Acts 4:11-12
11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
With the rise of the media brouhaha over Brit Hume’s comments calling Tiger Woods to turn to the Christian faith, many have again begun thinking about whether or not it is appropriate for Christians to present Christianity as a superior alternative to other religions. The common media position in this issue is that it is arrogant for any religious group to assume that their religion of choice is in any way superior to the religious choices of others. (Do not confuse the discussion between denominations and religions here. Baptist and Presbyterian are denominations of Christianity, not separate religions as long as they point to salvation by God’s grace through faith in Christ.)
The fact is, however, that the idea of an exclusivistic view of religion is both logical and biblical. On the logical front, simply think this through: If I thought that another religion was superior to my own, ought I not convert to that religion instead of continuing to hold to a religion that I believe to be inferior? (Trevin Wax also makes this argument in a nice post). Christians, stop being embarrassed by a person who says something like, “You think your religion is better than theirs.” Of course you think your religion is better. Anyone who believes his position to be the weaker position, but who for some reason continues to hold that admittedly weaker position is a fool.
Besides, the claim that we should believe all religions to be equal is itself an exclusivistic claim. The faulty logic goes like this:
P: All claims to religious superiority are evil.
P: My religious choice is to believe all religions equal.
C: My religious choice is superior to those that claim theirs to be superior.
Um, when we look at the argument from this point of view, we see that those who claim to be the most open-minded are really only open to those whose minds are open in the same way that theirs are open. Everyone believes that their particular point of view is superior, even those who claim that there is no superiority, as they are claiming that the view that there is no religious superiority is superior.
But the fact is, Christians, we do not take our view of our faith from philosophy anyway. Regardless of how logical is the point that there is an exclusivity to what is right, the question for the Christian is: Does the Bible make an exclusive case for Christianity as opposed to other faiths? The answer is a resounding affirmative. Look simply at Peter’s words to the people in Acts 4. His words simply cannot be misconstrued, can they? There is no other name than the name of Jesus in which people can find salvation. There is no other belief system, no other philosophical structure, no other faith strategy that someone can use through which they can find genuine peace with God. The claim is as black and white as it can possibly be. There is only one path to forgiveness, and that path is faith in the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
Christians, let’s stop allowing the world to call us arrogant for believing that we have the only right way to God. Our position is logical and biblical. And just in case you are afraid that the supposedly open-minded news media are somehow more progressive and better thinkers than we are, let’s remember that they are claiming the same superiority that they condemn us for claiming. We all think we’re right, even those who say that nobody knows who is right or that nobody is right. So, let’s be honest and biblical, and let’s keep pointing people to Jesus, the only way that anyone will ever find salvation.
Accusations of Judgmentalism are Older Than You Think (Genesis 19:9)
Genesis 19:9
But they said, “Stand back!” And they said, “This fellow came to sojourn, and he has become the judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.” Then they pressed hard against the man Lot, and drew near to break the door down.
Anyone watching the news over the past few days is probably aware of the venom being spewed in the news media against former Fox News anchorman Brit Hume. Hume, as you may recall, dared to suggest that Tiger Woods, a man whose family life and public persona is crumbling around him, could find forgiveness and restoration in the Christian faith. Hume’s comments have been met with all sorts of nasty rebuttals, many of which accuse the former news man of idiocy, ignorance, cruelty, or—the worst sin of all in America—judgmentalism.
Undoubtedly, Hume knew that his remarks were likely to earn him the harsh criticism of those who are now dragging his name through the mud. Any faithful believer knows that Jesus has promised his followers that they too will be hated by the world that hated the Savior (cf. John 15:20-ff). I, personally, applaud Hume for being honest enough to share his faith in a public forum all the while knowing that he would receive a verbal beating from the anti-Christian, politically correct media.
You know, it ought not surprise any Christian that any remark that we make suggesting that someone do what is right is met with an accusation of us being judgmental. As one of my former seminary professors was fond of saying, “Years ago, the most popular Bible verse in America was John 3:16. Today, the most popular Bible verse is Matthew 7:1 ‘Judge not. . .‘” Strange, isn’t it, that the world can call Christians all sorts of derisive names and falsely represent believers in all sorts of unfair ways while still calling Christians judgmental any time one of us dares to suggest that abortion is wrong, that marriage ought be between 1 man and 1 woman for life, or that those who do not know Jesus need his grace.
Well, before you find this all sad and start feeling sorry for yourself as a persecuted believer in a dark generation, let me remind you that the cry, “Don’t judge me,” is older than you might think. Scholars date the time of the patriarchs (Abraham and his family) to sometime around 2200 BC. Thus, the events that the Bible records for us in Genesis 19 occur somewhere around four millennia ago.
Sometime around four thousand years ago, Abraham’s nephew, Lot, went to live in the city of Sodom. When God sent angels in human appearance to Sodom, Lot offered them a place to stay for the night. Then things get ugly, really ugly. The evil men of that town surround Lot’s home and demand that he bring the newcomers out to them so that they can sexually violate them. These men intended to commit homosexual rape.
When Lot told them that such a deed ought not be done to men who have come to his home and placed themselves under his care, the men of Sodom reply by saying to one another, “This fellow came to sojourn, and he has become the judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.” Don’t miss that reaction from the men of Sodom. They say that Lot is judging them, and this makes them angry enough to want to mistreat Lot even more than what they had planned for the strangers that Lot had taken in. And let’s not forget, these men knew very well what they were planning to do with those men in the house. They simply believed that Lot had no right to say that their plans to brutalize and violate those men was wrong.
All over the world, there is an outcry against any perceived judgmentalism. To be thought of as judgmental is one of the most inexcusable sins of American culture. But do not let this discourage you. The outcry against judgmentalism is as old as the story of Sodom (or one might even argue as old as the story of Cane and Able). For thousands of years, those who have sinned against God have also attacked anyone who would dare tell them that their sin is wrong, even if in the telling, the evangelists offered grace, mercy, and hope.
So, Christians, here is the deal: We can try to be thought of by the world as always nice and never judging, and in doing so, we will relinquish any claim to the word of God. Or we can tell the truth, even though it sometimes earns us the kind of scorn that followers of God have felt for thousands of years. While the temptation might be to be silent in this life and to choose comfort, Jesus would remind us that the blessing of God is there for his faithful and persecuted followers.
Matthew 5:10-12
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Of course I’m not calling anyone to go out there and be a jerk to people. If you are persecuted for just plain being mean to people, you will have no reward from God for your persecution. But, if you can carry yourself with love, class, kindness, and dignity while being honest, you will still be looked down upon and ridiculed for your faith; but in that case, there will be a great reward for you that is worth far more than the discomfort of the world’s disapproval.
Obedience Because God Said So (Matthew 3:13-15)
Matthew 3:13-15
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.
“Why do we have to do that?” One will often hear that question, especially in a small group Bible study setting. Christians take a look at the commands of God, and we look for a reasoning behind those commands. It somehow makes us feel better about obedience when we can come up with a rationale for why God would set the boundaries where he set them or why he calls us to do what he calls us to do.
Taking a look, then, at the scene of Jesus’ baptism should be a challenge for those who always feel a need to have the “Why’ question answered when it comes to God’s commands. Jesus comes to John the Baptist, and he asks to be baptized. John, realizing that he is in the presence of the Lord’s anointed, a man more righteous than John, tries to prevent Jesus from going through with this request. After all, John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. Those who went into the river with John were telling God and the nation around them that they were turning away from their sin and being cleansed in preparation for the coming of the Lord. How could it be a good idea for the sinless Christ to take part in this activity?
Now, Jesus could have answered John with many answers to the “Why” question. Jesus could have told John, “My being baptized will set a pattern for my followers—be baptized just like Jesus was baptized.” Jesus could have told John, “My ministry will, in a typological way, follow the course of the nation of Israel and their rescue out of Egypt and settling in the promised land. Since I have already been to Egypt, I need a symbolic crossing the Jordan moment to keep the parallel going.” Jesus could have told John, “I don’t want to ask my followers to do something that I am unwilling to do.” He could have told John, “I am identifying myself with a sinful humanity so that I can truly represent them before God, even though I personally have no sin.”
Jesus could have given any of those answers, but he did not. Instead, Jesus’ answer to the “Why “ question was as simple as this: “It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Jesus tells John to baptize him, because it is the right thing to do. John needs to obey this command, not because Jesus hits him with a good logical reason to obey the command of God, but simply because the son of God said so.
I’m not condemning those fun little coffee table discussions as to why God might have commanded his people in the Old Testament not to eat pork or to cut their hair in a certain way. But let’s be sure that our discussions come after we have determined in our hearts and lives to always obey the commands of God simply because God gave those commands. We live in a world that demands that we justify every aspect of our faith, even though they put themselves to no such standard. We live among people who want to know the whys and wherefores of all of God’s commands so that they themselves can approve or disapprove God’s commands. We, ourselves, have such a sinful longing to be in control that we want to examine and give sanction to the commands that we obey. Let us determine, if we are followers of Christ, to obey the commands of Christ for this simple reason, “it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”
Jesus is God, and It Matters
Revelation 22:8-9
8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, 9 but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”
Matthew 4:8-10
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
“ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God
and him only shall you serve.’ ”
John 20:28-29
28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Some people wonder why it is that a person’s faith or lack of faith in Jesus is such a big deal. Isn’t it a rather arbitrary thing to assign a person eternally to damnation or to glory simply based on their belief in or trust in a homeless teacher from two millennia ago? Indeed, it would seem a rather obscure standard for God to use too determine one’s eternity were it not for one crucial fact: Jesus is not a mere teacher; he is God.
To prove the point does not take as much as one might think. In several verses, including those above, the Bible makes it plain that no man or angel is rightly worthy of the worship of another. We see in case after case, when a person accidentally or confusedly bows to worship someone who is lesser than God, that person, if they are righteous, will correct the confused worshiper. But look, Jesus offers no such correction. When Thomas bows to Jesus and calls Jesus God, Jesus tells Thomas, “Good for you, the Father has revealed the truth to you.”
While it may seem arbitrary to base a person’s eternity on whether or not they like a philosopher from centuries ago, it is not obscure at all for God to base your eternity on whether or not you receive him, God. If God himself comes to earth and makes a way, one way, for you to be forgiven of your sins, it is perfectly sensible for God to require you to come to his grace by coming to him through that one way. Because Jesus is God, to reject Jesus is to reject God. To receive Jesus, on the other hand, is to receive God and to place yourself in his merciful hands.
Whether or not Jesus is God is an issue of supreme importance. All in eternity hangs on this truth. If Jesus is not God, he cannot sufficiently pay the penalty for the sin of anyone. If Jesus is not God, he does not have the right to forgive anyone. If Jesus is not God, he is either a confused lunatic, insanely claiming to be God, or he is worse, a liar intentionally deceiving the world. If Jesus is not God, Christianity is useless and there is no hope for humanity.
However, Jesus is God. HE claimed that title. He proved his claim to it by rising from the dead and by doing myriad other things that only God could do. Jesus therefore has the ability to forgive all who come to him. Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross is of such worth to be able to grant forgiveness to all who will trust in him. Because Jesus is God, to come to Jesus is to come to God. To be forgiven by Jesus is to be forgiven by God. To reject Jesus is to reject God.
Today, as in any other day, people all over the world will make a crucial decision about Jesus. Either they will bow to him, acknowledging his identity and falling on his mercy, or they will reject him, and in doing so, will turn their backs on the God who created them and who is their only hope for grace. What will you do with Jesus this day?
God’s Judgment–Options Available (Revelation 20:11-15)
Revelation 20:11-15
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
The concept of being judged by God is one that causes many people to shutter or utterly revolt. Many do not want to think of God as judging, and they certainly do not want to be judged themselves. But the Bible does not offer non-judgment as an option. All mankind, small and great, will be judged by God.
Now, if you want options in your judgment, there is good news. God offers an option. The option is not whether or not you will be judged. Instead, the option is by what you will be judged. I think we can all agree, if we have to be judged, it is very good for us to be judged with options on our part as to what God uses to judge us.
Peeking at Revelation 20’s judgment scene, we see that all people are judged, and their judgment occurs in one of two ways. There are books and a book. In the books (plural), we see a record of the deeds of all people (I wonder if this has been upgraded to USB memory). In the book, singular, we see what appears to be a list of names.
Here’s where it gets interesting. Those who are judged by the books (plural) are judged by God based on their deeds in life. When you ask almost anyone if they expect to go to heaven when they die, they almost always say that they expect to go to heaven because they haven’t been an utterly bad person. However, Revelation 20 makes it plain that all who are judged by the content of the books, that is by the list of their deeds, will be sentenced to an eternity in hell. This is because no one, not even the best person you know, is a good enough person to meet God’s perfect standard of righteousness (cf. Rom 3:10-17, 23).
On the other hand, there are those who are judged by what is in the book (singular). This book, called “the book of life,” is apparently a list of names. These names are the names of all of those who ever have or will become God’s children. This book is a list of those, not who were good people, but who have come to salvation by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ. These people, regardless of what is written in the books, will enter into heaven for eternity because their names are written in the list of those who are redeemed, rescued, saved by Jesus Christ.
This judgment passage is a perfect place to take a friend to help them to see the truth of the gospel in a striking scene. If we are judged according to our works, we go to hell; and that includes every last one of us. If, however, we place our full trust in Jesus Christ, we go to heaven, regardless of our pasts. Salvation is a gift of God, fully based on the perfection of Jesus and not on our goodness or lack thereof.
Every person will choose how they are judged. Will you be judged by your works? If so, you will end up in hell. Will you be instead judged by the book? If so, you must trust in Jesus. All who come to Jesus in faith will be saved, and they will find that their name has been written in God’s book from before the dawn of time (cf. Rev 13:8). As long as your name is on that list, you will spend forever in heaven with God, not because you are good, but because Jesus is very, very good.
Framing Questions and Genesis 3:1
Genesis 3:1
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”
In the Garden of Eden, we glimpse some of the clever strategy of the devil. When Satan wants to mislead the people of God, he begins with a tactic that is still present in nearly any human argument. Satan distracts Eve by setting up false conditions and then attempting to persuade Eve based on those false conditions.
The serpent asks the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” What was he going for there? He was trying to get the woman to think about whether or not such a god would be good who would forbid his children from eating of any of the trees in the garden. Of course, God had not made such a restriction, and thus the devil was attacking, not the real God, but a god of his own creation (a straw-man or straw-god I suppose). The devil knew that, could he get the woman discussing whether such a god would be good, he would have her. If the woman had entered into this argument with the devil, he could have drawn her to the conclusion that her god was mean, selfish, unsharing, greedy, etc. This, in fact, is the play he makes later, and it works, but from a different angle.
Noticing that Satan tries this tactic in the garden should help us to think about the ways in which we think about many issues and moral dilemmas today. For example, when a discussion of a persons’ need for Christ is derailed by objections like, “How can I believe in Jesus when Christians have done such awful things in the past,” the devils’ tactics are in evidence. Why would this be an example of the devils’ tricks? Whether or not Christians have been good people in the past has nothing to do with the reality of whether or not God exists, whether or not individuals are under his judgment, or whether or not Christ is the only way to be saved. The truth is, the righteousness or unrighteousness of Christians in the past has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not a person needs Jesus.
Let’s try another. When the discussion of the protection of the lives of unborn children becomes a discussion about a woman’s right to choose what to do with her body instead of a discussion over the fact that a growing child is a living human being whether in or out of the womb, the devil’s first type of trickery is in view. The tactic of the pro-choice proponent is to frame the debate with the woman and only the woman in view. The moment such a debate is bounded by only a look at the feelings and desires of the woman, the pro-choice argument becomes apparently strong (though studies of women who have had abortions make this argument weaker than one might expect). However, the debate should not be framed there. The questions which require answers are, “Is the child in the womb in fact a living human being? If the child is a living human being, under what circumstances should it be acceptable to end that human being’s life?” When those questions become the framework of the debate, the pro-life position rightly stands much stronger.
On and on we could go with example after example of how framing questions can lead people to reach false conclusions because they fail to discuss the true issue at hand. The point, however, that I want to make is that believers should recognize that this is one of the devils’ first and most common tools to mislead people. We need to be careful not to fall prey to these devices. This requires that we be wise logical thinkers who walk carefully in the world.
Most of all, if we are to avoid the dangers of the devils’ schemes in argument, we are going to have to make sure that we have a center of authority to use in any discussion or debate. The devil tried to introduce to the woman outside thoughts and outside voices that contradicted the word of God. IN doing so, he tried to pry her away from the only solid source of truth. In today’s world, the devil tries the same thing. If we are going to think wisely and be faithful, we must recognize that the Bible, God’s written word, is the source of authority and truth that must frame all our thoughts and decisions. Regardless of the issue, whether it be political, moral, or social, we must frame the question and make our response to the issue, not based on the false constructs of a godless world, but on the clear and solid foundation of the standards presented in the Bible.
Beginning in the Beginning (Genesis 1:1)
Genesis 1:1
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
As 2010 arrives, I find myself with a nice, hot cup of coffee, in my comfy chair, again opening up the Bible for a planned read through the word of God in this year. The journey should be full of adventure some days. On other days, I will forget to do what I should, will find it difficult to concentrate, or will simply read it, shrug my shoulders, and go on with the day.
Thanks to the Lord, this morning is not one of those days. Today, as I sit here, I am immediately struck by the very first verse of the Bible. God tells us that, in the beginning, he created the heavens and the earth. Boy is it too bad that we have heard this so many times that our wonder is weak.
In the beginning, before anything human, at the start, God created. At the very beginning of time, God already existed. God spoke, and things which were not became reality. God, by his power, created the entire universe and the little planet upon which we live. Such a God is amazing and worthy of praise.
Now, here is what grabs my attention this morning. Genesis 1:1 is a litmus test of sorts. Try this one on for yourself. Can you believe those words? Can you believe that, in the beginning, God spoke and brought into being that which was not? Can you believe that God, by his power, created a universe out of nothing? Can you believe that the earth upon which your feet rest (or upon which your seat rests by resting on the floor which is somehow connected to the foundation of the house or building you are in. . . you get the point), can you believe that earth was spoken into existence by a being, a person, who still exists and who still sustains it?
The simple fact is, if you can believe Genesis 1:1, all of the other claims of the Bible should be easy to believe. If you cannot believe Genesis 1:1, nothing else in the Bible should strike your fancy. If Genesis 1:1 is true, then everything about life changes. If Genesis 1:1 is not true, then nothing in life matters.
I recently tuned my ITunes to an Internet radio station that featured stand-up comedy. After only a few minutes, it hit me that the speakers had absolutely no concept that they were created by God. They thought of God as irrelevant if he should exist at all. They thought that this life was about them. Their lack of grasping the significance of Genesis 1:1 led them to be irreverent, crude, and ultimately meaningless in their talk.
Now, ponder for yourself what it means to be created by God. What gives your life meaning? If you are created, your life is endowed with meaning by the one who created you. If you are not created, you must pretend that your life has meaning by coming up with that meaning yourself. If you are created, your Creator can lead you to what is right, what is beautiful, what is true, and what is good. If you are not created, there is no basis for any of those categories.
So, the question should arise, in 2010, will you live as a created being? Will you acknowledge that you have a Maker? Will you shape your life in such a way as to honor and follow the One who fashioned you? Will you make sure that, every day, you acknowledge that you live for a purpose that is defined by the One who made you and not by your own imagination?
And will you let the truth of Genesis 1:1 lead you to believe the rest of the Scripture? If God can speak the universe into existence, it is no big thing for him to flood the earth, to scatter humanity, to give Sarah a child at age 90, to make a Hebrew slave become the prime minister of Egypt, to part the Red Sea, to shower food from heaven, to make a donkey talk, to defeat a giant with a boy’s sling shot, or to have a virgin conceive a child by the Holy Spirit. If God created the universe with a word, the idea of him entering into that universe, paying for the sins of his people, dying, and rising from the dead is not unimaginable, though it is incredibly beautiful and stunning. And if God created us, it is not hard to believe that Jesus could ascend into heaven, or that he will return to earth.
Acts 1:9-11
9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
This year, let us begin with the understanding that this universe belongs to God; he made it after all. That God made us gives us meaning. That God made us helps us to know that we have a purpose to fulfill. That God made us defines for us truth, beauty, and goodness. That God made the universe shows us his power and makes the other miracles of the Bible believable. That God made us changes everything, so let’s rightly begin in the beginning in 2010.
A Christian Apology Tour? (1 John 3:12-13)
Genesis 4:3-5 (ESV)
3 In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.
1 John 3:12-13 (ESV)
12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.
I recall an instruction once given to me by a preaching professor at Southern Seminary. It came after one of my better attempts at preaching in the classroom. Before I made a particular point, I told the class that I knew that I was about to do something that we generally know not to do. Dr. York told me at the end of that message, “Don’t apologize for something you are going to do anyway.” His point was that, if I believed in an idea enough to say it, I shouldn’t take weight away from it by pretending that I don’t like it.
If you have spent much time watching political news over the past year, you have probably been privy to the way in which conservative commentators and many Americans were appalled at the way they perceived that our president traveled the globe apologizing to the world for his country. One of the earliest moves that the president made was an attempt to strengthen foreign relations by doing what he believed would be the right and humble thing and admit what he saw as the nation’s shortcomings. Whether such a strategy has worked is for you to ponder.
The president is not, however, the only one who has gone on an apology tour of sorts. Have you read any of the writings of the more emergent crowd? One of the hip new facets of emergent “Christianity” is to apologize to the world for everything that they perceive to be wrong with Christians. These folks take shots at institutional religion, at the way some religious folks carry themselves, at the way some religious folks speak, or at the way that some religious folks seem closed-minded. If you catch one of them on the right day, they will write a full diatribe on how wrong the crusades were.
Much like the president’s attempt to gain friends by humbly apologizing for what others perceive as our shortcomings, some among Christianity are trying to redeem the reputation of the church by telling the world that they agree, we are too goodie goodie, too high and mighty, too closed-minded, too right wing, or whatever. And in fact, some of these folks make friends, at least friends in the short term, through these strategies.
Here is the problem: There is just no way that Christians will ever truly make friends with the world at large. Why do I say this? Take a look at the passages above. They lead us to something that we have to acknowledge. People who live outside of the will of God will, by their very nature, dislike those who follow God. Cane hated Abel for the simple reason that Abel was approved by God while Cane was not. In pondering this issue, the apostle John wrote, “Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you” ((1 John 3:13). Doing that which pleases God is a prescription to have those who dishonor God dislike you.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Some Christians have people dislike them because they are jerks, not because of their righteousness. If you are a jerk, stop being one. If you are hated for being a jerk, well, you have a way to change that. However, the moment that you start truly living to display the glory of God to a lost and dying world, that world which hates God will hate you by association.
Part of being a Christian is to be at odds with the rest of the world. Part of being a Christian is what the Bible refers to as the “stumbling block” of the cross. The lost think the cross foolishness and offensive. They think the concept that Christians think they are going to heaven and that those who do not have Christ are going to hell to be the height of arrogance. They think that a Christian’s opposition to abortion, to homosexuality, or to sexual immorality is a step backward in human development. And, if we are to follow Christ faithfully, there is just no way to take away those stumbling blocks.
Christians, we most certainly can live with love and kindness. We can speak and carry ourselves in such a way that we do not bring upon ourselves undo criticism. However, we also need to learn to live with the fact that the world will eventually grow to hate us if we truly live to please God. They will hate us, not because we are mean, but because we represent the very God that they reject.
Personally, I don’t think that the US president’s attempt at foreign relations through apology will work. Instead, I think it will make those who oppose the US perceive the nation as weak and unsettled. Similarly, I know that no ground will truly be gained by supposed Christians apologizing for the truths of the Bible by which we live. Christians, if you believe it, don’t apologize for it.
Settle in Your Heart the Issue of God’s Love (Malachi 1:2a)
Malachi 1:2a
“I have loved you,” says the Lord. But you say, “How have you loved us?”
The opening statement from the lips of God in the Book of Malachi is something that is glorious to hear. God says, I have loved you.” Think of the alternatives. What if God said to you, I don’t love you,” or “I hate you,” or “I used to love you, but not anymore.” Such phrases would be devastating. But here, at the very onset of the book of Malachi, God tells the people of God, “I have loved you.”
The tense of the verb when God says, “I have loved you,” indicates that the love of God is something that was accomplished in the past but which continues on into the present. It is God telling them that he loved them in the past and he still loves them today. His love is completely and totally established.
This word, loved, is a word that has more important meaning in it than simple affection. The word here used for love is a word that indicates God’s choosing Israel, his faithfulness to Israel, His covenant relationship with Israel. God’s use of this word brings to mind. . .
Deuteronomy 7:6-9
6 “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. 7 It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
When God says that he has loved Israel, he is saying that he has chosen her and committed himself to a relationship with her for her good. He did not do this because Israel was special or better than any other nation. Instead, God did this simply for his own purpose, his own glory.
Israel responds to God’s declaration of love like a snotty teenager. “Oh yeah; how have you loved me?” What spite is in those words. “Sure, you say you love us, but we haven’t seen it. You don’t love us at all.”
What’s wrong with that question? One thing is that the issue of the love of God has been proved time and time and time again. Like the teen sitting on his bed given him by his parents, in the clothes given him by his parents, eating food provided by his parents, playing with gifts given to him out of his parents’ kindness, yet questioning the caring of his parents, so Israel acts as though God has done nothing to prove he loves them. Just because things are not presently going the way Israel wants, they assume that God has to do something extra to prove his love.
But God has loved Israel, and the proof is in the history. God chose them as a nation to be his special possession. God rescued them from Egypt. God gave them his commandments and a special covenant to teach them to act like his people. God brought them home from their captivity in Babylon even though they had rebelled against his commandments. God provided them the opportunity and resources to rebuild the temple so that they could continue to be the people who worship him. God had given them more than enough proof to make it obvious that he loved them.
What about you? If I tell you that God has loved you, how will you respond? Do you find that this brings you joy? Do you know it to be true? Or, like Israel, do you say, “Prove it”?
Romans 5:8
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Do you want proof of God’s love? We have all sinned against him and he has chosen not to immediately destroy us for our wrong. Not only that, God chose to send his only Son to die in order to purchase a people for himself. All who have put their trust in Jesus have seen the love of God proved, because all who have trusted in Jesus have been granted forgiveness of their sins and entrance into God’s family.
I want to urge you to do this one thing: Settle in your heart the issue of God’s love. Right now, you need to decide whether or not it is true that God loves you. Has God proved his love or not? Was sending Jesus to die as a sacrifice for the sins of God’s people enough to prove that God is loving? If not, what would prove God’s love to you? The very fact that you are drawing breath right now is proof that he has been more merciful to us than any of us deserve. Let’s get that fact straight in our minds right now.
Why is it so crucial that you settle in your heart the issue of God’s love? The reason is that you and I do not want to be like Israel, arrogantly and defiantly demanding that God re-prove his love for us over and over.
Henry Blackaby (a teacher I will seldom cite) tells the story of a day when he and his family were at a friend’s home for a gathering. On that day, a small child fell into the swimming pool and was under water for far too long. By the time the adults at the party were able to pull the child out, his little face was blue and he wasn’t breathing. As one person called 911, others began performing rescue breathing on the limp little child. After a horrifying and tense few minutes, the child coughed, spat up water, and began breathing normally. By the time the paramedics arrived, the child was sitting up and things were fine.
The next day, Blackaby was in his prayer closet, thinking about the rescue of the child, and thanking God for how good and loving he was. Over and over again he declared that God was so good. Then Blackaby said that it hit him like a shot: Would God not have been good or loving had the child died? Blackaby had to return to his knees before the Lord and confess his own sinfulness. He was measuring God’s goodness and God’s love based on his circumstances. You see, God has already totally proved his love for us, and nothing that happens in our own lives can change that fact.
If you do not settle in your own heart that God’s love is already totally true and totally proven, you will not be able to handle it when tough times come in your life. If you are not settled on the issue of God’s love, every financial difficulty, every medical test, every family crisis will put God on trial in your heart. Christians, we cannot live like that. It dishonors God for us to live like that. No, before the time of trial and before the time of testing, we need to already know this one fact beyond any doubt: God has proved his love and faithfulness to us in Christ. Nothing more need be done. Even if God allows all our visible means of support to fall away. Even if we end up sick, poor, and alone. Even if the worst thing imaginable should happen to us in this life, we should never allow that to intrude on the simple, totally proven truth that God has loved us. Christians, get this settled in your heart now, and it will save you much pain in the future.
Obey Jesus’ Commission to Make Disciples (Mathew 28:19-20a)
Matthew 28:19-20a
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
Though the words in this sentence look like four commands—go, make disciples, baptize, and teach—, in the original language, there is only one command with three words or phrases describing how to fulfill the command. The command is this: Make disciples. Everything else is part of how we do that.
The word “go,” in its original language, is more like “as you are going.” The concept here is that you make disciples as you go. Remember, making disciples is the command. Going is how you make disciples. This is pretty simple, really; you cannot make any disciples if you hide inside your house and never move or talk to anybody. You have to make disciples as you go through life, and sometimes as you go to the nations.
Make disciples is the command, and this is what we have to learn how to do. A disciple literally is a follower. We are to, as we go, help people from all nations, all people groups, all social classes to become followers of Jesus. We are to actively work to help people to move from wherever they are spiritually toward the goal of being a God-glorifying follower of Jesus.
If you look at the phrases which follow the call to make disciples, you will see that Jesus gives us two categories of disciple-making, two tasks to take part in so as to help others become followers of Jesus. Jesus tells us to make disciples by baptizing people and by teaching them.
What does it mean to baptize people in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit? This first half of disciple-making is the call to evangelism. To baptize a person necessarily includes you giving them the gospel and them choosing to identify themselves with Christ as his people. The Bible assumes that the saved are those who will be baptized. The Bible assumes that if you are saved, you will be baptized and you will become part of the church. So this first call to make disciples through baptism is the call to share the gospel with those who are not disciples and to help them toward Jesus.
The second part of making disciples is to teach those who have become believers to obey the things that Jesus has commanded. This, to be honest, is the part of the Great commission that many Christians ignore completely. We usually at least acknowledge that it is the command of God that we share our faith with the lost. However, we often completely disregard the command of God to then invest in other believers to help them to learn to obey the commands of Christ. However, it is not God’s plan for a person to simply believe in him and be saved and that be it; God intends for people to trust him, to be saved by him, and then to follow him with all their lives.
Now, here is the major question: How are you taking part in obeying Jesus’ commission here? How are you following your Savior? Remember, he has all authority. He has every right to demand we do this stuff. How are you going to obey?
Let me see if we can’t spell out some ways to obey here briefly. First, if you are not saved, you need Jesus. You need to become a disciple. You need to have your sins forgiven by God. You need to run to Jesus, believe in him, and ask him to take away your sin through his finished work done on the cross. You need to entrust your soul to Jesus in order to become his follower. Then, you need to tell the church that you have put your trust in Jesus, and you need to be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, demonstrating to the world that you identify yourself with Christ and his people.
Second, if you are saved, ask yourself this: How can I be a disciple this year by growing in my ability to obey Christ’s commands? Christians, we all need to grow. What are you currently doing in your life to insure that you are learning how to better follow Jesus. Are you faithfully attending worship? Are you taking notes and working hard during sermons to better learn to follow Christ through his word? Are you meeting with someone who is more spiritually mature than you and having them help you to learn to obey Jesus the way that they do? Christians, part of making disciples is making sure that you are growing as a disciple. So, as 2010 comes upon us, make sure that you are being taught to obey.
Third, besides growing yourself, it is important that you as a Christian are seeking out those who do not know Jesus. As you go through life, you are going to cross paths with people who do not yet know Jesus. It is the command of Christ that you work to help them to become disciples. With whom are you sharing your faith? Do you even know how to share the gospel with a lost person? If you don’t know how to share your faith, go to your pastor and say, “Pastor, I need help to know how to tell others about Jesus.” If he can’t help you, send me a note and we’ll get to work making sure that you know how to explain the gospel to a lost person.
Fourth, and this is the one that many of us need to think long and hard about, who are you helping to better be a disciple of Christ? Who are you teaching to obey the commands of Christ? Into whose Christian life are you investing. Is it possible that many Christians have done nothing over the past year to help anyone grow even one step deeper in their walk with the Lord? Many of you have talked about a thousand things you like or don’t like about politics, about the church, about the weather, or about your sports team, but you have not taken any time in 2009 to help a brother or sister in Christ to walk closer to Jesus.
Now, don’t get mad at me if you don’t think you are guilty there. And, if you are guilty there, don’t just sit there feeling bad. Let’s work together to fix the problem. In 2010, make a decision that you will find someone to invest in . If you are an older saint, why not find a younger saint who you can encourage, who you can pray with, who you can talk with about the word of God.
I once heard a story of a father and his two sons who went on a camping and fishing trip over a weekend. They were very excited to get away from town and have some guy time together. They packed the car with all the fishing gear that they would need, and they packed a nice big tent for them to sleep in. When they arrived at the lake, they set up their tent and got their campsite ready. That night they roasted hot dogs over the campfire, toasted marshmallows, and then went to bed with dreams of hauling in the big one.
The next morning, the men awoke to a nasty thunderstorm. No problem. The tent was dry and the fish could wait one more day. They had brought a deck of cards and some board games. So, they had a great morning just hanging out together. But, by the afternoon, all that time together in an enclosed space helped them to start grating on one another’s nerves. That was OK, though, as tomorrow would be time to fish.
When the men woke up on the third morning to find it still raining, they packed up the car and went home with hardly a word said.
“What’s the moral of the story,” you ask. When you don’t fish, you fight. Far too many churches are filled with nit picking, back biting, and personality conflicts over meaningless issues simply because the people are not fishing, not seeking to help the lost become disciples. The church that will be happy will be the church where the energies of the people are going toward worshipping God and making others into disciples. It is terribly difficult to really want to gossip about someone or say something bad about them if you are actually investing yourself in their Christian growth.
Here’s the whole point of the matter. Jesus, who has all authority, has told us to go and make disciples. That means that we need to be disciples. That means that we need to help others to become disciples by sharing the gospel with the lost. That means that we need to grow in our own following of Jesus. That means that we have to invest in the Christian growth of others. And Jesus said he will be with us, to see to it that we do what he has commissioned us to do.
[The above is an abridged portion of this morning’s message.]
