Luke 15:20

I recently sinned against my wife. A sinful tendency in me led to anger and I spoke in a way that was not in the ball park of love or edification. It was one of those moments where you regret what you said the moment it comes out of your mouth. About two minuets latter I was convicted, asked God for forgiveness, and went to find my wife–who was out walking–to ask her forgiveness. As an aside, I think it is good to respond to conviction as soon as possible. There is a reason it comes when it does. (To often we push off repentance until a more comfortable or ‘reasonable’ time.) So I decided I was going to find my wife and ask her forgiveness. This is where God really began to challenge me.

I didn’t immediately see my wife, so I searched a little. I eventually saw her and quickly realized that she was to far ahead for me to catch up by walking. There were two options, stop seeking her or run to catch up. Now the great thing about God is that he is not wasteful. He squeezes every opportunity for conviction and teaching in each of life’s circumstances. I stood there and thought, I genuinely want to ask my wife for forgiveness, but do I want to let her see me run? Now you know what was going on in my mind. Running to my wife would be an outward display of my remorse. It’s as if I wanted my wife to know I was sorry, but not too sorry, not pitiful sorry. So I waited until she could not see me and then I ran, stopping soon enough to hide my running.

In retrospect the whole process was ridiculous. I’ve been teaching through the parables of Luke and all I could think about was how the father ran to the prodigal son in Luke 15. Our situations are completely different, the father had nothing to apologize for. But he ran, because he loved his son. And I should have run, not caring about my foolish pride. I should have willingly let her see me run–I think it would have communicated far better than my words!

There were two things at war within me. A desire for godly repentance and pride. In that instance pride won. It would have been easy to push off the truth by reminding myself, ‘you did ask your wife to forgive you, and that’s what really matters.’ But that’s not true. Sin and holiness are what matters. If I fall into a hole while trying to get out of another hole am I any better off? If I sin while trying to repent of a sin, am I any better off? My prayer, that I would love (and not just my wife) so much that displaying that love would easily outweigh and overwhelm my pride.

Luke 10:36 – 37

This past Sunday I preached a message on the parable of the Good Samaritan (you can listen to it here). I challenged our church to stop asking, ‘who’s my neighbor’ and start asking, ‘what kind of neighbor am I.’ The point of the parable is simple–stop making excuses and love people.

Now it happened that later that week the contents of a house, my next door neighbor’s, were scheduled to be auctioned. I woke up one morning and, to my surprise, there was a large truck and trailer driving through my back lawn. Let’s pause: you need to know something about my lawn–I like it. I like that it’s flat and doesn’t have ruts from tires and large mud spots in it; I like to play ultimate frisbee and soccer on it; and I like to cut it and see it kept in orderly fashion. Needless to say, I wasn’t happy. I wen’t and talked to the men running the auction and asked them to ‘respect’ my lawn. They said they would, of course, but then asked if cars could park on my lawn during the auction. You know I said no…very lovingly. But I asked myself on a practical level, was that me failing to ‘loving my neighbor?’ I don’t think so for two reasons (I admit I could be wrong here, so feel free to call me out).

1) I am a steward of the land that I live on. Firstly because it was created by God and I am meant to care for it in a way that reflects the God who created it. Secondly because my church allows me to there for free. So I take my responsibility to care for my yard seriously. As I thought about that I realized something regarding ‘love your neighbor.’ Love is not equivalent to letting someone carelessly take advantage of what God has graciously given you for the aim of personal profit. Yes, we should share and edify one another with what God has given us. But love does not square with failing to use what God has given you in a wise manner.

2) I don’t think the pursuit of unnecessary stuff garners an act of sacrificial love. This isn’t life or death or even personal comfort here. The auction, as I assume many are, was nothing but an opportunity for people to feed materialistic desires. Necessities weren’t being sold–novelties were. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not always wrong to buy things that are not necessities. However, in the parable of the samaritan I don’t think Jesus was teaching, ‘make sacrifices so people can have things that they don’t need.’ The parable, and the aim of love, is to meet the real needs–both physical and spiritual–through love.

Lest I be mistaken, I’m not trying to justify my actions. I’m merely musing on further application from my sermon. Love your neighbor, yes! But love does not mean being careless with what God has given so that someone else can gain things they don’t need (maybe even things that keep them from Christ!) It’s a fine line because we can always justify our actions in this manner. However, the more I think about it the more I believe that an inappropriate act of love (like ‘lovingly’ giving to feed someone’s sin) is just as much sin as a failure to love.

“The essence of Popery [catholicism] lies in the assumption, that sacraments possess an intrinsic power to confer grace; and that, consequently, those who administer them are constituted channels of intercourse and mediation between God and the souls of men. All the absurdities and abominations with which Romanism is characterized, are but developments of this central dogma; offshoots from this one poisonous root. But this also is the very core and substances of infant baptism.”

See the connection between infant baptism and the inflated claims of the catholic church–like priests absolving sins, the pope being Christ’s human representative, and the authority of church tradition. What some would call an innocent practice actually lies on the false premise of what is called regenerative baptism which easily leads to a pastor’s ability to give grace. In the end, what appeared to be a simple issue that should not divide becomes, no is a serious theological claim that undermines the gospel. And that’s why the little issues matter. All theology, all belief is connected. You cannot alter one belief without impacting others and in many cases impacting the gospel. That’s why doctrine matter, because the gospel matters. I’m passionate about baptism, communion, church leadership, and the church itself because they are all connected to the gospel. I love the gospel, and if I want to guard it I will have to defend doctrine that may seem trite.

Acts 5:42

I am always challenged by Scripture. Every time I read it God shows me that I’m not as good as I think I am, not as bold as I would like to be, and, today, not as consistent as I should be. In the book of Acts the early teachers of Christianity never stopped preaching Christ. In their ‘church’, in public gatherings, at dinner parties, sitting around the house; they kept preaching Jesus. Now I know the book of Acts is not normative. It does not outline what a believer is supposed to–like steps to take in Christianity. Instead it gives a detailed outline of how Christianity spread for Jerusalem to the remote parts of the Roman Empire. However, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be challenged to emulate certain Christian characteristics. And that’s what happened to me this morning. I thought, “why don’t I teach Jesus everywhere I am?”

Now I don’t think the apostles every word was teaching Jesus. If someone came and asked Peter, “what would you like for dinner,” I doubt he responded, “Jesus was raised from the dead.” If he had the host would probably have replied, “sorry, I don’t know how to make that.” I do believe that those early Christian teachers–who were nothing but Christ empowered uneducated fishermen–took every context they found themselves in as an opportunity to preach (not as in a Sunday sermon but a proclamation of the truth). And that’s what I want to do. Too often I’m ‘looking’ for opportunities to preach Jesus and fail to realize that life is the opportunity to preach Jesus. [And by life I don't mean, 'preach Jesus with your lifestyle and use words when you have to.' That's plan illogical; no one ever comes to Christ because I don't speed, or don't smoke marijuana, or don't get drunk. They come to Christ because someone verbally tells them the Gospel and they believe.] Wherever I happen to be living at any given time is my opportunity to preach. I think that is what the apostles realized and took advantage of, and it is the way I want to live my life. I’m alive, and if I’m alive that means I’m somewhere. That’s my opportunity to never stop preaching.

“Take heed, therefore, how ye hear” Luke 8:18

1) I direct or entreat you to come to hear them, not out of curiosity, but from a sincere desire to know and do your duty.

2) A second direction I shall lay down for the same purpose, is, not only to prepare your hearts before you hear, but also to give diligent heed to the things that are spoken from the word of God.

3) A third direction, Not to entertain any the least prejudice against the minister. For could a preacher speak with the tongue of men and angels, if his audience was prejudiced against him, he would be but as sounding brass, or tinkling cymbal.

4) Fourthly, As you ought not to be prejudiced against, so you should be careful not to depend too much on a preacher, or think more highly of him than you ought to think. For though this be an extreme that people seldom run into, yet preferring one teacher in apposition to another, has often been of ill consequence to the church of God.

5) A Fifth direction I would recommend is, to make a particular application of every thing that is delivered to your own hearts.

6) Sixth and last direction: If you would receive a blessing from the Lord, when you hear his word preached, pray to him, both before, in, and after every sermon, to endue the minister with power to speak, and to grant you a will and ability to put in practice, what he shall show from the book of God to be your duty.

I cannot say that I always listen to sermons in this manner. I can say that when I have God has taught me great things.

I’ll gladly grant that my nerves were illogical, not even in the left field of reason. What outcome, after all, could be so potentially bad? Nerves, however, do not obey the rules of logic. They are very often irrational, and I believe them to be one of our enemy’s favorite playgrounds. What surprised me the most was the thought at the bottom of my nerves–it was shame. Now I did not notice more less admitted it at the time; but there it was, shame surfacing itself as timidity.

What finally tipped me off to the root of my emotion was the truth God used to overcome it. In the middle of my turbulent mind came a single, nerve shattering truth. It was like a thousand watt light was suddenly turned on in the darkest room. God silently whispered in my soul; “Jonathan, you have in your heart–and soon to be in your mouth–the very words of life, the gospel. Do not be ashamed. Do not be ashamed to offer salvation to a dying person, realize what you are about to do and do it with gladness.” I wish all of my life was dominated by that truth. Suddenly nervousness became the most irrelevant thing in the world. It vanished like morning fog in the sun.

Christians have every reason to be bold. Even when we suffer, which I suppose to be the thought that eventually leads to most if  not all nervousness, we have cause to rejoice. If I suffer for Christ’s sake God tells me that I am blessed, that I glorify him in that moment, and so I should never feel ashamed. My prayer for my own life and the life of Christ’s church is that we would realize exactly what we are doing, freely offering God’s lifesaving grace, and never be ashamed, nervous, or timid.

At first such thinking seems to gain ground. Primary beliefs must be agreed upon by all, secondary beliefs have some wiggle room, and tertiary is normally wide open–as long as one’s beliefs do not contradict orthodox theology. Now what belongs in each category is always up for debate, though there is much agreement on primary doctrines. Often an argument moves from doctrine to what category a doctrine belongs–which seems to me an absurd waste of time. The reason why is simple. There is no such thing as a lesser doctrine, only doctrines that we understand to a lesser degree. If we understood all doctrine in its fullest we would see that every truth is so intertwined that one belief cannot be changed or disregarded except at the expense of another. Eschatology and ecclesiology eventually affect soteriology. Back to the example of the hiker. Is it not obvious that progress on the trail cannot be made until the difficult part is traversed? You cannot simply name a part difficult and skip it! Similarly you cannot name a doctrine divisive or difficult and move on. That very doctrine that you skip will be absolutely necessary at some later point.

I know what I’m saying can be controversial; after all, creating categories of importance is what allows many to work together in harmony. However, I would posit another option over categorizing belief; namely love. Francis Schaeffer once said, “Obviously we ought not to go out looking for differences among Christians; there are enough without looking for more. But even so, it is in the midst of a difference that we have our golden opportunity.” The opportunity he spoke of was that of showing great love and respect in the midst of disagreement (after all the world understands why those who agree on everything get along). In the end, whether or not you work with someone should be decided on the basis of how someones beliefs affect the gospel–do those ’secondary’ positions damage the glorious truth of Christ’s death and resurrection?

What then are we to do with divisive doctrine. We debate it, in love of course. In love for Christ and love for our brother. In love for Christ. The goal is never to win the debate, but to love Christ deeper and truer. John Owen put it this way: “When we have communion with God in the doctrine we contend for-then shall we be garrisoned by the grace of God against all the assaults of men” (Contending for our All, p. 112).  Note communion in what we contend. All doctrinal debate must be driven by a love for truth that is in Christ. And in love for our brother. We must not forget that what we believe here will impact how we live in eternity. If I love my brother that thought will stay at the forefront of my mind. It seems the safest thing to do is take the advice of J.C. Ryle.

For your own soul’s sake dare to make up your mind what you believe, and dare to have positive distinct views of truth and error. Never, never be afraid to hold decided doctrinal opinions; and let no fear of man, and no morbid dread of being thought party-spirited, narrow, or controversial, make you rest contented with a bloodless, boneless, tasteless, colorless, lukewarm, undogmatic Christianity. (Holiness, p. 355)

In the end the goal of good doctrine is not so much different from the mountain trail: to give those who persevere a breathtaking view. The end of the mountain path gives perspective, the end of doctrine gives a glimpse of the glory of God. The great views are always painstaking to reach, but we never find ourselves disappointed!

Psalm 119:92

People do what they want to do. Whatever footnotes one adds to action, it always boils down to our desires. I know it is dangerous to say that we do what we want–it can get quite complicated to sort things out at times. When a given situation seems to go against what I am saying it is normally due to competing desires. Say a man robs a bank because his wife is being held at gun point. He does not want to rob the bank, but he does want to save his wife. He has competing desires, and, because he is a loving husband, his desire to save his wife wins out. I know there are much uglier and painful situations that I could point to–such as physical and mental abuse–that would push my point to the brink. However, I believe that in the end our greatest desire at present wins out and we act accordingly–even if such action is only desirable when compared to something far more evil. That is why guarding our heart, the root of our desires, is so important (see Prov. 4:22)

Now if what I’m saying is correct then it has great implication on sinning–we sin because we want to. This is a nauseating thing for the Christian. On the one had, he has tasted the goodness of the Lord; on the other, he still finds himself wanting to sin. In the battle for purity we often address our sinful actions head on, wrongfully thinking that if we stop the action long enough the desire will go away. But if my first point is true, that we do what we want, then this approach goes about things the wrong way. Doing a sinful action less will not likely make you desire it less, although it may temporarily numb the desire. I have seen this played out in my life too many times to recount. I stopped a sinful action for months, in some cases years, and thought I was done with it. In the end, to my dismay, I found the desire was lurking and constantly seeking an opportunity to express itself. Keeping my distance from it did not mean it was keeping its distance from me.

What is sure is that if you desire an action less you will find yourself doing to less. If you do not like chocolate you do not eat it. If you do not like a particular sin you will most likely not commit it. I think that is what the Psalmist is getting at in Psalm 119:92. If the law had not been his delight he would have perished in his state of misery. His delight in the Lord and in the Lord’s truth saved him. This gets to the heart of the matter for most of us. How is it that we kill sinful desires? The answer: fight desire with delight. Listen to the words of seventeenth century Puritan Archbishop Robert Leighton:

The real reason why we remain servants of these evil desires is that we are still strangers to God’s love and to those pure pleasures that are in him. [The Crossway Classic Commentaries, 1 & 2 Peter. Crossway Books (Wheaton, Il), 111.]

There is great wisdom in what Leighton says. Our desire for sin stems from our failure to delight in God. You kill a desire by finding something or someone in whom you have greater delight. For the Christian this greater delight is Christ. The more we find ourselves delighting in Christ the less we will desire sin. The battle for righteousness is not an act of drudgery–putting off things that you desperately want. No, it is the pursuit of the pure pleasures of Christ. God calls us to fight our sinful desire with joy. What a great gift!

]]> http://uvbconline.com/jonathan/?feed=rss2&p=353 2 http://uvbconline.com/jonathan/?p=334 http://uvbconline.com/jonathan/?p=334#comments Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:18:33 +0000 admin http://uvbconline.com/jonathan/?p=334 Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say,“Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.

Proverbs 30:8 – 9

There is great danger in extremes. Intense heat as well as bitter cold kills; driving to fast as well as to slow can be hazardous. The same holds true with material wealth, too much or too little can be dangerous. I choose the word danger for a reason. Heat waves do not have to kill you; likewise, riches and poverty do not necessarily mean harm–but there is danger. In Proverbs 30:8-9 Agur the son of Jakeh makes a simple request of God that illustrates this danger.

Not Riches

The danger of riches is captured in verse 9. The request is for enough food to manage, a rationing of daily bread. Now that may seem like a foolish request. Why not enough food for leftovers? The reason is the danger of self-reliance. Agur’s reason for just enough was to guard him from asking, “Who is the Lord?” That’s not a question of inquiry, but a question of accusation. Who is the Lord in this context can be read as, “Who is this Lord that I should need him?” To much food tends to self-reliance and the denial, passive or active, of God’s provision. Most of the people I know do not have to pray, “Give me this day my daily bread.” They simply go to the pantry and get their own daily bread. Of course their ample provision was given by God as a gift for needs and generosity. But the danger of having plenty is forgetting that what you have is a gift. If you are constantly asking God for necessities you are less prone to forget where they come from.

Not Poverty

Poverty is not the solution either, for it also is an extreme. “Just enough,” says Agur, “for if I do not have food I may steal and dishonor the name of the Lord.” A lack of food may easily press a man into thievery. As a result God’s majestic name may be profaned amongst unbelievers. After all, Christians are called to keep their “conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation” (1 Peter2:12). Poverty provides at least a temptation to steal, and stealing violates the very meaning and nature of our life. The solution is, “God, give me enough food for my family, that I might not be tempted and succumb to theft.” Not too much, not too little.

I must make one important note here. Neither poverty nor riches are necessarily sin. There is no need for guilt if you are rich. There is no need for guilt if you are poor. (There may be guilt in either situation if sin is what led you to that point.) The need is for you to realize your temptation. Our desire should be that our provision, however great or little, would not lead us into temptation.  In that vein there is wisdom in Agur’s request. It is a proverbial echo of Christ’s model prayer, “and lead us not into temptation” (Mat. 6:13). Enough to keep me from stealing, but not so much that I should stop asking for necessities. Your happiness does not lie in an extreme, but in the simple, joyous provision of the Lord.

“You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.”

2 Corinthians 9:11

Christians are commanded to give thanks. Admittedly, it is an odd command at first. Until one is given new life in Christ is seems a mockery, a chief hypocrisy, to give thanks on command. However, the new life Christ gives those who believe truly does change everything. For a follower of Christ the command to give thanks is on the same level as the command to breathe. Yes, we are commanded; but what God commands is our desire and comes as natural as taking a deep breath.

For that reason I take it for granted that every true follower of Christ wants to give thanks. What I want to do is show how generosity can be one of the greatest ways to do just that. In 2 Corinthians 9 Paul is urging the Corinthian church to give to needy Christians living in Jerusalem. Toward the end of his request he tells the church that their monetary gift will “produce thanksgiving to God.” In that phrase we see that generosity has a double effect when it comes to giving thanks.

On the one hand, my gift itself is an expression of thanks. One of the clearest ways we express gratitude and admiration is by sharing with others. When I find a new song, a new book, or a new food that I enjoy, and am thus thankful for, I aim to share it with others. Eagerness for others to share in something speaks volumes of ones appreciation. My gifts serve much the same way. When I give money, time,  or any material possession I am sharing with others what I am thankful for. And so my act of generosity is an offering of thanks in and of itself.

On the other hand, my gift has the potential to produce thanks in someone else. That is what Paul is getting at in 2 Cor. 9:11. When my gift is received it will produce thanks in another. Here is how Paul sees it playing out. Say I give one-hundred dollars to my friend Bill who needs groceries. When Bill receives my gift his first thought should be, ‘God, thank you for blessing Jonathan with the money and willingness to be generous.’ Do you see what just happened. My offering of thanks was doubled. Now there are two people thanking God–one through the act of generosity and the other through the act of receiving. In that way generosity can produce thanksgiving.

When you are compelled to give thanks do not pass over generosity. If God blesses you with a job, an unexpected gift, or a good return on an investment, give and be generous. Your generosity has the potential to double the thanks given to God.