He Came Himself

Christmas has just come and gone and many of us took a bit of time to reflect on the coming of Jesus into the world. Christmas is so common place and the focus is not so much on Jesus anymore as it is "giving." We all go to church and sing the songs and then that is all the thinking we do, now onto the fun stuff. Yet, I listened to a sermon by David Platt a bit ago and he really helped to bring the focus back onto why we celebrate Christmas and it's not about the trees, decorations, giving, getting, or gaining 10 lbs in straight cookies. Our focus should be on Jesus and who He is.

Emanuel, God with us.

Think about that. Jesus is God on earth in flesh and blood. Even more crazy is the idea that Jesus was 100% God and 100% man. He was able to fully identify with us as human beings and be infinitely valuable so as to be able to bear the sin of the entire world. God is with sinful, evil, corrupted man. Not because we are anything special but because God is ultimately about God and that leads to love and grace for us.

In the words of David Platt, "What do you do with that? It just knocks you off your feet."

The us is the most crazy thing about Christmas. God with us.


Later in the sermon Platt gave an illustration that I thought was great when someone asks the question, Why? Why would God come to be with sinful man?

The illustration is this: Guys, when you prepare to marry your wife, do you go yourself or do you send some other guy to ask her to marry you? Of course you go yourself because it is your relationship with her. God did not send this messenger or that messenger, this prophet or that prophet, because in matters of love one must go himself.

"God has come for a sin stained world for sin stained men and women."

"He lived the life we could not live and died the death we deserved to die and then rose from the grave conquering the enemy we could not conquer."

This is the magnitude of what we should celebrate in the birth of Jesus Christ.

"In matters of love one must go himself." -David Platt

The Sickness of Fallen Man

Recently my attention has been drawn to Penn State University and the appalling scandal that is developing. An ex-defensive coordinator is being charged with something like 40 counts of child molestation, involving 8 boys that we know of and possibly dozens more. This person is currently out on bail living 1000ft from an elementary school. He started a charity for at risk children and as it turns out it is those, already at-risk children, that this man has been preying on. It is sick and terrible.

The worst part is that there have been countless number of people who had a chance to stop this man from ruining the lives of these children and their families and they did NOTHING.

There have been eyewitnesses that reported this to his coach who in turn reported it to the athletic director who did nothing. This AD is currently being prosecuted, but this begs the question why did this eyewitness do nothing to stop the man and protect that child or at the very least dial 911? Why did this legendary coach who is known for his morals not follow up on this incident or call the cops himself? Why was this man allowed on campus as early as last week, when this person was being investigated as early as 1998? And why were the charges dropped the first time (I believe it was in 2002 or it was '07) and simply given this sorry excuse for a man a slap on the wrist?

All these questions are being asked right now and it seems that reporters are only scratching the surface of the heinous cover up which is nearly as heinous as the actions of the man, because they allowed this man to continue to do as he pleased and ruin more lives.

All of this is only a pointer to how far we as human beings have fallen since the garden and how far we continue to fall can only be imagined, but no one wants to do that so acts like this continue to happen because humanity is turning a blind eye to it.

So the next question that needs to be asked is, "how can humanity stop this downward tailspin of sin and horrors?" The only answer that is sufficient is that we need a savior. Creating our own solutions throughout history has only ever added to mutation and then new ways for sin. As humanity we have a way of mutating every good thing God has ever given to us, food, marriage, health, wealth, etc. We need to be saved from ourselves.

And that is where the gospel comes in. This world needs to know about Jesus Christ who died for the sin of you and me, not for His own for He had none. But the greatest thing is that He has risen and in doing so defeated sin and death and only asks for us to believe upon Him to be saved that we might be "sons of God."

This Penn State scandal is reminding me more than ever that I have this gospel and must take it to a world who needs it, whether that be across the ocean or next door.

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” (Romans 10:14-15 )

All of humanity try's to cover up sin and offenses just like those involved at Penn State, but we as Christians are declared righteous and are being sanctified because of this gospel. Shall we not share the water of life to the world?  It is the sick that need a physician and that is Jesus who has passed us the medicine to care for the world, let us not fail Him.

Untuchable

                         

Think about the apostle Paul, what comes to mind?

Author, missionary, man of God, martyr, pillar of faith? Matt Chandler, pastor of the Village Church in Texas, would claim that the apostle Paul was untouchable.

Untouchable? surely not. Lets think about that list Paul gives us in 2 Corinthians 11:22-29

Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?

 Does that sound untouchable to you, beaten, flogged, imprisoned, shipwrecked, adrift at sea, danger from everyone? Where is it I see untouchable as being a characteristic of the apostle Paul?

First, If you threaten to kill him Paul says, "to die is gain." (Phil. 1:21). Paul is ready to die, in fact he almost can't wait to die in order that he might be in the presence of his Lord and savior Jesus Christ. "...My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better." (Phil. 1:23)

Then, we decide to let him live, and Paul says, "for to me to live is Christ" (Phil. 1:21).

Well then we will beat you. And Paul will reply, "I am ready and welcome suffering for the sake of Christ." (Phil. 1:29)

Alright Paul then we won't kill you and just throw you in jail. Paul's response is alright I'll convert all the guards and most of the prisoners.

Paul is indeed untouchable. Lets go back to the 2 Corinthians passage, because before he lists off all these troubles, he says, "for this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison" (2 Cor. 4:17). Isn't that crazy? Paul sees flogging, beatings, shipwrecks, and being stoned and left for dead, as being light afflictions.

Why does the apostle Paul seem so untouchable, so free? Because he is so filled up by the gospel of Christ. That is how we become free and untouchable like Paul, we constantly go back to the gospel.

It is when we are willing to die that we will be able to truly live.

No Turning Back!

Microscope or Telescope?

I'm scared for the "American" church today. I see far to many nominal Christians who value the gifts of God over God himself. We are so mixed up in this day of the self. Our culture feeds you, and so we put God on the back burner, but this mustn't be. And I can be just as guilty of it as anyone else.

"Creation exists to call attention to the creator, not the creature." - John Piper

I heard a sermon a while back that pointed out two ways we can look at God, through a microscope or through a telescope.

What is the distinction between the two? Well through a microscope we make small things look bigger than they actually are, and a telescope makes something big look how it should, or as close to it as we can get.

Too many people are looking at God through a microscope. We take whatever He can give us and then go back to our own self-sufficiency because we understand how to live our lives better than God does. However, that is a wrong view of God, and that view will lead to destruction. We need to look through a telescope at God, we need to bring is greatness and glory into a bigger and better light. 

David had it right and particularly in Psalms 8. 

O Lord, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory above the heavens.

Out of the mouth of babies and infants,

you have established strength because of your foes,

to still the enemy and the avenger.

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,

what is man that you are mindful of him,

and the son of man that you care for him?

Just here in verses 1-4, David  is overwhelmed by God. David is looking through a telescope at God, he is seeing God as He is, powerful, glorious, immense, holy, etc. David was a king and yet he felt oh so small in the light of who God is. As should we.

I would ask you to read the Bible with me through a telescope not a microscope. Find God to be who He is and put Him in the rightful place in our lives, number one. 

Telescope not Microscope.

Fear Of God

Proverbs 1:7 tells us that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction (ESV).” It is of great importance that we have a healthy understanding of fear as it pertains to God. We talk of having a fear of God, but what does it mean to actually fear God? I believe that we focus so much on God’s grace, mercy, and love, that we miss out on the rest of God’s attributes: His holiness, omnipotence, justice, wrath, etc. We all acknowledge these attributes of God but do not like to emphasize them. However, it is very important that, when dealing with God, we do not emphasize any of His attributes over another. This is where I find the fear of God is not understood or studied very closely by us today. We want to worship and adore God not be frightened of Him. I agree that we do indeed need to worship and adore Him but that must include a right understanding and fearing of Him. And that fear means a reverent understanding as well as well as a very real terror. 

There is a transcendent side and reverent side to God, God is awesome. When we are in His presence we are in utter awe of His majesty and power. We see this very clearly when we are face to face with God in nature. On top of a mountain, we are in awe of the great height and views, yet we are wary that there is a great danger locating ourselves in that place. Although it is beautiful it can just as quickly become terrible. Wild animals have the same effect. For example I am not afraid of a snake but I do have a healthy fear of a snake. The difference is that even though I do not take off running the other way when I see a snake I will avoid or approach cautiously because I “fear” the snake, I know what that snake could possibly do to me if I get too close or anger it. Fear is the beginning of knowledge (Prov. 1:7), so for me to not fear that snake would be for me to be ignorant of the dangers that snake possesses. God will not tolerate sin and if we cannot fearfully understand that we will say with Isaiah in His presence, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King…” (Isaiah 6:5). We revere, love, and glorify God, but before we run to Him we had better fear him. 

The second aspect of fear, I think, is best described as abject terror. To be brought low in an intense fear. When the disciples were in the midst of a storm, they were fearful for their lives. Yet when Jesus calmed the storm they were even more terrified. There is an immense fear that is brought upon by one who is holy. We don’t understand it and we are afraid of it. When Jesus had done the miracle of the great catch of fish in Luke 5, Peter wasn’t even looking at the fish, he was bowing on the ground telling Jesus to get away from him (Luke 5:8). Peter realized he was sinful and Jesus was set apart, holy. Instead of making Peter run to Jesus he wanted nothing more than to get away from Him. The same thing happened with Moses when he went to see the burning bush. Acts 7:32 tells us that when God spoke, Moses trembled and did not dare to look. Isaiah, in Isaiah 6, called a curse of death upon himself after being in the presence of God. Paul Washer describes fear as when our “knees knock together, and teeth chatter.” The sinful cannot stand to be in close proximity with the holy, it terrifies us to a point of ruin and death. 

Yes, God is graceful, merciful, loving, compassionate, and sympathetic, but He is also all powerful, wrathful, just, and awesome. And we should fearfully remember it before we do something foolish before Him. Philippians 2:12 tells us “therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” So quite literally Paul wants us to scare the Hell out of ourselves. There is nothing easy about salvation, praying the prayer won’t do. However; be comforted in the very next verse, “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13). God can be counted on to get us through salvation’s door, but for us to know Him we must fear Him. 

Tremble if you ever feel any inclination to leave the Lord. - John Piper