Luke 1:5-25

In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.
Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.
After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”
(Luke 1:5-25 ESV)

This selection of Scripture is about God’s promises and faithfulness and our response to Him. God sends an angel named Gabriel to Zechariah to tell him that God has heard his (and his wife’s) prayers and that they would have a son. He goes on to tell him that not only will he have a son but that his son would “turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” God is promising John that he would finally have a son. He is also in the process of making good on a promise He first made to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden that He would one day send someone who would make all the wrongs of the world right.

We learn a couple of things about God in this text. First we see that God is intimately involved in the life of His people. Gabriel says that John’s prayers “have been heard.” God is a God who listens to our prayers. He is not a disconnected God who is distant from His creation but instead He is intimately involved in all aspects of our lives. He is a gracious God. He has shown grace to Zechariah and Elizabeth by giving them a child even though both of them were beyond the years of child bearing. We also learn that He is a God who keeps His promises. By anointing John as the one who would “make ready for the Lord a people prepared” he is taking another step in the fulfillment of the promise He made to Adam and Eve in the garden. God is good, right, and perfect. He is gracious and He keeps his promises.

So how does Zechariah, a priest, react to God’s promises? In much the same way we all react: disbelief. We see this as Zechariah says “How shall I know this?” Doubt and disbelief wreak havoc in the lives of God’s people. As a priest Zechariah was well read in the Scriptures and knew of all the amazing things God had done in the past and all the unbelievable promises He had kept. Yet he was still full of doubt and disbelief. How do modern day believers react to the now full revelation of God’s promises in the Bible? The vast majority of the time we react in the same way as Zechariah: disbelief. When I think about all the promises in Scripture I realize how much I disbelieve God and what He tells me is true. He tells me that as someone who loves Him all things work together for my good. That means if I get sick or Oksana or Grace get sick or even die that He is in control and is using that circumstance for my good. But I don’t believe Him and I constantly worry about Oksana and Grace because in reality I believe that my ways are better than His and their getting sick could not work for my good. He also tells me that the work of salvation He began in me He will bring to completion, that He will not let me go. But I don’t believe Him and when I look at my life and all my failure I seriously doubt my salvation because in reality I believe that salvation is my work and it is my responsibility through my good deeds to get myself to the finish line. My heart seems to disbelieve under every circumstance in life.

Thankfully for Zechariah and us we have an unbelievably merciful and gracious God. Despite Zechariah’s disbelief God stayed true to His promise to give him a son. Despite the Israelites disbelief from the beginning God stayed true to His promise to send one who would prepare the way for the Messiah. And despite our disbelief God sent His son Jesus to fulfill every promise. Jesus believes all God’s promises on our behalf. Where we disbelieve and sin Jesus believed and obeyed God. In what is often referred to as the great exchange Jesus exchanged places with us. The only one who ever believed perfectly, stood in our place on the cross being punished for our sin and disbelief. We then get to stand in His place, credited with His perfect belief so that God now looks at us and says “This is my son, this is my daughter. Perfect. Blameless. Spotless.”

How are we not believing the Gospel?

They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.

(Matthew 23:5-7 ESV)

When we, like good religious people do, perform good deeds for others to see, or when we desire to be honored in front of others, we are failing to believe the amazing news of the Gospel. Most of us need to repent of our "righteous" works because they are done out of a motivation that is not in line with the truth of the Gospel. When we do good things so others will see us, or so that we will receive honor and a pat on the back we are fundamentally misunderstanding the truth about who Jesus is and what he has done.

When we do good works so others will see us or so that we will receive some kind of honor we are giving others the position of savior in our lives because we are looking to them for our worth and validation. We are fundamentally believing that what Jesus did on the cross was not enough for us and that we need the approval of others to give us the approval we desire.

The good news of the Gospel is this: Jesus did EVERYTHING necessary for your approval and salvation by living a life of perfect obedience to the Father. Sin deserves death. Since Jesus never sinned death was not required of him. But because of his love for you he exchanged places with you. He died for you in your place for all of your sin, past, present, and future so that it is forgiven. He also gave you his perfect righteousness so that NOTHING else would be required of you. Everything God requires of you has been done in Jesus. Because of what Jesus has done God now sees Christ's perfect life when he looks at you. You do not have to prove yourself to anyone ever again!! You don't have to put up a front so that others will think highly of you. You don't have to fake your way through life so other Christians will think you are holy or approve of you. You have the approval of GOD through the person and work of Jesus. All the worth and validation you ever need or desire is found in the amazing news of the Gospel!

Next time we find ourselves doing something to gain the approval of others let us be reminded of the good news of the Gospel and rest in what Jesus has done for us.

James 1:1-4

"James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. " (James 1:1-4)

James first identifies himself as a servant of Jesus and addresses his letter to the twelve tribes of Israel scattered throughout the world because of persecution. He then gives a short introduction: Greetings. James then wastes no time in getting to the meat of his letter. What he says next is shocking and counter-cultural to us as Americans:

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you experience trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

How many of us get excited and joyful when we think about the trials that lie ahead of us in our lives? I certainly do not. I can't imagine the tribes to whom this letter was addressed were very excited or joyful about the persecution they were most likely enduring when James wrote this letter. How can we make sense of the command James gives us?

Let's first identify some key terms James uses in these verses. What does James mean by trials? More often than not the Bible interprets itself and that is the case we find here. In verse 3 James uses “the testing of your faith” synonymously with the word “trials”. So we can say that a trial is anything that tests our faith or would cause us to question any aspect about who God has revealed himself to be or what he has commanded us to do. Eve experienced a trial in the garden when the serpent raised the question “Did God really say...” The serpent got Eve to question a command that God had given to Adam. Oksana and I recently went through a period of about a week when we thought we had a miscarriage. This was a trial for us because it caused us to question certain aspects of who God has revealed himself to be, namely a good, loving God. When we are tempted to gossip so others will think highly of us we are experiencing a trial and faced with the question of whose approval we seek more, man's or God's. So we can safely say that trials are tests we face in which we have a decision to believe or disbelieve God.

Another key term in these verses in the term “steadfastness”. I'd like to define steadfastness as a perseverance which has faith or hope for its basis.

James says that steadfastness or perseverance is a product of trials or the testing of our faith that comes every day. As we experience trials we are faced with the decision to either trust in God or to trust in something else. James is clear in saying that the test or trial is what produces the steadfastness, not our decisions in the face of those tests or trials. In Psalm 1 David compares the man who delights in God to a tree planted by streams of water. That tree is a great picture of steadfastness. That tree will persevere through storm or hardship but only because it is planted by the streams of water. If we go back to our definition that steadfastness is a perseverance which has faith or hope for its basis we can see that just as the streams of water were the tree's source of perseverance in Psalm 1, who God is and what He's done, also known as the Gospel, is where our hope for perseverance and steadfastness comes from. Our steadfastness is rooted in the Gospel, not in our right decisions.

Why then should we follow James' command to “count it all joy” when we experience trials? Because when we experience trials God reveals to us the truth about who He is in very real and tangible ways. When we see God reveal to us that he is a perfect loving father who in all things is working for our good we become less dependent on our own strength and more dependent on His. As a result we are able to persevere through trials when they come because our strength is found in who He is, what He has done, and what He continues to do, and not in ourselves. This ever-growing dependence on God is process is called sanctification. God uses trials in our lives to sanctify us.

So how does steadfastness lead to us being “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing”? When we experience trials we inevitably become more dependent on the Gospel for our strength. God shows us through trials that we cannot live our lives on our own strength much less rely on our own strength and good works to reunite us with Him. Steadfastness has its “full effect” when we realize and trust that every time we face a trial, our hope and strength is found in the person and work of Jesus and not in ourselves. The result of this trusting in the Gospel with each trial is that you are now being made perfect or sanctified through the work of Jesus.

Paul gives us an explanation of how we are made perfect through Jesus' work of dying on the cross: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor. 5:21). We have all sinned. We have all turned from God and chosen to worship other things. But while we were in the midst of this rebellion God sent his son to live a life in perfect submission to Him, the life we were meant to live. Jesus lived a perfect life. He is the perfect man. When Jesus was crucified on the cross he took the sin of all of God's people on himself. He was punished for our sin. That is what Paul means when he says “he made him to be sin who knew no sin.” Not only did Jesus satisfy God's wrath against sin by going to the cross, he also gave us his righteousness. Martin Luther called this the great exchange. Jesus took our place on the cross and gave us his place with the Father. He took our sin and gave us his perfection. That is how it is possible for us to be “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing”, by trusting in what Jesus has done for us and continues to do in us.

As followers of Jesus are able to then “count it all joy” when we experience trials and hardships in our lives because of the amazing news of who God is, what He has done and what He continues to do. Through trials we realize that God is revealing to us in personal ways the truth about who He is. Through trials God shows us that He is all that we need. Through trials we see that He is a God who keeps His promises. Through trials God shows us how insufficient we are and how sufficient He is. Through trials we realize that God is deepening our dependence on His work and not ours. This dependence on the person and work of Jesus means that we can truly "count it all joy" when we experience trials because we know that we are made "perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" not through our decisions in the face of trials but in and through the person and work of Jesus.

If you'd like to listen to more on this topic here is my friend and pastor Brent Thomas talking about joy in the midst of trials: http://bit.ly/gBcbyY

James Intro

Some background information on the book of James before I dive in to the text:

Author:
The author of this letter is Jesus' half brother James. After Jesus' resurrection James went on to become a leading figure in the early Jerusalem church being mentioned several times in the account of the early church, the book of Acts.

Date:
James died in A.D. 62 so this letter was certainly written before then. It is likely that James would have mentioned the meeting of the apostolic council in Jerusalem in 48 A.D. had he written this letter after that. This puts the most likely date for this letter in the mid to early 40's A.D., certainly within a lifetime of Jesus.

Addressees:
In the opening of his letter James addresses it to "the twelve tribes in the Dispersion". These were Jewish Christians living outside of Jerusalem scattered about because of the persecution facing the early church as mentioned in Acts 11:19

You Don't Save Yourself

One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.
(John 5:5-9 ESV)

It's not what we do, how we behave, what rules we keep, what music we listen to, what movies we watch, how much we pray, how much we give, how much we know, how clean our language is, what political party we belong to or whether or not we believe the correct doctrines that saves us.

We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus alone. This is not your doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one can boast.

Soli Deo Gloria.

Everyday Faith: A Study in the Book of James

The community of believers I worship with, Church of the Cross, is starting a new series this Sunday on the book of James. We practice expository preaching at COTC, which just means that we preach through entire books of the Bible. Since we are beginning our study in James this week I thought it would be helpful for me personally to study the book a little bit more in depth than we are able to go on a Sunday morning and share my thoughts and questions here.

If you are interested in going through the study of James with our community we would love to have you on Sunday mornings at 10:30. You can get more info on the website here. We also have community groups, the heart of who we are and what we do at COTC, which are smaller gatherings that meet weekly. Currently we are going through "The Story of God" which is an amazing retelling of the Bible from Genesis, the beginning, through Acts, the start of the church as we know it. Oksana and I have a community group that meets in our home every Wednesday night at 6 PM for dinner and then the telling of a portion of the story. Again, we would love if you would join us.

Matt Chandler / CJ Mahaney on Suffering

T4G 2010 -- Special Session -- Matt Chandler from Together for the Gospel (T4G) on Vimeo.

Suffering & Acts 23:11

“The following night the Lord stood by him and said, "Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome."

Paul, after two days in Jerusalem was exhausted, undoubtedly feeling as David, and later Jesus did:

I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
it is melted within my breast;
my strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.
-Psalm 22:14-15

Granted he had been saved once again from death by the Romans but he was still confined and under arrest. Over the past two days Paul had survived two beatings. The first took place just outside the temple after Paul had been seized and dragged outside after being falsely accused of “teaching everyone everywhere against the people and the law and this place (the temple)” and of bringing Greeks into the temple (Acts 21:28). The Roman soldiers literally had to carry Paul away “because of the violence of the crowd” (Acts 21:35). The next day before a meeting of the chief priests and the council Paul was punched on the mouth for claiming to have a clear conscience then had to be taken away again by the Roman soldiers because they were “afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them” (Acts 23:10).

So here Paul is, back in the barracks in Jerusalem, physically battered, discouraged and uncertain if he is even going to survive. Then Jesus Himself shows up at Paul's side and says “Take courage, for as you have testified to the acts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.” Read what Jesus says carefully and understand what He is saying to Paul.

At first glance we may read Jesus' words and be relieved that He is finally going to step in and rescue Paul from the suffering and beatings he is having to endure. Much of the theology of today teaches that as Christians we will be rescued from all suffering and hardship. We are wrongly taught that if we believe in Jesus He will provide us with health, wealth, and prosperity and that if we aren't seeing those things come to pass in our lives then we just need to have more faith. We like to believe in a God that will serve us what we want, when we want it. We are told that if we pray enough, read our Bibles enough, and give enough of our time, money and resources God will give us the stuff we've always dreamed of having. This, of course, is a complete lie manufactured by sinful men who desire a god who will serve them. This is not the God of the Bible.

Read again what Jesus says: “Take courage, for as you have testified to the acts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.” Jesus tells Paul to “Take courage.” Why does Paul need to take courage? Because Jesus tells him “as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.” What has just happened to Paul over the last two days in Jerusalem? Two beatings and imprisonment! Jesus is not coming to take Paul's suffering but to tell him to get ready because what he just endured in Jerusalem he now has to go do the same in Rome!

It's not like this should be any surprise to anyone. Recall what Jesus said to Ananias about the conversion of Paul:

"Go, for he (Paul) is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my
name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.
For I will show him how much he must suffer
for the sake of my name" (Acts 9:15-16)

Jesus is doing what He promised He would. He is using Paul to carry His name to the world amidst “afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger” (2 Cor. 6:4-5). As Christians, should we expect any different?

The point of Christianity is Jesus, not us. That means we suffer, even to the point of death so that the good news of who He is goes out to the world and He receives all the glory. As Christians, we should all say with Paul “For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 21:13).

Devastation in Haiti Video by Churches Helping Churches

"Rend your hearts and not your garments"

The heart is a central theme in God's story. We see from the very beginning that our hearts are inherently evil. Jesus tells us that "out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander." At the center of Jesus' teaching was the idea that he was not so concerned with external expressions of affection and worship, rather He was concerned with a person's heart . He says of the Pharisees in the book of Matthew:

“‘This people honors me with their lips,

but their heart is far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

Reading today from Spurgeon's Morning & Evening, "...rend your hearts and not your garments" I felt convicted that I don't always do that. So often I offer Jesus external worship by reading Scripture, praying, gathering for worship while my heart is far from Him. Sometimes I feel the need to put on an act that I am a holy person when in fact nothing could be further from the truth. For many this act would include props such as Christian t-shirts, bracelets, hats, and jewelry. It includes a soundtrack of Christian-only radio, and a rule that Christians only watch "Christian movies". Spurgeon addresses this when he notes "Garment-rending and other outward signs of religious emotion are easily manifested and are often hypocritical." He goes on "Offered without a sincere heart, every form of worship is a sham and an impudent mockery of the majesty of heaven."

I'm not saying that everyone who wears "Christian" clothing is putting on an act. In fact I know a few (OK, only one) Christians who choose to wear this stuff whose hearts are fully devoted to Him. I guess it's just a warning to myself and others to be alert to the fact that God is not pleased with us because we choose to wear a "God Squad" t-shirt. God is concerned with matters of the heart so please "rend your hearts and not your garments."

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Bad News: Santa Claus Is Coming to Town

Pre-Surgery Video from Pastor Matt Chandler

Pastor Matt Chandler video on how not to waste a tumor. Making much of Christ NOW. In THIS. This was shot prior to Matt's surgery last Friday to remove his brain tumor.

Video from Matt

Video worth watching again

Amazing Video!

You can see other videos done by these guys at: http://www.ilovepinatas.com/#

How can Christianity be both monotheistic and Trinitarian?

Listen to Tim Keller's explanation HERE

Acts 9:10-19 - "Go"

Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” 17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; 19 and taking food, he was strengthened.

This is a different Ananias than the one we read about in chapter 5. Jesus chose to use this Ananias in a different way that he did the Ananias we read about in the earlier chapter. Jesus came to Ananias and said to him “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold he is praying and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.”

At this point I think it would do us well to put ourselves in Ananias’ shoes. Jesus came to him and said “look for a man of Tarsus named Saul…” At this point it has to click with Ananias. By this time Saul had developed a reputation that preceded him. When Jesus told Ananias who he was to look for I’m sure Ananias wished he had been wearing a diaper. Imagine a Jew during world war two being told to go to Berlin and look for a guy named Hitler, in order to lay hands on him and pray for him. As we see, Ananias tries to reason with Jesus saying “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” I love Jesus’ response to a frightened Ananias. There is no negotiation, no rubbing his back, building his self-esteem, no pep-talk, no pleading with Ananias to obey. Jesus answers simply “Go…” He explains to Ananias that Saul is “a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” Ananias, frightened but obedient “departed and entered the house. And laying hands on him he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’”

What if Jesus spoke to you in this way? What if Jesus told you to “Go.” How would you respond? Most of us, myself included, would answer something like “if Jesus spoke to me I would do whatever he told me to.” Here is the truth: Jesus has spoken to us and most of us are not doing what he commands. The Bible is God’s word to us. God speaks to us as much today as he ever has. His words to us are found on every page of Scripture. Do not think that because you don’t hear God audibly speak to you that he is not speaking at all. Whenever we take time to read His word, He is speaking to us just as if He were sitting in front of us. Jesus’ last command to his disciples before his ascension to heaven began with one simple, familiar word: “Go.” Matthew 28:18-20, familiarly known as the great commission reads like this:

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

So, Jesus has spoken to us and he tells us just as he told Ananias: “Go.” Has Jesus command you, like Ananias, specifically to go to the one person on the face of the earth who is “breathing threats and murder” against you? Chances are probably not. Evangelism starts at home for those who have unbelieving family members. It then extends to unbelieving friends and co-workers. This is something we are commanded by Jesus to do. It’s not something we do on our own either. Jesus said “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore…” Why will we be effective when we tell people about Jesus? Why will our nervous, studdering proclamation of the Gospel gain disciples? I guarantee you it is not because we have “sold” anybody on Jesus. It is solely because “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given” to Jesus, and those whom he has chosen before the foundation of the earth will come to Him.

Lets be honest, talking to Jim two cubicles down from you is not quite as intimidating as the circumstances Ananias faced. Coming into the fire station and proclaiming the Gospel to my friends does not carry with it the perceived threat of imprisonment or death. Step up, obey the God of the universe, emulate the obedience of Ananias and “Go.”

Listen to last Sunday's sermon from Church of the Cross on Acts 9:1-19: The Unexpected, Unconventional, Undeniable Conversion of Saul.

Acts 9:1-9

But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest ²and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. ³ Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" ⁵And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ⁶But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do." ⁷ The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. ⁸Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. ⁹And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

I love the language used here of breathing threats and murder. Saul wasn’t just doing what he thought was right by persecuting Christians, he had an active hatred toward them. Saul thought he was doing God’s work and these Christians were enemies of God so in his mind he was justified for his despise of the members of the Way. By this point in the book of Acts we already see Saul emerge as a leader of persecution against Christians. In chapter 7 we see Saul overseeing the execution of Stephen and now he is taking his show on the road with permission from the high priests to bring back to Jerusalem anyone he found belonging to this movement now dubbed as “the Way.” So at this point Saul is the front man in the cause of squashing this movement made up of the followers of Jesus and he is carrying out his task with murderous passion.

There are few places in Scripture where God’s election is seen in action more clearly than in verses three through six:

Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.

I thank God for his grace in election. Saul, a persecutor of Christians and as Jesus points out, a persecutor of Jesus himself, experiences God’s grace in this moment. Saul was a religious person and was an enemy of God. Saul, in his own words was “circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.” Saul was the guy everyone looked at and said “Wow, he has it all together. I wish I could be as holy as he is.” But it was all meaningless because until this moment in Saul’s life, he was an enemy of God. It was not until Jesus came down and changed him that he became a friend of God. He did not accomplish this own his own. It was not done by his merit or effort. It was accomplished entirely by Jesus who goes on to say that Saul is “a chosen instrument of mine…” There was no Gospel presentation, no altar call, no sinners prayer, or no free will decision. Jesus chose Saul and Saul was changed.

While these verses in Acts are descriptive of the calling of Saul and are not prescriptive in that we are not all to be saved in the exact same manner, the mode of salvation is the same: God calls the sinner, dead in his trespasses and sins, to come to life in Jesus and the sinner is reborn to life in Christ. The account of Lazarus in John 11:38-44 is a perfect illustration of how Jesus saves us:

Then Jesus ,deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?" So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me." When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out." The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go.


Lazarus was physically dead, just as apart from the saving work of Jesus we are spiritually dead (Eph 2:1). Jesus came to Lazarus and called him to life. Lazarus did not ponder the Lord’s call and make the decision to accept Jesus’ invitation because dead people don’t ponder anything or make any decisions. When Jesus calls us, the spiritually dead, to come to life, we respond. Just as a dead Lazarus was unable to make any decision regarding Jesus’ call, you and I who are spiritual dead are unable to make any spiritual decisions for ourselves. Salvation is, from beginning to end, the work of Jesus. It is “not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9).

So what is Saul’s response to Jesus when he tells him to “rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do”? The following verses tell us that Saul rose up and went into the city. Saul’s world had been changed. He was no longer God’s enemy but his chosen instrument who would carry the name of Jesus to the Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.

Listen to last Sunday's sermon from Church of the Cross on Acts 9:1-19: The Unexpected, Unconventional, Undeniable Conversion of Saul.

Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices

I just started reading Thomas Brooks' "Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices", a book about how Satan temps us and ways we can recognize and fight against his tactics. I'll start sharing some of the things I read.

Device: To present the bait and hide the hook

Brooks paints the picture of Satan fishing for men. Satan does this by hiding sin and its effects with "bait". Brooks writes "to present the golden cup, and hide the poison; to present the sweet, the pleasure, and the profit that may flow in upon the soul by yielding to sin, and by hiding from the soul the wrath and misery that will certainly follow the committing of sin." Like a fisherman using the correct bait for specific fish, Satan will use whatever bait each individual person is most prone to bite on. "Satan loves to sail with the wind, and to suit men's temptations to their conditions and inclinations." If you are prone to greed, Satan will put opportunities in front of you for great monetary gain. If you are prone to lust, Satan will be sure to surround you with all that your eyes desire. If gossip is your weakness, Satan will present you with the juciest piece of information that everyone would love to know. Satan is not all-knowing but he is very wise and will use whatever he can to get us to turn from Jesus and follow him.

Remedy (1): First, keep at the greatest distance from sin, and from playing with the golden bait that Satan holds forth to catch you.

Brooks writes "The best course to prevent falling into the pit is to keep at the greatest distance." Sounds like common sense. If you struggle with lust, stay away from the websites you know arouse your desire, stop watching the tv shows that do the same, cancel your subscription to Maxim, Stuff, and all other porn mags. If gossip is your fight, stop associating with the people you know who love to hear and dish out the latest information on everyone in the workplace. Don't play with fire or you will get burned. Proverbs 6:28 says "Or can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched?" Follow this advice.

(2): To consider, that sin is but a bitter sweet.

"That seeming sweet that is sin will quicky vanish, and lasting shame, sorrow, horror, and terror will come in the room thereof." Sin may seem sweet at first but in the end turns out to be bitter, costing us time, money, relationships, health, and most importantly intimacy with Jesus. Brooks writes "When the asp stings a man, it doth first tickle him so as it makes him laugh, till the poison, by little and little, gets to the heart, and then it pains him more than it ever delighted him."

(3): Solemnly to consider, that sin will usher in the greatest and saddest losses that can be upon our souls.

"It will usher in the loss of that divine favour that is better than life, and the loss of that joy that is unspeakable and full of glory, and the loss of that peace that passeth understanding, and the loss of those divine influenes by which the soul hath been refreshed, quickened, raised, strengthened, and gladded, and the loss of many outward desirable mercies, which otherwise the soul might have enjoyed."

(4): Seriously to consider, that sin is of a very deceitful and bewitching nature.

"Sin so bewitches the soul that it makes the soul call evil good and good evil; bitter sweet and sweet bitter, light darkness and darkness light; and a soul thus bewitched with sin will stand it out to the death at the the sword's point with God. So a man bewitched with sin had rather lose God, Christ, heaven, and his own soul than part with his sin. Oh, therefore, for ever take heed of playing with or nibbling at Satan's golden baits."

The Tornado, the Lutherans, and Homosexuality

This is taken from the Desiring God website. You can view the commentary, written by John Piper, here: Article

I saw the fast-moving, misshapen, unusually-wide funnel over downtown Minneapolis from Seven Corners. I said to Kevin Dau, “That looks serious.”

It was. Serious in more ways than one. A friend who drove down to see the damage wrote,

On a day when no severe weather was predicted or expected...a tornado forms, baffling the weather experts—most saying they’ve never seen anything like it. It happens right in the city. The city: Minneapolis.

The tornado happens on a Wednesday...during the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America's national convention in the Minneapolis Convention Center. The convention is using Central Lutheran across the street as its church. The church has set up tents around it’s building for this purpose.

According to the ELCA’s printed convention schedule, at 2 PM on Wednesday, August 19, the 5th session of the convention was to begin. The main item of the session: “Consideration: Proposed Social Statement on Human Sexuality.” The issue is whether practicing homosexuality is a behavior that should disqualify a person from the pastoral ministry.

The eyewitness of the damage continues:

This curious tornado touches down just south of downtown and follows 35W straight towards the city center. It crosses I94. It is now downtown.

The time: 2PM.

The first buildings on the downtown side of I94 are the Minneapolis Convention Center and Central Lutheran. The tornado severely damages the convention center roof, shreds the tents, breaks off the steeple of Central Lutheran, splits what’s left of the steeple in two...and then lifts.

Let me venture an interpretation of this Providence with some biblical warrant.

1. The unrepentant practice of homosexual behavior (like other sins) will exclude a person from the kingdom of God.

The unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)

2. The church has always embraced those who forsake sexual sin but who still struggle with homosexual desires, rejoicing with them that all our fallen, sinful, disordered lives (all of us, no exceptions) are forgiven if we turn to Christ in faith.

Such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:11)

3. Therefore, official church pronouncements that condone the very sins that keep people out of the kingdom of God, are evil. They dishonor God, contradict Scripture, and implicitly promote damnation where salvation is freely offered.

4. Jesus Christ controls the wind, including all tornados.

Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? (Mark 4:41)

5. When asked about a seemingly random calamity near Jerusalem where 18 people were killed, Jesus answered in general terms—an answer that would cover calamities in Minneapolis, Taiwan, or Baghdad. God’s message is repent, because none of us will otherwise escape God’s judgment.

Jesus: “Those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:4-5)

6. Conclusion: The tornado in Minneapolis was a gentle but firm warning to the ELCA and all of us: Turn from the approval of sin. Turn from the promotion of behaviors that lead to destruction. Reaffirm the great Lutheran heritage of allegiance to the truth and authority of Scripture. Turn back from distorting the grace of God into sensuality. Rejoice in the pardon of the cross of Christ and its power to transform left and right wing sinners.

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