That Which Satisfies

“My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.”

(John 4:34 ESV)

            As Jesus headed for Galilee, he entered a Samaritan town.  Tired from the journey, he sat down by a well as his disciples went off to find food.  And, as he sat there, he interacted with a woman who’d come to draw water, revealing to her his identity.

            His disciples returned during this interaction, surprised that Jesus was talking with a woman.  As she left to tell the rest of the town about Jesus, that they too might come to him, his followers urged Jesus to eat. But Jesus replied, telling them that he had food to eat that they knew nothing about. 

He then explained himself with the words we see above.  He said that his food is to do the will of God.  He said that his food is to carry out the work entrusted to him.

            His disciples wanted Jesus to eat, knowing that it’s essential for his physical well-being.  They knew that he needed to eat that he might keep up his strength.  However, Jesus pointed out that fulfilling God’s will and accomplishing his work is equally necessary.  He then went on to minister to the townspeople who came to him.

            We may wonder how this can be true.  After all, even though we may recognize that our service of God is important, we don’t generally believe that it sustains us like food.  We don’t consider it necessary for life.  We tend to think of food as a necessity while service is more of an option.

            Jesus, however, was on earth for one purpose.  His purpose was to accomplish the will of God.  His purpose was to bring salvation to those lost in sin.  And, because this was his purpose, following through with it was absolutely essential.  Accomplishing the work, given to him by God, sustained him.

            We too are here for a reason.  We also have a purpose, assigned to us by God.  And that purpose is to make disciples of all nations.  That purpose is to proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

            Because of this, we should consider our service of God to be essential to life.  We should recognize that it sustains us.  Just as we pursue things like food, knowing them to be necessary, so too should we pursue the work of God.

            Jesus points out to them that the fields are white for harvest.  In other words, now is the time to engage in this work.  Now is the appointed time to fulfill their calling.  And the same is true for us. 

            We, then, must seek to carry out God’s will and calling, just as we pursue food.  We must consider it essential to our life, just like food.  Let us not consider our service of God as merely an option, but something that is both necessary and satisfying.

           

           

A Christ-Centered Ministry

“He must increase, but I must decrease.”

(John 3:30 ESV)

            We see in John 3 that, as Jesus began his ministry, he was baptizing those who came to him.  John the Baptist also continued to baptize those who came to him.  However, John’s disciples noted that, while the people once came to him, they were now going to Jesus for baptism.

            These feelings are understandable.  Having followed John, and being devoted to him, it seemed that he was being displaced.  John had born witness to Jesus’ identity, and now his ministry was being sidelined.  And this set up a competitive spirit among John’s followers.

            John, however, was unconcerned.  He responded to his followers saying that a person can receive nothing unless it is given him by God.  And he reminded them of his testimony.  He knew that Jesus was the Christ, and that he was not.  For this reason, he rejoiced at the coming of Jesus.  He understood that Jesus had to increase while he, and his ministry, had to decrease.

            His focus was not on himself, but on Jesus.  He understood that Jesus was the fulfillment of God’s promises.  He understood that, for this reason, Jesus was to be at center stage.

            We must all come around to this mindset as well.  As we carry out God’s calling, it’s easy for us to become focused on ourselves.  It’s easy for us to adopt a competitive attitude.  And, in this way, we push Jesus to the side.  We push him to the side even though salvation is found only in him.

            Churches will, at times, become competitive with one another.  They want to have the biggest congregation.  They want to have the best ministry.  Their focus is not on making disciples for Jesus.  Their focus is on building their own kingdom.

            Pastors and church leaders can also fall into this mentality.  They can become focused on worldly success.  They want to be esteemed by the people of their congregation, and also the community.  And they become more focused on building their own following than they are on proclaiming the good news of Christ.

            It’s even possible for your average congregation member to fall into this mindset.  They continue to take on roles and responsibilities in the church not because they desire to serve.  They do so because they want to build their own reputation.  They want to be noticed and applauded by others.

            However, like John the Baptist, we must understand that Christ alone is central to our ministry.  Our focus is not to be upon ourselves or even our own congregation.  Our focus is to be on Christ.  And, as we minister to others around us, our goal is simply to direct people to Jesus.

            We are not seeking to make disciples for ourselves, but disciples of Jesus.  And, because of this, we must, like John, approach ministry with the attitude that Jesus must increase while we must decrease.  We must rejoice not in the fact that people are coming to us.  We must rejoice in the fact that people are turning to him and following him.  And we must simply thank God for whatever blessings, for whatever responsibilities, he assigns to us.

Whatever He Says

“His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.””

(John 2:5 ESV)

            In the second chapter of John, Jesus attended a wedding along with his disciples.  Mary, his mother, was also there.  And she brought a problem to Jesus’ attention.

            She pointed out that there was no more wine.  While we might wonder why this was such a big deal, it amounted to a major disgrace in their culture. As hosts, it was expected that you would provide enough food and wine for your guests for the duration of the celebration. 

She brought this concern to Jesus, knowing who he was and that he could certainly do something about it.  However, as she does so, he appears hesitant to help.  He points out to her that it wasn’t an issue that concerned him.  He told her that his hour had not yet come.

            Yet, even with this response, Mary told the servants to do whatever Jesus instructed them to do.  If he did decide to help, she wanted to be sure that his instructions were followed. She wanted to make sure that the need for wine was satisfied.

            It isn’t fully explained to us, but Jesus does take action.  Perhaps he did so in order to honor his mother.  There were six stone water jars, each holding twenty to thirty gallons.  These were there for the Jewish rites of purification.  And Jesus instructed the servants to fill the jars with water.

            As we read this, we might wonder what good this would do.  It wasn’t water that was needed, but wine.  And I suspect that this thought went through the minds of the servants as well.

            Jesus then told them to draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.  Knowing that they’d just filled the jars with water, this would seem just as illogical.  And this may have made them reluctant to follow through.

            However, as we read on in the text, we see that the water had become wine.  In fact, it had become a very good wine.  Even though they seemed like nonsense, as the servants followed Jesus’ instructions, he provided for their need.

            This is something we must bear in mind as well.  Quite often, as we read Scripture, it doesn’t seem that his instructions, that his Word, will provide for our need.  Given the situation in which we find ourselves, his Word doesn’t seem to fit.  And, for this reason, we completely disregard it. But knowing who Jesus is, and knowing what he is capable of, we must follow Mary’s instructions as well.  We must do whatever he tells us to do.  Even if it doesn’t make sense to us, Jesus is working to provide for our needs and for the needs of those around us.

           

           

Come and See

“Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."”

(John 1:45-46 ESV)

            As a congregation, and along with other churches in our community, Prince of Peace is being encouraged to read through the gospel of John between today and Easter Sunday.  This means reading one chapter each day.  I hope you’ll join us in this endeavor.  And I thought I might share with you some thoughts along the way.

            The first chapter of John contains many wonderful insights.  If I were to preach on this chapter, I could do so for weeks on end.  However, I’ll share just one with you today.

            After being called by Jesus, Philip finds Nathanael, telling him that they’d found the one about whom Moses and the prophets wrote.  He then specifically identifies the Messiah as Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

            Nathanael is skeptical when he hears this news.  He responds, flippantly, asking if anything good can come out of Nazareth.  He likely responded in this way knowing that Nazareth was an insignificant little town. 

            Philip didn’t try to convince Nathanael.  He didn’t become defensive, as his statement is dismissed. He simply encourages Nathanael to come and see.

            I think that we can learn a great deal from Philip.  As we reach out to others, we often receive the same response.  Our words are dismissed.  They are disregarded.  They are ridiculed.

            When this happens, we often respond in one of two ways. One of these ways is to simply shut down.  We say no more and we discontinue our efforts to reach them.

            Our other response is to try to convince them.  We try to persuade them that the message we’re bringing to them is reasonable.  We do everything we can to defend our message, not wanting it to be maligned. 

            I’m not suggesting that apologetics is bad.  I’m not saying that our desire to see God’s Word honored is misplaced.  However, I believe we would do better if we simply responded like Philip.

            We would do better to simply invite them to see for themselves.  We would do better to say, like Philip, “Come and see.” In this way, our effort at outreach doesn’t turn into an argument.  But, at the same time, we are not backing away from our message.  Knowing it’s truthfulness, we are simply asking them to look into it further.

            We will never argue anyone into faith.  Faith is not something that we can impart.  It’s something that God creates through his Word and Spirit.  They can certainly resist.  However, as we share with them the Word of God, it’s his role to create faith.

            And by backing off completely, we allow them to dismiss us.  We allow them to believe that their objection is valid.  They see our lack of initiative as further evidence that our message is untrue.

            As we’ve been called to share the gospel, I encourage you to continue in these efforts.  Point people to Jesus, who is the Savior.  And, if they disregard us, simply invite them to come and see.

            Invite them to church or to a Bible study.  If that’s too much, invite them to read and study Scripture with you.  Perhaps you can even invite them to join us in this journey through the gospel of John.  Don’t seek to convince them by your own wisdom and knowledge.  Simply trust that, as we’re given the opportunity to share further, God’s Word and Spirit will do their work.

Is God a Liar?

“If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

 (1 John 1:10 ESV)

Throughout the season of Lent, we’ve been hearing two series of sermons.  On Sunday mornings, we’ve been working our way through the Ten Commandments.  We’ve been looking at what these commands mean and the various ways we break them.  On Wednesday evenings, we’ve been hearing a series titled The Searching Questions of Lent.  We’ve been looking at some questions, drawn out of the Passion account, and what they suggest to us about our own heart.

If we’ve been truly listening, and if we’ve been sincerely searching our heart, we can come away from these messages with only one conclusion: We are guilty.  It’s clear to us that we have sinned against the Lord in many ways.  And it’s clear to us that we deserve his judgment.

The intent of this is that it might reveal to us our need for a Savior.  The intent is that, realizing the depths of our depravity and the wrath that we deserve, we’ll look to Jesus.  The intent is that we’ll trust in him, and in his sacrifice, for the forgiveness of sins.

However, our tendency in this society today is very different.  As we’re confronted with our sin, our tendency is to justify ourselves.  We attempt to explain away our sinful actions.  We try to deny the sinfulness of our sin.

Another response, which has become common today, is to deny the truth of Scripture.  We tell ourselves: “My God would never say something like that.” We try to tell ourselves that, if the authors of Scripture knew what we know today, they would have never said the things that they did.

When we do this, when we fail to accept the fact that we are sinful, we are doing something quite blasphemous.  According to the apostle John, in the above passage, we make God a liar.  We are declaring that God had delivered to us false statements or untruths.

Most of us would be reluctant to make such an accusation outright.  We wouldn’t dare look God in the eye and call him a liar.  But, when we declare ourselves innocent, when we deny the truths his Word brings to us, this is what we’re doing.

We’re telling God that, although he has told us we’re sinners, this is not true.  We’re telling God that, although he’s declared us to be deserving of judgment, this is not true.  We’re telling God that, although he’s stated we’re in need of a Savior, this is not true.

When we respond to God in this way, his Word is not in us.  We are not trusting in him or the truth he’s revealed to us.  We’re trusting, instead, in ourselves.  We’re relying only on our wisdom and understanding.

When we respond to God in this way, we reveal ourselves to be outside of his salvation.  Since we don’t acknowledge our sin, we don’t believe ourselves to be in need of a Savior.  We believe ourselves to be good and deserving of salvation.  And, for this reason, we won’t receive the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf.  We won’t look to him for mercy.

May we never accuse God of being deceptive.  May each one of us recognize our sin, confess it to the Lord, and ask him for his forgiveness.  And may we trust in Christ, and in him alone, for the salvation we so desperately need.

Hope in the Midst of Discouragement

The following was written as a devotional for AFLC World Missions.

"But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.""

(Act 9:15 ESV)

As we’ve heard reports from our mission fields this past year, it’s clear that things have been turbulent.  Some of of our missionaries have faced the possibility, and even the reality, of being forced out of their field.  And we don’t know what this next year will hold.  All we know is that we are often called to suffer for the name of Christ.

The words above were spoken to Ananias, as he was called to go and to lay his hands on a man named Saul.  He was reluctant to do so, knowing Saul’s reputation.  But God told him to go, because Saul was a chosen vessel.

Even though it’s clear that Saul would be used by God to do great things, there’s a challenging word attached to it.  He would carry the Lord’s name before the Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.  However, he would also be shown how much he must suffer for the sake of the Lord’s name.

As we read through the book of Acts, we see how all of this played out.  God did use Saul, whose name was changed to Paul, to carry the gospel to Jew and Gentile alike.  God used him to bring the gospel to kings.  Souls were saved and churches were planted as he carried out his calling.

However, in the midst of this work, he experienced great hardship.  He often lacked the resources he needed.  He was slandered by those who rejected his message, as well as by those who received it.  He also suffered physical abuse by those who wished to silence him.  And he was arrested for nothing more than carrying out his ministry.

The same will often be true in the work of missions today.  Although our missionaries will be used by God to accomplish great things on his behalf, they will also suffer.  They will face opposition as they bring the message of salvation to those who are perishing.

This is true not only of missions, but also of ministry here in the United States.  Pastors and congregation members minister, today, in a culture that is increasingly hostile to our message.  We too will face opposition as we carry out our calling.

This can be discouraging.  It’s discouraging to us as we hear reports from the mission field, of the challenges our missionaries are facing.  It’s discouraging to see doors closing to ministry.  It’s discouraging to hear about and to experience opposition here at home.  But, in the face of this, we must bear in mind what the Lord is doing.

This opposition is being experienced because the gospel is being carried into dark places.  It’s being experienced because of our faithfulness to God’s call.  If we were remaining idle, if we were forsaking the call of God, there would be no opposition.

And we know that, as the Word of the Lord goes forth, he is at work in the hearts of men.  As his Word goes forth, he is calling to repentance those who were bound.  He is providing the promise of salvation to those who were without hope.

Recognizing this, we are not discouraged.  We continue to press on in spite of the opposition we face.  We carry out our call trusting that the Lord who sent us is working in ways that we can see, as well is in ways we could never fathom.

Maintaining Pure Thoughts

“Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.”

(1Timothy 5:1-2 ESV)

            As we focused on the Sixth Commandment yesterday, we noted the adulterous attitudes and intentions found within our heart.  We heard the words of Jesus in Matthew 5, where he says that, by looking lustfully at someone, we’ve already committed adultery in our heart.  So we break the Commandment by not only having an illicit sexual relationship, but also by the desires of our heart.

            This makes the Sixth Commandment seem like an impossible standard.  And, indeed, it is.  We learn from this Commandment that we are all guilty and deserving of the wrath of God.  We learn that we’d be lost forever were it not for Jesus, who was born into the world that he might atone for our sin.

            However, as Christians, this can be a real struggle.  After all, we desire to live for the Lord.  And, for this reason, we may do a good job of remaining outwardly pure.  But the desires of the heart can continue to plague us even as we refrain from extramarital sexual activity.

            It’s easy for us to look at others inappropriately.  It’s easy for us to entertain impure thoughts about others.  And it can be exceedingly difficult for us to keep a handle on these desires.

            In the above passage, the apostle Paul says something that can help us maintain not only outward purity, but also purity of the heart.  He tells us how we’re to regard others.  He tells us that we’re to look at one another as family.

            As a young boy, if someone found my sister attractive, I would’ve responded with one word: “Yuck!” I’m not saying that I found her ugly.  But she’s my sister.  And, because she’s my sister, I could never look at her in that way.  I could never think of her in that way.

            This is the thought behind Paul’s words as he tells us how to interact with one another.  We’re to treat older men as though they were our father.  We’re to treat younger men as brothers.  We’re to treat older women as mothers.  And we’re to regard younger women as sisters.  He then adds: “…in all purity.”

            If we, as men, regarded women as mothers and sisters, we would think of them in a way that’s pure. We would not continually look at them in a sexual way.  In fact, we’d do all that we could to guard their purity.  And the same thing is true in reverse.  If women looked at men as fathers and brothers, they too would have an easier time maintaining pure thoughts.

            As you read this, some of you may wonder: If we do this, if we think in this way, then how are people to become attracted to one another, pursue one another, and enter into a healthy marital relationship?  Attraction is a vital part of this process.  If our thoughts about others were purely platonic, we’d have no marriages or children.

            I’m not suggesting it’s wrong to notice that someone is attractive.  However, even as we date, and even as we pursue marriage, we should look upon each other in a respectful way.  We must recognize that sexual thoughts and intentions are appropriate only to marriage.           

Our desire for one another, whether we are single and dating or married, should be for the other person’s relationship with God.  We should do nothing that might hinder that relationship.  And we must do all we can to encourage it.

So again, as we interact with people, we must strive to look upon them as family.  If our thoughts stray in an inappropriate way, we should remind ourselves that this person is our brother or sister.  And, believing this to be the case, we should treat them as such.

Guilty of Murder?

“Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”

 (1John 3:15 ESV)

            When we think about the Fifth Commandment, our thoughts naturally turn to the taking of life.  We think of all of the physical ways in which we might take the life of another.  We think of the ways in which we might fail to save the life of another.

            We might also consider and debate the many questions that tie in with this command: Is the death penalty a violation of this command?  Is war a violation of this command? Is it sinful for us to use lethal force to defend ourselves, our family, and even our home?

            All of these are important topics.  And they do directly relate to the command prohibiting murder.  However, there’s a way we violate this command each and every day of our lives that we often overlook.

            According to the apostle John, we commit murder by simply hating our brother.  This really hits home because we all have people that we detest.  We can’t stand them and, quite frankly, we want nothing to do with them.  We feel no love for them, nor do we want to demonstrate love for them.

John expands on this truth, which convicts us further.  He tells us that whoever does not abide in love abides in death.  He tells us that, if we see someone in need and we close our heart against him, God’s love does not abide in us.

            Most of us are willing to help others who are in desperate circumstances.  But it’s also common for us to be quite selfish.  We’re often unwilling to help fearing that we might not have enough down the road.

            He goes on to point us to Jesus as the perfect expression of love.  He tells us that Jesus laid down his life for us.  And, in the same way, we’re to lay down our life for our brother.

            We must, therefore, confess the lack of love we possess for others.  We must confess our unwillingness to help those in need, and our hatred for others.  We must seek his forgiveness, knowing that this makes us guilty of murder.  And we must ask him to work in our heart, we must seek his strength, that we might selflessly love and serve one another as he's called us.

Honoring Those in Authority

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.”

(Romans 13:1-2 ESV)

            This past Sunday, at Prince of Peace, we discussed the Fourth Commandment.  And we heard that we’ve been called to honor our father and our mother.  However, in his explanation of this Commandment, Martin Luther expands it beyond our parents.  In his explanation, he writes: “We should fear and love God, and so we should not despise our parents and superiors, nor provoke them to anger, but honor, serve, obey, love, and esteem them.”           

            Luther tells us that this command applies not only to parents, but also to our superiors.  This, then, might involve people such as government leaders, judges, teachers, employers, and church leadership.

            Your initial reaction, as you read this, may be that it’s not Biblical.  You may think this because the command itself addresses only parents.  However, in other passages of Scripture, such as the one above, we see that we’re called to honor other authorities that have been placed over us as well.

            We are called, in this passage, to be subject to our governing authorities.  And we’re told that these authorities have been set in place by God.  For this reason, if we resist these authorities, we are sinning against God.

            This is something with which many of us struggle.  We struggle with it because we don’t support or governing authorities.  We find ourselves on the other side of the political aisle.  And we don’t even believe their views to be Biblical.

            The interesting thing is that, when Paul wrote these words, he was under the authority of the Roman government.  And the Roman government was anything but Christian.  The Emperor at that time was likely Nero, who was a very wicked man, and who was responsible for a great persecution of Christians.

             It was under this type of leadership that Paul wrote these words.  And no matter what you think of our current political leaders, they don’t in any way compare to Nero. 

            This doesn’t mean that God supported Nero.  It doesn’t mean that God endorsed his policies.  It doesn’t mean that God desired for Christians to be persecuted.  We find in Scripture that God does, at times, allow the wicked to rule.  We find that he uses the wicked to accomplish his purposes.

            It also doesn't mean that we must obey our leaders if we're asked to do something that's sinful.  Our first obligation is to the Lord.  Yet, they are in a position of leadership because they were placed there by God.

            Thinking of this in connection with the Fourth Commandment, we are called to honor our leaders, even if we don’t agree with them.  We are to give to them the respect and the honor they are due because of the position they are in.  As Paul adds in verse 7: “Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.”

            The same is true of other authorities God has established.  God has called upon wives to respect their husband (Ephesians 5:22-24).  He calls on us, as believers, to honor those who teach us and who are over us in the Lord (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13). And, even though we believe slavery to be wrong, God called upon slaves to be subject to their masters (Ephesians 6:5-8).  Even if we don’t feel they’re deserving of this honor, we must do so recognizing that God has placed them in the position they’re in. 

Resting in God's Salvation

“You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.”

(Deuteronomy 5:15 ESV)

            During the season of Lent, we’ve been focusing on the Ten Commandments at Prince of Peace.  This last week, we looked at the Third Commandment.  However, there’s another aspect of this command that I did not bring out.

            We see the Commandments listed for us a second time in Deuteronomy 5.  And the above passage is connected to this Commandment.  We’re told in this passage that the Sabbath reminds us of our redemption.

            As he commands the people of Israel to remember the Sabbath and to rest on this day, he reminds them of their bondage in Egypt.  It's taught by many that this explained to them the reason for allowing rest even to their servants on the Sabbath.  However, although this is true, I believe it's for something more.

            He goes on to remind them that God brought them out of captivity by his power.  The people, themselves, had played no role whatsoever in their salvation.  And, for this reason, he says, they’re to remember the Sabbath.

            This day of rest, then, did something more than simply provide for them a day of physical refreshment.  It reminded them that their redemption from Egypt was an act of grace on the part of God.  He had done everything necessary to free them from their bondage.  They had done nothing to accomplish this great blessing.

            The Sabbath also gives the same reminder to us.  We weren’t saved from bondage in Egypt, like the Israelites.  However, we were freed from the bondage of sin and death.

            And, just like the Israelites, we played no role in this great work.  God accomplished it all.  He alone did everything necessary that we might have the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life.

            It was God who sent Jesus into the world to save us.  It was Jesus who died on the cross, paying the penalty of our sin.  And it was Jesus who rose from the dead, defeating the power of death.

            We receive this great blessing through faith in Jesus.  Yet, even faith is not something that we do by our own power.  We are brought to faith, faith is created in our heart, by the work of the Holy Spirit.

            For this reason, as we take a day of rest each week, we’re reminded of this important truth.  We’re reminded that God did the work of redeeming us from our sin.  We’re reminded that, if we’re to be saved, we must simply rest in him.

            This truth is brought out also in Hebrews 4:10, which says: “…for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.” As people who have received the redemption provided by Christ, we no longer strive to earn our salvation.  We are, instead, able to simply enjoy the result of this great work of God.

Why Do the Good Suffer?

"None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one." 

(Romans 3:10-12 ESV)

There’s a common way that many of us struggle with our faith.  There is a difficulty that many believers encounter. And this struggle comes in to play as we see much of the suffering in our world.

We often witness friends and acquaintances suffer in terrible ways.  Perhaps it’s an illness, or a series of setbacks in their career.  Maybe it’s family problems.  Maybe it’s an unexpected death.  And we tell ourselves that it’s just not fair.  We tell ourselves that they don’t deserve this.

We think the same way when it comes to suffering in our own life.  As we experience hardships, we tell ourselves that we don’t deserve this.  We tell ourselves that it’s not just of God to allow a good person like us to suffer.

The same mindset also strikes us when it comes to the gospel.  We understand that we’re saved through faith in Jesus.  But, then, we begin to wonder: What about those who have never heard the gospel?  What about those who haven’t had the opportunity to believe?

We once again tell ourselves that this isn’t fair.  It isn’t fair that they should be condemned when they live in culture in which the gospel is absent.  And we ask why God would condemn all of these good people to hell.

One of the first things we must remember, and it’s also one of the primary things we remember during the season of Lent, is that we are not good people.  This is made very clear to us in the above passage.  And these truths, stated by Paul, are actually drawn out of the Old Testament.

In other words, this was not a new discovery that Paul was relating to the people.  It was not a new revelation.  It had been one of the foundational truths, given by God to man, for centuries.

For this reason, whenever I begin to think that someone doesn’t deserve the pain they’re enduring, whenever I begin to think that their suffering is unjust, and whenever I begin to think of someone as a good person (even if that person is myself), I’m drawn back to this truth: No one is good.  No one is righteous.  And we do, in fact, deserve all of the suffering we face in life.  In fact, we deserve so much more.

If God gave us what we deserved, none of us would be here today.  If he gave us what we deserved, we’d all be in hell at this very moment.  We’d all be facing an eternity of torment, separated from God and his blessings.  And there would be no possibility of forgiveness or salvation.

It’s only by God’s grace that I’m alive today.  It’s only by his grace that I possess the things that I need.  It’s only by his grace that I’ve received the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life.

For this reason, instead of accusing God for every last bit of suffering we experience, or for that experienced by others, we should praise him for his love and goodness.  We should thank him for the unmerited favor he has lavished upon us.  And we should seek to make the good news known to others that they too might escape the suffering and the punishment they so clearly deserve.

Watch Your Mouth

“Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”

(Colossians 4:5-6 ESV)

            As we talked about the Second Commandment on Sunday, we noted that language, in our culture, has grown increasingly vulgar and irreverent.  Cursing and insults have become a part of our everyday speech.  Vulgar jokes have become the norm.  And, as this practice has become more common in society, it’s also become more common among us as Christians.

            We think that we must talk in this way as a demonstration of strength.  We believe it reveals to others that we’re not to be trifled with.  We will not be a doormat.  We will not allow ourselves to be trampled upon.

            Yet, in the above passage, God calls us to something different.  He tells us to walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of our time.  He then goes on to say that we’re to let our speech be gracious at all times. 

            What does this mean?  Grace, as we know, is unmerited favor.  This tells us that we’re to speak to people not according to what they deserve.  We are to speak favorably to them, no matter how they are behaving toward us.

            I don’t mean by this that we can never say no to anyone.  I mean that we’re to speak lovingly, even when their speech is unloving.  We’re not to hold their wrongs against them, but speak to them in a way that demonstrates mercy and compassion.   Our speech is to reflect the love and the grace that God has demonstrated toward us and all mankind.

            This does not make us weak.  It, instead, points people to Christ.  It reveals to them the love of God which has been given to us and which he offers to them.

            Our natural tendency is also to blend in with the world around us.  Our tendency is to speak as they speak.  And we do this so that we’re not made to feel different.  We do this that we might not be excluded.

However, we’re told in this passage that our speech is to be seasoned with salt.  In other words, it’s to be distinct from that of everyone else around us.  It’s to stand out from the rest of society.  And, again, this is done as a testimony.  It reveals to others that there’s something different about us.

This, then, guides us in our response to others.  We are to speak to them as God would speak to them.  We are to share his heart for those around us, desiring their blessing and salvation.

I realize that this is easier said than done.  After all, we’re not Jesus.  We’re not perfect.  We continue to possess a sinful nature.  And that sinful nature often spills out of our mouth.

It’s for this reason that we seek the mercy of God.  It’s for this reason that we ask him to work in our heart.  And it’s for this reason that we ask him to speak through us, as we interact with the world around us. 

The Sins of the Father?

“…for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.”

(Exodus 20:5-6 ESV)

            The verses above come at the tail end of the First Commandment.  God tells us that we’re to have no other gods before him, and that we aren’t to make for ourselves an image and bow down to it.  He then informs us that he’s a jealous God, that he will not share us with another.

            We all understand this command.  But, at this point, he says something that causes many of us to struggle.  He says that he visits the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate him.

As we read this, we begin to wonder what this means and why he would do this. It initially sounds to us like God is promising to punish children for the sins of their fathers.  It sounds as though they will be condemned for the sins of their father. 

However, God tells us elsewhere in Scripture that this is not the case. In Ezekiel 18, starting in verse 19, we read:  "Yet you say, 'Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?' When the son has done what is just and right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, he shall surely live. The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.”

            God tells us clearly in this passage that we aren’t punished for the sins of our father.  We are punished for our own sins.  So what is this whole business of generational sin talked about in the Ten Commandments?

            It reminds us, first of all, that children will often bear the worldly consequences for the sins of their father.  For example, if dad has a gambling problem, it may leave his children in poverty for years to come.  And if one spouse chooses to break up the family, it can have a lasting impact upon their children. 

            We, then, must consider how our actions will impact our children.  We must consider how our sins might influence the generations to come.  Might our sins cause a lasting impact to fall upon those we love?

            However, it also brings us to a place where we must search our heart.  We must recognize the fact that our sins are often inherited.  I don’t mean they’re inherited in the sense that they’re genetic.  They’re inherited in the sense that they’re learned behavior. 

The sins of our father are normal for us.  And, in the same way, our sins become normal to our children.  And, because it’s normal, because it’s what they know, they tend to act out in the same way.  This is why we see that children of alcoholics have a greater tendency to become alcoholics themselves.  This is why we see that those who grow up in an abusive home have a greater tendency to be abusive.

We can all likely recognize certain tendencies that we picked up from our father and our mother.  This can be true of simple mannerisms.  But it can also be true in terms of sin.

The question we must ask ourselves is this: What sins are a regular part of our life?  What sins might our kids be learning from us?  What sins might we be normalizing for our children in the way that we live?

This is a difficult question.  None of us want to think that we might be teaching our children to sin, even if it’s inadvertent.  However, we’re all guilty of this in some way.

This passage also reveals to us that, if we aren’t following the Lord, it’s not likely that our children will follow him either.  If they learn from their parents that the Lord isn’t important, this is likely how they’ll live their life.  It is, of course, possible for God to intervene through another person.  However, the influence of a parent is great.

It’s essential that we confess our sins and repent for our own sake.  It’s essential that we might receive God’s mercy.  However, it’s also important that we do this so that we don’t lead our children into sinful behavior and into a life of unrepentance.  We don’t want to be the cause of our children’s rebellion and their ultimate judgment.

That being said, we also receive a great comfort in this troubling phrase.  We see that God’s grace is greater than his punishment.  Although he visits iniquity on the third and fourth generations of those who hate him, he pours out his love to thousands of those who love him and keep his commandments.

A Reminder to a Politically Charged Era

“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong,  but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the Lord! And yet he is wise and brings disaster; he does not call back his words, but will arise against the house of the evildoers and against the helpers of those who work iniquity. The Egyptians are man, and not God, and their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out his hand, the helper will stumble, and he who is helped will fall, and they will all perish together.”

Isaiah 31:1-3

As I’ve been reading the news, and as I’ve been surfing social media, just about everything is politically focused.  I honestly thought that, once the election was over, this would die down.  But apparently I was wrong...very wrong.

Frankly, it's driving me nuts.  I believe that people on both sides of the political aisle have been making a serious mistake. I'm guessing that they don't even realize it. And this is true of people in the church as well.

The mistake they've made is that they're placing their trust, not in God, but in man. They trust in political leaders to keep them safe and to preserve their rights. They look to alliances for security. They look to the government to ensure that their needs are provided for.

Although I realize that our government has a huge impact on world affairs, and although I realize that our political leaders have enormous influence on our nation as a whole, we fail to recognize the sovereignty of God.  We fail to realize that he is ultimately in control of everything that happens in the world around us.  And, for this reason, we must trust in him, and in him alone.

This is something about which the Lord warned the people of Judah.  They were facing the threat of the Assyrian Empire.  And, for this reason, they sought safety in an alliance with Egypt.  

God warned those who went down to Egypt for help.  He warned those who relied on horses and trusted in chariots.  He warned those who did this rather than looking to the Lord.

He reminds them that the Egyptians were mere men.  He reminds them that horses are mere flesh. They are not God.  They were not deserving of the people’s trust.

He then gives a threatening statement.  He says that, when he stretches out his hand, when he acts in judgment, both the helper and the helped would fall.  They would perish together.

This is a warning that we must heed today as well.  Those placing all of their hope in the Republican or the Democratic party, those placing their hope in NATO or in the United Nations, must recognize this truth.  Those in whom we are placing our trust are mere men.  Their armies are mere flesh. And trusting in them will lead to our downfall.

We must trust in the Lord, and in the Lord alone.  He alone can provide for us.  And he alone can ensure our safety.

I understand that we want those in leadership who best reflect our values.  I understand that it’s desirable to have those in office who we believe will lead our nation down the right path.  And I would encourage all citizens to vote.  But, at the same time, we must bear in mind who they are.  

We must bear in mind that even the best of them are fallen sinners.  And no matter how good their intentions, no matter how wonderful their promises, and no matter the influence they seem to have, it’s the Lord in whom we must trust.  Trusting in man will lead only to our downfall.

The Mark of a Disciple

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." 

(John 13:34 ESV)

We live in a time where love is defined primarily by emotion.  Our sense of love is based purely on feelings or on our emotional attachment to another.  This is true of friendships as well as marriage.
However, as we see in the above text, Jesus gives us a different standard of love.  He tells us that we’re to love one another as he’s loved us.  And there are a couple of things to consider as we think about Jesus’ love.
First of all, we must recognize that Jesus loves us even when we’re not all that lovable.  We tend to think that we’re good people, deserving of his love.  But the opposite is actually true.  We’re not good people.  We aren’t deserving of his love.  He loves us in spite of our continual sin and rebellion against him.
If we measure our love by this standard, we fail miserably.  When people are unlovable, our sense of love for them all but disappears.  When they hurt us, whether it be intentional or not, it often creates within us an unwillingness to love them.  We love others only when we feel they’re deserving of it.  We’re unwilling to give to others the grace that God has given us.
The second thing we must recognize, when it comes to the love of Christ, is the sacrificial nature of this love.  His love is a giving of himself to us.  And we all know the great length he went to in showing his love.  He sacrificed his very life for us.
            And we see that his love is not conditional in any way.  It’s not something that wavers depending on the love he’s receiving in return.  In fact, according to Scripture, while we were still sinners, while we were still his enemies, he gave himself for us.
Once again, our love pales in comparison.  We are often willing to give of ourselves for those we love.  But it’s very conditional.  We’ll love, we’ll give of ourselves, if we’re receiving love in return.  And if we’re not receiving, we often cease to give.
When it comes to those who hate us, when it comes to those who possess no love for us, we are typically unwilling to love them.  We tend to hate those who hate us.  At best, we’re willing to ignore them or tolerate them.
Here’s where it gets really challenging.  Jesus tells us that people will know we’re his disciples if we have love for one another.  What, then, does our life demonstrate?  What does our love demonstrate?
When people look at us, when they look at the love we have for one another, is it clear to them that we are followers of Christ?  Is our love so much like that of his that they can conclude nothing else?  I think that, if we’re honest with ourselves, the answer to this is a resounding “no.”
What must we do then?  The first thing we must do is recognize our failure.  We must recognize our sin and confess it to the Lord, seeking his forgiveness.  And we must ask him to work in our heart.  We must ask that he’ll instill in us the same love for others that he has for us.  This isn’t something we’ll attain on our own, or by our own effort.  It’s only as the Spirit of God works in us that this is possible.  It’s only as we submit to his leading that this is possible.

What Do We Know?

“But Jesus answered them, "You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.””

(Mat 22:29 ESV)

            Jesus was sometimes challenged by the religious leaders of the Jews.  They devised questions in an effort to trap him or to prove him wrong.  We see an example of this in Matthew 22.

            This question was posed by the Sadducees, a sect of Jews who didn’t believe in the resurrection.  Knowing that Jesus did believe in it, they challenged his belief.  According to Jewish practice, if a man died without having children, his brother was to marry his wife and conceive a child on his behalf. 

            They put forward a hypothetical situation where a man died, leaving no children.  So, the man’s brother married his wife.  But, before he could have a child with her, he too died.  This continued on until a total of seven men, all brothers, had been married to this woman.  They then asked Jesus: “In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be?”

            Jesus began his answer with the above statement.  He told them that they knew neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.  He then went on to explain that, in the resurrection, we will not be married.  In this sense, we will be like the angels in heaven.  And, based on Scripture, he assured them that the resurrection would, in fact, take place.

            Just as Jesus was challenged by the skeptics of his day, so too are we.  Those who don’t believe in Jesus bring to us questions in an effort to stump us.  They bring to us questions in order to prove us wrong.  And, just like the Sadducees, it’s clear that they know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.

            However, as believers, we must consider something important: What about us?  Do we know the Scriptures and the power of God?  I don’t mean to imply that we should immediately know the answer to every question that comes our way.  But do we know the Scriptures well enough, and do we know the power of God well enough, that these questions fail to rattle us?

            Many of us are shaken up by these questions.  They can intimidate us or even cause us to question our faith.  However, if we’re people of the Word, and if we have a living faith in the Lord, they need not have this effect.

            If we are truly people of the Word, we’ll be able to recognize these deceptive questions for what they are and point our attackers to the truth.  And even if we don’t know all the answers, we’ll know that God’s Word answers our questions and doubts.  We’ll faithfully turn to his Word in order to resolve them.  And, because we know the Lord, we’ll realize that these questions don’t pose any real threat. 

Baptism 7

            I’ll conclude my look at the Lutheran understanding of baptism with this post.  Another reason why Lutherans baptize babies and young children is because Jesus welcomed them.  We see this as we look at Luke 18.

            Starting in verse 15 of that chapter, we read: “Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it."

            Some might object, as they read this passage, that it’s not specifically referring to baptism.  And this is true.  However, in it, we see the attitude of Jesus toward infants and young children.

            We see that the people were bringing their babies to Jesus, that he might touch them.  The disciples didn’t think this appropriate and rebuked those who did so.  But Jesus called them to himself.  He said that those bringing their children were not to be hindered.

            We continue to hold to that perspective as well.  Those seeking to bring their children to Jesus are not to be hindered.  Instead, they are to be welcomed.

            Jesus adds to this that those who don’t receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.  Infants and young children, then, are a model for us.  Just as children must trust in others for the care that they need, and just as they need to have everything provided to them, so too do we.  If we’re to be saved, we must first recognize our helplessness.  We must recognize that we must fully depend upon God to provide for us everything we need for life and salvation.