What gives you your greatest joy? A vacation on a tropical island? A problem free life? Playing with your kids? Achieving some goal that you set? A promotion at work? Purchasing a new car, or a new computer? Being highly regarded by others? Helping someone in need? A win by your favorite team? Being physically healthy? The reason I ask this question is not just because I think every person cares about them, but also because this questions is one of the rock bottom concerns of the Bible.
The Psalmist spoke of his highest joy when he says, “I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy,” Can you say that? A Christian’s thinking, feeling, and living will not be God centered unless God is the center of your joy not His gifts. The Psalmist in the midst of trouble and sorrow was God centered when he says, “I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, (ESV); to God, my joy and my delight (NIV); or very literally from the Hebrew, “God, the gladness of my rejoicing. That is, God, who in all my rejoicing over all the good things that he had made, is himself, in all my rejoicing, the heart of my joy, the gladness of my joy.
Every joy that does not have God as the central gladness of the joy is a hollow joy. Isn’t this amazing! Here King David is threatened by enemies and feeling danger from his adversaries, and yet he knows that the ultimate battle of his life is not the defeat of his enemies, it is not escaping natural catastrophe; it is not surviving the trials and difficulties of life. The ultimate battle is: Will God be his exceeding joy? Will God be the gladness at the heart of all his joys?
Oh like the Psalmist, permeating all of your joy, would be joy in God. God cannot be the center of your life, heart, and mind if He is not the center of your joy. This means that a primary purpose of your life is the cultivation of that joy. Joy cannot be the icing of the cake on your life. Maybe it comes, maybe it doesn’t. It’s nice when it’s there, it’s sad when it’s not. It doesn’t really matter, what matters is duty and doing what is required of you. If that is the Christian life for you, you will not have a God centered heart, mind, and life.
I have been challenging my church and others to declare war on any kind of Christianity that is not God centered and joy producing. We must declare war against a kind of Christianity that promises health, wealth, ease, safety, security, problem free living, and heaven on earth. We must fight tenaciously against a culture of religion and church that tells you to embrace God for all the wrong reasons and as a result produces the wrong joy by promising God is going to bring you happiness in anything less than Him. I am fighting against a shallow mile wide inch deep kind of Christianity that succeeds and appeals in times of safety, ease health, wealth, comfort, and security but is empty and worthless in times of trials, difficulty, and adversity. I am challenging us is to pursue our joy in God like never before so that you can say like the Psalmist that God is “The gladness of your joy.”
This challenge could cost you your life. If you want to be happy it will cost you your life! So happy in Jesus that you can say like Paul, “For me to live is Christ, to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:20). A joy in Christ that believes that you do not need to be alive to be happy. You don’t need your house, car, success, popularity, fame, marriage, family, fruitful ministry, or a growing church to be happy. A deep abiding joy in your soul so that you will be able to say like Habakkuk in Habakkuk 3:17-18, “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.”
John Paton, great missionary to the cannibals in the South Pacific in the late 19th century wrote, “Oh that the pleasure-seeking men and women of the world could only taste and feel the real joy of those who know and love the true God – a heritage which the world . . . cannot give to them, but which the poorest and humblest followers of Jesus inherit and enjoy.” Have you tasted and felt that real joy or are we in bondage to the pleasures of this world so that, for all our talk about the glory of God, we love television and food and sleep and sex and money and human praise just like everybody else? If so, let us repent and fix our faces like flint toward the Word of God in prayer: O Lord, open my eyes to see the sovereign sight that in your presence is fullness of joy and at your right hand are pleasures for evermore (Psalm 16:11).
The great Westminster Catechism says “Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever” or as John Piper says “by enjoying him forever.” Jonathan Edwards reminds us “The enjoyment of God is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. Fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, or children, or the company of earthly friends, are but shadows; but God is the substance. These are but scattered beams, but God is the sun. These are but streams. But God is the ocean.”
Going hard after supreme joy,
Pastor Bill
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
THOUGHTS ON LOVING HEAVEN, RELIEF, AND GIFTS MORE THAN CHRIST
I shared in my sermon Sunday the possibility that people may desire to go to heaven with no desire for God. Who does not prefer eternal peace, bliss, joy, and to be with our loved ones in contrast with suffering, pain, and damnation? But is that what you want? you can love heaven and the idea of heaven and not love God. So the real question is "do you want the God of heaven more than you desire heaven?" The idolatry is insidious. To prefer anything above God is sin, worthy of judgement, and idolatry. If you do not prefer God above all things than you will not want to be in His heaven.
The question is "do you desire heaven for relief or do you desire heaven for God"? Do you have the heart like David who said in Psalm 27:4, "One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple. " Or Paul who said, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:20). "I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ" (Philippians 3:8). The desire of these men was not merely the things that God does for them, the gifts and graces from God, the benefits that He provides; but rather God Himself!
Think about this in regards to gratitude and thankfulness. During my childhood, every year on my birthday and at Christmas I eagerly expected a card from my grandmother. It wasn’t the card itself that I was excited about; it was what was inside the card. So I would quickly open the card ignoring whatever words my dear grandmother wrote to me in order to focus on the important thing: how much cash was inside. My response was dictated on whether much or little cash was given. Mom would say, “Wasn’t that nice of grandmother to give you that?” My mind was far from thoughts about my grandmother. No, I had deeper, more important things on my mind: Would I have enough to buy that army man set that I coveted?
Mom would ask the question again and I would respond about how nice it was in order to placate her. But then she would say, “Be sure to write a thank you note Billy.” Days would usually go by and somehow that thank-you note just didn’t seem to fit into my schedule. I was too busy playing with my new army man set. Mom at first gently reminded me about the necessity and consideration of writing that thank-you note. But that just didn’t seem to motivate me. After a few days of observing my procrastination she would make it an immediate and emphatic demand: “Billy you will write that thank you note Now!” Reluctantly, I would sit down and write my rapid and token thank you note. “Dear Grandmother, Thank you for the nice card (Who knows what she actually wrote me) and money you sent me. Love, your Grandson Billy.”
This ritual would be repeated by me semi-annually throughout my childhood with virtually the same coercion from my mom and the same reluctant response from me. As I am now considerably older and my dear grandmother has been long passed away, it saddens me to look back on my attitude towards my grandmother and her cards and my ingratitude towards her. From my grandmother’s perspective, I was the object of her love, and her gift was an expression of what she felt towards me as her grandson.
Sadly, my behavior and attitude communicated that I had little or no regard for my grandmother and that any gratitude I had was solely for the money she had given me. I never called her or wrote to her unless forced to. Yet I expected money at birthdays and Christmas and consistently received it from her in spite of my ingratitude. I was nominally thankful for her gifts but had little or no regard for her, the giver. Now I know what a precious and wonderful person she was and if she were I alive I would say “Thank you grandmother. Thank you for loving me and being so kind to me.” But even more I would say, “Thank you, grandmother for being you. I love you.” I’m beginning to understand gratitude in deeper, more precious ways.
My attitude towards my grandmother and towards her gifts has caused me to think much about gratitude.
There is one kind of gratitude that can be found inside and outside of Christianity. A drug addict might be thankful that he found some money to pay for his next fix. A thief may be thankful she didn't get caught when she took some merchandise from a store. A worker may be thankful for a bonus received at Christmas from a boss he despises. A child might be thankful for the gift given at Christmas by a little known distant relative or grandmother.
Jonathan Edwards speaks of the gratitude of the hypocrite. The hypocrite is thankful to God for His gifts but has no preference or regard for Him. How would you feel if you were lavished with thanks from someone who disliked or disregarded you? Wouldn’t you feel insulted regardless of the amount of thanks spoken to you? Wouldn’t you feel you were being used, like a commodity or tool, if you were considered neither attractive nor desired to be in the company of the other person? It’s the same way with God. If all of the gratitude and thanksgivings we express are not rooted in our delight in Him, love for Him, and our deepest regard for His person, than it is no more virtuous than an adulterous spouse who thanks her husband for the money she gets from him to take a trip to Hawaii with her lover.
True gratitude rises in cherishing the preciousness of Christ above every gift from God including life itself. It is very difficult to communicate with people a love for God when it is mixed with a lifestyle characterized by love for self and demonstrated with normal gratitude rooted in our own self-interest. That is why I have found that the separation and severing of His people from the gifts of this world through suffering produces a deep Christ centered love and joy and gratitude that survive the severing. Instead it rises above and out of reach of the loss of these things by cherishing Christ and causing the Christian to cry out to the nations: Trust, hope, love and give thanks to the Lord!
To be continued....
The question is "do you desire heaven for relief or do you desire heaven for God"? Do you have the heart like David who said in Psalm 27:4, "One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple. " Or Paul who said, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:20). "I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ" (Philippians 3:8). The desire of these men was not merely the things that God does for them, the gifts and graces from God, the benefits that He provides; but rather God Himself!
Think about this in regards to gratitude and thankfulness. During my childhood, every year on my birthday and at Christmas I eagerly expected a card from my grandmother. It wasn’t the card itself that I was excited about; it was what was inside the card. So I would quickly open the card ignoring whatever words my dear grandmother wrote to me in order to focus on the important thing: how much cash was inside. My response was dictated on whether much or little cash was given. Mom would say, “Wasn’t that nice of grandmother to give you that?” My mind was far from thoughts about my grandmother. No, I had deeper, more important things on my mind: Would I have enough to buy that army man set that I coveted?
Mom would ask the question again and I would respond about how nice it was in order to placate her. But then she would say, “Be sure to write a thank you note Billy.” Days would usually go by and somehow that thank-you note just didn’t seem to fit into my schedule. I was too busy playing with my new army man set. Mom at first gently reminded me about the necessity and consideration of writing that thank-you note. But that just didn’t seem to motivate me. After a few days of observing my procrastination she would make it an immediate and emphatic demand: “Billy you will write that thank you note Now!” Reluctantly, I would sit down and write my rapid and token thank you note. “Dear Grandmother, Thank you for the nice card (Who knows what she actually wrote me) and money you sent me. Love, your Grandson Billy.”
This ritual would be repeated by me semi-annually throughout my childhood with virtually the same coercion from my mom and the same reluctant response from me. As I am now considerably older and my dear grandmother has been long passed away, it saddens me to look back on my attitude towards my grandmother and her cards and my ingratitude towards her. From my grandmother’s perspective, I was the object of her love, and her gift was an expression of what she felt towards me as her grandson.
Sadly, my behavior and attitude communicated that I had little or no regard for my grandmother and that any gratitude I had was solely for the money she had given me. I never called her or wrote to her unless forced to. Yet I expected money at birthdays and Christmas and consistently received it from her in spite of my ingratitude. I was nominally thankful for her gifts but had little or no regard for her, the giver. Now I know what a precious and wonderful person she was and if she were I alive I would say “Thank you grandmother. Thank you for loving me and being so kind to me.” But even more I would say, “Thank you, grandmother for being you. I love you.” I’m beginning to understand gratitude in deeper, more precious ways.
My attitude towards my grandmother and towards her gifts has caused me to think much about gratitude.
There is one kind of gratitude that can be found inside and outside of Christianity. A drug addict might be thankful that he found some money to pay for his next fix. A thief may be thankful she didn't get caught when she took some merchandise from a store. A worker may be thankful for a bonus received at Christmas from a boss he despises. A child might be thankful for the gift given at Christmas by a little known distant relative or grandmother.
Jonathan Edwards speaks of the gratitude of the hypocrite. The hypocrite is thankful to God for His gifts but has no preference or regard for Him. How would you feel if you were lavished with thanks from someone who disliked or disregarded you? Wouldn’t you feel insulted regardless of the amount of thanks spoken to you? Wouldn’t you feel you were being used, like a commodity or tool, if you were considered neither attractive nor desired to be in the company of the other person? It’s the same way with God. If all of the gratitude and thanksgivings we express are not rooted in our delight in Him, love for Him, and our deepest regard for His person, than it is no more virtuous than an adulterous spouse who thanks her husband for the money she gets from him to take a trip to Hawaii with her lover.
True gratitude rises in cherishing the preciousness of Christ above every gift from God including life itself. It is very difficult to communicate with people a love for God when it is mixed with a lifestyle characterized by love for self and demonstrated with normal gratitude rooted in our own self-interest. That is why I have found that the separation and severing of His people from the gifts of this world through suffering produces a deep Christ centered love and joy and gratitude that survive the severing. Instead it rises above and out of reach of the loss of these things by cherishing Christ and causing the Christian to cry out to the nations: Trust, hope, love and give thanks to the Lord!
To be continued....
Saturday, May 26, 2007
THE IMPORTANCE IN READING OLD AND DEAD GUYS
I have an insatiable thirst to learn, grow, and know God. I am so thankful for men who have been given to us by the Lord as gifts to help us to know God and His word better. Men who as J.I. Packer says in his book Knowing God; cause us "To think great thoughts about God." I love to read books first and mainly by older men—John Piper, J.I. Packer, R.C. Sproul, and John MacArthur—men with long battled years who have learned not only from the Bible and from books, but from life. I also love to read men from my century who have passed on like Martin Lloyd Jones, C.S Lewis, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
I also spend much of my time reading the writings of men who are from long centuries past. I have been so impacted by Jonathan Edwards, Augustine, John Owen, Charles Spurgeon, and many of the Puritans. I try to read every day out of at least one book from another century. I just finished the 17th century Puritan, Richard Sibbs, wonderful and comforting book A Bruised Reed.
If there is a tendency today, it is to be so consumed with the present, the new, and the future. For many the past is of little relevance and is to be ignored. "Newer is better" is the mantra of today. Another thing in regard to reading is the idea that you don't need to read books in order to learn, all you need is to learn from the bible and the spirit. In it's extreme form, the idea is that you don't need anyone to teach you but the Holy Spirit.
Of course God desires us to read the bible and thank God for the illumination of the Holy Spirit who enables us to see, hear, understand, and apply the scriptures in our daily lives. But the bible clearly refutes that idea by teaching us about the gift of teachers that God gives to the church. Charles Spurgeon wrote, "I find it odd that one who thinks so highly what the Holy Spirit teaches him, would think so little about what the Holy Spirit teaches others." His point is that if the Holy Spirit works in us, then how much more work has He been doing in the lives of countless others who are living and who have gone before us for 2000 years!
C.S. Lewis spoke of chronological snobbery. This is the idea that something that is old is inferior and something new is valuable. In fact, nothing is inferior for being old and nothing is valuable for being modern. This frees us from the tyranny of novelty and opens us up for the wisdom of the ages. He said:
"I have lived over sixty years with myself and my century yet I am not so enamored by either as to not desire a glimpse of another world."
Stephen Nichols writes, "Without meaningful connections to the past, the soul does not grow deep, but constricts, growing more and more shallow." We need the wisdom of the ages to combat the folly of the present. Yesterdays stupid ideas are often times rehashed in new forms and clothes but they are still stupid. Even more so are yesterdays heresies. When great changes happen, it's not from new ideas.
The Protestant Reformation came about because for over a thousand years the Roman Church had wandered away from its biblical roots of Sola Scriptura, Scripture alone; Sola Fide, faith alone; Sola Gratia, grace alone; Solus Christus, Christ alone; and Soli Dei Gloria, for the glory of God alone. So we can sum up the essence of the Protestant Reformation by the simple truth that the church didn't come up with new ideas, but instead went back to the first century scriptures, back to its foundation and roots. The church made a great leap forward precisely by going backward!
The motto of the Puritans was Semper Refomanda, which meant always reforming. They wanted to see the Reformation go beyond what had taken place in the rest of Europe in the Protestant church in England. They felt that the church must always be reforming itself every time and in every area that it moves away from the ancient scripture.
There has been such benefit and impact that has come to my life through reading dead guys. John Piper shows how in history an old book, written in times before, can have an incalculable ripple effect upon others:
"A book by Richard Sibbes, one of the choicest of the Puritan writers, was read by Richard Baxter, who was greatly blessed by it. Baxter then wrote his Call to the Unconverted which deeply influenced Philip Doddridge, who in turn wrote The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul. This brought the young William Wilberforce, subsequent English statesman and foe of slavery, to serious thoughts of eternity. Wilberforce wrote his Practical Book of Christianity which fired the soul of Leigh Richmond. Richmond, in turn, wrote The Dairyman's Daughter, a book that brought thousands to the Lord, helping Thomas Chalmers the great preacher, among others."
Oh Christian, read! I commend not only faithful Bible study, but also regular reading of great books, books that distill the wisdom of the greatest students of the word over the past 2000 years. Read good books! Read good modern books that bring old truths into a fresh, contemporary light. Read what will open the Holy Scriptures to you more and more. Read and live in the company of the greatest minds and hearts for the rest of your life.
Loving reading and learning from wiser, smarter, and more Godly men than me,
Pastor Bill
I also spend much of my time reading the writings of men who are from long centuries past. I have been so impacted by Jonathan Edwards, Augustine, John Owen, Charles Spurgeon, and many of the Puritans. I try to read every day out of at least one book from another century. I just finished the 17th century Puritan, Richard Sibbs, wonderful and comforting book A Bruised Reed.
If there is a tendency today, it is to be so consumed with the present, the new, and the future. For many the past is of little relevance and is to be ignored. "Newer is better" is the mantra of today. Another thing in regard to reading is the idea that you don't need to read books in order to learn, all you need is to learn from the bible and the spirit. In it's extreme form, the idea is that you don't need anyone to teach you but the Holy Spirit.
Of course God desires us to read the bible and thank God for the illumination of the Holy Spirit who enables us to see, hear, understand, and apply the scriptures in our daily lives. But the bible clearly refutes that idea by teaching us about the gift of teachers that God gives to the church. Charles Spurgeon wrote, "I find it odd that one who thinks so highly what the Holy Spirit teaches him, would think so little about what the Holy Spirit teaches others." His point is that if the Holy Spirit works in us, then how much more work has He been doing in the lives of countless others who are living and who have gone before us for 2000 years!
C.S. Lewis spoke of chronological snobbery. This is the idea that something that is old is inferior and something new is valuable. In fact, nothing is inferior for being old and nothing is valuable for being modern. This frees us from the tyranny of novelty and opens us up for the wisdom of the ages. He said:
"I have lived over sixty years with myself and my century yet I am not so enamored by either as to not desire a glimpse of another world."
Stephen Nichols writes, "Without meaningful connections to the past, the soul does not grow deep, but constricts, growing more and more shallow." We need the wisdom of the ages to combat the folly of the present. Yesterdays stupid ideas are often times rehashed in new forms and clothes but they are still stupid. Even more so are yesterdays heresies. When great changes happen, it's not from new ideas.
The Protestant Reformation came about because for over a thousand years the Roman Church had wandered away from its biblical roots of Sola Scriptura, Scripture alone; Sola Fide, faith alone; Sola Gratia, grace alone; Solus Christus, Christ alone; and Soli Dei Gloria, for the glory of God alone. So we can sum up the essence of the Protestant Reformation by the simple truth that the church didn't come up with new ideas, but instead went back to the first century scriptures, back to its foundation and roots. The church made a great leap forward precisely by going backward!
The motto of the Puritans was Semper Refomanda, which meant always reforming. They wanted to see the Reformation go beyond what had taken place in the rest of Europe in the Protestant church in England. They felt that the church must always be reforming itself every time and in every area that it moves away from the ancient scripture.
There has been such benefit and impact that has come to my life through reading dead guys. John Piper shows how in history an old book, written in times before, can have an incalculable ripple effect upon others:
"A book by Richard Sibbes, one of the choicest of the Puritan writers, was read by Richard Baxter, who was greatly blessed by it. Baxter then wrote his Call to the Unconverted which deeply influenced Philip Doddridge, who in turn wrote The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul. This brought the young William Wilberforce, subsequent English statesman and foe of slavery, to serious thoughts of eternity. Wilberforce wrote his Practical Book of Christianity which fired the soul of Leigh Richmond. Richmond, in turn, wrote The Dairyman's Daughter, a book that brought thousands to the Lord, helping Thomas Chalmers the great preacher, among others."
Oh Christian, read! I commend not only faithful Bible study, but also regular reading of great books, books that distill the wisdom of the greatest students of the word over the past 2000 years. Read good books! Read good modern books that bring old truths into a fresh, contemporary light. Read what will open the Holy Scriptures to you more and more. Read and live in the company of the greatest minds and hearts for the rest of your life.
Loving reading and learning from wiser, smarter, and more Godly men than me,
Pastor Bill
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
ENCOURAGING THOUGHTS ON EVANGELISM
Do you ever get discouraged that people around you aren't getting converted to Christianity? Do you ever feel like you are a failure when it comes to reaching people for Christ? I like to remind myself that God is the great evangelist. He is the one who prepares and persuades. He is the one who awakens sinners (Ephesians 2:5). He opens their hearts (Acts 16:14) He draws them (John 6:44). He empowers the gospel (2 Thessalonians 3:1). And He calls the lost (1 Corinthians 1:24).
Since this is the case, what a wonderful thought it is that He desires for us in evangelism to join with Him as partners and fellow workers in what He is doing (Matthew 28:19). He tells us that a harvest of conversion is out there in the field of His work in the world:
"Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Matt 9:36-38)
“Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!”(John 4:35-36).
God accomplishes His divine work through us and our part in three ways:
1. PRAYER Jesus told us to pray for the Lord to send out laborers into the harvest (Matthew 9:38). God has appointed us to pray as a means of finishing the task that He guarantees will be completed (Rev. 11:15; Matthew 6:10; 24:14). We pray because God has promised and cannot fail. Our prayers are the means God has appointed to do what He most certainly will do—finish the Great Commission and establish His kingdom. We pray with all of our hearts like Paul that “the word of the Lord may run and be glorified” (2 Thessalonians 3:1). We pray that God’s word will not return void but instead accomplish what God desires for it to do: the saving of souls (Isaiah 55:11).
2. PROCLAMATION Our responsibility is to speak,commend, proclaim, and instruct others in the gospel. “For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord” (2 Cor. 4:5; Read also Matthew24:14; 26:13; Mark 13;10; Romans 1:9, 15; 10:14-19; 15:16-20; 1 Cor.9:16; among numerous scriptures in the New Testament).
The gospel has the power in itself to save the souls of men and women
(Romans 1:16-17). When we pray and the gospel is proclaimed, a miracle will take place where some will hear the gospel and be awakened into new life by the working of God’s word and Spirit and life within. As a result, they will be truly converted and born again. "Jesus said, I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.” (John 5:25). The Gospel proclaimed will bring forth the fruit of salvation to all those appointed for eternal life (Acts 13:48). “This is the LORD’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes" (Psalm 118:23).
3. AWARENESS AND AVAILABILITY I think we need to be alert, aware, and available to those whom God is really working on and creating a hunger within. It is not that we don’t share with as many people as possible but that we primarily focus upon those who want to move for Christ. A friend of mine calls it "going with the goers". I like that! This is very liberating if you think about it. Sharing with others seems so futile because most people are apathetic, hostile, or indifferent about Christianity. When your antenna of awareness is up, God will
show those who are being drawn to God. If you read the book of Acts you will discover that most of God’s evangelistic strategy seems to focus mainly on people who have been prepared in some way by God to be receptive.
Remember the story of the Ethiopian eunuch and Phillip (Acts 8:28-39)? There you have a hungry soul whom God was working on (the eunuch) and God’s orchestrating to bring Phillip to him while he was reading and questioning the word of God in Isaiah 53. The hunger of the lost Ethiopian combined with the awareness of the opportunity God brought Phillip and the willingness to seize the moment led to God bringing another soul into His Kingdom.
So be encouraged dear Christian!Remember that God is the great evangelist. He will save. He will bring in the harvest. He will accomplish His purposes through you and me.Keep on praying, keep on proclaiming the Gospel, and open your eyes to those that God is working on. “I planted, Apollo’s watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.” (1 Corinthians 3:6-7)
Expecting great things from God the evangelist,
Pastor Bill
Since this is the case, what a wonderful thought it is that He desires for us in evangelism to join with Him as partners and fellow workers in what He is doing (Matthew 28:19). He tells us that a harvest of conversion is out there in the field of His work in the world:
"Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Matt 9:36-38)
“Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!”(John 4:35-36).
God accomplishes His divine work through us and our part in three ways:
1. PRAYER Jesus told us to pray for the Lord to send out laborers into the harvest (Matthew 9:38). God has appointed us to pray as a means of finishing the task that He guarantees will be completed (Rev. 11:15; Matthew 6:10; 24:14). We pray because God has promised and cannot fail. Our prayers are the means God has appointed to do what He most certainly will do—finish the Great Commission and establish His kingdom. We pray with all of our hearts like Paul that “the word of the Lord may run and be glorified” (2 Thessalonians 3:1). We pray that God’s word will not return void but instead accomplish what God desires for it to do: the saving of souls (Isaiah 55:11).
2. PROCLAMATION Our responsibility is to speak,commend, proclaim, and instruct others in the gospel. “For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord” (2 Cor. 4:5; Read also Matthew24:14; 26:13; Mark 13;10; Romans 1:9, 15; 10:14-19; 15:16-20; 1 Cor.9:16; among numerous scriptures in the New Testament).
The gospel has the power in itself to save the souls of men and women
(Romans 1:16-17). When we pray and the gospel is proclaimed, a miracle will take place where some will hear the gospel and be awakened into new life by the working of God’s word and Spirit and life within. As a result, they will be truly converted and born again. "Jesus said, I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.” (John 5:25). The Gospel proclaimed will bring forth the fruit of salvation to all those appointed for eternal life (Acts 13:48). “This is the LORD’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes" (Psalm 118:23).
3. AWARENESS AND AVAILABILITY I think we need to be alert, aware, and available to those whom God is really working on and creating a hunger within. It is not that we don’t share with as many people as possible but that we primarily focus upon those who want to move for Christ. A friend of mine calls it "going with the goers". I like that! This is very liberating if you think about it. Sharing with others seems so futile because most people are apathetic, hostile, or indifferent about Christianity. When your antenna of awareness is up, God will
show those who are being drawn to God. If you read the book of Acts you will discover that most of God’s evangelistic strategy seems to focus mainly on people who have been prepared in some way by God to be receptive.
Remember the story of the Ethiopian eunuch and Phillip (Acts 8:28-39)? There you have a hungry soul whom God was working on (the eunuch) and God’s orchestrating to bring Phillip to him while he was reading and questioning the word of God in Isaiah 53. The hunger of the lost Ethiopian combined with the awareness of the opportunity God brought Phillip and the willingness to seize the moment led to God bringing another soul into His Kingdom.
So be encouraged dear Christian!Remember that God is the great evangelist. He will save. He will bring in the harvest. He will accomplish His purposes through you and me.Keep on praying, keep on proclaiming the Gospel, and open your eyes to those that God is working on. “I planted, Apollo’s watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.” (1 Corinthians 3:6-7)
Expecting great things from God the evangelist,
Pastor Bill
Friday, May 18, 2007
IMAGINATION AND SEEING GOD
"For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe." Ephesians 1:15-19
It has been said that children are born to be question marks and grow up to become periods. As people get older and older they listen less and less with their imagination. That is a great tragedy. John piper says, "One of the great duties of the Christian mind is imagination." Our third eye, our imagination, needs to be open in order to see God, to savor Him, to know Him, to love him, to enjoy Him, to worship Him, and to accept the world that He has given us. Imagination is a way of seeing. It is gift that helps us to see God, to see others, and to see life in wondrous ways through His eyes. C.S. Lewis calls imagination "the organ of meaning". All of our information about God and how we relate to His creation are dust without imagination to help us to act upon that information.
To imagine is to change the way we see. Imagination helps us to see that life, no matter how ordinary, becomes extraordinary with God. Imagination is the only way that we can truly love people. Jesus said, "Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them." We must imagine ourselves in their place and imagine what we would like done to us. Empathetic, compassionate, merciful, kind, and helpful love depends much on the imagination of one who loves. Imagination is meant to lead us away from ourselves to others.
Most of all, imagination is meant to lead us to God. It should lead us to a humble, grateful, and reverent heart and a bowed soul; it should lead us to worship. Imagination causes us to see, savor, and show Christ in his beauty and glory. It causes us to see with faith or what Paul calls "the eyes of understanding" beyond what we see. In short, imagination causes us to live in two worlds simultaneously, our world and God's world. It is this ability to live in both worlds that helps us to make sense of this world. It causes us to see God's work in every area of our world. When imagination is working we feel awe, wonder, excitement, joy, amazement, enthusiasm, and passion.
Do you feel those things? When was the last time you felt those things about God and life? The purpose of living with imagination is to learn to see. As Elizabeth Browning wrote, "Earth's crammed with heaven and every burning bush is the dwelling place of God; but only those who see take off their shoes, the rest just sit around and pluck blackberries." The purpose of imagination is to cause you to take off your shoes and sit for awhile. To be still and know that He is God. To change how you see life, so that your life becomes worship perpetually where you are, what you do, and what you say. Imagination cultivates in us a deep respect and awe for God's beauty and bounty, it instills in us a sense of the awe and wonder that we have lost. Familiarity rooted in imagination neither breeds boredom or contempt, instead, it breeds amazement!
Oh how we need to keep our eyes and ears open to what Jonathan Edwards calls God's two great books: the book of scripture and the book of nature. In both those books God has embedded hints and images of Himself. Unless we open up our imaginations to look and see, we'll miss Him.
John Piper says that imagination is like a muscle. It grows stronger if you flex it. And you must flex it. It does not usually put itself into action. It awaits the will. Dear one, ask God to give to you childlike wonder. Pray for the grace of imagination so that you might see Jesus for who He really is, savor Him for His beauty and worth, and show His beauty like a telescope to a world so distant and far from the galaxies of His infinite worth. May we wonder and feel and become again to the most beautiful of all beauty.
Longing to see again with new imagination leading to true worship,
Pastor Bill
It has been said that children are born to be question marks and grow up to become periods. As people get older and older they listen less and less with their imagination. That is a great tragedy. John piper says, "One of the great duties of the Christian mind is imagination." Our third eye, our imagination, needs to be open in order to see God, to savor Him, to know Him, to love him, to enjoy Him, to worship Him, and to accept the world that He has given us. Imagination is a way of seeing. It is gift that helps us to see God, to see others, and to see life in wondrous ways through His eyes. C.S. Lewis calls imagination "the organ of meaning". All of our information about God and how we relate to His creation are dust without imagination to help us to act upon that information.
To imagine is to change the way we see. Imagination helps us to see that life, no matter how ordinary, becomes extraordinary with God. Imagination is the only way that we can truly love people. Jesus said, "Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them." We must imagine ourselves in their place and imagine what we would like done to us. Empathetic, compassionate, merciful, kind, and helpful love depends much on the imagination of one who loves. Imagination is meant to lead us away from ourselves to others.
Most of all, imagination is meant to lead us to God. It should lead us to a humble, grateful, and reverent heart and a bowed soul; it should lead us to worship. Imagination causes us to see, savor, and show Christ in his beauty and glory. It causes us to see with faith or what Paul calls "the eyes of understanding" beyond what we see. In short, imagination causes us to live in two worlds simultaneously, our world and God's world. It is this ability to live in both worlds that helps us to make sense of this world. It causes us to see God's work in every area of our world. When imagination is working we feel awe, wonder, excitement, joy, amazement, enthusiasm, and passion.
Do you feel those things? When was the last time you felt those things about God and life? The purpose of living with imagination is to learn to see. As Elizabeth Browning wrote, "Earth's crammed with heaven and every burning bush is the dwelling place of God; but only those who see take off their shoes, the rest just sit around and pluck blackberries." The purpose of imagination is to cause you to take off your shoes and sit for awhile. To be still and know that He is God. To change how you see life, so that your life becomes worship perpetually where you are, what you do, and what you say. Imagination cultivates in us a deep respect and awe for God's beauty and bounty, it instills in us a sense of the awe and wonder that we have lost. Familiarity rooted in imagination neither breeds boredom or contempt, instead, it breeds amazement!
Oh how we need to keep our eyes and ears open to what Jonathan Edwards calls God's two great books: the book of scripture and the book of nature. In both those books God has embedded hints and images of Himself. Unless we open up our imaginations to look and see, we'll miss Him.
John Piper says that imagination is like a muscle. It grows stronger if you flex it. And you must flex it. It does not usually put itself into action. It awaits the will. Dear one, ask God to give to you childlike wonder. Pray for the grace of imagination so that you might see Jesus for who He really is, savor Him for His beauty and worth, and show His beauty like a telescope to a world so distant and far from the galaxies of His infinite worth. May we wonder and feel and become again to the most beautiful of all beauty.
Longing to see again with new imagination leading to true worship,
Pastor Bill
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
HOW ONE BOOK HAS IMACTED MY VIEW OF GOD
“Oh Lord, thou hast made us for thyself and restless is our heart until it comes to rest in thee.” Augustine from his Confessions
I have to confess that most of the influences in my life are long dead. One of the reasons I love to read Christian’s from the past is because of the way they knew God and how they expressed what they knew. J.I. Packer once wrote, "The people who know God think great thoughts of God." Oh how it makes me desire to know their God and make that knowledge and experience my own. Augustine of Hippo was one such person.
He was born in 354 in what we know today as Algeria. He was raised by a devout mother named Monica who wept and prayed for him every day. After many years of sinful living he was converted when he was 32 years old and later became the bishop of Hippo in Algeria where he spent the rest of his life till he died in 430.During that time he wrote a book called The Confessions. It is an autobiography of his life on one level. It is the story of a great sinner who became a great saint owing to a great God. On a deeper level, it presents, like no book that I’ve ever read, the Sovereign Joy of God’s Grace. If you’d like to read it for yourself you can find it at any new or used bookstore. You can also find it online at: http://www.ccel.org/a/augustine/confessions/confessions.html
This book has shaped and affected my theology and view of God in the most wonderful of ways. I want to give you some quotes from this book to help you get a sense of this precious and great man’s thought.Augustine describes the all-satisfying supremacy of God over all things. Listen to how he describes what it really means to enjoy, delight in, and truly love God:
"But what do I love when I love my God? . . . Not the sweet melody of harmony and song; not the fragrance of flowers, perfumes, and spices; not manna or honey; not limbs such as the body delights to embrace. It is not these that I love when I love my God. And yet, when I love him, it is true that I love a light of a certain kind, a voice, a perfume, a food, an embrace; but they are of the kind that I love in my inner self, when my soul is bathed in light that is not bound by space; when it listens to sound that never dies away; when it breathes fragrance that is not borne away on the wind; when it tastes food that is never consumed by the eating; when it clings to an embrace from which it is not severed by fulfillment of desire. This is what I love when I love my God."
Few Christians have a handle on the power and joy of God’s grace working in the believer’s life. Legalism, self effort, duty, and works righteousness are prevalent in the church today. We need a high view of God’s commands, a high view of our utter depravity, sinfulness, and inability to obey God’s word, and a high view of God’s sovereign grace that shows us that His commands are not burdensome and that enables us to be able to keep those commands that God has given.
"Give me the grace [O Lord] to do as you command, and command me to do what you will! . . . O holy God . . . when your commands are obeyed, it is from you that we receive the power to obey them."
Few people in the history of the church have surpassed Augustine in portraying the greatness and beauty and desirability of God. He is utterly persuaded by Scripture and experience "that he is happy who possesses God." "You made us for yourself, and our hearts find no rest till they rest in you."
He labored with all his might to make this God of sovereign grace and sovereign joy known and loved in the world.
"You are ever active, yet always at rest. You gather all things to yourself, though you suffer no need. . . . You grieve for wrong, but suffer no pain. You can be angry and yet serene. Your works are varied, but your purpose is one and the same. . . . You welcome those who come to you, though you never lost them. You are never in need yet are glad to gain, never covetous yet you exact a return for your gifts. . . . You release us from our debts, but you lose nothing thereby. You are my God, my Life, my holy Delight, but is this enough to say of you? Can any man say enough when he speaks of you? Yet woe betide those who are silent about you!"
Listen to what Augustine said about God’s sovereign joy and its triumph in his life:
"How sweet all at once it was for me to be rid of those fruitless joys which I had once feared to lose. . ! You drove them from me, you who are the true, the sovereign joy. You drove them from me and took their place. . . . O Lord my God, my Light, my Wealth, and my Salvation."
Augustine challenges me to turn more and more away from the bondage to the pleasures of this world and to pursue the supreme pleasures of God.
"The less you allowed me to find pleasure in anything that was not yourself, the greater, I know, was Your goodness to me."
Oh how easy it is for us to love television and food and sleep and sex and money and human praise just like everybody else. Augustine calls us to repent and fix our faces like flint toward God in prayer:
O Lord, open my eyes to see the sight that in your presence is fullness of joy and at your right hand are pleasures for evermore (Psalm 16:11).
Striving to know Augustine’s God and His Sovereign Joy,
Pastor Bill
I have to confess that most of the influences in my life are long dead. One of the reasons I love to read Christian’s from the past is because of the way they knew God and how they expressed what they knew. J.I. Packer once wrote, "The people who know God think great thoughts of God." Oh how it makes me desire to know their God and make that knowledge and experience my own. Augustine of Hippo was one such person.
He was born in 354 in what we know today as Algeria. He was raised by a devout mother named Monica who wept and prayed for him every day. After many years of sinful living he was converted when he was 32 years old and later became the bishop of Hippo in Algeria where he spent the rest of his life till he died in 430.During that time he wrote a book called The Confessions. It is an autobiography of his life on one level. It is the story of a great sinner who became a great saint owing to a great God. On a deeper level, it presents, like no book that I’ve ever read, the Sovereign Joy of God’s Grace. If you’d like to read it for yourself you can find it at any new or used bookstore. You can also find it online at: http://www.ccel.org/a/augustine/confessions/confessions.html
This book has shaped and affected my theology and view of God in the most wonderful of ways. I want to give you some quotes from this book to help you get a sense of this precious and great man’s thought.Augustine describes the all-satisfying supremacy of God over all things. Listen to how he describes what it really means to enjoy, delight in, and truly love God:
"But what do I love when I love my God? . . . Not the sweet melody of harmony and song; not the fragrance of flowers, perfumes, and spices; not manna or honey; not limbs such as the body delights to embrace. It is not these that I love when I love my God. And yet, when I love him, it is true that I love a light of a certain kind, a voice, a perfume, a food, an embrace; but they are of the kind that I love in my inner self, when my soul is bathed in light that is not bound by space; when it listens to sound that never dies away; when it breathes fragrance that is not borne away on the wind; when it tastes food that is never consumed by the eating; when it clings to an embrace from which it is not severed by fulfillment of desire. This is what I love when I love my God."
Few Christians have a handle on the power and joy of God’s grace working in the believer’s life. Legalism, self effort, duty, and works righteousness are prevalent in the church today. We need a high view of God’s commands, a high view of our utter depravity, sinfulness, and inability to obey God’s word, and a high view of God’s sovereign grace that shows us that His commands are not burdensome and that enables us to be able to keep those commands that God has given.
"Give me the grace [O Lord] to do as you command, and command me to do what you will! . . . O holy God . . . when your commands are obeyed, it is from you that we receive the power to obey them."
Few people in the history of the church have surpassed Augustine in portraying the greatness and beauty and desirability of God. He is utterly persuaded by Scripture and experience "that he is happy who possesses God." "You made us for yourself, and our hearts find no rest till they rest in you."
He labored with all his might to make this God of sovereign grace and sovereign joy known and loved in the world.
"You are ever active, yet always at rest. You gather all things to yourself, though you suffer no need. . . . You grieve for wrong, but suffer no pain. You can be angry and yet serene. Your works are varied, but your purpose is one and the same. . . . You welcome those who come to you, though you never lost them. You are never in need yet are glad to gain, never covetous yet you exact a return for your gifts. . . . You release us from our debts, but you lose nothing thereby. You are my God, my Life, my holy Delight, but is this enough to say of you? Can any man say enough when he speaks of you? Yet woe betide those who are silent about you!"
Listen to what Augustine said about God’s sovereign joy and its triumph in his life:
"How sweet all at once it was for me to be rid of those fruitless joys which I had once feared to lose. . ! You drove them from me, you who are the true, the sovereign joy. You drove them from me and took their place. . . . O Lord my God, my Light, my Wealth, and my Salvation."
Augustine challenges me to turn more and more away from the bondage to the pleasures of this world and to pursue the supreme pleasures of God.
"The less you allowed me to find pleasure in anything that was not yourself, the greater, I know, was Your goodness to me."
Oh how easy it is for us to love television and food and sleep and sex and money and human praise just like everybody else. Augustine calls us to repent and fix our faces like flint toward God in prayer:
O Lord, open my eyes to see the sight that in your presence is fullness of joy and at your right hand are pleasures for evermore (Psalm 16:11).
Striving to know Augustine’s God and His Sovereign Joy,
Pastor Bill
Thursday, May 10, 2007
REFLECTIONS ON HOW GOD CAN BE BOTH UNCHANGABLE AND EMOTIONAL
"God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind." (Numbers 23:19)
"The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind..." (Psalm 110:4)
"For I the LORD do not change...(Malachi 3:6)
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." (James 1:17)
I find it to be a great comfort that God is unchangeable (theologically we call it immutable) yet passionate. He has a way of feeling and expressing emotions that is unique and peculiar in comparison to us as humans. That is why it is hard to understand His ways in human categories. We are creatures that have all kinds of things that shape our emotions. We see a movie and we suddenly cry or we get cut off on the freeway and we get angry. We hear a joke and we laugh. In short, we react emotinally to outside influences and forces. God is not one who sees something or experiences something and suddenly reacts to it like we do. When we do a bad thing God doesn't just emotionally react like "Oh, I can't believe that he did that!" "I am appalled! I didn't see that coming." "I am so angry" or "I am so sad"
God knows all things and ordains all things is never taken off guard by anything. All of His emotions are planned. He knows that they are coming. He sees His anger or sorrow or joy in a particular event from eternity past (if we can even speak in terms of eternity past). He is never taken off guard with a sudden emotional reaction. He knows the things that are coming. He knows that they are coming and He ordains that they be. His infinitely wise and sovereign will gives rise to actions that receive appropriately tailor made infinitely righteous responses like joy and anger.
I am amazed that the bible says that God has and expresses emotions. Remember when Moses argued with God about his call and it says that God's response was in Exodus 4:14 that "the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses." (For example read Exodus 32:22;Numbers 11:1, 10,33)? We read of God's joy in Zephaniah 3:17 "The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing." We see God's sorrow in Genesis 6:6 ,"And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart."
We have to be biblical and allow the bible to express truths about God on its own terms. There are strong images of emotions expressed by God throughout the scriptures. What we have in the bible is a big picture of God's unchangableness and small pictures of appropriate responses ordained by Him for the moment. John Piper has a great analogy to help us to handle the big picture of God's steady, glorious, and solid unchangableness with God's seemingly emotional responses to things.
"It's the difference between riding in a helicopter about 80 yards above the pacific ocean in a monsoon. 60 to 80 foot waves are breaking, winds are galling, and your helicopter is being tossed and turned all over the place. You are thinking, "This ocean is in real turmoil." Now picture yourself in a satellite 200 miles up riding over the Pacific Ocean. What does it look like? When you look at the ocean it is blue and it looks unbelievably serene and calm."
If you take God a piece at a time and get down close to His attitudes and actions look at what happens. For example in Acts 12:23 we read of God's reaction to King Herod's arrogant pride and self exaltation, "Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last." God got really mad at him and killed him! Seems like that is a rather strong reaction wouldn't you think? This seems kind of like the helicopter over the raging Pacific but if you are flying over the entire book of Acts God is totally in charge, totally serene, unflappable.
God is a passionate God who is not a victim of His own passions. Even when God is responding God saw the action coming and planned the response so that His responding is not like our responding. He is not responding to some thing out side of Himself that causes Him to respond. It is planned, foreseen, and completely in His control and appropriate for the moment in time.
"Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?" "Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen." (Romans 11:33-36)
In awe and wonder,
Pastor Bill
"The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind..." (Psalm 110:4)
"For I the LORD do not change...(Malachi 3:6)
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." (James 1:17)
I find it to be a great comfort that God is unchangeable (theologically we call it immutable) yet passionate. He has a way of feeling and expressing emotions that is unique and peculiar in comparison to us as humans. That is why it is hard to understand His ways in human categories. We are creatures that have all kinds of things that shape our emotions. We see a movie and we suddenly cry or we get cut off on the freeway and we get angry. We hear a joke and we laugh. In short, we react emotinally to outside influences and forces. God is not one who sees something or experiences something and suddenly reacts to it like we do. When we do a bad thing God doesn't just emotionally react like "Oh, I can't believe that he did that!" "I am appalled! I didn't see that coming." "I am so angry" or "I am so sad"
God knows all things and ordains all things is never taken off guard by anything. All of His emotions are planned. He knows that they are coming. He sees His anger or sorrow or joy in a particular event from eternity past (if we can even speak in terms of eternity past). He is never taken off guard with a sudden emotional reaction. He knows the things that are coming. He knows that they are coming and He ordains that they be. His infinitely wise and sovereign will gives rise to actions that receive appropriately tailor made infinitely righteous responses like joy and anger.
I am amazed that the bible says that God has and expresses emotions. Remember when Moses argued with God about his call and it says that God's response was in Exodus 4:14 that "the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses." (For example read Exodus 32:22;Numbers 11:1, 10,33)? We read of God's joy in Zephaniah 3:17 "The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing." We see God's sorrow in Genesis 6:6 ,"And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart."
We have to be biblical and allow the bible to express truths about God on its own terms. There are strong images of emotions expressed by God throughout the scriptures. What we have in the bible is a big picture of God's unchangableness and small pictures of appropriate responses ordained by Him for the moment. John Piper has a great analogy to help us to handle the big picture of God's steady, glorious, and solid unchangableness with God's seemingly emotional responses to things.
"It's the difference between riding in a helicopter about 80 yards above the pacific ocean in a monsoon. 60 to 80 foot waves are breaking, winds are galling, and your helicopter is being tossed and turned all over the place. You are thinking, "This ocean is in real turmoil." Now picture yourself in a satellite 200 miles up riding over the Pacific Ocean. What does it look like? When you look at the ocean it is blue and it looks unbelievably serene and calm."
If you take God a piece at a time and get down close to His attitudes and actions look at what happens. For example in Acts 12:23 we read of God's reaction to King Herod's arrogant pride and self exaltation, "Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last." God got really mad at him and killed him! Seems like that is a rather strong reaction wouldn't you think? This seems kind of like the helicopter over the raging Pacific but if you are flying over the entire book of Acts God is totally in charge, totally serene, unflappable.
God is a passionate God who is not a victim of His own passions. Even when God is responding God saw the action coming and planned the response so that His responding is not like our responding. He is not responding to some thing out side of Himself that causes Him to respond. It is planned, foreseen, and completely in His control and appropriate for the moment in time.
"Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?" "Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen." (Romans 11:33-36)
In awe and wonder,
Pastor Bill
Saturday, May 5, 2007
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FORGIVENESS AS AN END AND AS A MEANS TO AN END
I have stated forgiveness is a benefit of the death of Christ, but the benefit of forgiveness is a means to an end. The ultimate benefit of God's forgiveness is that forgiveness is meant to bring us to God and nothing short of that. 1 Peter 3:18 says, "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God..."
Often times forgiveness is communicated as an end in itself. For example we are often times told that Christ died to bring us forgiveness. The benefit of forgiveness brings us the removal of guilt, shame, condemnation, depression, right relationships with others, happiness, inner peace, and many other benefits. While that is true, the danger is that we can stop right there with the end of the gospel being forgiveness of sins. If that is the case, then ultimately forgiveness is worthless.
John Piper got me really thinking about this in illustrating with getting mad at my wife. What if I get mad at my wife for something and I raise my voice at her and then do my thing around the house. There is tension in the air. My wife is hurt. I can see it in her countenance and I can feel it in her silence. I know what I must do; I must ask for forgiveness from her. The thing she did was not a big deal but raising my voice and getting mad at her is a big deal. Why do I want her forgiveness? Is it because I feel bad and want to get rid of my feeling bad? Is it because I have a guilty conscience for being a jerk? What I really want forgiveness for is because this marriage was not meant for my wife and I to be estranged by conflict, hurt, and sin, but to be back together and close. I need to ask my wife's forgiveness because I have hurt her and brought a wall between us and I want to be with her and close to her. When I ask forgiveness we are done with this conflict, it is over, we are back together the way things ought to be: close, together, and in love.
That is why Christ died! Can you see why forgiveness is not an end in itself, but rather a means to an end? The reason we have justification, the reason that we have forgiveness is to bring us to God. Oh that we would know God well in seeing that He is the end of all the Gospel is and means for us. Oh that we would show Him well so that in our forgiving others we would magnify and glorify God's forgiveness and so lead them to their souls highest joy and satisfaction; God Himself.
Savoring God as the end of all His benefits,
Pastor Bill
Often times forgiveness is communicated as an end in itself. For example we are often times told that Christ died to bring us forgiveness. The benefit of forgiveness brings us the removal of guilt, shame, condemnation, depression, right relationships with others, happiness, inner peace, and many other benefits. While that is true, the danger is that we can stop right there with the end of the gospel being forgiveness of sins. If that is the case, then ultimately forgiveness is worthless.
John Piper got me really thinking about this in illustrating with getting mad at my wife. What if I get mad at my wife for something and I raise my voice at her and then do my thing around the house. There is tension in the air. My wife is hurt. I can see it in her countenance and I can feel it in her silence. I know what I must do; I must ask for forgiveness from her. The thing she did was not a big deal but raising my voice and getting mad at her is a big deal. Why do I want her forgiveness? Is it because I feel bad and want to get rid of my feeling bad? Is it because I have a guilty conscience for being a jerk? What I really want forgiveness for is because this marriage was not meant for my wife and I to be estranged by conflict, hurt, and sin, but to be back together and close. I need to ask my wife's forgiveness because I have hurt her and brought a wall between us and I want to be with her and close to her. When I ask forgiveness we are done with this conflict, it is over, we are back together the way things ought to be: close, together, and in love.
That is why Christ died! Can you see why forgiveness is not an end in itself, but rather a means to an end? The reason we have justification, the reason that we have forgiveness is to bring us to God. Oh that we would know God well in seeing that He is the end of all the Gospel is and means for us. Oh that we would show Him well so that in our forgiving others we would magnify and glorify God's forgiveness and so lead them to their souls highest joy and satisfaction; God Himself.
Savoring God as the end of all His benefits,
Pastor Bill
Thursday, May 3, 2007
STILL MORE THOUGHTS ON FORGIVENESS
Forgiveness overflows in loving mercy towards others. Once Jesus was invited to the home of a Pharisee and was approached by a sinful woman who was undoubtedly scorned and rejected and considered unforgivable by the self righteous Pharisee. Luke tells us,
“When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is-that she is a sinner.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Simon, I have something to tell you.’ ‘Tell me, teacher,’ he said. ‘Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?’ Simon replied, ‘I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.’ ‘You have judged correctly,’ Jesus said. Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven-for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.’ Then Jesus said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven’."
Luke 7:37-48
God’s forgiveness is a powerful force; it never leaves a person unchanged. The woman’s joy in God overflowed with her demonstrative act of mercy and kindness towards Jesus. She became what she had received from Christ. That is why Jesus could say, “Her many sins have been forgiven-for she loved much.” Forgiveness isn’t the reward of God’s love; it is the fruit of being loved by God. Her love to Jesus was the living witness of a heart set free! Oh what joy there is in God’s forgiveness! That joy caused David to pen these words:
"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit."
Psalm 32:1-2
David’s sin, the woman’s sin, my sin, and your sin are burdens that we desperately long to be relieved of. God’s forgiveness lifts that burden from our shoulders. That is why David shouts aloud “Blessed!” All hope for joy and happiness is contingent upon that forgiveness, because all hope and happiness can only be found in God. No wonder David, having experienced the joy of God’s forgiveness, invites others to seek God’s forgiveness:
“For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to you in a time when You may be found; surely in a flood of great waters they shall not come near him. You are my hiding place; you shall preserve me from trouble; you shall surround me with songs of deliverance.”
Psalm 32:6-7
God is like the high rock, the hiding place, and that reality of his grace and mercy and love transform us. John Piper says, “You cannot despise becoming what you enjoy about God.” When we receive forgiveness, love, and grace from God it means we cannot be unforgiving, unloving, and withholding of these things towards others. The joy of God’s mercy brings joy and liberation in showing His mercy to others. But this mercy and forgiveness brings to others what they need above all things including forgiveness: God Himself.
“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you
But to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”
Micah 6:8
Alexander Pope once said, “To err is human, to forgive divine.” Oh what a blessing is God’s forgiveness, the forgiveness that brings us God Himself.
Savoring the forgiveness that brings me to God,
Pastor Bill
“When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is-that she is a sinner.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Simon, I have something to tell you.’ ‘Tell me, teacher,’ he said. ‘Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?’ Simon replied, ‘I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.’ ‘You have judged correctly,’ Jesus said. Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven-for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.’ Then Jesus said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven’."
Luke 7:37-48
God’s forgiveness is a powerful force; it never leaves a person unchanged. The woman’s joy in God overflowed with her demonstrative act of mercy and kindness towards Jesus. She became what she had received from Christ. That is why Jesus could say, “Her many sins have been forgiven-for she loved much.” Forgiveness isn’t the reward of God’s love; it is the fruit of being loved by God. Her love to Jesus was the living witness of a heart set free! Oh what joy there is in God’s forgiveness! That joy caused David to pen these words:
"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit."
Psalm 32:1-2
David’s sin, the woman’s sin, my sin, and your sin are burdens that we desperately long to be relieved of. God’s forgiveness lifts that burden from our shoulders. That is why David shouts aloud “Blessed!” All hope for joy and happiness is contingent upon that forgiveness, because all hope and happiness can only be found in God. No wonder David, having experienced the joy of God’s forgiveness, invites others to seek God’s forgiveness:
“For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to you in a time when You may be found; surely in a flood of great waters they shall not come near him. You are my hiding place; you shall preserve me from trouble; you shall surround me with songs of deliverance.”
Psalm 32:6-7
God is like the high rock, the hiding place, and that reality of his grace and mercy and love transform us. John Piper says, “You cannot despise becoming what you enjoy about God.” When we receive forgiveness, love, and grace from God it means we cannot be unforgiving, unloving, and withholding of these things towards others. The joy of God’s mercy brings joy and liberation in showing His mercy to others. But this mercy and forgiveness brings to others what they need above all things including forgiveness: God Himself.
“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you
But to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”
Micah 6:8
Alexander Pope once said, “To err is human, to forgive divine.” Oh what a blessing is God’s forgiveness, the forgiveness that brings us God Himself.
Savoring the forgiveness that brings me to God,
Pastor Bill
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
MORE THOUGHTS ON FORGIVENESS
I have learned for my bible and John Piper that God has called us to be forgiving people, because He is a forgiving God.
“Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”
Micah 7:18-19
In God’s world there is a much deeper motive for forgiveness than being forgiven. It is true to say that we should be forgiving because we have been forgiven by God when we did not deserve it: “Forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” But the bottom of this motive is not forgiveness, but what God’s gracious forgiveness gives us. God’s forgiveness gives us divine forgiveness. As a result we are able to give to others both the forgiving God and His benefit, the forgiveness of God. Is there any deeper more wonderful benefit than that?
There are things which benefit a person that can come from forgiveness that can be received and cherished without ever receiving and cherishing God. For example, we can receive the healing of a guilty conscience, the avoidance of hell, going to heaven to be with deceased loved ones, no more pain, sorrow, and suffering, or restored relationships with others. Each one of these benefits forgiveness can all be received without ever receiving the greatest benefit of all, God himself. Yet if God is not ultimately in these gifts of grace, than we do not know what forgiveness is for. Not only that, but to me if God is not in those gifts of grace, then where do they lead me? What do they gain for me? What is a clean conscience, restored human relationships, heaven, etc. without God Himself?
Thankfully, each one of those benefits is a bridge to cherishing the Lord Himself. A freed conscience liberates the eyes of the soul to see the beauty and worth of God. (Matthew 5:8, “blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”) The deliverance from hell by the blood of Jesus glorifies God for His justice, righteousness, and great mercy and frees us to enjoy Him forever. No more pain, sorrow, and suffering enables us enjoy the wonders of living forever in perfect resurrected bodies in the presence of the risen Christ. Restored relationships enable us to both share the fellowship of Christ together, to minister the grace of Christ to one another, or to be able to bring the gladness of God to their souls through the gospel.
Forgiveness is fundamentally God’s means of removing the ultimate barrier that keeps us from enjoying the pleasures of knowing Him. He has removed our sin and paid for it by the blood of His Son Jesus Christ, thus opening the door to enable us to see and enjoy Him forever. This is the ultimate goal of God’s forgiveness, God Himself. The aim of the cross is fellowship and intimacy with our Father in heaven.
Therefore, when the Apostle Paul says to “forgive one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you” (Col. 3:13), we are to forgive others as God has forgiven us. This means that God has forgiven us in a way that brings us into the infinite joy and pleasure of His companionship. He is the goal of all forgiveness. Our forgiving of others is meant to lead them to the forgiving God. He is the ground of all forgiveness and the means of all forgiveness. Forgiveness comes from Him; it is accomplished through His Son, and it leads people back to Him with their sins cast into the depths. As a result, we can be forgiving people because we live joyfully and freely in communion with our merciful gracious God. We can forgive others so that they too will be able to experience the joy and freedom of communion with God.
He has given us by forgiveness what we needed most: Himself! That is why forgiveness is so wonderful an d amazing: it gives us God! No wonder why the Apostle Paul cries out, “Because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” 2 Corinthians 9:14-15 NIV
The freedom and joy that we can know in forgiving people is the freedom and joy we have from the forgiving God. It is not just the joy of being forgiven; it is the joy in God the forgiver. By knowing this forgiveness we become more than benevolent men trying to build bridges between one another by forgiveness; we have a higher motive to become God centered bridge builders between men and God. That forgiveness carries us with love, joy, gratitude, mercy, compassion, and grace into a world of sin, sorrow, loneliness, broken relationships, and suffering. Our aim will be more than righting our relationships with people; it will be righting people’s relationships with Jesus Christ to find forgiveness and everlasting joy.
To be continued...
“Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”
Micah 7:18-19
In God’s world there is a much deeper motive for forgiveness than being forgiven. It is true to say that we should be forgiving because we have been forgiven by God when we did not deserve it: “Forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” But the bottom of this motive is not forgiveness, but what God’s gracious forgiveness gives us. God’s forgiveness gives us divine forgiveness. As a result we are able to give to others both the forgiving God and His benefit, the forgiveness of God. Is there any deeper more wonderful benefit than that?
There are things which benefit a person that can come from forgiveness that can be received and cherished without ever receiving and cherishing God. For example, we can receive the healing of a guilty conscience, the avoidance of hell, going to heaven to be with deceased loved ones, no more pain, sorrow, and suffering, or restored relationships with others. Each one of these benefits forgiveness can all be received without ever receiving the greatest benefit of all, God himself. Yet if God is not ultimately in these gifts of grace, than we do not know what forgiveness is for. Not only that, but to me if God is not in those gifts of grace, then where do they lead me? What do they gain for me? What is a clean conscience, restored human relationships, heaven, etc. without God Himself?
Thankfully, each one of those benefits is a bridge to cherishing the Lord Himself. A freed conscience liberates the eyes of the soul to see the beauty and worth of God. (Matthew 5:8, “blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”) The deliverance from hell by the blood of Jesus glorifies God for His justice, righteousness, and great mercy and frees us to enjoy Him forever. No more pain, sorrow, and suffering enables us enjoy the wonders of living forever in perfect resurrected bodies in the presence of the risen Christ. Restored relationships enable us to both share the fellowship of Christ together, to minister the grace of Christ to one another, or to be able to bring the gladness of God to their souls through the gospel.
Forgiveness is fundamentally God’s means of removing the ultimate barrier that keeps us from enjoying the pleasures of knowing Him. He has removed our sin and paid for it by the blood of His Son Jesus Christ, thus opening the door to enable us to see and enjoy Him forever. This is the ultimate goal of God’s forgiveness, God Himself. The aim of the cross is fellowship and intimacy with our Father in heaven.
Therefore, when the Apostle Paul says to “forgive one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you” (Col. 3:13), we are to forgive others as God has forgiven us. This means that God has forgiven us in a way that brings us into the infinite joy and pleasure of His companionship. He is the goal of all forgiveness. Our forgiving of others is meant to lead them to the forgiving God. He is the ground of all forgiveness and the means of all forgiveness. Forgiveness comes from Him; it is accomplished through His Son, and it leads people back to Him with their sins cast into the depths. As a result, we can be forgiving people because we live joyfully and freely in communion with our merciful gracious God. We can forgive others so that they too will be able to experience the joy and freedom of communion with God.
He has given us by forgiveness what we needed most: Himself! That is why forgiveness is so wonderful an d amazing: it gives us God! No wonder why the Apostle Paul cries out, “Because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” 2 Corinthians 9:14-15 NIV
The freedom and joy that we can know in forgiving people is the freedom and joy we have from the forgiving God. It is not just the joy of being forgiven; it is the joy in God the forgiver. By knowing this forgiveness we become more than benevolent men trying to build bridges between one another by forgiveness; we have a higher motive to become God centered bridge builders between men and God. That forgiveness carries us with love, joy, gratitude, mercy, compassion, and grace into a world of sin, sorrow, loneliness, broken relationships, and suffering. Our aim will be more than righting our relationships with people; it will be righting people’s relationships with Jesus Christ to find forgiveness and everlasting joy.
To be continued...
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