Forget

For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more. (Hebrews 8:12 ESV)

Forget

I have had bad times that I have not forgotten.  I have been hurt in ways that I have not forgotten.  I have hurt others in ways that I have not forgotten.  I have not forgotten a lot of things that I should have.

And sometimes I expect God to be the same way.

For how can the omniscient God not remember my sins?

How can the God not bound by time forget the times in my life when I have rebelled?

Even worse, the things that God would be expected to remember make me unfaithful, a promise breaker, and a rebel.  I would expect God to remember, and to punish.

But if God just flippantly forgets, what about His omniscience?  If God chooses to block His memory, He would be a deceiver and unjust.

But the way that God does not remember my sins is that He does remember that He assigns them to Jesus.  The Almighty Judge’s forgetfulness is actually a redirection of my rebellion onto the cross of Christ.

God does not remember me in that way, because He remembers Jesus instead.

We can not bear God’s remembering of our sin, but Jesus can.

Darkness and Light

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. (Isaiah 9:2 ESV)

Darkness and Light

Supposedly, the worst beginning to any novel was the phrase, “It was a dark and stormy night…”  I do not really know why those words make a poor literary beginning.  I suppose that is why I am not a best-selling novelist.

I think it is a pretty good beginning.

The people that Isaiah describes are not merely in darkness.  They are in darkness because they do not know where to look to find light.  In the verses around this famous text, those people look for escape from the storms of life in all the wrong places.   They try religions, they try mysticism, they try what we would call the occult.

But Isaiah says, “Should not a people inquire of their God???”

Whether because of too much guilt, too much insecurity, too much self-focus, or too little knowledge, they did not look for understanding, answers, and hope from the One True Living God.

And so that darkness remained.

But there is a great light.  A way to get through the darkness and storms.  It is not merely looking to God, it is looking to God through Jesus Christ.

He provides understanding of the storm.  He provides shelter from the storm.  He provides the path out of the storm.  He provides raincoats, umbrellas, footgear, and flashlights.

But insert the word “alone” in those sentences.  It is Jesus alone who is the answer to the storms of life.

The light that Isaiah holds up is not simply a better knowledge, understanding, or clarity.  It is Jesus Himself.

Every person who has ever lived, lives now, and will live is in darkness. 

We can not escape the darkness.  But Jesus IS the escape.

Jealous

Cry out, Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion. (Zechariah 1:14 ESV)

Jealous

When I worked for a janitorial supply company, I had one particular customer that I was impressed with.  They had a clearly Biblical business model.  They were careful of their reputation, and the reputation of all the local industries they served.  They took care of their suppliers, their employees, and their customers. 

At one point, they switched to another janitorial supply company.  Almost without thinking, I called their new supplier and directed them to treat  those folk as absolutely well as they could.

Later, I realized that in a good way, I was jealous for them.

Jealousy is not usually an attractive trait.  But in certain contexts, it is great.  In my janitorial world, I respected that company enough to go out of my way to make sure they were well-treated.

And in Zechariah, we read that the Lord is jealous for us!  Not jealous of us, or jealous because of us.  But somehow, we, the new Jerusalem and Zion, are jealously looked after by the Lord.

And it is because of Jesus.  Jesus makes Christians His people… and He is exceedingly jealous for us.

He therefore protects us, guides us, sacrifices for us, never leaves us, and loves us.

We can not look after ourselves.  But Jesus can.

Map

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6 ESV)

Maps

On the way from a northern suburb of Chicago to our old hometown in western Michigan, we got lost. It was a strange situation.  We were trusting our GPS, which for some reason had decided to take us on a scenic route through downtown Chicago. 

Another time, our GPS asked us to exit the interstate in St. Louis, Missouri, and wander through some of the shadier parts of town.  We listened, nothing bad happened, but it was unnerving.

One summer, while at a church camp behind Mt. Rushmore, I got separated from the crowd.  It started to rain, sleet, and hail, and I became very disorientated.  In fact, I was outright lost. 

We get lost, even in familiar territory.  And not merely in geographical terms.  We lose our way moving from Sunday to Sunday.  We lose our motivation, and become influenced by selfishness, popularity, or greed.  We lose our way striving for sanctification and find ourselves in unnoticed sin.

But Jesus is a trustworthy map, a reliable GPS, an experienced traveler by our side.

He is the way.

We can get lost, but Jesus never is.

Do

Work, for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts, (Haggai 2:4 ESV)

Do

The final game of one of the high school chess championships was intensely intimidating.  My opponent was a foreign exchange student who had not taken part in the chess club all year, but now was in the championship chessmatch against me.

I did not know her.  I did not have any past games to evaluate.  I did not know her style, her preference, or her experience.

All I know is that it was my turn.

And I did not know what to do.

For some reason, I thought of one of those cartoons  in which advisors, one ‘good’ and one ‘bad’ might stand on my shoulders and tell me what to do.  THEN I could choose.  THEN I would regain my confidence.

But no one was giving advice, invisible, visible, or cartoon.

And I let too much time go by.

I sat there doing nothing, because the decision seemed too much.

As the game progressed, I made up my lost time.  But I learned a lesson.

Doing nothing is dangerous.

Haggai learns that he has no reason to do nothing.  Even when his options seem limited, or all bad… as one of God’s children, he gets to DO… knowing that if Haggai is righteous, obedient, and properly principled, Haggai is not alone.  And even if he errs, makes poor choices, and fails… God is with him.

And God is with us, too.  Not because we are amazing, but because Jesus is.  We can choose to DO, because we are not alone.

We can not confidently DO, but in Christ we can.

Forest

I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question? The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different. (Romans 7:24,25 The Message)

Forests

We have examined a lot of things that we can not do, but Jesus can.

And I like them all.

But let us not lose sight of the most important thing that Jesus does, that we cannot.

We fail to obey God.  Repeatedly.  Even after we are Christians.

But Jesus still fixes that.

He has obeyed God on our behalf, He obeys God on our behalf, and He will obey God on our behalf.

His obedience is what enables us to serve God, despite the contradiction of our desire, and our action.

The little trees that represent the things that only Christ can do, are actually all the forest of our salvation.

We can not save, even ourselves, but Jesus can.

Revival

But no accounting shall be asked from them for the money that is delivered into their hand, for they deal honestly.”  And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. (II Kings 22:7,8 ESV)

The Way to Revival

We hear a lot these days about the need for Revival.  We observe our decaying society and yearn for the good old days when things seemed better.

Often, such calls for Revival are described as requiring big efforts, strategic campaigns, financial sacrifice, and condemnation of modern evils.

But observe how young King Josiah led God’s people to Revival.

Josiah simply acted obediently in the small things that were in front of him.  He saw the decayed temple, and spent money to fix it up.  Because it was obvious.  And because it was something HE could do, instead of something he demanded others do.

Because of that practical, simple, obvious obedience, Revival was born.  The Word of God, hidden for years, was rediscovered and read.  And the Spirit of God lit a flame of Revival that shook God’s people awake.

Josiah did not say, “Hmmm… I bet if I have the temple remodeled, we’ll find God’s Word again!  And WOW we will have an amazing Revival!”

No… Josiah just did the right thing that was right in front of him.

And Revival was born.

The best news about this process is that our obedience, in big and little things, is not up to us.  Our obedience takes form and has power ONLY

Argue

Though He slay me, I will hope in Him; yet I will argue my ways to His face. This will be my salvation, that the godless shall not come before Him. (Job 13:15, 16 ESV)

Argue

When I was dubiously elected to the position of Student Body President of my seminary, I got to meet regularly with the seminary’s president.  He was a famous, brilliant man.  Most students were intimidated by him.  Indeed, so was I at first.  But after meeting with him for two years, our relationship grew to the point where I could (respectfully) argue with him.

Our God, as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is also famous, brilliant, and intimidating.  He holds the galaxies in place, and He holds electrons, protons, and gluons in place.  He defines truth and holds us liars accountable.  He defines sin and holds us sinners accountable.  He defines rebellion and holds us rebels accountable.

And the world should tremble.

But we, because of Christ’s place in reality, can approach God without terrible fear.  The world can not approach God to beg for grace, mercy, aid, counsel, or peace.  But because of Christ, we can.  We can respectfully, hopefully, humbly argue our ways before God.

Only because of Christ.

Only because He gives us the right robes, the right words, the right family position before God.

No one can approach God, but with Christ we can.

Nice

Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. (Titus 3:1,2 ESV)

Nice

I have often heard it said, “being nice is not one of the fruits of the Spirit.”  And I understand the sentiment.  Often, if we define niceness as being a doormat, unreactive, and sickly sweet, niceness is not admirable.  But Paul’s words to Titus perhaps are a better definition of being nice.

Because Titus’s words are not only a good set of criteria for “Citizen of the Year” awards, but they actually pretty clearly describe our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Even though the governments of His day had no authority over Him, He obeyed them, even paying taxes.  He obeyed God’s law, even though He was above it.  Jesus was ready for every good work, His entire life (and thus provided for our salvation). He spoke evil of no one, although He often spoke of people’s unrighteousness, boldly.  He was gentle, oh so gentle.  And He was courteous, to all people He encountered.

People who try to do those things through act of will, fail.  We run out of steam.  We get discouraged.  We get righteously (or unrighteously) indignant.  But when we instead try to humbly copy Jesus, praying for His strength, submitting to His will… it gets easier and easier.

We can not be nice on our own.  But in Christ, we can.

Despair

“ I can’t stand my life—I hate it!  I’m putting it all out on the table, all the bitterness of my life—I’m holding back nothing.”

Job prayed: “Here’s what I want to say: Don’t, God, bring in a verdict of guilty without letting me know the charges you’re bringing. (Job 10:1,2 The Message)

Despair

Job experienced despair, but we do not have to share it.  Job could see and understand that God was sending troubles to him.  But he could not figure out why.  And Job thought, at this point in the book, that he must understand his guilt to receive forgiveness from God.

But Job was lacking some information.  First, while Job did not, we know what we are guilty of.  We are guilty of everything.  Paul writes that when we break one commandment we break them all.  If you are still squirming to get out of that accusation, you might not understand how broad and rich and full the gospel is!  Job was unsure of the depth of his sin, and focused on his daily actions, finding little fault.  We, in the Spirit, can plumb the dark depths of our selfishness, motivations, hatreds, prejudices, and fears… and call them what they are.

And when we call them what they are, we can place them at the foot of the glorious forgiveness-purchasing cross of Christ, and at the empty tomb of that same Christ.

Second, Job did not understand that sin-knowledge is not a prerequisite to grace.  We are made new in Christ before we are able to understand our sin, list our sin, accept our sin.  The transforming power of the gospel allows us knowledge… it does not precede it.  Once the spark is lit, we learn to acknowledge and hate our sin.  Without that spark, we, like Job, know nothing.

Those two things keep us from Job’s despair.  God’s grace in Jesus Christ is bigger than our individual sins, and bigger than our ignorance.

We can not keep despair away.  But Christ can.

Presence

The main street of the City was pure gold, translucent as glass. But there was no sign of a Temple, for the Lord God—the Sovereign-Strong—and the Lamb are the Temple. (Rev 21:21,22 The Message)

Presence

While cell phones invade our privacy, annoy us daily, tether us to too many things, and cost excessive money, they have one absolute blessing.  Cell phones bring distant people near.

I wish cell phones had existed while we lived in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Australia.   Family and friends seemed so far away.

Today, in a moment, I can contact and even see my distant grandchildren… old friends… new friends… past congregations… and even the three famous people I know!

The best part of John’s description of heaven is that the symbol of the Old Testament for God’s presence, the Temple, will not be needed anymore.  Because the lamb of God, Jesus Christ, God Himself has become the temple.  We Christians will not need a symbol of God’s presence, because Emmanuel will be our address.

And in fact, while we are not practiced in sensing it, or being aware of it, Emmanuel is already here.

Now, we see it as if in a dark cloudy window… but soon we will see Him as He actually is.

But we can see it, cloudy, misty, fuzzy, now.

I see it when a Christian loves me undeservedly.  I see it when I catch a glimpse logically of God’s Master Planning.  I see it when I know forgiveness.  I see it when little hopes become realized now.

And you get to see those things, too.

We can not always know God’s presence, but in Jesus, we sometimes can.

Avoiding Plagues

 And the next day the Lord did this thing. All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one of the livestock of the people of Israel died. And Pharaoh sent, and behold, not one of the livestock of Israel was dead. (Exodus 9:6,7 ESV)

Avoiding Plagues

One of my favorite jokes goes like this: There are three kinds of people in the world… those who can count, and those who cannot count.

But in fact, there ARE two kinds of people in the world.  Those who, in Christ, are God’s people.  And those who, rejecting Christ, are not God’s people.

While we usually think of the primary difference between Christian and non-Christian being eventual heavenly residence, the difference is actually sensible now.

Paul writes that He acts in such a way that what He does is the best for His people.  But this is not the case for those outside of Christ.

The Egyptians and their slaves, the Israelites, would have noticed the difference. 

And we can notice the difference, too, if we have eyes to see.

No, everything is not always pleasant for Christians.  But God treats us differently.  He already punished Christ on the cross or our guilt, so we can absolutely be sure any troubles we have are not punishment from God.  He might be teaching, disciplining, admonishing, or guiding through our troubles, but we know that the Master Planner is doing what HE knows is best for us, even when we can not understand yet.

We can not avoid God’s wrath, anger, and punishment, but in Christ, we already have.

Reward

“He replied to the one speaking for the rest, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair. We agreed on the wage of a dollar, didn’t we? So take it and go. I decided to give to the one who came last the same as you. Can’t I do what I want with my own money? Are you going to get stingy because I am generous?’ (Matthew 20:13-15 The Message)

Reward

Our eyes are too small.  One Christmas Eve, I stared under the Christmas Tree with self-pity.  My parents, my sister, and my brother all had numerous wrapped boxes nestled under the fake boughs.  But I only had one small, by which I mean tiny, present.

I pouted.  I sulked.  I wished that I believed in Santa Claus so I could write him a nasty note.

But when the time came to open the present, inside that tiny package was a guitar pick.  As I looked in confusion at my parents, they pointed to the hallway door.  When I looked, there was an electric guitar, amplifier, music stand, and a collection of guitar books.

I was measuring the gifts that year by the wrong standard.

We easily do this with our eternal reward, too.  We measure God’s blessings by checkbook balances, neato cars, attractive faces and  clothes, and some sort of subjective gauge of today’s happiness.

But… we… have… Christ… now… and… forever… in… heaven.

Better than an electric guitar, better than a yacht, better than popularity, better than cold cash, better than career success, better than long life, better than family, better than health, better than anything.

That’s the reward we receive for being known by and loved by Christ… for knowing and loving Him.

Our rewards are subjective… but in Christ the reward is Him.

News

And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.  (Daniel 12:1 ESV)

News

Read any journal, essay, or article from nearly any time in history, and somebody somewhere is saying, “THIS is the worst time ever to be alive!”  And humanity’s eyes seem eager to read those statements.

Today, the news sells horror stories because we buy horror stories.  It seems, sometimes, that we desire negative news, fearful forecasts, and despairing declarations.

But no matter how bad it has gotten, how bad it is, or how bad it will be, Daniel was told that God’s people will always be delivered.  It is pretty strong unconditional language, actually.  “Shall be” does not might “might be,” or “could be,” of “if.”  God’s deliverer is coming, comes, and has come.

Christ, the Redeemer, is the difference between bad news and good news.  Christ, the Redeemer, is the difference between despair and hope.  Christ, the Redeemer is the lens with which we can read every journal, essay, or article.

The bad news seems loud, but Christ is louder.

Worse

And the Lord said by his servants the prophets, “Because Manasseh king of Judah has committed these abominations and has done things more evil than all that the Amorites did, who were before him, and has made Judah also to sin with his idols…” (II Kings 21:10,11 ESV)

Worse

When I was fourteen years old, my father let me back the car out of the garage one Sunday morning.  It did not go well.  Inexperienced, illogical, and impatient, I went fast when I should have gone slowly, and slow when I should have moved fast.  I turned the steering wheel the wrong way, and ended up with a dented fender, a bent garage door frame, a lot of noise, and a lot of shame.

But my dad eventually smiled.  He said simply, “… first time for everything.  Next time you’ll know more.”  It was six months before he let me try again…

People act according to our knowledge level.  Teenagers lack driving knowledge, generally.  Car mechanics lack human anatomy knowledge.  Surgeons lack automotive engineering knowledge. Toddlers do not know how to preach, and preachers do not know how to eat dirt.

King Manasseh was more evil than the Amorites not necessarily because he was more atrocious.  But because he knew more.  He had God’s Word available.  But he still worshiped idols.

It might feel gratifying to watch the news and see non-believers act like non-believers.  We shake our heads and our fingers, and utter pronouncements of guilt.  And those pronouncements are probably accurate.

But we, like Manasseh, are worse.  Because we are selfish, even though we know more.  We are greedy, even though we know more.  We are impatient, even though we know more.  We are unloving, even though we know more.

The fact is, while the Amorites around us might seem worse, we need Jesus more.  Because we know more.

We are worse, but Jesus still can redeem, even us.

Unintentional

If anyone sins, doing any of the things that by the Lord’s commandments ought not to be done, though he did not know it, then realizes his guilt, he shall bear his iniquity. (Leviticus 5:17 ESV)

Unintentional

I have hurt people intentionally, and I have hurt people unintentionally.  While the difference between the two types of hurt might seem important when satisfying my conscience, intentions do not sooth the hurt.

In God’s law, we are responsible for our unintentional sin, just like the things we do purposefully.  And perhaps that might cause us concern.  I can not cover the sins I do on purpose!  How can I expect to cover the sins I do accidentally, or unknowingly, or unwittingly?

The answer is, I can not.

But the gospel is big enough for all of my sin.  Using good intentions to soften my sense of guilt not only is not effective, but it is unnecessary.

Because Christ on that cross paid for all sins of all His people.

Becoming aware of our sinfulness leads to sorrow, and then to peace, because whether we are aware or not… Christ’s grace is rich.

Even more, we get to eagerly seek a more full awareness of sin.  So that we can rest even more securely in Christ, and Christ alone.

We can not fix our poor intentions.  But Jesus can.

Opinion

Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king. He was king for two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz. She was from Jotbah. In God’s opinion he lived an evil life, just like his father Manasseh. (II Kings 21:19-20 The Message)

Opinion

Historians have found evidence that King Amon was a popular King of Judah.  Apparently improved the economy, strengthened the military, and was well liked.  But in God’s opinion, he was a bad King.

Which opinion mattered, really?

We forget that God is the judge when we try to please our neighbors, our friends, our community, and our governments instead of living to please God.  At times, we are able to do both.  But more often, living to please God makes pleasing the other groups more difficult.  And living to please the other groups diminishes our devotion to God.

Perhaps the problem is that the other groups seem to have louder voices.  If that is the case, let us listen more to God’s shouting Word.  Perhaps the problem is that the other groups are more visible.   If that is the case, let us learn to discern Him who is behind the scenes in vivid technicolor.  Perhaps the problem is that the other groups cater to our pleasure, power, and pride.  If that is the case, remember who we are before the One True Living God.

What Amon needed was more Messiah.  And what we need is more Jesus.

He is the bridge between earth and heaven.  He is the bridge between opinion and fact.  He is the One focused on our real needs, our real troubles, our real brokenness. 

He knows us and judges us, and finds us in need of Himself… and then offers Himself to us.

We do not seem to be able to judge ourselves, but thankfully Jesus can.

Order

So the last will be first, and the first last. (Matthew 20:16 ESV)

Order

These words by Jesus seem manipulatable.  So, Jesus says the last will be first?  Then why not maneuver in just the right way to be last? 

I had a teacher in elementary school who got tired of students clamoring to be first in line for recess.  So she began to wait until the pushing and shouting diminished, and then choose whoever was last in line, and let them go first.

It worked for a day or two, but then we all started clamoring to be LAST in line.

Jesus was not giving instructions to connive our way to the front in any area of our lives.  He was not proposing a secret code where the first exchanged places with the last, the second exchanged places with the second last, and on down the line.

Instead, He is telling us to worry less about commonly touted results.  Because in the end, HE is ultimately, in His loving sovereignty, in charge of the end results. 

So focus on what matters.  Let Him take care of the results.

What our culture and society says is most important, Jesus says is least important.  At least until our culture and society become more Christlike.  On Christ’s scorecard, things like humble and sacrificial love are first, even though the world sees them as last.  The way Jesus lived, things like obedience to God and focus on His Word are first, even thought the world mocks them.  As Christians, we get to follow God’s first born Son, even though others ignore Him.

We do not determine importance, but Jesus does.

Guessing

Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said: “How long will you say these things, and the words of your mouth be a great wind? Does God pervert justice? Or does the Almighty pervert the right? If your children have sinned against Him, He has delivered them into the hand of their transgression.” (Job 8:1-4 ESV)

Guessing

We might look down on Bildad for being one of the shortest people in the Bible, but Bildad’s advice to Job the Sufferer is actually more worthy of our criticism.

God’s actions in the world, and in our lives, are hard to interpret.  While He graciously has given us His Word to read, and His Spirit to help us apply it, we often desire more straightforward statements from God.  Bildad said that the children of Job deserved to die.  And maybe they did… but the bald fact of their death, observed from our perspective, is not enough to assume their particular guilt.

Bildad, of course, might have been presuming the absolute surety of the sinfulness of Job’s children.  If so, Bildad would have been correct.  However, even the unclear theology of the Old Testament folk understood that while all deserve death before God, God’s people are promised a Redeemer.

If Bildad is going to assume their guilt, Bildad also could assume their redemption.

Guessing God’s motivation and intention is never safe.  But Jesus does not have to guess, because in that incomprehensible way of the Trinity, He IS God.

When trying to interpret the (often hard) events of our lives, remember that.  We do not simply know what God is up to.  But we do know that Jesus Christ loves His children enough to die in our place.  He is amazing enough to defeat Sin’s power, punishment, and presence.  He is trustworthy enough to be working on our behalf, not against us.

We can not guess what God is doing.  But Jesus knows.

Earnings

And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:23-24 ESV)

Earnings

Religious people in Jesus’ day hoped that financial success was a sign of God’s salvation.  They hoped that popularity was a sign of God’s salvation.   They hoped that any form of success was a sign of God’s salvation.

They were wrong.  But we think similarly, I fear.  We hope that membership in a good church is a sign of God’s salvation.  We hope that conversion-notches on our Bible-spines is a sign of God’s salvation.  We hope that getting along with people is a sign of God’s salvation.

And we, too, are wrong.

It is harder rich person, or a popular person, or a successful person, or a good member, or an active evangelist, or good neighbor to get into heaven than for for a camel to crawl through the eye of a needle (whether a literal needle, or the so-called small door through the wall of Jerusalem).

Because God’s salvation does not depend on any of those things. 

Those things are all fine things, admirable things, desirable things.  But they are not salvific things.

Our entrance into heaven depends on one thing.  Heaven’s gate is opened by Jesus’ hands on our behalf.

Personally, I am glad.  If heaven’s gate opened by my knocking, I would not get in.

We can not earn heaven, but Jesus already has.