Filed under: SERIES: LOVE DARE | Tags: commitment, couple, couples, husband, integrity, love, marriage, promise, promises, wife
LOVE. I DARE YOU TO DELIVER. There was something in John’s letter that reminded me of something Solomon once wrote: “When you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all the promises you make to him. It is better to say nothing than to make a promise and not keep it.” (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 NLT)
The series we began this month reminds us that we dare to love because God first loved us. We also forgive because we have been forgiven. John wrote that simply saying you are going to do something isn’t enough.
“This is how we are sure that we have come to know Him: by keeping His commands. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” without keeping His commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly in him the love of God is perfected.” (1 John 2:3-5)
Love doesn’t just make a promise. Love keeps a promise. Love delivers on a promise. Essentially, love does. It does what it says. To deliver means to do or to carry out as promised.
What promises have you made? How are you doing at keeping them? John talked a lot about how you “walk.” He said that the one who says with his talk that he is a Christian walks just as Jesus walked. (1 John 2:6) Walking is how you conduct your life. How you live. Your lifestyle. You walk your talk. How are you doing at living out what you’ve promised?
Filed under: SERIES: THE CROSS
The Cross. Everything was reconciled to God through it. The list of selfish thoughts, words and actions that stood as evidence against us was taken away and nailed to it. Powers and spiritual forces of evil were made a public laughing stock by it. Those same spiritual authorities were humbled and humiliated as defeated foes forced to surrender at the sight of it
The Cross. Our old self was nailed to those wood beams. Our sin was done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to it. It was on that old rugged cross our Savior Jesus Christ gave His life up for us that we might have real life in Him. That act of sacrifical love would be made once. For all. It would never need to happen again. His sacrifice was for all people for all time. His blood was poured out for the many for the forgiveness of sins. For the many. For the multitudes. For all time.
In response to His dying on the cross for me, I pick up my cross and live for Him. In future letters, I hope God’s radical and intense love for you drives you to die to yourself to live for Him.
“For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him and through Him to reconcile everything to Himself by making peace through the blood of His cross.” Colossians 1:19-20
“If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23
FOCUS.UP: Where do you need His peace today? What do you need to deny yourself of this week? How will death in one area of your life actually bring life in another?
The cross changed the course of human history. Though a symbol of torture and death, the cross actually brought us life. More than just a piece of jewelry we wear, the cross shows us how intense God’s love was and is for us. It was that message of the cross that radically changed my life as a sophomore in high school. I have struggled since then to know what it really means to put into practice Jesus’ words: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, pick up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) He would say again, “Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:27) I am inviting you to join me on a journey as we look at this radical love of God portrayed on the cross… and our response to His love by dying to ourselves and following Jesus. It’s crosstraining. It’s painful, but it brings incredible growth and healing.
For these next few weeks leading up to Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, I’ll be writing you to encourage you to take a deeper look at what the cross has meant, and will mean for us. Are you ready for some intense cross training?
I’ve been focusing my devotional life on the Cross lately, writing and reflecting on that most pivotal event in history. Next Wednesday will begin a season of reflection and preparation called Lent. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes on Holy Saturday. The six Sundays in Lent are not counted among the forty days of Lent because each Sunday represents a “mini-Easter”, a celebration of Jesus’ victory over sin and death.
The series we began last Sunday reminds us that we dare to love because God loved first. We also forgive because we have been forgiven. John wrote that if we walk in the light “the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7) When we confess our sins, admitting our guilt, “he will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
What have you been forgiven of? Just think, we have been purified from ALL sin and cleansed of ALL unrighteousness. What does “ALL” represent to you? Take some time to really think about that one. Most of you received the TueTXT: “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (Colossians 3:13)
I hate that part. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Oh, I don’t hate that he has forgiven me ALL my sins and cleansed me of ALL unrighteousness. I hate that I need to forgive others as the Lord has forgiven me. What if the Lord withheld His forgiveness like I sometimes withhold my own? What if He dealt with me the way I sometimes deal with the guy on the freeway, or the slow clerk at the store… or my wife… or my girls… or my mom… or the brother/sister in church who ticks me off… I am running into a lot of people who continue to hold on to resentment instead of living a lifestyle of forgiveness.
My two favorite online tools for Bible study are http://www.biblegateway.com and www.dictionary.com. Forgiveness is releasing someone from liability and indebtedness and ceasing to feel resentment for something done against you.
“I can’t do that.” Neither can I. It’s impossible on our own. It’s impossible to love until we know how much we’ve been loved. It’s impossible to forgive until we know how much we’ve been forgiven of. Jesus said, “the one who has been forgiven little loves little, but the one who has been forgiven much loves much.” (Luke 7:47) There is a direct link between our ability to forgive and our capacity to love… and be loved.
I’d love to tell you to forgive when you feel like it, or that it’s a good suggestion. It’s actually a command. We have to. If you want some psychobabble, holding on to resentment is killing you from the inside. You’re hurting yourself as much as you think you’re hurting the other person.
If you want the harsh truth, unforgiveness is sin.
“And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” (Mark 11:25) After Jesus taught his disciples to pray he said, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:14-15)
For some situations this just seems completely impossible. Yet, that’s what living the verticallife is all about. It’s not about trying to get ‘er done with our own strength of will. It’s about looking up when a lack of forgiveness has got us down. So when life’s got you down, focus up.
Filed under: SERIES: LOVE DARE
This week we begin a series on John’s first of three letters, simply titled 1 John. The series is called “LOVE. I dare you!” since love is such a huge focus of all of John’s writings. You’ll catch him call himself throughout his gospel as “the one whom Jesus loved.” You get the idea that if you are truly going to be one who lives a daring life loving those around you, you first need to know you are loved.
Filed under: SERIES: HOPE
If someone were to say to you, “I don’t deserve this,” what would you think? Someone might be saying it as a result of all that has happened to him. They lost their job. They found a new one, but it doesn’t make near enough to pay the bills. His son is sick, and he’s not sure where the money will come to cover medical expenses.
Or you might hear someone say, I don’t deserve this,” as a result of the good they have received.
Finally, after days of hearing his friends sound off, God responded. He asked, “Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?” (Job 39:1) The answer was an obvious no. He alone is the One who watches over His creation. “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him!” (Job 40:2)
God’s questions humbled Job. “I am unworthy-how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth.” (40:3) I am unworthy. Said another way, I don’t deserve this. Job continued.
“I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’ My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” (42:2-6)
When we come face to face with our own sinfulness, and go from simply hearing about God to seeing and experiencing Him personally, our first response is the need to make things right. When we realize how the cross of Christ removed the penalty of sin, we too realize, “I don’t deserve this.” Repentance is doing a 180. It’s turning our lives around in such a way that we willingly give up our old way of life and turn to God’s way of living.
Today is Maundy Thursday. Maundy simply means mandate and it comes from the mandate Jesus gave on the last night with His disciples: “Love one another.” (see John 13) It was a night like this that Judas betrayed Jesus. It was a night like this that Peter realized how easy it was to deny ever knowing Jesus. It’s a night like this when we realize the ways we too have betrayed and denied Him. “I don’t deserve this.”
Tomorrow we remember Jesus’ crucifixion, how “he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. (Isaiah 53:5-7)
We don’t deserve it. We deserve the punishment. After all, our actions deserved discipline. Yet, that’s grace. Justice is getting what we deserve. Grace is getting what we don’t deserve. He offers us a brand new start, a brand new life. But the story doesn’t end there.
“After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before.” (42:10) The end of the story isn’t simply that God blessed Job again. Job prayed for his friends. Job prayed for the same men who have him such a hard time during his hard times. They didn’t deserve it, but they too were forgiven. Are there people in your life who “don’t deserve this?”
“So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves,” God told his friends. “My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly.” (42:8) A sacrifice has already been made. The price has already been paid. Like Job for his friends, we now have one who “is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” (Hebrews 7:25)
Keeping hope alive is a full time job. As you celebrate the betrayal, the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ this weekend, know that “we have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” (Hebrews 6:19)
From two undeserving men… Johnny & Ernie. It’s our hope and our prayer that you will anchor yourself to the only One who is firm and secure: Jesus Christ.
Filed under: SERIES: HOPE
For those local to Dearborn Covenant Church, we have some special gatherings we want to note. Thursday night at 7pm is our annual Maundy (Mandate) Thursday Concert of Prayer. We’ll reflect on the mandate Jesus gave (love one another) as He was in the process of giving Himself for us. We’ll sing, pray, and share in the Lord’s Table. On Friday morning there’s a special Men’s Prayer breakfast for “men” of all ages at 9am. Please contact me on whether you are coming and bringing your boys and what you may be bringing to share (juice, fruit, meat, carbs). Kelly Knezek is heading up pancake flipping! Friday at noon my family and I will be visiting another church for Good Friday service as we have done in the past. I have been trying to get in touch with Citadel of Faith to see if and when they are celebrating Good Friday. I’ll let you know by tomorrow. Sunday morning we’ll fellowship at 9:45 with a continental breakfast and then celebrate our Lord’s Resurrection at 10:30am.
With these devotional letters Ernie Berkas got me writing again, something I love doing. He has challenged me to keep communicating hope by going through the Psalms on a daily basis. Ernie and I will be collaborating again and possibly getting other writers involved. Would you do me a favor? Let us know (honestly) whether these have been helpful in giving you hope during these tough times and whether you would like to continue through the Psalms together.
Lenten Devo_Day 36 “God is Great”
“Behold, God is exalted by His power; who teaches like Him?…Behold, God is great, and we do not know Him…” (Job 36:22,26)
When I (Johnny) was growing up we would always pray a simple prayer before dinner. “God is great, God is good, and we thank Him for our food. Amen.” We have a new version with our girls. “…and we thank You for our food. By Your hands we shall be fed. Give us, Lord, our daily bread. Amen. PRAISE GOD!” Michelle’s brother Rex added the PRAISE GOD.
Ernie wrote, “God is great and God is good but that may have little to do with us unless we as individuals have a relationship with that God. The devil recognized God was great. But the devil did not recognize Jesus Christ (James 2:19). Jesus said, ‘no one comes to the Father except through Me.’” (John 14:6)
Though God may be great, do we recognize or trust in His greatness in everyday life? Are we practical atheists, believing in God with our mind but not knowing Him in daily experience?
Paul said, “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things… I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” (Philippians 3:8-11)
“Knowing” throughout Scripture carries with it the sense of experiencing a person intimately. What will you do today, in the midst of “sharing in his sufferings,” to “know Christ” and intimately experience “the power of his resurrection?” In what area of your life today do you need to apply “the power of his resurrection” to?
Filed under: SERIES: HOPE
“For God does speak – now one way, now another – though man may not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men as they slumber in their beds, he may speak in their ears and terrify them with warnings, to turn man from wrongdoing and keep him from pride, to preserve his soul from the pit, his life from perishing by the sword.” (Job 33:14-18)Though there were many times when Job’s friends simply didn’t get it, there were times they were right. Truth is, God does speak, whether we want to listen to Him or not. He does try to get our attention. Elihu was right. God does speak.
What was false at this point though was that Elihu was thinking God was trying to get Job’s attention because of the sin in his life. Elihu still believed that nothing bad would happen to good people. Job must have done something to deserve this.
Repeating his words Elihu said, “Job says, ‘I am innocent, but God denies me justice.’” (34:5) He then leveled an accusation. “He keeps company with evildoers; he associates with wicked men.” (34:9) You see, “He repays a man for what he has done; he brings upon him what his conduct deserves,” right? God is just. People get what they deserve, right? It’s not that easy. Just because your husband left you doesn’t mean God is punishing you for something you did. The reason you lost your job doesn’t mean God is putting you through some form of discipline. When a friend betrays your trust, it doesn’t mean God is trying to get your attention.
Jesus said, “in this world you will have trouble.” You will have trouble. That’s the problem with our world. It rains (or in our case, it snows) on the righteous and unrighteous alike. We will face fears. Problems will press in. “You will have trouble,” Jesus said. But our hope is in his next statement. “…but take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
Maybe you’re going through tough times. Maybe you have “friends” like Job: “So Job opens His mouth with empty talk; without knowledge he multiplies words.” (35:16) Maybe there are people around you giving you false information. Know this. Our hope is in the One who overcame the world. When you place your trust in Him, you will find hope in Him.
“My prayer is not that You would take them out of the world but that You would protect them from the evil one.” (John 17:15) That’s our prayer as well.
Filed under: SERIES: HOPE
“But there is spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding. Great men are not always wise, nor do the aged always understand justice.” (Job 32:8-9)
Eliju had a passion for authority. Questioning Job’s wisdom, understanding, and maybe even his sanity, Eliju essentially accused Job of being old and out of touch. Eliju had waited to speak to Job because his other three friends were older than he was. He finally couldn’t take it anymore. He had to speak up.
“I am young in years, and you are old.” I could just hear Job saying, “gee, thanks.” Eliju continued. “…that is why I was fearful, not wanting to tell you what I know. I thought, ‘Age should speak; advanced years should teach wisdom.’” Maybe it should. Maybe great men (and women) should be wise. Yet simply because someone is old doesn’t make him wise, anymore than someone who is young has nothing to say.
However, you just have to laugh at Eliju’s comments.
“For I am full of words and the spirit within me compels me; inside I am like bottled up wine, like new wineskins ready to burst.” (Job 32:18-19)
You’ve got to be kidding me. Do you know anyone like this? When they come near you think, “I know he has something to say.” They have more a knack for speaking their mind than keeping it to themselves.
Let’s just be honest for a moment. Do you find yourself truly listening to someone or thinking about what to say next while they’re talking to you? Someone like Job really needs you to simply listen. What can you do today to lend someone a listening ear?
Filed under: SERIES: HOPE
“Let me be weighed on honest scales, that God may know my integrity.” (Job 31:6)
Job believed God was not punishing him for sin. His God certainly knew his troubles, and Job knew God could do something about it. Though his problems persisted, and though he still didn‘t quite understand what was happening, Job still trusted God. He trusted some day he would understand.
Waiting for “someday” is not easy for us North Americans. We want results now. We want understanding now. We want solutions now. To be honest, maybe we even wanted them yesterday. Though Job‘s problems persisted, so did he. Are you able to persist even if you don‘t see the end in sight?
Filed under: SERIES: HOPE
“But now they mock me… Now I am mocked by their songs; I have become an object of scorn to them… They contribute to my destruction… Now my life is poured out before my eyes, and days of suffering have seized me.” (pieces of Job 30)
So you think you’ve had a bad day? There are always others who have been through worse. But that’s not what we want to hear. It doesn’t matter what others have been through. At times we feel alone in what we’re going through.
As one set of circumstances leads to another… the car breaks down… the house needs more fixing up… we tend to get tunnel vision and start thinking, “this isn’t fair.” “Have I not wept for those who have fallen on hard times? Has my soul not grieved for the needy?” (30:25) “Look at all the good I’ve done,” we think. “I don’t deserve this.”
This week we will begin turning our attention on the suffering Savior. Jesus was mocked. He suffered not for His own sin nor to be perfected. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin.” Since we have One who suffered for us, “let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.” (Hebrews 4:15-16)
Filed under: SERIES: HOPE
“He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth on nothing. He binds up the water in His thick clouds, yet the clouds are not broken.” (Job 26:7-8)
There are things in nature we don’t understand and can’t explain. If God created nature, how can we explain Him? Psalm 139:11-14 says “If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall fall on me,’ event the night shall be light about me; indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You. For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your words, and that my sould knows very well.”
Do you know how precious you are to Him? You are handcrafted by God. You are His workmanship that He is extremely proud of. No matter what is happening around you or in you, never forget how special you are to Him. Bob Hoey, a close pastor friend of Johnny’s, has said, “You are so special to Him He has a picture of you in His wallet.
“As God lives…my lips will not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.” (Job 27:2-4)It’s easier to praise God and thank God when life is going well. We take so much for granted when work or school is rewarding and, dare I say, fun; when we’re able to put some money in the bank, when we’re enjoying the relationships around us. Job said, as sure as God is alive, I am sure I will not speak wickedness and speak with deceitfulness or lies. I will not speak wrongfully of those around me. Now, what if we were to add in what’s missing in the “…”?
“As God lives, who has taken away my justice, and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter…” Now, how will we respond? When my justice is taken away…
Justice. Being treated fairly. Just. Fair. Impartial.
Bitterness. Agony. Anguish. Distress. Hostility. Sarcasm.
What happens when we’re not treated fairly? What happens when we’re in agony – physically or emotionally? What happens when our thoughts turn sarcastic and we so desperately want to lash out at someone (or SomeOne) with hostility and sarcasm?
Somehow, some way, Job found the strength to “not speak wickedness” or “utter deceit.” He asked, “Where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?” He found his answer. “The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.” (Job 28:12,27-28)
When you’re experiencing anguish of heart, when you feel like you’ve been mistreated, when you feel like lashing out at the one who hurt you, find what you need in the “fear of the Lord.” And remember. What is going on inside you is infinitely more important than what’s going on around you.
Filed under: SERIES: HOPE
Though Bildad is using this question as a statement of Job’s character, as an assessment of his life, it’s still a good question. How can a person get right with God? What do you have to do to make things right with him?The Apostle Paul answered that question when writing to believers in Rome. Paul wasn’t ashamed of the message of Jesus Christ because he saw in that message the power to transform people’s lives (Romans 1:16), his included. All of us are in the same boat, being without excuse. Though we know God exists, we do not glorify Him as God (Romans 1:20-21). When we exchange God’s truth for a lie (Romans 1:25) we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s standards (Romans 3:23).
How can a person be justified? How can one get right before God? We have been “declared righteous by faith; we have peace with God thorugh our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1) God provided a way for us to get right by proving “His own love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us!” (Romans 5:8) At some point we realize that the “wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
Whether you are Job or Bildad, you are justified by faith in Christ. We are “unable to please God” (Romans 8:8) on our own. We have to fully rely on, trust in, believe in the sacrifice of the life of Christ. Use this 40 day period as a time of reflection on what needs to die in your life (Romans 8:5-11; 12:1-2) so you can experience real abundant life (John 10:10).
For those of you local to Dearborn Covenant Church, we will have some great ways to remember God’s love lavished on us. April 5 is Palm Sunday 10:30am, where we celebrate Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem. We remember His celebration of Passover with His disciples and the night He gave His mandate to love one another on Maundy (mandate) Thursday 7pm. There’s a gentleman’s (all ages, boys to men) prayer breakfast on Good Friday morning at 9am. We’ll visit another church for Good Friday service that afternoon (TBA). Resurrection Sunday morning we’ll have a continental breakfast fellowship at 9:45 (no Sunday School) and worship celebration at 10:30am.
“Why does God allow suffering?” That one question can keep so many people from turning to Him. It can instead serve as a turn off. Job had a laundry list of problems he saw in the world. People steal from one another, kill each other, mistreat the poor, kidnap children. Job could not understand why there was so much violence on the earth, why there was so much suffering. And it appears he considered himself a victim of that violence.
Job admitted, “God draws the mighty away with His power; He rises up, but no man is sure of life. He gives them security, and they rely on it; yet His eyes are on their ways.” (Job 24:22-23) For those driving, there are seatbelts. For those rock climbing, there are harnesses. “The one who lives (stays, remains) under the protection of the Most High dwells in the shadow of the Almighty.” Job understood that the security of his life came from God. God have him security, but he had to rely on it.
What are you trusting in these days? Who do you rely on? Are you placing your trust and belief in the wrong places?Johnny & Ernie
Filed under: SERIES: HOPE
“Look, I go forward, but He is not there, and backward, but I cannot perceive Him…But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.” (Job 23:8,10)
We’ll be honest. Sometimes when we’re struggling we do not feel like God is there. We’re tempted to not pray because we see it as a waste of time and energy.
Job was looking for God through prayer. He looked for help when he was at wits’ end. What he went through was stated later when it was written, “Their soul fainted in them. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble.” (Psalm 107:5-6) One of Jesus’ closest disciples wrote, “now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” (1 John 5:14) We do not get insight by struggling, but by going to God in prayer.
“Is not your wickedness great, and your iniquity without end?…Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you.” (Job 22:5,21)
Eliphaz believed Job needed to confess and if he confessed to sins he didn’t commit, he would at least not be a hypocrite. Job believed such a confession would be dishonest. The God that he trusted did not want him to lie. Job believed if he lied, he would lose integrity. Eliphaz had characteristics of a Pharisee. He was a moralist. He was a man of principle, his church’s principles, his interpretation of God’s principles. He never imagined the “Job” type man could be right with God.Why do we assume that God is punishing us if things go bad? I am sure there may be times when He disciplines us (see Hebrews 12:5-11). Personally, I would hope so. That proves I’m His child. This was not the case with Job. There is a teaching swirling around that says if you are faithful God will bless you financially. Eliphaz had a hard time believing that Job was innocent. He must be in sin, right? It’s the same kind of question Jesus’ disciples asked Him. “Was he born blind because of his sin or because of something his parents did?” (John 9:2) Neither.
Somehow, some way, God gets glory as we have victory over those things that blind us and blindside us.
Filed under: SERIES: HOPE | Tags: devotional, devotions, God, hope, Jesus, lent, lenten, pain, suffering
“Can anyone teach God knowledge, since He judges those on high?… How can you comfort me with empty words, since falsehood remains in your answers?” (Job 21:22,34)
I (Johnny) was sitting in Panera with a friend of mine today when he made an interesting observation between two movies. He had just watched “Fireproof” with his wife. He contrasted that movie with a movie produced by the same church called “Facing the Giants.” He said in “Giants” that all coach Grant Taylor had to do was pray one simple prayer and things turned around for him. In “Fireproof” it was much more a process.
That can illustrate how people help us through the process of pain. Job’s complaint smacks in the face of the easy answer. As a doctor, Ernie has heard many stories of pain throughout his life – emotional and physical. Sometimes people got sick physically because their hearts (emotionally) were sick. I have a psychology degree and received a masters in divinity. For both of us, there are times when we’re left speechless. To comfort someone with “empty words” is senseless. I’m sure you’ve been in Job’s shoes. I’m sure you’ve been in the shoes of his friends.
There are no easy answers. Most of the time all we can do is rest on God’s “knowledge” – not just knowledge about God, but knowledge of God. Do you KNOW Him? You may know ABOUT Him, but do you really know Him?
Filed under: SERIES: HOPE | Tags: devotional, devotions, hope, lent, lenten, pain, suffering
“Do you know this of old, since man was place on earth, that the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment?” (Job 20:4-5)
Have you ever had someone ask you a question and you have this hunch they’re talking about you? Zophar, another one of Job’s “friends,” is essentially calling Job evil and a hypocrite. As far as we can go back, Zophar is saying, those who live against God’s laws have victory in their lives for a short time. Those who say one thing but do another experience joy only for a moment.
Put yourself in Job’s sandals. Your friend goes off on some philosophical rambling as your memories are fresh of losing family members to sickness, losing your life savings, losing your job, and losing your own health. At this point in my friendship with him I would be tempted to deck him. That’s just me. I think Ernie has more patience than I do. It’s in these moments you find out who your real friends are… and maybe what kind of friend you need to be.
At this point, Job could feel like he has not only lost his family, his savings, his job and his health, but his friends as well. You may feel like decking some people and ditching others when you face problems of this magnitude, especially when their words hurt instead of heal. Job already settled in his mind what he would do. “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” (Job 13:15) That’s extremely difficult to do at times, but trust us – it’s the only thing you can truly hang on to.
Filed under: SERIES: HOPE | Tags: devotion, devotional, hope, lent, lenten, pain, suffering
“My bone clings to my skin and to my flesh, and I have escaped by the skin of my teeth…For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth.” (Job 19:20,25)
German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once said, “God is dead.” When asked about that statement, evangelist Billy Graham replied, “That can’t be. I just spoke with Him this morning.”
Nietzshe said, “God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives: who will wipe this blood off us?”
“God is dead” was his was of expressing that the idea of “God” (religion and other such spirituality) was no longer capable of acting as a source of any moral code. One author suggested, “The death of God is a way of saying that humans are no longer able to believe in any such cosmic order since they themselves no longer recognize it. The death of God will lead, Nietzsche says, not only to the rejection of a belief of cosmic or physical order but also to a rejection of absolute values themselves.”
There can be so much around us that makes us call into question whether God exists. Maybe we don’t question His existence, but we question whether He cares for us.
Shannon Caldwell of Christian radio WMUZ was asking people in line to get tickets to Jay Leno’s show in Detroit (um, sorry, Auburn Hills) whether they wanted prayer. Leno’s show, based on the honor system, is to be a performance for those who do not have a job. Some simply replied, “No. I’m good.”
Is God dead?
Job didn’t think so. Though his mental and emotional pain created even greater physical anxiety and sickness, Job still admitted, “I know that my Redeemer lives.” Don’t think for one second that because you are going through trouble that your Redeemer is dead. He is very much alive, and cares for you very much. He is alive, and wants to bring you life.
Paul wrote, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” (Ephesians 1:7-8) Friends, that’s the definition of a Redeemer. He redeemed us, purchased us at a high cost.
Is God dead? “Christ Jesus, who died-more than that, who was raised to life-is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” (Romans 8:34)
Filed under: SERIES: HOPE
“The memory of him perishes from the earth, and he has no name among the renowned… Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place of him who does not know God.” (Job 18:17,21)
Have you ever been abandoned? Have you ever felt abandoned? That’s the way Job must have felt as his friends abandoned him. Bildad at this point was withdrawing his friendship. Bildad was certain he was right and that he knew why Job was suffering. It was logical, right? If Job sinned he should be punished. But sometimes logic does not give the facts. In this case the “facts” are tragic, not logical. Job believed in God but could not articulate God’s virtue at the present time. Bildad can’t point to a gross sin in Job, so he must be a hypocrite. There must be some sin in Job to explain the facts.
When you feel alone or have been abandoned, though the “facts” don’t line up and life seems illogical, rest in the one who has said through the ages, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5)
Filed under: SERIES: HOPE
“But I should speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God…. Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him.” (Job 13:3,15)
This was the core of Job’s belief. He was willing to die for it. He believed in a God he couldn’t define. God would be there when he died. In the very end, Job knew God would demonstrate that He was just. Sin and war are absolutely unjustifiable. Greed and world economic meltdown are not part of God’s plan. This has to be our outlook in 2009, “If He takes my job, my house, my retirement savings, yet will I trust Him” We cannot explain our sufferings by saying, “We are being punished because we have done wrong,” or “We are suffering because we need to be perfected.” – Ernie
Filed under: SERIES: HOPE
Zophar felt like he had to speak up. “Should not the multitude of words be answered? And should a man full of talk be vindicated? Should your empty talk make men hold their peace? And when you mock, should no one rebuke you?” (Job 11:2,3)Zophar believed he was an expert in spiritual matters. Do you find it difficult to be around people who think they are experts in a certain area of life but are not? Some people have something to say about everything. They haven’t learned the truth behind the fact that we have two ears and one mouth, that we ought to listen twice as much as we talk.
Jesus said the spiritual expert is “whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:4) There are no experts in spiritual things. Zophar implied he knew the kind of integrity that would stand before God and before man. What he said was impertinent advice to a man who was broken hearted. Zophar showed religious indignation that he was attributing to God. Zophar thought he needed to speak up for God.
Those who befriend and counsel others need to remember they are not God, nor do their words necessarily come from God. It’s a good idea to surround ourselves with wise counsel (Proverbs 15:22). But we still need to test what has been told us (1 John 4:1). Examine what you are told or how you counsel others after you examine the Scriptures (Acts 17:11).
Ernie & Johnny
Filed under: SERIES: HOPE
“Remember, I pray, that you have made me like clay. And will You turn me into dust again?… You have granted me life and favor, and Your care has preserved my spirit.” (Job 10:9,12)
Job now faces rejection by God and he doesn’t know the reason why. He refuses to lie so that his friends will be right in their assessment. He refuses to say that he must have committed some sin that brought this on. He is honest when he says he doesn’t understand. He continues to pray. He is continuing his relationship with God. He gives God the credit for the life and the spirit he still has. Job is looking for a refuge and that refuge is God.
No matter how much has been taken from us, can we still thank God for what we DO have?
Filed under: SERIES: HOPE
You’ve heard the term, “with friends like these who needs enemies.” I think Job’s friends did their best work when they simply sat with him and said nothing. But, Bildad couldn’t keep his mouth shut for long.
“How long will you speak these things, and the words of your mouth be like a strong wind? Does God subvert judgment? Or does the Almighty pervert justice?” (Job 8:2-3) Bildad uses questions to try to get answers from Job that agree with Bildad’s concept of how God acts. Job is saying his problem cannot be repaired by being more perfect. We, like Job, cannot have our problems solved by being more righteous. We need redemption. We need Jesus Christ. Job could not do it be himself, and neither can we.
Bildad has a creed; he worships that creed; he has not met the real God; he never prays to God for Job. Think about that. In all the words of the book of Job, his friends offer no prayers for him. Just counsel. How can you offer counsel when you have no relationship with the Counselor (John 14:15-16)? When all you have is an outward creed of beliefs and it does nothing to affect (and infect) the heart, all you have is religion, not relationship. We need relationship.
Filed under: SERIES: HOPE
“My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and are spent without hope. Oh, remember that my life is a breath! My eye will never again see good.” (Job 6:6-7)
Have you ever had days where it seemed like the situation you were in was completely hopeless? You just don’t seem to have anything left. Nothing left to give. Nothing left to fight for. How appropriate are Oswald Chambers’ words today: “Job suffered in this way, and many people are doing so today on account of the war. We all experience these things in a passing mood, but with Job it is no mood, he is facing the real basis of life.”
When we are in the center of a storm is usually not the time we hold out the most hope. All we see is the trouble before us, the obstacle in front of us, the problems that are ahead of us. Though right now you may be feeling like Job, “I will never again see good,” do as he did. “I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.” (6:11) Take your complaints to God. He won’t be surprised by your feelings. If you “complain in the bitterness of” your soul to God, you might find that you won’t have any more complaints when it comes to those around you (whether you’re complaining to them or about them).
You may not always find comfort when you complain to others or about others. You will find comfort when you take your cares to Him. (Nahum 1:7; 1 Peter 5:7)
Filed under: SERIES: HOPE
In Job chapter 5 we read “Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty. For He bruises, but He binds up; He wounds, but His hands make whole.” (5:17-18) Is this what God was doing to Job. Job’s friends tended to believe that if Job was struggling, if he was sick, if he had come to financial ruin, he must have done something to deserve it. And if he did, God was correcting him.
Granted, it’s great to have a Father who looks out for us and disciplines us when we need it. Children always test the waters and bump the boundaries with their parents. But when they know there are lines they shouldn’t cross, it gives them a sense of security. Yet, is this what was happening with Job?
Sometimes we suffer. Paul said the godly will suffer persecution. God is at work when people have given up on self and unable to see a future. The Son of Man is ocming at an hour we least expect. If our suffering is great and we can’t see God, He is there anyway. God is greater than what I know about Him, greater than a man’s creed, greater than theology, even greater than our relationship with Him. This was the God that Job worshipped despite his troubles.
It could be what you are going through has to do with God’s discipline. He loves His children too much not to correct them. Take some time with your heavenly Father today. Though you might not know what the future holds, you do know who holds the future.
Filed under: SERIES: HOPE
“Can a mortal be more righteous than God? Can a man be more pure than his Maker?” (Job 4:17)
Eliphaz believed that the punishment Job was experiencing was the teaching that sin would result in punishment. In his mind, Job’s present punishment was related to some sin he must have committed. This is what Job himself had taught. Eliphaz was judging; he was presupposing what God would do. He believed God would bless a good man and not bless a bad man.
Jesus was proof that even the righteous suffer. We say in our minds or even out loud, “that’s not fair.” How parents have told their children, “life’s not fair.” Fifty-five year old men who lived a pretty clean life do die of cancer. People who have smoked all their lives live well into their eighties. There are consequences of sin, but just because someone is suffering does not mean God has it in for them. That’s what Job’s friends thought.
Whether things are going good or bad, keep looking up. Stay in relationship with God. We’ll remind you again, Jesus said that in this world we will have troubles, “but take heart. I have overcome the world.” Don’t lose heart.
Filed under: SERIES: HOPE
“After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day he was born.” (Job 3:1) Job knew nothing of Jesus Christ. There was nothing but despair. There was no silver lining. There was no road back to yesterday. WE know, the Bible reveals, that the only way out is through redemption. Redemption comes with a personal relationship to God; it is not a faith in a creed or belief statement or concept of God. Job did not reason his way to a solution. It was after he realized there was no other way than the one God would supply.
The method that has been supplied to us is the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ – called redemption. Despite all that happens, we, like Job have a hope and like Job can face the future.
Job was depressed. To be depressed was not considered sin. Who is Job talking to when he wishes he had never been born? Why could Job not see the bright side of grief?
I have known people who have been so depressed that they speak of tunnel vision – you only see one thing. Have you ever been there? Have you ever been so down that you wished you had never been born? Do what Job did. We believe he was telling God. God will not be surprised by our feelings.
Do as David did once. He spoke to himself. “Why so downcast, O my soul? Put your hope in God.” (Psalm 42:11) No matter how down you are about how things are going in your life, tell God about it.
The man I still consider to be my pastor told me that the one I marry would become 90% of my happiness or 90% of my unhappiness. Choose well! That was good advice. I’d have to say that we both married up!
After Job began loosing his life savings, employees, and even family members, his wife asked him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!” But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” (Job 2:9,10) In all this Job did not sin with his lips.
Satan at this point had possession of Job’s intimate possessions, his sense of integrity and his health. There are times when this happens to us. This is not God’s order. God’s order is no sin, no Satan, no sickness, no limitation. We live under the permissive will of God: sin, Satan, wrong, evil. The sneer of Satan had been accepted by Job’s wife. Job found the sneer coming from his wife even worse than the one from Satan. Job believed God was honorable, a God of integrity and in the end it would be absolutely clear that God was a God of love and justice and truth.
There are times when we have no idea why a problem plagues us. We have that age old question in the back of our minds, “why does God allow suffering?” The causes are sometimes obvious. A husband leaves a wife. A father doesn’t talk to his girls. A tornado rips through a small town in Georgia. But then, there are times when the causes are unknown.
Where is hope to be found? Not in our circumstances. Hope must be found in Jesus. He is our hope. We see in Him how one man’s suffering can be turned into such glory.
A good friend of ours, Denny Kasprowicz, is a soccer coach. He has always said you learn more through defeat than you do in victory. Could there be something about suffering that is in God’s redemptive plan? Could there be room for defeat in His plan for our lives that will bring such incredible victory in the end?
What are you learning about yourself as you go through these trying times?
Filed under: SERIES: HOPE
(Dr. Ernie Berkas is an inspiration to me. He was chief of staff at Oakwood Hospital here in Dearborn, but I believe his greatest “job” is the one he is doing now. He is a minister. No, he’s not ordained. But I believe that if the Holy Spirit is in you, you have a ministry (1 Corinthians 12-14). Ernie has been reading a book by Oswald Chambers called “Our Ultimate Refuge.” Chambers writings would also be published as the widely read “My Utmost For His Highest.” It is our hope that you will find your hope in Christ Jesus. He has changed both of our lives forever.
Much of what you’ll read in these thoughts will be his, but I’ll add my thoughts here and there. He didn’t want me to mention him at all. Sorry Ernie. Though you might never use these terms to describe yourself, you have become an example of Jesus to your lovely bride Mary, your family, your friends and your faith family here at Dearborn Covenant. As pastor, thank you for your prayers, your support, your ideas, and that energy that doesn’t seem to quit. To put it simply, I want to be like you when I grow up).
Oswald Chambers was a British army chaplain during WW1. In early 1917, he gave a series of lectures in Egypt to people serving there. His wife took notes with no plan of publication. The book of Job was the text of his lectures. In November of 1917, Chambers died. His wife and friends took those lectures and published them as a book called “Our Ultimate Refuge.”
Chambers had the advantage of knowing that Jesus Christ had lived and died after the book of Job was written. Therefore in 1917 and in 2009, when there is suffering that is hard to explain, there needs to be a search for the same hope that Job possessed. It is that same hope that Jesus gave to those who were suffering.
It is the plan of these writings (whether you see them in print, in email, or on Johnny’s blog at www.ispeaklife.net) to point out where hope can be found by people suffering when the cause is not apparent. We aim to present the importance of hope in the face of increasing pain. We believe that hope is necessary to cope. We believe that not every cloud has a silvery lining; some clouds are all black. We are not blind when we cannot see the bright side of everything.
Paul encouraged “those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” (1 Timothy 6:17) Where are you placing your hope? Where do you find hope? “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27) In his first letter to his protégé, Paul noted that “Christ Jesus (is) our hope.” (1 Timothy 1:1) My hope is built on nothing less!
WHERE SHALL WE FIND HOPE_Day One: God and Satan Talk About Job
Job lived during the patriarchal period and was probably a contemporary of Isaac, Jacob or Joseph. Job is the first of five poetic books and is the first of the three classified as Wisdom Literature. Within its 42 chapters, God and Satan talk about Job in the heavenly realms. Satan was given permission to subject Job to suffering in ways that Job could not understand. He had four friends who visited, attempting to console him.
Job, from Uz, was the greatest man in the East. He had 7 sons and 3 daughters. He was upright, feared God and shunned evil. He trusted God and because of that trust, God would prosper him His creed was that he believed God would prosper an upright man. It is important to note that his trust was in God, not his creed.
Satan thought differently. He thought Job was God fearing because God blessed him. Take away God’s blessing and you’ll take away Job’s desire be with God, follow Him and fear Him. That’s what the enemy thought. “Take away God’s blessing and Job will be thorugh with God.”
Is that what you need? Do we need God’s blessing to continue to trust Him? We have had a revelation of God in Jesus Christ. Do we see God’s love by reading, meditating and following the words of Jesus Christ? The control of all that Job owned was in the control of Satan (1:12). God gave that control to Satan.
Jesus tells us “life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” (Luke 12:15) Because Job didn’t know of Christ, there was despair. He knew nothing after a lifetime on earth. The patience of Job (James 5:11), mentioned by the brother of Jesus tells us Job was patient with God. He didn’t like what was happening but he didn’t blame God.
Where is your hope?
Filed under: SERIES: THE INVASION
As I’ve been reflecting on Revelation 12 and its tie to the most pivotal event in history, something caught my attention. Why was Jesus’ birth the cause for Satan’s forced departure from heaven? After his assassination attempt to devour the Child, “war broke out in heaven,” yet Satan could not prevail. “There was no place for them in heaven any longer.” Why?
He was “thrown out” of heaven (v8) and was “thrown down to earth, and all his angels with him. (12:8-9)
Then John heard a loud a voice in heaven say, “The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Messiah have now come, because the accuser of our brothers has been thrown out: the one who accuses them before our God day and night.” (v10)
The accuser. The accuser of our brothers. The one who accuses them before our God. Day and night. He was non-stop.
“Give the adversary no opportunity to accuse us.” (1 Timothy 5:14)
“Satan (stood) at his right side to accuse him.” (Zechariah 3:1)
That event marked the end of his accusations, as least to God’s face. There was “no place for” accusations, “no place for” pride and arrogance.
Part of me wonders whether Satan had a problem serving beings that were made a little lower than him. You see, angels are “ministering spirits sent to serve those who are going to inherit salvation.” (Hebrews 1:14) The opperative word there is “serve.” Did Satan have a problem serving those “made…a little lower than the angels”? (Psalm 8:5)
“You made him lord over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet.” (Psalm 8:6) That’s what God wanted from the very beginning. Adam and Eve and their children were to “be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it.” (Genesis 1:28) They were to rule over all creation. All authority had been given to them.
I think this is what Lucifer had a problem with. When you consider that worship and service are much the same word in the Bible, it was Lucifer’s desire to be served and worshiped, not to serve.
“I will give you their splendor and all this authority,” Satan told Jesus in his temptation, “because it has been given over to me, and I can give it to anyone I want. If you, then, will worship me, all will be yours.” (Luke 4:6-7)
Angels were not to be worshiped. John was about to worship the angel when the angel said, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow slave with you, your brothers the prophets, and those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.” (Revelation 22:9)
Angels were not meant to be worshiped. “All the angels stood around the throne…and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God.” (Revelation 7:11) They were meant to worship. They were meant to serve. They were meant to support God’s plans, not thwart them. When Satan led his attack to kill the Christ-child, God the Father had had enough. The Devil could no longer level accusations against God’s creation. The accuser in heaven was replaced by the Advocate. And now…
“There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1) If you are hidden in Christ Jesus, if you have given your life to Him, if you have asked forgiveness and expressed your desire to follow Him and trust in His death on the cross that paid the penalty for your sins, Satan can no longer level accusations against you. He was cast out of heaven and cast down to earth, where we will one day crush his head. (Genesis 3:15)
When Satan reminds you, accuses you of your past, simply remind him of his future: “The God of peace will soon crush Satan underneath your feet.” (Romans 16:20)
Filed under: SERIES: THE INVASION
Click this link… I2:The Invader …to listen to the second message in this series.
The attack on Pearl Harbor (or Hawaii Operation, as it was called by the Imperial General Headquarters) was a surprise military strike conducted by the Japanese navy against the United States’ naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on the morning of Sunday December 7, 1941, later resulting in the United States becoming militarily involved in World War II. It was intended as a preventive action to keep the U.S. Pacific Fleet from influencing the war Japan was planning to wage in Southeast Asia against Britain, the Netherlands, and the United States. The attack consisted of two aerial attack waves totaling 353 aircraft, launched from six Japanese aircraft carriers.
The attack sank four U.S. Navy battleships (two of which were raised and returned to service late in the war) and damaged four more. The Japanese also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, and one minelayer, destroyed 188 aircraft, and caused personnel losses of 2,402 killed and 1,282 wounded. The power station, shipyard, maintenance, and fuel and torpedo storage facilities, as well as the submarine piers and headquarters building (also home of the intelligence section) were not hit. Japanese losses were minimal, at 29 aircraft and five midget submarines, with 65 servicemen killed or wounded.
The strike was intended to neutralize the U.S. Pacific Fleet, and hence protect Japan’s advance into Malaya and the Dutch East Indies, where Japan sought access to natural resources such as oil and rubber. Both the U.S. and Japan held long-standing contingency plans for war in the Pacific which were continuously updated as tensions between the two countries steadily increased during the 1930s, with the Japanese expansion into Manchuria and French Indochina greeted by steadily increased levels of embargoes and sanctions from the United States and other nations.
In 1940, under the authority granted by the Export Control Act, the U.S. halted shipments of airplanes, parts, machine tools, and aviation gasoline, which was perceived by Japan as an unfriendly act. The U.S. did not stop oil exports to Japan at that time in part because prevailing sentiment in Washington was that such an action would be an extreme step, given Japanese dependence on U.S. oil, and likely to be considered a provocation by Japan.
Following Japanese expansion into French Indochina after the fall of France, the U.S. ceased oil exports to Japan in the Summer of 1941, in part because of new American restrictions on domestic oil consumption. President Franklin D. Roosevelt had earlier moved the Pacific Fleet to Hawaii and ordered a military buildup in the Philippines in the hope of discouraging Japanese aggression in the Far East. As the Japanese high command was (mistakenly) certain any attack on the United Kingdom’s Southeast Asian colonies would bring the U.S. into the war, a preventive strike appeared to be the only way for Japan to avoid U.S. naval interference. An invasion of the Philippines was also considered to be necessary by Japanese war plans, while for the U.S., reconquest of the islands had been a given of War Plan Orange in the interwar years.
While the attack accomplished its intended objective, it was completely unnecessary. Unbeknownst to Isoroku Yamamoto, who conceived the original plan, the U.S. Navy had decided as far back as 1935 to abandon ‘charging’ across the Pacific towards the Philippines in response to an outbreak of war (in keeping with the evolution of Plan Orange). The U.S. instead adopted “Plan Dog” in 1940, which emphasized keeping the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) out of the eastern Pacific and away from the shipping lanes to Australia while the U.S. concentrated on defeating Nazi Germany.
The attack was an important engagement of World War II. Unintentionally occurring before a formal declaration of war (which had been scheduled to be delivered shortly prior to the attack beginning),it pushed U.S. public opinion from isolationism to the acceptance of participation in the war being unavoidable. The lack of warning led Roosevelt to call it “a date which will live in infamy.” (wikipedia)
Infamy. It means extremely bad reputation, public reproach, or strong condemnation as the result of a shameful, criminal or outrageous acts. The invasion of the Japanese on Pearl Harbor marked a turning point in the minds of most Americans. It was a date we’ll always remember. There were no warnings signs of an impending attack. Though the US knew we had an enemy, we didn’t know they would attack like that.
Satan knew the warning signs. After his rebellion, that “ancient serpent” as John calls him in Revelation 12 was told his head would be crushed in Genesis 3. It was revealed through the Prophet Isaiah how “the Lord himself will give you a sign.” A sign. (a mark; an indication; a sign of warning or admonition; an indication of God’s power) That sign? “The virgin shall be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” There’s no way Satan could have understood how or why God was going to invade his kingdom. He knew what the name meant: God with us. Another warning sign of an impending invasion.
Once again from the words of Isaiah, “there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress….The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.” What was going to take place on the day of that invasion? “On those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned,” Isaiah warned. There would be an enlargement of God’s kingdom. There would be increased joy. People were going to throw parties like the kind they did when harvest time came or when victory secured over an enemy. The things that bound and burdened people would be shattered. The weight that they were carrying would be lifted. The rod that struck them would be taken away, their enemies boots and clothes would be fuel for fire. And then these word that I’m sure struck fear in mind of Satan and those he led in his rebellion:
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.” Isaiah 9:6-7
There were even more warning signs of this invasion. An angel appearing secretly to a young virgin girl. She received the warning that God was going to invade her life. An angel appearing to her fiancé in a dream that God was about to invade his life. Angels appearing to shepherds. So far, these warnings were not very public. All these words, echoing in the enemy’s head, an enemy that Jesus said three times was the prince of this world, and once called the god of this age by Paul, all these words, but no real time frame. There was still an element of surprise.
But then, the element of surprise was wasted. Or was it. Was it an act of stupidity that led the three astrologers right into the hands of the enemy? Or was it an act of blatant disregard, an act of boldness, an act that communicated “he is here! He is here to destroy the works of the devil. He is here to seek and to save that which was lost. He is here to free people from fear, and specifically, the fear of death.” Bomb blasts going off. Warning whistles blasting through the night sky.
Matthew 2 1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem 2and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east[b] and have come to worship him.”
3When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ[c] was to be born. 5“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet (Micah 5:2) has written:
6” ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’[d]”
7Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east[e] went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
The In-Vader Had Come. Not the Darth Vader, or even the dark vader but the Invader who brought light, who was called the Light of this world. He came to invade Mary’s life. He came to invade Joseph’s life. He came to invade the shepherds’ lives. He came to invade the lives of the three wise men. He came to invade Herod’s life and all of Jerusalem. He came to invade the darkness that Satan shrouded this world with. Herod was disturbed. Satan was disturbed. Why? Ancient prophecy become present reality:
“There will be no more gloom for those who were in distress….The people walking in darkness have seen a great light. On those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” In his account of His Savior’s life, John wrote “life was in Him, and htat life was the light of men. That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it.” (1:4-5)
Wonderful Counselor: For those who need someone to listen to them, the Invader has come as the Wonderful Counselor.
Almighty God: For those who feel powerless to overcome the battles in their own lives, the Invader has come as Almighty God.
Everlasting Father: For those who don’t know their father or mother; whose dad walked out on them; whose mom called them no good; whose father said they would not amount to anything; For those called out to a daddy who wasn’t there, the Invader has come as the Everlasting Father.
Prince of Peace: For those whose lives seem to be crazy; who have no peace of mind; whose hearts feel heavy within them; who feel separated from the One who loves them and created them, the Invader has come as the Prince who brings Peace. The Invader has come. Are you disturbed or delighted? Will you submit yourself to this Prince, crawl up on the lap of this Father, let this Powerful God fight your battles and let this Wonderful Counselor hear your pain? When He comes, will you let Him in?
Filed under: SERIES: THE INVASION
By clicking on this link… I1:Phantom Menace …you can listen to the first in this series on The Invasion – The Battle Behind the Birth. This series is based on Revelation 12.
O come O come Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel. Joy to the world, the Lord is come; let earth receive her king. O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem. O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord. It came upon a midnight clear, that glorious song of old, from angels bending near the earth to touch their harps of gold. “Peace on the earth, good will to men, from heaven’s gracious King.” The world in solemn stillness lay to hear the angels sing. O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie! Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by: yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting Light: the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight. Silent night! Holy night! All is calm, all is bright round yon virgin mother and child, holy infant so tender and mild, sleep in heavenly peace.
Hope, joy. A midnight clear. Peace. Good will. Solemn stillness lay. Deep and dreamless sleep. Silent stars. Silent nights.
If Christmas is all about hope, why are so many in despair? If Christmas is all about joy, why are so many depressed? If Christmas reminds us of clarity, why is everything so foggy? If Christmas is about peace, why is there so much war? War among countries. War among nationalities. War among neighbors. War among families. If Christmas is all about good will, why is there so much bad will and ill will? Tell me if I’m wrong, but it seems like there is something out there trying to cloud our clarity, steal our stillness, and push away our peace. It seems like there’s a being, a menace who wants to keep people captive to the past. Where Emmanuel is sent to ransom those in captivity, there’s a menacing presence keeping people in prison. Where the Lord is come to bring joy to the world, a nuisance and trouble maker is right around the corner to steal that joy. When all ye faithful come together, joyful and triumphant, a troublemaker is their plaguing people with defeat.
Borrowing a character from the Star Wars trilogy, this menace is not a phantom. He is not an apparition. He is not a mirage. He is very real and really wants to steal, kill and destroy.
In his book Cosmic Christmas, Max Lucado writes, Christmas is full of cozy thoughts: a sleeping Jesus, wide-eyed shepherds, a soft- faced Mary. The nativity sentiment is warm, the emotion is joy, and the feeling is peace. Such is the picture in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. In John’s book of Revelation, however, he offers another perspective. From his perspective, the birth of Jesus stirs more than excitement; it stirs evil. Pulling back the curtain of the skies, he reveals a bloody war in the heavens. John sees a woman, ready to give birth. He sees a dragon, ready to bring death. The woman is beautiful and the dragon ugly. The dragon lunges at the newborn child, but he is too late. The child and the mother are granted safety and then “there was a war in heaven. A war in the stars, if you will. “Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.”
Max admits, “parts of Cosmic Christmas are fiction – fruits of my imagination. Other parts of the story, however, are true. Whether or not you like the fiction is insignifant. But whether or not you see the truth is essential. Scripture for example says nothing of a vial containing the essence of Christ, an arch demon named Phlumar, an angel named Sophio… Scripture is, however, very clear that ‘our fight is not against people on earth but against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly world.” (Ephesians 6:12)
Go to the back of the bible in the book of revelation chapter 12. We’re going to look at the Christmas story through the eyes of the revelation John received – John, the same apostle who wrote the Gospel of John and the three letters. John’s testimony shows us that there is a very real menacing presence out to steal, kill and destroy everything Christmas represents. And it’s my honor this morning to tell you that you do not have to live in fear and frustration, in depression and defeat.
Revelation 12 1A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. 3Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. 4His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born.
Two signs: a woman and a dragon. A sign is a mark; an indication; a sign of warning or admonition; an indication of God’s power
A woman.
Ø Clothed with the sun: it suggests supreme authority. How is the woman clothed with supreme authority? Think back to the Christmas story. In Luke 1, starting in verse 28, the angel Gabriel went to Mary and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” She was a little troubled and wondered what this was all about. But Gabriel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Could it be that the one she was to hold and protect was actually holding and protecting her? So here’s this woman, covered by, overshadowed, blanketed by, clothed with the power of the Most High God, with…
Ø Moon under her feet: suggests derived authority. To derive literally means to draw off, like drawing water from a stream. It’s to receive or obtain from a specified source. The moon does not have light in itself. We only see the moon because of its reflection of the source of light, the sun. This derived authority is under her feet. Could this have something to do with the curse placed on that ancient serpent that Eve’s offspring would crush his head. (Genesis 3:15) Does it have to do with what Paul said at the end of Romans, The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. (Romans 16:20) We’ll look at this deeper in the coming weeks as we look at the Invader who “must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. … For he “has put everything under his feet.” (1 Corinthians 15:25-27)
Ø A crown of twelve stars on her head: Does this crown refer to the 12 tribes of Israel or the 12 apostles of the church? This description has some translators thinking that the woman is the nation of Israel that gave birth to the church. “Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars.” Psalm 148:3
A dragon.
Enormous red dragon: Who is the dragon? Verse 9 answers that question: “The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” How many angels? Verse 4 says a third of the stars. His tail swept of third of what was trailing him, flinging them to earth. Somehow, someway, he was able to convince a third of heaven in his rebellion. His purpose? To devour her child. Do you remember what Peter once wrote? “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) That ancient serpent. This serpent found at the end of the book is the same serpent in the beginning. Genesis 3:1 says that “the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made.”
Who is this dragon?
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Cor.4:4 Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light, 2 Cor.11:14 and is the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. Eph.2:2 Be on the alert! Our enemy the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him, firm in the faith. 1 Peter 5:8 Some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 1 Tim.4:1 The Devil…was a murderer from the beginning and…is a liar and the father of liars. John 8:44 Our gospel is veiled…to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Cor. 4:3-4 It’s our prayer that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will, 2Tim.2:26 for the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. 1 John 5:19 He’s the accuser in Job 1. He’s the tempter in Luke 4. He is seen in 2 Cor.2:11
In September we saw that we are in a very real war and that battle is not against flesh and blood. In October and November we looked at the personal battles we face every day. This month I want to encourage you to commit James 4:7-8 to memory and put it to practice every day.
Submit to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. James 4:7-8
Submit to God actively.
Resist the devil verbally.
Draw near to God intentionally.
God rest ye merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay, Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day; To save us all from Satan’s power when we were gone astray.
Filed under: SERIES: DISCIPLE | Tags: Bible, church, churches, Dearborn, disciple, God, Jesus, sacrifice
I know it doesn’t take much creativity on the part of the giver, but I don’t mind getting money for my birthday. I love money. That can be a problem since Paul told his young protégé that money is the root of all evil. That’s not right, is it? The love of money is the root of all evil. I love to spend money on myself. I do enjoy spending on myself, but that joy is short lived. When I expend my life on others and spend my resources (time, talents, treasure) on others, I find that life is much more enjoyable.
What are the objects of your affection? What do you treasure? Any chance you would give it up because you have set your sites on something else? You can tell what a person’s priorities are by looking in their checkbook. You can also tell by looking in their calendar.
Time and money are extremely valuable assets. Don’t you find it interesting that with all this technology, we don’t have enough time with the ones we need to make time for? All of what we have is supposed to help us save time and money, but it doesn’t. We start to realize that there may be better ways to spend our lives than on ourselves.
A friend of mine went to help pack and hand out turkey dinners this past weekend. Another friend takes his Saturdays to reach out to Arab Americans in east Dearborn. Another friend calls women to find out how she can pray for them. Some kids in our church save a portion of their allowance to give to God. Some guys I know spent many of their evenings making sure a young family had a working bathroom.
All of these examples are what Paul would call a living sacrifice. He wrote, “I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. This is your spiritual act of worship.” (Romans 12:1-2)
Wait a minute, I thought worship was gathering together on Sundays, singing praises and listening to the Word of God. It is. But worship is much more. It’s how you live your life and what you live your life for.
What do you have your sites set on? What are you looking at? What are you spending your life doing? Whenever you give whatever you give, keep in view what He gave up for you.
Filed under: SERIES: DISCIPLE | Tags: Bible, disciple, dog, dogs, God, Jesus, obedience, Scripture
For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted a dog. I loved Snoopy growing up. Alright. I guess I still do. I still have pictures of Snoopy that I drew in grade school (budding artist that I was!). We’ve had cats for as long as Michelle and I have been married. Cats don’t really obey. They’re in their own little world. You can usually train a dog to obey. Usually.
When I was ready for our family to get a dog, I went onto a website where I could answer questions about myself and my family. That way we could pick the best dog for our family. The top two choices were a Jack Russell Terrier and a Beagle. When we told friends we were interested in a dog, they knew of a family that could not care for their’s. He was a Beagle. His name is Dakota.
When I took Dakota on those first walks, I knew I was in trouble. That Beagle nose likes to hunt. He wouldn’t slow down for anything. At one point he broke his collar as he pulled away from me to chase something. Obey? Not on your life. Not right then anyhow. Down the road my dear Dakota would learn. Maybe age slowed him down a bit.
Are you a dog or a cat? Can you be trained to obey your Master or are you in your own little world, like a cat?
“We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, ‘I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” (1 John 2:3-6)
We know someone is a follower of Jesus because we see them following Jesus. They make time to listen to what He has to say. They follow Him to see His words in action. Then, if they are truly disciples, they obey. They put His words to action. They put feet on their faith.
Is that you? Are you trainable? Maybe you’re not obeying your Master all the time, but, like Dakota, you’re getting better. We show we love God by obeying God.
Filed under: SERIES: DISCIPLE
Did you ever notice how many books on leadership there are? I have a personal collection of over 70 books on leadership. Let’s see. My books on leadership: The Leadership Challenge. Seven Habits of Highly Effective Leaders. Leadership Jazz. Built to Last. Developing the Leader Within You.Interesting. As I gaze at the volume of books on my shelves, I have none on followership. “What’s followership?” you might ask. If leadership is the ability to lead, followership is the ability to follow someone’s leadership. I don’t have a copy of Seven Habits of Highly Effective Followers. I don’t have Developing the Follower Within You. Why?
We’re enamored with leaders, not followers. I have a biography section on my shelves. There’s Bo. Go blue! I also have one on Bo Jackson. Billy Graham. John Gruden. Charles Spurgeon. Nixon. Lincoln. Iacocca. Reagan. Clinton. Falwell. Wesley. And I’ll be honest. I’m more interested in leaders than I am with followers.
Yet Jesus said something quite the opposite. “My sheep hear My voice; I know them and they follow Me.” (John 10:27) I pray that He will make me an effective leader, and then He says crazy things like, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:27)
Then I argue, “I’m not looking to be first. I just want to lead. You know, lead my life. Lead my family. Lead my church.”
Then He replies, “Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant.” (Mark 10:43 NLT) In essence Jesus is saying, disciples:follow.
We’re taking four weeks to look at what it really means to be a disciple of Jesus. Disciples:listen. Disciples:follow. “Hear My voice…follow Me.”
Hudson Taylor, a well known missionary to China, was scheduled to speak at a large church in Melbourne, Australia. One man introduced the missionary in eloquent and glowing terms. He told the large congregation all that Taylor had accomplished in China, and then presented him as “our illustrious guest.” Taylor stood quietly for a moment, and then opened his message by saying, “Dear friends, I am the little servant of an illustrious Master.”
Do you have a Master or are you master of your own life? Do you have a Leader or are you attempting to keep the reigns? If disciples:listen, what have you been hearing this week? What have you been listening to? As you make time to listen to God, how is He asking you to follow His lead? If disciples:follow, what areas in your life do you find it difficult to follow Him in?
Where is your life going? Who are you following? Who’s following you? No one? Look again.
