Western Civilization has been thoroughly immersed in the assumption that God is, at the most, a “hands off” bystander to world events. When Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson suggested that the events of September 11, 2001 could be attributed to the judgment of God for America’s sins, they were widely ridiculed, not just by the secular press, but by embarrassed evangelicals as well, who wanted to distance themselves from such radical views. Continue reading “The Absentee God? I don’t think So!” →

President Obama’s commencement address at Notre Dame last Sunday stirred the controversy that the press loves.  Religion, politics, and pro-life protesters being arrested are ideal for headlines and news footage.  But what is the foundational issue here? Continue reading “Irreconcilable Differences” →

In the midst of all the world turmoil in today’s news, can you imagine a day when Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, China, North Korea, Iraq, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Venezuela, Cuba, Russia, the United States, and all the nations of the world will all be reconciled, worshiping God in peace and unity? Continue reading “A World United in Worship” →

You will say in that day:

“I will give thanks to you, O LORD, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me.

 2 “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” 

 

3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.  4 And you will say in that day:

“Give thanks to the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted.

 

 5 “Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth.  6 Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.” Isaiah 12:1-6 ESV

 

My oldest daughter, Carolyn, told me a few months back that she just can’t watch the news anymore; it’s too stressful.  It’s not that she has any other life stresses with a busy household of a husband and three children, the youngest still not sleeping through the night as she approaches her first birthday. So I’m sympathetic, but as a news junky, I couldn’t imagine not watching the news every day and knowing what is going on; or at least knowing what the media wants me to think are the most significant events. Continue reading “Comfort and Calm from the Prophet Isaiah” →

“Jesus Speaks about Sex” http://www.faithchurchindy.org/sermons/ was my sermon last Sunday at Faith Church in Indianapolis. Predictably, the topic brought significantly more than the usual response; personal comments, emails, and the gobbling up of CDs to send to others who “need to hear this message.” I agree that many “need to hear” and hope that those who have the opportunity will welcome God’s truth as spoken by Jesus.

 

On the day that we looked at Jesus’ teaching about sex, we also started eight days of reading in Old Testament Discovery from Song of Songs, sometimes called the Song of Solomon, a poetic and highly descriptive  book about sexual desire and love.

 

It has been debated for hundreds of years whether this is a book about human sexual love or an allegory about  God and Israel or prophetic of Christ and the Church. My view is that this is a foolish argument.  Both Israel as the wife of God (Hosea) and the Church as the Bride of Christ (Ephesians 5 and Revelation 21) are thematically strong throughout the Bible. It would be expected to see the implications of that in Song of Songs, but the primary meaning of the Song is clearly human sexual love, anticipated and then experienced in marriage.

 

Three times in the Song of Songs, there is the same warning, I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, … that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases. (2:7; 3:5; 8:4 ESV) This affirms that restraint be exercised in regard to passion and desire until it can be expressed within the covenant of marriage where sexual love is to be joyfully celebrated under the divine blessing.

For those who think all the hard questions have just been thought of in recent days, Ecclesiastes sets that to rest.  Be sure you don’t make too many conclusions about this book of the Bible until you have read the whole thing. And even then, be careful.  I’ve been reading this book for 35 years and haven’t yet had the courage to preach a sermon series from it. Maybe that will come, but I keep reading and stand in awe of this little book.

Life does not consist of simple formulas.  It is complex. At times, it seems as if there are endless cycles without meaning (chapter 1).  The writer certainly learns the vanity of pursuing endless pleasure (chapter 2). He struggles to see if there is any difference between man and the animals, after he has declared very clearly what that difference is, “eternity into man’s heart.” He struggles with the seeming lack of advantage for the righteous person over the wicked.  “There are righteous people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked people to who it happens according to the deeds of the righteous” (8:14).

In spite of his struggles, the writer of this book of wisdom knows that life is a gift from God to be enjoyed (2:24; 3:12, 13, 22; 5:18-20; 8:15; 9:7-10).

Keep reading and follow the author through to his conclusions in chapter 12. And remember:  God hasn’t settled all his accounts yet.  Judgment is still to come. But if you know Jesus Christ, you can face that day with great hope. Read Romans 8:18-30.

Behold! behold the Lamb of God,

On the cross;

For us He sheds His precious blood

On the cross.

O hear His all important cry,

Why perish, blood bought sinner, why?

Draw near and see your Savior die

On the cross.

 

Behold His arms extended wide

On the cross;

Behold His bleeding hands and side

On the cross.

The sun withholds his rays of light,

The heav’ns are clothed in shades of night,

While Jesus does with devils fight

On the cross.

 

Come, sinners, see Him lifted up

On the cross;

He drinks for you the bitter cup

On the cross.

The rocks do rend, the mountains quake,

While Jesus doth atonement make,

While Jesus suffers for our sake

On the cross.

 

And now the mighty deed is done

On the cross;

The battle’s fought, the victory’s won

On the cross.

To Heav’n he turns His dying eyes;

’Tis finished! now the Conqueror cries;

Then bows His sacred head and dies

On the cross.

 

Where’er I go I’ll tell the story

Of the cross;

In nothing else my soul shall glory

Save the cross.

Yes, this my constant theme shall be

Through time and eternity,

That Jesus tasted death for me

On the cross.

 

Richard Jukes
Born: Oc­to­ber 9, 1804, Clung­un­ford, Shrop­shire, Eng­land.
Died: Au­gust 10, 1867, West Brom­wich, Eng­land.

After com­ing to Christ in 1825, Jukes was a lay speak­er, then served as a Prim­i­tive Meth­od­ist min­is­ter for 32 years, re­tir­ing in 1859.

http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/b/e/h/behobeho.htm

 

A Tarheel commented on their NCAA victory over Michigan State on Monday night.  Referencing the humiliation of North Carolina’s 2008 semi-final loss to the University of Kansas Jayhawks, the player noted, “we worked so hard; we wanted to redeem ourselves.”   Continue reading “Redeeming Ourselves?” →

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.  Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear. Proverbs 25:11, 12

 

When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent. Proverbs 10:19 Continue reading “The Power of Words” →

Every time I’ve boarded an airplane in the past year, it seems I’ve spotted at least one person with a copy of The Shack by William Paul Young. As of this writing, it is in its 44^th week on the New York Times best seller list. One woman’s effort to get a copy at the local library reported a waiting list with 140 names.

 

I don’t gravitate to best sellers, but was asked about it enough times by the people of my Faith Church family that I decided I should read it. It is a captivating story, fiction, but clearly the author’s personal journey to wholeness from his own “great sadness” parallel to the story line of The Shack.

Continue reading “The Shack” →