Freed From A Curse

In fairy tales, evil witches put people under a curse. Think Sleeping Beauty or Snow White. But the Bible speaks plainly of a curse that cannot be undone by Prince Charming. 

Here’s the text in the Epistle to the Galatians: even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed (v. 8). And in the very next verse he said it again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed (v. 9, emphasis added)

The Greek word “accursed” is anathema - delivered over to divine wrath. Anyone who distorts the gospel of Christ is under a curse. From whom? From Almighty God.

Sounds a little harsh, doesn’t it?

Chapter Nine: "The Church is Supposed to Be a Place for Broken People"

Revisionists insist that the church’s traditional condemnation of homosexual behavior is wrong because it doesn’t emphasize the grace of Christ that we all need. We’re all sinners, we all need unconditional love, we’re all broken people.

A Life Fully Lived: For Shepard

How do you know when a life is complete and fully lived? I wrote about this question a while back in A Life Cut Short?, the story of a young police officer who was murdered last December.

So what makes a meaningful life? Some people live a long time, seemingly without purpose and without much positive impact. When is a life “fully lived?”

I have been thinking a lot about this because of a heroic little boy in our church who died on April 4 at the age of seven months. His name is Shepard Summerlin. He and his parents fought valiantly and faithfully, he was treated at a world-class hospital by wonderfully competent and caring doctors and nurses, but finally he passed away.

It was my privilege to preside at both his dedication to the Lord and at his funeral. On those occasions I tried to point out how Jesus loves little ones and how they are saved and taken to heaven, not because they are sinless, but because of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice. “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God "(Luke 18:16)

Five Terrible Truths About Hell

One of my early mentors was a man named Jim Dolin. Jim was a silver-haired Southern gentleman from West Virginia. He always dressed in a tie and sport coat, and he had a way of making friends with everyone, including total strangers.

Jim didn't become a Christian until he was in his late 20’s. He was a pilot and tactical training officer during WWII, and was badly burned in a plane crash. He spent a year in the hospital recovering from his burns. Early in his hospitalization, he had a vision of hell.

Is God Unfair?

Why does God permit beheadings of innocent people, the Ebola virus, child abuse, and government fraud? It doesn’t seem fair.

And many of us would be tempted to charge God with injustice in our own personal lives, too. How come my computer crashed and I lost all my work on the same day I had a flat tire? That doesn't seem fair. Why was my sister the pretty one? Not fair.

What If You Believed in Vain?

Recently I attended a funeral where the officiating pastor gave an invitation to salvation. He told us Jesus came to give us abundant life. As we bowed in prayer, he promised all we had to do to receive this abundant life was “step over the line!” To do this, we were to raise our hands.

After the amen, the minister announced that many people had “stepped over the line.” “Whoo-hoo!” he shouted.

We have a great gospel to proclaim. Those who receive it are saved unto eternal life. But the Apostle Paul raises a very disturbing question about our faith: Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain (1 Corinthians 15:1-2, my emphasis).

How is it possible to believe “in vain?”

Losing My Religion and Gaining My Savior

I grew up in a home where going to church and practicing religion were regarded as part of your civic duty. It’s what good people did. I was taught that it didn’t matter much what religion you chose – “all roads lead to the same place. Just get on one of them and stay on it.” So I did.

But then my father got very sick and we were unable to attend church on Sundays. After he died, we never went back. By then I didn’t care about civic duty. My religion left me empty and I was done with it.

The Missing Piece, Part 2

Today I was thinking about the day after Jesus’ resurrection. Some people think He went directly back to heaven. But the Bible is clear - He stayed here on Planet Earth for 40 days, and more than 500 people saw Him. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3; cf. 1 Corinthians 15:5-8).

But what was that first Monday like? I know as a pastor I’m usually exhausted after Easter Sunday, and all I did was preach. Christ’s weekend started with a stressful, sleepless night, and went downhill from there. In the space of three days He was betrayed by one of His closest friends, deserted by the rest of them, and tortured by His enemies. He bore all the sins of all God’s people throughout time, and experienced the wrath and judicial abandonment of His Father. And then He died.

So the day after, after He rose again in triumph, I wonder if He didn’t simply rest. But Scripture does not give us those details.

What it does give us, though, is the sweeping confidence that Christ’s resurrection is the seal of approval, the great proof that God’s plan of redemption worked.

Last time I compared the resurrection to “the missing piece” of a puzzle, and began a short journey through the book of Romans. Here’s part two.

Young Coptic Christian Murdered by Egyptian Islamists

Screenshot from Egyptian TV, via CNS.

Today I read another horrifying story of persecution, and I wanted to let you know about it. CNS is reporting that on Friday, March 28 in Cairo, a young Coptic Christian woman named Mary Sameh George was dragged out of her car and murdered - beaten, stabbed, abused, and her throat slit by a Muslim mob. Then they torched her car.

Her “crime”? She had a Christian cross hanging from her rear-view mirror. Oh, and she was on her way to deliver medicine to a sick old woman.

CNS has the main story here, but I also found it on the Washington Times website (here), and on Breitbart (here).

What can we who love Jesus do, in the face of such terrible persecution? Here are four suggestions:

1. Don’t be surprised. Persecution has always been likely for those of us who follow Christ. Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed (1 Peter 4:12-13). Our Savior said, If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.  If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.  Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. (John 15:18-20a).

2. Pray not only for the family and friends of our sister in Christ, but pray for those who killed her. But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, (Matthew 5:33).

3. Don’t be ignorant about Islam. Inform yourself. I just finished The Cross in the Shadow of the Crescent, by Erwin Lutzer, and I recommend it. (Amazon link here)

4. Tell people about Jesus. Don’t be ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes (Romans 1:16). And the "everyone" includes people who murdered Christians. (Like Paul.)

May God bless all the Mary Georges who love Christ and are hated because of Him. 

The hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me (John 16:2-3)

Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matthew 5:11-12).

The Deaf Hear, the Blind See, and the Poor Have Good News Preached to Them

I recently saw the following video (from the UK's The Telegraph), which shows the moment when a British woman, apparently deaf from birth, is able to hear for the first time because of a cochlear implant.

It’s pretty thrilling, and especially to see how overwhelmed she is by it. You can't help but be so happy for her.

As I watched this video I thought to myself, My Jesus does this all the time. He takes people who are unable to hear the real truth, who are blinded to the light of the gospel, and He changes them. He gives them ears to hear, spiritual sight, and He forever changes them.

And there’s coming a day when we will be in His presence, and we’ll be able to hear and see and sing and think and rejoice because all the interference of this world will drop away.

No wonder there’s joy unspeakable and full of glory. No wonder we love Him so much.

Mustard on Ice Cream and Chocolate Covered Raisins

A few weeks ago my wife and I took Madalyn, our five-year-old granddaughter, to the zoo. We ate lunch at one of the many overpriced fast-food places. We had chicken strips, a cheeseburger, and ice cream. And that’s where the mustard came in.

I had a sudden inspiration that I could convince my granddaughter to try mustard on her ice cream. Sure, it’s a devious trick to play on a child. And it probably proves that I’m a terrible person and an unfit grandfather. Okay, good points.

But look at it from my perspective: I doubt that I can really fool Madalyn about anything for too much longer. She’s pretty smart, and is already kind of “on to me.” She has begun to respond to my many ideas with kind-hearted skepticism. (“Oh, Papa…”)

That’s where the mustard-on-ice cream started. She didn’t believe me at first. I said things like, “Hey, you should try some of this mustard on your ice cream. It’s the bomb. You’ll love it!” She smiled politely, but wasn’t buying it.

And by the way, just so you’ll know what kind of uphill battle I have to fight, my wife is no help in times like this. In fact she refuses to play along, even though she knows this would bolster my self-esteem and contribute to the overall hilarity of our family. But no. (Pray for her…)

He Can Save Anybody: What I Love About Jesus (Part Four of Four)

“I’m going to see if she’s conscious tomorrow. Then I’ll return to the ICU and tell her about Jesus.”

Yesterday my friend Mark told me about the young woman who had been rushed to the E.R., self-destructive and hopeless. And it reminded me of what I love about Jesus. It’s what He, and only He, can do, and what He does and has done over and over for thousands of years – save people from sin-dominated, hell-bound, despairing misery.

If you’re out of hope, sick of living, if you've tried everything and failed every time, Jesus can save you.

He is mighty to save. His blood is so precious and so valuable and His life is so infinitely worthy that He can save the worst sinner, the most hopeless mess of a human being. Jesus can and does, regularly. When He died on the cross, His perfect obedience and infinitely precious life paid the penalty for all God's chosen ones. And when He rose from the dead, He won the victory for all of us who believe in Him.

This truth comes back to me over and over whenever I hear someone’s story of grace and faith and forgiveness. This past week the elder board of our church met for a prayer and planning retreat. During our evening session the seven of us each shared his “testimony” – how we heard and believed the gospel, and how Jesus saved us.

Christ's Triumph, Part 3

The Sweet Smell of Victory

At the end of your life, how will you measure success? What would you call a "victorious life?"

The Scripture defines success and even guarantees it. But it is a particular kind of victory.

When Paul promised that Christ would "lead us in triumph," he used the imagery of the “Roman Triumph,” a victory parade honoring a conquering general. It was a celebration everyone could see, hear, and smell.

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things? For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God. (2 Corinthians 2:1-17, NASB; my emphasis)

The general led his army through the streets of Rome, heading for the arena. For his soldiers, this was a day of highest honor and joyful celebration. Toward the rear of the parade were the vanquished enemy soldiers. Defeated and downcast, they trudged along in chains, knowing they would be killed when they reached the Coliseum.

Such Were Some of You

As a pastor I sometimes despair at the depths and variety of human misery. Over the years I have heard a terrible array of confessions by those who have committed unspeakable sins. And for every such confession, there are another ten lives which are warped and wounded as a result.

 But people also suffer because of their own choices. The world is a messed up place, and maybe it doesn’t do any good to try to figure out who to blame. You just know people are badly damaged and the reasons why are complicated.

So what do we have to give people who are so broken? A story about a Man who lived and died 20 centuries ago. And sometimes, when I tell that story, I am not at my best, and it comes out half-hearted and tentative, without the conviction and enthusiasm I would wish.

The temptation is to think that the Story is not enough. That people’s troubles are too serious and too complex, and that telling them about Jesus is not really the answer.

But then I discover what the Bible has been saying all these centuries: that the gospel is the power of God for salvation for all who believe.

People’s problems are really serious and our sin is very dark. I believe in counseling and mentoring and medication and all sorts of helps. But I know that the story of Jesus is transforming at a level that far exceeds the skill of its communicators and far surpasses the best help available from any other source.

Paul said it this way: But such were some of you. Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 2 Corinthians 6:9-11 (my emphasis).

The church has always had within its ranks people who were rejected and abandoned by others as too messed up, too evil, to hardened, too stupid, too far gone. But it turns out that nothing and no one is unreachable by the grace of Jesus.

What a Story we have to tell.

P.S. For a good summary of the Story, click here.

What Jesus Taught About Heaven

The other night I dreamt I heard my father's voice in the next room. As we often do in dreams, I tried to understand how this could be true. Is Dad really just through that door? He's been gone over 45 years.

My dream was a little unsettling. I still miss my dad after all these years. Sometimes the hole in our heart never heals this side of heaven. But since I believe my father was a Christian, the hope of heaven is real. And maybe heaven is, in some sense, just through that door.

So a disturbing dream got me thinking of heaven once again. (I wrote about it earlier: Who Will Be Waiting for You in Heaven). And I decided to look again at what Jesus told His disciples in the Upper Room.

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:1-6

Even though I've read these words many, many times over the years, I found fresh encouragement.

1. Jesus wants us to be comforted and not to live in fear about death. Let not your hearts be troubled...

2. Our convictions about heaven are based on our confidence in Christ. Believe in God, believe also in me. 

3. Jesus said heaven is a place. I go to prepare a place...(The Greek word, topos, gives us English words like topography and topographical maps.)

4. This place is my Father's house. For me this is a warm and inviting description.

5. This house is a place for us to live in; it has many rooms.

6. Jesus has prepared this place just for us. I go to prepare a place for you.

7. Christ will personally take His people to this place. I will come again and will take you...

8. He wants us with Him and personally assures us that we will be.  ...take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

9. The only way to get to the Father's house is Jesus. I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

I think it is true that my dad is just through that door. The door is Jesus. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. John 10:9

By the way, if you'd like to know more about how to get to heaven by trusting Christ alone as Lord and Savior, click here. It's a little website called "Two Ways to Live."

What Did He Teach?

In my last post I wrote about Christ as Master Teacher. But what did He teach?

Over and over the Gospels answer that question with verses like this: And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. Mark 8:31. (See also Mark 9:31; Mt. 16:21; Lk. 9:22)

But why did this require "teaching?" Wasn’t it simply the declaration of an upcoming event? Granted, the most important, life-altering, history-making event ever. But why was the Savior “teaching” this? Doesn’t “teaching” imply a process of instruction, and not a simple announcement?

Why would the fact of His upcoming death and resurrection be the subject of ongoing instruction?

Answer: because Jesus’ substitutionary death and resurrection is the heart of our faith. Some Christians think of Jesus’ death on the cross as the A-B-C’s of our faith, the elementary, beginning part. But Jesus taught this because it is the beginning, middle, and end of everything.

We never outgrow the cross. The gospel relates to everything about our life and our destiny, our families and our careers, our relationships and our character. Far from an elementary lesson, the cross is the Master Class.

In heaven the cross continues to be the central topic of wonder and praise. The numberless chorus of angels worship Christ for this very reason: Worthy are you…for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. Revelation 5:9

I admire Jesus as the Master Teacher, and as I read and study and try to obey, His teachings continue to point me back to the cross and the empty tomb.

Talk to Yourself

“Have you realized,” preacher David Martyn Lloyd-Jones once observed, "That most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself?” (The quote is from C. J. Mahaney's The Cross Centered Life, p. 45).

What Dr. Lloyd-Jones means is that we end up listening to our feelings about our circumstances, instead of talking to ourselves about the truth of who God is and what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross. A lot of people call this, "Preaching the gospel to yourself."

For years I journaled every day. I filled up multiple spiral notebooks. But one day I realized most of my reflections were about how I felt. Often how I felt was lousy. I learned about me, me, me, but I didn’t get any closer to Jesus.

Admiring Christ is an attempt to look outward, instead—at Jesus. Admiring Christ means seeing Him in the Scriptures, meditating on His character and finished work, and reminding myself  of what's really true, especially when I feel otherwise. I need to stop listening to myself, and start talking to myself--about Him!

John Piper has a great reflection (below) from the Psalms on “talking to yourself.”

PROGRAM NOTE: If you're signed up to receive posts by email, the spacing between words is scrunched and video doesn't show up. Sorry. You can access the Piper video at the blog site.