Roger Aubrey

Standing on tiptoe

In my preparation for next week's minstry at the UK Bible Week I have been reading JB Phillip's wonderful translation of Romans 8. Just read this and marvel at your place as a son of God in the amazing plan of God:

8:14-17 - All who follow the leading of God's Spirit are God's own sons. Nor are you meant to relapse into the old slavish attitude of fear - you have been adopted into the very family circle of God and you can say with a full heart, "Father, my Father". The Spirit himself endorses our inward conviction that we really are the children of God. Think what that means. If we are his children we share his treasures, and all that Christ claims as his will belong to all of us as well! Yes, if we share in his suffering we shall certainly share in his glory.

8:18-21 - In my opinion whatever we may have to go through now is less than nothing compared with the magnificent future God has planned for us. The whole creation is standing on tiptoe to see the wonderful sight of the sons of God coming into their own. The world of creation cannot as yet see this reality, not because it chooses to be blind, but because in God's purpose it has been so limited - yet it has been given hope. And the hope is that in the end the whole of created life will be rescued from the tyranny of change and decay, and have its share in that magnificent liberty which can only belong to the children of God!

8:22-25 - It is plain to anyone with eyes to see that at the present time all created life groans in a sort of universal travail. And it is plain, too, that we who have a foretaste of the Spirit are in a state of painful tension, while we wait for that redemption of our bodies which will mean that at last we have realised our full sonship in him. We were saved by this hope, but in our moments of impatience let us remember that hope always means waiting for something that we haven't yet got. But if we hope for something we cannot see, then we must wait for it in patience.

8:26-27 - The Spirit of God not only maintains this hope within us, but helps us in our present limitations. For example, we do not know how to pray worthily as sons of God, but his Spirit within us is actually praying for us in those agonising longings which never find words. And God who knows the heart's secrets understands, of course, the Spirit's intention as he prays for those who love God.

8:28-30 - Moreover we know that to those who love God, who are called according to his plan, everything that happens fits into a pattern for good. God, in his foreknowledge, chose them to bear the family likeness of his Son, that he might be the eldest of a family of many brothers. He chose them long ago; when the time came he called them, he made them righteous in his sight, and then lifted them to the splendour of life as his own sons.

8:31-32 - In face of all this, what is there left to say? If God is for us, who can be against us? He that did not hesitate to spare his own Son but gave him up for us all - can we not trust such a God to give us, with him, everything else that we can need?

8:33-34 - Who would dare to accuse us, whom God has chosen? The judge himself has declared us free from sin. Who is in a position to condemn? Only Christ, and Christ died for us, Christ rose for us, Christ reigns in power for us, Christ prays for us!

8:35-36 - Can anything separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble, pain or persecution? Can lack of clothes and food, danger to life and limb, the threat of force of arms? Indeed some of us know the truth of the ancient text: 'For your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter'.

8:37 - No, in all these things we win an overwhelming victory through him who has proved his love for us.

8:38-39 - I have become absolutely convinced that neither death nor life, neither messenger of Heaven nor monarch of earth, neither what happens today nor what may happen tomorrow, neither a power from on high nor a power from below, nor anything else in God's whole world has any power to separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord!

First or Third?

When we talk about the Trinity we often number the distinct Persons: Father is first, the Son is second and the Spirit is third. It's quite acceptable to do so; after all the Father is the head of the Trinity and all things come back to him. But we have to be careful when we use such language that we don't demote or relegate the Spirit to third place, like the winner of a bronze medal. That's not what it means.

In fact, in some ways, we could say that the Spirit is 'first.' Not that he is Head above the Father, or takes the name above all names from Jesus; but that he plays a continual first role in our lives. For example, the Spirit is the first Person of the Trinity that we encounter; he introduces us to the Father and the Son. It's only through the Spirit that we can know the Father and Son. Only the Spirit can make the Bible understood to us; we have to read it by the aid of the Spirit. It doesn't make sense any other way. It's the Spirit who makes us understand the creation and its purpose. It's only through the Spirit we know who we really are. If we want to know anything of true value, we can only discover what is of eternal value and worth through the Spirit.

So while we use the term 'Third Person' we must always remember that the Spirit is not the junior partner of the Trinity: he is God the Spirit.

Buy this book!

I want to recommend a new book to you. It's by Tony Ling and is called The Lion & The Lamb. I recommend it not just because it was written by my friend; it really is an excellent book! With all the wierd, wacky and flaky stuff out there right now it's really good to have someone take a sane, biblical look at the book of Revelation. Do yourself a favour: buy it.

For more information on how to purchase the book, go here.

The Paraclete

I will send you another Counsellor (Paraclete)...(John 14:16)

The Paraclete in ancient times was not a highly trained professional lawyer as today. He was one sought out by an accused person who would vindicate him against the charge of his accuser by telling the truth about the accused and the false accusation. This is how the theologian Sinclair Ferguson describes the Holy Spirit as our Paraclete:

An eye-witness and/or a character witness was what was required; someone whose relationship to the accused enabled him to speak with authority; an intimate friend rather than a person professionally trained in the law. Against this background, the Spirit is ideally suited to be the chief witness for Christ because he was the intimate companion of Jesus throughout his ministry…the Holy Spirit was Christ’s inseparable companion…all the activity of Christ was unfolded in the presence of the Holy Spirit…as a result when he comes to Christians to indwell them, he comes as the Spirit of Christ in such a way that to possess him is to possess Christ himself, just as to lack him is to lack Christ.

That's a bit strong!

In this non shocking, avoid controversy of any kind, age of political correctness in which we are encouraged to bend over backwards so as not to cause anybody offence, I am encouraged by what the Bible says. It ignores such ridiculous notions.

When God was condemning the priests who were dishonouring him during the time of Malachi, he said to them:

'I will rebuke your descendants and splatter your faces with the dung of your festival sacrifices, and I will add you to the dung heap.' (Malachi 2:3)

The prophet Amos said to the vapid, self indulgent women of his society:

'Listen to me, you "fat cows" of Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and and crush the needy and who are always asking your husbands for another drink!' (Amos 4:1)

Even the apostle Paul got in on the act. He called his life before he met Jesus 'human excrement' (Philippians 3:8). The NIV sanitises it to 'rubbish.'

Don't blame me madam, I'm just telling you what it says.

Men at work

...for every good work. (2Timothy 3:17)

I love the way that these verses about the profitability of the Word of God end - in very practical terms. There is work to be done. The Bible is an intensely pragmatic book; God is concerned with principles and concepts, but he is a hands on God too. Adam was created to work the garden of Eden; it was only after sin entered that work became a toil done with the sweat of the brow. The work of God is hard work but it's done in the power of the Holy Spirit and in the joy of the Lord; it's a real delight!

Each one of us has work to do; but it's vital that we do the right work. This is where many Christians trip up; they get involved in so many projects, enterprises and initiatives that they end up chasing the game and achieve very little of eternal value. God does not judge us by our activity but by whether we are doing the work he wants us to do. This was one of the reasons why Jesus was so successful; he knew what the Word of God said he had come to do, and he did only what it said. He did not waste his time in extra-curricular activities; he was the Messiah and did the work of the Messiah and only the work of the Messiah. Each day he listened to his Father's voice and did the Father's will for him, even resisting the 'honourable' pressures and needs of those around him (see Mark 1:35-39 for a potent example of him resisting the emotional blackmail of the disciples).

Christians are great people; they're the best people in the world. Their hearts are servant hearts and they love to get involved in things of the Kingdom. But that is also the danger; they can become hyper-active in activity. Each one of us is 'a unique work of art, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do' (Ephesians 2:10). God has work for every one of us that only we can do; and if we don't do it then it doesn't get done or somebody else does it badly. Therefore, for me, I have to cultivate a relationship with the Word of God so that I discover what God's purpose is and what work I have to do in order for that greater purpose to be achieved. That is why I say no to as many things as I say yes to. Having such a sense of focussed work will put blinders/blinkers on me so that my work will not be judged as wood, hay or stubble; but as gold, silver and costly stones (1Corinthians 3:12-13).

I trust you've found this series helpful; God bless you in your work for him.

Going equipped

...so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped...(2Timothy 3:16)

I don't know if it's still the case but there used to be an offence in this country called 'going equipped'. If you were out prowling the neighbourbood at three in the morning and were caught in possession of equipment that could be used in a burglary or other criminal activity, you could be charged. A screwdriver or knife was sufficient to get you 'nicked'.

Yesterday we saw that the Bible is designed to get us to grow, to become mature sons of God. It also wants us to be thoroughly equipped sons. The English phrase 'thoroughly equipped' combines two words in the text that mean 'fresh in the present' and 'thoroughy furnished'. A vibrant relationship with the Word of God will keep me fresh at all times; there won't be seasons of dryness or barrenness. There are no winters in the kingdom. That means I have to come to the Word every day with a real expectation that I will encounter the God of the Now in it. And as I live by the Word the Holy Spirit keeps working in me its power all the time. It energises me consistently and constantly.

In this country you can rent an apartment that is fully furnished; it has everything you need in it - bed, sofa, fridge, cutlery - everything. There is no lack in a fully furnished apartment. That's the other term translated here. When the Scriptures work in us, they work the fullness that is in Christ into us and through us, so there is no lack in us. We are partakers of the divine nature and have all we need for life and godliness. The God who has all resources within himself - El Shaddai, the God who is more than enough - invests his life in us through his Word. As we draw on that life we are able to be blessed and more importantly to be a blessing to all around us. Such are the people of the Book.

Grow up

...so that the man of God...(2Timothy 3:17)

In this mini series on 2Timothy 3:16-17 we have discovered that the breathed-out-by-God Bible will accumulate gain for us if we allow it to do its work in us. Now we come to the 'so that', the reason why God spoke it. It's so that 'the man of God...' stop right there! The man of God. The man of God. Not a baby, nor a child, nor a spotty adolescent, but the man of God.

The Word of God is given to get us to grow up, to become mature, to grow to our fullest potential in Christ. This gets to the very heart of our existence and reason for being on this earth. God created Adam, his son (see Luke 3:38) in order to fill the earth with a people in God's image. If Adam had grown in his relationship with God he would have matured as a son; but he sinned and became a fool. He acted childishly, wanting to satisfy himself (that's what children do). But God the Father had always planned - even if Adam had not sinned - that humanity would reach maturity through his Only Son - Jesus.

God's Word - Jesus the Incarnate Word and the Bible, the breathed out written Word - are given for us to grow in our sonship from childhood to manhood. That is why the New Testament writers contstantly remind their readers of who they are in Christ - sons of God - who need to leave childish ways behind and become mature, to grow up in all aspects of life, so that we can truly be  the sons of God that all creation is standing on tiptoe craning its neck to see (Romans 8:19).

The continued immaturity of the sons of God is totally unacceptable to our heavenly Father. Any father wants his son to grow to be man; a thirty five year old man with the self-centred attitudes of a three year old child is an embarrassment to his father. God the Father is no exception; he does not accept immaturity, petulance, internecine squabbling and sulking in his sons. He says, 'I have given you my Word, I have spoken to you about who you are and why you're in this world. Now put childishness away and grow up'. Once the Church does that then it is ready to come into the inheritance of our Father.

Fit for life

All Scripture is...profitable...for training in righteousness. (2Timothy 3:16)

I loved playing sports - rugby, cricket, football; and I had some natural talent for all of them (I said some, not a lot). I really enjoyed playing the games - but didn't really enjoy the training. I tended to rely on my natural skills, which sometimes caught me out. So my dad used to spend hours throwing rugby and cricket balls at me (not at the same time); he wanted me to be able to catch any ball that came at any height or pace. A cricket ball is hard - harder than a baseball - and we don't use gloves/mitts. So sometimes it really hurt as it smacked into my hand. But eventually I learnt how to catch a ball properly. I can still do it. I was well trained.

The next thing the Bible is profitable for is training - in righteousness. The Greek word for training means 'to train up and raise a child to adulthood through education and disciplinary correction as a tutor'. Those readers who are familiar with the term pedagogue will identify with that. This is a very interesting facet of the Word of God; it takes us as righteous babes in Christ and works on us and in us to bring us to spiritual adulthood. We don't become more righteous as we grow; we are as righteous in the moment we receive Christ as we are fifty years later. Just as in the natural, where the baby has the same DNA as when he is an old man, so it is in the spiritual. But what happens is that the Word of God trains you how to grow in righteousness: to grow in who you are. As you practise righteousness in all its pragmatic outworkings that the Bible teaches, it becomes second nature to you. Only it's not second nature! It's growing into the mature son of God that you are by nature in Christ.

This process is nothing to do with age; I know people who have been Christians thirty years and are still children. I know Christians who have been saved just a couple of years and they are maturing fast. It all depends on how we surrender to the discipline of our Trainer.

Stand up straight

All scripture is...profitable...for correcting. (2Timothy 3:16)

I remember when I was growing up (I was my present height when I was fourteen - I grew fast then stopped!) - my dad constantly used to tell me not to stoop or slouch but to stand up straight with my shoulders back and head up. It worked.

The Bible stops us slouching and stooping; in fact the word epanorthosis (correcting) literally means to straighten up what is twisted, to rectify, to reform. When the Word of God gets hold of us it's like a spiritual chiropractor or osteopath that gets to work on the twisted joints and limbs of our lives and straightens them out so we can live in wholeness and health. Sometimes the bones crack and the muscles stretch as the Holy Spirit works the Word into calcified parts of our lives. Unused ligaments begin to moan and complain as they are stretched for the first time. But the benefits are worth it. As the Word gets to work on us we become fitter, more supple, more agile, with fewer 'ailments'. Couch potato Christians become athletes for Jesus. Bitter and twisted believers become sweet and fruitful rivers of life. Depressed and desperate disciples become overcomers with sound minds. Living by the Word is like having your own personal physician, trainer and physio.  Get those shoulders back!