Life Beyond the Pitch

It made the news this week when a star soccer player had a serious injury shortly after kickoff--in the game slated to be her last.  Megan Rapinoe quipped after the match, "I’m not a religious person or anything and if there was a god, like, this is proof that there isn’t.”  This statement gives me pause to consider what people who do not know God personally think of Him.  Based on her own logic, the fact she previously won world titles without suffering serious injury is proof there is a God.  I have observed people who do not credit God with existence often lash out at God in seasons of pain, frustration and disappointment rather than praising Him when all is well.

The view shared by Rapinoe is one familiar to atheists, skeptics and even professing Christians:  that God's existence is primarily for our benefit, to please us.  Like a divine Santa Claus that rewards good little boys and girls or a genie we pray to for health, wealth and prosperity, God (should He exist) lives to make us happy and enable us to fulfill our goals and achieve our dreams.  Those who know God in truth according to the Bible, however, realise we are created for His good purposes:  to know Him, praise, please and love Him.  It is in embracing our good God in faith we realise all the goals and dreams we have for ourselves pale in comparison to the plans He has for us, for He offers us what this perishing world cannot:  He offers Himself forever.

That may sound lame to people who do not know or value God, who place themselves at the centre of the universe as a god, who live to please themselves and to do their own will.  In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus knew His hour was drawing near--when He would be crucified on Calvary to provide atonement for sinners.  Matthew 26:39 says, "He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."  Jesus humbled Himself and laid down His will before His Father in heaven, and surrendered His body to intense suffering and death.  He knew what we often do not realise in our pains, for Jesus knew what God would accomplish through His death and subsequent resurrection.  It was knowledge of God and faith in Him--not that Jesus judged the purpose for His death worthy--that Jesus joyfully went to the cross in obedience to the Father He loved Who loves all.

This is a sticking point for us as believers.  It is one thing for unbelievers to malign God or deny His existence in their pains:  we are called to glorify God despite pain He allows us to suffer as Jesus did.  We rejoice, not primarily because He will bring good out of evil (which He always does according to His purposes), but because He is worthy to be praised and celebrated.  By His grace He has given us life and causes the sun to rise on the just and the unjust, for He blesses the believer and unbeliever alike.  Having loved God because He first loved us, our eyes by trust in Him are opened to His love and goodness all around us.  God has made known to us His will to save, heal, redeem and restore.  God can use the end of a sporting career or a tragic incident to open our eyes to see God's goodness, our own folly and our need for Him.

A painful injury, far from proving God does not exist, supports the exact opposite view.  The fact our bodies are wonderfully designed with the capacity to feel pain, tendons, ligaments, bones and muscles that allow us to run and play a game (with the involvement of our circulatory, nervous and respiratory systems and more) with other people demonstrates we have a Creator and Designer.  A soccer ball or goal did not just "happen" to be but had a maker, and neither did we humans who can think, speak, listen and strategise arise without a Maker.  Instead of hating on God who allowed a tendon or ligament to rupture, thank God He gave them to us in the first place and there is a hope of healing and life beyond the soccer pitch--beyond this world where we can live with God Who loves us forever.  By the painful crucifixion of Jesus God demonstrated His love for all people and that God does exist, for such love is not of this world offered freely to us.

Remembering and Taking Action

The theme for today's sermon at Calvary Chapel Sydney was, "Remember now your Creator."  It is interesting that God knows all and never forgets, yet He also remembers.  We are prone to forgetfulness, so we might assume to remember is merely to recall to mind.  Looking at times God remembered in scripture is instructive to people who fear Him, as it reveals remembrance goes beyond thinking because it is often connected with intentional, corresponding action.

After God flooded the earth, Genesis 8:1 tells us:  "Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided."  There was not a moment God "forgot" about Noah or any living thing on the earth, but His remembrance of them was connected with sending a wind to dry the earth.  Remembering Noah meant God did something to help him.

God remembering Abraham led Him to deliver Lot from the destruction of Sodom in Genesis 19:29:  "And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt."  Remember, it was Abraham who spoke with God of the injustice of destroying the righteous with the wicked.  Abraham negotiated that if there were 10 righteous people in Sodom, the entire city would be spared.  It turned out there were not 10 righteous people in the city, yet God remembered Abraham and spared righteous Lot and all who obediently departed with him.

Genesis 30:22 is another passage when God remembered:  "Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb."  Rachel was envious of her sister Leah and complained to Jacob.  It is also clear she took her complaint before the LORD Who gives conception, for He listened to her and caused her to conceive and bear sons.  We read similar verses in Exodus 2:23-24:  "Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. ²⁴ So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob."  The prayers of God's people prompted Him to remember His covenant and deliver them.

These examples of God remembering directs us to consider what is appropriate action considering our Saviour Jesus Christ Who instituted communion with these words:  "This do in remembrance of Me."  We are to eat of the bread and drink of the cup in fellowship with believers to proclaim the LORD's death until He comes, and we ought to live in light of His atoning sacrifice which demonstrated His love for us lost sinners.  It is fitting we would offer ourselves a living sacrifices unto God which is our reasonable service, seeing He has purchased us with His own blood.  Remembering what Jesus did by His death and resurrection prompts us to freely give because we have freely received, to offer up praise and thanksgiving to God, to enter into the rest Jesus supplies by faith.  In remembering Jesus, we are enabled to walk in the Spirit by obedience to God's word.

Unlike God, we are forgetful creatures and do need reminders of what is good and right.  Judges 8:34 says God's people did not remember the LORD who had delivered them on every side and this was evidenced by their idolatry.  May we avoid this error!  Having been reminded, we remember our LORD by acknowledging His words and obeying His commands, choosing to follow our Saviour without fail.  Receiving Communion is one way to remember our Saviour, and there are countless other ways we can remember Him daily and bring Him honour with praise.

The Birdbath Lesson

During a church men's event this morning, a rainbow lorikeet decided to cool off in a bird bath in the back yard.  I have seen many bird baths over the years but this was the first time I could remember a bird actually using one to bathe in.  This bird was really going for it, diving under the water so it was completely submerged again and again.

Our host explained to the group that they had several bird baths, but that was the one most used for a variety of reasons.  This first was that the bird felt safe because it was in an elevated, fenced area.  Another reason was because it was filled with fresh water daily to accommodate bathing birds according to its designed intention.  The homeowners provide a safe, inviting environment, even feeding birds that pass through.  Over time birds learn where the safe places are to feed, roost and bathe, and this bathing lorikeet was the result of intentional effort and faithfulness over time.

As we chatted with one another about what God was doing and showing us in our lives--even sharing struggles and difficulties--the bird bathing was a lovely picture of the opportunity a church event can be.  Cooking up breakfast, eating food, drinking coffee, and having a chat can provide an environment that is inviting and safe to open up about personal matters and encourage genuine fellowship as family in Christ.  Just as the birdbath needed to be set up and filled with clean water to attract birds who would appreciate a rinse, so church events provide the opportunity to do more than just feed hungry mouths but minister to needy souls that are naturally inclined to corruption.

It is refreshing to spend time with fellow believers for the express purpose of drawing near to the LORD together in faith, providing opportunity for people to share without coercion or pressure.  It would be potentially dangerous to set up nets to snare birds to forcibly wash them, and praise the LORD He does not force a soul to open up to Him, admit our sinfulness or ask for new life.  We believers can provide an example of taking the lead to be vulnerable, share what God is doing to change us for the better, and encourage others to take steps of faith in obedience to God.  Jesus put out the invitation for the thirsty to come to Him and drink, and the Living Water of the Holy Spirit is available to all today by His grace.  As we gather, may His Spirit work within us and glorify Jesus.

Understating the Gospel

Sometimes I am left wondering if professing Christians realise how dire their situation was before coming to faith in Jesus Christ.  When people speak only of how their life is improved without reference to what Jesus has done for them or Who He is to them, this concerns me.  Recently I read an article that explained the changes Jesus had brought to a person's life who was much "happier now."  This should come as no surprise to someone who was facing the just wrath of God for eternity due to sin.  Such statements strike me like a person who was miraculously healed on their deathbed.  It would seem odd if all they had to say about their experience later was, "I'm glad I don't have to wear that unflattering hospital gown any more."  Focusing on fashion or current happiness ignores the immense gravity of how close they came to leaving the hospital in a box, a huge understatement.

The article went on to say the lifestyle of the person before coming to Christ "wasn't helping" and ditching new age practices for Jesus has "worked."  These quotes are good examples of what I mean:  these are true statements from a biblical perspective, yet they are massive understatements.  Sin condemns us before a holy God who will rightly take eternal vengeance on all those who do evil with power that makes demons tremble.  Jesus (God made flesh) and the Gospel are not just one of many things to "try" to see how it works for us:  there is no other way to salvation, forgiveness and eternal life than faith in Jesus!  As a person grows in knowledge and understanding hopefully they realise and appreciate more fully what God has saved them from and saved them for, but "happiness" hinges on what happens.  When trials and troubles arise, maybe the decrease of happiness will lead the person to find their happy fix elsewhere.

It is important in conveying the Gospel to people that we do not conflate their desperate need for salvation with temporal benefits they will receive in coming to Christ in faith.  If people come to Jesus to be happy, to find something that will work for them, when trials arise (as Jesus promised they will) they likely will look for a better deal when a better deal doesn't exist.  The Gospel isn't a better deal:  it is a gracious gift from God we receive or reject.  To see Jesus as merely providing benefits to our lives when life itself is found in Him alone is to have a skewed and incorrect view of the LORD Jesus.  Many people have "tried" Jesus who have never trusted in Him, were never saved by Him, and thus swore off anything to do with Him because they did not receive the benefits they were promised.  Christians ought to do all in our power to avoid the error of ignoring how God supplied our needs for forgiveness, salvation and spiritual regeneration and distilling all this down to how happy we are--and others can be happier too.

The miracle of spiritual regeneration and the filling with the Holy Spirit transforms us from the inside when we are born again by faith in Jesus.  Those who repent of their sin and look to Jesus for salvation are new creations by His grace and joined with His Body, the church.  Let's not sell Jesus short of the glory He deserves for all He has accomplished through His death and resurrection as we share Him with others.  The man born blind healed by Jesus did not mince words concerning the miraculous change Jesus made in his life:  "I was blind, but now I see."  I (for one) was dead in sin, enslaved by sin and deservedly headed for hell forever, but now I am born again, forgiven and free.  I have the promise of eternal life awaiting me with the comfort and Holy Spirit right now.  Am I happy?  Yeah, you could say that--and infinitely more.  Praise God!