We continue our Monday Bible study at 7:00. Dinner at 6:15.
We air the study on Facebook Live (RC-Lisa Sproul). Within a day or two we post the video of the study right here for those who would like to watch on their own schedule.
Our study considers God’s call that we be as children. Tonight- Aiming to Please
The Bible is replete with warnings. Those yet outside of His grace are warned of the certainty of judgment. Those weighing life and death are warned to consider the cost before taking up the cross. And those born from above are warned of persecution, hatred, and the many troubles of this world. We all walk the via Dolorosa.
Knowing these biblical doctrines, we are rightly put out by purveyors of popcorn prosperity. Vapid promises of health and wealth or smiling faces offering you your best life now. We scorn the notion that God wants us to be happy. There is a certain charlatan appeal to the merry mongers. Who doesn’t want to believe not only that they can be happy, but that someone will provide a map? But there’s another reason this dark distortion of God’s Word won’t die and go away- God’s Word.
The same Word that calls us to take up our cross tells us that He came to bring life, and life abundant. The Word that warns of persecution tells us that if we ask our Father for an egg, He’ll not give us a stone. The same Word that gives us the sorrows of Job tells us “Now the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning.” (42:12) One cannot choose either the idea that good times and pleasant circumstances are the will of God for all men everywhere, and every time, nor that God exclusively uses hardship and paucity to shape us for blessings that all reside on the other side of the vale.
The truth is that God’s will for His own is that we would be made ever more like Jesus. The glory of suffering and hardship is that it is potent to move us in that direction. It is a good thing to face dark providences and loss with joy precisely because such does the good work of making us more like Him. That doesn’t mean, however, that when we find ourselves in a bed of roses we are far from Him. He is the Great Gardener. He is the Groom who loves His bride and delights to shower her with every good gift. Hardship cleanses the bride. Blessed circumstances help the bride remember that she is His beloved.
Both are true, and both are beautiful. Does God want you to be happy? He wants you to both be remade into the image of His Son, and to feel His love and delight in you along the way, to receive the gifts of the bride. In hardship, remember the work He is doing in you, rebuilding you into the image of Christ, the express image of the glory of the Father. In blessing, know that He loves you, delights in you, rejoices over you, because you bear the image of the Son. In all circumstances rejoice, because He loves you.
Our hindsight encourages our arrogance. Rather than gratitude for all we’ve been shown we scoff at those who saw less. We expose our ingratitude for the full revelation of God’s Word by laughing at those who lacked it. Indeed we’re fools enough to believe that those who were witnesses to the life and ministry of Jesus had the advantage over us who have a mere book. Why, we seem to believe, had I been there, had I witnessed the miracles, had I heard Him declare “Before Abraham was, I AM,” I would have been on my face in worship.
We’re no better, and likely worse, than those who saw and didn’t believe, who heard, and didn’t understand. There is nothing new under the sun, and thus no reason to believe ourselves more astute than our often obtuse fathers in the faith. That we wouldn’t have seen it coming, however, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have.
Genesis 3:15, that text that theologians call the “proto-gospel” reads- And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” This is the gospel in its least revealed form. God does not tell us about the incarnation, about the crucifixion, about the resurrection.
Instead He tells us two key points. First, the good guys win. The devil will be defeated. But the second point is a bit puzzling at first glance- the judgment on the serpent includes the news that the serpent will bruise the heel of the Seed of the woman. With our hindsight we know this speaks of Christ’s suffering on our behalf. The cost of our redemption will be great indeed. The notion that the savior would be a suffering savior is right here, where the notion of a savior is first mentioned.
The same principle, the idea that suffering, or the shedding of blood, must come to pass shows up again in the same chapter, as God replaces the fig leaf coverings Adam and Eve fashioned for themselves with with the skins of animals. The message of sacrifice, the shedding of blood, suffering, substitution, appeared first in the Garden.
It is a ram that shows up in the account of Abraham and Isaac on Mount Moriah. Remember, however, that when Isaac asked his father about the missing sacrifice as they made their way, Abraham noted that the Lord would provide. And so He did. Is it just possible, I wonder, if the ram was stuck in the thicket not only to make him accessible, but to prefigure the crown of thorns our Lord would be forced to wear?
The lamb, however, first comes into clear focus at the Passover. How easy, however, it is to miss even this. The first message of the Passover is something of a surprise. Throughout all the plagues that God sent we are reminded that God’s people are spared. The destruction falls upon the enemies of God, precisely because they had enslaved the friends of God.
The function of the Passover, however, the blood upon the lintel wasn’t merely to inform God the Holy Spirit that there were Hebrews in the house. The blood was no mere “Do not disturb” sign. Instead it communicated a vital truth- that those inside were likewise, in themselves, under the curse of God. The lamb was the substitute, the expression of the wrath of God poured out on the innocent.
This, of course, was why the lamb had to be spotless. The issue wasn’t merely that God is particular, that He wanted His people to give of their best. Rather the purpose was to represent the purity of the lamb. It had to be without physical blot or blemish because the One the lamb pointed to would have to be spiritually without blot or blemish. One could argue in turn that this at least is a hint of the necessity of the incarnation. While ewes give birth to lambs, sinners give birth to sinners.
Isaiah the prophet, of course, gave us still more clues about the nature of the Messiah and His work. Isaiah describes for us the suffering servant, the one by whose stripes we are healed. He even draws on the imagery at the very opening of the book that bears his name, as he, speaking for God calls us to come and reason together, and promises that though our sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow, though they be red like crimson, they will be like wool. The Lamb of God will make us white, like He is.
It should not surprise us, since such was his calling, that John the Baptist would be the one to make clear all that had been shrouded in mystery. The one who prepared the way of the Lord, upon seeing His Lord approaching the Jordan declared, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.” Here John affirms that the reality of which all other lambs had been but types, has come. John affirms that the Lamb will take away our sins. And perhaps more shocking still, he affirms that the Lamb is the sacrifice not just for the Jews, but for all who would turn to Him. Thus Jesus’ earthly ministry begins.
It is near the end of His earthly ministry, however, that we see still more the lamb-like quality of our Lord. The One who is the conquering Lion of Judah, the One who carries a rod of iron with which to break the knees of kings and rulers, the One who is bringing all things under submission to Himself, the Lord of lords, goes to His death like a lamb to the slaughter. He opened not His mouth. He did not speak in His own defense. He did not call upon the heavenly host to come to His aid. With all meekness He laid down His life for us.
Those who loved our Lord longed to see Him as a devouring lion. They wanted fire called down on the Samaritans. They wanted Rome under their own boot. But for three years He had told them that things are not as they seemed. Those who wanted to be first get that way by going to the back of the line. Those who wanted to receive would only do so as they gave. The first would be last. And conquest happens by surrender, victory by defeat, exaltation by humiliation. Lambs, in the end, are lions. Behold the Lion of God, without blemish, gentle, and silent as a lamb.
In the first century they missed Jesus for the same reason that we do. They thought Him a perfect fit for their own agenda. They held on to their plans. For a time they dared to hope He would be the one to bring them to pass. Just like us. We are called however, to lay aside our agendas. To joyfully confess with Him, “nevertheless, not my will but Thine be done.” We are to give up on our leading, and take up our following. He is not just the lamb with blemish, but the Shepherd without flaw.
For the Lamb sits upon His throne. He rules and He reigns. And He does it all for the sake of His glory. Worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing. World without end. Amen.
The gremlins got us again. Technical difficulties keep us from posting a new Jesus Changes Everything Podcast today. We hope to have everything up and running next week.
It’s a volatile real estate market out there. Prices have, in the past few years, shot through the roof faster than, well, faster than the last real estate bubble we had. And they have also come crashing down, when the bubble pops. How well you do buying or selling depends on whether it’s a buyer’s or a seller’s market. Or does it? Follow me through this scenario to see which part of the magic trick you missed.
Suppose I own a house that in this market could sell for a million dollars. It matters not how much I owe on it, if anything. It matters not what I paid for it, if anything. I sell it for a million dollars. Now, if I want a house in a similar neighborhood, or a similar size, you know, say an exact replica of the house I just sold, how much will I need to pay? Right, a million dollars. So how much have I gained through this supposed red hot market? Nothing.
Still not seeing it? Ok, let’s try it this way. Suppose I buy a house for a million dollars. Now suppose the market tanks. I sell my house for a measly $10,000. Calamitous, right? No. I’ve lost nothing. What would it cost me to buy an exact replica of the house I just sold? $10,000. Before the sale I had a house that the market valued at $10,000. After the sale and the buying of the other house I have a replica of the first house valued at $10,000. Samesies. What did I lose in this burst bubble market? Nothing.
In both scenarios I had a house and after selling it I’m able to buy a house that costs what I sold my house for. Moving from one market to another, moving from one sized house to another may change up things a bit but the bottom line is that whether it’s a buyer’s market or a seller’s market makes little difference if you’re both a buyer and a seller.
The key to understanding basic economics, it seems to me, is never leaving part of the equation out. Henry Hazlitt’s classic, Economics in One Lesson, which I commend most highly to you, upended the old saw that breaking things is the path to wealth simply by doing just that, showing the part of the equation we leave out. When we think we’re getting a free lunch, we can be certain we’re not looking at the whole thing. We know that because there isn’t such a thing as a free lunch. Wealth doesn’t come by invisible and unknowable forces but by creating it. That means working, producing, meeting the interests of consumers who will freely pay for what you provide.
Buying low and selling high is all well and good. But if you’re buying the same thing you’re selling and at the same time, you’ll not likely find yourself getting richer or poorer. Just be sure you don’t find yourself duped or deluded.
We continue our Monday Bible study at 7:00. Please note we will not be serving dinner, and will be online only tonight due to unsafe roads.
We air the study on Facebook Live (RC-Lisa Sproul). Within a day or two we post the video of the study right here for those who would like to watch on their own schedule.
Our study considers God’s call that we be as children. Tonight- Wonder
This common take has become a cliché. Many clichés, however, reach that status by virtue of being true. How many times have you heard a preacher say, “The indicative drives the imperative”? Well, maybe not that way exactly, but something like that. Throughout the New Testament we believers are told that we have been declared just, and so should live just lives, that we’ve been declared holy, and so should live holy lives, that we have been made the children of God and so should live as His children. What we are told, when it is true, should change not only what we do but what we are.
Which is where the preaching of God’s Word comes in. Our perspective on it has taken a significant tumble. We think the sermon is where the pastor, or someone he has chosen, shares his or her thoughts. In response we might find those thoughts informative, entertaining, inspiring. Or not. We sit in our pews assessing a performance before delivering our verdict.
A sermon, however, is no mere message. It is grounded in God’s Word, grounded in His authority and given with authority. The sermon is a God ordained means by which we are increasingly changed into the image of Jesus. It tells us what He has said that we might be what He has called us. Understanding this not only ought to change how we prepare and how we bring a sermon but how we prepare for and how we listen to a sermon.
Consider it this way. I receive, from time to time, feedback on the things I write. I want to listen because it will likely help me in the future. But, however much I might give an ear, a reader has no authority over me as a writer. An editor, on the other hand, does. The reader may be wiser, have more insight but the editor has authority. I expect to be changed by the editorial remarks, even though the editor is far from infallible.
There’s a third ingredient in my writing. I may read books on writing. In fact, I have. Some have even been written by professional editors. But those book writers were not my editors. They, again, even if they have far more credentials than my editor, are not my editor. I don’t expect them to make my writing better. I don’t give them authority, even though they might have that authority over writers they work with. So it is with the preaching of other pastors. They have authority over the sheep God placed under their care. The rest of us may benefit from their wisdom, but they are not the ones who will give an account for us. (Heb. 13:7)
We must then come as the sheep that are eager to be fed by the under-shepherd that the Great Shepherd has placed over us. We must come expecting to be changed by the authoritative preaching of His Word. The church will reform as we are re-formed by the ordinary means of grace and their extraordinary power.
The question on its face seems rather insane. It demands not just a “no” but a “by no means.” If not a “why would you ask such a stupid question?”. I ask the question, however, because God Himself once asked it. God’s people were wondering why in their return from exile they weren’t enjoying the blessings God had promised. God sent the prophet Malachi to tell them. Among God’s complaints- men were robbing God by not paying their tithes.
Now it is not my intention here to argue over the tithe, one way or another. I desire instead to affirm the most basic, most fundamental economic reality there is- God owns everything. Unless we get this truth, from the top of our mousse shaped noggins to the bottom of our Bass Weejuns we’ll not rightly understand either economics, nor our calling in His world.
God put a man and a woman in His garden. He called them to dress and to keep that garden, to rule over the birds of the air, the fish of the sea, and every creeping thing that creeps upon the ground. God didn’t give them the world He had made, but He did put them in charge. He called them to be His stewards, and gave them a job to do.
If we understood this we’d understand the problem with bloated governments, mandates from Health and Human Services. The problem isn’t that the state steals from us, but that it steals from God. Because He is the Master, the Maker, and the light of the sun maker, He is the one who delegates His wealth to the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker. When a petty thief, or a grasping state decides that it knows better how that wealth ought to be handled it is not merely stealing from men, but from God. And in so doing affirming that they know better than God.
In like manner when we by His grace manage to keep what He has given us, when we multiply it, when we invest it, we are being wise stewards of what is His. His mind you, not the church’s. If we are handling what is God’s as He would have us, caring for our families, serving our customers, giving to the church what we ought, can anyone find fault?
Yes, God could. For we have forgotten one thing. God also commanded His people this- that they should “spend the money for whatever your desire- oxen or sheep or wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite craves. And you shall eat there before the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household” (Deuteronomy 14:26).
That God owns everything doesn’t mean we cannot enjoy what He has given. It means we must enjoy what He has given. We have obligations, but they are to Him, the Owner. God commands us to care for those under our care. He wants us to support the mission of the church. The Father wants us to invest in future productivity. He wants us to enjoy. All of these honor Him. All of these acknowledge Him as our Lord.
More wisdom on biblical economics is available here.
I will not dispute that these are not the best of times. As a nation we are drowning in red ink. Around the globe, soldiers, civilians and believers are falling by the sword. Yet, the liturgy of our year, by which we devote times and seasons to specific emphases calls us to a day of thanksgiving, followed by weeks of feasting over the incarnation of our Lord and Savior. How do we manage the disparity?
By giving thanks and feasting over the incarnation of our Lord and Savior. Our Pilgrim forefathers rightly devoted time and energy to giving thanks to God for sustaining them in the new land. They went to that new land, however, that they might be free to worship their Savior. The winter before, when so many died agonizing deaths, they were still able to worship, and He was still their Savior. The hardships, like ours, were real. The unchanging reason for gratitude, however, was real also. The foundation of our thanksgiving isn’t comfort, health and prosperity but forgiveness, peace and adoption.
All of which came to us because Immanuel came to us. Is there anything in our contemporary and temporary hardships that should diminish our joy in His coming? Is there anything that suggests His promise to be with us always (Matt. 28:20) has been broken? Is there anything that frees us of our calling to be of good cheer (John 16:33) because He has already overcome the world? Will we, who profess to believe that three days after He was murdered our Lord walked out of the tomb alive, never to die again, believe that He has the whole world in His scarred hands?
Please do not misunderstand. It is not my intention to deny the reality of hardships. Jesus Himself wept over the death of Lazarus. We ought to weep over the scourge of the murder of the unborn. But we must also, like Martha, believe that those who have passed will be raised on the last day (John 11:24). Death and sickness are still with us, but they are passing.
Nor is it my intention to deny the sorrow of watching a culture become increasingly bloodthirsty and hostile to Jesus and His bride. I suspect that the same shepherds who were told of the birth of Jesus and rejoiced later learned of the murder of the infants of Bethlehem under Herod’s orders, and wept. The broader culture remains hostile toward us. Jesus, however, told us this was coming. Indeed, “Be of good cheer, for I have already overcome the world” is immediately preceded by this warning,
Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation.”
We are to count it all joy. We are to give thanks in all things, to learn to live faithfully whether abased or abounding. How do we do it? We remember what we are due in ourselves, what we have been given in Christ and all that we have been promised. Give thanks. And rejoice.
