He works in the midst of daily refuse.

This morning I grabbed my hatchet which was razor sharp as I had sharpened it after the last time I used it.  I grabbed the first piece of wood a simple, symmetrical 1"x5"X 15" piece of pine to split for kindling. I whacked off one piece and then the second one missed and took a major piece of my left index finger flapping it over.  I knew I had about 5 seconds before it would start gushing blood. In that moment I inspected the digital architecture and didn't see any bone or tendon involvement although the joint/bone was clearly visible.

Off to the ER... After the 2 hour wait, the ER Doc, a very personable man, came in and we were yucking it up. As he worked on me, I find out he lives in S.C. but comes up here 4 months a year in the winter to help out Maine. Back home he has a wife JUST Dx'd with cancer and children allowing him to do this.  

Anyway, as I am interrogating him I find out his father (now departed) was a pastor in NY and he is a believer. So we invite him over to break up the monotony of the long 4 months away from family, and I truly hope he takes us up on it. 

So the bigger point?  Would the Lord of the universe allow me, in my ineptitude, to whack my finger nearly in half for the sake of bringing us in contact with this man?  I don't know.  But here is where I am coming from, "...do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own..."  (1 Corinthians 6:19)

He is GOD; His ways are not our ways, His purposes are grander than ours, He is good whether we understand that at every turn or not.  So--YES, I am quite certain that He "could" do what I suggest and I would not put it past Him to do such a thing. Barbara and my souls were lifted up in the presence of this affable ER Doc and he seemed equally blessed.  "God works all things for good..." 

The rest of this story is yet to be written but one thing is certain; yesterday was unpleasant, and the aftermath is still playing out with discomfort, hindrance and inconvenience. But if the Lord wants to salvage a normal "day of small things" for His glory, what can we say but "Amen."

Can we preach too much grace???

The book of Jeremiah is not something you will hear preached as a matter of course in these wayward times. I took our congregation, page by page, through the book a number of years ago. The warnings of Jeremiah are many and just as applicable today as they were then. The knee-jerk reaction of our current Christian culture --myself included-- is to ascribe the rampant evil of the day to the unbelief of the culture at large.  A cursory reading of Jeremiah seems to say something quite different. Rather than excoriating "they, them and those," this prophet points the accusing finger at those uniquely called the Children of God. 

"Amend your ways and deeds and I will let you dwell in this place. Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.’" (Jeremiah 7:4)

The Temple worship had become so casually understood as to the depth of meaning of what took place, that the redemptive pictures and promises of hope in the coming Savior were trampled underfoot. The result was as flippant, thoughtless, and robotic attendance becoming the be-all, end-all, of the measure of saving faith; of true faith.

Putting it in today's parlance, it would be akin to the staunch priority of making sure one is in attendance at church every Sunday, come Hell or high water, clutching their weekly attendance badge as their security and definition of what it means to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart..." As long as one meets their self-determined "religious requirement," they can quite literally live the rest of the hours of their week however they see fit. 

Sadly, today the "art" of exhortation is too often omitted in the preacher's task for fear of offending and--gasp--someone leaves the church. So with gushing words of affirmation, week in and week out, the self-satisfied "Christian" walks out every Sunday feeling like they are God's gift to the world.

"“Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’—only to go on doing all these abominations?"  (Jeremiah 7:8-10)

What follows in the rest of Jeremiah ought to put the fear into anyone who is putting their confidence in their "walk of faithfulness" as determined on an individual basis. 

The balance:  The God of the New Testament is the same God of the Old Testament.  He has not changed for He is unchanging. It is certainly true that no one is secure before a Holy, sin-hating God, except the one who IS PUTTING their confidence in the imputed righteousness of the Savior. Notice I did not say, "....who HAS PUT their confidence in the imputed righteousness of the Savior. 

Saving faith is not a punctilliar--once in the past action--but an active, continuous action that is moment by moment. The reformers understood this as "perseverance of the saints." In other words it is not the one who has believed in the past, but the one who has believed, is believing and will believe... And lest this be misunderstood as a self-generated, strength of grip, fortitude, this continuing in faith is purely by the magnanimous grace of the One who has called out the Redeemed. 

"I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand."  (John 10:28-29)

Understood on balance, a little more fire and brimstone could be vital to the health of the Church. For  "...God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?"  (Romans 2:4) 

"Happy" New Year?

"When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.”"  (Genesis 6:1-7)

I have heard some pretty bizarre readings of this passage so only a word on what it isn't. The Nephilim were not fallen angels, demons, aliens or anything else "other-worldly." Enough on that for now.

What should jump out to us is the fact that the ludicrous assertion which has become unquestioned truth in many sectors, is that mankind is "basically good." All evidence to the contrary. This single fact topples the foundations of most of current day sociological and psychological theory and practice. 

The biblical understanding: The Lord created mankind at the outset--meaning Adam and Eve--not merely "good" but perfect. It was God's goal from the beginning for His children to enjoy intimate, communal relationship with each other and with their Creator. But that quickly changed as the prototypical family blew off the perfect counsel of their Creator exercising their inherent right of autonomy. The first family exchanged their own whims, desires, and wisdom over the very One who made them. The consequence was worldwide upheaval affecting everything in creation. Worse still, all life proceeding from Adam and Eve now entered the world inherently evil!  Happy New Year? Well only potentially.  

For before the foundations of the universe were even formed, the Lord God knew all of this would happen and had already set a plan of redemption in place.  He would become human, would live on the now sin stained planet, and would satisfy His original intention for man kind to be perfect so that we may enjoy that perfect communion with each other and the Creator Himself. 

We just ended the "Christmas" season 1 week ago. How distressing it is to see the annihilation of the celebration of our redemption turned into crass sentimentality replacing the birth of "God With Us" with empty sentiments of peace on Earth, love of family, and being excellent to each other. It plays well and even feels good but it is the broad way to eternal destruction God incarnate spoke of in Matthew: "“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."  (Matthew 7:13-14)

So it's pretty straight forward; you want a truly NEW year, with the promise of perfect peace (eventually) and eternal life with the Almighty (now) again Jesus speaks unambiguously. "Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."  (John 14:6)

If you "get that," embrace that, and accept God's Truth a peace-filled, and contented, New Year can indeed be yours, Now and Forever more. 

There will be a day of justice--it's just not today!

Malachi is a brief but sobering book. In 4 chapters we are given the immediate state of God's people with a foreboding message for all future generations who follow the same courses of rebellion as the people of Malachi's day. 

""Your words have been arrogant against Me," says the LORD. "Yet you say, 'What have we spoken against You?' "You have said, 'It is vain to serve God; and what profit is it that we have kept His charge, and that we have walked in mourning before the LORD of hosts? 'So now we call the arrogant blessed; not only are the doers of wickedness built up but they also test God and escape.'" 

A quick tally of all the indictments against "God's people" ought to be a wake up call to people of faith today.

1.  Pride causes the "clay" to dare push back against the "Potter." "Thus saith the Lord" is routinely dismissed out of hand today is it not? 

2.  God's people argue with HIS assessment of their sin. 

3.  God's people contend it is pointless to live by the Word of the Lord. 

4.  God's people's rebellion empowered the wicked to continue and increase in their wickedness.

"Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and who esteem His name."

The truly faithful Jews, not merely the "religious Jews" caught the Lord's attention by their fidelity to their Lord.  The Lord is obviously pleased.

"They will be Mine," says the LORD of hosts, "on the day that I prepare My own possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him." So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him."   (Malachi 3:13-18)

THE day of fairness, of justice, of equity, is not yet upon us. This is frustrating to us to say the least. But the promise of that Day is assured by the very character of the Creator. You can stake your life on it!

"We esteemed Him stricken..."

"He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.   (Isaiah 53:3-5)

This is one of my earliest memory verses dating back to the mid 70's. It is a well known passage to most Christians and one of the more pointed prophecies of the coming One who is the One and Only. But in this morning's annual trek through the Word, I caught a different glimpse of this wonderful assurance of our salvation.

When Jesus was walking the Earth there were those who were enamored by His various uniquenesses, he was tolerated by the curious, worshipped by a few, but overall he was despised by the majority. Hence, when given the offer to release him, the multitudes chose a known murderer. 

Our view from after-the-fact is easy; He was our substitute, He was the Righteous One taking the place of we the GUILTY. But in real time, that was not what played out. The most plausible, explanation for the brutality he suffered was that he had it coming to him. He deserved what he was receiving. I mean after all "we" (Rome) are a civil society with laws, and protections and rights for the innocent. If he were not guilty as charged he certainly would not have suffered the string of injustices and brutal tortures he did. 

There is only one obvious explanation; he had it coming. "Shall not the Judge of the whole earth do right?" Of course. Bottom line, he is under the judgement of God who knows all things, therefore, "...we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted." He had it coming.

This sticks in my craw and I'm not even sure where that is but it is uncomfortable... How many times have I judged people I know, people I have heard of or read of in the news? "C'mon, this wouldn't have gone this far if he wasn't guilty as sin..." But it's worse than that. I see someone walking the street, I size them up based on next to nothing other than my first impressions by their appearance. I have a check in my spirit tempering my wretched judgementalism. I wonder, "What tragedies, what horrors have they lived through that has so obliterated their sense of worth and meaning?" I pray.  

      OK, I strike up a minor victory.................. only to "return to the vomit." (Prov 26:11)  

Isaiah continues:  "BUT!  He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed."

He didn't have "it" coming. Far from it. He is the only one born of woman NOT to have it coming and I, who have it coming, am absolved only because "[GOD] made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."  (2 Corinthians 5:21)   And I cry out,       "Oh wretched man that I am. who shall deliver me from this body of death?"

                             "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!  (Romans 7:25)

How to pray in these times according to 1 Tim 2:1-2

"First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity."  (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

We have continued down an unbelievable course, heretofore unknown in the history of our nation much less the planet. Specifically, the Church of Jesus Christ has succumbed to the usurpation of authority belonging exclusively to the King of the whole Earth.  This egregious breach of both American law and Divine mandate by the civil magistrates of our country is manifested by the incessant issuance of highly disputed, inconsistent, unscientific, and medically absurd edicts prohibiting the freedom of Americans to follow, not only their conscience in worship, but the clear delineation of the freedom of religion held inviolate in the Constitution of the United States.  

More seriously, the Church has rendered to Caesar that which is GOD's.  The Divine edicts, issued by the Creator of the Universe pertaining to the necessity of the Church of Jesus Christ worshipping freely and unrestricted, have been dismissed by tens of thousands of churches in the name of some inane idea of being a good witness, showing concern for our brothers and sisters, and/or some very inept explanations of Romans 13:1-4. (see previous blog post--Response to a question/comment re: Government authority; April 24, 2020)

Although tangentially redundant to the aforementioned blog post from April-2020, Paul's letter to Timothy cited at the outset is focused on the well being of "we"-- those who worship the living Savior.  Meaning what? Meaning that the insistence of Paul for the Lord's people to be praying for those in authority over us is expressly to the end that the life of the worshipper is protected from government intrusion.  READ IT!

            "So that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity."

Taking this as an addendum to Paul's letter to the Romans in chapter 13:1-4, the point of praying for our civil magistrates is to the end that they uphold and protect the Divine mandate of God for His people to be uninhibited in their worship of Him. The reckless, if not lazy, abdication of the authority of the Church Universal to the godless magistrates does not bode well for the future of the Church.  By this I do not mean the church will not prevail--it will!  

""I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it."  (Matthew 16:18)

But the rebellion of the Church Universal subordinating God's decrees to the Government's decrees is, I believe, already being used by the Almighty to purge His church of the wheat and the tares revealing the fraudulent from the faithful.  To God be the Glory.

 

Can you imagine?

You've heard the prophecies, you've sat upon your grandpa's lap listening to stories, fantastic stories, unbelievable stories. A hero was coming, someone unlike anyone the world has ever known and he would make every wrong-right, every injustice-just, and every bad guy who ever got away with anything, was going to get his comeuppance. Finally YOU would have that one who always had your back, who was right there waiting to take up your cause and because he was a super-hero no one could defeat him.  Because of him YOU would be unbeatable. 

The you heard that this wasn't a fantasy, it was the holy prophecies passed down through the generations with eye-witness accounts of his mighty power and victories unlimited. And as you are growing up you learn that that ONE was right there, living in your town, and he had already had so many run-ins with the law that he was a wanted man.  But his stature only grew as he continued to shut the mouths of skeptics, and convince the unconvinceable by the stories of his heroics and his to-good-to-be-true heroics.

And one day, word is out that he has been executed and not simply put to death but first a ritual of mockings, ridicules, insults, being slapped, spit upon and beaten so severely that he was unrecognizable.

And it dawns on you that you might be next.  You were outspoken, you stood your ground, and you were growing in disfavor with friends, family and the law because of your unwavering support of the one who was going to fix it all.  And now he's dead.

In disbelief you sneak a peak at the festivities of celebration at the brutal death of that one in whom you placed ALL your hope and joy and confidence. And now he is dead...

 In the midst of fear, sorrow, and despair he;\'s there. What? WHAT? "Remember how I told you..." He shows you his hands, your mouth is agape, you want to both pass out from stunned shock, yet levitate with a joy you have never known.

                             DEATH HAS BEEN DEFEATED! THERE IS 

                    NOTHING MORE THAT CAN DEFEAT YOU--EVER.  

                                           IMMANUEL--GOD WITH US

                                                      HE--IS--RISEN