"You get'em God!"

Pain, fear and rejection welled up within Jeremiah as he prayed bitterly against his enemies:

"...Forgive not their iniquity, nor blot out their sin from your sight...deal with them in the time of your anger." -Jeremiah 18:23 

It's not a particularly gracious prayer, but the sentiment is one that most of us have probably felt ourselves at some point. I'm guessing you have either seen or experienced one of the following:

• She is left holding the fragments of a broken marriage while he plays the fool, leaving town with another woman.
• A faithful employee is given the "pink slip" just months before he is vested in his retirement.
• A bride is left at the altar while her cold footed groom runs for the door.
• A pastor pours his heart and soul into a congregation, only to be betrayed and run out of town in humiliation.

And on and on it goes. Embarrassment. Anger. Humiliation. Fear of the future. Powerlessness. Then, in desperation, the aggrieved party prays, "God get'em." 

Certainly God doesn't give any sin a pass. All sins will be judged in time, but what He really wants is repentance on the part of the offender, not the administration of justice. Fortunately for all of us, God's patience far exceeds ours. In fact, a few chapters later in the Book of Jeremiah, God is describing the coming "New Covenant" that is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Using Jeremiah's own words from the prayer we just read (note the underlined words), God says,

"Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, ... And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." -Jeremiah 31:31, 34 

So if you've been hurt, embarrassed or otherwise mistreated by some rotten jerk, I get it. I really do. You'd like to strike back, or better yet, you'd like for God to administer a bit of justice on your behalf.

Here's the thing, the "New Covenant" that Jesus purchased with his death and resurrection make equal provision for anyone who will turn to Him. It's even available to the dirty rotten jerk who did you wrong. 

I know. I know. It's not an easy thing to do, but rather than pray a "God get'em" prayer the way Jeremiah did, it's better to ask God to bring the offender to a place of repentance. Jesus said, 

"...Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you." [Luke 6:27 ESV]

So, you may ask, how am I supposed to "love...do good...bless...pray for" that rotten crummy person? Honestly, it usually takes a little time. Ultimately Christians do the right thing because that is what Jesus told them to do, not because they feel like doing it. 

So if you are still experiencing the sting of a bad event in your life, please, let me give you a little direction on how to pray. Ask the Lord to bring your offender to a place of repentance. God is still a God of miracles and your prayer for that person just might make an eternal difference in their life.

Go ahead. Do the right thing.

Hauling Hay ...and Grace

My wife's grandfather, Jess, is in very poor health these days, and I find myself thinking about him quite a lot. He has told me many stories of his life. Here is one I would like to share with you.

Not long after Jess had return from the European theater of World War II, he and his brother, Earl, decided to try their hand at farming. I don't think they ever made much money in this venture, but it did provide them with many stories to share with their kids and grandkids. 

Jess tells of one summer day when he and Earl were putting up hay. It had been cut, raked and baled. All that was left was to put it in the barn. Unfortunately, it was about to start raining later that day. Jess had tried to find someone to help with the hauling but had been unsuccessful. So, he and his brother were struggling to put it up by themselves. 

Now, if you have ever hauled square baled hay, you know it is not a two man job. You need at least one man driving, one man on the ground loading, and one man on the truck or trailer to do the stacking. If only two men are doing the hauling it is a very slow process, to be sure.

Jess and Earl were in the field exhausted and struggling to do a three (or four) man job as the clouds began to darken the horizon. If the bales got soaked they would be ruined and worthless. Not only the hay, but also  all of the time and expense of the baling would be lost.

Just then, one of their neighbors drove past the field and saw these two young men struggling to save their hay crop. Sitting behind the wheel was an older gentleman many years their senior. He could have justifiably been called an "old man". If he had simply driven on by no one would have thought the worse of him. But this old man still had considerable strength and he knew it.  He pulled his truck to the side of the road and crossed through the fence, sliding his broad shoulders between the strands of barbed wire.

As dark clouds continued to boil higher into the sky, he strode across the field toward Jess and Earl's truck. He grabbed a bale of hay in each hand and tossed them onto the truck. Wordlessly he continued to toss bales of hay onto their truck two at a time until the field was clean. Jess, Earl, and this kind old neighbor drove the last load of hay in to the barn just as the rain began to fall. 


With the hay crop saved, Jess and Earl turned to the old neighbor and thanked him for coming to their aid, then Jess tried to pay him for his help. "Son," the old man replied, "you can't pay me enough to haul hay!"

"Son, you can't pay me enough to haul hay!" 

Of course I am going to draw a moral from this story...

Grace is illustrated here. The hay crop is like your eternal soul. It is valuable but it is under a cloud of judgment. You can't work hard enough to save it, and you can't buy your way out of a fix. You are about to lose the crop.

God sees your plight. Motivated by love for your everlasting soul, he crosses the "fence" that separates man from God and becomes "God with us" in the person of Jesus Christ. He offers you the gift of salvation. He provides an escape for your from the storms of sin and judgment.

Should you be grateful? Absolutely.
Can you pay him back? Never.

I'm sure that the old man who help Jess and Earl has been gone a long time now, but the story of his kind deed as been told for many years and still lives on. 

So here is the question: 
If you had been in Jess and Earl's situation would you have accepted the old man's help? I'm guessing you would have. 

Jesus is offering far greater salvation than that of a hay crop. He offers salvation for you soul. Will you accept his help today?

Getting The Last Word...and I like it!

If you go to the last verse of the last chapter of the last book of the Bible you will read this:

Rev. 22:21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Is this the most important verse in the book of The Revelation? I don’t know. We really can't elevate one verse over another, but I am sure that it is one of the most often overlooked. This phrase (or some variation of it) is contained in nearly one-half of the books of the New Testament.

This passage follows on  the heels of some pretty dramatic reading. For twenty-two chapters the reader has been reading about some pretty astounding things. There have been trumpets and vials and bowls of judgment. Mountains are falling out of the sky. Weird creatures have come out of the earth to torment mankind. Prophets breath fire. All kinds of judgments have been unleashed on a sin corrupted earth. Wars have been waged and kingdoms over thrown. We have also been ushered into the throne room of God to witness the greatest worship service the universe has ever seen, and the King of kings returns to earth on a white horse.

Now imagine you are one of the first people to hear the message of the Revelation. Perhaps you are sitting with the church at, say, Philadelphia when the minister reads the message. As he finishes this letter and reads this last verse the audience sits in stunned  silence.

Most of the crowd thinks they have heard from God.

Some of them may think that John has been out in the sun too long.

To be sure, the closing verse is not the most notable one in the book; yet, it is a very important verse. Here is why.

First, the Revelation is addressed to  working churches, persecuted churches, faithful churches,   loving churches, dying churches, patient churches, healthy churches and lukewarm churches. I am guessing that you and the church you attend fit somewhere in that list.

Second, these the final words of this book to these churches. In fact the final words penned to the church, the entire church, in the canon of scripture is “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”

I want to take this phrase apart and look at it.

I. First of all is the word “grace”. It is that unearned, unmerited favor of God. It is one of those churchy words that we use in church and in very few other places. Yet, grace is so important because without the grace of God we cannot be saved.#

You see, here is the thing:

We cannot demand salvation because we are too weak.
We cannot buy it because we are too poor.
We cannot scheme our way into it because we are too simple.

Salvation comes only by faith through grace.#

II. The next stop on our tour of this verse is the word “Lord” . It means “master”. Our times are an oddity in the history of the world. Odds are, you were born as a free person, as you should be. You may not have two nickels to rub together, but you are a free man or woman, and (unless you commit a crime that warrants incarceration) you will die a free man or woman. That has not always been the case. In fact, for most of the history of this world, slavery has existed as the accepted norm.

Because we are a free people, the word master does not carry for us its full meaning, but Jesus, by virtue of the fact that he is God, is our Master. The good news is that we have the grace of the master. That is, we have His unearned favor. It is his grace which elevates us above the status of a mere servant. In John we are called friends. In Galatians we are called sons.*

III. “Jesus” . His name means “Jehovah is salvation”. The wonder of the incarnation is contained in this name. This name, in five letters, contains the entire meaning of John 3:16.

The first instance we have of anyone who says his name “Jesus” is when the angel announces his birth with the words “…And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”^

Have you ever felt inferior? Well, think about this for a bit. Within the name of Jesus we have a description  of the unearned favor of Jehovah, the great I AM at work to redeem the helpless.  Christians who routinely hide behind “I ain't.....” and "I can't...." statements need to realize that they have received grace from the omnipotent "I AM".

IV. “Christ”. This is not Jesus’ last name. It is a title. It means the anointed one, chosen of God. The Messiah. The Deliverer. He came to this earth the first time humbly, as a servant to save.

Soon, the Bible teaches, he will return to this earth as a King. He is King of kings and Lord of lords.

 And I have his unearned favor.

V. Here is an important word you may not suspect. It is the word "With". This little word is sometimes translated from the Greek as “after”, “among”, or “behind”.  

This best way I know to illustrate for you the meaning of this word is to compare it to perfume.

Have you ever known someone who really, really likes their perfume or cologne?

Grace is like that. I’ve known people whom you could identify by their perfume. You didn’t have to see them to know they were in the room. Strong perfume will fill a room where a person is. It will linger after they are gone. If they hug someone, the perfume will transfer to that person. They carry their fragrance "with" them wherever they go.

Similarly, grace not only flows from God to us, but through us to those around us. In other words, to be like Christ we show "unearned favor" to those around us.

It is not enough to be kind to those who are kind to us. That isn't grace. That's normal. Grace goes beyond normal. We truly display grace when we show our favor to those who have not earned it.

The Conclusion on all of this is tied to the little word “all” . Do you want to know how to get this blessing? How to receive the “grace of our Lord Jesus Christ”?

I have the secret right here. Look at 1 Peter 5:5.

 “ ...all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

Have a wonderful day my friends!  And may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with each of you!

 

# Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; [it is] the gift of God...
* Galatians 4:4-7, John 15:15-17
^ Matthew 1:21

 

Baby, you're my "Life"!

 

In Genesis 2-3 the Bible gives us the account of the creation of our first parents. Here are some things you may not know.

1. The Hebrew word that is transliterated as the proper name “Adam” is used through out the Old Testament as a non-proper designation for “man” or “mankind”. While the translators of our English language Bibles are compelled by necessity and tradition to translate this word into a proper name for the first man, the God-given purpose of his name was to designate his order in creation. That is, he is called “adam” designating him as the one created from the dust but in the image of God, brought to life by the breath of God, and therefore in a standing higher than the animals.

2. “Adam” is one vowel sound different from the Hebrew word for “ground” which is pronounced “adamah”. This usually refers to inhabited or cultivated land.

It is quite conceivable that as God would walk into the garden to talk to Adam, his call is something equivalent to “hey, dirt guy”. Remember Adam is a guy. This name is as good as any other. (Hey, most men will adopt names and nicknames for themselves and for other men that very, very few women would ever be willing to carry.)

3. There is another word that is translated “man”. This words is the Hebrew word “ish” which is used to contrast between male and female. This is first used in Gen. 2:23.

4. The word used for woman or female is similar to “ish”. It is the word “ish-shah”. This is the word that the Bible uses for the first woman all of the way through the creation narrative down to Gen. 3:20.

 

I want to show you what changes in Genesis 3:20.

You may be familiar with the story of the “fall of man”, but if you are not you will need to read the first three chapters of Genesis for this to make sense. Here it is in a nut shell.

• The man (adam) and his wife (ish-shah) are created by God and placed in a garden paradise.
• They are occupied, but not overworked.
• Every need is supplied.
• They are in fellowship with God.
• They have one little restriction. They cannot eat the fruit from one tree, the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil”. If they do, they will die.
• Satan enters the picture and tempts the woman. She succumbs and eats the fruit.
• She give to her husband. He is not deceived, but he eats anyway [see 1 Timothy 2:14].
• God comes on the scene, and everything goes sideways.
• The curse falls on this world because of their sin. They will suffer. They will die.

Now imagine you are the woman.

She was “deceived”. In the midst of her disobedience to God, she genuinely thought she was doing the right thing. She gave him the “forbidden fruit.” She had not meant to harm Adam, but because he had eaten the fruit she handed to him…

Adam lost the best job in the world,
Adam lost the best home in the world (God soon evicts them from the garden),
He was now subject to sickness and disease,
Adam was sentenced to hard labor for the rest of his life, and
Adam would die.

Now as the woman stands there next to her husband, they are both the recipients of God's displeasure. She watches as her husband begins instantly to age. I am quite certain, she felt overwhelming guilt. She was guilty. They were both guilty.

Can you hear her weeping to Adam? “I’m so sorry. I’ve brought you misery and death. You would have been better off without me. I’ve messed your life up. Oh Adam, I am so, so sorry.”

Here is where verse 3:20 comes in:

“And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.”

Look at that! Isn’t this an odd time for “dirt guy” to rename his bride? Up until now she has been known as “ish-shah” or “female”, but now she will be known as “Eve” which means “Life”.

Can you see it? There they stand guilty before an offended God, their beautiful life is crashing down around them and he turns to her and says, “Oh honey, you’re my ‘Life’!”


Then something curious happens:

Notice that when the man accused the woman and the woman accused the snake, God came down hard on everyone involved. Now the man shows tenderness and forgiveness to his wife and watch what happens in verse 21:

“Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.”

Was God withholding mercy until Adam showed mercy? I don’t know. I cannot draw such a causative link based on this verse alone, but I can tell you that that principle is consistent with the New Testament teachings of Jesus. Look at Matthew 6:12. This is from what we commonly call the “Lord’s Prayer”. Jesus said we are to pray,

“And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors.”
esv

Then he goes on to explain,

“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

This is probably the least favorite line of the Lord’s prayer. I’m afraid we often try to modify the Lord’s prayer and pray this way :

“God forgive me, and help me forgive everybody else.”

I’m sorry, but this isn’t a prayer consistent with Jesus pattern for us. The correct way to pray, according to Jesus, is to pray, “Father, forgive me as I forgive others…”

That kind of prayer really raises the bar on the importance of our forgiveness of others, doesn’t it? Here is the thing: if we live our lives harboring unforgiveness against other people, we have no expectation of forgiveness from our Heavenly Father.

We could certainly develop this train of thought a lot farther, but at some point you would stop reading. By now I think you probably get the point anyway. So, I'll leave you with this...

“And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” -Mark 11:25 esv

Dangers, Toils, and Snares

"Through many dangers, toils and snares...

I have already come...

These familiar words are etched deeply in my mind. I have no memory of hearing this song for the first time. I have sung it all my life.

But tonight, for some reason, these words tore themselves loose from the rest of this verse of John Newton's "Amazing Grace"  to run freely in my mind. I know these words. I sing these words. Tonight I pondered them.

1. I have come through many dangers...

Dangers, the perils of life, threaten each of us. We each tread close to the precipice daily. The trail is muddy, and the fall is steep and long. I am surrounded by near misses, some of which I am aware. Others, I've no doubt, occur, of which I know nothing...

Yet I am here...

Ponder God's promise to Israel:

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by name, you are mine.

 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,

and the flame shall not consume you."      Isaiah 53:1b,2

2. I have come through many toils

Toils. Hard work. Sweat. Blisters. Worry.  Life isn't easy. The human condition is one of struggle. Sometimes will smile with satisfaction at the product of our labors. Sometimes we pour our sweat and blood into our given task and watch the fires of misfortune devour our labor or the wind of ill will tear down what we've tried so hard to build...

But I'm still here...and I hear my Lord say to me...

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

3. I have come through many snares

Snares?! Snares are not the circumstances of life!  Fatigue does not create snares either. Snares are deliberate. Someone wants to catch me. Someone wants to put me down and take me out. Someone is waiting for me to fall, so that he may pounce and kill. Satan hates me. He hates my family. He hates mankind. His stated mission is to steal, kill and destroy.

Yet, I remain...and I can sing with the Psalmist...

"The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

" I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,

and I am saved from my enemies."   Psalm 18:2,3

Of course, if you read the biography of John Newton, the author of "Amazing Grace" you will see an inspiring story.  It is also quite likely that if you will really stop and look at your own biography, you will also realize more fully...

"'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far...

and Grace will lead me home."

Thank God for Grace. I truly hope to meet up with each of you at "home" one of these days.

Goodnight.