How To Finish Well

In John 13:1 we read, "Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end." He "loved them to the end," in other words: he finished well!

What's the secret to finishing well? I think this aspiration lies buried in the heart of every image bearer of God. After all, who ever articulated a desire to limp through life and eventually quit never getting an opportunity to wear the victor's crown?

In John 13 we see in the person of Jesus the keys to finishing well. First, Jesus was able to finish well because he knew for certain where he was going-"to the Father." There was no ambiguity as to what awaited Jesus beyond the grave so he didn't have to hedge his bets. He could live fully, investing in the lives of others this side of heaven, because of his certain destination. 

Second, Jesus was able to finish well because he knew for certain what awaited him-"the possession of all things!" John 13:3 states, "Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands..." In other words, Jesus knew that the creed "he who dies with the most toys wins" was a lie! Jesus knew that the Father had given him "all things" already so he didn't have to grope feverishly for stuff in this life. 

So, how do we finish well? That's great for Jesus, but what about us?

Well, good news here. God's Word tells us that we are co-heirs with Christ! (Romans 8:17) And because we are co-heirs with Christ that means we have the same destination upon completion of our earthbound journey. And, not only do we have the same destination, but the same inheritance awaiting us. Be utterly amazed!

I'm humbled by the gap that exists in my own faithful running of this race and that of Christ's. Do we truly believe with all our heart, soul, strength and mind what we now possess because of our union with Christ by faith? The more we believe, the greater capacity we have to finish well!

Gustave Dore's engraving of The Raising of Lazarus

"Sometimes Love Waits"

A profound truth is tucked away in this mornings CBR from John 11: 5-6, "Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard Lazarus was ill, HE STAYED TWO DAYS LONGER in the place where he was." Sometimes I'm of the opinion that if God really loved me he would respond to my "real needs" immediately. Martha, Mary and Lazarus had real needs: a healing that would avert death! We have "real needs" too. maybe they're not of the life threatening kind but they are real and needful for our spiritual, emotional, psychological and physical well-being. And yet, sometimes God delays.

Why?

1) The way God meets and addresses our "real needs" in his timing and in his way brings him more glory. And, on my better days, regardless of how painful the wait is, I'm pleased that God receives more glory in it.

2) My faith is strengthened by God's delayed approach. While the healing of a sick man builds faith the raising of a dead one builds even more! So, God is about resurrecting things in my life and in so doing growing my faith. Jesus wants us to know without a doubt that it was his gracious hand that met us in our point of need.

3) God's timing advances his mission and kingdom as the unbelieving world observes. It states in John 11:45 after the miracle, "Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did believed in him."

I'm not sure what you're facing today, but I know the "real needs" that I have today. I'm comforted by this passage because I'm reminded that although I haven't seen all those needs met yet I know that Jesus loves me and at the appropriate time will show up in my life in God-glorifying, faith-building and kingdom-extending ways! And I, will be filled with joy inexpressible.

Lord, enable me to believe this today. Forgive me when I doubt your love for me and your greater purposes for my life.

The Furnace Room

The Furnace Room

A group of excited guests came to visit the great Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, England. The fellowship featured the preaching ministry of Charles Spurgeon. Spurgeon was known as the greatest preacher of his age and one of the great orators in the history of the church. Upon arriving at the fellowship, the excited guests asked a man who they supposed to be a member for a tour of the sprawling campus. The man welcomed their request. It wasn’t long into the tour when the guide asked the group if they would like to see the furnace room of the church. The group was confused and was not really concerned with the physical plant for heating the church, especially since it was the middle of the summer! However, they didn’t want to appear rude or ungrateful so they submitted to the request. The man walked them through the maze of the complex until they he finally presented them with the furnace room of the fellowship. He opened the door to a huge open room filled with hundreds of people praying and seeking the Lord for the service that about to take place. The guide revealed himself as Charles Spurgeon and told the guests: “Prayer is the engine that fuels our church.”

Newtown, Bethlehem, Christmas, Brokenness and Hope

The year was circa 6AD when a detachment of Roman soldiers entered the City of Bethlehem, population approximately 1,500. Not unlike the result of Adam Lanza's killing spree last Friday in Newtown these soldiers came with one purpose: kill all the male children two years of age or under. Biblical historian Paul Maier estimates that there were probably 12-15 male children murdered that day, killed unexpectantly and leaving several families to wrestle with the evil thrusted upon them and the aftermath of getting on with life bearing a wound that can never fully heal this side of heaven. How do we begin to come to grips with the events from last Friday and those atrocities committed in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago?

We need to remember that the historical events that we celebrate and reflect on during Advent can never be separated from the Easter story. Jesus was born to die. Jesus sole purpose in coming to earth was wrapped up in the meaning of his atoning death for sinful man. So, the birth of the Son of God inaugurated a series of events in a life that led to death. Christmas is inextricably linked to the Passion of the Christ. Christmas is messy. Christmas is about brokenness. Christmas is about the process and eventual mending of "all things" broken. Therefore, Christmas is also about hope.

There are no cliches or pat answers that can assuage the acts of terror inflicted upon Newtown, Bethlehem, Columbine, Auschwitz...and the list goes on. Evil is real. And, until the Son of God completes his work of the restoration of all things we will continue to contend with this horrific reality. So we confess, "God is good, evil is real and one day God will vanquish all evil."

This world is broken. Alongside the existence of evil in the world is the reality of an historical fall from perfection that thrust humanity into a state of brokenness and death. And while God is mending this world his work is not complete. So, our lives are characterized by the intermingling of emotions that are polarized in nature, like sadness and joy. These emotions cause a deep angst in our soul. And by angst I mean the following taken from the Urban Dictionary,

     Angst, often confused with anxiety, is a transcendent emotion in that it combines the   
     unbearable anguish of life with the hopes of overcoming this seemingly impossible  
     situation. Without the important element of hope, then the emotion is anxiety, not angst. 
     Angst denotes the constant struggle one has with the burdens of life that weighs on the  
     dispossessed and not knowing when the salvation will appear.

The "good news" is that we know salvation will one day ultimately appear. This is the message of Advent: we wait. We wait for a certain salvation!

Pray for those in Newtown who are left to wait. Pray that their waiting might be infused with the hope of a Savior born in Bethlehem. Pray for their comfort. And pray that they may know that the God who will one day make all things right lost a child in a senseless act of murder and through that evil brought about the world's greatest good-the salvation of mankind!

Why I Hate Religion, But I Love Jesus Review

Honestly, I have a hard time understanding why certain sectors of the church must be polemical over expressions of genuine faith as expressed in the video Why I Hate Religion But Love Jesus. Really? I mean, really? This young man is articulating a love for the One who came that he might live. I, too, as a pastor have been asked about what I thought about the video. I saw it as an opportunity to affirm the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ over against the myriads of false gospels in our day.

I primarily think that this young man is speaking to an intramural issue in the church in its trans-denominational expression, the church catholic. Catholic meaning universal church, not the Roman Catholic Church. There is a vernacular that is tribal among Evangelical Christians that has become shorthand to communicate theological issues and Biblical observations. My understanding of how this young man is approaching the word “religion” is more from this sense. He has observed in the Christian Church, and rightly so, a moralistic approach to faith that is anti-Gospel and as such anti-Jesus. You can call this what you’d like, but I think “religion” is an appropriate choice of words. Why? This moralistic gospel is no gospel at all and thus can rightly be called a “religion.” This religion is replete with Biblical language and Jesus is even its Patron Saint as the most moral person who ever lived. Jesus is seen as an Example, not as a Savior.

I like the video and will continue to do so. I have a far greater concern for how the church can take something that I believe honors Christ and then dissects it in the lab of “careful theological scrutiny” to the end that people who were deeply encouraged in Christ by it are now confused by the dissenting banter. I hate religion, too. I hate it because of what it does to the souls of people who desperately need Jesus. I love Jesus. Hopefully we can at least all agree on this.   

Brother Baucham in his critique of this video, whom I deeply admire and appreciate, in my opinion wastes a lot of ink in his defense and attempt to redeem the word "religion." He perhaps could have wove into his argument the discipline of etymology. Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time. The key: "how their form and meaning have changed over time." All this young man in this video is attempting to do is highlight a common misunderstanding between Biblical Christianity with its emphasis on the finished work of Christ over against a more"popular," "nuanced" and "cultural" understanding of the word religion. And, by "cultural" I'm speaking of the broadly accepted Evangelical tribal use of the term religion.

It is widely understood in our day, and also true in a technical historical etymological sense, that the majority of religions are in fact man's failed attempts to get to God. There is one true religion. Even the fact that the New Testament Book of James has to qualify the word “religion” with “true” should be an indicator to us that the word “religion” has trouble standing alone. Why? The fact is that there are many religions in the world and properly called so by the general populace. And, if one were to do the helpful exercise to try and determine what all these “religions” have in common apart from Christianity it would not be unhelpful to say that they are expressions of “man’s failed attempt to reach God on his own merits.” 

My conclusion: enjoy the video!

Eden Everywhere!

Last spring I preach a short sermon series entitled "Threads." The series was a look at the wonder of God's providence. It was an extremely practical study as we considered the implications of a universe created by God, broken due to human rebellion, rescued through the work of Jesus, heading towards a certain destination and being presently restored by Christ through His church. The phrase that captured my imagination in my preparation was the phrase, "Eden Everywhere!" Why? Because "Eden Everywhere" was the original intent of God in creation and will be the ultimate result of His completed work at Christ's second Advent.

At our church, Harbor Chula Vista, we just celebrated Advent. We discussed Christ's first Advent which took place in real time history 2,000 years ago when Jesus came to "make His blessings flow far as the curse is found" as penned by Isaac Watts in the hymn Joy To The World. Joy to the world indeed! Through the person and work of Jesus Christ salvation is not only brought to the souls of men but to the whole of creation-animate and inanimate things alike. Jesus came to restore the universe to an Edenic state and He will do so comprehensively at His second Advent when He returns in glory as Judge of all the earth.

So, what's wrong with this picture? Nothing really, but we live in what theologians term the "already, not yet" of God's Kingdom. In our Edenic vocabulary, it means that Eden is already being restored but will not ultimately be restored until Christ's return at a future date. But it also means that none of our work is in vain. Every act of kindness, relationship restored, symphony conducted, garden planted, yard manicured, student taught, product developed, sacrament received, disease cured, etc...is a stanza in God's grand narrative of His historical movement to restore Eden Everywhere.

This all begins with our relationship with Christ, of course. But our relationship with Christ is so much more comprehensive than I often hear "Christians" or "Evangelicals" speak of it. Christ came to restore all things beginning with the human soul and extending to a renewed ozone layer. Eden Everywhere begins with your commitment to trust Christ as personal and cosmic Redeemer. It begins with repentance that basically is a commitment to turn from all God and man dishonoring behavior along with all activities that add to further disintegration of the created order. As you and I consider New Year's resolutions perhaps a renewed commitment to restoring Eden Everywhere could be a guiding principle in 2012!

Have a safe and happy new year!

Gratia et Veritas (Grace and Truth)

So I'm finally taking the plunge and entering the blogosphere universe under the not-so-creative blog title: Grace and Truth. (Gratia et Veritas because Latin sounds so much cooler than English!) I remember being gripped by these words found in the first chapter of John's Gospel (1:17) a few years ago. John tells us that, "For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." And there it was: the perfect balance needed for a soul adrift in the early 21st century. Truth is that which corrects, informs and guides the soul in turmoil. Truth corresponds to God's law in that it reveals a standard that is unbending in nature and gives a template for human life that yields true peace if perfectly conformed unto. Obviously, therein lies the problem. The truth holds out the unattainable solution to all mankind's maladies and is unable to administer the cure. One can only give thanks for the abstract noun found on the other side of that conjunction: grace! Grace is the cure for what truth reveals and is the operative power that enables our lives to bud and flower in the midst of human frailty and failure. Grace enables us to listen to truth and to delve deeper into what the truth reveals about us. And the deeper we go into the truth about our lives the more we see our need for grace and so the cycle that produces true freedom is set in motion. "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free." (Galatians 5:1)