When is an Attack Not Evil? Suffering in the Apostle Paul’s Life

Psalm 91 includes great promises concerning God’s protection of His people. Verse 10 summarizes them all: “No evil shall be allowed to befall you” (Psalm 91:10). In Sunday’s sermon (video, audio), we considered as examples of the fulfillment of these promises the miraculous deliverance of the Apostle Paul and all his shipmates from a terrible storm, as recorded in Acts 27, and Paul’s statement to Timothy shortly before his certain execution: “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom” (2 Timothy 4:18 NIV). The Apostle may well have had Psalm 91 in mind when he wrote those words. He clearly does not consider his upcoming execution as an evil attack, but rather God’s providentially bringing his earthly mission to a close, taking him to Himself.

Paul had this understanding concerning the evil acts of evil men for decades prior to his death. Consider the following quotations from the book of Acts and some of Paul’s letters, cited in chronological order (with my comments in square brackets]. The Apostle sees himself as an instrument in God’s hands to be used for His glory. This includes considerable suffering, as promised immediately upon his conversion. But in every difficult encounter, God was with him (Psalm 91:15), working out His good and wise purposes for His church, including the salvation of individuals and people groups.

I encourage you to meditate on these excerpts, and take heart (more…)

Even the Wind and the Waves Obey Him

George Orjih, a pastor from the northeastern corner of Nigeria, in 2009 was studying for a Masters degree at a seminary in the city of Jos. In the break between terms, he traveled the 300 miles home, in cramped vehicles and on difficult roads, so that he could spend a few weeks with his family and home church. He is described as a loving pastor, “fearless, hardworking, and intellectually sound.” The day after he arrived home, a group of men calling themselves Boko Haram kidnapped him. This group wants Islamic sheria law to apply to everyone who lives in northern Nigeria. George was ordered to deny Jesus and accept Islam. He responded by preaching the Gospel. So he was beheaded on July 28, 2009.

Not 2000 years ago. This century.

Question: When such things happen: Is God really in control? Does He really never leave us nor forsake us? Can we trust Him when we know brothers and sisters in Christ lose their lives? (more…)

Providence: How and Why God Acts

Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. (Psalm 115:3)

Consider natural disasters and what we think of as the normal processes of nature:

  • A tsunami strikes Sumatra with overwhelming force, killing 250,000 people.
  • The sun rises every morning – indeed, the sun is always rising somewhere in this world.
  • Grass, trees, and crops grow.

Scripture tells us that God controls such events:

  • the wind and waves obey Jesus (Luke 8:22-25)
  • God makes the sun to rise (Matthew 5:45)
  • He causes plants to grow (Psalm 104:14)

Think of key points in biblical history:

  • Joseph’s brothers sell him into slavery in Egypt.
  • Pharaoh refuses to let the people of Israel go.
  • Satan enters into Judas.
  • Pilate releases Barabbas and turns Jesus over to be crucified.

According to Scripture, in all these events, God is working out His perfect plan:

  • Joseph’s brothers act sinfully, but God intends that action for good – even their own good (Genesis 50:20)
  • God hardens Pharaoh’s heart so that he will not let the people go (Exodus 7:2-5, 11:10)
  • Though Satan enters Judas (Luke 22:2-3) and Pilate acts according to his perception of his self-interest (Matthew 27:15-26), the crucifixion and its surround events happen exactly according to God’s plan (Acts 4:24-28).

Or consider the acts of nations and individuals today:

  • Joe Biden becomes president of the United States and signs dozens of executive orders.
  • China incarcerates more than a million Uighurs in concentration camps and violates its treaty with Britain in cracking down on pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong.
  • An elderly atheist who has ridiculed Jesus for decades comes to faith.
  • You and I are breathing right now.

Scripture tells us that God is in control even of such events:

  • “The Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will” (Daniel 4:25)
  • “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will” (Proverbs 21:1)
  • God “has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. (Romans 9:18)
  • God gives us “life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:25)

Such Scriptures paint a picture of a sovereign God ruling all events, moving all creation forward to His appointed end.

This raises a multitude of questions: What is God’s goal in all this? How is this sovereignty related to our responsibility for our actions? How is that sovereignty related to His commands to us – and our obeying or disobeying those commands? Does God’s control extend even to evil acts of evil men and all natural events? Does He providentially control all things?

These are not questions that we should leave for theologians to ponder. For we all face death, disease, and tragedy; we sin and others sin against us; and the world often looks to be spiraling out of control. We need to take to heart the assurances of Scripture that God is working all things together for His good and wise purposes. But if those assurances are to play their intended role, we need to understand what the Scriptures promise, and what they do not. We need to understand how and why God acts as He does.

I invite you to consider these questions together over the next several months. Over about twenty weekly lessons via Zoom, we will search the Scriptures to see if and how these things are true. Each week we will examine a passage or two in depth, studying the goal, nature, and extent of God’s providence. While we will use John Piper’s excellent new book, Providence, as a resource (with a portion assigned to read each week after you have studied the relevant Scriptures), this is a Bible study, not a book study. Indeed, we will assign only about half of Providence as required reading.

The Apostle Paul tells us not to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed through the renewal of our minds (Romans 12:2). Our society, our schools, our media, our government, and (sadly) even many of our churches minimize the role of God’s providence in our lives if they speak of it at all. We need to have our minds shaped by God’s Word on this issue, so that every day, whether we encounter victory or defeat, health or disease, joy or sorrow, prosperity or devastation, we can follow our Savior with confidence, trusting that He will use us for His glory, bring us safely to His heavenly kingdom, and fulfill His perfect plan for this world.

We meet Thursday evenings via Zoom, 7:30 to 8:30pm, beginning March 4. The study guide for the first week is available (Word file, pdf). Speak to me directly or fill out the DGCC Contact Form to express interest in the study. Anyone who is willing to prepare each week is welcome to join us. You can see the Table of Contents and read the first chapter of Providence here. Desiring God has partnered with WTSBooks to offer a pre-publication discount of 50%, with a copy of the ebook available for download immediately at no extra charge. Physical copies of the book should ship shortly.

 

 

Donald Trump and the Nature of Sin

January, 1977, western Kenya. Twenty-year-old Coty Pinckney arrives to begin teaching secondary school days after Jimmy Carter has been inaugurated president.

Students gather around to discuss the American election. One asks: “Why did Gerald Ford leave office?”

“Because he lost the election.”

“We know he lost the election. But why did he leave office?”

Thirteen years after Kenya’s independence, with their first president still in power, these students had never witnessed a peaceful transition between presidents of opposing parties. Indeed, the great majority of Kenyans had much more faith in a party or a leader than they had in the democratic system. When informed that 99 percent of Ford’s supporters would have abandoned him if he had tried to remain in office, the students were astounded.

Over the last 44 years many in the US have lost faith in that system. I have no idea what percentage of Trump voters would support his staying in office despite the election results, but it is surely several multiples of one percent. Similarly, had President Obama tried to remain in office in 2016, citing the dangers of a Trump presidency, several multiples of one percent of his voters would have supported him.

One of the primary strengths of the US constitution is its recognition of man’s sinful nature and the corrupting effect of power. Through constitutional checks and balances and, with the 22nd amendment, a limit on a president’s time in office, we weaken the authority vested in one man and encourage greater faith in the system for those holding opposing political views.

But over the last century, as the power of the presidency and the impact of the national government on our lives have grown, we have placed relatively more of our faith in political parties and particular leaders, and less in the democratic system. Thus the trends cited above.

Of all people, Christians should be especially wary of such trends. For we know that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We know that “there is no one righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). We know that “man in his pomp, yet without understanding, is like the beasts that perish” (Psalm 49:20). We know that our Lord Jesus says, “Apart from me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5).  And yet many professing Christians saw Donald Trump as something of a savior – just as, eight years earlier, many professing Christians of a different political bent saw Barack Obama as something of a savior.

Scripture is clear: “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation…. Blessed is he … whose hope is in the LORD his God” (from Psalm 146:3-5).

These last few days provide us with a valuable spiritual lesson in this regard. Consider: What does Donald Trump love? His supporters believe he loves this country. Most recognize that he loves his children. His opponents say he loves power, and (to use biblical language) he loves magnifying his own name.

But in the weeks leading up to the assault on the Capitol, and especially in his speech to the protesters, what did he accomplish? He harmed his country. He seriously damaged his legacy. He effectively destroyed any chance of his receiving the Republican nomination for president in four years (unless the party splits and he’s nominated by the Trump rump for a quixotic final campaign). Compared to a week ago, today his family members are much less likely to hold future political office.

That is: Donald Trump harmed what he loved most.

Some are deeply disappointed in the man. Others point to these events, saying, “He acted as I always knew he would! He is evil and dangerous!”

But, friends, these last days just give us a very public example of what all of us sinners do. We harm what we love most. We think that sin will lead to joy and fulfillment – but it always, always leads to the destruction of joy, and, left unchecked, to the loss of what we love most.

For me that became apparent when I almost destroyed my marriage five years after my students asked about Gerald Ford, during my second period of residency in Kenya. As a confident and accomplished PhD student in my mid-twenties, I was forced to acknowledge that sin was not just breaking a few rules. Sin was a deep part of me, affecting the core of who I was. Furthermore, my wife Beth was similarly stained. Our marriage had no hope if it depended on either of us. We both wanted this marriage, we both loved this marriage – and we were both destroying it.

God graciously saved our marriage and redeemed us by the blood of His Son – the only possible way to redeem the mess we had made. Here we are, happily married 38 years later.

The point: What is true of me, what is true of Donald Trump, is true of everyone, and thus of every political leader. One way or another, in obvious ways or not (1 Timothy 5:24), every one of us sinners harms what we love most.

So don’t put your trust in Biden or Harris or Pence or Haley or the next charismatic politician. Don’t put your trust in the Republicans or the Democrats. Put more trust in the democratic system than in individuals or parties. Help others to do the same.

But even that system will fail one day – maybe soon. We can and should love our country and work for its improvement – but in God’s providential plan it will not endure. Along with all of this creation, it will be shaken and removed (Hebrews 12:27). Yet in Christ we are “receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken” (Hebrews 12:28). He is the only source of eternal joy; His is the only Kingdom that will endure; He is the only remedy for the destructiveness of our sin.

Thus, in light of a public sin by our president and the subsequent harm to what he loves most, may we ask God with David: “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23-24).

2021 Is About Jesus

What are you anticipating in this New Year?

  • The end of lockdowns, mask-wearing, and social distancing?
  • A less rancorous political climate?
  • The birth of a child or grandchild?
  • Marriage?
  • A new job?
  • Professional advancement?
  • Beginning college?
  • Achieving personal goals – for reading, for exercise, for healthy eating?
  • Becoming a better person?
  • Healing relationships?

At the turn of the year, we do well to look forward with eagerness to what is ahead, and to discipline ourselves to work towards and pray for goals and events such as these.

But of even greater importance, we must remind ourselves as the calendar turns of the story in which we play a part.

Philosopher Alasdair Macintyre writes, “I can only answer the question, ‘What am I to do?’ if I can answer the prior question, ‘Of what story . . . do I find myself a part?’”

In the Bible, God reveals to us the Great Story – the story of His creation of a good world in which He placed the first man and the first woman; the story of their arrogant rebellion against Him, and the consequent corruption of themselves and creation; the story of His great plan, implemented over millennia, to redeem a people for His own possession from among fallen humanity, as He worked through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and the prophets, promising to bless all nations, to establish an eternal, righteous kingdom, and to send a suffering servant to take on Himself the punishment His people deserve; the story of the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of that Promised One, the Lord Jesus; the story of the partial fulfillment of  those promises at the cross and in the expansion of the church across ethnicities; the story of what is still to come: the fulfillment of every promise through the return of the Lord Jesus, God the Father summing up all things in Him, His people living for all eternity in the joy of their Master as they see Him face to face.

This is the story in which we play a part. Our goals, our marriages, our careers, our health – as real, important, and valuable as they are – all should aim at fulfilling our role in that one Great Story. Jesus is the center. Jesus is the goal. Jesus is the One carrying all creation towards its designated end. This year of 2021 is all about Jesus.

We must remind ourselves of this story daily – for the world around us proposes dozens of alternate stories: Stories with wealth at the center, or a political leader at the center, or societal reform at the center, or fame and accomplishment at the center, or despair and hopelessness at the center. Apart from constant reminders, we will drift into stories completely contrary to the One True Story.

How do we build such reminders into our lives?

God chose to reveal Himself to us through a Story. We must learn it.

Summaries of the Great Story are helpful. But nothing is more important in this regard than reading the Story itself.

For twenty consecutive years, I have read through all of Scripture annually, following a reading plan that takes me through this Great Story chronologically, while including daily readings from both Testaments. From “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” on January 1 to “Amen! Come Lord Jesus!” on December 31, the Story rings out repeatedly, year after year, decade after decade, shaping my thoughts, reminding me that Jesus is at the center, and that my role – as one worthy of condemnation but by His love and grace part of His Bride – is to display Him, to thank Him, to honor Him, to magnify Him.

Take this journey with me in 2021. Download the reading plan through this link, or pick up a printed copy on Sunday. For this year – as every year – is all about Jesus. Fight the false stories by reminding yourself daily of the True Story. He reigns in 2021 – and He will reign forever and ever. Make sure you are reminded of that truth every day.

 

By Faith, Joseph

Picture a nativity scene. Whether the scene consists of figurines in your home or of live persons and animals – what characters are in it?

  • Mary
  • The baby Jesus.
  • Shepherds
  • Wise men (though they didn’t arrive until several days after Jesus was born)
  • Animals (though Scripture doesn’t tell us there were any animals present)

Whom did I leave out?

Joseph.

But leaving out Joseph is not unusual.

In Scripture, Joseph’s actions are only recorded in Matthew 1 and 2 and Luke 2. He is referred to five other places:

  • In Jesus’s genealogies in Matthew 1 and Luke 3
  • Two times in John’s Gospel Jesus is referred to as the “son of Joseph”
  • Finally, in Matthew 13:55 Jesus is called “the carpenter’s son” – that’s the only verse that refers to Joseph’s profession. He’s a builder – probably working with both wood and stone.

So Scripture tells us little about Joseph.

Furthermore, Joseph tells us nothing about himself. Indeed, Joseph never speaks in Scripture.

  • Mary speaks.
  • Elizabeth speaks.
  • Zechariah speaks (when he’s not muted by the angel Gabriel).
  • The shepherds speak,
  • The wise men speak,
  • Even Balaam’s donkey speaks!

But Scripture records not one word from Joseph.

Furthermore, he disappears early in the story of Jesus. He’s present at Jesus’s birth; then when Jesus is 12, Joseph and Mary search for Him in Jerusalem after Passover. But as the narrative resumes when Jesus is about 30, Joseph is not there. Presumably he dies in the interim – but we don’t know when or how.

Thus, we know very little about Joseph.

So perhaps it’s not surprising that of the 461 songs we have sung at this church in the last almost 18 years, not one mentions Joseph.

Today we examine the Christmas story through the eyes of this man whom God chose as the earthly father of our Lord and Savior. As with Zechariah, we’ll look at Joseph’s faith – and how he fits together with those listed in the Hebrews 11 hall of fame for faith: Men and women who held firmly to God’s promises, and by His grace advanced His great plan, whether they had substantial earthly success or lost everything in this life.

Matthew gives the most detailed account of Joseph, so we’ll focus on the Christmas story told in Matthew 1:18-25 under these headings:

  • A Deep Disappointment
  • A Dramatic Dream
  • A Costly Obedience
  • Following Joseph’s Faith

A Deep Disappointment

Mary and Joseph are engaged to be married. In this culture, betrothal is binding, requiring a legal divorce to end. But there is no consummation of the marriage until the wedding day, when the groom takes his bride from her parents’ house.

Joseph knows Mary’s parents – the two families surely met to arrange the marriage. But most likely Joseph doesn’t know Mary well. They will have had little together, and most likely no time at all alone together.

Nevertheless, Joseph undoubtedly is excited, greatly looking forward to the marriage, confident that Mary is the wife God intends him to love and to serve, hopeful that they will have children together.

But then someone tells him the horrible news: Mary – his Mary, his lovely young fiancé, is pregnant. How could that happen?

He hasn’t even been permitted to be alone with her – how could someone else? This is completely contrary to all he knows about her. But then, he must admit he really doesn’t know that much.

Deeply disappointed, deeply saddened for her and her family, as well as for himself, he must act.

Marrying her is not even an option. What kind of wife will she be if she is unfaithful even during the engagement?

He only has two choices:

  • He can stand her before the entire town, display her obvious pregnancy, swear that he has not touched her, and then say that he divorces her. This will publicly shame her and her family.
  • Alternately, he can meet with her family with only two witnesses present and divorce her quietly.

Despite all his hurt, despite the temptation to lash out at the one whom he thinks has hurt him, Joseph decides on the second choice.  This will be just – the right response to apparent sexual sin – and merciful – not putting Mary and her family to public shame.

A Dramatic Dream

Before he has acted, however, Joseph dreams. He sees an angel, a messenger from God.

What does the angel say?

The angel definitely speaks the words from the middle of verse 20 to the end of verse 21. A minority of scholars – including D.A. Carson – think the angel’s words continue through “Immanuel” in verse 23. Since there are no quotation marks in ancient Greek manuscripts, we can’t know with certainty.

Here then are the angel’s words, assuming the minority is right:

“Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for this very one will save his people from their sins. All this has come about in order that the word spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel.”  (Matthew 1:20b-23a ESV; verses 21-22, own translation).

What is the angel saying? Let me expand on these words with an interpretive paraphrase:

“Joseph, you fear that Mary has been unfaithful, that she has had sexual relations with another man. But that’s not the case. This pregnancy is not to her shame; rather, it is to her honor and glory. Indeed, this pregnancy is the greatest privilege imaginable. Remember the prophecy in Isaiah – ‘a virgin will conceive and bear a son, and that son will be Immanuel, God with us.’ That son – a descendant of David – will be the Messiah, the eternal king. Furthermore, that son will be not only a king, but also a Savior from sin. For Isaiah also prophesies, ‘The Lord will lay on Him the iniquity of you all.’ Those prophecies are now fulfilled. Mary is pregnant by the Holy Spirit – not by any man. Thus, this child is Immanuel. And you too, Joseph, have a great privilege. A thousand years ago, David was your ancestor. You are the heir of David – though there has been no king among your ancestors for over 500 years. But now your adopted son – this child in Mary’s womb – will be the suffering servant and eternal king. You will be his earthly father. You and Mary have central roles in God’s great plan. Take Mary as your wife.”

How does Joseph respond?

A Costly Obedience

In Zechariah’s case, the angel appears right next to him while he is serving in the temple. There can be no denying the reality of the angel.

In Joseph’s case, the angel appears in a dream. But Joseph doesn’t suggest, “Maybe I imagined that angel. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking on my part.”

Instead:

When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus. (Matthew 1:24-25)

Immediately, as soon as he woke up, Joseph goes to the house of Mary’s family. He has to bring witnesses – but not for divorce. Instead, they witness a private marriage ceremony. Joseph then takes Mary to his home, but does not have sexual relations with her until after she gives birth.

Then according to the angel’s command, he names the child Jesus – not Joseph. He is obedient.

This obedience is costly. What is the cost?

In the eyes of everyone around him, Joseph is a fool, a complete fool. There’s only one way for a young girl to get pregnant. So, everyone naturally assumes that’s the case. They think: Either Joseph lacks self-control; deceiving Mary’s parents, he arranged to have sexual relations with Mary before the wedding day. Alternately, Joseph marries a woman who has been sexually promiscuous while engaged. In either case: He’s a fool.

Realize: God asks Joseph to believe in a miracle when there is an obvious, natural explanation for the event. It’s one thing to believe a miracle has occurred when an elderly woman, long past the age of childbearing – like Elizabeth – gets pregnant. It’s quite another when a young teen gets pregnant – that’s not unusual! No miracle is necessary.

The stigma of this supposed shame follows Mary, Joseph, and Jesus for decades. For example, in John 8:41, some Jewish leaders arguing with Jesus say, “We were not born of sexual immorality” – implying, “Like you!”

To fulfill God’s plan, Joseph obeys the angel – and by faith takes on himself this disgrace.

So how might we add Joseph to Hebrews 11? What statement could we make about him?

Here’s my suggestion:

By faith, Joseph took on himself the public shame of marrying a pregnant girl. Believing in God’s promise of a Messiah and Savior, he looked not at his humble origins or his perceived social standing, but gladly and immediately accepted his role as the earthly father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Following Joseph’s Faith

Joseph’s example leads to five exhortations for us:

1) Believe God’s promises

The angel does not have to convince Joseph that the Messiah is coming. Joseph knew the Scriptures. He knew what God had promised. He trusted those promises. He did not know that God would send the Messiah during his lifetime, and he had no hint about the important role he would play. But because he believed in God’s promises, when the angel spoke, reminding him of Isaiah’s prophecy, he was ready to obey.

Just so with us.

  • Believe Jesus is returning as promised
  • Believe that God will fulfill His plan, bringing all those who are His to Himself
  • Believe that those will include some from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation.

These are God’s promises. These are certain to come about. Trust those promises.

2) Believe that God is using you to fulfill His promises.

Believe not only that God will use you in the future; believe that He is using you now.

Note: Joseph was already engaged to Mary before the angel spoke. He thought he was simply picking an attractive and godly wife from a good family. But all the while he was fulfilling God’s plan.

Similarly, God is using you right now. Your family, your choices, your obedience – your failures, your hurts and even your sins – God weaves all this together to bring about the fulfillment of His every promise.

My role and your role are unlikely to be as prominent as Joseph’s. But God nevertheless is using you now even while He prepares you for the purpose you will fulfill in the future.

So trust Him. Step out. As with all those listed in Hebrews 11, you can’t know ahead of time how He will use you – but He will.

3) Speaking may not be important for fulfilling your role

We preachers are called to speak – and praise God for the way He uses preaching. Praise God also for the way He uses witnessing, and words of comfort and encouragement.

But none of Joseph’s words are recorded in Scripture – only his actions.

Perhaps your actions are much more important than your words in fulfilling your role in God’s great plan.

Ask: How can I act to show the preciousness and authority of Jesus? How can I act to display the Gospel?

4) Trust and obey today

Like Joseph, when you know what following God implies, act right away.

This doesn’t mean that we should act rashly (though undoubtedly our obedient actions – like Joseph’s – may appear to be rash to others.) Scripture elsewhere exhorts us to count the cost and to seek counsel.

But when you know what actions faith in God’s promises requires, step out. Don’t procrastinate. Don’t dawdle. Joseph upon waking took Mary as his wife. Act similarly.

5) Gladly accept the cost of following Jesus

Jesus the baby appeared to be the result of sexual immorality. Joseph appeared to be an absolute fool for marrying a girl he did not impregnate. Those rumors, that innuendo, followed Jesus and presumably Joseph their entire lives. The social cost was high.

And Jesus took on even more shame: Hanging naked on a cross, executed as a common criminal, taking on Himself the punishment deserved by all His people of every century. But Jesus endured the cross, scorning its shame, for the joy of playing His role in glorifying God through the redemption of all His beloved people. Now He is exalted to the highest place, seated at the right hand of God. He promises to return to right all wrongs, to establish justice, to usher in His eternal Kingdom, to perfect all His people – and to say to you face to face: “Enter into the joy of your master.”

He will say that to you if you are among His people.

Are you?

If you’re not sure: Look to Him! He is gracious, merciful, and slow to anger. He is love and mercy. Repent. Confess. And God will lay your every sin, your every disobedience, your every rebellion on Jesus. He will then justly accept you as His own.

If you are sure: Know: Whatever the cost, whatever the loss, whatever the shame of playing your role in following Jesus, He is worth it.

By faith, be like Joseph. Trust the promises. Fulfill your part in God’s plan. And enter the joy of your Master.

[This devotion is based on the December 20 sermon. You can watch or listen to that service here.]

Be Faithful, For the Faithful One Controls the Future

The year is 1810. You are one of the parents of four daughters; your youngest, Ann, nicknamed Nancy, is 21. One day you receive a letter from a young man you met only one month previously, asking to begin a courtship of Ann.

That’s not surprising – she is attractive, outgoing, and highly intelligent. But no parent has ever received a request for courtship quite like this one. Let me quote:

I have now to ask, whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next Spring, to see her no more in this world; whether you can consent to her departure for a heathen land, and her subjection to the hardships and sufferings of missionary life; whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean; to the fatal influence of the southern climate of India; to every kind of want and distress; to degradation, insult, persecution, and perhaps a violent death. Can you consent to all this, for the sake of Him who left His heavenly home and died for her and for you; for the sake of perishing, immortal souls; for the sake of Zion, and the glory of God? Can you consent to all this, in hope of soon meeting your daughter in the world of glory with a crown of righteousness, brightened by the acclamations of praise which shall redound to her Savior from the heathens saved, through her means, from eternal woe and despair? (emphasis added)

The request came from Adoniram Judson. Ann’s parents were John and Rebecca Hasseltine.

If you were John or Rebecca: How would you respond? Would you say no? Why? Would you say yes? Why?

How does faith in God – the God of the promises – influence your answer?

Every day we make decisions – on big, important matters, like marriage, and on small, seemingly trivial matters, like what to say to the checkout clerk at the grocery store.

Scripture tells us:

  • Make every decision, even trivial ones, to the glory of God.
  • Make every decision, even trivial ones, on the basis of faith in the promise-keeping God.
  • Make every decision, even trivial ones, by faith and not by sight.

So following Scripture – by faith, not by sight, to the glory of God – what answer would you give Adoniram?

This is our fourth sermon on this great eleventh chapter of the book of Hebrews. This chapter highlights how God has worked through the centuries to fulfill His promises, how He has raised up men and women of faith to trust in Him, to trust in those promises; how He has used them to advance His great plan of redemption, all culminating in Jesus – who Himself is the supreme man of faith. If we have faith in Him, we will join all these mentioned in Hebrews 11 at the culmination of God’s plans when Jesus reigns over His eternal kingdom.

Last week, we began discussing Abraham and Sarah. God calls Abraham to leave comfort, security, and family, to go he knows not where. God promises Him that in his offspring, all the families of the earth will be blessed. Later God elaborates: Abraham’s descendants will be as many as the stars in the heavens. God had earlier promised the first woman, Eve, that her descendant would crush the head of the serpent, Satan. Abraham’s descendant will fulfill both promises.

So, by faith in God, trusting in God’s promises, Abraham goes out – and never has a permanent dwelling again.

But He has promises of God – and he makes sure those around him know: the world not his home. God will bring him to a homeland, an eternal city – with foundations!

As time goes on, Abraham and Sarah must believe the seemingly impossible promise that a 90 year old woman way past the possibility of getting pregnant will give birth to a son.

God does give them their son Isaac in their old age. And God does fulfill the promise to Abraham and the promise to Eve through Isaac. For Jesus is Isaac’s physical descendant. Satan’s power is broken at the cross and the empty tomb, and Jesus will crush that serpent’s head on the last day. God is bringing those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation to His family by faith in Jesus. All those in Christ are Abraham’s children through that faith. Isaac is the child of the promise.

Today we consider an event that takes place when Isaac is about 13. God tells Abraham once again to leave his home and go where He will show him – but the problem this time is not in what he must leave; it is in what he must do. “Offer as a burnt offering your son, your only son, whom you love.” John and Rebecca Hasseltine were asked to say goodbye to their precious daughter, knowing they likely would never see her again. But Abraham had to raise the knife to kill his beloved son: “By faith, Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac” (Hebrews 11:17).

We’ll consider our text – Hebrews 11:17-22 – under three headings:

Faith in God’s Promised Future (verses 20-22)

Radical Obedience that Comes from Faith (verses 17-19)

Five Exhortations

Faith in God’s Promised Future

By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones. (Hebrews 11:20-22)

Isaac blesses his twin sons Jacob and Esau in weird circumstances, as recorded in Genesis 27; Jacob in turn blesses his grandsons through Joseph after worshiping God, as recorded in Genesis 47 and 48; the dying Joseph speaks of the exodus from Egypt, asking that the Israelites take his bones with them when they leave.

We see clearly that Abraham can only offer Isaac as a sacrifice by faith. But in what sense are these acts by faith?

We all wish our children to be blessed. We all pray for our children to be blessed. Some of us make requests for what becomes of our bodies, or our ashes, after we die.

So what’s unusual or different about what Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph do? Why does the author of Hebrews mention them here, in this way?

Because they are not just stating wishes. They are not just making requests. They are not simply praying. They are trusting in the God who has promised!

Remember, God reiterated his promise to Abraham to both Isaac and Jacob: God promises Isaac: “I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 26:4). So by faith Isaac entrusted that promise to Jacob. God promises Jacob: “Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 28:14). By faith, Jacob entrusted part of that promise to Joseph’s sons.

And what about Joseph? Remember, the entire family want to Egypt during Joseph’s day. Joseph says to his brothers:

“I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” (Genesis 50:24-25)

How did Joseph know that the Israelites will leave Egypt?

Back in Genesis 15, God had said to Abraham: “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out” (Genesis 15:13-14)

Abraham undoubtedly had passed that promise down from generation to generation. So Joseph knows that though he is the second most powerful ruler in Egypt, his descendants will be oppressed. And one day, hundreds of years in the future, God will bring them out. So he – the one who brought the family to Egypt – wants his remains to leave Egypt. God has promised. The exodus will come about.

Recall Hebrews 11:1 and 6:

“Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen” (CSB). “Whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

Furthermore, “It is impossible for God to lie” (Hebrews 6:18).

So: Isaac could bless Jacob, Jacob could bless Joseph’s sons, and Joseph could speak of the exodus and his bones because God had promised. They had faith in the God Who promises, Who fulfills every promise.

What is equivalent for us? What does this type of faith look like for us?

We can hold just so surely to the promises God gives us. Indeed, we can bless children and grandchildren in a similar way. Sure, we can pray for health, for marriage, for happiness, for career success for them. But we don’t trust in those by faith, for God does not promise anyone healthy, successful lives.

But what does God promise?

  • He promises that In Christ, He will provide everything needed for them to fulfil His purposes and to become like Jesus.
  • He promises that in Christ, He will be our shepherd –we need fear no evil, for He will be with us
  • He promises that In Christ, He is our strength and our shield –men who will die can do nothing against Him
  • He promises that In Christ – He will work all things together to glorify Himself through us, to conform us to His image, and to bring us safely to His eternal Kingdom

As the Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 1:20, by faith, we know that all the promises of God are yes in Christ Jesus. So we can pray for these and other promises to be fulfilled in our children, by faith confident that God will fulfill them all if those children are in Christ.

God controls the future. His promises reveal how He will act in the future. Nothing can divert Him from fulfilling those promises. So we can speak to others of these promises with confidence.

Let’s now see how these ideas inform our understanding of Abraham’s offering of Isaac as a sacrifice.

Radical Obedience that Comes from Faith

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” He considered (or “reckoned” or “reasoned”) that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. (Hebrews 11:17-19)

Abraham not only received the promises (verse 17), he “embraced” them (NIV). He loved them. He reminded himself of them. They were most precious to Him.

Like Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph in verses 20-22, Abraham knows that God controls the future and that He has spoken of the future. Abraham trusts in the promise of the promiser.

Furthermore, God has proven Himself faithful to Abraham. God has already done the impossible, granting new life in a dead womb, just as He had promised. And God had told Abraham in Genesis 17:19, “I will establish my covenant with [Isaac] as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.” So when God says: “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you” (Genesis 22:2), Abraham “considered,” “reckoned,” or “reasoned” thus: God brought Isaac into being when there was no human hope for a child; He can bring Isaac back to life when he is dead. We see this confidence in Genesis 22:5, when Abraham says to his servants, “I and the boy will … come again to you” (emphasis added).

You see? There is no way that the God who controls the future, the God who is faithful to His every promise, will let Isaac remain dead. He has promised Abraham as many descendants as the stars through Isaac; He has promised to bless all the families of the nations through Isaac. So Isaac must have descendants. Isaac must live.

God’s promise to Abraham was that certain. So Abraham displays this radical obedience

What about you and me? How do we display similar radical obedience by faith?

Five Exhortations

The first provides the foundation for the other four:

1) Know God’s promises

Know what God has promised. Know what He has not promised.

Many in the worldwide church think God has promised what He has not. When He then does not fulfill what He has not promised, many lose their faith in what He has promised.

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph knew what God had truly promised; by faith, they acted on those promises. We must do the same: Know the promises from Scripture; memorize the promises; hold fast to the promises; act, trusting in those promises.

2) Trust God’s promises

We can know God’s promises and yet not trust them. We can say, “Yes, God works all things together for the good of those who love Him,” and the next minute get angry and upset because someone cuts us off in traffic.

So trust – that God is my shepherd; I shall not lack anything pertaining to life and godliness. I need fear no evil, for He is with me. Goodness and lovingkindness will pursue me all the days of my life. I will dwell in house of Lord forever. God will supply all my needs in accordance with His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

3) Help one another to trust God’s promises

This is one key purpose of the church, one key way we spur one another on to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24-25). Remind one another of the promises; encourage one another with the promises; tell one another of God’s faithfulness to His promises.

4) Like Abraham: Follow God even when it makes no earthly sense– because you can trust in His promises

That’s the radical obedience that comes from faith.

5) Follow God, trusting in His promises today

If we look ahead to next week and next year and future decades, trusting God can seem overwhelming. We can imagine all sorts of problems, dangers, and disappointments that might occur.

But God doesn’t give us the grace today to trust Him tomorrow. He gives us grace today to trust Him today. Indeed, we can’t trust Him for tomorrow today; we can only trust Him for today today.

So Jesus tells us – don’t worry. Ask God for what you need for that day. His mercies are new every morning. Seek first His Kingdom, and know that all you need for that Kingdom will be added to you. Don’t be anxious for tomorrow; trust God today for today’s troubles (see Matthew 6:24-34, Lamentations 3:22-24).

Conclusion

We left John and Rebecca Hasseltine with the decision: Do they allow Adoniram Judson to court their youngest daughter Ann?

They gave their consent. Adoniram and Ann were married about 18 months later, and almost immediately sailed for India, eventually ending up in Burma.

Ann never returned. She never saw her family again. Indeed, during the next 13 years, Ann and Adoniram suffered horrible hardships. They were blessed with children, but all of them died in infancy. Ann and Adoniram were separated almost as much as they were together, frequently not knowing if the other was still alive. Adoniram suffered a lengthy imprisonment in terrible conditions; he would have died had Ann not come and ministered to him in the prison.

Then, during one of their lengthy separations, Ann became ill and died. She had not seen her husband for 3 1/2 months. Four weeks passed before news of her death reached Adoniram.

Was God faithful to His promises?

Adoniram and Ann knew that He was.

Go back to Adoniram’s letter asking for permission to court her. He didn’t downplay the dangers and hardships – rather he enumerated them. He asked for John and Rebecca’s consent for the sake of Jesus, who sacrificed Himself, for the sake of immortal souls, who would come to faith in Jesus, for the glory of God, in the hope of their meeting Ann again in that promised Kingdom, after she had been used by God to bring others to faith.

God fulfilled those promises.

Ann Judson’s life was hard – exceptionally hard. And God glorified His Name through her. He remained her ever present help in trouble. He fulfilled His purposes in her. He brought her safely to His heavenly Kingdom.

God works the same way today – for all those in Christ Jesus.

So believe in Jesus. Believe in the God who promises. Believe – and, trusting, step out in radical obedience.

For He controls the future.

[This sermon was preached November 8, 2020. The audio of the sermon and video of the entire service are available at this link. The recorded service is available via Youtube at this link. For more on Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac, listen to these two sermons from 2004 on Genesis 22: first, second.]

 

 

 

Disagreements? In Church?

Disagreements? In Church? By Coty Pinckney

[This devotion is based on a talk given October 14 at the Treasuring Christ Together 2020 retreat. An earlier version of the paraphrase of Romans 14 is in this blog post. These two sermons from 2018 (first, second) provide more of the biblical foundation for the principles discussed here.]

Christians are one in Christ. God makes us one.

But although we are one, we differ. We disagree on trivial matters – should the Dodgers or the Rays win the World Series? But we also disagree about deeply held convictions: On political matters – should Christians vote Republican, Democrat, or neither? On education – should Christians send their children to public school, private school, or home school? On Christian behavior – how should we dress? What should we consume? On LGBT issues – how should we interact with family members who come out?

Furthermore, we not only disagree about such issues. We even disagree on whether such disagreements are important!

What does Scripture tell us about such disagreements?

The most helpful passage is Romans 14:1-15:7. Let’s draw five principles for how we handle disagreements from this great text. (more…)

The Mortal Danger in Social Action

“I now think that making God secondary (which in the end is to make Him nothing) is … the mortal danger in social action, especially in view of the marked intimations of virtue – even arrogant virtue – that often perilously accompany it. Some may avoid this danger, perhaps. But I was not obeying the first and greatest commandment – to love God first – nor is it clear that I was obeying the second – to love my neighbor. Hating the oppressors of my neighbor isn’t perhaps what Christ had in mind.”
Sheldon Vanauken (1914-1996), from the afterword to A Severe Mercy (1977), reflecting on his involvement in the antiwar movement in the 1960s. Emphasis in the original.

Do Justice!

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase, “Do justice!”

This summer in the US, most of us think immediately of racial issues: the deaths of George Floyd and others, protests, and the subsequent articles and arguments about white privilege, systemic racism, and related matters.

“Do justice” is a biblical command:

What does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8b)

What does this command mean? How is it related to the national issues that come to mind these days when we hear the phrase?

Let’s look at the verse and its context in order to answer these questions. We shall see: While Micah 6:8 speaks only tangentially to society-level justice, it is especially relevant to the situation facing our country today.

The Context

“The LORD has an indictment against his people” (Micah 6:2). God continues: “O my people, what have I done to you? How have I wearied you? Answer me!” (Micah 6:3). So the people are weary of God. They are tired of Him.

God then emphasizes His past goodness toward them – indeed, His purchasing of them as His own: “I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam” (Micah 6:4). They are in relationship with God – and have been for hundreds of years. He is their redeemer, their Savior – as well as the provider of their great human leaders.

The people respond in verses 6-7, expressing their weariness of Him, their frustration with Him. In effect, they say:

“What do you want from us, God? Thousands of burnt offerings? Huge contributions of oil? Or perhaps our firstborn sons! You’re so unreasonable! You’re so hard to satisfy! You’re impossible!”

God then, in His grace, speaks the words they need to hear:

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8).

God says: “I’ve told you what is right and good; remember what I have spoken in word and communicated in deed. I am the source of your freedom from slavery; I am the source of your existence as a people; you are recipients of great grace! And my ‘requirements’ are not actions you take to appease me nor pro forma religious rituals.”

God then gives them three “requirements.” Let’s consider them in reverse order.

Walk humbly with your God

That is: He is your God. He is your Redeemer. You belong to Him! You are His people! So don’t think in a demeaning way about Him – as if He is unreasonable and so you are justified in being weary of Him. And don’t think highly of yourself. Don’t think highly of what you can offer to God or do for Him. Instead (using the words of Deuteronomy 6:5 which Jesus highlights as “the great commandment,” on which all the prophets depend, including Micah) love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

So God’s third “requirement” points toward the great commandment; the first two “requirements” point toward the second greatest commandment, love your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18).

Love kindness

We could translate this phrase from the Hebrew as “love love” since Micah uses two words that both refer to love, often in the context of a covenant. But scholars tell us the emphasis here is not on emotions but rather on love in action: We are to show respect, benevolence, mercy, grace, kindness, concern, generosity and faithfulness to others, not conditioning our care for them on their response. Instead, since we have received mercy and grace and kindness from God, we are to show others the same (Matthew 18:21-35).

We clearly live out this “requirement” in our families, churches, workplaces, and neighborhoods, as well as with those individuals we encounter along the way (as in Luke 10:25-37). This “requirement” concerns our personal interactions with others – not our attempts to change the wider society.

Do justice

The NIV and Holman-Christian render this “act justly;” a commentator suggests, “Practice justice.” That is: Treat others as if they are made in the image of God – for they are! In particular, treat as God’s image-bearers those you might be tempted to look down upon – those weaker than you, or less influential, or less well-informed, or less educated, or less cool, or younger, or older, or of a different ethnicity, or of a different religion, or holding different political opinions, or having different interests. Remember, you are no closer to God than anyone else because of who you are or what you have done. If you are closer to God than others, it is only because of His grace toward you. So give all others the justice they deserve as God’s image bearers.

As with “love kindness,” we live out this “requirement” primarily in our personal interactions with those in our circles of relationships. So this, again, is a way of actualizing “love your neighbor as yourself.”

Societal Issues

So if we fulfill Micah 6:8’s third “requirement” by loving God, and the first two “requirements” by loving those in our circles of relationships, does this verse have anything to say about societal issues?

Yes. We care about societal issues because we love our neighbors. We care about how society treats or mistreats individuals that we love. So if we are to do justice and love kindness, we will do what we can to influence our public institutions so our neighbors experience justice and kindness. Indeed, parts of the Old Testament – which was written not only to common people but also to kings, rulers, and high priests – explicitly command these influential people to effect justice and kindness in the nation (see, for example, Deuteronomy 17:18-20, Ezekiel 34, Micah 3, and Isaiah 58). Living in a democracy, we all have at least a modicum of influence over the direction of our society – and we should exercise that influence to achieve the same outcomes God instructs Old Testament kings to pursue.

However, we must always remember: We do justice and love kindness first and foremost in the way we act toward individuals around us. Unless I become president, this is where I have the greatest influence.

Furthermore, history shows us that those who dedicate themselves to righting what they perceive as injustices in society very often violate Micah 6:8. They often fail to walk humbly before God, thinking of themselves as saviors to society; and in their attempts to bring about a future utopia, they trample over thousands – and sometimes millions – of individuals. They also often stir up a hatred for their political opponents. And hating those who hate your neighbor is not the same as loving your neighbor.

So do justice. Love kindness. Walk humbly before your God. By all means, after praying for wisdom, vote in the way you think will improve our country, state, and city. Consider being involved in other ways that influence our wider society.

But Micah 6:8 instructs us: whatever your involvement on societal issues, always, on every occasion, walk humbly before the God who redeemed you, who had mercy on you. And so act justly to the individuals around you and to those you encounter. Love kindness. Love your neighbor as yourself – for Jesus’ sake.

[This is an edited version of the devotion Coty gave at the August 23 DGCC members meeting.]