Context: Solomon (the father) was instructing his hearer (the son) in wisdom.
Text: “Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart” (Pr 3:3).
Encouragement: The imagery here is so beautiful. It’s imagery of vestments, of ornamentation, of clothing—but not for purposes of show or ostentation. The purpose is inward, not outward. What’s internal shapes what is made external. And what does the father here instruct the son in? Steadfastness. In firmness of allegiance. In confirming that the character of the man is first. Character is destiny. “What’s down in the well comes up in the bucket,” if you will.
The father’s wisdom is that firmness in allegiance to the right things is crucial. That steadfastness of soul being anchored in righteousness is of primary importance. The easiest thing in the world to do is gain the world but forfeit our souls. The wise person knows that is folly—to trade the temporal for the eternal, to settle for the applause of men rather than the commendation of God. Choose wisely.
Botton Line Up Front: But What About When I Doubt?
Introduction: When I met the woman who would become my wife, she worked with a lady who tried to always come across as unaffected by life. She was one of those Pollyannas who put on a smile even when things were falling apart. When you asked her how she was doing, even had she been bleeding out from her eyeballs, you’d get this automatic response: “Too blessed to be stressed.” Now I’m a nice guy, and I certainly believe in the importance of courtesy. But to go through life pretending that life cannot exact some serious tolls from us is unrealistic at best and dishonest at worst. Life can be hard. Very hard. And sufferings come to us all.
This coming week, for example, I have to preside over two funerals. That’s not unique in my lane. However, here’s what is unique. Both of those funerals are for men in the same family. Two deaths—within days of each other. Both were veterans. And I’m preaching both of their funerals. The survivors in that family, I assure you, are not comforted by “Too blessed to be stressed” bromides.
Where do you turn when we doubt? Where do we turn when life and death kick us in the teeth? Well, that reality is not without witness. Many have faced doubt and grief and sadness before. God is not silent on this issue in Scripture:
Psalm 143:4, 6 reads as follows: “Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled. I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.”
Psalm 143:7a-8a reads as follows: “Answer me quickly, O LORD! My spirit fails! Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust.”
When we have doubts, we are part of a great cloud of witnesses who faced similar trials. We’re not alone. And God understands. When we doubt the goodness of God, remember the words from Isaiah: “For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not,” I am the one who helps you.”
When we doubt our faith, remember Paul’s words to Timothy: “But I received mercy because I had acted in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (1 Tim 1:13b-14).
Encouragement: We don’t need to go around like a mindless robot, spouting “Too blessed to be stressed.” That sort of shallowness won’t suffice when tragedy strikes. We need an anchor for the soul. God is that anchor. “I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure” (Ps 40:1-2b).
BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front): The litmus test for the true prophet
Introduction: This morning I was again studying the Old Testament Book of Jeremiah. Specifically, I was focused on chapter 23. The passage below is about the litmus test for the true prophet. That is, how we are to discern and distinguish the true from the false, the genuine from the charlatan.
“Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord. I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name, saying, ‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed!’ How long shall there be lies in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart, who think to make my people forget my name by their dreams that they tell one another, even as their fathers forgot my name for Baal? Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let him who has my word speak my word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat? declares the Lord. Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, declares the Lord, who steal my words from one another. Behold, I am against the prophets, declares the Lord, who use their tongues and declare, ‘declares the Lord.’ Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, declares the Lord, and who tell them and lead my people astray by their lies and their recklessness, when I did not send them or charge them. So they do not profit this people at all, declares the Lord. (Jer 23:23-32, ESV)
Context, Context, Context: Jeremiah was God’s true prophet as distinct from the false prophets. Jeremiah was tasked with speaking uncomfortable truths about God’s righteeousness and judgment to a people who demanded psychological bromides of blessing from the lips of false prophets. Jeremiah spoke of war, invasion, and judgment. The false prophets kept saying, “Peace, peace” when there was no peace. The false prophets peddled a message that made hearers feel good, but their feelings were built on lies. Jeremiah, on the other hand, spoke truth, and people resented him for it. That’s a cost of being a truth-teller in a culture that demands comforting lies.
Encouragement: Jeremiah 23:28 is clear: ” . . . but let him who has my word speak my word faithfully.” There are many costs, dear ones, for being the genuine in a world of fakes. But in the end, it will all be worth it. God sees, and God will always do what is right.
Text:Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the LORD?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God. (Pr 30:7-9, ESV)
Context, Context, Context: These words from Agur are found near the closing of the Book of Proverbs. He asks of God two things:
Distance from deception
Daily bread
Teaching: Proverbs is part of the Wisdom Literature. Its goal is instruction in godly wisdom for daily life. This petition from Agur demonstrates a godly posture of looking to God for sanctification. Specifically, he asks of God to give him a life that is not associated with lies/deception, and to just sustain him/give him enough/his ‘daily bread.’
Encouragement: One of the greatest temptations we face in this life is to gain the world and forfeit our souls. The wise person will battle against that folly. The wise person will seek to inculcate a life unassociated with deception and instead by characterized by transparency and honest. And he will look to the Lord for his daily bread, knowing that luxury oftentimes is a slippery slope into libertinism.
Text: Thus says the Lord to me, “Go and buy a linen loincloth and put it around your waist, and do not dip it in water.” So I bought a loincloth according to the word of the Lord, and put it around my waist. And the word of the Lord came to me a second time, “Take the loincloth that you have bought, which is around your waist, and arise, go to the Euphrates and hide it there in a cleft of the rock.” So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as the Lord commanded me. And after many days the Lord said to me, “Arise, go to the Euphrates, and take from there the loincloth that I commanded you to hide there.” Then I went to the Euphrates, and dug, and I took the loincloth from the place where I had hidden it. And behold, the loincloth was spoiled; it was good for nothing. (Jer 13:1-7, ESV)
Context, Context, Context: Jeremiah was God’s man to call out the sin of the nation. The people were idolaters, worshiper of Baal, self-centered pagans. Only a relatively faithful remnant of believers kept the faith in the one true God. And Jeremiah had the formidable task of calling his own people back to God, back to righteousness. Not an easy mission. God commanded Jeremiah to execute an object lesson whose message would be overt.
Encouragement: Once again, Jeremiah faithfully executed his mission from God. The soiled loincloth was just that—soiled—after Jeremiah retrieved it from the river. Like the cloth, the nation had become soiled. They were dirty; they needed to be cleaned. Yet they refused. Again, think about the battle to trust the Lord that Jeremiah was enduring. This mission he’d been given was a far cry from the false gospels peddled in our day from the prosperity preachers, who look like they spend more time in front of their mirrors than in the Scriptures. But God was gracious, you see. How? By sending his servant, the prophet Jeremiah, with the only truth sufficient to clean the soiled garments of our sins. God is gracious, but God is simultaneously holy. Those two attributes must both be understood about the unchanging God of Scripture.
Introduction: It’s one of those verses that drives me crazy when it’s ripped from its context. It comes from the Gospel of John. It’s John 15:13 (ESV): “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”
Context, context, context: It’s often referenced at military funerals (of which I’ve officiated hundreds, if not more), so I know the text. But what drives me mad–bonkers, in fact–is that there’s seldom given any context, at least when I’ve heard it. What was happening when it was said by Jesus? Who was present? What was the environment? Why was it said? To whom? For what purpose? And perhaps most of all, how does it fit within the metanarrative of the entire history of redemption? How does it fit within the whole of salvation history, per Scripture?
Answers:
What Was Happening: Jesus, God the Son incarnate, was speaking with his students, the disciples, in the upper room. He spoke metaphorically of a vine and branches. Some branches are pruned and discarded. Why? Because they didn’t bear fruit. They were false; they were pretenders, fake Christians (Jn 15:2). Others remain and bear fruit. Those are the Christians, those who bear godly fruit (Jn 15:5).
Who Was Present? Jesus’ disciples.
What Was the Environment? Upper room. This is Jesus’ final discourse (7/7). Last words are often replete with signficance.
Why Was It Said? Because Jesus was teaching those who would believe about discerning the true from false, the genuine from posers.
To Whom? Jesus’ disciples, 11 of whom were Christians.
For What Purpose? To equip the saints–them and us.
Big Picture: How does it fit within the entire narrative? Well, in short, Jesus (God the Son incarnate) is teaching that, until the end, we will always battle imperfection. Let me illustrate: Jesus had 12, right? But even there, a devil (Judas) was in the midst. This world is fallen. (We are unwise to dismiss the reality that the camel often has his nose inside the tent.) Judas Iscariot was the treasurer, and greed was one of his sins. His heart wasn’t in it (i.e., in Christ as Lord). Therefore, his ‘fruit’ was what one should expect: betrayal, lip service, posturing, etc.
Encouragement: There is a wisdom inextricable from realism. We need to have the honesty to admit the fallenness of human nature. We fail; I fail; we all fail. Let’s call it what it is: sin. That won’t win friends and influence people, but it’s nonetheless true. There are many posers. Many. But those whom God loves, He disciplines. He prunes us. Why? So that we’ll bear more fruit. So that we’ll learn. So that we’ll be faithful. Jesus is sacrifice incarnate.
Bottom line up front: In what patterns does the Lord delight? How should those attributes shape Christians?
Text: Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.” (Jer 9:23-24, ESV)
Context: Jeremiah was prophesying about the fall of Judah. He had indicted the corruption of the religious leaders and priests. He had indicted the recalcitrance and hardheartedness and moral rebellion of the people. Jeremiah was a truth-teller. But being a prophet entailed the prophet’s reward: persecution. And yet, Jeremiah remained faithful. And what did Jeremiah say here that the Lord delights in? Three things:
Steadfast love
Justice
Righteousness
Encouragement: Lots of folks talk a big game about commitment, about love, about doing the right things. But where’s the evidence? We all make our theology visible. That is unavoidable. When people say that it’s difficult to know a person’s theology, I disagree. It’s clear to know: watch their life. Do they submit to the authority of Scripture? Is there humility in their lives? Is there a pattern of spiritual disciplines? Is there depth of biblical maturity? Do they serve a local church faithfully? Do they seek to edify and encourage the saints? Are they steadfast, just, and righteous? We’re not looking for perfection; we’re looking for direction. Is their pattern one of steadfast commitment or is it just talk, talk, talk? I have a few select people in my circle that I look up to—those worthy of imitation. They’re not talkers; they’re doers.
We are blessed to keep our granddaughter this weekend. CJ is a natural at it all. I am not. What’s the ‘it’? Grandparenting a seven-month-old. CJ excels in feeding and bathing her. She burps her. She rocks her. She plays with her. It’s beautiful to watch. I’m less than graceful at it all. I can’t seem to ever get her comfortable when holding her. The times I do fairly well are when I take her with me outside to the burn barrel and hold her as I piddle in the yard. And she seems to like it when I water the trees. But I’ll take it all. It’s beautiful to see her smile when we sing ditties and nursery rhymes and see her eyes light up when we call her name.
I drove to the store in town to purchase a medication but the store didn’t have it, so I returned empty-handed. On the way down the hill, lots and lots of deer were munching on grasses that had turned a bright green after today’s rain. You can see the doe up close here, then another standing over her right shoulder, and see another one bed down in the trees behind them both.
I read Powers’ excellent novel Bewilderment over the last two days. It was one of those books that’ll remain with me. It’s a visceal tale of a father-son relationship in a universe that is indeed bewildering. The dizzying stupidity and greed of politics and government bureaucray, the destruction of the earth, the seemingly endless levels of human vanity and stupidity . . . and yet, the possibility of depth and of human connection. Truly a remarkable book. It reminds me of McCarthy’s The Road, one of the most powerful novels I’ve ever read.
I have another day’s events scheduled for in the morning. I have to drive to a faculty meeting for one of the universities where I teach English. But then, I long to return to see this beautiful granddaughter, to her amazing grandmother, and study more of Ecclesiastes before I herald the truth to the saints of Christ Covenant Church (3cs-canton.org) Sunday morning,
Text: “Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him” (2 Tim 2:3-4, ESV).
Context, Context, Context: The apostle Paul was writing this epistle to his son in the faith, Timothy, in the mid-60s of the 1st century A.D. And Paul had one overarching theme: perseverance.
Reason for Writing: Why did God inspire Paul to write this epistle about perseverance? Because hardship and trials are to be expected. They’re inseparable from soldiering—especially if we are Christians. We have our commander’s mission, but Christians are likewise called to honor the Lord in everything we do, and in the manners in which we serve. Our character should redound to the glory of God. We are to be salt and light amidst the moral decay and cultural rot.
Our aim, Paul writes, “is to please the one who enlisted him” (2 Tim 2:4, ESV). In our parlance, we might say this is nothing other than mission focus. It’s being on guard against mission creep, where distractions and loss of focus can threaten to derail us from keeping the main thing the main thing.
Encouragement: In another epistle, the same apostle Paul wrote, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Gal 6:9, ESV). All this comes from a man who counted the costs, finished the race, and inherited the crown fashioned by the greatest Commander. Let us persevere in the mission and in the great commission.
MIND & MATTERS 