The Rock and the Hard Place

05.28.12

Romans 9.33 33 …just as it is written, “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, and he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.” NASB

Paul quoted Isaiah 28.16 where the people of Israel of Isaiah’s day believed they would escape the impending captivity; their nationalistic pride egged them on to believe they would somehow escape the terrors of being ruled by the Gentiles. But Isaiah prophesied it was better to go into captivity with God than to stay behind without Him. God had placed a choice before them that amounted to a stone of stumbling and rock of offense in announcing to His people it would be better to go into captivity than to than to refuse it: they just had to believe in God and trust in what He was doing.

Sometimes we call that being between a rock and a hard place; danged if we do and danged if we don’t. What limits us is our perspective: we cannot see as God sees. For God to place a stumbling stone and a rock of offense in Israel was clearly something they never expected Him to do. But sometimes God calls us to do things we have never considered or would be loath to do in order to teach us things we don’t know or to take us to new places in our relationship with Him. God is in control and if He asks us to believe in the stumbling stone or rock of offense then there is good reason for us to do so.

The stumbling stone in Isaiah’s day was trusting God who would lead them to and through a season of captivity. The Stumbling Stone and Rock of Offense in Paul’s day was faith in Christ to save and not by works through the Law. God was asking them to believe Him – and sadly, Israel couldn’t.

Jesus Christ is still the Stone of Stumbling and a Rock of Offense today. There is no other name on the planet as slandered as His. And of all the world’s religions, Christianity is mistreated and ridiculed above all. What caused men to stumble and be offended back in Paul’s day is what causes them to do the same today: Faith in Christ. How can the choice be so narrow!?

I have heard it said that many roads lead to Christ but only One road leads to God: and that road is Christ. Mankind cannot handle the simplicity of One. Men cannot handle the rock and the hard place. And so men persist in rebelling that there is only One way and that Way is Christ. He is the way between the rock and the hard place and somehow by trusting in Him He will show the one who believes how to get through the impossible in a way that is unknown to everyone but Him: he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.

The majesty and miracle of the Rock and the Hard Place is somewhere between them is a place form-fitted to each of us that helps us get from the place we’re in to the next place. The passage between the two may look awkward or difficult but is in that exact place where we find God and to the one who believes will be great satisfaction on two fronts: that we did it and that we found God as we did.

Wherever you are on the journey today, if it is in that difficult place between trying circumstances, be encouraged that He is already there waiting for you.

Gospel Truth

05.20.12

Romans 1.16-17 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.” NASB

In the preamble of the Book of Romans is found a couple sentences that are well worth paying attention to: these are perhaps the seminal verses in all of Scripture explaining the intention and the relationship between God and man. Next to, “In the beginning God…” Romans 1.16-17 are two sentences with massive import and impact on the race of man. For what is the power of God for salvation if it isn’t the gospel?

Consider the fact that the gospel is the spoken word that changes men’s hearts. The very words of the gospel are merely sounds emanating from someone’s mouth that tell of the love of God in the Gift of Jesus Christ to all mankind. Someone speaks the truth about Christ, and that very speaking, when heard by someone else’s ears, is enough to change that hearer’s heart forever. That’s utterly amazing.

Gospel simply means “good news”. The good news is: God has sent a Savior to all men for them to be saved from their sin, rebellion, and impending death by simply believing in God’s Messiah (His anointed or sent one). Verse 16 says the power of God is demonstrated by the verbal transaction of someone speaking the good news and someone hearing and believing the good news. And the good news is accepted by faith in the mind and heart of the hearer. I think, no, I believe, God made it purposely that simple; it isn’t complicated, it isn’t difficult – it is simply hearing what God has done for us in His Son and believing it; and then living out the rest of our lives believing in it: belief, and belief in. That’s called faith.

And the power of God in hearing and believing the good news is that it changes us from death to life and from darkness (in our thinking) to light. So, in its initial stages, it is somewhat infantile in its acceptance, but as life in it continues then faith to believe God more and more comes in greater and greater stages of faith. The new believer may not initially completely understand the magnitude of the good news but as they continue in it, their faith grows and their maturity shows. That’s faith to faith.

And the righteous [one] shall live by [his] faith. His faith is his actions based on his belief in God, the Good News, and God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Faith for us is a life-long endeavor. It is both a one-time acceptance and then a life-long endeavor. Initial faith lays the foundation for faithful faith. A good house will only stand if it is built on a good foundation.

And for the believer the foundation for all belief is that Jesus Christ came from God to live on this earth setting an example for me of how to live in unbroken faith with God. That Jesus lived a perfect life and died a perfect death, taking upon Himself the penalty that was given to me through my sin, that I might not die but have eternal life in the presence of God simply by believing what God has done for me. And that Jesus rose from the grave conquering death and making a way for me to have this eternal life with God.

That’s the good news and everyone who believes it finds himself living in the power of God unto salvation… I’m in – you?

So That

05.17.12

2 Thessalonians 1.11-12 11 To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

What do we want to accomplish with our lives? What kind of heritage do we want to bestow on our descendants? Paul summed up a good life by saying: that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that…

It’s the so that that got my attention today. All of what I am to accomplish in and with my life is going to boil down to a so that. So that: ________________ (fill in the blank). So that I am happy? So that I am rich? So that my children will bless me? So that I succeed in my vocation? It all boils down to a so that.

For Paul the so that was that the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ will be glorified in you. That means that the weight and eminence of His Name will be so great in us that it is unmistakable to those around us – friend or foe. To have the Name of Christ glorified in us means it is what holds us together when the rest of the world is falling apart and we have every reason to fall apart as well but we don’t: He holds us together.

And then Paul said the so that would be us glorified in Him – in Jesus. What in the world does that mean? It means that we realize just how important we are to Him in all of creation. We are His glory (even in all our bumbling’s and stumbling’s). His glory in us means our glory in Him. That is the weight of importance. That is the weight of value. In the clothing business, we always said the garment, had a nice hand; its worth was revealed in the touch. Our worth is revealed in Him.

And, the so that of His grace being given to us. Grace is favor – God likes us. God favors us. God gives His grace to those who favor Him. Not a quid pro quo, He just gives because He is God. The most foul, arrogant, evil sinner alive on this globe today is a recipient of God’s grace. God’s intent is that he would repent from his sin and turn – so that his life will be glorified by God’s Name, and his name will be in turn glorified in God. And so that God’s grace would further abound in him.

Our lives don’t necessarily need depth: they need weight. Depth is a byproduct of weight It is the house that is built on a weighty foundation that will withstand the force of wind and wave. A life of weight is a life of worth and we’re not talking about an increased intake of food; we’re talking about an increased intake of truth. And not just any truth, but God’s truth – so that – our lives will account for something on that great day when we stand before Him and hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

So what do we want to accomplish with our lives? It is God’s intent that we live in such a way so that we accomplish all to His glory and goodness revealed in us.

What Moves Us

05.13.12

1 Chronicles 21.1 1Then Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel.

I’m glad we have the testimony of Scripture to help explain Scripture. The explanation in 2 Samuel 24 is that the “anger of the Lord” incited David to take the census. That seems a little vague to me and so when I read 1 Chronicles, I find “the anger of the Lord” is Satan. To which I respond, “Oh, I get it! Satan moved David to do this!” That’s more understandable.

What moves us? Everyone has a weak link and something will move us. Maybe when we were younger it didn’t take much to move us, but now that we’re older we find a reserve of painful experience to draw from that makes us a little less vulnerable to the wiles of the enemy. Everybody can be moved at some point. For some it’s more, for some it’s less.

I imagine David, late in life, in these accounts in 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles. I imagine he’s sort of in a new place in life where he’s decided he needs a diversion from the whole Absalom affair and so he begins to think about the future of his kingdom and his legacy and successors and all that; and he decides he needs to know how much clout he has. The man after God’s own heart sure seemed to forget where the True Source of his power came from, from time to time.

This is yet another example of David getting caught up in either forgetting the Lord, or trying to out-think the Lord. Maybe he was considering building an empire. Whatever the case he forgot about God and decided to rely on his own resources. And that was a bad mistake. David was held to a higher standard and once again, he settled for less. David’s numbering his troops was his own arrogance getting the best of him. David wasn’t supposed to keep track of his military strength, he was to rely on God regardless of what the military need was – God had promised to help little Israel overcome a lot if they only kept their faith in Him.

I can imagine David struggled with knowing all the time; it’s hard for a king to not pay attention to things like the size of the army and the amount in the treasury. That’s the difficulty of being a king and forgetting one is a servant as well. A king assesses and says, “Okay folks, here’s what we tackle next!” A servant says, “Lord, what’s next?” David’s power and favor led him to think it was up to him to make the next move (whatever that was going to be.) Usually, the Lord asks us to do something huge with little or no resources so we have to rely on Him…like feeding five thousand…or something along those lines.

Again, what moves us to do what we do (or has caused us to do what we have done)? Was it kingship, or servanthood? Everyone has a point where they will do, but a lot of that has to do with how one views himself at the point of movement. Perspective makes all the difference in the outcome. Not many are in the place of David where we are actually kings at present. But the Scripture says we are kings in training and for that we must remember what is required of kings: they are leaders and servants.

The right view of God will make all the difference in our failure or success. When God says count we count. But until we hear from Him, we keep our faith firmly rooted in His promises to provide – and trust there is more than enough in Him to accomplish whatever we face – amen?

The Bare Bones of Wrath

05.12.12

1 Thessalonians 1.10 10 …and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come. NASB

If they are out there, there are three books I’d like to read: a book about God’s glory, a book about hope, and a book about wrath. Glory has to do with the weight, or presence of God – His immenseness and depth, His brilliance and light; His wisdom and power. Hope has to do with expectation of what is to come. And Wrath – well wrath is a concept I don’t understand very well but I think it has something to do with God’s final answer. I think wrath is the only thing left when God’s patience runs out; when after many chances God finally has had enough of His goodness and glory being shunned by the very creatures to which He’s offered them.

Wrath is partially anger but not anger as we understand it. Our anger is selfish and vengeful. God’s anger is perfect and loving. I know that’s hard for some to take but if God is love then everything He does is loving: even destroying those who willfully turn their backs on Him. Wrath often gets a bad rap for being an act of extreme love.

Wrath is a course of action that is irrevocable and irreversible. Once wrath is determined it is the only way to go, there are no other choices and no stopping it. John the Baptist said in John 3.36: "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” The wrath of God, or His final answer, lives on the one who rejects God. Psalm 2 says: Do homage to [or, kiss] the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him! How un-blessed are those who don’t take refuge in Him. Refuge against what? His anger against mankind’s refusal to believe in and obey Him.

Wrath is what’s left when patience runs out. Wrath is a present and future judgment that finds its home on the wicked until patience runs out and then it consumes the wicked. If there was ever a need for salvation it is when a person comes to that place where they realized they are out of options and destruction is the only solution left for their existence. That’s harsh but it is so true. Today we feast on the patience of God, but soon will come the bare bones of His wrath: our just dessert.

And so Jesus rescues us from such an end. Jesus rescues the believing from the wrath that abides on the unbelieving and from the wrath to come when the river of God’s mercy runs its course. This kind of talk doesn’t sit well with men who fool themselves into believing that somehow they’ll escape God’s judgment – that somehow He’ll overlook their sin and disbelief and willful rejection of His mercy, grace, and offer of friendship.

Paul commended the Thessalonian church for their acceptance of this truth and their devotion to God. They were a shining example of a faith-filled community who benefited from God’s love and kindness. They understood and believed. And God loved them for it…

No one wants an angry God but everyone has to face One if they refuse His offer of grace, mercy and salvation from that dark and irrevocable Day when His patience with mankind runs out.

What I Know

05.06.12

Matthew 23.35 35 “…so that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. NASB

Jesus knew them. It wasn’t just that He knew Jewish history – He did – He also knew people on the level of the measure of their life: “…from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah…” Abel, He called righteous. Jesus knew not only the number of their days, but He also knew the sum of their days – what their life was going to amount to. It wasn’t just that He was taught as a child that Abel was righteous, as the Son of God He knew Abel was righteous. Jesus knew the sum of Abel’s life and it added up to being recognized by God as righteous. Abel, from antiquity was justified by his faith. And before Abraham was, He was, cf. John 8.58.

Jesus knows us. The Son of God, as God, has always been omniscient (with knowledge), He knows. That may make some of us uncomfortable since we’re so good at trying to cover up our past and present so they won’t show up in our future. David tried to do that when he committed adultery and murder (See 2 Samuel 11,12). But what is remarkable about the Son of God and His knowledge is what He does with His knowledge.  And what He does with His knowledge is based upon what we do with ours. Isn’t that amazing!? God never condemns the innocent. God never punishes the one who comes clean to Him in faith as did Abel, Zechariah and the multitude of saints – named and unnamed – in Scripture and in the world. It is all what we do with our knowledge that makes the difference.

I, for one, am not innocent; I’ve got stuff. Now, not as a defense but as truth, so do you. We all have stuff; stuff happens. I recently thought that a perspective of hell might be something like this: having to watch video reruns of my life on a big-screen… with all of my loved ones, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and enemies there to watch my reruns as well. How would I answer for all of the evil that I have done, and plotted to do? How could I look them in the eye and give an account for what I’ve said and done to them. Truly, the thought was almost unbearable. And then I remembered, they’ve all got stuff as well.

And above and beyond all of that: Jesus knows. He knows who I am, what I’ve done, and to somewhat my shame, what I’m going to do. But what matters is what I do with what I know and what I do when I’ve done it. Paul said, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6.1-2 NASB) It isn’t a license to sin that I know that I can come for forgiveness; it’s worship to the All-Knowing One that when I do (willfully or otherwise) I can come clean. The consequences are the consequences, but the All-Knowing One knows faith when He sees it.

Today, I know that Jesus knows what I know. I know He knows what I’m going to say and do before I say it and do it. But I also know that right or wrong, good or bad, the All-Knowing Son of God calls me by name and knows, as He did with Abel the Righteous and Zechariah, son of Berechiah, the sum total of my life and what it’s all going to amount to. He knows, He loves, He forgives, and He saves the ones who know that He knows. I’m eternally grateful for that.

Choosing His Choice

05.05.12

Matthew 22.12 12 ...and he said to him, ‘ Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless. NASB

Okay, confessional time: I looked at the commentary on this parable because I’ve always been somewhat stumped by the comparison the Lord was making. First: the Lord was making reference to a long held Jewish cultural belief that when (the Real) Messiah came the next step would be an eternal feast of sorts (a wedding banquet) in which the Messiah (God’s Chosen One) would be wedded to His chosen Bride (Israel.) It would be an exclusive event in which only the chosen ones (Israel) would be invited. No Gentiles, no un-chosen ones. So Jesus’ audience understood the banquet simile.

What His audience couldn’t handle was the terms of the banquet: in the (real) feast, they were to accept their invitations on God’s terms: that Jesus was the Messiah He was claiming to be all along. So Jesus tells them about a King (God) who throws a party and invites all of His chosen ones (Israel) to show up – His listeners are happy about that. But when Jesus says they ignore the invitation – to their farms, to their businesses – and then, horror of horrors, they even mistreat and kill the King’s messengers – His hearers are now starting to take an even dimmer view of this renegade Rabbi who seems to be poking holes in their theology. Is that what He’s really saying: that we’d reject the feast!?

And so, then Jesus tells them the King (God) quickly invites outsiders (i.e. Gentiles and the unclean) to come to the banquet leaving the chosen ones (Israel) out. Horror of horrors! We have to come to the feast: we are the chosen ones! It’s between us and our God! Then Jesus gives them the coup de gras: The wedding feast is filled with both evil and good (who accept the party on God’s terms) but one is found who doesn’t have on the right clothes: he accepts God but doesn’t accept God’s Messiah – by implication: the very Messiah sharing this very parable with them at that very moment.

Yes, chosen ones, the feast is all about you and your God – make no mistake about it. But don’t think for a minute that because you are chosen that you can dictate the terms of your Chooser’s choice. And your Chooser has chosen His Chosen One and you are to come to the banquet because you choose to believe He is the Chosen One.

The parable was for them and it’s also for us. They needed to know – on the eve, eve, of the crucifixion – that they would attend their precious wedding feast that they so hoped for only if they would choose God’s Chosen One – the One who was headed for the cross for them.

Today, many want God, but have little or no use for Jesus. To them, Jesus is unnecessary and they feel their own good works and best behavior will be sufficient to get them into the feast (or whatever preferred future they have). But like the character in the parable, the right clothes are what ensure the invitation, and the right clothes are the choosing of God’s Choice. In this sense, clothing does make the man…