A couple of weeks ago, we looked at the first of Martin Luther's famous Ninety-five Theses, the document that catalyzed the Protestant Reformation. I want to revisit that amazing little statement again. Here it is, in a somewhat literal translation from Luther's original Latin. Oh, and by the way, the quote is from Mark 1:15.
“Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when He said, ‘Pursue repentance’ willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance.” – Martin Luther, October 31, 1517
Really? The will of Christ is that the whole life of believers should be repentance? Yes. Yes, I believe Brother Martin got it exactly right. But think with me about that.
What would it look like if your whole life – everything you think, say and do, and more importantly, everything you are – were entirely composed of repentance; and not merely acts of repentance, but an attitude and heart of repentance? Well, for sure your life would be undergoing constant transformation from the inside out, because genuine, biblical repentance means actively and continually renouncing self-reliance and leaning increasingly upon Jesus Christ. It would make all the difference in the world.
The Middle School guys I work with on Wednesday evenings are learning this. Lately we’ve been memorizing the text in Titus 2:11-12, which says, “The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No!’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.”
This text reminds us that there is an inside-out order to how God’s grace works. First, as verse 11 says, His grace brings salvation: it grants us conviction about our sins, creates faith in us, and causes us to be born again. Second, God’s grace teaches us to live in this new life, transforming the way we live. The sequence is crucial: first comes inner rebirth by the gifts of grace that include repentance and faith; second comes outward lifestyle change.
As my Middle School guys discovered, if we approach such matters of life and death in the wrong order, everything goes completely wrong. For example, if you’re in an airplane that’s going down, a parachute can save your life, but only if you employ that parachute in the right sequence: first, strap it on; second, jump; third, pull the rip-cord. Attempt this procedure in any other order, and you will die.
Too many folks attempt a pursuit of salvation in a deadly and unbiblical sequence. They suppose that the first thing they need to do is work at becoming better people. They try on their own to learn how to “say ‘No!’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives,” in the vain hope that they will somehow come to deserve the saving grace of God. These folks reduce the gospel to a moralistic plan for self improvement, which has no power to save.
The biblical gospel is, however, not merely an improved moral code. The gospel is the story of how God saves desperately wicked people from their sin. It is more that the gateway to salvation: it’s the way we live the life of salvation, constantly and perpetually turning from ourselves to God in Christ.
If you're a Christian, you live in a new way, not because you have new rules to live by, but because you have new life to live. Christ changes you from the inside out, creating new life within you that yields a new way of life.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
JESUS, KEEP ME NEAR THE CROSS!
How many of us can sing by heart the words of the song that starts “Jesus, keep me near the cross”? Can you recall the next few lines? Easy, right?
More than just a song, it’s a much-needed prayer for Christians. Far too many of us have a woefully inadequate understanding of what happened when Jesus willingly embraced the cross and died upon it. We tend to think of the cross as a way for us to get more of God’s goodies, the ticket, as it were, to our best life now.
Of course, there is a modicum of truth in that notion: without the death of God’s Son, you and I would still be in our sins, and therefore rightfully under God’s wrath. But there’s more, so much more to it. As John Piper points out, when Jesus died on the cross, He was not simply dying in our place, but He was also establishing a pattern for our lives.
Christ called us to follow Him in cross-bearing, in dying to ourselves, and in pursuing sacrifice as a strategic part of living out the gospel. We can’t do God’s will if we still want our will. We can’t pray, “Thy kingdom come” without also saying “And my kingdom go.”
And so, we ought to pray to be kept near the cross, saying “O Lamb of God, bring its scenes before” us, to correct our vision of all else that we see, lest spiritual myopia or the dazzle of other things distract us or cause us to stumble from God’s call. Until we see the cross (and see it again), we never rightly comprehend God’s righteousness. At the cross, where the Son of God was broken under the weight of the Father’s wrath, we see that the holiness of God exceeds all our imaginations. He is holy indeed.
Until and unless we see the cross, we can’t accurately understand our sin. The incomprehensible suffering of Christ reveals sin as no mere trifle. Look at the cross and see to what lengths the Son of God went to solve our sin problem! He took sin seriously, and so must we.
Until we see the cross more clearly, we will never appreciate Christ’s love. No sentimentalism here, no sappy “anything goes” tolerance is visible at the cross. Consider the awesome omnipotence of His love, not that He overlooks sin, but that on the cross He dies for it. He was under no obligation to do so; and yet, He died, horribly, all for love’s sake. This, this cross, this death of God’s Son – this is how much God loves sinners.
Finally, until we steadfastly look upon the cross in all its gory magnificence, it will be impossible to realize God’s call upon our lives. Jesus said you can’t follow Him without a cross. The road to the empty tomb still leads squarely over Calvary: you will never experience the power of the resurrection if you reject the pain of the cross.
In what area of your life is Christ calling you to die today? Are you willing for Him to keep you near His cross?
More than just a song, it’s a much-needed prayer for Christians. Far too many of us have a woefully inadequate understanding of what happened when Jesus willingly embraced the cross and died upon it. We tend to think of the cross as a way for us to get more of God’s goodies, the ticket, as it were, to our best life now.
Of course, there is a modicum of truth in that notion: without the death of God’s Son, you and I would still be in our sins, and therefore rightfully under God’s wrath. But there’s more, so much more to it. As John Piper points out, when Jesus died on the cross, He was not simply dying in our place, but He was also establishing a pattern for our lives.
Christ called us to follow Him in cross-bearing, in dying to ourselves, and in pursuing sacrifice as a strategic part of living out the gospel. We can’t do God’s will if we still want our will. We can’t pray, “Thy kingdom come” without also saying “And my kingdom go.”
And so, we ought to pray to be kept near the cross, saying “O Lamb of God, bring its scenes before” us, to correct our vision of all else that we see, lest spiritual myopia or the dazzle of other things distract us or cause us to stumble from God’s call. Until we see the cross (and see it again), we never rightly comprehend God’s righteousness. At the cross, where the Son of God was broken under the weight of the Father’s wrath, we see that the holiness of God exceeds all our imaginations. He is holy indeed.
Until and unless we see the cross, we can’t accurately understand our sin. The incomprehensible suffering of Christ reveals sin as no mere trifle. Look at the cross and see to what lengths the Son of God went to solve our sin problem! He took sin seriously, and so must we.
Until we see the cross more clearly, we will never appreciate Christ’s love. No sentimentalism here, no sappy “anything goes” tolerance is visible at the cross. Consider the awesome omnipotence of His love, not that He overlooks sin, but that on the cross He dies for it. He was under no obligation to do so; and yet, He died, horribly, all for love’s sake. This, this cross, this death of God’s Son – this is how much God loves sinners.
Finally, until we steadfastly look upon the cross in all its gory magnificence, it will be impossible to realize God’s call upon our lives. Jesus said you can’t follow Him without a cross. The road to the empty tomb still leads squarely over Calvary: you will never experience the power of the resurrection if you reject the pain of the cross.
In what area of your life is Christ calling you to die today? Are you willing for Him to keep you near His cross?
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
HE CAME TO RESCUE YOU
Throughout the week, the world has waited and watched, and endured the agony of anticipation throughout the course of the slow and dangerous rescue of 33 miners trapped by a cave-in at a copper mine in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. We have been gripped by the thought of the indescribable hardships they endured in their more than two months confined in the deep and the dark, over 2,000 feet below the surface. At one point, they were even left for dead.
We have been fascinated by the rescue efforts; and rightly so. The work has been herculean, difficult, costly, and – I’m sure we all believe – well worth it. The devout have prayed. The families have held vigil. And the news has been good.
First, the trapped miners were located and a rescue plan was coordinated. A small emergency shaft was built to provide food, water and air for the trapped miners. Then the long rescue shaft was carefully drilled. Finally, in preparation for bringing the men up, three medics were sent down to get the miners ready to be saved.
And a watching world waited and wondered.
The entire process, from the tragic cave-in through the intricate rescue, all anxiously observed by us, reminds me of what God does to save rebel humanity trapped in the depths of our own sin. By our own efforts, we have tunneled far into the darkness, pursuing wealth and success, only to be trapped by the collapse of our own efforts.
We could have been left for dead. We, like those miners, have no hope of digging our way out. But God has a rescue plan prepared and implemented. At great cost to Himself, He sent the Best of heaven for the least of earth down into the dim abyss of our iniquity to secure our release. Taking our crimes upon Himself, Christ offers the trapped and broken a way up and out of our sin. All that is required is to trust Him, our only Hope of rescue.
Think with me about those Chilean miners. Imagine their excitement as the rescue shaft opened up! Consider their elation upon seeing the escape capsule come down!
And then, try to picture this: as one of the helpers emerges from the capsule to help the miners into it one by one, some of them respond to the invitation, “You know, we’ve decided to stay down here. We’ve grown accustomed to the darkness and discomfort; so, thanks, but no, thanks!”
Unimaginable? Of course it is. People in their right mind would jump at the chance to be saved from certain and agonizing death in the dark.
Jesus has come into the gloom of humanity’s self-made tomb and has called us to trust Him so that we may be delivered from the depths of our depravity and brought out into the light of His salvation. It is unimaginable that some would refuse His call, unthinkable that any would prefer to remain trapped.
Jesus came to rescue you. Don’t refuse His offer.
We have been fascinated by the rescue efforts; and rightly so. The work has been herculean, difficult, costly, and – I’m sure we all believe – well worth it. The devout have prayed. The families have held vigil. And the news has been good.
First, the trapped miners were located and a rescue plan was coordinated. A small emergency shaft was built to provide food, water and air for the trapped miners. Then the long rescue shaft was carefully drilled. Finally, in preparation for bringing the men up, three medics were sent down to get the miners ready to be saved.
And a watching world waited and wondered.
The entire process, from the tragic cave-in through the intricate rescue, all anxiously observed by us, reminds me of what God does to save rebel humanity trapped in the depths of our own sin. By our own efforts, we have tunneled far into the darkness, pursuing wealth and success, only to be trapped by the collapse of our own efforts.
We could have been left for dead. We, like those miners, have no hope of digging our way out. But God has a rescue plan prepared and implemented. At great cost to Himself, He sent the Best of heaven for the least of earth down into the dim abyss of our iniquity to secure our release. Taking our crimes upon Himself, Christ offers the trapped and broken a way up and out of our sin. All that is required is to trust Him, our only Hope of rescue.
Think with me about those Chilean miners. Imagine their excitement as the rescue shaft opened up! Consider their elation upon seeing the escape capsule come down!
And then, try to picture this: as one of the helpers emerges from the capsule to help the miners into it one by one, some of them respond to the invitation, “You know, we’ve decided to stay down here. We’ve grown accustomed to the darkness and discomfort; so, thanks, but no, thanks!”
Unimaginable? Of course it is. People in their right mind would jump at the chance to be saved from certain and agonizing death in the dark.
Jesus has come into the gloom of humanity’s self-made tomb and has called us to trust Him so that we may be delivered from the depths of our depravity and brought out into the light of His salvation. It is unimaginable that some would refuse His call, unthinkable that any would prefer to remain trapped.
Jesus came to rescue you. Don’t refuse His offer.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
I LOVE THE CHURCH! DO YOU?
The easiest job in the world is critic. Everywhere you go, you can hear experts and prognosticators of every kind and inclination pronouncing their assessments of what’s wrong with most everything. Quick to point out the problems they see, these self-appointed pundits are generally somewhat slower to jump in and become part of the solutions.
A common object of these critics’ disapproval is the church. It’s easy – even fashionable these days! – to be critical of the church. Composed of sinners, some of whom are saved by grace, and some not yet, the church is kind of a sinner hospital. It is exceedingly odd that a hospital for souls should be criticized for having as its clientele those who suffer from sin’s illness. Jesus did not “come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32).
So it is that I love the church. And here are a few reasons why.
I love the church, because in the church, those who admit their sin-sickness can receive both the healing provided by God’s forgiveness in Christ and the sustainable health imparted by the sanctifying power of God’s grace. In the church, people can experience wonderful life-changes together, and share the glories of watching one another be transformed.
I love the church, because Jesus promised to make His presence known in a very special way when we gather in His name (see Matthew 18:20). When His people unite to study His Word, or to pray, or to worship Him, the Lord “shows up and shows off His glories,” as one of our members puts it. This means that many of the things of God simply cannot be experienced outside the gathering of the Body of Christ.
I love the church, because the church calls believers to account for their sins. In the church Christians have brothers and sisters who speak the gospel into each other’s lives, reminding one another that Christ died to deliver us not only from the penalty of sin, but also from the power of sin. They urge each other daily to “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). And when some stumble and fall, the others bend down and pick them up in love.
Finally, I love the church, because the Son of God died for the church. Indeed, who would dare refuse to love those for whom Jesus hung in agony on a cruel cross? This quirky rag-tag bunch is what “He obtained with His own blood” (Acts 20:28). In other words, we are right to love the church, because Christ loves the church. Despite her many blemishes, Christ still calls the church His Bride, and He’s still passionately in love with her.
Can you imagine someone saying to God’s Son, “I love You, Jesus, but I can’t stand that ugly Bride of Yours”? Indeed, such a sentiment might rightly incur His displeasure! It seems so clear that, if you love Jesus, you have to love His church.
So, let me ask: do you?
A common object of these critics’ disapproval is the church. It’s easy – even fashionable these days! – to be critical of the church. Composed of sinners, some of whom are saved by grace, and some not yet, the church is kind of a sinner hospital. It is exceedingly odd that a hospital for souls should be criticized for having as its clientele those who suffer from sin’s illness. Jesus did not “come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32).
So it is that I love the church. And here are a few reasons why.
I love the church, because in the church, those who admit their sin-sickness can receive both the healing provided by God’s forgiveness in Christ and the sustainable health imparted by the sanctifying power of God’s grace. In the church, people can experience wonderful life-changes together, and share the glories of watching one another be transformed.
I love the church, because Jesus promised to make His presence known in a very special way when we gather in His name (see Matthew 18:20). When His people unite to study His Word, or to pray, or to worship Him, the Lord “shows up and shows off His glories,” as one of our members puts it. This means that many of the things of God simply cannot be experienced outside the gathering of the Body of Christ.
I love the church, because the church calls believers to account for their sins. In the church Christians have brothers and sisters who speak the gospel into each other’s lives, reminding one another that Christ died to deliver us not only from the penalty of sin, but also from the power of sin. They urge each other daily to “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). And when some stumble and fall, the others bend down and pick them up in love.
Finally, I love the church, because the Son of God died for the church. Indeed, who would dare refuse to love those for whom Jesus hung in agony on a cruel cross? This quirky rag-tag bunch is what “He obtained with His own blood” (Acts 20:28). In other words, we are right to love the church, because Christ loves the church. Despite her many blemishes, Christ still calls the church His Bride, and He’s still passionately in love with her.
Can you imagine someone saying to God’s Son, “I love You, Jesus, but I can’t stand that ugly Bride of Yours”? Indeed, such a sentiment might rightly incur His displeasure! It seems so clear that, if you love Jesus, you have to love His church.
So, let me ask: do you?
Saturday, September 04, 2010
Glenn Beck and Christianity
I think perhaps I need to change the title of my blog, because it's been a while since I have been posting once a week. Maybe I should call it "Once in a Blue Moon for God." Anyway . . . this is NOT one of my articles from the local newspaper. A friend of mine sent me a link to an article about Glenn Beck, and said, "Read this article and tell me you think Glenn Beck is a Christian." This little piece is my reply.
In a recent article http://www.onenewsnow.com/Perspectives/Default.aspx?id=1144072) posted online in Perspectives, Dr. Jim Garlow, pastor of Skyline Wesleyan Church in San Diego, CA, stated that Glenn Beck has made a public declaration that he trusts the atonement wrought by Jesus for his salvation. On the basis of this declaration, some evangelical Christians are rushing to embrace Mr. Beck as one of our own.
Before we jump to this conclusion, it would be wise to raise a couple of important questions. WHICH Jesus is Mr. Beck trusting? Is it the Mormon “Jesus,” whom they believe was once the angelic brother of Lucifer and got adopted into the Godhead because of his willingness to come to earth for humanity’s sake? Or, is Mr. Beck trusting the biblical Jesus? This is the Jesus Who has always been the second person of the Trinity; Who, by His miraculous union with flesh, was incarnate for 33 years both fully God and fully human; Who lived a perfect life to provide righteousness for sinners, died a substitutionary death to remove the Father’s righteous wrath from His people, and rose to new life to impart this life to those Who receive Him. Which Jesus?
In point of fact, the Mormon version of Jesus is not qualified to provide atonement, and cannot save any who trust in him. To trust in the so-called atonement of this Jesus is patently not saving faith as defined by Scripture. Salvation is found only in the atoning work of the genuine, biblical Jesus Christ, and the Bible makes this claim very clearly.
Peter declared in Acts 4:12, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by Which we must be saved.” When he said this, Peter was referring to Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom he had confessed, by the revelation of the Father, to be the eternal Son of God (see Matthew 16:16-17). In other words, only the eternal Son of God has power to save, not an angel who took on the name “Jesus.”
In John 14:6, Jesus declared, “In am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Me.” This is the Jesus, referring to Himself, Who later claimed under oath in a court of law to be the eternal Son of God, as recorded in Mark 14:63-64: “Again the high priest asked Him, ‘Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?’ And Jesus said, ‘I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven’.”
Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 2:5, “There is one God, and one Mediator between God and man, Christ Jesus, Himself a man.” For Paul, to put the title “Christ” (meaning Messiah) before the name Jesus (read, then “Messiah Jesus”), and then to say He became a human, meant that he understood Jesus of Nazareth to be the human incarnation of the eternal Son of God, the Messiah sent by God.
Perhaps most telling is what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 11:3-4: “But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.” Mormons proclaim “another Jesus,” not the Jesus portrayed in the Gospels as the incarnate eternal Son of God. The Corinthian church seemed to think that the proclamation of another Jesus was acceptable. Sadly, parts of the evangelical church seem willing to do the same today.
Fascinatingly, the Mormons claim they received their revelation about their angelic version of Jesus from an angel. Listen to what God’s Word says in Galatians 1:8: “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed” (emphasis added).
I believe there is something remaining in most Christians, including me, as a continuing manifestation of our sin nature, that WANTS to be able to call others Christians when we have no solid Biblical warrant to be certain that they are. All of us know people who have testified to a teenage experience of accepting Christ at church camp, or who went forward and prayed the sinner’s prayer at a revival, but who nevertheless bear in their lives no credible evidence of regeneration. They may be nice folks in lots of ways, but there is no fruit in their lives. Do we WANT to believe they are saved? Of course. And because of our desire to affirm their alleged salvation, without any Biblically-defined evidence of it, it is easy for us to give in to the pull of misguided passion or sloppy theology, and declare that they’re Christians.
Perhaps Glenn Beck is a born again believer, and, of course, God knows whether he is or not. In contrast to God, however, I don’t know. Yet, for some evangelicals, the desire to affirm him as a member of our camp is intense. He is popular. He is articulate. He speaks the truth. In contrast to Rush Limbaugh (and a long list of other conservative talking heads), he is neither pompous nor proud. Additionally – and this is inestimably appealing to evangelicals, who have been so often disappointed by our spokesmen-champions! – he is squeaky clean, appearing to some to have the fruit of regeneration in his life. Some evangelicals think it would be wonderful if we could add to his credentials, “And, best of all, Glenn Beck is one of US”! Tempting as it may be to make such an affirmation, I cannot: not until I know for sure which Jesus he is trusting. Because, at the end of the day, it all comes down to that, doesn’t it?
In a recent article http://www.onenewsnow.com/Perspectives/Default.aspx?id=1144072) posted online in Perspectives, Dr. Jim Garlow, pastor of Skyline Wesleyan Church in San Diego, CA, stated that Glenn Beck has made a public declaration that he trusts the atonement wrought by Jesus for his salvation. On the basis of this declaration, some evangelical Christians are rushing to embrace Mr. Beck as one of our own.
Before we jump to this conclusion, it would be wise to raise a couple of important questions. WHICH Jesus is Mr. Beck trusting? Is it the Mormon “Jesus,” whom they believe was once the angelic brother of Lucifer and got adopted into the Godhead because of his willingness to come to earth for humanity’s sake? Or, is Mr. Beck trusting the biblical Jesus? This is the Jesus Who has always been the second person of the Trinity; Who, by His miraculous union with flesh, was incarnate for 33 years both fully God and fully human; Who lived a perfect life to provide righteousness for sinners, died a substitutionary death to remove the Father’s righteous wrath from His people, and rose to new life to impart this life to those Who receive Him. Which Jesus?
In point of fact, the Mormon version of Jesus is not qualified to provide atonement, and cannot save any who trust in him. To trust in the so-called atonement of this Jesus is patently not saving faith as defined by Scripture. Salvation is found only in the atoning work of the genuine, biblical Jesus Christ, and the Bible makes this claim very clearly.
Peter declared in Acts 4:12, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by Which we must be saved.” When he said this, Peter was referring to Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom he had confessed, by the revelation of the Father, to be the eternal Son of God (see Matthew 16:16-17). In other words, only the eternal Son of God has power to save, not an angel who took on the name “Jesus.”
In John 14:6, Jesus declared, “In am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Me.” This is the Jesus, referring to Himself, Who later claimed under oath in a court of law to be the eternal Son of God, as recorded in Mark 14:63-64: “Again the high priest asked Him, ‘Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?’ And Jesus said, ‘I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven’.”
Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 2:5, “There is one God, and one Mediator between God and man, Christ Jesus, Himself a man.” For Paul, to put the title “Christ” (meaning Messiah) before the name Jesus (read, then “Messiah Jesus”), and then to say He became a human, meant that he understood Jesus of Nazareth to be the human incarnation of the eternal Son of God, the Messiah sent by God.
Perhaps most telling is what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 11:3-4: “But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.” Mormons proclaim “another Jesus,” not the Jesus portrayed in the Gospels as the incarnate eternal Son of God. The Corinthian church seemed to think that the proclamation of another Jesus was acceptable. Sadly, parts of the evangelical church seem willing to do the same today.
Fascinatingly, the Mormons claim they received their revelation about their angelic version of Jesus from an angel. Listen to what God’s Word says in Galatians 1:8: “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed” (emphasis added).
I believe there is something remaining in most Christians, including me, as a continuing manifestation of our sin nature, that WANTS to be able to call others Christians when we have no solid Biblical warrant to be certain that they are. All of us know people who have testified to a teenage experience of accepting Christ at church camp, or who went forward and prayed the sinner’s prayer at a revival, but who nevertheless bear in their lives no credible evidence of regeneration. They may be nice folks in lots of ways, but there is no fruit in their lives. Do we WANT to believe they are saved? Of course. And because of our desire to affirm their alleged salvation, without any Biblically-defined evidence of it, it is easy for us to give in to the pull of misguided passion or sloppy theology, and declare that they’re Christians.
Perhaps Glenn Beck is a born again believer, and, of course, God knows whether he is or not. In contrast to God, however, I don’t know. Yet, for some evangelicals, the desire to affirm him as a member of our camp is intense. He is popular. He is articulate. He speaks the truth. In contrast to Rush Limbaugh (and a long list of other conservative talking heads), he is neither pompous nor proud. Additionally – and this is inestimably appealing to evangelicals, who have been so often disappointed by our spokesmen-champions! – he is squeaky clean, appearing to some to have the fruit of regeneration in his life. Some evangelicals think it would be wonderful if we could add to his credentials, “And, best of all, Glenn Beck is one of US”! Tempting as it may be to make such an affirmation, I cannot: not until I know for sure which Jesus he is trusting. Because, at the end of the day, it all comes down to that, doesn’t it?
Thursday, May 27, 2010
CHURCH CAN BE MESSY
In our market-driven culture, people learn “comparison-shopping.” That’s where you compare prices and features to get the most for your dollar. It’s not a bad idea when it comes to buying things and investing your hard-earned money.
The problem of comparison-shopping arises when we apply it beyond its intended scope. Take matrimony, for example. If, after some mileage accumulates in their marriage, Mr. Jones begins to compare his fifty-something wife with the twenty-something babe at work, he might end up making a grave error in judgment. The problem could have been avoided if Mr. J. had just refused to “compare” and “shop.”
Being in a church family is somewhat like that. Granted, church membership is not marriage, and none of us has been required to promise, ”Until death do us part,” as a condition to being part of the Body of Christ. Yet, there is a basic similarity.
Both relationships – marriage and church – are based upon committed love.
Committed love is a comprehensive obligation, which is why some find it too far-reaching, too difficult. Someone who occasionally attended my first church explained such a sentiment this way, with a rare honesty: “The reason I don’t come to church much is that it’s too much bother. I just don’t want to get that close to people, because when you get close to them, you have to deal with their messes.”
Yes, committed love has a cost. It’s not easy. It can be messy. In fact, it’s sometimes downright hard. But that’s what makes it so valuable and so vital. If love were easy, it wouldn’t be worth much.
Our model, of course, is Jesus, and from Him we learn that the essential character of committed love is that it is unconditional. There is no “if” in committed love. This means that we actively stand by each other in support and prayer, that we challenge and encourage one another, even when we’re not particularly crazy about each other. It means that nothing anybody does or says could ever keep us from our relationships in the Body of Christ.
This is what the Holy Spirit told the church at Colossae 1,960 years ago, and it’s what the Holy Spirit is telling the church in Sterling today. Here’s how Paul put it in Colossians 3:12-14: “Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other. Yes, forgive as the Lord forgave you. And above all, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”
There’s no getting around the fact that church can be messy. That’s true, because committed love is messy. The only way to avoid the mess is to neglect the love. However, that’s just not a valid option, because Jesus commanded His people to love each other. Listen to His words: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).
Listen, beloved, to that commandment. Listen, and then obey.
The problem of comparison-shopping arises when we apply it beyond its intended scope. Take matrimony, for example. If, after some mileage accumulates in their marriage, Mr. Jones begins to compare his fifty-something wife with the twenty-something babe at work, he might end up making a grave error in judgment. The problem could have been avoided if Mr. J. had just refused to “compare” and “shop.”
Being in a church family is somewhat like that. Granted, church membership is not marriage, and none of us has been required to promise, ”Until death do us part,” as a condition to being part of the Body of Christ. Yet, there is a basic similarity.
Both relationships – marriage and church – are based upon committed love.
Committed love is a comprehensive obligation, which is why some find it too far-reaching, too difficult. Someone who occasionally attended my first church explained such a sentiment this way, with a rare honesty: “The reason I don’t come to church much is that it’s too much bother. I just don’t want to get that close to people, because when you get close to them, you have to deal with their messes.”
Yes, committed love has a cost. It’s not easy. It can be messy. In fact, it’s sometimes downright hard. But that’s what makes it so valuable and so vital. If love were easy, it wouldn’t be worth much.
Our model, of course, is Jesus, and from Him we learn that the essential character of committed love is that it is unconditional. There is no “if” in committed love. This means that we actively stand by each other in support and prayer, that we challenge and encourage one another, even when we’re not particularly crazy about each other. It means that nothing anybody does or says could ever keep us from our relationships in the Body of Christ.
This is what the Holy Spirit told the church at Colossae 1,960 years ago, and it’s what the Holy Spirit is telling the church in Sterling today. Here’s how Paul put it in Colossians 3:12-14: “Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other. Yes, forgive as the Lord forgave you. And above all, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”
There’s no getting around the fact that church can be messy. That’s true, because committed love is messy. The only way to avoid the mess is to neglect the love. However, that’s just not a valid option, because Jesus commanded His people to love each other. Listen to His words: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).
Listen, beloved, to that commandment. Listen, and then obey.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Why Christians Must Love the Church
I love the church. I love being the pastor of a church. I love visiting other churches when I have the rare opportunity to do so.
However, let’s admit something: the church is a very imperfect group.
That’s because the church is composed of people. Not just any kind of people, but sinners. Indeed, the primary prerequisite for being part of the church is to acknowledge you are a sinner who needs the grace of God. People who think they’re good enough to reach heaven on their own merits generally don’t qualify for church membership. Only those who know they have no hope of salvation apart from the atoning sacrifice of Christ are suitable for the church.
That is one of the reasons I love the church. On Sundays, when I look out at the congregation God has given me, I see people just like me: sinners learning to live the truth of the Gospel in the context of their sin-tainted lives and this broken world.
To be sure, Christians have been given by God’s grace the miraculous privilege of right standing before God, this is not a standing that is achieved by any works of merit we have done. It is not by their good deeds or religious acts that Christians attain relationship with God.
It is by grace. God’s grace. Only by God’s grace.
Any church worthy of the name is a living declaration to the world that God is merciful, that He pours out His grace to forgive sinners with scandalous abandon. And that’s why I love the church. It is a local gathering of people committed to Christ and to each other, with a mutual desire to become more like Christ as we live out the position we have been given in Christ.
And, of course, that is the heart’s desire of every Christian: to become more and more like our Savior.
And that brings me to the most compelling reason why Christians must love the church.
Let me explain. If you want to become like Jesus, that means you will aspire to think His thoughts, pursue His commands, and love what He loves.
And Jesus loves the church; so much so, in fact that He calls the church His bride. Think of that term for a moment. How does the groom feel about his bride? Does his heart not burst with love for her? Of course it does. Does the fact that she is imperfect dim his passion or reduce his ardor for her? Not at all.
That same kind of passionately committed love is what Jesus has eternally for His bride. God’s Word says that one reason He gave us marriage is so that we could see in it a picture of the love of Jesus for His church (Ephesians 5:25, 32).
Oh, how Jesus loves His church! He is committed to His church!
If you love Jesus, you will learn to love His bride.
If you want to be like Jesus, you will love the church like He does.
Do you?
However, let’s admit something: the church is a very imperfect group.
That’s because the church is composed of people. Not just any kind of people, but sinners. Indeed, the primary prerequisite for being part of the church is to acknowledge you are a sinner who needs the grace of God. People who think they’re good enough to reach heaven on their own merits generally don’t qualify for church membership. Only those who know they have no hope of salvation apart from the atoning sacrifice of Christ are suitable for the church.
That is one of the reasons I love the church. On Sundays, when I look out at the congregation God has given me, I see people just like me: sinners learning to live the truth of the Gospel in the context of their sin-tainted lives and this broken world.
To be sure, Christians have been given by God’s grace the miraculous privilege of right standing before God, this is not a standing that is achieved by any works of merit we have done. It is not by their good deeds or religious acts that Christians attain relationship with God.
It is by grace. God’s grace. Only by God’s grace.
Any church worthy of the name is a living declaration to the world that God is merciful, that He pours out His grace to forgive sinners with scandalous abandon. And that’s why I love the church. It is a local gathering of people committed to Christ and to each other, with a mutual desire to become more like Christ as we live out the position we have been given in Christ.
And, of course, that is the heart’s desire of every Christian: to become more and more like our Savior.
And that brings me to the most compelling reason why Christians must love the church.
Let me explain. If you want to become like Jesus, that means you will aspire to think His thoughts, pursue His commands, and love what He loves.
And Jesus loves the church; so much so, in fact that He calls the church His bride. Think of that term for a moment. How does the groom feel about his bride? Does his heart not burst with love for her? Of course it does. Does the fact that she is imperfect dim his passion or reduce his ardor for her? Not at all.
That same kind of passionately committed love is what Jesus has eternally for His bride. God’s Word says that one reason He gave us marriage is so that we could see in it a picture of the love of Jesus for His church (Ephesians 5:25, 32).
Oh, how Jesus loves His church! He is committed to His church!
If you love Jesus, you will learn to love His bride.
If you want to be like Jesus, you will love the church like He does.
Do you?
Friday, May 07, 2010
Have You Said "Yes!" to Jesus?
In the last post I shared with you a sobering account of a man who approached death trusting his own goodness. His so-called “faith” was summed up in his words, “I’ve lived a pretty good life, and when it comes time to die, I’ll take my chances.”
As I pointed out last week, eternity is a very long time to take your chances.
Blessedly, some people learn this before it’s too late. John Watkins was such a man.
John’s wife Bernice had endured a sad life. Her first husband was killed in an accident early in their marriage. After living as a widow into advanced middle age, she married a widower from church who had lost his wife to cancer. Sadly, just a few years later, he suffered a life-ending heart attack.
Afraid of living out her days alone, Bernice accepted John Watkins’ marriage proposal. Those who knew him advised Bernice against the marriage: John was harsh, profane, and given to fits of rage. Despite the counsel of her church and friends, Bernice and John were married.
Not long thereafter, I became her pastor.
Bernice often asked me to pray for her unbelieving husband. Many times I offered to go visit him, but she always replied almost in fear, “Oh no, Pastor, he’d cuss at you for sure.”
Then an X-ray showed shadows in John’s lungs. Further tests revealed cancer throughout his body. John pursued treatment, but nothing worked. Bernice moved a hospital bed into their home, and John began the agonizing process of dying of bone cancer.
I had been cussed at before, so I decided to take the chance and visit John. He did cuss, but I kept going back. However, whenever I tried to talk about the gospel, he’d just roll over and turn his back to me.
Finally, I took my wife with me: surely he wouldn’t cuss at her. Besides, John had to hear the gospel before it was too late. So we went to his bedside, and said, “John, we all know you’re dying. Pretty soon, you’re going to be in either heaven or hell forever. Would you like to learn how you can go to heaven?”
To our surprise, he said he would like that.
Carefully we explained to him about God’s holiness, his sinfulness, and Jesus’ sufficiency to solve his sin problem. We reviewed biblical facts about Jesus, wonderful truths he had (astonishingly!) never heard. Then we asked him if he would admit to being a sinner in need of a savior. “That’s for darn sure,” was his honest reply. Finally, we asked him if he was convinced that Jesus was his only hope for salvation, and if would place his full faith and confidence in Him, trusting Jesus to be his Savior.
He said, “Yes.”
A few weeks later, I did John’s funeral. I told those in attendance how John had almost waited too long. He had heard the gospel just in time. And Jesus had saved him through that gospel, which is “God’s power to save everyone who believes it” (Romans 1:16).
You’ve heard the gospel, haven’t you? Do you believe it? Are you trusting Jesus to be you Savior? Have you said "Yes!" to Jesus?
As I pointed out last week, eternity is a very long time to take your chances.
Blessedly, some people learn this before it’s too late. John Watkins was such a man.
John’s wife Bernice had endured a sad life. Her first husband was killed in an accident early in their marriage. After living as a widow into advanced middle age, she married a widower from church who had lost his wife to cancer. Sadly, just a few years later, he suffered a life-ending heart attack.
Afraid of living out her days alone, Bernice accepted John Watkins’ marriage proposal. Those who knew him advised Bernice against the marriage: John was harsh, profane, and given to fits of rage. Despite the counsel of her church and friends, Bernice and John were married.
Not long thereafter, I became her pastor.
Bernice often asked me to pray for her unbelieving husband. Many times I offered to go visit him, but she always replied almost in fear, “Oh no, Pastor, he’d cuss at you for sure.”
Then an X-ray showed shadows in John’s lungs. Further tests revealed cancer throughout his body. John pursued treatment, but nothing worked. Bernice moved a hospital bed into their home, and John began the agonizing process of dying of bone cancer.
I had been cussed at before, so I decided to take the chance and visit John. He did cuss, but I kept going back. However, whenever I tried to talk about the gospel, he’d just roll over and turn his back to me.
Finally, I took my wife with me: surely he wouldn’t cuss at her. Besides, John had to hear the gospel before it was too late. So we went to his bedside, and said, “John, we all know you’re dying. Pretty soon, you’re going to be in either heaven or hell forever. Would you like to learn how you can go to heaven?”
To our surprise, he said he would like that.
Carefully we explained to him about God’s holiness, his sinfulness, and Jesus’ sufficiency to solve his sin problem. We reviewed biblical facts about Jesus, wonderful truths he had (astonishingly!) never heard. Then we asked him if he would admit to being a sinner in need of a savior. “That’s for darn sure,” was his honest reply. Finally, we asked him if he was convinced that Jesus was his only hope for salvation, and if would place his full faith and confidence in Him, trusting Jesus to be his Savior.
He said, “Yes.”
A few weeks later, I did John’s funeral. I told those in attendance how John had almost waited too long. He had heard the gospel just in time. And Jesus had saved him through that gospel, which is “God’s power to save everyone who believes it” (Romans 1:16).
You’ve heard the gospel, haven’t you? Do you believe it? Are you trusting Jesus to be you Savior? Have you said "Yes!" to Jesus?
Saturday, May 01, 2010
ONE SURE FACT ABOUT LIFE
J. I. Packer wrote, “Death, even when unmentionable, remains inescapable. The one sure fact about life is that one day, with or without warning, quietly or painfully, it is going to stop. How will I, then, cope with death when my turn comes?”
The Psalmist prayed to the Lord, “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). Uncomfortable as these considerations may be, it is wise for the living to contemplate their death. It is doubly wise when death makes a close approach.
Some years ago I was asked to call on a man who had recently been told by his doctor that his days were numbered. So I called him, made an appointment, and went to visit.
During our conversation, I asked him, “Now that you know your death is near, are you ready to die?”
“Yes,” he said, “I suppose I am.”
“Where do you expect you’ll be spending eternity?” I asked.
“In heaven, I hope,” was his reply.
“You hope?” I questioned gently. “Where does this hope come from?”
“I’ve been a pretty good man all my life. Never cheated, always kept my word, never stepped out on my wife.” He continued to recite a litany of good deeds in which he apparently hoped.
Concerned that his confidence was misplaced, I asked if he would like to know how to be sure, not just hope. He said he would.
For the next several minutes, I carefully shared with him the basics of the gospel. After explaining that Christ had done everything necessary for the salvation of anyone who would trust Him, I asked the man if he would like to put his faith in the Lord’s finished work.
“No thanks,” he replied. “All my life I’ve trusted in myself, and I’ll die trusting in myself.”
I was astonished. I’d never heard anyone listen so closely to the gospel only to have him refuse it so plainly. I reviewed the work of Christ, explained what it means to trust Him, and asked the man once more if he would like to place his life in Christ’s hands. His response still sends chills up my spine: “I’ve lived a pretty good life, and when it comes time for me to die, I’ll take my chances. Now, preacher,” he continued, “I think this conversation is over. You can leave.”
I hardly remember what happened after I left the man’s home. I was shaken by those four words he said to me: “I’ll take my chances.”
Appalling words, horrifying words: “I’ll take my chances.”
The sum total of human folly: “I’ll take my chances.”
Eternity is a very long time to take your chances.
I wonder how many other people are taking their chances, trusting in their good works, not relying on the only hope they’ve got, which is the person and work of Jesus Christ.
The one sure fact about life is that it’s going to end some day. I pray you’re not taking your chances when that day comes. Trust Christ now. He is your only hope. And He is hope enough.
The Psalmist prayed to the Lord, “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). Uncomfortable as these considerations may be, it is wise for the living to contemplate their death. It is doubly wise when death makes a close approach.
Some years ago I was asked to call on a man who had recently been told by his doctor that his days were numbered. So I called him, made an appointment, and went to visit.
During our conversation, I asked him, “Now that you know your death is near, are you ready to die?”
“Yes,” he said, “I suppose I am.”
“Where do you expect you’ll be spending eternity?” I asked.
“In heaven, I hope,” was his reply.
“You hope?” I questioned gently. “Where does this hope come from?”
“I’ve been a pretty good man all my life. Never cheated, always kept my word, never stepped out on my wife.” He continued to recite a litany of good deeds in which he apparently hoped.
Concerned that his confidence was misplaced, I asked if he would like to know how to be sure, not just hope. He said he would.
For the next several minutes, I carefully shared with him the basics of the gospel. After explaining that Christ had done everything necessary for the salvation of anyone who would trust Him, I asked the man if he would like to put his faith in the Lord’s finished work.
“No thanks,” he replied. “All my life I’ve trusted in myself, and I’ll die trusting in myself.”
I was astonished. I’d never heard anyone listen so closely to the gospel only to have him refuse it so plainly. I reviewed the work of Christ, explained what it means to trust Him, and asked the man once more if he would like to place his life in Christ’s hands. His response still sends chills up my spine: “I’ve lived a pretty good life, and when it comes time for me to die, I’ll take my chances. Now, preacher,” he continued, “I think this conversation is over. You can leave.”
I hardly remember what happened after I left the man’s home. I was shaken by those four words he said to me: “I’ll take my chances.”
Appalling words, horrifying words: “I’ll take my chances.”
The sum total of human folly: “I’ll take my chances.”
Eternity is a very long time to take your chances.
I wonder how many other people are taking their chances, trusting in their good works, not relying on the only hope they’ve got, which is the person and work of Jesus Christ.
The one sure fact about life is that it’s going to end some day. I pray you’re not taking your chances when that day comes. Trust Christ now. He is your only hope. And He is hope enough.
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
THE CURIOUS DATES OF EASTER
With Easter just behind us, I’ve been looking at next year’s calendar, anticipating some aspects of Lent and Holy Week in 2011. I noticed that next year, Easter isn’t until April 24. My curiosity grew as I considered the curious dating process for Easter Sunday, which varies from year to year by up to 35 days. That’s because Easter is related to Passover, and the date of Passover is a function of a lunar calendar used in Jerusalem for about 3,200 years. Sounds complicated? We’re only getting started!
In the Fourth Century, in an attempt to actually reduce the confusion and establish a uniform date for this most important of the church’s celebrations, Easter was officially set as the first Sunday after the Ecclesiastical full moon that falls on or after the vernal equinox, which is the first day of Spring. “Ecclesiastical full moon” is a highly technical term that would take a couple of pages to explain, so I’ll let you look that one up yourself. Using this formula, the earliest Easter can be is March 22, and the latest is April 25.
In 2008, Easter was on March 23. Easter can be one day earlier, on March 22, but that happens so rarely that nobody now alive has ever seen or ever will see it on that date. The last time Easter was March 22 was 190 years ago, in 1818; and the next time will be in 277 years, or 2285. Additionally, only the oldest Christians among us have ever celebrated Easter as early as it was in 2008.
Easter will be April 24 next year. The last time it was April 24 was in 1859; the next time will be 2095. Thus, we who will have celebrated Easter on March 22 (two years ago) and on April 24 (next year) constitute a fairly small sample of the church through the ages.
As curiously interesting as all this information may be (to geeks like me, anyway), the real point of Easter is not so much when we celebrate it as why. And that is a point that many people seem to miss.
When Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead, the disciples that comprised the infant church were almost all Jewish. All their lives they had worshiped God on the Sabbath, which begins at sun-down on Friday and ends at sun-down on Saturday. However, within months after His resurrection, Jesus’ followers switched the day of worship to Sunday, the first day of the week, the day He rose from the grave.
Why?
Because they understood that every gathering of Christians for worship is a celebration of the reality of Jesus’ resurrection. Paul put it this way: “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17). His perfect life fulfilled God’s law and is reckoned to believers as our righteousness. His sacrificial death atoned for our sins. But it was His resurrection from the dead that verified His authority to act on the Father’s behalf as our substitute.
No matter when it happens, the center of the Easter celebration was and is all about Jesus: His life, His death and His resurrection. Do you know it? Do you believe it?
In the Fourth Century, in an attempt to actually reduce the confusion and establish a uniform date for this most important of the church’s celebrations, Easter was officially set as the first Sunday after the Ecclesiastical full moon that falls on or after the vernal equinox, which is the first day of Spring. “Ecclesiastical full moon” is a highly technical term that would take a couple of pages to explain, so I’ll let you look that one up yourself. Using this formula, the earliest Easter can be is March 22, and the latest is April 25.
In 2008, Easter was on March 23. Easter can be one day earlier, on March 22, but that happens so rarely that nobody now alive has ever seen or ever will see it on that date. The last time Easter was March 22 was 190 years ago, in 1818; and the next time will be in 277 years, or 2285. Additionally, only the oldest Christians among us have ever celebrated Easter as early as it was in 2008.
Easter will be April 24 next year. The last time it was April 24 was in 1859; the next time will be 2095. Thus, we who will have celebrated Easter on March 22 (two years ago) and on April 24 (next year) constitute a fairly small sample of the church through the ages.
As curiously interesting as all this information may be (to geeks like me, anyway), the real point of Easter is not so much when we celebrate it as why. And that is a point that many people seem to miss.
When Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead, the disciples that comprised the infant church were almost all Jewish. All their lives they had worshiped God on the Sabbath, which begins at sun-down on Friday and ends at sun-down on Saturday. However, within months after His resurrection, Jesus’ followers switched the day of worship to Sunday, the first day of the week, the day He rose from the grave.
Why?
Because they understood that every gathering of Christians for worship is a celebration of the reality of Jesus’ resurrection. Paul put it this way: “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17). His perfect life fulfilled God’s law and is reckoned to believers as our righteousness. His sacrificial death atoned for our sins. But it was His resurrection from the dead that verified His authority to act on the Father’s behalf as our substitute.
No matter when it happens, the center of the Easter celebration was and is all about Jesus: His life, His death and His resurrection. Do you know it? Do you believe it?
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
THIS IS EASTER
This Sunday, all around the world worshipers will gather for Resurrection Sunday, recalling the fact that Jesus, after dying for our sins, didn’t stay dead, but rose to life again. I encourage you to join the crowds in church, celebrating the resurrection, sharing the songs, enjoying the worship, and saying or singing the ancient words, “Jesus Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!”
We say that, but do we mean it?
The fact is that we sometimes live as if He neither lived, died, nor rose again!
Every time we face our problems with a feeling of hopelessness, we’re acting as if He never came out of that tomb. Whenever we make decisions based upon fear or frustration, we’re denying the reality of His resurrection. Whenever we obsess about the economy or the political situation, rather than focus on the living Lord Jesus, we refute the empty tomb. When we let the problems of the past determine the direction of our future, instead of following the guidance of His Word, we are living as if He were still dead.
Every time we hold a grudge, refuse to forgive, indulge our pride in a pity party, cherish hurt feelings or recite wrongs done to us, we’re renouncing by our actions the very words we say and the truth we affirm on Easter: Jesus Christ, the Son of God crucified for our sins, dead and buried, has really, truly, literally risen from that grave.
But . . . if we are not living our lives by bringing the minutest facets of daily existence under the influence of His resurrected presence, it’s as if it never happened.
So, how do we make Easter more personally real?
I believe we have to stop playing religious games with Jesus. We have to let Him mess with our stuff. To whatever degree we may have developed a habit of being a certain way at church and another way elsewhere, we must confess that form of sin and learn to let Jesus run our lives moment by moment, breath by breath, choice by choice.
After all, He didn’t come out of the tomb just to be admired by crowds one day a year. He’s alive to be worshiped and obeyed 365 days a year. Long after Sunday’s special worship services are over, Jesus will still be very much alive, commanding our obedience, requiring our service, and expecting our allegiance.
At its most basic, the resurrection incontrovertibly proves that Jesus is exactly Who and What He claimed to be. He Who declared Himself to be the only way to heaven also predicted that after His death, He would come back to life. If His tomb were still occupied, it would put the lie to everything else He asserted about Himself. Conversely, His resurrection verifies His claims.
So this Sunday, when you say or sing, “Christ the Lord is risen today,” remember what that means for you: it means He expects and deserves that you trust Him as your Savior, and serve Him as your Lord.
This is Easter. Nothing other, nothing less, and nothing else.
We say that, but do we mean it?
The fact is that we sometimes live as if He neither lived, died, nor rose again!
Every time we face our problems with a feeling of hopelessness, we’re acting as if He never came out of that tomb. Whenever we make decisions based upon fear or frustration, we’re denying the reality of His resurrection. Whenever we obsess about the economy or the political situation, rather than focus on the living Lord Jesus, we refute the empty tomb. When we let the problems of the past determine the direction of our future, instead of following the guidance of His Word, we are living as if He were still dead.
Every time we hold a grudge, refuse to forgive, indulge our pride in a pity party, cherish hurt feelings or recite wrongs done to us, we’re renouncing by our actions the very words we say and the truth we affirm on Easter: Jesus Christ, the Son of God crucified for our sins, dead and buried, has really, truly, literally risen from that grave.
But . . . if we are not living our lives by bringing the minutest facets of daily existence under the influence of His resurrected presence, it’s as if it never happened.
So, how do we make Easter more personally real?
I believe we have to stop playing religious games with Jesus. We have to let Him mess with our stuff. To whatever degree we may have developed a habit of being a certain way at church and another way elsewhere, we must confess that form of sin and learn to let Jesus run our lives moment by moment, breath by breath, choice by choice.
After all, He didn’t come out of the tomb just to be admired by crowds one day a year. He’s alive to be worshiped and obeyed 365 days a year. Long after Sunday’s special worship services are over, Jesus will still be very much alive, commanding our obedience, requiring our service, and expecting our allegiance.
At its most basic, the resurrection incontrovertibly proves that Jesus is exactly Who and What He claimed to be. He Who declared Himself to be the only way to heaven also predicted that after His death, He would come back to life. If His tomb were still occupied, it would put the lie to everything else He asserted about Himself. Conversely, His resurrection verifies His claims.
So this Sunday, when you say or sing, “Christ the Lord is risen today,” remember what that means for you: it means He expects and deserves that you trust Him as your Savior, and serve Him as your Lord.
This is Easter. Nothing other, nothing less, and nothing else.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
DO YOU KNOW JESUS?
This Sunday, called either Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday, we begin our celebration of the most important week in Jesus’ life.
And we are at war.
Ironic? Not at all.
We’ve been at war since Adam and Eve welcomed Satan to this world. Every generation since Eden has replicated their sin by seeking to make ourselves gods instead of letting God make us His children. The demonic lie that says, “You can be in charge,” motivates not only mad tyrants. It also motivates the petty selfish dreams of sinners like you and me, who long to have our own way, and fuss when we can’t.
The wars raging around the world are graphic evidence of why Jesus came to earth. He came to save us from ourselves. He came to His own, and even His own rejected Him. Those who sang, “Hosanna!” on that first Palm Sunday were soon screaming for His blood.
Early in the last week of His life, one of Jesus’ followers met with those who were plotting His death and made a secret deal to hand Him over for a price. Later in the week, His closest and dearest friends fled Jesus in His hour of greatest need. One even swore he’d never met the Man.
But lest we be too harsh on them, let’s think about all the Sunday mornings of our lives when He has come riding into our midst amid the songs of our praise, and we ended up during that next week turning away from Him. Let’s recall the dark nights of our lives when we cursed rather than be known as His. Let’s remember the secret deals we made with sin and selfishness to sell Him out, if only we could stay popular and well-liked.
You see, that Palm Sunday crowd who sang His praise one moment and turned their backs on Him the next — that crowd still shows up in Church.
“Doubting Thomas.” “Fleeing Mark.” “Denying Peter.” Who are they?
They’re us.
He knew them then, and He knows us now. And knowing that we are weak, that we will fail and turn and run, He loves us still. For them and for us, He stayed the course. He followed through. He carried the cross. And He died on it.
Then they took His body down and buried Him in a borrowed tomb. On the third day, He rose from the dead. Alive!
In dying, He paid the guilt-price for your sins. In rising, He opened up His own home for you to join Him there. He is alive to be believed on and to be known, the eternal Son of God, the King of kings and Lord of lords.
The only hope of a world at war, as well as the only hope of wounded hearts and hostile souls, is to know the Son of God, crucified, dead, buried and resurrected.
Do you know Him? I’m not asking if you believe in Him. I’m asking if you know Him, if you can honestly say you’ve met Him alive and know Him personally.
After all, that’s why He’s alive! Is He alive to you?
And we are at war.
Ironic? Not at all.
We’ve been at war since Adam and Eve welcomed Satan to this world. Every generation since Eden has replicated their sin by seeking to make ourselves gods instead of letting God make us His children. The demonic lie that says, “You can be in charge,” motivates not only mad tyrants. It also motivates the petty selfish dreams of sinners like you and me, who long to have our own way, and fuss when we can’t.
The wars raging around the world are graphic evidence of why Jesus came to earth. He came to save us from ourselves. He came to His own, and even His own rejected Him. Those who sang, “Hosanna!” on that first Palm Sunday were soon screaming for His blood.
Early in the last week of His life, one of Jesus’ followers met with those who were plotting His death and made a secret deal to hand Him over for a price. Later in the week, His closest and dearest friends fled Jesus in His hour of greatest need. One even swore he’d never met the Man.
But lest we be too harsh on them, let’s think about all the Sunday mornings of our lives when He has come riding into our midst amid the songs of our praise, and we ended up during that next week turning away from Him. Let’s recall the dark nights of our lives when we cursed rather than be known as His. Let’s remember the secret deals we made with sin and selfishness to sell Him out, if only we could stay popular and well-liked.
You see, that Palm Sunday crowd who sang His praise one moment and turned their backs on Him the next — that crowd still shows up in Church.
“Doubting Thomas.” “Fleeing Mark.” “Denying Peter.” Who are they?
They’re us.
He knew them then, and He knows us now. And knowing that we are weak, that we will fail and turn and run, He loves us still. For them and for us, He stayed the course. He followed through. He carried the cross. And He died on it.
Then they took His body down and buried Him in a borrowed tomb. On the third day, He rose from the dead. Alive!
In dying, He paid the guilt-price for your sins. In rising, He opened up His own home for you to join Him there. He is alive to be believed on and to be known, the eternal Son of God, the King of kings and Lord of lords.
The only hope of a world at war, as well as the only hope of wounded hearts and hostile souls, is to know the Son of God, crucified, dead, buried and resurrected.
Do you know Him? I’m not asking if you believe in Him. I’m asking if you know Him, if you can honestly say you’ve met Him alive and know Him personally.
After all, that’s why He’s alive! Is He alive to you?
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
THE MIRACLE OF FORGIVENESS
So easily do the words slip off our tongues, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” Forgive? Really? Is this astonishing thing called forgiveness actually even possible?
Considering the nature of our sin, and what it means to God, forgiveness is, in fact, truly astonishing. God created us to reflect Him to the rest of creation: we’re made in His image and likeness, Genesis tell us. But we, each and all, decided instead that WE were the reason for living. We put ourselves at the center, just as the very word sin indicates: s – I – n. When “I” am in the center, it’s sin.
Thus, sin seeks to usurp the place and authority of God, to kick Him off His rightful throne, and make us the center of our own little universe. Though He created us for Himself, we said to Him, “No, I don’t want to live for You; therefore, You are dismissed. I choose me, not You. I and my fellow humans, we are the measure of all things.”
In view of God’s holiness and the nature of our overt rebellion against Him, let us never grow presumptuous about forgiveness, never treat the miracle of forgiveness lightly. Forgiveness is miraculous because it is the offended party, God, Who has taken the initiative to remove the offense that separates us, and has done so at His own expense.
Indeed, forgiveness is a whole long series of miracles.
Forgiveness is a miracle established for us by Christ’s incarnation, when He stepped out of eternity into time, out of heaven into earth, out of spirit into flesh.
Forgiveness is a miracle developed for us by Christ’s thirty-three years of holy living, during which He obeyed the law and fulfilled all righteousness on our behalf.
Forgiveness is a miracle finished for us by Christ’s substitutionary death, in which He took God’s righteous wrath upon our sin, and lifted the penalty of our transgressions from us.
Forgiveness is a miracle imparted to us by Christ’s victorious resurrection, as He came out of the tomb to come into our lives and live His life through us.
For the forgiven, this miracle means release: freedom from sin and guilt. The penalty of sin is removed. God declares us not guilty!
Forgiveness also means restoration: we regain our created status. God brings the forgiven into the covenant of grace and restores them to His family.
Perhaps most wonderfully, forgiveness means reconciliation: God draws us to Himself and makes us His own. He wants to be personally known by us, so He woos our hearts and calls us into a relationship of steadfast love.
What the old song says is available: “And He walks with me and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own.” How long has it been since you heard the Lord tell you that you are His own? That’s what the miracle of forgiveness can do for you.
And how do you access these miracles? By being better or trying harder? No, simply by confessing your sins to Him. God’s Word declares, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). It’s gloriously, amazingly miraculous.
Considering the nature of our sin, and what it means to God, forgiveness is, in fact, truly astonishing. God created us to reflect Him to the rest of creation: we’re made in His image and likeness, Genesis tell us. But we, each and all, decided instead that WE were the reason for living. We put ourselves at the center, just as the very word sin indicates: s – I – n. When “I” am in the center, it’s sin.
Thus, sin seeks to usurp the place and authority of God, to kick Him off His rightful throne, and make us the center of our own little universe. Though He created us for Himself, we said to Him, “No, I don’t want to live for You; therefore, You are dismissed. I choose me, not You. I and my fellow humans, we are the measure of all things.”
In view of God’s holiness and the nature of our overt rebellion against Him, let us never grow presumptuous about forgiveness, never treat the miracle of forgiveness lightly. Forgiveness is miraculous because it is the offended party, God, Who has taken the initiative to remove the offense that separates us, and has done so at His own expense.
Indeed, forgiveness is a whole long series of miracles.
Forgiveness is a miracle established for us by Christ’s incarnation, when He stepped out of eternity into time, out of heaven into earth, out of spirit into flesh.
Forgiveness is a miracle developed for us by Christ’s thirty-three years of holy living, during which He obeyed the law and fulfilled all righteousness on our behalf.
Forgiveness is a miracle finished for us by Christ’s substitutionary death, in which He took God’s righteous wrath upon our sin, and lifted the penalty of our transgressions from us.
Forgiveness is a miracle imparted to us by Christ’s victorious resurrection, as He came out of the tomb to come into our lives and live His life through us.
For the forgiven, this miracle means release: freedom from sin and guilt. The penalty of sin is removed. God declares us not guilty!
Forgiveness also means restoration: we regain our created status. God brings the forgiven into the covenant of grace and restores them to His family.
Perhaps most wonderfully, forgiveness means reconciliation: God draws us to Himself and makes us His own. He wants to be personally known by us, so He woos our hearts and calls us into a relationship of steadfast love.
What the old song says is available: “And He walks with me and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own.” How long has it been since you heard the Lord tell you that you are His own? That’s what the miracle of forgiveness can do for you.
And how do you access these miracles? By being better or trying harder? No, simply by confessing your sins to Him. God’s Word declares, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). It’s gloriously, amazingly miraculous.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
ETERNAL PUNISHMENT?
Among the issues raised about orthodox Christianity by skeptics or inquiring non-Christians is this: “If our sin is committed in time, why does it require eternal punishment?” It’s a reasonable question. Scripture asserts that those who don’t repent of their sin and trust Christ suffer separation from God forever. “How can this be fair?” some ask. I hope to provide a reasonable and biblical answer.
Let’s think logically about this. Any healthy system of justice measures out punishment on the basis of two considerations: the nature of the crime and the status of the victim. The following example illustrates this truth.
Suppose that little Billy shoves his ten-year-old class-mate on the playground at school, and knocks him to the ground. The penalty for Billy’s act might include a visit to the principle and lunch detention. If Billy persisted in his behavior, he might be suspended from school and suffer further punishments from mom and dad at home.
A few years later, Billy is in high school. He gets into a scuffle at school, and the principal attempts to break it up. Billy turns upon the principal and shoves him to the floor, where he strikes his head and is knocked out. Billy is arrested and sentenced to three months in a juvenile detention center.
At the detention center one day, Billy shoves an officer. His three-month sentence is extended to two years, and he must spend a month in solitary confinement.
Fast forward a few more years. Billy, now apparently an upstanding citizen, is in Denver to watch the President in a parade. As the Commander in Chief passes by, Billy runs from the crowd, hurls himself past the Secret Service agents, and shoves the President to the ground. Billy is quickly convicted of assault on the President, and spends the rest of his life in a mental institution.
In all four incidents, Billy’s acts were identical: he shoved somebody to the ground. However, the penalties were different, and understandably so. The punishments varied in proportion to the authority of those against whom the acts were committed. Nobody would expect Billy to receive the same punishment for shoving his third-grade class-mate to the ground as he would for shoving the President of the United States to the ground.
Let’s take it a step further. Suppose Billy chooses to shove God out of his life by usurping God’s rightful rule over his life. If shoving the President results in life-long incarceration, consider how much greater punishment is deserved for shoving aside the infinite and eternal God.
Never forget those two words: infinite and eternal. Sin against God is not like getting into a fight with a class-mate on the playground. Sin against God is infinite sin and eternal sin, because God is infinite and eternal. That is why atoning for our sin required an infinitely perfect and eternal sacrifice. And we’ll look into that in more detail next week.
Let’s think logically about this. Any healthy system of justice measures out punishment on the basis of two considerations: the nature of the crime and the status of the victim. The following example illustrates this truth.
Suppose that little Billy shoves his ten-year-old class-mate on the playground at school, and knocks him to the ground. The penalty for Billy’s act might include a visit to the principle and lunch detention. If Billy persisted in his behavior, he might be suspended from school and suffer further punishments from mom and dad at home.
A few years later, Billy is in high school. He gets into a scuffle at school, and the principal attempts to break it up. Billy turns upon the principal and shoves him to the floor, where he strikes his head and is knocked out. Billy is arrested and sentenced to three months in a juvenile detention center.
At the detention center one day, Billy shoves an officer. His three-month sentence is extended to two years, and he must spend a month in solitary confinement.
Fast forward a few more years. Billy, now apparently an upstanding citizen, is in Denver to watch the President in a parade. As the Commander in Chief passes by, Billy runs from the crowd, hurls himself past the Secret Service agents, and shoves the President to the ground. Billy is quickly convicted of assault on the President, and spends the rest of his life in a mental institution.
In all four incidents, Billy’s acts were identical: he shoved somebody to the ground. However, the penalties were different, and understandably so. The punishments varied in proportion to the authority of those against whom the acts were committed. Nobody would expect Billy to receive the same punishment for shoving his third-grade class-mate to the ground as he would for shoving the President of the United States to the ground.
Let’s take it a step further. Suppose Billy chooses to shove God out of his life by usurping God’s rightful rule over his life. If shoving the President results in life-long incarceration, consider how much greater punishment is deserved for shoving aside the infinite and eternal God.
Never forget those two words: infinite and eternal. Sin against God is not like getting into a fight with a class-mate on the playground. Sin against God is infinite sin and eternal sin, because God is infinite and eternal. That is why atoning for our sin required an infinitely perfect and eternal sacrifice. And we’ll look into that in more detail next week.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
SEEK GOD'S FACE
“Don’t focus on the problem. Instead, just seek God’s face.”
It was a cryptic piece of advice from a treasured brother in the Lord, who knew some of the agony of prayer I had been going through. My first reaction was simple frustration with these words. I thought, “Right. Easy for you to say ‘Don’t focus on the problem,’ since you aren't dealing with it all day, every day.”
So, I figured I’d just ignore the advice until I heard something more in line with what I wanted to hear. After all, what I was looking for was a solution to the problem, and how was I supposed to find the solution if I didn’t think about the problem?
However, though I tried to ignore this piece of advice, it apparently wouldn’t ignore me. Every time I bowed my head to pray, every time I opened the Word for some time with the Lord, there it was, running through my mind again. Could this be the Lord speaking to me? Did God really want me to quit focusing on the problem and simply seek His face instead?
Well, two weeks later, I have begun to think that, yes, it is the Lord speaking to me. Almost every verse of Scripture I’ve read has said the same thing to me: seek the Lord’s face. That’s where the solution lies: not in human ability or ingenuity. Not in better organization, increased skill or improved work. Only in the presence of God, as I seek His face, will His solution to this or any problem ever be found.
Indeed, God seems to have set before me a challenge for Lent: that the focus of all my praying would be to seek His face, intently and intentionally. The difficulty with that is that I’m not so certain I know how to do that. Generally, when I come to God in prayer and quiet time, I’m seeking His advice, or seeking His blessing, or even seeking His power. Seeking His face: what’s that mean? I mean, really.
So . . . I’ve been asking God to show me how I should go about this. Two passages have come to me with a sense of urgency.
First, Psalm 16:11: “You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
The words “in Your presence” are literally “before Your face,” in the original language. In other words, as we come before God simply to behold His glory, and praise Him for the grandeur of His grace, there is available to us in that moment “fullness of joy.” The word translated “fullness” literally means “enough to satisfy:” this means that your desire for joy is fulfilled before the face of God. Since He is full of joy, we find our need for joy met simply by being intentionally with Him, focusing on Him.
Second, Psalm 27:8: “When You said, ‘Seek My face,’ my heart said to You, ‘O LORD, I will seek Your face’."
This verse is simple. God wants us to seek His face. Our proper response is not to say, “But what does that mean?” or, “I don’t know how to do that.” Our proper response is simply to come before God in prayer and say to Him something like this:
“Lord here I am. You told me to seek Your face: and so, I am seeking Your face. I don’t know what it means, but I ask You to reveal Yourself to me. I need to know You personally, face-to-face: the real You, not some image I may already have in my mind. So, here I am. Show me Yourself, because when it’s all said and done, I need You desperately. More than solutions, I need You. More than answers, more than guidance, more than blessing, more than anything, I need You. Just You. Here I am. Please, show me Yourself.”
Do you have the courage to set aside a few minutes each day to join me in praying a prayer like this? Could you? Would you?
It was a cryptic piece of advice from a treasured brother in the Lord, who knew some of the agony of prayer I had been going through. My first reaction was simple frustration with these words. I thought, “Right. Easy for you to say ‘Don’t focus on the problem,’ since you aren't dealing with it all day, every day.”
So, I figured I’d just ignore the advice until I heard something more in line with what I wanted to hear. After all, what I was looking for was a solution to the problem, and how was I supposed to find the solution if I didn’t think about the problem?
However, though I tried to ignore this piece of advice, it apparently wouldn’t ignore me. Every time I bowed my head to pray, every time I opened the Word for some time with the Lord, there it was, running through my mind again. Could this be the Lord speaking to me? Did God really want me to quit focusing on the problem and simply seek His face instead?
Well, two weeks later, I have begun to think that, yes, it is the Lord speaking to me. Almost every verse of Scripture I’ve read has said the same thing to me: seek the Lord’s face. That’s where the solution lies: not in human ability or ingenuity. Not in better organization, increased skill or improved work. Only in the presence of God, as I seek His face, will His solution to this or any problem ever be found.
Indeed, God seems to have set before me a challenge for Lent: that the focus of all my praying would be to seek His face, intently and intentionally. The difficulty with that is that I’m not so certain I know how to do that. Generally, when I come to God in prayer and quiet time, I’m seeking His advice, or seeking His blessing, or even seeking His power. Seeking His face: what’s that mean? I mean, really.
So . . . I’ve been asking God to show me how I should go about this. Two passages have come to me with a sense of urgency.
First, Psalm 16:11: “You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
The words “in Your presence” are literally “before Your face,” in the original language. In other words, as we come before God simply to behold His glory, and praise Him for the grandeur of His grace, there is available to us in that moment “fullness of joy.” The word translated “fullness” literally means “enough to satisfy:” this means that your desire for joy is fulfilled before the face of God. Since He is full of joy, we find our need for joy met simply by being intentionally with Him, focusing on Him.
Second, Psalm 27:8: “When You said, ‘Seek My face,’ my heart said to You, ‘O LORD, I will seek Your face’."
This verse is simple. God wants us to seek His face. Our proper response is not to say, “But what does that mean?” or, “I don’t know how to do that.” Our proper response is simply to come before God in prayer and say to Him something like this:
“Lord here I am. You told me to seek Your face: and so, I am seeking Your face. I don’t know what it means, but I ask You to reveal Yourself to me. I need to know You personally, face-to-face: the real You, not some image I may already have in my mind. So, here I am. Show me Yourself, because when it’s all said and done, I need You desperately. More than solutions, I need You. More than answers, more than guidance, more than blessing, more than anything, I need You. Just You. Here I am. Please, show me Yourself.”
Do you have the courage to set aside a few minutes each day to join me in praying a prayer like this? Could you? Would you?
Thursday, February 18, 2010
A BIBLICAL CHURCH, part 3: Responding to Biblical Truth
Last week we looked at the three biblical truths that comprise an outline of the gospel. Let’s review briefly.
Biblical truth #1 is that God is holy. God also has many other attributes, but what always comes first in Scripture is His holiness. And since that’s where God’s Word starts with God, it’s also where we ought to start.
Biblical truth #2 is that people are sinners. Once we realize that God is holy, our sinfulness becomes immediately obvious. Indeed, in every Scriptural account in which God reveals Himself to people, the first thing these people do is acknowledge their sin. Nobody has to tell them they’re sinners: that knowledge comes instantly in the light of God’s holiness.
These two biblical truths mean that humanity has a serious problem. Since God is holy and we are sinful, we are separated from Him; and to be separated from Him ultimately means hell forever. And that, beloved, is the most serious problem that exists.
Biblical truth #3 is that Christ is sufficient to solve our sin problem. He lived a perfectly sinless life so He can give us righteousness. Then He died under God’s wrath for our sins, so He can take away our punishment. Finally, He rose from the dead to live His life out in us.
Scripture is very clear that once we know these three biblical truths, a response is required. And that response is as simple as A – B – C.
A stands for “Admit.” Specifically, you and I need to admit we are sinners who need a Savior. It is sheer folly to suppose that we could establish our own righteousness before God by our own effort. Even if we lived perfectly for the rest of our lives, it’s already too late. Admit it: we’re sinners, and we need a Savior.
B stands for “Believe.” Scripture is very clear that salvation is given to us when we believe something, not when we try to do something. And the thing Scripture instructs us to believe is that Christ’s finished work is all we need. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “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.”
Sadly, our culture has hijacked the term “believe,” and rendered it captive to broad misunderstanding. We need to refresh our understanding of what “believe” means in Scripture. That’s where the “C” comes in.
C stands for “Commit.” Scripture unambiguously declares that if we believe in Jesus, our believing necessarily includes committing our very lives to Him. In other words, so-called believing that does not include submitting your life to Christ, so that He may exercise His rightful Lordship in you, is not biblical belief at all.
So, where do you stand? Have you made an A – B – C response to the gospel? If not, I pray that you will do so today.
Biblical truth #1 is that God is holy. God also has many other attributes, but what always comes first in Scripture is His holiness. And since that’s where God’s Word starts with God, it’s also where we ought to start.
Biblical truth #2 is that people are sinners. Once we realize that God is holy, our sinfulness becomes immediately obvious. Indeed, in every Scriptural account in which God reveals Himself to people, the first thing these people do is acknowledge their sin. Nobody has to tell them they’re sinners: that knowledge comes instantly in the light of God’s holiness.
These two biblical truths mean that humanity has a serious problem. Since God is holy and we are sinful, we are separated from Him; and to be separated from Him ultimately means hell forever. And that, beloved, is the most serious problem that exists.
Biblical truth #3 is that Christ is sufficient to solve our sin problem. He lived a perfectly sinless life so He can give us righteousness. Then He died under God’s wrath for our sins, so He can take away our punishment. Finally, He rose from the dead to live His life out in us.
Scripture is very clear that once we know these three biblical truths, a response is required. And that response is as simple as A – B – C.
A stands for “Admit.” Specifically, you and I need to admit we are sinners who need a Savior. It is sheer folly to suppose that we could establish our own righteousness before God by our own effort. Even if we lived perfectly for the rest of our lives, it’s already too late. Admit it: we’re sinners, and we need a Savior.
B stands for “Believe.” Scripture is very clear that salvation is given to us when we believe something, not when we try to do something. And the thing Scripture instructs us to believe is that Christ’s finished work is all we need. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “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.”
Sadly, our culture has hijacked the term “believe,” and rendered it captive to broad misunderstanding. We need to refresh our understanding of what “believe” means in Scripture. That’s where the “C” comes in.
C stands for “Commit.” Scripture unambiguously declares that if we believe in Jesus, our believing necessarily includes committing our very lives to Him. In other words, so-called believing that does not include submitting your life to Christ, so that He may exercise His rightful Lordship in you, is not biblical belief at all.
So, where do you stand? Have you made an A – B – C response to the gospel? If not, I pray that you will do so today.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
A BIBLICAL CHURCH, part 2
Last week I pointed out that, among everything else that it is and does, a church must have two key components to be true to Scripture. As authors Tim Chester and Steve Timmis put it in their rich little book called "Total Church," these two essential elements are the gospel and community. In other words, the primary "content" of the church is the gospel, and the primary "context" of the church is community.
Two questions obviously arise. First, what IS the gospel? Second, what is meant by community? Last week we saw that "community" means the sharing of life together in genuine Christ-centered love, care, support, prayer, and encouragement. It's what Jesus was talking about when He commanded us in John 13:34 to love one another.
Now to the other question: what is the gospel?
The best I can encapsulate it, the gospel involves three biblical truths, to which we must each make three biblical responses.
Biblical truth #1 is that God is holy. While God also has many other attributes, in Scripture, what always comes first is His holiness. Every glimpse of God given to us in Scripture shows us that He is holy. And since that's where God's Word starts with God, it's also where we ought to start.
Biblical truth #2 is that people are sinners. Once we catch a glimpse of God's holiness, the sinfulness of humanity becomes immediately obvious. Indeed, in every Scriptural account in which God's holiness is revealed, the first response of the people is to know and acknowledge their sin. Nobody has to tell them they're sinners: that knowledge comes instantly in the light of God's holiness.
These two biblical truths mean that humanity has a serious problem. Since God is holy and we are sinful, we are separated from Him; and to be separated from Him ultimately means hell forever. And that, beloved, is the most serious problem that exists.
Biblical truth #3 is that Christ is sufficient. In His incarnation, He did everything necessary to solve the sin problem that separates us from God, a problem we could not solve ourselves. He lived a perfectly sinless life so He can give us righteousness; and He died under God's wrath for our sins, so He can take away our punishment. Finally, He rose from the dead to live His life out in us.
Scripture is very clear that when we know these three biblical truths, a response is required. Just knowing these truths is not enough. It's like this. Since I studied Physics in college, I know one of the main reasons airplanes can fly: it's called Bernoulli's Principle of Fluid Dynamics. However, just knowing Bernoulli's Principle (even if I know a lot about it) wouldn't fly me to Florida: I would actually have to get on an airplane! Similarly, just being acquainted with these three Biblical truths doesn't save you. The truths call for a response.
And, as everyone in my church can tell you, that response is as simple as A - B - C. We'll look at that next week.
Two questions obviously arise. First, what IS the gospel? Second, what is meant by community? Last week we saw that "community" means the sharing of life together in genuine Christ-centered love, care, support, prayer, and encouragement. It's what Jesus was talking about when He commanded us in John 13:34 to love one another.
Now to the other question: what is the gospel?
The best I can encapsulate it, the gospel involves three biblical truths, to which we must each make three biblical responses.
Biblical truth #1 is that God is holy. While God also has many other attributes, in Scripture, what always comes first is His holiness. Every glimpse of God given to us in Scripture shows us that He is holy. And since that's where God's Word starts with God, it's also where we ought to start.
Biblical truth #2 is that people are sinners. Once we catch a glimpse of God's holiness, the sinfulness of humanity becomes immediately obvious. Indeed, in every Scriptural account in which God's holiness is revealed, the first response of the people is to know and acknowledge their sin. Nobody has to tell them they're sinners: that knowledge comes instantly in the light of God's holiness.
These two biblical truths mean that humanity has a serious problem. Since God is holy and we are sinful, we are separated from Him; and to be separated from Him ultimately means hell forever. And that, beloved, is the most serious problem that exists.
Biblical truth #3 is that Christ is sufficient. In His incarnation, He did everything necessary to solve the sin problem that separates us from God, a problem we could not solve ourselves. He lived a perfectly sinless life so He can give us righteousness; and He died under God's wrath for our sins, so He can take away our punishment. Finally, He rose from the dead to live His life out in us.
Scripture is very clear that when we know these three biblical truths, a response is required. Just knowing these truths is not enough. It's like this. Since I studied Physics in college, I know one of the main reasons airplanes can fly: it's called Bernoulli's Principle of Fluid Dynamics. However, just knowing Bernoulli's Principle (even if I know a lot about it) wouldn't fly me to Florida: I would actually have to get on an airplane! Similarly, just being acquainted with these three Biblical truths doesn't save you. The truths call for a response.
And, as everyone in my church can tell you, that response is as simple as A - B - C. We'll look at that next week.
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
A BIBLICAL CHURCH, part 1
Okay, I know I’m likely about to come in for some hot water, because what I’m going to write about (as promised last week) is what defines a biblical church. Actually, it’s pretty simple. Indeed, as Thom Rainer wrote in his book with the fascinating title of “Simple Church,” it’s really far more simple than most Americans think.
So . . . here it is, what defines a biblical church. Two things:
1. gospel; and
2. community.
Actually, Tim Chester and Steve Timmis, in their rich little book called “Total Church” speak much more eloquently to these two defining aspects of what makes a biblical church, so let me have you listen to them.
“Two key principles should shape the way we ‘do church’: gospel and community. Christians are called to a dual fidelity: fidelity to the core content of the gospel and fidelity to the primary context of a believing community. Whether we are thinking about evangelism, social involvement, pastoral care, apologetics, discipleship, or teaching, the content is consistently the Christian gospel, and the context is consistently the Christian community.
“Being gospel-centered actually involves two things. First, it means being word-centered because the gospel is a word – the gospel is news, a message. Second, it means being mission-centered, because the gospel is a word to be proclaimed – the gospel is good news, a missionary message.”
Throughout the rest of the book, Timmis and Chester make a resounding and air-tight case that Scripture requires the church to determine its identity, purpose and ministries around these two simple priorities: gospel, the content of the church’s message; and community, the context of the church’s mission. It’s a very good book. Very good.
However, two questions obviously arise. First, what IS the gospel? Second, what is meant by community?
Let’s take those questions one at a time, starting with the simple one: what is meant by community?
“Community” is our English word for the New Testament Greek term “koinonia,” which Scripture uses to describe the way the first Christians related to each other — with genuine love, fellowship, care, support, prayer, and encouragement. It’s what Jesus was talking about when He commanded us to love one another.
It’s certainly more than what we do on Sunday mornings over coffee in the fellowship hall. It’s living a shared life centered on the gospel. It means we actually live out – in practical terms! – the fact that we are connected to each other by a shared salvation wrought in us by God’s sovereign grace revealed in the gospel. We help each other. We share with each other. We pray for each other. We obey the 57 “one-another” commands in the New Testament, commands we can’t possibly keep if we live life in isolation from each other except when we meet in a big room on Sundays.
In other words, if there’s no community happening, the church is squeezing itself out from under its own biblical definition. To be a biblical church, there must be community
There must also be the gospel. And we’ll look into that next week.
So . . . here it is, what defines a biblical church. Two things:
1. gospel; and
2. community.
Actually, Tim Chester and Steve Timmis, in their rich little book called “Total Church” speak much more eloquently to these two defining aspects of what makes a biblical church, so let me have you listen to them.
“Two key principles should shape the way we ‘do church’: gospel and community. Christians are called to a dual fidelity: fidelity to the core content of the gospel and fidelity to the primary context of a believing community. Whether we are thinking about evangelism, social involvement, pastoral care, apologetics, discipleship, or teaching, the content is consistently the Christian gospel, and the context is consistently the Christian community.
“Being gospel-centered actually involves two things. First, it means being word-centered because the gospel is a word – the gospel is news, a message. Second, it means being mission-centered, because the gospel is a word to be proclaimed – the gospel is good news, a missionary message.”
Throughout the rest of the book, Timmis and Chester make a resounding and air-tight case that Scripture requires the church to determine its identity, purpose and ministries around these two simple priorities: gospel, the content of the church’s message; and community, the context of the church’s mission. It’s a very good book. Very good.
However, two questions obviously arise. First, what IS the gospel? Second, what is meant by community?
Let’s take those questions one at a time, starting with the simple one: what is meant by community?
“Community” is our English word for the New Testament Greek term “koinonia,” which Scripture uses to describe the way the first Christians related to each other — with genuine love, fellowship, care, support, prayer, and encouragement. It’s what Jesus was talking about when He commanded us to love one another.
It’s certainly more than what we do on Sunday mornings over coffee in the fellowship hall. It’s living a shared life centered on the gospel. It means we actually live out – in practical terms! – the fact that we are connected to each other by a shared salvation wrought in us by God’s sovereign grace revealed in the gospel. We help each other. We share with each other. We pray for each other. We obey the 57 “one-another” commands in the New Testament, commands we can’t possibly keep if we live life in isolation from each other except when we meet in a big room on Sundays.
In other words, if there’s no community happening, the church is squeezing itself out from under its own biblical definition. To be a biblical church, there must be community
There must also be the gospel. And we’ll look into that next week.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
THE DOCTRINE OF SNOW
I had a very interesting encounter after the second worship service here at First Baptist Church a while back. A personable young man I have known for some time, who was a guest of some of his friends in worship, approached me with a serious look on his face. He shook my hand and told me how much he had enjoyed the service, and that he always loved it when he got to worship with the folks at First Baptist.
Then he said, “And you know, I agree with almost all of the doctrines you teach here. All except one doctrine.” Here he paused, and I immediately began to wonder what I had said that would make him raise a doctrinal issue in the lobby after worship.
“What doctrine is that?” I asked.
With apparent earnestness he said, “Well, Pastor, I hate to say it, but it’s your doctrine of snow. I just can’t agree with your position.” Then he broke into a smile and we both had a good laugh as he explained his mock concern.
He pointed out that during prayer time, I had voiced our gratitude to God for the wonderful moisture we had received over recent weeks, but went on to ask God if He might arrange for the temperature to be warmer the next time we get some precipitation. You see, I’m not personally all that crazy about snow. And yet, I know it’s a wonderful blessing to have the wheat lay under a blanket of the white stuff, which is just what we had experienced for the previous several weeks. As a result, as my people know, I struggle with how to pray for precipitation in the winter. I recall mentioning in my prayer that we were giving “reluctant though heart-felt thanks” to God for the snow: reluctant, because I hate snow; heart-felt thanks, because we always need the moisture.
This young man said that he, by contrast, loves snow, everything about it, and wishes it would snow more often. And so, with what turned out to be simulated seriousness, he indicated he could never sit under my teaching or be a part of any church whose “doctrine of snow” was so out of line with his. We laughed and laughed. It was hilarious. Simply hilarious. I continue to chuckle as I think about our conversation!
And yet, there’s a serious side to this young man’s remark. Every pastor in town knows that some people leave churches over matters no more consequential than a “doctrine of snow,” as our worship guest called it. Matters such as who gets to pass the offering plates or the color a room gets painted (or who gets hired to paint it) have actually split churches. The “doctrine of snow” is a genuine heavyweight by contrast!
The challenge for each of us is to do a well-prayed-through inventory of what really matters in a church. If you go to the Word of God, and read what it says, you may be surprised at the brevity of the list of truths that define a biblical church. More on that, next week.
Then he said, “And you know, I agree with almost all of the doctrines you teach here. All except one doctrine.” Here he paused, and I immediately began to wonder what I had said that would make him raise a doctrinal issue in the lobby after worship.
“What doctrine is that?” I asked.
With apparent earnestness he said, “Well, Pastor, I hate to say it, but it’s your doctrine of snow. I just can’t agree with your position.” Then he broke into a smile and we both had a good laugh as he explained his mock concern.
He pointed out that during prayer time, I had voiced our gratitude to God for the wonderful moisture we had received over recent weeks, but went on to ask God if He might arrange for the temperature to be warmer the next time we get some precipitation. You see, I’m not personally all that crazy about snow. And yet, I know it’s a wonderful blessing to have the wheat lay under a blanket of the white stuff, which is just what we had experienced for the previous several weeks. As a result, as my people know, I struggle with how to pray for precipitation in the winter. I recall mentioning in my prayer that we were giving “reluctant though heart-felt thanks” to God for the snow: reluctant, because I hate snow; heart-felt thanks, because we always need the moisture.
This young man said that he, by contrast, loves snow, everything about it, and wishes it would snow more often. And so, with what turned out to be simulated seriousness, he indicated he could never sit under my teaching or be a part of any church whose “doctrine of snow” was so out of line with his. We laughed and laughed. It was hilarious. Simply hilarious. I continue to chuckle as I think about our conversation!
And yet, there’s a serious side to this young man’s remark. Every pastor in town knows that some people leave churches over matters no more consequential than a “doctrine of snow,” as our worship guest called it. Matters such as who gets to pass the offering plates or the color a room gets painted (or who gets hired to paint it) have actually split churches. The “doctrine of snow” is a genuine heavyweight by contrast!
The challenge for each of us is to do a well-prayed-through inventory of what really matters in a church. If you go to the Word of God, and read what it says, you may be surprised at the brevity of the list of truths that define a biblical church. More on that, next week.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
SERVING GOD IN A BROKEN WORLD
They were so sure of themselves, this little band of Jesus-followers. The miracles they had seen and the wonders He had performed apparently gave them a sense of importance, as if He had chosen them by virtue of some special character or assets they possessed.
So it was that as they left the temple precincts one day, Jesus came upon a man blind from birth, and His followers decided it was time for an explanation. “Teacher,” they asked Him, “why was this man born blind? On account of his parents’ sin, or his own sin?”
They were like so many in the church today, anxious to conjecture about the cause of things, even to find fault and place blame. They seemed to have forgotten that they were living in a broken world, and that in a broken world unexplainable tragedies take place. Babies die. Earthquakes strike. Children are born blind.
Jesus reminded them of this truth even as He rebuked them. “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents,” He said (an explanation they probably didn’t like very much), “but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” In other words, the issue was not so much who to blame, but rather, how God might be glorified in the situation. Not “Why?” but rather, “What now?”
“We must work the works of Him Who sent me,” Jesus continued, and immediately began to do so. He got down on the ground, made mud out of dust and spit, placed it on the man’s eyes and told him to go wash in the pool called Siloam. He went and washed, and came back miraculously able to see.
When the earth shakes and people die, it’s natural to look for reasons why. But Christ commands us not to let our curiosity paralyze us. When once we’ve asked the “Why?” question, and received whatever explanation God’s word affords (even if we don’t like it very much), it’s time to move on quickly to “What now?” What can we do now that the works of God might be displayed? How can we point to God’s goodness and mercy, and draw the wounded to their only all-sufficient Healer?
The extraordinary tragedy in Haiti should remind us of the more common tragedies among which we are called to work the works of God. Every month in America, 100,000 unborn children are killed, matching the Haitian earthquake’s toll once a month, twelve months a year. And what question do you ask? Why? Or what now?
Every hour in sub-Saharan Africa, a hundred children become orphans. Why? Or what now?
Every day on this broken world, 500,000 souls slip from this life into eternity, most of them due to old age, natural causes, the silent horrific incursion of the last enemy, death. Why? Or what now?
And every moment, all around you, marriages fail, children hurt, and people struggle and sin and suffer. It’s a broken world we live in; and what are you doing about it, for the glory of God?
So it was that as they left the temple precincts one day, Jesus came upon a man blind from birth, and His followers decided it was time for an explanation. “Teacher,” they asked Him, “why was this man born blind? On account of his parents’ sin, or his own sin?”
They were like so many in the church today, anxious to conjecture about the cause of things, even to find fault and place blame. They seemed to have forgotten that they were living in a broken world, and that in a broken world unexplainable tragedies take place. Babies die. Earthquakes strike. Children are born blind.
Jesus reminded them of this truth even as He rebuked them. “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents,” He said (an explanation they probably didn’t like very much), “but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” In other words, the issue was not so much who to blame, but rather, how God might be glorified in the situation. Not “Why?” but rather, “What now?”
“We must work the works of Him Who sent me,” Jesus continued, and immediately began to do so. He got down on the ground, made mud out of dust and spit, placed it on the man’s eyes and told him to go wash in the pool called Siloam. He went and washed, and came back miraculously able to see.
When the earth shakes and people die, it’s natural to look for reasons why. But Christ commands us not to let our curiosity paralyze us. When once we’ve asked the “Why?” question, and received whatever explanation God’s word affords (even if we don’t like it very much), it’s time to move on quickly to “What now?” What can we do now that the works of God might be displayed? How can we point to God’s goodness and mercy, and draw the wounded to their only all-sufficient Healer?
The extraordinary tragedy in Haiti should remind us of the more common tragedies among which we are called to work the works of God. Every month in America, 100,000 unborn children are killed, matching the Haitian earthquake’s toll once a month, twelve months a year. And what question do you ask? Why? Or what now?
Every hour in sub-Saharan Africa, a hundred children become orphans. Why? Or what now?
Every day on this broken world, 500,000 souls slip from this life into eternity, most of them due to old age, natural causes, the silent horrific incursion of the last enemy, death. Why? Or what now?
And every moment, all around you, marriages fail, children hurt, and people struggle and sin and suffer. It’s a broken world we live in; and what are you doing about it, for the glory of God?
Friday, January 15, 2010
Al Mohler Says It Better Than I Did
Just go to his blog and read it for yourself. It's the article for January 14, 2010.
http://www.albertmohler.com/2010/01/14/does-god-hate-haiti/
What he said.
http://www.albertmohler.com/2010/01/14/does-god-hate-haiti/
What he said.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
LIFE IN A BROKEN WORLD
It's been a very long time since I posted anything here, and so probably nobody is looking in on my blog any more. Anyway, with the events of the last week in Haiti, I thought I'd enter the fray. Here's my article for the January 15 edition of the Sterling Journal-Advocate, our daily newspaper here in Sterling, Colorado. May it get you thinking.
We’ve all seen bits and pieces of the horrifying tragedy that has taken place in Haiti. Already the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, this island nation is reeling under a blow from which it may never fully recover. The depths of heartbreak and hardship are beyond the capacity of most to even imagine.
Just before the earthquake happened, I began reading a new book by Randy Alcorn, called “If God Is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil.” Alcorn does a spectacular job of wrestling with the truly difficult questions about what C. S. Lewis called “the problem of pain.” He dedicates a whole section to issues surrounding the occurrence of so-called “natural disasters,” including Hurricane Katrina and the December 2004 Asian tsunami. He doesn’t evade the knotty subjects, but faces them head-on with a firm conviction that God’s Word is true.
I strongly recommend the book to you, because Alcorn tackles the problems most Christian authors simply gloss over. As we think about what happened Tuesday afternoon in Haiti, let me lift up some of what Alcorn wrote.
“Many people blame God for natural disasters. ‘How could he allow this?’ they ask. But what if the Architect and Builder crafted a beautiful and perfect home for Earth’s inhabitants, who despite his warnings carelessly cracked its foundation, punched holes in the walls, and trashed the house? Why blame the builder when the occupants took a sledgehammer to their own home?”
Alcorn isn’t saying that the Haitian earthquake was the specific fault of some certain group of people, but rather that when God turned the earth over to the human race so that we could “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28), the planet was still in perfect condition. There were no earthquakes in Eden.
So . . . what happened?
Alcorn explains: “God placed a curse on the earth due to Adam’s sin (see Genesis 3:17). That curse extends to everything in the natural world and makes it harder for people to live productively. Paul says that ‘the creation was subjected to frustration’ by God’s curse, until that day when ‘the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay’ (Romans 8:20-21). The next verse says, ‘The whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth.’ Earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis reflect the frustration, bondage and decay of an earth groaning under sin’s curse.”
We live in a broken world. In a broken world, unexplainable tragedies take place. Babies die. Planes crash. Earthquakes strike. And when the world’s brokenness inflicts enough pain, thinking people start asking reasonable questions. As we seek answers to our profound uncertainties, it is important to remember who broke the world we live in. It wasn’t God. For thousands of years, He has called to humanity to follow His plans and submit to His order for creation. And since Eden, we have defied Him.
No, it wasn’t God who broke the world.
It was us.
We’ve all seen bits and pieces of the horrifying tragedy that has taken place in Haiti. Already the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, this island nation is reeling under a blow from which it may never fully recover. The depths of heartbreak and hardship are beyond the capacity of most to even imagine.
Just before the earthquake happened, I began reading a new book by Randy Alcorn, called “If God Is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil.” Alcorn does a spectacular job of wrestling with the truly difficult questions about what C. S. Lewis called “the problem of pain.” He dedicates a whole section to issues surrounding the occurrence of so-called “natural disasters,” including Hurricane Katrina and the December 2004 Asian tsunami. He doesn’t evade the knotty subjects, but faces them head-on with a firm conviction that God’s Word is true.
I strongly recommend the book to you, because Alcorn tackles the problems most Christian authors simply gloss over. As we think about what happened Tuesday afternoon in Haiti, let me lift up some of what Alcorn wrote.
“Many people blame God for natural disasters. ‘How could he allow this?’ they ask. But what if the Architect and Builder crafted a beautiful and perfect home for Earth’s inhabitants, who despite his warnings carelessly cracked its foundation, punched holes in the walls, and trashed the house? Why blame the builder when the occupants took a sledgehammer to their own home?”
Alcorn isn’t saying that the Haitian earthquake was the specific fault of some certain group of people, but rather that when God turned the earth over to the human race so that we could “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28), the planet was still in perfect condition. There were no earthquakes in Eden.
So . . . what happened?
Alcorn explains: “God placed a curse on the earth due to Adam’s sin (see Genesis 3:17). That curse extends to everything in the natural world and makes it harder for people to live productively. Paul says that ‘the creation was subjected to frustration’ by God’s curse, until that day when ‘the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay’ (Romans 8:20-21). The next verse says, ‘The whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth.’ Earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis reflect the frustration, bondage and decay of an earth groaning under sin’s curse.”
We live in a broken world. In a broken world, unexplainable tragedies take place. Babies die. Planes crash. Earthquakes strike. And when the world’s brokenness inflicts enough pain, thinking people start asking reasonable questions. As we seek answers to our profound uncertainties, it is important to remember who broke the world we live in. It wasn’t God. For thousands of years, He has called to humanity to follow His plans and submit to His order for creation. And since Eden, we have defied Him.
No, it wasn’t God who broke the world.
It was us.
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