When Zechariah and Elizabeth got married, they had the same hopes and dreams every young couple has. A good income, a nice home, and of course, a family. Particularly in the land of Israel, 2000 years ago, children were seen as a blessing from God; so much so, in fact, that if a couple did not have any children, it was perceived as an indication of God’s punishment for some sin in their lives.
We can only imagine the disappointment and heartache this young couple felt when it became apparent that they could not have any children. Add to this the fact that Zechariah was a priest, a “man of God.” O how the wagging tongues must have kept themselves busy, speculating about what the issue could be. Zechariah must have done this, or Elizabeth probably did that, and, “Well, you know, I heard…”
How many hours this couple must have spent over the years, praying, “God, please give us a child. Lord, vindicate us. Take away the shame and the scorn. Show these people that we are innocent of everything they think we may have done. God, give us a child.”
When Luke introduces us to Zechariah and Elizabeth, they are no longer a young couple, trying to have a child. They are senior citizens. By now, they should be grandparents. Any thought, hope, or prayer of ever having a family has been long since forgotten. Elizabeth went through menopause at least ten, maybe twenty or thirty years ago.
When Zechariah went into the temple to burn incense (symbolic of prayer), he was surprised—no, shocked—by the appearance of an angel. And at first, he must have been a bit mystified by what the angel had to say. “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard…” (Luke 1:13).
“Prayer? What prayer? I’ve said many prayers throughout my lifetime. Which prayer are you talking about?”
As Zechariah asked that question within his own head, the angel continued, “Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son.”
Zechariah must have mused, “Oh, that prayer,” and then, “Wait a minute! THAT prayer? You’ve got to be joking.”
Because it had been so long, and because having children was now impossible for he and Elizabeth, Zechariah had forgotten about that which he had prayed so earnestly and for so long. But as Pastor John taught us on December 11th, God never forgets.
The lesson is obvious, as we continue our series on miracles. Don’t ever give up. Don’t ever stop. Keep on praying. Keep on believing God for that miracle you need. Remember those prayers you prayed so long ago and have since given up on. Remember them, and start praying again. Because even when we forget about them, God never forgets.
Now, I believe there is an even greater truth underlying this principle. It is the truth that God is faithful. He is faithful to Himself, faithful to His Word, and faithful to His people.
To illustrate this, let’s briefly look at a situation that took place several hundred years before the time of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Israel had been divided into two kingdoms, Israel and Judah. The king of Israel had joined forces with the king of Syria, and the two of them were threatening to attack and destroy Judah. To protect his people, king Ahaz of Judah was seeking to form an alliance with the Assyrians.
But God sent the prophet, Isaiah, to tell king Ahaz, “Do not turn to the Assyrians. Do not trust them to help you. Trust in God?” Why? Because “the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).
Wait a minute. This is a prophecy about the birth of Jesus. What’s that got to do with the situation? Everything. For several centuries earlier, God had promised king David that one of his descendants would reign as the king of Israel forever (see II Sam. 7:4-17). And even many centuries before that, God had told Abraham, “In you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:3).
If Judah and/or Israel were to ever be destroyed, these promises could never be fulfilled. But through Isaiah, God was telling Ahaz, “I won’t let that happen. I won’t let My people be destroyed. I will fulfill My promises to Abraham and to David.”
In giving the prophecy about the virgin birth of Jesus Christ, God was proving Himself to be faithful to Abraham, to David, and to the nation. And, lest we think He is only concerned about such great people as Abraham as David, the announcement that Elizabeth would have a son (who later became John the Baptist) showed that God is faithful to such ordinary and “insignificant” people as a little-known priest and his wife. And if God was faithful to them, then He most certainly is and will be faithful to you, as well.
QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND APPLICATION
1. What former hopes and dreams have you given up on? Is there something you used to pray for, but have given up on because God didn’t answer that prayer when you hoped He would?
2. How does the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth encourage you in this area?
3. Think about your entire life up to this point, especially some of the hard times you may have experienced. How has God proven Himself to be faithful to you? Are you able to see evidence of God’s faithfulness in your life?
4. What miracle are you needing now? What difficult situation are you facing? How much are you praying about it? Are you trusting God to answer your prayer, or do you doubt that He will intervene? Why? What will you do to increase your faith in God’s faithfulness to you?
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Miracles--Part 1
As we start our series on miracles, it is good to have a working definition of what a miracle is. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a miracle as “1: An extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs,” and “2: An extremely outstanding or unusual event, thing, or accomplishment.”
These definitions are good, but rather wordy. So allow me to simplify things by saying that a miracle occurs any time God does what only God can do. And when you think about it, everything God does is something only God can do. Therefore, everything God does is, technically, a miracle.
A miracle can include anything from healing leprosy, or even cerebral palsy, to making trees and flowers grow, to saving people from their sins. These are all things that God does and only God can do.
On Sunday, PJ told us that we’re meant to experience the supernatural on a daily basis, and I agree. However, we must be careful about how we define that which is supernatural or what we expect it to look like. For example, even though I’m meant to experience the supernatural in my life, that doesn’t necessarily mean that I should go through life expecting God to heal my cerebral palsy, and then being disappointed if He doesn’t.
One thing we must qualify any discussion about miracles with is the Sovereignty of God. God does what He wants to do, when He wants to do it, and for His purposes; not ours. There may be times when we ask God to perform a certain miracle in our lives, and He says no.
This may cause us to ask, when does God perform a miracle (such as physical healing) and when doesn’t He? Many factors may come into play. However, we must remember that God always does that which brings Him the greatest glory. Therefore, if God is going to receive more glory through my life as the result of Him not healing my handicap, then He won’t do it. If healing me will bring Him the greater glory, then He will. However, from our vantage point, not knowing the future, we cannot know what will result in the maximum glory given to God. Therefore, we must trust that God does know these things and will act accordingly.
Another general principle we learned was that miracles start with us doing something about a situation. As we saw in II Kings 5, Naaman had to go see the prophet, Elisha, and then he had to bathe in the Jordan River seven times. In Matthew 9, we find that the paralytic man had to actually get up and walk. For it has been said that the healing did not come until he actually tried to get up and walk. The healing came as he did what Jesus told him to.
Ironically, many evangelicals say that there isn’t anything we have to do in order to receive salvation from God. They are correct insofar as there are no good works on our part which are required for salvation. However, there is in fact something we must do in order to receive salvation. We must believe that Jesus died for our sins and was raised back to life. We must trust that He will forgive our sins when we ask Him to. And of course, we must take that step of trusting Him to forgive us by asking Him to save us. Then and only then will we receive the miracle of salvation.
In any given situation, what must be done in order to receive a miracle from God can vary. As I just stated, the only thing we have to do to receive salvation is ask for it. the woman with the issue of blood had to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment. Naaman had to bathe seven times in the muddy Jordan River. But one element is common in all these situations—faith. If we’re ever going to be able to expect to receive a miracle from God, we must believe at least that He is capable of doing what we ask.
Matthew 21 tells us of an occasion in which Jesus cursed a fig tree, which then immediately withered and died. When the disciples marveled at it, Jesus told them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith” (Matt. 21:21-22).
The antithesis of this is just as true. If we do not have faith—if we do not believe that God can do what we are asking Him to do—then we will not see Him work in our lives.
QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND APPLICATION
1. What miracle do I need to have God perform in my life?
2. Do I believe that God can perform this miracle, or do I have a defeatist mentality that says, “Yes, God probably could do this, but He probably won’t”?
3. What action(s) do I need to take in order to facilitate receiving a miracle from God?
4. Read Ephesians 3:20-21. In your e-group discuss how this verse relates to our topic of miracles.
These definitions are good, but rather wordy. So allow me to simplify things by saying that a miracle occurs any time God does what only God can do. And when you think about it, everything God does is something only God can do. Therefore, everything God does is, technically, a miracle.
A miracle can include anything from healing leprosy, or even cerebral palsy, to making trees and flowers grow, to saving people from their sins. These are all things that God does and only God can do.
On Sunday, PJ told us that we’re meant to experience the supernatural on a daily basis, and I agree. However, we must be careful about how we define that which is supernatural or what we expect it to look like. For example, even though I’m meant to experience the supernatural in my life, that doesn’t necessarily mean that I should go through life expecting God to heal my cerebral palsy, and then being disappointed if He doesn’t.
One thing we must qualify any discussion about miracles with is the Sovereignty of God. God does what He wants to do, when He wants to do it, and for His purposes; not ours. There may be times when we ask God to perform a certain miracle in our lives, and He says no.
This may cause us to ask, when does God perform a miracle (such as physical healing) and when doesn’t He? Many factors may come into play. However, we must remember that God always does that which brings Him the greatest glory. Therefore, if God is going to receive more glory through my life as the result of Him not healing my handicap, then He won’t do it. If healing me will bring Him the greater glory, then He will. However, from our vantage point, not knowing the future, we cannot know what will result in the maximum glory given to God. Therefore, we must trust that God does know these things and will act accordingly.
Another general principle we learned was that miracles start with us doing something about a situation. As we saw in II Kings 5, Naaman had to go see the prophet, Elisha, and then he had to bathe in the Jordan River seven times. In Matthew 9, we find that the paralytic man had to actually get up and walk. For it has been said that the healing did not come until he actually tried to get up and walk. The healing came as he did what Jesus told him to.
Ironically, many evangelicals say that there isn’t anything we have to do in order to receive salvation from God. They are correct insofar as there are no good works on our part which are required for salvation. However, there is in fact something we must do in order to receive salvation. We must believe that Jesus died for our sins and was raised back to life. We must trust that He will forgive our sins when we ask Him to. And of course, we must take that step of trusting Him to forgive us by asking Him to save us. Then and only then will we receive the miracle of salvation.
In any given situation, what must be done in order to receive a miracle from God can vary. As I just stated, the only thing we have to do to receive salvation is ask for it. the woman with the issue of blood had to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment. Naaman had to bathe seven times in the muddy Jordan River. But one element is common in all these situations—faith. If we’re ever going to be able to expect to receive a miracle from God, we must believe at least that He is capable of doing what we ask.
Matthew 21 tells us of an occasion in which Jesus cursed a fig tree, which then immediately withered and died. When the disciples marveled at it, Jesus told them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith” (Matt. 21:21-22).
The antithesis of this is just as true. If we do not have faith—if we do not believe that God can do what we are asking Him to do—then we will not see Him work in our lives.
QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND APPLICATION
1. What miracle do I need to have God perform in my life?
2. Do I believe that God can perform this miracle, or do I have a defeatist mentality that says, “Yes, God probably could do this, but He probably won’t”?
3. What action(s) do I need to take in order to facilitate receiving a miracle from God?
4. Read Ephesians 3:20-21. In your e-group discuss how this verse relates to our topic of miracles.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Going Forward
The Israelites spent forty years wandering around in the wilderness before going into the Promised Land. But what this God’s intention? No. His intention was to take them into the Promised Land almost immediately after leaving Egypt, with a stop at Mt. Sinai, where God gave His law to Moses, along the way.
So what happened? Why did they wander out in the wilderness for so long? According to Numbers 13, when Israel was at the borders of Canaan, and God was telling them to enter the land, conquer their enemies, and possess the land, Moses sent some spies into the land. After forty days of spying out the land, they returned, and all but two of them said, “We cannot do it. those people are giants. They would crush us. This is impossible.”
The people chose to listen to the spies and to their fears, rather than listening to God, and they chose not to go into the land. Consequently, God effectively said, “Fine. If you’re not going to listen to Me, trust My promise, and obey Me, then you can just go ahead and wander around out here in the wilderness for a while. In fact, you spent forty days spying out the land. So you can spend forty years in the wilderness.” Forty years later, they entered the Promised Land.
My point is this: God did what He had promised to do. Way back in Genesis 15 (several hundred years before the time of the Exodus), God had told Abraham that his descendents would be enslaved for four hundred years, but also that God would deliver them from slavery and bring them into the land of Canaan. God fulfilled His promise. But the complete fulfillment was delayed by the Israelites’ lack of faith.
Contrast this with the crossing of the Red Sea, which we studied this past Sunday. As the Israelites were stuck between a rock and a hard place, God told Moses, “Tell the people of Israel to go forward. Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground” (Ex. 14:15b-16).
What happened next? The people believed God, obeyed God, and experienced a great deliverance.
Here we see the difference between what happened at the Red Sea and what happened on the borders of Canaan. In one instance, they trusted God, obeyed Him, and experienced immediate deliverance. In the other, they gave into their fears, disobeyed God, and had to wait forty years for the fulfillment of the promise.
The lesson to be learned is that God does always intervene. He always fulfills His promises. But, while we do affirm the sovereignty of God, there are times when His intervention is delayed by our lack of faith.
How can we tell when we are experiencing a lack of faith? It is when we refuse to do what God wants us to do, just as the Israelites had a lack of faith when they refused to go into the Promised Land. For faith is not saying, “I believe God can intervene in this situation,” and then sitting back to watch and see what God does. Faith is expressed when we obey God and then see what God does in response to our obedience.
Now, just the opposite of obedience is disobedience, the opposite of faith is fear. When the Israelites refused to enter the Promised Land, it was because they were afraid of the Canaanites who were bigger and stronger than they were. Likewise, when we fail to go forward in our relationship with God, it is because we are afraid.
In his sermon, Pastor Wil talked about fear of the past, fear of the future, and fear of the unknown. With respect to fear of the past, we can be afraid that something which has happened in the past will happen again. Or we can be afraid that our past sins will catch up with us—that those skeletons we’ve buried away, will find their way out of the closet, and all hell will break loose.
Fear of the future and fear of the unknown, I think, are closely tied to one another, because the future is unknown to us. Consider a man who has had a heart attack and may die. His wife is afraid of him dying. She is both afraid of the future and afraid of the unknown, because she doesn’t know what her future without him will be like, and she doesn’t know how she’ll cope with suddenly living alone, without him.
The best way to overcome fear is through building our faith. And as Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Hence, when faced with certain fears, we need to read passages of the Bible that address those fears. When we are afraid of the past, we should turn to such verses as Philippians 3:13-14, where we read, “Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” When afraid of the future, we ought to read passages that remind us of the promises of God for the future and the great hope we have in those promises.
QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND APPLICATION
1. How often do you read the Bible, reminding yourself of God’s promises and building your faith?
2. In what areas of your life had God been calling you to go forward? In what areas have you not been going forward? Why?
3. Which are you most afraid of; the past, the future, or simply the unknown? Give an example.
4. Read Jeremiah 29:11. What comfort and assurance does this verse give you, particularly in those things discussed in questions 2 and 3?
So what happened? Why did they wander out in the wilderness for so long? According to Numbers 13, when Israel was at the borders of Canaan, and God was telling them to enter the land, conquer their enemies, and possess the land, Moses sent some spies into the land. After forty days of spying out the land, they returned, and all but two of them said, “We cannot do it. those people are giants. They would crush us. This is impossible.”
The people chose to listen to the spies and to their fears, rather than listening to God, and they chose not to go into the land. Consequently, God effectively said, “Fine. If you’re not going to listen to Me, trust My promise, and obey Me, then you can just go ahead and wander around out here in the wilderness for a while. In fact, you spent forty days spying out the land. So you can spend forty years in the wilderness.” Forty years later, they entered the Promised Land.
My point is this: God did what He had promised to do. Way back in Genesis 15 (several hundred years before the time of the Exodus), God had told Abraham that his descendents would be enslaved for four hundred years, but also that God would deliver them from slavery and bring them into the land of Canaan. God fulfilled His promise. But the complete fulfillment was delayed by the Israelites’ lack of faith.
Contrast this with the crossing of the Red Sea, which we studied this past Sunday. As the Israelites were stuck between a rock and a hard place, God told Moses, “Tell the people of Israel to go forward. Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground” (Ex. 14:15b-16).
What happened next? The people believed God, obeyed God, and experienced a great deliverance.
Here we see the difference between what happened at the Red Sea and what happened on the borders of Canaan. In one instance, they trusted God, obeyed Him, and experienced immediate deliverance. In the other, they gave into their fears, disobeyed God, and had to wait forty years for the fulfillment of the promise.
The lesson to be learned is that God does always intervene. He always fulfills His promises. But, while we do affirm the sovereignty of God, there are times when His intervention is delayed by our lack of faith.
How can we tell when we are experiencing a lack of faith? It is when we refuse to do what God wants us to do, just as the Israelites had a lack of faith when they refused to go into the Promised Land. For faith is not saying, “I believe God can intervene in this situation,” and then sitting back to watch and see what God does. Faith is expressed when we obey God and then see what God does in response to our obedience.
Now, just the opposite of obedience is disobedience, the opposite of faith is fear. When the Israelites refused to enter the Promised Land, it was because they were afraid of the Canaanites who were bigger and stronger than they were. Likewise, when we fail to go forward in our relationship with God, it is because we are afraid.
In his sermon, Pastor Wil talked about fear of the past, fear of the future, and fear of the unknown. With respect to fear of the past, we can be afraid that something which has happened in the past will happen again. Or we can be afraid that our past sins will catch up with us—that those skeletons we’ve buried away, will find their way out of the closet, and all hell will break loose.
Fear of the future and fear of the unknown, I think, are closely tied to one another, because the future is unknown to us. Consider a man who has had a heart attack and may die. His wife is afraid of him dying. She is both afraid of the future and afraid of the unknown, because she doesn’t know what her future without him will be like, and she doesn’t know how she’ll cope with suddenly living alone, without him.
The best way to overcome fear is through building our faith. And as Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Hence, when faced with certain fears, we need to read passages of the Bible that address those fears. When we are afraid of the past, we should turn to such verses as Philippians 3:13-14, where we read, “Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” When afraid of the future, we ought to read passages that remind us of the promises of God for the future and the great hope we have in those promises.
QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND APPLICATION
1. How often do you read the Bible, reminding yourself of God’s promises and building your faith?
2. In what areas of your life had God been calling you to go forward? In what areas have you not been going forward? Why?
3. Which are you most afraid of; the past, the future, or simply the unknown? Give an example.
4. Read Jeremiah 29:11. What comfort and assurance does this verse give you, particularly in those things discussed in questions 2 and 3?
Friday, October 21, 2011
Debunking: A Christian Home Guarantees Christian Children
I think we’ve all heard of someone who gets caught up in some illegal (or at least immoral) behavior that becomes habitual. He/she goes to see a psychologist to figure out what is causing this behavior. And how many times have we heard of such a person coming out of the psychologist’s office, saying, “It was my parents’ fault,” “My dad was never there for me,” “My mom wasn’t very nurturing,” or perhaps even, “They forced their religion on me”?
Our society has taught us, to some extent, to blame our deep-seated problems on our parents. Why? Because we don’t want to take responsibility for our own actions.
Be that as it may, one side effect of this kind of thinking is that we place a strong emphasis on proper parenting. And we should. Parents do indeed have a God-given responsibility to raise their children properly. We certainly do not want to diminish that in any way.
However, when a child chooses the wrong path in life, blame is quickly laid at the feet of the parents, even when they’ve done everything they could to teach their son or daughter to not make those wrong choices in life.
In addition, even if that son or daughter is not blaming his/her parents, the parents sometimes blame themselves and wonder, “What did we do wrong?”
Whether it be the child blaming the parents or the parents blaming themselves, this all blows away the myth that a Christian home guarantees Christian children. And what Pastor John taught us this week is that, even if you could be the perfect parent, it wouldn’t guarantee that your children will grow up to be the people you want them to be.
What this all points to is what theologians call the Sin Nature—that part of our being that creates within us the inherent bent toward disobedience to God and, in many cases, to authority. And the Sin Nature lives within each and every one of us.
What parents need to remember as they are raising their children is that, as important as it is to teach them to obey the rules and do the right thing, all the right teaching in the world cannot override or counteract the Sin Nature. It can hold certain types of behavior in check. But it cannot keep your children from at least occasionally doing the wrong thing.
For this reason, what children need, more than proper moral training, is the gospel. For it is only in the benefits of salvation and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that we can overcome the Sin Nature.
Let us be certain of this: Being a Christian does not mean that you will never sin again. The Sin Nature is not eradicated when you become a Christian. However, the Holy Spirit who indwells the Christian gives him/her the ability to obey God rather than the Sin Nature, if and whenever the individual chooses to submit to Him.
This is why, for the Christian, every aspect of life must be centered around and rooted in the gospel. This is no more true than in the home. Our relationships within the home are designed by God to represent and reflect our relationship with Him.
Ephesians 5:22-6:4 teaches about this, beginning with the relationship between the husband and the wife. On Sunday, PJ did an excellent job of stating that exemplifying the gospel for your children begins with having a strong marriage. For Eph. 5:25 tells husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the Church. In addition, verse 22 instructs wives to submit to their husbands as they would submit to the Lord.
These two commandments illustrate that the relationship between husband and wife is to depict the relationship between Christ and the Church. And indeed, Revelation 19:7-8 explicitly speaks of the Church as the bride of Christ.
As for the relationship between parents and children, the analogy is even clearer for many of us. For do we not call God our Father? Do not such passages as John 1:12-13 say that we are the children of God?
For this reason, parents ought to deal with their children as God deals with us, particularly when we disobey Him. And how does He deal with us? To be certain there are always certain consequences we must suffer. And sometimes those consequences are more severe than at other times. But God is always gracious and forgiving. He never stops loving us. He never refuses to forgive us. We don’t even have to “earn” His forgiveness by promising to do better in the future. Besides, He knows it’s a promise we can’t keep.
QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND APPLICATION
1. Read Ephesians 5:22-6:4. How do the roles and responsibilities of each member of the family relate to and illustrate our relationship to God and to Jesus Christ?
2. What does this passage teach us about the character of God?
3. Read Proverbs 22:6. Since this is a general principle, rather than a specific promise, what measure of confidence can you have in it being fulfilled in your family? If you do not see it come about in your family, how will that affect your faith?
Our society has taught us, to some extent, to blame our deep-seated problems on our parents. Why? Because we don’t want to take responsibility for our own actions.
Be that as it may, one side effect of this kind of thinking is that we place a strong emphasis on proper parenting. And we should. Parents do indeed have a God-given responsibility to raise their children properly. We certainly do not want to diminish that in any way.
However, when a child chooses the wrong path in life, blame is quickly laid at the feet of the parents, even when they’ve done everything they could to teach their son or daughter to not make those wrong choices in life.
In addition, even if that son or daughter is not blaming his/her parents, the parents sometimes blame themselves and wonder, “What did we do wrong?”
Whether it be the child blaming the parents or the parents blaming themselves, this all blows away the myth that a Christian home guarantees Christian children. And what Pastor John taught us this week is that, even if you could be the perfect parent, it wouldn’t guarantee that your children will grow up to be the people you want them to be.
What this all points to is what theologians call the Sin Nature—that part of our being that creates within us the inherent bent toward disobedience to God and, in many cases, to authority. And the Sin Nature lives within each and every one of us.
What parents need to remember as they are raising their children is that, as important as it is to teach them to obey the rules and do the right thing, all the right teaching in the world cannot override or counteract the Sin Nature. It can hold certain types of behavior in check. But it cannot keep your children from at least occasionally doing the wrong thing.
For this reason, what children need, more than proper moral training, is the gospel. For it is only in the benefits of salvation and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that we can overcome the Sin Nature.
Let us be certain of this: Being a Christian does not mean that you will never sin again. The Sin Nature is not eradicated when you become a Christian. However, the Holy Spirit who indwells the Christian gives him/her the ability to obey God rather than the Sin Nature, if and whenever the individual chooses to submit to Him.
This is why, for the Christian, every aspect of life must be centered around and rooted in the gospel. This is no more true than in the home. Our relationships within the home are designed by God to represent and reflect our relationship with Him.
Ephesians 5:22-6:4 teaches about this, beginning with the relationship between the husband and the wife. On Sunday, PJ did an excellent job of stating that exemplifying the gospel for your children begins with having a strong marriage. For Eph. 5:25 tells husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the Church. In addition, verse 22 instructs wives to submit to their husbands as they would submit to the Lord.
These two commandments illustrate that the relationship between husband and wife is to depict the relationship between Christ and the Church. And indeed, Revelation 19:7-8 explicitly speaks of the Church as the bride of Christ.
As for the relationship between parents and children, the analogy is even clearer for many of us. For do we not call God our Father? Do not such passages as John 1:12-13 say that we are the children of God?
For this reason, parents ought to deal with their children as God deals with us, particularly when we disobey Him. And how does He deal with us? To be certain there are always certain consequences we must suffer. And sometimes those consequences are more severe than at other times. But God is always gracious and forgiving. He never stops loving us. He never refuses to forgive us. We don’t even have to “earn” His forgiveness by promising to do better in the future. Besides, He knows it’s a promise we can’t keep.
QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND APPLICATION
1. Read Ephesians 5:22-6:4. How do the roles and responsibilities of each member of the family relate to and illustrate our relationship to God and to Jesus Christ?
2. What does this passage teach us about the character of God?
3. Read Proverbs 22:6. Since this is a general principle, rather than a specific promise, what measure of confidence can you have in it being fulfilled in your family? If you do not see it come about in your family, how will that affect your faith?
Friday, October 14, 2011
Debunking: God Wants You to Be Happy
I used to be married. Naturally, this means I no longer am. I remember one day, as my marriage was falling apart, my wife told me that God wanted her to divorce me, because God wanted her to be happy. And I wasn’t making her happy.
Now, America’s Declaration of Independence states that when God created us, He endowed us with three rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. However, what we often fail to realize is that, while we have the right to pursue happiness, God does not guarantee that we will obtain it. In fact, I would maintain that there are times when God does things to assure that we do not obtain happiness. But why?
Too often we turn to the wrong things to make us happy. Some think they will find happiness in a bottle or a needle. Single people often think they will find happiness in marriage. Married people sometimes pine for the day when they were single. Some think they will find happiness in extra-marital affairs or a series of lovers. Some attach happiness to the success of their favorite sports team
It should be noted that some of the activities we engage in as we pursue happiness are not inherently sinful. Certainly, being married is not a sin. Nor is being single. There’s nothing wrong with rooting for your favorite team to do well (Unless your favorite team is either the Dallas Cowboys or the New York Yankees). Even an occasional drink is okay, as long as you don’t get drunk.
The problem is when we pursue these things out of a selfish desire for happiness. Such selfishness is inherently sinful, and God will not bless it. Additionally, such things provide momentary happiness, at best. Whatever joy or happiness we find in them does not last very long, because they were never intended to give us lasting happiness. Hence, when the happiness wears out, we are quick to pursue the next object or activity that we think will make us happy.
Note that we move on, not to what will make us happy, but to what we think will make us happy. Herein we see the error of our thinking. We search for happiness in all the wrong ways and all the wrong places.
God’s desire for our happiness is predicated on our relationship with Him and our obedience to His will. If our relationship is either stagnant or nonexistent, and if we are not living according to His precepts, then He has a way of making sure that the happiness we seek eludes us. The pleasure expected from that wild party or that inappropriate relationship just won’t be there. The ballgame will turn out to be boring. The new gadget won’t work right, causing us frustration. Even within marriage, we will become disillusioned and look for a way out.
What God desires for us is not so much that we would be happy, but that we would be holy. I Thessalonians 4:3 says, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification.”
In his sermon this week, PJ told us that God’s desire is that we would be blessed, rather than happy. In making this point, he turned to the beatitudes from Matthew 5. “Blessed are the poor in spirit…Blessed are those who mourn…Blessed are the meek…”
Now, what is the connection between what Jesus said in Matthew 5 and what Paul wrote in I Thess. 4:3? Those who are holy are poor in spirit. They are people who mourn over the sins they’ve committed, having a desire to no longer sin. People who are holy are also meek. In short, the beatitudes give us a general description of what it means to be holy. The same could be said of Galatians 5:22-23, which describes the fruit of the Spirit. And people who exhibit these characteristics are blessed by God.
The one irony to point out here is that, while we are debunking the myth that says, “God wants you to be happy,” the word “blessed,” which Jesus uses in Matt. 5, essentially means to be happy. This leads to the question, if to be blessed is to be happy, then what is wrong with the statement that God wants us to be happy?
Again, everything points back to motive and the attitude of our hearts. God does want us to be happy. But He wants us to be happy in Him.
QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND APPLICATION
1. Read both Matthew 5:3-10 and Galatians 5:22-23. What types of connection can you make between these two passages?
2. From Matthew 5, which of the beatitudes speaks most meaningfully to you?
3. What do you predominantly turn to in your pursuit of happiness? How are you selfish in the ways you seek happiness? Is there a more appropriate way to engage in these same activities, or are they things that you need to give up altogether?
Now, America’s Declaration of Independence states that when God created us, He endowed us with three rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. However, what we often fail to realize is that, while we have the right to pursue happiness, God does not guarantee that we will obtain it. In fact, I would maintain that there are times when God does things to assure that we do not obtain happiness. But why?
Too often we turn to the wrong things to make us happy. Some think they will find happiness in a bottle or a needle. Single people often think they will find happiness in marriage. Married people sometimes pine for the day when they were single. Some think they will find happiness in extra-marital affairs or a series of lovers. Some attach happiness to the success of their favorite sports team
It should be noted that some of the activities we engage in as we pursue happiness are not inherently sinful. Certainly, being married is not a sin. Nor is being single. There’s nothing wrong with rooting for your favorite team to do well (Unless your favorite team is either the Dallas Cowboys or the New York Yankees). Even an occasional drink is okay, as long as you don’t get drunk.
The problem is when we pursue these things out of a selfish desire for happiness. Such selfishness is inherently sinful, and God will not bless it. Additionally, such things provide momentary happiness, at best. Whatever joy or happiness we find in them does not last very long, because they were never intended to give us lasting happiness. Hence, when the happiness wears out, we are quick to pursue the next object or activity that we think will make us happy.
Note that we move on, not to what will make us happy, but to what we think will make us happy. Herein we see the error of our thinking. We search for happiness in all the wrong ways and all the wrong places.
God’s desire for our happiness is predicated on our relationship with Him and our obedience to His will. If our relationship is either stagnant or nonexistent, and if we are not living according to His precepts, then He has a way of making sure that the happiness we seek eludes us. The pleasure expected from that wild party or that inappropriate relationship just won’t be there. The ballgame will turn out to be boring. The new gadget won’t work right, causing us frustration. Even within marriage, we will become disillusioned and look for a way out.
What God desires for us is not so much that we would be happy, but that we would be holy. I Thessalonians 4:3 says, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification.”
In his sermon this week, PJ told us that God’s desire is that we would be blessed, rather than happy. In making this point, he turned to the beatitudes from Matthew 5. “Blessed are the poor in spirit…Blessed are those who mourn…Blessed are the meek…”
Now, what is the connection between what Jesus said in Matthew 5 and what Paul wrote in I Thess. 4:3? Those who are holy are poor in spirit. They are people who mourn over the sins they’ve committed, having a desire to no longer sin. People who are holy are also meek. In short, the beatitudes give us a general description of what it means to be holy. The same could be said of Galatians 5:22-23, which describes the fruit of the Spirit. And people who exhibit these characteristics are blessed by God.
The one irony to point out here is that, while we are debunking the myth that says, “God wants you to be happy,” the word “blessed,” which Jesus uses in Matt. 5, essentially means to be happy. This leads to the question, if to be blessed is to be happy, then what is wrong with the statement that God wants us to be happy?
Again, everything points back to motive and the attitude of our hearts. God does want us to be happy. But He wants us to be happy in Him.
QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND APPLICATION
1. Read both Matthew 5:3-10 and Galatians 5:22-23. What types of connection can you make between these two passages?
2. From Matthew 5, which of the beatitudes speaks most meaningfully to you?
3. What do you predominantly turn to in your pursuit of happiness? How are you selfish in the ways you seek happiness? Is there a more appropriate way to engage in these same activities, or are they things that you need to give up altogether?
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Debunking: Forgiving is Forgetting
“Forgive and Forget.” That’s what we were taught as children growing up. But there’s something wrong with that adage. Forgive? Yes, absolutely. Forget? That’s another matter, altogether.
First of all, it’s impossible to ever completely forget something that’s happened to you. Yes, you can get to the point where it doesn’t cross your mind very often. But if someone or something triggers that memory, it will still be there. It’s impossible to ever truly forget something.
However, there’s an even greater reason why we should reject the adage, “Forgive and forget.” Some things shouldn’t be forgotten. You see, if we forget the wrong that someone has done to us, that implies we are trusting them to not wrong us again in the future. We are acting as if they’ve never given us a reason not to trust them. However, in many cases, this is not true.
It is true that we can occasionally screw up and do things we normally wouldn’t do. In such circumstances, it may very well be a one-time offense—something we would not ever do again.
But let’s face it. We are creatures of habit. If you’ve done something to wrong me, there’s a chance you may do it again in the future. If it’s something you’ve done several times in the past, it’s very likely you will do it again. You’ve established a pattern of behavior. In such a situation, I can and must forgive you, because God commands me to forgive you. But I should not be so naïve as to blindly trust that you’ll never do it again.
Thirdly, God forgives, but He doesn’t forget. Additionally, He doesn’t want us to forget. There are several passages in the Bible in which God calls us to remembrance of what He’s saved us from. I Corinthians 6:9-11 says, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, not thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
Notice how Paul reminds his readers of what their lives used to be like. He says, “And such were some of you.” Paul had known these people. He had led a number of them to the Lord. He knew what their lives had been like before they got saved. He had not forgotten. God had not forgotten. And under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he gives them a gentle reminder, so they will not forget.
Peter does the same thing when he writes, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct” (I Peter 1:14-15). Notice his reference to our “former ignorance.”
Here, we should note the reason for such reminders. It is not to shame us. God doesn’t want the memory of our past to cause us to hang our heads and be burdened with guilt. The reminders are there to warn us not to go back to the old way of life. The reminders of our past sins are intended to motivate us to pursue holiness in all our conduct.
Suppose God did forgive and forget—then what? As pastor Wil pointed out on Sunday, it would diminish the grace and mercy of God. For every time we sin would be like the first time we ever sinned. We could live our whole lives, and it would be as if God had only forgiven us of one sin. From our perspective, one sin is easy to forgive, even for Peter, who was willing to forgive someone up to seven times.
But God’s grace is magnified in that He forgives us again and again and again and again (how many “again”s do we need?). We can look back over our lives and marvel at how many times He has forgiven us. We would not be able to do this if God forgave and forgot.
I had to chuckle, because as Wil started his sermon, I thought of a saying my mom taught me several years ago. Then, we found out she had recently shared it with him. It’s not always easy to live by, but the saying is true: “Forgiving is not forgetting. It is remembering and letting go.” Letting go of the hurt. Letting go of the pain. Letting go of the resentment. Letting go of the right to get even.
And why should we forgive? Ephesians 4:32 says it best. “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” God is the Judge. Whenever a wrong is done, God is the one who is truly offended, not us. So when we recognize and remember what He’s forgiven us for, we realize we have no right to refuse to forgive someone else.
QUESTIONS FOR STUDY & REFLECTIONS
1. How easy (or hard) is it for me to forgive someone when they have offended me?
2. What is the greatest hindrance to my ability to forgive?
3. On what basis am I required to forgive other people? Do I have a full understanding and appreciation of God’s forgiveness?
First of all, it’s impossible to ever completely forget something that’s happened to you. Yes, you can get to the point where it doesn’t cross your mind very often. But if someone or something triggers that memory, it will still be there. It’s impossible to ever truly forget something.
However, there’s an even greater reason why we should reject the adage, “Forgive and forget.” Some things shouldn’t be forgotten. You see, if we forget the wrong that someone has done to us, that implies we are trusting them to not wrong us again in the future. We are acting as if they’ve never given us a reason not to trust them. However, in many cases, this is not true.
It is true that we can occasionally screw up and do things we normally wouldn’t do. In such circumstances, it may very well be a one-time offense—something we would not ever do again.
But let’s face it. We are creatures of habit. If you’ve done something to wrong me, there’s a chance you may do it again in the future. If it’s something you’ve done several times in the past, it’s very likely you will do it again. You’ve established a pattern of behavior. In such a situation, I can and must forgive you, because God commands me to forgive you. But I should not be so naïve as to blindly trust that you’ll never do it again.
Thirdly, God forgives, but He doesn’t forget. Additionally, He doesn’t want us to forget. There are several passages in the Bible in which God calls us to remembrance of what He’s saved us from. I Corinthians 6:9-11 says, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, not thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
Notice how Paul reminds his readers of what their lives used to be like. He says, “And such were some of you.” Paul had known these people. He had led a number of them to the Lord. He knew what their lives had been like before they got saved. He had not forgotten. God had not forgotten. And under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he gives them a gentle reminder, so they will not forget.
Peter does the same thing when he writes, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct” (I Peter 1:14-15). Notice his reference to our “former ignorance.”
Here, we should note the reason for such reminders. It is not to shame us. God doesn’t want the memory of our past to cause us to hang our heads and be burdened with guilt. The reminders are there to warn us not to go back to the old way of life. The reminders of our past sins are intended to motivate us to pursue holiness in all our conduct.
Suppose God did forgive and forget—then what? As pastor Wil pointed out on Sunday, it would diminish the grace and mercy of God. For every time we sin would be like the first time we ever sinned. We could live our whole lives, and it would be as if God had only forgiven us of one sin. From our perspective, one sin is easy to forgive, even for Peter, who was willing to forgive someone up to seven times.
But God’s grace is magnified in that He forgives us again and again and again and again (how many “again”s do we need?). We can look back over our lives and marvel at how many times He has forgiven us. We would not be able to do this if God forgave and forgot.
I had to chuckle, because as Wil started his sermon, I thought of a saying my mom taught me several years ago. Then, we found out she had recently shared it with him. It’s not always easy to live by, but the saying is true: “Forgiving is not forgetting. It is remembering and letting go.” Letting go of the hurt. Letting go of the pain. Letting go of the resentment. Letting go of the right to get even.
And why should we forgive? Ephesians 4:32 says it best. “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” God is the Judge. Whenever a wrong is done, God is the one who is truly offended, not us. So when we recognize and remember what He’s forgiven us for, we realize we have no right to refuse to forgive someone else.
QUESTIONS FOR STUDY & REFLECTIONS
1. How easy (or hard) is it for me to forgive someone when they have offended me?
2. What is the greatest hindrance to my ability to forgive?
3. On what basis am I required to forgive other people? Do I have a full understanding and appreciation of God’s forgiveness?
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Debunking: Church is On Sundays
In our western society, we like to have everything organized and compartmentalized. Even within the silverware drawer, the knives have their compartment, the forks another, and the spoons also have one of their own. We don’t just throw them all in together, creating a jumbled mess.
In life, we tend to be the same way. Monday through Friday, from 9-5, is the compartment reserved for work. Six to seven is the dinner compartment. The compartment we call Saturday may be reserved for household chores. And one hour on Sunday morning is for God and church.
Oops! We’ve suddenly got a problem. For God does not want just one hour once a week. He doesn’t even want just that hour plus fifteen minutes of devotion every day (or whenever we can fit it in). God demands our attention 100% of the time. As I have heard one Bible teacher say, God should not be prominent among many priorities. He must be preeminent over all others.
Genesis 4 tells us that Cain and Abel both offered sacrifices to God. Abel’s sacrifice was accepted. Cain’s was rejected. In discussion about why God rejected Cain’s offering, many Bible scholars say it was because Abel offered a blood sacrifice. Cain’s offering, being from the fruit of the ground, was bloodless.
Genesis 3:21 tells us that God made coverings of skin for Adam and Eve after they sinned. In order to provide these coverings, an animal had to die. Many scholars claim that Adam and Eve would have surely relayed this story to their two sons, and Cain should have known that only a blood sacrifice would be acceptable to the Lord.
Pastor John doesn’t fully agree with this, in part because the text simply says that Cain and Abel brought offerings, not necessarily sacrifices, to God. In addition, the sacrificial system had not yet been instituted.
Regardless of whether this had anything to do with it or not, one thing is clear. Cain was guilty of compartmentalizing his relationship with God. God wasn’t preeminent in his life. God wasn’t his top priority at all times. Cain did not follow the Lord’s counsel when He said, “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its is desire is for you, but you must rule over it” (Gen. 4:7). Cain did not do well. Sin did take mastery over Cain. I John 3:12 says that “his own deeds were evil, and his brother’s righteous.” And we take this verse to be a general reference to how Cain lived his life, not just to the fact that he murdered Abel or to the fact that his offering was rejected by God. Cain did not make God first in his life.
So we need to make God our top priority, not just on Sunday, but every day of the week. We need to have church every day. Am I suggesting that Imago Dei get together every day? No. But what we need to recognize, as individuals, and as families, is that we are the Church. Hence, our entire lives are spent “in church,” whether we’re aware of it or not.
Therefore, we need to bring God into every area of our lives, including work, dinner, the chores on Saturday, and yes, even the football game on Sunday afternoon. Everything we do must be done in a spirit of worship toward God.
Questions For Study
1. Read Hosea 9:1-4 and Isaiah 29:13-14. What do these verses say about worship that God does not accept?
2. Read John 4:21-24. In these verses, what does Jesus say about worship? What does it mean to worship God in spirit and truth? How might this apply to what we learned about Cain and his offering being rejected by God?
3. What does it truly mean to worship God? How can I worship Him every day, in everything I do?
In life, we tend to be the same way. Monday through Friday, from 9-5, is the compartment reserved for work. Six to seven is the dinner compartment. The compartment we call Saturday may be reserved for household chores. And one hour on Sunday morning is for God and church.
Oops! We’ve suddenly got a problem. For God does not want just one hour once a week. He doesn’t even want just that hour plus fifteen minutes of devotion every day (or whenever we can fit it in). God demands our attention 100% of the time. As I have heard one Bible teacher say, God should not be prominent among many priorities. He must be preeminent over all others.
Genesis 4 tells us that Cain and Abel both offered sacrifices to God. Abel’s sacrifice was accepted. Cain’s was rejected. In discussion about why God rejected Cain’s offering, many Bible scholars say it was because Abel offered a blood sacrifice. Cain’s offering, being from the fruit of the ground, was bloodless.
Genesis 3:21 tells us that God made coverings of skin for Adam and Eve after they sinned. In order to provide these coverings, an animal had to die. Many scholars claim that Adam and Eve would have surely relayed this story to their two sons, and Cain should have known that only a blood sacrifice would be acceptable to the Lord.
Pastor John doesn’t fully agree with this, in part because the text simply says that Cain and Abel brought offerings, not necessarily sacrifices, to God. In addition, the sacrificial system had not yet been instituted.
Regardless of whether this had anything to do with it or not, one thing is clear. Cain was guilty of compartmentalizing his relationship with God. God wasn’t preeminent in his life. God wasn’t his top priority at all times. Cain did not follow the Lord’s counsel when He said, “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its is desire is for you, but you must rule over it” (Gen. 4:7). Cain did not do well. Sin did take mastery over Cain. I John 3:12 says that “his own deeds were evil, and his brother’s righteous.” And we take this verse to be a general reference to how Cain lived his life, not just to the fact that he murdered Abel or to the fact that his offering was rejected by God. Cain did not make God first in his life.
So we need to make God our top priority, not just on Sunday, but every day of the week. We need to have church every day. Am I suggesting that Imago Dei get together every day? No. But what we need to recognize, as individuals, and as families, is that we are the Church. Hence, our entire lives are spent “in church,” whether we’re aware of it or not.
Therefore, we need to bring God into every area of our lives, including work, dinner, the chores on Saturday, and yes, even the football game on Sunday afternoon. Everything we do must be done in a spirit of worship toward God.
Questions For Study
1. Read Hosea 9:1-4 and Isaiah 29:13-14. What do these verses say about worship that God does not accept?
2. Read John 4:21-24. In these verses, what does Jesus say about worship? What does it mean to worship God in spirit and truth? How might this apply to what we learned about Cain and his offering being rejected by God?
3. What does it truly mean to worship God? How can I worship Him every day, in everything I do?
Friday, September 9, 2011
Debunking: Faith Can Fix Anything
Several years ago, I was informed that Benny Hinn was coming to town. The young man who gave me this information said to me, “If you go see Benny Hinn, I know you’ll be healed of your handicap.”
When I balked at this notion, he asked, “Do you believe God can heal you?”
I began to answer, “Yes, I believe He can heal me. But—“
He then cut me off with a sharp, “Thank you very much,” and he walked away, as if he had just won some kind of an argument.
This young man was insinuating that because God can heal me, He will heal me, if I just have enough faith to believe that I will be healed. He believed in the modern concept of faith in faith, which presents faith to us as some type of spiritual force by which we can change the outcomes of our circumstances.
This definition of faith is no different from Obi-wan Kenobi’s definition of the Force in Star Wars: “The Force is an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.” Later, he tells Luke Skywalker, “A Jedi can feel the Force flowing through him.”
At this, Luke asks, “You mean it controls your actions?”
Kenobi answers, “Partially. But it also obeys your commands.”
The faith teachers of today want us to believe that faith is a spiritual force that must obey our commands. They also teach that the “force of faith” is activated, positively or negatively, by the words we speak. If I speak positively, then good things will happen to me. If I speak negatively, then I can expect only negative circumstances to come into my life.
As just one example of where this kind of teaching can lead you, a man named Leroy Thompson often encourages his listeners to repeat the words, “Money cometh to me.” His belief is that by speaking these words, they can direct the spiritual entity that is called faith, so that it will cause money to flow into their bank accounts from unexpected sources.
However, this concept of faith, particularly the notion of “faith in faith,” is contrary to the biblical definition of faith. The Bible defines faith, most simply as trust. And trust has to have an object. In order for it to mean anything, our faith must be placed in someone to do something for us. It makes no sense to talk about trusting trust.
Allow me to give you a practical example. If you could speak to my boss right now, he would probably tell you he has faith that I am going to show up for work on time tomorrow. Does this mean he is going to use some supernatural power to cause me, whether I want to or not, to go to work? Not hardly. What it means is that he is trusting me to be disciplined enough to do what I need to do in order to get to work, and to get there on time. He is trusting me.
Within Christianity, the object of our faith is God. Our trust and our reliance is placed in and upon God and Jesus Christ, the God-man. And what are we trusting Him to do? We are trusting Him to do what He has promised to do. In particular, we are trusting Him to give us eternal life.
In John 11:25, as PJ pointed out this week, Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die.” Similarly, in John 3:16, Jesus told Nicodemus, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
We must realize, however, that it is not the promise alone that prompts faith. Faith also depends on the confidence that a promise will be kept.
By virtue of the fact that I am an employee, I have promised my boss that I will show up for work on time every day. This promise is part of the basis of his faith that I will show up on time tomorrow. But what if I had a history of always showing up late, or not showing up at all? In that case, no matter how fervently I promise, the boss’s faith that I will show up on time tomorrow would be shaky, at best. On the other hand, if I have a good track record of always showing up on time, then the boss has a better reason for having faith that I will do so again tomorrow. Not just because I’ve promised to do it, but because I’ve proven myself capable of keeping my promise.
Within the Bible, we see, time after time, where God has kept His promises. He kept His promises to Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, the nation of Israel, and the list goes on and on. Throughout the entire Bible, and throughout history, God has always kept His promises. Hence, we can cite His faithfulness to His promises in the past as the basis for our trusting Him to keep them now.
Notice, both the promise and the ability to keep the promise must be present in order for us to have faith. Just as I would not be able to trust God to keep His promises if He had not proven Himself able to keep them, so I cannot trust Him to do something, even though He is able to do it, if He has not promised to do it.
If the young man I mentioned earlier had not cut me off, I would have told him, “Yes, I believe God can heal me, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that He will.” God has not promised to take away my cerebral palsy. Therefore, even though I know He’s got the power to heal me, I’ve got no solid basis for believing He will. That would not be faith, it would be presumption.
QUESTIONS FOR STUDY
1. Read Hebrews 11:1. How does this verse’s definition of faith relate to what Pastor John talked about on Sunday?
2. What have I been taught about faith in the past? Have I believed that it is the magic key to getting whatever I want from God? Has what Pastor John said this week changed my mind? Why or why not?
3. If God is not obligated to do something for us just because we are “believing” for it, is it wrong to ask for what we want? How should we interpret such verse as Psalm 37:4, John 14:13-14 and John 15:16?
When I balked at this notion, he asked, “Do you believe God can heal you?”
I began to answer, “Yes, I believe He can heal me. But—“
He then cut me off with a sharp, “Thank you very much,” and he walked away, as if he had just won some kind of an argument.
This young man was insinuating that because God can heal me, He will heal me, if I just have enough faith to believe that I will be healed. He believed in the modern concept of faith in faith, which presents faith to us as some type of spiritual force by which we can change the outcomes of our circumstances.
This definition of faith is no different from Obi-wan Kenobi’s definition of the Force in Star Wars: “The Force is an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.” Later, he tells Luke Skywalker, “A Jedi can feel the Force flowing through him.”
At this, Luke asks, “You mean it controls your actions?”
Kenobi answers, “Partially. But it also obeys your commands.”
The faith teachers of today want us to believe that faith is a spiritual force that must obey our commands. They also teach that the “force of faith” is activated, positively or negatively, by the words we speak. If I speak positively, then good things will happen to me. If I speak negatively, then I can expect only negative circumstances to come into my life.
As just one example of where this kind of teaching can lead you, a man named Leroy Thompson often encourages his listeners to repeat the words, “Money cometh to me.” His belief is that by speaking these words, they can direct the spiritual entity that is called faith, so that it will cause money to flow into their bank accounts from unexpected sources.
However, this concept of faith, particularly the notion of “faith in faith,” is contrary to the biblical definition of faith. The Bible defines faith, most simply as trust. And trust has to have an object. In order for it to mean anything, our faith must be placed in someone to do something for us. It makes no sense to talk about trusting trust.
Allow me to give you a practical example. If you could speak to my boss right now, he would probably tell you he has faith that I am going to show up for work on time tomorrow. Does this mean he is going to use some supernatural power to cause me, whether I want to or not, to go to work? Not hardly. What it means is that he is trusting me to be disciplined enough to do what I need to do in order to get to work, and to get there on time. He is trusting me.
Within Christianity, the object of our faith is God. Our trust and our reliance is placed in and upon God and Jesus Christ, the God-man. And what are we trusting Him to do? We are trusting Him to do what He has promised to do. In particular, we are trusting Him to give us eternal life.
In John 11:25, as PJ pointed out this week, Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die.” Similarly, in John 3:16, Jesus told Nicodemus, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
We must realize, however, that it is not the promise alone that prompts faith. Faith also depends on the confidence that a promise will be kept.
By virtue of the fact that I am an employee, I have promised my boss that I will show up for work on time every day. This promise is part of the basis of his faith that I will show up on time tomorrow. But what if I had a history of always showing up late, or not showing up at all? In that case, no matter how fervently I promise, the boss’s faith that I will show up on time tomorrow would be shaky, at best. On the other hand, if I have a good track record of always showing up on time, then the boss has a better reason for having faith that I will do so again tomorrow. Not just because I’ve promised to do it, but because I’ve proven myself capable of keeping my promise.
Within the Bible, we see, time after time, where God has kept His promises. He kept His promises to Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, the nation of Israel, and the list goes on and on. Throughout the entire Bible, and throughout history, God has always kept His promises. Hence, we can cite His faithfulness to His promises in the past as the basis for our trusting Him to keep them now.
Notice, both the promise and the ability to keep the promise must be present in order for us to have faith. Just as I would not be able to trust God to keep His promises if He had not proven Himself able to keep them, so I cannot trust Him to do something, even though He is able to do it, if He has not promised to do it.
If the young man I mentioned earlier had not cut me off, I would have told him, “Yes, I believe God can heal me, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that He will.” God has not promised to take away my cerebral palsy. Therefore, even though I know He’s got the power to heal me, I’ve got no solid basis for believing He will. That would not be faith, it would be presumption.
QUESTIONS FOR STUDY
1. Read Hebrews 11:1. How does this verse’s definition of faith relate to what Pastor John talked about on Sunday?
2. What have I been taught about faith in the past? Have I believed that it is the magic key to getting whatever I want from God? Has what Pastor John said this week changed my mind? Why or why not?
3. If God is not obligated to do something for us just because we are “believing” for it, is it wrong to ask for what we want? How should we interpret such verse as Psalm 37:4, John 14:13-14 and John 15:16?
Friday, August 19, 2011
Jonah: A City Changed
One man can change a city, an entire nation, or perhaps even the whole world.
Sometime during the 1800s, a Sunday School teacher named Edward Kimball led a shoe salesman to faith in Jesus Christ. That salesman was D.L. Moody, who later became a famous American evangelist. I don’t have time to relate all the details, but Moody was the first in a chain of evangelists, one influencing another, the latest being Mordecai Ham. In 1934, Ham was preaching in Charlotte, North Carolina. During one of his crusade meetings, a youngster named Billy Graham became a Christian.
This is all very insignificant, except for the fact that Billy Graham has become perhaps the most famous evangelist of all time, leading thousands, if not millions, to faith in Christ.
What does this all mean? That there are many people, today, who might not have ever become Christians, had it not been for the faithful service of a rather unknown man named Ed Kimball. Millions of people are Christians because a number of men, starting with Kimball, and culminating with Graham, had discovered and were living out their purpose in life.
In Jonah 3, we find our rebellious prophet finally going to Nineveh. He warns them of impending judgment, they repent, and God spares them. During his sermon this week, PJ said this was because, after his near-death experience, Jonah had found his purpose in life.
On one hand, I agree with this statement. On the other hand, I don’t. For it seems to me that if you run from God, get caught in a nasty storm, are thrown overboard, then get swallowed by a giant fish, who later gets sick to his stomach, landing you on the beach, then it’s rather hard to say “No” when God comes to you and says, “Shall we try this again?”
So I wonder whether Jonah truly found his purpose, or if he obeyed God because God didn’t really give him any other options.
That being said, I certainly agree with the call to find your purpose in life and pursue it. But here is where many people get stuck in a rut, become stagnant, and are beset by discouragement. Many people respond to this call by saying, “I don’t know what my purpose in life is. How can I fulfill my purpose in life if I don’t know what that purpose is? And with my 40-hour per week job, my marriage, my kids, and all the activities we have going on, when am I supposed to take time out to discover my purpose in life?”
Well, let me give you a good starting point. The Westminster Catechism begins with the question, “What is the chief end (purpose) of Man?” The accompanying answer is, “The chief end (purpose) of Man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” Your purpose in life is to glorify God and to enjoy Him. That’s what you were created for. That’s what you were intended to do.
“Yeah, but I don’t really know what God’s will for my life is. I don’t know if I’m in the right career path. As a single person, I don’t know who God wants me to marry, or even if He ever wants me to get married at all. I can’t preach. I don’t feel comfortable teaching Sunday School or leading an e-group. How does God want me to glorify Him?”
I Corinthians 10:31 says, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” This is a command to do everything for the glory of God. This may sound rather intimidating, but it really is quite simple. For with every action we take, it requires that we ask ourselves only one or two questions.
First, we should ask ourselves, “Does this action, or can this action, glorify God?” If the answer is no, then we don’t even need to consider the second question. For example, does stealing from the grocery store glorify God? Can stealing from the grocery store glorify God? No, because God has told us not to steal. Issue resolved. Don’t steal from the grocery store.
But if the action you are about to take does, or can, glorify God, then you need to ask yourself the second question: Am I doing this for the purpose of glorifying God? What’s my primary motivation? The action may be appropriate. But if the motivation is wrong, then it doesn’t glorify God.
If we would learn to ask ourselves these two questions on a consistent basis, then we would find God blessing us and leading us in ways we might never have thought possible. We won’t have to worry about finding God’s purpose for our lives, because we will just find ourselves in the middle of accomplishing it.
STUDY QUESTIONS
1. Read I Corinthians 10:31 again. What does it mean to “do all to the glory of God”? What do you think it means to glorify God?
2. Read Matthew 5:13-16. How can your actions and your attempts to glorify God influence others? What happens when you fail to glorify God?
3. Do you have any fears with regard to glorifying God? That is, are you afraid He would call you to do something you have no desire for, and you would be miserable doing? What does the Bible have to say about this matter?
Sometime during the 1800s, a Sunday School teacher named Edward Kimball led a shoe salesman to faith in Jesus Christ. That salesman was D.L. Moody, who later became a famous American evangelist. I don’t have time to relate all the details, but Moody was the first in a chain of evangelists, one influencing another, the latest being Mordecai Ham. In 1934, Ham was preaching in Charlotte, North Carolina. During one of his crusade meetings, a youngster named Billy Graham became a Christian.
This is all very insignificant, except for the fact that Billy Graham has become perhaps the most famous evangelist of all time, leading thousands, if not millions, to faith in Christ.
What does this all mean? That there are many people, today, who might not have ever become Christians, had it not been for the faithful service of a rather unknown man named Ed Kimball. Millions of people are Christians because a number of men, starting with Kimball, and culminating with Graham, had discovered and were living out their purpose in life.
In Jonah 3, we find our rebellious prophet finally going to Nineveh. He warns them of impending judgment, they repent, and God spares them. During his sermon this week, PJ said this was because, after his near-death experience, Jonah had found his purpose in life.
On one hand, I agree with this statement. On the other hand, I don’t. For it seems to me that if you run from God, get caught in a nasty storm, are thrown overboard, then get swallowed by a giant fish, who later gets sick to his stomach, landing you on the beach, then it’s rather hard to say “No” when God comes to you and says, “Shall we try this again?”
So I wonder whether Jonah truly found his purpose, or if he obeyed God because God didn’t really give him any other options.
That being said, I certainly agree with the call to find your purpose in life and pursue it. But here is where many people get stuck in a rut, become stagnant, and are beset by discouragement. Many people respond to this call by saying, “I don’t know what my purpose in life is. How can I fulfill my purpose in life if I don’t know what that purpose is? And with my 40-hour per week job, my marriage, my kids, and all the activities we have going on, when am I supposed to take time out to discover my purpose in life?”
Well, let me give you a good starting point. The Westminster Catechism begins with the question, “What is the chief end (purpose) of Man?” The accompanying answer is, “The chief end (purpose) of Man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” Your purpose in life is to glorify God and to enjoy Him. That’s what you were created for. That’s what you were intended to do.
“Yeah, but I don’t really know what God’s will for my life is. I don’t know if I’m in the right career path. As a single person, I don’t know who God wants me to marry, or even if He ever wants me to get married at all. I can’t preach. I don’t feel comfortable teaching Sunday School or leading an e-group. How does God want me to glorify Him?”
I Corinthians 10:31 says, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” This is a command to do everything for the glory of God. This may sound rather intimidating, but it really is quite simple. For with every action we take, it requires that we ask ourselves only one or two questions.
First, we should ask ourselves, “Does this action, or can this action, glorify God?” If the answer is no, then we don’t even need to consider the second question. For example, does stealing from the grocery store glorify God? Can stealing from the grocery store glorify God? No, because God has told us not to steal. Issue resolved. Don’t steal from the grocery store.
But if the action you are about to take does, or can, glorify God, then you need to ask yourself the second question: Am I doing this for the purpose of glorifying God? What’s my primary motivation? The action may be appropriate. But if the motivation is wrong, then it doesn’t glorify God.
If we would learn to ask ourselves these two questions on a consistent basis, then we would find God blessing us and leading us in ways we might never have thought possible. We won’t have to worry about finding God’s purpose for our lives, because we will just find ourselves in the middle of accomplishing it.
STUDY QUESTIONS
1. Read I Corinthians 10:31 again. What does it mean to “do all to the glory of God”? What do you think it means to glorify God?
2. Read Matthew 5:13-16. How can your actions and your attempts to glorify God influence others? What happens when you fail to glorify God?
3. Do you have any fears with regard to glorifying God? That is, are you afraid He would call you to do something you have no desire for, and you would be miserable doing? What does the Bible have to say about this matter?
Friday, August 12, 2011
Jonah: Vomitaceousness
As he was languishing in the belly of a great fish, Jonah cried out to God for deliverance. And toward the end of his prayer, he promised to keep the vow he had made to God: “What I have vowed I will pay.”
It’s funny what people do when they get themselves into trouble. They rebel against God, get themselves into a helpless and hopeless situation, and then cry out, “God, if You get me out of this mess, then I’ll…” But rarely do we see anyone make good on their promises.
Why is that? The obvious reason is that there really is no change of heart. People don’t really want to change. They just don’t want to face the negative consequences of their actions.
Jonah was like that. He had an unchanged heart. He still did not truly want to do what God had told him to do. As we will see, probably next week, he did go to Nineveh and prophesy to that city. However, his reaction to the revival they experienced demonstrates that his heart was still rebellious toward God. Therefore, as PJ told us, Jonah’s prayer was insincere.
Now, let me ask you a question. Did God know that Jonah was insincere when he prayed the prayer we find in chapter 2? Yes, of course He did. God is omniscient. He sees all things. He knows all things. He not only sees everything we do. He also knows the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. He knows us better than we know ourselves.
So God knew Jonah was insincere. And yet, He delivered him from his desperate, life-threatening situation.
Why would God respond to such an insincere prayer? When we cry out to God, making outlandish promises we will never keep, why does God answer our prayers and deliver us anyway? Why didn’t God just let Jonah die inside the belly of that fish?
Because that’s the kind of God He is. The one thing we should see in this story, more than anything else, is the incredible graciousness of God. We see Him delivering Jonah, despite the prophet’s persistent rebellion and hardheartedness.
Within Christian circles, we talk about grace all the time. But do we really know what grace is? Can we clearly define it, and do we fully comprehend it? Defining it is rather easy. Comprehending it is quite another matter.
Grace is defined as God’s unmerited favor. It is His favorable disposition toward us, that we do not deserve. So many people speak of grace as being undeserved. I would not quibble with this. However, I would point out that this definition falls short of reality. God’s grace is not just undeserved. It is ill-deserved. But what’s the difference?
If you are a sports fan like me, and if you’ve spent any time surfing the sports networks, looking for something interesting to watch, you’ve probably noticed that they often feature something like the World Poker Tour. It’s a bunch of guys on tv, sitting around, playing poker, hoping to win a lot of money. Now, every hand has a winner. And at the end of it all, there is a tournament winner. But did that individual necessarily deserve to win? No. He just got lucky. Just the right cards came up for him, and he won. But he did not particularly do anything to deserve winning anymore than somebody else. His winnings are, for our purposes, undeserved.
However, let’s suppose that we later find out that the champion was hiding the Ace of Spades in his shirt sleeve. Suppose he was strategically using that card to win important hands throughout the tournament. Because nobody caught him at the time, he won the tournament. But he was cheating. Now, we would have to say that his winnings were ill-deserved. Not only did he not deserve to win, but rather, he actually deserved to lose.
When we consider the grace of God, this is what we are talking about. It’s not that we were lucky enough to be the recipients of God’s grace. We actually deserved not to receive it at all. We can’t just say that we didn’t deserve to have Jesus die on the cross for our sins. Rather, we actually deserved to have Him not die on the cross. We deserved to have God pour out His wrath upon us and condemn us to hell. But God is so gracious that He gives us what we don’t deserve, and in His mercy, doesn’t give us what we do deserve.
That being said, allow me to give you a word of advice. The next time you get into a scrape; the next time you find yourself in a desperate situation you can’t get yourself out of; do not try bargaining with God. Do not say, “God, if You help me, then I will…” Remember that Ecclesiastes 5:5 says, “It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.”
Instead, cry out to Him on the basis of His mercy and grace. Trust His love. Trust His grace. Trust that He will help you, simply because that’s the kind of God He is.
STUDY QUESTIONS
1. When have I made promises to God, and then failed to keep them? What were the consequences? How did I feel and what did I do about it?
2. When I get myself into trouble and find myself crying out to God for help, am I truly sorry for my wrongs? Am I repentant? Or do I just want Him to get me out of a messy situation?
3. On what basis do I ask God for help when I need it? Do I try to bargain with Him? Do I think I have to cajole or coerce Him into helping me? What’s wrong with this? How might it actually be an insult to God?
It’s funny what people do when they get themselves into trouble. They rebel against God, get themselves into a helpless and hopeless situation, and then cry out, “God, if You get me out of this mess, then I’ll…” But rarely do we see anyone make good on their promises.
Why is that? The obvious reason is that there really is no change of heart. People don’t really want to change. They just don’t want to face the negative consequences of their actions.
Jonah was like that. He had an unchanged heart. He still did not truly want to do what God had told him to do. As we will see, probably next week, he did go to Nineveh and prophesy to that city. However, his reaction to the revival they experienced demonstrates that his heart was still rebellious toward God. Therefore, as PJ told us, Jonah’s prayer was insincere.
Now, let me ask you a question. Did God know that Jonah was insincere when he prayed the prayer we find in chapter 2? Yes, of course He did. God is omniscient. He sees all things. He knows all things. He not only sees everything we do. He also knows the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. He knows us better than we know ourselves.
So God knew Jonah was insincere. And yet, He delivered him from his desperate, life-threatening situation.
Why would God respond to such an insincere prayer? When we cry out to God, making outlandish promises we will never keep, why does God answer our prayers and deliver us anyway? Why didn’t God just let Jonah die inside the belly of that fish?
Because that’s the kind of God He is. The one thing we should see in this story, more than anything else, is the incredible graciousness of God. We see Him delivering Jonah, despite the prophet’s persistent rebellion and hardheartedness.
Within Christian circles, we talk about grace all the time. But do we really know what grace is? Can we clearly define it, and do we fully comprehend it? Defining it is rather easy. Comprehending it is quite another matter.
Grace is defined as God’s unmerited favor. It is His favorable disposition toward us, that we do not deserve. So many people speak of grace as being undeserved. I would not quibble with this. However, I would point out that this definition falls short of reality. God’s grace is not just undeserved. It is ill-deserved. But what’s the difference?
If you are a sports fan like me, and if you’ve spent any time surfing the sports networks, looking for something interesting to watch, you’ve probably noticed that they often feature something like the World Poker Tour. It’s a bunch of guys on tv, sitting around, playing poker, hoping to win a lot of money. Now, every hand has a winner. And at the end of it all, there is a tournament winner. But did that individual necessarily deserve to win? No. He just got lucky. Just the right cards came up for him, and he won. But he did not particularly do anything to deserve winning anymore than somebody else. His winnings are, for our purposes, undeserved.
However, let’s suppose that we later find out that the champion was hiding the Ace of Spades in his shirt sleeve. Suppose he was strategically using that card to win important hands throughout the tournament. Because nobody caught him at the time, he won the tournament. But he was cheating. Now, we would have to say that his winnings were ill-deserved. Not only did he not deserve to win, but rather, he actually deserved to lose.
When we consider the grace of God, this is what we are talking about. It’s not that we were lucky enough to be the recipients of God’s grace. We actually deserved not to receive it at all. We can’t just say that we didn’t deserve to have Jesus die on the cross for our sins. Rather, we actually deserved to have Him not die on the cross. We deserved to have God pour out His wrath upon us and condemn us to hell. But God is so gracious that He gives us what we don’t deserve, and in His mercy, doesn’t give us what we do deserve.
That being said, allow me to give you a word of advice. The next time you get into a scrape; the next time you find yourself in a desperate situation you can’t get yourself out of; do not try bargaining with God. Do not say, “God, if You help me, then I will…” Remember that Ecclesiastes 5:5 says, “It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.”
Instead, cry out to Him on the basis of His mercy and grace. Trust His love. Trust His grace. Trust that He will help you, simply because that’s the kind of God He is.
STUDY QUESTIONS
1. When have I made promises to God, and then failed to keep them? What were the consequences? How did I feel and what did I do about it?
2. When I get myself into trouble and find myself crying out to God for help, am I truly sorry for my wrongs? Am I repentant? Or do I just want Him to get me out of a messy situation?
3. On what basis do I ask God for help when I need it? Do I try to bargain with Him? Do I think I have to cajole or coerce Him into helping me? What’s wrong with this? How might it actually be an insult to God?
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Jonah, The Anti-hero
The story of Jonah as it should have been:
Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before Me.” So Jonah went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Nineveh. He paid the fare and went on board. While they were sailing to Nineveh, Jonah preached to the sailors on the ship. They all repented and turned to God. In fact, when they reached Nineveh, some of the sailors got off the ship and went with Jonah into the city. There they all cried out, “In forty days, God will destroy Nineveh.” When the people heard it, they all repented, from the greatest to the least of them. There was a great revival, and many people got saved. Then Jonah left some of the sailors to be pastors and elders in Nineveh while he returned to Israel to report the great work God had done in Nineveh.
That, perhaps, is how the story should have gone. And perhaps it might have gone very nearly that way, if not for one person—Jonah. Yes, Jonah did preach in Nineveh, but only after God used His sovereignty to say, “You’re going, and that’s that.” And yes, the sailors did turn to God, but not because of Jonah’s preaching. It was only after they threw Jonah overboard and saw the sea calm down that they “feared the LORD exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows” (Jonah 1:16).
I, like PJ, am a big James Bond fan. So I understand the analogy he made between Jonah and agent 007. In the earlier movies, it was rather cut and dry. Bond was the good guy, working for MI-6. The bad guys were such characters as Dr. No, Goldfinger, and various agents working for SPECTRE. In the more recent films, James Bond is still the good guy, but perhaps more reluctantly. He has some personal issues he has to work through as he is carrying out his mission.
As Pastor John said, these recent films depict agent 007 as an anti-hero, or a reluctant hero. In a sense, that’s what Jonah is. He goes to Nineveh, alright, but not because he is anxious to do God’s will. In fact, he’s kind of the bad guy in this story. Our James Bond has gone AWOL.
One thing I noticed as I read the first chapter of Jonah is that we are told three times that Jonah was fleeing from the presence of God. Three times! This tells me that this fact is rather significant. I also notice that, in verse 9, he tells the sailors, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”
Can you see the irony in that? Psalm 111:10 tells us that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. The testimony of the Bible is that those who fear God obey Him. And yet, here we have rebellious Jonah, fleeing from the presence of God, but saying, “I fear the LORD.” I wonder how much Jonah truly feared God.
This concept of fearing God is significant. There are several passages in which we are called upon to fear God. Now, to clarify, we are not talking about being afraid of God in the same way we would be afraid of a thug in the back alley, brandishing a gun, and saying, “Your money or your life!” Instead, we are speaking of a reverential awe of Him. To fear God is to be struck with wonder at the glory of God, so that we would fall down on our faces in worship before Him and offering our lives in service to Him. Those who truly fear Him cannot help but to obey Him.
This is not Jonah. His actions betray him. By acting in outright rebellion against God, he is demonstrating that he does not truly fear God.
But what about us? How do we view God? Have we got such a vision of His glory that we cannot help but fall on our faces and say, as Isaiah did, “Here am I, send me”? When we disobey God, what is the source of our rebellion? Pride? Selfishness? The Sin Nature? Yes, I think all of these can be factors. However, I also believe that our sin stems from the fact that we do not fear the LORD as we ought.
STUDY QUESTIONS
1. God accomplished His work in the hearts of the sailors, as well as in the city if Nineveh, despite Jonah’s rebellion. What does this say about God’s sovereignty? What encouragement can I gain from this when I find myself falling short? How can I safeguard against having a careless attitude toward sin in light of this truth?
2. What does it mean to fear the LORD? Is fearing God just an Old Testament concept that doesn’t apply to us today? To what extent do I fear the LORD? How can I pursue growth in this area?
Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before Me.” So Jonah went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Nineveh. He paid the fare and went on board. While they were sailing to Nineveh, Jonah preached to the sailors on the ship. They all repented and turned to God. In fact, when they reached Nineveh, some of the sailors got off the ship and went with Jonah into the city. There they all cried out, “In forty days, God will destroy Nineveh.” When the people heard it, they all repented, from the greatest to the least of them. There was a great revival, and many people got saved. Then Jonah left some of the sailors to be pastors and elders in Nineveh while he returned to Israel to report the great work God had done in Nineveh.
That, perhaps, is how the story should have gone. And perhaps it might have gone very nearly that way, if not for one person—Jonah. Yes, Jonah did preach in Nineveh, but only after God used His sovereignty to say, “You’re going, and that’s that.” And yes, the sailors did turn to God, but not because of Jonah’s preaching. It was only after they threw Jonah overboard and saw the sea calm down that they “feared the LORD exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows” (Jonah 1:16).
I, like PJ, am a big James Bond fan. So I understand the analogy he made between Jonah and agent 007. In the earlier movies, it was rather cut and dry. Bond was the good guy, working for MI-6. The bad guys were such characters as Dr. No, Goldfinger, and various agents working for SPECTRE. In the more recent films, James Bond is still the good guy, but perhaps more reluctantly. He has some personal issues he has to work through as he is carrying out his mission.
As Pastor John said, these recent films depict agent 007 as an anti-hero, or a reluctant hero. In a sense, that’s what Jonah is. He goes to Nineveh, alright, but not because he is anxious to do God’s will. In fact, he’s kind of the bad guy in this story. Our James Bond has gone AWOL.
One thing I noticed as I read the first chapter of Jonah is that we are told three times that Jonah was fleeing from the presence of God. Three times! This tells me that this fact is rather significant. I also notice that, in verse 9, he tells the sailors, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”
Can you see the irony in that? Psalm 111:10 tells us that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. The testimony of the Bible is that those who fear God obey Him. And yet, here we have rebellious Jonah, fleeing from the presence of God, but saying, “I fear the LORD.” I wonder how much Jonah truly feared God.
This concept of fearing God is significant. There are several passages in which we are called upon to fear God. Now, to clarify, we are not talking about being afraid of God in the same way we would be afraid of a thug in the back alley, brandishing a gun, and saying, “Your money or your life!” Instead, we are speaking of a reverential awe of Him. To fear God is to be struck with wonder at the glory of God, so that we would fall down on our faces in worship before Him and offering our lives in service to Him. Those who truly fear Him cannot help but to obey Him.
This is not Jonah. His actions betray him. By acting in outright rebellion against God, he is demonstrating that he does not truly fear God.
But what about us? How do we view God? Have we got such a vision of His glory that we cannot help but fall on our faces and say, as Isaiah did, “Here am I, send me”? When we disobey God, what is the source of our rebellion? Pride? Selfishness? The Sin Nature? Yes, I think all of these can be factors. However, I also believe that our sin stems from the fact that we do not fear the LORD as we ought.
STUDY QUESTIONS
1. God accomplished His work in the hearts of the sailors, as well as in the city if Nineveh, despite Jonah’s rebellion. What does this say about God’s sovereignty? What encouragement can I gain from this when I find myself falling short? How can I safeguard against having a careless attitude toward sin in light of this truth?
2. What does it mean to fear the LORD? Is fearing God just an Old Testament concept that doesn’t apply to us today? To what extent do I fear the LORD? How can I pursue growth in this area?
Thursday, July 28, 2011
An Introduction to Jonah
Jonah and the Whale…one of the great Bible stories we were taught as children in Sunday School. Maybe we learned cute little songs about it. I remember one Christian comedian who had a pretty good routine about Jonah showing up on the shores of Nineveh, with his clothes torn and his skin bleached white from the gases in the whale’s stomach, saying, “Repent!”
However, the book of Jonah isn’t just a children’s story, and it is more than good material for a comedian. Jonah actually serves as an object lesson for us today.
Now, when we think of the Old Testament prophets, we picture them as great men of God. We naturally assume they lived wonderful godly lives. And this may well be true of most of the prophets. We really don’t read anything negative about the character of such men as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Hosea. In fact, within the book of Daniel, we read a great deal about his integrity and devotion to God.
But Jonah serves as a negative example. He’s the example of what not to do. We can encourage and exhort each other by saying, “Don’t be like Jonah.” Why? Because when God called Jonah, he ran the other way. He was in such open rebellion that God had to use a violent storm and a large fish to get him to where he was supposed to be.
Now, as we learned on Sunday, Nineveh was the capital city of the Assyrian Empire. The Assyrians were a warring nation. They thrived on invading other countries and doing horrible things to their people. The Assyrians had not invaded Israel (the northern kingdom) or Judah (the southern kingdom), the Israelites were probably afraid of that happening. They certainly knew of the Assyrians’ reputation, and they viewed the Assyrians as their enemies. In a word, the Israelites were afraid of the Assyrians, and they hated the Assyrians.
So we could understand why Jonah didn’t want to go to Nineveh. He must have been afraid of what they might do to him. He probably thought, “If I go there, no one will ever hear from me again.”
I find it interesting that, when God told him to go to Nineveh, Jonah didn’t question it. He didn’t argue with God as Moses did in Exodus 3. He didn’t question whether or not he had clearly heard God, as Gideon did in Judges 6. He knew he had heard from God, and he knew what God had told him to do. He just didn’t want to do it, so he ran the other way.
Another thing I find interesting, as we will see later in our study, is that once God used Jonah as fish bait, Jonah did say a prayer of repentance. Funny how being in the belly of a whale will do that to you. By all indications, God forgave him, but God still said, “You’re going to Nineveh!” There are times when, in our obstinance and rebellion, we can force the hand of God, so that He will “force” us to do what He commands us to do.
So Jonah found himself in Nineveh, prophesying destruction and calling for repentance. Lo and behold, the people repented. God forgave them and lifted the judgment against them. Most evangelicals would have been elated by this. Certainly, the Ninevites were rejoicing in their newfound faith and the forgiveness of God. In fact, I would wonder whether or not they invited Jonah to stay and pastor the First Baptist Church of Nineveh (see, even I can have fun with this story).
So how did Jonah respond? Well, he didn’t start shouting, “Praise the Lord!” And I don’t suppose he had any desire to stay and be their pastor. Jonah got downright mad. And he effectively said to the Lord, “Okay God, do you want to know why I ran to Tarshish? This is why! I knew that if I came here and preached the message you told me to, these people would repent, and You would forgive them. I knew it, because I know that’s the kind of God You are. I know that nobody’s perfect. I recognize that I had to repent of my own sin. But come on, God. The Ninevites? Really? Have You forgotten what these people are like? Heck, they aren’t even people. They’re barbarians. They’re animals. They don’t deserve Your forgiveness!”
Oops!
Now what about us? Who comes to mind when we think about those who don’t deserve God’s grace? Is it the drug dealers downtown? Is it the prostitutes who walk the highways? Maybe it’s the business tycoons who make millions of dollars by making shady deals while everyone else is losing money on account of them. Perhaps we could include the Islamic terrorists and suicide bombers that still want to attack us. They don’t deserve God’s forgiveness, but we do, right? After all, we’re not nearly as bad as they are.
You know, there’s a funny thing about forgiveness. If we deserved it, we wouldn’t need it.
SOME QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
1. In what area(s) of my life am I rebellious toward God? How far does He have to go to bring me back in line with His will? How quickly do I repent and ask for forgiveness?
2. Who do I consider to be my enemies? Do I want to see them receive God’s grace? Am I be willing to go to them with the gospel?
3. When I do hear about certain people becoming Christians—for example, someone serving a long-term sentence for a violent crime—how do I respond? Am I glad for them? Do I praise God for it? Or am I skeptical? Do I think it’s a ploy
However, the book of Jonah isn’t just a children’s story, and it is more than good material for a comedian. Jonah actually serves as an object lesson for us today.
Now, when we think of the Old Testament prophets, we picture them as great men of God. We naturally assume they lived wonderful godly lives. And this may well be true of most of the prophets. We really don’t read anything negative about the character of such men as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Hosea. In fact, within the book of Daniel, we read a great deal about his integrity and devotion to God.
But Jonah serves as a negative example. He’s the example of what not to do. We can encourage and exhort each other by saying, “Don’t be like Jonah.” Why? Because when God called Jonah, he ran the other way. He was in such open rebellion that God had to use a violent storm and a large fish to get him to where he was supposed to be.
Now, as we learned on Sunday, Nineveh was the capital city of the Assyrian Empire. The Assyrians were a warring nation. They thrived on invading other countries and doing horrible things to their people. The Assyrians had not invaded Israel (the northern kingdom) or Judah (the southern kingdom), the Israelites were probably afraid of that happening. They certainly knew of the Assyrians’ reputation, and they viewed the Assyrians as their enemies. In a word, the Israelites were afraid of the Assyrians, and they hated the Assyrians.
So we could understand why Jonah didn’t want to go to Nineveh. He must have been afraid of what they might do to him. He probably thought, “If I go there, no one will ever hear from me again.”
I find it interesting that, when God told him to go to Nineveh, Jonah didn’t question it. He didn’t argue with God as Moses did in Exodus 3. He didn’t question whether or not he had clearly heard God, as Gideon did in Judges 6. He knew he had heard from God, and he knew what God had told him to do. He just didn’t want to do it, so he ran the other way.
Another thing I find interesting, as we will see later in our study, is that once God used Jonah as fish bait, Jonah did say a prayer of repentance. Funny how being in the belly of a whale will do that to you. By all indications, God forgave him, but God still said, “You’re going to Nineveh!” There are times when, in our obstinance and rebellion, we can force the hand of God, so that He will “force” us to do what He commands us to do.
So Jonah found himself in Nineveh, prophesying destruction and calling for repentance. Lo and behold, the people repented. God forgave them and lifted the judgment against them. Most evangelicals would have been elated by this. Certainly, the Ninevites were rejoicing in their newfound faith and the forgiveness of God. In fact, I would wonder whether or not they invited Jonah to stay and pastor the First Baptist Church of Nineveh (see, even I can have fun with this story).
So how did Jonah respond? Well, he didn’t start shouting, “Praise the Lord!” And I don’t suppose he had any desire to stay and be their pastor. Jonah got downright mad. And he effectively said to the Lord, “Okay God, do you want to know why I ran to Tarshish? This is why! I knew that if I came here and preached the message you told me to, these people would repent, and You would forgive them. I knew it, because I know that’s the kind of God You are. I know that nobody’s perfect. I recognize that I had to repent of my own sin. But come on, God. The Ninevites? Really? Have You forgotten what these people are like? Heck, they aren’t even people. They’re barbarians. They’re animals. They don’t deserve Your forgiveness!”
Oops!
Now what about us? Who comes to mind when we think about those who don’t deserve God’s grace? Is it the drug dealers downtown? Is it the prostitutes who walk the highways? Maybe it’s the business tycoons who make millions of dollars by making shady deals while everyone else is losing money on account of them. Perhaps we could include the Islamic terrorists and suicide bombers that still want to attack us. They don’t deserve God’s forgiveness, but we do, right? After all, we’re not nearly as bad as they are.
You know, there’s a funny thing about forgiveness. If we deserved it, we wouldn’t need it.
SOME QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
1. In what area(s) of my life am I rebellious toward God? How far does He have to go to bring me back in line with His will? How quickly do I repent and ask for forgiveness?
2. Who do I consider to be my enemies? Do I want to see them receive God’s grace? Am I be willing to go to them with the gospel?
3. When I do hear about certain people becoming Christians—for example, someone serving a long-term sentence for a violent crime—how do I respond? Am I glad for them? Do I praise God for it? Or am I skeptical? Do I think it’s a ploy
Friday, July 22, 2011
Fasting, Love, and Living Without Regret
A week after the passing of his mother, and only two days after her funeral, Pastor John returned to be with us at Imago Dei. Even though the leadership had told him to go ahead and take off as much time as he needed to go through the grieving process, PJ said that he wanted to go through that process, being surrounded by his church family.
Sharing this as he began his sermon, PJ pointed out that we need to be real with each other at church. When someone asks, “How are you?”, do not put on a fake smile and say everything is fine when, in reality, things aren’t going so well. Be honest enough to say, “I’m not doing so good today. I’d appreciate your prayers.”
By the same token, I would add that if things are going well for you, don’t be afraid to express that either. In general, Christians ought to be the most joyful of all people. This joy should be evident in our smiles and our attitudes when we come to church. As we come together to worship God, there certainly needs to be a sense of reverence for God in our hearts. But that doesn’t mean we have to come to church looking like we’ve been sucking on sour lemons.
So regardless of how things are going for you, be real enough to express that when you come to church and someone asks how you are.
Having spent a few days in fasting while he was in Dallas, John wanted to share some thoughts about fasting with us. His first point was that fasting and prayer are essential to experiencing God in our lives. Then we learned that sorrow and needing to make a big decision in your life serve as two reasons for fasting. I would add that repentance is another reason for fasting. In several places within the Old Testament, when the nation of Israel had been living in disobedience to God, a priest, prophet, or sometimes a king would call the nation to repentance, prayer, confession, and fasting. They were being called back to God.
I think this would be a good time to point out the effects of fasting, other than the fact that by the end of the fast, you are hungry. When I think of this, I quickly remember Jesus’ words to Satan when He was tempted in the wilderness. When Satan challenged Him to turn stones into bread, Jesus answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matt. 4:4). This tells me that fasting reminds us that we are dependent upon God for our sustenance in life. The very breath we have in our bodies is a gift from Him. Fasting is intended to be an expression of our dependence upon God.
Second, I would point out that it is not just fasting, but fasting combined with prayer, that is essential to experiencing God. We do not fast just to see how long we can go without food. A time of fasting is to be a time of prayer, and probably some Bible reading as well. It is a time of talking to God, listening to God, seeking His will, seeking His face, communing with Him at the deepest levels of intimacy.
For how long should you fast? I think we should be wary about setting any definite guidelines. Matthew 4:2 says that Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. PJ’s recent fast lasted four days. Once, while in college, I participated in a 24-hour fast. The duration of the fast is not as significant as the purpose for the fast and your sincerity about it. However, I think most would say that if you just skip dinner one evening, that’s not much of a fast.
When done properly, fasting is an expression of our love for God, which brings us to the point that love overcomes any obstacles. At first, one might wonder what this has to do with fasting. And I will admit that at first, I struggled to come up with a proper transition between these two points. But let me submit to you that, as we learned on Sunday, love empowers us to lose the ability to be selfish. Fasting, as an exercise in self-discipline, can be a practice in selflessness. In addition, as we focus on God during a fast, God touches us with His love, which provides the supernatural ability to overcome any obstacle that would hinder us in loving God and loving other people.
This love is spoken of in I Corinthians 13, and Paul’s quintessential description of love ends with the statement, “Love never fails” (v. 8). And saying that love overcomes any obstacles is simply another way of stating the same truth.
Now, when we spend our lives loving God and loving those around us, we can live life without regret. In a world that focuses on success in business and finance, this is very important. For how often have we heard of a wealthy businessman, at the end of his life, say he regrets the fact that he was so preoccupied with building his empire that he never took time to love those who were closest to him? We have heard it many times. By contrast, we do not often hear anyone complain that he spent too much time with his family.
This idea of living without regret echoes the exhortation we find in both Colossians 1:9-10 and Ephesians 4:1. The passage in Colossians takes the form of a prayer as Paul writes, “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with all the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” In Ephesians 4:1, this exhortation to walk in a worthy manner actually takes the form of a command: “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” And when you go on to read the next several verses in Ephesians 4, you will see that, for Paul, walking in such a manner means loving one another. So we have come full circle.
SOME QUESTIONS
1. Am I facing any situations that may call for fasting? Do I recognize the benefits of fasting, as well as the proper attitude toward fasting? (For those who have fasted before) Is my fasting an expression of my love for God, or is it just a religious duty?
2. Read I Corinthians 13:1-8, which talks about the characteristics of love, and Ephesians 4:1-3, where we are commanded to walk in a manner worthy of the calling of God in our lives. What similarities do you see between these two passages? How do they solidify the connection between the point that love overcomes any obstacles and the exhortation to live life without regret?
Sharing this as he began his sermon, PJ pointed out that we need to be real with each other at church. When someone asks, “How are you?”, do not put on a fake smile and say everything is fine when, in reality, things aren’t going so well. Be honest enough to say, “I’m not doing so good today. I’d appreciate your prayers.”
By the same token, I would add that if things are going well for you, don’t be afraid to express that either. In general, Christians ought to be the most joyful of all people. This joy should be evident in our smiles and our attitudes when we come to church. As we come together to worship God, there certainly needs to be a sense of reverence for God in our hearts. But that doesn’t mean we have to come to church looking like we’ve been sucking on sour lemons.
So regardless of how things are going for you, be real enough to express that when you come to church and someone asks how you are.
Having spent a few days in fasting while he was in Dallas, John wanted to share some thoughts about fasting with us. His first point was that fasting and prayer are essential to experiencing God in our lives. Then we learned that sorrow and needing to make a big decision in your life serve as two reasons for fasting. I would add that repentance is another reason for fasting. In several places within the Old Testament, when the nation of Israel had been living in disobedience to God, a priest, prophet, or sometimes a king would call the nation to repentance, prayer, confession, and fasting. They were being called back to God.
I think this would be a good time to point out the effects of fasting, other than the fact that by the end of the fast, you are hungry. When I think of this, I quickly remember Jesus’ words to Satan when He was tempted in the wilderness. When Satan challenged Him to turn stones into bread, Jesus answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matt. 4:4). This tells me that fasting reminds us that we are dependent upon God for our sustenance in life. The very breath we have in our bodies is a gift from Him. Fasting is intended to be an expression of our dependence upon God.
Second, I would point out that it is not just fasting, but fasting combined with prayer, that is essential to experiencing God. We do not fast just to see how long we can go without food. A time of fasting is to be a time of prayer, and probably some Bible reading as well. It is a time of talking to God, listening to God, seeking His will, seeking His face, communing with Him at the deepest levels of intimacy.
For how long should you fast? I think we should be wary about setting any definite guidelines. Matthew 4:2 says that Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. PJ’s recent fast lasted four days. Once, while in college, I participated in a 24-hour fast. The duration of the fast is not as significant as the purpose for the fast and your sincerity about it. However, I think most would say that if you just skip dinner one evening, that’s not much of a fast.
When done properly, fasting is an expression of our love for God, which brings us to the point that love overcomes any obstacles. At first, one might wonder what this has to do with fasting. And I will admit that at first, I struggled to come up with a proper transition between these two points. But let me submit to you that, as we learned on Sunday, love empowers us to lose the ability to be selfish. Fasting, as an exercise in self-discipline, can be a practice in selflessness. In addition, as we focus on God during a fast, God touches us with His love, which provides the supernatural ability to overcome any obstacle that would hinder us in loving God and loving other people.
This love is spoken of in I Corinthians 13, and Paul’s quintessential description of love ends with the statement, “Love never fails” (v. 8). And saying that love overcomes any obstacles is simply another way of stating the same truth.
Now, when we spend our lives loving God and loving those around us, we can live life without regret. In a world that focuses on success in business and finance, this is very important. For how often have we heard of a wealthy businessman, at the end of his life, say he regrets the fact that he was so preoccupied with building his empire that he never took time to love those who were closest to him? We have heard it many times. By contrast, we do not often hear anyone complain that he spent too much time with his family.
This idea of living without regret echoes the exhortation we find in both Colossians 1:9-10 and Ephesians 4:1. The passage in Colossians takes the form of a prayer as Paul writes, “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with all the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” In Ephesians 4:1, this exhortation to walk in a worthy manner actually takes the form of a command: “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” And when you go on to read the next several verses in Ephesians 4, you will see that, for Paul, walking in such a manner means loving one another. So we have come full circle.
SOME QUESTIONS
1. Am I facing any situations that may call for fasting? Do I recognize the benefits of fasting, as well as the proper attitude toward fasting? (For those who have fasted before) Is my fasting an expression of my love for God, or is it just a religious duty?
2. Read I Corinthians 13:1-8, which talks about the characteristics of love, and Ephesians 4:1-3, where we are commanded to walk in a manner worthy of the calling of God in our lives. What similarities do you see between these two passages? How do they solidify the connection between the point that love overcomes any obstacles and the exhortation to live life without regret?
Friday, July 15, 2011
The Basis of God's Choice
When the Israelites wanted a king, and God finally gave in to their demands, He instructed the prophet Samuel to anoint Saul to be their first king. I Samuel 9 tells us that Saul’s father was a man of wealth, that Saul himself was very handsome, and that he was the tallest man in the land.
Wealthy, tall, dark, and handsome—the kind of guy every little girl dreams of marrying when she grows up. And Saul was certainly the kind of guy everyone would expect to have as king. He was the most obvious choice. And he was the man God chose to be the king. It was the perfect situation. That is, until Saul’s true character came out. After his repeated disobedience to God, God had to reject him as king.
So in I Sam. 16, God sent Samuel to a little obscure village called Bethlehem. There, he was to have a church service, and God told Samuel, “Make sure invite a man named Jesse to church. One of his sons is going to replace Saul as king.”
So they held the church service. Jesse came to church, bringing his family with him. They offered the sacrifice. Maybe Samuel preached a sermon and led them in a verse or two of “Amazing Grace” (everyone knows Samuel was a good Baptist). Then the time came to anoint the next king.
Samuel stood up, glanced at Jesse’s oldest son, Eliab, and thought, “There. That’s him. A big, strong, tall, handsome guy. Just like Saul. Perfect stock for being a king.” But before he could call Eliab forward to be anointed, God told Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him” (v. 7).
So Samuel took a look at Jesse’s next son, and then his next, and then his next, and on down the line. Each time, God said, “No, that’s not him.” After looking at seven fine young men, each of whom God rejected, I wonder if Samuel wasn’t a bit confused. “But God, you told me to anoint one of Jesse’s sons to be the next king. Now they’re all here, and You’ve rejected them all. I’m beginning to look like a fool.”
Ah, but they were not all there. Everyone forgot the runt of the litter. David, the youngest, the least important. All they used him for was to tend the sheep. But surely, God’s not going to make this little shepherd boy the next king of Israel, is He? What could a kid like that know about being a king?
Pastor Wil’s sermon this past Sunday pointed out that the basis of God’s choice is contrary to human reasoning. The latter half of I Sam. 16:7 says, “Man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”
Second, we saw that God’s choice is conditioned upon the heart’s response (to God). If God looks on the heart, what did God see when He looked upon David’s heart? The overall testimony of the Bible is that David was a man who loved God and who praised God. And his praise to God was an expression of his love for God.
Finally, we saw that the basis of God’s choice is characterized by heavenly recognition. That is, God will always let us know who His choice is. Verse 12 of our text tells us that when David came in, God told Samuel, “There! That’s him. I’m going to make him the next king of Israel. Anoint him.” It was clear, unmistakable instruction from God. In addition, verse 13 says that after Samuel anointed David, “The Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward.”
For the Christian, this last point is not to be missed. When God chooses to use you in a certain way, His Holy Spirit will enable you to do what He has called you to do. So often, we shy away from serving God in a way that He might be calling us toward, because we feel we are not capable of it. We’re not up to the task. But I am reminded of a song lyric I have heard, which says, “God doesn’t always call the equipped, but He will equip the called.”
And how does God equip us? In the same way He equipped David for kingship. It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that we can do what God calls us to do.
With that in mind, let us not miss the point that God often calls the least likely to do great things for God. The reason He calls the least likely is so that, when they, in the power of the Holy Spirit, do that which they couldn’t do on their own, God gets all the glory.
Some Questions to Consider
1. To what area(s) of ministry might God be calling me?
2. Do I feel capable and qualified for what I sense God may be calling me to? Does that call coincide with my spiritual gifts, natural talents, and abilities?
3. What fears do I have about serving God? Am I willing to surrender those fears to Him and trust Him to enable me to do what He wants me to do?
Wealthy, tall, dark, and handsome—the kind of guy every little girl dreams of marrying when she grows up. And Saul was certainly the kind of guy everyone would expect to have as king. He was the most obvious choice. And he was the man God chose to be the king. It was the perfect situation. That is, until Saul’s true character came out. After his repeated disobedience to God, God had to reject him as king.
So in I Sam. 16, God sent Samuel to a little obscure village called Bethlehem. There, he was to have a church service, and God told Samuel, “Make sure invite a man named Jesse to church. One of his sons is going to replace Saul as king.”
So they held the church service. Jesse came to church, bringing his family with him. They offered the sacrifice. Maybe Samuel preached a sermon and led them in a verse or two of “Amazing Grace” (everyone knows Samuel was a good Baptist). Then the time came to anoint the next king.
Samuel stood up, glanced at Jesse’s oldest son, Eliab, and thought, “There. That’s him. A big, strong, tall, handsome guy. Just like Saul. Perfect stock for being a king.” But before he could call Eliab forward to be anointed, God told Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him” (v. 7).
So Samuel took a look at Jesse’s next son, and then his next, and then his next, and on down the line. Each time, God said, “No, that’s not him.” After looking at seven fine young men, each of whom God rejected, I wonder if Samuel wasn’t a bit confused. “But God, you told me to anoint one of Jesse’s sons to be the next king. Now they’re all here, and You’ve rejected them all. I’m beginning to look like a fool.”
Ah, but they were not all there. Everyone forgot the runt of the litter. David, the youngest, the least important. All they used him for was to tend the sheep. But surely, God’s not going to make this little shepherd boy the next king of Israel, is He? What could a kid like that know about being a king?
Pastor Wil’s sermon this past Sunday pointed out that the basis of God’s choice is contrary to human reasoning. The latter half of I Sam. 16:7 says, “Man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”
Second, we saw that God’s choice is conditioned upon the heart’s response (to God). If God looks on the heart, what did God see when He looked upon David’s heart? The overall testimony of the Bible is that David was a man who loved God and who praised God. And his praise to God was an expression of his love for God.
Finally, we saw that the basis of God’s choice is characterized by heavenly recognition. That is, God will always let us know who His choice is. Verse 12 of our text tells us that when David came in, God told Samuel, “There! That’s him. I’m going to make him the next king of Israel. Anoint him.” It was clear, unmistakable instruction from God. In addition, verse 13 says that after Samuel anointed David, “The Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward.”
For the Christian, this last point is not to be missed. When God chooses to use you in a certain way, His Holy Spirit will enable you to do what He has called you to do. So often, we shy away from serving God in a way that He might be calling us toward, because we feel we are not capable of it. We’re not up to the task. But I am reminded of a song lyric I have heard, which says, “God doesn’t always call the equipped, but He will equip the called.”
And how does God equip us? In the same way He equipped David for kingship. It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that we can do what God calls us to do.
With that in mind, let us not miss the point that God often calls the least likely to do great things for God. The reason He calls the least likely is so that, when they, in the power of the Holy Spirit, do that which they couldn’t do on their own, God gets all the glory.
Some Questions to Consider
1. To what area(s) of ministry might God be calling me?
2. Do I feel capable and qualified for what I sense God may be calling me to? Does that call coincide with my spiritual gifts, natural talents, and abilities?
3. What fears do I have about serving God? Am I willing to surrender those fears to Him and trust Him to enable me to do what He wants me to do?
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Learning to Be Content
In Philippians 4:11, Paul makes a simple, yet very profound statement. He says, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.”
Like, I said, it’s very simple. But it is also incredible. Content? In any situation? Can Paul really be serious? Is such a thing possible, especially in a society in which we are hardly content with anything? We have roofs over our heads, warm beds to sleep in, and food on our tables. Despite the economy, most of us are still employed. We are surrounded by friends and family. We all have iPods, iPhones, and laptop computers. We have televisions, hi-fi stereos, and game consoles.
But we’re not content. Why? Could it be that we’re expecting all our toys and gadgets to provide satisfaction that they were never intended to provide? Certainly, we have come to realize that the newest and best thing you buy today will be obsolete tomorrow.
To be fair, not everyone is looking to find satisfaction in these things. I know people who do not own iPods, Kindles, the latest and greatest gaming systems, or even fancy cell phones. And these people are perfectly content with not owning them. It isn’t that they can’t afford to buy them; they just don’t have any need or desire for those things.
These people would probably say, “I don’t need all those fancy gadgets to be happy, just so long as I have a steady job, a roof over my head, and food on my table. As long as I’ve got my friends and family around me, a little money in the bank, and an occasional day off, then I can be content.”
But Paul talked about being content in any situation. This includes the worst of situations. And when it comes to facing even the worst of circumstances, I think Paul knew what he was talking about. Throughout his Christian life, he faced a great deal of hardship. He was always on the go. He could never settle down. His enemies were constantly driving him out of town. People who didn’t like his teaching were always arguing with him and making false accusations against him. On several occasions, he was arrested and thrown in jail. He was beaten. He had been flogged. At least once, he was stoned and left for dead.
In Philippians 4:11, Paul said that he could be content “in whatever situation I am.” This is a far cry from the conditions we place on our contentment in America in 2011. So what was Paul’s secret? In light of the fact that we find it hard to be content, even with all the amenities and comforts of life, how is it that Paul could be content in the midst of all the hardships he had to face? Was Paul just naturally content within himself? Had he simply resigned himself to the fact that he couldn’t change his circumstances and decided to make the best of it; a case of mind over matter?
No. Paul says, “I have learned…to be content.” Paul had not always been content. In Romans 7, he confesses to struggling with the sin of coveting. And when you are coveting—wanting what someone else has—you are not content.
So what had Paul learned that led to his contentment? On Sunday, Pastor Wil gave us a brief summary of what it takes to be content. First, he said that it is indeed a learned behavior. One cannot simply say, “I am deciding to be content. From now on, I am going to be content, no matter what happens.” It just doesn’t work that way. It’s not that easy. We have to learn to be content.
Then Wil told us that contentment can only be achieved when our expectations are in Christ. Finally, in conjunction with that, contentment is only achieved when we give up seeking pleasure for ourselves. These are the things we need to learn. These are the things Paul learned.
But how did Paul learn these things? What is it going to take for us to learn them? Unfortunately, such lessons are not easily learned. It is not while we are surrounded by all the comforts and amenities of life that we learn the meaning of contentment.
Paul learned to be content in whatever situation he was in by facing all the hardships he faced in life. While he sitting in a jail cell, as he was being harassed by his enemies, when he was beaten and left for dead, he discovered that God was there with him, protecting him, guiding him, comforting him, loving him, strengthening him. And through it all, Paul found that God’s presence was enough for him.
Will we have to experience all the same things Paul did in order to learn contentment? Perhaps not, and even probably not. Some of us may have to face the “hardship” of the unpleasant realization that all the “pleasures of life” won’t bring us the satisfaction we expected out of them. Of course, this realization may be hard to come by. For as long as we expect these things to satisfy us, we will continue to pursue them. We will pursue alcohol, drugs, relationships, financial security, new homes, new cars, new toys—whatever we expect to satisfy us—until we finally learn that they do not, will not, and cannot bring us contentment. Then we will hopefully learn to find our satisfaction only in Jesus Christ.
How long will it take us to learn our lesson?
Some Questions to Consider:
1. Am I content in my present circumstances? If not, why not?
2. If I am content right now, what is the source of my contentment? Who or what am I counting on to satisfy me? How would I respond if those people or things were removed from my life?
3. Are there some things I need to deliberately give up in order to pursue satisfaction with God? What do I recognize as a detriment to my relationship with Him?
Like, I said, it’s very simple. But it is also incredible. Content? In any situation? Can Paul really be serious? Is such a thing possible, especially in a society in which we are hardly content with anything? We have roofs over our heads, warm beds to sleep in, and food on our tables. Despite the economy, most of us are still employed. We are surrounded by friends and family. We all have iPods, iPhones, and laptop computers. We have televisions, hi-fi stereos, and game consoles.
But we’re not content. Why? Could it be that we’re expecting all our toys and gadgets to provide satisfaction that they were never intended to provide? Certainly, we have come to realize that the newest and best thing you buy today will be obsolete tomorrow.
To be fair, not everyone is looking to find satisfaction in these things. I know people who do not own iPods, Kindles, the latest and greatest gaming systems, or even fancy cell phones. And these people are perfectly content with not owning them. It isn’t that they can’t afford to buy them; they just don’t have any need or desire for those things.
These people would probably say, “I don’t need all those fancy gadgets to be happy, just so long as I have a steady job, a roof over my head, and food on my table. As long as I’ve got my friends and family around me, a little money in the bank, and an occasional day off, then I can be content.”
But Paul talked about being content in any situation. This includes the worst of situations. And when it comes to facing even the worst of circumstances, I think Paul knew what he was talking about. Throughout his Christian life, he faced a great deal of hardship. He was always on the go. He could never settle down. His enemies were constantly driving him out of town. People who didn’t like his teaching were always arguing with him and making false accusations against him. On several occasions, he was arrested and thrown in jail. He was beaten. He had been flogged. At least once, he was stoned and left for dead.
In Philippians 4:11, Paul said that he could be content “in whatever situation I am.” This is a far cry from the conditions we place on our contentment in America in 2011. So what was Paul’s secret? In light of the fact that we find it hard to be content, even with all the amenities and comforts of life, how is it that Paul could be content in the midst of all the hardships he had to face? Was Paul just naturally content within himself? Had he simply resigned himself to the fact that he couldn’t change his circumstances and decided to make the best of it; a case of mind over matter?
No. Paul says, “I have learned…to be content.” Paul had not always been content. In Romans 7, he confesses to struggling with the sin of coveting. And when you are coveting—wanting what someone else has—you are not content.
So what had Paul learned that led to his contentment? On Sunday, Pastor Wil gave us a brief summary of what it takes to be content. First, he said that it is indeed a learned behavior. One cannot simply say, “I am deciding to be content. From now on, I am going to be content, no matter what happens.” It just doesn’t work that way. It’s not that easy. We have to learn to be content.
Then Wil told us that contentment can only be achieved when our expectations are in Christ. Finally, in conjunction with that, contentment is only achieved when we give up seeking pleasure for ourselves. These are the things we need to learn. These are the things Paul learned.
But how did Paul learn these things? What is it going to take for us to learn them? Unfortunately, such lessons are not easily learned. It is not while we are surrounded by all the comforts and amenities of life that we learn the meaning of contentment.
Paul learned to be content in whatever situation he was in by facing all the hardships he faced in life. While he sitting in a jail cell, as he was being harassed by his enemies, when he was beaten and left for dead, he discovered that God was there with him, protecting him, guiding him, comforting him, loving him, strengthening him. And through it all, Paul found that God’s presence was enough for him.
Will we have to experience all the same things Paul did in order to learn contentment? Perhaps not, and even probably not. Some of us may have to face the “hardship” of the unpleasant realization that all the “pleasures of life” won’t bring us the satisfaction we expected out of them. Of course, this realization may be hard to come by. For as long as we expect these things to satisfy us, we will continue to pursue them. We will pursue alcohol, drugs, relationships, financial security, new homes, new cars, new toys—whatever we expect to satisfy us—until we finally learn that they do not, will not, and cannot bring us contentment. Then we will hopefully learn to find our satisfaction only in Jesus Christ.
How long will it take us to learn our lesson?
Some Questions to Consider:
1. Am I content in my present circumstances? If not, why not?
2. If I am content right now, what is the source of my contentment? Who or what am I counting on to satisfy me? How would I respond if those people or things were removed from my life?
3. Are there some things I need to deliberately give up in order to pursue satisfaction with God? What do I recognize as a detriment to my relationship with Him?
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Vision Sunday
Would you like a short synopsis of Pastor John’s message this week? Here it is: Everyone matters, because we’re committed to reaching people who aren’t here yet. Environment matters, because we want ekklesia to be a place where incarnational orthopraxy happens. Every detail matters, because we strive to incite a spirit of justice and advocacy for everyone. Relationship matters, because the people you know are the people you can impact. Growing up matters, because the journey for everyone is transformation in Jesus. And, last but not least, the message matters, because the message is Jesus Christ.
That’s it. That’s what John preached about this week. And the previous paragraph actually contains the vision statement of Imago Dei. This is what we’re all about. And it all falls under the broader heading, which PJ calls “L3.” Love God. Love others. Love justice. Recently, PJ has been talking a lot about loving God and loving others. He has even challenged us to rethink how we love ourselves. Now, by reminding us of the vision of the church, he has added some flesh and muscle to this skeleton.
One might now say, “This is all well and good, but even those statements are rather vague. And I have no idea what some of those words even mean. For example, what the heck is ekklesia?”
That’s a good question. Fortunately, the answer is simple. As you read through the New Testament, wherever you see the word, “church,” the Greek word that was used is “ekklesia.”
Ah, but what about incarnational orthopraxy? That’s a mighty big term. But as John said, it simply means doing life together. The root of incarnational is, of course, incarnation. If you’ve been involved in church for any length of time, or if you’ve ever studied theology, you may remember that when we speak of the Incarnation, we are talking about the humanity of Jesus Christ. When God came down to earth and became a man, the Incarnation took place. John’s gospel put it this way: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1), and then, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (v. 14).
So the Incarnation is, if you will, the in-flesh-ment of God. So when we speak of incarnational orthopraxy, we’re saying that we want to “flesh out” the principles of Christianity. We want our faith and our values to actually influence our daily lives. We want to live it out, especially in relation to other people. For example, it is not enough for us to talk about such intangible concepts as the grace of God. We need to show people the grace of God by being gracious toward them.
Of all the values that PJ talked about and are listed above, the one I appreciate most is the last. “The message matters, because the message is Jesus Christ.” As someone who grew up in church and has had the opportunity to receive some extensive Biblical and theological training, I can say that without Jesus Christ, there would be no church. Jesus instituted the Church. Jesus is the head of the Church, which is said to be His body. Jesus loves the Church. Jesus died for everyone who would eventually be part of the Church. A church that does not focus on Jesus Christ is not a church at all.
Could you imagine what Imago Dei would be like if we did not focus on Jesus? Yes, we would still all be good friends. We’d still have lunch after the worship service. Pastor John could easily get up and talk about how we can live a better life and focus on loving other people. We’d still volunteer at the Union Gospel Mission and help the Vision House.
But what kind of songs would we sing? Who would we worship? Where would we find the power and ability to live the life we’re supposed to live? On what basis would we call ourselves Christian? Without Jesus, Imago Dei would be just a social club.
Jesus Christ is essential to the church. Jesus Christ is the reason we have church. So I am glad that at Imago Dei, the message matters, because the message is Jesus Christ.
Questions For Study & Application
1. Do I agree with the values listed in the Vision Statement of Imago Dei?
2. Am I allowing my faith to influence my daily life?
3. Who am I impacting every day? Am I having a positive or a negative impact on these people?
4. Do I know what the message of Jesus Christ is? Could I explain it to someone in just a couple of minutes?
That’s it. That’s what John preached about this week. And the previous paragraph actually contains the vision statement of Imago Dei. This is what we’re all about. And it all falls under the broader heading, which PJ calls “L3.” Love God. Love others. Love justice. Recently, PJ has been talking a lot about loving God and loving others. He has even challenged us to rethink how we love ourselves. Now, by reminding us of the vision of the church, he has added some flesh and muscle to this skeleton.
One might now say, “This is all well and good, but even those statements are rather vague. And I have no idea what some of those words even mean. For example, what the heck is ekklesia?”
That’s a good question. Fortunately, the answer is simple. As you read through the New Testament, wherever you see the word, “church,” the Greek word that was used is “ekklesia.”
Ah, but what about incarnational orthopraxy? That’s a mighty big term. But as John said, it simply means doing life together. The root of incarnational is, of course, incarnation. If you’ve been involved in church for any length of time, or if you’ve ever studied theology, you may remember that when we speak of the Incarnation, we are talking about the humanity of Jesus Christ. When God came down to earth and became a man, the Incarnation took place. John’s gospel put it this way: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1), and then, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (v. 14).
So the Incarnation is, if you will, the in-flesh-ment of God. So when we speak of incarnational orthopraxy, we’re saying that we want to “flesh out” the principles of Christianity. We want our faith and our values to actually influence our daily lives. We want to live it out, especially in relation to other people. For example, it is not enough for us to talk about such intangible concepts as the grace of God. We need to show people the grace of God by being gracious toward them.
Of all the values that PJ talked about and are listed above, the one I appreciate most is the last. “The message matters, because the message is Jesus Christ.” As someone who grew up in church and has had the opportunity to receive some extensive Biblical and theological training, I can say that without Jesus Christ, there would be no church. Jesus instituted the Church. Jesus is the head of the Church, which is said to be His body. Jesus loves the Church. Jesus died for everyone who would eventually be part of the Church. A church that does not focus on Jesus Christ is not a church at all.
Could you imagine what Imago Dei would be like if we did not focus on Jesus? Yes, we would still all be good friends. We’d still have lunch after the worship service. Pastor John could easily get up and talk about how we can live a better life and focus on loving other people. We’d still volunteer at the Union Gospel Mission and help the Vision House.
But what kind of songs would we sing? Who would we worship? Where would we find the power and ability to live the life we’re supposed to live? On what basis would we call ourselves Christian? Without Jesus, Imago Dei would be just a social club.
Jesus Christ is essential to the church. Jesus Christ is the reason we have church. So I am glad that at Imago Dei, the message matters, because the message is Jesus Christ.
Questions For Study & Application
1. Do I agree with the values listed in the Vision Statement of Imago Dei?
2. Am I allowing my faith to influence my daily life?
3. Who am I impacting every day? Am I having a positive or a negative impact on these people?
4. Do I know what the message of Jesus Christ is? Could I explain it to someone in just a couple of minutes?
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Carpe Diem
Did it seem strange to hear Pastor John preach a message entitled, “Carpe Diem”? It sounds like the rallying cry of the humanists who say that there is no heaven and there is no hell. “This life is all we have to live,” they say. “Therefore, do whatever feels good. Do whatever makes you happy. Carpe Diem! Seize the day!”
As Christians, it is easy to say, “No, that’s not right. This isn’t all there is. There is a heaven, and there is a hell. And for those of us who have placed our faith in Jesus, there is the hope of eternal life in heaven, where there will be no more pain, suffering, sickness, death, or sin.” Many like to say that this life on earth is merely the dress rehearsal for the real thing. Therefore, we may be quick to reject the phrase, “Carpe Diem.” Do not seize the day. Do not live for today. Live each day with eternity in view. Deny yourself now, so that you may be rewarded in heaven.
But is this what Jesus taught? Was His message of self-denial antithetical to Carpe Diem? I don’t believe so, and Pastor John did a great job of pointing that out.
In John 10:10, Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” He says to each of us, “I came that you may have life and have it abundantly.”
One of the major themes of the Bible is that of eternal life. As John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” Now, the problem for many of us is that, when we think of eternal life, we think of heaven. We restrict our definition of eternal life to that which exists out past the great beyond. It is out there somewhere for us to enjoy someday in the great by and by.
But when does Jesus give us eternal life? When does He give us the abundant life He spoke of in John 10:10? He gives it to us now. We receive it when we receive Him as our Savior and Lord. I John 5:12 says, “Whoever has the Son has life.” John doesn’t say that we will have life. He doesn’t say we have the hope or the promise of life at some point later on. He says that we already have life; right here, right now.
Therefore, while we do affirm our belief in the hereafter; while we do believe that eternal life is indeed eternal, and that we will spend eternity in heaven, we also recognize that this eternal life, for us, has already begun.
So what does this all mean? Carpe Diem! Seize the day! Jesus came to give us life. It lies with us now to live that life to the fullest. Take advantage of it. Lay hold of it. Enjoy it. Make it count for something.
At this point, someone may balk and say, “Now wait a minute. Jesus doesn’t want us to just live for today. He doesn’t want us to live for ourselves. He certainly doesn’t want us to live a life of sin and pleasure-seeking.”
No, He doesn’t want us to live that way. But any notion that this is what it means to seize the day is missing the point. It reflects a lack of understanding regarding the essence of the life Jesus came to give us. Many people think this abundant life equates to health, wealth, prosperity, and happiness. Televangelists use this promise to get people to donate to their ministries. But this is not what Jesus meant when He spoke of abundant life.
So what is the essence of this life He came to give us. Jesus actually defines it for us during His high priestly prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, as recorded in John 17. In verse 3, as He is praying to the Father, He says, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
What is the life Jesus came to give us? Life is knowing God. Life is knowing Jesus. And abundant life is knowing Him intimately. It is having a personal, dynamic, growing, thriving relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Therefore, when the Christian says, “Seize the day,” it means we are to lay hold of God. We must do anything and everything, everyday, that will foster this kind of relationship with God. And this is where what Jesus taught about self-denial factors into the picture. We must deny our selfish desires, so that we may know God and love Him more deeply. Herein, as we follow Him and are blessed by Him, we will find the true joy and pleasure in life that only He can provide.
Study Questions:
1. What does “Carpe Diem” mean to you? What do you think of when you hear, “Seize the Day”?
2. How do you define life? How have you thought of the “abundant life” in the past? How do you need to change your thinking about abundant life?
3. Are you experiencing the abundant life Jesus spoke of? That is, how well do you know God? Are you in intimate fellowship with Him, or does He seem distant from you? What do you need to do in order to experience greater fellowship with Him?
As Christians, it is easy to say, “No, that’s not right. This isn’t all there is. There is a heaven, and there is a hell. And for those of us who have placed our faith in Jesus, there is the hope of eternal life in heaven, where there will be no more pain, suffering, sickness, death, or sin.” Many like to say that this life on earth is merely the dress rehearsal for the real thing. Therefore, we may be quick to reject the phrase, “Carpe Diem.” Do not seize the day. Do not live for today. Live each day with eternity in view. Deny yourself now, so that you may be rewarded in heaven.
But is this what Jesus taught? Was His message of self-denial antithetical to Carpe Diem? I don’t believe so, and Pastor John did a great job of pointing that out.
In John 10:10, Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” He says to each of us, “I came that you may have life and have it abundantly.”
One of the major themes of the Bible is that of eternal life. As John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” Now, the problem for many of us is that, when we think of eternal life, we think of heaven. We restrict our definition of eternal life to that which exists out past the great beyond. It is out there somewhere for us to enjoy someday in the great by and by.
But when does Jesus give us eternal life? When does He give us the abundant life He spoke of in John 10:10? He gives it to us now. We receive it when we receive Him as our Savior and Lord. I John 5:12 says, “Whoever has the Son has life.” John doesn’t say that we will have life. He doesn’t say we have the hope or the promise of life at some point later on. He says that we already have life; right here, right now.
Therefore, while we do affirm our belief in the hereafter; while we do believe that eternal life is indeed eternal, and that we will spend eternity in heaven, we also recognize that this eternal life, for us, has already begun.
So what does this all mean? Carpe Diem! Seize the day! Jesus came to give us life. It lies with us now to live that life to the fullest. Take advantage of it. Lay hold of it. Enjoy it. Make it count for something.
At this point, someone may balk and say, “Now wait a minute. Jesus doesn’t want us to just live for today. He doesn’t want us to live for ourselves. He certainly doesn’t want us to live a life of sin and pleasure-seeking.”
No, He doesn’t want us to live that way. But any notion that this is what it means to seize the day is missing the point. It reflects a lack of understanding regarding the essence of the life Jesus came to give us. Many people think this abundant life equates to health, wealth, prosperity, and happiness. Televangelists use this promise to get people to donate to their ministries. But this is not what Jesus meant when He spoke of abundant life.
So what is the essence of this life He came to give us. Jesus actually defines it for us during His high priestly prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, as recorded in John 17. In verse 3, as He is praying to the Father, He says, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
What is the life Jesus came to give us? Life is knowing God. Life is knowing Jesus. And abundant life is knowing Him intimately. It is having a personal, dynamic, growing, thriving relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Therefore, when the Christian says, “Seize the day,” it means we are to lay hold of God. We must do anything and everything, everyday, that will foster this kind of relationship with God. And this is where what Jesus taught about self-denial factors into the picture. We must deny our selfish desires, so that we may know God and love Him more deeply. Herein, as we follow Him and are blessed by Him, we will find the true joy and pleasure in life that only He can provide.
Study Questions:
1. What does “Carpe Diem” mean to you? What do you think of when you hear, “Seize the Day”?
2. How do you define life? How have you thought of the “abundant life” in the past? How do you need to change your thinking about abundant life?
3. Are you experiencing the abundant life Jesus spoke of? That is, how well do you know God? Are you in intimate fellowship with Him, or does He seem distant from you? What do you need to do in order to experience greater fellowship with Him?
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