Busyness Robs Us

We just finished a series on Busyness and the rest of the sermons should be on the website soon. But I quoted from Mark Buchanan's book "The Rest Of God" several times in my sermons. I would recommend it for content and beauty of writing.  In the following paragraphs he reflects on how busyness keeps us from knowing God.

"Busyness also robs us of knowing God the way we might. It’s true that some facets of God we glimpse only through motion. Only those who stretch out their hands and offer water to the thirsty discover, disguised among them, Jesus. Only those who trudge up the mountain, willing to grow blistered and weary on the narrow trail, witness his transfiguration. Only those who invite the stranger in to share bread realize they’ve entertained an angel unawares, sometimes even Christ himself. Often, God meets us along the way, as we go: he waits to see who will step out before he sidles up, woos us over, intercepts, redirects.

"But other facets of God we discover only through stillness. “Be still,” the psalm instructs, “and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10). Only Mary, Martha’s sister, sitting wide-eyed and open-eared, truly hosts Christ in her home. Only those who wait on the Lord renew their strength. Only those who are quiet and watchful find God’s mercy that is new every morning. Only those who join him in his love for the contrite and broken in spirit recognize him hidden among “the least of these” (Matt. 25:40)."

Buchanan, Mark (2007-03-11). The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath (pp. 48-49). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. 

Prayer Meeting for Abortion

Join us for a prayer meeting held at FGC this Sunday night at 7pm on July 26th. We are inviting folks from the community to come and pray with us. We will spend time in repentance and humbling ourselves before the Lord to see his mercy on this issue.

If you have seen either (or both) of the sting videos from Planned Parenthood that came out in the last few weeks you have to be disgusted. You should also know that people are having conversations about abortion that have never been had before. In many ways this information is not new, it has just been hidden behind a veil of willing ignorance. But now the filth has been exposed to the light and many people are finding a voice to talk about this. And even many pro-choice advocates are having conversations about this.

All of this adds up to a great opportunity for repentance and change in our country. We would love to seen an end to the evil of legalized abortion in America. But that will never happen without the intervention of God. Undercover videos, political operatives, social media, large donations, etc. all have their place as "extras" in this play. The starring role can only go to Christ. 

In case you haven't seen the videos, you can watch them here:

"God Loves You," But I'm Not Sure We Know What That Means.

I came across this quote from CS Lewis this morning from the Problem of Pain. He is talking about the idea of the love of God, and as usual he says very eloquently something important that I had a hunch about.

"By the goodness of God we mean nowadays almost exclusively His lovingness; and in this we may be right. And by Love, in this context, most of us mean kindness- the desire to see others than the self happy; not happy in this way or in that, but just happy. What would really satisfy us would be a God who said of anything we happened to like doing, ‘What does it matter so long as they are contented?’ We want, in fact, not so much a Father in Heaven as a grandfather in heaven- a senile benevolence who, as they say, liked to see young people enjoying themselves’, and whose plan for the universe was simply that it might be truly said at the end of each day, ‘a good time was had by all’. . . . I should very much like to live in a universe which was governed on such lines. But since it is abundantly clear that I don’t, and since I have reason to believe, nevertheless, that God is Love, I conclude that my conception of love needs correction." (Problem of Pain, pp.31-32)

When the average Christian talks to the average Postmodern/ Late-Modern person and says, "God loves you," that is a true statement. But many of our neighbors have a very different understanding of God and love. This difference is so huge that it may amount to meaning the exact opposite of what we (and the Bible) intend.  For many of our neighbors, it sounds like this: "The most important thing is my freedom to do what I want and pursue my passions and desires. If anyone loves me (including God) then they would have to approve and support my attempt to enjoy life as I see it. If God loves me he will respect my rights and all that."

This is tricky because the Christian Gospel definitely says, "come as you are." And this can easily be misunderstood as an endorsement of what we are.  For many people they cannot separate the idea of love and endorsement.  The truth is much more difficult and much more liberating. God does love us as we are, which means he CANNOT leave us as we are. That would not be love at all. Our condition is so dark and desperate that in order to fix our mess he sent his son to be die as our substitute. The love of God also leads him to send his spirit to change our hearts and begin the process of renewal and restoration.  

We need to talk about the love of God. And do it a lot. But we need to make sure we are not talking about a cheap imitation.

Love Shines At Calvary

Love Shines at Calvary

We used this prayer on Sunday and I wanted to make it available. It was adapted/modernized by me (Matt Troupe) from Valley of Vision[1] book of Puritan prayers.

We also sang a song based on this prayer and you can listen to it here.

"Father,

Enlarge my heart, warm my affections and open my lips,

Give me words that proclaim: “your love shines at Calvary.”

There grace removes my burdens and heaps them on your son Jesus,

He was made a transgressor, a curse, and sin for me;

There the sword of your justice struck the man, your friend.

There your infinite attributes were magnified,

And infinite atonement was made;

Infinite punishment was due, and infinite punishment was endured.

Christ was all anguish that I might be all joy,

He was cast off that I might be brought in,

Trampled down as an enemy that I might be welcomed as a friend.

Surrendered to Hell’s worst, that I might attain heaven’s best,

He was stripped that I might be clothed,

Wounded that I might be healed,

Thirsty that I might drink,

He was tormented that I might be comforted,

Endured  shame that I might inherit glory,

He walked through darkness that I might have eternal light.

My savior wept that every tears would be wiped from my eyes,

Groaned that I might have sing forever,

Endured all pain that I might have unfading health,

He wore a crown of thorns that I might have a crown of glory,

His head was bowed down, in order to lift mine up.

He was an outcast that I might be welcomed in,

He closed his eyes in death that I might gaze on unclouded brightness,

He died that I might live forever.

O Father, you did not spare your own son that you might spare me.

This transaction was designed and accomplished by your love.

Help me to worship and adore you with my words and ways.

Let my every breath be joyful worship,

My every step to be full of delight as I see my enemies crushed,

Satan baffled defeated and destroyed,

Sin buried in the ocean of reconciling blood,

Hell’s gates closed and heaven’s doors open.

O conquering God, please come and open my eyes to the cross,

Mighty to subdue, comfort, and save my soul."

[1] https://banneroftruth.org/us/devotional/love-lustres-at-calvary/

Summoned by God

"Perhaps it seems rather crude to describe glory as the fact of being “noticed” by God. But this is almost the language of the New Testament. St. Paul promises to those who love God not, as we should expect, that they will know Him, but that they will be known by Him (I Cor. 8:3). It is a strange promise. Does not God know all things at all times? But it is dreadfully reechoed in another passage of the New Testament. There we are warned that it may happen to any one of us to appear at last before the face of God and hear only the appalling words, “I never knew you. Depart from Me.” In some sense, as dark to the intellect as it is unendurable to the feelings, we can be both banished from the presence of Him who is present everywhere and erased from the knowledge of Him who knows all. We can be left utterly and absolutely outside—repelled, exiled, estranged, finally and unspeakably ignored. On the other hand, we can be called in, welcomed, received, acknowledged. We walk every day on the razor edge between these two incredible possibilities. Apparently, then, our lifelong nostalgia, our longing to be reunited with something in the universe from which we now feel cut off, to be on the inside of some door which we have always seen from the outside, is no mere neurotic fancy, but the truest index of our real situation. And to be at last summoned inside would be both glory and honour beyond all our merits and also the healing of that old ache. "

—from “The Weight of Glory” (The Weight of Glory) C.S. Lewis

What Kind of Faith Are You Talking About?

A majority of Americans claim to have some kind of religious belief. And the majority of those claim some version of the Christian faith. A 2007 pew poll says that 78% of Americans claim to be Christians.  Of that group 51% claim to be Protestant, and 26% going to be evangelicals.  Close to 26% profess to be Catholics.  Of course statistics have their limits.  And it is almost certain that the landscape has further changed in the last 7 years.  This study tells us what people report about themselves.  

 But those percentages are significant.  Found hiding in those numbers is a group of serious religious people. They are caught up in the fight against secularism.  These people may find such numbers encouraging. Maybe things aren't so bad after all? On the other hand, people who are serious about Christianity may also find these numbers troubling. Why? Because there is a disconnect between the walk and the talk.   Does anyone really believe that 78% of Americans are even trying to follow the teachings of Jesus? Perhaps that standard is too high. Do even half of these "believers" faithfully follow the teachings of their own sects?  

This is not a new problem. When we read the Bible we encounter a similar situation. In the Gospel of John we read,  “Now when [Jesus] was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.” (John 2:23-25, ESV)

In the original text of John chapter 2 something interesting is going on that we might miss in this translation.  The word for “entrust” in v. 24 is the same word describing that the people “believed” in his name (Pisteuo- in bold above).  We could translate it, “many people believed in his name…. But Jesus for his part did not believe in them.”  Their claim to belief was unconvincing.  And though we may be suspicious of religious claims, we do know what is going on deep in someone’s soul. But Jesus knew their hearts.  He skeptical was about their faith.

In James 2, we read about a similar problem. Some of the believers of the early church professed their faith in Jesus, yet they treated the rich and the poor radically different. They treated the poor with contempt.  This behavior was a kind of lie detector for their Christian profession. Their actions were inconsistent with their faith. He writes to them, “But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!”  It is not enough to have a claim of faith if your life doesn’t match up. And the great example is the faith of the fallen angels. They are good theologians and understand God. Even more than that, they have an appropriate emotional response, fear. They tremble before God. Which seems to be more than some of the folks reading the letter from James.

Last week at FGC we looked at Luke 8:26-39. In this passage we see an example of this demonic faith. It may have been the very incident that James had in mind. A man that was possessed by many demons falls down at the feet of Jesus.  The voices that come from him are the voices of these evil spirits. And they express acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus and fear of the coming judgment day. “When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.” (Luke 8:28, ESV)  You can listen to the sermon here.

This is an important concept for Americans. We seem content with a little bit of religion, and a little bit of Jesus, and a little bit of pop Christianity.  But there is a kind of faith that isn’t worth much. The Bible talks about it in bitter terms.  It doesn’t transform the life. It doesn't make you a christian, it makes you an actor. And it is little better than the faith of demons.  Throughout the rest of Luke 8 we read about commendable responses to Jesus. Read the chapter for yourself. In fact, just before this passage (about the demon possessed man) he tells the parable of the sower. It is a story that vividly depicts the different kinds of responses to Jesus and his teaching. And only one really counts. It is the one the bears fruit.   Unseen faith in the heart always produces visible fruit. Not perfection. Not sinlessness. But real fruit.

As for the other kind of faith, Jesus doesn’t believe in it. I wonder what he would say about America? I wonder what he would say about my faith, and yours?

In The Storm With Jesus

On Sunday I preached on Luke 8:22-26.  This is the passage where Jesus calms the storm.  It is an amazing miracle, and the intent of the passage is to make clear just what kind of person Jesus is. He is not just a gifted teacher or religious pioneer.  At the end this section his disciples are in shock. We read in v.25,  “they marveled, saying to one another, ‘Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?’”

Some folks take passages like this to mean that if we have enough faith that Jesus will calm all of our storms. And though we should gladly embrace his ability to calm every storm. And every Christian I know can tell numerous stories of help and rescue.  But, we should remember that even the very disciples in the boat on this occasion would later face storms that would NOT be calmed.  Peter and James would both later be imprisoned. Peter would escape, but James would loose his head to the sword of Herod (Acts 12:2) just like John the Baptist those 21 Egyptian Christians that were martyred by ISIS. 

There are several important lessons for us from this text.

First, Jesus is the eternal God come in the flesh. He is a real man that can take dangerous trips, and be so exhausted that he will fall sleep in a boat. But he is also has power over the wind and the waves. The ability to calm the storm is clearly a power reserved for the LORD God alone.  His disciples as well as anyone familiar with the Old Testament would recognize this. For example, Ps. 89:9 “You  [LORD of Hosts] rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.”  Our savior is powerful. He has strength to rule heaven and earth.

Second, He is with us in the storm.  From one perspective, this is why he came into the world. He entered this world full of death, suffering, and fear so he could bring the death of death (Hebrews 2:14-15). Even in the middle of the storm, Jesus is there. And after rebuking the storm he rebukes them, “where is your faith?”  These men, including several professional fisherman, were so taken with the problem that they forgot that Jesus is with them in the boat. When they finally wake him and ask him for help, it is sadly not an expression of faith.  We are never alone in our suffering.   The one who holds heaven and earth in his hands will never leave us alone.

Third, He cares. Mark relates that after waking Jesus, the disciples scolded him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38) When we are in the middle of a trial, there is always the temptation to think that God is unconcerned.   We may not think we are alone, but that he is distant, or that he is not taking our phone calls. But based on the rest of the story, we know this is not true. Not only did Jesus calm this storm. He entered another storm that could not be calmed with a word. He went to the cross for our sins. He swallowed up the storm of death with his own death and resurrection, and he did this by taking our suffering upon himself. We may not know all of God’s reasons for our trials, but we know what the reason is NOT. It is not that he doesn’t care, for he has demonstrated that beyond dispute at the cross.

You can listen to the message here.

Photo Courtesy of the Internet Archive Book Images