Steadfast

I was reading a posting by the Anchoress (see "link") about President Bush. Recently, the President has been on the receiving end of a lot of criticism from conservatives.

The gist of a long article, for me, was that Mr. Bush really has not changed very much over the last 6 years. He has been steadfast.

Therefore, I have begun praying these three verses for him.

Isaiah 26:3. The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You.

Psalm 51:10. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

1 Corinthians 15:57-58. ...but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

Disclaimer: I quite recognize that "the victory through our Lord..." is not a political victory.

Memorized Verses #1

Christ the Center #1.

See Link below.

2 Corinthians 5:17
17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

While Paul, the man tho wrote this, knew that he was a new creature, he also knew that the old creature was not yet full dead (see Romans 7).

When I became a Christian, this is one of the verses that I memorized first. There was a lot of that “old creature” that I wanted to “pass away.” Now. Immediately. Because it did not, I struggled with condemnation, and I still do, though less so, 30 years later. However, now I know more of what Paul knew then. The new creature that I am will take a life time to grow to full adulthood.

And the old creature with its old things will take a life time to die. That old creature is like a child, sometimes like a two-year-old, sometimes like a teenager. It is full of rebellion, full of sin, full of bad attitudes, full of selfishness, full of narcissistic self-love. But it is passing away (and it does not like that). In God’s economy, in God’s kingdom, in a “God’s eye view,” it is already dead, and I am fully His new creature. Its death is a promise to me, both already fulfilled in eternity, and being fulfilled now.

I am no longer under condemnation. Not because I am fully, here and now, a new creature. Nor am I free from the “old things.” Nor because I am fully obedient, righteous, and sanctified. I chose to believe the promise in this verse, and God reckons it to me as righteousness. On the basis of grace, through faith, through my believing, I am that new creature.

Prologue to "Memorized Verses"

Prologue

I became a Christian, long ago and far away, when I had two roommates who were active in the Navigators. The Navigators were (and are) heavily committed to God’s word and to evangelism.

Because of decisions that the local leadership made, the graduate students (there were at least 4 of us) were mostly left alone. We attended the general meetings and all went to church together, but they otherwise ignored us.

At that time, they had two “programs” that they wanted everyone who wanted to be in the Navigators to do: a Bible study called “The Design for Discipleship” and a set of verses to memorize called “The Topical Memory System." (TMS)

The TMS is a set of 60 verses. There are 5 major topics and each of those has 6 sub-topics. The expected rate of memorization is one verse a day, reviewing each verse for at least 30 days. I was not that fast.

However, these 60 verses, and about 120 more, are the foundation of my reputation as a “walking concordance.” Well, that and the ability to use the concordance and references in a normal Bible.

I am taking a long time to get to a point. Recently, pastor Tom recounted something that he had heard someone say. The person said that he thought that modern Christians were “perverting” the word of God because they do not spend long periods of time meditating on it. The criticism may sound harsh here. However, the remark, in its context, was a loving and compassionate word spoken in humility.

What struck me, as Tom spoke this, was that there are a number of verses that I have meditated on for years. The TMS verses I memorized 30 years ago. I dug out my old packs, and began to look at them.

I am going to post on them from time to time.

Righteousness by Faith

All quotes are from the NASB95.

Matthew 5:20. “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

What kind of righteousness did the Pharisees have?

How do I surpass it?

Philippians 3:4-6
4 although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more:
5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee;
6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.

The Pharisees had, if Paul is any indication, a righteousness of blamelessness. Now blamelessness is good. I like blamelessness. I cannot imagine ending a day and being (or at least feeling) blameless.

Luke 1:5-6.
5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
6 They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.

Again, blamelessness is good.

Zacharias and Elizabeth were the parents of John the Baptist.

Luke 1:8-10
8 Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division,
9 according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
10 And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering.

He is standing just outside of the Holy of Holies. The only thing separates him from it is the veil, a curtain. This veil tore in two as Jesus died on the cross (Luke 23:45). [Talk about Tom’s “law of first and last mention.” We start off Luke with a miracle in the Temple, and end it with one.]

This is the difference between the righteousness of men, of the law, and the righteousness of God. The one will take me right up to the Holy of Holies, right up to the veil to point of being able to touch, but will not let me step through the veil into the presence of God. The righteousness of God tore the veil and allowed me, us, through. Which kind of righteousness do I want to have?

Luke 1:11-13
11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense.
12 Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him.
13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John.

And Zacharias did not believe what the angel told him (1:18). He stood just outside that veil, announcing his unbelief to an angel. For his unbelief, he was unable to speak (1:20).

As blameless as Zacharias is, as righteous as he is in God’s sight, he does not believe.

Acts 15:9-11
9 [Peter said,] “He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.”
10 “Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?
11 “But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”

Here Peter rejected the idea that the gentile believers need to walk under the law, and the righteousness that comes from the law. Notice “faith” in 15:9 and “grace” in 15:10. They are indicators of where I am going.

I am, as all of us are, under a death penalty because of Adam and Eve. Blamelessness, the righteousness of the law, is like driving to my own execution. A policeman stops me, checks out everything, and then he tells me that with regard to the righteousness that is by the laws of driving, I am blameless. I am free to continue driving. To my execution. Being blameless is good, but it is not salvation. It is not God’s righteousness. God’s righteousness is different.

Matthew 6:33. “But seek first His kingdom [which is different from the kingdoms of the earth] and His righteousness [which is different than the righteousness that the disciples, and the Pharisees, and the Priests knew about], and all these things will be added to you.

God’s righteousness is more than the righteousness of blamelessness.

Genesis 15. Another old man, another barren wife, another visitation, another promise of a miracle.

Genesis 15:1-6
1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying,
“Do not fear, Abram,
I am a shield to you;
Your reward shall be very great.”
2 Abram said, “O Lord God, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
3 And Abram said, “Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.”
4 Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.”
5 And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
6 Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.

The blessing of Zacharias, of knowing all the right things to say and do, versus the blessing of Abram, which is the blessing of a personal relationship, being a friend of God.

Romans 4:1-3
1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found?
2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

Romans 4:16-22
16 For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,
17 (as it is written, "A father of many nations have I made you") in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.
18 In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, "So shall your descendants be."
19 Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb;
20 yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God,
21 and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.
22 Therefore it was also credited to him as righteousness.

God’s righteousness is a righteousness by faith.

Philippians 3:4-9
4 although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more:
5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee;
6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.
7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,
9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,

Ephesians 2:8-10
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

And the first belief, the first faith, is for salvation. Blamelessness takes me to the Holy of Holies. God’s righteousness, the righteousness that is by faith, through grace, takes me into the Holy of Holies and into the presence of God.

How do I walk this out?

We were talking a couple of Sundays ago about the problem we have in doing the things we are supposed to: praying for someone, or some situation, laying on hands to pray for healing or blessing, believing the best about someone, or whatever it is. That we are of two minds about these things, and we tend to get bogged down in the unbelief half of our mind.

Well, yeah. So what? I should not be concerned about that half. It is the flesh. It is dying. It is going to be dead. Soon. Forever. Yeah, it is going to whine, and squawk, throw up excuses, and complain for a long time yet. It is going to die. God says so. I can believe Him that it is going to die, and He reckons it to me as righteousness.

Instead, I need to believe God. I need to focus on the half of my mind that is being renewed, transformed, that has the mind of Christ. Whatever He asks, says, prompts, leads, quickens me to do, I believe Him. And He then credits this to me as righteousness. And part of the evidence that I believe Him, is that I do something in response to His prompting.

Every time I believe Him, He reckons it to my account as righteousness. I do not need more righteousness, in a sense. When I believed Him for salvation, I received the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. That is an infinite amount I expect. Why would I need more? And yet it pleases our heavenly Father to give us opportunity to “run up the account.” He wants us to look up at Him, as Daddy, and believe Him over all the things, big and little. of our days.

Eph 2:10. Here is mystery of works. Works come after faith. Works come after salvation Works comes after believing God. Works even come after believing God for the good works, themselves. Not before. He prepares them. He tells us that they are there. And we believe Him and He reckons that to us as righteousness, not the works themselves. Then we walk in works that He has prepared.

Some of the good works are the small stuff of daily life.

Some of those good works last for years. Hear that mothers? Home schoolers? Hear that cubical farm dwellers? It is not a dreary obligation. He called you were you are. Believe God. It is the good work that He has prepared for us from the foundation of the universe. Just for us. Believe God for your calling, and He reckons it as righteousness. OK, it helps to remember that every day, or twenty times a day, if necessary.

Let’s look at one last thing, and apply some of the “believe God, and He reckons it to as righteousness.

Take some of these promises and practice believing God for them. Let Him “reckon” some righteousness in your direction.

The beatitudes, a nice concentrated assortment of promises.

Matthew 5:3-10.
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

MODEL: There are two promises here, and I can believe both of them. I can believe God that the kingdom of heaven is mine, and He will reckon that to me as righteousness. If I look at myself and see, not “spiritual bankruptcy,” but pride and self-sufficiency; I can believe God that He is going to change me, and He reckons that to me as righteousness.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness [by faith], for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Model: I have thought that Jesus was being cruel here. If I am going to have to wait to see God until I am pure in heart, I think to myself, well I am going to wait a long time.

However, I can believe God that I shall see Him, and see Him now. I can believe that I will be pure in heart. I can also believe that in God’s eyes, in God’s economy and in God’s eternal NOW I am already pure in heart, and that I can already see Him. And He reckons the whole thing to me as righteousness.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness [by faith, not of works, not being able to say the right thing], for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Practicing “righteousness by faith”

Romans 14:17
17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness [by faith] and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 6:13-14
13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness [by faith],

1 Timothy 6:11. But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness [by faith], godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.

2 Timothy 2:22. Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

2 Timothy 3:16. ll Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness [by faith];

2 Timothy 4:8. ...In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness [by faith], which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.