The Long Awaited Messiah Has Come

Simeon is quite possibly my favorite part of the story surrounding the first Christmas. Here is a man who desperately yearned to see the long awaited Messiah, and God was gracious to promise he would not die before the Christ came. He understood this was to be a deliverer who would pierce the hearts of many. I wonder if he had Isaiah 25:6-9 in mind as he spoke.

6  On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
7 And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations.
8 He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken.
9  It will be said on that day, "Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation."

What a beautiful reminder, the long expected Messiah came for one sole purpose, to save his people, to “swallow up death” through his own death. To remove the veil that has blinded us all from experiencing his glory.

Living Single in a Married Church World

The question that plagues so many, how is a single adult to survive in a church world that tends to relegate singles as second class and unusable in the Kingdom of God? A special thanks to a friend of mine, Gabe, for pointing out to me a recent blog by Steve DeWitt on the issue of living single and how we may use this time to grow in our faith. However, as I pointed out to my friend and received his agreement, it seems DeWitt is overemphasizing some things and missing out on others. This is not to say his insights are not helpful or even wrong, for I would argue that he is right, but incomplete. Here is my response to his post on the purpose for feelings of loneliness.

First, it seems DeWitt makes a too solid distinction between "loneliness" and "aloneness". He equates loneliness with solely being an emotion experienced to remind us of our singular need for God only. I would disagree. We can have full fellowship with God and still feel lonely. That was the point of God parading the animals before Adam in Genesis 2. Adam was able to see all the pairs and it left him feeling that something was missing for him - a sense of loneliness (2:20). Yet this occurred before the Fall when Adam would have had complete fellowship with God and thus total satisfaction in Him. So how could Adam experience this sense of something missing if all was to be found in God alone? This is the point. Man was created to experience fullness in relationship, and particularly in a triune sort of relationship I would argue. That triune relationship is God-man-woman.

Now does this excuse our lonely feelings. Yes and no. Those feelings for a single person are natural and healthy because we have not fully filled the role as we were created. However, we enter into a sinful position when those feelings become chief in our lives, when filling that void becomes our primary pursuit and thus an idol of sorts. This is an opportunity for us to learn to die to self. Thanks to the Fall our needs and desires have become out of whack, and over-blown in our minds. The true goal is to make all our desires and passions balanced, priorities aligned so that pursuit of God is first, others come second. Note they are second, not made so that they are not a priority at all, but put into their proper place.

We do need to follow in DeWitt’s steps, using these feelings of loneliness to drive us toward finding our rest in God. Spousal relationships will not fulfill that lonely feeling, but nor will having only a good relationship with God. Only when we are filling our role as we were created to be in its fullness will those feelings be resolved. Even here though we encounter a problem. Married people with strong relationships with God still can feel lonely, and that serves as an indication that the Fall still causes those good relationships to be less than what they should be. And when the final redemption comes, they will be totally restored and oh how we all long for that day. Married or single.

Spurgeon On Open Air Preaching

"A great deal of sermonizing may be defined as saying nothing at extreme length; but out of doors verbosity is not admired. You must say something and have done with it and go on to say something more."`

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from Charles Spurgeon, “Lectures to My Students: Second Series” Baker: 1978. 89.

Spurgeon on Open Air Preaching

“I am quite sure, too, that if we could persuade our friends in the country to come out a good many times in the year and hold a service in a meadow, or in a shady grove, or on the hill side, or in a garden, or on a common, it would be all the better for the usual hearers. The mere novelty of the place would freshen their interest, and wake them up. The slight change of scene would have a wonderful effect upon the more somnolent. See how mechanically they move into their usual place of worship, and how mechanically they go out again. They fall into their seats as if at last they had found a resting place; they rise to sing with an amazing effort, and they drop down before you have time for a doxology at the close of the hymn because they did not notice it was coming. What logs some regular hearers are! Many of them are asleep with their eyes open. After sitting a certain number of years in the same old spot, where the pews, pulpit, galleries, and all things else are always the same, except that they get a little dirtier and dingier every week, where everybody occupies the same position for ever and for evermore, and the minister’s face, voice, tone are much the same from January to December, – you get to feel the holy quiet of the scene and listen to what is going on  as though it were addressed to “the dull cold ear of death.” As a miller hears his wheels as though he did not hear them, or a stoker scarcely notices the clatter of his engine after enduring it for a little time; or as a dweller in London never notices the ceaseless grind of the traffic; so do many members of our congregations become insensible to the most earnest addresses, and accept them as a matter of course. The preaching and the rest of it get t obe so usual that they might as well not be at all. Hence a change of place might be useful, it might prevent monotony, shake up indifference, suggest thought, and in a thousand ways promote attention, and give new hope of doing good. A great fire which should burn some of our chapels to the ground might not be the greatest calamity which has ever occurred, if it only aroused some of those rivals of the seven sleepers of Ephesus who will never be moved so long as the old house and the old pews hold together. Besides, the fresh air and plenty of it is a grand thing for every mortal man, woman, and child.”

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from Charles Spurgeon, “Lectures to My Students: Second Series” Baker: 1978. 80-81 (italics his).

How Could This Happen?

There is a common sentiment among conservative evangelicals that we must “win back” America for God particularly in the public sphere. Found within that is a growing sense of shock or even horror at the present situation with the continual eroding of acceptance toward Christianity and particularly the cross. Even now there is a law suit by the American Atheist association against the placement of two steel cross beams from the World Trade Center in a WTC memorial. The reason simply being the beams resembled a cross and many rescue workers found great solace in it. Some have even marveled at this attack because they are not concerned about the Star of David that was cut from the metal beams or even other religious paraphernalia coming from the WTC site. Why the specific focus on Christianity? Rather than ask why us, I feel the real question should be why is it only starting now? Why are so many Christians surprised at the various attacks against their faith? Maybe the American Christian needs to reexamine their Bible looking for what the New Testament authors expected from the non-believing world around them. Maybe if we stand for the cross as much as they once did we should expect the same sort of treatment.

I know this will make for a longer post, but consider the following passages, all quoted from the ESV.

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Matthew 5:10-12 - ¹⁰ "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ¹¹ ¶ "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

John 15:18-21 - ¹⁸ ¶ "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. ¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. ²¹ But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.

Acts 5:41 – ⁴¹ Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.

Romans 8:16-17 - ¹⁶ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Philippians 1:29 - ²⁹ For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,

Philippians 3:10 - ¹⁰ that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

2 Thessalonians 1:4-7 - ⁴ Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. ⁵ ¶ This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering-- ⁶ since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, ⁷ and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels

2 Timothy 4:5 -⁵ As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. (note it does not say “avoid suffering” but “endure”)

1 Peter 2:19-23 - ¹⁹ For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. ²⁰ For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. ²¹ For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. ²² He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. ²³ When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.

Take up your Cross, and follow Jesus.

Just a Nugget

One of the frustrating things when preparing a sermon is discovering some interesting nugget in Scripture that we just do not have the time to unpack or disclose during the sermon. We wish we could because we personally find it fascinating. Unfortunately we live in a world governed by the god called the clock, and to it we must bow, so we leave out these interesting little nuggets.

A couple weeks ago I preached just such a sermon. There was so much I would have loved to share with the congregation, but time constraints as well as keeping a flow to the sermon just forced me to leave it out. My text was Ephesians 6:5-9, and since I could not share this nugget in the sermon, I figured I would share it here for the occasional wandering eye to read.

One of the points I made in the sermon was how this passage took the greater pericope of 5:21 through 6:9. Before 6:5 Paul is talking about submission but arguably stays at the surface level. In 6:5 he takes it to a new, deeper level by saying “Slaves, obey your masters… with a sincere heart.” This is important because of the nugget I am about to disclose.

In all our major English translations, the word “heart” appears twice in 6:5-9. In the Greek however, something different is happening. In verse 5 the Greek term is kardi,a (kardia). Translating this term as “heart” is the normal translation, and common sense tells us Paul is talking figuratively and not about the actual blood pumping muscle. The nugget is that in verse 6 Paul switches words on us and uses the word yuch, (psuche). Typically we would translate this word as “soul” but not here. Why?

Here is my two cents. “Heart” is a good translation. Paul, when using both words here is talking about the innermost being of a person; the very essence of what makes that person a unique human being created in God’s image. The reason for utilizing both I believe is because Paul wants the hearers to realize he is talking about an all-encompassing idea. He wants the slaves to serve whole-heartedly, holding nothing back, and this must be a joyful, pleasurable desire from deep within. The service being rendered is not done “because I must” but “because I truly desire to do it.”

Given he is using this to help expand his idea of submission, we begin to realize just how incredible a call Paul is making. This goes way beyond anything we can do naturally. It is only by supernatural, Gospel empowerment that we are able to go this extra distance. God changes our hearts, and that heart change exudes itself even in how we submit to authority and one another… and even to Christ himself.

On the lighter side.

Sometimes we as Christians take ourselves too seriously. But there are those who have a keen eye for how ridiculous we can truly be. I just discovered this blog called Stuff Christians Like. Check it out, its worth the browsing just to get a good laugh and to lighten up about our own Christian endeavors.

The Greatest Mystery of History

One of admittedly many things that has always intrigued me about Scripture is when Paul talks about a great mystery. I love mysteries. I love ones that after reading the book or watching the movie I find myself completely shocked at how it ends and that I did not see the it coming. Well, the mystery Paul speaks of almost has this sort of ring to it. Many clues were given in ages past, but no one was able to put the puzzle pieces together and see the complete picture, no one that is, till after Christ came and revealed it specifically to Paul.

Consider Paul’s words in Ephesians 3:1-6 (taken from the ESV);

For this reason, I Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles – assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.

A mystery not made known previously. Paul is not saying the clues were never given, his regular usage of the Old Testament bears witness to that. Instead, he is pointing out that the full picture was never put together or understood till after Christ came and revealed it to chosen stewards of it. But what exactly is the mystery?

Thankfully Paul does not leave it undefined for us. The final sentence in the passage above (which actually in the Greek this entire passage is one long run-on sentence), Paul gives us a mostly clear definition. In short, the mystery is that the Gentiles would be partakers alongside the Jews of the New Covenant. The two terms “heirs” and “promise” both refer first to the promise given to Abraham of blessing, but even through that comes the New Covenant of Jeremiah 31 and 32.

Admittedly the mystery aspect of this is difficult for us to understand. We are far removed from the early days of the church, far removed from the initial difficulties raised by people we now call “judaizers” and the debate which occurred in Jerusalem in Acts 15. It took time, significant time, for the Jewish Christians to accept the Gentiles into the Church. Indeed, there has always been aspects of the Gospel that have been hard, even for those who believe it, to swallow.

Which brings me to today. We may not be dealing with the same difficulties the early church dealt with, but are there not other aspects of the Gospel that are difficult for us to swallow? Consider the call Jesus regularly put forward; denial of self, denial of family, giving of all our possesions, taking up an instrument of torture and death for ourselves to follow him? This is not the American way. Our American way, even the American Christian way is the pursuit of expanding our personal net worth.  But the cost of coming to faith in Christ is exhuberant, it will cost us everything. Are we prepared to give up everything for him?

Billboard Disgust

I saw a couple billboards this week, both within a few miles of each other in Ohio, that left me feeling very sad and very disgusted. I wish I could have snapped pictures, but alas, I’m just not that quick so I will have to describe them for you.

The first one I saw simply had these words on it:

The True Sabbath is Saturday. The Anti-Christ Changed It

This one is just a sad, poor representation of the church. The true church has never changed the Sabbath. If anything, we do not observe the Sabbath in a “biblical manner.” Correct, the Sabbath was on Saturday. But we do not celebrate the Sabbath necessarily. Instead what we celebrate by worshipping on Sunday is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Without it, even Sabbath observance would mean nothing to us, for we would be doomed. I could go into more discussion, but I do not want to make this post long.

Here is the second, far more disturbing billboard. On one side there was a depiction of Mary, the mother of Jesus. The words next to it read;

This is My Time

I had to do a double-take to make sure I read it right. I am certain it was referring to the Christmas season given the colors of the billboard and the timing. I am also sure the billboard’s message is grossly wrong. It seems to imply that the Christmas holiday is about Mary, her great faith and experience in bearing the Christ-child. I am confident though, if we were able to ask Mary, her response would be far more focused on Christ. The birth of Jesus is about Him. It is about the fact that the God of the universe miraculously humbled himself and took on the form of a baby. I am sure Mary would not want any of the attention placed on her. It was not “her time” but “His time” that really held any importance.

Sure when we celebrate Christmas we do tend to let it be about gifts, Santa, food, and family gatherings. In this sense we do tend to fail if we do not make it about that baby born in Bethlehem so many years ago. But I am also sure that we would fail if we made it about the mother of that baby born. It is Christ’s Time. Not Mary’s.