Life Here and There

My friend David sent me a link to a Fox News article about an ad campaign launching on Washington D.C. buses that asks “Why Believe in a God? Just Be Good for Goodness’ Sake.” The ads have certainly sparked controversy, but I’m not as bothered as you might think. For me, it would be tragic if someone saw the ads and decided that rationalism excluded the possibility of God, but I actually think the opposite may be true, and it causes me to wonder if the humanist group that sponsored the ads really thought their branding through.

(more…)

“Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.” -Acts 17:16

Paul was “stirred” or literally, agitated in his spirit. Often we are agitated by the world because our values are insulted, but Paul’s zeal had little to do with his own values. His zeal was for the glory of God. He saw an entire city turned away from the living God and given to every kind of false belief. The place was steeped in idols, a hotbed of man-made religion and it stirred Paul to the core. He was agitated. So what did he do about it? He preached Christ to them.

No Christian today should be able to look around at our world and not be stirred to consider the lostness of mankind. George Truett was once walking through downtown Dallas with his college roommate. Once when the signal allowed them to cross the busy intersection, Truett froze in his place. His roommate spotted tears in his eyes and inquired as to what was wrong. George Truett motioned with his hand toward the crowds on the sidewalk and said, “Look at them, they’re so lost. They’re all lost.” Many Christians are simply annoyed by the wickedness of the world, but we must be more than annoyed, we must be deeply moved.

Following this deep moving within our soul ought to be a commitment to restore the glory of God. There should be in every believer a compelling zeal for God’s glory. We should want with all of our hearts for God alone to be glorified in our world. That means introducing people to the Lord of the universe through His Son, Jesus Christ. Are we ready to see the need, take up the cause, and tell the world about Jesus?

“Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me.” -Acts 27:25

Do you believe God? Notice carefully the wording. I didn’t ask, “Do you believe in God?” but “Do you believe God?” It’s one thing to believe He exists, even this is true of the demonic world. In fact most people believe in God for very few people are true atheists. But do you believe God? When He makes a promise, do you take Him at His word?

There will be one sure test of your belief in His promises and that test will be your actions. How do you respond in a given situation? Depending on God’s promises or figuring things out on your own? Paul was being held prisoner, was going to stand before Caesar Himself at trial, was bound on a ship with dozens of other hardened criminals, and was now shipwrecked in the middle of nowhere. Most of us would immediately be figuring out how to escape our circumstances, but not Paul. He realized that he was bound to his circumstances by chains given to him by God. It was not a nice situation, but God had a purpose in it.

If you believe God, faith to act will follow. You may not see the greater purpose, but you’ll know that there is one and you’ll act accordingly. Lord, help us to believe what You say at face value and to base our choices and our actions on Your precious promises.

I often struggle to find the balance between certain aspects of my theology. One such area of difficulty is in the balance between teaching repentance and faith for salvation. There are many today who presume that repentance is not necessary for salvation. For me, this is not an option for repentance is too engrained into the message of the Bible. Others would say that mentioning faith without preaching repentance produces false converts.

(more…)

“They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him…” -Titus 1:16

It is far easier to say “I believe in God” than to live according to His standards, but the reality is that how we live says far more about our belief in God than our words. If I were to build a bridge, recommend that others cross it, but refuse to do so myself out of fear, I would be saying far more about the bridge by my unwillingness to cross than by my words of commendation.

The Scriptures are clear that the way we show our love for God is by obedience. It is so common for us to come together on Sunday to raise our hands and our voices in united praise to the Father, then to return to a life of disobeying Him throughout the week. Paul identified the subjects of this verse to Titus as “them that are defiled…” They are false teachers and false professors of Christ.

I believe that assurance is a wonderful attribute for the believer, but today we suffer from an epidemic of false assurance. I tremble at times to think of the weight given in Scripture to obedience as a pathway to assurance of salvation. I believe a person is saved the moment they trust in Jesus as Savior. But that profession will be validated by a life of obedience.

Your lips may testify of God’s holiness, but what do your works say?

“Remember therefore form where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place – unless you repent.” -Revelation 2:5 (NKJV)

John, writing on Jesus’ behalf to the church at Ephesus, gives them a simple, three-step approach to recovering their first love. It’s a plan that applies to us anytime we turn our gaze from Jesus to something less, base, and worldly. When our heart’s affection turns from our loving Master to the gods of this world, we must follow His action plan to recover.

Remember the grace whereby you were saved to begin with. You were given a new position in Christ and you received an eternal sonship in the family of God. You were washed clean and completely forgiven of sin. Remember that. Repent of sin. Confess it with contrition of heart. Remember that the greatest sacrifice for God is “a broken and contrite heart” (Psalm 51:17). Repentance entails a confessing, but also a turning and forsaking of sin. It means to begin to agree with God about the heinous nature of sin. Then return to your first works. Get back to the growth you experienced and the passion for Christ you had when you were originally saved.

The Ephesian church had preserved right belief but had, at some point, forgotten their passion for the Savior. Anytime we will argue over doctrine but we won’t give up a sin or worldly practice, we’ve replaced our first love. Let’s remember, repent, and return to a life lived with real and lasting passion for Jesus.

I grew up in a staunchly conservative Southern Baptist church, where I first heard the gospel and received Christ as my Savior. I was baptized by Doug Riley, a man who was committed to the faithful proclamation of God’s inerrant Word. Many of my heroes in the faith are or were Southern Baptist leaders.

I have benefitted greatly from W. A. Criswell’s heart for the preaching of the Word of God in its perfect entirety. I’ve been inspired to be a more wise and well-equipped leader by Dr. Adrian Rogers. The scholarly works of A. T. Robertson and John Broadus have taught me much about preaching and about the message of the New Testament. I’m thankful also for many of today’s leading Southern Baptists who are holding a firm line on having a strong commitment to an orthodox belief in the Scriptures as God’s inerrant self-revelation.

(more…)

“Marriage is honorable in all…” -Hebrews 13:4

Perhaps the hottest social topic of the moment is the Federal Marriage Amendment, scheduled for vote on the Senate floor in the next few days. The liberal pundits have come out screaming that this is simply a ploy by President Bush and conservative Republicans to drum up votes for the November election. That may, in some respect, be true as no politician is immune to the temptation to “play politics.” But as a Christian, am I merely being duped into focusing on an issue because my conservative leaders have pulled the wool over my eyes? Hardly.

For me, as a conservative Christian, the Federal Marriage Amendment is an issue today because of the pressing need to defend the basic institution of society against attack by a liberal minority. Scripture is an eternally binding revelation of God upon my life and I’m to stand for its truths. If Jesus is Lord of who I am in church on Sunday, then He is equally Lord of who I am as a citizen in the voting booth.

The fact is, no Amendment would be necessary were it not for the imminent threat that at some time and place, a judge will reinterpret the law, override the will of the people, and choose on the side of immorality to defend gay marriage and thereby redefine what marriage is. This judicial relativism has the potential to stray far beyond the realm of normality. Who is to say what marriage is? Perhaps it could be polygamy? If such radically immoral groups such as the “Man-Boy Love Association” had their way, it might be that marriage could be a union of a grown man and a young boy. Will that be the future of marriage?

I cannot presume to speak for the world, but I can, as a Bible-believing Christian, stand for my beliefs in the public square and I’ll not be shamed into the corner for doing so. The Old Testament revealed that a marital union was to be between members of the opposite sex. The New Testament plainly clarifies that marriage should be between one man and one woman, thereby excluding polygamy. For me, as a Christian, there is only one alternative – marriage must be preserved as between one man and one woman alone. If a Federal Marraige Amendment is what it takes to protect this timeless institution from the threat of jucial activism (a reality, not just a “Bush term”), then so be it.

“O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.” -1 Timothy 6:20-21

Have you noticed how often the world throws curveballs at conservative Christianity? In the “search for the historical Jesus,” the late Peter Jennings sought to dig up evidence that Jesus’ personal claims were misunderstood and the beliefs of the disciples were sorely mistaken. More recently, Dan Brown’s bestselling book The Da Vinci Code has ruffled feathers among Christian leaders. Within the last week, The National Geographic Society has released news of its research on a recently discovered ancient text known as “The Gospel of Judas.” But none of these things move me. Why? Because there have been challenges to the Christian faith for nearly two millennia now and not one has toppled the church.

Let me warn you, there will be many more challenges. Though we must be on guard, we must not allow the enemy to stage the battle. Our ultimate battle is not with flesh and blood, be they reporters, authors, or professors. Our grand war is with Satan and the resurrection of Jesus has secured our victory. The church will triumph as Jesus promised! Just as Jesus has risen, so our faith will stand.

God’s Message to Zechariah and Elizabeth: “Prepare for the Miraculous”
Sermon Series: God’s Messages to You, Part 1
Based on Luke 1:5-25

The day after Thanksgiving, Angie and I often go battle the crowds, as we did this year. We even ran into a couple of you there. There is something I find amazing about the day after Thanksgiving and that is the focus with which most of the women shop. Have you noticed that when it comes to Christmas shopping, men find a bench somewhere but women often have this look of intensity? They are zeroing in on the purpose for which the day after Thanksgiving must have been given to us – to shop!

We often live life with a similar kind of focus. We pursue with intensity our daily grind. We get into the routine of living and we just live with full effort. Sometimes we get so focused on daily life that we forget to keep our eyes peeled for the miraculous. We need to open our eyes to the possibility that there is more to life than simply surviving. There is a miraculous level of living as well. Just as the children of Israel in the wilderness became hardened to the daily miracles of life, so do we.

The angel gave six specific promises to Zechariah in this passage:

• Your prayers are going to be answered.
• God has been gracious. (The name “John” means “grace of God”).
• You and your people will know joy and gladness.
• Your child is going to be great.
• Israel will see national revival.
• Your child is the forerunner to the soon-coming Messiah.

Zechariah doubted and responded by essentially saying, “Give me more evidence and then I will believe!”

This is much like the Israelites who crossed the Red Sea on dry land, then when Moses went to receive the Ten Commandments, they forgot God and shaped a golden calf. It’s like the rich man who begged Abraham to send Lazarus back from the grave to witness to his brothers. It’s also like Thomas, who demanded more than mere verbal affirmation but wanted visible evidence. All are cases in which people demanded more evidence than the plain promises of God.

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” -2 Corinthians 5:7

HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE MIRACULOUS…

1. Live life on call for God. (v. 6)

Here’s the amazing thing about Zechariah and Elizabeth (lest we should discredit them completely). Even though they weren’t seeing anything miraculous, they were still living faithful, godly lives. Israel was in the midst of 400 “silent” years with no prophecy, no recorded angelic announcements, and no significant miracles to speak of. Yet here were two servants living faithfully.

When there is no fanfare, when nobody is watching, when there is little to look forward to tomorrow, do we continue living faithfully for God, ready to respond at any moment?

2. Refuse to let ministry become mundane. (vs. 8-9)

There were approximately 20,000 priests divided into 24 courses of ministry, each serving two eight-day periods of time during the year. Each course consisted of about 830 men. To get to burn incense was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Zechariah. It was a special occasion, but it was nothing compared to what God wanted to do in that once-in-a-lifetime moment. But Zechariah seems so into the momentum of doing his duty that he fails to realize the significance of the experience.

Ministry, if we aren’t careful, may become mundane to us. The miraculous may become commonplace. We get to the point where we just go through the motions of life and we forget how significant it is to put flowers on the table, to visit the hospital, to sing in the choir.

3. Keep praying with persisitence. (v. 13)

Here again is another great thing to notice about Zechariah. He kept praying in spite of the lack of an answer. Even though he and his wife were beyond child-bearing years, he kept praying for a child. He may have doubted the answer, but he had been on his knees in prayer, praying with persistence.

A Lesson in Persistent Praying…

Luke 11:10 is written in a continuous sense. In other words, it literally reads “Whoever keeps on asking… keeps on seeking… keeps on knocking… will be answered.

4. Believe that God’s Word is enough. (vs. 18-20)

Jesus condemned the religious leaders of His day because they demanded a sign. The problem is not that they were seeking to know God’s will more assuredly, but rather that they were demanded more evidence than God’s very own Word. This is really the crime of Zechariah. He hears the message of God through Gabriel and demands more.

So often we hear and understand what God is saying about something, yet we won’t believe it until we hear more. We demand greater evidence than what God is willing to give. We must learn the simple truth that God’s Word is enough. His say is the final say.

Kids often bargain with us. When we say “no” to something, they begin to reason with us or try to lay claim to some territory. We do the same with God. He says “yes” or “no” to something and we keep bargaining. We try to re-interpret His words or re-explain them for a new generation. In doing so, we often call into question the sufficiency of the Scriptures. But God’s Word IS enough!

Zechariah was unwilling to believe in the clearly revealed Word of God concerning his future. What have you believed about God’s promises to you of eternal life?