At the beginning of recorded history, God created Adam, but He knew that it was not good for Adam to be alone, so He created Eve. At this point, God instituted marriage, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh" (Genesis 2:24).
The culture we live in today and many other cultures in the past have looked upon this holy institution as a contract between people. It has become almost laughable when some people go to the altar and promise before God that they will bind themselves together until death. Many of them do not believe in God at all. What weight does a promise hold when they do not believe in the one to whom they are promising? So they promise to each other. Do they really mean it? Will they go through sickness, poverty, and worse? Our divorce rate says they won't. Even within the church, the divorce rate in comparable to the divorce rate outside. I spoke last night about how Christians are to live a life that honors God before an unbelieving world, and we cannot even keep a promise to God or the one we say we love! Pathetic! It makes me wonder if I ever want to get married.
What is the main reason for divorce in this country? Money. Money! Did the vows not say "for richer or for poorer?" God gives one acceptable excuse for divorce, infidelity. Even in this case, the desire is that there would be reconciliation, forgiveness, and preservation of the marriage rather than divorce. If there is no repentance or continuation of the infidelity, then it can be grounds for divorce. Ultimately, the goal is to be like Jesus. Through Him we have been forgiven of our infidelity to God, "When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, 'Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD'" (Hosea 1:2). We need to be seeking to love and forgive, even in cases of infidelity. If you desire to see how much God loves and forgives, read chapters one through three in Hosea.
Marriage is a covenant, not a contract. It is not meant to be dissolved when either party is dissatisfied with the arrangement. It is meant to persist as long as both parties are still living. This is what Jesus said about divorce, "It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery" (Matthew 5:31-32).
What about those famous kings in the Old Testament who had a ton of wives? I'm thinking specifically of Solomon who had many, "He had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines" (1 Kings 11:3a). Dude! Seriously?!? How on earth do you deal with that many? Why was God fine with that if marriage is supposed to be only one man and one woman? Even David, who is referred to as "a man after His [God's] own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14) had many wives and concubines, "And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were born to David" (2 Samuel 5:13). The answer is that God is not fine with it.
The Bible is not a list of people without flaws from whom we can model our lives. The Bible shows us people, men and women with faults. It is history. Abraham, David, and Solomon lived and breathed just like we do today, and they sinned just like we do today. Their actions are not somehow acceptable to God merely because they were written down in the Bible. The verse that speaks of Solomon's many wives and the following verse tell us that, "His wives turned away his heart. For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father" (1 Kings 11:3b-4). David desired God and wanted Him, but he made mistakes, too. The most famous of these mistakes has to be with Uriah and Bathsheba. David murdered him in order to have her. That is all kinds of evil! In fact, how would you view even your best friend if you suddenly found out that they murdered someone in order to marry that person's spouse? It would be hard to continue that friendship in exactly the same way, right? You might wonder what they would be capable of doing to you if they suddenly decided your spouse was looking particularly nice one day.
I do not know of any "thou shalt not" verse in Scripture that specifically prohibits polygamy (either polygyny or polyandry), but Scripture as a whole has a negative view of the practice. The original establishment of the institution was one man and one woman. In Genesis 16, the marriage between Abram and Sarai is defiled when Sarai brings Abram to Hagar to conceive a child, "But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise" (Galatians 4:23). It was not God's will for Hagar to be brought into the marriage bed, and we feel the repercussions of that mistake even today as the children of Ishmael spread their beliefs by oppression and murder. Men with more than one wife are prohibited from holding the office of pastor or deacon in the church, "This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach" (Titus 1:5-7a), and "The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach" (1 Timothy 3:1-2). If God was fine with multiple wives, this prohibition would not have been one of the first prohibitions on both of these lists. God is not fine with polygamy. He never has been. Chalk another one up to the freewill of sinful people.
The Scripture only gives us one person to model our behavior after in all ways, and that person is Jesus, God Himself. He is the only one who is good. Men and women throughout Scripture can be looked at as "heroes of the faith," but they all fall short somewhere. Having multiple spouses is where several of them did sin. Having multiple spouses even drew Solomon away from God and damaged that relationship. God is not for that. He loves us and wants the best for us, that includes any marriage to be only one man and one woman. That is how He set it up, and that is how it should remain.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Tools in the Hands of the Master Craftsman
It was just a normal, run-of-the-mill type of day. There was nothing particularly interesting of fantastic going on. It was Thursday, so we had homegroup that night. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, homegroup is similar to a Bible study, but it is more than just a Bible study. There is fellowship, accountability, smaller group discussions, and homegroups do not have an end date like some Bible studies. This particular homegroup was going to be different, though. Even as the leader, I had no idea about this, but God certainly did. This just goes to prove who the real leader is, and in every successful homegroup, Bible study, church, or otherwise, God is the leader. Farah was one of the members of the homegroup, and she had recently fractured her spine. She was in a back brace, and by God's grace, still had full use of her legs because her spinal chord was not severed. Near the end of the night, she asked for use to pray for her. The bones in her back were not regrowing. She was not healing. We gathered around her, laid hands on her, and began to pray. We prayed that God would heal her. We asked for healing in the name and Jesus, and proclaimed His power to do so. We left that night, and I honestly do not remember if I continued to pray for Farah or not for the next week. I would hope that I did. During homegroup the following week, Farah let us know what God had done in her after we prayed last week. She had an appointment with her doctor, and the doctor had taken ex-rays of her spine. To his amazement, 2/3 of the bone mass in her back had regrown! God had answered our prayer, and He healed Farah! The final 1/3 regrew, and she was fully healed. I was very happy to see her able to walk around without a back brace after that. Praise our God who lives and allows us the privilege to be used by Him!
Sometimes, we have problems remembering our place as tools in His hands. On Sunday we yell, "Here I am Lord! Send me!" and on Monday we moan, "I don't want to do that!" God has the right to use us as He sees fit to use us. It is only by His mercy that He allows us to even ask to be used, or that He does not immediately smite us dead when we complain about being used in a way we do not want to be used, "Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?" (Romans 9:21). I know the context of this verse shows us that Paul is speaking of those who are saved being used to show God's mercy and those who are condemned being used to show His justice, but cannot one vessel who is being saved be used to glorify God in small, menial tasks for which they are given no recognition by others while another is used for large, grand tasks that only one hidden under a rock would not be aware of? Is either one better than the other? No! Each is used to glorify God, and each one, being reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, will receive their due reward from the One who's recognition does matter. So, the janitor and the CEO both glorify God... and remember that "many who are first will be last, and the last first" (Matthew 19:30).
If we are not careful, pride has a nasty habit of sneaking in when we are not aware of it. It is not so easy when God, through us, heals broken or fractured bones in a week to get prideful and think we actually had something to do with it, although that has happened before. It is much easier to fall to pride when we have a conversation with someone, God speaks through us to them on an issue they are struggling with, and then suddenly we think we're awesome counselors because we've given some great advice. We haven't. God used us to glorify Himself, and we go off thinking we've done something great and steal from God the glory due to Him!
"Shall the axe boast over him who hews with it,
or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it?
As if a rod should wield him who lifts it,
or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood!" (Isaiah 10:15).
Today, when God uses you. Give the glory to the One who deserves the glory, and allow yourself to be content in what you are: a tool in the hand of the Master Craftsman.
Sometimes, we have problems remembering our place as tools in His hands. On Sunday we yell, "Here I am Lord! Send me!" and on Monday we moan, "I don't want to do that!" God has the right to use us as He sees fit to use us. It is only by His mercy that He allows us to even ask to be used, or that He does not immediately smite us dead when we complain about being used in a way we do not want to be used, "Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?" (Romans 9:21). I know the context of this verse shows us that Paul is speaking of those who are saved being used to show God's mercy and those who are condemned being used to show His justice, but cannot one vessel who is being saved be used to glorify God in small, menial tasks for which they are given no recognition by others while another is used for large, grand tasks that only one hidden under a rock would not be aware of? Is either one better than the other? No! Each is used to glorify God, and each one, being reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, will receive their due reward from the One who's recognition does matter. So, the janitor and the CEO both glorify God... and remember that "many who are first will be last, and the last first" (Matthew 19:30).
If we are not careful, pride has a nasty habit of sneaking in when we are not aware of it. It is not so easy when God, through us, heals broken or fractured bones in a week to get prideful and think we actually had something to do with it, although that has happened before. It is much easier to fall to pride when we have a conversation with someone, God speaks through us to them on an issue they are struggling with, and then suddenly we think we're awesome counselors because we've given some great advice. We haven't. God used us to glorify Himself, and we go off thinking we've done something great and steal from God the glory due to Him!
"Shall the axe boast over him who hews with it,
or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it?
As if a rod should wield him who lifts it,
or as if a staff should lift him who is not wood!" (Isaiah 10:15).
Today, when God uses you. Give the glory to the One who deserves the glory, and allow yourself to be content in what you are: a tool in the hand of the Master Craftsman.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Tension
"The tension is so thick I could cut it with a knife!"
How many of us have heard this statement or something like it in a situation that became very uncomfortable, sometimes so quickly we do not even know quite how or why it became that way? It has a certain physiological effect on us, and everyone in the room can feel it. It happened not too long ago for me. Two members of the youth group had just broken up. It was bound to be an uncomfortable situation to begin with. The guy was there, and I could already tell that the tension was mounting. It became that very uncomfortable situation when the girl walked in... with her new boyfriend. Tense was the exact word for the predicament. High school relationships can be like that, unfortunately. I was very proud of one of my youth who recently said that dating in high school just was not worth it. I could not agree more. Dating should be looking toward marriage, and very few high school students have the maturity for that kind of commitment. I can think of only one couple, and they are certainly the exception to the rule. All dating in high school tends to do is break hearts and lead to uncomfortable situations like the one above. Besides, we have enough tension in our lives as it is.
Every Christian deals with tension. There is tension within our very nature, a tension that does not exist for the unbeliever. For tension to exist, there has to be disagreement, a collision of opposing wills. Within the darkness, there is no dissension. There is no disagreement because they are all dead to the spiritual life and closed off to God, "I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me" (Romans 7:9-11). Have you ever been told not to do something? Has being told not to do something made you want to do it all the more? That is a perfect example of sin working within you, and that is exactly the opportunity it took with the Law to trap, chain, and kill us. This has been the case for all people since the Fall of Man, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). So, sin has taken this opportunity within each of us, and we have all died. Therefore, in death there was no tension. We were all slaves to sin, and our minds were blind to the things of the Spirit. This is what the essence of an unbeliever diagrammed:
They are dead spiritually. They are closed off from God. Satan, as god of this world, has taken the opportunity to blind their minds to Him, and they do not understand Him or His Word, "And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).
So, if it was by the Law that sin took hold of us, does that make the Law wicked? No! That makes sin all that more wicked and deceitful. The Law is perfect and holy. We are the ones who are messed up until we turn to Jesus. In Jesus, we are transformed and remade. We are no longer blind to the spiritual life; we are made alive to it! Our inner being is different from what it used to be:
Instead of our dead spirit, we are given the living Holy Spirit to live within us and guide us. Jesus said, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life" (John 6:63). Jesus later promises the Spirit to those who believe in Him, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you" (John 14:26).
The problem that still exists is the fact that we still have the flesh. We still have the influence of darkness upon us because Satan still exists and he is still in this world. As we work out our salvation, we strive to close the open door of Satan's influence on us. This will be a struggle as long as we are in this world. Ultimately, God has already won. He is already victorious! Sin has no power over us and death has no sting! When we, as believers in Jesus, physically die, we enter into eternal life.
Believer
Spiritual Life (Eph 2:4-7) + Physical Death => Eternal Life with Christ in heaven (Rev 22:1-5)
Unbeliever
Spiritual Death (Eph 2:1-3) + Physical Death => Eternal Death --hell-- (2 Thes 1:8-9)
Physical death is merely the transition into what you already have for eternity.
At that point we are not only rescued from the penalty of sin, we are rescued from the very presence of sin. We lose the ability to sin altogether, and I don't know about you but I long for this day in a way I cannot put into words.
Until then we are as Paul was when he spoke to the believers in Rome, "For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me" (Romans 7:14-20). This is not an excuse. We are responsible for every single action we do and everything we do not do. We are given the free will by God to choose, and He has broken the chains of our slavery (see Slaves) to allow us the freedom to choose what is right. What Paul is saying is that the influence of the flesh still exists. However, it does not exist for him any longer, and we are being made free just as he has been made free! Praise God and His Son, Jesus that we are free and will be made free!
How many of us have heard this statement or something like it in a situation that became very uncomfortable, sometimes so quickly we do not even know quite how or why it became that way? It has a certain physiological effect on us, and everyone in the room can feel it. It happened not too long ago for me. Two members of the youth group had just broken up. It was bound to be an uncomfortable situation to begin with. The guy was there, and I could already tell that the tension was mounting. It became that very uncomfortable situation when the girl walked in... with her new boyfriend. Tense was the exact word for the predicament. High school relationships can be like that, unfortunately. I was very proud of one of my youth who recently said that dating in high school just was not worth it. I could not agree more. Dating should be looking toward marriage, and very few high school students have the maturity for that kind of commitment. I can think of only one couple, and they are certainly the exception to the rule. All dating in high school tends to do is break hearts and lead to uncomfortable situations like the one above. Besides, we have enough tension in our lives as it is.
Every Christian deals with tension. There is tension within our very nature, a tension that does not exist for the unbeliever. For tension to exist, there has to be disagreement, a collision of opposing wills. Within the darkness, there is no dissension. There is no disagreement because they are all dead to the spiritual life and closed off to God, "I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me" (Romans 7:9-11). Have you ever been told not to do something? Has being told not to do something made you want to do it all the more? That is a perfect example of sin working within you, and that is exactly the opportunity it took with the Law to trap, chain, and kill us. This has been the case for all people since the Fall of Man, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). So, sin has taken this opportunity within each of us, and we have all died. Therefore, in death there was no tension. We were all slaves to sin, and our minds were blind to the things of the Spirit. This is what the essence of an unbeliever diagrammed:
So, if it was by the Law that sin took hold of us, does that make the Law wicked? No! That makes sin all that more wicked and deceitful. The Law is perfect and holy. We are the ones who are messed up until we turn to Jesus. In Jesus, we are transformed and remade. We are no longer blind to the spiritual life; we are made alive to it! Our inner being is different from what it used to be:
The problem that still exists is the fact that we still have the flesh. We still have the influence of darkness upon us because Satan still exists and he is still in this world. As we work out our salvation, we strive to close the open door of Satan's influence on us. This will be a struggle as long as we are in this world. Ultimately, God has already won. He is already victorious! Sin has no power over us and death has no sting! When we, as believers in Jesus, physically die, we enter into eternal life.
Believer
Spiritual Life (Eph 2:4-7) + Physical Death => Eternal Life with Christ in heaven (Rev 22:1-5)
Unbeliever
Spiritual Death (Eph 2:1-3) + Physical Death => Eternal Death --hell-- (2 Thes 1:8-9)
Physical death is merely the transition into what you already have for eternity.
At that point we are not only rescued from the penalty of sin, we are rescued from the very presence of sin. We lose the ability to sin altogether, and I don't know about you but I long for this day in a way I cannot put into words.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
From Darkness To Light
In the summer of 2005, I went over to Turin, Italy to share the Gospel through teaching English. I was very excited because western Europe has always been the place in the world I wanted to visit most, and other than a quick stop in Frankfurt on the way to Kiev, I had never been there. Italy was an amazingly beautiful place. The architecture was fascinating, and the amount of history that was literally at my fingertips made me delirious. As I dealt with the weight of centuries upon me, the shock of food so fresh and delicious that it makes my mouth water even six years later blew my mind in the form of a street-side calzone that is still the best I have ever had. I could go on to describe the rich Italian farmland full of tomatoes and grapes that stretched on for miles, and the beautiful stillness in my soul as I saw the sun rise over the intense blue of the Mediterranean Sea. It brought tears to my eyes.
Despite the beauty of Italy, there remained something else. John and I were walking back to the hostel one evening when we were both struck by the spiritual darkness of the place. Obviously, a place that has largely rejected Jesus is spiritually dark, but it was like running into a dense fog that was not physically there. An inky blackness seemed to reach out from the alleys and streets to darken the evening shadows. The lights of the riverside party dimmed a bit as we the Holy Spirit within us awakened to the sensation. John spoke first, "Have you noticed how spiritually dark this place is?" I had to agree. We were on the front lines of the Great Spiritual War that has always been fought and will continue to be fought until Jesus returns and God finally casts Satan into hell. I pray that I always am on the front lines. There are so many souls that are out in that darkness right now that desperately need the light of Christ.
"Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in iron" (Psalm 107:21).
They sit in darkness as rebels because they have rejected the Word of God. They are prisoners, bound in the chains of their own selfish desires, slaves to their own instincts. Just as they are, so were all of us, "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you" (1 Corinthians 6:9-11a). At one point we were also bound in sin, condemned before a righteous God. What happened in your life? What changed? Someone came to you, right? God opened your eyes, and for the first time you saw truly. The scales fell and radiant light flooded in casting out darkness as you first believed.
"The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shined.
You have multiplied the nation;
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest,
as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
For the yoke of his burden,
and the staff for his shoulder,
the rod of his oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.
For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
and every garment rolled in blood
will be burned as fuel for the fire.
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this" (Isaiah 9:2-7)
For God gave to us His Son, who is Himself, co-eternal with the Father. "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:4-5). Darkness cannot overcome it! The radiant light that shines forth from the Father and the Son now shines forth from the heart of every child who cries out proclaiming that Jesus is the Christ to the glory of God the Father!
In the days of the Judges before the monarchy was established and David ruled, Israel was disobedient and walked in darkness worshiping the Baals. God then brought them to their knees as He gave them into the hand of Midian. For seven years, the Midianites and Amalekites would plunder and take the produce of the land of Israel like locusts leaving nothing for Israel until Israel returned and cried out to God. God called Gideon to deliver His people. In the night the three hundred came down to surround the camp of the Midianites and Amalekites and all the people of the East that lay in the valley. Suddenly, out of the darkness trumpets blew and jars shattered. Light poured forth from hundreds of torches as the enemies of the Israelites fell by the edge of the sword.
On that day the Lord broke the combined armies of nations with three hundred men. Two thousand years ago He stole victory from defeat and broke death itself! "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
'Death is swallowed up in victory.'
'O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?'
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Death! Where is your victory? Where is your sting? You can no longer cast fear! There is no more pain! What else can you do to us? You lost and Christ is reigns as king!
That is the day I look forward to. That is the day when darkness will be completely cast out by the divine light of the Almighty. When we will stand before the throne, seeing Him in His complete glory. We will dance and sing, shout and leap, fall to our knees bathed radiant in perfect light!
Jesus is already seeking you. If you do not know Him as your Savior, step out of the darkness of your life and into His light.
"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, 'Everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame'" (Romans 10:9-11).
"So Jesus said to them, 'For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light'" (John 12:35-36).
Despite the beauty of Italy, there remained something else. John and I were walking back to the hostel one evening when we were both struck by the spiritual darkness of the place. Obviously, a place that has largely rejected Jesus is spiritually dark, but it was like running into a dense fog that was not physically there. An inky blackness seemed to reach out from the alleys and streets to darken the evening shadows. The lights of the riverside party dimmed a bit as we the Holy Spirit within us awakened to the sensation. John spoke first, "Have you noticed how spiritually dark this place is?" I had to agree. We were on the front lines of the Great Spiritual War that has always been fought and will continue to be fought until Jesus returns and God finally casts Satan into hell. I pray that I always am on the front lines. There are so many souls that are out in that darkness right now that desperately need the light of Christ.
"Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in iron" (Psalm 107:21).
They sit in darkness as rebels because they have rejected the Word of God. They are prisoners, bound in the chains of their own selfish desires, slaves to their own instincts. Just as they are, so were all of us, "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you" (1 Corinthians 6:9-11a). At one point we were also bound in sin, condemned before a righteous God. What happened in your life? What changed? Someone came to you, right? God opened your eyes, and for the first time you saw truly. The scales fell and radiant light flooded in casting out darkness as you first believed.
"The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shined.
You have multiplied the nation;
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest,
as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
For the yoke of his burden,
and the staff for his shoulder,
the rod of his oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.
For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
and every garment rolled in blood
will be burned as fuel for the fire.
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this" (Isaiah 9:2-7)
For God gave to us His Son, who is Himself, co-eternal with the Father. "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:4-5). Darkness cannot overcome it! The radiant light that shines forth from the Father and the Son now shines forth from the heart of every child who cries out proclaiming that Jesus is the Christ to the glory of God the Father!
In the days of the Judges before the monarchy was established and David ruled, Israel was disobedient and walked in darkness worshiping the Baals. God then brought them to their knees as He gave them into the hand of Midian. For seven years, the Midianites and Amalekites would plunder and take the produce of the land of Israel like locusts leaving nothing for Israel until Israel returned and cried out to God. God called Gideon to deliver His people. In the night the three hundred came down to surround the camp of the Midianites and Amalekites and all the people of the East that lay in the valley. Suddenly, out of the darkness trumpets blew and jars shattered. Light poured forth from hundreds of torches as the enemies of the Israelites fell by the edge of the sword.
On that day the Lord broke the combined armies of nations with three hundred men. Two thousand years ago He stole victory from defeat and broke death itself! "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
'Death is swallowed up in victory.'
'O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?'
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Death! Where is your victory? Where is your sting? You can no longer cast fear! There is no more pain! What else can you do to us? You lost and Christ is reigns as king!
That is the day I look forward to. That is the day when darkness will be completely cast out by the divine light of the Almighty. When we will stand before the throne, seeing Him in His complete glory. We will dance and sing, shout and leap, fall to our knees bathed radiant in perfect light!
Jesus is already seeking you. If you do not know Him as your Savior, step out of the darkness of your life and into His light.
"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, 'Everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame'" (Romans 10:9-11).
"So Jesus said to them, 'For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light'" (John 12:35-36).
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
What Are You Waiting For?
In the movie The Incredibles, Bob Parr is gifted with crazy strength. He lifts up a car with ease, but he has repeated difficulty existing a world full of normal people. After a particularly difficult day at his mediocre job, he pulls into the driveway only to find a small boy sitting alone on his toy tricycle watching him. He turns in irritation and asks, "What are you waiting for?" The child responds, "I don't know. Something amazing, I guess." At this realization of common ground, Bob sighs and says, "Me too, kid."
This world is full of the the hum-drum, mediocre norm. Some call it a routine. Some call it a slump. Either way the norm floods into our lives and numbs us into a state of no resistance. We give up! We stop expecting anything better because we have never seen anything better, or if we have, it has been a long time. I will tell you this right now. That is not how we were meant to live! Jesus said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly" (John 10:10).
Satan wants the norm to swallow you and bring you to a state where you are no longer effectively fighting for the Kingdom of God. He is trying to numb you so that you are no longer a threat to his darkness. If he can lull you to sleep. If he can get you to accept the day to day monotony, you will put down your sword and take on the role of a casualty in this great spiritual war. You will be mitigated, and the daily grind will dull your sharp edge.
That life is not the life God wants for you! That is not life abundantly! It is time to wake up! See the potential that God has put around you. That job or class that may see like the same old thing is really not unless you allow the Deceiver to make it so. If you allow God to transform the way you see, that same place is your mission field with many who do not know Jesus walking around in chains. Pick up your sword and strike them off! I guarantee that any mission field will start getting a lot more exciting if you start sharing the Gospel while you're on it.
"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit" (1 Corinthians 3:18).
If you are realizing that your edge has become a bit dull. Your first step is to get into good fellowship with other believers, "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another" (Proverbs 27:17). There is not one of us who will stay sharp all the time without help from the rest of the body. We all need to be in fellowship, "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near" (Hebrews 10:24-25). Bring your brothers and sisters in on what God has called y'all to do. Get prayer support from your church as you share with people at work. Get your friends who are believers at school to help you share with other classmates. Above all, pray. Every great movement of God that I can think of in recent history began with prayer. Get on your knees and really seek Him. The Casting Crowns song asks, "What if the armies of the Lord picked up and dusted off their swords, vowed to set the captives free, and not let Satan have one more. What if the Church for Heaven's sake, finally stepped up to the plate, took a stand upon God's promise, and stormed Hell's rusty gates? What if His people prayed?
Do you want to see the captives set free? Pick up that sword; I want to storm those gates! Do you want to see something amazing? What are you waiting for?
This world is full of the the hum-drum, mediocre norm. Some call it a routine. Some call it a slump. Either way the norm floods into our lives and numbs us into a state of no resistance. We give up! We stop expecting anything better because we have never seen anything better, or if we have, it has been a long time. I will tell you this right now. That is not how we were meant to live! Jesus said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly" (John 10:10).
Satan wants the norm to swallow you and bring you to a state where you are no longer effectively fighting for the Kingdom of God. He is trying to numb you so that you are no longer a threat to his darkness. If he can lull you to sleep. If he can get you to accept the day to day monotony, you will put down your sword and take on the role of a casualty in this great spiritual war. You will be mitigated, and the daily grind will dull your sharp edge.
That life is not the life God wants for you! That is not life abundantly! It is time to wake up! See the potential that God has put around you. That job or class that may see like the same old thing is really not unless you allow the Deceiver to make it so. If you allow God to transform the way you see, that same place is your mission field with many who do not know Jesus walking around in chains. Pick up your sword and strike them off! I guarantee that any mission field will start getting a lot more exciting if you start sharing the Gospel while you're on it.
"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit" (1 Corinthians 3:18).
If you are realizing that your edge has become a bit dull. Your first step is to get into good fellowship with other believers, "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another" (Proverbs 27:17). There is not one of us who will stay sharp all the time without help from the rest of the body. We all need to be in fellowship, "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near" (Hebrews 10:24-25). Bring your brothers and sisters in on what God has called y'all to do. Get prayer support from your church as you share with people at work. Get your friends who are believers at school to help you share with other classmates. Above all, pray. Every great movement of God that I can think of in recent history began with prayer. Get on your knees and really seek Him. The Casting Crowns song asks, "What if the armies of the Lord picked up and dusted off their swords, vowed to set the captives free, and not let Satan have one more. What if the Church for Heaven's sake, finally stepped up to the plate, took a stand upon God's promise, and stormed Hell's rusty gates? What if His people prayed?
Do you want to see the captives set free? Pick up that sword; I want to storm those gates! Do you want to see something amazing? What are you waiting for?
Saturday, August 27, 2011
I Am Judas' Kiss
"While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus said to him, 'Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?'" (Luke 22:47-48).
Through history Judas has been vilified as the worst of the worst. How could someone who walked with the Christ suddenly turn on Him and betray Him into the hands of those who would murder Him for no reason other than preaching the forgiveness and grace of God? If that wasn't bad enough, why would Judas choose a kiss, the universal sign of love and affection, to initiate a betrayal? I have wondered that, too. Just what was going through his head when he decided to hand Jesus over to the wicked?
The truth is that Judas has completely earned the reputation he has been given in history. He is a self-serving and wicked person who is a natural infiltrator, "But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, "Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it" (John 12:4-6). Judas would have made a great spy. He completely fooled almost everyone he was with for years. His only mistake was that he was attempting to pull the wool over the eyes of God, and the Son was never fooled, "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap" (Galatians 6:7). Continue to the end of the story and you see that Judas certainly reaped what he sowed, "Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, 'I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.' They said, 'What is that to us? See to it yourself.' And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself" (Matthew 27:3-5). The question of whether or not Judas repented and was saved is not the issue. He certainly realized what he had done to some degree, but whether that was a true salvation experience will not be known in this world. The point is that Judas was a wicked and vile person. The point is that we are, too.
In order to bring the light of Christ into this world, we must have a proper view of ourselves. Before we came to Jesus and were washed clean is the person the we are by ourselves. Some of you were saved very young, so it is hard to remember who that person was, but the aspects of the "old man" still come through from time to time, so work from there. That is you. Is that person anything to be proud of? Looking at myself, I can certainly say a resounding, "No" to that. I was as wicked and self-serving as Judas was, and if you look honestly at yourself, you have to come to the same conclusion. We all do. So, is there any reason at all for us to look down on any other person for what they do?
What about the murderer? "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire" (Matthew 5:21-22).
What about the adulterer? "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matthew 5:27-28).
If you have hated anyone, even if they are the most rotten person to ever exist, you are guilty. If you have ever lusted over another person, you are guilty. **BEGINNING OF SOAPBOX** By the way, it is not ok to talk about how good looking someone is to others (especially married people doing this). It may seem perfectly innocent, but all it is doing is inviting lust in yourself and others. This is true of both guys any girls. There is no exception. If there is something wonderful about them, that is certainly worth praise, but do not invite lusting eyes to feast on the physical. **END OF SOAPBOX**
"For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it" (James 2:10). We are as wicked and guilty as Judas. The good news is that we are redeemed by the blood of Christ. We need to remember that when we see the unsaved sin because we did it too before Jesus got a hold of us. So, maintain purity, but interact with the unsaved like Jesus did, not the Pharisee that prayed, "God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector" (Luke 18:11). Love them. Care for them. Reach out to them, and show them the same redeeming power in Jesus that was once shown to you. Jesus was willing to "get His hands dirty." We should be, too.
Through history Judas has been vilified as the worst of the worst. How could someone who walked with the Christ suddenly turn on Him and betray Him into the hands of those who would murder Him for no reason other than preaching the forgiveness and grace of God? If that wasn't bad enough, why would Judas choose a kiss, the universal sign of love and affection, to initiate a betrayal? I have wondered that, too. Just what was going through his head when he decided to hand Jesus over to the wicked?
The truth is that Judas has completely earned the reputation he has been given in history. He is a self-serving and wicked person who is a natural infiltrator, "But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, "Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it" (John 12:4-6). Judas would have made a great spy. He completely fooled almost everyone he was with for years. His only mistake was that he was attempting to pull the wool over the eyes of God, and the Son was never fooled, "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap" (Galatians 6:7). Continue to the end of the story and you see that Judas certainly reaped what he sowed, "Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, 'I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.' They said, 'What is that to us? See to it yourself.' And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself" (Matthew 27:3-5). The question of whether or not Judas repented and was saved is not the issue. He certainly realized what he had done to some degree, but whether that was a true salvation experience will not be known in this world. The point is that Judas was a wicked and vile person. The point is that we are, too.
In order to bring the light of Christ into this world, we must have a proper view of ourselves. Before we came to Jesus and were washed clean is the person the we are by ourselves. Some of you were saved very young, so it is hard to remember who that person was, but the aspects of the "old man" still come through from time to time, so work from there. That is you. Is that person anything to be proud of? Looking at myself, I can certainly say a resounding, "No" to that. I was as wicked and self-serving as Judas was, and if you look honestly at yourself, you have to come to the same conclusion. We all do. So, is there any reason at all for us to look down on any other person for what they do?
What about the murderer? "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire" (Matthew 5:21-22).
What about the adulterer? "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matthew 5:27-28).
If you have hated anyone, even if they are the most rotten person to ever exist, you are guilty. If you have ever lusted over another person, you are guilty. **BEGINNING OF SOAPBOX** By the way, it is not ok to talk about how good looking someone is to others (especially married people doing this). It may seem perfectly innocent, but all it is doing is inviting lust in yourself and others. This is true of both guys any girls. There is no exception. If there is something wonderful about them, that is certainly worth praise, but do not invite lusting eyes to feast on the physical. **END OF SOAPBOX**
"For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it" (James 2:10). We are as wicked and guilty as Judas. The good news is that we are redeemed by the blood of Christ. We need to remember that when we see the unsaved sin because we did it too before Jesus got a hold of us. So, maintain purity, but interact with the unsaved like Jesus did, not the Pharisee that prayed, "God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector" (Luke 18:11). Love them. Care for them. Reach out to them, and show them the same redeeming power in Jesus that was once shown to you. Jesus was willing to "get His hands dirty." We should be, too.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Abominations: Light & Darkness
"An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, but the one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked" (Proverbs 29:27).
In the movie Braveheart, the English king, Edward I, offers William Wallace a bribe of land, title, and gold to stop his crusade against England's oppression of Scotland. When the princess, who was speaking for the king, offered him the bribe, Wallace responds, "A lordship and titles. Gold. That I should become Judas?" She continues, "Peace is made in such ways." Wallace, who is now visibly angered, shouts, "Slaves are made in such ways! The last time Longshanks spoke of peace I was a boy. And many Scottish nobles, who would not be slaves, were lured by him under a flag of truce to a barn, where he had them hanged. I was very young, but I remember Longshanks' notion of peace!" The princess takes Wallace's response back to Edward I who is baffled by what he hears. He assumed that his bribe would be accepted. He trusted in the greed of men. He trusted in his deception, and the fact that his bribe was turned away confused him. Even more telling of Edward's character is revealed in his response when he learns that his royal emissary gave the gold away to help those suffering as a result of the war. His son, Edward II, asks Isabella, "You brought back the money, of course."
Isabella: No, I gave it to ease the suffering of the children of this war.
Edward I: Ha! That's what happens when you send a woman.
Isabella: Forgive me, sire. I thought that generosity might demonstrate your greatness to those you mean to rule.
Edward I: My greatness will be better demonstrated when Wallace returns to Scotland and finds his country in ashes.
The wicked are confused, confounded, and offended by what is good. They expect everyone else to be as greedy, treacherous, and wicked as they are, and they do not understand it or expect it when a person acts righteously. You might even be able to remember a time when you stood for Jesus and there were people who reacted in a way similar to Edward I. They might have been confused by it. They might have even been angry about it.
I was informed recently about something like this that included me. I was in a group, and I mentioned something about homosexuality being wrong. Now, I do not dislike people that practice homosexuality. God loves all people. He commands us to love all people, too. However, homosexuality is not a people. Homosexuality is a practice, and it is a practice that Scripture says wrong, "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). What is also clear is that it is not the only thing that is considered unrighteous. Homosexual sin is put on the same level as a number of other sins. It is also clear that people can come out of such practice just as they can stop being drunkards and thieves. Paul said so, "And such were some of you" (1 Corinthians 6:11). It is not easy. Just ask an alcoholic, but it is possible. The point is that I mentioned that homosexuality is wrong, but I did not say they were ugly, rancid, disgusting excuses for people. In fact, I believe just they are just like the rest of us, searching for good and missing it. However, to that person, it sounded like I was a hateful and horrible person merely by saying what Scripture already says. She did not understand it, and it was very offensive to her Therefore, I was offensive to her, and she got angry at me. Righteousness offended.
What is important to understand is that even those of us who are saved by the blood of Jesus are unrighteous people becoming more and more righteous. The process of sanctification is still at work in us. We come to Christ with many questions, and nobody understands everything from the beginning. The important thing is to submit ourselves and our thoughts to the Word of God. If we do this, we will be on the right course, but we will also offend. Even the thought of submitting to the Word of God is offensive to many ears, but Jesus did not come to have everyone get along, "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it" (Matthew 10:34-39). He came to reveal righteousness, and righteousness offends the unrighteous. In many cultures today, when one member of the family becomes a Christian, their whole family will turn against them. They will abuse them, disown them, or even kill them. Many have to keep their faith a secret from their own families in order to survive. Righteousness offends.
Righteousness is an abomination to the wicked because it casts light on the evil that they commit or give approval to. Jesus brought the light to the world, "Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life'" (John 8:12). It was because He illuminated the darkness that those who loved the darkness hated Him. The same will be true of us, "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours" (John 15:18-20).
Edward I never got passed his confusion at the way Wallace acted. Lies and deceit were his strategy throughout the entire movie. He bribed Wallace's allies even as he sent assassins to kill him. At the end of Braveheart, Edward I has Wallace tortured. He attempts to use pain in order to get Wallace to submit to England, thereby admitting that he was wrong in fighting for freedom. I will always remember how the magistrate extended the English royal seal to the prostrate Wallace telling him to kiss it as a sign of submission to the crown. Wallace, in visible pain, coughing and heaving as a result of the torture, got to his feet and stood defiant in the face of pain and death for the what was right. In the same way, Christians must stand upon the Rock that is Jesus Christ in the fact of all opposition. We will offend. We will be hated, but we must never relent.
In the movie Braveheart, the English king, Edward I, offers William Wallace a bribe of land, title, and gold to stop his crusade against England's oppression of Scotland. When the princess, who was speaking for the king, offered him the bribe, Wallace responds, "A lordship and titles. Gold. That I should become Judas?" She continues, "Peace is made in such ways." Wallace, who is now visibly angered, shouts, "Slaves are made in such ways! The last time Longshanks spoke of peace I was a boy. And many Scottish nobles, who would not be slaves, were lured by him under a flag of truce to a barn, where he had them hanged. I was very young, but I remember Longshanks' notion of peace!" The princess takes Wallace's response back to Edward I who is baffled by what he hears. He assumed that his bribe would be accepted. He trusted in the greed of men. He trusted in his deception, and the fact that his bribe was turned away confused him. Even more telling of Edward's character is revealed in his response when he learns that his royal emissary gave the gold away to help those suffering as a result of the war. His son, Edward II, asks Isabella, "You brought back the money, of course."
Isabella: No, I gave it to ease the suffering of the children of this war.
Edward I: Ha! That's what happens when you send a woman.
Isabella: Forgive me, sire. I thought that generosity might demonstrate your greatness to those you mean to rule.
Edward I: My greatness will be better demonstrated when Wallace returns to Scotland and finds his country in ashes.
The wicked are confused, confounded, and offended by what is good. They expect everyone else to be as greedy, treacherous, and wicked as they are, and they do not understand it or expect it when a person acts righteously. You might even be able to remember a time when you stood for Jesus and there were people who reacted in a way similar to Edward I. They might have been confused by it. They might have even been angry about it.
I was informed recently about something like this that included me. I was in a group, and I mentioned something about homosexuality being wrong. Now, I do not dislike people that practice homosexuality. God loves all people. He commands us to love all people, too. However, homosexuality is not a people. Homosexuality is a practice, and it is a practice that Scripture says wrong, "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). What is also clear is that it is not the only thing that is considered unrighteous. Homosexual sin is put on the same level as a number of other sins. It is also clear that people can come out of such practice just as they can stop being drunkards and thieves. Paul said so, "And such were some of you" (1 Corinthians 6:11). It is not easy. Just ask an alcoholic, but it is possible. The point is that I mentioned that homosexuality is wrong, but I did not say they were ugly, rancid, disgusting excuses for people. In fact, I believe just they are just like the rest of us, searching for good and missing it. However, to that person, it sounded like I was a hateful and horrible person merely by saying what Scripture already says. She did not understand it, and it was very offensive to her Therefore, I was offensive to her, and she got angry at me. Righteousness offended.
What is important to understand is that even those of us who are saved by the blood of Jesus are unrighteous people becoming more and more righteous. The process of sanctification is still at work in us. We come to Christ with many questions, and nobody understands everything from the beginning. The important thing is to submit ourselves and our thoughts to the Word of God. If we do this, we will be on the right course, but we will also offend. Even the thought of submitting to the Word of God is offensive to many ears, but Jesus did not come to have everyone get along, "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it" (Matthew 10:34-39). He came to reveal righteousness, and righteousness offends the unrighteous. In many cultures today, when one member of the family becomes a Christian, their whole family will turn against them. They will abuse them, disown them, or even kill them. Many have to keep their faith a secret from their own families in order to survive. Righteousness offends.
Righteousness is an abomination to the wicked because it casts light on the evil that they commit or give approval to. Jesus brought the light to the world, "Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life'" (John 8:12). It was because He illuminated the darkness that those who loved the darkness hated Him. The same will be true of us, "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours" (John 15:18-20).
Edward I never got passed his confusion at the way Wallace acted. Lies and deceit were his strategy throughout the entire movie. He bribed Wallace's allies even as he sent assassins to kill him. At the end of Braveheart, Edward I has Wallace tortured. He attempts to use pain in order to get Wallace to submit to England, thereby admitting that he was wrong in fighting for freedom. I will always remember how the magistrate extended the English royal seal to the prostrate Wallace telling him to kiss it as a sign of submission to the crown. Wallace, in visible pain, coughing and heaving as a result of the torture, got to his feet and stood defiant in the face of pain and death for the what was right. In the same way, Christians must stand upon the Rock that is Jesus Christ in the fact of all opposition. We will offend. We will be hated, but we must never relent.
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