Thursday 29 December

Nehemiah 9:38-11:21

These skim-read bits feel like a bonus so close to the end of the year.  But this oath in the middle of it all is interesting.  I suspect that today any such oath would be looked upon as legalistic.  And indeed it probably was the sort of foundation upon which the Pharisees built their hollow practices.  But that does not take away its value.  For this was not a commitment to dry activity but to serious lived-out worship of God.  It is not legalistic to try to obey the bible.  It is not legalistic to try to carefully organise your life to make it as pleasing to Jesus as possible.  This kind of commitment is to be commended.  This kind of commitment is what brings about holiness.  

Revelation 20:1-15

I don’t know what to say about the 1,000 years.  I know people have defined their faith by what they think about it.  That seems a little bizarre considering that it is just a stage history will pass through on the road to its final destination.  To define yourself as pre-millenial or post-millenial seems a bit like defining your house move by what time the removal company are arriving.  I guess you can do it if you want but it seems to be slightly missing the point.  It doesn’t seem like the main and the plain.  But what does seem so main and plain it is pretty much head-butting me in the nostrils is this phrase “the dead were judged according to what they had done”.  Now hold on a minute but don’t you think we need to call in the heresy squad?  Don’t you think the grace-police need to pay this passage a visit?  Doesn’t John know that we are saved by grace through faith and it is not down to works?  Doesn’t he realise that we can do what we bally-well please once we have been washed in the blood?  Oh.  He doesn’t.  And if he doesn’t then maybe I shouldn’t either.  For what has kept coming back time and time again through our voyage across the bible has been this idea that salvation actually means being made more holy.  What has become increasingly clear is that forgiveness for sin and healing from the things that cause us to sin are so intertwined that they can’t be separated.  The whole point is that Christians will do good things.  The whole point is that Christians will live blameless lives.  The whole point is that we will be holy as He is holy so that, upon judgement day, God will look at what we have actually done and will say “well done my good and faithful servant”.  And if you have gone to church week in week out and if you have sung some worship songs and if you have read the bible and even if you have asked Jesus to forgive you for things you have done wrong in the past - if you have done all of that and yet have not actually in any way submitted yourself to the Lordship of Jesus and sought to change your behaviour to honour him, and if you have not tried to give things up that you think he wouldn’t like and if you have not tried to start things that you think he would like well then I think you need to be scared about judgement day.  But there is still a chance to change.

Psalm 149:1-9

The Lord takes delight in his people.