THOUGHTS TO STIR US
"Whatever captures the heart's trust and love also controls the feelings and behavior. What the heart most wants, the mind finds reasonable, the emotions find valuable, and the will finds doable... Your loves show what you actually believe in, not what you say you do."
Tim Keller, Preaching, 159 [My emphasis]
Those who follow Jesus are never in the majority...never in control of the culture. That's right. Never. I do not think that is an overstatement.
Most of the time when Christians think we are in power, we are using sinful tactics to promote "Godly" ways. I think if we knew it we would run from it, but the truth still remains that we will often settle for "worldly" ways for a little bit of power than to wait for the Lord to show his power in his ways.
In Matthew 4:7-9, Jesus was offered control over the accusers's dominion. It was there for Jesus' to take. He would have made a political difference. He would have changed the systems and structure of the world that create oppression for those who do not have power. He could have done more practical good than I can think through.
But, he would have never lived a crucified life. His power would have been a diminishing power, not the resurrection power that radiates from him.
He would have never dealt with the "root" of the issue (our sin and relational separation from God) and just dealt with the "fruit" of the problem.
Jesus did not bow the the tempter for many reasons, but one of them is that he was not (is not) "of" this world. He is uniquely different...and more alive. Jesus welcomes us not to a life of dominating power over others (even for good), but living out his freeing, healing resurrection power.
We will always be different. But it is a kind of different that isn't awkward and disconnected with what is going on around us.
It is the kind of "different" that reminds the people around us that what we see in this world is not and is not all that there is. Our "different" reminds the world that God's kingdom is what we have always longed for in ways we may never have recognized.
"If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." (John 15:19 ESV)
Proverbs 13:12 "Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life." (ESV)
Heartsick Saturday
As far as I know, nothing in scripture is written about the second day, the Saturday after the crucifixion. We know it was the Sabbath for the religious Jewish people so many people deliberately slowed down. For most, it was any other Sabbath- a time of rest, recreation, and celebrating all that God did for them at the exodus out of Egypt through the Red Sea. It was a time to reflect on God's faithfulness in the past through an unexpected miracle.
But for a small group of people, they would not have called Friday "good." They may have stopped their work, not because of following an observance, but because of emotional exhaustion. The day before they had seen their Master dominated by the Roman officials and demeaned by their own people. The One who they had followed- the One who had made impossible, but hope-filled promises- was staked to a wooden post in full display of the antagonistic city.
Hope in the Past Tense
Would it be too much to guess that, if they talked at all, they started their statements with "We had hoped..."? [see Luke 24:21]
The men and women who had followed Jesus, admired Jesus, and treasured being with Jesus were now without Jesus. They had watched him die. Cruelly. Shamefully. They had heard his words about his quickly-coming "departure" and the suffering he must endure, but the full weight of it did not fall on them until they saw it. In this case, seeing was believing that they had been wrong about him. They had given their lives (and their hearts) to a man who was just a frail as they were.
Most of their nationalistic hopes died with Jesus and they didn't know what came next. In the past, they might not have known what Jesus was going to do day to day, but they knew he would be there to shepherd them. What should they do now? Do they just go back to their old way of life- fishing, collecting taxes, political zealotry?
What Could Have Been...
Even in their consistent doubting, they had believed Jesus would be king... before that Friday. Now, what does their future look like? This kingdom that Jesus spoke so much of would not come now because he could not be king. That just makes sense, right? A dead man can't be king.
All that we can guess about that Saturday is that the disciples of Jesus were living with an acute heartsickness. It was an undiagnosable ailment that only comes when you actually put your hopes on someone or something and that thing fails dramatically. They had given themselves to Jesus and he had seemed to be a failure when it mattered most. They were heartbroken. Scattered. Empty of hope.
Beyond Imagination
There was nothing they could imagine that could rebuild their hope. They were living in the last day of their week and all signs pointed to the first day of their next week being more of the same. The sun had set on Jesus' mission. The next sunrise would usher in a day just like today.
Only the unthinkable could recreate hope in them. Only a miracle could fulfill their desire.
John 19:30: "...It is finished."
" Power, no matter how well-intentioned, tends to cause suffering. Love, being vulnerable, absorbs it. In a point of convergence on a hill called Calvary, God renounced the one for the sake of the other." Philip Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew
Time to Go Home
There was nothing left for his captors to do to him. After his capture in the garden, his interviews and trials, the crown of thorns on his head and the lingering pain of being struck in the face, the sting of the mob's rejection and the shooting pains that came from the soldier's whip, all they could do to him is hold him fast to the wood. Nail him to the cross. Strip him down and display his "crimes" to the people.
Then all anyone did was wait for him to die.
Surely the crowds did not wait around to watch his agony. They went on to their celebrations, emotionally spent from the cheering and jeering. Surely many of the chiefs priests and elders went on their way. They had been up early making decisions that would save the nation from this blasphemer, this agitator. What needed to be done was done. The process would punish Jesus. There was no doubt that their problems were over.
If he wasn't dead by close to sundown, then the Romans' would agree to the Jewish leader's request that the crucified criminal's legs would be broken so that they couldn't raise themselves up any longer to breathe. It was cruel, yes, but it was better than leaving them to die for three more days. Plus, the Sabbath that was swiftly coming should be honored...and there was nothing honorable about what was happening to Jesus.
The View From the Cross
From Jesus' point of view though, all of this was part of the plan. All of it happened so that what the Father had planned to happen from before the foundation of the world on this day would happen. Jesus could plainly see the Father at work around him because everything was going exactly how it should, and Jesus knew it was almost over.
From the vantage point of the cross, he could see the sin of the world lived out in front of him. Those who considered him an enemy did not understand what was happening and gloated in their victory. The soldiers who were striving for position and power within the Roman system, wiped their hands proudly at another day's work well done. Oppressors were still taking advantage of poor widows and orphans were treated a worthless. The "righteous" were still living their hypocrisy, looking good on the outside, but on the inside being ravenously hungry to indulge their sin.
That's why Jesus hung there. Not because of the charge of being a false king of the Jews or a blasphemer, but because of the sin that was working in the deep places of people's heart's even at that moment.
His role was to be the Lamb that was slain for them. For the Father's forgiveness of the unworthy to be just, Jesus had to endure the punishment. It was either him or everyone. For any reconciliation to happen he had to do one final work.
He had to die.
And that is what he did. Lovingly obedient to his Father for every moment. Joyfully hopeful in trusting himself to the Father even in the midst of deep agony, he did his last work. He gave up his life in full view of the reality of how much we do not deserve his love, his gift.
He died saying "It is finished."
No, Really, "Finished." Complete. Done.
His shame was finished. His suffering was finished. The vulnerability he lived in a world opposed to him was finished.
The need for ritual sacrifices was finished. No lamb needed to die ever again for a selfish man's sin.
Striving to try to please God by doing good was finished. The compulsion to try to get God to accept us could end because Jesus' death secured our acceptance in trusting him.
The separation from God that is the result of sin was finished. Now, because Jesus became sin for the undeserving whole of humanity, those who trust that Jesus' death alone (and no other striving to be "right") can make us right with God can be brought home to him.
All of God's work to bring his people home to him was finished. The penalty was paid. There was nothing left to do, but entrust ourselves to him and enjoy his presence. (And even that is a gift too.)
It really is finished.
Its just hard to believe sometimes, isn't it?
Love Demonstrated for All of Us to See
[see Genesis 3; Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 4:32-42; Luke 22:39-46]
"My Father..."
Reading Jesus say these words of affection seems to me like I am intruding on a intimate and sacred moment. It isn't like it would be forbidden, but it seems like these moments when Jesus would pray were so deep and so personal that they would be otherworldly and, maybe, uncomfortable. Imagining his voice in my head I also imagine a "knowing" in his tone that revealed that his relationship with the Father was as constant as it was intimate; deep and rich in mutual affection and (because I cannot find another word) "holy."
It is the closeness of his relationship with the Father that brought him to these moments of agony in the garden. (Was that as hard to read as it was to write?)
In any selfless devotion, there is always a place of pain. A new mom whose body cries out for rest getting up in the middle of the night to feed a nursing child. A husband who has watched his bride slowly slip away from him for 10 years because of the effects of dementia. A long-suffering friend who, though her childhood playmate has become a wayward adult, prays and waits for God to do the miracle she longs for to bring that friend back "home."
It was the joy in following the heart of his Father that led him to this sorrow. It was knowing the Father's passionate purpose that compelled Jesus to obey even to the point of real, gut-wrenching pain.
"...If it is possible let this cup pass from me.."
Most suffering in the world seems to be meaningless and random. There was a purpose in Jesus' suffering.
Though Jesus often went to the Mount of Olives ("...as was his custom") there is something deliberate about why the scene of Jesus greatest testing, his greatest struggle, happened in a garden. It would not have been lost on the Jewish people of Jesus' day like it was to me for so long. It was because of what happened in a Garden in Genesis that Jesus was ever in this garden in the first place.
When Adam and Eve listened to the tempting voice and gave in to its fiendish counsel, they effectively said "Not your will, O God, but mine!" After that, those words became the inclination of their hearts...a heart-trait that they passed down to every living person who has come after them. The stubborn bent of our souls is to seek for forbidden fruit to eat and to recklessly look for our joy in acts that are destroying us.
Sin, suffering, and death came out of the Garden of Eden, following Adam. As Adam and Eve multiplied, so did all the problems: Rwandian genocide. Siberian work camps. Death marches. Abandoned children longing for a parent to love them. A harsh word spoken. A cold shoulder.
And with every selfish thought, every harmful action, every devious plan that came from our hearts, the cup of God's wrath filled more and more. (see Jer. 25:15; Is 51:17)
It was all of the sin and suffering and death that came rushing out of Eden that weighed heavily on Jesus in this garden. So heavy, in fact, that Jesus pleads with his Father to take it from him. It was an unseen agony that weighed down his soul because he knew something else...
...The only way to satisfy the demands of justice and the purpose of love was for Jesus himself to take on the cup. There was no other way.
Jesus knew he had to substitute himself for us. He was going to drink our cup of a righteous wrath.
"...Not what I will, but what you will."
It is in these words that we see the willingness that comes from love. Even though we were the perpetrators, he chose to take our place. Jesus had such a joy in his relationship with the Father and such a love for undeserving people that he was willing to endure a punishment worse than Hell itself: He would, willingly, take our place.
Suffering seems stronger than love. Love can seem weak...an emotion that dries up when something real like pain comes along. But what Jesus shows us in this garden is that there is a love that is stronger than suffering- the type of love that is willing to endure suffering for someone else.
Not out of weakness or defeat that come from when stubbornness is overcome, but from a heart that was overcome with love, Jesus surrendered to the Father's will. He knew the Father's will was good even if it was, well, excruciating to him.
What we see here is that Jesus had a deeper will that propelled him to suffering: the joy that comes from seeing the Father's ways come to pass. At whatever the cost to himself.
It's this will that can change the world.
[see Matthew 26:6-25; Mark 14:3-21; Luke 22:3-23; John 13:1-30; Psalm 41:9]
The Ministry of Presence
We talk about time in a similar way we talk about money: we "spend" it. Like the cash in our accounts, our time is limited and it is always used up faster than we expect. Uncomfortably faster most of the time. Like money, time is a valuable resource, so we know that where a person spends her time shows what she cares about.
Even though Jesus said this in the context of money I think it is fair to say that it works for the currency of time also: "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21 ESV) Where we spend our life-time shows what we value, who we love, and where are heart really is.
In the last week of his life it is surprising to me to see how often Jesus is spending his life "reclining at table" with small groups of people. He is showing where his heart is: to be present with people. They would get to see how he radiates grace and truth in his laughter and his teaching around that table, the way that he leans in to listen to someone's story about their day even if it seemed trivial to the rest of the table, and how that his commitment to them for that entire evening showed that God does not anxiously move on to his next appointment like we do. He was present in a way that those people would feel the full weight of his personality. He showed the the gospel lived out in his words, but also through the overflow of his heart among them.
Betrayal at the Table
"For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:8 ESV; emphasis mine)
There is a danger in committing to someone or to a group of people enough to spend your life on them: they might hurt you. The more I get to know someone and the more I spend time with them, they "imprint" on me. I am not sure how to explain that other than to say that people not only grow on me, but affect me. When they hurt, I start to hurt. When they celebrate, something rises up in me to celebrate with them! Every person in whom the Spirit of Jesus lives does the same to some degree because that is the very heart of Jesus that beats in us.
So, I would imagine that when the woman poured expensive perfume over his head at dinner, he had compassion on her, smiled at her lavishness, and saw the reality of how his grace affected her enough to love him back. I would imagine that the selfish, willful misunderstanding of the disciples affected him in a similar way. He could not help but be affected. One moment joy and the next moment disappointment. This is the beautiful reality of life spent around the table with people.
When Jesus and his disciples "reclined at table" to celebrate the Passover, Judas had already sold Jesus to those who counted Jesus as an enemy. Judas did not betray Jesus and then to safely run away to watch what happened, but he came back and boldly sat at the same table as Jesus, eating the same meal as Jesus.
Eating together like this was a sign of enduring friendship. Sharing a meal was a statement to everyone at the table (and those who would hear of it) that "these people are as close to me as family. These people are people I commit to sharing my life with." So, when someone at the table breaks that trust... oh how much deeper is the betrayal!
Jesus felt every bit of that betrayal. His sinless heart was not burdened with the callousness of sin so he took in everything deeper than we can experience. It was one of many wounds, but it was a wound that affected him, disturbed him.
Grace Flowed From The Woundedness
But, in this woundedness, Jesus showed who he really is: full of grace and truth (John 1:14). In truth, he spoke up and called out that someone would betray him. The hidden sin would be revealed! But, in his grace he didn't push Judas away. As a matter of fact, he continued to share the meal with him until Judas decided to leave.
What did Jesus think in those moments? What did the disciples see? What did Judas feel as he walked out of the door into the night, breaking the fellowship with Jesus he had enjoyed for years?
Jesus spent his final few days and, especially, his final few hours around a table sharing a meal with those he had affection for. He spent that time on people (not on agendas), showing the character of God in a very real, very personal way. In the final time he could spend before his crucifixion, Jesus showed where his heart was: with the people he loved.
Tis The Season for Pictures of Jesus on the Front of Magazines.
At any checkout line at our local grocery stores it's hard to miss the differing portraits of Jesus prominently displayed for us to buy. One magazine asks "is the Resurrection fact?" another one asks "What did Jesus really teach?" and one other questions "Was Jesus an alien?" My question is: did he really have baby blue eyes?!
Even with all the differing portrayals of the Son of God for us to impulse buy, one thing is almost always true: Jesus looks bored if not boring. He looks mild and tame. The pictures exude a sense of "niceness" that is attractive for a moment, but easily forgotten the next. This portrayal of Jesus is "safe" and we are safe from having to respond to him. This Jesus is sweet to us, but he definitely does not command our attention, much less our respect.
Then I Read the Gospels...
I see a very different portrait of this man when reading the Bible. Matthew very simply states "And Jesus entered the temple and DROVE OUT all who sold and bought in the temple, and he OVERTURNED THE TABLES of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons." (Matthew 21:12 ESV; my emphasis)
Jesus drove them out. Jesus drove them out! (I had to say it again) That is not something tame men do. Merely "nice guys" stay outside of a problem so as not to cause a fuss...create a mess. The very same man whose hands would, very tenderly, heal a broken body and who would unashamedly weep over the loss of a friend (See John 11:35) deliberately and willful drove men out of the temple.
This Draws Out Questions
Does that shock you like it does to me? Does it seem "wrong" that he would do that? Does it seem out of character for him?
That's just it, this is as much the real Jesus as any other biblical picture. As a matter of fact, this encounter with Jesus makes every other encounter with him not only look different, but add a depth to those stories that we wouldn't have otherwise. When Jesus heals on the sabbath with the scoffers in full view of his "crime" we see the same strength of love. When Jesus calls people to his rest, we know that it isn't the type of "rest" that retreats from the world, but the type that engages the real issues of our lives. When we see Jesus give himself to the cruelty of a Roman cross we see that he was no push over who passively went, but was driven to that point with a righteous passion.
Jesus Welcomed Others Close
I intended just to write about Jesus cleansing the temple. In my imagination, Jesus drove out the money changers and "robbers" and then left the area, on to the next part of his days' agenda. But, rereading it again before typing I noticed something that shocked me even more: "And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. (Matthew 21:14 ESV) This is right after what we might perceive as an "outburst"!
Who is this man?! One moment he is making a bold statement by driving people out of this house of prayer -used for selfish gain -and the next moment the weak and the outsiders feel safe enough with him to approach him. Where one group saw fierceness and fled another group saw graciousness and gathered near him.
Can Jesus Be Both at the Same Time?
I will speculate here, but I think it is fair: if Jesus is nothing but loving then it means he was loving in this scene. He didn't turn "loving" off for a few minutes to overturn tables and ruin the five year plan of small business owners. No, as a matter of fact, in both scenerios he was consistently loving, doing what each group needed more than anything. May I be bold enough to say that Jesus' tenderness towards those he drove out was to give them what they really needed- a shake up that is a strong reminder that their way is the way to destruction? May I be bold enough to say that Jesus was fierce towards the ones who came near to him to be healed? With a fierce compassion he healed them and welcomed them close.
Whether what I say is foolish or not, one thing is true: Jesus will not be domesticated. He will not be defined and controlled. He will not submit to being God in an image we try to create.
Unreservedly Who He Is
He will joyfully be exactly who he is: fiercely tender. When the magazines at our store portray him as a Righteous Warrior with Uncompromising Compassion then I might follow my impulse to buy one and read it. Until then, I want God's word to paint the picture of Jesus I need to see.
[See Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:28-38; John 12:12-15]
I Wonder...
I've always wondered why that title in my Bible calls this story the "triumphal entry." Those titles printed on the page were not originally part of text of the gospel, but they seem meaningful. Someone thought it made sense with the passage!
Maybe it is because the crowds saw it as a triumph. That would make sense. There was a group of people made up of those who were affected by Jesus: those that used to be sick, those that used to be lame, and those that used to be guilt-ridden. All of them probably hoping that the One who restored them would restore the honor to the nation they loved, too.
They Longed For A Good King And In Meeting Jesus They Knew They Had Found One.
The crowd celebrated because, for them, this entrance is a real turning point. The promises of scripture and the longings of their hearts for things to change- really change- were on the verge of happening! A real, uncontainable joy was unashamedly erupting from underneath years of desperate hoping and anxiously waiting...one in which if they did try to hold it back would cause the rocks to break their long silence and praise their Creator.
Sooner And Not "Later" They Would See the Promised King On The Throne
I would imagine I would also be in that crowd expecting that my greatest hopes were about to be fulfilled, but, knowing what will happen later that week, my mind turns to what Jesus was thinking. Did he feel triumphant? Was this a moment in which he could smile deeply and fully enjoy the party or was there always the haunting thought that this praise would soon die and give way to either a silent watchfulness or a defiant chorus of curses towards him?
What Really Stands Out Is That He Doesn't Tell Them To Sit Down
Jesus does not tell them to settle down and be realistic. This is the part that really surprises me. He doesn't stop them to correct them, but lets them celebrate! No, more than that, he encourages them to celebrate. He knows their expectations of him and knows he won't be the king they want, but at the same time joins the jubilee.
The Romans watch the scene and scoff because they would do it better- with more glamor and bravado- and most would all but forget the scene before going to bed that night.
The jealous Jewish leaders watch with contempt as this pretender makes a fool of himself as some pseudo-messiah, like others had done. Soon enough, this crowd would know the truth and would see the wages Jesus earns for his blasphemy.
I picture Jesus with a wry smile as he rides in on this borrowed donkey without any hint of asking the emboldened crowd to stop. Somehow he knows this is a foretaste of what will happen later rather than sooner. This is a warm up party before the ultimate entry when he rides in on a war horse and he triumphs over all of the systems that press people, the powers behind those systems, and the sin that fuels it all. (see Revelation 19:11-16)
The Real Glory They Longed For Would Soon Be Revealed
But also, in the quietness of his soul, he knows that between him and the triumph where all things are made right stands a cross. This cross is the throne that will display his glory and will ever define what it means to be a triumphant king.
The accomplishment in that moment is not that he would be carried in celebration by a stubborn donkey, but that Jesus would willingly carry the sins of the world with no fanfare.
They celebrated good king that day, but it wasn't until later that they could see just how good he really is. It wasn't a political coup that would show his triumph, but his passionate sacrifice.
Earlier this week my friend shared with me how he is spending time over the next few days reading through the story of Jesus' final week before his crucifixion.
Spending that much time entering in those crucial days in the life of Jesus (and the life of the world) seems like a valuable way to spend some of my life, but in hearing it sounded like so. much. work!
Then I heard my friend share about the time he has spent, not talking about the toil and pain he endured (there wasn't any), but the joy he has experienced! He very winsomely shared how he entered in to Jesus' life in the pages and, more than that, he got to experience that very same Jesus through those pages.
Okay, how could I find any fault in that? I can't. He has been "lenting" and the encounter he has had with the Living Savior has been worth the "sacrifice."
"Lent" to me in the past has been a foreign word to me. I have understood that it is meant to be a time of preparation and reflection, but it seemed too "traditional," too "liturgical," or too "I have to prove myself to God"-ish.
I am slow to learn the "why" behind things, especially when it is easy just to write a people or a practice off because it is not "my tradition."
Also, with a smug self-righteousness, I am tempted to say "I celebrate Jesus' death and resurrection all year not just for 40 days!" The truth is, though, that's not true. Most days I deliberately don't seek to treasure Jesus through meditating on his glorification at the cross and out of the tomb. Spirit, please change that in me!
Whether it is Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, or some Ordinary Monday, what seems to matter most is that I might be AFFECTED by this one who would walk through the ultimate valley of the shadow of death and come out joyful on the other side. I want this to not only be meaningful, but to mean something to me! I want the passion week to fuel a like hearted passion for my Savior.
So, even though I am late to the event, I am repenting of not Lenting.
This is not a work to gain God's favor for me. It is a work because I have God's favor as his child. (Romans 8:31-32) This is not mere traditionalism, but a tradition that stands up because it can mean something, well, meaningful.
What that means is that I am going to seek to be awed by this Man. I will sacrifice a little time to enter in Jesus' experience to know him deeper, to trust him more. And, as a response, write about that here.
Would you consider reading through this part of his life with me this next week? Its not full on Lenting, but I'm learning.
Quote from Sinclair Ferguson's book The Whole Christ:
"The lie [of the serpent from Genesis 3] was an assault on both God's generosity and integrity. Neither his character nor his words were to be trusted. This, in fact, is the lie which sinners have believed ever since- the lie of the Not-to-be-trusted-because-he does-not-love-me-False-Father... [this lie has] entered the bloodstream of the human race..."
As quoted in Preaching by Timothy Keller, page 53.
I have read Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret four or five times in my life. It is a book that is so good that it is worth diving into again and again just to remember what the Spirit of God will do in the life of a person surrendered to Him.
This quote has arrested me many times, and is worth sharing with you.
"But Hudson Taylor did not start out to impact "millions." He started out to love God, to honor Him, and to share His love with individual sinners who needed so desperately to know Him. Jesus called Taylor (and us) to be "faithful," not "successful." And God added the increase. So shall it be with us, I pray." (page 12)
Just reading the title of the post might cause anxiety. Somehow it does for me because I tend to be a homebody. I like thinking that tonight I might be able to snuggle up next to my wife to watch a show on Netflix on our couch in our living room knowing our little girl is asleep in our house.
The last few weeks I have been asking a lot about what it means to live "by faith." Last Sunday night we talked about Abram's [Abraham's] journey of faith from his home in Haran to the land God promised him. Sounds exciting to think about! It reads like and adventure story!
There is something though I didn't consider in the text: when the Lord spoke to Abram to leave his home what followed was that Abram would also leave his house.
The Spirit though the writer of Hebrews didn't miss it though: Hebrews 11:9- "By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise."
God's people often live unsettled. Similar to my Little League coach always challenging me to be "on my toes" while playing third base, our good Father keeps his people in a place where we are alert to trust him:
Why though? Does it unsettle you like it does me that our loving God would let us be unsettled? God commanded Abram to leave all that was safe for him and their family. In the same way, think of the times Jesus led his closest friends onto a boat that would end up in a storm. God knew what was ahead of them!
I think there are two precious parts to the answer. Precious and confidence-building answers that settle our soul once we can embrace them:
First, Abram could go unsettled because God promised him a home again, not just a house. Hebrews 11:10 says "For he [Abraham] was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God." Since Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden, we have longed for the home we were made for. Every place we dwell is "home," but not "home" enough. Abraham could obey, leave his family, living in tents, because something in God's words to him told him that in living by faith he would find his home. His REAL home where he would be fully and finally settled.
But even more important than the first answer is the second answer: wherever Abram went by faith, the Lord went with him. This is the precious promise of following our God: we may be unsettled, but our God walks with us out of our safety and into His journey. Like Abram, we might not know the details of where we are going, but (whether we feel it or not) our God delights to walk with us. He takes the initiative to be present with us and nothing in this world dissuades him from that. When Jesus told his disciples to get on a boat and they ended up in the storm, he was always in the storm with them! (see Mark 4:35-5:1)
When the Lord unsettles us (and he will as we learn to trust him), though we often feel the loss deeper than is comfortable and wonder when our good Father will come though, he is at work to remind us that we have a better home awaiting us. We have something to look forward to. The best days for followers of Jesus are always ahead of us, either in this life or the fullest life when we get to see Jesus' face with our own eyes.
And what we have to look forward to the most is that our heart's true Home is not just waiting ahead of us, but He is with us as we walk the unsettled path he planned out for us.
It seems strange that we would spend a Sunday evening in which we usually "go to worship" going to hand out flyers about a business in our neighborhood. It feels weird doesn't it?
As we have stated here, our mission statement reads: "We will express that Jesus is our treasure by...seeking the peace of the city (and the nations) through the Gospel." Simply put, our love for Jesus and the effect of the gospel on our lives, motivates us to seek the good of our neighbors and our neighborhood.
Or maybe even more simply put, our worship of Jesus moves us to love our neighbors.
"Worship" is more than singing his greatness, it is seeing his greatness and love in a way that creates a desire to respond in love. It is the inclination of our heart to treasure Jesus as a response to his love for us demonstrated on the cross (See Romans 5:8).
Worship always acts in love to our God...and it always acts in love to our neighbor.
So why Gigglechops?
I want to support our local business, not just because they are businesses or because there is a trend towards "local," but because there are people who our God loves who are behind the business. Not only that, this specific business seeks to love a group of people I do not fully know how to serve well, people who live with "special needs and learning differences."
"Seeking the peace of our city" means supporting those that are already doing that...and often times following their lead and learning from them.
The Invitation: come join us Sunday to serve our neighbor (even if you are reading this and don't "treasure Jesus"...yet) Act your worship with us. (for more info email Wes here)
ONE LAST THOUGHT
I don't have a relationship with Jesus because I earned it. That's not possible, and that would never be a real relationship anyway. I have a relationship with Jesus because he sought me out and (because he paid my penalty by his death) he now says that he is "for" me...on my side... working out good for me for his name's sake. The more that truth soaks into our bones the more we will want to be "for" others, too.
From Genesis 12:1-4 and 15:1-6 (click for reference)
Abram's Journey is Our Journey
Our God took the initiative because he wants to show his grace to the world
How Could God call Abram to leave everything to live in tents in a strange land?
He calls us to a new object to treasure (he was emptied)
He wants us to see that he is going with us…not just sending away
An invitation to trust
We aren't given a road map, but the Lord does go with us to whisper "Come with me this way"
Abraham's Question is Often Ours: "How Long O Lord?!"
We live in a "fast food" world where people think "faster" is "better"
Everything that matters takes time to create
The Lord will brings us to the end of ourselves…so that we might be astounded by what he does!
Our God is remaking us as we walk and wait (weaning us from our expectations and selfishness)
This is not about our ability to believe, but belief in God's ability to come thorugh
The only faith is an imperfect faith
The Source of Our Faith: Jesus gives it though experience
There are no short cuts
What he has done shows what he will do
Jesus had faith first...and experienced the Father's faithfulness the most
Daily fellowship with the Father created his faith for the future
Jesus' faith was ultimately expressed in willingly going to the cross
Giving up his spirit (Luke 23:46)
What would you do differently if what God said about himself was true?
"In great spiritual agony, I wandered out on the sand alone. And there the Lord conquered my unbelief, and I surrendered myself to God for this service [starting a missions organization for inland China]. I told Him that all the responsibility as to the issues and the consequences must rest with Him; that as His servant it was mine to obey and to follow Him, His to direct, care for and guide me and those who might labor with me. Need I say that at once peace flowed into my burdened heart?" [Emphasis mine]
-Hudson Taylor, missionary to China
Please Father, may this be true for us.
Last night in our gathering, a friend shared with us a passage (2 Chronicles 32) about what happens when you act in confidence that our God really is good. Honestly, I never paid attention to this passage in the way that he shared it with us.
If I Ever Have A Son His Name Could Be...
Hezekiah was king of the people of Judah and he went against the traditions of his fathers, not in an arrogant way, but humbly and faithfully following God's ways (see the end of chapter 31). It even says that he (Hezekiah) prospered in everything he did. Man, I want it to end there.
No Way I Would Ever Name a Son...
Sennacerib then enters the scene. As the chapter turns from 31 to 32, it says "After these acts of faithfulness...Sennacerib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah..." Its hard to understand the squabbles of ancient kings, but one thing is clear: Hezekiah didn't just act in faith and then get to coast in his prosperity. Somehow, in God's goodness (right? "goodness"?) he allowed this evil king to do evil things to a faith-filled man (Hezekiah) and his people.
The Heart Question
I have to stop right there for today. It brings up a lot of questions. Why would God allow this? Is God good because it sure seems like a good God would just turn this invading army away to "repay" Hezekiah for his faithfulness?
For Hezekiah, this is done and over with. The story is written and the ending has happened. (Go ahead and read on...its worth it to see what God does!) What lingers is the question: who is God in all of this? Can I trust him?
No Easy Answers...Just His Presence
Is God good? I have to believe he is, but just not always how we want him to be good. He will be good to us by rooting out all places in us where we are afraid to be confident in him and where we believe lies about him. God sends armies to besiege our cities, not to harm us, but to deepen us.
Grace Means He Wants To Show Us that He is Trustworthy
He wants us to see him come through. Let me say that again: he wants us to see him come through. Not just in someone else's life, but our life; to taste and see that the Lord is good...not just when we prosper, but when war is waged against us.
The real war, though, is the war that the Lord is waging against our unbelief. He wants to win our hearts away from foolish fear. Let me say that again too: he WANTS to win our hearts. For stubborn people like me, it takes being pressed beyond my ability to get me to look to see if God will come through, but that is when the taste of his goodness goes deep and settles our soul.
Often it is when an army encamps around us, but it is in those moments we get to see the faithfulness of a loving God, even when our fear is overwhelming.
The life of trusting God is not gathering up enough energy to believe, but a life of seeing our faithful God come through on our behalf. Over and over and over again.
"Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident." Psalm 27:3
HT: Jason Thibeaux
