Bottom Line Up Front: God’s Persistence Is Our Hope

Context & Scripture: There’s a latent danger in familiarity. “Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days,” Franklin quipped. But when it comes to one’s standing before God, it has to do with being so familiar with something that we have suppressed the significance of its power. You’ll remember the Parable of the Lost Sheep, right? Here it is, just in case:

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

15 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

3 So he told them this parable: 4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance” (Lk 15:1-7, ESV).

Teaching: Did you notice who came near to Jesus here? The tax collectors. Guess how popular Jewish tax collectors were to their fellow Jews in Roman-occupied Israel? Exactly. Who else came? Sinners. Guess how laudatory it was to be labeled a ‘sinner,’ esp. by religious arrogant elites like the Pharisees? Exactly.

But then Jesus makes it even more overt, this teaching. What does the good shepherd do? He pursues the lost sheep. He persists in it. Why? Because he loves them. And the end result? Restoration. Rejoicing. Redemption. The key thing is to understand that we’re—by default—lost sheep, prone to wander, prone to error, lost in sin. Yet God persists. He knows his sheep, and even calls them by name.

This past Christmas, my daughter and son-in-law fed my reading life. One of the volumes I received from them was Everett’s James. It is a heartbreaking, deeply human continuation of Huck Finn, but told from Jim’s perspective.

Jim was the slave, you’ll remember from Huck Finn, as he and Huck fled on the raft, and down the river, towards the possibility of freedom.

But in this volume, the narrative is told from the perspective of Jim–and the human connections, the human betrayals, and the human predicament are explored with mastery. Highly recommended.

While reading the stories in Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio I came across this sagacious gem: “Only the few know the sweetness of the twisted apples” (Anderson, “Paper Pills,” 14).

A latecomer to Anderson’s short stories, I find many of them are gems insofar as they shine light upon blanketed sadness. His characters are deep, though often invisible, amidst busyness.

Important stories for those who might pay attention.

They remind me of many of John Prine’s songs and lyrics, especially “Hello in There.”

BLUF: Beauty of the Narrow Way

Issue: Ever heard someone say, “Well, we’re all God’s children”? I have. Multiple times. But what does that mean, exactly? And is it true? Is your favorite career politician God’s child? Is the murderer of Laken Riley God’s child? Is your greatest enemy God’s child? See, a wise person should ask questions like these so that people will think and not just emote and repeat drivel.

Look to Scripture: In the Gospel of Luke, there’s a very interesting conversation a person has with Christ about this very issue. It is found in Luke 13:22-30:

²² He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem. ²³ And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, ²⁴ “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. ²⁵ When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ ²⁶ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ ²⁷ But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ ²⁸ In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. ²⁹ And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. ³⁰ And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” (Luke 13:22-30, ESV)

The person asks, “Will those who are saved be few?” and Christ teaches him plainly that being a follower of Christ is costly. He’s teaching the questioner to ask himself/herself, “Have you come through the narrow way?” It requires entering the narrow door rather than going along the broad way. Christ’s message contradicts the lazy drivel we often hear about everyone being God’s child. If everyone were God’s child, evangelism would be unnecessary. Christian missions would be unnecessary. Calls to follow Christ/calls to salvation in Christ alone would be unnecessary. The Christian church as a body of redeemed believers would be unnecessary.

Encouragement: Scripture tells us that God the Holy Spirit indwells believers. Here’s the way Paul phrases it in Romans: “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him” (Rom 8:16-17, ESV).

Question: What percentage of leaders in your life pray biblically? Your initial reaction may not be far off. How different that is from David in Scripture. Here’s what I mean …

Example of a Godly Servant-Leader (David) in Scripture: First, I can anticipate objections. “But David . . .” stuff. He was an adulterer; he took a census prematurely; he orchestrated a murder; he fathered a child with the wife of one of his commanders. Yes, I know. That’s the not the point here. The point here is that David went back to the Lord in repentance and faith. He sought God’s restoration. He implored God for forgiveness. He kept short accounts with God. To use an expression I heard growing up when folks thought a little too highly of themsevles, Momo would say, “Rooster, So and so has gotten too big for his britches; just watch out, now.” And sure enough, the fall would come.

When Satan incited David to number Israel, God was displeased. But it’s always instructive to me how David responded:

⁷ But God was displeased with this thing, and he struck Israel. ⁸ And David said to God, “I have sinned greatly in that I have done this thing. But now, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.” (1 Chronicles 21:7-8, ESV)

David knew he had messed up. So he did the wise thing: he returned to God in repentance.

And in verse 17, it’s so clear what I’m driving at:

And David said to God, “Was it not I who gave command to number the people? It is I who have sinned and done great evil. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand, O Lord my God, be against me and against my father’s house. But do not let the plague be on your people.” (1 Chronicles 11:17, ESV)

David owned it, and God forgave and restored him. How? By the work of the Greater David. By the King of kings and Lord of lords, by the One who gave his life for his sheep.

Today as I returned to my work location, I unpacked my gear and sat down to read for a bit and to gather my thoughts. I called my wife, told her I loved her and already missed her presence, and reflected upon the last day or so I had with my wife, son, saints from class, and fellowship with friends. I was so grateful for the sweet times I had had recently but now lonely because they were now in the past. I wanted to, in the fitting words of Jim Croce’s song, save time in a bottle.

But I was in my reading chair now, hundreds of miles away from my bride and my library, and my kids, and I was in Psalm 19. It is one of those Psalms I do not have to have my Bibles to read, because I had it memorized years ago. Here’s how this relates to Dr. C.

Dr. C. was one of my professors in my seminary years. But he was more than a professor; he was a mentor. He and I hit it off from the first day he stood to give his lectures. He was not caught up in himself. He just loved the Lord, loved teaching, and loved ministry. He was what I aim to be–just a vessel that God uses to connect profound truths of redemption via skillsets God himself provides. So simple but so rare. But Dr. C. did that.

He loved. He was wicked smart, no doubt about that. I would not want to compare test scores with Dr. C., that’s for certain. But he was not caught up in that. He was in it as a vessel of God–a vessel to be poured out.

But I had my Bible open nonetheless to Psalm 19. And it’s the same Bible I’ve had for years, one I’ve spent a lot of ink in and jotted down sermon notes, and book titles, and illustrations, and references to my heroes of church history, and Dr. C.’s impact was all over it.

I thought back to how he made us introduce ourselves to our fellow classmates in the class. Another guy and I shrank in horror, because we were the off-the-chain introverts. The irony, however, is that Keith is today one of my closest friends. We both dreaded having to talk to the class, but when we were forced to by Dr. C., he (Keith) and I found we were, like Forrest and Jenny, peas and carrots. We hit it off and found that we were brothers in the Lord; we connected then (and now) in ways God orchestrates via servants like Dr. C.

So as I sit in my reading chair, Dr. C., I know you’re now with the Lord, but this very worn Bible has your imprints all over it, because you had us memorize it all those years ago, and write it down verbatim for a test grade. Why? To be mean? No. But to teach us to get the Word into our very bones.

Like so many things you taught me, Dr. C., I am grateful. You were the professor I aim to be like, but in my own areas of interest and with my (very different from your) giftings. I miss you deeply, but you served us so well, and I know you have come into your reward.

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

19 The heavens declare the glory of God,
    and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
² Day to day pours out speech,
    and night to night reveals knowledge.
³ There is no speech, nor are there words,
    whose voice is not heard.
⁴ Their voice goes out through all the earth,
    and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,
⁵     which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
    and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
⁶ Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
    and its circuit to the end of them,
    and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

⁷ The law of the Lord is perfect,
    reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
    making wise the simple;
⁸ the precepts of the Lord are right,
    rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
    enlightening the eyes;
⁹ the fear of the Lord is clean,
    enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true,
    and righteous altogether.
¹⁰ More to be desired are they than gold,
    even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
    and drippings of the honeycomb.
¹¹ Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
    in keeping them there is great reward.

¹² Who can discern his errors?
    Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
¹³ Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;
    let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless,
    and innocent of great transgression.

¹⁴ Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
    be acceptable in your sight,
    O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. (Psalm 19, ESV)

As is typical of scores of years now I have a significant reading regimen as part of ministry, professional development, and teaching, but mostly out of passion for the discipline of reading. Here are some of the volumes I am still in as of Janauary 2025:

1. Winesburg, Ohio (Anderson)
2. The Collected Short Stories of Shirley Jackson (Shirley Jackson)
3. Dubliners (Joyce)
4. The Greatest Short Stories of Anton Chekhov (Chekhov)
5. A Wilderness Station: Selected Stories, 1969-1994 (Alice Munro)
6. The Complete Short Stories of Thomas Wolfe (Wolfe)
7. Great Short Stories of the Masters (Ed., Charles Neider)

The styles of the authors really could not be more different. Though all are short story masters, Anderson wrote with a laconic understated style, whereas Joyce was showy. Munro and Jackson are masters of character and psychology, while Wolfe was a wordsmith in love with the rhapsodies of the English language and the passions of being a young man. Chekhov is in a league all his own, he was so insightful. But taken together, it’s just a delight to traffic in the works of these masters of the short story form.

Grateful to be able to teach courses on the short story genre I so enjoy. Hopefully the courses will be used to encourage deeper and better reading by students and others, and to inculcate better writing–a craft that has suffered for decades due to the dumbing down of education.

Tolle lege.

Isaac Newton is reputed to have uttered, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulder of giants.” That was a humble and wise statement from a genius. He knew that even he needed to be grateful.

The portrait above is of one of my heroes, Jonathan Edwards. I read a great deal of church history, but no one quite hits my intellectual and spiritual bells like Edwards does, except perhaps R.C. Sproul. Both men were brilliant and consumed by the greatness of God.

As I sit tonight with Bibles on my lap and all around my feet, with volumes of church history’s best minds at my side, I am absorbed in the text from Matthew 14:22-36 that others and I will explore Sunday in class.

Grateful for the lineage of faithful stewards of the faith. We have so many to whom we owe gratitude and honor–deep men and women of the Book of all books.

I’m reading John Gill, Calvin, Ryle, Spurgeon, Charles Simeon, Matthew Henry, and of course, Jonathan Edwards–all of whom wrote masterfully on Scripture.

My cup is full.

Intro: This morning I was reading Psalm 15 over and over again. And something hit me like never before. In order to understand, the psalm is below:

1 O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent?
    Who shall dwell on your holy hill?

² He who walks blamelessly and does what is right
    and speaks truth in his heart;
³ who does not slander with his tongue
    and does no evil to his neighbor,
    nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
⁴ in whose eyes a vile person is despised,
    but who honors those who fear the Lord;
who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
⁵ who does not put out his money at interest
    and does not take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things shall never be moved. (Ps 15, ESV)

The Beginning: How does David begin the poem? With a question. With two questions, actually. In prosaic terms, David is asking fundamental, profound questions: Who can stand before the Lord? And how can that ever happen?

Then in the following verses, there follow characteristics of such a person:

• blameless
• does what’s right
• speaks the truth
• defends the innocent
• honors and fears God
• “swears to his own hurt”/sacrifices himself
• is consistent/faithful
• is not bribable

Question: Who ever lived that standard perfectly? Who swore to his own hurt? Who sacrificed himself on the altar of truth and justice? It was not you; it was not me.

Takeaway/encouragement: No matter how many times I go through Scripture, I think I’m reading it, but what’s happening is God is reading me. He is showing me that all glory goes to him alone. No matter how we might try to live up to God’s standards, no matter how often we speak the truth and are slandered for it, no matter how we might bear injusitices at the hands of sinful men, God alone is the hero and redeemer. Christ alone. It’s to him all 66 books point. It’s his work on behalf of sinners. And it is to be marvelous in our sight.

The term covenant is crucial for a correct understanding of Christianity and theology. The word testament is Latin for covenant. Some examples may be helpful. Think of the covenant with Adam in Genesis; t’s often called the covenant of works. The covenant stipulated that perfect obedience by the creature was required by God:

The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. (Gen 2:15-17, ESV)

Covenantalism, you see. It’s a promise from God to us, his creatures. Believe God, trust him, obey him, and ultimate blessing comes. Disbelieve God, suppress him/deny him, and disobey, and bear the curse.

Secondly, think of the covenant with Abraham from Genesis 17. God makes promises yet again to his creatures. Will the creatures trust the word of the Lord? Will they be obedient? Those are questions you should ask:

When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.” (Gen 17:1-8, ESV)

Over and over again, covenant.

Then there’s the Davidic covenant. Think of the section from 1 Chronicles 17:

Now when David lived in his house, David said to Nathan the prophet, “Behold, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under a tent.” And Nathan said to David, “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.”

But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: It is not you who will build me a house to dwell in. For I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up Israel to this day, but I have gone from tent to tent and from dwelling to dwelling. In all places where I have moved with all Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’ Now, therefore, thus shall you say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be prince over my people Israel, and I have been with you wherever you have gone and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall waste them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will subdue all your enemies. Moreover, I declare to you that the Lord will build you a house. When your days are fulfilled to walk with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from him who was before you, but I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.’” In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David. (1 Ch 17:1-15, ESV)

Covenant, again and again. At its most fundamental, a covenant is a promise made by God that is inseeparable from the way he deals with creatures; covenants underlie all of the Bible.

Then we have the new covenant begun by Christ in the New Testament/covenant: “In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you” (Lk 22:20, ESV). There it is again–covenant.

The covenant of works given to Adam led to the covenant of grace whereby any sinner is ever redeemed by the triune God. Adam failed. You fail. I fail. There’s none righteous (Ps 14:1-3; Rom 3:23) but God. That’s the point of the covenant–to drive us to the person and work of Christ. It’s all of grace. That is, if anyone is born again, he is born “from above.” That’s what John 3 is all about. It’s not a human work where he/she keeps the covenant of works and merits salvation or favor with God. By no means!

It is God’s gracious work of doing what we sinners never could or would do–obey fully and live holy and righteous lives that please the Lord. Only Christ did that. That is why he is the hero, not us. This is why even the stones can be made to cry out that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of the God the Father.