Thursday, November 30, 2017

what false teachers do


These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage.
Jude 16

This is a summary of the character and activity of false teachers. There is a class of people within Christian circles who hold to and proclaim false doctrine and by seeking personal gain from their endeavors undermine the gospel. Jude warns us so that we can know them from clear criteria.

First is their general attitude toward orthodoxy: they grumble and complain. That is often the start of false teaching or sinful practices gaining a foothold. The false teacher hates that the gospel makes for uncomfortability. They seek comfort above all. There is complaining against leaders, against the teaching of the gospel, against the gospel itself in some fashion.

Then we move to understanding their motivation. They are moved by sinful desire. Nobody goes full blown apostate with a desire for holiness and doctrinal clarity. It is driven by a desire to please self, to somehow lighten Christ’s demands or diminish His authority. The false teacher moves his desire to the authority of biblical doctrine and the resulting teaching and practice becomes egregious sin.

Their lives are clearly self-centered. Their speech is attention-getting. They are heard and adored by many. They appeal to personal pride as they boast. They get a crowd and use that crowd as a basis for legitimacy. They court celebrities with their own cult celebrity status. They seek personal power and the stature of perceived success and achievement through gathered worldly possessions. These days they ride around in chauffeured Bentleys, travel on private jets, live in exclusive mansions, fill arenas with eager, confused crowds, sell books plastered with their faces on the cover, and all the while ignore the gospel, in essence opening wide the gates of hell with their carefully manicured hands to let everybody behind them inside.




Wednesday, November 29, 2017

The wicked can indeed prosper.


When he is carried to the grave,
watch is kept over his tomb.
The clods of the valley are sweet to him;
all mankind follows after him,
and those who go before him are innumerable.
Job 21:32-33

Job shares an uncomfortable observation that dismantles the erroneous theology of his friends. They assume that Job’s sufferings are a result of God’s judgment. They insist that God always judges wicked men. But Job points to the sad reality: many wicked men prosper by their abuse of power or wealth and live long, wicked lives, dying and being celebrated by the masses even in their death. This overly simplified theology is woefully inconsistent with life observations. Rich men, full of wickedness, are buried in elaborate tombs to much ceremony. Many have done this before Job’s time. Many will do so after.

Sinners celebrate the lives of sinners. There must be some other kind of justice than what can merely be observed in fallen human society. People are unjust and act wickedly. This is rampant in all cultures. The biggest memorials are given to the largest abusers. There is no justice among broken mankind.

God takes us uncomfortably deeper than the surface. Humans lay on a thick veneer of celebrity idolatry on people they see as successful who frankly may not deserve such adulation. And that creates a kind of false physical prosperity at the cost of deep spiritual poverty. The wicked can get the best food, the best homes, the best protection, the best healthcare, and the most resources. And with that they can live long lives. They get elaborate funerals when it is all over. They are eulogized and perhaps memorialized. But that does not mean they were right before God. In a sense their deception in wickedness became their own worst judgment. God is greater than the seeming prosperity of the wicked.

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Prophecy can get weird.


And I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I rose and went about the king's business, but I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it.
Daniel 8:27

Prophetic literature produces some strange stuff. Here we have Daniel, the prophet who authored the book that bears his name, admitting that the vision he saw and faithfully recorded made no sense to him. That’s right... the author had no idea what he wrote down actually meant. This is a rare moment... the prophecy was well beyond the grasp of the moment. And it challenges a basic interpretative principle.... “determine author’s intention”. In this case, the intent of the author is to write down the vision and be perplexed by it. 

God even sent his angel Gabriel to help the prophet to understand the vision, (That’s right... the Christmas Gabriel) but even then the angel could only reassure the prophet that the vision was “for the time of the end” (Daniel 8:17, 19). Then Daniel is instructed to “seal up the vision” because it would only be clearly understood in those latter days. Daniel has to stay unclear on it all. This is some hard stuff to read.

To understand the book of Daniel then, means we should assume that God meant for some of these prophecies to get clearer over time in the unfolding of progressive revelation in the biblical text. And personally, I find the Book of Revelation in the New Testament to fit wonderfully with these more esoteric portions of the book of Daniel. It is as if God has finally chosen to “unseal” Daniel’s visions with the further insight of Revelation. Classic, normal, literal, dispensational hermeneutics help bring insight into Daniel’s dilemma. And scripture then can help interpret scripture. The one book of apocalyptic prophecy in the New Testament helps bring light to the most apocalyptic major prophet of the Old Testament. In Bible College days I took a course called “Daniel/Revelation” that helped bring some order to the weirdness of both books. I’m still convinced (without going way overboard with “conspiracy walls” filled with end line charts, current news clippings, and yarn-line connections) that this is the best approach to both books.

Monday, November 27, 2017

basin and towel


Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
John 13:5

Jesus led with humility and love. He showed that to His disciples when one of His last actions before His betrayal was to humbly wash the feet of His disciples at the Last Supper. I also believe Jesus to be the ultimate hero and perhaps the toughest man who ever lived. Yet in that mix of courage and love, Jesus cared to show His men the kind of humility it takes to love people well.

Jesus picked up a towel and a basin bowl of water and proceded to do the lowest household chore any host could provide. He washed the feet of every man in the room one by one. This was the task usually reserved for the lowest household servant. But Jesus, the Master of His disciples, set an example for them by doing what nobody else would do. And they learned from His humble service.

Disciplemakers have to adopt the humility of their Master. They are not afraid to stoop down and in love to care for the needs of those they serve. Nothing is beneath them if they adopt their Master’s posture seen in the basin and the towel. Caring for people’s needs at the simplest level is part of the call of Christ upon us. He made Himself nothing. He took upon Himself the form of a servant. And if we want to be like Jesus as we follow Him, it becomes less about our wants or comforts, and all about serving others like Jesus, the foot-washing Servant and Saviour of the world.

Jesus is a Savior Who serves and He calls those who deliver His saving message today to serve in humility and love. Nothing is beneath us as we live like Jesus.

Friday, November 17, 2017

I need to give.


But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?
1 John 3:17

God’s love leads us not only to care about those in need, but to share with those in need. God’s love is outrageously generous, coming to us while we are sinners totally unable to change our desperate broken lives. Yet God gives to us, providing all we needed for salvation in Jesus Christ. Now that we are so outrageously and extravagantly loved, how can our hearts be closed to ways we see the need of others around us?

It is once again the “holiday season”. And American culture is rife with all the commercial trappings. So charities are also out in force knowing the best time to catch at least a little generosity is right now. Wouldn’t it be nice, though, if people were so generous that end of year appeals based on holiday sentiment or tax incentives did not have to dominate charity work? Wouldn’t it be cool if we helped people for other reasons than just wishing they had a nice Thanksgiving dinner or that a kid who might not get a Christmas present would get one? Those things are good, but they are kind of temporary. And the needs of the poor, the hungry, the immigrant, and the ill all go on long after Christmas.

For Christians, the case for charity is rooted in the love of Christ. Because Jesus meets my greatest heart need and is transforming my heart from radical self-centeredness to radical God-centeredness, I can love a brother or sister in need. My possessions are tools for the kingdom to advance the love of Christ in the gospel. They are no longer toys for me to hoard. I know God’s love lives in me when I share it through the physical blessings God has entrusted to me.

Thursday, November 16, 2017

I need to know my sin.


How many are my iniquities and my sins?
Make me know my transgression and my sin.
Job 13:23

Job was a righteous man, commended by God to none other than the tempting devil himself. A man of integrity. A man of character. And in his sufferings, Job trusted God, even in his confusion. And although his friends accused him of somehow sinning to incur wrath and punishment from God, Job knew his own heart well. He knew he did not deliberately disobey God, but he also knew he was certainly capable of great sin. And so he asks God to make his sins known to him.

The speeches from his friends have accused Job broadly and strongly of unspecific grievous sin. They lack specifics. Job knows sin is never vague. And his plea is to seriously see the sins... to know the specific charges against him. He is a man of repentance and faith. He wants to turn from real sin and believe a real God and obey with real actions of real faith. This mythical accusations can’t get him to real faith. Job wants to know where he needs to change.

And that aspect of spiritual readiness to deal with sin is still needed for a man of God today. I must know my sin in order to move toward holiness. I must let God shine the light of His truth on my heart by regularly exposing my thoughts and actions to His Word. I must seek His Holy Spirit’s conviction of my sin. And I must trust Him to keep my heart soft to His work so I will repent of sin and trust my Savior. I want to know my transgression and my sins so that I can be changed by God’s work in me!

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

I need a watchman.


But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.
Ezekiel 33:9

Ezekiel, as God’s appointed prophet, was watchman for the house of Israel. He was called to warn the people of the coming destruction. He had advance warning by God of the army coming to shatter the walls of Jerusalem and destroy the city. He was to faithfully deliver this message to the people despite their unwillingness to listen or repent. Once they had been warned, their choice was on them. The watchman was to faithfully warn. The people had to respond to save themselves and the city.

Of course, the hard part of the role of watchman is seeing disregard from the people for the words of warning. But the watchman could not lead the battle or fight it alone. He could only alert the people and prepare them. If they chose to ignore him, their defeat was not the fault of the watchman.

And so it is with my own wickedness. Scripture and the Holy Spirit, along with loving Christian brothers and sisters, warn me of my wrong. And if I don’t listen and refuse to repent, put off sin, and put on holiness, I will be defeated. And with watchmen’s warnings, I will be saved by heeding the words so that I am not defeated in battle. Obeying the warning call, I can fight the good fight, find victory over sin, and rejoice in the salvation Jesus brings me. But I need the words of the watchmen to warn me, to correct me, to alert me to battle, and to find hope in deliverance in Christ. That is why I need people to be preaching the gospel to me through relationship and accountability. Thank You, Lord, for alerting me. Thank You, Lord, for giving me the words of warning from the watchman.

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

empty promises from slaves


They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.
2 Peter 2:19

Peter’s vivid apostolic warning about false teachers is some of the strongest language in the New Testament. It warns Christians to stay true to the Word of God and their Savior Jesus Christ. Not everyone who claims to be speaking to Christians is speaking Christian truth. False teachers stray from the gospel. They want followers. They carefully craft both message and personal image to gain a crowd. They supplement and diminish the gospel with deceptions they devise.

Christians must be diligent with doctrine. We must know God’s Word. We must read it, study it, listen to it preached, demand that those who teach it also live by it, and base our thoughts, attitudes, and actions on biblical truth... not on what any person says. Smiling faces on book covers are a dead giveaway that the focus is being pulled away from Jesus. So is popular acclaim of the person. In fact, I still believe the best Christian writing has stood the test of time and was written by men long gone to their reward. Read the dead guys! There is a reason their books are still being published! Run right past those flashy bestseller promotional displays and find the Christian classics section. That’s where stability is.

Not everyone who claims to understand God really does so. Not every crowd gathers to the truth because usually false doctrine is much more appealing... it seduces our sinful selves. And if we take it in, we are in danger of becoming caught up in our sin again. False teaching enslaves, even as it promises a better life. Staying in the Bible consistently in personal reading and study, demanding pastors preach only the Bible, and praying hard for God to show us what His Word says so that we can stay true to Him will help keep us from such deception.

Monday, November 13, 2017

insights from a man born blind

Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
John 9:35-38

The faith that the blind man (now healed by Jesus) has is growing with each challenge. He is grilled by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem twice. His only answer to them is to recount the facts of his healing. When questioned about the moral authority of Jesus, he can only go back to the events that gave him sight. And not knowing what else to say, simply states the obvious: nobody has heard of a man born blind being given sight by a sinner. So Jesus must be better than that.

When the enraged leaders throw the healed man out of the synagogue, Jesus finds him when He hears the news. And in a very short conversation, the man embraces the worship of Jesus as God, seeing and believing the truth, even as the Jewish leaders continue angrily in their spiritual blindness. Now the man can see in all senses of the word. He can see with both physical sight and spiritual insight. He is made whole both in body and in soul. And it is the Pharisees who are blind.

The insights from this episode are intense. Jesus gives sight. Jesus gives direction. Jesus deserves worship. Jesus gives hope and peace to those He heals and saves. The courage of faith can withstand the cruelest attacks. Faith can hold up to mockery and scathing ridicule. Jesus is Who He is. When He makes us whole, we know it in our souls and nothing else is as important. And believing in Jesus is what our souls were made to worship. Whole souls seek their Savior!

Thursday, November 9, 2017

knowing God too late

therefore, behold, I have stretched out my hand against you, and will hand you over as plunder to the nations. And I will cut you off from the peoples and will make you perish out of the countries; I will destroy you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
Ezekiel 25:7

It is possible in judgment to know God too late. That is exactly what God told the Ammonite nation would happen to them. They would know His justice and judgment upon them for their generations of hate and apathy poured upon God's covenant people Israel. And in the end they would know God meant business with them. It wasn't a pretty business. And it isn't how you should ever want to finally know God.

So this kind of knowledge of God came only in pain. It involved God's hand stretched against them. It left them plundered among their enemies. It ended their ethnic and cultural identity as a unique people. It was destruction. And the fact that a destroyed nation will "know" implies a knowledge of God carried beyond death and to the next life. This is an eternal judgment. Even the damned know God is in control. But it is too late for them to know anything other than judgment for their sin and rejection of Him.

It is no joy to see this side of God's justice at work. Especially since I know that Jesus took all judgment for sin upon Himself on the cross. So I must live and speak grace. I must love people. I must share the good news. I must pray for others to repent and come to Jesus. And I must be serious about my sin by always turning from it to my Savior. I want to know Him by grace and not judgment. I want every person I know to never know God too late!

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Jesus changes lives.

He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”
John 9:25

With this simple testimony a healed man astounded the critics of Jesus. There is no arguing that can diminish the powerfully moving impact of a transformed life. Every person in the area knew that this man had been born blind. It was an amazing miracle of transformation done only by Jesus and it could not be refuted. It happened. Jesus changes lives!

And what was true in a physical sense for this man is true in a spiritual sense for every person who finds salvation in Jesus. We know we were blind, but now we see! Jesus brings sight to blind eyes. Jesus brings light to our darkness. Jesus heals and transforms all who believe. And we know it. We experience it. It cannot be denied. It is the clearest and first evidence of the power of the gospel. Jesus changes lives.

And Jesus continues to change lives. The gospel is the power of God at work in us all the time. It leads us to regular, consistent, clear, daily repentance and faith. Jesus is in one sense always opening eyes. And I know it. I feel it. I experience it. I cannot deny it. It is how I know that I know that Jesus lives and has done His saving work in me. He removes from me a fuzzy out of focus view of life and brings Himself into clear focus, and through Him I see everything else as I should. He continues to do it each day as I walk with Him. Jesus changes lives. It is powerful! It is wonderful! It is the best thing to live for every day.

Tuesday, November 7, 2017

grow in grace and knowledge


But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
2 Peter 3:18

The apostle Peter ends this short second letter with this admonition to grow in Christ. He encourages us to grow in two very distinct areas: grace and knowledge. So it would be good to understand what it is to practice this kind of growth.

What does it mean to grow in the grace of Christ? Grace is the core of the gospel. It is God becoming man, loving us, teaching us, dying for our sin, and conquering sin and death by the resurrection from the dead. And in that grace offering salvation to all who will believe. We must grow in the grace of Christ by daily defining our lives by the gospel message, being a people of repentance and faith and sharing that good news with others.

What does it mean to grow in the knowledge of Christ? I don’t think this is just about theology, or giving the right answers to a catechism question. This knowledge is more about knowing Who Jesus is and what our responsibilities are to Him. The text calls Him “our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” This knowledge knows and believes the gospel so that we are saved. But it also obeys Jesus because He is Lord. So this growth in knowledge leads to outward change. We obey Jesus Christ. That is how we know Him.

O Lord,
Help me to grow in grace and knowledge. I want to always love and live in the gospel. I want to obey and follow You. 
Amen

Monday, November 6, 2017

kind to many friends


He who withholds kindness from a friend
forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
Job 6:14

This is Job’s complaint in his suffering after his “friends” join him and attempt to bring unasked for perspective to all his losses. They aren’t there out of kindness anymore. It is turning into a very personal theological debate with Job’s integrity questioned at the center. Job has had a reputation as a righteous man who obeys God and does good to others. He was a friend who was known for his kindness to people. But when the tables turn and he is the one in need, he does not receive much of the same from those friends of his who came to him in his trouble.

Job lets us in on the proper motivation for altruism and real friendship. We are kind to people because we love and fear God. Those who love God, respect His Word, obey Him and worship God are going to be kind to people and especially so with their friends. They cannot help it. To resist kindness is to resist God’s work in them. The overflow of their true relationship with God is true care for people. This builds solid relationships when all parties honor God. God’s people do not withhold kindness. God spreads His beneficent grace around the world because the sun and the rain help both the righteous and the unrighteous alike. This is common grace.

I want grace to flavor my life not only in what I receive from God in Christ, but also in what I bring to all my friendships. I am truly blessed with many friends both inside and outside the church. I love them all. And if Jesus is really my Master, He calls me to a generous kindness to each and every one of them. I want to always be generous in my friendship, sharing my life, never withdrawn out of fear for safety, or self-righteous judgment, but instead... like Jesus... learn to be the friend of all people that I can. And the fear of God, obeying and worshiping in love, will help me be this sort of friend who never withholds kindness.

Friday, November 3, 2017

How sick is your heart?


How sick is your heart, declares the Lord God, because you did all these things, the deeds of a brazen prostitute, building your vaulted chamber at the head of every street, and making your lofty place in every square. Yet you were not like a prostitute, because you scorned payment.
Ezekiel 16:30-31

This is a harsh chapter to read. God likens unfaithful Israel to a lustful, cheating wife. She tries to pretend to be a prostitute to look like she is at least profiting from her unfaithfulness, but she is really just in it for the sex. This is a very rough analogy that could make for some highly controversial Sunday morning preaching if it was preached today as directly as God said it through His prophet Ezekiel!

There are five words at the very beginning that get my attention. It is the observation: “How sick is your heart”. God’s people had a problem first and foremost at the heart level. It was a crisis of character and commitment that would lead to God’s judgment. But it began at the heart. Sick hearts lead us to sick lives. If I am honest, it speaks directly to where my attention needs to be focused if I want to be a serious follower of Jesus.

Lord,
I know that at its root my heart was born to be wicked. I cannot trust my heart outside of Your Word guiding me to change. I am inclined by sin’s sickness in me to live out sick choices, selfish desires, lustful wants, and sinful deeds. You have to have my heart’s affections first! I have to want You first, above all else.

I do not want to be a heart going astray like Israel, lusting after worship of anything or anyone but You, Lord. So help me. Help me guard my heart. Help me to keep Your holy truth in my thoughts and my affections in order to stay truly heart healthy for Your praise and honor, Lord Jesus!
Amen

Thursday, November 2, 2017

Light of the world


Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John 8:12

I need the light that only Jesus is. I live in a world of darkness. It gets darker every day I live. The darkness is accumulating with each sinner in the world and with every sin in my heart coming out into my life. I need the light to see my way. I need Jesus or I stumble along in the dark.

Sometimes at night
I am afraid
I cover my eyes,
Cover my shame
So here in the dark
Broken apart
Come with your light
And fill up my heart

Oh great light of the world
Fill up my soul
I'm half a man here
So come make me whole
Oh great light of the world
Come to impart
The light of your grace
To fill up my heart

The wind of this world
Can push us around
Folding us up
Backing us down
But here in the dark
I'm not alone
So come with your strength
And carry me home

Oh great light of the world
Fill up my soul
I'm half a man here
So come make me whole
Oh great light of the world
Come to impart
The light of your grace... To fill up my heart

Great Light of the World, by Bebo Norman

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

We can do it.


For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:8

Peter established that a string of character qualities born out of the actions of a Christian’s daily life will result in effective and fruitful Christian living. To be a Christian involves faith (2 Peter 1:5), character (2 Peter 1:5-7), and the evidence of continually growing visible fruit in the believer’s walk (2 Peter 1:8). All three flow from faith in Christ (2 Peter 1:1), grace and peace in the knowledge of God (2 Peter 1:2), and are the naturally expected confirmation of God’s election of us (2 Peter 1:10).

The power to do these things comes from God Who has granted us all we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). His Word shows us what we need in order to live this way and combat sinful desire (2 Peter 1:4). It can be done. We can fight sin, grow in Christian character, and live productive Christian lives for the glory of our God and Savior.

I love that Peter does not give one second of sympathy to our fallenness. Instead, he celebrates our great Savior and the powerful work He has done in our salvation from election, to faith, to redemption, to our sanctification. Then Peter calls us to actively apply that truth that we believe in a personal application of sanctification... to believe and to add to our belief the character and activity that is consistent with the work Jesus has already done in us. We can do it, not by our own power, but because Christ has already done it and continues to work in us by His great power.