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Caught in the Cycle
Does your life resemble the spinning cycle of a washing machine right now? Are you weary, busy, or worried today? Perhaps you’ve had a tension headache this week about a job situation or family crisis? Maybe you’re chewing off your finger nails while you survey the latest piece of national chaos?
When the people of Judah were tempted to make an alliance with Egypt to ward off the growing threat of an Assyrian invasion, they were obviously nervous and afraid. In their state of anxiety, they refused to solely trust in the only One who could deliver them. Listen to these words of promise and comfort:
“For thus the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said, ‘In repentance and rest you will be saved, in quietness and trust is your strength.” (Isaiah 30:15a)
But they did not listen.
“But you were not willing, and you said, ‘No, for we will flee on horses,’ (Isaiah 30:15b-16a)
Caught in the Cycle
We get caught in the same sort of cycle; don’t we? No, we don’t hop on a horse and ride out of Dodge. But we flee to fear-driven methods for rescue. We walk around like a nervous wreck with no relief. We refuse to turn back to the Sovereign One and quietly rest.
Yet all the while, God is with us. He sees it all and knows it all. And He is saying:
“Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.” (Isaiah 30:18)
Repentance. Rest. Quietness. Trust.
Those are words that characterize the person who longs for God and has full faith in God. Notice how there is a longing that goes both ways in verse 18 above. Our loving, pursuing God longs to pour out grace on us and those who long for Him receive His genuine peace… blessing.
So in the middle of our mess or nervousness (I have a few concerns swirling around right now, too), let’s remember:
He is good. He is sovereign. We can trust Him today.
In God’s Vineyard,
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He Knows
God’s Word brings comfort, peace, and joy today. No matter our circumstances, location, or challenge…God knows it all and He is with us in it all. King David took hope and lifted up praise by reflecting on God’s omniscience in these beautiful lines of Psalm 139:
“O LORD, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it.” (Psalm 139:1-6)
Our God sees each smile and tear. He hears each laugh, sigh, and cry. He knows every thought, intent, motive, and desire. Yet He does not stand aloof from our circumstances, for His total knowledge is always accompanied by His total presence. He enters into the mountaintops and shadows of our lives, lovingly guiding the steps of His children. His omniscience is joined with omnipresence. So David sings:
“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me and Your right hand will lay hold of me.” (Psalm 139:7-1)
My lovely parents, Charles and Diane Breznau.
When I was a young boy, my dad would often gently place his hand on my shoulder for a number of reasons: to guide me in the right direction, express love, and show how proud he was of me. Even now, he will sometimes put his hand on my shoulder, look into my eyes, and ask me how I’m really doing, as only a father can do. When my dad is at my side, it seems I find new strength, courage, and peace.
Don’t miss how this psalm paints a similar vivid picture in two separate lines (v. 5 – “You…laid Your hand upon me” and v. 10 – “…and Your right hand will lay hold of me.”). Our powerful heavenly Father, who loves us even overwhelmingly more than our earthly fathers is right now looking into our eyes, knowing our thoughts, and guiding us with His hand. He is at your side and watching the path.
So what are you facing today?
Perhaps you have a schedule of swimming and fun in the sun? You can rejoice even more deeply in the grace of God’s creation, knowing He is smiling with you in that joy.
On the flip-side, has the past week left you a little frazzled? Has a circumstance crushed your soul? Maybe a phone call, family situation, or job crisis took a turn for the worst? In the center of our messes, God offers us renewed hope and courage because He is present in our struggles. Always.
He is near to those who call upon His name.
He will never leave us defenseless.
He knows every terrible thing about all of us, yet He loves all of us more than we could ever imagine in a thousand years.
His hand is on your shoulder today. Let’s not forget He is there and here and everywhere…. with us, His redeemed children.
In Christ Alone,
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Am I Still Sleeping?
On the eve of Christ’s crucifixion, the Savior gathered the eleven disciples in the quiet Garden of Gethsemane to watch and pray:
“And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.’ And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, ‘So you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:39-41)
As the story unfolds, we find the disciples continuing to doze off, “Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. . . . Then He came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting?” (v. 43, 45)
This motley crew was obviously worn out from the day.
These true-to-life details in the Bible always make me smile. Not only do we discover the disciples were just regular humans like you and I, but also that they received gracious prompting and guidance from the loving Messiah… in the midst of their tiredness and ignorance.
So, conversely, these details prick my heart. I know I’m just as prone to doze off, wander from the path, and be rather ho-hum about watching and praying. And the words of the Savior ring in my ears. Am I still sleeping and resting? Am I drowsy at the wheel?
Right Now
As the velocity of immorality continues to pick up speed in our culture, as the bitterness of rage, envy, and racism soaks across our country, and as the allure of materialism, entertainment, and greed pull at us from all directions, we must watch and pray. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Dallas protest area prior to the shooting on July 7, 2016, which killed 5 police officers and wounded 6 others
A torrent of anger and violence is splintering our society. The shrapnel of hate is exploding into the air and lodging into hearts young and old. A vortex of sexual deception is dragging in dozens by the minute.
And are we still sleeping?
Today, we are not watching for the moment of Christ’s death but for Christ’s return. And how we view the future will change how we live in the present. The apostle Paul pivots on this truth with another call to be awake:
“Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed [the final step of salvation, i.e. glorification at the return of Christ]. The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.” (Romans 13:11-14)
Let’s not hurry over those inspired words. Take a moment to read over that passage again, perhaps a little more slowly this time. Christ’s return is imminent, which means He may come back at any moment.
And yet we know the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. But again, how we view the future changes how we live in the present. Therefore, we must watch and pray with full vigor and fervency. The temptations, distractions, and challenges are wearying, tiring.
So we must…
…Watch with eyes wide open.
…Pray with a heart that is broken (see Psalm 51:17).
Will you join with me in prayer for one hour? Each Wednesday, from 7-8pm we gather at Mayfair Bible Church to watch and pray. I hope you can join us. If you are unable to do so or are a part of another church or geographical location, perhaps you might also watch and pray this evening wherever you may be from 7-8pm, in collaboration with God’s people here on the sunrise-side of Michigan.
- Here’s a truth-saturated, richly beautiful song of watching and waiting from our friends Dave and Licia, The Gray Havens – Shadows of the Dawn:
(P.S. I love the build at 3:00min)
- Prayer: Check out our Prayer Page to submit prayer requests, learn about prayer, discover some key prayer areas for North Park and more! Click HERE
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The Litmus Test of Love
Impure motives of pride, heartless obligation, superiority, longing for admiration, applause, success, wealth, rank, or pity are never sung aloud from our lips for all to hear. We quietly hide them, creatively disguise them, and carefully redefine them. We naturally think ourselves very good at judging the motives of others, but how about our own motives?
Ouch. That question seems to drop like a sharp knife between my toes. Perhaps the most penetrating and uncomfortable question for all of us to ask ourselves is: What is my motive?
To determine the answer to this question I believe we need a litmus test.
A litmus test, of course, can measure the PH levels (among other things) in water. As a former science lab geek, I had all sorts of fun with litmus paper and other not-so-entirely-safe experiments in my parent’s basement.
But according to the litmus test of God’s love in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, where might you land? Be honest.
We can’t always discern our motives and intentions, but the litmus test of God’s Word can. The scriptures cut right to the heart of our issues – even to “joints and marrow, knowing the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Heb. 4:12). So let’s experience the litmus test. Allow these verses to soak over your soul and work their timeless truth in conviction, repentance, and change of life:
“If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)
The most pointed and convicting message a preacher can preach should be communicated with his finger also pointing at himself. Notice this is exactly what the apostle Paul does as he shifts the voice to first-person singular (from 12:27) and begins the litmus test of love in chapter 13 with “I.” Just like Paul, we need to feel the personal conviction of this litmus test deep within our hearts.
Here’s how I paraphrased these lines to cut deep into my soul:
If I am the most powerful preacher, the best Bible teacher in all the world – communicating with incredible creativity, smoothness of speech, and an amazing vocabulary…BUT do not have love, I would be as obnoxious as a crash of cymbals that rattles my eardrums or a blaring alarm at 5 o’clock in the morning: “Shut it off!!”
If I have profound insight into God’s plans, understand all the details of theology and comprehend the most obscure points of eschatology, yet do not have love toward my brothers and sisters, then my entire life equals nothing.
If I have unshakably great faith to believe God for the impossible – to remove mountains of addiction, depression, immorality, abuse, anger, violence – to believe God can do anything, but do not have love, it is of no benefit whatsoever.
And if I give away everything I own – my job, house, cars, family heirlooms, pots and pans – everything – in order to feed the poor and serve full-time in a foreign mission field, and if I surrender to martyrdom at the hand of persecutors, but don’t have love, it all amounts to no reward at all.
___________________
Bringing it Home
How might you personalize these verses to soak over your soul?
If I live in a house of spotless beauty with everything in its place, but have not love – I am a housekeeper, not a homemaker.
If I have time for waxing, polishing, and decorative achievements, but have not love – my children learn of cleanliness, not godliness.
Love leaves the dust in search of a child’s laugh.
Love smiles at the tiny fingerprints on a newly cleaned window.
Love wipes away the tears before it wipes up the spilled milk.
Love picks up the child before it picks up the toys.
Love is present through the trials.
Love reprimands, reproves, and is responsive.
As a mother there is much I must teach my child, but the greatest of all is … LOVE.
Love must be our motive. For if love doesn’t govern and guide all we do, then we’re not really loving at all. Love must be our motivation in all preaching, teaching, singing, leading, serving, helping, baking, cooking, cleaning, evangelizing, counseling, discipling…
But how? The way to daily return to the love motivation is by walking back to the foot of the Cross, beholding God’s love on full display for us in Jesus Christ. This is why the apostle Paul began his first letter to the Corinthians with the message of the cross — because the cross is the compass for all of life in Christ. Let’s walk back there today….
By the way, I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to post your own personalized paraphrase in the comments section below.
Listen to the full audio sermon entitled “The Litmus Test of Love” (1 Cor. 12:27-13:3 by simply clicking on the play button below or by subscribing to our iTunes podcast. This message was originally delivered at North Park Baptist Church of Grand Rapids, MI on Sunday morning, March 13th, 2016.
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Your Wisdom Quotient
Intelligence Quotient. Do you know your IQ score? There is even an organization some of you have likely heard of, which is a society for people with high IQ’s: MENSA (originally established in England in 1946). Membership in Mensa International is reserved for those who’ve attained an IQ score within the upper 2 percent of the general population. That’s pretty intense. How might you measure up? To stretch your mental agility, here are a couple fun IQ questions:
Q: A travel agent has taken 53 bookings for Thailand, 22 for Bali and 23 for India. How many bookings have been made for Canada? (scroll down for the answer)
Q: Replace each set of dashes with a seven-letter word. The same seven letters must be used for both words. What are the words? “The mother said that continually sorting out the children’s _ _ _ _ _ _ _ had given her a headache and she needed a couple of _ _ _ _ _ _ _ “ (scroll down for the answer)
The Missing Ingredient
Having a strong intellect is a good thing, yet there is an inherent danger in touting our mental powers or relying on human intelligence. A person may have a high IQ and be missing the essential ingredient for the soil of becoming spiritually mature – to grow in the faith and in the likeness of Jesus. The measure of one’s intelligence does not indicate the measure of one’s spiritual maturity or usefulness in God’s mission. Oh yes, God has uniquely used people of extremely high intelligence for His glory. Yet many, many others with great intellects have lived entirely for themselves, defamed the name of God, and brought havoc upon His Church.
So what is the essential ingredient for the soil of growing mature as Christ-followers? Wisdom.
But this kind of wisdom is not sourced in mankind but in God Himself. It’s the wisdom Solomon asked of God, the wisdom we’re called to pursue in the book of Proverbs, and the wisdom that comes from above not from earth. The wisdom that is necessary for the soil of spiritual growth is given through the Word and the Spirit, not the world and self-help manuals. Inasmuch as life-coaching books contain biblical truth, they may be offer some useful guidance. But ultimately, true wisdom comes from God alone.
James, the half-brother of Jesus, wrote an intensely practical letter to Jewish believers scattered throughout the lands north and east of Israel. Confronted by trials from without and temptations from within, these early Christians needed God-sourced wisdom. Therefore, the apostle James outlined a striking comparison between true and false wisdom:
“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good behavior [beautiful manner of life] his works in the gentleness that wisdom brings. But if you have bitter jealousy and self ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and tell lies against the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from above, but is earthly, natural-minded, and demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder [chaos] and every evil practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable [accommodating], full of mercy and good fruit, impartial [fair in judgment], and sincere [un-hypocritical]. And the fruit that consists of righteousness is planted in peace by those who make peace.” – James 3:13-18 (my translation/comments)
TRUE Wisdom: Guides us to humbly serve others (v. 13).
FALSE Wisdom: Provokes us to selfishly serve ourselves (v. 14a).
FALSE Wisdom: Speaks lies and boasts to get ahead (v. 14b).
TRUE Wisdom: Displays gentleness, purity, and peace (v. 13b, 17-18).
FALSE Wisdom: Reaps a harvest of chaos and evil (v. 15-16).
TRUE Wisdom: Reaps a harvest of peace and righteousness (v. 18).
True wisdom is demonstrated more by character of heart and attitude toward others than by mere words.
Take the Wisdom Quotient Test
So how do our hearts and lives align with true wisdom? Better than an IQ test, let’s pause for a few moments to quietly and prayerfully think through some heart-searching Wisdom Quotient questions.
20 Questions to Ask Ourselves…
PURE in Motive
- What is my motive for…
- …serving?
- …loving?
- …caring?
- …teaching?
- …parenting?
- …leading?
- …praying?
- …preaching?
- …witnessing?
- …giving?
- …working?
- Do I speak and work toward building up others or building up myself?
- Do I show off my accomplishments, possessions, or talents to others… or encourage the gifts, talents, and skills of others?
- Do I seek to bring honor or attention to God or honor and attention to myself?
PURE in Conduct
- Am I relying on God’s Word and the Spirit to guide my actions, govern my thoughts, and harness my tongue?
- Am I serving myself through my service or serving others? Why?
- Am I rejoicing in God’s commandments and design for life or resisting them?
- Am I gentle and self-controlled when responding to a disagreement?
- Do my words match up with my works?
- Do I have integrity, humility, and honesty in all I do – in all business dealings, family matters, and Christian service?
- Do I stretch the truth, i.e. expand the story or facts to cast myself in a more favorable light?
- Do I stretch the truth or spread slander to cast someone else in a less favorable light? (Make myself look good by making someone else look bad)
PURE in Attitude
- Do I sometimes think I’m better than someone else? Why?
- Do I regularly believe I have the best ideas around the table?
- Do I think I deserve the best this life can offer because of my good behavior, intellect, or productivity?
- Do I believe or act like I’ve reached a level of spiritual maturity that is superior to most others around me?
- Do I talk first and listen later… or never?
- Do I readily forgive others with an attitude full of mercy when they offend me?
- Am I genuinely interested in and invested in the success of others or only my own success?
- Would others say I’m a peacemaker, a peace-faker, or a troublemaker?
True Wisdom is pure in motive, pure in conduct, and pure in attitude. When the wisdom is pure in motive, conduct, and attitude then…
We are peaceable because we are not thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought to think (Matt. 5:9; 1 Pet. 2:21-23; Phil 2:5-11)
We are gentle with all others because we are not in it to win an argument but to win a brother or sister. (Matt. 5:5; 18:15-18)
We are reasonable because we know we are also in need of further growth and have faults too. (Matt. 5:3-4)
We are full of mercy and good fruits because as God in Christ has watered our roots with His brimming over, never stopping, always-forgiving grace upon grace (like waves on a seashore – see John 1:16), so we are brimming over with mercy and forgiving grace toward everyone so they too may bear a good harvest. (Matt. 5:7; 7:1-5)
We are impartial/fair in judgment because we know we had a great debt we couldn’t pay but it was paid for us at the great cost of Christ Himself, and we are not seeking to lift ourselves above someone else. (Matt. 5:8; 7:1-5; 7:7-12; 18:21-35)
We are sincere (not hypocritical/two-faced) because we are not telling lies to get ahead, playing to the crowd, or seeking people’s approval. We know God knows it all, sees it all, and will judge accordingly. (Matt. 6:1-6; 7:1-5)
The way these fruits of righteousness (right-living according to the new life in the Spirit) are planted is in the soil of peace (not jealousy, rivalry, or selfishness) by those who make peace – within the church, community, and family structure.
God’s wisdom brings in a beautiful, bountiful harvest of peace and righteousness. By God’s good Word and the indwelling power of the Spirit, let’s pray He displays these fruits through our lives today…
________________
IQ question Answer #1: 33 (the number of consonants in each country’s name equals the first number, the number of vowels equals the second number)
IQ question Answer #2: Answer 2a: Battles Answer 2b: Tablets.
Listen to the full audio sermon entitled “Your Wisdom Quotient” (James 3:13-18) by simply clicking on the play button below or by subscribing to our iTunes podcast. This message was originally delivered at North Park Baptist Church of Grand Rapids, MI on Sunday morning, June 26th, 2016.
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Honor Your Father
Dear Friends and Family,
I hope and pray all of you have a wonderful Father’s Day. As a father of two little ones with a third on-the-way, I’m so thankful for the desire God has placed in the hearts of my kiddos to simply LOVE church. It brings great joy to hear them say things like, “I learned about Moses today… he followed God and so do I, ” and “Papa, I learned a new song about how much God loves me!” and recently, “I want to be in the big church! I want to sing the songs!”
When I was just a wee bit taller than a grasshopper, I learned to love God and His people from my father, Charles.
I will never forget…
…how he taught me to sing by running his index finger along the soprano and tenor lines in the hymnal.
…how he guided me to listen attentively to the preacher by taking notes and sitting up straight.
…how he modeled faithfulness by being consistent in daily devotions, prayer, and love.
…how he showed me respect and reverence for God by submitting to truth and leading in repentance.
My Dad and me, about 1985 or 1986.
You know what? I think I might just share these thoughts with my dad this weekend, in order to honor him as God has commanded. Both in Exodus 20:12 and Ephesians 6:2, we find these key instructions:
“Honor your father and your mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth.” (from Ephesians)
So how, perhaps, did you learn from you father? How did he guide you in truth and wisdom? Let’s take a moment to praise God for our fathers and if they’re still with us, let’s take time to look them in the eyes and tell them just how they made the difference in our lives.
By the way, I’m not at all excited about my chocolate cake. 🙂
In Christ Alone,
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The Object of Shame
Shame.
The ultimate mark of shame in royal families is for one to be removed from “the table” – from the position of honor and relationship… to the place of loss and separation. No longer can the rebel or the guilty taste the delectable dishes and enjoy the camaraderie and conversation. They are disinherited – cut off from the family.
From the moment Adam and Eve scurried around the Garden of Eden to cover themselves up with leaves and hide in the bushes, all men and women have hung their shoulders in shame.
“[Adam] said, ‘I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” (Gen. 3:10)
And they used to walk with God in loving communion in the cool of the day.
Cut Off
Our sin cut us off from God, but it was our own doing…our own rebellion. The shame of sin taunts and haunts all who remain separate from the God of all love and grace. The shame and guilt of pride, envy, lust, greed, anger, hate, profanity, and violence now seems to control every waking moment. Nothing we can do or say or work toward can take away the shame of our sin and restore the relationship that was severed when Adam and Eve chose to believe the lie of Satan rather than the word of God and fell into the pit and shame of sin.
Separate. Far away.
Cut off. Lost.
John Piper writes, “We can cut ourselves, or throw our children in the sacred river, or give a million dollars to the United Way, or serve in a soup kitchen on Thanksgiving, or perform a hundred forms of penance and self-injury, and the result will be the same: the stain remains, and death terrifies.” (The Passion of Jesus Christ, pg. 51)
But God stepped in with His rescue plan.
God sent His perfect, sinless Son to take the full brunt of our shame upon himself – the punishment we all deserve.
Let’s just pause there for a moment. Jesus the Christ took all the blame. He bore the just wrath of God against sin. He was mocked, whipped, ridiculed, bruised, and crucified for us and for our salvation so that we could be brought back into relationship with God. The apostle Peter penned these gospel-proclaiming words:
“For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit.” (1 Peter 3:18)
Jesus Christ took our shame so that we could be brought to communion with God at His Table, as one family. Now He calls us sons and daughters, adopted by His grace into His family together through the blood of His Son Jesus Christ. We have peace with God and with one another (Eph. 1:3-6; 2:11-22).
God draws the lost to the Good News of the Cross so that we may receive a new and eternal relationship with Him. Christ’s blood was the way to peace with God.
God has rescued us through the blood of His Son Jesus Christ. So let’s remember Him at His Table as One Family together because of the One Savior: Jesus Christ.
And we will yet again walk with God in a garden in perfect communion in the cool of the day…
“Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruits, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him…” (Revelation 22:1-3)
Q & A
How does this new, restored relationship with God in Christ change the way…
- …we think about our purpose here on earth?
- …we respond to others still separate from God’s family?
- …we treat all those within God’s family?
- …we think about celebrating the Lord’s Supper – Communion?
For A Deeper Look…
My Interpretive Translation of Ephesians 2:11-13 [Greek Text: UBS 4)
“For the specific reason that you have received eternal salvation by grace through faith in Christ Jesus (v.8-9) and are now called to work on this earth in the manner God has prepared for you (v. 10), I command you to constantly remember that, in your past spiritual condition, all of you Gentiles (with respect to your physical condition) who are labeled as “Uncircumcision” by those of the so-called “Circumcision” which merely refers to a physical badge produced by the work of human hands, 12 That you all were at that time, prior to your salvation, completely without access and separated from Christ the Messiah, alienated and separated from the religious community and legal citizenship possessed by the people of Israel, and foreign strangers to the covenants of promise given by God, not having any hope, and finally, even completely without the one, true God in the world. 13 But in great contrast to this prior situation, now by your faith in Christ Jesus, you who were in the past far away from all these things previously spoken of, have now entered into a state of nearness, by means of the blood of Christ the Messiah.
*Seen throughout this passage (and particularly in v. 13) is the action of God toward man (objective nature). It was by the personal agency of Christ and the instrument of His own blood that brought those who had no way to the Father and no hope for the future, near to the Savior and reconciled to God. The phrase “the blood of Christ” certainly speaks of the sacrificial atonement made by the Savior on the Cross (H. Hoehner). No longer were the saved Gentiles to live in godlessness and hostility towards God’s chosen people. No longer were they to abide ostracized and separated from the One who created them. No longer were they to act in animosity in regard to the “favored” Jews. Instead through the work of Christ alone, they who were in the past far away (μακρὰν, accusative of measure – extent of space, cf. GGBB, 201-3) now have the divine privileges of a personal relationship with God. Peace now reigned between their souls and the justice of God, and also between the hearts and minds of their Jewish brothers and sisters. Truly, all things “have been made new.”
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Pointing Fingers
A pointing finger... No one likes a finger pointed at them. There is just something about a pointing finger that stirs the nerves and unsettles the stomach.
When I think about pointing fingers I vividly recall a certain Sunday afternoon vocal practice with a large children’s choir I participated in when I was 7-10 years old. This particular rehearsal was led by an interim instructor from Great Britain, who spoke with a magnificent accent. However, as the afternoon wore on I grew very antsy, squirmy, and distracted. Another young boy sitting next to me whispered something funny in my ear and I responded with another joke in return. We went back and forth for a couple minutes until…
Suddenly, the giant British teacher wound-up like a baseball pitcher and threw a piece of chalk into the seat next to me. Yow! My entire body bounced about 3 feet into the air. He then pointed directly at me with ferocity in his eyes, “You mustn’t speak while I am teaching, young man!”
I quietly squeaked out an apology, but that didn’t alter the consequences. All one hundred and fifty other children stared and pointed, snickering at my calamity. The instructor’s finger seemed frozen in a sharp arrow directed toward my chest.
Pointing with Presumption
We don’t like having a finger pointed at us because it implies we’re guilty! However, we are pretty natural at pointing toward someone else. It seems quite easy to see the sins of others; doesn’t it? We think we’re quite accurate at evaluating the faults and failures we presume to observe in friends, family members, neighbors, and the like.
Christ’s twelve disciples were pretty good at pointing fingers, too. In Matthew 20:20-28, the mother of the sons of Zebedee (James and John) came with her boys to make a request that they sit at Jesus’ right and left in His kingdom, much to the indignation of the other disciples, of course. This little position-seeking posse implied they were better than the others around the circle.
The disciples were also known for getting into debates about who would be the greatest. They not only brought up this discussion early in their time with Jesus but also even during the Passover meal.
“And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be the greatest.” (Luke 22:4; see also Matthew 18:1; cf. John 13:1-18)
But in Matthew 26:20-25 something surprising happens… just prior to Christ instituting The Lord’s Supper:
When it was evening, he reclined at the table with the twelve. And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me. And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” (Matthew 26:20-22)
Pointing Not Out… But In.
We would expect the disciples to point fingers at each other when Jesus began talking about one of them betraying Him. But, no. In the raw, honest, and humble moment gathered around Christ’s table of grace, they point their fingers not out but in, asking, “Is it I?”
What might have been swirling around in Peter’s mind? Perhaps he thought, “I know my weakness, my failing, and faltering. I know the struggle of sin still within my soul. Could it be that I give in and betray the Messiah, my Lord?”
Maybe Thomas’ heart sank, “I know my struggle with doubt and discouragement. In my darkest moment do I give into the lies I hear ringing in my ears?”
Matthew may have wondered, “Do I cave in for the money again to get gain out of this, just like when I was a tax collector?”
John is bewildered but knows, too, his own issues with anger and pride….
In a rather shocking turn-of-hearts at Christ’s table of grace, the disciples point their fingers not outward, but inward.
Humility over pride. Contrition over position. Repentance over passive resistance.
As we gather around Christ’s Table to recall His love, remember His passion, and reflect on His unending mercy, where should we be pointing?
Christ’s Table of Grace prompts us to…
…Cease from inspecting the sins of others (v. 20-22). Just as the disciples allowed Christ’s words to search their own hearts, so we must let the mercy of Christ and His cross unearth the stones and thorny roots buried deep within the soil of our souls.
Some of us were trained like workhorses for the specific task of detecting and reporting the imperfections of others. We automatically adjust the lenses of our judgmental microscopes (often masquerading as “discernment”) the moment we walk into a church building, gather in a small group, or observe the values of another family.
Our eyes presume to measure the spiritual maturity of others by a whole plethora of external litmus tests:
- What kind of clothing do they wear?
- What type of car do they drive?
- What kind of house do they own?
- Who do they spend their time with?
- How much do they weigh? Does their supposed unhealthy diet equate to a lack of truth in their life?
- What type of movies or TV shows do they watch?
- What kind of music do they listen to?
- How many vacations do they take?
- Where are they on Wednesday nights?
- How are their children behaving?
- How much make-up and jewelry does she wear… too much? Not enough?
- Is their smile as big or as genuine as mine?
Undoubtedly, the list could go on and on. Yet at the table of grace there is no place for boasting, pride, or religious nonsense. Christ’s unstoppable kindness prompts us to cease from inspecting the sins of others.
…Look at our own propensity to wander (v. 23-25). Judas Iscariot was blind to his sin. He was numb to the magnitude of his own depravity. Yet it’s all too easy to point a finger at him and forget we are all born with equal depravity and deserve equal punishment: eternal death.
We cannot fully understand the magnitude of God’s grace until we understand the magnitude of our sin. We deserve the full weight of God’s wrath. No one is excluded for special behavior, a unique birth, keeping up a super-spiritual persona, or the niceties of religious effort.
On our best day we still deserve the same punishment as the worst sinner. Because the ground is level at God’s justice, we all deserve death and separation from the holy God. However, the ground is also level at the foot of the cross, so that both the “worst” and “best” of sinners may receive mercy — full pardon — because perfect justice and mercy met in Christ’s atoning death. The symbolism of Christ’s table of grace points to the Cross: God’s way to redeem all those prone to wander.
So as we gaze upon our own sin, we are met with the healing balm of Christ’s unending grace at Calvary. Christ not only died for us, He died instead of us.
So we must cease our inspecting, detecting, reporting, and masquerading at the foot of the cross. I revel in the truth I heard Ray Ortlund Jr. once say,
“There is limitless grace for people who have sinned away all their excuses.”
Humility points my finger at myself (not at others) recognizing the magnitude of my sin.
So where do we point the finger? At someone else who needs to hear the sermon? Toward a sibling, parent, or friend who’s tripped and fallen?
No, not at them, but at us. Not at him or her, but toward me.
“Is it me, Lord?”
Then when the mountain of our sins, the propensities to wander, the faultiness of our hearts show their true colors… we run to the Cross where mercy ran red and washed away all our sin, giving us new and eternal life in Him.
“To thee I repair for grace upon grace, until every void made by sin be replenished and I am filled with all thy fullness.” (Valley of Vision, “Grace Active,” pg. 215)
In Christ Alone,
Listen to the full audio sermon entitled “Pointing Fingers” (Matthew 26:20-25) by simply clicking on the play button below or by subscribing to our iTunes podcast. This message was originally delivered at North Park Baptist Church of Grand Rapids, MI, on Good Friday evening, March 25th, 2016.
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Mission Mosaic
God’s message of love is the message of the Cross. I once heard Pastor R. Kent Hughes say, “The cross of Christ is the divinely inspired diagram of God’s love.” Let’s pause for a moment to let these words soak into our souls:
“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” – 1 John 4:10
God the Son, Jesus Christ, died the death we deserved to free us from sin and give us new, eternal life in Him. Yet this shocking, heart-saving, soul-healing love is not only a message for people like you and me, but also for men and women from every corner across the tapestry of God’s world. Let’s hit the brakes for a minute and pour over these anthem-like words:
“And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” – Revelation 5:9-10
God the Son’s death paid the full price for our sin and is fully effective to erase sin’s price-tag for all who trust in Him for rescue… men, women, and children from each patch on this globe.
But here’s the crux of the challenge for us: All who have received God’s love in the Son are commissioned as His people to march forward with His love.
Our orders are to go into all of God’s world with the good news about His love proclaiming: “Jesus saves!” Contrary to popular assumptions, God’s mission is not just for select professionals who hold the title “missionary” or “pastor.” Every member of God’s family is called to work, think, talk, and serve as a sent soldier on God’s mission.
Furthermore, God’s love compels us to go with His love to all the people groups of God’s World… both globally and locally. Our God is not a mono-lingual, mono-ethnic, mono-culture deity, but the Creator who has beautifully woven people from every background together into the one family of God in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:11-22). Just as the first-century church was multi-cultural (Jew, Gentile, slave, free, rich, poor, etc.) so God’s design for His church today is unity within our diversity, only possible through God-empowered humility and love.
Think about it: How do these truths run against the grain of our culture or creature comforts? What about God’s mission and an intentionally multi-ethnic local church seems most difficult or uncomfortable to you? How should the power of the Gospel inform and transform your thinking about these truths? How is God directing you to live on His mission today?
- April 17th 10:30 AM: Dr. Royce Evans, Pastor and professor at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, Executive Director of Ministry Residency and the Urban Cohort Program.
- April 17th 5:00 PM: Potluck Dinner | 6:00 PM Worship + Panel Q & A with Missionaries
- April 24th 10:30 AM: Dr. Larry Salisbury, Executive Director for Ethnic to Ethnic Ministries
- April 24th 6:00 PM: El Salvador Mission Trip Team and Jenny Vliek Report | Dessert Fellowship
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Grace in April Snow
When I was a wee little boy of 7 or 8, my parents took my brother, sister, and I to see an exciting full-color movie from Disney: Bambi. Do you still remember that classic children’s story? If you don’t, perhaps you should check it out of your local library this weekend. There are some lessons in the story-line for all ages.
Nevertheless, I recall a catchy little tune all those friendly woodland animals danced to called, “April Showers.” Ha! Now you’re starting to remember it too. The trouble is I don’t recollect SNOW showers being a part of those April showers. As I type these words to you, I see soft, white flakes dancing and fluttering to the ground with steady persistence.
Undoubtedly, the deer, rabbits, and skunks are probably running for cover…burrowing into the warmth of a hollowed out tree trunk deep in the forest. Some of you are probably ready to burrow under a blanket just thinking about it. But as Jesus reminded His followers in His sermon on the mount, God “causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matt. 5:45b), God also sends snow on the baptists, presbyterians, and everyone else, too.
Every rain drop, every crazy mid-April snowflake is of God’s design and timing. Really. God pours out common grace through the sun to warm the earth and rain to water the ground for those who are faithful and those who are faithless. Common grace is that unbelievable mercy and kindness of God that no one deserves or earns, but that which God joyfully gives to all the people He has made.
He pours out the good things of sun, rain, and dare I say… snow, on all humanity. Yet all of His common grace is aimed toward directing us to His saving grace in Jesus Christ.
Humans look up at God’s amazing orchestration in weather patterns, eco-systems, genetics, and astro-physics, and cry out, “Who or what arranged all of this?” Many choose to shake their fists, wonder, and yet walk away in disbelief. But God still continues to show them common grace. Still others observe and see, and in all the seemingly mundane, behold the glory of God in….
…the periodic table of the elements.
…the fact that Pi is not only a mathematical formula discovered 360 years ago, but is now showing up as “a formula which approximates the energy levels of a hydrogen atom.”
…the healing of a deep wound on the human body.
…the balance of weather seasons.
…the birth of a newborn baby.
In every aspect about earth, God is showing Himself as Sovereign-Creator. God juxtaposed His sovereignty with our smallness when He asked Job:
“Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, which I have reserved for the time of distress, for the day of war and battle? Where is the way that the light is divided, or the east wind scattered on the earth?” (Job 38:22-24)
God is completely in control. He never loses His grip on the steering wheel. He never drops His conductor’s baton. Those who look for the mark of His craftsmanship will find His handiwork everywhere.
Yet in all of this, our God directs us through the snow and wind and Pi to His offer of redemption in the Son. The disbelieving heart of humanity is without excuse. So the apostle Paul wrote:
“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” (Rom. 1:20)
Here’s the glorious song of the gospel: In the Son, God is showing Himself as Sovereign-Savior. The God who sends the rain and snow is not only the Creator but also the Savior. So if you are redeemed through faith in the work of grace in Jesus Christ, let these April showers… of snow cause you to praise God for saving your soul, as the flakes remind you that He is sovereign and in total control. But don’t worry, you can still burrow under a blanket while doing so.
In Christ Alone,
