Jesus Is Your Armor

The more Christians see the light of Jesus, the more we see the darkness of the world. Every day we are confronted by the effects of Genesis 3 as we encounter human selfishness and idolatry. We are also constantly living in the reality of our own fallen nature and are often tempted by worldly enticements. We are in constant need of spiritual armor for our spiritual battle.

If you've been a Christian for even a short period of time, it's likely you are familiar with the concept of putting on the armor of God. You have most likely found yourself reading about this armor from the commonly referenced passage, Ephesians 6:10-17.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

This is not the only place where the Apostle Paul encourages the church to put on armor as an intentional focus for our life in this world.

1 Thessalonians 5:8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.

Romans 13:11-12 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.

At every reference Paul is telling us to remind ourselves of the spiritual realities we have in Christ so that we can be armed with truth to confront life in a world that is contrary to Christ. Also, Paul seems to be referring us back to the Prophet Isaiah so that we consider who Jesus is as we seek to live in him for the battle.

Isaiah 59:15-20 Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. The LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. 16 He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him. 17 He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak. 18 According to their deeds, so will he repay, wrath to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies; to the coastlands he will render repayment. 19 So they shall fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come like a rushing stream, which the wind of the LORD drives. 20 "And a Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression," declares the LORD.

It is evident that the Apostle Paul wants us to know something about the armor he encourages us to wear. God himself will send a Redeemer and he will bring justice to his enemies and salvation to the redeemed. He comes in the armor of righteousness and salvation with judgment and zeal. This armor tells us that Christ is our great warrior. He fights our battles for us. Essentially, Paul is telling us to put on Christ.

If you want to be ready to engage with an anti-God world, put on Christ who is both the Judge of the world and Savior for all who will turn from their sin and trust in Him. Simply put, Christian, if you want to be ready for battle - put on Jesus.

Eschatological Evangelism

I wonder what answer you would get if you asked your non-believing friends if they believe whether they are accountable to anyone for their life? Many people are willing to say they believe in God, but so often that statement is divorced from truly being accountable to God. That lack of acceptance of accountability is seen everywhere in our world. When there is no accountability outside of self, there is only self. There is only what we can get out of this world for us. Imagine if our gospel response came by way of a very important question. Would you be terrifyingly surprised to find out that you are accountable to God and that at an unexpected time he will appear before you as the ultimate judge? Would you be further surprised to find out that his judgment will be based on his own perfect standard of goodness?

We live in a world that has a dangerous mentality of "out of sight, out of mind" when it comes to God. Every day we live with the enticements of money, popularity, sex, power, and every other allurement to keep our attention focused on the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. We have more than enough to keep us striving for ourselves so that we never have to think about one day being accountable to an ultimate authority. If you think this is a problem only for our culture and our time, think again. This is an ongoing human problem.

The Scriptures inform us that this problem has been the temptation for humanity from the beginning.

Genesis 3:4 But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. Satan's temptation of Adam and Eve was partly based on the lie that they would not be accountable for rebellion against God.

Gen 7:22-23 Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died. 23 He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark. The people of the world in the time of Noah watched him build an ark for decades. In the ignorance of their accountability to God, all humanity except for eight people were drowned in the comprehensive judgment of God. Mat 24:37-39 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

2 Peter 3:3-4 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, "Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation." In the time of the Apostle Peter in the first century AD, people were saying that there is no coming day of judgment for them. Out of sight, out of mind.

Two thousand years later and we are no different today. What if they knew? What if the warning of the coming of Christ and the final day of judgment became part of our gospel discussions? What if people could know that while there is no way for them to meet God's standard for that day, there is One who already has and offers his righteousness for their sin?

The gospel is not simply, Jesus died for you so that you can be in heaven. It is the fact that Jesus died for you who are guilty in sin and accountable to the judgment of God that will inevitably come for all humanity. The gospel gives us hope that, only through faith in Christ, we can be judged righteous by God on the final day because His righteousness will cover us. The gospel changes our life in the way we live today according to that accountability, and we also live today according to that hope.

What if people could know and see that truth?

Biblical Worldview and Your Future

When it comes to the study of the last things or final times (eschatology), hopefully we all appreciate that some truths are universally essential, and others are more difficult to discern. Take for instance the second coming of Christ. Jesus will physically return at a time in the future that is unknown (and unknowable) and that we all need to be ready for it. This fact is something that every Christian claiming biblical orthodoxy should hold tightly. Yet, all of us hold to some belief about the future that is not universally agreed upon. We might say these beliefs are less essential in nature, and some would say less important, but we should all understand that what we believe about the future will always affect our lives today. Our biblical worldview - the way we understand life and existence in the world around us through the bible - does not simply come from knowing our beginnings, it comes from what we also believe about the end of the age.

The Thessalonian church provides us a strong example of people who were living according to their belief about the future. That's obvious in the fact that Paul had to bring correction to their misunderstanding about the return of Christ. 1Thessalonians 4:13-14 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. It seems that some in the church of Thessalonica were losing hope in their expectation for Christ to return. It's very possible they were expecting an imminent, any moment, return of Jesus. They did believe that Jesus would come unexpectedly and at an unknown time and most likely even that it would be "soon." (1 Thessalonians 5:1-4).

Why did Paul need to correct that? There is something in their belief about this that was causing them to lose hope for their brothers and sisters in Christ who had already died. Perhaps because they were expecting Jesus to return soon, they expected it to be in their lifetime. Perhaps they wondered if dying before the return of Christ prohibited them from receiving his promised resurrection. We'll never know for sure, but we do know that Jesus had not yet returned, their Christian loved ones had already died, and they were grieving without hope.

Jesus never said that he would come quickly in a way that he was saying "any moment." Jesus did say he would come at an hour we would not expect (Matthew 24:44). In the book of Revelation, Jesus says that he is coming soon (Revelation 22:7). Peter says that the end of all things is near (1 Peter 4:7). The writer of Hebrews says that the day is approaching (Hebrews 10:24-25). At the end of Revelation, John prays, "Amen, come, Lord Jesus." (Revelation 22:20).

Along with these statements there are other statements in the bible that give us cause to consider that Jesus' unexpected and 'soon' return will come after certain events. One such is found in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. However some may interpret what or who the man of lawlessness is, there is an indication that there is some kind of rebellion or apostacy that precedes the coming of Christ. Christians should be ready to withstand anything and everything as we wait for his soon, unknown, return.

For the Thessalonians, they had to be reminded that until Christ returns, death is not the end. They had not missed Christ's return, and even if they died, they would not miss Christ's return. The most important point is that they remain faithful to Christ in life so that they would be with Christ in either death or at his coming.

Perhaps they didn't know this, but there was also a great clue for them that would be written in the gospels to assure them that the return of Christ would not be any moment in their time, but simply soon. Paul's letter to them was written around 50AD. At this stage the Apostle Peter was still alive and wrote his letters around 60AD. They could at least know that Jesus would not return until Peter had died.

John 21:18-23 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go." 19 (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, "Follow me." 20 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, "Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?" 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord, what about this man?" 22 Jesus said to him, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!" 23 So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? 

Knowing the truth about the return of Christ would reshape the way the Thessalonians live in expectation, grieve with hope, and be aware of anything that would cause them to stray into apostacy. Eschatology does that for us today. Our ideas around what happens in the last days can have a bigger effect than we might believe. It should always motivate us to ask if we are believing what the bible says and living by biblical truth rather than our own ideas to plug the gaps we find hard to discern.

Jesus is coming soon. Regardless of what happens in the meantime. We can live with hope, expectation, and awareness of anything that might draw our attention away from Him. This simple eschatology will have us living with our eyes always on Christ.

The New Covenant Conscience

The Old Testament narrative is a narrative of both hopelessness and hope. In hopelessness we find that God's people are saved out of bondage and called to be God's peculiar people who display His holiness. As they are called to be God's covenant people, they are given the law for them to keep in covenant with God as they live according to God's holiness. There is a constant trail of the failure of Israel in keeping that covenant and we are reminded that confidence in ourselves to be holy is hopeless. We cannot meet God's perfect standard. The hope in the Old Testament comes as we read of the coming Messiah who will keep God's perfect standard for us and in Him alone God will bring a new covenant forever kept in Jesus. In this new covenant, God's people will only be recognized as those who are in Jesus as our covenant keeper. They will be given a new heart, the indwelling Spirit of God, and they will all - every one of them - know God. Their conscience will be brought to life in a heart that seeks to please our Savior.

Jeremiah 31:33-34 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."

Ezekiel 36:26-27 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. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

The New Testament consistently testifies to the fact that prior to knowing Jesus, our consciences are seared and dead. In Christ, the Holy Spirit brings regeneration and enlivens our heart and conscience to a life that cares about pleasing God and imitating God's ethical heart. This is something that the Old Testament sacrifices could never do, but in Christ, the indwelling presence of the Spirit in all believers brings the victory of Christ over sin to our consciences.

Hebrews 9:13-14 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

There are so many other verses in Scripture that talk about the way the Holy Spirit guides the believer through our conscience. Paul, in Romans 9:1, speaks the truth in Christ with the Holy Spirit bearing witness in his conscience. In Romans 13:5, Christians should obey the governing bodies (short of sinfulness) for the sake of conscience. In 1 Corinthians 8 and 10 Christians are faced with the dilemma of what to eat and not to eat because our consciences are concerned about the nature of worship. In 2 Corinthians 4:2 Paul appeals to the church to see the purity of his ministry by appealing to their consciences. In 1 Timothy 1, Paul makes an argument for Timothy that his appeal is not just based on holding faith but also in its association with a good conscience. In Hebrews 10:22 we are told that our hearts are sprinkled clean from an evil conscience in the full assurance of faith. In both 1 Timothy 4 and Titus 1 we learn that unbelievers have a seared and defiled conscience. Titus 1:15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled.

It is based on these Scriptures and the overall teaching about our conscience in the new covenant, that I am convinced that in Paul's discussion in Romans 2, he can only be speaking about the conscience of believing Gentiles. Regardless of the gentile believers in Rome not having the law as their heritage like the Jewish believers, the gentile believers have the new covenant promise of a heart of flesh, the law written on their hearts, and an enlivened conscience in the Spirit. Romans 2:14-16 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law by nature, do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts (New Covenant believers), while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

It is the believer, not the unbeliever, that has an enlivened conscience by the Spirit of God. This is the work of the cross. This is the work of God in regeneration. This is the glorious promise of the new covenant in our Lord Jesus who has done what none of us could ever do. This is why new believers change and while mature believers keep maturing. It is why the Bible starts to make sense to us and why we are convicted by and even hate our former sin. It is why we have any interest in holiness at all. It is why we can love each other in the integrity of God.

Because of Christ, we have a Holy Spirit empowered conscience that is continually calibrated to the truth of God's word. It's time for Christians to start believing that in Christ we actually do have everything we need. Thank God for the conscience of a new heart.

The Holy Spirit and Real Life

Human weakness is real. If we were to start acknowledging our human weakness, we would see that we are weak when we fall in temptation to sin. We are weak when we allow circumstance to result in serious anxiety and depression. We are weak when we fear man in the face of opposition. We are simply weak. With all that Christians have before us, we are constantly reminded that we are weak. BUT... How often do we consider that in the real course of the events of our life, the Holy Spirit is strong.

Consider for a moment our battle with the trying circumstances of temptation. As Paul instructs the Thessalonian Christians, he tells them that they need to be holy. 1Thessalonians 4:7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. In our weakness, we might want to say that this is an easy statement for Paul to make. God wants us to be holy in that he wants us to be pure and righteous like Him and to keep away from sinfulness. We might say that God has called us to be something we can never really be. When my sister snatches my toy, it's very hard not to yell at her in anger. When someone beats me to getting the job I wanted, it's very hard not to be despondent. When someone has something I want, it's really difficult not to be jealous. When a tempting advertisement comes on my screen, it's very hard not to click on it. Surely, I need more than just knowing that God has called me to be holy. If we know who God is, that should be enough, but in the very next verse we receive exactly what we need.

1Thessalonians 4:8 Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. We are told not to disregard God but to remember a most extraordinary gift He has given us. He has given us Himself. He gave us Jesus to pay our sin and bring us to a new life and new reconciled relationship with God. In doing that, Jesus has also given us His Spirit -The Holy Spirit - and he dwells within us. We are to remind ourselves not to disregard God but to remember that He is with us and enables us. His strength makes it possible for us to obey when we are weak.

We should remember that the Holy Spirit helps us to pray (Jude 1:20). He has given us new life (Titus 3:5). He gives us power to live in hope (Romans 15:13). He helps us to endure through trials with joy (1 Thessalonians 1:6). He gives us power not to do the sinful things that our heart tells us we want to do (Galatians 5:16-18). He convicts us of what is sinful and unholy (John 16:8). He helps us to understand God's truth (1 Corinthians 2:12-13). These are just a few glorious works of the Holy Spirit in our lives as we trust in Christ.

If we listen to Paul, we will realize that in our moment of temptation and trial we are not disregarding God when we remind ourselves of His glorious help in our life because He indwells us. We are weak, but he is strong. God is our strength. It's true that when we fall, we have a Savior, but having His Spirit means Christians actually don't have to fall in the first place. The Holy Spirit is not some mystical power that we need to find, He is a Person who is always with us and wants to help us. He empowers us to obey our calling of holiness. Do we trust Him? Trusting Him means obeying God in the moment relying on His strength to get you through.

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

This is the inerrant truth from the word of God. Don't disregard God who gives His Holy Spirit to you! You are weak. He is strong.

The Church's Confident Joy

Yohan Sebastian Bach wrote 200 cantatas in Leipzig.  Number 147 in the 200 cantata catalogue is often played at weddings, Christmas, easter and other big events. The whole Cantata is titled Heart and Mouth and Deed and Life.  The tenth and last movement of the cantata contains a melody that many of us know today as the piece “Jesus Joy of Man’s Desiring.” .... Thank you, Bach. There is another work that reminds me of the joy that we can have in Jesus. That work is by the Apostle Paul, is part of the corpus of the New Testament, and is called Philippians.

Philippians is often called the Epistle of Joy. When Paul opens his letter to this church, as is his custom, he begins by telling them what he is thankful for. For this church, he especially tells them that his thanksgiving to God is expressed with joy. Philippians 1:3-6 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Consider the extent of Paul's joy of thanksgiving in these words. He thanks God in EVERY memory of them. He does so ALWAYS in EVERY prayer. HE does so for ALL OF them and he does so with joy. Paul has seen God do something in this church. He has seen the regenerating power of the Spirit in their salvation. From that first day that these dear brothers and sisters came to Christ, their partnership with him in the gospel has not stopped.

Paul then is aware of something that must be a motivating reality behind his joy. In verse 6 Paul says that he is confident (sure of this) that God who did this marvelous saving work in this church will keep them in his preserving, faithful hands, and continue to sanctify them in their faithfulness until the day they stand before Jesus face to face. This tells us that salvation is a work of God, sanctification is a work of God, and the perseverance of the saints is a work of God. God starts, continues, and completes his work in the church. That should give us both confidence and joy as we serve Him.

When you see a faithful church partnering in the gospel, do you experience this joy? Do you consider that the only reason you can have it is because your confidence is in our God who saves to the uttermost?

Nineteenth century pastor and theologian, Charles Bridges, described this confident joy in Christ's work through pastoral ministry in the church with these words. "We must acknowledge that the grounds of support and encouragement are fully commensurate with the momentous difficulty of the work. How cheering is the recollection of our office, as the ordinance of Christ, and as the standing proof of his love to his Church! For will he not honor his own institution, and secure its appointed end, in the glory of his name and the prosperity of his Church? Will not he that sent us furnish us for our work? May we not plead his ordinance, as the ground of dependence upon him for all needful assistance and encouraging acceptance?...

Did we depend upon the failing support of human agency, or upon the energy of mere moral suasion that we should cry out prostrate in heartless despondency - 'Who is sufficient for these things?' But the instant recollection that our sufficiency is God, lifts up our hearts in the ways and work of the Lord... the cheering joys connected with the ministration of life and righteousness - together with our own personal interest in its blessings - all combine to invigorate faith and expectancy under all apprehended difficulties.

That sounds like the same confident joy that Paul describes to the Philippians and Bach compels us to sing. Be joyful, church, we are in GOOD hands.

What a Pastor Prays For in 2024

As our elders look forward to another year of leading, teaching and shepherding in 2024, we are faced with asking ourselves what we should be praying for the church family under our care. I can tell you that we will be praying about direction and wisdom for leading a growing congregation. We will be seeking God to keep us committed to teaching his truth and to protect us from error. We will be wondering about how best to spend our budget for the sake of the kingdom. We will be asking for God to enliven our hearts for evangelism and to save people through the testimony of our church. I'm sure you can think of many other items to add to the list. Probably one of the most pressing priorities will simply be to pray for our church family to be faithful to Jesus.

In the last section of Proverbs 4, we find an appeal for wisdom that could easily make up a wonderful focus of prayer for the church in 2024. The father (a picture of our true Father in heaven) is instructing his son in the way of wisdom and gives a general command. Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. In other words, as God's children we are instructed to guard ourselves from going the way of the world because if we let our guard down, that is exactly the way we will go. We are being told never to be complacent about how the world can affect our faith, hope, and peace that we have in Jesus. The more we allow worldly influences and pressures to impact our faith in Christ and commitment to his truth, the more we are at risk of those same influences and pressures flowing from us in direct contradiction to God's truth and grace.

The proverb continues by breaking down the general command into specific areas that we need to guard. Proverbs 4:24-26 Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. 25 Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. 26 Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. We are to guard what we say, what we want to see, and the direction we want to go. None of these can be guarded if we are not also guarding how we think. Surely, that is why we are told not just to avoid a specific direction but to truly ponder our path. We are to give serious consideration as to whether our direction in life is matching the godly path God wills for our life.

The proverb ends with summarizing the pinpoint focus we are called to as those who walk in the wisdom of God. Proverbs 4:27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil. Keep on the straight path with a focus on one direction.

In his perfect wisdom, Jesus said something similar.

Matthew 7:13-14 "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

The writer of Hebrews also defines exactly where we should be looking in order not to swerve away from faithful wisdom. Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

So, yes, my prayer for Grace and Truth Church for 2024 will be prioritized in this way. That we would be faithful to God in guarding our hearts in a world of temptation and that we will do it by not looking right or left but keeping our eyes focused on Christ as our eternal prize.

My prayer is that we don't just pray this but live it.

Faithful New Year, GTCC!

Only Two Kinds of People

When we read the Scriptures, we may be tempted in thinking that the world is divided up into two types of people - Jews and Gentiles. While that may be apparent in one way, the bible's distinction of the two types of people that really matter is much more significant than an ethnic qualification. In the Old Testament, to be a part of the people of God was to be Jewish. To be truly Jewish was not simply in the sense that your physical heritage was in Abraham but in the fact that you were called out in Abraham to have the same faith as Abraham. This is how non-Israelites could know salvation as they trusted in the same promise of the Offspring of blessing that was given to Abraham. There were believers in Old Testament Israel and non-believers in Old Testament Israel.

When we get to the New Testament, there is still much discussion about the distinction of Jew and Gentile, but the significance of the distinction is only seen in the fact that it is obliterated in Christ. I would argue that in both the Old and New Testament, the greatest distinction in humanity is where we stand with Jesus the Messiah. Perhaps it will be helpful to see this in a few different passages. Paul, the most zealous Jew who ever came to Christ makes these arguments in the most powerful ways.

In writing to the Galatian church, Paul was concerned that this predominantly gentile church was being influenced by a Jewish contingent to believe that they needed to adopt Jewish practices to be a part of God's people. Paul was concerned that the churches in Galatia were losing the gospel in their temptation to pick up the Jewish law. He made his point very clear in Galatians 2:15-16.

       "We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified." Faith in Christ is the only distinguishing factor for justification.

In his letter to the church in Ephesus, Paul makes a beautiful point that the warring hearts between Jew and Gentile is completely solved in Jesus. He does so by showing that there are never two distinct groups as God's people but only one people of God, one nation, one citizenship, one promise, one temple, one body, all in Christ Jesus.

       Ephesians 2:11-21 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called "the uncircumcision" by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands-- 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

For one more example among many, Paul explains to the predominantly gentile Roman church that there is one tree that signifies the people of God. While its roots are Jewish, the only way to be a part of that tree is to be in Christ.

Romans 11:16-21 If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 19 Then you will say, "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in." 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you.

If Jews who rejected Christ are broken off from the one tree it is only in the acceptance of Christ that both Jews and Gentiles can be grafted in. There is one tree and one people of God.

At the end of the day this tells us something very important. There are truly only two kinds of people in the world. Those who are in Christ and those who are not. It makes an eternal difference which group you are in and reminds us how much everyone, both Jew and Gentile, need to hear and believe the gospel.

The Fatherly Gospel

When writing to encourage and reassure the Thessalonian church, Paul makes it clear that he considers himself to be a father to them as his beloved children. 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12 For you know how, like a father with his children, 12 we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. It's not just that this is Paul's perception of his relationship with them, but he clearly states that they know that this is how they were treated.

This is not the only time that Paul considers himself to be like a parent to the recipients of his gospel ministry. In writing to the Galatians, Paul was very concerned about how they were allowing dangerous influences into their churches. Those influences were causing great disruption to the believers and undermining the saving truth of the gospel. In his appeal to the Galatians, Paul told them about the urgency of his concern for them. Enemies were making much of them for no good purpose. They were exploiting the Galatians for their own gain. Galatians 4:18-20 It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, 19 my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! 20 I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.

Paul calls the Galatians his little children and tells them that the intensity of his desire for them to live and grow in the truth of Christ is like the labor of childbirth. Paul's intense desire for the church whether in reassurance or rebuke is that of a loving father who yearns for his dear children to have the very best in life. The very best that Paul speaks of is the glory of the gospel and how it is revealed in a life of faith that longs of Jesus. Paul wants his children to know the wonder of living for Christ and in anticipation of his glorious return. He wants his children not to lose sight of a certain hope of eternal salvation and glory only found in Jesus. He wants his children not to let anything hinder them from receiving the prize. He will defend his children when threats arrive. He will be an example for his children in life. He will speak truth and appeal to his children out of love.

Paul may never have had physical children of his own, but Paul shows Dad's what fatherhood looks like. He also shows all of us the type of relationship that is established when the Lord uses you in gospel ministry for the salvation of another. Nothing brings a closer bond than the saving work of Christ.

When we walk into church, we walk into an assembly of saints who meet together in that very bond. The bond of a family. The church is a family built on the bond of the saving work of Christ and we yearn for each other in the same way Paul yearns for the recipients of his ministry. I'm thankful for the way the Apostle Paul speaks about the church because it helps me to see that despite the messiness of the church, I can still appeal, exhort, encourage, rebuke, correct, and comfort with the familial love that only the church can have in Christ.

Take a lesson from Paul. Start looking at your church this way.

Approved by God

2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

When Paul tells Timothy to do his best to present himself to God as one approved, he doesn't leave it without explanation. What it means is that he is to work diligently in the text of the Scriptures so that he consistently and accurately holds to the truth of God. That word of truth is most applicably seen in the one and only gospel of Christ that alone brings salvation. There is too much at stake in the gospel for Timothy to do anything that may cause him to mishandle biblical truth and undermine its saving power. Given that we know this is the last letter of Paul, we can also be assured that Paul has tutored Timothy in the handling of Scripture in all the time they were spending on the road together. Timothy is Paul's beloved student. We can see the type of teaching Timothy may have received as Paul shows in his letters that the Old Testament consistently points to Christ.

The word, "approved" in the original Greek is dokimos. It means, tested. Timothy does not have to present himself to God to earn God's approval or favor. He already has that in Christ. He is to present himself to God as tested for ministry. That testing comes through his right handling of Scripture and its use in gospel ministry in the church he was pastoring in Ephesus.

When writing to the Thessalonians, Paul also says that he, Timothy and Silas were approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. They had been tried and tested with gospel ministry as they taught from the authority of the Scriptures about Christ.

Being approved or tested by God may seem a vague concept to us. How do we know that our understanding of the Scripture makes us approved by God for gospel ministry? Timothy was told that this approval would mean that he would not be ashamed. No matter the difficult concepts in Scripture that warn of sin and judgment, Timothy would not skip the reality of those truths. Timothy would not be ashamed that among all the ideas of the world, the Scriptures alone have the one saving gospel. He would not be ashamed that salvation came through the shameful nature of a Roman cross. He would not be ashamed to stand on the only viable truth that the post crucifixion witnesses of Christ (including Paul) encountered a resurrected Lord. He would not be ashamed to point to the truth of the gospel to correct the self-interested false teachers around his church.

It takes diligence and boldness to be approved by God for gospel ministry. Who's up for it?

More is Caught than Taught?

We've all heard the saying, "More is caught than taught." This may in fact be true. Particularly parents come to realize that children pick up so quickly on their practices and responses and mannerisms. It would not be a stretch to say that the time children spend learning from their parents by observing would far outweigh the time children spend learning from their parents by sitting under their direct teaching. Their parents become an example of life. Sadly, the examples we set don't always represent the teaching we deliver.

The Scriptures show that the power of example is particularly potent when our actions do not betray our words. It seems we get this indication when Paul reminds Timothy of the examples in his life. 2 Timothy 1:5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. 2 Timothy 3:14-15 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. I'm sure the consistency between the teaching from Lois and Eunice and the example of Lois and Eunice was not perfect, but there does seem to be a synergy in these statements about what they taught and who they were. The potency of example for Timothy was emphasized in its consistency with the teaching.

This is not just a lesson for Christian parents and individuals who seek to be examples for others. This is a lesson for whole churches. In his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul seeks for this church to know that they have been an example for other churches. 1 Thessalonians 1:7 ...so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. This church was living out a consistent response to the gospel of Christ. Their response to the community around them was in line with their hope of the gospel. They showed a greater joy in Christ in the face of opposition. They lived out their hope in the eternal promises of God and the expectancy of their coming Savior.

This is a huge mirror in the face of churches today. When we think of the example we are setting, we must consider if our example represents a proper response to the gospel of Christ. We can't just do it as individuals, we must do it as whole churches. We need to come along side each other and help each other. The witness of the gospel is at stake.

Leadership of churches must take heed of the direction they point their congregation in response to our world. If we don't both look and sound like Jesus, the congregations we lead may very well follow. Out tactics can sound holy and yet be worldly. We can undermine hope in Christ by being driven by our own desires and circumstances.

Yes indeed, more is caught than taught, but when our response to the gospel matches our teaching of the gospel, the consistency between what is caught and taught becomes crucial to our witness.

Your Calling and Election are Sure!

There are many verses in Scripture that talk of God calling us into fellowship with him. Probably one of the most widely quoted group of verses is in Romans 8 where our calling is a part of God's whole act of foreknowing, predestining, and justifying. Rom 8:29-30 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. In Paul's glorious sentence, no matter what word you look at, you cannot isolate it from the others.  If you claim to be justified, it means you have been foreknown, predestined, called, and glorified. This is known as Paul's unbreakable chain, and it is God's glorious power and sovereignty in his electing and saving grace.

We talk of irresistible grace, because of God's power in his sovereign will. If God brings all he foreknows to salvation, it means that God is irresistible in his work of grace. This is a characteristic of God's power that we see all through Scripture. When God speaks to his people about their identity, he reminds us that we are his work. Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

This is not just applicable to the New Testament church but to all who have been called to be God's people in history. Take for instance how God speaks to the congregation of Israel. Deuteronomy 7:6-8 "For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. 7 It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

God made Israel his possession and people because he promised beforehand to bring them out of slavery. He had already foreordained that they would go into slavery as part of his plan to do it. Genesis 15:13 Then the LORD said to Abram, "Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. God also reminded his people that even their Father Abraham was called out of pagan idolatry by his grace. Joshua 24:2-5 And Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods. 3 Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac. 4 And to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. And I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. 5 And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in the midst of it, and afterward I brought you out.

Bottom line, anybody claiming to be a part of the people of God can only do so because of the irresistible sovereign grace of God. That same power of sovereignty that calls us and saves us, is the power that holds us and keeps us. For some, God's irresistible grace might be a theological argument, but for those who contemplate the reality of God's grace it is a reassuring truth that comforts us every day. God loves his church. God has called his church. God is never letting go of his church. Our power to refuse God is impotent against his saving hand. Because of the sovereign power of God's grace, those in Christ can take every one of his promises to the bank.  

When Does Preaching Christ Get Old?

1 Corinthians 2:1-2 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

If you have been a part of Grace and Truth Church Cincinnati for any length of time, you will know that the preaching of Christ and Him crucified is a relentless message for every teaching avenue of the church. That doesn't mean at every teaching opportunity we only stand before people and give the exact same words in flavorless repetition about Jesus dying on a cross and rising again. The riches of the cross are deeper and wider than we can express. It does mean, however, that the riches of Christ and his work for us is the central subject of our church in the way it impacts every aspect of our lives and beyond. Does the preaching of the cross ever get old? In short answer, no. If it does get old for you, we need to preach it all the more.

When you read of Paul going to different cities and preaching to the unconverted, he is always preaching Christ and reasoning with people from the Scriptures so that they may see their only hope of salvation. When Paul is writing to established churches, he is often reminding them of the preaching of the cross that gives their life meaning and transforms their life now and forever. He preaches the gospel to confront sin and seek repentance and change.

Whether it is Corinth or Philippi or Thessalonica, Paul preached the gospel to both establish the church and see the church grow and change in maturity in Christ. We have all of this testimony in the Scriptures from his missionary journeys in Acts to the letters he wrote. He reminded the Corinthian church that he avoided fancy rhetoric and lofty speech. He didn't come with the latest philosophical brilliance from the world or even his own mind. He came with Christ. He came with the message the transforms hearts and refocuses lives. He came to lost sinners under the condemnation of God and showed them how in the impossibility of their state in sin, Christ substituted himself having no sin of his own to endure the cross and the eternal wrath of God in their place. They came to know that Jesus truly rose from the dead having paid it all and cancelling debt forever. Why do some people think this message is only for the unconverted? Why does it get old for some people?

Being reminded of the death and resurrection of Jesus keeps us centered. It reminds us of where we were and where we are now heading. It reminds us of who we were in Adam and who we are now in Christ. It reminds us of where every allegiance lies and where every desire must be directed. It informs, corrects, and shapes our whole existence. It is the extraordinary hope every day for ordinary lives.

Paul says that the gospel he is reminding the Corinthian church about helps them continue to live in faith that trusts in the power of God. 1 Corinthians 2:3-5 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

So, when you come to church and continually hear messages rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ, remember this....You need it...now....and always.

Redemptive Reversal

“You get what you pay for.”

I feel like my entire adult life has been spent trying to prove that saying wrong. I love to find an unexpected deal - whether it’s a final clearance sale at the store, or a price error online. You know what I mean: that thrill goes down your spine when you realize that this value is too good to pass up!

The reason we get excited over those discounts is because we didn’t plan for them. You stroll over to the meat section to pick up ground beef, but then sprint away with Porterhouse steaks you found on a huge markdown. In that moment, your normal calculations have changed dramatically!

It’s not just humans who rejoice in those unexpected blessings. Our God loves to flip the script. Scripture is filled with stories of redemptive reversal, where the Lord steps in and upends human expectations. Sometimes it’s the proud and powerful who are brought low by the mighty judgment of Yahweh. Other times, it’s the hopeless and helpless who are lifted up by his saving hand.

Read Psalm 113:7-9 for a couple of great examples of this. People in the “ash heap” are not there for the health benefits to their skin! Like Job long ago (Job 2:8), they’re sitting in total misery…only God can lift them up. In that culture, a woman without children or a home was vulnerable. Joy seemed impossible for her…until God reached out.

Deep down, followers of Jesus know that he can do great things. We’ve seen those redemptive reversals in the Bible, in history, and in our own lives. But daily life has a way of setting our spiritual thermostat to “lukewarm,” and gradually, we come to expect only the expected.

There just so happens to be a terrific way to recalibrate our thermostats (and hopefully you’re ahead of me on this). Look to the cross - the greatest redemptive reversal ever! So unexpected, so audacious, that it even caught Jesus’s disciples by surprise! All people everywhere were lying in the dust of sin and shame, held captive by Adam’s rebellion in the garden of Eden.

But Hallelujah, “the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification” (Romans 5:16). In the most shocking of plot twists, those who trust in Christ get what they didn’t pay for. May that truth forever drive us to worship!

“O love divine, O matchless grace

That God should die for men!

With joyful grief I lift my praise

Abhorring all my sin

Adoring only Him.”

Content Creator or Gardener?

If your family is like ours, you likely can't count the number of photos taken that we've stored on a flash drive, or in the cloud, or printed out. In the Digital Age, we’re all “content creators.” What used to be a select group like architects or painters now includes anyone with a smartphone. You can make and publish your creation all around the world, mere seconds after the idea pops into your head. 

This ability to insta-create is exhilarating…and also exhausting. The pressure to be constantly creating for an audience is a burden you and I weren’t intended to handle. The image of God involves more than just using our imaginations! Humans also are called to the key task of stewarding, which isn’t as glamorous in the 21st century. 

Kevin DeYoung points out our role as “sub-creators. We are meant to tend the garden.” Think about that. We toil in the garden, but planning, planting, and ensuring a harvest isn’t on our shoulders. Only God is the true Creator of the garden, and he takes full responsibility for this world from beginning to end.

That truth influences not only how we labor, but also how we lament, as in Psalm 80. Here's what I mean: when trials come, are you more prone to work than to worship? Yes, the Lord commands us to be faithful, but avoiding him as we process our pain is faithless. Calling out to God affirms that he is sovereign, and that we cannot dig our way out of trouble.

You can see how that drives the psalmist’s request: “Have regard for this vine, the stock that your right hand planted, and for the son whom you made strong for yourself” (Psalm 80:14b-15). God’s people had been uprooted, but the foreign powers were just the tool. It was the Lord who caused that judgment to fall on them (vv. 5-6), and they recognized that only he could restore them. Our hardship is in his hands.

Don’t miss one other factor here: God acts for himself. When he rescued the nation from Egypt, his name was magnified (Jeremiah 32:20). When he sent Jesus the Messiah to save his people from their sins, the result was “according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace” (Ephesians 1). The Lord saves and then gets the praise, again and again.

If God is all about his own glory, shouldn’t we be, as well? Think through some ways that the gospel frees us from vainly chasing our own fame.

Fatherhood: Absent or Active?

“God…remains transcendent. His being is of a different and higher kind than that of the world.”

― Herman Bavinck, Philosophy of Revelation

It's always interesting to see how our American popular culture views fathers. In a way, each generation designs its preferred version of Dad. So today’s movies, TV shows, books, etc. will often portray the modern father as nurturing and hands-on. That’s a big change from the previous generation’s formulaic dad, who was, to be honest, often an idiot (think Homer Simpson).

But go a couple of generations back, and the cultural father was apparently made of different stuff. The head of the household 50 or 75 years ago was more likely to be stern and set apart from his family.

When theologians like the one above (rightly!) talk about God our Eternal Father as “transcendent,” separate from all creation, our minds might go to that stereotypical old-school dad. God is sitting on his chair relaxing, and I better not bother him unless it’s a REALLY big deal.

Then you read verses like Psalm 97:2 (“Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne”), and it may cement that idea. God is enthroned way up in the heavens and has little to do with my daily life. You could even come to believe that keeping God at arm’s length somehow protects his holiness.

It’s easy for us to project on God an image of our own flawed dads, or to backlash against whatever our culture misses on fatherhood. But that sort of tangled thinking leads to tattered theology. We need a complete picture of the God who is indeed “most high over all the earth” (v. 9) but who also reaches down and “preserves the lives of his saints” (v. 10).

Our compassionate Father sent his Son, our older Brother, to rescue us from our fallen condition! Jesus took on human flesh to accomplish salvation, but now is “highly exalted” at the Father’s hand (Phil. 2). God the Holy One is both set apart from creation, and also faithfully active in it. Maybe we should redefine fatherhood, not based on the imperfect people who try to fill that role, but on the One who perfectly showed us how to be in the world, yet not of the world.

Are you familiar with the doctrine of God’s transcendence? Think about how we could be allowing our culture to define God to us, instead of looking intentionally to how he reveals himself in his Word.

What Do You Want?

“Saving faith is the heartfelt conviction not only that Christ is reliable, but also that He is desirable. It is the confidence that He will come through with His promises and that what He promises is more to be desired than all the world.”

― John Piper, Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist

What do you want? Is it some big goal like becoming president of your company? Finally paying off all debt? Seeing your kids successfully through college? Meeting your forever spouse? Maybe you just want sleep…or to have that irritating pain go away. What is it that keeps you up at night, planning, fretting, (hopefully) praying?

King David certainly knew what it was like to have family problems, health problems, and life-or-death crises. Much of his life was spent under extreme pressure that threatened to crack him in half. But he kept returning, again and again, to his joy in his God. “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you” (Ps. 16:2).

I mean, how breathtakingly simple to clear your wish list and put “Jesus” as the only item! Does that seem impossible? Can we even imagine an hour–let alone a life–that isn’t crowded by our goals and tasks?

Here’s the thing: What I want is most likely what I’ll worship. Our everyday desires are huge influencers of our behavior. Example: if I desire peace and quiet more than anything, then I might justify harshness toward my family in order to obtain what I want. In that moment, my agenda trumps everyone else’s–including God’s.

So that’s why John contrasts worldly desires with gospel obedience: “And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17). David often talked about how he delighted to do God’s will. His desires were centered properly, and it drove his actions.

Do you need to run some diagnostics this week on what you want the most? Ask the Lord to reveal to you where your motivations are out of step with his will. Thank him for redemption that renews our minds (Eph. 4:22-24).

The Simple Significance of Baptism

This week our church yet again celebrates the salvation of God in the lives of those who are now a part of God's family. The men (hopefully more ladies next time) getting baptized will declare their faith in Christ and their membership of his body. They will do that in a public setting, witnessed by the church in its local manifestation. We, the church, will see them declaring that they are one of us and we will gladly acknowledge them among our number.

This public testimony is significant in that the action of baptism has an unmistakable representation of what Christ has done for us. We will see a descent down into the water. We will see them going under the water. Then we will see them rise out of the water. Jesus died, was buried, and rose on the third day.

When we see a public action like this, it is possible for us to look at it as if it is only telling us about what Jesus did. It could simply be seen as a picture of what Jesus did on the cross. Of course, it is a picture of that and what Jesus has done is not insignificant. But it is more than a picture about Christ. It is a representation of what Christ has done in the life of the one being baptized. It is not just speaking about the objective reality of the cross in history. It is a declaration of the subjective reality of the personal experience of Christ in the believer.

Let me put it this way. Baptism is not simply telling us what the participant believes ABOUT Jesus, it is telling us that they have themselves experienced the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ in their own life. In believing that Jesus has died and risen for them, they believe that they themselves have died to the old life and risen to a new one in Christ and through his substitutionary atonement for them. The declare that they are regenerate in Christ, a new creation, and that as part of the body of Christ, they belong to Him.

For me, the ultimate verse to be used for a Baptism is Galatians 2:20.

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

Please pray for your brothers being baptized this week. Pray that this glorious enactment of what Christ has done in them will be a profound encouragement to us all.

To Our Church: About Singing.

Dear Grace and Truth,

There is something that has built in our church. Something that is more of an outflow from God's work among us than it has been an intentional plan. When I came as a pastor to our church, I did hope to see us become a singing church but intentional steps for that end were not put in place. What simply happened is that we preached Christ every Sunday. We chose biblically accurate, Christ-centered songs week by week. We sought to use whatever gifts in instruments and singing that God would bring to our church (he has been gracious indeed). We didn't seek to find a certain style but wanted to edify each other and glorify our Lord. Without dismissing the old, we wanted to find the best of the new. We are still refining all these things. We still want our songs to speak of Christ and be beautiful for Him.

Over the last few years particularly I have seen an increasing volume in our voices. I don't believe that this is just because we have more people. I once visited a very large church with thousands of people and hardly heard anyone singing except the band. In our church I have noticed that you truly sing. I believe I know why, and I think it has everything to do with the fact that you LOVE being the church. You love singing to your Husband as His bride. You love singing to your Father as His children. You love singing to each other words that encourage your heart because they put all your hope in Christ now and forever.

We are preaching through Psalms - SONGS. In doing so, I am learning even more about the value of a church that sings. I am thankful for your voices. Let's keep raising them.

This week we come to Psalm 137 that talks about the people of God having difficulty in singing. There are many reasons why people may have difficulty in singing, but I believe the Psalmist this week will tell us that the church can never sing in frivolity, but faithfulness. I believe we are going to find that singing is part of the DNA of God's people and will be forever. I have been both challenged and encouraged by this amazing Psalm. I can't wait to share it with you.

In preparation I am simply asking you to look at this Psalm and ask yourself a question. How important are the songs of our Lord? How important are they to the people of God?

How important are they to you? Why?

See you Sunday.  Bring your voice!

From....

Your fellow choir member.

Psalm 137

 By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. 2 On the willows there we hung up our lyres. 3 For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!" 4 How shall we sing the LORD's song in a foreign land? 5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill! 6 Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy! 7 Remember, O LORD, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem, how they said, "Lay it bare, lay it bare, down to its foundations!" 8 O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed, blessed shall he be who repays you with what you have done to us! 9 Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!

God's Providence for Your Panic

Lamentations 3:37-38 Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? 38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?

Lamentations was written to Judah in the reality of the oppression of Babylon. They were in this position because of their covenant-breaking idolatry. They had ignored their God and were under the hand of his judgment by way of the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem. Surely, this devastating destruction of the city and exile of God's people would instill fear and panic in the hearts of all who were experiencing it. Even in the middle of this horror, and even though it was brought on by their own disobedience, God's comfort to Israel is that all things are under his control. He is providentially sovereign over all things.

Panic is based on our desire for personal safety amid a crisis. Panic says there is nothing more important than me and my physical well-being and my present life. Is that true? It also says there is no one in charge of my well-being other than me. We panic because we lose control of what we want most. This is why people stockpiled goods in the threat of epidemics like covid or system threats like Y2K (if you can remember that).

I will forever remember the handwritten sign in a supermarket as the threat of covid was looming. The sign said the limit of toilet paper was two packs per family.  I was truly thankful for that supermarket's decision to attempt to care for the well-being of as many people as possible in the face of crisis - to not allow personal panic to override compassion and care for others. I am sure there were people who looked at that sign and were angry that they could not stockpile more for themselves.

Christians can certainly lament the difficult situations we face in this world. We can certainly agree that some situations are much more dire than others in their ramifications for our present life. We should never give flippant responses to people experiencing the loss of a job, the threat of wars, the devastation of natural disasters, terminal illnesses or even the loss of our loved ones. These are not trivial.

At the same time, whether we are suffering under the consequence of our own sinful actions or simply in the reality of a creation under the curse of sin, Christians can have an eternal perspective that provides immediate hope. We can know that nothing is ever happening to us that is outside of God's sovereign providence. We might not be able to understand everything in the moment, but we can know that we are in God's hands and his hands are in control. That never means that we will not suffer, but it always means that God is bringing about his good eternal purposes for us, and in us, and for his glory. One day, every Christian will have the benefit of a glorified hindsight. Until that day, our hope is not in a better situation, but in our God who is in control.

If we can grasp this truth, our desire for control makes way for God's providence and trusts in Him who alone holds the future. God's providence can give you peace in your panic.

Lamentations 3:21-26 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: 22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." 25 The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. 26 It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.