Hold on Tight

This past Sunday we talked about Genesis 12 and Abram's trust that he had in God.

One thing that I have observed about God is that he is a responsive God. Are you familiar with responsive websites? That's what I think about. Ever taken your smart phone or tablet and gone to a website where it doesn't seem to fit your screen? You have to scroll this way and that. You have to scale and re-scale to make sure you see everything and can actually use the website. This is a website that is not made to be responsive. When you get to a responsive website (which is all the rage right now), the information and the theme of the website is made to fit whatever size browser or screen you are on. That is responsive.

God makes it so we can respond to his action. He is the maker of our spiritual website. He makes it responsive. We point and click and act and God enables us to respond. He scrolls with us and he pans where we are. He zooms in on our life to give us perspective and then zooms back out to help us see his work. God initiates. We respond. That is the nature of our God.

God reached out to Abram. Abram responded by choosing to leave his father and extended family. He left so much. In fact, he left more than he took with him. And he did it because he was responding to God telling him to go. He trusted God.

And that is how our God is. He builds trust by giving us opportunity to respond to what he is doing. Without God's action in reaching out, Abram had no response. There was simply nothing to respond to. However, God did reach out and when Abram responded, trust was made, created, built and stored. That is what I mean by saying that God puts trust in our way. In many ways, God creates the trust in us, faith if you will, by creating an opportunity for us to trust in him.

Faith and trust cannot exist if God does not act to cause them or grow them. God does the action. Our job is to respond to that action.

Our God is a god that over promises and over delivers. Have you heard that phrase before? Probably not in that order. Usually it is used to say something about good customer service. Something like, X company underpromised and then over delivered. They went above and beyond what they had said. However, have you noticed that God normally over promises? He promises to do amazing things, things that we simply can't even imagine. And we are wow-ed by God's promises, to the extent that we can't believe that he would even do those things? Why is that? But then, it comes. God does even more than he promised. He does something that goes far beyond what you could expect. He over delivers on promises that were over promised! That is our God!! And only he can do that!

That is what Abram experienced. Read the passage and follow Abram through the story of God. You will see it. It is truly amazing.

This is no different for us. God has a story with each of us. This is a story where God wants us to grow in and through all things. A plan for our lives that will astonish us. He wants the very best for us. And we need to be prepared, seek him and then . . . Hold. On. Tight.

Reality of Redemption

Yesterday, Oswald Chambers (here) wrote about Paul's Gospel. How it means something for Paul that others may not understand. He calls it the Reality of Redemption. 

Here is a quote from that writing:

"The fact that we can experience redemption illustrates the power of its reality, but that experience is a byproduct and not the goal of redemption."

Most weeks, as I study, I struggle for a title for the message that God has for me to deliver. I struggle for the key image of that message. Professors in seminary taught that the title doesn't matter because no one will see the title. For me, this is like saying that the title of a book doesn't matter. Frankly, I believe it does. I believe that a title to a message matters. And of this to say, I struggled with the title this week and God gave me this one. The Reality of Redemption. Many weeks I know why I get the titles I get. Why I get the images I get. And they are supposed to be linked to help the main point of the message that God has given. 

This week I choose them separately and frankly, I could think of a lot better titles for this image.

However, it wouldn't be what God gave me. So Reality of Redemption it is/was. 

On this side of yesterday, I see the point. I understand after the fact. Which, I think, is common with how God works. 

He was teaching me something. Yesterday, I referred to the poem by Lord Alfred Tennyson, Charge of the Light Brigade. In it, this is written:

Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,

Theirs but to do and die:

(If you want to read more about this famous event, go here.)

Basically, they received orders and no matter what they thought about the orders, they followed them. They received them and carried them out. 

This is sometimes called blind obedience. And is in human terms, not wise. Namely because the person giving the orders could be wrong.

However, as we know, God is not human and only has the best in line for you life. Therefore, to blindly follow and instantly obey God is his ultimate desire for your life! He wants the best for you and plans to guide you there, if you will let him and follow him. 

This is the nature of obedience to God. It is the nature of a relationship with God. And why shouldn't we obey him?!! 

Obedience keeps us devoted to him. Dependent. Aware that our very existence is because of our loving God that, when we submit our will and seek out his, we are blessed. We are redeemed. And that is the reality of redemption. Blessed Redeemer. 

The title, to me, did not make sense. But, to a God that wanted to show me to trust him, and in a small exercise to do so, list a title that didn't make as much sense to me, it made perfect sense to him. 

Greetings and Exhortations!

Exhortations sounds like something a horse would make. But it is a great word. It means to urge to act. 

And that is the purpose of the joy that we have if we are followers of Christ. As I said on Sunday, it doesn't seem like Christmas to talk about axes, sacrificing, fire and fruit. In fact the whole story of Jesus doesn't seem like something that would bring joy. Or hope. Or love. It rather seems like a tragedy. Not the festive light filled fun that we call Christmas. 

We were watching Merry Larry, a Veggie Tales movie, last night with the kids at small group. It was talking about this exact topic. Christmas is about our joy found in Jesus turning into joyful acts that show Jesus. The inward transfers to the outward. The church becomes mobile and ready to impact those around it. 

I hope your week has been full of offering joy to others. I hope God has laid an opportunity in your path this week that he wanted to change you through. I hope you listened and followed through. 

I hope it encouraged you and grew your faith. 

In fact, if you followed through, I know it did. If not, why not? Did you miss it? Do you wish you had listened and followed through on what God was trying to do through you? 

Your heart does. 

God wants us (exhorts us!) to show others acts of joy because of the joy we have in us. God doesn't ask the impossible from us. He gives us everything we need to succeed in the plan that he has for us. 

I exhort you to go into your Friday, Saturday and into Sunday filled with God's joy and his purpose. 

Don't miss it. Seek him tomorrow morning before you go to work or school. Listen and receive his presence, his love, his hope and his joy for you. Treasure it and then show that joy to others. 

May God richly bless you this week.

Amen.

The East Gate

Sunday we talked about the next to last gate in our journey to go around the gates of Jerusalem. It is the East Gate and it faces, well, you guess it, east. Directly east of Jerusalem is the Mount of Olives. It is referred in the Bible that when Jesus returns it will be on this mountain. This explains the large number of people (Jews) that want to be buried right in front of the East Gate.

We learned that word, Maranatha, which means Come, Lord Jesus. And how even in Paul and John's time, people were already scoffing about Jesus' return. They didn't believe that it was going to happen!! But Paul, Peter and John told them that it would happen. To expect it! To look forward to it!

My question is: What are you looking forward to? What is it that you want to happen so bad that you think about and dream about it and "yearn" for it? Followers of Christ yearn for his return!! More than anything else! I read a pastor that wrote, "If you don’t long for the King to get the honor He deserves, then maybe you haven’t really recognized Him as your king."

Wow. That is challenging! If we aren't looking forward to the end of evil and all that Jesus brings with him when he comes back then maybe we don't really see him as king of our lives.

The point? Christ's return brings judgment and joy.

There will be both when he returns. There will be the end of death and the end of evil's days. Those that are followers of Christ will recieve a Crown of Righteousness (1 Timothy 4:8). We will be judged worthy for that crown or unworthy for that crown. Judgment. Joy.

So, if you looked out your peephole tomorrow morning, and Jesus was on the other side, what would you feel? Joy? Or fear? Joy and judgment are coming whether we want them to or not. Knock. Knock.

 

Troubled Waters Reboot (Rebubble?)

On Sunday we talked about the Water Gate from Nehemiah's time. How Hezekiah ordered a tunnel dug so that Jerusalem would have water during times of siege. 

This tunnel and the water that flowed through it lasted for centuries and continues to bring water into the city. Ever heard of the Pool of Siloam? It was fed by this spring. The Spring of Gihon. 

People relied on this water and still do! This is a symbol of how we are to depend on God's Word to give us nourishment! It is there to fill us and prepare us for presentation to God. 

This was the purpose of the Pool of Siloam. To cleanse those that were going to hear the Word of God. People would be cleansed in the water so that they could be cleansed by the Word of God! It was a time of preparation for presentation!! 

We find in Ephesians 5:

"Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, so as to present the church to himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind—yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish."

The "word" referred to here is the Good News. The Gos Pel of Christ. Through the word of the Word Incarnate (That's Jesus!), we are made clean. We are made pure. We are made ready to be presented to the Holy God of Israel! 

Wow. That's amazing stuff. Did you know the Word does all that? That is why the Psalmist writes in 119:105:

"Your word is a light unto my feet and a light unto my path."

God's word gives us direction, cleansing and encouragement. 

And that is a promise from God. 

Where is God when things fall apart?

In the movie, God's Not Dead, that we watched last Friday night, one of the questions that was discussed was the question of how a loving God can allow innocent people to be hurt so badly.

As I shared on Sunday, C.S. Lewis' quote - "Evil is atheism's most potent weapon against the Christian faith," illustrates this burning question that seems to turn many away from believing in God.

If you were not here on Sunday, it might be good to go and listen to the my message before perusing the rest of this information. However, if you were there, then you know that I intended on posting the information below as supplemental to the message because there is SO VERY MUCH to discuss on this topic. One Sunday really doesn't do it justice! (no pun intended)

Besides the point I shared on Sunday [that God knows all and sees and it is our perspective that needs to change about God - not the other way around], no matter what the point is that is supposed to substantiate that feeling of forsakenness when bad things happen there is no head knowledge that is going to help out us feel better. It is only through the heart that God will show us that He is there and does in fact care about what is happening to us.

That being said, here is the additional background information (not heart/not feeling) that I offered on Sunday to be posted here. (Note: This post is LONG! Read the whole thing!)

The Seven Pillars

1.  God’s character is loving, good, and righteous.
“Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right (Genesis 18:25)?”
As we see in the movie, “God is good…all the time.”

2.  He has given us freedom to choose to love Him, or reject Him.

True love must be a choice, or it is robotic.

3.  This freedom resulted in a fallen world with evil, sin, and real dangers.
“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned (Romans 5:12).”

Everything is broken and the world is not how it was intended to be originally.

4.  He intensely desires restored fellowship with us.
“Come now, and let us reason together," says the LORD, "though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool (Isaiah 1:18).”

God longs to be gracious to us, and to be reunited in fellowship.

5.  His love is so great that He gave up His only Son to restore that relationship.
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).”

He didn’t just say He loved us; He showed it by giving up His very best.

6.  But sin remains in our fleshly body and the physical world temporarily.
“For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please  (Galatians 5:17).”

The effects of the curse remain, but it has now lost its power and permanence.

7.  We can trust His finished work because He defeated death (sin) by resurrection.
“By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all (Hebrews 10:10).”

The empty tomb proves His triumph over sin and death, and our own empty graves.


As you can see, each of these could be their own sermon topic!

I did like this analogy that was in the supplement:

Imagine it like this, the baby that you and your spouse created has diaper rash, and not only a rash, but a horrible, painful rash that is so bad that it is cracked, swollen, and red beyond even being able to touch it without a scream from your beloved baby.

Do you ignore it, wrap on a new diaper, and call it good?

Not if you love your baby.

You go to the doctor, who causes more pain with an examination, prescribing baths and ointments that require more touching with towels and lotions.  

In the midst of this painful ordeal to heal the rash, your baby turns to you and says, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?  HOW CAN YOU SAY YOU LOVE ME WHEN YOU ALLOW ALL THIS TORTUROUS RUBBING?!  YOUR ACTIONS MAKE NO SENSE!  STOP HURTING ME!”

Further than the 7 Pillars, there are 7 suppositions as well. Here they are:

The Seven Suppositions

Supposition 1:  Evil is real and people are blinded by their sin 

“And you were dead in your trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1).”

This shouldn’t require much corroboration if you’ve ever driven in rush hour.  People are selfish, mean, and spiritually dead.  Doubt it?  

Then why do we all have locks on our cars and homes?  Policeman carry guns, metal detectors are everywhere, and we see murders every day on the news.  Or whom do you look for first in your family photo?  You!  

Evil is real, sin is real, and mankind is infected with a self-centered nature.  

If you have any doubt about evil, just check out some of the comments on the God’s Not Dead trailer on YouTube.  

Supposition 2:  His ways are higher than our ways

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," declares the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways

and My thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9).” 

As ironic as it seems, our indignation, confusion, and questioning of God’s intent, motives, and ultimate purpose for our lives demonstrates our own rebellious nature.  We question His goodness and so prove our unworthy state of brokenness in doubting His goodness.

He has a purpose and a plan as Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, `plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”

We cannot explain the why of God’s ways, but A. W. Tozer comes close:

“All God's acts are done in perfect wisdom, first for His own glory, and then for the highest good of the greatest number for the longest time.  And all His acts are as pure as they are wise, and as good as they are wise and pure.  Not only could His acts not be better done: a better way to do them could not be imagined.  An infinitely wise God must work in a manner not to be improved upon by finite creatures.”  

Supposition 3:  There is no innocence; we are all guilty

“

“Nobody’s perfect” is an old adage that sums up our fallen condition nicely.

At its very heart, this is a faulty question to ask God why He allows “innocent” people to suffer.  We are all guilty before a holy God.  None of us are innocent.  Everyone has broken God’s law, and as James says, “

This is not to say that He takes any delight in our suffering or is not sympathetic, but He would be just to do whatever he deems right to do with His rebellious creation.  We have broken His holy laws, ruined His paradise, thumbed our nose at Him, and when tragedy strikes we ask why He allowed it to happen.

He asks the same thing of us…“how could you let this happen when I have done so much for you?  I gave you my Word to show you how to live and My only Son to redeem you.”  Anything we receive in this life is pure grace because we are criminals before a holy and righteous God Who has every right to punish our sin.  

Supposition 4:  Suffering can lead to repentance

2 Corinthians 7:10 says, “For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.”

“Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance (Romans 2:4)?”

Sometimes breaking our hearts, breaking our self-dependence, helps us to see our need for God.  This is the biggest point of all…suffering can result in salvation which is His ultimate goal for us.

Suffering alerts us to our need for help, a cure for our illness when it becomes so acute that it motivates us to go to the doctor.  Pain drives us into His arms for solace, answers, and help. 

Being flat on our back, our last resort can result in finally looking up to Him.  In the film, we see an apparent tragedy in time and space is really an act of God’s mercy for eternity.

Supposition 5:  Suffering can lead to a deeper dependence on God

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18).”

If you are a Christian, times of trouble can bring you closer to God.  It can also be a training ground in character or faith to trust Him more (James 1:2) to be more holy by being pruned and transformed to be more Christ-like (John 15:1), or as a way to comfort others who are now going through a problem you faced already (2 Co 1:4).

God even uses our suffering for His glory and eventual good (Romans 8:28).

Supposition 6:  Let’s blame the right guy

“

An elderly man had to endure his wife’s dementia, stroke, and eventually her death.  When his son asked him if he blamed God, he said, “God?  Why would I blame Him?  It’s not His fault we get old and die.”

In short, we ignore that there is a real being who is evil who should take the blame for this messed up world, not God.  But how quick others are to blame God for evil, and its resulted death sentences.

God allowed for our free choice to love Him voluntarily and part of that free will choice means some will choose to rebel, as Satan did.  It must be so to have true love.

The Bible, however, puts the blame correctly on a rebel named Lucifer, a real spiritual villain who deceived Eve (remember Adam sinned knowingly) by questioning God’s word in order to wreck God’s Paradise, or so Lucifer thought.  And so, this world is a broken creation, as are we…spiritually dead…but it was never God’s fault.

Supposition 7:  Consider God’s past dealings

“For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope (Romans 15:4).”

In the Bible there are several tragedies that the people of that time must have wondered our same question, Where is God when life falls apart?

Think about Noah and the flood, the Egyptian enslavement of Israel, the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC, Joseph being sold into slavery, the murder of babies by Herod, and even the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.  These were horrendous events that God turned around and used for the ultimate good of mankind.

When we consider past tragedies in the Bible, and how God used our bad choices, we get a glimpse of how His purposes can result for our good.  We get a peek behind the curtain, so to speak, and see the Wizard at work.

- - - - - - - -

So after posting all of this information, I think it helps us understand why but it doesn't help our hearts feel better about the junk in the world. 

What helped me the most was what I found and shared on Sunday. That we only see dimly, foggy and fuzzy what God's purposes are in this world and that I have to trust God to be who He is when junk happens. He has always been faithful to me. He has always been there when many have emotionally or spiritually fled from me. God was there. Is there. So the answer, at least for me, to the question of "Where is God when things fall apart?" is that God was right there with me all the time. All the time  God held me during the junk of life. All the time He carried me, walked beside me, comforted me and cried with me. Just as He did when His Son died on the cross. God is good. All the time.

UnFair Prayer

This week is the first in our series about injustice in the world. The UnFair Series. Here is the prayer you were challenged to pray this week. Also, re-read Psalm 73 and see how Asaph handles this question of unfairness in the world.

Dear Lord, help me not to be a whiner. Help me, when I am tempted to complain and grumble about how life is not fair, to remember that to “follow you” means life will not be fair. It was not with you. May I respond to my difficulties and trials in life with your grace, knowing that you will sustain me just like you did your Son. I thank you that when all I have left is you, you are enough. Amen.