Love, Suffering, Obedience – and Resurrection

What is love?

There are a thousand answers to that question, since we use the word “love” in so many different ways. So let’s narrow the question down:

What is God’s love? And what does it look like when we love with God’s love?

In a recent book – A Loving Life: In a World of Broken Relationships – Paul Miller argues that this type of love is a one-way covenant; we step out in love without needing or even expecting a response. This makes us vulnerable, and often leads to suffering. We rightly cry out in lament over such suffering. But faith holds on to God’s covenant love in the midst of suffering, so that we continue to walk in obedience – we continue to love. In this we are following the path of Jesus’ life – love, suffering, death. But Jesus rose from the dead. And as God raised Jesus, He similarly will bring about a form of resurrection in us.

Miller masterfully brings out these truths from the book of Ruth, following Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz through their journeys of love, suffering, lament, obedience, and resurrection. Consider these selections – and may we follow the path of love.

Love and Covenant

[We learn through the storyline of Scripture that God’s love is a one-sided covenant, His determination to do good to His people, to redeem them, to make them His, despite their rebellion and disobedience. Thus, God’s love is also covenantal. Our love, if it is to be like God’s, must also be covenantal. The Hebrew word most often used of God’s love for His people is hesed. Paul Miller sometimes uses this word as an adjective to clarify that he is referring to that type of love.]

[There is a] modern myth that says, “Love is a feeling. If the feeling is gone, then love is gone.” Hollywood has no resources to endure in love when the feeling is gone. Actually, that’s the point when we are ready to learn how to love. 285

Ruth walks into the city ignored and, in effect, alone. One of the hardest parts of a hesed love is that you can love others, but there may be no one to love you. The very act of loving can make you lonely. . . .

But that loneliness, that dying, instead of being the end of you, can display Jesus’s beauty in you. The moment when you think everything has gone wrong is exactly the moment when the beauty of God is shining through you. True glory is almost always hidden—when you are enduring quietly with no cheering crowd. 809

The question is not “How do I feel about this relationship?” but “Have I been faithful to my word, to the covenants I am in?” As Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount, “If you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?” (Matt. 5:46). In other words, if I love only when I feel like it, then I’ve really not understood love. 923

[After Ruth goes to Boaz’s field:] If you are bent on pursuing personal freedom, you remain frozen hunting for the perfect field, the perfect person. You never land. You have to commit to make love work. We don’t love in general. We love someone, somewhere. Setting our affections on someone always means narrowing down. Election and love are inseparable. This goes against the spirit of our age, which prizes independence and perfection. . . . Often our difficulties with love are simply that we react to the constriction that accompanies love. But that constriction is inherent in love. To love is to limit. . . .

Ironically, the experience of love, of narrowing your life, broadens and deepens your life. The narrower your life, the broader your soul. . . . Love always involves a narrowing of the life, a selecting of imperfection. 1072

Life is a path or pilgrimage. It is lived not in isolated moments, but in trajectories of reaping and sowing. Everything we do now creates the person we are becoming. We do not live in an impersonal, rigid world in which obedience mechanically dispenses reward; we live in our Father’s world, a richly textured world organized around invisible bonds that knit us together. All of life is covenant. 1319

[Consider covenant as a kind of limitation:] Repentance often drives the journey of love. It moves the story forward. Because Naomi returned home, God’s grace will be unleashed in her life. Repentance involves a returning to the box, to the world of limits, that my Father has given me. I stop creating my own story and submit to the story that God is weaving. . . .

Life is like a beautiful garden with a tree whose fruit I can’t touch. That “no” defines and shapes my life in the garden. So my relationship with my wife is like a wonderful garden with a solitary “no”: I cannot touch or develop emotional intimacy with another woman. That “no” narrows and limits my life. It provides a frame for my love to Jill. I am keenly aware that I can destroy a forty-year marriage in five minutes. That limiting, instead of boxing us in, lets the story come alive. 852

Love and Suffering

Suffering is the crucible for love. We don’t learn how to love anywhere else. Don’t misunderstand; suffering doesn’t create love, but it is a hothouse where love can emerge. Why is that? The great barrier to love is ego, the life of the self. In long-term suffering, if you don’t give in to self-pity, slowly, almost imperceptibly, self dies. This death of self offers ideal growing conditions for love. 221

Self-pity, [that is,] compassion turned inward, drives this downward spiral. Instead of reflecting on the wounds of Christ, I nurse my own wounds. Self-as-victim is the great narrative of our age. . . . Enshrining the victim is so seductive because you have been hurt. But self-pity is just another form of self-righteousness, and like all self-righteousness it isolates and elevates. It elevates you because it says you are better than the other person; you are the victim. It isolates you because you live in and are nourished by your interior world, which can’t be criticized. 1677

Suffering and Lament

[We often do our best to hide our suffering. Indeed, sometimes we confuse laments over suffering with lack of faith. But Paul Miller argues that Scripture is full of laments, and that lamentation is a necessary step on the path to hesed love.]

A lament puts us in an openly dependent position, where our brokenness reflects the brokenness of the world. It’s pure authenticity. Holding it in, not giving voice to the lament, can be a way of putting a good face on it. But to not lament puts God at arm’s length and has the potential of splitting us. We appear okay, but we are really brokenhearted. (emphasis added) 693

Listening to a lament is a powerful way of loving someone who is suffering. By being present, by not correcting or even offering our own unique brand of Christian encouragement (“It’s going to be all right – God’s in control”), we give those who are grieving space to be themselves.

This doesn’t mean that Naomi’s judgment of God is correct. God is good and just. He will answer her frustration with more goodness. Naomi was interpreting God through the lens of her experience.

She stopped in the middle of the story and measured God. A deeper faith waits until the end of the story and interprets experience through the lens of God’s faithfulness. Is this something we tell Naomi? No. It is what we tell ourselves. Good theology lets us endure quietly with someone else’s pain when all the pieces aren’t together. It acts like invisible faith-glue. 706

The opposite danger of not lamenting is over-lamenting. Dwelling on a lament is the breeding ground for bitterness. Bitterness is a wound nursed. Our culture’s emphasis on the sacredness of feelings often gives people an unspoken theology of bitterness. They feel entitled to it.727

Faith, Love and Obedience

[Difficult situations compel us to conclude:] You simply do not have the power or wisdom or ability in yourself to love. You know without a shadow of a doubt that you can’t love. That is the beginning of faith—knowing you can’t love. Faith is the power for love. 617

Unlike the Israelites who wanted to return to Egypt, Naomi is obeying, doing the right thing by returning to the Promised Land. Her feelings were all over the place, but she put one foot in front of the other as she returned. We can summarize her response this way:

Bitterness openly expressed to God + obedience  => a raw, pure form of faith

Bitterness openly expressed + disobedience => rebellion

Through a sheer act of will, Naomi continues to show up for life. In C.S. Lewis’s Screwtape Letters, the senior devil, Screwtape, warns his junior devil of the danger of this obedience.

Do not be deceived, Wormwood. Our cause [the Devil’s cause] is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending to do our Enemy’s will [God’s will], looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys. 747

Ruth’s act of loving put her at the bottom of society, but she doesn’t push back on her lowered status. She accepts the cost of love. Like Jesus, she takes the lower place. Love and humility are inseparable.

When serving is combined with humility, the serving becomes almost pleasurable. You are thankful for any gift given you. In contrast, pride can’t bear the weight of unequal love. . . . ride makes others’ joy, or even the possibility of our own joy, feel phony. It is an odd sort of authenticity where we demand that others be as depressed as we are. 1393

Jealousy is extraordinarily deceptive. It is by far the most destructive sin in communities and organizations that I’ve been a part of, and yet, I seldom hear it mentioned or confessed. It always masks itself as something else, creating a hidden chain of slander that drags someone down. A multiheaded hydra, it begins with an inability to rejoice with another’s success, leaks out as gossip, and finally erupts as slander. Jealousy seeks to gain by destroying others, while hesed  [love] loses by giving itself. One is the heart of evil. The other is pure gospel.  1494

Many Christians get stuck trying to grow their faith by growing their faith. They try to get closer to Jesus by getting closer to Jesus. Practically, that means they combine spiritual disciplines (the Word and prayer) with reflection on the love of God for them. But that will only get you so far. In fact it often leads to spiritual moodiness where you are constantly taking your pulse wondering how much you know the love of God for you. Or you go on an endless idol hunt trying to uncover ever deeper layers of sin. Oddly enough, this can lead to a concentration on the self, a kind of spiritual narcissism. Ruth discovers God and his blessing as she obeys, as she submits to the life circumstances that God has given her. So instead of running from the really hard thing in your life, embrace it as a gift from God to draw you into his life. 2095

Obedience and Resurrection

[Miller discusses how the life of loving obedience often follows the shape of a J-curve: Our love and obedience leads to suffering, and so our life seems to get worse. But God brings about the upward slope of the “J” – in ways that we cannot know ahead of time, following trajectories that we never expected.]

[God teaches] us to love by overloading our systems so we are forced to cry for grace. God permits our lives to become overwhelming, putting us on the downward slope of the J-curve so we come to the end of ourselves. I encouraged my friend to embrace the downward path, not to push against it or worry about where his feelings were with his wife. Jesus said, “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. . . . No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord” (John 10:11, 18). Seeing the gospel as a journey remaps our stories by embedding them in the larger story of Jesus’s death and resurrection. His normal becomes our normal. 1004

Here’s what I have learned going through the J-curve:
1. We don’t know how or when resurrection will come. It is God’s work, not ours.
2. We don’t even know what a resurrection will look like. We can’t demand the shape or timing of a resurrection.
3. Like Jesus, we must embrace the death that the Father has put in front of us. The path to resurrection is through dying, not fighting.
4. If we endure, resurrection always comes. God is alive! 1021

We can do death. But we can’t do resurrection. We can’t demand resurrection—we wait for it. 1032

 May we love, suffer, lament, believe, obey – and see resurrection!

[Paul Miller, A Loving Life: In a World of Broken Relationships (Crossway, 2014). Numbers after the quotations are Kindle locations.]

 

Where is Your Joy?

What would make you happy?

Do you ever think, “If I only had ______, I would be happy?”

  • “If I only had another $10,000 annually . . .
  • “If I only had a nicer, more reliable car . . .
  • “If I only had an Iphone . . .
  • “If I only had a better job, a better boss . . .
  • “If I only had a wife, a husband . . .
  • “If we only had children . . .

Many people think that more money, more material assets, or a better family situation would make them happy.

Most of us know that Scripture tells us that is not the case, that we are to find our greatest joy in God. Indeed, our mission statements as a church states that truth: We exist to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the JOY of all peoples.”

But how does Scripture argue that having a passion for God is truly the way to happiness? And is that consistent with what we see around us?

In this series, we are considering: Where Do You Find Identity, Security, and Joy? A Scriptural Understanding of Money, Giving, and Material Possessions. We’ve seen that we can’t find our identity in money, possessions, our jobs, or even our families. We are to find out identity in what God does through His Son: We are adopted into His family, we are His beloved children, we are heirs, joint-heirs with Christ.

We’ve also seen that it’s foolish to trust in money or possessions for security, for we may lose them all in this life, and will definitely lose them all at death. And it demeans God for us to rely on His gifts for security, rather than to trust Him. But when we trust God, we must understand what He promises. He doesn’t promise us any easy life. He doesn’t even promise that we won’t suffer hardship, illness, persecution, or early death. Yet He does promise that He will use every hardship for our good and His glory. Nothing will separate us from His love. He will bring us to Himself, and will wipe every tear from our eyes

As we turn to joy, consider the attitude of children toward their parents. Some children are loyal to their parents, and are thankful to be part of a family – but they don’t love their parents. They don’t take joy in their parents.

Or consider the attitude many of us have toward the US military. We are protected by the military, and are grateful to those who serve well. But that’s different from loving the military, from taking joy in the military.

In the same, it’s possible to be thankful to God for salvation, to be grateful for the security He promises, yet not to see Him as treasure, not to love Him with our heart, soul, mind, and strength, not to delight in Him above the joy we take in His gifts.

And to do that is not a minor sin. It is demeaning to God. It is idolatry.

So let us consider Scripture’s commands in this regard, and Scripture’s arguments so that we might truly rejoice in God, and in His Son Jesus Christ.

 

1) Scripture Commands Us to Rejoice in the Lord

a) We are to rejoice because He gives us identity and security

Note that Scripture does tell us to rejoice in the Lord because of the identity and security He gives us. For example, the psalmist says “The Lord is my strength and my song, he has become my salvation” (Psalm 118:14).  He sings a song of delight, in part, because of the security God provides.

b) We are to rejoice primarily because of Who He is

Turn to Psalm 100. Recall that when our English Bibles print the word “Lord” in all caps, the Hebrew word is not a title but the name of God, likely pronounced “Yahweh.” Substituting “Yahweh” for Lord helps us to get the point of this psalm, especially the phrase, “Yahweh is God.”

The psalm begins with three commands, each telling us to rejoice:

Make a joyful noise to Yahweh, all the earth!
Serve [worship] Yahweh with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!

Why are we to rejoice?

Know that the Yahweh, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Note that the psalmist rejoices in part in the identity and security God gives him. But more than that, He rejoices that God created us for a purpose; He created us for Himself. He created us for His praise. He is the only God, and He is truly God. So He alone is worthy of such praise.

Verse 4 then reiterates the command to delight in Him:

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!

Verse 5 then explains the primary source of this delight: God has revealed His character to us, and He is the proper object of our delight.

For Yahweh is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

He is good – he does not do evil, nor is He influenced by evil. He is loving – and that love will never end.

He is faithful, fulfilling every promise – and that will continue through all human history.

So you must delight in God. He made you – for Himself! He gives you identity, He gives you security, and these should lead to joy. But most of all: Delight in God for who He is: Good, loving, faithful.

 

2) God Gives Us the Only Possible Joy in the Next Life

It’s illogical to expect money to provide us with lasting joy, because you are eternal and money is not. You need a source of joy after the end of this life, and money won’t provide that.

Jesus speaks of this eternal joy as treasure in heaven:

Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Luke 12:32)

IF you hold on to your possessions in this life, you will lose all. There are thieves. There are moths. The most effective thief of all is death. Your possessions will not provide one bit of joy after death.

But treasures in heaven will never be taken away. For no thieves, no moths, can take from you the joy of being in God’s presence. And that’s the greatest of all the treasures in heaven: Not the streets paved with gold, not the gates made from a single pearl, but seeing Jesus face to face, being in the presence of God the Father always.

Both the Old and New Testaments highlight the joy that is ours eternally as we see God face to face:

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11)

On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. 7 And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. 8 He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. 9 It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD/Yahweh; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” (Isaiah 25:6-9)

And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. (Isaiah 35:10)

“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” . . .  6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:3-4, 6-8)

In Revelation, note the similarity with the images from Isaiah 35: God wipes away our tears; He removes death. But the Revelation passage goes further. Here there are only two categories of people: Some are children of God, loved, comforted, having joy for all eternity. The others – those lacking faith – have their portion in the lake of fire. All are in one group or the other.

So we are to rejoice in Him:

  • For the identity and security He gives us
  • For His character that He reveals to us
  • For the eternity of joy He offers to all through Jesus Christ – the only alternative to eternal suffering.

 

3) And He Gives Us Great Joy Now

But there is an additional reason to rejoice in God. He gives us great joy in the present. Consider four points:

a) Eternal joy gives us joy today

Imagine you receive letter saying a rich, unknown relative died and left you $5 million. You check it out and find that the letter is not from some scammer in Nigeria, but is indeed genuine. You have to pick up the check at the Bank of America building uptown. As you are walking down Tryon Street, you you’re your friend: “Hey, on my way to pick up check for $5 mil.” But someone bumps into you right when you hit send. You drop the phone. The screen shatters.

How do you react?

Do you say, “Oh, no, my Iphone is destroyed! And I’ve got 18 more months on my contract!”

No! You’re about to pick up a check for $5 million! You can buy hundreds of Iphones! Forget the broken screen; rejoice!

Just so, the eternal joy promised us puts sorrows and failures in this life into perspective. We rejoice today because of the promises yet to be fulfilled.

b) Money and possessions do not give us true joy

We already read Psalm 16:11; fullness of joy is in God’s presence, not elsewhere.

Psalm 4:7 directly compares the joy from God with the joy from material goods:

You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.

Note that the psalmist is not saying “I will have more joy eternally than they have now.” Rather, he says, “You have put more joy in my heart.” He is speaking of the present. He sees God’s enemies having plenty of food, plenty of drink. They look to be having a great party. But the psalmist says: “I have more joy because of You than the joy that comes from the greatest party. I have more joy because of You than that produced by Mercedes and mansions.

Furthermore:

c) Riches don’t satisfy even now

Even many of those who have an abundance of riches and know nothing about the joys of fellowship with God are not happy on their own terms. Ecclesiastes 5:10 states this well:

Whoever loves money never has money enough;
whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. (NIV)

When I was in graduate school, we were part of a church in Silicon Valley. There were rich people all around us. And many, many were profoundly unhappy. Our pastor, Ray Stedman, labeled this unhappiness “Destination Sickness:” The illness that occurs when you get everything you thought you wanted, everything you worked for, everything you thought would make you happy, and find that you are still dissatisfied.

You don’t have to go to California to witness this disease. Pick up a newspaper almost any day and read of successful, rich people whose lives are a mess, who are fundamentally unhappy.

Riches are often like a drug: They give us a high, but to maintain the high, we have to obtain more and more and more and more. If we love money: We will always want more, no matter how much we have. And we will always worry that we may lose what we have. So we remain dissatisfied.

So money cannot give us joy.

God gives us joy in the future and also in the present. Let’s turn to one way He gives us joy now:

c) We have joy as we fulfill the purpose of our creation

What is that purpose?

Isaiah 43:6-7 refer to God’s scattered sons and daughters, “Whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” Thus, our purpose is to glorify Him.

Now, it’s not immediately clear that there is a link between glorifying Him and having joy. Indeed, we all know people who will sing, “O praise Him, O praise Him, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah!” with no joy whatsoever.

But God’s command to glorify Him is not burdensome. Fulfilling the command does not diminish our joy – father it is a way to joy.

Consider Psalm 67:3-4. First, a translation note. The Hebrew verbs here are in a form similar to imperatives. Most English translations use the word “let” to communicate the imperative. But “let” is ambiguous, making the verse sound as if we are asking God to give the peoples permission to praise Him. I’ll read these verses using “must” instead, which communicates the imperative force of the verbs unambiguously:

The peoples must praise you, O God;
all the peoples must praise you!
The nations must be glad and sing for joy.

As Isaiah 43 shows us, all humanity is created for God’s glory. So all the peoples must praise Him. But the psalmist then draws a parallel between praising Him and being glad, between praising Him and singing for joy.

Consider it this way: Our Creator made us to this end. He made us to take joy in Him. With that in our makeup, whenever we look elsewhere, we will eventually be disappointed. We will eventually be dissatisfied. If we do finally submit to Him, however, we find great joy, as we discover, “This is what I was made to do!”

Imagine if Usain Bolt had tried to be a weightlifter. Imagine that he goes to the gym day after day, and keeps lifting weights, but finds that others far surpass him. But then one day on a lark he goes to the track, and runs. This man was made to run! Consider his joy in discovering, “This is what I was created to do!”

That’s the joy that is ours when we turn from what never satisfies, and fulfill the purpose of our creation: Living to the praise of God’s glorious grace.

d) There is more joy in Him even when we suffer

At this point, some of you might say, “Ok, Coty, I agree that money doesn’t satisfy. I agree that God promises us joy eternally. But you’ve also said that God doesn’t guarantee freedom from suffering. And life is hard! I’ve been sick; I’ve been disappointed. People have let me down. My loved ones are suffering; others have turned their backs of Jesus; others have died young after terrible pain. And you’re telling me: This is joy?”

That’s a logical question. A good question. A question that Scripture addresses directly:

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.  10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.  11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. (John 15:9-11)

What does this have to do with suffering?

Remember that Jesus makes this statement the night before his crucifixion. In the next 24 hours, Judas will betray Him, He will be beaten, whipped, and mocked; soldiers will drive nails through His flesh; they will hang Him up naked on a cross; He will die a horrible, painful death.

This is the man who says: The Father has loved me. I remain in His love. And I have great joy in Him.

We have to understand that if we are to understand His command to us. He tells us, “You are to remain in my love. Keep my commandments. Stick close to me, and you will  have my joy, fullness of joy, joy overflowing – regardless of your circumstances, just as I have joy, regardless of my suffering.

Paul makes a similar statement in Romans 5:2-5:

Through [the Lord Jesus Christ] we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Even in our suffering, we know that God is at work. He uses suffering to conform us to the character of Jesus. And He gives us the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, the Encourager, to remind us of God’s love, and to demonstrate God’s love to us.

Finally, consider the story of the Habakkuk. The prophet writes this book about 20 years after a great revival under King Josiah. But he has seen the revival peter out, and the land filled with corruption, evil, and violence. He has prayed and prayed for God to intervene, but nothing has happened. And so he cries out again, asking for justice.

God answers: “I’m going to do something you wouldn’t believe even if I told you.” At this point, Habakkuk may well have thought, “Wow! A revival even greater than I can imagine is coming!” But then God says, “You know those Babylonians – those vicious warriors? I’m going to bring them here and they will destroy your nation.”

Habakkuk is floored. He rightly asks, “How is this consistent with your revealed character, O God? Your eyes are too pure even to look at evil. So how can you use evil men doing evil deeds to accomplish your purposes? And when they conquer us, they won’t praise you – they’ll just be like fishermen praising their nets! I’m your prophet, and I have to explain this to your people – so I’m going to wait here until you help me understand.”

God does answer, saying, “My righteous one will live by faith.” He then pronounces five woes on the Babylonians – and, implicitly, on anyone who does not live by faith in Him. They will be destroyed. But in the middle of the five woes, God says:

The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. (Habakkuk 2:14)

God has a purpose. He has an eternal plan of redemption. He is working it out. And there is real pain and suffering that takes part as that plan is fulfilled. But all history is moving towards this goal. God will be glorified in all His creation. Humanity will fulfill its purpose.

Habakkuk responds to this revelation with a psalm, contained in chapter 3. He concludes with these words:

Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. 19 GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places. (Habakkuk 3:17-19)

Note that Habakkuk is imagining a time when the permanent crops fail (fruit trees, grape vines, olive trees), the annual crops fail (“fields yield no food”), and the livestock all die. In an economy that was primarily agricultural, this means zero economic activity, zero income. Even in such an extreme circumstance, the prophet says: I will rejoice in the Lord! He gives me strength to go even where I don’t want to go. I will take joy in Him.

My friends, you and I were created to glorify God through delighting in Him. Yet we have all turned elsewhere to find joy.

  • We have turned from what is eternally satisfying to what will never satisfy
  • We have turned from fullness of joy to light, momentary joys
  • We have turned from the sweet fountain of life to sips of diet soda

Our God cries out to us

  • “Come to me!
  • “I will give you rest!
  • “I will give you fulfillment
  • “I will give you accomplishment!
  • “I will give you an eternal inheritance!
  • “I will give you Myself!
  • “Only in My presence is fullness of joy. Only in My presence are pleasures forevermore.

So turn to Him and be saved!

  • You won’t be protected from suffering in this life
  • You won’t be guaranteed a $5 million dollar check

But you will have what is more valuable – what no money can buy: God Himself. His arms around you. His empowerment to play your role in His plan.

This is the path to genuine joy.

So: Where is your joy?

 

Where is Your Security?

Nik Ripken was deeply involved with relief work in Somalia in the 1990s. Sent out as a missionary without ever having met a Muslim, through a variety of circumstances Nik ended up leading a large NGO providing food and other supplies to thousands of suffering Somalis. Most of his work was simply relief. But on occasion he was able to speak of Jesus.

He and other Christian aid workers came to know of four believers in Jesus among their many Somali employees. And they decided to celebrate the Lord’s Supper together. As far as they knew, it had been many years since any Somalis had celebrated the Lord’s Supper in their capital city. There was danger for all, particularly for the four Somalis – so each person traveled separately to the location, by different, roundabout routes.

Nik writes:

I felt honored to worship at the Lord’s Table with these four brothers who were willing to risk their own blood, their own bodies, and their very lives to follow Jesus among an unbelieving people group in this unbelieving country. Never before had I felt the true cost and significance of Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples. This was a high and holy moment. (The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected, B & H Publishers, 2013).

Just weeks later, terrorists killed all four of those believers, in separate, coordinated attacks. They then sent a message that all Somalis who worked for international relief organizations would be murdered unless their agencies left the country.

God promises those who believe in Jesus: “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Scripture promises us: Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. The author of Hebrews assures us that “we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

Well, man can kill us. So in what sense can we say that God is our security? If God doesn’t guarantee us life – let alone health, wealth, and prosperity – what good are His promises?

Where do you find security?

Many find security in money, either in our own individual assets and insurance policies, or in the security that comes from living in a rich country with a stable government, a strong military, usually an honest police force, and usually an honest judiciary.

But Scripture tells us: To find our security in our personal wealth or in our wealthy society is foolish. Our security must be in God, and in Him alone.

But Nik Ripken’s story, and many others like it, lead us to ask: Can we really trust Him more than we can trust our bank accounts, or the US military?

Let’s see how the Scriptures explain this.

1. It is Foolish to Trust in Money for Your Security

As an example of why it is foolish to trust money for your security, consider Job. In chapter 1, he is very wealthy man, “the greatest of all the people of the east” (Job 1:3). But in one day:

  • His servants are all killed except a handful who report what happened.
  • All his animals – the primary store of wealth in that society – were killed or stolen.
  • And then the biggest blow: His 10 children are celebrating together when a huge wind hits their building. It collapses, and all 10 die.

One day. In one day, Job moves from being rich and prosperous to having nothing. His wealth, great as it was, could not be his security.

Do not think such examples are limited to long ago. We could tell many stories of individuals today who lost everything. But instead, consider what can happen to an entire society. In Congo (formerly Zaire), the real per capita income has decreased 70 percent between 1974 and 2008 (the latest year for which statistics are available). Seventy percent! Imagine what would happen to you and your family if you lost 70% of your income. And that’s the average; many lost much, much more.

More recently, even in Europe, Greece experienced a twenty percent decline in real per capita income between 2009 and 2013. Again, that’s the average, with many suffering much, much more.

We could go on with examples of why we cannot depend on riches or material goods or economic policies or national security or insurance or protection against natural disaster or law enforcement or a constitution or youth or ingenuity or education. All may fail.

Do not trust in riches, not even in rich countries.

But let’s turn our attention from examples to the Bible’s explanation for why it’s foolish to trust in money:

Scripture gives four main reasons. Here are the first three:

i) Money may not provide any security in this life

ii) Money definitely will provide no security at death

iii) There is an alternative: Trust God for your security

Consider these text:

Proverbs 23:4-5   4 Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist.  5 When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven.   

The emphasis here is on the transitory nature of wealth in this life. But also, consider: When will “your eyes light on it,” searching for something secure to grasp hold of? Particularly when you know you are about to die. But your riches will do you no good then. They will fly away.

1 Timothy 6:17  As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.

Proverbs 11:4   Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.

Proverbs 11:28   Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.

Proverbs 18:10-11   The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.  11 A rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and like a high wall — in his imagination.

Do you see? God is the true security, the true safety. Rich men think they are safe and secure – but that’s only in their imagination.

Psalm 62:7-10    On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.  8 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. 9 Those of low estate are but a breath; those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath.  10 Put no trust in extortion; set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart on them.

Matthew 6:28b-33   Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,  29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.  33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Hebrews 13:5-6 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  6 So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

Philippians 4:18-20 (Paul writes here concerning a contribution the Philippians made to his ministry)  18 I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.  19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.  20 To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

This is a huge promise: Every need! And the promise is not just to give you enough so you can barely scrape by. He promises to supply your every need according to, or, in accordance with His riches in glory. How many riches does God have?

The strength of these promises establishes the fourth reason it is foolish to trust in our riches:

iv) Not to Trust God is to Demean Him

Several scriptures bring this out explicitly:

Job 31:24-28  (Part of Job’s defense) If I have made gold my trust or called fine gold my confidence, . . . 28 this also would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges, for I would have been false to God above.

Luke 12:15-21 [Jesus] said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

So all these Scriptures tell us to trust God. Riches will fail us, possibly in this life, certainly at death. God promises security and deserves our trust.

But what are the results of trusting Him?

2. What Security Does God Promise to Those Who Trust Him?

Psalm 34:4-10 provides us with a good example of the extent of God’s promise:

I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.  5 Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.  6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.  7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.  8 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!  9 Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!  10 The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

But what does this promise really mean in a world where Nik Ripken’s story occurs time and again?

a) What God Does Not Promise

Specifically, to lack no good thing does NOT mean:

  • We will face no tribulation. Rather Jesus promises us tribulation, John 16:33: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”       
  • Lacking no good thing does not mean we will avoid persecution. Quite the opposite: 2 Tim 3:12 Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
  • It does not mean we will have place to call home
  • It does not mean we will have decent clothing
  • It does not mean we will avoid torture.
  • It does not mean we will avoid prison.
  • It does not mean we will own anything in this world
  • It does not mean we will be saved from death

In this regard, consider the men and women of God mentioned in Heb 11:35-38. Note: all these are commended for their faith:

Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life.  36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.  37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated–  38 of whom the world was not worthy–wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

However we interpret the promises of God with respect to security, we have to conclude that God’s promises were fulfilled for these men and women of faith.

And of course, the promises were fulfilled for Jesus Himself. Shortly before His arrest, Jesus says:

John 12:24-28  Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.  25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.  27 ¶ “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.  28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

God the Father did not promise even to Immanuel, God with us,              safety from persecution. Instead, He glorified His Name thru Immanuel’s death and resurrection.

The promises were also fulfilled for the Apostle Paul. When Paul writes 2 Timothy, he is under arrest, abandoned by his friends, and knows that in short order he will be executed by decapitation. Yet he writes: 2 Timothy 4:18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

If the Lord will rescue Paul from every evil attack, and if Paul knows he will be executed, we must conclude that Paul’s final execution is not an evil attack. For God to rescue him from that would not be good.

What, then, does God’s promise of security mean?

b) What God Does Promise

Consider Romans 8:16-18   The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,  17 and if children, then heirs–heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.  18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

God’s promise means that He will use every instance of suffering in this life for His glory and our good. Even after living a difficult life, even after being tortured or killed, we will agree: The glory we experience far outweighs our suffering.

Later in the same chapter Paul writes:

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.  29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 

This is our greatest good: Being changed into the image of Jesus Himself. And that outcome is worth any cost.

Paul concludes the chapter:

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?  36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”  37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,  39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This is the security God promises. He doesn’t put a force field around you that deflects bullets and insults. Nor does He promise you caviar and Ferraris.  Rather He promises to take whatever suffering you experience and use it for your good and for His glory. He promises to give you the greatest good:

  • Love: His love
  • Intimacy: membership in His family
  • Righteousness: being conformed to the image of His Son
  • Fulfillment: a role in the greatest accomplishment of all time
  • Joy –  as we’ll see next week: Being in His presence

You will lack no good thing That is: You will lack nothing you need to become like Christ. You will lack nothing you need to enjoy the Father forever. You will lack nothing you need to fulfill your role in accomplishing His task.

So what does God guarantee if you trust in Jesus, if you love Him and follow Him?

  • Health? No, God does not guarantee you or your family good health.
  • Wealth? No, God does not guarantee you or your children material abundance.
  • Success? No, God does not guarantee success, as we tend to define it in the US.
  • Long life? No, God does not guarantee you long life in this world. Remember, Jesus died at 33.

Those four Somali brothers certainly had no wealth, no worldly success, and they died young. But Scripture assures us: God was at work in that tragedy, even through the evil acts of evil men. God is continuing to work out His glorious purposes for the Somali people – in part, through our prayers for those people motivated by this tragedy. God brought those four men to a relationship with Him they did not deserve, showering them with grace and mercy. And He brought them to Himself. They now know with certainty that “to live is Christ, to die is gain.” For today they see Him face to face. And if we endure to the end we will meet them, and many millions more who died for the sake of the Name.

No, God doesn’t promise you safety. He doesn’t promise you health, wealth, and prosperity. Furthermore, there’s nothing you can do in this life that will assure you of safety, health, wealth, and prosperity.

But God promises you something much better:                 The security of always being enfolded by His love. The security of knowing He is working all things together for your good and His glory. The security of knowing that you will be like Christ.

God promises you: “I will never leave nor forsake you Nothing will ever separate you from my everlasting love.”

That is security indeed.

(This is a condensed version of the sermon preached January 26, 2014.)

Reflections on the Loss of a Daughter

[Dr Fred Zaspel is pastor at the Reformed Baptist Church of Franconia, PA and Professor of Systematic Theology at Calvary Baptist Seminary in Lansdale, PA. He posted these thoughts on the October 31 death of his daughter at credomag.com on November 13. This is an edited version; the entire post is well worth reading. Credo Magazine has many helpful articles. The latest issue focuses on the grand story of the Bible.  – Coty]

For a dozen or so years our daughter, Gina, suffered unspeakably from more maladies and on more levels — physical and otherwise — than I could begin adequately to explain. The infection that ravished her central nervous system, the years of sleeplessness, the constant nausea, the passing out and the many falls and concussions that came as a result, the severe and relentless headache pain, the haunting hallucinations, the struggles with confusion, the blood clots, the systemic infections, and so very much more, all in the extreme, made her life the most severely agonized I have ever witnessed. Amazingly — yet true to form — she found moments of laughter almost daily, and we delighted in her company even while hurting for her. But the suffering became increasingly severe on so many fronts. And as we watched her suffer, how we prayed, often in despair, that God would deliver her from it all.

About three years ago he did. In a dramatic and miraculous moment the disease was gone, and for a short while it seemed her life had been returned to her. But further setbacks were to follow. The suffering again became intense and unspeakable. Until finally, on Thursday, October 31, it was all over. Forever. Gina is now with the Lord.

At several points over the years it seemed she was dying, but then she would rally. And on occasions she and even we could have wished it for her sake — her suffering was so awful, death would have been considered a mercy. We still feel all that, but nothing could have prepared us for the pain we now feel over our loss. She was Daddy’s girl, Mommy’s soul mate, and brother’s very closest friend. We are a very close family, and we loved Gina more than words could ever express — and we told her so many, many times every day, verbally and with countless hugs and kisses. Surely a day will never pass, in this life, without sensing this deep, gaping hole in our hearts. We just cannot imagine life without Gina. How we loved her.

I have often suspected over the years that Christians who romanticize death have likely never experienced the loss of a close loved one. Death remains a dreaded and a devastating enemy, and there is just no way to make it pretty. It still stings, deeply so, and when it comes close like this it leaves us feeling all but completely undone.

Yet for Christians there truly is a difference. And during this past week since Gina passed, agonizing as it has been, we have learned first-hand that we really do not sorrow as those who have no hope. The weighty promises and massive truths that God has revealed to us in his Word truly are life-shaping and soul anchoring, and they provide a sure point of reference for even the most hurting heart.

United to Christ by faith Gina belonged — and belongs — to God. And through the years of her suffering we reminded ourselves often that the God who in grace had rescued her in Christ from sin loves her even more than we do. And so we trust his providence. He is too wise ever to make a mistake, and too good ever to do us wrong. And we acknowledge that just as he was free and sovereign in giving Gina to us 29 years ago, so now he is free and sovereign — and good and just — in taking her. He has not wronged us. Indeed, not only do we affirm this great truth — we rest in it. This God is himself our Father, a Father who knows what is best for his children and faithfully directs our lives accordingly. Moreover, he is the Father who in love one day gave up his own Son to bear our curse in order to redeem us to himself. Yes, of course there are many “Why?” questions that we cannot answer, but we lack no proof of God’s love or his goodness. And we bless him today with deeper passion than ever.

We are so very grateful not only that God gave us our daughter for 29 years, but also that in grace he saved her and made her his own. This is really everything — everything — and we recognize that we are blessed to know that Gina is rejoicing today in the presence of our great Redeemer. How she loved him! How she loved the gospel. Gina was marked by passion in everything she did, but nothing so stirred her like the gospel of Christ. She loved to hear it, she loved to learn it more deeply, she loved to sing it, and she loved to share it with others. Her whole hope was in Christ. Virtually every day, even in much pain, she would sit down at the piano to play and sing and refresh her aching soul with some of her favorite songs about Christ, God’s love in Christ, salvation in Christ, God’s faithful love and providence, and the glory that awaits us. And this same gospel is what assures us still. And we rejoice that neither death nor life nor anything else in all God’s creation could ever separate Gina or us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

And we have come better to appreciate that our hope in Christ is not for this life only. We eagerly await the day of Christ’s return when we will rejoice together in his glorious presence and discover for ourselves that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that will then be revealed in us. . . .

We are hurting for our loss. The pain is massive, and on one level I’m sure it will never be absent in this life. But deep as this hurt is, we are not left adrift. With minds and hearts shaped by gospel truth, with the love of God marvelously shed abroad in our hearts by his Spirit, with confidence in his unerring providence, and with an unshakable joy and hope in Christ, God has given us more than all we will need. . . .

 

Suffering and Persecution

This Sunday is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. We will spend some time during our service reading relevant Scriptures and praying for our brothers and sisters around the world who boldly proclaim Jesus at the cost of family, jobs, health, freedom, and, in some cases, life itself.

I was privileged these last few weeks in India to meet with many such brothers and sisters who are suffering today, or putting themselves at risk of suffering, because of their faithful witness. At the same time, I read an excellent and challenging book, The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected (B & H Books, 2013). Nik Ripken (a pseudonym) and his wife spent many years ministering in Somalia; after being forced out because of the deteriorating security situation and then having their 16 year old son die tragically, the Ripkens returned to the US questioning God. They began traveling around the world interviewing believers who face daily suffering and persecution, in part to help them process their own suffering, and in part to help picture what must happen among Somalis for the Gospel to spread widely.

What they found challenges our American mindset time and again. The challenges come, yes, from the experience of those who have suffered, but also from Scripture itself. The challenges also lead us to ask another question: What must happen among Americans for the Gospel to spread widely to the unreached groups within this country?

Below, find some Scriptures interspersed with quotes from the book. Ponder these truths. By all means, read this volume. And pray that we might value Christ enough to live like our brothers and sisters around the world.

2 Timothy 3:12  All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

(From a Russian believer)

“Nik, that’s why we haven’t made books and movies out of these stories that you have been hearing. For us, persecution is like the sun coming up in the east. It happens all the time. It’s the way things are. There is nothing unusual or unexpected about it. Persecution for our faith has always been—and probably always will be—a normal part of life.” . . . I had always assumed that persecution was abnormal, exceptional, unusual, out of the ordinary. In my mind, persecution was something to avoid. It was a problem, a setback, a barrier. I was captivated by the thought: what if persecution is the normal, expected situation for a believer? And what if the persecution is, in fact, soil in which faith can grow? What if persecution can be, in fact, good soil? I began to wonder about what that might mean for the church in America—and I began to wonder about what that might mean for the potential church in Somalia. 2253

 (From a Russian believer, recalling what his father said to the family before being arrested)

‘All around this part of the country, the authorities are rounding up followers of Jesus and demanding that they deny their faith. Sometimes, when they refuse, the authorities will line up whole families and hang them by the neck until they are dead. I don’t want that to happen to our family, so I am praying that once they put me in prison, they will leave you and your mother alone.’” “‘However,’ and here he paused and made eye contact with us, ‘If I am in prison and I hear that my wife and my children have been hung to death rather than deny Jesus, I will be the most proud man in that prison!’” When he finished his story, I was stunned. I had never heard that kind of thing in my church growing up. I had never encountered that in my pilgrimage 2449

 (From Chinese women, when asked how they became church planters)

“Once churches are planted, the leaders are often imprisoned,” they explained. “When those leaders are away, other people begin to lead. Sometimes, those leaders are taken to prison too. Every time, though, others rise up to take their place. We simply do what we have been trained to do; we take God’s Word and we share it. When people receive the message, new churches are started. That seems to be the way that God grows His church.” I was astounded by the clarity and simplicity of the strategy—and by their commitment to it. These women seemed completely uninterested in titles, positions, and formal structure. They were committed to sharing the story of Jesus; nothing else seemed to matter to them. 3446

 John 8:31-32  “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

(From Chinese believers, on the meaning of “freedom”)

The security police regularly harass a believer who owns the property where a house-church meets. The police say, “You have got to stop these meetings! If you do not stop these meetings, we will confiscate your house, and we will throw you out into the street.” Then the property owner will probably respond, “Do you want my house? Do you want my farm? Well, if you do, then you need to talk to Jesus because I gave this property to Him.” The security police will not know what to make of that answer. So they will say, “We don’t have any way to get to Jesus, but we can certainly get to you! When we take your property, you and your family will have nowhere to live!” And the house-church believers will declare, “Then we will be free to trust God for shelter as well as for our daily bread.” “If you keep this up, we will beat you!” the persecutors will tell them. “Then we will be free to trust Jesus for healing,” the believers will respond. “And then we will put you in prison!” the police will threaten. By now, the believers’ response is almost predictable: “Then we will be free to preach the good news of Jesus to the captives, to set them free. We will be free to plant churches in prison.” “If you try to do that, we will kill you!” the frustrated authorities will vow. And, with utter consistency, the house-church believers will reply, “Then we will be free to go to heaven and be with Jesus forever.” 3534

 1 John 4:17  As he is, so also are we in this world.

How many of us who strive to follow Jesus today have ever wished we could have witnessed firsthand the kind of spiritual adventures and the world-changing, resurrection-powered faith experienced by believers in the New Testament? I believe that we can—and we don’t need a time machine to do it. We need only to look and listen to our brothers and sisters who are faithfully living for Christ today in our world’s toughest places.  . . . When Ruth and I first departed for Africa with our boys almost thirty years ago, I was a young, naïve Kentucky farm-boy who believed that God was sending us around the world on a great adventure to tell people who Jesus was and to explain what the Bible was all about. Today, I realize that God allowed us to go out into the world so we could find out who Jesus was from people who really knew Him and actually lived the Word of God. 4069

2 Corinthians 1:8-11   For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.  Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.  He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

If we spend our lives so afraid of suffering, so averse to sacrifice, that we avoid even the risk of persecution or crucifixion, then we might never discover the true wonder, joy and power of a resurrection faith. 4140

 (From a woman from a Muslim country after witnessing a public baptism in the US)

“I cannot believe this! I cannot believe that I have lived long enough to see people being baptized in public. An entire family together! No one is shooting at them, no one is threatening them, no one will go to prison, no one will be tortured, and no one will be killed. And they are being openly and freely baptized as a family! I never dreamed that God could do such things! I never believed that I would live to see a miracle like this.” 4291

 Psalm 73:25  Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.

Finally, a quote from another book on suffering that drives the challenge home:

If the foundation of our identity is anything less than God—if the thing that makes us who we are is a position in life, a certain relationship, a prestigious (if difficult to pronounce!) last name, money, you name it—then we will experience pain whenever and wherever that foundation is assaulted, as it inevitably will be. Our suffering will serve as an indication of how little we actually believe this good news, or at least an indicator of what we are building our life on and where we are looking for meaning. And when we lose something that we believed was crucial to our existence and value, maybe even something that we felt we deserved, when one of the load-bearing beams in the house that glory built collapses, we will become embittered or despondent. The truth is, suffering does not rob us of joy; idolatry does. But if our identity is anchored in Christ, so that we are able to say, “Everything I need I already possess in Him,” then suffering will drive us deeper into our source of joy. When theologians talk about God “imputing” His righteousness to us through the death and resurrection of Christ, this is what they mean: that our identity, and therefore our freedom, is not a matter of Why or How but Who. Our ultimate standing has been secured—from the outside—and nothing we may do or say can shake the foundations that were built two thousand years ago. We are freed to revel in our expendability! 1566, Glorious Ruin: How Suffering Sets You Free by Tullian Tchividjian (David C. Cook, 2012).

(Reference numbers are Kindle locations in the ebook version.)

Hope in God and Argument with God

Is Christian hope wishful thinking, a fantasy, a pollyannish belief that against all evidence things will turn out well for me?

As we have recently considered (first, second, and third blog posts), Christian confidence rests not on our desires, nor on our intellectual investigations, nor even on our beliefs, but on God’s Word, the revelation that He has spoken, telling us truths we could never discover on our own. We are dependent on Him, and thereby on His revelation, given to us in His Word.

So how do we react when all around us is falling apart?

Such was Job’s situation. In a short time, he lost his wealth, his children, and his health. And his friends – supposedly come to comfort him – just made matters worse.

Job 13:15 summarizes his reaction:

Though he slay me, I will hope in Him; yet I will argue my ways to His face.

Job has a rock solid faith in God’s goodness, in His promises, in His faithfulness to every word He has proclaimed. David expressed the same hope when he was attacked by men:

My hope is from him.  He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.  On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.  Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. (Psalm 62:5b-8)

Yet this hope is consistent with more pain coming upon him in the future. Note that Job acknowledges that he might well die from this affliction. His hope does not consist of a naïve belief that the worst is over. Rather, he says that even if the worst is not over – even if God slays him – he will continue to hope in Him. He does not know the outcome of his suffering; nevertheless, his hope in God does not waver.

Consider now the second half of the verse: In addition to his solid hope in God, Job states, “I will argue my ways to his face.” Indeed, a large portion of the rest of the book consists of Job addressing God directly, asking Him to come and let Job argue his case before Him (see, for example, Job 23:4-7).

Once we have read to the end of the book, we might think such arguments from Job are wrong. For when God does appear, Job is unable to argue. Confronted with God Himself, he sees that he has no case. God overwhelms him with His majesty, power, and authority. So Job is left to say,

I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. . . . I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. . . .  I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:2,3,5,6)

Nevertheless, I suggest that Job’s arguing with God earlier in the book is not wrong, in and of itself. Indeed, Job 13:15 well summarizes the condition of limited, hurting humanity before Him. He is far beyond our ability to understand; He will often act in ways that seem to us inconsistent with His revelation of His character. When He does so, it is right and good for us to cry out in our pain, to express our lack of understanding, to lay before Him the seeming inconsistency of His revelation and what we see around us.

We see men and women of God cry out like this time and again in Scripture. Examples include Psalms 39, 42, 77, and 88, Jeremiah 20, Habakkuk 1, 2 Corinthians 1, and the entire book of Lamentations. Let’s look briefly at selections from chapter 3 of that last book.

Lamentations was written after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC. During a long siege, the city suffered starvation, leading even to cannibalism. Then there was great slaughter when the Judean army tried to escape the siege and the Babylonians swept into the city. The author writes:

He has filled me with bitterness; he has sated me with wormwood.  He has made my teeth grind on gravel, and made me cower in ashes; my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is; so I say, “My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the LORD.”  Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall!  My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. (Lamentations 3:15-20)

The author seems now to be without hope. God Himself is sovereign – the author knows this, and so sees God as the source of his bitterness. He can’t get the images of horror out of his mind.

Yet keep reading:

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.  It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him;  let him put his mouth in the dust– there may yet be hope;  let him give his cheek to the one who strikes, and let him be filled with insults.  For the Lord will not cast off forever,  but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men. (Lamentations 3:22-33)

In the midst of the horror, in the midst of the grief which the sovereign Lord has caused (v32), the author reflects on the revealed character of God – the revelation over the centuries of God speaking and acting: the revelation of God at work in the Garden of Eden and at Mt Sinai; the revelation through David and Solomon, through Elijah and Elisha, through Micah and Isaiah. The author’s hope has perished (v18); yet he will hope in Him (v24).  This hope springs not from a Buddhist-like belief that the sorrow he has seen is an illusion, nor from a naive optimism that things have a way of working out for the good, but because “the LORD is my portion.” That is, the author continues to hope in God – as Job continues to hope in God even while he argues with Him – because God has promised an inheritance – He Himself. And He is worth more than all the world has to offer.

With that in mind, consider Job’s arguments with God – and your own arguments. If God Himself is our portion, our inheritance, which, as Peter tells us, is “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:4), then our inheritance is in and of itself to know Him. So as we struggle to know Him in this life, to understand His ways, we should come to Him with questions, with seeming inconsistencies, with our struggles. We should come humbly, yes; we must come submissively, by all means; we must come knowing, like Job, that in the end we will see God and shut our mouths.  At this moment, in this life, in this age, we see “as in a mirror dimly;’ it is good and right to bring Him our questions and our struggles to understand. But He has told us that the time is coming when we will “see face to face” (1 Corinthians 13:12). And we will know Him, and have Him as our inheritance.

So may we all say with Job, “Though he slay me, I will hope in Him; yet I will argue my ways to his face.”

Sovereignty and Evil in an Iranian Prison

A ravaging tornado destroys entire neighborhoods and kills dozens, including many children. A government agency abuses power by singling out certain political viewpoints for invasive questioning. One country in the Middle East falls further and further into chaos, while another moves closer and closer to building nuclear weapons.

Where in the world is God? Is He really in control? Does He care?

Scripture assures us that “our God is in the heavens; He does all that He pleases” (Psalm 115:3). So how do tornadoes and government corruption and political chaos and the threat of nuclear terrorism please God?

Consider these questions in light of a recent book, Captive in Iran by Maryam Rostampour and Marziyeh Amirizadeh. These two friends came to Christ, and were active in distributing Bible and sharing their faith with anyone who might ask. Eventually they were arrested.

Fearful and suffering, they do not know what they might encounter in the hellhole of the notorious Evin prison. But what they find is many hurting people who are willing to hear Jesus’ story and their story:

We were in the best place we’d ever been for witnessing to people hungry for the gospel of Jesus. The living conditions weren’t very good, but we didn’t have to deal with travel and traffic! And we could tell our fellow prisoners the story of Jesus openly because no one would come into this rat hole to spy on us. (647 – the numbers after each quotation are Kindle locations)

Our conversation with [a prisoner] was another reminder of how God had moved us on from what we thought we should be doing to what He wanted us to do. We had hosted two home churches and distributed twenty thousand Farsi New Testaments, evangelizing while avoiding the regime. It was a slow process. Now that we were in prison, we could talk openly about our faith. Whereas before we had searched for people to speak to, now they came looking for us: “Go see the Christian girls!” The very prison system that tried to silence us was now our megaphone. (2843)

Even some of the guards seek out their prayers:

“I’m tired of working here,” [one guard] admitted. “I don’t think I’m cut out for it. Would you pray for me?” “I will be happy to.” And so I prayed for my captor, secure in the presence of the Lord that washed over me in waves, in the deepest recesses of the most feared ward of the most notorious prison in one of the most oppressed nations of the world. Surely I had never felt more blessed. (2498)

Uncharged, they are kept in prison for many months. Finally they appear before a judge, facing the charge of apostasy – which can lead to execution. The judge asks:

Miss Amirizadeh, are you a Christian? Are you called to follow Jesus? Explain to me what you mean by that.” As the questions hung in the air, I felt chills run up and down my body. They were the same questions, asked the same way, I had been asked during my baptism ceremony. . . . Today, October 7, was the four-year anniversary of that day. . . . The first time I was asked the questions, I was free, happy, and surrounded by friends. Now I’m under the threat of death. God is asking, “Are you still a Christian?” The path to Christ is never the easy way. As Jesus said to His disciples in Mark 8:34, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Today I renewed the promise I made to God on this date years ago. I promise to take up my cross and follow Christ. I want to die for God. I will follow Him forever. Sometimes God puts us in a difficult situation and tries us. This is the real test. “When you are in fear, will you still be true?” I decided in court to follow God even if it kills me. (3719)

After an international outcry leads Iranian authorities to look for a way to release the women while saving face, the chief prosecutor assures them he is on their side and is willing to help them, if they will negotiate with him. Maryam answers:

“I sincerely thank you for your kindness . . . but my trust and reliance are with God. I believe it is the Lord’s will that Marziyeh and I should be in prison, and that our freedom lies in His hands alone. If the Lord wishes to release us, no one can stand in His way. Of course, we don’t like staying in prison and we would rather be free, but we prefer to wait for the Lord’s decision on the matter.” (3905)

They are released, without apologizing for anything they have done.  God showed His sovereignty and His faithfulness to these two brave women.

In the case of Maryam and Marziyeh, we see the end result; God did indeed use even the evil acts of evil men to bring about His good purposes. Their faith was strengthened; the Gospel spread to some of the most downtrodden in Iranian society. But remember: When the authorities first threw them in prison, they had no idea how God was acting. They faced the possibility of death time and again. Others in similar situations had died.

As these two women clearly say, God’s sovereignty does not imply that we will have easy lives. It does not imply that God will get us out of every difficult and dangerous situation.

Rather: Our God is in the heavens, doing all that He pleases. We will face confusing, dangerous, and difficult times. Sometimes in retrospect – as in this case – we see how He worked for good in the midst of danger; often we do not. But Scripture assures us: He is at work. So we are to live by faith and not by sight.

He is sovereign. Trust Him with your life.

Should Christians Be Indifferent?

In the conclusion of Sunday’s sermon, I said, “Long for God to use you for His glory. Be confident that He will. But be indifferent to whether He uses you through pain and sorrow, or through success and fame.”

In my notes, I set off the word “indifferent,” and put a question mark next to it. Was it really the right word? Biblically, should we be indifferent to these outcomes?

The answer is yes or no – depending upon how we frame the question. So consider these different situations, and whether or not we are indifferent in each one:

In looking at the present circumstances others are facing, we must never be indifferent to their pain and sorrow. As we noted last week when discussing the Haiti earthquake, we must weep with those who weep, and mourn with those who mourn (Romans 12:15). In this way, we are like Jesus Himself (John 11:35).

In considering those who do not know Christ, we must never be indifferent to whether or not they come to faith in Him. Paul has “great sorrow and unceasing anguish in [his] heart” when he thinks of the unsaved state of most of his fellow Jews (Romans 9:2). This is not indifference! Our hearts similarly should long for the salvation of those around us.

In the midst of our present circumstances, we must rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4). Paul writes those words while in prison. He goes on to say, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content” (Philippians 4:11). Note that some of those reading this letter may have seen him live this out when he and Silas, beaten and bruised, praised God in song while in a Philippian jail (Acts 16:25). Now, I am sure that, other things being equal, Paul would have preferred to be out of prison rather than in prison. But he was content, he was rejoicing in the Lord, while confined. He knew God was at work. He was confident that God was in control. He was entrusting Himself to God in those circumstances (1 Peter 4:19) – and so his circumstances did not matter. In that sense, he was indifferent to them.

In looking to the future, we desire God’s glory above all else. We pray and long for His Kingdom to come, His will to be done on earth itself, and not only in heaven (Matthew 6:10). We desire the earth to be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14). We are not indifferent to this outcome!

In looking to the eternal state, we long to see Jesus face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12). We do look forward to living with perfected humanity without sorrow, without pain, with every tear wiped from our eyes (Hebrews 12:23, Revelation 21:4). But God Himself is our hope; all other joys of heaven pale before being with Him (Psalm 73:25). We are certainly not indifferent to that outcome.

In contemplating our personal future on earth, we want to be used by God in whatever role He chooses to bring about the coming of His Kingdom. This is the sense in which I was using the word in the sermon. God may grant us success or failure. We may be known or unknown. We may see a clear response to our ministries or no response. Our goal is not success, or fame, or even a response to our ministry. Our goal is God’s glory.

We could say that this attitude is Philippians 4:11 prospectively. We are content not only in our present circumstances, but in any possible future circumstances – if those future circumstances are part of God’s plan to fill the earth with the knowledge of His glory.

As in the case of present circumstances, we certainly will have personal preferences about what those future circumstances look like. I would rather be able to walk all my life than to lie in a hospital bed from tomorrow until the day I die. I would rather live with a roof over my head than to have an earthquake devastate my city and be forced to sleep in the open with thousands of others for days on end. And I would rather be the means hundreds come to faith than to speak to those of hard and stubborn hearts who never listen (Ezekiel 3:7).

But there is a sense in which I should be indifferent to these outcomes. For Jesus was indifferent to outcomes over which he had a personal preference. When faced with the immediate threat of the cross, of taking on Himself the punishment for all the sin of all redeemed humanity, Jesus prayed, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me” (Matthew 26:39). In that sense, He wasn’t indifferent. However, He continues, “Not as I will, but as You will.” Or as He says elsewhere when His heart is troubled at the prospect of the cross, “For this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name” (John 12:27-28).

He was indifferent in the sense that the joy of glorifying the Name of God so outweighed the pain that there was no comparison (Hebrews 12:2). Paul says our attitude should be similar: our terrible sorrows, real as they are, become “light momentary afflictions” when compared to the “eternal weight of glory” that they produce (2 Corinthians 4:18).

So will you have the indifference of Jesus? Will you pray, “Lord, I naturally want an easy life. And I naturally want to be used by You in ways that yield clear, obvious responses. But You are filling the earth with the knowledge of Your glory as the waters cover the sea. Above all else, I want You to use me in whatever way will bring that end about. So here I am. You choose. Enable me to serve you faithfully – in whatever way you choose: in sorrow and pain or in earthly joy and happiness; in success and fame or in obscurity and dishonor. Just glorify Your Name through me, Your slave.”

As Laurence Tuttiett wrote:

Father, let me dedicate all this year to Thee,
In whatever worldly state Thou wilt have me be:
Not from sorrow, pain or care, freedom dare I claim;
This alone shall be my prayer: glorify Thy Name.

My He do so. And may we always rejoice in Him. Amen.

Responding to Disasters

Port-au-Prince, Haiti, is devastated. Thousands and thousands of buildings have collapsed. Tens of thousands are dead. Thousands more are injured and doomed to die, as hospitals too are destroyed and the needs outstrip the remaining medical care.

How can we respond to such a tragedy?

The Bible is our guide in all matters. In His Word, God tells us who He is, who we are, how He rules the world, and how we should respond to Him. He tells us what we could never learn on our own, what we would grope after and never find apart from His revelation.

So what guidance does the Bible give us?

First, we must weep with those who weep, mourn with those who mourn (Romans 12:15). Our Lord wept over the coming judgment on Jerusalem (Luke 19:41); He wept at the grave of His friend, even though He was about to raise him from the dead (John 11:35). Ultimately, all sorrow and pain in this world is the result of sin – God’s initial creation was very good (Genesis 1:31). So let us weep over sin and its impact.

Second, we must pray. God works through prayer to bring about His purposes at all times (2 Corinthians 1:11), and so He exhorts us to pray about all our needs (Philippians 4:6).

Third, we must do what we can to help those in need (Luke 12:33). In so doing, we honor God (Proverbs 14:31), who has compassion on the poor and needy (Psalm 72:13). Now, in such situations we can do more harm than good – our attempts to help can hurt, as we noted earlier. So let us give to organizations that are cognizant of these dangers, who are working with local institutions, considering both the urgent relief needs and the longer term rehabilitation and development needs. Some suggestions (among many possibilities): Food for the Hungry, Child Hope International, and Water Missions International.

Fourth, we must take note of Jesus’ warning to those around Him as they considered a local tragedy:

“Those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem?  No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Luke 13:4-5

Some people evidently were explaining the fall of the tower as God’s judgment on those eighteen people, saying that they deserved to die, and others (like themselves) did not. Jesus says, “Don’t think that way – but take the occasion of these deaths to examine yourself!” God’s judgment will come on all who do not repent (Romans 2:4-5) – and it will be much more terrible than the fall of the tower of Siloam, much more terrible than the Haiti earthquake, much more terrible than the Aceh tsunami (Revelation 6:15-17).

Fifth, we must remind ourselves of the Gospel. No one is righteous, not even one (Romans 3:10-12). We all deserve God’s condemnation, His wrath (Ephesians 2:1-3). Yet God sent His Son to live the perfect life that we should have lived, loving God with all His heart, soul, mind, and strength every minute of every day, loving His neighbor as Himself (Hebrews 4:15; Matthew 22:36-40); He sent Him to the cross to suffer and die, taking on Himself the penalty we deserve (2 Corinthians 5:21); and He raised Him from the dead, showing that the penalty was sufficient (Acts 2:24). We who believe in Him (John 1:12), valuing Him above all else (Matthew 13:44), receive the benefits of this death, and are united with Him for all eternity (Romans 6:4-5, 23).

Finally, we can rejoice that God is sovereign over all affairs of men. He is the Almighty One, who not only knows the number of hairs on my head (Matthew 10:30), but watches over and superintends all the events of my life, and of all the lives of those who are united in His Son (Psalm 1:6). So we can pray with the psalmist, “When my spirit faints within me, you know my way!” (Psalm 142:3). May our hurting brothers and sisters in Haiti know this truth, and lean on our Rock and our Refuge (Psalm 61:2-3).

May we, by His grace, be as He is in this world (1 John 4:17) – and thus, knowing our sinfulness, knowing our weakness, serve humbly as conduits of His mercy, His compassion, and His Word to the downtrodden and the needy.

Through Many Tribulations We Must Enter the Kingdom of God

(This sermon on Acts 14 was preached on March 1, 2009. The audio will be posted at this link.)

There is more suffering in the true Christian life than you ever thought you could handle.

There is more joy in the true Christian life than you ever thought possible.

Those are the two main points of Acts 14. We’ll come back to them. But now: Suppose you knew you were about to die. What would you say to those remaining behind?

When the Apostle Paul wrote 2 Timothy, he knew he was about to die by execution. Recall that Timothy grew up in Lystra (Acts 16); Paul met him there for the first time in the visit recorded in today’s passage (Acts 14). Near the end of his life, he wrote:

You . . . know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance,  11 persecutions, sufferings– what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.  12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,  13 while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.  14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,  15 and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,  17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:10-17

Paul says “Timothy: Follow me as I follow Christ – and following Christ means suffering. Everyone who lives in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. And you know very well what happened to me in your hometown.”

As described in today’s text, Paul suffered horribly in Lystra – and he had the scars to prove it. Timothy too will suffer if he continues in the faith.

But Timothy is not to respond to this prediction of future suffering with fear! Instead, Timothy is to take encouragement from Paul’s own suffering. Paul says: ‘You will suffer – like I have suffered. So you must be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus! – like I was strong in His grace. You must continue – because you know me and my faith (and the faith of your Mom and grandmother), and you know the Word – this Word that makes you wise to salvation, and thoroughly equips you to suffer and endure.”

As we saw last week:   We must continue in the WORD – we must learn it, lean on it, love it. THIS is God’s revelation to us – and we will never get through times of suffering without it

But 2 Timothy is a letter neither of sorrow in suffering, nor of simply endurance through suffering. Paul shows himself to be full of joy in suffering. He goes on to say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown which the Lord, the Righteous Judge, will award to me on that day.”

Suffering – yet joy.

Just so in Acts 14: Tremendous suffering. And tremendous joy. (more…)