Since we’ve made the end of another year, I thought I’d join the list of folks who are sharing their top reads from 2016. I’ll not include my favorite fiction, as fiction is just too hard to recommend. But here are ten of my favorite non-fiction books I read this year, and, no, they were not generally published in 2016.
Decision Making and the Will of God: A Biblical Alternative to the Traditional View
Friesen, Gary
Discerning the will of God is a vital topic. It is also a topic which I believe confuses many believers. Friesen’s work is the gold standard for discussions of this topic from a non-mystical point of view. This is the kind of book that is easy to read, but which would also make a fine group study.
Church History in Plain Language
Shelley, Bruce L.
It is simply good for believers to work through church history from time to time. It is vital for us to realize that the doctrines we hold dear do not arise from a vacuum. Instead, many of the things that distinguish who we are as believers have arisen out of some very significant events. This book is, as its title suggest, simple. However, it is helpful and digestible, and it was a fun casual read.
The Heart of Revelation
Duvall, J. Scott
I loved reading this book simply because it was a book on Revelation that was not trying to draw for me a timeline or argue about the same old topics. While I believe that end times discussions are important, I also understand that the Book of Revelation is intended by God to reveal to us his character and victory. This book does a wonderful job of helping us look at the book of Revelation in a fresh light without bogging us down in the arguments so often present. [my review]
Counseling the Hard Cases: True Stories Illustrating the Sufficiency of God’s Resources in Scripture
Scott, Stuart
I like to be sure that I read in the biblical counseling field from time to time. I do not believe that there is anyone better to read here than Stewart Scott. This author presents unwaveringly biblical counsel in real world situations with compassion and understanding. Scott’s work is also a great example of how real, biblical counsel can help people to walk through issues which many Christians might believe unsolvable.
The Doctrine of Repentance (Puritan Paperbacks)
Watson, Thomas
I’m not sure if I enjoy reading Puritan books more for the overall truth they present or the powerful quotes that pierce my heart. Either way, this was a powerful classic on a topic so often ignored in modern days.
Unparalleled: How Christianity’s Uniqueness Makes It Compelling
Wilson, Jared C.
I just happily read anything from Wilson. He writes with such reality and such grace. [my review]
Living in the Light: Money, Sex and Power
Piper, John
I think I enjoyed this book because it was written from a retired pastor who can now speak these truths to us with the wisdom and compassion of many years of faithful service. It is not a prudish or a salacious book, but a helpful one that I would recommend to anybody. [my review]
The Search for God and Guinness: A Biography of the Beer that Changed the World
Mansfield, Stephen
I never expected to read this one, but since it was on a nice sale on Kindle, I gave it a shot. This was a great example of how a Christian might order his family life and business to make a difference in the world around him. Yes, this book is about Guinness, the beer and the family. However, the picture in this book of a family that impacted their world for good in a way that many would never have expected makes this a very interesting historical read.
Can I Smoke Pot?: Marijuana in Light of Scripture
Breeden, Tom
Cruciform press puts out short, readable, and helpful books. I would not say that this book is the last word on the topic of marijuana in the life of the church. However, it is good that somebody had the courage to write the first word in such a short and accessible format. As the use of marijuana becomes more broadly legal in the United States, Christians need to think this issue through and not ignore the need for us to have responses to the hard questions.
Divorce
Murray, John
This was one of those books that I have had on my list of books to read for years. Whenever you read a book on Divorce or on remarriage in the Christian community, Murray’s book is always in the bibliography. Murray is thorough and compassionate while handling a very hard topic.
These were some of my favorites from this past year. What were some of yours?
Above All Else?
Psalm 138 (ESV)
I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.
Whenever I find myself reading a book or watching a movie with my kids, I always catch myself pointing out to them moments of significance. I want them not to miss the clues in the mystery or the signs that a good guy is about to turn bad. I want them to see the moments that are supposed to be important.
From time to time, we come across a thought, a moment, or a verse in Scripture that we simply do not want to let pass without noticing it. And, if we are not careful, those moments will slide past us in our daily readings without us stopping to consider them.
Psalm 138:2 is one of those verses that, if we are not careful, will fly by. In the verse above, we see the statement, “for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.” Right there, we see what God has exalted, what he has raised up as most important. What is above all to the Lord? What does God value most?
In the verse, it is plain that God has set above all other things his name and his word. The name of the Lord is his reputation, his actual character. God has declared who he is to be more important than anything else. God’s glory, his person, his personal attributes, his nature is more important than any other thing that you or I can think of.
In tandem with God’s name, the Lord has exalted his word. His commands and the holy Scriptures are of highest importance. Other things in this life are less important. God’s communication of himself to mankind is of inestimable value.
It is likely that most of us know that God’s name and his word are valuable above all else. But, what is the significance of this truth. If God really meant what he inspired in Psalm 138:2, what does it change. How does it impact how you and I view the world? How does it shape our churches, our worship services, our priorities? How does it impact how we interact with the culture around us? How does it help us to grasp our responsibility in conflicts?
What would it look like in your life if the name and word of God were your top priorities? How would it impact your worship attendance? How would it impact what you value in the worship services? How would it impact how you use your time? How would it impact your career choices?
To those who are outside of the faith, this concept of God exalting his name and word above all is a completely foreign concept. This truth alone is why a truly secular state will never balance with Christianity. The state will not understand how genuine Christians will be required to turn away from what others consider to be the flow of history and cling to the Scriptures for our values.
Honestly, even among Christians, there will be issues. Many churches exalt other things above the name and word of God. Evangelism, social good, community service, programs, performances, activities, all are good and important things. However, if we are not careful, we can allow those activities to outshine the way that the church honors the Lord and holds fast to his word.
Consider how the exaltation of God’s name and word must impact a church’s response to sin in the lives of her members. Of course, we will be gracious and loving to our people, just as God has commanded in his word. However, the church cannot counsel a person to do what Scripture has forbidden. Nor can a church ignore it when her members refuse to follow the word. Thus, loving, restorative confrontation is part of the life of a church for the sake of the name and word of God.
On and on we could go, but the point is clear: God’s name and God’s word are number one. Thus, we exist for his glory. We obey his word. Our churches exist for that worship and word of God. We must not let this slide past us in our reading. We must genuinely consider what it will look like to live under God’s priority structure.
10 Responses to Election 2016 to Bring about Healing
Today I live in a world I could never have predicted just a few years ago. My family and I live in Las Vegas—a far cry from the Midwest of my childhood—The Chicago Cubs are World Series champions, and Donald Trump has won the presidency of the United States of America.
With my inability to predict the future understood, I believe that there are a few things I can rightly predict. The transition to this new presidency is not going to be easy. As many have rightly noted, this election promised to present us with the most divided nation post-election for over a century. Polls showed us that well over half of voting Americans did not trust either candidate. Many argue that the result of the 2016 presidential election is about a rejection of one candidate and party far more than it is about the embracing of another.
Even among conservative Christians, how this election unfolded was difficult to watch. Some Christians voted for Trump, reasoning that a vote for him at least stood a chance of protecting life and religious liberty. Other Christians, citing Trump’s previous lack of character, could not cast a vote for him with a clear conscience. Even others chose to vote for Hillary, declaring that they would prefer to face the known quantity of a leftist White House over the unknown and unpredictable future of Mr. Trump. And the social media storms bombarded us for months before everything went crazy on election day.
Now we find ourselves in a place few of us thought would come. We have seen college students plan “cry ins” to express their sorrow over the president-elect. We have seen name calling on social media again. We have seen gloating. We have seen loving, welcoming humility. We have seen rioting.
The question for us cannot be about what we wish would have happened. The right posture is not to gloat if what we wanted to happen took place. Neither is the right posture to have a fit if what we did not want to happen took place. Instead, the right move, from this point forward, is to behave with character and civility.
The outcome of this election has given us a great opportunity to learn about ourselves, about our friends and neighbors, about those who oppose us, and about the sovereignty of God. And with that in mind, I want to share a set of 10 things that we need to think or do, to avoid thinking or not do, as we move forward in the desire to heal a nation and glorify our God.
1. Learn to have civilized conversation and disagreement.
In the election cycle, we often commented that this is one of the ugliest, one of the nastiest elections in memory. And I believe that people of both parties and of no party were disgusted by the base cruelty of what happened.
Proverbs 15:1 – A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
May we learn from this season that positive ground is not gained by ugly, nasty, mean speech.
2. Follow the golden rule.
Matthew 7:12 – “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”
Jesus called us to intentionally and actively treat other people in the same way that we want them to treat us. Consider that as you decide to talk about the election. How would you want people talking around you if the outcome you did not want came to pass? How would you want to hear people talk about the outcome if the outcome you wanted came to pass? What assumptions do you want people to make about your character, your intellect, and your motivation? Please, to honor the Lord, do not treat people in a way that you would not welcome. That does not mean that you cannot disagree. However, it does mean that you cannot disagree in a harsh, judgmental, cruel way. It does not mean that you cannot argue for your point of view. It does mean, however, that you cannot argue unfairly.
3. Never present another person’s position in a way that that person would not agree is their position.
Exodus 20:16- “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
One of the best lessons I ever learned in discussing difficult topics with people who disagree with me is that it never helps for me to present a strawman argument. It does nobody any good if one party in an argument argues against a position that is actually not held by the other person. Before you attempt to persuade someone that their position is incorrect, you must first do them the courtesy of being sure that you and they both agree on what their position is. Otherwise, you are bearing false witness against them, accusing them of holding a position they do not hold, likely for reasons they do not agree are their reasons.
4. Do not give into the childish belief that those who disagree with you are always completely motivated by evil.
It is a childish thing to believe that every thought and motive of your opponents in a political discussion are all dark and malevolent. Not everyone who disagrees with you has a sinister plot. Even people who hold positions with which you vehemently disagree probably do not hold those positions out of utter stupidity or cruelty. We will always communicate better if we can be sure that we present one another’s positions fairly. We gain no ground by arguing against a fictitious opponent. Neither do we gain ground by assuming that our side’s motives are always positive while the only thing that motivates the other side is evil or stupidity.
5. Listen.
James 1:19 – Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;
How do we avoid making the mistake of the previous point? We must participate in actual conversation with people with whom we disagree. I am not here suggesting that we find opportunities to argue. Instead, I am proposing that people of both sides ask questions of people with whom they disagree without trying to plan ways to score points. When is the last time that you just listened to the fears and feelings of someone who holds an opposite political view from you? When is the last time you listened without looking for a way to call them an idiot?
If you are part of the group who is happy with how this election went, know that there are many people walking around in a daze today, unable to believe what has just happened. Talk to them. Even better, listen. Listen to what they are feeling. Listen to why they are afraid. Let them know that you are hearing them and that you care, even if you cannot agree with their point of view.
If you are distraught at the results of the election, find someone who is not. Listen to them. Hear why it is that they can be happy at the unforeseen turn of events that led Donald Trump to the presidency. I am certain that you will learn something new. If the entire news media could not imagine how President-Elect Trump could gain the votes he did, obviously there is a disconnect in the ways many people in our nation see the state of our nation and our culture. If you assume that everybody is mortified by a Trump presidency, you are obviously not in touch with the reality of the votes cast. People voted for Donald Trump on purpose. If you cannot imagine why, you should ask someone without trying to make it into a fight.
We would do much better if we put forth an effort to get to know people who disagree with us as actual people. As I saw someone say on Twitter, If you do not know someone who is excited at the outcome of the election and somebody who is distraught over the outcome of the election, you need to broaden your circle of friends.
6. Do not gloat.
Bragging is obnoxious. We gain nothing by rubbing a result we like in other’s faces.
7. Do not disrespect the leader.
Neither do we gain any ground by making nasty and disrespectful remarks about our leaders. God called his people in Romans 13 to respond rightly to government. When we realize how corrupt and evil that government was, we realize that Paul was not telling us to speak nicely about leaders we like and blast leaders we do not. We are to show respect for the office and to pray for its occupant. We want leaders who will protect the righteous and punish the criminal in our society. May our leaders have the wisdom and character to be a government that will lead our nation in a positive direction.
8. Pray for those you love
Are you happy with people around you who think as you do? Pray for them. Pray that they have the wisdom not to miss the opportunity God has given us to be peacemakers in this nation.
9. Pray for those you consider enemies.
What about those people who are on the other side from you? Pray for them too. Pray that God lead us all in his ways for his glory. Pray that God will help us treat each other with the dignity and respect that we should. Pray that God will rescue our nation from the judgment that we have so clearly earned.
10. Rest in the sovereignty of God.
Proverbs 21:1- The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.
Before the election, I saw multiple posts reminding us that our future is not in the hands of a president, a congress, or a judiciary. Instead, the Lord is on his throne. He sets up leaders and removes them. He establishes nations and brings them down. He directs the hearts of kings like water in his hands. So, while it may feel like the world has turned inside-out in the past 24 hours, God is still on his throne.
It is impossible to predict what is to come in the next weeks and months in the United States. However, I believe that it is possible for us to hold strongly to our convictions, to press for the change that is right, and to treat others with a kindness that will lead to friendships, healing, and health in the nation moving forward.
MacArthur – Remember and Return – A Review
John MacArthur. Remember and return: Rekindling Your Love for the Savior—A Devotional. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2016. 205 pp. $10.43.
In Revelation 2:5, the Lord Jesus calls on the Ephesian church to remember the love that they once had for him and to repent, returning to that love. Two verses later, Jesus promised those believers who would return to him as their first love a great, heavenly reward. For all who know the Savior, there is a need for us to, from time to time, refocus our hearts on the glory of the Savior whose gospel we proclaim.
In Remember and Return, John MacArthur writes to call believers to return to their love of Christ. He attempts this task by writing a month-long, daily devotional for believers to help us to remember who the Savior really is and to reignite our spiritual love of our Lord.
This little devotional book is a very accessible, very readable devotional. The daily readings are around six pages of text. Most people could easily read through those pages in just a few minutes. Yet the concepts in each little chapter are certainly deep enough to call us to do some intense thinking about Jesus.
In many ways, this little book is a Christology, a theological study of the person and work of Jesus Christ. In each chapter, Dr. MacArthur highlights a theologically significant point about Jesus and calls us to consider that point in the light of our lives. Whether these points be the incarnation of Jesus, his sinless perfection, or another aspect of the biblical revelation about Jesus, each passage points the reader to an important and solid truth.
Some believers will have a criticism of this book simply due to its theological nature. Unlike many daily devotionals, this work by MacArthur is not an emotionally driven writing. For some who are more accustomed to less intellectual and more emotional daily readings, this book may feel dry. I would argue, however, that the dryness is not something that is the fault of the author so much as it is a symptom of modern Christianity’s fascination with warm emotional texts above solid truths of the faith.
I would happily recommend Remember and Return to Christian readers at all stages of Christian growth. The doctrines in this little book are solid. Very seldom does this book wade off into any area that would be considered controversial by a biblically-minded Christian. The book is helpful. Though, as I mentioned earlier, the content is not playing on the heart strings so much as it is a mental refresher on the glories of the Savior.
I received a free copy of this book from Baker Books as part of a reviewer’s program in exchange for an honest review.
Don’t Lose the Wonder (Job 38:1-5)
Job 38:1-5 (ESV)
1 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:
2 “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
3 Dress for action like a man;
I will question you, and you make it known to me.
4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
This morning, I found myself pondering the questions that God put before Job. For context, Job had questioned the actions and ways of God, and God has come to respond. Rather than answering Job’s queries, the Lord has chosen to ask Job a few questions. When Job knows enough to understand the intricate workings of the universe, then the Lord will consider explaining himself to Job.
The next few chapters of Job will contain multiple questions from the Lord like the ones at the start of this section above. God asks Job where was he when God created the world and laid its foundations. He asks if Job can explain how the planet holds together, where the rain comes from, and how the light gets where it is going. Later, God will ask Job if he has the power to move the constellations through the night sky or capture the scariest of sea monsters.
What hit me as I pondered this passage is the fact that such questions should work. Such questions should humble us. Such questions should make us realize that, compared to the Lord over all creation, we know nothing. But, in our present culture, they don’t.
Take the beginning question from God. The Lord asks Job, ““Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth,” and “Who determined its measurements?” The Lord follows up with the sarcastic, “Surely you know!” God is pointing out to Job that this weak little man has no way of understanding the way that the universe is put together and held together and came into being in the first place.
Here is the problem, we think we know. We actually have become a people who believe that the questions that God put before Job are now easy. As a people, we believe that we can explain creation, the earth, and the stars. We think we know how it came together, and we assume God is not involved. The discoveries of science have made us so arrogant as not to learn from the wild mysteries that God put before Job.
Now, don’t take me as unscientific. I think we have learned much and can explain much. But no scientist has a plausible answer for the question of first cause. No scientist can explain why there is something rather than nothing. And even if a scientist has an explanation for how the planets flew into space, there is no explanation for what caused the cause.
May we, dear friends, become a people who can still marvel at the majesty of creation. God has done something that is far beyond us. You and I do not have the wisdom to know exactly how he created. Science is inadequate to explain it. That does not mean science is not a wonder in itself; it is just not ultimate. May we not lose the wonder in our arrogance.
God has created. He has put together a universe that is wonderfully ordered. He has made numbers work in ways in mathematics that boggle the mind. He has made planets turn in just the right way to shape the solar system as he wants it. He has created people for his glory. He has made atoms work. God has revealed his glory in creation, and we should marvel at this and not assume we can figure it all out. May we be humbled by the questions God used to humble Job.
Examine Yourself (2 Corinthians 13:5)
2 Corinthians 13:5 (ESV)
Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
At the end of an extended correspondence with the church at Corinth, Paul plans for a visit. He wants to see to it that the church has returned to order and that the people have repented of immorality. And, as he prepares for his visit, Paul calls on the people to examine their own lives with the goal in mind of checking their salvation.
I would argue that this command is one of the least obeyed in the Scriptures in many circles. I grew up in churches where we were told, quite directly, never to question our salvation. We were to write down the date of our praying “the prayer” in our Bibles or on the pages of a gospel tract, and we were to never allow ourselves to question the veracity of that moment. I grew up in a world where claims of childhood conversion outweighed lifetimes of fruitlessness.
Interestingly, I do not believe that the doctrine of eternal security or perseverance of the saints has anything to do with the failings of those churches to obey 2 Corinthians 13:5. The blame for that lies elsewhere. In fact, I would argue that the blame for the failure to allow believers to question whether or not they are in the faith is based on a faulty understanding of the relationship of salvation and sanctification. If one believes that going to heaven is all about an individual’s decision or an individual’s prayer, then they will not allow a person to ever revisit the topic of salvation. However, if we understand that salvation is about the saving work of God, regeneration that leads to faith, then we will encourage people to examine themselves to see if their lives contain marks of conversion.
Regardless of one’s view of the sovereignty of God in salvation, all Christians should recognize that 2 Corinthians 13:5 is a command. Paul is asking people to examine their lives. He is not asking them to do a history check and see if they prayed a simple prayer at some point in their lives. In context, it is clear that he is asking them to look at the fruit of their lives, their present state of repentance and faith, to see if their lives look like the lives of people who have entrusted their souls to Christ and his saving work.
Let us, then, examine ourselves. Is your only hope for your eternity completely wrapped up in the person and finished work of Jesus? Are you believing that he died for your sins and rose from the grave? Have you asked him to forgive you and to rule your life? And, is there evidence that you are different, that you are moving into obedience of his word? Are you yielded to his lordship? Are you turning from sin and following the commands of God? Do you sorrow when you sin? Are you regularly repenting? Such things are marks of salvation.
A Weird Recipe for Giving (2 Corinthians 8:1-2)
2 Corinthians 8:1-2 (ESV)
1 We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.
2 Corinthians 8 would be a chapter sufficient to destroy all thoughts of prosperity preaching. Paul is writing to ask the Corinthians to give for the relief of saints in need. Later, in the same chapter, he declares that the same could come back to them, and it may happen that those same saints can give to the Corinthians when they are in need. It does not look like a faith-based, get-rich-quick scheme.
What is really cool here is the things that combined to bring about the giving from the Macedonian Christians. Verse 2 shows us three things that are combined: severe affliction, abundant joy, and extreme poverty. What would you expect to come out of that recipe? If you were given severe affliction and extreme poverty poured on top of your joy, what would you do? Well, the Christian’s joy makes all that turn into a wealth of generosity. In our poverty and our pain, we give to others for their relief, to the glory of God.
Christians, we are not to be about hording wealth in this life. We are to spend ourselves, out of joy, for the good of others and to the glory of God. May we become such people. May we never use the faith as a means of earthly financial gain. Instead, may we spend ourselves in this life for the joy of honoring God and for the hope of the life to come.
Clarity is not the Problem (1 Kings 13:14-22)
1 Kings 13:14-22 (ESV)
14 And he went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak. And he said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” And he said, “I am.” 15 Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.” 16 And he said, “I may not return with you, or go in with you, neither will I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place, 17 for it was said to me by the word of the Lord, ‘You shall neither eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by the way that you came.’ ” 18 And he said to him, “I also am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘Bring him back with you into your house that he may eat bread and drink water.’ ” But he lied to him. 19 So he went back with him and ate bread in his house and drank water.
20 And as they sat at the table, the word of the Lord came to the prophet who had brought him back. 21 And he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have disobeyed the word of the Lord and have not kept the command that the Lord your God commanded you, 22 but have come back and have eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which he said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water,” your body shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.’ ”
In this strange passage of 1 Kings, we meet a prophet of God. The man, in the verses before this section, called out the judgment of God on the northern kingdom and on Jeraboam, the wicked king who was setting up an idolatrous altar.
God sent the prophet to the north on a mission and with some specific instructions. The instructions included that the prophet was not allowed to eat food or drink even water while within the borders of the northern kingdom. This would be an uncomfortable but not impossible task.
Suddenly the prophet from the south meets a man from the north. The northern man tells the prophet from the south that he too has heard from God. He tells the man from the south that God has told him that the southerner was to join him for a meal within the borders of the northern kingdom. And the southern prophet sits down to dinner.
The problem is, the man from the north was lying. He had no word from God. He wanted to mislead the southern prophet. And he succeeded. The southern prophet’s refusal to follow the clearly-given command of God results in his death.
How often is it that the command of God and its clarity is not at all our issue? How often is it that we look for ways not to follow Scripture simply because we do not want to? How often do we, when life gets uncomfortable, look for someone who will tell us what we want to hear, that our desires are OK and we have obviously not understood Scripture rightly?
I once remarked that the process of tuning a guitar string for me was like what I see many believers, including myself, do. I pluck the string and check the tuner’s answer. I then ask again and again and again until I get an answer I like. Then I stop asking. And I’ve certainly seen the same thing among church members.
A simple example is often in matters of the heart. A Christian woman desires to date a man whose life shows no genuine evidence of conversion. The Scripture obviously forbids Christians from marrying non-believers. The woman asks people if they think it is OK for her to date the man. She wants to. She feels deep down that it is God’s will for her to date this guy. Regardless of the direct command of Scripture against the pairing, she asks person after person after person until she runs across one person who will tell her that what she wants to do is OK. Then, armed with confirmation, she begins a relationship that leads to her hurt and which goes against the commands of the Lord.
There is no doubt that you can come across somebody who will tell you that the Bible supports just about anything you want. Those who do not care about honest biblical interpretation, contextual analysis, and faithful hermeneutics are easy to find. People who will compromise the teachings of the word for the sake of their strongly felt desires are all over the place. If we are honest, all of us will be tempted to read what we want in the word.
But, if we want to honor God, we have to let the word of God speak for itself. We have to interpret the text as its authors and its Author intended. We have to be faithful and find the true, genuine, honest commands of God. Then we are called to obey.
And do not let yourself pretend that the Bible is too hard to understand simply because there are people out there that will twist it. So very much of the Bible is crystal clear. Yes, there are hard topics. But, for the most part, the Bible is blatantly obvious if we will just let it say what God intends for it to say.
The southern prophet in our passage above knew exactly what God commanded. For the most part, you and I know exactly what God has commanded. May we not compromise and listen for the person who will offer us what we want more than what the word says. May we, instead, hear and obey the word. The truth is, following God’s word leads to life and joy that is far greater than any compromise we could ever make.
The Smell of Your Life (2 Corinthians 2:14-16)
2 Corinthians 2:14-16 (ESV)
14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?
How interesting that Paul uses the concept of smells and the triumph to depict the work of believers in the world. Part of the Roman triumph was the parading of prisoners and victorious generals through the streets. One element of this victory parade was the perfuming of the air.
Paul says that he, and other believers, are used by God in a way that reminds us of the triumph. We travel through the world. And everywhere we go, as we preach the gospel, we change the smell around us. To some people, the preaching of the gospel is the fragrance of life. To some, the message of Jesus smells like death.
Paul asks, “Who is sufficient for these things?” The implied answer is that we are not. God is so much greater than us that we could never be sufficient. We cannot change the world on our own. We lack the ability. I would argue that we cannot change anything for the good without that change being empowered by the Spirit of God for the glory of God. But, such change is the mission of our lives in many ways.
So, Christian, how do you change the smell of the world around you? Do you love your spouse and children if you have such in your life? That changes the world. Do you worship Christ with other believers? That changes the world. Do you show genuine love and kindness to your neighbors? That changes the world. Do you take food to people in need? That changes the world. Do you share the message of Jesus with those who do not know him? That changes the world.
Do note, please, that sharing the message of Jesus smells different to people. To some, it is life. To others, it is hateful and death itself. Our job is not to figure out who will like it and who will hate it. Our job is not to persuade people to change their mind. But, our job is to tell the truth in the world that God put us in. When we see someone receive the message with joy, we know it was the fragrance of life. When we see someone hate the message, we pray for them and trust that God is able to save them by his sovereign power if such is his will.
Lord, I, like many, am not sufficient for the task. However, I pray that you, by your Spirit, will empower me to spread the fragrance of the gospel. Help me love you, love my family, love my church, and love the lost. Help me to speak the truth and spread the gospel. I also ask that you allow me to see more who will receive the message as the fragrance of life.
His Word is Good (1 Kings 8:56)
1 Kings 8:56 (ESV)
“Blessed be the Lord who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised. Not one word has failed of all his good promise, which he spoke by Moses his servant.”
When the building of the temple was complete, Solomon held a great celebration and consecration. The people prayed significant prayers and made massive animal sacrifices before the Lord.
What caught my attention here are the words that Solomon proclaimed as he praised the Lord before the people as the celebration wrapped up. Solomon proclaimed that the Lord had faithfully fulfilled his promises to Moses. Israel was at rest. Israel was in her land. Israel had been divvied up and divided into tribal lands. God had been faithful, and the king, as it were, signs the receipt.
I will not proclaim that this means that there are no further promises for Israel, either national or spiritual. Such an argument is beyond my purpose this morning. But I will say that the words of the king are significant. Who would have ever believed that what God promised Moses could have ever come to pass? Who would have believed that what God promised Abram could have come to pass? The truth is, for this day to have come in Scripture is an evidence of the miraculous power of the almighty God.
God had moved a family of 70 to a foreign land. He grew that family to become a nation of millions. He rescued that nation from slavery in Egypt. He protected the nation from self-destruction as they focused on idols and not on the Lord. He gave them victory over enemies. He gave them land on which to live. God did it all, everything he had promised.
The reason we need to think about this is not so much about an eschatological position regarding Israel. What I think is most significant is what it tells us about the faithfulness of God. When God makes a promise, he keeps that promise. If God promised Israel a land, he gave it. If God promises us eternal life in Christ, he gives it. When God lets us know that, no matter how bad things get in the world, he has the victory, well, he has it.
Pastor Travis Peterson 