In an age where ‘selfies’ are trending more and more popular, Psalm 67 rightly points us back to God (instead of man) as the source of all grace and blessing. The need of the hour is that we know more and more of this grace and blessing – not so that we become comfortable, but so that we may be a blessing to others, even the whole world. Given too that God is the Lord of all the nations, the Psalm points out that His praise ought to be sung by peoples from every land. In this day when less than half of the world has even heard about the Lord Jesus Christ, we must pray that God would fulfill the Psalm’s vision and send His word to the ends of the earth. (No audio this week, sorry).
Philip Burns
Rev Philip Burns is the minister of Bendigo Presbyterian Church.
‘A Psalm for the New Year’ (Psalm 90:1-17)
It’s good practise to begin the New Year with sober thoughts and Psalm 90 does just that. As one of the oldest portions of Scripture, the Psalm brings us face to face with the eternal nature of God, His judgments and His mercies and yet at the same time, the transient nature of man. Life is short, therefore Moses encourages us to ‘number our days’. The truly wise person lives in the light of the shortness of life here on earth and the length of eternity.
‘He walked on earth…in our shoes’ (Hebrews 4:14-5:10)
When white man John Griffin made himself up and lived as a black man, he found out the hard way what many experienced in 1959 racist America. When Jesus came to earth as a human, he too experienced the nature of life as we know it. Hebrews 4:14-5:10 tells us of his experiences – how he endured human frailty, suffering and even death. Though He was fully God, yet he entered into the realm of our pain and through that pain and eventual death secured an eternal salvation for his people. At Christmas time we remember the wonderful truth that God became man and as man he still lives to be our great High Priest in heaven – fully able to understand what we must endure.
‘The focal point of the prophets, the apostles and the angels’ (1 Peter 1:10-12)
At Christmas time, it is good to remember that long ago the prophets had some idea that God was going to do something special in the future when His Messiah would come to earth. What the prophets looked forward to is what the Apostles proclaimed about the death and resurrection of Jesus. These things are told to us in 1 Peter 1:10-12, with Peter even giving us the amazing truth that angels long to understand the fulness of such truths. Thankfully, we have the Word of God that tells us everything God wants us to know!
‘There’s something unique about loving the Lord Jesus Christ’ (1 Peter 1:8)
In 1 Peter 1:8, Peter presents some amazing facts about the love that Christians have for the Lord Jesus Christ. We love him without ever having seen or met Him. We love him alongside of all other believers all over the world who also love Him. Also, the nature of this love for Him is enduring. It will go on and on even after this world is done! The end result of loving Jesus will be inexpressible joy that will never, ever end. True Christians know they do not love Him enough and will therefore want to grow every day in their love for Him.
‘An anchor for the anchor-less’ (1 Peter 1:5-9)
In 1 Peter 1:5-9, Peter reminds his readers that though the inheritance of heaven will be kept for them and they will be kept by God for it, life on earth is not heaven. Our journey to heaven involves experiencing trials of many kinds that God has designed for the purifying of our faith and so that at then end of the journey, a greater measure of joy will await those who endure.
‘A hope for the hope-less’ (1 Peter 1:3-4)
In 1 Peter 1:3-4, Peter praises God for for the many blessings He gives to his own – for making us alive in Christ through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, for giving to us a living and certain hope and for all that inheritance is Christ that God has for his people. This inheritance, the fullness of our salvation in Christ is being guarded by God for His people nad we, His people are also being guarded so that we may receive this inheritance. All treasure that belongs to this world will either fail, fade or be foiled, but this treasure in Christ will never ever decay and best of all will never end.
‘A home for the homeless’ (1 Peter 1:1-2)
The Apostle Peter wrote to believers of the first century world who had been exiled from their homes because of their faith in and commitment to Christ. He wrote to them to assure them that though they did not belong to this world, that they did belong to God the Father who had elected them and sent His Spirit into them so that they would serve the Lord Jesus Christ. Believers around the world now face this similar problem of persecution. Our problem is that we are too attached to the world and forget that we are pilgrims ‘just passing through’. Our comfort is found in the electing and saving grace of our God.
‘The sad, sad end of the life of a fool’ (1 Samuel 31:1-13)
1 Samuel 31 tells us how the Philistines attacked Israel and were victorious, ending both King Saul and his sons’ lives – Saul’s sons in the battle and Saul by his own hand. Saul’s tragic life ended in a sad and lonely death, having refused to turn away from his mad pursuit of David and having failed to turn away from his sin. Saul’s death came about according to the Lord’s own warning to him, but even this did not deter him from this course of action. Saul’s death stands in stark contrast to the death of Jesus, the true King, whose death was not senseless and sad, but secured the salvation of the people of God and brings them real and eternal hope.
‘The view you get from the bottom of the pit’ (1 Samuel 30:1-31)
1 Samuel 30:1-31 tells how, when David returned to Ziklag, he and his men found a calamitous situation. All their houses had been burned to the ground, their goods stolen and their wives and children captured. His men soon began to talk of a mutiny. David, however, found strength in God, sought and obtained His direction, saw God’s sovereign hand providing his needs, and, after all was returned, even became a channel of His grace. Even on his his worst day from the bottom of the pit, David proved that God was near and would not let him go. Jesus went to the bottom of that pit to save His people on the cross – the fullness of grace to the undeserving.