Tragedy, Sovereignty, and Hope

"In the midst of the panic and the fear, there is a people who belong to the God of the Covenant... and in His arms, there is security and in His sovereignty, there is trust." ~ Steve Brown

Yesterday we remembered the tenth anniversary of 9/11, a date that for my generation will live in our memories as long as Kennedy's assassination or Pearl Harbor did for previous generations. A lot has been said about this tragedy--some good and a lot bad. The big question is, "Where was God during 9/11?" He was on His throne as King of the universe, where He has always been since before there was time. He never left it during 9/11, Oklahoma City bombing, Virginia Tech, WWI, WWII, or when two of my closest friends died a few months before 9/11. He was not somewhere else in the world and somehow missed it. He was not surprised by it. He has always been and will always be in control of all things. We cannot say He "did not cause 9/11" and yet also hold to Ro. 8:28. He cannot work all things together for good unless He controls those bad things that He works together, along with the good things, to accomplish good for His people. Why did He ordain 9/11? I have no idea. I could give a few possible reasons like bringing together a nation or opportunities for the gospel, but anything that I could come up with would surely not be close to a complete account of God's plans for 9/11 and would cheapen the lives lost in that tragedy. We must leave it up to Him and acknowledge that sometimes when the darkness surrounds us we cannot understand why. Yet, we cannot doubt in the dark what we have known to be true about God in the light. He is sovereign over all things, even 9/11, and He promises to work all things, even 9/11, together for the good of those who are His. If you deny the first you cannot trust in the second. If you deny the first you cannot have the hope of the second.

I recommend reading one of Piper's articles that he wrote shortly after 9/11: Why I Do Not Say, "God Did Not Cause the Calamity, but He Can Use It for Good". I also recommend listening to Steve Brown's broadcast that he aired on 9/12/2001: Tragedy, Sovereignty, and Hope.

By His Grace,
Taylor

Little Gods

"Little gods are fine for little problems, but when you have a whopper of a problem you better have a whopper of a God... God the Father loves us and cares for us, but don't forget that He's God, that He's not safe, that He's not manageable. If God doesn't confuse you sometimes, you're probably worshiping an idol." ~ Steve Brown

Steve is a professor, friend, and mentor of mine. One of his ministries is Key Life. He does a daily broadcast called "Key Life" (shocking!) and a weekly, one-minute clip called "You Think About That", which is where the above quote comes from.

Steve is right--if we look at God and think we have Him figured out, we are probably not looking at the true God. We sometimes try to put God in a box so we can have answers to all the questions people ask like, "How can God ordain evil and not be responsible for it?" but when we do, the god that we present to the world is really just an idol that looks more like us than like the true God. When we hit a wall in life like a friend committing suicide, a fiance dying, a parent getting cancer, or a daughter getting pregnant, that god-in-a-box simply will not do. We need a sovereign God who, while we may not understand Him, is powerful enough to keep His promises to His children.

By His Grace,
Taylor

And the Word Became Flesh and Dwelt Among Us...

I just wrote a post about the second Advent Sunday and truly how incredible the incarnation, which we celebrate at Christmas, really was. Then, while procrastinating and not studying for a Greek exam, I read the latest letter by my friend Steve (whom you have probably seen me quote before), which is posted on his website: www.keylife.org. It is about Christmas, which is about "a boatload of problems that we can't fix and a God who came 'at the right time' to love us, forgive us and call us, and to tell us about Home. Christmas is a celebration of our helplessness and God's antidote." I really liked it so I thought I would share it:

I once said on a Key Life broadcast that a famous author had died. That's when I started getting letters informing me that he was very much alive. One friend even said that he had talked to this particular author that morning.

I thought I should correct that, but because I record the broadcasts a couple months ahead and because this particular author was so old he didn't even buy green bananas, I thought better of it.

There was a chance that if I said on the broadcast he was alive and kicking by the time it aired, he might have "assumed room temperature"...dead. So I just let the original mistake stand.

There are other problems with doing things so far in advance, particularly if one is a Scrooge. I'm writing this in October yet need to say something about Christmas because you will receive it in December. Not only that, I just came out of the studio after recording the Key Life Christmas programs. That would be no problem for you, but for a Scrooge it is painful. Between looking like Santa Claus and writing about Christmas before we even get to Thanksgiving, I hope you appreciate how I'm suffering. Please pray for me.

I wouldn't do this for anybody except you and Jesus...

You can read the rest of it here and I highly recommend it.

By His Grace,
Taylor

Four Spiritual Laws (According to Steve Brown)

"...You know people like that: arrogant, elitist, demanding? You don't do that if you know the four spiritual laws. Let me give them to you. Law number one: there's a sovereign God. Law number two: you're not Him. Law number three: He doesn't need you. Law number four: go get a milkshake." ~ Steve Brown

I love how Steve has a way of breaking things down like this. When we think too much of ourselves in reference to the world and God's work in it we start to get off track, put too much pressure on ourselves, and/or become arrogant. I know I do this at times and it is always nice to be reminded that God was doing just fine before I came along and will do just fine after I am gone. Anything done through me is a blessing of His sovereign grace. Keeping that in mind relieves some of the pressure and keeps my ego in check.

By His Grace,
Taylor

The Law

"We don't obey the law so He'll love us. He already does... We come before the King and say, 'I am Yours. I am Yours until I die or the world end.' That is what the law does. Then when we read the law we find out what it is that He would have us do." ~ Steve Brown, "Whoppers from the World: The Lie of Antinomianism"

I have been accused on occasion of being antinomian. (For those of you who do not know what that is, being antinomian means you teach that those who are saved can do whatever they want and violate the law because it does not matter.) I am really big on teaching grace and think that if you do not get accused of being antinomian from time-to-time then you are not really teaching grace (even the apostle Paul was accused of being antinomian). I agree completely with my friend Steve when he says, "The only people that get any better are those who know that if they don't get any better God will love them anyway." That kind of statement, however, can sound antinomian. It sounds like it does not matter what you do because God will love you anyway. It is not antinomian. The law of God is good (if you do not believe that read Psalm 119, the longest Psalm in the Bible and all about how great the law is) and it is something we should strive to obey. We do not, however, strive to obey it because we are afraid that God is going to punish or because we think we need to obey to make Him love us. God is not a policeman, He is our Father. When we love our parents and we know that they love us unconditionally, we do not strive to obey them because we are afraid of what they will do to us but because we are afraid of what our disobedience will do to them--how it will hurt them.

Steve tells a parable about a friend of his who was a pretty bad teenager. She hung around with the wrong crowd that was pretty sexually promiscuous. One day she was with these friends when her older sister walked by and saw who she was with. Her sister said to her, "If you get pregnant it will kill our father." That really shook up Steve's friend because, even though she was on the wrong track, she loved her father and knew he loved her. Later she was being pressured by her boyfriend to sleep with him and she kept refusing. Finally, he said, "You know the only reason you are rejecting me is because you are afraid of what your father will do to you." Steve's friend replied, "No, the reason I am rejecting you is because I am afraid of what me sleeping with you would do to my father."

The law is a great teacher for Christians. It tells us how God would have us live and what He expects of us. Jesus has already fulfilled it perfectly and that has been credited to our account. We are now in a safe place where we can strive to obey the law and know that even when we fail God loves us as much as He did before. The reason we strive to obey the law is not because of fear of what God might do to us if we disobey but because we are His and our disobedience will hurt Him, the one who loves us and whom we love.

By His Grace,
Taylor

Unconditional

"If we could fix each other we would never understand unconditional love. You having trouble loving people? Say, 'God show me my sin and then hug me and then maybe I can go out and hug some others.'" ~ Steve Brown

I like this quote from Steve because it reminds me of one of the ways that sin is a blessing in disguise. When we really understand our sin we can really understand how incredible Christ's love is. To say, "Jesus loves me" is great, but if we do not remember what condition we were in when Jesus loved us then that statement has no depth and no real comfort. When we really see and know our sin then we really understand what Jesus did for us and only then can we really love others the way He has called us to love others. Steve also gives a principle: "You can't love until you've been loved and then you can only love to the degree that you have been loved."

By His Grace,

Taylor

Advice

"Never solicit advice about any difficult matter from anyone who does not agree that the matter is difficult." ~ Dr. Steve Brown

This does not mean that you should not solicit advice from someone you consider an expert in the matter--you want to get good advice. If you try to get advice, however, from someone who thinks what you need advice about is a proverbial "piece of cake" you will often times end up being frustrated. Generally when someone thinks something is very easy they have a hard time explaining it. It is not for lack of trying, but when something comes so naturally to someone explaining how to do it can often prove to be difficult for that person. So, as Dr. Brown suggests, if you can, get advice from someone who knows how difficult the task is.

By His Grace,
Taylor

Sin Boldly

"Therefore let us arm our hearts with these and similar statements of Scripture so that, when the devil accuses us by saying:
'You are a sinner; therefore you are damned',
we can reply: 'The very fact that you say I am a sinner makes me want to be just and saved.'
'Nay, you will be damned', says the devil.
'Indeed not,' I reply, 'for I take refuge in Christ, who gave Himself for my sins. Therefore you will accomplish nothing, Satan, by trying to frighten me by setting the greatness of my sins before me and thus seducing me to sadness, doubt, despair, hatred, contempt, and blasphemy of God. Indeed, by calling me a sinner you are supplying me with weapons against yourself so that I can slay and destroy you with your own sword; for Christ died for sinners. Furthermore, you yourself proclaim the glory of God to me; you remind me of God's paternal love for me, a miserable and lost sinner; for He so loved the world that He gave His Son. Again, whenever you throw up to me that I am a sinner, you revive in my memory the blessing of Christ, my Redeemer, on whose shoulders, and not on mine, lie all my sins; for "the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all" and "for the transgression of His people was He stricken" (Is. 53:6-8). Therefore when you throw up to me that I am a sinner, you are not terrifying me; you are comforting me beyond measure.'" ~ Martin Luther

What a great reminder of how to turn the accusations of satan back on to him. It is this kind of confidence in Christ's work and God's love that led Luther to say in a letter to Melanchthon, "Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly, for He is victorious over sin, death, and the world." Luther was not advocating cheap grace or free license to sin, but what he was doing was fighting against the tendency of believers to either let guilt or underestimation of sin keep them from running to Christ and letting Him fix it. It is our underestimation of sin that makes us self-righteous and our wallowing in guilt that makes us afraid. Both keep us from going to a savior who would forgive us and change us. Steve Brown comments, "Sinning isn't the worst thing you can do. The worst thing you can do is pretending that you don't. Repentance is the bridge which leads to a loving and gracious God. When you burn the bridge... you burn the bridge to the only hope you've got. So if you sin, sin boldly then go to Him and let Him fix it. He won't be angry, He'll be pleased with your coming." When we sin if we say, "Fine, I sinned, it was a big one, and I feel really bad about it, but Christ's work paid for that one too so take that, satan!" and then run to God, He will work on us and change us in His time. If we try to cover it up or let guilt overtake us then nothing will change.

By His Grace,
Taylor

Servants

"Foot washing was surprising for a real King but for His servants it is appropriate." ~ Steve Brown

I do not have a lot to say about this one because it is pretty self-explanatory. I just wanted to throw it out there because I really like it.

By His Grace,
Taylor

The Hunt

"Many Christians think of finding God's will as if it were an Easter egg hunt. God isn't in the business of keeping His will from you... The Bible is clear that some things are always God's will... and some things are never God's will... If you want to do God's will do what He says to do and don't do what He says not to do... Aside from that do whatever your hand finds to do with all of your might, that's Ecclesiastes 9:10. If He wants you to do something else He'll let you know through circumstance, through Bible study, through your brothers and sisters in Christ. The Bible says I Thessalonians 4:3 'For this is the will of God, your sanctification.' In other words God's perfectly capable of moving you anywhere He wants, of bringing forth any circumstances, of giving you any relationship, that's His business." ~ Steve Brown

I like this statement, especially the part about thinking of God's will like it is an Easter egg to be found. So often we fret over what "God's will for my life" is. We stress about whether or not we are making the "right decision" or if we are going to "mess up God's plan". We complicate things too much. First, we cannot mess up God's plan. God is sovereign and His plans are certain, there is nothing we can do to change that. Second, we worry so much about making the "right decisions" when really God's will for us as Christians is not as much about what we do specifically, but who we are as His children. As Steve quoted above, I Thessalonians 4:3 specifically states that the will of God is that we be sanctified in Him. Psalms 37:4 says, "Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart." How can God promise to give us the desires of our hearts? Well if we are delighting ourselves in Him, following Him, and making Him the center of our lives He will make His desires our desires as He sanctifies us. We are then free to follow those desires that He has given us.

How do we make this practical? A few things: First, to delight ourselves in God we have to know Him and what His general will for creation is. To do this we must study His Word, listen to it rightly preached, and commune with Him in prayer. Through this He becomes our joy and we begin to see what His plans (in general) for the Kingdom are. Second, God has given us community for many reasons and one is so we can draw from the wisdom of the collective body. We need to seek the advice of the friends that know us best and the older, wiser godly individuals in our lives. Finally, if we are doing all of the above we can follow our hearts' desires trusting that God will make His desires our desires.

By His Grace,
Taylor

Weakness

"I'm not good enough to be a saint, but I could be a martyr if they kill me fast... I'm not all together happy about dying but I think I could do that if it was quick... the problem is living... in obedience to Christ..." ~ Steve Brown

I am not sure about other Christians, but I think that from time to time. Some people say that dying for Christ is the ultimate test of faith, but I disagree. I agree with Steve, the problem is living for Christ. I am pretty sure I could face death for Him and I can deal with physical pain. However, living for Him among my peers (some of whom think religion is silly or believing in God is tantamount to believing in fairies) is the tough part. I struggle with lack of confidence, pride, obedience, believing in my union with Christ, and especially compassion.

Fortunately, the story does not end there. Paul says, "But [God] said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness'...For when I am weak, then I am strong." (II Corinthians 12:9-10) If this really is true then in death or in life God has it worked out. In living we will not be perfect (or even close) but God even uses that for His glory and has promised to finish the work He started in us (Philippians 1:6). In dying we will be completed in Him and live with Him for all eternity.

By His Grace,
Taylor

Pain and the Father

"Religion is for people who want to stay out of hell. Christianity is for people who have been there." ~ Steve Brown

I do not think that Steve is talking about hell in the eternal sense here, but in a metaphorical sense. I think his point in the above quote is that we only really understand God's grace and truth when we have been through hell or are going through hell and acknowledge that it was/is hell. How you ever heard someone say, "I never ask God why, I only ask why not?" I sometimes wonder about people who say things like that. I have said things similar before, just trying to be spiritual and that is not right. I am not saying all people who say similar things do it for that reason. Some may really be at that point, I suppose, or perhaps some do it because they are trying to build an attitude of complete trust and rejoicing in Him, and I can understand that, but does trust mean we never ask "why?" or say to God "it hurts!"?

God is our Father and Jesus makes it clear in His teaching that we are to be like children when it comes to relating to God. What parent would want their child to quietly tough it out when things hurt? What parent would rather their children say "I am fine" in times of turmoil than say "I am hurting"? When children know they are loved they do not deny pain but run to the parent that loves them and cry in their arms. I am not a parent, but I believe I am not wrong when I say that this reaction is what parents would want. Is God any different? No, He is the perfect Father and like a good father He wants us to come to Him when it hurts and tell Him that we are in pain. Then, when we acknowledge that before Him, He can pour out His grace on us and heal the wound. The Psalmists knew this for 38% of the time they cried out to God with broken hearts and their words are now part of God's inspired Word. How can we presume to think we should act any differently?

By His Grace,
Taylor

It is Hard to Hug a Stiff Kid

"It is hard to hug a stiff kid... It is easier to hug a dirty kid." ~ Steve Brown

Steve used this analogy when talking about prayer. He was pointing out that a lot of us avoid coming to God in prayer because we think we are not good enough or think that we need to get it together and then come to God in prayer. It is the "God helps those who help themselves" mentality. What he is pointing out here is that God does not expect us to have it all together when we come to Him, actually He knows it is the opposite and wants us to realize that. What actually keeps us distant from God is not our sin, but our self righteousness (or a desire for it) that stiffens us.

I am not a hugger, anyone who knows me knows that and knows that when they try to hug me it is probably a pain because I stiffen up. Think of what it is like when we come to God that way, trying to be strong and righteous. When we are stiff like the the brother of the prodigal son (Luke 15:25-32) we cannot accept the Father's love for us as His children, we feel like we have to earn it. But when we come to God, dirty and knowing that we are not "worthy to be called [His] son" (Luke 15:21) that is when He can kill the fattened calf for us, clean us, put a robe on our backs and a ring on our finger and say, "this son of mine was dead and is alive again" (Luke 15:24). It is when we know we are dirty and recognize that we are not even worthy to be a servant in His house that we, ironically, find out what it means to be His child. It is easier to hug a dirty kid.

By His Grace,
Taylor

Do Not Forget the Pigs

"Don't forget the pigs... the further they get away the better they start looking... Always remember where He found you, don't forget the pigs... Don't forget the party and Who threw it for you... Remember what He is like, He is not like they told you... Don't forget when the party's over, tomorrow you have to go back to the field... When you have dirt under your fingernails, when you think you can't do it anymore, when you're really really tired think about the party. Someday when we get home we are going to have the party of all parties." ~ Steve Brown, A Word To The Boys From The Old Guy

If you have never listened to Steve Brown preach you are missing out. He will shock you and possibly offend you, but he will also remind you in a beautiful way of sweetness of the grace of God because that is all he preaches and he does it well. He preached recently at Perimeter on the prodigal son and I loved the above quote.

All to often we are prone to forget the pigs. When things start going our way and life is good we forget where He found us and how He took us from the pigs to the party. We forget how horrible it felt to be empty even though we had everything that we thought we wanted. We forget Who was the only Person Who did not leave us when we hit rock bottom and that is dangerous. When we forget the pigs, as Steve says, they start to not look so bad.

We cannot forget the party either because not only did He save us from the pigs but He gave us a place of honor. We are co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). He killed the fattened calf for us and rejoiced when the lost sheep was found (Matthew 18:13). He could have made us a slave in His house, as the prodigal son thought would happen, for we did not even deserve that much, but He did not. He threw a party (incredible grace).

Finally, do not forget that the there is work to be done. We have to come down the mountain (Luke 9:28-36). When we do and work in the field doing the work He has prepared for us (Ephesians 2:10) we cannot forget the "party of parties" that is to come (Revelation 5:9-14). When we get dirty under our fingernails and we are tired we cannot forget the party that is to come.

By His Grace,
Taylor