Category Archives: Blog

The Haunting

22 Friday Jun 2018

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The other day I gave my answer to a question asked in our church Community Group Discussion Guide which read: “How does knowing you are adopted by God change your view of yourself and of God? How does this give a new answer to your identity?”

My honest response was:

“Knowing God has chosen and adopted me as his son brings me to my knees in highest praise. Unfortunately, the overwhelming sense of guilt and shame past sin often reminds me of competes for my ability to see myself as the forgiven, regenerate, and redeemed child of God he tells me I am, and walk confidently of my ability to each day be everything he says I am.”

Dear Christian friend, I wonder, might our lives sometimes run along a parallel path? Knowing what God says to be true but haunted by yesteryear’s sin, perhaps yesterdays? Instead of seeing the person God declares you are in Christ today, the image you see in the mirror is definitely not the Imago Dei (image of God) and the story being told by that person staring back at you is very different. One of a shameful, sinfully dark past that any fair and reasonable self-examination will find a despairing case of hopelessness. A story that from your vantage point trumps the new story God wants to write into your life; the story he has in fact already written.

The bible I read in Numbers 23:19 tells me “God is not man, that he should lie,” and in Hebrews 6:18 I found it to say that “it is impossible for God to lie.” That being true, and it is, the questions I then should ask become who I will believe him or me? Whose word is most reliable, his or mine? That’s a no-brainer, right? It should be, yes. But in spite of my best effort to go all-in with God’s divine assessment of who I am in Christ, there are still times I find myself wrestling with that vile man sneering at me in the mirror each morning. His rap sheet is just too long to be considered for a heavenly pardon, I sometimes think. How then can it be? I lack understanding. It’s too deep.

Then this morning while reading Calvin’s Institutes I ran across these waking words of encouragement*:

“We have come into the way of faith,” says Augustine: “let us constantly adhere to it. It leads to the chambers of the king, in which are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. For our Lord Jesus Christ did not speak invidiously to his great and most select disciples when he said, ‘I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now,’ (John 16:12). We must walk, advance, increase, that our hearts may be able to comprehend those things which they cannot now comprehend. But if the last day shall find us making progress, we shall there learn what here we could not,” (August. Hom. in Joann).”

I like that. I’m good with that.


*Calvin, John. The Institutes of the Christian Religion – Enhanced Version (p. 130). Christian Classics Ethereal Library. Kindle Edition.

Spiritual Warfare – Page Four

24 Wednesday Aug 2016

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Second Base: Run, Forest, Run

Good, you’ve tagged first base and you’re now at second. You’re half way home, yes, but don’t get cocky, remember Sceva’s clan. No matter how far you have advanced, no matter how fast you can run or how good at the game you think yourself to be, there is still as much distance ahead as there is behind and don’t think the guy in the outfield can’t throw the ball hard and fast. If in doubt, just ask the Oakland A’s Danny Valencia who felt the stinging results of New York Yankee’s, Aaron Hick’s 105.5 mph throw from beyond the base line getting him tagged out at home plate.

Spiritual warfare is an ongoing, continuous, and relentless war with breaks in the action far and few in between. What you do at second base is simple, tag and go, “run, Forest, run”. Yours may not be an up and over the wall slammer, it may be an Inside the Park homer (IPH). Although these home runs are somewhat rare (about 1 in every 158), it still puts a run on the scoreboard.

A caution concerning IPH’s I would want you to know about when on the spiritual battlefield, however, is this; most come on the heels of an error in the outfield. Why is it important to know that? The devil doesn’t commit many errors.

Understanding that, authors such as Christian apologist, and University of Houston Professor, William Lane Craig, speaks to the subject of spiritual warfare in two of his later books, “Reasonable Faith” and “On Guard”. In both offerings, Craig places usable tools in the believer’s hands to prepare and equip his readers to force the devil into committing those errors and get you around the bases. Using the tools he writes about in his books, he has successfully debated such renown atheists as Sam Harris and was turned down by Richard Dawkins who received four British invitations to engage Craig, conveniently declining each one. Following a 2009 debate with Harris and Dawkins fellow “Horseman of the New Atheism”, Christopher Hitchens (now deceased), the website, Common Sense Atheism commented: “Craig was flawless and unstoppable. Hitchens was rambling and incoherent. Frankly, Craig spanked Hitchens like a foolish child.” Check out Dr. Craig’s website at http://www.reasonablefaith.org/.

As followers of Jesus, we are all aware of the Great Commission to take the gospel to the far reaches of the earth making disciple as we go (Matthew 28:19-20). But we are not nearly as tuned into the instruction made equally clear to “contend for the faith” (Jude 3), “always be[ing] prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. . .” (1 Peter 3:15 NIV).

A problem we discover a little late is how underequipped and inappropriately prepared we are to counteract the enemy’s advances, much less to engage him. As I see it, the blame lies squarely in the hands of church leaders who fail to integrate apologetics in their discipleship programs training converts on how to “fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12). As I have said repeatedly, we are in a war. I use the game of baseball and Babe Ruth in allegorical fashion to make things a bit more readable, but in no way am I attempting to make light of such a serious matter – too many souls are at risk.

In his classic work, “A Long Obedience in the Same Direction” (a book I highly recommend having a place on every Christian’s bookshelf), the author, Eugene Peterson, identifies the dilemma our modern church culture is being crippled by writing:

“There is a great market for religious experience in our world; there is little enthusiasm for the patient acquisition of virtue, little inclination to sign up for a long apprenticeship in what earlier generations of Christians called holiness.”

Peterson’s point is clear and timely. Living in an on demand – microwave world, people want a quick fix to every issue. No one stands in line at the ticket booth anymore and why should we? It is easier, faster and much more convenient to purchase an admission voucher online, walk right into the theater, sit down and enjoy the show. Unfortunately, this approach has invaded the church. Come Sunday morning, you get an hour of my time then I better hear the choir singing, Just As I Am. Tragic but true, we just want God to see us in the pews (chairs) once a week, watch us drop our tip in the offering bucket then go home, roast a Ball Park frank and turn on the game.

If that shoe fits on your foot you can forget making it beyond second, honestly, you were out before you ever swung the bat. If you are willing to go the distance, however, as Paul told Timothy, to “do your best (“Study” in the KJV) to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15); to keep such Shakespearean  words (so thought today) as perseverance, persistence, tenacity and determination in your spiritual vocabulary then hey there friend, you are half way home and on your way to third – Run, Forest, Run”.

Page Five Coming Soon

Spiritual Warfare – Page One

06 Saturday Aug 2016

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Writing on this subject, my friend, Trinity Family Church Pastor, Marty Reid, got the marbles in my head moving around a bit prompting me to throw in my two cents (maybe fifty cents or a dollar by the time I finish) on the matter.

Spiritual warfare is a topic grossly misunderstood, taught wrong and tragically misapplied to the detriment of so very many followers of Jesus. Years ago a southern gospel music quartet, The Florida Boys, recorded a song titled, “I Came Here to Stay”. A line in the chorus reads, “It’s a battlefield brother, not a recreation room, it’s a fight and not a game”. This is true, Believers are indeed involved in a conflict with a very real enemy who is as determined to keep people out of heaven as God is to get them through the gate. He has light years of experience and has taken down some of the greatest warriors ever to set foot on the planet. So then, before you head off to engage him, you may want to do some homework, some serious study actually. It’s like this; I wouldn’t advise an unlearned, untrained fighter to step in the ring and go a few rounds with Mike Tyson, nor will I suggest a Christian spin the wheel and take your chances with the devil. An unprepared soldier is as good as dead.

One problem is we read such passages of scripture as 2 Corinthian 10:4-6 telling us, “the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh (“carnal” in the KJV) but have divine power to destroy strongholds…”, without taking note of the fact the apostle is not telling the Corinthian church what weapons they have in their arsenal, but the weapons Paul and his entourage have in theirs. Goodness gracious, he doesn’t even say what those weapons are yet we somehow get blindsided into thinking they are in our quiver and we’re good to go – big mistake.

Here’s another problem I see tripping people up. Why is it we tend to think because Paul did it, I can too? That’s like saying because Michael Phelps won 22 Olympic medals in the swimming pool, I can jump in the water and take home the gold myself. Sound ridiculous – it should because it is. But no sillier than thinking we can do whatever someone else in the bible done simply because they did it as if it were an entitlement. Such reasoning is preposterous and not at all biblical. Have you seen or heard of anyone parting the sea with a staff lately, turning water into wine, or making an ax head float on water? I don’t think so and with good reason; I’m not Moses, I’m not Jesus and I’m not Elisha.

The ability to do the supernatural things we read of others doing in scripture is not a divine strand of DNA written into a Christian’s genetic code the moment we come to faith in Christ giving us supernatural powers; we won’t be pulling spiritual rabbits out of the hat nor should we be so foolish as to step into the ring with the devil expecting a KO in the first round. More than likely, you’ll be the one down for the count.

Granted, God is no respecter of persons, he is completely impartial loving every man equally.  “Christ in you, the hope of glory” is the gift offered to all without prejudice. However, if we are going to step up to the plate to engage the enemy, I highly recommend a whole lot of time in the batting cage first – you’re not Barry Bonds.

Page Two coming soon.

Does God Send People To Hell?

05 Friday Aug 2016

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I recently read an article suggesting God sends people to hell – I strongly disagree. Whereas separation from God is indeed taught in scripture as the finale of matters for the unregenerate (those who reject Jesus), and that being in a fiery place that is both inescapable and eternal. It is the natural conclusion of individual choice, the logical consequence of a behavior as when a child acts in rebellion against the parent to suffer an emotional or physical injury. The parent doesn’t inflict the pain; the child brings it upon himself.

As is true of God towards you and I in the spiritual sense, the parent who is loving and kind towards his children wants for his child to grow up healthy, to navigate life successfully avoiding the pitfalls and bad habits that will result in harm. Thus parameters and boundaries are set early on to establish a safe zone; guidelines are put into place to promote a healthy lifestyle: “Eat your veggies; Don’t smoke; Don’t talk to strangers; Never get into a car with someone you don’t know; Don’t play with matches”, and so on. None-the-less, as the little ones grow up, they are free to choose.

For example, in rebellious disregard of the guidelines, I chose to be a smoker at an early age. Eventually, I gave up cigarettes, but not before having a heart attack two months and three days after my 54th birthday. Today, I have both coronary artery disease and COPD. Are the health problems I experience my parent’s fault? Did they inflict my body with these diseases? Of course not. The issues I cope with are self-inflicted, the logical consequence of the choices I made; the natural conclusion to not act responsibly and stay within the boundaries mom and dad had set for me years earlier as a child.

For that matter, even if a person is raised in a home where right and wrong is neither practiced or taught; still, we are by nature aware of a moral code of conduct to which all are responsible – no one has to tell you it is wrong to kick the dog. The great apologist, C.S. Lewis, begins his classic work “Mere Christianity” by making this case in like fashion and it is the intent of the apostle Paul who when writing to the church in Rome states,

“Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right” ~ Romans 2:14-15 NLT.

That a moral code has been written in the heart of all is self-evident, and to it, all are intuitively responsible. It then follows naturally that if indeed an organic moral code exists to which our conscience demands we be held accountable; a logical consequence must flow out of it.

Deuteronomy 30:19 reads, “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life so that you and your descendants might live!” ~ NLT.

Not only does God here speak to Israel as having a choice, he makes us aware of and establishes the logical consequence to be expected in the choice made. To this verse, David Guzik writes, “Man today, even outside the Old Covenant, is confronted with the choice. But the choice focuses first not on “Will I obey God or not?” but on “Will I trust in Jesus for my standing before God?” Jesus said, He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters Luke 11:23). Jesus is still asking the question, who do you say that I am (Matthew 16:15), and our choice in answering that question determines our eternal destiny.”

Scripture makes plain God’s desire is that none perish, “As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?” ~ Ezekiel 33:11 ESV (see also 1 Timothy 2:3-4, and 2 Peter 3:9). Equally clear in scripture is the reality of hell, and eternal punishment for the wicked, but it won’t be God who one day grabs you by the nape of the neck and tosses you into the pit, you will do that yourself – the natural conclusion and logical consequence of a choice to reject the free gift of salvation available to all through faith in Jesus Christ.

“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. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned alread, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” ~ John 3:16-18 ESV.

Still Thinkin’ About It (Round 2)

13 Wednesday Jul 2016

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In an earlier post I cited Hebrews 12:1-2 as it served to remind me to keep pushing forward in spite of setbacks, and that we should do; but in no way will I allow myself to be fooled into thinking a quick trip to CVS or Walgreens for a social ills pill will quickly turn things around for the better. The problems plaguing the world didn’t happen overnight nor will they be gone tomorrow, and we will not find the road to recovery being a fast drive down a smoothly paved expressway. So long as evil exists, progress will be met with delay, the highway to peace will always be under construction and you can bet when things start to go smoothly, someone will pee in the pool.

I don’t want to be labeled a prophet of doom, but I am a biblical Realist, and what I find pressed between the pages of sacred writ are warnings of a world that will continue down an ever-darkening path; a people moving further and further away from God until one day the sky is set ablaze with the glorious light of Jesus’ return; Then and only then will all things be made right. Having said that I must also say this: As Believer’s, we don’t want to super glue ourselves to the bleachers doing nothing but shaking our heads in disbelief waiting for the rapture. We want to be, need to be, must be, out front leading the charge; at work and at play, putting on a Christlikeness exhibition for a wanting world to see there is a better way. “Most important”, 1 Peter 4:8 tells us, “continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins” (NLT).

Albert Schweitzer once said, “Seek always to do some good, somewhere. Every man has to seek in his own way to realize his true worth. You must give some time to your fellow man. For remember, you don’t live in a world all your own. Your brothers are here too.” I agree – do you?

 

Still Thinkin’ About It

12 Tuesday Jul 2016

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Early this morning while doing a little net surfing I ran across this nugget of wisdom from the pen of author/speaker, Michael McMillan who said, “You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep Re-Reading the last one” – how true. As we absorb the aftershock of recent events and join the expedition for solutions, we must keep the vehicle’s transmission in the Drive position, not Reverse. Yes, there is much to learn from the past. In the aftermath of such tragedy, finding the pieces and putting the puzzle together may well help us better understand the psyche behind such acts of violence and its perpetrators, but the social ills (the root of the problem) that seem to have a stranglehold on our nation will not be solved by dwelling on them. We must come to terms with the fact of living in a broken world alongside 7.4 billion broken people.

Friend, our best efforts will not alter what has been; the past is on lockdown and cannot be changed. Yes, yes, yes, it is a good thing to learn from it, but it isn’t a good thing to box up your life and move in with it. To do so will have you stewing in a pot of dismay serving up more bowls full of uncertainty, fear, and unhealthy grief to others. I am not saying, “just get over it”, NO! My stomach churns still, and my heart feels as though it is being run through a paper shredder even as I sit here writing. Let us mourn our losses in heartfelt sincerity, it is right to do so, but please do not allow the pain to fester or embitter. Personally, I find and take comfort in God’s word every day, and the passage I turned to this morning was Hebrews 12:1-2 which reads:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith” (NLT).

Pray for peace at home and abroad.

We The People

04 Monday Jul 2016

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With both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions happening this month I sat at my dining room table Just Thinkin’ on this rainy 4th of July morning in Terrell, Texas, and what crossed my mind is this:

More frightening than the choices this election year offers are how little those making the choice know, not about the candidates, but about our government, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Polls conducted in the recent past indicate the average American knows very little about the political structure, how Washington works, the issues on the table, why there on the table, or how they got there in the first place. That being said, it appears to me the greatest danger to the American people is the American people themselves.

Most decisions made at the polls is based on cleverly worded rhetoric prepared by speech writers, the voice of spin doctors, nightly news anchors, and third party friends and family members with the latter being the more common generator of the consensus expressed on the ballot. Perhaps a test should be given before a person can be registered to vote. “Ridiculous”, you say? Is it not somewhat ironic that tests are given to ensure competency in so very many areas of life, that an individual must achieve a passing score to show himself/herself qualified to do this, that or the other, yet only a simple 5 minute (or less) form is required to be registered to vote, to allow a decision be made directing the future of our country – go figure.

No, I don’t suspect a Voters Registration Exam will be happening anytime soon, if ever. I do believe, however, that the American people should become more involved in the political process first by acquiring greater knowledge of the process and government in general. For me, it was a sad and eye opening day to find my German wife (a German citizen) knew more about my homeland than did I. Shame on me.

“The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all” ~ John F. Kennedy.

Salmon Do It

06 Monday Jun 2016

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Salmon do it; every year, mid-July through September (into November for some species), these herculean creatures migrate from the ocean waters where they have grown to maturity to spawn in the upper reaches of the rivers of their birth, depositing their eggs on the same gravel beds where they were spawned – it is called the Salmon Run.

With uncanny precision, Salmon return to the natal river where they were born, and, yes, even to the very spawning ground where life began for them. With as amazing as this is, the greater wonder is for most species, it will be their last voyage, afterward, they will die.

Although death is a ninety-nine percent certainty once the salmon has spawned, many will not survive the journey itself. Swimming upstream often against high water and powerful currents brought about by early floods take an unfortunate toll draining their bodies of the strength needed to continue forward but they won’t give up the quest. Their will to survive, to proliferate the population is simply mind-boggling.

Another interesting fact about Salmon is their ecological contribution. In places where the salmon have become extinct, the entire ecosystem is at risk. In turn, river otter, mink, bear and eagle experience loss of population.

Okay, where am I going with this? I believe followers of Jesus should be as Salmon in our fight to reproduce other followers of Jesus. As our world continues in what appears to me a downward spiral into utter godlessness, and the true gospel (not the watered down, feel-good, prosperity, name it and claim it version) looks as if it may be in line for a place on the endangered species list, our spiritual ecosystem is at risk. No, it will not ever become extinct; Jesus has promised, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Matthew 24:35), but it will shrink into obscurity as the world will become delusional in latter days choosing to believe lies, and be damned (2 Thessalonians 2:11). Tragically, the headwinds of this approaching storm are already blowing across many of our colleges and university campuses as the new atheist movement and other such anti-Christian, anti-God groups grow in number and influence.

Salmon go against the flow and are not deterred from their goal by opposing forces, nor are they familiar with roadside parks and spring break. Each day they continue forward doing whatever it takes, if necessary paying the supreme price so that a new generation can be born. We should be salmon-like.

Christ follower, there is too much at stake to risk taking a lackadaisical posture with the issues before us. Our families and friends are in the crosshairs, daily falling prey to the deceptive practices of a very real, highly persuasive and extremely aggressive enemy.

Jesus, speaking in Matthew 11:12 tells us this: “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force”. The Lord does not alert the reader to an enemy attack on the kingdom of God with these words, but the zeal and determination with which his followers were advancing the gospel. The overriding thought is that of the gospel being propagated in the world not passively, but aggressively. “The gates of hell shall not prevail against the church” (Matthew 16:18) is another passage where we find Jesus speaking in such terms, there suggesting not a defensive strategy to be held by his followers, but an offensive one. Should we be on the march? Yes, I think we should.

I do not suggest disruptive demonstration or advocate picket lines and boycotts that in many ways only give the enemy added ammunition to shoot back with, but a determinate effort by believers to unashamedly stand up for, proclaim and defend spiritual truth (the gospel) in love. The good news being proclaimed respectfully, out of love and concern for the eternal well-being of others, will result in many coming to faith in Christ and in turn, many more will follow. We find our Heavenly Father does not desire that any should perish but that all should come to a place of repentance and be saved (2 Peter 3:9); it should be our desire as well and we should be serious about it while we still can be.

Edmund Burke has said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”, Burke is right. We cannot sit on the sidelines or up in the bleachers and just watch the game, we need to be out on the field playing hard, playing to win. Writing to the church at Corinth, Paul said this, “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!  All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NLT). Those do not sound like the words of a mere spectator do they? No, not at all, armchair quarterbacks are not what he has in mind.  Friends, fellow followers of Jesus, there is simply too much to gain to lose.

Lastly, if you choose to enlist in the effort to keep the fires of faith burning, expect resistance (salmon do), expect to at some point, somewhere, go head to head with a person as much against the faith as you are for it. What you have that your opposition doesn’t have, however, is a promise; the same promise God made to Joshua when he said to him, “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9 NLT).

That’s my opinion – what’s yours?

End Note: There are many helpful books and websites on sharing your faith and the subject of Apologetics (defending the faith) available online and in your local Christian bookstore. If your church does not currently offer training in these areas I would recommend asking your pastor if such may be worthy of his or her consideration. You will also find helpful Facebook pages such as “Apologetics: Defending the Faith”, and “Reasonable Faith” groups which provide supportive and informative insights and local group meetings where you can interact with others learning to meet challenges effectively.

You’ll Make It

06 Monday Jun 2016

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Life is a long and winding road filled with mystery and suspense, at times mazelike, an extremely difficult obstacle course, if you will. Along the journey our paths come upon good times and bad; times of health and times of sickness; times of sufferings, times of triumph; times of jubilation and times of sorrow, disappointment, and dismay. To everything there is a season, a time and purpose, Ecclesiastes 3 tells us. Both the high hurdles we fail to jump and the winner’s circle are a part of living life, experiences our heavenly Father allows for the purpose of conforming us into the image of the Son.

Paul wrote to the church at Philippi to say, “. .I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:11b-13 NIV).

Verse 13 could well be an anthem for most Believers and indeed, should be. As was pointed out in a previous sermon from this series, Paul knew that between the promise and the payoff there was a process, and he had no illusions as to the bitter implications the process would sometimes represent. The many challenges, dilemmas, and perils the aging apostle endured are clearly outlined in 2 Corinthians 11:22-29. There we see Paul’s earthly walk was far less than convenient or cozy; trial and tribulation were his running buddies, hard times a constant companion, but he pressed on knowing that the strength of God had an uncanny way of showing up when he was at his weakest (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

Wrapping up our walk through the book of James this past Sunday at the c|Life Forney campus, Pastor Nick Edwards brought us full circle in this wonderful study concluding with a reminder (in my words) that God is with us throughout the seasons of life – winter, spring, summer, and fall. Whether hitting home runs or striking out, our ultimate victory is already chalked up in the “win” column so that as followers of Christ always remember these two things, 1) “the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us”, says Romans 8:18, and, 2) “April showers bring May flowers” – count on it.

You can view this sermon and the entire series from the book of James at clifec.com. Go to the church website, click “Resouces” then “Sermons” and scroll to the “Faith/Works”, click and grow.

Telestai (It is finished)

17 Thursday Mar 2016

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Thinkin’ about John 19:30, if this moment in history were a movie set, you would find Jesus not only as the main character in the leading role, but you would also find him seated in the Director’s chair. He is the god-man, 100/100, fully God – fully man. He calls the shots every step of the way, from the cradle to the cross he is in absolute control, and when he said, “It is finished”, it was finished – there was nothing left to be done. The creator of the universe had stepped down into the arena of humankind, walked over to my table, picked up the check for my sin, paying in full my debt, tip included.

The words “it is finished” translates the “Greek “telesthai” (the perfect tense of “teleo”). It means “to complete, finish”, expressing completed action with continuing results”, Keathley writes. What that means is two-fold. First, it is a statement to the world of a once and for all-time payment made for sin, good to the end of the world; and to me (and all other who have decided to follow Jesus) it is to say this: I have been delivered from both the penalty and power of sin, we are no longer slaves. As far as the east is from the west, in Christ, my sins are removed (Psalm 103:12), cast into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19), he remembers them no more (Isaiah 43:25). My life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3) and I can now come personally and boldly (at any time) to the throne of our gracious God (without sweating it). There to receive his mercy, and grace to help when I need it most (Hebrews 4:16). Personally, I need it every day, and every day I live in humble gratitude because

 

“My chains are gone

I’ve been set free

My God, my Savior has ransomed me

And like a flood His mercy reigns

Unending love, amazing grace.”

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Join us today or tomorrow at Community Life Church (c|Life) and be a part of a powerful worship experience and grow deeper in Christ as together we celebrate our risen Savior. Go to clifec.com for campus locations and service times or just ask me.

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“Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)” lyrics by Chris Tomlin