Self examination is never easy and seldom fun. Invariably in the dark watches of the night, we start to think about all that we are not. And worse yet, all we could have been. Depending on one's view of the world, of how things come together and relate to each other, the conclusions a person can come to can lead to dispair either way.
On one hand, I could do no different. I am predestined to make the decisions that I have made due to the inexorable cycle of stimulus/response...every action and reaction linked together since I was able to make conscious decisions...like some math problem with an interminable number of steps that plods onward till I breath my last.
Or, I am entirely responsible for the decisions that have shapped my fate.
I think the truth, as in most things like this, can be tricky to explain.
I read Acts 1:17 today and it says "Judas was one of us, chosen to share in the ministry with us."
Remember, at the Last Supper, when Jesus says "One of you will betray me" (Matt. 26:21) no one jumps up and starts pointing to Judas yelling "I KNEW IT!!!" The Apostles are even recorded as asking "Lord, is it me?" (Matt 26:22) The Bible doesn't say that all the Apostles except Judas healed the sick and cast out demons (Matt 10:8). We can probably safely assume that Judas fit right in with the rest of the Apostles. He was chosen to share in the ministry with them by Jesus.
But did Judas have a choice? And if he didn't, what does that say about the choices we make everyday? The Bible says that Jesus is the "Lamb of God slain from the creation of the world" (Rev. 13:8) and if God has salvation wrapped up before the world is even created, before man has even fallen, then it is a safe bet that He is not going to leave that whole plan in the hands of Judas unless He knows what is going to happen (and He does).
God has perfect knowledge--past, present, future--and the aspect of that present knowledge assures us that Judas was chosen because Jesus knew He would need someone to betray Him unto the death prescribed for Him in the Scriptures. Jesus knew that Judas would perform exactly as needed, that he would make the neccessary combination of freewill decisions to bring Him to His arrest in Gethsemane. So then, Judas (and thus all of us) have freewill. But God knows what decisions we will make, how we will respond to the stimulus we are confronted with. This is how the Bible can say that He has made all things, even the wicked for the day of doom (Proverbs 16:4). God's foreknowledge of our freewill decisions does not nullify our responsibility for the decisions we make, nor does it make God responsible for the evil in the world.
Apart from humanity having the capacity for choosing between good and evil, the possibility for us to have true relationship with both God and each other is nil. Thus, your worldview and belief about the nature of humanity (created or accident of evolution) will affect every facet of how you live. If you believe humanity to be highly evolved animals, then there is no basis for any law other than the law of nature: the fittest, most adaptable organisms survive and all others die off.
Most people do not want to live this way. Modern, secular man prefers to shield himself with the protections of Judeo-Christian culture (Law, Justice, Human Rights) while denying the God who inspired it. He wants an account (Creation by evolution) without accountability (The God of the Bible).
There's a line at the end of Clint Eastwood's western "Unforgiven" when after killing the two cowboys who maimed a prostitute, one traumatized young assassin says to his veteran partner "Well, I guess they had it coming" to which the older assassin replies "We all got it coming, kid."
This life is like that. We've all got it coming. But the freewill that brought that wrath upon us also can deliver our salvation. We can choose to follow Jesus or we can do things our own way and hope for the best...but the wrath of God is coming. Only the blood of Christ can save us.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Saturday, July 31, 2010
The Living Dead...
There is a concept in Africa (I forget where) in that the dead who have died in the lifetime of someone who is still alive live on in that person's memories. They are the "Living Dead", the dead who are part of living memory. For example, soon the generation that lived through the Holocaust will pass on and the people they knew personally who died in it will pass from being the living dead to being the old dead, the dead that are known only by the written word and pictures. No living person remembers them personally...
This is why the Church must change. Now, the Church is the "Living Dead" in the mind of Post Modern Culture: something "dead" but still talked about by a generation of believers that remembers it by going through the rituals of it weekly. The Church is dead to Post Moderns the same way silent movies, radio theatre, Zeppelins, and gas lamps are dead to 21st century people: antiques of an earlier time that, while still around, really have no place in a technological, scientific age.
A simple fact must be accepted: most people are not Christian. We are no longer a "Judeo-Christian" Nation. Thus, the old way of doing things must change. We must establish, from the Scriptures, how to reach this new culture. How to keep the essentials (God loves us, Jesus is the only way to Heaven, the Bible is the Word of God, The Holy Spirit is with us) while communicating that in a way this generation will understand. Whether they embrace it or not is their choice and the work of the Holy Spirit unto salvation.
To not do this is to allow the Church to finally become the "Old Dead" when this generation of believers dies off: obscurred, irrelevant, and forgotten, Easter and Christmas becoming "Spring Break" and "Winter Holiday" forevermore.
We should instead live out the words of the Apostle Paul:
"Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone to win as many as possible. To the Jew, I became like a Jew to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law, I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings." (1Cor 9:19-23)
Mike
This is why the Church must change. Now, the Church is the "Living Dead" in the mind of Post Modern Culture: something "dead" but still talked about by a generation of believers that remembers it by going through the rituals of it weekly. The Church is dead to Post Moderns the same way silent movies, radio theatre, Zeppelins, and gas lamps are dead to 21st century people: antiques of an earlier time that, while still around, really have no place in a technological, scientific age.
A simple fact must be accepted: most people are not Christian. We are no longer a "Judeo-Christian" Nation. Thus, the old way of doing things must change. We must establish, from the Scriptures, how to reach this new culture. How to keep the essentials (God loves us, Jesus is the only way to Heaven, the Bible is the Word of God, The Holy Spirit is with us) while communicating that in a way this generation will understand. Whether they embrace it or not is their choice and the work of the Holy Spirit unto salvation.
To not do this is to allow the Church to finally become the "Old Dead" when this generation of believers dies off: obscurred, irrelevant, and forgotten, Easter and Christmas becoming "Spring Break" and "Winter Holiday" forevermore.
We should instead live out the words of the Apostle Paul:
"Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone to win as many as possible. To the Jew, I became like a Jew to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law, I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings." (1Cor 9:19-23)
Mike
Friday, February 26, 2010
Things I wish someone had told me when I was 18...
Just a random list...some require commentary, some stand on their own. All of this is given in the context of a 38 year old me talking to an 18 year old me...
--Go straight to college right out of high school, and finish in 4 years. Get a good all purpose degree like business, history, or english.
This sounds obvious but for a lower middle class kid like myself it wasn't. I had no commitment, no plan, no sense of what the future would require of me, of what it would take to be successful in life, which brings me to my next point...
--If you had any idea how hard life really is, you would get serious and prepare now.
Seriously, I know some people are born with a silver spoon stragically placed within their person. But for the rest of us, using the energy, enthusiasm and fearless overconfidence of youth to accomplish the needed preprations for adult life is essential. Life (unless you come from a rich family and you don't) is far harder than you have been led to believe.
--It is ok to work a job you hate for a time as long as it is a means to an end and not a career.
--Most girls are not sex crazed maniacs who are having sex with every guy except you.
--A girl who might not go out with you because of the car your drive isn't worth your trouble.
--Long distance relationships never (99.9%) work out. So leave that girl from Oct. 1993 alone.
--It is easier to stay out of people's business than it is to get out of people's business.
--Pay attention to people, really listen when they talk. Ask good questions. Care.
--You will meet all kinds of people in life. Sadly, many will perform down to common stereotypes associated with their race, socio-economic class or culture. The L.A. Riots that will come in 1992 will do much to perpetuate this. However, this is no excuse for racism or bigotry. Using common sense and treating ALL people with genuine respect is the best way to live life and will allow you to make friendships with all kinds of people in life.
--Read books that challenge you. Start with the Bible (New Testament), then read books on history and philosophy. Try to read at least one new book a month.
--Travel. Seriously, don't be a pansy. Get out there and see the world. That road trip to Canada that you will want to take with your friend Chelo in a few years...do it! You are living at home, rent free with no kids and no "real" job. Travel during the summer when you are not in school. Remember the previous point about common sense and respect and you will be fine.
--Humility. It is a concept that doesn't even occur to you at this point in life. But as you read about Jesus and see His model of strength and humility, you will see that a real man does not need to go around bragging about himself or his conquests. A real man is humble and grateful to God for all he has been blessed with. A real man is patient with those who are not humble and tries to model humility.
--Don't be afraid to fight if there is no other choice. And don't be afraid to strike first if you are cornered with no other options. Trying to play catch-up in a fight after you have been punched in the nose and/or the eyes is almost impossible. Have confidence. "Violence of action" is the key. Fight violent, fight dirty and fight till the other guy is down and done. All of this falls in the context of common sense, respect and humility. Those three will keep you out of most situations where violence is the last and only option.
--It is possible to have friends who are girls but you, being a man, will usually end up wanting to have sex with them. If you want a girlfriend, then have a girlfriend, but don't lead girls along by being intimate with them. Respect them and their bodies.
--Also, if you like a girl, then man up and tell her. Life isn't an afterschool special or a Foreigner song. If you "wanna know what love is" then speak up. The Bible says that a open rejection is better than a hidden love (Proverbs 27:5). The Bible is full of good stuff like that, as you will see.
--When you get a girlfriend, don't go nuts and get all physical. Sex is great but so is nuclear power and you don't need to be splitting the atom up in your bedroom either. Both sex and nuclear power are meant to be used in the proper way: Sex in marriage, nuclear power in a safe confined setting (hey, kinda sounds like marriage!).
--Speaking of marriage, if you meet a good girl with good values who shares your core beliefs, is good looking and smart with a good sense of humor, likes your friends and family, has a work ethic, is kind and loves kids, has a vision for her life and what she wants to do with it, is humble and self-sacrificing and loves YOU...put a ring on her finger, marry her and love her for the rest of her life because she is a miracle from God.
--Lastly, get right with God. Jesus is the only way any of us get to Heaven. Read John 3:16, John 14:6 and start going to church with your sisters over in Ontario. You are going to go there eventually. God will bless you coming to faith sooner than later.
This list will continue to grow as I think of more stuff I wish I had been told when I was young...
--Go straight to college right out of high school, and finish in 4 years. Get a good all purpose degree like business, history, or english.
This sounds obvious but for a lower middle class kid like myself it wasn't. I had no commitment, no plan, no sense of what the future would require of me, of what it would take to be successful in life, which brings me to my next point...
--If you had any idea how hard life really is, you would get serious and prepare now.
Seriously, I know some people are born with a silver spoon stragically placed within their person. But for the rest of us, using the energy, enthusiasm and fearless overconfidence of youth to accomplish the needed preprations for adult life is essential. Life (unless you come from a rich family and you don't) is far harder than you have been led to believe.
--It is ok to work a job you hate for a time as long as it is a means to an end and not a career.
--Most girls are not sex crazed maniacs who are having sex with every guy except you.
--A girl who might not go out with you because of the car your drive isn't worth your trouble.
--Long distance relationships never (99.9%) work out. So leave that girl from Oct. 1993 alone.
--It is easier to stay out of people's business than it is to get out of people's business.
--Pay attention to people, really listen when they talk. Ask good questions. Care.
--You will meet all kinds of people in life. Sadly, many will perform down to common stereotypes associated with their race, socio-economic class or culture. The L.A. Riots that will come in 1992 will do much to perpetuate this. However, this is no excuse for racism or bigotry. Using common sense and treating ALL people with genuine respect is the best way to live life and will allow you to make friendships with all kinds of people in life.
--Read books that challenge you. Start with the Bible (New Testament), then read books on history and philosophy. Try to read at least one new book a month.
--Travel. Seriously, don't be a pansy. Get out there and see the world. That road trip to Canada that you will want to take with your friend Chelo in a few years...do it! You are living at home, rent free with no kids and no "real" job. Travel during the summer when you are not in school. Remember the previous point about common sense and respect and you will be fine.
--Humility. It is a concept that doesn't even occur to you at this point in life. But as you read about Jesus and see His model of strength and humility, you will see that a real man does not need to go around bragging about himself or his conquests. A real man is humble and grateful to God for all he has been blessed with. A real man is patient with those who are not humble and tries to model humility.
--Don't be afraid to fight if there is no other choice. And don't be afraid to strike first if you are cornered with no other options. Trying to play catch-up in a fight after you have been punched in the nose and/or the eyes is almost impossible. Have confidence. "Violence of action" is the key. Fight violent, fight dirty and fight till the other guy is down and done. All of this falls in the context of common sense, respect and humility. Those three will keep you out of most situations where violence is the last and only option.
--It is possible to have friends who are girls but you, being a man, will usually end up wanting to have sex with them. If you want a girlfriend, then have a girlfriend, but don't lead girls along by being intimate with them. Respect them and their bodies.
--Also, if you like a girl, then man up and tell her. Life isn't an afterschool special or a Foreigner song. If you "wanna know what love is" then speak up. The Bible says that a open rejection is better than a hidden love (Proverbs 27:5). The Bible is full of good stuff like that, as you will see.
--When you get a girlfriend, don't go nuts and get all physical. Sex is great but so is nuclear power and you don't need to be splitting the atom up in your bedroom either. Both sex and nuclear power are meant to be used in the proper way: Sex in marriage, nuclear power in a safe confined setting (hey, kinda sounds like marriage!).
--Speaking of marriage, if you meet a good girl with good values who shares your core beliefs, is good looking and smart with a good sense of humor, likes your friends and family, has a work ethic, is kind and loves kids, has a vision for her life and what she wants to do with it, is humble and self-sacrificing and loves YOU...put a ring on her finger, marry her and love her for the rest of her life because she is a miracle from God.
--Lastly, get right with God. Jesus is the only way any of us get to Heaven. Read John 3:16, John 14:6 and start going to church with your sisters over in Ontario. You are going to go there eventually. God will bless you coming to faith sooner than later.
This list will continue to grow as I think of more stuff I wish I had been told when I was young...
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Bridezillas, Hen pecked guys, and the Word of God...
While chatting with a friend of mine, the topic of marriage came up in the context of a recent viewing of "Bridezillas". Her characterization of the show was as follows: "I just watched 2 episodes of 'Bridezillas.' A more accurate name would be, 'Men Without Balls Who Have Chosen to Be Abused by Women with Severe Personality Disorders." I guess the name 'Bridezillas' was just shorter." My take on the whole thing is simply this: Basically, society does not want any depictions in the media of strong men who are also loving husbands and fathers, because such men are too consistent with a traditional biblical view of manhood. A traditional biblical view of manhood by definition requires women to embrace a traditional biblical view of womanhood, and for both men and women to accept a biblical view of marriage and parenthood.
This view requires men to love their wives like Christ loves the church (Ephesians 5:25), which is sacrifically. It also requires women to submit to the leadership of their husbands (Ephesians 5:22). This is all Bible, not my opinion.
Thus, if the media (powered by "The Prince of the Power of the Air" one of the titles of Satan (Ephesians 2:2), and I think air includes airwaves) can portray men in reality settings as incompetent and weak or belligerent and abusive, what woman is going to want to submit to that? Likewise, if women are protrayed as domineering shrews or insatiable sex machines, what guy is going to want to lay down his life for that?
Satan is playing chess, not checkers but we need to share Christ and be faithful "in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes." (2 Corinthians 2:11)
This view requires men to love their wives like Christ loves the church (Ephesians 5:25), which is sacrifically. It also requires women to submit to the leadership of their husbands (Ephesians 5:22). This is all Bible, not my opinion.
Thus, if the media (powered by "The Prince of the Power of the Air" one of the titles of Satan (Ephesians 2:2), and I think air includes airwaves) can portray men in reality settings as incompetent and weak or belligerent and abusive, what woman is going to want to submit to that? Likewise, if women are protrayed as domineering shrews or insatiable sex machines, what guy is going to want to lay down his life for that?
Satan is playing chess, not checkers but we need to share Christ and be faithful "in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes." (2 Corinthians 2:11)
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Haiti and the Judgment of God
Despite whatever problems gnaw and tear at my life, certain events always seem to come along and put things into perspective. The earthquake in Haiti is one. No matter what I am enduring, at least I am alive, my family is alive, we have a place to live, food to eat and are relatively safe and healthy. Our problems are the problems of rich Americans who live in the greatest country to ever exist in the history of humanity, at its technological and democratic apex.
So to look upon the hellish plight of the Haitian people is to have one's faith come into question. At least one's polite, surface level faith. On the surface, we say that God treats everyone equal, that he does not play favorites, etc etc. That runs contrary to what the Bible teaches.
The thing to remember is that even though Jesus fufills the requirements of God's Law in being the only acceptable sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10) there is no sacrifice, no covering for those who do not accept Christ's sacrifice for their own lives. The atonement is there but has no salvic power for those who reject it or those who want to bring Jesus alongside whatever other gods they may have in their lives. The world and all in it who are not followers of Christ are still under the Law, but with no ability to make their own sacrifices to cover their sins. Further, if we as American Christians continue to parrot 2 Chronicles 7:14 as our rallying verse for revival in our land:
"...if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."
we must also conceed an unpleasant truth we see at work in the real world around us: God judges nations for their wickedness despite the presence of born-again, Bible believing Christians who have been praying for revival amongst the population. Look at the Nation of Israel throughout the Old Testament. They continually went through cycles of rebellion, reproach, repentence and restoration until they finally experienced the Diaspora after the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. This was despite the presence of a faithful remnant of believers in the one true God.
My denomination, The Church of the Nazarene, a conservative group of believers with churches all over the world was having its annual District Assembly in Haiti when the Earthquake struck. The Nazarene Church has 555 churches in that tiny country with over 120,000 members. Many churches are destroyed and many members are dead. The presence of all these Christians did not prevent the earthquake. God still judges nations despite the presence of Christians.
This is due to His plans and perspective being eternal, holy and perfect. We, as sinful humans, cannot understand the ways of a Holy, Perfect God. Best example I can think of now is that with the benefit of 70 years, we can look back and see how the Holocaust and the slaughter of the Jews lead to the foundation of the Nation of Israel in 1948. It is unlikely that the UN would have allowed the creation of a Jewish state without the incredible weight of what the Jewish people had just endured pressuring them. Thus, just as in the crucifixion, God used suffering and death to bring about a resurection, just as His word promised (Isaiah 66:8 and Ezekiel 37).
2Corinthians 4:4 refers to Satan as the "god of this world" and the Book of Job tells us that Satan opperates with the freedom to do almost as he wishes here on Earth, restrained only by the prayers of the saints and explicit will of God (such as God telling Satan that he can harm Job but not kill him). Aside from those two restrictions, Satan has free reign, for a time. Combining that with a creation that has been corrupted by the Fall and the inheirant sinful nature of humanity leaves us looking at the Haiti earthquake through new eyes. One can read the Old Testament and see God continually judging the nations around Israel for their sins and judging Israel for their sin. One can read Revelation and see that God is going to judge the whole of creation in the end. Continually we are shown that judgment is God's "strange work" (Isaiah 28:21)
We are forced to conceed that God still judges nations for their sin, despite the presence of a faithful remnant. In the light of that, what fresh hell awaits our once great land, where the cause of Christ is slowly being outlawed and subjected to persecution? I can only reflect back on the prophetic words of Thomas Jefferson:
"I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever."
--Mike
P.S. : In my research for this I found a good article by Calvary Chapel Pastor Brian Broderson of a similar topic with a much more uplifting tone. You can find it here: http://www.calvarymagazine.org/Pastor_Brian/Pastor_Brian_23.pdf
So to look upon the hellish plight of the Haitian people is to have one's faith come into question. At least one's polite, surface level faith. On the surface, we say that God treats everyone equal, that he does not play favorites, etc etc. That runs contrary to what the Bible teaches.
The thing to remember is that even though Jesus fufills the requirements of God's Law in being the only acceptable sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10) there is no sacrifice, no covering for those who do not accept Christ's sacrifice for their own lives. The atonement is there but has no salvic power for those who reject it or those who want to bring Jesus alongside whatever other gods they may have in their lives. The world and all in it who are not followers of Christ are still under the Law, but with no ability to make their own sacrifices to cover their sins. Further, if we as American Christians continue to parrot 2 Chronicles 7:14 as our rallying verse for revival in our land:
"...if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."
we must also conceed an unpleasant truth we see at work in the real world around us: God judges nations for their wickedness despite the presence of born-again, Bible believing Christians who have been praying for revival amongst the population. Look at the Nation of Israel throughout the Old Testament. They continually went through cycles of rebellion, reproach, repentence and restoration until they finally experienced the Diaspora after the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. This was despite the presence of a faithful remnant of believers in the one true God.
My denomination, The Church of the Nazarene, a conservative group of believers with churches all over the world was having its annual District Assembly in Haiti when the Earthquake struck. The Nazarene Church has 555 churches in that tiny country with over 120,000 members. Many churches are destroyed and many members are dead. The presence of all these Christians did not prevent the earthquake. God still judges nations despite the presence of Christians.
This is due to His plans and perspective being eternal, holy and perfect. We, as sinful humans, cannot understand the ways of a Holy, Perfect God. Best example I can think of now is that with the benefit of 70 years, we can look back and see how the Holocaust and the slaughter of the Jews lead to the foundation of the Nation of Israel in 1948. It is unlikely that the UN would have allowed the creation of a Jewish state without the incredible weight of what the Jewish people had just endured pressuring them. Thus, just as in the crucifixion, God used suffering and death to bring about a resurection, just as His word promised (Isaiah 66:8 and Ezekiel 37).
2Corinthians 4:4 refers to Satan as the "god of this world" and the Book of Job tells us that Satan opperates with the freedom to do almost as he wishes here on Earth, restrained only by the prayers of the saints and explicit will of God (such as God telling Satan that he can harm Job but not kill him). Aside from those two restrictions, Satan has free reign, for a time. Combining that with a creation that has been corrupted by the Fall and the inheirant sinful nature of humanity leaves us looking at the Haiti earthquake through new eyes. One can read the Old Testament and see God continually judging the nations around Israel for their sins and judging Israel for their sin. One can read Revelation and see that God is going to judge the whole of creation in the end. Continually we are shown that judgment is God's "strange work" (Isaiah 28:21)
We are forced to conceed that God still judges nations for their sin, despite the presence of a faithful remnant. In the light of that, what fresh hell awaits our once great land, where the cause of Christ is slowly being outlawed and subjected to persecution? I can only reflect back on the prophetic words of Thomas Jefferson:
"I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever."
--Mike
P.S. : In my research for this I found a good article by Calvary Chapel Pastor Brian Broderson of a similar topic with a much more uplifting tone. You can find it here: http://www.calvarymagazine.org/Pastor_Brian/Pastor_Brian_23.pdf
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Qua sum Ego iens? (Where am I going?)
I am rapidly reaching the point where I will officially not care and will begin to act like Jesus. I am so wounded right now by knowledge that has just come my way that I kinda actually have the slightest inkling of how Jesus must feel when I sin. I feel like I am "playing church" like kids "play house": it is a model of the real thing, but nothing like the real thing. Maybe it is my arrogance that prompts this thought, but if I could stop "playing church", then maybe I could have a real impact on the young people around me, maybe faith in Christ and a relationship with God could be a real thing in their lives.
Or, is it as my friend, the too wise for his years Luke Kim says: have we given them just enough Jesus to innoculate them against Him? Young people raised in the church hear all the verses about forgiveness, mercy, the love of God. Young people who come as guests with their friends hear these verses as well. All those verses that ran through my own head when I was 20-something and sinning: Romans 8:38-39, 1John 1:9, Psalm 51...
Of course, as with all Pastors, I need to make sure that all the planks are removed from my eyes before I go about trying to remove the specks, splinters, 2x4's and giant sequoias from the eyes of those around me (Luke 6:42). I know I am a sinner, and this desire to see revival and renewal does not come from a position of self-righteousness, but rather one of exhaustion and wearyness at watching the consequences of sin play out in the lives of young people, tired of seeing the rebellion and regret of teens and 20-somethings.
I am praying that God will use me to reach out and change the lives of young people in this new year. That the Holy Spirit will go before me and open the eyes and hearts of that generation that they may be receptive to the Gospel and that it will do more than innoculate them...something has to give. I can't go on like this. I feel like God is crushing me under this burden. Change must happen. Where am I going, Lord?
Or, is it as my friend, the too wise for his years Luke Kim says: have we given them just enough Jesus to innoculate them against Him? Young people raised in the church hear all the verses about forgiveness, mercy, the love of God. Young people who come as guests with their friends hear these verses as well. All those verses that ran through my own head when I was 20-something and sinning: Romans 8:38-39, 1John 1:9, Psalm 51...
Of course, as with all Pastors, I need to make sure that all the planks are removed from my eyes before I go about trying to remove the specks, splinters, 2x4's and giant sequoias from the eyes of those around me (Luke 6:42). I know I am a sinner, and this desire to see revival and renewal does not come from a position of self-righteousness, but rather one of exhaustion and wearyness at watching the consequences of sin play out in the lives of young people, tired of seeing the rebellion and regret of teens and 20-somethings.
I am praying that God will use me to reach out and change the lives of young people in this new year. That the Holy Spirit will go before me and open the eyes and hearts of that generation that they may be receptive to the Gospel and that it will do more than innoculate them...something has to give. I can't go on like this. I feel like God is crushing me under this burden. Change must happen. Where am I going, Lord?
Thursday, December 31, 2009
"Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh..." Sermon Notes
As the "Wise men" came much later, when Jesus was a small child, it makes sense to post this sermon a week or so after Christmas...
Starting Off: Matthew Chapter 2
Notes: Wise men=Persian Astronomers (Magos in the Greek from Magi in Persian; root of our word “Magician”)
“We have seen His star…” Tradition teaches that these men (many more than 3 for many reasons: safety, power, money, distance) were an order of scholars and astronomers set up by the prophet Daniel during his time there.
They ask Herod, who then asks when they saw it (so he can calculate the age of the child. This leads to his slaughter of every male child 2 and under a few verses later)
The star appears to them and leads them to the child Jesus (most likely about 2 based on Herod’s calculation)
And they bring him gifts….this has been the fuel of numerous comedy bits over the years, most funny and not blasphemous
Question: Ok, what is up with those gifts?
These three gifts speak of Jesus’ three roles that he plays in his relationship with you, me and all of humanity.
The first gift: Myrrh=Prophet
What does the gift of Myrrh tell us about Jesus’ role as Prophet? Myrrh is a reddish-brown resin of a tree found in the Middle East and Northwest Africa. As with the ministry of the prophets, Myrrh is bitter but is used to heal.
What did Prophets do? They spoke the Word of God, both foretelling (future) and forthtelling (truth).
Jesus, as the greatest prophet who ever lived, IS the WORD OF GOD (John 1:1) The written Word (The Bible) exists to point us to the Living Word (Jesus).
Continually, in His ministry Jesus tells his listeners “I say to you…” (Matt. 5:22) or “I tell you the truth…” (Mark 1:22). He is not appealing to the authority of others, as the Rabbi’s did, nor is he a false prophet, telling his listeners what they want for their itching ears, or what we wish he would say (it’s ok, I understand you can’t stop using, can’t stop having sex, can’t stop drinking)
No, Jesus the Prophet looks us in the eyes, sticks His finger in our chest, and calls us out…He points out our inequity, our shame, our shortcomings, our SIN, all that stand between us and God, who is Holy and Pure and who can’t look at sin without judging it. He calls sin, sin. He does not rationalize, or equivocate or make excuses for us. His Word declares that we are sinners and sin is what we do (Romans 3:23). He declares that we need a savior and that savior is Him, and only Him (John 14:6; Luke 19:10). How does He do this? Through the witness of the written Word that declares the Living Word and the ever-present ministry of the Holy Spirit in the world and in our lives.
So we are sinners and deserve Hell…what now? Thankfully, Jesus doesn’t leave us like this, lost and damned, trying desperately to win God’s love and favor (as so many other religions of the world) or chasing pleasure in the things of this world to numb ourselves to the reality of our state. Jesus’ ministry as Prophet is to use the bitter Myrrh of the God’s Word to heal us and drive us to His Mercy Seat, where the second gift of the trio is then used.
The second gift: Frankincense=Priest
What does the gift of Frankincense tell us about Jesus’ role as Priest? Frankincense is a golden colored, aromatic resin from a family of trees native to the Middle East and North Africa. It has been traded for over 5000 years in the Arabian Peninsula. We derive our current English name for it from the French (or Frankish) crusaders who went to the Holy Lands and brought back “Frank-incense”. It has been used for thousands of years in religious rituals, including being an ingredient in the incense used in offering prayers to God in Old Testament times. And who administered the Tabernacle and later the Temple? Who lit the incense that symbolized the prayers of the believers ascending upward to Heaven? The Priests.
What was the Priest’s role? The Priest in Old Testament times stood between Holy God and sinful humanity, making sacrifices to cover sin (his own first, then the sins of the people). These sacrifices pointed out the very real consequences of sin: death, in this case, the deaths of animals, as the price of sin, and that only blood can cover sin; no other sacrifice would do…
Turn to Hebrews and be ready
Consider…
--Jesus is our Priest (Hebrews 3:1)
--He is fully God and fully Man and thus the only one able and qualified to stand as mediator between God and Man: “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (1Tim 2:5)
--Not only is He a better Priest than any earthly priest, He is a sacrifice far exceeding any earthly sacrifice, He is the Supreme Sacrifice (Heb 9:24-28)
--Hebrews 4:15-16--He identifies with us…we don’t know, can’t know what it’s like to be Him, but He knows everything about what it’s like to be us
Jesus, as our Great High Priest, ministers to us out of love, extending mercy and grace to us, sinners so undeserving of either. Take pause to consider the degree of humility and love involved here: the same God who spoke the universe into existence and is absolute in power, majesty and glory, humbled Himself to endure being human, to endure scorn and shame, mocking and beating, and accepted being put to death in pain and humiliation for a crime he didn’t commit…
Remember the sin in all of our lives that Jesus the Prophet pointed out a little earlier? Well, here is the solution: As our Priest, Jesus doesn’t just kill an animal for you, or light incense for you, or say a mass for you…He died for you. He was the only sacrifice that could satisfy the Holy requirements of the Father, stemming from Adam’s sin in the Garden, through which sin entered into all of humanity.
Keep your finger in Hebrews and turn to Isaiah 53 (Read)
--It pleased the Father to wound the Son…for us, on our behalf!!!
--“The inequity of us all was laid upon Him…and by His stripe(s) we are healed”
--2 Cor 5:19— “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself”
How do we merit this? We can’t. But we can do this: 2 Thessalonians 1:11 and Ephesians 4:1 both urge believers to live lives worthy of the calling they have received.
Now we turn to the final gift…
The third gift: Gold=King
This is the easiest gift to understand. When we think of Kings, we think of Gold. Gold was a common gift for royalty. It is easy to say Jesus is “King of Kings”, sing “All Hail King Jesus!” and other pleasantries but it is another thing entirely to submit your life to the Kingship of Jesus every day.
Colossians 1:15-20
"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased [the Father that] in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross."
He rules over everything, everyone, every aspect of our lives, over all creation.
What about those who are sinning with no regard for Jesus the King? Where is His sovereignty in their lives? Just because the King has not punished the lawbreaker (which is what you put yourself under when you sin) does not mean he won’t.
--"But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you out." (Numbers 32:23)
--"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." (Galatians 6:7)
-- "and consider [that] the longsuffering of our Lord [is] salvation"—(2 Peter 3:15)
-- "The Lord is not slack concerning [His] promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." (2Peter 3:9)
--I John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness."
To conclude…
He is Prophet: He shows us who we are, what our condition is, and through the Holy Spirit and the written Word, the Living Word convicts us of sin and leads us to Jesus as…
He is Priest: He paid the price for our sins and is the only one able to stand as mediator between Holy God and sinful man, and makes intercessions for us constantly, daily.
He is King: He rules over all as sovereign Lord, and for those in His Kingdom, he leads, provides and protects.
Only a complete view of Christ in all three of these roles will allow you to see Jesus for who He fully is, and allow you to grow in the depth of your relationship with Him.
Starting Off: Matthew Chapter 2
Notes: Wise men=Persian Astronomers (Magos in the Greek from Magi in Persian; root of our word “Magician”)
“We have seen His star…” Tradition teaches that these men (many more than 3 for many reasons: safety, power, money, distance) were an order of scholars and astronomers set up by the prophet Daniel during his time there.
They ask Herod, who then asks when they saw it (so he can calculate the age of the child. This leads to his slaughter of every male child 2 and under a few verses later)
The star appears to them and leads them to the child Jesus (most likely about 2 based on Herod’s calculation)
And they bring him gifts….this has been the fuel of numerous comedy bits over the years, most funny and not blasphemous
Question: Ok, what is up with those gifts?
These three gifts speak of Jesus’ three roles that he plays in his relationship with you, me and all of humanity.
The first gift: Myrrh=Prophet
What does the gift of Myrrh tell us about Jesus’ role as Prophet? Myrrh is a reddish-brown resin of a tree found in the Middle East and Northwest Africa. As with the ministry of the prophets, Myrrh is bitter but is used to heal.
What did Prophets do? They spoke the Word of God, both foretelling (future) and forthtelling (truth).
Jesus, as the greatest prophet who ever lived, IS the WORD OF GOD (John 1:1) The written Word (The Bible) exists to point us to the Living Word (Jesus).
Continually, in His ministry Jesus tells his listeners “I say to you…” (Matt. 5:22) or “I tell you the truth…” (Mark 1:22). He is not appealing to the authority of others, as the Rabbi’s did, nor is he a false prophet, telling his listeners what they want for their itching ears, or what we wish he would say (it’s ok, I understand you can’t stop using, can’t stop having sex, can’t stop drinking)
No, Jesus the Prophet looks us in the eyes, sticks His finger in our chest, and calls us out…He points out our inequity, our shame, our shortcomings, our SIN, all that stand between us and God, who is Holy and Pure and who can’t look at sin without judging it. He calls sin, sin. He does not rationalize, or equivocate or make excuses for us. His Word declares that we are sinners and sin is what we do (Romans 3:23). He declares that we need a savior and that savior is Him, and only Him (John 14:6; Luke 19:10). How does He do this? Through the witness of the written Word that declares the Living Word and the ever-present ministry of the Holy Spirit in the world and in our lives.
So we are sinners and deserve Hell…what now? Thankfully, Jesus doesn’t leave us like this, lost and damned, trying desperately to win God’s love and favor (as so many other religions of the world) or chasing pleasure in the things of this world to numb ourselves to the reality of our state. Jesus’ ministry as Prophet is to use the bitter Myrrh of the God’s Word to heal us and drive us to His Mercy Seat, where the second gift of the trio is then used.
The second gift: Frankincense=Priest
What does the gift of Frankincense tell us about Jesus’ role as Priest? Frankincense is a golden colored, aromatic resin from a family of trees native to the Middle East and North Africa. It has been traded for over 5000 years in the Arabian Peninsula. We derive our current English name for it from the French (or Frankish) crusaders who went to the Holy Lands and brought back “Frank-incense”. It has been used for thousands of years in religious rituals, including being an ingredient in the incense used in offering prayers to God in Old Testament times. And who administered the Tabernacle and later the Temple? Who lit the incense that symbolized the prayers of the believers ascending upward to Heaven? The Priests.
What was the Priest’s role? The Priest in Old Testament times stood between Holy God and sinful humanity, making sacrifices to cover sin (his own first, then the sins of the people). These sacrifices pointed out the very real consequences of sin: death, in this case, the deaths of animals, as the price of sin, and that only blood can cover sin; no other sacrifice would do…
Turn to Hebrews and be ready
Consider…
--Jesus is our Priest (Hebrews 3:1)
--He is fully God and fully Man and thus the only one able and qualified to stand as mediator between God and Man: “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (1Tim 2:5)
--Not only is He a better Priest than any earthly priest, He is a sacrifice far exceeding any earthly sacrifice, He is the Supreme Sacrifice (Heb 9:24-28)
--Hebrews 4:15-16--He identifies with us…we don’t know, can’t know what it’s like to be Him, but He knows everything about what it’s like to be us
Jesus, as our Great High Priest, ministers to us out of love, extending mercy and grace to us, sinners so undeserving of either. Take pause to consider the degree of humility and love involved here: the same God who spoke the universe into existence and is absolute in power, majesty and glory, humbled Himself to endure being human, to endure scorn and shame, mocking and beating, and accepted being put to death in pain and humiliation for a crime he didn’t commit…
Remember the sin in all of our lives that Jesus the Prophet pointed out a little earlier? Well, here is the solution: As our Priest, Jesus doesn’t just kill an animal for you, or light incense for you, or say a mass for you…He died for you. He was the only sacrifice that could satisfy the Holy requirements of the Father, stemming from Adam’s sin in the Garden, through which sin entered into all of humanity.
Keep your finger in Hebrews and turn to Isaiah 53 (Read)
--It pleased the Father to wound the Son…for us, on our behalf!!!
--“The inequity of us all was laid upon Him…and by His stripe(s) we are healed”
--2 Cor 5:19— “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself”
How do we merit this? We can’t. But we can do this: 2 Thessalonians 1:11 and Ephesians 4:1 both urge believers to live lives worthy of the calling they have received.
Now we turn to the final gift…
The third gift: Gold=King
This is the easiest gift to understand. When we think of Kings, we think of Gold. Gold was a common gift for royalty. It is easy to say Jesus is “King of Kings”, sing “All Hail King Jesus!” and other pleasantries but it is another thing entirely to submit your life to the Kingship of Jesus every day.
Colossians 1:15-20
"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased [the Father that] in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross."
He rules over everything, everyone, every aspect of our lives, over all creation.
What about those who are sinning with no regard for Jesus the King? Where is His sovereignty in their lives? Just because the King has not punished the lawbreaker (which is what you put yourself under when you sin) does not mean he won’t.
--"But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you out." (Numbers 32:23)
--"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." (Galatians 6:7)
-- "and consider [that] the longsuffering of our Lord [is] salvation"—(2 Peter 3:15)
-- "The Lord is not slack concerning [His] promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." (2Peter 3:9)
--I John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness."
To conclude…
He is Prophet: He shows us who we are, what our condition is, and through the Holy Spirit and the written Word, the Living Word convicts us of sin and leads us to Jesus as…
He is Priest: He paid the price for our sins and is the only one able to stand as mediator between Holy God and sinful man, and makes intercessions for us constantly, daily.
He is King: He rules over all as sovereign Lord, and for those in His Kingdom, he leads, provides and protects.
Only a complete view of Christ in all three of these roles will allow you to see Jesus for who He fully is, and allow you to grow in the depth of your relationship with Him.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Sermon Notes and Outline 12/27/09
Hope in spite of our circumstances…
Story: My son on Christmas Eve…
The Father knows that his child has something great coming soon and he has told the child as much. The child just needs to trust the father and have patience…does this sound familiar at all?
I. “For I know the plans I have for you…” (Jeremiah 29:11)
It’s God’s plan. When we are obedient to Him, we will think of something or have an idea and start to move in that direction, as we are guided by the Holy Spirit. How do you know if a path or direction is of the Lord?
The Word—“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105)
Prayer—“The fervent prayer of a righteous man is powerful and avails much” (James 5:16)
Counsel—“Wisdom is found in a multitude of counsel” (Proverbs 11:14, 15:22, 24:6)
As believers, we are in the loving hands of a loving God. The very hairs of our heads are numbered (Luke 12:7) and all things are working for our good (Romans 8:28, Phil 1:21).
II. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. (Isaiah 55:8-9)
Mark Twain once famously said: “It ain't those parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand.” And while Twain was not a believer, there is some truth to his words. We spend so much time taking the Bible and making it understandable, coming up with different versions, trying to reach out to different demographics that we lose one very important thing: The mysterious aspect of God, the fact that He is like no other thing in all existence. He had to make Himself into a man (Jesus) so we could have a representation of what God is. Remember what Jesus said to Phillip “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9) Jesus is not a nice man in a dress, who might faint if He in all His piety and beauty heard of all your sins. A “nice” Jesus is powerless to save you; he would be disgusted with you.
I preach a bloody Christ, ragged and torn, scourged, crucified and pierced though He was innocent…though I was guilty. One who experienced every disgusting and vile act, every atrocity ever committed and traded Himself as a perfect, sinless sacrifice for all of them, that He might offer forgiveness, healing, and eternal life and to make all who would believe the Children of God.
And yet we read that it pleased God to send Jesus to the cross (Isaiah 53:10). Martin Luther once stared at one of the Gospel accounts of the Crucifixion (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34) for so long that people began to think he had had a stroke. When he finally lifted his head he stated "God forsaking God who can understand that?” His ways are not our ways, nor His thoughts our thoughts.
All through the Bible, we see examples of bad things happening to good people. All through our life we see examples of bad things happening to good people. Sin came into this world through Adam and Eve and corrupted it. Only through the Cross does anything in this life have any meaning, any sense. From the foot of the cross we can see that God is working a plan, one that comes from His mind and is thus by definition one that we can only partially understand on this side of eternity. These first two points give us insight as to the nature of God. The next two will show us what our response should be…
III. “Trust in the Lord with your Heart…” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
God calls us to trust in Him with all our heart. Not all someone else’s heart or all of Billy Graham or Chuck Smith’s heart, but all of your heart. I think of the man who cried out to Jesus in tears (Mark Chapter 9): "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" We all trust and believe to varying degrees based on our own maturity and capacity. None of my children would let me walk them up a mountain to make a sacrifice without bringing a lamb or bull or something to kill besides them. And neither would you. You trust me but if I told you I was taking you up Mt. Baldy to make a sacrifice and only you and I were in the car, I would hope you would jump out at the first red light and call the police. And yes, we are not under the sacrificial system anymore but the analogy remains. We are ever in the position of needing to trust God more than we do right now, we are ever heading in the direction of placing our final trust and hope in Him, when we take our final breath here on Earth and our first in Heaven, in His presence.
IV. “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Cor 5:7)
Easy to say, easy to rattle off for someone who is going through some sort of trouble. Tough to live out in the real world, even with these three key elements:
The Word— “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” (Col 3:16)
The Holy Spirit—“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” (Romans 8:26)
Prayer—“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:6-7)
Conclusion: His Plans-His Ways/Our Trust-Our Faith.
Story: My son on Christmas Eve…
The Father knows that his child has something great coming soon and he has told the child as much. The child just needs to trust the father and have patience…does this sound familiar at all?
I. “For I know the plans I have for you…” (Jeremiah 29:11)
It’s God’s plan. When we are obedient to Him, we will think of something or have an idea and start to move in that direction, as we are guided by the Holy Spirit. How do you know if a path or direction is of the Lord?
The Word—“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105)
Prayer—“The fervent prayer of a righteous man is powerful and avails much” (James 5:16)
Counsel—“Wisdom is found in a multitude of counsel” (Proverbs 11:14, 15:22, 24:6)
As believers, we are in the loving hands of a loving God. The very hairs of our heads are numbered (Luke 12:7) and all things are working for our good (Romans 8:28, Phil 1:21).
II. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. (Isaiah 55:8-9)
Mark Twain once famously said: “It ain't those parts of the Bible that I can't understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand.” And while Twain was not a believer, there is some truth to his words. We spend so much time taking the Bible and making it understandable, coming up with different versions, trying to reach out to different demographics that we lose one very important thing: The mysterious aspect of God, the fact that He is like no other thing in all existence. He had to make Himself into a man (Jesus) so we could have a representation of what God is. Remember what Jesus said to Phillip “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9) Jesus is not a nice man in a dress, who might faint if He in all His piety and beauty heard of all your sins. A “nice” Jesus is powerless to save you; he would be disgusted with you.
I preach a bloody Christ, ragged and torn, scourged, crucified and pierced though He was innocent…though I was guilty. One who experienced every disgusting and vile act, every atrocity ever committed and traded Himself as a perfect, sinless sacrifice for all of them, that He might offer forgiveness, healing, and eternal life and to make all who would believe the Children of God.
And yet we read that it pleased God to send Jesus to the cross (Isaiah 53:10). Martin Luther once stared at one of the Gospel accounts of the Crucifixion (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34) for so long that people began to think he had had a stroke. When he finally lifted his head he stated "God forsaking God who can understand that?” His ways are not our ways, nor His thoughts our thoughts.
All through the Bible, we see examples of bad things happening to good people. All through our life we see examples of bad things happening to good people. Sin came into this world through Adam and Eve and corrupted it. Only through the Cross does anything in this life have any meaning, any sense. From the foot of the cross we can see that God is working a plan, one that comes from His mind and is thus by definition one that we can only partially understand on this side of eternity. These first two points give us insight as to the nature of God. The next two will show us what our response should be…
III. “Trust in the Lord with your Heart…” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
God calls us to trust in Him with all our heart. Not all someone else’s heart or all of Billy Graham or Chuck Smith’s heart, but all of your heart. I think of the man who cried out to Jesus in tears (Mark Chapter 9): "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" We all trust and believe to varying degrees based on our own maturity and capacity. None of my children would let me walk them up a mountain to make a sacrifice without bringing a lamb or bull or something to kill besides them. And neither would you. You trust me but if I told you I was taking you up Mt. Baldy to make a sacrifice and only you and I were in the car, I would hope you would jump out at the first red light and call the police. And yes, we are not under the sacrificial system anymore but the analogy remains. We are ever in the position of needing to trust God more than we do right now, we are ever heading in the direction of placing our final trust and hope in Him, when we take our final breath here on Earth and our first in Heaven, in His presence.
IV. “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Cor 5:7)
Easy to say, easy to rattle off for someone who is going through some sort of trouble. Tough to live out in the real world, even with these three key elements:
The Word— “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” (Col 3:16)
The Holy Spirit—“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” (Romans 8:26)
Prayer—“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:6-7)
Conclusion: His Plans-His Ways/Our Trust-Our Faith.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Carnal Chameleon
Martin Luther once wrote:
"That is the proof of a spiritual and wise man. He knows that he is carnal and is displeased with himself; Indeed he hates himself and praises the Law of God which he recognizes because he is spiritual. But the proof of a foolish carnal man is this, that he regards himself as spiritual and is not."
Now more than ever, in this civilization that embraces materialism, greed and self, some may find themselves on a slippery slope: having to balance their desire to bless their kids, family and friends with material things with the very real threat of descending into outright greed. Now some might say "There's nothing wrong with having nice things and giving nice things to the people you love." Well, that's right to a point. However, at some point, it stops being about the person and becomes about the things. Thus, people stop having things and the things begin having them. And then the gifting goes too far and stops being about the person receiving the gifts, and becomes about the person giving it. That they would be appreciated, valued...loved.
That the World engages in this behavior is expected. That Christians partake of it is sad. A tragic state that is abeted by the belief that because we are God's children, by virtue of that relationship, we are free to take whatever our flesh, our eyes and our pride desire (1John 2:15-17). Millions are spent on advertisements every holiday season (and indeed, year-round) to make viewers equate goods and services with love and worth. And we lose our perspective, feeling bad when we can't "keep up with the Joneses" because we are surrounded by consumerism, covetousness and excess. Or we become "the Joneses", pouring our time and resources into trying to convey our feelings for the ones we love through things.
Jesus said: "...Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." (Luke 12:15)
We must keep the counsel of Christ and not let money or posessions posess us. We must be as Luther described, knowing that we are carnal and being displeased with our state. When we, as believers, deal honestly with ourselves, confess our sins to Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to minister to us, to hold us up to the example of Christ and the Word of God, then and only then do we truly see who we are in Christ: Sinners saved by grace, once dead but now alive (Ephesians 2:4-9), content with who we are in Him and responsible stewards of all He has blessed us with (Phil 4:10-13)
Pastor Mike
"That is the proof of a spiritual and wise man. He knows that he is carnal and is displeased with himself; Indeed he hates himself and praises the Law of God which he recognizes because he is spiritual. But the proof of a foolish carnal man is this, that he regards himself as spiritual and is not."
Now more than ever, in this civilization that embraces materialism, greed and self, some may find themselves on a slippery slope: having to balance their desire to bless their kids, family and friends with material things with the very real threat of descending into outright greed. Now some might say "There's nothing wrong with having nice things and giving nice things to the people you love." Well, that's right to a point. However, at some point, it stops being about the person and becomes about the things. Thus, people stop having things and the things begin having them. And then the gifting goes too far and stops being about the person receiving the gifts, and becomes about the person giving it. That they would be appreciated, valued...loved.
That the World engages in this behavior is expected. That Christians partake of it is sad. A tragic state that is abeted by the belief that because we are God's children, by virtue of that relationship, we are free to take whatever our flesh, our eyes and our pride desire (1John 2:15-17). Millions are spent on advertisements every holiday season (and indeed, year-round) to make viewers equate goods and services with love and worth. And we lose our perspective, feeling bad when we can't "keep up with the Joneses" because we are surrounded by consumerism, covetousness and excess. Or we become "the Joneses", pouring our time and resources into trying to convey our feelings for the ones we love through things.
Jesus said: "...Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." (Luke 12:15)
We must keep the counsel of Christ and not let money or posessions posess us. We must be as Luther described, knowing that we are carnal and being displeased with our state. When we, as believers, deal honestly with ourselves, confess our sins to Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to minister to us, to hold us up to the example of Christ and the Word of God, then and only then do we truly see who we are in Christ: Sinners saved by grace, once dead but now alive (Ephesians 2:4-9), content with who we are in Him and responsible stewards of all He has blessed us with (Phil 4:10-13)
Pastor Mike
Sunday, December 13, 2009
"Your Pastor: God's Servant or Messenger from Hell?"
Post-Modern Culture has shown over and over that it has virtually no respect for the office of "Pastor". During a conflict last year between a local Christian school and the church that started it, at one point the District Superintendent (who oversaw not just that church but dozens of churches on his district) stated to a crowd of parents and supporters that due to the school not paying their rent, "the church couldn't even afford to pay the Pastor."
I don't know what reaction he was aiming for but the reaction he got was murmuring, apathy, and annoyance. Those post-modern listeners couldn't care less if the church couldn't afford to pay their Pastor, as a "Pastor" meant about as much to many of them as a Shaman, Witch Doctor, Guru or Snake Oil Salesman. And these were listeners who were sending their kids to a Christian school! Granted, at that point alot of bad blood had already been figuratively spilt in that conflict by both sides, but it struck me as a sign of something more: another brick in the wall of demeaning and devaluing the office of Pastor.
But to be fair, the office of "Pastor" has done very little in the eyes of contemporary viewers to merit much respect. Mark Driscoll, Pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Seattle points out that when the church started, the roughest, bravest, manliest of men were called into the ministry, to teach the word of God and preach the salvation that is found only in Christ.
Now, along with the ubiquitous sex and financial scandals, many Protestant Pastors are now afraid to offend the lost and instead preach "fill-in-the blank" acrostic "sermonettes" that are pulled topically from the Bible to give what ever they are talking about a "Biblical Basis": wanna talk about social justice? Here's a verse from Amos...think we need to do a better job taking care of the earth? Well, here's some verses in Genesis to back your point of view. Have a problem with tatoos, smoking, or piercings amongst the youth of your flock? Lay a little 1Corinthians on them. Pastors sticking their finger in the air to see which way the winds of the culture are blowing, trying to meet the felt needs of their people, or what they feel are the needs of their people, instead of simply preaching the Gospel and teaching the Word of God.
Or Pastors trying desperately to be so cool and relevant in an attempt to draw young people into their church that they compromise on the foundational truths of the Word and let in destructive heresies (yes, heresies still exist) such as teaching that Jesus might be only one of many ways to Heaven, or that Jesus was not born of a virgin, or that when Jesus was talking about the fires of Hell, he didn't mean literal fire. These are the "seeker sensitive, all-inclusive" lies of the "reconciling churches" or "Emergent churches" out there.
I can understand the pressure to put up big numbers. We Pastors try so hard to get people to come into church and then to KEEP those who do come in that we can start focusing on numbers and programs and events and stray from the basic principles. But, it was these principles that "turned the world upside down" and caused the Christian faith to spread from 11 shook up guys in Jerusalem circa 33 A.D. to a region spreading from Europe to India in less than 100 years. What were those principles? Preaching Christ and teaching the Scriptures.
And despite the best efforts of the truly committed, biblical Pastors out there, who are preaching Jesus and teaching God's Word, the Bible tells us that there will come a day when people will no longer accept sound doctrine and will instead raise up for themselves false teachers who will appease their "itching ears" and win people over to them with fables (2Tim 4:3-4). That day has come, like the first drops of rain in what will be a flood of apostasy, we are experiencing it at this very moment.
Please, pray that revival will come to our nation and that it will start with the Pastors, for we need the mercy of God far more than our brothers and sisters in Christ. We bear responsibility for the souls of our people, a duty to shepherd and protect them spiritually. What dire judgement awaits the "pastor" who not only does not protect his flock from false teaching, but embraces it and infects his people with it.
I urge you:
Study the Bible on your own so that you may know false teaching when you hear it.
Pray for your Pastors and their famliles fervently. Spurgeon used to tell the elders of his church "Please tell me if you ever plan to stop praying for me, for on that day I will stop preaching". We cannot serve, minister, preach and teach the people of God effectively or with power unless you, our people, pray for us.
To conclude, consider Spurgeon's words:
“Did you ever notice this one thing about Christian ministers, that they need even more mercy than other people? Although everybody needs mercy, ministers need it more than anybody else; and so we do, for if we are not faithful, we shall be greater sinners even than our hearers, and it needs much grace for us always to be faithful, and much mercy will be required to cover our shortcomings.
So I shall take those three things to myself: ‘Grace, mercy, and peace.’ You may have the two, ‘Grace and peace,’ but I need mercy more than any of you; so I take it from my Lord’s loving hand, and I will trust, and not be afraid, despite all my shortcomings, and feebleness, and blunders, and mistakes, in the course of my whole ministry.”--Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Pastor Mike
I don't know what reaction he was aiming for but the reaction he got was murmuring, apathy, and annoyance. Those post-modern listeners couldn't care less if the church couldn't afford to pay their Pastor, as a "Pastor" meant about as much to many of them as a Shaman, Witch Doctor, Guru or Snake Oil Salesman. And these were listeners who were sending their kids to a Christian school! Granted, at that point alot of bad blood had already been figuratively spilt in that conflict by both sides, but it struck me as a sign of something more: another brick in the wall of demeaning and devaluing the office of Pastor.
But to be fair, the office of "Pastor" has done very little in the eyes of contemporary viewers to merit much respect. Mark Driscoll, Pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Seattle points out that when the church started, the roughest, bravest, manliest of men were called into the ministry, to teach the word of God and preach the salvation that is found only in Christ.
Now, along with the ubiquitous sex and financial scandals, many Protestant Pastors are now afraid to offend the lost and instead preach "fill-in-the blank" acrostic "sermonettes" that are pulled topically from the Bible to give what ever they are talking about a "Biblical Basis": wanna talk about social justice? Here's a verse from Amos...think we need to do a better job taking care of the earth? Well, here's some verses in Genesis to back your point of view. Have a problem with tatoos, smoking, or piercings amongst the youth of your flock? Lay a little 1Corinthians on them. Pastors sticking their finger in the air to see which way the winds of the culture are blowing, trying to meet the felt needs of their people, or what they feel are the needs of their people, instead of simply preaching the Gospel and teaching the Word of God.
Or Pastors trying desperately to be so cool and relevant in an attempt to draw young people into their church that they compromise on the foundational truths of the Word and let in destructive heresies (yes, heresies still exist) such as teaching that Jesus might be only one of many ways to Heaven, or that Jesus was not born of a virgin, or that when Jesus was talking about the fires of Hell, he didn't mean literal fire. These are the "seeker sensitive, all-inclusive" lies of the "reconciling churches" or "Emergent churches" out there.
I can understand the pressure to put up big numbers. We Pastors try so hard to get people to come into church and then to KEEP those who do come in that we can start focusing on numbers and programs and events and stray from the basic principles. But, it was these principles that "turned the world upside down" and caused the Christian faith to spread from 11 shook up guys in Jerusalem circa 33 A.D. to a region spreading from Europe to India in less than 100 years. What were those principles? Preaching Christ and teaching the Scriptures.
And despite the best efforts of the truly committed, biblical Pastors out there, who are preaching Jesus and teaching God's Word, the Bible tells us that there will come a day when people will no longer accept sound doctrine and will instead raise up for themselves false teachers who will appease their "itching ears" and win people over to them with fables (2Tim 4:3-4). That day has come, like the first drops of rain in what will be a flood of apostasy, we are experiencing it at this very moment.
Please, pray that revival will come to our nation and that it will start with the Pastors, for we need the mercy of God far more than our brothers and sisters in Christ. We bear responsibility for the souls of our people, a duty to shepherd and protect them spiritually. What dire judgement awaits the "pastor" who not only does not protect his flock from false teaching, but embraces it and infects his people with it.
I urge you:
Study the Bible on your own so that you may know false teaching when you hear it.
Pray for your Pastors and their famliles fervently. Spurgeon used to tell the elders of his church "Please tell me if you ever plan to stop praying for me, for on that day I will stop preaching". We cannot serve, minister, preach and teach the people of God effectively or with power unless you, our people, pray for us.
To conclude, consider Spurgeon's words:
“Did you ever notice this one thing about Christian ministers, that they need even more mercy than other people? Although everybody needs mercy, ministers need it more than anybody else; and so we do, for if we are not faithful, we shall be greater sinners even than our hearers, and it needs much grace for us always to be faithful, and much mercy will be required to cover our shortcomings.
So I shall take those three things to myself: ‘Grace, mercy, and peace.’ You may have the two, ‘Grace and peace,’ but I need mercy more than any of you; so I take it from my Lord’s loving hand, and I will trust, and not be afraid, despite all my shortcomings, and feebleness, and blunders, and mistakes, in the course of my whole ministry.”--Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Pastor Mike
"Where do Rights come from?" Pt.1
Got a flyer with my paystub last year just before the election that basically said: "We (my employer) support your voting privilege. As the polls are open early and late, we expect you to exercise this privilege on your own time, before or after work". My supervisor and I looked at each other for a second and then I said: "Privilege? Voting is a RIGHT!" The Government does not allow the people to vote...the Government exists because of the people, who allow those whom they vote for to rule over them...the consent of the governed, the responsibility of the governors.
Follow this back to Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence...
"We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed"
So then, Rights come from God, not man, so they can't be granted or taken, only recognized (by cultures, nations, civilizations, individuals, whatever the case may be) or forfeited (by the individual based on their actions).
Now, here's the tricky part: Rights come from God, but WHO'S God?
More on that next time...
Pastor Mike
Follow this back to Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence...
"We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed"
So then, Rights come from God, not man, so they can't be granted or taken, only recognized (by cultures, nations, civilizations, individuals, whatever the case may be) or forfeited (by the individual based on their actions).
Now, here's the tricky part: Rights come from God, but WHO'S God?
More on that next time...
Pastor Mike
"Where do Rights come from?" Pt.2
Last time, we finished by saying that according to the founding principles of this country, "Rights" come from God...that humans are "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights". So, to appeal to the premise that one's rights are being taken away, one has to (to be intellectually honest) look to the source of those rights.
If, as in our case, rights come from God, then one has to ask, "What God were the framers of the Constitution thinking of when they wrote it?" In our case, one MUST consider that of the 250 men that are considered the "Founding Fathers" of our country, only 12 are considered by historians to have NOT been Christian. Or that the opening session of Congress on September 7th, 1774 began with a 3 HOUR PRAYER followed by a Bible study session on the Book of Psalms. Or consider the words of Benjamin Franklin spoken during the Constitutional Convention:
"We have been assured in the Sacred Writings that except the Lord build their house, they labor in vain that build it. I firmly believe this and I also believe that without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel. I therefore beg to move that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance from Heaven and its blessing on our deliberation be held in this assembly every morning before we proceed to business"
It seems pretty clear that the God the "Founding Fathers" had in mind was the Judeo-Christian God of the Bible. So then...
1. Rights (in the American, Constitutional sense) come from God.
2. The God being recognized as the source of these Rights is the Judeo-Christian God of the Bible.
Thus, any right you claim must be held up to the nature of the God who has given it.
Our means of doing this is to examine the Nature of God as documented in the Bible. For example, if I want to invoke my "right" to get married, for it to truly mean anything, I have to consider what the God who has endowed me with my fundamental rights has to say about marriage:
"Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." (Genesis 2:24) The Hebrew word for wife here is אשה ('ishshah) which means woman, female, wife. Jesus quotes this verse twice (Matthew 19:5 and Mark 10:7). Paul quotes it once (Ephesians 5:31).
The definite thought here is that marriage is between a man and a woman. The root source for marriage (the rights of liberty and happiness being expressed) is the Bible. It is our source from where we draw out the nature of God, that He is loving and has endowed us with the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. However, these rights can only be rightly expressed in the context of the God who gave them.
Therefore...
1. Rights (in the American, Constitutional sense) come from God.
2. The God being recognized as the source of these Rights is the Judeo-Christian God of the Bible.
3. The Judeo-Christian God of the Bible established the right of marriage (remember, liberty and happiness expressed together) as being only between a man and a woman (Genesis 2:24)
To conclude, any appeal for a right must acknowledge and be in submission to the giver of that right.
To do otherwise is dishonest and immoral.
Pastor Mike
If, as in our case, rights come from God, then one has to ask, "What God were the framers of the Constitution thinking of when they wrote it?" In our case, one MUST consider that of the 250 men that are considered the "Founding Fathers" of our country, only 12 are considered by historians to have NOT been Christian. Or that the opening session of Congress on September 7th, 1774 began with a 3 HOUR PRAYER followed by a Bible study session on the Book of Psalms. Or consider the words of Benjamin Franklin spoken during the Constitutional Convention:
"We have been assured in the Sacred Writings that except the Lord build their house, they labor in vain that build it. I firmly believe this and I also believe that without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel. I therefore beg to move that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance from Heaven and its blessing on our deliberation be held in this assembly every morning before we proceed to business"
It seems pretty clear that the God the "Founding Fathers" had in mind was the Judeo-Christian God of the Bible. So then...
1. Rights (in the American, Constitutional sense) come from God.
2. The God being recognized as the source of these Rights is the Judeo-Christian God of the Bible.
Thus, any right you claim must be held up to the nature of the God who has given it.
Our means of doing this is to examine the Nature of God as documented in the Bible. For example, if I want to invoke my "right" to get married, for it to truly mean anything, I have to consider what the God who has endowed me with my fundamental rights has to say about marriage:
"Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." (Genesis 2:24) The Hebrew word for wife here is אשה ('ishshah) which means woman, female, wife. Jesus quotes this verse twice (Matthew 19:5 and Mark 10:7). Paul quotes it once (Ephesians 5:31).
The definite thought here is that marriage is between a man and a woman. The root source for marriage (the rights of liberty and happiness being expressed) is the Bible. It is our source from where we draw out the nature of God, that He is loving and has endowed us with the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. However, these rights can only be rightly expressed in the context of the God who gave them.
Therefore...
1. Rights (in the American, Constitutional sense) come from God.
2. The God being recognized as the source of these Rights is the Judeo-Christian God of the Bible.
3. The Judeo-Christian God of the Bible established the right of marriage (remember, liberty and happiness expressed together) as being only between a man and a woman (Genesis 2:24)
To conclude, any appeal for a right must acknowledge and be in submission to the giver of that right.
To do otherwise is dishonest and immoral.
Pastor Mike
"the brutal facts of our current reality..."
In the 1992 Vice Presidential debate, Ross Perot's VP candidate Retired Navy Vice Admiral James Stockdale began his speaking portion of the debate with those famous words: "Who am I? Why am I here?" Stockdale did not do very well in the debate, appearing befuddled and confused, and never got a chance to tell his story to the American people. Stockdale had been a Navy fighter pilot during the Vietnam War. After several successful missions, he was shot down over North Vietnam and captured by the North Vietnamese.
He was brutally beaten by a mob of villagers, his legs shattered and back broken. He spent the next 7 years imprisoned in a hotel in Hanoi, his arms and legs locked in leg irons in a bath stall. While there, he was routinely tortured, his shoulders being dislocated from their sockets among others horrors. When they said they were going to feature him in a parade for propaganda purposes, he maimed his scalp with a shaving razor. When they told him he would wear a hat, he beat his own face with a wooden stool till he was swollen and bruised. He told them he would never be used by them. When he heard that some prisoners were being tortured to death, he slit his own wrists, saying he would die on his terms, not theirs.
What does all this lead to? Just this: Decades later, Stockdale was interviewed by James C. Collins, an author who was writing his story. In the course of this, he discovered how Stockdale survived his imprisonment, not just physically, but mentally. He described it as "The Stockdale Paradox". Here is Stockdale's quote:
"You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end — which you can never afford to lose — with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be."
The Bible says that faith is the evidence of things hoped for, the substance of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1) and that without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). But we live in the real world, where the "brutal facts of our current reality" often impose themselves upon us.
Faith for the Christian is having trust and relationship with a God that we cannot physically see, hear, feel or touch. How then can we know Him? Simply put, by His Word. Faith in the real world means life must be viewed through the lens of the Word of God. Minus a biblical view of life and the world, life is random chance, love is a mere chemical reaction, and no action has meaning beyond this temporal state.
With a biblical view of the world, we can trust in God, knowing he is in control, loves us with a perfect love, and has a plan and purpose for our lives (Proverbs 3:5-6, Jeremiah 29:11). And we can take comfort that whatever happens, Jesus will never leave us or forsake us (Deut. 31:6) and that all things will work for our good (Romans 8:28).
Pastor Mike
He was brutally beaten by a mob of villagers, his legs shattered and back broken. He spent the next 7 years imprisoned in a hotel in Hanoi, his arms and legs locked in leg irons in a bath stall. While there, he was routinely tortured, his shoulders being dislocated from their sockets among others horrors. When they said they were going to feature him in a parade for propaganda purposes, he maimed his scalp with a shaving razor. When they told him he would wear a hat, he beat his own face with a wooden stool till he was swollen and bruised. He told them he would never be used by them. When he heard that some prisoners were being tortured to death, he slit his own wrists, saying he would die on his terms, not theirs.
What does all this lead to? Just this: Decades later, Stockdale was interviewed by James C. Collins, an author who was writing his story. In the course of this, he discovered how Stockdale survived his imprisonment, not just physically, but mentally. He described it as "The Stockdale Paradox". Here is Stockdale's quote:
"You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end — which you can never afford to lose — with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be."
The Bible says that faith is the evidence of things hoped for, the substance of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1) and that without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). But we live in the real world, where the "brutal facts of our current reality" often impose themselves upon us.
Faith for the Christian is having trust and relationship with a God that we cannot physically see, hear, feel or touch. How then can we know Him? Simply put, by His Word. Faith in the real world means life must be viewed through the lens of the Word of God. Minus a biblical view of life and the world, life is random chance, love is a mere chemical reaction, and no action has meaning beyond this temporal state.
With a biblical view of the world, we can trust in God, knowing he is in control, loves us with a perfect love, and has a plan and purpose for our lives (Proverbs 3:5-6, Jeremiah 29:11). And we can take comfort that whatever happens, Jesus will never leave us or forsake us (Deut. 31:6) and that all things will work for our good (Romans 8:28).
Pastor Mike
This could take longer than we thought...
The more and more I spend time in the world, looking at the state of things, I find my mind split between two points of view. View one is telling me that things are so screwed up that Jesus MUST be coming back real soon. All the signs point to the impending of the Rapture (Israel becoming a nation again, Russia/Iran rising in Power, China and India rising as powers, the EU turning itself into a new version of the Roman Empire, an increase in Earthquakes, knowledge vastly increasing almost daily, etc.) and I acknowledge all of it.
But the other view is that "The Lord is not slack concerning [His] promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9) and "But You, O Lord, [are] a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth." (Psalm 86:15) God is "Longsuffering" towards humanity, towards those who don't know Him, towards those who aren't even thinking about things like sin and repentance. This word in the Greek is makrothumia from makros, meaning "long," and thumos, meaning "temper". Strong's Bible Dictionary states the following: "Longsuffering is that quality of self-restraint in the face of provocation which does not hastily retaliate or promptly punish; it is the opposite of anger, and is associated with mercy, and is used of God."
Hold onto these ideas as we move forward here...as Christians, we have this tremendous tendency to hold condemning, judgmental attitudes toward this broken, sinful world and the people who live in it. We surround ourselves with people who feel and think just like us and this can lead to elitism, smugness, and disgust toward all the rest of humanity who are lost in sin and either don't know or more likely don't believe there is such a thing a sin or Hell.
We must remember that there are only 2 types of people in the World: Sinners saved by Christ and Sinners who are lost. That's it. So we need to approach evangelism (sharing Christ) with a deep sense of humility and understanding of who we are in Christ. 2 Peter goes on to tell us that "the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation" (2Peter 3:15). We remain saved from Hell, despite sinning nearly every day in either thought, word or deed, through our earnest repentance to God on the basis of Christ's sacrifice on the Cross. This is the "Longsuffering of God"...not wiping us out, even in the face of us provoking him with our sins that we struggle with continually. But instead, Him looking at the cross, and seeing who we will eventually grow into in Christ, and showing us mercy when we deserve judgment.
How can we do any less with the people of this broken world around us?How can we not live out the mercy and longsuffering of God, speaking the truth in love and bringing the liberating, healing message of the Gospel to all who will listen? So then, as far as "The End" goes, in light of God's unsearchable depths of mercy and longsuffering found in Jesus Christ...This could take longer than we thought.
Pastor Mike
But the other view is that "The Lord is not slack concerning [His] promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9) and "But You, O Lord, [are] a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth." (Psalm 86:15) God is "Longsuffering" towards humanity, towards those who don't know Him, towards those who aren't even thinking about things like sin and repentance. This word in the Greek is makrothumia from makros, meaning "long," and thumos, meaning "temper". Strong's Bible Dictionary states the following: "Longsuffering is that quality of self-restraint in the face of provocation which does not hastily retaliate or promptly punish; it is the opposite of anger, and is associated with mercy, and is used of God."
Hold onto these ideas as we move forward here...as Christians, we have this tremendous tendency to hold condemning, judgmental attitudes toward this broken, sinful world and the people who live in it. We surround ourselves with people who feel and think just like us and this can lead to elitism, smugness, and disgust toward all the rest of humanity who are lost in sin and either don't know or more likely don't believe there is such a thing a sin or Hell.
We must remember that there are only 2 types of people in the World: Sinners saved by Christ and Sinners who are lost. That's it. So we need to approach evangelism (sharing Christ) with a deep sense of humility and understanding of who we are in Christ. 2 Peter goes on to tell us that "the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation" (2Peter 3:15). We remain saved from Hell, despite sinning nearly every day in either thought, word or deed, through our earnest repentance to God on the basis of Christ's sacrifice on the Cross. This is the "Longsuffering of God"...not wiping us out, even in the face of us provoking him with our sins that we struggle with continually. But instead, Him looking at the cross, and seeing who we will eventually grow into in Christ, and showing us mercy when we deserve judgment.
How can we do any less with the people of this broken world around us?How can we not live out the mercy and longsuffering of God, speaking the truth in love and bringing the liberating, healing message of the Gospel to all who will listen? So then, as far as "The End" goes, in light of God's unsearchable depths of mercy and longsuffering found in Jesus Christ...This could take longer than we thought.
Pastor Mike
first thought after your last breath...
So here is a blunt and simple take on death and what comes after that may offend many:
For those who know they are wretched sinners saved by the blood and mercy of a Jesus they cannot see, to be in Heaven based on that should bring one thought to their collective minds: "I don't deserve to be here!"
For those who feel they are basically good people who don't need to be saved and and that "sin" is an antiquated concept that psychology and philosophy have liberated them from, to be in Hell based on that should bring one thought to their collective minds as well: "I don't deserve to be here!"
Jesus said: "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father but by Me" (John 14:6). Thus one has to make a decision: Am I a sinner or not? Do I need Jesus or not? Your answers to these questions will set the path of your life, both here and into eternity...
Yours to consider
Pastor Mike
For those who know they are wretched sinners saved by the blood and mercy of a Jesus they cannot see, to be in Heaven based on that should bring one thought to their collective minds: "I don't deserve to be here!"
For those who feel they are basically good people who don't need to be saved and and that "sin" is an antiquated concept that psychology and philosophy have liberated them from, to be in Hell based on that should bring one thought to their collective minds as well: "I don't deserve to be here!"
Jesus said: "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father but by Me" (John 14:6). Thus one has to make a decision: Am I a sinner or not? Do I need Jesus or not? Your answers to these questions will set the path of your life, both here and into eternity...
Yours to consider
Pastor Mike
"Excuse me sir..."
So I'm walking out of Stater Bros. and these two women come up to me as I am approaching my truck. I instantly know who I am dealing with. My wife has given them money on numerous occasions and has always relayed the story to me emphasizing how they seem both pathetic and also possibly con artists at the same time. Their standard line is that they need money for a hotel room and they accentuate their need by either having grandma in a wheelchair (whom I encountered) or the whole family including small children.
Now, are they really homeless? Am I being conned? As I reached for my wallet, I had a "God Moment" where He opened my eyes to a salient truth that I had lived every day but never really grasped.
That being: How often do I come to Jesus, giving Him the standard line about being sorry for my sin and asking Him for forgiveness? How many times do I repent but find myself back in Heaven's parking lot, trying to panhandle mercy and grace from one who loved me enough to die for me, but whom I apparently don't love enough to "go and sin no more"?
I am humbled by the mercy and grace of God and I know I am not alone.
Pastor Mike
Now, are they really homeless? Am I being conned? As I reached for my wallet, I had a "God Moment" where He opened my eyes to a salient truth that I had lived every day but never really grasped.
That being: How often do I come to Jesus, giving Him the standard line about being sorry for my sin and asking Him for forgiveness? How many times do I repent but find myself back in Heaven's parking lot, trying to panhandle mercy and grace from one who loved me enough to die for me, but whom I apparently don't love enough to "go and sin no more"?
I am humbled by the mercy and grace of God and I know I am not alone.
Pastor Mike
Giving thanks to whom?
As I was checking the internet for anything of interest, I came across this interesting link: www.wikihow.com/Create-a-Personal-Prayer-of-Thanks-for-Thanksgiving Seeing this and reading the page that followed made me ponder the concepts of thanks and gratitude. Thanksgiving, as a national holiday, stems from the deeply seated need for people to recognize something beyond themselves, that we know in our hearts that we don't deserve all the good things in our lives...that they are a gift.
So we are compelled to give thanks. But to what or whom? See, that's where Thanksgiving breaks down for the atheist or the humanist. They have no anchor in this tempest. With no one there, they have nothing...no one to thank for the good, no one to question for the bad. Only themselves. Because if I truly believe there is no God, or that God has abandoned us, then Thanksgiving is simply a celebration of self. A day to exalt how great I am and to "thank" all those who bring pleasure to me. The "god" of the atheist is himself.
"They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator-who is forever praised. Amen." (Romans 1:25) Other people count as created things. We have to place our focus on God first. If our vertical relationship is right (between God and us) then all our horizontal ones (between everyone else and us) will be as well.
Pastor Mike
So we are compelled to give thanks. But to what or whom? See, that's where Thanksgiving breaks down for the atheist or the humanist. They have no anchor in this tempest. With no one there, they have nothing...no one to thank for the good, no one to question for the bad. Only themselves. Because if I truly believe there is no God, or that God has abandoned us, then Thanksgiving is simply a celebration of self. A day to exalt how great I am and to "thank" all those who bring pleasure to me. The "god" of the atheist is himself.
"They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator-who is forever praised. Amen." (Romans 1:25) Other people count as created things. We have to place our focus on God first. If our vertical relationship is right (between God and us) then all our horizontal ones (between everyone else and us) will be as well.
Pastor Mike
"What you fear in the night in the day comes to call anyway..."
We try to not live by stereotypes, by fears, by prejudice, but they are our default mode. We try to be different, more progressive, more advanced than those who came before. But all we seem to do is find more articulate, politically correct ways to judge and alienate each other. We are, as a species, lost and broken, prone to tribalism, hedonism, greed and jealosy. Reaching out into the unknown, we try to find meaning and hope in leaders, in learning, in philosophy, in religion. All of which have failed and came up short. If they had not, utopia would be here. Why am I saying all this? What is the point?
Just this: Into all of this insert Jesus. Insert the Cross and the open tomb. Insert the Word of God.
Only in the power of the cross can we be freed from the fallen nature that rules over us and all of creation.
Only from the peace with God that Christ bought for us with His blood, can we know peace with ourselves and others.
Only then can we forgive and seek forgiveness.
Only then can we look past race, culture and class and see all people as God sees them: so important that He was willing to give His only begotten son so that all who believe in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16)
Pastor Mike
Just this: Into all of this insert Jesus. Insert the Cross and the open tomb. Insert the Word of God.
Only in the power of the cross can we be freed from the fallen nature that rules over us and all of creation.
Only from the peace with God that Christ bought for us with His blood, can we know peace with ourselves and others.
Only then can we forgive and seek forgiveness.
Only then can we look past race, culture and class and see all people as God sees them: so important that He was willing to give His only begotten son so that all who believe in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16)
Pastor Mike
Ends vs. Means
Ends vs. Means
All a man's ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart. (Proverbs 21:2)
We can rationalize anything we do. We can always come up with a good reason why we did what we did. But the real question is this: how do we know when a decision is the right one? And if what that decision costs you is worth making the decision?
Ultimately, through His power and authority, our freewill and the Holy Spirit working in the life of the believer, God is in control. He is playing out this drama, this grand act on a stage that seems so vast and intricate to us, but is really well within His ability to handle. So broad and infinite, and yet He is concerned with me and my struggles, my failings, my hopes, my fears. So when we weigh decisions, we have to weigh the consequences not just on the immediate level but on the eternal level as well.
Even in the light of that, all our ways seem right to us. Think about it: Do you ever say "Ok that would be the best thing to do...let's do this instead." No, everybody makes what they feel and think to be their FIRST AND BEST DECISION every time, all day, every day. And in retrospect, many of our decisions turn out to be stupid, selfish, sad, or sinful, but hindsight is always 20/20...
Thus, for the believer, God is going to look at our motives, He is going to weigh our hearts, to reveal what we were thinking, why we made the decisions we made. Now this all happens in the light of God's all-knowingness, so there will be no mistakes: God will get it right, every time, all day, every day, till we stand before Him for judgment.
For God, the end (the salvation of sinful humanity) justified the means (the sinless life and brutal atoning death of Christ). Now we have to decide: if we live our lives for an end (seeing as many people come to Christ before He returns for us) what means are we willing to go to? Knowing that God will weigh our hearts, we must find the same selfless love that God showed in sending Christ and reflect that in the lives of first our family and friends, then everyone else.
Not that any of this is easy, but this is the direction we need to be moving in...
Pastor Mike
All a man's ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart. (Proverbs 21:2)
We can rationalize anything we do. We can always come up with a good reason why we did what we did. But the real question is this: how do we know when a decision is the right one? And if what that decision costs you is worth making the decision?
Ultimately, through His power and authority, our freewill and the Holy Spirit working in the life of the believer, God is in control. He is playing out this drama, this grand act on a stage that seems so vast and intricate to us, but is really well within His ability to handle. So broad and infinite, and yet He is concerned with me and my struggles, my failings, my hopes, my fears. So when we weigh decisions, we have to weigh the consequences not just on the immediate level but on the eternal level as well.
Even in the light of that, all our ways seem right to us. Think about it: Do you ever say "Ok that would be the best thing to do...let's do this instead." No, everybody makes what they feel and think to be their FIRST AND BEST DECISION every time, all day, every day. And in retrospect, many of our decisions turn out to be stupid, selfish, sad, or sinful, but hindsight is always 20/20...
Thus, for the believer, God is going to look at our motives, He is going to weigh our hearts, to reveal what we were thinking, why we made the decisions we made. Now this all happens in the light of God's all-knowingness, so there will be no mistakes: God will get it right, every time, all day, every day, till we stand before Him for judgment.
For God, the end (the salvation of sinful humanity) justified the means (the sinless life and brutal atoning death of Christ). Now we have to decide: if we live our lives for an end (seeing as many people come to Christ before He returns for us) what means are we willing to go to? Knowing that God will weigh our hearts, we must find the same selfless love that God showed in sending Christ and reflect that in the lives of first our family and friends, then everyone else.
Not that any of this is easy, but this is the direction we need to be moving in...
Pastor Mike
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