Jesus in the General Epistles (7)
Pray Psalm 47.1-4.
Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples!
Shout to God with the voice of triumph!
For the LORD Most High is awesome;
He is a great King over all the earth.
He will subdue the peoples under us,
And the nations under our feet.
He will choose our inheritance for us,
The excellence of Jacob whom He loves.
Selah
Sing Psalm 47.1-4.
(Truro: Shout, for the Blessed Jesus Reigns)
O clap your hands, you peoples all, with joy to God your songs intone!
Shout out to Him, and on Him call, He is the mighty, sovereign One!
High is the LORD, O, fear His Name! He rules, a King o’er all the earth.
Nations and peoples He has tamed, the heritage of His holy worth.
Read Heb. 12.22-24; Jms. 5.7-9; 1 Pet. 1.13-16; 1 Jn. 3.1-3; meditate on 1 Peter 1.13-16.
Preparation
1. What will we who believe receive when Jesus comes to judge the world?
2. What should we be doing in anticipation of that?
Meditation
All the general epistles agree with all the rest of Scripture: A day of judgment is coming when God will reward the just and condemn the wicked. And His standard for both is Jesus Christ, the Satisfier and Embodiment of all God’s Law.
The Christian vision is eschatological, as is that of every worldview. We look to the end of days with hope, not a baseless hope, like that of the world, but a hope based on the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ. As we look to the future, we are focused, not on a set of circumstances or conditions, but on a Person, Jesus Christ. All the grace, joy, fullness, satisfaction, and pleasure we could ever desire are bound up in Him and will be ours when He returns to gather us unto Himself in the new heavens and new earth.
We can only barely envision the conditions of that new creation, but we can see Jesus, with the eyes of the heart, and we must set our minds to this task (Eph. 1.15-23; Col. 3.1-3), so that our thinking is completely oriented toward and guided by Him and the expectation of seeing Him face to face and being like Him.
This is our great and blessed hope, which, as we focus on it day by day, becomes the reality which defines our lives here and now (1 Pet. 1.6-9). Knowing that we shall be like Him, we are devoted to becoming more like Him day by day. We live, not merely in the present—what we are today—but toward the future and, in some sense, in it already. For as we shall see Jesus then, and be like Him, so we may see Him now and become increasingly holy in all our conduct, as He is holy.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
Warner Sallman (1892-1968) painted pictures of Jesus. Many are well-loved by a host of believers. But one I find particularly misleading is Christ at Heart’s Door. This is, in Sallman’s thinking, a depiction of Revelation 3.20.
First of all, that verse is written to believers, not unbelievers; and secondly, if Jesus wants to come into anyone’s heart, He can kick the door in. “Tap, tap, tap, here I am” is not His modus operandi. There was no mild tapping when Saul was knocked off his feet (Acts 9.1-6). Enthusiasm-challenged table overturning was not happening in the synagogue (Matt. 21.12, 13). Jesus, yes, always merciful and gracious, is also just, and gets what He wants!
Going back to Revelation 3.19-22, Jesus is speaking to the church in Laodicea: “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
“Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!” (Jms. 5.9)
In light of this truth, what are we to do in the meantime?
“Establish your hearts” (Jms. 5.8).
“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober,
and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;
but as He Who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I AM holy’” (1 Pet. 1.13-16).
“Your testimonies are very sure;
Holiness adorns Your house,
O LORD, forever” (Ps. 93.5).
Just as our parents corrected us, and we respected them for doing so, “shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?” For our parents did the best they could, perhaps not always perfectly, but God “for our profit” chastens and teaches us holiness, “that we may be partakers of His holiness” (Heb. 12.9, 10).
Our desire then, is to be holy, which guides our every thought, guards our every movement, and grants us sanctification—spurring us on in hope that one day we will be like Him. “And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 Jn. 3.3).
“My soul faints for Your salvation, but I hope in Your Word.”
“You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your Word.”
“Uphold me according to Your Word, that I may live; and do not let me be ashamed of my hope.”
“LORD, I hope for Your salvation, and I do Your commandments” (Ps. 119.81, 114, 116, 166).
And there He is! There is Jesus, The Word of God, standing, waiting to be our Guide unto holiness and purity. “For this is God, our God forever and ever; He will be our Guide even to death” (Ps. 48.14).
Please, Lord Jesus, kick down the door and make me holy!
Reflection
1. How would you explain to a new believer what it means to be holy as God is holy?
2. What can keep us from pursuing holiness as the Lord intends?
3. Whom will you encourage today along the path of holiness?
Holiness is the desire and duty of every Christian. It must be in all affairs, in every condition, and towards all people. We must especially watch and pray against the sins to which we are inclined. The written word of God is the surest rule of a Christian’s life, and by this rule we are commanded to be holy every way. God makes those holy whom he saves. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on 1 Peter 1.13-16
Pray Psalm 47.5-9.
Concentrate on Jesus, exalted in glory. He is our great King! One day we will be like Him. Pray that you may increase in holiness today and show Jesus to the people in your life.
Sing Psalm 47.5-9.
(Truro: Shout, for the Blessed Jesus Reigns)
God has ascended with a shout, the LORD with sound of trumpet bold!
Sing praise to Him, let praise ring out; let praise throughout the world be told!
God is the King of all the earth; sing praise to Him with glorious psalms!
He rules the nations by His worth, and on His throne receives their alms.
Princes of peoples gather all to Abraham and to our God.
Exalt the LORD, and on Him call. The earth is His, so praise our God!
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest this week: Our ReVision series on “The Kingdom Economy” turns to consider the work we’ve been given to do. In our Read Moore column, we continue working through the book, Understanding the Times. And I encourage you to follow our Corsfigell series on Brendan of Clonfert, nicknamed “The Navigator.” Join us and find out why. Click the Articles tab on the home page to see all the selections available to you.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
