Blog

1 Corinthians 1:17 – For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

 

            Paul was a genius; almost any reader of his will confirm that fact. He made deep, powerful, logical connections between thoughts that still leave us marveling thousands of years later. He was able, had he chose, to out-argue anybody around him.

 

            Fascinating, then, that Paul does not choose to argue with clever or sophisticated speech. Instead, Paul chose to build his ministry by preaching one thing, one simple thing. Paul preached Christ Jesus and him crucified. This made the Jews stumble, as they could not imagine the Christ being crucified. It was a problem for gentiles who simply thought the concept of God forgiving us based on Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection totally nuts.. Yet Paul chose to preach this simple gospel in order that the cross of Christ not be emptied of its power.

 

            Christian, do you see the wisdom of this “foolish” plan? When we preach the gospel, the true gospel, and nothing but the gospel, and when people are changed by that gospel, it is obvious that they have been truly, supernaturally, spiritually converted. However, when we persuade people by our strong personalities, our perfectly designed programs, or our powerful rhetoric, we actually have no idea what happens when they claim a conversion. In order for us to see that God is the one who did the work, we need to be sure that what the people we preach to hear is the gospel that the lost world finds to be insane.

 

            This is no call to be foolish in your activity. This is no call to avoid planning, to be disorganized, or to fail to communicate in a way that your listeners will understand. We want a wisdom about how we approach people. However, we dare not tinker with the gospel. We dare not call people to respond to something other than the Jesus of the Bible, crucified and raised. We must not empty the cross of its power by making the faith about moral changes, political positions, or one country’s values over another. No, we must let the cross be the cross, a deadly, bloody, substitutionary atonement. This makes no sense to the lost world. It confuses them, makes them laugh, or makes them angry. Guess what, that is what the cross should do. Because there will be some who, when they hear about this cross, will be made alive in their hearts, will respond in faith, and will truly be saved by God to the glory of God.

Isaiah 49:6 (ESV)

he says:

“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant

to raise up the tribes of Jacob

and to bring back the preserved of Israel;

I will make you as a light for the nations,

that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

 

            Do we set our sights too low? Have we forgotten the power and sovereignty of our God? Do we settle for meager survival when something glorious is before us?

 

            Reading that little paragraph, it sounds like a prosperity preacher. All that needs to follow is some call to “claim the promise” and you too can have the material wealth you have always dreamed of. But I’m not thinking about health, wealth, and prosperity. No, I’m thinking of God’s plan to win the world and build his kingdom.

 

            In Isaiah 49, God tells Isaiah that there is more to his life and mission than Isaiah ever knew. Isaiah was not merely called by God to bring Israel back to their Lord. No, that would be too small a thing. God was going to use Isaiah and the divinely inspired message that God gave Isaiah to bring the nations to the Lord. Isaiah would be a tool in the hands of the Master to bring about the building of God’s global kingdom.

 

            In the Old Testament, such a plan was mysterious. How could God rescue the gentiles too? But by the time we see Jesus Christ, the suffering servant of Isaiah 53, lay down is life for all who will come to God from any nation, the global vision becomes more clear. God truly has always intended that his kingdom be filled with people from every nation on earth. God will not fail. Christ did not fail. God’s kingdom will be established.

 

            Now, back to my question of small thinking. Do we think too small? God told Isaiah that the return of Israel would be too small a task. That would be too easy, too little. No, God had a gigantic task for Isaiah. Isaiah would be a voice calling the nations to their King.

 

                But Isaiah is not the only one with such a call. Jesus commissioned his disciples by calling us to take the good news of Gods’ forgiveness to the nations. We are to make disciples of all peoples. A vision of a surviving church, or even a thriving church in a local community, is too small a vision. We need to think like God thinks. We need to pray for God to truly glorify his name. Would God not say to us just as he said to Isaiah, “I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth?” And if God would say this to us, how do we obey? It is time that we think bigger, pray bigger, and direct our plans globally. Yes, we are to reach our communities with the gospel. But we are also to take the gospel to the next town, the next county, the state, the nation, and the globe. O Christians, do not think too small when thinking about the building of the kingdom of our God.

Isaiah 30:15-18

 

15 For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel,

“In returning and rest you shall be saved;

in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”

But you were unwilling, 16 and you said,

“No! We will flee upon horses”;

therefore you shall flee away;

and, “We will ride upon swift steeds”;

therefore your pursuers shall be swift.

17 A thousand shall flee at the threat of one;

at the threat of five you shall flee,

till you are left

like a flagstaff on the top of a mountain,

like a signal on a hill.

18 Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you,

and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.

For the Lord is a God of justice;

blessed are all those who wait for him.

 

     In the days of Isaiah, the people of God were under a great threat. Assyria for the northern kingdom and Babylon for the southern kingdom were great dangers. God was going to send enemies, allowing them to punish Israel for her sin. But God also promised deliverance. If the people would trust in him, rest and be still, he would be their rescuer. Sadly, Israel did not wish to trust in the Lord. Instead, she would run away to attempt to save herself.

 

     There are great lessons here for us all. If you are not yet a believer in Christ, there is something for you to learn. It is human nature to think that you will rescue yourself, saving your own soul. Most people who believe in God also believe that they will be OK with God if they can manage to live up to a certain set of moral standards. But the Bible makes it clear that none of us are good enough in ourselves to please a holy God. No, the only way to be right with God is not to try, but to trust. God sent Jesus to live the perfection we could not live and to die the sacrificial death that would have kept our souls in hell forever. You cannot be good and get Jesus. On the contrary, all you can do is repent of sin, trust in Jesus, and ask him to save your soul. In quietness and rest is your salvation—quietness from personal works and resting in the person and work of Jesus alone.

 

     For the Christian, there is also a lesson. It is tempting, when we face hardships, to fix everything ourselves. But we are not always wise here. God is active in our lives. Sometimes the best policy for us is to rest in him and allow him to defend us, protect us, and provide for us. Of course this is not about laziness or quietism. However, there is truth in the fact that there is peace for the Christian when he or she will stop trying to run the world and allow God to be in charge (as he will be in charge no matter what we think we can do).

2 Chronicles 30:12 (ESV)

The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the Lord.

 

            During the time of King Hezekiah, the people of Judah turned from much of their former sin to obey and seek the Lord. For the first time in a long time, they kept a proper festival to God with proper sacrifice. Most of the remnant from the northern kingdom laughed at this worship even though they had already experienced the punishment of God who used the Assyrians to demolish that kingdom. Yet some from the north humbled themselves and repented.

 

            What is beautiful to me is the unity of heart that was present in the southern kingdom. As a people, the people of Judah repented and sought God. For a time, a short time, the southern kingdom turned from idols and to the Lord. They sacrificed, they prayed, and they sought God’s face. God blessed them and showed them mercy.

 

        How did this happen? How did Hezekiah convince the people to do what was right? He didn’t. Hezekiah was used by God here, there is no doubt. He was a tool in the hand of the Lord, but he is not the one to glorify for the heart change in the people of Judah. No, look again at verse 12. God did the work in the hearts of the people, “The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the Lord.”

 

        When a person turns from their sin to seek the salvation of God, that is the working of God on a dead heart. God may use a pastor, a friend, a missionary, a teacher, or whomever he wants, but the fact is, it is always God alone who changes the hearts of sinners. This is to God’s glory. He is the one who ought to receive 100% of the praise for anyone’s salvation, anyone’s heart change. This does not diminish the work of believers that God uses. Hezekiah was important in the lives of the people of Judah. Whoever shared Jesus with you was important in your conversion if you are saved. Missionaries are important in taking the gospel to the nations. But only God awakens dead hearts, replaces hearts of stone with hearts of flesh, and brings people to salvation. That is his glorious work for his sweet praise.

Isaiah 26:3-4

 

3 You keep him in perfect peace

whose mind is stayed on you,

because he trusts in you.

4 Trust in the Lord forever,

for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.

 

     Trust in God. Trust in him, because he will give peace to the one who does so. Trust in him, because he is an everlasting rock. Trust in him because he is steady and strong. Trust in him because he is sure and always right. Trust in him, and you will find rest.

 

     What a glorious call. Our God promises that he will give rest and peace to the one whose trust is in him. The one who trusts in God, truly trusts in God, is one whose life has been changed by God. The one who trusts in God is one who has been brought from darkness to light. The one who trusts in God is one who will receive from God great peace, great joy, great hope. Even when the circumstances of life are dismal, the one who trusts in God for real has a sweet comfort and confidence that the Lord will bring glory to his name.

 

     How can we trust God? We know that he is our rock. God does not change. The circumstances of the world around us do not sway him. His plans are certain. No evil force can put God off balance. No “natural” disaster can take him by surprise. No clever trickster can change God’s mind. No variant in the moral thinking of man will change what God has declared to be right. God is perfect. For him to change would mean to go from less perfect to more or from more perfect to less, and these things the perfect one cannot do.

 

                Do you trust in God? Is he your hope for salvation? Is he your hope for your future? Have you found yourself truly believing that he is your one and only sure foundation? Have you seen him as your only way to have peace and joy? Have you trusted in Jesus, God the Son, for eternal life? Do you trust in God in your hardships for peace and hope? “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.”

Romans 2:4

 

Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

 

     Many people in our world have done a bang-up job of refashioning God into someone he is not. This should be no surprise, as this has been going on since the very first human sin. Consider Cane who found himself furious with God for not accepting a sacrifice that Cane thought was just fine.

 

     One of the reshapings of God that is most common is the thought of God as all love with no judgment or wrath. People see the Scriptural declarations of God’s love and they fail to see the total picture. God is gloriously loving, and there is no doubt about that. God has shown kindness to all humanity. He did not kill us after our very first sin, and that shows a great deal of mercy and forbearance on his part.

 

     But Romans 2:4 tells us that God’s kindness has a purpose, and if you are not careful, you might miss it. One of the reasons that God is kind to those who sin against him is in order to bring them to repentance. When you and I, who by nature are evil, do what our evil nature demands, we should be judged by God. When God chooses to show us kindness instead of the judgment we deserve, that should provoke in us a reaction. The proper reaction is not to glory in our sin and to go on sinning. No, the proper reaction is to see the kindness of God, understand the ugliness of our sin, and turn from that sin while crying out to God for his pardon.

 

     Perhaps it would be good for you, today, to recognize some of the kindness that God has shown you. He did not kill you and judge you the moment of your first sin. He has let the sun shine on you and the wind blow around you. He has let you experience the rainfall that feeds the crops that feed your body. If you are reading this, you have Internet access for goodness’ sake, that’s pretty kind of God to let you have such technology.

 

     God has been kind to you in more ways than you can count. How have you been toward him? You have sinned against him; we all have. He does not even require you to be good to be saved. He simply calls us to turn from sin and trust in Christ. There is nothing in that about making yourself good. In fact, it is about rejecting your wrong and crying out to him for mercy to make you right. Look at the kindness of God, and let it lead you to repent of sin and love his mercy.

Micah 2:1-3

 

1 Woe to those who devise wickedness

and work evil on their beds!

When the morning dawns, they perform it,

because it is in the power of their hand.

2 They covet fields and seize them,

and houses, and take them away;

they oppress a man and his house,

a man and his inheritance.

3 Therefore thus says the Lord:

behold, against this family I am devising disaster,

from which you cannot remove your necks,

and you shall not walk haughtily,

for it will be a time of disaster.

 

     Do you scheme? Do you plot? Do you lie in bed and think to yourself how you are going to get at somebody, how you are going to tell them off, how you are going to make them look foolish? Do you daydream of things you could say to somebody to show how stupid they are? Do you consider in your brain how you can spin the story of what somebody said or did to make yourself look good and them bad?

 

     God hates such scheming. Micah makes it very clear that such schemers are in great danger. Whether you scheme at home, at school, in the workplace, or—heaven forbid—in the local church, God hates it. Plotting to hurt others, to put others down and lift yourself up, is evil, looking far more like the devil than like Jesus.

 

     Be careful here. Do not assume that you could not possibly be a schemer. It is amazing how easily this comes into our lives. We most often talk with people who are like us and who think like us. Our simple conversations can very easily turn into strategy sessions for changing the world into something that pleases us. Sometimes this is good, when it is gospel centered and biblical; but more often than not, our little planning sessions become dangerous times of self promotion and fighting for personal preference.

 

     What is the solution to this? Go read Philippians 2:1-11. Jesus was our example of one who humbled himself in order to sacrifice himself for the good of others. Follow that pattern. Once you have put your trust in Jesus for your salvation, strive to look like him. Let go of your perceived rights in order to consider others better than yourself (Phil 2:3).

 

     Don’t get me wrong here. The call to self sacrifice is not a call to a works-based Christianity. You do not need to simply work harder to be a good little boy or girl. But, if your heart is filled with scheming and plotting to get your own way, you are working against the sanctifying hand of God. If you are working to put yourself forward and put others down, you are battling against your source of ultimate joy. Fight for joy. Fight for peace. Fight against your own tendencies to self-promote. Fight to glorify God by loving others as Christ loves you.

Isaiah 12:1-2

 

1 You will say in that day:

“I will give thanks to you, O Lord,

for though you were angry with me,

your anger turned away,

that you might comfort me.

2 “Behold, God is my salvation;

I will trust, and will not be afraid;

for the Lord God is my strength and my song,

and he has become my salvation.”

 

            Over the past few years, my book shelves have become weighed down with nice new works focusing strongly on the gospel. At times, I begin to wonder why so many pieces should be written on such a simple topic, such a fundamental principle. But then I realize that, indeed, the gospel is simple, fundamental, and indeed essential for any Christian or any church to have any concept of God, of worship, and of salvation. And it is also sadly true that many simply do not have a solid grasp on what should be the center of their Christian lives.

 

            Notice the wording of Isaiah 12:1-2. There are things said here that can only be true of one who has truly received the forgiveness of God. Isaiah has the people recognizing that God was angry with them, justly and rightly furious at them because of their sinful rebellion. This is so often missed in modern congregations. Instead of declaring God to be rightly angry at us for our sins, modern churches too often depict God as tearfully desperate for us to come to him to make him feel better. O, make no mistake, God loves his children. God loves those he calls to himself. God loves the lost with a love that is infinitely better than any of us could deserve. However, God is rightly and justly angry at rebels against him.

 

            So, If you grasp the gospel, what do you grasp? You grasp that a holy God was angry with you, but he set aside that anger to turn to you in mercy. He punished Jesus with his full anger in order to welcome you into his family with gentleness and tenderness.

 

            When a sinner grasps that God set aside his anger to bring his children to himself, he or she will sing as Isaiah has sinners singing in verse 2. God is our salvation. We have no other hope. We have done nothing good on our own. We have brought nothing to the table but our sin. God is the center of the Gospel. It was his anger, his justice, his kindness, his mercy, his forgiveness of our sin, his will that was done, his glory that we drink from, his family into which we are adopted, his doing from start to finish. O worship this God and never fail to grasp the genuine, biblical, glorious gospel of grace.

2 Kings 7:1-2

 

1 But Elisha said, “Hear the word of the Lord: thus says the Lord, Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.” 2 Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned said to the man of God, “If the Lord himself should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?” But he said, “You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it.”

 

            If we read the Old Testament too quickly, our eyes tend to glaze over as we read of the judgments of God as run-of-the-mill events. We watch glorious victories occur. Then we watch God strike down somebody for touching the ark or gathering on the Sabbath. Somehow, if we are not careful, we fail to ask what is going on.

 

            Here, Elisha is threatened by the king of Israel. The enemies of the kingdom are at the gates of the capital city, and the besieged people inside Samaria are starving. The king is frustrated by the hardship, and decides to take out his frustration by lopping off the head of the prophet.

 

            The story that grabbed my attention, however, is the exchange between the king’s guard and Elisha. As the man comes to fetch and execute Elisha, the prophet tells him that, tomorrow, food will no longer be scarce in Samaria; the threat of the Syrian army will be eradicated. The guard simply cannot believe this to be possible. When he pronounces his doubt, Elisha tells the man that he will see this provision of God, but he will die before he tastes any of it.

 

            Now, if this story is familiar, you need to stop and ask some questions. Why? Why would this man face such a hard judgment for simply doubting? Why would he die at the end of the siege because he has trouble believing the impossible?

 

            The answer is that God has exalted his own name and his own glory above all things. Since the universe was created by God, for God’s glory, how could there be a greater sin than to doubt the strength of God? Remember, the man did not ask if God would really do such a thing, but could such a thing really be done. The guard, in an open pronouncement to God’s representative, said that God could not accomplish what he declared he would do.

 

            What dangerous doubts do you have? What do you say either with your lips or in your heart that God cannot do? Do you doubt that God can forgive a sinner by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone? Do you doubt that God can provide for you in your particular area of need? Do you doubt that God’s word is sufficient for life and godliness? Do you doubt that God’s word is enough to feed his people, grow his church, and build his kingdom? Do not doubt the power of the God who spoke the universe into existence. Do not doubt the God who raised Jesus from the dead after Christ paid for the sins of all his children. Do not doubt the God whose word is living and active. Do not doubt the God who, just as he promised, freed Samaria from the famine in one single day. 

2 Kings 6:15-17

 

15 When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” 16 He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

 

        How easy it is to look at your personal circumstances, especially from within the cloud of uncertainty, and to wonder, “What shall we do?” Perhaps you have never been in  a place where things seemed to fall apart around you, where the enemies of God seem to have the victory. If not, you won’t understand the fear that Elisha’s servant felt. But if you have experienced something similar, you will have much sympathy for the young man.

 

        Elisha prayed for his servant, asking that God make it plain to him the things that God was doing behind the scenes. There was more than one army on that hill. God was not about to be defeated. The bad guys were not about to win. Though the servant, with human eyes, would never have been able to see it at the time, God was in control, moving to accomplish something amazing for his own glory.

 

        What do you face today? Does it look like the bad guys will win? God will not be defeated. I’m not suggesting that you go out and buy little figurines of angels so that you remember heavenly armies. Instead, I simply want to remind you that God will be glorified in all that occurs. Whether it looks good to you at present or not, the sovereign Lord of all Creation will be victorious. He will not let the bad guys win. He will not be defeated. He will vindicate his name and his holy word. Take courage, even if you cannot, at present, see the hand of God in the midst of the cloud of uncertainty.