“Why do the Nations Rage?”

Sunday, March 6, 2022

The kings of the earth desire to be deified. They demand to be regarded as gods, requiring obedience and, if not worship, then fear. With regard to this, a critical question in the Bible occurs in the second Psalm 2, where it says “Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot in vain?”

I’m so glad for those last two words, “in vain.” They preen and they pout; they demand and they threaten. They bring together tremendous forces to exert their will. But all these things that they do, they do “in vain.”

Why? Because of the Father and the Son - the LORD and His Anointed. Here in this Old Testament text, we have both together, working together, to frustrate the plans of the wicked. There is no real problem here. These “great men of the earth” are as nothing to God. In their faces, God laughs: “He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision” (v.4). 

These wicked leaders can hurt us. They can hurt a lot of people, ruining lives, ending lives - except for the fact that the Father and the Son give eternal life and abundant life with the promise that the former hurts will be so far removed that it will be as though they never happened. These wicked leaders are a real problem - to us. But ultimately, they are no problem for God.

Think of these rulers standing before God on judgment day. We are given pictures in Scripture of the end of these men - small pictures, like Joshua with his men with their feet on the necks of the kings who rose up against the plan of God as God’s people came to inherit their land (Joshua 10); of Agag’s beheading by the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 15:32-33); of Haman’s hanging on the gallows that he himself built, intended for the hanging of righteous Mordecai (Esther 7:9-10); and who can forget wicked Herod who, without human help, was destroyed by God for his arrogance (Acts 12:21-23) - small pictures of a much great scene to come.

All of this makes the phrase “Christ crucified” all the more shocking. Here is Jesus, the Anointed, sentenced by a Roman governor for the pleasure of a Roman emperor and with the agreement of the “fake” king of the Jews, Herod. On that day, it seemed as though the bad guys won, just as it seems so many times today. But each of those “bad guys,” every single one, will stand before that same Lord in judgment one day. God will have the last laugh. 

“Who Is Able to Stand?” (Revelation 6:16)

Who Is Able to Stand?

Sunday, February 27, 2022

At the beginning of this year I decided to do a “fast” read-through of the Bible, marking all the questions. Having completed this, I’ve paged back through, noting what I call “Critical Questions in the Bible.” The very first question in the Bible, in the book of Genesis, I included in my subjective list of critical questions. It was a question asked, surprisingly, by the serpent, or, the devil. “Has God really said …?” I wrote about this a few weeks ago.

I’ve got several pages of handwritten questions. The plan is to continue to write about a number of these, though I’m not sure how to order the list. Since I’ve written about the first, maybe it would be good to note the last critical question in the Bible: Revelation 6:16, “Who is able to stand?"

The scene from Revelation is the “revealing” of God’s wrath upon godless humanity. The definition of “godless” can be framed by morality (or, a lack thereof). Or it can be defined as a rejection of God, or, more specifically, a rejection of God’s Son. The Son is presented as the leading agent for the “pouring forth” of judgment throughout the chapters of Revelation. This onslaught of judgment produces as response from mankind, from the leaders of mankind, who are regarded as mighty and fearsome in the world. But now they are cowering. They would rather die than face this kind of judgment. And so the question, “Who is able to stand?”

There are situations in life that we think we can manage. We have an “eternal” optimism that we can avoid the worst, and often make things better. We can weather the weather. We can survive economic downturns. We’ll find a way to defy external threats, from nations, and maybe from climate itself. But who gives a thought to how we manage the unmanageable - the wrath of God? Now that’s a critical question.

The only answer to the dilemma of avoiding God’s unavoidable wrath is through the escape that God Himself has intentionally and graciously provided. It involves our recognition of God’s Anointed One, Jesus, and a submission to Him as Savior and King. We receive the gift of salvation, which is purchased for us by Jesus Himself, a gift that we could never earn or purchase ourselves. It requires a confession that we are not the kings of the universe or the lords of our lives, but that we owe our lives, and our future lives, to Him. We humble ourselves before Him, something that the men of our (uni)verse would rather die than do. 

“and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”” (Revelation 6:16–17 NAS95)

“O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”

 “O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”

Sunday, February 20, 2022

Abraham asks a good question, if, in fact, it is good to ask God such questions. God had made a promise three chapters earlier, and three chapters is a long time to wait. God was reiterating the promise, even showing Abraham the stars of the nighttime sky, comparing their number to the number of Abraham’s descendants. Except that Abraham didn’t have any - not even one. “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it (the promise).”

I suppose the short answer would be, because God had promised it. There’s the old saying, “God said it; I believe it; that settles it.” But it’s not always that easy. When the situation seems impossible, well, it seems impossible. When the promise is delayed (according to our expectation, not God’s), we easily think it might never happen.

God has promised that Jesus is coming again. That kind of thing doesn’t happen every day. It almost seems impossible that Jesus would “break through the blue” and interject Himself (again) into human history. Also, Christians for many, many generations have been awaiting this event for a long, long time. “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?"

In Genesis 15, God responded to Abraham’s question with a ceremony - a covenant ceremony. It was a little like a wedding, other than the split-open animals. But God was showing that He was serious about His promise, and bound Himself with an oath. Some have suggested that the meaning of this ceremony was: “and so may it be done to Me if I fail to honor My promise.” So may God be split in half?

The covenant ceremony by which the Lord has affirmed the potency of His promises to us is somewhat different than Abraham’s, but in a strange way, somewhat the same. You see, when God promised us forgiveness of sins and eternal life, including a home in heaven, it seemed impossible, and far away. “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?"

God enacted another ceremony, on Golgotha, confirming His seriousness about the promise. But this time, it was not a threat of being split apart, but a reality: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” And that’s how we know. If God takes His promise that seriously, then we should trust it that sincerely.

 Who Warned You to Flee from the Wrath to Come?

Sunday, February 13, 2022

John the Baptist was just slightly older than Jesus, related to him. But John was different from Jesus. John was different from most people, what with his leather belt and the locusts and and honey. He wandered the land, living off the land, and had little to do with the niceties of life. He was concerned about something else. People’s eternal destiny.

Prophetic figures are often quite different. They don’t fit well in this world. They have a view of another world. Further, they don’t say what’s on their mind. Rather, they say what is on God’s mind. And it most often does not match what is being spoken on the street.

It’s easy to ignore a prophet. It was easy to ignore John. He was strange. And yet, there was something compelling; something urgent about his message that rang true. And many people responded, and believed, and were baptized.

The religious leaders were curious in a critical sort of way. They were listening to see what John got wrong, and were not considering that he could be right. And so it was to them that John posed this important question: “Who Warned You to Flee from the Wrath to Come?”

Now let’s leave the 1st century and come to the 21st century. “Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” Maybe no one. Maybe you have only heard the silly mantras of the world, like “eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow you die;” or “follow your passion” or “if you only believe, it will happen.” You are not aware of a warning of a coming wrath. If not, you’ve not read the Bible or heard someone actual tell what the Bible says. Or, you’ve read and listened with your ears closed, like John’s religious leaders.

In the Old Testament, God warned Lot to flee from the coming wrath. Lot responded with a lot of “not so fast” and “not so far.” His wife hesitated, and the coming wrath caught up to her. That story, true as it is, is just a small picture of what John the Baptist spoke of at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, which culminated in His death, which in itself was a pouring out of the wrath of God, sparing those who would believe in Jesus.

Who warned you? Did you listen? Have you responded by trusting the salvation that God has provided in Christ, and in Christ alone? Because the Bible says, it’s coming. God’s wrath is still coming.

“how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” (1 Thessalonians 1:9–10 ESV)

Is Anything Too Hard for the Lord?

Is Anything Too Hard for the Lord?

Sunday, February 6, 2022

This is the question, verbatim, from Genesis 18:14 - “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” The story occurs long after the promise to Abraham had been given that he and Sarah would have a son. But years have passed, and they have gotten old. The couple, ten years apart, are now 99 and 89. The Lord appears and promises at this time next year, they would have a son. Sarah laughed out loud.

The truth is, nothing is hard at all for the Lord. We think of things being hard when it requires great might. But God is - wait for it - the Almighty. Things are hard when they require great coordination of many moving parts. But God has in mind at once all coordinates and permutations. We find things to be next to impossible when we are opposed by powerful figures or forces who are set against us. But God has no true rivals. He is un-rivaled. When the doctors say it can’t happen, well then, who in their right mind would argue? But God isn’t limited by medical experience.

God promised a son. God does not lie. And He promised. Abraham and Sarah wondered. No, they doubted. And then God said, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”

The Hebrew word for “hard” can also be translated “wonderful.” What are the limits on the wonders (hard things) that God can perform? The hymn, written by early American pastor Samuel Davies, goes “Great God of wonders! All Thy ways are matchless, godlike and divine.” It is put to a tune by John Newton called “Wonders (Sovereignty).” And then Davies takes this wonderful matchlessness of God and applies it to grace and forgiveness: “Who is a pardoning God like Thee? Or who has grace so rich and free?” 

We don’t often think of God stooping in tenderness and compassion down to the level of self-willed, rebellious sinners as a “too hard” thing. But if God is holy, the easiest thing for Him to do would have been to mete out the punishment that we deserve. Instead, He did the hard thing and the holy thing. That is, He sent His Son to bear our sin (a hard thing) so that we could be holy (a wonderful thing).

Once again, an angel appeared to a man, Zecharias, and said that his old, barren wife, Elizabeth, would have a child. When the New Testament angel quotes the Old Testament angel to Mary, he says, “For nothing will be impossible with God.” Elizabeth’s baby, John the Baptist, says of Mary’s baby, Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

The Value of You

 The Value of You

Sunday, January 30, 2022

In our quest for critical questions in the Bible, we have seen verses from the opening chapters of Genesis and from Psalm 8 (repeated in similar form in a few other places). This time, we look at the value of humans, that is, the value of you.

It’s funny isn’t it, that some people have no trouble with this question: Am I valuable in the sight of God? They knew it was true the day they were born. They’re pretty doggone sure that God couldn’t live without them. They have no trouble with their value. I don’t think our passage is addressed to them. They wouldn’t get it. Rather, it is addressed to those who are as low as the underbelly of a snake, those who are not surprised when the clouds cover the sun, and are shocked when something turns out better than expected. Matthew 6:25-34 speaks to this latter group, asking a cluster of questions of them about comparative worth: “Are you not of more value than the birds of the air (birds which God feeds)?" “If God so clothes the grass of the field (lilies), will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” 

Three times in this passage God says, “Don’t be anxious!” “Don’t be anxious!” “Don’t be anxious!” The “valuable” man isn’t anxious. He always knows everything is golden. It’s the “low” person; the “looked-over;” the “over-looked.” They’re the ones who are quite sure that they have many things about which to worry. And they’re good at it!

We wouldn’t say that God does the worrying for us. We would rather say He does the “caring” for us. He cares for us, whether we are winners or losers. He cares enough to protect. He cares enough to provide. He cares about the things that you care about: aches and pains; bills and bad tires; schedules and appointments. He cares about those things, and so much more - things that we should care about as well, but not be anxious about; not worry about. 

The beginning of the passage (found at  the link above, at the Matthew 6 reference) says “don’t be anxious about your life.” That’s very broad, and certainly covers a lot of things, though mentioned specifically are food and clothes. It covers success and failure; jobs with no gain, and job s lost; illness and loneliness - all those things and more. God cares about these, and He will take care. Further, don’t be anxious about tomorrow. God’s got that too. We don’t know what tomorrow holds (probably trouble, say some). But God cares more about your tomorrows more than you. And He’s not worried.

 “What Is Man?”

Sunday, January 23, 2022

We are all a bit puzzled with ourselves. What kind of critter am I? We surprise ourselves and disappoint ourselves, and ask, “What is man?”, a question that Bible writers and others have asked over the millennia.

Job in the midst of trial had a rather dim view of life. “Man, who is born of woman, Is short-lived and full of turmoil”(Job 14:1 ). It seems as if he answered the question even before asking it. But he does, in another place, ask, “What is man that You magnify him, And that You are concerned about him,That You examine him every morning And try him every moment?” (7:17-18). It is hard to be a creature under the painful and penetrating gaze of God, especially when things go poorly for us. But we are, after all, God’s creatures. We belong to Him. And, of all creatures, we were made in His image, and therefore bear special responsibility to act as His representatives in this world. We are accountable. And God is watching.

David asks the same question, not in despair, but in wonder at being drawn into the execution of God’s works: “O LORD, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You think of him?” (Ps 144:3). He says this after acknowledging that it is God “Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle;” (v.1). What is man, that we could actually be elevated to partner with God in the accomplishment of His works. Not that we can do anything independently of Him, but that, in His grace and mercy, He lifts us to the level of participating with the Divine. What is man, indeed!

But the question, “What is Man?” finds its best answer in Jesus. He is the One who takes on human flesh to demonstrate what “Man” was always supposed to be (Adam, “the Man,” failed to do so). Psalm 8 in the Old Testament, picked up by Hebrews 2 in the New, makes this clear: “what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” (Ps 8:4). Jesus reveals the true, intended nature of manhood when He stoops so low to serve those who have nothing to offer, embracing humility, even humiliation; and then embracing the glory that is given even as He establishes righteousness and subjects all enemies under His feet. This is man. Made from dirt, and to dirt we return. Capable of genius, both evil and good. Redeemed by Christ, to be what we were always meant to be, in Christ. What is man? And how do you fit in?

“Why Are You So Angry?”

“Why Are You So Angry?”

Sunday, January 16, 2022

I’m doing a quick read-through of the Bible, marking all the questions. Every question is not pertinent for discussion, but many of them are. We have seen two of these already in Genesis, and we find another in Genesis 4:6 ‘Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?”’

You remember the story. Abel’s offering was acceptable to God. Cain’s was not. And Cain was miffed. Cain had given of his best, and was informed that it was not good enough. Abel had given of his best, and it was acceptable. How could God think that Abel was better, in some way, than Cain? Certainly Cain was quite sure that he should have been considered a cut above his little brother.

This is a common human reaction. We compare ourselves to others, and the common tendency is to see ourselves in a better light. We tend to judge others more harshly than we judge ourselves. We ascribe to ourselves the highest motives, and to others, more sinister.

So who does one get mad at? Well, perhaps at the brother, or the other, whoever it is. And that was true of Cain, so much so, that he killed him. But he was also mad at God. He thought God was wrong about his offering. He thought God was wrong to judge him. And there are many, many people who think exactly that same thing. “Who is God to look down upon me?” To one who thinks Biblically, it seems a foolish question. Yet there are many people who do not think Biblically. There are many Christians who do not think Biblically.

God says that Cain should “do well.” What does that mean. I think that Cain should humble himself before God. That would be the right thing to do. And yet, he didn’t. Also, God warns Cain: “And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door.” 

When we face off with God, we are in great danger. When we compare ourselves with others, we in danger. When we refuse to humble ourselves before God; before God’s judgment; before God’s standards - we place ourselves in danger of even greater, more damaging sin.

And this lesson applies to all of us. It’s not just a “Cain” problem. It’s a human problem. It’s a spiritual problem; a God-problem.

Adam, “Where Are You?”

Adam, “Where Are You?”

Sunday, January 9, 2022

After the devil asks the first question of the Bible that introduces doubt into Eve’s mind and lays the course for the descent into sin, the Lord God comes on the scene and asks a series of questions. I’ll talk mostly about the first one, but here are the others as well:

• “Where are you?” (Gen 3:9)
• “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” (Gen 3:11)
• “What is this that you have done?” (Gen 3:13)

The question we hear most often, by both Christians and non- Christians, is “Where is God?” We ask that when we want Him to be obvious to us; when we want Him to be involved; when we want Him to reach in and change our circumstances.

But there are other times, perhaps many times, when people, both Christians and non-Christians, when the thought, often unexpressed is more along the lines that we don’t want God to be obvious to us right now, in these good times, but rather to be mostly invisible; we want to be left alone; we want to ride out our pleasant circumstances without interference or interruption.

And this is a kind of “hiding” from God. Yes, there are times that God may seem hidden to us, but there are also those times when we prefer to be hidden from God. And so God’s question to the man, to Adam, could be repeated throughout the centuries and throughout the localities with your name attached to it: “Where are you in relation to God?”

However, what you and I most need every single day is to be ushered into the presence of God, whether we feel the need for it, or whether we don’t. And we can practice certain disciplines and habits that regularly bring us under the gaze of God. We expose ourselves to His Word, and we talk to God in prayer about the uncomfortable subjects which threaten to distance us from Him. We listen to the insights of other believers who are watching our lives, hopefully with the insight the Spirit gives them, who tell us what they are observing - how it is that we may be going into hiding, like Adam.

It happens to all of us who walk on this planet, to the best and the worst - except for Jesus, who never once stepped away from the Father, but always toward Him. May we do the same.

"Did God Really Say …?” - Key Questions in the Bible

 "Did God Really Say …?” - Key Questions in the Bible

Sunday, January 2, 2022

In a new, fast read-through of the Bible, I’m noting the key questions. I will do a series here on some of those.

The first “Key Question of the Bible” is not asked by God. It is not asked by man seeking for God. The first question in the Bible is asked by the devil (the serpent in the garden, identified clearly in Revelation 12:8 - “that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world.” It is a question that has been repeated over and over since that disastrous day in the Garden. It is still being asked today: “Did God Really Say … ?”

It would be convenient for us, wouldn’t it, if we could re-frame the words of God in ways that would fit well with our ways of thinking, shaped as they are by our sinful and selfish desires? We would like things to be a certain way, even though, in most cases, if we had it our way, we would actually function as a god, and the God of the Bible would be our servant. So we have a great need to go back to the Book over and over and see what it is that God has actually said.

Did God actually say, “You shall surely die?” Yes, He did. No question. We find it in Genesis 2. We find it in Romans 6:23 - “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Did God actually say that Jesus is the only way to heaven? Yes, He did. John 14:6 says “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”

Did God actually say that marriage is between a man and a woman, and that sexual relations belong only within the marriage context? Yes, He did. Genesis 2:24 says, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” And Hebrews 13:4 says: “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.”

Some people say, “That doesn’t seem right to me.” It doesn’t matter. God said it. Some people say, “I like to think of God in this way.” Your own thinking doesn’t make it so. God, who cannot lie, has given us His Word, and we need to know what God has said. And, that’s why you are going to spend time reading it this year!

Moody Church

Moody Church

Sunday, December 19, 2021

It was our privilege to worship with the congregation at The Moody Church last Sunday in Chicago. It was named after D.L. Moody. From their website:

“Our story began with a man who wanted to share the joy of the gospel with the needy and humble. D.L. Moody started his ministry in Chicago in 1856. A shoe salesman by trade, he found the call of the God to be deafening in comparison to the riches of the world. Leaving behind a life of luxury, Moody established a Sunday school for poor children in an area of Chicago known as “Little Hell.” Filling the small space with more than 500 people each Sunday, his ministry quickly outgrew its facilities as more and more children and their families flocked to hear Moody’s powerful preaching. In 1864, Moody and his congregation opened the Illinois Street Church.”

That church building burned down during the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Moody then involved himself in international and local evangelism, and the expansion of city ministry. He died in 1899.

It was when I attended a conference in this sanctuary many years ago, early in my time here in Milford, that I sensed the presence of God more clearly than any other time in my life. I don’t know the speaker, nor the message. But I clearly remember the experience. I don’t speak easily of such things, knowing that subjective experiences can be variously interpreted. But have you ever felt the weight of the hand of God pressing down upon you? Yes, a sense of His presence. But more than that. God’s hand, or maybe even God’s thumb, pressing so hard that you think it might leave God’s fingerprint. And that’s what I think God was doing, impressing, with something of the fear of the Lord, and something of my helplessness to argue with Him.

And so, this past Sunday, looking down from the balcony at the seat I had occupied all those years ago, I remembered, and felt again, something of the heavy hand of God. We sing, “O Love that will not Let me Go,” but there is also something else there - that God will not let us go - He’s got us; He owns us. We are His, and there is no where to run or hide. He’s got us, for our good, and for His glory.

Time, Times, and Half a Time

Time, Times, and Half a Time 

Sunday, December 12, 2021

Time is a funny thing. As I set the old church clock each Sunday morning, the time on my phone has already changed during those moments it takes me to move around the minute hand, time and again. That clock, donated to the church many years ago by the youth (hoping, no doubt, that it might have an affect on length of services) has ticked and tocked through many worships. Some of those youth have now doubtless passed on. 

The clock doesn’t control the time. It simply attempts to mark it (and not all that successfully - it’s forever slow). And one thing I notice about the old clock - it always moves forward, never back. Because once time has passed, it’s gone. There is no reclaiming lost time. Forever gone.

You can’t really “save” time. You can’t hoard it. You can’t “save it up.” I understand that there are all kinds of time-savers out there, but they merely attempt to speed up projects and processes so that you can use time for something else. You are not the master of time. In some senses, it masters you.

Paul speaks of “redeeming the time.” That is, we are to make good use of the time that God gives us. And time is just that: a gift. And that time that is given, we can spend, on ourselves, or on others; in the service of me, or in the service of God. “Redeeming the time” means that we use this gift in ways that matter; in ways that may have lasting benefits; even eternal benefits.

But “redeeming the time” does not mean that you can reclaim past time. It’s lost. It’s gone. You can only start now, as we see time as the playing field of Christ’s mission, not ours.

And then, time’s up. Our earthly lives will be over. We don’t know when, or how long. There is no way to bargain for more. God’s got it set in stone. And He hasn’t told us. We are not in charge of this, just like a whole lot of others things we’re not in charge of.

But the Lord who directed Paul to write “redeem the time” has done something else, something better. He has come to redeem people, to redeem you, so that, having believed in Him; having followed Him and served Him - when your time is up, He gives again. He doesn’t give you more time. He gives you eternity, a space where we are forever in His presence, and a kind of life where we are forever where we are supposed to be, never again late; never again lost.

December

 December

Sunday, December 5, 2021

What is December? Why, it’s the last month of the year. Yes, that, and so much more.

As the last month of the year, it is a time of reflection. These past months have a particular character to them. One magazine has titled 2021 the year of “endurance.” But your experience might use a different word, a harder one. 

I thought the year 2020 was a tough year. It was tough for businesses and families. It was tough for churches. And it has remained tough. December, 2020 did not bring about an end to the year’s difficulties and divisions. It continued this year, along with other things, dragging cancers from 2020 into 2021. 

December is the beginning of our winter. It signals that, after this month, there will be more winter, only more so. It will get colder; more snow. And we’ve got a long way to go. December may signal the end of the calendar year, but it does not signal the end of a season. And we find ourselves in seasons of unknown duration.

But December is also the month of Christmas. The whole of the month seems to be given over to celebration of this holi-day, now turned into something of a secular-day - not now quite so holy. But it is the month of preparation and gatherings and celebrations, if pestilence allows. There are gifts to buy and then to wrap. Invites and reservations are hard to come by.

And the music! December has its own music. Caroles and cantatas. Boy choirs and brass choirs. We gather to listen; to sing.

And December has its birthday - the birthday of the King. Yes, as alluded above, we’ve shoved aside the birthday boy for the sake of the party. But Jesus’ birth story is still repeated, and read, and dramatized, both in still life and in childhood plays. And yes, we pay nearly as much attention to the other characters of Christmas as we do to Jesus - Mary and Joseph; shepherds and wise men. But it is December, and it’s Jesus’ month. It belongs to Him, as does every other month of the year, though we may not be so aware. 

The magic of Christmas; the mystery of Christmas - is this little baby who is packed full of divinity, wrapped all around with humanity. This joyful month is met with a sobriety as we realize that He is sent to this world as a baby for the particular purpose that He might die for us. December! What a wonderful, perturbing month!

Songs of Thanksgiving

Songs of Thanksgiving

Sunday, November 28, 2021

I found a phrase in my Bible that caught my attention this week: songs of thanksgiving. It’s not surprising that my eyes and my mind would connect on that phrase this week. But the setting is somewhat surprising.

I found that phrase in Jeremiah 30: “‘From them will proceed thanksgiving, And the voice of those who celebrate; And I will multiply them and they will not be diminished; I will also honor them and they will not be insignificant.” (Jeremiah 30:19 NAS95)

The surprising thing is that this “song of thanksgiving” is not mentioned in a setting where people are of a mind to give thanks. They are selfish and idolatrous. Jeremiah has been prophesying that judgment is about to fall. But the people are not listening.

But Jeremiah, having established that judgment is in fact on the doorstep, is here prophesying that, after judgment, there will be restoration. The people will experience deliverance. They will be brought home. They will no longer be captives. They will have been disciplined, and their hurts will have been healed.

So yes, there will come a day when there will be “songs of thanksgiving,” many such songs, sung by all kinds of people as they experience the wonders of the “blessed hope” that we have as believers. That “song of thanksgiving” is being sung in heaven today by those who have gone before. And we know that, when we join them, it will be glorious.

But the text does not merely offer the hope of a future in which there will be “songs of thanksgiving.” Because God’s Word is true, by faith we take it to be true, even now, prospectively.. That is, we can sing “songs of thanksgiving” right now, even though there is much that pains us and concerns us - we sing “songs of thanksgiving” at the prospect of meeting Jesus, whether at His coming, or our going to Him. We sing, not just in the experience such blessedness, but at the prospect of this blessedness.

There is in this chapter a description of those in trouble: “Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor? Why has every face turned pale?” (Jer 30:6). This is real distress and trouble. And yet, in the midst of these things, if we will hear God’s Word and believe, we too can participate in the “songs of thanksgiving” of the people of God.

Should Pronouns referring to God and Jesus be Capitalized?

 Should Pronouns referring to God and Jesus be Capitalized?

Sunday, November 21, 2021

This is one of those “seeker-sensitive” posts. It seeks to answer a question that everyone is asking. Well, not so much. But it did come up in Sunday school last week.

The first task in writing this post is to distinguish the words “capital” and “capitol.” When in doubt, use “capital,” since “capitol” has a narrow usage: “A capitol is a building in which the legislative body of government meets.” The more common word, “capital,” can refer, confusingly, to the county or state seat of government (but not the building they meet in); and, it can refer to capital letters; oh, and it can refer to money, but we don’t talk about money.

Our Old Testament was written in Hebrew. Hebrew does not use capital letters - it’s all one case. Our New Testament was written in Greek, and our ancient Greek texts, the most exact copies of the originals, were also written in all small case. To make it even tougher, they inserted no punctuation, and no spaces in between words.

Our reading is so much easier today in our English Bibles for several reasons. First, it’s in English. That helps. But also, we have chapters and verses so we can find our way around. But that has been inserted by translators. It was not in the original texts. We have noted that some of the chapter and verse divisions are a little clumsy. But helpful. 

Likewise, capital letters have been inserted. According to our customs, the first letter of a sentence is capitalized, as are proper names. This is helpful for our understanding. 

But there is a difference in editing philosophy concerning the capitalization of pronouns (He, Him) with reference to the Father, Son, and Spirit. Some translations do. Some don’t.

I prefer the capitalizations. I think it shows respect. God is in a class far above all other personal references in the Bible. The devil is also “supernatural,” but I don’t capitalize “him.” No respect intended. Also, capitalized pronouns help the reader distinguish who is being to referred to, especially in sentences where there are multiple references using pronouns. I “edit” John Owen and usually capitalize the quotes in the bulletin. Maybe he capitalized, and editors removed. But this is not a test of faith. It’s a modern invention, and we can trust our Bibles, capitalized or not.

A Bigger Point Hiding behind a Smaller Gesture

A Bigger Point Hiding behind a Smaller Gesture

Sunday, November 14, 2021

During the public comment section of John’s funeral, two examples were offered of sincere gratitude for gestures of friendship and neighborliness. Knowing John’s testimony, he would not have wanted the recipients to miss the larger gift; to be blessed, but miss the Blessing.

By “small gesture,” I don’t mean insignificant. These were good things to do aside from other bigger, eternal concerns. But with John, the eternal concerns were never far removed, and so I assume that there was an ulterior motive in his acts of kindness: that these individuals might find Christ.

One gentleman spoke of not taking John up on an invitation to join the marching band, thirty plus years ago. There were both drummers, but back at that time, the young man did not desire to “join no marching band.” He wanted to play drums in a rock band, which he did. But now he realizes that he missed out on something different, maybe better.

But there’s a bigger invitation, to join in a journey with Jesus who is the Way to a restored relationship with God. I can’t know for sure if the conversation reached that level, but how many, on the Last Day, will regret not having responded to an invitation to trust Jesus, received years before, and ignored, perhaps because it was not perceived as cool enough.

John 1:12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

And a neighbor spoke of John donating clothes to him. There were about the same build. John had a liking of the “Dickey” brand of work clothes (I wonder why), and John knew that they would soon be of no use to him. The clothes donation is touching, coming from a neighbor who soon would be absent. But I’ve got to believe that John’s big point was not that his neighbor wear Dickey’s, but that he be clothed in the righteousness of Christ, apart from which we can never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Gal. 3:27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

As we reach out with simple and small acts of goodness and kindness, let us not forget God’s desire that these people discover Christ. And may they not miss the bigger point.

Me and My Shadow

 Me and My Shadow

Sunday, November 07, 2021

There was a song sung many years ago called “Me and My Arrow” that seems like it should have been called “Me and My Arrow.” “Wherever we go, everyone knows, it's me and my (shadow).” And you’ve thought about it before. You cannot get rid of your shadow. It sticks to you, no matter how high you jump, or how fast you run.

Shadows don’t lie. They are an outline of your existence. Oh, they can be distorted, depending on the angle of the light behind you. They can make you appear bigger than life, or downright stumpy. But the fact of your existence is proclaimed by the reality of the shadow.

In other ways, we talk about a person’s “baggage.” It’s their moral shadow. It’s the consequences of actions and experiences that cannot be shaken or evaded. The word “baggage” is most often viewed as negative. But a person can also be known by their accomplishments. They also can be part of the shadow.

There are those who would like to reshape their identity. Many people talk about turning over a new leaf. I’ve known young people who decided to re-name themselves. They make some kind of “deep” change in who they are, but they often find that their most sincere intentions end up being superficial, and they are found to cast the exact same shadow as they did before, because they are, in fact, the same person. The same tendencies. The same desires. The same sins.

What does it take, then, to really change one’s shadow? I would suggest that it has less to do with how you project yourself, and it has more to do with the (L)ight that illumines you. Remember with me that the Bible talks about two sources of light. In Genesis, God commanded the light to shine, and it did! Right there on Day 1 of creation. But it wasn’t until Day 4 that the sun, moon and stars were created. How could there be light before the sun? At the end of the Bible, in Revelation, we find this: And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. (Rev. 21:23)

The world’s light is always going to bind you to your shortcomings and sins. It will not allow you to escape your shadow. But Jesus, the new and true Light of the world, casts a new light in which your sins are erased; the chains fall off. This, as we see Him for who He is and what He has done, and embrace the salvation He offers by faith.

Hellfire and Brimstone

 Hellfire and Brimstone

Sunday, October 31, 2021

The title, “Hellfire and Brimstone,” may be regarded by most as definitely not seeker-sensitive. But where did this teaching come from? And, where did it go?

I heard my share of judgment preaching as a child. Others have told me about being scared to death by such sermons. And, I’m not sure fear is the best reason to come to Christ. Love and wonder of who He is and what He has done are better. But fear was a factor for me, providing an urgency to come to Christ.

The phrase, “hellfire and brimstone,” probably comes primarily from the account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah: Gen. 19:24 “Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven.” Jesus Himself uses similar language: Mark 9:43 “If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire.”  And, not surprisingly, we find it in the final book of the Bible: Rev. 20:10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

So the important point is: it’s in the Bible. It’s not just in the past. It is predicted regarding the future. My other point is this: Preachers today aren’t supposed to talk about it. “Hellfire and brimstone” preaching is said to be out-dated and out-of-bounds. 

But I have another observation: there are many preachers preaching today, espousing their own kind of “hellfire and brimstone,” and they are followed by many of the same people who don’t want their preachers in church to talk about it. What am I talking about? I’m talking about political preachers who talk at length about the end of the world, or, the world as we know it. These (mostly) guys sound more like preachers than preachers do. They boldly catechize (rudimentary teaching). They repeat the same things over and over. And they paint the contemporary situation in the most dire of terms. “If this guy or that woman gets elected, we are doomed.”

I’m not saying elections don’t matter. I’m just saying that the real end is more to be feared than the one that has been predicted time and again on TV and hasn’t happened, no matter who got elected. But somehow, one group of preachers captivates listeners with their bluster, and the other group of Bible preachers is told to be nice.

Submerged in Grace

 Submerged in Grace

Sunday, October 24, 2021

Last Sunday, we thought about “the transformed life” spoken of in Romans 12:2 and described in that chapter. Being immersed or submerged in grace is a part of that transformation. In my Bible reading, I came across a verse that aligns with the outline I used to talk about grace (listen to the message here). The points are, the grace of life; the grace of salvation; and the grace of service.

God speaks to Jeremiah, perhaps when he was just a young adult, and spoke to him about God’s involvement in his life, past, present and future: “Now the word of the LORD came to me saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”” (Jeremiah 1:4–5 NAS95). The highlighted phrases correspond, at least in measure, to the three graces mentioned.

Regarding the grace of life, Psalm 139 says the same thing with different words: 

Psa. 139:13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.¹⁴ I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. ¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. ¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

We tend to think that we are in charge of our lives, but apart from God’s grace, we would have no life at all. There is the story of the young man in England who sued his parents for bringing him into the world without his permission. Along those lines, we could all line up to sue God, - or thank Him, as the case may be, - for the time and place and circumstances in which we were born, along with the many blessings that have attended our lives.

Secondly, God tells Jeremiah, “and before you were born, I consecrated you.” That is, God had ordained Jeremiah to walk in a particular role in association with God. Jeremiah would know God, and respond to God, and love God. Of course Jeremiah had a part in this, though not a-part from God’s grace.

And then God has something else in mind: “I have appointed you.” And He has appointed you and me as well. No, not as a prophet, but as a servant in a particular place and time with particular gifts and opportunities and responsibilities - to fulfill the will of God in ways that no one else would or could - made possible by the grace of God, those graces which cover our lives as the waters cover the sea.

The ‘Hezekiah’ Syndrome

 The ‘Hezekiah’ Syndrome

Sunday, October 17, 2021

Hezekiah, reigning during the later years of Judah’s existence before Babylonian captivity, was one of the good kings, mostly. We would do well to follow several of Hezzie’s actions, especially earlier in life. But later, after God’s staggering deliverance from the hoard of Assyrian soldiers camped just outside the walls of Jerusalem; and after God delivered him from imminent death, a death certified by the word of the prophet until God over-ruled - Hezekiah made a serious mistake. It betrays an even more sinful attitude.

The Babylonians came to visit. You know, just one of those nice, neighborly visits from 500 miles away. Hezekiah thought they wanted to be friends. Isaiah, the prophet, knew that they were checking out where he hid the good silverware.

Isaiah asked what the visit was about. Hezekiah told him how wonderful it was. They even brought him a gift, you know, for getting better from his illness. Isaiah responded with, not a warning, but a prophecy. They’re coming back, and it’s all going to be carried away to Babylon - the riches, the people. Your own sons will be slaves of the Babylonian king.

And then this, what I call the ‘Hezekiah’ Syndrome: “Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, ‘The word of the LORD that you have spoken is good.’ For he thought, ‘There will be peace and security in my days.’” (Isaiah 39:8). 

It goes like this: people will suffer and die, but I’m going to be just fine. And we see that attitude in our own day. Many people died in the pandemic, but I’m fine, so no worries. Lots of people lost their jobs or were side-lined, but I actually came out ahead, so it’s good. Churches and ministries have closed, but if I can listen to a cheery sermon and have a good cup of coffee, we’re good. Millions of people around the world are dead in their sins and headed to a Christ-less eternity, but I’m saved, so nothing to worry about.

It’s a bad thing to have a selfish king, or a self-centered parent. Both are addressed in Isaiah’s prophecy. Nations and children will suffer and die, but ‘so what?’ so long as I am able to die in peace and comfort. And, we are kings - over our own lives, and we fall into the ‘Hezekiah’ syndrome when we live only for ourselves.

King Jesus did no such thing. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (Jn 10:11 ESV)

 “and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.” (2 Corinthians 5:15 NAS95)

In the Flesh

 In the Flesh

Sunday, October 10, 2021

There’s a phrase I haven’t heard in a long time: “I saw him in the flesh.” Perhaps it is someone you haven’t seen for a long time, or that you didn’t expect to see. Maybe it was someone famous. The phrase means the you physically saw the person.

But the Bible talks about flesh in another way. It is an (un)spiritual principle of living independently from God. It’s the idea “I’ll do it my way,” and it started with Eve and has continued on through the generations. Now our physical flesh in the Bible is described as being weak and temporary. (Un)spiritual flesh, on the other hand, seeks to prove this wrong. It is anxious to assert itself, and to live as though there are no consequences.

So let’s describe this flesh-principle that we live with, even as we seek to learn to walk according to the Spirit. As I said, flesh wants to assert itself. It wants to accumulate for itself. This is the lust-function of flesh. You have what you have, but you want more. You see what your neighbor has, and you want his. This flesh takes over your desires and makes them to be bad things. Remember, the Spirit leads us to love, not lust. It leads us to give, not take. There is a radical difference.

Flesh over-compensates. Flesh leads the person who is insecure to over-compensate by being loud and arrogant. He is compelled to present himself as bigger and better than he actually is. Whereas the Spirit would produce humility and meekness, these are not found in the one who acts “according to the flesh.”

Flesh makes excuses and blames. It is never your fault. There is always a good reason for your failings; someone else’s screw-up. Even Flip’s old phrase, “the devil made me do it” can be used by this person. But it is the flesh excusing the flesh. In this sense, you can see how the flesh is self-justifying. And that’s a real problem. Because if the only true justification is by grace through faith in the Person and Work of Jesus, then the person “according to the flesh” remains unjustified before God, and dead-set against confession and repentance. 

The flesh lies and lies again. It lies to others. It lies to one’s own self. It can’t face the truth, that it is weak and temporary, and that its only hope is to be “crucified with Christ” so that Christ’s Spirit can now “guide you into all truth.”

Resilience

 Resilience

Sunday, October 3, 2021

“Resilience” is a word that can be found in almost every issue of “Psychology Today” for the last couple of years. It is not, however, found in my King James Bible, nor in NASB, or ESV.

I would have thought that resilience is just another word for some perfectly good Bible words, like endurance, or perseverance. Those Bible words speak of keeping on in the midst of difficulty. One’s faith persists in the face of opposition; one’s commitment remains true, though tested. Like Jesus, who is the same, yesterday, today, and forever; so is our faith, even as we mature and grow.

But resilience is not defined that way. Key features of current usage of this term are adaptability and flexibility. Is that something we missed when we thought about endurance or perseverance? That we were supposed to adapt and be flexible? When Paul faced persecution or prison, did he then adapt and flex? It seems that there is a key difference here. Paul endured. That is, he stayed the same, true to his faith and commitment, rather than adapt and flex.

Some might say that the person who refuses to be adaptable or flexible is simply stubborn. He is stuck in the mud and imprisoned by the past. I’m not trying to argue for stubbornness or being old-fashioned. But if today’s resilience has something to do with adapting and flexing so as to be fashionable and attractive to a culture that is in rebellion against God, as if by such methods we could win them over - I think that is wrong-headed, and worse, unBiblical.

I have always been intrigued by Jonathan Edwards own testimony concerning the Great Awakening that began with his ministry in Northampton. He said that he preached as he had always preached, when, in God’s timing, the Spirit was poured out on his congregation and the surrounding communities, and the “light shown in the darkness.” Many people who were unmoved by similar ministry in former days were now converted to Christ. Their lives were changed, and so were their towns. Why? Because Christians prayed and preachers preached and Christ was honored by individuals and families. How? Through the endurance and persistence of their faith. By persevering in the face of the ups and downs of life.

The world elevates old words in new ways, like resilience. What they may mean by them is often different from what the Bible teaches.