Christ is Present

And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20 ESV)

Christ is Present

I miss my wife when we are not together, in the same room, at the same time.  While we might placate ourselves by acknowledging the wonders of cell phones, it is not the same thing.  While we might feel a little better by leaving each other sticky-notes when travelling, it is not the same thing.  While we might endure absence with prayer for each other, thinking about each other, or talking about each other to whomever we happen to be with, it is not the same thing.

When Christ promises to be with His people, He is declaring something supernatural.  We do not always hear Him, sometimes through our own choices.  We do not always see His hands at work, sometimes through ignorance.  We do not always feel close to Him, sometimes through our rebellions. 

But He is somehow always with us.

When we do not acknowledge that, EVEN when we do not sense it, we open ourselves up to a foolish tendency to replace Him with something else.    But He alone is always with us.

We fool ourselves into thinking we need a more visible presence, but Christ is all we need.  We fool ourselves into thinking we need a more responsive presence, but Christ is all we need.  We fool ourselves into thinking we need a more pleasurable presence, but Christ is all we need.

If we use those visible, responsive, or pleasurable things to drive us to Jesus, than ok.

But I admit I use those things more to replace Him.  Because He seems far away.

But He is not.  He is always with us.

Christ alone.

The G.O.A.T.

For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. (Hebrews 10:4 ESV)

The G.O.A.T.

I believe it started with the great Heavy Weight Boxer, Muhammed Ali.  He was skilled, clever, strong, and had endurance.  He called himself the Greatest of All Time.  Since then nearly every sport has claimants to that title.  Many people call Tom Brady, long time NFL quarterback, the G.O.A.T.

But it is a silly claim.

Certainly we can label someone the best fill-in-the-blank at this present time.  But accomplishments of the past are difficult to compare with accomplishments of today.  And no one is able to compare themselves with someone still coming in the future.

Almost no one.

Because Jesus is really the G.O.A.T.

Yes, He did miraculous things.  Yes, He was God incarnate.  Yes, His mother was a virgin.  Yes, He commanded the wind and waves.  Yes, He healed sick, blind, and lame.

But that only scrapes the surface of Christ’s greatness.

There was no one before Him who measures up to Him.  There is no one to come who will measure up to Him.  So uniquely, “Greatest of ALL TIME” applies to Him.

But He is also a goat.  The Old Testament sacrificial system made use of representative goats to symbolize the payment of sin-debt.  But those goats did not really get the job done.

The only fix for our sin is the Greatest Goat of All Time:  Jesus Christ.

Christ Alone.

He is Bigger Than You Think

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (Matthew 28:18 ESV)

He’s Bigger Than You Think

We’ve all heard jokes and stories with children arguing in the playground about whose father or mother are more amazing.  Each declaration of wonder is matched by another child’s bragging about their parent, until the escalated descriptions are beyond logic and reality.

But maybe those children’s attitudes are part of what Christ has in mind when He tells us that we must become like little children (Matthew 18:3).

While those children are ultimately inaccurate, our view of Christ’s amazingness never becomes exaggeration.  He has ALL authority on earth.  He has ALL authority in heaven.  He is in charge and active in ANY way He is needed.

Some restaurants offer orders of bottomless orders of French Fries.  But they really are not bottomless.  There are limits.  Some resources in the earth are treated like they are without limit.  But we run out of things.  The richest billionaire thinks his checkbook is boundless.  But economic disaster proves him wrong.

But Christ has no limits regarding what He can do, what He does for His beloved, and what He will do for His kingdom.

Whatever limits our minds attempt to put on Him are false. He forgives more than we are even aware.  He loves more than we accept.  He comforts more than we can bear.  He is more than we expect, more than we imagine, more than we comprehend, and more than we will ever experience.

That is why we need nothing but Christ.

Christ alone.

You are HIS, not He is yours

…and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. (I Corinthians 3:23 ESV)

 You are HIS, not He is yours

I am not sure whether my cats are mine, or if I belong to my cats. 

I am not sure if some of my hobbies are mine, or if my hobbies control me.

I am not sure if my thoughts are mine, or if I somehow are owned by my thoughts.

But Scripture is pretty clear I am Christ’s.

Sometimes we talk as if we think He belongs to us.  When we say things like, “my God,” “my Savior,” or “my Jesus,” I wonder if He wonders what we mean.

Perhaps we are only declaring that He is important to us.  But I suspect that more often, we treat Jesus as if He were a resource we can call in when we need Him.  Or we treat Him as our servant, figuring He is glad to have us on His team.  Or we treat Him as if He is part of our family, our church, our community, or our nation.

He is none of those things.

We belong to Him, body and soul.  He paid for us on that costly cross.

He is not our resource, but we get to be used by Him in His kingdom.  He is not our servant, but we get to be His slaves.  He is not on our team, but Christians are on His team.  He forms the family around Himself, binds the church to Himself, offers true unity to any community, and all nations either do or will bow down to Him.

Christ alone.

Self

I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6 ESV)

Self

Most common mistakes are common.

The most common driving mistake is lack of attention.  The most common eating mistake (in America) is eating too much.  The most common job-hunting mistake is passivity.  The most common financial mistake is not saving.

The most common replacement for Christ is self.

Jesus states pretty clearly that THE way to salvation is through Christ Himself.

While few of us worship Baal, bow down to statues of emperors, or pray to demons, we do make the grave mistake of attempting to self-save.

When we try to impress God with our good choices, we are self-saving.  When we try to impress God with our praying habits, we are self-saving.  When we try to impress God by making sure we did more good things than bad things today, we are self-serving.  When we try to impress God by memorizing a lot, reading a lot, singing a lot, attending a lot, or thinking a lot, we are self-saving.

The only way to come to the Father is through Christ.

The good news is, that those times we attempt to self-save, and therefore fail, Christ steps up and says, “I pay for those things, too.”

But instead, we get to skip over the ineffective failings, and cling tightly to Christ, and only Christ, on our way to God.

Christ alone.

Christ Alone

For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. (Mark 13:22 ESV)

Christ Alone

In our society, "faith" is on the rise. Politicians, media stars, professional athletes, and educators look dramatically to the horizon and speak of their faith.

But faith is a word that needs more information.

In football, if a quarterback throws the football without really having anyone in mind to receive it, the whistles blow and the play stops. That pass is not really a pass.

Faith works the same way. Faith is the means God uses to bring us rebels to Him… but not just any faith.

Only faith in Christ accomplishes God’s work.

Faith is not a vague, hopeful, mysterious, religious, smiley-faced thing. Faith alone, but only in Christ, is the necessary second part to the word, “faith.”

What things do we have faith in? When we lean on any other wall, walk on any other path, listen to any other voice, trust in any other hope, it is not really faith. For the next few days, we’ll look at some un-faiths, with the intention of strengthening our faith in Christ.

Christ alone.

Faith is not Personal

 For by it the people of old received their commendation. (Hebrews 11:2 ESV)

Faith is not Personal

I have received some amazing communications over the years.  A Nigerian Prince has offered me access to amazing funds.  A yearbook publisher has declared that they want ME to be highlighted in their next Multi-national Multi-community Multi-prize-winning publication.  And that one Ed McMahon advertisement assures me that I have won Life Changing Monetary Rewards.

Even though I have not applied for, been aware of, or deserved such things.

Strangely though, those laughable offers are a better teaching opportunity than we might expect.

The people of old received their commendation NOT by their efforts, works, successes, or greatness.  But instead the people of old received their commendations by Faith.

In God’s eyes, we are not His children, His followers, His people, or His heirs because we have done something amazing.

We are those things because of our Faith… and HE has given us our Faith.

Our society, perhaps more than any other in history, demands excellence, achievements, and success.

But that is not God’s way.

Do you need His help?  Do you need His forgiveness?  Do you need His blessings?  Do you need Him?

Then grasp the Faith He gives, and find Him.

Faith alone.

Faith is not Laziness

By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. (Hebrews 11:24,25 ESV)

Faith is not Laziness

The history of Switzerland is interesting.  Nationally, they have chosen an international position of neutrality and apparent passivity.  While Switzerland clearly has military capability (they provide security in Vatican City, for instance), they choose a diplomatic pathway that appears weak, but is actually principled, and while neither ‘strong’ nor ‘weak,’ but rather discerning.

When we wander from seeing our days through Christ’s lens, but instead through the popular lens of our cultural atmosphere, Faith seems weak. Faith seems foolish.  Faith seems lazy.

Our post-Christian society seems to believe that faith is effortless, surrendering, and childish.

But Faith is the strongest of all, because Faith is the only way to personally connect to the Almighty God of the universe!

Faith requires effort, because it is unnatural for our human minds and will.

Faith is risky, difficult, and uncomfortable, and those Christians who live by it, walk in it, and rest on it should be respected, emulated, and understood.  God tells them, “well done, good and FAITHful servant.”

Faith alone.

Faith is not the Last Resort

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son… (Hebrews 11:17 ESV)

Faith is not the last resort

In my bedroom closet ‘medicine cabinet’ shelf, an asthma inhaler lurks.  While in the past, I have carried an inhaler in my pocket, now it resides on that shelf, usually unnoticed, usually unremembered, and usually hidden by ever accumulating out-of-season clothes, other medicine containers, and clutter.

Because my inhaler, once so nearly-necessary, has thankfully become an emergency last resort.

Sometimes we treat faith like that inhaler.  It seems we have so much understanding of our circumstances, that Faith is unnecessary, unless we are extremely unsettled.

Sometimes we treat Faith like that inhaler.  That almost-irrational trust in an unseen God is hidden behind our clutter of past experiences, present scientific knowledge, and microscopic understanding of our realities, unless we are hit by a monstrous tragedy, loss, or emergency.

Sometimes we treat Faith like that inhaler.  We are, perhaps for great reasons of Spiritual truth, so secure in our now rational trust in our wonderful and incomprehensible God, that we do not think about Faith, lean on Faith, ask for Faith, or even really want Faith.

Sometimes we treat Faith like that inhaler.  It has been so long since we needed it, that we are not even sure exactly where it is.  And we have let God’s enemies (our flesh, the world, and the dark side of the Spiritual realm) explain Faith as an immature, irrational, undesirable, silly thing that our Grandma used to use.  So now we are not even attracted to Faith.

But Faith belongs in our pocket, not on the closet shelf.  Faith, when clung to daily, can be a daily balm, an hourly comfort, and a moment-by-moment attachment to our God, through Jesus Christ.

Faith is not boring, irrelevant, unnecessary, foolish, silly, old-fashioned, weak, or the result of failure in the rest of our life.  Faith is a source of strength when our confused minds can not see God.  Faith is a source of peace, when our senses give us reason to fear.  Faith is a solid place on which to stand, when the floods, quicksand, or lava flow around us.

Daily, yes… but particularly regarding our salvation.  We come to Christ with Faith.  We know the Father with Faith.  We open our empty hearts to the Spirit with Faith.

Faith is not the last resort, Faith is the only resort.

Faith alone.

Faith is not Hope

By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. (Hebrews 11:9 ESV)

Faith is not Hope

My automobile engine, recipes, and Salvation are all confusing concepts, which I do not grasp rationally, but experience with some sort of faith.

The Future is also a confusing concept, but it requires hope rather than Faith.

Somehow, in a way that transcends my reasoning ability, my automobile usually runs.  I used to rationally understand my car more than I presently do.  But I do not worry about it.  I have faith that right now, for this little while, my car is not stalling.

Recipes seem logical, but my experience has been that even when I meticulously follow every jot and tittle of the instructions in the cookbook, something strangely goes wrong… or strangely goes right.  But I do not worry about it.  I have faith that the dinner I am eating is ok.

Salvation, particularly the part that gives me an unearned relationship with God, is sometimes beyond my reasoning ability.  Why does God love ME?  Why is God doing THIS difficult thing?  Why is God so much slower, or faster, or bigger, or smaller than me?

Faith is what gives me peace when driving my car, eating my dinner, and best of all, when contemplating my relationship with God right now.

Hope, while similar to Faith, looks ahead to the future.  And the future is a good thing to consider. 

But Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived in tents.  Today (for them) mattered. And their Faith that God is, that God loves, and that God saves, all in the present tense, enabled them to survive, and to even more than merely survive.

It is not that our future is unworthy of attention, or hope.   But rather, we ALSO get to have Faith for today.  Because life matters today.  And when it does not make sense today, God grants us Faith to accept… Faith to endure… Faith to enjoy… Faith to exist… Faith to trust.. Faith to believe… and sometimes, Faith to hope.

Faith Alone

Faith is Not Reason

By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. (Hebrews 11:3 ESV)

Faith is not Reason

I have enjoyed coffee for many years.  But one year, not too long ago, I had a cup of espresso.  However you might define espresso, at its core it is coffee that is extra coffee-ish. 

A young man that I coached on the football team was the strongest kid in school.  But over the summer, he did weight training and became even stronger.  He was the strongest-er kid in school, then.

Way back when I was in high school, we were required to take a typing class.  I seemed unable type without looking at the keys, but nonetheless I was the fastest typist in that class.  The teacher did not approve of my eye-focus, and threatened to fail me.  But she said if I could, with my poor typing process, improve my speed even more, she would give me an A.  I worked hard, still peeking, and improved my speed.  I was then the fastest-er typist.

Faith, however, is not like that.  Christians attain knowledge by two means:  reason, and Faith.  Because Faith seems too nebulous and subjective to satisfy our modern western minds, we often diminish Faith to be simply stronger and better and more sure reason.

But Faith and reason are different types of fish.  And the blessing, gift, and result of Faith should encourage us to hold the two in separate hands.

God grants us Faith in Him and His Word when reason falters.  (And He gives us reason for those times when Faith falters.)

We need Faith when unexplainable tragedy overwhelms our minds. We need Faith when our senses seem to disagree with God’s Word.  We need Faith when our world, our minds, and our experience shout at us to FEAR NOW, but God’s Word and Spirt sing to FEAR NOT.

And one particular flavor of Faith is the most necessary of all.  Perhaps it could be termed Faith-est.  When it comes to our salvation, reason does not lead us to trusting Christ.  Reason does not prove to us the existence of God nor grace.  Reason does not comfort our hearts with the absolute presence of Christ.

And thus, we get to have the gift of Faith from God.

In fact, it is the only way to know Him.

Faith Alone

By Faith Alone

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1 ESV)

FAITH ALONE

We are saved by God’s unmerited favor.  Anything we add to the mix is useless, distracting, and not really an effective part of salvation.  We are saved by Grace Alone.

But how does God manifest the Grace?  For us to experience it, He chose to use a particular mechanism.

Grace does not just blandly, blindly, or blithely blunder into the broken world.

The way that human-invented religions have concocted to come up with ways a divine being COULD have used to be the means of Salvation display for us some of the options God could have used.

He could have given His Graceful salvation through rewarding good works.  He could have given His Graceful salvation through selecting a nation or people group.  He could have given His Graceful salvation through allowing mankind to develop or evolve into a higher state of being.  He could have given His Graceful salvation though accepting passivity, ignorance, or some sort of randomness or fate.

But He chose to give Grace through Faith.

God gives Grace through His gift of Faith.  We believe, and He gives Grace.  Not as a reward, but as a tightly entwined existence.  Those who have Faith, receive Grace.  Those who Have Grace, receive Faith.

Simply put, Faith is accepting as truth and as reality God, as He has revealed Himself.  It is similar to trust, akin to belief, parallel to hope, and is an affirmation of God’s Word and Spirit.  Faith is not the result of reason, nor is Faith the opponent of reason.

Faith is different, Faith is wonderful, Faith is a gift from God.

Salvation is by Grace alone, and only through Faith.

But we alter our definition of Faith to suit our expectations, personalities, and understanding. 

For the next few days, we will examine Faith and the things with which we have tried to replace it.

Faith alone.

Contest

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:9, 10 ESV)

No Contest

I was very excited each year when the international chess rankings were published.  By playing and recording the results of particular matches, a committee somewhere used some algorithm and declared how good a chess player I was.  In the few years I took part, I steadily advanced through the list.  But I was never officially as good a chess player as I thought I was.

Neither our lives, nor salvation, nor our relationship with the one true living GOD are t like the international chess rankings.  While often we use some internal algorithm to compare ourselves to others, such comparisons do not matter.  Even if they were somehow accurate. 

God does not take the top 50 %, or 30 %, or 10%  and give them grace.  If He did, it would not be grace, it would be a reward.

When John recorded what he saw in heaven, he noticed that the number of folk was more than anyone could number.  The number of God’s people in heaven is not infinite.  But instead, we can not figure out that number.  Because, as the heavenly residents sing, “Salvation belongs to our God.” 

We are saved by Grace, not by a contest or comparison.

It does not matter at all if the person sitting next to you, or living downstairs, or by the side of the road is more or less obedient to God than you are. 

It is not a contest.  We all need it.

Grace alone.

Time

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (II Peter 3: 8,9 ESV)

Time

I hate being late.  Yet when I think back on my entire life, I cannot think of a single moment where being ‘late’ actually caused any catastrophe.  Obviously, my focus on time is too pointed, too momentary, too small.

It is not simply that God knows the future and the past, in some time-travel way.  But God rules outside of time.  Time, for the Lord, is but one small mechanism He uses to bring His people to His Son. 

So, when thinking about Grace, consider these timely things:

-          Our existence will be uncountable years in heavenly glory before and with the Triune God.  These few years of this part of our lives, while so very important from our viewpoint, are but a drop in the bucket of our total existence.  And so it makes sense for God to see us as we will be… as we will be for all eternity!  His Gracious love towards us makes sense.  We will be perfectly in His image forever.  This small time of rebellious sinfulness, while terrible because God hates Sin, slides away under His vision of us in glorified eternal Holiness.

-          The way His Grace fills us follows His schedule, not ours.  We righteously yearn for sinless perfection immediately and now.  But from God’s perspective, it is not a long wait.  We are impatient, but He is not.  We are frustrated at the slowness of our sanctification, but He waits.  We are counting hours of sin-struggles, and years of sluggish faith, but He and all heaven rejoice because we ARE His.

-          His Grace is intertwined in His promises.  He is faithful to keep His covenant, made to believers and their children.  It does not seem like He is keeping those promises sometimes.  We want to see the promises working NOW… but God simply says, “I keep my word.”  He does it, though, with His timing.  And while we might not be able to appreciate it yet today, when we see Him as He is, we will see that HOW He kept His promises is someow exactly what we, and our children, and His Kingdom needed all along. 

Grace alone.

Feelings

God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? (Numbers 23:19 ESV)

Feelings

I do occasionally change my mind, but my feelings are usually in flux.  Take Star Trek, for instance.  At times I feel excited about the next new episode.  At times I look forward to watching Star Trek at lunchtime.  Other times, I am tired of the Star Trek universe.  And occasionally, even considering an episode that I used to consider exciting and fun, I really just do not want to watch Kirk, or Picard, or Sisko, or Janeway, or even Spock.

While I might become lost in the spiral of feelings towards Star Trek (or my dog, or my car, or my phone, or my meals), how we feel about salvation has nothing to do with whether we ARE saved.

God saved Christians because He is gracious towards His people.  That is an absolute.  God’s methodology, God’s promises, God’s Grace do not change over time.  God’s Grace is as sure as… well, nothing is as sure as God’s Grace!

But I do not always feel saved.  I doubt my reaction to God.  I doubt my growth in the Lord.  I doubt my devotion to Him.  I doubt that He is doing good in my life.  I doubt He is doing good in my community.  Sometimes I feel afraid, or insecure about God.  Even though I know that Christ has promised never to leave me or forsake me, at times I feel alone.  Even though I am cognizant that God saves by Grace, not as a reward of works, I wonder if Grace is strong enough to overcome the darkness of my history, or my today, or my tomorrow.

But those feelings do not change God’s saving work in my life.  Those feelings, as legitimate and understandable as they are, do not matter the tiniest bit in determining my salvation.  Those feelings are important in determining peace, joy, contentment, and understanding… but those feelings are not important in determining salvation.

God saves by Grace, not feelings.

And His Grace is absolute and sure, towards His people.

Grace alone.

Weakness of Grace

He said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (II Corinthians 12:9 ESV)

The Weakness of Grace

Perhaps it sounds strange to refer to Grace as weak.  We know that God’s Grace is powerful enough to snuff out every spark of sin in our hearts and lives.  The Grace of God is unstoppable, unopposable, and unavoidable, when God sets His love on you.

But there is this odd and wonderful weakness in Grace.

If we add anything to Grace, it is no longer Grace.  When we think that we need to help Grace along with our good intentions, we end up with a Grace/us hybrid that no longer is Grace.  When we think that we need to make Grace better by adding our good behavior, we end up with a Grace/works hybrid that no longer is Grace.  When we think that we need to make Grace stronger by adding our thoughts, words, or deeds, we end up with a Grace/US hybrid that is no longer Grace.

Grace stops being Grace, slipping away into meaningless mumbo-jumbo the moment we add anything of our own to it.

Grace is only Grace when Grace is all God, and not us.  Grace is only Grace when Grace is nothing but pure 100% concentrated God’s doing.  Grace is only Grace when Grace is something we only receive, only accept, only bask in.  Grace is only Grace when our part is not merely small, but non-existent.

The weakness of Grace lies in this.  It is fragile.  Grace stops being Grace, slipping away into meaningless mumbo-jumbo, the moment we add anything of our own to it.

Stop trying to improve Grace.  It is wonderfully free, amazingly one-sided, shockingly generous.  And therein lies Grace’s strength, power, and necessity.

The doubly-amazing thing is, though, that even when we foolishly forget how free Grace is, Christ on the cross paid for that sin, too.

Only Grace.

Only by Grace

 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, (Ephesians 2:8 ESV)

Only by Grace

Some people like to add things to coffee, but I do not.  Coffee is coffee.  Adding other things might taste wonderful, smooth the acidity, and cool the liquid down… but to me, it is no longer coffee.   SOMEONE agrees with me, so we see other names for beverages that are coffee PLUS something.  Latte, Mocha, Americano, Cappucino, Café au Lait, Macchiato, Irish Coffee, Frappe, Affogato, and Red Eye are just a few such options.  Adding something to the cup, and to me, they are simply no longer coffee.

You might not agree with me about my definition of coffee, but salvation inarguably works the same way.  Salvation is by grace.  If we add other things, it is no longer God’s plan of salvation. 

Good deeds, church attendance, good theology, prayer, reading the Bible, memorizing God’s Word, are all great things.  Christians are asked by God to do them.  But they do not save us.

Salvation is, first and foremost, a gift from God.

Imagine having to earn your birthday present.  Imagine Santa Claus asking kids what toys they want to buy.  Imagine any sort of gift that you earned, worked for, or had to prove you deserve.

They would no longer be gifts.

For the next few days we will look at some things we might slip into our coffee.  The good news of the gospel is, that those things are not what save us.

Only grace.

The True Gospel

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. (Galatians 1:6,7 ESV)

True Gospel

I sometimes prepare a casserole that I call, “goulash.”  Basically, it is ground beef, tomato sauce, noodles, and peas.  I have eaten it for years.

But once when I served it, I received a friendly scowl from one participant in the meal.  He had traveled in Eastern Europe, where goulash was invented, and had come to the dinner expecting a particular concoction of spices and ingredients prepared in a particular way. And my goulash was not even close to what he perceived as the real thing.

I am not sure that when it comes to goulash there is a true goulash.

But I am sure that when it comes to gospel there is a true gospel.

These days (and in fact, often, throughout history) we hear a lot of things called ‘gospel’ that are not gospel.

The gospel and its life changing and world altering power has an obvious and desirable effect on everything the gospel touches.  But yet the gospel requires things that the unredeemed are unwilling or unable to give.  So the gospel is imitated, altered, recast, and diminished to make the fake gospel more palatable, less costly, and more attractive on the surface.

And those changes make these gospels not the gospel.

Unlike goulash, it is possible to define Biblically what makes a gospel THE gospel.  Because the gospel is worth defining, worth defending, worth delineating, and worth delighting in.

That is what I will be doing for the next while.

Don’t worry.  This is not about denominations, style, or preferences.

The gospel matters.  Let us state clearly and encouragingly what it is.

Whew

Uzzah put out his hand to take hold of the ark, for the oxen stumbled. 10 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark, and he died there before God. (I Chronicles 13: 9,10 ESV)

Whew

Admittedly, this is a hard story to hear.  Mostly, because we do not appreciate God’s perspective.  Uzzah, in the celebratory parade in which the Ark of the Covenant was finally being returned to Jerusalem, made a mistake.  He reached out to make sure the Holy Ark did not fall over to the ground.

But God had given specific instructions for the parade.  No human hand was to touch the Ark.  Uzzah was trying to keep the Ark unsullied.  Uzzah was trying to be holy, by protecting the Ark’s holiness.  Uzzah had great intentions.  But in doing all of those things, Uzzah disobeyed God.

And God severely punished Uzzah.

I do not understand the details of this tragic story.  But I can understand it as an example of God’s attitude about our sin.  Good intentions do not avoid God’s wrath.  Reacting in an emergency with unrighteous actions are not still being obedient somehow. Making decisions based solely on our logic, our understanding, or our wisdom do not lead to God-pleasing obedience.

I can almost hear you mutter, and in fact, I am muttering myself.  “What was Uzzah supposed to do, let the Ark touch the ground and be defiled?”

I wonder, and perhaps you do, too, if God could have just this once, seeing Uzzah’s enthusiasm for the Ark’s return, expressed His anger, and let the matter lie.

But then I look at the other side of this story.  Perhaps God already had a plan in place to preserve the Ark’s holiness.  Perhaps God was more aware and in control than Uzzah, or I, might have thought.  Perhaps God simply meant what He said:  “Do not touch the Ark.  At all.  Under any circumstances.”

God always means what He says.  Jesus instructs us not to worry, Jesus does not say, “Do not worry, unless things are really bad.”  God requires us to always honor His name.  The third commandment does not read, “Keep God’s name holy, unless you are really scared, or hurt, or angry.”  Jesus told His disciples to forgive always, even 70 times 7 times.  He did not tell them, “Forgive, unless it is really hard.”

God’s perspective is different than ours often is.  We put ‘unless’ clauses in our obedience efforts.

Perhaps that sounds frightening to you.  God’s requirements are so strict.  God’s expectations are so high.  And we can not be THAT obedient.

As guilty as we are… as often as we reach out our hand and grab the Ark… or as often as we reach out our hand and disobey for what seem rational and fair reasons… God has given us a solution.

He is not going to strike you dead for your sins.  He struck Jesus dead for your sins.  God is not going to express His holy wrath against you for your disobedient good intentions.  God expressed His holy wrath against Jesus for your disobedient good intentions.  God is not going to be unjust by ignoring your sins.  God treats them as rebellious as they are.  But then He punishes Jesus for them, instead of you.

We can not endure God’s wrath… but Jesus already did, for you.

Numbers

If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness,

that you may be feared. (Psalm 130:4 ESV)

Numbers

Infinity and countless are not the same thing.  For instance, the number of stars is not infinite, but rather really, really, really big, and incredibly hard to count.

The number of my sins is also very difficult to list.  I have not yet become aware of all of my past sins. I do not understand God’s Word enough to apprehend all of my sins.  My memory of my sins is faulty. 

I could say that because of those (and other) factors that my sins are countless.  But they are not infinite.

And the Psalmist says that if God chose to list every one of those sins, my guilt before God would be obvious and unavoidable. Yet because Christ took away the guilt of every single one of those numbered sins, there is true and full forgiveness.

If my sins were infinite, that forgiveness would be a different sort of thing.  My sins would be surreal.  My sins would be beyond understanding.  In a way, I could not be held accountable for the infinite.

But instead, the number of my sins is known by God, and theoretically known by me.  And so Christ’s work on the cross was particular, pointed, and exact.

You might say the punishment fit the crime.  My (huge) number of sins was matched by Christ’s (huge) number of payments.

That exactness makes Christ’s sacrificial death personal. 

We can not count our sins, but God can, and Christ paid for them.