What Does "Refuge" Really Mean?

Sometimes we hear statements from scripture quoted by other Christians and even though we might understand a surface meaning, we fail to comprehend the depth of riches behind them. One of the biblical concepts I have used and am hearing a lot in this time of crisis, is that “God is our refuge.” What does this really mean? 

In Psalm 61, David is crying out to God from what seems to him to be the end of the earth.  His heart is ‘faint.’ He is wearied and forlorn. We know that for David, this could fit any number of circumstances in his life as he was often surrounded and hunted down by enemies. David looks beyond his physical hiding places and his loyal band of warriors to find ‘refuge’ in God and describes five ways that God is our refuge.

God is our rock.

Psalm 61:2 from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

In this first description David likens God to what humans know in creation as the sturdiest structural matter on which we can stand.  This, however, is not any rock, this is a rock higher than David. This is a strength and more solid foundation than David himself can provide. It is elevated and from this vantage point David can discern what is coming.  As we see God as our rock, we understand that he has this strength and wisdom as the God of the universe.  In God’s truth we can understand the world and remain founded upon a higher strength to discern the turmoil that comes against us in life.

God is our tower.

Psalm 61:3 for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.

Even more that a solid rock in creation, God is for David a purpose-built structure designed to withstand the attacks of an enemy. When we see a fortress with its surrounding walls and lookouts, it is for a signal of safety.  It is in our High Tower that refuge provides an eye on all that is against us and is actually purposed for providing security in the threat of attack. We know that in this world we are not immune to the effects of a fallen creation. Every human at some stage succumbs to death and human enemies and threatening diseases lurk around us. They may even overcome us, but there is a High Tower who has purposed to give us security beyond this world and he knows every threat that comes upon us.

God is our tent.

Psalm 61:4a Let me dwell in your tent forever!

As our refuge, God is not impersonal. He is not some force or energy that we use for protection. He is where we can actually dwell.  We get to be inside his tent, and it is in tents where David knew that only friends would be invited. In tents friends can share an intimate meal and have fellowship with one another. There is an intimate notion of dwelling and presence and this is what God’s chosen friends can have with him. When we take refuge in God, we don’t just seek safety from worldly threats, we seek community and fellowship with our God who, in Christ, is our friend.

God is our caring Father.

Psalm 61:4b Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah

If the intimacy of a tent excites you about our refuge in God, try the picture of being a chic sheltering under the wings of your parent. By now I hope you are realizing that when we think of God as our refuge, it is not just any kind of shelter from a storm, it is relational and intimate and it tells us more about God than it does about hiding from our own problems. God is our safe place because nobody cares like our Father. We want to be under his wings because he loves us and covers us. In and through Jesus Christ, his love for us will never end even when this world does.

God is the provider of our eternal community.

Psalm 61:5 For you, O God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

This verse is where David looks into the future and realizes that refuge in God means the provision of an entire community of his people. David realized that the people of God were an inheritance for each other. David never had to worry about his solitude or the emptiness of never having community. God will provide people for his people and they will be people who all love God and are on the same side. As we continue to renew our allegiance to God (vows), we are never and will never be alone. It is a refuge of community.

God is our King.

Psalm 61:6-7 Prolong the life of the king; may his years endure to all generations! 7 May he be enthroned forever before God; appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!

It’s easy to imagine that David is probably recalling the words of Samuel here in 2 Samuel 7:12-16. David is looking to a kingdom established by God that will bring a King enthroned forever and be surrounded by love and faithfulness. His refuge is not without rule and reign but gives hope in an appointed King. This is surely a direct Messianic statement.  The forever King is no doubt Jesus who has come from the line of David and has conquered sin and death and every evil in the world through the power of the cross. Jesus is the greater David, our King. It may be a foreign concept to us to associate kingship with refuge, but when the King is loving and faithful, righteous, true and just, we want to come under the protection of his rule and the providence of his care. Most of all, we want to live in the security of his victory.

Conclusion:

This is refuge, and the more we meditate upon it, the more we realize that God is a greater refuge than any earthly definition of the term. The Foundation is sure and strong, The Tower views every threat, The Tent is welcoming to friends, The Father cares for his children, The Provider of Community ensures we are not alone, The King of the Kingdom brings us under his rule, victory and providence. What have we left to say?

Psalm 61:8 So will I ever sing praises to your name, as I perform my vows day after day.

No se refugie con la prioridad equivocada, una carta abierta a la familia de mi iglesia

Gracias al pastor David Salgado por la traducción.

Nos preocupamos por la salud y el bienestar de nuestros vecinos y hemos escuchado el llamado a proteger los sistemas que brindan la asistencia más urgente y capaz a los más vulnerables. Estamos de acuerdo y oramos por todos los trabajadores y líderes de atención médica en nuestra nación. También notamos la gran diferencia que esto está teniendo ahora en cada una de nuestras vidas diarias.

A medida que dejamos de llevar a nuestros hijos a sus prácticas deportivas, dejamos de ir al gimnasio, de socializar en restaurantes y que las restricciones continúan limitándonos a vivir bajo nuestro propio techo, puede que no pase mucho tiempo hasta que te sientas como David, viviendo en una cueva y huyendo de Saúl.

Si crees que te sientes como David, también puede ser una buena idea preguntarte sobre la mentalidad de David mientras estaba encerrado. Afortunadamente, esto no se deja a nuestra imaginación porque David nos lo escribió en el Salmo 57: "Un Mictam de David en la cueva, cuando huía de Saúl.” 

El refugio de David no está en su cueva.

El título del Salmo de David podría darnos el contexto de dónde tuvo que residir David. Nos ayuda a saber que estuvo allí debido a una amenaza para su vida, pero no significa que la cueva fuera la seguridad de David en su vida. Podría haber estado en esa cueva debido a la amenaza, pero la cueva en sí no era su seguridad. David no dice, en la cueva me refugio. Él dice: “Ten piedad de mí, oh Dios, ten piedad de mí, porque en ti se refugia mi alma; en la sombra de tus alas me ampararé hasta que la destrucción pase.” (57: 1)

El Dios de David no está fuera de contacto.

Para alguien que vive la amenaza de un enemigo en una cueva, puede ser tentador pensar que el Dios del cielo está de alguna manera desconectado de su situación. Este no es el caso de David. Él sabe que Dios es el Dios Altísimo, pero también sabe que los propósitos soberanos de su Dios se relacionan personalmente con él. "Clamo al Dios Altísimo, a Dios que cumple su propósito para mí". (57: 2) En el caso de David, Dios lo ungió para tomar el trono de Israel y confiaba en que Dios cumpliría su voluntad soberana hasta su finalización. 

David no olvida su prioridad en medio de la realidad.

En el versículo cuatro de este salmo, David describe su realidad cuando habla de sentirse como si estuviera en medio de leones y siente la pesadez de las armas, el odio y el discurso que lo apuntan directamente. Aun así, no encontramos a David viviendo en autocompasión introspectiva, ya que se preocupa más por su propio bienestar físico. La prioridad de la vida de David no es él mismo. David define inmediatamente su prioridad en sus próximas palabras. “¡Sé exaltado, oh Dios, sobre los cielos! ¡Que tu gloria sea sobre toda la tierra!” (57: 5) En medio de la realidad, exaltar a Dios es la prioridad de David.

David se anima a responder de acuerdo con su prioridad.

Si bien David todavía reconoce el peligro que lo rodea, también sabe que Dios inevitablemente tendrá la última palabra (v. 6). Conociendo esta verdad, el corazón de David es firme de acuerdo con su prioridad (v. 7). Si David hubiera terminado este salmo con las alabras en el versículo siete: "Mi corazón es firme, oh Dios", nunca hubiéramos considerado que este salmo todavía requiriera algo extra. Según el lugar donde David encuentra su refugio y conoce su prioridad, se anima a actuar de manera coherente con la verdad que cree. “¡Despierta, mi gloria! ¡Despierta, arpa y lira! ¡Despertaré al amanecer!” (57: 8) Es como si David se estuviera diciendo a sí mismo: “Despierta y toma tus instrumentos y deja de sentarte en la tierra. Tu Dios es tu refugio y tu prioridad, y él es fiel en sus propósitos. ¡Es hora de cantar! "

“Te daré gracias, Señor, entre los pueblos; Te cantaré alabanzas entre las naciones. Porque tu firme amor es grande para los cielos, tu fidelidad para las nubes. ¡Sé exaltado, oh Dios, sobre los cielos! Deja que tu gloria sea sobre toda la tierra". (57: 9-11).

Familia de la Iglesia, mis queridos hermanos y hermanas, vemos la amenaza del coronavirus en todas las noticias e incluso estamos volviendo a publicar alertas en las redes sociales. La conciencia es buena, la amenaza es real, y parece ser necesario refugiarse. Pero... mi petición a todos nosotros. ¿Dónde está tu refugio? ¿Quién es tu prioridad? Y… ¿Cómo se está predicando a usted mismo algo que puede ser vivido y destacado en su vida frente a su familia, sus amigos y cualquier otra persona que pueda mirar dentro de su cueva?

Exaltemos a nuestro Dios.

Pastor Steve.

Don’t Bunker Down with the Wrong Priority - An Open Letter to My Church Family

Dear Church Family,

We care for the health and well-being of our neighbors and have heard the call to protect the systems in place that give the most urgent and capable assistance to the most vulnerable. We agree and we pray for all the health care workers and leaders in our nation. We also notice the big difference that this is now having in each of our daily lives.

As we stop taking our kids to sport, stop going to the gym, stop socializing in restaurants and as the restrictions continue to confine us to life under our own roof, it may not be too long until you feel like David, living in a cave, and on the run from Saul.

If you do think you feel like David, it may also be a good idea to ask yourself about the mindset of David while he was bunkered down. Thankfully, this is not left to our imagination because David wrote it out for us in Psalm 57 – “A Miktam of David When he Fled from Saul in a Cave.”

David’s refuge is not in his cave.

The title of David’s Psalm might give us the context of where David has had to reside.  It helps us to know that he was there because of a threat to his life, but it does not mean that the cave was David’s security in his life.  He might have been in that cave because of the threat, but the cave itself was not his security.  David does not say, in the cave I take refuge.  He says, “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge. In the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.” (57:1). 

David’s God is not out of touch.

For someone living out the threat of an enemy in a cave, it might be tempting to think that the God of heaven is somehow disconnected from his situation. This is not the case for David. He knows God is the Most High God, but he also knows that the sovereign purposes of his God personally relate to him.  “I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for ME.” (57:2). In David’s case, he was anointed by God to take the throne of Israel and was confident that God would work out his sovereign will to completion.

David doesn’t forget his priority in the midst of reality.

In verse four of this Psalm, David describes his reality as he talks about feeling like he is in the midst of lions and feels the heaviness of weapons, hatred and speech pointed directly at him. Even so, we don’t find David dwelling in introspective self-pity as he concerns himself most with his own physical well-being. David’s priority of life is not himself. David immediately defines his priority in his very next words. “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!” (57:5). In the midst of reality, exalting God is David’s priority.

David encourages himself to respond according to his priority.

While David still acknowledges the danger around him, he also knows that God will inevitably have the final word (vs. 6). Knowing this truth, David’s heart is steadfast according to his priority (vs. 7).  If David had finished this Psalm with the words in verse seven, “My heart is steadfast, O God,” we might never have considered that this Psalm still required something extra. According to where David finds his refuge and knows his priority, he rouses himself to act in consistency with the truth he believes. “Awake, my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn!” (57:8). It is as if David is saying to himself, “Wake up and get your instruments and stop sitting in the dirt. Your God is your refuge and your priority, and he is faithful in his purposes. It’s time to sing!” 

“I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.  Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth.” (57:9-11).

Church family, my dear brothers and sisters, we see the threat of coronavirus all over the news and we are even re-posting alerts on social media. Awareness is good, the threat is real, and bunkering down seems to be necessary. But…my plea to all of us. Where is your refuge? Who is your priority? And…. How are you preaching to yourself that it may be lived out and prominent in your life in front of your family, your friends and anyone else who is able to look inside your cave?

Let’s all exalt our God,

Pastor Steve.

Gentle Jesus is No Pushover

So often in our world we seem to think that gentle means weak. What do we do when we read about Jesus and find him to be gentle, patient and compassionate? Jesus called little children to himself. Jesus had a message to love one another and if someone needs help, to walk the extra mile. Jesus showed compassion on those who were sick and suffering.  He healed lepers and gave sight to the blind. He looked at crowds of people and his heart melted as he described them as sheep without a shepherd. Jesus was often attacked verbally and threatened physically by the Pharisees. He was interrogated by Pilot and Herod and felt no need to defend himself and seek justice for unfair accusation. Jesus was silent.  Jesus withdrew from the fight.  Jesus was gentle. But was Jesus a push over?

When Matthew talks about Jesus in this way, he quotes Isaiah 42:1-4.  Within the statements in Isaiah (and quoted in Matthew 12), the gentleness of Jesus is portrayed. “A bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench.” (42:3). Jesus will not see a crushed reed and snap it off.  He will not snuff out a struggling lamp.  This is saying that Jesus does not see the weak and needy and sinful without showing a gentle restoring compassion. If these were the only words, we might think that Jesus is a soft target from whom we might take advantage. This couldn’t be further from the truth.  The next line of Isaiah 42:3 states, “he will faithfully bring forth justice to the nations.”

Jesus might be gentle, but Jesus has the power and will to bring justice.  Jesus will right wrongs. Jesus will see sin payed for. Jesus will see evil overcome in true justice.

One of the other statements that comes in Isaiah 42 is that, he will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law (vs.4).  This statement is quoted a little differently in Matthew.  Matthew states, “until he brings justice to victory and in his name the Gentiles will hope.” (Matthew 12:20b-21). Why the difference? Matthew is not saying anything different to Isaiah. He has condensed the quote to say the same thing.  Jesus will persevere in his ministry until justice has been fully executed.  Matthew also says that the Gentiles (the nations that Isaiah describes as coastlands) will wait for or hope for his law.  Jesus is the one who fulfills the law and brings justice according to his perfect law. To say that the coastlands wait for his law is exactly the same as saying the Gentiles hope in his name.

Jesus has brought ultimate defining justice in the cross. The wrath of God has been poured out upon Christ as he substituted himself for us so that justice might be expended upon our sin. In Christ, the law has been fulfilled in his life and in his atoning sacrifice the offenses against it have been punished. In him the nations hope. The cross is the pivotal point in history for all humanity.  One day Jesus will return and bring full and final retribution upon every God rejecting human. It will be a decisive judgment for all eternity that will result in everlasting torment for every person who ignored his gentle patience for them to repent and believe in him.

Jesus is gentle, but he is definitely no push over.

Don't Lose Worship in Dogma

How do you approach reading the bible?  As a pastor, I often find myself reading the Scriptures in my devotion time with the Lord and considering teaching points and sermon illustrations. In those moments I stop myself, sometimes write a note for later, and then do my best to concentrate on something much more important.  What is God saying directly to me in this text? What does this Scripture say about me? How does this truth impact my relationship with Christ? I start asking very personal questions that provoke me to meditate on the Lord and to respond prayerfully. Even in the passages that seem the most intimately personal in Scripture, we can so easily miss our opportunity to commune with the Lord as we consider theological truths or look for information to increase our knowledge.  This is not just a plague on pastors.

I am not saying that doctrine is unimportant.  There is definitely a great need for us to think deeply about theological truths in Scripture and to consider appropriate methodology to ensure we are not importing ideas into the bible that were not originally intended by the biblical author. What I am saying is that in the doing of this, we can make a correct interpretation the end of the pursuit. Let’s consider an example.

In Psalm 51, David is pouring his heart out to the Lord as he considers his sin of sexual immorality and murder exposed by God through the prophet Nathan. David makes his remorse explicit and as we read this psalm we get an indication of what true repentance sounds like.  We can start to piece together a doctrine of repentance. We might even see these clear truths and write down some helpful notes. Repentance in this psalm shows a hate for and renouncing of sin.  It acknowledges that all sin is primarily against God. It focuses on the truth that only God can truly forgive by an act of grace. It understands that our sin is bred from a sinful world including our own parents. It looks for a new heart and restoration in God for a new walk of life. We could make many more points from Psalm 51 and be very clear about the nature of repentance.  We might read this psalm considering this important doctrine and finally say, “Now I know.”

Each one of the above points should provoke response in our life as we hear this truth and then apply it to our own life before the Lord.  As I recently read through this psalm I saw something that helped me to grab on to what seemed to me to be a new aspect of the nature of repentance in my life. In verse 6 David doesn’t pray about himself, but what he knows to be true about God. Psalm 51:6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. When I was asking God to show me something about him in this psalm, this verse pierced my heart. When I come to God in true remorse and repentance over my sin, it is because I have recognized that I am not walking in the truth.  The overwhelming point is that even when I have disregarded God’s truth in my sinful action, God delights in bringing me back to his truth and teaching me wisdom in my inner being.  How intimately glorious is God’s merciful love? My mouth dropped and with tears I thanked my Lord that he actually desires to forgive and redirect our hearts toward righteousness that we might live for and in his glory. God actually wants to turn me around even though I have sinned against him. 

These cannot just be theological truths in and of themselves.  When we read the Scriptures, we commune with God in the realities of life. We thank him for his promises.  We pray according to them. We meditate on his goodness. We weep and mourn over our sin. We revel in his mercy. We go with joy and peace into our day. We know that we are never alone. We stand in the victory of our Savior. None of these thoughts has anything to do with arguing a point of dogma or outlining a sermon. This is me and God. This is how I know and love Jesus more.

How are you approaching the bible?

Come out of Babylon

If you are like me, you find comfort and confidence in God’s sovereignty in salvation. When God does a saving work according to his electing love, we live in confident hope of his eternal promises and power to keep us. We relish in the thoughts of God’s saving power and we are so relieved that we do not rely on our own power or the ability of others for people to know salvation.  While this is a glorious truth of Scripture, sometimes it is easy for us to overlook that it is also a glorious truth that God indiscriminately appeals to all mankind to repent of sin and come to faith in Jesus Christ. 

In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus stands before a crowd full of people who seem to so easily reject him.  As much as Jesus says, “Woe” to those who reject him (11:20-24), Jesus appeals to all and also says “Come to me.”  Jesus offers rest to all those who will leave the burdensome life of this world and trust in him.

In Revelation, this same sort of appeal is made to us who are enticed by this world and blinded to its burdens.  As the Apostle John writes Revelation (as a revelation from Jesus), he often considers how the types and shadows of the Old Testament are universalized in the New.  In the Old Testament, Babylon is a nation that conquers the people of God and exiles them under the opulence and immorality of its own culture. It is a picture of power, wealth, worldly knowledge and pleasures. Those drawn into the pomp of Babylon and its false gods are subject also to its fall under God’s judgment.  In the same way, in Revelation this whole world is likened to Babylon.  The name Babylon depicts all the wealth, pomp, power, and pleasures of the world that are an abomination in the sight of God. They never satisfy and only accumulate the burden of judgment on the shoulders of all who embrace it.

 Revelation 18:2-5 And he called out with a mighty voice, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast. 3 For all nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living." 4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; 5 for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.

Have you ever considered that God’s appeal to come out of Babylon is a glorious example of his grace? All those who forsake this world to trust in Jesus Christ will become part of the kingdom of Christ.  This is the victorious kingdom that will have comprehensive, eternal victory and provide hope for all its citizens for all eternity.  It is the kingdom of eternal rest and refreshment.

At the end of the day, God’s appeal to us must provoke us to consider that it is an appeal to save. It is an appeal for us to flee from judgment and to the arms of an all-powerful Savior who has completely dealt with our sin.  It is a flee to reconciliation and eternal hope. Jesus says, “Come.”

When we hear the word come, we should also consider that Babylon is simply not worth it. Jesus offers so much more!

Incomprehensible Savior: Guest blog from Nathan Ham

People have tough questions about God.

Questions like:

• Why would a loving God cast “good” people into hell?

• Why would an all-powerful God allow so much death and suffering in the world?

• Why would a good God allow children to suffer?

• If God knew the world was going to turn out so badly, why did He make sin possible in the first place?

We could go through each question and come up with some details from the Bible to help answer, but ultimately we will never be able to completely understand why God does what He does. This is because God is incomprehensible. He can’t be fully known and understood. And the only things we do know about God we know from an act of God’s self-disclosure. It’s not like we can scientifically study God and put Him under a microscope and figure Him out. And guess what? God doesn’t disclose all the reasons why He does what He does.

But the Bible does give us some foundational truths that will help us form a baseline for learning to trust the Lord with child-like faith (Matthew 11:25).

1.  God is working to showcase His multifaceted glory and power and beauty.

In Romans 9, Paul clearly states in verse 22, “What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power…” It’s a hard truth to accept, but God is working to show more than just His love and mercy. God’s justice and holiness and righteous anger are on display as well.

A big reason why such a thing as Hell exists is that God desires to display for all to see the purity of His holiness, the awfulness of sin, the magnificence of His power, and the fairness of His justice.

2.  We have a low view of sin.

Even if you’ve been saved 40 years, you probably don’t see sin as bad as what it really is. Sin is so bad and our sinful condition is so terrible that Isaiah 64:6 says the best we can ever do is this: “all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment”.

All of us have lied at some point.  God. Hates. Lying. God calls a lying tongue an abomination in Proverbs 6:16-17. Lying is so bad that God punishes liars in eternal fire (Rev. 21:8).

Some answer: “Well, nobody is perfect and I was born this way. I can’t help it. God’s too harsh.”

I’ll never cease to be amazed that people would rather justify themselves than just admit their sin and seek God’s forgiveness. It really is that easy.

But at the end of the day, if God never intervened in human history and let every single person die in their sins and go to hell, God would be completely fair and just. Do you know why it’s hard to accept that truth? We have a low view of sin.

3.  The cross is our anchor.

Anytime you struggle with whether or not God is a good, loving God -- look to the cross and remember John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

God was willing to pour out all of his wrath and hatred of sin against His only Son so that if you humble yourself and acknowledge your sin and trust Him as Savior, God will forgive you of all your sins. This is an incredible act of love and the most beautiful thing that’s ever happened in this world and it’s our anchor point to always know that God’s love knows no limits.

So next time you struggle with understanding God and why He does things the way He does, look to Christ. See Him as the Sovereign Savior who willingly suffered the righteous wrath of Almighty God so that we might have everlasting life if we believe in Him. It’s the goodness of God in Christ that makes me realize that even if I don’t always fully understand the Lord, I know that I can trust Him.

Was Jesus Harsh?

I would suggest that sometimes it is not easy to navigate between the biblical directions clearly given to us or whether the descriptions of the actions of others are for us to follow. Many scriptures clearly command us how to approach correcting others and approaching matters of sin. In 2 Timothy 2:24-26 we find a very direct command from the Apostle Paul for us not to be quarrelsome in correcting others. We are to be kind, able to teach and to correct our opponents in gentleness. In 1 Corinthians 13, love is commanded so that in our teaching we do not become a clanging gong as if we are just annoying noise in the ears of those under instruction. In Galatians 6 we are to restore a sinning brother or sister in gentleness. These and many similar verses are all commands of Scriptures. Theologians call these prescriptive texts because they are prescribed for us to obey in full compliance. If we believe these Scriptures to be the infallible word of God and of the same authority of every other Scripture, then we are obligated to obey them and live them out in faith.

At the same time someone may express an objection to only considering the prescriptives in the bible. They might say that there are many descriptive texts that would seem to suggest that we should think about the prescriptive texts in another way. Descriptive texts are those that narrate the actions and words of others. For example, in Matthew 11:20-24 Jesus seems to be very direct with people to the degree that some might say he is not living out what he himself commands of us. Is there a difference between us and Jesus? Well, I would answer “Yes, there is.” Let’s consider this one text of Matthew 11:20-24. “Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you." Sounds heavy, doesn’t it?

Often Jesus is talking about judgment in a way that you and I can never can. Everyone in these cities will one day stand before Jesus in judgment. Jesus, and only Jesus, is able to point a finger of judgment because he is the God who knows the heart of every human of all time. If we were to say words like this, we would be speaking outside of our authority. In fact, just earlier in Matthew 7, Jesus warned us in his Sermon on the Mount that we should not judge because we will be judged with the same standard by which we judge others. He is not saying that we cannot make good judgments based on Scripture, just that we should acknowledge that even by our own standards of judgments we proclaim upon others, we will fail. Only Jesus never fails his own judgments and only Jesus can rightly point a finger of judgment that we can never point without being harsh and hypocritical.

In our Matthew text above, Jesus also displays something in his speech that we can never reproduce. Jesus displays his sovereign will over all time and with every person. Jesus makes a very clear statement of knowing every contingent possibility in history. If the cities of Sodom, Tyre and Sidon had experienced the revelation of Christ, it would have been better for them than for Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. Because they rejected Jesus as the Messiah, Jesus can stand in front of them and say the words, “Woe to you.” These are three words that come out of the mouth of God in righteous judgment as he alone can see the heart of man. If we used words such as “Woe to you,” we would be speaking from an authority and knowledge we simply do not have.

Does that mean that a Christian cannot tell another person that their position outside of Christ is perilous? Does it mean we cannot warn others that they may be under the threat of the eternal judgment of God in hell? Of course, we can and must tell people what the bible clearly says about those who reject Christ. We must call people to repentance of sin and faith in Christ. We could even point to Matthew 11 and show how rejecting the revelation of Christ places one under the seriousness of responsibility before God in judgment. We must be true, but we must not be Jesus. There is only one God, and I am not him.

I do not think there is any contradiction between the prescriptive and descriptive in the biblical text. I do, however, think there are many who want to use the descriptive as license to use harsh speech and claim an authority that God doesn’t give them. The point is, the authority of Christ is Christ’s. I live under it. I can point to and live under his authority. I can even show how this authority allows me to confidently make correct statements about the world and the human condition. What I can’t do, is live out something I am not and in doing so ignore his direct commands in Scripture. I can’t treat another human being as if I am above them.

At the same time, we can actually warn people about hell using gentleness and compassion, showing them what the true judge of every man has proclaimed. Matthew 11 shows us that Jesus says “woe” to anyone who has heard of the gospel of Christ and rejected it. Jesus is not harsh, he is the only one who can use words of judgment with full righteousness of character and an absolute knowledge of the person in question. Jesus is not harsh. He is righteous and all knowing. You…..are not.

The Old Testament is Just the Introduction to Jesus

In some ways, saying this about the Old Testament may seem to trivialize what is very much the inspired Word of God. If we were saying that the Old Testament is like the prologue to a book that is easily skipped without really missing the real story, we would indeed be guilty of such trivialization. 

The Old Testament is a great span of history from the very creation of the world to the post-exilic era of Israel as we anticipate the coming of the Messiah, Jesus. If you are like me and believe the reality of the historical account in the Old Testament, then you also believe we are looking at an era of time of roughly around 4000 years. That is a significant chunk of human history.  As far as biblical history is concerned, the New Testament adds around 90 years (if John wrote the book of Revelation somewhere around 90 A.D.). In the span of biblical history, the Old Testament outnumbers the New in terms of the years of human history it records.

How then would we consider that the Old Testament is “just” and introduction? Well, it depends on what the Old Testament is introducing.  One clue we get is given by Jesus when he addresses the crowds concerning John the Baptist.  In Matthew 11:11 Jesus makes an astounding statement about John the Baptist. “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” On the one hand Jesus says that John is the greatest living human to that point of history, yet on the other, anyone living in the Kingdom of Christ is greater than John.

John represents the last of the Old Testament era (or the era of salvation history prior to the cross.). John lives like and is numbered among the old covenant prophets of God.  He is looking forward to the Messiah and longing for the kingdom of God to break into this world. He is the greatest among men because as the old era progressed toward the actual appearance of Christ, John is the prophet who was actually able to stand right in front of him and even dunk him under the water in baptism. John didn’t just prophecy about Jesus, he had the unique privilege of all old era history of introducing Jesus the Messiah to the world.  John however never got to see the ministry years of Jesus miracles or teaching, and he did not get to see the risen Savior after his redeeming work on the cross.  John was the introduction to Jesus and as such he really was the culmination of all in the Old Testament that looks forward to the Messiah longing to introduce Jesus to the world.

As John represents the old era, it helps us to understand the way in which the Old Testament is an introduction to Jesus.  As we see all the types and shadows in the Old Testament, we soon realize the each one in their own way is God’s masterpiece of literary genius as he designs all of the Old Testament history to point to Jesus.  The Old Testament introduces Jesus.  Let me give you a few examples.

Melchizedek is a king and priest who has no recorded beginning. – Jesus is a priest in the order of Melchizedek.

David is the King, sitting on the throne of an everlasting kingdom. – Jesus brings his kingdom into the world and establishes its rule for ever.

Israel is the son of God who are rescued from slavery in Egypt. – Jesus is the greater Son who increases the border of Israel to all tribes tongues and nations.

The temple is the house of worship in the midst of God’s people. – Jesus is the fulfillment of the temple indwelling all who believe in him.

The spotless lamb is brought to the altar for sacrificial atonement for the forgiveness of sins. – Jesus is our once and for all sacrificial atonement for the forgiveness of our sins.

The sabbath is the day of rest to be kept holy in the Lord. – Jesus is our sabbath rest forever more.

The promised land is the land of rest for the people of God coming out of exile. – Jesus is our rest and hope for an eternal rest in the new creation.

In these and so many other ways, the Old Testament introduces Jesus.  The Old Testament is glorious in the way it helps us see God’s sovereign plan of using actual human history to point to his Son.  God used 4000 years of human history to introduce Jesus.  Now that Jesus has come and the work of the cross is finished, it is our job to introduce Jesus to everyone else we know.

Do You See the Justice of God?

If you are a Christian who pays attention to the culture around you, you just might be tempted to yearn for some justice. We seem to so often be in a minority position. The power of the modern sexual revolution, the atheistic ideologies of our universities and the attack against the value of life seems utterly overwhelming. Many of us wonder how many more meetings of congress, or what legal decision might deem much of what we do and say to be illegal. Where is the justice for God’s people?

It’s easy to look at the world around us and miss some basic facts.  We know from Scripture that every single person one day will stand before the God of the Universe (Hebrews 9:27, 2 Corinthians 5:9-10). We know that God is sovereign over the nations and that there is none who will ever have power over him (Psalm 2, Isaiah 40:15, Revelation 11:18). We only need to read the book of Revelation to know that Christ brings victory in every realm in this world and over every spiritual force including Satan himself. We read these truths in Scripture and while we long for wrong to be put right at the end, we also wonder how it can be that the wicked prosper.

King Asaph wondered this very same thing and then realized that anyone rejecting God in this world may prosper for a while but will see greater folly in what is to come. Psalm 73:18-20 Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin. How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors! Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.

Often a Christian will take solace in the fact that God’s judgment will happen at some future time.  One thing many of us don’t consider is that God has already come into this world in salvation and judgment in the person of Christ.  In the reality of Christ and his work on the cross there is a sealing of judgment upon all who will not repent of sin and trust him. We understand this in two ways.  First, we understand that God is a God who is righteous and holy and must bring judgment upon sin. Second, this is displayed in the cross.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. God’s justice is shown in the cross in that it was poured out on Christ who substituted himself to receive punishment due for our sin. The reason we can be forgiven of sin is because of God’s justice.  His justice has been delivered upon Jesus. Anyone who believes in Jesus for forgiveness of sin and reconciliation with God can do so because justice has been served on the Son in our place. The cross is the seal of the justice of God. In rejection of the cross, God’s justice remains on the sinner and will be finally executed on the final day. 

Where is the justice for God’s people? It has already been delivered on Christ. Where is the justice for the rest of the world? It remains hanging over the head of every soul who will not repent and believe in Jesus Christ. We should be very careful to see that the winnowing fork of justice has indeed come in Jesus Christ and delivered in and through the cross. Whether someone does well or seems to have power in this world in the meantime is a trivial matter.  The cross will be the weapon of justice that everyone remembers for all eternity.

Please, Brothers and Sisters, Worship God!

One of the most serious and damning statements in the entire bible is the one that Jesus makes to the Jews who are accusing the disciples of overlooking Jewish customs and rules. It appears that the disciples did not wash their hands to eat and the Jews used this to accuse them of being unrighteous (Even though it was not a requirement of the Old Testament law to do so). Jesus, in his infinite wisdom, turned the Pharisees attention to the fact that they so easily ignore the law of God for their own traditions which end up in harsh treatment of others. They were more concerned for their traditions and rules than they were for living for God. Jesus says to them, "'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'"

The Pharisees were not worshippers of God, they were protectors of their own glory.  What came out of their mouths about righteousness was not the same as what was in their heart about loving God. Their worship was in vain.  Their worship was nothing.

This is a huge warning for us. We can so easily come to church on a Sunday and speak and act as if our whole lives revolve around the glory of God when they don’t.  It’s possible for us to teach a Sunday School class with our lips and have our hearts far from God. It’s possible for us to sing the most beautiful harmonies to a hymn and yet have hearts during the week that sing the delights of the idols we worship.

The big point for all of us here is that worship is a matter of the heart. We worship God not through ritual or mere words but through a heart that is intent on his glory and submission to his authority. It is a heart that revels in the forgiveness found in the cross and responds with undying active gratitude. When we worship in all that we say, do and think, we declare with our whole being that God is Lord and has my love and devotion in every avenue of my life.

If we are to be a church of worshippers, we need to be a people intent on our gatherings being a reflection of what is already happening in our hearts.  We meet on Sunday because on Monday to Saturday God is adored and praised. And when we open our mouths to sing together on a Sunday morning, it is the culmination of week of adoration. It is the reflection of our hearts for God.

Church Membership is Helpful for One Anothering

One of the dilemmas some people have with church membership is the purpose of it.  Some people have rightly been against a formal church membership on the basis that it has been explained as the way of inclusion into the church.  Hopefully we would all agree that salvation through faith in Christ alone is that which brings inclusion into his church.  Church membership is not about inclusion, but identification. We are identified as believers through our testimony of Christ and hopefully through the fruit of Christ that will be evident in our lives (none more so than love).

We should be careful to note that when we gather together as God’s people, we will often have those among us who are not believers. Paul says as much in 1 Corinthians 14:23. How do we identify members of the church when we so often have unbelievers among us. As we get to know people, hopefully we get to ask about and hear their testimony and make assessment as to whether they know and have responded to the gospel. We make fallible assessments knowing that only God can truly see one’s heart. Have you personally done this with everyone in your church? Can you identify by actual spoken testimony and fruit who are members of the church? In most congregations, I would suggest the answer is no.

In the Scripture there are many responsibilities that church members have for the care of each other and the church as a whole.  The church as a congregational body is ultimately responsible in acknowledging the discipline of one from their number. To do so, the whole church body must first be aware that the disciplined member was already counted among them. The church as a body comes together to verify eldership direction in important matters of church life, direction, appointment of leaders, and sending for mission. One of the most important responsibilities each church member has for another is simply found in the one another statements in the New Testament. As an example, in Hebrews 3:13 we read, “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” In this particular example, we are to regularly keep watch on each other and keep each other aligned with the truth of Scripture so that we might not stray into error and sin. The question is, who can you identify as the “one another” you are actually responsible for?

The objection so often arises that we see no example of a formal counting of membership in the New Testament as if there was no careful system in place to account for the actual known body of Christ.  If we think for a moment that there was no concern to formally identify members in the early church, I suggest we are being naïve and uncharitable to our ancestral brethren. I do not believe that the elders of the first formed New Testament churches were lax about who exactly they were given responsibility to shepherd. The responsibilities given to elders and churches necessitate that formal identification of church members has been in place from the very beginning. In fact, many times in the book of Acts we read that people were “counted” among the church upon their public identification in baptism.

The way membership lists help the church today is with this same seriousness of identifying the body. Through either baptism or public testimony of a believer who has already been baptized as such we publicly welcome believers among us as identified formal members. We ensure the other members are aware of it in a public setting and we formally note it. In this way we are declaring to the body that this person is your responsibility for one-anothering. We do not leave this to chance or guesses. The one another responsibilities of the church are too important for that. A caring church will be intentional about promoting membership and as such we will be intentional about taking the one another statements very seriously.

Have you been formally identified as a member yet?

Little Baby - Big God!

The book of Isaiah holds the two most quoted Old Testament statements about the promise of Jesus. In Isaiah 7 we hear of the promise of a virgin giving birth to a son. Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. In Isaiah 9 we are told that this promise is greater than anyone might expect. Isaiah 9:6-7 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. In Isaiah 11 we are even told the ancestral line from which to expect this mighty child. Isaiah 11:1-2 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

These verses are not only quoted in the New Testament and fulfilled in Jesus, but they also exist in the context of the book of Isaiah. It is so easy for us to have a sentimental view of Scriptures that we love so dearly. We sing them in carols, and we use them in children’s stories. We love to remind ourselves that these are prophecies that are fulfilled 700 years after they are written and tell ourselves that the bible is true. Of course, it is. The bible is true, and we should dearly cherish these precious statements about our Savior.

It is also true that the New Testament authors have shown us how to truly see these verses in all their fulfillment glory. They quote them to show that God inspired the words of Isaiah in the progressive revelation of his redeeming grace. Even so, when we understand the themes and context of the book of Isaiah, we also realize that the New Testament authors do not quote these verses as a proof text but in context.

Isaiah is constantly warning the kings and people of Judah not to put their trust in the gods and nations around them. Particularly in the first half of Isaiah, there is a repetitive behavior in Judah. They are threatened by a nation, they fear, and then the look to other nations (and even gods) to come to their rescue. They are constantly being told that God is greater than the nations. They have the only one true God and yet they are trusting in powers that are either non-existent or in comparison to God, impotent. It is God who judges and God who saves.

From chapter 40 in Isaiah we find Isaiah writing to a people who have suffered the consequences of not trusting in God. When Judah comes under the domineering power of Babylon, they are captives looking for a Savior. A repetitive message in the second half of Isaiah is that Judah will not be saved by the might of nations. The Savior will not come by military conquest but ultimately will bring them redemption through a suffering Servant. This Servant will be “pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:5). Because of this selfless act of substitution, this same Servant is the one in Isaiah 63 who comes in the victorious red robes stained by the blood of his enemies.

When we understand the big picture of Isaiah, we must consider the quotes used in the New Testament as they relate to the big context of the Old Testament book. The New Testament authors are not merely saying that the baby in a manger is a fulfillment of prophecy. They are saying that the baby in a manger is the God of the universe. He is bigger than the nations. He is the Savior of his people and he will come in conquering victory. They are giving us the same basic message that Isaiah was giving to Judah. Do not trust in the poor pitiable nations, kings and false gods. Behold your God who is bigger than your greatest enemies.

Our greatest enemy is sin and death, but we have a Savior. Isaiah’s Savior is our Savior. He is Christ the Lord and he might have come as a little baby, but he is a BIG God.

How Do You Respond to Rebuke?

It’s hard to be wrong. It’s even harder to be on the end of a rebuke that brings our wrongdoing into the open in a way that requires a response. It’s during these times that the voice inside us starts speaking lies to us. “If you give in to this, you will give them the upper hand.” “If you back down on this, you will tarnish your reputation.” “If you admit to wrong, who will respect you?” Pride so often prevents correction in our life. We don’t want to admit wrong because our pride does not want us to allow people to see we are fallen. We so often forget that pride doesn’t protect us from being fallen, it’s the cause of it. Proverbs 16:18 - “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

Our church has been on a journey through the book of Galatians. The book of Galatians is basically a public rebuke letter from the Apostle Paul. Judaizers had come among Galatian churches to persuade them with a works-based gospel. They were attempting to add adherence to the Mosaic law as a necessary element of salvation. It is not the fault of the Galatian church that these false teachers came to them, but the Galatian church is guilty of giving them a platform and being lured away from the gospel of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ alone. The Galatians were wrong, and Paul had made that very clear.

Throughout Paul’s letter he told them of his astonishment that they were being lured away by a lie. He told them they were being foolish and wondered who had bewitched them. At the same time, Paul called them brothers and showed confidence that they would indeed heed his warning. At the very end of his letter, Paul finishes with these words. “From now on, let no one cause me trouble.” (Gal 6:17).

We are left wondering about the response from the Galatian churches. Did they humbly accept the rebuke from Paul and repent of allowing false teaching to creep into the church? If one has the same confidence as Paul, it seems likely that they would have heeded his warning.

If we consider the trouble that was brought into the churches of Galatia through the Judaizers, we can imagine what a repentant response from these churches would have been. Perhaps they finished reading the letter and then discussed all the major points. Maybe they took some time to contemplate how they had allowed their confidence in Christ to be swayed by the lure of performance. Maybe they took time to talk about how confidence in performance had brought division among them. Perhaps they admitted their error and committed to standing with Paul in the one saving truth they had originally come to know. Did they get on their knees and confess their sin to the Lord? Did they write to Paul asking for his forgiveness for causing him such trouble? Did they admit wrong in the way of rectifying it? I wonder if they shut down the voice of the Judaizers among them. I wonder if any of the Judaizers realized their error and came to know the truth of the gospel. I wonder if the Judaizers were sent on their way having been corrected and rejected. I wonder if the Galatians were persecuted for their faith after rejecting confidence in the law of Moses to live in Christ in the law of love.

I hope that’s the way the Galatian church responded. I hope it’s the way I do. How about you?

Jesus Came to Glorify Himself, Not the Culture

Not many books have been written so successfully as to reach a 50th anniversary edition. The late Richard Niebuhr’s book, “Christ and Culture,” is one of them. It shows that the questions about Christ and culture are of high importance and value to the church. It helps us understand the issues of Christian ethics in the society we live. Our positions on Christ and culture will determine how we think about politics and social issues. It will determine what we believe are the right and wrong responses to the ethical dilemmas of our day. There are some people who would stand strongly on a side that says we are to make every effort to fight the culture to bring about change that would result in a culture more aligned with biblical morality and values. Others have a much more separatist view that disengages with culture entirely as they restrict all cultural influence possible.

It is easy to see that there can be extremes in the answers to the Christ and culture question. Christians need to be careful to keep a biblical balance when considering our engagement with the culture. We should be careful to see two strong principles at play. 1. Jesus has called us to engage with the culture and glorify him in our lives. 2. Christians have been saved into a heavenly kingdom.

1. Jesus has called us to engage with the culture and glorify him in our lives.

As we look at Jesus’ ministry, we sometimes see things that make us feel a little uncomfortable. In fact, I would put it to you that the whole matter of the incarnation is uncomfortable. The perfect God of the universe came INTO this world to be with sinners. His very name, “Immanuel,” means “God with us.” In his ministry we often find Jesus being criticized by the Pharisees for dining with sinners and tax collectors. While the religious elite wanted to point their fingers in accusation toward sinners, Jesus saw people who were in great need as a result of their sin and reached out to them in compassion (Matthew 9:9-13). In doing so, Jesus never once sinned. He lived out his holiness, spoke in holiness, and reached out compassionately by engaging with the lost. While there were many opportunities to do so, not once did Jesus attempt to return Jewish rule or ethics, and certainly not by political means. Instead, Jesus said things like, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar and to God what is God’s.” (Matthew 21:21). When the crowd wanted to take Jesus and make him king (John 6:15), Jesus withdrew to pray. Jesus is the one among us all who could indeed take advantage of an opportunity to replace Caesar and restore Jewish ethics and rule. Instead, he withdrew. Many times, Jesus left the Jewish perimeter to venture into Gentile territory to reveal his good news. He sat with a promiscuous Samaritan woman and offered her himself as living water.

As we read through the New Testament, it is hard to get any strong argument that the Christian is called to engage with the culture for the purpose of bettering or winning against culture. If there is any such benefit from Christianity, it would seem to be secondary to the purpose. Often as the gospel has spread through different places in different times, conversions of greater magnitude have resulted in the betterment of laws and social morality and even compassionate services as Christians have lived out their faith engaging with their culture. The true purpose of engagement with culture given to God’s people is the great commission. Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

2. Christians have been saved into a heavenly kingdom.

In answering the Governor, Pilot, Jesus stated that his purpose was not to set up a worldly kingdom but to save people into his heavenly kingdom (John 18:36). If Jesus was attempting to bring new and better rule to this world, he could have inspired a political coup, but he didn’t. He came into this world to introduce us to his heavenly kingdom and save us from destruction.

This is also the essence of what Paul talks about when he explains the gospel to the Galatians. In Galatians 1:3-5 the gospel is explained as Jesus saving us out of this present evil age/world. At the end of Galatians as Paul summarizes his letter he talks about the work of the cross as crucifying us unto this world and the world unto us (Gal 6:14). In a sense, we Christians should see ourselves as exiles engaging in a foreign land. We are saved from the worldliness of this world and everything we might desire to put our confidence in outside of the cross of Christ. In the cross, we have been crucified to the world and Paul says that our only boast (or glory) is in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. In one sense you could say that this shows us that Jesus never came to make the culture glorious, but to save people out of the culture through the glory of his cross. Paul makes it clear that God shows his glory in the cross. The glory of the cross is eternal, change in a culture still awaits destruction. Glory is found in the heavenly kingdom.

Conclusion

If we keep these balancing truths in place, we start to live and engage in this world with gospel priority. We will know that our purpose is to see people saved to the glory of Christ as we live and speak the glory of Christ. We will say that our only glory is in the cross of Christ and our engagement with culture will be with the purpose of reaching the lost that they may know the glory we have.

We don’t make this culture glorious. We seek to save people out of this culture to glory found in Jesus alone.

Am I Complacent About Protecting the Gospel?

So often we read the bible and skip over words that were never meant to be taken lightly. Sometimes the words we so easily read past are truths for our soul and encouragements for our heart. Sometimes the words we pass by so flippantly are commands that we are expected to take seriously. Some of these commands are life and death matters.

The gospel is a life and death reality. What anyone does with the truth of Jesus is a matter of eternity and as we read through the letters of Paul we constantly find the Apostle defending the one true saving gospel truth. Paul is often dealing with people attempting to add or take away from the gospel message. As we see Paul upholding the essential tenets of the gospel, we see him explaining the gospel and then helping the church to go on protecting that truth. One of the greatest examples of this is found in Galatians.

Paul explains the gospel.

Galatians 1:3-5 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Paul tells us to protect the gospel.

There are various times in Galatians where Paul defends and admonishes the church to protect the gospel. He does so by both rebuke and command. In Galatians 6:6-7, Paul instructs the Galatians to give to those who will teach them. Paul has spent most of his letter defending and teaching against some false teachers who have come among the Galatians. He wants the Galatian churches to be as solid as possible as they stand on the irreducible gospel message that is being perverted. It seems that Paul considers that setting aside someone for intense study and teaching of the gospel will help them to stand more firmly against those who may seek to pervert it. Galatians 6:6-7 “Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.”

Within these words, Paul gives a strong command. “Do not be deceived.” This is a command that he makes with the passive voice (not an action that you do, but one that happens TO you). The command to the church is for us not to allow anyone to deceive us – not to allow their deception to be enacted upon us. Do all that you can to protect the gospel from those who may come among you and take you from its truth and saving power. Paul is not just concerned that we know the gospel in a positive sense, but that we protect against any negative influence that might come upon us and lead us from it. He says a similar thing to the Colossians when he says, “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” (Colossians 2:8).

When we see commands like, “See to it,” and “Do not be deceived,” we can so easily read over them as little phrases that are no more profound than the space they occupy on the page. In reality, they are meant to be speed bumps that slow us down and cause great caution. When we think through them, we are left with the intention of the author. Paul might as well say, “In everything you are hearing about the seriousness of the gospel in this letter, please don’t underestimate how important it is for you to uphold and protect this truth against others who will bring their own ideas to deceive you.” It’s life and death. Set someone aside to teach the truth. Stand together against the humanistic philosophies of the world. Uphold, proclaim, and never stray from the one true saving message of the gospel of Christ. Give to, support, protect, uphold and proclaim this gospel. Don’t be deceived. See to it!

The danger is for us to read this and acknowledge its importance and still just skip over it. Please don’t. Ask yourself the question today. Am I seeing to it? Am I protecting myself from deception? Am I in a bible teaching church that upholds the same gospel as the Apostles? Am I giving to that ministry? Am I in a church that has a biblical leadership structure in place to protect it? Am I allowing the Bible to tell me how to discern what I hear in the world and not the other way around? Do I use the Scriptures as my authority in the way I assess this world and my life? Am I living this way in front of others? Am I protecting from deception? How much do I value the gospel?

Are We Truly Building Ourselves up in Love?

This week, HPBC has our Big Discipleship Day. It is our day to think about how we counsel each other in through sin and suffering in life and seeking maturity in Christ. In a beautiful twist of God’s providence this week (never fate), I listened to a great podcast from the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors. Dr. Andrew Rogers spoke about the culture of discipleship in a church and quickly quoted this one verse.

Ephesians 4:15-16 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

As I meditated a little on this verse the one thing that I particularly noticed is that Paul talks in such a complete and inclusive way about the entire church of Ephesus. They are to grow up in “every” way into Christ. As we first consider that the church is made up of regenerate believers who have come into union with our Lord and King, our common union in Christ means that we have a common calling. The Christian calling is never to allow one to stagnate in maturity in Christ, but every Christian is called to grow in Christ in every way. We do not have super Christians in the church, and we do not have stagnating Christians in the church. The church has growing Christians who grow together and help each other in the growing.

Paul does not exclude even one Christian in the church when he talks about our responsibility to come along side each other to help each other grow in Christ. He says that while Christ is always head, it is the “whole body,” “every joint,” and “each part” who bear responsibility for helping each other to mature in Christ. There is not one person in the church who can say the words that Cain so callously used in his response to God when he killed Abel. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Paul says that in the church the answer is always, “yes.” Each one of us are our brother’s and sister’s keeper. Each part and joint of the body is to work as a whole body and in so doing will work properly when there is a body that is building itself up in love as it grows in Christ.

As you look around our local church, I wonder if you think to yourself that you are responsible for helping that person across the aisle grow in Christ. I wonder if you consider that you need help from that brother or sister sitting in front of you. I wonder if you realize that your elders, even while leading, are not immune from needing help in our pursuit of Christian maturity. The point that Paul is making is that we need each other. Yes, all of us, the whole body, every joint and each part. The question is, are you willing in obedience to claim that responsibility? Are we a church willing to have every part working properly?

I pray that we are.

An Open Gratitude for Our Church Family

Last week our church considered Galatians 5:25-6:3. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. 6:1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

As I read, meditated, studied, and preached through this text, I was often wondering how many pastors may perceive this text as they think about the church they are in front of Sunday after Sunday. Most assuredly I am not the only pastor who can read a passage of Scripture like this with a sincere sense of joy in my heart as I think of the people to whom I am preaching. Yet, I asked myself the question, “I wonder if other pastors have the same joy I have about this Scripture?”

Our church has been developing a culture of discipleship whereby we can come alongside each other to help each other in our times of need. This is often through practical help such as a meal, a practical helping hand, a hospital visit, money and resources, and just an encouraging word. I have also witnessed a confrontation in love. I have seen admission of sin and a sincere request to help in repentance. I have watched our church family come around each other in so many situations. Perhaps it is because I am a new(ish) pastor that I have never really so intimately realized the beauty of the church as we reflect our Savior together. Even so, I have heard of far too many instances of pastors walking into churches and finding division and battling on every ground where there is disunity and selfishness.

So, what do I say to our church? Well, I have to acknowledge something first. This is God’s church and all that is happening is a direct result of his sovereignty and kindness to his people. I also have to acknowledge that God works through the obedience and worship of his people. I therefore acknowledge this on two grounds. God is so gracious toward us in his leading and I am so thankful to our God for our church family in the way we are growing through obedience in the attributes of a Spirit-filled togetherness that we see in Galatians 6:1-3.

I can also say that I am thankful for a family of God’s people who seek to show a selfless love and humble spirit – a people who recognize that our next sin is just around the corner and cannot point a condemning finger at others – a people who come for help when sin is overwhelming – and a people who jump generously when one of us is in trouble.

Can you join me in thanking God for our church? I hope you can. We are not perfect, and we are not there, but I can see desire and growth in us as we live out the law of Christ. What a joy it is to be a pastor of this family. What a privilege. Thank you!

Christians Can Never Be Pacifists

This year my family stood in front of an American flag and promised to bear arms for this nation if we were ever called upon by the Government to do so. It is a basic expectation of an American citizen. I hope never to be in a position of being called to do so and especially never in a position where there may be a reasonable objection to do so if tyranny ever became a character trait of this country. I made this promise on the basis that the USA is not by trait a tyrannical power (some may disagree). When it comes to matters of war, Christians may or may not agree to participate in battle on the basis of their biblical conviction, but it is by biblical conviction that Christians must always be at war. The Christian must always be a soldier and always in a constant battle. We do not wage war against countries but against our own flesh. Even if we never fight for a country, we can never be pacifist with our flesh.

In Galatians, the most prominent theme seems to be the theme of freedom. In Galatians 5, Paul really concentrates on our freedom in Christ from the slavery of the law. He explains that we are free from the condemnation of the law, but this freedom is not a license for sin. If we give in to our fleshly desires, we are as much a slave to sin as to the law. This is why the cross is our only hope and our power found in the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

The freedom Paul talks about in Galatians could be seen as a freedom to fight. Those who are slaves are under bondage from their masters, but the Christian, being freed from sin, is able to stand free against our old master. Through the power of the Holy Spirit we have every resource to resist the desires of the flesh and live to please Christ. Every time we hear a description of this in the New Testament, it sounds like a war. We put our enemy to death. We resist the enemy that wages war against our soul. We know that our new desires in the Spirit are against and opposed to the desires of the flesh. In this world, this is freedom. For some this may not sound like freedom. War is difficult and every battle can be wearisome, but there is a greater reality. In Christ our victory is secured and we have a power within us that is greater than the power we are against. Freedom is no longer being under the dominion of sin and death and the evil passions of our flesh. Christ has broken us free from the chains of the flesh so that we can fight and know the victorious glory of living in the Spirit. It’s a war, a glorious war, a war worth waging. One day, every battle will be eclipsed by the final victory as the last enemy of death is finally defeated.

Romans 8:13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Colossians 3:5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

1 Peter 2:11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

Galatians 5:17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.

But let’s never forget:

Galatians 5:24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Are You as Confident About the Church as Paul?

I have often wondered why so many people are so quick to speak with great pessimism about the church. Perhaps some of you have just read this first sentence and thought to yourself that I must be blind and deaf. Is it possible that I have not seen once famous, conservative, evangelical pastors now denying the faith? Did I miss the television evangelists robbing thousands from unsuspecting viewers who need a miracle? Have I not considered churches that call themselves Christian denominations while they deny fundamental doctrines essential for salvation? No, I haven’t missed any of it. How can I possibly be confident about the church?

As is always my plea, I am careful to define the church. The church which is otherwise known as the Bride of Christ is the regenerate people of God who have come to faith in Christ alone through his all-sufficient work on the cross. Once we start defining the church on the basis of regeneration and the one true narrow way of salvation, the use of this word disqualifies some of those already mentioned. Of course, we would eliminate those already rejecting the essentials of the biblical gospel. When we see a church or believer toying with dangerous ideas that could take them into apostacy, how do we act? I think we can take the same approach as Paul. We can warn with confidence.

The Galatians were toying with the idea of a works-based salvation by adding law to grace. They were being led astray by the Jewish ideologies of the day. When we see this happening today, we often witness two extremes. On the one hand we witness a pointed finger of condemnation from those who are outraged that a Christian might detour. On the other hand, we witness a complacency from those who think that worldly ideas ultimately do no harm.  Neither is right and neither is a tactic we see from the Apostle Paul.  Paul may have been alarmed that the Galatians were moving in the wrong direction, but he was by no means condemning them as if non-believers.  Nor Was Paul complacent about a teaching that had potential to destroy the church. Contrary to both positions, Paul was diligent to warn his brothers and sisters in confidence that Christians would be corrected and stay the course of the gospel in Christ.

In Galatians 5 Paul gave the Galatians a serious warning not to put their confidence in anything other than Christ because in doing so they would lose Christ.  “Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you.” (Galatians 5:2).  Paul also follows this statement up with the reason he is confident that they will heed the truth of the gospel. “I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is.” (Galatians 5:10).  If we don’t put these two statements together, it seems like Paul is a pessimist about the church, but Paul’s confidence is high.  Paul had already stated in his letter that they had received the Spirit and the inheritance of Christ as sons and daughters of Abraham. He had seen them come to Christ and believe solely upon Jesus Christ for their salvation. These fallible humans were now being persuaded by false teachers and needed a recalibration to the one true gospel of Christ. If what Paul had once seen in them was true, he had every reason to be confident.

Notice, however, that Paul’s confidence in the church is not simply in the church.  He is confident of them not ultimately taking the view of the Judaizers because his confidence is in the Lord. We may say that this is indication that Paul had no confidence whatsoever in the church but only in the Lord and in a sense this is true. The reason, however, that Paul has confidence in the Lord that they will not take another view is because they are in the Lord. Paul is confident in warning rather than condemning this church because Paul believes they are regenerate believers who will desire to align to the teaching of Christ above others. Paul knows how to define the church and he speaks accordingly. When we define the church as regenerate believers (this vastly decreases the population associated with that definition), you can speak optimistically “in the Lord.” They will stay the course on the apostolic gospel because Paul is confident that they are the church and the church is indwelt by Christ.

When we see sin and error in others, we are sometimes quick to immediately point fingers, accuse them of compromising, and even question their salvation.  This is not Paul’s “go to.” Paul warns in confidence to help the erring believer know the consequence of where he is headed. He even communicates his confidence in them because of Christ and believes that they will heed the truth of the gospel. The question is, are we like that? Do we warn with confidence or are we self-appointed accusers and judges? Warning with confidence is gentle, kind, and thinks the best.  Warning with confidence is living out love and this is one of the main characteristics of love.

1 Corinthians 13:7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.