To fear the Lord, or not to fear the Lord? (Exodus 20:20)

One of the difficult concepts to understand in our walk with Christ is the concept of the fear of God. There are times in the Bible where the believer is instructed or commanded to fear the Lord, and then perhaps in the same passage he will be commanded not to be afraid. There are many commands to “Fear not,” but then there are those that say, “you shall fear.” How do we sort these things out? Are we to fear or are we not to fear?

This post will take a brief look at this idea of “the fear of the Lord” to give us a right perspective on it.

First, the believer is commanded to fear the Lord. Consider Deuteronomy 6:13.

“You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name.”

The verse seems clear, but what does the word “fear” mean in this context? Am I to be fearful of God? Am I to cower before Him or hide from Him because He is holy, a consuming fire? Is our relationship based on His threats and my frightened obedience? Of course, the answer is no. Because of Jesus, the believer has received grace and full forgiveness from the Lord, so there is no cause to be afraid of His judgment and condemnation anymore. The fear that is commanded is a reverential love and a steadfast hope. This is the fear that David is talking about in Psalm 34 when he writes, “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him and rescues them (34:7).” The “fear” that manifests itself in loving reverence and trust receives protection and rescue from the angel of the LORD. David goes on to say that this fear of the LORD will result in “keeping your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit; Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it (34:13-14).” So, this fear is not a cowering terror, but is a reverential love and trust that produces obedience and worship.

Second, there are times when the Scripture commands people not to fear the Lord. This is the case in Exodus 20:20 – Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin.” In this terrifying encounter with the LORD at Mount Sinai, the people trembled and stood at a distance (20:18). They were understandably afraid because the LORD was giving the Law and was revealing to them their sin. Moses is saying to those who will repent of their sins and will have a reverential love for the LORD and will trust the LORD have no need to be afraid of the LORD. Those who turn from their sins and obey the LORD relate to Him as a son or daughter relates to a father. So, the believer is instructed to not be afraid of the Lord, because perfect love has cast out fear (1 John 4:18), while at the same time they fear the Lord with reverential love and trust and awe.

Third, the Scripture commands the believer to not fear “ordinary threats and dangers,” because they are protected and defended and loved by the Lord. Consider these verses:

  • God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea. – Psalm 46:1-2
  • “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” – Isaiah 41:10. (See also 41:13, 14.)
  • But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” – Isaiah 43:1, 3.
  • But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” – Matthew 14:27.

Regardless of the peril of the circumstances, the believer is not to fear, because the believer has joined himself or herself to the Lord, and the Lord is greater than all. So then, for the believer to fear anything or anyone except the Lord is a sin, because they are distrusting the Lord and are declaring, by their fear, that something is greater than the Lord. Instead, for the one who fears the LORD, “He will not fear evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD (Psalm 112:7.” The one who truly fears the Lord should fear nothing else.

Finally, those who do not know the Lord and who are not covered by the atoning blood of Jesus are completely right to fear the Lord. They remain under His holy wrath (Ephesians 2:3) and under His judgment and condemnation. Whether they know it or not, they are fully “open and laid bare before the eyes of Him with whom we have to do (Hebrews 4:13),” and they are exactly one heartbeat away from meeting God, the consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29).

So, yes, believers fear the Lord with a holy reverence. We are in awe of Him because of His holiness and because of His wrath against any and all sin. He is still the God of Sinai, the God of the Law, the Holy One of Israel.

But because of Jesus and because of His finished work on the cross; because of “Tetelestai (John 19:30)” and because of His resurrection, we are now those in whom the Lord delights. Amazingly, the Lord delights in us as those who fear His name (Psalm 147:10-11; 149:4).

So, we are not afraid of the LORD God like Adam was (Genesis 3:8-10), who hid from the Lord’s presence because of his sin, but we are those who come boldly into His presence (Hebrews 4:16; Ephesians 3:12) in reverential fear, cleansed from our sin by the blood of Jesus and adopted into God’s family as His beloved children (John 1:12; Romans 8:14-17; Eph. 1:5).  

SDG                 rmb                 1/19/2021

The quest for purpose (Luke 13:7)

Man is a purpose-seeking creature. Built into man’s very nature is the deep need for a purpose that gives meaning to his days. Yet even though there seem to be myriad paths available to a person, there is no obvious guide for deciding which path to choose and there is no universal, default destination for where the chosen path should lead. So, without a path and without a destination, the natural man struggles to find purpose. Sometimes we feel like Alice in Wonderland as she encounters the Cheshire cat at the fork in the road. Alice asks the cat, “Please tell me which road I should choose.” “Well,” replies the cat, “that all depends on where you are going.” “I don’t know where I am going.” “In that case, either road will get you there.”

JUSTIFY OUR EXISTENCE

Man needs a purpose because in some sense he wants to justify his existence. If someone were to ask him one day, “What are you doing here, anyway?” he would like to give some credible answer. And yet, what answer could he give? “I don’t really know what I am doing here. I just showed up one day and kept breathing.” We seek to justify our existence and are frightened to discover that our best offering is pretty shaky.

CAN I FIND A MISSION?

We would love a compelling mission for our lives that gives us a laser beam focus, but, if the truth were told, we would settle for any mission at all. The scene that opens the movie “Apocalypse Now” shows Martin Sheen sitting on a sweat-soaked bed in Vietnam as the ceiling fan slowly stirs the sultry air, and then the voice-over says, “Saigon. Waiting for a mission.” That pictures the state of every person as they begin to grow toward maturity and begin to contemplate their existence. “Here I am. Waiting for a mission.” Where can anyone turn to find an answer to the question of purpose? Jesus tells a parable about a man who had a fig tree planted in his vineyard that produced no fruit. “Cut it down!” he says. “Why should it use up the ground? (Luke 13:7)” Whether we know the Lord or not, this question haunts us. “Why should he use up the ground?”

THREE KINDS OF PURPOSE

In my observation, there are three broad categories of purpose into which people fit.

  • No purpose
  • A man-made or man-invented purpose
  • A God-given purpose

NO PURPOSE

The natural state and the starting point of all people in their quest for purpose is “no purpose.” This is the result of the Fall of man when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden. One of the consequences of man’s sin is that he is separated from God and so is groping around for purpose and direction like the blind. Isaiah says, “We grope for the wall like the blind; we grope like those who have no eyes (59:10).” There may be some casual searches for meaning at different points in life, but eventually the search is abandoned, and life becomes a long and aimless chore. Often this is a life defined by random choices because they lack a compelling ‘why,’ and random choices are usually bad choices. Tragically, I think this may describe the majority of people.

A MAN-MADE PURPOSE

It has already been observed that there are myriad paths in life available to a person, but there is no clear means for deciding which of those paths to take or why, and there is no default destination toward which a man or a woman should strive. Nevertheless, there are many who, because of their circumstances in life or because of their personality and character makeup, or both, find a path that, for whatever reason, appeals to them. The choice of path or purpose is often random (I remember we were on a trip to Florida on a summer break from college when I saw a rocket engine and decided to become a Mechanical Engineer!), but, having selected that course in life, men and women pour themselves into this “man-made purpose” with obsessive energy.

Some choose a career as being their obsession. Others choose their children or their family. Making money can be the purpose. Or sexual conquests. Or sports. Or really anything. Wrestling crocodiles. Chasing tornadoes. Politics. Being a “foodie.” The man-made purpose does not need to be important or impressive in the eyes of the world (although it often is). My obsession in my twenties and early thirties was rock climbing. (Like I said, it does not have to make sense or be impressive.) I poured myself into that activity and sacrificed almost everything else to pursue cragging. It seems foolish, but that is the nature of the man-made purpose. Once chosen the choice of the purpose is rarely questioned.

The author of Ecclesiastes, “the Preacher,” had chosen man-made pursuits. Enormously successful at all that he did, he was miserable. “So, I hated life! All is vanity and a striving after wind (Ecclesiastes 2:17).” Having given his life to wisdom and pleasure and accomplishment, he encountered that great equalizer. He encountered the problem of the six-foot hole. When considering his own death, he says, “The same event happens to all of them. How the wise dies just like the fool! As one dies, so dies the other (Ecclesiastes 2:14, 16; 3:19).” All those who pursue a man-made purpose will find vexation and emptiness in this life, and judgment in the next. “This, too, is vanity and a striving after wind.”

A GOD-GIVEN PURPOSE

The best of all purposes is a God-given purpose. This is possessed by all those who follow the Lord Jesus Christ. Having been called by God to faith in Jesus, the believer has received the blessing of a clear purpose that pleases God, that is intensely fulfilling, that lasts a lifetime, and that receives the commendation in heaven, “Well done, good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:21, 23).” The believer has the indwelling Holy Spirit who is a divine guide for directing him or her to the right path (Isaiah 30:21). The believer has the mission of being a witness for Christ (Acts 1:8) and of being His ambassador in the world (2 Cor. 5:20), a mission that is joy-producing and satisfying and challenging. In trusting Christ as Savior, the believer has received a purpose that justifies their existence and that is worth spending a lifetime to accomplish. This purpose is worth living for and it is worth dying for.

“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” – the apostle Paul in Philippians 1:21 

SDG                 rmb                 1/15/2021

Making the most of the time (Ephesians 5:16)

The goal of the disciple of Jesus is to be “making the most of the time,” as Paul commends us in Ephesians 5:15-16. That goal is clear from Scripture. Moses asks the Lord to “teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90:12).” Same idea. We are called to make the most of every day. But the question is, how do we do that? That is, who is to say what “making the most of the time” looks like? With so many ways to spend my time, who determines when I am “making the most of my time?”

PRINCIPLE: “Making the most of the time” is spending your time according to God’s priorities for life. These priorities are expressed in the Bible and are constrained by and applied through the circumstances of each individual life, with its specific roles and responsibilities.

Because the best source for discovering God’s priorities is the Bible, the better a person knows the Bible, the better they can “make the most of the time.”

            “But wait a minute” you may say. “The Bible is a big book full of all kinds of teaching and stories and songs and prayers. How do I find God’s priorities for life in all that?” A great question! While it is true that there is not a special section in the Bible that explicitly spells out God’s priorities for life, it is also true that the Bible is a book that is living and active (Hebrews 4:12) and is breathed out by God (2 Timothy 3:16). God Himself has inspired the Bible to be His word to His people, and so the Bible informs ANY life, and it informs ALL of life. The Bible is written such that it speaks to any believer in any circumstance and communicates God’s message to that believer, regardless of their circumstances. And the Bible is written to communicate God’s guidance for all aspects of life, “that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17).”

            So, again I say, the better a person knows the Bible, the better they can “make the most of the time.”

            Practically speaking, God’s priorities gradually become our own over time as we abide with the Lord in His word and in prayer. After years spent living and reliving the many narrative stories in the Scriptures, we gradually absorb their lessons, and we see the errors and the successes of hundreds of characters, and we learn something of God’s priorities. Reading and rereading the gospels allows us to learn from the God-Man Himself, the Lord Jesus, and so have God’s priorities shape us. Repeated trips through Job and the Psalms and Proverbs and Ecclesiastes allow us to implicitly see God’s priorities as we read the wisdom literature. The point is that extended time with God in His word will gradually instill His priorities in your heart.

            So, when Paul exhorts us to “make the most of the time, because the days are evil,” He has not given the follower of Jesus Christ an impossible assignment. Diligently read your Bible, be often in prayer, and carefully examine your life to make sure that you are intentionally living for Jesus, and you will probably be making the most of the time.

SDG                 rmb                 1/14/2021

The conscience, the Law, and sin – Part 1: The conscience

In the next several days I will be writing two articles, one on the conscience and sin, and one on the Law and sin. The connection is that the conscience and the Law are two of God’s means of grace which bring our sin to our attention so that we can repent. These articles will examine how the natural man responds to these God-given means of grace.

The conscience and sin

What do we know about the conscience from the Bible? We will look at a passage from Paul’s letter to the Romans that addresses the conscience and use that as our starting point. Then we will examine several other verses that further inform our understanding of our conscience and try to apply those ideas to our lives.

For when Gentiles, who do not have the Law, do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves in that they show the work of the Law written on their heart, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternatively accusing or else defending them on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus. – Romans 2:14-16

Paul writes that “Gentiles do not have the Law,” but they do have a conscience. From this we can conclude that all people are born with a conscience. This is, in fact, what the whole Bible makes plain. All people have a God-given sin-detector called a conscience. Whether Jew or Gentile, or believer or unbeliever. A conscience is part of the standard equipment for all people.

The function of the conscience

What is the function of the conscience? Since not everyone knows about the moral Law of God as written in the Bible, God in His grace has given everyone a conscience to reveal to us our sin so that we can be led to repentance (Romans 2:4). In fact, as we read the passage above more carefully, we see that the conscience does “the work of the Law.” The conscience functions as a copy of “the Law written on our heart,” and it either accuses us of sin or acquits us of not-sin as we go through our lives. Here is how this might work. As I am talking to someone, I tell them what I know to be a lie. My conscience immediately convicts me of that sin, and I know that I have lied, and thus I have the opportunity to repent. Or else I walk past a co-worker’s cubicle and see that he has left his wallet on his desk while he went out to lunch. I could steal the wallet, but I resist, and my conscience defends me because I did not steal. The conscience, then, is evidence of God’s grace, revealing to us our sin so that we can repent.

Before we leave this passage, we should also notice that there is a vitally important reason why we need to repent. You see, there is a judgment coming. There will be a day in the future when “God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.” On that day, all sin that has not been forgiven will receive the full wrath of God through Christ Jesus. The sins that you think are safely secret are all known to God, and you will be judged for them. The sins that are unknown to you are all known to God, and you will be condemned by them (Romans 2:12). So, the natural man needs to listen to his conscience and repent of his sin.

The limitations of the conscience

Since everyone has a conscience, we would expect that people would be aware of their sin and would often repent of it, but this is definitely not the case. Why is this not the case? It is because of the limitations of the conscience in the face of the fallenness of man.

First, while the conscience convicts of sin universally, it convicts of sin weakly. The pang of guilt from the conscience is never that sharp, so the natural man learns very quickly how to ignore and silence the conscience. The Bible says that the conscience can be seared (1 Timothy 4:2), and the conscience can be defiled (Titus 1:15). In both these cases, the convicting effects of the conscience are silenced, and the people can proceed in their sin with a feeling of impunity. The sin remains and condemns, but the conscience’s ability to convict is smothered. This is what all people learn to do as they go through life, to a greater or lesser degree.

But second and more importantly, unsaved man loves his sin. In the gospel of John, he says: “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the Light and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed (John 3:19-20).” The Bible is clear that the natural man is a slave of sin and he loves his slavery. The unsaved have given themselves over to the desires of their flesh and hate anything that seeks to limit their sin. Thus, unsaved people hate the conscience because they hate to be told about their sin.

Finally, while the conscience can convict of sin, it can only convict of sin. That is, the conscience can make the sinner aware of their sin, but they cannot restrain the sinner from sinning. More than this, the conscience cannot remove from the sinner the guilt and condemnation which they have revealed to the sinner. The conscience tells the sinner, “You are guilty of that sin!” The sinner replies, “Oh. How can I be forgiven of that sin?” “I don’t know,” says the conscience. In some sense, the conscience is like a fire alarm in your house. The fire alarm is good at letting you know that there is a fire in your house. Its piercing shriek is designed to basically wake the dead so that you are aware of the danger. But if you are relying on the alarm to save you from the fire, you will be sadly disappointed. An alarm without a separate escape plan is a casualty. Just so, your conscience can do nothing about your sin except to point out your guilt. If you do not have a way of being forgiven of that sin, you will surely perish in the judgment.

The answer to revealed sin

If the conscience cannot remove my sin or forgive my sin, then what am I to do? There is only one way to be forgiven of any sin, whether known or unknown, whether revealed by the conscience or by some other means.

“In Him (Jesus) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses (Ephesians 1:7).”

            It is only through repentance of your sin and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that you can have forgiveness of sins. If your conscience is bothering you and you are convicted of your guilt before a holy God, confess your sins, and repent, and come to Jesus in faith. (1 John 1:9; Mark 1:15)

SDG                 rmb                 1/11/2021

Do we seek suffering? – Part 2 (Philippians 3:10)

“that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings.” – the apostle Paul in Philippians 3:10

It seems that the statement is made at some point in conversations about suffering, especially among American Christians. It is usually well intended and sounds like an appropriate thing to say in response to affliction for the name of Jesus. “Well, of course, the Christian is not called to seek out suffering. . .” But the more I think about that statement, the more uncomfortable I become. Is that true? Are we not to seek suffering? And if that is the case, then why do so many of my heroes in the Bible and so many Christians in history suffer for their faith? Is it normal to be a serious Christian and not suffer for my faith? And what do I do if God is calling me to a course of action that almost certainly includes suffering to some degree?

            Because of the importance of the topic of suffering for the believer, I am going to spend several posts exploring what I see to be problems with the statement, “Of course, the Christian is not called to seek out suffering.” The goal is to arrive at a solid perspective on suffering that makes me more useful to Jesus.

            Problem #1 (January 5) dealt with the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ effectively sought out His own suffering as the necessary means for accomplishing His mission of redemption and atonement. Since Jesus sought suffering, it seems hard to imagine that we do not. In this post we will look at Problem #2.

“Well, of course, the Christian is not called to seek out suffering . . .”

PROBLEM #2

            “That’s really a trivial statement.”

Upon examination, we realize that the declaration above (“Of course, we do not seek suffering”) is somewhat trivial. What I mean is this: Of course, Christians do not seek out suffering! No one in their right mind seeks out suffering as an end in itself, so saying that the Christian is not called to seek suffering is just stating the obvious. Jesus did not call His disciples to seek suffering for suffering’s sake, but He did call us to follow Him wherever He leads regardless of any real or imagined consequences. The consequences of my obedience are the Lord’s responsibility. He determines those, and one of those potential consequences may be suffering. Another consequence could be my physical death. As a disciple of Jesus, I choose to obey regardless. The duty of obedience is my responsibility. I obey because obedience to my Master is my highest aim. I long to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

When viewed in this light, the possibility of suffering is irrelevant. It is beside the point. Suffering is just one of the potential consequences of my obedience to the Lord. Why focus on one potential consequence instead of focusing on the goal or the prize of my obedience (Philippians 3:14)? Why highlight this one possible personal consequence instead of bringing all glory to Christ and focusing all my energy on proclaiming the gospel? Why think about a consequence of obedience that might cause me to shrink back from God’s appointed path (Hebrews 10:38-39), instead of running with endurance the race before me and fixing my eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2), which will spur me on?

The bottom line is that the disciple of Jesus does not seek out a path just because it offers an opportunity to suffer, but neither does the disciple of Jesus shrink back from any God-appointed path that requires personal suffering. Suffering is not sought, nor is it required, but neither is it ever avoided.

SDG                 rmb                 1/9/2021

Are we distracted, seeing the wind? (Matthew 14:30)

Our time is a time of uncertainty and distraction. Much of what was the bedrock of our existence and of our routines has begun to show alarming fractures, and we are sensing that our boat is being battered by the waves and that the wind is contrary (the disciples on the sea of Galilee in Matthew 14:24). There are storms swirling all around us – political storms, medical storms, social storms, relational storms, moral storms – and it is increasingly difficult not to be distracted by the winds and be swept up in fear.

PETER AND THE DISCIPLES IN THE STORM

Jesus’ disciples faced a similar situation one night on the Sea of Galilee, not figuratively, but literally (Matthew 14:22-33). Jesus had stayed behind on the shore while they tried to row to the other side of the lake. Their boat was being battered by the waves, for the wind was contrary (14:24). Jesus came to them, walking on the sea, and reassures them in the midst of their plight, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid (14:27).” Then (28) Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” (29) And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.

But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” – Matthew 14:30

(31) Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

As we consider how Peter responded to his storm, we will learn several things about how to respond to our own storms.

SEEING THE WIND, NOT THE LORD

Peter began to sink because he was seeing the wind, not the Lord Jesus. This is the major lesson we can learn from this. Jesus is the Lord of all nature and thus the Lord of all storms and all winds. He is the one who speaks to the winds and the sea and they obey Him (Matthew 8:27). He is the one who made the sea and the dry land (Psalm 95:5). Jesus is also the Lord of glory, the King of kings, the Son of God. This Jesus had commanded Peter to come to Him (14:29). Yet, with the Lord of glory beckoning him to come to Him, Peter was distracted by the winds. The incarnate Son of God was a short distance away, and Peter took his eyes off Jesus and put them on the wind.

Let us consider this: When we take our eyes off Jesus and are distracted by the prevailing winds, even the invisible becomes dangerous. But when we fix our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2), our field of vision is taken up by Him who is most powerful and most lovely. When Jesus consumes our gaze, we seem to have supernatural power to attempt the impossible and are reminded that we can do all things through Him who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).

When Peter was concentrated on Jesus, he had supernatural power to walk on water, but when he was distracted by the prevailing storm and was “seeing the wind,” he sank like an ordinary man. Just so, a faithful walk with Jesus calls for us to be concentrated on Him. We are not involved in a pastime or a hobby with which we dabble from time to time. No! We are involved in a minute-by-minute faith-walk with the King of kings that involves our whole being. So, we press forward with vigor and we ignore the winds of distraction, no matter how hard they blow. Jesus is worthy of being the one who fills our entire gaze and captures all our attention.

WHEN PETER FAILED

Peter is one of only two human beings who has ever walked on water. This is a remarkable achievement. When the fishermen got together around the Sea of Galilee, Peter could stop the boasting by saying, “Well, I guess that’s impressive, but I walked on water.” End of conversation.

But we also notice from the story that Peter failed. Peter’s zeal to walk to Jesus on the water was drowned by his fascination with the invisible winds. Peter got distracted, and “seeing the wind, he became frightened and began to sink (14:30).” Has that ever happened to you? I mean, have you ever failed, despite your best intentions? How does Jesus respond to Peter’s failure? DON’T MISS THIS. When Peter is sinking and cries out, “Lord, save me!” . . .

“IMMEDIATELY Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him.”

Peter exercised incredible faith and boldly attempted something that should have been impossible. Ultimately, his attempt failed. What do we hear from Jesus? There is no rebuke, no ridicule, no chagrin. Instead, the same hand that in the Creation formed the sea and the dry land is immediately stretched out to take a firm hold of His beloved disciple. Peter cries out for the Lord to save him, and immediately the Lord Jesus does exactly that. Jesus upholds His own with His righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10). When we pass through the waters, Jesus is with us (Isaiah 43:2). When we fail, as we inevitably will, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 2:1).

APPLICATIONS

There are basically three takeaways from this study, three applications that have emerged.

  • Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) and don’t spend time “seeing the wind”
  • As an act of your will, IGNORE THE WIND. That is, IGNORE THE DISTRACTIONS.
  • Attempt bold things for the glory of God, because Jesus is our Advocate (1 John 2:1).

SDG                 rmb                 1/7/2021

Why should we study end-times?

            Since the disciple of Jesus is to be living in anticipation of our rapture (or death), why should we study the end-times? Besides the obvious reasons for studying anything in the Bible, there are two prominent reasons for spending time in the eschatological passages of Scripture.

The first reason is that studying the end-times and then seeing these events coming to pass in our lifetime increases our sense of urgency and causes us to work harder. How does that work? Imagine that you are a forty-five-year-old American believer in good physical health. As you look out at the future, you could reasonably expect forty more years before your death. Nothing is guaranteed, but, based on statistics, an expectation that you would live forty more years would not be imprudent or unreasonable. In this case, if you had something that you wanted to accomplish for the Lord or had a special mission that you wanted to complete before you died, you would have a slight sense of urgency, because you felt that you had forty years or so to get it done.

But now suppose that you were that same forty-five-year-old American believer in good health and were studying last things in the Bible and began to see happening on your morning Internet news feeds events that were predicted by the Bible as events of the end-times. At first cautiously and then with increasing excitement, the news articles began to sound more and more like fulfillment of the biblical prophecies and, as your conviction began to grow, you began to seriously contemplate the possibility that you might not quietly live out your days in serenity, but you might be raptured before your physical death or you might even be martyred. In other words, an any-minute return of Jesus would supply a sense of urgency that a “normal” Christian life would (potentially) lack. You would get after your kingdom projects with vigor.

The second reason for spending time in the eschatological passages of Scripture is to persuade us beyond any reasonable doubt that Jesus is certainly coming back. That one day the resurrected Jesus Christ is returning from heaven to earth to destroy all the unrighteous and to judge the world is a lot for a new believer to take in. The events of the end of the age seem so fantastic that they almost cannot be real. Then the adversary, Satan, whispers his doubts in your ear and the world adds its ridicule and scoffing, and the believer who is not scripturally rooted and grounded can become effectively agnostic in their beliefs. Before long, they have abandoned the return of Christ as Christian myth, not realizing that they have unwittingly actually gone apostate. A Christianity without a returning Christ is an anemic fairy tale.

But now picture the believer who has a sure grasp of Scripture and who is not intimidated by the apocalyptic language of end-times prophecy. This disciple reads and studies the whole word of God with prayerful diligence. All Scripture is God-breathed (2 Tim. 3:16), and so all Scripture is to be understood and enjoyed in a godly walk with the Lord. Yes, some of the eschatological passages are difficult to understand fully, but they are not inconsistent. Jesus has certainly been resurrected and He has ascended to the Father’s right hand and there will be a day when the Father sends Him back to gather all His people to Himself and to judge all the unrighteous to eternal punishment. All the Scripture affirms this, and the Scripture cannot be broken. God cannot lie, and His Word is therefore always true. Therefore, the disciple of Jesus is to work hard to understand the difficult end-times passages and thereby to become more and more convinced of the soon-coming return of Jesus. The more the disciple studies the Scripture, the deeper the roots go and the more convinced they are of all that the Scripture declares, including the bodily return of the glorious Lord Jesus Christ. Satan’s whispers are ignored and the ridicule and scoffing of the world becomes the noise of fools who are perishing. Christ is coming back, and it could be today, and I am looking up.

SDG                 rmb                 1/6/2021

What if Jesus was coming back in six months?

Today is January 6, 2021. This morning I was planning to continue with another post on suffering, but the political events of the day led me otherwise. With the Democrats winning both Senate races in Georgia, the Democratic Party now controls the White House and both houses of Congress. This means that, when Joe Biden is sworn in as President on January 20, there is no legislation that cannot be passed into law. Based on the radical nature of the Democratic platform, I anticipate seismic changes in the American form of government that will probably include intense pressure of the followers of Jesus in this country. So, while a post on suffering is also appropriate, I decided to write an article on what the believer is to do if we see that the Lord Jesus is coming back soon. rmb

            QUESTION: If you were convinced that Jesus was coming back in, say, six months, how would your life change?

            CORRECT ANSWER: Based on Matthew 24-25, where the disciple is urged repeatedly to be ready and on the alert for the return of Jesus, and based on the witness of the New Testament documents, where Jesus’ return is presented as imminent, the correct answer should be, “Except maybe in terms of degree and urgency, nothing would significantly change.”

NOTES:

  • Plans and strategies that were longer-term (a year or more out) would be evaluated, then either compressed or abandoned.
  • Plans that were deemed still valuable and viable would be ruthlessly prioritized for Kingdom impact and accelerated.
  • Expenditures would accelerate to make sure that I did not meet the Lord with a bunch of unneeded money in my possession.

This question is more important now than ever. Jesus’ coming is certainly nearer now than it has ever been, but maybe, with all that is going on in the world, it is close in absolute terms. The believer is always to be living with their own death or their rapture in view so that they will make the most of the time (Ephesians 5:15-16). If Jesus were going to appear in six months (or if you knew you were going to die in six months), how would you live for the next six months? This is the fundamental question. What is your answer? Are you ready?

SDG rmb 1/6/2021

Do we seek suffering? – Part 1 (Phil. 3:10)

            It seems that the statement is made at some point in most conversations about suffering, especially among American Christians. It is usually well intended and sounds like an appropriate thing to say in response to suffering for the name of Jesus. “Well, of course, the Christian is not called to seek suffering. . .” But the more I think about that statement, the more uncomfortable I become. Is that true? Are we not to seek suffering? And if that is the case, then why do so many of my heroes in the Bible and in history suffer for their faith? Why does the Bible have so much to say about suffering if my experience of the Christian life can safely avoid it? Is it normal to be a serious Christian and not suffer? And what do I do if God is calling me to a course that will almost certainly result in my suffering to some degree?

            Because of these questions and because of the importance of the topic of suffering, I am going to spend the next several posts exploring what I see to be problems with this statement. The goal is to arrive at a solid perspective on suffering that makes me more useful to Jesus.

“Well, of course, the Christian is not called to seek out suffering . . .”

PROBLEM #1

“Can you support that statement with Scripture?”

The first reaction to this statement may be to agree with it and let the conversation move on, but as discerning followers of Jesus, we must respond to these types of statements with at least a small challenge.

“That’s an interesting idea. Can you support that statement with Scripture?” Scripture is the place where all disciples of Jesus find a common foundation. Does a given theological position, or a faith practice find solid support in the word of God?

When I think about the fact that Jesus Christ was acutely aware of His appointed suffering on the cross from the beginning of His ministry and had, in fact, been sent to earth for the express purpose of suffering and dying on the cross, I seriously wonder if I can support the statement above. My entire salvation depends upon Jesus seeking suffering. Jesus’ mission could only be accomplished if He suffered and died on the cross. Where does the Lord Jesus tell His disciples that they are not to seek out suffering? Chapter and verse, please.

What about Paul? Paul intentionally did things that provoked persecution and inevitably resulted in his suffering. In Philippi he cast out a demon that ended the merchants’ revenue with the slave girl. He must have known that this was going to result in his being punished and his suffering.

Paul continued his way to Jerusalem knowing that conflict awaited him there (Acts 20-21). His own people pleaded with him to turn back and to change his plans, but Paul steadfastly refused even though he knew that he would suffer. Would Paul agree with the statement that the Christian does not seek out suffering?

And then there is Peter. Peter was warned repeatedly that, if he continued with his preaching about Jesus in Jerusalem, he was going to be severely punished (Acts 4-5), and yet he never even slowed down. If the Jewish or Roman authorities needed to punish someone for preaching about Jesus, Peter was not hard to find. Also, his first epistle has as its central theme the perseverance of the believer in the face of suffering for Christ. Would Peter say that the believer does not seek suffering?

            In the Old Testament, evil kings and false prophets warned the true prophets that, if they did not silence their prophecy or change their message, they would be punished, and the true prophets remained true to the message the LORD had given them to proclaim. For example, more than once, Jeremiah suffered for the message that he preached, but he would rather be punished with the stripes of men than fail to obey the LORD and deliver His message.

            So, while these heroes from Scripture may not have sought suffering, the prospect of suffering was not a factor in their decision-making. They sought to be obedient to the LORD, regardless. That is the view that the Scripture supports.

SDG rmb 1/5/2021

But let’s take a step back for a minute. Maybe the problem with the statement is the statement itself. That is, maybe we are saying what we mean in a clumsy way. My next post will explore that possibility in PROBLEM #2. rmb

The godly will be persecuted (2 Timothy 3:12)

In his last letter, the letter of 2 Timothy, the apostle Paul is writing to his beloved disciple Timothy his last words about life and ministry. Every verse of this epistle feels the weight of Paul’s urgency and sincerity. There are no words to waste and there is no time to lose. “The executioner awaits, so consider what I say.”

Perhaps the most prominent theme in this letter is the theme of standing firm in the face of opposition and suffering. Paul wants there to be no doubt in Timothy’s mind that, as he presses on in the gospel ministry, there will be pain involved. “Join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God (2 Timothy 1:8).” Paul repeatedly calls Timothy, and by obvious implication, calls all believers to suffer for the cause of the gospel. Toward the end of the main exhortations of the epistle, Paul makes a challenging statement:

Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. – 3:12

I want to think about this verse for a moment. I am troubled by this verse, not because it talks about persecution, but because it requires persecution. Paul does not give a warning or admonition that applies only to pastors in hostile countries. He does not declare a fact that only affects a handful of missionaries who sail in uncharted gospel waters. Instead, Paul makes a statement that applies to ALL people in a particular group. “Those who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus” is the group he has in mind. That includes me, and I suspect it includes you. Now comes the troubling part. All people in that group will be persecuted. But I am not being persecuted. Why am I not being persecuted?

One possible reason that I am not being persecuted is that I think I meet the conditions, when in fact I do not. That is, I think I live godly in Christ Jesus, but I am really kidding myself. I am just pretending. I am playing games. I do not believe that to live is Christ and to die is gain (Phil. 1:21). I am not presenting my body as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). I am not striving to be holy, as God is holy (1 Peter 1:16). I should be nervous if everyone in my spheres of influence, including pagans and the overtly ungodly, speak well of me and are comfortable hanging around with me. If I am not living godly in Christ Jesus, then I will not be persecuted. Satan does not waste his ammunition. Examine yourself (2 Cor. 13:5)! Make an honest assessment and repent if you are being lukewarm or timid or are shrinking back. Ask the Lord to give your faith a fire that merits persecution.

Another possibility is that I am misunderstanding persecution. It could be that I am experiencing persecution, but I do not notice it because my definition of persecution is inaccurate. For example, if I consider only martyrdom or imprisonment to qualify as persecution, then I will miss the more subtle forms of persecution like social rejection, job discrimination, ridicule, being shunned or avoided by others, and things like these. Be alert for more subtle kinds of persecution.

There is a third possibility, and that is that Paul is speaking in hyperbole. What I mean is that Paul is using the word all in the sense that every single disciple of Christ is willing to accept persecution as part of the price to follow Christ. We must accept that being persecuted is normal for the Christian and that others will reject me and hate me solely because I am a Christian.

“Persecution is one of the marks of a converted man.” – J. C. Ryle

SDG                 rmb                 1/4/2021