Several years ago I caught part of a documentary on the band Kings of Leon. The lead singer, Caleb, was talking about all the great people they had been able to meet on tour. He shared that one of his most memorable meetings was with Bono of the band U2. Bono said to him something to the effect of, “Every artist you meet is either running toward God or running away from Him, which one are you going to be?” I found that to be insightful and I think it’s true. Tomorrow is Good Friday and the Bono quote got me to thinking.

Away from God: Judas

The Gospel of Matthew records, “Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?’ And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.” (Matt. 26:14-16 ESV)

The very next section of Scripture records Jesus and his disciples observing Passover. As they are all eating, Jesus tells them that, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” (26:21) They all start to ask him if they were the one. Matthew tells us that Judas also asks. Jesus tells Judas, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” (John 13:27b ESV) We are then told that the others assumed that because Judas was the treasurer that he was going to purchase supplies for the coming feast. (13:29-30) The point is that only Jesus knew what Judas was about to do. Just like Judas’ our own sin is usually hidden from others. However it is not hidden from God.

Toward God: Peter

Jesus called out Judas and he also called out Peter. In Matthew we read that Jesus tells the disciples that they all will fall away [that] night. Peter was the first to speak out and proclaim his loyalty to his friend. Then we read, “Jesus said to him, ‘Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.’”(Matt. 26:34 ESV)  

Jesus knew Peter’s and Judas’ failings before they happened. 

We all struggle with sin, Jesus knows we are going to mess up long before we do. Judas and Peter and their deeds were known and seen by God before they came to be. The difference was how each man responded afterwards.

Wrong Response to Failure

Judas tried to make it right on his own by returning the silver to the temple and telling the religious leaders that he changed his mind. (Matt. 27:3-4) When this was not accepted, he made his own redemption by ending his life. (27:5) He didn’t trust that he would be forgiven. His regret was too deep.

Another Betrayal

While Jesus was standing in front of the High Priest being falsely accused, Peter stood nearby. A servant girl, and then two others all remembered seeing Peter with Jesus and the others. Each time Peter denies knowing Jesus and each time with more aggression. Finally saying, essentially, I swear to God I don’t know that man. Luke’s Gospel reads, “And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, ‘Before the rooster crows today, you will deny my three times.’ And he went out and wept bitterly. (Luke 22:60b-62 ESV)

With the same quickness that Peter pled his allegiance to Jesus, he completely denied knowing him.

The Right Response to Failure

A week or two after the resurrection, Simon Peter and six others went fishing. After a day of fishing and catching nothing a voice called to the men from the shore. The man asked if they had caught any fish. They told the man that no, they had not caught anything. So the man tells them to cast their nets on the right side of the boat and they were unable to haul in all they had caught. John said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” (John 21:7 ESV) When Peter heard this, he jumped into the water and swam to shore about 100 yards. (21:8) Peter ran towards Jesus. Peter pressed into God after he failed. Jesus gave Peter three opportunities to tell him he loved him and recommissioned him each time. (21:15-19)

Peter and Judas both betrayed Jesus. Judas did not trust the redemptive power of Jesus and Peter ran toward it. Judas is known as the betrayer and Peter is a pillar of of the Church.

When we fail, it is the way we respond that makes the difference. You did not surprise Him by sinning. Jesus nailed that sin to the cross and paid for it. Will you believe and rely on that reality next time you fall short?

Christmas Gifts: The Gift of Service
To Serve Man

I love the holidays. Ever since I was a kid I have loved this time of the year. I loved it for a few reasons. Obviously, I loved it for spending time with my family and eating and laughing and opening presents, but I also waited all year for one thing. I waited all year for the Twilight Zone marathon. My cousins and I would huddle together around my grandparents’ little television in their basement in West Orange, NJ and watch the New Year’s Eve marathon. One episode, a classic, is titled, “To Serve Man.” In this episode, earth is visited by spaceships carrying a large race of aliens called the Kanamits. At first the earthlings are skeptical of these Kanamits, but as they learn more and more, it seems they come in peace. The aliens shared advances in science and technology. They shared farming techniques and showed real care to the inhabitants of earth. They brought with them a book. This book looked like a Bible or a manual of some sort. It was written in their language and government code breakers were trying to determine what it was. The government specialists cracked the code and the title appeared to be, “To Serve Man.” What great news! They were there to serve! As time progressed, people were boarding ships to go and visit the Kanamits’ home planet. Spoiler alert, upon further investigation, a government agent runs towards the ship shouting to a colleague that the book was not titled, “To Serve Man.” The book was titled, “How to Serve Man.” It’s a cookbook!

In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul outlines different gifts of the Spirit. One of these gifts is the gift of service. In his letter to the Romans, Paul uses the word Diakonia (dee-ah-kah-nee-ah) which means administration or service; serviceable labor. This is where we get the word Deacon. I never thought I had much to contribute. When I heard service, I thought missions or full time ministry. Growing up in the church not feeling like I had anything to give felt awkward. I learned over time that service did not mean hopping on a plane and jetting over to Zimbabwe to feed orphans or build a hospital. For some of you that might be what it means, but not for most of you. I learned that giving of your time as well as your finances and talents are service as well. I have played worship in corporate gatherings for over seventeen years. I have taught VBS classes, been a day-camp counselor and spent some time among homeless individuals in Florida. Without realizing it, I had been serving!

What about you? Have you experienced the gift of service? How did it make you feel? My wife and I have been broke and received service in the form of financial blessing. We have also been able to sacrificially give when we did not think it was possible. It is no mystery that serving feels good. Knowing that you have impacted someone in that way feels great! On one very practical level, seeing the joy and gratefulness service can bring hits us in the feels. However, the reality is that we feel that way because we are operating in the Spirit. Why do we serve? Well, if we are called to be Christ-like, take a look at the Gospel of Mark. Chapter ten and verse forty-five reads, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Jesus came to serve and so we also, should serve. What does this have to do with Kanamits? We need to be careful that our motives are not cloudy. When you have served in the past, did you receive praise from people around you? Felt nice didn’t it? We need to be careful that we do not let pride sneak in. It can be too easy to fall into the church groupie camp and just spend all of our time being seen on committees and seen doing various acts of service. We have to be mindful that we do not become like the proud Pharisee praying out loud in the temple. We need to be more like the humble, broken tax-collector quietly confessing.

Enough of that – I did not come here to lecture you. I want you to know two things. You may not feel like you are serving, but service does not look the same in everyone. We cannot all be feet and we cannot all be hands. We are not all international missionaries and we are not all called to preach sermons. The same way that there are many gifts but one Spirit, there are many parts but one body. Each of us has a part to play in the body of Christ. You may already be serving in ways you do not realize. You will also notice that the gift of service, like all of the other gifts of the Spirit, is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it becomes. Like Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians, the more we serve, the more we will find ourselves privileged to do so. So this holiday season, don’t be like the Kanamits. Don’t have cloudy motives while you are serving. Recognize that you have your part to play and that your identity does not lie in the praises of man but in the person of Jesus.

As I prepare for a speaking engagement next week, I was looking in the Gospel of Matthew. I will be speaking on ‘Reach’ and what that means in light of the Great Commission. The beginning of chapter twenty-eight of Matthew records the events of Resurrection Sunday morning. When Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (possibly Jesus’ aunt) went to see the tomb. The Bible says there was an earthquake and an Angel of the Lord came and rolled back the stone at the opening of the tomb. The Roman guards who were charged with guarding the tomb were terrified and fainted, or “became like dead men.” (Matt 28:4) This is when the Angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

What strikes me this morning is what I read in the footnotes of this passage. This is something I honestly don’t think I ever thought about: The stone was not rolled away so Jesus could get out. The stone was rolled away so others could get in and see that Jesus was not there. As a young person, I just thought that the Angel rolled it back, Jesus gave a nod and a high five and he peaced out. Jesus defeated death, he couldn’t roll a heavy stone?

This whole story, this whole movement, hinges on one thing and that is the empty tomb. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, than all of this is foolish. But where is the body? If the Religious and political leaders wanted to make sure that this movement was quenched and dispersed, wouldn’t they want nothing more than to produce a body? The Roman attachment stationed at the tomb was charged with guarding the tomb with their lives. The Roman government had a zero tolerance policy for abandonment of post or failure of mission.

If Jesus had just fainted on the cross, and then came to in the tomb, there is no human way to move that stone. Also, the tomb was sealed by the Roman government. Even if some of Christ’s followers wanted to perpetrate a hoax, how? Do you honestly think that the Roman soldiers would have allowed that? John Piper writes about this. About the idea that the disciples took the body, he poses the question, “Could they have overcome the guards at the tomb? More important, would they have begun to preach with such authority that Jesus was raised, knowing that he was not? Would they have risked their lives and accepted beatings for something they knew was a fraud?”1

It seems clear to me that if the Resurrection was a hoax, Christianity as a whole would not exist. Surely the message of the Gospel would not have spread from the backwoods town of Galilee around the world and back again. The burden of proof is on those who deny Christ’s deity. Where is the body? The tomb is empty. Death has been defeated.

1 Taken from “Eight Reasons Why I Believe That Jesus Rose from the Dead” by John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: www.desiringGod.org

Enjoy your day today. It’s what God wants.

But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. Galatians 6:14

Today I decided to make another contribution to the ‘daily’ journal I started over four years ago. Just to give you some perspective, even if I started this journal exactly four years ago I should have 1460 pages. Today is page 45 … But it is OK, because it’s more about the content than the mere exercise itself.

Today I read from Oswald Chambers’ book, My Utmost for His Highest. Today’s title was The Consecration of Spiritual Energy. The verse was from Galatians 6 and I know the importance of context when reading Scripture so I read Galatians 6:11-18. In this passage, Paul is writing to Gentiles who are now Christians. Because the roots of the early church began in Judaism, there was much debate regarding circumcision. In the old covenant with Abraham, God instructed that all men who are in Abraham’s family from that point on were to be circumcised as a mark of identity in God’s family. This separated them from all other men and reminded them that they were set apart. In the first century, as many men came to faith in Jesus Christ, the Messiah, they would be circumcised to identify with the larger group. Paul here is explaining that physical circumcision is not necessary. Paul is saying that the people who are pushing for circumcision are simply doing so to boast in the number of converts being created. This to me is like conferences that share how many ‘decisions for Christ’ were made, but do no real follow up. Being a Christian is not about ‘praying the prayer’ or saying a magic phrase and that’s it. It is a change of heart and mindset. It is a relationship and not simply a choice in religion.

Many people who become Christians think that they need to throw away their TV and dump their bottles of alcohol in the sink and dust off their gray suit and part their hair on the side. This is not to say that there are not people who should do some of that, this is not what Jesus wants from us. In the Gospel of John, Jesus prays what is called the High Priestly Prayer. In this prayer, He is praying for His disciples and he prays, “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world …” Jesus wants us to live in the world and among those in the world, but not to be ‘of’ the world.

Dolphins may live in the ocean, under the water, but they need air to live. They need to come up for air. As Christians, we are citizens of heaven but we live in the world. We need to ‘come up for air’ because our life source is from God. Jesus was ‘so much in the ordinary world,’ Chambers writes, ‘that the religious people of his day called him a glutton and wine-bibber.’ Jesus was relatable and with those who needed him most, but he was not ‘of’ the world.

I read a fictitious story about a kid and a WWJD bracelet. For those of you who slept through the mid to late 90’s, WWJD stands for ‘What Would Jesus Do?’ I wore one of these as did millions of other Christian kids. This was to remind us to think before we acted. Well this story illustrates how off much of our thinking around this idea was. I read this in the Huffington Post:

Once upon a time, a mother made her son a wristband. On it was written: WWJD? This, of course stood for: “What Would Jesus Do?” She instructed her son to look at the wristband before making decisions on how to live his Christian life.

A week later she was shocked to see that her son had become friends with prostitutes, was hanging out with ‘sinners’ — even buying people who were already drunk yet another round of beers!

Worse still, he had walked into their church the previous Sunday and tore down the book store, overturned the tables and threw the cash register through the window, he then made a whip and chased the pastor out of the building, declaring he was turning God’s house into a den of thieves.

Most shocking was what happened when his mother went to picket the local abortion clinic. To her embarrassment, her son was also there, but he was standing with the women who just had an abortion, and yelled at the protesters: “You who are without sin, throw the first stone!”

The mother was very distressed, but fortunately she found a solution to this terrible problem. She made another wristband, this time it read: WWAPD? This, she explained to her son, stood for: “What Would A Pharisee Do?” She took the old WWJD? wristband and burned it.

Since her son has been wearing the new wristband, looking at it to help him make his decisions, he has become a dedicated tither, a public prayer warrior, an active condemner of ‘sinners,’ a passionate defender of the Old Covenant law, and has a great reputation as a godly young man amongst other religious people.

Needless to say, the mother is very happy now. She only wishes Jesus would take notice and follow her son’s good example.

This really got me thinking and if we really want to be like Christ, we need to be in the world but not of the world. Today is Thanksgiving and I am thankful that my Savior is not some weirdo who requires that I be hermetically sealed and kept in a bubble. He wants me to be like Him and be with people. Jesus came for the sick and not for the well. We need to be fishers of men and not keepers of the aquarium. We need to be a hospital and not a courtroom. John 3:16-17: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

I am thankful that it is not about what I do, but about what He did.

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. Galatians 6:7

Timothy Treadwell loved bears. Bears were his life. He wanted to protect them and dispel what he saw as misconceptions regarding these majestic creatures. Treadwell spent thirteen summers living with Grizzly Bears in Alaska. There were documentaries and articles about Timothy and his cause. In October of 2003, after so much time spent with and among Grizzlies, Timothy and his girlfriend were mauled to death by the same bears Timothy loved. Timothy thought he knew these animals. He thought that he was accepted as one of them. Technically, he was right. You see, Grizzly Bears will often attack weaker bears in the pack. At the time of Treadwell’s death, it was during the fall when bears are trying to store as much fat as possible and that year, food was scarce. This lack of food meant the bears were also more aggressive. Timothy got too comfortable and it cost him his life.

There is an expression that goes, “He can’t see the forest for the trees.” What this means is that sometimes, we get too close to something to recognize what it is or the details of what it is. Keep Timothy Treadwell and this expression in mind as we look into Scripture to find someone else who got too comfortable and missed the gravity of the situation.

2 Samuel 6:7 is one of the more difficult Bible passages to understand. Samuel records the event when the Ark of the Covenant was being brought back to Jerusalem and what happened on the way. King David and 30,000 of his chosen men went get the Ark from the home of Abinadab (where it had been for the last twenty years) and bring it to the capitol, Jerusalem.

For a little background, the Ark of the Covenant was THE national treasure of Israel. It contained the Ten Commandments, Aaron’s Staff, and was where the physical presence of YHWH, or Jehovah, or God Himself sat. The lid was sold gold and two cherubim were molded on top and this was called the mercy seat. This was where the presence of God lived. This treasure was captured by the Israel’s enemy, the Philistines and they ended up giving it back. The details of that event are for a whole other time. The Ark spent twenty years at the home of Abinadab. Twenty years. For twenty years, the presence of God lived at Abinadab’s house.

In the book of Exodus, the rules for transporting the Ark can be found. The Ark was to be carried on the shoulders of Levites using the poles that were made for the Ark. Abinadab, as well as his sons, Uzzah and Ahio, were Levites. They knew the rules for transporting the Ark yet they chose to build a new Ox cart and transport the Ark that way. David did not need to bring all those men with him and the Ark should never have been placed on a cart. As they made their way to Jerusalem, Uzzah put his hand out to steady the Ark because the oxen stumbled. As Uzzah’s hand touched the Ark, God struck him dead. … the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God.

What was that all about? Why did God kill Uzzah? Uzzah was a Levite; he was in the priestly order. The Levites were charged with the spiritual well-being of the people of Israel. They were keepers and interpreters of the Law of Moses. I guess having the presence of God living in your dining room for twenty years desensitizes you. Uzzah was a little too comfortable and forgot how powerful God’s Word was.

I grew up in a Christian family and I used to feel like Uzzah. God was such a fixture of our family that I got real comfortable with Him. I believe I was too comfortable. I lost sight of who Almighty God was. In the Kevin Smith film, Dogma, the Catholic Church was trying to draw new followers. They created ‘Buddy Christ.’ This image has been used and espoused by retailers and groups ever since as a wink to religion. While Jesus is our friend and brother, he is also our savior and Lord. Too many Christians and non-christians view Jesus as simply ‘Buddy Christ.’

Yes, God loves you; he even likes you! He sent His Son, Jesus to die for you. But do not be deceived, the book of Revelation tells us, “He [Jesus] is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.…” I do not write this to scare you. Let me be clear, God wishes that none face this. The Apostle Peter writes, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

Let us not ignore the power and might of God. Let us not take for granted the reverence He deserves. Uzzah got to comfortable and neglected to remember that God is perfect and Holy and needs to be revered. Christ is our covering and thank God for that. I am sure that I would have stepped out and fallen dead long ago. We get to enjoy this scandal called grace. All we need to do is recognize that Jesus paid it all and all to him we owe. Sin has left a crimson stain that He has washed to be white as snow.

I heard a sermon recently and one part of it really stayed with me. It was not a unique passage, not at all. It was Psalm 23. I think behind John 3:16, Psalm 23 is the most commonly known and quoted section of scripture. For those who don’t watch any movies or have not been to any funerals, here is Psalm 23:

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff,

they comfort me. You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.

This is a very famous passage written by King David. The sermon I heard was focusing on the fact that sheep do not strive for anything. Sheep are not remarkable animals; in fact, they are stupid and need a shepherd. The point was that Christians are referred to as sheep in the Bible. This is on purpose. We all need a shepherd. Sheep do not strive for anything, they simply follow and are led by the shepherd. This is true, but not what stuck with me.

What stuck with me is the part where it reads,“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” The speaker mentioned that in the customs of the day, if you are at dinner party, you can stay as long as the host keeps refilling your drink. I did my own research and found similar etiquette in that region of the world and even in the far east. The point is that God, as the host, who prepares a feast for us in the presence of our enemies, keeps filling our cup to the point of overflow. This is why David can follow with the line that he (we) shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

See, not only does God love you, He likes you. Think about this: have you ever had people over and at some point during the evening you just wanted everyone to leave? Well, if you were a party host in ancient Israel, you would let them know by cutting them off and not giving them more to drink. If you wanted all your friends to stay, you would keep refilling their drinks. Obviously at some point you would physically run out of wine, or Pepsi, or whatever you were serving. Well, God never runs out of his wine. He never runs out of it and never stops pouring it. Why? Because you are not an annoying houseguest to God. You are liked!

For those of you reading this who are married, are there any days that you love your spouse, but do not necessarily like them? Well, I’ll be the honest one — yes. God does not love out of obligation and God not only loves you, but He likes you. Many times people will tell me that if they walked into church the ceiling would fall on them. Others feel that they are too bad and screwed up too much for God to love them. Others who may even think of themselves as believers feel that God may love them but that he is some distant cosmic kill-joy who only pays attention to you if you are holier than your neighbor. These caricatures could not be farther from the truth.  God loves you so much that He sent His Son to die so you and I would not have to. We rejected him over and over, but still He wants to be reunited with us.

Whether you like it or not God likes you enough that He wants you to stay in his house forever. When God invites you to his party, bring your jammies, because you’re not leaving. God wants to be with you forever.

Jesus tells his disciples in the Gospel of John, “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” God has plenty of room and plenty of great wine. The table is set and all the invitations have been sent out. Will you RSVP yes? If so, you can be assured that Surely goodness and mercy shall follow [you] all the days of [your] life, and [you]  shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

What I learned about redemption and grace from Master Chef.

Last night my wife and I were enjoying one of our favorite shows, Master Chef on FOX. It was down to eight contestants and four were involved in a pressure test. Two of the three remaining contestants who were fighting for a chance to remain in the competition were Leslie and Ahran. Leslie is a fifty something dude from Malibu with a wife and kids and Ahran is an eighteen year old Korean-American girl from Palo Alto. These two did NOT hit it off very well from the beginning and down right hated each other. They would trash talk each other during mystery box challenges and were not capable of being on the same team during challenges. Leslie insisted on mispronouncing Ahran’s name and treating her like she was one of his kids. Ahran was constantly disrespectful of Leslie and his ability in the kitchen.

Last night as Leslie, Ahran, and a third contestant stood before the judges, something happened. A couple episodes ago, there was a touching moment when Leslie and Ahran were chosen to be a team for a challenge and ended up succeeding famously and they may have even won, I do not remember. What happened last night is that two of the three were going to be sent home. The first contestant was dismissed and Leslie and Ahran stood before the judges, Joe, Gordon and Graham. Prior to this part of the episode, during the build up to the decision, Leslie said something. Confession-style, he explained his heart changed towards Ahran. He expressed that maybe it was that he missed his kids, but he was growing fond of Ahran and respected her abilities as a chef. The judgement was made that Ahran was to leave the competition. With tears in their eyes, Leslie and Ahran hugged one another and said goodbye. When the judges asked Ahran who she thought would win, her response was, “Leslie.” 

I would be lying if I said I did not get a little choked up. What is it about redemption that strikes such a cord with us? Why is it that my wife always says those scenes are her favorite moments in every movie or television show? Restoration is something that makes us feel good. Whether it is Mike and Frank from American Pickers finding a rusty cooler or if it’s seeing the Scott brothers on HGTV renovating a house. I believe that we are touched and broken by redemption and restoration  because it mirrors our own experience with God. God and sin are enemies. Habakkuk 1:13 says that God cannot even look at sin. Paul tells us in Romans that it was while we were sinners that Christ died for us. We were enemies of Christ and he still wanted to restore our relationship with his father. 

The greatest stories told, the greatest films to grace the screen, mirror the struggle of good versus evil and the concept of redemption and restoration. Art imitates life and whether you realize it or not, redemption touches a part of us that we often do not realize is there.

Master Chef last night reminded me that even though I was an enemy of God, he loved me enough to send his Son to die in my place. A perfect man was crucified to bring me back to my Father who I walked away from. I don’t know of a better tale of restoration than that.