faith

Intellectuals Only? No. (Some thoughts on ‘let the reader understand’ passages)

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Introduction: At my core, I’m a man of the soil. I tend to be suspicious of perceived elites–whether they’re that (‘elites’)– labeled that way taxonomically due to wealth, status, power, looks, or whatever.

I’m very much at home with folks who know what it’s like to have worn dungarees, shelled peas with Grandma, and used a weed eater/trimmer when it was known as a sling blade. Some folks are ashamed of sweating and of having shopped at Walmart. I’m not one of those. (I’m a soldier. I sweat daily, and there’s no telling how much money I’ve spent at Walmart over the last 40 years. Maybe their actuaries could tell you.)

Slice of life: Once again I was blessed to be part of serving the saints in a small called-out assembly. They were like me–sinners, hungry for the word from the Lord, hungry to know someone cares about them and puts in the work on their behalf.

We were in Matthew 24 this morning at our assembly. The precious saints again turned out, and we assembled under the authority of Scripture. In short order, we came to highly-controversial sentences:

Then . . . this:

So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, 18 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 19 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand. 26 So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. (Mt 24:15-28, ESV)

So what? The So what? is this: Don’t be a fool; be discerning. Be wise. Be a man/woman of understanding and redemption.

Encouragement: Christian pilgrim, are you down? Same here. Are you overwhelmed by the news of your day? Do you feel the temptation to give in to evil, to feel like ‘this present darkness’ overpowers you?

Takeaway: Have you ever read about when Paul was in prison in Rome? Have you read of Bunyan imprisoned in England? Have you read about when Edwards was fired from his church in Massachusetts? Have you read about how he (an intellect like few others) was fired from the church he served for decades? Have you read of Spurgeon’s spiritual darkness in London, or of Sproul and MacArthur, fighting for the sovereignty of God in Orlando, FL and Los Angeles, CA in the 1970s-2000s?

Probably not. It’s glossed over. But it was real. There were warriors in our past. When you think of how the medical Dr. Lloyd-Jones left off his career in medicine to be a doctor of men’s souls, it puts steel in your Christian spine. May we learn from these faithful ones–learn to persevere, endure, and discern wisdom from folly, the genuine from the false, and depth from distraction.

Wisdom Through the Crucible of Suffering

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Text: “But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the LORD had closed her womb” (1 Samuel 1:5, ESV).

Bottom line up front: Very often the Lord uses most significantly those whom He first places in the crucible of suffering.

Historical context: 1500s B.C. The Lord was about to bring about the last of the Old Testament judges, Samuel. But before Samuel’s birth, we get the massively important story of his mother, Hannah. Hannah was loved by her husband, Elkanah. Scripture attests that Elkanah had two wives, but he especially loved Hannah, so much in fact that “he gave her a double portion” of the sacrifices (1 Samuel 1:5).

Hannah’s barrenness: But despite Elkanah’s love for Hannah, the Lord closed Hannah’s womb for a season. She could not bear a child. Peninnah, the other wife, was able to conceive and bear children. But Hannah? No. Why? The Lord had closed her womb (1 Samuel 1:5, 6). It seems safe to say that the Lord was using Hannah’s present circumstances of suffering to bring about providential blessing.

Hannah’s response: She wept; she fasted (1 Samuel 1:7-8). She pleaded with the Lord (1 Samuel 1:11). She implored God for a son and the Lord answered. Verses 19-20 of chapter are so tender: “They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD; then they went back to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her. And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, “I have asked for him from the LORD” (1 Samuel 1:19-20, ESV).

Encouragement/takeaway: Very often the Lord uses most significantly those whom He first places in the crucible of suffering. I don’t think that Hannah fully understood her circumstances of barrenness, at least not initially. Scripture is clear that she wept bitterly, that she fasted, that she appeared nearly out of her mind with grief. But she trusted the Lord. She petitioned the Lord. She persevered. She endured in the faith. And yet, for a season, the crucible of suffering remained for her. But the Lord was not wasting her suffering. He was using it to bring about the birth of one who would be used even mightier still for the Lord. God’s ordaining of suffering for His people, though we might not fully grasp it at the time, is not random; it is ordained by the Hands of the Lord, who knows our beginning and our end.

“But Ruth Clung”: Studies in Hope (Part III)

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Bottom line up front: Faithfulness in the ‘small’ things is rewarded by God. In short, God sees all, not just what we sinners tend to think of as the big-ticket items.

Historical context: Ruth continued to glean the field faithfully: “So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley” (Ruth 2:17, ESV).The last verse of chapter two is crucial: “So she kept close to the young women of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvest. And she lived withher mother-in-law” (Ruth 2:23, ESV).

***In other words, Ruth demonstrated a pattern of consistent humility, hard work, loyalty, and trust. She was as good as her word. There was nothing secretive, hidden, or clandestine about Ruth. Everything about her was open to review. And the kinsman-redeemer Boaz was taking notice.

Ruth’s obedience: Naomi, Ruth’s mother-in-law, had instrutcted her (Ruth) in the proper protocol, namely, lie down beside Boaz at the proper time, and listen for instructions:

“But when he lies down, observed the place where he lies. Then go and uncover his feet and lied down, and he will tell you what to do” (Ruth 3:4-5, ESV).

I love Ruth’s words here: “All that you say I will do” (Ruth 3:5, ESV). In other words, Ruth faithfully discharged her duties. She kept the faith. She was finishing her course faithfully.

Boaz’s response: The kinsman-redeemer continued to take notice, and he would both show grace and marry this widow: “May you be blessed by the LORD, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich” (Ruth 3:10, ESV).

Boaz tells Ruth that he is indeed a redeemer. Just let that sink in. This story that began in famine, death, widowhood, lack, etc. is now turning to a story of harvest, life, marriage, and progeny.

This paragraph is so beautiful:

Ruth and Boaz Marry

13 So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. 14 Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! 15 He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” 16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. 17 And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. (Ruth 4:13-17, ESV)

Encouragement: Naomi went from spiritual bitterness to sweetness. Ruth went from abandonment and widowhood to adoption and marriage. From childlessness to fertility. The line of the ultimate Redeemer (Christ) was continually unfolding through the likes of Boaz. What do we see through it all? We see God take notice of the small daily steps of obedience to the revealed will of God. We see God bless faithfulness in the end. We see God continue to unfold His covenant mercies to His people. Be encouraged, Christian pilgrim: God sees you and He loves you and He uses our sufferings to draw you to Himself.

Studies in Hope (Part II)

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Reminder: Naomi was stuck in a foreign land. She was now a widow, and a mother-in-law to two women. One of those women (Orpah) left. But one remained (Ruth). Both Naomi and her daughter-in-law were women of courage, of endurance, of tried faith.

Follow Me: Ruth did not rest; she was industrious. She asked her mother-in-law Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain” (Ruth 2:2 ESV). Why? Enduring faith in the providence and goodness of God.

And what do you know? A character of redemption, a man who came from Bethlehem, owned the field. Boaz was his name. He took notice of Ruth’s industriousness (Ruth 2:5-7). In short, he saw. This character of redemption (Boaz) took notice of the faithful servant (Ruth). That’s rather important.

Ruth’s Response:

10 Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” 11 But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. 12 The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” 13 Then she said, “I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants.” (Ruh 2:10-13, ESV)

Humility Precedes Honor: This widow, Ruth, was not only noticed by the character of redemption (Boaz) but also provided for.

But in the bigger picture, the humble servant of God is being provided for by the ultimate Redeeemer (the Lord).

Ruth knew herself to be a nobody. She described herself as “a foreigner” (v. 10), a “servant” (v. 13).

Encouragement: God delights in exalting the broken and humble.

“But Ruth Clung”: Studies in Hope (Part I)

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Introduction: There are a few books I would argue are perfect. Scripture is the Book of books, of course. But in terms of delivering a story perfectly, I don’t know how one might improve upon the book of Ruth. It goes from emptiness to fulfillment, deprivation to blessing, and from want to plenty. It begins in barrenness and ends in fruitfulness and rejoicing at a birth.

But what I would like to do here in brief is explore one idea–namely, how believers are to persevere in the Lord when spiritual darkness and the devil appear to be winning.

Historical Context: 1000s-900s B.C. A dark time in Judah. This was the time of the judges, i.e., before wicked Saul and King David were the nation’s monarchs. There was a “famine in the land” (Ruth 1:1, ESV). So a family from Bethlehem in Judah fled to Moab. The family consisted of Elimelech, his wife Naomi, and their two sons Mahlon and Chilion. The boys married Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth. But eventually the two sons died and Naomi’s husband all died. Naomi was left with only her two daughters-in-law, in the foreign land of Moab.

This was quite the predicament–a widowed woman, stuck in a region that was not her own because there was famine in her own land for a season, and now she has two daughters-in-law whose husbands have died. Naomi is indeed a woman in want. She’s lost both her own husband and her two sons.

Who would provide? Where was God in all this? Who would provide? Why this series of misfortunes piled one upon another? Naomi became bitter, convinced that the Lord was against her. Otherwise, this suffering would not have been so devastating. She even told Orpah and Ruth, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me” (Ruth 1:20, ESV). From pleasantness to bitterness, that’s what Naomi was teaching. She believed that God had brought this suffering upon her (v. 21).

Questions for Us: Have you ever experienced feelings and/or thoughts like that? Have you ever thought that the Lord was against you? Have you ever been tempted to give in to the idea that all is lost, that things will not improve, and that you’re now given over to bitterness rather than blessing? Have you ever been tempted to think (even if you would not say it out loud) that the forces of spiritual darkness have won?

If we are honest, probably most of us can identify with Naomi in her state of suffering as revealed in Ruth 1.

Don’t Miss This: My favorite lines in the first chapter of Ruth are these two: “Then they [Orpah and Ruth] lifted up their voices and wept again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her” (Ruth 1:14, ESV).

But Ruth clung. Orpah, for reasons Scripture does not reveal explicitly, returned to find another husband, so she could become a wife and mother. Orpah, in other words, departed. But Ruth clung. Ruth was, to be cliche, in it for the long haul. She was, to use one of my favorite thinker’s verbs, “resolved.” Ruth was going to see it all through with her mother-in-law Naomi, come what will.

Encouragement: But Ruth clung. That short phrase is packed with theology about enduring, about not losing faith in the God of providence, about trusting in the goodness of God. Maybe this is only for me, I don’t know, but I long to be Ruth-like in at least this respect. When all seemed lost, she clung–not just to her mother-in-law whom she loved, but to the Lord over all of it.

Whose Standard?

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Introduction: I was reading Mark 7 from the New Testament recently and was again struck with how often Jesus the Christ teaches on reality vs. appearance. In short, God hates hypocrisy and posing. God wants righteousness that issues from a gospel-transformed nature. The standard of righteousness is God’s holiness; it is never human vainglory. Nothing is quite so despicable as a man who thinks he is quite something. My precious but now-deceased grandmother might have said, “Rooster, that fella’s too big for his britches.”

Here’s the text from Mark 7:

Traditions and Commandments

7 Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, 2 they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, 4 and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.) 5 And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” 6 And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,

“‘This people honors me with their lips,
    but their heart is far from me;
7 in vain do they worship me,
    teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’

8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” (Mk 7:1-8, ESV)

Teaching: The Pharisees and scribes were guilty of what, according to Jesus? External righteousness and internal rottenness of soul. Their hearts were cold and hard. But they appeared righteous to the undiscerning.

But whose standard is supreme? The Pharisess’ standards? The scribes’ standards? The standards of Thursday afternoon? Or Tuesday morning’s standards? How about Saturday’s standard? Whose standard is supreme? The question answers itself, if one is faithful to Scripture.

Secular sinful standards fluctuate based upon nothing more than the druthers of the sinners issuing them.

Takeaway: The Lord Jesus told these hypocrites to their faces that they honored Him with their lips but that their hearts (their true natures) were far from Him. In other words, they were rejected by the Holy One, because they loved the applause of man rather than the commendation of God. Let the reader understand. (Nothing quite teaches like authenticity.)

Matthew 24: Thoughts on Endurance

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Introduction: This Sunday I am slated to teach on Matthew 24. It is known in church history as one of the most difficult of New Testament passages to teach upon due to its references to timelines (or lack thereof) regarding cataclysmic events. The allusions to Jesus’ return, to the abomination of desolation, etc. have been interpreted in sundry ways. Some view them via a postmillennial framework, others from a premillennial framework, and others from an amillennial framework. And yes, there are other positions, too. Indeed, it’s a packed chapter. Oftentimes when some people reference it, they generate more heat than light. I think if I hear one more joke about being a panmillennialist, where things just “pan out,” I may vomit.

Rather than stirring the waters of controversy this Sunday, I hope to shed light on the major historical views regarding the passage. What’s more, I hope to focus our attention upon one theme in particular: endurance.

Why do that? Well, that’s what Christ did in the passage. Here are Jesus’ words:

9 Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:9-14, ESV).

Endurance. It’s key in the passage for several reasons.

First, many people will miss the point of the passage and be consumed by what I term calendar theology. Dates, signs, etc. That stuff gets crazy quickly. Just in my lifetime, I’ve heard Bill and Hillary Clinton termed the antichrist, Obama as the antichrist, Musk as the antichrist, the various popes as the antichrist, America as Babylon. And I’ve heard Dispensationalists put dates on raptures and second comings, etc. It’s absolutely zany the lengths to which some will go in their speculations wherein Scofield and Darby are authoritative but the text of Scripture isn’t. Um, no thanks.

Second, the main issue in the passage is to endure, not to check off dates on a theological calendar. Why do I say that? Again, because “many false prophets will arise and lead many astray” (Matthew 24:11, ESV).

Verse 12 teaches us that “the love of many will grow cold.” That seems so obvious to me. We’ve gotten to where it’s common to hear folks say they trust no one. At the gym the other day when I was working out, the guy beside me had on a t-shirt with this emblazoned: Trust No One. How’s that for clarity? That’s just one more piece of evidence of love having grown cold. There’s a trust deficit. Postmodernist skepticism has reached all the way to the levels of t-shirt sloganeering.

Third, Jesus ends his teaching in Matthew 24 by reminding His hearers to endure. He says, “be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:44, ESV).

In short, endure. Christian pilgrim, endure. Take the long view, I think that’s what Jesus is teaching. Be faithful, fight the good fight of the faith once for all delivered to the saints, leave the results to God, and just be a faithful enduring soldier for Jesus Christ.

Why It’s Good to Know Who/What God Hates

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Bottom line up front: There are things that God hates, too. That’s in Scripture, too. So, let us forgo cherrypicking.

Questions: Have you ever heard people spout, “God is love”? Sure, we all have. Does that phrase occur in Scripture? Of course. It’s part of 1 John 4:8–which is part of a sentence, which is part of a paragraph, which is part of a letter, which is part of the New Testament, which is part of the Scriptures.

But is it possible that, if taken out of context, or not read in light of all of Scripture, those three words can be grossly misunderstood? Yes, indeed. Hence the raison d’etre for this piece.

Segue to Scripture: I love the writing of Solomon and the Wisdom Literature. In Proverbs, e.g., we read ths:

12 “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
    and I find knowledge and discretion.
13 The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil.
Pride and arrogance and the way of evil
    and perverted speech I hate.

Those sentences are Proverbs 8:12-23, ESV.

Teaching: Wonder why we don’t hear folks spout those words about hatred of evil being an indicator of being a believer?

Wonder why we don’t hear that Scripture also records that God hates–let that sink in–hates “[p]ride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech”?

What you do hear is love, love, love–divorced from biblical moorings and context.

There are many other times God is said to hate in Scripture. We might look at the following as just a sampling: Proverbs 6:16-25 is one passage of things God hates. Psalm 11:5 says that God “hates the wicked.” Psalm 5:5 says God hates “all evildoers.” And verse 6 of that psalm says God abhors the “deceitful man.” The list is long in Scripture of those whom God hates and the evils that God hates.

Takeaway: Wisdom entails knowing and accepting all of God’s revelation in Scripture rather than cherrypicking parts of phrases to fit our own sinful desires. Does God love? Of course. But God also hates.

One cannot be holy who does not detest evil and lies. Discern the big picture of who God has revealed Himself to be. Anything less is lazy and dishonest.

It Is Not Who You Think …

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Introduction: Recently I was on another flight. My eyes were burning from reading, and so I chose to listen for a while in order to give my eyes a rest. Joe Rogan’s podcast with Chadd Wright appeared on my iPhone’s recommendations on YouTube, and so I listened. I was captivated. Why? Well, for several reasons.

First, Rogan is perhaps being gripped by God. He’s still very much questioning and seeking answers to ultimate matters. That is evident to any honest listener to the conversation here.

Second, Wright is a veteran, a former Navy S.E.A.L., very much a man’s man, who was brought from spiritual death to a state of regeneration by the triune God, and he’s now an ambassador for Christ.

Third, millions upon millions of people have now been exposed to the Gospel via the largest and most listened to podcaster in the world, Joe Rogan.

Fourth, and this is what I wish to emphasize in this short post, is that Wright rightly explains that salvation is 100% of the Lord; it is God’s sovereign effectual grace, not a man-made machination/effort/accomplishment.

I’ve heard countless Gospel presentations in my life, but Wright’s here is so clear, so biblical, so humbling, that I do not know how one might improve upon it. It is genuine, clear, humble, biblical, and altogether pride-crushing. (And that is the key issue.)

Connection: In Mark 2, there is a perfect example from Scripture of what Chadd explains to Joe. Here it is:

15 And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2, 15-17, ESV)

Question: Did you catch it? Did you see what God taught there? The spiritual dead men (scribes and Pharisees) hated Jesus. Why? Well, Jesus came for sinners, for those who know they’re broken, helpless, and dead in trespasses and sins.

But that’s the opposite of how scribes and Pharisses saw themselves. They viewed themselves as the righteous ones, the ones who had it all together, the ones that those dirty sinners should have aimed to emulate.

Takeaway: What unfolds in this passage from Mark 2 is precisely what Chadd Wright explained so well to Joe Rogan. It’s all of grace, if and when God saves a person. It’s not something the spiritually dead sinner accomplishes via his/her merit or effort.

If a person is born again, he/she is born from above (John 3:3, ESV). It is possible that Joe Rogan is not far from the kingdom of God. Can you imagine the impact that his conversion might have? I thank God for Chadd Wright’s faithfulness and courage when he was on Rogan’s podcast. Indeed it is so: “Christ came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” May God grant us the accuracy and wisdom to admit we’re in the second category.

Trusting God in the Darkness

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Introduction: Perhaps what I love most about the Psalms is their visceral honesty. When David wrote, he laid it all out on the line. With gut-wrenching honesty that goes right to the heart of the matter, David and the other psalmists wrote about times of joy, times of lamentation, times on the mountain, times in the valley, and myriad poems and songs about times that felt like evil was winning, that light and truth were being eclipsed by the machinations of evil.

This morning, for example, I was reading Psalm 4 over and over. It is a short prayer, so I have included it here for you to follow along:

1 Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
    You have given me relief when I was in distress.
    Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!

2 O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?
    How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah
3 But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself;
    the Lord hears when I call to him.

4 Be angry, and do not sin;
    ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah
5 Offer right sacrifices,
    and put your trust in the Lord.

6 There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?
    Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!”
7 You have put more joy in my heart
    than they have when their grain and wine abound.

8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
    for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. (Psalm 4, ESV)

Questions for Reflection: First, do we notice how David begins his prayer in verse 1 by remembering God’s faithfulness to him in the past? That’s crucial.

Second, do we notice how in verse 2 David tells God (it’s not as if God is anything less than omniscient) that sinful men “love vain words and seek after lies”? That is the pattern of unregenrate people; they love lies rather than the truth.

Third, will you notice how in verses 3-8, David again returns to his confidence in the Lord? His confidence is not in man. That is double-edged in its implications. Why? Because it is not good for man to be alone (Gen 2:18). People need others. Godly people need co-laborers and friends in the faith. But ultimately, the Christian must love his Redeemer above all, because crowds are notoriously fickle and faithless.

Fourth, the Lord is sovereign through it all. Verse 8 reminds us via David’s pen: God alone makes His people dwell in safety. Through it all God is there–constant, steadfast, and sure.