“God blesses those He loves.” We’ve all heard it before. “Jesus died so that you could have financial success and be healthy.” We’ve heard that too. And I tell you what, nothing gets me more fired up than the idea, or teaching, that people deserve things from God and that God wants to make us successful in this world.
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There are a lot of people out there that believe that humans (on the whole) are born good and deserve good from God because of they are “not bad people”. However, this is not what the Bible teaches about what we deserve from God. On Sunday, the pastor talked about love (or romance or sex or something, I’m not quite sure, as he wasn’t very clear) and he made the point that “God deserves our best”, which I agree with. But he also made the point then that “we deserve God’s best,” which as you’ve guessed, I don’t agree with.
I think the Bible is clear that we deserve nothing from God but death and hell. We don’t deserve His love or His patience. We don’t deserve His mercy or His grace. And to say that we do, even as Christians, is a misunderstanding of the Gospel. The gospel isn’t that God gave us what we deserved in Jesus. It is that while we deserved death and hell, God had mercy on us and sent His Son to die in our place. And even after Jesus died and we were given grace, it would be a terrible mistake to assume that because we are Christians that we deserve anything from God. We are not any more deserving of answered prayers or providence than people who aren’t Christians.
We don’t deserve God’s best, because we are sinful and wicked people (all people, even Christians). We deserve to die. But Jesus died in our place. And in Him we have all blessings. That is the gospel. That’s why I love Jesus so much. I love Him because He didn’t give me what I had earned (because that would have been hell), but He gave me amazing love and grace which only He could give. So, let’s not think for a minute that we deserve anything from God other than hell. But let’s worship Him as the only giver of life and joy and all good things who gives out of the abundance of His grace, because of who He is, not because of who we are.
Lately, I have been arguing with different people about the importance of the bible. Some of them see it as nothing more than a rule book which breads legalism, while others see it as something that isn’t necessary as long as there are leaders like Bono to show us what to do. Needless to say, but I will anyway, I totally disagree with both of those views.
The Bible is there above everything else to point us to and to teach us about our great king. It is not a rule book in which we attain salvation, but a book pointing to our salvation in Christ. But, it would be a great mistake to assume, that it isn’t of great value. It is the authoritative declaration of God about God. It is in Him that we have hope salvation, and it is in the pages of His book that we learn about Him. And so it is extremely important, for from these pages we learn about our King.
So, in saying that, I would encourage you to watch this video from a conference that the Resurgence is putting on called Text and Context, from Matt Chandler (pastor of the Village Church). It’s less than four minutes, but it does summarize my views on the matter as well. After you watch it, I would be interested to hear your opinions on the matter.
[youtube VqqYJrKLTkA]
I don’t often get the chance to respond to comments that people make about my posts, quite honestly because it is rare that anyone leaves a comment. So I truly enjoy these kinds of opportunities for dialogue about where I am and what I believe about Christ.
A few days ago I put up a post that I entitled “We Exist…“. If you have not read that one yet you should probably do that first so that you can better understand the conversation, and in reading it, read the comment by my friend Jon at the bottom of the page. You might also want to read a mini poem that I wrote during the month of December (it’s very short), called “The Reason for the Season” because he references it.
I normally would have left another comment below his to answer what he said, but I quickly realized my opportunity to clarify and expound upon my position to everyone and not just respond to one comment, and the little space that a comment allows would not be enough. So, here goes…
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I was reading from a book by John Piper entitled, “Don’t Waste Your Life”, and I was struck by the idea that so many people who call themselves Christians, and so many “Christian” organizations and institutions totally miss the point.
Life is not about moralism or religion. Life is about Jesus. A Christian isn’t someone who is good, he is someone who glorifies Christ. I believe that if Christ is not central in your life, and that He is only the means to the end of Heaven, that you don’t really understand the gospel. The gospel is not about creation, it is about the creator. The gospel isn’t even about Heaven (which Jesus created), but about Jesus Himself. The gospel begins and ends with Christ. And if our lives don’t reflect that, we show a great ignorance of the greatness of Christ.
Jesus is everything. He is our sustainer and our life, and without Him all of life is a waste. And when we live like the rest of the world and act like being good is good enough we belittle the glory of Christ.
If Christ is not made much of in our lives, they are wasted. We exist to make Him appear in the world as what He really is – magnificent. If our life and death do not show the worth and wonder of Jesus, they are wasted.
John Piper
from “Don’t Waste Your Life” p. 64
Jesus didn’t come to earth to make us good Christian people, He came to change our lives so that we might bring Him glory. The gospel is more than living morally and believing the facts about Jesus. It is more than being good and doing good, it is about the glory of Christ.
We exist to show His glory to everyone we can. We exist to be Christ to others because of Christ in us. But more than anything, we exist to make His name famous, to proclaim His excellence, and to live for His glory, and not our own.
These past couple of weeks have been a great time of relaxation for me as my job has allowed me to have them off. Or, I believe, more accurately, there hasn’t been any work scheduled to do. So I’ve had loads of time to myself, the kind of time I haven’t had since I was in high school, and I’m not so convinced that not having to work is the holy grail that people think it is.
The first week was really nice, but this week is starting to overstay its welcome. Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve had all of this time off, but haven’t had anything to do, or anyone to do it with that’s getting to me. I used to see myself as a loner, someone who didn’t need any friends or contact to be happy, but now I can’t stand being alone with myself.
Crazy Christian drivers give Christ a bad name, so says Matt Chandler in a sermon on
Luke 1
1:1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.
5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.
8 Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” 21 And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. 23 And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.
24 After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, 25 “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
46 And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55 as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.
57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58 And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, 60 but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” 62 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. 64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. 65 And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, 66 and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.
67 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,
68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed his people
69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David,
70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
71 that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people
in the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel. (ESV)
called Skeptics Welcome.
"Nobody drives well enough to have a bumper sticker that has Jesus’ name on it. It’s true. You should go the opposite. ‘I don’t believe in Christ,’ and then you can drive like a madman."
- Matt Chandler
So what do you think? What is your reaction to people who have a fish or a Jesus bumper sticker on their car? And more to the point, what do you think about the ones that represent Jesus with a sticker, but defiantly do not represent him by the way they drive? What’s the solution? And how do you display Christ as you drive anyway?
UPDATED (1-3-08):
I also found a link that you might find interesting on the same topic:
Christians and the Etiquette for the Road
A few days ago I saw an interview with the CEO of a new website called GodTube.com, and was reminded of my deep frustration toward the commercialization of the cross. And how I am even more frustrated with the shallowness of so much of modern Christianity that embraces this kind of thing as what defines our Christianity. But, that aside, and for another day, the thing that really stood out to me in the interview was how cheesy he made the gospel sound, and how using catchphrases was more important to him than the truth of scripture.
The thing that sent me over the edge, was a comment he made about the website being built on Jesus 2.0 technologies. Which, just like the name GodTube was a rip off of YouTube, the idea of Jesus 2.0 was stolen from the Web 2.0 concept that many of today’s websites are built upon. Web 2.0 is the idea that while Web 1.0 was a primitive, non-interactive, catalog of data, that Web 2.0 is better and more dynamic, allowing easier access to data and more user involvement. And thats just the problem. The Bible teaches that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (
Hebrews 13:8
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (ESV)
) He is always the same and to suggest that He needed an upgrade is just pure idiocy. He has always been dynamic and intimately involved in our lives. And He’s always been easy to reach (and in fact, has always been reaching). It’s my belief that anyone who thinks that Christ was outdated before GodTube and has now been made better, has no understanding of who He actually is. How can the God of the universe, creator of all things, be upgraded by some internet technology that He gave humans the ability to think up?
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I guess it’s finally time I said this. Of all of the worship choruses that I sing or intimate prayers that I pray, or all of the time I spend personally with the Savior of the World, I must not love Him. No matter how deeply I understand and thrive on the love and grace of Christ, and no matter how much I think I know and love Him, I must be wrong. Over and over, no matter what I put first in my life or how I live it, I am told that my faith in Jesus is not enough. I’m told over and over that I really don’t love Jesus the way that He wants me to. And this comes not from teachers or preachers, theologians or psychologists, but from some random guy or gal through email.
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These past few days as I have been attending a leadership summit hosted by willowcreek in Chicago, but satellite fed to a number of churches including ours, and have both learned a few new things and been reminded of things I already had known. For instance, one thing that I know too well from growing up in church (for the most part) is that no matter how much padding you have on the pews, they are never comfortable, put that together with the fact that airplanes and movie theaters both have more legroom and you will see one of the many reasons that churches are choosing other methods of seating.
Anyway, the conference on a whole has been a good experience if for no other reason than to see what some of the great leaders of our day think is important when it comes to leadership. One of the things that was tough for me to understand on the first day of the conference was that the conference was simply a leadership conference, not a “Christian leadership conference.” I think I was getting a bit of a mixed message about the purpose of the event as it was hosted by a church, in churches, had times of worship, prayers to Jesus, and most of the other indicators that it was a Christian event. But, there was very little mention of Jesus or the Holy Spirit being the most important ingredient in leadership, Christian or otherwise. Believe it or not, there was a day in our country’s history that almost all good leaders, leading Christian institutions or otherwise found Jesus to be the most important influence in their own lives and a model by which to lead others. That day seems to have gone away as most people in the non-Christian world view Jesus, and faith in Him, to be a crutch.
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