In Genesis 22, Abraham obeys God even though it appears God is asking him to sacrifice his son Issac. Issac was the son of promise - the one from whom the great nation (Gen 12:2) promised to come from Abraham was to come and, ultimately, the line through which all nations would be blessed (Gen 12:3).
Abraham's confidence in God has not lost its impact on us thousands of years later. We still marvel that he could obey the Lord even as he expressed unwavering confidence in God's ability to provide a lamb for the sacrifice (Gen 22:8). Hebrews 11:19 suggests that Abraham even considered that God might have him go all the way to the point of sacrificing his son but that God could raise his son from the dead. What amazing confidence in our Lord! He has no evidence of a resurrection, but he knows the Lord can be trusted no matter how grim the circumstances. God's power to save and His power to honor his covenant cannot be thwarted, and he proves this once for all in the redeeming work of Christ on behalf of all who call upon the name of the Lord.
Genesis 22 is often called the "faith chapter" of Genesis, but strong demonstrations of Abraham's faith continue into chapters 23 and 24. He does not just have a "mountaintop experience." He continues expressing his faith in very concrete ways. God had not simply promised to make Abraham a great nation but also to give him a specific land (Gen 12:1). When Sarah dies, he jumps through the appropriate hoops to secure a proper burial place for her in the land that the Lord has promised to Abraham's descendants. Though God has not yet given the land, Abraham believes so strongly that He will give it that he buries Sarah there.
In Genesis 24, Abraham sent a servant back to his family to find a wife for Issac. He does not allow Issac to return there lest he be tempted to return to the safety of family and neglect God's plan. Yet, he also selects a woman from among his family and sets up Issac for success by ensuring that he avoids the intermingling with the Canaanites which in later years lead the Israelites to accept other gods and compromise in their worship of the One, True God. In setting up Issac for success, Abraham is continuing to demonstrate true faith in God by taking practical steps of obedience.
The evidence of authentic faith is obedience. In Genesis 22-24, we see a man who believes God and obeys Him without the benefit of looking back on the cross of Christ. When we consider the faithfulness of God on our behalf as demonstrated at the cross, how can we falter in believing God? How can we not obey?
Lord give us the kind of faith that obeys you in the face of seemingly insurmountable circumstances. Let us remember and truly believe that there is no greater blessing than knowing You, and let us live our lives in anticipation of Your return.
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. Hebrews 11:1-3
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Music in Worship: Ephesians and Colossians
Opinions are not lacking when it comes to music in our Christian worship. After hearing some of the arguments however, I'm convinced that many Christians ask the wrong questions.
The question is not, "should we sing?" The Psalms exhort us again again to sing a new song to the Lord. That we should use God's gift of song for His glory is undeniable.
The question is not, "should we sing hymns?" This is altogether obvious for anyone who believes that both faith and practice are to be rooted in the Word of God (e.g. Ephesians 5:18 - 20; Colossians 3:16).
The question is not, "which style of music is on God's list of approved music styles?" If God wanted us to have such a list, He would have given it. Instead, He led us to develop instruments of a variety of types. As with the building of the tabernacle and the temple, God is glorified when we play and sing skillfully unto Him. The question is not so much one of style but one of a desire to always be improving . . . not to glorify ourselves but to bring glory to our Creator.
So what should we be asking?
Colossians 3:16 and Ephesians 5:18 - 20 begin to give us some important questions to ask. They do not give all the questions to be sure, but they give us some very good ones.
First, "is our singing Spirit-led and Gospel-grounded?" The songs we sing are directly connected to the Spirit who fills us. And, the Spirit who fills us uses the Word of Christ (i.e. the great message of about Jesus, the Gospel) to fill us with the knowledge of God and His presence in our lives.
To make this first question a bit more practical, we could ask something like this, "what does this song have to do with the Gospel, with Who Christ is, with what He has done, with what He is doing, and with what He will do, and with how this impacts our lives as believers?"
Second, "does our singing serve the purpose of edification?" We have no trouble thinking of our music as directed at God. The difficulty comes when we realize that our music is to be directed at one another! With our music, we should "speak" to one another for the purposes of teaching (doctrine) and admonishing(practice).
Music has always been a great way to teach. How do we learn the alphabet? We sing it. How do we teach the great truths of the Gospel to one another? We don't just hear them preached, we sing them?
Music has always been a great way to admonish. The word for admonish here (Colossians 3:16) presupposes an opposition. In the immediate context, it is the heretics who are undermining the Person and work of Christ and substituting man-centered traditions and systems of self righteousness. In our context, we face the same Satan and flesh which lead us to diminish Christ and exalt ourselves and our preferences over the simple Gospel.
Paul expects the Colossians to use their music to fight a battle against the world, the flesh, and the Devil. Today, most churches spend more time fighting about their music than using their music to fight.
Third, "if we are not locked into one particular style of music, what music is acceptable?" Paul exhorts the congregation to sing "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs." By mentioning these three categories, Paul is not giving us a check list for every worship service because it is difficult to draw any significant line of demarcation between these types. However, he is telling the church that its music should reflect a healthy variety in style. It was John Calvin, commenting on Colossians who said that, Paul is suggesting that Christian worship includes "all kinds of songs." (Calvin, Colossians, 353).
The need for variety in our worship should be clear. When we stick to the same songs we are neglecting the numerous Biblical exhortations to sing a new song and we are also hampering our own edification! Anyone who has sung a song over and over again knows that it can lose its impact after a while. By having a healthy variety in its style, the church ensures that she actually has to think about what she's singing. It becomes more difficult to become locked in a worship of pretense and formality when we sing a variety of songs.
Paul also says that our music should be "spiritual." Paul is not saying that some instruments are spiritual and some are not or that some types of music are spiritual and that some are not. He is, however, saying that the songs must be about God who is spirit and our relation to Him which is rooted in the Word of Christ. To be spiritual then, the song must not only have words which are doctrinally sound, it must also have words which can be understood when sung. All of Christian life is rooted in the Word. Songs are not spiritual if the words cannot be heard/understood by the body which is gathered together.
Fourth, we should ask, "am I singing with an awareness of the grace of Christ that has been extended to me?" We are to sing literally "in the grace." Songs of worship are for those who are the grateful recipients of God's matchless grace through the gift of His Son Jesus.
Fifth, "is the song resonating in my heart?" The "worship wars" have harmed the church more than she realizes. People are sitting in the pews just waiting to hear a song they do not like and to get mad about it. Instead, we should be letting the melody that we are singing with our mouths also be the melody which is stirring in our hearts.
Finally, "is the music I am singing directed to God?" Your music can both glorify God and edify the body. The question is, is our music in total accomplishing both. Further, when I sing, am I singing to God when I praise Him, when I confess sin, when I acknowledge His Lordship, when I vow to serve Him. Are the words I sing really directed to God or am I simply singing to myself . . . or not at all (a particular problem for men!)
So, the next time you sing, remember that God has given music for His glory, and He has given us solid guidance on how we should sing in the midst of a world which seeks to undermine the church and the proclamation of the Gospel.
The question is not, "should we sing?" The Psalms exhort us again again to sing a new song to the Lord. That we should use God's gift of song for His glory is undeniable.
The question is not, "should we sing hymns?" This is altogether obvious for anyone who believes that both faith and practice are to be rooted in the Word of God (e.g. Ephesians 5:18 - 20; Colossians 3:16).
The question is not, "which style of music is on God's list of approved music styles?" If God wanted us to have such a list, He would have given it. Instead, He led us to develop instruments of a variety of types. As with the building of the tabernacle and the temple, God is glorified when we play and sing skillfully unto Him. The question is not so much one of style but one of a desire to always be improving . . . not to glorify ourselves but to bring glory to our Creator.
So what should we be asking?
Colossians 3:16 and Ephesians 5:18 - 20 begin to give us some important questions to ask. They do not give all the questions to be sure, but they give us some very good ones.
First, "is our singing Spirit-led and Gospel-grounded?" The songs we sing are directly connected to the Spirit who fills us. And, the Spirit who fills us uses the Word of Christ (i.e. the great message of about Jesus, the Gospel) to fill us with the knowledge of God and His presence in our lives.
To make this first question a bit more practical, we could ask something like this, "what does this song have to do with the Gospel, with Who Christ is, with what He has done, with what He is doing, and with what He will do, and with how this impacts our lives as believers?"
Second, "does our singing serve the purpose of edification?" We have no trouble thinking of our music as directed at God. The difficulty comes when we realize that our music is to be directed at one another! With our music, we should "speak" to one another for the purposes of teaching (doctrine) and admonishing(practice).
Music has always been a great way to teach. How do we learn the alphabet? We sing it. How do we teach the great truths of the Gospel to one another? We don't just hear them preached, we sing them?
Music has always been a great way to admonish. The word for admonish here (Colossians 3:16) presupposes an opposition. In the immediate context, it is the heretics who are undermining the Person and work of Christ and substituting man-centered traditions and systems of self righteousness. In our context, we face the same Satan and flesh which lead us to diminish Christ and exalt ourselves and our preferences over the simple Gospel.
Paul expects the Colossians to use their music to fight a battle against the world, the flesh, and the Devil. Today, most churches spend more time fighting about their music than using their music to fight.
Third, "if we are not locked into one particular style of music, what music is acceptable?" Paul exhorts the congregation to sing "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs." By mentioning these three categories, Paul is not giving us a check list for every worship service because it is difficult to draw any significant line of demarcation between these types. However, he is telling the church that its music should reflect a healthy variety in style. It was John Calvin, commenting on Colossians who said that, Paul is suggesting that Christian worship includes "all kinds of songs." (Calvin, Colossians, 353).
The need for variety in our worship should be clear. When we stick to the same songs we are neglecting the numerous Biblical exhortations to sing a new song and we are also hampering our own edification! Anyone who has sung a song over and over again knows that it can lose its impact after a while. By having a healthy variety in its style, the church ensures that she actually has to think about what she's singing. It becomes more difficult to become locked in a worship of pretense and formality when we sing a variety of songs.
Paul also says that our music should be "spiritual." Paul is not saying that some instruments are spiritual and some are not or that some types of music are spiritual and that some are not. He is, however, saying that the songs must be about God who is spirit and our relation to Him which is rooted in the Word of Christ. To be spiritual then, the song must not only have words which are doctrinally sound, it must also have words which can be understood when sung. All of Christian life is rooted in the Word. Songs are not spiritual if the words cannot be heard/understood by the body which is gathered together.
Fourth, we should ask, "am I singing with an awareness of the grace of Christ that has been extended to me?" We are to sing literally "in the grace." Songs of worship are for those who are the grateful recipients of God's matchless grace through the gift of His Son Jesus.
Fifth, "is the song resonating in my heart?" The "worship wars" have harmed the church more than she realizes. People are sitting in the pews just waiting to hear a song they do not like and to get mad about it. Instead, we should be letting the melody that we are singing with our mouths also be the melody which is stirring in our hearts.
Finally, "is the music I am singing directed to God?" Your music can both glorify God and edify the body. The question is, is our music in total accomplishing both. Further, when I sing, am I singing to God when I praise Him, when I confess sin, when I acknowledge His Lordship, when I vow to serve Him. Are the words I sing really directed to God or am I simply singing to myself . . . or not at all (a particular problem for men!)
So, the next time you sing, remember that God has given music for His glory, and He has given us solid guidance on how we should sing in the midst of a world which seeks to undermine the church and the proclamation of the Gospel.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
God's Power and Faithfulness
Last week's vacation provided a long overdue opportunity to pause for a moment and consider what God has done over the past three years. I'm on the home stretch of classes, but the faithfulness of God extends well beyond academic progress.He has provided for us financially. He has given us a beautiful daughter. He has seen us through some very difficult days both emotionally and physically. He has been faithful in every way, but the chief demonstration of His faithfulness came on a cross when Jesus bore my sin to ransom me (and everyone who turns from his/her sin and trusts in the crucified and resurrected Jesus Christ alone to save him/her).
As I sat on our balcony overlooking the ocean, I was reminded of God's creative power. The God who made the oceans and the heavens and the tides is the same God who keeps His covenant. He can be trusted. He cannot fail.
Psalm 136 reminds us of the character, position, power, judgment, and redemption of God and follows up each reminder of God's power and faithfulness with this statement, "For His lovingkindness is forever." Consider reading this Psalm right now, and see if it does not lead you to praise our covenant-keeping God and to thank Him for all He has done.
"Give thanks to the God of heaven
For His lovingkindness is everlasting."
Psalm 136:26
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Earthquakes and Lakes
I stumbled across a news article this evening that brought to mind the courses I had in the natural and biological sciences through the years. Since I attended a public school, I was presented with the view that the earth has been here for billions of years.
One of the many reasons they argued for such an old earth was that the time that it took for various geologic phenomenon to occur must have taken many, many years. For example, I learned that it clearly took millions of years for hydrological forces to create the Grand Canyon.
Now, I'm no geophysicist, but I do find it interesting that one earthquake has had a dramatic impact in China. The recent earthquake has yielded several lakes, one that continues to rise and has threatened to overtake an entire city.
This is one earthquake. One day . . . . just minutes really.
Perhaps Genesis is right after all. Perhaps God brought the entire earth into existence out of nothing but His Word. Perhaps He is the Almighty, Eternal, Holy God who created man and made a way to redeem them when they fell.
One of the many reasons they argued for such an old earth was that the time that it took for various geologic phenomenon to occur must have taken many, many years. For example, I learned that it clearly took millions of years for hydrological forces to create the Grand Canyon.
Now, I'm no geophysicist, but I do find it interesting that one earthquake has had a dramatic impact in China. The recent earthquake has yielded several lakes, one that continues to rise and has threatened to overtake an entire city.
This is one earthquake. One day . . . . just minutes really.
Perhaps Genesis is right after all. Perhaps God brought the entire earth into existence out of nothing but His Word. Perhaps He is the Almighty, Eternal, Holy God who created man and made a way to redeem them when they fell.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Judgment & the Brevity of Life
Elizabeth reminds me every day how short life is. She is growing up so very quickly. Today she was able to stand while holding the top edge of her crib with no assistance.
In James 4:14, the brother of our Lord notes while exhorting us to live in right relationship with God and one another that "You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away."
It has always been interesting to me how James draws upon the brevity of life to make the case for walking in the ways of Christ. The Romans, conversely, said something quite different, "eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die."
James tells us to live our lives in light of the judgment yet to come. The world tells us there is no judgment and we can, therefore, do anything we want. The good news, of course, is that even the world cannot live out the true implications of living a life as though they will not be eventually held accountable. For if we truly lived as though justice would never come, we would live out our most evil desires with no fear of recompense.
I can only hope and pray that the world will wake up soon and recognize that God is just and that His justice will be served on all those who have not trusted in His Son as their only hope of salvation. If we really take the approach that we have absolute freedom to do whatever we wish with no fear of consequence, we can expect that our culture will continue its precipitous decline.
If we see that we all deserve God's wrath but can instead be His sons and daughters through faith in Christ, we will again see life for what it is - a gift from God to be used for His glory until He returns to judge the quick and the dead.
Thank you God for the judgment; it exposes my ongoing need of Christ. At the judgment, Your holiness will be clearly seen. Your justice will no longer be questioned. You will be vindicated before Your whole creation, and the redeemed will joyously worship you forever and ever for giving to them the righteousness of Christ. Amen.
In James 4:14, the brother of our Lord notes while exhorting us to live in right relationship with God and one another that "You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away."
It has always been interesting to me how James draws upon the brevity of life to make the case for walking in the ways of Christ. The Romans, conversely, said something quite different, "eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die."
James tells us to live our lives in light of the judgment yet to come. The world tells us there is no judgment and we can, therefore, do anything we want. The good news, of course, is that even the world cannot live out the true implications of living a life as though they will not be eventually held accountable. For if we truly lived as though justice would never come, we would live out our most evil desires with no fear of recompense.
I can only hope and pray that the world will wake up soon and recognize that God is just and that His justice will be served on all those who have not trusted in His Son as their only hope of salvation. If we really take the approach that we have absolute freedom to do whatever we wish with no fear of consequence, we can expect that our culture will continue its precipitous decline.
If we see that we all deserve God's wrath but can instead be His sons and daughters through faith in Christ, we will again see life for what it is - a gift from God to be used for His glory until He returns to judge the quick and the dead.
Thank you God for the judgment; it exposes my ongoing need of Christ. At the judgment, Your holiness will be clearly seen. Your justice will no longer be questioned. You will be vindicated before Your whole creation, and the redeemed will joyously worship you forever and ever for giving to them the righteousness of Christ. Amen.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
American Idol & American Culture
After a long day on the road to have lunch with a wonderful Christian couple and thank them personally for planning to support Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary through their will, I got home too late to make it to church and barely in time to see Elizabeth before she went down for the night. Stacie and I enjoyed dinner together as we began watching American Idol. (When we watch TV in the evenings, we watch at a low volume with captions so we do not wake Elizabeth; she has radar hearing like her mother).
As we watched, we found that the lyrics were often meaningless or worse. Overall, the show stood in direct opposition to the rest of my day, a day spent with a couple who is well along in life but doing more to battle the things of the flesh than most believers of my generation (both financially and with their service). As Stacie and I became increasingly frustrated, I decided to go for a run as Stacie drifted off to sleep. It didn't take very many steps into my jog to realize that nearly everyone on my street was watching TV, and they were watching a particular show - American Idol.
It occurred to me that millions of Americans, many of us Christians, are crowded around our TVs waiting to see who the winner of Idol will be. Parents are letting children stay up late. The anticipation of a new winner has millions riveted to the TV. We live our lives in far greater anticipation of the next Idol than we do in anticipation of the return of our risen Lord (Hebrews 10:19 - 25). We fail to take gathering with the people of God seriously because we've become comfortable in this world and no longer feel the urgency of taking refuge in the company of the redeemed. We are not looking for the return of our King; we are looking for the next king of pop. We are not thinking constantly of gaining Christ and of the pursuit of Him (Phil 3:15). When He returns, will Christ find us thinking of Him and the advance of His Kingdom, or will we be consumed with our own desires?
Back to lunch. The couple that I had the pleasure of visiting with has seen a lot of change in their days. As we spoke about the precipitous decline of the American culture and the challenges of raising up godly children in our day, the lady said, with no hint of pretense, "I just cannot wait for Jesus to return; I wish He'd come right now!" Here is a couple who is reading our culture better than many pastors because they are living in anticipation of Christ's return (as Scripture says we should!).
So, there are three things I believe God wanted to teach me with the deep contrast he showed me today:
1) Christians need to re-evaluate what we consider "neutral." We've begun to call bad things neutral. In all seriousness, can we call American Idol neutral when young ladies often appear on the show in an inappropriate amount of clothing singing things like, "My mama would be so ashamed . . I don't even know his last name. We left the club right around 3 in the morning sitting there in the parking lot, I had now clue was I was getting in to . . . no I blame it on the cuervo."
2) We younger believers need to get to know some older believers. Take the strong older couples in your church to dinner. Ask them to tell you about the good old days. Ask them about their parents, about their first job. Ask them what they see in our culture that offends them. Ask yourself if it offends you, if it offends Christ.
3) While we do not know the day or hour of Christ's return, we should be able to see that the Day is approaching (Heb 10:24). We must learn to filter all of life through the lens of Scripture. When we do, this will produce a longing in our hearts for the return of our risen Savior, Lord, and King as we strive to glorify Him on a daily basis regardless of the opposition or the consequences.
Come Lord Jesus, come.
As we watched, we found that the lyrics were often meaningless or worse. Overall, the show stood in direct opposition to the rest of my day, a day spent with a couple who is well along in life but doing more to battle the things of the flesh than most believers of my generation (both financially and with their service). As Stacie and I became increasingly frustrated, I decided to go for a run as Stacie drifted off to sleep. It didn't take very many steps into my jog to realize that nearly everyone on my street was watching TV, and they were watching a particular show - American Idol.
It occurred to me that millions of Americans, many of us Christians, are crowded around our TVs waiting to see who the winner of Idol will be. Parents are letting children stay up late. The anticipation of a new winner has millions riveted to the TV. We live our lives in far greater anticipation of the next Idol than we do in anticipation of the return of our risen Lord (Hebrews 10:19 - 25). We fail to take gathering with the people of God seriously because we've become comfortable in this world and no longer feel the urgency of taking refuge in the company of the redeemed. We are not looking for the return of our King; we are looking for the next king of pop. We are not thinking constantly of gaining Christ and of the pursuit of Him (Phil 3:15). When He returns, will Christ find us thinking of Him and the advance of His Kingdom, or will we be consumed with our own desires?
Back to lunch. The couple that I had the pleasure of visiting with has seen a lot of change in their days. As we spoke about the precipitous decline of the American culture and the challenges of raising up godly children in our day, the lady said, with no hint of pretense, "I just cannot wait for Jesus to return; I wish He'd come right now!" Here is a couple who is reading our culture better than many pastors because they are living in anticipation of Christ's return (as Scripture says we should!).
So, there are three things I believe God wanted to teach me with the deep contrast he showed me today:
1) Christians need to re-evaluate what we consider "neutral." We've begun to call bad things neutral. In all seriousness, can we call American Idol neutral when young ladies often appear on the show in an inappropriate amount of clothing singing things like, "My mama would be so ashamed . . I don't even know his last name. We left the club right around 3 in the morning sitting there in the parking lot, I had now clue was I was getting in to . . . no I blame it on the cuervo."
2) We younger believers need to get to know some older believers. Take the strong older couples in your church to dinner. Ask them to tell you about the good old days. Ask them about their parents, about their first job. Ask them what they see in our culture that offends them. Ask yourself if it offends you, if it offends Christ.
3) While we do not know the day or hour of Christ's return, we should be able to see that the Day is approaching (Heb 10:24). We must learn to filter all of life through the lens of Scripture. When we do, this will produce a longing in our hearts for the return of our risen Savior, Lord, and King as we strive to glorify Him on a daily basis regardless of the opposition or the consequences.
Come Lord Jesus, come.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)