War Un-fare

James 4:1 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, "The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously"? 6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."

James continues to discuss matters of the heart, in a fashion which plops our heart out in front of us for self-examination.

“Why am I constantly in places of confrontation,” you may ask? Oh yeah, the reason is because of the selfish desire for pleasure that wars in your members. Can you argue with that? Wanna start something?

Fighting is something that comes very naturally to us. Defending our turf, and our way of life. This can be as significant as capitalism versus Nazi-ism, or as (seemingly) insignificant as which way the toilet paper spools off the roll. Are you over-the-top, or under the roll? (Sorry, didn’t mean to get you started…)

We have our way, and our way is better than their way. My way is better than your way. And my way can be better simply because it is familiar to me. I will fight to keep my way. Sometimes I will even say, “My way or the highway.”

How can human beings EVER get along? Takes a lot of policing, don’t it? And sometimes even policing doesn’t guarantee an end to the strife – because the police have their way, and…you know the rest…

Is the church the same as the rest? After all, the church is comprised of a bunch of rugged individualists - those strong enough to turn their backs on the world, and everything the world offers. (I know the world says we are mind-numbed robots who blindly think alike, but we know that’s not true, don’t we?) Won’t these rugged individualists really fight tooth and nail to maintain their Spiritual independence?

And here is where everything changes. Warfare is not to be against people, and even when it is – in the case of Biblically justifiable responsible warfare – the true enemy is not the guy in front of you. Warfare is Spiritual. And it starts with you. The war that rages in your members.

Whose side is God on? This is the question we often ask to attempt to justify our position. But a better question to ask is: Am I on God’s side?

-Pastor Bill

Whose Mouth is it Anyway?

James 3:1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. 2 For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. 3 Indeed, we put bits in horses' mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. 4 Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. 5 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. 8 But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh. 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.

I serve Creator God. I belong to Him, lock, stock, barrel, and…mouth?

Strange as it may seem, many of us would claim the prospect of wholly His, while at the same time regularly being mouthly His ain’t.

This is not unusual at all, and this is the reason James takes this up. James saw the same people praise His brother Jesus as He rode into Jerusalem and call for Barabbas when the choice between Jesus and Barabbas had to be made.

What is really being spoken of here is consistency, through and through. What the Bible calls integrity, or wholeness.

You have often heard it said you are really the person you are when no one else is watching. What is your character when no one sees?

Just as the ankle-bone is connected to the foot-bone, so the heart-bone is connected to the mouth-bone. This is why Jesus said it is out of the overflow of the heart that the mouth speaks. If you have an ungraceful mouth, it is because you have an ungraceful heart. I need to teach that to myself first, lest I be judged by my own mouth.

-Pastor Bill

Through His Eyes

Psalm 118:1 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. 2 Let Israel now say, "His mercy endures forever." 3 Let the house of Aaron now say, "His mercy endures forever." 4 Let those who fear the Lord now say, "His mercy endures forever." 5 I called on the Lord in distress; The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place. 6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? 7 The Lord is for me among those who help me; Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me. 8 It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in man. 9 It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in princes. 10 All nations surrounded me, But in the name of the Lord I will destroy them. 11 They surrounded me, Yes, they surrounded me; But in the name of the Lord I will destroy them. 12 They surrounded me like bees; They were quenched like a fire of thorns; For in the name of the Lord I will destroy them. 13 You pushed me violently, that I might fall, But the Lord helped me. 14 The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation. 15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation Is in the tents of the righteous; The right hand of the Lord does valiantly. 16 The right hand of the Lord is exalted; The right hand of the Lord does valiantly. 17 I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the Lord. 18 The Lord has chastened me severely, But He has not given me over to death. 19 Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, And I will praise the Lord. 20 This is the gate of the Lord, Through which the righteous shall enter. 21 I will praise You, For You have answered me, And have become my salvation. 22 The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. 23 This was the Lord's doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. 24 This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. 25 Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity. 26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We have blessed you from the house of the Lord. 27 God is the Lord, And He has given us light; Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar. 28 You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You. 29 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

Did you ever wonder what Jesus saw and thought about as He rode into Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives? One thing we know for sure; He knew exactly what He was doing. We know He knew He was riding into a hornet’s nest, and He knew He would not be bringing peace to that nest, but a sword.

A sword of God’s glory, which would divide the false from the true.

Psalm 118 tells the story of that gloriously inglorious ride, through the eyes of the rider, Who is Messiah. Rather than a white charger, the vehicle was the colt of a lowly donkey. Rather than riding in a gloriously high seated position commanding adoration, Jesus rested lowly on the foal’s back, right at eye level. His glory would penetrate the heart.

That He was fulfilling prophecy by His action is undeniable. But even in this, the Divine nature of His sovereignty was on display. “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied…” The rest is History, told in Psalm 118…

-Pastor Bill

Playing Favorites

James 2:1 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. 2 For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, 3 and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, "You sit here in a good place," and say to the poor man, "You stand there," or, "Sit here at my footstool," 4 have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? 7 Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? 8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well; 9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

Who’s your favorite – and how does that affect how you respond?

We all have favorites. It’s only natural. If you lived in Denver right now – would you be for Peyton Manning, or Tim Tebow? If republican, are you for Mitt Romney, or Rick Santorum?

Who is your favorite apostle? Is it John, or Peter? (Those are the two who consistently poll the highest.) BTW – Peter usually comes out on top.

Funny thing, favorites. Who we favor. Thinking more highly of one over another. I wonder; where does that come from?

They tell us we form an opinion of someone within the first thirty seconds of meeting that person. It’s called a “first impression,” and we are also told, “first impressions are VERY difficult to overcome.” True, isn’t it?

James teaches us the threshold of the church should be the place where this idea of favorites and favoritism should and must end. When we understand the notion of the church being our lives - rather than any building - then we further understand the notion of playing favorites must end at the threshold of our lives.

As the half-brother of Jesus, it must have been painfully fascinating for James to watch as Jesus extended His hands to touch some pretty untouchable people. This may have been upsetting or even disgusting to James. Can you imagine James watching as Jesus touched a Samaritan? Or, even worse – a leper?

This concept of ‘untouchable’ people had been fostered by a misinterpretation of Jewish Law, and Jesus was forthrightly setting all of it aside. There could be no misinterpretation of God’s intent. God is love. God is unconditional love. Jesus, God in flesh, lived that out. We are not to play favorites, we are to favor everyone. This is the love of God.

-Pastor Bill

Things to Remember

Hebrews 13:7 Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 9 Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them. 10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. 12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. 13 Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. 14 For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come. 15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. 16 But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. 17 Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. 

The Book of Hebrews is obviously designed to be a very memorable book. The doctrine presented here is a full representation of the Christian faith, all the way from the beginning. The intricacies of the Book of Hebrews are quite amazing, demonstrating once and for all God had a plan all along, and His plan to bring a Redeemer in Christ had been announced even in his teaching to the Israelites, and in the ceremonies and demonstrations found in God’s Law.

Jesus is in every bit of that. Jesus is God, and the Law is God’s Law, and all of the Old Testament is not cast away, but foundational to the New. How incredibly important to our understanding all of this is…

But what can we take away? What are the life applications of such towering doctrine?

To conclude the Book of Hebrews the author turns not so much to ‘what we know’ as to ‘how we live,’ in the places we live, in light of the doctrine we have learned.

Last week we talked about life in relationships, and particularly marriage, which is intimate fellowship designed by God.

This week we see applicational instruction for life in the church, which is also intimate fellowship designed by God.

Marriage is intimate fellowship which is inescapable, as is life in the Church. We are not to cut and run, we are to live and learn…to be servants, and to be submissive to authority.

As much as we instinctively object to most notions of submissiveness, here we really need to pay attention, because we are learning to submit to Jesus.

-Pastor Bill

Enough

Heb 13:1 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. 3 Remember the prisoners as if chained with them--those who are mistreated--since you yourselves are in the body also. 4 Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge. 5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." 6 So we may boldly say: "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" 7 Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 9 Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them. 10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. 12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. 13 Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. 14 For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come. 15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. 16 But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. 17 Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. 18 Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience, in all things desiring to live honorably. 19 But I especially urge you to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner.  

The author of Hebrews concludes with a strong admonition that the doctrine shared would be completely, satisfyingly, and perfectly enough because it is all there is.

There is no need to continue looking when you have arrived at the truth. The truth is all there is, and to look for more than the truth, once you know the truth, is to perhaps stumble on a lie that is less than the truth – not more.

How vulnerable our culture has become in this area. We value knowledge to such a great extent that essential truths are done away with in order to pursue philosophical insights. We have even arrived at the place of saying, “there is no absolute truth.”

How absolutely foolish that is. Of course there is absolute truth, in moral and theological and Spiritual arenas just as certainly as there is in mathematics and navigation. It is the simple truths which will endure to eternity, and the fanciful imaginings of foolish man will be cast away in the same way they always have been.

It is enough to let this doctrine we have been taught continue, because it is eternal doctrine.

-Pastor Bill

A Bloodless Coup

Hebrews 12:1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. 4 You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. 5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: "My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; 6 For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives." 7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? 8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. 12 Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. 14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; 16 lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright.

The great question about the doctrine of grace is: Can grace change or even modify behavior? Since there is so much uncertainty on that score, most – if not all – churches add behavioral directives to their doctrine because you cannot implicitly trust grace alone to do the job of reforming man.

After all, it is the flesh that longs for “no rules.” The reason the flesh desires “no rules” is because the flesh longs to satisfy lust, and lust is, “against the rules.”

This was the great strength of the sacrificial system. It not only had rules against sin, it also had sacrifices for sin that were visible. There was a lot of blood in the sanctuary, (which may seem an odd place to find blood.) But since remission of sin ONLY took place by the shedding of blood, and those in the sanctuary were dealing with sin, there was a lot of blood there. It was a powerful reminder of sin and for sin.

What happens when you take that away and move to the bloodless system of grace? You know – the once-for-all sacrifice? Can you still trust in God’s direction even without a visible correction? The answer is: YES!

Pastor Bill