The Real Pain of Real Change
Psalms 37:4-5 Delight yourself also in the Lord , And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord , Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.
What do you want? What is your desire? This is the question all of history has been asking since the fall of mankind in the Garden. Everyone eventually gets the fruit of their desire.
In Psalm 37 David said that if you seek the kingdom of God first, all the rest of your true desires will be added unto you. This is the truth of why God made man, for Him to have life, which is full satisfaction, in the presence of God.
This is the truth of the Gospel: Delight yourself in the Lord and out pop all the other desires of your heart. What a glorious promise! David's son, Solomon, found this same truth. After Solomon set his heart to make worshiping God the foundation of his government, God appeared to him and said "what do you want?"
II Chronicles 1:6-12 And Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before the Lord , which was at the tabernacle of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it. On that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, “Ask! What shall I give you?” And Solomon said to God: “You have shown great mercy to David my father, and have made me king in his place. Now, O Lord God, let Your promise to David my father be established, for You have made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?” Then God said to Solomon: “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life—but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king— wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like.”
When I set my heart to make God the center of my life, a transition began in my heart. This is actually how the kingdom of God comes to earth...not in a huge parade with drums and lightning and earthquakes shaking the foundations of the earth all in one day, but rather by the process of a steadily consuming fire...God lights a fire within each heart choosing to delight themselves in the Lord. The kingdom comes from within those who desire Jesus' kingdom as the place of their greatness:
Luke 17:20-25 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” Then He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. And they will say to you, ‘Look here!’ or ‘Look there!’ Do not go after them or follow them. For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day. But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
To desire the kingdom first is to thrust yourself into a place of true greatness. To desire the kingdom as your place of greatness...your place of delight...is to choose true greatness forever. This is a VERY weighty desire...it is a heavy burden...too heavy for a human frame to carry or a human mind to fully understand in the moment the choice is made. In fact, Jesus' friends James and John began connecting to this reality and spoke it out loud so we could all hear this simple truth:
Mark 10:35-40 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.” And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They said to Him, “Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They said to Him, “We are able.” So Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared.”
Jesus is the name above every other. He is bright infinite perfection...infinite beauty...infinite light...and THAT light, not the dim sun, is the source of all life:
John 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Glory...this light that comes from Jesus is the sustaining source of life and COMPLETELY satisfies the hunger of the human heart. When Peter experienced a little of it, He wanted to stay on the top of the mountain with Jesus. Moses lived in a little of this light for 40 days without eating or drinking anything! Every desire I am tempted to satisfy is truly satisfied by this light of Jesus' presence, called His glory...
To believe that Jesus is the one who will truly satisfy all my desire is a glorious choice for truth. Standing on this belief with my actual choices starts a glorious fire in my heart and thrusts me into the "bringing of the kingdom" to earth...BUT, this fire is deadly to darkness. It begins a war that starts within me, and eventually spreads out from there:
Luke 12:49-52 “I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished! Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three.
When I set my heart to make Jesus' kingdom the place of my greatness, I am actually setting my course for true satisfaction forever. But, as Jesus told James and John, this is a PAINFUL desire at first, because this kind of greatness requires a preparation to be able to endure the brightness of Jesus' presence. To be great in His kingdom is to live close to Him forever. That means I need a heart that can live on fire...God IS a consuming fire.
Deuteronomy 4:24 For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
To desire to be near God is to desire His kingdom come... His fire to come...to earth THROUGH my heart! This requires preparation. Anything unholy gets consumed in His presence. We need to be made holy as He is holy:
I Peter 1:13-16 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
The way God gets us ready to be in the fire is to get rid of every combustible dark thing...the wood hay and stubble...first in our own hearts. This can be very painful. To make God your delight...your place of satisfaction...is to actually to begin a journey towards greatness, but that process of being prepared for greatness reveals the rebellious and dark failures of the human heart...every lesser desire gets exposed in the journey towards infinite brightness. This produces a lot of temporary feelings of pain and dissatisfaction! Jesus' life is a perfect picture of this process:
Hebrews 2:10-11 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,
The captain of our salvation is Jesus! What did this process of "being perfected" look like? Rejection! No, Jesus didn't need to go through this to be perfected...He is perfect...but he went through it so WE could see the way...this is the same reason He went through baptism:
Matthew 3:13-15 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.
Though He is God and was with God, Jesus was rejected by most of the people around Him...and was MOST rejected by those closest to Him...those who should have recognized Him for who He is:
Mark 6:3-6 Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.
Jesus "marveled" at their unbelief! The rejection was real, and it made Jesus feel really rejected. The FEELING of rejection is evidence that I am following Jesus for real and REALLY being changed into a man more after His own heart! Jesus knows the pain of rejection of man...it is part of perfection...the setting apart...that He walked through so that I could be rejected, perfected, and set apart, too!
John 17:16-21 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.
This is how Biblical unity is going to happen: by REJECTION of the world...Many all over the world are choosing to make Jesus their delight, no matter the cost. This means the pain of rejection is touching many. The rejection starts close and spreads out from their...it starts with those who know us best, including many who go to church with you, live in your house with you, gather together with you at Christmas, go with you to worship events and should know you better! Every person truly turning to God as their one desire must feel this. The pain of rejection is evidence that the change in the heart is real! David felt this and it exposed very intense emotions in His heart:
Psalms 55:12-16 For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; Then I could bear it. Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me; Then I could hide from him. But it was you, a man my equal, My companion and my acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, And walked to the house of God in the throng. Let death seize them; Let them go down alive into hell, For wickedness is in their dwellings and among them. As for me, I will call upon God, And the Lord shall save me.
Rejection must happen, because the change of our desire must be turned from fearing the opinions of people to hungering for the approval of God! Rejection from people is the only way hard hearts are broken. This is glorious from the correct perspective, because it reveals that God is answering my prayer to be like Jesus!
Rejection MUST happen for me to be great. This isn't because everyone rejecting me is evil...this is because my heart needs it! The rejection is a big part of God answering my prayer for Him to be my delight! The biggest hurdle to turning all of my desire for satisfaction to God is the distraction of the "lesser delights" of having my heart satisfied by people.
Seeking the kingdom first doesn't get me every other desire of my heart by satisfying my lesser and fallen hungers, but rather by changing my appetite. This is the burning away of every lesser form of satisfaction...every dark desire...to make me ready for greatness.
I get ready for greatness in HUMILITY. Humility IS greatness in the upside down kingdom. I learn to bear the weight of glory by handing the pain of rejection to Jesus. If I don't learn to hand over the pain, I definitely won't hand over the glory of acceptance.
The pain of rejection reveals the depth of pride in my heart...if the weight of rejection hurts, it reveals that the weight of acceptance is still unbearable for me. Acceptance is way more deadly that rejection. Rejection drives me hard into the arms of God, who is the only one who accepts me unconditionally. Acceptance has the potential to drive me hard into the world. This is often deadly. God, in His mercy, prepares those choosing greatness for that very greatness by rejection. This is the path Jesus walked:
Philippians 2:5-11 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
If I want to live close to where Jesus lives, I need to live more and more closely to HOW Jesus lives in order to bear the weight of the glory of His light!
Psalms 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.
What do you want? What is your desire? This is the question all of history has been asking since the fall of mankind in the Garden. Everyone eventually gets the fruit of their desire.
In Psalm 37 David said that if you seek the kingdom of God first, all the rest of your true desires will be added unto you. This is the truth of why God made man, for Him to have life, which is full satisfaction, in the presence of God.
This is the truth of the Gospel: Delight yourself in the Lord and out pop all the other desires of your heart. What a glorious promise! David's son, Solomon, found this same truth. After Solomon set his heart to make worshiping God the foundation of his government, God appeared to him and said "what do you want?"
II Chronicles 1:6-12 And Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before the Lord , which was at the tabernacle of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it. On that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, “Ask! What shall I give you?” And Solomon said to God: “You have shown great mercy to David my father, and have made me king in his place. Now, O Lord God, let Your promise to David my father be established, for You have made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?” Then God said to Solomon: “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life—but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king— wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like.”
When I set my heart to make God the center of my life, a transition began in my heart. This is actually how the kingdom of God comes to earth...not in a huge parade with drums and lightning and earthquakes shaking the foundations of the earth all in one day, but rather by the process of a steadily consuming fire...God lights a fire within each heart choosing to delight themselves in the Lord. The kingdom comes from within those who desire Jesus' kingdom as the place of their greatness:
Luke 17:20-25 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” Then He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. And they will say to you, ‘Look here!’ or ‘Look there!’ Do not go after them or follow them. For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day. But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
To desire the kingdom first is to thrust yourself into a place of true greatness. To desire the kingdom as your place of greatness...your place of delight...is to choose true greatness forever. This is a VERY weighty desire...it is a heavy burden...too heavy for a human frame to carry or a human mind to fully understand in the moment the choice is made. In fact, Jesus' friends James and John began connecting to this reality and spoke it out loud so we could all hear this simple truth:
Mark 10:35-40 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.” And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They said to Him, “Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They said to Him, “We are able.” So Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared.”
Jesus is the name above every other. He is bright infinite perfection...infinite beauty...infinite light...and THAT light, not the dim sun, is the source of all life:
John 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Glory...this light that comes from Jesus is the sustaining source of life and COMPLETELY satisfies the hunger of the human heart. When Peter experienced a little of it, He wanted to stay on the top of the mountain with Jesus. Moses lived in a little of this light for 40 days without eating or drinking anything! Every desire I am tempted to satisfy is truly satisfied by this light of Jesus' presence, called His glory...
To believe that Jesus is the one who will truly satisfy all my desire is a glorious choice for truth. Standing on this belief with my actual choices starts a glorious fire in my heart and thrusts me into the "bringing of the kingdom" to earth...BUT, this fire is deadly to darkness. It begins a war that starts within me, and eventually spreads out from there:
Luke 12:49-52 “I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished! Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three.
When I set my heart to make Jesus' kingdom the place of my greatness, I am actually setting my course for true satisfaction forever. But, as Jesus told James and John, this is a PAINFUL desire at first, because this kind of greatness requires a preparation to be able to endure the brightness of Jesus' presence. To be great in His kingdom is to live close to Him forever. That means I need a heart that can live on fire...God IS a consuming fire.
Deuteronomy 4:24 For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
To desire to be near God is to desire His kingdom come... His fire to come...to earth THROUGH my heart! This requires preparation. Anything unholy gets consumed in His presence. We need to be made holy as He is holy:
I Peter 1:13-16 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
The way God gets us ready to be in the fire is to get rid of every combustible dark thing...the wood hay and stubble...first in our own hearts. This can be very painful. To make God your delight...your place of satisfaction...is to actually to begin a journey towards greatness, but that process of being prepared for greatness reveals the rebellious and dark failures of the human heart...every lesser desire gets exposed in the journey towards infinite brightness. This produces a lot of temporary feelings of pain and dissatisfaction! Jesus' life is a perfect picture of this process:
Hebrews 2:10-11 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,
The captain of our salvation is Jesus! What did this process of "being perfected" look like? Rejection! No, Jesus didn't need to go through this to be perfected...He is perfect...but he went through it so WE could see the way...this is the same reason He went through baptism:
Matthew 3:13-15 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.
Though He is God and was with God, Jesus was rejected by most of the people around Him...and was MOST rejected by those closest to Him...those who should have recognized Him for who He is:
Mark 6:3-6 Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.
Jesus "marveled" at their unbelief! The rejection was real, and it made Jesus feel really rejected. The FEELING of rejection is evidence that I am following Jesus for real and REALLY being changed into a man more after His own heart! Jesus knows the pain of rejection of man...it is part of perfection...the setting apart...that He walked through so that I could be rejected, perfected, and set apart, too!
John 17:16-21 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.
This is how Biblical unity is going to happen: by REJECTION of the world...Many all over the world are choosing to make Jesus their delight, no matter the cost. This means the pain of rejection is touching many. The rejection starts close and spreads out from their...it starts with those who know us best, including many who go to church with you, live in your house with you, gather together with you at Christmas, go with you to worship events and should know you better! Every person truly turning to God as their one desire must feel this. The pain of rejection is evidence that the change in the heart is real! David felt this and it exposed very intense emotions in His heart:
Psalms 55:12-16 For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; Then I could bear it. Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me; Then I could hide from him. But it was you, a man my equal, My companion and my acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, And walked to the house of God in the throng. Let death seize them; Let them go down alive into hell, For wickedness is in their dwellings and among them. As for me, I will call upon God, And the Lord shall save me.
Rejection must happen, because the change of our desire must be turned from fearing the opinions of people to hungering for the approval of God! Rejection from people is the only way hard hearts are broken. This is glorious from the correct perspective, because it reveals that God is answering my prayer to be like Jesus!
Rejection MUST happen for me to be great. This isn't because everyone rejecting me is evil...this is because my heart needs it! The rejection is a big part of God answering my prayer for Him to be my delight! The biggest hurdle to turning all of my desire for satisfaction to God is the distraction of the "lesser delights" of having my heart satisfied by people.
Seeking the kingdom first doesn't get me every other desire of my heart by satisfying my lesser and fallen hungers, but rather by changing my appetite. This is the burning away of every lesser form of satisfaction...every dark desire...to make me ready for greatness.
I get ready for greatness in HUMILITY. Humility IS greatness in the upside down kingdom. I learn to bear the weight of glory by handing the pain of rejection to Jesus. If I don't learn to hand over the pain, I definitely won't hand over the glory of acceptance.
The pain of rejection reveals the depth of pride in my heart...if the weight of rejection hurts, it reveals that the weight of acceptance is still unbearable for me. Acceptance is way more deadly that rejection. Rejection drives me hard into the arms of God, who is the only one who accepts me unconditionally. Acceptance has the potential to drive me hard into the world. This is often deadly. God, in His mercy, prepares those choosing greatness for that very greatness by rejection. This is the path Jesus walked:
Philippians 2:5-11 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
If I want to live close to where Jesus lives, I need to live more and more closely to HOW Jesus lives in order to bear the weight of the glory of His light!
Psalms 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.
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