Will You Be Humbled or Exalted

April 8, 2022 in Humility, Isaiah, Pride | by | Leave a comment

Twice in Isaiah 2 do we see God’s commitment to humbling the proud:

The haughty looks of man shall be brought low,
and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled,
and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.

Isaiah 2:11 ESV

And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled,
and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low,
and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day

Isaiah 2:17 ESV

I want to make three observations regarding how God humbles people. Two directly from these text and one from the surrounding context. First, God is committed to humbling the proud or haughty man. He does not say the might be humbled, but that they shall be brought low. “In that day” the pride of man will not stand in the presence of the King of Kings.

Second, everyone is a proud or haughty person except God. Both texts end with the claim that “the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.” God will be supreme in that day and everything else will be brought low before him. There will be no room for competition. Those who thing they will be someone improtant in that day are being proud and the text is clear that their pride will not be able to stand up against the one who alone is to be exalted.

The final point is that the means by which God humbles the haughty and brings low the proud is by making himself know. Three times in the surround text we are told that people respond to “the terror of the LORD, and from the splendor of his majesty” (Isa. 2:10, 19, 21). Isaiah himself fell on his face when confront with the presence of God (Isa. 6:4). We cannot truly behold the majesty of God without being humbled.

For those who have beheld “the splender of his majesty” or “the terror of the LORD,” the natural response is to want to hide (Isa. 2:10). In fact, we must hide. For some this will me to constantly seek to avoid God, to pretend he does not exist. For others, this will me trying to cover their own inadequecy by making a show of keeping the law. But for those who know the truth, they realize the only place to find safety from the “terror of the LORD” is in Christ. As Paul tells us, “God chose the low and despised in the world, even the things that are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, so that in the presence of God no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness, and sanctification and redemption, so that as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the LORD‘” (1 Cor. 1:28-31, emphasis added). Paul does not leave us without a boast however. Why am will have nothing to boast it

While God does not leave us any grounds to boast in our own abilities or efforts, he points us to confidence in God. If we are in Christ Jesus, we can boast…just not in ourselves. Our only boast in the LORD. The question we must ask ourselves is will we continue to try to make ourselves look God in the sight of God or will we boast in the splender of his majesty.

Who You Listen To Matters

April 6, 2022 in Law, Psalms | by | Leave a comment

Psalm 1 begins…

Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the LORD
and on his law he meditates day and night.

Psalm 1:1-2 (ESV)

What is interesting about the beginning of this Psalm is that places the emphasis not on what a man does, but on who he is listening to. While the first condition points to a man’s “walk,” the Psalmist does not point to the actions being done, but to its source: “in the counself of the wicked.” The walk is already compromised because of who the man is taking counsel from. The verbs mentioned here (“walks”, “stands”, “sits”) are not the issue. The bigger issue is what influences his walk (“the counsel of the wicked”), where he stands (“in the way of sinners”), and where he sits (“in the seat of soffers”). The man who is not blessed takes his cues from the wicked, the sinners, and the soffers. The Psalmist refers to those who choose to this path as “the wicked” (Ps. 1:4-6), and he is clear that those who follow this path “will perish” (1:6).

On the other hand, the Blessed man walks in the counself of God – “on his law he meditates day and night” (1:2). He stands not in the way of sinners, but in the way of the righteous (1:6). However, the key to his being blessed is found in what he delights in and what he dwells on. First, he “delights in the law of the LORD.” It is interesting that he describes this as a delight, especially in view of the fact that the law does not give life (Gal. 2:19). The primary purpose of the law was to communicate the holiness of God to his people both in its requirements for righteous living and is provision for atonement as a means of reconcilliation with God. Despite the fact that the law exposed the sinfulness of the human heart, the Psalmist says that the law is his delight.

Next, we are told that “he meditates on it day and night.” He does not just read the law and then forget about it. He continually finds himself calling to mind the law of God, whether it is morning or evening. While some of us might prioritize God’s word on Sunday mornings, for this Psalmist it was all day, everyday thing. We should not be surprised that he wished to meditate on it day and night, since the law was his “delight.”

The lesson for us is pretty simple. What we find joy in and what we spend our time thinking about will have a significant impact on not only the path we walk, but our final destination. Those who delight in “the way of sinners” and find themself contemplating “the counself of the wicked”, will stand before God’s judgement (1:5) and will ultimately perish (1:6). But for those who find delight in the law of God and are constantly thinking about what God desires, the LORD knows their path (1:6). And they will be blessed indeed!

How to Nullify the Grace of God

April 5, 2022 in Galatians | by | Leave a comment

In Galatians 2:21, Paul writes, “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.” Here we see a significant connection between the grace of God and the death of Christ. These realities are so integrally link that to render Christ’s death on behalf of sinners of no purpose is the same as nullifying grace. Or let me state it positively, the purpose of Christ’s death was to make the grace of God possible … or at least to make it possible without compromising the justice of God. The death of Christ on behalf of sinners makes it possible for God to forgive sin, as Paul will say later in Galatians, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (3:13).

However, in this verse we one of the primary ways in which we nullify grace or render the work of Christ of no consequence. When we act as through “righteousness were through the law” (2:21). If you want to nullify grace, try to earn God grace by keeping the law. The first problem with pursuing a righteous standing with God through the law is that by turning the law into a means by which we earn God’s grace, we turn grace into a wage. It becomes something we earn rather than a free gift (Rom. 4:4). The second problem is that no one can fulfill the law’s requirement. Paul is quick to point out that a commitment to achieve righteousness through the law requires that you “abide by all things written in the Book of the law” and the failure of anyone to satisfy thes requirements means that all are under the curse of God (Gal. 3:10).

At the end of the day the law cannot save because the law does not enable us to perfectly keep it. Instead, the law serves as a constant reminder that we fall short of God’s standard and in need of God’s grace. Thankfully, God has provided a way. While no “person is justified by works of the law,” we know that we are justified “through faith in Jesus Christ” (Gal. 2:16). These paths to righteousness are mutually exclusive. On one hand, if you pursue righteousness through the law, you render the person and work of Christ of no purpose, and you nullify the grace of god (Gal. 2:21). On the other hand, if you seek to be justified by faith in Christ Jesus, you show your need for Christ’s death to have a purpose in satisfying the law’s righteous demands against sinners, and you confirm your need of God’s grace.

What You Wear Matters

April 4, 2022 in Genesis | by | Leave a comment

While I am not one to care much about personal fashion or get caught up in what clothes I wear or what other people consider fashionable, there are some great lessons to be learned by looking at the first clothes in human history. According to Scripture, Adam and Eve were created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27). The first couple enjoyed the good life in the Garden of Eden. They lived in paradise. There was no sin and no shame. They had nothing to hide from God or from one another. In fact, their spiritual purity was reflected in their choice of clothing…they “were both naked and were not ashamed” (Gen. 2:25).

However, their happy existence would come to an end when they gave into the Serpent’s temptation (Gen. 3:1-7). Suddenly, as result of their sin, “the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked” (Gen. 3:7). Based on their response in the following verses and the connection of “naked” and “not ashamed” in 2:25, it seems only logic to concluded that their awakening of their nakedness was also an awakening to their sense of shame. To cover their nakedness and their shame, Adam and Eve “sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths” (Gen. 3:7). While these clothes helped to hide their nakedness from one another, it still left them exposed before God. Therefore, when they heard the LORD walking in the garden, they “hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden” (Gen. 3:8). The clothing they had made was inadequate to deal with their nakedness before a holy God.

Yet, despite God judgement on the Serpent, Adam, and Eve in Genesis 3:14-19, God does not leave them in their nakedness. Instead, “the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them” (Gen. 3:21). While we might see a hit of the many blood sacrifices to come in the “garments of skins” and the implication that an animal was slain to make them, there is a much clearer implication to be seen. The biggest different between the clothing of Genesis 3:7 and Genesis 3:21 is who made them and who clothed them. In Genesis 3:7, Adam and Eve make their own clothes and clothe themselves. In Genesis 3:21, God makes them clothes and clothes them.

This is the fundamental difference between the world’s attempts at salvation and the plan of God revealed in the Gospel. Either a man is attempting to save himself (to cover his own shame) or he is relying on God to save him (to cover his shame for him). This at the heart of Paul’s defense of the Gospel in Galatians. Man cannot be justified by his own adherence to the law, but only through faith in the resurrected Christ (Gal. 2:15-16). We cannot cloth ourselves with righteousness earn through our own merit, but we must be clothed with the righteousness of Christ, which is to be received by faith.

The Danger of Relying on the Law

April 3, 2022 in Romans | by | Leave a comment

In Romans 2:17, Paul calls attention to those who “call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God and approve his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law.” These people see themselves as “a light to those who are in darkness” (2:19) and “an instructor of the foolish” (2:20). These people know how God expects people to behave and are confident in their ability to educate others on what it means to live a righteous life. Yet in verses 21-24, Paul challenges them that despite their ability to teach against sin, they still commit the very sins they are teaching against. Their hypocrisy is so great that “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of [them]” (2:24).

The fundamental problem for these Jews is that they are focused on outward conformity to the law (2:28). They seemed to have missed that in order for anyone to be saved, even a Jew, they must have a circumcised heart (2:29). True obedience of the law is not matter of strict adherence to the letter of the law but must be produced as a work of the Spirit (2:29).

Unfortunately, it is challenging for us as Christians to look at this text and think that we are beyond this. Yet, in our modern context it is often zealous Christians who are boasting in God and demanding others submit to the righteous requirements of the law. Yet often we are blind to the sinfulness of our own hearts. We fall into the trap of seeing the solution to the world’s sin problem as needing to better educate people about why they should avoid certain sins or chose the righteous path…after all God will judge them for their deeds. Yet we fail to see that the only true solution to the sinfulness of man
is that they be made alive in Christ (Rom. 6:4).

For Paul, and for us today, the solution to the world’s ungodliness is not to educate people about the law of God and the importance of adhering to it but make know the righteousness of God that comes apart from the law (Rom. 3:21) – “the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe” (Rom. 3:22). We cannot address sin by calling people to submit to the law of God, but by calling them to trust the one who has satisfied the laws demands – Jesus Christ.

In Much Wisdom is Much Vexation

August 23, 2020 in Uncategorized | by | Leave a comment

Given the constant barrage of information being pushed at us through the media, Facebook, Twitter, or other digital sources, it is difficult to make sense of all of it. This is only heighted by the vast array of topics that have dominating the headlines over the last few years from Russia collusion allocations to issues around the coronavirus pandemic to problems with the U.S. Post office.

While some people may expect to find happiness by increasing their awareness, the Bible is clear that increasing knowledge can (or will) have the opposite effect.

16 I said in my heart, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind. 18 For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

Ecclesiasties 1:16-18

In section of Ecclesiasties, Solomon observes how he had “applied [his] heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly” (1:17). Solomon was considered to be the wisest man in the Bible, only to be surpassed by the coming of Jesus. However, here Solomon does not find happiness or fulfillment in the pursuit of knowledge. Instead, he finds it to be “striving after wind,” an empty pursuit. The final result of all his efforst was not peace and happiness, but “vexation” and “sorrow.”

In light of this, we should not be surprised if constantly chasing the next headlines will never bring satisfaction. No matter how informed we are about the issues of our day it will never bring peace and happiness. The only thing that can bring the peace in the midst of this crazy world is the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:5-7

Note the words to the church in Phillipi above. Only by resting in the Lord Jesus and making our cares and concerns known to Him can we find peace. Even more only this peace is can be described as one that “surpasses all understanding” and is able to protect our “hearts” and “minds” against the chaos that surpounds us. So let us find our rest in Him rather than in the world around us.

In Hope Against Hope

August 13, 2020 in Uncategorized | by | Leave a comment

In his letter to the Romans, the apsostle Paul presents the gospels as the key to a supernatural hope. A hope the far exceeds anything this world has to offer. This is the only hope that can overcome the impossible.

  • “Against Hope”: The first mention of hope in Paul’s letter to the Romans comes in chapter 4, where Paul tells us that “in hope [Abraham] believed against hope” (4:18). This hope is said to be “against hope,” because Abraham’s situation was impossible; he was over 100 years old and his wife was barren (4:19). Clearly, Paul is attempting to highlight the impossible nature of situation, given he has already reference God as one “who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist (4:18).” To fully grasp the greatness of the hope offered to us in Christ, we must recognize the impossibility of the situation that we find ourselves in. We are not just weakened by sin, but dead. We lack any ability to save ourselves, but find us in complete dependence on the actions of another.
  • “In Hope”: Yet the Scriptures are clear, those seemingly impossible events were possible with God: Abraham had a son (Genesis 21:2), God raised Jesus from the dead and could have rasied Isaac (Acts 2:24, Hebrews 11:19), and God created the world out of nothing (Genesis 1:1, Hebrews 11:3). Paul continues to lay out how God saves us through his own actions. We are justified through faith in Jesus (Romans 3:26, 4:25, 5:1). This justification is the foundation for our peace with God (5:1) and for the gift of the Holy Spirit (5:5). It is only through the work of the Holy Spirit in making known the love of God to our own souls that we find joy and hope in suffering (5:2-5).

Jesus Saves Us from …

March 27, 2016 in Uncategorized | by | Leave a comment

As we celebrate the resurrection this Sunday, I find myself reflecting on our tendency in 21st century to miss the point of the gospel message. The good news is that Jesus came to save us, but from what? The number one answer today is likely that Jesus came to save us from hell, from the consequences of our sins. But is that really the goal of Jesus death and resurrection?

In his gospel Matthew tells us that he was named Jesus because He would “save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Later we are told that Jesus message was to “repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). Even the “Great Commission” includes an expectation to teach disciples to “observe all that [Jesus] have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20). The bottom line is that the goal of Jesus ministry was that people turn from sin and follow him.

Here’s the where I believe the confusion has come. We have come to view just punishment as bad rather than the actions that provoke. As a culture we frown on those who spank their children, because we see spanking as “bad.” Nobody is talking about the bad actions that led to the disciple. We frown on the death penalty as “inhuman,” because we fail to see their victims as human. We view hell as bad, because we cannot image a loving God actually punishing people for their unrighteous actions. Ultimately, we see hell as bad, because we have lost any sense of what sin really means.

As  result of these distortions, we feel a need to be saved from punishment,  because we don’t get that our action warranty the publishment. So instead of having a problem with sin and feeling a need to be rid of sin itself, we long to be freed from sin’s consquenses without needing to change our actions.

Bottom line: What’s worse hell or the sin that necessitates it? What would make the world a better place: getting rid of sin or getting rid of hell?

Purpose of Evangelism (Part 3)

March 22, 2016 in Uncategorized | by | Leave a comment

In my previous posting, I addressed the response of the wise men to the revelation of Jesus’s birth. We read in Matthew 2 that after showing up in Jerusalem, they are sent to Bethlehem where they “fell down and worshiped him” (Matthew 2:11). This reminded me of another reason why we should tell others about Jesus, so that they can come to worship him.

I have heard it said that “missions exist because worship doesn’t,” but that is just another way of saying that Christians engage in evangelism, because there are people not yet worshiping God.

I am persuaded that this point is crucial to a proper understanding of our goal in evangelism. We do not just want to see people’s lives reformed or our churches grow in numbers, but we want to see that God is given the worship that He rightly deserves. To miss this is to miss the fundamental cause of sin.

Consider Romans 1 where Paul tells us how men and women all know God (1:19-20). However, instead of giving Him the honor (worship) that He deserves, they “exchange the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things (1:23). The reason God gives people up to their sinfulness is “because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator (1:25). Man’s fundamental problem is a false worship problem.

So at least one purpose of evangelism is to turn people enslaved to the worship of created things back to worshiping the one true God. I think this is why Paul talks about the gospel as the “glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4) or “the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6).

Evangelism is ultimately an attempt to tell others why God in Christ deserves to be worshiped. So evangelism must challenges the idols that people hold on to, because it must present a God who is better than those idols. We talk of the righteousness of Christ, because it is superior to our own. We talk of how Christ fully satisfied God’s wrath on our behalf, because there is nothing we could ever do that would. We talk about how God took the initiative in loving use, because we would never have loved Him first. The gospel fundamentally draws attention to our unworthiness and points us to the One who is worthy.

 

 

Worship the King!

March 18, 2016 in Christ, Jesus, King, Lordship, Matthew, Worship | by | Leave a comment

What do you do with Jesus? This is an age old question. Is he a great teacher? Is he a prophet? Is he just another religious leader? Or is he something more? In a world that seems to be searching for answers about who Jesus is, Matthew’s gospel does not leave room for a lot of doubt. In the opening chapter, Matthew has taken great pains to show us that Jesus heir to the promises to Abraham and to David the king.

Now here in Matthew chapter 2, we begin to see that Jesus is not a neutral figure. It is not uncommon to see Matthew 2:1-12 retold each year around Christmas. I mean after all many of us justify the tradition of giving gifts, because the wise men brought gifts to Jesus. However, it is unfortunate that fundamental message of these verses is lost by our modern depictions of these magi from the east.

We see them show up in Jerusalem asking “Where is He who has been born king of the Jews?” (2:2). But this question is not met with joyous celebration but uneasiness and agitation. We read that “Herod…was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him” (2:3). In a city that should have been longing for God to send a king in the line of David, this announcement should have been met with great joy, but it wasn’t.

While it might be understandable that Herod was upset by this announcement, the response of “all the chief priests and scribes of the people” is particularly troubling. They know the scriptures. They know that the Messiah is to be born in Bethlehem, but they don’t care. Now you might say that is a little harsh, but don’t be quick to excuse them. They have heard that a Messiah-like figure has been born and know where to find him, but they don’t go anywhere!

This is what makes the wise men, such important characters. They have traveled hundreds of miles to find a Jewish king. Instead of responding in apathy or agitation, “they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy” at just seeing the star that mark the Messiah’s location (2:10). They did not just come to see Jesus, they came and “fell down and worshiped him.” That is the bottom line. There is only one one proper response to Jesus: Worship!

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