This is God’s judgment?

I knew the question would come up and, sure enough, it did. Someone wrote to me asking, “Pastor Jerry, are the current troubles in the world the judgment of God?”  There certainly are plenty of reasons that the Almighty would want to let loose a corrective plague. Greed, materialism, violence, unending war, exploitation of the earth and the resources, pride are just a few of the sins that are rampant in this world. However, the simplistic thinking that concludes, “We sinned and God smacked us down,” is a complete misunderstanding of Who He is and how He acts.

God is not like an exhausted parent who just ‘loses it’ and makes everybody pay!  We, human beings, do that sometimes. When we come to the end of our patience with the kids, everybody loses privileges, or is sent to bed early, or worse, in some cases.  To think of a vengeful, wrathful God Who set a virus loose in the world because He is fed up with the world – with all of the suffering, the death, the economic chaos- misses His great heart entirely. Don’t stop reading or object to the reasoning until you finish this blog, please.

Listen to the Word about the way God acts for our good. Don’t rush through this passage. It is rich for us, particularly in this time. "And have you entirely forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you, his children? He said, “My child, don’t ignore it when the Lord disciplines you, and don’t be discouraged when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes those he accepts as his children.” As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Whoever heard of a child who was never disciplined? If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children after all. Since we respect our earthly fathers who disciplined us, should we not all the more cheerfully submit to the discipline of our heavenly Father and live forever? For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always right and good for us because it means we will share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it is painful! But afterward there will be a quiet harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way." (Hebrews 12:5-11, NLT)

God allows us (think not just of yourself as an individual, but as a world) the freedom to choose to align ourselves with His will or to ignore it. Throughout the Scripture, we learn that when people live as He directs, they enjoy life. When they choose to live selfishly and/or sinfully, their actions produce death. Pray for insight as you read these passages.

·        The principle started in the opening chapters of Genesis where God gave a direction: “Don’t eat or you’ll die.” 

·        In Deuteronomy the principle is amplified: "Look at what I’ve done for you today: I’ve placed in front of you Life and Good Death and Evil. And I command you today: Love God, your God. Walk in his ways. Keep his commandments, regulations, and rules so that you will live, really live, live exuberantly, blessed by God, your God, in the land you are about to enter and possess. But I warn you: If you have a change of heart, refuse to listen obediently, and willfully go off to serve and worship other gods, you will most certainly die. You won’t last long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess." (Deuteronomy 30:15-18, The Message)

·        Christians, who live in the promise of Grace through Jesus Christ, are challenged to obey and find the best life. Jesus said, "If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." (John 15:10-11, NIV)  

·        Paul’s inspired words are clear: “Remember that you can’t ignore God and get away with it. You will always reap what you sow! Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful desires will harvest the consequences of decay and death. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So don’t get tired of doing what is good.” (Galatians 6:7)

Asking if coronavirus is God’s judgment is simply the wrong question. In one sense, it is because it, like all things that produce human pain and suffering, results from the work of Evil in this world which is loosed by the choice of humanity to reject the will of God. But, truly this breaks God’s heart for His children. Christians who rub their hands in twisted joy as they say, “God is giving the world what it deserves.” have an incomplete knowledge of their Father’s heart. He is sad with us that choices to ignore His ways are ripping us apart, robbing us of peace, bringing death. Those are, in fact, the work of the Devil, and we who are the children of God, through Jesus Christ, are called to resist him, to pray for the “Kingdom of God to come and His will to be done, on earth, as it is in Heaven.”

Can God use this plague to call us to Himself? Yes, He can. Our illusions of self-sufficiency are being shattered. The slender nature of the thread of life becomes much more obvious when we realize it can be broken by an invisible virus. We do not know where it came from, how it was released on us, or when it will end. BUT we know that God saves, not kills; that His desire is our salvation, not our destruction.

So this morning, I invite you to join me in humble prayer. If confession is needed, let’s do it – with the full expectation of His grace to cover our failures and sins and to restore us to our place near His heart.  Then, let us go on to bold prayers for the release of His power, first in the invisible realm, praying that He will curb the power of the Evil one who seeks to ‘kill and destroy,’ and second in the presentation of ourselves as servant warriors who love others to wholeness- body, soul, and spirit- as we give ourselves in selfless service.

The word from the Word is the prayer Jesus taught us to pray.  Would you pray it with me, not just as a rote recitation, but as the expression of your faith, the surrender of your heart and mind to HIM?

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed (treated with reverent respect) be your name,
your kingdom come,

your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.

For yours is the kingdom, and the power,

And the glory forever. Amen." (Matthew 6:9-13, NIV)

______________

How I Need You
(Listen and worship in this simple song of faith)

Every day in Your hands

You were there before time began

Sovereign one I rest in Your plan

From the depths to the dawn

You are there Your promise is strong

I will trust with all that I am

Chorus

Jesus Jesus oh how I need You

You stay the same

You are good in Your ways

Jesus Jesus oh how I need You

You are enough

All my trust is in You Lord

You fashioned me formed my heart

Search my soul and know every thought

Love so great but never too far

And through the storm You're the calm

And every war You've already won

Life secure in Your loving arms

You are powerful God above it all

I believe in You I believe in You

You do miracles the impossible

I believe in You I believe in You

Bethany Phillips | Chris Griffin | Micah Massey | Nicole McLean

© 2018 Highlands Creative Publishing (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)

CCLI License # 810055

“I’m gonna kill somebody”

The shock of the current crisis is weighing down on us. Beyond the unknowns to the health and well-being of our family and friends, we are experiencing serious economic consequences as those in authority are shutting down commerce. I am seeing anger starting to crop up around me and in me, too!  Anger is a close cousin of fear. When we are afraid we are wired to respond with ‘fight or flight.’

Many, when feeling helpless, in circumstances that are beyond their control, feel building hostility, real, but unfocused at first. That pent up anger looks for a place to go, a person to blame. Before we know it, we’re mad at the supermarket for empty shelves, or those people who are hoarding toilet paper, or our spouse, or kids – and we say or do things that become regrettable, or worse, destructive to people and relationships.

Knowing this, let’s choose a different road, for the sake of Jesus and others. 

In the Word this morning, my meditation formed around this passage. "Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." (Colossians 3:12-15, NIV)

I love the wisdom of our Creator that is revealed in that passage. We cannot just ignore anger or even repress it for very long. We have to deal with its source, which is about how we feel about ourselves.  People who are strong and whole emotionally, do not have to use anger as a means of regaining control or soothing themselves when they are powerless. That is why the passage begins by reminding the Christian of his true identity!  “God’s chosen … holy … dearly loved.”

In this crisis, those are key truths to keep front and center of our thoughts.

God owns me and you, having chosen us in Christ Jesus to become His children. So, take your fear to your Father! Leave it with Him, expecting Him to show you the way forward. Jesus promised that if we ask for bread, our Father will not give us a stone.  He has made us ‘holy,’ a much misunderstood idea. Holy means we are people selected to serve His unique purpose. In this crisis, instead of letting it overwhelm us with a sense of futility, we can pray and ask God, “How do you want to use me in all of this? What’s the plan?”   

We start by caring, listening, empathizing, praying earnestly to reflect the heart of Jesus to others, self-sacrificially.  Interestingly, Jesus says that when ‘we lose our life for His sake, we find a whole new kind of life’ one richer and fuller than we can imagine.  We are ‘dearly loved.’  The lie that the Evil One wants us to believe is that God does not care, has abandoned us. He has not. Even His discipline is administered from a place of profound love.

All of the rest of that passage flows out of the truth of our identity in Christ Jesus – chosen, holy, beloved!  If we don’t start there, we cannot make it to “let the peace of Christ rule.”

This Monday morning take Jesus’ offer of love and let Him be Lord of life. The truth is that "to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—" (John 1:12, NIV)  The child of God gains great expectation and hope. "Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." (Romans 8:17-18, NIV) So, let the peace of Christ rule your heart; not in denial of reality, not in minimizing the very real challenges, but as you pray to live your identity – chosen, holy, beloved – because that is who you are.

Here is a word from the Word. I’m receiving and believing – will you?  "There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love. We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first." (1 John 4:18-19, The Message)

___________

Stand In Your Love

(listen to this great song and let faith grow)

When darkness tries to roll over my bones

When sorrow comes to steal the joy I own

When brokenness and pain is all I know

I won't be shaken I won't be shaken

My fear doesn't stand a chance

When I stand in Your love

Shame no longer has a place to hide

I am not a captive to the lies

I'm not afraid to leave my past behind

I won't be shaken I won't be shaken

There's power that can break off every chain

There's power that can empty out a grave

There's resurrection power that can save

There's power in Your name power in Your name

Standing in Your love

Ethan Hulse | Josh Baldwin | Mark Harris | Rita Springer

© 2018 Be Essential Songs (Admin. by Essential Music Publishing LLC)

EGH Music Publishing (Admin. by Essential Music Publishing LLC)

CCLI License # 810055

Getting it wrong

In our current environment of fear, a time unlike any in my memory, Christians need to lead the way in faith. No, not with bravado that appears to dare that old virus to touch us. That is foolishness. No, not defying our government, no matter how misguided some public policies appear to be to some of us. We must respond with true faith, authentic prayers, and minds shaped by the eternal Truth. Unless we are keeping centered in Christ Jesus, we risk getting it all wrong, one way or another.

Peter, we learned in yesterday’s text, made a faith-filled proclamation about Jesus – “You are the Christ!” He listened to the Spirit, responded in faith, and led the way. Jesus called him a ‘rock,’ in that moment. A few verses later, not many days after his amazing faith words; “Rocky” got it terribly wrong and earned a strong rebuke from Jesus. Every time I read this passage, I cringe at the words the Lord spoke to him, words that reflect the seriousness of letting human wisdom replace spiritual truth. Read it and learn.

"From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul."  (Matthew 16:21-26, NIV)

Who doesn’t sympathize with Peter’s impulse in this story? He loves Jesus and cannot begin to even imagine how suffering at the hands of cruel men and then dying could possibly be the will of God for his Friend, the Man he is now convinced is the Anointed One who will bring deliverance for the people of God. He is so passionate that he ‘rebukes’ Jesus.  Talk about getting it wrong! He does not just say, “That’s awful” or “We don’t want that.”  He gets in Jesus’ face and tells Him to stop saying things that are not true! Imagine how he felt when Jesus turned on him and told him he was doing the Devil’s work? How awful was the realization that he was making it more difficult for Jesus to choose to take the road to the Cross, to save the world?  “You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, and not from God’s.”

This is THE question for me, for you, today:  Do I have the mind of Christ so that my choices will reflect the Truth of faith?  Christianity is not irrational, but sometimes God calls us to be supra-rational, understanding the world in a way that goes beyond human reason and what we can know with our natural mind.  For example, we cannot perceive eternity but we orient our lives around an eternal hope because God has revealed it to us.  In this story, Jesus explains to Peter that if self-preservation is his number one goal, he cannot find the life that God has prepared for him!  We must be prepared to ‘lose our life’ in the natural scheme of things to find the life God gives that never ends.  Yes, that is supra-rational!

As the world appears to go off its axis around us, with financial markets collapsing, schools closing, normal human activities being suspended – let’s be the people of God – with the mind of God, informed by the Spirit.

When others run, we stand.
When others take care of only themselves, we generously care for all.
When despair overwhelms, we stand in hope.
When some say, there is no way we point to the Way, faithful in prayer, our hearts filled with the Love of the Father.

Here is a word from the Word. May it own us . "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus," (Philippians 2:5, NKJV)  "and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7, NKJV)
___________

I Am Thine O Lord

I am Thine O Lord I have heard Thy voice

And it told Thy love to me

But I long to rise in the arms of faith

And be closer drawn to Thee

Draw me nearer nearer blessed Lord

To the cross where Thou hast died

Draw me nearer nearer nearer blessed Lord

To Thy precious bleeding side

Consecrate me now to Thy service Lord

By the pow'r of grace divine

Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope

And my will be lost in Thine

Oh the pure delight of a single hour

That before Thy throne I spend

When I kneel in prayer and with Thee my God

I commune as friend with friend

There are depths of love that I cannot know

Till I cross the narrow sea

There are heights of joy that I may not reach

Till I rest in peace with Thee

Fanny Jane Crosby
© Words: Public Domain