element devotion

How God sees 1.7 billion people

2010-01-27T09:16:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post today from a passage in Acts 16:6-10

And they went throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bythnia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on to Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

Paul and his crew, which included Luke the author of Acts, were desperately looking for somewhere to carry the good news of Jesus Christ.

God wouldn't let them go to Asia or Bythnia. They seemed to be a missionary team without a mission or at least missionaries without a field to work.

Until God spoke to Paul in the form of a vision. The gospel had yet to go to Macedonia. The people there had not heard the message of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

And yet in the vision Paul received a Macedonian man pleaded with him to come over to Macedonia and help us.

But why would a lost man, who has never even heard the gospel, think to ask a missionary for help? He wouldn't.

What the vision illustrated was God's heart for the Macedonian people. The people weren't asking Paul to go and share the message with them God was asking for them. God knew their spiritual state and that eternity that waited for them.

But God didn't come to Paul with a vision of thunder and lightening saying, "Go to Macedonia or you will be sorry..." He came to him in the form of a lost man begging for the gospel.

Why? The answer is because that is how God sees lost humanity. He sees them begging and pleading for a truth they don't even know to ask for. He isn't listening to their words. He is listening to the cry of their souls. The cries that the people themselves don't hear.

And so we sit on a planet with 1.7 billion people who have no access to the gospel of Jesus Christ and God sees them the same way.

He sees Muslims in Saudi Arabia saying, "Please come over to Saudi Arabia and help us."

He sees Hindus in India saying, "Please come over to India and help us."

He sees Communists in China saying, "Please come over to China and help us."

He sees tribesman in Africa saying, "Please come over to Africa and help us."

Sure, he may not have given us a vision to go like he did with Paul. But he has given us Acts 16 as an indication of his heart for lost people who have no access to the gospel.

Maybe instead of waiting for a "Come over to __________ and help us" vision you and I should be asking for one.

I know I am.

Moab can teach us something about Haiti.

2010-01-26T08:27:00.000-08:00

Everyone is talking about the earthquake in Haiti. We are talking about the disaster. We are talking about the relief efforts. We are talking about the fall-out.

And we are talking about the spiritual side of what has taken place. Followers of Jesus are talking about it (many of which are doing more damage than good) but they are by no means alone.

Those who do not accept Jesus as the means to God are talking about as well and they are directing much of what they say towards Christians. They are saying a lot of things but much of them can be reduced to two simple questions:

1) Why did God let this happen?

2) Does God not love the people of Haiti?

Who can blame them? The questions are natural ones to ask and I am sure that many Christians would be lying if they said that they had not wondered the same things themselves.

I am going to attempt to deal with those two questions this morning in this post. I must admit that my efforts to do so are not really motivated by a desire to be "relevant" or to increase my blog "following" (is eleven not a lot?) but simply the outpouring of my time with God this morning.

In my own personal Bible reading (which you may or may not know is the catalyst for this blog) this morning I read Isaiah 16 and it has me marveling and looking to Haiti.

In Isaiah 16, God continues to promise the fall of the arrogant king of Moab. In chapter 15, God promised that because of the king's arrogance Moab would be laid waste and that the people would be devastated.

He predicted the people would wear sackcloth to show their despair and that they would raise a cry of desolation. He promised that the waters would be full of blood as the warring nation He used to bring about their destruction invaded.

In chapter 16, God declares once again that Moab owed its destruction to one thing--

We have heard of the pride of Moab--how prous he is!--of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence; in his idle boasting he is not right. Therefore let Moab wail for Moab, let everyone wail. (6-7a)

Let me bridge the gap over to what is happening modern-day in Haiti. Moab was destroyed for the arrogance of its king which presumably included arrogance before God.

Haiti was "destroyed" for...okay, I don't really know. No one does. The only thing Moab really teaches us here is that God has reasons for what He does (in the case of Moab) or allows (in the case of Haiti).

Really, I think that anyone who tries to answer Question #1 about Haiti is grasping at straws and quite possibly doing damage to the kingdom of God (here's looking at you Pat).

But what Moab can really teach us about Haiti has to do with Question #2, Does God love the people of Haiti?

At first glance it is tough to see how he could. Many people are dead because of an earthquake and God can stop earthquakes.

Let's go back to Moab for a minute. God claimed responsibility, in advance, for the destruction of that kingdom. He admits, in advance, to causing the people to wail and mourn. He says that because of his judgment the waters will be full of blood.

Did God love the people of Moab?

The answer to that question is a resounding YES. Let me show, from Isaiah 16, three things that prove that God loved the Moabites even as he was destroying their kingdom:

1) God commanded Israel to take care of the fleeing Moabites.

God was sending a warring nation to destroy Moab and war causes refugees. Refugees, by definition, are homeless wanderers who have been displaced by war. (unless of course they form themselves into a chart-topping pop trio, "Killing me softly with his song...")

In verses 3 and 4, God specifically commands the Israelites to keep the Moabites from being refugees by taking them into their own country.

Give counsel; grant justice; make your shade like night at the height of noon; shelter the outcasts; do not reveal the fugitive; let the outcasts of Moab sojourn among them from the destroyer.

He tells Israel to hide them (make your shade like night), shelter them, and refuse to give them up the pursuing nation (do not reveal the fugitive).

Before the attack on Moab even begins God is orchestrating a safe haven among His people for the displaced Moabites.

2) God includes Moabites in his kingdom.

Not only does God command his people to give them refuge but he also says that there will be Moabites in his eternal kingdom.

when the oppressor is no more, and destruction has ceased, and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land, then a throne will be established in steadfast love...

God is speaking of the "throne" of the Messiah and that "throne" will be established because of his steadfast love that not only extends to Israel but also the people of Moab.

In other words, God's love for the Moabite people is revealed by his invitation for them to join His kingdom based on simple faith in Jesus Christ.

3) God is sending the Messiah for the Moabites as well.

And who will sit on that throne?

And on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David one who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness.

The Messiah will sit on that throne. He will be the one from the tent of David. He will be the one who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness.

In other words, God is saying to the Moabites that when Jesus Christ comes (this was written long before Jesus was born) he wouldn't just be coming for Israel he would be coming for Moabites.

Let's review: God, motivated by His love for the Moabites, provides a refuge for them among His people, invites them to join His eternal kingdom, and promises to send them a new ruler His own Son Jesus Christ.

God might have been punishing their kingdom for the sin that indwelt it, but He still loved them.

So what does this mean for Haiti? I don't know if God caused the earthquake in Haiti or if he simply allowed it. I don't know what His reasons were for what happened.

But I do know that God loves the people of Haiti. I know that He invites them to join in his kingdom. I know that He sent a Messiah for them.

Does God love the people of Haiti?

If the Moabites who took his invitation were here right now they would say, "Yes!"

God is >

2010-01-19T08:22:00.000-08:00

History has seen a lot of powerful civilizations and rulers come and go.

The Egpytians and Babylonians built massive empires. The Greeks created western civilization and philosophy. The Romans spread their empire across Europe and into Asia. The European countries conquered new worlds.

Pharaohs came and went. Nebuchadnezzar came and went. Alexander the Great lived and died. Ceasar did not last. The Kings and Queens of Europe all eventually died.

We spent yesterday celebrating the life and death of one of America's great people, Martin Luther King Jr.

The point is that civilizations come and go, but only one Ruler and one Kingdom remains forever and that is God and the Kingdom of Heaven.

Listen to how God puts it when speaking to a Babylonian king who opposed him in Isaiah 14

Sheol (death) beneath is stirred up to meet you when you come; it rouses the shades to greet you, all who were leaders of the earth; it raises from their thrones all who were kings of the nations. All of them will answer and say to you: "You too have become weak as we! You have become like us!" Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, the sound of your harps; maggots are laid as a bed beneath you, and worms are your covers. [14:9-11]

God makes three simple points here that I think are grounds for our worship this week:

1) Everyone, including Kings, except for God dies.

Job puts it this way, "He comes out like a flower and withers; he flees like a shadow and continues not."

We are all working underneath a ticking clock that foretells our death. The movers and shakers you see on CNN today will soon be history. Even if they leave an amazing legacy behind all that will be left to remember them is a national holiday. They will be forgotten.

That is why God says to this king, "Death is stirred up to meet you when you come."

The mortality of our leaders is one reason why they don't deserve to be worshipped. They may be smarter than us and deserve to be in a position of leadership over us but at the end of they day they are just like us--human.

But God is the "I AM." He has always been and will always be. We will not attend his funeral or remember only with a day off from school. He is the single constant through the stream of history. He was there when the Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans built there empires and He was there when they fell.

2) All of history's "great" people are lower than God.

I love the imagery Isaiah uses here with all of the rulers eagerly awaiting the death of the Babylonian king so that they can say to him, "You too have become as weak as we! You have become like us!"

The imagery is one of a special room in hell for the "great" leaders of history. And these leaders pass their time in torment by lamenting their fall and remembering their "great" days of being in charge. But they live with one constant thing on their mind--they are not as great as God and their life would have been better spent as a poor beggar who worshipped God than a king who ignord him.

So every time a new ruler shows up to the "party" they take momentary joy, albeit perverse joy, in the reality that they were not the only ones to crumble. They say, "You thought you were great like me, but you are nothing. You were just as foolish. You ignored him as well. You are, like me, an eternal nobody."

3) Eternity only respects the fame of one--God.

On earth we separate ourselves into classes and social groups. We start country clubs and exclusive neighborhoods. We give out awards and fame.

But we do that because as humans we are prone to thinking that what we experience in our lifetimes is all that exists. We delude ourselves into thinking that our "important" people are the most "important" people and we treat them accordingly.

But eternity sees with a different perspective. It is the aerial shot of history that affords eternity the ability to distinguish between genuine greatness and momentary brilliance and this perspective leads to the praise of only One as truly great--God.

This is the point that God makes to this Babylonian king when he says, "Your pomp is brought down to Sheol (death), the soudn of your harps; maggots are laid as a bed beneath you, and worms are your covers.

Congratulations ruler! You have now entered eternity so check you "pomp" at the door and allow us to exchange it for a bed of maggots and some worm covers on your behalf.

It does not matter how much fame, money, or power history's "great" people possessed on Earth in eternity and that is why only God is respected there. God's greatness doesn't fade because it is not made of material things. It is made of immortal things like his eternal goodness and power.

So, stop this morning and take a minute to praise the God who alone is great in eternity and remember next time you turn on the television and see a little hero "worship" going on that there is only one who is truly worthy of worship in the eyes of eternity.

God is truly > than ______.

Jesus the "storyteller" is a myth.

2010-01-13T16:42:00.001-08:00

Aesop. Shakespeare. Edgar Allen Poe. Hemingway. Dostoevsky. Dr. Seuss.

What do these names have in common?

They were storytellers. They wrote great stories (who says "Cat in the Hat" doesn't compare with "Crime and Punishment?") and they used those stories to make points.

Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet to illustrate the power of love and the destructiveness of hatred. Dostoevsky wrote to convey the depravity of the human soul. Dr. Seuss wrote so that you and I could learn to read. Poe wrote to scare the crap out of us.

If you listen to most modern day preachers, commentators, or religious writers the name of Jesus Christ deserves to be on that list. They love to reference the "stories" of Jesus.

By "stories," of course, they are referencing the parables of Jesus.

They tell us that he told stories to get his message across in a relevant way. They tell us he told stories because he was a visual person. They tell us he told stories so that the simplest people could understand. They tell us he told stories to model the kind of preaching and teaching he wanted his followers to do.

One website that serves as a story database for pastors even uses this tag line to pimp their own stories, "Jesus told stories so why shouldn't we?"

But Jesus was not a storyteller. He was not an Aesop. He was not a Hemingway. He was not (shocker) a Poe.

Jesus did not tell "stories" he told parables. I know at this point you might feel the need to roll your eyes and say, "What's the difference?" But there is a difference and it is much more important than what we call Jesus' tales.

In fact, if you read the Gospels and come away thinking Jesus was a "storyteller" then I would go so far as to say you are missing a very powerful truth that would bless your life.

Let's look at Matthew 13:10-13

Then the disciples came and said to him, "Why do you speak to them in parables? And he answered them, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but form the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

The disciples wanted to know why Jesus always spoke in parables. It is clear that they thought the parables were more like riddles than stories because on multiple occasions they had to ask Jesus something like, "What the heck are you talking about?" (see Matthew 13:26-43 and Luke 8:9-15)

And Jesus gave them a simple answer. I speak in riddles because I don't want everyone to understand what I am saying. He tells the disciples that it has been given to you to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven but to them it has not been given.

He says that he speaks in parables because seeing they do not see and hearing they do not hear nor do they understand. If you read through that reasoning you might be tempted to say that Jesus is saying he speaks in parables because the people are stupid and they can't see, hear, or understand otherwise, but if you read Luke's account of this conversation in Luke 8 it becomes a little clearer.

To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see and hearing they may not understand.

Luke records Jesus saying "so that" instead of "because" and that pretty much clears it up.

Jesus spoke in riddles because he was speaking to a targeted group and not speaking to a targeted group.

This whole thing reminds a lot of what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 2:15-16

We are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.

Paul knew he, like Jesus, spoke to two groups every time he preached the gospel: those to whom the secrets had been revealed and those to whom they had not. Some had "ears to hear" and "eyes to see" and to others the gospel served only as an aroma of death to death.

What is my point?

Simple. If you are reading my blog and you are a follower of Jesus Christ then realize this simple biblical reality: you are only a follower of Christ because you have been given the secrets of God. You only hear and see the kingdom of God because it has been given to you to do both.

Have you stopped to thank God for the grace He has shown you in revealing his message to you?

Have you stopped to thank God for the fact that you are not one of the ones to whom the gospel has been hidden?

If not then do it now. What a gracious God!

No such thing as "quiet" worship...

2010-01-11T08:13:00.000-08:00

What do you think of when you think of worship?

If you have attended more than one modern church service you probably think of music. Somehow, the church has created a recipe for worship that reads something like this: two guitars, bass, drums, three singers, and a "trendy" worship leader. Rinse and repeat weekly.

But the Bible has a much larger picture of what it means to "worship." And the truth is I could never sum up the whole picture of "worship" in one blog post. I do however want to point out two things I have been reminded of personally about worship from my reading in Isaiah 12 this morning.

Isaiah 12 is a prophetic chapter detailing the response of those who are rescued by the Redeemer that God has been promising.

Naturally, the chapter includes a lot of worship "language." Let me show you what I mean.

The redeemed will respond to the salvation they found in Jesus with praise:

You will say in that day: "I will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me." (12:1)

They will respond to God's graciousness found in relationship:

Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation. (12:2)

God promises that they will with joy draw water from the wells of salvation (12:3).

But here is where it gets interesting. The worship of the redeemed will include two other things:

1) First, their worship will be inseparably linked to evangelism.

God says, And you will say in that day: Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted. (12:4)

He further predicts they will say, "Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth." (12:5)

He says that they will "shout" and "sing." (12:6)

The point is that they will not be content to simply keep their worship "private" or "personal." They will seek to let other in on the story of Jesus. They will make known his deeds, proclaim his name exalted, and let this be known.

2) Second, their worship will be inseparably linked to GLOBAL evangelism.

They won't be content to just share with those in their immediate proximity. They will seek to make known his deeds among the peopleS (emphasis added) and let this be made known in all the earth. They won't whisper but they will shout and sing.

What is my point? Simply this: Worship correctly understood is the joyful carrying of Jesus' message to the ends of the earth. It is done by the redeemed of Jesus who cannot find happiness apart from shouting and singing the praises of their Saviour.

You and I aren't great worshippers because we play an instrument, attend a service, raise our hands, shut our eyes, or sing loudly.

We worship, correctly and biblically, as we joyfully carry the good news of Jesus.

There is no such thing as "quiet" worship because worship includes the sharing of the gospel message.

So, ask yourself this (and believe me I have been asking myself): Are you a worshipper?

This is supposed to be easy?

2010-01-06T11:29:00.000-08:00

One of the hardest parts of my job, if not the hardest part, is seeing someone who I had seen going through a period of spiritual growth start to slip away.

It happens every semester. Someone who the Lord seemed to be doing something incredible in stops attending services or seems unattached when present.

When I am aware of these situations, I pursue the person and ask them why their attitude towards Jesus and the Gospel is undergoing such a dramatic change.

They often reply with the same answer, "It is just too hard."

They give me stories of family members, friends, classmates, and/or coworkers who rejected their attempts to talk about Jesus and even began harassing them for their faith.

They talk about those rejections led them to doubt whether or not God is with them and whether or not their faith is genuine.

They share how that doubt paralyzed their Bible study and prayer life and left them without the feeling of intimacy with Jesus they once enjoyed.

And then they describe how that lack of intimacy has resulted in their inability to overcome their internal struggle with sin and how things they had once put behind them as a part of their "old" life are now resurfacing as more and more attractive.

And every time I hear that progression or story it breaks my heart. It is difficult to hear and it is no less difficult when I see the story occurring in the lives of other ELEMENT attenders who have yet to have that conversation with me.

Which leads me to the subject of today's posting. What the heck did Jesus mean in Matthew 11:28-30?

You might be familiar with the verses, they are pretty commonly quoted, but in light of my experience I think they deserve a re-examination of sorts. Here they are:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

The first part isn't difficult to understand. Jesus is simply saying, "All of you who are feeling bogged down with life and sin come to me and I will help you."

If you are reading this as a Christ-follower then you probably don't have any problem identifying with that statement. You can point back to a time, before your relationship with Christ began, where you felt bogged down with life and sin. You felt hopeless and helpless and those feelings drove you to check out (or reengage) the message of Jesus.

But what about what Jesus says next? He tells prospective believers to take on my yoke because it is a place of rest and it is easy and light.

Restful? Easy? Light?

Did Jesus ever go home and try and share the gospel with lost family members?

Did Jesus ever have a non-believer poke holes in what he believed or ask him quesitons he couldn't answer?

Did Jesus ever have the Bible feel stale or prayer feel pointless?

Did Jesus ever struggle with sin that was just so tempting?

Those things are not restful. They are not easy. They are not light.

So, what did Jesus mean? What do these words have to communicate to those who find themselves in the downward progression I described earlier?

The answer is that these verses contain the secret of grace.

God doesn't ask us to live the Christian life on our own. He doesn't use phrases like "suck it up" or "gut it out." He doesn't say "pick up your yolk and make it happen."

He tells us to bring all of our baggage, including our need to "make it happen", and lay it down at the feet of Jesus and pick up Jesus' yoke.

A yoke is not made for one. It is made for two oxen to pull together. Jesus isn't inviting us to "yoke-swap" (SPOILER ALERT: NEW FOX REALITY SERIES "YOKE SWAP" COMING SOON). He is inviting us to join him or partner with him through life.

But Jesus isn't just any kind of ox. He is a stud. He pulls the yoke single-handily and he doesn't need our help. He just wants us to yield to his studliness.

In other words, it isn't that Jesus is calling us to do easy things. He calls us to do difficult things like: sharing our faith, overcoming our fears and doubts, maintaining a devotional life, and defeating sin. But he calls us to difficult things by simply relying on Him.

He is saying, "Hey, look it is going to be difficult but if you will let me I will take the reigns of this yoke (you won't have to keep doing it on your own) and I will make this happen."

In essence that is the gospel, a bunch of former rebels throwing down their heavy loads and saying, "I can't do it on my own Jesus. I need you to take over."

So, what is the problem with those on the downward progression? Why aren't they experiencing this yoke-swap effect?

Usually, it is because somewhere along the way they stopped letting Jesus pull the yoke and they started carrying it themselves. And when they met resistance or difficulty they felt that Jesus wasn't there to help them out and that's because HE WASN'T!

They had long since kicked him out.

The answer for them and for you to avoid their fate is to continually (daily) set the controls of your life (your yoke) at the feet of Jesus and say, "I know following you isn't easy, but I want you to help me do it."

See if that doesn't make you feel a little "lighter."

Jesus Christ, Official Arbiter for Humanity

2009-12-09T11:57:00.000-08:00

The story of Job centers around a wager between God and Satan over whether or not Job loved and served God for who he is or for all the things that God gave him.

Satan's theory is that Job, like any human, loves anyone who gives him presents and so Job loved God fiercely because God consistently blessed Job with great gifts.

God responds that Job loves him for him (is this sounding like an episode of Gossip Girl?) and that even if Satan took away all of God's gifts to him Job would still love God.

Satan double-dog dares God to prove it and we are off on a 40+ chapter adventure to discover who is right.

So, Satan takes away all of the blessings in Job's life. He kills his children. He destroys his possessions. He ruins his business. He takes away his health. He strains his marriage.

After all this happens, some of Job's closest friends show up to have an "intervention." They are convinced that God is punishing Job for some unconfessed sin because, in their minds, God always blesses the righteous (with stuff) and always punishes the wicked (by taking their stuff).

Job, however, knows that he hasn't done anything wrong. He knows that he still loves God and obeys God. He knows that he has not blamed God or cursed God.

But Job makes a point in chapter 9 that has me very thankful for Jesus Christ.

What do you do when there is a dispute, in this case whether or not Job "deserves" all that is happening to him, between you and God?

God, as it turns out, is really hard to "dispute" with. Let me walk you through Job's words in Job 9 as he makes the point that humans have no recourse when their relationship with God goes bad.

Truly, I know that it is so: But how can a man be in the right before God? If one wishes to contend with him, one could not answer him once in a thousand times. (v. 2-3)

Job's point is simple--God is God and what in the world do I have to say before God? Do I really think I could win an argument? Do I really think that he would accept any excuses or reasons?

Job then runs down a list of the reason's why he is not able to speak before God--

He is wise in heart and mighty in strength--who has hardened himself against him and succeeded? (v.4)

Job cites God's control over nature: he removes mountains and overturns them in his anger, shakes the earth out of its place, commands the sun, seals up the stars, stretched out the heavens, trampled the waves of the sea, and made the Bear and Orion (constellations).

Job cites God's supernatural nature: does great things beyond searching out, marvelous things beyond number, he passes by me and I see him not, he moves on but I do not perceive him, and he snatches away, who can turn him back?

Job cites the inability of humanity to prevent God from executing judgment:

Who will say to him, 'What are you doing?' (v. 12b)

God will not turn back his anger. (v. 13)

How then can I answer him? (v. 14)

If I summoned him and he answered me, I would not believe that he was listening to my voice. (v. 16)

If it is a contest of strength, behold, he is mighty! If it is a matter of justice, who can summon him? (v. 19)

Finally Job sums it up in one single sentence:

For he is not a man, as I am, that I might answer him. (v. 32)

So, what was Job to do? There was obviously, in his mind, conflict between he and God but how could he handle it? How do you reconcile yourself to God?

And that brings me to the modern day relevance of this passage.

All of us are born into "conflict" with God. We are born sinners. We manifest our sinful tendencies in daily and systematic rebellion against God's kingdom and commands.

We set up other "gods" and chase after them as though they were the true God. We ignore his rightful claim of authority in our lives.

But we, like Job, are powerless to remedy that situation. What would we do? Would we run to God and offer him some lame excuse? Would we go to him and show him how it was really his fault? Would we expect him to just look the other way?

And the despair of that situation leads Job to long for someone to stand between him and God and do the work of reconciliation:

There is no arbiter between us, who might lay his hand on us both. (v. 33)

Who could Job go to for help? His friends? His wife? They were human like him and as such utterly incapable of speaking with God and solving Job's problem.

Who can we go to? A preacher? Our parents? Our friends? Our professor? They were born sinners just like us. They are powerless before God just like us.

And that is what brings me (finally) to the powerful conclusion of this passage.

Jesus Christ is the arbiter between us and God. He is the one who is both God (and so can speak before God the Father) and human (and so is moved to speak on our behalf). He is the one who lays his hand on us both (cross visual anyone?) and reconciles us.

He is the one who speaks on behalf of those who trust him for salvation to God the Father. He is the one who speaks on behalf of God to those who trust him.

Were you born a sinner? Do you need reconciliation with God? Do you enjoy reconciliation with God? If so, then look or thank Jesus Christ your arbiter.

Newer isn't always better.

2009-12-08T08:33:00.000-08:00

It seems like most people of our generation have dismissed the Bible as an ancient book written by ancient men and having little to no relevance or importance for our day.

Ours is a generation and a culture that is intoxicated with the "now." They love things that are "relevant" and "cutting-edge."

Maybe our exaltation of contemporary philosophy is motivated by our love for technology. In my generation, we have listened to music on tapes, Cd's, and now mp3.

We have watched movies on VHS tapes, DVDs, and now Blu-Ray. We listen to satellite radio and watch high definition television. We have instant access to Internet information and laugh at old forms of communication like newspapers.

The point is that we have been taught to despise the old and embrace the new. The philosophy of new is better isn't bad if you are applying to technology but it can be deadly if we apply to where we go for the answers to life's deeper questions.

Scientology, a relatively new religions, has new national commercials. Oprah pimps one new-age guru after another. The self-help and spirituality sections at Barnes and Noble are among the most frequented and largest parts of the store. Heck, there is even a guy claiming to be Jesus on My Space.

But in Job 8:8-10, Bildad reminds Job that there is a problem with contemporary philosophy and that there are better places to go for knowledge--

For inquire, please of bygone ages, and consider what the fathers have searched out. For we are but of yesterday and know nothing, for our days on earth as a shadow. Will they not teach you and tell you and utter words out of their understanding?

We really are of yesterday and know nothing. Our "new" philosophies don't really work. "New" religions come and go. Today's self-help "guru" is tomorrow's punchline.

So, where do we go for this ancient wisdom and understanding? Do we go to Socrates? Aritstotle? Nietsche? Heigel? Marx? Darwin? Freud? Russel?

The answer to all of the above is no. To be certain those men could teach us something about life either positive or negative, but they cannot give us eternal answers to eternal questions. Going to them for wisdom is like trying to fill your swimming pool with a squirt gun.

Instead, we should go to Moses, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Luke, Peter, Paul, and John. We should go to the "ancients" who were moved by God to speak the truth that is unchanging and incapable of being "improved."

We should reject our culture's faulty logic that equates "new" with "better" and "old" with "irrelevant."

We should heed the words of God who said this to his people through the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 8:20 when he tells them to go to one place in their search for wisdom--

To the teaching and to the testiomony!

Something tells me God wasn't talking about Oprah.

What are you seeking?

2009-12-08T07:32:00.001-08:00

Jesus makes a very simple statement in Matthew 6:33

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

It is a statement that has become very famous and cliche but as Blackburn students are approaching the busiest part of the semester, where finals and procrastinated projects are coming due, I think it is one that is appropriate to focus on.

In Matthew 6, Jesus' main concern is that his followers trust God completely.

He tells us to give generously trusting God to take care of us (implication) in 6:1-4.

He tells us to pray to God trusting Him to hear and answer our prayers in 6:5-15.

He tells us to fast before God trusting Him to see our secretive devotion and earnestness and reward us accordingly in 6:16-18.

He tells us to trust God and not possesions or money as our Lord and Master in 6:19-24.

And he closes the chapter by encouraging us to trust God for our daily provision and not fill ourselves with worry like non-believers do in 6:25-34.

But at the end of the chapter, Jesus closes this entire discussion of trust, in all of the arenas he has mentioned, with this simple verse--

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

It would be easy to read this verse in its immediate context and come away from understanding it to mean that you are to seek God's kingdom and righteousness while trusting him to provide you with food and clothing. After all, it comes immediately after Jesus' lengthy diatribe on flowers, birds, food, and clothing.

And that is what Jesus is talking about. Well, at least is one thing He is talking about, but if we place the verse within the larger context of Matthew 6, a passage on trust, we come away asking what does this verse have to do with trusting God?

And the answer to that question is simply this: Apart from trusting Jesus Christ as our Redeemer, the number one way you and I trust God is by seeking His kingdom first.

Matthew 6:33 is the summation of Jesus' whole discussion of trust, in other words, if you and I will seek first God's kingdom and righteousness then we will find ourselves trusting God in our giving, prayer, fasting, finances, and daily needs.

God desires that we, because we trust Him, move His kingdom and righteousness to the top of priority list. He knows this is not easy for us. He knows that we will have papers, tests, and projects. He knows that we will have jobs, boyfriends/girlfriends, friends, and family responsibilities. He knows that we have plans and dreams.

But he desires that we put His kingdom first and promises that if we do all these things will be added to us. In other words, if you and I will be diligent, faithful, and trusting enough to place God's kingdom (sharing the gospel, living the gospel, showing the gospel, etc...) at the top of priority list God will provide for us in all of our other areas.

So, let this verse be a reminder to you, during a very busy time of your life, to avoid the temptation to slide a paper, a test, or a project to the top of your priority list. Let it be a warning to not justify sacrificing devotional time for study time.

Let it be an encouragment to place God's kingdom and righteouesness in its rightful place--FIRST.

Are you Affected?

2009-11-30T07:51:00.000-08:00

Trying to follow Jesus as a college student is not easy. You live, work, and go to class in a climate that is very similar to most mission fields.

Vast majority of people living lives of rebellion against God? Check.

People openly hostile to the gospel of Jesus and those who wish to share it? Check.

Temptation around every corner? Check.

Those in authority resistant to the gospel message? Check.

It isn't easy, but instead of thinking about the difficult spiritual climate of a college campus and how it negatively affects you let me force you to face a different question.

You see all of the above things affecting those you live, work, and go to class with every day, how much does their spiritual state affect you?

In Isaiah 5, God describes a people very similar to most that you encounter on the Blackburn campus.

He describes them as partiers in verse 11:

Woe to those who rise early in the morning, that they may run after strong drink, who tarry late into the evening as wine inflames them!

As moral relativists in verse 20:

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

As arrogant self-made gods in verse 21:

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and shrewd in their own sight!

Finally, God describes them as those who have no room for God in their lives in verse 12:

They have lyre and harp, tambourine and flute and wine at their feasts, but they do not regard the deeds of the Lord, or see the work of his hands.

Sound familiar? My guess you have met people who live for a party (rise early in the morning for strong drink / tarry late into the evening as wine inflames them), people who don't believe in absolute morality (call evil good and good evil), people who feel as though they are smart enough to not need the "crutch" of God (wise in their own eyes), and those who simply have no desire to acknowledge, let alone worship, God (do not regard the deeds of the Lord).

God describes the end result of those people's lives in verse 15:

Man is humbled, and each one is brought low, and the eyes of the haughty are brought low.

They will be humbled eternally in hell. So, does that affect you?

Every day you wake up in the same dorm, go to the same classes, and work with people who are living in open rebellion against God. They are all doomed to spend eternity apart from God in punishment for their rebellion.

Does it bother you?

Pray that today the Spirit will begin to move in your life to make the sinfulness and the end result of your lost classmates affect you. Pray that you will be so affected you will be moved to warn them and share with them the love of Jesus Christ.

Pray that you will be affected.

What's coming is better than what's now.

2009-11-25T08:59:00.000-08:00

My relationship with God is sort of like an online dating relationship. We talk all of the time and we have both voiced our love for each other but we have yet to meet in person.

Don't get me wrong, God is present in my life. He is the one I run to when life gets difficult or when I experience blessing.

He meets with me when I open his word or when I spend time in prayer, but as great as those things are they are not a face-to-face meeting.

And so I woke up this morning missing God. I woke up with this intense longing to wake up in his kingdom and to meet with him face-to-face.

And so of all the chapters I read this morning in my Bible time Isaiah 2 stood out to me the most because it spoke of the kingdom to come and the time when I will enjoy my God in a better way.

So, I thought that I would post four things that Isaiah 2 promises me about heaven that have me feeling very excited and homesick this morning.

1) Heaven will be a place where the gospel of God is finally vindicated against all other truth claims.

It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted above the hills. (2:2)

I don't take this to literally mean that the mountain (the place of OT worship) of the Lord will be physically higher than all other mountains, but rather that the truth of God (which is what was celebrated on that mountain) will be elevated above all other truth claims here on earth.

The mountains of Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Judaism, Scientology, Mormonism, Jehovah Witnesses, Roman Catholicism, etc... will shrink in the presence of the gospel of Jesus Christ because the gospel will be proven true once and for all.

Do you get tired of the assaults the world puts on you for standing for the truth of the gospel? Do you get tired of the sarcastic comments? Do you get tired of the rejection?

In our kingdom to come, the gospel will be embraced by all the inhabitants of heaven. It will be place where the truth is celebrated.

2) Heaven will be a place where people from every tribe, tongue, and nation celebrate the glory of Jesus Christ.

And all the nations shall flow to it. (2:2)

One of the greatest realities of heaven is that black, white, brown, tan, yellow, etc... people will gather to worship the same God.

Religion has historically been a regional thing. In the Middle East, they worship Allah. In the Far East, they worship the gods of Hinduism. In Africa, they worship the spirits of animism.

But the kingdom of Jesus Christ has never been a regional one. It is a kingdom that transcends racial, social, economic, and geographic boundaries.

Why? Because the glory of Jesus Christ is too intense to be celebrated only by one people group and in heaven this will be manifested by the presence of people from all over the world gathering for the same reason.

3. Heaven will be a place where we will all worship Jesus Christ perfectly.

And many people shall come, and say: "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths. (2:3)

In our kingdom to come, this will be the cry of our hearts to be taught the ways of God and to walk in his paths.

I don't know about you but my inability to perfectly follow Jesus is often a source of frustration for me here on earth, but there is a day coming when I will obey him perfectly all the time.

4. Heaven will be a place of real and lasting peace.

He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. (2:4)

Newsflash to the Democrats and Republicans (and also to you Ralph Nader), you will never succeed in bringing us world peace.

World peace will be accomplished when the rightful ruler of the world (Jesus) is sitting on the throne of earth and leading the nations to abandon conflict and war in favor of real and lasting peace.

I probably haven't said much here that is earth shattering or new for you, but I enjoyed being reminded that the kingdom that is coming is so much better than what is now.

Today my heart is aching for that kingdom.

Could God bet on me?

2009-11-19T13:42:00.001-08:00

Did you know that God gambles? (Southern Baptist everywhere just threw up in their mouths)

Don't get too excited. God doesn't spend time at the roulette table or playing blackjack and I am pretty sure he was the only one who didn't explore a career in Texas Hold Em' (c'mon you know you thought about it).

But the book of Job is the story of a wager between God and Satan over a guy named Job. Did you know that? The story of Job is a story of cosmic gambling.

Job, we are told, was a pretty righteous guy and I don't mean righteous in the seventies use of the term (although to be fair he might have been) but in the biblical sense. He was a devout believer and worshipper of the one true God.

Just listen to his introduction in Job 1:1-5

There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. There were born to him seven sons and three daughters. He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east. His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, "It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts." Thus Job did continually.

Does Job sound perfect or what? He was rich. He had a big family. He had celebrity-kids (think Paris Hilton) who spent all day partying. He was so devout the Bible calls him blameless and upright and says that he feared God and turned away from evil.

He even used to have personal worship services after his kids parties where he would sacrifice in order to try and atone for any sins they may have committed.

Is this guy awesome or what?

And that is where our bet comes in. You can read about it in Job 1:6-12

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, "From where have you come? Satan answered the Lord and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it." (6-7)

God is having an angelic (sons of God) roll call (sorry Mormons this is not Jesus and his "brothers" remember that John 3:16 says that Jesus was God's "only begotten" son) and Satan decides to tag along.

God asks Satan what he has been up to and Satan says, "Aw nothing really. Just out going to and fro on the earth. You know, just walking up and down on it."

Now Satan is not being entirely honest (imagine that). He isn't just going out for walk. Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5:8 that Satan goes out and "prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour."

In other words, Satan had been looking around for someone's life to destroy.

And the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? (8)

God, of course, knows exactly what Satan is up to and asks him if he has checked out Job who God basically says is his very best.

God is taunting Satan. He is saying, "Have you thought about trying to ruin this guy's life with your silly temptations and sinful things? No? Why not because he is blameless? Is it because he fears God? Oh, I know. It is because he turns away from evil!"

Then Satan answered the Lord and said, "Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face."

Satan is basically saying, "God, you are such an idiot. Job doesn't love you because he is righteous or because he thinks you are worthy of being loved. He loves you because you have kept him safe (hedge comment), made him prosper (work of his hands comment), and made him rich (possessions have increased comment).

And then Satan issues this challenge to God: take away all of that stuff and Job will turn out like all of my other "projects." He will curse you to your face.

And the Lord said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand." So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

God takes Satan's challenge. He says, "You are on Satan! Take away all that stuff and Job will still love me."

This brings me to the question that has been burning on my heart today, "Would God have taken that bet on me?"

God was so confident that Job really loved God just for who God is and not for what God had given him that he took a big bet with his worst enemy.

And what happened? Satan took away all of Job's stuff, killed his children, and made him broke but Job praised God anyways. He said this--

Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." In all this Job did not sin or charge God with any wrong.

Wow! God gets a point and Satan gets a zero. The bet is over.

But what if this had been the story of Zach (or insert name here ______)? Would God have made that bet on me? Would he have won if he had?

Do I love God for who He is or for what He gives me? Do I love Him all the time or when everything is great?

It is a good question and it is one I hope I could answer honestly in the right way, but either way I am committing myself now to praying that God will increase my love for Him and my faith in Him so that I might stand like Job in the midst of tough times and say, "blessed be the name of the Lord."

What about you?

Worth Remembering

2009-11-19T13:35:00.000-08:00

Here are some verses that I came across today that we would all benefit from remembering.

And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.
Genesis 1:31

God created a very "good" world. What have we done to it?

And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."
Job 1:21

This was Job's response after he lost his possessions, his livelihood, and his children. Did this guy have amazing faith and perspective or what?

I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.
Isaiah 1:13

God doesn't want our worship if it is tainted with sin. The truth is we can't really worship if we are embracing sin.

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.
Matthew 1:21

Joseph had no idea, I am sure, what exactly this meant but it is amazing to read these words that were spoken before Jesus was born. Aren't you thankful he came?

How quickly we forget!

2009-11-18T06:58:00.000-08:00

If you are a Christ-follower let me ask you two questions:

When have you been at your happiest?

When have you been at your most miserable point?

Are you not at your happiest when you are walking with God in relationship? Is there anything more satisfying than enjoying community with God when you are sin-free and entirely focused on His goodness?

I have enjoyed a lot of great moments in my life. I have graduated from high school, college, and a graduate school. I have fallen in love, gotten married, and had children. I have bought some new stuff and had some cool experiences.

But nothing on the above list compares to the times where I have enjoyed intimate fellowship with God. There is something so sweet about those times that it soaks (soak it!) all the way down into your soul. It is a kind of happiness that is so deep rooted it makes all other forms of happiness seem very weak.

The best analogy I can give it is to compare to a family who spends all of their summer vacations going to Lake Michigan. The sand is okay. The water is a nice temperature. The weather is average. The family enjoys playing some putt-putt and eating at some decent seafood places. But then one year the family decides to go to an actual beach (let's say Myrtle Beach) and they are amazed by what they find. The sand is gorgeous, the water warm, and the weather perfect. There are a million things to do and a lot of great seafood places. They have the best vacation ever. It doesn't mean they won't ever be able to enjoy Lake Michigan again, but every time they are at Lake Michigan they will say to themselves, "This is nice but it's no Myrtle Beach."

And that is how it is with all of us who love Jesus. It is not that we can't find happiness in earthly things, but the happiness we get from earthly things pales in comparison to the happiness we find in our times of communion with Jesus.

David puts it this way in Psalm 34:8, "Taste and see that the Lord is good..."

For those of who have tasted and seen, we agree!

And when are we at our lowest point of misery if not when we are separated from God by our own sin and wickedness? I don't mean the moment of sin (because sin can be fun), but the moment when we come to our senses and the sin loses its flavor and our hearts ache for Jesus.

Have you ever been away from home for a long period of time? I spent a summer in Africa and a summer in DC away from anyone I knew. For the first week or so homesickness is not a problem because you are doing so much that is new and exciting, but eventually things settle and you start to miss home.

It is the same way with our sin for those of us who love Jesus. At first, the sin is new and exciting and it drowns out our longing for home, but eventually it fizzles and we are left with a void where our intimacy with God used to be.

David felt this void when he sinned by committing adultery with Bathsheeba and in his prayer of repentance, in Psalm 51:11-12, he prayed "Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation..."

What was David missing? He was missing that sweet and intimate connection with God.

So, at this point you might be wondering what all of this has to do with Jeremiah, but I have been building to this question:

If our greatest moments of happiness come from times of intimacy with Christ and our greatest moments of despair come from times where that intimacy is robbed by sin then why do we pursue sin? Why do we so quickly forget the source of our happiness and the source of our despair?

This is the message that God speaks to the people of Judah in Jeremiah 44:9-10 when he asks them if they have forgotten the sin of their fathers and the damaging effects that sin had their relationship with God.

Have you forgotten the evil of your fathers, the evil of the kings of Judah, the evil of their wives, your own evil, and the evil of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? They have not humbled themselves even to this day, nor have they feared, nor walked in my law and my statues that I set before you and before your fathers.

Let us not forget, quickly or otherwise, that the times of our happiness come from times of communion with God and the times of our misery from sin.

The death of the middle man.

2009-11-17T09:12:00.000-08:00

Have you spent any time speaking to God today?

Have you communicated your affection for him? Have you asked him for guidance? Have you cried out for his provision? Have you asked him for forgiveness?

But have you spent any time being thankful to God for the ability to speak with him?

It hasn't always been that way. God has not always been available to the average rank-and-file believer. There was a time when you and I could not have gained access to the throne of God for our prayers.

And that is what we see happening in Jeremiah 42:1-6 when a group of Jewish military leaders come to Jeremiah and ask him to go to God for them with their requests.

Then all the commanders of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest, came near and said to Jeremiah the prophet, "Let our plea for mercy come before you, and pray to the Lord your God for us, for all this remnant--because we are left with but a few, as your eyes see us--that the Lord your God may show us the way we should go, and the thing that we should do." Jeremiah the prophet said to them, "I have heard you. Behold, I will pray to the Lord your God according to your request, and whatever the Lord answers you I will tell you. I will keep nothing back from you." Then they said to Jeremiah, "May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act according to all the word with which the Lord your God sends you to us."

So, these commanders were seeking the will of God for their lives (although if you keep reading you might end up doubting their sincerity) but they could not go directly to God. Instead, they were forced to go to Jeremiah, the prophet with whom God spoke, and have him take their request to God.

Can you imagine? For most of the people who read this blog, I am one of your pastors. What would it be like for you to have to bring your requests for guidance, your requests for provision, or your prayers of repentance to me, so that I could bring them to God?

What would be like to have to deal with a "middle man" in your prayer life?

Thankfully, we don't have to worry about that because the middle man is dead. The New Testament teaches us that because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross we have direct access to God in heaven.

Let me point to a few verses that make this point very well.

First, there is an amazing passage on how the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ gained us access to God the Father in Hebrews 10:19-22

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places [places in the temple where the priest would meet with God but where you and I were not allowed] by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain [of the temple that kept regular believers out of the Holy of Holies],that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near [in prayer] with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Jesus' work of living a sinless life, dying on the cross, and resurrecting from the dead has given us an all-access pass to God. In other words, there are no more doors in God's "temple" that say "Access Restricted."

Second, in Revelation 5:8 we are given insight into where exactly prayers go in God's kingdom--

And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell own before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

There is no "mail room" in heaven! Our prayers, because of what Jesus accomplished, now go directly to the throne of God.

So, take time this morning to thank Jesus for earning you access to God through prayer and if you haven't prayed yet today do so. Exercise the privilege to send your requests straight to the throne of God.

Text of the Week

2009-11-17T08:41:00.000-08:00

The "text of the week" this week was in response to my arguing that Christians should not be abandoning their local churches.

Here is this week's text:

I thought the church was made up of the people?

Here was my answer:

The church is made up of all who love and follow Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. The church has not ever been nor will ever be a building or an institution.

However, God has given the church certain parameters to operate under. The church is to be lead by godly men called to the task of pastoring (I Timothy 3), to participate in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper (I Corinthians 11:23-26), to participate in the sacrament of baptism (Matthew 28:18-20), to participate in the work of global missions (Matthew 28:18-20), and to be place where individual giftedness is used for mutual edification (I Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4:11-16).

In other words, the church is the people but the people gather together under the context of the local church.

Jesus is not your Homeboy. (outline from 11-15-09)

2009-11-17T08:30:00.000-08:00

What we think about Jesus and our relationship to Him matters because it affects everything.

So, it is imperative that we maintain a biblical Christology.

Colossians 1:15-22

A. Jesus is the exact image of God. Colossians 1:15 / John 14:8-9

B. Jesus is the active participant in creation. Colossians 1:16 / Genesis 1:26

C. Jesus is the point of creation. Colossians 1:16

D. Jesus is the rightful king of creation. Colossians 1:17 / John 1:3

E. Jesus is the glue that holds the world together. Colossians 1:17

F. Jesus is head of the church. Colossians 1:18 / Ephesians 5:23

G. Jesus is the first of the resurrected. Colossians 1:18 / I Corinthians 15:14

H. Jesus is the reconciler between God and man. Colossians 1:20 / II Corinthians 5:19

I. Jesus is the cleanser of your soul. Colossians 1:21-22 / Ephesians 5:25-27

Why won't I listen?

2009-11-12T07:33:00.001-08:00

I believe that the Bible is the inspired and inerrant word of God. I believe that every word was divinely inspired by God and is written down for His glory and my benefit.

I believe that Bible contains the truth path of salvation, an accurate account of the past, and a prophetic account of the future. I believe it is the single God given rule for my life as a Christian and for the life of the church.

There is not a single word of Scripture that I don't believe or that I doubt. I teach the Bible as the absolute truth and I am committed to structuring my life according to that belief.

But, if all of that is true (and it is) then why am I guilty of not listening to it?

In the Bible, God works to expose my own sinfulness and to convince me that I am incapable of overcoming sin's disastrous effects on my own. And yet still sometimes, I attempt to convince myself of my own self-righteousness and my own ability to overcome.

In the Bible, God works to show me the glory, beauty, and love of Jesus Christ through His life, death, and resurrection. And yet still sometimes, I am more enamored with the things of this world that sparkle and glitter. Sometimes they are prone to take my attention off of Jesus' glory, beauty, and love.

In the Bible, God commands that I respond to His work of salvation, regeneration, and sanctification by living a life of worship and gratitude. And yet still sometimes, I place myself at the center of my universe and wind up in a very different place then where God wants me.

In Jeremiah 39, King Zedekiah is the main character. King Zedekiah had been warned over and over, most recently in chapter 38, that God wanted the Babylon army to win its' fight with Jerusalem and so he should just surrender.

In fact, this is God's message to Zedekiah through Jeremiah. Surrender and you will live. Fight and you will die.

Zedekiah had the word of the Lord, straight from the prophet's mouth, but for some inexplicable reason he chose to ignore it and the results in his life were devastating.

When the Babylonian army finally does capture Zedekiah, just as God said they would if he tried to fight, they do some awful things which are detailed for us in 39:5-8

But the army of Chaldeans pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. And when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, at Riblah, in the land of Hamath; and he passed sentence on him. The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah at Riblah before his eyes, and the king of Babylon slaughtered all the nobles of Judah. He put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains to take him to Babylon. The Chaldeans burned the king's house and the house of the people, and broke down the walls of Jerusalem.

Zedekiah had been given a word from God that told him exactly how everything was going to go down and yet he chose to ignore it. The results were devastating: his sons were murdered in front of him, his eyes were gouged out, his house was destroyed, and his city was burned down. And why? Because he chose to ignore the word of God.

And can you just picture eye-less, son-less, and city-less Zedekiah being carried off to Babylon, as a slave, thinking to himself, "Why wouldn't I listen?"

And in that sense Zedekiah is a reminder to me. He is a challenge to me. Why won't I listen?

I am praying today that God will help me to listen to His Word. I am praying that I will choose to listen to his message of sin, redemption, and worship over my own desires for self-righteousness, materialism, and selfishness. I am praying that I will listen to His Word.

Text of the Week (11-8-09)

2009-11-12T07:02:00.000-08:00

Here is this week's text:

You said that people we date may just be saying things about Jesus in order to impress us and pretending to live for Jesus to be "dateable" but is it really Christlike to question people's motives? Is it judgmental?

Here was my answer:

My point is not that you should be suspicious of every person you date and assume that when they talk about Jesus or they serve Jesus that they are being fake, but my point is that you should use the dating process to discern whether or not the testimony of their life (their actions + words over an extended period of time) sync up with the image they are presenting to you.

The Bible does warn us about being "judgmental," but it defines judgmentalism differently than our culture. Our culture teaches that judgmentalism is one person saying that another person is wrong.

The Bible teaches that judgmentalism is when one sinner forgets his own sin and looks down upon the sin of another person or judges what he/she believes to be the motives of the other person's heart.

But, the Bible does teach us that it is possible to trace someone's actions back to the intent of their heart.

Jesus said it this way in Matthew 7:16-20

You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

And again in Luke 6:43-45

For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Jesus point is simple--what is inside of a person (heart, motivations, intent) is revealed in their actions. I don't care what anyone "says" if their "fruit" (their actions) disagrees.

And as a person who is looking for a potential spouse you need to be examining the fruit that is hanging from each person's tree.

How to Date? (11-8-09 outline)

2009-11-12T06:41:00.000-08:00

Here is the real question: If a Christ-honoring marriage is where God is taking me then how do I date to get there?

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. [Genesis 2:24]

Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. [Proverbs 16:3]

Five guidelines to dating to get there:

1. Date in such a way that Jesus remains first in your life.

You shall have no other gods before me. [Exodus 20:3]

But when the Pharisees heard that he silenced the Sadduceees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law? And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." [Matthew 22:34-38]

2. Date in such a way that you are learning the person.

Ponder the path of your feet then all your ways will be sure. [Proverbs 4:26]

The simple believes everything but the prudent gives thought to his steps. [Proverbs 14:15]

Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way. [Proverbs 19:2]

3. Date in such a way that you are avoiding temptation.

Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak. [Matthew 26:41]

Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. [Romans 14:13]

4. Date in such a way that it is spiritually edifying.

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself lest you also be tempted. [Galatians 6:1]

And let us consider how to stir one another up to love and good works. [Hebrews 10:24]

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. [I Timothy 5:2]

5. Date in such a way that you are committed to working towards a common goal.

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. [Genesis 2:24]

Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. [Proverbs 16:3]

God will have you beaten by scrawny men.

2009-11-05T12:10:00.000-08:00

Have you ever gotten away with something?

I have found that the easier I feel it is to get away with something the more likely I am to repeat that behavior. There are times when the one thing (I am sad to say) that keeps me from doing something sinful is the fear of getting caught, so as that fears lessens I become more emboldened and more sinful.

Let me give you an example of what I am saying. Do you remember learning to swim? For most of us, that day involved standing at the edge of a pool looking at an adult standing in the water with their arms open assuring us repeatedly that it would be fun and they would take care of us. The initial jump involved a lot of fear but the level of fear we had about getting in the pool diminished a little every time we jumped in and didn't drown. We assumed it was safe because we were able to jump in and splash around without getting hurt.

And that is how I am sometimes with my sin. I do something sinful and I "look around" to see if anyone noticed or I wait around to see if God is going to punish me.

But the Lord has promised to deal with my sin because he is just and because he loves me and knows that his punishment will lead to my sanctification.

Even if I think that I can get away with something or have gotten away with something, God is still working to punish my sin and lead me to holiness.

Listen to what God says to Israel and Judah who were hoping that the Egyptians would come and save them from Babylon by defeating Nebuchadnezzar's army.

Thus says the Lord, Do not deceive yourselves, saying, "The Chaldeans will surely go away from us," for they will not go away. For even if you should defeat the whole army of Chaldeans who are fighting against you, and there remained of them only wounded men, every man in his tent, they would rise up and burn this city with fire. (Jeremiah 37:9-10)

God's point is that Israel and Judah would pay for their sin and be punished even if Egypt put a dent in the Babylonian war machine. Why? Because it wasn't Babylon who was plotting their destruction it was God.

Sometimes God is extra patient with us giving us space to repent for our sinful actions but the lack of punishment doesn't mean it isn't coming.

Resist the urge to sin and overcome the tempting voice that says, "You will get away with it!" Instead, realize that God sees everything and will surely punish sin.

The Process of Inspiration

2009-11-03T09:50:00.001-08:00

Have you ever wondered how the process of inspiration worked?

By "inspiration" I am referring to God moving men to record His words and thoughts in what would eventually be called the Bible.

Did the writers go into a trance and wake up to see pages filled with words that they did not recognize or remember writing?

Did the writers go to sleep with a tooth under their pillow and wake up to find that it had been replaced with a scroll?

Did the writers record their own thoughts and then pray about them to see if that is what God wanted to be said about something?

Fortunately, we don't have to guess about the process of inspiration thanks to passages in the Bible like Jeremiah 36 which record for us how the process of inspiration worked.

So, if you have wondered how it worked then you will find today's post very interesting because I am going to point out four important things about the process of inspiration as found in Jeremiah 36.

1. The Biblical message came to the Biblical writer straight from God w/ a mandate to write.

Listen to what God says to Jeremiah in verse 2--

Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until today.

God wants Jeremiah to record everything that he has spoken to him. Clearly, God is interested in Jeremiah recording His message and not Jeremiah's message. Jeremiah understood this and anytime he spoke the his countrymen he would begin with something like, "the word of the Lord came to me."

In fact, Jeremiah 36 begins with this in verse one, "In the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord."

The word came to Jeremiah straight from the Lord. It did not go through an intermediary. It did not arrive under his pillow. It did not come out of a trance. It came directly from the mouth of God to Jeremiah.

Peter puts it this way in 2 Peter 1:20-21--

Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from some one's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

And it came for a reason. God wanted it to be recorded or written down. God was moving Jeremiah not only to speak but also for the purpose of writing it down. We will look at the "why" of writing it down in points #3 and #4.

2. Sometimes the biblical writer would use a secretary to record God's message.

Jeremiah did not actually write Jeremiah--he dictated it. He spoke it to his secretary Baruch who wrote it down onto a scroll. The process is detailed for us in verse 4:

Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote on a scroll at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord that he had spoken to him.

So, Jeremiah spoke God's message to Baruch and Baruch wrote it down onto a scroll. Jeremiah was not the only writer to use this method.

It is believed that the gospel of Mark was dictated by Peter.

Paul switched in and out of using a secretary for dictation and writing the words down himself. In Romans 16:22, for example, his secretary records this message at the end,"I Tertius, who wrote his letter, greet you in the Lord."

But Paul ended all of his letters by signing them so as to prove their authenticity:

I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. 1 Corinthians 16:21

I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Colossians 4:18a

I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand (implying that the rest of the letter had been written by the hand of a secretary). This is the sign of genuiness in every letter of mine; it is the way I write. 2 Thessalonians 3:17

3) God inspired men so that their message would be heard by his people.

God didn't speak to Jeremiah for his own benefit, but rather for the benefit of all of his people. God said this to Jeremiah in verse 3 right after telling him to write down the message:

It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them, so that every one may turn from his evil way, and that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin."

So, God wanted Jeremiah to write it down so that it could be heard and read by his people and that is exactly what Jeremiah told Baruch to do in verse 6:

So you are to go, and on a day of fasting in the hearing of all the people in the Lord's house you shall read the words of the Lord from the scroll that you have written at my dictation. You shall read them also in the hearing of all the men of Judah who have come out of their cities.

God wanted his people to hear his words and so he wanted them to be written down to be read both personally and publicly.

Paul had the same understanding of his inspired writings, look at what he said in these verses:

I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.
1 Thessalonians 5:27

And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea.
Colossians 4:16

John wrote that his purpose for recording the gospel of Jesus was for it to be read by others:

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may beleive that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you might have life in his name.
John 21:30-31

God wanted the men he moved to record his words in order that they might be read by and to his people for their sanctification (increasing holiness) and edification (increasing knowledge).

4) God wanted his words written for posterity.

Not only did God want his words to be written down so that they could be read by and to the contemporary audience but also by the audiences to come.

In Jeremiah 36, the king gets so angry with Jeremiah's messages found in the scroll that Baruch delivers that he burns the entire thing up. What is God's response?

God gives Jeremiah the following message--

Take another scroll and write on it all the former words that were in the first scroll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah has burned. (v. 28)

And Jeremiah follows through in verse 32--

Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah, who wrote on it at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire. And many similar words were added to them.

Why record them again? Because God wasn't just interested in the sinful Israelites, Judahites, or the king hearing his message but also us!

The Bible was recorded for us--the believers who would come later.

Now you know something about the process of inspiration.

Whose voice is loudest to you?

2009-11-02T12:56:00.000-08:00

Jerusalem is holding onto a false hope that they will defeat the attacking Babylonian army and avoid the exile and death that God has promised.

Despite their current state of punishment, the inhabitants of Jerusalem continued to ignore God's voice choosing instead to persist in their hardhearted rebellion and idolatry.

At times, Jeremiah must have felt that he was the only righteous one left in all of Judah and Israel. Everyone else seemed to have jumped headfirst into the wickedness that pervaded Jewish culture.

But there was one family that refused to "go with the cultural flow." The Rechabites were a family that was swimming against the current of idolatry and rebellion. They were holding steadfast to the Lord.

God recognized the faithfulness of the Rechabites and commanded Jeremiah to have them over to the temple for a glass of wine and a prophetic message.

What is most interesting about the Rechabites is the "why" behind their righteous behavior which Jeremiah discovered after offering them some wine--

Then I set before the Rechabites pitchers full of wine, and cups, and I said to them, "Drink wine." But they answered, "We will drink no wine, for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, 'You shall drink not drink wine, neither you nor your sons forever. You shall not build a house; you shall not sow seed; you shall not plant or have a vineyard; but you shall live many days in the land where you sojourn. We have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he commanded us, to drink no wine all our days, ourselves, our wives, our sons, or our daughters, and not to build houses to dwell in. We have no vineyard or field or seed, but we have lived in tents and have obeyed and done all that Jonadab our father commanded us. (35:5-11)

So, the Rechabites had been living righteously because of a message that had been passed down from one patriarch (Rechab) to another (Jonadab). Because they honored and loved their earthly patriarchs they had given up lots of things:

1) Earthly pleasures. They didn't drink wine. We aren't told why their ancestors told them not to drink wine. We are just told that they did. In Jeremiah's day, not drinking wine meant that you were relegated to dingy water.

2) Earthly security. They were told not to build houses. Again we aren't told why they couldn't build houses. But a house represents security from the elements and outside attackers.

3) Earthly prosperity. They were told not to plant vineyards or sow seed. In other words, they were told not to pursue potentially prosperous (alliteration anyone?) agricultural investments. Once again, no reason is given.

So consider the Rechabites for a second. They went without earthly pleasures, security, and prosperity all because of a message they had been told was passed down from their ancestors.

They say to Jeremiah that they had obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he commanded us. How much honor and love they must have had for their ancestors! How much respect and admiration! How much trust in their wisdom!

And this is where the story gets interesting. God didn't have Jeremiah invite the Rechabites over just to enjoy a glass of wine. He wanted to use them as a scathing analogy for his relationship with his people.

After all, the Rechabites were foregoing pleasure, security, and prosperity all because of what some human guy (who we aren't even told was wise) said. And yet God's people routinely turned their backs on what he (their infinitely wise and loving Creator) commanded them.

God makes the comparison in verses 12-16

Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: "Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Go and say to the people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will you not receive instruction and listen to my words? declares the Lord. The command that Jonadab the son of Rechab gave to his sons, to drink no wine, has been kept, and they drink none to this day, for they have obeyed their father's command. I have spoken to you persistently, but you have not listened to me. I have sent to you all my servants the prophets, sending them persistently, saying, 'Turn now every one of you from his evil way, and amend your deeds, and do not go after other gods to serve them, and then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to you and your fathers. ' But you did not incline your ear or listen to me. The sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have kept the command that your father gave them, but this people has not obeyed me.

If human sons could obey the words of a human grandfather for generations then why couldn't human people obey the words of an eternal God?

God had sent his people messenger after messenger with message after message and they would not listen.

Here is the question for us today: Are we guilty of this sin?

Do you find yourself living out things that your parents told you but struggling to live out what God has told you?

Do you find yourself living to accommodate the opinions of friends, co-workers, or family members rather than the opinions of God?

Whose voice is loudest in your life?

Remember this--

While other voices might be coming from a place of love they are not coming from the One who loved you so much he gave his life for you.

While other voices might be filled with mercy and grace they are not coming from the One who showered grace on you by transforming you from rebel to rescued son/daughter.

While other voices might be filled with wisdom they are not coming from the One who spoke the world into existence.

God's voice is the one you must listen to because it is coming from the One who cares for you the most.

Text of the Week (11/1/09)

2009-11-02T11:36:00.001-08:00

Here is the "Text of the Week" from last night's Element service:

If making out causes me to lust am I sinning? I don't think I can and not be lusting.

Here was my answer:

Lust is sinful and to be avoided at all costs. When the Bible says we are to "flee from sexual immorality" (I Cor 6:18) it means what it says. You and I should run as quickly as possible away from things the will cause sexual sin.

On the topic of lust, Jesus said in Matthew that it would be better to pluck out an eye or remove an arm then to pursue sexual sin. If Jesus used dismemberment as his example do you really think he wouldn't advocate us getting rid of the people, images, or places that cause us to sin sexually?

If making out causes you to lust then you are only human. Making out causes everyone to lust. Let me put it this way, if you are dating someone and making out with them doesn't cause you to lust then don't marry them! They are not very good at it.

Making out inevitably causes lust, so as single Christ-followers we should avoid it.

Thanks to all our texters!

When to date? (11/1/09 Element Outline)

2009-11-02T11:24:00.000-08:00

The question for tonight: When should I date?

It is not a question of time but a question of readiness. When am I ready to date?

You are ready to date when your time of singleness is over. (translaton: you don't need to date)

I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord. (I Cor 7:35)

You are ready to date when you find someone who is dateable.

1. A member of the opposite sex.
2. A Christ-Follower.
3. Living single with purpose.
4. Called to marry.
5. A person of godly character.
6. Willing and able to fulfill their marital role.

You are ready to date when you are dateable.

You are ready to date when it is time to find a spouse.

Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were naked and were not ashamed. (Genesis 2:24-25)

You are ready to date when you can handle the temptations that come with dating.

1. Sexual temptation.

For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God.
(I Thessalonians 4:3-4)

Flee from sexual immorality. (I Corinthians 6:18a)

2. Idolatry.

You shall have no other gods before me. (Exodus 20:3)

The question of when is a question of lordship.

Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches. (I Cor 7:17)

Getting tired of this "kingdom?"

2009-10-29T08:47:00.001-07:00

Getting tired of this world?

It can happen easily. Our culture is intoxicated with sin. It is hard to follow Jesus in this world because we are bombarded by things that compete for our attention and we are so easily distracted.

And if the presence of sin doesn't seem to be troubling you lately turn on the news. You will hear nothing that inspires about this "kingdom."

They will talk to you about a health care crisis, two struggling wars, and economic recession and then they will bring in two people to yell at each other about whose fault it is.

Ours is a kingdom divided. Red state or blue state? Republican or Democrat? Liberal or Conservative? Modern or post-modern?

We may live in best country in the world but in case you haven't noticed it isn't exactly a rose garden over here.

Our culture's infatuation with sin, the functional decline of our society, and the divisiveness of our government are enough to make you wish that you belonged to a different kingdom.

Let me remind you this morning....We do!

Ours is a kingdom where the people will not be intoxicated with sin but infatuated with the Redeemer.

Ours is a kingdom where there will never be a need for health care, war, or decline of any kind.

Ours is a kingdom where there will be no division because everyone will agree that God is the just and merciful ruler.

It is that kingdom that God looks forward to in Jeremiah 32:37-41

Behold, I will gather them from all the countries (including our sin intoxicated / economically receding / politically divisive one) to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation. I will bring them back to this place, and I will make them dwell in safety. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and my soul.

Let me just point out a few things from this passage that those of us who are tired of this kingdom will find refreshing.

1) We do not belong to this kingdom.

We are simply pilgrims waiting for the day when God gathers us from our countries and includes us in his eternal kingdom.

2) In the eternal kingdom, God's anger will be no more.

God's people were scattered, instead of being in the Promised Land, because God drove them in [His] anger and [wrath] and great indignation, but the time for gathering will mark the end of the time for anger.

3) There will no more fear of exile or anything else.

And once God gathers us into His kingdom then we not need to be afraid of any more punishment or attacks from the outside because God will make [us] dwell in safety.

4) Our relationship with God will be perfect.

No more sin. No more separation. God promises that we will be [His] people and [He] will be [our] God.

5) There will be no more division.

Our eternal kingdom will be one without any division but with people of every tribe, tongue, and nation worshipping Jesus Christ in complete unison. God will give [us] one heart and one way.

6) God will never stop blessing us.

There will no more judgment only blessing. God says, "I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them...I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.

So, today you live in this sin-intoxicated, economically declining, divided nation as a pilgrim but soon you will be a part of the glorious eternal kingdom of Jesus Christ!

It is Good to be a New Covenant Follower!

2009-10-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

Have you ever made the same mistake over and over again?

I am not know for being a patient person so I can get a little crazy when frustration takes over and frustration takes over frequently when I put a lot of effort into something that I just can't seem to get right.

Making the same mistake repeatedly can be maddening, but it can be downright devastating if that mistake comes with consequences.

Israel and Judah were what you might call frequent offenders. They always went down the same path of idolatry and rebellion.

God rescued them from Egypt and they end up worshipping a golden calf. God gives them the Promised Land and they end up worshipping Baal. God establishes their kingdom and they build high places and worship idols.

God's people were idolaters by nature and habit. It was not an "Oops, I just committed adultery" kind of a thing. It was more of an "Oops, I did it again" kind of thing (yes, I did just do quote Brittany in my devotional blog).

So, here we have God sending His people into exile for seventy years as punishment for their latest idol fling but the real question is will this ever end? Will God's people ever just worship the living and true God?

For a reader of the Old Testament, it would seem at this point that the pattern of God blesses, His people chase after idols, and God punishes was destined to be on repeat eternally.

But God has a remedy for that and He voices it in Jeremiah 31:33-34

But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days (exile), declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

God had a covenant (pre-exile) with Israel that He had given to them in the Pentateuch that basically said, "If you obey me and listen to My voice then I will bless you."

Sounds like a good deal, right? But the problem with that covenant was that the people of Israel were inherently sinful. They could not keep their promise to God.

Telling them not to chase idols was like sitting a chubby fifth grader in front of brownies and asking them not to take a bite while you are gone. They could only resist so long.

I don't mean to say that Israel wasn't guilty for their sin or that God was unjust for punishing them. I just want you to realize that there was never any chance Israel could be as faithful to God as God was back to them.

And that is why God puts forth this solution in Jeremiah 31. He suggests that the new covenant would be one which placed the emphasis on the internal and not the external. It would be less about outward obedience and more about inward worship that produced outward obedience.

God says that He is going to put my law within them and write it on their hearts. In other words, He is going to transform Israel from idolater to worshipper from the inside-out.

He was going to burn the truth, righteousness, and wisdom of His law into their hearts. This is important because Proverbs 4:23 tells us that the heart is the epicenter of action:

Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

What had been springing forth from Israel was idolatry. The idolatry of Israel was inevitable, however, because theirs was an idolater's heart. Asking them to remain faithful to God was like asking a water fountain to give you a dose of Mt. Dew. It was asking something they couldn't deliver.

But God promised that the new covenant would focus on turning the water fountain into a Mt. Dew dispenser. He would take out the idolaters heart and put in its place a heart that longed to worship.

The results would be that God would be their God and they would be my [God's] people, that they shall know me [God], that God would forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

They would enter into a new kind of relationship where the vicious cycle of idolatry and punishment would be replaced with a new cycle of worship and blessing.

So, what does this mean for us?

We (all who are Christ-followers) are the fruit of that new covenant.

Did you know that Jesus also taught that you and I were desperate sinners born with a heart that would produce the same cycle of disobedience and rebellion? We were the evil people whose evil actions came from evil hearts:

The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of the evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. [Luke 6:45]

So, what were we to do? Jesus came as God's emissary to bring about the new covenant that God had promised in Jeremiah 31.

He claimed this when He instituted the Lord's Supper--

In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."
(I Corinthians 11:25)

Jesus is the one who brought about the new covenant that God had promised Israel in Jeremiah 31. It was through His death and resurrection that God could give us new hearts with His law written on them. It was through Jesus' death and resurrection that God could break the cycle of sin and rebellion and replace with a cycle of worship and obedience.

This is the message that Jesus shared with Nicodemus in John 3:3

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.

We needed the old idolaterous heart to be taken out and a new worshipping heart to be put in.

Think about it. Were you and I any different from Israel? We sinned frequently and habitually. We could not overcome our desire to rebel against God and follow the idols that sparkled and shined.

But God, in His mercy, sent us His Son to live, die, and raise from the dead in order that we might break free from the bondage of our old sinful hearts and be born again to live with a heart that had God's law tattooed on it.

Praise God today that you are a "New Covenant" follower. You are not being asked to give something that you cannot give. You are being asked to receive the new heart and the new covenant earned for you on the cross of Jesus Christ.

Rejoice today that you can obey God because His law is written on your heart.

Praise God today that you don't need someone to broker communications between you and God but that you know Him personally.

It is good to be a part of God's new covenant.

The true meaning of Jeremiah 29:11

2009-10-27T12:38:00.000-07:00

You have probably heard this verse quoted a million times:

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)

You have seen it printed on t-shirts, placed on church signs, knitted onto pillows, listed as some one's facebook status, or even mentioned in a sermon.

It is a very popular verse and why wouldn't it be? Who doesn't want to hear that God has plans for them and that those plans are for welfare and not for evil for a future and a hope?

But do you know the story behind the verse?

Do you know why God said these words and to whom He said them?

Because I have to tell you if you think Jeremiah 29:11 is an awesome verse now wait until you hear the story behind it.

So, Jeremiah has been telling the people of Jerusalem that God had reached the limits of His patience with their sin and would be sending punishment in two forms: exile and death.

Those who acknowledged their sin and God's right to punish them for their sin to the point of being will to accept that punishment would spend seventy years in exile in Babylon, but those who refused to acknowledge their sin or God's right to punish them to the point of resisting King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon would die.

Now you and I have both failed God on many occasions, but can you imagine being punished for seventy years? Talk about facing the music!

As we pick up the story in Jeremiah 29, the people who accepted God's punishment are already in Babylon. They are in year one of their seventy year punishment.

God is going to speak to them, in Jeremiah 29, and what He says here should make us want to immediately respond in worship to Him. After all, we are all sinners and from time to time we all endure the punishment of God for our present sin.

So, although He was speaking to Israel in this chapter He could just easily have written this to us (minus the whole seventy year exile in Babylon thing).

Instead of listing the whole passage in one lump form I am going to draw out five themes that I hope will motivate you to worship God as you read them and support those things from the story behind Jeremiah 29:11.

I hope that today wherever you read this--in a computer lab, at home, at work--will become a place dedicated to the worship of the awesome and merciful God we serve just as my office has.

Without further adieu, Here are four amazing realities about our God from the "rest of the story" of Jeremiah 29:11:

1. When God sets His mind on judgment it comes.

God is not a waffler (see Favre, Brett). He sets His mind to making decisions and He makes them. He may not always make them on our time-tables but He makes them resolutely.

He is often patient with our sin (that alone is worship worthy, right?) but when He determines the time has come for action rest assured action will come.

Listen to what God says to those beginning a seventy year exile--

Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters, take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters... (5-6a)

Do you hear the resoluteness in God's voice? He is saying, "Get comfortable. I said seventy years and I meant it when I said it."

I am a little afraid that you will miss this point so let me make it even clearer. Do you know who God is speaking to in these two verses? He is speaking to the exiled young adult.

The young adult might have been thinking, "I am going to wait to really start my life. I know that God said seventy years but maybe He will change His mind if I walk around and pout a lot. Maybe if He hears me crying then He will cut it down to like 10 years. Maybe I can get Him to cut off some more time for good behavior."

But God says, "Go ahead and settle down. Build a permanent residence. Go ahead and get married and have children. And guess what? You will be there long enough to marry off your kids and see them have children. You maybe 20 now but you will be a 90 year old grandpa when your punishment is through."

God was resolute in their punishment. He was not waffling and He will not waffle with us either. He has warned us that punishment is on the other side of sinful choices. He means it.

Not ready to worship yet? We are getting to that part I promise.

2. God loves us in the midst of punishing us.

God has sent them into seventy years of exile but that did not mean He stopped loving them.

Listen to what He says next in verses 7 through 9--

But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. For thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams as they dream, for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the Lord.

God is interested in their welfare. He tells them to work hard to make Babylon a great place because it would be the place where they would be. He was punishing them but He wanted the best for them. He wanted them to prosper and grow in Babylon. At the end of verse six He even tells them to multiply and not decrease while living there.

Not only is God interested in their welfare, but He warns them to avoid liars who would poison them spiritually. He warned them against listening to people who would lead them away from Him or attempt to convince them that God would waffle on His punishment.

Do you hear what this means for you and me? It means that even when we make sinful choices, reach our lowest point, and receive punishment at the hands of God He still loves us. He still wants the best for us. He still wants to work in our lives to lead us away from danger.

Yes God punishes us, but He loves us through the punishment.

3. God can't wait for the punishment to be over in order to bless us.

Any parent will tell you that they would rather give their child a present than a spanking and spend time with their child over sending them to time-out.

It is more enjoyable for the parent, who loves their child, to bring happiness to their child than it is to bring pain. Punishment is a reality of good parenting but it will never bring the smile that blessing their child brings to a parent's face.

God is just like that. He would so much rather bless us then punish us. Like any good parent, God will choose the one that fits the situation (He is not the "give you whatever you want" kind of parent) but He prefers to give gifts.

He is speaking to the exiled Jews in year one of a seventy year punishment and yet He is thinking about year seventy-one (if you aren't excited and wanting to worship at this point I can't help you). Listen to what He says in verse 10--

For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place.

I love it! He is saying, "I know seventy years is a long time but there will be a year seventy-one and it will be sweet. I will bring you back to the Promised Land (gift giving) and I will bless you there (gift giving).

Remember this when you are enduring the punishment of God for your sin--God still loves you and He (even more than you) can't wait for the punishment to be over and the blessing to begin.

Something tells me God was counting down the minutes to midnight of Day One of year Seventy-One with the excitement of a little kid on Christmas Eve.

4. No matter what we do, God is our God before, during, and after punishment.

Have you ever screwed up? I don't mean little league screw ups (oops I said a bad word) but have you ever majorly screwed up?

Well, Israel had. To get a punishment of seventy years in exile, you have to really really screw up bad.

Listen to how God describes Israel and Judah's s horrendous sin of idolatry in Jeremiah 3:6-9

The Lord said to me (Jeremiah) in the days of King Josiah: "Have you seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there played the whore? And I thought, "After she has done all this she will return to me,' but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the whore. Because she took her whoredom lightly, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and tree.

God was so mad at His people He compared them to whores and said that they would sleep with any god, anywhere, at any time. Wow!

But even despite this heinous sin, God still was their God and they were still His people. He says this to them in year one of a seventy one year punishment:

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, and I plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. (11-14)

For God the seventy year exile was a blip on the screen of his relationship with His people. He punished them because that is what a good parent does but He had plans that went beyond punishment.

God will deal with your sin, but punishment is not the business of God. Restoration and redemption are the business of God. He might be punishing you but He has plans for you that go beyond punishment.

Do you get that truth? God deals with our sin (if He didn't He would be a lousy parent) but His relationship with us is motivated by love for us not love for punishment.

God is a year seventy-one kind of guy even in year one of seventy years of exile.

Be careful about speaking for the Lord.

2009-10-26T12:16:00.000-07:00

You hear it all the time, "Well, I think that God..."

People speak "for" God. They tell what they think God will do or how they think that God feels about a particular topic. They serve as God's "spokesperson" to a certain group of people or in a particular situation.

I am not talking about people who appeal to Scripture and simply quote God but rather people who without blinking offer their view on God's view.

I have been to Bible studies before that took on this approach. A particular topic was tossed out and the leader sent it around the group as everyone gave their take on how God felt about that topic.

But the problem is that those people are not God and often times they do not know what they are talking about.

We find one of those people in Jeremiah 28 and his name is Hananiah.

Now before we go into the story of Hananiah let me set the context for you in case you are new to our study of Jeremiah. Jeremiah was the called prophet of God. He wasn't one of many. He was the only one. God had called Jeremiah to preach a very simple message consisting of three parts:

1) Israel and Judah have sinned terribly against the God who had created them, chosen them, and blessed them tremendously.

2) The very same God intended to punish them greatly for their sin.

3) The punishment would come in two forms: death and exile. God was sending King Nebuchadnezzar from Babylon to destroy their land and carry them off into exile. Those who accepted the punishment and did not resist the Babylonians would live in exile. Those who resisted would be killed.

In other words, Jeremiah had been given the words of the Lord to speak but they were not happy words. They were words of judgment and death. In fact, at the point where we are going to pick up the story Jeremiah has even gone so far as to bind himself to a yoke and carry it around all day to illustrate the slavery that was coming to God's people.

Needless to say, Jeremiah was not very popular. People grew tired of listening to his doom and gloom message and they started looking for new voices.

This created an interesting market for a guy like Hananiah because people were looking for new opinions on God and his take on things and Hananiah had opinions.

Listen to what he says in Jeremiah 28:2-4

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the Lord's house, which Nebuchadnezzer king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon. I will also bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles from Judah who went to Babylon, declares the Lord, for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.

Doesn't that message sound different from the one Jeremiah had been preaching? It is so much happier. It is so much more pleasant. It is so much more peaceful. It is "easy listening."

Sure, there is going to be slavery, Hananiah admits, but it is only going to last two years. Jeremiah had just told the people, about two chapters ago, that the slavery would last seventy. Hananiah was a good business man. He understood that if the people had a choice of who to believe they would naturally lean towards the two years of slavery against the seventy years.

Apparently Hananiah was also a bit of a showman too because he even accompanied his message with some theatrics which are detailed in verses 10 & 11:

Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke-bars from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke them. And Hananiah spoke in the presence of the people, saying, "Thus says the Lord: Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all the nations within two years."

Wow! Can't you see the people whispering, "Oh no he didn't!" A star was born.

And the person who speaks for God is often a star, even in our culture today. They are seen as very intelligent (Deepak Chopra), very sophisticated (Oprah), and very nice (Joel Osteen). Even in your own circle you probably have the person that everyone runs to hear their opinion on all things God.

You might even be the person who routinely speaks the, "I think God..." sentences to your friends and family members.

But here is the problem: God has already spoken. He has recorded it in a book for us, so if we are going to talk about what He thinks or feels He would prefer we take our statements from the authorized source.

Jeremiah was the authorized source in his day because before he spoke he was given the words to speak directly from God. Hananiah was not.

And God doesn't like it when you and I go off book and wax eloquent on his thoughts and actions. He wants to speak for Himself.

This is a lesson that Hananiah learned the hard way. I am going to close this post with the "rest of the story" regarding Hananiah found in verses 12 through 17:

Sometime after the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke-bars from off the neck of Jeremiah the prophet, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: "Go, tell Hananiah, 'Thus says the Lord: You have broken wooden bars, but you have made in their place bars of iron. For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I have put upon the neck of all these nations an iron yoke to serve Nebuchadnezzar king. of Babylon, and they shall serve him, for I have given to him even the beasts of the field.'" And Jeremiah the prophet said to the prophet Hananiah, "Listen, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, and you have made the people trust in a lie. Therefore thus says the Lord: 'Behold, I will remove you from the face of the earth. This year you shall die, because you have uttered rebellion against the Lord.'" In that same year, in the seventh month, the prophet Hananiah died.

Be careful about speaking for the Lord.

Text Question of the Week.

2009-10-26T12:11:00.000-07:00

Lots of good text questions during this week's Element but here is the one I thought you would benefit the most from reading its' answer:

How can I know if my boyfriend is able to spiritually lead me? I recently found out that everyone apparently thinks that I would be the one in my relationship to lead & take charge. I think that's because i am more outgoing than my boyfriend. But what people don't see is that I am really the opposite with him. I don't explode, I'm not take charge, and I love following him. He balances my volatile emotions.

Here was my answer:

Asking if he can lead you is not just a personality question. It is also a spiritual question. What is his passion level for Jesus? His obedience level? Is he actively following Jesus? Do you look up to him spiritually? And remember to be honest about the answers!

Thanks to the texter (who is anyonymous to me) and to all the people who texted in questions.

Who is "dateable" in God's eyes?

2009-10-26T06:45:00.001-07:00

Here is the outline of the second session of the Element's jHarmony series:

The question for tonight is, "Who is dateable?"

By dateable we mean, "Who does God want me to date?"

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

The Bible lists six criteria of dateability:

#1 To be dateable, a person must be a member of the opposite sex.

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (I Corinthians 6:9-10)

#2 To be dateable, a person must be a follower of Jesus.

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? (II Corinthians 6:14-15)

Three reasons why "missionary" dating is wrong--

1) The Bible expressly forbids it. (see also Deuteronomy 7:3-4 & Joshua 23:11-13)

2) It focuses only the effect the believer can have on the non-believer and ignores the effect the non-believer can have on the believer.

3) It incorrectly places evangelism above worship and obedience.

#3 To be dateable, a person must be living single with purpose.

One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. (Luke 16:10)

I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord. (I Corinthians 7:35)

The four possible outcomes of "restorative" dating--

1) The restorative dater joins the "fixer-upper" in their sin and loses their focus on Jesus.

2) The restorative dater eventually gives up on the "fixer-upper" and both are damaged.

3) The "fixer-upper" changes for the restorative dater and becomes a "fake" Christ-follower.

4) The restorative dater marries the "fixer upper" and becomes another sad statistic.

#4 To be dateable, a person must be certain they are called to marry.

Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches. (I Corinthians 7:17)

For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it. (Matthew 19:12)

#5 To be dateable, a person must have godly character.

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things that you want to do...Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:16-17, 19-24)

#6 To be dateable, a person must be willing and able to fulfill their marital role.

Wives submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and he is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way, husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. (Ephesians 5:22-28)

Feeling bad never felt so good.

2009-10-23T06:20:00.000-07:00

Two guys are living in a pig pen. They have lived in the pig pen their entire lives and as far as they know all of life revolves around their pig pen. Neither one of the guys have any idea that it is possible to live outside of the pig pen. Both men were born in the pig pen and both assume they will one day die in the pig pen. The pig pen is life and they are both okay with their lives.

But then one day, a mini-van drives by the pig pen and pulls over. A family steps out and approaches the pig pen to find one of the men sleeping and the other staring at them in amazement. The family invites the man who is awake to climb into their van and experience life as they know it. The man climbs into the van and goes back to the family's house where he is allowed to shower, given a few hot meals, and a warm bed to sleep in. After he spends some time with the family, the man is taken back to the pig pen and told he is welcome back at the house anytime.

But now there is a glaring difference between the two men in the pig pen. Both were born in the pig pen, but now one of them knows that there is life--and that life is better than pig pen life--outside of the pig pen. The mud and dirt no longer feel comfortable in light of the shower and clean clothes. He no longer desires to eat the scraps because they do not taste as good as the hot meals he had at the family's house. It is hard for him to sleep on the ground now that he has experienced a bed.

The two men have identical histories and they both find themselves in the pig pen, but they have one glaring difference--one is convinced that life is better outside of the pig pen. He won't stay in the pig pen much longer. The other man, however, because he has never enjoyed life outside of the pig pen will sit in the mud, eat the scraps, and sleep on the floor completely content with his life.

The story is an obvious analogy for the difference between the Christ-Follower and the lost man. Both were born into the pig pen of sin and lived completely content with the mud and scraps that filled their "life."

But then something happened. The Christ-Follower met Jesus Christ and experienced the cleansing of sanctification, the embrace of Jesus' love, and the purpose filled kingdom life.

The believer, because he is still a sinner, is prone to returning to the pig pen of sin from time to time and the lost man never leaves. But the difference between them is that the Christ-Follower is no longer comfortable in the pig pen. There is the nagging gnawing Holy Spirit induced realization that the mud of sin, which at one time seemed comfortable and normal, cannot compare to the warmth of relationship with Jesus.

The Christ-Follower cannot be content in the pig pen and contentment eludes them because of a gift the Father has given them called "conviction."

Conviction is the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer to make them feel a guilt over their sin that leads them to repentance (for a definition of repentance see an earlier post).

Listen to God call out to Israel and Judah in conviction in Jeremiah 25:4-6

You have neither listened nor inclined your ears to hear, although the Lord persistently sent to you all his servants the prophets, saying, "Turn now, every one of you, from his evil way and evil deeds, and dwell upon the land that the Lord has given to you and to your fathers from of old and forever. Do not go after other gods to serve and worship them, or provoke me to anger with the work of your hands to your own harm.

You might say, "Hold on that doesn't sound like conviction. It sounds like a warning." But often times that is the form that conviction takes.

The point is that God has every right to punish sin. He is the completely righteous and just judge of humanity.

But with His people, God offers the gift of a warning. He offers the gift of guilt that leads to repentance. He offers the opportunity to turn now, every one of you, from his evil way and evil deeds (life in the pig pen) and dwell in the land that the Lord has give to you (the warm house). He reminds us that going after other gods to serve and worship them (sin) will provoke Him to anger and do us harm.

Let me make this personal.

When you sin do you feel conviction? Do you hear the Holy Spirit of God warning you? Are you reminded of God's propensity to both forgive and to punish? Are you reminded of how much better life is in the warm house (joyful obedience) then the pig pen (your current sinfulness)?

What a gift it is to be the second man who is no longer content with the pig pen! We are surrounded by people and immersed in a culture that is intoxicated with the mud and filth of sin, but God in His graciousness has allowed us to experience life in His kingdom.

And when we, in our stupidity and sinfulness, return back to the pig pen He does not let us go.

He gives us the gift of conviction. He beckons us back.

Beware of "words" from the Lord.

2009-10-22T07:38:00.000-07:00

Ever been around someone who got a "word" from the Lord?

Maybe their "word" came in dream form and they saw a vision of the future or the Lord's will for your life in metaphor.

Maybe their "word" came in a moment of emotional rapture and with tears streaming down their cheeks they spoke their revelation to you.

Or maybe they were deep in prayer and they emerged confident that God has sent them to you with a "word" to speak.

I will admit that these "words" make me nervous. In fact, I am almost always skeptical of them.

I am bothered by these "words" because of my belief that God has already spoken His Word to us clearly in Scripture.

And I think Jeremiah would understand where I am coming from. Listen to what God says through Jeremiah in 23:28-32

"Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let him who has my word speak my word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat?" declares the Lord.

"Is not my word like fire," declares the Lord, "and like a hammer that breaks the rock into pieces?"

"Therefore, behold I am against the prophets," declares the Lord, "who steal my words from one another. Behold, I am against the prophets," declares the Lord, "who use their tongues and declare, 'declares the Lord.'

"Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams," declares the Lord, "and who tell them and lead my people astray by their lies and their recklessness, when I did not send them or charge them. So they do not profit this people at all," declares the Lord.

The Lord uses strong language to contrast the prophets who had "words" from the Lord derived from their dreams and other strange places. He asks the rhetorical and sarcastic question, "What has straw in common with wheat?"

Their alleged inspired dreams and visions did not posses the power of God's actual Word. God says that His Word, and His Word only, was like fire and a hammer that breaks the rock into pieces.

God's Word is powerful. It does not need the assistance of people's dreams, visions, emotional outbursts, or prayer induced phrases. It speaks for itself. It stands alone.

And people should be careful about saying declares the Lord. Whether they genuinely believe it to be the Lord or not.

God says there were two kinds of prophets causing problems--the lying prophets and the reckless prophets. One knew he wasn't speaking for God and spoke anyway. One thought he was speaking for God and spoke anyway.

But God says this of both prophets, "I did not send them or charge them" and they "do not profit this people at all." Whether motivated by recklessness or ignorance, the false prophets with "words" from the Lord had led the people astray.

God has spoken through His Word and that is what He wants people to encourage, challenge, motivate, and inspire each other with.

He sums it up this way in Jeremiah 23:21-22

I did not send the prophets (both the liar and the reckless), yet they ran.
I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied (said I have a "word" from the Lord).
But if they had stood in my council, then they would have proclaimed my words to my people, and they would have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their deeds.

If they had stood in God's council (His Word) and proclaimed His words (from Scripture) then they would have made a positive difference.

Beware of "words" from the Lord. Turn instead to the Word of the Lord.

Odds and Ends from Jeremiah 20 - 22

2009-10-21T07:02:00.000-07:00

I don't necessarily have one clear stream of thought from this passage, so I thought that I would point out three things that stood out to me from these three chapters.

It is and has always been tough to be the Lord's chosen spokesperson.

I am not now nor will I ever be Jeremiah but I do share a similar occupation. Jeremiah was God's chosen spokesperson to the nations of Israel and Judah and I am a minister to God's people in the CSBC youth group and the Element college ministry.

Sometimes, it is not easy to be God's spokesperson. Jeremiah knew that better than me. Chapter 20 begins with Jeremiah being beaten and sentenced to a night in the stocks for preaching the message of judgment that God had given him to preach.

Consider Jeremiah's plight for a minute. He had been called by God to preach a message of judgment over the sin that his two target nations had committed. God had literally given him every word to say and Jeremiah had been faithful to repeat the message he had been given.

But the people who heard Jeremiah speak did not appreciate his message. In fact, they hated him for it.

Jeremiah puts it this way--

I have become a laughingstock all the day; everyone mocks me. For whenever I speak, I cry out, I shout, "Violence and destruction!" For the word of the Lord has become for me a reproach and derision all day long. (20:7b-8)

And again he describes it like this--

For I hear many whispering. Terror is on every side! "Denounce him! Let us denounce him!" say all my close friends, watching for my fall. "Perhaps he will be deceived; then we can overcome him and take our revenge on him." (20:10)

And let me tell you, as someone who preaches on a regular basis, it is this way for all of us sometimes. Often, I have to preach on a topic from God's Word that is unpopular, painful, or difficult for my audience. They usually let me hear about it.

But what can I do? God has not audibly spoken my message to me like He did with Jeremiah, but He has spoken the messages that I preach in His Word. It is His message and not mine.

But few people are okay with not being liked and no one is okay with being hated (even if it is only by a few). It is painful. It is uncomfortable. It is difficult.

So why do we keep doing it? I keep doing it because I am convinced that God desperately wants His Word to be heard by people. He wants His message to be taught in an authentic and interesting way. He has given me a passion for seeing that accomplished.

Jeremiah described the passion that kept him going like this--

If I say, "I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name," there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot. (20:9)

I have felt the desire to give up, but more importantly I have felt the inability to keep the "fire" shut up inside of me.

Thank you Lord for that fire!

2. The Lord has set two choices before us...always.

This is a small point but I am amazed at how often in the prophets' writings God reminds Israel that they can choose either the path of righteousness or the path of wickedness.

He does it again in 21:8-9

And to this people you shall say, 'Thus says the Lord: Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. He who stays in the city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you shall live and shall have his life as a prize of war.

God, through Jeremiah, had already told the people that Babylon was coming and that Nebuchadnezzar's army would destroy their land. The false prophets, however, kept telling the people that Jeremiah's message was false and that they would have peace and security.

So, two camps were forming: those who listened to God's true message through Jeremiah and those who chose to listen to the pleasant but false message of the liars.

God's point here is clear: Choose your side.

If you believe me then go out and surrender to the Chaldean's because defeat is inevitable. I am going to cause you to lose this battle. Swallow your pride and show your repentance by allowing your faith in my message and power to motivate your surrender. If you do that then you will be taken captive, but you will live.

If you don't believe me then stay inside the city and believe that things will "get better" without My help. You won't be taken captive, but you will be killed.

Do you realize that you and I always have two choices before us. The way of "life" and the way of "death."

Sometimes, we lie to ourselves by believing that our sin is the only choice available to us. We say, "I'm addicted," "I'm between a rock and a hard place," "I have no way out," or "This is just who I am."

But the truth is God has given us the way of "life."

Is this not what Jesus meant when He said, "I am the way the life and the truth..." (John 14:6)?

3. God is concerned about His reputation.

I am going to make this point briefly because apparently there is not a prize given for having the longest blog posts, but it is a point worth making.

Listen to what God pledges will happen after He judges Judah and Israel by leveling them--

And many nations will pass by this city, and every man will say to his neighbor, "Why has the Lord dealt thus with this great city?" And they will answer, "Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and worshipped other gods and served them." (22:8-9)

Is it not interesting that these travellers know exactly what happened? They know who caused the destruction (Why has the Lord dealt thus), they know what the city used to be (this great city), and they know the reason for the destruction (because they have forsaken the covenant...and worshipped other gods and served them).

How do they know all of this?

The answer is that God was bent on destroying the two nations so severely and mightily that the destruction could only be attributed to Him and so that the surrounding nations would know that He was a righteous God.

Israel and Judah were God's chosen people, so God could not let them live in sin without punishing them. They would cause His name to be defamed among the pagan nations.

This brings us to an obvious question--

"Do our lives enhance or defame the reputation of God with those around us?"

Remember these four things!

2009-10-20T11:19:00.001-07:00

God is the King and Creator of the Universe. He is infinitely wise.

And yet God has always chosen to deal simply with His people. He has always chosen a very simple formula to follow, a formula He outlines in Jeremiah 18:7-10

If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it.

Let me make a few comments about this formula.

1) God always punishes the disobedient.

This is the first point that God makes in his comments to Israel here in this part of Jeremiah. He says, "I will pluck up and break down and destroy" any nation that is doing evil.

The Old Testament is full of references to God passing judgment on entire civilizations due to their sinfulness and idolatry.

God sent plagues over the entire nation of Egypt for its treatment of the Israeli slaves, He used the Israelites to destroy pagan civilizations in the Promised Land, and He used pagan civilizations to enslave Israel during times of rebellion.

In short, punishment always happens to those who rebel against God.

For the non-Christ follower this disobedience may be punished on earth but will certainly be punished in hell.

But even for the Christ follower, disobedience will be met with punishment. Hebrews 12:6 puts it this way--

For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.

Are there areas of our lives that we still struggle with? Are we holding on to certain sins? Are we refusing to hand control of an area or a decision to God?

If so we should expect punishment.

The first point is simple--God punishes disobedience.

2) God forgives the repentant.

This is the point that God makes through Jeremiah when He says, "and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken (think pronounced judgment) turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it."

God punishes disobedience but the repentant can avoid the devastation of God's punishment by crying out for mercy. This has always been how God has operated.

Throughout the Old Testament, God would bring calamity on Israel's doorstep and promise doom for their sin, but each time that Israel would cry out in repentance and ask for mercy God would give it to them freely.

In the New Testament, this is one of the things that Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross. He became the way out of God's eternal judgment for the repentant by taking God's judgment for the sins of believers upon Himself.

Isaiah 53 makes this point over and over again--

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. (4)

But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement of that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. (5)

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned--every one--to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (6)

By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgressions of my people? (8)

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt (10a)

The point is that God has always forgiven the repentant sinner and He has done so once and for all through the substitionary death of Jesus Christ.

3) God rewards obedience.

God informs Jeremiah that the nations (or individuals) who do good can expect that God will build and plant them.

This is another common formula found throughout both Old and New Testament.

You will particularly find this theme of the obedient expecting God's blessings in the Psalter, which was the worship book of the Israelites.

Blessed (reward) is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked (obedient), nor stands in the way of sinners (obedient), nor sits in the seat of scoffers (obedient); but his delight is in the law of the Lord (obedient), and on his law he meditates day and night (obedient). He is like a tree planted by streams of water (reward) that yields its fruit in its season (reward) and its leaf does not wither (obedient) in all that he does he prospers (obedient).

Psalm 1:1-3

But let all who take refuge in you (obedient) rejoice (reward); let them ever sing for joy (reward), and spread your protection over them (reward), and those who love your name (obedient) may exult in you (reward). For you bless (reward) the righteous (obedient), O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield (reward).

Psalm 3:11-12

O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent (reward)? Who shall dwell on your holy hill (reward)? He who walks blamelessly (obedient) and does what is right (obedient) and speaks truth in his heart (obedient).

Psalm 15:1-2

And that is only carrying us through the first fifteen Psalms! The third point is simple--God blesses the obedient.

4) God does not bless blindly.

This is the final point that God makes to Israel via the preaching of Jeremiah.

God says this about the "obedient" nation that He has promised to build and plant, "and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do it."

God's point here is clear--God does not bless willy nilly. It is true that all of us enjoy the blessings of God daily. We can all take in the beauty of nature. We all have breath in our lungs. Most of us have our daily needs met: food, clothing, and shelter.

But the "big" blessings are reserved for those who remain faithful to the Lord. I know that isn't shocking to you. We already discussed this point on #3, but the point I want to make at the end here is different.

God will abandon his plans to bless the obedient if that person turns from his/her obedience to sinful disobedience.

Of course, God is speaking to Israel here and nobody learned this truth any harder than Israel. Remember Moses leading the people out of Egypt and into the Promised Land? Remember what happened when the people refused to go in?

A generation of people, including eventually Moses, would die outside of the Promised Land because although God made a promise (during their obedience) they walked away from God and had the promise taken away.

How many of us have missed out on a blessing God was planning for our lives because we turned once again to disobedience? The answer is probably too many.

So, remember these four things!

1) God punishes disobedience.

2) God forgives the repentant.

3) God blesses the obedient.

4) God does not bless blindly.

Who can fix my heart?

2009-10-19T08:58:00.001-07:00

The Bible places an emphasis on the heart as the epicenter of all human thought and behavior.

Let me illustrate with two key passages--

Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

Proverbs 4:23

Solomon does a good job making the point here. He simply says, "watch what is going on in your heart because it will determine everything else in your life."

The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

Luke 6:45

Jesus echoes Solomon here by making the point that every evil action can be traced back to an evil heart and every good action back to a good heart.

Both passages make the point that the heart is the seat of emotions and behavior. It is the epicenter of all action.

And that makes what God says in Jeremiah 17:9 all the more troubling for both Israel and for us:

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

Uh oh. So, the heart is the epicenter of action and the seat of all emotions and behavior but it also deceitful and desperately sick? This does not sound good.

And it isn't good.

The truth is that all of our hearts are infected with sin and it shows in the way we live our lives.

God has been getting on to Israel for its' sin for about 17 chapters now in Jeremiah, but He finally boils their problems down to one single source--their sinful hearts.

Are you consistently stepping outside of the will of God?

Are you consistently struggling with sin(s)?

If so then the source of your behavior can be traced back to a heart that is deceitful and desperately wicked.

And Jeremiah, like you, found himself wondering aloud, "who can understand it?"

Are you there? Have you reached the point of exhaustion and confusion where you just want to throw up your hands and say, "Will I ever beat this? Can I ever change?"

And the truth is we are capable of cleaning up the outside and dressing ourselves up "morally," but we are incapable of fixing the internal heart problem.

Consider this analogy. Let's say you have a heart that is failing. You might be able to stop eating foods high in cholesterol and start exercising but you are incapable of performing surgery on the failing heart which is the real problem.

So, now what?

The answer will come later in Jeremiah but for now let's skip over to Ezekiel and find God's remedy for a sick and sinful heart.

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness and from your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statues and be careful to obey my rules.

Ezekiel 36:25-27

God's remedy for Israel, and for us, is simple--a heart transplant. The heart you and I were born with was deceitful and desperately wicked due to its infection with sin. God knows that we are incapable of fixing our internal problem.

So, God's remedy is to give us a heart transplant. He wants to take out the old heart and put in a new heart.

Notice how he contrasts the two hearts, old and new, in Ezekiel.

The old heart is a heart of stone. Why stone? Because stone is impenetrable and incapable of changing. You and I could took a bow and arrow (old school I know) out to a giant boulder and shoot arrows at it until we drop but it isn't going to affect the boulder.

In much the same way, Israel's (and ours) sinful hearts would not respond to the attempts of God to mold them.

So, God promises to give them a new heart of flesh. Why flesh? Because it only takes one arrow sticking out of your flesh for you to be affected.

And that is what God wants--affectation.

Let me close this blog post by separating the readers into two groups and asking each group a question.

1) If you are reading this blog and you are not yet a Christ-follower then you should know that you keep sinning because you have a heart problem. Are you willing to cry out to Jesus Christ whose death and resurrection serve as the means to giving you a new heart?

2) If you are reading this blog and you are a Christ-follower then are you waking up each morning and asking God to help you live with a heart of flesh and not of stone? Are you asking God to be affected by your sin and by his molding?

Who can fix my heart? God can through His Son Jesus Christ.

Who are you listening to?

2009-10-16T06:54:00.000-07:00

In Jeremiah 14 & 15 God stresses two major themes:

1) His judgment is coming and He will not relent.

God says this to Jeremiah in 14:10-12

Thus says the Lord to this people, "Even so they have loved to wander; they have not kept their feet in check. Therefore the Lord does not accept them; now He will remember their iniquity and call their sins to account." So the Lord said to me, "Do not pray for the welfare of this people. When they fast, I am not going to listen to their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I am not going to accept them. Rather I am going to make an end of them by the sword, famine and pestilence."

God is determined to punish Israel for their sin. If you know the story of the Old Testament (primarily 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles) then you know that God has sent Israel countless warnings and prophets, but they have ignored Him.

Now, according to God, the time for warnings is over and His prophet has only one message--judgment is coming. The time has come for God to call their sins to account. It is time to pay.

God is so determined to punish Israel's sins that He tells Jeremiah not to pray for the welfare of this people and He informs the people that fasting is pointless because He won't listen to their cry.

God is only concerned with one thing and that is bringing the sword, famine, and pestilence.

This is the theme that God repeats throughout these two chapters. Here are the highlights--

Then the Lord said to me, "Even though Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My heart would not be with this people; send them away from My presence and let them go!" (15:1)

And it shall be that when they say to you, 'Where should we go?' then you are to tell them, 'Thus says the Lord: 'Those destined for death, to death; And those destined for the sword, to the sword; And those destined for famine, to famine; And those destined for captivity, to captivity." (15:2)

"You who have forsaken Me," declares the Lord, "You keep going backward. So I will stretch out My hand against you and destroy you; I am tired of relenting!" (15:6)

I think the end of verse 16 sums up God's point when He says, "I am tired of relenting."

God hated Israel's sin and had grown weary of heeding the prayers of the few righteous on behalf of the many wicked. He was fed up. Judgment was coming.

The second major theme of these two chapters is where I want to focus my attention.

2) Israel was filled with false prophets preaching false messages.

God is telling Jeremiah of the certainty of the judgment that is coming, but Jeremiah responds that the people may not be turning from their sin because of the messages they are being told are coming from God.

Jeremiah says,

But, "Ah, Lord God!" I said, "Look, the prophets are telling them, 'You will not see the sword nor will you have famine, but I will give you lasting peace in this place.'" Then the Lord said to me, "The prophets are prophesying falsehood in My name. I have neither sent them nor commanded them nor spoken to them; they are prophesying to you a false vision, divination, futility and the deception of their own minds."

Jeremiah's point is that the Israelites are only doing what they are told. God's response is that they are being told a false message by false prophets.

What is a "false" prophet? God gives us three indications--

1) A false prophet speaks a message different then the one God has spoken.

God had chosen to get his message out through Jeremiah. Jeremiah was the lone sanctioned speaker of God's truth.

And the false prophets of Jeremiah's day were saying a message that was the exact opposite of what God had told Jeremiah. Their message was, "You will not see the sword nor will you have famine, but I will give you lasting peace in this place."

In our day, we have the Bible as the lone sanctioned speaker of God's truth. Any message that deviates from this single sanctioned message is false and the speaker of it is a false prophet.

2) A false prophet has not been called by God.

Jeremiah could speak with confidence before the people because God had called him to be His prophet.

The false prophets had no command or commission from God. God states clearly, "I have neither sent them nor commanded them nor spoken to them."

3) A false prophet gets his/her message from somewhere other than God's truth.

So, where were the false prophets getting their message if not from God? God suggests some possible places, "they are prophesying to you a false vision, divination, futility and the deception of their own minds."

So what would come as a result of these false teachers sharing a false message?

God tells us in 14:15-16

Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who are prophesying in My name, although it was not I who sent them--yet they keep saying, 'There will be no sword or famine in this land'--by sword and famine those prophets shall meet their end! The people also to whom they are prophesying will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and there will be no one to bury them--neither them, nor their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters--for I will four out ther own wickedness upon them."

It is no suprise that God says He is going to judge the false prophets, but what is suprising is that God is also going to judge the people who listen to them.

Let's fast forward to today. We live in a world where countless people in churches, on television, on the radio, and on the internet claim to speak for God.

But do they really? The reality is that some, if not many of them, are false prophets preaching a false message that will result in the judgment of them and those who listen to them.

Let's forget actual "preachers" for a minute and think of those in our lives who we seek counsel and advice from--what are they telling us? Is their advice false?

At this point you might be saying, "But, how can I know if their message is false?"

The answer to that question lies in seeking out and understanding the true message of God. If you know the truth then you can expose the lie because anything that deviates from the truth is in fact falsehood.

Paul puts it this way in Galatians 1:8

But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!"

It is false if it deviates from scripture.

You and I must ask ourselves this question, "Who am I listening to?" and then we must ask, "Is their message false?"

God will judge false teachers and those who listen to them. Don't be in that group!

Why do "they" always seem to be doing well?

2009-10-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

My reading for today was Jeremiah 12 & 13.

Jeremiah begins this passage by asking a question that I am sure most Christ-followers have asked at one point or another.

Righteous are you, O Lord, when I complain to you; yet I would plead my case before you. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive? (12:1)

Jeremiah's question is simple--God, if I am your prophet, then why is my life seemingly so miserable right now (everyone is mad at me / wants to kill me for telling them what you have told me to say) and the life of the wicked is seemingly so great?

I have to admit that I have asked this question myself. I look at those around me who worship at the altar of money, career, fame, self, etc... and see that their life seems to be so great.

I can watch television and see the lives of those in Hollywood, professional athletes, musicians all who deny Jesus Christ with their lifestyle and yet seem to enjoy the best of everything here on earth.

It is enough to make a Christ follower say, "There is something wrong with this picture!"

And that is exactly what Jeremiah is doing, but He even takes it a step further--

You plant them, and they take root; they grow and produce fruit; (12:2a)

He is actually pointing to God as the reason for their success. Can this really be?

For Jeremiah this was earth shattering because he was travelling around Jerusalem preaching the message of judgment that God had given him to preach and he was being ridiculed and ostracized as a result, but when he looked around at those who were rejecting God's message he perceived that their lives were great.

Why would God plant the wicked? Why would he cause them to grow and produce fruit?

Jeremiah takes it upon himself to remind God that these people do not love Him--

You are near in their mouth and are far from their heart. (12:2b)

What a statement! Jeremiah is basically saying to God that the wicked Jews He has seemingly blessed are phonies and frauds when it comes to their devotion to God.

They are not like Jeremiah who is confident that God knows he really loves Him--

But you, O Lord, know me; you see me, and test my heart toward you. (12:3a)

So, Jeremiah asks, "If you know that they are phonies and frauds and that I really love you then why do you bless them and leave me to suffer persecution?"

God's answer back to Jeremiah is interesting and I think something we can learn from--

I have forsaken my house; I have abandoned my heritage; I have given the beloved of my soul into the hands of her enemies. My heritage has become to me like a lion in the forest; she has lifted up her voice against me, therefore I hate her. Is my heritage to me like a hyena's lair? Are the birds of prey against her all around? Go, assemble all the wild beasts; bring them to devour. Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard; they have trampled down my portion; they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness. They have made it a desolation; desolate, it mourns to me. The whole land is made desolate, but no man lays it to heart. Upon all the bare heights in the desert destroyers have come, for the sword of the Lord devours from one end of the land to the other, no flesh has peace. They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns; they have tired themselves out but profit nothing. They shall be ashamed of their harvests because of the fierce anger of the Lord. (12:7-13)

Confused about what God is actually saying? Let me break it down into points--

1) The wicked enjoy paper success because they have been abandoned by God.

Those who persecuted Jeremiah may have seemed to Jeremiah to be doing just fine, but God's point is that their success will only be temporary. He has abandoned them. God says to Jeremiah, "I have forsaken my house; I have abandoned my heritage." Here is speaking of Israel, who is rejecting God's message through Jeremiah, and how He was letting them go. Sure, they might have seemed to be doing well but according to God their success is empty.

2) The wicked will suffer the consequences of their evil actions.

God is not ignorant of the many evils that the wicked perpetrate. He will punish them. God assures Jeremiah that the sword of the Lord devours the wicked.

3) God does not operate on the human time-table.

This is the key point. We like to look at the wicked and say, "punish them" and the righteous and say, "bless them" but the reality is that God does not always work in the immediate. We see this point in verse 13 where God says, "They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns; they have tired themselves out but profit nothing." Jeremiah might have looked around and seen that those who stood against God were profiting but according to God they were only reaping thorns and profiting nothing. God's point is that judgment and punishment was coming and while it seemed the wicked were reaping blessing they would really reap punishment.

4) The wicked will answer to God for rejecting Him in spite of His blessings.

This is how God closes this passage. He says, "They shall be ashamed of their harvests because of the fierce anger of the Lord." Can you imagine standing before God who had blessed you in every way and giving an account for how you did not listen to Him? Can imagine having to look God in the face and admit to your ungratefulness? God is saying that on that day the wicked will be ashamed of all that God had bless them with.

So, what does this mean for us?

1) God will bless the righteous and punish the wicked.

Rest assured this will happen. Sometimes it happens on earth but it always happens in eternity. You may be tempted to look at those who are not following Christ and envy the ease of their lives, but that "ease" is temporary and will result in judgment.

2) The "joy" and "success" of the wicked is fraudulent.

What good is success without God? They may have money, prestige, and possessions, but they are disconnected from the Creator of the universe. You might be tempted to compare your life to theirs and say, "Why don't I have _________ (fill-in-the-blank)?" But the reality is that God has given us all that is necessary for a purpose-driven life. They have the empty shell of that life.

3) God's kingdom is eternal and not earthly.

God never promises His people that life would be easy or comfortable on earth. God never told Jeremiah he would become famous for preaching God's message. God is not interested in giving you your "Best Life Now" He is interested in including you in His eternal kingdom.

Think about it. Jesus is the King of our Kingdom, right? But what was His earthly life like? He was poor, homeless, hated, ostracized, and murdered but now He sits on the throne of Heaven as the one true King.

We, as Christ-followers, must remember as we look at the "great" lives of the wicked that they are experiencing life as good as it will ever be for them. They have money and fame here on earth, but in eternity they will have nothing but suffering.

We may have nothing now, but in eternity we will dine with the King.

"They" might seem to be doing well, but in reality "they" are not.

Can we really be that stupid?

2009-10-14T08:50:00.000-07:00

We pick Jeremiah back up with chapters 10 & 11. God is still not happy with Israel. Having dealt with their unwillingness to repent He now turns His attention to a different offense.

Israel had fallen into worshipping idols. They had let the pagan religions of the surrounding nations infiltrate their culture and turn them from worshipping the one true God. They had begun worshipping false gods or "idols" made of wood and precious metals.

God articulates the problem in Jeremiah 10:2-5

Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them, for the customs of the people are vanity. A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move. Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.

Israel had obviously been listening to their neighbors' philosophies on religion (learn not the way of the nations), fallen into astrology (nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens), and engaged in the worship of wooden statues.

But what is interesting is that God doesn't head immediately into a rebuke. He doesn't start with a chastisement of Israel for being evil or being adulterous.

Instead, God points out the stupidity of Israel's worshipping things made by men. He starts by pointing out the weaknesses of the pagan gods.

He lists several weaknesses--

1) They are man made. Think about it. Can something made by a human really be god?

2) They are made from elements of the earth. I thought a god was supposed to be the creator of trees and metal and not created from trees and metal?

3) They derive their beauty from the skill of others. The pagan gods had not beauty until a craftsman skillfully adorned them with materials.

4) They are physically limited. Is there handicap parking for these gods? They can't even move or speak.

5) They are incapable of making any difference. These gods can't do any evil or any good. They are utterly worthless.

God's point is simple--Does these attributes sound like they belong to anything worthy of worship?

God continues in verses 6 through 10 by comparing Himself to these false gods--

There is none like you, O Lord; you are great, and your name is great in might. Who would not fear you, O King of the nations? For this is your due; for among the wise ones of the nations and in all their kingdoms there is none like you. They are both stupid and foolish the instruction of idols is but wood! Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz. They are the work of the craftsman and of the hands of the goldsmith; their clothing is violet and purple; they are the work of skilled men. But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. At his wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure his indignation.

God must have a sense of humor because He shows in these verses how He is the exact opposite of those worthless idols.

1) God is not man-made. He has no beginning or end. He has always been. He is the "living God" and the "everlasting King."

2) God controls the elements of the earth. So much so, that even the earth quakes at His wrath.

3) God's beauty is intrinsic. Jeremiah exclaims "There is none like you, O Lord; you are great."

4) God is not limited in any way. Jeremiah says, "You are great, and your name is great in might." Even God's name is mighty. Yikes!

5) God is to be both feared and praised. Jeremiah points asks "Who would not fear you, O King of the nations? For this is your due. Fear, in this context, is used a dual term representing both genuine fear (in response to God's power) and respect (in response to Gods wisdom and goodness).

God's point is simple. If this was a boxing match the announcer would say, "In the red corner we have the "challenger" made by men, having no intrinsic worth, having created nothing, incapable of moving and incapable of making any real difference." And then the announcer would turn to God and say, "In the blue corner we have the "champion" eternal, having endless intrinsic beauty, the Creator of everything, capable of making the earth tremble at His voice, and able to both destroy and save."

Who do you think is winning that fight?

Here is the point: You and I may not have a wooden statue that we are praying too, but we are guilty of worshipping false idols. We worship at the altar of money, career, boyfriend/girlfriend, self, etc... We trust these things to save us. We trust these things to provide our happiness and purpose.

But how stupid are we?

God is the Creator of everything we see. He is the eternal everlasting King of the universe. He is the One who has reached down and rescued us through the work of Jesus Christ.

So, why do we go elsewhere in our worship? Why are we that stupid?

Do I feel a sorrow that transforms?

2009-10-13T07:51:00.001-07:00

I am currently working my way through the book of Jeremiah.

If you have never read Jeremiah then let me summarize it for you:The nation of Israel has turned away from God and served idols. They have fallen in love with wickedness and are no longer following God's commands or seeking His truth.

So, God calls Jeremiah to be a prophet and pronouncing the judgment that God is going to send on Israel for their sin.The majority of the book is Jeremiah doing just that speaking the Word of the Lord concerning judgment to his fellow Jews.

Here is the passage I want to talk about today--

You shall say to them, Thus says the Lord:
When men fall, do they not rise again? If one turns away, does he not return? Why then has this people turned away in perpetual backsliding? They hold fast to deceit; they refuse to return. I have paid attention and listened, but they have not spoken rightly; no man relents of his evil, saying, "What have I done?" Everyone turns to his own course, like a horse plunging headlong into battle.

Jeremiah 8:4-6

God hates sin. He hated Israel's sin and He hates our sin. But what is interesting to me about these verses is that God is upset about something more than just Israel's sin. He is upset about what their sin isn't producing inside of them.

God is aware of our imperfections and He knows that we will sin. Please don't take that to mean that He is okay with our sin, but just that He knows our imperfections will inevitably result in our failure to meet his standards.

God passionately cares about how we respond to our own sinfulness. He wants us to repent.

What does it mean to repent? Repentance is simply the transforming sorrow that Christ-follower has over his or her sin.

Perhaps, the best explanation I could offer comes from the Apostle Paul--

For godly grief produces repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. (II Corinthians 7:10)

The true Christ follower will find that his or her sin produces a genuine sorrow in their heart over the evil that they have done, but this sorrow is more than just guilt. Guilt is an emotion that comes and goes. Godly sorrow, or repentance, is transformative.

A Christ follower will be driven by their sorrow to change. They will be driven to ask God for forgiveness and they will be driven to replace that sinful desire and action with righteousness.

Consider what Zacchaeus (the former thief) did when Jesus saved him--

And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold." (Luke 19:8)

Zacchaeus didn't just feel guilt over his sin. He felt sorrow that transformed him.
God desperately wants his people to feel sorrow over their sin and for that sorrow to motivate them to change and return back to Him. He is LOOKING FOR IT.

Jeremiah records God saying, "I have paid attention and listened, but they have not spoken rightly; no man relents of his evil, saying, 'What have I done?'"

God knew Israel would sin but He was outraged by their unwillingness to feel the sorrow that leads to transformation. He remarks that "They hold fast to deceit; they refuse to return."

Perhaps the most damning evidence God has against Israel comes outside of our passage in verse 12 when He portrays Israel's lack of sorrow in this way--

"Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush."

God is distraught and outraged over Israel's lack of ability to blush or be embarrassed over their own sin.

All of this brings me to the question of the day for you and for me:

Do we feel transformative sorrow over our sin?

Are we content to go on sinning?

Do we feel guilt that only lasts a minute?

Or are we driven to fall weeping at the cross and exchange our sinfulness for righteousness

How can you get involved in this Blog?

2009-10-13T07:33:00.001-07:00

Before I post the first actual devotional blog in this blog supposedly devoted to devotional comments let me add one thing.

If this blog is going to be a community and a place for conversation then it can be a one-sided conversation. I don't like one-sided conversations.

So, I thought I would take a second and point out some ways you could get involved in this blog and make it a multi-dimensional conversation.

Post comments after devotional blogs.

Nothing revolutionary here. You know how the blog system works. When I post some devotional comments then you post your thoughts about what I have said. Feel free to add verses or thoughts.

Email or Text in Questions to be Answered in this Blog

My cell phone number is (919) 995-2210 and my email address is zach@carlinvillesouthern.org. You can use those two contacts to get your question to me. Let me know you would like for the question to be answered in the blog and I will do my best to make it happen.

It doesn't have to just be a question. It could also be a subject you won't me to cover or really anything. So, fire away.

Attend the Element

I know. I know. What a shameless plug! I plan on posting the most thought provoking question at each week's Element service on this blog for those who either don't attend or missed that particular week.

I will also post the listening guide for the previous Element's message, so if you attend the Element then your question might get posted and you will be able to post comments about the message.

I really like this idea by the way. In this sense, my message could become this living thing where you are adding analogies and stories from your life that help illustrate the point.

Okay, so now you know how you can't get involved in this blog. Do it. Do it. Do it.

Why do a devotional blog?

2009-10-13T07:18:00.000-07:00

Why would I want to a devotional blog?

I am asking myself that right now as I stare at a to-do list for the week that is currently about twenty items long. Why add item number twenty-one?

I am motivated to start this blog for a couple of reasons--

1) The blog will keep me regularly focused on thinking through what I am reading in God's Word. As I mentioned, I am busy. But who isn't? If I have the daily pressure (err...motivation) to post on this blog then I will be forced to avoid the quick read-through of my daily Bible passage but to think through what it is saying and how best to represent that.

2) The blog will give me a way to connect with Element attenders. I am a student pastor, a husband, and a father of one and a half kids, so hanging out on campus isn't easy for me. The blog will hopefully give Element attenders a chance to get to know me personally and maintain a conversation with me even if it is online.

3) The blog will hopefully help Element attenders in their attempt to follow Jesus. It is my hope that as you check this blog you will gain some insight, motivation, or encourgament in your walk with Jesus. I hope that it motivates you to spend time doing your own devotional study and reflecting.

4) The blog will spark community among Element attenders. This is my main reason for authoring the blog. Sure, I hope that it helps me stay focused, connects us, and helps you follow Jesus but my main motivation is that what is said here and the discussion that ensues (whether online or offline) will make us a tighter knit family of believers.

Before I end this first post, let me list one reason that is not motivating me to do this blog--

1) The blog will not be about me. The point of this blog is not to bring attention to Zach. If you have been coming to the Element for any period of time at all then you know that I don't deserve any of the attention. This blog is about Jesus Christ and us as community of people dedicated to following Him.

That's basically it. I hope you will continue to check out the blog and I hope it works.