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When God Doesn’t Make Sense…

The sovereignty of God is not something we can question, but questioning God in his sovereignty is exactly what we see Habakkuk doing in the passage from Sunday.

The Chaldeans have moved in on the people of Judah and now Habakkuk is seeing the carnage they are bringing. What an eye opening passage.

If you have not listened to Jerry’s sermon from Sunday, please go listen here.

I’m excited to give out these Conversation Starters for all you parents! The sovereignty of God is a heavy subject, but it is crucial for our kids to understand it.

Here are the questions for this week:

  • What is the King of England in charge of? (We discussed that he reigns over all of England)
  • What does sovereign mean? (We talked about soveREIGN. To reign over a something)
  • If the King of England is sovereign over England, what is God sovereign over? (All creation)
  • Read Habakkuk 1:12-13. 
  • Even though we know God is sovereign over all creation, is there still evil in the world?
  • Is God sovereign even though people kill other people? (You could mention 9/11 or the Pakistan bombing from Easter Sunday)
  • Have you ever asked your parent “Why?”
  • Have your parents ever told you to wait and trust them?
  • Are you allowed to ask God “Why?” (Habakkuk asks God why)
  • Did you know that God wants us to trust him?
  • Read Proverbs 3:5-6

Again, feel free to adjust these accordingly! Enjoy and God bless!

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Unthinkable Sin Demands Unbelievable Justice

What an exciting Easter weekend it was! Good Friday, Journey To The Cross, Easter Eggstravaganza, and all four services yesterday made for a monster celebration of our risen Savior.

This week as Pastor Jerry and I prepared our Easter sermons, I wondered if the kids would be able to handle our One Main Idea: Unthinkable Sin Demands Unbelievable Justice. As it turns out, they can. If you were not able to make it to any of the services yesterday, please go listen to the sermon via Podcast or click here.

I love the idea of streamlining Pastor Jerry’s sermon with mine. We are also going to start conversation starters on the blog the following Monday. For all parents of children, here are the conversation starters:

  • When you are at school, and you see someone being bullied, what do you do?
  • Do you ever see a bully get away with their actions? Do they not get in trouble?
  • Do you think that is fair?
  • Read Habakkuk 1:1-4. Should Habakkuk speak to God in this way?
  • Have you ever felt like Habakkuk? A bully not getting in trouble? A sibling not getting in trouble?
  • What is Unthinkable Sin? (In Kids Worship we talked about all sin being “unthinkable.” For Habakkuk, there was violence and destruction. For us, it’s everyday sin. To God, there is no distinction. Sin is sin.)
  • Read Habakkuk 1:5-6. God is about to raise up a people for the sole purpose of destruction. Are the Israelites getting what they deserved?
  • What is Unbelievable Justice? 
  • If the Chaldeans were raised up to bring justice to the Israelites, who was raised up for us?
  • Do we get what we deserve? Does Jesus deserve it? (Illustration: If your sibling took a spanking that you deserved, how would that make you feel?)
  • Can God really love us so much, that he would send his only son to die for us? Yes.

 

Feel free to adjust accordingly with these questions. These are skeleton questions to help pursue meaty conversation with your children. Enjoy!

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Melting Ice

Has anyone ever wondered why trees grow straight up? They seem to defy gravity because they grow towards light (the Sun).

Light is a key piece in the process of photosynthesis. I’m not going to lecture you on botany, but it does raise some cool thoughts.

This morning when I woke up, the trees were white because of the ice that had overtaken them. Many of the trees were slumped over because the weight of the ice was too much for them to hold up.

As the Sun came out, the warmth began to hit the trees. Ice began to slowly melt away and fall to the ground. With every drop, the trees began to stand back up. It was amazing to watch this transformation take place.

We are like trees in that we get bogged down by too much weight. This weight is sin. This sin comes in many forms.

This sin keeps us from growing straight up to point to where the Son is.

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.  (Colossians 3:12-17 ESV)

Our help comes from the Lord. He is our Light. Just like the Sun is to trees, the Son is to us. Our goal is to live like Christ. Sin prohibits us.

Like the ice, sin weighs us down. Here are a few applications:

  1. Self Evaluation – Where are you spiritually? Do you feel as you are growing towards God, or is sin pulling you away?
  2. Prayer – If you are growing in your faith, pray that God continues to nourish you. If you are being pulled away by sin, ask God to “melt the ice” away.
  3. Do Not Be Discouraged – If you know you are being pulled away from God, do not allow be discouraged. Instead, have comfort in knowing that God loves you enough to not leave you where you are at.

You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13 ESV)

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Quick Thoughts While You Wait…

Some people are so excited that there is over a foot of snow on the ground. Some people wish the snow would just go away.

Regardless of where you stand on the topic, there is no denying the beauty of this white precipitation.

Yesterday, I walked out on to my porch and saw how perfect and smooth the snow lied in my yard. Untouched. It was beautiful.

Then after about 45 minutes of playing in the snow with my wife, I looked back on the snow that we had rolled in to make our snowman. We had ruined the perfect, smooth snow which lied in our yard.

What am I getting at?

Jesus paid it all.

All to Him I owe.

Sin had left a crimson stain.

He washed it white as snow.

This beautiful hymn that we sing comes to mind as I gaze at the snow. The snow lied perfectly until I messed it up. I made it dirty by stepping on it with my boots. I ruined the calm nature of it by rolling around in it.

I even tried to make my own creations in it: snow angel and snowman.

Here is the deal: only Jesus Christ can wash us and make us pure as snow. We cannot do it ourselves. We will fail miserably.

How thankful I am that because of His crimson blood, He washed me white as snow.

As you gaze out at the snow (regardless if you want it to go away or not), think about how Jesus has washed your sins away and given you a clean slate just like that smooth snow.

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Did You Know About The Sign?

Did you know about the sign????  What sign are you talking about?  The new Grace signs?  No!  The sign!!!!

Now, you are probably wondering why I had that ridiculous dialogue with myself.  With it being the Christmas season, we are going to talk a lot about the birth of Jesus. Did you know that he was a sign?

Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz,  “Ask a sign of the Lord your God;  let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.”  But Ahaz said,  “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.”  And he said,  “Hear then, O house of David!  Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also?  Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign.  Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel…” (Isaiah 7:10-14 ESV)

The popular song “Mary, Did You Know?” pops into my head when I think about this. Did you know that he would walk on water? Did you know that he would save our sons and daughters?

Did Mary know? I don’t know. But let me ask you a few questions:

Did you know that one of the names of Jesus is Immanuel? 

Did you know that Immanuel means “God with us”?

Did you know that God is always with us?

Did you know that Jesus was the embodiment of God dwelling with his people?

Did you know that Jesus is still alive and still with us?

Did you know that Christmas is more than trees and presents?

Did you know that we celebrate this holiday because we want to recognize the birth of Immanuel?

God loves you too much to leave you where you are at. If you are struggling with financial issues, heartbreak, or grief, please know the name Immanuel. This name is proof God will always be with us.

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Thanksgiving Tips

Who’s ready for some food??? I am!!!

Turkey, ham, dressing, green beans, corn, mashed potatoes, chicken casserole, and all the pies you can dream of. What a day tomorrow will be!

Are you salivating over it right now? Gosh, I’m too pumped. What I wouldn’t give to be eating that right now. Maybe that is the problem, though. Maybe I would give anything.

This is the time of the year where idolatry begins to be at an all time high. Think about how hard you cook and how hard you work to get everyone together. What about from now until Christmas? How hard will you work to get your children the best gifts?

What about you, kids? Are you going to throw a temper tantrum because you don’t get what you want for Christmas?

Please understand this is not a guilt trip. I just want to challenge the way you think about the holidays.

What are you willing to give up to have the perfect Thanksgiving? To have the perfect Christmas?

“When the Lord your God cuts off before you the nations whom you go in to disposes, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, take care that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods?–that I also may do the same.’ You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods.” (Deuteronomy 12:29-31 ESV)

I hope you read that entire passage. That is crazy. Basically God is warning his people not to follow the ways of the people they are coming into contact with because that is what he has commanded.

When you follow the ways of the people you come in contact with, it becomes idolatry. Your focus turns away from God, and it begins to turn towards cooking the perfect meal or getting the perfect gift.

Here are some tips for the holiday season:

  1. Don’t get overwhelmed. If your holiday experience is overshadowed by too much driving or worrying about getting to places on time, then you need to loosen up your schedule. You won’t enjoy your family if you are burned out once you get there.
  2. Be careful with finances. It can be so easy to spend more than you have for your kids. Think about this: the $60 game you bought for your child last year, does he still play it? Probably not. He has asked for the new version this year, right? Wait and buy it when you can budget it.
  3. Begin a budget for next year. If you know your child will ask for a new, expensive game for next year, put back a little bit every month so you won’t take a hit next year.
  4. Pray with your families. Thanksgiving is meant for QUALITY time with your family. Christmas is meant for celebrating the birth of Jesus. Either one gives you time with family. Pray with them. Love on them. Enjoy them.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow! May God bless your time with friends and family!

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Snakes On A…Fire?

Ok, I want everyone to close their eyes for just a second (How can I read with my eyes closed?). Just do as I say…So, imagine snakes were coming after you. Not just one snake. Imagine many snakes coming after you. Scary? Now, imagine these snakes were on fire. Scary now?

Lastly, imagine these snakes were sent by God to come after you. Now, I’m scared! The reality is that this happened.

Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. (Numbers 21:6 ESV)

Well that’s gloomy. You see, the people of Israel were complaining about Moses’ leadership as he led them around the land of Edom. They complained about the food and the water. Moses was leading them as God was leading him. God obviously did not appreciate his people’s lack of confidence.

How many times have you complained about something you have enough of?

I definitely complain about things that I have enough of. Just this past Tuesday I was talking with someone about fast food restaurants and how bad one of them is.

Hypothetical: If I was knocking on starvation’s door and this restaurant’s burger was the one thing keeping me alive, I would eat it. So, it can’t be that bad.

Just like the people of Israel, we complain about things we know will be provided. I thank God that He doesn’t send fiery snakes to bite me though!

So, after these snakes bit the people, they began to die. Moses prayed for them, and God gave Moses a specific command:

And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.”

Moses did just that. He made a bronze statue in the shape of a fiery serpent and set it on a pole for people to see. When they looked upon this bronze statue, the people who had been bitten and were dying from poison would live.

The statue was a symbol of salvation. How symbolic of a story: humans bitten by snake with venom, humans suffering from the consequences, and God providing salvation.

Our symbol of salvation is not a fiery, bronze snake. Our symbol is none other than Jesus Christ. Sin courses through our veins and we reap the consequences of this torment. Praise God that He allowed his son to take the sin off our shoulders.

How often do you look to our symbol of salvation?

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Too Young To Die

His nickname was “G.” G’Metrik Caldwell and I played football together in high school. He used to come over to my house and hang out. We were extremely good friends. He was one of the most amazing athletes I had ever seen.

Yesterday, G was shot and killed. This makes the second close friend in the past two months who have died. Nathan Horn died last month. Both are too young to die. Living in North Carolina allows me to be away from the situation, but the grief remains.

I loved both of these guys like brothers. I grew up with them. I lived life with them. I played sports with them. Here is the deal, God has a plan. These two men made bad choices. But don’t we make bad choices?

Everyday we are faced with choices. We never know when it is our time to go. Before I go, I want to know for sure that my sins, my bad choices, my failures, and my flaws are atoned for.

And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall fast and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you. For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse before the Lord from all your sins. (Leviticus 16:29-30 ESV)

This is known as the Day of Atonement. It is also known as Yom Kippur. God gave Aaron a long list of duties to perform in order atone for their sins. One of which is sacrificing a bull. When I say a long list, I mean a LONG list. There is so much for Aaron to do.

Why do I bring that up? I bring that up because these sacrifices point to the ultimate sacrifice. They point to the ultimate atonement that took place on Calvary.

As Aaron had a long check off list to perform, Jesus checked off the list for us. In one moment, he took all of your sins (past, present, and future) and wore them through pain and suffering. Nathan and G both knew Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. For that I am thankful.

Now, this I want to extend to you. Do you know Jesus? This is not a scare tactic to get you to believe in Jesus. The facts remain: death is inevitable and unexpected. Jesus offered his life to atone for your sins so that you might live with him for eternity.

Next Step: Prayer. If your children do not know Jesus, pray for them. If your parents do not know Jesus, pray for them. If your best friend does not know Jesus, pray for them.

I’m so thankful that Jesus is my Savior. He gives me hope beyond measure.

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Rules, Rules, Rules

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s. (Exodus 20:12-17 ESV)

Don’t do this. Don’t do that. Rules, rules, rules. This is one of the biggest hindrances for an atheist about Christianity. These final six commandments are the epitome of following orders.

“We should be able to do what we want because this is a free country!”

I’m sure you have heard that phrase before. But what would this world be without a little “Law and Order”? (See what I did there?) Seriously, though. The first four commandments deal with worshipping the one true God. The final six deal with the morality of our decisions. These are NOT unreasonable requests.

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. (Exodus 20:12 ESV)

Kids: This is an important commandment. One that you can’t stand sometimes. So let me ask you this:

Question: When should we obey our parents?

Talking Points: What if I told you there was a time you didn’t have to obey your parents? Do I have your attention now? Here is the answer…you should always obey your parents. The only exception to the rule is if your parents ask you to sin or do anything that contradicts these commandments.

If they ask you to take the trash, you take the trash. If they ask you to clean your room, you clean your room. You should obey them not only because they are an authority figure in your life, but also because God has commanded it.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s. (Exodus 20:17 ESV)

What does this mean? Don’t be jealous of stuff your friend has! An example: this past week, my friend got a new truck (beautiful truck). A truck that I want. I even told my friend that I was jealous. Should I be jealous? No. Why? Good question. Let’s talk about it!

Question: Why should I not be jealous of my friend’s new truck?

Talking Points: My first reason is found here in Scripture. God clearly commanded in this passage not to. No questions asked, right? Here is the skinny: my identity doesn’t need to be found in whatever car I drive. When I become jealous of my friend’s possessions, I place that possession above my desire for God. God has provided me what I need to live on. I shouldn’t crave more than I need. Instead, I need to be thankful that I have these things.

God should be my #1 at all times. Disobeying these commandments reveals the true nature of humanity: greed, idolatry, etc. These are things we try to fill in the void that lies in our hearts. These evils will never fill this void. Jesus Christ is the only one who can.

God sent him to die for us. This was done to forgive us of our greed, idolatry, etc. Thanks be to God that I have a good, good Father who loves me that much!

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A Divided Sea

When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly. (Exodus 14:5-8 ESV)

This is a dark time for the people of Egypt. This is directly after the ten plagues. The last of these plagues being the death of the firstborn; including Pharaoh’s firstborn. Through all of this pain and turmoil, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened.

It is interesting that God chose to harden Pharaoh’s heart. Question: Why did God harden Pharaoh’s heart?

Talking Points: One of the reasons God chose to harden Pharaoh’s heart was so that God could prove to them once more how powerful he is. Only God knew what was about to partake. He knew that Pharaoh would be filled with anger and would chase the Israelites. His anger led to the Israelites crossing the Red Sea

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. (Exodus 14:21 ESV)

What an amazing sight to see!! All Moses had to do was stretch his hand out over the water and God split the entire sea in half. There was dry land to walk on right in the middle of the schism.

Question: As an Israelite, how would you react to such an event?

Talking Points: The same God who performed the ten plagues and delivered you from Pharaoh has just split an entire sea in half. That would blow my mind. The power of God has no bounds. As creator of this world, he has complete control and dominion over its properties. It would be a fascinating site, but a little scary.

Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses. (Exodus 14:30-31 ESV)