Are Christians Coerced?

 Are Christians coerced into following Jesus?

I can understand that view if the primary focus of what God is doing through Jesus is rescuing people from Hell. Then the fear of Hell would be one of the main reasons for trusting Jesus.

To be honest fear of Hell was a motivating factor for me when I was baptized and started my journey following Jesus.

That may have been my starting point, but it certainly isn't where I am today. While I accept the reality of Hell (leaning towards conditional immortality), it is not a motivating factor in my life. 

To be honest, I hardly think about Hell. 

Rather, my focus is on my calling to make disciples and the hope of New Creation that comes through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. 

As we mature in faith our reasoning for following Jesus should change. 

The fear of Hell might be the initial reason why a person puts his trust in Jesus, but it shouldn’t remain the primary reason for faith. 

There should come a time when love overcomes the fear, and the reason for faith is to love: God and people.

1 John 4:17-21 (NLT )

And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. We love each other because he loved us first. If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.

 John wrote that love empowers us to be confident on the day of judgment. He emphasized that it isn't just our love for God, but God’s love for us that gives us confidence and drives away fear. 

This love is made real in our lives as we follow Jesus.

Fear doesn’t transform our lives. 

Yes, it might get us started making changes, but that intense fear can't sustain the transformation process. 

Only love is able to do that. 

As we move from fear to love as the primary motivating factor for following Jesus, we move away from being coerced to being a partner in the work God is doing in the world.

Protect Your Heart

 

Even in best of times it is possible to loose heart. 

Grief, tragedy, and hardships come into our lives and rob us of joy, peace, and hope. Things that make life worth living.

Stress, inconveniences, and busyness, like a drippy faucet, have a similar effect. Our lives don’t have to be crumbling down for us to lose heart.

In these days of uncertainty all of us are at risk of losing heart and living, to some degree, in despair. How can we prevent this from taking place?

Here are a few quick thoughts:

1. We need to monitor our thinking: Philippians 4:8 (NLT) “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” What we think about has a huge impact on our feelings about life. What determines our thoughts are the things we put into our minds. Our TV watching, internet surfing, and social media lurking all influence what we think about and how we think about them. Limits on time and type of media are crucial for a proper thinking. This is also why Scripture meditation is important. By meditating on the Bible we are putting into our hearts and minds true, noble, and good things.
2. We need to act on what we know: Philippians 4:9 (NLT) “Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.” It is one thing to know that right thing to do, but it is another thing to do it. A word of caution here. We have to be intentional and realistic in what we do. Too often we try to compensate for our past failures and inaction by doing all these wonderful things, which adds to our load of stress, and when we fail to live up to expectations, our load of guilt. Small changes, when put together over time, have a big impact. So where do you start? Usually there are one or two things you know that you should be doing. That is where we start. Do the next right thing.
3. We need to confess our needs to God: 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT) “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” Giving God the things that are on our hearts is a way of letting them go. We need to be able to let them go so they don’t dominate our thoughts and emotions. It is important to remember that this takes time. Yes, it would be nice if all we had to do was to give our worries and cares to God once and that be the end of it. Often, because these thoughts and cares are imbedded in our hearts, it takes multiple times to truly handing them over to God for them to leave our hearts.
4. We need to worship: 1 Peter 3:15 (NLT) “Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.” Worship is the best way to orient our lives back towards God. Remember, we are created in God’s image and for us to live that image out in our lives, our focus must be on Him. Whether it is through singing songs, journalling our gratitude, or praying from our hearts, worship shifts our perspective from ourselves to God. That shifts allows us to live with hope.

In this world, with all of its hardships and tragedies, we need to protect our hearts. We by living with hope, and hope comes from the intentional action of following Jesus.

Don’t lose heart and don’t despair. Turn your heart and mind towards God and let Him fill you with hope.

Sermon: Hope Lives » Paul's Ponderings

Easter is the most important holiday on the Christian calendar because the resurrection of Jesus is the fundamental truth of Christianity. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then our faith means nothing.

On Easter Sunday I focused on the hope that we have as Christians. Hope is crucial to life because we are faced with trials, tribulations, and tragedies that rob us of life. In 1 Peter 1:3-5 the Apostle Peter described this hope as a “living hope.” It is living because it brings us life and it grows and matures.

This living hope is rooted in history (the resurrection of Jesus), is made of eternal things, and is protected for us by God. It is a hope that can’t be taken away from us and will sustain us through all that life throws at us.

Big Idea: Easter declares that hope lives! 

Challenge: Repent of your dead hopes: 1) Ask God to reveal the hopes you holding on to, 2) Declare that your supreme hope is in Jesus. 

Listen: Hope Lives 

Sermon: Hope Lives » Paul's Ponderings:

'via Blog this'

Time to Go to the Beach

Have you ever felt like there was more to life?

You fall into a routine and you get comfortable as you navigate the responsibilities, joys, and frustrations of every day life. Yet, even in the midst of the comfort, there is a gnawing in your heart causing you to wonder if you are missing out on something larger.
I know I have.

C. S. Lewis wrote; “We are halfhearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."

I have settled for a life that is far less than the life God desires to give me. This isn't about how successful my life is, but about how closely I am living out God's purpose for my life. I am content to live a moral life and enjoy time with my family, but often I miss out on the life that God is calling me to live.

This is true for many American Christians. Our lives are so easy and smooth most of the time that we are able to live life on cruise control and pay little attention to God. We have settled for a life of moral living (when it suits us), attending Sunday worship (when we have nothing better to do), and giving $10 (if we can spare it). We have made Christianity something we do rather than who we are. In the process we have settled for life in the slums, when God wants to take us to the beach.

Finish reading at Paul's Ponderings: Time to Go to the Beach

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The Slavery of Sin

Take a moment and think about what John Maxwell and Jim Dornan wrote in their book Becoming a Person of Influence; “Slaves is the right term to describe people who lack integrity because they often find themselves at the whim of their own and others’ changing desires” (p. 32)

The movie version of The Lord of the Rings has made J. R. R. Tolkien’s story accessible to thousands of people who would never bother with actually reading the story. One of the characters that people seem to identify with is the character Gollum. Gollum is a pitiful creature because he has been corrupted by the power of the One Ring. The Ring consumes Gollum’s life, and there is nothing he can do to break free from its power.

This is how Colin Duriez describes Gollum in The J.R.R. Tolkien Handbook:

“In The Lord of the Rings a once-hobbit who bore the marks of long centuries underground guarding yet possessed by the One Ring which he called ‚ ‘my precious’, and which he had deluded himself into thinking was a birthday present to him” (p. 106).

The possession of the Ring had changed Smeagol to Gollum, from a Stoor Hobbit to a pitiful creature. The Ring may have granted Gollum unnatural long life, but it also physically changed him. Worse than the physical change was the control the Ring had on Gollum’s desires and dreams. They were twisted and corrupted so much that all Gollum could think about was to regain possession of his “precious”.

See more at Paul's Ponderings : Freedom from the Slavery of Sin 

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Wide Awake The Live Blog: Chapter 4

The Believer

It is very easy to become jaded and hard hearted on the journey to live out the calling God has placed on our hearts.  We can remember the times when the circumstances of life turned sour, when our dreams shattered, and our hopes were dashed.  The result is that we give up on our dreams and we tell ourselves that this is as good as it gets.  Life is tough and we just have to deal with it.

In chapter 4 Erwin McManus tackles this reality and reminds us that much of success depends on our outlook:

If you're going to create the life of your dreams, you're going to face a lot of failure, difficulty, and obstacles.  You're going to be informed by the world around you that you cannot accomplish what you are setting out to do or become the person you long to become.  You will be told it is impossible to accomplish the goals you long to achieve, to create the life of your dreams. 

One of the most important characteristics of people who achieve the extraordinary is they live a life of expectation--they expect the good to happen; they internalize optimism (p. 92).

The Hope of a Garden

{Hebrews 12:1; NLT}

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

This morning I received word that my Grandpa Huff has joined the huge crowd of witnesses of  faith.  I am thankful that I was able to know this man and have him influence my life.

My Grandpa was a man of faith, and that will always be the defining characteristic that will remember about him. On this day, as I ponder his life, what do I think my Grandpa Huff would want me share about living a life of faith?

The first thing would be that a life of faith is an active life.  James wrote; So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless (James 2:17; NLT). Grandpa understood that true faith was more than just what you believed, but it was also about what you did.  He as involved in the local church, in various different ministries, and with the Boy Scouts.  Until his body began to give out on him Grandpa tried to be as active as he could in the mission of the Church.

A second aspect of faith I think my Grandpa would want me to share is humility.  I remember having a two or three conversations with Grandpa Huff, my brother, and I as we talked about the church and ministry related issues.  One of the things which stood out to me was his willingness to step aside and allow his preferences to be overlooked in order to reach new people.  This attitude requires humility because one has to be willing to lay aside their rights and their likes to do what is best for the Kingdom.  The apostle Paul wrote;

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being (Philippians 2:5-7, NLT)

Following Jesus requires humility.

A third mark of faith would be taking time for people.  One of the best memories I have of my Grandpa Huff is that as I prepared to go to my first year of Boy Scout Camp I really wanted my Grandpa to go with me. He came up to Iowa from Kansas to spend a week with me at Boy Scout camp.  His willingness to do that meant a lot to me.  I am so thankful that even thought traveling was difficult for him that he made the trip to Austin for the wedding last summer.  Being a person of faith requires making time for people in the busy and hectic schedules we call life.

I am saddened my the passing of my Grandpa, but I also have hope.  During my time of reflecting on the life of my Grandpa Huff God gave me an image of Grandpa in his garden.  This image caused the tears that had been welling up in my eyes to come streaming down my cheeks.

My Heavenly Father is a Gardener.  When the earth was wild and untamed God parceled out a section of land, irrigated it with four rivers, and planted a garden.  God then created people to care for that garden, to be good stewards of what He had created. While we have not done a very good job at caring for creation, God has promised is that He will make all things new.

Grandpa Huff was a gardener and at the resurrection he will be placed in the glorious new heaven and new earth to act as a steward and a caretaker. As beautiful as his garden was it will be nothing compared to what it will be.  Even now I can picture him at work in the great magnificent garden God has prepared for him. Part of my hope is to work side by side with him in that wonderful place.

A Living Hope

Linkage: Is Christian Hope Speculation?

What does it mean to have hope?  In our culture that is a word that has some baggage to it.  President Obama promised "Hope and Change," by which he meant to say that the he wanted to give the United States a bright looking future again.

I think for many people hope comes to mean wishful thinking.  A young lady might say, "I hope to be married someday."  What she means is that her wish, her desire, is to married, even though at the moment the prospects of that happening are not the greatest.  So hope becomes this weak wish list of what one looks forward to happening in the future.  There is no firm evidence for what the future holds which means that hope is nothing more than speculation on our part.

This is the reason why a book like Heaven is for Real becomes such a popular book in Christian circles.  We are looking for evidence that what we speculate about, what we wish for, what we "hope" for is actually true. Whether or not it provides such evidence is a discussion for another day.

Scot McKnight at Jesus Creed started a discussion on the nature of hope. We need to have this conversation.  If hope is nothing more than our speculation about the future and if we need to have evidence to support of speculation than are we really trusting God?

One word that has come up a few times in the last year’s discussion about life after death, about heaven and hell, and about who goes where, is the word “speculation.” A number of folks have used it, but two notables who have pushed against traditionalists with that word are Rob Bell and Shane Hipps. Is the Christian hope in life after death, in “heaven” (however understood), in eternal life, speculation? I cringe when I hear “speculation” because I wonder how extensive such a view is. Is it all speculation? Just speculation? Or is just some of it speculation? What of the Big Four: return of Christ, last judgment, resurrection, and new creation? 

A simplistic reaction to the “it’s speculation, after all” claim is to affirm or assert or dig one’s ground on the doctrine of Scripture. There’s a better way, and it’s a deeper way. The Christian hope is not simply believing the Bible. I will say it with Greek words and then spell this out as we discuss Tony Thiselton’s Life after Death. Here it is: euangelion is epangelia. (Gospel is promise.)

Continue reading Is Christian Hope Speculation?

An Image of Hope

What does hope look like?  The image that comes to my mind is the picture of light.  It is the sun rising in the east to chase away the night.  It looks like Gandalf coming to the rescue to overwhelm the forces of darkness with the power of light.

Depression and hopelessness can rightly be described as darkness, and many times that darkness can be very overwhelming and oppressive.  In the midst of it you feel isolated and alone and you wonder if it is ever going to end.  This darkness can almost seem as if it is alive as it tries to drag us down into the pit of hell.  All our energy is spent and our hope is dried up and so we give into the temptation to give up and to quit the fight for our hearts and our lives.

Thank God we don't have to fight alone!  The apostle Paul tells us that we have been rescued from the kingdom of Darkness and we have been brought into the Kingdom of Light:

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13, 14; ESV).

Jesus, who is the light of the world, chases away the oppressive darkness, which is the result of sin and death, through the power of His resurrection.  When we surrender to His will and put on His armor (Ephesians 6:10-20) we have the ability to overcome the darkness and to grow into the people God desires us to be.

The Good News of Christ Jesus is founded on the reality that the same power that raised Him from the dead and established Him as King can, and does, reside in us.  So in Ephesians the apostle Paul urges us to pray and ask God to flood us with His light so we can live with confident hope.

 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all (Ephesians 1:15-23; ESV).

The darkness does not have to win. With the power of Jesus Christ we can be victorious over the sin, shame, and depression that robs us of true life.

Lord Jesus fill me with Your light and life so I can be a person who shines in the darkness, bringing hope into this dark and dying world.

Daily Thought: Expectant Hope

"There are, indeed, various degrees of hope; but in the least degree of it there is desire combined with expectation.  Things expected are not always desirable, nor are things desirable always to be expected: but hope embraces promises that are desirable and also expects the enjoyment of them.  Hence, hope, like faith and love, may grow exceedingly.  When based on the promises of God, and on the habitual patient conformity to his will, it will keep pace with our growing intelligence of the character of God; of the fulness and richness of the promises, and in the persuasion of our actual devotion to the manifestations of that will." ~ Alexander Campbell, The Christian System, pp. 51-52

Daily Thought: We Need Hope

"We can survive the loss of an extraordinary number of things, but no one can outlive hope.  When it is gone, we are done.  Therefore the capacity to stay focused on the presence and power of God in our lives becomes supremely important." ~ John Ortberg, If You Want To Walk On Water You've Got To Get Out Of The Boat, p. 157

Daily Thought: Strength to be Faithful

"Hope is anticipation of good not yet here, or as yet 'unseen.' It is of course inseparable from joy. Sometimes the good in question is just deliverance from an evil, which is here. Then 'we are saved by hope' (Romans 8:24; PAR) and 'we rejoice in hope (12:12, PAR), because 'if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it' (8:25).  That eager anticipation strengthens us to stay faithful to God and to stay on the path of what is right." ~ Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart, p. 129

Sunday Quote: Face Our Problems

"When you ignore problems, you relinquish a place of truth.  When you ignore obstacles, you communicate a lack of confidence that God can overcome obstacles that have debilitated or even paralyzed God's people.  Identifying the clear problems is not expressing pessimism or negativity.  It is not judgmentalism or condemnation. It is standing to face whatever Goliaths stand before God's people and speaking with confidence about a future gained after Goliath's defeat.  Identifying the clear problems is the beginning point of spiritual warfare in leadership.  It gives the spiritual leader an opportunity to call God's people to prayer and usher in the promises of God, promises of a future and a hope." ~ Erwin McManus; An Unstoppable Force, p. 191

The Hope of Remembering

This morning as part of my daily Bible reading I read 2 Chronicles 14, 15, and 16 which summarized the reign of King Asa of Judah.  King Asa was one of the good kings. In chapter 14 we read that, Asa did what was pleasing and good in the sight of YHWH his God (v. 2; NLT).  He led a campaign to rid the country of pagan shrines and worship and he encouraged the people to follow the ways of YHWH, and as a result God gave the land peace.

There was a time when  Zerah from Ethiopia set out to attack Judah with an army of 1,000,000 men.  Asa led his army of 580,000 men against them, but he also called on God for help.  2 Chronicles 14:11 says: 

And Asa cried to the LORD his God, “O LORD, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O LORD, you are our God; let not man prevail against you” (ESV).

The text goes on to say; So the LORD defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled (2 Chronicles 14:12; ESV).  Not only did Asa and Judah recognize God at work in the victory, but so did the surrounding nations, for they left Judah alone.

That is until King Baasha of Israel invaded Judah and captured the city of Ramah.  In response King Asa doesn’t turn to YHWH, but he makes an alliance with King Ben-hadad of Aram.  When I read that I thought, “Why did he do that?  Did he forget how God had already given him a great victory?”  Reading further I realized I wasn’t the only one who asked those questions.  God sent the prophet Hanani to King Asa and Hanani told the King:

“Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the LORD, he gave them into your hand. For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars” (2 Chronicles 16:8, 9; ESV).

In response King Asa threw Hanani into prison and began to oppress his people.  For a king who started out with so much promise Asa ended his reign badly.  I think the main reason for this was due to the fact that Asa failed to remember.  He failed to remember God’s Law, which he urged the people to follow when he first become king.  When you forget the principles that make up the foundation of your life then you will experience your life caving in upon you.

Asa also failed to remember God’s mighty power.  God’s power delivered the King and Judah from the mighty army of the Ethiopians, but when Israel invades Asa forgets the previous victory given by the hand of YHWH and turns to an earthly ally.  Instead of experiencing a greater measure of God’s power, Asa experienced the difficulties and defeats of war.

Here is the application I want to make to our lives: we find hope for living by remembering what God has done for us.  It is so easy for me to focus on my present circumstances and forget about how God has worked in my life in the past.  When this happens I feel both hopeless and helpless, because there is nothing that I can do that will change my circumstances.

The moments I discover hope are those moments when I reflect on how God has worked in the past.  For me this begins with the resurrection of Christ Jesus.  Because of Jesus resurrection not only do we look forward to everlasting life with God, but we also can look forward to the restoration and transformation of all of creation.  The resurrection is the “first fruits” of what God is going to do with the Church and with the rest of creation.

The promise of resurrection is vital to our Christian hope, but I also need to remember how God has already come through for me.  It is one thing to continue to look forward, it is another thing to recognize God’s constant help throughout life.  In the Old Testament we read about the men and women of faith erect markers to serve as reminders of God working in their lives.  In the New Testament we discover that Jesus gave us the sacrament of Communion to serve as a reminder of His actions and of our commitment to Him.  Having traditions and markers to serve as reminders of God at work in our lives is essential.

I need to remember how God provided a job when I needed one.  I need to remember how God encouraged me through prayer, Scripture, and people when I needed encouragement.  I need to remember the lessons God has taught me along the way.  This is why I have a shelf in my study devoted to little trinkets, because each one reminds me of God working in my life.  This is why I keep a journal, so I can look back and be reminded of the truth God was teaching me.  These things remind me that I am not alone, that God hasn’t given up on me, and that there is every reason to hold on to hope.

If we don’t intentionally take time to remember what God has done in the past and in our lives we will forget God’s power, love, and grace during those times that we need it most.  Hope during the tough times of life comes through remembering the truth that God has come through in the past, and therefore there is every reason to expect Him to come through in the future.

Living with Hope

Hope is something that is very powerful, it can help us keeping going on, when everything else tells us to give up. You listen to anyone who has been a prisoner of war or a hostage and the story is the same, what got them through was hope.  Hope that they would see their families again, hope that one day they would be free, hope of a better time.  The truth is, if we are going to stand firm in this life with all of its difficulties we have to have hope.  Today I want us to take a look at three men and the source of their unbelievable hope.

King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue ninety feet tall and nine feet wide and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. Then he sent messages to the high officers, officials, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the provincial officials to come to the dedication of the statue he had set up. So all these officials came and stood before the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

Then a herald shouted out, “People of all races and nations and languages, listen to the king’s command! When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments, bow to the ground to worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s gold statue. Anyone who refuses to obey will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.”

So at the sound of the musical instruments, all the people, whatever their race or nation or language, bowed to the ground and worshiped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

But some of the astrologers went to the king and informed on the Jews. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “Long live the king! You issued a decree requiring all the people to bow down and worship the gold statue when they hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments. That decree also states that those who refuse to obey must be thrown into a blazing furnace. But there are some Jews—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—whom you have put in charge of the province of Babylon. They pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They refuse to serve your gods and do not worship the gold statue you have set up.”

Then Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought before him. When they were brought in, Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up? I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?”

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up” (Daniel 3:1-18, NLT).

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had every reason to bow down to that idol.  They were captives from Israel, their homeland destroyed, the temple of their God was torn down, and the holy and sacred objects of the Temple were stolen.  To some that would have been evidence that their God wasn’t worthy of their devotion and worship.
    
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had everything to lose by not to bowing down.  They had been given power and prestige.  They had risen above being mere slaves, they had become advisors to the king.  By not bowing down they were risking not only their positions but they were also risking their very lives.
   
In order for these three men to take such a stand of courage they had to have hope.  And their hope came from knowing God of Israel. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew God, and that gave them hope to stand before the King Nebuchadnezzar and say “No. We are not going to bow.”  They knew no matter what happened God was in control of their lives.
    
There are three realities in the lives of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego which helped them understand that God was in control.

1. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were obedient: “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us” (Daniel 3:17a; NLT).  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would not bow a knee to just any god.  They already had a God whom they served, and it was by His standards that they lived.  In Daniel 1 we discover that these three men, led by Daniel, decided not to defile themselves with the King Nebuchadnezzer’s food.  They wanted to keep the food standard which God had given them.  This idol that was now before them was also in direct violation of the standards the God had given them, and because God had proved Himself to them in the past they obeyed. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew God’s laws and they set out to obey it.  This faithful obedience made God’s promises real in their lives.

2. Shadrach. Meshach, and Abednego knew God’s power: “He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty” (Daniel 3:17b; NLT) These three men did not fear the power of King Nebuchadnezzar.  They realized that his power was nothing compared to the power of God.  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego saw a glimpse of God’s power when He gave Daniel the dream and the interpretation of that dream which King Nebuchadnezzar dreamt.  That was probably just one incident from their experience of obeying God that gave them reason to believe in God’s power. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego trusted the fact that God had the power to save them.  Trusting in God’s power gave them hope.

3. Shadrach. Meshach, and Abednego were committed to God: “But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up” (Daniel 3:18; NLT).  To me this is one of the most amazing verses in the Bible.  Basically what these three men said was, “God has the power to save us, we know that to be true.  If He chooses not to save us from you, we will still serve Him.”  That is so different from how we tend to respond.  We cry out to God to rescue us or to reveal Himself to us, and if He doesn’t we question His goodness or even His existence.  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were committed to God.  I wish I could give you a formula for their amazing commitment, but I cannot.  All we know is that they were so committed to God that they were willing to die for Him rather than break His commandments.  It was a commitment that could only come from having a personal relationship with the Creator of the Universe.  This commitment gave them a real and powerful hope. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had a hope that allowed them to stand out rather than blend in with the crowd.  They knew God, they served Him, they knew His power, and they were totally committed to Him.  Their hope was a reflection of their lives.

These men knew God.  It was through this relationship that hope was made a reality in their lives.  When we have a relationship with God we can also stand tall during the trials of life.  Whether that trial is a fiery furnace or loneliness, it is our relationship with God, through our risen Savior, that brings hope to our lives. 

Peter wrote; Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,  who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Peter 1:3-5; ESV).

Finding Hope in Grace

Originally Posted Monday March 14, 2005

{1 Peter 1:1-6; NLT}
This letter is from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ.

I am writing to God's chosen people who are living as foreigners in the lands of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, the province of Asia, and Bithynia. God the Father chose you long ago, and the Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed Jesus Christ and are cleansed by his blood.

May you have more and more of God's special favor and wonderful peace.

All honor to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for it is by his boundless mercy that God has given us the privilege of being born again. Now we live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead. For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And God, in his mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation, because you are trusting him. It will be revealed on the last day for all to see. So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while. 

We all know life is tough. Even with the luxury that we live in here in the United States life is difficult. We have loved ones who are sick and dying, we are experiencing the pain of broken relationships, and we have carry the guilt of actions which cannot be undone. We may enjoy many different comforts, but that doesn't mean we are immune from the trials and tribulations of the world in which we live.

Peter opens his first letter with a reminder of hope that Christians have. With so much uncertainty and pain hope gives us a reason to live. I find three reasons for hope in the first six verses of 1 Peter.

1. The Grace of God: God the Father chose you long ago, and the Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed Jesus Christ and are cleansed by his blood. (v. 2)

One of the things which jumps out at me from this verse is the work of the entire Trinity. The Father has chosen us, the Spirit makes us holy, and we are cleansed by the Son's blood. Each person of the Trinity was involved in the gift of grace we have received.

The reason we can have hope is because God has shown us His grace. We can know this gift is a reality because of the existence of the Church. The Church is the group of people God has chosen to be saved. Since we can see the positive impact God has made in the lives of Christians we can have assurance that He is working in our lives as well. We can be confident about God's grace because of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Holy Spirit guides us into a greater knowledge and love of God, so our personal growth becomes evidence for God's grace. We can be confident about grace because Jesus' death and resurrection. The historical truth of Jesus and His resurrection provides us with evidence which helps us to trust in God's grace.

2. The Resurrection of Jesus: All honor to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for it is by his boundless mercy that God has given us the privilege of being born again. Now we live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead. (v. 3)

In Christianity we make a big deal out of the sacrifice of Jesus. Rightly so, it is Jesus' blood that deals with our sin, it is His death that is the substitute for our death, and it is Jesus' death that provides that takes on the penalty of our sin. The reality is that it is Jesus' resurrection that provides us with a reason to find hope in His death. It is resurrection which reveals to us that Jesus is who He said He was. It is the resurrection which shows us that life can be taken back from death. The resurrection of Jesus gives us hope that Satan, sin, and death will all one day come to an end.

3. The Promise of Heaven: For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And God, in his mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation, because you are trusting him. It will be revealed on the last day for all to see. So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while. (vv. 4-6)

Not only can we be certain that death is not the end, God has also promised us an inheritance beyond our imagination. This inheritance is more than what we can hope for and more than we can possibly imagine. In the person of Jesus Christ we have learned that God keeps His promises, and that means that if God promises us an inheritance we can expect an inheritance. What God promises He does.

This world is difficult and is filled with pain, fear, and all sorts of other trouble. Living in this fallen world can leave us to wonder what the meaning of life really is. One of the gifts of following Jesus is being able to live a life of hope. This hope is discovered through God's grace, through the resurrection of Jesus, and through the promise of heaven. When we focus our attention on these great realities we will experience the hope which makes life worth living.

Gratitude and Perspective

Originally posted on Wednesday October 27, 2004

Ponder for a moment what Erwin McManus wrote in his book Uprising; “Perspective is not shaped in a vacuum; it is formed in the context of gratitude. An ungrateful person sees the glass as half-empty and wonders who is holding out on him. The grateful see the glass as half-full knowing that someone has shared with them more than they deserve.”

Gratitude informs our perspective on life. When we are grateful not only are we content with much less, but we also will have an optimistic outlook for the future. Contentment, peace, and hope are characteristics which define the grateful person.

What I have found to be amazing is the number of people in this country who are not grateful. We live in a country where food is plentiful, jobs are plentiful, medicine is plentiful, and education opportunities are plentiful. I know you can tell me about the unemployment, jobs going overseas, a shortage of flu vaccine, and a number of other bad statistics, but the truth remains that when compared to any other country, past of present, this country is still the best place to live. We might consider our unemployment high, but it is nothing compared to what other nations deal with.

Even though our economy is a mess, unemployment continues to rise, and we have soldiers dying on foreign soil we still live in a wonderful country. While it is easy to complain about what is happening to our country, we are still able to live in a country that is a land of plenty.

I am grateful for the United States of America. One reason I am grateful is because I realize in many other places I would not have the opportunities that I have. The problem is so many of us have come to believe that these things are our rights and that we deserve them. When that is our perspective we will not be grateful for what we have, instead we will become bitter because we believe someone is holding out on us. When we are ungrateful for what we have, we will end up wasting it the great gifts God has given.

Another reason I am grateful is because I realize what I deserve. I deserve nothing. As rebellious sinners none of us deserve anything. Everything we have, from the air we breathe to the pleasure of Bunny Tracks Ice Cream, is a gift from God. If it wasn’t for God’s grace we would never experience any of the pleasures of life. Please remember that God gives, not because we have earned it, but because He loves us. I don’t deserve to live in this great country with our Constitution and opportunities, but God put me here because He knew this is the best environment for me to discover Him. When I was God’s enemy He still gave me what was best for me.

When we live a life of gratitude we have a perspective of hope. Rather than being pessimistic about the future, because I believe someone is holding out on me, I believe things will turn out for the best because God is willing to give me what I need. Regardless of what happens with the economy or health care, I am optimistic about what lies ahead. My life is not tied to what happens in Washington, it is tied to my faith in a generous and loving God. No matter what happens the future is bright because of Him.

Finding Hope in Grace

“Only when sin is seen in all its horror does grace appear next to it in all its splendor. Viewing God’s gracious gift of our salvation against any backdrop other than our hopelessness does it a disservice.” ~ William Pile, What the Bible Says About Grace, p. 33

This past Sunday I preached from Matthew 18:21-35 which is the parable of the unmerciful servant. A quick summary of the parable is the king decides it is time to take care of the books. One of his servants owes an astronomical amount to the king. When the servant pleads for mercy, the king forgives the debt. The astounding part of the story comes when the forgiven servant encounters a fellow servant who owes him a significant, but manageable, amount of money. The forgiven servant threatens the other servant and ignores his pleas for mercy and throws the servant in prison until the debt could be paid. Servants who witnessed both encounters tell the king what happened, and the king calls the forgiven servant back into his presence. The king condemns the servant, takes away his forgiveness, and throws the servant into prison.

What occurred to me as I worked on the sermon last week is how we tend to minimize our sin. Working with the estimates given in one of the commentaries I was using about how big a debt 10,000 talents would be, I came up with the number of $7,000,000,000. Yes, that is right 7 billion dollars. That is what caught my attention, because that reminded me that there is no way I could ever repay a loan that was that large. I would be in a hopeless situation.

I think too many of us view the grace of God as making up the little bit of righteousness that we didn’t have on our own. It is like God demands that we have 100 pounds of righteousness, and when He measures the righteousness of our lives He comes up with 80 pounds. This is where Jesus steps in and gives us the 20 pounds that we lack. Since this is the situation, we are grateful for the gift, but we can imagine that given a little more time we could have made up that last 20 pounds.

We have totally lost sight to what reality is. Jesus doesn’t step in to make up the difference in our lives, but Jesus gives us life. Sin steals away our righteousness and our life. Inherently there is nothing good about us because of sin. We are doomed for destruction. An eternity would not be sufficient time for us to make up for the evil we have done and how we have participated in the destruction of God’s creation. Sin makes our existence hopeless.

The beauty of grace is that it is totally undeserved and it is completely God at work. There is no reason why God should forgive us, should give us life, or should love us, but He does and that makes all the difference. Instead of hopelessness we can life a life of hope and meaning.

One of the challenges that we face in a culture that believes that given a little more time and a little more hard work everything will be made right in the world is to help people understand how hopeless and futile life is without God, and once the stage is set to bring out the Good News of Grace. That even though we are hopeless there is hope, and His name is Jesus.

I am afraid until we grasp this reality we will never appreciate the grace of God, and thus we will cheapen it and disregard it. God’s grace is to wonderful to be treated like that, and so plead with you to remember that you are hopeless by yourself, and it is only through God’s grace that you discover what hope and life are all about.

The Courageous Christian #5

We have been examining the need for courage in the life of a follower of Christ. Even in the United States it is not easy to be a Christian. The world is trying to convince us to compromise and not live out the faith that we claim to have. We are mocked for the believes that we hold, and sometimes their are personal attacks as we proclaim God’s and love people. If we do not have courage we will not be able to follow Christ for long.

I think one of the truths that we have to remember in this discussion of courage is that there is no guarantee of success. Hebrews 11 gives us a great reminder of this reality:

And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated—of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. (Hebrews 11:32-40; ESV)

Just because we step out in faith and display courage doesn’t mean that things will go well for us. Many followers of Christ have had to show courage and they faced their death. They didn’t experience the victory in this life, but they knew better things awaited them. Their courage was an extension of their hope.

When we have hope that God can turn the worst circumstances, even our deaths, into something wonderful we will be able to live with courage. Hope is what we get when we have been with Jesus, because we know that if He can conquer death then He has the power to do a whole lot more. Hope comes from having a grand purpose to our lives, because we know that there are somethings worth fighting for and that we are able to make a difference in this world. Courage and hope are linked. If you don’t have hope there is no way that you will be able to live with courage.

In If You Want to Walk On Water You Have to Get Out of the Boat John Ortberg wrote, “When you are in a situation that creates fear, but you face it head-on, you will feel a rush of satisfaction in knowing you displayed courage.”

Anytime we display courage we are heroes. Living a hero’s life will give us satisfaction because we know we stood up for what mattered, rather than backing down. Everyday we face opportunities to show courage, to be a hero. The question you have to ask yourself is, “Do I want to be hero?” To help you answer that question God is saying; “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9; NASB).