Standing Before the World

Introduction:  A few years ago, when we were selling packaged meat in our country store, there was a corporate scandal in another state involving infected meat products.  Within a few months every one who sold packaged meat had to begin putting labels on their product.  The labels advised the consumer to cook the meat carefully before eating, as this would kill the germs that might have contaminated the raw meat.  The sad thing about such nonsense is that the pretty new labels cut deep into the profit margin.  Eventually, the wrapping paper had the advice printed on the outside and the cost of labeling went down.  Before we chuckle too much at the idiocy factor here, remember that the States, Counties and Cities must employ a large number of patrolmen to regularly advise drivers to obey the speed and traffic laws.  I might add, even if we were allowed to post the ten commandments in the public square as a warning to miscreant sinners, there would still be a need to read and explain those laws to the public at large.

And I might add to those examples the providential plan of the Creator God to set apart one day in seven from the dawn of creation for the express purpose to have His spiritual children hear and meditate upon His Covenant grace and expectations!  As far as I know, the nascent French Republic of the eighteenth century is the only modern western government to tamper with the seven-day cycle.  They tried, if my memory works, ten-day weeks, much to the consternation of the church and even society at large.  The whole rhythm of their culture was thrown off and with the added phenomenon of infected barely a violent killing frenzy ensued. 

All these things happened in the name of humanistic freedom from laws and institutions of the old regime.  At least in our day and time, no one has yet suggested making the calendar metric!  Oh, thinking of metrics, if you ever want to have fun – tell a scientist or science teacher that you are finally convinced of the necessity of taking our country into the metric system.  But, then tell them you have one reservation:  you want to name a meter: a yard; a liter a quart and keep the old traditional names of ounces and pounds, miles and such!  It is really interesting, if you insist that the only thing in that regard that is sacred is what we call the measurements, you would think that having their sacred measurements finally adopted would have them dancing in the streets.  Quite the opposite, I have had even Christian scientists almost turn purple at the proposal!  The system of metrics as a whole is what is most sacred – there appears to be no compromise of any sort on the horizon.  Of course if I ask young men if we renamed kilometers-per-mile as metric miles-per-hour, would they be willing to live with a new 100 mmph speed limit, I get a different response!

In the same way, if people are allowed to give their own meanings to theological language as the liberals have been doing for a hundred years or more, the concept is most popular.  But wait a minute; don’t we have some kind of paradox here?  The very groups of society that have demanded freedom from the laws of God by tampering with the words they are described in are also the very ones who insist that their own scientific vocabulary is beyond reproach!  So sadly, if the common man wants to understand the metric system, he will have to study it and accept the system, as it exists, then go on and work with it on a day-to-day basis.  At least a liter of gasoline would only be thirty-nine to forty-five cents unless of course we have to loose our “cents”!

Development: I say all of that nonsense to remind us how much we need to understand the biblical system of God’s Covenantal administration of this life and even the world to come.  There are two kingdoms in conflict in this world, and while we can be popular and with it, so to speak, if we subscribe to the worldly chaos, there is still the possibility, probability or fact (take your pick) that the Kingdom of the Spirit is more real and permanent than the kingdom of the flesh.

Well did the Holy Spirit confide to those recording the Scriptures that freedom consists in living in obedience to the lawful sovereign Ruler of the universe and that slavery to sin is the realm of the tempter Satan.  Now we can appreciate verse forty-five of the 119^th Psalm:

“I will walk in freedom

                for I have sought out Your precepts.

Here we have a statement of assurance, the bondage of will to sin has been broken by the power of God’s revelation.  I know I used my own translation of this verse from the Gospel of John a few weeks ago, but let me say it again:  “You shall know the correct doctrine, and that truth will set you free from sin.”  (John 8: 32)

Where is the wise man, where is the scholar when it comes to comprehending the truths of God’s revelation?  Gone to hell, everyone – unless, the God of all grace opens their eyes to the Divine wisdom.  I remember well one of the first people I saw go through conversion – all of a sudden they understood God’s word and they were as frustrated as “heaven”, because their friends and family couldn’t see what they finally understood after sixty-three years of life!

All kinds of things change when conversion happens!  Alcoholics and druggies are enabled to give up their favorite chemicals; adulterers, thieves and all kind of sinners find a new life free from the old entanglements.  Of course, the old friends, still caught in bondage – will generally have nothing to do with the new converts because they remind them, no matter how quiet and unassuming they are – that something has happened that they don’t understand.  There they stand – before the world: new and innocent in their comprehension of what has taken ahold of them!  No wonder – new converts are the most aggressive witnesses in society – they are heady and almost drunk with grace!  Remember how the crowd described the Apostles at Pentecost?

I will proclaim Your testimonies before kings

                And will not be put to shame.

Paul actually testified before crowned heads on his way to Rome for justice.  Festus heard the testimony and could almost believe what he heard.  We hope that he heard the gospel again and again because that is too often necessary before conversion takes hold.  I have often wondered at the learning process of the church at large when it takes twenty to thirty years for those raised in the church to learn and understand what many new converts hear and comprehend in one telling?  Of course, we know the answer to that, the Lord in His infinite wisdom crafts a time for each and every one.  And unfortunately – in too many places where Christian education is being done, the essential lessons of grace are not forthtold with much attention to accuracy.

Sadly, the scriptures are a bore to many.  I remember one of my last Lord’s Days in the old liberal church; the adult teacher threw the teacher’s booklet over their shoulder complaining that there was no sense to the lesson that any bright person could fathom.  Fortunately, the group let me pick up the booklet and draw out not one, but several lessons from the text.

For I delight in Your commandments,

                Because I love them.

Like many, I little realized what a great gift I had been given; only in seminary did I become suspicious at the means of grace.  When it came to sharing the bi-weekly chapel, I was early astounded that attendance when I led was two to three times the normal.  That scared me and for six months I stepped aside.  Chapel was not a popular item in seminary and many of us went only out of duty.  Then when I was asked by a professor to take a turn again, suddenly the crowd swelled to fill the room available.  Scary stuff – because that was one more nail in my professional coffin from the jealous liberals.  One of the students called my short sermons “bread and butter” sermons that stuck to his ribs and he admitted that he was trying to learn how he could study and progress to catch up.  It was about that point in my life that I quite being jealous with all of those college and high school students who found education so easy and profitable in grades.  My gifts were different than theirs.  Years later, a good friend asked me in his study how easily the psalms seemed to me and I didn’t hesitate but admitted preaching is a gift and certain books and areas of scripture are easier for some than others.

Over the years, when I was asked to do a series on Isaiah, Romans and Deuteronomy – those books really truly scared me and I have had to find all kind of books to quote from because they are not the psalms.  Even as David loved the law of God (the Torah and books that he had), so have I always loved the Psalter.

I revere your commandments, which I love,

                 I meditate on Your statutes.”

Conclusion:  You know there are always different ways to organize material for learning and understanding.  Now, be warned that I do not subscribe to the contemporary educational nonsense that every single student has a unique learning ability!  My guess is that there are some fairly stable groups of learners who having taken basic introductory courses in a variety of subjects should be allowed to focus at an earlier age in those subjects which interest them most.  An elementary education is just that, it should not be repeated over and over forcefully.  And neither should religious instruction be imposed upon unwilling students and people beyond a certain age – since that unpleasant experience may make their conversion later more difficult and untimely – if it happens at all.  We are known by our affections.  Certainly the affections of our God and King are stronger than ours and within the providence of His timing any resistance on our part can be overcome even as He wills our salvation.  So let us hold high our love not only for the Christ of our salvation, but also the love letters, as St Augustine called them, the various books which reveal the substance of His love for us.  Amen.