A View From The Sycamore Tree: The Present Privilege & Abiding Wrath of God

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

The Present Privilege & Abiding Wrath of God - John 3:36

“He who believes in the Son has eternal life;
but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life,
but the wrath of God abides on him.”
(vs 36)

John the Baptist was a humble man. However, his humility didn’t negate boldness. John was brave enough to speak the truth – whether the truth would be palatable to his hearer’s ears or not. Verse 36 is a great example of that humble boldness.

Here we see John echoing the words of Jesus regarding the way to eternal life. Believing in Christ is the key which alone will open the gate to heaven. There is no other One by whom we may be saved than through Christ and there is no other means by which He will save us than through faith. The cries of the reformation still ring true - we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, that to God alone may all the glory fall!

Two main points have stuck with me while dwelling on this one verse this morning. First of all, there is a precious promise. “He who believes in the Son HAS eternal life…” The gift of faith is not one that we must wait to receive when we get to heaven’s gates. No, it is a gift that belongs to us here and now. He who believes HAS!

As I have so many times in these first three chapters of John, I turn once again to Mr. Ryle’s comments.

“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. He is not intended to look forward with a sick heart to a far distant privilege. He ‘hath’ everlasting life as soon as he believes. Pardon, peace, and a complete title to heaven, are an immediate possession. They become a believer’s own from the very moment he puts faith in Christ. They will not be more completely his own if he lives to the age of Methuselah.

“The truth before us is one of the most glorious privileges of the Gospel. There are no works to be done, no conditions to be fulfilled, no price to be paid, no wearing years of probation to be passed, before a sinner can be accepted with God. Let him only believe on Christ, and he is at once forgiven. Salvation is close to the chief of sinners. Let him only repent and believe, and this day it is his own.”

Good news!! The first part of John’s final sermon is a joy to preach and to proclaim. Who wouldn’t want to her these things? However, John is a faithful crier of the truth and he will not stop short and speak only half truths. John will hold forth the whole counsel of God.

So, part two - the hard truth. Secondly in this verse we see the serious warning to those who refuse to believe. “…but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” Christ has commanded men to believe on Him. John has done the same. Those who choose to disobey this gracious command of the God who created them and who alone can save them rebel to their own peril. Ryle’s words are piercing to me personally. He writes:

“Let us leave this passage with one grave and heart-searching thought. If faith in Christ brings with it present and immediate privileges, to remain unbelieving is to be in a state of tremendous peril. If heaven is very near to the believer, hell must be very near to the unbeliever.”

John understood the eternal danger that was lurking around the souls of his hearers. If they heeded not his warning it was to their eternal doom. This is a big deal – the biggest of deals! So often in our current culture the church, her ministers, and her people shy away from ever speaking of anything but the love of God. We paint a Picasso type portrait of our God. It is an abstract and unrealistic rendering. Rarely in our day and time do we see Rembrandtish realism – a full orbed view of a God who is holy, just, and righteous as well as loving, merciful, and full of compassion. John was not about painting with abstract strokes. The God he held forth was FULL of love and was also holy in just wrath.

“Here we find that the last words of one of Christ’s best servants, consist of a solemn declaration of the danger of unbelief. The wrath of God is John’s last thought. To warn men of God’s wrath and of their danger of hell is not harshness but true charity.”

The promise of having eternal life – God’s gracious gift, sent in love to unworthy sinners - is held out to all. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.” The warning of eternal death – God’s just and holy punishment to unrepentant sinners – is held out as well. May the gracious Spirit who is the divine Initiator of the new birth renew our hearts that we might make the only choice which is wise – believing and therefore receiving!

In His glorious grace,
Lori

No comments:

Post a Comment

Here We Go!

This is a blog about the goodness and grace of God, even amidst the angst of autism.

So ... how did this whole thing start?

Well, I said I'd never do this but obviously here I am. After being challenged, encouraged, goaded and double dog dared, several years ago I began to blog.

Near the end of 2008, I found myself with renewed passion for God's Word, Kingdom, and people and I was stirred, through nothing other than the simple means of grace, to a hunger and thirsting for righteousness unlike any other time in my 20+ years as a Christian.

During that period, I began typing out the things that were striking me the most in my quiet time each morning. Honestly, I started because I wanted to have a written record that I could pass along to my children one day - lettered Ebenezers reminding them of how much their Mom loves God and His Word.

While doing that I found myself so excited on certain days that I began to email my musings to some of my girl friends, hoping to encourage them even as Christ was encouraging me. Many of those gals challenged me to put these things online in a blog form so others could have access to them. That's how this site started.

Now, to shoot really straight with you, that personal "revival" of mine has pendumatically ebbed and flowed over the course of the days, months and years since 2008. For a prolonged period after that initial renewing surge I actually found myself in an utterly antithetical place. God, in His wisdom, was pleased to grant me a substantial season in the dark dungeon of "doubting castle" - those days were some of the hardest of my life post-Jesus but were providentially ordained days ultimately used for my good and for my God's glory.

"Through many dangers, toils, and snares I have already come" by nothing but the amazing grace of an amazing God.

I've learned that even in the midst of the darkest of days there's just something about the light of God's Word that is powerful. The Scripture has been an anchor for me in the storm surge of life. Even when my eyes have seemed to be rather veiled and my vision somewhat dimmed, there has still been a re-focusing force that has risen when I have gazed long and hard upon the Word of God. Thus, even as a saint who struggles, I continue to write of my God, my Redeemer, His promises, and His truth.

I'm not always very regular at posting here because there are many more important duties in my life right now than blog uploads - ie. being wife, mom, housekeeper, cook, taxi service, chief bottle washer, and laundry lady - along with that music thing I do as a side gig! But, as time allows I'll be cutting and pasting from Joshua and Elizabeth's future journal gift and sharing some of it with you as well.

Thanks for stopping by!

Who's Doing This?

Lori Sealy is daily amazed at the grace of God in her life. Adopted as an infant and raised in an evangelical church, she rebelled against the things of Christ during high school and considered herself an atheist. Upon entering college, the God who ordains our steps ordained that her path would cross with several students who loved Christ and loved His Word. During that first year of college, she set out to destroy the faith of these young Christians. They set out to pray for her salvation.

Knowing that "faith comes through hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ," six college students daily confronted her sin and challenged her with the truths of God's glorious Word. Their obedience in proclaiming the good news of the gospel of Christ bore fruit in August of 1988 when by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, she was adopted for the second time in her life - this time into the family of God.

Lori is now the wife of Phillip Sealy. They live in Sylva, North Carolina where Phillip has been called to plant a new church for the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA) - Redeemer Church Sylva. The Sealys have two children Joshua (14) and Elizabeth (12). Lori and Joshua both live with autism.

In her spare time (what little there is) Lori masquerades as a part-time songwriter/singer and performs on a limited monthly basis. Lori's newest CD, "The Strife is Over," has recently released. Hard copies of it, along with her last release "Begone Unbelief", are available through CD Baby and Lori's own website. Digital downloads are available through iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon mp3!

Be sure to visit http://www.lorisealy.com/ to learn more!

Why the Sycamore Tree?

Zaccheus, the wee little man, wanted to see Jesus and so he climbed into the sycamore tree in order to get a good look. Lori, the wee little wife and mom, longs to see Jesus as well. I realize that the place where I will catch a true glimpse of Him is in the pages of His Word.

The Bible is my sycamore tree and I find myself longing more and more to climb up into its branches that I might see Christ more clearly. This blog is simply a record of what God is teaching me as I spend time in "the tree" of His glorious Word. If anyone reads it I'll be amazed; if anyone profits from it I'll be humbled; and if anything good is found in it Soli Deo Gloria!