Flying to the Nest

Juvenile Bald Eagle

The mystery of Christ's incarnation forever intrigues me, as it is a secret not to be fully understood in this earthly life.  Christ forever was and forever is God, a manifestation, a Person, of the Three-In-One Godhead.

Because every human is born with the sin curse firmly written into our DNA, it is impossible for us to live this life as Jesus did.  Although He was born of earthly mother, His incarnation was made possible by divine act of the Holy Spirit of God, the 3rd Person of the Godhead.  So, Jesus did not live life as a "fallen" human.

The human race was not created by God to live under a sin curse, the one bestowed on all of us through the actions of Adam and Eve.  I repeat, we were not created for this.  Instead, we were created to live sinless lives, as Adam and Eve did before their disastrous choice caused The Fall.
As a result, as the redeemed by Jesus Christ, with His Holy Spirit living in us, we feel that loss of holiness, that fallenness, keenly.

This morning I was reading from Psalm 61:1-5 (NLT):

1O God, listen to my cry!

Hear my prayer!

2From the ends of the earth,

I cry to you for help

when my heart is overwhelmed.

I don't know about you, but I often feel like this....fallen, overwhelmed, defeated, unable to glorify God.  No, we were not created for this, nor does our Savior want us to live like this.  It was to rescue and redeem us from a life of defeat that He allowed the miracle of His incarnation.  It was for our victory that He put on flesh and became one of us.

Even if we don't totally understand what that means.

The Bible tells us, for instance, that Jesus was tempted in every way as we are tempted today, but even so, He did not yield to sin.  We read this in Hebrews 4:15 (NIV)

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet he did not sin.

There are two stories in the gospel accounts that may be the two most extreme instances of Jesus' temptations.  The first occurs at the end of Jesus' 40 days of seclusion in the wilderness, just prior to beginning His ministry.  The second occurs in the Garden of Gethsemane, near the end of His ministry, just before His crucifixion, death, burial and triumphant resurrection.  Both times, it is obvious He subjected Himself to true temptation, willingly shackled as He was to His humanity.  Both times, He emerged from the times of trial triumphant.  Only God could live this human life without sin.  Can I get an "amen"?

As for us, as for me, my heart is frequently "overwhelmed".... by temptation, by sin, by grief, by guilt, by longing for more of Jesus, by _______ (fill in your own blank).  In Psalm 61:1-5, we see a remedy, an antidote to the overwhelmed heart:

Lead me to the towering rock of safety,

3for you are my safe refuge,

a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.

4Let me live forever in your sanctuary,

safe beneath the shelter of your wings!

5For you have heard my vows, O God.

You have given me an inheritance reserved for those who fear your name.

Yesterday I was watching a short video clip of the Berry College Eagles
( berry.edu/eaglecam )
This year's clutch was two eggs, but one young eaglet fell out of the nest and died.  The other has been "fledging" - - learning to fly.  Part of that process involves making short, little "hops" to branches, then progressing to short glides to other branches of the home tree.  Recently, the fledgling had flown down to a branch below the nest, where he or she (can't tell at this point) seemed "stuck", (perhaps overwhelmed with his/her situation?) . The parents were close by, watching, coaching...  Eventually, after several hours, one parent in the nest began to make bird calls down to the fledgling offspring, and he/she finally, clumsily flew back into the nest.  It was not a move achieved with finesse.  In fact, he/she nearly knocked the parent over, in the process.  Still, he/she arrived there.

The psalmist uses similar analogy to describe our "flying to the nest" of our God when we are overwhelmed, when we need "safe sanctuary".  He has both heard our vows of salvation, knows our hearts are His, and longs to gather us under His wings.  It is in His presence, between His arms, we can again find spiritual equilibrium, find spiritual safety, find rest.  It is there we hear Him say to us, "I understand how your heart hurts, because I lived where you now live.  I felt the pain you feel."  He doesn't merely sympathize with our humanity; He goes beyond that to empathize with our weaknesses.  He has "been there".

Such grace, such comfort, such love . .  are our inheritance as children of the Heavenly Father, as the beloved of Jesus Christ.   Our souls are forever safe, with Him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hj4SyA7mpJk

Draw Near

"Restoration of fellowship with God has been the divine purpose and the often-unrecognized longing of humanity since its loss in Eden." 

Gareth Lee Cockerill

God drawing near to us and us drawing near to Him is the heart of the gospel and one of the key themes of the book of Hebrews.

Have you ever pursued someone?  I don't mean in a weird, stalker kind of way, but in a healthy pursuit, such as when a boy courts a girl, or when a girl flirts with a boy?  Have you ever felt the devastation of rejection when the object of your pursuit gives you "the cold shoulder" or stops you dead in your tracks?  Believers in Jesus Christ need never fear God will respond to us that way!

The new system (covenant)  we've been studying radically displaced the old, relegating it to merely a "type" of the covenant that was to come with the advent, ministry and finished work of Jesus Christ.

The Greek translation of the OT (LXX, the Septuagint), differentiated between how Levitical priests could draw near to God and how the people could draw near to Him, in prayer and worship.1  The The Septuagint's word "draw near" for the priests was different than the one for the people, who could only "come before" God in prayer and worship.  Under the new covenant, however, the NT believer's access to God, through Christ, is greater than even that experienced by the Levitical priests! Hebrews 10:22 makes the invitation clear:  "come with a true heart in full assurance of faith" (ESV).  And, what enables us to draw near to God in this way?  The certainty that Jesus Christ is ever-living to intercede for us before God the Father.  Jesus represents His own before the Father.

What are some reasons we "draw near"?

a.  to worship, from a thankful heart (Hebrews 2:3)

b.  to hear from God and deepen the intimacy of our relationship with Him

c.  to receive mercy and timely help in our moments of need (Hebrews 4:15)

    **confession of and cleansing from sin

    **grace to overcome temptation

    **supernatural power to win spiritual battles

    **petitioning for the needs of others

When we hunger for God, long for a closer relationship with Him, we can be assured that our desire is a prayer He will always answer.  We are promised (James 4:8) that if we draw near to God, He will draw near to us.

But, HOW do we draw near to Him?  The writer of Hebrews assures us we have permission; James tells us how:

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 

(James 4:8 ESV)

Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet. 

(James 4:8-10 The Message)

I can't tell you how many times I have approached my God in prayer or worship without a shred of confession, repentance or even declaration of allegiance.  Most of the time, I just plunge into prayers of thankfulness, or petitions for myself or others.  As pendulums are wont to do, it appears we have in our contemporary Christian culture become so enamored with the "I am a friend of God" aspect of intimacy that we have jettisoned the "sinners in the hands of a holy God" aspect.  

Most of us, given an opportunity to interact with someone we greatly respect, choose to honor that person with our courteous words.  We interact with him or her according to our understanding of his or her character.  Does not our perfect, holy and loving God deserve even more?  Let's be sure to remember to Whom we speak, when we "draw near" and call on His name.

And, let's not live lives of double-mindedness, sometimes serving our God and at other times working against His purposes (whether intentionally or not) ... even pursuing sin!  James calls this being "double-minded".  This kind of schizophrenic living never works, never achieves anything of everlasting value. Do you truly want your life to have been spent accomplishing little in light of eternity?  Stop trying to "ride the fence" into the kingdom of God!2

Speaking of eternity (of which this life is just a practice and a prelude), the believer's "drawing near" will ultimately culminate in dwelling in the presence of God forever. (Hebrews 12:22-29 and Psalm 100:5).  In that glorious day we will no longer have to hunger for God's presence or long to be with Him.  We will be able to proclaim with absolute authority, "Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere!" (Psalm 84:10)

Sources:

1     Cockerill, Gareth Lee. The Epistle to the Hebrews. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 2012. Kindle edition, pp. 326, 335. 

2    http://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/articles/theology/060807.html