The Anatomy of the Imaginary Other PERSON

Everyone is into comparisons.  We constantly compare ourselves to this person or that person. We evaluate our progress and see who is further along than we are presently in this virtue or that situation. However, we are never called to compare ourselves to each other. Our comparison as believers is vertical.

Horizontal comparisons are easy and mostly useless for we are not in a spiritual race with each other; we run our race alone.  At the throne of the consummated end, we are not going to bring our pastors with us before the LORD, nor will we have our mothers, fathers, bankers, brothers, sisters, gurus or any one else for that matter with us.  That final evaluation will happen alone. Utterly alone.

This sermon discusses part of this phenomena whereby we look towards other people as example or duty-fillers or excuses only to find out that they don’t really exist.

I pray you find encouragement as you listen.

Deconstructing Christian Cliche – Part III

Last time  we saw that God’s love of mankind found in the provision of the gospel of Christ stands in contrast to His hatred of sinners and sin alike. (Psalms 5, 11; Proverbs 6) The Lord rescues sinners from eternal condemnation, not miscellaneous sins.  God, as the righteous judge of all things, sentences the workers of iniquity to the fiery pit as their just reward. (Romans 2:1-6)  Over time, most evangelicals have lost any real understanding of exactly what they are supposed to be saved from. With the advent of self-help psychology and rampant feel-good theology finding its way into once biblically-based teaching, there has been an overemphasis of good news. The problem, however, is that without the wrath of God as the backdrop of Calvary, Christ becomes merely a murdered man instead of the Savior having suffered for all the sins of His people.  This truth relates to our final cliché in this series – “The Lord will not give you more than you can handle.”

There is no doubt that from a purely experiential vantage point this is a false claim. How many times have you been completely overwhelmed by life? How often have you had to seek counsel and aid and advice and resources from others just to get by?  Is it not true that while we may experience a certain degree of independence, we are still hopelessly interdependent; relying upon others in times of great need? Surely, Katrina taught us that.

So where did this saying come from? I’m fairly confident that its origin is another Scriptural misquote. This time, it is a butchering of 1 Corinthians 10:13-14 –“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.”

The apostle Paul’s admonishment to flee idolatry is predicated on the promise that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can handle; instead, He will always provide us with a way of escape so as not to fall into sin. This passage says nothing about God not allowing us to endure a trial or suffering beyond what we can endure for if this were the case who would ever have suffered martyrdom? Also, we are well-covered in one-another verses in the New Testament as God has prepared that our new family in Christ would comfort us and help provide for our needs.(Romans 12:10-16)  If we were supposed to be somehow protected from being overburdened then why would we need each other at all?

On the contrary, the power of Christ is seen clearly in our weakness.  Paul instructs us that it is good to be content with insults, distresses, persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ, for in our frailty God is mighty. (2 Corinthians 12:5:10)

May we all learn to live lowly and rejoice in our infirmities for it is in our darkest hour that God’s grace in Christ is the most lovely jewel in our lives.

Deconstructing Christian Cliche – Part II

In the previous post, we looked at the oft-used phrase “Judge not lest you be judged.” Most people utilize this verse as an escape from being judged themselves, without ever understanding its true biblical context and application. All throughout Scripture, we see both the need to discern correctly (judge) and the need to avoid hypocrisy when examining and criticizing others.  What God forbids is not judging itself, but, rather, doing so superficially, arrogantly and with a double-standard.

The next frequently used cliché involves God’s attitude towards sin and sinners – “God loves the sinner but hates the sin.”  This statement is used without reservation in most Christian circles as if it was a biblical truth, but is it?  The testimony of Scripture will show us differently.

A common error is to over-emphasize a particular attribute of God and in our current culture no one attribute is more talked about than God’s love. Love, however, is spoken of in variant degrees and types in Scripture and in the English language the word ‘love’ is extremely weak and multi-definitional.  We say that we love our car, we love ice cream, love the Saints, love God and love our children all with the same word; however, the meaning in each case is radically different. Surely no one wants to argue that they love God in the same manner, meaning and measure that they love their automobile. Hence, ‘love’ is too broad and too blanketed to be used precisely in describing God’s relationship to sinners for most certainly the love of God extended to the man who is condemned to eternal punishment in hell is most certainly not the recipient of unending grace and mercy.

The book of Psalms declares that, “The LORD tests the righteous, but the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates. Upon the wicked He will rain coals; Fire and brimstone and a burning wind shall be the portion of their cup.” (Psalm 11:5-6)  God’s wrath and hatred towards those who practice evil is often underemphasized making passages such as these seem quite foreign and harsh; yet without the bad news of impending judgment and condemnation the good news of the Gospel is made unnecessary.  Proverbs says that the LORD hates those who are arrogant and spread discord among the brethren (Proverbs 6:16-19) and Psalm 5 clearly states that God takes no pleasure in wickedness, therefore the boastful shall not stand in His sight for He hates all workers of iniquity abhorring the bloodthirsty and deceitful.

So if we are to stay consistent in our understanding and true to the text of Scripture we must maintain that God is angry at sin and sinner alike.  Hell will not be full of miscellaneous sins it will be the eternal dwelling place of sinners who refuse to turn from sin and put their trust in the complete forgiveness of God found in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

God loved humanity by offering up His only begotten Son at Calvary so that convicted sinners may escape their just reward but the degree of that affection is tempered by the free will of Him who alone extends mercy.

Deconstructing Christian Cliche – Part I

Along our walk of faith we find and learn Christian clichés – those pesky little phrases that emerge from the colloquial pond as tried and true nuggets of wisdom supposedly drawn from timeless biblical truth, but in the end, turn out to be more rooted in human imagination than in divine understanding.

Three such impostors making the top of the chart are these – “We should not judge others”, “God loves the sinner but hates the sin”, and “the Lord will not give you more than you can handle.”  These sayings are repeated often in an attempt to spread wisdom and comfort in life through advice and conservation; however, are they really accurate? Do these comments have their root in God or man?

We will take a look at each statement over the next few weeks and examine it biblically to see if it stands or falls. First, let’s look at: We should not judge others.

“Judge not lest you be judged” is probably the most abused statement by both believers and unbelievers alike being thrown around in debates and arguments more frequently than a well-worked pizza crust. It is found in the gospel of Matthew – “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.” Matthew 7:1 Certainly, on the surface this looks rather compelling.  However, context is the text in which God breathed out His Word and so we must capture the essence of the passage by expanding our view to the next verses. Here’s what happens when we do:

“Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:1-5

When the entire context is considered, the actual thrust of this warning passage turns out to be speaking directly to those who are hypocritical in their judgments.  Take the log out of your own eyes first and then you will be able to see clearly. The command here is a call to self-examination of sin, not a call to cease judging others.  Keep in mind also that judging here is about discernment not condemnation. God alone condemns.

Other passages help us to see our rightful role in judging, such as John 7:24, where Christ, in dealing with supposed Sabbath law violations said, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” Paul spoke about our need to judge small legal matters and disputes in 1 Corinthians 6:3 ” Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life?”

All throughout Scripture we see both the need to discern correctly and to the need to avoid hypocrisy.  Learn to judge through having the same mind of Christ and exercise humility through patience and peace.

Clarity of the Heart in Relationship – Part II

When in relational communication with others, we should seek to cultivate humility by understanding our inherent bias. (Jeremiah 17:9) None of us has perfect recall, especially when involved in conflict. (Proverbs 18:17) God requires that all facts be established by two and three witnesses; not a single account. (Deut. 19:5) And lastly, we should massage humility by being suspicious of ourselves, knowing that there are always three conversations – the one you heard, the one they heard and the one that actually took place. Rarely do they match.

To these I’d like to add another communicative caution. When seeking to understand we must avoid what I call the erroneous presumption of fruit inspection.  Jesus said, “…every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.” (Matthew 7:17-18) Many believers take this passage and combine it with this Scripture, “For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.” (Matthew 12:34) The notion then is that when someone speaks we can somehow inspect the fruit and determine their heart motive.  While in general this might be true; it is only true non-specifically.  For example if someone is yelling and screaming at you, the mere loudness and intensity doesn’t say anything more than that they are, at that moment, not calm and gentle.  However, you have no idea exactly where their heart is without first asking them what is wrong.  They could be angry, fearful, annoyed, frustrated or excitedly announcing a problem; one would have to first ask questions to find out the true heart of the matter.  Yet, routinely and habitually, we make instant assessments as to someone’s real motives and routinely and consistently we are wrong.

There can be many and complicated reasons for why someone is saying or doing what they are during an encounter, but we tend to pick the motive and presumption that fits our preconceived notions, bias and past experience.  This is why it is so hard for people to converse cleanly.  No one wants to take each event individually and of its own merit; we are baggage carriers by nature. To be sure, there is wisdom in recognizing past patterns and consistent failings; yet, there is also tremendous danger in judging the heart on the past or unconfirmed present.

It is not difficult to see then, that when you add bitterness and gossip to this corrupted conversational mix; things get ugly fast.  Not only have you believed and processed something based on hearsay, but you are also spreading that to others and the infection spreads. This is a major challenge since true humility sees itself of no consequence and is not easily offended. Love is the coating by which all else flows and without which, we are mere hyper-jackals seeking only self-interests.

There’s an old saying out there – “No one cares what you know, till they know how much you care.” Through God-given humility we can take a real interest in one another, lay low in our hearts and seek to aid someone else’s spiritual well-being by applying these ideas and principles in our relationships.  May God grant us these things in grand abundance.

Clarity of the Heart in Relationship – Part I

Relationships are the hardest thing we ever do in this life, that’s why we do our best to both control and avoid them. If we could live alone, for the most part, we would have an easy go of it, but instead we have others to deal with for they surround us constantly. As the great Dr. Seuss may have put it in his famous lyrical rhythm – People here, people there, people with me every where. People high, people low, people every where I go.

And so we find that mastering good communication skills as community and family members is as essential as a carpenter learning to master his hammer and saw. Not being able to utilize right and effective relationship tools invariably leads to much trouble. This week I’d like to bring a few of these tools to you that are tremendously helpful.  They are based upon a few biblical principles and involve the way in which we handle conflict.

Many of us pride ourselves on what we think is an almost perfect recall.  When it comes to what someone has said to us and what we believe they have said, we find that most of us have no problem relying upon our own internal witness.  However, this is quite dangerous for we are never neutral and unbiased; there is always the stain of past history on our hearts distorting even if only so slightly our perception of what we hear. The Old Testament recognizes this truth when it says, “The first to plead his case seems right, until another comes and examines him.” (Proverbs 18:17)  And to make matters worse the prophet Jeremiah has this insight –“The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9) We should always be suspicious of ourselves particularly when we are in conflict.

So the first principle for us to learn and cultivate is an active humility.  We must learn to accept that we are fallible listeners and consequently must be slow to judge and learn to discern rightly before we jump into accusation and assertions.  As Christ Himself said, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” (John 7:24)

We should first seek clarification and understanding through probing questions and multiple witnesses before setting out stakes firmly in unmovable ground. Back again to antiquity the Lord spoke through Moses saying, “A single witness shall not rise up against a man on account of any iniquity or any sin which he has committed; on the evidence of two or three witnesses a matter shall be confirmed.” (Deut. 19:15)

If we combine these truths regarding humility along with other admonitions of thinking of others more highly than ourselves (Phil. 2:4) and not assuming that we know someone else’s motives; we have started well.  Hearing correctly is the first step and seeking to understand rather than merely reacting to what we think we heard is a godly tool.

Next post we’ll go further into probing good and right communication during conflicts.

God’s Word is True

From Eden, the strategy of the Enemy has been to discredit what God has said.  At our current point in history we see no relenting of that course as skeptics and textual critics dissect and mutilate what is simple.  The declaration that the Bible is not knowable and irreversibly altered screams through best-seller books and talk shows; even sadly, from within some church bodies.  Hyper-critics juxtapose and conflate biblical text against biblical text in an attempt to play ‘battle Bible’ but their arguments expose a gaping fallacy.  For example, what was written as narrative was written as a continuum; a story to be heard in its context just like any other historical work.  Yet, the skeptics pick apart the Scriptures breaking them into ’sound bytes’ as if a retelling can be chopped into mixed-up pieces and still maintain its coherency.  It is not as if God hasn’t spoken clearly, man just, at times does not want to listen.

Piecemeal critics hide their agendas under academic blankets and calls for open-mindedness. The perspicuity of Scripture maddens the unregenerate knights who gallop through agnostic pastures for they hand out opaque windows to the gullible and uninformed and ask them to see clearly. Apostates line the streets cheering them on while multi-million dollar book tables feed willing crowds. But for those who by the grace of God through faith can now see; Scripture is simply beautiful.

Written to us through His prophets and apostles over centuries, God has breathed out His eternal decrees, commands, guidance, and wisdom to mankind by the ministry of the Holy Spirit.  His Word remains pure and uncomplicated despite there being some difficult-to-understand pieces of the whole.  These difficulties and variances do not render us without understanding anymore than any other discipline that requires patience and study.

Divine truth cannot be silenced. When God speaks; we should listen. Do we really think that the Almighty is at a loss to effectively communicate with His creation in both clarity and purpose? Faith comes by hearing the Word of God and it is not mumbled through broken glass. It is spoken plainly and precisely and it is able to cut right down to the joints and marrow of our hearts. Scripture is the encapsulation of what God has said to mankind and part of its beauty is its unending depth.

Scripture is like an endless mine shaft that extends deeper than deep itself. Each time we take our mining cart down the tracks we find new gems and more rails to explore. It is as if God has rewritten certain passages for us as, over time, we reread portions of the text and see new illuminated insight and intention. God’s Word is alive in our newborn hearts as the continuing work of the Spirit matures and fine tunes our understandings in parallel to our learning, wisdom and application. Consequently, studying Scripture is not an option for if we are to grow in our walk with Christ we must rightly divide the Word.

Stand fast and hold firm saints for not only can nothing separate us from the love of Christ; nothing can gag God when He speaks.

Hope Has Risen

Normally when a family member discovers an empty tomb there is distress, sadness and a mad dash to call the authorities. But when we, the members of God’s redeemed family, see our Savior’s empty grave, we rejoice, for why would we seek the living among the dead?

Apart from the attraction of chocolate bunnies and egg hunts and other cultural festivities surrounding Easter weekend lays the heart of our hope – the resurrected Shepherd. If Christ did not rise from the dead, then all that we do in our church life is mere vanity and our faith is worthless. And if all we have ever done is to hope in Christ in this life only, we are pitiful, pitiful men indeed. (1Cor.15:12-19) But our hope is not in this life.

The supernatural validation that authenticates our faith is the resurrection of Christ. It is God’s signature on the redemptive canvas of Calvary’s suffering sacrifice where the King of Glory died in our place so that we, along with Him, might live in eternal perfection. The angel told us to not be afraid for Jesus rose from the dead just as He said he would -“He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay” (Matt.28:6) Therefore, we are not to be pitied, but rather we can and must rejoice! (Phil.4:4)

Christ’s resurrection represents the Godhead’s conquering victory over sin and death through the foreordination and decree of the Father, the obedience and work of the Son, and the will and power of the Holy Spirit. In this Triune work of great salvation we find renewal and comfort and a new life that purposes to please God. We now have the privilege to walk rightly and obey Him as our Lord and Savior when previously we were dead in our sins and trespasses incapable of satisfying God. Through the triumph of Lamb, death has lost its sting and life eternal belongs to us. Mercy has been shown to the undeserved! Grace beyond description has been given to the rebellion. Love is our new signature.

On his missionary journey to Greece the Epicureans and Stoic philosophers met up with the apostle Paul in Athens and heard him preach about the wonder of the resurrection.  They thought he was a strange babbler coming to proclaim peculiar gods in their city.   But as Paul spoke to them in the Areopagus, he instructed them about the God who is there. “He”, Paul declared, “has overlooked the times of past ignorance but is now declaring to everyone everywhere that they must repent, because God has chosen a future day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through Christ’s return having furnished proof to all men by raising Jesus from the dead.” (my paraphrase -Acts 17:16 ff)

As you look up to the skies today remember the One who is risen.  As you contemplate the newness of spring forget not the victorious King.  As you pray to God in His will remember His glory. See heaven. Worship the Lamb!

Mercy Weeds

I looked out towards the front ditch and saw them; little blue and white buds swaying in the noonday sunlight on fragile stems as the spring winds came in from grassy angles.  Tiny yellow cups soon joined in the dance, wrapping themselves around each other like old friends on a picnic in June.  Their florid movements resonated beauty and wonder in my mind as these small flowers bore witness to their Creator “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 [mankind] are without excuse.” Rom. 1:20   When we view God’s creation we clearly see His divinity and majestic power, even in the smallest of things.  Even in weeds. Even in mere grassy columns that get mowed down each week as part of our lawn maintenance rituals.

Last week, my six year old daughter proudly marched inside the house with a fist full of weeds.  Each of them yanked from the same front lawn area by our drainage ditch and each of them a beautiful display of creation.  Ruby quickly gave them to her mother with a childlike grin saying, “Here mom! These are for you! I picked them all by myself.” We promptly put them in a vase and centered it on the table while her older sister walked in and barked loudly, “Those aren’t real flowers, they’re weeeeds!” Weeds indeed; but these seemingly worthless ditch flowers are a gift from God designed to teach us about His mercy for they remind us that even in the discarded grass His love towards man blossoms.  Even in the temporary flora and soon-to-be-destroyed greenery we can see His provision and compassion.

Jesus spoke of the grassy flowers while giving us an antidote to anxiety and worry in Matthew’s gospel. “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!” Matt. 6:27-30

God’s earthly provision in grace amidst a temporal and sin-cursed life can be found in a mere weed.  In the easily overlooked grass He is showing us His majesty and His mercy.  The voice of the ultimate sacrifice of His only begotten Son at Calvary’s cross rides providentially on the winds that blow through the common places that we drive past each and every day.  As the author of the book of Hebrews exhorts us, “If today you hear His voice… harden not your hearts.”

Lessons from a Nut

“Legend has it that lovers met beneath the trees to hear the pistachios crack open on moonlit nights for the promise of good fortune. A rare delicacy, pistachios were a favorite of the Queen of Sheba, who demanded all her land’s production for herself and her court. The royal nut was imported by American traders in the 1880s, primarily for U.S. citizens of Middle Eastern origin.” – California Pistachio Commission

I love to eat pistachios. The lightly salted shells with their distinctive clam-like openings protect a tasty crunch waiting inside. I can eat a bowl full of them as fast as a squirrel monkey that’s run out of insects and berries. For Father’s Day I even received a big ten pound bag of them to fill my craving.  While digging around on the web for information about the pistachio I found this interesting tidbit -

“The pistachio is a broad, bushy, deciduous tree which grows slowly to a height and spread of 25 to 30 feet, with one or several trunks.“

I love that word ‘deh-sid-jew-us‘; it has that PBS/NOVA sound to it, doesn’t it? It makes me feel as though I actually did pay attention in those biology lectures when I pronounce it. In fact, saying it is almost as fun as ‘in-doo-buh-tuh-blee‘, but, I digress.

Now I bring this tale of the tasty nut to you not to just wax on about fun-to-say words and romantic legends, but, instead, I wanted to share with you an interesting life lesson that occurs every time I bust through one of those pistachio bags. You ever notice how not all of those shells are half-opened? Some of them are sealed shut and hard to get into and in my eating frenzy I don’t always take the time to break into the difficult ones. Instead, I just toss them back into the bag as I eat. However, this sidestepping technique causes a problem.

Sooner or later the bag ratio shifts from ‘mostly open’ to ‘none are open’ and I am left with nothing but a bag of very hard, closed, and difficult-to-deal-with nuts. It is at that moment that I have a choice – I can either take the time to break through the stubborn shells and enjoy the reward that awaits my labor, or, I can simply take the bag of rejects and toss them out. And then it happens. I realize that had I simply dealt with each difficult nut on a case by case basis rather than avoiding them and exercised patience, I would not be staring at a multitude of challenges right now. Isn’t this what Christ expects of us who claim His name? The great apostle Paul exhorts us with this principle in Ephesians, chapter three when he implores us to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which we have been called and to do so with all humility and gentleness. We must be patient towards one another, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. So, how is your bag today?

Oh, that we would learn from the pistachio.