Afterwords -- pressing on
"Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth." (Hosea 6:3)
"I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14)
May 20, 2023
Dear friends,
Time hastens on! If we are wise, we will not only wait for, but also work for the coming of the Lord. Since the Lord's going forth is as sure as the dawn, we are to press on in knowing him. (Hos 6:3). We are to press toward the prize of the upward call of God (Phil 3:14). We are to fight the good fight, finish the race, and preserve and proclaim the faith delivered to us (2 Tim 4:7). Time hastens on, and so we should work to hasten the return of the Lord.
Hastening... The Apostle Peter speaks of "hastening" the coming day of God (2 Pet 3:12). On this verse, the NET Bible notes that "hasten" is "possibly, 'striving for,' but the meaning 'hasten' for σπουδάζω (spoudazō) is normative in Jewish apocalyptic literature (in which the coming of the Messiah/the end is anticipated). Such a hastening is not an arm-twisting of the divine volition, but a response by believers that has been decreed by God." We wait for, but we also work for, the coming of the Lord in the hopes of speeding things along. Though God is sovereign with his hand upon history, yet... our zeal, faithfulness, holy efforts, and pressing on, all these truly matter in this great history of redemption.
Speaking of pressing on, this week Tim Keller -- beloved pastor, speaker, author, theologian, apologist, and evangelical leader -- went home to be with the Lord after his battle with cancer. He had a significant impact on many in our time, and I have been very influenced by his books and sermons, as well. I enjoyed hearing him in person some years when he was preaching at Redeemer Church in Manhattan. Even to his death Keller was having an impact around the world. I echo the observations made by Mike Kruger in his tribute here.
And I thought this remembrance by Kevin DeYoung was good...
"I remember hearing from Tim several months later, 'You know, I’ve always talked about preaching the gospel to yourself and finding freedom in the gospel, and I’ve really believed it. But with this diagnosis, I finally have complete freedom.' Then he said with a chuckle, 'I can say no to everything now. Once you have cancer you can do whatever you want.' The comment was lighthearted, but it also made a serious point. Tim knew what Christ had done for him and who he was in Christ. He also knew that he was free to focus in the months or years ahead—whatever the Lord might give him—on those things (and only those things) that were most important. Tim was fully alive even when dying of cancer. He was full of faith until the end, all the way up to the moment when his faith became sight." (Kevin DeYoung, "He was ready for heaven")
Today, I listened to Keller's plenary message at the TGC national conference in 2019. He preached on John 3, "You Must Be Born Again." Along with many other rich insights, he noted,
"Where is the new birth from? It’s from the future. The new birth is the power that God is going to use to regenerate the world. Brought into your present. It’s not complete, of course. It’s only partial... It’s the future coming into you. It’s God’s future, present in your heart now. It’s that renewing, regenerating power by which God is going to heal everything and remove all evil and all sin and everything. But it comes into your heart now. Only partially, but actually. And that’s what it means to be born again." (Tim Keller)
I heartily agree with Samuel James words about Keller, "Thank you, Tim, for making me want to be more like Jesus. I can’t wait to meet you."
IN OTHER NEWS
-- This week also I enjoyed hearing historian and author Molly Worthen talk about her recent conversion to Christ. She includes C. S. Lewis's space trilogy as influential in moving her towards Christ. Here's the podcast, and her story begins at 34:30.
-- For two years (2020--2021) I posted a Bible reading guide on almost every chapter of Scripture, following the M'Cheyne reading plan. I'm beginning to get these notes (as some have suggested) edited and placed into document form by book of the Bible. You can download a PDF of Genesis here. Feel free to make suggestions, point out typos, whatever.
-- My wife and I found this reading of the names of God to be very moving, and beautifully done.
FINAL QUOTE.
"I have to admit that I have gotten over that line of the resurrection being the best explanation for the historical evidence we have. And if that’s true, I have to change my working hypothesis of the universe." (Molly Worthen)
That's it for this week!
Sandy
Image credit: photo above by Bradley Dunn on Unsplash. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.