Author: pastortravislv

1 Samuel 24:3-6 – 3 And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave. 4 And the men of David said to him, “Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’ ” Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. 5 And afterward David’s heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. 6 He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord’s anointed.”
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“I just know deep down in my heart that this is something that God wants me to do. Besides, look at how many things have lined up to point me in this direction. It must be God’s will.” Who could be the speaker behind such words? It could be a recent reader of Experiencing God. It could be your lost neighbor who is trying to sound spiritual for your sake. It could be the teen girl who is rationalizing a relationship with a young man her parents dislike. It could be you, as you try to decide whether or not to stay in a difficult church or ministry. Or, it could be a paraphrase of David’s thoughts from the above passage before the conviction of God fell on him.

David’s Story

Here’s the setting, in case anyone does not know this story. David is hiding in a cave. King Saul, the guy who is chasing David all over the wilderness with intensions of murdering him, feels the call of nature. So, he goes into the very same cave where David is hiding to take care of business. David’s friends think David should kill Saul, as God has “clearly” put him into David’s hands. While Saul is there in a very vulnerable position, David creeps up and cuts off part of Saul’s royal robe, leaving him with something more akin to a royal mini-skirt (maybe not that bad, who knows). And David then feels the conviction of God for doing something inappropriate against God’s anointed king.

Our Application

Here’s what we need to think about: discerning God’s will. Many people in our world make decisions about how God is leading them based on the particular circumstances that are before them. Supposedly opened or closed doors in life, difficult circumstances, declines in church attendance or giving, a great or small number of people responding to evangelistic appeals, or a perfectly-worded bumper sticker are all possible ways that some Christians might decide that something is or is not God’s will for them. If things “line up just right,” we assume that God is telling us something. If things are hard and we find ourselves troubled at every turn, we assume God is leading us away from something. The problem is, such factors are very poor means for understanding the will of God.

Look at David. Everything circumstantially lined up for him to believe it was God’s will for him to kill Saul. David had already been told that he was the rightful king by Samuel. David was running for his life from Saul, and self-defense could certainly have been put into the discussion. David’s friends, those all-important others from whom we receive counsel, all told David that this was God putting Saul into David’s power. Besides, how could it possibly be that Saul would need to go potty in exactly the cave where David was hiding? No way was this a coincidence.

The problem for David is that, though all the circumstances and the counsel of his friends pointed toward it being God’s will for him to kill Saul, God was not telling David this at all. God has always wanted his people to respect their leaders, even when they are not the best (cf. Romans 13:1-ff). What David needed was not a special set of circumstances, nor was it the counsel of others, nor was it a tingly gut feeling; David needed God’s word, rightly understood and applied, in order to truly grasp what it was that God was telling him. (Yes, I know that David did not have Romans 13 to look into for himself in the cave; but I think the point holds valid.)

Knowing God’s Will

So, how do you know if something is God’s will? The answer is simple: know God’s word and obey it. As John MacArthur has so wonderfully taught before (cf. Macarthur, Found: God’s Will), we determine what God wants us to do, not through mystical methods, but through his words and his principles. IF we are loving God with all our hearts and living in obedience to his commands in all things—delighting in the Lord (cf. Psalm 37:4)—then we have freedom to act in accord with our desires since we can believe that those desires are governed by the Lord’s word and his commands. I’m not here advocating choices made out of selfishness, but choices made out of reverence for God, obedience to his clear commands, and a desire that is foremost for his glory.

Yes, I know that what I have given here is simplistic in many ways. There are many more things that need to be hashed out before one can truly feel that he or she has everything he needs to understand the will of God. Prayer is still a factor, and we do not totally discount what wise counselors tell us. However, what I want to accomplish is to turn our hearts away from mysticism. I want us to stop relying on our circumstances. I want us to stop relying solely on human wisdom. I want us to stop thinking that our decisions are to be governed by some sort of externally imposed tummy tremors. If we want to hear God’s voice, we need to read, understand, apply, and obey his word.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 – 16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
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Think of the sufferings of Paul. This man had been stoned and left for dead, shipwrecked, beaten, plotted against, and mistreated in numerous ways. He had suffered hunger, thirst, nakedness, and all sorts of deprivations. He experienced sorrow after sorrow, as he was abandoned by friends and as he heard reports of friends suffering.

In the light of just some of Paul’s sufferings, look again at the verses above. He considers this “light momentary affliction” as nothing in comparison to the weight of glory that awaits him. How could Paul possibly call his sufferings light? How could he possibly act as though the scars on his body and the pain in his soul are merely afflictions to be shrugged off? There is only one way, and that way includes a proper understanding of the glory of God that is to come.

The way that Paul lived and you and I can live, in such a way as to overcome suffering and pain is by grasping the greatness, the beauty, the true weight of glory in Christ. We live in a world that is just a flash in the pan of eternity. Our sufferings, even if they last us years, are but a mere blink of an eye on an eternal scale. Our pains, though they may be seemingly insurmountable are in actuality only little tiny discomforts when compared to the massive, unbelievable, unending glories that await us in the presence of Christ.

Imagine this if you will: You receive a letter from a long lost dead relative’s lawyer. In that letter, you find out that you are due to inherit your relative’s $10 million fortune. There is only one catch; your relative was a former big league baseball player, and, as a bit of an odd guy, demands that you stand and take a 90 mph fastball in the ribs in order to receive the money. Folks, a 90 mph fastball will definitely hurt; but it will not do you lasting damage (set aside odd special circumstances here for the sake of illustration). Would you endure a few minutes of pain and a few days of rubbing a bruise in order to receive the $10 million? I think that almost any of us would say, “Of course I would. I’d never let a few minutes of pain keep me from such a great prize.” And that is exactly Paul’s point. This life may involve pain, great pain. But in the scheme of eternity, it is only a few minutes of pain, and the prize far outweighs anything we can suffer in the here and now.

These verses show us a truly eternal perspective. If we grasp such a view of life, we will be able to live, to suffer, to rejoice, to weep, to praise, and to do whatever God calls us to with a true heart set on him. Let us not be lulled into a false view that says that this life is all there is. God created us to experience his glory in eternity. Let us live for that, which far outweighs everything in the here and now.

1 Samuel 6:3-5 – 3 They said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why his hand does not turn away from you.” 4 And they said, “What is the guilt offering that we shall return to him?” They answered, “Five golden tumors and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for the same plague was on all of you and on your lords. 5 So you must make images of your tumors and images of your mice that ravage the land, and give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lighten his hand from off you and your gods and your land.
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. One of my all-time favorite movie lines is Dr. Teeth from the original Muppet Movie saying, “Golden teeth and golden tones; welcome to my presence (heh heh heh).” It was just plain funny. But I have to tell you, the concept of a group of people making golden tumors and golden mice, that ranks right up there too. And, when you realize that the Hebrew word there translated tumors has also been translated as hemorrhoids, it really is hard to keep a straight face. Can you honestly imagine fashioning a golden hemorrhoid in order to pacify the wrath of an angry deity?

But before we get too snarky with the Philistine religious leadership, let’s stop and pay a little closer attention. How often do we fashion our own forms of worship or our own personal acts of penance as if those should satisfy God? How many people do you know who are thinking to themselves that they will earn their way into heaven through religious practices, personal good works, or simply not being bad on the level of a mass murderer, rapist, or climate-destroying SUV driver? Remember, God has told us that our most righteous actions are filthy in his site (Isaiah 64:6). He has told us that there is only one way to get to him, through Jesus Christ (John 14:6). He has told us that salvation is by grace through faith and not by our works (Ephesians 2:8), and yet millions believe that they are going to heaven because they are basically good people. This is no different than a golden hemorrhoid.

Or how about in the area of worship? God has commanded us to preach the word (2 Timothy 4:1-ff), but many have re-envisioned the worship service so as to completely remove any faithful teaching of the Bible. Hip groups have turned preaching into a “conversation” or have set up alternative “worship” stations in the place of worship. But, if you look at the fact that God commanded preaching, is it not a little like a golden hemorrhoid to tell folks that they can go feed themselves communion, finger-paint a nice abstract, or make shapes with the chocolate syrup in the whipped cream of their decaf white chocolate mocha instead of actually hearing and responding to the authoritative word of God?

Many will be tempted to respond to the above critique of off-the-wall froofy worship styles by pointing to the large crowds that such styles can draw. Let’s be careful, however, about thinking that the results of a particular religious activity are how you can tell whether or not you have worshipped God or made a golden hemorrhoid. Once the Philistines sent the Ark of the Covenant back to Israel with their “offering,” they stopped experiencing the plagues. They very well could have concluded, “See, that particular god likes mice and tumors as offerings.” They did not realize that they were in direct violation of the second commandment by making little idols. The reason that the plagues on the Philistines stopped was not the tumors and mice, it was the fact that God graciously chose to stop plaguing the Philistines after the Ark went back to Israel. The Philistines did not do anything that would make them right with God, they simply stopped experiencing their symptoms of being under his wrath. So, without question, pragmatic criteria are no way to judge whether or not one’s acts of worship are honoring to God.

We live in a world where every nut case with a word processor, blog, or a few minutes with Oprah seems to think he, she, or he/she has come up with a new way to get in good with the divine (be that divine within or without him, her, or him/her); however, all of our creative attempts at religion really amount to golden hemorrhoid-making. Thankfully, God has not consigned us to the smithy to fashion for ourselves a new religion every time we get the notion. Instead, he has given us his word. That word tells us how to be right with him. That word gives us principles by which we discern how to worship him in spirit and truth. That word tells us that this life is not about a conversation with God, but is rather about becoming God’s child by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. That word is solid, perfect, without error. God’s word is not up for post-modern reinterpretation, feminist revision, or Jeffersonian redaction. God’s commands are his commands.

So, how about this for an idea: Instead of creating a religion out of our own minds, why not use God’s holy word, his perfect revelation of himself and his ways, to learn who he is and how we should please him? Why not put away the golden mice and tumors of our own imaginings, and simply live to glorify God by obeying his commands, preaching his word, sharing his gospel, and loving his church? And in the midst of this, let’s give thanks to God for revealing to us how we can be made right with him by grace through faith in Christ and keeping us from having to make up our own crazy ways to please him.

*PS*
For you who might think I’m advocating the “regulative principle” by calling us to follow the scriptures in worship, let me simply say that I’m not. This is not about attempting to restrict all acts of worship to spelled out commands considering that the Bible says nothing to us about the use of hymnals, microphones, or electricity in worship. We have freedom in Christ to a certain degree; however, we do not have such freedom that we can simply ignore what God has called us to do, change his meaning as it is revealed in his word, or make up new and totally unrelated activities and declare them to be as valid as those which God has clearly commanded.

In a gripping article from the Associated Press published on April 22, I learned that an Albany, NY mail carrier saved a 1-year-old child by catching her after she fell out of a second story window. Lisa Harrell saw a little girl in a window above her as she was delivering mail to a home on April 21, and then caught the child in her arms before she fell to the ground below. This, ladies and gentlemen, is a wonderful thing, worthy of much discussion and gratitude.

“have you been saved?” This question used to permeate the sanctuaries, classrooms, and hallways of local churches all across the US. New members, teenagers, and death-bed folks all heard the question posed to them with great vigor and concern.

But today, the question has gone by the wayside. Why? Why are evangelicals not asking people about being saved? Why is the whole concept of being saved somehow no longer in vogue in the public arena? Think it through. How long has it been since someone asked you if you have been saved?

Well, let’s define terms. Lisa Harrell saved that little girl from serious injury or death. How? Lisa caught the child and kept her from certain harm. Thus the concept of being saved is simple: one person performs some action in order to keep another from harm.

What do evangelical Christians mean when they talk about being saved? This too is simple. All of us are destined for destruction, headed straight for the wrath of God. There is no hope for us. We are sinful before an infinitely holy God. But God sent his Son, Jesus. Jesus died as a sacrifice on our behalf. He satisfied God’s wrath against us for our sins and carried away our guilt. Jesus then rose from the grave, proving to all that God was truly satisfied with his finished work. So, in a sense, Jesus caught God’s children as they fell toward certain and eternal death.

So, in a Christian understanding, “Are you saved,” is merely another way of asking if you have been rescued by Jesus. How does that happen? Jesus makes it clear in John 3:16 that the way that we are rescued from destruction is by having true faith in Jesus. This is not to say that we simply believe that Jesus exists; rather, it is to say that we believe the things written above. To place your faith in Jesus is to let go of any hope of being good enough to work your way into heaven. To trust Jesus is to say that he is your only hope to be forgiven of the wrong that you have done both intentionally and unintentionally.

I don’t know if you’ve thought about it, but this is a beautiful message. That God would go to such lengths to rescue us from his wrath when we have earned that wrath, this is amazing.

Perhaps some of the reason that the “saved” question is no longer popular is that most of us no longer think about the fact that there is something from which we need saving. Perhaps we have become accustomed to blaming our environment, our parents, our bosses, our body chemistry, our ethnicity, our education level, or something else for our behaviors. Perhaps we simply do not want to think of ourselves as guilty. But the fact is, we do stand guilty before a holy God. God has made one way for us to be made right before him. He has offered grace to us. So, with love I ask you, “Have you been saved?”

Article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080422/ap_on_re_us/falling_baby_caught

Psalm 84:1-3, 10

10 For a day in your courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
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A single thought struck me as I looked at Psalm 84 today: funerals. Strange, I know, to think about a funeral in the middle of a psalm like this, but I think it applicable. You see, the psalmist declares that his heart, his soul, his flesh cries out for God. HE declares that there is nothing, absolutely nothing, better in his mind than the thought of dwelling in the house of God.

So often, when Christians pass away, we find ourselves grieving, and rightly so, over the loss of a dear friend or family member. Without question, to mourn the loss of a friend is a biblically right thing to do (cf. Philippians 2:25-27). However, how often do we fail to think about things like we read in Psalm 84? How often do we fail to remember that, for the Christian, death in this life is an immediate entrance into the glorious presence of God? How often do we fail to remind funeral-goers that the Christian in the casket is, at that very moment, experiencing the one thing that can truly satisfy their heart for an eternity?

One more question: Why? Why do we miss the joy of the funeral? I think that there could be one simple answer. WE often fail to experience the joy of the funeral because we fail in our day-to-day lives to remind one another that we want nothing greater than to dwell in the house of the Lord. We fail to speak constantly of the fact that it is better to spend one day in heaven than a thousand years anywhere. We fail to speak with longing for even a place in the back row seats of heaven over and above the front row of the greatest spectacle this world has to offer. We miss the joy because our day-to-day conversations are not filled with longing for the eternal.

Christians, how about this: Let’s make it easy for our friends and families to attend our own funerals. How can we do that? We can make it easy for our families by making sure that they know that there is nothing for which we long more than to be forever in the presence of our Lord. Let them know, even if you are young, that you are looking forward with anticipation to the greatest moment of your life, the moment when you first truly set eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ. Let the world around you know that your heart is in heaven, and they will be able to rejoice at your funeral.

Judges 2:1-3 – 1 Now the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, “I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, 2 and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done? 3 So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.”
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Judges chapters 1-3 give to us the account of Israel’s first years after the rule of Joshua. As the nation fought to take the land, they failed to thoroughly drive out the inhabitants. Later, those enemies whom the nation refused to destroy reared their heads to the harm of Israel. Simply put, Israel struggled and often failed because they failed to obey God’s command to completely destroy their enemies.

It is apparent that, in the Christian life, we too must strive against sin in such a way as to utterly destroy it. It is no good simply to have partial or temporary victory over a sinful habit. We need to so fight against sin as to put it to death, to mortify it. While we may never be totally victorious in this lifetime, we must battle against our sinful natures in such a way that we show our sin no mercy, no rest, no chance to regroup and assault us.

Read the following excerpts from chapter 6 of John Owen’s book, On the Mortification of Sin in the Life of the Believer (I have no page numbers to offer you, as this is from a downloaded copy from www.ccel.org):

“As a man nailed to the cross; he first struggles, and strives, and cries out with great strength and might, but, as his blood and spirits waste, his strivings are faint and seldom, his cries low and hoarse, scarce to be heard; — when a man first sets on a lust or distemper, to deal with it, it struggles with great violence to break loose; it cries with earnestness and impatience to be satisfied and relieved; but when by mortification the blood and spirits of it are let out, it moves seldom and faintly, cries sparingly, and is scarce heard in the heart; it may have sometimes a dying pang, that makes an appearance of great vigour and strength, but it is quickly over, especially if it be kept from considerable success.”

“This is the folly of some men; they set themselves with all earnestness and diligence against the appearing eruption of lust, but, leaving the principle and root untouched, perhaps unsearched out, they make but little or no progress in this work of mortification.”

“Such a one never thinks his lust dead because it is quiet, but labours still to give it new wounds, new blows every day.”

“For instance, when the heart finds sin at any time at work, seducing, forming imaginations to make provision for the flesh, to fulfill that lusts thereof, it instantly apprehends sin, and brings it to the law of God and love of Christ, condemns it, follows it with execution to the uttermost. Now, I say, when a man comes to this state and condition, that lust is weakened in the root and principle, that its motions and actions are fewer and weaker than formerly, so that they are not able to hinder his duty nor interrupt his peace, — when he can, in a quiet, sedate frame of spirit, find out and fight against sin, and have success against it, — then sin is mortified in some considerable measure, and, notwithstanding all its opposition, a man may have peace with God all his days.”