave My Life for Thee,” with its corresponding question, What hast thou done for Me?”
The hymn begins, “I gave My life for thee, My precious blood I shed, / That thou might’st ransomed be, and quickened from the dead; / I gave, I gave My life for thee, what hast thou given for Me?”
The point, of course, is not that the Lord requires us to somehow pay Him for Calvary. That is an impossibility. Salvation is offered as a free gift to be received in faith. Christ has paid its full price. The Bible says salvation is “by grace”–God’s unmerited favour, and “not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Eph. 2:8-9).
Not only that. By grace He has already conferred upon the Christian every spiritual blessing–either as ours to claim now, or reserved for us in heaven (Eph. 1:3; I Pet. 1:3-4). These are ours apart from anything we have done or could do for Him.
By grace through faith we are saved eternally and accounted as “complete in Him” (Col. 2:10). Good works are irrelevant to the principle of grace, at least in terms of earning it. Grace that is somehow earned is no more grace (Rom. 4:4-5; cf. 3:24).
If all the riches of grace already belong to the child of God, trying to earn them is an insult the Giver–like trying to pay someone for a birthday gift. What we do after accepting God’s free grace is not a payment for it, but a loving response to it. Our conduct under grace is to arise from grateful hearts, freely responding to what God has done.
The motivation is not an iron-bound obligation. Instead, it is the Christian’s willing expression of love that provides an answer to the question, “What hast thou done for Me?” As Paul puts it, “the love of Christ compels us” (II Cor. 5:14). It urges and impels us to respond in kind. It becomes, in the words of J. B. Phillips’s paraphrase, “the very spring of our actions.”
Repeatedly, in the epistles, God’s Word “beseeches” us (pleads with us) to live for Him, on the basis of all that grace has accomplished. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God [after all that God has done for you], that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service” (Rom. 12:1; cf. Eph. 4:1).
The believer is invited to gaze into the thorn-crowned face of the Saviour, reflecting upon all that God has given him, in Christ. Then, spurred on by love, and empowered by the Spirit of God, his overflowing heart can only compel him to surrender all to God and live to serve Him.
The Lord’s Prayer is recited word for word, week after week, in many churches. However, that was not the Lord’s intent in teaching it. We read of no one in the New Testament ever offering this prayer. Also, Luke records a slightly different version of it–which would be a problem if we were always to use these exact words. Rather than words to recite over and over, it seems to be a suggested pattern showing the kind of things that ought to be included. To simply repeat these words over and over could become an example of the kind of “vain repetition [mindless babble]” the Lord condemns (Matt. 6:7-8).
For Jesus’ listeners, there was nothing particularly new in the prayer . All of the basic truths in it can be found in the Old Testament. However the teachings of the rabbis had encrusted the subject of prayer (and many other topics) with unbiblical traditions and practices (cf. Matt. 6:5). No wonder one of the disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Lk. 11:1). His answer gets us back to the essence of what prayer is all about.
About The Musical Version
Flickering images danced across the screen in the darkened projection room as the musician watched. During his time at the Disney Studios, it was Al Malotte’s job to compose background music for the antics of characters in the “Silly Symphonies” and other animated features. But he had a more serious side. Albert Hay Malotte (1895-1964) was also a virtuoso on the organ. And though he remained in Hollywood, occasionally writing music for films, he soon focused on his first love, playing and teaching the organ. A Presbyterian layman, Mr. Malotte also wrote sacred music.
One day in 1934, the composer sat listening to the radio–the weekly broadcast of hymn selections by an extraordinary singer named John Charles Thomas. The son of a pastor, Mr. Thomas went on to star on Broadway, and at the Metropolitan Opera, giving concert performances across America and in other countries as well. A music critic once stated he had one of the three greatest voices he ever heard. He was also the vocal coach for a young, up-and-coming gospel soloist named George Beverly Shea.
As Malotte listened to the radio, deeply impressed by the singer’s God-given gift, he made a decision. He would write a piece of sacred music especially for John Charles Thomas to sing. The text he chose was from Matthew’s Gospel. And the result is a piece many of us have heard from time to time at weddings and other special events. It is Albert Hay Malotte’s beautiful setting of “The Lord’s Prayer.”
The Lord’s Prayer Bible Study
Though the Bible passage is commonly known as the Lord’s Prayer, it has been pointed out it could more precisely be labelled the Disciples’ Prayer. It is intended for His followers, not for Christ Himself. (Jesus had no need to ask for forgiveness of sins.) In fact, this prayer seems especially suited to God’s people gathering together to pray. Each of the personal pronouns is plural (our, us). We would be less likely to pray that way in our personal devotions (cf. Matt. 6:6).
And we should also note the time and the audience of the prayer. It was given to the believing Jews, before the cross. This does not make it inappropriate for Christians to use. However, there are many things the prayer does not contain which have become relevant now. There is nothing here about the death and resurrection of Christ, nothing about the birth of the church at Pentecost. Nor is the prayer offered “in Jesus’ name,” as we now are to pray (cf. Jn. 14:13-14; 15:16; 16:23-24). The latter only became appropriate after Christ’s ascension to take up His work as our great High Priest. Nonetheless, there is a great deal here which can be instructive for us.
1) Looking an outline of the prayer (below), what do you notice about the order of things?
Introductory Address(I). Prayer for God’s Glory(A). The Reverence of His Name(B). The Coming of His Earthly Kingdom(C). The Accomplishment of His Will(II). Prayer for Human Needs(A). Daily Sustenance(B). Forgiveness of Sins(C). Protection from the Evil One Concluding Doxology
Insight: The pattern is similar to that of the “Ten Commandments” which introduce the Law of Moses (Exod. 20:1-17). It begins with a focus on the honour and glory of God, and then moves on to the practical concerns of human beings.
2) What lesson is there in this for our own prayers?
3) To whom should prayer be addressed, according to vs. 9?
Insight: This is in keeping with God’s instructions to the church as well. “For through Him [Christ], we both [Jew and Gentile] have access by one Spirit to the Father” (Eph. 2:18). Since both the Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus Christ are fully God, it is not necessarily wrong to pray to them. But that is not the pattern God has given us. We should address our prayers to our Heavenly Father, in Jesus’ name [His authority], depending on the aid of the Spirit of God (Rom. 8:26-27). God is spoken of as our “Father” in every New Testament book but one (the little book of III John).
4) Who are the ones who can rightly call God “our Father”?
Insight: We are able to draw near to God because of the “new and living way” opened up for us “by the blood of Jesus” (Heb. 10:19-22). This does not mean God may not graciously respond to the prayer of an unsaved person, but that is the exception. If we have not trusted in the finished work of Christ, we are not on praying ground, because we are not part of the family of God (Jn. 1:12; Gal. 3:26).
Insight: The word “hallowed” is a form of a word also translated sanctified, holy, and saint. It means: separated or set apart, set apart from evil and unto what is good and righteous. The “name” of God represents His Person.
5) With the above facts in mind, what does it mean to pray that God’s name be hallowed?
Insight: This is certainly done in heaven. But as with the next two petitions the desire here is to see the same thing taking place on earth.
6) What kind of behaviour represents the opposite of hallowing God’s name?
7) There is also a kind of phoney version of hallowing God’s name. What is it (Matt. 15:8)?
Insight: The next petition requires an understanding of what is meant by the “kingdom.” God is absolutely sovereign over the entire universe. Nothing that exists is outside His control. In that sense the earth is already part of His universal kingdom, so that is not what is in view. In another sense, when we are born again we become a part of a spiritual kingdom (Jn. 3:3; Col. 1:12-13). Then Christ rules in our hearts. But more than that is intended here.
The reference is to what theologians call the mediatorial kingdom, God’s rule administered on earth through a human representative or mediator. In the beginning, Adam was commissioned with that task (Gen. 1:26, 28), but he failed through sin. It will be Christ, at His second coming, who succeeds where Adam did not. Thus, what is spoken of here is especially the coming earthly kingdom when Christ will reign over the earth.
8) Did the Jews want this to happen (see Jn. 6:15)?
9) What are two things many Jews did not understand about God’s program (see Lk. 24:26 and Ps. 2:6)?
10) When the earthly kingdom is ushered in, what will happen on earth that is now consistently taking place in heaven (Matt. 6:10)?
Insight: Now much of the allegiance of men is mere lip service. As Jesus put it, “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” (Lk. 6:46).
11) What would a society be like if the Lord were to be obeyed consistently by everyone (and what would be missing from it then)?
Insight: “Contrary to much emphasis in the evangelical church today, true prayer, like true worship, centres on God’s glory, not on man’s needs” (John MacArthur). Even so, we are also encouraged to bring our requests to the Lord (Phil. 4:6).
Insight: “Give us this day our daily bread.” Likely this petition is intended to represent all our temporal needs–for food, clothing, shelter, health, companionship, etc. We can certainly appreciate how someone in poverty in a third world country would need to pray for bread. But perhaps we feel it is unnecessary here.
12) Why is it important for us in North America to pray this kind of prayer?
13) Why is the focus put on our daily bread?
Insight: “Forgive us our debts [that which is owed, that which is legally due].” This is a reference to our sins, to how we have wronged and offended God. (“Sins” is the word used in the parallel passage, Lk. 11:4.) It is a reminder that we are not doing God a favour by obeying Him. We owe Him our obedience.
14) If we expect God to forgive us, how are we to treat others (vs. 12; and see vs. 14-15)?
Insight: What is in view here is not God’s judicial forgiveness from the eternal penalty of sin. For the Christian that was taken care of once and for all at the cross. What the prayer is speaking of is God’s parental forgiveness of His child within the family. Forgiveness that is necessary if our fellowship with Him is to be unhindered here and now. How can we expect to have free fellowship with the Lord if we are holding a grudge against someone else?
15) What is the next petition of the prayer (vs. 13)?
16) Why is this petition a little puzzling (compare Jas. 1:13)?
Insight: The nature of temptation is that it suggests the acceptability–or even the advantage–of behaviour that is not righteous. Being Himself fully righteous, God cannot tempt us to evil. But behind this prayer is a humble recognition of human weakness–weakness that is fully known to God. It is a plea that the Lord will protect us from those dangerous situations where Satan can take advantage of us and cause us to stumble.
17) The companion request to this is what (vs. 13)?
Insight: The Greek word here can simply by translated “evil,” or “wicked.” But a number of times it is used of the devil himself (cf. Matt. 13:19) and that certainly fits. We need God’s protection against the wicked one. Note that the teaching on the Christian’s armour protecting us against the devil ends with this appeal, “Praying always, with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit” (Eph. 6:10-18).
Insight: The prayer concludes, “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” Many modern versions omit this closing doxology on the basis that some ancient manuscripts do not have it. However, it is certainly biblical. Similar sentiments are expressed in a prayer of David’s (cf. I Chron. 29:11). Furthermore, out of about 500 manuscripts containing the prayer, only 8 leave this part out. It is also found in many other ancient version of the Bible. All things considered, it belongs there!
18) What does the ending show about the basic reason behind all our praying (“For [because, since]…” vs. 13)?
19) How might this study of the Lord’s Prayer affect your own praying in the future?
The Bible book Daniel begins with a look at his teen years. This study of Daniel Chapter 1 provides vital life principles concerning how to stand for God in a corrupt society. It should be of special value to young people, but its lessons are for us all. For more about Daniel, see either of these two fine books: Robust in Faith, and All the Men of the Bible. In the first, by J. Oswald Sanders, notes that Daniel was “Prime Minister Under Five Kings.” In the second, Herbert Lockyer calls Daniel “The Man Who Kept His Window Open,” referring to an incident in Chapter 6.
Daniel is one of the most outstanding saints of Bible times. A man of godly wisdom, and a man of prayer, he lived in Babylon through the entire seventy years of the Jews’ captivity there. Thought to be of royal descent (likely related in some way to King Hezekiah, II Kgs. 20-17-18; Dan 1:3), Daniel was captured during Nebuchadnezzar’s attack on Jerusalem in 605 BC. He was approximately 15 years old at the time, and he lived to the age of about 90 (in 530 BC).
The book he wrote provides important keys to Bible prophecy, especially as it concerns a period Jesus called “the Times of the Gentiles” (Lk. 21:24), extending from the beginning of Babylon’s domination of Israel (in 605 BC) until Armageddon and the defeat of the Antichrist, up ahead (Dan. 2:34-35, 44). The great overarching theme of Daniel is the sovereignty of God over all the affairs of men.
The book of Daniel can be divided into two equal parts. Chapters 1-6 are mainly narrative, with some important prophecies included. Chapters 7-12 are mainly prophetic visions, with a bit of narrative along the way. In the first half of the book, Daniel’s story is told in the third person (he, him). In the last half of the book, Daniel presents his prophecies in the first person (“I saw…” “I watched…” etc.). This study will concentrate on Chapter 1.
1) What significant event launches the book of Daniel (vs. 1)?
Insight: Of the thousands of slaves taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, he asked his chief eunuch to separate out certain ones.
(Please read Daniel 1:3-5)
2) Which slaves were singled out? And what job were they to be prepared for?
3) What kind of preparation was planned for this select group?
Insight: In vs. 6-7 we learn that among these favoured young men were Daniel and three of his friends. To begin the preparation process, each was given a new name. In ancient times, the power to name something (or someone) showed your authority over it (cf. Gen. 1:28; 2:20). Also, the Babylonians did not want to have their slaves named in honour of “gods” whose people they had conquered. They gave them names honouring their own gods. “Daniel” means God is my Judge. “Belteshazzar [Bel-ta-SHAZ-ar]” means Bel protect the king. (Bel was one of the idols of the Babylonians.) The aim was to completely divorce the slaves from their former life. They were taught “the language and literature of the Chaldeans [Babylonians]” (vs. 4) and given Babylonian food (vs. 5).
(Please read Daniel 1:8-13)
4) What matter of conscience did this raise for Daniel (vs. 8)?
Insight: It is likely some things in the diet were off limits for the Jews on the basis of their Law (such as pork, Lev. 11:1, 7). Also, the food would have been prayed over in the name of an idol, and dedicated to an idol. In accepting it, one could be seen as honouring the benevolence of an idol god.
5) If Daniel had been less committed, how might he have tried to talk himself into making a compromise in this situation? (That is, what excuses might he have thought of?)
6) Sometimes compromise with the unbelieving world seems the easiest way. Why? And why is it not the best way?
Insight: We are told Daniel “purposed in his heart” (vs. 8)? (The NIV’s “made up his mind” seems weaker. It suggests Daniel simply decided something. But the original means he established a purpose deep in his innermost being?)
7) What prior influences or experiences do you think led up to such a commitment?
8) The Babylonians had changed many things in Daniel’s life. What were they not able to take away from him?
9) Is there a lesson here for young people attending secular schools today? (And for their parents?)
Insight: Though Daniel had personal convictions, he recognized he was under the authority of the Babylonians. He did not react in arrogant pride.
10) What approach did Daniel try (vs. 8)?
Insight: God has been at work in the heart of Daniel’s superior (vs. 9). But, in part, the Lord worked through Daniel to bring this about.
11) What kind of things might Daniel have been doing by which the Lord was able to encourage the good will of the one over him?
12) Of what was the eunuch afraid (vs. 10)?
12b) What suggestion does Daniel make (vs. 12-13)?
Insight: There are some important lessons here with regard to making an appeal to those in authority over us. 1) Daniel seems to have built a good relationship by a gracious attitude, hard work, and reliability. 2) He went through the proper line of authority. 3) He showed courtesy and a desire to cooperate rather than prideful resistance. 4) He discerned that the desired goal was not wrong. (The Babylonians simply wanted the young men to be in the best physical condition.) 5) He suggested a way to reach the desired goal which did not violate his own conscience. (This is sometimes called a creative alternative.)
13) How is this plan an expression of Daniel’s faith in God?
14) What if Dad says to his young daughter, “If Mr. Smith phones, tell him I’m not at home”–when it would be a lie? Suggest some steps the girl could take to apply Daniel’s method described above and avoid doing wrong.
15) Daniel says, “as you see fit, so deal with your servants” (vs. 13). But suppose the test doesn’t work in his favour. Do you think he means he will then accept the king’s food?
(Please read Daniel 1:14-21)
16) How did the test actually turn out (vs. 15)?
Insight: This may have involved the miraculous intervention of God. But it could also be that the king’s food was rich, and not particularly healthy! When he saw how well Daniel and his friends thrived on a diet of vegetables and water, the eunuch was willing to go along (vs. 16).
17) Vs. 17 describes some special gifts the Lord gave to Daniel. What are they?
18) Is there a connection between what happens in vs. 8 and in vs. 17?
19) What important principle does this illustrate (cf. Matt. 24:45-47; Rev. 2:10)?
Insight: Then, at the end of their three years of training (vs. 5), the young men were interviewed by Nebuchadnezzar, a brilliant and able man in his own right.
20) What did the king discover (vs. 18-19)?
Insight: In His high priestly prayer (in John 17), the Lord Jesus speaks of His followers being “in the world” but not “of the world” (vs. 11, 14). We are in the world in the sense that we live out our mortal lives on planet earth. But those who put their faith in Christ become citizens of heaven (Phil. 3:20), and we are therefore to live our lives on the basis of spiritual and eternal values (Col. 3:1-2).
21) What are the problems with earthly values, according to the following passages (Matt. 6:19-21; 31-33; and I Jn. 2:15-17)?
Insight: There is an old gospel song that begins, “Dare to be a Daniel, / Dare to stand alone; / Dare to have a purpose firm, / And dare to make it known…” Situations will arise in all our lives when there is a need to do that very thing. What will our response be?
22) If a Christian today makes the kind of commitment Daniel did, what results can he expect in the short-term? And in the long-term (Matt. 5:11-12; I Pet. 4:12-13, 19)?
22b) What kind of help from the Lord can the believer expect in such circumstances (I Cor. 10:13; Phil. 4:12-13)?
Samson, the Bible strong man, is surely one of the most enigmatic and tragic figures in the Scriptures. Such were the dramatic contrasts in his personality and behaviour that he almost provides a parallel to Robert Louis Stevenson’s fictional Dr. Jekell and Mr. Hyde. A man of great strength and crippling weakness. A man called to be a leader who became instead an independent loner. A man of faith who was defeated by sinful compromise. A man whose name means “Sunny” who ended his days in darkness. His story is the stuff of legends. But the story of Samson is not a myth. It is all too sadly true. For further study of Samson’s life, here are two fine books: Robust in Faith and All the Men of the Bible. The first, by J. Oswald Sanders, calls Samson “The Champion Who Became a Clown.” The second, by Herbert Lockyer, calls him “The Man of Contrasts.”
Samson’s 20-year judgeship comes near the end of the period of the judges in Israel. He came from the tribe of Dan, whose territory lay along the Mediterranean cost, just north of the land occupied by the Philistines. Samson confronted the Philistines in the west, while Samuel was judging the people further east. Their judgeships overlapped. The record of Samson’s life is found in Judges 13–16.
1) What was happening in Israel as the story opens (Jud. 13:1)?
1b) According to Judges 2:11-12, what kind of “evil” were the Israelites involved in, during the time of the judges?
Insight: The Philistines were an idol-worshipping Gentile people. Tall and white-skinned, they did not have the Semitic ancestry of the Jews. (They are sometimes referred to in the Bible as the “uncircumcised”–Jud. 14:3, etc.) Philistia was a great seafaring nation, with advanced knowledge in metallurgy that gave them superior weapons of war for that time. The people settled along the Mediterranean coast of Canaan, around the time of Abraham. “Philistia” was eventually used as a name for the whole area. The Greek form of the word is Palaistine (or Palestine). This pagan nation caused trouble for the Israelites until the time of King David. During the period of the Judges, the Lord allowed the Philistines to oppress His people as a means of disciplining their disobedience and unbelief.
2) What problem and later blessing did Manoah’s wife have (Jud. 13:2-3)?
Insight: “The Angel of the Lord” is treated as Deity in the Old Testament (cf. Jud. 13:22). From all the evidence, He seems to have been the pre-incarnate Christ.
3) What special restrictions were to be placed upon the boy (Jud. 13:5, 7)?
Insight: The word “Nazirite” (or Nazarite) means one who is separated (or holy). Becoming a Nazirite involved a special vow of separation to the Lord (Num. 6:2). Such a vow was usually taken–either by a man or a woman–for a set period of time. But occasionally there were individuals who were Nazirites for life. Samson is one, and likely John the Baptist is another.
4) According to the Law, what were three key elements of a Nazirite vow (Num. 6:3-4; 6:5; 6:6-7)?
Insight: Each of these things provided a reminder or a picture of spiritual truth. 1) That the believer is to find his joy primarily in the Lord, not in earthly pleasures (cf. Ps. 104:15); 2) That he needs to be willing to bear reproach, for the Lord’s sake (cf. I Cor. 11:14; Heb. 13:13); 3) That he is committed to live a holy life, separated from sin and corruption–represented by the physical death which came upon creation as a result of Adam’s sin (Gen. 2:17).
Insight: The birth of Samson is described (Jud. 13:24), but the account then skips forward to his adult years.
5) What are we told about Samson, as the record of his life and deeds is introduced (Jud. 13:24-25)?
Insight: Physical abilities, as well as spiritual endowments, are a gift of God. The Spirit of God came upon Samson, giving him supernatural strength so he could help deliver Israel from Philistine oppression (Jud. 13:5).Often, in Bible story books, Samson is pictured as a large man, with rippling muscles. But that was not necessarily the case. It could well be that he was a man of ordinary stature, without any outward evidence of special strength. His powers were miraculous, and not based on his physique.
6) What was the result of Samson’s early contact with the Philistines (Jud. 14:1-2)?
6b) In spite of his godly parents’ objections, Samson insists. Why (Jud. 14:3b)?
Insight: This early comment of Samson’s is a key to his contradictory character. Though he had faith in God, he was all too often ruled by fleshly passions.
Insight: The statement of Judges 14:4 that his desire to marry a Philistine woman was “of the Lord” does not mean that God approved of it. Rather, it simply means that a sovereign God was going to use his foolish action to ignite an intense conflict between Samson and the Philistines.
7) What was the first instance when Samson made use of his supernatural strength (Jud. 14:5-6)?
Insight: The wording of vs. 5 seems to suggest that his father and mother were with him. But vs. 6 indicates they were not. The second sentence in vs. 5 seems to describe a separate incident.
8) On a later visit to Timnah, when he went to claim his bride, what did Samson observe (Jud. 14:8)?
8b) And what did he do on that occasion (Jud. 14:9)?
Insight: Significantly, by touching the carcass, Samson thoughtlessly violated one part of his Nazirite separation.
Insight: At Timnah, Samson’s wedding feast was attended by thirty young Philistine men. As was the custom, the feasting continued for a week. (If wine was served during the celebration–and it is almost certain it was–it is possible Samson violated another provision of his vow at this time.) But he seems unconcerned about it. For their entertainment, Samson posed a riddle.
9) What was the riddle (Jud. 14:14)?
10) What did Samson offer as a prize for solving the riddle (Jud. 14:12)?
11) By what means did the young men discover the answer (Jud. 14:15)?
Insight: When they were successful and told Samson the answer, he had to admit they were right. But he was enraged by their devious method of getting the solution (Jud. 14:16-18).
12) How did Samson provide the prize for the thirty men (Jud. 14:19)?
Insight: Without his knowledge, the woman he had married was given to his best man, instead (vs. 20). When Samson brought her a gift, expecting to be received by his wife, her father turned him away (Jud. 15:1-2).
13) What did Samson do to get revenge (Jud. 15:3-5)?
13b) With what response from the Philistines (Jud. 15:6)?
Insight: Yet again, Samson retaliated, killing many of the Philistines (Jud. 15:7-8). This caused the Philistine army to go searching for him in Judah, in order to arrest him (Jud. 15:9-10). The people of Judah did not appreciate having the Philistines in a hostile mood toward them.
14) What did the army of Judah do to keep the peace (Jud. 15:11-13)?
14b) What was the outcome of this (Jud. 15:14-16)?
15) What did Samson do at Gaza (Jud. 16:1)?
Insight: City gates in that day were large and heavy. But they often had a smaller door within the larger gate, allowing for the passage of an individual in or out without the need to open the gate. The men of Gaza surrounded the place where Samson was, intending to kill him. But he escaped in the night. Coming to the city wall, he simply ripped its small door off its hinges and walked off carrying it with him! (Jud. 16:2-3).
Insight: There is a puzzle here. Samson has just committed an immoral act with the enemy of God’s people. Now God gives him supernatural strength to escape! How can this be? Perhaps the church at Corinth can be seen as a parallel. Paul says of them, “You are enriched in everything by Him…so that you come short in no gift” (I Cor. 1:4-7). But he also says, “You are still carnal…and behaving like mere [unsaved] men.” And regarding their attitude toward immoral conduct in the church, “You are puffed up and have not rather mourned” (I Cor. 3:1-3; 5:1-2).
16) What conclusions can we draw from this?
16b) What conclusions should we not draw from it?
Insight: Once again Samson becomes immorally involved with a Philistine woman. The lords of the Philistines promised Delilah money if she could discover the secret of Samson’s great strength (Jud. 16:4-5). Three times, Samson teased her, with false information (Jud. 16:7, 11, 13).
17) What do you notice about this last suggestion of Samson’s that shows he is dangerously playing with fire (Jud. 16:13)?
17b) Can you think of an example of a person doing this sort of thing today (trying to get as close to the fires of sin as possible without getting burned)?
17c) What is wrong with this practice?
17d) What should a Christian seek to do instead?
Insight: Each time, Samson was able to cast aside restraint and he was once more able to defend himself. But the end of the game was near. Day after day, Delilah pestered him to tell his secret, saying, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me?” (Jud. 16:15-16).
18) What is wrong with this argument, and with the whole situation?
19) What did Delilah do when Samson at last revealed his secret (Jud. 16:18-19)?
Insight: In this way, Samson violated the third element of his Nazirite vow. It is clear that Samson’s ability was sovereignly given by the Lord, and not fully conditioned on his good behaviour. However, there are limits to the “day of grace.” God, who had been gracious to Samson over and over again, finally withdrew His empowering presence.
20) How did Samson respond when he was awakened (Jud. 16:20)?
Insight: This is one of the saddest verses in the Bible. It speaks of a man who has played with temptation so long he has become careless of the danger, and insensitive to its affects on him.
21) What happened to Samson then (Jud. 16:21)?
Insight: If this was a small hand grinder, the task was considered women’s work. If it was a larger one, it was the work usually done by an animal. In either case it was meant to humiliate the conquered champion of Israel.
22) What further indignity did Samson suffer (Jud. 16:23-25)?
Insight: The Philistines took no notice that Samson’s hair began to grow again (Jud. 16:22). But with it, there was an apparent return of his supernatural strength. Based on his later words (vs. 28), it would seem that Samson was truly repentant in prison, and he cast himself upon the grace of God.
23) What does Samson request of the slave boy who had led him into the temple of Dagon (Jud. 16:26)?
Insight: Dagon was an ugly stone idol with a fish’s body and a man’s head. It may have been a fertility god, and god of the harvest. (Having Samson grind grain would then be an attempt to show Dagon was superior to Jehovah.) The temple of the idol was full of Philistine men and women, plus another 3,000 “on the roof”–perhaps a roofed in area surrounding a central open courtyard where Samson was displayed (Jud. 16:27).
24) What two things did the blind man do then (Jud. 16:28, 29-30)?
25) So many of Samson’s feats of strength seem petty and self-centred. Why did God help him get revenge this last time? (Compare Jud. 16:23-24, and Isa. 42:8.)
Insight: After this slaughter of the Philistines–killing more people than Samson had killed in his lifetime (vs. 30)–the dead man’s family came and claimed his shattered body. They buried it between Zorah and Eshtaol, where the Lord had first come upon him (Jud. 16:31; cf. 13:25).
26) What important fact is given about Samson in Hebrews 11:32-34?
26b) Based on this passage, do you think that Samson realized his great strength was a gift of God?
26c) What then was his basic problem? And what do you see as the basic lesson of Samson’s life?
26d) How can we avoid this in our own lives?
Insight: God gives to each of His children certain gifts and abilities we are responsible to use for His glory and the good of others. But there are two dangers to be avoided. 1) Taking our gifts for granted, and assuming the power to exercise them properly lies within us, rather than coming from the Lord. 2) Focusing on our areas of strength and failing to realize we each also have areas of particular weakness. (We may forget this, but Satan certainly does not!)
27) Is it possible for an area of strength to also be an area of potential weakness? (Explain.)
28) How can we protect ourselves from this danger (Matt. 26:41; I Cor. 10:12-15; Gal. 6:1)?
Few things in nature seem as awe-inspiring as thunder and lightning. For the Christian, the flash and echoing din are a reminder of the greatness of our God. That is how it was for Carl Boberg, one day in 1886. Carl Gustaf Boberg (1859-1940) was a Swedish pastor, and later a senator in the Swedish parliament. He went for a walk one summer day and got caught in a sudden thunderstorm. The rolling thunder and torrents of rain, followed by the return of the bright sunshine and the singing of the birds overwhelmed him. He dropped to his knees in worship. Later, out of that experience, Pastor Boberg created a lovely poem about the greatness of God.
Though he did not realize it at the time, that poem would one day become one of the most popular hymns of the latter part of the twentieth century. But before that happened, the song was to pass through many hands, and cross many national boundaries. Several years after he penned the words, Carl Boberg attended a church service and was surprised to hear them sung by the congregation to an old Swedish melody. Shortly after it was introduced in Sweden, the hymn was translated into German. Then, in 1907, the German version was translated into Russian and published in a Russian hymn book in 1922. That is how it came to the attention of English missionary Stuart Hine a year or so later. He and his wife were serving in the Ukraine when they heard the song, and they began using it as a duet in evangelistic services.
When war broke out in Europe, in 1939, the Hines had to return to England. There Mr. Hine translated Boberg’s hymn into English, adding a fourth verse of his own about the return of Christ. In 1949, the song was printed (with his English translation) in a gospel magazine produced by the Hines for Russian war refugees then in Britain. So many requests came for a copy of the hymn, from all over the world, that Stuart Hine had it printed in leaflet form. One of those leaflets was given to song leader Cliff Barrows, in 1954, and he introduced the “new” hymn to an appreciative audience at Billy Graham’s Toronto Crusade, in 1955. There soloist Bev Shea, assisted by a large volunteer choir, first sang the stirring words of “How Great Thou Art.” By 1974, it was voted the number one hymn in America.
God Himself is infinitely great, so that is bound to characterize all He does. Job says He does “great things, and unsearchable, marvelous things without number” (Job 5:9). One of the most wonderful displays of this is found over our heads on any clear, starry night. “Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power” (Isa. 40:26). As the psalmist says, “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised” (Ps. 48:1). And “His greatness is unsearchable” (Ps. 148:3).
The believer has access to this omnipotence by faith. “He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength.” And “those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength” (Isa. 40:29, 31). In times of difficulty and distress, it is encouraging to renew our faith in the greatness of the Lord. Problems that seem overwhelming shrink before our awareness of the One we serve. In the words of our hymn, “O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder / Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made, / I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy pow’r throughout the universe displayed! / Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee; / How great Thou art!”
We are familiar with the story of how Joseph, and Mary (expecting the birth of her Child), arrived in Bethlehem. They found it a beehive of noisy confusion, and we’re told, “There was no room for them in the inn” (Lk. 2:7) The poor innkeeper has long been criticized and berated for turning them away. But of course he had no idea who they were, or of the wonderful event that would transpire during the night. And, in reality, he did not turn them away. He apparently found them a place that was warm and dry, out in the stable.
But while we point our fingers at the innkeeper–perhaps unjustly–we must attend to our own response to Christ. Is it possible that in our own lives we have turned Him away, that we have made no room for Him? Or is it possible that where there was once a generous place for Him, other things have begun to crowd Him out?
In the book of Revelation, we read of the Lord Jesus saying, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Rev. 3:20). Sometimes, that verse is used as an individual call to trust Christ for salvation. However, in the context, the words are directed to a church. In John’s day, the church at Laodicea was wealthy and self-satisfied. But its wealth was material, not spiritual. Spiritually, the Lord describes the congregation as “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked” (vs. 17). About the things of God, they were merely “lukewarm” (vs. 15-16). Though they may have had all the right ceremonies, and clearly were impressed with themselves, they had shut Christ out. His name may have been found in their rituals, but He had ceased to be a living presence in their church life.
Major Daniel Webster Whittle (1840-1901) was a veteran of the American Civil War, who later went into evangelistic work. In 1878, he revised a poem from an unknown source, and turned it into a hymn. His hymn is based upon Revelation 3:20, and in it he raises the crucial question, “Have You Any Room for Jesus?” The song begins, “Have you any room for Jesus, He who bore your load of sin? / As He knocks and asks admission, sinner, will you let Him in?”
Though Whittle intended it as an invitation to salvation, it remains a question worth asking by every child of God as well. Our lives sometimes bustle with even more hectic activity than the inn at Bethlehem. Not that the things that occupy us are necessarily wrong or sinful. More often, it is a case of the good crowding out the best. And for that reason, we need to periodically assess our priorities. Perhaps we have made room for family and friends, room for hobbies, room for what we desire to do, but what about the Saviour? The second verse of our hymn says, “Room for pleasure, room for business, / But for Christ the crucified, / Not a place that He can enter, / In the heart for which He died.” What a tragedy!
Perhaps the Lord Jesus has been shunted off into a corner of our busy days, to a spot labelled “Church Stuff,” or something of the kind. Perhaps we expect Him to be content with being a part of our Sunday morning tradition, between eleven and noon, then letting us do our own thing the rest of the time. What an insult to the One whom Scripture says is “Lord of all” (Acts 10:36). Every aspect and area of our lives should be open and accessible to such a One. His lordship ought to extend to every part. That is justly His right. It is not for us to say to the Lord, “No room!”
