Responding to Tragedy-The Overcoming Love of Christ

April 20, 1999, is a day etched in my memory. I was driving home from work one evening and was stuck in a traffic jam when I happened to pass one of my friends. He rolled his window down and asked me if I had heard the news; there had been a school shooting. As soon as I got home I turned on the news and was shocked and stunned by the images I saw. It was the day of the Columbine massacre, where two gunmen stormed a Colorado high school and killed 12 students and 1 teacher.

I was reminded of that terrible day this week, of course, after hearing of the overwhelming tragedy at Virginia Tech University. 32 people, mainly university students, were killed. Such events are numbing and horrifying, and showcase how our generation is under more Satanic attack than any before us. We live in a world inundated with violence. Terrorism is a constant threat. Tens of thousands of babies are murdered every day through legalized abortion. Shootings, war, natural disaster; the list goes on and on. I remember how sad I was after the Columbine incident, and I asked God what we can do to combat such a problem. The answer He gave me is found in Romans 8:37, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him [Christ] who loved us.”

It is only the love of Christ that will overcome our hate-filled world. Our love and good feelings are insufficient, but Jesus’ love is omnipotent. Real love has tremendous power. Politicians’ bright ideas and innovative laws can’t solve the world’s problems; better education won’t get it done; even good sermons aren’t enough to overcome the hatred in the world and the sin in fallen man. Only a demonstration of Christ’s love is sufficient.

What is Christ’s love, and how does it look like in us? First let’s see what it’s not. The love of God is not a sentimental, man-made feel good attitude that tells everyone they’re okay. Rather, the love of God is a real power that stands against sin and for righteousness. It looks down on no one but points everyone up to the real source of life, God Himself. And real love, at its very essence, is sacrificial. After all, that’s how God showed His love for us, by giving of His own life (Romans 5:8); and that’s the greatest love we can show to others (John 15:13).

So let’s overflow with the real love of Christ. We need to preach the Gospel, but let’s make sure we are coupling that with genuine sacrifice and compassion for others. If our generation is going to be saved, it must start with the demonstration of God’s love in us. Binding the devil won’t do any good if we don’t follow it with real acts of love to real individuals. We must let them know there’s a God who loves them, a God who can overcome all hatred, violence, and rage. So reach out to that young man who follows a violence-filled religion. Pray for and serve that young girl at your school who eats all alone and think no one loves her. Bring hope to your classmate who is from a broken home. We can transform our generation, one act of love, one individual at a time; not through our power, but through the overwhelming love of Christ! There is hope!

Command Ye Me?

Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and the one who formed him: Ask me of things to come; will you command me concerning my children and the work of my hands (Isaiah 45:11, ESV)?

When you are interpreting the Bible, one very important point to keep in mind is that verses must be read in their context. When verses, or just phrases from a verse, are taken out of context, the entire meaning of the passage can be changed, leading to false doctrine. Yet many people do this with Bible verses, taking Scripture out of context to make it say what they want it to say. The meaning of today’s Scripture is twisted more than almost any other!

The problem comes at the end of the verse. In the King James Version, the verse ends with the words “command ye me.” (It is similar in the NKJV as well.) These words are then sometimes interpreted as being that God is telling us to give Him commands. People thus think that they can tell God what He must do! Every modern Bible translation, however, translates the verse more along the lines of a question; God is asking us, “Will you command me?” This translation is the actual meaning of the original Hebrew in which the verse was written.

The context of the verse clearly shows us that this is so. In verses 9-10, God is rebuking those who would strive or argue with Him. He asks if the clay can argue with the potter, or a child scold his parents for giving birth to him. Of course, these situations would be ludicrous. Likewise, God asks us, His people, “Will you give me commands?” That would likewise be folly. Clay doesn’t decide what it will be formed into; children don’t decide to be born; and God’s people do not tell Him what to do. The following verses describe how God has created everything. He is the Sovereign Lord.

The belief that God encourages us to command Him underscores a fundamental misunderstanding of the God-man relationship. We are partners with God, but we are nothing like equal partners. He is the beginning and the ending of the relationship; He is the One with all the power and all the knowledge. He chooses to use us, not because He in any way needs us, but because of His love and care for us.

Thus prayer must never be understood as us “commanding God.” Prayer is vital, but our attitude in prayer must be one of humility. We are the humble servant begging the favor of our King. We are the little child asking our Daddy for a favor. Sometimes we are the bold soldier giving orders that we received from our General, the Lord. So there are times in prayer that we can command things or circumstances. Joshua commanded the sun to stand still (Joshua 10:12); Peter commanded the lame man to walk (Acts 3:6); Paul commanded the evil spirits to come out of the servant girl (Acts 16:18). But notice that they were not commanding God, but were actually giving His commands to the circumstances around them!

That is where true power in prayer comes from, from the commands God gives us and we obey. Prayer does change things, but it changes things in accordance to the will of God. So let’s always keep a humble attitude in our lives towards the Lord. Let’s labor alongside and pray, remembering that He is completely in charge. And let’s not presume that we can tell God what to do, whether it regards money, health, or any other blessing. He has given us authority, not authority over Him but authority under Him. And under Him is where our authority truly dwells. Praise Him for His almighty power!

Go and Sin No More

The angry mob threw the woman down to the ground, right at the Master’s feet. Bruises had already formed on her arms where they had grabbed her, and a trickle of blood was starting to flow from a cut on her cheek. “She’s an adulterer!” shouted one. Another screamed, “Let’s stone her!” as the crowd started to pick out stones, planning her execution. An elderly gentleman in a thick priestly robe stepped in and raised his hand, “Silence! Let’s hear what this man has to say. Jesus, we caught this woman right in the act of committing adultery. The law says that she should be stoned and killed; what do you say?”

The Master looked down at the woman, then surveyed the crowd that had gathered, a mixture of feelings such as anger, compassion, and hope stirring inside of Him. Rather than giving an eloquent speech, He stooped down and wrote something on the ground. When He stood up, Christ said, “He who has no sin, let him cast the first stone.” Ashamed by this revelation of their own sinfulness, each member of the crowd dropped their stones and left, leaving only Christ and the woman behind. Jesus asked the woman who was still condemning her, and she replied “No one, Lord.” Then Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more (John 8:11).”

This story reveals to us both the mercy and the righteousness of God. Mercy is the ultimate revelation of the character of God. He is not an angry despot, eagerly waiting to send people to hell, but is a loving God, rejoicing to show His mercy. In this story, the woman truly was guilty and thus deserved punishment under the law. Jesus was the only One who truly could have condemned her, for He was the only One who was without any hint of sin. Yet He chose not to condemn her and showered her with undeserved pardon, the mercy of God.

As a Christian, you are also a beneficiary of the mercy of God. Our sins meant that we deserved hell, eternal death. But in the mercy of God, He has forgiven our sins and made us partakers of His very own righteousness. Your salvation is completely based in the mercy of God. So let’s not walk in guilt over our past sins but remember that His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22). His mercy and love are freely given to us.

But the story didn’t end with the woman being forgiven; she was then given hope that she could truly be changed. Jesus told her, “Go and sin no more,” and He gives us the same direction. The purpose of God’s grace and mercy is not just to forgive us our sins, but to change us so we do not walk in those same sins any more. He is a merciful God but is also a righteous God, who demands a holy people. If we habitually return to the same sins after God has forgiven us, we are using the mercy and grace of God in vain. Jesus gave this adulterous woman the hope and the commandment to walk in righteousness. A changed life is the evidence that we have truly received the mercy of God. Thank God that He is a merciful Savior. Trust in His mercy and know that He has forgiven you of your sins. And then, go forward, walking in righteousness and holiness. What a wonderful hope it is that we can “Go, and sin no more.”

Who's Your Daddy?

“When I cry out to you, Then my enemies will turn back; This I know, because God is for me (Psalm 56:9).”

Have you ever had a Scripture verse come alive to you? Perhaps you’re sitting there, doing your daily Bible reading (which I hope you do every day!). All of a sudden as you read a specific passage, the words seem to jump out of the page and come right into your heart.

That happened to me one day when I read the above Scripture from Psalms. I was actually in the mountainous country of Honduras, visiting my friend and preaching in his father’s churches. I had probably read this verse 50 times before, but that day God spoke to me in a life-giving way through this Scripture.

“This I know, because God is for me.” When David wrote this Psalm, he knew that God was on his side, and he knew that because of that his enemies would have to flee. He did not “doubt” that God was for him; he did not “hope” that God was for him; he did not “think” that God was for him. He “knew” it. As Christians, we need to have this same faith and confidence as David had.

Too often, we struggle and wonder if God is really for us. Perhaps you’re going through a difficult time and you begin to doubt God, or you doubt if God really loves you. The enemy tries to make us doubt our standing in God, but don’t give into his lies.

As a child of God, you have the assurance that He will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). His thoughts toward you are good (Jeremiah 29:11). He works all things together for your benefit (Romans 8:28). All of these Scriptures don’t mean that you’ll never have a difficulty, and they don’t mean that God will never punish you if you sin. But they do mean that in everything, God has your best interests in mind. He always wants you to be victorious (2 Corinthians 2:14)!

So never doubt the love of God. Ask God to cause you to “know” that He is with you. After all, if God is for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31)? No enemy can stand in our way, but they will all have to flee. Victory comes not of ourselves, but through who and what we know. God is on your side, Christian, so stand in the victory He has won.

God Revealed

You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me (John 5:39).

Have you ever read a biography? I’m sure that most of you have. If there were a biography written about your life, what would it look like? Who would write it? Would it be exciting? Of course, if you’re less than 30 years old, the biography would probably be quite short!

In one sense, the Bible is a biography of Jesus. He declared that the Scriptures all testify of Himself. Every word, every line, every verse testifies of His character and majesty. That is one reason it is so important for us to read God’s Word; it is through His Word that His character and ways are made known to us. Every believer should have a burning desire to know God, and the way we know Him is through His Word.

Today we will look at three things that God’s Word reveals about Christ. God’s Word…

1) Reveals His life
2) Reveals His truth
3) Reveals His experience

1) God’s Word reveals Christ’s life.
The Pharisees were trusting in the Scriptures to give them eternal life. They were right to study the Scriptures, but they were wrong to ignore the one to which the Scriptures were pointing them. Jesus declared that the Scriptures all testify of Him. He is the Life-Giver. And through the Scriptures we learn how to draw near unto Him and inherit eternal life. The life comes not through the book, but through the One the book is all about-Christ. Let God’s Word point you to Christ and the eternal life with Him that is to come.

2) God’s Word reveals Christ’s truth.
The Bible is completely true. Every word, every phrase comes from God, written through inspired men. The Bible is the objective truth of God. So often, our experiences are subjective. We feel God speaking to us or sense His direction. Perhaps we see a vision. These are wonderful experiences from God, but how can we know that they are really from Him and not ourselves or the enemy? The answer is by testing the revelation against the Word of God. Our subjective experiences must be submitted to the absolute Word of God. That’s another reason why it is so important to know God’s Word, so we can test all spiritual experiences to verify that they are from Him.

3) God’s Word reveals His experience.
We serve a Living God, and He wants us to know Him in a living way. We should know God through experience, but what is the basis that the experience should come from? The Word of God. There are two opposite errors that can be made when it comes to experiencing God, and many Christians fall for one or the other. The first mistake is to assume that knowing the Scriptures, in and of themselves, is enough. In other words, these people deny God’s active involvement in their life and believe He no longer speaks through prophecy, dreams, or visions. This group makes the same mistake as the Pharisees in Jesus’ day; they study God’s Word but never allow it to lead them into relationship with the living Christ. The second trap, however, is equally dangerous. This trap causes many to put so much emphasis on experience that they ignore the Word of God. These people will run after every prophecy, vision, or wind of doctrine that comes by, but have little time to study the Word of God. What they forget is that experience of God comes from knowing His Word. Allow God to fill your head and heart with His Word, and then He will be able to give you experiences with Himself that reinforce what His Word has taught you. Let’s ask God to give us a love for truth and His Word so that we can truly know Him.

Dwelling Place Series 1.7-The Temple of Ezekiel "Absolute Holiness for 'The Lord is There'"

"I am their inheritance. You shall give them no possession in Israel, for I am their possession (Ezekiel 44:28)."

Have you ever played a game because you wanted to win a prize? When I was in the arcade or bowling alley, I used to commonly play the “Skill Crane” machine. That’s the game where you try to pick up the toy by dropping the mechanical claw over it at the right time. I don’t know how much money I wasted trying to get prizes that I rarely won, and even when I did win it the prize was never that great!

The final dwelling place in our series on the 7 Dwelling Places of God is the Temple of Ezekiel, and one of the remarkable aspects of this temple is the tremendous prize of the faithful servants there. The Temple of Ezekiel is a literal, futuristic temple that will be built during the 1000 year millennial rule of Christ. The temple will be built in Jerusalem, where Christ will reign over all the nations. We know that the temple is to be built in the future, for no temple has ever existed according to the pattern that the prophet Ezekiel described.

This temple will be a place of absolute holiness. The name of the area surrounding the temple will be Jehovah Shammah, which means “The Lord is there.” God’s presence will saturate this temple; His glory will saturate the place in unprecedented ways. And if we want to be a part of this glory, the law is that we must be holy. A river of life will also flow out of this temple, giving life to the city of Jerusalem. This river represents the Holy Spirit, who should also flow out of us as a spiritual river bringing life and salvation.

The ministers in the Holy Place of this temple will be the spiritual sons of Zadok. Who were the sons of Zadok? They were the faithful priests in the time of Ezekiel. When the other Levites went astray and helped the people in their worship of idols, the sons of Zadok stayed faithful. Thus, if we are going to be spiritual sons of Zadok, we must stay faithful to God and never compromise. We must never lower our standards or compromise our holiness in order to draw a crowd and attract people. If we compromise, we will lose our inheritance.

God had mercy on the unfaithful Levites and allowed them to have a job in the outer court of the temple, serving the people. Thus, the inheritance of the unfaithful servants was ministry to people. What was the inheritance of the sons of Zadok? Their inheritance was not a ministry, a building, or a piece of land; their inheritance was God Himself. The spiritual sons of Zadok are those who “win Christ (Philippians 3:8)” and enjoy the most intimate fellowship with Him for all of eternity. So as we conclude this series on the 7 Dwelling Places of God, let’s be inspired to drop any hint of compromise in our own life and to set our eyes on Christ. He is the One we are after, He is the One we should long for, He is the only One who will satisfy. We can dwell in Him and He in us, both now and forever.