Trinitarian Focus
Psalm 119:36, 37,
This psalm is written by a man who obviously loves his Bible. I think only five of the 176 verses doesn't explicitly mention the word of God; whether he uses the word statutes, commandments, precepts. But really, it's someone who has a love affair with his Bible, Psalm 119. If there are any negative verses here, these are probably the two verses that are somewhat negative.
I think most Christians would admit that one of the biggest struggles in life when it comes to prayer and when it comes to reading their Bible and when it comes to listening to sermons is keeping focus, not losing attention, becoming distracted. It's very easy to lose our focus when it comes to spiritual disciplines. And you get a sense of that even here in Psalm 119. Notice again what he says, “Incline my heart.” He wants his heart inclined towards God and the things of God. And “Turn my eyes,” he says, “from worthless things.” There's a propensity of heart and even the eyes to drift away, to lose focus. And what's the problem? Most often it's the problem that we focus on self. Someone has said this,
“Incline my heart to Your testimonies and not to selfish gain. Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things and give me life in Your ways.”
This psalm is written by a man who obviously loves his Bible. I think only five of the 176 verses doesn't explicitly mention the word of God; whether he uses the word statutes, commandments, precepts. But really, it's someone who has a love affair with his Bible, Psalm 119. If there are any negative verses here, these are probably the two verses that are somewhat negative.
I think most Christians would admit that one of the biggest struggles in life when it comes to prayer and when it comes to reading their Bible and when it comes to listening to sermons is keeping focus, not losing attention, becoming distracted. It's very easy to lose our focus when it comes to spiritual disciplines. And you get a sense of that even here in Psalm 119. Notice again what he says, “Incline my heart.” He wants his heart inclined towards God and the things of God. And “Turn my eyes,” he says, “from worthless things.” There's a propensity of heart and even the eyes to drift away, to lose focus. And what's the problem? Most often it's the problem that we focus on self. Someone has said this,
"I need to be peeled away from preoccupation with self every day."
It's easy to think about self. It's not as easy to think about God or to think about the church of God.
John Owen, perhaps the greatest theologian of all the Puritans, was convinced that the Church of Jesus Christ must be prayed for continually; corporately, not just individually but corporately, not just privately, but also universally. In other words, he didn't just want us to focus upon the local church, and I think he's right, but to focus upon the universal church. The emphasis in the Bible is upon the local church, but there are several texts that bring into focus the universal church. And he said,
John Owen, perhaps the greatest theologian of all the Puritans, was convinced that the Church of Jesus Christ must be prayed for continually; corporately, not just individually but corporately, not just privately, but also universally. In other words, he didn't just want us to focus upon the local church, and I think he's right, but to focus upon the universal church. The emphasis in the Bible is upon the local church, but there are several texts that bring into focus the universal church. And he said,
"We should pray for the universal church because it combats selfishness. Our tendency, is to focus on our own needs, our family, and our local church."
But even the church, I would argue, shouldn't be the main focus.
The focus should be God, right? The focus should be God. God is the greatest attraction. God is the greatest treasure. God is the greatest joy, He should be. The greatest love, the greatest being in the universe. And I think it's very important that we need to focus upon the Triune God, not just the Father, not just the Son, not just the Holy Spirit, but the Triune God. Our worship should be Trinitarian, and our prayers should be, too. Let's start with the Father, remember who the Father is. Go to the Sermon on the Mount, you have 16 references to the Father by Jesus. He mentions the Father is a perfect Father, so He never makes mistakes, He never changes. He is also a Father who loves to give good gifts to His children, that's Matthew 7. And according to Ephesians 1, this is something that was sort of hammered into my head when I was in the academy by Pastor Nichols, I never saw it before. He said,
The focus should be God, right? The focus should be God. God is the greatest attraction. God is the greatest treasure. God is the greatest joy, He should be. The greatest love, the greatest being in the universe. And I think it's very important that we need to focus upon the Triune God, not just the Father, not just the Son, not just the Holy Spirit, but the Triune God. Our worship should be Trinitarian, and our prayers should be, too. Let's start with the Father, remember who the Father is. Go to the Sermon on the Mount, you have 16 references to the Father by Jesus. He mentions the Father is a perfect Father, so He never makes mistakes, He never changes. He is also a Father who loves to give good gifts to His children, that's Matthew 7. And according to Ephesians 1, this is something that was sort of hammered into my head when I was in the academy by Pastor Nichols, I never saw it before. He said,
"The Father is the author, the planner of our salvation. He is the architect of our salvation."
Think of it. Here's what Paul says in Ephesians 1, “The Father chooses us; the Father predestines us; the Father adopts us, and He blesses us in Christ.” But it's the Father, the Father who chooses us, He predestines us, adopts us, He justifies us and He blesses us in Christ.
That's the first person of the Trinity. Don't lose sight of Him when we pray.
The second person of the Trinity that we shouldn't lose sight of is the Son. Think of Hebrews 11, “Looking unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” We want to keep Christ in the focus. We've been going through Philippians, and that's a great focus by Paul, the focus upon Christ. Think of Philippians 3:8, “I call everything as loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”
So we worship a perfect Heavenly Father, we worship a perfect loving Savior and thirdly we worship a perfect helping, comforting Holy Spirit. Have you ever sat in a group of religious people and maybe they were even praying to God. Some of them think they were: Hindus, Muslims, Jehovah Witnesses, and you listen to them pray. I've even been in some circles that I would have called reformed circles that had been somewhat troubling because they couldn't put this word on their lips, “Father.” They couldn't pray to God as their Father. They couldn't enjoy the intimacy or sense that they are a son of God.
And Christian, we are. We are the children, not by birth, but by rebirth. We are born again. That's why Romans 8 tells us by the Spirit of adoption, the Holy Spirit, we can cry, “Abba Father.” We can put the same “Abba Father” word on our lips as our Lord Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane. And because of the adoption by the Spirit, we are also dependent upon the Spirit when it comes to living the Christian life, when it comes to fighting our sin, Romans 8:13, “Put sin to death.” And then it's also the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit. So we can grow in grace. We can grow in those nine fruits of the Spirit by the help and power of the Holy Spirit.
But arguably the most important truth is the doctrine of the Trinity. We pray to the Father, we pray through the Son, and we pray by the Spirit. And the most important thing we should remember when we come to God, not only who He is, but who we are, the children of God. That's the greatest privilege, to be adopted, even you could say more privileged than even being justified, that is standing before a judge. But when you're adopted, you are now before God as your Father, “Behold what manner of love that we should be called the children of God.” But understanding who He is, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and understanding who we are, the adopted children, should increase our reverence, confidence, and gratitude as we pray.
That's the first person of the Trinity. Don't lose sight of Him when we pray.
The second person of the Trinity that we shouldn't lose sight of is the Son. Think of Hebrews 11, “Looking unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” We want to keep Christ in the focus. We've been going through Philippians, and that's a great focus by Paul, the focus upon Christ. Think of Philippians 3:8, “I call everything as loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”
So we worship a perfect Heavenly Father, we worship a perfect loving Savior and thirdly we worship a perfect helping, comforting Holy Spirit. Have you ever sat in a group of religious people and maybe they were even praying to God. Some of them think they were: Hindus, Muslims, Jehovah Witnesses, and you listen to them pray. I've even been in some circles that I would have called reformed circles that had been somewhat troubling because they couldn't put this word on their lips, “Father.” They couldn't pray to God as their Father. They couldn't enjoy the intimacy or sense that they are a son of God.
And Christian, we are. We are the children, not by birth, but by rebirth. We are born again. That's why Romans 8 tells us by the Spirit of adoption, the Holy Spirit, we can cry, “Abba Father.” We can put the same “Abba Father” word on our lips as our Lord Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane. And because of the adoption by the Spirit, we are also dependent upon the Spirit when it comes to living the Christian life, when it comes to fighting our sin, Romans 8:13, “Put sin to death.” And then it's also the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit. So we can grow in grace. We can grow in those nine fruits of the Spirit by the help and power of the Holy Spirit.
But arguably the most important truth is the doctrine of the Trinity. We pray to the Father, we pray through the Son, and we pray by the Spirit. And the most important thing we should remember when we come to God, not only who He is, but who we are, the children of God. That's the greatest privilege, to be adopted, even you could say more privileged than even being justified, that is standing before a judge. But when you're adopted, you are now before God as your Father, “Behold what manner of love that we should be called the children of God.” But understanding who He is, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and understanding who we are, the adopted children, should increase our reverence, confidence, and gratitude as we pray.
Posted in Pastor Devotional