Thank God for the Women!

Some words shared at a community Good Friday Service.  My assignment was to consider the Word of Affection (John 19:25-27).

Thank God for the women! 

The women never betrayed Him.  The women never spoke a word against Him.  The women never raised a hand in opposition to Him.  And, here we see, the women never deserted Him.

Thank God for the women!

His first missionary was a woman He met at a well.  She went and told everyone to "come and see!"

Thank God for the women!

His first miracle was for a bride.  The wine had run out and, so she would not be shamed, He turned water into wine.  Let the celebration continue!

Thank God for the women!

His first words after His resurrection were to some women who showed up to take care of the body.  (Brothers, I'm not sure where the men were.  The women were even discussing among themselves who they would get to roll the stone away.  Seems as if the men folk were busy that morning.  Discussing matters of grave importance I am sure.)

Thank God for the women!

Born of a virgin.  Nursed at her breast.  Showered with her praise.  Cared for by her hand.  Fed at her table.  Taught by her word.  Comforted by her presence.  Yes, now, at the last, again, comforted by her presense.  "Jesus...saw his mother standing nearby."

Thank God for the women!

We struggle to conceive of the anguish dear Mary must have felt on that Friday afternoon.  There hangs her dear son, naked, mocked, humiliated, and she does not cry out.  She hears His cry of thirst and is unable to meet His need.  She sees Him struggle for breath and is unable to offer Him aid.  She sees, all too clearly, the wounds and is unable to tend them.  She looks upon that blessed brow, now pierced, and is unable to soothe its hurt.  Certainly she thinks again of Simeon's words to her that day in the temple when they dedicated Him, "and a sword will peirce your soul..."

Thank God for the women!

Here we find a son speaking to his mother.  That is respect.
Here we find a son providing for his mother.  That is responsibility.
Here we find a son caring for his mother.  That is love.

Thank God for the women!

But look, standing there with her is another. One simply described as "the disciple whom He loved."  This one had deserted Jesus a few short, dark hours ago.  This one had made bold professions of loyalty and courage, "Never will I desert you!"  The pride and machismo ran naked into the darkness when the soldiers came.  The bravado and bluff disappeared like the smoke from the torches in the mob's hands and all he carried with hm was his shame.

Yet, now we find him, "the disciple whom He loved," standing near the cross.

Would he find rebuke?
Would he be greeted with a sneer?
Would he simply be ignored?

"To err is human; to forgive, divine." (Alexander Pope)

Here we see them together.  The erring human standing before the crucified and forgiving divine.

"And he took her into his own home from that hour."

Rather than a rebuke he was given a responsibility.
Rather than a snub he was given salvation.
Rather distrust he was given a life-long trust.
Rather than hearing a grievance he was given a grace; a mother.

Thank God for the women.

Lux et Veritas

Following is a scripted version of the Chapel address I delivered at Judson College on September 20th.  Several have requested copies of these remarks as they apparently generated some on-going conversation on campus.  I can think of no higher praise.  These thoughts are offered here for those who wish to partake. 

The Judson Seal carries the Latin phrase, Lus et Veritas – Light and Truth.  A bit of reflective pondering reveals, surprisingly, that the most critical word therein is the most diminutive and most easily overlooked; the word et.  Et, a vital connector without which Light and Truth are left standing dimly, dangerously, and deceptively alone. 

Let us 1^st affirm there is indeed Light.  The pursuit of Light and the enlightenment it brings is not only valuable, it is vital!  There are things yet unknown which desperately need to be known:  a cure for cancers, how to provide sustainable and clean energy for the world, how to feed the soon-to-be 8 billion people inhabiting our shared planet.  These critical issues, and many others like them, must be addressed by the brightest and best thinking we can produce.  But what difficulties arise from the pursuit of Light without the guidance of Truth? 

I.    Light Without Truth 

1.    Dim 

Light without Truth is, first and foremost, dim, truly an arresting juxtaposition.  To be clear, dim is a shorthand way of saying “dim-witted”.  It is fascinating that the pursuit which should produce sharpness and clarity of thought, when divorced from Truth, produces just the opposite, fuzzy thinking and dimness.  Jesus stated in His Sermon on the Mount “If then the light within you is darkness –how great is that darkness.”  (Mt. 6:23)   This pursuit of Light without the guidance of Truth deepens the darkness rather than illuminating it.

I have followed with great interest the career and thought of, perhaps, the greatest mind living among us in this age.  The fact that this marvelously gifted mind is contained within the body of a man confined to a wheelchair makes his career all the more intriguing.  Stephen F. Hawking is certainly among the greatest minds of our day and quite possibly in all of human history.  I am not intelligent enough to understand all he writes about but I did read his A Briefer History of Time (the “Reader’s Digest” version for folks like me!) and have regularly sought out his publications.  I was humored by the title of one of his latest offerings, The Grand Design.  I found it to be humorous simply because this great mind is talking about a design while simultaneously denying a Designer.  To my, admittedly inferior, mind this seems to be a dim-witted position.  Through the years I have held on to the kernel of wisdom offered to a class of undergraduates by Dr. W.T. Edwards at Samford University: “Boys, keep an open mind.  Just don’t keep it so open that your brains fall out.”  With apologies to Mr. Hawking, it might just be that his brain has fallen out.

2.    Deadly

Though Light without Truth may be dim, producing a frustrating conundrum, it is also deadly, producing all too tangible evidences of its dangers.  Perhaps chief among the tangible evidences of the deadly nature of Light devoid of the guidance of Truth is the horror of the Holocaust during World War II.  Rudolph Hess, who was 3^rd in line of succession to Adolph Hitler, called Nazism “applied biology.”  This horrific application of the Light of biological sciences divorced from the Truth of the dignity of all men resulted in the death of over 6 million Jews, as well as millions of other “inferior” peoples.  6 million is a difficult number to wrap our minds around in a practical way.  Consider that a population greater than the entire population of Alabama was exterminated over a period of just a few years.  All of this done in the name of “applied biology.”  Clearly, our pursuit of Light desperately needs the corrective guidance of Truth.

3.     Deceptive

Perhaps the most startling consequence of the pursuit of Light without the guidance of Truth is that it is deceptive.  Light without Truth says, “It’s all a smorgasbord!  Indulge!”  We live in a culture awash in choices, whether it’s the hundreds of channels available for our surfing pleasure or the ever burgeoning cereal aisle in our grocery stores, we are accustomed to choices and immediate availability of all things we desire.  But this can be a deceptive descent into darkness.

This is most readily observed in our societal obsession with, and celebration of, every expression of sexuality.  A couple of recent top 40 hits, which are shockingly sung by young children everywhere, provide sufficient proof of this “anything goes” obsession.  Take a moment to rationally consider the message of Rhianna’s celebration of Sado-masochism in her hit “S&M” or  of Katy Perry who was not satisfied to “kiss a girl and like it” but decided to recall her exploits “Last Friday Night” complete with maxing out credit cards at the bars, some skinny dipping with a group, a ménage a trois and then wanting to “do it all again.”  Allow me to quote Randal Stoner on this issue:  “Uncontrolled sexual appetite, like physical appetite, can kill.  And it may feel good all the way to the emergency room or the morgue.  It kills…what is ultimately at the heart of the best sex imaginable, trust.” (Randal Stoner, The God Who Smokes)

II.            Truth Without Light

Let us again affirm there is indeed Truth – capital “T” truth.  Truth which applies to all people in all places at all times is also known as “universal Truth” or “absolute Truth.”  I continue to be amazed at the resistance to this notion when we all live with “capital ‘T’ Truth” each and every day.  There just aren’t many sane people walking out of 3^rd story windows due to the universal Truth of gravity.  Likewise, people getting on a jet in New York heading to Los Angeles want their pilot to be ruthlessly absolute in selecting the route.  Or consider the patient in the operating room for heart surgery.  I am completely confident they are counting on their surgeon being anything but “relative” in this moment.  They absolutely want their heart fixed and not their liver invaded.

While affirming that Truth exists we must also recognize that Truth without Light is just as dim, deadly and deceptive, maybe more so, than Light without Truth.  Steven Weisberg, Nobel Prize winner for his work on the theory of particles and fields comments on this in his Nobel acceptance speech.  “Good people can behave well and bad people can do evil:  but for good people to do evil – that takes religion.”  While I will reserve comment on why a particle physicist would venture into the realms of sociology and theology in his Nobel acceptance speech I must say I think he’s on to something we should consider.

1.    Dim

There are those who hold to the Truth while excluding the Light.  I call these people “Joy Stealers.”  They like nothing better than to bludgeon people with the Truth without considering the Light.  Paul’s letter to the Galatians is full of concern for his friends who were being “bewitched” and “enslaved” by just these kinds of people.  Unfortunately such people continue to thrive in our day and age.  There is an old wag I share, tongue-in-cheek, from time to time concerning the “Baptist” view. 

Baptist’s don’t drink,

Baptist’s don’t chew,

And Baptist’s don’t go with girls who do.

(Furthermore, Baptist’s don’t recognize each other in the liquor store.)

We would do well to remember that Jesus was known as “the friend of sinners” and that the “Joy Stealers” of his day did not approve of the company he kept or the parties he attended.  They were purveyors of Truth without the illumination of the Light.  But let us always be cautious with this matter.  As Leonard Sweet perspicaciously observes, “There is no one soul size.  What makes one sing may singe another.” (Leonard Sweet, Soul Salsa)  Or as Paul put it, “Don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another in love.” (Galatians 5:13).  Martin Luther summed it up nicely, “Love God and do as you please.” 

2.    Deadly

In much the same way Light without the guiding hand of Truth became deadly under the Nazi regime during World War II, Truth apart from the illuminating presence of Light has all too often become deadly.  Perhaps the most widely known example of this disturbing phenomenon is the Spanish Inquisition.  Spanning almost four centuries this terrible abuse of Truth in the absence of Light took the lives of thousands of people whose only crime was daring to espouse a belief different from those who ruled over them.  This reign of terror began during the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella (yes, the same ones who would provide Columbus a few boats to make his fateful journey in 1492).  In 1478 they petitioned the Pope for permission to “purify the people of Spain” and soon thereafter began the persecution of Protestants, Jews, and other non-believers.  Thousands were forced from their homes and thousands more lost their lives during this “purification.”  Remarkably this practice continued until 1834.

I wish this was an anomaly or a singularly unique event.  Sadly it is not.  History is replete with stories of the unhappy and deadly marriage of Truth and Power devoid of the illuminating presence of Light.  I pray for a brighter future for the purveyors of Truth.

3.    Deceptive

Truth without the benefit of Light can also lead to deception.  Sometimes people, particularly people of faith, want to close their eyes and not see what the Light may be revealing.  I sometimes tell the story of the pastor who was talking with some children.  “Kids I’m thinking of something that is grey, lives in trees, eats nuts and has a bushy tail.  Can anyone guess what I’m thinking about?”  After a few moments of uncomfortable silence one little boy slowly raised his hand and said, “I know the answer is supposed to be Jesus, but it sure sounds like a squirrel to me!”

Galileo Galieri had an encounter with thinking dominated by Truth without the illumination of Light that was only recently resolved.  Galileo was denounced by the church in 1615 for daring to state that Copernicus was right and that the earth indeed revolved around the sun.  Late in his life Galileo, in the interest of his eternal soul, recanted his statement but it was not until 1992 that the Catholic Church cleared his name, finally affirming the Copernican view of the solar system. 

 

How easily Truth becomes hidebound when it is insulated from the knowledge made available by the pursuit of Light.  How easily Light degenerates into harmful pursuits when not gently guided by the unwavering standard of Truth.  Light and Truth must walk hand in hand.  Lux et Veritas.

III.         Light AND Truth

The world in which we live faces serious questions which require serious answers.  How will we feed the 8 billion people soon to inhabit this planet?  Are all men created equal or are there some who are expendable?  How will we power the future?  How will we address the economic issues facing our world?  I dare say these, and other equally pressing questions, will require the best which Light and Truth have to offer.

Lux et Veritas is a pursuit which must consume our lives.  

However, Lux et Veritas is not a subject to be mastered but rather is the Master to whom we must be subject.  Jesus clearly identifies Himself as the Light and the Truth.  John, in the magnificent opening chapter of his gospel, writes of Jesus saying “in Him was life and that life was the light of men…and we have beheld His glory…full of grace and truth.”  Light and Truth are found only in one, Jesus.

“He is the way.

Follow Him through the Land of Unlikeness

You will see rare beasts and have unique adventures!”

W.H. Auden, For the Time Being.

The Cripple and the King

The once was a little boy...

To be clear, this is NOT 'Once upon a time there was a little boy.' This little boy was once a real little boy and the story I am about to tell you is true, even if I have taken the liberty of filling in some of the blank spaces in the story. It really happened and it really happened something like this...

There once was a little boy who, through no fault of his own, grew up crippled. He wasn't always crippled. He started life just like any other little boy; mischievous, rambunctious, and adventuresome. He had a name, but if I told you his name you would think, "What a strange name to give a child!" So, instead, let me tell you what his name meant: "Beloved of the Lord."

And so he was.

As Beloved ran down the halls of the palace fighting the bad guys and disrupting the servants trying to do their work, smiles would cross faces. Everyone enjoyed watching Beloved grow up!

What's that? Oh, the palace. Yes. I suppose you need to know that this was no ordinary child. You see, Beloved of the Lord was the king's grandson. Not only that, his dad was the 1st born son of the king, which, everybody knows, meant that he would one day be king. No, Beloved was anything but ordinary, he was beloved. Certainly beloved by God, after all he was born and raised in the palace. Certainly beloved by all who knew this delightful, if mischievous, boy. His name fit him perfectly.

Until.

It all happened so suddenly. Such things usually do. Without warning Beloved of the Lord heard the panic in the palace. He saw people running whom he had never seen run before. He was only a small boy but he knew that something must be terribly wrong. At first he was just curious but when his nanny grabbed him and started running he got scared and, as little boys are want to do when they get scared, he started crying. He didn't know why he was afraid. He just knew he was afraid.

His nanny was a wonderful woman who loved little Beloved as if he was he own. She certainly didn't mean to change his life that day, but in her haste she did. As she ran through the halls of the palace, trying desperately to get Beloved to safety, she tripped and fell crushing Beloved's ankles beneath her. Now the little boy was truly frightened and in terrible pain.

This was a little boy caught up in something much bigger than him. How could he possibly know that on this terrible day God was already at work creating another beautiful masterpiece of reconciliation? How could he possibly understand that he, Beloved of the Lord, was to be at the center of it all?

The bones never healed properly. Beloved never ran another step, and oh, how he used to run! That's when the whispers started, "Maybe he's not 'Beloved' after all. Maybe he's something else. Maybe, instead, he is the shameful one." It wasn't long before everyone was calling him by this new name and he began to forget his real name. He began to believe that he was, indeed, a shame. And, as shame is want to do, he hid.

Shame was afraid. People were telling him that this new king would hunt him down one day and kill him. That's what kings did.

Shame was bitter. You see, even though he had forgotten his real name, he sometimes had memories of running through the palace. When he did remember he wept because he was certainly not running now and he was certainly not living in a palace. There were moments when he thought he heard someone call him by that once familiar but now forgotten name. He would always think, "Pah! If this is what being "Beloved of the Lord" is like I'll just keep my shame. It surely fits me better. A crippled outcast with no future."

Shame woke one morning to the sounds of strange men in the village. King's men! And they were looking for him! So, this new king who was living in the palace where he should be living had finally found him. The king was going to have his way with this crippled, shame of a man. This crippled, shame of a life.

Shame hobbled into the court of the king. His heart was racing, his hands were sweating, his eyes were darting from side to side, expecting a knife in the back at any moment. Though he had eaten nothing all morning he felt sure he was about to throw up. The metallic taste in his mouth made him think of the cold steel of bitterness that had been forged and re-forged in his heart all these many years of being Shame.

He somehow found himself on his face before this king. Did he trip? Did someone push him? Did he just naturally do what people do before a king? He wasn't sure why, but there he was; before the king and expecting the very worst.

Surely there would be gloating over another victory. ("Some victory!" thought Shame. "I'm just a cripple!) Surely there would be speeches about the superiority of this king as compared to that other king (who, just to remind you, was Shame's grandfather.) Surely there would be a pronouncement of judgment. Surely Shame was breathing his last breaths here on his face in front of this king.

Yes, come to think of it, especially at this moment, "Shame" was a more appropriate name for him after all. He had stopped believing he was "Beloved of the Lord" a long time ago.

Shame sensed that the king was now standing to his feet. His guts clenched in anticipation of the words that were about to come. And those words did come. But those words came in a way he had never dreamed.

This king was calling him by his name!

This king was not angry!

This king was kind and gentle of heart!

This king was taking this shame-filled cripple by the hand and lifting him to his broken feet!

This king was inviting him to lunch, and then dinner, and then breakfast, and then every other meal that was to ever be served at the king's table!

This king was restoring Shame to the palace, forever!

In the days and weeks and months that followed Shame pondered all that had happened to him. He discovered that this king was looking for an enemy to love. How astonishing it was to be the enemy who gets invited to dinner!

On a clear evening Shame heard the king playing one of his favorite songs. He was quite the musician. Near the end of this song Shame thought he heard the king's voice waver with emotion as he sang, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies." Shame began to weep because in that moment he realized something truly marvelous. Something that changed him much like those broken ankles changed him so many years ago.

At that moment he knew that even though everyone called him Shame, his real name was Beloved of the Lord.

There is a king calling your name. You may fear what He has to say. I assure you He is inviting you to come and live with Him in the palace.

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." -Revelation 3:20

(If you would like to read the story of the cripple and the king you can find it in 2 Samuel 4:4 & 9:1-13)

It's A Wedding!

When we think of weddings pictures like this one (yes, that is My Beloved and me on our Wedding Day) come to mind with all of the attached images of wedding cake, birdseed being thrown, flowers, candles, and the long awaited "I now pronounce you man and wife!" This is only natural as this is what we have come to know as a wedding.

A conversation several years ago with a member of the flock here led me on a journey of discovery concerning what came to mind when the Jewish people thought of weddings. It was arresting to realize the differences and stunning to consider the implications of the ancient Jewish wedding ceremony. As I learned more about the process of the ancient Jewish wedding (which is still practiced to this day) I was awe-struck by the fact that God had placed into the social fabric of the Jewish people a vivid picture of what He was doing in salvation.

Before I proceed here a couple of disclaimers are in order. First, I am no expert on Jewish wedding customs. I consulted several sources including The Everything Jewish Wedding Book (I get comments on that one when it is spotted on my shelf - so far no requests to perform a Jewish wedding ;-)) and The Ancient Jewish Wedding by Neil and Jamie Lash. Secondly, what follows is a synopsis of 9 weeks of preaching. These are just the high points. I believe you will readily see the meaning filled significance of each of these "steps" in the ancient Jewish wedding.

The steps in the ancient Jewish wedding (somewhat simplified):

1. A Bride is chosen.
2. A price is paid.
3. Promises are made by the husband to the Bride.
4. The Bride must agree.
5. A cup of covenant is shared.
6. Gifts are given.
7. The Bridegroom departs.
8. The Bride makes preparations for the Bridegroom's return.
9. The Bridegroom returns.
10. The Bride is taken to the place prepared for her.
11. The marriage feast takes place.

A Bride is Chosen - Jesus told his disciples, "You did not choose me, but I chose you..." (John 15:16). It is an humbling thought that He has chosen us as the ones He loves!

A Price is Paid - Scripture affirms the great worth of women. "An excellent wife, who can find? She is far more precious than jewels." (Proverbs 31:10). This is quite astounding in view of the ancient world these wedding practices were instituted where women had no rights. For those of us who are in Christ we remember the price paid for us every time we celebrate Communion, recalling His body broken for us and His blood shed for us - simply because we were, and are, the objects of His love.

Promises are Made - Interestingly the bride doesn't make any promises. This portion of the Jewish wedding ceremony is decidedly one sided. The husband makes it clear all that he promises to do for the bride. Here enters a marvelous opportunity for discussing the issue of salvation! It's not based on anything we do - it is simply our acceptance of what our heavenly Bridegroom has promised!

The Bride Must Agree - I call this the "Yes Factor." The Bride has been chosen, a price agreed upon, and promises have been made, all initiated by the Bridegroom. Yet for the wedding to proceed the Bride must say "Yes." In similar fashion, God initiates the relationship but we must respond to His most marvelous offer. After all, a gift not received is worthless to the recipient.

A Cup of Covenant is Shared - We re-enact this moment every time we celebrate Communion. It was stunning to consider the fact the Jesus' disciples understood His words "Take and drink, all of you, for this cup is my blood of the new covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." in the context of the Jewish wedding. I was amazed to learn that many Jewish rabbi's still teach that the Passover in terms of God wedding His people.

One other note of interest here is that Jesus is waiting to drink this cup again with his Bride. Matthew's gospel records these words from Jesus concerning the cup, "I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Fahter's kingdom." (Matthew 26:29) What a moment that will be at the Wedding Feast of the Lamb!

Gifts are Given - Usually the Bridegroom would give gifts to his bride to remind her of his love for her and to help her remember that he would soon be returning for her. As believers we recognize the "promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance" (Ephesians 1:13-14) as the gift that our Bridegroom gave us upon His departure.

The Bridegroom Departs - This really struck me as an oddity in the wedding ceremony. How many weddings have you been to where the 'I do's' are said and then the Bridegroom leaves? Well it's part of the Jewish ceremony and it has a wonderfully practical purpose. The Bridegroom has to get a few things ready for his Bride. Sound familiar? Jesus told his friends, "I go to prepare a place for you...And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also." (John 14:2-3)

The Bride Gets Ready - Her preparation is a gift given by the bride to the one she loves. There is a time when it is too late to prepare. Are we ready for our Bridegroom's return.

The Bridegroom Returns - This would often happen in the middle of the night. His return would be announced by a blast from the shofar and a loud shout, "Behold, the Bridegroom comes!" Amazingly, this is paralleled in the descriptions of the return of Jesus, "For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God." (I Thes. 4:16)

The Bride is Taken to the Place Prepared for Her - For a mental picture of the place being prepared for the Bride of Christ take a look at Revelation 21 and 22. Our Bridegroom has outdone Himself!

The Marriage Feast Takes Place - Jewish weddings are not quiet and reserved events. They are exuberantly joyful. Simcha describes one such feast like this, "The amazing all-out joy at such a wedding is hard to describe. It can, in fact, be quite wild, with people juggling fire, dancing in big hora circles, the bride and groom up on chairs in the middle, and so much more. The entire atmosphere is one of extreme joy, all done in fulfillment of the instruction to give joy to the bride and groom."

Here's how Revelation 19 describes it...

"Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,
'Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God the Almight reigns.
Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready!...

And the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb."

How about it? Have you been invited and have you accepted the invitation? If not, why not?

Monday Morning Message - Getting Your Feet Wet

Faith has a starting place. There is a moment when we first believe.

Faith has an end. There will come a day, for those who have placed faith in Jesus, when faith will no longer be needed. We will see Him face-to-face.

There is a middle place. It is in the middle where you find the action, the tension, the events that make a story worth telling.

We are in just this kind of place - the middle. This is where the story gets interesting.

Scripture is full of these kinds of stories but we all too often rush right by the middle to get to the resolution of the moment of faith. I hope to explore just a few of these over the next few weeks. Today we simply need to get our feet wet.

In Joshua 3:1-6 & 14-17 is this wonderful story of faith in the middle. The beginning of the story we are familiar with, we're even acquainted with the ending of this chapter of faith, but it is this moment on which it all depends. Decisions are made at this point that set into motion everything that follows. It required a few priests to get their feet wet. Be sure to take a moment to read the story.

Taking a quick look back we recall that at this moment in the biblical story we are keeping company with the second generation of those who had been delivered from slavery in Egypt. These are the children of the folks who experienced the Passover and crossed the Red Sea on dry ground. These are the children of those who woke up each morning to find bread on the ground and who had seen water come from a rock at a moment of great need. These kids have grown up on the stories of God's faithfulness and probably went to bed many nights thinking, "I wish I could see God do something like that!"

This people of faith had a destiny to fulfill but there was something standing in their way, namely the Jordan river at flood stage. This 2nd generation had ample proof of God's power from their past, however their past tense faith was not adequate for their present tense needs. They needed someone to put their toes in the water.

Mark Batterson, in his book Wild Goose Chase, makes this statement "You know why some of us have never seen God part a river? Because our feet are still firmly planted on dry ground. We're waiting on God while God is waiting on us."

The question standing smack dab in the middle of this story is, "Would the priests trust God?" These guys took a risk. They laid in on the line. You see, if God doesn't come through here, these guys carrying the ark of the covenant are just going for a swim. Pretty foolish looking possibility for a dignified priest. They took the lead with everybody watching them.

Think about this for a moment. The first priests socks get wet and nothing really noticeable happens. It takes a little bit for all that flood stage water to drain off. It took a lot of faith to step into that river in the first place. I believe it took even more to keep on standing there. The question the priests had to answer standing there with their wet socks was not whether or not it made sense for them to be there with wet socks but the question they had answer was, "Has God instructed us to do this?" They answered in the affirmative. Their actions clearly display this truth.

A little while later in the story the last person from the people of Israel walks across the Jordan with their dry shoes and socks. The only ones who have not crossed all the way over are the priests standing in the now dry river bed with soggy socks and soaring spirits. They, like no one else in all of Israel, had one incredible story to tell. The story about the day they were the only ones who got their feet wet. Sure, everybody experienced the walk across the Jordan, but there were only a few whose faith made a difference on that day. After all, it doesn't take much faith to walk on dry ground. Getting your toes wet while expecting God to dry the water up is a different story.

Anybody out there ready to get their feet wet?

Monday Morning Message - Thoughts Count

"The ultimate freedom we have as human beings is the power to select what we will allow our require our minds to dwell upon. We are not totally free in this respect. But we do have great freedom here." - Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart

The first, and according to Jesus, the greatest commandment is to "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." (Matthew 22:37) This may be the most disobeyed commandment in all Christendom, particularly that last bit about loving God with all our mind.

I fear we have entered an era of lazy Christianity which is content to let others do their thinking for them. A believer who does not think about their faith is in danger of believing just about anything. Some prime examples of this kind of lazy thinking are:

1. "God wants everyone to be healthy and wealthy." - How do you reconcile this with the fact that Jesus had no place to lay his head?
2. "God hates fags." - How about the liars, the arrogant, the immoral, the gossips, and the hypocrites, just to name a few?
3. "It doesn't matter what I believe, just as long as I believe something sincerely." - Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6).
   

Dr. Fisher Humphries states in his book Thinking About God, "The single most important thing about an individual is what they think about God." I must agree wholeheartedly as one's thinking about God shapes everything they do. If we insist on being lazy in our thinking about God we will likely insist on being lazy in our living for God.

The thoughts count. Many will say I've thought about God and there's just not much there. May I invite you to take a second look? Mark Batterson relates an experience one of his church members had in thanking God for the miracles he was receiving at that moment. With a degree in biology this member's list began to run long with things like the unique properties of the amino acids which form the basic building blocks of life. He says, "By the time I was thanking God for the fact that all organisms that form amino acids have the same chirality so that my body can reuse the mutrients and cellular building blocks of the food I break down, I found myself in absolute awe of His creation."

J.B. Phillips wrote a now classic work entitled, Your God Is Too Small in which he states, "We can never have too big a conception of God." It is time to put our minds to work, as those sainted ones before us have done, and consider again the greatness of God and the marvel of His grace toward us. It will result in a life of continuing praise and purpose.

A Shepherd's Intent

"Sermons, rightly understood, are primarily forms of food. They are articles of diet. They are meals served by the minister for the sustenance of spiritual life...When I preach, am I doing a shepherd's work? Am I feeding the lambs or am I elevating myself? Am I playing with words or am I breaking bread? Am I building beautiful pyramids or am I drawing water? Am I soaring like an eagle or am I satisfying hunger? Am I a hireling, preaching for applause, or am I a herder and feeder of souls?"

Charles Jefferson, The Minister As Shepherd

Jefferson's series of lectures continues to be a significant source of guidance and encouragement. I pray that I am doing a shepherd's work, feeding lambs, breaking bread, drawing water, satisfying hunger, and feeding souls. This is my intent.

Monday Morning Message - The Reason

Joy! We hear it in children's voices. We see it on faces at family gatherings. We hear it sung in the familiar carols "Joy to the World!" and "O Come All Ye Faithful." We will see it broadcast at every commercial break and advertised in every publication. It is a season for joy.

My sermon series for the month of December will center on this joy-full theme with this, perhaps unexpected, verse as the centerpiece. "Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2)

It is easy to find joy in the birth of a baby. Just ask anyone who has experienced such a moment lately. Grandparents will immediately whip out photos and gladly bend your ear ad nauseum about the marvelous happening. Parents will smile with tired eyes and tell you about the latest accomplishment of their unique darling. Even total strangers will stop and coo at small child.

Yes, finding joy in the birth of a child is easy. Looking to a cross and sacrifice and blood and beatings and sin makes it difficult to find joy. Maybe this is why we so readily celebrate the birth of Jesus and so tacitly speak of His death. I find it interesting and instructive that the Bible speaks very little about His birth but testifies at length about His death and resurrection. Could it be that we have the focus out of focus?

The next four weeks I will offer messages designed to refocus our attention in this season of joy.

• November 30 - "The Reason" Luke 19:10 - The joy of Christmas is not found in the cradle. The joy of Christmas is found at the cross.
• December 7 - "The Heart" 1 Samuel 16:7 - The joy of Christmas is not found in the externals. The joy of Christmas is found in the internal.
• December 14 - "The Call" 1 Timothy 6:12 - The joy of Christmas will not be found at the mall. The joy of Christmas will be found in the call.
• December 21 - "The Coming King" Revelation 22:12-21 - The joy of Christmas is not in the coming of a child. The joy of Christmas is in the coming of the King!

So, with all this celebrating and all this joy and all this singing, what is it all about? It is about the coming of Christ. It is about the birth of a child. But this is no ordinary birth. Three words, three big words, three theological words tell the story.

Incarnation. A Latin word meaning "in the flesh." In Jesus, God becomes one of us. Eugene Peterson beautifully, and memorably, phrases John 1:14, "The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood." Imagine that! God moving in just down the street from you. In Jesus, that is exactly what happened.

There are some who would say Jesus was just a man who exhibited godly qualities. Others would say He was just God who took on some human qualities. This simply is not an option from the Biblical witness. Scripture is abundantly clear that Jesus was God in the flesh. The creator come to the creation. Or, as W.H. Auden wrestles with this mystery, "How could the Eternal do a temporal act,/ The infinite become a finite fact?" (For the Time Being, W.H. Auden)

Let's be clear, God did not take on human flesh in order to better understand us. He took on human flesh so we could better understand Him! Our understanding of Him is clarified once and for all at the cross, which leads us to another big word...

Substitution. We all understand the concept of substitution. We've experienced substitute teachers or been a sub in a basketball game or accepted a substitute item at a restaurant that was out of what we wanted. A substitute takes the place of another and that is just what Jesus did for us. The Apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:21, "For our sake He [God] made Him [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him [Jesus] we might become the righteousness of God." He takes our place. Jesus pays a price He does not owe. The price you and I owe.

Again, let's be clear, Jesus did not take our place because He owed some sort of debt. He took our place because we owed so great a debt we could never pay it. He took our place because He loved us. The incarnation was necessary for Jesus to become our substitute. And in His substitutionary death we discover the third big word....

Salvation. Jesus made it abundantly clear that He was here for one reason, "to seek and to save the lost." (Luke 19:10) In case you are wondering just who the lost are, it's us. Every single one of us.

"We never outgrow the fact that we are sinners still, totally dependent each day on the grace of God to the undeserving. We do not come to offer in the first place; we come to receive...We are the hungry, coming to be fed. We are the undeserving welcomed freely at the Lord's table." (Michael Green, "His sacrifice and ours")

Monday Morning Message - Needing Jeremiah

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." So goes one of the best known opening lines from any novel ever written. Dickens captured the spirit of the age in those now immortal words. Jeremiah would have nodded his head in knowing sympathy with such a sentiment. He was one who had known the best of times under the leadership of a young king named Josiah. He also understood the worst of times as he endured the undoing of his nation. His broken spirit is poured out in ink through the pages of Lamentations.

Jeremiah stood at the gate of the temple as people were coming and going to worship and declared a singularly disturbing word from God. Many passed by with disdain, others simply ignored, but surely some paused to hear what this man had to say. The words he spoke were not, and are not, easy to hear.

People were coming to worship but with wrong headed and wrong hearted intentions. Hear Jeremiah's words...

"Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God Israel: Amend your wyas and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. Do not trust in these deceptive words: 'This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.'"
(Jeremiah 7:3-4)

It seems that in generations past Jerusalem had been miraculously spared and the people began to believe it was because Jehovah dwelt in Jerusalem. The people got caught up in the trappings of worship and missed the whole point of worship. They lost sight of the fact that deliverance does not come through a place or a pattern of worship but through an individual's relationship with the LORD.

In addition to this mistaken notion the people were pairing unacceptable conduct with their religious experience. Hear again these woeful words from Jeremiah...

"Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swwear falsely, make offerings to Baal and go after other gods that you have not known and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, 'We are delivered!' only to go on doing all these abominations?...Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the LORD." (Jeremiah 7:8-11)

Sadly this is not a condition limited to Jeremiah's day. The church today is, without question, guilty of the same conduct. David Kinnaman, in his book UN-Christian, states, "among young outsiders, 84 percent say they personally know at least one committed Christian. Yet just 15 percent thought the lifestyles of those Christ followers wer significantly different from the norm." There are other, equally disturbing, statistics but suffice it to say that Jeremiah's words apply here and now. We are guilty of saying one thing and living another.

These misguided choices in worship have dire consequences. The lack of an inner moral qulaity flowing from a relationship the LORD destroyed the nation of Judah in Jeremiah's day and it threatens to destroy our nation today. As Alexis de Tocqueville observed, "America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great." God, through Jeremiah, declares the timeless truth, "Were they ashamed when they commited abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush." (Jeremiah 8:12) Blazon that across the news feeds of the day and see if it doesn't have the ring of truth about it.

In seeking to salve the many ailments of our nation we have a tendency to look to the human achievements of wisdom, might, and wealth for answers only to find that all of them, in and of themselves, are wholly inadequate to meet the need of the day. Only as these remarkable human potentialities are brought under the sovreign leadership of God can they be rightly applied to the needs of the day.

"Let not the wise man boast in his widsom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righeousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD." (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

The one, over-ridding, need of our lives is to know God.

You may be thinking, "I need someone to fix my financial woes." May I suggest that they are temporary in light of eternity? More than a financial fix, you and I need a correction of the heart.

You may groan due to a devestating physical ailment. Again, I would point you to the singular need of your life; to know God.

You may be struggling under a burden of guilt or grief and desperately need relief. The one thing you need is not an immediate lifting of the burden but the assurance that there is one who is with you in the midst of it.

I do not say these things to minimize or make light of the situation in which you find yourlself. I simply point out the painfully obvious fact that in most practical matters we have forsaken God for lesser things.

We need a renewal. Not one led by a dynamic celebrity like Josiah resulting is a showy but shallow turning. We need a renewal of the heart. We need Jeremiah.

Monday Morning Message - Looking for Josiah

Here's the short version of much more involved set of thoughts surrounding this remarkable King of Judah. You can read his story in 2 Kings 21-23 and 2 Chronicles 34-34.

Josiah is commended in 2 Kings 23:25 with these words, "Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his hear and with all his soul and with all his might, according to al the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him."

This young king led a reformation of his nation that was, and is, unparalleled. It was a time of national renewal that, though remarkable, was insufficient. While Josiah was apparently pursuing the reformation with a pure heart it is evident that the people were simply "along for the ride." Josiah made it "hip to be holy" and people joined in with zeal. It is saddening to realize that the people of Judah were "doing all the right things" but their hearts remained far from God.

Sounds painfully familiar. We live in culture that is obsessed with looking good. I assure you that if it became the fashionable thing to be "holy" people would be lining up to be among those counted as "holy." We would love to have a Josiah arise in our day; someone with rock star appeal who genuinely pursued God. We would love to have someone like this champion our pet causes and who would lead our nation to return to its spiritual roots. As much as we would love to have that happen it is not what we need.

Josiah brought about public renewal that did not result in personal renewal. We need personal renewal that will result in public renewal. We are looking for Josiah but we need Jeremiah.

I will explain further next week.

Monday Morning Message - The Strength of Hope

In my former days as a minister to students I had the privilege of working with two outstanding young men; one was built like a dump truck the other like a toy truck. They were an entertaining pair to observe as the smaller of the two was always pestering the larger. I vividly remember one particular day when the dump truck had endured more than any patient person should have been asked to endure and he simply grabbed the toy truck by his ever so slight shoulders, effortlessly picked him up and sat him down with the instructions not to move. Never a raised voice. Nary a show of anger. Nothing to outwardly indicate the inward boil that had peaked. He simply, gently, and directly dealt with the issue confronting him. It stands out as a picture of strength under control.

We, as believers, are called to exhibit this kind of strength as we communicate the message of hope to a desperate world. There is no need for shrill shouting matches or angered protests over the compelling issue of the day. I believe there is a clear and hope filled road map for us to follow in difficult days like these. Take a look at it with me as we continue this brief journey through 1 Peter.

Read 1 Peter 3:8-17

Notice first that this hope is a generous hope. It is a hope that gives. It is a hope that stands in contrast to the ways of the world. In verse 9 Peter gets specific as he speaks of the appropriate response of the believer to being "reviled." Rather than give as good as we get, believers are called to a higher standard. We are to give better than we receive. If spoken evil of we are to bless. If trashed in the media we should speak well of them. If despised we should return admiration. Granted, this strategy probably won't lead immediately to the top of the heap but it is the very strategy God employed in bringing hope to this world through Jesus.

This generous hope offers blessing to a blessing starved world. It offers living water to a people parched by the dessicated wilderness of sin. It is a hope we didn't earn in the first place and therefore, we are able to freely offer to others. Perhaps the greatest problem the church of God faces is our holding too tightly His blessings. God never intended for us to keep them for ourselves but to share them freely with others. We are blessed to be a blessing.

This hope is also a genuine hope. It is the real deal. It is not built on some lofty cloud that will burn off in the heat of the noonday sun. It is not a fantastical notion without any foundation in reality. Indeed, it is a reasonable hope which we communicate to this world. Many will ask how faith in Christ as Lord can be a reasonable proposition. I say, ask those who saw Jesus after his resurrection if it is reasonable to believe. Certainly they are dead and gone but we have their eyewitness accounts marvelously (dare I say miraculously?) preserved for us in the pages of the New Testament.

Some will, no doubt, raise questions about the reliability of the New Testament. Can it be trusted as a document? Note the following facts about this most remarkable ancient document.

• There are 5300 known Greek manuscripts of the New Testament
• There are an additional 10,000 copies of the Latin Vulgate (the Latin translation of the Greek)
• There are 9300 other early versions
• This give us roughly 24,000 copies of the New Testament
  
• The earliest of these dates to within 50 years of the writing of the originals.

Compare this to other ancient documents considered "authoritative"....

• The 2nd place finisher is Homer's Iliad with 643 copies available. It's earliest copy dates to +/- 500 years from the writing of the original.
• The 3rd place finisher is Ceasar's Gallic Wars with 10 copies available. Likewise it's earliest manuscript dates to +/- 500 years after the original.

Which of these documents, all considered authoritative by scholars, has the best textual evidence to insure that the document we have is as close as is possible to the original? Kind of a no-brainer don't you think? (For more see this paper.)

When Peter says "be prepared to make a defense...for a reason for the hope that is in you. (v.15)" he is talking about the logical, defensible nature of faith placed in Christ Jesus.

Furthermore, this hope is a grounded hope. It is built upon the solid, immovable, unchanging cornerstone of Jesus Christ. But this is not simply an affirmation of propositions about Jesus it is, first and last, a relationship with Jesus. Note what A.W. Tozer said about this.

"Tens of thousands of believers who pride themselves in their understanding of Romans and Ephesians cannot conceal the sharp spiritual contradiction that exists between their hearts and the heart of Paul.

That difference may be stated this way: Paul was a seeker and a finder and a seeker still. They seek and find and seek no more. After 'accepting' Christ they tend to substitute logic for life and doctrine for experience.

For them truth becomes a veil to hide the face of God: for Paul it was a door into His very presence...Many today stand by Paul's doctrine who will not follow him in his passionate yearning for divine reality."

It is a grounded hope that is based on much more than empty facts. It is built upon the very presence of Christ in the life of the believer.

This leads to an understanding of the strength of hope. Peter makes a most unusual statement in verse 16. He instructs his hearers to express this reason for the hope that is in them with "gentleness and respect." This hope is a gentle hope. But be careful not to confuse gentle with weak. It is a gentle hope born of the great strength of God Himself. Much like the exhibition of strength under control that I witnessed in the lives of those two young men this hope is to be communicated with gentleness and respect.

This should be revisited by many of our Christian brothers and sisters today. Far too many are trying to communicate this marvelous hope in less than marvelous ways. Let us follow the example of the one we claim to follow, divesting ourselves of all claims and rights. Let us simply serve and communicate the message of hope to a world in desperate need of hope.

Monday Morning Message - The Stones of Hope

A too full plate requires a seriously stripped down version of the message (I'm gonna' have to re-title this thing the Monday Afternoon Message...) Here's the bare bones outline - you flesh it out.

Scripture - 1 Peter 1:22-2:12

Let me remind you this little letter was written to believers. This is critical to the understanding of this letter. (If you are not a believer this message is ultimately not for you. It can be and I pray that it will be.) Peter wrote this to believers that were living in the midst of a culture that severely persecuted them and was openly hostile to their way of life. They, like us, needed to be reminded of hope.

Last week we discovered the stamp of hope has a plan (in place from before the foundation of the world - 1 Peter 1:20), a pattern (it is a living hope - 1 Peter 1:7) and it is transferred to our lives by pressures (1 Peter 1:9). God is still working this hope filled plan into our lives and the lives of those we encounter.

Notice first it is a holy hope. (1 Peter 1:22-2:1) This is not a hope the world has. It is a hope set apart for those who are in Christ. It affects our lives and the way in which we live them. If we are not accurately reflecting the character of God to a watching world we need to examine the quality of the hope that is in us.

This hope is also a wholesome hope ( 1 Peter 2:2-3) Peter talks of the pure spiritual milk. How can we know the truth in spiritual matters? Peter gives the answer in verse 3, "taste and see". If you've ever had spoiled milk you know it doesn't take long to figure out it's not good for you. Much the same with bogus spirituality, both of the "Christian" and "non-Christian" varieties. A little experience with toxic spirituality is enough to convince one of it's deleterious effect. Conversely, a little experience with the truth always leads to a desire for more truth.

This hope has a firm foundation (1 Peter 2:4-8). It is founded upon Christ the cornerstone. Once the cornerstone of a building was set everything else about that building was determined; the angle of the walls, the level of the succeeding courses of stone, etc. God sets the agenda for His people.

This hope is also a functional hope (1 Peter 2:5-12). Worship is the central calling of the church. This is not limited to the hour on Sunday morning. Indeed, every action of the believer is an action of worship performed before a watching world. Church is not just a religious association formed by saved individuals to give united expression to their faith. It is to be a living, breathing body responding to God's direction in our day to day lives.

In Number 6:22-27 God instructs the priests concerning the blessing they were to give. In 1 Peter we are given the astounding news that we are now the priests! We are part of God's plan to bring hope to the world.

Centenarian Still Preaching!

W.L. Baker is a man after my own heart! I sometimes get asked the "retirement" question which goes something like this, "So, how long do you think you'll be preaching?" My answer is I can't imagine not having the opportunity to stand and proclaim the marvelous truth of God's word on a regular basis. I get itchy after a couple of weeks out of the pulpit!

W.L. Baker recently had the opportunity to stand before almost 500 who had gathered to hear him deliver a sermon on Deuteronomy 34. The wonderful serendipity of this event was that this particular Sunday just happened to fall on his 100th birthday! You can read the rest of this story here. I wonder how many in attendance pondered the remarkable event in which they were participating?

On a few occasions in my life I have enjoyed the teaching of a sainted senior citizen and have marveled at the depth of their faith. They possess a wisdom and confidence arising from years of consistent reliance on God's presence in their lives which is heard not only in their words but in their lives. I pray that I will finish well and be one of those people. But, until then, I say, "Congratulations W.L.! Thank you for making level paths and straight roads on which we can follow. Here's to your 101st year of service!"

Monday Morning Message - The Stamp of Hope

"Two things I ask of you;
deny them not to me before I die;
Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me,
lest I be full and deny you and say, "Who is the LORD?"
or lest I be poor and steal
and profane the name of my God."

Proverbs 30:7-9

The headlines are full of hopeless news. I imagine some of you are losing sleep over the economic crisis facing our nation. I am sure some of you are processing bad news from the Doctor. I know with certainty that many are wrestling with children that have wandered. There is a need for a fresh dose of hope. But not just any hope will do. We need a hope that is certain and secure in these trouble filled days. Where are we to turn? Surely it's not to the government (their mishandling of crisis is well documented.) Surely it's not to the so called "Master's of the Universe" who once proudly prowled Wall Street but seem anything but masterful now.

The apostle Peter penned his first letter to the scattered believers in a time of great difficulty and he writes to them a singularly hope filled letter. I believe we can rediscover the reason those who are in Christ can and should hope even in the most trying of times.

Take a moment to read 1 Peter 1:1-9. Take note of the character of hope Peter describes.

Hope requires a plan. Here is good news! God has a plan! It is not a knee-jerk reaction to the headlines of the day. Rather it is a plan which God has been patiently working out from before the foundation of the earth. Peter speaks of God's foreknowledge and choice in verses 1 and 2. I am not going to enter into a lengthy discussion of the issue of foreknowledge and predestination here. I feel as John Calvin about such matters, that they should not be looked at for too long or with too much intensity as they are matters akin to looking into the sun. Suffice it to say here that God is aware and not taken by surprise by any of the events that have so possessed our minds recently. Peter speaks of Jesus as being known from before the foundations of the world in verse 20. What a profound and moving notion! Dr. Edmund Clowney, of the Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia, states, "Foreknowledge means that...His [God's] people were the objects of God's loving concern from all eternity."

Hope requires a plan and God has one. It is not a plan just recently developed. It is a plan in place from all eternity. But hope also requires a pattern. What does this hope look like? Not just any hope will do. It can't be some over generalized characterization without any specifics. It must have a particular shape and character for it to be believable. Peter vividly describes this hope.


1. It is a living hope! (v. 3) This hope is firmly based on the empirical and historic event of the resurrection. Because Jesus rose from the grave we have reason to hope right now! There are some who will quickly ask, "But what if it's not true? What if Christ did not rise?" Some would say that living a "Christian" way of life is it's own reward. The apostle Paul would strongly disagree. He states in 1 Corinthians 15:19 that if Christ is not risen from the grave we are to be pitied above all men. In other words, the simple fact of the bodily resurrection of Jesus is the hinge upon which all our hope swings.

2. It is an inherited hope. (v. 4) I know a bit about inheritance. I have a set of commentaries on my bookshelf that belonged to my grandfather. I did not buy them but they most certainly belong to me. Likewise our hope is not something we can earn because it has been bought and paid for by another, namely Jesus. This hope is an inherited hope!

3. It is an imperishable hope. (v. 4) Unlike the treasures in which we tend to place undue confidence, the hope that is ours in Christ Jesus is one that will not fade, spoil, or be ruined. We are all too familiar with the passing value of the stuff we collect. If you purchase a new car you are sure to get a ding in the door panel. If you put a new roof on the house you can almost count on a hail storm to damage it. If you purchase some new white tennis shoes someone will most surely step on them. Unlike all the "treasures" of this world, the treasure of the hope offered to us in Christ Jesus does not fade.

4. It is a guarded hope. (v. 4-5) Peter says this hope is kept for us. Marvelous word there. 'Kept' is a military term in the Greek carrying the notion of a sentinel, one who watches. This hope is being watched for us. The obvious question is, "Who's doing the watching?" and "Can we trust them to watch it well?" The answer provided in scripture is, "He who keeps you will not slumber. He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is your keeper." It's good to know that God is watching over the hope that is ours.

5. It is a blessed hope. (v. 7-9). That word 'blessed' indicates 'happy.' Mind you this is not some naive pasty smile that is oblivious to the challenges being faced in our lives. Rather it is a deep abiding joy that is able to bring a spring to our step and smile to our face even in the most difficult of days. It is a joy that arises from the confidence we have in the one who plans and patterns our hope.

Finally hope not only needs a plan and a pattern, it also requires pressure. My father-in-law was a printer by trade. We have in our possession numerous drawers of type face that he would use to print the weekly paper. I watched time and again with fascination as he would carefully plan and pattern the print for the paper but it was the final step that brought the result. He would pass a sheet of paper through the press causing the image to be transferred. It required a great amount of pressure as his nine fingered hand grimly attested. Likewise this hope planned and patterned for us by God requires a pressure to be transferred to our lives.

In verses 6 & 7, Peter speaks of "trials" and "testing" of our faith. Peter understood that God's people in his day, and in our day also, faced pressure. This was no ordinary pressure. It was a pressure that brought about the result of God's sure hope being indelibly stamped into the very fabric of our lives.

Our hope is anchored in the past: Jesus rose!
Our hope remains in the present: Jesus lives!
Our hope will be completed in the future: Jesus is coming! To which I say, "Amen! Come Lord Jesus!"