Shadows of the King

 

This afternoon I received a flyer through my door.

“Shadows of the King”…

…Elvis night at the local Indian restaurant!

Putting to one side the inconsistency of having an Elvis night at an Indian restaurant; Isn’t it curious how people enjoy dressing up as Elvis Presley and, even more surprisingly, people enjoy watching people who are dressed up as Elvis Presley!

My mind boggles at the thought.

I suppose when you listen to and observe an Elvis impersonator, you see something of the original: “Shadows of the King”. And if you were a fan of the original Presley, then, almost by default, you will be a fan of any good-quality impersonator. After all, they are a Shadow of the King.

I don’t know what preparation goes into becoming an Elvis impersonator- I have never tried it- but I imagine a lot of research, practise and listening are involved. Probably the main qualification for the job, however, is to have a real passion for the whole Elvis culture along with his music (I use the term ‘music’ advisedly).

It takes a lot of energy, time and zeal to become ‘like’ Elvis.

The Bible says that God’s son, the Lord Jesus became like sinful men. That doesn’t mean that Jesus impersonated our sins. Certainly not! Jesus Christ was perfect in every way. But because he was perfect, that meant that he could take our sins upon himself. All of us deserve punishment for our disobedience, but Jesus Christ so loved us that he willingly became ‘like’ us and paid the punishment in our place.

But the Bible doesn’t only talk about Jesus becoming ‘like’  us. It also talks about us becoming ‘like’ Jesus. According to the book of Romans, Christians become more holy-  or are ‘sanctified’. This means that we grow to be more and more like Jesus Christ.

We are given a timeline of events in a Christian’s life. This is what God is doing to believers:

Those whom God foreknew…

…he also choose to be conformed to the image of his son…

…those who he choose he also called…

…those who he called he also justified (made perfect in God’s sight)…

…those whom he justified he also glorified.

You see how it all works? Those who have trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation (otherwise called justification) are being ‘conformed to the image of his son’ and will one day be glorified!

How does God conform us to Jesus’ image? Through the Holy Spirit who changes us.

I’ve heard a number of testimonies recently- stories of how God has changed Christian's lives. And all of them have mentioned how vastly different the behaviour and attitude of a true Christian is to that of a non-believer.

Like an apple tree bears fruit, Christian’s are also to ‘bear fruit’. Jesus has borne many a great harvest of fruit! The book of Galatians describes some of these:

• Love
• Joy
• Peace
• Patience
• Kindness
• Goodness
• Faithfulness
• Gentleness
• Self-control

As Christians, we should be becoming more like Jesus every day. These ‘fruits’ should be growing in our lives. We cannot grow fruit simply by trying really really hard! We need the Lord Jesus to be living in us, and we need to be regularly talking to him and reading his word. The Bible is great spiritual fertilizer!

But we aren’t merely impersonators of Jesus! The Bible says that we are also brothers who will share in the blessings of God the Father. Because of this, one day we will see much much more than simply “Shadows of the King”- we will see our King and be able to call him Father!

Hope in a Church Age

Another couple of Milton Jones quotes regarding the Church,

(buy his small book “10 Second Sermons” for more!)

 

Sometimes people think of church…as a Winnie the Pooh pyjama suit.
Safe and warm, but they hope to goodness no one sees them in it…

And to some it’s a baseball bat. For most of the time they play a nice little game with their friends. Then 0nce a year they go out into the High Street and hit someone over the head with it.

 

Perhaps hope is like ordering something on Amazon.
Every so often you get little messages saying ‘It’s on its way.’
Then one day the doorbell will ring!
But if you don’t answer, your hope might disappear to the depot for ever and ever.”

This God- his way is perfect!

   One of my favourite Psalms is #18, which is almost identically recreated in 2 Samuel chapter 22- my reading this morning. King David wrote the Psalm on ‘the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies’.

Have a read of the entire Psalm at your leisure, but here are a few of the extracts I most enjoyed,

        “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
        my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
    my shield, and the horn of my salvation,
        my stronghold and my refuge,
        my saviour; you save me from violence.
    I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,
        and I am saved from my enemies.
(2 Samuel 22:2-4 ESV)

    For you are my lamp, O LORD,
        and my God lightens my darkness.
    For by you I can run against a troop,
        and by my God I can leap over a wall.
    This God—his way is perfect;
        the word of the LORD proves true;
        he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
    “For who is God, but the LORD?
        And who is a rock, except our God?
    This God is my strong refuge
        and has made my way blameless.
    He made my feet like the feet of a deer
        and set me secure on the heights.
    He trains my hands for war,
        so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
  (2 Samuel 22:29-35 ESV)

    “The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock,
        and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation…”
(2 Samuel 22:47 ESV)

a Sabbath Survey

 

“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”
spoken by Jesus

  Okay, despite yet another poor attempt at alliteration, this post’s title is an apt one. I need your help! I need a answer to the Sabbath Survey Question.

  In under 5 days, my YL team is running the Friday night programme at the youth group.

Our subject: The Sabbath Day

 The scriptures are black and white on this subject (provided you don’t use a red-letter bible): Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.

Why do we keep Sunday’s special?

The obvious answer is ‘Because God told us to’.  Correct.  Full marks.  With distinction.

The theology students among you might add something to do with ‘the promised rest’ etc. etc. Others might suggest physical and mental benefits. Still others might talk about ‘giving God the best hours of the week’. Or what about the example God set during the creation week? Or remembering and celebrating Christ’s resurrection?

All of the above are splendid reasons to keep Sundays holy and for God. But I would like to see some practical, personal, real, living blessings which stir believers on to keep one day in seven aside for the Lord.

   The survey question could be worded in any number of ways:

“What do you gain from keeping Sunday special?”

“How has God blessed your Sundays?”

“What makes your Sundays different from week days?”

Or simply… “Why do you keep the Sabbath?”

Here are a few answers I have received to date:

• Sundays are a great opportunity to meet with other believers- in all shapes, sizes and ages- to worship together and spend time discussing our Christian lives.
• Resting my thoughts upon Jesus for a whole 24 hours helps me to tackle Monday mornings with a fresh mind.
• Sundays are the days when I do all those things I avoid, or don’t have time for, during the rest of the week… like reading my bible!

   I’m making this urgent appeal for more answers! Let me know what makes your Sundays special! And let me know some time soon please! The comments box is simply waiting to be filled!

A Mine of Wealth and a River of Pleasure

 

“This book is the mind of God on the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding; its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveller’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s charter. Here paradise is restored, heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed. Christ is its grand subject, our good is its design, and the glory of god is its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. Follow its precepts and it will lead you to Calvary, to the empty tomb, to a resurrected life in Christ; yes, to glory itself, for eternity.”

Anon.

   What book do you think its talking about?!

abk4u:Developing a Healthy Prayer Life

 

 abk4u aims to review Christian books and authors with the intent of finding…
 a book for you

 

“Prayer is the act of forging a connection between two specific points: our human needs and the resources of God offered to us in Christ… Prayer identifies the desires of the heart and expresses them to God.”

    A few weeks back, during a study on Acts chapter 4, a visiting speaker at our Church highly recommended a book on prayer. I’m glad he did because I’ve found Developing a Healthy Prayer Life by Joel Beeke and James Beeke a real aid in… well- developing a healthy prayer life!

  Each short chapter examines a brief passage of scripture in order to bring out some challenge or thought regarding prayer. The table of contents reads much like a list of adjectives! Titles include: Pray privately, Pray boldly and Pray intercedingly.

   One chapter which particularly struck me was Pray in Christ’s name. I had always previously viewed the conclusion ‘for Jesus' sake’ as one that meant “answer my prayer because I’m asking it on behalf of Jesus.” For example, “I ask that I might be bolder in evangelism, so that Jesus is glorified.” However, as DaHPL pointed out, our prayers only come to God because of Jesus’ intercession for us. So, when we pray in Christ’s name what we are actually doing is declaring that Christ is our mouthpiece. When we pray ‘in Jesus name’ we aren’t expecting our prayers to be answered because of our oration or our goodness, instead we expect our prayers to be answered because God’s son is the one bringing them to God!

“Praying in the name of Christ is not to base my hope and expectation of being heard upon the merits of my “good” prayers. Rather, it is to pray putting all my trust in Jesus Christ’s merits and his intercession.”

    I don’t want to talk too much, and thus steal the thunder (so to speak) from the book itself! Personally, I have it on my kindle and I try to read a chapter each evening. But if another system works better for you then give it a try!

   Prayer is such a vital topic for the Christian. It is crucial to his- or her- continued walk with the Lord. How can we love and serve the Lord if we do not talk with him? This book is a really scripturally based aid in the area of prayer.

the Jigsaw of Joash #3

           …no fairy-tale ending.

  God promised a ‘Son of David’- an anointed King who would bring salvation to the Jews.

 

  in 837 BC….

…Joash, the child-King, a descendant of David, has been placed on the throne.

…The wicked Queen Athaliah has been defeated.

…The pagan temple of Baal has been torn down.

 

   Who could blame the Judeans if they had wondered whether Joash was the promised Saviour of the Jewish nation? Indeed, it would appear that ‘The Day of the Lord’ and the ‘Kingdom of God’ had come! Can you imagine how many hopes were pinned on the young King?!

  Lets see how Joash got on as Monarch…

 

---

 

   Can you remember what life was like at 7 years old? Mine was fairly simple: School, play, dinner, bed. Joash, however, had control over an entire Kingdom at the age of seven! Thankfully- and in God’s grace- he had a brilliant advisor. Jehoida was Joash’s uncle, and also served as Priest.

   Under the wise guidance of his uncle, Joash succeeded in repairing the Temple in Jerusalem. He sent news across Judah, asking everyone to donate towards the temple-fund. Surprisingly perhaps, the leaders and the people responded really generously- they were thankful to see a King taking his God-given responsibilities seriously. Day after day, new funds came pouring in. Masons, carpenters and metal-workers were hired. After the work was finished there was still money left over!

      The Temple sacrifices continued without fail until the death of Jehoida, aged 130. Because of the great respect and admiration Jehoida had achieved, the people decided to bury their priest in the tombs of the Kings in Jerusalem- this was a great honour.

   For the first time in his life, Joash was independent. His friends and princes moved in ‘for the kill’; they started to flatter him and stroke his ego. It didn’t take long before he was eating out of their hands. They advised that he stop worshiping God and start worshiping the Asherim (a false god made of wood and stone). He agreed and quickly abandoned the Lord, taking the rest of the Judeans with him.

   The Lord sent prophets to the King, trying to show him his stupidity and sin and convince him to repent. Joash- and the rest of Judah- ignored these messengers.

   Jehoida had had a son. His name was Zechariah. Zechariah was a prophet. He went to a busy place in Jerusalem and shouted to all the people,

“Thus says God, ‘Why do you break the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken you."’”

  By this point, King Joash’s head couldn’t of gotten any bigger. Remember how Zechariah’s dad, Jehoida, had rescued Joash from Athaliah’s murderous hands? Remember how Jehoida had hidden Joash and been a father to him for all those countless years? Well Joash apparently had forgotten all of this:

   While Zechariah was in the Temple, a mob formed and stoned him to death….they were acting under orders from the King.

   The Lord saw all of this.

   At the end of that very year, the Syrians attacked Judah. Although the invaders were much less powerful than Joash’s army, they gave the Judeans a thrashing. They killed all the princes and looted the Kingdom. Joash was left alive, but wounded. Two of the King’s servants- once loyal and loving towards him- wanted vengeance for the blood of Jehoida’s son. While he was lying in bed, Zabad and Jehozabad crept in and killed the injured monarch.

   After a 40 year rule, King Joash was buried- but not in the honourable tomb of the Kings.

 

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     Unlike a Disney film, this King didn’t end happily ever after. Why?

     Because he wasn’t the promised Saviour-King.

    As the Lord had warned the Israelites years before, human Kings would always fail. They would rebel against God. They would covet, steal and murder.

    Why did God give the Israelites and Judeans so many many different Kings? Why didn’t he simply send his son, Jesus, so much earlier? I think the reason is simple: we can’t appreciate the solution until we see the problem clearly. It wasn’t until we saw how badly and how wickedly we rule ourselves that we would understand how perfect our true King needs to be.

    God’s anointed Saviour could never have been Joash: he was fallible; Jesus is perfect.

    When we read about the Jewish Kings, we learn something about Jesus:

• Joash cleaned up the Temple (although he eventually abandoned it again).
• He was really enthusiastic about worshiping God properly (albeit, only for a while).
• He destroyed the power of the Baals (false gods) over the Kingdom (until he decided to start worshiping other false gods instead).
• He made the people happy and satisfied (until he disobeyed God).

    When we look at Jesus, we learn how much better than human Kings he is:

•     Jesus cleaned up the Temple… in fact, because of Jesus, God came to live inside every Christian: thus fulfilling the very purpose of the temple!  
• Jesus is ‘the way, the truth and the life’. Without Jesus, there is NO way of properly worshiping God!
• By rising from the dead, Jesus destroyed the power that death has over our souls. Through Jesus Christ we can have eternal life and freedom from fear and threats!
• Jesus’ disciples and followers rejoiced to be persecuted! Why? Because they had such a wonderful King and Saviour, who promised them a home in Heaven!

 

Jesus Christ is the King.

 

Jesus Christ is the King who beats all fairy-tales.

 

Jesus Christ is the King which Joash should have been.