Upon further review: Believe

Jude 1:5 Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. The once crazy crowd now waits silently and nervously. The referee’s head is buried under the hood of the review camera. The game stands still waiting for a decision. Did the quarterback’s arm start to go forward before the ball came out? If so, it isn’t a game changing fumble, but a harmless incompletion. Everyone waits for the words that trail the phrase: Upon further review… Every true fan has a memory of a call that didn’t go their way and a disdain for the referee who made the bad call. Video review was introduced in sports for one reason: to correct human error in judgment of a perceived event. In some cases it validates the call on the field or court, but in others a deeper, slower look uncovers a truth that was missed at full speed in the heat of battle. Jude 1:5 is a verse that makes me slow down and do a deep thorough examination of a critical word in Christianity: Believe. Consider what Jude is saying in terms of the Jews who he led out of Egypt but did not believe. To make it through the Exodus these non-believers: >Saw God visibly as a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night >Tasted the miracle of God’s provision in manna >Felt his power as he divided the red sea and crushed the Egyptian army >Sensed his atoning mercy as a Passover lamb covered their sins >Knew the depth his wrathful judgment as they witnessed the plagues >Relished in Christ’s mercy as he provided water in the desert >Smelled the rot of death as the plagues swept through Egypt This list could go on for some time, but the point of fact is that these Jews that Jude refers to as non-believers unquestionably knew that there was a God-sized force at work in their midst, as miracles where on display literally 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They knew that something outside themselves, and this world had, a will and a purpose and the strength and power to accomplish its goals. They knew that this majestic and divine being wanted to have a relationship with them and purge them of sin and rebellion and bring them peace and blessings. Seriously, stop for a second and put yourself in their shoes as they walked around for forty years outside the promise land. Yahweh would have been impossible to miss as a God. So how could Jude refer to them as “those who did not believe” if they walked around in the factual reality of God’s miracles daily for decades? That demands some slow motion replay for each of us as we put our souls under scrutiny like a photo finish at the Kentucky derby. The presence of God was a complete reality to all of these non-believers, but what was missing was a belief in His promises and a doubt of their own strength and the result was no faith. God had promised delivery of the land of Canaan by His strength and they looked at their own lack of strength faithlessly (Numbers 13). The beginning of Faith exists where human ability ends. Even though the Israelites witnessed Yahweh first hand, they didn’t believe he would hold to His promises of deliverance, blessing and protection that he made to the Israelites starting in Genesis 12 with Abraham. They did not trust God as the God who sets the rules, rules the Earth and makes things unravel in such a way that only he can get glory. The barrier to their unbelief was their belief in themselves and things of this world in place of God’s promises. There are many who walk around with casual acknowledgement of God and count that as assurance of salvation. Some people are of the opinion that the Mercy of Christ comes without repentance, change, obedience and that they can rewrite the rules as long as they kind of include some parts and pieces of God in them somewhere. We should all freeze frame and review our faith at this point. If Jesus saved some out of Egypt who lived in a reality of God’s miracles, later destroyed those who didn’t fully live on His promises and Word, then we need to be careful not to do the same. In whose strength are you truly walking? The devil loves to confuse us at this point and there are many false teachers that are leading people astray on this very point: what it means to believe. If we don’t get that right, then we are dead wrong and there will not be any do-overs. The definition of belief that saves isn’t up for us to decide. God has already defined it for us.

Secrets

Romans 2:16 This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares (NIV) The Mueller's were a family that we grew up with in the 70's. Peter, the father, was one of the funniest men you have ever bumped into. I can still vividly remember his husky laugh and the way he would make his wife, Lucy, smile. Their three kids were always fun to play with and my first crush was on Mindy, their youngest at the ripe old age of six. My dad and Phillip knew each other from work and they instantly had enjoyed each other's company launching a friendship that lasted for over two decades. The Mueller's seemed like the average white collar family who was doing well and had all the things the American dream had to offer. Until one of Peter's secrets was exposed. Through a course of events, Lucy uncovered the fact that Peter had a second family. In fact, he had been living a double life for decades and hiding that dirty little secret from everyone. This shocking secret hurt many not the least of which was his family whom God had entrusted him to lead. Secrets. Since the first sin was committed in the Garden, the desire to sin and then run and hide from God when he comes looking for us is strong. In the depths of our souls, it is usually our first reaction when an authority figure is present to enforce their laws upon us. It is why we slam on the brakes and look innocent when we see the cop in the median with the radar detector. It is why my kids run and jump back in their beds late at night when I walk up the stairs to make sure that they are asleep when and where they are supposed to be. It is why we are all so good at self-denial and rationalization when we get caught. It is part of the nasty web of deceit of sin. We are tempted, we fall, and then we are tempted to hide the sin so we aren't exposed. This cycle is deadly and our natural course of action. The ramifications are huge. Not only are we separated form God by our sin, but our refusal to admit guilt and confess our wickedness keeps us from experiencing divine atonement and buries us in guilt. If the adversary can keep us hiding from God in secret sin he has us in the palms of his hands. The reality is clear in Paul's word to the Roman church: there are no secrets that are kept from God and our attempts to bury sin away in a distant field will be thwarted and openly exposed for proper judgment. Now our secrets may not be as glaring as Mr. Mueller's, but we are all tempted to have them and then try and hide them from God so we can appear righteous. What thoughts do you have that you know aren't Godly? What desires do you have that you know are wrong? What are the secret temptations tugging at your soul that are strong and have power? Confess them before they destroy you. The devil will use every trick in the book to get you to focus on your own self-image and the damage it will do if you confess your weaknesses. Christ offers us an opportunity to focus on His image and admit what we all really know anyhow: we are all messed up sinners in our flesh. When we do this at the feet of Jesus in an appeal to His righteous rule over our life, he spiritually biopsies not only the effects of sin, but he will replace the temptation with the sweet satisfaction of His own Glory. What are you fruitlessly trying to hide from God today? We must see those efforts as fruitless if we ever want to see the fruitfulness of Christ in our lives. Thanks be to God who sent Jesus to unveil and cover the sins of those who love and enjoy Him as Lord, Savior and Treasure!

Christ & Welfare

Romans 2:4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. Welfare. One in six Americans are on it. No matter your political affiliation, you probably have a viewpoint on this divisive subject. In it’s Genesis, welfare was an act of mercy designed to help those who could not help themselves. I think that most caring individuals are all for the thought of helping others that are helpless. Looking back, if the Church would have fulfilled God’s design to help and restore the oppressed, there would have been little need for the government to fill that role. Looking forward, nothing causes more stir than welfare recipients who think they are owed Welfare, are without thankfulness for the aid, and have no plans to move forward and overcome their situation. Stories of welfare fraud by millions of its presumptuous recipients are at the center of the Conservative movement to slash it. Success stories when welfare has acted as a bridge for a better tomorrow for some Americans, or simply sustained the most needy are the fuel for liberal calls to increase its breadth. Could it be that both the left and the right are sincere and correct in the core of their Welfare theology? I think so. There is a need for grace and mercy, but in the cases where the recipients are able to work, that grace is supposed to trigger a change in activity. The moment that grace is thanklessly consumed and presumed upon, it will become the help that hurts and seals your fate. I believe this is exactly what Paul is saying in terms of Christ’s Grace in Romans 2 as he writes to the church in Rome. The Grace and Mercy of God through faith in Jesus are a necessity. We need them to overcome our sins, approach God and live in peace as our actions have earned us nothing but hurt and anxiety. Our praise for a savior is accelerated when we contemplate His work and our futile attempts at pleasing God. Conversely, if we presume upon the riches of Christ, we can think that are owed His love. We aren’t owed anything but death. His love is designed to change us, as his grace stimulates repentance and we turn from our desires and begin to delight in Jesus alone. So His grace has an effect that is much more than head knowledge. The knowledge leads to fear of God, which leads to praise of Christ, which leads to living your life joyfully obedient to Him as king. So what is happens when you contemplate the Grace of Christ? Casual acknowledgement or a burning desire to praise Him, beg for forgiveness and celebrate His righteousness. It’s a good question with a lot hanging in the balance based on our answer. Let’s think it through!