Slaves of Sin, Freed by Truth (pt. 2)

"So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'"
John 8:31-32

Firstly, if you didn't read yesterday's post, then do it HERE.

Ok. So, yesterday we looked a few verses ahead of today's verse and saw that Jesus taught that "everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin." The main idea of the blog was to show that you and I, we all, are slaves to something. Paul delineates the "somethings" into two categories: either sin or righteousness (Romans 6).

When I wrote yesterday's blog, I didn't start it with the realization that it'd grow into a little mini-series of posts. It exposes a problem, whilst today's verses show the solution to that problem. Christ, however, said them in reverse. He presented the solution, then the people told him they didn't need that solution, so he exposed to them the problem. I ended up starting with the problem, am now on the solution, and, tomorrow, Lord willing, will tie it together by example of the peoples' comments that connected Christ's two points. So now that's out of the way.

Christ's statement is conditional. "IF." If what? "IF you abide in my word." I have hammered it time and time again, but I'll say it again: John 1 tell us that, in the beginning, the Word was with God and was God, and then the Word came down in flesh, so Jesus is the word; therefore, if we don't know what the Word of God, aka the Bible, says, then there is no way we can possibly know Jesus; it is impossible to know Christ, especially in a saving way, without knowing what the Word of God says. There is simply no way around it. IF you abide in Christ's words then what? Then "you are truly my disciples." Case in point. Disciples were the ones who knew Christ and followed him, who were disciplined by him and for him---aka Christians. If you abide in Christ's words, then you are his disciple. But that's not it, there's another part of the "then" statement. "And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

If you abide in the words of Christ, then you'll be his disciple, and, furthermore, you'll know what truth is and, in turn, be set free. Free from what? That's what we looked at yesterday. We are slaves to sin. Anyone and "everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin." "ALL have sinned..." (Rom 3:23). We have all sinned, and, thus, are all slaves to sin, IF we don't abide in Christ's words. But, if we do abide in Christ's words, then we will be set free from the bondage of sin. We will be freed from having to please our sinful nature. And, if we are always busy trying to please ourselves (because of our pride, which is a sin), then how can we fulfill either of the two greatest commandments that tell us to love God with everything in us and our neighbors as ourselves?? We'll use all our resources and energies to please ourselves, leaving nothing left to give to God or to others.

This is what we must be freed of. And the only way to be freed is to "abide in [Christ's] word." So, go grab a Bible, open it up, and read it. Pray that the Holy Spirit would open your eyes to see the God of the Bible, Jesus Christ, and that, as a result, you would be freed to love this King, to serve this King, and to do so with all joy. Amen.

Grace and peace-

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Slaves of Sin, Freed by Truth (pt.1)

"Jesus answered them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.'"
John 8:34

Excuse me? A slave to sin? You sure about that Jesus? I feel pretty free. I feel like I can do whatever I want. I can chose to do that sin, but I could chose not to also. You see, Jesus, I've got this thing called free will that you must not know about.

This sound familiar? In some ways, I'm sure it does. Now, of course, we don't really sit there and lecture Jesus in such a condescending tone as what I just wrote---but it's a common argument for many people claiming to be Christians. We are enamored with this idea of being free agents, having free will. We do. Yet we don't.

I'm not saying you can't chose to wear your red shirt; or to eat chocolate ice cream instead of vanilla; or to date this girl or that one; or any of those petty things. You're free to do that. Go for it. Wear your red shirt, buy some chocolate ice cream, and get some vanilla for that girl you took out on a date. But don't try to claim you can chose to stop sinning whenever you'd like. That argument simply won't stand, at least not if Jesus is in the room.

People---Christians---get quite offended, angry, and indignant when someone else brings up the idea that they can't choose as freely as they'd like to think. But, there is no arguing the fact because Jesus is the one who talked about it. If you sin, then you are a slave to sin. Paul teaches that "all have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God..." (Romans 3:23). All. That includes who? You. And me. We have all sinned. Therefore, we are all slaves to sin. We have no choice in the matter. We are enslaved to the lust of our eyes, the lust of our flesh, the pride within our hearts, the selfishness, the anger, and all the other detestable things that make up our sinful nature. Paul echoes Christ's words in Romans 6 saying "...you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?" (v.16)

So there are two options, as far as this blog is concerned: you're a slave to sin, or you formerly were. So, tomorrow, we're going to look at what happened to you to change that, or what needs to happen to you to change that and, as Paul said, be "slaves of...obedience, which leads to righteousness."

Grace and peace-

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Displaying God's Work

"Jesus answered, 'It was not that this man sined, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.'"
John 9:3

Here's the background: Jesus and the disciples were walking around town and saw a man who had been blind since birth; the disciples then asked him why he was blind-was it because he sinned? or his parents? The disciples had a false idea in their heads. They thought that A person's temporal circumstances were determined by their actions. If things were going well, it was because they were righteous and doing well in their relationship with God. If they had an ailment (such as blindness, or poverty, etc.) then it was because they had sinned. In this case, since the man had been blind since birth, they questioned if he sinned whilst in the womb or if his parents had sinned and caused their child to be cursed. Jesus says neither.

But, before going on to what he said, let me make clear what he did not say. He did not say that the man was without sin. There is a theological term called "original sin" that we all should know. Why should we know it? Because if we don't know how utterly sinful, rotten, and dirty creatures we are, then we don't know how desperately we need a Savior; we don't know how fully God's wrath is burning against us; and we don't know how urgently we need to proclaim this message to those who don't know God yet. So, quickly, original sin is a theological term that basically means that humanity, as a whole, is fallen. Adam sinned, and, as a result, all of his descendants are born straight into that sin. Psalms 51:5 says "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me." (You can read more on original sin here; and here are some verses: 1 Kings 8:46, Romans 3:9-23; 7:18; 1 John 1:8-10) So, Jesus was not saying that the man wasn't born sinful. Just wanted to clear that up. Moving on--

What Jesus did say, however, was that the parents' sin before the man was born was not the reason for his blindness, nor was any sin he had committed. The reason it was possible to begin with was because we live in a fallen world and thus sicknesses, diseases, ailments, disabilities, etc. are possible for our fallen bodies to experience. But this does not mean it is necessarily the reason or purpose for such conditions. Let's look at what Jesus said: it was "that the works of God might be displayed in him." The reason God allowed that man to be blind from birth, the reason that he had never seen a sunrise or sunset; the reason he never was able to gaze out at the stars; the reason he couldn't work, marry, or do other things that people commonly desire; the reason for all the anguish the parents went through when realizing their son would not live a normal life; the reason for all of this was "that the works of God might be displayed in him."

If you follow the story through John chapter 9, you'll see that Jesus heals the man. Then he is questioned by the religious leaders as to who did it. He tells them Jesus did, and he says that Jesus is a prophet. Then they question him again and say that Jesus is a sinner; the healed man's response is one that is doubtful of the accusation of Jesus being a sinner. He then proceeds to imply that Jesus is from God (v. 31). Then he meets Jesus again and says "Lord, I believe" and then he worships Jesus. That is the work of God! Jesus had told a crowd of people in John 6:29, "this is the work of God, that you believe on him whom [God] has sent." Who did God send? Christ!

So, let's break it down real quick. A guy was born blind. It wasn't because of sin. Rather, it was that "the work of God might be displayed in him." Then Jesus heals him. Is this the "work of God." Seems like it, but, technically it's not. The guy goes on to say to Christ, "Lord, I believe" and then worships him. Jesus already said that "the work of God" is "to believe in him." Add it all together and you see the whole point: the reason for the guy being blind was not so that Christ could heal him, but that, through Christ healing him, he would believe in Christ!

Good stuff, right?? Well what does that mean for you? What junk do you have in your life? Is it a sickness? Is it financial burdens? Family life going down the drain? It might not be because of something you've done (though this is possible; David's life had lots of hardships as a result of his adultery and murdering; if this is the case with you, then repent!). It might be because God is going to use that situation to display his works in you, namely, that you believe on Christ.

If you'd like to do so, then contact me, let me know, and we can help you do that. Grace and peace-

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Free Buffet?

"You are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves."
John 6:25

Jesus had performed the miracle of feeding 5,000 men (this does not include women and/or children) with 5 barley loaves and 2 fish. Quite a feat, wouldn't you say? Not only did he feed that mass of people, he also told the disciples, after everyone "had eaten their fill", to gather up what was left over--they ended up with twelve baskets full of extra bread. Pretty breathtaking, huh? Well Jesus goes off by himself afterwards. While he is doing that, the disciples decide to cross the sea. So they set sail. Then Jesus shows up walking on the water. They end up getting to the other side of the sea at Capernaum. The crowd follows him over there, and then Jesus says "Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves."

How crazy is that?? These people were fed with the 5 loaves and 2 fish! And they knew they were; they were not ignorant to the fact that Jesus fed them all with that little amount. We know this because verse 14 says "when the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, 'This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!'" They recognized the miracle, the sign that Jesus performed. Yet Jesus says they were following for other reasons. That reason is absolutely ridiculous: they were following him just because he met one of their physical needs. They were so consumed with their needs, with their desires, with their physical hunger, that they totally overlooked the miracle and the miracle Worker that provided for that need.

What's your need? Money? Popularity? A boyfriend? A girlfriend? Friends in general? Better grades? Something interesting to note is that the people didn't show up to Jesus so that he'd give them a meal; verse 2 says "a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick." They came to him because they recognized his power and awesomeness, but, once they had one of their needs met, that's the only reason they could see to continue following him.

Perhaps you came to see Christ with pure intentions, wanting to see more about this God you've heard of, but, as a result of being in his presence, a need of yours was met and now that's what your only focus is. Jesus may be to you nothing more than a buffet of blessings; if you want some new toys you can get a helping of them; if you need to make the cut for sports tryouts you get a scoop of that from the "Jesus buffet." He is no buffet. He tells the people in verse 35, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger..."

He will not be your buffet. But he will satisfy you as the bread of life.

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Saving Words

"...I say these things so that you may be saved."
John 5:34

The reason Jesus speaks. Right there. It can't be said any clearer. Jesus tells us plain and simple, out of his own mouth, why it is he "says these things" to us: in order that we may be saved. Jesus later tells his disciples that "the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life." Do you know what Christ is saying? In many of the past posts, I have hammered the idea of reading Scripture, trying to emphasize how you can't survive without it. In saying all that, I've used the beginning of John 1 where it says that "in the beginning was the Word...and the Word was God." Jesus is the Word. His words are spirit and life. And he speaks them "so that you maybe saved."

God speaks continually. Creation yells at us. The sunsets, the rainbows, the trailing clouds, cute puppies, and wonderful fall weather. They all are screaming out God's name. Paul tells us this in Romans:

"For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse."
Romans 1:19-20

But, more specifically, the writer of the book of Hebrews opens up telling us this: "Long ago, at many times, and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son..." Jesus is the voice of God today. Are you hearing him?

I hope you are. Jesus speaks that we may be saved, but, those who don't listen to his words have quite another result than salvation. The verse before that chunk above (Romans 1:18) says "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who...suppress the truth."

So, read the word. Let the Word be spirit and life to you; read it "so that you may be saved" or realize that you will one day face the wrath of God.

Grace and peace-

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...And we thank Him for our food

"For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer."
1 Timothy 4:4-5

Ever wonder why your parents taught you to pray for your food? Why take 10 seconds to talk to God? Especially when the sweet smell of your favorite meal is rising up into your nose because it's still so fresh and hot. Why let it get 10 seconds colder??

You may have even prayed something like this:

"God is great, God is good
Let us thank him for our food.
By His hands, we all are fed,
let us thank him for our daily bread.
Aaaaaamen!"

Isn't that cute? Sure it is. Until you get to be about 13. Then you don't have an extra 10 seconds to spare of your mealtime to give God thanks. So, did your parents just make it up? Is it just a church thing to pray for food? Where did the idea come from? It came from the verse above.

Paul is writing to Timothy. Timothy is a young pastor at Ephesus that needs some guidance in things concerning the church. Some people are coming in and preaching false doctrines (statements and beliefs they claim are true and from God, but are in fact not). One of those false doctrines concerns people telling others to abstain from certain foods because they aren't good for some reason or another. Thus, Paul addresses the issue.

He starts off by saying that "everything created by God is good." There's our first principal to draw from the text. God created, and, furthermore, he created all things good. Well, some things are bad, right? So then those bad things must not have been created by God, right? Wrong. The gospel according to John starts off by saying "In the beginning was the Word...he was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made." (John 1:1-2, italics added).

It seems then that everything was made by God. Then why are there "bad" things out there? Why can't we do some things and why can't we eat or drink certain things? Those questions dive deep into lots of theological rabbit holes that a short blog cannot cover, but here's the quickest answer: the things themselves are not bad, it's our sinful use of things that constitute something being evil or not.

So, when we eat, we are to receive it "with thanksgiving." And we can know that it is made holy "by the word of God and prayer." This is why we pray over our food. And this is why, generally, that prayer consists of something like "thank you, Lord, for this food..."

The bottom line is summed up in 1 Corinthians 10:31 when Paul says, "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." So, enjoy that Reese's peanut butter cup, or that Dr. Pepper, or that meatloaf sandwich your great grandma made you, but enjoy it to the glory of God. Amen.

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We Have Heard for Ourselves

"It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world."
John 4:42

Jesus had walked into Sychar, a Samarian town. He went to a well because he was "wearied...from his journey" to grab a drink. A Samaritan woman walks up to draw water, Jesus talks to her, ends up revealing himself as the Messiah by telling her "all that [she] ever did." She goes and tells all the town people what happened, and "many...from the town believed in him because of the woman's testimony." So then they go to Jesus and "asked him to stay with them." Jesus obliged and ended up chillin' out with the town's people for 2 days. As a result of him hanging out and teahing, "many more believed because of his word." And then "they said to the woman, 'It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.'"

All that to pose this question: why do you believe? Do you believe because you heard a pastor preach about Christ? Do you believe because your parents have told you to and raised you in the faith? Or do you believe because our culture is saturated with supposed Christians and thus it's just what people do around here?

Why do you believe?

It is my prayer that more and more people would believe, like the town's people, not because they have heard someone else testify about Christ, but because they have heard him speak into their hearts and lives personally; because they've had a true encounter with this Christ.

Search your heart and see why it is that you believe. If it is not because you've heard from Christ himself, pray that you do. James said "you have not because you ask not." Don't go on not having a word from the Lord because you refuse to ask.

Ask. Receive. Believe. Amen.

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Quick and Slow

"Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger"
James 1:19

This one is for me. It is a daily lesson I must be taught by Father God. It seems that it is one that we all need to be retaught on quite a regular basis. This is because we have a tendency to speak, a tendency to NOT listen, and then a tendency to become angered if we don't have a chance to speak or if we happen to hear enough to disagree with. But James seems to say that we have things backward. Being the fallen creatures we are, it is not a stretch to see how twisted we have made the process and our priorities.

James, Christ's half-brother, goes on to tell in chapter 2 that the tongue is "a restless evil" that is "filled with poisons" and sets the whole world on fire. He says that whoever can tame the tongue can control the rest of his body with ease. So why is it that speaking and anger come so easily but listening does not? The answer is easy: they focus on us. Speaking is our way of portraying our ideas, values, and beliefs about things, which we innately think are always right and, for the most part, infallible. Anger is the the way we describe what happens when we have been wronged but feel a surge within us rise up to right the wrong and rectify the injustice done to us. Then, if we don't have a chance to speak, only to listen, we feel we have been wronged because we didn't get the opportunity to put our 2 cents in, and, furthermore, may have totally disagreed with the one who was speaking, thinking that they were totally wrong and we are totally right. Both the desire to speak and the anger produced in the midst of all this are rooted in pride. We are consumed with our own ideas, our own rights, our own selves.

Let us pray that we are freed from the bondage of a self-worth that is really a disguised pride. Let us consider our brother as more important than ourselves. May we love God with everything in us, and our neighbors as ourselves. After all, if we love ourselves so much as to think we deserve the opportunity to speak and then to anger, then if we are to love our neighbors as ourselves, then we would put their values, ideas, etc... in a position of importance and therefore would be more inclined to, as James says, "be quick to hear."

May God be glorified in our conversations. Amen.

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A Grand Appearance

"And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will...bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming."
2 Thessalonians 2:8

Here is the remainder of the verse I looked at yesterday. I spoke of how crazy awesome Christ is and how the image we often find ourselves having of him doesn't do him justice at all; how it stops short by focusing on who he was here on earth instead of who he was for eternity past before coming to earth and then who he is now as the glorified Savior of his chosen ones.

We can see this glorified, supreme Christ very clearly in passages such as this one. The verse talks about, very briefly, what it will be like when Christ returns by first saying that he will kill the antichrist with his very breath. But, Christ doesn't stop there. Killing somebody is cool, and even cooler when it's done by God's very breath. But he not only kills the antichrist, he also "brings [him] to nothing" by his very appearance. Killing the embodiment of evil (the antichrist) isn't enough for Jesus, he also brings him to absolutely nothing. Total annihilation is what Jesus is about. Leave nothing. Take no prisoners.

This is a great and victorious truth for those of us who know this Christ. But, for those who don't, it is a terrifying truth that will one day be the most horrible of all realities. Hell is bad. Hell is scary. But hell is nothing compared to the eternal and infinite wrath of an Almighty God. Christ will render judgment on ALL his enemies; this includes not only the antichrist, satan, and the demons, but also those who "are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved." (2 Thessalonians 2:10)

If you only know Jesus as the Galilean that lived on earth for 33 years, then search the Scripture to learn more of Christ. If you don't know him at all, or only in story form, not truly knowing him personally, then pray that he reveal himself to you today instead of the on that dreadful day of judgment.

Search your hearts. Know this Christ. Amen.

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Killer Breath

"And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth..."
2 Thessalonians 2:8

What a Savior we have. It is so sad that Jesus is depicted the way he is. We walk through Wal-Mart and see the sweet, meek, rosy-cheeked Jesus on a candle or in a picture frame. We have this idea of who our Christ was whilst he ministered here on earth, but we fall short by stopping at that image.

Yes, Jesus was "meek and lowly in heart." He was constantly "moved with compassion" for the people who were suffering and oppressed. He had a heart---a HUGE heart. He was not afraid of emotions like our society's "he-men" are thought to be. But he was still a hardworking man. A blue collar guy who worked with his stepfather as a carpenter day in and day out. This is the incarnation of Christ.

This is the Jesus we see in the Gospels. This Jesus was real; he lived, he died, and then he rose. But, in Acts, the "sequel" to the Gospel according to Luke, we see Jesus ascend into heaven. Then, in the Revelations given to John on the island of Patmos (which the book opens up saying that it is "the revelation of Jesus Christ"), when John sees heaven, he sees a throne, and, on that throne, is seated none other than Jesus Christ. He is now high and lifted up, glorified, and has been given all authority in the universe along with a name that will one day cause every knee to bow and confess him as Lord. This is the exaltation of Jesus.

That is what Jesus is like today. He is far greater than the Jesus we see painted. By no means do I disregard or belittle Christ's incarnation here on earth, because without that piece of the puzzle in history we would all be damned to hell with no hope, for "the wages of sin is death." But Christ came to redeem us; and thank God he did!

The Jesus that is in heaven now is the exalted Jesus who will come back one day and regain all that is his. When he does so, Paul says (as he echoes Isaiah) that Christ's very BREATH will destroy the "lawless one." This figure referred to as "the lawless one" is none other than what is described in Revelations as the "antichrist."

Does the Christ you pray to, the Christ you worship, the Christ you tell others about posses such power as to destroy the most evil thing we can imagine with his very breath?? I think we all too often, myself included, forget how great this God of ours is. What battle is too big for him? What trial is too great for him to get you through? What form of evil can overcome him?

As Abraham Kuyper used to say, "there is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, 'Mine!'"

Amen.

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Why Jesus is Coming Back

"...when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed..."
2 Thessalonians 1:10

Why is Jesus coming back? There are obviously a plethora of different ideas that people could give, and many of them are scripturally based. The Bible talks a good deal of Christ's return, both through allusions in the Old Testament prophets' writings and direct teachings from John, Paul, and even Jesus himself. But I think this statement from Paul hits the nail on the head and is the most definitive answer we can find in Scripture.

Scripture is not disconnected. Everything said, from Genesis 1:1 to Revelations 22:21, is part of the metanarrative of God. The Bible shows explicitly throughout its teachings that the reason for EVERYTHING is God's glory. That is primary. Everything else falls under that umbrella and is merely a means to that end.

So, Paul's statement in his letter to the church at Thessalonica, saying that Christ is coming "to be glorified" matches up perfectly with the entirety of the Bible. Christ is coming to be glorified. He is coming back "to be marveled at" by those of us who have believed in him. May God put in your heart a joy "unspeakable, and full of glory" when you meditate on the return of Christ. When he comes, he will be glorified and marveled at, by us, which will be the greatest enjoyment, pleasure, and ecstasy we could possibly imagine or encounter.

May we look to the coming of our Lord with great hope, expectation, and joy!

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Obtaining Salvation

"For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ."
1 Thessalonians 5:9

What better news is there? The God of the universe has not destined you for his wrath, but, rather, has destined you to obtain the salvation of His own Son. There is nothing scarier in this universe than the wrath of an Almighty God. Satan, demons, hell...none of those things can even compare to the horror of facing God's infinite wrath. But, if you are a believer, you can find hope, assurance, and joy in knowing that that same God, the one who has a wrath that goes far beyond terrifying, has destined you to obtain salvation.

Not only has he destined you to obtain salvation, but has chosen to do so through His Son. Jesus is "the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature..." (Hebrews 1:3) There is none more beautiful, more glorious, more supreme than Christ. And Christ is our way unto salvation. He is the means through which God has DESTINED us for salvation, and the means through which we were DESTINED to escape His wrath.

Grace and peace-
J

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All His Purpose

"My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose."
Isaiah 46:10

There is no other option. All of the Lord's purpose will be accomplished. He does not have many purposes, or varying options. No, he has one, all-inclusive purpose--to make his name great amongst the nations to the praise of his glory. That's it. It's the end all. Every minute detail of our lives, every huge event, every waking moment, every last breath is to that end and no other. It is the umbrella under which we find all creation. It is the overarching theme to which all things comply. It is the tune that nature dances to. It is the thread that unites all life and even all of death. It makes every atom of the universe interconnected. God's counsel. His purpose.

The enemy cannot thwart his purpose. Neither can we. None of us can give counsel to the most holy God, for His is perfect and wise, and it will stand no matter our thoughts on the subject. The best thing a creature can do is to submit to its creator. Let us all strive for this as we go from our day to day business. Let no thing go untouched by the reality that it is part of God accomplishing his great design, both our triumphs and our defeats.

To this end I pray for myself and those around me.

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Practice

"Behold, you have instructed many, and you have strengthened the weak hands. Your words have upheld him who was stumbling, and you have made firm the feeble knees. But now it has come to you, and you are impatient; it touches you, and you are dismayed. Is not your fear of God your confidence, and the integrity of your ways your hope?"
Job 4:3-6

Job had been one who instructed others in the ways of the Lord. He had helped those who wandering to find their way back home. He had caused stability in the lives of those who were stumbling. He had told his wife in chapter 2 that she spoke as a foolish woman, rebutting her comment with his own, saying, "shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?"

The weight of the world began to crash down harder. He started to break. It was time to practice what he had preached. How often do we find ourselves strengthening others in their times of despair but then can't seem to find any hope in our own trails? We must retain our fear of God, and let that be our sole confidence, knowing that as we continue to stay faithful to His word, that we have hope.

May we not speak the truth and then live as if it were a lie.

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The Lord's Salvation

"Salvation belongs to the Lord!"
Jonah 2:9

Can Scripture be any more blatant? Salvation does not belong to us. It is not ours to use however we would chose. It is the Lord's. If it was ours, we could do with it whatever suited us, which would only be destructive in nature. We would ruin the work of Christ as a whole if salvation were ours.

Salvation is a gift, but it is not a gift that is given in one state and then used by the recipient and fashioned into their own thing. It is like a transplant. The donor gives of their own body, the recipient only gladly receives. They have no way of cutting themselves open and changing the function of their new kidney. The Bible even clearly shows us this picture of transplantation in Ezekiel 36:26, "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." This is salvation. And it belongs to the Lord. He makes it clear in the first few verses of the chapter by saying "It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name..."

The whole process of salvation humbly submits to this statement. "And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified." Every step is for the sake of his holy name. The grace he gives to live each day flows from his possession of salvation.

If salvation did not belong to the Lord, then we could have no hope in our existence. "No one seeks the Lord, no not one." We would never have experienced grace had he not been in control of the grace that saved us. "To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory..." The assurance of our ultimate salvation would be lost also had we not a God who is Lord over all things, including salvation.

May it not take us, as it did Jonah, falling into the darkness and depth of a great beast, whether figurative or literal, to realize that our hope is in God for "salvation belongs" to him!

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Establish Your Hearts

"Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand."
James 5:8

We must prepare ourselves for our Christ. It is not the Christian duty to simply wander through life; it is not our place to merely avoid things we would deem as unclean. James had already said to "cleans your hands, you sinner", and this is true no doubt. We should cleanse ourselves of all unrighteousness and evil that so easily infiltrates our lives as we walk through such muck in this world. But he also said "whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, to him it is sin." Well we now know one of the things that is right to do--establish our hearts.

But what does this look like? Paul speaks of our hearts being established in 1 Thessalonians 3:13, also speaking of doing so in regards to the return of Christ. The establishment of the heart is seen when Christ is no longer a question, no longer an idea, no longer an idealistic ascent, and no longer a form of escapism, whether in this life or the next. When our heart is established, there is no other option than Christ; there is no other lasting joy than Christ; there is no other Savior; no other infinite Beauty; there is no other, for our hearts have an establishment of Christ.

This establishment, according to Paul, comes about by the "Lord mak[ing] you increase and abound in love, for one another and for all." This love is what allows us to fulfill the greatest two commandments, loving our God with everything in us, and our neighbor as if they were none other than ourselves. This is the heart of sanctification, the only means to that end.

So, "may the Lord make you increase and abound in love, for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that HE may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints."

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More Grace

"But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, 'God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.'"
James 4:6

What a beautiful promise. I'm not sure if there is much sweeter a statement in the Bible. Of course there are many equally sweet promises and phrases in the Bible, but I can't imagine any of them being sweeter to the saints. It bleeds into every area of the Christian's life, no matter where they're at currently.

If you are struggling with your sinful nature, rest assured that "he gives more grace." But, we see in the next statement that he does so for those who are humble. How quickly we fall from one sin to another; we will be caught in the midst of one and then all of the sudden see our pride swell up in our defense to say that we might have messed up by will never be quite so bad as that other brother, and now we find that we have two sins on the scene. When we fall, let us fall in a way unlike the Corinthian church to whom Paul says "It is actually reported that there is...immorality...among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among the pagans...And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn?" (1 Corinthians 5:1-2). Let us be humble when we sin, when we fall short of God's standard.

In regards to the one who is doing good, running the race with endurance, let him also be humble, equally as humble as the fallen brother or sister, remembering that "it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13) Grace is more than saving grace, it's also living grace. There is no partial grace, no package options regarding grace. Either you have received all of God's grace or none at all. It is not I who lives, but Christ who lives in me. (Galatians 2:20)

If we are in sin, we should be humbled by the fact that we have realized yet again that we have no good thing in us. If we are living by the Spirit and producing His fruit, we should be humbled by the grace that has empowered us to live in such a manner. And, in either case, we can rest assured that "he gives more grace."

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He gives. We Receive.

"Then his wife said to him, 'Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.' But he said to her, 'You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?' In all this Job did not sin with his lips."
Job 2:9-10

There is a fanciful idea going around the church in America today that basically states that God is good, thus only things we deem as "good" come from Him. There are many errors in this thinking, as it tends to stray from the solid foundation of many passages such as this one. But, firstly, it assumes that our definition of "good"--our fallen definition-- is the standard to which the God of the universe must comply. Paul says in Romans 11 "Who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?" He is not bound by what we think or what we would "counsel" him in.

We must continually remember our place in the universe. Our place is not to counsel God. Neither is it to know the mind of the Lord, for then we would have more of a stage so as to attempt to counsel him. God is who defines good. His actions are the substance of what our definition of 'good' should be. He took gave and took everything from Job. He gave. And he took. (1:21) But he is still good, infinitely good.

Our place in the scheme of everything is to be the receivers, of whatever God gives, whether it be "good" or "evil" (2:10). God is to be the giver. John Piper observes that "the giver gets the glory." The receiver is at the mercy of the giver. It is right for us to assume this position. "For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me..." (Isa. 46:9)

May we learn to trust God in the midst of more than just the "good" and find that we can call all things "good" as we rely on His eternally wise and loving purposes in the midst of every situation.

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What Shall We Do?

"'Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus who you crucified.' Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Brothers, what shall we do?'"
Acts 2:36-37

Ministers and ministries often search for ways to touch people, to pull on their heart strings. Many times we find ourselves caught up in emotions, having gone too far with the emotional pull and then finding ourselves out of line with Scripture and caught up in fanciful ideas that have no biblical basis.

Paul says that he decided to know nothing but "Christ and him crucified." He said he would only boast "in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." The cross is what we are to preach if we are to see hearts changed, see hearts "cut." 1 Corinthians explains that God, in his infinite and divine wisdom, has set up the system in such a way that he would save "those who believe" through the "folly of what we preach" which he later says that they only preach "Christ crucified"; they didn't show signs or speak wisdom, they simply preached the foolish idea of God's son being killed by humans in order for the salvation of such men. With the work of the Holy Spirit, this truth--this simple, even foolish truth--cuts the hearts of those who hear it.

When we preach the cross, we will see people's hearts cut, and we will hear them say "Brothers, what shall we do?"

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We Will Reap

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."
Galatians 6:9

Here we have a verse that is set up with a problem, a promise, and a condition. The problem is that ministry can suck. Ministry, well doing, doing good, whatever you'd like to call it, is tiresome. It is a fight. Paul writes Timothy saying to "fight the good fight." In his letter to the Ephesians, he ends his writing by focusing on the warfare that we wage spiritually. Doing good is not our nature; it's not our natural inclination. It is quite the opposite actually. So, we are told by Christ to pick up our cross daily and follow after Him. Does this seem like a relaxing task? Does it seem easy? But what of Christ's other words in the Gospel of Matthew where he commands us to "take [his] yoke upon [us]" and states that it is "easy" and "light." This may be the case, and obviously is since our Savior said so, but what is it that is "easy" and "light"? His "yoke" and his "burden." It is a burden to pick up our cross each day. It is a burden to crucify our sinful nature daily. But, we aren't doing it ourselves as the yoke of the religious leaders of His time were demanding the people to do. The law was from God, but it was impossible for men to meet it; it was even more impossible for them to meet the extraneous teachings that the Pharisees had added to the equation. But, with Jesus, the burden is "light." For, as Christ said of salvation in Matthew 19: "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Our burden is light because Christ already bore it on Calvary, once and for all.

If Christ has carried the weight of the burden, then why would Paul need to write the church about growing weary? He says in 3:3, "Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfect by the flesh?" They had gone back to a works based system instead of relying on the wondrous grace of God. This is why we must crucify our flesh, our flesh will only try to save itself if we allow it to live. Otherwise we must see the huge, blasphemous, and condemning implications of this type of behavior: "I do not nullify the grace of God, for if justification were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose."

May we run this race with patience and endurance, relying solely on God's grace after we have killed the desire of our flesh--to finish the work God has completed and intends to finish Himself. If this be the case, we will reap in due season, all to the glory and praise of Christ Jesus. Amen.

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