A God Who Is Not Obligated

I'm reading through The Pleasures Of God by John Piper (I know, big surprise). The truths Piper exhorts from Scripture are so incredible...

"But the gospel is the good news that God is the all-satisfying end of all our longings, and that, even though he does not need us, and is in fact estranged from us becaouse of our God-belittling sins, he has, in the great love with which he loved us, made a way for sinners to drink at the river of his delights through Jesus Christ. And we will not be enthralled by this good news unless we feel that he was not obliged to do this." - Pg. 196

The Serpent Crusher

Sit down with a person of the Jewish faith, say to them, "Jesus is all over the Old Testament," and strap yourself in for a long talk.

Christian and Jewish theologians have somewhat drawn a line in the sand. For Jewish theologians, I think, they firmly believe and are able to articulate well that the Old Testament does not directly reference Jesus. Some Jewish theologians and people of the faith would say that Christians look at the Old Testament through the lens of Christianity and naturally see Jesus. It is not a charge that Christians are making things up, but rather, an argument that Christians misinterpret the Scriptures. One of the biggest examples is the virgin reference in Isaiah. Isaiah states that the Messiah will be born of a virgin. Christians point to that as an example of the Old Testament foretelling of Jesus' birth by the virgin Mary. Jewish theologians will and do say that the Hebrew word used for virgin actually means young woman.

The issue of the Old Testament pointing to Jesus is not a cut-and-dry issue. People of other faiths offer legitimate ways of looking at the Old Testament that would support it is not pointing to Jesus.

What do we do? Who is right?

Perhaps that is the wrong question. Christians can argue all day with people of other faiths that Jesus is in the Old Testament and that he is God, but that is not how people will begin to treasure Christ.

Rather, this should be a personal issue for Christians. The New Testament makes it clear (1 Corinthians 1:16-27) that people are not won over to Christ by arguments. People are chosen and elected and the Christian life marked by the Calvary road is to stand as a light to everyone else that Jesus Christ must be a treasure if He is worth so much suffering.

So, the question, "Is Jesus in the New Testament?" should not be an academic one where Christians think they can settle it and therefore convince everyone with their great arguments and logic. The question should be for a Christian, "What are the promises Christ fulfilled that I can set my eyes on in order to run the race well?"

A great example is with John the Baptist.

John the Baptist grew up believing that his cousin, Jesus, is the Messiah and that he would be the Lamb that takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). John baptizes Jesus, 40 days later Jesus begins his ministry, John continues to preach repentance, calls out Herod for his adultery, and Herod arrests him. John is now in a jail cell most likely believing that Herod will execute him at any point and John's disciples are telling him about Jesus: He's talking in parables and healing everyone. It is easy to imagine the questions running through John's head, "Isn't he suppose to be redeeming mankind? Why is he just healing anyone that comes in front of him?" This line of thinking going through John's mind could be completely wrong on our part, but for whatever the reason John the Baptist doubted Jesus.

LUKE 7:18-23

'The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" And when the men had come to him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, 'Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?'" In that hour, he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blinded he bestowed sight. And he answered them, "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.'

Why did Jesus respond this way? Why did He heal people and then tell John the Baptist's disciples to go back to John and report what they saw Jesus do? Matthew helps us here.

MATTHEW 5:17-20

'[Jesus said,] "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.'

"I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." Jesus responded the way he did to the question posed by John the Baptist so that John would see Isaiah 35:4-6 come alive and thus know Jesus is the promised Messiah and be able to suffer well with this knowledge.

ISAIAH 35:4-6

'Say to those who have an anxious heart,
"Be strong; fear not!
Behold, your God
will come with vengeance
with the promise of recompense of God.
He will come to save you."

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
then shall the lame man leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.'

Each element in this passage is fulfilled by Jesus in Luke 7:18-23 alone, not to mention in all of the gospels. The Old Testament states the Messiah would come to redeem His people from sin and when He arrives He will heal the blind and cure the deaf and heal the lame man to show that Life has come and the effects of sin will crumble in its presence as a forecast to the time when all of creation will be restored.

What happens to John? He is executed by Herod and he goes to grave never denying Jesus by grabbing hold of the promise that not only did Jesus fulfill part of Isaiah 35, but that he would fulfill all of it and that John would be raised in the later days that have yet to come as a son of glory through the cross of Jesus.

Let the assurance that the Old Testament points to Jesus be an anchor for you to attach between yourself and Jesus. We all slip away so easily from Jesus by our own choosing that we desperately need to do what we can just to stay close to Him. Knowing that Jesus fulfilled everything in the Old Testament and calls us to embody His life is one way that we can attach ourselves to Him.

Remember, Scripture is our only weapon against Satan and our flesh (Ephesians 5). If we want any chance to stand against either of them without betraying Jesus with our deeds and actions, we need to take hold of this promise of Jesus that He truly did fulfill all the requirements to bring us to God.

Where else is Jesus in the Old Testament? Here are a couple examples:

GENESIS 3:15
PSALM 22
DANIEL 7
ISAIAH 52

Renew your mind with these passages. Ask yourself, "Who is this man God promises to crush the Serpent's offspring?" So what? Since Jesus fulfilled all of these passages, it means we are not helpless and have a defender on our sides against Satan, sin, and death.

It is my prayer that the youth of NMCC would be egomaniacs for heaven; that they desire to be the greatest in heaven knowing in order for that to happen they must be the least in this world by wielding the sword of Scripture against Satan and flesh well.

Attention USA Today: Obama Is Not Jesus

Over the course of the 2008 campaign, I heard the accusations that the supporters of Obama and the media painted and treated Obama as Jesus. I could understand these accusations considering so many of Obama's supporters based their support of him on his powerful words, message of hope and change, and the promise to save us from the hell of war and economic turmoil.

But today it just got stupid not because of how Obama's supporters reacted, but because of the media's portrayal of Obama as Jesus.

Don't believe me? Check it out:

So, I would like to remind the media and all others that even if Obama does deliver the country from its current turmoil, he is not the messiah nor is Jesus just some guru teacher preaching peace. He is much cooler.

Revelation 19:11-16 (ESV)

'Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word Of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.'

Remember The Obama Challenge

This past Sunday, I taught through Matthew 16 during CRAVE. The chapter ends with this:

Matthew 16:24

Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."

The immediate question that comes from this statement is, "How?" One way is obedience to Scripture, specifically what Jesus has to say about specific subjects.

To bring this closer to home and take a step to pick our cross, I'm challenging my CRAVE class to take a moment and write down their thoughts about the upcoming Obama presidency and then see what the Bible / Jesus has to say about governmental authority and how we are to live in accordance with it. Then I'm challenging my CRAVE students to bring in their thoughts and the Scripture they've found in this Sunday and we'll talk about it.

So, take a moment and write down any and all thoughts you have about Obama's presidency. Stop and then pray saying something like, "Holy Spirit, show me how Jesus wants me to live in response to this." Then search your Bible and write down any verses that are revealed to you and bring them in Sunday.

The Difference Between Batman And A Christian

The difference between a Christian and Batman is this: Bruce Wayne makes Batman's amor; the Christian's armor is made by God.

So, a Christian fits more along the lines of a U.S. Marine than a superhero. A superhero can fashion their own armor whereas a Marine's armor is made by the country they serve.

Ephesians 6:10-20

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

Here's the laundry list of armor Paul gives (and first recognize that Paul says it is "the armor of God." Not your armor. God's armor.):

1. Belt of truth - you don't determine truth; God does

2. Breastplate of righteousness - you don't determine what is righteous; God does

3. The readiness given by the gospel of peace - you don't determine the assurance of Christ's redeeming work on the cross; God does

4. Shield of faith - you don't create your faith; God does

5. Helmet of salvation - you don't secure your salvation; God does

6. Sword of the Spirit (Scripture) - you don't determine the accuracy, truth, and convicting power of Scripture; God does

This armor truly is God's armor. We don't make it and therefore we have no right to negotiate with God which pieces of the armor we can wear and which we can ignore and which we can just have but not use. Thinking Scripture isn't needed at least daily to fight for our faith is like a U.S. Marine telling his commanding officer that it's useless to carry a gun or any weapon. How insulted must God be when Christians take his armor for granted when he is giving it to them for their good?

Francis Chan writes in his book Crazy Love,

When I was in high school, I seriously considered joining the Marines; this was when they first came out with commercials for "the few, the proud, the Marines." What turned me off was that in those advertisements, everyone was always running. Always. And I hate running.

But you know what? I didn't bother to ask if they would modify the rules for me so I could run less, and maybe also do fewer push-ups. That would've been pointless and stupid, and I knew it. Everyone knows that if you sign up for the Marines, you have to do whatever they tell you. They own you.

Somehow this realization does not cross over to our thinking about the Christian life. Jesus didn't say that if you wanted to follow Him you could do it in a lukewarm manner. He said, "Take up your cross and follow me" (pg. 80).

Christians have a great and serious battle to fight. It is a battle for their faith and the faith of others in a God whose love is so extreme that he hangs on a cross to atone for the sins of his creation.

Christians are called to live a mission that is the greatest cause in the world and John Piper says it this way, "The greatest cause in the world is joyfully rescuing people from hell, meeting earthly needs, making them glad in God, and doing it with a kind, serious pleasure that makes Christ look like the Treasure he is."

So, let us go and fight for the greatest cause in the world using the impenetrable armor that God supplies by getting off the sidelines that is defined by worrying about jobs, scholarships, future happiness, and attending church regularly. Let's fight the bloody fight for joy in God no matter the cost as Christ says that His followers should.

The Reason To Repent

Repent simply means to turn away. It means to turn away from a life that says to God, "We can do it without you and get our own joy," to a life that says to God, "We need you, we are relying on you to show us the life you desire us to live to get as much joy as we can in this life and the next." But why would you ever want to say that to God? Why would you ever want to repent?

You don't repent because you have a guilty conscience and you want to get rid of it.

You don't repent because hell is scary and you want to escape the possibility of ever going there.

You don't repent because you just don't want God to be angry with you

You don't repent so your life can be blessed and pain free.

You repent because Jesus is beautiful.

Jesus died in the place of sinners to divert the wrath of God from whomever would place their trust in his redeeming work on the cross. And Jesus states that whoever decides to place their trust in his work will respond in joyful obedience that could, ultimately, get them nailed to a cross, or at least feel like, because they are now called to embody Jesus. Why would anyone, then, want to embody Jesus when it could lead to such extreme agony?

You repent and embody Jesus because what he did on the cross is so mind-blowing beautiful. You don't repent when you look at Jesus hanging on the cross and you see a peasant revolutionary whose time ran out. You repent because you see God in the flesh hanging on a cross so that he can restore the creation that spit in his face and should be destroyed. You repent because it is so beautiful that God would spare us his wrath by pouting it out on himself. You repent because that mercy and love is so wonderful that you want to be a part of it. You want that love in you. You repent because you want to obey a God who would go to such extreme measures just to have a relationship with you. You repent because God paid the penalty for your treason so you wouldn't have to and thus could have a life filled with joyful worship in serving God as his adopted child.

You repent because Jesus hanging on a cross to divert the wrath of God from sinners is beautiful.

In The Octagon With My Heart

Jeremiah 17:9-10

The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it?
“I the Lord search the heart
and test the mind,
to give every man according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his deeds.”

Matthew 15:19

For out of the heart comes evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

Matthew 5:8

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

For the last couple of years, I have found myself in a raging battle against my desires. I am constantly doing what I don't want to do. I want to be a good student; I slack off. I want to have pure eyes; I begin looking at the women on campus wearing tight clothes. There is this battle between a desire to do what Christ desires of me and what my heart desires. Yes, this is a battle between the Spirit and Sin. But it is also a battle between me and my heart.

I don't watch UFC all too often but the matches I have seen were intense. Professional athletes enter their ring, the octagon, and just pumple each other into submission until one has his fist raised in the air as the victor because the other guy either tapped out or was knocked out.

I need to go into the octagon with my heart. Too often it feels like my heart has been punching me violently in the ribs, wrapping its arms around my chest and slamming me into the caging tearing my flesh and making blood gush from my forehead, hurling me onto the floor again and again until my breath is knocked out of me, and then wrapping its arms around my neck choking me into submission. Why does my heart do this? Because it is the well-spring of my desires. I am a wretch and completely depraved. So I give in to my heart's deadly desires to partake in sin. I tap out without even fighting.

My eyes though have seen the glory of Christ crucified and my heart begins to tremble and fight back. The Spirit though just provokes me again and again: Get up, boy, and fight; fight for your joy in Christ.

So now, with God's grace, I will stand and fight my greedy heart and pumple it into submission. The stakes of victory are high. If my heart has its fist raised in victory, death is its reward. But, if my hand is raised in victory, the reward is God. This is the greatest prize worth fighting for: Joy and pleasure in God.

This fight is going to be bloody and violent, but that's how it has to be to make my heart submit to what Christ desires of me.

Father, pour out your Spirit on me and my struggling brothers and sisters that we may have the wisdom to fight our decptive hearts in order to cherish more deeply Christ crucified. The prize is the greatest: You. Glorify your name by displaying your holiness in us; give us the power to crush our hearts in the octagon. In Jesus' name, amen.