"From Ruin to Glory"

How deserted lies the city, once so full of people! How like a widow is she, who once was great among the nations! She who was queen among the provinces has now become a slave. Bitterly she weeps at night, tears are upon her cheeks. Among all her lovers there is none to comfort her. All her friends have betrayed her; they have become her enemies. After affliction and harsh labor, Judah has gone into exile. She dwells among the nations; she finds no resting place. All who pursue her have overtaken her in the midst of her distress. (Lamentations 1:1-3 NIV).

These and the verses following are among some of the most tragic in the Bible. The mighty city, Jerusalem! Zion, the city of God, the spiritual center of the earth, lies in rubble and ruin, crushed underfoot by the sword of pagan warriors. What makes this scene truly tragic is remembering what led to these circumstances. The people of Israel were the pride of God, his treasured possession. He promised safety and protection if they would follow him and be obedient to his commands. He promised judgment if they turned aside to pagan ways.

We know the story all too well. The Israelites turned away from God. With much patience and many warnings God called the people to repent and return to faithful living. The people responded by plunging deeper into sin. The end result was judgment and downfall, a picture of desolation beginning with the words of our reading today. But the writer of Lamentations continues to write. As he reflects on the destruction of Jerusalem and the sin of the people he also remembers the mercy and faithfulness of God. In the third chapter we emerge from the darkness of despair to the light of God’s hope:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in him. (Lamentations 3:22-24 NIV).

This ought to give all of us great hope. Often when we remember our past we can feel as though we are looking over our shoulder and looking at the rubble we have left behind us. I have counseled with many people who have realized their bad living, bad witness, bad examples, and terrible mistakes have only left a desolate future. But God is faithful with his people. He does not excuse or smooth over our sins, he nails them to the cross. He calls us to live in the forgiveness of sin, and to go and sin no more.
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. No matter what ruins lie behind you, the Lord’s mercies for you are new every morning. From the rubble of your forgiven past God will build an edifice of his glory. Your past is not an issue with the Lord when you have asked for His forgiveness. You may still have a “city” to rebuild, but He will help you do that. Are you ready to rebuild? Let’s get started today!

"The Unsearchable Riches of Christ" (Part 4)

Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. (Ephesians 3:8-12 NIV).

Third, we have found the riches in the FAMILY OF GOD (verses 14-21). Paul comes to the last verb of his thought in this section. He tells them that it is for a specific reason that he kneels before the Father and prays for them.

1. He asks that they be strengthened with power (verse 16). He asks that the target of that strength be their “inner man.” That is the seat of intellectual and spiritual life. It is the point of influence in our lives. Unfortunately, it is often just the opposite. It is there we are most vulnerable. It has become a point of feebleness rather than power in so many Christian’s lives. Paul asks that their power be increased in those areas of faith, trust, humility, love, patience, joy, perseverance, all of those things that come through our intimate walk with the Holy Spirit.

2. He asks that they know the indwelling of Christ. This is far different than an occasional visit or influence of Jesus in our lives. Paul wants them to know the constant power of Christ within them. It is the same power he knew when he faced so many trials and difficulties in his life. It gave him his unwavering knowledge of pardon and acceptance; it molded his will, emotions, enlightening and confirming his conscience that he had been truly forgiven! No wonder he could face death itself and laugh at its consequence. For Paul it was just another doorway to another part of life! That’s a treasure!

3. He asks that they be rooted and established in love. The picture is one of both a tree and a building. The growth of a living tree and the stability of a firmly founded skyscraper are the pictures! He wants god’s love to be so apparent that they are like a tree stretching to the sky and standing against the storms of life like a skyscraper on an indestructible foundation!

4. He asks that they really understand the love of Christ. Isn’t this the great mystery? How and why god would send His only begotten Son to die for us is incomprehensible. Yet, he prays they may both comprehend (a mental grasp) and “know” (an experiential knowledge) that love. It is like placing a teacup on the shore of the ocean as the tide comes in. The teacup cannot hold all of the ocean, yet it holds the ocean’s full character as it is filled with the tide rolling in over it.

It staggers the imagination. However, we must not, we dare not, make the mistake of thinking that it is impossible. Paul says we have found the code that releases the treasure into our keeping! He breaks out into this doxology because of his absolute confidence that whatever we ask of God He is able to do:

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Now, isn’t that a God you can trust too?

"What Does God Look Like?"

Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." Then Jesus told them this parable: "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” (Luke 15:1-7 NIV).

I heard a great story the other day of the mother who notices her four-year-old daughter creeping into her baby brother’s room where he lies sleeping. Curious, the mother watches as the girl whispers to her baby brother, “What does God look like? I forgot.” It’s easy to forget sometimes. Jesus had a solution to that. We call them parables. They really are pictures of his heavenly Father. They are earthly stories with heavenly meanings, each one a snapshot to remind us what God is like. One such snapshot is called “the Parable of the Lost Sheep.” I have recorded it for you in our reading today.

The parable is really humorous in some ways. Jesus was like that. He would tell the story in such a way as to teach a significant principle about the character of the Heaven Father, but it would always both inspire and inform. I always come away from the parables with a smile in my heart and on my face. Here’s the story. “This man receives sinners,” the Pharisees grumped, “and eats with them.” By the way, most legalists are grumpy! He uses this fact to answer a very important question. After all, why did Jesus hang around with sinners? Well, the truth was pretty simple. Just like a doctor cannot fix a broken leg from across the street. God cannot fix human sinfulness from across the sky. You have to go where the need is.

The first message of grace is the incarnation of Jesus Christ. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us,” writes John (1:14). We are lost, and God comes to find us in the person of his Son. The Creator stoops to our level in order to redeem us. In the same way Jesus eats with sinners in order to redeem them. This parable ends on a joyous note. Everyone is happy except the Pharisees, who grumble: “This man receives sinners, and eats with them.” Of course he does. Where else would He be? That’s why He came!

Today, if you’re wondering what God looks like, let me remind you that he has a “yes face” and a beaming smile when he finds you. To find Him again whisper His name and He’ll show up right next to you with His arms open wide to gather you to Himself!