Israel had a problem… and it wasn’t just sin. Over and over it’s clear in any of the biblical laments (e.g. here in Lamentations and the laments found in the Psalm) that there is a problem, a seeming dilemma, that confounded Israel as they were in captivity. How could God be just and yet at the same time loving? You see this in Lamentations 3 clearly. The first eighteen verses highlight God’s judgement. He is a God of wrath because as DA Carson once said, “God is specifically angry with the replacing of Himself with someone or something, which at a fundamental level is idolatry. It is the ‘de-godding’ of God, the putting of something else in His place.” In essence, then this is taking all the blessings of being God’s covenant people and acting in a treasonous way.
Yet, isn’t God supposed to keep His word? Wasn’t His covenant given to both Abram and Moses based on “hesed” or loyal covenant love, totally unmerited, and filled with mercy and grace? How can God do this to His own people when he is, at His very core, loving? This is the dilemma in vv.19-27. The end is “It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.” Huh?
What Jeremiah is pointing to is the day of hope when both God’s justice and love would meet with a divine kiss. As we observe Easter, we declare at the top of our lungs, “He is Risen”. And the response of the people is also, “He is Risen Indeed!” It is in our proclamation that we boldly assert that He has accomplished this for us. He is the object of God’s divine wrath. He is the man in v.1 who has suffered the ultimate affliction, He is the one who was under the rod of God’s wrath, He is the one who was driven into an ultimate darkness. Why? So that we might be adopted, given all the rights and privileges of the Son! He takes our sin that we might experience the deep “hesed” of God as His righteousness is credited to our account. Our dilemma is that our hearts know it needs both justice and love. And it is today that we affirm God has done this for us. Even Jeremiah knew it!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
The Coming King
When you read the Old Testament, how would you describe your experience? Should we see it as separate from the New? Is it less than Christian? Should we moralize it, meaning the stories are helpful but only to teach us moral lessons? Sidney Greidanus writes of this last option, “It imposes an interpretative grid on the story that equates biblical characters with the people in the pew and then inquires how we ought to imitate or learn from their examples.”
In Jeremiah 23 we see how we should read the Old Testament…. in light of the covenants that God made with Israel, it’s all pointing to the New Covenant. Both testaments are one single line of history with God graciously pointing to the coming of Messiah, the covenant-fulfilling King/Shepherd/Groom/Servant/Priest. Why is this important? Jon Lunde wrote in his book, “Following Jesus, the Servant King”, that unless we see Jesus as the fulfillment of everything that Israel was looking for, our following Him will always suffer from a lack of appreciation of who He really is and ultimately boredom with Him will set in and salvation becomes just about fire insurance with no connection to anything else in life.
Here is a great example! Jeremiah points us to the ultimate King, the One who would come in the line of King David. He will reign as King! And He will be the height of wisdom and justice. But to top it all, this King will not only be righteous but this King will be our righteousness. What can this mean but His righteous life will be credited to our account? The life He lives is given to us as our life! His robes of righteousness are put upon us!
Have you ever sat and thought that this is our King? For those of us who live on this side of the cross, If you have been born again, has this sunk deeply into your heart such that it’s stirred? Just as the new covenant was supposed to capture the imagination of Judah, so Christ’s work on our behalf is supposed to capture our hearts. Let’s come to the King today with the attitude of, “Because you have done this for me and my heart is melted, what is your bidding for me today, Lord?”
In Jeremiah 23 we see how we should read the Old Testament…. in light of the covenants that God made with Israel, it’s all pointing to the New Covenant. Both testaments are one single line of history with God graciously pointing to the coming of Messiah, the covenant-fulfilling King/Shepherd/Groom/Servant/Priest. Why is this important? Jon Lunde wrote in his book, “Following Jesus, the Servant King”, that unless we see Jesus as the fulfillment of everything that Israel was looking for, our following Him will always suffer from a lack of appreciation of who He really is and ultimately boredom with Him will set in and salvation becomes just about fire insurance with no connection to anything else in life.
Here is a great example! Jeremiah points us to the ultimate King, the One who would come in the line of King David. He will reign as King! And He will be the height of wisdom and justice. But to top it all, this King will not only be righteous but this King will be our righteousness. What can this mean but His righteous life will be credited to our account? The life He lives is given to us as our life! His robes of righteousness are put upon us!
Have you ever sat and thought that this is our King? For those of us who live on this side of the cross, If you have been born again, has this sunk deeply into your heart such that it’s stirred? Just as the new covenant was supposed to capture the imagination of Judah, so Christ’s work on our behalf is supposed to capture our hearts. Let’s come to the King today with the attitude of, “Because you have done this for me and my heart is melted, what is your bidding for me today, Lord?”
Saturday, March 5, 2011
How Relentless is God?
The sermon series at EV. Free is called “Relentless – the God of Jeremiah”. I made a comment to a few people this week that the relentlessness of God only comes clear when we keep in mind the actions of Judah. God relentlessly pursues, chastens, and woos His chosen people, who had prostituted themselves to everything else. Jeremiah 5:7 provides a picture of God’s people – full, yet craving more, marching to houses of whores and uttering animal sounds crying for each other’s wife.
Rick insightfully wrote on the church's blog site earlier that the picture of Yahweh and Judah provides a picture of marriage. I would like to add just a thought. This picture of marital union is the basis for understanding the ugliness of infidelity and the lengths to which God went to go after her again and again (read the book of Hosea or sigh… Redeeming Love!). We should be shocked when we understand the relentless pursuit and love of God for His people when we see them whoring themselves out.
But also this image of husband and wife is supposed to remind us of the larger biblical picture in the history of redemption. Ray Stedman, in Whoredom: God’s Unfaithful Wife in Biblical Theology, wrote that this provides …”the larger biblical vision of ultimate reality in Christ and His church, the Bridegroom and the Bride. And all of his people, women and men alike, both betray him with their infidelities and yet by His grace will enter into the perfect consummation of the marriage, where together we will inherit the only true human fulfillment that exists.”
What we see in a wedding ceremony is actually the gospel enacted before us. Why does it always move you when you see the bride standing in the back with her father? She is radiant, a ravishing beauty! She is being given to the groom as they affirm covenant together. He has been waiting for her his whole life and now she is his! This is exactly what’s supposed to stir your heart! Jesus is the Bridegroom and His sacrifice was for His people, the Bride. Despite all of our expressions of infidelity in chasing after anything to fill us, His love wooed us and continues to. We are the beautiful Bride of Christ awaiting His return to be united to Him and enter into the grand wedding reception feast. This is the culmination of the gospel and it’s one of the heart melting visions that Jeremiah presents us with!
Rick insightfully wrote on the church's blog site earlier that the picture of Yahweh and Judah provides a picture of marriage. I would like to add just a thought. This picture of marital union is the basis for understanding the ugliness of infidelity and the lengths to which God went to go after her again and again (read the book of Hosea or sigh… Redeeming Love!). We should be shocked when we understand the relentless pursuit and love of God for His people when we see them whoring themselves out.
But also this image of husband and wife is supposed to remind us of the larger biblical picture in the history of redemption. Ray Stedman, in Whoredom: God’s Unfaithful Wife in Biblical Theology, wrote that this provides …”the larger biblical vision of ultimate reality in Christ and His church, the Bridegroom and the Bride. And all of his people, women and men alike, both betray him with their infidelities and yet by His grace will enter into the perfect consummation of the marriage, where together we will inherit the only true human fulfillment that exists.”
What we see in a wedding ceremony is actually the gospel enacted before us. Why does it always move you when you see the bride standing in the back with her father? She is radiant, a ravishing beauty! She is being given to the groom as they affirm covenant together. He has been waiting for her his whole life and now she is his! This is exactly what’s supposed to stir your heart! Jesus is the Bridegroom and His sacrifice was for His people, the Bride. Despite all of our expressions of infidelity in chasing after anything to fill us, His love wooed us and continues to. We are the beautiful Bride of Christ awaiting His return to be united to Him and enter into the grand wedding reception feast. This is the culmination of the gospel and it’s one of the heart melting visions that Jeremiah presents us with!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Reasoning the Gospel
Acts 24 picks up the story with Paul being brought before Marcus Antonius Felix, a Roman governor (52-58). The Jewish religious leaders concurred that Paul was a troublemaker and a “plague” who caused trouble “all around the world” stirring up riots. Paul offers his reasoned defense so that Felix, knowing about “The Way,” put off the religious leaders, waiting until Lysius, the Tribune arrived.
It’s impossible to pinpoint exactly what was said, but Paul reasoned out his faith with Felix. The word, “reasoned” means that Paul had a well-thought through discourse with him. He didn’t preach at him. He had a thoughtful discussion with him! Paul focused on three things – righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment. The space is too short to cover all three but it dawned on me that Paul speaks to at least three questions that all people seem to have:
1. If righteousness is a relational “right standing” with another (and everyone wants this in one way or another!), how does one receive a right standing with God?
2. Why is it that I can’t seem to consistently do what it right? Why is it that I know so much and yet my will seems “bent” toward the opposite of what I know to be good? What principle is working in me that seems to oppose my desire for self-control? And if I fail in self-control what does that do relationally to my sense of right standing with another? With God?
3. Why do I judge? What does it tell me if I realize I am incapable of not judging? What am I appealing to when I judge? If I judge am I not admitting that there will be an outside judgment by which everyone’s actions will be judged? And if I’m not appealing to a universal truth, what I am then appealing to?
What would it look like if our evangelism was Holy Spirit aided and empowered discussions that were thoughtful yet leaving evangelistic “time bombs” in people’s laps that nagged at the deep existential crisis people sense?
It’s impossible to pinpoint exactly what was said, but Paul reasoned out his faith with Felix. The word, “reasoned” means that Paul had a well-thought through discourse with him. He didn’t preach at him. He had a thoughtful discussion with him! Paul focused on three things – righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment. The space is too short to cover all three but it dawned on me that Paul speaks to at least three questions that all people seem to have:
1. If righteousness is a relational “right standing” with another (and everyone wants this in one way or another!), how does one receive a right standing with God?
2. Why is it that I can’t seem to consistently do what it right? Why is it that I know so much and yet my will seems “bent” toward the opposite of what I know to be good? What principle is working in me that seems to oppose my desire for self-control? And if I fail in self-control what does that do relationally to my sense of right standing with another? With God?
3. Why do I judge? What does it tell me if I realize I am incapable of not judging? What am I appealing to when I judge? If I judge am I not admitting that there will be an outside judgment by which everyone’s actions will be judged? And if I’m not appealing to a universal truth, what I am then appealing to?
What would it look like if our evangelism was Holy Spirit aided and empowered discussions that were thoughtful yet leaving evangelistic “time bombs” in people’s laps that nagged at the deep existential crisis people sense?
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Acts 5 -The Real Hero
Acts 5 is significant in Luke’s narrative because it marks the first time the early Church faced persecution. This would be the case, off and on, until Constantine legalized Christianity as the religion of the Roman Empire.
As I read this earlier, I think what my eyes drifted toward immediately were the clear marching orders in the face of persecution… go, stand up, speak, teach, preach. But one thing stood out to me in my reading today. It was the word “leader” in v.31. The word archegos is translated here as “leader” or “prince”. In other places it’s translated as “pioneer” or “initiator”, “captain“, and “author”. It’s not an easy word to translate from the Greek because the meaning is so broad. What I discovered is that the word is used quite a bit in Greek mythology to describe a hero or champion (it’s mostly used to describe Hercules).
This shocked me a bit. I think when I read Acts 5 my initial temptation is to go to the commands quickly and insert myself in the Acts narrative; I’m the hero of the story! I’m the one who is going to boldly speak about Jesus. Yet, what sunk into my head (and needs to sink in over and over again) is that Jesus is the hero of the story. In what way? He is the one who led the way for us by suffering as the way to receive glory. He is the one who conquered death and initiated new life and credited us with all the benefits. He is the pioneer of the new covenant. He is the author of Life.
He’s the hero of God’s story! But he’s not like the heroes of Greek mythology. They are one-dimensional and while they at times characterize virtue, no one really says, “I want to be just like Zeus when I grow up.” Jesus is the hero of the story, not because he patterns for us how to be moral. As the ultimate hero, he has come to rescue people from their dire and broken situation. We draw near to the one who rescued us as leader and Savior (v.31). As I sit here reflecting, that’s a story to tell not only others, but myself day after day…
As I read this earlier, I think what my eyes drifted toward immediately were the clear marching orders in the face of persecution… go, stand up, speak, teach, preach. But one thing stood out to me in my reading today. It was the word “leader” in v.31. The word archegos is translated here as “leader” or “prince”. In other places it’s translated as “pioneer” or “initiator”, “captain“, and “author”. It’s not an easy word to translate from the Greek because the meaning is so broad. What I discovered is that the word is used quite a bit in Greek mythology to describe a hero or champion (it’s mostly used to describe Hercules).
This shocked me a bit. I think when I read Acts 5 my initial temptation is to go to the commands quickly and insert myself in the Acts narrative; I’m the hero of the story! I’m the one who is going to boldly speak about Jesus. Yet, what sunk into my head (and needs to sink in over and over again) is that Jesus is the hero of the story. In what way? He is the one who led the way for us by suffering as the way to receive glory. He is the one who conquered death and initiated new life and credited us with all the benefits. He is the pioneer of the new covenant. He is the author of Life.
He’s the hero of God’s story! But he’s not like the heroes of Greek mythology. They are one-dimensional and while they at times characterize virtue, no one really says, “I want to be just like Zeus when I grow up.” Jesus is the hero of the story, not because he patterns for us how to be moral. As the ultimate hero, he has come to rescue people from their dire and broken situation. We draw near to the one who rescued us as leader and Savior (v.31). As I sit here reflecting, that’s a story to tell not only others, but myself day after day…
Thursday, December 30, 2010
True Grit thoughts
I promised earlier that I would pen my thoughts about the movie True Grit (which I enjoyed). I have seen both the old version and the new. Both have their merit but what makes the new different is that it breaks out of the typical western genre. Here the modern version, while a period piece, uses the western as a modern exploration of virtue and morality in a seemingly cruel and unforgiving universe.
My suspicion is that the Coen's are relying on their Jewish upbringing to use their craft as a dialogue about the nature of life. The movie, rather than feeling overtly nihilistic (as some charged that No Country For Old Men was), actually is getting us to explore morality. Hence, you have Mattie who has religious leanings and a deep sense of conviction about justice (and Matt Damon's character as a noble Texas Ranger) juxtaposed against the morally ambiguous Rooster Cogburn. He's neither completely virtuous nor completely vicious. This is the stage that the Coen's use to explore virtue in this life much like a young man would ask a Rabbi about the moral nature of the universe. While it might be unsettling because it's not black and white (like the old westerns), it leaves us with great questions to explore.
What makes up a person who is truly heroic?
Is God's grace really free? It seems like everything else in life is "deserved".
is revenge ever justified? Under what circumstances?
When it's all said and done, what role does religion have in our lives? In particular, what is the point of the old hymn "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" at the end?
I'm keeping it short here because a friend of mine posted this article from the NY Times written by Stanley Fish. I thought I should share it with you because it contains some wonderful thoughts. If you have the time take a read!
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/27/narrative-and-the-grace-of-god-the-new-true-grit/
My suspicion is that the Coen's are relying on their Jewish upbringing to use their craft as a dialogue about the nature of life. The movie, rather than feeling overtly nihilistic (as some charged that No Country For Old Men was), actually is getting us to explore morality. Hence, you have Mattie who has religious leanings and a deep sense of conviction about justice (and Matt Damon's character as a noble Texas Ranger) juxtaposed against the morally ambiguous Rooster Cogburn. He's neither completely virtuous nor completely vicious. This is the stage that the Coen's use to explore virtue in this life much like a young man would ask a Rabbi about the moral nature of the universe. While it might be unsettling because it's not black and white (like the old westerns), it leaves us with great questions to explore.
What makes up a person who is truly heroic?
Is God's grace really free? It seems like everything else in life is "deserved".
is revenge ever justified? Under what circumstances?
When it's all said and done, what role does religion have in our lives? In particular, what is the point of the old hymn "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" at the end?
I'm keeping it short here because a friend of mine posted this article from the NY Times written by Stanley Fish. I thought I should share it with you because it contains some wonderful thoughts. If you have the time take a read!
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/27/narrative-and-the-grace-of-god-the-new-true-grit/
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Missions and Haiti
I am convinced that missions trip based on both compassion and evangelism are critical to college ministry. If missions are not grounded in the gospel then they can easily become disconnected with God's redemptive work. I sense that as evangelicalism seeks to regain credibility that it's lost over the years, it's easy to swing the other way entirely and travel to other countries just to do good works with no thought looking for opportunities to communicate the radical life-giving message of the gospel.
College students eagerly desire to take part in missions. In fact, if a college ministry is not actively involved with partnering in mission around the world where the needs are great then I don't think it's too strong to say that is a college ministry that will become so internally focused that it dies. Missions is God's heartbeat not only around the world but here in our own communities. We don't necessarily need to travel around the world to be involved missionally. However, that being said, I do not think it's entirely just to conclude, "We don't need to go anywhere in the world when there are people here." In my thinking, there is room for both. We ought to be mingling with the marginalized here as well as around the world. We ought to be living out the gospel and speaking the gospel to those here as well as going to places around the world where some (if not most) have never heard.
So when the opportunity came up to travel to Haiti this January, I was thrilled! A team of twelve of us were handpicked by God ready to head out to offer both relief work and words of relief - that God has broken into this world and offers new life and the resources to be able to experience this in a way that, as some would say, causes us to flourish. We were ready not only to give our all to help an orphanage in Leogane with new building projects but also to give our all in living the gospel and sharing it with kids.
That said, I'm sad that our trip has been postponed because of political unrest in the country. I was preparing my heart with God to be with the kids for a week helping them see and experience the deep love that Christ has for them. I was assured that the project will be there when we try it again sometime hopefully this spring. While I am disappointed, all I can conclude is that God certainly is guiding this process and He's not caught off guard. It's part of what happens when you send teams to really hard places. Now this is a time for me to continue to process the importance of missions in the lives of college students, helping them connect their hearts to God's heart. And when disappointments happen, together we trust that God is still at work in the lives of people as we rally to pray for Haiti and other hard parts of the world that God sends us.
College students eagerly desire to take part in missions. In fact, if a college ministry is not actively involved with partnering in mission around the world where the needs are great then I don't think it's too strong to say that is a college ministry that will become so internally focused that it dies. Missions is God's heartbeat not only around the world but here in our own communities. We don't necessarily need to travel around the world to be involved missionally. However, that being said, I do not think it's entirely just to conclude, "We don't need to go anywhere in the world when there are people here." In my thinking, there is room for both. We ought to be mingling with the marginalized here as well as around the world. We ought to be living out the gospel and speaking the gospel to those here as well as going to places around the world where some (if not most) have never heard.
So when the opportunity came up to travel to Haiti this January, I was thrilled! A team of twelve of us were handpicked by God ready to head out to offer both relief work and words of relief - that God has broken into this world and offers new life and the resources to be able to experience this in a way that, as some would say, causes us to flourish. We were ready not only to give our all to help an orphanage in Leogane with new building projects but also to give our all in living the gospel and sharing it with kids.
That said, I'm sad that our trip has been postponed because of political unrest in the country. I was preparing my heart with God to be with the kids for a week helping them see and experience the deep love that Christ has for them. I was assured that the project will be there when we try it again sometime hopefully this spring. While I am disappointed, all I can conclude is that God certainly is guiding this process and He's not caught off guard. It's part of what happens when you send teams to really hard places. Now this is a time for me to continue to process the importance of missions in the lives of college students, helping them connect their hearts to God's heart. And when disappointments happen, together we trust that God is still at work in the lives of people as we rally to pray for Haiti and other hard parts of the world that God sends us.
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