God has spoken

God is there.  He is not silent.  He has spoken.

God has spoken in many ways but His primary way is through the Son.  Jesus is the logos - the  Word, John 1:1.

The Word is - it has always existed.  There has never been a time when the Word was not.  The world came into existence by the Word, Psalm 33:6.  The Word is The source of life; The source of everything that exists.  The Word defines everything. The Word is The Reference point, The Standard, The Principle around which the entire universe revolves.  The Word is the Reason by which everything came into being.  The Word is.

The Word speaks. The Word expresses.  The Word reveals.  The Word creates.  The Word sustains.  The Word was and is and always will be.

The Word is God, the eternal.  The Word is singular: Word not words; One not many.

The Word was face to face with God. God with God.  What was the Word doing before the Word created?  God, The Word was in face to face fellowship with God.  The Word enjoyed deep, united, loving, intimate communication with God.

The Word is in eternal fellowship and out of this fellowship the Word spoke the heavens and the earth into existence for God's good pleasure.

The Word is not an it.  The Word is a Person — The Person called the Son, John 1:2-4,18.  This Word became human, the visible expression of the invisible God, John 1:14.  The Word has a name - Jesus!  Jesus is the Word and Jesus came to reveal, to make God known. Without the Word translated into humanity, we have no idea what God is really like.  All of our thoughts are mere speculations. But the Word came and revealed God to us, John 1:18.  Why? So, we could enter into this fellowship eternal.

We tried to kill the Word but we cannot kill that which is.  The resurrection is God's exclamation point - The Word thrives eternal and you are invited into fellowship with Him by putting your trust in what God says.  Word.

Who Killed Jesus?

Here are the words to a song we used to sing in our campus fellowship days that moved me to tears and still does. I can remember the first time I sang this not aware of the last stanza.   I am humming the tune even as I type.


Who Killed Jesus?

Was it Roman soldiers, with their tools of war,
Driving nails through hands that did no wrong?
Mocking and abusing, crowning Him with thorns,
All the evidence is very strong.
Who killed Jesus many years ago?
Who is guilty of a crime so low?
Why did He have to die? What is the reason why?
Who killed Jesus? I would like to know.

Was is Pontius Pilate? He was governor,
Trying to decide the case that day.
Finding that the Savior, had no fault His own,
Was he guilty when he turned away?
Who killed Jesus many years ago?
Who is guilty of a crime so low?
Why did He have to die? What is the reason why?
Who killed Jesus? I would like to know.

Was it Hebrew children, proud of who they were?
Shouting "crucify Him" at their King?
Trading their Messiah, for a common thief,
Turning down the kingdom He could bring.
Who killed Jesus many years ago?
Who is guilty of a crime so low?
Why did He have to die? What is the reason why?
Who killed Jesus? I would like to know.

When I think of Jesus and the way He died,
How upon Him all my sin was laid.
All the other people fade away from view,
Its for me the sacrifice was made!
I no longer wonder any more.
I have found what I've been looking for.
My sin demanded hell.
On Him the judgment fell.
I am guilty, no its plain to see,
That it was really me!

The Day God Changed Clothes

Jesus ... laid aside His garments.    John 13:4

On Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday, the Thursday before the Resurrection, Jesus and the disciples were observing the Passover Meal.  

Jesus knew that this would be the last meal that He would have with His disciples who were His also His companions and friends.   He had every right for this evening to be about Him but He laid aside the garments of rights, of privilege, of position in order to take up the servant's towel and wash the smelly, filthy feet of these twelve men including the one who betrayed Him.  Jesus changed clothes.  

We take clothes for granted.  But clothes not only cover us they also at least outwardly tell you we are — whether we are male or female (although in our day this is being blurred).  They can also point to what our status is in society.  

This reminds me of another day in which God changed clothes.  When Jesus, the eternal Son, emptied Himself, He laid aside thee garments of glory in order to be wrapped in humanity (Philippians 2:6-7; John 1:1, 14).  He walked amongst us. He ate with us.  He laughed and cried with us.  He suffered with us.  

He changed clothes again and wore the garments of a servant (Philippians 2:7).  He told us that, "He did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45).  Although He is the Eternal Sovereign, the Most High God, He chose the garments of a bondslave. He refused  to be adorned Himself with pride, power, prestige, or popularity offered to Him by the tempter.  He chose rather the adornment of the Cross.

He traded in His robe of glory to wear the servants cloak.  He yielded His cloak to take on the naked shame of our filthy sin-stained calloused hearts.  Here He chose a wooden stake reserved for vile criminals to hang His garment of humanity on.  It is here, at the Cross, declothed in exposed humanity, He hung like a worn out rag suspended between heaven and earth in our place.  He exchanged His cloak of Righteousness in order to cover our nakedness before God with His Righteous Robe and took upon Himself our filthy rags (2 Corinthians 5:21). 

The day that God changed clothes is the day that changed the course of history and has changed my life.   

The Wisdom and Power of God

What do you see when you survey the Cross?

At first glance —

When I survey the Cross I see weakness but the wisdom of God is displayed here. 
When I survey the Cross I see shame but God uses it for our salvation.
When I survey the Cross I see a mess but it is God’s masterpiece.
When I survey the Cross I see death but God uses it to put death to death.
When I survey the Cross I see utter foolishness but it is here we see the forgiveness of God.
When I survey the Cross I see senselessness but it is here we see how serious a sin really is.
When I survey the Cross I see brutality but it is here the scandalous beauty of God is unveiled.

If we humble ourselves at the Cross we see both the wisdom and the power of God —

At the Cross, we see Jesus drinking the cup of the holy Justice of God!
At the Cross, we see Jesus pouring out the unfathomable, vast dimensions of God’s love toward us
At the Cross, we see Jesus, the  Son of God, who died for us to rescue us and bring us Home! 

The Cross changes everything...  even what we sing about.   

Listen to the words of Isaac Watts in the Hymn, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

His dying crimson, like a robe,
Spreads o’er His body on the tree;
Then I am dead to all the globe,
And all the globe is dead to me.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

Isaac Watts

What do you see?

1 Corinthians 1:17-18 (23-25) 

The Cross and the Purpose of God

The Cross...

The Cross is no accident or surprise, at least to God.  The Cross was actually pre-planned by God Himself! 

The Cross was predetermined by God.  This was God’s “fixed” plan which He determined before the foundation of the world.  

The Cross, therefore, is not peripherial or ancillary to human history.  It is the centerpiece of human history.  

There is an interplay here, a spiritual tensions between God’s sovereign plan and human responsibility.  In God’s foreknowledge, the Lord knows the future and all potential futures. He knows, ordains, allows and uses all of our choices to fulfill His sovereign purpose and plan.  

The Cross is no mistake.  It is the very plan of God that changes everything for all time.  The Cross not only changes everything in this cosmos, it also changes me.  It puts my broken life back together again.  It restores my soul.  It makes me fully human and renews the image of God from which I am carved out.  

There is nothing like it in the entire universe.  It is revolutionary.  

There is no other philosophy, no religion, no belief system that is like the Cross.  The Cross is completely and totally unique.  It stands alone.   It transcends time and history.  

The Cross is both hideous and beautiful.  What happened there is nothing short of breath taking!  

The world looks at the Cross and calls it moronic.  The world looks at the Cross and mocks it.  

Yet . . . The Cross is where the infinite Justice and infinite Love of God kiss and rescue us.

The Cross ...   Acts 2:23

the substance of faith

There is a common idea that facts belong to science and faith belongs to the spiritual.  This is a false dichotomy. It leads to the idea that being “spiritual” is not based on facts but a “leap of faith”.  It leads to the so-called blind faith.  

Faith is neither blind nor is it a leap. Christian faith is based on historical evidence and it is not a blind leap into an imaginary or fantasy world.  I learned to ice skate on a farmers pond in Pennsylvania.  During the winter the pond froze with ice over a foot thick.  By faith, I stepped out on the ice based on the fact that it was solid enough to hold me (at least I hoped). In fact, everyone of us live by faith every day based on fact.  I just sat down in a chair — that was a demonstration of faith.  

Science can points us in the direction of the spiritual, faith enables us to experience it.  Science wrestles with the how and what. Faith grapples with the who and why.  

Science is not opposed to faith and faith is not opposed to science.  It is our interpretations from science and from faith that often collide.  Of course there are mysteries we are still seeking to harmonize science and faith.  Seeking out mysteries is part of the fun and stimulates us to go where no man has gone before.   But they are not enemies. They are bedfellows.  Modern science was birthed out of a biblical world view which embraces the truth that the universe had a beginning by a personal Creator and that this Creator established natural laws that govern the universe. Because the universe has order and design to it (even though it is damaged by the Fall) it is our “playground” to explore.  

We take much of it for granted but I invite you to be still and consider the vastness of the macro -world and the countless stars which God knows by name and consider the smallness of the micro-world where God infused the wonder of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) into every living cell.  And then consider that God is mindful of you — it will blow your sockets.  

ready ... set:

In Psalm 16, David says that he “continually sets the LORD before Him” and then he says, “because He is my right hand, I will not be shaken.”  I have wondered how David did this - to set the Lord before Him, continually.  

David digested and viewed his life’s circumstances through the nature and character of the Lord.  He did not continually set his troubles and problems before Him, rather He viewed his problems and troubles through the lens of the Lord.

Here are three attributes of the Lord that I consciously set before me.  First, the Sovereignty of God.  Jeremiah declares, Ah Lord God!  Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm!  Nothing is too difficult for You. (Jeremiah 32:17) And God told Jeremiah, Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything to difficult for me? (Jeremiah 32:27)  Instead of viewing the giants before me, I view them through the greatness of God and then these “giants” become more like grasshoppers.  

God is Sovereign.  It does not solely depend upon you.  He is able to help you

Second attribute I reflect on is the Goodness of God.  God is not only able but He is Good.  As Mr and Mrs. Beaver tell Lucy about Aslan in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, “safe, who said anything about safe? Of course He isn’t safe, but He is Good.”  And in His goodness, God wants to help you.  

God is Good.  It does not solely depend upon you.  He wants to help you.

The third attribute I focus on is the Faithfulness of God. God has made many promises and He fulfills every single one of them.  He never makes a promise or covenant that He will not complete and fulfill.  God is faithful to forgive.  For example: 1 John 1:9; He is faithful to Protect, 2 Thessalonians 3:3; He is faithful to purify you, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, He is faithful to preserve you, 1 Corinthians 1:8-9.  These are just a few of the faithful things God will do in you and for you.  

God is Faithful.  It does not depend solely on you.  He will help you.

Exercise:  Take your left hand and let it represent all of the troubles and issues you are facing. Take your right hand and let it represent the attributes of God (the Sovereignty of God, The Goodness of God, The Faithfulness of God . . .).  Put your left hand in front of your face and your right and behind your left hand.  Is this the way you are dealing with your troubles.  You see God through your troubles. Your troubles look huge and God seems small and you have little hope.

Now, switch your hand positions. Put your right hand before your face and place your left hand way behind your right.  What do you see?  You are now looking at your troubles through the lens of God’s attributes.  God is Great and your troubles are re-sized, more like grasshoppers (Read Numbers 13-14:9).

David continually set the LORD before Him.  How about you?