A TIMELY WORD FROM AN UNEXPECTED PLACE

 

Titus 3:9 (NIV)
But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.

               As a part of my daily devotions, I have been reading The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. This book was first printed in 1942. It consists of a series of letters between a senior demon and a junior demon. The senior demon, Screwtape, is instructing his nephew, Wormwood, in the art of tempting humans. The goal is to turn them away from “the Enemy” (God) so that they would be absorbed by the Evil One.

               By looking at temptation from the side of the tempter, we see more clearly Satan’s attacks on all of humanity and especially on those who believe in Christ. These letters can alert us to the more subtle and often unnoticed tactics that Satan uses to lead us astray.

               I have been challenged by many of the letters, but recently one of then stood out as particularly apt for today. In this letter Screwtape considers the question of whether “the patient” should be pushed toward being a pacifist or a patriot. Screwtape says that either route is acceptable as long as it becomes the most important thing. The most important thing is to make the thing take on a life of its own and becomes “a cause” to fight for. Screwtape ends the letter with the following advice.

“Whichever he adopts, your main task will be the same. Let him begin to treat the Patriotism or the Pacifism as a part of his religion. Then let him, under the influence of partisan spirit, come to regard it as the most important part. Then quietly and gradually nurse him on to the stage at which the religion becomes merely part of the “Cause,” in which Christianity is valued chiefly because of the excellent arguments it can produce in favor of the British war effort or of pacifism.

Once you have made the World an end, and faith a means, you have almost won your man, and it makes very little difference what kind of worldly end he is pursuing. “

(The Screwtape Letters, chap. 7, page 35)

               As I read those words, I was struck with how much they reflect the current state of affairs in our country. Christianity has become a means for attaining nationalism, or equal rights, or whatever cause you like. We have bought into the lie.

               When I was actively pastoring a church, I developed what are called plumblines for ministry. I got the idea from Larry Osborne. A plumbline is a way of deciding if something fits with our overall ministry vision and goals. One of my plumblines was, we will be a Christ centered church, not a cause centered church. As many pastors are, I was bombarded with requests to promote this cause or that cause. Each one was presented as the most important thing to focus on. No matter how important a cause is, it is secondary to the Gospel. Whenever we make a particular cause the most important thing in our life, we have made it into an idol.

               There are many worthy causes out there. But when we make our cause the most important thing to pursue, we have gotten off base. We are to be devoted to the cause of Christ above everything else.

1 Timothy 1:3-7 (NIV)
As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God's work--which is by faith. The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.

Colossians 2:20-23 (NIV)
Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.

 

I’M NOT SO BAD

 

Romans 3:23 (NIV)
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

               In our world today, we have discounted sin. We have found multiple ways to get around the reality of sin. One of the most common ways is by comparing ourselves to others. We can always look around and find someone who is worse than we are. We look at them and think, I’m not so bad.

               For many people, sin is defined as overtly breaking the law. If a person has not obviously stolen, murdered, or cheated on their spouse, then they don’t feel that they have sinned. Sin is transactional. If I have lived a decent life and not intentionally hurt anyone, then I am not a sinner. This kind of self-righteous attitude makes it easy to excuse ourselves and find fault with others who are not doing as well as we are doing.

               Although breaking the law is included in sin, it is not the sum total of sin. In fact, sin is far more serious than we often imagine.

               There are two Greek words used in the Bible to describe sin. The first is hamartia. Hamartia comes from archery and means to miss the mark. If a person shoots an arrow and fails to hit the bullseye, then they have missed the mark. They have sinned. This is an important concept because it causes us to define what the bullseye is. For most people the bullseye is leading a decent life. As long as I don’t intentionally hurt anyone, then I am hitting the bullseye. Their understanding is a far cry from God’s definition of the bullseye. For God, the bullseye is perfection. Jesus clearly set that as the standard. Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:48 (NIV)

               William Barclay, in his commentary on Ephesians helps us to see the implications of hamartia. Are you the best husband or wife that you could be? Are you the best friend that you could be? Are you the best worker that you could be? If you have not been perfect in any of these, then you have missed the mark. As it says in Romans 3:23, we have all fallen short of God’s perfect standard.

               The other word that is used for sin is paraptoma. This means to slip or fall. It is often translated as trespass. It is related to getting off track and losing your way. We have all at some time taken a wrong turn and gotten off track.

               We were created to be image bearers of God. We were created in His image and expected to live lives that align with His image. But that has not been our reality. We have all gotten off the track and chosen to walk our own way. Paul puts it very graphically in Romans 1.

Romans 1:18-23 (NIV)
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

               When we compare ourselves to others, we can make a case that we are not doing so bad. But when we compare ourselves to the image of God, we all fail. We have all gotten off track and replaced the image of God with something of our own design.

               The bad news is that no matter how well we think we are doing, we still fall short of the goal. We have all missed the mark and gotten off track. What we deserve is God’s wrath. The good news is that Jesus came into the world to deal with our sin. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (NIV)

               When we finally come to the reality that we have all sinned and fall short of God’s glory, then we are in the place to receive the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. As long as we think we are good enough, we will depend on ourselves. When we realize that we could never be good enough, we open the door for Jesus to step into the gap.

Romans 5:6-8 (NIV)
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

 

CAREFUL, DANGER AHEAD

 

Romans 12:3 (NIV)
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

               On Sunday, we heard an amazing testimony from a young man whose life has been transformed by the power of the Gospel. It was encouraging to hear how God has worked in this young man’s life.

               After the service I began to reflect upon the effects of hearing this kind of testimony. The best response is to rejoice with this young man and celebrate how God has entered into his life and totally changed its direction. But that is not the only possible response.

               From my experience, there are two other responses, both of which are negative. The first is to be intrigued by the sinfulness of life. You could equate this to the younger brother in Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son. Growing up in church I have heard many of these transformation stories. As young person, my response was often mixed. I sometimes felt like I was missing out on some parts of life, not having indulged in the kinds of things the person had been set free from. The more dramatic the conversion, the more enticing it was. There was a feeling that in order to have a real compelling testimony for God I needed to first indulge in sin.

               I didn’t really think that through, but it seems to be reflected in Paul’s letter to the Romans. Paul had been talking about how the Law makes us aware of sin and makes it possible for us to experience God’s grace. Then he addresses an unspoken response. What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? Romans 6:1 (NIV) Paul’s immediate response is an emphatic NO!

               The other negative response to a dramatic conversion testimony can be illustrated by the older brother in Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son. The temptation is to indulge in pride in our own faithfulness and exemplary lives. In our heart, we can judge the other person and inflate our own sense of righteousness.

               Luke’s Gospel records a parable of Jesus that directly addresses this idea of having and inflated view of ourselves.

Luke 18:9-14 (NIV)
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

               It is so easy for us to fall into the spiritual comparison trap. Like the Pharisee and the older brother, we laud all of our faithful service, as if this puts God into our debt. Look at how good I am, God. Don’t I deserve more of your grace than this “sinner?”

               In Romans 12, Paul challenges us to take a good look in the mirror. Instead of having an inflated view of ourselves, we need to have a realistic view of ourselves. We should always remember, but by the grace of God, that could have been me. We can celebrate God’s dramatic work in another’s life, while also rejoicing in God’s work in our own life.

               As a young man growing up in church, I struggled with what is called works righteousness. I felt that I had to earn God’s favor. When I heard dramatic testimonies, I often felt inadequate. My life had always been pretty compliant. I was a good rule follower. There came a time when I had to let go of the rules and repent of my own self-righteousness. I had to learn that true humility was not beating myself up, but accepting that I can’t fully follow Christ on my own. I had to recognize that the grace of God was as powerfully at work within me as it was in the former drug addict.

               I rejoice whenever I hear of a person whose life has been transformed by the Gospel. I also rejoice that God is doing that same transforming work in my heart. It is not a competition to see who has the most dramatic testimony. When it comes to sin, we all stand on a level playing field.

Romans 3:21-24 (NIV)
But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

AN AMAZING INVITATION

 

Matthew 11:28 (NIV)
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

               I continue to reflect upon the amazing act of love demonstrated by Christ’s death on the cross. Jesus foreshadowed it to His disciples as He was preparing them for His departure. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13 (NIV)

               Often, when we think about the crucifixion, we focus on Jesus’ suffering on our behalf. It is right for us to recognize that. But there is more to the cross than just suffering. The cross was Jesus’ way of demonstrating the depth of His love for us.

               On the surface it looks like Jesus was a helpless victim of cruel circumstances, but it was not. It was actually an intentional act of love on Jesus’ part.

               Jesus went to the cross voluntarily and willingly. He could have chosen another way, he could have opted out, but He chose the cross for us. Jesus made it clear that no one was forcing the cross upon Him.  ^“The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life--only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” John 10:17-18 (NIV)

               Jesus voluntarily went to the cross to atone for our sin. Jesus willingly took upon Himself the burden of our sin. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 1 Peter 2:24 (NIV) We had an enormous spiritual debt that we had no way of repaying. Jesus, who had no debt, paid the price for us. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV)

               At the end of both Matthew and Mark’s accounts of Jesus’ death on the cross there is a curious statement. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. Mark 15:38 (NIV) This simple statement is really both significant and amazing. The curtain referred to was the curtain in the Temple that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple. The Holy of Holies represented the very presence of God. It was forbidden for anyone to enter there except for the High Priest. He was allowed to enter once a year on the Day of Atonement to offer an atoning sacrifice for the people’s sins.

               When Jesus died on the cross, God Himself tore that curtain in two, from top to bottom. He opened the way for us to enter into His very presence. Jesus offered the ultimate sacrifice that cleared to way for us to encounter God face to face. Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:14-16 (NIV)

               We have been offered an amazing gift. We have been invited to encounter God personally. Every religion on earth keeps God at a distance; unapproachable, unknowable. Jesus changed that. Jesus opened the way for us to know and be known by God. All we have to do is walk through the curtain by faith; to fully trust that what Jesus did on the cross was enough. To fully believe in the greatest act of love every made.

John 1:10-13 (NIV)
He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

 

               While Jesus was on the cross, He cried out in a loud voice, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? It was cry of desperation, but it was also a cry of hope. Jesus’ words come from the first verse of Psalm 22. Psalm 22 is an amazing Psalm because it clearly depicts Jesus’ death on the cross. But it also proclaims the hope we can have even in the face of despair.

Psalms 22:1-31 (NIV)
¹ My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?
² O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent.
³ Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel.
⁴ In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them.
⁵ They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed.
⁶ But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.
⁷ All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads:
⁸ "He trusts in the LORD; let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him."
⁹ Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother's breast.
¹⁰ From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother's womb you have been my God.
¹¹ Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.
¹² Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
¹³ Roaring lions tearing their prey open their mouths wide against me.
¹⁴ I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me.
¹⁵ My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.
¹⁶ Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.
¹⁷ I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me.
¹⁸ They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.
¹⁹ But you, O LORD, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me.
²⁰ Deliver my life from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs.
²¹ Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen.
²² I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you.
²³ You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
²⁴ For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.
²⁵ From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.
²⁶ The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the LORD will praise him-- may your hearts live forever!
²⁷ All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him,
²⁸ for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations.
²⁹ All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him-- those who cannot keep themselves alive.
³⁰ Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord.
³¹ They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn-- for he has done it.