Only Fitting...

It's amazing how God can take something common and use it to illustrate a point.  When I think about the earthly occupation of Jesus, working in His "step-father's" carpentry shop, we can see that not only is God all wise, He knows how to communicate to us. 

There is a neat little book called "The Hidden Years at Nazareth" by G. Campbell Morgan which is free on Google Play books.  The book makes an attempt to discuss what Jesus did for those 18 or so years before he began His ministry.  The book presupposes that Jesus started working at 12 which was the age of accountability in Jewish culture.  While it is not biblical i.e. does not include scripture because scripture is basically silent about the life of Christ except for his birth, his encounter with the teachers at 12 in the temple and the inception of His ministry at 30, it is quite an interesting read.

The work of a carpenter is quite interesting.  They take wood and smooth out knots in it.  One reason that knots develop in wood is when branches die or fall off.  These knots have to be sanded down before the wood can be used.    Carpenters smooth rough edges down to create opportunities for the wood to be bonded to other pieces of wood.  Most of all, they take wood and give it form and use.  Wood is a raw material that has no use until it is given one.  Carpenters know what type of wood can be used for what purposes and they know the strength of each type of wood as well.

Now, let us turn our attention to Jesus.  It is fitting that He came to earth as a carpenter.  It is symbolic of the work that He would do in the lives of those that accept Him!  He has smoothed out knots from losses in the lives of believers and made it look as if there had been no loss at all.  He has taken those of us that were rough around the edges and sanded those edges down so that we can become part of a larger fellowship, the Body of Christ.  I thank God that most of all, Jesus took the raw material that was my life before I met Him and gave it form and made it useful!  Psalm 127 says "Except the Lord build the house, the workers labor in vain."  Thank you Jesus for giving me a purpose and giving me a reason to exist!  I am not the only one that has this testimony, there are millions that ought to be grateful to the Supreme Builder of the universe!

God knows how to communicate better than anyone in the universe and we should always be looking for messages from Him.  His message today is that the carpenter's Son is still in business long after Joseph, the one that taught Jesus carpentry, has passed on.  He's still building, He's still creating and He's still taking formless, useless raw materials and making them into something that would bring Him glory!  Thank you Jesus.  may God's richest blessings be upon you!

I'll Be Home for Christmas

Jesus is present throughout the entire bible.  My pastor once preached a message where he revealed Christ throughout the Old Testament and entitled it, "I'll be home for Christmas".  What he was saying was that from the beginning of time Jesus was walking down time up until the point where He was born in Bethlehem.  It was beautiful!  I have recently been preaching a series of Christmas sermons and God has blessed me through His word and revealed how even through the prophets and the Old Testament scriptures, Christ has ALWAYS been present.  Posted here is a synopsis of each message from December 8th through December 22nd.

"Houston We've Had a Problem" December 8th 2013 Isaiah 9:6-9

The Apollo spacecraft was made up of two independent spacecraft joined by a tunnel: orbiter Odyssey, and lander Aquarius.  April 13, when the crew was 200,000 miles from Earth and closing in on the moon- Mission Control received a low pressure warning on one of the Odyssey’s hydrogen tanks.  The routine was to warm the gas and stir it within the tank to settle it.  When Swigert flipped the switch, an explosion happened and the oxygen levels bottomed out on the space craft and the power went out.  There is a famous line that was uttered by Swigert, “HOUSTON, WE’VE HAD A PROBLEM…”  We often misquote this when something bad happens, we say “Houston, we have a problem…”  They were up the creek, 200K miles away from the earth and no power to even propel their craft into a “return to earth” pattern.  A highly anticipated mission was in danger of leaving three astronauts stranded in space.  The mission was going well until this little setback.

While this seems bad, between the astronauts and the men and women working at Mission Control, the crew was returned to earth unharmed.  THERE WAS A PLAN IN PLACE TO ENSURE THAT THE CREW WAS RETURNED SAFELY IN SPITE OF THE PROBLEMS THAT THE MISSION ENCOUNTERED.

Isaiah 9:6,7 is GOD’S ANSWER TO THE IN-FLIGHT PROBLEMS!  Through human eyes, when we look at this scripture we see that God has always had a plan!  1Peter 1:20 “He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you …”  Ephesians 3:8-10 speaks of the manifold wisdom of God revealing the mystery of Christ and God’s eternal purpose of salvation being carried out in Christ

Satan tried his best to upset the plan but God prophesied in Genesis 3:15 that the “seed” of the woman would bruise the head of Satan!  The Seed of the woman is Jesus!  God told Abraham that all nations would be blessed through his “Seed”- that seed is singular and it refers to the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ!

BEFORE THE “SEED” COULD BE BORN, A LOT HAD TO HAPPEN.  THE PROBLEMS WITH THE MISSION STARTED IMMEDIATELY!  Adam in the Garden, the father of the human race…sinned from the very beginning and introduced death to the planet!  “HOUSTON, WE’VE HAD A PROBLEM…” 

King Jehoiakim of the Solomonic line caused the biggest issue.  Jeremiah dictated a prophecy to his scribe Baruch, Baruch read it in the temple and then before the elders in the palace…the elders took the scroll to Jehoiakim concerning the invasion of Nebuchadnezzar but the king cut the scroll with a knife and threw it into the fire!  Because of his insubordination and his trust in man, God told him that a he would never have a descendant on the throne of David!  “Houston, we’ve had a problem…”

We are in a quandary here!  Matthew 1:11 says that Jeconiah is in the line of Jesus.  Jeconiah is the son of Jehoiakim.  God promised Jehoiakim that he would never have a descendant on the throne of David.  God promised David (in 2 Samuel 7:12,13) one of his descendants would sit on the throne forever.  Here is the real issue: Joseph is in the line of Jeconiah which is a cursed lineage!  Houston, we’ve had a problem!  

Or do we??  God’s plan for salvation would not be interrupted by glitches caused by the human condition!  Satan could not overthrow God’s plan by intervening in human affairs and leading men into sin!

Isaiah  says to us a child is born- unto Mary, was Jesus born.  Joseph, whose line was cursed, could not be the biological father of Jesus but there was NO problem with Mary being the biological mother!  God did a miracle and impregnated a virgin with His Son, Jesus!  The power of the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary and God implanted the Seed, the Savior of the world, the Great I AM, the bright and morning star into the womb of this teenaged girl from Bethlehem!  The child was born BUT the Son had to be given!

God would not go back on his word so God allowed Jesus (God in the flesh) to be BORN to Mary, who is from the proper lineage- she is in David’s line through Nathan.  BY Joseph, Jesus was the LEGAL heir to the throne of David (through adoption) but BECAUSE of Mary, the He was exempt from the curse of Jehoiakim! 

The child was born to us…but the Son was given to us!  The Son, the Word made flesh, the Alpha and the Omega is God condescending, God coming to live among man, God the Father saying that there is no other alternative except to send God the Son to do what no one else can do, to live the life that no one else could live and to DIE THE DEATH THAT NO ONE ELSE COULD DIE. 

BOTTOM LINE:  Regardless of the issues with the humans in Christ's lineage, God had a way to send the Son into the world without breaking His word!  He also displayed His grace in that those whom he chose to work through were sinners and yet he still chose them and used them to do miraculous things!

"Picking up the Pieces" December 15th 2013

Imagine if you would, a vase: Very costly, very rare.  This vase has the handprints of the Master Potter of the universe, God Almighty, all over it.  It was turned on the Potter’s wheel, formed and shaped in His hand; in His image and likeness.  It was fired and heated and finally, from the dust of the earth, it was created!  The vase was referred to as “Very good” when the Potter saw the work of His hands.  God was pleased with His perfect work. 

 This vase was created with the entirety of heaven watching.  Some were not happy and had a plan to destroy it.  There was one in particular, who took the form of a serpent and was determined to break the vase.

After some time, that serpent caused the vase to be shattered!  It lay strewn in millions of pieces.  In the mind of the serpent, there was no hope of the vase being put back together.  But in the mind of God, there was not only hope, there was a plan.

In case you are wondering, the vase is symbolic of mankind.  We were created in the image of God…but the image was marred by sin; the shattered vase is sinful, fallen man.  The fellowship between God and man was disrupted.  Because of man’s collusion with the serpent, the vase was shattered.

How would God bring this back together?  A glimpse can be seen in Genesis 3:21 “The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.”  The skins had to come from somewhere.  Blood had to be shed.  Hebrews 9:22 says that there is no forgiveness of sins without the shedding of blood.  God set a model…in order for sin to be atoned for, blood had to be shed.

Throughout human history, covenants with God were made, bulls and goats were slaughtered.  BUT GOD ALWAYS KNEW THAT THE ONLY WAY TO TRULY PUT EVERYTHING BACK TOGETHER…HE HAD TO COME AND DO IT HIMSELF.

A pregnant Mary and a nervous Joseph went back to Bethlehem to be counted.  Augustus thought that he was in control but it was God that orchestrated this event.  The prophet Micah prophesied in Micah 5:2 that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, the city of David, the “house of bread”. 

The bible records that there were shepherds in the field that were tending their flocks.  Shepherds give the idea of safety.  Shepherds lead their flocks to still waters and cause them to lie down in green pastures.

 When the angels appeared to them, they told of the birth of Christ and they praised God saying: "Glory to God in the highest and on earth, PEACE among men with whom He is pleased!"  Christ’s birth is cause for rejoicing!  Jesus would take the power of death away from the devil (Hebrews 2:14) and he would take the victory away from the grave. 

The Greek word for peace is eirene.  It is not simply speaking of relationship (although it does include that)- here, what is conveyed is a state of peace; a state of wholeness; a state of all things coming together. 

Here is the crux of the message…JESUS CHRIST, THE PRINCE OF PEACE, IS THE ONE THAT PICKED UP THE PIECES THAT SIN LEFT SCATTERED ALL OVER THE EARTH. 

Jesus brought Jew and Gentile back together:  The unifying factor for everything is Jesus who broke down the dividing wall and made the two into one.  The bible says in Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” 

Jesus brought or will bring every prophecy and promise to fruition: 1 Corinthians 1:20 “For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes…”  Every promise that God ever made is fulfilled in Christ. 

Jesus brought reconciliation: This little baby, brought into a meager existence; into this poor family whose earthly glory was long gone…the kings of Israel were forgotten in this new, modern world where the Romans dominated.  Jesus would be the One that reclaimed the throne of David and He is the one that will rule on it forever.

Further, Jesus bridged the chasm between man and God that sin caused.  2 Cor 5:18 says that through Jesus, God has reconciled us to Himself!  He has brought near those that were far off, He has caused us to become friends when we were once enemies!  The shepherd that God raised up is NOW OUR PEACE!

BOTTOM LINE: Jesus brought together what sin tore apart by bring peace to the earth through His birth!

"Silent Night" Matthew 2:11-12 December 22nd 2013

There is a period of time where God is said to have gone silent.  Turmoil marked this period of history.  There was no prophetic word coming from heaven.  There was no pillar of cloud to guide the people.  There was no rock to get water from.  Everything dried up. 

This period is known as the inter-testamental period or the time in between the last book of the Old Testament and the ushering in of the Messianic age.  During this silent period, there was a great struggle for power.  The book of Daniel is a key piece of scripture to help us understand this time.  He says in the 7th chapter of his book that there were four beasts- historically, these were representative of kingdoms.  The Lion was Babylon, the Bear that defeated the Lion was Persia, the Leopard that defeated the Bear was Greece (with its four heads representing the four generals of Alexander the Great) and the fourth beast which was different from all of the rest, represents the Roman empire.

Under Roman rule, Judea was one of three provinces of Palestine (Galilee and Samaria other two).  Herod the Great became governor of Galilee and was eventually made ruler of Judea.  Herod was a cruel and brutal ruler and he was an egomaniac. 

Word of the birth of Jesus had spread all the way to Persia!  But not by mouth…the stars and planets were lining up to welcome the king!   The wise men or Magi were Persian astrologers.  They studied the stars.  It is possible that they had been waiting for this day to come!  The magi’s stop in Jerusalem naturally this ruffled the feathers of Herod.  He was given the title, “king of the Jews” and yet the Magi were asking for the one BORN king of the Jews!  His ego caused some problems so he tried to use the magi to pull an ambush on the baby Jesus.  What Herod did not understand was that this King could not be taken out!  This king was not appointed by men, He’s been king since before time began!  It did not matter what Herod did, God’s silence did not mean that God was not working!

The voice of God was about to be heard again.  The silence of God does not mean that God is not doing anything.  Psalm 121:4 says that the God of Israel does not sleep nor slumber!  This intertestamental period, this period of silence was simply God not speaking corporately to His people.  For 400 years, there was no word from above.  But God spoke to individuals in the year leading up to the birth of Christ!

He sent Gabriel to speak to Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist- BUT Zacharias was silenced because of his unbelief.  He sent Gabriel to speak to Mary and let her know what was about to happen- BUT she did not speak to anyone but treasured the words of Gabrield in her heart.  He spoke to Joseph in a dream that he should stay with Mary and name the baby Jesus.  He spoke through the Holy Spirit to Anna the prophetess and Simeon the prophet in the temple…but they remained silent until they laid eyes on Jesus.

Then on a cold night in Bethlehem, before the shepherds showed up, before the Magi showed up…The baby Jesus, Christ the Lord, took His first breath of earthly air in His human body; His lungs filled with oxygen for the first time; and when He cried out, as all newborns do, God’s silence was broken.  God was again ready to speak to His people.

Hebrews 1:1,2 “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.”  The one that made the world was now coming back into the world to undo the damage that sin had done!  There was no more silence, now the Logos, the Word made flesh was a reality.

BOTTOM LINE:  Christ's birth broke the silence of the 400 years between the Old Testament and the New Testament.

May God bless you this Christmas Season!

Best Man Holiday...a study in warped theology

I recently and grudgingly went to the theater with my wife to see "Best Man Holiday". I saw the trailers and immediately knew that this would not be a movie that would edify me spiritually. You know the saying, garbage in- garbage out, is true. I try, but don't always get it right, to consume those things that will uplift my spirit, not lead me into temptation or lust and will help me develop a deeper appreciation for God. You know, Paul gives us great advice in Philippians 4:8, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." So, a renewed mind must be constantly renewed.

 Let me say that I don't knock black filmmakers for their efforts but it was plain from the content of this film that the "writers" have a casual knowledge of God, one the denies the power of God and acknowledges the existence of "a god". Maybe he's out there somewhere in the cosmos but there is a "higher power". You know the colloquialisms that we resort to when we don't understand that God is the Almighty God, there is NONE beside him.

Sitting through this movie made me fairly uncomfortable. From Terence Howard's crassness and outright pornographic outbursts to Nia Long's reluctance to give up the...well, if you saw the movie, you know what she said, it was not a very Christian movie at all. They tried to tug at your heart strings with Lance's "faith" and his wife's illness but that too was contrived. Here is a man that claims to love God and yet his basement is a man cave full of liquor and even weed (which was probably imported by Terence Howard). He allowed drug use in his home, albeit in the basement, while his kids were upstairs and his wife, dying from cancer, was also a participant. Not as a medicinal marijuana user, as someone tried to convince me she was, but as a person getting high and reminiscing about the good old days with, you guessed it, Terence Howard's character. A man of faith, a disciple of Jesus Christ, would have no such thing in his home. I am sorry. That's the culturalized Christianity that we are being fed- we don't have to put on the new self (Ephesians 4), we can still be the old us and God understands. We can still be the same person, we just need to pray, read our bibles occasionally and spout off some pious phrases to those that we see. Theirs is a religion of piety and not a true relationship with Christ. Give to the needy, go to church, look the part...but don't be transformed by the renewing of the mind. I am sorry to say that real Christianity does not work that way.

Then there is Harper. This brother is so lost. He claimed at one point to Lance (Chestnut's character) that he should pray because, "he listens to you...he doesn't listen to me." He also is seen at times throughout the movie trying to pray but giving up. He's a picture of the lost soul, looking for anything to redeem himself. He tries to validate himself through his work but he's fired from his job. He's looking for that big break but it eludes him (until the end of course because in this version of life, everything has a happy ending), he's looking to "find himself" without realizing that it is not within that we should look for redemption but to God through Christ. He's conniving and he's also confused. He doesn't know if he loves his wife, which he should, or if he still "loves" Nia Long's character. Part of his confusion stems from his lack of spiritual life. He says, towards the end of the movie that he's basically an atheist. In paraphrasing his words to his friend Lance he says, "I don't know if I can believe in something that allows bad things to happen...".   This was how he reacted to Lance's "faith" in the face of his wife's death. There is not a "something" that is out there in outer space, there is Someone that tells us that we will have trouble in this world but to be of good cheer. That someone is Christ!  We have been conditioned to believe that God won't ever let bad things happen to us but nothing could be further from the truth.  God allows tests and some of His most trusted servants were tested- Job was tried by Satan himself, Peter was sifted as wheat...by Satan himself, Paul was imprisoned, even Jesus was "tempted in every way"...the blessing is God will not allow us to be tested/tempted beyond what we are capable of handling (1 Corinthians 10).

I don't think Harper realized that ALL of his issues stemmed from his lack of relationship with God. He was basically trying to figure everything out on his own. It doesn't work that way. Life without God is no life at all. It is in God that we live, move and have our being.  Every situation would destroy us if not for the power of God steadying us in the face of trouble. This man is a portrait of the lost. Chasing his tail, forever living in a conundrum, never finding lasting peace.

Overall, the best part of the movie was the two little girls singing "O' Holy Night". Those lyrics cannot be tampered with or debated as they attest to the greatness of Jesus. I was thoroughly unimpressed after scores of people had told me that I would be crying because the movie was so good. It was emotional but it was not spiritual. I left the theater feeling dirty to be honest because of the crude sexual humor, the numerous sexual comments and the foul language. The worst part of it all is that some people brought their children to this film...which I thought was a terrible idea!   Anyway, I am not saying boycott the film, etc. What I am saying is that it did not match up well with my personal values. They gave us a cosmopolitan version of being "Christian" which doesn't really emphasize Christ's supremacy but the supremacy of man.  It is an egocentric rather than theocentric, which in the end is simply religiosity.  I wish I had seen something else. I am at the point in my walk with Christ that I cannot afford to lose time or consume anything that is not going to help me along. This definitely didn't help. God bless you and keep you.

Why I need Jesus...

As a college professor, I get exposed to a lot of things. Co-workers that don't cooperate, administrators that don't understand and student that don't want to work for their grades. One thing that irks me the most is students not wanting to give anything back for the amount of work that I pour into my classes. I also get to see students make TONS of mistakes, many self inflicted, and then look for someone else to bail them out. I get to hear all of their excuses: WiFi not working, dog ate my work, dog died, grandmother died...the same grandmother that died last year at this very same time of year, doctor ordered bedrest...for an ingrown toenail. The list goes on and on. Students are always looking for a bailout plan. They create terrible schedules and then expect some administrator to wave a wand and fix what they have done. They slack off for weeks before a test, fail the exam and immediately ask if they can "turn in corrections for bonus points...". They wait until the last minute to check their grades and then realize, "Wow, I am failing this course!" Excuse after excuse, mistake after mistake...and I get to see it all and hear it all. I could write a book and become very rich off it but I refuse to profit off of the apathy and laziness of someone else. It does make for interesting conversation fodder with family and friends though .

So, seeing all of this, I realize why I need Jesus to live within me. I need Jesus so that I will know when to extend mercy and grace and when to execute judgment. My least favorite time of year is issuing grades. The compassionate side of me wants to pass every student because I look for the good in everyone and yet I have to evaluate them based on their works. This is the same principle we see illustrated in 1 Corinthians 3 when believers, not judged to go to hell because they are saved, are judged to receive rewards in heaven based on what they with what God gave them and how they built on the foundation that Jesus Christ is and laid. Every man's work will be tested by fire and found out. I need Jesus so that when the person who's messed up so many times finally gets it right, I can respond with praise and not sarcasm.   I need Jesus so that I can give a reality check to the one that has been slacking all semester and decides to get it together with one week of school left. I need Jesus because without Him, I would have lost it by now and may be out of a job! Newspaper reads, "Tuskegee Professor decks student for asking the dumbest question ever..." I need Jesus so that my words will be gracious and my spirit compassionate towards those that have screwed up in the worst way and yet need mercy and not judgment. This is a job that, if done with Jesus, becomes more and more enjoyable by the year. Without Christ, my job would be miserable.

Now, let us all put our own lives in perspective.   I can understand, even if it is only slightly, how God feels about us. We screw up constantly, and by our own doing, and we look to God for forgiveness. In His love, He forgives us. In His divinity, He cannot be driven to madness like we humans can. His patience and lovingkindness are everlasting because he realizes that we are but dust (Psalm 103). Does God get exasperated? I don't know. The bible speaks of God getting angry with the Israelites at times for their failure to obey Him so I imagine that at times, we can give God a headache...metaphorically speaking. We also see this in Genesis 6 when God says, point blank, "My Spirit will not strive with man forever." Does God get fed up? Ask Korah and his contingent (Numbers 16) or better yet, ask Noah. Even still, God gave Noah ~120 years to build the ark and hence the people had 120 years to repent!  

Ephesians 5:1 says that we should be imitators of God i.e. we should mimic God when showing love to one another. We need Jesus so that we can love the way that God loves and see people as God sees them. Let's pray that we are kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other as God has forgiven each of us. May God bless each of you during this Christmas season!

Remember This...

Lamentations 3:21-23 says this:"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."

In the text, Jeremiah is suffering.   Jeremiah lived during a time of corporate suffering- the Babylonians had come in and ransacked Jerusalem.  That desolation is the background of this collection of poems called Lamentations.  The sin of the people was being judged.  The cities were laid waste.  Lamentations was an expression of the grief and the misery that was being experienced during this destructive period in the history of Judah/Jerusalem.  It was Jeremiah letting his frustrations out. 

The way that the poems are written is interesting- each chapter is written as an acrostic; Chapters 1 and 2 are written in 3 line stanzas.  Each stanza begins with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet- in order.  As the alphabet progresses, so does the intensity!  This literary device also serves to remind the reader that as you near the end of the alphabet, you are also nearing the resolution of the hurt and pain.  Chapter 3 lies between 1,2 and 4,5 and is by far the most intense chapter.

 

In the midst of the judgment, here was the man of God suffering right along with the rest of the people!  He was NOT EXEMPT; and he had been serving God since he was a young boy.  Lamentations  was written to help the people maintain their faith in God.  As one scholar puts it, the ones that did not come to God when Jeremiah was prophesying now had a second chance to hear from God through the prophet.  Jeremiah reminded the people that the calamity that came was deserved and that “God was righteous” in His dealings with them. 

It is easy to view Lamentations as  all doom and gloom book but there are nuggets here for those that have an ear to hear.  Some scholars believe that this is the quintessential book on suffering and how to deal with suffering and pain.

Have you ever wondered “why?”  “Why am I going through this?” Romans 8:19-23 says that the whole world is under bondage waiting for the glory of God to be revealed in children of God- but we are groaning as well- we want to get out of here!  We understand that this tent that we live in can get very uncomfortable sometimes!

There are different reasons for suffering: 1. Personal sin 2. Purification and 3. So that the glory of God might be seen.  No matter how we slice it, issues and problems are a natural outgrowth of the condition of the world.  Adam and Eve’s sin upset the perfection that God initially intended for the world.

William Dembski (author of “The End of Christianity”) put it very eloquently when he said that  man must experience the full measure of sin because man was complicit in sin entering into the world; ALL OF US HAVE TO EXPERIENCE THE WORLD AS IT IS- BUT WE DO NOT HAVE TO LET THOSE EXPERIENCES DEFINE WHO WE ARE.  We do not have to live in bitterness because God can take the pain, loss and hurt and turn them into faith and trust!  We are hard pressed but not crushed, perplexed but not in despair, persecuted but not forsaken, cast down but not destroyed!  Thank God for His grace and His mercy!

Suffering may be punishment for some BUT there may be a different intent for those whose suffering/tribulation cannot be traced back to personal sin.  For the believer, that is trying to live for Christ and trying to live a holy life, the intent of suffering may simply be to continue to perfect us i.e. to grow us up spiritually.  James 1:2-4 “Count it all joy when you meet trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces perseverance!”  Perseverance is necessary on this walk!  Hebrews 10:36 says it like this: you have need of endurance so that AFTER you have done the will of God, you may receive what has been promised.

 

How do we handle suffering or tribulation?  Jeremiah gives us some excellent insight on what to do when we are in a hard place.  I love the way that he writes and the metaphors that he uses. 

1. Remember This: The pain and the hurt that you feel is real [Verses 16-18]

"He has made my teeth grind on gravel,
and made me cower in ashes; my soul is bereft of peace;
I have forgotten what happiness is; so I say, “My endurance has perished;
so has my hope from the Lord.” 

 

Jeremiah is brutally honest in his assessment of the situation.  He says here: my soul has no peace, I have forgotten what happiness is; my endurance has perished and so has my hope from the Lord.  Here is a man that is face to face with his problems and he shows us something amazing.  Rather than put on a phony face and walk around high-fiving everyone, Jeremiah says here that I am tired!  I don’t even remember what happiness is!  Too many times we have a grin and bear it attitude- it’s ok for us to admit that we are tired!  I am worn out!  We have to be honest about pain and hurt.  Pain is a reminder of the fallen condition of the world!  Pain also a reminder that we cannot let go of God!  It is at these low points that we should pray the most fervently!   IF we let go of God, what do we have left?  Yes the pain is real, yes we need to release our hurt and frustrations but we cannot ever allow our issues to cause us to quit on God.  Can you imagine having to bear all of your burdens outside of the grace of God?

2. Remember this:  God is good.[Verses 21-24]

In the middle of this lament, roughly halfway through this chapter, Jeremiah comes back to reality and reminds himself of something awesome.  Every now and then, we need to REMEMBER what God has done!  GOD NEVER FORGETS BUT WE OFTEN TIMES, DO!  Later in the chapter, Jeremiah recalled a situation where he was thrown into a pit and imprisoned and he says, “I called on your name, O LORD, from the depths of the pit; You heard my plea…Verse 57 says “YOU CAME NEAR when I called on you; you said, “DO NOT FEAR!” 

God is saying RIGHT NOW: REMEMBER THIS: I HAVE NOT FORSAKEN YOU!

When we look at verses 21-24, we can pull out 7 principles that can be applied directly to our own lives:

 

" But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.  “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

1. (Verse 21) Hope springs from the recollection of WHO God is and WHAT God has already done.  Remind yourself of this the next time you get tired. 

2. (Verse 22) God’s love is steadfast and unending; A different translation of this passage says this: BECAUSE of the steadfast love of the LORD, we are not CUT OFF!  We are not here because of ourselves, we are here because of God's love. 

3. God’s mercy is also eternal; Mercy is when God spares us from what we deserve.

 

4. (verse 23) God’s mercy is fresh: every morning, God’s mercy for us is renewed- every day is a new day from God, one in which the previous day is not held against us!

5. God’s faithfulness in GREAT; Hebrews 12:28 says that God’s kingdom is unshakable!  The same writer in chapter 13 says this: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever!  God has not changed and God will not changeà He is one that we can depend on!  When we lean on Him, he doesn’t shake, God stays put! 

6. (Verse 24) THE LORD IS ENOUGH!  The word portion has to do with possession as in God belongs to us.  In Numbers 18:20, God told the priests, “I am your portion” i.e. I am everything that you need.

7. Because HE is ALL I need, I will hope in HIM.  Hope is the expectation of something sure!    Isaiah 49:23 says that those that hope in the Lord will not be disappointed!

Remember this: The believer understands that God is ultimately…GOOD.

Remember this: weeping endures for a night but joy comes in the morning! (Psalm 30:5)

Remember this: these light afflictions which are but for a moment, and that there is a far more exceeding and eternal weight in glory! (2 Cor 4:17)

Jeremiah reminds the people in verse 37 of chapter 3 that NOTHING happens outside of God’s providence.  It is the permissive will of God that allows things that we view as bad to occur.  Job asked the question, shall we accept good from the Lord and not bad?  Atheists use this point to discredit God- saying "how can so much evil exist in the world IF God Is real?" but times when others discredit are times that we should give glory to God because God is able to take those bad, hurtful things and turn them around for the good! 

3. Remember this: God already knows the outcome; be patient [Verses 25,26]

 

The way we measure time and the way God measures time is different.  In two places, 2 Peter 3:8; Psalm 90:4 it says that a thousand years is but a day to God.  Many say don’t interpret that literally, but let’s say that we do… if we lived 70 YEARS, OUR LIFE IS ABOUT 1.5H LONG TO GOD!  That’s about the length of a movie!  It is hard to wait when we base the outcome of a situation on our wristwatches, but Jeremiah encourages us here:  

"

The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul who seeks him.  It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord."

Verse 25 says two things: 1. Wait and 2. Seek.  While I am waiting, I should also be SEEKING God.  I need to be looking for Him in the midst of my trouble.  Seek in Hebrew is "dawrash"- it means to seek the TRUE God in prayer and worship!  Throughout this text and this book, Jeremiah never takes his focus off the true God!  SEEKING GOD IS WHAT BRINGS EVERYTHING INTO FOCUS.  It helps us to realize that God is there in the bad times as well as in the good times.  Isaiah 26:3 says that God will keep you in perfect peace if we keep our minds stayed on Him.  He says again in the 40^th chapter that if we wait on God, He will renew our strength!

Verse 26 says that we should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord!  Is this contradictory to crying out?  No, the crying out was the vent session!  These laments were powerful expressions of grief and loss.  However, mow that it is out, and we’ve been reminded of the HOPE that we have in God, and WE KNOW that his salvation is coming…we know that the suffering will not last forever…we quiet down with the expectation that God will rescue us from whatever it is we are dealing with!  Psalm 62:1 “…My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation.”  Psalm 131:2 “…I have composed and quieted myself… Like a weaned child rests against his mother, My soul is like a weaned child within me.”  I am at peace now!  I am full and content because of who God is and what I know He will bring to past. 

Paul says in Philippians 4:6,7 that we shouldn’t be anxious for anything but through prayer and supplication and thanksgiving, present our requests to the Lord and the PEACE of God, that surpasses all understanding shall guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus!   

We all want to be at peace.  We all want that rest that so often eludes us.  The beauty of Christianity is that no matter how much we suffer down here…Jesus has the best Retirement package that has ever been offered.  After we’ve taken all that we can take, Jesus said this in John 14:3” I go to prepare a place for you that where I am, you may be also!  He said (John 16), you weep now but you will see me again and your tears will be turned to joy…and NO ONE will take your joy away from you.  This is not the happy go lucky/pie-in-the-sky show, I’M JUST SAYING THAT CHRISTIANS DON’T SORROW AS THE WORLD SORROWS BECAUSE WE UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS ANOTHER LIFE TO COME AFTER THIS ONE!  Revelation 21:4 says that God, on the day of Christ's return will wipe away every tear! 

Whatever you are facing right now, remember this: it is real, God is good and God already knows the outcome.  Grace and peace be unto you, in Jesus' name.

An Interesting Thought

So I recently preached a sermon from Judges 6:11-22 concerning Gideon.  It amazes me the plethora of ideas and opinions that exist concerning this man.  Some call him a coward.   Some call him a magician.  Some accuse him of having no faith.  I simply see him as, well, human.

Gideon was from the smallest clan of the tribe of Manesseh, he was the youngest in his family, he grew up in a family of idolaters, he was unschooled in the ways of God and yet, this is the man that God chose to lead the attack on the Midianites.  When God showed up in the winepress, God already knew what to expect. 

Gideon was threshing wheat in the winepress to hide from the Midianites.  He was obviously fearful as was the rest of Israel as they have began to live in caves.  The Midianites and the people of the east would show up at harvest time and destroy the crops and decimate the land.  The people were poor and oppressed.  Gideon was a most unlikely choice to lead considering the fact that, well, he was afraid.  Judging from the book, before Gideon met God at that winepress, he was a naturally timid man.  In spite of this glaring weakness, God called him a "mighty man of valor" in verse 12. 

Gideon and his experience with God points out something that is critical to understand and deal with in our walk as Christians.  The emotion of doubt.  Many treat doubt as if it is the worst thing that someone could ever do but have you ever stopped to think that that we are naturally doubtful and skeptical people?  Human beings are frail and weak and when anything comes up that we don't understand, doubt will be present.  Gideon had two adminitions from the Angel of the Lord in the text and both times he doubted.  Let's examine:

12And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” 13And Gideon said to him, “Please, sir,^a if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” 14And the Lord^b turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” 15And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”

Gideon was skeptical and confused because he grew up in that generation that did not know God nor His deeds (see Judges 2).  He was also focused on his limitations as opposed to being focused on God.  In verse 13, the word "lord" (Hebrew, adon) shows that he also didn't really know who he was talking to.  However, in verse 15, he uses the term Lord (Adonai) which indicates to me that God was beginning to reveal Himself to Gideon.  Adonai is a term that is reserved for God and basically is used to ascribe to majesty and glory to God; it is used to indicate his mastery over everything. 

Let's think about doubt from a new testament perspective.  Jesus says in Matthew 21:21, 22 that if we believe (have faith) and do not doubt, whatever we ask will be given to us.  Interestingly, this statement is made in the context of man asking something of God.  When we ask of God, James says that we should ask without doubting otherwise we are double minded and therefore should not expect anything from God.  One word for doubt, "diakrino" (which is the word used in Matt 21) is a Greek legal term which means to "discern two sides" or to "judge".  When we begin to wrestle with our flesh, that's where doubt arises.  When we start wavering between what we know God is capable of and what our flesh is telling us that He can't do...then we have a problem.  However, doubt is normal.  What we must avoid is that doubt pushing us to unbelief, which is the absence of faith.

Now, let's think about this from the other side.  When we ask God for something, we should not doubt.  However, what about when God asks somethings of us?  As is the case for Gideon.  God is saying to him, you are going to deliver Israel from the Midianites.  Gideon's skepticism is natural because he is a timid man that had not done ANYTHING to thwart the Midianite oppression for the seven years that it had been going on.  He was content to hide in the winepress threshing wheat.  The funny thing is, when God came to Gideon He already knew every excuse that Gideon would make.  He knew every hoop that Gideon would jump through.  But God was patient with Gideon because, I believe, he wanted to move Gideon to faith.

If you read the text further, you will see that when Gideon wanted to prepare an offering to confirm If he had "found favor" in the sight of the Angel of the Lord, the Angel waited patiently for him.  This is a picture of God's patience with us.  Is God averse to is asking questions when we are confused about what He's doing in our lives?  I think not.  He's well able to answer anything that we ask.  Is it wrong for us to ask for confirmation?  The funny thing is, many think that Gideon was trying to manipulate God.  God was actually manipulating Gideon because with every answered question, Gideon was moved closer and closer to carrying out what God had purposed when He showed up at the winepress.

Am I saying that we should walk in doubt and fear?  Am I saying that we are terrible if we ask questions?  No, what I am saying is that doubt is a human emotion that we will all struggle with and God has the answer and He is not afraid to erase our doubts with His grace and patience.  I think that sometimes people are overzealous in their treatment of Gideon.  They are either too hyped up about him or too hard on him.  He's human just like all of the others in the Bible that doubted (see Moses, Jeremiah, Peter, Thomas, etc.).  If you are struggling with doubt, pray that God would erase them and pray for answers to your unanswered questions.  Let God, by His grace, patience and answers, move you to trust and faith in Him.   Grace and peace to you from God the Father and Lord of all.

  

Why, Why, Why?

This is meant to be a very short post to vent my frustration.  I am simply fed up with Microsoft Windows 8.  WHY DID YOU RELEASE A PRODUCT WITH SO MANY BUGS?!  WHY DID YOU RELEASE A PRODUCT THAT NEEDS UPDATING AND PATCHING EVERY SINGLE DAY?  If it was unfinished, you should have kept it in the lab- you have zero competition in the PC market.  I don't need my cellphone to match my computer.  I don't need an apps page and a desktop!  I don't need a computer that crashes every 3-5 minutes when I run programs that use a lot of memory.  It simply makes no sense.  Please, in the future, be practical and not cute.  This is annoying and it is by far the WORST experience that I have ever had with any windows operating system.  You should have stopped at 7 and left it there.  Windows 7 runs beautifully.  It recovers documents, it autosaves, it just works.  Why fix what is not broken?  Just a dumb move all around.  Have you experienced this?  I wish I could call Bill Gates personally.  Ok, I am done ranting...for now.  Lol!

Be blessed.