More Questions and Answers!

April 20, 2020

Yesterday we tried something new - a brief time of questions and answers after the morning worship. Our goal was to have some interaction that we’re prevented from having since we aren’t gathering corporately right now, as well as to provide an opportunity for further unpacking of the rich truths of God’s word. We received great questions via text, Facebook, and YouTube, and most of them arose out of the sermon I had just preached on I Peter 1:1-2. (If you would like to hear the sermon or see yesterday’s Q/A time, please click here.) We’ve had good feedback from you on this experiment, and do plan on continuing it while we’re only live-streaming our services.

Due to the limited time, we weren’t able to answer all the questions we received. So I want to take this chance to answer some of those briefly.

1. Can you offer any words of encouragement for Christians to pursue personal holiness and ministry to our communities and neighbors in times of trials (like now) when many times our gut instinct is to just wait for “normal” to return?

I’m immediately reminded of C. S. Lewis’ statement in his essay “Learning in Warfare,” found in the book Weight of Glory: “If we let ourselves, we shall always be waiting for some distraction or other to end before we can really get down to our work.  The only people who achieve much are those who want knowledge so badly that they seek it while the conditions are still unfavorable. Favorable conditions never come.” Lewis was talking particularly about the work of education, gaining knowledge as a student. But replace “knowledge” with “holiness” or “ministry opportunities” and you have a great answer to this question. Yes, the pursuit of holiness and ministry is made more difficult in some ways given our circumstances. But from another point of view, other ministry opportunities - like phone calls, Zoom chats, letter writing, driveway conversations with neighbors, shopping for shut-ins - are more convenient and more normal during these days. And certainly there an abundance of ministry opportunities in these fearful days! In addition, our new circumstances of sheltering in place with family members, dealing with so much loss, all the uncertainty surrounding this virus, etc., are showing us new areas of sin and unbelief that we need to put to death and apply the gospel to, and new areas where we can strive to be holy as God is holy. Even if things never go back to “normal,” the call to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and to help others do the same, remains our duty (II Peter 3:18). And our God is sufficient at all times to help us by His Spirit to become more like Jesus. Nothing is too difficult for Him, so let us press on for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ, however abnormal the times are.

2. I don’t understand the distinction you made between the two different definitions of sanctification. How can one live a life of holiness without being daily made more like Christ?

I hope that I didn’t communicate that we can live a life of holiness without being daily made more like Christ, for that is not at all what I intended to say at all! Rather, the distinction I was making was between what we might call positional/definitive sanctification, and what we might call progressive sanctification. Sanctification is both an act and a process. Peter in I Peter 1:2 is referring to the former. The Holy Spirit sets us apart from sin and consecrates us to God at the beginning of the Christian life so that we might begin to live a set apart life in our daily experience. Every Christian has been sanctified in Christ Jesus (I Corinthians 1:2; 6:11) and is being sanctified in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:19; I Thessalonians 4:3; 5:23). The act of the Spirit’s setting us apart/sanctifying us is the basis of His ongoing work in making us more and more holy. The Bible uses the language of “sanctification” in both ways, though more frequently it is speaking of a definitive sense - although we typically use the language to refer to the process of growing in Christlikeness (as do the Westminster Standards). Both senses are absolutely vital to a right understanding of the Scripture, and to our glorifying and enjoying God. So let us pursue holiness, knowing that we are already saints - holy ones - in the Lord Jesus by His Spirit.

3. There are some pastors who call themselves apostles. What should we think about that?

This is an unfortunate and unbiblical practice that I wish would end. It is clear that the apostles were foundational to the church of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:20; 4:11), and that there were specific qualifications to be an apostle. The apostles had seen the Lord Jesus Christ in human form and performed signs and wonders to attest their calling. Though Paul was not a part of the original group of apostles, but was one untimely born, he saw the Lord and performed the signs of an apostles: “Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?…The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works” (I Corinthians 9:1; II Corinthians 12:12). Pastors who call themselves apostles not only denigrate the biblical office of apostle, but may also be claiming an authority that belonged only to those the Lord Himself gave this title and status.

4. Can we be too heavenly-minded that we’re no earthly good?

Possibly, if being heavenly-minded wrongly leads one away from engagement in the world to live a life of service and good works toward the saints and those outside the church. But this question hints at a false dichotomy, as if heavenly-mindedness and earthly-goodness are incompatible. True spirituality, true heavenly-mindedness, should always catapult us from the presence of God into the brokenness of this world with love and grace. As we seek the things that are above, and set our minds on things that are above, not on the things that are on earth (Colossians 3:1-2), then the way we relate to other people, the way we do our jobs, the way we approach the lost, will be transformed (see Colossians 3:5-4:6). Those who are closest to the Lord Jesus through prayer and His word should be the quickest to desire to “do good to everyone, especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10).

5. How does predestination practically change the way I live in my suffering?

When we know that God has chosen us for salvation from before the beginning of the world, then no matter what we go through, we know that He is working it for our good and our final salvation (Romans 8:28). We know that trials are not coming because He is still angry with us, for He has chosen us to be covered by the blood and righteousness of Jesus His Son, on whom He poured out His full wrath in our place (I Corinthians 11:32; Hebrews 12:1-12). We know that no difficulty or hardship can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39). We know that we can endure all things for the sake of those whom He has chosen for salvation, as Paul did in prison (II Timothy 2:10). There are many other ways to answer this question, but these four are sufficient for now. The next two sermons in I Peter will touch on this theme in part, so stay tuned!

20 Quotes from Dane Ortlund's New Book "Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinner and Sufferers"

This book is awesome. This is incredible Christology with heart-warming devotion. This is a book that anyone can read. I can’t say enough about it.

Let me tell you, these 20 quotes were hard to choose. I’ve underlined over 50% of the book with many times writing “wow”, “good”, or “stunning” beside something underlined. I’ll let these 20 quotes say more than I can:

  1. “Meek. Humble. Gentle. Jesus is not trigger-happy. Not harsh, reactionary, easily exasperated. He is the most understanding person in the universe. The posture most natural to him is not a pointed finger but open arms.” p.19

  2. “The point in saying that Jesus is lowly is that he is accessible. For all his resplendent glory and dazzling holiness, his supreme uniqueness and otherness, no one in human history has ever been more approachable than Jesus Christ.” p.20

  3. “If we are asked to say only one thing about who Jesus is, we would be honoring Jesus’s own teaching if our answer is, gentle and lowly.” p.21

  4. “What helium does to a balloon, Jesus’s yoke does to his followers. We are buoyed along in life by his endless gentleness and supremely accessible loneliness. He doesn’t simply meet us at our place of need; he lives in our place of need. He never tires of sweeping us into his tender embrace. It is his very heart. It is what gets him out of bed in the morning.” p.23

  5. “Time and again it is the morally disgusting, the socially reviled, the inexcusable and undeserving, who do not simply receive Christ’s mercy but to whom Christ most naturally gravitates.” p.27

  6. “When we are speaking of Christ’s heart, we are not so much speaking of one attribute alongside others. We are asking who he most deeply is. What pours out of him most naturally?” p.29

  7. “It is impossible for the affectionate heart of Christ to be overcelebrated, made too much of, exaggerated. It cannot be plumbed. But it is easily neglected, forgotten. We draw too little strength from it. We are not leaving behind the harsher side to Jesus as we speak of his very heart. Our sole aim is to follow the Bible’s own testimony as we tunnel in to who Jesus most surprisingly is.” p.29

  8. “The same Christ who wept at the tomb of Lazarus weeps with us in our lonely despair. The same one who reached out and touched lepers puts his arm around us today when we feel misunderstood and sidelined. The Jesus who reached out and cleansed messy sinners reaches into our souls and answers our half-hearted plea for mercy with the mighty invincible cleansing of one who cannot bear to do otherwise.” p.32

  9. “He does not get flustered and frustrated when we come to him for fresh forgiveness, for renewed pardon, with distress and need and emptiness. That’s the whole point. It’s what he came to heal. He went down into the horror of death and plunged out through the other side in order to provide a limitless supply of mercy and grace to his people.” p.37

  10. “When you come to Christ for mercy and love and help in your anguish and perplexity and sinfulness, you are going with the flow of his own deepest wishes, not against them.” p.38

  11. “Our difficulties draw out a depth of feeling in Christ beyond what we know.” p.49

  12. “He doesn’t handle us roughly. He doesn’t scowl and scold. He doesn’t lash out, the way many of our parents did. And all this restraint on his part is not because he has a diluted view of our sinfulness. He knows our sinfulness far more deeply than we do. Indeed, we are aware of just the tip of the iceberg of our depravity, even in our most searching moments of self-knowledge. His restraint simply flows from his tender heart for his people.” p.54

  13. “Jesus can no more bring himself to stiff-arm you than the loving father of a crying newborn can bring himself to stiff-arm his dear child. Jesus’s heart is drawn out to you. Nothing can chain his affections to heaven; his heart is too swollen with endearing love.” p.55

  14. “Look to Christ. He deals gently with you. It’s the only way he knows how to be. He is the high priest to end all high priests. As long as you fix your attention on your sin, you will fail to see how you can be safe. But as long as you look to this high priest, you will fail to see how you can be in danger. Looking inside ourselves, we can anticipate only harshness from heaven. Looking out to Christ, we can anticipate only gentleness.” p.57

  15. “Fallen, anxious sinners are limitless in their capacity to perceive reasons for Jesus to cast them out. We are factories of fresh resistances to Christ’s love. Even when we run out of tangible reasons to be cast out, such as specific sins or failures, we tend to retain a vague sense that, given enough time, Jesus will finally grow tired of us and hold us at arm’s length.” p.63

  16. “We cannot present a reason for Christ to finally close off his heart to his own sheep. No such reason exists. Every human friend has a limit. If we offend enough, if a relationship gets damaged enough, if we betray enough times, we are cast out. The walls go up. With Christ, our sins and weaknesses are the very resumé items that qualify us to approach him. Nothing but coming to him is required—first at conversion and a thousand times thereafter until w are with him upon death.” p.64

  17. “If you are part of Christ’s own body, your sins evoke his deepest heart, his compassion and pity. He takes ‘part with you’—that is, he’s on your side. He sides with you against your sin, not against you because of your sin. He hates sin. But he loves you. We understand this, says [Thomas] Goodwin, when we consider the hatred a father has against a terrible disease afflicting his child—the father hates the disease while loving the child. Indeed, at some level the presence of the disease draws out his to heart to his child all the more.” p.71

  18. “The sins of those who belong to God open the floodgates of his heart of compassion for us. The dam breaks. It is not our loveliness that wins his love. It is our unloveliness.” p.75

  19. “Christ’s heart is a steady reality flowing through time. It isn’t as if his heart throbbed for his people when he was on earth but has dissipated now that he is in heaven. It’s not that his heart was flowing forth in a burst of mercy that took him all the way to the cross but has now cooled down, settling back once more into kindly indifference. His heart is as drawn to his people now as ever it was in his incarnate state. And the present manifestation of his heart for his people is his constant interceding on their behalf.” p.79

  20. “He rises up and defends your case, based on the merits of his own sufferings and death. Your salvation is not merely a matter of a saving formula, but of a saving person. When you sin, his strength of resolve rises all the higher. When his brothers and sisters fail and stumble, he advocates on their behalf because it is who he is. He cannot bear to leave us alone to fend for ourselves.” p.91

For the Amazon link to the book, click here.

Here are some of the endorsements on the back of the book:

“I have read no book that more carefully, thoroughly, and tenderly displays Christ’s heart.” Paul Tripp

"Written with pastoral gentleness and quiet beauty, it teases out what twenty biblical texts contribute to this portrait of the heart of Christ, all of it brought together to bring comfort, strength, and rest to believers." D.A. Carson

"Dane Ortlund masterfully handles a treasure trove of Puritan wisdom and deftly presents it to the Christian reader." Rosaria Butterfield

“My life has been transformed by the beautiful, staggering truths in this book. Dane Ortlund lifts our eyes to see Christ’s compassion-filled heart for sinners and sufferers, proving that Jesus is no reluctant savior but one who delights in showing his mercy. For any feeling bruised, weary, or empty, this is the balm for you.” Michael Reeves

“Dane Ortlund writes about what seems too good to be true―the Lord delights to show mercy to you and to me―so he works very carefully through key texts and enlists the help of saints past. I was persuaded, and I look forward to being persuaded again and again.” Ed Welch

“Dane Ortlund helps us rediscover the heart of Jesus that is the very heart of the gospel. This delightful book opens up the sheer immensity of Jesus’s tender love for us. As you immerse yourself in Christ’s very heart, you’ll find your own heart warmed at the fire of the love of God. Ortlund opens up a neglected theme among the Puritans (in bite-sized chunks that won’t overwhelm you), where you’ll discover their grasp of the beauty of Jesus’s love. Your soul needs this book. I highly recommend it.” Paul E. Miller

Is It All Over?

John C. Kwasny April 17, 2020

7 “Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable? 8 Has his steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time? 9 Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” 10 Then I said, “I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High.” 11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. (Psalm 77:7-11)

I just want to go back to the way things used to be.  I want life to be normal again.  I want to be freed from this governmental leash!  These, and other related sentiments, have certainly been bouncing around in most of our minds and hearts lately.  As time has marched on, the responses to these desires have changed.  At first, there were all sort of “guarantees” that this would all end soon, the invisible foe would be vanquished, and life would go back to normal again.  While there are still some voices out there send those messages, the louder chorus sounds more like this: Things will never be the same.  There will only be a “new” normal.  The government must put in more restrictions and limits to keep us all safe into the future.  No more handshakes.  No more large gatherings.  Proof of immunity before you can leave your home.  Masks everywhere.  So, what do we do with all of this?

While this moment in time is “novel” for most of us, it’s nothing new in the history of mankind.  There have always been major crises, even worldwide ones, which have threatened the established order.  Many of them did create a new normal, and changed how people lived their lives.  Others (like Y2K, for example) threatened to undo absolutely everything, but never materialized.  There have always been doomsayers telling us that “it’s all over.”  There have always been those who use these opportunities to control how people live, supposedly in order to save mankind (or the planet).  And there have always been the rest of us who easily submit out of either fear or duty.  So again, I ask, what will we do with all of this?

In whatever ways this nation and the world continues to respond to this virus in the coming weeks and months, our response as Christians must be tethered to REMEMBERING the Lord.  In Psalm 77, The author beautifully articulates the deeper thoughts of our hearts during times like this:  Will the Lord spurn us forever?  Will He never again give us favor?  Has His love for us ceased?  Are His promises over?  Has He forgotten to be gracious?  Do you have any (or all) of these questions in your heart as well?  If so, the right answers come only when we say with the Psalmist: “I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.”  Only then will we remind ourselves that NO, the Lord will not spurn us forever; YES, He will give us favor, mercy, and grace; NO, His love for us has not ceased!

But we must look back and remember in the right ways.  Not just longing for the good old days when we could go to a ballgame, a concert, or even gather for worship on Sunday.  Not just looking back and wanting the “old” normal rather than the new one.  We are to look back in order to remind ourselves of WHO God is and WHAT He has always done for His people.  Just another reason to stay in God’s Word every day!  And, for spending time rehearsing what He has already done in your own story, as well as all of history.  So, is life really over?  Not when your life is in union with Jesus Christ who loves you with an everlasting love, and is the Lord of all Creation!  Remember Jesus, the greatest “deed” of the LORD!         

 

 

 

 

In Pursuit of Godliness

April 16, 2020

Godliness is at least one of seven qualities (II Peter 1:5-7) we’re asked to add to our faith after we become Christians. Its significance is noted by the amount of times it appears in Scripture. There are at least 16 references to godliness in scripture. All of them are in the New Testament, mostly occurring in I Timothy and II Peter. The following is an excerpt of a blog post on godliness, authored by Mr. Loren Lung, a pastor, commenting on I Timothy 4:7-8:

“Train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” (I Timothy 4:7b-8)

There was a woman on the television the other night who went on a diet. She exercised and watched what she ate. The weight began to fall off. She went from 240 pounds down to 110 pounds. She had surgery to cut off extra skin. She was a real success story.

But along the way she became a different person. Her friends all said she had changed for the worst. She became conceited and arrogant. She got involved in all sorts of questionable practices and divorced her husband who had supported her through her efforts. She even began to snub the very people who had helped her to achieve her new and “improved” life.

Physical training and discipline are important for weight loss and certain other issues, but if you really want to change in a truly meaningful manner, with lasting significance, then you had better train in godliness. The Apostle Paul tells Timothy that training in godliness is beneficial for both this life, and that which is to come.

Godliness is taking on the very attributes of God. It includes unconditional love, forgiveness, grace, mercy, and selflessness. These are in stark contrast to what the world provides.

For this woman, she wanted to look good. And when she reached that goal, she wanted all the worldly rewards that went with it. She sacrificed her principles and any relationship that didn’t benefit her new life.

Godliness often stands in stark contrast to this world. This world is about selfishness, getting ahead, and stepping on whoever it takes to get there. Godliness is about putting God’s will and others ahead of our own needs. That is why Jesus said, “If anyone wants to come after me, he must deny himself, pick up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). It involves putting your own wants and desires aside and dying to this world.

Prayer: Dear Lord, you are the wonderful example of love and grace. Please help me, by the power of your spirit, to train in godliness so that I can live in a manner that brings glory to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“Prayer – secret, fervent, believing prayer – lies at the root of all personal godliness.” (William Carey)

“How do you train yourself to be godly? You certainly want to practice the spiritual disciplines of prayer and Bible reading and Christian fellowship. But you also want to practice making right decisions and putting God first in your life. You want to learn how to center your whole life around God. And most of all you want to practice trusting God every day of your life.” (Ray Fowler, Baptist Pastor)

It's Friday, but Sunday's Comin'

April 10, 2020

John C. Kwasny

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.  (Hebrews 12:1-2)

One of the more influential Christian authors in my high school and college days was a pastor named Tony Campolo.  Some of you probably haven’t heard of him.  For those who have, please don’t be concerned about my spiritual discernment--this was in the days before he became an ultra-liberal evangelical socialist (and I was young and foolish).  His early books were engaging, hilarious, and always convicted me to live out my Christian life in this world, in ways that really made a difference.  One such book had the great title: It’s Friday, but Sunday’s Comin’.  It came from a sermon delivered by a southern African-American preacher—a phrase that acted like a refrain after each of his points.  He must have repeated, “It’s Fri-i-day…but Sunday’s Comin’” hundreds of times in his sermon.  And yes, you guessed it: It was his Good Friday message!

I love the way Hebrews 12:1-2 gives us a vivid image of how to live from a “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s comin’ mentality.  The writer paints a picture of a race, like one that is run in an Olympic stadium (yes, I too grieve the loss of that event this year). You, Christian, are the athlete running the race of life.  God has set your race before you.  In the stands are all those who have already finished their race.  But, where are you to look?  At the “great cloud of witnesses”?  No.  At the other runners?  No.  At the circumstances around you?  No.  Only to Jesus, described here as both the “founder” and the “perfecter” of our faith.  There He is, sitting at the right hand of God!  He endured the cross on Friday, rose again on Sunday, and is now in Session with the Father until He returns for us one day.  On our risen Lord is where our eyes should always stay!

But don’t miss the important charge given to us as we run this race of the Christian life: “Lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely.”  These have always been extremely convicting words to me.  I am often weighted down with the cares of this world.  I have sin which still clings way too closely to my heart.  How about you?  And, what do these things do to us?  Just slow us down.  Impede us from running in a way that loves God and other people.  Keep us from being the godly men and women, boys and girls, that God has called us to be.  In the end, they distract us from looking up to Jesus, living in the joy that comes from His embracing of the cross.  So, go ahead and lay aside every weight and sin that is holding you up today.

On this strangest of Good Fridays you may have ever experienced, remember that Sunday is still comin’.  The darkness that was dispelled on Friday burst forth into glorious light on Sunday!  Whether or not we EVER emerge out of our social isolation again, resurrection is coming because Jesus is alive.  Jesus, our resurrection firstfruits, conquered death and sin and coronavirus for us, guaranteeing our everlasting “resurrection Sunday.”  It’s Friday, but Sunday’s comin’!  

What Does the Bible Say About Fasting?

April 6, 2020

In light of the coronavirus pandemic that is wreaking such physical, emotional, and economic havoc among the nations of our world, four denominations are jointing together this Friday for a day of prayer and fasting: the PCA, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC), the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARP), and the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA). Fasting is not a religious practice most evangelicals are familiar with - it’s typically associated in our minds with Romanism or Islam. Our lack of knowledge of fasting, both intellectually and experientially, is unfortunate.

Biblically speaking, religious fasting is not a mindless act of ritualistic formalism or asceticism (though it certainly can devolve into that). It’s not a technique to help you lose weight (though some may fast as a dietary method). It’s not waking up too late for breakfast, or being so busy you forget to eat lunch. Rather, it is to deny oneself intentionally some or all food or drink for a period of time in order to humble yourself before the Lord and to seek Him earnestly and intensely in prayer during that time. It is all too possible for fasting to become legalistic (“I fast twice a week,” Luke 18:12) or formalistic, just going through the motions, or to be seen by men (see Isaiah 58:1-12 and Matthew 5:16). But Jesus assumed that His people would fast: “But you, when you fast…” (Matthew 6:17). When the disciples of John the Baptist asked why Jesus’ disciples didn’t fast, He answered, “The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast” (Matthew 9:15).

As Jesus teaches in Matthew 5:17-18, fasting is something one can and ought to do individually before God, as we see in the lives of David (II Samuel 12:16; Psalm 35:13; 69:10; 109:24), Ahab (I Kings 21:27), Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1:4), Daniel (Daniel 9:3), Anna (Luke 2:37), and our Savior Himself (Matthew 4:2). But it also can be practiced corporately, as we see when the sons of Israel were defeated by the tribe of Benjamin during a civil war (Judges 20:26), when Israel gathered together to confess its sin in the days of Samuel (I Samuel 7:6), when Israel mourned the deaths of Saul and Jonathan (I Samuel 31:13; II Samuel 1:12), when the Moabites and Ammonites came to fight against Jehoshaphat and Judah (II Chronicles 20:3), when Ezra set out to lead the exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem (Ezra 8:21, 23), when Israel gathered to confess its sins in the days of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 9:1), when King Ahasuerus decreed the destruction of the Jews, and when Esther prepared to go before him concerning that edict (Esther 4:3, 16), and when the Ninevites desired to repent (Jonah 3:5). It was the prescription of Joel to the people of God as a sign of their repentance (Joel 1:14; 2:12-15). We see churches in the apostolic period fasting and praying together as they set apart men to gospel ministry (Acts 13:2-3; 14:23).

Clearly then, there is biblical warrant by command and by example to engage in this practice. Our Reformed forefathers who wrote the Westminster Standards recognized solemn fastings as one part of religious worship (Westminster Confession of Faith 21.5; Westminster Larger Catechism 108). Though they saw no biblical warrant for holy days other than the Lord’s Day, or for particular stated days or seasons of fasting such as Lent, yet they did see a place for fasting: “There is no day commanded in scripture to be kept holy under the gospel but the Lord’s day, which is the Christian Sabbath. Festival days, vulgarly called Holy-days, having no warrant in the word of God, are not to be continued. Nevertheless, it is lawful and necessary, upon special emergent occasions, to separate a day or days for public fasting or thanksgiving, as the several eminent and extraordinary dispensations of God’s providence shall administer cause and opportunity to his people” (Westminster Directory for Worship, 1645).

Fasting is an expression of humility (Isaiah 58:3, 5), of mourning (Nehemiah 1:4; Joel 2:12), of contrition (Nehemiah 9:1-2), and of dependent supplication (II Samuel 2:21; II Chronicles 20:3; Ezra 8:21; Daniel 9:3). By forsaking food and/or drink, the one fasting declares that his or her need for God far surpasses his or her need for daily bread. Whether that need is forgiveness, guidance, intervention and deliverance, or strength to go on (or all of the above!), fasting is a physical action that should flow from the heart, in which the physical hunger or thirst reminds us of and manifests our deeper hunger and thirst for God. As David Mathis beautifully explains, “Fasting, like the gospel, isn’t for the self-sufficient and those who feel they have it all together. It’s for the poor in spirit. It’s for those who mourn. For the meek. For those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. In other words, fasting is for Christians. It is a desperate measure, for desperate times, among those who know themselves desperate for God” (Habits of Grace, 121-122).

The COVID-19 crisis is undoubtedly a time in which fasting and prayer is right and good, so I encourage you to join brothers and sisters around the country this Friday in seeking the Lord’s face for mercy and grace. Instead of eating breakfast and/or lunch and/or dinner, pray. If this Friday is not a good time for you, then perhaps pick another day. For resources to help guide your time of prayer, check out this short article by Richard Pratt, or this list of suggested prayers. May the Lord hear, may the Lord draw near, may the Lord answer our cries to Him for help.

Interview with Asa Watson (Missionary in Germany and former Professional Football player)

One of the ideas that I was inspired by from some other youth workers was to do some interviews with some people for our youth to watch. In this interview with my good friend Asa Watson, we talked about how he went from playing professional football (with me at the New England Patriots in 2014), to working with a pit crew in NASCAR, to campus ministry, and now to being a missionary in Germany. Asa and I also got to talk about what it’s like to live on mission and how to be a Christian in an increasingly secular culture.

How I Survive Social Distancing (Paul Tripp)

Here is a helpful excerpt from a recent blog post from Paul Tripp:

Does this sound like your daily routine? When you wake up every morning, the first thing you do is check the news to discover the latest stats and developments:

How many cases of COVID-19 are in my town or state?How long is this social distancing predicted to last?What are the financial markets doing today?What does the latest expert have to contribute?

(If you’re anything like me, you’ll be tempted to do the same again before bed ... and revisit multiple times throughout the day!)

Staying informed and making wise decisions based on that information is a good thing. The problem is that we can develop an unhealthy habit in our hearts where we meditate on trouble and forget God.

When we do this, the crisis will loom larger and larger, and God will appear smaller and smaller.

Only one thing can result from such a habit: fear.

Paralyzing, panic-producing, anxiety-resulting fear.

Today I want to help you fight against fear and break that unhealthy habit.

For the full blog, click here.

Living Limited Before an Unlimited God

April 3, 2020

14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. 15 As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; 16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. (Psalm 103:14-16)

From the first day of Kindergarten, math was my absolute favorite academic subject.  It not only fascinated me, but it always seemed to make perfect sense.  When the teacher taught us that you can’t subtract a greater number from a smaller number, I believed her.  After all, if I have three chickens, and my neighbor needs four chickens for a dinner party, I can’t fulfill that order.  All I can do is sell him my three chickens.  Sound reasoning. That was, until my older cousin informed me that it was all a lie.  He told me that you CAN subtract a greater number from a smaller number—since there is something called “negative numbers.”  Negative numbers?  I almost totally gave up on math the day of that revelation.  Thankfully, when I advanced just a few more grade levels, I learned the logic behind this strange concept.  Math became enjoyable again--even when it didn’t seem to make as much sense as it did in my limited Kindergarten experience.

If you have either forgotten negative numbers or simply choose not to acknowledge their existence, you know the related concept of infinity.  Symbolized by that cool figure eight lying squished on its side, infinity has no limits--it has no end.  So, in geometry, we learned that a line has infinite length—it goes in both directions, without end.  Then, when fractions were taught, we learned that one-third is a finite number; but written as a decimal, we get 0.33333…with threes that repeat infinitely.  Finally, there’s the mind-blowing concept that infinity is not a real number and cannot be measured—it is a limitless idea.  Yet, as complicated as infinity may feel, it’s actually quite simple.  Why? Because when something has an end, we have to define what that end, or limit is.  But, on the other hand, when there are no limits, there are literally NO LIMITS!

Mathematics is incredible because it reflects the order and magnitude of our Creator.  The God of the universe is infinite—like the straight line, He has no beginning and no end.  As Genesis 1:1 puts it succinctly: “In the beginning, God….”  When our world began, God already existed.  That theological fact alone gives Him the full power and ability to bring everything else into being by the Word of His own power, out of nothing (Hebrews 11:3).  Since God is infinite, He alone created all that is finite.  Foundational to our understanding of ourselves as human beings is the recognition that God has always existed and will always exist.  There will never be a time where God is not.

When we consider the characteristic of infinity, we must return to the term “unlimited.”  When something finite is described as unlimited, it only appears to have no end.  The puppy that seems to have unlimited energy.  The ocean that appears unlimited from your position on the beach.  This novel coronavirus that seems unlimited in its impact on humanity.  But of course, even the most gregarious of puppies, the largest ocean on earth, and the most virulent of diseases have ends, or limits.  The triune God does not!  Everything about God is unlimited—His love for His people, His knowledge and wisdom, and His presence in the universe.  Best of all, His holiness is unlimited, which means He cannot sin or do anything against His holy nature.  In a sense, God only has self-imposed limits against sin and evil because He is without limits.  An unlimited God is confined by nothing external, and no one else in existence.

So, when we arrive at the truth that God alone is unlimited, it brings our own limits into sharp focus.  As the Psalmist writes, “for he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.”  Our days are like grass—we flourish for a little while, then we are gone.  In these days of a raging pandemic, always remember your limitations.  Even with all the social distancing in the world and personal cleanliness habits, you are not unlimited in your power to stave off sickness.  All humans, all scientists, all medical professionals, and all world governments are limited in knowledge, wisdom, and skill.  Thankfully, even a seemingly all-powerful virus has its limits.  But, praise be to God, our Father is the unlimited One of the universe!  Only when we rest in that truth can we “live limited” before an unlimited God!   

 

 

 

Let’s Hear It For Our Church MVPs: Our Seniors

April 2, 2020

Since the rise of the current pandemic, our seniors have been cast in the spotlight. Chiefly so, because they are the ones who have been statistically identified as being the most susceptible to the gravest effects of COVID-19. Today, I’d like for us to reflect on the fact that they should be in the spotlight for another reason: the Church absolutely needs them! Here are four reasons why:

1. We need their prayers.

Our seniors have walked with God for some time. They have experienced his sanctifying work in their lives and have learned how to humbly approach His throne of grace, fully reliant upon his mercies, effectually praying according to His will.

In the short time that I’ve been here, I’ve seen God work in ways that can only be explained as an act of His Spirit in response to the means he has ordained to accomplish His ends, prayer (James 5:16). I’ve been to a few of the Senior Bible studies and have personally witnessed earnest prayers being lifted on behalf of certain individuals and the entire church. God has worked marvelously through the prayers of these saints. So, seniors, wherever you are, even in these times, know this, we as a church need your prayers.

2. We need their practical, biblical wisdom.

Moses was arguably one of the greatest leaders in scripture. He was someone who was audibly chosen and led by God. But guess what? If he could speak to us in person today, he would tell us that without the wisdom of a senior, his father-in-law Jethro (see Exodus 18:1-27), he would have probably continued to needlessly expend energy and strength in a very unwise manner, trying to manage everything on his own. It took the wisdom of a senior to help him become more efficient in accomplishing a task that God himself had given him.

Bruce Watke and Haddon Robinson were both seminary professors by whom I had the benefit of being taught. Both were well into their 80s when they taught me. Haddon has since gone on to be with the Lord.

I’m so thankful that these men continued to pass on their biblical knowledge and life experiences until they literally could not do so anymore. Whether through teaching a class (like Ken Utley), sharing a comment during a Bible Study, or encouraging a young woman during fellowship, every church member needs the wisdom that comes from decades of studying the Word mixed with decades of experience.

Seniors, please continue to speak into the lives of younger believers with love and truth and grace. The church needs your wisdom, biblical wisdom that only comes from years spent in the Word and walking with Christ in both life’s joys and sorrows.

3. We need their encouragement.

As senior saints, their words of encouragement matters. How impactful it is, for example, to see instances where a young sleep-deprived parent lights up because a senior, from the heart, simply says something like, “Your kids are a joy.” And how about the discouraged empty-nesters, struggling with change, who through a senior couple, rediscover hope, as they witness God’s faithfulness in marriages spanning decades of time.

As the Psalmist exclaims, “One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.” (Psalm 145:4). Dear senior, please don’t hesitate to share your stories of provision and grace and forgiveness, and to remind us of God’s goodness and faithfulness. We need your encouragement.

4. We need their presence.

Unfortunately, none of us can closely gather at this time, but when the time comes for us to once again gather as a body of believers, seniors, your presence among us is essential.

There’s something particularly special about the redeemed people of God coming together for worship and seeing a full range of age groups. There’s something about coming together to worship with people who are different than us, even generationally. That sort of diversity points to the beauty of the gospel and the glory of God. There’s just something special about knowing fellow saints who can speak of God never abandoning them through decades that powerfully reminds us of the faithfulness of God.

Considering all that I’ve stated above, I pray that we would all take some time to thank God for sustaining and keeping our seniors among us, after all, they are, our MVPs.

 

The Immunity of Christian Hope, By David Elston

April 1, 2020

This article was recently posted by one of the ministries we support, Biblical Counseling and Training Ministries (BCTM). May it encourage your heart today!

The Immunity of Christian Hope
by David Elston (a counselor at BCTM)

What hope do we have during this season of upheaval and uncertainty? Where is peace found when our normal sources of security - family, friends, money, jobs - are up in the air? The coffee shop barista who has lost a job, the high school senior who will miss prom, the restaurateur who is now considering bankruptcy - where can they find hope in the midst of their loss? 

Coronavirus has made one thing obvious: hope and peace cannot be found in things that, to use the words of Jesus, “moth and rust destroy” and “thieves break in and steal.” To use more updated terms, things that Coronavirus can infect and affect. So then, to where or to whom do we go for hope? Jesus offers us a hope that is utterly immune to Coronavirus and that will outlast the collapse of civilization: his resurrection. With Easter Sunday being less than two weeks away, this is an especially appropriate time to reflect on this hope and how it applies to our current predicament.

Before Good Friday was Good

Before the resurrection occurred, the cross was everything but victorious. Friday was everything but Good Friday. What hopelessness must have been in the hearts of the two women as they watched the limp body of Jesus laid in the tomb! What panic must have peaked in the disciples as the stone was rolled in front of the tomb! They had placed every last ounce of hope in Christ and the kingdom that he promised to establish. They had entered into Jerusalem just five days ago with their heads held high as their Master was praised with palm branches as King. And now those same heads wagged with shame and grief over the complete humiliation of that King.

It is probably not too difficult for you to empathize with the overwhelming emotions of the disciples as you see COVID-19 threaten your security and take away things that are precious to you. The disciples had just witnessed the greatest tragedy in all of history. Of course they are panicking! Of course they’ve fallen into a black grief! Could there be anything worse than people putting to death God's Beloved who came to save them? Creatures putting to death their own Creator?

The Dawn of Hope

But let’s continue to track with their emotions as hope enters into the Story. The Sunday morning after Jesus died, in the midst of their panic and grief, Mary Magdalene and her friends went to visit the tomb. And we know they didn’t have a clue what news awaited them there, because they were discussing on the way how they were going to get the tomb’s stone rolled out of the way so they could see his body and mourn.

When they got to the tomb, an angel delivered the news to the mourning women: “He has risen!” “What? No, there’s no way. Can't be…can it?” A bewildered hope entered their hearts that perhaps Friday was not the end of the Story. A wild faith emerged that looked beyond the limp Body taken down from the Cross to the power and faithfulness of God. Matthew calls this mixture of emotion, “fear and great joy,” Mark calls it “trembling and astonishment.” However you describe it, Jesus’ disciples were blindsided by the hope of the resurrection. Akin to their Old Testament ancestors, they found the answer to the question, “Is anything too wonderful for God?”

But perhaps the most fearful, joyful news of that Sunday morning was that the cross of Friday was, after all, a good thing. The very thing that caused such grief was now a cause of joy. The very thing that had humiliated their King now exalted him. For his death was not the end of his kingdom, but its inauguration. Apart from the resurrection, Jesus was just another martyred prophet. But his resurrection declared his sacrifice an acceptable payment for the sins of his people. What a fearful, joyful thing that our God can take news as terrible as the crucifixion of the Son of God and turn it into the Good News that we know it to be today. This is why the cross has for so long been the defining symbol of Christianity.

The resurrection also serves, in this sense, as the basis of Christian hope in suffering. For if even the death of God’s Son can be made into such good news, what sorrow of ours will not undergo the same transformation? Let us not doubt God’s power and promise to apply the resurrection to our own sufferings, sooner or later. As CS Lewis once said, let us not say of a certain sorrow that no future bliss can make up for it, forgetting that heaven works backwards: God does not only promise to make up for our suffering with a consolation prize, but promises to transform our agonies into glories, just as he did the tragedy of the Cross. Christ, in his resurrected body, is the Living Hope that all who believe in him will share in the blessings of his resurrection. Some of those blessings we receive now (the "down payment") and some we'll receive in the age to come.

And as you consider your present circumstances, here in the midst of COVID-19, can you look beyond the limp body of our nation's economy to the faithfulness of God? Can you see a future beyond the crucifixion of your career, a future that rests in the hands of a King who loves you enough to take a bullet for you? As you suffer, will you do so in hope, believing that whatever agonies await you in the next month can and will be transformed by the same God who transformed the agony of Jesus?

Suffering and Hope Go Hand in Hand

Now, that does not mean we are called to be stoics who do not feel any pain - not at all. Jesus himself was “deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled” when sickness took the life of his friend Lazarus. And as Lazarus’ friends and family mourned their loss, Jesus himself wept over his world that had been infected by death. 

What’s happened in China, Spain and Italy is awful. What’s unfolding now and in the next few weeks in the United States is very real and scary. In the past two weeks, I’ve talked with pastors who wept over the devastation of their flock, 12th graders who won’t walk at graduation, bosses overwhelmed at having to lay off half their employees, moms floundering to teach their children at home. My own (very social) child burst into tears at the thought of weeks (months?) without seeing his friends. Wherever you are in this mix, however you are suffering, take a moment and imagine with me the face of Jesus as he wept over the death of Lazarus. How does that face look to you? Did his eyes simply get moist or did the tears flow freely? Did he cry quietly to himself or sob aloud? Did he hide his face or did he let everyone see the pain on it, and see the heaving of his chest? Whatever it looked like, it was striking enough that the bystanders looked at him and said, “See how he loved him!” It was obvious to them that Jesus must have cared very deeply for Lazarus and his two sisters to have wept in that way. Do you know that in the same way he wept over the loss of Lazarus, he weeps with you, believer, over your losses? And the implication of his tears are the same for you as well: “See how he loves us!”

But for the sake of hope, we must remember the rest of Lazarus’ story. Jesus wept knowing that five minutes later, Lazarus would be alive and well again, resurrected from the dead. In other words, hope and suffering were not contradictory for Jesus, but could both be in his heart at the same time. Surely we, too, are allowed to grieve, to be deeply moved, to weep over suffering. And just as it was with Jesus, rather than deep distress and grief forcing hope out of our hearts, such suffering can go hand in hand with hope. 

COVID-19 can infect our bodies. It can collapse the economy. It can disrupt our way of life. But it cannot infect our hope if it’s in Christ, who overcame the world; in Christ, who lovingly died for us; in Christ, who resurrected from the dead. For our fate is already secured, being wrapped up and joined to his fate. So take heart, you who are in Christ, you have a hope that is immune to all suffering, even the Coronavirus.

Neighbor Love From a Distance

March 30, 2020

How do we fulfill the second great commandment to love our neighbor as we love ourselves during a time when we cannot be physically present with them? It’s a question you’ve likely asked yourself, or a friend, and it’s something that we will have to be thinking about for at least the next month or longer, it appears. Here are a few simple, practical suggestions. This is certainly not a comprehensive list, and I encourage you to share your ideas in the comments section under this post.

  1. Make a phone call. Texting is fine and helpful, we’ve become more and more used to communicating to one another in this manner, but in a time when we’re homebound, it’s great to hear someone else’s voice, particularly someone you know and love, and particularly if you live alone and don’t have anyone else to talk all day. God gave us voices, and when we don’t get to use them regularly, technologies that connect us more physically than less physically are a rich blessing. So call your friends, yes. But also call someone you don’t know as well, just to check on how they’re doing. Call someone that you suspect is likely lonely. Call the neighbor down the street that you haven’t seen since the block party last year. And if in God’s providence they are still alive, absolutely, definitely, without a doubt call your mother and father.

  2. Make video calls. Whether you use Facetime or Skype or Zoom or whatever your favorite video conferencing platform might be, take advantage of newer technologies that allow us to see one another. Sure, no one loves to see or hear themselves on camera, but at this point, it’s probably just great to see someone other than your family members. I participated in my first Zoom video call this past weekend, and it was so good to catch up with the three other couples on the screen, to share stories from the past two weeks, to laugh together, to pray together. Sure, it was glitchy, and we spoke on top of each other several times. But we finally figured it out.

  3. Write letters. Again, texts and emails are fine too, but there’s something about receiving an old-fashioned, hand-written, smudged, signed letter in the mail. A letter can communicate emotion and feeling even better than a text or email. It can be placed on a coffee table or in a book and read again and again. It can be preserved for decades and centuries (“Grandpa, can you show me your letters from the COVID crisis again?”). It doesn’t have to be long - a short note will suffice.

  4. Share what’s in your pantry. You may have gotten to the grocery story to stock up on some needed items before the stores ran out. And while it seems that the supply is returning on important products, you may hear of someone who doesn’t have something you have multiple packs/units/items of. Be generous, trusting the Lord to provide for you and your family and you give away what He has already provided for you. Maybe it’s toilet paper. Maybe it’s hamburger meat. Maybe it’s bread. If we panic-shopped, then what isn’t in the stores is in someone’s pantry. So don’t be ashamed to ask around if you’re out of something. Give folks an opportunity to love you. I’m almost certain you’ll have an opportunity to love in return before this is all said and done. (In this category would also fall going shopping or going to the pharmacy for someone who shouldn’t get out due to a higher risk of catching the virus.)

  5. Share the gospel. People are going to be asking spiritual questions during this season. They will be more open to talking about God, about death, about eternity, about sin and suffering. Remember the words of Peter: “In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect” (I Peter 3:15). Jesus’ words could not be more appropriate than they will be in these coming weeks: “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Now is the time to grow in evangelistic zeal and courage, to practice sharing the gospel. Have a basic outline in your head: God, Sin, Christ, Faith. Talk about the sovereignty of God as the basis of our hope in times like these. Talk about the holy justice of God, and how we deserve far worse than we actually receive because of our sin. Talk about the fall of Adam as the source of all misery and suffering. Talk about the death and resurrection of Jesus as the only hope for sinners, and the return of Jesus as the day when all sorrow will be wiped away. Talk about what it means to trust Jesus, to turn from sin, to strive for holiness by grace, to walk by faith and not by sight. Pray for revival, and pray for opportunities to talk about Jesus with your neighbors.

As I said - there are certainly more practical ways we can love our neighbors; please share them with us! You’ve probably already thought of the ones I’ve mentioned. But if not - try them out.

What Should You Do When You Don't "Feel" Loved By God?

Feelings. Man, they’re weird. Like the winter in Mississippi, they don’t always seem to work the way they should. Dr. Kwasny once told me that feelings are like a car’s “check engine” light. They don’t tell us the whole story but they tell us that a story is there.

Feelings are like a magician. They show us one thing but the entire process remains a mystery. If we’re not careful, we can be fooled like the magic trick. We are tempted to “see” one thing when in reality the result has come about a totally different way.

One of the many different feelings that Christians “get” is when they don’t feel loved by God. As I often hear from young people (youth and college), “I understand it but I don’t really feel it.” Yes and amen to that! I’ve been there with you in this feeling before. There are still times that I don’t feel what I acknowledge to be true. It’s those 18 inches between head and heart that often feel like miles apart.

Head To Heart

The head and the heart have an interesting relationship within us. The heart cannot feel what the head does not know. The way to the heart is through the head. It is theology that fuels doxology. If you want to feel with your heart, you must think with your head. We will never have right affections for God until we are taught the truth about God. This means that truth comes to the head before it gets to the heart. But, the heart often feels like a memorable experience for me.

My mother is tall and, therefore, has long legs. When I was young, and obviously had shorter legs at the time, I would struggle to keep up with my mother when we walked. Not only was she tall, she also walked very fast. This was double trouble for young and short Wilson. One of my biggest memories from my young days is our trip to Disney World. I remember the rides, the food, and the Summer heat. I also remember one quote that was often repeated. “Keep up!” Yup, that was young Wilson’s biggest memory during those days. My mom would walk so fast and young Wilson would desperately try to keep up. Our head and heart are sometimes like my mother and young Wilson. The head often seems to be telling our hearts to “keep up!”

Can We Get Practical?

It’s important that we put our feelings in their proper place in an age that is all about “the feels”. As “indicator lights”, we need to make sure we use our feelings to search our hearts. One of the common feelings that Christians often get is the feeling that they’re not loved by God. We’d never admit that God doesn’t love us out loud but the feeling still lurks within. Our heads (aka our doctrine) tell us that we are loved but our hearts tell us that we’re not. So, why is there that head-heart gap? Why do we get that feeling of not being loved by God?

There are many different reasons that should be explored. This is the reason why we need solid biblical counseling in every season of our lives. There is no replacement for having someone regularly search the dynamics of your heart. But, there are some practical tools that we can use to help us truly know this love of God more.

Three Ways To “Feel” God’s Love More

  1. We need to understand the love of God more.
    In my first class at Tulane, our professor took our entire class to a restaurant for us to learn how to make gumbo. Having a father who grew up in Mobile, I grew up having my fair share of good gumbo. I loved gumbo but I had never made gumbo. Our professor separated the class into three teams for a cook-off. It was here that I had to actually learn how to make gumbo. After about two hours of cooking, I finally tasted a bowl. It was amazing!
    Now, here is the question: Was it really the best gumbo that I ever had? Or, did it taste better because I knew more about how to make it? In my most humble moment, I would say the latter. You see, it’s because I understood more about it that I tasted more of it.
    My wife works with John Wiggins and Mark Brown at Trinity Apparel. They work on tailored suits. I like suits but I don’t know the first thing about style. Then, my wife started to explain to me the different parts of the suit and what some look better than others. You want to know what happened after that moment? I began to see everyone’s suit totally different. I still don’t know much at all but even the microscopic knowledge that I do have made me love suits even more.
    In the same way, there are many times that we don’t feel loved because we actually don’t understand enough about God’s love. Your head might be telling you, “You already know that God is love and that God loves you. So, just get with the program buddy!” But in reality, you don’t know enough about God’s love. If God is infinite then the knowledge of God’s love can never be complete. It’s when we see a bigger God than we know a bigger love. The more we understand the doctrine of love the more we understand the majesty of God’s love.
    There is more to this. We need to understand more about who God is and what the gospel tells us. We don’t merely need to study the doctrine of love but we also need to study the entirety of God’s being. We need to see God’s sovereign love and His wise love. We need to see His gracious love, all-powerful love, unchanging love, everywhere-present love, and jealous love. It’s as I grow in my knowledge of who God is that I then can apply it to my knowledge of God’s love.
    Think about it this way. In cajun cooking, the onion is key. But, if you want to understand how awesome an onion is then you need to study how peppers, celery, thyme, and garlic interact with onions. It’s when you understand more about other vegetables and herbs that the wonder of the onion is seen.
    Maybe you don’t feel loved because your understanding of the storyline of the Bible is lacking. Maybe you don’t feel loved because your understanding of love is determined by the world. Maybe you don’t feel loved because your understanding of the Trinity is not correct. Our feelings depend on our knowledge.
    Apply: Find the resources to help you learn more about who God is and what the Bible says. We need to find the most helpful resources that grow us in our knowledge of God. We need more exposure to the Word, not less.

  2. We need to compare and contrast the love of God.
    Describe a dog. What would you compare a dog to? What would you use to show the contrast? Imagine trying to explain how a dog is an animal that also lives with us. If you met someone who had never seen a dog, how would you describe one? Those comparisons and contrasts help us better picture what a dog is like.
    It’s when we have better comparisons and contrasts of God’s love that we understand it better. For instance, there are many great comparisons of God’s love in movies, books, and TV shows. Think about the movie The Lion King where we see the love of Mufasa for Simba. Think about the book Harry Potter where we see the love of Lily Potter laying down her life for her son Harry. There are many fascinating examples of substitutionary love.
    It’s when we use these comparisons that we can have a better “picture” of that love. That’s why preachers and teachers use illustrations in sermons, lectures, and lessons. The best preachers have used great illustrations to paint mental pictures in people’s minds. Just read the sermons of Thomas Watson, Jonathan Edwards, Augustine, John Calvin, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Charles Spurgeon, and Tim Keller.
    Jesus was a master of using illustrations! He knew that it helped us to see comparisons to God’s love. Just think about the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Why didn’t he just say, “Hey guys, God loves you”? God created a physical world and gave us five senses. He created us inside His story. We were made to love stories, illustrations, and pictures.
    But, there are also contrasts. The best love of an earthly father fails to compare totally to our heavenly Father’s love. The best love of a friend laying down his life for another doesn’t totally encapsulate the loveliness of the sacrifice on Calvary. We need to be reminded that the best earthly examples are like the Sun. The Sun is massive! It’s so big and bright that we can see that burning ball from 92 million miles away (sometimes I feel like that’s how far away my heart is from my head). Even though the Sun is that big, we know that outer space is even bigger. Have we measured even half of space? Have we sent a satellite to each solar system? We have such a small view of the universe. God’s love is like outer space and the earthly examples are like the Sun. There is no example (including this one since outer space isn’t infinite!) that can fully contain the knowledge of God.
    Apply: Don’t shy away from comparing and contrasting God’s love with the things, events, and people that you see. Creation is crying out that we take notice. It’s when we find helpful illustrations that we can picture God’s love more. Natural Revelation gives us good pictures of truths in Special Revelation.

  3. We need to apply the love of God.
    What does it matter if we do all the studying and paint all the pictures if we never ask “so, what?” There was once a preaching professor who used to sit at the back of each class when his students would preach. He would sit and listen to students explain and illustrate the text. It wasn’t long until the students improved significantly in exposition and delivery but many would still forget to ask “so, what?” When there were 5 minutes left in the sermon, the professor would always hold up a giant sign that said, “So, what?” It was a reminder to the preacher that the people must not only see what the Bible says but they must also see how the Bible changes the way they live, feel, think, and love.
    We need to do the same thing to ourselves. When we study theology, we must do the painstaking work of asking how this truth changes the way we live. We need to spend time thinking about how it changes the way I interact with my micromanaging boss. I need to meditate on how a truth changes the way I respond to kids who pester me with questions whenever we’re on a retreat. I need to think deeply about how God’s love changes the way I respond whenever I’m reminded of how sinful I really am. We need to ask “so, what?”
    I remember one year for Christmas getting a set of plates from my brother and sister-in-law. I had the face of my wife when she was seven years old and she got clothes for Christmas. Let’s just say that she wasn’t happy. Here’s the thing, that was me and I was 27! Like all good Southerners, I put on a happy face and said “thank you” while I pouted to my wife about it later. Let’s just say that she was wise in how to respond to me. I didn’t see any use for these plates. We already had plates! Well, then I started to use them. I found that the semi-bowl/semi-plate looking thing was actually amazing. Do you know what my favorite dish in our pantry is now? It’s that Christmas gift! You see, whenever I actually used it and saw how it changed the way I could plate food then I realized how awesome it was.
    It’s when we see how a doctrine changes the way we live that we see more of the beauty of God’s truth. This is what good writers, preachers, and teachers do. They show us how God’s love actually changes the way we live. They say things such as, “If God’s love is sovereign then that means nothing and no one can stop Him from loving you.” Or they might say, “If God’s love is infinitely wise then that means that everything that God brings in your life will be used for you to know more of His love for you.” We often don’t feel loved because we don’t apply God’s love.
    Apply: Read books by people who show you how the gospel actually changes your thoughts, feelings, and actions. Read books by Tim Keller, Ed Welch, Heath Lambert, Kevin DeYoung, and Jerry Bridges. Find books by Sinclair Ferguson, Paul Miller, Paul Tripp, Tim Chester, and Michael Reeves. Read what John Kwasny and John Perritt have written!

If the Lord wills...

March 27, 2020
John C. Kwasny

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15)

Full disclosure:  I don’t like these verses.  I don’t like them at all.  As someone who lacks the gift of spontaneity, and believes planning is next to cleanliness (and godliness), James’ words are ones I’d rather avoid.  But, alas, this is the Word of God, not some lackadaisical thoughts from an anti-planning man.  Under the inspiration of the Spirit, James confronts the ancient merchants who were making their business plans for the future.  These folks were looking at the best markets to sell their wares, seeking the greatest profits possible.  While this is capitalism at its best, it is also Christianity at its worst.  In no way were these planners seeking the Lord’s will--they were simply using their own brains (and lessons they probably learned in business school).

So James brings the hammer down on their (and our) hearts with two radical truths: 1) You have no idea what tomorrow brings (much less next week, month, or year); and, 2) You are nothing but a mist that will vanish in a little while.  Thanks, James, for building our self-esteems!  In all seriousness, thank you, God’s Word, for humbling us with these vital truths.  At all times, but especially during this current international crisis, we need these verses tattooed on our hearts and minds.  Why?  Because our natural inclination is to make plans according to our own desires and interests.  Because our normal impulse is to forget that we are mist that only appears for a short time.  Let these truths wash over your minds to bring you peace.  After all, if you don’t know about tomorrow, and you are just temporary in this world, you can spend less time trying to be God and more time resting in the One who alone knows tomorrow--and is permanent!

Thankfully, James doesn’t just tell us how we ought NOT to think about today or tomorrow, but how we must think (and what we should say).  As Luke 6:45 reminds us, out of the abundance of the mouth his heart speaks.  Our hearts and minds (and words) must be corrected to always see and speak of life in context of the Lord’s will, not ours.  If the Lord wills…then we will do this or that.  If the Lord wills…our plans will actually come to pass.  If the Lord wills…then we will live today and tomorrow.  This heart attitude is more than a reluctant acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty.  It is the joyful recognition that, if the Lord wills, then “it” will happen!  Why would the Christian want anything less than the Lord’s will?  Do we secretly believe that our will, our plans, our desires, are much better than the Lord’s?  Do we fear that God is unloving, unconcerned, or disinterested in our mist-like lives?  Or, are we simply more focused on what we want--when we want it--than what He wants?

We want the virus eradicated yesterday.  We want our friends and loved ones to be untouched, or at least survive this pandemic.  We want our jobs and incomes to be guaranteed throughout this crisis.  We want our thriving economy back.  We want to be at church, with our friends, at school—free to gather in large groups again.  We don’t want our lives to change.  But, what does the Lord will?  What are his foreordained plans for this time in human history?  He’s not scrambling to figure this thing out!  He’s not social distancing from us in order not to catch it.  He’s not using the data and crunching the numbers in order to make a plan.  His will WILL be done.  That fact leaves just one question for you and me: Will we humbly and joyfully acknowledge the Lord’s will while we make our plans for today, tomorrow, next week and next year?  May we all say to one another “if the Lord wills” because our hearts truly rest in the Lord’s will for this virus and for the entirety of our lives! 

 

 

 

C. S. Lewis on Coronavirus, Excitement, Frustration, and Fear of Death

C. S. Lewis’ essay “Learning in Wartime,” found in his book Weight of Glory, is an amazing essay in its own right. But it’s even more powerful right now, as we face a virus which is just as life-altering as World War II was back in the 1940s. Originally an address in Oxford in October 1939, a month after Britain had declared war on Germany, Lewis writes to students who may be wondering why they should worry about their studies in light of something so threatening and all-encompassing. Even if you are not a student, no matter what your calling might be, this essay is applicable to you on many levels. The last few pages are particularly rich. I quoted a part of these paragraphs in my sermon this past Sunday, but want to give you more of Lewis’ classic work. As in my sermon, I’m going to replace “war” with “coronavirus” so that we might be helped to apply these words more directly to our situation:

I would again repeat what I have been saying in one form or another every since I started - do not let your nerves and emotions lead you into thinking your predicament more abnormal than it really is. Perhaps it may be useful to mention the three mental exercises which may serve as defenses against the three enemies which coronavirus raises up against the scholar [enter your calling here].

The first enemy is excitement - the tendency to think and feel about the war when we had intended to think about our work. The best defense is a recognition that in this, as in everything else, coronavirus has not really raised up a new enemy but only aggravated an old one. There are always plenty of rivals to our work. We are always falling in love or quarreling, looking for jobs or fearing to lose them, getting ill and recovering, following public affairs. If we let ourselves, we shall always be waiting for some distraction or other to end before we can really get down to our work. The only people who achieve much are those who want knowledge so badly that they seek it while the conditions are still unfavorable. Favorable conditions never come. There are, of course, moments when the pressure of the excitement is so great that only superhuman self-control could resist it. They come both in coronavirus and peace. We must do the best we can.

The second enemy is frustration - the feeling that we shall not have time to finish. If I say to you that no one has time to finish, that the longest human life leaves a man, in any branch of learning, a beginner, I shall seem to you to be saying something quite academic and theoretical. You would be surprised if you knew how soon one begins to fell the shortness of the tether, of how many things, even in middle life, we have to say “No time for that,” “Too late now,” and “Not for me.” But Nature herself forbids you to share that experience. A more Christian attitude, which can be attained at any age, is that of leaving futurity in God’s hands. We may as well, for God will certainly retain it whether we leave it to Him or not. Never, in peace or coronavirus, commit your virtue or your happiness to the future. Happy work is best done by the man who takes his long-term plans somewhat lightly and works from moment to moment “as to the Lord.” It is only our daily bread that we are encouraged to ask for. The present is the only time in which any duty can be done or any grace received.

The third enemy is fear. Coronavirus threatens us with death and pain. No man - and specially no Christian who remembers Gethsemane - need try to attain a stoic indifference about these things, but we can guard against the illusions of the imagination. We think of the [hospitals of Wuhan, Italy, New York, etc.] and contrast the deaths there suffered with an abstraction called Life. But there is no question of death or life for any of us, only a question of this death or that – of a virus now or a cancer forty years later. What does coronavirus do to death? It certainly does not make it more frequent; 100 percent of us die, and the percentage cannot be increased. It puts several deaths earlier, but I hardly suppose that is what we fear. Certainly when the moment comes, it will make little difference how may years we have behind us. Does it increase our chances of a painful death? I doubt it. As far as I can find out, what we call natural death is usually preceded by suffering…Yet coronavirus does do something to death. It forces us to remember it. The only reason why the cancer at sixty or the paralysis at seventy-five do not bother us is that we forget them. Coronavirus makes death real to us, and that would have been regarded as one of its blessings by most of the great Christians of the past. They thought it good for us to be always aware of our mortality. I am inclined to think they were right. All the animal life in us, all schemes of happiness that centered in this world, were always doomed to a final frustration. In ordinary times only a wise man can realize it. Now the stupidest of us knows. We see unmistakably the sort of universe in which we have all along been living, and must come to terms with it. If we had foolish un-Christian hopes about human culture, they are now shattered. If we thought we were building up a heaven on earth, if we looked for something that would turn the present world from a place of pilgrimage into a permanent city satisfying the soul of man, we are disillusioned, and not a moment too soon.”