What God can teach us through a 5 year-old

Last night, Isaiah professed his trust in Jesus to forgive him and give him a friendship with God. A definite praise!

I want to take a few moments of your time to share with you the thoughts and questions Isaiah posed over the last week or two before coming up to this moment. And, in doing so, I hope that you will be encouraged and challenged in your own faith.

About a week or two ago, more purposeful conversations started after I read a story to both Isaiah and Samuel about the Parable of the Hidden Treasure (Matthew 13:44) from "The Jesus Storybook Bible". At the end of the story, the author wrote that God is the treasure of ultimate value, and then the author also said that God's children are of great value to God. The way it was worded caused Isaiah to say (with a general excitement), "Is that us?! Is that us?!" So, I sat down and I asked him if he had trusted Jesus to forgive him of his sins. He said he hadn't done that yet. That night, we talked about what we deserve. I even talked about hell (that it is a very sad place where we will never be with God). He teared up because he didn't want to be away from mommy and daddy. I pushed that thought some and told him that it would be sad to be away from mommy and daddy, but God is the most important. He then quickly defended that thought by agreeing that God is the most important, but he just doesn't want to be away from us. We continued to talk, but then the conversation changed to something completely different. I said goodnight and let him drift off into sleep.

The next night, I told another story. Isaiah and I talked again. But, quickly, the conversation went off to something else regarding toys (or something like that). Again, I stopped the conversation and let him go to sleep.

Finally, we get to last night. I read the story of Jesus' death. While reading the story, I said that Jesus cried out "Daddy! . . . Daddy!" And, the author's words were something like, "and for the first and the last time, God didn't answer." At that point, Isaiah asked why that happened. I told him I'd explain in a little bit. I went on in the story. The story said that God's fierce anger rested on Jesus so that he could take our punishment for us.

After reading the story, I sat next to Isaiah and explained things. I told him that we deserve to be punished for our sin. I reminded him of hell. I also told him again that Jesus wanted to take our punishment because he loves us and he wants us to know how awesome God is. Isaiah acknowledged these things and he also acknowledged he couldn't rescue himself. And, he even went so far as to say that he couldn't turn away from his sins. But, he also said he didn't sin all the time. To the points about sin, I asked him if he thought he loved God like he should all of the time. He said he doesn't. But, I also told him that even for the people who trust in Jesus, we sin, but God always takes care of us and he says he'll never let us go. To that, Isaiah said, "Ooooooh!" (the idea that God was always there seemed to cause Isaiah comfort) In the midst of the conversation, Isaiah asked, "Why is God and Jesus so hard to understand?" He was referencing the Trinity. He doesn't get how Jesus is God and how God the Father is God. At that point I simply said that God is different from us. He's not like humans. Isaiah took the answer by faith and we moved on.

Finally, after these things (and maybe a few more issues), I asked Isaiah if he wanted to trust Jesus. He didn't hesitate. I did a brief review and then I said, "How could you show that you trust Jesus to forgive you?" His answer: to obey. Obviously that is correct, but I thought it would be good if he acknowledged it verbally in prayer to God; so, I suggested that. He was willing, but he said, "Daddy, could you help me?" And, that led us to pray together.

From this, what can we, as adults, learn? Here are a few that jump out to me:

1. Do you have doctrinal questions that seem to dog you? If so, do they limit your ability to really trust God? What I love is that Isaiah asked the question about the Trinity (which he has asked before), but that doesn't stop him from believing the truth of it. And, it didn't hinder him from trusting Jesus - which too often it does that for both believers and unbelievers.
2. We need to acknowledge that sin has grave consequences, but Jesus took our punishment so we can be friends with God. While I tell Isaiah (a five year-old) about these things, he doesn't see a contradiction in the character of God. Instead, he might be confused, but he also sees great love. This is the gospel! Do you see and savor God's love in this?
3. We sin all the time, but that should never keep us from going to Jesus. As Spurgeon once said, "God is more willing to forgive you than you are ready to sin" (paraphrase). Do you know that? Do you believe that? Even though we might feel like we can't stop sinning, like Isaiah said, that shouldn't stop us from running to Christ for his grace and mercy.
4. God will never let you go. If you have trusted in Jesus, God will never let you go. Psalm 25:8, "Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way." Do you qualify for God to show his goodness and justice to you? We all do! And, for God's children, nothing will separate his goodness and justice towards you (Romans 8:35-39).
   

Now, please hear me, this post needs to be all about God. As Isaiah so rightly pointed out, "I can't turn away from my sin." It's God's grace that leads us to repentance. It's due to the sovereign grace of God that my son is now trusting Jesus. So, last night, and everyday for the believer is all about him working through us by his kindness and grace.

Where do you find yourself today? Are you an unbeliever - focusing on all the seeming contradictions in the Scripture? Are you a believer and doubting God and his love? Wherever you find yourself today, Jesus has what you need. He says this, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).

Forgiveness

Should forgiveness automatically be granted to anyone without any cost?

I feel as though in our day we hear a message of forgiveness that is too offender-focused and not enough offended-focused. We talk so much about the person who has offended and then we move on to how the offender can be forgiven, and then we assume that the offended person will forgive because that's the right thing to do. But, we don't talk about much more than that.

For Christians, I think that falls short of God's thinking regarding forgiveness. Here are a few things that I've thought about, and I think could be helpful for all of us to meditate on:

1. There is always a cost for forgiveness. No one ever forgives without a cost being paid. Even if the offender asks for forgiveness, the offended person has to absorb any feelings of hatred or disgust toward that individual. And, putting those feelings and desires away can "cost" a person much.

2. We must continue to regard the offended's honor above the offender's actions. If we focus more on the offender than we do the offended, we begin to value the offender more than the offended. How is that the case? Some may focus too much on how the offended can be made right and how the offended can do this, that or the other thing to become better. As a result, we can tend to lose sight of the actual offense. And, the offender starts to think more highly of himself because people are giving him much attention.

Why do I write this? Because I want us to ultimately think of ourselves in relationship to God. As Christians, we should be very concerned about the message of forgiveness. But, in our fervor, many of us have focused more on us (the offenders) than we have on God (the Offended). As a result, Christians and non-Christians alike have treated God's forgiveness as something that must be given instead of something that is undeserved. From God's perspective, he is the Most Honorable and Glorious God and he must preserve his honor or else he himself and also all of creation falls apart. Beautiful things lose their beauty if God doesn't preserve his glory. Sinful things won't be so bad if God puts his glory off to the side. So, from God's perspective, punishment is deserved when we sin.

Hence the doctrine of Hell. It is a place where people will finally see through all eternity the seriousness and heinousness of their sins because of the great offense against the Majesty and Glory of the Offended. The only way to escape that punishment is if God is willing to pay the cost of the punishment himself.

And he is willing.

More than willing.

The Bible displays for us that, at great cost to himself, God the Son humbled himself by becoming a man, lived a perfect life in the midst of innumerable difficulties, died a perfect death while enduring God's wrath, and rose again so that anyone who goes to God for forgiveness might actually receive that forgiveness.

How should this affect how we relate to people around us?

• We should and must be willing to grant forgiveness when people come to us for it - even if it costs us much.
• We should never minimize sin in our own minds. Every sin we commit is truly sinful because forgiveness of each individual sin had a price tag.
• We should be grateful for the forgiveness that Christ purchased for us at great cost to himself.
• Hatred for sin should flow from our lives as we see the disgusting nature of it through the Offended's eyes.
• Grace-filled obedience results as we see the majesty, worth and honor of the Offended (who now rejoices in you calling him "Father").
  

Difficult Faith

"Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday."

~ Psalm 37:4-6


Personal confession time. When I am tempted with faithlessness by believing God doesn't care, I want to fight that faithlessness back by saying, "How am I feeling in this moment?" or, "Am I really that sinful?" My feelings respond with "You are feeling like a wicked sinner." or, "Yes, you really are that sinful." My response to those feelings is to then try to change those feelings myself. Once my feelings have been brought in line, then I feel as though I am ready to delight in God and trust in him (because my feelings agree). But, is that what David prescribes?

Absolutely not.

Look at Psalm 37:4-6 again.

David contradicts my natural inclination. He says that I must simply trust God in the midst of difficulty and believe these truths:

1) God is worthy of my delighting in him (trusting in him and committing my lifestyle to him) - even, and especially, when "things" don't make sense.

THEN...

2) God will give me the desires of my heart

AND...

3) God will clearly bring about righteousness and justice in my life.

The reason I find much hope in this passage is because I tend to want to be the "approver" of what is right and what is wrong. If my feelings or even circumstances of life or the advice of many others lead me to a certain conclusion, I tend to want to go with that. But, this passage gives hope.

- I can't effectively change my desires (I must be dependent on God to do that in his timing).

- I can't make righteousness and justice spring out of my life (I must be dependent on God to do that in his timing).

So, what is my responsibility when I'm faced with temptations to sin, trials or difficulties of life? Trust. It's "that simple." But, it requires a death to self that I don't like. I want to know the plan. I want to "feel" on board with God. I want to create a righteousness of my own weaving.

What arrogance.

Graciously God has given me his righteous and good answers in His Word. I can truly trust him because he will take care of my feelings (and even the circumstances of life) in his good timing. The desires might not change immediately, but Jesus, the sum of all my desires has secured a hope for me that is inexpressible. And righteousness will be clearly revealed in my life because not only have I been forgiven, but I have been set free to a new life. So, it is all because of God's mercy through Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, that I can be a faithful follower of him.

Leaving a Godly Legacy

This is the influence Jonathan Edwards had on his family. I believe that these numbers had been calculated somewhere between 150-170 years after Edwards' death.

An investigation was made of 1,394 known descendants of Jonathan Edwards of which 13 became college presidents, 65 college professors, 3 United States senator,s 30 judges, 100 lawyers, 60 physicians, 75 army and navy officers, 100 preachers and missionaries, 60 authors of prominence, one a vice-president of the United States, 80 became public officials in other capacities, 295 college graduates, among whom were governors of states and ministers to foreign countries.

What should we know?

This morning I was reading in Ephesians and I was writing a list of the blessings God has given to me in Christ. As I continued in chapter one, I came across Paul's prayer, and there are three things he says he prays that the Ephesians would know:

1. The hope that God has called us to,
   
2. The riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and
   
3. The immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe.

It's the second one that I want to highlight. In my study Bible, these notes were given:

The "inheritance" here is not the Christian's inheritance but his (God's). This indicates how precious his people are to God. They are, so to speak, what he looks forward to enjoying forever.

Rain City Hymnal

So, yesterday I downloaded (for free) the Rain City Hymnal CD that Mars Hill Church in Seattle just released. And while it's different, it's growing on me. Most of the melodies have remained the same, but I was introduced to a new hymn as a result of this album. It's called, "We Have Not Known Thee As We Ought." It's powerful and encouraging:

We have not known Thee as we ought,
Nor learned Thy wisdom, grace and power;
The things of earth have filled our thought,
And trifles of the passing hour.
Lord, give us light Thy truth to see,
And make us wise in knowing Thee.

We have not feared Thee as we ought,
Nor bowed beneath Thine awful eye,
Nor guarded deed and word and thought,
Remembering that God was nigh.
Lord, give us faith to know Thee near,
And grant the grace of holy fear.

We have not loved Thee as we ought,
Nor cared that we are loved by Thee;
Thy presence we have coldly sought,
And feebly longed Thy face to see.
Lord, give a pure and loving heart
To feel and know the love Thou art.

We have not served Thee as we ought,
Alas, the duties left undone,
The work with little fervor wrought,
The battles lost or scarcely won!
Lord, give the zeal, and give the might,
For Thee to toil, for Thee to fight.

When shall we know Thee as we ought,
And fear and love and serve aright?
When shall we, out of trial brought,
Be perfect in the land of light?
Lord, may we day by day prepare
To see Thy face and serve Thee there.

- Thomas Pollack, 1889

Trials

The following is taken from "The Gospel Primer for Christians" by Milton Vincent.

Perspective in Trials

More than anything else I could ever do, the gospel enables me to embrace my tribulations and thereby position myself to gain full benefit from them. For the gospel is the one great permanent circumstance in which I live and move; and every hardship in my life is allowed by God only because it serves His gospel purposes in me. When I view my circumstances in this light, I realize that the gospel is not just one piece of good news that fits into my life somewhere among all the bad. I realize instead that the gospel makes genuinely good news out of every other aspect of my life, including my severest trials. The good news about my trials is that God is forcing them to bow to His gospel purposes and do good unto me by improving my character and making me more conformed to the image of Christ.
Preaching the gospel to myself each day provides a lens through which I can view my trials in this way and see the true cause for rejoicing that exists in them. I can then embrace trials as friends and allow them to do God's good work in me (pp. 31-32, emphasis mine).
----------------------

After a couple of points, the writer puts footnotes where he emphasizes passages of Scripture that go along with his statements. For the bolded statement above, the author highlights Romans 8:28-29, James 1:2-4 and 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. The passage emphasized in the sentence preceding the bolded statement is Romans 5:1-5.