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As the old saying goes, “If you don’t like the weather in Michigan, just wait five minutes.” Today is proving the wise old sage knew what he was talking about. Yet from sunshine to storms…and back again to sunshine then storms this is the day the Lord has made, therefore, let us rejoice and be glad in the One who has ordained it! This same truth connects with our everyday lives, too. The difficulties and happy moments, the valleys and the mountaintops are all part of God’s work of grace in and through His people. God’s testing and God’s blessing are all part of His design to refine the character of His people.

Songwriter, Laura Story, wrote in an incredibly moving song entitled Blessings,  “What if Your blessings come through raindrops, what if Your healing comes through tears, what if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know Your near? What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy? What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?”   

Listen to these words of truth that outline the same message:

“Shout joyfully to God, all the earth; Sing the glory of His name; Make His praise glorious. . . . Bless our God, O peoples, and sound His praise abroad, Who keeps us in life and does not allow our feet to slip. For You have tried us, O God; You have refined us as silver is refined. You brought us into the net; you laid an oppressive burden upon our loins. You made men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water, Yet You brought us out into a place of abundance. . . . Come and hear, all who fear God, and I will tell of what He has done for my soul.” (Psalm 66:1, 8-12, 16)

Did you catch the movement in that psalm? You didn’t quite expect that, did you? God’s refining, sanctifying work of grace in His children sometimes involves deep difficulty… but also great rejoicing. He may bring “burden . . . fire and water” yet he also does not allow our “feet to slip” (even though it may seem like it at the time!). And, ultimately, God leads us through and out of those stormy valleys.

Remember, God’s testing and God’s blessing are all part of His design to refine the character of His people.

On the other side of the trial, we turn yet again, like the psalmist, and proclaim, “Come and hear . . . Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer nor His lovingkindness from me.” (Psalm 26:16a, 20).

What storms are you going through right now? What is God teaching you through the “thunder, lightning, and rain” you’re experiencing right now? I’d like to hear about it and pray for you. I will look forward to your reply.

From my family to yours… we hope and pray that you are enjoying a wonderful weekend celebrating America’s independence and the abundance of freedoms God has granted us in this great nation.

Over the past two and half weeks, we’ve gone through several serious storms here in the United States. Even as I write this, dark storm clouds seem to be looming off in the distance. I’m not speaking necessarily of thunder, lightning, rain, or hail (although we certainly could experience those at any given moment in Michigan!). No, I speak of the murderous actions, vitriolic hatred, and national applause for immorality that have filled the media-sphere.

Individually…on Wednesday night, June 17th, a young man strolled into a church in Charleston, SC, for their small group prayer meeting. After sitting in the circle for more than 45 minutes, he stood up and opened fire on the people, leaving 9 dead. His hatred for our African-American brothers and sisters brought us to deep grief and tears…

Nationally…the United States Supreme Court took action a week ago this past Friday, and in a 5-4 split, voted in favor of a position directly opposed to both natural law and God’s revealed design in creation and in His Word.

Internationally…immorality is being applauded across the Western hemisphere, and globally, more Christians are being martyred for their faith than at any other time in history.

The storm of nations and peoples is raging, but for all the talk of “freedom ringing,” our nation and world seems to be fracturing into splinters. True freedom is squelched, ignored, and even criticized.

As I’ve interacted with many of you who are following Jesus Christ, there has been an unmistakable tone of despondency. On this Fourth of July weekend, many of you may understandably feel torn between a wholesome love for our country and a sense of sadness about the direction our society seems to be taking.

In Jon Bloom’s insightful article “Loving and Celebrating a Defective Nation,” he wrote:

“Our national celebrations have always been tempered with the reality that the U.S., throughout its history, has at times legalized terribly destructive immoral things, such as the enslavement of African peoples, the genocide and social alienation of native North American peoples, and the systematic killing of 50+ million unborn children, just to name a few. It is right to be grieved over legalized sin.

But let the current events increase our resolve to seek America’s greatest good. Being citizens of a better country frees us from trying to make this one the kingdom of heaven. Our time here is short and “here we have no lasting city” (Hebrews 13:14). Jesus’s kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). So let us give ourselves to bring as many Americans to the better, lasting country as possible.”  Click HERE for the full article at www.DesiringGod.org

As I noted on my Facebook wall yesterday morning, let true freedom ring… today and everyday. Rescue, refuge, and reconciliation is found in Jesus Christ alone. Sharing and showing the Good News is the most loving thing we can do for the United States of America.

In the midst of despair about the state of our nation, let us not lose sight of God’s mission and our eternal home. God is still in control and He is still on His throne. And one day Jesus the Christ will return and vanquish all His foes.

Those who stand against the rule of God today and seek to omit Him from their lives will one day stand before Him for final judgment. When the storm of nations and political activists and scheming sinners rages into the sound of a roar, we know all the noise is utterly futile…vain schemes that will not accomplish one iota against the LORD and His Christ.

Yet God’s judgment is also joined with God’s mercy, for the One who died in our place on the cross of Calvary is the only secure hope of rescue and refuge from God’s just judgment. He alone is the Good News for America.

Why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together – against the LORD and against His Messiah, saying, “Let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us! He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger and terrify them in His fury, saying, “But as for Me, I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain.” . . .

Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth. Worship the LORD with reverence and rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, that He not become anger, and you perish in the way, for His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him! (Psalm 2:1-6, 10-12)

This morning at North Park Baptist Church we fixed our gaze on Jesus Christ as we celebrated the Lord’s Supper and looked to Psalm 2 to gain understanding about a storm of nations and peoples who are opposed to God and His Messiah.

You can listen to this sermon by clicking on the play button below or by subscribing to our iTunes podcast.

Sometimes it’s not just the children who want to throw a tantrum…  check out this 30-second video clip:

Yes, there comes a point in the life of every mother (and most fathers, too) when they feel like throwing a tantrum…

…maybe it was the “adventure of the dirty diaper” when your toddler decided to paint the walls with a certain smelly brown paste they found in their drawers after a nap,

…or perhaps it was the seventy-ninth time you pierced the sole of your foot on a tiny Lego block,

…or maybe it was the third burnt dinner (with the fire alarm going off) while you were trying to bathe your kiddo after an “accident” – and your husband walks in the door…

…or perhaps it was the fifth time your rambunctious 5 year old flushed a toy down the toilet and successfully plugged it up and created a flood on the bathroom floor for his Little-Tikes Noah’s ark…

…or maybe it was the plate of dinner flipped over onto the carpet…

…or perhaps it was the giant stain that somehow appeared on your favorite shirt (and you have know idea how it got there!)…

…or maybe it was having to break the vacation piggy-bank in order to make end’s meet…

…or the missing sock, the missing shoe, or the missing Chimpanzee in the zoo (just making sure you’re listening)

…or MAYBE it was when another mom posted on Facebook a giant list of everything she and her perfect little kids accomplished in one day – and you aren’t even sure what happened at all that day!

…or perhaps it was when another woman saw your kids, your sometimes messy van, or cluttered house, and gave you “the look”…

And you’re overwhelmed and trying harder but you still feel like you’re treading water.

Under the weight of everyday mishaps, tantrums, and accidents, I’m convinced most moms are overwhelmed and compounded by expectations to be a Super-Woman-Super-Mom.

Most moms I know regularly feel like the frazzled woman pictured on the left (below) rather than the smiley-dazzled “super-girl” on the right:

Everyday moms have all the charts and books and courses (available on Amazon or at the Barnes and Noble Bookstore nearest you) to “make” them Super-women:

They need to use the right kind of organic baby food, use natural cotton skin-sensitive diapers (or if you’re the extra super-mom you re-use cloth diapers). Super moms never have toddlers who perform temper tantrums on the floor in the grocery store, they never miss an alarm clock, never have melt-downs in the church bathroom, and never forget to have a perfect meal ready for their husband at 5:30pm. They never get depressed, always post happy thoughts on Facebook, always live with a big smile, always are on time for every soccer game, never miss a PTA meeting, and never even need a second cup of coffee!

But with all these totally unrealistic expectations, what can everyday moms know is true about God and true about how He works in all of us (today, especially moms) when we feel so “everyday” in a “super” world??

God’s Word highlights five women in Matthew 1:1-16 – women who had obvious flaws, struggles, and sin-issues, yet all were in the line of Jesus the Messiah-King. In a very shocking way, God’s story in their lives tells us what is true about Him and what is true about how He works with and through moms… even today. Let’s take a look:

“The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham . . . Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram…” (Matt. 1:1, 3)

1. Tamar acted as a prostitute with her father-in-law, Judah, after he reneged on his commitment to give her to his youngest son, Shelah, after he came of age. (Gen. 38:6-30). Tamar first married Judah’s firstborn son, Er, who died because he was evil in the sight of the Lord (v. 6-7). Judah then told Onan, his second-born, to have sexual relations with Tamar to carry on the name of his brother in covenant loyalty (acting as kinsman-redeemer). However, Onan rejected covenant loyalty and acted in deception by refusing to impregnate Tamar. As a result, God took his life (v. 8-10). Judah then promised Tamar marriage to his youngest son, Shelah. So Tamar dutifully returned to her father’s house to wait it out. However, Judah didn’t fulfill his promise. So Tamar played on Judah’s sexual lust and seduced him like a prostitute in order to force him to make good on his promise (apparently he didn’t know it was her because her face was covered behind a veil). Tamar became pregnant by Judah with twins: Perez and Zerah. And Perez would ultimately be in the line of David and Jesus the King.

This story is like the worst of the Lifetime Network Soap Opera shows…it’s one giant mess of sin, deception, and death! Yet through this mess God works in unexpected ways through messed up, ordinary people to display His extraordinary grace… in the coming of Jesus the King. Now don’t misunderstand me, this doesn’t make this mess of sin “right” or good, but it displays God’s radical grace to people who don’t deserve His love and yet He works out His plan despite their issues.

“Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon. Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab…” (Matt. 1:4-5a)

2. Rahab was labeled a prostitute, a “harlot” (Josh. 2:1) and was a Canaanite pagan from Jericho. But God, by His sovereign grace, turned her heart to make this bold confession of faith: “the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath” (Josh. 2:11). Her faith in the LORD (YHWH) also saved her and the rest of her family from death when the Israelites invaded Jericho. But even more shocking is the fact that Rahab would marry an Israelite named Salmon and give birth to a baby boy named Boaz… (Matt. 1:5).

God is displaying His radical grace… turning tables…redeeming. God works in unexpected ways through ordinary people to display His extraordinary grace.

“…Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David the king.” (Matt. 1:5b-6)

3. Ruth was raised a heathen, a Moabitess (Ruth 1:4). The very label “Moabitess” was sprinkled throughout the book of Ruth to drive home the point of God’s grace to people outside ethnic Israel. Ruth, no doubt, would have been considered a societal outcast in Bethlehem. Yet God draws her to believe in Him, the God of Naomi (1:16-18), and follow her empty-handed and bitter mother-in-law out of Moab and back to Bethlehem (1:19). Then in a whirlwind turn-of-events, Ruth, the Moabitess, by God’s plan, married Boaz and gave birth to a son named Obed, and Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse… was the father of David the king of Israel. And again, God proves that He works in unexpected ways through ordinary (and even unusual) people to display His extraordinary grace.

“David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah. Solomon was the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa.” (Matt. 1:6b-7)

4. Bathsheba was the former wife of Uriah, one of David’s fiercely loyal warriors. But King David took Bathsheba in adultery, and then plotted Uriah’s death (2 Sam. 11:2-27). If you thought the giant mess-of-a-story with Judah and Tamar was maddening and depressing, this one will set your teeth on edge. David’s lust-driven treachery ends in a train-wreck of darkness, death, and tears     …but God again displayed His shocking, radical grace.

“…Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.” (Matt. 1:16)

5. Mary was a very young woman who’s story was, no doubt, surrounded by gossip, slander, and raised eyebrows around her small village. But through the agency of the Holy Spirit, this simple, ordinary, yet faithful young girl carried the incarnate Christ to full-term and delivered Him at God’s appointed time of light breaking through the darkness to bring the message of salvation to the whole world (Matt. 1:16ff).

God works in unexpected ways through ordinary people to display His extraordinary grace. 

The Bible is so incredibly honest. God’s divine revelation contains no sugar-coating or glossing-over the real-life details and imperfections of God’s people. You see, it’s not a book of heroes or rules (as Sally Lloyd-Jones put it in “The Jesus Storybook Bible”), but a book about the ultimate Hero, God in Christ, who came in love to rescue us back from the darkness and death and sadness of sin.

The truth is… no mom can be a perfect super-woman because all moms are sinners and live in a fallen, messed up world, just like all five women in the line of Christ. However, God displays His grace in unexpected ways through ordinary people, especially everyday moms. God always prefers to operate with grace through people who know they are not super or special or perfect.

My Everyday Mom: I recall my mom working her tail-end off to make her best attempt at homeschooling me. Ha! I was crazily energetic – some sort of mix between my German-Czechoslovakian bloodline and the jackrabbit at the zoo. She used to chase me around the house with a school book in one hand and the phone (with my dad on the line) in the other hand.

But you know what eventually got through to my thick skull and stubborn, rebellious heart? My mom’s consistent, obvious dependence on God’s grace. She openly admitted her failures and faults. She often requested our forgiveness. She always spent significant portions of the day in prayer. Why? Because she knew she could not handle me without God’s power.

So maybe right now you’re overwhelmed with expectations, burn-out, or fear of the future. Perhaps your rambunctious toddlers are now wayward teenagers. Maybe you’re coping with an angry husband, loss of a job, or the extreme challenges of single-parenting. Through all of these difficulties, trials, and fears Jesus has a message for you.

Because God works in unexpected ways through ordinary people to display His grace, you can come to Him and rest. Really.

In the first century A.D., the everyday Jew was weighed down by an unbelievably long list of unrealistic rules and expectations enforced by the Pharisees. So through the haze and sweat and fear, Jesus the Christ announced healing, hope, and rest in the grace of salvation through Him alone. Here is Jesus’ message:

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

God promises rest for all who come to the Son. Because Jesus has finished the work, won the battle, and fought the fight, we can rest and hope and enjoy life again – in Him. But what does this mean for everyday moms? You don’t have to be superwoman because your life is sourced in the life of the supreme King, Jesus Christ.

The unrealistic expectations placed on women today to perform as the super-woman-super-mom are built around the belief that to be successful in this world is to be happy in this world. But that belief is a “master” who will never be satisfied and never fully happy. You will never do enough to satisfy the “master” of success or happiness. But Jesus is the Master who is gentle and humble. He bears our burdens with us. He brings us to the end of ourselves to do through us what we could never accomplish on our own. He is the Master who gives real healing, hope, and rest.

So Jesus beckons to everyday moms:

God will always accomplish His plan to the display of His glorious grace, especially through everyday moms – not superwomen. Receive healing. Take hope. Find rest. 

To Every Mom…

…struggling with dirty diapers and a messy kitchen, God offers His presence

…coping with a wayward child, God offers hope

…dealing with physical burnout, God offers rest

…grieving the loss of children through miscarriage, God offers comfort

…groping through emotional depression, God offers strength

…grappling with single-parenting, God offers community with His people

…worrying about not doing enough, God says Jesus Christ is enough

…battling against fear of the future, God provides peace in the chaos.

So moms, mothers, grandmothers… right now you may feel overwhelmed, inadequate, frazzled, and afraid, but know that God is working out His plan and He is King. God displays His extraordinary grace through the lives of ordinary and often very messed up people. And He just might be doing the same through you.

Have a joy-filled Mother’s Day.

Click on the play button below or subscribe to our iTunes podcast channel to hear my full message from Matthew 1.1-16; 11:28-30 (“Everyday Moms in a Superwoman World”), delivered on Sunday morning, May, 10, 2015 at North Park Baptist Church of Grand Rapids.

Right = Wrong? Wrong = Right?

We’ve opened the proverbial “can of worms.” Yet we believe it’s a really important “can” that must be opened and understood in light of the Gospel. Are you ready to dig in?

Our culture is filled with a multiplicity of messages about morality and ethics. Throughout social media, TV, movies, and music, it’s easy to hear all sorts of propaganda about recreational drug use, alcohol, sexual experimentation, and of course, how we MUST watch the next season of [you name it]. But what does God have to say to His people about these moral and ethical issues?

Here at North Park Baptist Church, where I serve as lead pastor, we’re wrapping up 5-part study (a Sunday evening series, aside from tomorrow’s morning message) that is geared toward answering questions like:

Our series on these important questions dove-tails with the following proposed amendment to our church constitution, relating to “Position Clarifications,” on which we plan to vote tomorrow evening (4/26/2015):

Christian Liberty and Ethics: We believe humankind was created with the primary purpose of glorifying God and enjoying Him forever, through demonstrating love for Him in worshipful obedience and showing His love for others by serving on the mission of Christ’s Gospel (Matt. 5:43-48; 22:37-40; 28:19-20; John 1:18; 20:21; Eph. 1:5-6, 12, 14). In light of our purpose, we believe the deliberate misuse or abuse of food, drugs, and alcohol (e.g. gluttony, intoxication, etc.) violates the Holy Spirit’s indwelling of a believer in Jesus Christ and is contrary to God’s will for His people (Prov. 20:1; 23:20-21, 29-35; 31:4-6; Rom. 13:14; 1 Cor. 3:16-17; 10:31; Gal. 5:16-26; Eph. 5:15-21). We recognize the personal liberty of conscience enjoyed by followers of Christ to develop personal standards under the guidance of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:1-23; 1 Cor. 6:12). Yet we also teach that our love for the brethren reminds us to take care with our liberty regarding areas where no clear scriptural command is present (Rom. 15:1-2; 1 Cor. 8:1-9:27; 10:23-33).

This amendment is also in conjunction with additional position statements pertaining to the sanctity of human life, as well as marriage and sexuality. Go here to access messages and materials pertaining to the topic of marriage and sexuality: https://www.graceexposed.org/2014/11/17/love-in-design/

Listen to the full audio messages below by simply clicking on the play button below or by subscribing to our iTunes podcast. These messages were originally delivered at North Park Baptist Church of Grand Rapids, MI,

Part 2 – Pastor Michael Breznau: “Intoxication: Good and Bad?” (1 Cor. 8:1-13; 10:23-33; Eph. 5:15-21), Sunday evening, March 29th, 2015.

Part 3 – Pastor Michael Breznau: “Greed, Gluttony, and the Gospel of God” (1 Tim. 4:3-5; 6:6-19, and selected passages), Sunday evening, April 12th, 2015.

Part 4 – Q & A – Panel Discussion with Michael Breznau, John Nixon, and Keith DeBoer (audio not listed), April 19th, 2015.

Part 5 – Pastor Michael Breznau “Freight-Train Flesh and Sticks on the Tracks” (Col. 2:16-3:5), Sunday morning, April 26th, 2015.

One of my “old favorite” movies is geared around the search for the cup from which Jesus drank at the Last Supper, some call this cup the Holy Grail.

And why in this film are the Nazis, a medieval-oriented religious group, and Indiana Jones on a mad-dash against each other to find Christ’s sacred cup? Because they believe anyone who drinks of it will have eternal life – but they are not talking about eternal life as a new and forever relationship with God, as the Bible defines it. No, they think it is like the so-called “Fountain of Youth” that will give them life forever, immortality right now, and invincibility (which, of course was very important to the Nazi general). Now all that is a silly twisting in order to make a Hollywood blockbuster film…

But what was the cup Jesus spoke of? Not the actual cup He drank from at the Last Supper, but the cup Jesus spoke of when He expressed His desire to let “this cup” pass by Him, meaning that He longed to not drink of it? Listen to how His prayer to the Father is recorded in the synoptic Gospels: (taken from the Garden of Gethsemane)

Matthew 26:39, “And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”

Mark 14:36, “And He was saying, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.”

Luke 22:42, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.”

John 18:11, “So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?” Thus pointing to Christ’s focus on perfectly fulfilling the Father’s plan.

So what was this cup, what was in this “cup” that Jesus Christ agonized over it so deeply? What is the meaning behind this metaphor?

Throughout the Old Testament there are references to the “cup of God’s wrath” being poured out in judgment on the unrighteous or even that the unrighteous would be forced to drink from this cup (Psa. 75:8; Isa. 51:17, 22; Jer. 25:15-29; Ezek. 23:31-34; Hab. 2:15-17). Continuing in the New Testament, the book of the Revelation talks about the cup of God’s wrath being poured out in judgment (14:10; 16:19; 18:6-8).

Specifically to the cup Jesus willingly drank from until it was empty, He would take upon Himself all the just and holy wrath of God against sin, in submission to the Father’s will and in love to save condemned sinners (cf. John 3:16-19; Luke 19:10; Matt. 18:11).

Yet this cup signified more than just His physical death. Jesus would not only take upon His body the full wrath and opposition of God against sin through every lash from the cat-of-nine-tails whip, every nail driven into His hands, each thorn that lacerated His head, and each agonizing, gasping breath on the cross as he suffocated under his own weight…

But also, the penultimate sacrifice in drinking this cup was the moment in time when God the Father turned His face away from His Son in judicial separation of relationship. God the Father could not look upon sin and therefore turned His countenance away from God the Son, “who became sin, who knew no sin, so that we could become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21).

In this agonizing moment, Jesus, the Son, who eternally dwells in perfect oneness and communion with God the Father,“cried out in a loud voice, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? (My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me? (Matthew 27:46; cf. Mark 15:34; Psa 22:1).”

As Louis Barbieri wrote, “Jesus sensed a separation from the Father He had never known, for in becoming sin the Father had to turn judicially from His Son (Rom. 3:25-26).” (TBKC, pg. 89)

For the first and only moment in time, Christ called out to the Father and there was silence. This was the cup of death – complete death. To be torn – even for just a brief moment in time – from the perfect love-relationship – seems unthinkable yet it is unmistakable.[1] Such was the death Christ endured.

Why was it necessary for Jesus Christ to go through this physical and spiritual death? Because Christ’s physical death on the cross would alone not be enough to erase the sin-debt resting upon all of mankind. Christ’s death had to be total – as the One who would drink all of God’s wrath for us and for our salvation.[2]

And so a hymn-writer captures the scene:

“…How great the pain of searing loss, the Father turns His face away…as wounds which mar the Chosen One bring many sons to glory.” (from How deep the Father’s Love for Us)

In Genesis 3:1-7, Adam and Eve rebelled against God and believed the word of Satan, that serpent of old, rather than the word of God. Although God said, on the day in which they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they would “surely die” (Gen. 2:17). Satan, sneered, “surely you will not die…” And so the husband and wife sinned in unbelief. They bit into the forbidden fruit and pitted themselves against the will of God.

Adam’s body remained yet strong, but he knew true death had already come.

Life as it was meant to be lived is only found in a personal love-relationship with the Life-Giver. But now Adam and Eve lived separation, alienation, and condemnation from the One who gave them life.

And so God the Creator turned His face…In agony, He drove out the progenitors of the human race (Gen. 3:23-24).

But God was still rich in grace.

As Jesus drank the entire cup of God’s holy and just wrath against sin, He, in turn, was offering the cup of salvation in the New Covenant, which is in His blood (Luke 22:14-23). All the justice and righteousness of God was satisfied in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:24-25; Rom. 5:6-11).

So the apostle Paul wrote in His letter to the Romans:

“For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, have now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 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 5:6-10)

So through Christ’s complete death we may receive complete life in Him. Christ’s death was the pathway to life.

Suddenly the moment of agony and silence is complete. The cup of death and wrath and judgment is empty. Jesus the Son cries out with a loud voice, “Father, into Your hands I commit my Spirit.” (Luke 23:46)

And so Christ can proclaim in His last breath, “It is finished.”

Paid in full.

Sacrifice complete. (John 19:30)

Have you received the salvation from the cup of death, freely offered in the One who died for you and me?

[Scroll down and click on the play button to listen to the audio message from our Good Friday service at North Park Baptist Church. (Begins with a scripture reading from John 19)]

FOOTNOTES (For the extra curious):

[1] We want to be very careful in interpreting the meaning and full extent of Christ’s death, so that in our zeal uncover rich truth we do not do violence against essential Trinitarian theology. John Piper provides some helpful restraints in understanding the full death Christ endured: “The forsakenness cannot mean, for example, that the eternal communion between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit was broken. God could not cease to be triune. Neither could it mean that the Father ceased to love the Son: especially not here, and not now, when the Son was offering the greatest tribute of filial piety that the Father had ever received. Nor again could it mean that the Holy Spirit had ceased to minister to the Son. He had come down upon him at his baptism not merely for one fleeting moment, but to remain on him (John 1:32), and he would be there to the last as the eternal Spirit through whom the Son offered himself to God (Hebrews 9:14). And finally, the words are not a cry of despair. Despair would have been sin. Even in the darkness God was, “My God,” and though there was no sign of him, and though the pain obscured the promises, somewhere in the depths of his soul there remained the assurance that God was holding him. What was true of Abraham was truer still of Jesus: Against all hope, he in hope believed (Romans 4:18). . . .

…Yet, with all these qualifiers, this was a real forsaking. Jesus did not merely feel forsaken. He was forsaken; and not only by his disciples, but by God himself. It was the Father who had delivered him up to Judas, to the Jews, to Pilate, and finally to the cross itself. And now, when he had cried, God had closed his ears….” From http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/why-have-you-forsaken-me

[2] One of my seminary professors, the late Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost delineated this further during class discussion: “The consequence of sin is spiritual death. The One assuming the obligation to pay this debt had to pay it to the full. Christ could not save us by being simply crucified to the Cross. His physical death would have only been a token payment. The indebtedness would not have been canceled. . . . The separation of the Son was an eternal separation of the Father – not related to time, but related to kind. This was the separation of an eternal One within the realm of an instance in time. In the Incarnation, Christ did not give up His glory or lay aside His deity. But His glory was veiled. The veil in the Temple was not to keep man out of the Temple, but to allow a holy God to dwell amongst the people without destroying them with His searing presence. By this [Christ’s complete sacrificial death] we are as acceptable to God as His Son is. God could impute and impart the righteousness of Christ…” (from BE446, Dallas Theological Seminary). In other words, because Christ is eternal, this momentary “separation” (though I do not mean a division of the perfect Trinitarian communion) paid the debt of our eternal separation from God.

P.S. Click on the play button below or subscribe to our iTunes podcast channel to hear a Scripture reading from John 19 and my devotional message (“The Cup of Death”), delivered on Friday evening, April 3rd, 2015 at North Park Baptist Church of Grand Rapids.

Tears welled up in my eyes. Fear raced across my mind. Anxiety tightened my heart. I never thought it would come to this. Not at thirty-one years of age. Not now… not ever! Never did I dream I’d be pushed along in a wheelchair into the triage unit of a large ER department… in order to evaluate ongoing chest pain that had bothered me for more than four weeks.

The eerie chimes of a dozen heart and respiratory monitors echoed through the hallway as the attendant quickly wheeled me into a room. I could hear Stephanie’s footsteps quietly shuffling along behind me. As they eased me onto a stretcher and began taping me up with wires for the EKG test, I glanced at my wife’s worried countenance. Her lovely eyes were overwhelmed with distress.

My mind was screaming, “Why me? Why now? I need to be the strong, indestructible Michael I’ve always been… my wife and children and church are depending on me! Why is this happening to me now, God?!”

Life has always been my mountain to climb, my hill to charge. My mom still jokes around about how I was ready to take over the world as soon as I grew out of my crib. Apparently you can be a junior Napoléon in diapers, too, because they never seemed to slow me down.

When I was six or seven years old, I built a small wooden, foam-board plane in my parent’s basement (with about 2 boxes of 10-penny nails). I then secretly dragged it up on top of the garage roof and readied it for flight with a neighbor kid. I recall my mom frantically stopping us just before we launched our first “take off.” What a bummer.

However, she didn’t prevent us from crashing my plane to the ground from the utmost heights of our backyard jungle gym. Sheesh… that was sort of hard on my ribcage.

If a tree appeared climbable, it didn’t matter how tall it was – I would race to the highest “safe” branch. And not once but at least three or four times I fell down, limb from limb… without any broken bones.

If I was mountain biking, the most advanced trail was the only viable option for me. If was I running in a race, I wouldn’t be pleased unless I knew I had push past all mental and physical barriers to utilize every ounce of endurance I could muster. When operating my landscape business, maintaining the status quo was also never an option – we had to be the most efficient, professional, and highly skilled company in town.

Ministry Mountain

My inner drive naturally translated over into numerous ministry activities where my mustang approach to projects was happily applauded. Throughout my college and seminary education I always had to strive for an A-grade… in every single class. If I was preaching, witnessing, teaching, or leading music, I was always working toward the never quite attainable goal of perfection and success.

When I met my lovely Stephanie, I wanted our relationship to be done in just the right way, following all the specific rules that had been handed down by a plethora of “this for that” Christian relationship guidebooks.

And, by and large, my life hummed along looking rather extraordinary. My list of achievements continued to grow. Yet, just maybe, my longing for control, which was rooted deep down in my pride, was also beginning to grow. Now, I wasn’t necessarily trying to control other people, I just wanted to know that I was in control of me – my surroundings, circumstances, and success. Oh sure, I would say that my strength was in Christ alone, that He alone saves, and that all I am and ever hope to be is only by His grace.

But we can be so easily fooled by the words that come from our own mouths. We think because we spoke what we know is true to others, that it must also automatically be what we believe and practice as truth. Verbally professing what is true doesn’t always indicate someone is sincerely believing and living in the truth. A pastor can preach true words with passion yet be failing to faithfully live in the truth with conviction.

And for many, it often isn’t a major moral blowout, a crash into financial embezzlement, or a shocking DUI on an expressway. No, it’s the insidious drive toward self-sufficiency and pride that often grows sharp, destructive branches in the hearts of most people – people like me.  

But every once in a while, in the mercy and providence of God, He sees fit to gently but firmly hit me over the head with the proverbial 2 X 4. And ironically, I most often have to relearn the lesson I thought I already learned through a previous season of pain or difficulty. I guess it’s my thick, German-Czechoslovakian skull. Ahem.

…When I returned from a five-week mission trip to India (05’-06’) with a semi-paresis of my upper-superior laryngeal nerve [read the whole story here] – God taught me that His strength is made perfect in my weakness. By His undeserved love, my vocal nerves healed after a gut wrenching, tear-jerking ten months of learning to wait, pray, and trust.

…When our son Hudson nearly died from Pertussis (the “Whooping Cough”) at just three weeks old (read the story here) – God taught me the reality of His presence through the Spirit and His people when I doubted whether He really had a good plan or even saw what we were going through. After five “code blue” sessions and eleven days at the Children’s Medical Center of Dallas, God brought us home and Hudson has been healthier than a horse ever since.

…When Stephanie suffered not just one or two, but five miscarriages we cried ourselves to sleep and prayed through our tears – God taught us that Jesus the Son weeps with us and that He is the Hope for our tears. And still… we wait.

These are just a few of the valleys we’ve journeyed through over nearly the last ten years, but I’m sure you’ve walked through pain and difficulty, too. Maybe you started reading this story because you were looking for answers or comfort for the anxiety or sorrow that’s ripping through your life right now.

Perhaps you lost your job and the mountain of bills is caving in on you. Maybe a terminal illness is eroding the strength from your body or tearing a loved one away from you. Perhaps the stress of an adult child choosing to run from God and straight toward the seduction of sin is squeezing at your throat. Maybe your spouse slammed the door in your face and shouted the word you never thought you would hear: divorce.

And sometimes all we can do is crawl…and wait…and trust…and hope.

But I want to run. I’ve always wanted to charge ahead and deliver solutions to my problems. I want to take the “bull by the horns” and win. I innately want to meet the expectations I have for myself and all the expectations others may have for me, as well. So my natural response to problems or difficulty is to work more, try harder, and probably sleep less.

Now don’t misunderstand me, I believe God wired me with high-octane energy and an inner drive for a reason. A strong work ethic is God-glorifying (2 Thess. 3:10-13). Laboring to provide for your family is a God-given responsibility (1 Tim. 5:8). However, I so easily resort to my control over a problem or issue that I forget about the complete control of He who first gave me life and breath.

But what must I do when I am longer the superman I thought I was? What will happen when people start to see the cracks and leaks in my pottery shell? When the “indestructible Michael” is no longer so indestructible? These are the questions that coursed through my mind as a nurse strapped on my medical wristband.

I could have resisted the protocols that required me to immediately sit down in a wheelchair. But instead I quietly agreed. I could do nothing but sit…and wait. I was forced to be completely reliant on the medical personnel as they wheeled me back into the Wege Chest Pain Center, here in Grand Rapids.

As they rolled me along toward my room, my eyes filled with tears. Yet then God reminded me of a verse from the very passage I was planning to preach that coming Sunday:

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4-5)

For at least several months, I had been working more and trying harder to solve problems, resolve challenges, and reconcile issues at home and in ministry. But God in His kindness would not let me just apply the text to others – He wanted me to live His truth right now. Even though I thought I had learned the stupidity and fruitlessness of living out my own self-sufficiency, I realized those sharp, insidious branches were spreading yet again.

I had not been necessarily looking to control others, but I was working like superman to control me – my surroundings, circumstances, and success. Through the noise, I again heard the words, “…apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5b).

Jesus didn’t say, “Apart from me you can do some things or a few things.” He didn’t say, “I’ll take care of some of the big things while you work on all the little stuff.” Nor did He say, “Do you want to abide in Me? Okay, then work more, try harder, and sleep less – because it’s better to burn out than rust out.”

No, Jesus said that a life that glorifies God is only possible through Him. A life aligned with His purposes only comes by depending completely on His life. A fruit-bearing life is only possible through abiding in Jesus Christ. But how does this work? What does it really mean to “abide” in Christ? Jesus explains:

“Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” (John 15:9-10)

Through receiving the life of Christ by grace through faith, we have been brought into a love-relationship through which we can rest in the perfect, loyal, covenant-love of the Savior. And as He abides in the Father’s love, so we abide in His love. Nothing will ever change God’s love for us because we are in union with Christ the Son. Yet in the same way the Son has love for the Father, His love toward us also fills us with love for Him. Our abiding, resting, and remaining in Christ, draws us to respond with believing, loving obedience to His commands. And through our loving obedience to Christ, as we abide in His life and love, the Father is “glorified” – made known and revealed through our lives (John 15:7-8). This is the “fruit” of a life abiding in Jesus Christ.

What is the ultimate result of abiding in Christ? True and lasting joy. Jesus promises:

“These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” (John 15:11)

Back to the Noise

Yet somehow I lost view of Him – His sufficient life and love – in the middle of my problems and challenges. I kept pushing and running and working in order to achieve some fruitfulness in ministry and resolution to my current challenges.

When the nurse asked if I could get myself out of the wheelchair and onto the stretcher, I choked out a feeble, “yes,” not because I couldn’t breathe but because God was getting my attention. Even the step onto the stretcher I could not do without Him and His life. How foolish I was to think I could solve all my husband, daddy, and pastor challenges on my own.

Suddenly there was peace. I knew why God had me on this stretcher – I probably wouldn’t have slowed down and shut-up any other way. All the pressing needs of the day that were worrying me just moments before simply vanished from sight.

Through the incessant noise of heart monitors, Christ gripped my heart again with His sustaining life and love.

I’m learning again…that all fruit-bearing, Christ-exalting ministry comes out of an intimate abiding relationship in Jesus Christ.

I’m listening again… to Christ’s words of love and comfort in the middle of my stress.

I’m resting again… in the fact that He is always working and loving even when I’m sleeping.

I’m joyful again… because Jesus, the risen Savior-Messiah-King, graciously got my attention, reminding me that He is always with me and in me, and always completely trustworthy to take care of my problems and difficulties.

After a couple of hours waiting, the physician told us the EKG, blood tests, and chest x-rays showed no signs of heart trouble – I was all clear to return home. But they did say my chest pain might be caused be stress or anxiety, or some infection in my chest wall area. Interesting. Yet Christ’s rest and peace had already arrived before the test results. Through this incident now eight days ago (3-13-15), He got my attention and I knew He already knew how the tests would turn out… either way He would be with me with His unstoppable love and life.

Many stories don’t end this way in our fallen world. But regardless of how your story is unfolding, Jesus Christ is calling you and me to find His life and love sufficient for your life, so that your joy will be full through the pain, issues, or difficulty your facing.

So I’m praying through His vignette in my life that He is made known in power and grace and truth… to you.

UPDATE 3.26.2015: My follow-up visit with our primary care physician went very well yesterday. He confirmed the hospital’s diagnosis that there is, in fact, no indication of cardiac trouble. In his words, “your heart condition looks perfect.” However, elements of stress and anxiety build-up, coupled with some out-of-place joints in my back and ribcage, likely resulted in the chest pain I experienced. On a personal level, I am much relieved by this diagnosis and, interestingly, have had little to no chest pain since my visit to the ER on 3.13.15. So thankful to the Lord…

In God’s Vineyard,

     Michael

P.S. Click on the play button below or subscribe to our iTunes podcast channel to hear my full message from John 15:1-27 (“A Life Not Wasted”), delivered on Sunday morning, March, 15, 2015 at North Park Baptist Church of Grand Rapids.

I will never forget being ushered to the bedside of my great-grandfather Alvin Feldbusch. He placed his large, worn, and calloused hand on top of my head and prayed for me with a gravitas that gripped my attention. Even though I was a rambunctious, skinny little runt of about 8 years old, I will always remember some of the final words he spoke to me and the prayer he lifted up to the Lord as I felt the weight of his hand on my tiny “patch of fur.”

The man who had always given me more ice cream than my mother allowed and eagerly shown me all his snow-blowing and gardening gadgets, was now just days away from leaving us. I will never forget that he prayed I would be “a farmer in God’s harvest,” on God’s farm field. I wasn’t fully sure what he meant back then, but now I’m beginning to know…

You may have a similar story of final moments with a parent, grand-parent, or sibling… We lean in to hear what our loved ones will say during their final days on earth. We don’t want to miss anything or hurry over any detail or forget their parting wishes…

In my current preaching series through the Gospel according to John, we’ve arrived at the final hours before Christ goes to the cross. His disciples – these Twelve men – aren’t exactly sure what is going to happen but they’re beginning to get a glimpse of understanding.

Death and darkness are approaching. Uncertainty is beginning to set-in.

In the Upper Room, they celebrate a Passover meal with Jesus, the Last Supper. Of course, you and I know this is not the end, yet this is the last major recorded teaching of Christ to His disciples. Short pieces of commission instruction will be recorded following the resurrection, but Christ’s teaching in John 13-16 are the final riveting words for the disciples and for us on how we are to live and love, and have comfort and hope without Jesus Christ physically present and leading us down the path of life.

The Setting: Christ’s final teaching started with a radical object lesson: laying aside the rabbinic robes of title, position, and cultural sensibilities, He takes the position of a non-Jewish slave – a household servant – and washes his disciples feet. But after explaining the shocking implication about the object lesson, Jesus turns to preparing them for His departure.

Everything is going to be thrown upside-down; the crowds have already reached mass defection (see John 12:37, 42-43). But now it’s even closer; defection – betrayal – will come from within their closest circle. So Jesus wants them to know two vital truths so that they will continue in faith and on mission after He’s gone, and when the storm of public opinion smacks them in the face.

And here’s the central issue for them and us: What do we need to believe and do when everything around us seems like it’s breaking loose? What we believe always impacts how we behave. So let’s lean into these riveting words of Jesus in the Upper Room, just hours away from the cross…where we will hear we must believe about Christ’s mission and how that links direct to our behavior as Christ followers. Let’s turn to John 13:18-35…

Lord of all of heaven and earth, God of all grace and mercy,

Help me to love as Christ loved His disciples, in serving, in taking the lowest rank, in laying down His life for their sake,

And as Christ still loves, in saving the lost, in cleansing me from daily sins, in interceding for me, in healing me deepest needs, in filling up my emptiness, in granting me joy in pain, in giving me hope in place of fear.

So, by the power of the Holy Spirit, work in and through my life to display Christ’s love,

…when I am tired and feel unable

…when I serve without the praise of others

…when I go unnoticed

…when I can’t expect anything in return

…when I’d rather serve myself

…when I think another is less-than-deserving

…when I face opposition or even hatred

…when my strength is gone may Christ’s strength be made perfect in my weakness, so that I may keep loving and serving and thereby displaying the grace of God I have received in Jesus Christ. So as I have received may I, therefore, be transformed within for the spread of your Gospel across the earth, through You, in me, to the praise of Your glory. To You, my Father, through Christ my Savior, and by the Holy Spirit my Comforter, I pray, Amen.

Listen to the full audio message below entitled “Mission: Love One Another” (John 13:18-35) by 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, February 22, 2015.

Over the last ten or fifteen years, various Christian lobbying and activist groups have been notifying me of the reality that many companies are “taking Christ out of Christmas.” So with great enthusiasm, I filled out petitions to various stores in order to encourage them to “keep Christ in Christmas.” After all, what is Christmas without a hearty, “Merry Christmas?”

The dull, placid remark, “Happy Holidays,” holds about as much cheer as “Grandma got run over by a reindeer.” And the thin veneer hung over the commercialization of Christmas and other associated holidays has become ever more sheer, so much so that I’m afraid my 5-year-old son is about ready to notice the proverbial emperor is no longer wearing any clothes. All sincere meaning seems gone…

Expectations run high but emptiness often trickles into our Christmas scene. Behind all the bright red bows, sparkling Christmas trees, and neatly wrapped packages we see ahead to the morning after Christmas morning, the dead batteries, and fast approaching…the day after New Year’s.

So we may donate money to “Christmas-saving” groups and receive a pin to wear, notifying persons we speak with that, “I say Merry Christmas, and so it’s okay for you to say it, too!” But I wonder how many of us – my family included – focus on Jesus Christ in our Christmas season?

Now don’t misunderstand me, I’m not saying that you’d be wrong to support these Christian organizations that lobby on behalf of Christmas. I love saying, “Merry Christmas!” to everyone I meet this time of year. My heart is warmed when I walk into a store and see the words “Merry Christmas” hung across the entrance. I am delighted when my children squeal with joy when they spot a Nativity scene displayed in a window, front yard, or city square.

Sure, we may say, “Merry Christmas” and donate $5 to receive a Christmas pin. We can energetically petition stores to put the name of Christ or the word “Christmas” back in their holiday displays.

How much is Christ in our Christmas? Historically, the word Christmas is an abbreviated form of Christ-mass, meaning the celebration of Christ – specifically in His first Advent. Yet is Christ actually remembered and in center-focus during our Christmas season?

Or is it really more about fulfilling everyone’s expectations for honey-baked ham, turkey, carols, presents, fruitcake, re-runs of Rudolph, and more? Are you stressed about your party schedule for work and extended family? Are you scrambling to figure out how you’re going to have enough money to buy the gifts your kids really want? Or do you feel lonely, even depressed about Christmas because a loved one is now gone, and they’ll never enjoy another Christmas with you?

Maybe during this Christmas season, what we need most is not a petition to Target or Wal-Mart to put the word Christmas back on display, but for you and I to fully receive Christ back into our Christmas. And maybe then, Jesus Christ, the source of true love, joy, peace, and hope will be on display in us.

When an angel of the Lord declared the most shocking message of all-time to a ragtag, outcast crew of shepherds on the fringes of society, it wasn’t a sermon of condemnation but a proclamation of joy:

“And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all people…” (Luke 2:9-10)

But how can these shepherds who were scared out of their pants (pardon the colloquial expression) have joy? And why does this angel have such good news that will result in great joy for everyone – even stinky, dirty shepherds?

Here’s the earth-turning, life-changing reason delivered from God’s holy messenger: “…for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior…” (Luke 2:11a)

A Savior – a Rescuer is here! And this Savior is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy: He was born in the city of David: Bethlehem. In Mathew’s account of the story, he recorded that King Herod – who was incredibly nervous and agitated about losing his throne – gathered all the chief priests and scribes together and asked them where the Christ, “the Messiah,” was to be born (Matt. 2:3-4). Their response unearthed an amazing parallel from a rather obscure Old Testament prophet named Micah. You might have to dust off the pages of your Bible as you look at this passage with me:

“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity…” (Micah 5:2)

The entrance of Jesus the Christ into the world was not a random occurrence or like a lotto ball that just happened to drop down the right tube. The day Christ moved into the neighborhood of fallen, sinful humanity had been planned before the earth was formed and prophesied hundreds of years before the Great Arrival. All the pent-up anticipation broke out into a broken world and light spread through the darkness.

But look again, carefully: the angel said the Savior was born for them – to save the shepherds. He came to save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21) and God didn’t make an exclusion clause for those who didn’t have their act together or who weren’t accepted by the so-called righteous people.

For those who don’t have their ears clean and haven’t bathed in weeks

For those who can’t afford expensive clothes, new cars, or a house of their own

For those who have a bad reputation and have done some time behind bars

For those who haven’t been to a church service in years

For those who the so-called religious elite ignore and sometimes despise

For those who have a dark past they’re too ashamed to talk about

For those who wonder if God really cares they exist out on the pastureland of earth

For those who everyone else thinks is unimportant or a liability

For those who might carry chronic diseases and infections

For those who feel like they wear a scarlet letter because of past sins

For those who are rejected or ridiculed by people who claim to follow God

For those who are worn out from trying to measure up to people’s expectations

For those who are filled with sadness and tears because they think they’ll never be close to God or never know real love…

And who is this Savior… this One born in the city of David? God’s angelic messenger finishes the sentence: “…for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11b)

One word again: Christ. The title “Christ” signifies this little newborn baby is the Messiah, the Anointed One who has come to save and rule and shepherd the flock of God, the One who will restore justice and righteousness, and reign with truth and grace. He is the One who Moses foretold in Deuteronomy 18:15-19:

“The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him.” (Deut. 18:15; cf. Luke 24:27; John 5:46; Acts 3:22-23)

He is the One who Isaiah prophesied about in detail:

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.” (Isa. 7:14)

“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of Dave and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.” (Isa. 9:6-7)

He is the One who Jeremiah shouted about long before the Incarnation:

“‘Behold, the days are coming,’ declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely; and this is His name by which He will be called, ‘The Lord our righteousness.’” (Jer. 23:5-6; see also Jer. 31:31-34)

Ezekiel, Daniel, Micah, Zechariah (3:8-10) and others all pointed to the Messiah, the One who would come to save. Yet, we cannot overlook the already-but-not-yet tension in the prophetic thread running through the Old Testament to the birth of Christ in the New Testament. He is the Savior who is currently saving people from their sins and reconciling them with God. Yet He is also the Savior who will come and rescue, restore, and redeem all things to Himself at His Second Coming.

Already: Jesus Christ saves those who trust in Him for salvation, giving hope and joy for the unfolding of His future grace.

Not Yet: Jesus Christ will fully redeem us and rule over the renewed creation with justice and righteousness.

So look again at Luke 2:11: This Christ is the Lord. He won’t become the Lord over all when he returns to build His literal, physical kingdom on a renewed earth. He is already Lord over all and always has been. Right now, today, Jesus is the Christ and the Lord.

So this sweaty, tired crew of shepherds stands with eyes gawking, hands shaking, and hearts trembling. But the angel of the Lord isn’t finished with the message, he says:

“This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.’” (Luke 2:12-14)

They received an invitation to find and receive God’s gift, the gift of a Savior – Jesus the Christ. He is how these scared shepherds can receive joy. He is the reason why the angel’s message will result in great joy for everyone – even outcast shepherds.

And they immediately go find Him, look upon Him, and go tell everyone about Him (Luke 2:15-18).

God sent His holy messenger to invite the shepherds to find His Son and receive His Gift – to receive His great joy – even in their sadness.

But Christ’s gift of joy is also for us. God invites us to receive the great joy of the Good News through Jesus the Savior. And in finding Him, we behold Him and receive Him as the only true Messiah who can save and bring joy in our sadness, grief, and tears. He, the only One who can wipe away your scarlet letter – never to be seen again, never to be talked about again, never to hold you back from His joy.

Here’s the amazing invitation at His incarnation: although He will one day return to restore all things, He – right now – offers to you and me and the shepherds, joy and peace with God through Him alone.

The only way to find true love, joy, hope, and rest this Christmas (beyond the stress, emptiness, busyness, and negative cash flow) is for us to have Christ back in our Christmas. But how does this work? Is it putting up more overtly Christian decorations? Is it wearing more Christmas clothing? Does it mean singing more Christmas carols or reading more Christmas stories in the morning? Does it mean escaping the Christmas season altogether?

No, receiving Christ back into your Christmas (maybe for the first time) is not through something we do but through what He gives by what He has done.

Receiving Christ’s gift of joy in your sadness begins with hearing the message of great joy in Him, going to Him with all your sadness, brokenness, and tears, and then receiving Him in trust as the only One who can save, rescue, and give true, lasting joy.

And it is a gift, a gift only possible because of grace. Here’s how Romans 6:23 presented the Good News of great joy:

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 6:23)

God offers you this gift through Christ not to declare condemnation but as a proclamation of joy: a Savior came for you and He’s inviting you to receive Him, be redeemed through Him, and rejoice in Him.

Christ is waiting to enter your Christmas. Will you receive Him and His joy… today?

Listen to the 4-part series of full audio messages below by clicking on the play buttons below or by subscribing to our iTunes podcast. These messages were originally delivered at North Park Baptist Church of Grand Rapids, MI, on Sunday mornings: PART 1 – Dec. 7th 2014: “Christ’s Joy in Our Sadness” (Luke 2:8-18), PART 2 – Dec. 14th 2014: “Christ’s Rest in Our Stress” (Gen. 2:1-3; Matt. 1:18-23; 11:25-30), PART 3 – Dec. 21st 2014: “Christ Love in Our Emptiness” (John 3:16-21), PART 4 – Dec. 28th 2014: “Christ Hope in Our Fear” (Romans 8:18-30).

Amid the convoluted messages about sexuality and marriage across the news networks and social media feeds, it’s easy to wonder if there is any solution or resolution for the conversation. Has God provided a clear, navigable pattern to follow?

Do you wonder how Jesus Christ would respond to questions like:

On Sunday, Nov. 9th (6pm service) we at North Park Baptist Church began journeying into a study of what God says about our sexuality and His design for marriage. Here’s a quick glance at the line-up (audio podcasts now posted for messages 1-3 at the bottom of this post):

Our series on these important questions relates to a proposed amendment [Update: voted into our constitution as of 4.26.15] to our church constitution, relating to “Position Clarifications” and a “Marriage and Sexuality Position Statement” appendix, on which we plan to hold a congregational vote (4/26/2015): click here to access this document as a PDF: Constitution Position Statement and Appendix

Also relating to our revised and expanded “Position Clarifications” on Christian Liberty and Ethics, please go here to access further resources and the audio messages from our series “Liberty or License: The Moral and Ethical Implications of the Gospel.”

I had a great time kicking-off the series with two key portions of God’s blueprints for marriage: Genesis 2-3 and Ephesians 5:17-33. Below is the audio podcast of my message (I will post the other messages in the series as they become available). As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Also, here’s a video from Dan Stevers we used as the opening for our series. He does an excellent job capturing the essence of “the Story of Sex” with clarity and creativity:

We also want to provide you with materials to go beyond what can be accomplished in just 4 teaching sessions. Therefore, here are 4 key resources that I highly recommend purchasing for further study. If you swing by North Park Baptist for one of the the evening sessions listed above, we have all these books available in our foyer display for the cheapest prices we could scrounge up on the internet. Here you go:

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Listen to the full audio messages below by simply clicking on the play button below or by subscribing to our iTunes podcast. These messages were originally delivered at North Park Baptist Church of Grand Rapids, MI,

Part 2 – Pastor John Nixon: “The Truth and the Grace” (1 Cor. 6:13-20), Sunday evening, November 16th, 2014.

Part 3 – Dr. Bruce Kalish: “LGBTQ meets FHL” (1 Cor. 6:9-11, and selected passages), Sunday evening, November 23rd, 2014.

“They are secretly taking over!”

“I think there is a hidden plan to outlaw Christianity…”

“The communists are leading the media to brainwash our populace!”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if there is some behind-the-scenes group of wealthy leaders directing these wars in the Middle East… and they are all cashing in.”

If your environment is anything like mine, I would guess you’ve heard alarming statements like these more times than you can count. Conspiracy theories of all kinds seem to increasingly abound. Alarmist news reporters and columnists rapidly grow their readership through stories that invoke tremors of fear and outrage.

This short, fast-flash film summarizes the top 10 “disturbing conspiring theories” in the USA:

Statisticians claim a whopping 60% of the American population believes President JFK’s assassination was the work of some kind of conspiracy.  Some people argue that the U.S. government secretly ordered the planes to fly into the World Trade Center towers on 9/11, perhaps to have an excuse for waging war against Iraq. While I happen to be incredulous to such hypotheses, some human conspiracies seem real and seem to work out… the ISIS group in Iraq obviously conspired to kill or drive out all the Christians in the city of Mosul and they largely succeeded. The self-identified anti-god, anti-Christian lobbying groups in the USA seem to be making a lot of headway in recent years in their attempt to choke out the Christian voice in our nation.

But to be honest, it’s very easy for American Christians to get caught up in fear for tomorrow and who might be conspiring against us. Remember the Y2K days? The church in which I grew up held special Sunday night meetings for months prior to that fateful New Year so that we could learn how to be prepared for the earth-shattering crash that was to come. The operative word was always “preparation” but as a teenager I knew the overall motivation in the room was fear.  I knew people who bought multiple wood burning stoves, years of food supplies, piles of guns, the list goes on… I even heard of some families who sold everything and literally headed for the mountains to escape the impending chaos.

Now I’m not saying it’s wrong to prepare for the unexpected, but our fear drives us to a deeper, ultimate question: In who or what are we hoping? Really.

In who or what are you hoping? America? The constitution? Your job? Your guns? Or…

Jesus and His followers faced the ultimate human conspiracy of all time: Kill Jesus Christ. And in the face of this conspiracy what did God want the followers of Jesus to know… and hope in? As the page turns toward the Cross and the ultimate human conspiracy, where does the Gospel of John takes us to hope?

Here’s a scene-by-scene flashback of where the apostle John leads us up to the half-way point in His gospel account:

Jesus. Man. God. The God-Man.

Word. The Word became flesh and moved-in to live among us.

Life. Light. In Him was Life and the Life was the Light of men.

John the Baptist took the witness stand and testified to the identity of Jesus. Lamb. Lamb of God. The One who would take away the sin of the world. And the story begins to unfold…

Jesus inaugurates his public ministry at a Wedding Celebration and turns water into the best wine. (Ch. 2)

Jesus walked the super-religious Nicodemus out of the darkness of spiritual ignorance and into the light of God’s Good News. (Ch. 3)

Jesus turned the sex-addict from Samaria into a Gospel-telling worshiper of God. (Ch. 4)

Jesus healed a Royal Official’s son, saving him from death’s door. (Ch. 4)

Jesus restored a man by the Pool of Bethesda, who had been disabled for 38 years. (Ch. 5)

Jesus fed 5,000+ people near the Sea of Galilee with a supply of just 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. (Ch. 6)

Jesus walked on top of the water on the Sea of Galilee, showing His disciples His power over the elements of creation. (Ch. 6)

Through all of this, Jesus taught with authority and wisdom that amazed everyone – including the Pharisees and Chief Priests! (Ch. 6-8)

Jesus healed a man who had been blind from birth. (Ch. 9)

Jesus raised his close friend Lazarus from the dead, after he had been in the tomb 4 days! (Ch. 11)

But after all of this, the religious leaders threw up their arms and shouted, “What are we doing?” Jesus was doing many amazing miracles. But what were they doing? Sitting on their hands? No more! So with the cunning deceit of the high priest, Caiaphas, they devised a plan – a conspiracy was formulated. Why? Because they feared the loss of their position of power and temporary national peace.

The leaders shouted out: “If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” (John 11:48)

Fear raced through the minds of the chief priests and Pharisees as they looked at the chessboard of their game with the Romans. If a gathering of zealots used Jesus’ popularity to create a civil insurrection, then the Roman authorities would no longer trust their leadership. They would lose everything that was theirs. So they conspired to take swift and final action. With a brash and arrogant tone, Caiaphas pronounced:

“You know nothing at all, nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.” (John 11:50)

Yet with all their cunning conspiracy tactics, God’s sovereignty overruled the leaders’ plans for self-protection with His plan for redemption. God is the master of literary twist and beautifully choreographs the storyline of history to display His sovereignty.

God always writes the end of the story…

The first twist: The Sanhedrin sought to protect their “place” and their “nation” by killing Jesus. But soon after His crucifixion their system quickly unraveled and climaxed in the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. The family of Annas, the patriarch of the chief priests, lost all their wealth, prestige, and power. Gone.

The second twist: Everyone heard Caiaphas proclaim that it would be better for one man to die on behalf of the people so that the whole nation would not be destroyed. But Jesus would die not only on behalf of the people in Israel but also for the whole world, thus bringing the scattered together into the one family of God. One. (cf. John 11:51-52)

Jesus Himself would conquer death and rise as the Victor from the grave. Mouths could not be stopped. The mission would charge forward. The people of God would be purchased through the redemption payment at the Cross.

God always writes the final chapter to the story. Man’s plans fail. God’s plans always win. He always wins. And just as God’s sovereignty overruled man’s conspiracy in the first-century, so God will overrule human conspiracy every time… even today.

God’s sovereignty overrules human conspiracy…every time.

Mankind has tried to stop God’s mission from moving forward time and time again, but every scheme will always fail. Because God’s sovereign plan of redemption will always overrule any human conspiracy. How can I make such a bold claim? Take a glance at recent history…

China tried to stamp out Christianity through communism, but the Church only blossomed under persecution. The USSR tried to stamp out Christianity through atheism, but God’s work never ceased across Russia and Eastern Europe. Many South American countries tried to enforce Marxism, but Christianity is continuing to exponentially grow. India has tried to clamp down on national Christians evangelizing and foreign missionaries working among the people, but the Church is spreading at breakneck speed. And even here in the USA, religious liberalism has tried for more than a century to pacify and neuter the Christian faith but instead the mainline liberal denominations are emptying and many Gospel-preaching, Bible-believing churches are growing and spreading across the country. Why? Because God’s sovereignty always overrules any human conspiracy.

Does this mean our era will climax in some sort of utopian Christendom? Certainly not. Persecution will rise. Rejection will increase. Violence and immorality will spread. Remember… this world is fallen and faulty and broken. At the end of the age Satan and his cohorts may even think they’ve won, just like the religious rulers thought they’d won the day when Jesus was nailed to an old wooden cross on the outskirts of town. But God’s plan will not be thwarted, undermined, or brought to demise – because He is writing the story. And every page will turn to display the praise of His glory.

So even though conspiracy theories are on the rise and evil seems to be triumphing, we can hope in God’s sovereign plan as each new chapter unfolds – even today.

Hope in God’s Sovereign Plan as each new chapter unfolds…even today.

Most every night, I tell our little guy, Hudson, homemade stories about Herman the Hermit, Rusty the Trusty Dog, Flapjack Frying-Pan…all characters my dad developed in his story time with my brother and I when we were kiddos. Hudson soaks up every detail and every turn in each vignette. His eyes brighten with wonder as his mind paints the plot across his imagination. But as is often the case, a tension is left unresolved (especially if I’m tired and want to end it for the night). So I declare with a gusto, “Until next time… we’ll find out what happens with…” Hudson will groan but then quickly bubble over with anticipation and ideas about how he thinks the story will end. His little mind races with anticipation… but I know how the story will end because I’m the author. So I just smile, give him a hug, and enjoy his delight in my story.

Sometimes we can be filled with fear about what conspiracy might be brewing to attack the Church, outlaw our faith, or seemingly stop God’s mission from going forward. But we can trust that God’s sovereign plan will win. He will be victorious. His plan of redemption could not be stopped and will not be stopped. Conspiracy? No conspiracy will ever thwart God’s sovereignty.

The Author knows how the story will begin and end. And our Triune God will win. His plan of redemption will not be thwarted. Hope today in the sovereign Lord because He owns the end of the story…

Listen to the full audio message entitled “Man’s Conspiracy vs. God’s Sovereignty” (John 11:47-57) 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, August 17th, 2014.