With the Christmas season now upon us, we often hear people say, “Remember the reason for the season.” This reason, they say, is not the presents or the family get-togethers, but it is the wonder of Jesus Christ coming to earth as a baby.
But how is it that this reason makes the season? To put it differently, how empty would this season be without the reason, Jesus Christ? Let’s imagine…
First off, without the birth of Jesus there is no death of Jesus. This is important because our greatest enemy is not the folks down in Washington but our own rebellion against God. Without Jesus’ death, there is no adequate sacrifice to reconcile us to God.
Secondly, there would be no hope for true transformation to happen within individuals. Yes, people still would do some good things, but it would only be in reference to their own interest. We would not be able to love as God requires because we would not have been shown true, transformational love. We would be the continual Scrooge, inward-bent and self-pleasing.
We also would have no hope of mercy triumphing, for all around us sin and death would reign with an iron fist. Selfishly and at all costs, we would lust after feats of athleticism, career accomplishments, or outward beauty because we would know that this life is all there is. All funerals would be bleak without any hope, darker than the darkest night.
Like a felon awaiting his court date, we would simply be biding our time here on earth until we stood naked, exposed, and guilty before our Holy Judge.
As the Apostle Paul puts it, we would have no hope and be without God in this world (Ephesians 2:12).
What marvelous news it is that this is not the case! The invisible God has graciously come down and made himself visible. Wondrous hope has broken in! No wonder the angel proclaimed to the shepherds 2,000 years ago: “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” May we remember the Reason this season.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
Back-Scratching God?
I always fell to her fake generosity.
When I was growing up, my older sister would often approach us younger brothers and innocently say, “Would you like your back scratched?” Seeming like a loving gesture, I would agree. Just as she was finishing up scratching my back, she would invariably turn to me and demand, “All right, now it is your turn. I scratched your back; you scratch mine!”
Though this is the way that my sister and I related to each other, this is not the case with us and God. We cannot scratch his back—offering up prayers, faithful church attendance, giving to charities—with the expectation that he must scratch ours (give us a pay raise or a quiet house with perfect kids). Try as we might, we can never put God in our debt by our strict religious performance.
The reason for this is simple: God has no needs. It is not as though God is up in heaven on Thursdays thinking, “I am feeling a bit lonely. I cannot wait until Sunday to get some praises sung to me or to hear some really great preaching.” As the Apostle Paul said, “Nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything” (Acts 17:25).
How then shall we relate to this awesome God? We serve and worship him not because we are earning any favor from him, but we do it because we have received his favor in his Son, Jesus Christ. His death pays for our sins and unites us to God. The payment is complete. All we can do is receive.
When I was growing up, my older sister would often approach us younger brothers and innocently say, “Would you like your back scratched?” Seeming like a loving gesture, I would agree. Just as she was finishing up scratching my back, she would invariably turn to me and demand, “All right, now it is your turn. I scratched your back; you scratch mine!”
Though this is the way that my sister and I related to each other, this is not the case with us and God. We cannot scratch his back—offering up prayers, faithful church attendance, giving to charities—with the expectation that he must scratch ours (give us a pay raise or a quiet house with perfect kids). Try as we might, we can never put God in our debt by our strict religious performance.
The reason for this is simple: God has no needs. It is not as though God is up in heaven on Thursdays thinking, “I am feeling a bit lonely. I cannot wait until Sunday to get some praises sung to me or to hear some really great preaching.” As the Apostle Paul said, “Nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything” (Acts 17:25).
How then shall we relate to this awesome God? We serve and worship him not because we are earning any favor from him, but we do it because we have received his favor in his Son, Jesus Christ. His death pays for our sins and unites us to God. The payment is complete. All we can do is receive.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
The God of Pleasure
A stunning sunset. Majestic snow-capped mountains. The smell of rain freshly fallen. The embrace of a lover. It is not hard to notice we as humans revel in moments of pleasure. As soon as one pursuit dies down, we eagerly look forward to the next moment of pleasure. We are by nature pleasure seekers.
It may surprise you, but the Bible does not denounce pleasure. In fact, it celebrates it. Everything that we see around us was created by God and was blessed as being “good.” Sadly, we as humans have taken these good things (such as beauty, music, education, and sex) and twisted and distorted them. They easily become what we ultimately live for and are ten fingers and ten toes committed.
By not realizing that a great creation points to a greater Creator, we have ironically become discontent in creation itself. Like trying to squeeze water from a rock, we try to be ultimately satisfied in athletics, parenting, academics, job success, or sex.
The problem in all of this is not that we are seeking pleasure, but that we are, as C.S. Lewis once said, “far too easily pleased.” God has graciously placed wonderful pleasures all around us as cosmic Post-it notes to remind us that the ultimate pleasure is himself. Everything around us is meant to tell us of the greatness of God. Pleasure is meant to bring us to God.
So, eat a juicy steak today. Enjoy the sounds of chirping birds. Laugh and play with your children. And in the midst of it all, remember that those enjoyments are but dim echoes of how satisfying is Jesus Christ (Ps. 16:11).
It may surprise you, but the Bible does not denounce pleasure. In fact, it celebrates it. Everything that we see around us was created by God and was blessed as being “good.” Sadly, we as humans have taken these good things (such as beauty, music, education, and sex) and twisted and distorted them. They easily become what we ultimately live for and are ten fingers and ten toes committed.
By not realizing that a great creation points to a greater Creator, we have ironically become discontent in creation itself. Like trying to squeeze water from a rock, we try to be ultimately satisfied in athletics, parenting, academics, job success, or sex.
The problem in all of this is not that we are seeking pleasure, but that we are, as C.S. Lewis once said, “far too easily pleased.” God has graciously placed wonderful pleasures all around us as cosmic Post-it notes to remind us that the ultimate pleasure is himself. Everything around us is meant to tell us of the greatness of God. Pleasure is meant to bring us to God.
So, eat a juicy steak today. Enjoy the sounds of chirping birds. Laugh and play with your children. And in the midst of it all, remember that those enjoyments are but dim echoes of how satisfying is Jesus Christ (Ps. 16:11).
Sunday, March 21, 2010
God Does Not Accept You As You Are, But As You Are In Christ
The Bible says that do not just commit sins, but we are by nature sinners (Romans 5:8), helpless (Romans 5:6), and enemies of the God (Romans 5:10). Isaiah says that mankind is estranged from God (Isaiah 1:4). Because he is a holy God, he is not able to meet with us on our terms.
And that is why God took on human flesh to be the go-between for man and God. Jesus is our mediator (1 Timothy 2:5). But that does not only mean that he pleads for us, that means that God accepts us through Christ. The Bible is very clear that we are accepted as we are in Christ. For instance, Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those of us who are in Christ.” Other examples are in these verses: Romans 6:1-11, Ephesians 1:3-14, Philippians 3:7-11, Colossians 3:1-4, to name a few.
So, what that means is that God could not just accept me as I am. If he did that, he would not be dealing with my sin seriously, which is an infinite offense to his glory (Romans 3:23). This does not mean that we have to clean our lives up before we come to Christ. It is precisely the opposite: we are to come to Christ as we are because it is only in Christ that we can have a right standing before God. His righteousness is our righteousness. His holiness is our holiness. His death over sin is our death over sin.
To put it differently, Jesus does not just provide our right standing before God, he is it. Our hope is found in him alone.
And that is why God took on human flesh to be the go-between for man and God. Jesus is our mediator (1 Timothy 2:5). But that does not only mean that he pleads for us, that means that God accepts us through Christ. The Bible is very clear that we are accepted as we are in Christ. For instance, Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those of us who are in Christ.” Other examples are in these verses: Romans 6:1-11, Ephesians 1:3-14, Philippians 3:7-11, Colossians 3:1-4, to name a few.
So, what that means is that God could not just accept me as I am. If he did that, he would not be dealing with my sin seriously, which is an infinite offense to his glory (Romans 3:23). This does not mean that we have to clean our lives up before we come to Christ. It is precisely the opposite: we are to come to Christ as we are because it is only in Christ that we can have a right standing before God. His righteousness is our righteousness. His holiness is our holiness. His death over sin is our death over sin.
To put it differently, Jesus does not just provide our right standing before God, he is it. Our hope is found in him alone.
Friday, March 5, 2010
A Lesson From Asaph
Where will you go in the day of trouble?
The death of a child. The crumbling of a career. The disintegration of a marriage. The constant financial stress.
Our natural tendency in these difficult times is to be introspective, looking to oneself for comfort and joy. Questions then come to flood our minds: “What if I responded in a different way?” or “How can I possibly have strength to make it through this trial?”
When the Psalmist Asaph went through the day of trouble, he instinctively turned inward. This lead to skeptical questions about God’s goodness: “Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable? Has his steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time?” (Psalm 77:7-8, ESV).
Don’t miss what is happening here. Asaph, growing consumed with the perceived largeness of his own trials, began to view God as being small and impotent. He questioned his goodness and steadfast love.
The problem with looking to oneself in the midst of trouble is that the trials get disproportionately overblown in comparison with the Source of Hope. We look to ourselves, but we cannot save ourselves. We grow infatuated with the depth of our problems, but this analysis will never be a rope that will get one out of the slough of despair.
To get a clear focus on reality, Asaph turns to remember what God has done in the past: “I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old” (Psalm 77:11). Despite his circumstances, Asaph resolved to look outside of himself to the only true hope. His remembrance of God’s past good deeds became an anchor to his soul that God would again act to steady his spirit in the midst of this storm.
We can only get true hope by looking to God. He alone can save. And in those times when God seems distant, resolve to set your mind on God’s gracious and loving acts in the past. Knowing God's loving acts in the past gives hope that he will be loving in the future.
The death of a child. The crumbling of a career. The disintegration of a marriage. The constant financial stress.
Our natural tendency in these difficult times is to be introspective, looking to oneself for comfort and joy. Questions then come to flood our minds: “What if I responded in a different way?” or “How can I possibly have strength to make it through this trial?”
When the Psalmist Asaph went through the day of trouble, he instinctively turned inward. This lead to skeptical questions about God’s goodness: “Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable? Has his steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time?” (Psalm 77:7-8, ESV).
Don’t miss what is happening here. Asaph, growing consumed with the perceived largeness of his own trials, began to view God as being small and impotent. He questioned his goodness and steadfast love.
The problem with looking to oneself in the midst of trouble is that the trials get disproportionately overblown in comparison with the Source of Hope. We look to ourselves, but we cannot save ourselves. We grow infatuated with the depth of our problems, but this analysis will never be a rope that will get one out of the slough of despair.
To get a clear focus on reality, Asaph turns to remember what God has done in the past: “I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old” (Psalm 77:11). Despite his circumstances, Asaph resolved to look outside of himself to the only true hope. His remembrance of God’s past good deeds became an anchor to his soul that God would again act to steady his spirit in the midst of this storm.
We can only get true hope by looking to God. He alone can save. And in those times when God seems distant, resolve to set your mind on God’s gracious and loving acts in the past. Knowing God's loving acts in the past gives hope that he will be loving in the future.
Why Read the Bible?
1.) You are born again through the Word of God.
“Since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God.” 1 Peter 1:23
2.) He gives us life by his Word.
“Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” James 1:18
3.) Faith comes from hearing the Word.
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ.” Romans 10:17
4.) The Word of God is the source of great and lasting joy.
“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.” Psalm 119:103
5.) The Word of God makes you more like Christ.
“Sanctify them in your truth. Your word is truth.” John 17:17
6.) The Word of God gives hope.
“Whatever was written in former days was written for our own instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Romans 15:4
“Since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God.” 1 Peter 1:23
2.) He gives us life by his Word.
“Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” James 1:18
3.) Faith comes from hearing the Word.
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ.” Romans 10:17
4.) The Word of God is the source of great and lasting joy.
“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.” Psalm 119:103
5.) The Word of God makes you more like Christ.
“Sanctify them in your truth. Your word is truth.” John 17:17
6.) The Word of God gives hope.
“Whatever was written in former days was written for our own instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Romans 15:4
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