My God Has Conquered The Grave

'Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting' 1 Cor 15: 54b-55 

Most human beings are gripped by the fear of death. Yet it is life's only certainty. The glib and witty American author, Mark Twain said, "This life is a losing proposition; nobody gets out of it alive." Death is the hallmark, the sure proof of  our mortality. So why fear?

• We fear the Pain of Death. We have watched some friends dying in pain, experiencing them suffer severe symptoms. Instinctively, we wish it not on ourselves. 

• We fear the Loss of Death. Some of us are so attached to the riches and wealth of materialism, that we cannot bear to lose them. We have become so acquainted to this world, our style of living, the worldly pleasures and comforts; we cannot part from them.

• We fear the Separation of Death. Oftentimes we are not ready to leave family and friends. Husbands and wives fear being separated from one another. Children are not ready to leave parents and parents are not ready to let go, hoping to see their children and grandchildren grow.

• We fear the Penalty of Death. Perhaps our greatest fear is of the divine judgement that many believe will follow. We are not ready, we are guilty of our sins. We may not have been reconciled with God our maker and so we hesitate, even resist, to be plunged into the unknown and face God.

Timothy Keller died on the 19 May 2023 after several years of fighting cancers, first the thyroid and later the pancreas. He has had much thought about the death and dying as a Pastor who sat at the bedside counselling many who faced imminent death. He has to live with his own personal experiences and fears facing death. 

Keller wrote, "While people have many reactions to being in the presence of death, there two opposite mistakes we can make: One is to despair too much; the other is to shrug it off and not learn what we should from it. Neither will be of much benefit to you, so we must do what the Bible tells us to do in the face of death: We should grieve, yet we should have hope; we should wake up from our denial and discover a source of peace that will never leave us; and finally we should laugh and sing."

Keller preached a sermon on boldness in the face of death and recounted what (Ref 1) he learned after opening up his fears as he was rolled into the operating theatre. In that moment he realised the sheer magnitude of God's glory beyond the world of pain and suffering and cancer and death.

"One of the few times I needed courage, God was very happy to give it to me, and it was very nice. When I was going under, being wheeled in for my only cancer surgery — I had thyroid cancer years ago — I do remember (it was so nice) I suddenly had this sense that the world is wonderful and the universe is this big ball of the glory of God, and we’re just trapped in this little tiny speck of darkness. And even that’s going to be taken away eventually. Therefore, no matter what happens now, whatever happens with the surgery, I’m going to be all right. My family is going to be all right. The world is going to be all right. Everything is going to be all right. It was very nice to have a moment of courage."  

 

As the Lord had comforted Timothy Keller, He will guide all who are suffering cancers and severe diseases; He holds us in the palm of His Hand.

'He has saved us and called us to a holy life - not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.' 2 Tim 2:9-10

There are three promises in the verse above. Death has lost its sting. Why?

• Salvation. Sin has no power over us. Christians have been reconciled with God through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ

'We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in His sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus Christ as the sacrifice for sin' Romans 3:22-25 (NLT)

• Grace. Grace is a gift from God which we do not merit nor deserve. 

'But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when he raised Christ. (It is only by God's grace that you have been saved.)' Ephesians 2:4-5

'God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast.' Ephesians 2:8-9 

• Immortality. The assurance and evidence for the immortality of our bodies and souls is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Like him, after dying we will be resurrected. Despite our frail frames and broken bodies, death is just but a transition to immortality.

'For our dying bodies will be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: "Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death where is your sting?" 1 Corinthians 15:53-55

 'For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.' Romans 6:23

 Tim Keller wrote, 

'When I got my cancer diagnosis, I had to look not only at my professed beliefs, which align with historical Protestant orthodoxy, but also at my actual understanding of God. Had it been shaped by my culture? Had I been slipping unconsciously into the supposition that God lived for me rather than I for him, that life should go well for me, that I knew better than God does how things should go? The answer was yes—to some degree. I found that to embrace God’s greatness, to say “Thy will be done,” was painful at first and then, perhaps counterintuitively, profoundly liberating.' 

Realising these three promises will give us courage to face death. It will be liberating. Our Lord is 'Mighty to Save'

Everyone needs compassion

A love that's never failing

Let mercy fall on me

Everyone needs forgiveness

The kindness of a Savior

The hope of nations

Savior, He can move the mountains

My God is mighty to save

He is mighty to save

Forever author of salvation

He rose and conquered the grave

Jesus conquered the grave

So take me as You find me

With all my fears and failures

Fill my life again

I give my life to follow

Everything I believe in

And now I surrender

Savior, He can move the mountains

My God (my God) is mighty to save

He is mighty to save

Forever author of salvation

He rose and conquered the grave

Jesus conquered the grave

Shine Your light and let the whole world see

We're singing for the glory of the risen King, Jesus

Shine Your light and let the whole world see

We're singing for the glory of the risen King

Savior, He can move the mountains

My God is mighty to save

He is mighty to save

Forever author of salvation

He rose and conquered the grave

Jesus conquered the grave

In facing death, Timothy Keller wrote, “Real courage is not the absence of fear; it’s the presence of joy.”

Lionel

Ref 1: Growing My Faith in the Face of Death Timothy Keller 7 Mar 2021 

I Waited For The Lord

'Deep in my heart I say, "The Lord is all I need, I can depend on Him!" The Lord is kind to everyone who trusts and obeys Him. It is good to wait patiently for the Lord to save us.' Lamentations 3:24-26 (CEV)

What if God seems not to answer the deepest requests and prayers of our heart? This week we received the news that despite 6 rounds of chemotherapy followed by a chemical ablation of the bone marrow by chemotherapy and a autologous (own cells) stem cell transplant, the T cell lymphoma persists. Pat is now faced with another round of chemotherapy and an allogenic (donor) stem cell transplant. After 8 months of treatment and prayer petition, Pat is back to square one. She needs to soldier on.

During the treatment, many people from around the world prayed for Pat to be cured of her lymphoma. But this time, it is not to be. Our prayers were not answered by God in the affirmative, in the way we wanted. Such is the will of the Lord. As we submit ourselves to His will, we do not lose hope nor faith and we continue to pray for complete recovery.

What do we do now? We wait on the Lord God, Master of the Universe, Creator of heaven and earth.

  

'I waited for the Lord' is one of the movement in the Symphony Lobesang (Hymn of Praise) composed by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy in 1840. This movement which lasts about 5 mins is scored around just two sentences from Psalms 40:1

I waited for the Lord, He inclined unto me,

He heard my complaint.

O blest are they that hope and trust in Him 

If you had the patience to listen to this song to its completion, you would probably have learnt patience just as the Lord has been teaching Pat and I, to wait on Him patiently with persistent prayer. And in that persistency, at times with travails, God has not been absent with us, we have the distinct impression that 'He inclined towards us.'

What lessons did and will we learn?

• God encourages. Everyday, through our Bible reading or through words and prayers of friends and family, God encourages us. One example is

'For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken," says the Lord, who has mercy on you.' Isaiah 54:10 (NLT)  

• God's purposes will prevail.  We learn while waiting on God and praying that this phrase 'Man proposes, God disposes' is a reality. We pray for specific answers and God will answer according to His purpose  

'Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that will prevail' Proverbs 19:21

• God's plan will work. We think and live in the terms of our temporal perspectives but God's time frame is eternal and everlasting. He already has a plan for us and this plan is set for eternity. We are learning at times of seemingly unanswered prayer, the big picture of God's plan for us.

'For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.' Ephesians 2:10

• God's presence soothes. Everyday while we live with uncertainty, God is present with us and that helps to soothe all anxieties. 

'Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.' Psalm 23:4

So what happens next? Do we resign to our fates? No, until God's will and purposes is fully revealed, we will keeping on praying and keep on hoping. That is the attitude and direction that Jesus said we could take.

'Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.' Matthew 7:7 (NLT)

Pat will soldier on physically, together we soldier on spiritually along with many friends and family. In that persistent prayer as Jesus advocated, we refresh, renew our relationship with God. A new dawn will appear after the darkest night. 'We are not Alone'

I'm not alone, while walking on life's pathway,

I have a friend who walks along with me;

I'm not alone altho' I'm often lonely,

My Lord divine is by me constantly.

So when the storm and trial assail me,

And earthly friendships fail me,

I'll sing and smile o'er ev'ry mile

Till I reach my heavenly home;

And, so, I, journey on o'er hill and valley

I'm not alone: my Savior walks with me.

Pat and Lionel

Teach Me To Worship You

'Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - this is your true and proper worship' Romans 12:1
 

'Teach Me To Worship You' was composed by Quek Li Huan, a Singaporean and the Music Minister at St John’s - St Margaret’s Anglican Church. A comment in the Blog - Voyages of the Pilgrim read, 'This song never fails to encourage me. I pray that you too will come to know the joy of coming before God in simple worship. No complicated chords, no mind-blowing revelations. Just the simplicity of wanting to walk deeper into His arms.' 

Teach me to worship You

Teach me to adore You
I want to love You with my whole being

To learn to praise Your name
Each day to do the same
Teach me O Lord the way
To worship You

I want to worship You
I want to adore You
I want to love You with my whole being

To forsake my sinful ways
To look upon Your face
And understand Your grace
O Lord my God

What does it mean to love God with your whole being? This song clearly defines worship which is the act of ascribing ultimate value in God in a way that it synergises and engages your whole person, your whole being. It involves our mind, our emotion and our will, our entire being, our everything.

There is another song in the Bible that describes worship as involving our entire being, Psalms 95

• Our Emotions. 'Come let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song' Psalms 95:1-2

• Our Minds. 'Come let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our maker, for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock of His care.' Psalms 95:6-7

• Our Wills. Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness.' Psalms 95:7b-8 

There are two expressions or forms of worship, the corporate and the personal acts of worship.

The Corporate Worship is usually exhibited in congregational worship in which worshippers praise God with singing and prayer usually following a ritual or liturgy in a church, hall or at home. Liturgy is a set of words, music and actions (usually in structured format), used in religious ceremonies. These church worship expressions help to reassure and strengthen our faiths in God , deepen our bonds with each other and provide us with a sense of purpose and mission. The writer to the Hebrews advocates and encourages such meetings where we vocalise our worship and praise God together

'Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that openly profess His name.' Hebrews 13:15 

This regular congregational worship should then result in communal sharing and ministry to one another within and without the church, thereby pleasing God.

'And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.' Hebrews 13:16  

The corporate worship service should be centred on the Holy Trinity. We worship the God the Father who calls us to be His people by sending His Son, Jesus Christ as our redeemer and giving us the Holy Spirit as our counsellor.  

The second form, Personal Worship, is usually done individually and privately. Personal worship is to spend time with God on a regular basis. It involves the Holy Scriptures and Prayer. Henri Nouwen wrote (Ref 1), 'The word of God should lead us first of all to contemplation and meditation. Instead of taking the words apart, we should bring them together in our innermost being;...  we should be willing to let them penetrate into the hidden corners of the heart. Secondly we need quiet time in the presence of God, this is when we pray, sometimes silently.' Henri Nouwen wrote, 'Being silent in the presence of our God belongs to the core of all prayer. In the beginning we often hear our own unruly inner noises more loudly than God's voice. But surely, very slowly, we discover that the silent time makes us quiet and deepens our awareness of ourselves and God.

The Christian who can worship God with such wholeheartedness, is a Christian who has a right understanding of God's nature and right value of God's worth. This is what is meant by worshipping God with all of our being. 

John Piper surmised (Ref 2), "The inner essence of worship is to know God truly and then respond from the heart to that knowledge by valuing God, treasuring God, prizing God, enjoying God, being satisfied with God above all earthly things. And then that deep, restful, joyful satisfaction in God overflows in demonstrable acts of praise from the lips and demonstrable acts of love in serving others for the sake of Christ."

It is often useful to begin worship with an Invocation prayer. The Invocation is a prayer for the blessing of God. The liturgy of the traditional Methodist worship service starts with an invocation hymn. This hymn, attributed to Charles Wesley, 'Come Thou Almighty King' helps  invoke in each one of us an awareness of the presence of the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

Come, Thou Almighty King, help us Thy name to sing.

Help us to praise:

Father!  All glorious, O’er all victorious

Come and Reign over us, Ancient of Days.

Come, Thou Incarnate Word, gird on Thy mighty sword

Our prayers attend!

Come and Thy people bless and give Thy word success

Spirit of holiness, on us descend.

Come Holy Comforter, Thy sacred witness bear

In this glad hour!

Thou, who almighty art, now rule in ev’ry heart

And ne’er from us depart, Spirit of Pow’r.

To Thee, great One in Three, eternal praises be

Hence ever more:

Thy sov’reign majesty may we in glory see

And to eternity, love and adore.

Lionel

Ref 1: Henri Nouwen. Reaching Out - The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life. Chapter 8, The Prayer of the Heart. Image Books Doubleday, 1986

Ref 2: John Piper What is Worship? April 2016 Desiring God Interviews

https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/what-is-worship

Things Are Different Now

 

'I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.' Psalms 32:8

What is different now that you are a Christian? What changed the day you repented of your sins, accepted the salvation that Jesus Christ has to offer? Probably nothing dramatic. But in reality, a miracle happened to your body, mind, heart and spirit. You may not feel it nor realise it but things are different now.

• You are born again.

Nicodemus the Pharisee approached Jesus Christ one night wanting to be a follower, a part of Jesus' ministry. Jesus replied to Nicodemus' consternation,

'Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.' John 3:3

'Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh give to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.' John 3:5-6

The second birth is not physical but a spiritual phenomenon. Your spirit which was dead because of sin is now born again, a miracle happened.

• You are a new creation.

Paul the apostle wrote:

'Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new.'

Life takes on a new perspective. Instead of being anchored to worldly matter and the encumbrances of sin, put away your past life and habits and enter into a new relationship with God through Jesus Christ. The old ways die and a new life begins in a moment by moment renewal. With some detail, St Paul described this transformation:

'You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander and dirty language. Don't lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds.' Colossians 3:7-9 (NLT)

'Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him.' Colossians 3:10 (NLT)

'Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothes yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.' Colossians 3:12 (NLT)

Your conduct changes, your behaviour is overhauled, the way you live is different; there is a new you!   

• You have a new mind

But it is not only your conduct and behaviour; the way you think will be different. There is an inner change too, your mind is transformed. 

'Don't copy the behaviour and customs of this world but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.' Romans 12:2 (NLT)

Consider this, using the renewed mind, you have the ability to discern God's thoughts and thus God's will. 

'For who can know the Lord's thoughts?.... But we understand these things because we have the mind of Christ.' 1 Corinthians 2:16 

• You have a new heart

Jeremiah the Prophet said, "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can understand it?" Jeremiah 17:9. But God knows,

'Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there be any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.' Psalm 139:23

    

God can change our hearts; a transformation of attitudes and values. 

'And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.' Ezekiel 36:26 (NLT)  

• You have a new love 

At the last supper, Jesus Christ gave His disciples a new commandment,

'A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.' John 13:34

Love becomes the prime virtue in all your social interactions. Every new believer can have the capacity to love like Christ loves, unconditional, sacrificial and forgiving love. This is the distinguishing mark of every Christian, to love unreservedly. 

• You have a new spirit.

How can you change? How can you live this new life in Christ? At the last supper Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will come upon you and empower you. The Holy Spirit is our advocate, our helper, our counsellor. 

'And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit who will lead you into all truth.' John 14:16-17a (NLT)

'No eye has seen, no ear has heard and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him. But it was to us that God revealed these things by His Spirit. For His Spirit searches out everything and shows us God's deep secrets.' 1 Corinthians 2: 9-10 (NLT)

'No one can know a person's thoughts except that person's own spirit, and no one can know God's thoughts except God's own Spirit. And we have received God's Spirit (not the world's spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.' 1 Corinthians 2:11 (NLT)

So what is different when you become a Christian? John Piper concluded (Ref 1) "So, my conclusion is that we can say that Jeremiah 17:9 (the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick) is true of the human heart — all of them. But where God is applying the blood-bought purchase of the new covenant, there is a new creation. Sins are forgiven. Holy Spirit is poured in. New nature is brought into being. That newness consists in the presence of the heart-influencing Holy Spirit and in the new nature. You might call it the divine-like DNA that is more and more being conformed to Christ."

Things are different now.

 

Things Are Different Now,

Something Happened To Me

When I Gave My Heart To Jesus.

Things Are Different Now,

I Was Changed, It Must Be

When I Gave My Heart To Him.

Things I Loved Before

Have Passed Away,

Things I Love Far More

Have Come To Stay;

Things Are Different Now,

Something Happened That Day

When I Gave My Heart To Him.

Lionel

Ref 1: John Piper, Desiring God Interviews Apr 2020

https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/is-the-christians-heart-deceitfully-wicked

The Captain Of Our Salvation

Oberammagau Passion Play 4 Sep 2022

'All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.' Isaiah 53:6 (NKJV)

On the 4 Sep 2022, 22 members and friends from Charis Methodist Church travelled to Germany to the Bavarian village of Oberammagau. Once every 10 years, the people of this village enact the Passion Play and several thousands from all over the world travelled there to watch the play, recounting from the Old Testament book of Isaiah and the New Testament's Gospels, the atoning work of Jesus Christ. 

750 years before the event, Isaiah prophesied the birth of Christ and wrote of the atoning work of the Saviour, 

'We despised Him and rejected Him; He endured suffering and pain. No one would even look at him. But he endured the suffering that should have been ours, the pain that we should have borne. All the while we thought that His suffering was a punishment sent by God.' Isaiah 53:3-4 (GNB) 

'But because of our sins He was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did. We are healed by the punishment He suffered, made whole by the many blows He received.'

Isaiah 53:5 (GNB)

'He was treated harshly, but endured it humbly; He never said a word. Like a lamb about to be slaughtered, like as sheep about to be sheared, He never said a word. He was arrested and sentenced and led off to die, and no one cared about His fate. He was put to death for the sins of our people.'

Isaiah 53:7-8 (GNB)

Both St Peter and St Paul wrote of this atonement, paid for, in Jesus Christ 

'He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.' 1 Peter 2:24

'For while we were still helpless, yet at the proper time Christ died for the ungodly. For only rarely will someone die on behalf of a righteous person (for on behalf of a good person possibly someone might even dare to die), but God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.' Romans 5:6-8

Henry Scougal (1650-1678) a Scottish theologian and minister, in his short classic 'The Life of God in the Soul of Man' (Ref 1) described Jesus Christ as the Captain of our Salvation. He wrote of the restored relationship that God had provided us through the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. "He created us at first in a happy condition; but now that we have fallen from it, He has brought us help through the one who is mighty to save because He has committed the care of our souls to no lesser a person than the eternal Son, the Captain of our salvation." 

Writing of this restored relationship, Scougal wrote, "Happy are they whose souls are awakened to the divine life, and who are renewed in their inward spirits." He observed, "God has a tender regard for the souls of men and is infinitely willing to promote their welfare."

Jesus Christ, the Captain of our Salvation, secured our salvation. He paid the price for the penalty of our sins. What is the meaning of atonement? The original English word is derived from a combination of 'at onement.' It means to 'set as one' or to 'be reconciled.' It also means a restoration and restitution after a price is paid for a wrongdoing. 

This meaning of atonement is excellently conveyed by a song written by Don Moen. 'All We Like Sheep' reflects the core message of Jesus Christ, redeeming us from the penalty of sin, a merit we do not deserve. The song highlights the sinful nature of humanity, and like sheep we strayed from God's path. . 

It acknowledges, Romans 3:23, that we all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. Yet it also conveys the hope of forgiveness and reconciliation through Jesus Christ. Interposed on the theme of waywardness of mankind, is a longing to return to God's presence. The song assures us that no matter how far we may have strayed, God's love and forgiveness are always available to us; such is the grace of God 

All we like sheep have gone astray

Each of us turning our own separate way

We have all sinned and

Fallen short of Your glory

But Your glory is what we desire to see

And in Your presence is where

We long to be

Oh Lord

Show us your mercy and grace

Take us to Your holy place

Forgive our sin and heal our land

We long to live

In Your presence once again

Taking our sickness, taking our pain

Jesus the sacrifice lamb has been slain

He was despised, 

Rejected by men he took our sins

Draw us near to You

Father through Jesus Your son

Let us worship before

You cleansed by Your Blood

Oh Lord

Show us your mercy and grace

Take us to Your holy place

Forgive our sin and heal our land

We long to live

In Your presence once again

Lionel

Ref 1 Henry Scougal, The Life of God in the Soul of Man. Crossway Short Classic, 2022