Have you ever been falsely accused of doing wrong? As I circled a roundabout today, I was emphatically flipped off by a woman with so fierce a glare I could only laugh. I entered into the roundabout with my right indicator on, planning on performing a u-turn. The woman was on the opposite side on the outer lane and must have expected me to go straight through because halfway through my turn she entered the far left lane. Seeing me directly next to her as we slowly turned, she did her best to insult me for her own blunder for not giving way.
I have to admit I was a little confused by her response. A part of me that wanted to be angry, and another part that thought the whole thing was ridiculous. But it made me think about false accusations and how bad they can make us feel. I thought about how Jesus was brought before Caiaphas and falsely accused as being a blasphemer. How ironic that the Righteous One was falsely slandered and maligned by wicked men under the guise of justice and honoring God! The irony did not insulate Christ from the pain. It amazes me to consider that God never accuses people. Accusations can be true or false and are often spawned through distrust with incomplete information. God makes righteous judgments based upon complete, perfect knowledge and wisdom. Instead of threatening, God warns.
Both man and Satan are highly skilled in the art of accusation and threats. A woman caught in the act of adultery was once brought before Jesus. The scribes and Pharisees asked Jesus what should be done with her: if Jesus ordered her death it would be illegal according to Roman law, and if He said to let her live He would be in violation of the Law of Moses. I'm sure they wondered how Jesus could possibly reconcile this difficult position. But Jesus said, "Whoever is without sin, let him throw the first stone." One by one the accusers left and John 8:10-11 says, "When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" 11 She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." Jesus could have hurled accusations because He was a man or threw stones at the woman because He was God incarnate. But instead He offered words of comfort and an exhortation to live righteously. Though being a man, Jesus acted opposite from men because He is also God. Accusations come from a position of weakness, not strength.
Zechariah 3:1 shows us an interesting picture of a spiritual reality: "Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him." (NIV) In another insightful passage, Revelation 12:10, this role Satan plays in opposing the children of God is revealed: "Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, 'Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.'" Though Satan may accuse us, his toothless words can never undo the atoning work of Christ's precious blood. God will never hearken to the accusations of the enemy of our souls. The great danger is Christians can be deceived to take his poisonous words to heart. Praise God that we have a Redeemer and Advocate in Jesus Christ, who is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness according to His merit!
When we are falsely accused without cause, we can in that moment share in the sufferings of Christ. It is in that place of identification where our appreciation of our Savior grows and flourishes. Thank God for such a Savior who in all points was tempted, yet remained without sin! Instead of accusing others, let us offer the grace of God. God's love is what this sinning world is dying for.
08 March 2011
06 March 2011
Designed to Fail
I was raised in a family of tradesman. My grandpa is still laying carpet well into his 70's, and my late grandad was a shipwright and construction worker. My dad is a carpenter and my brother and I both are trained as journeyman mechanical insulators. As I grew up I was often exposed to many facets of construction between home remodeling and church renovations. I remember the first day I worked eight hours: my dad set me up to nail the floor/deck of our upstairs room addition with a bucket of eight-penny nails and a 16oz. hammer. We snapped some chalk lines and it was on!
Construction projects, like life, provide many opportunities to learn from mistakes. It also provides many opportunities to follow builders and repair their mistakes! Some of these repairs could be due to improvements in specifications or codes. But quite often it is clear repairs must be made because of shoddy craftsmanship! The evidence of cutting corners can be hidden behind walls, above ceilings, under floors, and it is likely years later before the structure reveals its faults. Structural changes might also be necessary because of a design flaw. After production it is discovered that the architects or engineers had neglected to factor significant issues into the design.
In my university days, I took a course in geology. Our professor showed pictures of a house built near a steep slope. Instead of constructing four houses on adequate lots, the builder had tried to squeeze in a fifth lot. Because of the type of expansive soil in the area, she believed the small retaining wall would not be able to support the hillside at the back of the property. She took pictures immediately after the project was complete and every month came back to take another picture. Sure enough, within a year or two the entire slope had broken through the wall and smashed the back side of the house. The house was condemned and later demolished. Because of her background in geological studies, my professor was able to confidently predict the failure of the design.
Nothing that man does in this world is perfect. There is no such thing as a "perfect" construction project. Things go wrong, designs must be revised, and mistakes are made. But even if man was flawless in his building there would need to be maintenance. A perfectly painted wall fades, and a well-designed footing can settle and crack. The best roofs will last about thirty years and tile grout becomes dingy with mold. Man's best efforts are designed to fail because man is stricken with sin. Heeding the modern wisdom of the world is compared by Christ to a man who builds upon sand. When the waves crash and the winds blow, great will be the fall of that house because it had no foundation.
How foolish would it be for the fallen house to be built again with a revised set of drawings, taking in account waves and wind yet with no thought of a foundation! The world is destined for failure. Amazingly the Bible teaches us the world will not be destroyed by the folly of men, climate change, or greenhouse gases: God will step in and destroy it Himself! 2 Peter 3:9-12 says, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?" Only God is fully able to create and destroy. Man is certainly destructive, and his only hope for salvation is in the person of Jesus Christ.
Jesus says in Matthew 7:22-27: "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' 24 "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall." I always found it annoying to build sand castles because it wasn't long before my labour was erased by the encroaching tide or some kid would knock it down when I wasn't looking. Man in himself is no more stable than a sandcastle. The days breeze by and even the memory of man fades into nothing. Headstones crack and crumble, and the body decays and turns to dust.
Jesus says in John 11:25-26, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" Christ is the Chief Cornerstone, an everlasting Foundation to build upon. Let us take heed where we build! If we build on Christ we need only build once!
Construction projects, like life, provide many opportunities to learn from mistakes. It also provides many opportunities to follow builders and repair their mistakes! Some of these repairs could be due to improvements in specifications or codes. But quite often it is clear repairs must be made because of shoddy craftsmanship! The evidence of cutting corners can be hidden behind walls, above ceilings, under floors, and it is likely years later before the structure reveals its faults. Structural changes might also be necessary because of a design flaw. After production it is discovered that the architects or engineers had neglected to factor significant issues into the design.
In my university days, I took a course in geology. Our professor showed pictures of a house built near a steep slope. Instead of constructing four houses on adequate lots, the builder had tried to squeeze in a fifth lot. Because of the type of expansive soil in the area, she believed the small retaining wall would not be able to support the hillside at the back of the property. She took pictures immediately after the project was complete and every month came back to take another picture. Sure enough, within a year or two the entire slope had broken through the wall and smashed the back side of the house. The house was condemned and later demolished. Because of her background in geological studies, my professor was able to confidently predict the failure of the design.
Nothing that man does in this world is perfect. There is no such thing as a "perfect" construction project. Things go wrong, designs must be revised, and mistakes are made. But even if man was flawless in his building there would need to be maintenance. A perfectly painted wall fades, and a well-designed footing can settle and crack. The best roofs will last about thirty years and tile grout becomes dingy with mold. Man's best efforts are designed to fail because man is stricken with sin. Heeding the modern wisdom of the world is compared by Christ to a man who builds upon sand. When the waves crash and the winds blow, great will be the fall of that house because it had no foundation.
How foolish would it be for the fallen house to be built again with a revised set of drawings, taking in account waves and wind yet with no thought of a foundation! The world is destined for failure. Amazingly the Bible teaches us the world will not be destroyed by the folly of men, climate change, or greenhouse gases: God will step in and destroy it Himself! 2 Peter 3:9-12 says, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?" Only God is fully able to create and destroy. Man is certainly destructive, and his only hope for salvation is in the person of Jesus Christ.
Jesus says in Matthew 7:22-27: "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' 24 "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall." I always found it annoying to build sand castles because it wasn't long before my labour was erased by the encroaching tide or some kid would knock it down when I wasn't looking. Man in himself is no more stable than a sandcastle. The days breeze by and even the memory of man fades into nothing. Headstones crack and crumble, and the body decays and turns to dust.
Jesus says in John 11:25-26, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" Christ is the Chief Cornerstone, an everlasting Foundation to build upon. Let us take heed where we build! If we build on Christ we need only build once!
04 March 2011
Be Brilliant!
Last night before I went to sleep, I thought about the great need of the world for Jesus Christ. The world is full of people that deny God's existence and are willfully ignorant of the sacrifice Christ has given for their redemption and salvation. My mind wandered to many groups of people that are largely unreached by the church. People searching for the love and forgiveness of God are turned away by the hate and disgust they feel towards them from professing Christians. "How can those lost people who impale themselves with their own lusts be brought to Christ?" I thought.
When I got out of bed to close the window, I looked the dark street below. Light from a street light behind my house flooded through the swaying vertical blinds. I blinked in the light and I considered how Jesus reached the world and it was never again the same. First of all, He was and is the Light of the World. He was in the world but was not of the world. His conduct was a shining example of God's sacrificial, active love. The second thought which crossed my mind is that Jesus Christ did not remain in the heavens. Instead of remaining unobtainable and impersonal in divine glory, Jesus came down to earth as a person. He touched and mingled with people. Jesus reached people who needed healing, help, forgiveness, and love.
Sometimes we Christians become so overwhelmed with saving the whole world we forget we have a neighbor who needs to hear the Good News. We theorize and build church programs to reach a segment of society when an ignored co-worker is in deep depression and considering suicide. Jesus could have become a politician. He could have become an activist for civil or animal rights. He could have invested in swords, militias, and propaganda to fuel a revolution. Jesus did none of these things. He knew every method of the world was incapable of redeeming the world. How did Jesus change the world? With God's love and grace. With mercy and truth. He sent the power of the Holy Spirit to transform people from within. He did it one person at a time.
The way of Christ is a path every single Christian ought to walk. Jesus did nothing for "posterity:" He did it to glorify and honor His Father in heaven. Churches all over the world often seem to operate for the purpose of creating a lasting legacy through buildings, curriculum, books, DVDs, methods, or organizations. Vance Havner says it very well in his brilliant simplicity: "The only way to minister effectively to this generation is to be Christians in it. I do not mean run-of-the-mill church members, but Christians in all the glorious implications of the word." (Why Not Just Be Christians, pg. 13) Jesus is the true Messiah, the Savior of the world - and there was only one of Him. Has being a Christian lost its glorious brilliance? If it has, either the power of God has ceased or Christians have ceased to be empowered by God! When we cease operating to honor Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, rust seizes us and dims Christ's glorious light.
It is time for us to be Christians! Instead of shaking our heads at the condition of the world and the church, let us be tuned to Jesus Christ and shine bright for Him. Allow me to quote again from Havner: "We Christians do not need unanimity or unification. The only place where you will ever get the saints together is where they are already together, in Jesus Christ. We need more unity of the Spirit. There is a common understanding when we are in Him. One does not tune twenty pianos by harmonizing each with the other; they are tuned to a tuning fork, and when each is in tune with the standard pitch, they are in tune with each other." (pg. 13-14) Let's shine for Christ and glorify Him!
When I got out of bed to close the window, I looked the dark street below. Light from a street light behind my house flooded through the swaying vertical blinds. I blinked in the light and I considered how Jesus reached the world and it was never again the same. First of all, He was and is the Light of the World. He was in the world but was not of the world. His conduct was a shining example of God's sacrificial, active love. The second thought which crossed my mind is that Jesus Christ did not remain in the heavens. Instead of remaining unobtainable and impersonal in divine glory, Jesus came down to earth as a person. He touched and mingled with people. Jesus reached people who needed healing, help, forgiveness, and love.
Sometimes we Christians become so overwhelmed with saving the whole world we forget we have a neighbor who needs to hear the Good News. We theorize and build church programs to reach a segment of society when an ignored co-worker is in deep depression and considering suicide. Jesus could have become a politician. He could have become an activist for civil or animal rights. He could have invested in swords, militias, and propaganda to fuel a revolution. Jesus did none of these things. He knew every method of the world was incapable of redeeming the world. How did Jesus change the world? With God's love and grace. With mercy and truth. He sent the power of the Holy Spirit to transform people from within. He did it one person at a time.
The way of Christ is a path every single Christian ought to walk. Jesus did nothing for "posterity:" He did it to glorify and honor His Father in heaven. Churches all over the world often seem to operate for the purpose of creating a lasting legacy through buildings, curriculum, books, DVDs, methods, or organizations. Vance Havner says it very well in his brilliant simplicity: "The only way to minister effectively to this generation is to be Christians in it. I do not mean run-of-the-mill church members, but Christians in all the glorious implications of the word." (Why Not Just Be Christians, pg. 13) Jesus is the true Messiah, the Savior of the world - and there was only one of Him. Has being a Christian lost its glorious brilliance? If it has, either the power of God has ceased or Christians have ceased to be empowered by God! When we cease operating to honor Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, rust seizes us and dims Christ's glorious light.
It is time for us to be Christians! Instead of shaking our heads at the condition of the world and the church, let us be tuned to Jesus Christ and shine bright for Him. Allow me to quote again from Havner: "We Christians do not need unanimity or unification. The only place where you will ever get the saints together is where they are already together, in Jesus Christ. We need more unity of the Spirit. There is a common understanding when we are in Him. One does not tune twenty pianos by harmonizing each with the other; they are tuned to a tuning fork, and when each is in tune with the standard pitch, they are in tune with each other." (pg. 13-14) Let's shine for Christ and glorify Him!
02 March 2011
Birth No Excuse
On the radio today I heard a song by Lady GaGa called, "Born This Way." The song begins in unassuming way, even mentioning God as the Maker and Designer of man. The chorus states, "I'm beautiful in my way 'cause God makes no mistakes I'm on the right track, baby I was born this way." There is nothing wrong with rejoicing in the marvelous creation of God. David says in Psalm 139:14, "I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well." It is true that God makes no mistakes, and even Paul affirms "by the grace of God I am what I am" in 1 Corinthians 15:10.
God makes no mistakes, but man certainly does! And this is the problem with GaGa's philosophy and humanistic theology: man is born on the wrong track because all men are sold under sin. In Romans 7:14-15 Paul writes, "For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do." In telling a half-truth, this song is a complete lie. Man, because of his sin nature and voluntary rebellion against God, the Bible reveals is on a certain track to hell. It is written in Revelation 21:8: "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." Man cannot blame God for His own sin. That would be like blaming the law when you are convicted by it! If a man rapes a child, he cannot complain that without the law he would be blameless. The law is good and shows a man is wicked.
At the very core of this song is the modern tide of subjective morality. Some will admit God exists if it enables self-justification, but the same will deny God's right to govern the world according to His definition of righteousness. Towards the end of the song the true colors of immorality are laid bare for all to see: "No matter gay, straight or bi, lesbian, transgendered life I'm on the right track, baby." A person may be born with tendencies to curse, be a drunk, a thief, a liar, and have a heart filled with covetousness. Man has erred and estranged himself from God through his own sin. But no man on the Day of Judgment will be able to look at the God of all Creation, point the finger and accuse God: "You have made me this way! I was born this way! I had no choice in the matter." God has given every man an opportunity to be BORN AGAIN through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. You might have been born into sin, but Jesus died and rose from the dead so we could be born again from above by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans chapter 1 describes in very certain terms that all men are without excuse and will be held accountable for all sins we commit in this life according to God's standard. Sexual sin and fornication is a sin man commits against not only God, but his own body. 1 Corinthians 6:18 says, "Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body." All sex which outside a marriage relationship between one man and one woman is sin. No amount of sex can fill the needs of a person to be accepted and loved. Sex can be addictive because it does not satisfy permanently. It temporarily satisfies and excites the flesh, but leaves a gnawing desire for more. There are many things people substitute for a right relationship with God, but nothing brings divine acceptance except repentance, confession of sin, and faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the One who leads people from the bondage of sexual and chemical addiction into a life of eternal freedom with Him. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life - no one comes to the Father except through Him.
Galatians 6:7-8 reads, "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life." God has made man and given each person a choice: whether he will agree with God and submit to His rule, or if man will rebel against God and live according to the desires of his own flesh. Proverbs 14:12 says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." All men die, and God has made a way for men to rejoice eternally in His presence. Let us choose to respond to God's love in joyful union with Him.
God makes no mistakes, but man certainly does! And this is the problem with GaGa's philosophy and humanistic theology: man is born on the wrong track because all men are sold under sin. In Romans 7:14-15 Paul writes, "For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do." In telling a half-truth, this song is a complete lie. Man, because of his sin nature and voluntary rebellion against God, the Bible reveals is on a certain track to hell. It is written in Revelation 21:8: "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." Man cannot blame God for His own sin. That would be like blaming the law when you are convicted by it! If a man rapes a child, he cannot complain that without the law he would be blameless. The law is good and shows a man is wicked.
At the very core of this song is the modern tide of subjective morality. Some will admit God exists if it enables self-justification, but the same will deny God's right to govern the world according to His definition of righteousness. Towards the end of the song the true colors of immorality are laid bare for all to see: "No matter gay, straight or bi, lesbian, transgendered life I'm on the right track, baby." A person may be born with tendencies to curse, be a drunk, a thief, a liar, and have a heart filled with covetousness. Man has erred and estranged himself from God through his own sin. But no man on the Day of Judgment will be able to look at the God of all Creation, point the finger and accuse God: "You have made me this way! I was born this way! I had no choice in the matter." God has given every man an opportunity to be BORN AGAIN through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. You might have been born into sin, but Jesus died and rose from the dead so we could be born again from above by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans chapter 1 describes in very certain terms that all men are without excuse and will be held accountable for all sins we commit in this life according to God's standard. Sexual sin and fornication is a sin man commits against not only God, but his own body. 1 Corinthians 6:18 says, "Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body." All sex which outside a marriage relationship between one man and one woman is sin. No amount of sex can fill the needs of a person to be accepted and loved. Sex can be addictive because it does not satisfy permanently. It temporarily satisfies and excites the flesh, but leaves a gnawing desire for more. There are many things people substitute for a right relationship with God, but nothing brings divine acceptance except repentance, confession of sin, and faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the One who leads people from the bondage of sexual and chemical addiction into a life of eternal freedom with Him. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life - no one comes to the Father except through Him.
Galatians 6:7-8 reads, "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life." God has made man and given each person a choice: whether he will agree with God and submit to His rule, or if man will rebel against God and live according to the desires of his own flesh. Proverbs 14:12 says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." All men die, and God has made a way for men to rejoice eternally in His presence. Let us choose to respond to God's love in joyful union with Him.
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