The Sculptor

It was dirty, covered in muck and filth from the pit in which it had lain, discarded and useless. There was certainly nothing attractive about it. But the sculptor had chosen this particular block of stone for his great work, and he dragged it out of the pit. He washed it clean with the purest water he could find. Immediately it looked much more promising to work with. Yet as the sculptor looked closer, he could see the deep flaws within this stone block. It was mis-shapen, and had suffered not only erosion which had caused cratering and pitting of its surface, but also it was covered in crusty deposits. It would require the greatest skill and craftsmanship to make anything of it. The sculptor was undaunted – for he could see.

As he brought it back to his workroom, the local townspeople saw what he was doing. They scoffed and laughed at him for wasting his time on yet another old block of stone, for they had seen him working on similar blocks of stone in his workroom for many, many years. The sculptor ignored them – for he could see.

Taking his mallet and chisel, he began chipping away at the block of stone. He noticed that some parts of the stone broke off easily with a gentle tap. Other parts, those in which the deepest flaws ran, required much firmer, stronger strikes of the chisel, before the imperfections broke away. Some parts of the stone required a significant amount to be cut away. This was done by tapping a groove into the stone, followed by a hard hit in the centre of the groove to crack and break the stone. It was most satisfying to the sculptor as the unwanted stone was discarded. For with each careful incision, the stone block increasingly took on the image the sculptor wanted to see.

Finally the sculptor rested from his work. The block of stone was now ready. He carefully carried it to where he had placed the other specially chosen stone blocks, now also completed. But the sculptor now focused his attention on one particular stone, which had lain there from the beginning. The townspeople had all walked past it at some point. Knowing little about stone, and not caring to find out, they just saw it as any other block of stone, and sometimes stumbled over it as they walked on by, cursing the sculptor for leaving it lying around. But the sculptor could see in this stone what no-one else could see. It had required no work, for it was flawless. It was the purest stone there had ever been, exceptional in its quality, beyond compare. The sculptor knew exactly where to lay this stone. It was the chief cornerstone, thus all the other stones would be set in reference to this beautiful stone. The sculptor carefully fixed into place all the stones he had worked with around the chief cornerstone. Finally he stepped back and examined his work. He was pleased. It looked exactly as he had seen.

The townspeople came out to look. A gasp went up from the onlookers. For they could now see what the sculptor had seen all along. Stones which had lain abandoned and useless, fit for no good purpose, had been transformed under the care of the sculptor. Stones which individually had not seemed to possess much beauty now formed part of the most beautiful building they had ever seen. The stone blocks were decorated with precious stones - jasper, sapphire, chalcedony, emerald, sardonyx, carnelian, chrysolite, beryl, topaz, chrysoprase, jacinth, and amethyst. Whichever angle anyone looked at the building from, the stone blocks had been arranged in such a way that the eyes were always drawn towards the chief cornerstone. And what had caused the crowd to gasp was the fact that as they admired this beautiful building, whether it was the way the sunlight was shining or not they couldn’t tell, but light was emanating from the chief cornerstone which caused the whole structure to dazzle in a brilliant light.

The crowd fell to their knees in awe and sang out their praises to the master sculptor.

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“As you come to him, the living Stone— rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him, you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone”, and,” A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message— which is also what they were destined for. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:4-10)

The lovingkindness of the LORD

Photo Design by Becky Pliego

I recently bought “The Lamb” to read with Harry, my 5 year old, having read a wonderful review by Christine Blackerby Pack of Sola Sisters. Having now read it myself, I have to say I think every Christian family should own this book and read it with their children! I’ve never come across a book which explains so clearly the gospel message, which lays such a good foundation for understanding exactly what Christ accomplished on our behalf by laying down His life for us on the cross, and the repetition used throughout the book together with the questions at the end of each chapter are an ideal teaching tool for young children.

As we came to the end of the book we were recapping on the questions. “If we try to be very good and not do or think bad things, will we be perfect enough to go to Heaven?” “Yes!” declared Harry triumphantly! I inwardly sighed. Then I realised that I was expecting rather too much of my 5-year old to have grasped the truth of our complete inability to help ourselves when I continue to struggle with this myself! As Diane said in a comment to a post by Persis over at Doctrines in the Kitchen this week about the great doctrine of Imputation, “You know, no matter how much we "get" the doctrines of grace, we're always so prone to drift back into works righteousness. We are so dense.”

I’ve been camped out in Psalm 107 the last week or so. The last verse had grabbed my attention: “Whoever is wise will observe these things, and they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD” (v43). Lovingkindness. What a beautiful word. I want to understand more of this, so I’ve been thinking and meditating on this Psalm.

This Psalm is a call for the redeemed to give thanks to the LORD for His goodness! Amen! The redemption of four groups of people is then described. Those wandering in the wilderness, hungry and thirsty; those imprisoned by their rebellion against the words of God; the foolish who abhorred all food; those going about their daily business suddenly laid low by the awesome power of God revealed through His acts of nature. I’m sure you, like me, can relate to some, if not all, of the groups of people outlined here. In each case, through the circumstances in which they find themselves, “they cried out to the LORD in their trouble”. They realised they were unable to help themselves. They realised their need for a Saviour. They saw their moral bankruptcy before a Holy God, the inability of the world to provide any hope, their weakness and insignificance before a God whose voice both causes and calms the storm. And without fail, each time they cried out to God, “He saved them out of their distresses”. For He is a faithful God, who esteems those who are humble and contrite of heart. How are they saved? The hungry and thirsty are satisfied and provided with a city of promise to journey towards; those imprisoned have their chains broken and are brought out of darkness; the foolish are healed; and those reeling around in the storm see the waves stilled, and all is calm – and I believe that not only does this apply when the storms are calmed, but surely this also refers to that perfect peace which the LORD provides to those who are His in the very eye of the storm.

This, then, is the lovingkindness of God – a God who is just longing to show us the height, depth, breadth and length of His love for us if we would but die to self and abandon ourselves to Him and the salvation He provides, this salvation which is all of the LORD, from first to last. In His great mercy and compassion He provides those circumstances in our lives where He leads us to lean on Him as our only source of comfort and hope, that He might be our Redeemer, that He might receive the Glory due His Name. And because we are so dense, this seems to be an ongoing process in our lives.

I look at Harry and my heart aches for him. For I know that this process of dying to self is one that can’t be learnt simply by listening to the words of those who have been through it – this is a process he will have to own himself, he will have to bear his own load and wrestle with God as he works it out, as he comes to see that truly none of us is good enough to enter the presence of God without the mediation of the Lamb of God. The ache in my heart is surely nothing compared with the ache in his Heavenly Father’s heart. And I am confident to entrust my precious son to the lovingkindness of my God for I know whom I have believed, and I know that He is good.

Theology Leads to Doxology

My friend, Becky Pliego, is hosting a series throughout April entitled Doctrines in the Kitchen.

Becky says: "Many years have passed since God opened my eyes, and my ears. And now I understand that one cannot be a true Christian if the Word of God is not engraved in one's heart and mind. It is not about going to church or being part of a certain ministry. It is about abiding in the Word of God.

This is the reason why we have prepared a delicious, wonderful banquet for you. We want you to taste and see that studying the Word of God, that digging deep into it is sweeter than the joys you'll find in any other book, it is sweeter than anything else! Those doctrines, which in a book may look "arid" have the power to change your heart."

I can only testify to the truth of this statement. My testimony is included there, where I share how studying the doctrine of Christ filled my emptiness.

I would encourage you to go along to Becky's website and join with us as we share how studying theology has led, not to dead orthodoxy, but to a joyful doxology, and hearts full of praise as we see our Sovereign Lord exalted and lifted high!

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

How unsearchable his judgments,

and his paths beyond tracing out!

“Who has known the mind of the Lord?

Or who has been his counselor?”

“Who has ever given to God,

that God should repay him?”

For from him and through him and to him are all things.

To him be the glory forever! Amen."

(Romans 11:33-36)

Clarity

A few years ago at our old church, as a sign of commitment and dedication to God for the coming year the congregation were asked to recite the prayer of Brendan, the Navigator. This prayer began “Lord, I will trust you, help me to journey beyond the familiar and into the unknown. Give me the faith to leave old ways and break fresh ground with you. Christ of the mysteries, can I trust you to be stronger than each storm in me?” My husband and I both felt very uncomfortable with this prayer, especially with the title “Christ of the mysteries”, and didn’t join in.

Since then I have discovered why this prayer made us so uncomfortable. For the God of the Bible is not shrouded in mystery and unknowing, rather as Daniel tells us “there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries” (Daniel 2:28). God ultimately reveals Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ - “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.” (John 1:18).

In Genesis, we read that man’s eyes were first opened when Adam and Eve disobeyed God “and they realized they were naked” (Gen 3:7). Yet this opening of their eyes to their sinful condition only resulted in spiritual blindness. We read in Romans 1 that despite God clearly revealing his invisible qualities throughout creation, man turned away from God. God’s wrath against man is then revealed by Him giving them over to the sinful desires of their heart, shameful lusts and a depraved mind unable to see the Truth.

Blinded. Helpless. Hopeless.

A promise from Isaiah rings out into this hopelessness: “I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.” (Isaiah 65:1). And John’s gospel paints a vivid description of this: “As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.” (John 9:1-7).

A man blind from birth. There is no indication given that this man was seeking Jesus, it was rather Jesus who saw him and went to him. It was Jesus who gave him sight. Does this not describe our own experience of Jesus too? Spiritually blinded, not seeking God, but then God in His great mercy opened the eyes of our heart that we might see Him, repent and believe.

Now that we can clearly see, I believe we have an obligation to clearly speak. It is becoming fashionable to see confusion and mystery and doubt in the matters of God – but this is simply not true, we have been blessed with a revelation of the Father Himself! “No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him” (Luke 10:22). There are those for whom the language of Jesus is not clear, and who are unable to hear what he says – those who do not belong to God. Yet “he who belongs to God hears what God says” (John 8:47).

Paul recognised the necessity of clear speech as he coveted the prayers of the church: “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.” (Col 4:3-4).

The mystery of Christ is no longer hidden in obscurity. He revealed Himself when He came to this earth 2,000 years ago, to live a sinless life in perfect submission to His Father, to lay down His life that we might be saved from our sins, to rise again in triumph from the grave to give us a living hope and an inheritance kept in heaven for us which can never perish, spoil or fade. This is surely the greatest message of hope, and it deserves to be proclaimed with boldness and clarity!

Undone

“Open my eyes to see You, Lord”, this has long been my heart's cry,

To see You blazing in Your Glory, exalted o’er the heavens above;

I thought the clearer I saw You, I’d feel warmth and glow inside,

Instead I’ve been laid low before You, undone by Holy Love.

You spoke and then the earth shook open, trembling at Your Holy Word,

And then You called for the sea’s waters, poured them out onto the land;

I saw Your Glory so brightly, as Your judgement began to fall -

I fell onto my face before You, undone by Righteous Hands.

No man can stand before Your gaze, O Almighty, Sovereign Lord,

We are naked, sinful, wretched, exposed in our guilt and shame;

But then You gently said “O child, your Heavenly Father I remain”,

I bowed still lower before Jesus, undone - He took my blame.

Your mercy's beyond comprehension, even now as nations shake,

Today's the day of our salvation, Sovereign Lord, open eyes to see;

Give me grace to preach with boldness the gospel You’ve poured into me,

I’m ready Lord, for now I'm broken, undone, emptied of me.

Fear God and give Him Glory

Yesterday as I awoke to the unbelievable pictures from Japan’s earthquake and tsunami, I realised that we were not simply watching pictures demonstrating the awesome power of nature and man’s complete helplessness in the wake of that power. We were witnessing the hand of Almighty God at work, shaking the peoples of the earth from their complacency, in order to bring them to repentance towards Him.

Almighty God had suddenly become much more Almighty, and it put the fear of God into me. As I prayed, I realised I was feeling exactly the same as I’d felt a few months ago as I struggled with the Glory of God. Then, I was overcome by the searing brilliant light of God’s Holiness and my inability to stand before Him. In the presence of His Awesome nature, His complete and utter Goodness, my sin was all too apparent. All my instincts were crying out to me to run and hide to save myself (where to? Where can I flee from Your Spirit?) – and yet from out of that Holiness my Heavenly Father was calling to me to come to Him, gently reassuring me that in Christ my sins were forgiven and I was able to approach Him, with confidence, in Christ, my conscience now cleansed, a new creation. I’m still not sure I’ve entirely recovered from this. I’m not sure I want to recover from this. I pray the stunning good news of the Gospel message is something I never get used to.

I felt exactly the same yesterday. Seeing Almighty God at work in the world in such a powerful way, bringing man up short to realise he is but dust, to focus his attention on things eternal, his need of a Saviour before a Holy God, put the fear of God into me.

I began to wonder whether the events in Japan were, in fact, a demonstration of the Glory of God. And as I read my Bible last night, I came across this passage:

“Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.” (Rev 14:6-7)

Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Have we come to the hour of His judgment? I don’t know. I do see shaking of the nations, political and economic turmoil. And I see a merciful God who continues to give man every opportunity to repent and believe, as shown by the angel who has the eternal gospel to proclaim to every nation, tribe, language and people. I see mercy and judgment working together. Tozer clarified this for me this week: “Between His attributes no contradiction can exist. He need not suspend one to exercise another, for in Him all His attributes are one. All of God does all that God does” (The Knowledge of the Holy). The attributes of God are not vying against one another as some would have us believe, with love trumping justice, for example. No clearer example exists of mercy and judgement working together than at the cross, where the judgment of a Holy God against sin was satisfied by the death of His Beloved Son, enabling mercy to be shown to sinners like you and me.

God’s mercy and judgment acting together. Provoking a response of fear. Resulting in Glory to God and worship and praise of His Name.

May God indeed have mercy on us all.

Revelation from the peaks

Ben Nevis, in Fort William

The Highlands in Scotland now possess a little piece of my heart. Having just spent a few days in the town of Fort William, snuggled at the foot of Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in Britain, the beauty of the place completely won me over. Towering mountains surround this small town. Typical Scottish weather meant it was damp and overcast much of the time we were there, obscuring much of our view, but there were tantalizing glimpses of the peaks.

Majesty shrouded in mystery.

Show me a mountain and I feel a surge of adrenalin as I imagine climbing to the top and feeling the exhilaration of my reward of seeing the view from the top. I did in fact climb to the top of Ben Nevis, about 10 years ago, and was well rewarded for my efforts! These days I have to be content with ascending via gondolas, or walking around in the foothills with my 5 year old in tow – but we’re working on his walking skills : )

It struck me this week how much of my experience of God has taken place on the mountain peaks.

It was on Mount Sinai that I was broken before a Holy God who revealed His Law to Moses.

It was from the Sermon on the Mount that I was undone as the full extent of the Law was expounded by Jesus.

It was from a high mountain that I bowed before the revelation of the Glory of Jesus as He was transfigured before His disciples.

It was from a hill called Golgotha that Jesus Himself paid the penalty for my sins against a Holy God through His atoning death, which bought my redemption, forgiveness of sins, and reconciliation with my Heavenly Father.

It was from the Mount of Olives that the Risen Jesus ascended to Heaven to become my High Priest and Mediator, interceding for me at the right hand of His Father.

I believe it will be to the Mount of Olives that Jesus will return again, to bring salvation to His Bride, and when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord, to the Glory of His Father.

God reveals Himself from the mountains. The apostle John recounts: “One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God” (Rev 21:9-10).

In these days in which we are living, I believe we would all do well to cry out to God to take us to the tops of the mountains in order that He may grant us to see with a clearer vision.

In the last days

the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established

as chief among the mountains;

it will be raised above the hills,

and all nations will stream to it.

Many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,

to the house of the God of Jacob.

He will teach us his ways,

so that we may walk in his paths.”

The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

He will judge between the nations

and will settle disputes for many peoples.

They will beat their swords into plowshares

and their spears into pruning hooks.

Nation will not take up sword against nation,

nor will they train for war anymore."

(Isaiah 2:2-4)