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Made for Another World

Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6)

aotherworldTo be confident is to be persuaded–convinced. In a world of ever changing ideas and shifting cultural sands, it is a relief to know that you can be confident. Where does your confidence originate? Why can you be confident? Paul gives three reasons.

You can be confident because God started the work in you. If you know Christ it is because Christ drew you to Himself. You can no more initiate your own salvation than you can initiate your own physical birth. Jesus said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:44 ESV) You came to Christ because Christ called you. What a gracious God to begin such a work in you.

You can be confident because God finishes what he starts. He will be faithful to complete it. One translation renders this word “perform.” The word literally means “to make an end for oneself.” Your life is God’s opportunity to bring glory to Himself. And He will do that. He will accomplish His purposes in you so that He is glorified. And when He is glorified others are drawn to him.

You can be confident because Jesus is coming back. Until the day of Christ Jesus. God has an end for your life..a goal. And he has an end for all of creation. We see in this tiny verse the micro and macro plan of God. His micro plan is His plan for your life. He cares about every detail. His macro plan is his plan for all of creation. Colossians 1 says that “in him (Jesus) all things hold together.” God will ultimately bring all of this to an end…or rather to an amazing beginning.

C. S. Lewis said, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”

You are made for another world.

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And God is Able: A Rerun

god-is-ableAlmost a month ago this post was wildly popular. I thought you might need to be reminded again today.

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. (Romans 9:8, ESV)

And God is able. These four words must be imprinted on the hearts of every believer. These four words must be etched into the mind of every believer. And God is able.

When Abraham was told to leave the comforts of Mesopotamia and travel to the unknown land around the Dead Sea, his attitude was and God is able.

When Joseph was thrown into the pit, framed by Potiphar’s wife, and forgotten by Pharaoh’s butler his attitude was and God is able.

When Moses stood with more than a million of God’s people facing the Red Sea before him and Pharaoh’s army behind him, his response was and God is able. 

When Joshua saw the towering walls of Jericho and an untrained army he led called the people of Israel, his message to them was and God is able.

When David faced the taunts of the 9 foot giant Goliath, his words to him were and God is able.

When Daniel was dealt the unfair choice of praying to God or dying for his God, he chose to pray because he believed and God is able.

When young Mary was approached by the angel Gabriel announcing she would be the mother of the Son of God, her attitude was and God is able.

When Jesus was placed in the tomb, Satan danced, the disciples ran, the Pharisees celebrated and Rome gloated…but three days later the resounding message was and God is able.

Whatever you face today, whatever lies in front of you that you know about…and whatever you will face that you had no idea was coming…and God is able.

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Rebuking Who God Receives

Be honest. You met someone this week you don’t think God would accept. He smelled to bad. She talked too loud. She was unkept. He was uncouth. It never occurred to you to share the Gospel with them–you assumed they wouldn’t listen, or worse yet, were unworthy.

If you did, you’re not alone. So did Jesus’s close followers:

And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:46-47 ESV)

The fact that Mark names Bartimaeus means that he was well known. He was blind. He was a beggar. He was the town nuisance, the unattractive welcoming committee of one to Jericho. Their response to him was probably no new experience. As a matter of fact his response showed his disregard for their contempt.

And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:48 ESV)

They tried to quieten him. Little did they know they were interfering with an intervention.

And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way. (Mark 10:49-52 ESV)

Jesus asked him what appeared to be an obvious question: What do you want me to do for you? I’m so glad Bartimaeus didn’t ask for money! He wanted and expected healing. The people who once rebuked him now revered him. He immediately recovered his sight.

Aren’t you glad Jesus receives those others often rebuke.

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To Serve or To Be Served

Yesterday Wendy and I took Hannah to Greenville Spartanburg Airport. We sent her off on a one-month trek to Ecuador where she will hang with missionaries, share the Gospel, canoe the Amazon and hike an icy mountain. You can imagine the mixed emotions we had as we left her in the hands of her Intercultural Studies professor and a dozen other students.

When we left we went to a nearby restaurant and sat down to eat. We were a bit tired and emotionally drained. When we walked into the restaurant it never occurred to us to serve. We went there to be served. J. B., our waiter, brought us a menu, asked us what we wanted to drink, brought our ice waters (with lemon of course!) and took our order. He brought our food to us, refilled our waters and graciously waited on us. It never occurred to us that we should serve–we walked in there to be served.

When J. B. walked into that restaurant yesterday, it never occurred to him that he would be served. He came to serve. His sole purpose for coming to work yesterday was to serve.

Jesus can identify with J. B.

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45 ESV)

Jesus did not walk on planet earth to be served. It never occurred to him to sit down at the table and wait on someone to take his order. No! He entered planet earth to serve. He sat down at the well with the Samaritan woman. He fed thousands with a few loaves and fish. He cried over Lazarus’s death.  He donned a towel and washed the disciples’ feet. He hung humiliated on a wooden cross. He gave his life a ransom for many.

How will you walk into your day today? As a server or a customer?

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Son of God, Son of Man

son of manIn the Gospels Jesus referred to himself as the Son of Man 85 times. Why would the Son of God’s favorite designation for himself be Son of Man? In his conversation with the disciples in Mark 10 he gives us some insight:

And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:42-45 ESV)

The simple meaning of Son of Man is that Jesus was human. He was born of a woman like other men. He grew up like other children. He got hungry and thirsty. He experienced loneliness and exhilaration. He was the Son of Man.

Yet he was the Son of God. As the Son of God he was unlike any other human being. He was born of woman, conceived by the Spirit. He grew up like other children yet unlike other children. Luke tells the story:

After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:46-49 ESV)

As the Son of God he longed to be in His Father’s house.

Why would the Son of God’s favorite title for himself be, not the Son of God, but the Son of Man? Because he came, not to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. God, by his very nature, must be served. No one is higher than Him, no one more deserving of praise, no one more deserving of glory. He must be served.

In Jesus the served became the servant, the glorified became crucified, the holy was humiliated. At the very heart of Christianity is selfless service because we worship the Son of God who was the Son of Man.

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The Throne

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16 ESV)

A prayer from The Valley of Vision, a book of Puritan prayers and devotions:

O God of my delight,

Your throne of grace is the pleasure ground of my soul. Here I obtain mercy in time of need, here see the smile of your reconciled face, here joy pleads the name of Jesus, here I sharpen the sword of the Spirit, anoint the shield of faith, put on the helmet of salvation, gather manna from your Word, am strengthened for each conflict, nerved for the upward race, empowered to conquer every foe.

Help me to come to Christ as the foundation head of descending blessings, as a wide open flood-gate of mercy.

I marvel at my insensate folly that, with such enriching favors within my reach, I am slow to extend the hand to take them.

Have mercy upon my deadness for your name’s sake.

Quicken me, stir me, fill me with holy zeal. Strengthen me that I may cling to you and not let you go. May your Spirit within me draw all blessings from your hand. When I advance not, I backslide.

Let me walk humbly because of good omitted and evil done. Impress on my mind the shortness of time, the work to be engaged in, the account to be rendered, the nearness of eternity, the fearful sin of despising your Spirit.

May I never forget that your eye always sees, your ear always hears, your recording hand always writes.

May I never give you rest until Christ is the pulse of my heart, the spokesman of my lips, the lamp of my feet.

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How To Change

changeStudy God’s Word

On the second day the heads of fathers’ houses of all the people, with the priests and the Levites, came together to Ezra the scribe in order to study the words of the Law. And they found it written in the Law that the LORD had commanded by Moses that the people of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month, and that they should proclaim it and publish it in all their towns and in Jerusalem, “Go out to the hills and bring branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, as it is written.”

Obey God’s Word

So the people went out and brought them and made booths for themselves, each on his roof, and in their courts and in the courts of the house of God, and in the square at the Water Gate and in the square at the Gate of Ephraim. (Nehemiah 8:13-16 ESV)

Obey God’s Word With Others

And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in the booths, for from the days of Jeshua the son of Nun to that day the people of Israel had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing. (Nehemiah 8:17 ESV)

Do the Right Thing Again and Again

And day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. They kept the feast seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the rule. (Nehemiah 8:18 ESV)

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Ordination 101

Sunday we were privileged at Grace to ordain Gale Wilson and Adrian Early into Christian ministry. What a remarkable day as Grace affirmed God’s call on these men. My succinct definition of ordination is: a church affirming and confirming God’s call one someone’s life into the Gospel ministry. Some of you have been curious as to the questions Adrian and Gale answered. Here they are. Allow this to give you an appreciation for the preparation these two men made prior to Sunday.  Here goes.

Bibliology

  1. Special and general revelation
  2. Inspiration, inerrancy and infallibility
  3. Illumination and interpretation defined
  4. Is the canon closed, is revelation ongoing?

Theology Proper

  1. The Trinity
  2. Attributes of God.
  3. God as Creator.
  4. Decree, plan and will of God.

Christology

  1. Deity and attributes of Christ. His pre-existence.
  2. Incarnation and humanity
  3. Earthly ministry – purpose and activities.
  4. Death, resurrection, ascension and return.

Pneumatology

  1. Deity and “personhood.”
  2. His ministry related to Christ, believers and the world.
  3. Spiritual gifting
  4. Terms and concepts: Spirit baptism, indwelling, sealing, filling and fruit.

Angelology and Satanology

  1. Existence, creation and nature of angels.
  2. Holy angels – their purpose, work and ministry.
  3. Satan – who he is, his rebellion and fall, his present activity and judgment.
  4. Demons – their fall, work and judgment.
  5. Demonic oppression and possession – who can be possessed and how.

Anthropology and Hamartiology

  1. Theory of creation – literal, day/age, etc.
  2. The temptation and fall of man: original state, resultant state (sin nature), 
sin defined, the results of sin (penalty, depravity, inability).
  3. Transmission of sin: imputation, inheritance of sin.

 Soteriology

  1. Grace/works in salvation
  2. What is the basis and cause of our salvation?
  3. How does one become a Christian – what is man’s responsibility?
  4. The results of salvation.
  5. Terms: election, foreknowledge, security, redemption, reconciliation, 
propitiation, conviction, glorification, sanctification.

Ecclesiology

  1. Origin, essence and foundation of the church.
  2. Christ as Head, purpose and ministry of the church.
  3. Church leadership and government.
  4. Church ordinances.

Eschatology

  1. Death and resurrection.
  2. The Great Tribulation – purpose, time and participants.
  3. Rapture and the Second Coming of Christ.
  4. Eternal state, new heaven and earth.

Please congratulate Adrian Early (adrian@graceforall.org) and Gale Wilson (wildlifewilson@hotmail.com).

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I Wonder What Would Happen

Wonder with me what would happen this Sunday in churches across our troubled, needy world if…

  • unity-hands-796x450The people gathered as one man  And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. (Nehemiah 8:1a) What if the rich and poor, black and white, educated and uneducated, healthy and unhealthy, grieving and rejoicing, Republican and Democrat, simple and wise, came together laying aside all differences. What if no one noticed clothes or cars, skin color or diplomas earned, political affiliation or personal taste. What if God’s people Sunday gathered with no distinction except for being the people of God.
  • The people had one desire And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the LORD had commanded Israel. (Nehemiah 8:1b) 45,000+ people gathered with one request of Ezra, their priest and scribe. Bring out the book! They wanted to hear from God. This marked a significant departure from Israel’s normal form of worship. Prior to this, their focus was on the temple with its grandeur and glory. Though the temple had been rebuilt, it wasn’t near as grand nor glorious as it once was. Their attention now turned to the Book, God’s law he had given them through Moses.

So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. (Nehemiah 8:1-3 ESV)

  • The people had one response  And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood. And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground. (Nehemiah 8:5-6 ESV) They worshiped God. When they heard the words of God, they worshiped God. They didn’t look at their watches, play games on their smart phones, wonder where their neighbor bought the outfit they were wearing. They fell on their faces in awe of reverence of their great God. They worshiped the God of the book.

I wonder what would happen this Sunday if people showed up as one man with one desire and one response.

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Building God a Platform

And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose. (Nehemiah 8:4 ESV)

The returned exiles built a platform so that their pastor/scribe could climb it, open the scroll of God’s law, and read it. They made it for that purpose.

It’s Monday. The week is young, the weekend is over. You’re back in the swing of things. Before the week begins, grab a hammer and some nails and build God a platform to reveal Himself to you through His Word. You won’t need a real hammer–nails won’t help either. Here are the materials and tools you need:

  • An open heart. Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things from your law. Psalm 119:18
  • An open schedule.  My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you. For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. (Isaiah 26:9 ESV)
  • God’s Word. How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. (Psalm 119:9 ESV)

Seek God on purpose this week.