Advent's Promise

I love this time of year. I often like to joke that I don't enjoy seeing all of the decorations, or that I hate going to the mall (I don't think it's a secret anymore that I truly do love to go shopping). This season just has some kind of magical feeling to it. For whatever reason, people just seem to become more joyful and caring during the Christmas season. Maybe it's because of the Grinch, and everyone's hearts grow three sizes. I dunno, but I love it.

However, I'm often reminded of the bigger reason we choose to celebrate. In Isaiah chapter 9, we're given what is probably the most well-known and most-used prophecy about the birth of Christ:

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

After this prophecy, there aren't many more about the coming of the Messiah. We see several prophecies of His death later on in the same book, but not many more of His initial entry into the world. Just think: after the Israelites were given this prophecy, it wasn't long before they had to endure over 400 years without another word from The Lord. 400 YEARS! Just for some perspective, that's longer than the USA has been a nation...by a lot!

These people had gotten so used to having prophets and leaders that brought them words from God. Whether it was Moses with the 10 commandments, or Hosea proclaiming the people had committed "great whoredom by forsaking the Lord." (1:2) they were constantly hearing from God. Then, for over 400 years, generations of Israel were born and died without hearing from God.

However, they remembered and passed down the words they had already been given. As they were oppressed and afflicted, I'm sure they thought often about the prophecy Isaiah brought them about the Messiah's coming. The longer the silence, the more deafening it became. But the promise endured.

We know the rest of the story. Christ is finally born...and much to the surprise of the Jewish people! They weren't really thinking a humble man would have come, but I'm sure they thought he would overthrow Rome with his power and might. Many of them misunderstood the purpose of Jesus' ministry. Many still do.

Why does this matter to us, today? Why do we care about the prophecy of a coming Messiah if he already came? Well, I think this should resonate with us for a couple reasons.

Firstly, this is proof to us that Jesus' coming was the plan from the beginning. It wasn't a reaction to the problem of sin, but was planned from before the garden of Eden was planted. Jesus was always going to come and restore His creation to Himself. We see in the Old Testament prophecies the consistency of Scripture, and the truth of it in the fulfillment the New Testament provides. We must care about the prophecy of the coming of Christ because it reminds us that our God has chosen to love us by sending His Son and initiating a grace we could never deserve.

Secondly, I think the prophecy of the promise of Christ should bring us back to the centrality of the Gospel. Christ came, and lived a perfect life, and died and was resurrected. Through His sacrifice, we received the grace to save us from our sins.

But I think we often forget something. We were not given grace so that we can be blessed with other things. We weren't saved in order to receive. We received grace, and therefore have been saved. We did nothing to earn or deserve the Lord's mercy. He gave us the faith to believe, and He initiated a love toward us.

The promise is not comfort. The promise is Christ.

The promise is not blessings. The promise is Christ.

The promise is not happiness. The promise is Christ.

The promise is not religious freedom. The promise is Christ.

The promise is not even heaven. The promise is Christ.

We receive Him when we are saved. We are never promised any of those other things. Is God going to care for His children? Yes, I fully believe that He will. But if He takes everything away from us, do we still trust Him that He knows what is best for us? I hope we would.

He is the gift that we receive. It's deeper than blessing, even though we might be blessed. It's deeper than freedom, even though we've been made free. It's even deeper than eternal life, even though we receive it as well. It's Him. He alone is enough for us. Because when everything else has faded away, He will remain. When this earth and all it's corruption dies, He will be alive. When He returns in the manner the Jews wanted Him to come in first place, He will be the only One left standing.

He is enough. For you, and for me. His promise of revealing Himself to us is the sweetest thing we can ever hope to possess. So remember this season that, like the Jews looked for the promise of the Messiah, we can look to the promise He has fulfilled to us by being Immanuel (God with us). He is enough.

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)

The Cup Of Grace

The past month most of the world (myself included) has been consumed by the massive tournament taking place in Brazil. I'm talking of course about the World Cup, Futbol's biggest event. Fans from all around the world have been flocking to the South American country to see history in the making, but one of the big stories there isn't about soccer. It concerns one of Brazil's biggest problems: poverty.

In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's second largest city, while fans journey to see Maracana Stadium, one of the world's most famous soccer stadiums, many Brazilians look down from their homes in the many favelas that surround the city. They aren't interested in the glamour of the grand event, they are more concerned with how they are going to get their next meal. Rather than celebrate their country hosting such a prestigious event, they are angered and hurt that the attention and funds that had been given to the city's poor had been directed towards preparing the city for the event. While this is a tragedy and my heart goes out to those people in such miserable conditions, they are missing the point of what they truly need. Which takes us to another famous Rio landmark.

The giant statue of "Christ the Redeemer" is easily seen from all around the city, and while a statue isn't the answer to their problems, the man it depicts is. "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8). This is the answer to their poverty, this is what the impoverished Brazilians and traveling soccer fans really need. This is Christ. This is the Gospel.

The answer to the poor isn't all the works done by the government to provide jobs and better housing. The answer is Christ. Now I'm not saying that Jesus will make them rich, or even that their physical state of poverty will be changed. What I am saying is that their spiritual poverty, the spiritual separation we are all born with because of our sin, is taken away, it is destroyed by the grace of God in the sacrifice of Christ. Since the fall man has always been innately sinful, but through Jesus Christ's perfect life, His sacrificial death that took on the wrath of God built up toward sin, and then His resurrection, we who have faith in Him are saved. We are redeemed. We are reconciled to God. Our original relationship with the creator and God of the universe is restored to its rightful place as we are adopted and now called sons and daughters. This is the answer to the poverty in the favelas.

For the true problem is this poverty of their souls. However, through the atoning work of Christ their poverty is transformed into an immense wealth, as they become co-inheritors with Christ. Thus after salvation their physical state is revealed to be glorifying to God, because, although they are poor, their faith and worship is in Christ, allowing them to echo Paul's letter to the Philippians where he writes, "I know how to be brought lot, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:12-13). This is what the gospel produces: contentment. Joy in God and His provision despite circumstances. This is what true faith is. This is what true love is. This is what grace does.

The contentment and joy received from the gospel comes from the knowledge that the gospel provides. That we are sinful and deserve nothing good, and ultimately we deserve punishment and death. This is why the gospel brings contentment. This is why through the good news that God graciously gives us salvation we are joyful and content. For we discover that all the good things we do have are also gifts from God. The poor Brazilian realizes that the fact that the little food and shelter they do have are gifts from God, not something they deserve. So then after their salvation and their realization of the power of God in the gospel, they can weather all the trials of this life. All the pains, the sickness, the poverty, the hunger is nothing compared to the glory of God. This is what allows them to do all things through Christ, because He becomes everything, and when Christ is everything nothing else matters.

Now let's not forget the futbol fan standing in line to get into the stadium, for Christ is the answer to his problem as well. His problem is the same problem we all have in our sinful state. A worship problem.

We were made to worship. It's part of our DNA to express adoration and give value to things, to celebrate that which makes us happy, to throw birthday parties and watch sporting events. To go to concerts, to read books, to go see awesome movies directed by Peter Jackson about noble and perilous quests. To do most of what we do, and this is not a bad thing in itself, however like all good things, when not in its intended place, sin arises. So we were made to worship, but more than that, we were made to worship God.

Romans 1 tells us that idolatry is worshiping creation rather than the Creator. However in our sinful nature our default is to worship things other than God. This is why it has to be grace. It has to be God giving us something that we haven't merited and that we don't deserve. For in all our works, in all our efforts to love our neighbors, to not cuss, to go to church and read our Bibles are rooted in our worship of something other than God. In something created rather than the One that created it, if our lives haven't been transformed by the redeeming power of the gospel that is. So that's why Paul writes concerning our salvation that it is "not the result of works, so that no one may boast." For if salvation is by works then we are all doomed for Paul writes in Romans 3:10-12 "as it is written: 'None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.'"

No one does good. Isaiah tells us that our good works are nothing but filthy rags, so praise God that our salvation is by grace and grace alone. Through faith which is itself "the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8). This is the answer to the soccer fan preparing to worship his idol of soccer. This is what will give him true joy, true fulfillment. This is Jesus.

This grace not only saves us but also sustains us as it allows us to see the right place of works. "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10) So because we have been saved by grace, that grace now empowers us to do the works God has already prepared for us.

Thus we see in the midst of the World Cup from two vastly different lives, two completely different stories, that the need is the same. This need that is shared by all of us, the need for something real. While the World Cup is now over, the need for Christ is still very much real in the lives of most people in the world, but so is the reality of the grace of God. That we might become His sons, not by our feeble efforts, but simply through His good pleasure.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." -Ephesians 2:8-10

Ephesians 2:1-3

Ephesians 2:4-5

Ephesians 2:6-7

Already, Not Yet

A few years ago, my wife bought tickets to a David Crowder concert for my birthday. Those of you that know me will know that I have a mild obsession with DC...okay it's a pretty big obsession. I greatly admire his beard; and his singing ability, obviously. BUT, back to the point: my wife bought tickets to the last concert he would be doing in Houston with his (now former) band. I was so excited. The tickets were purchased two or three months before the actual concert, and I couldn't contain the anticipation at times of being able to worship with one of the best artists of my generation. I'm sure you can relate, and you've bought tickets for something, at some point in your life, in advance of the event. So you can understand the idea of purchasing, but not being able to immediately enjoy the full benefits of the purchase.

The same is being said in Ephesians 2:6-7. Paul writes:

"and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus." 

We've already seen in the first five verses that we are in need of salvation. We know that, because of the sinful nature and desires in each of us, we were separated from God from our birth. We have also seen that, out of His rich mercy, God sent His son to die on the cross. That it was God's grace, and His grace alone, that initiated salvation.

Read the first seven verses of the chapter again (go ahead, I can wait). Hopefully you noticed that Paul has been talking in the past tense so far, and until verses 6-7 this has made sense. But when Paul writes that we have been "raised up with Him" and that we've been "seated...in the heavenly places", it can be a bit confusing. Obviously, we are not seated in the heavenly places. We have not yet been raised up with Christ.

In the original Greek language, the verbs "raised" and "seated" are written in the aorist tense. Authors used this verb-tense to explain actions that had already happened, but that would also have future implications. So, if we look at verse six again, with the idea of future implications, we understand what Paul is saying. We know that salvation was given to us out of Christ's atoning sacrifice on the cross, and that in that one single act, we have been secured citizenship in Heaven. While we have not yet been raised up, we most certainly will be raised up and seated with Christ in the heavenly places.

Since Jesus paid the price for our redemption on the cross, not only will we be raised up with Him and seated in the heavenly places; we will also share in the Father's "immeasurable riches", and "His grace in kindness toward us". Don't misunderstand what this means, though. We have not been saved so that we can receive kindness and grace and be elevated to a place of authority. We have been shown grace and kindness IN our salvation. It is through God's grace and kindness that we are even saved. Do you see the difference? If we were saved in order to receive kindness and grace, salvation would be all about God making us feel better and making us feel important.

How silly would it be to believe that the God of the universe, the Creator of everything (including us) would save us because we are something special that deserves his kindness and grace?! Paul isn't saying that we are receiving grace and kindness because we have done anything. The grace and kindness was given to us in order to save us in the first place! HE is the point of salvation. HIS glory is the chief purpose. Yes, we benefit from salvation, obviously. But, ultimately, it's NOT ABOUT US. It is about His glory and renown. So, we are saved not to be showered with kindness and grace, but to humbly receive that kindness and grace, then devote our lives to God and praise His holy Name. Paul is reminding us that His glory is our purpose. We were not created to be praised, but to praise the One who made us.

What does it mean to receive this grace? Check out verses 8-10 next time.


Ephesians 2:1-3
Ephesians 2:4-5

But God

The past few days I've had the song "But God" by the Village Church Worship Band stuck in my head.  My mentor showed it to me a week ago and I've found it fits in well with the scripture I've been memorizing of late, which just happens to be Ephesians.  Specifically Ephesians 2, which is in fact the inspiration for the song.  I'm fairly familiar with this piece of scripture as I went through Ephesians a few months ago in a bible study I lead, and put simply this is possibly the clearest and most lucid presentation of the gospel in all of scripture.

            However this time reading and meditating on this piece has stirred up new thoughts on the words of the Apostle Paul. I know it is probably surprising that I could see something I hadn't seen before in a inexhaustible book, but somehow it happened (Bazinga).  This go around the part that has really clicked in my mind has been the beginning of verse 4 with these two little words, But God (Ephesians 2:4).  Sometimes translated as And God (Ephesians 2:4) with the Greek word δε (de) being either adversative, meaning "but" and presenting an idea contrary or in opposition to the previous topic, or as being continuative and meaning "and" thus carrying on the natural progression of the idea.  I think that while the two translations appear to convey different ideas, both fit together smoothly to express Paul's point in his presentation of the gospel.

            On the side of "but" we have who Paul had previously discussed, the sinful, wicked, children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3) juxtaposed with God, who we know to be righteous and holy.  Therefore this translation makes clear sense in that while we were sinful God, through his riches of mercy, grace and love, which manifested themselves in Christ, God made a way for us to be reconciled to Him.  That although we were dead in the trespasses and sins in which we once walked (Ephesians 2:1), God loved us and sought after us to bring us to the complete opposite end of the spiritual spectrum, that is to be brought to the perfection God.  For by grace you have been saved... (Ephesians 2:8).

            On the other hand, for let us remember that this word has two hands, there is also the continuative meaning of the word.  Upon looking at this meaning I am brought back a chapter to Ephesians 1, where we learn that God chose us before the foundation of the world and predestined us for adoption as sons through Christ (Ephesians 1:3-4).  Thus God as He chose us before there was even a beginning, knew that we would live in the passions of our flesh (Ephesians 2:3) that is contrary to the expressed will of God. That is knowing that we would fall short of his glory like the rest of mankind (Ephesians 2:3), God made a way for us to know Him, that we might be saved through faith... the gift of God (Ephesians 2:9).  With this knowledge we put together that the natural order of events for God was that although we would turn to our own wicked ways, He being rich in mercy would grab hold of our hearts and transform them to see his goodness and glory.  To boldly proclaim that Christ is Lord, that he lived, died on the cross for our sins and that God rose Him on the third day, to the praise of His glorious grace (Ephesians 1:6).

            In the end we see what we see in all of scripture: the gospel.  It is seen through different themes and stories but here it appears clear to us, that we were lost and without God, and while His nature was contrary to ours, and His actions contrary to what we rightly deserved, He carried out His plan in Christ, that flowed perfectly into our lives to save us from our sins and justify us before God.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved... -Ephesians 2:4-5



Ephesians 2:1-3

The Walking Dead

Over the next few weeks, one of the (recently graduated) high school seniors that I mentor will be joining me in a project to exegetically break down the second chapter of Paul's letter to the Ephesians. I'm eager for you all to read Chase's writing. He has been given a special gift in communication. I can't wait to see how he refines it as we go through the chapter. You'll hear from Chase next time, but today, I'm going to focus in on Ephesians 2:1-3.

Paul writes:  "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience - among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind." (ESV)

Although these verses talk about death, they should be viewed as extremely comforting to the believer. Notice that Paul is writing to his audience in the past tense. He refers to a previous life. The believer is no longer dead in their sin. They no longer follow the prince of the power of the air. They no longer are enslaved to the passions of the flesh. They are no longer children of wrath! But, if this is a past time of life, and we no longer are subject to the hold of sin; if we are no longer dead, why would Paul even bother to bring it up? The idea of being dead in our sins has huge implications on the story of the gospel.

When sin entered into the world, all of humanity, all creation was fractured. Instantly, there was separation between God and man. Man was no longer able to have a perfect relationship with the Lord, because man was no longer holy. In Genesis 2:3, Eve responds to the serpent's temptation to eat the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil by stating that they were told they would "surely die" from eating the fruit. While this isn't exactly what God said to them when he established this command, I do believe there is truth to what Eve has said. In pursuing the desire to be as knowledgeable as God, Adam and Eve experienced a terrible death. Not physically, obviously, because they continued to breathe and move and live. However, their death was absolutely spiritual, and that is definitely worse.

Have you ever seen a movie during which one of the characters attempts to have a conversation with a dead person? Usually this will happen right after the person has died, and often their loved one is holding their body and will tell them how much they love them. There's one thing we can always be certain will happen when the living try to talk to the dead: the dead won't respond. They can't respond to sound, smell, sight, touch, etc. If someone has died, they are no longer able to move around or to laugh or to react to anything. It is obviously not a good state to be in.

Spiritually, this is who we all were before Christ. Because "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23), we know that our sinfulness causes our death. Now, we do not begin our lives spiritually alive, and then become dead once we sin. No, we are dead from conception. David writes in Psalm 51 that "in sin [his] mother conceived" him. We are still physically alive, but we are like the walking dead. We cannot react to the things of spirituality. We are unable to do anything on our own to repair the fracture in our relationship with God. He must save; He must rescue us.

These first three verses of Ephesians chapter two sum up how we all once lived. There are no exceptions to the death that sin brings. Each word is essential to the next verses, because we must first understand sin and our death-like spiritual state before we can ever begin to talk about the rest of the Gospel.

Fortunately, there is good news! Chase will be looking at the life that we now have as believers after we've been justified by the blood of Christ.

The Calm After The Storm

As I walked around work this morning, I noticed something about the lake that I haven't seen in a while. It was still. No waves, no ripples. Just a sheet of glass-like surface reflecting the treeline and clouds. It was such a beautiful, peaceful moment.

And as I stood there, I was reminded that just a few hours prior, it had been storming heavily. I don't know many things about lakes or thunderstorms, but I do know that when the two are mixed, the surface of the lake will be anything but smooth. As the wind howls and the rain pours, the waves can only build.

This brought to mind a passage of Scripture that I'm sure you have connected already. I love to read the story of Jesus and his disciples as they crossed the Sea of Galilee (Luke 8:22-25). If you aren't familiar with the story, basically Jesus and his disciples are crossing the water, and a big storm breaks out. While the disciples are freaking out, they discover that Jesus is actually sleeping through the storm! Now, I'm a heavy sleeper, but I don't think I'd be able to sleep through a massive storm while in a boat on a small body of water. I would probably be that guy draped over the side of the boat losing my dinner. But anyway, so the disciples are freaking out; so much so that they wake Jesus and say, "Master, Master we are perishing!" (v.24) This storm was so bad that they were literally afraid for their lives. Jesus then gets up and rebukes the storm...and it stops! Just by the words from his mouth, Jesus makes the storm cease. What an amazing display of the power of Christ.

I believe that this passage of Scripture holds such an amazing thing for us to rest in as believers. John 16:33 promises that we will have tribulation. There are going to be times in our lives when we will struggle. When it will be hard to see how God is working things together for His glory and our good. When it will be hard to accept the hardships of life. There will even be times when it will be hard for us to feel like we are intimate with our Savior.

But, not only does John 16:33 promise that we will face struggles during the course of our lives; it also gives another promise. The latter part of the verse says, "But take heart, I have overcome the world." Praise the Lord! How awesome is it to know that our struggles, although very real and hard, will never out-last our Savior's power!

The storms of this life will come for each of us. My storms will most likely be different than yours. Maybe we will share some. Maybe I will be given the opportunity to walk with you through one of your storms, and maybe you'll be given the same opportunity for me. I hope that you will rest in the fact that there is always a peace after the storm. No matter how long it is, or how terrible it wrecks us, His peace will be sufficient to overcome the wind and the rain. His grace is more powerful than the thunder and lightning. In the midst of a storm, it is my prayer that you and I will run to our Savior and desperately yell, "Master, Master, I am perishing!" Because then we can see His power to rebuke the storm and bring about the calm across the waters.

Transitions

As a mentor to two high school seniors, I've recently been hit with the realization that their lives, and consequently mine, will be changing very soon. I'm so proud of the young men they are becoming, and I've been blessed to be allowed to see God work in their lives over the past two years.

But having to watch them face a huge new chapter in their lives got me thinking about how we are all facing some sort of transition phase. For some of us, it could be a bigger transition like graduating high school or college, getting married, starting a family, retiring, and so on. But, I think it's interesting that we are all going through a transition of some sort, and I believe that exists on two levels.

First and foremost, there is the transition known as sanctification for believers. I love that God is referred to as "our Potter" in Isaiah 64 because I see a really beautiful picture that's painted. Have you ever tried pottery? I haven't personally...but I watch TV, and I have seen it done several times. 

The one instance that comes up first in my thoughts is the episode of the show Home Improvement when Jill decides to take up pottery. If you've seen the show, or have experienced pottery in another way, you know that the process is not a quick one. I think it is amazing to think of God as molding and shaping us into the image that He wants us to be.

Secondly, I think we can all agree that there's always a time of transition before us mentally and physically. Physically, we're all aging. I know my body doesn't function like it did when I was 13 (I feel really old typing that...but some of you might be laughing at me right now). There is always some transition of how I am feeling physically each day. 

But I also see, at least in myself, a transition that is constantly before me mentally. I find myself thinking often "If I could just move on to this job..." or "If only I could make more money for my wife...".

I don't think there is anything wrong with thinking about the future, or planning for the future. In fact, God does tell us to be wise in regards to every aspect of our lives, and thinking ahead is definitely part of that. But, I know that I'm often so caught up in the things that haven't happened yet that I lose sight of the opportunities I have right here, right now. 

I spend time regularly looking on the internet for jobs that are closer to home, or pay more, or are full-time positions in churches. I've begun to wonder how much time I'm wasting thinking about the future that I miss an opportunity to be a better husband, lead better at church, or work harder at my job. But most of all, how many opportunities am I missing at building relationships with the intent of sharing the Gospel?

As you're faced each day with a transition, how are you approaching that? With fear? With excitement? Or do you approach the transitions of our lives with a determination to be an example of the love and grace of God in order to share His Gospel to a lost and dying world?

The Lord has blessed us and allowed us to be agents of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5); let's not cower away from that responsibility because we're so caught up in ourselves!


"But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand."  -Isaiah 64:8