February 2011 – Hope and Passion Ministries

Rescue from the Wrath to Come

Posted on February 27, 2011 by admin

“Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.” – I Thessalonians 1:10b (NASB)

There is a wrath to come. Oddly enough, I affirm that statement with both grief and gratefulness. God does not delight in the pouring forth of His wrath (II Peter 3:9, NASB). In fact, He delights in the demonstration of mercy (Micah 7:18, NIV). As one of His children, I also do not take joy in God’s wrath, but I imperfectly grasp its necessity.

I am aware of horrible things in this current world system: children starve to death, dictators wield unjust power, people suffer with myriad debilitating diseases, parents neglect and abuse little ones, angry people kill other humans, desperate people give up on themselves, natural disasters destroy homes and lives, people speak hateful words, humans die in loneliness, entire groups wage war on nations, and some orphans never find homes. In light of these observations, I thank God that one day He will set things right and refuse to allow sin to influence anymore. The Bible makes clear that the sinfulness of human beings has brought a curse to this world. All who choose to follow the sinful nature will have to be dealt with in order for God to bring to reality a right world. All who choose to follow Jesus and accept His righteousness in exchange for their sinfulness will abide eternally in that right world (John 3:36, NASB).

At the helm of sinful choices stands Satan. He leads those who want to follow him in rebellion against God and God’s ways. He leads the march against all that is right. Satan leads the march toward destruction, because God must pour out His holy wrath on sin and all its horror. Revelation 20:10 (NASB) declares, “And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” The greatest tormentor will be tormented so that horror will finally be confined. Atrocity and pain will be imprisoned with sinful rebellion in a place of God’s making. Justice will be served so that Heaven can flourish. There is wrath to come.

Following the ultimate demise of Satan, Revelation 20:14-15 (NASB) proclaims, “Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” And there we have it. All people who have chosen death instead of life by choosing sin instead of Jesus (Romans 6:23, NASB) will be confined to the same place of torment in which their leader will exist. The wrath of God Almighty will be poured forth on all the sinfulness that has perpetuated the horrible things of which I spoke earlier. God hates sin, and God hates what sin does. God also dignifies His human creatures. We are made in His image, with the freedom to choose. Sin, therefore, originates in the human heart (James 1:13-15, NIV). Unless Jesus is asked to stop it, sin continues to reign in the souls of those who choose it to be so. Therefore, the wrath of God must extend to those souls. In His mercy, God must one day eliminate sin and its indescribable damage.

Let us now focus on our hope found in the Scripture we are studying. I Thessalonians 1:10 (NASB, emphasis mine) describes our hope as “Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.” Jesus Christ, the Son of God, can rescue us from this wrath. He is our Way to the right world God is preparing (John 14:1-6, NIV). We have no chance of escaping God’s wrath but by divine rescue. Ours simply cannot be a mission of self-help. There is nothing we can do to change the bent of our heart from sinfulness to righteousness; for us, only one answer exists – rescue by Jesus Christ! He alone can make our whole being brand new – apt to love and serve Him (II Corinthians 5:17, NIV).

Two millennia ago, Jesus died on the cross of Calvary to suffer the wrath of God on behalf of humans He loves. The infinite, holy God bore the wrath of the infinite, holy God so that finite, failing humans who believe in Him may enjoy eternal life rather than suffer eternal wrath. God’s holiness demands justice. Jesus offered to meet the just requirement of payment for sin on our behalf by shedding His own blood. We must now run to Him and yield our hearts and lives to Him.

I have asked Him to save me from the wrath to come by re-making me so that I am fit for righteousness through Him. His sacrifice is my only hope. Please turn to Him this moment and ask Him to save you from the wrath to come. The divine rescue of Jesus – and the needed wrath of God – work together to give us the eternal hope that we will one day suffer no more!

Enduring and Moving

Posted on February 20, 2011 by admin

At times it is necessary to move. When the status quo is against God’s plan, the status quo must be left behind. Of course, it feels comfortable to stay with what is familiar, for – as disappointing as the familiar can be – at least we know we are surviving there. Exiting a place or circumstance with which we are accustomed can potentially be scary. Only one thing is to be feared more – God’s displeasure.

When Moses left Egypt, he had worldly reason to fear the king. The powerful pharaoh would not be pleased with this Hebrew’s renunciation of Egypt. Even though Moses was a Hebrew by blood, he had grown up in and been educated by this mighty nation. Though he had benefitted greatly from Egypt’s riches, he now felt called by His God to leave. Yes, it had been God’s will for Moses to be in the heart of Egypt, for we know he was found by the pharaoh’s daughter on the Nile River in that basket of reeds his mother had so prayerfully prepared and sent. And now, it was also God’s will for Moses to exit – in preparation for the furthering of God’s kingdom. God may put us places, and then carefully draw us away . . . all for the best of His kingdom.

The Hebrews were enslaved to the Egyptians, and Moses could no longer stand idly by and watch God’s people be wrongly mistreated. He felt God tug on His heart to become part of God’s next move on behalf of His beloved Hebrews. However, becoming part of God’s plan would require Moses to now “endure ill-treatment with the people of God [rather] than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin” (Hebrews 11:25, NASB). On the one side stands ill treatment, and on the other stands sin’s temporary pleasure and ease. To leave Egypt now will mean Moses’ life will become difficult. He will be persecuted by the enemy. He will give up riches and ease and familiarity. Wisely, Moses takes the long-term view. He understands that ill treatment now is infinitely better than temporary pleasure coupled with eternal regret.

Moses determines to persevere by moving. The Bible records, “By faith [Moses] left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen” (Hebrews 11:27, NASB). Do you observe that word “endured”? The root of the word is “steadfast,” and here is the only place this particular Greek word is used in the Bible. Moses stayed faithful to God by doing two things: 1) not fearing the power he was leaving behind, and 2) enduring by keeping his heart fixed on an invisible God.

Our Lord who is now invisible is greater than any power we might be inclined to fear when we press forward in God’s will. Though we cannot yet see our God, He is the “King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God” (I Timothy 1:17, NASB). Moses did not fear the wrath of the king of Egypt because He revered the true King who – while now invisible – is eternally the Boss of everything!

We, too, can endure as we keep the eyes of our heart fixed on the unseen Ruler of the universe. We need not look behind, or over our shoulder, fearfully wondering how the enemy might pursue us. Not only is the pleasure of sin temporary, so is the terror of sinners and Satan.

Soon after Moses’ obedience, he and the Hebrews passed through the Red Sea on dry land. But, “the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned” (Hebrews 11:29, NASB). My friends, we need to move when God says to move, no matter how difficult the road ahead appears. To stay would be sin when God says to go. The ill treatment we suffer will not last forever, and our future deliverance is a sure thing. God will make the way for us no matter how ominous the sea in front. All who stand in opposition to the Lord will eventually drown in despair.

“We shall endure.” What an all-encompassing phrase! We shall endure because we have our sights fixed on the invisible, eternal God who has His perfect plan. We shall endure . . . as we move.

“By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen.” – Hebrews 11:24-27 (NASB)

Spanning the Gap

Posted on February 16, 2011 by admin

Tomorrow, I don’t know you;
I’m only familiar with today.

The problem with tomorrow is,
From my vantage point, it’s a chasm away.

Before I reach tomorrow,
Unknowns will proudly abound.

So clinging to the One who knows all
Is the glorious solace I have found.

The chasm between now and then
That threatens my sanity

Is obliterated by the One
Who defines eternity.

Oh, can’t you see it, friend,
Although I don’t know how,

My Savior calls to me from tomorrow,
Even as His arms embrace me now?

No gap for Him stands between
What is and what will be.

He is always eons ahead
Of what the keenest eye can see.

When I walk the road with Him beside,
Nothing shall surprise and be my undoing.

For Jesus always knew
The place my path was going.

And when I fear I shall be swallowed
By an ominous gap ahead,

Jesus reminds me that He bled and died
To remove my fear and dread.

That gap between now and then
Into which I think I’ll tumble

Is spanned by the very Cross of Jesus,
A bridge to tomorrow for the helpless and humble.

And not only tomorrow
Can Jesus safely transport us to,

But He will even span the gap
When the end of earthly life’s in view.

He is already in tomorrow,
Building a smooth bridge for me to travel from today.

He is already in eternity,
Ready to clasp my hand when I fly away.

He stands ready
In the next moment I shall endure.

No gap will I be lost in,
For He is my Bridge, my Way for sure!

“I [Jesus] am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” – Revelation 22:13 (NASB)

Outside the Box

Posted on February 10, 2011 by admin

“I pray that you . . . may have power . . . to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.” – Ephesians 3:17-18

“He measured the city with the rod and found it to be . . . as wide and high as it is long . . . I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.” – Revelation 21:16,22

A simple square
Of length and width,
So distinct, and very clear.

If it is raised
And given height,
A cube it now becomes.

In three dimensions,
Volume calculated
By length times width times height.

I can determine
The amount of space
My cube occupies.

Multiply, I will
The length by width by height.

My basic math procedures
Will not suffice, however,
To measure the amount of love
My God has for me.

Little cubes
In the three space dimensions I know
Have capacity determined
By how long and wide and high.

But the love of God,
In dimensions unknown,
Has magnitude unbelievable!

Paul prayed
That we would have the power to grasp
How long and wide and high and deep
Is the love of Christ.

Four dimensions to the expanse of God’s love!
Exceeding all I know in this world alone,
Defying my calculations,
His love goes a dimension deeper.

Oh, Lord,
We need your love
To be as long as our lives endure,
As wide as our unfaithfulness,
As high as Heaven can take us,
And as deep as human misery goes.

Oh, Lord,
Your love’s volume
Covers all I know,
And all I don’t know.

We read of your love’s dimensions
In the vision you gave to John.

He saw the New Jerusalem
Come down from Heaven,
Measuring as long as it is wide as it is high –
A perfect cube.

And then He saw,
In that glorious city
Of length and width and height,
No temple did abide.

For the fourth dimension –
The depth of that city –
Is the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb.

Beyond all comprehension,
Deeper than any physical glory could ever be,
Stands the love of God in Jesus,
The Lamb slain for you and me.

So when tempted to think
All is lost –
That we could have possibly exhausted
The length and width and height of
The love we grasp,

Remember the added dimension –
The depth –
The unfathomable depth –
That passes our understanding –
The depth of the love of Christ.

How long, how wide, how high
And – gloriously –
How deep
Is the love that makes me think
“Outside the box.”

The Real You and the Plans of God

Posted on February 7, 2011 by admin

There is a distinct and strong comfort in the ability to be oneself. Transparency’s enemy is the mask so many people wear in order to appear to be who they think they ought to be in any given situation. Freedom and peace are stolen by these masks. We crave to jump headlong into life, unhindered by the pressures of appearances. Why this longing? It is how God designed us.

Transparency was assaulted in the Garden of Eden. Human rebellion against God caused people to run – from their Creator and from each other. Sin brings shame and separation. Jesus shed His own blood to bridge the gap between us and God –and between us and everyone else.

The problem so many people face is our reluctance to run to God. Too proud to admit we are a mess, we try to hide the “real us” while the facade continues. Have you ever – like me – convinced yourself you were doing something for God when, in fact, it was mostly for you? Have you ever engaged in church activity or pious practices when your heart was full of self-righteousness or pride? Have you ever acted out the life of a Christian when your heart was so much more about you than about Jesus? Have you ever convinced yourself that you were doing something right even though you knew it was wrong – simply because you wanted your preferred results?

The prophet Isaiah is very clear when he proclaims, “Then the Lord said, ‘Because this people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from Me’ . . . Woe to those who deeply hide their plans from the LORD, and whose deeds are done in a dark place, and they say, ‘Who sees us?’ or ‘Who knows us?’” (Isaiah 29:13,15, NASB). Notice the phrase about people who are surely doomed; they “deeply hide their plans from the LORD.” How foolish we can be! We actually convince ourselves that if we hide our plans deeply enough, God will not know our inner musings. We ridiculously come to believe that we can act and say things that do not align with the thoughts and truth of our inner being and get away with it in the sight of the Almighty. We cannot!

For as deeply as we try to hide our core, the God of the universe digs deeper still! I cannot hide my soul from the very One who breathed the breath of life into the dust that is my body. He knows the atoms of my exterior and He knows the invisible intentions of my interior. Therefore, I want to run to Him with honesty for the work that only He can do in me.

I sing with the Psalmist, “For You, O LORD, have made me glad by what You have done, I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands. How great are Your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep” (Psalm 92:4-5, NASB). Deeper than the vainly hidden plans of the unrighteous are the thoughts of our righteous God. The blessed cure for the unrighteous is to run to the God who is deeper than elaborate, useless plans to cover sin. God’s deep thoughts are thoughts of cleansing and rebuilding. Since eternity past, He planned the sacrifice of His own Son for the redemption of those who – without vain attempts to cover their hearts – will run into His arms.

Psalm 92:5 tells us that God’s thoughts are very deep. The Hebrew root for the word “thoughts” is amazing. It implies that God is thinking, planning, calculating, inventing, and imagining. In other words, God is working to build our lives into what He desires. We are a great workmanship – a wonderful edifice! My God has made the Heavens and the Earth, and now He wants to make us into people who reflect His heart, His love, His wonder, and His creativity. God’s planning and calculating and inventing and imagining is so deep! We cannot even begin to ponder how great a design we could be if we would truly yield our hearts to Him without reservation and bring praise to Him for the work of His hands and His thoughts!

The same Hebrew root for the deep thoughts of God in Psalm 92 is used in other passages that give us the flavor of what a wonderful thing God longs to do with us. When God instructs Moses how to build the tabernacle, He says, “Make the tabernacle with ten curtains of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, with cherubim worked into them by a skilled craftsman” (Exodus 26:1, NIV). This curtain of colorful, elaborate beauty is the result of the plan and imagination of God. What a gorgeous curtain came to be from the thoughts of God.

In II Chronicles 26:15 (NIV), the same root word is used to describe the inventions of King Uzziah, “In Jerusalem he made machines designed by skillful men for use on the towers and on the corner defenses to shoot arrows and hurl large stones.” The plan and invention here is that of Uzziah and skillful men, who reflect the infinite wisdom of their Creator. Interestingly, God can build into our lives the weapons we need to thwart the enemy of our souls. As God gave these men of old the mathematical and scientific skill to build physical weapons, so God gives to us spiritual skill to fight with spiritual weapons the battles in which we stand.

The same Hebrew root is obviously meant to imply precision, as we see it used in Leviticus 27:18 (NASB), “If he consecrates his field after the jubilee, however, then the priest shall calculate the price for him proportionate to the years that are left until the year of jubilee; and it shall be deducted from your valuation.” The exact mathematical evaluations of this verse solidify our assuredness that God is building us to precise specifications. He knows exactly what we ought to be like in the end, and He has calculated accurately the plans necessary to get us there. A trial here, a success there, an answered prayer here, a time of persevering there, a season of difficulty here, a season of rejoicing there – all of these are definitely working together to make me who I ought to be.

Will you now say with me, “How great are Your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep”? Will you now run to Him, instead of hiding?

A New Song

Posted on February 6, 2011 by admin

“Sing to Him a new song . . .” – Psalm 33:3a

We are to sing to God a new song. Yesterday’s rejoicing will not do. Recalling only God’s past work is insufficient. Being content to bask in the goodness of God at rare, pinnacle moments is not right. At all times, a new rejoicing is to be in our hearts. Why? Because “all His work is done in faithfulness” (Psalm 33:4, NASB).

God is never unfaithful to His children. At all times – and in all things – He remains singularly focused on His purpose. There can never exist a moment of time that our God is not steadfast, holding to His plan. Of course, moments and hours and months and years of time can feel senseless or haphazard to us, but “the counsel of the LORD stands forever” (Psalm 33:11).

Our desperate clinging to the Word of God is our salvation, for “the word of the LORD is upright” (Psalm 33:4). Circumstances are upside-down, and people’s actions are unjust, but God’s Word is upright. We must focus unwaveringly on the truth of the big picture. It is the enemy’s sly plan to get us looking to the left and right, at every unnerving and changing circumstance. It is God’s command that we gaze into the very heart of our Savior, whose plans will last throughout every generation (Psalm 33:11).

Yes, the plans of God’s heart go on forever. For that reason, we must sing a new song. If we find no reason to love Him and thank Him in the newness of this hour, then our focus is misplaced. God has sustained us through yesterday, and His work in this last hour is just as faithful and loving as His work will ever be. Our shortsightedness does not negate His perfect working. The question is: are we looking at His steadfast love, or are we looking frantically and randomly all about us?

Unrest and confusion abound for now, but only under the dominion of the God who made the heavens by His Word and the host of the heavens by His breath. He will – at a definitive point in the future – make sense of all He has permitted. He will finally and definitively overtake the world. His Word proclaims, “The LORD nullifies the counsel of the nations. He frustrates the plans of the peoples” (Psalm 33:10).

Knowing God’s promises by knowing His Word, we are instructed to sing right now a fresh song – a song deriving from our observations of God’s goodness at this very moment. If we cannot rejoice in God right now with new adoration and love in our hearts, we need to reexamine our beliefs. Without equivocation, the LORD tells us, “the earth is full of [my] lovingkindness” (Psalm 33:5). Can we see it? Or do we need to get on our knees and ask God for better vision?

The Vital Connection Between Learning and Humility

Posted on February 1, 2011 by admin

Our perpetually plugged in, multi-tasking culture poses some threats to deep thinking and learning. Barely able to focus for more than a brief period of time due to multiple technological interruptions and background noises, many people today lack the ability to explore and think critically about issues and texts. As Bauerlein (2011) states,

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Modesty is a precondition of education

Read the last sentence of Bauerleins’s quote again. Notice how he emphasizes the vital nature of modesty. Our world falsely portrays everyone as an expert in any area of his choosing. We are quick to speak, and slow to listen – let alone methodically and patiently digest deep thoughts and incredibly complex content. Ironically, God tells us to do the opposite. He says we are to be quick to listen and slow to speak (James 1:19).

Professor Bauerlein brings to light a biblical truth, even if this was not his intention. He reminds us that all truth is God’s truth when he declares that “modesty is a precondition of education.” God expressed this proverb in His Word, “When pride comes, then comes dishonor, but with the humble is wisdom” (Proverbs 11:2, NASB).

Furthermore, God directly expressed the heart of the matter when it comes to intelligence, wisdom, and learning. He says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10, NASB). In other words, wisdom cannot even truly get started until a person honestly reverences God. The beginning point for wisdom is humility – an understanding that God is big and I am small. Wisdom starts when I realize I do not know it all; in fact, I know nothing compared to the infinite wisdom of God, from Whom all reality flows.

We humans need put in our proper place; it is befitting that we grapple with our need for God and His ways. My mind was created to relate to God, and only in the context of that relationship can I learn to full capacity. As long as I ridiculously attempt to stay as the center of my world, my pride prohibits considerable understanding. People’s atheistic bents notwithstanding, the human mind was created in the image of God with a desire to learn, but only as it is rightly directed by God. It is part of human nature to be limited, and in need of the realization that it is in my best interest to admit the endless things I yet need to learn.

Though our culture promotes hyperindividualism, it is in our children’s best interest to promote the vastness of God and His world, and to impress on them the necessity of a desire to learn deeply. As a corollary, we must relate to them that learning takes humility and time. First, we must admit we have things to learn. Second, we must treat that need with respect, investing uninterrupted time in reading and pondering. This requires the realization that my sent or received text messages will not change the world. My ego does not need fed by innumerable email responses, tweets, or snippets of entertainment from the television set or iPod. Humility declares that I need to sit down for quite awhile and absorb the expertise of respected others.

Proverbs 9:9 (NASB) declares, “Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.” Truly wise people realize their need for instruction first from God, and secondarily from people God has gifted in areas of knowledge. Wise people will then persevere in wisdom, growing moment by moment. The righteous man is humble enough to seek learning no matter how smart others think him to be. He will become a person of insight, able to teach others.

God is a God of creation and discovery. He is the One who gave us the innate desire to learn, explore, and be creative. Our God created this world of fascinating things, from creatures of the deep to galaxies afar. He made us in His image to rule over this creation by knowing it and interacting with it (Genesis 1:26). The creativity we see in the natural order and the human mind is there because our God put it there. He intends us to enjoy learning.

True wisdom only comes when one rightfully fears the Lord. Though people of great intellect who ignore God may seem to accomplish much, their enjoyment of God’s image in them will abruptly end at a particular point in time (Psalm 1:5-6, Psalm 37:38, I Peter 1:24). Only those who come to God for salvation through Jesus Christ will continue on into the unending beauty and exploration of the New Heavens and New Earth (John 5:24, John 14:2-3). We were originally destined to live and learn forever in a world of righteousness. And that will happen for those who make their goal God’s glory and the righteousness that comes from Jesus.

Can you imagine entering our home of righteousness, where we will see Jesus face to face? Can you imagine learning and exploring and creating in a way unhindered by shortcomings and pain and time constraints? In God’s presence – with cares all gone – we will walk with our God and enjoy all that He intended as we take in wonder after wonder . . . forever.

Reference:

Bauerlein, M. (2008, February). Too dumb for complex texts. Educational Leadership, 68(5), 28-32.