This Old Man: He wrote four

John 3:22-36 (NIV)

²²After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. ²³Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were constantly coming to be baptized. ²⁴(This was before John was put in prison.) ²⁵An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. ²⁶They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”

²⁷To this John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. ²⁸You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.’ ²⁹The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. ³⁰He must become greater; I must become less.

³¹“The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. ³²He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. ³³The man who has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. ³⁴For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. ³⁵The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. ³⁶Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”

Here again we have a text that is not often misquoted, but often misused. When it is used, it is so often not really understood what it means. Jesus must become greater, I must become less. First of all, He is greater. He does not have to become greater, He is greater. Now I understand that when this is used, people, (including myself) are talking about a pride thing we have. When I am seated on the throne of my life, I put myself in a position that I should not be in. And in that context, there may be a reason to use this. However, I believe that there are much better Scriptures to use, ones that speak of humbling yourself in the sight of the Lord.

Now why do I say that. Simply because there is something greater going on here. First of all, what we read in this passage is not about John being prideful, lifting himself up, seating himself on the throne. John is actually testifying to the greatness of this One who comes after him. He is testifying of the greatness of the Son of God. This is the one who had been prophesied, promised. He is the bridegroom come to claim His bride. John has been sent ahead to prepare the way for Jesus. Now that Jesus has come, John is filled with JOY, not because he was the center of attention, but because the bridegroom has come. John is full of JOY because Jesus is successful.

John was willing to go all the way to death in the light of this joy. We read in other gospels, that just before his death, he had some doubts and sent to find out if this joy was was misplaced or was still valid. Jesus sends back the word that all that had been promised, was in fact, being fulfilled. John could die with joy.

It is just at this point we need to realize what this text is talking about. Not just simply humbling yourself, stepping off the throne but still remaining in the throne room. No, it is about getting out of the way and letting Jesus get to work. It is about dying. Dying to self, dying of self, DYING!!! It is about letting the plan, promise and purpose of God be fulfilled. It is about taking up crosses, it is about a radical way of life, that says not only, “take my life and let it be, consecrated Lord to Thee,” but says, “Take my life!” If that is what is needed for your plan, promise and purpose to be fulfilled, then so be it! That is what John is saying here. Whatever it takes Lord, I will do.

This Old Man, he wrote three

I know, I know, it has been a long time since I have contributed. I have grandchildren now!!!

So anyway, today I want to spend some time on a verse that is so often misused, Jeremiah 29:11: For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. This is a really interesting verse of Scripture. It is part of a letter sent by Jeremiah to the exiles in Babylon. Take note of that, the exiles in Babylon. Jeremiah first tells them to build homes, plant gardens, seek the peace of the city they are in. They are to get involved with the local community, to pray for it, so that it may prosper. In doing this, they will prosper also. They are not to listen to those prophets who are telling them that they will soon be going back home. Instead, they are to make their home where they are now.

Why? Because the Lord knows what plans He has for them. But these are plans for the future. For 70 years they must remain in captivity. Only then will He listen to them when they call out. The so-called prophets will be chased down, sword, famine and plague will sent against them as well as those who listen to them.

So as you see, these words are not all that wonderful for the people of Israel. They are being told that what they dream about and wish for, and even pray for will not come about swiftly, and will not come about without some real suffering happening.

So how is this misused? We quote this in the midst of trials, with the idea that God is going to take care of things immediately. Not so. If we are using this verse correctly, we need to take the long view, 70 years of exile and suffering, before God will answer. Not that God will not answer swiftly, there are many places in Scripture that tell us that God will act on our behalf and often swiftly. We need to remember that God is not ruled by time. He can and will act as He sees fit, when He sees fit. God has not forgotten His people, He will act and does act. But not when we decide He should.

When people quote this verse, I love to ask them if they want to wait for 70 years for an answer. Shakes them up a bit. Never forget that God is the source of prosperity and disaster. Isaiah 45: 7 (NLT) I create the light and make the darkness. I send good times and bad times. I, the Lord, am the one who does these things. And He does it all according to His plan.

So what is the proper way to use this verse. Simply to recognize, that He is in control. Nothing slips by Him. He does have plans for us, plans to prosper us, give us hope and a future. Many of us may not see the fulfillment of that until we stand before Him, renewed, recreated, perfected.

Sinfully delicious

Here is a random post that arose out of a question at our Life Group. The question was, “How do you define sin?” The immediate response was, “Disobeying God.” And everyone seemed content with that. But is it so, I would suggest not. So let me throw a definition at you that comes from my seminary training.

SIN IS THE ONLY THING THAT IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE!!

As we unpack this, the first thing that comes to mind is a challenge, one that I lay out to you and that I have been thinking about off and on for these past 30 years or so — can you come up with one word that defines sin in a positive way. The only way that sin can be described in is negative terminology. It cannot be described in positives, because it is the only thing that is not supposed to be here.

Second unpacking is this, everything else is supposed to be here, water, earth, food, mosquitoes, yes even them. God created them, they have a function in this creation, although like everything else, it is screwed up because of sin. As you look around, as you think about it, everything is supposed to be here, except sin. All that our great God created is groaning in expectation and anticipation for the children of God to be revealed.

Finally, we can ask the question, what about disobedience. It is only one aspect of sin, it is one of those negatives that describes sin. To limit sin to just one aspect, we limit the severity of sin, the all encompassing power of it. But even more, we severly limit the grace of God given to us in Jesus Christ.

So think on these things my children.

This Old Man, He Wrote Two

The passage that I am going to comment on today is not so often misquoted as misused. And I have to confess, that in the first part of my ministry I also misused it. Let me quote the passage from the NIV:

Ephesians 5:22-33

22Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

 25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— 30for we are members of his body. 31“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” 32This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Why do I say misused? It is misused because it is seen primarily as a message to husbands and wives and how they ought to live together. Let me tell you, that is not the purpose of this passage. How do I get to that you say?

First of all, let us remember that this is part of God’s message to his people. It is our Lord communicating something fundementally imporant to us. To get to that, we have to first ask the question, “What is the book of Ephesians about?” The answer is that this is Paul’s (God’s) treatise on the church. What is the church, how it came to be, how are we to act as a part of the church? The first three chapters are a “theological” description of how the church came to be, what is its shape, etc. The last three chapters are more “practical”, how we are to live as church in relationship to our Saviour, to each other and to the world in which we live. Paul gets real practical, outlining how we are to be different, to stand out and to stand firm.

So now let us get to our passage. If this is not primarily a message about marriage, what is it about? Paul gives us a couple of clues:

Verse 24  Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

Verse 25-27  … just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

Verse 29-30 …  just as Christ does the church— 30for we are members of his body.

Verse 32  This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.

As we isolate these words, we find that this passage is first of all a picture of Christ and the church, how the bride gives herself to the bridegroom and how the bridegroom gives himself for his bride. As verse 21 tells us, it is a mutual submission. (Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.)

For many years this passage has been used at wedding ceremonies as a guide for a proper marriage relationship, and I am guilty of doing just that. That misses the real depth of what this passage is telling us. It is telling us of our deep relationship to and involvement with our Lover, our Husband, our Saviour. It is telling to note that the role of the Husband is dealt with in more detail than that of the Wife. She is simply told to submit as church to the Lord. The Husband’s role is laid out as one who gives, who dies, who cleanses, who prepares, who presents. It is his role which begins, maintains and completes the relationship. It is his purpose to make it work. And isn’t that so true of our relationship with our Lord. As the writer to Hebrews says, “He is the author and perfecter of our faith.” Jesus is the one who began the relationship, who did all things, even dying to make it possible to have a relationship and He is the one who will bring it all to completion on that final day, when we stand before him and are with him for eternity.

Now can this be used as a marriage ceremony text? Of course it can. For the word of God has much more to in than just one layer. This is a profound message to relate to those entering into marriage, it is great to use as a tool to help marriages grow. But if that is all we see it as, we are missing out on the greatness of who our Lord is and what He has done and is doing at this moment for us. Because what this calls for in our relationship to him, is a radical denying of self and submitting to him as he did when he submitted to the anger and fear of those who hung him on the cross. We are called to submit to one another. Jesus did his part when he submitted to us, now we have an obligation to submit to him in the same depth, in the same completness as he did, including going all the way to death, if it is called for.

So now, when I use this passage in Marriage Counseling, I use it this way: I say to the couple that they are not to look at what the other is to be doing, but to work at their part until they have it right. For the wife (bride) I ask the question, “Have you given yourself to your husband the way the church gives itself or should give itself to Jesus?. Until you have, you have no right to complain about how your husband (groom) is performing his role.” And to the husband (groom), “Have you died for your wife (bride) yet? Until you do, you have no right to complain about how she is performing her role.” They both need to get their parts right, before looking to the other. And once they do, it is amazing how well the marriage works.

Have a great day!

This Old Man, he wrote one

Revelation 3:14-22 14Write to Laodicea, to the Angel of the church. God’s Yes, the Faithful and Accurate Witness, the First of God’s creation, says:

15-17“I know you inside and out, and find little to my liking. You’re not cold, you’re not hot—far better to be either cold or hot! You’re stale. You’re stagnant. You make me want to vomit. You brag, ‘I’m rich, I’ve got it made, I need nothing from anyone,’ oblivious that in fact you’re a pitiful, blind beggar, threadbare and homeless.

18“Here’s what I want you to do: Buy your gold from me, gold that’s been through the refiner’s fire. Then you’ll be rich. Buy your clothes from me, clothes designed in Heaven. You’ve gone around half-naked long enough. And buy medicine for your eyes from me so you can see, really see.

19“The people I love, I call to account—prod and correct and guide so that they’ll live at their best. Up on your feet, then! About face! Run after God!

20-21“Look at me. I stand at the door. I knock. If you hear me call and open the door, I’ll come right in and sit down to supper with you. Conquerors will sit alongside me at the head table, just as I, having conquered, took the place of honor at the side of my Father. That’s my gift to the conquerors!

22“Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches.

So here is the first of the MisQuoted Passages of Scripture that I would like to deal with. As I mentioned in an earlier post, this verse is taken so often, so out of context. It makes me shiver to recall how many times I have heard it used in an evangelistic setting. Not that God cannot use our mistakes and misquotes, because He so often does. That, however, does not give us the freedom to misuse Scripture. We have to be careful how we use the Word that God has given us.

So to begin, let give you an idea of how this passage has been misused. In my years as a pastor, I have heard many people use this as the ending of an evangelistic appeal. At first, it did not bother me because I was ignorant of what the passage was really saying. It is not an evangelistic passage. Remember what I said about Scripture last time: it is one book from start to finish, written by God and it is written to His people. Even a cursory view of Revelation 3 shows us that this is part of a letter written to a church, the church at Laodecia. It was written to a specific church for a specific reason. This church was not doing well. It had stagnated. Jesus was coming down hard on it. This church thought it was doing well, but as Jesus points out, that instead of being rich, she was actually poor.

Jesus in his compassion and love for his church, his people promises them that if they will repent, he will meet with them. Not only will he come in through the door, not only will he stand in the entryway, not only will he come and sit in the living room, but he will sit down and eat with us. Does that seem a little lame? If you know anything of the culture in which this was written, you will know that eating with someone was a trust thing. Eating with someone was a sharing of life. Eating with someone was a coming together of friends and family. Instead of standing outside the door and gagging, Jesus wants to come inside and eat.

Notice one other thing about this verse, it is addressed to individuals. If anyone hears my voice… I will eat with him (or her). Most of the time, the commands of the Bible are in the plural, addressed to God’s people as a whole. This offer is very clearly addressed to individuals. Repentance and restoration is an individual business – you cannot repent for me and I cannot repent for you. We have to deal with our failings and our relationship with God on our own. The church may fail corporately, but we have to turn to Jesus one by one in repentance and trust.

And my final point on this is: The Bible is written to God’s people to show them the great love he has for us. The book of Revelation was written to the churches (Revelation 1:4) to give them comfort in a time of deep distress and persecution. Revelation 3:14-22 was written to a specific church, for a specific reason, to bring people back into the proper relationship with the Alpha and Omega. Why would God insert a verse in the middle of it all, as a call to unbelievers to open their hearts to him? Well, he didn’t, this is a call to you and I. A call that comes when the church falls away, we fall away. It is Jesus, our Lord and Master, coming as a servant again, calling us to repent, to open our lives to him and be cleansed. To be in warm and intimate relationship with the One who died that we might live.