“And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.” (Revelation 12:1–6, ESV)
Almost daily I am posed one basic question by Eagle Village kids who have suffered endless abuse and hurt: Why? Why has all this stuff happened to me? Why is there so much hurt, and pain and sorrow? While God doesn't usually give us specific answers to our own individual situations, there are some biblical principles that can help guide our understanding of what's going on. Pastor Kevin DeYoung wrote this helpful post just a couple of days ago: There are at least four good, biblical answers to these questions. Number one, God is sovereign. For his own glory and the good of his people, our heavenly Father sends trials and allows for suffering. Number two, we live in a fallen world. All of creation is groaning as in the pains of childbirth. Things are not the way they are supposed to be and not the way they will be one day. Number three, human beings are sinners. We hurt each other. We violate God’s laws and pay the consequences. We are full of fears, idolatries, adulteries, and self-love that make our lives worse and the lives of those around us. Those are three good, biblical answers why churches and the Christians struggle and suffer. But there is another reason we sometimes forget. Number four, the devil hates the gospel and hates all those who love and obey the gospel. The passage above is the literal and symbolic center of the book of Revelation. For eleven chapters the Spirit shows us tempted churches, suffering churches, judgments on the earth, conflict in the world, and the call for God’s people to overcome. In chapter 12 the curtain gets pulled back so we can see what is going on behind the scenes. Why all this struggle and suffering? What is behind this war of the worlds? The answer is that the devil is hell bent on destroying the church. Let us not forget that underneath and behind all the battles in our time is a giant cosmic battle that has been going on for (almost) all time. And, this Christmas season, let us not forget that a child was born to rule the nations with a rod of iron and crush the head of that dastardly dragon. <http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2011/12/10/hell-bent/>
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“And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.” (Revelation 12:1–6, ESV)
Almost daily I am posed one basic question by Eagle Village kids who have suffered endless abuse and hurt: Why? Why has all this stuff happened to me? Why is there so much hurt, and pain and sorrow? While God doesn't usually give us specific answers to our own individual situations, there are some biblical principles that can help guide our understanding of what's going on. Pastor Kevin DeYoung wrote this helpful post just a couple of days ago: There are at least four good, biblical answers to these questions. Number one, God is sovereign. For his own glory and the good of his people, our heavenly Father sends trials and allows for suffering. Number two, we live in a fallen world. All of creation is groaning as in the pains of childbirth. Things are not the way they are supposed to be and not the way they will be one day. Number three, human beings are sinners. We hurt each other. We violate God’s laws and pay the consequences. We are full of fears, idolatries, adulteries, and self-love that make our lives worse and the lives of those around us. Those are three good, biblical answers why churches and the Christians struggle and suffer. But there is another reason we sometimes forget. Number four, the devil hates the gospel and hates all those who love and obey the gospel. The passage above is the literal and symbolic center of the book of Revelation. For eleven chapters the Spirit shows us tempted churches, suffering churches, judgments on the earth, conflict in the world, and the call for God’s people to overcome. In chapter 12 the curtain gets pulled back so we can see what is going on behind the scenes. Why all this struggle and suffering? What is behind this war of the worlds? The answer is that the devil is hell bent on destroying the church. Let us not forget that underneath and behind all the battles in our time is a giant cosmic battle that has been going on for (almost) all time. And, this Christmas season, let us not forget that a child was born to rule the nations with a rod of iron and crush the head of that dastardly dragon. <http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2011/12/10/hell-bent/> “But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19, ESV)
We all like to be surprised at Christmas (well all except for a few of you "present-snoopers"). Some of us could possibly some pretty special stories of amazing surprise gifts we've received -- jewelry, an new car, and engagement, a cruise (yea, I know, me neither) -- you name it. No matter how awesome or astounding your favorite gift ever was, I think we can all agree no one was more surprised than Mary when she received news of her Christmas gift. "Oh, by the way, you're going to be God's mom. Merry Christmas!" Her life was forever changed by the angel's message and the events that unfolded over the next days and months would have been indescribable. When Jesus finally came and the excitement died down and all the visitors left the stable, we're told in Luke 2:19 that Mary did something very profound: she treasured the birth of Jesus and she pondered it all in her heart. As Mary treasured the blessed birth of her son and Savior, she was actually giving glory to God. She had taken time to reflect on God's gracious intervention into human history and what that might mean for mankind. There are so many things that we treasure at Christmas time: the holiday goodies, the beautiful lights and decorations, the excitement of children on Christmas morning -- all beautiful things. But where does Jesus fall on that list? Do we treasure him above all else or is he simply an add-on because, after all, the holiday is named after him. The word we translate "ponder" means to think about something seriously or to try to grasp the true sense. Mary took the important step of trying to get a handle on what had just happened. What did it mean that the Messiah had come? How does this change the way we live? How can I express the hope-filled joy in my heart to my loved ones? How in the world do you try to raise a sinless child? When we take time to reflect on the significance of Christmas, we are on the right track. Take pause this holiday season-- more than just a few minutes -- to wonder at the greatest surprise the world has ever know: the day when God became flesh. “We are the most entertained generation that’s ever walked the face of the earth and we’re bored out of our minds. More to do now than there has ever been in the history of the world and we’re still restless and bored. With God you never hit that ceiling; you never get to the bottom. It’s ever increasing, ever expanding. . . When I was in church and they used to sing Amazing grace -- that line: “When we’ve been there 10,000 years, bright shining as the sun, we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we first begun.” That sounded like a nightmare to me. It’s like Groundhog Day [the movie] forever…The idea that 10,000 years is no time off the clock to sing praise to God sounded miserable to me … until you understand that there is no cap on and there is no bottom to the ever expanding infinite joy found in our God. And then the fact that there’s no less days to sing God’s praise . . . Oh, get me there!”
- Matt Chandler You and I are in the middle of a war. We fight a fierce enemy each and every day. Each morning this enemy renews its relentless assault, sometimes quietly, sometimes boldly but always in opposition to what is right and good. That enemy is sin. Whether you realize it or not, sin daily wages war against our soul (1 Peter 2:11). To stand idly by as if nothing is going on is to have lost the battle. Sin will overcome us unless we consciously fight back. That is why the apostle Paul wrote:
“For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” (Romans 8:13, ESV) Life lived according to the whims of our sinful nature brings about a life of death. But for those who have trusted in Christ and have the indwelling Holy Spirit, life can be different. Prior to salvation, the Bible teaches that we were enslaved to sin (Rom. 6:6) and following our own sinful lusts and passions (Ephesians 2:1-3). But once we are made new by the shed blood of Christ, everything changes. We are slaves to sin no more. We are no longer powerless against the onslaught of sin's deceit. As I was preparing some lessons on God's love to share with the youth I work with, I was reminded of this refreshing section from Jerry Bridges excellent book, Trusting God Even When Life Hurts.
The infinite, measureless love of God is poured out upon us, not because of who we are or what we are, but because we are in Christ Jesus. Note that in Romans 8:39, Paul says that "[nothing] will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." The love of God flows to us entirely through, or in, Jesus Christ. The term in Christ is one Paul uses frequently to refer to our spiritually organic union with Jesus Christ. Jesus speaks of this same union in His metaphor of the vine and its branches in John 15. Just as the branches are organically related to the vine in a life-giving union, so believers, in a spiritual sense, are organically united to Christ… It is very important that we grasp this crucial concept that God's love to us is in Christ. Just as God's love to His Son cannot change, so His love to us cannot change, because we are in union with the One He loves. God's love to us can no more waver than His love to His Son can waver. We are constantly tempted to look within ourselves to seek to find some reason why God should love us. Such searching is, of course, usually discouraging. We usually find within ourselves reasons why we think God should not love us. Such searching is also unbiblical. The Bible is quite clear that God does not look within us for a reason to love us. He loves us because we are in Christ Jesus. When He looks at us, He does not look at us as "stand alone" Christians, resplendent in our own good works, even good works as Christians. Rather, as He looks at us, He sees us united to His beloved Son, clothed in His righteousness. He loves us, not because we are lovely in ourselves, but because we are in Christ. Here then is another weapon of truth that we should store up in our hearts to use against our doubts and the temptation to question God's love for us. God's love to us cannot fail any more than His love to Christ can fail (p. 142-143). At one time or another, all of us have gotten in trouble with our tongue. Maybe it was saying too much, maybe it was saying too little. Perhaps it was our tone of voice or possibly the way in which we said it. Or maybe it was because you said something to the wrong person. There are almost endless ways in which our words can metaphorically come back to bite us if we are not careful.
As I was reading Proverbs this morning, I came across a caution for our words -- a caution which, if heeded, can save us from a lot of trouble. “Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense, but a man of understanding remains silent.” (Proverbs 11:12, ESV) Some of us seem to have a natural ability with putdowns. While a few are great doing it with the person present, our verbal talents seem to shine best when the target is nowhere to be found (this ensures that they will not be able to defend themselves or otherwise rebut our negative words). Proverbs is not here speaking of constructive criticism or addressing negative behavior with the purpose of restoring and helping the individual. This Hebrew word is often translated despise. This "belittling" reflects a mean-spirited heart attitude that is wrong and unloving. Notice the use of the word neighbor. Don't you find it true that we reserve our harshest words for those closest to us? Often it is a spouse or sibling. Perhaps it's a literal neighbor or a coworker. But notice that remaining silent reflects understanding. When we are able to hold our tongue from spreading gossip and slander, we reflect a God-given realization that would not be glorified by heading down the path of ridicule. Demeaning someone behind their back is a great act of cowardice. God does not want this to be a part of our daily speech. Rather, his word for us is to build each other up: “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” (Ephesians 4:29, ESV) Be wise, don't belittle. Yesterday we looked at James 4:17 and saw that scripture clearly tells us that when we know that right thing to do but avoid doing it, that's sin. Today I want to draw your attention to a painful example of what can happen when we sit on our hands at a time that calls for action. The story involves King David and his kids. David was a great king. To this day he is revered by the Jewish people as the greatest king who ever ruled over them. But he made some costly mistakes.
To make a long story short, David's son Amnon raped his half-sister Tamar (2 Samuel 13). David found out about it and became very angry (2 Samuel 13:21). But that was it. All he did was get really upset. Now to be sure, much of the anger we experience is sin. Not this anger. This was righteous, just, God-glorifying anger because it burned intensely over wickedness. He could have chose many responses to his just fury, but instead he chose to do nothing. Why? I'm not exactly sure but I believe it had to do with the guilt of his own sexual sin. Not long before this, he had stole another man's wife, committed adultery and tried to cover it up by killing the woman's husband (2 Samuel 11). I imagine his guilt jeered him: "Who are you to call Amnon on his sin? You took what you wanted just like him. The two of you are no different." David's passivity cost him dearly. If David had dealt with this issue, then possibly Tamar's brother Absalom wouldn't have murdered Amnon (2 Samuel 13:23-33). If David had dealt with that, then possibly Absalom would not have conspired to steal David's kingdom (2 Samuel 13:37-15:12) and eventually be killed by David's military forces (2 Samuel 18). What's keeping you from dealing with sin? Guilt, like David? Fear of rejection or an unfavorable response? Don't sit on sin. Get it taken care of right away. “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” (James 4:17, ESV)
Sometimes doing the right thing is very difficult. It may mean facing hurt, rejection, uncertainty or ridicule. However unpleased, none of these (potential) outcomes give us permission to ignore what God has asked us to do. Far from bringing bondage and moroseness to life, going what God asks actually brings great joy. This is why the Psalmist said: “I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”” (Psalm 40:8, ESV). Unfortunately, many of us Christians have done our best to eradicate joy from our service to God so that doing what is right has become our duty rather than our delight. But God has designed us to experience the greatest joy and peace when we are walking in delightful submission to his will, not our own. The first step to doing the right thing is, of course, knowing the right thing to do! It may seem like a no-brainer, but if we don’t know a supervisor’s expectations for our work, it’s very difficult to meet those expectations. The same is true of God’s commands. If we don’t bother to take the time to understand how he desires for us to live, we will not be able to stay on the right path. Take some time today to seek out his will through his Word. You might be surprised at just how much you like it! |
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