Sermon Man's Fourfold Nature (4)

We are looking at the subject of meditation. If we profess to be Christians then that implies certain obligations on our part. If a person is a Christian they will pray. Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful says Paul (Colossians 4:2). They will read the Bible - it is God breathed and useful for teaching, correcting, rebuking and training us to be righteous. We should also give ourselves to meditation on God. In Psalm 119:15 David says that he meditates on God's precepts and considers his ways. In Philippians 4:8 Paul encourages us ... whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Use your mind to go over these things.

To help us in this, we are suggesting subjects that you can usefully meditate on. The week before last we spoke about how we can think about God himself - his nature and attributes. I don't know if you have tried this but it would be good for all of us to take some time and find a quiet spot where we can give ourselves to thinking about God. Rather than thinking of God in a vague and disorganised way you could do worse than to take Question and Answer 4 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism and just go through it slowly and carefully. It asks "What is God?" and the expected answer says "God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth." If you could just spend a minute or so on each element there - God being a Spirit, his infinitude and eternity, his immutability or unchanging nature. That would be ten minutes well spent.

Then last week we thought about the states of Christ - his humiliation and exaltation. We suggested that with the humiliation you could begin by thinking about Christ's incarnation, the Word becoming flesh. Then there are the sufferings that he endured on our behalf all his life, culminating in his death, his death on a cross and his burial in the tomb. As for the exaltation, it begins with his resurrection from the dead on the third day, followed by his ascension into heaven so that now he is in heaven where he is at God's right hand, interceding for his own and from where he will one day come to judge this whole world. Again, what could be more profitable than to give yourself some time to think through all those various stages in the states of Christ.

This week I want to commend to you another topic for meditation - the four-fold nature of humanity. We should meditate on God. We should especially meditate on Jesus Christ, the Saviour. We should meditate on God's Word and on his works too. We should also meditate on ourselves. There is a danger in such meditation of becoming introspective and self-centred, of course, but there are ways of thinking about ourselves, self-examination if you like, that are both God honouring and profitable. The way I want to highlight this morning is what is called meditating on the fourfold nature of humanity. Some of you, no doubt, will know what I mean when I say that but others of you will look blank and say that you have no idea what is meant. Of those who look blank many of you probably do know what I mean in fact, although you would not have expressed it like that.

So what do we mean when we speak of the fourfold sate of humanity? When we think of human beings as they have existed and do exist and will exist, we can isolate four distinct states or modes of existence. What do I mean? Well, firstly we can go back to Adam and Eve and how it was for them in the Garden of Eden before the Fall and we can identify the first nature of humanity as one of primitive integrity. Of course, we come secondly to the fall of humankind into sin, the state we are now in by nature - humanity's entire depravation. But then, thirdly, we know that even at the time of the Fall recorded in Genesis 3 God gives hints that he has a plan to deliver sinners from their sinful nature and by means of that plan of salvation sinners have been exchanging their sinful nature by conversion to a nature that we can speak of as begun recovery through new birth, the third nature. Conversion here on earth is not the end of the story, only the beginning and so the fourth and final nature refers to the Christian's consummate happiness in the world to come.

There are various ways of speaking about this. In his book Human nature in its fourfold state the Scottish Puritan Thomas Boston writes of

1 The State of Innocence 2 The State of Nature, where he goes on to delineate the sinfulness of human beings in their natural state, the misery of human beings in their natural state and the inability of human beings in their natural state 3 The State of Grace 4 The State of Glory

To put it simply, there is

Before the fall, After the fall, After regeneration and In glory.

A more more modern writer sets things out in table form

Across the top line you have the headings Pre-Fall Man, Post-Fall Man, Reborn Man and Glorified Man. Under those headings you have two lines that say first that a man is able to sin or to not sin, secondly that they are able to sin and unable not to sin. Thirdly, it is that the person is able to sin but is also able to not sin. The final column is where the person is both able to not sin and unable to sin. You see that? Adam and Eve were able to sin or to not sin. Sadly, they did sin and so we are now born into a world where we are not only able t sin but also unable to not sin. Once we are converted we are in the position where we are certainly able to sin but also able to not sin, which is a wonderful privilege. One day in heaven, we will be in the most glorious position of all where we will be not only be able to not sin but also unable to sin, even if we desired to do so, which we will not.

So let's think how we can meditate on this rich subject. The obvious place to go is Genesis 3, where we see the first two natures and then perhaps Revelation 20, which refers to the last two.

1. Meditate on human beings in the State of Innocence - something to ponder

In Genesis 3 we read about how Adam and Eve and in so falling brought down the whole of humankind. If you think about it there must have been a day when one of their children hurt themselves or had to be reprimanded or some other scene where the children expressed their dissatisfaction with the situation and Adam and Eve had to inform them that the world they were in had not always been like it was. There was an age of innocence before the Fall. As the Westminster Confession puts it "Man, in his state of innocency, had freedom, and power to will and to do that which was good and well pleasing to God; but yet, mutably, so that he might fall from it."

As the children's catechism puts it Adam and Eve were holy and happy. They had never sinned and there was no misery. However, they did not stay holy and happy. They had the option to end their holiness and happiness and they did.

A A Hodge puts it like this

"Adam in his estate of innocency was a free agent, created with holy affections and moral tendencies; yet with a character as yet unconfirmed, capable of obedience, yet liable to be seduced. by external temptation .... Of this state of a holy yet fallible nature we have no experience, and consequently very imperfect comprehension."

Things to ponder. I think there are two things to ponder here. Firstly and obviously what we have lost. We do not know what it is to be holy and innocent. I suppose the closest taste we get of it is as children. Adam and Eve we are told were naked and without shame as were we to a certain age. But it did not last. And that age of innocence did not last though it is good to ponder it and imagine how it must have been, however long or short it lasted.

But then we ought to think in another way. Dr Lloyd-Jones says somewhere

"Adam was perfect, Adam was innocent, Adam was made in the image and likeness of God, but he was never made a partaker of the divine nature (as the New Testament says) ... that privilege does not make us gods; but it does make a real difference to us. It puts us into a new relationship to God that even Adam did not enjoy. ... Though he was perfect Adam was subject to fall and failure; but – and I say it with reverence and to the glory of God – those who are ‘in Christ’ cannot finally fall away; they cannot become lost. ... In Christ not only are the blessings which Adam lost restored to us, but we are given even more; in this new relationship to God which we enjoy in Christ we stand in a higher position than Adam. .... "

2 Meditate on human beings in the State of Nature - something to deeply regret

As to our present state we are still free agents to some extent but because of the fall we are morally corrupted within and spiritually dead. We are spiritually blind in my understanding, my affections are perverted, I am (to quote the Confession again) "utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil" and hence we have "wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation;" so that man "is not able, by his own strength, to convert himself," or even "to prepare himself thereunto."

Article 10 of the 39 Articles of the Anglican church is similar:

"The condition of man after the fall of Adam is such, that he cannot turn and prepare himself, by his own natural strength and good works, to faith, and calling upon God: wherefore we have no power to do good works pleasant and acceptable to God, without the grace of God by Christ preventing us, that we may have a good will, and working with us when we have that good will."

We know man is depraved both from experience and from what the Bible says about human depravity, about our state by nature (the blindness and darkness and deadness it speaks of and the fact that by nature we are slaves to sin and children of Satan) and about our need to be born again.

When Thomas Boston writes of this, he writes not only of the sinfulness of human beings and of the misery of human beings but also of the inability of human beings to change themselves.

It would be good for us all to sped time thinking about how sinful we are - sinful nature and sinful in practice. We are without excuse. And think of the misery that sin has brought to this world too - the frustration and alienation and the malice and war and agony and sickness and death. With that there is our utter inability to change our situation. Education won't do it; wealth won't do it; religion won't do it. By nature we are utterly helpless.

How full of compassion we ought to be for men and women still in their sins and pray for them to be converted. Also be thankful that we who are believers have been delivered from such a state and mourn the days wasted in sin.

3 Meditate on human beings in the State of Grace - something to be thankful for

But then that is not all that the Bible speaks of is it? It also speaks of a being born again, a first resurrection that means that God's Holy Spirit implants in certain people, deep in their souls, a new spiritual principle, habit or tendency that as it is nourished and directed by the same indwelling Spirit, frees a person from his natural state of slavery to sin and enables him to be filled with the free desire to do what is spiritually good. Of course, because of remaining sin, the lingering habits of the soul, there continues to be a conflict within for Christians and we do not perfectly do right. Both what is good and what is evil can be found in us. But we are headed in the right direction and it is good to think about the state of grace and all the blessings it brings and give thanks to God as we mediate on all his love and kindness.

Again we say give thanks to God for his mercies. What privileges are ours, if we believe.

4 Meditate on human beings in the State of Glory - something to long for

The state of grace is not the final state. We believe in a fourfold state. There is also the state of glory that is the blessing of all who go to heaven. In heaven every remainder of the old corrupt moral tendencies is gone forever. The gracious dispositions implanted when a person is born again are now perfected. The whole person is now brought to the measure of the stature of perfect humanity in the likeness of Christ's glorified humanity. And that is how we remain forever - perfectly free and without change in perfect holiness.

What a glorious future we have. Praise the Lord!

Hodge sums up the four like this -

• Adam was holy and unstable.
• Unregenerate men are unholy and stable; that is, fixed in unholiness.
• Regenerate men have two opposite moral tendencies contesting for empire in their hearts. They are cast about between them, yet the tendency graciously implanted gradually in the end perfectly prevails.
• Glorified men are holy and stable. All are free, and therefore responsible.

How good to think about such things and give glory to God. Ponder Adam in the Garden, lament the fall into sin and the wickedness that marks us by nature. Give thanks for regeneration and look forward to the glory to come.

Sermon The States of Christ (2)

We began last week by speaking about the importance of meditation for Christians. We need to be finding time not only for prayer and Bible reading but also for meditating on God and his Word.

One writer suggests a method for meditating something like this

1. First practice the presence of God. Focus your attention on his inescapable presence, his intimate nearness. Issues of time, place, etc, are secondary, but not unimportant. The rule is to do whatever is most conducive to concentration.

2. The second step is to peruse ie read, repeat, write out, etc (if it is Scripture). We don't want just to learn things but to get these things to take hold of us.

3. Using your imagination can help. Use your senses. Reflect deeply on the truth; brood over it; absorb it, soak in it, as you turn it over and over in your mind.

4. The final steps can be summarised: pray, personalise, praise, practice. Meditation must always lead to adoration and celebration. Further, commit yourself to acting in line with your meditation.

I mentioned last week a series of subjects for meditation suggested by Puritan writer George Swinnock and we looked at the first of those - God's nature and attributes. We went to Psalm 145 and from there meditated on four Gs - God's greatness, his goodness, his glory and his grace.

Another subject Swinnock suggests is what he calls the states of Christ. We ought to think about Christ, of course, and one way that we can do that is to think about what theologians call his states. The danger is that if we do not discipline our thoughts we will just be vague in our thinking. If I say "Jesus of Nazareth" or "Jesus Christ" what comes to mind? Perhaps you think of some picture you've seen in a children's Bible or some portrayal you've seen in a film. Perhaps you just think of him as a baby in the manger or dying on the cross. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever but we must discipline ourselves to think of Jesus in the ways that he is described to us in Scripture. One way we can do that is by considering the states of Christ.

Sometimes when we think of a person's state we differentiate it from their condition. So someone found guilty in a court is in a state of guilt or condemnation. That is usually followed by a condition of being in prison and all that follows from that. In theology the states of Christ are generally considered as including the resulting conditions, in fact it is the conditions that tend to stand out more prominently than the states, although it is the states that are more fundamental.

Christ's states are his humiliation and exaltation. We could speak of three states - pre-incarnation glory, humiliation, exaltation - but theologians tend to refer to two states - humiliation, exaltation - because we are thinking of him as the God-man, which he is only after the incarnation. The two states can themselves be divided up to some extent.

Humiliation. Christ's humiliation is made up of his actual incarnation so that he is conceived in Mary's womb and born, then there is his life of suffering as a boy, as a man and then there is his death on the cross and his burial. When he lay in the grave borrowed from Joseph of Arimathea he reached the very lowest point in his humiliation.

Exaltation. Christ's exaltation begins with his resurrection from the tomb. Six weeks later he ascended back into heaven from where he poured out the Holy Spirit. He now sits at God's right hand and intercedes for his people. He has the highest place. From there he will one day come to earth again in glory.

In the state of humiliation Christ was under the law, not only as a rule of life but as the condition of the covenant of works. He even came under the condemnation of the law.

In the state of exaltation he is free from the law, having met the condition of the covenant of works and having paid the penalty for sin.

It is helpful to think of it as being something like a staircase or a pair of staircases. On one side steps descend down and down to the grave; on the other side they rise again, step by step, to the point where Christ has the name above every name and every knee bows to him.

The best passage we can turn to to help us with this is Philippians 2:1-11. There Paul urges unity and humility in Philippi and says in the opening verses of Chapter 2 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

And then to drive home his point he says in verse 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. And so he holds up the Lord Jesus Christ as the supreme example of humility. He then briefly describes his humility in verses 6-8. He may well be quoting a hymn current at that time and that he has raised to the level of Scripture. He cannot leave it with his state of humility, he must complete the story which he does more briefly in verses 9-11, which speak of the exaltation of Christ. Let's think then together of the states of Christ. Let's meditate on them. (I should say here that I have been greatly helped here by Berkhof's Systematic Theology)

1. Meditate on the humiliation of Christ

In Philippians 2:6-8 Paul says of Jesus that being in very nature God, he did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, that refers to his incarnation. Paul goes on to speak of him being made in human likeness and says (8) And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death - even death on a cross!

Let's meditate on the various aspects of his humiliation then - the actual incarnation so that he is conceived in Mary's womb and born, then the life of suffering and finally his death and burial. The New Testament has a lot to say about all these.

1. His incarnation. We've been thinking about this in recent weeks. Matthew 1:18-20 says This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

1 Who was incarnated? Not the triune God but the second person of the Trinity. He assumed a human nature. It is best to say the Word became flesh rather than God became man. All three persons were involved, however, it is clear. It is also clear that he must have pre-existed - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God ... I am come down from heaven he says (John 6:38) Though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor (2 Corinthians 8:9). The pre-existent Son of God takes flesh and blood. It is a stupendous miracle.

2 Why was he incarnated? Some have argued that it is part of God's nature to come in this way but the best theologians usually accept that he came in order to redeem his people. Without the Fall it would not have been necessary.

3 What happened? It is not that the Word ceased to be what he was before. His essential being remained exactly the same after the incarnation. The Word certainly did not change into flesh. Rather the second person acquired an additional form, without in any way changing his original nature. He took on human nature, consisting of body and soul. The incarnation constituted Christ as one of the human race. His human nature came from Mary. He is from the same stock as we are.

It came about by a supernatural conception and virgin birth. The most important element in connection with Jesus's birth was the supernatural operation of the Holy Spirit. It was only by this means that the virgin birth was possible. The Spirit brought about his conception and sanctified Christ's human nature so that at its very inception, it was kept free from any pollution from sin. There is some mystery here but the virgin birth ensured that Jesus was not born with original sin.

2. His suffering. We ought to say a few things about this. It was

1 Lifelong. When we think of Christ's sufferings we tend to think of the last part of his life but his whole life was a life of suffering. He suffered repeated assaults from Satan, was often hated and rejected by his own people and was persecuted by his enemies. His loneliness must itself have been tremendously stressful and his sense of responsibility, a great burden. His sufferings simply increased as he came nearer and nearer to the cross.

2 Body and soul. The sufferings of Christ we must remember were not simply physical. He suffered also in his soul. It is tempting to emphasise one over the other but both need to be borne in mind. What happened in the Garden of Gethsemane points to the inward anguish he must have known.

3 Various causes. Ultimately the cause of his suffering was the fact that he took the place of sinners. There were proximate causes also such as the fact the Lord of the universe is occupying a menial position. He took the very nature of a servant as it is put here. Similarly, though he is pure and holy, he lived in a sinful, polluted atmosphere, daily associating with sinners, constantly being reminded of the greatness of the guilt with which he would be burdened because of the sins of those around him. Early on he would have begun to understand that being Messiah involved suffering and that would have added to his anguish. He knew what was coming. With this - the privations of life, the temptations of the devil, the hatred and rejection of his people, the mistreatment and persecutions he knew - all contributed to his sufferings.

4 Unique. Even what we think of as common sufferings were extraordinary for him. His capacity for suffering matched his ideal character as a man. No one could feel the poignancy of pain and grief and evil as he could. Along with his common sufferings came the suffering that arose from his being the sin bearer. What happened in the wilderness and Gethsemane and Golgotha was unique.

5 Temptations. Finally, under this heading we should say something about his temptations, which were so central. Hebrews 4:15; 5:7-9 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet he did not sin. .... During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

It was only by entering into the very trials we face that Jesus could become a truly sympathetic High Priest and the perfect and complete Saviour he is. There is again some mystery here. How could a sinless Saviour be truly tempted? We don't know. However, we know he was tempted and that he did not sin.

3. His death and burial.

1 The extent of his death. When we speak of his death we mean firstly the separation of his body and soul but then in the Bible death is more than that. It can also refer to separation from God. It is sin that separates us from God spiritually and that leads to physical death. Sin means death. Death is the legal punishment of sin imposed by God. Jesus stood in the place of sinners and so on the cross suffered the punishment for sin - death and separation from God. Even in the midst of life, he was a man of sorrows but especially on the cross we see his eternal death for sinners. That is why it went dark and he spoke of God having forsaken him. He remained joined to God but he suffered an eternal agony in those short hours in his own person. His human nature inevitably felt forsaken although it is still my God and he is still praying.

2 A judicial death. It was important that Jesus should not die from a natural causes or an accident or by being murdered. He had to die under a judicial sentence. The Romans had a well developed system of justice by this time and the trial they pursued meant that on one hand that Jesus was truly shown to be truly innocent and on the other that his death was a punishment. Crucifixion was important too, a Roman form of punishment not a Jewish one. It was not to be carried out on Roman citizens but only on those the Romans considered the lowest of the low. By dying that death, Jesus met the extreme demands of the law. He died an accursed death, and thus gave evidence of the fact he had become a curse for us.

The very final part of the humiliation is the burial. Part of the punishment of sin is being returned to the dust, symbolised in burial. Jesus' body was kept from corruption but was buried. He went down into the earth. At the same time he took away some of our fear of the grave by going ahead of us.

2. Meditate on the exaltation of Christ

Philippians 2: 9-11 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Christ's divine nature is not capable of humiliation or exaltation. In the exaltation it is the God-man who passes from under the law and its curse. he exchanges a penal relation to it for a righteous one. As Mediator he possesses the blessings of salvation which he has won for sinners. He is crowned with a corresponding honour and glory.

Humiliation and exaltation are closely connected. His exaltation is the judicial result of his humiliation. As Mediator he met the demands of the law and so merited eternal life and so exaltation had to follow. Berkhof says that the exaltation has a threefold significance.

At each stage God declares that Jesus has met the demands of the law and deserves a reward

The first two stages point to what will happen to believers.

All the stages are important in bringing about the glorification of believers.

1. Resurrection. The resurrection is not simply Jesus coming back to life, his body and soul being re-united. No, he is the first-fruits of those who slept (1 Corinthians 15:20) the firstborn from among the dead (Colossians 1:18). With him the final resurrection has begun. He rose with an incorruptible and glorious body. He certainly appears to have new powers.

Christ's resurrection had a threefold significance

By it the Father declared that the last enemy had been vanquished, the penalty paid.

It pointed to what happens to every believer first spiritually and then literally

It is also connected to our justification, regeneration and final resurrection, as comes out in many places in the New testament.

Many attempts are made to explain away the fact of the resurrection but it is a stubborn fact of history that cannot be denied.

Some try to argue that it makes no difference whether Jesus literally rose or not. But if he did not rise literally the New Testament writers are liars and the crowning evidence that Jesus was who he is said to be is wiped out. This truth is one of the great foundation stones of the Church of God.

2. Ascension. The ascension receives less attention in the New Testament compared with the resurrection, probably because the resurrection is the real real turning point in the story of Jesus. In one sense, the ascension merely complements and completes the resurrection. It may be described as the visible ascent of the Mediator from earth to heaven, according to his human nature. it was not only a move from one place to another but included a further change in Christ's human nature. He now came into the fullness of heavenly glory. He was now perfectly adapted to the life of heaven.

The significance of the ascension is that it

Clearly embodies the declaration that Christ's sacrifice is a sacrifice to God acceptable to him.

Points to the coming ascension of all believers, who are already sat with Christ in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6). They will one day be with him forever

Was also instrumental in preparing a place for those who are in Christ. It was necessary for the Son to go to the Father in order to prepare a place for his own.

3. Session at God's right hand. The New Testament speaks often enough of Christ being at God's right hand in heaven. John prefers to say the Lamb is in the midst of the Throne. When it says the Son is sat at the right hand of the Father it is picture language. When a man calls someone his right hand man we know what he means. The session marks the public recognition of who Jesus is. Calvin says it is like saying he has been “installed in the government of heaven and earth, and formally admitted to possession of the administration committed to him, and not only admitted for once, but to continue until he descend to judgment.” Sitting speaks not of ease but the fact his earthly work is now complete. In heaven Christ continues his mediatorial work.

As King he reigns from heaven. He rules and protects his Church by his Spirit. All powers in heaven and earth are under his command and he works to eliminate each last pocket of resistance

As Priest, he prays for his people and asks that his sacrifice be applied so that his people are justified and sanctified.

As Prophet, through the Spirit, he first inspired the New Testament and now illumines us so that we may understand it and meditate on it.

4. Second coming. Sometimes this is omitted from the stages in the exaltation but should be included. It is the final stage in truth. It is then that he comes to judge all. His coming will be physical visible. Its purpose is that the world may be judged and salvation for God's people brought to completion. he wicked will be sentenced eternal punishment and his people will be publicly owned and justified and will enter the perfect joy of the eternal Kingdom. It will signal the completed victory of Jesus Christ.

Evangelical Times Article

 I have an article on meditation in the July 2021 ET. See here.

Sermon Attributes of God (1)

From time to time we come across people who say that they meditate. They usually say that they get great help from it. Oprah Winfrey, Paul McCartney, Novak Djokovich, Jerry Seinfeld - they all say they find it a tremendous help.

Are they to be followed? Is this something Christians should engage in? When we scratch below the surface we find that usually the sort of meditation being advocated is of the eastern Buddhist or Hindu sort. We should not engage in TM as they call it or anything like it. That sort of meditation advocates emptying the mind, rather than filling it. Rather than mental passivity, Christian meditation calls on us to actively exert our mental energy. We should do that.

It is said of the nineteenth century Princeton professor Archibald Alexander

From our earliest recollections, he had been accustomed to sit and muse in the evening twilight, often prolonging these hours far beyond the time when lights are usually demanded. These moments, though solemn, appeared to be pleasurable. In these he pursued his most fruitful trains of thought. As he grew older, this sort of exercise was more frequent and protracted; and in no instance did it seem to merge into any thing like slumber. It was a period to be gratefully remembered, as one of singular peace.

Meditation of that sort is not always easy but we should seek to do it frequently and in a focussed way. Adequate time must be set aside for it. it is encouraged in Scripture. For example in Psalm 119:15 David says that he meditates on God's precepts and considers his ways. In Philippians 4:8 Paul encourages us ... whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Use your mind to go over these things.

Lots of pictures are used by Christian writers wanting to encourage this sort of thing.

Spurgeon says it is not enough just to gather grapes we need to tread them out so that the juice is preserved and can be used to make good wine. He likens it to a wrestler putting embrocation on his body to warm him up for the match. It is like a cow ruminating - passing its food through all four stomachs so we must slowly meditate on God's Word and on similar matters.

It is important that we take time not only to pray and to read God's Word but also to meditate.

The Puritan William Bates says our meditations are like eggs which need to be kept warm in the nest, ‘if the bird leaves her nest for a long space, the eggs chill and are not fit for production’ but ‘holiness and comfort to our souls’ will be the result of regular time with God. At the beginning, meditation is like trying to build a fire from wet wood. He encourages us to persevere ‘till the flame doth so ascend’.

Subjects

Another Puritan, George Swinnock, makes a list of subjects for meditation and I thought it might be useful for the next few Sunday mornings to take some of his suggestions and give you a meditation on each one that hopefully will get you thinking and meditating too on similar lines.

His first subject is the nature and attributes of God. A Christian should not only love and serve God but should think about him, meditate on him. That would in turn, under God, make us love God more and serve him better.

But how do I begin to meditate on God? Well, first, you have to know what God is like. That is something found in Scripture and experienced in life.

One big help in this is what you will find in good catechisms. So, for example, The famous Shorter Catechism has a sits fourth question "What is God?". The answer it expects you to give and learn is in 11 parts. It says "God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth."

The Larger Catechism (Question 7) expands the answer so that it includes 20 terms.

God is a Spirit, in and of himself infinite in being, glory, blessedness, and perfection; all-sufficient, eternal, unchangeable, incomprehensible, everywhere present, almighty, knowing all things, most wise, most holy, most just, most merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.

I notice that if you look up Attributes of God in Christianity in Wikipedia there are 28 different things listed - Aseity (God is one not made up of parts), Eternity, Goodness, Graciousness, Holiness, Immanence (nearness), Immutability (unchanging nature), Impassibility (he is without passions), Impeccability (he cannot sin), Incomprehensibility, Incorporeality (he doesn't have a body), Infinity, Jealousy, Love, Mission, Mystery, Omnipotence, Omnipresence, Omniscience (he is all powerful, in all places and is all knowing), Oneness, Providence, Righteousness, Simplicity, Sovereignty, Transcendence, Trinity, Veracity and Wrath.

If you took something like the Shorter Catechism and learned the answer (God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth) you could very profitably spend time thinking about God's nature and attributes for a good long time. God is a Spirit. That deserves some thought. He has no body and yet he is the living God. He is infinite - there is no end to his qualities. He is beyond our measuring. He is eternal - without beginning and without end.

What I want to do rather this morning is to take a psalm - Psalm 145 - and meditate together on four aspects of God's character that come out in this place - namely, God's greatness, goodness, glory and grace. So four things, four Gs

1 Meditate on the fact that God is great

The psalm is A psalm of praise and it is Of David. One of the aims of meditation is to lead to praise. David begins (1, 2) I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. What an example David is here to us - he wants to exalt God and praise his name and extol him always and forever.

The first reason he gives as to why God should be praised, extolled and exalted is that God is great (3, 4) Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts. There is something amazing and great about God. No matter how long you meditate, you will never get to the bottom of his greatness. Down the ages people have spoken of his greatness.

In his Confessions, Augustine says "What art Thou then, my God? Most highest, most good, most potent, most omnipotent; most merciful and most just; most hidden and most present; most beautiful and most strong ..."

Calvin says "Men are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their insignificance until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God."

The Puritan Stephen Charnock says this "Nourish right conceptions of the majesty of God in your minds. Let us consider that we are drawing to God, the most amiable object, the best of beings, worthy of infinite honour, and highly meriting the highest affections we can give; a God that made the world by a word, that upholds the great frame of heaven and earth; a Majesty above the conceptions of angels; who uses not His power to strike us our deserved punishment ... a God that gave all creatures to serve us, and can, in a trice, make them as much our enemies as he hath now made them our servants. Let us view Him in His greatness ... that our hearts may have a true value of the worship of so great a majesty, and count it the most worthy employment with all diligence to attend upon Him."

One last quote from Spurgeon "There are no measures which can set forth the immeasurable greatness of Jehovah, … Notes of exclamation suit us when words of explanation are of no avail. If we cannot measure we can marvel; and though we may not calculate with accuracy, we can adore with fervency."

Psalm 145:5, 6 They speak of the glorious splendour of your majesty - and I will meditate on your wonderful works. They tell of the power of your awesome works - and I will proclaim your great deeds. Each time David heard others speak of God's greatness - the wonderful splendour of his majesty, the power of his awesome works - he too meditated on God's amazing works so that he could proclaim his great deeds. We must do the same.

2 Meditate on the fact that God is good

Then in verses 7-10 David says They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. All your works praise you, LORD; your faithful people extol you.

So think too of what people say not only about God's greatness but also about his goodness (and his righteousness) - about the fact that he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love, that he is good to all and has compassion on all he has made David also wants to join in the praise for these things. All God's works praise him in one way or another and his faithful people should also extol him.

Think of the goodness of God also then and meditate on it. Creation itself is urging you to praise him for it.

Augustine tells us that "God is always trying to give good things to us, but our hands are too full to receive them." Writing on the incarnation the church father Athanasius says "God is good - or rather, of all goodness He is the Fountainhead.”

Puritan John Flavel writes "He spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all; how shall He not with him freely give us all things” (Romans 8:32)? How is it imaginable that God should withhold, after this, spirituals or temporals, from His people? How shall He not call them effectually, justify them freely, sanctify them thoroughly, and glorify them eternally? How shall He not clothe them, feed them, protect and deliver them? Surely if He would not spare this own Son one stroke, one tear, one groan, one sigh, one circumstance of misery, it can never be imagined that ever He should, after this, deny or withhold from His people, for whose sakes all this was suffered, any mercies, any comforts, any privilege, spiritual or temporal, which is good for them."

John Owen says "Men are afraid to have good thoughts of God. They think it is a boldness to eye God as good, gracious, tender, kind, loving. I speak of saints. They can judge Him hard, austere, severe, almost implacable, and fierce (the very worst affections of the very worst of men, and most hated by God). Is not this soul-deceit from Satan? Was it not his design from the beginning to inject such thoughts of God? Assure yourself, then, there is nothing more acceptable to the Father than for us to keep up our hearts unto Him as the eternal fountain of all that rich grace which flows out to sinners in the blood of Jesus."

A W Tozer in the last century wrote "The goodness of God is infinitely more wonderful than we will ever be able to comprehend."

Give praise to God for he is good.

3 Meditate on the fact that God is glorious

In verse 11 David says further of the different generations that They tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might. They do it, he says (12, 13) so that all people may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendour of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations.

We can think of God's greatness then but we can also speak of God's glory, his glorious nature. His attributes all flow one into another and we only distinguish them to help us think about them. Here David is thinking of God's might, his mighty acts and the glorious splendour of his kingdom which is an everlasting kingdom in which he exercises a dominion that endures through all generations.

What doe we mean then by God's glory? John Piper has attempted to define it like this. He begins by saying that the word is more like the word beauty than the word basketball. You can describe a basketball and easily get the idea across but you can’t do that with the word beauty. Some words are like that and glory is one.

So what he does is to contrast it biblically with the word holy. He suggests that God's holiness is God's being in a class by himself in his perfection, greatness and worth. In a class by himself, God has infinite perfections, infinite greatness, infinite worth.

He then quotes Isaiah 6:3 where the angels cry to each other Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts and The whole earth is full of his ... As he says, you might expect holiness, but it says glory.

God is intrinsically holy, and the whole earth is full of his glory. And so Piper suggests that God's glory is best thought of as the manifest beauty of his holiness. " ... the glory of God is the holiness of God made manifest." Leviticus 10:3 confirms it. God says that he will be shown to be holy among those who are near him, and before all the people he will be glorified.

So think not only of God's greatness and goodness but also his glory - his holiness and the splendour of it.

4 Meditate on the fact that God is gracious

The last thing I want us to meditate on this morning is God's graciousness - his grace. Now you could think of this as an aspect of his goodness, of course, but it is worth looking at separately. From the end of verse 13 to verse 21 we read The LORD is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. The LORD upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. The LORD is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does. The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfils the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever.

The word grace is not used it is true but that is the subject - the undeserved love of God. He upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. That is why everyone looks to him and depends on him. He opens his hand and satisf(ies) the desires of every living thing. He is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfils the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. That is the God of grace we worship the one we should all praise forever.

In the New Testament it is revealed that God's grace comes to all who put their faith in Jesus Christ.

There's a hymn that begins

Wonderful grace of Jesus, Greater than all my sin;

How shall my tongue describe it, Where shall its praise begin?

Taking away my burden, Setting my spirit free;

For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.

Wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus, Deeper than the mighty rolling sea,

Higher than the mountain, sparkling like a fountain,

All sufficient grace for even me, Broader than the scope of my transgressions,

Greater far than all my sin and shame, O magnify the precious name of Jesus, Praise His name!

Wonderful grace of Jesus, Reaching to all the lost;

By it I have been pardoned, Saved to the uttermost,

Chains have been torn asunder, Giving me liberty;

For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.

Wonderful grace of Jesus, Reaching the most defiled,

By its transforming power, Making him God’s dear child,

Purchasing peace and heaven, For all eternity;

And the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.

So here is a meditation - God is great, God is good, God is glorious, God is gracious. Praise his name!

The Divine Works 1

(Based on an article on the Answers in Genesis Website)

Water

Of course, the best fluid to sip all day is water - and lots of it. We are composed of about 60% water and cannot survive more than a week without drinking it.

Water might not immediately come to mind when we think of God's good gifts to us. But it is so well designed for our use that a simple glass of water should make us aware of the fingerprint of the Creator and give him glory.

Water: The Multi-Purpose Liquid

Water is not only essential to life on earth, but also incredibly useful. We drink it, cook with it, bathe in it, clean with it, play in it (or or on it in colder times), find beauty in it, travel on it and get energy from its movement. Water regulates earth’s temperature, provides a habitat for the seafood we eat and is essential for growing all of our food. And those are only a few of water’s uses!

Water is perfectly designed for all of these functions

Water is colourless and tasteless, making it perfect for cooking. If it had a flavour or even a color, certain foods would be made much less appetising. Research has even shown our bodies may be able to taste tasteless water, alerting us if we are drinking something that looks like water but is not actually water. Water in its pure state has a neutral pH (not an acid or alkali), again making it perfect for cooking and drinking.

Water is ideal for transporting dissolved substances, such as minerals, nutrients and waste, throughout (or out of) our bodies.

Water is one of few liquids that expand when frozen, allowing it to float on liquid water. If water sank when it froze, aquatic life in colder climates would be impossible.

Water molecules stick to each other, creating surface tension. Surface tension allows insects to walk on water, makes rain fall in droplets, allows particles to float in water and keeps water from immediately evaporating.

Water absorbs colours in the red part of the spectrum (red, yellow, orange), while the blue parts of the spectrum are scattered, giving the ocean and other bodies of water a blue colour. As the light direction changes, translucence and reflection from the surface give a pleasing effect.

Where Did Water Come From?

This incredible molecule covers 70% of earth’s surface and is even found in and possibly even under the mantle. But where did it come from? Evolution always wants to go back to the big bang. Evolutionists believe the big bang created hydrogen and helium. Stars soon formed from these gasses and created oxygen and other elements. Eventually the stars exploded as supernovae, expelling oxygen and hydrogen into space where the two elements formed water.

There are apparently two major competing evolutionary stories on how water got to earth. Some say conditions on early earth would have evaporated any water as earth coalesced and so water would need to be delivered from an outside source, by comets or asteroids. Comets and asteroids would also have delivered material to earth, yet research suggests the asteroids that most likely would have delivered our water aren’t of the right composition to match the material they would have left behind. Also, using evolutionary assumptions about the age of the earth, it appears the earth’s oldest materials crystallised in the presence of liquid water over 4 billion years ago, too old to have been brought by comets or asteroids. To make matters worse for this idea, new evidence suggests water would have been vapourised as it arrived by extraterrestrial delivery.

The other hypothesis suggests maybe water has always been present and volcanoes have delivered it to the surface by degassing, as water vapour is released from cooling magma near the surface. This puts water deep inside the earth from its beginning. This hypothesis runs into the earlier mentioned problem: would the proposed conditions on early earth have allowed such vast quantities of water to remain?

The True Origin of Water

Neither of these proposed solutions adequately explains where water came from or how it could be so perfectly suited for life and for our use. But the Bible gives the answer. Water was one of God’s first creations. Genesis 1:1–2 says God created the heavens and earth and initially the earth was covered in water. As 2 Peter emphasises, the earth was formed out of water and through water (2 Peter 3:5). On day two, this water was separated so some remains on earth and some is spread throughout the heavens, including in comets and asteroids.

Water doesn’t have a mysterious naturalistic origin. It was created by God from the very beginning!

The Divine Word 1

 

A good passage to meditate on here is Psalm 19:7-9

The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever.
The decrees of the LORD are firm, and all of them are righteous.

There are six threefold statements, giving 18 things to meditate on.

1. The nature of God's Word is such that it is

The law of the LORD It instructs

The statutes of the LORD It bears witness

The precepts of the LORD It gives a mandate

The commands of the LORD It is to be obeyed

The fear of the LORD It instils fear

The decrees of the LORD It gives a verdict, a ruling

2. It can be described as

Perfect - without flaw

Trustworthy - it is true

Right -every time

Radiant - it shines

Pure - without any alloy

Firm - you can rely on it 

3. Further, it is able to

Refresh the soul.
Make the simple wise

give joy to the heart

give light to the eyes
endure forever

always be righteous

The divine word is clearly worth spending time on.

The love and fullness of the blessed Saviour 1

The love of Christ

The love of Christ is a central element of Christian belief and theology.  It can refer to Christ's love for all or for his people or of his people to him or even of Christians love for others. These are distinct Christian teachings.

The theme of love is the key element of John's writings. This is evidenced in one of the most widely quoted scriptures in the Bible (John 3:16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. In the Gospel of John, the pericope of the Good Shepherd (John 10:1-21) symbolises the sacrifice of Jesus based on his love for his people. In John, love for Christ results in the following of his commands, the Farewell Discourse (14:23) states If a man loves me, he will keep my word. In 1 John 4:19 the reflexive nature of this love is highlighted We love, because he first loved us, expressing the love of Christ as a mirroring of Christ's own love. Towards the end of the Last Supper, Jesus gives his disciples a new commandment Love one another, as I have loved you ... By this shall all men know that you are my disciples.

The love of Christ is also a motif in Paul's letters. The basic theme of Ephesians is that of God the Father initiating the work of salvation through Christ, who willingly sacrifices himself based on his love and obedience to the Father. Ephesians 5:25 states Christ also loved the church, and gave himself up for it. Ephesians 3:17-19 relates the love of Christ to the knowledge of Christ and considers loving Christ to be a necessity for knowing him.

Many Christians have written on the love of Christ - Augustine wrote that "the common love of truth unites people, the common love of Christ unites all Christians". Benedict instructed his monks to "prefer nothing to the love of Christ". Thomas Aquinas stated that although both Christ and God the Father had the power to restrain those who killed Christ on Calvary, neither did, due to the perfection of the love of Christ. Aquinas also opined that, given that "perfect love" casts out fear, Christ had no fear when he was crucified, for his love was all-perfect.