 What in the world is going on!?
Answered in Psalm 2 - This first question makes it seem like the world is a victim to the things that are happening in it. That is not the right question. Psalm 2: “Why are the nations in an uproar, and the people’s devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed saying, ‘Let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us.’” The question is why the nations, peoples, kings and rulers are raging against God. You see He is creator and owner of it all. He revealed Himself to us through the Bible and made a way for us to know Him. He also revealed to us the morality by which we are to live. That’s where it gets dicey, because the nations, peoples, kings and rulers want to make their own rules - and live by their own ideas of morality. That is why they rage against the Lord and against His Anointed (that is His Messiah - who is Jesus). What in the world is going on? The same thing that has been going on since the garden. We want to make up our own morality that suits us. When God speaks truth to us - and that presents a morality contrary to how we want to live, we rage against God. We do not see His ways as right (He calls it righteous) and instead of being freed from our selfish, self-centered ways, we call God’s ways fetters - we call them cords that tie us up and enslave us. We want to see them torn apart and thrown away. So . . . when He tells us that we have sinned - we rage against that. Then, we target God’s morality (righteousness) and tear it apart and throw it away from us. When He says that there is a judgment coming - we rage against that. When He says that He has made a way for sin to be paid for - we rage against that. When He says that there is only ONE way for sin to be paid for - and to be made right with God - we rage against that. Then, in one last act of rebellion - we deny God even exists - we deny His Word is true and authoritative - we tear it up - and we throw it, and even Him away. So . . . what in the world is going on? The same old thing. Humanity rages against God and Christ Jesus. They don’t want Him or His morality (He calls it righteousness) and so - they do whatever they want. That selfishness has morphed into every problem that is happening. Selfish people, who do not want God or His ways rage against Him - and eventually fight with each other because . . . their selfish. And - voila - we have our current world.
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 Earlier in the week an official of our government led a prayer and ended by saying, Amen - and Awomen. I’m fairly certain that it was meant to be a political statement in support of women - or some form of proof of how “woke” this person was. Whatever it was means little to me. One thing I know it was - a sign of biblical ignorance of what the word “amen” means. And, since the use of and definition of that word falls within the sphere of what I am called to do (which is faithfully study so as to teach the Bible to others), I thought it appropriate to offer some instruction as to what “amen” means, as well as how it is used in the Bible. For those hoping for a political commentary, you will be greatly disappointed, but for those wanting to understand God’s revelation of Himself, I hope it is a great blessing! WHERE DID AMEN ORIGINATE? The word “amen” originated in the Hebrew Old Testament. It was a word that came into usage because God gave it as He revealed Himself through those He inspired to write down the Old and New Testaments. Amen is an adverb that has the basic meaning of “verily or truly.” (From The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old Testament). The word is used to make the declaration, “May it be so,” and it is said to support what has been said as being faithful and true. This was the case no matter what the subject of the statement was. The first usage of “amen” might shock some. It was not used at the close of a prayer, but rather at the end of a curse on those who disobeyed God in a number of ways. That was the case in both Numbers and Deuteronomy 27, where 12 times a statement was made about how someone was cursed because of their actions - and the reply every time was “amen.” Additional places were “amen” was used was in affirmation of a prophecy that was given, such as in Jeremiah 28:6 where Jeremiah used the word sarcastically to a false prophecy that was given by Hannaniah, a false prophet. The word is used numerous times in the Psalms and elsewhere when God is praised and worshipped. In Psalm 89:52 it is used twice, “Blessed be the Lord forever! Amen and Amen.” Thus it was a way of adding one’s voice to praise given to God already by another. THE GOD OF AMEN One of the most fascinating uses of “amen” is when God called Himself, the God of amen. In Isaiah 65:16 we read these words, “Because he who is blessed in the earth Will be blessed by the God of truth; And he who swears in the earth Will swear by the God of truth; Because the former troubles are forgotten, And because they are hidden from My sight!” The context of this passage is God promising blessing to His servants who follow Him fully, versus the curse that will come upon those who disobey God. The one’s who obey, look to God and His Word for direction and truth, while the ones who disobey, think everything happens by chance or some sort of destiny - as they are putting out sacrifices to those false gods for their future. God speaks on this matter as the God of truth, which is literally the God of amen. Thus to say “amen” meant that you were saying that what was previously said is true - absolutely so. God Himself is the God of amen - the God of Words and promises that WILL come to pass - that can be relied upon. There is one other place God is called by this name. In Revelation 3:14, Jesus is called, The Amen. Here is the passage. “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this . . . “ (Revelation 3:14, NASB) Jesus is the AMEN! He is the One Who Himself is certified, absolute truth! He speaks the truth - and has been a faithful and true Witness to God. That is because He is God. JESUS AND AMEN THE most fascinating use of the word Amen, though, comes from the use our Lord Jesus made of the word. Jesus uses “amen” more than anyone else in Scripture. It was common for rabbis to use the word “amen” to emphasize something very important they were about to teach. The phrase closest to what they would say was, “Amen, I say to you.” When those listening to the rabbi would hear that phrase, it was like a bell or horn going off giving them a heads up that what they would say next would be very important. In the 3 synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) Jesus used this manner of teaching 53 times. But as a rabbi, a teacher, this was not particularly out of the ordinary. What was completely outside the ordinary was that Jesus used the phrase “Amen, amen, I say to you,” 25 times when teaching in the Gospel of John. If a Jewish man or boy were to hear amen used twice like this they would have cocked their head sideways and listened with rapt attention, because no rabbi had ever said THAT before! What did Jesus say in John when He spoke in that way? I’ll only list some here, because the article would be way too long to list all of them. “Truly, Truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3 - Unless you are born again, you are not saved! If you are - you’ll see the kingdom of God! “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” John 5:24 - If you hear Jesus Word and believe God sent Him - you have eternal life - you won’t come into judgment - and you have passed out of death to life spiritually! “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.” John 5:25 - Yeah - pretty wild - Jesus actually said he will speak - and the dead will be raised! “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.” John 6:47 - Kinda simple - but - you believe in Jesus - you have eternal life! “Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.” John 8:34 - That “I am free” stuff - only applies to those who have been delivered from the slavery of sin! ““Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death.” John 8:51 - Like this one! You keep Jesus Word - you won’t ever see death! ““Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” John 8:56-58 - This is one of Jesus’ strongest claims to be God - so strong that they picked up stones to stone Him to death. Yes, Jesus is saying HE personally SAW ABRAHAM! Again, only God in the flesh could make that statement. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.” John 14:12 - Greater works because we believe in Him - WOW! “In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.” John 16:23-24 - The resurrection will prove to us anything we ask for in Jesus’ name (meaning was ask for it - and it is what Jesus desires for us), we will receive. He wants us to have fullness of joy in Him! SO WHAT ABOUT THE WORD “AMEN”? So . . . after learning all this we need to ask ourselves a question. What should we know and do about the word “amen”? First, we should know it has nothing to do with gender. It is a Hebrew word that meant “so be it” or “Truth.” It is used to emphasize to others the truthfulness of what God has said. That is the case whether it is something good or it is something that speaks of judgment. It is a word we can say to emphasize to others how worthy of praise, thanks, worship, adoration, and honor God is! It is a word we can use to agree with those who are saying something true and right. All these are proper ways to use the word “amen.” But, honestly, for me, the study of the word “amen” has come to be a reminder, a glorious reminder of Who Jesus is, and what Jesus has come to do in me. May that be the way that “amen” hits you from this moment on as well. I serve the God of amen, He sent His Son, “The Amen,” and if I believe on Him and keep His Word and look to Him, I will be saved, have eternal life, and will never die! Amen and Amen!  What matters? That is an interesting question I’ve asked myself (or maybe God has been asking me in my heart). For the last several days I’ve wondered what truly matters – as well as – how can I live for what matters each day I have left to live on this earth.
Here is the most important question to be answered each and every day. Is there a God? That is the ultimate question. If there is not a God, everything degenerates into either ultimate meaninglessness or into some kind of deification of the self. If there is no God – then we are here truly by accident. There is no reason we exist – and no reason for us to live or die. We are a cosmic accident that will come and go with no reason to be – no reason to live – and no reason to care about it. That is difficult to deal with. Actually, it is impossible to deal with as an ultimate truth. Ask any true nihilist and they will testify to that with either their own suicide or with their descent into insanity. Because that answer is so devastating, most of humanity has gone in another direction. They have decided to deify themselves. Basically, the most important thing in the world is my own happiness and fulfillment. Since no one will live this way – deifying me – then I will have to deify myself. I have my own truth. I have my own meaning. Dude, I have my own morality, gender, purpose – all of which can change in a moment’s notice if my god (which is me, by the way) decides he or she needs to for some reason – or no reason at all. When this is the case the world becomes a place filled with myopic, naval-gazing, self-oriented, and self-worshipping fools who think life is little more than living for the next happy moment or the next shiny thing that catches one’s attention. It is no wonder than that those who choose the deification of self eventually become unfulfilled, selfish brats who are angry because everyone and everything does not live to fulfill them in whatever they’ve decided will fulfill them in that particular moment. Madness. Is there a God? The answer to that question is a resounding, “Yes!” The existence of a creation begs the existence of a Creator who made it. Since the creation all around us is so vast in its size, and yet seemingly endlessly detailed in its microscopic parts, the One who made it is of a genius so far beyond our capability of understanding that we shrink in comparison infinitely to Who that One is. The fact that humankind in all their philosophic, scientific, and theological pursuit has barely scratched the surface of the information available in creation humbles us. The truly wise one will bow in adoration and worship of the infinite genius, infinite power, and infinite vastness of the God Who made the universe and all that is in it. For humankind to arrogantly say that there is no God – when we don’t understand even one trillionth of what is around us or in us - is the height of egotistical hubris. The fact though is that there is plenty of this arrogance anywhere you look. So we need more than just the fact of God’s existence. We need some sort of communication from Him. Something that we could know is from Him – and then something that would reveal Who He is, what He does, and whether He is currently actively working in our world. That is what we will deal with in next week’s article. Until then – take a few moments to look up – look around – look at the grand vastness of what God has made. Then – look smaller, at microscopic creation with its own version of tiny vastness. Consider the astounding complexity and yet unity of it all – both to the ends of the universe, as well as, to the inner ends of the micro-verse. Consider the infinite wisdom and intellect needed to create it all. Once you’ve done this, do something infinitely wise. Humble yourself, bow down on your knees, and worship God, the Creator of it all. By doing this, you will have answered and responded to the most important question there is to ask. Is there a God?  Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. May God grant you joy in knowing that as a believer in Jesus Christ you dwell in a glorious Lordship, no matter what earthly political system you live under.
Hooray for the Lordship of Jesus Christ! Today as I remembered the fact that Jesus is Lord (not we make Him Lord – that is unbiblical) I was honestly filled with joy! If you are like me you’ve been living in a world that has been dominated lately with talk of who will be our leader and president after November 3rd. I can tell you with absolute certainty that I have no idea who is going to win that contest. But regardless of who does win that election, it will not alter for one millisecond Who is Lord. Christians have lived under every kind of political system under the sun. The early church lived under a Roman system that eventually was ruled by a dictatorship (or Caesar – it honestly was the same thing). There were some real doozies who ruled the Roman Empire. There was Claudius and Nero, Domitian and Trajan, Marcus Aurelius and Septimus Severus, Decius and Valerian, and then Diocletian and finally Constantine I, who supposedly converted to Christianity. Some of these leaders persecuted Christians with great passion, while others considered them more of a nuisance. The early church did not ever know any kind of “rights-based” democracy or republic. But, then again, they already knew the One Who is Lord. Jesus Christ ruled their lives in the midst of life in the Roman empire. How did these brothers and sisters fare with such a horrible political situation? Oh, they did well as they saw the Gospel of Jesus Christ represented all over the empire. They lived with the command of God to honor their leaders (yep, even Nero and Caligula), pray for them, and submit to the governing authorities unless doing so meant denying Christ. Then they chose to honor and obey God rather than man. They did not try to start a revolution – unless you mean the one that overtook those who came to Christ. In them a revolution took place in their heart as their heart of stone was removed and they received a heart of flesh. They experienced a revolution where their hearts and loyalties were turned to Christ Jesus, their new Lord. They loved Him, lived for Him, and spread the good news about Him all over the empire. When faced with the choice of bowing their knee and saying Caesar is Lord, the chose imprisonment and death rather than deny their only Lord, Jesus Christ. The majority did not endure that fate. They simply lived out their lives under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Ultimately He was the one they looked to and obeyed as they lived out the days appointed for them. They endured the kings and kingdoms of men, knowing that the day would come when the kingdoms of this world would become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. This revolution has had its adherents in every nation, tribe, and tongue. Each has known the replacement of self on the throne of their lives by the Lord Jesus Christ taking His rightful place. The result of that wonderful change has been salvation from sin and the specter of the wrath of God at the end of the age. The result has also been a radical change in how one views and lives in this present evil age. Elections continue in the earthly realm – with rulers taking their place for a brief breath of time. Kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall in the current age – and within those kingdoms, nations, and empires the true church continues to obey her Lord as she awaits the day He returns. No matter who wins this election, on November 4th every true believer in Jesus Christ will not know any change in who they ultimately obey. They system under which they live and labor for Christ may change, but their Lord will remain the same. Throughout today this fact has comforted my heart in ways that cannot be understood except by fellow Christians. I do not live in fear of what the future ultimately holds. I do not live with a sense of dread any more if who I vote for does not win the election. Because all I’m doing is voting for one who will be an earthly leader who will live, die, and face the same judgment all other men and women will face. My Lord will not be altered – nor can He be. On November 4th I will awaken much like I’ve awakened to other days in this life God has given me. I will turn to the same God who has created all things – and thank Him for the day He has made – and make the conscious choice to rejoice in it. I will turn to His Word and fellowship with Him through it, relying on His Holy Spirit to teach and lead me through whatever day comes. I will hopefully submit to Him in all that I do and say that day so as to honor and glorify Him by living in a manner worth of the Gospel I’ve received – and worthy of the Lord Who has saved me. The world will most likely be in some sort of upheaval. The world is like that because it continues in ungodliness and unrighteousness – and disobedience to the One Who IS Lord. My goal on that day will be to love God with all my heart, love my neighbor as myself, share the Gospel with those who do not know Christ, and make disciples of Jesus Christ. The reason we can know such peace . . . is because we know the Prince of Peace. The reason we can walk in stability regardless of how unstable everything is around us . . . is because we know the Lord, who gives us a kingdom that cannot be shaken. This will not change no matter who is elected president of the United States.  Have you ever been Discouraged? I think just about everyone has. Did you know that you don't have to remain in a discouraged state? That may not be something you know. If you need an encouraging word - then read what is below!
In 1 Samuel 17 we read the historical account of David as he met Goliath in battle. Before David faced down this Philistine giant of a man, the Israelites had to listen to him daily berate them as well as the Lord their God. We read that as he came and trash-talked them day after day they became discouraged. Each day they would approach the battle site – and each day they would retreat from it when he would come and demand someone to fight him. By the time that David came to the camp to learn of the condition of his brothers who fought with Israel, it had been 40 days that they experienced this scenario. Needless to say, their discouragement was great. What exactly is discouragement? Well, honestly, the word itself is little more than the word courage with the prefix dis- attached to it. Dis- simply means the lack of something or the opposite of it. They had lost their courage. They no longer had any courage when it came to their circumstances on that battlefield. A massive man – a professional warrior – was asking for a single person to come and fight him. Even the king, Saul, who stood head and shoulders above anyone else in Israel, had his courage leave him at the thought of a man-on-man fight with this guy. But something happened when David walked into the camp. He came to the front lines that day and saw the same thing all the other soldiers saw. He heard the same thing all the other soldiers heard. But there was one thing David did see on that day that all the others had lost sight of in their minds. David still saw God – and – God was bigger than Goliath! We have a principle at work here! If you want to be discouraged – keep looking at your problems. This has a corollary as well – if your problem seems very large – continue mentioning how big it is over and over again. If you do NOT want to be discouraged – keep your eyes, your focus on God. Compared to Goliath David was a runt. I mean no disrespect towards David in saying this. When David came out to fight him without any armor – without a sword or a spear. When he came out with a shepherd’s sling and a bag filled with 5 stones, (1 for Goliath – and four for his ugly brothers if they came too) Goliath was pretty ticked off and considered his very appearance an insult to him. David had fought other giants in his day. He fought a hairy one that took one of his father’s sheep in a very bear-like fashion because, in fact he was a bear. He also faced another monster that took one of his father’s sheep. Some think this thief didn’t walk in the truth – but that was just because he was a lion. (Sorry, couldn’t help myself) Both times David looked to God and saw that through Him he could rescue his father’s sheep. He killed both the lion and the bear and rescued his father’s sheep from them. All this current situation was to David was another one in which his Father’s sheep were in danger because of another bear/lion like predator that was seeking to take them. Just as God helped him with his father’s enemies, the lion and the bear – so God would help him as he fought his heavenly Father’s adversaries as well. Was David experiencing some fear or trepidation when he went to battle? It doesn’t seem like it. But that was because he wasn’t looking at the giant who cast a shadow over him – he was looking at the faithful God who cast an infinite shadow over the tiny giant before him. Where did David get this kind of perspective? David was a Jewish boy. As such he had heard the history of his people as it was read by the priests and repeated by his parents. He knew of a nation of slaves who defeated the mightiest military of their day by looking at God rather than focusing on them. He knew of a leader who did not cower before a mighty walled city named Jericho. That leader focused on the God who told him to march around the city until they were good and tired. Then they were to shout and blow trumpets at the city. Those God-directed actions allowed them to see, not the walls, but the Wall-smasher. Over and over again David had heard of those who didn’t look at their situation, but who looked at their God. Those who did this – were “couraged.” I know that is not an actual word – but I hope it speaks to you. When you look at your circumstances and make much of them – your courage will be taken. You will be discouraged. But when you face obstacles that loom before you and you choose instead to see the infinitely powerful, infinitely mighty, infinitely great, infinitely wise God instead, you will be “couraged.” How do we do this? We do it by daily seeking God’s face. We do it by daily pursuing an appointment in the presence of our God. We do it by seeking first His kingdom and His glory – and He adds to us the things that we need in life. We don’t let tomorrow (or today for that matter) to dominate our field of view. Such, there are things in many of our tomorrows that are HUGE! There are many things in a perceived future moment that seem bigger than what we can handle. There are things that send our emotions into a frenzied panic – making us want to run and hide. But here is a truth you should write down somewhere. “You don’t have to act how you feel.” Too many people today think that they are controlled by how they feel. They think this way so much that their “feels” make them blind to anything else in life. “Don’t confuse me with facts,” they say, “this is how I feel!” To suggest to them that they don’t have to act how they feel is an insult to them – for to them they are their feelings. “To not act how I feel would be to act like a phony,” they say. The truth is that we have the ability to say no to our feelings and choose to act another way. This is not being phony. It is being responsible. When one gives in to the false logic that says one HAS to act according to their feelings – they will find a multitude of things that will discourage them. Their courage will be robbed from them as they tremble at their circumstances and difficulties, hoping that someone, anyone will come along and deliver them from their feelings. We overcome this slavery to feelings by turning to God in our need. With our focus no longer on the problem or the feelings it engenders, we begin looking to God and listening to Him. He tells us to “take courage” for He has overcome the world. The more we look to Him and what He has said and promised, the more we experience encouragement. It is then that we can overcome discouragement. We do it by looking to Him – listening to Him – and responding to Him and what He says. We no longer live by our “feels” but by a responsibility to obey God. We respond to God who tells us our responsibility to do what He says. Thus, we learn that we don’t have to act how we feel – we act according to our responsibility. We act according to what it means to be a responsible child of God. We act according to what it means to be a responsible servant of God. That allows us to be a responsible parent, a responsible child, a responsible employer or employee, and any other role or task that God calls us to be responsible to do. We’re just responsible. So, the next time you face a situation where your feelings try to dominate you and lead you to discouragement, look past your situation to your God. Focus on Him and you will no longer be discouraged. To the contrary – you will be very “couraged.”  This Thursday we will most likely be celebrating Thanksgiving with family or friends – or both. There are many takes on this holiday. Some come from the perspective of the Pilgrims who came to North America, while others speak of blessings that we have in our lives. For many years I was part of a tradition where after the Thanksgiving meal we would go around the table and say something we were thankful for in our lives. What I endeavor to do today is to look at Thanksgiving from an Evangelical Perspective, i.e. from the perspective of the Gospel. Let’s begin with a look at where we are first. What I mean by this is the fact that according to the Scriptures we live in a fallen, Genesis three world. Our very first relatives, Adam and Eve, chose to disobey God and rebel. That plunged the world into sin and the subsequent mess caused by death’s unwelcome entrance into God’s creation. If that is not enough, there is also the fact of spiritual death that happened as well. The Bible is clear that we all are dead in trespasses and sins. Here is the stark reality of where every single human being stands before God. We are sinful, spiritually dead, and seriously in danger when we die and stand before God on the day of judgment. I realize at this point, if you are still with me, that you may be thinking, “THIS is a Thanksgiving article?” It is, but first we have to grasp why we should be thankful. Knowing the truth, even when it is difficult truth to swallow, is key to truly being thankful. “But God,” is where Paul takes us after learning the difficult truth of our state before God prior to the Gospel. Ephesians 2:4-5 reminds us, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).” In a moment of glorious, blindingly brilliant mercy and love, grace steps into our lives. In that wonderful moment God makes someone who is dead in sin, alive in Christ. Let this be a Thanksgiving passage for all of us. Let’s look at what we have to be thankful for, regardless of our current circumstances. God does this, “being rich in mercy.” Let’s consider that for a moment. God is rich in, “not giving us what we truly deserve.” Consider this past year and take a moment to remind yourself how often you’ve sinned. Even more consider, using the 10 commandments, how much you had sinned prior to His grace saved you. I’ve done this and the 10 commandments alone have yielded knowledge of 10’s of thousands of sins, committed in my actions, thoughts, and attitudes. Yet the reality is that God did not ever break into my life and truly give me what my sins deserved. This “rich in mercy” God lavished the wealth of His forbearance and kindness on me year after year before I was saved, and He continues to pour it out on me even after I’ve been saved. Oh, how thankful I am for the mercy of God! God also does this, “because of His great love with which He loved us.” God loves you. He loved you before you ever gave a thought of loving Him. He loved and loves you even when you do not love Him. And let us be reminded that love is a selfless action where one chooses to give to another, regardless of whether they ever get anything back. Love is giving what is truly the best to the one loved. Romans 5:8 reminds us that, “. . . God demonstrates His own love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” When did Jesus die? He died physically outside Jerusalem around year 33 AD, but we should remember that He was the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. God’s love has been an eternal reality, something we can be confident of beyond the reach of time itself. This love was never dependent on us doing something to deserve it. Contrary to that, His love was given in spite of what we have done. Paul wrote to the Ephesians that God’s love is a “great” love. God is the One who has “mega-loved” us. The word for love is the Greek word, “megas” from which we get our term, mega. So, remember this Thanksgiving, you’ve been mega-loved this past year. More than this, there has never been any moment in history, and even outside of history where you were not “mega-loved” by God. We should remind ourselves of this as we gather with loved ones this year at Thanksgiving. Go ahead and add it to your prayer around the table. “Thank you, God, for mega-loving us this year, just like you have mega-loved us from before time began, and, just like You will mega-love us forever and ever! God loved us, “even when we were dead in our transgressions.” Here is another word, “transgressions.” What does it mean? The word means to do something wrong, to willfully disobey someone, and it carries the reality of guilt and consequence. Here is where Thanksgiving “gospel-style” gets REAL! We were sinners who deserved punishment – period. We chose to disobey because we wanted our own way instead of God’s way. This has led to guilt. There was not going to be a plea deal. There was not going to be a technicality. There was not even going to be a pardon from the governor or the president. We were going to be punished, eternally. This is where I am so thankful that this passage began with the phrase, “But God.” This act of mercy. This act of mega-love. This happened when I was a guilty sinner who deserved punishment in the most “slam-dunk” case of all history. It is the same for all of us. To understand where this put us, we also need to understand that this word is the opposite of the word “justify,” which means to declare that someone is righteous or right. We were not right with God, and because of our transgressions, there was no way that we could ever be declared righteous on the basis of our own works or supposed goodness. To say we were doomed is the understatement of all eternity. But . . . even when we were in that state before God, He made us alive together with Christ – by grace we have been saved. I know it is terrible English – but it is wonderful gospel to say – this is where the Gospel gets even “REAL-ER!” With no hope of ever being declared righteous before God – and – knowing that such a fate means we would be damned immediately on the last day – God chose instead to make us alive together with Christ! That meant that the sin price would have to be paid by another. That meant that we would have to be declared righteous with someone else’s righteousness. And . . . that is exactly what God did. Here is a glorious truth for which we need to be thankful every day of our lives. Even in that horrific state God chose to make us alive, to give us His grace, and to declare us righteous. He provided for this by having Jesus take up our sin, pay the full price for it, and die. He then resurrected Him from the dead. Now, we can be declared righteous, not with our own righteousness, but with one God gives us. He gives us a righteousness by grace through faith, and it will stand forever before Him. I know that this is a theological article. I also know that our minds will be filled with many messages over the next several days. Thanksgiving preparations, Macy’s Day Parade, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, college football, pro football, basketball tournaments, kids’ presentations, and a host of other things will vie for our attention. But I want to encourage you to take some time and walk through an “evangelical perspective of Thanksgiving.” Do it personally and do it with your family and friends. There are many smaller things for which we should be thankful. We should consider our blessings. But what greater blessing is there than being a recipient of mercy, mega-love, life, and grace? I’ll finish the article with a simple quote from the apostle Paul, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.” Happy Thanksgiving precious saints of God!  "Or who enclosed the sea with doors When, bursting forth, it went out from the womb; When I made a cloud its garment And thick darkness its swaddling band, And I placed boundaries on it And set a bolt and doors, And I said, 'Thus far you shall come, but no farther; And here shall your proud waves stop'?“ Job 38:8-11
We take water for granted, and yet if we stopped and thought about its rarity in the universe we would be filled with wonder as to its presence and origin. So far, in all the exploration of the solar system and space beyond it, we’ve not found water on any planet. Ours is the only one with water on the surface in abundance – and an atmosphere that is perfectly in balance to maintain water on it. So, before we begin to think that we’ve got wisdom enough to run our own lives – we ought to also consider the water on our planet and God’s orchestration of it by creation and by wisdom in how it works in our world. The language used here is not limited to describing water in its current state. God speaks of how the sea burst forth through doors and out of the womb in the earliest moments of creation. Some creation scientists postulate that there was a different way that water worked in the Eden environment. There was no rain until the time of Noah. The water cycle before that time involved a mist that would arise and water everything on the planet. This would explain the lush green forests that have been found in the midst of the icy confines of the polar caps. The event by which these seas burst forth through their “doors” is the flood. Again creation scientists have a theory that the earth was surrounded by a water vapor canopy that not only allowed for a worldwide tropical climate, but also blocked UV rays to the point where people would not age as they do now. The third thing this would provide for is a rain event that would flood the entire earth under enough water so that everything would die except those preserved on the Ark which Noah built at God’s direction. That flood would have happened at the same time that massive earthquakes (described in Genesis as “all the fountains of the great deep bursting open.”) would have opened up fissures in the earth where massive underwater reservoirs would have let loose their water into the seas, helping the earth flood greatly. This cataclysmic event would have radically changed the face of the planet. At the end of this event God describes the way that he established boundaries for the water where the water’s proud waves would have to stop. We consider all that we see with our current lakes, rivers, and oceans a given – and yet to begin to comprehend how God gave us these things is beyond our understanding. Water, and the current water cycle, was set into place. Thus we’ve had water ever since. But as to how it got here – we are clueless. Why our planet alone has it like this is even a greater mystery. So we have an all-powerful God by whose wisdom all that we see was put into place. We have an all-wise God who gave it to us according to a sheer genius that is beyond anything we could ever conceive. When we go to the beach – the water comes in waves and crashes against the beaches of the planet. Why it works this way – and how it came to be this way is attributable to God alone. The utter brilliance that formed it and fashioned it is also the same utter brilliance that manages our days according to the will and purpose of God. That, hopefully, is of great comfort to you. It was meant to be. Remember that the next time you go to the beach.  Part 3 of Meeting God
A Series of Articles on Job 38-42 God has a very powerful way of bringing Job to a place where he acknowledges that he may have a limited perspective on things. Job has experienced suffering at a level few humans can even grasp. In the midst of dealing with his suffering Job was visited by his “friends.” As their question and answer sessions proceeded, Job was eventually accused of wickedness and sin, which they believed brought on Job’s sufferings. In the back and forth that ensued, Job called upon God as his witness to defend and verity his innocence. Now God has “shown up” - literally. He will eventually vindicate Job, but before He does, He asks Job a few questions to help him with perspective in his situation. That often is our problem in the midst of suffering. We battle with wondering whether we have done something sinful that brought our situation to pass. We struggle with the thought that we are being punished and that God is angry with us. That is why we are suffering. For those who have not committed a sin that is being visited with discipline, things are even more difficult. And it is in navigating those difficulties that we can lose perspective and begin to wonder about God Himself. We can even toy with questions about His sovereignty and management of our providential circumstances. God does come to Job spectacularly - and He will come to us as well. The thing is that if we expect Him to explain Himself in the matter, we may be greatly disappointed. God comes, not to explain Himself to us, but to reveal Himself to us - and that is what He does with Job. God reveals Himself with a series of questions. His first is this: “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” Wow, now there is a doozy of a question right at the start. Where exactly were you when I started it all? When the foundation for all that you know, see, and experience was laid? I didn’t see you there. That is a question that honestly needs to be asked, not just of Job, but on a much larger scale - to all of humanity (especially of those who are scientists). God reveals Himself to us in ways we can grasp and here, God uses building terms to help Job grasp what He is saying. The Lord first speaks of laying a foundation. Yet, we know that there are no pillars or supports on which the earth rests - no massive Titan who carries the earth upon his shoulders. Job understood that because he said in 26:7 that God, “hangs the earth on nothing.” This is poetic language and as such we need to be careful not to understand it in a literal way. In fact, what we see here is God using building terms such as . . .
All these terms were used in building structures for mankind. Footings had to be dug, measurements made, lines stretched to establish plumb, a cornerstone put into place off of which the walls and foundation would be laid. These are all things the construction industry would do. But how exactly would this be done on a world scale? How would this be done for the entire universe? It is quite a task when a man would attempt to build a home. It could take months or years based on the size of the home or the structure. Solomon’s temple took seven years to construct. Multiply that times a trillion to just get things started when you think of the earth and the solar system. But that is what God is asking Job. This is a question impossible to answer with the understanding of Job’s day - but take a moment and consider that question in light of the Hubble space telescope. Consider the wisdom needed to intricately lay the paths of a trillion stars and planets. That isn’t even a trillionth of what is actually in the heavens. Were you there when God made all of this? Where were you? Exactly. You didn’t even exist except in the future understanding and plan of God - Who by the way, made it all. What is fascinating about the four chapters in Job we are considering is that God does not use them to answer the reason behind Job’s suffering and pain. He does not use them to explain the circumstances of Job’s trouble. In the end what God does is to ask Job whether He is as great, eternal, wise, powerful, good, and perfect as God Himself. That may seem like far less than Job should receive. But Job would vehemently disagree with you on that matter. He would rejoice in having been able to receive such a full and magnificent revelation of God. Job’s response would be to tell us it would have been better for him to have kept quiet and trust in God. My guess is that there are probably many who do not like that answer. To be left without a specific why - and even more pointedly - why me - is not enough to those in a sinful condition. They deserve more. They deserve answers. They deserve an explanation - even from God - to justify why He would allow such things. In all honesty - they would eventually find that a God who does not answer the questions by which they put Him on trial - is not a God they are wanting to accept - let alone know, love, or serve. OK - but their trial and eventual denial of Him will not remove Him from His place. You see, God is God and we are His creation. Just because we do not like that will not change it. (Please understand that God is not just ultimate power and authority, but also ultimate goodness, kindness, mercy, compassion, and love.) We often don’t get it because we are infinitesimally small and greatly lack perspective. That is why God asks the question, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?” Our perspective is very limited. It is dominated by self-interest and a heart that is bound by sin and rebellion against God. If we truly want to understand things, we need a much bigger perspective. When we see God through the revelation of Himself to us, our perspective changes. When we see Him . . . nothing else matters any more. Seeing Him is enough. At least that is what Job would tell us.  Brace Yourself, God Has a Few Questions
Part 2 of Meeting God A Series of Articles on Job 38-42 "Now gird up your loins like a man, and I will ask you, and you instruct Me! Job 38:3 God has shown up – blowing Job’s mind with His entrance in the mantle of a gigantic windstorm equal to any tornado known to man. That had to be a humbling thing to see. But even more humbling was to hear God’s voice coming from the midst of it. Yet, Job probably had no idea what kind of questions God was about to ask him. He had spoken the truth about God according to Job 42:7, and God was not there to question Job’s integrity or his sincerity. What God was there to question was Job’s humility when it came to understanding the providence and sovereignty of God. The knowledge of our own ignorance is the first step in becoming wise. As long as we hold to the fallacy of man’s great knowledge, we too will think highly of our supposed wisdom and, like Job, question God’s sovereignty and wise, loving providence in our lives. As God begins, He calls Job to summon all his great wisdom and understanding, because it is time for Job to answer a few “God-level” questions. The manner in which God approaches these questions would make anyone a little squeamish about what was about to happen. “Hey Job,” the Lord says, “Gird up your loins like a man, because I have a series of questions, and evidently you need to instruct Me?” These words were not very comforting to Job. The phrase “Gird up you loins” had to do with how a strong warrior would tuck his outer garments into his belt so that he would be ready to run into a battle. This preparation done by any strong man that faced a difficult task. Job, though, was not facing some difficult physical task or battle situation. Job needed to get ready because he was about to face the questions of God, the Creator. There would be 77 different questions coming Job’s way from God – none of which he could answer with any great knowledge he possessed. They are still unanswerable even though we’ve had several centuries to gather up all the combined human wisdom we can muster. The arrogance of humanity is breath-taking to consider. We can’t even process and guide what is happening in our own bodies (that is why we have the autonomous nervous system to do these things for us) let alone know what is happening in our neighborhood. But to take over providence from Almighty God requires more than just a comprehensive knowledge of our own little sphere of life. God knows intimately the “goings-on” of every body, every mind, and even the action and reaction of every human and how it will affect every other human. But please add to this the knowledge of every aspect of our planet – its animal kingdom and its inhabitants down to the smallest microorganism as well. Add to this the inner workings of earth beneath its crust, as well as all that is going on in the atmosphere and on every land mass and body of water on this spinning sphere. But wait, O wise and understanding human, there is more! God also knows and guides every planet, every star, and every last minute piece of interplanetary space dust. Not only does he know and understand it – He designed it so that it works together as a whole. He knows and guides the trillions times trillions of interactions which take place every millisecond throughout the entire universe – and knows all that can be known about all of it. But there’s more! He directs and guides it through His wisdom and divine design structure. It “works” like it does because He made it. The universe is not random – it is designed at a level our minds could never comprehend. Have you ever thought about the fact that we set our clocks by the atomic clock that functions within the universe itself? All of everything that has ever been made functions within an interdependent, wonderful choreography set in motion and maintained by the wisdom and understanding of the infinite and eternal God. Just a second of time in God’s infinite understanding and maintenance of the universe would fry every single computer we have ever made. Imagine the wisdom involved in bringing it into existence. Now measure that with our propensity to not even remember why we came into a room – or with remembering all the information we need to pass a test . . . that we took three years ago. Yep – like I said earlier – it is breath-taking to consider the unbelievable arrogance of mankind. Please understand, I do not think that God was making light of Job’s situation. Scripture reminds us that God’s Son faced all that we face – and yet without ever sinning. The Lord fully grasped Job’s pain and suffering (remember, His Son was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world). What God was addressing was how Job was questioning God’s wisdom and questioning how the Lord was running things (at least in his own life). It’s interesting how we take for granted that our universe doesn’t crash into itself extinguishing life as a whole – or that our hearts pump some 2000 gallons of blood through our bodies daily – but we wonder about God’s ability to run things if it means suffering for us or a delay in our ongoing gratification today. Christopher Morley said, “I had a million questions to ask God; but when I met Him, they all fled my mind; and it didn’t seem to matter.” That is what is going to happen to Job in the final four chapters of the book that bears his name. The tremendous suffering he encountered filled his mind with a million questions he wanted God to answer. It seemed to him that he wouldn’t be able to go on unless the answers were forthcoming. Then in a wondrous gift of mercy and grace Job met God. He didn’t just hear of God by the hearing of the ear – he was allowed to see God – and when the meeting came to it’s end, Job had no more questions. In fact, it didn’t matter if he ever got the answers he thought he had to have. Most likely none of us will receive a meeting with God as He speaks out of a powerful tornado. But then again, probably none of us will face suffering so great as that which Job endured either. Hopefully it will suffice that God did show His mercy in meeting with Job – asking His 77 unanswerable questions – and ushering Job into a remembrance of just how little he actually knew. Hopefully we will read of such a thing – receive instruction from God’s Holy Spirit – and humbly lay down our accusations that God doesn’t know what He’s doing in our lives – in our sphere of influence – or even in the entire scope of space and time. Believe me, reading of it is far less terrifying and humbling than having to be there. The truly wise man will realize this and humble himself before God.  “Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, 2 "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?” Job 38:1-2 (NASB)
These are probably not the words any of us really would want to hear, let alone the situation in which we’d want to hear them. Yet God posed them to Job – and recorded it so that we could “get in on the fun!” I am hoping that by describing to you the way that God chose to reveal Himself and the words He spoke will get your attention – as they have truly gotten mine. Here we see God speak out of the whirlwind to Job. God and the whirlwind are often revealed together. This particular passage in Job 38 was preceded by Elihu’s description of God drawing near in chapter 37. It is a disconcerting chapter to read. God was approaching in a massive storm that made Elihu tremble. He describes a storm that includes lightning, thunder in amounts that should get our attention. He speaks of clouds with ice (hail maybe?) as well as clouds loaded with moisture. These clouds are described as thick and seem to be described as swirling or at least changing direction all over as they approach. The word “whirlwind” means a windstorm – and can be tied to several kinds of storms in that region. There are the massive wind storms (shaboob storms) that can sweep up massive amounts of water and form a waterspout over the sea – and dust storms that take your breath away as you see them darkening everything on the horizon as they reach heights of 6000 feet or more. The main aspect of them, of course, is the wind involved. There was also another storm, the one that terrified the disciples when they were in the boat with Jesus in the gospels. The description of such storms that came off of the mountains to the north and hit the Sea of Galilee relate them as if a giant hand had come from heaven and hit the surface of the sea so that it seemed instantly consumed by hurricane force winds and a turbulence that shakes everything around it. This is what was approaching Job in chapter 37 – and has arrived in chapter 38. If such a storm itself was not disconcerting enough, the sound of the voice of God coming from the midst of it had to be utterly terrifying. But then again God and the whirlwind were often seen together in Scripture.
Whatever this is – it is awesome and fear inspiring as we read of it. Job must have been terrified as this storm approached – and petrified as it slowed and God’s voice came from the midst of it. Forgive me – but as someone who grew up in “tornado alley,” I’ve seen the arrival and effect of such storms. My house was destroyed by one when I was 4 years old and we huddled in our basement hoping we would survive it. I remember my father describing it to me. The storm itself was unbelievably powerful with winds whipping every way – and the sound of sheets of rain pelting the windows. Then he said it suddenly became quiet – and he ran with my two brothers in hand for the basement. He said behind him it sounded like a dozen freight trains all descending on the spot where we were. In the movie “Twister” the final scene focused on a force 5 tornado that was being tracked. When they moved toward it – they were shocked at a tornado that was over a mile in width as it destroyed everything in its path. Now imagine such a thing coming toward you no matter which way you turned. As you were ready for your life to be crushed by its power – it slows as it reaches you. Then if that were not enough to scare you to death – you hear the mighty voice of God speaking to you from the midst of it. That is a pretty astounding situation – and the level of fear Job must have felt could not be measured. Even more terrifying is what God has to say to you. The words had to thunder to be heard over the raging of the storm. “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?” Suddenly Job knew this was about him and the words that he had spoken without a full understanding of Who God is. You see we have a tendency to speak such words when we feel that we could do a better job of managing our own providence – that the sovereignty over our days would be in better hands if it were placed into ours. We might even complain of the things we experience in life – and gripe and moan a little at circumstances that are – how do I say it – difficult. Honestly – our circumstances cannot come within miles of those that Job experienced. His is an epic story of suffering and hardship as God was working out His perfect will – and Job’s absolute best. Yet, when things get very difficult – we can be very difficult people to deal with as we speak with and of God. So it is with a less than thrilled acknowledgement that we see ourselves in the same light, albeit far, far less severe than that of Job. Here He comes. God is showing up at the perfect time to do and say what only he can say and do. His timing is perfect and His ways are perfect. We may not want to hear that at the start of things – but by the end of it we will have no more critical comments about Him. He will reveal Himself – amazingly in questions we cannot fathom answering – and – it will be over. We will repent (if we are wise) and He will be praised. Maybe you, like me, need such a meeting. Maybe you are not all that sold on your current providential situation in the hands of a loving, all-wise God. Maybe we need the Lord to approach us in a way that will leave us speechless and motionless in fear and trembling. Maybe in such a setting we will once again realize how infinitely small we are in this world – and how unbelievably lacking in wisdom and perspective we can be. Maybe – just maybe – we need to field all of God’s questions here – so that we grasp how very little we know. Maybe – just maybe we need to come away humbled, repentant, and focused on knowing Him, walking with Him, and yes – even loving Him as we are reminded why we need to trust Him with absolute trust as He works out and in our lives during the short time of our stay on this earth. |
Biblical ArticlesMost of these articles are taken from the Calvary Courier, a weekly newsletter that is sent to the folks who attend Calvary Chapel Jonesboro. Due to the response to these articles, we've decided to print some of them which proved to be very helpful to God's people at the fellowship. 
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