Two Questions, Part Two: Another Question.

In Christian circles the word "fellowship" has lost its teeth. It generally implies, in our church culture, coffee and maybe a bite to eat. While I'm glad for this development, we shouldn't have the coffee at the expense of what makes for true, biblical fellowship - namely, relationships centered around the gospel.

But I think it's easier to have "friends from church" than to have relationships that are, in some identifiable way, centered around Jesus Christ. To put it another way, it takes effort to forge a friendship that makes a significant difference in our worship, witness, and integrity before God.

That is why I like to have good questions to ask my friends.

The one I ask these days is a simple one: "How's your joy?" Or in other words, "Are you experiencing the joy of your salvation?"

As I've asked others this question, several guys have responded: "Good question. Uhhh...." And I know why: it's not necessarily an easy question to answer! I have to give it some thought too. But don't you agree that it's a good question, one that addresses an area of our lives we should monitor more closely than, say, "how we are doing" (which means, are you happy with your circumstances right now) or "what's going on"?

Just yesterday I asked this question to a friend named Bunny (he's a guy, there's a story, don't make fun, he gets mean). He may not have remembered, but I've asked him this question the last several times we've been together. He said, "That's a good question, but out of curiosity--why joy, out of all the fruits of the Spirit? Why not love or peace or patience?"

That's a good question too. I had to think about it.

In Galatians 5, the "fruit of the Spirit" is a singular word--"fruit." Thus love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are all united within us. So while joy is near the top of the list, I can't say that it wouldn't be just as well to ask, "How's your love" or "How's your peace."

But I think the word "joy" is a little less sullied. Like the word "fellowship," love and peace are often confused with cheap substitutes. Meanwhile, no one even has patience, and a faithful man who can find?

Taking a look at whether we are experiencing the joy of our salvation gets beyond whether we are happy with our circumstances (we aren't). It also gets us beyond what we're doing (we're trying to prove ourselves by comparing ourselves with others, usually).

It makes us examine our relationship to God in areas where it matters. Thankfulness. Adoration. Zeal. Trust. Faith. Joy...

Well, I think it's a good question anyway.

Two Questions, Part One: A Question.

When I was a young guy out in California, I attended a big church and had lots of friends. When I'd get together with a friend one of the questions first questions I'd ask, to get past small talk and to more fruitful fellowship, was, "What's the Lord showing you?"

It seems to me that if we are in a relationship with God, praying, and reading our Bibles, we should have some consciousness of something God is teaching us. Most times, this question opened up the door to interesting conversation. Nevertheless, there were some who struggled to answer this question.

In fact, when I started hanging out in Reformed circles (and now I'm a pastor at a Reformed church) I gained new friends. Friends who didn't like to answer this question. And I can understand that sometimes we have no idea what God is doing in our lives. But it seems that more often than not, since we are His children, there should be something we can identify as a message He's trying to get across to us - concerning trust, prayer, worship, faith, dealing with a unique challenge or a challenging person.

Secretly, I harbor the belief that if we have too much trouble answering this question... we have probably become too theoretical in what is supposed to be a relationship with the living God. But hey, I'm flexible. I understand that the question might not come across the right way to everyone. That's why I have a new question that I ask, and that question will be the subject of my next post.

But for now, I'd like to ask you: What is God showing you? What is something he's teaching you right now?

Holiness by Genre.

This week I'm preparing my sermon, "Jesus our Priest," the second part of our special Advent sermon series, "Jesus in Hebrews: Prophet, Priest, King and Savior." Jesus' priestly work, like all priestly work, is necessary to mediate between a God who is Holy, Holy, Holy, and sinful creatures like ourselves. I've been thinking through some of the various OT passages that emphasize both the holiness of God in his temple, and the duties/dangers facing the priest. I was especially struck by how the different types of OT literature all portray these themes in their own unique ways.

My mind went first to the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16. This is a legal text which describes, in all its glorious legal detail, the yearly duties of the high priest in going into the Holy of Holies to represent the people before the throne of God. It's a great passage, really. It communicates the holiness of God through the precision required of the priest, the complexity of sacrificial ritual, and the glory of the ceremony. If it has one drawback, it's that it might be, um, a little tedious.

Leviticus 16:14, 15 - And he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the mercy seat on the east side, and in front of the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times. “Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it over the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat.

Let's just say that reading 34 straight verses of legal code might not make the most gripping sermon illustration, inspired though it is.

Several Psalms also attempt in their lines of poetry to capture the holiness of God in his temple, and the requirements of the one who will approach him.

Psalm 15: 1, 2 - O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent?
Who shall dwell on your holy hill?
He who walks blamelessly and does what is right
and speaks truth in his heart;

The poetry makes a more accessible way to meditate on the holiness of God, and the requirements in Psalm 15 are not only ceremonial, but moral demands placed on the one who will "sojourn in his tent." Psalm 11 considers the same theme,

Psalm 11:4 - The Lord is in his holy temple;
the Lord's throne is in heaven;
his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.

The idea of 'testing' in this Psalm remind us that the Lord is holy, and those who worship him must do so in spirit and in truth. If the legal texts traffic in specifics, the poetic line traffics in beauty and memorableness of expression.

Perhaps the most well known OT text on this theme is the prophetic vision of Isaiah 6. Isaiah, too, is writing about the holiness of God, the inner sanctum of the temple, and the demands on the approaching worshiper. But he does not list the set of rules, nor sing a song, but narrates his own visionary experience inside the Holy Place.

Isaiah 6:1-5 - I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”

And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost."

This is doubtless the most graphic and gripping of the three presentations. The use of the first person, the shaking, the smoke, the worshiping seraphim, and Isaiah's own dramatic cry all paint a vivid picture.

And yet what stands out to me is that each of these three passages is describing, in its own genre, a similar scene. Each is describing the glory and holiness of God, more specifically, the holiness of God's throne room in the Holy of Holies, the requirements on the worshiper, and the danger of approaching God in an unworthy manner. The legal text, perhaps the most ill suited to describe the ineffable, lists the multitude of rules the high priest must observe. The poetry waxes eloquent about the moral rectitude of the acceptable worshiper, and the watchful eye of the Lord. The prophetic vision paints an awesome scene and lets us feel the peril of our creatureliness.

The other thing all these texts have in common is that they all point to our great need for a faithful high priest. One who can enter the holy place on our behalf. One whose hands are truly clean, and can stand without fear in the presence of a holy God. One who has offered the perfect sacrifice, not of bulls and goats, but a once for all sacrifice that will stand for all time. One who is holy in himself, yet sympathizes with us in our weakness. One who has passed through the heavens, and is seated at the right hand of God to intercede. Only when we have such a high priest can we be found acceptable in the presence of our holy God.

Hebrews 10:19-22 - Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

The Great Commission in Context

The Great Commission is more famous than the Gettysburg Address, also more practical. It is especially notable for the word go, which it made famous. In this passage of Scripture, Jesus tells his disciples what to do with their lives.

Often overlooked, however, is the context of the Great Commission. So let's pan away for a moment and look at the entire scene... what I'm calling the context is underlined.

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to
observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

It seems to me there are two types of people Jesus uses to accomplish the Great Commission. First, Jesus uses worshipers. We often fail to notice the context of worship in which the Great Commission was given. I have gained a deep appreciation for the fact that ministry must flow from worship; I hope you are learning the same thing.

But there's another type of person Jesus uses: the doubter. Yep, it's right there: "But some doubted." This is an inconvenient truth, but perhaps the key to the entire passage. Perhaps as important as the word go.

Thinking for a moment about the scene, it seems that the disciples saw Jesus from a distance. Some worshipped immediately, for they recognized him and believed. Others hesitated - could it really be him? They recognized him, but the whole thing seemed to them to be truthfully quite out of the ordinary, supernatural, and a bit unbelievable. They didn't have speedy child-like faith, but hobbling adult-like faith.

But then Jesus came to them. And all doubt was removed. All eleven disciples - all but Judas - were used powerfully by Jesus.

The reason this nuance is so important is that it testifies till the end of time that the Great Commission is about Jesus' initiative and not about our own. Whether we worship or doubt, if we belong to him, he can use us. Doubt does get in the way - but Jesus has ways of finding us, confirming himself to us, and sending us on our way.

Thoughts on Pastoral Technique

I've been thinking lately about Paul's method of pastoral care in dealing with Philemon. He says to him,

Philemon 8,9 - Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you.

Pastoral care is often more of an art than a science. In this situation Paul recognizes that he has a legitimate authority. He would be well within his rights, and his obligations, to command Philemon to do "what is required." That is, Paul could approach him authoritatively as an apostle and demand that Philemon submit himself humbly to gospel obedience. There would be nothing wrong with this.

Instead, Paul says that for love's sake, he prefers to appeal to Philemon. Because he loves him, and perhaps because he knows Philemon's character and temperament, he phrases his exhortation to obedience in the form of an appeal. The appeal holds no less authority, but it does make a different impression on the one receiving it. An appeal portrays a different picture of how Paul feels towards Philemon. And as we all know, an impassioned appeal communicates much differently than an iron-fisted demand.

I've been thinking about this lately, in the context of hearing several stories from people who were personally hurt by a pastor who was too harsh. Indeed, it seems as though some pastors use as their primary (only?) model for pastoral care Galatians 2:11,

Galatians 2:11 - But when Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.

This is how Paul dealt with Peter, and I have no doubt that it too was motivated by love, the sort of tough love that saw what a precarious position Peter had gotten himself into. And in this situation too, Paul was well within his rights and obligations as an apostle to speak in this way.

However, the verses in Philemon show us that this was not Paul's only method for pastoral care. He could be bold and firm when required, and he also knew how to make a gentle appeal for the sake of love. Pastors must learn to develop both of these skills, together with the even more important skill of being able to discern when to use which one.

Most of us are by nature inclined more towards one or the other, and we will need to be intentional in developing our weak side. And we need to know our people, and cultivate the wisdom and discernment to know when we are dealing with Peter, and when we are dealing with Philemon.

It's the Law!

I've been thinking about the death penalty in the OT. This is a very partial list of offenses for which death is the prescribed punishment.

1. Killing someone.
2. Striking one of your parents.
3. Dishonoring one of your parents. (!)
4. Selling a person.
5. Being the owner of an unpenned goring ox who gores.
6. Eating blood.
7. All manner of unlawful sexual relations, including homosexuality.
8. Profaning the Sabbath.
9. Profaning objects of the tabernacle (just ask Uzzah).
10. Blasphemy.

1. On the one hand, there are some today, among the ultra-conservative/theonomic set, who believe that we should still enforce the death penalty for (at least some of) these sins. I'm kinda glad we don't, given the strictness of #3, I might not have lived to see the end of Junior High if we did.

2. On the other hand, however, before we dismiss those wacky ultra-conservatives as being wacky and ultra-conservative, we should consider something: all these laws were God's idea. This is his law, and God's law reflects God's character. God's desire was that his people would be holy, and he wouldn't put up with this kind of evil within his chosen people that he loved. We haven't truly understood the seriousness of our own sin, until we understand how God feels about it. For most of us, we have a lot of work left to do in meditating on God's law, and considering what it teaches us about God himself.

3. On the third hand (is this allowed?), we have almost no examples in the OT of the death penalty being carried out for these offenses. Now it might be the case that it happened all the time, and the OT writers simply didn't record it. But I think otherwise. Because God's law also included other options. For instance, the man who killed someone, but without evil intent, was allowed to move to a city of refuge, and live there until the death of the high priest. Or again, when the goring bull gores, the offended party may choose to accept a ransom, rather than require the death of the bull's owner. In these ways it is evident than thick strands of mercy were woven into God's holy law. It seems that God did not desire the death of the sinner as much as he desired mercy, repentance, and reconciliation. Even in his law, which we often view as strict and unbending, he made provision for restoration, so that his grace and love might shine through alongside his justice and holiness.

On the subject of good bread.

Recently I was reading in my new favorite book on food, some restaurant reviews by Jeffrey Steingarten. He was reviewing a restaurant in New York City, and he was disappointed with the bread. Not only was the bread bad, but it was a special let down because as he said, New York is known for having the best bread east of San Fransisco.

My first reaction when I read that? "Oh No!! I was just IN San Fransisco, and I didn't eat the bread!" Its true. This last summer Aubrey and I spent a day and a half tooling around San Fransisco. And sure, we took the expected touristy stroll through the San Fransisco Sourdough factory. But I didn't buy any. Don't blame me, I didn't know. I didn't have Jeffrey Steingarten with me to tell me I was in the presence of the greatest bread outside of New York City. I needed someone to tell me, to exhort me, this is good bread!

This is what the book of Hebrews does for Jesus. Hebrews is not a letter, per se, like so many of the books in the New Testament. Rather Hebrews is a sermon, a 13 chapter "word of exhortation," (Heb 13:22) exhorting us not to miss out on the exceedingly great value of Jesus Christ. After all, Jesus is better than the prophets. Jesus is better than the angels. Jesus is better than Moses, better than Joshua, better than the Aaronic priesthood. Don't miss out on Jesus!

And so our church's Christmas sermons this year are coming from Hebrews. A little unconventional, but utterly appropriate. We need to hear these words of exhortation. Seek Jesus while he may be found. Seek to know this one who is the radiance of the glory of God. Seek to listen to this one who declared the word of salvation. Seek to worship this one who is crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death. Seek to serve this one who is faithful overs God's house as a son.

Let no one leave our churches and say they didn't know they were in the presence of the greatest savior! "But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin" (Heb 3:13).

Special Needs

Yesterday I prayed with my wife for all the children, teachers, and even the security guards at Thurgood Marshall School.

I never planned to do this.

I never wrote into my life that I would need to take my child to a preschool for learning delayed children. For that matter, I didn't plan to ever take my child to a public school and I certainly didn't plan for speech therapy. Now I find myself not only praying for such schools and teachers, but giving praise to God for the talents and love I see expressed by different teachers God has provided for my son.

So after that prayer, as Thurgood Marshall School shrunk in the rear view mirror, I got thinking:

This is how God sends us into the world.

We would much rather be woken up in the middle of the night by an angelic vision and sent to our respective mission fields. Or, skip the middle of the night part; we'd be happy to be gently nudged by the Lord during a mid-day snack. But instead, God sends us to people we would never otherwise meet through experiences we'd rather not have.

The reason Philip proclaimed Jesus in Samaria, and more memorably to an Ethiopian traveler, was because he had to flee for his life from Jerusalem. Acts 8 tells us, "And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles." And "those who were scattered went about preaching the word."

God has many creative ways of scattering his people. May the Lord grant us who belong to the scattering God the presence of mind to carry the word with us wherever we (haltingly) go. There are many special needs out there.

Hebrew Mnemonic #2: The Olam Clock

One of the simplest arguments that one hears for keeping the sabbath today is the fact that in the OT the sabbath is described as an ordinance which lasts "forever." Note the following:

Exodus 31:16 Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever.

On the one hand this is an interesting point. It says forever. And as a guy who likes to take the Bible at face value as often as possible I can hear myself making this point, "It says forever, do you know how long forever is? Forever is forever."

But on the other hand, we need to stop and think. Before we conclude that face value is all there is, we need to consider how else this word "forever" is used in the OT. As a side note, the Hebrew word here is olam, for which Ken provided the excellent mnemonic: "I must set my olam clock, else I'll sleep forever." The word is used over 400 times in the OT. Let's take a small sampling of some of the things that the OT says will last "forever."

Exodus 12:14 - The Passover feast
Exodus 27:21 - The Tabernacle Menorah
Exodus 29:9 - The Aaronic priesthood
Leviticus 6:15 - The Grain offering
Leviticus 16:29 - The Day of Atonement
Leviticus 23:14 - The Feast of Firstfruits
Leviticus 23:21 - The Feast of Weeks
Leviticus 23:41 - The Feast of Booths
Leviticus 24:8 - The Bread of the Presence

All of these things are said in the OT to be "forever," or in some cases it is translated as a "perpetual statute." And yet, I'll go ahead and point out the obvious, we don't observe or maintain any of these things any longer. Clearly, at least in these cases, we can't simply take "forever" at face value.

Of course, this presents a problem for sabbatarians and nonsabbatarians alike, considering almost all of us are nonfirstfruitarians, and nongrain-offeringists. How is it that the OT can confidently assert something as being "forever" which the NT is comfortable regarding as temporary?

In part the answer is found in recognizing the magnitude of what happened in Christ's death and resurrection. When Christ died, the world ended. And when he rose from the dead, a new world began. His rising on the first day of the week signified the beginning of the new creation week. As Paul says of believers in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "If anyone is in Christ, New Creation!!! The old has gone, the new has come!"

The promises and institutions of the old covenant were such that they could not be done away with by anything short of a completely new creation. And that is what has begun with the resurrection of Christ, and continues with the regeneration of believers.

Who is God?

If, like myself, you do the majority of your Old Testament reading in English, then perhaps you've noticed the same problem I have. English Old Testaments have two Lords. Er, well, they at least have two different spellings of the word 'lord.'

The first spelling is "Lord." This is a translation of the Hebrew word adonai, which means (obviously) 'lord.' It's actually somewhat like our English word 'sir,' in that it is a title of respect, but can be used in any context, whether as a mere formality of respect, or in addressing a king or a god.

The second spelling is "LORD," in all caps. This is a translation of God's personal covenant name, YHWH. It's kind of a long story as to how God's name gets translated with an impersonal title, having to do both with the third commandment, and an unfortunate lack of vowels in the name. Nevertheless, I think it is unfortunate that God's name gets hidden in our English translations, for two reasons.

The first is the theological/relational reason. God introduced himself to us with his name. He made it known to his people so that we would know who he is, and yet we insist on using his title. He wants to be familiar, and we insist on keeping a respectful distance.

The second problem is simply the confusion that ensues in our English bibles. I was meditating today on Psalm 100:3, "Know that the LORD, he is God," or shall we instead say, "Know that YHWH, he is God." Given that most of us consider "LORD" and "God" to be synonyms, the first translation is simply a truism. It lacks all punch. But what this verse is actually doing, is reminding us that YHWH, who is our faithful covenant savior is also the God of all the universe. Using his personal name reminds of of all that he has done for us. For OT Israelites it would have reminded them not least of YHWH revealing his covenant name to Moses and then leading the people out from under the yoke of slavery in Egypt. YHWH loves us, cares for us, and he in fact is God. This verse is a confession of faith. Not unlike when we sing "This is my father's world, the battle is not done, and though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet."