Doctrines of the Faith: God of Love; God of Power

We continue to look at the doctrines of the Christian faith, and the first matter we must settle is the reality of God. We have established His existence and His place as both Creator and Father. Today we will look deeper at God’s core characteristics in a verse from the pen of King David: “One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving” (Psalms 62:11-12).
I have pondered this verse for a long time and wondered what was the one thing that God said for David to draw his conclusion. I believe the Spirit has given me a clue that goes back to a burning bush in the wilderness. I want to suggest that David is speaking of God’s self-declaration. When Moses asked His Name, the Lord replied: “I AM.” ( Ex 3:14). That was it. But it was enough.
But how did David figure out two things from one statement? Experience. The same way you and I do. When he was surrounded by enemies, his God came in power. When his heart was breaking, his Lord was tender. We need a God who is both. A God who is benevolent but powerless is no help to us in our time of need. A God who is powerful but unfeeling breeds fear that drives us away from Him.
We need to know God as His Word describes Him and we need to respond to Him as He has revealed Himself. We must trust His love for us as our Heavenly Father. We must also trust that He is able to help us in our time of need. Many see God as see God only as harsh and uncaring, but that portrays Him as a mean-spirited ogre. Still others see Him only as a doting Father handing out blessings like candy. That makes Him into a one-dimensional entity. That is not the God of the Bible. The Lord God is all-loving, and He is all-powerful. Not in perfect balance, but in perfect fullness. We can come before Him boldly because we are convinced of His love for us, and we are persuaded that He can and will come to our aid.
Beloved you are in the most wonderful place today – supported by the arms of One who is so mighty and awesome, and who loves you with an everlasting and consuming love.

What Do You Think . . .

Two verses struck me this morning as I was flipping through the Psalms. In Psalm 10, the psalmist talks about the “wicked man” saying, “in all his thoughts there is no room for God” (v. 4) Then in chapter 14, David pronounces a second truth about this man” “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ “ (v. 1). One seems to be a natural recourse of the other. If there is no room for God in your thoughts, you will conclude that there is no God. And you would be a fool. That is why our thoughts are so critical to our spiritual well-being.
On any given day, it seems a thousand thoughts run through my mind – work, school, family, church, ministry, chores, friends, plans – I am sure the same is true for you. There is no end to the things, people, and responsibilities that pull us this way and that. Our thoughts naturally run to these things. The question we must ask ourselves is, where, in all those thoughts, is God? Are we trying to “fit” Him in between thoughts about our kids and what to fix for supper? Do we give Him a passing consideration before the family meal or as we tumble into bed. “GodthankyouforthisfoodandallourblessingsAmen.” I can’t count the times I’ve fallen asleep trying to pray on my pillow. Does He cross our minds at all through the day? And if we actually do think about Him, what are we thinking? “I wish God would fix this problem.” “I hope God will straighten my kid out.” Our prayers tend to be “God, bless my sick Granny and make my boss give me a raise.”
It’s time for us to think – and think differently – about God. You and I must train our thoughts on Him.
That means we think about God as the One who is “high and exalted” (Is. 6:1), yet always with us (Jos. 1:9). We consider that He “thunders from heaven” (Ps. 18:13), yet also sings over us like a Father (Zeph. 3:17). We meditate on the fact that He “rules over the nations” (Psalm 22:28), and yet “bends down to listen” to our prayers (Psalm 116:2 NLT). We must think about Him as more than our “fixer” and see Him as the high, holy, exalted God of heaven and earth who also created us, loves us, and cares about and for us. Beloved, what are you thinking about right now? Is there room in your thoughts for God?

Piddles and Pankins and the Doctrines of the Faith

Joy loves to play doctor’s office and Nana is her favorite patient. She takes my temperature, looks in my ears, listens to my heart, checks my reflexes, and even examines my teeth. She also usually gives me a shot. Lately, she prescribed me piddles. I thought that was what puppies do, but I was wrong. Piddles, in her medical practice, are what the rest of us call pills. It was one of her malaprops. I thought it was so cute that I didn’t correct her. I love her tangled-up words like pankins for pancakes and Honey School for Sunday School. I know that one day she will learn the correct words, but for now they are harmless so I let her hang onto them as long as she wants.
But there are some things that she – and all of us – need to get right. They are theological and doctrinal truths that carry a tremendous amount of weight. They make up Christianity’s core and all other truths are derived from them. If we get them wrong, everything else is wrong too. And therein lies great danger. If we do not correct the misunderstandings and errors concerning these issues the consequences will be most severe and eternal.
They raise questions about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, man, sin, salvation, the gospel, the Bible, the church, the Christian life, resurrection, eternal life, the Kingdom of God, heaven and hell, and more. They are “spine issues” because, like humans, a healthy spine is vital for a healthy body. A broken spine leads to paralysis and even death. In many ways, the church’s spine is near the breaking point because we have drifted from biblical truth and embraced error and dangerous false teaching We are weakening her spine – and her witness. The church is unable (or unwilling) to fulfill the great commission because her people are paralyzed by false doctrine.
Paul warned Timothy, “Watch your life and doctrine closely” (1 Tim 4:16). It is wise counsel we need to heed. He said, “In later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons” (4:1). “They will gather around themselves a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear” (2 Tim 4:3).
God has impressed on my heart to dedicate Sunday’s devotionals to studying the core doctrines of Christianity. No more piddles or pankins Beloved. Get ready to strengthen your spine with the truth.

In the World But Not of the World

Is there any doubt that evil rules the world in which we live? It is impossible to avoid the influence of evil around us unless we hide in a cave. When Jesus prepared His disciples to go out into the world with His message, He said they would be like “sheep among wolves” (Matt 10:16). I feel that constantly just trying to live and survive in the culture of our day. So how do we live godly lives in an ungodly world? The Lord continued: “Be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” That’s a rather odd combination – so how do we pull that off in real life?

In the modern context, “shrewd” means “having or showing sharp powers of judgment; astute.” Similarly, in the original Greek, it means “wise, sensible, thinking, understanding.” One of Satan’s most effective tools is to dull our minds and then feed us from the world’s banquet table of ideas and philosophies. We must wake up our sleepy heads and think about the messages we are receiving. We must lay them alongside the Word of God, and see if they are true (Acts 17:11-12). Because we must live in this world, Jesus tells us to think about what we are hearing and make wise determinations.

In contrast to being shrewd, Jesus commands us to be innocent. Again, in the original language, it means to be “pure, not mixed with evil.” We must not attempt to mix the world’s philosophies and ideas with The Truth – Jesus (John 14:6).  God and His Word have not changed despite what the culture says. Men will try to reinterpret the Word of God to make it say whatever they want to hear (2 Tim 4:3-4). We must keep our hearts pure and devoted to Him alone. We must stand firm and not allow the world to mix us up. Paul said, “Stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults” (1 Cor 14:20). In other words, grow up, pay attention, and do not even think about evil.

Jesus said we are “in the world” (John 15:11) but “not of the world” (v. 14). While we live alongside people who do not follow Christ we must live by His Word and for His glory. Beloved, let’s commit to being both shrewd and innocent in this evil world and show them by our lives The One True God who loves them and died for them.

You Only Get One Shot at Life

We had a fire drill at our office this week. Yes, even colleges have fire drills. We exited our offices and classrooms but we stood in the hallway asking. “Is this a drill or a real fire?” “Is this another malfunction?” The campus safety director came in the back door and hurried us out into the parking lot with a grin. “You are supposed to leave the building and not stand around wondering what’s happening!” To our credit, we had a recent malfunction of the system a couple of weeks ago and weren’t sure if this was the real thing or not. But, he was right – we should have taken the proper precautions and not waited around in a possibly burning building.

This life is not a drill. It’s the only one you get and despite what Shirley MacLain claims, there are no do-overs. When your life and mine are done, it’s over. The Scriptures say, “. . . man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Heb 9:27). But I’m not here to talk about dying – I’m here to talk about living.

Jesus said, “I have come that they [His sheep – His followers] may have life, and have it to the full” (Jn 10:10). How can He give us life? Because He is life – He said “I AM . . . the Life” (Jn 14:6). And John said, “In Him was life . . .” (Jn 1:4). If you have Jesus, you have life – yes, for eternity, but also for today.

I had a coworker who constantly walked around saying, “I hate my life,” and I thought how awful it must be to feel that way all the time. And he was a Christian and a pastor. But he was always miserable. He had eternal life, but he didn’t have  Joy and peace and hope in this life. I can’t fault him because I spent many, many years in the same kind of misery until someone told me that I was wasting the precious commodity that God had given me. I was wasting my life and I wouldn’t get another one.

The secret to living is living in Jesus. It’s being washed in His blood. It’s full surrender to His will. It’s walking in His steps. It’s listening to His voice. It’s trusting His promises. It’s casting all our cares and doubts on Him. You only get one shot at this life, Beloved, live it well. Live it with Jesus.

Only One Way to God

“You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself”

Do you believe that? I hope not because it is a lie from the pit of hell. It is also a popular philosophical statement from Swami Vivekananda. He was a Hindu philosopher, mystic, author, and religious teacher in the late 1800s who introduced and popularized many Hindu practices in the West, including yoga. He was the driving force behind interfaith awareness – popularized in recent years by “Coexist” bumper stickers. It’s a trendy theory, but it’s not true, and it won’t grant you eternal life. It is interesting that someone who does not know God himself would counsel the world on how to know God.

I discovered the quote while looking for an image about believing God. Google orders search results by popularity. This is what the world wants. A spirituality that is built around themselves rather than built on God. They want a God who is made in their own image, rather than recognizing that they are made in the image of God.

God wants us to know and believe in Him. The Scriptures repeatedly say that God works and acts “that you may know that I am God.” Those words are so frequent I can’t note all the references. But you and I won’t know and believe in God through ourselves. We will only know Him through His Son Jesus Christ.

Jesus declared “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Let me be clear: there are not many roads to God. There is only a one-way street. Jesus is the only way. That is not a popular statement, but it is a true one. Jesus also said, “If you really knew me, you would know my father as well” (Jn 14:6-7).  Jesus is God. He acts in accordance with the Father. He speaks for the Father (v.10). He is “in the Father, and the Father is in [Him]” (v. 11).

Jesus prayed to His Father, “Now this is eternal life; that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent” (Jn 17:3). Beloved, I don’t want you to miss this. There is no hope “if [you] ignore such a great salvation” (Heb 2:3). Oh, but if you believe, there is hope and peace and Joy and love. Don’t believe in yourself. Believe in God. Believe in His Son. And you will have eternal life.

Acts: The Damascus Road

Meanwhile . . . That word says so much in just nine letters. Meanwhile means things are happening all over the place – and in the book of Acts – they are all connected to the Kingdom of God. In chapter 8 Philip was carrying the gospel everywhere he went. In chapter 9 (please read Acts 9:1-19) the young Pharisee, Saul, who watched Stephen die for the gospel, was carrying hate everywhere he went. He despised this new upstart religion – called the Way – the followers of Jesus Christ who called Himself The Way (John 14:6). He deemed it sacrilegious and offensive to God and to Judaism. With the high priest’s approval, he was headed to Damascus to capture these men and women for prison and persecution. He was an enemy of the Church of Jesus Christ. But he thought he was doing God’s good work. He was about to find out otherwise.

A brilliant light stopped Saul in his tracks and his life changed drastically from that moment on.

I am teaching a Ladies’ Sunday School class and yesterday we were in Exodus 3, where God called Moses into service. It occurs to me just now how similar these two experiences are. Moses encountered God in the wilderness; Saul met Jesus on the road to Damascus. God appeared to Moses in the fire; Jesus appeared to Saul in a blinding light. God called out to Moses by name; Jesus did the same. Moses asked who was speaking as did Saul. God told Moses His name: I AM WHO I AM. Jesus answered Saul’s question, “I am Jesus.” Moses was called to deliver the Israelites from bondage. Saul was called “as a servant and as a witness” for Jesus and the gospel (Acts 26:16). Moses stood before Pharoah and delivered God’s message. Jesus said that Saul would “carry my name before Gentiles and their Kings . . .” (Acts 9:15).

I would never try to pigeonhole God or restrict Him to only do what He has always done. God is God and He can and will what He determines in accordance to His perfect plan. But I can’t help but wonder . . . Whom might God call next? Who will meet Him in an extraordinary way? Whom will He use for extraordinary Kingdom work? Is it me? Is it you? Could it be a child or grandchild? The possibilities and the power of God are endless. Are you looking for the Fire and the Light, Beloved? Are you ready to serve the Lord?

The Way of Holiness

Hebrews 12:14 says “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness, no one will see the Lord.”  That’s a mighty strong statement – one that should give us pause. I don’t know about you but I want to see the Lord. That doesn’t just mean I want to lay eyes on Him. The word the writer used there means “to be admitted into intimate and blessed fellowship with God in his future kingdom,” (blueletterbible.org/lexicon). That’s what I want.

If holiness is the condition for seeing God, how do I get holy? I don’t. I have to be made holy.  The writer of Hebrews said that Jesus came to do the will of God (Heb 10:9). But what is the will of God? To make us holy (v. 10), that is, to make us into the very likeness of His Son (Rom 8:29). Paul said that God’s purpose is that we might “be holy and blameless in His sight” (Eph 1:4). That is what the cross is all about. Jesus nailed our sins to His cross (Col 2:13-14) and shed His blood to give us His holiness.

Surely, though, God has some expectations of me. Indeed, He does. He expects me to carry myself according to who I am in Christ. He expects me to choose holiness. Paul (again) said, “God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life (1 Thes 4:7). This agrees perfectly with Jesus’ teaching in the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Mat 5:8). It’s the exact same “see” as we find in the Hebrews passage. Purity of heart brings holiness.

What does that look like in real life? “The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, while we wait . . . for Jesus” (Titus 2:11-12). Saying “No” when the world and our flesh says “I want,” Looking for the way out of temptation (1 Cor 10:13). Submitting to the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:5-17). Turning away from every evil desire and pursuing “righteousness, faith, love, and peace along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” (2 Tim 2:22).

God has a highway, “called the Way of Holiness [and] it will only be for those who walk in that Way” (Is 35:8). No wonder Jesus said, “I am the Way . . .” (Jn 14:6). Beloved are you riding on the “Highway to Heaven?”

I AM: The True Vine

I once tried to train a vine to cover the front entrance to my house. I was not a master gardener – for Pete’s sake, I once let a cactus die for lack of water. But I did learn something. When trying to train a vine, you work from the center out. The vine is the part directly connected to the rootstock, and the branches, or tendrils, bear the leaves, flowers, and fruit. The vine gives the branches everything they need to produce. I think you know where this is going.

In Jesus’ final I AM statement He declared “I AM the True Vine . . .” (Jn 15:1). For you non-horticulturalists: Jesus is the Rootstock of the Church. The branches? That’s you and me. The Gardner? No less that the Father who certainly knows His way around a plant. There is so much to this passage (Jn 15:1-11). A good preacher could spend a month or more digging out treasures. But we’re going to settle into one idea here – or one word that the Spirit highlighted for me. Remain. Abide. Dwell. Stay. Live. You don’t have to be a biologist to know that a disconnected branch will wither and die. A disconnected believer will suffer the same fate. The connection is vital – it is our literal lifeline.

Jesus defined exactly how that works. He said, “Remain in me,” “let my words remain in you,” and remain in my love” (vs. 7, 9). Stay connected. The branches of a healthy vine – and Jesus had in mind a grapevine – may spread out, but they remain attached to their source of nourishment. They don’t try to force their way down to the dirt to set up their own root system. They are not to become independent of the vine.

What strikes me is not just the command to remain in Him, but His promise to remain in us. And that is key because the branch doesn’t draw the nutrients and water out of the vine, the vine pumps the nutrients and water into the branch. Joseph Henry Thayer described it as “something [that] has established itself permanently within my soul, and always exerts its power in me.” (from Thayer’s Greek Lexicon – blueletterbible.com).  When we remain in Him, in His Word and in His love – He does the work, and the fruit is a natural byproduct of Him. We are just the bearers.

The healthy Christian is a connected Christian. A connected Christian is a fruitful, happy, blessed Christian who is filled with Joy (v. 11). You were made to flourish, Beloved. Stay connected and bloom in Jesus, His Word, and His love.

I AM: The Way, The Truth, and The Life

One of the clearest and most divisive I AM statements Jesus made is found in John 14 where He told His disciples “I AM the Way and the Truth and the Life” (v. 6). There is much to dig into in this statement, but before we do, we need to understand the context.

In His final hours, Jesus wanted to prepare His beloved disciples for what lay ahead. He told them “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me . . . [but] Where I am going you cannot come” (Jn 13:33). At least not yet (v. 36).  Peter, the ever impetuous one, asked “Lord, where are you going?” and “Why can’t I follow you now?” (vs. 36, 37). Jesus replied that He was going to His Father’s house, “to prepare a place for you,” a place where all His followers will live with Him forever (14:2-3). 

Then He said, “You know the way to the place where I am going” (v. 4). Thomas said what they were surely all thinking: “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” (v. 5). Jesus’ response was the three-point I AM statement we’re studying. He said “You know the way” because “I AM the Way.” He followed the statement by saying: “No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus is the only path by which all who seek God must go. In other words, all roads do not lead to heaven. There is no other way. That’s not a popular statement, but it is the truth – which Jesus also is.

Not only does Jesus always and only speak the truth, He is, by definition, the one in whom the truth is summed up and personified. In the introduction to his gospel, John said that “grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (1:17). The word is the same in both verses. So when Jesus said He is the only path to God . . .

He is also the Life. We know that Jesus is the source of eternal life, but this statement doesn’t limit this life to heaven. He is the giver of life in this world. He came to give His people “Life to the full” (Jn 10:10). Now and forever.

What does all that mean? Jesus is the Way, so you can’t get lost. He is the Truth, so you can’t be deceived. He is the Life, so the devil can’t kill you. Beloved, walk in the Way, know the Truth, and live the Life.