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 The end game is often unexpected by the spectator… and that’s what makes it so glorious.

I clearly remember the radio color commentators saying this would be Brian’s last game as a quarterback. Oh yes, his dad was a NFL Hall of Fame legend. But people just thought he didn’t quite have it in him. The 1998 Rose Bowl didn’t exactly start out with a proverbial “bang” either.

In fact, the U of M Wolverine football team was trailing Washington State for more than half the game. But then a subtle shift started to take place… Brian remained calm and confident under the pressure, while the other team seemed to slowly lose control. And the Wolverine’s end game, led by quarterback, Brian Griese, proved to win in the end (21-16).

Yet right now as we survey our surroundings it seems like righteousness is losing. Christ-followers are losing. God’s way for life appears to be losing. Immorality, violence, greed, and war seem to be winning all the airtime. The newsfeed nausea makes us sick to our stomachs — queasy or numb or maybe both.

Not too long ago a young pastor’s wife was shot in the head by a random intruder in Indianapolis. She was several months pregnant with their second child and their first child was just a year old. She was pronounced dead 24 hours later.

Since 1973, more than 59,467,212 (as of 5:30pm, 5/17/2017) unborn babies have been murdered in the womb just in the USA alone (1,455,168,000+ worldwide since 1980)! The numbers are staggering. By 5:35pm EST 1,860 children were aborted in the USA just today.

The ongoing refugee crisis in multiple countries and continents rages on and on.

More violence. Bloodshed. Corruption. Destruction. Hate. Death…

And we wonder aloud: Are you going to put a stop to this, God??! If so, how? And when?! Are You really going to let this pass? We wonder if the wickedness, injustice, and immorality is ever going to cease…

Habakkuk, a little-known prophet of God, who proclaimed God’s message had very similar questions. He lived during the reign of the wicked, idol-worshiping King Jehoiakim (609-597 BC; cf. 2 Kgs. 23:36-24:7; 2 Chron. 36:5-8). Immorality, injustice, violence, and idolatry were rampant across the nation.

When he shouted out, “How long, Lord?!” about the rampant chaos and suffering in Judah (the Southern Kingdom), God gave him a shocking answer: the wicked, cruel, idol-worshiping Babylonians would be God’s tool of judgment on the nation of Judah.

“WHAT?!”

How could a nation so wicked as Babylon be sent to judge Judah, a people not anywhere near so bad as Babylon? Babylon was bad to the bone! That doesn’t make sense, God!

So Habakkuk asks “WHY?” (1:3, 12-13) and “Will they continue??” (1:17). Is God going to put a stop to this?

And we wonder with Habakkuk: what is God’s end game?

As we survey the state of the world, the decadence in our country, and the trials God’s people face do you wonder what He is really up to? Is God really both sovereign and just? Is God really faithful?

As one of my friends just asked me last week:

“Why is it that countries and people groups that appear to be quite anti-God seem to be the most blessed and wealthy (i.e. many Western countries like the USA, Australia, Great Britain, New Zealand, etc.), yet those with very committed, rapidly growing Christian communities are so poor, needy, hungry, and afflicted? I’m wondering along the same lines as the old, ‘Why does bad stuff happen to good people,’ but more specifically, ‘Why do the bad people seem to be blessed more than the good ones?'”

Yes. That’s a big, important question. So let’s not just gloss over it with a quick devotional thought and a poem. Frankly, that just won’t work.

So let’s turn to the brief book of Habakkuk to pick up the intriguing and profound dialogue between this questioning prophet and God. Here is where you and I are going to learn how to live by faith when everything looks like it’s falling apart… even when God doesn’t seem to make sense: 

1. Study Sheet: I’ve written a concise intro guide and overview of Habakkuk to enhance your study. Click HERE or hover and click right on the image below to access this free PDF document (viewable and printable):

2. Sermon Audio: The audio player buttons at the bottom of this post provide three messages from Habakkuk (chaps. 1,2,3), which I preached in November 2015 at North Park Baptist of Grand Rapids, MI. I pray you find these sermons filled with the healing balm of grace and truth.

When God doesn’t seem to make sense… 

What questions might you have for God? Take a moment to write a few down…

Habakkuk had questions for God and so do we… we feel worn, torn, and beleaguered.

So we will wait. Faith waits.

“Waiting strengthens our patience and lengthens our perspective.” – Chuck Swindoll

Faith doesn’t ignore the questions, the nausea, or the numbness we feel. But faith waits for God to answer, for God to work, and for God to bring His plan to completion.

Bottomline: God’s people live by faith in Who God Is even when they don’t understand What God is doing.

Impure motives of pride, heartless obligation, superiority, longing for admiration, applause, success, wealth, rank, or pity are never sung aloud from our lips for all to hear. We quietly hide them, creatively disguise them, and carefully redefine them. We naturally think ourselves very good at judging the motives of others, but how about our own motives?

Ouch. That question seems to drop like a sharp knife between my toes. Perhaps the most penetrating and uncomfortable question for all of us to ask ourselves is: What is my motive?

A litmus test, of course, can measure the PH levels (among other things) in water. As a former science lab geek, I had all sorts of fun with litmus paper and other not-so-entirely-safe experiments in my parent’s basement.

But according to the litmus test of God’s love in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, where might you land? Be honest.

We can’t always discern our motives and intentions, but the litmus test of God’s Word can. The scriptures cut right to the heart of our issues – even to “joints and marrow, knowing the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Heb. 4:12). So let’s experience the litmus test. Allow these verses to soak over your soul and work their timeless truth in conviction, repentance, and change of life:

“If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3) 

The most pointed and convicting message a preacher can preach should be communicated with his finger also pointing at himself. Notice this is exactly what the apostle Paul does as he shifts the voice to first-person singular (from 12:27) and begins the litmus test of love in chapter 13 with “I.” Just like Paul, we need to feel the personal conviction of this litmus test deep within our hearts. 

If I am the most powerful preacher, the best Bible teacher in all the world – communicating with incredible creativity, smoothness of speech, and an amazing vocabulary…BUT do not have love, I would be as obnoxious as a crash of cymbals that rattles my eardrums or a blaring alarm at 5 o’clock in the morning: “Shut it off!!”

If I have profound insight into God’s plans, understand all the details of theology and comprehend the most obscure points of eschatology, yet do not have love toward my brothers and sisters, then my entire life equals nothing.

If I have unshakably great faith to believe God for the impossible – to remove mountains of addiction, depression, immorality, abuse, anger, violence – to believe God can do anything, but do not have love, it is of no benefit whatsoever.

And if I give away everything I own – my job, house, cars, family heirlooms, pots and pans – everything – in order to feed the poor and serve full-time in a foreign mission field, and if I surrender to martyrdom at the hand of persecutors, but don’t have love, it all amounts to no reward at all.

___________________

How might you personalize these verses to soak over your soul?

If I live in a house of spotless beauty with everything in its place, but have not love – I am a housekeeper, not a homemaker.

If I have time for waxing, polishing, and decorative achievements, but have not love – my children learn of cleanliness, not godliness.

Love leaves the dust in search of a child’s laugh.

Love smiles at the tiny fingerprints on a newly cleaned window.

Love wipes away the tears before it wipes up the spilled milk.

Love picks up the child before it picks up the toys.

Love is present through the trials.

Love reprimands, reproves, and is responsive.

As a mother there is much I must teach my child, but the greatest of all is … LOVE.

Love must be our motive. For if love doesn’t govern and guide all we do, then we’re not really loving at all. Love must be our motivation in all preaching, teaching, singing, leading, serving, helping, baking, cooking, cleaning, evangelizing, counseling, discipling…

But how? The way to daily return to the love motivation is by walking back to the foot of the Cross, beholding God’s love on full display for us in Jesus Christ. This is why the apostle Paul began his first letter to the Corinthians with the message of the cross — because the cross is the compass for all of life in Christ. Let’s walk back there today….

By the way, I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to post your own personalized paraphrase in the comments section below.

Listen to the full audio sermon entitled “The Litmus Test of Love” (1 Cor. 12:27-13:3 by simply clicking on the play button below or by subscribing to our iTunes podcast. This message was originally delivered at North Park Baptist Church of Grand Rapids, MI on Sunday morning, March 13th, 2016. 

Intelligence Quotient. Do you know your IQ score? There is even an organization some of you have likely heard of, which is a society for people with high IQ’s:  MENSA (originally established in England in 1946). Membership in Mensa International is reserved for those who’ve attained an IQ score within the upper 2 percent of the general population. That’s pretty intense. How might you measure up? To stretch your mental agility, here are a couple fun IQ questions:

Q: A travel agent has taken 53 bookings for Thailand, 22 for Bali and 23 for India. How many bookings have been made for Canada? (scroll down for the answer)

Q: Replace each set of dashes with a seven-letter word. The same seven letters must be used for both words. What are the words? “The mother said that continually sorting out the children’s _ _ _ _ _ _ _ had given her a headache and she needed a couple of _ _ _ _ _ _ _ “  (scroll down for the answer)

Having a strong intellect is a good thing, yet there is an inherent danger in touting our mental powers or relying on human intelligence. A person may have a high IQ and be missing the essential ingredient for the soil of becoming spiritually mature – to grow in the faith and in the likeness of Jesus. The measure of one’s intelligence does not indicate the measure of one’s spiritual maturity or usefulness in God’s mission. Oh yes, God has uniquely used people of extremely high intelligence for His glory. Yet many, many others with great intellects have lived entirely for themselves, defamed the name of God, and brought havoc upon His Church.

So what is the essential ingredient for the soil of growing mature as Christ-followers? Wisdom.

But this kind of wisdom is not sourced in mankind but in God Himself. It’s the wisdom Solomon asked of God, the wisdom we’re called to pursue in the book of Proverbs, and the wisdom that comes from above not from earth. The wisdom that is necessary for the soil of spiritual growth is given through the Word and the Spirit, not the world and self-help manuals. Inasmuch as life-coaching books contain biblical truth, they may be offer some useful guidance. But ultimately, true wisdom comes from God alone.

James, the half-brother of Jesus, wrote an intensely practical letter to Jewish believers scattered throughout the lands north and east of Israel. Confronted by trials from without and temptations from within, these early Christians needed God-sourced wisdom. Therefore, the apostle James outlined a striking comparison between true and false wisdom:

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good behavior [beautiful manner of life] his works in the gentleness that wisdom brings. But if you have bitter jealousy and self ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and tell lies against the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from above, but is earthly, natural-minded, and demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder [chaos] and every evil practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable [accommodating], full of mercy and good fruit, impartial [fair in judgment], and sincere [un-hypocritical]. And the fruit that consists of righteousness is planted in peace by those who make peace.” – James 3:13-18 (my translation/comments)

TRUE Wisdom: Guides us to humbly serve others (v. 13). 

FALSE Wisdom: Provokes us to selfishly serve ourselves (v. 14a).

FALSE Wisdom: Speaks lies and boasts to get ahead (v. 14b).

TRUE Wisdom: Displays gentleness, purity, and peace (v. 13b, 17-18).

FALSE Wisdom: Reaps a harvest of chaos and evil (v. 15-16).

TRUE Wisdom: Reaps a harvest of peace and righteousness (v. 18).

True wisdom is demonstrated more by character of heart and attitude toward others than by mere words.

So how do our hearts and lives align with true wisdom? Better than an IQ test, let’s pause for a few moments to quietly and prayerfully think through some heart-searching Wisdom Quotient questions.

20 Questions to Ask Ourselves…

PURE in Motive

PURE in Conduct

PURE in Attitude

True Wisdom is pure in motive, pure in conduct, and pure in attitude. When the wisdom is pure in motive, conduct, and attitude then… 

We are peaceable because we are not thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought to think (Matt. 5:9; 1 Pet. 2:21-23; Phil 2:5-11)

We are gentle with all others because we are not in it to win an argument but to win a brother or sister. (Matt. 5:5; 18:15-18)

We are reasonable because we know we are also in need of further growth and have faults too. (Matt. 5:3-4)

We are full of mercy and good fruits because as God in Christ has watered our roots with His brimming over, never stopping, always-forgiving grace upon grace (like waves on a seashore – see John 1:16), so we are brimming over with mercy and forgiving grace toward everyone so they too may bear a good harvest. (Matt. 5:7; 7:1-5)

We are impartial/fair in judgment because we know we had a great debt we couldn’t pay but it was paid for us at the great cost of Christ Himself, and we are not seeking to lift ourselves above someone else. (Matt. 5:8; 7:1-5; 7:7-12; 18:21-35)

We are sincere (not hypocritical/two-faced) because we are not telling lies to get ahead, playing to the crowd, or seeking people’s approval. We know God knows it all, sees it all, and will judge accordingly. (Matt. 6:1-6; 7:1-5)

The way these fruits of righteousness (right-living according to the new life in the Spirit) are planted is in the soil of peace (not jealousy, rivalry, or selfishness) by those who make peace – within the church, community, and family structure.

God’s wisdom brings in a beautiful, bountiful harvest of peace and righteousness. By God’s good Word and the indwelling power of the Spirit, let’s pray He displays these fruits through our lives today…

________________

IQ question Answer #1: 33 (the number of consonants in each country’s name equals the first number, the number of vowels equals the second number)

IQ question Answer #2: Answer 2a: Battles Answer 2b: Tablets.

Listen to the full audio sermon entitled “Your Wisdom Quotient” (James 3:13-18) by simply clicking on the play button below or by subscribing to our iTunes podcast. This message was originally delivered at North Park Baptist Church of Grand Rapids, MI on Sunday morning, June 26th, 2016. 

A pointing finger... No one likes a finger pointed at them. There is just something about a pointing finger that stirs the nerves and unsettles the stomach.

When I think about pointing fingers I vividly recall a certain Sunday afternoon vocal practice with a large children’s choir I participated in when I was 7-10 years old. This particular rehearsal was led by an interim instructor from Great Britain, who spoke with a magnificent accent. However, as the afternoon wore on I grew very antsy, squirmy, and distracted. Another young boy sitting next to me whispered something funny in my ear and I responded with another joke in return. We went back and forth for a couple minutes until…

Suddenly, the giant British teacher wound-up like a baseball pitcher and threw a piece of chalk into the seat next to me. Yow! My entire body bounced about 3 feet into the air. He then pointed directly at me with ferocity in his eyes, “You mustn’t speak while I am teaching, young man!”

I quietly squeaked out an apology, but that didn’t alter the consequences. All one hundred and fifty other children stared and pointed, snickering at my calamity. The instructor’s finger seemed frozen in a sharp arrow directed toward my chest.

We don’t like having a finger pointed at us because it implies we’re guilty! However, we are pretty natural at pointing toward someone else. It seems quite easy to see the sins of others; doesn’t it? We think we’re quite accurate at evaluating the faults and failures we presume to observe in friends, family members, neighbors, and the like.

Christ’s twelve disciples were pretty good at pointing fingers, too. In Matthew 20:20-28, the mother of the sons of Zebedee (James and John) came with her boys to make a request that they sit at Jesus’ right and left in His kingdom, much to the indignation of the other disciples, of course. This little position-seeking posse implied they were better than the others around the circle.

The disciples were also known for getting into debates about who would be the greatest. They not only brought up this discussion early in their time with Jesus but also even during the Passover meal.

“And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be the greatest.” (Luke 22:4; see also Matthew 18:1; cf. John 13:1-18)

But in Matthew 26:20-25 something surprising happens… just prior to Christ instituting The Lord’s Supper:

When it was evening, he reclined at the table with the twelve. And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me. And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” (Matthew 26:20-22)

We would expect the disciples to point fingers at each other when Jesus began talking about one of them betraying Him. But, no. In the raw, honest, and humble moment gathered around Christ’s table of grace, they point their fingers not out but in, asking, “Is it I?”

What might have been swirling around in Peter’s mind? Perhaps he thought, “I know my weakness, my failing, and faltering. I know the struggle of sin still within my soul. Could it be that I give in and betray the Messiah, my Lord?”

Maybe Thomas’ heart sank, “I know my struggle with doubt and discouragement. In my darkest moment do I give into the lies I hear ringing in my ears?”

Matthew may have wondered, “Do I cave in for the money again to get gain out of this, just like when I was a tax collector?”

John is bewildered but knows, too, his own issues with anger and pride….

In a rather shocking turn-of-hearts at Christ’s table of grace, the disciples point their fingers not outward, but inward.

Humility over pride. Contrition over position. Repentance over passive resistance.

As we gather around Christ’s Table to recall His love, remember His passion, and reflect on His unending mercy, where should we be pointing?

…Cease from inspecting the sins of others (v. 20-22). Just as the disciples allowed Christ’s words to search their own hearts, so we must let the mercy of Christ and His cross unearth the stones and thorny roots buried deep within the soil of our souls.

Some of us were trained like workhorses for the specific task of detecting and reporting the imperfections of others. We automatically adjust the lenses of our judgmental microscopes (often masquerading as “discernment”) the moment we walk into a church building, gather in a small group, or observe the values of another family.

Our eyes presume to measure the spiritual maturity of others by a whole plethora of external litmus tests:

Undoubtedly, the list could go on and on. Yet at the table of grace there is no place for boasting, pride, or religious nonsense. Christ’s unstoppable kindness prompts us to cease from inspecting the sins of others.

…Look at our own propensity to wander (v. 23-25). Judas Iscariot was blind to his sin. He was numb to the magnitude of his own depravity. Yet it’s all too easy to point a finger at him and forget we are all born with equal depravity and deserve equal punishment: eternal death.

We cannot fully understand the magnitude of God’s grace until we understand the magnitude of our sin. We deserve the full weight of God’s wrath. No one is excluded for special behavior, a unique birth, keeping up a super-spiritual persona, or the niceties of religious effort.

On our best day we still deserve the same punishment as the worst sinner. Because the ground is level at God’s justice, we all deserve death and separation from the holy God. However, the ground is also level at the foot of the cross, so that both the “worst” and “best” of sinners may receive mercy — full pardon — because perfect justice and mercy met in Christ’s atoning death. The symbolism of Christ’s table of grace points to the Cross: God’s way to redeem all those prone to wander.

So as we gaze upon our own sin, we are met with the healing balm of Christ’s unending grace at Calvary. Christ not only died for us, He died instead of us.

So we must cease our inspecting, detecting, reporting, and masquerading at the foot of the cross. I revel in the truth I heard Ray Ortlund Jr. once say,

“There is limitless grace for people who have sinned away all their excuses.”

Humility points my finger at myself (not at others) recognizing the magnitude of my sin.

So where do we point the finger? At someone else who needs to hear the sermon? Toward a sibling, parent, or friend who’s tripped and fallen?

No, not at them, but at us. Not at him or her, but toward me.

“Is it me, Lord?”

Then when the mountain of our sins, the propensities to wander, the faultiness of our hearts show their true colors… we run to the Cross where mercy ran red and washed away all our sin, giving us new and eternal life in Him.

“To thee I repair for grace upon grace, until every void made by sin be replenished and I am filled with all thy fullness.” (Valley of Vision, “Grace Active,” pg. 215)

In Christ Alone,

Listen to the full audio sermon entitled “Pointing Fingers” (Matthew 26:20-25) by simply clicking on the play button below or by subscribing to our iTunes podcast. This message was originally delivered at North Park Baptist Church of Grand Rapids, MI, on Good Friday evening, March 25th, 2016. 

Did you take all your vitamins today? Some of us struggle to remember to take our vitamins….like me. But when I catch a bad cold or virus, it’s quite amazing how I suddenly remember to take all my vitamins with clock-work rhythm each day. At least until I’m healthy again, that is.

Not all our vitamins are pleasant to the tastebuds, but we know they’re good for us. We need the upkeep. Our bodies are susceptible to any number of germs. And all the March-season bugs are just waiting to grab a hold of our sinus cavities.

Similarly, when we’re jogging along in a healthy trajectory of spiritual growth, we can find ourselves gaining an inordinate confidence in ourselves. We gaze back at our past accomplishments with a token note of thanks to God, yet also an encroaching desire for a good ole’ pat-on-the-back. We might ease up on the throttle, subtly believing we’ve crossed a threshold in obvious maturity.

And we might skip a few vitamins… a little less time in focused prayer won’t hurt, will it? Suddenly three days go by without digging into God’s Word. We miss one Sunday of collective worship and service, then surprisingly it turns into three out of five. Not so suddenly, an intentional effort to share the gospel drifts to the back our minds. We find ourselves scratching our heads to remember the last time we showed Christ’s love in a tangible way to someone in need. Our response is less than gracious to people at church who park in our spot, sing to loudly, or irritate us for one reason or another.

Yikes. I know we all don’t want to go in that direction.

So we all must keep taking good, God-ordained vitamins. And the “we” also includes me.

Vitamins are for maintaining and growing in health and that’s just what our new series entitled “Worship… through the Lens of Love” is all about. God’s message for us in First Corinthians is a strong dose, indeed. The needs and issues in first-century Corinth are shockingly similar to the “germs and viruses” we face today.

Our study is not meant to be triage but a good shot of truth-saturated vitamins. Yet just as we don’t like the taste of every vitamin, the truth of God’s Word may seem quite uncomfortable at times.

We might even attempt to dodge the convicting sword of God’s Word through rationalizing our way into believing we’re “just fine.” You and I may even have the gall to disagree with the plain message of the Bible. Oh, not openly, of course. But with a quiet resistance to repentance, we tell God, “I don’t like this. I don’t believe I have to change this. Therefore, I’m not going obey You on this.”

Pastor Timothy Keller shoots a “cannonball across the bow” toward this sort of religious posturing:

“If your god never disagrees with you, you might just be worshiping an idealized version of yourself.”

Ouch. Sometimes the truth hurts.

God’s vitamins of truth contained in First Corinthians may result in serious discomfort, conviction, and the acute awareness of one’s guilt and/or spiritual immaturity.

Physical symptoms may include but are not limited to tears, sweaty palms, heart palpitations, racing thoughts, anger, frustration, a pit in one’s throat, and weakness in the knees.

Positive effects of receiving these vitamins include but are not limited to freely and joyfully turning away from the viruses of sin (i.e. pride, selfishness, envy, strife, gossip, bitterness, lack of self-control, anger, violence, immorality, etc.), a renewed spiritual vitality, an overflowing love for others, an experience of greater unity within the church, and a clear sense of purpose for one’s life.

The following vitamins are imperative and repeated throughout First Corinthians:

“Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” (1 Cor. 16:13-14)

God’s Word read, studied, preached, and taught is like a full-order of vitamins, whereby we grow and remain healthy. So we’ll you join me in prayer as we gather again to come under the convicting work of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God? Please pray with me that we all come ready to receive from the vitamins of God’s Holy Word. Thank you!

In Christ Alone,

Below are a few of the audio messages from our 6 part series (currently continuing) entitled, “Worship…through the Lens of Love [A Series from First Corinthians], delivered at North Park Baptist Church of Grand Rapids, MI on Sunday mornings in March and April 2016. 

You can listen to the full audio message by clicking on the play button below or by subscribing to our iTunes podcast. 

“The Cross as Our Compass” (1 Corinthians 1:14-25) – Part 1

“Body Parts” (1 Corinthians 12:12-27) – Part 2

“The Litmus Test of Love” (1 Corinthians 13:1-7) – Part 3

“Unfailing Love” (1 Corinthians 13:8-13) – Part 4

“Worship Wars and the Love of God” (1 Corinthians 14:1-19) – Part 5

“Twas’ the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse…”

All our young children, no doubt, had gingerbread men and toys galore dancing in their heads as they went off to sleep on Christmas Eve (since children don’t know what “visions of sugar-plums” are anymore). Yet for us adults, those feelings of excitement and anticipation may feel like a faraway memory.

Just pause for a moment. Can you remember what that felt like? Maybe for you that elation is no longer in receiving gifts galore, but in the thrill of seeing how your children or grandchildren respond when they open the gifts you give them. Perhaps that sense of excitement is now more closely paralleled in adulthood by events like:

“I’m getting married next month!”

Do you remember that feeling? Or maybe for you it is…

“I’m closing on a new house tomorrow!” or “We’re finally going on our long-awaited vacation!”

I’m fairly certain we all looked forward to Christmas this year. Yet now that it’s past – the wrapping paper is in the trash, the batteries are already dead, and the seasonal sales are no more – what’s next? New Year’s Day, the Super Bowl… Next Christmas? Well, sure.

But many of us may feel and look sort of like my son Hudson’s Advent calendar, which he quickly chowed through two weeks before Christmas. Behold:

All our time and energy goes into “that one day” and when that day is done, many of us might be happy but a lot of us feel wiped out, burned out, let down, or downright empty.

But what if the biggest thing you and your family looked forward was something more, something that would never let down?

Is there a hope that never dies…

that sustains you,

motivates you,

inspires you,

energizes you…and even dramatically changes your focus about everything?

God, the Creator of all things, Sustainer of life, and Savior of mankind offers us joy in this life. But even more so, a hope – THE BLESSED HOPE – beyond this present, fractured world.

Over and over again throughout the Old and New Testaments, God was and is pointing His people to hope, to hope for the consummation of His plan of redemption. However, it is not a fly-by-night hope, a “I hope so” attitude that matters very little in everyday life. No, God’s message of hope for His people changes everything… about our future and about our present.

God’s message of hope is ringing like a song throughout every book of the Bible.

We could go to nearly any page in the scriptures to hear the anthem. But let’s just turn to several key passages from Daniel, Zechariah, and Revelation, which paint the surprising landscape portrait of hope for Israel, God’s chosen nation (who He still has a specific future plan for) and for us, the believing Gentiles, who have been grafted in by His grace and “made heirs according to the promise of the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:7; cf. Romans 8:17).

Let’s turn first to Daniel 7:13-14, 27  for our first glimpse of the consummation of redemption. At this juncture, we’re not going into the specific timing of end-time events, but instead focusing on the centerpiece of the whole event… at the overarching theme and finding it in One person, One King, who is returning…

For Post-Holiday Season Hope (that lasts) we’ll journey toward 3 hope-giving truths and one central call-to-action as as we move from Daniel 7:13-14 to Zechariah 3:8-10; 6:13; 14:9 and wrapping up with Revelation 22:1-5.

You can listen to the full audio message by clicking on the play button below or by subscribing to our iTunes podcast. 

This sermon entitled “The Heart of Christmas (Part 4): Consummation” was delivered at North Park Baptist Church of Grand Rapids, MI on Sunday morning Dec. 27th 2015.

We love all the festive decorations, candles, lights, trees, and ribbons of Christmas around our house. In fact, Christmas music has been ringing and singing through our place since the beginning of November… or maybe even October. Memories of snowball fights, goofy red sweaters, sleigh rides, and hot chocolate warm my soul. How about you?

My wife, Stephanie, is always so creative and witty about our decorations. Here’s a picture of our living room right now:

Christmas 2015 at the Breznau Home

Yet through all the warm memories, shopping, and decorations, let’s recall the heart of Christmas. The Bible, God’s grand narrative of redemption and the coming kingdom, is a story most of all about Him.

Sure, there are many interesting men and women woven into the storyline of God’s Word. Kings and queens, small shepherd boys, villagers, carpenters, priests, and tax collectors all have intriguing parts in the Bible. The decisions of Abraham, the leadership of Moses, the perseverance of Ruth, the choices of David, and the courage of Esther teach us important lessons of wisdom, truth, love, and justice.

However, the Bible is primarily (and wonderfully) directing all readers toward one central character: Jesus the Christ. He is the heart of Christmas. The Bible beckons us to behold the glories of God’s love in the Good News of Jesus. Foretold in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New Testament, all those lost in darkness are called to come home to God’s love.

As we move toward our celebration of Christmas Day and just beyond, we here at North Park Baptist Church are going to journey home through four key trail-markers in Scripture:

Would you join me in praying for personal revival in all our lives as we return to the heart of Christmas together? Would you pray with me that men, women, and children will come home to God’s love through saving faith in Jesus Christ as we communicate the Gospel at North Park Baptist Church? Thank you!  

“But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:4-7)

As we progress through The Heart of Christmas series, I’ll be posting the audio podcasts below, so that you can listen in or share the messages with a friend.

You can listen to these four messages by clicking the play button below or by subscribing to our iTunes podcast.

To listen to the full audio message entitled “God’s Word on Refugees,” click on the play button at the bottom of this post or go to our iTunes [Grace Exposed] podcast channel. This message was delivered at North Park Baptist Church of Grand Rapids, MI on Sunday evening, Nov. 22, 2015.

Last Wednesday evening, Hudson and I arrived home just as the late autumn sun was gently setting across the horizon. All day long a pattern of dreary weather wore on with cold drizzle and wind. But just before dusk, the heavy ceiling of nimbostratus clouds pulled back like the opening of grand theatre curtains. Bright red, orange, purple, and yellows hues danced across the sky. The stark backdrop of lofty clouds created beautiful yet strange looking formations…

Hudson peered up at the sky with a look of wonder and worry, “Papa! Look at the clouds…at the sky! They look different. It’s looks weird…I’ve never seen it like that before!” Hudson paused for a moment, then shouted out, “I’m scared!”

You and I would probably not be scared about an unusual cloud formation (unless it was a tornado). Yet seeing something new, different, out-of-the-ordinary, outside-our-creature comforts often brings up a bit of fear or worry within us.

Over the past several weeks the news headlines have been ripping into our society with volley after volley of tragedy, terror, and devastation. The terrorist attacks on Paris. ISIS advancement. Jihadists trickling into American society. Governmental unrest. And perhaps loudest of all: The Syrian/Middle Eastern refugee crisis.

Yet for me, grief gripped my soul several months earlier when I encountered this picture of a little boy dead on the seashore.

3-year-old Aylan drowned at sea when the boat carrying his mom and 5-year-old brother capsized off the coast of Bodrum. Only his father survived. Justin Moyer provided the details in the Washington Post. This young Kurdish family’s hopeful destination was Canada, where another family member was attempting to sponsor their immigration.

A following picture shows the Turkish policeman carrying little Aylan away from the waves. One can’t help but notice one Velcro strap on his shoe has come undone, just like my own son’s small sneakers. And as Moyer points out, “though we can’t know what the policeman is thinking as he carries a dead child from the ocean, one thing is clear: He is looking away.”

Thousands more are attempting to flee their native homelands of Syria and Iraq as ISIS continues to leave a wake of destruction and terror.

Amid the firestorm of debate over the last two weeks about the refugee crisis certain questions rise to the surface:

Is it natural to have some feelings of fear about the idea of refugees coming in mass numbers to America? Certainly.

Should our country carefully screen all refugees via a thorough immigration process? Absolutely. (Note: it’s already quite exhaustive, see HERE)

Would it be difficult, hard work to assimilate refugees into our society? Definitely.

Will some of the people be dangerous or criminally-minded? Yes.

How many refugees should the USA welcome to our shores (if any)? Well…

With all these questions swirling around, we viewed this short film from Samaritan’s Purse about what some Christians are doing to provide love and care for refugees:

I can still hear their muffled cries. The sound won’t leave my ears. 

I can still see their mud-stained tears. The sight won’t leave my mind. 

I can almost smell the faint aroma of the seashore… 

While we may have myriad questions about the politics and economics involved in this refugee crisis, as Christians the most important question is not if they come but when they come, how does God want us to respond? Wherever they are in the world, how should we respond to the sojourner, the refugee?

DEFINITION:  ref·u·gee noun

Political pundits on both sides of the refugee debate tend to ignore God’s Word. But we’re not going to do that. God spoke on this issue long ago and His truth still rings true today. As followers of Jesus let’s carefully, prayerfully, and biblically wade into the choppy waters where American Christians, politicians, bloggers, and refugees seem to be drowning in a swirling riptide of anger, sadness, fear, and compassion. Yet let’s anchor the conversation in God’s Word, which I firmly believe will guide us to a safe and peaceful shore.

Our guide for all of life, faith, and practice is not Fox News, CNN, or USA Today, but God’s Holy Word… which always cuts right to the heart of the issues we face. So let’s journey together in God’s Word to see five guideposts along the trail of how we should respond to refugees.

God instilled a heart to care for sojourners in His people. Here’s how He explained His character and His command to the Israelites:

His Character: “For the LORD your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.”

His Command: “Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.” (Deut. 10:17-19)

Now be careful, just because we are Christians under the New Covenant does not mean we are to forget about displaying the character of God, as detailed in the Old Testament. God’s heart for the refugee-sojourner is replete across the Old Testament (see also Exodus 22:21-22; 23:9; Lev. 19:33-34) and God’s command to love and care for refugees isn’t merely a guideline buried in that particular historical context with no bearing on how we are to live today.

The church isn’t Israel nor is America the church. But God’s law for Israel concerning His love for the foreigner has a timeless truth for the church. Just as Israel was to be a light to the nations, so the church is now to bear Christ’s light to all nations. God’s people across all time are to display God’s love for refugees.

The righteous man, Boaz, followed God’s love for refugees when he welcomed, protected, and provided for Ruth, the Moabitess. After Boaz initiated specific care for Ruth as she gleaned from his fields, Ruth responds:

“Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground and said to him, ‘Why have I found favor in your sight that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?’

Boaz replied to her, ‘All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully reported to me, and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and came to a people that you did not previously know. May the LORD reward your work, and your wages be full from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.” (Ruth 2:10-12)

Ruth considered herself a nokria (“foreigner”), the lowest of the low – even perhaps considered a harlot, an outcast from Jewish society. Yet Boaz viewed her the way God saw her: one seeking refuge under His wings. Boaz didn’t just communicate truth about God, he expressed the compassion of God by giving refuge to Ruth.

At a different point in history but declaring the same truth, the nation of Judah was to provide refuge for Moab against the constant attacks of Assyria:

“Let the outcasts of Moab sojourn among you; be a shelter to them from the destroyer.” (Isaiah 16:4a)

Why should a good and godly Israelite do such a thing? Because it not only expresses God’s compassion but also displays a foretaste of the coming kingdom, ruled by the Davidic King, Jesus Christ:

“When the oppressor is no more, and destruction has ceased, and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land, then a throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David one who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness.” (Isaiah 16:4b-5)

One day Christ the King will bring perfect justice and righteousness to earth. But until that day comes we, as followers of Christ, are to demonstrate the character of that coming kingdom.

Even ISIS! Yikes. Even refugees who may or may not be “safe”? Yes. Jesus makes this point strikingly clear:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:43-45)

Now just so you know that I’m not going doctrinally liberal or crazy, the strongly conservative pastor John MacArthur said nearly the same thing, in reference to the passage above: “[Christians] are most like God when they show love to people who hate God.”

Jesus ups the ante. To follow His path of discipleship means we love (in tangible ways) and pray for those who may label us their enemies. To “be sons of your Father” doesn’t indicate we earn our way into the family of God through loving our enemies but that we show we’re in God’s family by loving our enemies. We look like our Father! For this is precisely what God in Christ did for us:

“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” (Romans 5:10)

Jesus Christ gave His disciples a glimpse of the judgment line between the righteous and the unrighteous:

“Come…inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, for I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me. . . . Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.”

“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink; I was a stranger and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me. . . . Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:34-46)

When Christ returns to make all things new, His reign will proclaim justice and righteousness, grace and truth. So when we feed, clothe, house, and visit the refugee we are showing the reign of Christ in our lives. These actions are evidence of God-given righteousness by grace through faith, not the method of obtaining righteousness (cf. Rom. 3:20-23; Gal. 2:16; Tit. 3:5; Eph. 2:8-9). Therefore, God’s people should be mobilizing not weaponizing to prepare to display Jesus Christ (i.e. glorify God) to those coming in massive migration from Northern Africa and the Middle East. Let’s give them a foretaste, an appetizer of the coming kingdom…

When we die to our safety, reputation, and desires we find life as it was meant to be lived: glorifying God by enjoying God. Our initial reaction to this might be somewhat like Peter’s response to Jesus’ talk of “suffering many things…being rejected..and being killed” (Mark 8:31). Peter pulled Jesus aside and rebuked the Messiah (see v. 29) for saying such outlandish things. This talk of suffering and dying wasn’t in the plan! Was it?!

Peter didn’t know the meaning of life. He was flat wrong. His mind was not focused on “God’s interests, but man’s” (v. 33b). Jesus then turned to all the disciples and called the whole crowd together to tell them about true life as it is meant to be lived:

“If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.” (Mark 8:34b-35)

We are not promised an easier, safer life than Jesus, our Master and Teacher (Matthew 10:24-26; John 15:18-25). But His life is real, abundant life. His life alone satisfies our deepest longings and needs.

So don’t be afraid. Live by faith, not by feelings or fear. Fear cripples faith but faith motivates mission. Fear is driven by self and a focus on self drives out compassion. Yet our God calls us to the path of faith. His way provides strength, courage, tenacity, and boldness to stare into the faces of refugees and our enemies… and to reach out with love.

Here’s a note from someone loving refugees right now:

“[I] just read an update from a friend that said they offered a blanket to a refugee in the name of Jesus. The man said, ‘Who is this Jesus? Since I left home he has given me food, a place to stay and now a blanket. I want to know him.” (via Chuck Wade)

We don’t see any thoughtful person saying our government shouldn’t carefully screen all refugees through the process of immigration. One role of government is the protection of its citizens, “both foreign and domestic” (cf. Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-15). However, as followers of Jesus, our primary motivations are not derived from the government but from the Word of God. We are not called to what is safe but what is of faith.  This doesn’t mean we throw wisdom to the wind. But it does mean we must set our minds on God’s interests not man’s. We must deny ourselves (even all our earthly comforts), take up our crosses, and follow Jesus.

We are not called to what is safe but what is of faith.

Many people told the missionary greats of the past that they were throwing wisdom to the wind, i.e. Hudson Taylor, William Carey, Amy Carmichael, Adoniram Judson, Jim and Elisabeth Elliot, etc. Yet history proves who was really speaking the true words of wisdom.

The fruit of the gospel is not found in a life of earthly ease, comfort, safety, and modest respectability, but in laying down our lives to live out Christ’s life here on earth.

May His will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven. 

When was living by faith ever promised to be safe? Never. God has always called His people to do out-of-the-ordinary actions to usher people toward his extra-ordinary grace. Let’s not wait for them to come to us, let’s go to them.

Let’s take the faith-step, not necessarily the safe-step. Let’s show them Jesus.

Chances are if you’ve read all the way to the bottom of this post, you’re a person who enjoys reading and researching. Here are some links to other helpful, biblical articles written by pastors and theologians you can trust (a couple of whom are friends of mine):

If we are genuinely pro-life and living out Christ’s life, then we must genuinely care about these lives:

A terrified child clings to a rock on the shore as a group of Syrian refugees arrive on the island after travelling by inflatable raft from Turkey. The Eastern Mediterranean route from Turkey to Greece has overtaken the central Mediterranean route, from North Africa to Italy, as the primary one for arrivals by sea. From January to June this year, 68,000 people arrived in Greece, compared with 67,500 in Italy, accounting for nearly all the arrivals in the period.

This is Syria. Families are fleeing their native homeland because the conditions created by ISIS are utterly unlivable.

Samaritan’s Purse International Relief guides Syrian families to safe refuge on the coast of Lesbos, Greece.

A nuclear war is not fought with 12-gauge shotguns nor is a F-18 dogfight waged with M-16 rifles. Appropriate weaponry must be used for the context of the battle at hand.

The war we face as Christians is an intense, spiritual conflict that is not fought with typical, human-designed weapons. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul gives us detailed intel on Satan’s mafia-like forces:

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)

So what are we to do? How can you and I “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might” (6:10) when we’re up against the “schemes of the devil” (6:11b)? Here are God’s clear instructions: “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day…” (6:13a). Following this imperative is a short handbook on the combat armor God provides for His people, set to the analogy of a Roman soldier’s gear — what Paul would have been seeing everyday as he remained under house-arrest (cf. 6:20). Truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the word of God all function together as the necessary equipment you and I need every hour of every day as followers of Jesus.

But if you’re anything like most Christians I know, you’re still kind of wondering, “So how do I ‘put on’ and ‘take up’? Does this mean I stand in front of a mirror and imaginarily put on this armor each morning?” No… God’s guidance here is straight to the point and intensely practical:

“With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” (Ephesians 6:18-20)

When the apostle Paul exhorted the believers in Ephesus to pray, he wasn’t outlining an optional tool for Christians. In fact, persevering prayer is one of the most central tools by which Christians are equipped with God’s weapons for war. Our real, ultimate fight is not against persons, people groups, or political parties but against Satan, sin, and his system. And when the bullets of Satan’s lies and the assaults of doubt and discouragement rip into our lives we must pray and keep praying because this is the way we fight and keep fighting the right fight… God’s way.

The syntactical connection between verses 18-20 and the preceding verses (14-17) is vitally important – even tactical. Don’t miss it. Two participles “pray/praying” and “be on the alert/being alert” are embedded in verse 18 and both carry the force of instrument or manner. Now catch this: the instrument God has sovereignly ordained for the utilization of His armor is prayer. Persevering prayer — praying against all odds with unrelenting intensity, commitment, and faith is the way we “put on” and “take up” the armor God has provided.

We stand strong in the strength God provides, that which is not sourced in ourselves but sourced in God, when we pray. For a full exposition of the reasons why we should pray and how we should pray, scroll down to the audio player where you can listen to my message from this past Sunday, entitled “Battle Ready: Persevering Prayer” (Eph. 6:18-20).

We here at North Park Baptist Church of Grand Rapids are calling one another to 12 days of focused prayer. If you’re part of our church family, I invite you to join with me in praying the 12 requests below over the next 12 days. You might take just one per day, following the sequence below. If you have additional time, you could pray through the list several times over the next 12 days. But most of all, let’s pray and keep praying because this is the way we fight and keep fighting the right fight… God’s way.

As an expression of our desire to be a church committed to personal and collective prayer, we encourage you to pray for the following items:

This article was adapted, in part, from my message entitled, “Battle Ready: Persevering Prayer” (Eph. 6:18-20) delivered at North Park Baptist Church of Grand Rapids, MI on Oct. 25th 2015, as a part of the series “WAR: Fighting the Right Fight… God’s Way.” You can listen to the entire message by clicking the play button below or by subscribing to our iTunes podcast.

One bright summer day about 10 years ago I decided to receive a pre-op test to determine whether LASIK eye surgery was right for me. Although I ended up not forking out the $2,000 to go ahead with the surgery to cure my rather severe near-sightedness, I will never forget the horrendous after-effects of the test. I’m sure a LASIK exam is worth the final outcome but…

When I first arrived, they dilated my eyes in order to perform various measurements, including a metal object placed against my cornea to determine the thickness of the corneal tissue. However, my eyes quickly adjusted back to normal before they had time to finish their tests. What did that mean? They dilated my eyes a second time…. and because my eyes seemed to again quickly recover from dilation… they put a third dose of drops into my eyes.

“Ah…we will use a stronger prescription to dilate your eyes this third time.” remarked the doctor, with a professorial tone.

By the time the testing was done I felt like my eyes were spun in 20 circles and spliced into some sort of quad-vision. I stumbled out of the test area and over to the front desk where a 4-headed receptionist happily smiled and handed me goofy paper sunglasses to wear over my glasses.

“Drive slowly and cautiously,” she said with a grin.

“Is this some sort of cruel joke?” I wondered, as I groped my way over to my pick-up truck, narrowly missing the curb. To make matters worse, the doctor’s office was 45 minutes away from home. This was no short “hop, skip, and a jump,” as my grandpa used to say.

My drive back home was the scariest ride I’ve ever experienced. Bar none. It was nuts. The giant paper sunglasses left me with no peripheral vision whatsoever and the vision I did have was still double and blurry. If I turned slightly to the right or left they would pop out of alignment with my regular glasses and I would have no vision at all. In my dilated delirium I could not accurately see the road. Cars seemed closer and farther than they actually were. Everything was wildly distorted… my vision was not reality.

Satan, our real enemy, uses a similar tactic in his attempt to deceive, discourage, and destroy followers of Jesus Christ. The devil drips the dilating drops of diluted teaching, dainty temptations, and discouraging doubts into our vision so that we buy into his lies. This scheming “serpent of old” utilizes lies to distort our view of the truth. He subtly twists what is true to sound like a lie and craftily forms his lies to sound like truth. Pricking at our pride and pain, he entices us to turn our eyes away from the truth that unlocks chains and opens cell doors.

Satan blurs the lies to appear as truth.

Jesus said, “He [the devil] was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44b). As my friend, Pastor Eric Russ, wrote, “Deception is Satan’s favorite tool. He tries to misrepresent who God is by blurring God’s truth and will for us (Gen. 3:1-5; 2 Cor. 11:3, 14; Matt. 4:5ff).” (in Discipleship Defined, pg. 40)

Satan wants to get in your head and convince you that his lies are true. But don’t expect his schemes to be obvious. He is cunning and smart like a snake. He bites into us when we’re exposed to pain, hurt, and abuse. He splits hairs to craft wrong to look almost right. Our enemy camouflages destructive ideas with the appearance of life and light (2 Cor. 11:14b).

The legendary preacher, Charles Spurgeon, echoes this point from the past, “Discernment is not a matter of simply telling the difference between what is right and wrong; rather it is the difference between right and almost right.”

So how do we discern between truth and lie? How can you and I stand our ground “against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of wickedness in the heavenly places (Eph. 6:12)”?

God’s answer is simple, strong, and secure: We guard against Satan’s lies with God’s truth. We wrap the truth around ourselves like battle gear (Eph. 6:14). We wield the Word in the face of lies (Eph. 6:17). We smash down the destructive ideas of the devil with the dead-blow hammer of faith rooted in the risen Christ.

These thoughts are not at all original to me. Listen to what God spoke through the apostle Paul, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ…” (2 Cor. 10:3-5)

So let’s smash the lies with God’s truth. Right now.

“We’re not really in a spiritual war or facing assaults from Satan or demons.”

“My sense of worth and value is in what I do, what I have, and what I look like.”

“My past will always define me.”

“If I’m really honest and authentic with my friends, I will be rejected…alone.”

“My education and intellect is the measure of my value to my society and family.”

“What other people have but I lack would make me happier or more content in my soul.”

“An occasional thought of lust for someone other than my spouse will do no harm to my marriage.”

“Spending multiple hours per day viewing social media, TV, or movies yet only 5 minutes per day reading the Bible won’t inhibit my spiritual growth.”

Internalizing Bible verses is impossible for me and not really worth the effort.

“Small sin decisions won’t have serious consequences.”

What lie are you believing… today?

Are your actions or emotions built around a lie you sometimes believe? How would you complete this sentence?

“___________________________ will make me happy or at peace when I’m stressed, depressed, or angry.”

Stand strong in the strength that God provides. Guard against Satan’s lies with the weapons God provides.

Find hope again in the secure and timeless words of Jesus the Christ:

“If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, the truth will make you free.” (John 8:31b-32)

Watch my message “Battle Ready: Truth and Righteousness” (Eph. 6:10-14) from the series: WAR: Fighting the Right Fight… God’s Way, preached at Mayfair Bible Church on 3.37.3022; click here: