Immanuel's Orphaned Cry

 Immanuel's Orphaned Cry

14th October 2023

Stushie Art

It is recorded in the Bible, that when our Lord Jesus was hanging on the cross, He uttered seven statements:

 1.  “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

2.    “Verily I say to you, today you shall be with Me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

3.    “Woman, behold your son!. . . Behold your mother!” (John 19:26~27)

4.     “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matt 27:46)

5.     “I thirst!” (John 19:28)

6.     “It is finished!” (John 19:30)

7.      “Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit.” (Luke 23:46)

Two weeks ago, as I was pondering on these statements, I realised that in three of those statements that  were addressed to God, in the 1^st and last statement, Jesus referred to God as “Father”, but in the 4^th and middle statement Jesus referred to God as “God” instead of Father. 

Why was that so, have you ever wondered?

In the Bible, Jesus referred to God as Father about 170 times.  He even taught His disciples to address God as “our Father who art in heaven”, when praying.  Why would He suddenly address God as “God” and not as “Father”?  Why would He cry out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

I could think of a thousand reasons why God would forsake me, even though I know He has promised that He will never leave me or forsake me.  But why would a loving God forsake our Lord Jesus, the only good man who ever lived?

David said in Psalm 37:25, 

“….. never have I seen the righteous forsaken….”  

But yet our Lord Jesus was forsaken.

The Father declared during the baptism and transfiguration of our Lord Jesus, 

“In Him I am well pleased.”  

Yet God forsook our Lord Jesus when he hung on the cross.

There must be something else in this forsaking…

Psalm 22 is considered a messanic psalm as it describes in detail our Lord's suffering on the cross.

In Psalm 22:1, the psalmist cried out,

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

    Why are you so far from saving me,

    so far from my cries of anguish?"

The answer is given in Psalm 22:3,

"But you are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel"

 

You see, when Jesus was hanging upon the cross, the relationship that existed between Him and God was no longer simply between a son and a father.  It was now a judicial relationship between a man and a holy and righteous God.  Our Lord Jesus was dying as a judicial substitute under the judgement of a holy God.  He was dying as a substitute for others.  He was not dying for his own sin, but for others. God forsook Him not on account of anything in Himself, but on account of others.  Jesus died as a substitute and sacrifice for your sins and my sins.

 

When our Lord cried out, “Why?  Why have you forsaken me?”, he was not asking out of ignorance.  No, it was an announcement.  It was the human cry of intense suffering.  It was an agonizing cry of an innocent and holy life, as He alone bore the sins of the world upon himself.

 

The Bible tells us from 12 noon to 3 pm the sky went dark in divine displeasure as the light of God’s countenance was turned away. 

Here our Lord Jesus was forsaken of God but for no sin of his own. 

Here God would lay on him the iniquity of us all. 

Here he who knew no sin, would become sin. 

Here one dies, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God. 

Here God gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

 

Hebrews 2:9 tells us, 

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honour, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.”.  

He became a man to reveal God, yes, that is true, but most of all, He became a man to die on the cross as our Substitute.  He died as a man and He died for man.  He bore in His body on the cross all of God’s judgement against sin, so that those who believe in Him will never have to bear it.  

Thank you, Jesus!

 

The Air-Bag

 25th September 2022

The Air-Bag

You have an air-bag in your car.  You’ve never seen it.  But they tell you, as soon as you hit something or somebody head-on, it’s going to explode.  It’s going to catch you like a down pillow.  And it will be nice.  

Have you ever seen that air-bag in your car?  Is it there? 

You don’t know.  

They tell you it is there, but you cannot see it.

You hope it is there.  

When are you going to find out?  

When you need it...

My wife found that out.  

In the early hours of one morning, on 3rd Ocober 2011, whilst driving to school on the New Pantai Expressway, she hit a styrofoam box in the middle of the road, lost control, swerved and hit into the concrete crash barrier and the car overturned!  

The air-bag exploded and cushioned her from hitting the windscreen or the steering wheel.  

Praise God it worked! The air-bag actually worked! 

Thank God that at that particular moment, there were no fast on-coming vehicles.  It would have been disastrous if there were.

My wife crawled out safely from the overturned car with hardly a scratch on her.  It was nothing short of a miracle!  Praise God for His protection!  He is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1)

What can we learn from this incident?  

Our God is just like that air-bag.  You cannot see Him with your physical eyes.  But you know that when you need Him, He is going to be there. 

He will come through for you when you find yourself in a position demanding that necessity of a divine intervention.  

You can depend on Him to ...

Systematic Theology

17th September 2022

We study theology (“theos”= God, “logos”= word) so that we can know about God and so that we can know God.

If we don’t know about Him, we can’t really know Him.  We may have encountered Him in passing when we made the decision to repent and put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, but we know little of Him unless we study His Word to get to know Him in a more intimate manner.

This is where systematic theology comes in helpful in our spiritual growth.  It organizes into a “systematic” way the knowledge of God as revealed in His Word and how all this knowledge relates to us.  Our fellowship with God is dependent on how well we know Him.

Topics covered under Systematic Theology includes the following :

The Bible

God

Jesus Christ

Holy Spirit

The Devil

Angels

Anthropology

Sociology

Man

Hamartiology

Soteriology

The Church

Eschatology

It helps put you on a firmer foundation regarding tough questions like the Trinity, election, predestination, end-times, etc, that we so often wrestle with in our Bible studies.

I encourage you to get a copy of Systematic Theology for your library.  It will enrich you in your study and understanding of God’s Word.

Thiessen’s Lectures in Systematic Theology has followed me since my student days in 1979.

http://ntslibrary.com/PDF%20Books/Derickson's%20Notes%20on%20Theology.pdf

Derickson’s Notes on Theology is also quite good.  It is only available in digital format.  I find it uncomfortable reading long on the computer, so what I did was I downloaded the entire book and bound it up for easy reading.

Hope that helps...

Do You Have Your Own Library?

9th August 2022

Nowadays, it is so easy to get Bible study resources from the internet.  Practically free and effortless.  The problem is that there are so many different "Christian" teachings in the social media, and if you do not have some basic foundation in your Bible knowledge to filter off the errors, these “teachings” can do more harm than good and lead you astray.  

Allow me to offer some humble advice for the serious Bible student:

 

a)       Always find opportunity to discuss any “new” teachings you may have come across with your Care Group members or church leaders, so that it can be corrected if it is not true..

Proverbs 11:14:  “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety."

 

b)      Invest in a good library.

 

I am glad that during my younger days as a new Christian, I was encouraged to build up my own Christian library.  Get books with good authors. Books are a worthwhile investment that will last you a life-time, and even until your next generations…  Books are good resource materials that you can refer back to over and over again. 

 

I started acquiring books for my library since my student days, back when books cost just a few ringgit each…  We were poor then, but I saved up from whatever meager pocket money I had and invested in books. 

c)       Suggested books for your library

 

Here are some of the books I found useful in my study of God's Word.  

You may also want to ask your leaders or other brothers and sisters-in-Christ to recommended their choice of books for your library ..

The late Howard Hendricks was a professor from Dallas Theological Seminary.  This book teaches on how to read, interprete and apply the bible to our lives.

 

William Macdonald was the President of Emmaus Bible College and a Plymouth Brethren theologian.

 

This is a great Bible dictionary companion.  Wycliffe is synonymous with Bible translation works in the mission field.

 

I had this with me since 1979…

Theology (theos = God, logos = word, knowledge) provides the basic foundation for your faith and beliefs.  Systematic theology simply organizes the various doctrines of the Bible into a systematic and topical format. It is your theology, undergirded by your faith in God, that will pull you through the highs and lows of your Christian life.

 

Lewis Sperry Chafer was one of the co-founder of Dallas Theological Seminary.

 

Hope I was able to encourage and exhort each other in the study of God’s Word that we may grow and mature in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 10:25)

Books, like friends, should be few and well chosen - Samuel Paterson.

 

 

Overwhelmed

17th July 2020

Overwhelmed

What do you do when the pressure of work is so overwhelming, as you struggle to meet the demands of the client, and there is no imminent end nor solution in sight, not at least for another few weeks?  

Each night you lie down worrying about what may unfold the next day.  Even the weekend offers little rest as you think about the Monday following and your heart skips a beat each time you hear your mobile phone ring, which may be about work, again.  And the last piece of advice you want to hear is … “Try not to worry so much….”

Reduced to utter helplessness, there is no respite except to spend time in the presence of God.

You try to pray your way through the fog but you don’t see the lighthouse anywhere.  You fumble choosing the words to pray…

What to do when you do not know how or what to pray…?

You keep silent and by faith you just read His Word and let God speak to you, not exactly sure how He is going to do that…

Psalm 86 was a balm to my battered soul.

The psalmist, David, cried out, echoing the depths of my weighed-down heart ….

Hear me, Lord…

Guard my life…

Save your servant…..

You are my God, have mercy on me, Lord.

For I call to you all day long…!

Yes, practically all day long, I was pleading to God for a way out…

Bring joy to your servant, Lord, and remove this terrified spirit from me.

For I put my trust in you.

When I am in distress, I call to you

Because I know you will answer me

There is no one like you

I have no one, but you, Lord.

Teach me your way

And remind me of your faithfulness.

For you are a compassionate and gracious God

Slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness

Save me

Give me a sign of your goodness

I meditated on Psalm 86 for two days. 

Then two days later, my Bible Reading Plan took me to Revelation chapter 2. 

What ?  Revelation 2? 

The letters to the seven churches that are full of admonitions? 

How would that encourage me..?

As I started reading, a sense of God’s peace slowly started to seep into my soul…

It was as if the Lord was reminding me of His goodness :

I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance

I know your afflictions

I know about those who slander against you

You will suffer for a little while.

Be faithful.

I know where you live (work) – where Satan has his throne.

Yes, the marketplace is so tainted & corrupted with the works of the evil one

I know your deeds, your love and faith,

Your service and perseverance

Strengthen what remains

Remember what you have received and heard

Hold it fast

Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.

I know what you are going through….

Just like Job when God confronted him with the 64 questions, I was strangely silent in awe and reverence.

The dark clouds seemed to ease aside slightly, letting through a bit of light…

Two nights ago, I watched the movie “Greyhound” where Tom Hanks played the role of Captain Ernest Kraus, the commander of four American destroyers, shepherding a convoy of supply ships across the dangerous Atlantic to Great Britain during WW2, over a 5-day stretch.  And there were German U-Boats lurking in the ocean depths like a wolf pack, just waiting for the chance to ambush and wipe out the destroyers, and the supply ships.

What ensued were many heart-stopping and tense moments.

What really got to me was the simple and tireless faith of Captain Krause.

At the beginning of the movie, he prays on bended knees, 

“Dear Lord, let Your angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me.  Amen.”

He then stayed on the bridge a few days at a time, leading his convoy in a cat-and-mouse confrontation with the U-Boats, resulting in many casualties on both sides.

When the enemy U-Boats were finally eliminated, Captain Krause retired to his cabin,  praying before he went to bed:  

“I thank you, my heavenly Father, that You have graciously kept me this day.  Into your hands I commend myself, my body and soul.  Amen.”

Two short and simple prayers. 

But therein lies a great truth that I can once again lay hold of and claim for myself, in quiet and confident trust.

Such a welcome sight as I was watering the string bush in front of my house.  The evening sun shining through upon the budding flowers, after a period of dryness, offers a glimpse of fresh new hopes.

This, too, shall pass. With the help of God I shall get through this and come out the other side of the tunnel, stronger.

19th July 2020

Psalm 88

I continue to cry out to God who only can save me. (88:1)

Can God be glorified in my failure?  Will God be honoured when I suffer defeat and humiliation?

The honest cries of hurt from the psalmist resonated within my soul.  It is never wise to be dishonest with God.  He knows exactly what we are thinking, anyway.  He would prefer that more than our false cries of praise.....

In quiet and confident trust, I continue to pray that God will prosper the tasks and projects that He has so entrusted under my watch.
For His Name's sake and for His glory!

May God's favour be upon me.  

May I find favour in the eyes of my accusers...... 

10:00 pm

Just got encouraged from a webinar:

"To surrender at the lowest point of your life is to find yourself in the hollow of God's Hands and the only way to go next is up!"

"Even when we are faithless, He remains faithful for He cannot deny Himself!" (2 Timothy 2:13)

20 July 2020

Isaiah 33

"Be my strength every morning
My salvation in times of distress.." (Isaiah 33:2)

21 July 2020

Pslam 89

"May your love and faithfulness go before me" (Psalm 88:14)

"For you are my glory and strength, and by your favour your Name is exalted!" (Psalm 88:17)

22 July 2020
6:00 pm

Finally, a glimmer of light! 
The client was willing to meet halfway with the Schedule of Rates that we submitted today! 
A very small victory. 
But it is still a victory worth celebrating!
Praise God! :D

In every victory (however small)
May it be said of me
My source of strength
My source of hope
Is Christ alone!

24 July 2020
Deuteronomy 7
What do you do, when God brings you to a place of great trials and you ask "How, God?"
Do not be afraid.
Remember your Egypt and how God delivered you with His mighty and outstretched arm?
He is a great and awesome God.
He will drive out your adversaries before you, little by little..

26 July 2020
I was informed by my boss that the client wanted to see us the next day (Monday) at 3:00 pm.  Oh, dear, I got that feeling of heaviness in my chest again.  Not another round of hard negotiations.... When is it ever going to end..?

27 July 2020

Did not sleep well last night.
Woke up late on purpose.  Did not feel like waking up at all today.  But I have to go to work.

I reluctantly sat down to read God's Word.  Did not expect much.

Isaiah 35

The desert & the parched land will be glad
the wilderness will rejoice & blossom
it will burst into bloom
It will rejoice greatly & shout for joy
they will see the glory of the Lord
the splendour of our God
Strengthen the feeble hands
Steady the knees that give way
Say to those with fearful hearts
Be strong, do not fear.
Your God will come
He will come to save you.
Then will water gush forth in the wilderness
& streams in the desert
They will enter Zion with singing 
Everlasting joy will crown their heads
Gladness & joy will overtake them
& sorrow & sighing will flee away....

I was speechless.  I did not choose this Psalm.  It was next on my Bible Reading List.  I secretly wished and hoped against hope that this will come true, soon......

Came 3:00 pm.  We entered the meeting room with a tensed feeling.


It was 4:30 pm.  I was speechless again.  

Like Job again, I was silent and in awe before God...

We will finally be signing the Contract Documents with the client tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 pm!  :D :D :D

Praise God !!!!!

Thank you, Father, for being patient with me.
Thank you, Father, for you never left my side, even during my most terrified moments when I felt so alone.
Thank you, Father, for never letting go of my hand.
I still have so much to learn of the ways of the heroes of faith from Hebrews 11.
Thank you, Father.  I do not know what to say, anymore....
Thank you!

Amen!

29 July 2020
Deuteronomy 8
It is funny how my daily scripture reading keeps on being relevant to my situation.
Moses reminded the Israelites that the Lord led them into the desert to humble and to test them, to reveal what was in their hearts.  How He humbled them, caused them to hunger, and then fed them, to teach them that man shall not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord!
As a man disciplines his son, so the Lord disciplines us..
And when the Lord has granted us victory, we are to be careful that we do not forget the Lord our God!
Remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives us the ability!

Forbid it Lord that I should ever forget the Lord and follow other gods!

God certainly has a way of speaking to those whose ears are open to listen to Him.....

Truly, the Word of God is living and active. 
The Word of God is a fountain of peace, comfort and strength through the storms of life.

"Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for He will speak peace to His people..." (Psalm 85:8)

"Great peace have those who love Your law.." (Psalm 119:165)

God's love and peace are never taken away when things go bad.  Those moments are precisely when we can rely on His mercies to always be available.  He wants us to seek Him in good times and in bad times...

"'For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but My steadfast love shall not depart from you, and My covenant of peace shall not be removed,' says the Lord, Who has compassion on you." (Isaiah 54:10)

Some Thoughts About Tithing

Some Thoughts About Tithing

Tithing in the church is never taught in the New Testament. 

What?  Are you surprised?

The New Testament only referred to it a few times as a historical reference but not as a requirement for the church.  Tithing, in the Old Testament, was meant to be a system of taxation to fund the government and its religious activities and welfare needs. 

The nation of Israel was a theocracy, ruled by God through priests.  When the conquered land was given to the twelve tribes of Israel, the tribe of Levi was taken out because they were the priestly tribe and they were not allowed to own any land.  The tribe of Joseph was then split into two tribes, Ephraim & Manasseh, to make up the twelve tribes of Israel.

Tithes were therefore an Old Testament taxation system to support their religious system of government, in addition to other voluntary giving like first-fruit giving & free-will offerings.

The word tithe literally means one-tenth in Hebrew.

There were 3 types of tithes in the Old Testatment :-

a) The 1st Tithe (known as the Lord’s Tithe, or Levitical Tithe) (Leviticus 27:30, Numbers 18:21~32)

10% of agricultural produce and livestock goes to sustain the Levites and priests who had no inheritance in the Promised Land.

b) The 2nd Tithe (known as the Festival Tithe)  (Deuteronomy 14:22~27)

Another 10% of agricultural produce and livestock to be consumed at the national festivals, in God’s presence, in nationwide celebration of God’s provision.

c) The 3rd Tithe (known as the Poor Tithe) (Deuteronomy 14:28~29)

Every 3^rd year, 10% of agricultural produce are to be collected to be given to the poor (aliens, fatherless, widows, etc..)

So, if a Christian wants to practise Old Testament tithing, then he has to tithe at least 23.3% of his income, in addition to other voluntary, free-will offerings!

The New Testament, however, teaches on free-will giving from the heart.

We are to give :

1)  In response to need (Acts 4:35, 11:27~29, Romans 12:13)

2) In a systematic and purposeful manner (1 Corinthians 16:2~3)

3)  In a secret and humble way (Matthew 6:1~4)

4)  In a cheerful manner (2 Corinthians 9:7)

5)  As a form of worship (Philippians 4:18, Proverbs 3:9)

In fact, one of the main purposes of giving is to support the work of the local church, the preaching of the gospel, to pay the church worker’s salary, to pay the utility bills, and meet the needs of the community.

Giving is not about the money – it is about the heart.  God loves us when we give and when we don’t give.  It is a way to show that we trust God with our lives and our finances.  It reminds us that we do not own anything in this life. God is in control, and we are only managers of what He has given us.

Even though the New Testament does not specify how much we are to give, I have personally used 10% as a guide.  Try not be legalistic.  God sees the heart of the giver rather than the size of the gift. (Mark 12:41~44)

I got serious about giving when I started working way back in 1982.  Back then, when I got my salary, straight away I would take out 10% and put it in an envelope reserved for giving to God’s work.  (We were paid in literal cash during those days; the older ones will remember).  I was earning about RM300 then, so I put aside RM30.  I am glad that I adopted this habit from young, at a time when my salary was so little.  Because as my salary increased over the years, the value of the 10% also increased, and it was not so difficult for me to give more.

Let me explain:

It is easy to give RM30 if you are just earning RM300. But to give RM500 when you are earning RM5,000, you may want to think twice about it…!  However, if we have disciplined ourselves to be faithful in little, it will not be difficult to be faithful in much (Luke 16:10).

My wife and I are average wage-earners.  In good times and in bad times, we try to honour God in our giving.  There were times of financial emergencies and additional expenses in the family when we were tempted to cut back on our giving.  But God has always honoured our obedience and faithfulness (Matthew 6:33, 1 Samuel 2:30).  From 2018 to 2019, I did not receive any salary from my employer for ten months.  We trusted God and lived on my wife's salary, our savings and some part-time work and we continued giving to God.  Praise God, came CNY of 2019, I was paid back in full the salaries owing to me.

God is no man’s debtor.

“For I will honour those who honours me…..” (1 Samuel 2:30)

“Honor the Lord with your wealth,

    with the firstfruits of all your crops.” 

(Proverbs 3:9)

"And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that 
     in all things 
       at all times, 
          having all that you need, 
             you will abound in every good work." 
(2 Corinthians 9:8)

As at this time of writing, my employer has again owed me 4 months' salary.  He promised to pay me once the MCO is lifted.  

Am I worried, with the news of many employees getting pay-cut and losing their jobs during this MCO?  Well, maybe, just a bit..... 😁

But,

I will encourage myself in the Lord, as David did (1 Samuel 30:6)
I will recall God's faithfulness and goodness in the past and how He has never failed us, just like the Psalmist did.
I will trust His heart when I sometimes cannot discern His hand.
For the Lord sits enthroned over the flood (Psalm 29:10)

Our God is a good God!

Postscript
4th June 2020 - Praise God! I have received my 4 months' salary owing to me. :D