Expose to Restore

Posted on October 21, 2016 by Pete

Jeremiah’s eyes flowed with tears. As he stood amidst the ruins of what was once the splendor of Israel, he was overwhelmed with sorrow. The prophet could not contain himself as the Spirit of God upon him was overwrought as well with the aftermath of divine anger, fury, and fierce indignation. Not much about the book of Lamentations that will act as a “pick me up.” Beyond a verse or two, not a lot here that’s gonna make it on to a t-shirt or be inscribed on a wall hanging. It is a book of sorrow and mourning. And, it is a book of warning for those who have ears to hear.

The reasons Jerusalem lay in ruin were widespread. Hard-hearted, self-serving, idol-worshiping kings. A stiff-necked, law-rejecting, lets-be-like-the-nations-around-us people. Shepherds who were more interested in physically feeding themselves than they were in spiritually feeding their flock. Priests who were really about worshiping the priests. And prophets who made it up as they went in order to find favor among those looking for a good word. And it’s this last group that’s caught my attention because of something I read in Lamentations this morning. They had failed to expose to restore.

Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; they have not exposed your iniquity to restore your fortunes, but have seen for you oracles that are false and misleading.

(Lamentations 2:14 ESV)

The prophet’s job was less about predicting the future as it was revealing the Father. Most of their prophecies weren’t facts to be charted but warnings to be heeded. In an increasingly dark world they were to be heaven’s light. Among a people who were going farther and farther astray they were to be the GPS that showed the way home. They were to declare God’s heart through God’s word. And among a nation that was caring less for the things of God, their message wasn’t going to be popular.

Unpopular because their job was to expose iniquity. They were to face the people of God with their transgression against God. They were to lay bare the people’s rebellion. They were to expose the lie of trying to cover all bases by bowing down to multiple deities. They were to make the connection between spiritual unfaithfulness and marital unfaithfulness and categorically declare them both wrong and offensive to God. They were to condemn living for the appetites of the flesh. Yes, they were to proclaim, it can be so wrong even if it feels right.

They were to uncover the people’s sin. Lay it bare. Reveal it for what it was. Their’s was to expose. Expose to restore.

For apart from revealing the truth of Israel’s iniquity there would be no compulsion to seek reconciliation. Without an appreciation of the problem, no reason to ask if there existed a solution. Without knowing they were lost, no sense of needing to be found. Without declaring bankruptcy no desire for solvency. Without a diagnosis there’d be no need for a cure.

“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”   ~ Jesus

(Mark 2:17 ESV)

Sin was to be exposed so that sinners might know their need for restoration. The word of God was to reveal transgression against God so that a way back might known by the grace of God.

But because Israel’s prophets valued popularity over obedience, because they determined to tell the people what they wanted to hear, because their visions were deceptive and their oracles were misleading, Jerusalem lay in ruins rather than knowing divine restoration.

And I’m reminded that, while I’m no prophet, I have been entrusted with the word of God. While I may not have a voice among the nation, I rub shoulders with a small group around me. And where there is iniquity, I need to be willing to expose it for what it is–sin against a holy God. Not to condemn but, should God’s Spirit move, to restore. Not to seek anyone’s destruction, but, by God’s grace, to avoid it.

And the Lords servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

(2Timothy 2:24-26 ESV)

Expose to restore. Isn’t that part of what we’re called to do as God’s messengers? I’m thinkin’.

May not be popular with those around us, but, by God’s mighty working, some will thank us. And we’ll know we’ve been faithful to the Father who called us and the Son who sent us.

By His grace. For His glory.

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Where Would I Go?

Posted on October 20, 2016 by Pete

The going was getting tough. And so, many got going . . . as in, “I’m outta’ here!” For them, it just seemed to be getting weirder and weirder.

What started out as talk on the crowd’s motivation for following Jesus (answer: not because they were intrigued by His signs but because they wanted to eat some more of His free food), quickly devolved into a treatise about bread from heaven. And not the manna stuff that Moses gave, but the “man stuff” that Jesus claimed to be.

“I am the bread of life,” Jesus tells them. Come to Me, He says, and you’ll never hunger. Believe in Me, and you’ll never thirst. Not only did it not make sense to the crowds, it ticked off the religious leaders. Any claim Jesus made about coming down from heaven, no matter how nonsensical it seemed, was enough to get their backs up. They made the connection to Jesus’ “Messiah complex” even if they didn’t get His “bread of life” shtick.

And then, it gets a little more bizarre. Jesus tells the crowd that they need to eat the bread of heaven. And their minds are spinning, “I need to eat Jesus?” Yup. And to avoid any misunderstanding as to the implication of what He was saying, Jesus clearly declares, “Whoever feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life” (John 6:44). Like I said, weirder and weirder.

Following Jesus was already starting to come with a cost. And it’s not like He was an exact fit for what they imagined Messiah to be. And then throw in this eat My flesh and drink My blood stuff? For many, it was too much. It was time to tap out.

When many of His disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” . . . After this many of His disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him.

(John 6:60, 66 ESV)

And so Jesus turns to the Twelve and asks them, “Do you want to go away as well?” (6:67).

And I’m thinking that’s a question that most of us disciples have heard the Lord ask at least once or twice as we have followed Him. Not because we’re hung up on eating His flesh and drinking His blood. The illuminating work of the Spirit has shown us that “partaking of the Lord” is a metaphor for receiving and believing Him. For taking by faith the life offered through His death and resurrection.

But while we might have that bit of understanding down, there’s much we still don’t get. Perhaps some of it related to hard teaching, but much of it, I’d suggest, connected to hard times.

Times in our life when our reality doesn’t align with our dreams. When what we thought would be, isn’t. When what we couldn’t have imagined has come to be. When life just seems hard. When it doesn’t make sense. When following Jesus hasn’t resulted in the storyline we had written for ourselves in our own minds. When things just seem to get weirder and weirder. When others might very well say, “Enough. This isn’t working like I want it to. I’m outta’ here!”

Then that still small voice breaks through and, in some form, we hear Jesus ask the question, “Do you want to go away as well?” It’s then the Spirit works in us to answer as Peter answered:

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

(John 6:68-69 ESV)

To whom would we go? Where would we turn?

No matter how turbulent the ride gets, no safer place to be than in His arms. Regardless of how crazy the situation is yet to get, no wisdom I’d rather have than His wisdom. Whatever comes, no one I’d rather encounter it with than with the Holy One of God. The Creator and Sustainer of all things. The One who loved me and gave Himself for Me. The One who intercedes for me at the very throne of heaven. The One who has promised that, one day, where He is I will be also.

Lord, to whom shall we go? To no one but You. Where would we flee? Only to the refuge of Your mighty hand. How should we weather the storm? Always by your all-sufficient grace.

Where would I go? But to the Lord.

Because of grace. For His glory.

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Drawn

Posted on October 19, 2016 by Pete

When it comes to the dynamics of our salvation there is much to evoke awe and wonder. Start with a debt we could not pay, transgression against a holy God, and that the debt was paid by Another. And that that “Another” was none other than God’s own Son. Or the fact that not only did we not have to pay that which we owed, but that we also received that which we could never earn–a holy standing before God. Our accounts were wiped clean of what we owed for the wages of sin, and then were credited anew with the righteousness of Christ.

Ok, then add to this the fact that we have been adopted as sons and daughters by the Father making us joint-heirs with the Christ. And how do we even know that for sure? Oh yeah, let’s not forget the Spirit of adoption we received when we believed. The very presence of God dwelling inside us, our guarantee and seal that we are His forever. His active agency in our lives manifesting itself as our Advocate, our Comforter, our Counselor, and our Teacher leading us into all truth.

Can I get an, “Unreal!” from the congregation?!?!

And how about the work the Father has begun in us? The forming of the very nature and likeness of His Son within us. And what about the hope set before us? An inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, being kept in heaven for us. And the assurance that sustains us? That one day we will see our Savior face-to-face . . . faith giving way to sight . . . suffering and tears gone, replaced with the joy and glory of being in His presence.

And that’s not even scratching the surface of the great salvation that is ours. Volumes have been written with salvation as their inexhaustible subject! Myriads of songs have been sung with salvation as their inexpressible grand theme!

But there’s something else about this jaw-dropping salvation that I was reminded of as I was reading in John 6 this morning.

“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.” 

~ Jesus  (John 6:44a ESV)

Drawn. That’s what I was, drawn to salvation.

I was not bright enough to know I had a problem much less that I needed a Savior. I was so enamored with me as a creation that I never gave a thought to any claim on me that a Creator might have. I was lost, but didn’t know it. So I can’t say that I was seeking. I was blind but everything seemed pretty clear to me. I was dead, but had no idea what real life felt like. I’d love to take a bit of credit and say that “I found Him” . . . but in reality, He found me.

Yes, I came to Jesus. But only because I was drawn to Jesus. The original word for “draw” can mean “to drag off.” And, in my case, that’s probably closer to the truth. Not that I came to the cross kicking and screaming, but not that I came really willingly either. Took some pretty extreme circumstance to get my attention. Some pretty persistent conversations before I had ears to hear. A pretty impactful crusade event before I was really ready to come, just as I am.

No way I was going to run to the Father’s arms apart from His impelling work within me. I was drawn.

And why me? No idea. But for God’s desire that all should be saved, and God’s determination that grace should abound, I have no explanation other than “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1Tim. 1:15). No boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (Gal. 6:14). No explanation, other than Jesus loved me and gave Himself for me (Gal. 2:20).

How amazing is our salvation? Pretty! And isn’t it awe-invoking that we were drawn by God Himself into such a great salvation? Pretty much!

What can I do but thank You
What can I do but give my life to You
Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah!    (Paul Baloche, What Can I Do?)

All because of His amazing grace. Only for His everlasting glory!

Amen?

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Bless

Posted on October 18, 2016 by Pete

It’s been my experience that when the circumstances of life get difficult it often puts strain on relationships. Show me a couple in the pressure cooker of financial need and it won’t surprise me if, from time to time, they blow off steam at one another. Or consider the impact of a chronic illness within a family–tiredness can give way to testiness or fear of the unknown might manifest itself in fights over the unimportant.

This morning I’m continuing to read about a group of believers who lived under the constant pressure of persecution. Peter calls them the “elect exiles of the Dispersion” (1Peter 1:1). They were the elect, called to be holy. But they were also the exiles, on the run for their calling. Life wasn’t easy and, it would seem, wasn’t about to get any easier anytime soon. And so Peter writes to encourage them. Reminding them of who they are in Christ, “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,” and what they have been called to do for Christ, “that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness and into His marvelous light” (2:9).

But Peter also knew that the constant pressure of persecution and suffering would conspire to test the peace and tranquility of their fellowship. That as the going got tough it would be tough to not get going on one another. That even though they had all been ransomed with the precious blood of Christ (1:19) and had been born again through the imperishable seed of the living and abiding word of God (1:23), there would still be the temptation to yield to the old ways of dealing with all these new troubles.

After addressing servants, wives, and husbands as to how to deal with the stress of their daily circumstance, Peter turns to the whole fellowship of believers. Knowing that just as hard times impact people’s homes, Peter was also aware that hard times can also conspire to fracture God’s household. And so he exhorts God’s people to bless.

Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.

(1Peter 3:8-9 ESV)

Let’s face it. Even if we don’t live under the same pressure cooker of persecution that these early believers endured, if we are serious about doing family with other Christians, at some point we’re going to know some friction with at least a few of them. If we believe that we’ve been called to go deeper than, “Hi, how are you?” on a Sunday morning with other believers, if we are willing to not just call them our brothers and sisters but actually live with them as brothers and sisters, then we probably should be prepared for a family spat from time to time. We shouldn’t be surprised when, for whatever reason, things get a bit tense between Christians. It’s then we should remember Peter’s encouragement to bless.

Peter addresses all of them. No one is exempt from the propensity under pressure to turn on those they share Christ with.

And it starts with a unity of mind. Not that they would see eye-to-eye on everything. That would be uniformity, not unity. But that, through the Spirit’s ever-present enabling, they would be committed to a common attitude concerning one another. An attitude marked by compassion, a willingness to suffer alongside with each other. A mindset that recalls these are not just other people but that they are blood relatives, as in brothers and sisters bought by the blood of Christ, and thus are to be treated with a familial type of love, just as Christ loved us.

Also wanting to have a tender heart towards each other, a heart sensitive to the needs and feelings of one another. A heart that refuses to, despite the pressure to do otherwise, shutdown or go cold concerning a fellow sojourner. And finally, a humble mind. A mind that puts others first. A mind resolved to be kind, courteous, and considerate of others, even when it wants only to watch out for itself.

And when this attitude of mind prevails, then follows the resolve to act. Rather than repaying evil for the evil perceived against me, or determining to win a war of words with a brother or sister who has offended me, I will, on the contrary, purpose to bless.

Bless. To speak well of. To seek the welfare of.

When the going gets tough. When the pressure cooker is about to blow. When paranoia is just smart thinking ’cause everyone IS against you–even in the family of God . . . by God’s grace, we determine to bless!

For to this we were called. As recipients of blessing, we are to be the distributors of blessing. As benefactors of grace, we are to extend grace. As children of God, we have been called to love the family of God.

Even when life puts a strain on relationships, bless.

Perhaps not a natural reaction, but hey, we are supernatural new creations. The mind of Christ and the love of Christ so implanted in us that, if we have been so blessed, we ought, in turn, bless one another.

Because of God’s grace. For God’s glory.

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Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder

Posted on October 14, 2016 by Pete

God loves to “love on” His people. Jesus is “crazy in love” with His bride. And though, from time to time, we may not think we’re much to look at, yet we can praise the Lord that our beauty is in the eye of the Beholder!

Awareness of such “beholding” first started happening for me this morning as I read in Song of Solomon. Read the first part of chapter four and it doesn’t take a genius to see that the one referred to as “the Beloved” is head over heals for his bride to be. You read this and you know he is just nuts about her and can’t take his eyes off of her . . .

Behold, you are beautiful, my love, behold, you are beautiful! . . . You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.

(Song of Solomon 4:1a, 7 ESV)

Ok . . . come on now . . . there’s no flaw in her? Really?!? But that’s what he says. That’s what he sees.

In his sight, she is perfect! You need to get past him describing her hair being like a flock of goats . . . her teeth like a flock of shorn sheep . . . and her cheeks like halves of a pomegranate. All very attractive, I’m sure. But, regardless of the comparisons being somewhat culturally confusing for us, the picture is clear, he is enraptured with her. When he’s with her, he can’t take his eyes off of her. He is mad in love with his bride to be. So much in love that he doesn’t see her faults (and you gotta know there’s a wrinkle or two). So taken with her that any spot she may possess is overshadowed by his overriding love for her.

Now, I think we should understand the Song of Songs literally. There’s a lot to be learned and appreciated in it about the dynamics of God-ordained love between a man and a woman. But I also think there’s a degree to which we can read it allegorically. And as I read these verses this morning, I can’t help but hear the Savior extolling the beauty of His Church.

Behold, you are beautiful, My love, behold, you are beautiful! . . . there is no flaw in you.

No flaw. Without fault. Perfectly perfect. In Him, that’s true! We have been washed clean. The stain of sin has been removed by the blood of the Lamb.

In Christ we are the Bride. Beautiful to behold because of the grace-driven, life-giving, work of the Son of God. And so, we can know that we are “altogether beautiful” in the eyes of our Beholder. Reminded that “Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her,” we can believe with all our heart that He is committed to presenting His bride to Himself “in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:25-27).

As such, we look adoringly towards our Beloved with a sense of anticipation of when we shall be together!

And then, my reading took me to 1Peter 3. And whaddya’ know? More talk of what the Beholder finds beautiful to behold.

Do not let your adorning be external–the braiding of hair, the wearing of gold, or the putting on of clothing–but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.

(1Peter 3:3-4 ESV)

Now, I know that specifically this is being addressed to wives, but let’s apply it to Christ’s bride in general. Here, the beauty which captures the Beholder’s eye is not hair like goats and teeth like sheep. No, what is of “surpassing value” in the sight of God here is the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. A meek and tranquil being emanating from a soul running deep with an appreciation of love known and grace shown. And thus. able to exude grace itself.

Oh, we can spend so much time primping and preening and getting it all looking just right on the outside and on the inside it’s a raging mess. But our God looks below the surface and past the façade and sees the hidden person and looks for that unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. Oh, that the we as His bride would emit such beauty.

And so, as I consider that my beauty is in the eye of the Beholder, I am first humbled and blessed to know that He sees not what I used to be . . . and not so much even what I am. But He sees what I will be in Christ when His work of holiness is complete in my life.

But I also know that I can do some “adorning.” That by His grace and the transforming work of the Spirit I can purpose to put on that which is precious in His sight–a gentle and quiet spirit.

Lord, thanks for lovin’ on me this morning. I am not worthy of such divine love. Apart from Christ I know that there is no beauty in me. But, by Your grace, I am in Christ. I am the bride being prepared for the wedding feast. I am Your beloved. And You are mine.

To You be all the glory. Amen.

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Not Enough Room in the Mirror

Posted on October 13, 2016 by Pete

This morning I saw the effects of “the pride of Moab” played out in the elite of Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 48 records the words of the LORD as they concern the people of Moab. Not very good words. Words of judgment. Words of impending doom. How come?

Moab shall be destroyed and be no longer a people, because he magnified himself against the LORD.

(Jeremiah 48:42 ESV)

Moab magnified himself against the LORD. He exalted himself rather than God. He billed himself as great at the expense of the great God of heaven. Any question as to what such “magnification” looked like is removed as God details the indictment, identifying it as “the pride of Moab.” “He is very proud,” says the LORD, calling out his loftiness, arrogance, haughtiness of heart, and insolence which showed itself both in Moab’s fake boasting and fake deeds (48:29-30). And when it comes to being magnified, when it comes to receiving the glory, the glory of man and the glory of God cannot coexist. One is set against the other. Like those old westerns, when it comes to the glory of man and the glory of God, “this town ain’t big enough for the two of us!” And there’s gonna be a showdown.

When it comes to His glory, God don’t share!

True of ancient Moab? True of New Testament Israel.

“How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?”    ~ Jesus

(John 5:44 ESV)

It’s only the fifth chapter of John’s twenty-one chapter gospel and already the Jews, the religious elite of Jesus’ day, were seeking to kill Him. Not just because they thought He was breaking the Sabbath by healing lifelong invalids on the seventh day of the week (5:1-17), but because “He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God” (5:18).

That’s because He was equal with God! He was the Word. The Word that was with God and the Word that was God (John 1:1). Come as the manifest glory of God.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

(John 1:14 ESV)

But there was no room for any more glory among the Jews. They were consumed with their own glory. Their great occupation was to receive glory from one another . . . heaven need not apply. They had jumped on the Moab-mania bandwagon. Self-exalting, self-promoting, and self-sufficient people who only had eyes for themselves. Whose mirror was so occupied with their own light that there was no room for the Light of the world.

They had magnified themselves against the LORD. No room to believe in another because they so believed in themselves.

And as I chew on the pride of Moab and the self-glorification of the Jews, I’m reminded that it’s not an issue of how big “the town” is. Not a matter of whether or not there’s room in the mirror for both me and my God. But that my God is a God who will not give His glory to another (Isa. 48:11).

It’s not about sharing the spotlight, it’s about whose spotlight it is. My glory and God’s glory cannot coexist. My pride finds no place in His presence. They don’t get along. One is set against the other.

It’s not like I can believe in Jesus while still believing in me. When I’m seeking my glory, it will impact my faith. The Jews could not believe or receive the glory of God before them because they were so concerned about their own glory and exaltation. Similarly, if I’m focused on establishing how I great I think I am, it’s going to impact knowing how great my Father truly is.

Not enough room in the mirror for both He and me.

He must increase, I must decrease (John 3:30).

Because of His grace . . . and for His glory alone.

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Like Living Stones

Posted on October 12, 2016 by Pete

That God is in the midst of a building program is clear in Scripture. He is the architect. He is also the developer, the sub-contractor, and the tradesman. He even supplies all the material.

And it’s recycled material. All of it, at one point, soiled. All of it, apart from His great makeover program, damaged goods. But all of it now redeemed and renewed such that it is suitable for God’s design and purposes. Material which cost the Father dearly to secure, but which He delighted to purchase for this one of kind eternal structure. Material which is being laid in the context of a Foundation which is perfect–a Chief Cornerstone, elect, precious –a Living Stone chosen by God. Material which has been reconstituted to take on the properties of the Foundation. Material like living stones.

As you come to Him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

(1Peter 2:4-5 ESV)

Man! What a building program! What a high and lofty structure! A living, breathing sanctuary . . . a people-building. Designed to function as a God-ordained priesthood. Given the sacred occupation of offering up spiritual sacrifices to the Father through the Son. In Ephesians it says that this structure has been architected such that each member is fit together perfectly so that it grows into a holy temple, being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit (Eph2:20-22).

And the materials? That would be us. Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who believe Jesus is the Son of God sent from heaven. Those who have placed their faith fully in His finished work of redemption on the cross. Those who have been regenerated and made new. Like I said, one-hundred percent of the material used for God’s great building program has been recycled.

We, along with every believer through the ages, are like living stones. Purchased at great cost. Having no “textile” quality in ourselves but given new “properties” suitable for building with when we were made new creations in Christ. Having been made living stones just like THE LIVING STONE. Ransomed into the likeness of Christ for the purpose of being conformed to the image of Christ, and all this so that we might be incorporated into the building whose foundation is Christ.

Like living stones being built into a spiritual house . . . that’s us! We’re each a piece of the puzzle . . . a small shard of colored glass in the mosaic . . . a measure in the opus . . . one face on a multi-faceted diamond. We are living stones shaped and fitted as He has determined. Placed exactly where He wants. Woven into an eternal design for the purpose of offering up spiritual sacrifices to the One who alone is worthy to receive honor. Like living stones, we’ve been put together for the glory of God.

What a privilege. What an undeserved, grace wrought privilege. To be counted as living stones fit for His sanctuary. To be recruited into a holy priesthood with such a high and holy calling. To be cemented eternally with His Son to form a house of eternal praise. It really is a bit overwhelming.

And who’s up to the task? Not me in my own power. Not me in my own strength and determination. But the life I now live as a living stone, I live by faith in the Son of God — THE LIVING STONE — who loved me and gave Himself for me (Gal 2:20). And the textile strength I possess as needed for such an unearthly structure is that of the indwelling Spirit of God — the power of the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead (Rom. 8:11). And the “right” I have to consider myself suited for such a grandiose building program is the right I have been freely given as a child adopted by the Father (Gal. 4:4-7).

Like living stones. Who da’ thought? God thought. And thus, He bought us, and He brought us, into this amazing building program.

All by His grace. All for His glory.

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Ransomed from the Vapors

Posted on October 11, 2016 by Pete

Vapor of vapors . . . all of it is vapor. As the Preacher draws his musings to an end in Ecclesiastes he can’t shake the overall futility he feels as he nears the end of his race (Eccl. 12:8). As he considers that he will be but dust returning to the earth and but a spirit returning to God (12:7), as he thinks of man going to his eternal home (12:5), he really has no idea where that home is nor what it may offer. He knows enough to exhort his readers to remember their Creator in the days of their youth (12:1), fearing Him and keeping His commandments (12:13), but he really doesn’t know why. Because, as he has said all along, for all his wisdom, he only knows about life “under the sun.”

Vapor of vapors, it’s just a vapor. Such are the final words of perhaps the wisest man who every walked the earth. Such are the conclusions drawn after a life of such power and privilege that few of us can even imagine it. What a depressing epitaph. Who wants that on their tombstone?

But then I read the words of a fisherman who was also increasingly becoming aware that his end was drawing near. Someone, unlike the Preacher, who never had much money and never really saw or experienced much of the world that was “under the sun.” But someone who was pretty confident of what lay beyond the sun. Someone who eagerly anticipated crossing the finish line. Someone who was leaning into the tape rather than fearing it. Someone who had given up on the vapor of this world that he might lay hold of the inheritance of the world to come.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, . . . knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

(1Peter 1:3-4, 18-19 ESV)

Solomon knew a dying futility. Peter had been born again into a living hope. Solomon had no idea what lay beyond the grave–his vast knowledge and wisdom coming up empty when he considered his eternal home. Peter could taste his inheritance, confident that what was kept in heaven for him was beyond anything he had ever known or imagined. Solomon was entrapped in the vapor of life under the sun, while Peter was been ransomed from such futility through the blood of the Son.

“Ransomed from the futile ways.” That’s the phrase I’m chewing on this morning.

The futile ways. “Vain conversation” is how the old King James puts it. The NIV translates it “the empty way of life.” Peterson in The Message calls it “that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in.” Solomon called it vanity of vanities . . . vapor of vapors.

But, for the believer, we have been redeemed from the futile ways. We have been ransomed from the vapors.

The finished work of the cross has not only dealt with our sin problem once for all, it also has dealt with our significance problem. We’ve traded in striving for what this world has to offer for storing up that which heaven says it values. Our concern is less with the legacy we will leave behind and more about preparing for the life that lies ahead. Thus, unlike Solomon whose energy for living ebbed as he anticipated the grave, we, like Peter, increase in vitality has we draw nearer and nearer to our living hope–a hope made sure through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

We have been saved from futility. We have been liberated from purposelessness. We have been ransomed from the vapors.

All because of His marvelous grace. All for His everlasting glory.

Amen?

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A Decreasing Ministry

Posted on October 7, 2016 by Pete

If he had really cared about the ministry he would have done something. He would have seen it was flagging. That the crowds were growing thinner. That his influence was diminishing. And he would have gone back to the drawing board. What needs to change? How do we revitalize the message? If he had really cared about the ministry he would done what he could have done that it might increase.

In fact, he did care about the ministry. He did see it winding down. He wasn’t blind to the smaller numbers. He knew they were going somewhere else. Not as many followers as he once had. Fewer coming to him to be baptized. More and more going to the other baptizer. But no need to white board a new strategy. No need to ramp up a new ad campaign. Everything was going according to plan. He really did care about the ministry. And it must decrease.

And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness–look, He is baptizing, and all are going to Him.” John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before Him.’ The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegrooms voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.”

(John 3:26-30 ESV)

Plain and simple, John wasn’t much concerned with John. Though he stood apart from the crowd (cool clothes and a radical organic diet will do that), his concern was for the kingdom. He cared little about the notoriety he was receiving but wanted people to behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. His motivation was less about counting the fruit of his labors and more about being faithful to the call of his Lord. The numbers were going down. True. But the Bridegroom was being lifted up. And that’s what mattered. That was the measure of success. Though he decreased, if the Master increased, his joy would be over the top.

I’m going to venture to say that nobody searches for insignificance. No one’s really looking to grow into less influence. No one’s really jazzed by the thought of fading into the background. That most of us work hard in order to have something to show for it. But John’s ministry reached its full potential when his river was empty and Jesus’ river was full. When the people waiting to be baptized by him disappeared and crowd control was necessary for those waiting to be cleansed by Him whose shoes John considered himself unworthy to tie (John 1:27).

John knew he could only offer water for those who desired to repent, but that Jesus would baptize with the Spirit those who would be reborn. John identified the problem, Jesus provided the solution. The hope for people lie not in the strength of John’s ministry but in the strength of John’s message. And that message wasn’t about him, it was about his Savior. Not about “me” . . . but all about Messiah.

John took no credit for the numbers baptized. He cared little as to whether the crowds were viewed as his crowds. I don’t think he even saw it as being his ministry–for “a person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.”

Rather, I think he cared only about faithfully discharging the stewardship entrusted to him by the Master. Every morning he got up and went to the river, because that’s what God had called him to. He dunked people as long as people wanted to be dunked because that’s the part he been given to play in salvation’s symphony. And though his part diminished, his joy increased because the music was being heard.

He must increase, but I must decrease . . . that this joy of mine might be now complete.

John cared about the ministry. So much so that he was willing to let it die. His was a decreasing ministry.

By the grace of God.  For the glory of God.

Amen?

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The Lord is a Warrior

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Pete

I just don’t know that you’re going to find it in a list of the names of Jehovah. Can’t ever recall seeing it among His attributes or included as part of a role of descriptors Scripture uses of His nature. Too be sure, if it were included it would be in under the “lesser used” category–only once, as a I can see. But it jumped off the page this morning as I was reading in Jeremiah. A picture of God that I rarely consider. But a two-word descriptor of the LORD which so characterizes Him as Jeremiah declares God’s “enough is enough” response to the sin of His people. My God is a dread warrior!

But the LORD is with me as a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble; they will not overcome me.

(Jeremiah 20:11a ESV)

For Jeremiah, the proclamation had turned personal. He was no longer “just the messenger,” he had become the message. When the leaders denounced the warning of impending Babylonian captivity, they denounced Jeremiah. When the people laughed at and mocked God’s warning of judgment because of their stiff-necked disobedience, they laughed at and mocked Jeremiah. When they were angered by God’s no-holds-barred condemnation of their adulteress idolatry, they turned their anger on Jeremiah.

And in the midst of a prayer of desperation born out of the persecution he was enduring, Jeremiah, moved by the Spirit, encourages himself with these words, “But the LORD is with me as a dread warrior.”

Jeremiah had prophesied of the outstretched hand which God would raise against His people for their persistent rebellion. He had declared God’s intent to Himself fight against His chosen people with a strong arm, “in anger and in fury and in great wrath” (21:5). And, in a time of great personal need, Jeremiah was reminded that this warrior God would fight on his behalf as well.

How often do I reflect on my God as a God ready to engage in warfare? When’s the last time I mediated on the meek and lowly Jesus and remembered that He too is a warrior?

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. . . From His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

(Revelation 19:11, 15-16 ESV)

Our God took on the record of debt that stood against us because of our sin, setting it aside by nailing it to the cross, thus disarming “the rulers and authorities” that stood against us (Col. 2:13-15). And He put them to shame by triumphing over them in Christ.

The Lord is a warrior.

Not only is sin defeated, but He has freed us from the slavery of the fear of death. Through His death, and by His resurrection, the Christ has gone toe-to-toe with “the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb. 2:14) And He is destroying him! The fear of death wiped out for everyone who comes to faith in the Lord of life.

The Lord is a warrior.

And while we yet wrestle not “against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12), the promise is ours that one day the fight will be over. That “the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet” (Rom. 16:20).

The Lord is a warrior.

Mighty in the cosmic battles of eternity, awesome in power for the earthly skirmishes of time and space. Ready to fight the beast, ready to draw alongside His beloved.

The Lord is a warrior. Might we, as did Jeremiah, rest and rejoice in Him.

Sing to the LORD; praise the LORD!
For He has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of evildoers.

(Jeremiah 20:13 ESV)

By His grace. For His glory.

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