Completely

“God is sheer mercy and grace; not easily angered, he’s rich in love. He doesn’t endlessly nag and scold, nor hold grudges forever. He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve, nor pay us back in full for our wrongs. As high as heaven is over the earth, so strong is his love for those who fear him. And as far as sunrise from sunset, he has separated us from our sins.” Psalm 103:8-12 from The Message

Here’s a question.

How forgiven are we?

Seriously.

How forgiven are we?

Partially? Half? Three-Quarters? Not at all?

Before we get to the answer, I think we should talk a little bit about how people think about this, perhaps how you think about this.

In my listening and observing, I think many people talk about mercy and forgiveness in theory but either can’t or won’t apply it to themselves. We listen to and read messages about God’s grace poured out on the cross through Jesus, and even comprehend that, but allow it only to reach the edge of our lives and not let it all the way in.

Why?

One reason is because our understanding of God is warped. Many of us think of God as an angry old prison warden who just wants to keep us all in line. But then we hear, “God is sheer mercy and grace; not easily angered, he’s rich in love. He doesn’t endlessly nag or scold, nor hold grudges forever.” Now, of course, I have to tell you that yes, God hates sin and injustice. And God is merciful and just at the same time. His mercy was demonstrated in the sending of his only son to die on the cross; his justice was demonstrated in that his only son died on the cross for the sins of the world, not his own. The justice for the sins of the world had to be paid for because God is holy – no way around that. The mercy is that we don’t have to pay that awful price of sin – the debt is forgiven through faith in Jesus.

And it is in Christ that, “He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve, nor pay us back in full for our wrongs.”

And that leads us to another reason why we have a tough time with “How forgiven are we?” I think some of us feel like God punishes us, especially when we are going through a difficult time. Sometimes we mix some karma in when it doesn’t apply (and doesn’t exist). Many of us have trouble receiving God’s grace because we are too busy thinking we are “getting what we deserved” for the wrongs in our lives. This is not to say there aren’t consequences for sin in the world and even for our own sins – but believe me, we are not getting what we deserve in the present – that is what hell is for. And, as it says in 2 Peter 3:9, “God…is holding back the End because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change.”

And here is what many of us do with this “space and time to change” – we carry the burden of guilt of past sins and wrongs. We carry that burden like a piano on our backs. Sometimes we forget that it is there and then we remember and are crushed by the thought of it. We think, “I will never be able to unload this guilt; it is never going away.” We conclude, “I have done many terrible things in my life – all my sins are beyond God’s grace.”

Not so fast…are you ready for the best part?

First – if our sins were unable to be overcome by God’s grace, that would make us more powerful than God. Wrong. So let’s fix that one – there is no amount of sins that are greater than God’s grace – that is the Father, Son, Holy Spirit formula. But here’s more, “And as far as sunrise (east) from sunset (west), he has separated us from our sins.” Here we are walking around with our guilt and God would say, “Guilt for what?” And we would say, “You know, for all my sins.” And God would say, “What sins?” Because as far as the east is from the west, our sins are remembered no more in Jesus Christ. “In the arms of your mercy I find rest; you know just how far the east is from the west; from one scarred hand to the other,” as Casting Crowns sings in their song, “East to West.”

So, you ask, “How forgiven are we?”

Completely. The all inclusive grace of God is completely ours through Jesus. More complete than our past or sins, more complete than our guilt.

My prayer for you today, perhaps for the first time or in a renewed way – is that you awaken to, and more fully receive the peace and grace you have been searching for, been thirsting for in this complete forgiveness.

Because it’s for you. It was purchased on the cross for you to own – not to borrow or rent. It’s not some theory; it’s not just for holy people. It’s not based on what others think. It’s not something that anyone else can add to or take away from. It’s for you to completely grab hold of as you let go of all the past and sins and guilt.

Amen.

Discussion Questions

1. If we are fully forgiven in Christ, how should that feel? How would it be different that how we are living today?
2. How much does guilt affect you? What are some ways you can let go of guilt?
3. Is confessing or laying down your sins to God a regular practice for you? Why or why not?
4. What is keeping you from believing that God’s grace is yours?

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Embracing the New

Embracing the New

 

2 Corinthians 5:16-17

“Because of this decision (to follow Christ) we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look…Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it!” 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 from The Message

 

We seem to live in the middle…

 

In the middle of yearning for the new, but fearing it; wanting to leave the old behind but it just feels so comfortable.

 

How many times have we dashed off to the new only to find it wasn’t what it looked like at all?

 

How many times have we desired the new just because…we wanted new for new’s sake?

 

How many times have we turned away from the old just because…it was old and comfortable and familiar?

 

All of the above examples are mostly based on appearance or looks. And yet, we hear in this verse, “we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look…” Kinda hard to do that today. I mean so much is based on appearance, perception and how it looks. “It” whatever it can be – relationships, personality, success and more all could be as thin as paper but if it looks good, whether new or old, it is regarded as good.

 

Instead we are supposed to “look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new.”

 

There are two new things happening in this idea. First, it is seeing with new eyes. Somehow having the ability to look beyond the surface to see what God is doing on the inside of someone. In practical terms, I like to think of it as finding the grace. Let’s face it, we are all a mix of helpful and destructive behaviors and qualities. As a leader and a believer, I have to look for the places in people’s lives where God is visibly working and treasure that. No doubt that this is sometimes challenging. But they’re there and a big part of leading, encouraging and coaching is making people aware of those parts of their lives and to trying to draw them out.

 

See when we only look at the surface, it’s very easy to judge – not where we should be going (but often where we wind up). It’s easier to judge based on the surface or appearance in the least because it takes little effort. But also because we often believe it is scary to go deeper with people. Judging naturally keeps people at a distance. Judgment keeps us thinking that nothing is new about anyone or anything.   

 

The other thing happening besides seeing with new eyes is that God is actually doing something new inside us. When the Holy Spirit is working on us inside, sometimes it is hard to feel, sometimes it is hard to see, and sometimes it is hard to believe. But God is God and we are not, and so it is happening beyond our power, often without our knowledge or cooperation. The theological gem in this passage is the revelation that the new is happening all the time at God’s will. Not because we started a new diet or exercise routine or bought a new outfit or anything new we do for that matter.

 

When I think of old Christopher in comparison to new Christopher, it is amazing. And believe me, new Christopher isn’t much better. For what improvement there is, I can’t take credit for it – the good I see clearly has only come from the Lord working on me. But am I glad to see some old stuff gone – for sure! You know, things like selfishness, pride, thinking I know better, have diminished over time thanks to the Holy Spirit teaching me and convicting me over and over.  

 

And then it goes further to say that the “old life is gone.” And our limited part in this, the bridge from the old to the new, the way out of this middle in which we live is this – purposefully, methodically, prayerfully letting go of the old ways of life – sins, harmful habits, and routines – anything that gets in the way of following Christ. No easy thing for sure – we need the Holy Spirit’s help for this. But still, we are called to leave these things behind. And really, through prayer, through reading the Bible, engaging in real fellowship and service with other believers, the old often naturally begins to dissolve. See, our old ways kind of just melt in the presence of the new work God is doing in us – they can’t share the same space…only real new things start inside and emerge outside; we can’t “put on” new on the surface and make it go inside.   

 

Maybe you have sensed it. Maybe you have prayed for it. Maybe you have cried out for it (I know I have). Maybe you have just wanted to leave all the worst parts of you behind. But our good news today is that the new, the real, deep new is already here.

 

For you and for others…“A new life burgeons! Look at it!”

 

Amen.  

 

Discussion Questions

1. What are one or two things you would love to leave behind?
2. What does the new you in God’s eyes look like – what qualities are there?
3. Can you see new things that the Lord has done in your life? What are some examples?
4. Have you tried “new” things before and they haven’t worked? What did they have in common?
5. When you look at others are you looking on the surface or on the inside?

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The Way Back

Hosea 6:1-2

The Way Back  

“Come, let us return to the Lord. For he has torn, that he may heal us. He has stricken, and he will build us up. After two days, he will revive us; on the third day, he will raise us up, that we may live before him.” Hosea 6:1-2 (RSV)

 

The truth is that we all have some “prodigal” in us. It is easy to think of the prodigal son (Luke 15) as a person who needed a lesson and thankfully comes back. But if we are honest about most of our faith journeys, it is a process of going away and returning to the Lord. We spend seasons on the mountaintop only to have everything fall through. We find ourselves in the wilderness, at the end of our rope, finally crawling onto the edges of a promised land. Some of us have lost years, decades even. And then, without any warning, our hearts once again, begin to yearn for God or something about him. As the band Pearl Jam sings in their song “Thumbing My Way (Back to Heaven)” – “No matter how cold the winter, there’s a springtime ahead; I’m thumbing my way back to heaven.”

 

But we have to ask the questions, “Why the wilderness, why the lost years?”

 

The above verses in particular are about how that yearning sometimes comes back. Hosea, as you know was a prophet asking God’s people to wake up to the distance between them and God. “Come, let us return to the Lord (1).”

 

But then the prophet offers what will seem to some as a strange explanation. “For he (the Lord) has torn, that he may heal us.” Why do we have to be torn, so that God can heal us? Why can’t we just stay un-torn or whole? And you know what I am going to say. That we don’t start off whole to begin with. Sins like pride, lust, and others are ever present in our lives. It is the human, fallen condition. If that isn’t bad enough, our denial only makes it worse. When sin leads us to believe that we don’t need God or don’t need to follow his ways, is as they say, insult to injury.

 

And because we believe that God is always purposeful, these words from Hosea cut deeply. “For he has torn (allowing our sins and their consequences), that he may heal (come to understand our need for Him) us. How often have we felt torn, physically, mentally and spiritually? But more importantly, how often have we felt torn and then seen it as God actually trying to heal us or draw us closer? I guess it is easier to blame God for bad circumstances and just be angry. But oh what we miss when we leave it at that. Because the awful truth is that God has to tear us to get us to see that we completely need him for salvation and living. For most of us, without the tearing and wildernesses, we wouldn’t acknowledge the need for a savior.

 

Admittedly, it took many years for me to learn this to the point where I really believe it. And I do. Part of my job is not so much to give answers, but to give sight based on the Word. And more often than not, I find myself with brothers and sisters helping them to see what God is doing in their lives. And this is the principle at work many, many times. And I can say it with hope because of my own tearing experiences.

 

And there is hope in this passage, much hope! “He has stricken, and he will build us up. After two days he will revive us, on the third day, he will raise us up, that we may live before him.” You see as humans, we often look at the torn and stricken and say, “why?” instead of saying “Amen!” to the healing, building up, reviving, and raising up so that we may live parts.

 

By the way, have you caught the echoes of Jesus in these two verses? Our dear savior was torn so that we can be healed; Jesus was stricken for our sins and was built up. Built up when? On the third day he was raised up and because of that we live before God. But remember, Jesus had to be torn and had to die for us to live eternally – it was the only way. And therefore is it also the rhythm for our daily living – tearing down and then building up; dying to our sins and then finding new life in Christ.

 

I know you are torn and stricken. I wish I could take it all away. But even if I could, I would be interrupting what God is trying to do in your life. And that is – trying to get us to return to him; not just to church, although that might be one way; but leading our hearts back to him. Leading us to turn our hearts home to him again. So whether it is the first time you need to come back or the twentieth, as the verse said, “Come let us return to the Lord.”

 

And you know there is nothing like coming home. Whether it is after a long day, or after months or years. A couple of times a year I return home to New Jersey, and it starts with seeing the familiar signs and sights along Route 80 all the way until I enter my hometown Fair Lawn and arrive at my brother’s house – seeing family and friends – those blessed reunions. There is nothing like returning to a place and people where you are known and loved. Just walking up to the door, that first smile or hug, can make the journey all worth it. That is what it is like to return to the Lord.

 

And as the song says, “No matter how cold the winter, there’s a springtime ahead; I’m thumbing my way back to heaven.”

 

I am right beside you walking and praying – we can come home to Him after all.

 

Amen.

  

Discussion Questions

1. What is your gut or first reaction to hearing that God tears us (even though for a purpose)?
2. When you think of tearing times in your life (maybe even right now) what does this passage say to you?
3. Can you think of some times when you felt revived after being in the wilderness? What were they like? Does God get the credit for that too?

4.   Would you like to return to the Lord but don’t know how? Please call or email me, I would love to help.

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Naming and Tearing

Naming and Tearing

Remix of Sunday’s Message “Tearing Down Idols” (audio available at – http://www.firstgrandville.org/content.cfm?id=213&category_id=4)

Exodus 32:1-14; Luke 18:18-24

 

The story goes that a guy, who has everything going for him, comes up to Jesus and asks a very important question, “What do I need to do to have eternal life?” He goes on to explain that he is a very religious guy and plays by all of the rules. You may recall that Jesus’ answer is something like, “That’s great; just one more thing – sell all your possessions and give the proceeds to the poor…and follow me.” And the story ends with the guy walking away very distraught because he couldn’t let go of his wealth – it turns out he already had a god.

 

Another story goes that God had rescued His people out of oppression and slavery. And while God is writing a covenant for them with His finger, they got, let’s say, antsy. So instead of waiting for Moses to come down from the mountain, they made a golden calf and starting thanking it for rescuing them. Sound crazy? I know God has rescued me, but how many times do I forget that and get tempted to put my trust in stuff that did not and could not save me? Too often.

 

We can say that it is a human nature thing to cling. We want God to be close – that is a good thing. But we also know that human nature is sinful – and so often when we don’t feel like God is close we…cling to other stuff. And that is how idols are made.

 

And let’s not forget that God wants to be close to us. In the story of God’s people above, He wants to be in covenant with them. It’s why He sent Jesus into the world. This is God who is jealous (in the best way) and wants a full, personal relationship with each of us – the real thing!

 

And yet, Martin Luther said, “That to which your heart clings is your god.” And in these two above stories, that is how it played out. And yet it plays out in many ways in our time too. But here is what we have to understand. An idol takes life; God gives life. An idol can only accept worship – and it just keeps taking; God receives worship and gives life – eternal and abundant life!

 

But here is what happens, as Augustine explained, “My sin was this, that not in him (God) but in his creatures – myself and others – I sought for pleasures, honors, and truths, and so fell headlong into sorrows, confusions, errors.”

 

Think about it, most of our sorrows, confusions and errors are a result from seeking pleasures, honor and truths in things that aren’t God!

 

So, we have to be vigilant about two things. Naming our idols and tearing them down!

 

First, naming them. Please reflect on these questions – On what do we spend our thinking, time, discussions and resources? What is getting in the way of our fully enjoying a relationship with God through Jesus? What do we cling to or depend on when we are stressed out?

 

Yesterday in worship we named a number of them. We did this by asking a group of members to present scenarios of modern idols and how the idols impact lives. The group members consisted of all ages and were only presenting possible idols that people can struggle with. They were not offering testimony; they were simply representing an idol to help listeners think about them. For example, Elizabeth does not have a problem with food and Brett does not have a problem with alcohol and so on. Though they did a great job and were convincing even though only presenting; they spoke to and blessed many people through their efforts to be authentic.

 

Among the ones we named were: sports, food, image, alcohol, TV, money, jobs, other people, ourselves, religion, music and others. And there are others we can name too – pornography, drugs and others. There is no shortage of idols in this world that have the illusion of helping us or saving us. But please know their power is greatly diminished when we name them (honestly to ourselves, to God in prayer, to others who care for us); their power flows from being secret and subtle.

 

Once we have named our idols, we have to tear them down. And so we did. Each presenter tore the poster with the name of the idol on it. But also we then asked people gathered to write it down on a piece of paper in and come forward and toss the paper and idol at the foot of the cross. (It was a beautiful sight to see so many people do this! Praise God!) This is because we can only tear down idols when we put them to the cross.

 

You know, according to Scripture, as Jesus died, the curtain in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. Which meant that thanks to his death on the cross, from that moment on, nothing in this world had the power to stand between God and us anymore. Believing in Jesus would open the door to God and with the coming of the Holy Spirit, would offer the power for any obstacle to be overcome in a relationship with God. Amen!

 

The good news is we can tear down our idols by putting them to the cross. The good news also is that we never do this alone. God is with us, and we are called to carry one another’s burdens too. When seeking to tear down idols, don’t go it alone. Ask me or a trusted friend to walk with you – we all need to do this when an idol has taken over.  

 

You see, we have this beautiful gift – the gift of a life-giving relationship with God. It is precious and holy and fully satisfying – if and when we fully engage it through Christ. Too often, we love other things, and cling to other things, unwilling to let go of them in order to receive and fully experience this once in a lifetime, saving, restoring gift!

 

Whatever it is you are clinging to today, whatever your idols are – please know that they can be named and torn down and on the other side of that journey, is a joy and peace and life none of us can fully imagine – the embrace of a loving God and Savior who will never let go.

 

Praying all of this for you today.

 

Amen.

 

 

Discussion Questions

1. Are you wrestling with an idol in your life – something that is a god to you? Can you name it?
2. Have you wrestled with some idols for a long time they just keep winning? What might you do differently?
3. Have you found it difficult to tear some idols down? What are some reasons for this?
4. Please think of someone who loves you and in whom you can trust to help you tear some down – it will make the difference!

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We Turn To You

We Turn To You  

O Lord!

 

When someone lets go of decades of pain and suffering and begin to move toward wholeness –

We turn to you and give thanks that healing is possible through you.

 

When our young people, despite our best efforts, lose their way and find themselves in all kinds of prisons –

We turn to you for the keys and the strength to believe in tomorrow.

 

When our young people are faced with temptations at school, on the Internet – virtually everywhere they go –

We turn to you and remember that they are your children first. 

 

When marriages reach the point where it seems like there is no hope –

We turn to you for patience and strength.

 

When marriages overcome obstacles of infidelity, neglect and the interference of others –

We turn to you and praise you for your faithfulness and grace.

 

When we become so tired and exhausted that we feel like we can’t go on –

We turn to you for strength and endurance.

 

When people become so isolated that they barely exist –

We turn to you and thank you for seeing us when we are invisible. 

 

When people come out from years of hiding in the shadows –

We turn to you and thank you for your persistence and steadfast love.

 

When we see that our sins have caused immeasurable damage throughout our lives –

We turn to you for second, third, fourth (and so on) chances; and know we have them in Jesus.

 

When we feel like we are unworthy and no longer acceptable to you –

We turn to you and feel the embrace of your grace and unconditional love in Christ.

 

When this whole world seems to be on the brink of falling apart –

We turn to you with whatever we have left.

 

When we see things falling apart and new things emerging like people coming together like never before –

We turn to you and praise you for being a God that restores and renews.

 

When our brothers, sisters and friends are diagnosed with terrible diseases –

We turn to you and cry out “Why?!”

 

When our ill brothers, sisters and friends are strengthened and sometimes even cured –

We turn to you and thank you for your mercy and providence.

 

When we have tried everything and it still doesn’t work –

We turn to you and throw our hands up in the air.

 

When we have surrendered all of our hopes and dreams to you –

We turn to you and watch them materialize in ways we never expected.

 

When we see our nation drowning in violence, self-indulgence and greed –

We turn to you for the life preserver of peace and satisfaction.

 

When we see our nation rich with compassion, abundance and hope –

We turn to you and thank you for the gift of being here.

 

When our loved ones die and we can’t hear their voice anymore –

We turn to you and say, “We wanted just one more time…”

 

When we leave this earth and enter in your presence –

We will turn to you and our loved ones and smile at that glorious reunion.

 

We turn to you in all of these days and times and remember your words and promises –

 

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:39

 

In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

 

Discussion Questions

1. What can make the difference in how we view what is happening in our world?
2. How can we keep in mind that God is in control despite what it may look like?
3. What can we do about evil in this world? What is our response?
4. From where does our help and hope come? How can we keep that in mind during weeks like this?

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