This world is also included in God’s redemption plan.
The title of this meditation is the story of lust, sinful, selfish lusts, unbridled desires in opposition to the holy healthy God-given desires. Take a little time and just think of all that God actually created. Nothing was left out or overlooked, no detail was missed, everything was provided in abundant fullness. God created the heavens and the earth and everything in them. In the heavens He created galaxies and planets, planets in position to protect planet earth from being hit by an asteroid. He made the sun with its bright warmth of sunlight and power for growth in crops, the moon with the mystery of moonlight and power to control the tides, the crystal splendour of trillions of stars in glittering brilliance to adorn the night sky with beauty. He created wind, rain and snow for the changing seasons, to fertilize the earth and enable sowing and reaping. Then He created animals for food to provide strength, nourishment, protein and enjoyment. Then He placed the ground seeds for rice and many various grains and vegetables. He produced fruit-bearing trees and bushes. He filled the earth with sustenance, beauty and fragrance to delight the eye and nourish the soul.
Now He made everything fully grown and ripe, everything was now ready for the climax and for the reason for it all, all that perfect preparation. God created humans in His own image. In His perfect world God created a perfect man and a perfect woman, both of them in striking beauty. Can you imagine their amazement and delight at all the magnificent riches at their disposal? Not only that, but they had loving personal contact daily with their Creator. As the Lord talked with them, He created in them the know-how for growing, milling, processing, cooking, transporting etc., the amazing intelligence which would be passed down through the generations. Talk about paradise! Nothing could go wrong in that perfect world - - - could it?
Satan came to Eve with a silky-soft voice and his 3 weapons, disguised as benefits. Eve (Genesis 3:6) saw (lust of the eye 1 John 2:16); good for food (lust of the flesh) and she wanted to be like God without God (pride of life). Adam was not her protector in her deception, nor in her folly but without being deceived himself, became a partner in her folly. He saw, he tasted and he wanted to have more than dominion. He would not give up Eve in order to obey God. So, of course, God would protect His perfect world and destroy the 2 trouble making sinners. OH – but wait – stop – that was not possible because the Lord had given Adam dominion over the earth. Therefore, everything pertaining to Adam including the once – perfect world and all his descendants came under a curse BUT GOD had no plans for our destruction.
Instead – can you believe it! – He had plans in place for our redemption. Because of the (Ephesians 1:7) riches of His grace and (1 John 3:1) the greatness of His incredible love, the Son of God could actually (Galatians 3:13) become a curse for us in order to free us from the curse and all its effects. Sin brings death (James 1:15) they cannot be separated. The wages of sin (Romans 6:23) is death. I cannot escape the fact that death always follows sin – but – what if my sin could be taken away before death devoured me? In order for Jesus to take on Himself the curse that was on me, He had to be clothed in humanity and also take on Himself my sin with all its penalty and the fierce judgment which was justly mine. God poured out on Jesus all the furious wrath of His outraged holiness. Jesus so completely paid in full that He conquered both sin and death and rose in victorious triumph from the empty tomb. What happened to me? I received the miracle gift of eternal Life because - - -
“On the Cross where Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied”
The Holy Spirit came to indwell me and He announced (Galatians 4:6-7) that I had become a child of God and therefore, a joint-heir with Jesus Christ. John 3:16 is the best known verse in the Bible and may be the most important. (Augustine) “God loves us, each one, as if we were the only one.”
(Dr. Jeremiah) “God so loved. In that little word SO is contained all the anguish of Gethsemane and all the agony of Calvary. The amazing extent of God’s love. The GOSPEL is spelled out in that verse. G,- only, O,- Son-S, perish – P, everlasting - E, life – L.”
What about this curse-damaged world which retains enough of its original loveliness to put longing in our hearts for what has been lost? This world is also included in God’s redemption plan. Although we cannot name the date, we already know what God is going to say when breath-taking beauty and perfection are restored. “Behold (Revelation 21:5) I make all things new.” God will not turn back the universe and give us yesterday. But He will rework the elements of the universe, restore, make it anew and give us the shining splendour, beauty and perfection of an endless tomorrow. This long period between Adam’s Fall and God’s total restoration is for many to be included in God’s redemption by receiving forgiveness for sin and the gift of eternal life through the shed Blood and atoning death of Jesus. All who do trust in Jesus as their personal Saviour will have the perfection of individual beauty, both spiritual and physical, in the new world and we will know each other. For Christians our future is glorious beyond description. The Lord has a plan for every day and for every century. Here and now, we have the privilege and responsibility (Romans 1:14-15) to share the good news of the Gospel with others.
The temporary things and possessions are garbage in comparison with Jesus and all the holy privileges which He has purchased for us at tremendous cost to Him but free grace to us. So that we are actually and forever the children of God, the Sovereign Creator and Ruling Controller of the universe. Let us not be so foolish as to want to possess more and more things and miss out on the supreme riches we can have in Christ Jesus plus the (Philippians 3:8) surpassing sweetness of knowing Him in loving intimate relationship. Much wants more earthly junk and loses all true and lasting treasures.
It is wonderful to me that the sweetest Name I know is the Name that is exalted above all names, the Name of limitless power and endless love.
JESUS
J – Justifier
E – Emancipator
S – Saviour
U – Upholder
S - Sanctifier
Actually, of ourselves we have nothing but yet God in Christ Jesus lavishes us with - - - riches of His grace, the greatness of His love, the magnitude of His kindness, the abundance of His generosity, the assurance of His faithfulness and the deepening of heart-to-heart unbroken communion with Him.
(Oswald Chambers) “We need to stop grubbing about on the inside with morbid self-interest to see if we are what we ought to be. There is only one place where you are right, where you are perfect and that is in Christ Jesus on the basis of the Atonement. Abandon self-interest and begin to pour yourself out in prayer for others.”
Wisdom for us is to (Psalms 63:11) acknowledge God’s supremacy by binding ourselves to His authority and devoting ourselves to His glory and service. If we (2 Timothy 3:15) like Timothy, have been highly privileged to have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, we have a great responsibility to those who don’t know the Word of God.
The Lord takes thought (PS.40:17) and plans for me. It may not be in His plans to change my circumstances but He works in those very circumstances to change me. He lifts me up to higher ground (vs.1-2) sets my feet on a solid rock and directs all my ways. With all believers (vs.16) and in all circumstances we say,
“The Lord be magnified.