What To Do When Times Get Hard

What to do when times get hard

Psalm 22 is a personal lament, written by King David. A lament is an expresso of grief and suffering. For example, the book of the Bible called Lamentations is Jeremiah's expression of grief over God's destruction of Israel. 

David had many hard times. Before becoming king, he was pursued by Saul, who sought to kill him. He fought many battles with countries opposed to Israel. He suffered through rebellions, including one led by his son Absalom, who actually deposed him and sent him into exile for a while. 

In one of these trying times, He wrote this Psalm as a cry. He is the innocent man suffering persecution from evil men. To make it worse, God has yet to come to his rescue despite his prayers. So, he cried out in verse 1, why have you forsaken me, why are you so far from me? 

David characterized his enemies as those who scorned and despised him. (6) They ridiculed him for trusting in God. (8) They were powerful, like bulls of Bashan (12) Bashan is the area north of Israel, given to Mannassah, which we now call the Golan Heights. It was known for great pasture land that produced large cattle. It became a symbol for powerful enemies from the north. They were aggressive predators, like dogs who encircled a vulnerable person. (16) Dogs in those days were not pets, they were more like jackals or coyotes. They plotted his downfall and how they would divide his possessions, down to his very clothes. (17-18)

David had exhausted his own strength, too. His heart melted, his strength dried out, he had nothing left. He was desperate. (14-16) Yet, David still believed and worshipped God. He declared God as holy. (3) He remembered that God called him into faith and made him trust in him. (9-11) David was suffering, but he expected vindication. He expected deliverance.

Many of us have experienced trials. We cried out to God. And we waited. Some years ago, I experienced a situation that made me identify with David. People conspired against me to take me out of my work position so they could make more money. Ironically, these people claimed to be Christians. They manufactured a lie and sold it to others. I did lose my position, although I kept my job. Ultimately, I was asked to prepare my version of events and present it to my boss, who vindicated me and recognized the falseness of the allegations. 

During that time, I identified with this Psalm, and others, greatly. I resolved to trust in the Lord and not fight back. I opened my Bible to this Psalm and left it on my work desk until the day I had to leave that office. I read those Psalms every day. I asked God to vindicate me. 

This is all to say, in times of trouble, do not give up. Instead, "double down". Pray more, read more Scripture, worship, and most of all, trust. At the end, you will glorify God both in your perseverance and in your praise, as we will see David do in the remainder of the Psalm. 

Thoughts From Genesis 1 (#2)

Thoughts From Genesis 1 (#2)

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth". (Genesis 1:1 ESV) 

This verse sets the stage for everything that follows in the Bible. God made everything. He made our world, the sky above it, space and every living thing. Why is that important? It is because it speaks to God's right to rule the world he made. He made it and it is his. 

...

If God did not make the universe, his right to rule it may be questioned. That is why naturalists work so hard to find an alternate theory. If the universe came into being on its own, then no one has a right to govern mankind. We may rule ourselves. For example, Stephen Hawking writes:
With the success of scientific theories in describing events, most people have come to believe that God allows the universe to evolve according to a set of laws and does not intervene in the universe to break those laws. However, the laws do not tell us what the universe should have looked like when it started - it would still be up to God to wind up the clockwork and choose how to start if off. So long as th universe had a beginning, we could suppose it had a creator. But if the universe is really completely self-contained, having no boundary or edge, it would have neither begging nor end: it would simply be. What place, the for a creator? A Brief History of Time, 1988, p. 140-141. 

Ironically, this thinking has produced a religion rather than atheism. It has created a deity of its own: the Cosmos. Scientists describe it as having no beginning and no end and being worthy of our reverence. It has much in common with pantheism.

The Bible makes clear that it is God who created the universe. The Bible makes clear that God is the master of it. The Old Testament prophets declared this repeatedly. The Book of Revelation resonates with this idea. 

Hezekiah, a king of Israel in the Old Testament, gives us a great example. Surrounded by a superior Assyrian army, he cried out to God. Listen to this prayer: "O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, who is enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven an earth." Hezekiah went on to ask God, as the maker and ruler of all things, to deliver Israel. God answered that prayer and delivered them "for his own sake", or to show that Hezekiah was right to name his as create and ruler.

Believers look at a troubled world and know that God is the master of it. We pray "your kingdom come" because we anxiously await the day he will manifest his kingdom to all.

Ligonier Conference Sermons

Ligonier announced today you can live stream the sermons from the conference at Ligonier.org and YouTube 

THOUGHTS FROM GENESIS 1 (#1)

Genesis 1:1, the first verse in the Bible, begins with "In the beginning, God...". This verse is often passed over quickly to read the story of creation. But it is important. It teaches us a great truth.

God existed before he created the earth. When it says "in the beginning", and "he created", it means God existed before the earth. He is eternal, not beginning or ending. He did not come into being upon the formation of the earth. He was always there, he then created earth. He has always existed, the earth has not.

Christ, the second person of the Trinity, also is eternal. John 1:1 tells us this. John wrote: "In the beginning was the Word". In John 1, "Word" refers to Christ. Jesus declared his eternal existence while praying in John 17:5, "And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed".

The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, is also eternal. In Genesis 1:2, the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. God, in the unity of the Trinity, existed before the earth was created.

Other scriptures declare the eternal existence of God. In Isaiah 44:6, God declared:
Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel
and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts:
I am the first and I am the last;
besides me there is no god.

God is eternal. He was here before us. He will always be. We did not invent him, he created us. No matter how long our life on earth remains, it will end. He will not. When our flesh releases our spirit, he will be there to receive it. (Ecclesiastes 9:7)

LIGONIER CONFERENCE

I have not been able to write much this week. I have been in Orlando at the Ligonier Conference. This is the organization led by R. C. Sproul. I listened to preaching from early morning until night. I commend it to you. I heard Sinclair Ferguson, Alistair Begg, Stephen Nichols, Robert Godfrey and others. Ligonier will post some of the videos at Ligonier.org. If you can watch, do so.

I will try to pick up the writing pace this week. God bless and keep you.

THE ROOT CAUSE OF CONFLICT JAMES 4:1-5

The Root Cause of Conflict
James 4:1-5

James begins this discussion simply by asking the question “what causes quarrels and what causes fights to break out among you”? He also answers plainly: it is because our desires\passions are in conflict within us. The ESV says they are “at war” within us. In other words, conflicts on the inside of us result in conflicts on the outside.

The conflict here is between our desire for what the world wants and our desire for what God wants. In Romans 7, Paul discussed this in relation to the lost person. He called it the battle between obeying the law of God and the law of the flesh. We know that the battle continues after salvation.

There is an implied question in verse 2. The question is “why don’t I get what I want”? James answers that question with 2 alternatives.

First, James says you do not ask. He means you do not ask God for what you want. That may mean you do not believe God will give it to you. James has already told us that every good and perfect gift comes from our heavenly Father. (1:17) Yet, we do not always trust him to give us what we need. It may also mean you think you deserve it without asking. Or it may mean you want to take it for yourself without help from God.

Second, James says you ask but do not receive because you want the thing for your own selfish desires. Janis Joplin sang “Oh, Lord, won’t you give me a Mercedes Benz?” And, at least in America, a lot of people pray for things like that. And some preachers preach that you should. But not James. James says instead that this kind of asking is idolatry. He called them “adulterous people”. (4) God used that image of marriage in the Old Testament to describe those who broke his covenant by worshipping idols. Here the idol is money and possessions. We want those things for our own pleasure, status and pride rather than to help others or advance Christ’s kingdom.

So, James sternly reminds us that we can live for the world or we can live for God. He said friendship with the world is enmity with God. Enmity is hostility. For example, God put enmity between the serpent and Eve, between its offspring and her offspring. (Genesis 3:15) That enmity will last until the end of this age when the serpent and his offspring are all removed from earth and thrown into lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15)

Verse 5 tells us God does not take this lightly. He is jealous for his people. (5) When he made his covenant with Israel, he he told them they could not worship idols (other gods) because he is a jealous God. (Exodus 20:5) That means he demands exclusive loyalty and worship.

THE BRIAN WILLIAMS IN ALL OF US

Newsman Brian Williams has been the news himself, lately, because some of his claims have proven to be lies. Notable among these is his claim to have come under gunfire while traveling to a story. Since then he has been the butt of many Internet jokes. He has also been suspended from his job on network television.

Mr. Williams is successful in his career without doubt. He has been on television for years. Why would he lie? The reason is that, even with his success, he wants to appear more than he is. Not satisfied with being a reporter, he wants to have risked great danger to get a story. It is the hallmark of the great reporter.

There is a Brian Williams in all of us. We all want to appear more than we are. Men and women lie to each other to appear more attractive. People at reunions lie to each other about their success since high school. Resume fraud is an epidemic. Politicians lie about their experience and qualifications.

This is not new. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees in the New Testament for this. He called it hypocrisy. For example, in Matthew 23:1, Jesus said "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat so practice and observe whatever they tell you-but not what they do. For they preach but they do not practice".

How do we avoid this sin? It is all about where you seek your since of significance. We all want to have significance. Many seek it at work. They work hard, but still may not feel significant in their workplace. So they lie about it, making up stories or exaggerating accomplishments so that their co-workers will think they are more important than they are.

The Pharisees drew their significance from their position in Israel's religious community. They had power and influence. It was a big deal to become a Pharisee. To enhance their position, they spoke great words. The problem is they did not practice their own preaching. They were morally and spiritually bankrupt on the inside.

The key to avoiding this sin is to find your significance in Christ, in your relationship to Christ. If you are a believer, you have the great privilege of knowing God and being known by him. Jeremiah 9:24 says "let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD...". Paul quoted this verse in 1 Corinthians 1:31.

Of course, when we center ourselves in Christ, we know we have nothing about which to boast. We were saved by grace, not by works. (Ephesians 2:8-9) God did it this way on purpose, so that we would not boast. Boasting is precluded. Humility and thankfulness are mandatory.

While we cannot boast, we can rejoice. Paul tells us to rejoice in the Lord. (Philippians 3:1) Rejoicing replaces boasting.

Nothing matters in comparison to knowing Christ. If we do not know Christ, all we have done will pass away into nothingness. If Brian Williams does not know Christ, his status ultimately means nothing, whether he took gunfire or not. If he does know Christ, nothing else matters, for he has all he needs.

For Christians, the greatest temptation probably lies at church. We want to look like we have it all together, that we are spiritual, and that nothing bothers us. We are Pharisees. Instead, let us be honest about ourselves and let others be honest also. Instead of boasting of our supposed spirituality, let us be humble, open, caring and repenting.

But in doing so, let us rejoice. Let us have real joy. For we know Christ and he knows us. We belong to him. Our future is bright. Our future is secure.

Work As For The Lord - Colossians 3:23-24

As you head out to work today, remember Colossians 3:23-24: Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord, and not for me, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

Even if you job is not fulfilling or exciting, you serve the Lord as you do it. If you do a good job with a good attitude, you bring glory to him. And he will reward you. You serve Christ, not just men.

Have a good week.

BEWARE PITHY STATEMENTS

We often see pithy theological statements on posters, Facebook and Twitter. Pithy means concise and forceful. The purpose is to catch you attention with a nice sounding phrase. Be careful about adopting these. They may not be accurate.

For example, I recently heard a fellow on a Christian radio station say “it is good to know your Bible; it is better to know its author”. While there are a few people that really know the Bible and do not know god, there are not many and they probably do not listen to Christian radio. So, what is the point?
The problem here is the implication that you can know God outside of the Bible. Certainly we can know something about god from creation. Romans 1:20 tells us that. But the word “know” in the Bible usually refers to a relationship. You may know facts about God but not have a relationship with him. You can only have a relationship with God the Father by having a faith relationship with his Son, Jesus. (John 14:6) You can only have this relationship with Jesus by hearing and receiving the Gospel. (Romans 10:14)

You hear the Gospel by hearing it preached and read. Therefore, we see that you cannot know God apart from knowing his word, the Bible.
Pithy may fit today’s media needs and our short attention spans. But people need God’s truth spelled out clearly and completely. Beware of pithy statements and think them through before you adopt them.

Let’s be careful out there.

SPIRITUAL WISDOM V. CONFLICT - James 3 & 4

Spiritual Wisdom
3:13-18

As we mature in Christ, we should develop wisdom. James indicated that all believers should seek wisdom. (1:5) Solomon wrote Proverbs “to know wisdom”. (Prov. 1:2) But spiritual, rather than worldly wisdom, reveals itself by good conduct and meekness. (13) In verse 13, James calls out those who think they are wise to be examined. If they are wise, it will be shown by good conduct in meekness, as saving faith is shown in righteous works. Such wisdom will be pure peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. (17)

In contrast, if your wisdom produces bitter jealousy and selfish ambition, it is false. (14) Wisdom does not compete for the number of likes on Facebook or the number of retweets on Twitter. It does not get jealous if another teacher is more popular or his books sell more copies. These things will lead to sin both in the teacher and in his congregation. He says this kind of wisdom is earthly unspiritual and even demonic. (15) Those are harsh words. But selfish ambition, jealousy and competition in the church are tools of Satan. They can destroy a fellowship. And they can destroy the believer.

When I was in my early thirties, a fellow young deacon told me his goal was to become the youngest deacon chairman ever. There is no reason you would aspire to that other than to brag on yourself. It did not happen. In fact, he never became a deacon officer and eventually stopped serving because he did not want to serve; he wanted to be recognized and important.

The spiritually wise person will reflect the fruits of the spirit. (Galatians 5:22). Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control define this person. In contract, someone who has only worldly wisdom will reflect the works of the flesh listed in Galatians 5:19-21. Notice that envy, strife and jealousy are listed. I have worked with people who were brilliant in business, but were terrible human beings. That is what is being discussed here. In verse 16, James says fleshly or worldly wisdom causes disorder and vile practices. When you bring these things into the church, you corrupt it.

In verse 17, James reiterates the characteristics of wisdom. It is pure. That means moral blamelessness. The essence of spiritual wisdom is harmony with God and his standards. God and his word are pure. So will the wise person be pure. It is also peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy, impartial and sincere. The wise person treats all with respect, humility and gentleness. It is a product of wisdom. The wise believer always works for peace and unity in the fellowship, not disruption. If you want a harvest of righteousness, you sow peace. (18)

The Root Cause of Conflict
James 4:1-2

James begins this discussion simply by asking the question “what causes quarrels and what causes fights to break out among you”? He also answers plainly: it is because our desires\passions are in conflict within us. The ESV says they are “at war” within us. In other words, conflicts on the inside of us result in conflicts on the outside.

The conflict here is between our desire for what the world wants and our desire for what God wants. In Romans 7, Paul discussed this in relation to the lost person. He called it the battle between obeying the law of God and the law of the flesh. We know that the battle continues after salvation.

There is an implied question in verse 2. The question is “why don’t I get what I want”? James answers that question with 2 alternatives.

First, James says you do not ask. He means you do not ask God for what you want. That may mean you do not believe God will give it to you. James has already told us that every good and perfect gift comes from our heavenly Father. (1:17) Yet, we do not always trust him to give us what we need. It may also mean you think you deserve it without asking. Or it may mean you want to take it for yourself without help from God.

Second, James says you ask but do not receive because you want the thing for your own selfish desires. Janis Joplin sang “Oh, Lord, won’t you give me a Mercedes Benz?” And, at least in America, a lot of people pray for things like that. And some preachers preach that you should. But not James. James says instead that this kind of asking is idolatry. He called them “adulterous people”. (4) God used that image of marriage in the Old Testament to describe those who broke his covenant by worshipping idols. Here the idol is money and possessions. We want those things for our own pleasure, status and pride rather than to help others or advance Christ’s kingdom.

So, James sternly reminds us that we can live for the world or we can live for God. He said friendship with the world is enmity with God. Enmity is hostility. For example, God put enmity between the serpent and Eve, between its offspring and her offspring. (Genesis 3:15) That enmity will last until the end of this age when the serpent and his offspring are all removed from earth and thrown into lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15)

Verse 5 tells us God does not take this lightly. He is jealous for his people. (5) When he made his covenant with Israel, he he told them they could not worship idols (other gods) because he is a jealous God. (Exodus 20:5) That means he demands exclusive loyalty and worship.

For example, see Exodus 20:5. When God made a covenant with Israel, he told them they could not make idols and worship them because he was a jealous God. Since he is God, the only God, he can rightfully demand that we worship him only.

Wisdom

True wisdom brings peace. James 3:17

Free Audio Book

You can download the audiobook version of Everyone's A Theologian by R. C. Sproul at "Christianaudio.com/free" 

TAMING THE TONGUE - JAMES 3

Warning to Teachers
3:1

This section deals with speech, or words. In a sense, words are works. As we perform good works as a fruit of our salvation, our speech should reflect our new nature as well. We should do righteous works and speak righteous words.

James warns us to be careful in becoming a teacher of the Word. His reason is that teachers will be held to a higher standard.

Teachers will be judged with greater strictness. Teachers must adhere carefully to the Word. They must not change it. We must not lessen its requirements or add requirements it does not make. A teacher’s words are judged by God’s word.

Jesus said that whoever relaxes any of the commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:19) He also said the one who teaches them will will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. He also said a teacher who teaches one to sin will be punished to the extent that having a millstone tied around is neck and thrown in the sea would be preferable. (Mathew 18:6) I think it is safe to say Jesus takes God’s word and his commandments seriously.

As a teacher you cannot make stuff up if you do not know the answer. You cannot explain away the commands of God. Your job is to teach people what God says in his word, explain it and apply it faithfully.

Since James will show us that the tongue can be powerfully destruction in any person, he warns that a teacher exposes himself to greater risk of sin and harsher judgment.

Tame the Tongue
3:2-12

We all stumble in many ways, but speech is a major one. The tongue is hard to tame. It is easy to sin with your speech. If you have not stumbled with what you have said, you are a perfect man or woman. The tongue is so hard to tame, James says, if we can tame our tongue, bridle it, we can tame (bridle) our whole body. It is very important.

One might ask, can something that small really have that much impact? So, James gives two examples of the power of something small, first a bridle and second a rudder. In verse 3, he points out that we guide powerful horses with a small bit in the mouth.

A bit is a piece of metal that fits in the horse’s mouth. It is connected to the bridle, usually leather, that fits around the horse’s head. The reigns are the part that the rider holds. When the rider pulls the reigns, the bit moves in the horse’s mouth, making him follow the rider’s lead. In verse 4, he points out that we control a large ship with a small rudder.

In each example, you have someone to exert control, horseman and pilot, the object to be controlled, the horse or ship, and the controlling tool, the bridle and the rudder. With a man or woman, he or she is the controller, the body is the thing controlled, and the tongue is the instrument of control. So, the tongue is very small, but can have a great effect for evil and destruction.

In verse 6, James moves to a metaphor of fire. Again he shows how something small can control something great. But he adds the element of destructiveness. A small fire can burn a great forest.

The small tongue can set off a world of unrighteousness.Calvin said “a slender portion of flesh contains the whole world of iniquity”. It can stain our whole body and change the course of our life. James has already told us that pure and undefiled religion includes keeping oneself unstained from the world. (James 1:27) It is a small fire fueled by the fire of hell. These are very strong words. But we have all witnessed it and done it. Examples are gossip. slander, lying, blasphemy, boarding and making false vows. Jesus said “it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person. (Matthew 15:11) He followed that with an scary teaching, saying “what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart and this defiles a person.” (Matthew 15:17)

There are examples in the Bible of people who spoke rashly and caused terrible consequences. Jeptha in Judges 11, when going to fight the Ammonites, vowed to the Lord that he would sacrifice the first thing to come out of his house when he returned victorious from the battle. His daughter came out and he sacrificed her. It was his only daughter. In Matthew 27:25, the Jews at Jesus’ crucifixion cried out “may his blood be on our heads and that of our children”. That was brought to bear at the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans.

In verse 7-8, James tells us that all fail at controlling the tongue. He said, we have tamed every kind of animal, but we cannot tame the tongue. He calls it a restless evil, full of deadly poison. (8) Because with it, we will go to a worship service and bless God, then turn around and curse people who are made in the image of that same God. The image of God here probably refers to Genesis 1:26, where God created man in the image of God. To curse a believer is even worse, for the believer is indwell by God in the person of the Holy Spirit. The same mouth is blessing and cursing and James said that is written. It is unnatural.

To prove his point that it is unnatural, James resorts to examples from nature. In verse 11-12, he asks if a spring can pour both fresh and salt water, if a fig tree can produce olives and if a grapevine can produce figs. These are rhetorical questions, of course, and the implied answer is no, of course not, that would be ridiculous.

Jesus did the same thing when he warned of false prophets in Matthew 7:16. He asked if grapes could come from thorn bushes or figs from thistles. The point is that a spiritual renewed man or woman has a tongue that speaks as a spiritual person speaks, not with cursing and malice.