April 22, 2009 | 1 Comment
Today is Earth Day, and for me that is a reminder of both the curse of sin and the hope of redemption.
Last week I heard a message in which one of the most well-known Bible teachers in the world cited an evangelical statement of commitment to care for God’s creation. The statement said, ‘We commit ourselves to extend Christ’s healing to the creation.’ The Bible teacher then said, with great cynicism, ‘I’ve got news for you: He cursed it! He started all the weeds and disasters.’
After quoting another evangelical statement saying, ‘The cosmos in all its beauty, wildness and life-giving bounty is the work of our loving Creator,’ the Bible teacher continued, ‘What did they do, skip Genesis 3? He cursed it. God created it good, man sinned, and He corrupted it.’
This grieved me, because it seems to be a gross distortion of the Biblical teaching. Yes, some Christians have become so extreme in their commitment to preserve the environment that they seem to care very little about preaching the saving message of Christ crucified and risen for sinners. This is a grievous error. But it does no good to react to that error by plunging to error on the far opposite side of the pendulum, and doing it with great arrogance and smugness as well.
In reality, what this Bible teacher did was not distort the truth, but truncated it. Yes indeed, God did curse the entire created cosmos as a result of the sin of Adam and Eve. But that is NOT the end of the story, as this Bible teacher seemed to suggest so adamantly. Sadly, the Bible teacher did not mention how Romans 8 fit into his scheme of good creation, sin, and curse. In that chapter, Paul writes,
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
Yes, the creation was subjected to futility; it was cursed. But it was cursed in hope, that one day the entire creation will be set free from the curse of bondage and corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. The created world that God cursed is groaning for its coming redemption from that curse, as part of the glorious triumph of the Son of God over sin, death and hell on the Cross.
How a reputable Bible teacher could so casually, cynically speak of God’s curse on the creation without mentioning this verse is unfortunate. And whether this Bible teacher agrees with me or not, I believe that Earth Day is a day for Christians to both grieve and celebrate. To grieve, because our sin is what condemned this creation to its current state of bondage and corruption. But also to celebrate, because one day Jesus the Redeemer will set the entire cosmos free from the curse to the praise of His glorious, extravagant grace.
April 21, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Sometimes when people pass away, one of the flattering things that people say about the deceased is, ‘You can’t find anyone who can say a bad thing about (insert name here).’
But it doesn’t seem like Jesus would be impressed with such a eulogy. He says,
‘Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.’ (Luke 6:26)
Christians ought to strive not to be liked by everyone, but to be faithful to Jesus. If we do that, some people will love us. And others will have plenty of bad to say about us.
March 17, 2009 | 4 Comments
This past Sunday my good friend Anthony preached an outstanding sermon on Acts 5:12-42. He made the point that much opposition to the gospel that happens in our country happens within the walls of the church, not outside of it. And he said that one of the ways this resistance to the gospel has been spread is through preaching that is more focused on application than on doctrine and theology.
He then shared four simple steps to show that the way to help people become more practically obedient is to help them see God’s love revealed in the Gospel:
1. We want people to become obedient and live God-pleasing lives in every sphere.
2. Jesus says, ‘If you love me, you will obey my commandments.’ Obedience in the practical issues of life is the fruit of loving God.
3. The Apostle John says that we love God because He first loved us.
4. The love of God is most clearly seen and revealed in the events of the Gospel: Christ’s perfect life, substitutionary death and resurrection.
Therefore, if we want people to become obedient, we must saturate them with the gospel in our sermons week after week after week. I was thankful for the exhortation, and thought I would add to Anthony’s words by showing some specific places in the New Testament where we see the writers of Scripture doing the very thing that Anthony said we all must do:
- To stir them up to generosity with their finances, Paul says, “9For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians
- To help them overcome pride and arrogance he tells the Philippians, “5Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2)
- To help them overcome anger, Paul told the Colossians, “12Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” (Colossians 3)
- To help them handle mistreatment and suffering, Peter encouraged the suffering saints, “21For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” (1 Peter 2)
- When admonishing the believers for their indifference to the poor, John reminded them of true love, “16By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.” (1 John 3)
More examples could be given, but that should suffice. All that to say, I think Anthony is onto something!
March 9, 2009 | Leave a Comment
As I saw this photo of a scrapyard fire in Bahrain yesterday, I thought of the sobering word in Revelation 14 about the coming judgment of God against sin:
“If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”
And I was also filled with praise for Jesus Christ, the risen Son of God who rescues all who will have Him from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:10).
March 3, 2009 | Leave a Comment
A few weeks ago I started looking at the theme of the redemption of culture, but never came back to it. For those who would like to read more about this, I would recommend Richard Mouw’s When the Kings Come Marching In, and Chapter 10 of Andy Crouch’s Culture Making. What follows is basically a very short summary of material found there.
A comparison of Revelation 21-22 with Isaiah 60 will show that John’s vision of the New Jerusalem seems to be shaped by his understanding of Isaiah’s vision. And Isaiah depicts a holy city teeming with cultural goods not only from Israel’s culture, but from the surrounding nations: domesticated animals, ships, precious minerals, jewels and timber. So as John echoes Isaiah’s vision, it does not seem like he is picturing only ‘Christian’ cultural artifacts when he says that ‘the glory and honor of the nations’ are brought into the city.
Take the ships of Tarshish, for instance. Isaiah mentions these ships will be a part of the New Jerusalem (60:9). This is odd, because earlier in Isaiah (2:16) we are told that in the coming day of God’s judgment, the ships of Tarshish will be among those things that the Lord is against. Yet in chapter 60 they are a part of the redeemed Holy City, being put to good use for God’s glory.
How can this be? It seems that the judgment in chapter 2 is not a condemnation of the intrinsic value of these ships, but of the idolatrous function that these vessels are playing in the life of pagan societies. The judgment seems to be a purifying one, not a destruction. When the ships are stripped of the haughtiness and rebellion with which they are presently associated, they are freed for service to God and His people. That is how Isaiah can speak a word of judgment over the ships of Tarshish, yet chapters later speak of their use in the New Jerusalem.
Mouw writes, ‘When the Kings come marching in, then, they bring the best of their nations — even the cultural goods that had been deployed against God and his people. The final vision of the City is one filled, not just with God’s glory and presence…but with redeemed human culture too.’
While this initially seemed far-fetched to me, reflection on the reference to the ships of Tarshish leads me to agree with Mouw. Just as our bodies will be redeemed and transformed yet still be our bodies and recognizable to those who knew us, so also cultural goods will be redeemed and transformed, while bearing some resemblance to what they were in the old creation.
This has caused me to ponder which of my favorite cultural artifacts might be cleansed and transformed on the New Earth. If the ships of Tarshish can be stripped of their idolatrous function and put to good use in the New Jerusalem, why not the best of music, film, sport, food, theater and architecture? For these are the things that our nation glories in, aren’t they? So here are a few cultural artifacts I’d be delighted to see in the redeemed city of God:
Faithful readers of the blog know that Dave Matthews Band is one of my favorite culture-makers, and their CD Before These Crowded Streets is one of the most musically beautiful recordings I own. Yet I am often grieved that some of the songs contain lyrics that reveal ignorance of and/or hostility toward the God of Scripture. It would be sweet to see Jesus transform this cultural product and put it to use for His glory and honor.
I imagine we’ll still love good stories on the New Earth, and this movie is one of my favorite parables of redemption. Cleansed and purified of course, but recognizable nevertheless.
Imagine the thrill of victory and the excellence of athletic greatness, purified from the egos, the greed and the idolatry of so many fans. Perhaps there will be some kind of World Series on the New Earth.
I prefer regular rye as opposed to marble, but a corned beef special would be a nice treat. Of course, as Andy Crouch points out, for the cow’s sake I suppose that transformed meals will be vegetarian, but surely they will be a lot better than tofurkey!
Please remember, that my goal on this blog is to share my musings. I am not saying that I know Dave Matthews’ music and the Philadelphia Phillies are definitely going to be a part of our experience in the New Jerusalem. All of us see through a mirror dimly when it comes to these matters. But I believe that God is honored when we use our Bible-grounded, sanctified imagination in pondering the wonders of His new creation, so long as we are looking to Him as our ultimate hope and the supreme joy and treasure of all our other joys.
So now it’s your turn: what artifacts of culture would you like to see brought into the New Jerusalem?
February 26, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Abraham is regarded by almost all Bible-believers (Jewish and Christian) to be a great hero of faith. He sure looks heroic in this picture, doesn’t he? Here he is, preparing to sacrifice his own son Isaac in obedience to the Lord’s command.
This month I’ve been reading Genesis, and while Abraham certainly is a notable man of faith, I’ve been noticing that he is not exactly your prototypical hero. The first we really hear of him is in the beginning of Genesis 12, when God comes to him and promises to make a great nation out of his offspring. Indeed, through him, all the nations of the earth would be blessed. What a promise!
And initially Abraham plays the part of hero, leaving his homeland to follow the Lord’s call to go to a land that He would show him. But Abraham’s courage doesn’t last long. Shortly after this extraordinary promise, he basically hands his wife over to be sexually abused by the Egyptians, in order to save his own neck. This is an utterly despicable act, which Abraham repeats just a few chapters later. Hardly the great father of faith!
It seems to me that the dominant point of Abraham’s life is not for us to say, ‘Here is a great man of faith; imitate his example.’ Rather it’s to say, ‘Though Abraham was so full of sin and cowardice, God’s promise comes because of grace, not as a response to human merit.’ In other words, Abraham is not the true hero of this story. Jesus Christ is.
Abraham’s faithlessness is a pointer to the supreme faithfulness of Christ. Abraham abandoned his bride in order to save himself from danger. Jesus descended from Heaven to Earth and gave Himself up to the brutal agony of Calvary in order to save His bride from sin, death and hell.
Jesus, not Abraham, is the true hero of Abraham’s story. In fact, I’m pretty sure that Jesus is the true hero of every story. Let’s not use the Bible simply as an instruction manual. Surely there are instructions, but the main purpose of the Bible is to show us what Christ is like. Only then can we begin to truly follow His instructions.
February 13, 2009 | Leave a Comment
These are the words of Jesus that came to mind this morning when I heard about the plane crash that happened outside Buffalo last night, killing 5o people.
I first heard about the crash on the radio, and the reporter said something to the effect of, ‘The families of the victims have been gathered together, and chaplains are available for grief counseling.’
That was sobering. I am not a chaplain, but I am a pastor. And I thought to myself, ‘What would I say to the grieving family members in a crisis like this?’ People look to chaplains or pastors, for comfort in the midst of grief. But the comfort we give must be grounded in truth. ‘He’s in a better place,’ is not true for those apart from Christ. So as I thought about this story, I was sobered by the awesome responsibility of being Christ’s ambassadors in a world of such pain and calamity.
I then thought of Jesus’ words in Luke 13:
1 There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
Unforeseen, tragic calamities are reminders from God that life is fragile, and all of our fate will one day be the same as those people killed in Buffalo, if we do not surrender to Christ and receive forgiveness of sins through Him.
Of course, one would not say this in these exact words to grieving people. But anyone interested in genuinely loving people who are grieving will not ignore the words of Christ. Life is short, and serious. Without Christ, there is no hope for any of us. Whether in an airplane, a falling tower, or a slow-moving disease, our time is coming. There is no time for false comfort or assurance.
December 3, 2008 | 1 Comment
I read the following this morning and thought immediately of your post from yesterday Lar.
“While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table. The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner. And the Lord said to him, ‘Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness, You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.’”
- Luke 11:37-41
So here we have Jesus walking into the presence of a group of religious leaders, only to ignore their rituals and insult them at the first opportunity with difficult truth. Maybe we are not more like Jesus in some respects only because we are afraid to be. Not that we should run around calling everyone fools or whatever else (after all, Jesus himself did not do that), but at the very least, we should maybe be a bit more bold in our convictions, especially if we can be bold with a broken heart.
December 2, 2008 | 3 Comments
Seems like this would be arrogant, uncharitable, unloving, and a poor embodiment of the Savior who came to seek and save the lost.
Then I consider Psalm 14:1, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”
If David says it, can we? Should we?
November 25, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Here’s another observation from Jonah 4. After the Lord asked Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry?” Jonah apparently made himself a comfortable booth in order to see what would happen to Nineveh (he may have been waiting for judgment to come). While seated in his booth, the Lord made a plant grow to give him shade. But the very next day, the text tells us that “God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered.” The Lord then “appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint.”
Jonah then continued his pity party and asked to die once again, so difficult was his life and calling. The Lord then asks Jonah,
“Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And [Jonah] said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left [probably children], and also much cattle?”
And there the book ends. Recognize: when God asks a question, the conversation is oftentimes finished. Not only because He asks it with His full authority, but because His questions are so perfectly set up that the one on the receiving can’t help but see clearly. The Lord did this to Job. He allowed Job and his friends to rant and rave for numerous chapters. After they were exhausted, He stepped in with nothing but questions. We also see Jesus use well-placed questions time and again. There is great power in a well set-up and well-asked question. Clarity can come without even having to answer.
Let us reflect upon this that we might become better question-askers. To both ourselves and others for the good of the body and the glory of God.
November 25, 2008 | 1 Comment
That’s the question posed to Jonah in chapter 4 of the book by his name. It’s important not simply because it is a good question, but because it was asked of Jonah by the Lord Himself. Jonah was pitying the fact that God had mercy on Nineveh (which Jonah had anticipated). After hearing Jonah’s lamentation, the Lord simply asks,
“Do you do well to be angry?”
There is more to this text, but at the very least, we should put this question into our vocabulary. To ask to ourselves when angry. And to one another (as appropriate). It’s simple, yes, but if we are in a frame of mind to answer honestly, it could serve to keep us from many more sins. Simple questions with simple answers can serve us mightily if we are willing to face them head on.
So next time we are angry, let us ask ourselves, “Do I do well to be angry?” Or better yet, let’s imagine God asking us,
“Do you do well to be angry?”
November 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment
“Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. it was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.” (1 Peter 1:10-12)
Considering the fact that for thousands of years, those closest to the Lord (angels included) could not comprehend what we now take for granted, should we not daily marvel at the fact that we live in the day and age that we do? Let us beware of yawning at realities that prophets and angels once longed to understand.
O Lord, please guard us from becoming bored today with the realities that will be the source of ever-increasing joy during the long tomorrow.
October 28, 2008 | Leave a Comment
In the ESV, Psalm 119:71 reads,
“It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.”
It proved helpful for me to change one word this morning.
“It is good for me that I was inconvenienced, that I might learn your statutes.”
I trust I am not alone. After all, if we are thinking rightly, God does a wonderful sanctifying work through the normal inconveniences of life. Nothing fancy really. The computer doesn’t work as it ought. Ants won’t die despite your best efforts. Your child is struggling to obey. You lose a game you should have won. Take your pick. I am sure you can imagine something.
Whatever it is, so much of life falls into the category of inconveniences. Afflictions might be too strong a word for them. For we are not really suffering. We are just inconvenienced. And oftentimes it is difficult (at least for me) to trust in the Lord during those mundane, inconvenient, normal things of life. But if I can value the learning of God’s Word more than my present comfort and ease, the normal inconveniences of life become my friends. Rather than resist them and complain about them, I will welcome them. Embrace them. Give thanks for them (as I am commanded). And I will be all the more joyful for doing so.
Giving thanks for the normal inconveniences of life (at least right now),
Joe
October 1, 2008 | Leave a Comment
“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!”
The Lord bestows favor and honor. He withholds nothing that is good from those who walk uprightly. Those who trust in Him are blessed. It simply doesn’t get better than these realities and promises. Yet it is vital for us to recognize that the Lord is the one who defines that which is good. He decides what favor and honor and blessing will look like in our respective lives. In perfect wisdom, He orders our days for our good and His glory. And His priorities are exactly what ours ought to be.
The reason this needs to be stated is because we often will receive that which is good with a great deal of unthankfulness. Not because it isn’t good, but because we don’t recognize it as good. It might seem to make our life more difficult. Indeed, it might make our life much more difficult. And yet it is good for us. It is blessing. It is favor. It is honor. It is a choice gift from the hand of our loving Father, designed to make us more like His Son, to give us His heart, to mold and shape our desires so that they line up with His passions and priorities.
We can quote Romans 8:28 well enough, but if we don’t value what God values, it won’t matter. For we will grow bitter in the face of difficulty (big or small). If we think it is good for us to walk comfortably through life, we will constantly be arguing with God and will harden our hearts to the beauty of His promises. To believe Romans 8:28 or Psalm 84:11-12, we need to submit to God’s wisdom. We need to trust that He knows what is good for us. We need to believe that holiness and happiness of heart is more important than any other thing. More important that health or wealth or comfort or the health and prosperity of those that we love. Or friendships or whatever. God and godliness are much more important than all these things. The Lord knows this full well. Do we?
Our minds need desperately to be re-trained by the Scriptures. Our mental and emotional framework need a renewal deep within, so that we will trust that no matter what comes our way, it comes our way for our good and His glory. For if we believe that, we cannot help but rejoice…no matter what we face. Oh if we could just humble ourselves and recognize that we don’t know what is good for us! We would change the world with such a mentality. Indeed, those who change the world most are those equipped with such thoughts. Forgive us for our arrogance, O Lord. Help us to change the world by humbly trusting in you.
August 21, 2008 | Leave a Comment
This week I am preparing to preach a sermon on spiritual gifts at my church. I will be focusing on 1 Corinthians 12, and the image Paul gives us of the Body of Christ. I may or may not have time to use this illustration, but I thought it was worth posting here even if I don’t have time to mention it on Sunday. Those with a medical background can correct me if I’ve gotten something wrong:
We each have a unique and necessary gift to be shared for the common good of the body, and if we rebel against that purpose, then the whole body suffers. If we come to the body of Christ seeking only to receive and receive all the time, and never seeking to give to others out of the wealth that we have received from God, then we are rebels.
There is a condition in the human body that perfectly fits that description. It begins with a single, perfectly healthy fat cell which decides to mount a rebellion against the rest of the body. Fat cells are like the seemingly “weaker” parts of the body that Paul describes in verses 21-27. Most of us are trying desperately to get rid of them, but in reality they are indispensable. In his book Fearfully and Wonderfully Made, Paul Brand calls fat cells “banker cells” because in times of plenty they bulge with excess, as the body deposits more than it withdraws. But in time of lack they channel their abundance back into the bloodstream.
But sometimes a single fat cell chooses to rebel against the body, looking out for itself and not the interests of the body as a whole. It accepts deposits, but when the body is in lack, it does not let out its abundance. As that cell multiplies, daughter cells follow its lead, and a tumor grows bigger and bigger. When the cells choose to multiply without any checks on growth and spread rapidly throughout the body, they begin to choke out normal cells. White cells, which armed to attack foreign invaders and keep the body healthy, will not attack the body’s own rebellious cells. Such a malfunction is called cancer: healthy, functioning cells which are disloyal and no longer act with any regard for the rest of the body.
And this is what we become when we receive bountifully from God’s storehouse of gifts, without depositing those gifts back into the Church for the health of the body. We become spiritual cancers, seeking our own interests, but not the good of the whole. The body can’t live like that. But that is just what is happening when people choose to ignore the gifts God has given them, and come to church looking only to receive, and never to give.
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