Peter Misselbrook's Blog

May 7 2020 - Ephesians 4:1-16 – Great expectations

"I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received" Paul writes in Ephesians 4:1. God has redeemed us through his Son and has made us his children. So he calls us to live as his children, members of his family.

Let's be honest, family life is not always easy. There are many families where some members have not spoken to others for years. Sometimes the cause of the rift is well remembered by each side (though the stories each side will tell will no doubt be different). At other times the reason for the split may have been long forgotten but the animosity or indifference remains. Paul is concerned that Christians should not become a divided family. He writes, "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to one hope when you were called – one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all" (vv. 3-6).

How can we keep the family together? A good place to start is with what Paul has to say in verse 2, "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." We need to be completely humble; we are all junior members of the family; Jesus Christ is our older brother and we need to take our lead from him. We are to be gentle in our dealings with one another and to bear with one another (or even put up with each other) out of love. If God our Father patiently bears with us in love, can we not bear with one another? If Jesus will never disown those for whom he gave himself in love, can we not embrace one another? I am reminded of the lines of an old hymn, "Could we bear from one another, what he daily bears from us? Yet this glorious friend and brother, loves us though we treat him thus."

But it's hard living up to the expectations others have of us. Many children are burdened by the expectations of their parents and feel the guilt of not coming up to the mark. Lives can be scarred by failed expectations. Surely God expects too much from us?

God our Father knows that we will continually fall short of all that he calls us to be, yet his calling upon our lives remains undiluted. He calls us to follow Jesus and he supplies us with his Spirit to enable us to follow. And when we fail, he is ready to forgive and to pick us up and set us back upon the path of discipleship. He continues to love us and to cherish us as members of his family. This is the wonder of grace. And we are called to reflect the same spirit in our dealings with one another.

God’s purpose is that we should grow up, grow strong and grow useful in the family of his people. The task of leaders within the church is to encourage such growth through teaching and pastoral care and so to equip each member of the family for the work that God has prepared for them (compare 2:10). But this task is shared by each one of us as we encourage one another so that “the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (4:16).

Father, forgive us that we often behave like infants, squabbling with each other and throwing tantrums when we do not get our own way. Help us to grow up and become mature, united and useful in Christ. Help us by your Spirit to live a life worthy of the calling we have received.

May 7 2019 - 2 Samuel 7 – God's covenant with David

David had brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, but it was still housed in the Tabernacle – a large tent. Meanwhile, David lived in a splendid palace, a symbol that he is there to stay. So David decided that he should replace the Tabernacle, designed to be moved around, with a permanent building for the Ark of the Covenant – a Temple.  The prophet Nathan told David that building a Temple for the Lord would be a good idea, but even prophets can get it wrong when they express their own opinion rather than seeking a word from the Lord. God gave Nathan a very different message to pass on to David.

The Lord's message is a declaration that God is going to fulfil his promises to Abraham through David. The Israelites are now settled in the Promised Land and will no longer be disturbed by their enemies. God has given them rest. And these covenant blessings will continue through David's descendants. His son will build a Temple in Jerusalem for the Lord. The kingdom which God has established through David will last forever.

In response, David pours out his heart in praise to God. His words echo those spoken by God at the foot of Mount Sinai; David says, "How great you are, Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. And who is like your people Israel – the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt? You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, and you, LORD, have become their God" (2 Samuel 7:22-25, cf. Exodus 19:3-6).

God's promise to David is wonderful. But if we are to understand it within the context of the whole drama of Scripture, we need to add two caveats. Firstly, there is one vital part of the promise of God to Abraham which has not yet been fulfilled; God promised that through him and his descendants, all nations on earth would be blessed. God's words to Israel at the foot of Sinai reminded them that they are called to be a priestly nation, that through them, all nations on earth shall come to know the living God. How will David or a descendant of David be used to bring blessing to all nations?

Secondly, God's promise to bless David's descendants and protect their throne is not unconditional. As 1 Chronicles 28:6-7 makes plain, the continuance of the kingdom is dependent upon the faithfulness of the king. As we continue to follow the history of Israel's kings, we shall see how idolatry and disobedience on the part of the kings led to exile – the loss of the Promised Land. Will a son of David ever appear who will be perfectly obedient to God and who will establish a kingdom that will never be destroyed?

The promises given by Nathan to David point us forward to David's greater son. Jesus is the one of whom God says "I will be his father, and he will be my son... Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever" (7:14, 16; cf. Hebrews 1:5). He is the one in whom all nations on earth shall be blessed.

Thank you heavenly Father that while all earthly kingdoms decay and disappear, the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ increases and shall last forever. Thank you for Jesus' perfect obedience, obedience that took him to the cross for us. Thank you that he is risen from the dead and ascended to your right hand in the heavens where he reigns in glory. Thank you that by your grace and through your Spirit you have called us into the kingdom of your dear Son. Use us to draw others to the Lord Jesus and to rejoice in the life of your kingdom.

Peter Misselbrook