It's Ok to not be Ok

(audio can be found here)

Matthew 11:25-30

At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Preaching is often a balancing act and it can be easy for any preacher to "bury the lead" in a sermon. It's easy to dive into the text or present wonderful illustrations or share challenging applications but neglect to emphasize the main point of the passage. I don't want to do that today. I believe the message of this text and the implications that flow from it are too important. So, I want to sum up this text and its implications with one phrase that you will hear me say multiple times this morning and I've been praying that it's truth will resonate in our hearts long after we've left this building. The phrase is this: "It's Ok to not be Ok"

My goal this morning is two fold. The first thing I'm trusting God to do in our time together is to establish the truth of the reality that it's Ok to not be Ok. We will look closely at Jesus' words recorded in Mt 11 to determine that Jesus invites us in, even when (or maybe especially when) we are not ok. It's important to see this directly in God's word so that you know that I'm not making this up. My second goal is to consider at least some of the implications of this truth. How does owning it affect our view of God, of Jesus and of ourselves? How do we relate within the body of Christ? How do we pray? And more.

Since our text this morning stands in the flow of a discourse Jesus is having with the people who have been following him around the Galilean countryside, it is important for us to know what has gone before. The chapter starts with an exchange between Jesus and some followers of John the Baptist. Jesus basic response is "Look at the prophecies in the Old Testament and look at me. What else would you expect from the Son of Man?" Then he compares the crowds to fickle children who ask for one thing but are then unhappy when they receive that thing. In turn they ask for exactly the opposite. Following this exchange he rebukes the Jewish cities where he has done a majority of his preaching and miracles. They have been blessed with the Old Testament scriptures plus the preaching and the miracles of Jesus. And yet they don't believe. 

This is the very point our text takes an amazing turn. The progression so far has been downward: questioning, followed by fickleness, followed by out right rejection. Can there possibly be any hope for any one of us? The answer lays in Jesus' response to this impossible dilemma. He doesn't call down fire from heaven nor does he walk away wringing his hands. Instead, he prays. 

Jesus thanks his Father (our Father) that he has hidden the truth of the reality of the gospel from wise and learned people and he's given that insight to people who have the faith of little children. In Jesus' culture, as well as our own, this statement is upside down. Children, especially little children, don't have any authority. Doesn't might make right? Aren't the smartest people usually CEOs and presidents? Aren't the wisest ones those who shape culture and aspire to the Supreme Court? How then can Jesus say the Father has decided to reveal his truth, The Truth, to those with a child like faith? Interestingly, Jesus doesn't defend his statement. Instead, as he does so often in the book of Matthew, he simply appeals to the authority that God has given him.

In fact, Jesus' divinely given authority is the point in the first part of verse 27. This one idea should both fill us with awe and draw us in like a magnet. Jesus is not just an ordinary carpenter. He is not simply a good, moral teacher. He has been given all things by God our Father. Because of this Jesus is worthy of our worship. In addition, since he has been given all things, he is able to hear and respond to our deepest needs. We don't (we can't) bring him anything. We come empty. And that's ok. 

Jesus' other point in this verse is less about his authority and more about his people. We are part of the all things that have been given to Jesus. And he is the one whom reveals the Father to us.  Consider this: any wisdom you have, any insight you may possess, and faith you lean upon, it all is a gracious gift of Jesus. It has been said we tremendously underestimate what Jesus does for us on a daily basis and simultaneously overestimate what we bring to the table. 

This leads Jesus to offer his stunning invitation in v28. "Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." In one sense, this is just a continuation of Jesus' flow of upside down thought. Not the wise, but the child like; not the self sufficient, but those dependent on Christ. And now it is not those who have it all together but those who are toiling, and struggling that Jesus invites to find rest in Him.

What's stunning, at least to me, is the imagery of exchange. We understand and accept the idea of exchange when it comes to our sins: Jesus bearing our sins on the cross while giving us his own rigtheousness in which we can stand before our Father. However, here we have that idea laid before us with our burdens and struggles.  Jesus is inviting each of us to exchange the things that grip us, that weigh us down and exchange them for rest and refreshment.

The two descriptive words here may help us get the idea Jesus is trying to communicate. The word "labor" conveys the intensity of fatigue, laboring to exhaustion. Picture a marathoner who has run in high humidity, against the wind and up hill. This is not "I carried a box of books up a flight of stairs and I'm winded." Rather, this is "I can barely stand, every muscle is screaming, my mind is in a blind whirl, my emotions are all over the map and I simply want to quit." The other word is "heavy laden" This carries with it the idea of improper over loading.  Imagine a large pack loaded on your back that is too heavy for you and it unevenly packed so that you are constantly leaning to one side or another. Together we have the perfect storm for despair and disillusionment. 

What's interesting, encouraging and freeing is that Jesus doesn't look at our weariness and say try harder or call us wimps for being fatigued. He is not like the coaches at the Olympics. They are very much into and concerned for their athlete's performance, yet powerless to affect the outcome of the event. Nor does he condem us when we find ourselves in this state of exhaustion. Instead, he opens the floodgates of his mercy and invites everyone to come to him for rest. And the rest he offers is a rest that conveys both a break in the action but also a recharging and refreshing for the journey ahead.

Notice the rest and refuge that Jesus offers to his disciples is not completely unconditional. He is asking something of us in return. Now, I realize most of us are used a quid pro quo in our own personal relationships. A favor granted in expectation of a favor returned. But that's not how Jesus operates. As usual, Jesus' condition is paradoxical. He seeks out the weary and the burdened and offers them rest and a load that is light, which also fresh and nimble. Instead of a task master, he offers to teach us as one who is both gentle and humble.

And, there is one other item to point out. What Jesus is inviting us into is not simply physical rest or relief from our emotional loads. I think these are a part of what he is getting at, but in verse 29 he makes it clear that the main emphasis is a rest for our souls. Along the same lines as Heb 4:9-10, Jesus is offering us rest from the exhausting work of trying to save our souls. And in this setting, the soul is the essence of who we are. Jesus is saying that we can have rest physically, emotionally and spiritually when we allow him to carry the load we could never carry. 

So, here's the question that has been rolling around in my mind and pressing on my heart for the past several weeks as I've thought about the realities of this passage: What difference does it make? Just because we know a few more facts about Jesus and what he taught doesn't automatically mean that it will impact our lives. These truths and their implications need to sink from our heads to hearts. We need to own them and they need to own us. 

Let's look at the vertical implications first. If it's ok to not be ok and if Jesus is inviting us to come to him for rest and if everything has been given to Jesus by the Father, then how should this impact our relationship with God. First of all, it should impact how we pray. It means we can be honest and candid with God. If we're hurting, we can tell Him. If we're angry, we can let Him know. If we have deep, faith-testing questions, we can ask Him. Maybe all we can do is groan because we are too tired or stressed or guilt ridden to say or think anything. Then just groan. Nothing in your heart or mind is a surpirse to Jesus. He knows the blackest, bleakest corner of our hearts. And know this: he loves us anyway! Dear brother and sister in Christ, Rom 5:8 is always and forever true. "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

The next implication is that it should affect our worship. As the the song goes, oh the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free. Layered on top of saving us, layered on top of giving us his righteousness, layered on top of adopting us and bringing us back into the family of God, all of which are gracious gifts that defy our imaginations. Layered on top of all of that, these verses tell us that Jesus wants to give us even more. He wants to pile on and graciously give us the rest and relief we so desperately need. 

For a moment, for even a split second, have you considered what it cost Jesus to give us this rest? If we no longer need to bear the load, who's bearing it? If we no longer need to worry or fret, who's taking care of the issue? If we are allowed to sleep all night (either literally of figuratively), who is staying up all night? The answer to each of these questions is Jesus. What an additional cause for us to worhsip. To adore Christ our Savior and Lord, Redeemer and Friend. And to say thank you to our good, good Father who has given Jesus to us but has also given us to Jesus.

And, a third vertical implication is a deepening of our faith. Much, if not all, of Christian faith is paradoxical. For example: "the only way to save your life is to loose it". Or "what has happened to me (jail) has served to advance the gospel". Or "blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" Each one of the statements and the myriads of others throughout God's word require faith. And so it is with the rest that Jesus provides. Will we trust him for it? Do we really believe that Jesus loves us that much and that his authority is so extensive that he can actually do what he promised he would do. This passage is calling us to exercise our faith and take Jesus at his word.

Now, I want to move to a few of the horizontal implications of our text. How do these verses impact our relationships within the church and our own families? The first implication that jumped out at me is that if we are all weak and wounded, sick and sore, then we are all equal in our need for the rest and relief that only Jesus can bring. And since we are all needy in some way or burdened in some way or just exhausted in some way, there is no ground for boasting. Instead, we are invited to see our brothers and sisters, each one of us, as people who need to pointed (or maybe carried) to Jesus.

Another horizontal implication is one of freedom. If it's ok to be not ok, if Jesus is really inviting us to come with our weariness and struggles and guilt and shame and we are all in this together, then we no longer need to pretend that we've got it altogether. Since we have been freed up to be honest with God, we are now freed up to be honest with each other. If our prayer life has become anemic, it's ok to share that. If our marriage has hit a prolonged dry patch, it's ok to admit it. If we are stressed at work or our kids are off the rails, we can be honest with each other. If our aging body or atrophying minds are causing anxiety, if doubts about our salvation plauge us, if we are sitting here and want to raise our fist to God, we can be open to these struggles. We really are in this together. Together as a body and together with our Savior. 

I want to pause here for just a moment to be really candid with you. You are my friends. You are my family. I want so much for this sermon to not simply be a theoretical exercise. I've prayed and pleaded that this sermon would be real for each one of you. As a result, the strong conviction I have is that if this sermon is going to be real for you, it has to be real for me. In other words, I need to be ok with not being ok.

So, I could spend the precious time we have together and say things like, I struggle just like you (which I do) or that I need the rest and relief only Jesus can provide just like you (which I do). But I don't think that models these implications very well. Instead, because Jesus is beckoning all of us, including me, to come to him for rest and because that rest and relief gives me the freedom to be open with God and with all of you, I want to share with you just one way the Spirit has brought the reality of this text home to me.

As many of you know, I have the honor as serving you as the Chairman of the Elder Council. In that role, I've come to the point where I've realized I'm weary, fatigued to the point of exhaustion and heavy laden, carrying too big of a load and doing so improperly. My response to date has been: try harder, do it differently, bury my head or simply get frustrated. And then along comes Mt 11:28 and Jesus' sweet invitation to come to him for rest. So there I was, less than a week ago, well into crafting this sermon and not really owning it for myself. The invitation is sitting right in front of me and I hesitate to take it. You see, there is a very proud man standing up here this morning. And sometimes instead of having childlike faith, I have childish tantrums. Like the proverbial two year old, I basically tell God: I can do it myself. 

But, this reality in me, and I think in some form, in each of us leads me to my final implication and it really ties this all together. Since Jesus is calling us to rest in him, to trust in him and take up his yoke and since we are now free to be honest with him and honest with each other, we have both the privilege and responsibility to pray for one another. You see, I don't simply need your high level, generic prayers. I also need street level, tear stained prayers. 

As we make use of our freedom to express when we are not ok, we have this privilege of  carrying each other's burdens before the throne of God's grace. Its a privilege because God has designed so much of the spiritual reality to work by the means of prayer. But it's a responsibility because we are family, true family. I've got your back. And you've mine. And it's a responsibility because we are all in this together. Our struggles may be different. What drags us down and burdens us may be a unique as our fingerprints, but each one of us is still battling against sin, battling against self and battling against an enemy that seeks to devour us.

Here at LEFC, we are attempting to put tools in place for us to fulfill this responsibility and to engage in this privilege.  The first tool, which has been around for nearly a year is our post service prayer right up front each week. We are here to pray with you, not as people who have figured it out, but as people who are also weary and are seeking find our rest in Jesus.

The second tool we inaurated a few months ago is our faith family prayer time. As the name implies, this is for us as a family. Brothers and sisters who are in the fight together and are desirous to lift each other and the needs of this body before the Father. On the 2nd Sunday of each month, including today, we can gather and pray of our common needs, both physical and spiritual 

The third tool that we are developing and refining in this regard is our small group ministry. Ryan will have much more to say about small groups in September. But one of the key components of our small groups will be a venue where we can share with a closer group of folks the deep aches of our hearts. In a small group is probably the best place to begin realizing and practicing that it is ok to not be ok.

So, as we prepare to continue to worship via music, I want you to consider what load you might be under. What spiritual weight are you struggling to carry all by yourself? I would ask you to take seriously the invitation of Jesus: Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden. He will give you rest. I would encourage you to own the reality that the Father has given all things to Jesus and that includes each one of us. And I would invite you join us for prayer, whether at the end of service or at our faith family prayer time or in a small group. Worship. Trust. Pray. 

Remember

(preached 3/24/2016)

1 Corinthians 15:1-4

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,


Introduction

What do you think is the most dangerous place for a Christian to be?

Perhaps it's in a country that's hostile to the gospel like North Korea or Iran. Yet, God's word encourages us to not fear man, even though they may seek to kill us.

Perhaps it's living in the midst of a sinful, immoral and amoral culture. But God's word is full of guidance on how to live in the midst of such a culture and the examples of both Jesus and the early church would actually encourage us go and seek this type of opportunity.

Perhaps it's living with our own sin and apathy. Even here, we are exhorted by Scripture to turn and find life. To return like the prodigal son. To plead for mercy like the tax collector. To say I'm undone like Isaiah.

I would submit to you that the most dangerous place for a Christian to be is in a religious system. Consider the Pharisees. They had Jesus killed to protect their system. Consider the parade of kings in Israel's history. How many started well, trusting in God yet to crash and burn as they began trusting in themselves? Consider Paul. Even he was given a thorn in the flesh to remind him that God's grace is made perfect in weakness.

And, consider the Corinthian church. They had it made. They were the mega church of their day. If they could have, they would have done multi site, written their own ciriculum, maybe hosted a pastors conference. They had everything a church of their day needed. Except they were in grave danger. They were in danger of loosing the gospel.
 
Tonight brothers and sisters we face a very similar danger. We are at the apex of the church calendar. Palm Sunday through Easter, Holy Week as it were, is the centerpiece of why any church exists. Christmas leads to Easter. Every Sunday service points to Jesus' death and resurrection. Communion proclaims what Jesus accomplished for us. All of this is designed to worship the God of glory and to remind us of who he is, what he's done and what he continues to do.

And yet, if we are not careful, we too could be in danger. We could be in the danger of familiarity. In the danger of "I've heard that, what's next". In danger of loosing the awe of Christ and the gospel. In danger of falling into the trap of thinking we're really not that bad, are we?

So, as Paul comes to the end of his first letter to the church in Corinth he sees this danger and he needs to remind them of what is truly important and essential as they continue to grow and serve the living God. He has written about leadership. He has written about wisdom. He written about giving up their rights for the sake of others. He has written about the grace gifts lavished on church by the Spirit. And, he has written about true, agape love. With all of that, he concludes by saying, I need you to focus on something really important. I need to remind you of the gospel.

What is the gospel?

Well, that begs a question, doesn't it? What exactly is the gospel? It seems we are all pretty good at throwing terms around without defining what we mean. We do this at work. We do this at home. We do this a lot on social media. And the result? There are a whole bunch of people talking past each other.

Now, we can't address every definitional problem tonight, be we can tackle one. What exactly is the gospel? Some of you might want to say "it's the good news", which in fact it is. But in reality, in doing that aren't we just trading one assumed term for another? So what is this gospel? What is this good news?

It starts with a couple of facts. The first is this: God created everything good. The plants and animals, mountains, rivers and oceans. Man and woman. Everything was good. And God and his people lived together, face to face.

The second fact is this: the first man, Adam, chose to disobey God in an attempt to be God himself. That disobedience fractured everything. Sin entered the world, and to make things even worse, because of this fracturing, everything in God's good, perfect world was now subject to decay and death. What was once a personal, intimate relationship with God was torn apart and ruined.

What makes this fractured and ruined relationship with God so incredibly tragic is that we each have faint memories of "the good old days". Something inside of us says this can't be all there is. But we are blind to the way out, of the way back. We are, in every sense of the word, lost.

But God decided, even before Adam rebelled and fractured all of creation, that out of the overflow of his love and grace and mercy he would rescue a people for himself. His dilemma, of course, was that the rebellion and sin, both conscious and subconscious really occurred and really needed to be paid for. It's like my Discover bill. Somebody simply saying "it's paid for" doesn't actually pay for it. Somebody has to write the check.

And it's more than that. Paying the bill is a huge thing, because our debt is infinite. But paying the bill doesn't fix the heart of the problem. How can I, a broken, rebellious sinner be reunited with my pure, holy, loving Father? Nothing can bridge that gap, can it?

Enter the hero: Jesus. He is our good news. He is our sin bearer. Whatever debt we owe God and whatever debt we continue to accumulate along the way, Jesus paid it all. And on top of that, he has restored us to a right relationship with our Heavenly Father. Each of us was at one time were far away from God. But through Jesus we have been brought near. Not only that, he has also begun repairing and restoring us, giving us a new heart, new motives and a new reason to live.

What is our hope?

Notice that Paul's emphasis on reminding the Corinthians of the gospel was not simply for a history lesson. He saw the danger we all face of isolating our salvation to a point in time event. Let me be clear, it is crucial that we remember and continue to praise God for what Jesus has done for us at Calvary two millennia ago. It is huge. It is significant. But it is not the complete picture. Our salvation is not simply a historic, point in time salvation. There is a future dimension to it as well.

Some day, each of us will stand before God. There will be no hiding on that day. As Moses got a glimpse, as Job got a glimpse, as Isaiah got a glimpse, as John got glimpse, standing before God is a terrifying thing. On that day, who will be your advocate? On that day, who will save you from the pure holiness of God? What hope, what confidence, what assurance do you have that you will be able to spend even a moment with God, much less an eternity?

Once again we look to our hero Jesus. As Paul says here and elsewhere, Jesus not only paid for all our sins, past, present and future. Not only did he destory the wall of hostility and alienation between us and God. But he also secured for us an eternal redemption. When he says in Rom 8:38-39 that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Jesus, he's looking from today forward. Jesus will keep us. Jesus will save us. As the author of Jude says so eloquently: "Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen."

What about today?

And that leaves us with today. March 24, 2016. Jesus has saved us from our sins. He has restored us to the family of God. He will deliver us safe into God's presence one day. But what about today? What about difficult marriages? What about cancer or Alzheimer's? What about job loss? What about wayward children or unsaved parents? What about terrorist attacks? What the loss of infant children? What about the next curve ball life throws at us? What then? Between trusting Christ and being ushered into God's presence are we left to ourselves?

The reason Paul wanted the Corinthians to remember the gospel is precisely for these questions. Since Jesus really is our hero, he is walking with us in the midst of each of these things. He walking with us in our marriages, in our health concerns, in our job situations, as we deal with children or parents or siblings, as we grieve for love ones who have died, whatever their age. And while we don't know what tomorrow holds, Jesus does. Even now he is preparing us for what's coming next. Jesus said that he would never leave us nor would he foresake us. Brothers and sisters hear me, Jesus keeps his promises.

In Romans 8, Paul states that Jesus is interceding for us. Think about that. Right now, whatever you may be dealing with, as big as it is, as bad as it is, Jesus knows, Jesus cares and Jesus is pleading for you personally before the throne of our Father. Think of Peter in the hours before the crucifixion. He boasted of his willingness to die with Jesus. Jesus told Peter that Satan had asked to sift Peter like wheat. (That's a scary thought). Jesus' reassurance to Peter was not that Jesus would forbid Satan, but rather that he had prayed for Peter. That is what delivered Peter through to the other side. Jesus prayed for him. And Jesus our hero, is personally praying for each one of his brothers and sisters, even now.

Conclusion

Since this is a message on remembering the gospel, I would like to conclude with just a couple of questions. The first one is this: what effect does the gospel have in your own life? Not the life of your spouse or your kids or your neighbors. What difference does Jesus make to you?  We all know that there are some things that have no affect, no pertinence to our lives. But the gospel is not one of those things. Gospel truths are make or break. Black or white. In or out. So for you, deep in your heart of hearts, what difference does any of this make to you?

My second question is this: how will you respond? Not to my words, but to God's Word. This is where the danger is. If we have enough religion, we can intellectually acknowledge everything that's been said and yet miss the point. The Pharisees were Old Testament experts, yet they missed the point. When God says come to me that you may have life, will you come? When Jesus says whoever believes in me will have eternal life, will you believe? When the Word says all those who seek me I will never cast our, will you seek Christ?

If you have trusted in Christ, this the gospel is an incredible picture of what Jesus did for you. But, if you have yet to take that step of faith, you are in the greatest danger. No ritual of this day or this weekend can rescue you. No amount of good works or wishful thinking can get you home again.  Only Jesus can do this. Only Jesus can save. What better day than today to trust in Jesus as your savior and begin to follow him as your Lord, to stop trying to save yourself or assuming your good works will outweigh your bad ones. Spiritually speaking, we are all in the same boat. We all desperately need a savior, a sustainer and someone to take us home. Jesus is the one who conquered sin, death and the grave. I plead with you, trust him today with your life.

Recommended Posts v4

Prayers For Christ's increase And Our decrease - Bloom - 2/4/2016

Fifteen Prayers For God's Power - Piper - 2/1/2016

Group Prayer Participants You Don't Want To Be - Burchett - 1/22/2016

When Abortion Suddenly Stopped Making Sense - Mathewes-Green - 1/22/2016

A Prayer For God's Blessing On Our Corporate Worship - S Smith - 1/10/2016

Three Questions To Ask Before Listening To Any Sermon - Reinke - 1/9/2016

Christmas 2015

"Therefore, when the time came for the eternal Son of God to be sent by his Father into the world, the work of the Holy Spirit was a quiet, unobtrusive work in the service of the Father and the Son. Through him the Father caused the Son to be conceived in Mary the virgin. So from the very beginning of Christ’s incarnation the Holy Spirit was quietly doing what needed to be done to put forward Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Savior of man." (John Piper)

"Infinite, and an infant.
Eternal, and yet born of a woman.
Almighty, and yet hanging on a woman’s breast.
Supporting a universe, and yet needing to be carried in a mother’s arms.
King of angels, and yet the reputed son of Joseph.
Heir of all things, and yet the carpenter’s despised son." (Charles Haddon Spurgeon)

"How shall we deal with such a child? Have our hands, soiled with daily toil, become too hard and too proud to fold in prayer at the sight of this child? Has our head become too full of serious thoughts … that we cannot bow our head in humility at the wonder of this child? Can we not forget all our stress and struggles, our sense of importance, and for once worship the child, as did the shepherds and the wise men from the East, bowing before the divine child in the manger like children?" (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

"The enemy is not going to win. Christmas is but the beginning of the story. The baby brought light into the darkness, and He would break the back of the powers through His later death and resurrection. If you’re struggling this Christmas season, don’t forget the rest of the story!" (Thomas Rainer)

Prior posts:

Day 26 | Day 25 | Day 24 | Day 23 | Day 22 | Day 21 | Day 20 | Day 19 | Day 18 | Day 17 | Day 16 | Day 15
Day 14 | Day 13 | Day 12 | Day 11 | Day 10 | Day 9 | Day 8 | Day 7 | Day 6 | Day 5 | Day 4 | Day 3 | Day 2
Day 1

Recommended Posts - v3

A Prayer For The First Day Of 2016 - S Smith - 1/1/2016

Yesterday - Chambers - 12/31/2015

Reading The Whole Bible In 2016 - Taylor - 12/29/2015

Be Devoted To Prayer - Piper - 12/27/2015

A Christmas Poem: Come To The Manger - Kruger - 12/23/2015

A Prayer For Marveling At The Tenderness And Humility Of Jesus Incarnation - S Smith - 12/22/2015

We Lepers - An Unusual Christmas Meditation - Wax - 12/22/2015

Striving For A More Intentional Life Of Prayer - Raymond - 12/15/2015

I Am The Elder Brother - Guthrie - 12/11/2015

A Prayer Of Hope For Our Kids And Grand Kids - S Smith - 12/10/2015

A Prayer For Our Worship To Be Filled With The Presence Of God - S Smith - 11/15/2015

Calvin's Advice For Right Prayer - Qaoud - 10/12/2015

Christmas Thoughts 2015

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). - Matthew 1:23

This passage, from one of the biblical accounts of Jesus birth, is fairly common and most of us have probably heard it or read it or sung it dozens, if not hundreds, of times over the years. In fact, one of the classic Christmas carols is "Come, O Come, Emmanuel". However, despite our familiarity with this statement of an angel to Jesus' step dad, if you're like me, you may have missed the stunning promise being made to all who would love and follow Jesus.

The promise spoken to Joseph, but in reality made to all who would align themselves with Jesus, is that through Jesus God would be with us. Now, most of us would acknowledge that if God is really God, he is everywhere all the time. That's simply part of being God. Since this is true, what's so special about Jesus coming to live among us so that God could be with us?  Here are just a couple of simple thoughts.

First the fact that God is everywhere doesn't guarantee his closeness or his favor. Have you ever been to a college or NFL football game? How about a concert or a Broadway show? How about shopping on Black Friday? In all of these situations you are physically close to a lot of people. But how many are you relationally close to? How many of the 70,000 people at the football game "have your back"? Very, very few, if any. But Immanuel means the God who is everywhere is now here for you. As we follow and trust in Jesus, he is on our side in ways we can't even imagine. And, looking forward to Good Friday, we can honestly say, Jesus has our back.

Second, there is an elephant in the room when it comes to our relationship with God. Most of us would rather not talk about it (thus the elephant in the room metaphor) but that doesn't change the reality. We would prefer to just wish it away or hope that somehow God might develop Alzheimer's. But ignoring or wishing away our problem with God doesn't remove it or resolve it. In fact it makes it worse. The problem is this: since the moment we were born, we have wanted to do things our way. We have offended, rejected, ridiculed and rebelled against God day after day for our entire lives. Even the "best" of us have done our good deeds in self directed ways, thus doubling down on the problem. 

Because of all of this, God really has no reason to come to be with us, much less to be on our side. And yet the promise is that he will. However, in order to do this, our problem must be resolved. We don't have the resources or the ability to fix the problem, but Jesus does.  So, implicit in the promise that Jesus will be God with us is an even deeper promise. Jesus will solve the problem that every man, woman and child on this planet has. We are sinners and rebels while God is holy and just. Jesus has come to take the just punishment owed to us so we can receive the gracious blessing of God being with us and for us.

And finally, while this may seem obvious, it is quite easily missed or minimized when we think about Jesus, especially at Christmas. If Jesus is to be Immanuel, which means God with us, he must be God. Why is this so important? Consider some of the additional promises made to those who trust in Jesus: We will one day be with him, Jesus is praying for us right now, We will have new bodies just like his, Nothing can take away God's love for us, and so many more. How can any of these promises be true, much less realized, if Jesus is not God?

So, as we celebrate and enjoy this great and glorious Christmas season, remember that Jesus is Immanuel for those who love him, follow him and trust him. May this Christmas be the one where we truly worship the savior king who is God with us. Immanuel.

Recomended Posts v2

Three Ways Movies Are Searching For The Gospel - G Ortlund - 12/8/2015

O Come Again Emmanuel - Wax - 12/3/2015

Why Celebrate Advent? - Boswell - 11/29/2015

A Prayer For The First Sunday Of Advent - S Smith - 11/29/2015

Prepare Him Room - Bloom - 11/29/2015

Only One Black Friday - Tripp - 11/27/2015

A Prayer For Thanksgiving Day - S Smith - 11/26/2015

Alone With God - Chan - 11/24/2015

A Prayer For Marinating In The "In All Things Goodness Of Jesus - S Smith - 11/21/2015

It Is Finished - Chambers - 11/21/2015

We All Need Help - Piper - 11/19/2015

Four Reasons Why Some Preachers Get Better And Others Dont - York - 11/18/2015

A Prayer Of Lament - S Smith - 11/14/2015

An Ephesians 3 Prayer

May (youu) have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. - Ephesians 3:18-19

Father, as I consider the multi-dimensional love of Christ, I would ask for your help to know and grasp just how big you are, how powerful you are, how holy you are, how majestic you are and how loving you are. The immesity of these qualities are really beyond my grasp and I need your Spirit to anchor them into my heart and soul.

On top of this, oh Lord allow the expanse of your sovereignty to soak into my bones. Grant me the privilege to really believe that you are able to do all things, that you are active everywhere accomplishing purposes that you have established since the foundation of time, and that you really truely know what you are doing. May this reality strengthen and establish my trust and faith in you.

In addition, dear Jesus, give me the eyes to see the depth to which I had fallen. I am not there anymore, which is a praise to your glorious grace, but I need to reminder that I am sustained solely and completely by your steadfast, faithful, ever-enduring love. Also, help me begin to begin to comprehend the depth to which you lowered yourself in order to redeem a people to  yourself. The creator steping into creation, the eternal one stepping into time, the sovereign one stepping into dependence and the holy, righteous one stepping into a broken, sinful. fallen world. All of this was not to rule or reign, but to suffer and to die. For me. Oh God when I consider this, I am undone.

And finally Father, graciously give me a glimpse of the breadth of what you are accomplishing by your Spirit. My vision is so small. My mind is so simple. My heart is so weak. My faith is so frail. But you are doing things in every home, in every community, in every nation around the world. You are calling people to faith in Christ even as I pray these words. You are pushing and proding people to serve you today in ways they may have never considered before. You are allowing people to suffer today for your glory and their ulitimate good. You truely are a good, good Father. Help me, help all your beloved children, to see this truth and transform us today even more into the image and likeness of your dear Son Jesus, in whose name I always and forver pray.

Amen.

Recommended Posts

You Are Meant To Move Mountains - Bloom - 11/12/2015

That Vital Moment In Every Preachers Week - Raymond - 11/8/2015

Intimate Theology - Chambers - 11/6/2015

Grace Driven Effort - Carson - 11/4/2015

Contemporary America And A Call To Prayer - Piper - added 11/3/2015

Give Me The Doubly Offensive Jesus Please - Wax - added 11/1/2015

Take Full Possession Of My Heart - J Wesley - added 11/1/2015

Has Authenticity Trumped Holiness? - McCracken - added 10/31/2015

5 Ways To Deepen Your Preaching - G Ortlund - added 10/30/2015

Justification By Faith - Chambers - added 10/28/2015

Prayer Teaches Us Our Unworthiness - Spurgeon - added 10/11/2015

Reliant on God through Prayer

(link to audio here)

Ephesians 3:14-21

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

In his book "Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God", Pastor Tim Keller states, "[Prayer] is the way we know God, the way we finally treat God as God. Prayer is simply the key to everything we need to do and be in life. We must learn to pray. We have to." Elsewhere Keller says: "To pray is to accept that we are, and always will be, wholly dependent on God for everything." 

Both of these statements by Tim Keller expand, to some degree, LEFC's value statement: We are reliant on God through prayer. However, if you're like me you a statement like this probably leads to some questions. What does this look like in real life? Does this apply to all things or just the "big" things? Does this affect us all the time or just on Sundays, at meals and when the in-laws visit?

But, perhaps your questions go a little deeper. How should I approach an all-knowing, all-powerful, perfectly holy God? Can my prayers really be effective if God is truely sovereign over all things and knows the end from the beginning? Does God really care about my small time needs when there are so many bigger issues around the world (and even in this congregation)?  The questions go on and on.

As you can probably sense, these are just a few of the prayer related questions I have wrestled with over the past 24 years. And, I have to admit that I'm still wrestling. I'm still learning and growing especially in regard to prayer. It seems every book I read on prayer or sermon I heard about prayer, while they may answer one question, the usually raise 2 or 3 more. But, what I've come to realize and rest upon, is that there is a foundation for prayer presented in Scriputre that we can rely upon despite our questions. This is the beginning. This is where we need to start. So, my singular goal for today to describe this foundation to you.

The text God has for us this monring is Eph 3:14-21. While there may be a few other passages that help lay the scriptural foundation of prayer, I was drawn to Paul's prayer in Ephesians for a couple of reasons. First of all, Ephesians is a fairly concise book. Paul has 3 chapters of theology followed by 3 chapters of application. This prayer sits at the hinge point between the theology and the application.  Because of this, Paul is fairly clear that both our doctrine and our practice are dependent on prayer. That theme plays out in the prayer itself.

On top of this, and perhaps more importantly, is the nature of Paul's prayer here in Ephesians 3. He doesn't dance around. He doesn't even worry about specific issues. He goes right to the bedrock reality of our true spiritual need. So I want to help us lay a foundation for prayer based Paul's approach here in Ephesians 3.

As we dive into the text this morning, I think it will be helpful if we break it down into 4 basic elements. While each of these aspects may not be present with each and every prayer we pray, upon reflection we should be able at least identify how their presence could improve our prayer lives.  The four facets of prayer that flow out of this passage are 1) the reason for our prayers, 2) the one to whom we are submitting our prayers 3) the nature of our prayers and 4) the anticipated result of our prayers.

The first aspect of any prayer is the reason it is offered. We can see this clearly in verse 14. Paul is not offering this prayer in a vacuum. He is looking back at what he has just described in verses 7-13. Consider for a moment what Paul has on his plate. He is called to preach to the Gentiles. He is called to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. He is called to proclaim the now revealed plan of God. He is called to help the church display the manifold, multifaceted wisdom of God. Just one of these assignments would probably drive any of us to despair, but all four? Are any of us surprised that Paul is focused on prayer?

However I don't believe the lesson here is to say "Oh look how profound Paul's ministry was, no wonder he needed to be reliant on God through prayer" Rather it should be "Look how profound our ministry could be, if we were reliant on God through prayer" And, perhaps more importantly, "In God's hands all ministry is profound, therefore we must be reliant on God through prayer"

Paul's reason for praying is also intimately tied what makes our prayers possible in the first place. Our access to God and our confidence that our prayers are heard and responded to are grounded in Christ. Think of Isa 6. How could Isaiah stand before a holy God? Because his sins were atoned for. And the same is true of us.

And yet, the reason we pray can easily slip from our grasp. I won't ask for a show of hands, but I want you to consider whether you fall into a similar trap to the one I can fall into. God calls me to do something out of my confort zone, perhaps even out of my real skill set. Because this is out of my zone, I pray. I seriously, fervently, relentlessly pray. God blesses both the obedience and the prayer. Because of this blessing, I'm asked to continue in the ministry, but now I have experience and knowledge. My prayer wanes. And slowly my fruitfulness does as well. Finally I put the ministry "on the shelf", because I feel that I am no longer called or gifted. 

Does this sound familiar? What's happened? Did my calling or gifting change? No. What changed was my reliance on God through prayer, because the reason I was praying changed. I started praying because I was desperate. But once I gained some self-confidence, I prayed because I wanted God's blessing and perhaps this even devolved into simply praying because that's what good Christians do. But what I've found, and perhaps you've found as well, is that Jm 4:3 is true. We ask and don't receive because we ask with wrong motives.

So, the first aspect of building a good foundation for prayer is getting our motives right, that we're desperate and dependent on Christ. But Paul doesn't stop there. He moves on in verses 14-16 to identify the one to whom he is praying. Consider these descriptors: God as Father, God as the originator of every human family and God as the one who has the riches of glory. These three descriptions are not meant to be an exhaustive portriat of God. But each one has a key element in solidifying our prayers.

The whole image of God as Father is especially powerful and helpful in how we approach God in our prayers. You see, we are not bartering with God when we pray. And we are not badgering God when we are in prayer. Rather we are coming to our loving, compassionate Father who wants what is best for us and for all his children. Add to this reality that God is not just our Father in a relational sense. He is also our Father in the creational sense. You see, Christians we have all been adopted into God's family. But that's not all. We've also been created and designed to be in God's family. That means we were meant to be here. Because of this, all that our Father has is ours.

And, the stunning thing about our praying to God is that his riches proceed from his glory. God's riches aren't something he posses, like you or me. I own a car. If I give that car away to some one, it is no longer mine. My riches have been depleted. God is different. His riches are part of who he is. As such he can give super abundantly and never dent his reserves. He is as rich today as he ever was or ever will be.

There is one final item related to this aspect of prayer that I think is important to draw out. Tim Keller points this out in the book I referenced earlier. It is the fact that we are praying to an actual person. We need to be careful, I need to be careful, to not slide into the trap of thinking of God as the Force, or that because he is spirit that somehow he is not a relational person. No, we are praying to a real person, a person who knows us and loves us and enjoys (yes enjoys) spending time conversing with us.

What we've seen so far from Paul is the importance of our reasons for praying that we  are desperate and dependant on Christ and the significance of knowing that we are praying to a loving Father whose riches never end. He moves from laying these planks in the floorboards of our prayers to the third plank which is the prayer request itself. Paul's prayer request has multiple layers, each of which depend upon and feed off one another. 

The initial prayer request is for strength in verse 16. This is not a prayer for physical strength but rather spiritual strength. In fact, this is strength that only the Holy Spirit can provide. Specifically he is praying on behalf of the Ephesians that they would have the spiritual strength so that Christ would dwell in their hearts through faith (verse 17). We'll come back to this in a minute, but notice how the next layer flows from this one.

Paul almost presupposes the answer to the first aspect of his request as he makes the second. Since the Ephesians are rooted and grounded in love, presumably because Jesus is dwelling in their hearts through faith, Paul now asks for more spiritual strength. This time the use spiritual strength is two fold. First is to be able to grasp the length and the breadth and the depth and the height (verse 18). The second is to know the unknowable love of Christ (verse 19).

At this point you're probably asking "what was Paul actually praying for?" or "how in the world could Paul's prayers ever correlate to my prayers?" Well, I'm glad you asked since those are the sorts of questions we should be asking every time we read or study our Bibles.

First, we need to remember that the Ephesians were already believers. The first two chapters make this abundantly clear. Thus, Paul is not praying for their salvation in the first part of verse 17.  But, if not salvation, then what? Paul is asking for the strength for us to continue on in our Christian walk. You see Paul knows what we sometimes forget. Salvation is not just a point in time event. 

For those of us who are Christians, there was a moment when the Holy Spirit broke into our lives, our need for Christ became suddenly real to us and we cried out in desperate need. But that was just the beginning. From that moment on, God the Holy Spirit has been working with us and working on us to be more and more conformed to the image of Christ. Call this sanctification, if you'd like. And even though the Sprit is doing all the heavy lifting, our growth in Christ doesn't happen without our cooperation. This requires faith and this requires strength.

But, how does this help us in our own prayers? I would submit there are at least three ways Paul's prayer requests can positively influence our own. The first would be via simple imitation. How do we learn to talk? We imitate the sound we hear around us. How do we learn walk? We imitate the people we see around us? How did my kids learn to love dogs and swimming? They saw Sally and me enjoying these things and imitated us.

How do we learn to pray? We imitate that prayers we read in Scripture.

Additionally, I think Paul is continuing his theme of our incredible dependence on God to accomplish anything of kingdom value. It is possible that our prayers need to reflect less  asking of God and more leaning on God. And that is what Paul is doing here.

One other lesson for us is one of priorities. As important as our present moment needs may be, Paul reminds us there are other, more pressing priorities, spiritual priorities, kingdom priorities. Perhaps the foundation of our prayers can be strengthened as we consider, remember and imitate not only Paul's style, but also his requests.

Interestingly however, as Paul moves into a second part of his prayer for spiritual strength, He basically assumes God's favorable answer from his prior request. Based on this, the next portion of his prayer is to ask for strength for the Ephesians to comprehend the length, the height, the breadth (verse 18).  Now if you're reading the ESV, the NASB or the NKJV you will notice that these translations don't have an object to the four dimensions.  The simple reason why is because there is no object recorded in the best manuscripts.

So what do we do? To what is Paul refering? The NIV takes the tact of most commentators and inserts the love of Christ. This is certainly a legitimate assumption to make since the 2nd part of this request also has to do with the love of Christ.  However, I personally like the ambiguity and here's why. Is the love of Christ multi-dimensional? Absolutely. And we need spiritual strength to even begin to grasp it. But what about the grace of Christ? Isn't it equally boundless? Don't we need the same quantity of spiritual strength to plunge all of its dimensions? And then there is the mercy of Christ and the compassion of Christ and faithfulness of Christ. We need spiritual strength to simply begin to comprehend each of these attributes of Jesus.

Notice also that Paul inserts the reality that we cannot fully comprehend much of anything about Christ or the gospel in isolation. Paul prays for the Ephesians that they would come to this comprehension together with all the saints. And not just the saints in Ephesus, but with the saints in Jerusalem and in Rome as well.  

How are we doing in this regard, La Crescent? I'm not asking about corporate prayer or our willingness to share our prayer needs at a bible study or small group, as important as those are. I'm wondering how often do we allow our prayers to grow beyond ourselves? Beyond our families? Beyond our close friends? Beyond our church? Beyond our gender, race, political party and tax bracket? I don't know about you, I still have a long way to go.

And then there's Paul's prayer request that the Ephesians would know the unknowable love of Christ. How do we process such a request? Is this even possible? According  to Phil 3 the answer would be yes. Its there that Paul states that he wants to know Christ and the power of his resurrection. In one sense then, this is Paul offering a supreme prayer request for the Ephesians. You see, if we know the multi-dimensional, boundless love of Christ and by this knowledge are filled with all the fullness of God, what else is left? And yet, in another sense, Paul continues to demonstrate our complete and utter need to be reliant on God through prayer.

Thus far we have seen how the bedrock of our prayer needs to be formed by a right motive (our desperate need and complete dependence on Christ), a true sense to whom we are praying (our loving Father who has boundless riches) and the biblical nature of the requests themselves (we need spiritual strength to really know the unknowable love of Christ). That brings us to the result. What is the biblical model for waiting on God? We could go elsewhere in Scripture and find different authors who approached this aspect of prayer somewhat differently. The most notable of these are David, Job and Jeremiah. But all things considered, verses 20 and 21 are a stellar example of how our hearts are to be tuned toward an expectant answer from God.

Let me read these verses slowly again and allow the words and the thoughts to soak into your hearts and minds.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Consider with me what Paul is stating in these verses:

First: Not only can God answer our prayers, not only can he answer all prayers, not only can he answer all prayers that are simply unexpressable groans, he can do so beyond our ability to ask or even ponder. You see Paul's theology of a sovereign, omnipotent, omniscient God didn't thwart his prayers; his view of God energized his prayers.

Next: The answer to our prayers will primarily come through the Holy Spirit working in the midst of the people of God. Think about that brothers and sisters. We are the instrument, via the power of the Holy Spirit, by which God provides answers to most of our prayers. Shouldn't this affect how we pray?  Shouldn't this affect why we pray? Shouldn't this affect for what we pray?

Finally: Perhaps it goes without saying, but I always seem to need the reminder, that the end goal of prayer actually isn't us. Even though we are the recipents of the answers and we are blessed as the pray-ers, God's glory is the end goal. But notice how Paul frames this statement of God's glory. It is his glory both in Christ and in the church. As we pray, and as we offer our requests, let's keep this end goal in mind. If we have a need or a burden, Scripture is clear, we are to lay them before the throne of grace. But let's do so with a heart attitude that wants not just the answer, but the glory of the God who graciously gives the answer.

------

I want to close with a prayer of Charles Spurgeon because we can all learn from those who are ahead of us in the school of prayer:

"O Lord, that we would cling to you more firmly than ever we have done. We trust that we can say we love you Lord, but Oh that we would love you more! Let this blessed flame feed on the very marrow of our bones. May the zeal of your house consume us; may we feel that we love you Lord with all our heart, with all our mind, with all our soul, with all our strength, and hence may there be about our life a special consecration, an immovable dedication unto you O Lord alone...

"O Lord Jesus, deepen in us our knowledge of you. We would that the Word of God were more sweet to us, more intensely precious, that we had a deeper hunger and thirst after it. Oh that our knowledge of the truth were more clear and our grip of it more steadfast. Teach us, O Lord, to know the reason for the hope that is in us, and to be able to defend the faith against all comers. Plough deep in us, great Lord, and let the roots of your grace strike into the roots of our being, until it shall be no longer we who live, but 'Christ who lives in us' "

In Rememberance of Jesus

And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” - Luke 22:19

What do you do to remember Jesus?

Most may ask, how could I possible forget Jesus? It may be true that we may not forget Jesus the way we forget many of the people we graduated kindergarten with. However, I am convinced there are other more subtle ways that we can forget Jesus.

We can forget his deity. In this mode of forgetfulness Jesus can become the every man, the friend and brother to us all. And while he is the friend of sinners and brother to those who believe, it is only because he was also fully God that we are able to call him brother and friend.

We can forget his humanity. Here we forget that Jesus really did live for 30+ years on this earth, enduring all that trials and temptations and simple inconveniences that we do. And we can also forget that he walked through those 30+ years without sinning, not because he was God, but because he was a man who relied fully on the Holy Spirit.

We can forget his ground-level compassion. I think its easy, at least for me, to take a high-level, fulfillment of God's plan view of Jesus' life, death and resurrection. And while this perspective is true, it is not all of what he was about. He took time to touch people, to talk with people, to celebrate with people and to weep with people. He came not only as a ransom, but also as a servant.

We can forget that he is praying for us. Whether it is Romans 8 or Luke 22 or John 17, Jesus' prayers for his people are the reason we are sustained in our faith. We may think we are spiritually mature, but the only reason this could possibly be the case is due to Jesus intercession on our behalf. Without that, we would be nothing.

So, what do you do to remember Jesus?

I could list several things, such as Bible reading, prayer, devotions, worship and communion that may help us. All of these and many others serve a vital role in aiding us in remembering Jesus. However, all of them can be empty and shallow if done simply as a means to an end. Bible reading isn't simply learning more about Jesus. Praying isn't simply getting our list in front of God. Devotions aren't simply collecting other people's opinions on Christianity. Worship is simply singing songs with adoring lyrics. Communion isn't simply eating a cracker and drinking grape juice with our like minded saints.

In each of these things there is an attitude of mind and heart that allows them to be the Holy Spirit's tool for us to remember Jesus. He can repurpose our Bible reading and help us to see Jesus in ways we may have forgotten. He can reshape our prayers so that we listen more than talk and come to remember that all of God's promises are Yes in Christ. He can realign our devotions in ways that bring out the reality that Jesus will never leave us nor forsake us, even in our forgetfulness. He can renew our worship, engaging our hearts and minds, allowing us to really adore the Father who loves us and the Son who died for us. And, He can reorient our communion. He can bring us to the point of knowing that we really are proclaiming something much bigger than ourselves and that while Jesus' death did save us, it accomplished and continues to accomplish so much more.

Now, what will you do to remember Jesus?

To God Alone be the Glory.

Lessons From The Fiery Serpent

And YHWH said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” - Num 21:8

At the beginning of Numbers 21 there is the account of the people grumbling (again) against God and Moses. The result of this grumbling was an infestation of "fiery serpents" whose bites were lethal. As I read this account today I wondered what relevance such a passage could have for me today. Here are a few thoughts I trust God desires for us to see out this text.

All Sin Has A Consequence

This may seem too obvious since in the text the people of Israel complain in once verse and receive the fiery serpents in the next. While this is very true and there is clearly a relationship between the grumbling and the sending of the serpents. However, there is more to the story. In the larger context of Numbers we need to remember why Israel is in the wilderness in the first place. Not too many chapters prior (Num 13-14), the people rebelled by not trusting God to deliver them safely into the promise land. Their forty years of wandering is a direct result of that lack of obedient faith. Sin always has a consequence.

God's Grace Overwhelms Our Sin

This account is a great example of the reality that God doesn't simply wink at sin or somehow simply erase our sins from the permanent record.  God is supremely and perfectly holy and righteous, so no sin is ignored and all sin must receive its just and equitable payment. In the case of the grumbling people, God provides a way for their faith to save them. They did not trust God to deliver them into the land. They did not trust God to continue to provide manna and water for their journey. Would they trust God to provide a way of escape from the fiery serpents? God's gracious provision of a bronze serpent on a pole provides not just an opportunity to believe, but actual salvation from the deadly bites of the serpents. And the same is true for us. God's grace will always overwhelm our sin.

Jesus Was Lifted Up So That We Might Live

Take a look at John 3:14-15

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

The imagery / typology is powerful.  Bronze serpent on a pole. Jesus on a cross. People dying for lack of faith saved by God's provision of a bronze serpent. People dying for lack of faith in God saved by God's provision of Jesus. Israel needed to look at the bronze serpent and trust that God would save them. We need to look to Jesus and trust that God will save us. The bronze serpent was, in essence, sacrificed for the sin of the people. Jesus was, in reality, sacrificed for sins of his people. Jesus was lifted up so that we could live.

To God Alone be the Glory

Our Great High Priest

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. - Heb 4:14-16 ESV

How often do we forget or ignore the reality that Jesus is our great high priest?

Do we know that he is our Savior? Check.

Redeemer? Got it.

Substitute? Yep.

Son of God? Amen!

Lord? Harder, but I think we usually get this too.

But High Priest? I'm not sure we know what to do with Jesus in this role. So instead of pressing in and allowing the Spirit to bring the Word to bear, we just move on. After all, it is easier, isn't it? What's the old saying? Ignorance is bliss...

And yet, as one reads through the book of Hebrews, one gets the sense that Jesus as High Priest was significant both to the author and to the people to whom he was passionately ministering. Here are just a few thoughts to whet your appetite and I pray pull you deeper in to both seeing and savoring more of who Jesus is.

First, Jesus, as our high priest, is not approaching the throne from the outside like every other high priest before him, but he is coming out from the altar. He is coming from heaven itself. He really is the Son of God, with all that reality implies. Later the author of Hebrews will clearly state that Jesus does not have to continually offer a sacrifice for himself as all prior high priests did. And, the sacrifice he did offer was not for his sins but for ours. Jesus is the one and only high priest sent from heaven for us.

Next, we hold on to our faith because Jesus is our high priest. Elsewhere the Bible is clear that Jesus preserves us. John 10 is a great example of this. And yet the author of Hebrews is exhorting his flock hold fast to their confession. The reason he gives is simply because Jesus, the Son of God, came from heaven to be our great high priest. Maybe it goes without saying, but I find it quite compelling that the Biblical writers don't often feel the need to coax or cajole us into obedience. For them it is a simple reality. If Jesus is who he says he is, obedience is not an option.

Beyond this is the truth that the role of high priest was to represent men and women before God. The high priest needed to identify with God and his holiness and yet also identify with mankind and our falleness. The priests in the Old Testament could not do this perfectly because they were just as sinful as the rest of us and thus couldn't really identify with God.  And, if Jesus had simply been God or even an angel, he couldn't identify with us. But in his incarnation Jesus, Son of God, sent from heaven for us can now sympathize with our temptation to sin. He now knows hunger and grief and humiliation and abandonment. Yet without sin. Because Jesus came here, not just as an observer, but as a participant, we can never claim that he doesn't get it or that my temptation or sin or circumstance is somehow greater than the Spirit can overcome. And because he is our sympathetic high priest, he is ready to forgive us and accept us when we confess, repent and believe.

And finally (at least for this post) Jesus, Son of God, sent from heaven to be our sympathetic high priest, has opened the door for us to the very throne of God. This is significant because it is a reversal of the at least part of the curse from Genesis 3. Man and woman were banished from God's presence due to their rebellion. But now, in Christ, we can return to the God who loves us. And we can return not as conquered foes nor as groveling servants, but as confident, beloved children. And as children our confidence is in our loving Father who will richly give us grace and mercy. It is amazing to think that God is always going to give us what is best in response to our prayers. Not always what we want, but always what is best.

So Jesus is our great high priest. He is certainly many other things, but let us remember that it is because he is interceding for us right now that our faith has not failed, we are able to have victory over sin and we are confident that there is an inheritance kept in heaven for us that is unfading, in unblemished and imperishable.

To God Alone be the Glory

Its Friday...

but Sunday's coming!

Thanks to Justin Taylor: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2014/04/18/its-fridaybut-sundays-comin

The audio is from Easter meditation S.M. Lockridge (1913-2000), pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in San Diego from 1953 to 1993.

http://vimeo.com/39886827

It’s Friday
Jesus is praying
Peter’s a sleeping
Judas is betraying
But Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
Pilate’s struggling
The council is conspiring
The crowd is vilifying
They don’t even know
That Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
The disciples are running
Like sheep without a shepherd
Mary’s crying
Peter is denying
But they don’t know
That Sunday’s a comin’

It’s Friday
The Romans beat my Jesus
They robe him in scarlet
They crown him with thorns
But they don’t know
That Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
See Jesus walking to Calvary
His blood dripping
His body stumbling
And his spirit’s burdened
But you see, it’s only Friday
Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
The world’s winning
People are sinning
And evil’s grinning

It’s Friday
The soldiers nail my Savior’s hands
To the cross
They nail my Savior’s feet
To the cross
And then they raise him up
Next to criminals

It’s Friday
But let me tell you something
Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
The disciples are questioning
What has happened to their King
And the Pharisees are celebrating
That their scheming
Has been achieved
But they don’t know
It’s only Friday
Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
He’s hanging on the cross
Feeling forsaken by his Father
Left alone and dying
Can nobody save him?
Ooooh
It’s Friday
But Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
The earth trembles
The sky grows dark
My King yields his spirit

It’s Friday
Hope is lost
Death has won
Sin has conquered
and Satan’s just a laughin’

It’s Friday
Jesus is buried
A soldier stands guard
And a rock is rolled into place

But it’s Friday
It is only Friday
Sunday is a comin’!

Take Heart. Get Up. He is calling you.

And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. - Mar 10:49-50

The more I reflect on this seemingly insignificant passage in Mark's narrative, the more implications I see and the more challenged I become. After you read the passage (Mk 10:46-52), I would ask you the prayerfully consider the following:

It is always Jesus who calls.  Sure, Bartimaeus was calling at the road side, but until Jesus said "call him" nothing changed in Bartimaeus' life.

It is right and good to call out to Jesus. Bartimaeus was calling out to Jesus to the point of annoying the disciples. In God's timing and providence, we may need to appear annoying to others as we seek out Jesus. We may need to be the persistent widow. But God does reward those who earnestly seek him.

There is an honor associated with Jesus calling us. I've lost sight of this. I'm too American, I guess, and think salvation and God's favor, grace and mercy are mine by right. They are not. So when Jesus calls us, it is an immense honor, privilege and it really, truly is a gift that is undeserved.

There is an unfettered joy (dare I say glee) in being called by Jesus. It is not just a religious transaction. It is not just a check box on a to do list. There is a joy in receiving something beyond expectation or imagination or deservedness. I've forgotten the immensity of my prior lostness. I've shrunk (in my mind) the gulf that had separated me and God. I've watered down the blackness of my sin. And yet Jesus' says of me: "call him"

I think one could find more here, but I need to stop and repent. Too often my approach to Jesus is much more like the the disciples (look back a few verses in Mk 10) than it is like Bartimaeus'. Perhaps today the Holy Spirit can open my eyes more fully to the powerful call of Jesus, to the need to be continually seeking after Christ, to the incredible honor of being called by Jesus all driving me to joyfully spring up and come to Jesus, my Lord and King.

To God Alone be the Glory

Consider Jesus

This advent and Christmas season, I've been struck again and again by the enormity of Jesus, the Son of Man. Christmas helps us think of his humble birth and the fact that he was born at all. After all God could just "show up" as a 30 year old, couldn't he? Easter helps us think of the physical suffering he endured to bear our sins, not to mention the even worse spiritual suffering his sacrifice required. However, in between the manger and the cross lived a person very much like us, except without sin. Yet, in his very humanity is the core of his role as our sympathetic high priest. Consider Heb 2:14-18

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

The basic conclusion is that Jesus had to be fully human in order to deliver us from our sins. Did we need his perfect, holy sacrifice? Absolutely. Did Jesus need to be fully God to bear the infinite offense of our sins? Without a doubt. And yet a Savior who was only God would have been insufficient, just like a Savior who was only man would also have been insufficient. We needed both. Fully God to satisfy the just wrath of God and fully man to intercede for us before the throne of grace.

So, as 2014 approaches, let's take serious again (or maybe for the first time) the call of Heb 3:1-6

Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God's house. 3 For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God's house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.

To God Alone Be The Glory

Why Jesus Came

(What follows is an excerpt from John Piper's 2013 Advent devotional. It is available for free here)

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. —Hebrews 2:14–15

Hebrews 2:14–15 is worth more than two minutes in an Advent devotional. These verses connect the beginning and the end of Jesus’s earthly life. They make clear why he came. They would be great to use with an unbelieving friend or family member to take them step by step through your Christian view of Christmas. It might go something like this…

“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood…”

The term “children” is taken from the previous verse and refers to the spiritual offspring of Christ, the Messiah (see Isaiah 8:18; 53:10). These are also the “children of God.” In other words, in sending Christ, God has the salvation of his “children” specially in view. It is true that “God so loved the world, that he sent [Jesus] (John 3:16).” But it is also true that God was especially “gathering the children of God who are scattered abroad” (John 11:52). God’s design was to offer Christ to the world, and to effect the salvation of his “children” (see 1 Timothy 4:10). You may experience adoption by receiving Christ (John 1:12).

“…he himself likewise partook of the same things [flesh and blood]…”

Christ existed before the incarnation. He was spirit. He was the eternal Word. He was with God and was God (John 1:1; Colossians 2:9). But he took on flesh and blood and clothed his deity with humanity. He became fully man and remained fully God. It is a great mystery in many ways. But it is at the heart of our faith and is what the Bible teaches.

“…that through death…”

The reason Jesus became man was to die. As God, he could not die for sinners. But as man he could. His aim was to die. Therefore he had to be born human. He was born to die. Good Friday is the reason for Christmas. This is what needs to be said today about the meaning of Christmas.

“…he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil…”

In dying, Christ de-fanged the devil. How? By covering all our sin. This means that Satan has no legitimate grounds to accuse us before God. “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies” (Romans 8:33). On what grounds does he justify? Through the blood of Jesus (Romans 5:9).

Satan’s ultimate weapon against us is our own sin. If the death of Jesus takes it away, the chief weapon of the devil is taken out of his hand. He cannot make a case for our death penalty, because the Judge has acquitted us by the death of his Son!

“…and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.”

So we are free from the fear of death. God has justified us. Satan cannot overturn that decree. And God means for our ultimate safety to have an immediate effect on our lives. He means for the happy ending to take away the slavery and fear of the now.

If we do not need to fear our last and greatest enemy, death, then we do not need to fear anything. We can be free: free for joy, free for others.

What a great Christmas present from God to us! And from us to the world!