Peter Misselbrook's Blog

Mar 31 2020 - 1 Corinthians 1:1-17 – Faithful God

We might imagine that the letter that we know as 1 Corinthians would have been written by Paul in a spirit of frustration and disappointment. Paul had spent more than 18 months ministering in Corinth, followed by the able ministry of Apollos. But now the church is marked by division and even false teaching. Nevertheless, Paul begins his letter with thanksgiving for the Christians in Corinth. He is thankful that God has reached out to them in grace and that the message he preached to them was confirmed by the presence and witness of the Spirit in their lives, equipping them with a variety of spiritual gifts.

And yet it’s the rich ministry that they had received and the spiritual gifts that had been given that seem to have become the source of so many of the problems in this church. They were divided over who had been the better preacher; they were divided over who had the superior gifts.

In the face of what must have been frustration and disappointment, Paul remained confident concerning these Christians. They eagerly looked forward to the day of Christ’s return and Paul writes that God “will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.” (1 Corinthians 1:8-9)

Paul is thankful for these perverse Christians at Corinth because God had been at work in their lives. They are Christians not of Paul’s making (nor are they the creation of Apollos); they are the work of God’s Spirit – he is the one who has called them into the family of Jesus. And God is faithful; he will not give up on them but will continue and complete the work he has begun until the day when they are presented blameless before Christ. In that day there will no longer be divisions among them. In that day they will be so overwhelmed with the glory of Christ their king that all rivalry between them will melt away. Paul’s confidence rests not on the quality of his own work, nor in the present character of the Corinthian Christians, but in the faithfulness of God.

We need the same confidence – and thankfulness – concerning the presence and work of the Triune God amongst his people today. We are very conscious of the divisions that fracture the church in our own day. We still divide over whom we consider to be the best leader or leaders within the church. We divide over our brands of Christianity, our differing emphases and spiritual giftings. We have much to learn – and much to unlearn. But God has not finished with us yet. His work is not complete until we stand united before him in glory, casting down before him the tawdry paper crowns we have made for ourselves.

We need this same confidence concerning those Christians who may frustrate and disappoint us. God has not finished with them yet. More importantly, we need to view ourselves in the same light, and to guard ourselves against the Corinthian spirit of spiritual superiority; God has a great deal more work to do in our own lives.

In all of these areas – the fractured nature of the universal church; the rivalries that mar the life of our own congregation; the glaring faults in other Christians; the faults we so easily gloss over in ourselves – our hope and confidence rests solely in the God who began a work in us and who will present us blameless in the day of Christ; it is all of grace – thank God.

Heavenly Father, forgive the ugly pride and arrogance that all too often mark the lives of your people and damage our witness in the world. Make us more like Christ and give us one mind and heart in him. Continue the work you have begun in us by your Spirit and make us the people we shall be when Christ appears.

Mar 31 2019 - Psalm 34 – God answered my cry

The heading to this psalm suggests that it was written by David, "when he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left." The incident is recorded in 1 Samuel 21, though the name of the king of Gath mentioned there is Achish. It would seem that Abimelech (a word meaning "my father is king") was a dynastic title of the Philistine kings, rather like "Pharaoh" was a title of the kings of Egypt.

David was not Israel's king at this time. King Saul had tried to kill David because he was jealous of his success in fighting against the Philistines and of the acclaim he was receiving from the Israelites. So David fled from Saul armed only with the sword that had belonged to Goliath. Paradoxically, and perhaps foolishly, David sought refuge in the Philistine city of Gath, Goliath's home town. He hoped that since Saul and Achish were at war and Saul was now seeking his life, he would find a safe refuge in Gath.

Unsuprisingly, David's plan backfired. The king's servants reminded him of the Israelite chant, "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands" – tens of thousands of Philistines! David knew that his life was in danger and so he pretended to be insane. In this way he was allowed to leave Gath unharmed. This is the psalm of praise and thanksgiving he wrote as a result.

Psalm 34 is an acrostic psalm, that is to say, each verse begins with sequential letters of the Hebrew alphabet – which consists of 22 letters. It was constructed with great care as well as expressing a great theme.

David provides us with his personal testimony, "I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears… This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles." (vv. 4, 6). But David is not boasting of personal blessings, he is praising God for his goodness to all who will turn to him in prayer when they are in trouble. David turns his experience of God's goodness into an appeal that others might turn to this gracious God and find similar answers to prayer so that they too might enjoy the abundant blessings of God:

Taste and see that the LORD is good;
    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. (v. 8)

David wants all who are in trouble ("the afflicted, v. 2) to turn to God for help so that they can, "Glorify the Lord with me: let us exalt his name together" (v.3).

We also have much reason to "extol the Lord at all times" and for his praise to be always upon our lips (v. 1). God loved us so much that he sent his Son into the world to be our Saviour. Jesus loved us so much that he took upon himself the judgment our sins deserved and paid their penalty in full. Risen from the dead, he has given us his Spirit in our hearts, assuring us of his love and that we belong to him for all eternity. He is always ready to hear our prayers and receive our thanksgiving.

Think of what God has done for you in Christ and then read this psalm again making it your heartfelt testimony and response. 

As one who has tasted the goodness of God in the Lord Jesus Christ, take some time to think how you might encourage others to taste and see that he is good. A good beginning would be to ensure that his praise is always upon your lips.

Father God, we praise you for your goodness and mercy and particularly for the abundant blessings that are ours in the Lord Jesus Christ. May his praises often be the theme of our conversations. Help us to point others to him that they also may taste and see that you are good.

Peter Misselbrook