We Are All Evil & Adulterous

Today I was reading in Matthew 12. I came across this incident, and wanted to share my thoughts with you on it.

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. (vv. 38-39, ESV)

While reading this, I can immediately hear Jesus' rebuke. But, recently I came across this passage and heard mercy in it as well.

I heard the gospel.

The Pharisees and scribes ask Jesus to give them a sign to prove that He really is the Messiah. Many times we are the same way. We ask God for signs. We want proof that He really is the real God. Other people throughout the ages have doubted God and asked for signs. Although indirect, the Israelites in the time of Moses were given many signs because of their complaining. John the Baptist indirectly asked for proof of Jesus being the Messiah. And, here we have the scribes and Pharisees. In all of these responses that I've mentioned, God is gracious and grants a sign. Even with regards to the scribes and Pharisees.

Before Jesus offers any hope, He rebukes these men. He calls them evil and adulterous. After all, what more are they looking for? They've studied the Word. They should simply believe what the Word says - even if experience isn't completely matching their pre-conceived notions. In all honesty, how many times are we the same way? We ask God to give us signs even when we know that God is still by our side and He is leading us as a good Father. Jesus says that there's an arrogance sometimes (not all the time) when we ask for a sign. Yet, Jesus doesn't walk away from these evil and adulterous men. After all, He came to save the evil and adulterous people. Jesus gives them what they ask for. He gives them the greatest sign that has ever been given and ever will be given - the sign of Jonah.

What is that sign? It's Jesus' death and resurrection. Verse 40 says, "For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." (ESV) What greater sign could there be? The people of Nineveh repented after Jonah's release of the great fish, and there will be myriads of people who will be led to repentance because of Jesus' power of sin and death once he is resurrected.

This story is profound. Jesus rebukes the men as evil for asking for a sign and then He promises to be a sign to them. These men don't get the sign they're asking for, and many of these men reject Jesus. But, that doesn't change the fact that this sign brings the most profound blessing. Jesus was sharing the gospel with these men. He reveals the bad news - they're evil. Then he displays the beautiful good news - He is the Savior!

Remember, just like the scribes and pharisees, we are evil and adulterous - seeking our own ways. But also remember this: many previously evil and adulterous scribes and Pharisees are now in Heaven today. Not only that, thousands upon thousands of other evil and adulterous people (like ourselves) can know real forgiveness and life because of this gracious sign of Jonah that Jesus offered up on behalf of sinners.

Isaiah's Dream

Can God use dreams to teach truths? I think He can, and I'm wondering if He did with Isaiah recently.

Isaiah, one of my sons, explained a dream he had. Here it goes:

There was a heart. In the heart was a person's spirit. It was black. Then God's Spirit entered it. That was orange. Isaiah said that each spirit looked like a squished diamond. While God's Spirit was in the heart, it shot the black with fire, and the black was thrown out of the heart. Then the heart slowly became white.

I'm not sure on the meaning of everything, but this is pretty descriptive and cool! Very interesting, very precise, and there are definitely lessons that can be learned from this.

What the Pharisees Got Right

Here's a post by John Piper that I thought was quite good and challenging:

To lay a trap for an animal there has to be some truth to attract him. It must at least look like a meal even if the iron clamps lie just beneath. Mark says the Pharisees came “to trap" Jesus. So they put some truth over the trap. They said,

“Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God.” (Mark 12:14)

This is amazing insight coming from those who do not live it. Appearances were everything to the Pharisees. “They do all their deeds to be seen by others” (Matthew 23:5). It is frightening how much theological and moral wisdom can be spoken and not lived.

Twice they say that truth-telling depends on freedom from the fear of man.

1. “We know you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion.” Truth is compromised where we fear man’s disapproval. Is our finger in the text or in the wind?
2. “You are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God.” Literally: “You do not look at a man’s face, but teach the way of God in truth.” In other words, we will not be reliable truth tellers if we keep one eye on the facial expressions of people we need to please.

So let the hypocrites be our teacher today. Do as they say, not as they do. Fear no man. Tell the truth. Be like Jesus.

Making other people's faith your own

Many times we hear people say, "Don't just believe it because your friend's believe it." While I definitely agree with that statement, I think we may miss a subtle reality if we don't think a little more deeply about it - the reality of how other people's beliefs definitely shape our own.

Here are a couple of incidences where we are commanded to be edified by other people and their beliefs:

• Proverbs 3:1 - "My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments,"
• 1 Corinthians 11:1 - "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ."
  
• Hebrews 10:24-25 - "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

While I understand that I must embrace a belief in order for it to be "mine", I also want to encourage everyone out there reading this note that we are shaped by so many things. We believe what we believe in large part because of so many external realities that surround us (things that God has ordained). And, sometimes, in the real bleak and dark times of your life, we almost need to cling to the beliefs of other people around us. We need other people to stir us up when we don't feel like we can hold on. Like Asaph in Psalm 73, we are wearied until we go "into the sanctuary of God" (v 17) and experience the encouragement of other people pointing us upward!

So, while I agree that you can't just believe something because others believe it. I also believe that, if others are abiding in the Word, you need to have them in your life, preaching Truth to you. And, at times, you need to make other people's faith your own.

So, you want to be a pastor's wife?

This past Sunday my church family celebrated Pastor Appreciation. My wife, children and I got some gifts, and during the presentation one of our deacons took the time to explain why he was grateful for the pastors, the wives and also the children.

I simply want to take a moment to talk about the wife part.

There have been times when I get this feeling that some people think that being a pastor's wife would be like living a dream. Obviously a pastor only really works one, maybe two, days a week. But, even if his week is busy, he gets friday off, right?! Then there's the lunch dates that he might be able to take during the day. (Did you catch some of the sarcasm?)

While being a pastor wife does have it's benefits, I think we sinful humans usually tend to look at the greener grass in other people's lives and ignore the burnt grass. Being a pastor's wife is different for different people because of the various types of ministries, but let me just give you a hint of the challenges this pastor's wife faces.

• No helper on Wednesday nights to get the kids in the van to come to church and get to Awana.
• Minimal weekends where there's nothing going on ministry-wise (whether it's youth ministry, children's ministry, men's ministry or leadership related). Therefore, there's a need for creative planning on when grocery shopping takes place or haircuts are done - all the while, we need to ensure that we maintain family time.
• In the Spring and Summer time, most Sundays are packed with TnT's, missions team meetings, youth staff meetings, leadership council meetings and family nights. In the fall and winter months, there are still TnT's, youth staff meetings, leadership council meetings and family nights. Hence, on those days, our children make a sacrifice by not being with daddy (for example, this past weekend, there was a Senior High Barn Bash, Sunday morning I played guitar in the service; so, I was at church by 8:30. I taught Sunday School, played in the service, came home for the afternoon, went to church by 5:00 to practice for the evening service, played in the service, and then had a leadership meeting until almost 11:00 p.m. Who put all the young-ins to bed? You guessed it. My wife.)
• Having a pastor as your spouse means that he's dealing with a lot of spiritual trash on a weekly basis. I personally have dealt with a myriad of sexual sin issues in other people's lives. That alone can have affects on your outlook. A pastor's wife is a radiant oasis at the end of the day to her husband. Yet, to her, she's been dealing with the childrens' sin issues and I'm sure she would love to let her hair down a little when daddy comes home. Hopefully I give that to her, but that's not always the case.
• Many godly men through the ages have dealt significantly with spiritual valleys. Whether it's Spurgeon, Edwards or Luther, each of these men had bouts of depression. Why? I'm not exactly sure, but I know it keeps godly men humble, and it draws them closer to their Savior. I also know that while God means these times for good, Satan intends them for evil. There almost seems to be a literal bulls-eye on a pastor. Unfortunately, the wife gets caught in the cross-hairs since she is the helper and seeks to encourage her husband towards Christ when he is down. To me, sometimes (maybe many times) Tracy is like the medic in a battle.

These are just a few things that a pastor's wife must work through. And, this is written for a couple of reasons: 1) To see how amazing, patient and loving my wife is, 2) To point people to pray for me, my children and my wife, 3) To say "thank you" to my bride for the sacrifice she makes daily in various ways so that Christ will be glorified.

You see, Gary's words this past Sunday were very kind. There was great depth to them. And, I wanted to take a moment to share what that depth looked like.

However, I'd be unfair if I only focused on the struggles. The rewards far outweigh the struggles.

• Knowing you're fighting in a battle that matters for eternity.
• Helping people through words or even simply through example that Christ is worth it all.
• Being able to display Christ through joy and sorrow - with all eyes watching you. (this might sound like an annoyance yet it's great for accountability!)
• Having a family of Christians who pray for us.
• We get to see growth and maturity in people's lives first-hand.

These are a few things. And Christ has enabled us to be a part of this ministry. If Jesus doesn't give us grace, it'd be futile. If Jesus were a fake, we'd quit. But, thankfully, Jesus is who He said He is, and we are able to do what He has called us to do. By His grace, I can pastor my family and this church. And, by His grace, Tracy can support me, train our children, and even minister with Calvary.

Come Ye Sinners, Part 6

"Let not conscience make you linger,
Not of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness He requireth
Is to feel your need of Him."

If we are to go to God with a right spirit, we must always understand our need of Him. The problem is that human beings constantly try to make themselves look better than they really are. Yes, it's true that we're created in God's image, and human beings do accomplish great things. But, it's also true that we're marred. And, from a spiritual perspective, we do no good apart from God. Even from a purely physical perspective, we have to admit that since a God exists, we are completely dependent on Him. Therefore, "In him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28a). There is nothing that we can do apart from God's common and/or saving grace working in our lives.

So, what does this have to do with this final stanza of "Come Ye Sinners"? The first two lines share the sinful desire of human beings. When the author says "Let not conscience make you linger," the word has a different connotation than what you may think in today's vernacular. Conscience means: " the sense or consciousness of the moral goodness or blameworthiness of one's own conduct, intentions, or character together with a feeling of obligation to do right or be good." Therefore, the first two lines are almost synonymous statements. Basically put, stop thinking that you have or ever will attain to God's standard.

Why?

Think about it. If you depend on yourself for your own salvation, who are you glorifying? If you sit at home and worry about whether you've done enough to earn God's approval, who are you really trying to please and honor? God or you? This is suggested in the last two lines. God requires something, but it's not what you can bring to the table. It's what He can bring to the table.

You have needs. He has fulfillment. You have brokenness. He has wholeness. You have guilt. He has forgiveness.

All that God requires is that you feel, deep in your being, your need of Him. It's at that moment that a sinner also knows the deep mystery of being one of God's children - a saint.

Who Has Clean Hands?

A couple of years ago I read something by a professor named Michael Horton that helped to enlighten me on a certain psalm. I don't exactly remember where I read it, but this is the basic understanding.

Psalm 24 talks about someone ascending into God's realm. It says, "Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?" The answer: "He who has clean hands and a pure heart. . . ."

I don't know about you, but if I read that I automatically will think, "GUILTY!" And, because I'm guilty, I'll never ascend to the hill of the LORD. So, it was a valiant (or not-so-valiant) effort, but there's no hope in myself to attain to God's glories.

Many of you might scan over this psalm, read that passage, and then get to verse 7 where it says, "Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in." Why does the psalmist move from "the generation of those who seek him" to the lifting up of the gates' heads?

Here's the logical flow: NO ONE has clean hands or pure hearts; so, there had to be another way to ascend God's hill. Who ascended? The King of glory. There's a picture of a triumphal entry into a city. According to James 2:1, Jesus is the Lord of glory; so, Jesus is the one entering the city gates with clean hands and a pure heart, and anyone who has placed their hope and trust in Jesus is following Him into the city of God.

So, who has clean hands and a pure heart? Jesus! And, in Him, we will grow in purity and love and be a generation that seeks His face.

Romans 3:23 - Do you really understand what it means?

A few years ago, I came across an explanation of Romans 3:23 in a friend's dissertation. I grew up hearing this verse. It was always to be the first verse mentioned in a "Roman's Road" approach to sharing the gospel. Yet, I think we're missing something if we only think this verse applies to non-believers.

This is what my friend wrote:

Christians often use Romans 3:23 to speak of the universal sinfulness of humanity. This, however, is not the point of the verse. The all in verse 23 governs the participle . . . (and all are justified). If the all in verse 23 spoke of all humanity universally, then this passage would teach universal justification. Instead, it is better to understand the all in verse 23 as a reference to and an abbreviation of the phrase all who believe . . . in the preceding verse.

Confused? Let me re-state. The "all" in verse 23 refers back to the "all who believe" in verse 22. So, this is the understanding of Romans 3:23, "For all [who believe] have sinned and [continually, present tense] fall short of the glory of God,"

This verse offers humility to us believers and it also provides great encouragement. Even as believers we fail in our attempts to glorify God. Hence, we continually need a Savior. And, the encouragement from this verse is that we have a Savior! Verse 24 says that we, who have sinned, and sin continually, are justified. We have been declared righteous as a gift of God's grace. He delighted in giving us this gift so that we could forever be seen as righteous in His sight, and so that we could forever praise Him for His justice in passing over sins.

Go ahead, read Romans 3:21-26 again. Find hope, encouragement and joy. Let it bring you closer to your Savior, and then share it with others!

Come Ye Sinners, Part 4

"Come, ye weary, heavy laden,
Lost and ruined by the fall;
If you tarry till you’re better,
You will never come at all."

No matter how far you've climbed up the ladder of relative righteousness, you will always have further to go. And, now matter how far you've climbed, you realize that your motives (apart from Christ) are just as wicked as the person who is on the bottom rung.

It's true. No matter what you do, apart from Christ, is nothing less than falling short of God's glory. I, in my flesh, hate this truth because I personally want to be "better off" than other sinners. While God has showed that His ways work best in this world - causing it to operate more properly, it is also true that we, in our flesh, always seek to glorify ourselves. So, whether we do outward evil or whether we do "good" in our flesh, we do these things for other people's, thing's and/or our own glory. Hence, without Christ, our good is only relative (something we compare with others). We are tainted, taunted and tormented by sin, and we are all in need of a Savior just like anyone else.

Therefore, all of us should be wearied by our own pursuits. Living life in this world shows us that we were meant for so much more than pain, heartache, injustice, sin. We were meant to know Someone greater. We are lost. We have been utterly ruined by the fall - completely unable to glorify God in our own strength.

The last two lines of this stanza prove our sinfulness and also give us great hope. In our own efforts, we'd choose to wait until we're better off. Have you ever done this before? Have you ever said, "I feel like I can't read my Bible because I'm such a big sinner"? Have you ever not confessed your sin to God because you feel like you're just going to fail again? Maybe, instead of not doing things, you just try harder. You pray for forgiveness and you say, "I'll never do this again, God." And, instead of really trusting in Christ's righteousness to cover you, you let a vain promise give you assurance that God will forgive you. Sometimes we can read our Bibles and pray because we think that if we do these things, we're obviously "good" with God. But, we can even do all the right things while ignoring God Himself. What's the answer? God tells us to humble ourselves. This hymn brings out our tendency towards self-sufficiency. We don't want to be humbled before God. Instead, we keep waiting until we're better because we hope to clean ourselves up enough to ensure that God will not find sin dwelling within. Yet, that day will never come.

"If you tarry till you're better, you will never come at all."

There's hope in this phrase. Listen. Heed the words. You know this is true of yourself, and God knows this, too. Stop straining for God's love. Instead, embrace Christ, repent and trust. God doesn't expect you to wait until you're better. He wants you now - just the way you are. He wants to rescue you and pour out His love on you.

Come Ye Sinners, part 2

"I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in His arms;
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O there are ten thousand charms."

In the previous post, we have a person who acknowledges their need for the Savior. In this stanza, we have the action-step. This person decides that, based on the great love of Jesus, he is going to respond to Christ. The expressions of the first line indicate repentance - a change of the will that directs itself towards Christ.

Now, look at what this person believes Jesus is going to do.

1. Embrace him.
2. Grant unlimited joy.

From this point on, the Savior holds the person - never to let him go. Sure, there are times where we feel weaker and stronger on our spiritual journey, but Jesus never lets his flock out of his care. In addition to this, Jesus doesn't just forgive - which would be amazing in and of itself. But, Jesus wants to show the glories of the Father! We are forgiven and there is everlasting joy in Christ!

When someone turns to Jesus, they have God's love protecting them, the potential of unlimited joy and a promised hope that now Jesus is not just someone else's Savior, but "my dear Savior."

Come, Ye Sinners, Part One

Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity, love and power.

The first two lines focus on humans. The second two lines focus on Jesus. We'll take the stanza in that order.

The world would immediately balk at this hymn. Our own flesh hates it. "Sinners?! I'm not a sinner (or at least not that bad of one)." Yet, we know that deep within, while God is gracious to allow us to not be as bad as we possibly could be - we are not as good as we should be. This term "sinner" shows us who we are at the core of our being. We don't just sin. We are sinners. When you realize the depth of your own depravity, you will immediately resonate with the following words, too. You are poor and needy. Yet, immediately in the first line, there's hope. "Come. . ." Someone is calling you! Someone is wanting to draw you - a poor, needy, weak, wounded, sick, sore sinner. You are one who has been wounded by the fall and also embraced the fall. Yet, there's someone who is calling.

Who is that Person?

Jesus! And, get this. Jesus isn't sitting on His throne with His arms folded. Jesus is ready, standing up - looking for you, the sinner, to come to Him. Many people might wonder how Jesus could be that way. You think, "I sin all the time in my thoughts or motives or actions." Maybe you think, "But, I've done this again." The problem is that you focus too much on you and not enough on Him. Look at the final line: "Full of pity, love and power." The word pity can sometimes sound too pathetic in our day. But, there's fullness to this word that we need to grasp. For Jesus to be full of pity is for Him to looks at our estate, and instead of walking away in contempt, He has a sorrow and compassion for us that leads Him to want to give us a better life - eternal life in God. And, that pity will never go away because his love is steadfast - always remaining the same. Oh, and just in case you want to fight back and say, "Yeah, but, I failed again." Just remember that Jesus' power keeps you, a poor-sinner-yet-simultaneously-righteous-saint, until the very end.

Look to Jesus. Savor Him today.

A Wedding

Tonight my wife and I went to a wedding. We've been to two within the past month, and they have been wonderful. At tonight's wedding, the bride danced with her dad.

I cried.

One of the reasons I cried was because I have a little baby girl and I know that, all too quickly, she's going to grow up. Someday she's going to come home with a boyfriend (after I've thoroughly interrogated him), and then she'll come home with an engagement ring, and then she'll be saying "I Do" at the altar.

After the dad and his daughter danced, I thought about going up to the dad and saying, "How did you not burst into tears with your daughter?" But I refrained. Then I "philosophized" in my head. Here were some of my thoughts (and some added thoughts as I write):

There is a LOT of pain in rearing children. There are a lot of difficulties, times of guilt and sadness. There are times when the parents don't know if they're doing anything right. But, in all of that, raising children is worth it.

The reason?

Ultimately it teaches you more about God and his undying love for his children. The fact that having children is difficult should never be a deterrent to anyone because raising children is worth it. As a Christian, we can experience and learn more about God and his grace in a variety of ways. And, as a human being, we can have a greater depth of personal relationships that we would completely miss out on if we didn't have children.

So, children are DEFINITELY a treasure from God. Cherish them. Delight in them. And, remember, even in the difficult times, it's worth it. God strengthens and teaches Christians through those times. And, for any human being, it's worth it because God still is revealing his kindness and grace through allowing you to have deeper and more fulfilling relationships on this earth.

God's Grace vs. any other kind of grace. . . .

Did you see this last night on my facebook status?

"Isaiah: 'And you know what - God's grace is better than regular grace!'"

I wanted to take a little bit of your time to explain why he said that. Last night, Samuel was upset about some things. We teach our children that disobedience and obedience brings different consequences. Samuel got a consequence. He couldn't have his drink in bed with him.

But, I also knew that Samuel was tired and was just not thinking straight, too. So, I went in a little later and I gave Samuel his drink. Isaiah responded by saying that disobedience hurts. And, I said, "Yes, but I can also give grace, too."

So, there you have it, folks. That led Isaiah to say his very profound statement. What he was seeming to say was, "Yeah, dad, your grace is good. But, guess what?! God's grace is even better!"

And, isn't that the point of doing good works? Isn't it so that our children (or other people around us) might "get it" and then glorify God. I was blessed to hear my son talk about God after seeing me display my piddly human grace.

Praise the Lord!

Not many wise. . . .

I must admit that this passage has me very confused. I don't believe I grasp the beauty of it as I ought to yet (you can pray for me about that), but I'm seeing it a little more by God's grace, I trust.

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.

(1 Corinthians 1:26, ESV)

My gut reaction is to not like this because it seems unfair to me. How can it be that God would choose to not call people who are wise, powerful or prominent as kings? I mean, isn't being a King (or President) something that God says is good for the human race (Rom. 13)? If God says that being a king is good, and that people should use their brains to the fullest extent and that making advancements in many different things are good, then why would he shut the door to those who pursue those with great diligence?

I don't know if I can fully answer that question, but I can say this: just as people can trust in notorious sins and have those things draw them completely away from God so can people trust in their seeming goodness and the consequences are the same.

The point of wisdom and power and kingship is meant to point people to the reality of their need for a greater Wisdom, a greater Power and a greater King; however, the more blessing we receive, the more prone we are to reject.

For any of you reading this who are believers in Christ, be thankful that God removed the barriers from your eyes so that you didn't continue to trust in the wisdom of this world, the American dream or any other thing that can take you away from the Father's heart.

Consider your calling, brothers and sisters. . . .

What is Love?

I have been reading a book called "Trusting God" by Jerry Bridges, and yesterday I came across this familiar verse: "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins" (1 John 4:10).

Think about that verse for a moment.

What is love?

Love is not defined by us and our affections. Love is defined by God, and his actions toward us. Love is not that we loved God. This comes as a tremendous jolt to anyone who tries to work their way to God. This verse is clear that our love is not impressive. And, it's not impressive simply because we ought to love God.

God has created everything. He ordains all things. He is working all things together for His glory and the believer's ultimate good. God orchestrates the rainfall, the hurricanes, the smallest atom. God is infinitely greater than all of creation, and he has given to us humans this earth to truly enjoy. Based on all of these gifts, every human being should be eternally grateful. So, our love is really not the deepest form of love simply because we ought to love him.

But what about God's love?

Oh, his love is tremendous! His love is glorious. His love is beyond our comprehension. He defines love (1 John 4:8). Why is his love so vastly different and more worthy of praise than our love?

Going beyond the reasons stated above, we simply have to look at the words in verse 10 again.

1. God sent his Son. This is enough of a price. Jesus, God the Son, became flesh. He took on the form of a man, and lived a humble life away from the always visible presence of God the Father. As a human father, I am sad when my boys are away for a short period of time, but imagine the cost of this sending on God the Father.
   
2. Jesus was an atoning sacrifice for our sin. It's not simply that Jesus took a vacation and was coming back in a little while. Jesus was sent for a purpose. God's love is expressed in the sending and also in the reason for the sending: for Jesus to endure God's wrath for our sins so that we might be righteous.

These are two profound truths. Why would God do this for finite beings? Not only that, why would God do that for ones who are his enemies (Romans 5)? This is love.

And, because of this love, God counts our dependent, Spirit-empowered love as love back towards him.

What an amazing God!

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").
  

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.

Opening Eyes Through The Word

Today I've been awakened to more of the Word, and I want more of it. I feel as though I'm seeing glimmers of light through Scripture, and I pray that the Lord would open my eyes to greater degrees.

I feel what the Psalmist wrote in Psalm 119:18, 27

Open my eyes, that I may behold
wondrous things out of your law

Make me understand the way of your precepts,
and I will meditate on your wondrous works.

What I want to understand more of is the gospel. I want to know the power of Christ and the grace of Christ! After I had read these verses and prayed a little, I heard the words to this song playing on my laptop. I pray that the Lord would grace me more and more by opening my eyes to behold the "wondrousness" of the truths communicated in this song. And, I pray that he would do that as he enables me to seek him through the Word.

Behold Our God

Over land, sky and sea
Over man's great thoughts and dreams
God sits high on His throne
Ruling history.
Nations rage, wars unfold
Men seek power they cannot hold.
God regards their strength with scorn -
Less than nothing.
So when I fear what I don't understand
I'll trust the One who holds the world in His hands.

Behold our God, Sovereign and good
Matchless in power, the King over all the earth
Fear not, my soul. Trust in his plan.
Over all the world, God reigns.
Behold our God!

Over sin's curse on me
Over law's I could not keep
God the Judge has declared all my debt's relieved.
Sin remains close at hand
Pressing in with its demands.
But in my Savior's risen life I find victory.
So when I'm faced with guilt and sin's domain
I'll trust the One who's death has broken my chains!

(from Lu, Sovereign Grace Music)

I've seen this particular skit multiple times now and it still brings me to tears. I hope that it points you to Christ also!