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.

Advent 2015 - Day 23

"On this fourth week of Advent, we declare our awe of your matchless glory and measureless grace.  Continue to open the eyes of our hearts to behold even more of your incomparable beauty; expand the chambers of our hearts to make room even more of the wonders of your love. Free us to be generous and joyful as the Magi. Liberate us to love as you love us, to forgive as you have forgiven us, and to pursue others as you so faithfully seek us. So very Amen we pray, in your trustworthy and worship-worthy name. " (Scotty Smith)

Prior posts:

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

Advent 2015 - Day 1

"As we begin the season of Advent this Sunday, grant us grace for seeking your kingdom first, and our fiefdom of self, last. Rather than spending more money and worry on ourselves, where would you have us invest our time and treasures, talent and tears? Free us to love and serve others with joy, with the same generous love and sacrificial care you lavish on us. So very Amen we pray, in your grace-full and glorious name." (Scotty Smith)

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

The Gospel In My Basement Stairwell

This morning I found a mouse at the base of our basement stairwell. Fortunately for all (me, Sally and especially the mouse) it was still outside and I was coming down the stairs, not openning the door from the inside. So as I stood for a moment eying up this little creature, I decided in all my humanitarian kindness that I would rescue this poor thing.

Certainly, some kind of rescue was required. This mouse was doomed. He had no means of escape. The stairs are poured concrete and the walls are basement block. There would be no climbing. There would be no jumping. The little animal did not having the ability to save itself. On top of this there was no material for it to build a ramp or ladder or any other means of escape. In fact, even if I had thrown it the raw materials for a ladder, I doubt the mouse had the skills to construct the ladder. And to add to its dilemma, even if I could have explained how a ladder might be built, I am doubful that its paws could even do the work.

It was then that I realized that I would provide the means of its escape. I would simply place a small bucket on its side and let the mouse run (ok walk or wander) into the bucket. Its salvation would be a cooperative effort. I would provide the means and it would provide the will. And yet, it wanted nothing to do with my freely offered rescue. It had been trapped for most of the night; didn't it want to be free? Couldn't the mouse tell that I only wanted what was in its best interest? Wasn't it obvious that its rescue was contingent on it willfullly choosing to get into my freely offered bucket?

Well, the answer to all these questions was No. It didn't just avoid the bucket. It ran to the opposite corner. As much as the mouse probably hated the stairwell and at some level knew it was trapped and doomed, it clearly hated my bucket even more. It had an instinctual fear and "knew" that nothing good could possibly happen by going anywhere near that bucket.

At that point, my experiment with the free-will salvation of this mouse was over. It was time for some irresistable grace. I retreived a broom from the garage and proceed to attempt to "sweep" the mouse into the bucket. It took more than a few swipes and more than a few laps around the strairwell. It also resulted in a battered little mouse as he ran away from my rescue for every second...until it landed in the bucket and realized it was safe.

From there I carried the bucket, with the mouse bruised and tired, but very much intact, to a field near our house. I released the little creature into a new home, a home much more fit for him than the one he had been trapped in. He has been delivered, not by his own works or merit or skills or even desire. Instead, salvation came by grace, from the outside, unexpected, unwanted and yet in the end graciously received and joyfully embraced.

And if I, one who would just a quickly set a trap or leave out poison, would do this for a mouse that has no lasting value, how much more will the perfectly loving, gracious, merciful and compassionate God save and rescue and redeem and deliver us?

To God Alone be the Glory

Why Do We Resist Irresistible Grace?

Ephesians 1:7-8
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight

Ephesians 2:4-5
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

If there is one thing that resonates in throughout the book of Ephesians, it is the theme of grace. It is, without question, both the overarching point Paul is making but it is also the mortar and glue that hold his entire message together. We cannot worship, we cannot pray, we cannot serve, we cannot love, we cannot replace sin with righteousness, we cannot love our wives and husbands and parents and children nor can we stand against the spiritual forces arrayed against us without the grace of God.  So, Paul makes it abundantly clear that God's grace (and love and mercy) are prior. Prior to us believing. Prior to us repenting. Prior to us seeking. Prior to us even acknowledging. And yet, even as believers standing on this side of the Cross, we seem to resist this reality. For some reason, we want to resist the irresistible grace of God.

Why is this so? What is it that makes us want to run and / or hide from the grace of God?  There are a few things that come to mind, but I'm confident that this is by no means an exhaustive list.

First, the irresistable grace of God scares us. In saying this I don't mean it scares us like a horror film. Nor do I mean it is like the fear one might feel in an abusive relationship. What I mean when I say that the grace of God scares us is that it is beyond us and we cannot control it. It extends to people we may not wish it extended to. It covers sins we may not want covered. It is freely offered where we wish a price were attached. When all is said and done, irresistable grace is a staggering reminder that God is God and we are not. And this scares us.

In addition to being scared by the irresistable grace, we also resist it because don't really believe it. Whether we espouse an "its too good to be true" attitude or a "what about personal responsibility?" mindset, we all tend to try and limit the limitless grace of God. And even if we do get to the point of actually believing and trusting that God's grace is boundless and free, we often continue to trip up on the irresistable part. Can grace itself really affect a change in me? And if this is so, what does it say about my vaunted automony?

One final aspect of God's irresistable grace that causes resistance in us is that means God is in control and we are not. If he will save whom he will, what merit or contribution do we bring to the table? If we are redeemed 100% by the grace of God, then we really are spiritual begars and paupers. And, if this grace is irresistable then God is truely sovereign and I am not.

As I've considered these realities in my own heart and mind, I think this final truth might be the most difficult to embrace. I want so much to be in control, to be contributing, to be making a difference. But it only takes a little peeling of the onion to discover that these desires really mask a still prideful heart that is reluctant to give all the glory to God.  And yet, that is exactly what irresitable grace does. It places all the glory where it belongs: with God.

To God Alone be the Glory

An Open Confession To My Brothers And Sisters In Christ

Yesterday I read the following blog post by John Piper.

We Know They Are Killing Children-All Of Us Know

This morning as I was praying I was convicted that Piper's words were not simply a generic "you guys should have known better" but a specific "John Young, you do know better". Put succinctly, I have sinned by omission. I have let human life perish while I have stood idly by.

God is a God of mercy and grace. Christ has paid for this sin, along with the multitude of my other sins. But today this one sin and its ramifications demands a change.

I must turn from the cowardice of the crowd and turn toward the strength that God provides to speak for those with no voice.

I must turn from the laziness of thinking someone else can carry this burden and turn to the Spirit wrought reality that this may be my burden to bare.

I must turn from the fuzzy thinking that says politics and logical reasoning alone will stem the tide and turn to a prayer driven knowledge that hearts and minds must be changed by Christ.

I must turn from viewing people who disagree in this area as enemies or as ignorant or as something worse and turn to a Biblical, grace drenched view that would weep over sin and plead with God for true heart change and repentance.

Finally (at least for now) I must turn from being content with an occasional blog post or Facebook status and turn to a Christ empowered response that brings the full weight of the gospel to bare on this issue and others like it.

Please pray, not just for me but for the countless people affected by abortion. We don't know their names or stories, but God does.

To God Alone be the Glory

New Beginnings

What does one write on New Year's Day that has been written before? The start of a new year offers us so many opportunities. We can start a Bible reading plan. We can start a prayer journal. We can start a daily devotional. We can stop squandering our time. We can stop giving in to the one habit that has consumed us for years. We can stop being so self centered and start being more Christ centered.

And yet, all of this is surface level stuff. What really matters is not how well we know the Bible, but how well we know the God of the Bible. The Bible reading and praying, the replacing of sin with righteousness only truly comes when God invades our hearts and minds. When Jesus is first and foremost in what we think and say and do, that's what we are aiming for.

Will we ever get there? Quite frankly, no. But God's expectation is that we keep striving and pressing toward this goal. It will also be by his grace and the strength that he provides. But it still requires grace driven effort; our effort.

So let today be the day of new beginnings. It really doesn't matter if today is January 1 or July 17. Every day, every hour, every moment is a new chance to make a new beginning with God.

Soli Deo Gloria

New Year, New Blog.

Well, maybe not so much a new blog as a refocused effort to post content on to the existing blog. My list of excuses for not posting could stretch for a mile, but the reality is that it all comes down to priorities. And, if the truth be told, that is the same for all of life. Not enough time for this. Too tired for that. Can't concentrate. Not interested. The list grows, but the underlying foundation is the same. We will prioritize what is important and can easily discard what is not.

So, when I look back over a sparse year or two of blog posts I can see that same thing. I could blame busyness or an inability to focus on topics, but the simple truth is that other things took precedence. Now, they may have been good things, even necessary things. However, as I sit here today, on the edge of the calendar flip into 2015, I sense the need to return to blogging with more regularity. The other stuff is still there. The excuses are still hiding in the weeds. But, by God's grace, my priorities toward this blog and how He might use it are changing.

One final thing. I know blogs can feel like a one way street. However for those who have a Google login, I have always allowed comments to my blog posts. I am notified of each one and read them all. So, if God uses some post down the line to inspire you or provoke you, feel free to let me know. Also, any one who reads this blog is free to share it or repost it or whatever the newest thing is. The more we can spread the truth about the grace and mercy and love of God as it is found in Jesus the better.

Soli Deo Gloria.

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

The Spirit of Life

In reading Acts 2 in combination with a Martyn Lloyd-Jones devotional, I was struck today by my overwhelming debt and need of the Holy Spirit. Without exaggeration, everything in my spiritual life and my walk with Christ is dependent upon and was given by God through the Spirit. Here is a short, non-exhaustive list:

- a recognition of my sin and need for a Savior
- the willingness and ability to turn from my sin and to Jesus
- a certainty that God hears and answers my prayers
- the confidence that all of God's promises are "Yes" in Jesus
- a complete assurance that nothing can separate me from the love of God in Christ
- a full realization that because of Jesus I am not condemned but loved, adopted and redeemed
- the knowledge that whatever I've been given by God, I've been given to share
- a growing sense that the same Spirit that walked with Jesus is walking with me
- the conviction that any use of the grace gifts without the Spirit is an empty exercise

I could go on, but the ache of my heart is first to say to God, and to the Spirit in particular, I am sorry for relegating you to second class status, for trying to do things on my own that were never meant to be done on my own and for slipping into a mind set that you are some kind of force. You are in fact the third person of the Trinity and deserve the respect, worship and glory of God.

My second ache is to ask myself, and any who may read this post, what am I doing in operating on my own strength? There is no point, no purpose and no lasting effect in anything I do on my own. It is botched from the start, since it has my glory as its goal, plus it is limited in its scope because it has my vision as its guide and once it is done it is incomplete since it has my power as its source.

So today and, I pray, every day, I'm seeking to think and speak, act and react, in the power of the Holy Spirit, third person of the Trinity, for the glory of God.

To God Alone Be The Glory

The Grace of a "Throw Away" Verse

[God], who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. - 1 Cor 1:8

Name the Corinthians' problem. Divisive over the gifts? Arrogant toward their sin? Triumphalistic in their view of their own sanctificaation?

Name Paul's attitude toward the Corinthian church. Frustrated at their lack of spiritual growth? Surprised by their willingness to treat other brothers with contempt? Upset that they would willingly tarnish the bride of Christ?

All of this (and probably much more) serves as a helpful diagnostic when reading 1st and 2nd Corinthians. But nowhere do we get the real sense that the Corinthian church was doubting God's sustaining love and grace.

So my question the other day was this: Why did Paul insert v8 into his introduction to his letter? He never really follows up. He never really stresses this theme again (ala Rom 8). So, why did you do it Paul?

I think the answer is this: the power and promise of Jesus' life, death and resurrection are so central in Paul's mind that he doesn't see the need to repeat himself. Everything flows from this reality. Christ paid the infinite price. Therefore we don't have to, now or forever. Jesus secured our redemption, not just for Good Friday, not just for Easter Sunday, not just for the day we "accepted" our salvation, not just for the day we are ushered into heavenly glory, but for everyday and for all time.

Paul's whole thesis to the Corinthians, be the Christians Jesus has called you and saved you to be, is grounded on the fact that Jesus died and rose (15:1-4) and through this sacrifice of himself, Jesus will hold us secure and guiltless to end. No matter what.

To God Alone be the Glory

Grace and the Sovereignty of God

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. - Col 1:15-20 (ESV)

I have chosen my words carefully for a couple of reasons. The first reason is because I know there is an age old debate within the Church regarding God's sovereignty set against a person's responsibility. I am not bold enough to say I have the answer, although I do believe God's Word constrains the debate much more than many of us would like.

The second reason for choosing my words carefully is that some reading this may think this is an attack on (or a defense of) of a particular person. That is certainly not my intent. There is only One person with a perfect theology and I am not Him. I wish to speak to our heart attitude and I think God's Word gives us more clarity than we realize, if we are willing to press into it.

With that being said, I feel compelled to declare that it is a gracious gift to us that God is sovereignly in control of all things. I realize that there is much packed into that thought and it may be too much for me to address in the remainder of this post. However, I will try to lay out a Biblical defense of this idea.

First, it almost seems silly, but I will state it for the record: I think the Bible is clear that God is sovereign over all things. Col 1 (above) states it, as does the conclusion of Job, the story of Joseph (Gen 37ff), Jer 1:5, Phil 1:6, Acts 4:27-28, and so on. Jesus states that not a sparrow falls to the ground without God's decree (Mt 10:29) and that God clothes the flowers that last only a day (Mt 6:30). Yet, both of these statements are not laid out by Jesus to defend God's sovereignty. Rather, he presumes this sovereignty to declare something even better: God's love and grace!

Second, I think our amazement at the the love and grace of God is limited by our lack of amazement at the sovereignty and authority of God. Somehow, in our quest to reform our own behavior and the behavior of those around us, we too quickly slide into calling ourselves or each other to act. "Do this and God will be pleased." "Stop that or you may miss the blessing God has for you." And while I want to be crystal clear that there is a huge responsibility in following Christ and God's expectations on us are indeed high, we must get things in the correct order. If not, we will not ultimately reform our behavior nor we will we please the God who desires mercy, not sacrifice.

Here is a question to ponder: What is the basis of your confidence in God? For many of us it is based on the fact that He has done something (or many somethings) for us. We see evidence of His mercy and power and say "Amen! I now know that God can save me." This is not an invalid reaction, but what happens if (when) the tide turns? What happens when the cancer or alzheimers comes? What do we do with job loss or children abandoning the faith? What if our government no longer supports or even tolerates us? What is the basis our confidence if every external evidence of God's grace is taken away? Can we worship with Job and proclaim: “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” ?

(As I write this, I just listened to a sermon from Acts 7 re: Stephan. Did God lose control there? What about God's best for him? And yet through his death the gospel spreads through the Empire via...persecution)

My thesis is this: We are children of God as declared in Rom 8, John 1 and a myriad of other places. Because of this, God is in fact for us (Rom 8:31). But, he is for us not just for today but also for tomorrow. Will he take care of our daily needs? Absolutely! (Mt 6) But he has a much bigger, better goal in mind. He wants the love of our hearts and the shape of our lives to more and more reflect the nature and character of Jesus (1 Th 4:3) for his glory. (Jn 17:9, 16-19)

So, how can God accomplish this work of re-creation if he is not sovereign? If I'm in any way in control, God's mission will ultimately fail and my confidence is a sham. However, if I am a role player in God's great story of my life, then Jesus really can be the author and perfecter of my faith. I really can say with full assurance the nothing can separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus. And I can know that all things (promotions and firings, healthy checkups and cancer, community support and government hostility) work together for those who love God and are called according to his purpose. He must be sovereign or none of this make sense.

And, if God is sovereign and he is executing his plan for his glory and the good of his people, His sovereignty is such a gracious gift. God owes us nothing, yet he has given us everything we need for life and godliness.

To God Alone be the Glory!

Amazing Grace?

We probably all know the first line of this hymn:

"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me"

I want to say that I agree with John Newton's assessment. Grace is amazing and its very, very sweet.

And yet I think that familar words and hymns and creeds can become rote and routine. I think we can read or sing or say the words but lose their meaning and power. So, today I'm seriously asking myself: "Is God's grace really amazing?" and "If it is amazing, why?"

Amazing? Really?

One could probably open the Bible to any page and see statements of God's grace, mercy and steadfast love. Lam 2:22-24 come to mind (see blog post for 1/4). However seeing the reality of these things and assigning an adjective like amazing to them are two different things. And people being who they are can easily dismiss something that may in fact be amazing (see Jn 12:27-29)

But, if you slowly and carefully read passages like Isa 1 or Rom 1:18-3:20, you begin to get the sense that there are dimensions to this grace and mercy that we have received that go beyond the simple fact that I'm a helpless sinner (which in fact we all are). So, I thought I'd list some of the realities that make God's grace amazing.

• We are totally helpless in the spiritual sense
• We are broken / fractured at such a foundational level that we cannot truly discern God's work
• We see ourselves as the center of the universe
• We consciously and subconsciously wish God would both leave us alone and provide everything we need (spiritually bi-polar?)
• Others exist to make us happy and we would gladly kill them (physically or at least verbally / emotionally) when they fail in this task
• Our view of heaven is where we finally achieve all that has been missing in our lives

The fact that Jesus steps into this quagmire should simply astound us. The more I know about God (a small thimble compared to all the oceans' water) and the more I know about the human heart (maybe two thimbles), the more I identify with God's judgement in Noah's day and in Lot's day (Gen 6-8; 19). These events both demonstrate the justice (good and right) of God. But, even here, where God is giving human rebels, spiritual traitors the punishment they deserve, we witness grace. Why save Noah? Why save Lot? Why save you? Why save me?

More than amazing?

For me, this is where the love and grace and mercy of God become incredibly amazing. When you consider the fact that He paid our unpayable debt and he gave to us the right standing we did not and could not obtain on our own and you add to that the reality that he did this while we were his enemies, rebels and traitors, then you have astoundingly, amazing grace.

Years ago, I heard a speaker say that the stunning thing about John 3:16 is not so much that God loved the whole world in a numeric sense (i.e. isn't it amazing that God can love so many people). Instead, John 3:16 is stunning because the world, especially in John's writing, is such a bad place (i.e. isn't it amazing God can love anyone as sinful as me, much less millions of us). God's love is expansive, covering the globe, covering the centuries, covering all cultures and languages and genders. But this love and mercy and grace become a multifaceted diamond when you really consider how unlovely and unworthy and treacherous and self absorbed we are.

Consider anything you enjoy or appreciate. Something you "love" in the broad, 21st century way of speaking. Why do you love or appreciate that thing? In the end, isn't there something that you find lovely or enjoyable about it? Whether its a spouse, a close friend, or pizza, the things we love are the things that appeal to us, that make us feel good, that are lovely to us.

Now consider the depth of Rom 5:8, "God demonstrates his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us". Brother, sister, friend, God loves the unlovely. God loves what would make him vomit, would make him turn away in disgust, would make him weep. We don't really know that kind of love, but we can see it in the cross.

In the end, the grace of Christ is incredibly amazing. It is amazing in what it accomplishes. It is amazing in what is secures. It is amazing in what it overcomes. It is amazing in what it endures.

And, it is amazing in that it is given at all.

To God Alone be the Glory.

New Year, new grace

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” Lam 3:22-24

This is an often quoted passage of scripture and, I feel, often misapplied. My goal here is not to debunk any particular misapplication of these verses but instead take a moment to reflect on the grand truths they contain. And I also want this to be, in a sense, a statement of my writing theme (themes actually) for the foreseeable future.

Here are the the glorious realities that Jeremiah lays out in the middle of his lament over the destruction of Jerusalem (Imagine every home and business in your town (including your own) being totally destroyed and then singing this kind of praise to God!)

God's love is certain and forever - we cannot out run it or ruin it.

God's mercy (and grace, flip sides of the same coin) are not limited to an event or experience but are unlimited and are continually renewed - we cannot sin beyond God's grace and we cannot exalt ourselves beyond our need for his mercy.

God's faithfulness is great, in fact greater than we realize - we need each person of the Trinity - Father, Son and Spirit - intervening in our lives constantly to keep us from falling into oblivion

God's provision for us is complete and sufficient - all we need, whether we admit it or not (God makes the rain fall on both the righteous and the unrighteous) comes from God and rests in his love and faithfulness.

Our response is hope and faith and praise - Scriptural images abound, but my mind continually returns to the tax collector in Lk 18:13 "Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner"

There is a lot here and perhaps my goal of having a more focused writing theme has been blown out of the water. And yet, as I reflect on the themes of these three verses, I see a lot of overlap and much that compliments the other. In the end, I think it boils down to the grand theme of the love of God reflected in his grace and mercy and manifested most powerfully in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

To God Alone be the Glory

Taste Bud Transformation

For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. - 2Co 5:14-17

I have a new quote to add to my list of favorites. I just read it in a post by Dane Ortland (read the whole thing here) on irresistible grace.

Irresistible grace is grace that softens us way down deep at the core of who we are. Taste bud transformation. In a miracle that can never be humanly manufactured, we find ourselves, strangely, delighting to love God.

This is a big God, with big grace

Here's the thing about the grace of God, the love of Christ and the power of the Spirit. We are not simply whitewashed tombs or dressed up corpses. In Christ we have been remade and reborn. We are not yet what we ultimately will be, but we are no longer what we were. We really are a new creation and we really do have a calling to walk in.

To God Alone be the Glory

Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift!

Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift! - 2 Cor 9:15

A verse like this serves to remind us, especially me, that the mercy and grace that we have received from God in Jesus goes way beyond what we can grasp. Somehow we think we can come into God's presence in a spirit of praise and actually express to Him the depth of what we've been given. But, in the words of Job, these are but the outskirts of His ways (Job 26:14).

May the Holy Spirit revive in us a holy awe at the magnitude of our salvation in Christ. There is the depth of the sin Jesus' paid for. There is the entrenchedness of our selfishness and pride that He is graciously removing. There is the security Jesus has guaranteed to us both by his resurrection but also by the send of the Holy Spirit. There is this new community that Jesus is gathering to himself to the glory of God.

And, as magnificent as these things are, they are only the gifts and blessing we can perceive. How many times has the Holy Spirit redirected our lives to keep us in the love of Christ? How many ways has God answered our prayers and we have not been aware of it. How many holy coincidences has Jesus orchestrated so that we can sit here today a say, I am a follower of Christ?

You see, everything we have, the mundane to the magnificent, is a gracious gift of God. And because of this, the gospel and the cross should drive us to continually proclaim:

Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift!

To God Alone be the Glory