Everlasting Father

I’d like you to imagine that my wife has left our toddler home with me while she went out. I want him to know I love him so I decide to let him do whatever he’d like. Unfortunately, the thing he likes most is the glowing fire in our fireplace. He toddles over to it and I pull him away. He goes for it again and I pull him away again. This time he looks up with me with a pleading look in his cute, little eyes. I decide that he is too cute to deny. My heart wells up with love and I give him his way. I smile a contented smile as he crawls away, happy as a lark, toward his heart’s desire…the roaring fire. It’s dangerous…but isn’t letting our children do what makes them happy the best way to show love? OF COURSE NOT!

How often have we tried the same with God? How often do we look at Him with pleading eyes and beg to have our own way? How many times have we gotten angry or frustrated when it becomes clear that He has other plans for us? How many times have we asked in our hearts, “Don’t you love me, God?”

Earthly fathers certainly aren’t perfect. Many of us have had fathers who have failed us in some way. We sometimes treat our Everlasting Father as if He is like our earthly father because His discipline doesn’t seem very loving at times. He sometimes prevents us from doing what we want to do. But Scripture tells us that God is not like an earthly father:

“Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Matthew 7:9-11

God, the Everlasting Father, has a perfect point of view. He sees things we cannot. He protects us from ourselves because of His wonderful Fatherly love. When we feel like God is against us let’s remember that The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made. Psalm 145:17.

My prayer for us this Christmas season is perfectly expressed in Ephesians 3:16-19…

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Mighty God

One of the most encouraging pictures of Jesus in Scripture can be found in the book of Isaiah. In Isaiah 9:6 the Messiah is referred to as Mighty God. 

Isaiah expands upon the concept of Mighty God in Isaiah 33:20-22:

Look upon Zion, the city of our festivals; your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved; its stakes will never be pulled up, nor any of its ropes broken.

There the Lord will be our Mighty One. It will be like a place of broad rivers and streams.

No galley with oars will ride them, no mighty ship will sail them.

For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; it is he who will save us.

Here he tells us that the Mighty One has three titles – He is our Judge, Lawgiver and King. Let’s concentrate on Jesus’ role as Judge this week.

Our true enemy is spiritual.  He stands in opposition to us before the Judgment Seat, presenting his case before God who is the only righteous judge. He lists our offenses in hopes that God will cast us aside. But Romans 5:6-11 speaks to Mighty God’s position on our sorry, sinful state:

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

What a beautiful picture of God’s deep love for us. We stand before the Mighty One guilty of sin and He, the only righteous Judge provides a way of reconciliation through His own blood. While we were weak, sinners, enemies – Christ sacrificed His life for our salvation.

Are you afraid of God? Do you think He is keeping a record of the wrong things you do? Do you wonder why He would have anything to do with you? Take heart and hear the Word of God through Isaiah: “For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; IT IS HE WHO WILL SAVE US.” (Isaiah 33:22)

Advent week 1

This is the season of Advent; the four Sundays preceding Christmas. Advent is a special time of year. During Advent, we look back to the first coming of Jesus Christ (as a baby) and look forward to his second coming (as our conquering King). It is a time that we think about hope, love , joy and peace.

This year, I’d like us to consider the blessings we have because Jesus Christ was born. Isaiah 9:6 tells us a prophecy concerning the Messiah: " For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. " (ESV)

The word translated "counselor" can also mean guide or leader. There is a great description about how the Wonderful Counselor leads in Isaiah 58:11 “The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” (NIV84)

The Wonderful Counselor leads us. He will always lead us in the right direction. God promises to lead us in a special way according to Isaiah. He promises to satisfy us; make us feel at home with Him. Psalm 103:5 tells us that God "satisfies [us] with good things so that [our] youth is renewed like the eagle’s"

What about you this advent season. Where is your life headed? Are you being led well? I challenge you to trust the one who is the Wonderful Counselor to "strengthen your frame" so that "you will be like a well-watered garden" this advent season. Trust the Wonderful Counselor to lead you to faith in him, and hope through his word, the Bible.

God’s Presence in The Storm

On Sunday August 28 our area was hit by Tropical Storm Irene. Often when tragedies like this happens people ask ‘ Where is God in all this?’. Psalm 46 gives an answer to God’s presence in the midst of the storm:

Ps 46:1-3,11 “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging … The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. (NIV)

There are three significant points in this brief passage that let us know God’s presence when the “waters roar and foam”. First, He is a very present help. He does not hide from us; He draws himself near to us to apply His mercy and grace in the midst of tragedy. Secondly He is our refuge. A refuge is a shelter. It is a place of safety during a storm. It is where we go to find help and security. God promises to be our shelter during the midst of the storm. Thirdly, he is our strength. In other words He gives us the strength to withstand the force of difficult situations.

Where is God in the midst of the storm? He is there to apply His wonderful grace. God’s grace is our shelter and strength.

The Three “R’s” of Faith, Part 2.

Read again that wonderful promise found in Colossians 1:

Colossians 1:11–14 (NIV84)

¹¹ being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully ¹² giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. ¹³ For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

By the grace of God, we were relocated “into the kingdom of the Son he loves”. (Colossians 1:13). The word used in the NIV is brought; this word means that we were transferred from one condition to an opposing condition. What that means is we were brought from a condition of being alienated from God, to being participants in Christ’s kingdom.

Christ’s kingdom has benefits; some are described for us in Psalm 103:

Psalm 103:3–17 (NIV84)

³ who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, ⁴ who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, ⁵ who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. ⁶ The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. ⁷ He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: ⁸ The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. ⁹ He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; ¹⁰ he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. ¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; ¹² as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. ¹³ As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; ¹⁴ for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. ¹⁵ As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; ¹⁶ the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. ¹⁷ But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children—

Think about that for a moment, God has already transferred you into the Kingdom of Christ; the one He loves. In Christ, you are in a position of privilege and a condition of grace.

The Three “R’s” of Faith, Part 1.

Growing up I heard about the three “R’s” of education: reading, writing and arithmetic. Having these skills was fundamental to my education. Similarly, the three R’s of faith (Rescued, Relocated and Redeemed) are essential to my faith.

Colossians gives us instruction: Colossians 1:12-14 “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” NIV

We were rescued from the dominion of darkness. The word translated “rescued” in this text has a historical/redemptive understanding. It is associated with the word used when Lot was rescued from Sodom after he chose Sodom as a desired place to live (Gen 13). Like Lot we have placed ourselves in a position out of which we need to be rescued; sin resulting in our being separated from God.

One of the interesting aspects of this word is that in Greek “rescued” appears in the Aorist tense. This tense indicates completed action at one specific time in the past. That specific time points to the moment Christ’s atoning death was appropriated to us through faith.

Romans 10:9-11 “That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” (NIV)

Have you been rescued from the dominion (jurisdiction) of darkness? Consider these encouraging words from Ephesians 5:8-15:

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14 for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." 15 Be very careful, then, how you live.” (NIV)

If indeed you have been rescued from the dominion of darkness through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, walk in the jurisdiction of light.

Hidden with Christ

Our year verses for 2011 are:

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  ²Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.  ³For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  ⁴When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”  (NIV)

                        Colossians 3:1-4

We can make plans for the New Year with the realization that we have been raised with Christ.  Because of that one fantastic fact, we can “aim higher” in our goals and dealings with people.  What we do in 2011 can be tempered by setting our hearts on things above.  This means investigating carefully our choices and deciding on actions that are in line with Christ’s rule in our lives.

Additionally we are told to “set our minds on things above”.  This command to set our minds involves more than an intellectual exercise.  This also involves engaging our whole self; our wills, wants and conscience.

There is a fantastic promise nestled in this passage; our lives are “now hidden with Christ in God”.  The word hidden “krypto”  means kept safe for a special purpose.  What is that purpose?  Verse four is the answer.  We are kept safe so that we may appear with Christ in glory when He is revealed.  Wow!  What a fantastic way to start 2011!

Advent!

This Advent, may the grace of God warm you with good news about His Son…

“In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ² This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³ And all went to be registered, each to his own town. ⁴ And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. ⁶ And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. ⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. ⁸ And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. ¹⁰ And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ¹⁴  “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” Luke 2:1-14 (ESV)

The “Key” to a Thankful Heart

 

This Thanksgiving, have you thought about the things for which you are thankful? I’ve thought about the things with which God has blessed me: family, ministry, health, just to name a few. I did what I usually do, I went through a list of things God has either done for me or given me. I’ve listed them in order of importance.

Then, while preparing for a Thanksgiving sermon I was challenged to think of thanking God in an entirely different way. I call it the “key” to a thankful heart. Psalm 107:1 reads Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! (ESV)^[1] The word for is the “key” to a thankful heart. In Hebrew it is the word “kiy”. It is a demonstrative particle which means “for or because”.

The psalmist calls the reader to give thanks to the Lord because He is good; not because of what He has done for us. The rest of the verse defines His goodness “His steadfast love endures forever”.

This Thanksgiving, give thanks to the Lord because of who he is. Spend time thinking about the character of God and how His qualities benefit your life. Thank Him because He is good. His steadfast love (for you) endures forever!

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^[1]The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ps 107:1.

Making Decisions

How do you make decisions? What criteria do you use when making choices?

One primary motivation for making decisions is fear. Fear of not having what we want or need, fear of what we may lose, fear of … you name it. Fear is a fascinating emotion. Fear motivates us to action, it also paralyses us. Fear is a barrier around which we are sometimes safe and sometimes harmed.

There was a man named Gideon who faced fear well; not because he was smarter or braver than we. Gideon faced fear well because “the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon…” (Judges 6:34 NIV). You see, Gideon’s ability to make good decisions came from his willingness to trust God more than he trusted his fear. I know that seems too simplistic to be practical but I encourage you to read Judges chapters 6 and 7 to get a fuller picture of Gideon’s journey of trust.

How can we, like Gideon face fear well? May I suggest a principle found in 1 John 4:19, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us.” NIV

How do we cast the weight of fear off? When you are hindered by fear… realize that the love of God for you and your love for God can give you the strength to do what Gideon did: love more than you fear.