Do We Really Believe God is Sovereign?

It seems that for the past several years "sovereignty" has been one of the buzzwords in church community. It's the belief that God is governing all things, holding all things in his hands and working out all things according to his will and good pleasure. 
But I've discovered that it's much easier to talk about God's sovereign rule over all things than it is to actually trust in it--and it's even more difficult to submit to it. I read a story this morning that reminded me of what submitting ourselves to God's sovereign reign really looks like, and it's found in 1 Samuel 24.
David is a well known Bible character-he wasn't the 1st king of Israel but he was the greatest. The man who preceded him, a guy called Saul, was incredibly jealous of David and spent a great deal of time trying to catch him so he could kill him. In one instance David and his men had taken shelter in a cave. Saul, not realizing they were there, went into the cave to relieve himself. David's men told him, "Now's your chance! God has anointed you to be king and the guy who is trying to kill you is before you, completely defenseless." The Bible records in 1 Samuel 24:4 that David arose and cut off a corner of Saul's robe, an act likely intended to embarrass the king. But the next two verses are striking. The Bible records, "And afterward David's heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul's robe. He said to his men, 'The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord's anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord's anointed.'" 
David is convicted by his seemingly harmless act; why? Because it was an affront to the king, a man called to that position by God. Saul was certainly not acting in a God-honoring way but that didn't change the fact that God had given him his position. David recognized that dishonor to the king was actually dishonor to the one who appointed him. And so he submitted to the leadership of the king, even though that king was trying to kill him!
Now how could he do this? How could David be willing to honor God by honoring the king? I think the answer is found back in chapter 16, when David is anointed by Samuel to replace Saul as king of Israel. How would that make a difference? I think the answer is this: David trusted that God's promise for his life would come true. No one-Saul or anyone else-could stop what God was going to do. And understanding that allowed him to continue to honor Saul, even though Saul sought his life. 
This, I think, is what it truly means to trust in the sovereignty of God. It's easy to believe he's in control when things are going well. But what about when things aren't? What about when there are leaders who are opposed to you? What about when brothers and sisters in Christ hurt you? What about when church leaders fail you? Are we still willing to submit to God's sovereign rule in our lives? 
Don't misunderstand, this isn't a call to fatalism. But it does mean that we should rethink how we approach conflict in our lives. We should rethink what it means to really believe that God is really ruling over all things in our lives and that we can really trust him. If I believe God is sovereign, that will impact every area of my life. If it doesn't, then I don't really believe that he's sovereign.
If we jump ahead to the New Testament we see that Jesus perfectly exemplifies this confident trust in the sovereign control of God over all things. Luke 23:46, "Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last." Having secured salvation for all who would believe, his mission accomplished, Christ lays down his life and commits his spirit to the Father. I Peter 2:23 reminds us that this was the case throughout his life; "When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly."
What do these verses have to do with trusting God's sovereignty? Isaiah 53:10 tells us; "But the Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief..." The Father was pleased to crush the Son. In other words, it was God's will, his good pleasure to pour out his wrath for sin on the sinless Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. And that's what makes Jesus' words in Luke 23 so incredible. Jesus commits his spirit to the one who has crushed him! He commits himself to the one who has poured out his wrath on him, treating him as a sinner. Before committing his spirit to the Father, Jesus would cry out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!" 
David illustrates what it looks like to really trust that we have a sovereign God who controls all things. Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of that trust. He shows us what it means to not just say we believe God is sovereign but to truly rest in that sovereign care over all things, to say with Job in 13:15, "Though he slay me, I will hope in him..."
Trust in God's sovereign care over all things gives us a robust hope, a joy with which we can face life with confidence. We know that our God is in the heavens and does whatever he pleases and that nothing--storms, persecution, hardships, even difficulties from his own hand--none of that has any influence on our standing with him in Christ, on the certainty of our salvation, and on the fulfillment of his promises. 
Don't just talk about God's sovereignty; believe in God's sovereignty! 

Tempted Like Eve

In 2 Corinthians 11:3 Paul writes, "But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ." Paul expresses a deep concern for his readers, that they might fall to temptation just as Eve did in the garden. 
Why would Paul use this example? I don't think it was an accident. I think Paul is calling us to consider Adam and Eve's sin in the garden and apply those lessons to our daily walk with Christ. What caused Eve to be deceived?
--She wasn't sure of what God said. In Genesis 3 we see the exchange between Eve and the serpent. The temptation begins with a question: "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" Now this is an easy one, right? It's a yes or no question. But Eve's answer betrays an uncertainty as to God's directions. Her answer should have been a simple, "No, that's not what God said at all." Instead, her answer wasn't exactly what God had told Adam. In other words, a lack of certainty as to God's instructions led to her being deceived by the serpent.
--She added to what God said. Part of her uncertainty is revealed in the fact that she added to what God said. Eve told the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, 'You shall not eat of the great of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'" The problem is that God hadn't said that, exactly. The phrase "neither shall you touch it" isn't found in chapter 2 when God is instructing Adam. 
--She didn't believe what God said. The serpent replied to the Eve in this way: "You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it you eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." This is the complete opposite of what God had said. There was no uncertainty, no wavering in his words. "If you eat this, you'll die", God said. "No, you won't die. You'll be improved!", says the serpent. These are opposite things so both can't be true. Eve didn't believe what God said and so she ate the fruit.
--She didn't trust what God said. God said that death would result from disobedience. In other words, God had what was best for Adam and Eve in mind when he gave them this prohibition. But Eve didn't trust that. She didn't trust that God knew what was best. She decided that she knew what was best. Gen. 3:6 says, "So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate." Here's what God had said; but here's what Eve could see. And rather than trusting the all-knowing, all-wise God, the one who had created them and given life to them, she trusted in her own reasoning, in her own feelings and desires. And by the way, notice that Adam was with her. That coward stood by silently and let Eve be the guinea pig before he tried the fruit. Eve is not guiltless, but Adam certainly bears his share of the blame as well.
So what are the lessons that Paul wanted the Corinthians to get, and the lessons for us from this story?
1, we need to know what God has said. In scripture we have all that God has for us. How foolish we are to not be men and women of his word! Uncertainty about what he's said never ends well for us.
2, we need to accept what God has said. Anytime we add to God's words we are presuming that we know better. The boundaries that God has drawn are all the boundaries we need. Any others we add will turn us into Pharisees and ultimately lead us to attempting to usurp God's place as ruler in our lives.
3, we need to believe what God has said. Everyday we're confronted with choices to make. Those choices must be weighed against what God has said and what man says. When what God says and what man says conflict we must decide who is telling us the truth. 
4, we need to trust what God has said. I can't count the number of times I've heard well meaning Christians encourage each other to "follow your heart", or, "listen to your instincts." That is the worst advice we can give one another! Jeremiah 17:9, The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?". The prophet warns us that we can't always trust what we see. We can't trust what we feel. We can't trust what we want. But God is trustworthy! Rather than chase after what our hearts want (which invariably lead us into sin), we must learn to chase after what God calls us to! The choice before us is simply this; do I believe God has my best interests at heart, or do I believe he doesn't? Does God give me commands, both positive & negative, because he loves me and is for my good? Or does he give commands because he wants to deprive me of something. 
God is good, loving, and always wants what's best for us. We may not always realize or recognize that-but by his grace, may we learn to trust him and walk in submissive obedience to him. 

The War On Christmas

Unless your head has been in the sand for the last few weeks, you've already heard the annual rumblings about the War on Christmas. 
I too have wrestled with concerns about what seems to be a blatant attempt to wipe away the true meaning of the Christmas season. It seems that nothing is sacred anymore, that there is a group of people who are absolutely unwilling to acknowledge what this holiday is about. 
And those people are Christians. The war on Christmas is not when people say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." It's not when cities refuse (or aren't allowed) to put up manger displays. It's not when people call Christmas Trees "Holiday Trees." That's all pretty dumb but it's not a war on Christmas. Only a simpleton would think that forcing someone to say words, regardless of whether or not they know what it means or why they're  saying it, would constitute the proper observance of Christmas. No, it's not those who don't follow Jesus who are engaging on a war on Christmas. It's Christians. You & I, fellow believers, are the soldiers in the war on Christmas. How?
--When we refuse to live as we are called. Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus, right? And why did Jesus come? To guarantee a holiday where we go into debt to buy junk for our kids that they'll be tired of in two weeks? That's may be how we celebrate it, but that's not why Christ came to the earth. Jesus came to seek & save the lost. He came to save sinners from our sin, to adopt us into his family and radically transform us into his image. Philippians 3:16 tells us to live up to what we've already attained, i.e., to be who God has declared us to be in Christ. That's the point of Christmas, and so when we refuse to do this we are living in open defiance of the purpose of our salvation. I'd call an open rebellion against your rightful ruler an act of war, wouldn't you?
--When we refuse to commit to the local church. Many of us have this mountain man idea of Christianity. The local church is a place to stop in from time to time to get supplies, stock up on coffee & tobacco & sugar, then head back out to live on our own. The problem is the idea of doing Christianity on your own isn't an idea we find in the New Testament. Jesus died for individuals, but he also died for the church. In other words, he died for individuals so that they'd come together and make up the church. And when we refuse to commit ourselves to that local body--to submit to the leadership and to one another, to serve and be served, to give of our time and spiritual gifts and money and die to ourselves for the sake of others--we are rebelling against that for which Jesus died! If we refuse to commit to the local church we are living in open rebellion against our King--an act of war.
--When we refuse to share the gospel. Christ's birth was the beginning of international mission trips. Or maybe intergalactic trips. Or inter dimensional. Whatever. The point is that the one with the good news came to where those who needed it were and shared it with them. And just before he ascended back to heaven our King gave us marching orders: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." Jesus came to save sinners, then sent saved sinners to tell others sinners about how they can be saved. And that's been our calling ever since. If we refuse to share that gospel with others we are living in open rebellion against our King--an act of war.
The War on Christmas is a real thing--but we're fighting the wrong enemy. Let's stop expecting lost people to act like saved people. Let's don't demand that others treasure what we treasure. Instead, let's show them--by our lives and our words--the matchless glory of King Jesus. Instead of getting in a tizzy about someone not saying Merry Christmas, let's show them why Jesus is greater and more majestic and more wonderful and more beautiful than anything else in this world. Let's repent of our rebellion and recommit ourselves to being who Jesus has declared us to be, who he died to make us.
Now if anyone needs me, I'll be at Starbucks having some coffee.

I Don't Like Cranberry Sauce

Need I say more?

I don't like cranberry sauce and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Seriously, take a look at that stuff. The only thing that should hold its shape after being dumped from a can is Spam & dog food--both of which are more appetizing than cranberry sauce. 
Unfortunately, this gelatinous pile of goo has become a Thanksgiving staple. I'm not sure who made that decision but I'm certain of 2 things: 
1, I wasn't consulted & 2, it's downright unAmerican. Seriously, can any rational person argue that our native friends introduced the pilgrims to this stuff? Of course not. But we continue this horrible charade year after year.
Imagine for a moment, though, that my distaste of cranberry sauce led me to quit celebrating Thanksgiving. Imagine that I threw a hissy fit when I saw it on the table and walked out of my family's celebration, vowing to never return until the cranberry sauce was thrown away forever. That would be pretty silly wouldn't it? More than that, it would be selfish. I may not like cranberry sauce. But there are others around the table who, for reasons known only to them & God, do. What difference does it make, really, if I like it or not. I'm not the point of Thanksgiving. The adult thing to do is to simply smile and appreciate that those around me are enjoying their meal.
Here's the point of this rant. There are actually 2 points. 1, I don't like cranberry sauce. But 2 (and this is the really important one), there are a lot of things in churches that are like cranberry sauce. Not in the gelatinous, holds its shape in an unnatural way kind of thing. But in the 'If I don't like it it's OK to not participate' kind of way. 
I say that because through the years I've learned that while no one would think it's acceptable to boycott Thanksgiving just because you don't like one of the dishes on the table, for some reasons we think it's OK to boycott fellowshipping with our brothers & sisters in Christ when there's something in the worship service that we don't like. 
For example: "They don't sing the songs I like." "They sang that song too many times." "It's too hot." "It's too cold." "The preacher preaches too long." "The preacher doesn't preach long enough." (just kidding about that last one-nobody says that, ever) "That person took my seat." "That person didn't speak to me." "That person won't stop speaking to me." "I'm not being fed." "They don't bring it down to my level." "It's too loud." "It's not loud enough." "There are too many little kids." "There are too many old people."
On and on it goes until we get this huge list of reasons why we can't be a part of this church, or why we can't fellowship with that church. You know what all those things actually are? 

Cranberry sauce. 

On Sundays we come to sit at this table that is groaning under the weight of the glory of the gospel. We prepare to feast on the riches of our great King, the one who loved us and gave himself for us. Or at least, that's what we say we're going to do. In reality we must be there for ourselves because as soon as we see that dish of cranberry sauce, we push away from the table exclaiming, "I'm out!"
Just as it would be silly to refuse to celebrate Thanksgiving over a dish we don't like, it's equally silly to refuse to belong to a body of believers over things that aren't done exactly to our liking. Just as it would be selfish to refuse to celebrate Thanksgiving for that reason, it's equally selfish to refuse to be a part of a local body over peripheral things that don't matter. 
Our hearts betray our own selfishness. Whether it's personal preferences regarding worship services or our favorite theological positions we often refuse to fellowship with other believers, either in our body or in other local congregations, over things that are about as significant as cranberry sauce. 
Now don't misunderstand--there are things worth breaking fellowship over. But that list is much shorter than we realize. Jesus shows us this in Mark 9. John reports to Jesus that the disciples found a man casting out demons. They shut him down because, according to John "...he does not follow us." In other words, this guy was eating cranberry sauce. He's not like us, not with us so he must not be doing it right. Jesus' reply is so powerful. Mark 9:39-40, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me. For he who is not against us is on our side." 
Does Jesus say that doctrine doesn't matter? Of course not. His point is that this guy was bearing obvious fruit. So rather than throw a fit and shut him down, rejoice in the work of God.
In our churches there will be things we don't like. Unless it's a doctrinal issue that compromises the gospel, it's just cranberry sauce. There will be theological disagreements in the body. Unless it threatens to keep someone out of heaven, it's probably just cranberry sauce. So celebrate the Savior. Celebrate the diversity of the body--diversity of preference, of opinion, of thought. Rejoice in the common ground we share; that we are great sinners, but we have a great savior, a savior who is greater than our sin!


But don't eat cranberry sauce. 

What I Want My Kids To Know

As a parent I'm constantly trying to find the balance between teaching my kids and boring them to death. Pretty sure I don't do a very good job of it so I thought I'd just write some things down for them and let them keep them on file. Which is probably a nice way of saying they'll never look at them again. But here goes.

1. We live in a world that is consumed with a desire for things that don't matter. So much of the things our culture says are valuable are worthless. So much of what our society says we have to chase after are things that simply won't last. This doesn't mean that everything in our culture is evil, just that so much is eternal meaningless. We are called to live for the things that matter eternally, not the things that will fade away as quickly as morning fog. Learn to look beyond these things that don't matter. I know it's so hard! And not because you're a kid--it's hard for adults to do this to! Ask Jesus to help you learn to see things as he does.

2. We are called to love this crazy culture like Jesus does. It's easy for people who follow Jesus to look down their noses at people who don't. Don't do that. Ever. Jesus never approves of you and I thinking we're better than others. Because we're not. The blood that can wash away their sins is the same blood that washed away ours. In other words, apart from the blood of Jesus we are no different from the worst sinner imaginable. So love those around you. Especially the ones who don't love back. Why? That's exactly what Jesus did. Remember Romans 5:8? God demonstrates his love in that while we were yet sinners--rebels, haters of God, living in disobedience to him--Christ died for us. 

3. You are good enough. There are many times in our lives when we don't feel like we belong, that we aren't good enough for this person, or this group of people, or this activity, or this job, or whatever. Never let someone make you doubt your worth. You are good enough. Now that doesn't mean you can do whatever you set your mind to. That's stupid. When I was about 6 I set my mind on flying. I got a handful of feathers and jumped off the couch, flapping my arms as hard as I could. Know what happened next? I soared through the air like Peter Pan. 

Just kidding. I hit the floor, split my chin wide open and cried for my mama. Just because you can't do what others can do doesn't mean you aren't worth as much. Your worth isn't determined by what you can do--it's determined by the fact that Jesus died on the cross to save you. Your worth is found in him.

4. You are not good enough. This one is not a typo. I want you to understand that you're good enough in the eyes of others--you're not less than anyone. But all of us--you, I, your mom, everyone you know--none of us are good enough for God. I don't mean that he doesn't love us, I mean that he's so holy and so perfect that none of us can measure up to his standard. The amazing, life changing, incredible, almost too good to be believed news of the bible is that since I'm not good enough, Jesus came to make me good enough. He lived the life we can't live & died the death we deserve. And he did this so that we can be remade into his image. Everything you want to be--as a man, as a woman--every desirable trait finds it fulfillment in Jesus. And he wants us to be like him. Don't let others look down on you, but stay humble before God. We can call on him, but only because we've been saved by his grace & mercy. Never rely on your own abilities but rest fully and joyfully in the finished work of Jesus. 

5. I don't think I'm a very good parent but I really, really want to be. Here's the thing-parenting is hard. There are times when it's easier than others but some days are tough. Some days I lose my cool with you guys. Some days I'm selfish. Some days I'm just lazy. I'm sorry for those days. When I'm a crummy dad, it's not because you've done something wrong. It's because, even though I love Jesus and want to be like him, I still sometimes choose sin. I want to be an incredible dad to you, because God is an incredible father to me. I screw up a lot--but never let that cause you to think unwell of God. Simply recognize that this is one more way that God is better than anything in this world, including your sinful dad.

6. You are an amazing child. Did we cover that already? Too bad. Read it again. And believe it. You are incredibly and wonderful and are, apart from being forgiven by God, the greatest thing to ever happen to me. 

Lily-you are artistic and kind and caring and imaginative. You are creative and more courageous than I ever was.

Emma-you are strong and fierce and fearless. There are times that you are a literal tornado of emotions that threatens to overwhelm me. But the fact that you love to hug more than anyone I know helps all that even out.

Owen-you are brave and sensitive and compassionate with a strong sense of right and wrong. Your heart for others is so big! And you're a pretty good hunting buddy too.

7. You are loved beyond your capacity to understand. Seriously, you have no clue. One day you will. Right now you just can't get it. But always tuck that away; no matter what happens in your life, no matter how things go on the playground or the lunchroom or in the office--know that there's a ruggedly handsome man (maybe exaggerating a bit there) who loves you more than you'll ever know. It is literally impossible to put into words how much you mean to your old dad.  Never forget that.

Of Headlines, Hearts, & Depravity

“Kendall Jenner Goes Braless in this Wardrobe Malfunction Waiting to Happen”

This is a headline I saw recently. This is news. This is worth writing a story about. And this—this is what’s wrong with our country. This headline sums up in 11 words the depravity of the human heart. Simply put, we “other” everyone else for our own benefit and pleasure. We put them into categories that we would not put ourselves into, for the sole purpose of treating them in a way that we wouldn’t want to be treated. We sort our fellow man/woman, like cattle at a sale, according to what we want from them or want them to do. And then we treat them accordingly.

Women are no longer beings made in the image of God, fellow humans worthy of honor and respect. They are clickbait for headlines. We take pictures of kids—and that’s what she is, by the way. I don’t care that she’s a legal adult. She’s a freaking teenager who probably isn’t sure how to match her own socks. We take these pictures and plaster them online, hoping that horny old men and hormonally charged teenagers will click on them and leer. We’ll write articles about why it’s probably her fault for dressing that way. But who can blame her? This is what our society says matters. This is how we tell women they can be valued. We’re drunken tourists on Bourbon Street shouting “Show me your tits!” to every woman we see. And then we call them  sluts when they do. 

We call children fetuses. We say they aren’t people and so don’t deserve the same rights and dignity that we do. We say “You don’t know when human life begins” and somehow that’s presented as an intelligent argument. Think through that for a second though. Imagine a loved one was in the hospital and the doctor comes in with these words; “We aren’t sure if he’s alive or not.” Would any sane person say, “Guess we should pull the plug, doc”? Would any rational mind honestly concede that “We don’t know if they’re alive so it’s ok to go ahead and terminate” is a viable argument? 

Our problem is that we “other” everyone else. And until we stop, until we realize and acknowledge that everyone—man, woman, boy, girl, black, white, baby, elderly—everyone bears the image of their creator and is therefore worthy of being treated with dignity and respect we’ll continue to be stuck in this same place.

It is finished

As I was preparing for this Sunday's celebration of the Lord's Supper I came across these words in A.W. Pink's The Seven Sayings of the Savior on the Cross. Read, and let your heart sing.

"'It is finished.' That to which so many types looked forward, that which so much in the tabernacle and its ritual foreshadowed, that of which so many of God's prophets had spoken, was now accomplished. A covering from sin and its shame--typified by the coasts of skin with which the Lord God clothed our first parents--was now provided. A more excellent sacrifice--typified by Abel's lamb--had now been offered. A shelter from the storm of divine judgment--typified by the ark of Noah--was now furnished. The only begotten and well believed Son--typified by Abraham's offering up of Isaac--had already been placed upon the altar. A protection from the avenging angel--typified by the shed blood of the Passover lamb--was now supplied. A cure from the serpent's bite--typified by the serpent of brass upon the pole--was now made ready for sinners. The providing of a life giving fountain--typified by Moses striking the rock--was now effected."

Glory to God for the finished work of Jesus! The work is accomplished and we need not-indeed, we must not-add anything to it.