“Mr. Fix-It”

Someone forwarded me this really funny picture. The caption appropriately read, “Highly Appropriate Quotation Marks.” So true! It kind of reminded me of the family car that we had growing up that required us sticking a bent screwdriver through the trunk lock mechanism to keep it closed.

This picture also reminded me of a key spiritual truth that I preached about last Sunday. In Romans 1:16-17, Paul reminds us of our utter inability to fix our own sin problem:

¹⁶I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. ¹⁷For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

Almost every human being has an innate desire to better him or herself, to find meaning and purpose in life, to find peace. The great danger is that there are so many different ways to find some shade or degree of that meaning, purpose, and peace. Self-help gurus, philosophies, and religion are just a few of the temporary, surface fixes that are readily available for consumption. The problem is, they are only surface fixes for what in reality is a foundational problem–our sin.

Romans 1:16-17 reveals the true source of hope for broken and sinful man–the Gospel.

First, we’re reminded that the power for true salvation–which is ultimate peace and purpose– originates with God. It is not something found in a philosophy or self-help book, or certainly not from within one’s own self.

Secondly, the way to access this power is through faith–not self-improvement, not increased morality, not sincerity or good works. These are nothing more than spiritual cardboard and duct tape. It is found only in the receiving, by faith and repentance, the finished, complete work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

Finally, we see the ultimate definition of meaning and purpose in life–a life of righteousness. Righteousness means literally to be made right in the eyes of God. As sinners, we are, on our own, unrighteous. On our own, when God looks at us, He sees the stain of our sin. On our own, our unrighteousness separates us from God. On our own, our unrighteousness means that we cannot exist in the presence of a perfect and holy God.

But the incredible message of the Gospel is that God chooses to give us HIS righteousness—He has placed His righteousness on us. The biblical term is He has imparted is righteousness upon us. We are still unrighteous and sinful. We are still imperfect. We are still corrupted and corruptible humans. We still fall short of God’s glory. But because of His great love and grace, God chose to make us acceptable in His sight by giving us His very own righteousness.

Maybe you are trying to be your own spiritual “Mr. Fix-It.” If you are, may I suggest you pull that truck over, set down the cardboard and duct tape and seek the One who truly can make eternal and lasting repairs on the human heart?

Haiti, Earthquakes, and God’s Judgment

Last week, Pat Robertson used his public platform on the “700 Club” to speak very irresponsibly concerning the source and meaning of the tragic earthquake in Haiti. As has happened before with Robertson, those of us on the front line of Christianity in the local church, in the real world trying to minister to and share the Truth with real people are forced to answer the questions of those who are left confused in the wake of his theological ignorance and personal arrogance. Setting aside the questionable veracity of the Haitian’s making a pact with the devil, the theological inaccuracies of Robertson’s statement are mind-numbing. For a much more biblical and theologically responsible assessment of the earthquake in Haiti and the nature of God’s judgment, I encourage you to read Dr. Albert Mohler’s article entitled, “Does God Hate Haiti?” on his blogsite. Any time we try to understand such uncertainty and tumult, it is wise to let God speak from His Word, rather than  listen to the “wisdom” and musings of man.

A Mistaken Opportunity

Dan McLaughlin, one of the pastors here at church, just noticed a typo I made in the published list of  “Victory Verses” we are memorizing together through 2010 as a church family here at McCarthy. For Sunday, March 7, it simply says “Corinthians 7:1″. He noted that I probably intended to choose 2Corinthians 7:1-(¹Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God) rather than it’s counterpart in 1Corinthians- (¹Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry.) Thank you, Dan, for several reasons, for catching that one

I do think my typo, though a mistake, gives me an opportunity to say what I don’t say often enough to my beautiful wife, Dana–thank you for being the kind of wife, best friend, mother, church leader, and pastor’s wife that fulfills another (and more applicable) truth in God’s Word from Proverbs 31:

¹⁰ A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.

¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.

¹² She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.

²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:

²⁹ “Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”

I love you, sweetheart. Thank you for being who you are, and sharing that blessing with me.

The Travail of Tiger Woods

Below is a link to a very thoughtful article by Dr. Al Mohler concerning the hot news item of the last few days–the Tiger Woods “scandal”.  Take a moment to read it and be challenged by Dr. Mohler’s usual keen insight.

The Travail of Tiger Woods

All I Have Is Christ

This beautiful song so powerfully communicates the incredible mystery and wonder of God’s sovereign and gracious choice to save. My favorite line is from the first verse:

I had no hope that You would own

A rebel to your will

And if You had not loved me first

I would refuse You still

I hope you are blessed by the song.

Thanksgiving Lessons From a Former Leper

One of my favorite accounts of Jesus’ earthly ministry is that of the healing of the ten lepers, found in Luke 17:11-19. It is such a beautiful insight into the compassion and power of Jesus, but it is also a stirring lesson about what it means to truly thankful.

The similarities between the lepers and ourselves is striking. First, we have a common affliction. The lepers were outcasts because of the disease that affected their bodies.  The Jews saw leprosy as a curse from God, therefore it could only truly be healed by God. We, too, are outcasts because of the disease that affects our soul–sin. Ephesians 2:12 reminds us “that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.”

Second, our only hope is the same hope that the lepers had–the mercy and grace of our Lord. In verse 13, the lepers cried, “Master, have pity on us!” and Jesus, the Gracious and Merciful One, healed their disease. We are reminded that our healing, our forgiveness of sin, is ours solely because of the grace and mercy of the Lord. It is undeserved, unmerited, and unattainable on our own.

Of course the climax of this account is the return of the one leper to offer thanks to his Healer. It is in this former leper’s humble return that we learn four key lessons about genuine thanksgiving:

We must praise and thank God despite our circumstances. (Vs. 15-16) Jesus healed the man—but there is no indication that everything was perfect in his life. He must have still had questions:  What about the job he had lost? Where were his wife and kids? Why did God allow him to contract leprosy to begin with? But the former leper had experienced God’s mercy in this situation, and his faith told him he could trust God in all situations.

We must thank God because He has a heart for all people. (Vs. 16b) Samaritans, which is what the thankful former leper was, were considered worthless half-breeds to the Jews—they even called them “dogs.” The other nine were apparently Jews—just like Jesus was. In a way, this story foreshadows the wonderful truth that Jesus came to seek and to save all kinds of people—rich, poor, educated, uneducated, those with good backgrounds, those with rough backgrounds.

We must thank God because ingratitude grieves the heart of God. (Vs. 17-18) As you read these verses, you can almost hear the disappointment and hurt in the voice of Jesus. Ingratitude grieves the heart of God.

We must thank God because there is a difference between being healed and being made whole. (Vs. 19) There is a difference between the word used for “cleansed” which all the lepers were and this word “made well” that describes the result of this returning leper’s gratitude and faith. One speaks of being made physically well; the other speaks of being made holistically and spiritually well. The point is that until you and I learn to live a lifestyle of thanksgiving and gratitude, we will never be made completely whole. We will never fully understand who God is. We will never be fully fulfilled as children of God.

Happy Thanksgiving–and may it truly be a time of thanksgiving for each of us.

Bible Memorization Tool

I ran across a nifty little Bible memorization program that has really helped me lately in my own Bible memorization. It’s found at www.memoryverses.org and it’s free. The program itself is pretty simple–don’t look for fancy graphics, etc., but it covers all the bases you need. I’ve found it very usable and it’s been just the tool I’ve needed to take my own Scripture memorization to the next level.  Download it and let me know what you think.

A Few Thoughts From Last Night

I’ve had the great privilege of teaching the Bible lesson for the older elementary kids this summer at church. I have thoroughly enjoyed it, and have been reminded again about how much greater a capacity children have to dig deep in God’s Word than we often give them credit for.

Last night, we were looking at the parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great value from Matthew 13:44-46:

⁴⁴“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

⁴⁵“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. ⁴⁶When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

We were talking about how our salvation and the promise of the Kingdom of Heaven are so valuable that they are worth surrendering and sacrificing everything to gain them. We talked about how a life spent following hard and whole-heartedly after Christ, how a life of service and sacrifice yielded great reward, though we may not see that reward on earth. We talked about how to pursue anything other than Christ with greater passion is to, in a very real sense, commit idolatry.

It was then that Michael Jackson was brought up, and how incredibly sad it was that the troubled man spent his entire life focused on and pursuing success and fame, yet in the balance, found himself empty, searching, troubled, and unable to face reality in so many ways. One of the kids said that it reminded them of their memory verse for the week:

¹⁹“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.–Matthew 6:19-21

My great prayer for this generation of young Christians is that they will somehow shake off the chains that are the pursuit of fame and notoriety, more stuff and comfort, and invest their lives in finding greatness in God’s eyes through service and holiness. On the wall beside my computer monitor in my office are some of the words from one of my favorite worship songs. These words represent the prayer for my life and yours as we pursue Christ and store up treasures in Heaven.

“Give me one pure and holy passion. Give me one magnificent obsession. Give me one glorious ambition for my life: To know and follow hard after you.”–From “One Pure and Holy Passion” by Mark Altrogge

Susan Boyle and God’s Perspective on Our Worth

Watch the Video:

Susan Boyle on Britain’s Got Talent
Uploaded by dwarthy

Like many of you, I’ve received several forwarded emails with a link to the YouTube video of Susan Boyle’s performance on “Britain’s Got Talent.” It is a pretty amazing performance from the 47-year old. At first, it seems like the storyline is a feel-good dream come true–the unemployed Boyle finally has the opportunity to share her talent with the world. The crowd laughs when the somewhat plain-looking woman comes on the stage, the judges snicker when she shares her dream of becoming a famous singer–but then when she begins to sing amazingly, the crowd roars, the judges’ jaws drop, and this “Cinderella” finally becomes a princess.

There is a part of that storyline that is true–and I say, “Good for her!” but I can’t help but to think of what a sad commentary it really is on how we human beings assign worth to each other. What if Susan had stepped up to the microphone and sounded more like William Hung or that tone deaf guy that always ends up sitting behind you at church? The crowd would have laughed, the judges would have booted her off, and everyone would have thought, “There’s just another worthless, talentless person looking for her five minutes of fame.”

I’m afraid many of us too often look at people through the lens of “American Idol” or “Britain’s Got Talent” rather than through the lens of God’s Word. We deem individuals worthy or valuable based on what we can gain from them, their beauty, ability, or social standing. As Christians, we must assign value and worth to each individual, no matter if the world says he or she has “star power” or not. God’s Word reminds us that we are each created in the very image of God (Genesis 1:27). The Psalmist reminds us that each human being is “fearfully and wonderfully made” (139:14). It is only when we start with that perspective that we will truly value the unborn and the elderly, show the love of Christ to the loner at school, be able to truly love our enemies, and befriend the hurting at work. That is our calling as followers of Christ–to truly value those He truly values.

Broken Pieces, Transformed Lives: The Truth of Easter

This Sunday, we’re going to be focusing on what the death and resurrection of Jesus really means to people who find themselves broken, hurting, alone, and seeking. The Risen Son of God, Jesus, loves nothing more than pick up the broken pieces of our lives and transform us into something beautiful. At the heart of the Easter message is that Christ has overcome sin and death–not in some general, theological sense–but He has overcome sin and death in my life, in your life. When we receive the Risen Christ through faith and repentance, He removes the shackles of sin, the stain of sin, and the power of sin in our lives. One of my favorite passages in Ephesians reminds us of that freedom:

“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will- to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” (Ephesians 1:4-8)

As you prepare for Easter worship, take a moment to watch and listen to these two clips. Both of them speak powerfully to the heart of the Easter message–that Jesus alone has the power to take our broken pieces and transform them for His glory.

The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir performing at The Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola