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Healing Wounds Lightly

pastortravislv

Which do you prefer, making people happy or making people sad? Would you rather have people like you or dislike you? Would you rather tell people things they want to hear or things they don’t?

Jeremiah had a hard job. He would preach to the people of Judah, promising things that nobody wanted to hear. As a prophet of God, this man spoke with the authority of the Lord. And the news that he delivered was not good news for most. You see, Jeremiah knew he was preaching a call to repentance to an unrepentant people. And Jeremiah knew that this unrepentant people would face the judgment of Almighty God.

What did prophets do? Often we think of prophets like fortune-tellers, but simply predicting the future was not their roles. For the most part, prophets speaking to Israel and Judah were men who reminded the nation of the law of God. A prophet would see the nation in violation of their covenant agreement with the Lord, warn that such violation leads to consequences that were clearly spelled out in the covenant, and remind the people that God promised favor to those who would turn back. Yes, the prophet might tell the people how God would fulfill his promises—e.g. which nation would come in and conquer as a judgment—but the prophet mostly applied to the people the terms of the covenant that the nation had agreed to centuries earlier.

The trouble, in Jeremiah’s day is that people were pretending to speak as prophets and promising the nation all sorts of blessings to come, even though they had no such promises from God. These preachers were giving the people feel-good messages of future prosperity without actually having a message from God to proclaim.

Jeremiah 6:13-15

13 “For from the least to the greatest of them,
everyone is greedy for unjust gain;
and from prophet to priest,
everyone deals falsely.
14 They have healed the wound of my people lightly,
saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
when there is no peace.
15 Were they ashamed when they committed abomination?
No, they were not at all ashamed;
they did not know how to blush.
Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
at the time that I punish them, they shall be overthrown,”
says the Lord.

When I read that passage, I am always caught by verse 14, “They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.” And the reason this gets my attention is that it sounds to me like the words coming from many a pulpit today. But I know that the word of God would show us that to heal a wound lightly, to promise peace with God where no such peace can exist, that is a terrible thing to do.

Who would proclaim peace with God where there is no peace? There are several categories of folks who do this. Preachers and writers who want to be well-thought-of by the outside world will do so. These folks will strive to look more intelligent, more progressive, more nuanced than other Christians by accepting worldviews and behaviors that God actually calls sin. They will try to build their congregations by appealing to unrepentant sinners and saying to them that God now happily accepts them as they are and does not want them to change their behavioral or thought patterns.

Other false teachers will heal the wounds of God’s people lightly by preaching a prosperity that God never promised. This is more popular on the shallow end of the pool as smiling men with expensive suits, expensive cars, and expensive homes tell people that the faith is not so much about sin and righteousness as it is about God giving to their greedy hearts everything they want if they will just believe hard enough; believe hard enough and perhaps send in a donation. They gloss over issues of sin and of false doctrine to draw in people who have more of a superstition than a faith and who desperately want to be lifted out of their current condition. Some who follow these men are sweet and genuine people who are duped by a person offering them healing from a disease or protection from an oppressive regime. Others who follow these men are as greedy as the prosperity preachers, seeking earthly blessing rather than the God who would give us himself.

To find those who preach peace where there is no peace, just listen for those who preach salvation without focusing on our genuine need of a Savior because of our genuine, personal sin. Listen for a person who tries hard never to offend the sensitivities of the one in sin. Listen for a person who focuses the message on a few Scriptures out of context rather than a person who walks through the Bible to preach the sweet stuff and the hard stuff alike. Listen for a person who would hide part of Christianity to make it more marketable to outsiders.

No, I do not ever strive to be offensive on purpose. In truth, I do not like delivering bad news to anybody. But if we are going to be faithful Christians, if we are going to point people to genuine peace and not a false peace, we must be willing to preach a true gospel. And the true gospel includes the holiness of God, the sinfulness of man, the person and work of Christ, and the need of a person to repent and believe to find eternal life. That message will offend people who do not believe they are sinners or who simply do not desire to repent of sin.

If I went to a doctor and had a deadly disease, what should the doctor do? Imagine, by the way, that the doctor has the cure. Would it be kind of the doctor not to tell me of the disease for fear of hurting my feelings? Of course it would not. She does not have to tell me in a mean way, an arrogant way, a holier-than-thou way. She can tell me kindly, but she must tell me. If the doctor knows I am dying, she needs to let me know. She needs to offer me the cure. If I reject treatment, then the fault is my own. But it would be an evil thing for her to say to me that I am healthy and strong if I am not.

Christians, may we never offer false hope. May we never promise what God does not promise. May we never declare a person to be at peace with God if they are not at peace with God. May we never heal anybody’s wounds lightly.

Grace Toward Good Works

pastortravislv

How good works and the grace of God are related ought not be confusing to Christians. This teaching runs all through the New Testament, but many fail to grasp it. Simply put, we are saved by God’s grace alone through faith alone apart from any good works on our part. Our doing good has absolutely nothing to do with our salvation. However, once we are saved, good works follow.

What are the errors? Some would suggest that Christianity is so much about grace that good works are not at all important. Once you are saved, be whatever you want to be. After all, you are under grace. Such would be a horribly ungodly way to think. Genuine Christianity includes a genuine submission to the lordship of Jesus Christ. And if you find a person uncommitted to following Jesus, obeying his words, living in accord with his commands, be skeptical of their claim to faith.

On the other hand, there are others who get the cart before the horse and assume that our good works have something to do with our salvation. The assumption is that we in some way must contribute something, even if it is only a small thing, to our salvation. This is truly what the word legalism means. Paul was battling against that concept in Titus 1. There he preached against those who claimed that the people of Crete needed to submit to Jewish religious regulations to be allowed to be considered Christians.

These two errors regarding faith and good works have been common throughout the history of the church. If you have a Roman Catholic background or if you grew up in a rulesy culture, you may be tempted by the legalistic idea that you have to be good first to be saved or that your participation in certain religious ceremonies or practices somehow contributes something to your salvation. But if this is not your background, you may be more influenced by a perversion of the concept of grace that leads you to believe that Christianity makes no claim on your life and behavior.

In my circles, I think the problem of perverting grace toward license to sin is more the problem. More people that I have known want to claim Christ because of a religious experience even if their lives do not reflect being changed by the Lord. Again, I will emphasize that none of us are saved by being good. But the Scripture is clear that a change of behavior is an outcome of salvation.

Titus 2:11-15 — 11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. — 15 Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

Notice, in that paragraph, that Paul is quite clear that we are saved by grace. But a purpose of the grace of God includes our purification. We are to renounce ungodly and worldly passions. This means that we cannot be driven by our bodies and our desires as is the world around us. Just because a thing feels natural to you, just because the world around you says that a behavior is OK does not make it OK. We renounce behaviors that society around us embraces and even applauds. Jesus is about purifying a people for himself, his very own possession, for his glory. And that purification includes our being changed from living for self and living like the world to our living under the commands and standards of the Lord.

So, let me say it once again for the folks in the back. To be saved, you contribute nothing. You do not change yourself or participate in any religious ritual to be granted the grace of God. God does the saving. It is by his grace alone. And the thing we do is believe—by grace we are saved through faith. Even our faith, we must biblically recognize, is a gift given to us by God. But for certain, no person has ever been saved because of a thing he or she did. We are only saved when we fall on the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ.

But, and this is the guard against the other error, when you are saved, you change. God works in you and with you and through you to change you. If you can live like the world around you while claiming Christ, there is a problem. If you are not submitting to God’s commands for Christians, there is a problem. If you can do what God calls sin without remorse and without repentance, you may well never have been saved by grace through genuine faith. God saves us by his grace, but his grace leads to our sanctification, our renouncing of sinful ways to live to his glory.

Sin Nature in Pure Form

pastortravislv

What is at the heart of the human sin nature? If one were to think about sin, what it is and how it works, what would be at its essence? Some say pride. Some say greed. And I’m not actually wanting to write a scholarly argument for seminary review here. But I do think, with a look at the ending of Job, we can get a sense, from Job’s failing, of what our sin in its pure form smells like.

Yes, I said Job’s failing. In chapter 2 of Job the Lord made sure we knew that Job did not sin with his lips. But that was in chapter 2, long before Job’s conversation with his friends. During that conversation, Job walked dangerously close to the edge. The reason that I argue that Job failed, at least a little, is that he repents. One does not repent from success and find the blessing of God at the end.

Job 42:5-6

5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
but now my eye sees you;
6 therefore I despise myself,
and repent in dust and ashes.”

Of what did Job have to repent? How does it show us what our sin is at its core? Look at these words from the Lord in the middle of his questioning and correcting of Job.

Job 40:1-2, 8

1 And the Lord said to Job:
2 “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty?
He who argues with God, let him answer it.”
8 Will you even put me in the wrong?
Will you condemn me that you may be in the right?

At the end of the day, I think the core of human sin is the notion that we can judge God to be in the wrong. Adam and Eve, in the garden, deceived by the serpent, determined that God was wrong for withholding from them the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Eve determined for herself that she would like to be in God’s position of power. The couple, in their rebellion against God, was fighting to be their own deity.

Consider your own failings. How often are your sins caused by your assumption that you deserve something that God has not given you? You rage because traffic upsets you. God has not been good to you by giving you an easy commute. You go into depression because people do not admire you. God has not given you the loving attention of others you deserve. You do something shady financially. God has not given you the fiscal freedom you deserve. You sin with sexual lust or open immorality. God has not been good to you by fulfilling all your desires as you deserve. You shout at your wife or your children and treat them poorly. God has not given you the admiring, respectful, perfect spouse that you deserve. Is not all our sin our souls’ declaration that God has not been good, that is ways are not perfect, that we know better than him what is righteous?

Christians, one of the greatest dangers we face as we think about the world we live in is the danger of us placing ourselves, in our own minds, in a position to sit as judge over the Lord. We must not pretend that we can ever know better than the Lord what is right or wrong. God is infinite in knowledge. We are not. God is perfect in holiness. We are not. We lack both the goodness and the capacity to judge a single deed of the Lord’s.

Remember this as you face a world that calls into question the standards of the Lord. How do we respond to the world’s arguments about sexuality, gender, marriage, justice, or righteousness? We respond by looking to the word of God. We begin with the absolute knowledge that God is good in all things; his ways are perfect. If he tells us that his design is best, it is. If the world around us says that God’s design for human flourishing is not good or does not work, we let them know that we understand their rationale, but we know the God who created all, who is over all, who knows all, and who is the only one who can declare what is righteous and what is sinful.

Do Not Fear What They Fear

pastortravislv

We live in a world of political intrigue and conspiracy theories. Some would tell us that the planet is doomed in just a few years because of climate change. Some would suggest that a faceless conglomerate of uber-rich and powerful people is running the nation from behind the scenes. The news media seems corrupt beyond repair. The nation is divided politically like we never imagined it would be. Families are foundering. And all sorts of isms, racism, classism, sexism, are tearing our world apart.

In truth, any number of the things listed above may be real problems. For sure, some are quite real and quite dangerous. But what is a Christian’s heart response to the messed-up world we live in?

In Isaiah 8, God is continuing a conversation with Judah through Isaiah. The northern kingdom has just about reached the end of its rope. God is about to allow the king of Assyria to sweep into the land and conquer. And that powerful ruler will threaten Judah as well, coming near to the city of Jerusalem itself. But God promises that he will deliver the people of Judah from this threat. They are to know, as God promised with the birth of a child who would be called Emmanuel, that God would be with them.

Isaiah 8:11-15 – 11 For the Lord spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: 12 “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. 13 But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. 14 And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.”

This was the paragraph that started me down the road of considering the fears and conspiracy theories that are so prominent in our world today. Some of our fears and concerns are very real and right. Some are kooky. But all of our fears, if not checked, can lead us to look like the lost world and not like followers of the living God.

Our God would tell us not to fear what the rest of the world fears. God would say that there is not necessarily a conspiracy everywhere the world around us sees one. And even when there is a conspiracy, God would also remind us to fear him, obey him, shelter in him, and find life in him.

If we shelter in the Lord, will the world leave us alone? No, God did not say that. He said that he would be a shelter for us—that’s something we like. But he also said that he will be a stumbling block and offense to the world around us—that’s something we are not so fond of. Christians, grasp that both of these things are true. Trusting in and fearing the Lord means that your soul is finding real shelter under his wings. But to shelter in the Lord and love him and his word is to offend the world around us. There is no other way to be faithful to the Lord.

No, I’m not saying we go out and try to be annoying. Nor am I suggesting that we should not care about doing right by the environment, the oppressed, or the government. We should do all that we can do to live justly and righteously and mercifully in our world. But all that we can do is circumscribed by the commands of our God. And that same God is the One we actually fear. We do not tremble at the things the world around us says are big deals. We do not identify ourselves with worldly causes so much so that our identity as followers of Jesus takes a back seat.

God was offering comfort and counsel to Isaiah by reminding him that God was with him and would not ultimately let Jerusalem fall to
Assyria. God has given us his word to remind us of his eternal plan. We are to set our minds and hearts on eternity, on things above. We are to store up our treasure in heaven where moths and thieves are no problem. We are to find our hope in Jesus who lived, died, and lives again. We are to find our value, not in the opinions of the people around us, but in the approval of our Savior and our joy in his glory.

Are You Hearing God’s Voice?

pastortravislv

How often do we deal with a person who says that they do not believe in the existence of God? It seems, of course, to become more common from day to day. But that unbelief, or at least that claimed unbelief, has nothing to do with the revelation of God. Scripture is clear that God reveals himself to all people everywhere. Nature itself, the heavens and the earth, communicate to humanity something of the power and grandeur of God. No person on earth is beyond this language that speaks without words and reveals that we are creatures beneath a Creator (cf. Psa. 19:1-6). And honest people also recognize that we have fallen short of perfection.

But there are people who claim that God is unfair and unkind, because he will not speak to individuals and prove himself to them. Many are angry with God, because he has not answered their questions to their satisfaction. Like job, there are people who demand that the Lord explain himself and his ways to them. Unlike job, many are waiting that revelation before they will determine whether or not they approve of the Lord.

In the case of Job, in the midst of his suffering, God allowed Elihu to help Job to remember that God is good, and God is always telling us things we need to hear. Look at the words of Elihu in response to Job’s feeling unfairly treated or that God is too silent.

Job 33:12-14

12 “Behold, in this you are not right. I will answer you,
for God is greater than man.
13 Why do you contend against him,
saying, ‘He will answer none of man’s words’?
14 For God speaks in one way,
and in two, though man does not perceive it.

Why accuse God of not speaking? He speaks to us all the time to show us things we need to know. IN the rest of the chapter, Elihu will point to a couple of ways that God speaks to us. These are fascinating. They are part of what we call general revelation. General revelation is the revelation of God that is available to mankind generally. General revelation is not enough to reveal to a person the true gospel, but it is enough to convince a person that there is a God who made us and that we need his favor and forgiveness.

Job 33:15-18

15 In a dream, in a vision of the night,
when deep sleep falls on men,
while they slumber on their beds,
16 then he opens the ears of men
and terrifies them with warnings,
17 that he may turn man aside from his deed
and conceal pride from a man;
18 he keeps back his soul from the pit,
his life from perishing by the sword.

Verses 15-18 show us that God speaks to humans in our dreams. This is not Elihu pointing to a form of charismatic dream prophecy. Instead, he seems to simply be pointing to night terrors. In our dreams, the things that make us afraid are there to remind us of the evils that we deserve if we are not forgiven by the Lord. In truth, we ought to learn from our dreams that the wrath of almighty God is far more frightening than any terror our imaginations can stir up. Nightmares should cause a human being to be humbled, to be reminded of our frailty, and to turn to the Lord for mercy before it is too late.

From verses 19-22, Elihu speaks of painful illnesses like the one Job is facing. Elihu points out that these are messengers of God to remind us that we are mortal, and we need to be rescued. In verses 23-25, the argument is that a man healed from a disease, restored from the doors of death, should see this as the kind favor of God.

Job 33:26-30

26 then man prays to God, and he accepts him;
he sees his face with a shout of joy,
and he restores to man his righteousness.
27 He sings before men and says:
‘I sinned and perverted what was right,
and it was not repaid to me.
28 He has redeemed my soul from going down into the pit,
and my life shall look upon the light.’
29 “Behold, God does all these things,
twice, three times, with a man,
30 to bring back his soul from the pit,
that he may be lighted with the light of life.

Elihu has a grasp on salvation. Hard circumstances and pains in life exist to remind us of our need for salvation and our lack of power on our own. They remind us that we must cry out to God for mercy. We are sinners before a holy God, and we need his mercy to live.

Elihu said that Job complained that God would not answer his complaints. But then he told Job that God had been speaking all along. God has spoken in creation to display his glory and power. God has spoken in Job’s nightmares to remind us of the wrath we face for our sin. God has spoken in Job’s hurts and illness to remind him of his mortality. God has used all sorts of circumstances to check Job, pulling him back from the danger of diving headlong into bitterness against the Lord and certain destruction.

Do you hear the voice of God? Do you realize that the created world around you shows you his power and artistry? Do you see that your worst fears are but tiny reminders of the deeper horrors of falling under the judgment of God? Do you understand that our pains and sicknesses remind us that we are mortal and in need of God to rescue us? Will you let that voice of God call you to turn from sin and cry out to him for mercy?

IN God’s special revelation, the Bible, he has shown us that our salvation is completely bound up in the person and work of Jesus. If you wish to be forgiven, believe in Jesus. Turn your heart from all that God calls sin. Cry out to Jesus for mercy. Surrender lordship of your life to him. God promises that all who will repent and believe will be saved.

Humble as a Creature

pastortravislv

Mankind has much to rejoice in. We are crafted by the hand of the Almighty. We have worth given to us by the God who spun the stars into space. We, unlike all other creatures, bear the very image of God. We display to creation his attributes. We declare to creation that he rules.

But being created should also remind us of our position before the Lord. He is Creator. We are creation. And that difference is a massive difference indeed.

Some of our greatest failings occur when we forget the difference between being created and being Creator. When we assume the rights of the Creator, we assume for ourselves a rank that we could never earn. We pretend that we have rights we do not have. We act as owners of the universe when we really should understand ourselves as recipients of the blessings of God.

This concept of creation or Creator came to my mind when I was reading through Job. I think most Christians know the story. The Lord allows the devil to bring hardships into Job’s life. Job reacts, at first, with righteous acceptance of the sovereignty of God. But, as time goes by and his friends come to visit, Job becomes more and more frustrated by the seeming unfairness of his circumstance. Job works himself up to a point where he wants to demand that God answer to him as to why all this is going on.

But then we meet Elihu. This younger man brings rebuke to Job and to Job’s 3 friends. And Elihu brings to mind a little bit of what it means to be creation.

Job 33:4-6

4 The Spirit of God has made me,
and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
5 Answer me, if you can;
set your words in order before me; take your stand.
6 Behold, I am toward God as you are;
I too was pinched off from a piece of clay.

In verse 4 above, Elihu reminds us that it is special to be made in the image of the Lord. God’s breath is in our lungs. This is, of course, special. IT makes us superior to all other parts of and types of creation. God values humans above all animals, all nature, all the stars in the sky.

But Elihu is also reminding Job that Job’s very breath is not his. That should make us stop and think. What do we actually own? We own nothing. WE do not own the land. God made that. We do not own the heavens. God made them. And we do not even own our own breath. That belongs to the Lord as well. We borrow our breath.

Elihu also describes himself in verse 6 as having been pinched off from a piece of clay. We know, from Genesis 2, that the Lord fashioned human beings from the dust of the ground. God created the earth and then shaped us in his image. But how humbling is it to say this in the way that Elihu does?

We have value for sure. God has given it to us. But we are fully subordinate to the Lord who made us. We are animated clay. We are breathing borrowed breath. We are owned by the Lord just like the way he owns the land, sky, sea, and air. God made us. We are his. Like it or not, all creation is the Lord’s. This does not devalue us, as we are the highest of his creation. But it most certainly keeps us in our place, humbly serving the God who made us.

Being A Good Guy Does Not Equal Being Correct

pastortravislv

Everywhere the Lord has ever allowed me to serve has been a blessing. A few years ago, I served as a pastor in a church in rural Illinois. I learned a great deal and hopefully brought the word of God faithfully to our congregation.

One experience while I was there recently was brought to mind. An older gentleman in the church had been given a book by a friend. It was a book that is highly encouraging, but which has theological problems. As a young pastor, I always tried to speak with care to older men in the church when warning of dangers they might be walking into, and this instance was no different. I tried to graciously warn this man that there are some genuine concerns to watch out for when looking through this popular book.

The response of this man to my warning was surprisingly heated. After all, he was not a person I often saw display moments of temper or unwillingness to learn. But in this instance, he let me know that he was not at all open to hearing my concerns. Why? The gentleman I was cautioning against the book said to me that the person who recommended that book to him is a good man, and he would not hear anyone questioning something he had recommended.

I wish I could say that this is an isolated incident for people in ministry, but it really is not. Quite often pastors and teachers will run into an argument for a person’s position that consists of, “But he’s a good man.” This happens on the local level and the national stage. It happens in small churches and big pastors’ conferences. And it can be quite dangerous.

So, let’s see if we can say something that needs to be said. Just because a man is a good man does not make his doctrine sound. Just because a person loves Jesus or prays a lot does not mean that he has interpreted a passage of Scripture correctly. Just because a person is a solid guy on many things does not make him correct in all things.

Galatians 2:11-16 – 11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

Consider what we see in Galatians 2. In a passage I have heard affectionately referenced as “the ham sandwich incident,” Peter compromised. For the sake of public opinion, Peter began to give into a form of legalism. And Paul lets us know that, in that instance, He opposed Peter openly because the gospel was at stake.

But stop and think. Was Peter not a good guy? Of course he was. Was Peter not a pillar of the early church? Of course he was. Had Peter not been a major voice at the Jerusalem counsel to point people to the fact that the gentiles were saved by grace through faith without adoption of Jewish laws? Of course he had. But when Paul saw Peter acting and perhaps teaching in a dangerous way, Paul spoke up. Being a good guy did not make Peter right in Galatia.

Christians, we need to be careful to be sure that we are viewing all things through the lens of Holy Scripture. Just because I like a particular person in almost every avenue of life does not make his doctrine correct. Just because I find someone else troubling in many areas does not make every statement they make incorrect. Just because someone is part of my particular tribe does not make their words accurate. Just because a person is connected to a group that is not mine does not make all they say false. WE must be such a biblically minded people that we do not allow ourselves to fall for the argument that a person must be correct, “Because he’s a good guy.”

Whose Peace Do You Seek?

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What does a Christian do with a psalm or other passage that speaks much about Jerusalem? Are we to focus a great deal on the modern city in Israel? Perhaps some passages would point us that way. But is that all we do?

Psalm 122:6-9

6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
“May they be secure who love you!
7 Peace be within your walls
and security within your towers!”
8 For my brothers and companions’ sake
I will say, “Peace be within you!”
9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your good.

What was the point of the psalmist here? Without a doubt, he was praying for and seeking the good of the ancient city of Jerusalem. But why? He sought the peace and prosperity of the city of Jerusalem because that is the place where the house of the Lord was located. He sought Jerusalem’s good because he was seeking the good of the name of God and the people of God.

What would the modern parallel be? Where do we see the people of God? Where do we find the worship of God? Where do we see the temple of the living God? My friends, as you see a psalm like Psalm 122, pray for the church.

One of the images used for the church is the picture of us, as living stones, being built together into a holy temple. The psalm sought the good of Jerusalem because that city was the location of the temple and the home of those who love the Lord.

With that in mind, ask yourself if you pray for and seek the good of the church with appropriate fervor. We do not have a city to battle for. This is not at all a military campaign. This is not even a flesh and blood fight. But we are the people of god being built together into the temple of God for the glory of God in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Christian friends, what can you do that is of greater importance than seeking the good of your local church? No, do not sacrifice your family for ministry activity. But, in truth, any individual believer or family will find our identities in the fact that we are Christ-followers and part of a local body of believers. We give, pray, serve, and care for the church in a way that should be more significant than the way the people of Israel maintained the walls and gates of Jerusalem.

Forever

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Times change. People change. Values change. WE know this. We are living in an era with a pace of change that the world has never seen before.

When I look back on my childhood, I can think of things we simply knew were true. There were no questions. Yet, in our culture today, we find groups struggling with or flat denying simple truths that we all knew from childhood. What has happened? Has the truth changed? Or have the values of the nation changed?

Psalm 119:142–144 (ESV)

142 Your righteousness is righteous forever,
and your law is true.
143 Trouble and anguish have found me out,
but your commandments are my delight.
144 Your testimonies are righteous forever;
give me understanding that I may live.

In Psalm 119, God has given us 176 verses that point us to the praise of the Lord and his word. Here, as I near the end of reading through this glorious text, I find two verses that use the word “forever.” And those verses are helpful to me as I look at our land’s ever-changing value system.

In verse 142, we read that God’s righteousness is righteous forever. In 144, we see that God’s testimonies, his holy words, are righteous forever. Ask yourself how important it is to know that God’s righteousness and God’s word are righteous forever?

God’s righteousness is righteous forever. This tells us that God’s thoughts and actions regarding what is right are always and forever right. They do not change with the times. Regardless of how much a society may turn values on their heads, God’s righteousness has no part of change in it. No matter what the media says, or the polling data declares, God determines what righteousness is and that determination has not changed from the dawn of time.

Similarly, God’s testimonies are righteous forever. Not only is it true that God in himself and his character is righteous forever, his word, his holy Scripture, his written down revelation of himself is righteous forever. The Bible is righteous forever. No matter what changes in society, the Bible is true and righteous altogether. There is no part of rightly applied Scripture that becomes irrelevant to the people of God. Yes, parts are fulfilled in the coming of Christ. But no parts pass away until all is fulfilled. And as the word of God stands forever, so too does it stand as righteous forever.

So, yes, society changes. The values of people change. But the values of God do not change. If God says that something is true and right, then it is true and right today. If God declares something to be unacceptable for his church in the first century, that thing is unacceptable for his church in the 21st century. While we might understand that some things are purely applicable to a local culture—people do not greet with a kiss in every culture—sin and righteousness have not changed and will not change forever.

Stopping the Pendulum

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Sometimes when I think of issues of error, I imagine a pendulum. What I mean is that there is often an overreaction to error that leads to a contrasting overreaction.

For example, imagine a group comes to a conclusion that their services of worship lack zeal and joy; they are too formal and stiff. What will the reaction be? Often, the response will be to throw off reverence and swing dramatically too far toward a service that is chaotic. Later, perhaps years later, that same group will recognize the disorder and chaos in their services and strive for reverence. But, in doing so, this group might in fac, sap the joy and zeal from the services. The pendulum swings.

Or, take as another example the issue of eschatology. For a time, a church might avoid all discussion of end times theology. Suddenly, the leaders recognize that they have been neglecting this doctrine. The swinging pendulum then leads to a group, if they are not wise, talking end-times non-stop so much so that the focus seems to be totally on the return of Jesus with little focus on living in faithfulness and hope in the present. Then, if the group corrects its course, it may again find itself putting the topic of eschatology away too much and acting as though prophecy simply is not a part of the New Testament.

The picture of a swinging pendulum is one that comes into my mind when I think of issues relating to legalism, especially the moralistic side of legalism. How does the Christian respond to the commands of God? We know God’s word is good. We know that his law is perfect, and his commands are always, absolutely right. But we probably have been in places where a focus on the commands of God has led to a moralistic religion.

I certainly have been among believers who focused so much on rules that they became quite similar to the Pharisees. These folks took simple commands of God and expanded them well beyond biblical intent to prescribe a particular code of conduct for believers that could not be found in the word. You will find such things in commands that appear arbitrary among groups—don’t play cards, don’t listen to music with a syncopated rhythm, don’t ever touch alcohol, here is the dress code for all people at all times, etc.

But what happens if we see a pendulum swing away from such moralism? We need to see that swing stop before it goes too far. Otherwise we end up with antinomianism, a throwing off of all law or commands. You will see this in groups that become so radically grace focused that they are unwilling to call anything sin. You see it in groups that so revel in being “real” and being “authentic” that they refuse to speak out against the actions of anyone in their group for fear that they will come off as not gracious, the only sin they seem to continue to acknowledge. You will see it in groups who claim to be Christians, but who completely ignore the word of God when it comes to social issues or modern morality.

How do we avoid a dangerous pendulum swing between legalism and lawlessness? The answer is in the word. Love the word.

Psalm 119:20, 24

20 My soul is consumed with longing
for your rules at all times.
24 Your testimonies are my delight;
they are my counselors.

Look here at how David speaks of God’s law, his rules. He longs for the law of God. He finds the law and testimony of God his delight. There is a genuine love of the word of God—yes, the rules and commands of God—that is present in the heart of a genuinely godly person.

So, if your pendulum is swinging away from Scripture, there is a big problem. If you look at the commands of the word as things about which to be embarrassed, you are headed toward lawlessness. If you see what God says about our lives, our marriages, our sexuality, our finances, our self-control, our eternities and you find it off-putting, you must recognize that there is a problem with your love of the Lord.

But how do we avoid a pendulum swing toward legalism? This is actually simple: love the word. When you genuinely love the word of God, you do not find any reason to think you need to improve upon it. You see God’s affirmation of modesty and his prohibitions against immorality, and you will govern how you dress and behave by that word. You will see God’s word speaking out against drunkenness, and you, when you are of age, will make your own decisions about whether or not drinking at all is wise for you. You will see God’s word speaking about the church being full of reverence, full of joy, living as a family and a body, and you will develop life in accord with biblical commands. As you love the word, you will watch the word counsel you to seek the counsel of other lovers of the word in your local church to help you make word-centered, godly decisions. The more you genuinely love the word, the more you let the word speak, the more that the word alone is your final standard, the more you will avoid both errors of moralism and legalism.

Love the word. Love the word so much that you deeply desire to obey the word. Love the word so much that you do not in any way want to add to it to try to improve it. Stop the pendulum from swinging toward moralism or toward antinomianism, toward legalism or lawlessness, by loving the word of God, all of it.