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.

Our Pride is Opposed

In Psalm 30:6-7 David talks about his prosperity and strength and then says that God hid his face which caused David great distress. One thing that I love about the Psalms is the transparency of Psalmists like David who are willing to call out their own pride publicly. These men have shown that pride truly does come before a fall and when we trust in our own abilities and thinking, we deny God. The consistent teaching in Scripture is that our pride and arrogant self-confidence is not a righteous virtue but a selfish opposition to our Creator. God opposes pride, He turns his face, and we are left in the hopelessness of our human futility.

The New Testament gives no lesser warning in the book of James. James 4:5-8 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

While there is some debate about how to translate this section in James, there does seem to be a basic truth that everyone can see. If we are God's children, our desire should be to listen to Him, love Him, submit to Him, believe Him and obey Him. We should seek for God's Word to be the driving truth in our life. We should desire for God's glory to be the ultimate outcome of our life. In fact, those in Christ know how much we have needed the mercy and grace of God to begin with. Our whole position in life before God should indeed be one of humility and reliance on God for all things from our thinking to our speech and actions.

Is it any wonder that God opposes pride? The more we trust in ourselves and this world, the more we walk away from our Creator who has all knowledge and wisdom. We think we know better and ultimately reject God in applying our own ideas and running after our own desires. How can God endorse such actions from those professing to be his children?

David found out where confidence in self and complacency toward God ultimately leads. It leads to God hiding his face. James describes it as God opposing the proud.

As we read Psalm 30 we can be thankful that David not only confessed his own pride before the Lord but he also described his cry for mercy and God's kindness in giving it. Rooting out pride is not always easy, but when we see each and every consequence of our own pride it is a wonderful opportunity for repentance and then replacing another area of misdirected trust in our life. Our falls from pride may humble us, but as we respond toward God's mercy, that's always a beautiful result. He does give grace to the humble.

How Dare You Question My Salvation!

Psalm 1:5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

This verse in the very beginning of the book of Psalms asks a question that everyone who claims to be a part of the church should be asking themselves. Am I in our out?

Notice that the Psalmist puts two statements together as his words introduce the song book of Israel. One statement is about impending judgment and the other is about current standing among the people of God. The wicked (or ungodly) will not be placed well in either. The ungodly cannot be counted among the congregation of the righteous and the ungodly will not avoid the coming judgment of God.

The little red flag in our hearts can often fly high as we shout, "Are you questioning my salvation?" Well, no, I'm not ... but it would be hard to read the Scriptures and not realize that each one of us should complete a level of testing in ourselves to see if we are in the faith. If the ungodly have no current standing among the righteous, it would also stand to reason that elders of a local church should do everything humanly possible to ensure that the identification of the congregation of the righteous is taken extremely seriously.

Jesus makes a direct statement in a very similar way in the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 7:21-23 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' 23 And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'

What Jesus makes plain is that you can only call Jesus, Lord, in true sincerity if you actually do know him. Your works will not win the favor of God against his judgment upon your sin. You will find right standing with God only through truly knowing Jesus in faith. To be in faith in Christ is to trust him for his payment for your sin, for his resurrection life, and to live in that faith each and every day until he returns, or you stand before him. Trusting Christ is not a belief about Jesus, but a belief in Jesus that transforms our whole life now owned by him.

The Psalmist could say the same to any member of Israel as they approached the worship of God. The law of the old covenant pointed God's people to atoning sacrifice that would be their only hope of reconciliation with God. Obeying God's law and living in true worship of God would be the ongoing application of that saving faith. Unfortunately, as the Apostle Paul makes clear in Romans 9:6, "not all who are descended from Israel, belong to Israel." Being present in an assembly doesn't make you part of God's redeemed people. It doesn't mean you have saving faith in your redeeming God.

God's people have always been a spiritual people, a spiritual Israel. God's people have always been a people who respond to God's salvation by God's grace, through faith. That faith has always been a transformative change of life in the heart of a believer. It is a life that now makes us God's people, and Him, our God. It has real and ongoing effect in our lives.

Therefore, we all ask ourselves a question whenever we are prompted by passages like Matthew 7 and Psalm 1. Am I trusting Christ? Am I in Him? Is my faith in him alone for the day of judgment? Is my faith in him today as I stand in the congregation of the righteous? Do I truly know Jesus?

So, don't be offended if someone asks you to say why you believe you are saved. Answer the question honestly. It's a question that appears regularly in various forms in the Scriptures and it's a question we should all be willing to ask ourselves as we stand every day before the King of Kings.

Do I really know him?  Am I in or out?

If you answer, "out," let me plead with you to trust in Jesus today! Repent and believe in the gospel!

Is Neediness and Fragility a Good Quality?

We live in a world that does not value the fragility of the human condition. We want to be self-authenticating, self-reliant, self-made, self-satisfied, self-actualized, self-sustaining, and ultimately self-glorified. While the world markets the self, Jesus teaches that the self is the very thing we should be looking away from.

Consider for instance the Lord's Prayer taught to us by our Savior in Matthew 6. This glorious prayer is surrounded by instances of pious people saying look at me. In Matthew 6:1-4 Jesus gives an example of someone saying, "Look at how good I am at giving!" In Matthew 6:5-6 Jesus gives an example of someone saying, "Look at how good I am at praying!" In Matthew 6:16-18 Jesus gives an example of someone saying, "Look at how good I am at fasting! I'm so godly!"

In the middle of these examples, Jesus tells us how we should pray. He doesn't tell us that we should pray for a great reputation. He doesn't concern himself with our ability to provide a great lifestyle for our families. He is not telling us to seek self-satisfaction, self-reliance, independence, vindication, or authentication. He says only God is holy. Only God is the great and glorious Father. Only God has a will that must be obeyed. All that we have is neediness.

Matthew 6:11-13 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

We cannot live in this physical world without being reliant on God. We cannot have any hope of our future without being forgiven by God. We must rely on understanding the forgiveness we have in Christ so that we can know the reality of forgiving others. We are so easily tempted and sifted by the sinfulness of this world that only God can keep us on his path of holiness.

Neediness keeps us looking to God in and through Christ. Fragility keeps us knowing that we rely on One who is infinitely glorious while we are not. We keep looking to God who loves to show himself to us and give himself to his needy children.

Matthew 18:3-5... "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.

Our fragility and neediness for God is not just good, it's essential.

Show Me Your Holy Spirit Anointing

We seem to live in a time when certain words in the bible have been hijacked by modern movements and taken out of context from their biblical setting and the historical faith. When it comes to the subject of the Holy Spirit, there are certain movements that claim that they have greater wisdom about the Spirit because they have greater focus on the power of signs and outward manifestations. The concept of anointing has also become one of those biblical truths redefined by modern movements as some claim to have a special power and ability to speak new revelation and perform signs. Regardless of the more extreme examples, some people have defined anointing to mean that a particular person has a specific power in their speech or ministry.

I once had someone talk to me about the very public ministry of a celebrity Christian speaker. They said, "He obviously has a special anointing from God." He was very surprised to hear my answer. "Of course he does, he's a Christian. You have it too." The way that Christians are anointed in the Holy Spirit has a very specific manifestation that belongs to all who are truly in Christ. Yes, anointing can be shown, but maybe not in the way the modern prophets of 'anointing' are claiming. Let's think through it with the Apostle John.

1 John 2:20 But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. John is writing to Christians who need to keep strong in the face of false teachers. Some were claiming that Jesus is not the Messiah. They claimed a special knowledge and perhaps anointing beyond the teaching of Christ from the Apostolic witness. 1 John 2:22, 26 Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. ... 26 I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.

The church needs to maintain orthodoxy and purity of the gospel by preaching the truth of Christ. The church needs to show that they have the only way, truth and life in Jesus Christ. John then encourages his audience by saying that they are different to the false teachers in that they have ALL been anointed by the Holy One, and have all knowledge. Every Christian has been anointed and knows the truth of Christ in contrast to the world and false teachers who deny Him. 

John then says, 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. 24 Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that he made to us--eternal life. 26 I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. 27 But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie--just as it has taught you, abide in him.

John is not telling us that we do not need pastors or elders who work to teach and preach the Word of God. He is saying that when you have come to faith in Christ, you have been given the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit as an anointing that confirms, reminds and holds firm the teaching of Christ. He is as the Apostles have witnessed, God The Son who died for our sins and was raised to life. The anointing we all receive is that the Holy Spirit points us to the truth of Christ that we know and live in our life. He keeps us abiding in Christ. We do not need any extra-biblical knowledge from those claiming to know something more than the Apostles have taught.

So, who has the real anointing? The answer is - every single Christian who trusts Jesus, lives for Jesus, and points others to Jesus as the Christ, our only eternal hope.

The reality, no matter what anyone would have you believe, is that to understand the work of the Holy Spirit and the anointing that you have in Him, you will show it by believing, living and preaching Jesus.

You will simply be a Christian. A Holy Spirit anointed believer in Jesus. If you want to show me your anointing and you don't show me Jesus, I'm not interested.

Song of Songs: A Book About Jesus

The Song of Songs (of Solomon) is otherwise called the Song of Solomon. It has also been called Canticles, which simply means that it is hymns or songs. This book is a combination of poems/songs that display the affection between a Shepherd and a Shulamite woman. There is some debate about what Shulamite means. Some think it is a name from the village in which this woman lived. Others think it is a name representing the Hebrew word for peace - Shalom. Others think it is a woman from Jerusalem. Either way, it seems to be a Hebrew woman who is betrothed to a Shepherd (notice my capitalization of the 'S').

We don't truly know if this is a book authored by Solomon, but Solomon is mentioned in this book a few times. The fact that he is mentioned could possibly mean that this is in the tradition of Solomon.  If Solomon did indeed write the poems in this book, I very much hope he was convicted by the sole devotion of the Shulamite to the Shepherd as he thought about his 700 wives.

One of the biggest considerations for this book is its interpretation. In more recent times, many scholars have proposed (based on other like poetry discovered) that this is simply a selection of poems between two people in love. This is not the way this has been traditionally understood in church history. The Jews traditionally understood this book talking about Israel's relationship in covenant with God. In the fulfillment of Christ, the new covenant church has then seen this book through new covenant eyes as a beautiful display of Christ and the church - much the same way that Paul speaks of marriage in Ephesians 2 and points to Genesis 2 as the origin of this great mystery.

In our time there has been somewhat of a revolt against considering texts like this as pointing to Christ. This modern phenomenon is one that embraces a more literal scientific understanding of the text that original readers would never have had. When you approach Song of Songs, and any book of the bible, we must always remind ourselves of two important truths. The bible is not simply a collection of books written by human authors. If it were so, we would be reading 66 books in disconnection to each other collected over 1500 years. The bible has a cohesion and thread that runs through every book with particular emphasis that shows that it has one Divine Author over every book. This Divine Author (God) has written his whole book to us with a big theme and purpose for our salvation and his glory.

The second important truth is that Jesus has told us that all of the Scriptures are written in a way that points to his death and resurrection (Luke 24:26-27,44-47). This is the way that Song of Songs was written. For us to deny this would be to deny the consistency of the Divine Author, the words of Christ, and the historical understanding of the church. For this reason, it is a ridiculous notion to me that we would deny that Song of Songs is about Christ and his church.

When we realize that the genre of poetry speaks in beautiful imagery and symbols, Song of Songs is a glorious sight to behold indeed. Those pictures point to much about Christ and us as his bride. If we are careful not to import the emotional and superficial romanticism of our time into the text, we see a stunning love and devotion that Christ has for his church and the church has for our Shepherd King.

To read Song of Solomon is to realize the beauty of Jesus and his love for those he saved who are called his bride. We can echo the words of the Shulamite woman.

Song of Songs 5:16 - His mouth is most sweet, and he is altogether desirable. This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

The Fracture to Fellowship with God

What is the biggest barrier to communion with God? I know that among Christians I am going to get a very consistent answer - sin. We all know that sin affects us coming to God in prayer and fellowship, but do we really take time to understand the reality of the fracture it creates?

Isaiah was writing to Israel as he looked forward to a time when Judah would be taken into exile by the Babylonians. They needed encouragement to know that God had not forgotten them and that he is faithful to his covenant. Israel were meant to be God's chosen people who communed with their God. Instead, Israel had been separated from their land and their temple destroyed. The intimate communion that God had with his people had been severed and there is only one side to blame. Israel exiled from the promised land is a full display of the fracture that sin brings between God and his people.

Isaiah 59:1  Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear.

Imagine hearing this message as a people in exile separated from the temple worship of their God. He is not so small that his power only exists within the confines of the temple. God's reach is infinite and ample to save his people. He hears every cry and sees every tear of a repentant heart. Israel should be greatly encouraged by knowing that God is able to hear and help them. God loves his children, and they are never beyond his ability to save.

If you are struggling in your intimacy with God, this is a great statement for you too. God knows those who have put their faith in Christ. He knows his saving power and he is purposed to save to the uttermost. This means that our distance from God is only ever one-sided. Our distance from fellowship with God is only ever due to our own sinful thoughts and actions.

Isaiah 59:2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.

Because of the devastation of sin, we isolate ourselves from intimate communion with God. This means that while God is not unable to hear or help, we cannot walk and wallow in sin expecting God to bless us with intimate fellowship. Putting these two verses side by side, Isaiah was both encouraging and warning Israel. Sin puts us in a position of a severed intimacy with our God, but our God is not beyond hearing our cries and restoring us with his power. Sin is powerful and brings separation, but God is more powerful and through repentance and faith, he brings complete restoration. The proof of God doing this is seen so prominently in the cross.

We have all sinned and experience the isolation of God in sin, but God's grace is bigger, and his mercy is infinite. We should never be complacent about the ruin that sin brings, and we should never be complacent about the mercy and grace that God gives. Sin separates, but God (in and through Jesus Christ) saves.

If you are feeling the isolating effects of your sin today, call out and know the restoring effects of God's grace as he hears your confession and forgives you in Christ.

Imagine if we wrote the opposite position to Isaiah 59:2. But Christ has made atonement between you and your God and has brought you into intimate communion so that he hears every praise from your mouth.

God's Wrath and Your Pastor's Heart

Roman 5:9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

Our church has been preaching through the book of Nahum. Nahum has shown us that the justice of God is absolute and comprehensive. God does not let sin go unpunished. He by no means clears the guilty. His holiness will not abide those who ignore him for their own false sense of glory. He will not allow this world to oppress those he calls his children. God's eternal perfection in righteousness demands his eternal judgment and wrath upon every sin and every sinner.

Our church has seen the reality of a world power brought to its knees and experience the sentence of utter destruction. Nineveh had been reduced to a pile of rubble that we dig out of the ground in amazement that this once great power had so quickly become "no more." The archeological digs of Nineveh have shown that human might is no match for the power and justice of God. Each Sunday in the book of Nahum we have seen evidence that God's wrath is real, righteous, and if God is against you there is no other power that can be for you.

As a pastor I have learned something more of the significance of the gospel. It's not as though I have not known that Christ's atoning sacrifice has saved me from God's wrath. It is that understanding God's wrath in vivid reality has helped me see the need to preach a gospel with a greater relief. God's grace is bigger to me for having preached his wrath. His forgiveness is more wonderful for having preached his justice. His mercy is more precious for having preached the historical evidence of his judgment.

The sheer power of God displayed in his judgment upon the Old Testament nations has made me more acutely aware that wrath is necessary to understand grace.

I have never been scared to mention wrath or even hell as I do so regularly. I do see, however, that until we define it, explain it, and even describe it, it can be a spoken concept that comes and goes in a sentence. God's wrath is the outworking of his justice and righteous anger, and it is executed in unimaginable power. No human can stand against it. No nation or combination of world power can stand against it. No world power or spiritual power can stand against it.

God came into this world and endured his unimaginable wrath in the place of every person who turns from their sin and comes to faith in Jesus. We have been made right with God in Christ. Because the wrath of God has been poured out on Christ, in Christ we are saved from that wrath.

My heart for my church family is not that they walk away scared or in terror at the wrath of God. My heart is that through preaching God's wrath they know the glory of a much bigger relief. My desire is that we know that the good news of the gospel is bigger and better than we can ever imagine. Don't shy away from the seeing the reality of God's wrath, it makes the cross so much more spectacular. It makes our praise so much more meaningful. It makes our hearts so much more joyful.

Look at what our God has done for us - what grace - what mercy - what forgiveness - what love. Look at what you deserve and match it with what Christ has done.

Hallelujah!! Much more will we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

Judgment is About Holiness

Deuteronomy 18:9-14 “When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. 10 There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer 11 or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, 12 for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you. 13 You shall be blameless before the Lord your God, 14 for these nations, which you are about to dispossess, listen to fortune-tellers and to diviners. But as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you to do this."

So often when people object to God's judgment, they point to the Old Testament and use words like 'genocide.' They see that God brings his people into a land that he gives them and if these nations will not move out of the way, they are to be dispossessed. In some instances, they are wiped out. What seems like cruelty to skeptics is the very justice that we all who ignore God and his holiness deserve.

When God brought his people into the land, they were to be his people. He was to be their God. They were to live for their God and enjoy his presence with them. They were to be holy as the Lord their God is Holy. That holiness was to be a display of God's fame and glory to the nations. It was to invite them to repent of their sinful ways and find forgiveness in the grace and mercy of the one true living God. Israel was to maintain that holiness and so often we see it displayed in the words that describe what is unclean and must be put outside the camp.

There was to be an absolute display of the purity and holiness of God to live within the family of God. If an Israelite touched a dead person, they would be put outside the camp. If they had a leprous discharge they would be placed outside the camp. There were various reasons as to why Israelites would be deemed unclean and have to go outside the camp. The holy presence of God was to be protected. God protects his glory in his people.

As Israel became more like the other nations and desired their own fame in the world, they were often afflicted by God to bring them back to an acknowledgment of his holiness. God often used the other nations to do this. Israel found themselves at the receiving end of the power of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome and more. Throughout this time, God in his faithfulness kept his people in place looking to the Christ who would show all humanity what true holiness looks like in the worship of God 

When we see God chastising Israel, even via the other nations, it is because God is holy and his people are to be holy. When we see God judging the other nations in total destruction, it is because they oppose God's holiness and have seduced his people into unholiness. God's judgment is not cruel. He does not commit hateful genocide. He is not unfair.

HE IS HOLY!

The End of Affliction

The Prophet Nahum must have had some serious courage. Imagine writing a prophecy against the superpower of your day. Not just any superpower, but a superpower so violent that some historians have called it a terrorist state. The Assyrian empire was powerful, brutal, arrogant, and intimidating. Its kings were supreme rulers with unquestioned authority. Along comes Nahum, given a vision from God, and writes, "Thus says the LORD, "Though they are at full strength and many, they will be cut down and pass away. Though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no more." (Nahum 1:12). 

You might think this would bring comfort to the people of Israel so heavily afflicted. We hope that it did, but we might also be correct in thinking that for some Israelites it may have had the opposite effect. We can almost hear them worry, "When the king of Assyria hears about this, there could be huge repercussions."  

To receive this prophecy as an Israelite and find comfort you would have to believe that the Lord will absolutely carry out what he says. Your hopes of the end of affliction are tied to the end of those who bring it. God had promised both.

One thing we understand about Old Testament narratives like this is that they always leave us expecting more. While God never afflicted his people again via Nineveh, it wasn't long before a disobedient Israel are facing Babylon. As we read through the Old Testament narrative, we long for a day when God's people would be brought to full obedience, the affliction of God's people would come to a full and final end, and that there would be final justice for all who stand against God and his people. This day will happen. We can believe that because God has promised it.

God promised this day in the coming Messiah. Jesus came and conquered all on the cross. Because of the victory of the cross, we can be certain of God's promise that there is also a coming day of final vengeance against a sinful world that afflicts God's people. Just like God's affliction of Israel will be no more in Nineveh being no more, the affliction of the church will be no more when this oppressively sinful world is no more. What happened to Nineveh will one day be universalized. The book of Revelation uses a picture of Babylon as a representative of the world's empires to describe this.

Revelation 18:21-24 Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence, and will be found no more; 22 and the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters, will be heard in you no more, and a craftsman of any craft will be found in you no more, and the sound of the mill will be heard in you no more, 23 and the light of a lamp will shine in you no more, and the voice of bridegroom and bride will be heard in you no more, for your merchants were the great ones of the earth, and all nations were deceived by your sorcery. 24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on earth."

The nations of the earth are proud. They satisfy themselves with power, entertainment, industry, commerce and more. There is no concern for God and his people and the church lives in the oppression of darkness that comes with the godlessness of this world.

Just like God bringing Israel's affliction to an end by bringing Nineveh to an end, the nations of this world will one day stand before God and be no more.

If you are a Christian, there is a message you can believe. Victory has come in Christ and victory is still coming in Christ. He has already gained victory over your affliction, and he will eradicate it forever more.

We live because of that great day of victory past.

We live according to the great day of victory to come.