The Christmas season has once again arrived and it appears that this year will once again be a white Christmas. As I gaze out of my office window I am able to see a large pine tree frosted with a fresh snowfall that not even the brisk wind is able to dislodge. The shingles of the church roof have as well been decorated with wisps of snow that create a card like backdrop for that beautiful tree. Ah, the perfect picture of Christmas, or is it?
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That picture may be a great reminder of December 25th, for it is but one of the captivating scenes painted by the hand of God upon our landscape during this time of year. Yes a reminder of a Midwest December, but not necessarily a reminder of Christ. It is quite unlikely that Jesus was actually born in December, let alone on the 25th. In many ways I fear that our celebration has done more to distract us from Him than to cause us to focus on Him.
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So why is it so important to focus on Jesus Christ? The reasons to focus on Him go back much farther than His birth in Bethlehem. Those same reasons show us why our focus on Him must go beyond one day, or even one season. Jesus Christ must become a day by day moment by moment part of our lives.
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To fully grasp the significance of Christ coming to earth and being born as a child in Bethlehem, we must first realize why He came. His reason for coming dates all the way back to Adam and Eve and the first sin. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” Romans 5:12. Since Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, prophets have been predicting that a Savior, a Messiah, would some day come to bring deliverance. The Old Testament of our Bible contains many of those prophecies, so when Jesus was born, many were already looking forward to His coming. The fulfillment of all these prophecies comes together as the angel told Joseph, “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21
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There is something very important that we must understand about the birth of Jesus. His birth was an incarnation. That means that the baby Jesus was a manifestation of the true God in human form. That means that He is God in the flesh. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1. “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:14
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The Old Testament prophets clearly testified to the truth that Jesus would actually be God in human form. This was even made clear in the prophecy of the virgin birth. “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14. That name, repeated in Matthew 1:23, means “God with us.” The deity (truth that He is God) of Jesus Christ is also made clear in Isaiah 9:6, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Notice what Isaiah says about Him. The child is The mighty God, The everlasting Father. When Jesus claimed, “I and my Father are one,” in John 10:30, He was affirming what the prophets had already predicted.
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Some folks refer to this time of year as the advent season. The word advent means the arrival of something important. What could be more important than the arrival of God? When we consider that the birth of Jesus Christ was God’s arrival to earth in human form, we must ask the question- when did Jesus actually come into existence? Micah 5:2 has the answer to that very question: “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” This prophecy written about 700 years before the birth of Christ tells us that He has always existed. Jesus Christ has always existed because He is God.
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Because He is God, Christ deserves our worship. Trusting Him and accepting Him as the long awaited Messiah who came to forgive sin is what makes the difference between heaven and hell. John 3:16-18 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” By not trusting Him, you are condemned already because since the time of Adam, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. What better time to give your life to the Lord Jesus Christ than the advent season. Then you will not only be focusing on the arrival of God to earth, but the arrival of God into your life.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
The Teenage God of Popularity
The first of the ten commandments clearly exhorts, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” In spite of this command, many teenagers put popularity ahead of God, thus the teenage “god” of popularity.
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Whether you are a parent, pastor, youth worker, or a teen yourself, many of the problems that must be dealt with in relating to young folks can be traced to the teenager’s desire to be popular. We recognize that drugs, alcohol, and even premarital sex are often driven by peer pressure. But what about the basic issues of showing love for one another? Consider the young lady in the youth group who gets ignored by the other girls because she doesn’t quite fit in. Consider the young man who becomes so preoccupied with sports that he forgets about his relationship with God just because he wants others to think well of him. Consider the parent, pastor, or youth worker who sets a bad example in these same areas by putting a premium on popularity in their own lives.
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The quest for popularity is not just about the party atmosphere, it can be as simple as a put down in order to make yourself look good. You see there are many little foxes that spoil the vine.
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As we consider the players in the popularity game we would do well to consider how popular Jesus Christ was. He had friends and even disciples who followed and learned from Him, but was He really popular in our way of thinking? Isaiah 53:3 tells us, “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
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Sure, He had a lot of friends, but He was not popular in a fashionable sense. It reminds me somewhat of my years at a small Bible college. If the students there were asked who was the most popular, and then they were asked who had the most friends, I suspect they would have given a different list. You see, in the world’s mind, popular is fashionable, cool, and trendy. It really has little to do even with how likeable a person is. It is actually less about how many friends one has and more about how many people they think want to be their friend.
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Some of the popular people are likeable, but others actually attain that status by being rude and unlikeable. Then there are those who would not be considered popular because they are not necessarily trendy, but because of their love and kindness to others they have many friends. This quickly shows that there are actually two kinds of popularity. A godly popularity, and the popularity of the world.
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If a popularity is actually godly, it would never compete with the true God for position. What really must be discouraged among both teenagers and adults, is the sort of popularity that puts pride ahead of God. Essentially, this is the root of the problem. The lust for popularity becomes self idolatry. Pride says we are more important than God. We must be reminded that idolatry is about more than just graven images, it is also about trying to take glory and attention that is reserved only for God. “I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.” Isaiah 42:8
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In many ways the popularity challenge is really a priority challenge. What is more important, the love of God or the pride of life? 1 John 2:15-17 is very clear, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”
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Matthew 22:37-39: “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.“ When man pursues popularity at the expense of these great commands, he is putting the world and all it has ahead of God.
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So is it really that bad to put the world ahead of God? James 4:4 answers that question, “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” No doubt it is a serious matter to be an enemy of God. Common sense as well as godly sense says it would be better to be an enemy of this world than an enemy of God. Our Lord Jesus Christ tells us the same in John 15:19, “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.”
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So what are parents, pastors, youth workers, and teens to do in a world that puts such a premium on popularity. No doubt the advice to Timothy is appropriate, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season.” The sad truth is that instead of preaching godly principles, parents and others often end up pressuring young people to be popular. Dads and moms, do you really know what you are asking your children to do? If you push them to live up to your worldly ideal, you are pushing them to be God’s enemy.
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Parents, pastors, youth workers and godly teens must not only teach with words, but they must teach by example. How can we expect the next generation to overcome this challenge if we fail at it. Do we recognize the danger of pride in our own lives? Do we act like we always have to be the center of attention? Are we willing to shun worldliness in our lives? Are we willing to be seen with unpopular social outcasts? How can we expect the youth to mortify their sinful nature if we are not willing to do the same?
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“And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.” 1 Corinthians 4:6
-
Whether you are a parent, pastor, youth worker, or a teen yourself, many of the problems that must be dealt with in relating to young folks can be traced to the teenager’s desire to be popular. We recognize that drugs, alcohol, and even premarital sex are often driven by peer pressure. But what about the basic issues of showing love for one another? Consider the young lady in the youth group who gets ignored by the other girls because she doesn’t quite fit in. Consider the young man who becomes so preoccupied with sports that he forgets about his relationship with God just because he wants others to think well of him. Consider the parent, pastor, or youth worker who sets a bad example in these same areas by putting a premium on popularity in their own lives.
-
The quest for popularity is not just about the party atmosphere, it can be as simple as a put down in order to make yourself look good. You see there are many little foxes that spoil the vine.
-
As we consider the players in the popularity game we would do well to consider how popular Jesus Christ was. He had friends and even disciples who followed and learned from Him, but was He really popular in our way of thinking? Isaiah 53:3 tells us, “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
-
Sure, He had a lot of friends, but He was not popular in a fashionable sense. It reminds me somewhat of my years at a small Bible college. If the students there were asked who was the most popular, and then they were asked who had the most friends, I suspect they would have given a different list. You see, in the world’s mind, popular is fashionable, cool, and trendy. It really has little to do even with how likeable a person is. It is actually less about how many friends one has and more about how many people they think want to be their friend.
-
Some of the popular people are likeable, but others actually attain that status by being rude and unlikeable. Then there are those who would not be considered popular because they are not necessarily trendy, but because of their love and kindness to others they have many friends. This quickly shows that there are actually two kinds of popularity. A godly popularity, and the popularity of the world.
-
If a popularity is actually godly, it would never compete with the true God for position. What really must be discouraged among both teenagers and adults, is the sort of popularity that puts pride ahead of God. Essentially, this is the root of the problem. The lust for popularity becomes self idolatry. Pride says we are more important than God. We must be reminded that idolatry is about more than just graven images, it is also about trying to take glory and attention that is reserved only for God. “I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.” Isaiah 42:8
-
In many ways the popularity challenge is really a priority challenge. What is more important, the love of God or the pride of life? 1 John 2:15-17 is very clear, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”
-
Matthew 22:37-39: “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.“ When man pursues popularity at the expense of these great commands, he is putting the world and all it has ahead of God.
-
So is it really that bad to put the world ahead of God? James 4:4 answers that question, “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” No doubt it is a serious matter to be an enemy of God. Common sense as well as godly sense says it would be better to be an enemy of this world than an enemy of God. Our Lord Jesus Christ tells us the same in John 15:19, “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.”
-
So what are parents, pastors, youth workers, and teens to do in a world that puts such a premium on popularity. No doubt the advice to Timothy is appropriate, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season.” The sad truth is that instead of preaching godly principles, parents and others often end up pressuring young people to be popular. Dads and moms, do you really know what you are asking your children to do? If you push them to live up to your worldly ideal, you are pushing them to be God’s enemy.
-
Parents, pastors, youth workers and godly teens must not only teach with words, but they must teach by example. How can we expect the next generation to overcome this challenge if we fail at it. Do we recognize the danger of pride in our own lives? Do we act like we always have to be the center of attention? Are we willing to shun worldliness in our lives? Are we willing to be seen with unpopular social outcasts? How can we expect the youth to mortify their sinful nature if we are not willing to do the same?
-
“And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.” 1 Corinthians 4:6
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Does the Devil Want to Confuse Us?
I have not had to sit for jury duty yet, but I did receive a subpoena to testify in a court case. Because of my earlier work as a sheriff’s department chaplain in another county, I was placed at a scene that allowed me to be a witness in this particular incident. Such cases are presented before a jury, and the jurors are left with the challenge of looking at all the evidence in order to make a judgment as to what the truth is. You do not have to be on a jury to face these same challenges. Mothers and fathers are faced with similar challenges as they attempt to resolve conflicts between their children as the kids give conflicting testimony and the parents must try sort out the truth.
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What about the matters of theology and Bible teaching (doctrine)? Do you think the Devil would like to give a little conflicting testimony himself? Let us not forget that he is the father of lies. (John 8:44)
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The Apostle Paul actually warns Timothy of this very danger of false teaching coming from Satan and his followers in 1 Timothy 4:1-3, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.”
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Paul is one of the most prolific writers of New Testament Scripture, and much of his writing includes warnings about false teaching. In verse 14, chapter 4 of Ephesians he alerts his readers, “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;”. Not only does the Devil recruit his demons for this terrible task, but he uses men to lead others astray with wrong teaching.
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We need to know what the truth is so that we do not fall for these false testimonies of Satan. You see when it comes to doctrine, the Devil is the great counterfeiter. He will take a little truth from Scripture, and distort it just enough to be extremely dangerous. The best way to recognize false teaching is to study true teaching. That means we need to study our Bibles. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” The more familiar we are with God’s word, the better we will be able to spot false doctrine. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15
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Yes, the Devil does want to confuse us. The ideas of men and their teaching will change, but the word of God will endure forever. 1 Peter 1:24-25 tells us, “For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” God and His word do not change. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” Hebrews 13:8
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Paul warned us about being carried by every wind of doctrine. One of the characteristics of false religious systems is that their beliefs change based on who is in power. I am so thankful that we have an unchanging Savior who has given us an unchanging word so that there might be a check on the lies of Satan. “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” 1 Peter 1:23
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What about the matters of theology and Bible teaching (doctrine)? Do you think the Devil would like to give a little conflicting testimony himself? Let us not forget that he is the father of lies. (John 8:44)
-
The Apostle Paul actually warns Timothy of this very danger of false teaching coming from Satan and his followers in 1 Timothy 4:1-3, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.”
-
Paul is one of the most prolific writers of New Testament Scripture, and much of his writing includes warnings about false teaching. In verse 14, chapter 4 of Ephesians he alerts his readers, “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;”. Not only does the Devil recruit his demons for this terrible task, but he uses men to lead others astray with wrong teaching.
-
We need to know what the truth is so that we do not fall for these false testimonies of Satan. You see when it comes to doctrine, the Devil is the great counterfeiter. He will take a little truth from Scripture, and distort it just enough to be extremely dangerous. The best way to recognize false teaching is to study true teaching. That means we need to study our Bibles. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” The more familiar we are with God’s word, the better we will be able to spot false doctrine. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15
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Yes, the Devil does want to confuse us. The ideas of men and their teaching will change, but the word of God will endure forever. 1 Peter 1:24-25 tells us, “For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” God and His word do not change. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” Hebrews 13:8
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Paul warned us about being carried by every wind of doctrine. One of the characteristics of false religious systems is that their beliefs change based on who is in power. I am so thankful that we have an unchanging Savior who has given us an unchanging word so that there might be a check on the lies of Satan. “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” 1 Peter 1:23
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