Restart

Upside Down

And the king went up to the house of the Lord, and with him all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the prophets, all the people, both small and great. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the Lord. II Kings 23:2 ESV

Restart

Usually, restarts are not satisfying.  When I am losing at a computer game, and I start over, somehow later success seems lessened.

When I am trying to work on the plumbing under my sink, and it gets so messed up that I have to start over, somehow the eventual success seems lessened.

When I am reading a difficult book, and my mind gets so confused that I have to start over, somehow the final knowledge seems lessened.

Maybe it is not lessened.  But it seems like it.

But the Gospel allowing us repeatedly to start over is not lessened by the repeat.

God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, forgives us over and over and over and over and over.  And each time it is not less wonderful, but more-so.

There is nothing else like it in the world.

And it turns the world upside down.

Know-It-Alls

Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (Revelation 21:5 ESV)

Know-It-All

At my elementary school was a student who almost got jumped up a grade, and who had an opinion on nearly every subject.  He was smart, knew it, and was somewhat arrogant about it.

He was a know-it-all.  We all took note the day he no longer seemed to know it all.  The day he was wrong.

Christians have a source of knowledge that is always correct.  However, we interpreters are no so reliable.  We might sometimes act like WE are always right, but WE are not.  God’s Word IS.

When God’s Word was brought by God’s people through the Roman Empire that brought truth.  Not truth about which horse to purchase, or who would be appointed pro-consul, or the precise distance between two towns.  But truth about reality.  Truth about God.  Truth about salvation.

And in a world of know-it-alls (just like today) I expect that was unusual. 

Those times when the bringers presented true truth as their own, it probably had little effect on the world.

But when the bringers presented the truth as God’s truth… it turned the world upside down.

Because truth is truth.

Not because we know it… but because God tells it.

Victory

In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed be Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.” (Isaiah 19:24,25 ESV)

Upside Down Victory

This is an amazing message.  We think victory only means death and destruction for the enemy.  But that is not God’s plan.

Even Egypt, the enslaver… and Assyria, the conqueror… will no longer be God’s enemies NOT because they are destroyed.  But because HE is drawing them in, through Christ Jesus!

We are not used to thinking about God’s victory in those terms…  but God’s Upside Down gospel does exactly that.

Egyptians become believers.  Death becomes the entrance into heaven.  Divisions come under the Lord’s unifying umbrella.

Only Sin is ultimately completely wiped out.

And since Sin started the whole bad game, that makes a lot of sense.

Even our world is turned upside down when we consider that.

In fact, our way of thinking about winning is not winning at all. 

The Gospel turns the world upside down.

Someone Else, Later

Upside Down

Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “Why not, if there will be peace and security in my days?” (II Kings 20:19 ESV)

Someone Else, or Later

While we might see that the terrible effects of our actions, our decisions, our attitudes will someday hit home, we mostly think it will hit someone else.

This is why we rarely consider the effects of our actions, decisions, and attitudes on the economy, the ecology, or history. 

Hezekiah made a foolish decision concerning Babylon.  He bragged to them about how much wealth his nation had.  He showed off his power.  And the Babylonian Envoys went back home and started planning the fall of Jerusalem.

When Isaiah warned Hezekiah about the future, the King thought it sounded ok.

Why not?  The future would pay for yesterday’s mistakes.

But in truth, effects always have an effect. 

Cause and effect.  Just desserts.  The end comes because of the means.

But for Christians, HE takes our effect on Himself.  HE ate our just dessert.  HE saves us from the terrible effects of our thoughts, words, and deeds.

And if you are thinking, “ok, then… I’ll let HIM carry that burden and do what I want!”  then He is probably not doing it for you.  Because the Love between us and Christ is both what stops us from saying that… AND is the reason He does it.

Someone else, yes:  Jesus Christ.  Some other time: on Calvary.

Payment

And if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement for her, and she shall be clean.” (Leviticus 12:8 ESV)

Payment

The Old Testament Law had careful and complete requirements for offerings and sacrifices, all of which were intended to cover every unrighteous thought, word, and deed.

And that felt comfortable.

Sin?  Here are instructions for what to do.

Somehow became unclean?  Here are instructions for what to do.

Had unrighteous thoughts, words, or deeds?  Here are instructions for what to do.

The thing is, those things did not really do anything.

Perhaps they made those who brought the offerings feel better, but nothing really changed.

Those instructions simply and merely pointed to the One who WOULD make things right, the Messiah.

But for the people who wanted THEIR work to count, THEIR sacrifice to count, THEIR actions to count… that Messiah, when He arrived, was hard to take. 

But Jesus the Messiah was the only way.

And that turned the religious world upside down.  It still does.

Ears that Hear

Upside Down

And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. (Isaiah 30:21 ESV)

Ears that Hear

I usually practiced my guitar in privacy.  Mostly because my mother had perfect pitch.  She could hear any note and know exactly what note it was.  She could hear if it was slightly sharp, or slightly flat.  Or just wrong.

And for a young guitar player, just learning to tune my guitar, that was beyond annoying.

When someone else can hear something we cannot, it easily becomes offensive.  Whether it is an A sharp, a rattle in the engine, a phone buzzing, or a neighbor muttering… ESPECIALLY when that thing that is heard is more correct, more accurate, more useful, and more true.

Christians know Christ’s voice.  We do not always understand it correctly.  We do not always act like we hear.  We do not always enjoy hearing. 

But uniquely in the world, God has given us ears that hear.  Through our faith, through the Holy Spirit, through our relationship with Him and His people.

And those that do not hear, do not understand.

And when we hear truth, and others believe non-truth… that turns the world upside down.

Not merely in ethics, economy, and relationships.

But in salvation itself.

Hearing the truth leads to salvation.  NOT hearing it leads to death.

And that turns the world upside down.  Forever.

News

He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. (Psalm 112:7 ESV)

News

What do you expect to hear or learn today?

If God is indeed love, we can expect good news.

If God is indeed sovereign, we can expect good news.

If God is indeed at work, we can expect good news.

If God is indeed all powerful, we can expect good news.

If God is indeed at work, completing the good work He has begun in us (Philippians 1:6), we can expect good news.

If God has indeed adopted us as His children, we can expect good news.

The world expects bad news, and usually receives it.  But God turns our world upside down.  He brings Good News.

Unexpected

…He has brought down the mighty from their thrones

and exalted those of humble estate; (Luke 1:52 ESV)

Unexpected

I sometimes enjoy a card game that we call Rich Man, Poor Man.  This game has odd rules, in which it seems that success breeds failure, and failure breeds success.  Winning the game is tricky, because the results are not what we are used to.  In this strange game, the end is not usually predictable.

The predictable is often comfortable.

Mary points out that by mankind’s standards, God is unpredictable.

Because He saves by Grace, regular status does not matter.

Because He loves unconditionally, popular status does not matter.

Because He is Almighty God, our squabbles over status do not matter.

He lifts and lowers, and turns the world upside down.

Peace

Upside Down

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (II Thessalonians 1:2 ESV)

Peace

 I once worked as a telephone salesman for a janitorial supply company.  The company had developed a sales technique in which we pushed one of our products, a spray-on chemical that supposedly bonded with each individual fiber to protect fabric (carpets in particular) from stains.  We began by describing a horrid stain event, in which some unprotected material was completely ruined by a series of stains.

We did not always complete a sale.  But one customer was memorably annoying, in that he laughed at our danger warnings.  He had a frustrating peace with the condition of his customers’ carpet. 

Other peoples’ peace can be hard to take, when we do not share their sense of peace.

When Christians began to bring the Good News to the Roman world… a world of chaos, danger, political intrigue, injustice, violence, and fear (although they DID make great roads), Christians’ peace would have stood out.

Their peace in Christ’s sovereignty, peace in God’s grace, peace in the Trinity’s full-orbed salvation, peace in their saviors power, and peace in their future would have been strange, inexplicable, and non-sensible.

And that peace turned the world upside down.

It still does, or can, or would today.

If God’s people, living in Christ, forgot our fears and had peace.  If God’s people, living through Christ, forgot our fears and had peace.  If God’s people living for Christ, forgot our fears and had peace.

Wonder

Upside Down

Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days

that you would not believe if told. (Habakkuk 1:5 ESV)

Wonder

Talking with children and old people can be inspiring.  Both extremes of age have such wonder when they consider the world.  The young because they have so much to learn, and are just starting to comprehend and apprehend what God has done.  And the old because they have learned so much, but are realizing that they still do not comprehend and apprehend everything God has done.

Our modern brains work pretty hard to try to understand everything. Sometimes we think we have arrived.  Somethings we think we have drunk knowledge to the bottom of the mug. Sometimes we think we can stop learning because we at least know all that is important, if not all of everything.

But God’s people can see things differently.  We know that God knows all, and we get to think His thoughts after Him.  And because of that, we can be not only BORN in wonder, but LIVE in wonder, and CONTINUE in wonder.

And that is wonderful.

Grace

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (II Thessalonians 1:2 ESV)

Grace

The relationship that God gives uniquely to His people is that of Grace.

God’s Grace does not mean, as we often seem to believe, ignoring offense, disobedience, and rebellion.

God in His Grace is not simply being nice.

Grace is much bigger than that.  God, in His Holiness, does not tolerate evil and sin.  God, in His Love, desires creation to be restored, and relationship with His people reformed.

He COULD have just shrugged His shoulders and said, “Oh well… I suppose I’ll just ignore the dark sin that Adam brought into creation.”  But then He would not have been honest or true to His nature.

He COULD have decided to destroy everything broken by the sin Adam brought into creation, and start over.  But then He would be acting against the Love He has for creation, and particularly His people.

He COULD have magically transformed everyone into Perfect People, and gone about His heavenly business.  But then He would be changing His people so much that we would no longer be what He loved in the first place.

Instead, He chose Grace.  He chose to punish and destroy all sin by punishing Christ Jesus instead of us.  He chose to attribute Christ Jesus’ perfection as His people’s.  He made a swap.  He made an exchange.  And thus kept both sides of Himself true… hating sin, and loving His people.

It is Grace because He does it for us, instead of us doing it ourselves.

And Grace seems unnatural to the world, because it is.  Grace seems too easy because it is.  Grace seems unlike anything that occurs naturally in this world, in society and culture, and in our hearts… because it is.

Grace turns the world upside down.

Stirring

Upside Down

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, (Hebrews 10:24 ESV)

Stirring

My grandfather used to say, after my grandmother complained to a waitress, that we catch more flies with sugar than with vinegar.  I am not certain why anyone would actually want to catch flies, but there we have it.

My grandfather knew this verse.  If we wish to persuade, ask, cajole, or convince someone to take some action, kindness and gentleness are often more successful than yelling or whining.

The author of Hebrews is commenting on more than successfully getting our way, though.  He is noting that Christians have in our arsenal, and in fact, at the core of our persuasions, something that can turn the world upside down.

We stir each other to love and good works in a very different way.  The Holy Spirit stirs us to love and good works not through guilt, like most religions do, but by unity.  Christ stirs us to love and good works not through fear, but by example.  The Father stirs us to love and good works not through threats, but by promises. 

When we stir each other to love and good works through the world’s methods we forget who we are.

Instead, we can turn the world upside down by following the example of the Holy Spirit, the Son, and the Father.

Warnings

Upside Down

…yet you did not return to Me,” declares the Lord. (Amos 4:9 ESV)

Warnings

Most of us do not like being warned.  When my mechanic warns me that that noisy rattly clank is going to need fixing, I do not smile.  When the meteorologist indicates that bad weather is on the way, I scowl.  When symptoms indicate to me that health troubles are rising, I am not happy.

Even more so when a warning regards something that is actually my responsibility.  If I am speeding on the interstate, and I see a state trooper up ahead, I do not like it.  When my poor diet is the cause of my health problems, I do not like it.  When I do not adequately prepare for a presentation, and the audience begins to look bored, I do not like it.

One way that the gospel turns the world upside down is that it includes a true warning.

Our society defines sin differently than God does.  Humans tend to think that a decision, action, or thought is okay as long as it does not actually hurt someone.  But God defines sin as anything we do that is in opposition to Him. 

And when the gospel warns us that we are sinning, we do not like it.

But along with the warning, the gospel brings the solution.  If sinning is turning away from God, even for a moment… the solution is returning to Him. 

The warnings found in scripture, in the words of His people, and through the Spirit are not given to produce guilt, fear, or despair.  God’s warnings are given to produce hope, excitement, and salvation. 

Sometimes we do not know how to take that… it is so different.

But take it with faith, hope, and love.

That turns the world upside down.

Wisdom

Upside Down

Do you think the elderly have a corner on wisdom, that you have to grow old before you understand life? (Job 12:11-12 The Message)

Finding Wisdom

The world thinks that wisdom comes from experience, age, or brains. 

But it does not.

Wisdom comes only from following God (Job 28:28).  In fact, true wisdom is not ‘applied human knowledge,’ but rather is knowing God, and following Him.  Everything else is foolishness.

Children can be wise, the uneducated can be wise, annoying neighbors can be wise, you can be wise, and I can be wise.

Wisdom is believing that God has the only workable plans, and we therefor choose to follow it.

The world does not like that idea.  Because it means that humans need help.  It means that humans don’t earn wisdom.  It means that humans cannot turn inwardly to find wisdom.

But when we find wisdom that way, it is fantastic!

Because God is wise… and His wisdom makes all the difference in the world.

Champion

But Amaziah would not listen. So Jehoash king of Israel went up, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another in battle at Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah. (II Kings 14:11 ESV)

Champion

I had a bully in elementary school.  We all probably did.  And we were all probably told the same thing by parents, teachers, older siblings, or advisors.

Stand up to the bully.  It does not help to have someone else confront that bully.  Do it yourself.

And I grew up thinking I had to fight my own battles.

It did not often work out well for me.

But Christians have someone to fight the battles FOR us.  The real battles.  Not the trivial things that we spend too much time fighting.

Christ fought for us, Christ fights for us, and Christ will fight for us.

The world does not understand that.  He fights for us because He alone can… He alone will… and He alone must.

We have a Champion.  And that turns the world upside down.

Hope

Upside Down

Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope. (Psalm 119:49 ESV)

Hope

We learn to be pessimists.  Bad things happen.  People hurt.  Many folk have more fears than Space-X has satellites. 

The things we see on the news, the things we read online, the things we talk about at the coffee shop all teach us to expect troubles.  If not today, then tomorrow.  If not tomorrow then next week.

And such low expectations often make logical sense. 

But God’s People are odd.  We have hope.

Not because our logic is different.  Not because we observe different events.  Not because we do not notice the same things that bring fears.

But because God gives His people hope. 

Whether it comes through reading His Word… or whether it comes through the ‘peace that passes understanding’ (Philippians 4:7 ESV), we have hope.

Sometimes the hopeless might not like that.  Sometimes it might confuse them.  Sometimes they might mock or deride those who hope. 

Because Who we hope in turns the world upside down.

Forgiveness

Upside Down

And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34 ESV)

Forgiveness

The more advanced human society becomes, the less willing we seem to be to freely forgive.  Atonement becomes confused with Punishment.  Revenge and getting even become confused with justice.  Restoration becomes confused with winning.

But Christ shows us something different.  He forgives us not because we have proven our repentance, but because He pays our penalty.  He forgives us not because we are sorry enough, but because He loves enough.  He forgives us not because we know the depth of our terrible sin, but because He DOES know the depth of our terrible sin.

Christ alone forgives forgivingly.

And that turns the world of revenge, punishment, and getting even upside down.

We who follow Jesus can display an astonishing gospel when we do the same thing.

Forgive first, not after.  Forgive eagerly, not grudgingly.  Forgive unabashedly, nor reservedly.

Forgive like Jesus, and turn your world upside down.

Death

Upside Down

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”    “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”  The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (I Corinthians 15:54-57 ESV)

Death

A friend in elementary school was the first of our class to have a metal lunch box.  The rest of us looked on jealously while, unlike with our paper sacks, HIS sandwiches were not squashed.  HIS potato chips were not crunched.  HIS cookies were not mushed.

We wanted what he had.  And it was easy enough to get.  We begged our parents.  And soon, I sported a lunch box shaped like a barn… red base, with a black top.

When Christ died on our behalf, He defanged death.  When He rose again, He defeated it utterly.  When He ascended into heaven, He changed death from a terrible end, to the entrance Gate of eternal life for those who believe.

All culture without Christ is based on avoiding or worshiping death.

Christ turned that upside down!

Religion

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,  not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8,9 ESV)

Religion

Humans have developed many religions.  Once society (and individuals) reject the truth of the One True Living God, ideas develop to fill the gap.  Lots of humans, lots of religions.

Normally, such religions attempt to explain the unknown.  Such religions attempt to give peace of mind.  Such religions attempt, even, to draw near to the divine.

When Christ came, in fulfilment of all of God’s intentions and promises, He was not making a religion like those.  He came as the One True God Himself, providing actual understanding, actual peace, and the only way to draw near to God.

All of this was upside down to what was common.

But particularly, Christ showed that the only way for anyone to draw near to God was for God to come near to us.

We draw near to God not by our efforts, but by God’s grace.  And that was so very different. It requires humility rather than human achievement.  It requires trust rather than human wisdom.  It requires Christ, not our own heroes.

Grace turns the religious world upside down.

TANSTAAFL

Upside Down

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 ESV)

Economist and Science Fiction author Larry Niven attempted to coin a new acronym: TANSTAAFL.  There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.

And from our experience, his acronym, however unknown, is correct.  Nothing is free.  Everything has a price. 

All the religions of the world work form this presupposition.  If salvation is to be received, it takes obedience, dedication, a particular form of worship, sacrifice, offerings, penance, or SOMEthing.

But salvation, real salvation, the only salvation is free.  Because Jesus Christ paid for it.  It costs His people nothing, because Jesus Christ paid for it.  God’s people do not owe anything because Jesus Christ paid for it. 

When God presented His salvific plan to the world through the life, death, and life again of His Son, it turned the world upside down.  THIS was different!  THIS was unexpected.  THIS went against mankind’s instinct.  THIS surprised.

Salvation surprisingly is free.  Let that turn your world upside down.