The Blessings and Curses of Graduating: Reverse Order

"Use Me Here, Where I am, I'm not gonna pray anymore that You'll change Your plans.
Despite my fear, I place my life in Your hands. The future can wait, tomorrow might be too late,
So Jesus use me here."
-Chorus from the song, "Use Me Here" By Everydodyduck

"By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going."
-Hebrews 11:8


Anticipating the moment the airplane landing gear touched ground at DFW Airport in TX, I cringed as the doldrums of reality entered their next stage. "Lord, why did you bring me back here?" When I sat in O'Hare Airport in Chicago I kept asking God not to let me get on that plane. A girl on my sister floor happened to walk up to sit at that same gate for the next flight out to WA where she was from. We chatted a bit. I found it funny that God didn't send me directly home, but instead got me a connecting flight into Kansas City, MO before heading home to TX in good time. The airlines were overbooked and it seemed impossible for a standby flier like me to get home during the Christmas season. It was difficult to pray for a flight home that day with such mixed emotions.

I'm not sure what else there is to say about where my heart is. Praying the Lord would open and close doors, that He would prepare me in any way necessary for what's next if something is lacking in me, that He would grant the patience and contentment I need. I've agreed not to work until after Christmas. Needed a break.

I put my Christmas money to good use. Got a few Christmas gifts for friends. Got a used computer desk to replace the old one that was more convenient, comfortable, and my style. Got a cheap slim swivel desk chair. Got a webcam to keep up with my friends from school via skype. Got a curtain for my window (dark blue). Got new sheets and pillowcases (dark blue... and they feel like pajamas!). Got the best wireless adapter Best Buy could offer for the internet (tired of bad connection problems! no more!). While re-decorating my room and settling in, I've been spending time with my sister. There's a park in walking distance from my house with a public basketball goal and pavement. We played some basketball, went to a dollar movie, and did some shopping since I've been back. My friend Lindsey invited me to a church dinner with her parents. It was so funny that her pastor thought we were a couple. I laughed out loud when I realized what he was implying. She corrected him before I could. She even took her family and my sister and I to see the new Narnia movie. I enjoyed it.

I'm trying to be as optimistic as I can and by God's grace I'm doin alright. I get to attend the Church Christmas Eve service, which in years past I've always worked. I anticipate a meeting with my pastor soon to talk about how I can best help serve at church until the Lord does something else in my life. I think the primary need is teaching and teachers from what I've seen. While I found a basketball goal I also looked back into the city Recreation Center. It's $40 a year for residents. If nothing opens up int he next month or two I'm thinking of buying a membership. I realized I actually gained 20 lbs. this past semester! At the funeral I was also reminded about the toll age takes on the human body. Trying to watch my health and eating habits better.

Praying and trying to trust the Lord will do great things. Not easy.

Revelation 16:8-9: The Reality of The End of The World

On November 13, 2009 the movie "2012" was released in theaters. The movie's premise was based on the prediction from the Mayan calendar that the world would end on December 21, 2012 and that it would be destroyed by a catastrophic worldwide flood. Since just before the release of this movie and after it... along with a History channel documentary, teenagers and inquisitive minds across America have wondered if the Mayans are right. Will the world end in 2012? If you watch the movie you'll notice that the world was destroyed by a flood and mankind survived only on modern day forms of Noah's Ark found in the Bible. While many cultures have a flood story, it was interesting to see that they used Noah's Ark as the model for mankind's only hope. But what DID God say in story of the great flood of Genesis? He said He would never again destroy the world with a flood, in fact that's why we were given the rainbow... to remind us of that promise. What was the source behind the Mayan calendar? Astrology. The Mayans made predictions based on the stars. But again, what does God say about this? Isaiah 47:13-15 says, “You are wearied with your many counsels; let them stand forth and save you, those who divide the heavens, who gaze at the stars, who at the new moons make known what shall come upon you. Behold, they are like stubble; the fire consumes them; they cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame. No coal for warming oneself is this, no fire to sit before! Such to you are those with whom you have labored, who have done business with you from your youth; they wander about, each in his own direction; there is no one to save you." Maybe 2012 isn't the answer. But if it's not, what is? When will the world end? When will all the crazy people with signs that say, "THE END IS NEAR" ever be right? This is the question we ask. But is it the right question? I'm convinced the question is not WHEN the end will come, but WHAT will you do in the light of the fact that the end is certainly coming? THAT MUCH is a reality. The end will come. What I wanna do today is give you just a glimpse into the end of the world found in the Bible. Please prepare yourself though, because this is where the fun and games end. Turn with me if you would to the last book of the Bible, Revelation... Chapter 16, v.8-9. (REPEAT) (READ)

Now I need to catch you up to this point... God tells us a day will come when Jesus Christ takes His people from this earth to heaven. We call this the "rapture." We know this will happen because 1 Thess. 1:10 tells us, "...to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come." 1 Thess. 4:16-17 also says,"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord." You may or may not have heard of the Left Behind movies. They were produced by Christians and they've tried to dramatize what this event may look like if it happened in our day. I suggest you check them out. This event is what essentially begins the chain of major events that lead to the end. It will happen on a day when the world doesn't expect it. We know this because Jesus Himself has even said in Matt. 24:36, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone."

After this rapture a 7 year period of trial the Bible calls the "Tribulation" will come. During this Tribulation there will be a span of judgments on the earth and those left in it. The world will be hit with plagues, famine, judgments on the earth and water supply, and whole fractions of the world population will be wiped out. These judgments come in the form of

(1) 7 Seals on a scroll that are broken
(2) 7 Trumpets that are sounded, and...
(3) finally in the second half of the Tribulation... 7 Bowls that are poured out.

Of these bowls, 3 of them are directed at the earth and animals and 4 of them are directed at people. 2 of those 4 are specifically against the worshipers of the beast (who is often called an evil world ruler or the "Antichrist"). God tells us his worshipers will not be saved. The 4th Bowl judgment here in v.8-9 and it's recipients are of those other 2 who have sinned, but aren't directly specified as being worshipers of the beast.

SO... picture the scene with me: The doors of the temple begin to open as the world squints their eyes in frightful anticipation of what's in store for them. Smoke pours out of the doorway. 7 men step out onto the smoke like a blanket. The men are dressed in gold and white. Their appearance of perfection and purity bring conviction to the eyes of those who see them. They're each given golden bowls that match their perfection, the contents of which are shrouded in horrific secrecy. A loud voice thunders from the temple and says in 16:1, "Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God." The FIRST bowl is poured out on the worshipers of the beast and became a malignant sore on their skin. The SECOND bowl is poured out on the sea and it's turned to blood. Every living creature in it does. The THIRD bowl is poured out upon the rivers and springs, turning them also to blood. But now the FOURTH bowl... this is what we're looking at this morning. Why this one you ask? Because the language of this judgment communicates a warning that none of the other bowl judgments can do as clearly as this one does. So let's look at it. I want you to see....

**GO SLOWLY

FIRST, that The Justice and Wrath of God are real. (v.8-9a)

Now, one of the earlier judgments actually darkened a third of the sun, but the sun was still hot enough to do what's happening in this scene. The surface of the sun is about 20 times hotter than the earth. Usually it's just 25% of the sun's radiation that makes it's way to the earth. Here the heat of the sun that people have so often enjoyed throughout their lifetime is now against them. The sun's radiation penetrates the normal balance and brings fire upon mankind. Fire has been a basic weapon of judgment throughout this book. When Christ comes to judge his eyes are "like blazing fire" (1:14, 2:18), three of the trumpet judgments involved fire (8:7, 8; 9:17-18), and the ultimate fate of those who reject Christ will be the "lake of fire."

APPLICATION:
As you read this I imagine many things are going through your head. God wouldn't do that! He's a God of love! He's not harsh like that and if that's who God is, then He's no God I want to believe in! If that's you today, I want you to think about how you came to that conviction. How did your perception of God develop? And why is it the way it is today? If I were to ask you how you felt about rape, the answer would be obvious wouldn't it? If I were to ask you how you felt about child pornography... same thing, right? You see we have a concept of justice built within us. We have a knowledge of right and wrong. That comes from God. We are made in His image and therefore we are a reflection of His justice. God is not only infinite love, but He's also infinite justice. God is not some Divine Teddy Bear in heaven waiting for us to cuddle with him. The angels sing to Him in Revelation, "holy! holy! holy! is the LORD God ALMIGHTY." So you may ask why God would do this, but you may also ask, why does it have to be so severe?! It would be too easy for me and unhelpful to you if I just said, "They sinned."

The question isn't just about their sins, it's about who they were against. If you lie to a child there is little consequence. If you lie to a friend you could damage or lose that friendship. If you lie to your husband or wife you'll be sleeping on the couch. If you lie to the government there are legal and financial ramifications, but... if when you lie, your lie is against the God who says "You shall not lie" your problem is not horizontal it's vertical. When you sin against an eternal holy God it only makes sense that the punishment would be consistent with who you've sinned against.

If you still feel this is wrong and unfair... I want you to see that as you continue to reject God and all the warnings He's given us in the 65 books of the Bible leading up to this one... as you do that, you are the same as recipients of this judgment. You see, what makes this scene so horrific is that the sun could have consumed these people without them feeling a thing. it was hot enough to do that. But it didn't... because they were still... able... to respond to God. How did they respond to God? That brings us to the 2nd half of v.9. Not only do we see that The Justice and Wrath of God are real, but also...

SECOND, that The Rebellion of Man is real. (v.9b)

As they felt the heat of the wrath of God on their backs...

They weren't doubting if God existed.
They weren't questioning whether Jesus really walked on water or if the tide was just low.
They weren't wondering why there were so many religions in the world.
They weren't asking about the origin of evil.
They weren't trying to defend Evolution.

These things didn't seem to matter anymore, did they? There was no more time to be a skeptic. All their objections were thrown to the fire. What mattered now is that their lives were slipping away from them and they were powerless to stop it. What were their last words? What would you say in such a situation? What could you say? What would be worth saying? Well, with their dying breath they chose to blaspheme God. The text says they blasphemed "the name of God" and this is commonly used as a synonym for God as a whole.

APPLICATION:
"Blasphemy"
To blaspheme is to take God's name in vain. When you do something in vain you remove the content or value from what's being done. But isn't it interesting that we take God's name in vain. We don't take Adolf Hitler's name in vain. We don't take the President's name in vain. But we use God's name is if it were just another cuss word. At community college one day I found myself getting gas across the street. A woman next to me had returned to her car with a fountain drink that had to be less than a dollar. As she tried to shut the door the lid of the drink lost it's grip and she spilled some. She threw out a cuss word in frustration. But her situation escalated as she tried to solve the problem and only made it worse. She lost control of the drink and it busted all over the pavement. At that point she felt it necessary to take God's name in vain... over a fountain drink! Now I imagine the people in our text weren't new to blaspheming God. We're not told this, but we do know this wasn't their first sin. God is in the midst of judging them. And yet their reaction is not one of pleading for mercy, but instead it comes most natural to them to curse God in blasphemy. We're not given a list of their sins as we are sometimes with others in Revelation, but we do know their primary sin was their rejection of God's grace. If they would have received God's grace years ago they would have been taken up to heaven before all this happened.

CONCLUSION:
But what's the point of this 4th Bowl Judgment? Why was it given to us? Was it given to teach us about what would happen at the end of the world as we know it? Yes, the Bible is clear and specific about the major events that will happen and gives us a detailed account of that. But this judgment communicates a clearer warning to us than the others. Notice the 5th bowl judgment says the people also blasphemed and didn't repent. The 7th bowl judgment just says they blasphemed. But the 4th judgment says they blasphemed "the name of the God who has the power over these plagues."

This is very important... now don't we know God has the power and authority over these plagues? If you've read the book of Revelation all the way up to this point and you don't think God has power and authority over all this... you've been reading with your eyes closed. But why was this written. Would it help those who were being judged at all? No! They also know God has the power over these judgments. It's happening before their very eyes! We also read these people didn't "repent so as to give Him glory." But again we have to ask, did they repent? Would they have repented? No! God doesn't judge those who repent and are saved! Again... this wouldn't help these people to know... that their repentance would give save them and give God glory. I believe they already knew it. It has been preached for a long time. That's why I say this passage was given as a clear warning. A warning to those who are now rejecting God's offer of grace. And that warning is this...

BIG IDEA:
In light of the reality of the end, you must respond to God's grace while you still can. We aren't to be concerned with WHEN the end will come, but rather WHAT we will do because the end is coming!

The Bible doesn't speculate about when the end will happen. It just tells us clearly what the end will look like. The question is... how will you respond to it? This is the question of the 4th Bowl Judgment and ultimately the question of the entire book of Revelation. Have you ever taken God's name in vain? Have you made a god to suit yourself? A god that's only a god of love and not justice? If you have, that god is an idol... no better than a lifeless statue. If you've done these things as I did once, then you deserve the justice of God in a literal Hell, a lake of fire.

But there's hope... Rev. 7:16 tells us something about those who receive God's offer of grace and enter into heaven with Him, "They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat." You see 2,000 years ago Jesus Christ came to this earth the FIRST time so that He could die on that cross, take your sin upon Himself and rise from the dead. God says you must turn your back on sin and put your trust in Him. So I say to you today, please don't wait to find out if these verses are talking about you. We don't know who these people are. Their names aren't given to us. May that wake you up today.

There will be people up front to talk to you about these things as the service closes. Please bring us any questions you may have. Let's pray...

Psalm 52: Sticks and Stones May Break Our Bones...

Words are powerful, aren't they? Words can tear down or build up (James 3:8-10, Eph. 4:29). Someone says to you, "you did a good job cleaning today," "I really got a lot out of the lesson this morning," "thanks for running that errand for me." Tender words heal wounds and facilitate love in the body of Christ. But what about when words aren't so tender? What happens when words don't heal wounds but instead they make wounds? You come home one day to your white carpet to find a rainbow in it. You knew from the book of Genesis that God gave us the rainbow to tell us He would no longer send a flood to destroy the earth, but you also knew that rainbow wasn't supposed to show up on your living room floor. Fruity pebbles. You ask your daughter (culprit) to vacuum the floor, but your words along with the pebbles are swept under the rug. Later you ask if it was done and you're given a firm "yes." Lies hurt. Deception hurts. But even "hurt" doesn't describe when these sins come from those you love. What happens when your best friend gossips behind your back to help them get a position at work that you've been praying for as long as you've worked there? What happens when you come home from church encouraged by the sermon and you have an unsaved family member who's words threaten to take an axe to your joy in the Lord? Now, with your child there will be discipline involved and the dynamic is somewhat different there, but you get the point, right? Sin is evil. That includes verbal sin.

SUBJECT QUESTION:
But the question I wanna ask you today is... how do you respond when that evil comes YOUR way?

Turn with me to Psalm 52. Psalm 52. King David experienced this evil and the prayer and attitude of his heart is recorded for us here in this Psalm. It's called a "maskil" of David. A maskil means "instructive." This Psalm is meant to teach us something. It's going to teach us that (BIG IDEA) Words of evil against us should bring a trust in the love of God for us. When evil is spoken against you and I, our response should reflect our trust in God.

READ Psalm 52.

We're told this Psalm was written during a specific time in David's life. Can I get someone to read 1 Samuel 21:1-9 (slowly and loud enough for everyone to hear)? And then someone else to read 1 Samuel 22:6-23.

After 1 Samuel 21:1-9...
David is on the run. His day to day life is consumed with trying to stay alive as a man he greatly loved (King Saul) seeks his life. The time comes when David is out of food so he travels to an unsuspecting uninformed priest for groceries. And this man Doeg heard the whole conversation.

After 1 Samuel 22:6-23...
Doeg does his duty and reports his information to the king. As a result the priest Ahimelech and many other innocent people die. *******Keep this story in your mind as we look at our text tonight.



READ V.1-4 show us first The Nature of the sin against us.

As we read these verses we're forced to ask who this is talking about. Who is this "mighty man?" The majority opinion is that David here is speaking of Doeg. I disagree. A lot of people try to connect these words to Doeg, but we're only told this was written during the time of this incident, not necessarily or entirely written because of the incident. This man Doeg only plays a small part in the greater story of David and Saul. In fact, after these two chapters he's never mentioned again in Scripture. Call me crazy, but I believe the man David has in mind here is King Saul. I can't share all of these observations, but we know Saul was a "mighty man" because he "stood a head above the rest" (1 Samuel 9:1-2). This was part of the reason he was chosen as king. Further this is someone who's "tongue plots destruction." Very often we see Saul plotting to kill David, don't we? (1 Sam 18:9-11, 18:21-22, 18:25, later 23:10). This is also someone who is deceptive (1 Sam 18:21). This is also someone who lies (1 Sam 18:17, 19:6). From the account in 1 Samuel, we have no reason to believe that Doeg did any of these things. We can't tell he was lying (in fact he gave an accurate report to Saul), being deceptive, or plotting anything.

But v.1 asks a kind of thesis-like question, Why practice evil when it's the love of God that actually endures? Maybe you've asked the same question. You find yourself wronged. Someone has spoken evil against you and you ask the question we all ask, "Lord, why are they doing this to me? Why are they saying these things about me? Why act that way when no good is going to come from it? Why do they even open their mouth? Why can't people just consider and act with the 'love of God'?" The simple answer to this question is original sin. People naturally gravitate toward what's wrong. If you don't believe that read psalm 51 and let David tell you about it. But it's one thing to state doctrine and theology and quite another to apply it to our moments of pain isn't it? Well I don't think our Psalm was written to teach us why people do the things they do. I think that's instructive for us. That tells us something. I'll come back to that in a minute. There are three major sins mentioned here: plotting, deception, and lying. These sins usually work in unity. They make decisions together. Where you find one you'll often find the other two in some form.

Plotting is something that happens in the mind. It's something that involves an active premeditation to harm someone. When Saul tried to kill David with the spear (1 Sam 18:9-11) he had to (1) Consider if it was possible to throw a spear that far "Can I hit him?" (2) Look at the spear and pick it up, weighing the balance and taking aim "Let's try it" (3) Throw the spear "Please hit him, please hit him." But the plotting here mentioned isn't merely mental and neither was all of Saul's plotting (18:22). Our text says, "your tongue plots destruction." The level of evil and bitterness must be great for someone to vocalize their plotting. God does say "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." Deception is something that happens secretly by it's very nature. Saul deceived David by trying to give his daughter in marriage as a distraction and so that the Philistines would take advantage of this. You can't feel the blade of deception until the damage is done. It's like a disease that eats at your immune system and until you get the results, you had no idea how long it had been there. Lies are evil. Saul says he won't kill David on multiple occasions and yet he keeps going after him. We know after Saul's death that David greatly mourns this loss. He loved Saul, but this man he loved was doing everything in his power to kill him. Have you felt something similar when those you love sin against you? Husband? Wife? Mom? Dad? A good friend? David points out that Saul lied, but what about David's lie? Scripture is honest about the faults of God's people. David told Ahimelech the priest that the consecrated bread was for the men, but it was really for him. Yet this David is the one God says is a man after His own heart. Righteous people sin too don't they? We're not immune to verbal evil. So before you're tempted to lift yourself up and tear the other person down you need to remember that you could fall into the same thing, whether it be on a large or even a small scale. So I said this psalm doesn't dwell on answering the "why" question. Our psalm focuses instead on the "now what?" question (as we'll see). We know "why" in Saul's case. If you remember from 1 Samuel 18, Saul wanted to keep his kingdom and fight what God was doing in replacing him with David. BUT this Psalm still asks the question why yet it doesn't seek any more of an answer to that question. This may not be the best example of this point, but this is very common throughout the Lament psalms. I think that's important, because the answer isn't important. So often we dwell on and speculate about why something is happening to us or we try to make assumptions and use our imagination about someone's motives, but assumptions are SO dangerous. I think an indirect lesson here is that our focus needs to be on the now and not on the why just as the psalmist' focus was.

So we see The Nature of the sin against us. It's primarily verbal and it's evil, but we aren't immune to it and we don't need to ask why it happened.


Secondly, in v.5-7 God shows us the The Judgment of the sin against us.

V.5 begins with two words of comfort, "but God." The intervention of God in our moments of pain ALWAYS means hope and spiritual growth. David here expresses the certainty of God's judgment. Samuel said Saul's kingdom would be torn from him. Here David predicts Saul's removal from the kingdom and his death. A tent is a temporary dwelling place. Saul's stay in the palace was now temporary. Beyond this he would no longer be firmly planted, but he would be uprooted from the land of the living. He would die (1 Sam. 31:4). He would also be subject to humiliation. Why? Because He wouldn't take refuge in God, but did instead look to his own riches and his own evil. The riches here are I believe pointing us to the riches of Saul's kingdom. Saul wanted to maintain his own wealth and trusted that it would remain steady, that his kingdom would survive. There's considerable difference in translation about the second half of v.7.
ESV, "and sought refuge in his own destruction!"
NIV, "and grew strong by destroying others!"
NASB, "And was strong in his evil desire."
Amplified Bible, "seeking refuge and security for himself through his wickedness."

*I think the idea is expressed best in that Saul "sought refuge in his work of evil or his work of wickedness." Saul put his trust in the evil He was doing and not in God. When people sin against us they aren't trusting in God or they wouldn't resort to lies, deception, and scheming. These things are attempts at solving our problems or getting what we want without considering God. It's important to note here too that we don't know if Doeg was torn from his dwelling place or if he died as a result of God's judgment. We also have no concrete evidence that he was trusting in riches or in his works of evil. To what end would he be trusting in such things?

But we must ask how could David say such things? David did know by the prophecy of Samuel that Saul's time would come to an end and it would be a reflection of God's judgment on him, but on what principle could he stand on to be so certain ...He knew the character of God. God is just and "vengeance is the Lord's." He's the one who punishes the guilty. He's the one who deals with hearts. How does this help you and I? We may not have a Samuel today to tell us how our situations will turn out. We can't go to a witch of Chicago and conjure up the spirit of Samuel to prophesy over our situation. I hope you wouldn't try to do that. Very problematic. But when people sin against us with words that feel like swords we can rest in the character of God. I'm not talking about a Buddhist idea of Karma... what comes around goes around. I'm talking about a just God in heaven who knows exactly how and to what degree to rebuke the sins of mankind and especially the sins of His children. God disciplines those He loves. We need to believe that. We need to rest in that truth. We rest in it though, we don't glory in it. Proverbs 24:17-18 tells us, "Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; Or the Lord will see it and be displeased, And turn His anger away from him."

So we see The Nature of the sin against us, and The Judgment of the sin against us.

Finally we see The Response to the sin against us in READ v.8-9.

David says he is not like the tree that Saul would be... the one that's uprooted from life. David is like an olive tree. This tree grew for hundreds of years, yielding 6 gallons of oil on alternate years. This is a tree that stands and it stands in the presence of God. V.8 tells us David trusts in the steadfast love of God "forever and ever." We see a return here to the opposite of the evil in v.1. David's hope is found in his trust in the love of God. If you are a child of God tonight, do you believe God loves you? There's so much confusion and misuse of the love of God these days. We're so busy showing people the justice of God in our culture (and rightly so) that we sometimes minimize a biblical understanding and application of God's love. I want to tell you today that if David could trust in the enduring, steadfast love of God then we can do the same! Psalm 36:7 says, "How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings." Romans 8:39, "Nothing can separate us from the love of God." You see if we forget that God loves us we begin to think of a way to retaliate when others sin against us. We begin to do some plotting of our own. If not that, we get angry, we go into panic mode and freak out. We must remember that the love of God is upon us and we can trust that His love for us will help us endure... because that's what it does!

Not only does David TRUST in the love of God though... he also THANKS God. How often do we actually thank God because of His character and His justice? I gotta tell ya I'm thankful that God is just and that He's the one who takes care of all that. It saves me the time, pain, and heartache it would involve to worry about paying someone back. So I ask you... how often do you thank God because of who He is? How often do you (in the midst of being wronged) thank God that He is sovereign and still on His throne? Finally, David WAITS for God. We're so reactionary aren't we? When someone hurts us we want to kick and scream and DO something about it. It's so contrary to who we are to wait. A pastor once gave me some great advice. He said when something major happens or something that really hits your heart hard... that it's a good general rule that you wait 48 hours before acting on it. This is wise advice because no matter how mature we think we are... we can still be unstable. We don't like waiting. We're a culture in which the microwave doesn't beep fast enought. And the older I get the more I realize that the Christian life is really just a series of waiting seasons. We wait until God moves in this direction or that direction then we wait until a door opens or closes in another direction. Waiting is hard, isn't it? But when God moves and the waiting is over it's usually just followed by another kind of waiting. Getting what we want or God culminating our waiting period doesn't solve the problem. No... instead we need to learn how to wait. David was on the run for his life. He had no choice but to wait on God to bring justice in the situation. We may not have David's exact situation, but we need to learn from his example. You may have a similar situation... one that's just as sticky. Maybe the person who has sinned against you is your boss and they have a firey temper. In fact you fear for your job if you were to retaliate. They've slandered you behind your back and told your co-workers things that simply aren't true and what can you do now? They have the authority.

TRUST God
THANK God
WAIT on God

How do we do these things?

By grasping the truth that Words of evil against us should bring a trust in the love of God for us.

All this comes back to trusting God... trusting that He loves us and knows the situation, trusting that He is still sovereign and still just and He'll bring about the end that most glorifies Him.

"Sticks and stones may break our bones, but words will never hurt us." This is true in the end not because it's a pithy saying, but because we have a God and Father who loves us and His love endures despite the evil of others... forever and ever.

Let's pray...

Is it alright for God's people to express sorrow?

Sitting at Starbucks one night at about 11pm, a friend expressed that in her younger years she greatly struggled with depression. She grew up in the church until 5th grade and in her moments of lament she was simply told to be joyful in the Lord because that's how Christians were supposed to be. She was given the impression that being upset was wrong. I believe the Body of Christ often walks the halls of the local church, shares in times of fellowship, and sings praises to God alongside one another with this same perception. It shows when we share "too much" of what is going on in our lives and our "too much" is met with skepticism, harsh dogmatism, or rebuke by our brothers and sisters. It shows perhaps even in our definition of "too much" as we grow a fear of how our candid thoughts and feelings would be received. It also shows at times in our own prayer life as we relate to God. The Lament psalms come to us as an instructive example that speaks directly to such perceptions. Is lament legitimate among God's people? What does biblical lament look like? How can the church practically address this issue? These are the questions the church needs to answer for the health of the Body.
Psalm 4 is a psalm of individual lament that opens with "Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer! " In this verse David gives his Address to God. If we were to stop here the point could be reasonably made by this verse alone. In these words we hear an urgency and an honesty. It comes across as a kind of demand. There is no nuance of "answer me if you want to, God." This is the true heart of David as he wrestles with the place of this distress in his life. When we read these words and ask if it is wrong to say similar things to God, in some sense we are asking the wrong question. The question instead is, "Is it honest or realistic to talk this way to God?" The answer to this question must be yes. David pours his heart out to the Lord without fear or reservation, calls for mercy in his situation, and calls for God to listen to his prayer. The tenor of this address is common throughout the Psalms (13:3-4, 69:13-14, 119:145-146, 143:7).
Lament psalms also have a section describing the specific situation of the distress. It is actually called the Lament or Complaint portion. Psalm 4:2 says, "O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies?" V.6a also says, "There are many who say, 'Who will show us some good?'" Similarly and more directly we find statements like "I pour out my complaint before Him; I tell my trouble before Him." (142:2), "...I am restless in my complaint and I moan" (55:2), and of an important theological comfort, "Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and He hears my voice." (55:17). Is it alright to complain to God? Rather, is it honest and realistic to complain to God? To this we also must answer yes. He hears our cries and listens to our complaints as the loving patient Father He is. In our church culture we often operate under the assumption that it is wrong to complain to God. The truth is that the Lord is intimately acquainted with the struggles of the human soul and He meets us where we are in our normal complaints just as He met David where he was in Psalm 4:3b, "The Lord hears when I call to Him."
Lament psalms also contain a Petition. In Psalm 4 we find this petition in the call for God to hear and in v.6b to "Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!" Similar themes in Psalms are petitions for God to "forget not the afflicted" (10:12). We also find the impreccatory requests like, "Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call his wickedness to account till you find none" (10:15). Without getting too bogged down in the impreccatory issue it's important I believe to note that these requests are bundled up in the psalmists' trust in and assumption of the character of God. He is a just God and it's clear that he deals out justice appropriately to those who deny Him. The Psalmist only makes these requests in accordance with His known character. The most familiar part of our prayers is our asking things of God. This comes most natural to us and therefore doesn't need too much defense. When the psalmist asks God not to forget those who are afflicted though, we may immediately question his theology. Doesn't he know God doesn't forget things? Doesn't he know God doesn't forsake us? Doesn't he know God listens to us? "God isn't deaf," we may say. Here we must all admit that in our moments of pain the amount of theology or propositions we can know simply don't do the job. The head often doesn't communicate well with the heart. The beauty of Lament psalms is from them we can see that God understands this and He is patient to hear us in these moments and meet us there.
Finally the Lament psalms give us a portion expressing a certainty of having been heard. This is often a call to praise or trust in God. Psalm 4 shows us this in v.7-8, "You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." Similarly, psalm 55 ends with the brief yet heavy phrase, "But I will trust in You." This is encouraging because the prayer to God that begins in pain will end in a firm trust that God not only will be but is faithful. Often our laments don't see the optimism the psalmists show us. We must show the church that biblical sorrow is legitimate, however it should be surrounding in praise. This presents a challenge for us. In our moments of lament we need to look to the promises of God and the sufficiency of God to grant us help, grace, and strength.
From all of this I believe we can learn a simple truth. It is that God's people today can be honest in their times of sorrow because God's people in the Psalms were honest in theirs. The church today is afraid to be vulnerable. We've bought into a culture of religious individualism. We think our faith and how our pain and struggles relate to it should be our own. We buy this lie and in doing so we stunt our growth in so far as it depends on us. We believe this and wonder why we have trouble relating to those to whom we want to minister. I believe to address this situation we need a biblical world view to affect how we express our sorrow. We need to look to the psalms and see their no-nonsense nature. We need to know that God's people need not be divorced from their feelings. We can express them in all their naked glory to a God who sees that nakedness, sent His Son to die for it, and knows it better than we do. We have a God who entered our earthly reality in the person of Jesus Christ and can "empathize with our weaknesses" (Heb. 4:15).
Secondly we must use this biblical understanding as a foundation to then teach God's people how to pray. We need to know that it is alright to let it all out before God. We need not force or fabricate emotion in our prayer, but we need to know that it is legitimate and that He is unafraid to hear and respond to our honesty in His own sovereign way. It may be that in our familiarity with verbal prayer that we find it difficult to be honest. In these cases it would help for us to write out a prayer as a letter. We can also look toward the communal Laments in Psalms (12, 44, 60, 74, 79, 80, 83, 85) as examples of prayers that depart from the "I" of individuality and present a unified plea to God in a group. For those who are in a place where they can express distress in their individual times of prayer it may be helpful to join a small group of other brothers and sisters who share the same lament and can seek the Lord in honesty together. If God is not afraid to hear us then we need not be afraid to speak to Him both alone and together. As God's people today may we follow the example of those who have gone before us!

Home Again... short lived.

My semester and my time at Moody is rapidly approaching its' end, yet I find myself sitting in the library of my community college in Hurst, Texas. This was expected, yet it wasn't. My mom's health has been so up and down lately that I wanted to mkae sure I could see her while I was still able to. It's one thing to have ups and downs, but quite another for them to be as drastic as they have been. First she seemed near death and then we found out her infection was gone and the tests were looking good. They were about to move her to a physical rehab center to stay for months to continue recovery. But then it got worse. The fluid her body has been collecting due to a pretty inoperative liver has reached her lungs. She needs a tube to breath. In response to the question, "how long will she live?" The doctors have said it's a day to day thing. I wanted to see her in case I wasn't able to before the semester ended.

"Lord, I know You can do great things. I have a Book that says You do and shows You have. God, you raised Lazarus from the dead... can You raise my mom from spiritual death? You are mighty to save. God, people ask how I'm doing. I don't know what to tell them. I knew my mom's body would give out. I knew that. I just want to see her in heaven one day. I want to leave this world to find that she came to know You. That's all I care about and that's what hurts the most right now. Lord, I believe the time is near for her. I know you can break the hard heart and heal the broken heart. Please do that God. Do it with her and do it with all those affected by this, Your will permitting. Oh God please work here I ask You. Yet in all things, not my will, but Yours be done. It's in Christs' name I pray it, Amen."


As I continue to wonder what God may do as this chapter in my life comes to its' end, I find that I have no more answers than I did when I last wrote. After a very interesting couple months, I feel like I'm back at square 1 in many respects. I'm sure that isn't the case though. God has a purpose for all things even if it's hidden deep in His sovereignty. This doesn't stop me from bewilderment though. It's not easy to be willing to take God's sharp turns and hit His predestined potholes gracefully in life, knowing and trusting that He brought us to them for good reason. Schoolwork is one of, if not the last thing on my mind. Procrastination pursues me. Today is the day of the week when I spend time in prayer about my current and future ministry. I have been diligent here. Still speaking with 2 churches. The one in Michigan hasn't responded back but supposedly has reviewed my resume and answered questions. I had another one in KS call me. They added me to a list of people they'd narrowed it to from the mass of those who applied. They only did this after they'd realized they overlooked me on accident. So I slipped through the first filter process on accident!!! But was it accident God? So I read through their doctrinal statement and constitution. I answered a list of questions they had. They responded to my doctrinal questions and we agree!!! In fact they said one of the reasons they're looking for a new pastor is because their old one didn't preach in accordance with the things I mentioned! I was very pleased to hear that. We'll see what God does there. It's close enough to home that I can see people I care about and far enough away that I'm not at home. I continue to pray about my future in minitsry. As I return home I'm reminded again that I don't want to stay here. The house is filthy and soon it will be populated with 4 people, 4 dogs, and 5 cats. I WANT OUT!

"Lord God, You know the plans You have for me. I know they are good, but I don't know what they are... and that's ok. I trust You. God I don't know where I'll be this time next year, but You know. Lord, I graciously ask that You would give me a glimpse into what's next God. If not, please supply the faith I need to keep taking steps off of cliffs. I'm in Your hands God. You know my desire to serve You. You know how You've prepared me and to what end. You know who I am better than I do. Please God, please work in me. I believe it's all coming soon Lord. I may be wrong, but I've seen too much to not believe that. Too much has happened for that not to be true. Yet in all things not my will but Yours be done. In Christs' name I pray, Amen."

John 3:1-8: You Must Be Born Again

I wanna introduce you to a man this morning. He wasn't the richest man really, but he could afford some of the finer things. He was a deeply spiritual man. His name was Nicodemus. Maybe you can relate to him. Perhaps your parents had a drug problem. They drug you to church on Sunday, they drug you to church on Wednesday, they drug you to church prayer meetings. You've been in church nearly right out of the womb it seems. You heard the Bible stories as a kid in Sunday School. You went on mission trips in Youth Group. But something happened. You began to wonder about this Jesus stuff. You believe in Jesus and think He had some good things to say. But after having tried all that growing up you found that it just didn't work. Your life wasn't any better because of it. You still had to work to put gas in your car. You still got dumped by the most amazing guy or girl in high school. Your grandma, who was the kindest woman anyone could ever meet still died of cancer. You hear Christians all the time talking about morals, but they're no better than you are. You can be just as moral as they can. "I can be a good person without being a Christian and going to church," you say. "There's no reason why I shouldn't go to heaven."

What's the difference between the one who is spiritual and the one who is born again? You see this is the question at the heart of the matter today and this is the question that Jesus Himself answers for us this morning in John 3:1-8. John is the fourth book in the New Testament, just after Luke and before Acts. John 3:1-8.

READ: John 3:1-8

Now Nicodemus was a spiritual man, but he was more than that. He was a leader of the Pharisees. The Pharisees were a Jewish sect of legalistic leaders that were antagonistic to Christ and His followers. To distinguish them from another major group in the New Testament it's been said that because they were legalistic they weren't "fair...u see" as compared to the Sadducees who denied the resurrection and therefore had no future hope and were "sad...u see." Him being a leader meant that he was likely part of the Sanhedrin, which was like the Jewish Supreme Court. And Nicodemus wanted to meet with Jesus. But there was a problem. He was a Pharisee. How would he do this? He knew that his comrades wouldn't think too highly of him going to see this trouble maker. So I imagine he began thinking, "I can't talk to Him during the day because the people are all over Him. Surely they would see me." So after the fanfare dispersed, the linen weavers went home, and the carpenters packed up their things, the sun took its' place beneath the earth and the crickets brought the night with them. Now it was time to go see Jesus. This "ruler of the Jews" Nicodemus traveled carefully and quietly to now go see the man who would later be called the "King of the Jews." So he traveled quietly and secretly. His first words to Christ in v.2 are, "Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher;" Do know what it took for someone to be recognized as a Rabbi in this culture? A Rabbi was made being the disciple of another Rabbi. Jesus had no mentor and in fact was wowing teachers in the temple even when He was a twelve year old boy! And this man recognized Him as Rabbi and teacher.

Some of you today may say the same... Jesus was a real man and a good teacher. He's the one who said, "Do to others as you would have them do to you." He said to "love your neighbor as you love yourself." But is that all He said? because if He is a good teacher than the things He taught were good, and right, and true... weren't they? Keep that in mind as we continue in this story together. Why did Nicodemus say He was a good teacher? V.2 continues as he tells us, "for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." Look back with me at v.2:23-25. You may say, "I don't believe in miracles!" Well let me ask you this, "Is what you or I believe really the issue?" Or is it a matter of truth? You see truth by it's very nature stands beyond what we believe and how strongly we believe it. This man saw the miracles with his very eyes and believed them. They were so real to him he would some risk to go see this Jesus Christ. He still could've been seen at night, just not as well. Now I want you to notice what Christ did NOT do... He didn't tell Nicodemus He was right to call Jesus Rabbi. He didn't commend him for his bravery in coming to chat. He didn't confirm that He had in fact come from God.

What did Jesus say? v.3, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." This was the heart of the issue. You see Jesus knew what was in the heart of man. Nicodemus saw the miracles and acknowledged Jesus Christ, but Christ did not acknowledge him. He needed to be born again. You may have heard Christians say this today. You may have seen the street preacher on your way to the mall and heard him say this. "What exactly does it mean?! "born again?!" You ask in utter confusion" Well, you're not alone. Because Nicodemus asked the same question. He says in v.4-5, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?" Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit."

"Born Again"
In the original language this idea of being born again can also be translated "born from above" and the idea is that you must be "born from heaven." Nicodemus heard this and thought it meant physical birth, but Jesus was referring to something VERY different. He says this heavenly birth is to be of the "water and the Spirit." Some of you today may have been raised in a church where you had to be baptized, maybe as a baby, and the impression you got is that it was in some way to help you get to heaven. Is this the water Jesus is talking about here? I don't think we can say it is. There's no mention of baptism in this entire chapter. It doesn't fit in what Christ is saying here at all. There is no physical outward act you can do to help you get to heaven. The Bible says...

"He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit," (Titus 3:5)

Do you see that? No righteous thing or physical earthly act we do can help us get any closer to heaven. I've been baptized three times. Does that get me any nearer to God than you? No. Here it says the "washing of regeneration/rebirth." This new birth is not like the old one. THIS new birth actually cleanses the soul! The water here gives us a metaphorical picture of what being born again looks like. In Matthew 3:11, the Bible also says, "As for me I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." When someone is born again and God the Holy Spirit moves upon them they don't catch on fire. They don't become the Human Torch. Fire has a purifying effect to it, just as water can have. The fire here is metaphorical, just like the water is. Jesus goes on to explain that physical earthly birth is simply that. It remains physical and earthly. It's nature and worth is different... it's not divine. Spiritual birth however is heavenly. It's this birth that Jesus speaks of as the birth that will allow someone to experience the kingdom of God after they die.

Think with me for a moment about the birth of a child. Before a child is born it lives in one reality, the reality of its' mother's womb. This is the only world the child can experience. Life is good in this world... the baby is protected and nurtured and even its' food is even provided for. But the baby wasn't meant to stay in that world. It's temporary. When the baby leaves the womb, a whole new world is opened up to them. Once the baby settles down and begins to look around at the new world, it sees people in a new way (from the outside no longer from the inside). It experiences a whole new way of life. And as the baby's father witnesses this birth, he is filled with a joy that words cannot know. This is similar to spiritual birth yet wholly different if I can say that, because you see right now this reality... this life as you know it, the way you see the world, the way you approach the difficulties and challenges of life... it all becomes new. You won't ask, "God why did you take my grandma?!" You'll say, "Lord, thank you for giving me such a sweet woman for so many years." When God changes your heart, when you're born again, you're given new eyes for this life and a new hope for heaven.

Jesus continues in v.7, "Do not be amazed that I say to you, you must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit." The Holy Spirit of God works like the wind. He works invisibly. You can't see Him, but He begins to pull at you and the time comes when you hear these truths and you begin to believe them. God says that His people know and hear His voice. Some of you may feel the breath of the Holy Spirit on your heart and mind today. You see yourself in Nicodemus. You've been very religious, but you know it's not enough. I need to tell you today...

Drop the fake devotion to religious things.
Stop following a spirituality that you made up.
Stop trusting in your good morals.

Why do we need cleansing? Because no matter how hard we try to reform ourselves and our morals... we've already blown it.

We've told lies, we've put God last in our lives, we've looked with lust committing adultery in our heart, we've taken God's name in vain. We're not good people. And your religious cloak can't hide our nakedness before God. God says you are are dead in your sins. You're the walking dead. And you're walking straight into Hell.

We need the cleansing that only God can give. And He gave it when He became a man in Jesus Christ, who died on a cross to take your sin and mine upon Himself. he didn't die so you could go to church on Easter or Christmas and feel a little better about yourself. He died as a sacrifice for sin. He then rose from the dead on the 3rd day, proving who He was. God says you must surrender all that you are. You must lay your excuses, your fears, and your religiosity at the foot of the cross of Christ. You must turn your back on sin and put your trust in Christ alone not in your parent's religion, your baptism, your prayers or any good things you did to your fellow man.

You see, through this story about the man Nicodemus God is showing you that...
To know about Jesus Christ only means you're the walking dead, but to know Jesus Christ means you are born again.

Now I'm not asking you to join the church. I'm not trying to sell you anything. I just wanna see you in heaven one day. So as our service ends, a few of us will be up front. If you have any questions or want to talk further about this. Please feel free to come and speak with us.

Let's pray...

Anticipating Goodbyes

One of the most well known friendships in Scripture is the one between David and Saul's son Jonathan. It continues to amaze me as I read about it in 1 Samuel 18-20. This friendship was developing right under Saul's nose and it was developing because God was doing it despite Saul's extreme jealousy and hatred for David. This friendship served (I believe) as a form of God's preservation in David's life to prepare him for kingship. You know their friendship was a direct work of God because 18:1 tells us, "the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as himself." Colossians 2:2 also expresses Paul's desire that believers be "knit together in love." Now, I haven't broken this up and studied it like mad but reading the English in 1 Samuel... the "was knit" seems to tell us this wasn't something done by the parties mentioned but rather happened to them. Knowing the scope of the story we can safely say God was doing this (and one may ask.. is there anything God doesn't have a hand in?). But this doesn't seem to be a friendship that faded after the passing of time. It doesn't seem to be one that allowed a summer or a semester or a new brother or sister floor to steal its' affections. We know this because while the beginning of Ch.18 introduced us to this friendship, we read later in 20:3-4, "But David took an oath and said, 'Your father knows very well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said to himself, 'Jonathan must not know this or he will be grieved.' Yet as surely as the LORD lives and as you live, there is only a step between me and death.' Jonathan said to David, 'Whatever you want me to do, I'll do for you.'" This was real friendship.

As I look toward the reality of being done at Moody, it occurs to me that the time is coming for me to say goodbye to my friends here. I've often said Moody has felt more like home to me than my home. It's like a home away from home away from home. Notice the three homes... permanent residence, Moody, and... heaven. I'm the only believer in my family and biblically my spiritual family is closer than my blood family. While I know we can talk about coming to visit for graduation or making trips or making phone calls or always having facebook, but I know from experience that many if not most of the friendships we have may not be maintained or deepened. I know a real chance exists that I may never see many of these brothers and sisters again. We come here and then scatter across the world for ministry. God in His providence may put us together in ministry later but He may not. Being who I am (one who hasn't historically been the social type) I find myself experiencing a deep sadness at this realization. Maybe it's a product of God's work in me. This is new to me... this sadness. I feel like the android Lt. Commander Data in Star Trek when he first begins to experience emotions. "An intriguing sensation," he'd likely say. While I thank God for more of a heart for people and I know He will use it for ministry... the byproduct is difficult.

I suppose I can now appreciate the song, "What a friend we have in Jesus" in a fresh way. Oh what a friend He is... and more.

Bowling with the Religious

Last night I was invited to go bowling at a Lutheran church in the area because I know someone who goes there. Apparently it's common for Lutheran churches to have bowling lanes in their basements. This particular building was erected in the mid 1930's and was originally a bowling alley now converted into a church. The design of the lanes and the parts behind them were all original strangely enough. An interesting concept. Only a handful of stairs though separated the bowling lanes from a sign by the church front door. The sign said loudly proclaimed "NO GUM" in the building (I had a brand new pack in my pocket). Underneath it read something like, "Not pockets, backpacks, pants, etc." I couldn't help but notice the grammar problem. It didn't say "No gum IN pockets, backpacks..." It was as if the NO GUM was primary but secondarily pants weren't allowed either. I made the pastor aware of my observation.

Legalism. You don't have to spend too much time searching outside of biblical Christianity to find it. It may be in plain view in the church sanctuary, posted by the front door, or tucked into a drawer in the office of the leadership, but it will be there. I didn't do too good in bowling, but I got one strike and was happy with that. We also had flat bread pizza. I even got a discount being a college student. As I've already given away, the pastor eventually showed up. When he did I had this strange sensation of having a connection with someone, yet in another sense being totally separate from them (in what mattered). Between turns I spoke with him about entering a church as pastor and the differences between the Lutheran process and my own. He said there would be a point where they sent you a doctrinal list covering certain things. I took this as an opportunity to get to the issue I wanted to discuss. I asked, "do they ask about baptism?" I knew the Lutheran church believes in baptismal regeneration (the idea that water baptism plays a key role in salvation). So I admitted up front and assumed he knew we disagreed on this issue, but asked him what the arguments were from his end. He tried to steer it in the direction of communion or infant baptism at times, but those issues while they have implications... weren't as vital in my mind as the baptism discussion. He quoted a few texts for support (the ones I expected from him). The most popular of these is 1 Peter 3:21-22,

"21(F)Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you--(G)not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a (H)good conscience--through (I)the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22(J)who is at the right hand of God, (K)having gone into heaven, (L)after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him."

I must ask how someone can read something so clear and ignore what it plainly says? the only answer I can come up with is that there's spiritual blindness at work here. The "baptism" here is clarified in the same verse as NOT "removal of dirt from the body." Salvation doesn't come from water running over your body. Taking a bath doesn't wash away your sins. Beyond this the emphasis is not "baptism." The emphasis is Jesus Christ. This is simple to notice even without an in-depth analysis of these two verses. We know from Ephesians 2 "we are saved by grace through faith and this not of works, lest anyone should boast." Titus 3:5 tells us "5(DA)He saved us, (DB)not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but (DC)according to His mercy, by the (DD)washing of regeneration and (DE)renewing by the Holy Spirit," They usually point to the "washing" in this verse but ignore once again the "deeds." Their very own proof texts destroy their theology. The washing here can be compared the John 3 where Jesus tells Nicodemus to be born of "water and Spirit." The idea is that the Holy Spirit when He baptizes you (something different than water baptism) spiritually there will be an invisible internal cleansing. A divine heart change cannot happen by outward washing. This DOES happen during salvation, but not during water baptism. Notice also Titus doesn't say it's the washing "of baptism," but "of regeneration." The regeneration is doing the cleansing. A similar idea is found in Acts with the baptism of the Holy Spirit "and fire." Is this literal fire? Do we all become the Human Torch when we're saved? Surely not.

So I discussed some of this with him, though not nearly in the depth at which I've done here. I pray God uses that conversation to at the very least force that man to examine the context of Scripture which so easily complicates Lutheran theology and hopefully lead him to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ and not his baptism. Among these religious men was found profanity and senseless complaints alongside this conviction that baptism plays a part in salvation. They were religious men, but still lost without Christ and destined for a literal hell. Lord, please change their hearts and use your Word to do it.

By the Water

Late last week I did something totally unlike me. It was something everyone who knows me well would certainly say I'd never do and if I did... I'd definitely make it "productive." I went on a retreat. We went to Green Lake Conference Center in Wisconsin. It was the Senior class retreat and yes this homeworkaholic went. Who could refuse? It was only $25 for roughly 3 days of lodging, meals, fellowship, and being among such a representation of God's creation. We had times of discussion about memories, prayer, singing, a bonfire with S'mores (I successfully made my first S'more ever). It also ended on my birthday. And get this... I only brought my Bible. Are you proud? While I'm trying to catch up on reading some now that I'm back on campus, it's occurring more and more to me that these things in life that we often ignore and don't stop long enough to appreciate are the very things that we cherish in old age and wish we hadn't skipped when younger. I find myself often a guy concerned about the bottom line, efficiency, what will pragmatically be the best use of time to accomplish the requirements of an assignment or class, etc. But during those few days I was alright with the idea of taking a small percentage hit to my grade for missing a couple assigned readings. There were more important things in life.

I'm not one to spend too much time playing games and being in the midst of the traffic and noise. So when I wasn't catching up on the sleep I knew I'd never get when real life began again, I found myself spending time on a bench by the water or on the little dock with my feet propped up on a post. If not there I visited Spurgeon chapel a short distance from the lodge. The door needed a good push to be opened. If you didn't use enough force you'd think it was sealed shut. It was small and full of cobwebs. In the back there was a guestbook, a prayer request tree, and a broken organ. In the front middle on the altar were papers full of prayer requests where you could leave your own and pray for others. To the right was a walk-in pulpit with a Gideon Bible from the early 1950's with the back cover torn off. The acoustics in that chapel were good... you didn't have to speak very loudly for people to hear you. The whole time I was there it seemed unused, though there were 3 chapels in the area. As I stood in the pulpit I couldn't help but think of my future and I needed to pray.

Over my sabbatical it was difficult to concentrate reading Scripture. My prayer for the trip was "Lord, bind my wandering heart to thee." So many things can distract us. I didn't spend nearly enough time by the water. On the dock after dark you could see the cross lit up on a tower. It was so bright it eclipsed the tower itself and looked like it was suspended floating in the air. As I continued my prayer to focus on the Lord I stared at the cross for awhile and thought, "how appropriate." Doesn't the Bible say something about fixing our eyes on Jesus? I was reading earlier today about the Lament Psalms. It was refreshing to find that the authors simply express their distress unashamedly and without reservation to God. Though I knew that, it was interested to have it put the way it was in my textbook. I imagine we often have struggles inside that we only express to the Lord... worries, desires, and pain that if others were to hear it they would think us mad or rebuke us. It's nice to read the Psalms and see such honesty.

I continue to think toward what God will do in my future. This is constantly on my mind. As time passes I ask the Lord for patience and endurance. I tell God I believe, but please help me with my unbelief. I can trust for the outcome, but somehow it's hard to trust for the in-between. I got on the Alumni referral list here at school and they'll be emailing open listings for Pastoral positions across the U.S. I've sent resumes to a good number of them, but God doesn't seem to be working clearly toward any one in particular yet. I'm excited to see what may come. I've got plans if nothing firm begins to come of this before I go back to TX, but I'm willing to forsake those plans and would be happy to if God began to move elsewhere. I wanna go where He sends me. All plans are tentative to sovereignty.

For all who read this... this is a delicate time for me. I need so much prayer. I need wisdom and discernment. I don't want to assume the next seemingly good thing that comes my way is God's will and jump right in. I want to be wise about making choices because the next major choices in my life will be the big ones. I'm ready to make those choices, but I need to make them well. God has done so much in my heart, maturity, and confidence in the past couple years. I've learned a lot. I'm praying He'll let me use it all very soon.

Semester Impressions

There are 2 hours until my next class, I'm eating dinosaur shaped fruit snacks, and the reading isn't done yet. Hello college life once again! I'm finding that I need to get far ahead on reading over the weekends if I'm ever to have tiem to write papers or study for exams. While there aren't many assignments that I actually have to turn in... I have reading due every class session for every class. I'm already behind. I'm not worrying though. It's worth worrying about. This final semester of Moody finds me taking the following classes...

Apologetics. This class I had to get permission to take at the same time as Sys Theo 2. Usually you take it after that class. The prof. is a new guy. I got to be in the class where we evaluated him last semester. He's a soft-spoken guy. The class seems good so far though I'm ready for some deeper stuff than the introductory material. Recently we learned there are 4 major approaches to Apologetics (defending the faith)... 1. By Reason and logic, 2. By hard evidence, 3. Divine revelation, and 4. Appeal to faith. It seems the "Reformed approach" is the divine revelation, ("The Bible says...") I think I lean most in that direction. I believe in the power of God's Word. Although the Apostles have used a combination of all these apporaches it seems.

Evangelistic Messages. My final round with Dr. Neely. Most of the textbooks are about examining the culture. I've always been wary of paying too much attention to the culture, lest we subtly trample on truth. Don't wanna fall into the trap of the Fundamentalist movement (the official one, not the broad use of the word) nor do I wanna compromise like the Neoevangelical movement sometimes did (and therefore forfeited their mantra). So I'm working through how much we should consider culture. I've benefited from something my Apologetics prof said, "We need to adapt to the culture but not adopt the culture." Something I'm not looking forward to in this class aside from preaching without notes is that we're required to give an invitation at the end of the sermon AND create a follow-up strategy. In my street preaching my final appeal has always been something to the effect of, "I'm not asking for your money. I won't pass an offering plate. I'm not asking you to join a church nor am I trying to sell you my church. I just want you to think for a moment about what happens after you die. Please feel free to come and ask us any questions you may have." I'm not one for altar calls... it's too artificial. I don't want someone to look like they're saved. I want them to be saved. I don't want someone to think they are saved because they've put one foot in front of the other... I want them to actually be saved.

Systematic Theology 2. This class is about what I thought it would be... Theology. Like the last Sys Theo class I'm hoping it will be more in depth than the introductory one. I felt like it was mostly review in Sys Theo 1. It was easy. I did have a little fun on the first day though. The prof said he had a wife and a cat. He then asked us if we'd like to see a picture of them. He put up a hand drawing of a cat and a woman as stick figures he said he did just before class. He told us his cat's name was Dodger and continued talking. I couldn't help but ask, "Does your wife have a name?" A fun moment for sure.

Psalms. I wonder if I'm most excited about this class. Why? Because I chose it and it specifically wasn't required. I couldn't gone with another Bible elective. It's during one of the most yucky times of day too... 3pm. I really wanted to take it though. I've always admired John MacArthur's handling of the Psalms and how well this genre of the Word of God can speak to our lives in a way that touches the emotions so perfectly that you know they're Holy Spirit empowered. I want to get to know the Psalms better to be able to preach them better. Just today I was reading Psalm 16:4a which says, "The sorrows of those who run after other gods shall multiply..." That was so true as I've faced idolatry in my life. Praise God He works miracles to mold us into the image of His Son! The funny thing about this class is that I'm the same age as the professor. I think we'll get along great.

3 Credits of Internship. So I just recently found out that all I gotta do for my internship is preach 3 more times and help out a rehearsal group in the beginning preaching class. All those weekly mentoring hours I thought were required... aren't. I still plan to do some of the originally planned things with my church though. this just makes it easier becuase now it's on our own time and we're not bound to a number of hours. So I'll be at church a lot for sure. I'm excited abotu that. I've also made my intership count as my PCM. This will allow more weekly time.


Beyond these things I've returned to my working out back here at Solheim. A freidn recently told me that my fatigue may be due to working out too often. Is 5-6 days a week, 45 min. to 1 1/2 hours too much? Lol... maybe. I'm gonna cut it back to 4 days a week and see how that goes. I know the multivitamin I'm taking every day has been helping for sure. I still haven't got into a healthy amount of prayer and personal musical worship as I'd like. It seems school is frustrating the quantity of time I'd like to spend with the Lord. I wish I could skip classes in spend the time in prayer and song, but alas... homework looms. It's also been fun to room with Nick from home for his first semester. I find that I am more sarcastic toward him. We play with eachother a lot. I just hope I don't get outta control. He has a lot of respect for me and I don't wanna act too childish.

This semester I intend to continue praying for my sisters and my future wife every Wednesday. I ask the Lord for the men of this campus to be men (courage, confidence, decisiveness, gentleness, and the strength and wisdom in how to love their respective ladies as Christ loved the Church) and the women to be women (willing hearts of submission and respect to their respective guys, emotional stability, and for divine protection against immature guys). I'm learning that I think we shouldn't act romantically based upon some mysterious spark between us and someone else. That's too fickle and could mean anything. I think we need to seek godliness... in our own lives and in the lives of those we consider for a future spouse (to not treat it that seriously is a waste of time and emotions). We must seek godliness and the Lord's will as best as we can discern them and act in the most honorable and wise way we can. to that end for myself I pray for me to be open to walk in the paths God lays out before me. I ask Him to prepare the way and grant me the grace to discern where He's working. I'm keeping my eyes and options open. I'm confessing my desire for marriage yet putting the Lord first. I need so much wisdom these days. I need the Lord because I can be so divided and confused. I ask God to help me as I seek who He may have for me in the future, whether it's near or far... though I wonder if it's near. I'm trying to continue to treat things reverently and not to take anything for granted when and if it does happen. Need to remember the implications of a relationship. A friend reminded me recently that godly women don't have to be found in Bible college. I'm aware of that. I'm also aware that time and distance don't matter if the Lord puts two people together. I don't need to worry that time is slipping away. God will do as He wishes and if He is working... it'll all work out. the question is, is He working? If so, how? With who? Grrrrrr... Lord?

I also wonder where God will take me after Moody. For the longest time I've wanted to go to Seminary, leaning primarily toward Master's Seminary in California. I'm still open to that. But in the past couple months I've really wondered if I should just get started in ministry. So I'm gonna look at my options for after graduation and see what God does. I could be in another country this time next year. Lord, what will you do?

When will life begin?

I'm here at home on a Tuesday at noon. Work starts in 3 short hours. I just printed directions to take my mom to the hospital we're trying to get her into with an established doctor and regular health care. As I sit here and the time escapes me, I confess that I'm a mixture of emotions, thoughts, and dreams.

How much longer does my mom have to live? Will she come to know the Lord? When will my sister realize that life is beginning to happen to her and she needs to be responsible? When will she stop relying on others to do everything for her? Will my sister come to know the Lord?

Will my friend's wife ever be soundly saved? When will she realize that life isn't about having fun (enjoying the pleasures of sin and the world) and just turning up the music? How did we not see it in her years ago? Why do people treat marriage like dating? Does a covenant mean nothing?

Should I really go to seminary? As I continue to taste ministry (even if it's hard), as I continue to preach and teach God's people... I find that I don't want to stop. I am in love with serving God in these ways and I fall more in love with Him as I do them. When will I be free from the grocery business? November of 2011 will make 10 years that I've worked on and off with the same company while attending school. I've purposely turned down opportunities to make it a career. I could not be content doing that my whole life, nor do I think I'll have the energy it requires. It's just not worth it nor is it what God has called me to. When will I be free from my dad's roof... the filthy house and its' cockroach population? When will life begin? When will I wake up to the faces of my own family and get up an extra half hour to start breakfast one average day and maybe consider a passage to read at the table?

And as I think about these things... I also begin to ask, when I will I see my Lord face to face? Lord, when will earthly concerns no longer be a concern? When will I simply be with You? Maybe that's when life will really begin.

The Lord is My Inheritance

It's just after midnight, yet it's time to write. Many things are on my mind. Here's one of them...

I continue my trek through the ESV Old Testament in my daily Scripture reading. I've reached the book of Joshua. The other day at work I finished chapter 13 on my lunch break. All was as expected until one verse jumped off the page and tugged at my heart in a way that brought such a peace... just at the right time. Joshua 13:33 says, "But to the tribe of Levi Moses gave no inheritance; the Lord God of Israel is their inheritance, just as he said to them." This is important because it came on a day when I'd planned to fast for a purpose. No, it wasn't Wednesday. You see lately I can clearly discern the hand of God in my life. To what end I'm confident I know, but how that end will come about I still cannot see. The purpose was to refocus and make sure I still wanted the Lord, His will, and His timing more than a wife on my timing. It's been interesting this summer and even before then really. Many closed doors. It seems even when I consider a woman in my mind (even if it's a passing thought) that God closes the door immediately. I begin to wonder, "Why not close a few doors years ago before they happened? I needed it the for sure!" "Lord are you protecting me from a wrong decision?" "Lord, are you still preparing a woman greater and better suited than all the closed doors?" "Is it right around the corner? Is that why you're acting so fast?" It's hard to remember that closed doors are just as much an expression of God's wise sovereignty as are open doors. Recently though I was thinking back to all those girls in my past that I had a thing for or went out with and I laugh and thank God He didn't let me continue with them for one reason or another. He SO knows what He's doing. I'm dumb. I'm clumsy. I'm emotional. God is so good.

So I planned to fast that day and instead of eating on my break I called my mom at the hospital and then opened my Bible. While it certainly isn't a direct application (I'm not a Levite by descent) it occurs to me that while the other tribes had physical tangible inheritances (gifts, rewards), the Levites had none. Yet theirs was greater than these earthly rewards... it was the Lord Himself. The world looks on a lack of earthly blessing as a sign that maybe God hasn't blessed a person, but with the Lord the expectations change. The social norms mean nothing. Don't they? Before I could even think it through... I was hit with a wave of comfort as I read these words. Strange context for comfort, but it came. Ecclesiates 9:9 calls a wife a man's reward. She is a tangible gift from God just as the land was the tribes of Israel. For those who desire to be married and aren't, the Lord Himself is their reward... their inheritance. This isn't to say He is later replaced by a wife. If the Lord isn't always first you're only left with idolatry. Still I take comfort in this truth as I'm reminded that while those around me are finding the earthly love that I yearn for so strongly... I do have divine love and must nurture that beyond all else. The love of God and for God can and will never compare to the love of and for my future wife. My God was there when He formed me in my mother's womb, but my wife was not. My God will be there for me in difficult times in ways my wife never can or will be. He is and always shall be my inheritance. If that's true... then He certainly is that now.

At work all day I listen to the music the store plays. Most of it is love songs. I often joke that they're so bent on love songs (particularly sad ones) that even during CHRISTmas they manage to find sad CHRISTmas love songs. I was speaking to someone recently who couldn't conceive of a love greater than the love between a husband and a wife. I hear these songs and these ideas and see it on TV... the only love the world thinks is possible is romantic earthly love. But that can never be understood without knowing the love of God and the love for God. I thank Him so much He didn't leave me in what seemed an endless maze of looking for earthly love that would never satisfy. I thank Him for being my inheritance. My desire still remains strong and my eyes still remain open, but my heart belongs to Him before anyone else.

Thank you Lord for the reminder.

1 Samuel 18:1-16: Saul Has Only Slain His Thousands

Americans live in a fairytale. They live in what I'd like to call the “Burger King” Fairytale. What's Burger King's motto? “Have it your way.” People make all kinds of plans. They have all kinds of intentions and they live under the idea that they can run their own lives. They live as they feel they want to. I saw a woman on TV the other day who had grown distant in her relationship with her mom because her mom didn't approve of her recent divorce. When asked why she divorced she said, “It's my decision. It's my life.” What's the common denominator in those statements? “My, Me.” It's about self. Do you think as she was standing at the altar on the wedding day that she was planning to get divorced? Probably not. That wasn't her plan. I didn't watch the whole thing, but I suspect her expectations for marriage involved a fair amount self. Her plan was her own happiness. But I want you to notice her reaction. How did she react when things weren't going the way she wanted? She threw a hissy fit and ended it. After all it's not much different than dating right? Just fill out a little paperwork.

That's easy to see in the world, but what about us? How do you react when your plan doesn't go the way you expect? Or better yet, how do you react when your plan isn't God's plan?

Turn with me if you would to 1 Samuel 18. We're only gonna look at v.1-16 tonight. Last time I was with you I took you back to Ch.16 where Samuel tells king Saul that God had rejected him as king. More than that, God was going to raise up a man to take his place. Thus began the transition from Saul to David. That's the big picture in which we have to look at the rest of the book. Ch.17 brought us David's battle with Goliath. This event propelled David into the spotlight of the people of Israel. It was the first major event in David's rise to king. In that story the lens I looked through for our lives was how we gained victory in our struggle with sin. I said the story showed us that (BIG IDEA) “Victory comes when the glory is the Lord's and the battle is the Lord's.” The key to the story was found in 17:46-47. What I wanna do is take you back to that moment in the story, back to the battlefield, back to the victory... because that's where our text tonight picks up. Are you there?

READ 18:1-5. So the army of Israel is in a state of rejoicing. You can imagine their weapons being hoisted in the air as the Philistines fled and their champion Goliath dead. Remember we said David had been going to be with his father and tend the sheep back and forth from home and back to Saul. Well, obviously this time king Saul was impressed with David. He was so impressed that v.2 tells us, “Saul took him that day and did not let him return to his father's house.” V.5 says, “So David went out wherever Saul sent him, and prospered; and Saul set him over the men of war. And it was pleasing in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants.” Saul saw that there was something to this “young man” David.

David had zeal.
He had courage.
He had confidence.
He had... just defeated a GIANT.
He had qualities that could prove to bear out a fruitful military career and Saul saw this, BUT those things were not what put David in such a position. God was with him. We saw that in the end of 16:13, “...the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward...”

Now I want you to look at each of these chapters in David's life to see God's hand in them. David was appointed to lead the army of Israel. This position will prepare David to lead and fight in the future as king. This is his training ground to gain experience and to further build his reputation among the people. But how is it being done? GOD is doing it... through king Saul. Saul thought he was just getting an asset to his army, but he was merely God's instrument to prepare David to take Saul's place. As I thought about this it got me thinking, how often is God using us without our understanding, without our knowledge, without our finite human perception... for the preparation and sanctification of someone else? Have you ever stopped to think about that? What could God be doing through you not for your sake, but the sake of the person you're interacting with?

We also see in this passage the beginning of the secondary story of David's friendship with Jonathan. I don't wanna steal John's thunder because he may talk some about this with you later. But the text says it was during this time and these battles with the Philistines that David and Jonathan developed a bond between two brothers that would last for years to come. And it would be a friendship that would serve as yet another important chapter in David's life and preparation, but that is still yet to unfold in the rest of the book. So we won't look at that. These few verses merely set the stage for what's to come. You'll have to wait to see the point in that chapter though.


But it's in v.6-9 that the story gets interesting. Things are going well for Saul. His army is doing well under David's leadership and success seems to be Saul's best friend. What could be better? Life was great for king Saul until... something happened. What happened? READ v.6-9. There's so much in these few verses and they give us the crux, the crisis of our story. Saul is taking the head of the army as they return home to celebrate once again. I can imagine he has a smile on his face that stretches from the East to the West. Each time he has returned from a battle victorious he returns to a great celebration. As his feet enter the gate of the city of Israel, he's met by the women of the city. It's the ladies that knew how to celebrate in the OT. You never send the men to be in charge of a celebration. We're fine with plain, simple, boring... we couldn't choose the color of decorations if our life depended on it. This was common though. The Israelites knew who to put in charge of the celebrating (Exo_15:20; Jdg_11:34; Psa_68:25). As Saul expected their joy and prepared himself for their song, the news of the victory over Goliath reached them before the army did. And their song took on a new note and new lyrics. “Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands.” And this song that was so full of joy in the ears of the army and of the people and of the women who sang it, it was the sound of war in the ears of king Saul. He was outraged! “How could they sing such a thing?!” He asked, in essence. “I'm the king! And they've made David ten times greater than me!!!?” And then in v.8 he makes a statement so prophetic that it blows my mind. He says, “Now what more can he have but the kingdom? And Saul looked at David with suspicion from that day on.”

Remember, Samuel told him what was about to happen. He knew someone was going to replace him. Now he's beginning to see what God is doing and He doesn't want it to happen. He is jealous of David. He's angry. He's suspicious. And He's jealous. Jealousy is a bitter seed that plants itself in the soul and grows like a weed behind the building that you don't see until it starts coming through the window. As he went to bed that night I can imagine him asking, "How can I stop this from happening?"

Look at v.10-12. Now we're brought from the open city of Israel right into the king's palace and was performing his old duty of playing music for the king. I'm sure this music sounded much different than the soothing purpose it was meant for. But here in these verses we reach an issue that Theologians have talked and talked about for years. It's one that I don't intend to have a neatly packaged answer for. What is this “evil spirit” and why would God send it? Is God the author of evil? You know I wonder how much we open ourselves up to God's laughter when we speculate about Him, but here we go anyway...

“An evil spirit from God”
This can only be one of two things; (1) An emotional state/attitude of anger (“that person has a spirit of anger about them”) (2) An actual evil entity that existed from outside Saul and then came into him/a demon. The NASB translates “evil spirit” and you'll see the ESV translates “harmful spirit.” It seems each translation lends itself toward a certain view. Now, either way we have to admit that God is the origin of this in some sense. It's “from God” the text says. God's hand was at work. We can't get so caught up in difficulty that we ignore or try to explain away a plain honest reading of the Word of God. That's a principle of interpretation. Don't forget that. Now it's certainly possible that God is moving Saul's emotions, after all Proverbs 21:1 says, “The heart of the king is like streams of water in the hand of the Lord. He turns it wherever He pleases.” God can change a heart whenever and however He pleases. But, I don't think that's what's going on here. Look back at 16:14. If the Spirit of the Lord is a real person (a living Spirit) and this Spirit is contrasted with an evil spirit. It's likely that we're talking about an actual entity. The Holy Spirit only moved upon people in the OT for certain occasions or offices and it was temporary. It's only the NT after Jesus left that the Spirit comes inside the followers of Christ to dwell forever. That's how the Spirit of God could leave Saul and a different one enter him.

Now, does this mean God is the author of evil? No. I think the only answer we can give here is that God allowed this spirit to torment Saul. He allowed it as further punishment of Saul's disobedience. God didn't produce this evil spirit, He allowed it to come upon Saul. Now I've gotta be honest with you... I don't like the word “allowed.” In my mind I'm thinking, “If we say allowed it makes it a passive act on God's part and if we say He straight up sent it, it becomes an active act on God's part. So either way isn't it God doing it?” But then I'm reminded of Job. God allowed Satan to torment Job. He allowed it for a greater purpose that neither Job, nor his friends nor his family could see. It was all in God's capable hands though. It was hidden in the mystery of God's sovereignty (His control and outworkings in the lives of his people). So I'm thinking the allowing is the only biblical direction we can go at this point. BUT you can be sure that's one of the first things I'm gonna ask God about when we all get to heaven. It'll be one of those things we find on the endless celestial wall of pamphlets of correct doctrine.

But this spirit came upon Saul and it caused him to “rave” in the midst of the house. Some of your translations say prophesy. I think the idea here is captured more in the “raving.” He was raving like a madman. He had an emotional outburst of anger that caused him to attempt to murder David. Some say Saul was prophesying good things to fool David from what he was about to do, but I can't see that because David caught on to it and avoided his attempts twice. V.12 adds fear to our list of Saul's emotions. He knew God was no longer with him, but was now with David.

Let's look at v.13-16. Saul tried to kill David and it didn't work. He knew it wouldn't work. At least at this moment. He didn't want David in his sight. So he removed him from his presence and sent him off to war. And the Bible says Saul dreaded David. He held a fearful awe for David. Saul thought this would take care of his problem.

It would be very easy for me to say to you tonight, “Saul was jealous of David. Don't be jealous” and to stop there. Jealousy is wrong but there's more here. If I did that it would ignore the big picture. You see all that God said was coming to pass before Saul's very eyes. His kingdom was slipping through his fingers and He was powerless to stop it. This brings us the whole point of this passage tonight and it's this...

When your plan isn't God's plan, fighting against Him is futile.
“futile” (a waste of time and emotion)

His plan was to ignore what the prophet Samuel said.
His plan was to remain king.
His plan was for David to serve his army and bring him the glory.
His plan was to kill David and secure his own destiny.
His plan... wasn't God's plan. Do you see that?


So I ask you again as I did before, How do you react when your plan isn't God's plan? It's ok to plan. It's wise to plan. But what happens when those plans don't go the way you wanted?

How often have you and I wanted to build and maintain our own little kingdoms? It may be a kingdom of ministry, a kingdom of romance, a kingdom of corporate success, a kingdom of the way you think a household should be run, etc. and anything that looks like it's getting in our way turns us into a screaming angry child who can't have the candy as we're going through the grocery store checkout line. We get jealous when someone at work gets the praise. We get jealous when the other guy gets the girl. We look at our plan falling apart and don't consider for a moment that it may not be God's plan for us.

Here's what I want you to do... the next time things aren't going your way (even if it's small) ask the question, “What is God doing here? What direction does God seem to be going?” Trust me, save yourself the pain and heartache that will come when you fight against God. God will win. He will. And the next time you see the kid in the grocery store that whines to his mom. Look up and ask, “Lord... is that me right now? Am I trying to have it my way?”

Because, when your plan isn't God's plan, fighting against Him is futile.