Is God Giving You a Hard Time?

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When you commit to walking with God through faith in Jesus Christ he promises to give you a hard time. “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). But I don’t want to be  persecuted!. “Share in suffering as a good solider of Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:3). But I don’t want to suffer! 

Why does God sent the hard into our lives? Why are trials, sickness, heartbreak on the menu in God’s restaurant and why must I eat there? “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). 

Francis Schaeffer said the the modern church want personal peace and affluence. We want to go to heaven “on flowery beds of ease.” But God’s pathway to paradise takes us through difficult twists and painful turns.  Why? 

Many reasons could be given. God allows pain and suffering to confront us with our sin, or to strengthen our faith in God’s provision and comfort, or to equip us to comfort others when they suffer with the comfort that we ourselves have received from God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4), to name but a few. I will narrow the focus on two reasons: it strengthens our faith and makes us more like Jesus. 

One essential target in the Christian life is become more like Jesus Christ. Suffering shapes us. Trusting the Father in the hard of life makes us look like Jesus. Trusting God when there is no known answer and no immediate relief is pure, undiluted faith.  “In this (salvation) you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith … may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6-7).  God is present in your trials, proving, to you, the strength of and reality of your object of faith. Job trusted God in the hard until the questions and confusion overwhelmed him. But then God spoke to him, restored and comforted him. God is helpfully with you in the hard.

Our suffering is both informative and formative – it teach us the strength and power of true faith, and it can form Christ in us. Even our Jesus was made complete through suffering. “For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering” (Hebrews 2:10).

We do not desire the hard, but we should envy the result. A purified and strengthened  faith and a likeness to Jesus. Embrace the hard, trust the Lord, and God will make you shine.

A Regular Diet of Good News

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Has God given us one message or two? Do we have one story to tell unbelievers and another to believers? Is the gospel intended for them or for us?

I recently read a radical thought from John Leonard in “Get Real.” We should disciple unbelievers and evangelize believers. Now that seems backwards. And it certainly is against conventional wisdom. But conventional wisdom is only good at conventions.

God has given us one message for all mankind. It is the Good news of what God has done for us in Christ. We all must embrace the grace and wisdom given to us in Jesus.  We assume that Evangelism, with its 5 or 6 isolated texts, is for those outside the church, and discipleship – learning or training – targets those inside the church. Evangelism is for unbelievers and discipleship is for believers.  Yes, that is true as far as it goes. But, it doesn’t go far enough.

In Matthew 28 we are commanded to make disciples of all nations. We are to disciple the unbelieving nations. We must teach them to walk with God in God’s world. In the United States, a basic, Christian understanding of the world, of marriage, of right and wrong, could be assumed 70 years ago. Not anymore.  The unbelieving world needs to be taught the basics to even understand the gospel.  They no longer think in Christian Categories. They need to be discipled, and taught.

Believers, too, never grow beyond the good news. We go deeper into it; we value it more and treasure what God has done for us. But we never mature beyond the simple gospel. Perhaps we have been taught to see the gospel as our ticket into the church, but once in, we can throw away the ticket.  Not so.  If you picture your growth in sanctification as so many rooms in the house of your salvation that must now be cleaned; the gospel is the key that unlocks every room. The law is the light that allows you to see the dust bunnies, and the gospel is the duster.

We must be reminded of who we are in Christ and the power at work within us. The gospel is not only good news once, it is good news for us every day, and as we seek to clean every room. Believers, and unbelievers, need discipleship through the gospel.

New Year’s Self Talk

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It is a brand new year! Everything is fresh, unspoiled and the possibilities are endless.  This is a time for new beginnings – a time to make some needed changes! Or, so we think. Is the New Year really a great time to make personal improvements? Yes, and no. Last year is not really any different from this year. The earth merely completed another orbit around the sun. You basic convictions have not changed. The major influences in your life are not altered. Are they?  

If I were to ask you who is the major influence in your life what would you say?  You might say “Jesus,” or “The Bible,” because I am a pastor and that is the expected answer.  But think about it for a minute. Really think. Perhaps you might mention an author that you read, a parent or grandparent that really loved you, or a friend, etc.  But, I think that answer lies closer to home. You are you own greatest influencer.  Your ‘self-talk’ determines your choices in life as well as if you will ever change for the better.

There is something of a slogan in Biblical Counseling circles. “What is your problem? You are. And that means there is hope.” In more directly Biblical terms, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts,… envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person” (Mark 7:20-23). You are your own worst enemy. And yet, you can become your own best friend.

Have you examined your self-talk lately? What do you say to yourself doubt God and yourself? What you really believe about you – your weaknesses, abilities, limitations, or vast potential – largely determines the course and trajectory of your life. “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45).

You are in a continuous conversation with yourself, analyzing and interpreting past events, your present circumstances, and determining what you should do, or say, next.  Your self-talk is the command and control center of your life.  So, how do you talk to yourself?  Do you spend your thought-life defending and excusing your past behavior and generating excuses for your future failures? Or, do you speak truth, and then grace to yourself? What do you tell yourself about God, the others around you, and your present circumstances? Is your conversation grace-based, God-centered, and gospel infused? Do you regularly remind yourself of the beauty and loving kindness of your God and your need of and delight in Him? Do you include Him in on your conversations?

Put God back in the center of your thinking. Have Him as the substance of your self-conversation. Romans 12:2 commands, “be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God.” Do that, and you will have a Happy New Year!

A Light in the Darkness

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Exodus 10:21 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.”

Darkness often symbolizes fear, lostness, evil. Think pitch black, or the black of night, or ‘and it was night’.  But, here we have darkness so dread that you can sense it. Thick tangible frightening darkness. Have you ever felt the darkness?  Perhaps your mind travels to some troubling tragic past event. To you, that was darkness. It was sad, and depressing, scary; almost evil.  That is what we think of as felt darkness.

Darkness, in a nutshell, describes life in a fallen world. Sin and darkness ride tandem and we are moving fast and descending continually.  We live in a dark, sin filled world. But ….

Jesus announced in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  As we follow Jesus we forsake the darkness and so walk in the light.  We no longer stumble in the dark.

Jesus is the light of the world. He enlightens every man. John 1:8, “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.”  Take a guided tour of the mysterious caves of Kentucky. Once in the deepest, darkest section they will turn off the lights so you can experience true darkness. After a minute you are disorientated and cannot see your hand in front of your face. The lights go on and the darkness flees. 

We live in moral and spiritual darkness.  Violence, greed, self-righteousness, racism, and evil are everywhere. We are all part of the problem, suffer from it, and we can do nothing to fix it.  We need the light of the world to enlighten us. Jesus is the light of the world and he has given us light to dispel the darkness.

Into a dark world walks Jesus as a lighted candle. Everyone’s attention is drawn irresistibly to the his light.  Jesus lights the candle of one, then another. More light. Then they pass the light to the next and so on. Soon, the world is filling with light and all can now see.  This growing brightness dispels the lingering darkness. In his light, we see light.

Now we, believers, are the light of the world. Matthew 5:14, 16, “You are the light of the world… let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” So share the light. Enlighten others with the message of Christmas. Behold the night is over, the light has come. Praise God!

Why do our Childern Walk Away from the Faith?

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Too many children raised in covenant fellowship by godly parents walk away from the faith as adults.  Why? We usually answer based on our own experience. And it is true in an anecdotal way. ‘The parents were too harsh, the church was too weak, the children were too wild.’ Some have studied the issue and interviewed those who have departed and asked them why. The answers varied, but generally fell into four categories.

They have sincere unanswered questions about the faith.  Many see the faith from a distance and in the abstract. They have real issues, queries about the Christian faith and its practical, real-world application but they do not have a safe place to ask those questions.  So, when their incomplete faith meets a complete secular onslaught they are completely unarmed. They have inadequate answers and are not willing to stand on what they do not understand. Perhaps this is incomplete discipleship. There are real world answers to all of their questions but they unaware of them. 

They do not experience the joy, peace, and fulness of the faith. They may have seen living faith in others, but have not tasted and seen that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8). They think that they have tried the faith and found it wanting. The practical application and benefit of walking with God in community escapes them. It does not make sense to them where the rubber hits the road. In other words, they do not see how the faith works in a real-world way. The faith is not useful. The church begins to look really narrow and judgmental.

They allow other things to take priority. Their gaming, reading, education, friends, and the indoctrination they receive from TV, movies, and music have a greater impact than Sunday morning “lectures.” Others things take priority because they seen more fitting, appropriate, fulfilling, fun. They take small steps following the Pied Piper until they completely disappear. (“Pied Piper” is a metaphor for a person who attracts a following through charisma or false promises). They are socialized by the world and not by the church.

They never personally owned their faith or pursued it. Unanswered questions, impractical restrictions, and the siren call of the “real” world call them away from the old paths, the faith once for all delivered to the saints. (Jeremiah 6:16 “Thus says the Lord: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ See Jude 1:3) They have not understood the faith, nor practiced it. They have not pursued their questions nor walked in the faith in a real way. “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried.” G.K. Chesterton.

What can we do about it?  Answer their questions, be open and honest about your questions, fears, doubts, and failures. Show them practical, everyday Christianity. Disciple them. Love them. Know them. Nurture them. Pray for them. Show them the real, practical wisdom of walking with God. Ephesians 6:4, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Discipleship and teaching. Parents, like your math teacher demanded, show your work. Don’t simply give them the right answer, show your work. Don’t merely tell them what to believe, show them why. Take them by the hand and walk with them through the forests of the faith. “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6.

Is it Wrong to Have Sex Before Marriage?

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Not long ago, an American politician found herself in an awkward situation when she mentioned at a prayer breakfast that she was running late for the event because her fiancé wanted to have sex that morning. From her public admission, it was clear that the woman and her fiancé were living together and were in a sexual relationship. What was also clear is that the woman—a professing Christian at an evangelical church (with her pastor in the audience)—didn’t realize she had said or done anything wrong. She mentioned her reason for being late with a smile and with a chuckling assurance to her fiancé that she would see him in the evening and that he wouldn’t have to wait long for his desires to be fulfilled. Later, after getting flack for her risqué remarks, the congresswoman explained that she goes to church because she is a sinner, not because she is a saint.

I mention this story not to draw attention to this particular event or to pick on this particular politician, but to illustrate the reality that sex before marriage, even for many Christians, has lost any sense of stigma. Watch almost any television show or any movie that involves dating or romance, and you will find that sexual activity between non-married persons is completely normal and utterly pervasive. Christians may still get upset when the culture pushes an LGBTQ agenda, but most of those same Christians won’t even notice when popular songs, shows, videos, or movies routinely show, describe, or assume sex before marriage. If worldliness is whatever makes sin look normal and righteousness look strange (to paraphrase David Wells), then the routine acceptance of sex before marriage is one of the clearest signs of worldliness in our age.

Is It Wrong?

The title of this piece asks, “Is it wrong to have sex before marriage?” so let me start by showing from the Bible that such behavior is clearly a sin. “Fornication” is the (now rarely used word) for sex between two persons who are not married. In traditional terms, adultery has often meant illicit sex once married, and fornication has meant illicit sex outside of marriage. The word “fornication” is used in the King James Version in 1 Corinthians 6:18, but the Greek word there is porneia which includes every kind of illicit sexual activity, from adultery to homosexuality to prostitution to sex before marriage.

The Bible doesn’t dwell on the sin of fornication because such behavior was, in the minds of the biblical authors, clearly and obviously wrong. We see this assumption in several places. According to Exodus 22:16–17, the man who has sex with a non-engaged virgin, should make her his wife, indicating that sexual intercourse is a covenant-forming activity not to be entered into apart from the covenant bonds of marriage. Likewise, according to Deuteronomy 22:13–21, if a woman has sex before marriage, she is put in the same category as a prostitute. The Torah does not allow for sex before marriage.

The New Testament carries forward the same sexual boundaries found in the Old Testament. When Joseph sought to quietly break off his betrothal to pregnant Mary, it is obvious that Joseph considers Mary to have done something wrong and that the whole community will also disapprove of Mary’s behavior (Matt. 1:19). The Bible also considers it important for us to know that Mary really was a virgin (Matt. 1:20; Luke 1:34). Most clearly, the logic of 1 Corinthians 7—that it is better to marry than to burn with passion (1 Cor. 7:9)—only works on the assumption that sexual activity belongs in marriage and not outside of marriage. The strong desire for sexual intimacy should only be fulfilled within the bonds of marriage between a man and woman (1 Cor. 7:36–38). Every other context for sexual intimacy is sin. This means that sexual activity before marriage—which includes sexual intercourse, and by extension, every kind of romantic activity involving one’s sexual parts—is prohibited by God.

Why Is It Wrong?

That fornication is sin should be obvious from even a cursory reading of the Bible. Why fornication is wrong takes a little more thought. As I said earlier, the Bible doesn’t say a whole lot about sex before marriage. We cannot automatically gauge the importance of a matter in the Bible, or the gravity of an offense, merely by counting up the number of verses used to discuss the issue. The sense one gets from reading the Scriptures is that the people of God knew fornication was obviously wrong and so there wasn’t a lot to say except to set forth the consequences of the sin and how to avoid and flee the sin. Nevertheless, if we think a bit broader and deeper, it’s not hard to understand why the Bible puts premarital sex outside the bounds of licit sexual behavior.

Simply put, fornication is a sin because it is inconsistent with the nature of sex, the nature of marriage, and the nature of the family. Marriage is a covenant bond between a man and woman (Mal. 2:14), a covenantal bond sealed by the one flesh union of sexual intimacy (Gen. 2:24). In his book Marriage as Covenant, pastor and biblical scholar Gordon Hugenberger argues convincingly that marriage during the Old Testament period was typically formed by the swearing of a solemn oath (verba solemnia) and then ratified by the oath-sign of sexual intercourse. The two elements were meant to go together, with the public promise preceding the private ratification. As Hugenberger puts it, “because of the necessarily private, though no less binding, nature of sexual union as an oath-sign, the complementary verba solemnia were especially appropriate as they offer essential public evidence of the solemnization of a marriage” (p. 216). When couples have sex before marriage, they are engaging in private activity whose purpose is to consummate a public promise. Without the latter, the former is an endeavor to enjoy the benefits of the covenant without formally entering into the covenant.

We should not overlook the language of “one flesh” in Genesis 2:24. On one level, it can be argued that the language of “one flesh” means sexual intimacy should not take place unless the couple is ready to commit to “oneness” in every other area of the relationship. Sex is the final and most intimate of relational bonds, and it should not be entered into unless the couple has promised to be bound together for life. That is a fair inference from the language of “one flesh.”

At the same time, the more direct referent is not to the oneness of relational intimacy but to the oneness of biological function. The reason that same-sex unions do not constitute marriage is the same reason that couples do not commit fornication by merely holding hands or hugging. “One flesh” does not refer to any kind of activity that physically connects one person to another. A man and a woman become “one flesh” in sexual intercourse because their individual bodies come together for a singular biological purpose. Marriage is that sort of union which, if all the plumbing is working correctly and takes place at the opportune time, produces children. This doesn’t mean every act of sex must produce children, but it does mean that when we engage in sexual activity, we are opening ourselves up to the gift of children. The promises made in marriage matter not just for the bride and groom. The promises matter for the sake of the children that they hope to produce and for the sake of the wider community that benefits when children are born in wedlock and raised by their two biological parents.

Sex before marriage undermines all this. Fornication only “works” if sex can be divorced from the promises that constitute a marriage, divorced from the public dimension of marriage, and divorced from the children that normally come from marriage and flourish most in the context of marriage. The Bible clearly and explicitly says that premarital sex is wrong. The Bible just as clearly, if more implicitly, teaches that premarital sex is personally selfish and publicly subversive of the goods that marriage is meant to promote and protect.

What If I’ve Already Committed this Wrong?

I would be remiss if I didn’t offer a word of hope for those who already know that premarital sex is wrong and feel terrible that they’ve committed this sin. Fornication is not the unforgivable sin, neither does it consign a person to a life of second-class spiritual citizenship. Think of the second chance given to the prostitute Gomer in the book of Hosea. Think of the sexual sinners in the genealogy of Jesus. Think about the women who were sexual sinners who encountered God’s grace in Jesus. Most importantly, think of the cross where all our sins can be washed whiter than snow. Let us walk in the light as God is in the light (1 John 1:7). It’s true, sex before marriage is a sin, but if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

Kevin DeYoung, From Clearly Reformed 

 

Lording it Over your Circumstances

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I have one possible, but powerful cure for what ails you today. What most troubles you? Well, you do! We fear our fears. We worry about our worries. We are anxious about our anxieties.  And so, the monster feeds itself. We limp through our days wounded and walking in egg shells often of our own design. When we rest our minds on our fears and worries we give them life and strength and power. Yet, Paul exhorts us “The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything.” Phil 4:5-6

It can’t be that easy, can it?  My worries and fears are great, towering clouds that block out any light!  I cannot see beyond my fear. When worry triumphs and terrorizes, what does it matter the the Lord is near? 

Well, I think that I know what the deeper problem is. Your fears are too great and your Lord is too small. A big worry makes a small Lord. But, a big Lord makes your fear shrivel.  Now, do not misunderstand. I am not belittling your anxieties. No. Wait. Yes I am – I am belittling them – in comparison with the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord is near. Where is the comfort in that you ask? The one who has conquered sin and death has also given the antidote to fear and worry. The one who has all power in heaven and earth is your elder brother and friend. Omnipotence is in his hands. Jesus, who has loved you from before the foundation of the world, will hold your hand into eternity future where you will see him face to face; this is the Lord that is near. This is our worry-crushing Lord. He has your troubles and your tomorrows in his gracious hands. All will be well.

“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Luke 12:6-7). Rest your mind on the living, triumphant, reigning Lord of Glory and your anxieties may dissolve like mist. You are not enslaved in circumstance’s capricious hands, but set free by the nail scared hands of your savior.  Fear not, for the Lord is at hand.

Remember Who You Are!!

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Have you heard of those who suffer from temporary amnesia? Due to some trauma they have forgotten who they are. They have lost their identity. They also do not know where they fit, nor what to do. They have forgotten their family, their job, their joys – everything. They wander around aimless, asking who they are? 

This is in essence the modern dilemma. We do not know who were are, why we are here, where we fit. So, we grasp for some comforting identity, some meaningful purpose. 

What is mankind? What is our true identity? What were we created for? What is our purpose?  We are made in the image and likeness of God. To know him, reflect and enjoy his greatness and glory – we are made to like Him, and to be like him. 

Yet, instead of imaging him, we, in our amnesia, are trying to make God in our own image. We call the shots and make the rules. God must answer to us and submit to our sense of right and wrong, to our definition of meaning and identity. We end up attacking the image of God that is in us. We are fighting against ourselves, and our created purpose. 

We are fighting against our own biology, the way we are fashioned. God has already set the rules, the purpose and direction of life.  We can fight against it, but we can never win.

There is great rest and peace in knowing who we are created to be. Sin has given us delusions of grandeur. But God has created us in real grandeur.  

Psalm 8 proclaims, “what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet … O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”

Do you know who you are? God does. He created you, in his own image, to know and delight in him and his creation. Wake up to your created glory! Remember who you are; and known true rest and peace.

Is Change Possible?

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What is wrong with the world? And, What is your problem? Isaiah 53:6 gives us the proper diagnosis and the only cure. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

We all, and he does mean all, have gone astray. Astray from what? From our created purpose. From our divine directives. From the good, the right and the perfect. Ok, fine. I have made some mistakes – everyone has. It is not that big a deal. I will improve. I will take steps to correct my wandering.  Really?

We are all like sheep. Sheep wander – and they wander by nature. Our problem is not only skin deep, it goes to the bone. It is not merely our decisions that need to change, but our very nature. We sin because we are sinners. We wander due to our fallen nature. Our self diagnosis and attempts at applying our own cure do not go deep enough. They treat the symptoms but not the disease. “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Mathew 12:34). We sin by nature. Our hearts need to change.

But, ‘the heart wants what the heart wants.’ I have attempted to change my heart many times and failed. A leopard cannot change his spots. (See Jeremiah 13:23). That is the problem with me and it is the problem with the world. We have a sinful nature.

Well, what its he solution? Is there a solution? Thanks be to God, yes! There is a cure. “The LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). It is the blood of Christ that both forgives our sin and delivers us from its power. The free grace of God is our only hope; but it is a sure and certain hope. There is a guarantee of new life in Christ for all who will come to him. He gives us a new heart and a new nature. Jesus calls to us all, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:10-11).  “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out (John 6:37). So, come to Jesus and lay that burden down – and, change the world!

God’s Benediction: Grace to You

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What is the benediction? Why does the pastor raise his hands? How should I receive the benediction?

A benediction is a blessing from God. Benediction comes from two words bene, which means ‘good,’ and dicere, which means ‘to speak.’ It is the good speech, or the blessing. 

The benediction is not a prayer. A prayer is our speaking to God and asking for a blessing. A benediction is the actual pronouncement of blessing in God’s name.

A benediction is not an ascription of praise to God or Christ. Many, wrongly, praise God thinking it is a benediction. They are aiming in the wrong direction. A benediction conveys the blessing of God, from God. What is the blessing of God? It is the grace of God – not promised, not merely prayed for, but actually conveyed to us.

Since the blessing comes from God it is conveyed by one who has been set apart to speak for God. It is a function of ordination.

Why does the pastor raise his hands for the benediction?  The OT priests did, Leviticus 9:22, “Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them.” Jesus raised his hand in the Ascension, Luke 24:50, “And (Jesus) led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them.”  So the minister lifts his hands to pronounce and convey the blessing in the name of Jesus.

How should we receive the benediction? The blessing is given regardless of your physical posture. But, many fix their eyes on the hands that convey the blessing and lift their hands to receive grace acknowledging their dependence on God.

“This is God’s final word to us in the covenant assembly of worship: those who belong to him are not under his judgment, but under his grace. They are not objects of his wrath, but the objects of his love. The benediction is his holy announcement that we are sealed with his name and our whole life is covered by his grace.”

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your Spirit. Amen.