Tag: preaching

Apologize

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(1 Peter 3:13-16)

If this morning’s word is not familiar to you in the context of evangelism, then it might be necessary to clarify that we aren’t talking about saying we’re sorry for believing in Jesus. Though apologies in that sense may have their place if we need to come clean before somebody else we may have wronged, the word apologize this morning carries with it a different meaning than “I’m sorry.” Apologetics refers to the field of defending the Christian faith. One of our Confessions in the Book of Concord is called the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, which is not Lutherans saying we’re sorry for ever confessing our faith as expressed in the Augsburg Confession, but rather a defense of what that Confession states. So while we are never sorry for our Christian faith, there is great benefit in being able to defend it. 

One important caveat when it comes to apologizing, or defending, our Christian faith: strictly speaking, defending our faith is not evangelism. No single soul was ever ushered into heaven because of a convincing or compelling defense of the Christian faith. Only the gospel awakens faith in the human heart. So what role, what place does defending the Christian faith have? 

If you’ve ever gardened, you know there is value in tilling the soil. Doing so prepares the soil for the seeds that will be planted. It removes the stones or pebbles or debris in the dirt that might otherwise impede growth and never give the seed a chance to take root. Growing in our ability to defend the faith can serve the same purpose – it doesn’t convert souls, but it may help to jar loose some of the other debris in someone’s heart or mind that could decrease the likelihood of the gospel being clearly heard or understood.

Some of that opposition to Christianity is based on the perception that the Christian faith is unreasonable. Now on a side note, what a perfect time for Christianity – our world is completely unreasonable right now! We see a lack of reason all around us. So in a world in which so few people actually make any sense and seem to be acting unreasonably, then Christianity ought to fit right in – an unreasonable religion for an unreasonable world! 

While I say that tongue-in-cheek, the reality is that Christianity is actually quite reasonable. Jesus thought so, as Luke recorded in our First Reading from Acts. “After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God” (1:3). Note that Luke referred to Jesus providing “convincing proofs.” That is, the evidence that Jesus displayed after his resurrection was apparently very reasonable. If something is truly unreasonable, then we would presume there would be no amount of evidence that would ever appeal to someone’s reason. Yet, people had seen enough from Jesus over the forty days after his resurrection to conclude that his rising from the dead was not so unreasonable after all. Their reason was in fact convinced by the proof.

So apologetics matter – appealing to people’s reason can make a difference. In one case it may serve merely to pique someone’s curiosity who is then open to hearing more of God’s Word, regardless of whether or not that results in saving faith. In another case appealing to one’s reason may serve as the very compelling and convincing element they needed to put them on the path to faith in Jesus. If we can then help people be open to the possibility that perhaps Christianity isn’t so unreasonable after all, we may have removed just enough obstacles in the way that previously kept that person from being open to the power of the Holy Spirit to work through the Word.

If the thought of being an apologist, of having to defend your faith, terrifies you, or if you don’t feel confident in that arena, you live at a good time. Because there is something else that others may be willing to listen to than the truth of the Bible, which doesn’t carry the same authority in many people’s minds today as in the past; they’re more than willing to listen to your truth. Much as we might cringe at such a statement, it might be an extraordinary time for us to take advantage of it. Here are two reasons why this is true.

One, our culture is anti-institution, so inviting someone to church may not be received as warmly as in the past. For some who seem disinterested or even turned off by Christianity, the real issue may not be Christianity itself, but the organized church they’ve come to associate with it. Some of those reasons are understandable; others perhaps not. When a pastor or religious leader associated with a certain church has fallen from grace, or when someone has been personally burned by a bad experience in a church in the past, we can understand why they may want nothing to do with the church as an institution. Those scenarios can be more challenging for us to help them navigate through. Then there are the general ones like “the church just wants your money” or “the church is full of hypocrites” that have always been around. Regardless, where people today may not trust the church as an institution, you are most likely the best thing we’ve got going. For that reason, we need to shift our perspective a bit to seeing ourselves – not necessarily our church – as an instrumental stepping stone to connecting others to Jesus. 

Two, if you’ve ever had doubts about your own faith, if you’ve ever had questions, guess what? That makes you 100% relatable. While many Christians wish they were as well-equipped as a pastor or a professor at a theological college or seminary, let me ask you something. Do you think the average unchurched person relates better to the theologically trained expert, or to you, someone much more like them who has real struggles and an imperfect faith that is a work in progress? The answer should be quite clear, shouldn’t it? So chances are, the individual who seeks out a pastor or trained spiritual leader is someone who may be curious or just be interested in seeking out an answer to a specific question. However, to whom do you think the person genuinely interested in Christianity and the possibility of pursuing the Christian faith is going to go? You. Someone just like them. Someone to whom they can relate. In this regard, that makes you uniquely equipped to defend your faith and expand on it for others. 

Now if you see the sense in these two reasons, perhaps your next question is why aren’t people coming to you with their questions? Why might others not approach us? One possible reason: they think Christians are unintelligent dim-wits. Is this justified? On the one hand – nope; we embrace the role of fools that Paul speaks of in 1 Corinthians. On the other hand, are we? When is the last time you read a book? When is the last time you educated yourself on how to talk to skeptics and defend your faith. Maybe they think we’re dim-wits because… we are? Simple evangelism doesn’t have to mean shallow evangelism. Have I been avoiding personal spiritual growth for too long? Then it’s time for us to make a change. 

The other reason people don’t ask us about the reason for the hope that we have? They don’t see hope in us. Why would they ask about what is absent in our lives? If they don’t see the hope in how you speak, live, and engage with others, don’t be surprised when no one asks you about it. If you put Debbie downer to shame with your constant gloom and doom, you might be waiting a while before anyone asks you for the reason for a hope they don’t see in you.

If it isn’t obvious to others, where do we find that hope? Don’t forget the name of this series: “simple evangelism.” At its center, the message of the gospel is profoundly simple, so much so that a child could explain it: we are sinners who have in Jesus the Savior from sin that we all need. That makes heaven ours. It really does not need to be any more complicated than that. 

Question: are you able to apply the hope of that gospel of forgiveness to yourself? Peter wrote, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15). Do you need to revisit that hope? Do you have it? Do you embrace it every day and live in it, breathe it? Does it smother you, cover you, envelope you… or do you allow your own guilt or the crud of this world to pin you down while hope seems out of reach, like an inflated balloon, drifting out of sight high up in the sky? 

Hope is here! Right now! We live under the shadow of the cross. We live in the reality of a vacant tomb. We live in the certainty of a hope-filled home in heaven. That is your lot in this life, your hope. And the reason behind that hope? Jesus. No more. No less. Jesus is your hope. So when your situation feels hopeless or your hope seems distant, chances are, so is Jesus. Keep him near and hope will also be close by. 

It would seem Peter knew that, as he encourages us, “in your hearts revere Christ as Lord” (v.15a). Imagine your reaction if you showed up today and looked to the front of the church and saw the cross had been removed from behind me. In its place was a very nice tasteful painting. Or a floral arrangement. Or a decorative light. I think no matter how nice any of those things might look, you’d be quite shocked and probably downright disgusted to see something replace the cross. That’s what goes on in our hearts when Christ is not revered as Lord, when he is set aside or replaced by some other love in our lives. Let him alone rule. When he alone rules in your heart, so does hope. When that happens, look at what else happens. 

We’re eager to do good, and to do it with gentleness and respect (cf. 1 Peter 3:13-16). These things alone would do wonders for our witness, as they are such a rarity in our day and age. Doing good with gentleness and respect for others is radical; it’s other-worldly. It’s attractive. It’s craved. It’s appealing. And the icing on the cake? When you live this way, even when you suffer certain consequences because of it, that’s when the questions come. That’s when people want to know why you put up with it and what hope you cling to in order to get through it. It’s like the opportunity to shine the spotlight on Jesus is being served up to you on a silver platter! When those times come, listen. Witness. Always. Apologize. Keep it simple. Let Jesus do the work. 

Equipped to Escape

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(Ephesians 6:10-18)

I don’t know how many of them there are these days, but there doesn’t seem to be a shortage of different types of talent shows available for viewing. Whether you’re a fan who doesn’t miss a new episode or you just catch a clip here or there online, it’s obvious that people can do some pretty spectacular things. Singing, dancing, magic, are some of the more frequent acts, and then there are the bizarre performances that make you cringe and wonder if what you just witnessed was a talent or… something else. Regardless of the specific talent on display, when we watch others excel at something or do it very well, we are genuinely impressed. In addition to being impressed, though, there is often another thought which comes to mind: “I could never do that.” It’s a natural reaction when we see a professional or an expert in their craft – we’re wowed by them while also reminding ourselves how impossible it would be for us to do what they did.

How many times have you felt that way throughout this series? As we have explored unhealthy escapes and the damage they can bring about, have you experienced the frustration of knowing that you need to stop turning to that unhealthy escape, but feeling a little like “I could never do that”? An unhealthy relationship with alcohol or any type of illegal or prescription drug. An insatiable desire to shop or buy things. Using any form of sex outside of marriage as a release or an escape. Craving status or success. Did you find yourself listening to those sermons, knowing they were convicting you, but then at the same time, dismissing the warning because “I could never do that”? Sounds nice to talk about putting these unhealthy escapes behind us and turning to Jesus instead for real rest, but honestly, if we haven’t been able to change anything up to this point, why should we expect anything different in the future? 

Today, as this series comes to a close, Paul has an answer for you. But before we get to his answer, let’s take a moment to address what can be a boulder-sized barrier in the way before we even get to the verses from Ephesians this morning: that “I can’t” that you tell yourself. I don’t remember where we heard it, but one of the things Gena and I have tried to emphasize with our kids is the word “yet.” When we tack that word onto the end of the phrase “I can’t…‘yet,’” it shifts the way we think. Of course a kid doesn’t ride a bike on the first try. She doesn’t pick up an instrument and play it brilliantly the first time. So when a child says, “I can’t,” we tried to attach the word “yet” to the end of the phrase. 

I’m not sure why we don’t do the same thing as adults. We’re ridiculously hard on ourselves and the way we speak to ourselves stacks the deck against us so often right away. If any of these escapes we’ve touched on throughout this series have been “go-to’s” for you for years, did you really think you’d be able to put a stop to it after hearing one sermon? That’s not only unrealistic – it’s unfair. It’s unfair because it overlooks who you are: a sinner. You know what that makes you? It makes you really good at sinning. 

Far from being an attempt to make light of sin, its consequences, or how seriously God takes it, this acknowledgment is instead real. It’s who we are, and it means that the kinds of patterns and habits that we’ve allowed sin to carve out in our lives are not easily or quickly eliminated. Sin is never interested in merely stopping by for a visit; it wants to take up residence wherever and whenever it is permitted. So no, you may not be able to imagine yourself giving up this escape or that one; you may not be able to envision ever getting out of that rut. Just remember how to change up the end of that statement: “I can’t… yet.”

Here’s also another reality, and it’s one that is much more powerful than the reality that we’re sinners. We aren’t just sinners, thank God, and that isn’t even how God views us. God chooses to see in us what he’s made of us: saints. Forgiven. Washed. Holy. Sanctified. Remember, God doesn’t love you because you’re lovable. He loves you because he is love and that’s what he does – he loves. So again, as we have touched on already in this series, when you feel like it will be impossible for you to ever break away from an unhealthy escape, you’re right – it will be impossible for you. But not impossible for God. 

So stop making this about what you can’t do and start paying attention to Paul’s direction in the first verse of our Ephesians reading this morning: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” (v.10). Paul doesn’t waste our time by directing us to look inside ourselves for strength or point us to the power of self-help. No, instead he points us to real strength – the Lord’s. When we look to him we see a power that no weight-lifter, no monster truck, no heavy-duty machinery, indeed no power in all of the galaxies that could ever come close to matching! And it is with his power that we are equipped!

Look at what his power has equipped us with so that our “I can’t” thinking can begin to be replaced with “He can.” How do we replace those thoughts? Look at how Paul says you are dressed for battle! You are not helpless! Look at each piece of equipment you’ve received: “the belt of truth,” “the breastplate of righteousness,” “feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace,” “the shield of faith,” “the helmet of salvation,” and “the sword of the Spirit.” (vs.14-17). Now, notice the real strength of these pieces of armor is not at all the armor itself, but rather the spiritual realities Paul attaches to each of them: truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the Holy Spirit himself, who equips us with these gifts through the very Word of God!

You have what you need to stand firm against any attack from any enemy – including the spiritual forces of evil that daily wage war on your soul. See how each piece of armor is perfectly suited to defend. Against the accuser’s lies and deception and against the world’s twisted ideas of truth, we have the unwavering truth from God himself that will hold up against every attack. Against the evil one’s efforts at driving us to despair because of our lack of perfection required for heaven, Jesus arms us with his own righteousness. Satan sows seeds of chaos and discord to unsteady us, but the good news of grace and forgiveness keeps us steadfast in peace. Where the devil deals in doubt we have faith to grab hold of what reason or understanding cannot. The enemy tries to convince us the tide of battle has turned in his favor and that we are in danger of losing, but the helmet of salvation assures us otherwise: the battle has already been won and the victory is already ours. So we lack nothing that is needed to stand firm and defend against every attack.

That is encouraging news for us; we are equipped for escape. Spiritually speaking, we can relate well to the old sports adage, “The best offense is a good defense.” You’ve heard that one, right? Probably not, because that’s not the actual quote. But maybe you’ve heard it the other way around, “The best defense is a good offense.” The point is, if you are on the offensive, then you don’t have to focus as much on how to defend the other team. 

But does it have application in the spiritual realm? It should, because according to the picture Paul paints in these verses, not everything the soldier of Christ wears is for defense. We have a sword. A sword is not primarily for defending oneself. A sword is for inflicting damage. A sword is for going on the offensive. Tired of being on the defensive spiritually? Maybe it’s time we got a little more intentional about taking the battle to the enemy. Maybe we need to get more deliberate about going on the offensive.

What weapon do we have to mount an attack? The most effective weapon anyone could ever get his hands on: the Word of God. That weapon is so powerful that it can turn enemies into allies! Paul confidently touted its power when he wrote in Romans, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes” (1:16). The writer to the Hebrews pointed out how effective a weapon it is: “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (4:12).   

How might you, as an individual Christian, your Christian home, or our Christian congregation look if we put that weapon to work not just defensively, but going on the offensive? For you individually, armed with the only peace that provides real rest found in Jesus, what would your mood be like? What would your outlook on life be to daily embrace the joys that you have in Jesus?

What difference would that make in your home? First, for a spouse and/or children to see you wielding that weapon – the Word of God, what kind of impact would that make on them? How might it influence them? How might they end up imitating what they see in you? Could it change the whole dynamic of a divided house into a unified sanctuary of the Holy Spirit? Could real rest in the home provide that?

What difference would going on the offensive make in our congregation? I envision it would sound a lot like a comment a couple of Sundays ago from a member who had been away from church for a while and was struck by how many different faces there were in church that day. I imagine we would see a lot more of what we’ll see very shortly as we welcome another new member into the church family this morning. I imagine even more joy, smiling, and excitement as we see firsthand that the Word of God does exactly what he promised it would when we become more intentional with it and take it on the offensive. And, just as we’ve focused on for the six Sundays, I believe we’d become known as the place that provides a healthy escape for real rest in Jesus. For six Sundays we’ve focused on recapturing that for ourselves; for the next four, we’ll direct our attention on bringing that real rest to others to others in our new series, Simple Evangelism. Be sure to stick around.

Escape from Escaping

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(1 Peter 5:6-11)

Two people are sprinting as fast as they can in very different scenarios. One is in a movie on your television screen, desperately trying to escape through the woods from the bad guy. The other is in the final heat of an Olympic sprint, running for gold. Both are fast. Both are focused. But they finish very differently. The character in the movie stumbles and falls, while the Olympic sprinter stretches across the finish line to claim her medal. Why did one runner fall and the other didn’t (aside from being a very predictable occurrence in a movie.)? Not only was their purpose for running vastly different, but so was their focus. While both focused, they were focused entirely on different THINGS: the movie character was running from something while the sprinter was running to something. 

In a sense, that distinction captures the glaring issue with every escape we’ve looked at over the course of this series: each escape finds us running from something. So just like the predictable stumble in a movie when a character is trying to outrun, to escape from someone else, so when we choose to escape from something, we inevitably end up stumbling and tripping up, too. Maybe for a short time. Maybe for a lifetime. Maybe somewhere in-between. But when we seek out escapes as a means of avoidance, to get away from some trouble, challenge, sin, or something undesirable in our lives, we WILL stumble and fall. That’s because such an approach is focused on what we’re trying to escape from.

Consider the example of a visit to the doctor. A health concern led you to schedule an appointment so you visited the doctor. He informed you he’d be getting in touch with you later in the week after some results come back. Worried about what he found, you choose to ignore his voicemail or email a couple of days later because you don’t want to hear the bad news. But, if instead of running from the problem by trying to avoid it, you heard the messages and went back to the doctor, he’d tell you that what you have is easily treatable with a simple prescription and in a matter of weeks, you’ll be as good as new. How much worse did you make the matter by trying to run from it instead of to the doctor who could help you?

It isn’t about what we’re running from, but who we’re running to. And when we run to the Lord, we have finally found a healthy escape, we will finally find real rest. Throughout this series in our worship we have used the same Verse of the Day each Sunday: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, 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” (Mt. 11:28-29). Jesus’ invitation in these verses is not to find rest in running away from the world, but rather in coming to him. So this whole theme of escape has really served to underscore the need not just to try to escape or get away from the stress and strain of life in our world today, but to escape to the one source that can provide the real rest that renews and refreshes – found only in Jesus Christ. 

But we aren’t very good at it, are we? Oh, we’re good at putting up posters or even quoting Bible verses, sure. But we have a little work to do when it comes to applying them. Check that – we have a lot of work to do when it comes to applying them. Let me prove it. What do you visualize when you hear Jesus’ invitation to come to him when you are weary and burdened? Is it just a nice-sounding, comforting verse or… do you actually take him up at his invitation? And if you answer “yes” to that, how do you go about it? What does it mean to you to bring your weary, burdened self to Jesus? Does it mean you allow his promise of peace to lift you up when your anxieties anchor you down? Does it mean you take to heart his guarantee that you are good enough even when the voice in your own head tells you otherwise? Does it mean that his forgiveness frees you from the grip of guilt? If these are foreign concepts to you when entertaining Jesus’ invitation to bring your weary, burdened self to Jesus, then let us seek the guidance of Peter’s words this morning from our Second Reading. 

To get to the point where escaping has less to do with what we’re running from and everything to do with who we’re running to, let’s start with verse 6. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time” (v.6). Isn’t the writer of these verses the ideal candidate to talk to us about humbling ourselves? Peter excelled at humility… not! Think of Peter walking on water… only to start sinking. Think of Peter putting the Lord in his place to stop all the talk of death and dying… only to have Jesus rebuke his satanic sentiments. Think of Peter claiming he’d never bail on Jesus, even if everyone else would… only to deny him three times. If anyone should know from experience how important it is to humble one’s self before God, it would be Peter, who repeatedly learned lesson after lesson of what happens when one doesn’t humble self before God! 

But don’t end up in the ditch on the other side of the road because your idea of humility is to simply avoid thinking too highly of yourself. In other words, let’s also be clear that humility is not the same thing as self-deprecation. In fact, arrogance and self-deprecation both have the same root cause: self. Negative self-talk and holding a low opinion of yourself are no closer to humility than is being egotistical and conceited – both are miles away from humility, because each one is overly focused on self, which is exactly the opposite of humility. So if God is to lift us up in due time, we must first humble ourselves, and if we are to generate true humility, then we need to die to self, to quit clinging to the best or worst version of self and humbly draw our eyes to God’s mighty hand. Then, and only then, when we quit getting stuck on ourselves, we may be ready for the next part.

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (v.7). You may have noticed it, but just to make sure, let’s be clear on how Peter did not complete that phrase. He didn’t encourage us to cast all our anxiety on gaming/music/scrolling/Netflix/books/exercise/etc., but rather to cast our anxiety on him – the Lord God. Do you see that as precisely what we’re doing when we turn to any of those things as an escape? We’re changing Peter’s words and hoping our actions will serve as an acceptable substitute. We’re re-writing Scripture so that it reads, “Cast all your anxiety on sports. Cast all your anxiety on gaming. Cast all your anxiety on scrolling. Cast all your anxiety on music. Cast all your anxiety on Netflix.” Why? Why would we think any of those or anything else would serve as sufficient substitutes for how the Holy Spirit had Peter record it: “Cast all your anxiety on HIM…”? It isn’t as if those other escapes are wrong or sinful, but when they become our go-to for escape, then we’re merely running away from something and not to the proper source: God. 

As if we need a little more incentive, Peter reminds us what the Lord offers that those others cannot: “because he cares for you.” None of those other escapes care for you. Netflix doesn’t care for you. Gaming doesn’t care for you. Music doesn’t care for you. Sports don’t care for you. There is One who positively, perfectly, permanently, cares for you, and he is the Lord your God. The proof? No matter how many times you have turned to other escapes instead of turning to him, he still welcomes you back. And he always will.

The scars that you see on his hands as he opens them and extends his inviting arms to welcome you are the proof. The very body and blood with which he feeds you in the sacrament are the proof that he cares for you. The Word of God that endures and still stands even as it feels like our entire world at times is crumbling apart all around is – that Word is proof that he cares for you. The brother or sister in Christ who greets you, who checks in on you, who offers to meet your needs, who comforts you, who prays for you, who worships with you – these are all proof that he cares for you. So let us run – do not step slowly – but sprint to him to not lay down just a small little concern or two at his feet, as if that is all he could possibly handle from us! No, cast it, throw it, hurl it, pile it all – ALL your anxiety on him. He can handle it. Run to him, not just from your worries. 

Doing so also then allows us to take a different view of suffering, which Peter addresses in our closing verses. Living in a culture that increasingly turns away from God has left a vacuum, and one of its byproducts is our inability to handle suffering. Helicopter and lawnmower parents try to protect their kids from it at all costs, rather than train them to cope with it in a healthy way. Teenagers and young adults have such thin skin that virtually anything that isn’t a word of praise is deemed offensive of bullying. Adults resort to cancel culture to squash anything that might cause physical or emotional suffering or simply seek to escape it through unhealthy coping mechanisms or self-medication. Our society cannot handle suffering. Yet Peter took what today could only be perceived as a radical view of suffering, and he encourages us to do the same. He reminds us, “…you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast” (v.9-10).

When we are free from being enslaved by escape and finally run to the Lord, we then see how even suffering serves us. The one running from something sees hardship or obstacles as reason enough to give up, to drop down and let the bad guy catch up. He has lost hope. But the one running to something, to the finish line, to the victory, welcomes the suffering and the obstacles as something to be overcome, something to make the ending that much sweeter. And friends, we have God’s Word that the end will be so much sweeter. So do not give up. Do not call it quits. Instead, escape to the One who cares for you, and he will not let you down.

Escape from Chasing Status and Success

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(Daniel 6:1-23)

There are two ways to get ahead. One, you set yourself apart from the rest of the pack in striving for excellence. You stand out. You go above and beyond. Whether you have natural ability or work hard, you distinguish yourself and others take note. The other way to get ahead? You focus your energy on getting rid of the kind of people I just described. You tear down everyone else ahead of you in the pecking order. If a person doesn’t have what it takes to be on top, that person may choose to expend all energy negatively on bringing others down. If successful, once everyone else is out of the picture, that person then fills in the void – again, not by skill or ability or hard work, mind you – but by default. 

It’s quite clear which approach Daniel’s co-workers took. They simply could not match his exceptional administrative abilities. He was a head above the rest. “Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom” (v.3). For some reason, his coworkers took issue with Daniel. Perhaps his promotion meant their roles would change. Perhaps they were jealous of his recognition. Perhaps they were irked that a foreigner would be given such status. Whatever the reason, we know that they resented Daniel. Rather than trying to improve themselves and outwork or out-hustle him, they just wanted him out. “At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent” (v.4). 

You know when it’s really hard to say something bad about someone? When there’s nothing bad to say about someone. No matter how hard they tried, this group of envious administrators couldn’t drum up any bad press on Daniel. In addition to doing exceptional work, he was also a man of character and integrity, so they weren’t able to dig up any dirt on him. Today anyone with an ax to grind simply scours through the past decade of tweets and social media posts, and eventually they’ll find something that will offend someone, but Daniel’s reputation was pristine. These other government officials gunning for him only hit one dead end after another.    

Before we proceed further, let’s go beyond the actions and consider the attitudes behind them. What is it that drives people to choose the course of action that Daniel’s co-workers did? Surely as top officials in the kingdom, they would have enjoyed an above-average lifestyle and had it pretty good. They weren’t barely scraping by. Their roles were still quite exclusive and undoubtedly included both great responsibility and recognition along with it. So why wasn’t that enough? 

Because it never is when chasing status and success. That was exactly the point of one of the popular songs from the movie The Greatest Showman, entitled “Never Enough.” That was the song sung by the beautiful world-renowned singer who was on tour with and being promoted by the main character in the movie. The singer belted out the same refrain, again and again, lamenting that no amount of fame or fortune would ever be enough. And if fame and fortune, if status and success are what someone is chasing, then it’s true: it will never be enough. 

We all crave it, to some extent. We want to matter. We want to be recognized, to be liked. After our very basic needs are met, like food, safety, and security, right there in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is our need to be liked, our need for significance. But where is the fine line between feeling secure with my status and being unsatisfied? And, related, is it wrong to want to be successful, to strive for more, to be ambitious and driven? Or is it the lot of the Christian to simply remain reserved, to maintain one’s lot in life and be happy with where one is at, to settle?

What is the answer? Well, the answer is found in determining exactly what it is you’re looking for. But here’s the problem: if your pursuit of status or success is tied to your identity, then you’ve got a long road ahead of you. The good news is that you won’t be traveling that road alone – there are countless others in pursuit of the very same thing: an achievement-based identity. The bad news? You’ll never arrive at your destination, because there isn’t one. If you are looking to others for status and significance, well, you can board that train, but here’s the thing: that train only makes pick-ups, never drop-offs. That’s because there is no destination. It’s always “just a little further.” If my value is tied to views – the view or opinion others have of me, it will never be good enough. Today is filled with likes but tomorrow I get unfollowed. These people praise me, but that one, whose approval I really crave, doesn’t give me the time of day. One moment I’m delighted by all the compliments, the next I’m deflated by all the cut-downs. Eventually, like a hamster spinning relentlessly in his wheel, you’ll end up collapsing of exhaustion – and not just physical, but even more dangerous, spiritual exhaustion. 

Let’s return now to Daniel and take note of something else about him that stood out – for it wasn’t just his governing ability that was exceptional; it was also his relationship with God that stood out. “Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God” (v.5). Stop right there for a moment. Consider how evident, how obvious Daniel’s faith must have been for his opponents to take such note of it. It wasn’t just his raw talent and ability that stood out. It wasn’t even just his character and integrity. His faith stood out – and in a foreign land, mind you, where it surely would have been much easier on him to just go along to get along, to try to fit in and avoid ruffling any feathers by either embracing the local religious customs or at least keeping his own religions under wraps. But he apparently did the opposite, so much so that everyone knew how devout he was when it came to his faith. 

Do others know that about us when it comes to our faith – that we are devout? Or do they just know that we want to debate? Do they know what we’re for as Christians, or only everything that we’re vehemently against? Do others know from experience that Christians are all about love, compassion, patience, gentleness, forgiveness, etc., or do they just hear us talk about such things while rarely seeing them put into practice? If/when others know that I am a Christian, is it only when I feel compelled to point out my opposition/distaste regarding some grievous sin captured in the headlines or a questionable lifestyle of an acquaintance? And if my Christian faith only comes into play when I am insistent on making a stand against this evil, wicked world, let’s ask – who has ever been won over by that approach? I don’t know about you, but these attitudes and descriptions don’t seem to fit the impression I get from Daniel and his expression of faith. 

He didn’t use his faith in God as a club to beat down the Babylonians and all their pagan practices, yet his opponents were still well aware of how important his faith was to him. He didn’t verbalize or vocalize what a godless country he lived in and make it a point to protest all the things that violated his faith. And perhaps the greatest expression of it was in what Daniel did when the new law was put into effect: “Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before” (v.10). All he did was go home and pray. He didn’t try to shock or offend. He didn’t express outrage that his rights were violated. He didn’t play the victim. He didn’t complain that society – especially through this latest offensive demand! – was pushing back on his faith and he just wasn’t going to stand for it or take it anymore.

Here’s the sad thing about where we’re at today: while rather rudimentary, Daniel’s behavior is really quite radical. What if that was the radical approach we took instead of bemoaning everything wrong in the world today? What if we just… focused on Jesus and developing our relationship with him, on growing in our faith? What if we did something so simple as… got excited to be able to wake up every Sunday morning and enjoy the freedom of gathering together with my church family for worship? What if I found tremendous peace of mind in not only knowing that I can, but actually taking advantage of the privilege of prayer, talking to God routinely throughout the day instead of listening to the talking heads on this channel or that one? What if I looked for reasons to attend rather than excuses to avoid the numerous Bible study opportunities offered each week? If we did all these things, let me ask you, do you think you’d be better off or worse off than letting the world have so much space in your head right now? 

That’s really what today is about. Kick-Off Christian Education Sunday is the opportunity to take stock in where I stand right now in my walk with God. Are the choices I am making, are the priorities I am setting, are the ways I am spending my time – are these serving the purpose of bringing me closer to Jesus, or am I unknowingly, inadvertently letting my life allow me to drift apart from him? 

This Wednesday our school kicks off another year. Aside from allowing Jesus’ grace and forgiveness to decorate your home, having your children enrolled in our school is one of the best – if not the best – blessings you can give your child. And no, that’s not me tooting our horn about what a great school ours is – although it is! Rather, that’s the confidence I have in what Jesus is able to do in the hearts of the little children we allow to sit at his feet day in and day out. Because here is the greatest takeaway we pray for any student impacted by our school: that it becomes so deeply ingrained in them that they are worth far more in Jesus’ eyes than any value that can be attached to them by anyone else in this world. To know that in Jesus they have a status that no social media account will ever achieve, that not all the praise of men will ever bring about. They are cherished and loved in Jesus.

And so are you. So are we all. “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 Jn. 3:1). I know, I know – it’s not the easiest thing in the world to believe, is it? After all, if it’s so hard for us to consistently achieve acceptance and validation and significance merely from other people, how on earth could we ever possibly hope to have it from a holy God??? How could he feel this way about me when so often he’s barely a blip on my radar, when I’m much more like one of the conspiring co-workers than I am like Daniel?  How could he feel this way about me when my Christian faith has served more as a platform for a shouting match with the world than it has a calling to care for the world and confess Jesus to it? How could he feel this way about me when I know that he can see right into my heart where I cannot hide even the slightest single sin from him and my hypocrisy is exposed? 

Listen, for this is how: “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us” (1 Jn. 3:16). Jesus gave his life for us. That’s how we know how God feels about us. Compare that to the praise and validation you might receive from people. Facebook gives you a “like”; Jesus gave you his life. Instagram gives you followers; Jesus gives you forgiveness. A manager gives you a raise; Jesus gives you his Resurrection. A friend pays you a compliment; Jesus makes you complete. There is no comparison between the shallow status the world offers and the permanent promise of love and acceptance the Father offers because of Jesus. 

And, just like the law of the Medes and Persians, it cannot be repealed. Because God’s love for you is not based on your performance one way or the other, but on Jesus’ perfection and sacrifice, God will not change his mind about how he feels about you. He has loved you, he does love you, and he always will love you. Let us stop chasing worldly status and success as an escape, and instead focus more on clinging to the status that is already ours through Jesus Christ: dearly loved children of God – for that is what we are!

Escape from Sexual Immorality

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(2 Samuel 11:1-15, 26-27)

What’s your view of sex? How does hearing that word make you feel? What does it make you think of? Does a conversation about this topic fill you with dread, cause you to start to sweat, make you squirm as if you wish you could slip out of your own skin right now and escape? Do you feel a little bit of disgust or even offense that such a “taboo” topic would be discussed in a sermon or in church at all?  

What’s your view of sex? Do you view it like a beautifully wrapped present (example)? The corners are perfectly folded, edges are straight and sharply lined up. The ribbon or bow matches marvelously. The tape is expertly applied, with the precision of a surgeon. The whole thing looks so beautiful. 

Or, do you view it like this wretchedly wrapped gift (example)? Does it appear quite unappealing? The wrapping job itself looks like it was done by someone with ten thumbs and eyes closed? Parts of the paper are torn. There are unsightly stains on it. It looks like it has been mishandled and neglected and not treated with much care at all. The whole thing looks rather revolting.

Which one better represents the view you have of God’s gift of sex? Which one better represents the view God wants you to have of this gift? Without a show of hands, I suspect that an awful lot of us view it like the second gift, and sadly, it’s because we have experienced or maybe even continue to experience a number of tragic reasons why. Sexual abuse. Addiction. Resentment. Neglect. Guilt. Of course, God never intended any of those to be associated with this gift! But, as perhaps some of the most condemning evidence that we do live in a fallen world that has been demolished by disobedience, most, if not all of us, have at one time or another experienced blight instead of blessing when it comes to this gift.

Understand that these are the realities we’re dealing with that make this particular topic such a challenge. Firstly, it is the degree of hurt – whether we have been on the receiving end of it or if we have been the cause of it – that makes it so difficult to discuss. So we avoid talking about it with anyone else. We dismiss conversations with others about it because we deem it inappropriate. The result is that, when it comes to sex, the world is hollering while Christians remain hush, hush, and God’s gift is hijacked and ruined.

Secondly, the weighty burden of guilt when it comes to sex can be one of the heaviest we bear. Again, whether we have been on the receiving end or the cause of it, sexual guilt can be relentless. So we need constantly to be reminded that sexual sins – like all others – have been washed away 100% by Jesus’ blood. Paul stated it so strongly on the heels of a very firm warning. “Do not be deceived: the sexually immoral… will [not] inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). Forgiveness in that section hits us like a bucket of cold water on a scorching day. On the heels of the condemnation sexual sin (along with a whole list of other sins) brings, Paul reminds us that because of Jesus Christ, no such sin – no sin – prohibits us from being at peace with God. Whatever we were, whether victim or culprit, no sexual sin defines us or disqualifies us from heaven. Whatever you were is not who you are. Rather, having been washed, sanctified, and justified, what you are is this: forgiven forever. 

That good news of the gospel and the free and full forgiveness that is ours through it is why we as Christians can talk about this topic. No experience we have ever had or could have will change our status in God’s family. As members of his family, we can be real and honest about the challenges and frustrations that might exist when considering our relationship with God’s gift of sex even in a fallen world. 

Ironically, as vocal as the world is about sex, it gets it all wrong. That’s because rather than being interested in the forgiveness God longs to flood us with, it is more concerned with acceptance. When that happens, the abuse of this gift isn’t regretted, but celebrated, even emphasized as our identity. Remember when we used to recognize celebrities for their movies or musicians for their music? Now we celebrate the latest sexual orientation that is revealed. Those are the headlines that get hits. This celebrity was so brave to come out and reveal one type of sexuality; that musician another. It’s become so frequent, so normal, that soon enough I suspect that it’s going to be a radical thing for a celebrity to come out as heterosexual. Here’s something about which the world doesn’t care, but we do: when we allow sex to become the source of our identity, we disgrace both the gift itself as well as the Giver. The thing is, we do the same – disgrace both the gift and the God who gives it – when in our misuse of it, we allow it to serve as an escape. 

Perhaps what it is about the familiar account of David and Bathsheba which makes that most strikingly clear are the last words at the close of our verses today. “But the thing David had done displeased the Lord” (2 Sam. 11:27). Let me ask you, do those words do little more for you than serve as a closing transition from the end of one account in Scripture to the beginning of the next? Do they serve as a closing statement for this section, or do they do more? Does it make your heart sink, almost as if your heart literally dropped from your chest to your stomach? Does it weigh heavily on you that someone whom God had raised up through the ranks from runt-of-the-litter shepherd boy to God’s chosen King would let down and displease the same God who had graciously placed him in that role?

Let’s shift from Saul’s successor to self and ask it another way: does it trouble us at all to think that what we do displeases the Lord? Does it crush our spirits? Does it at least prick our conscience? Does displeasing the Lord even register as a blip on our spiritual radar? How frequently do you find yourself judging not others, but yourself, on the basis of whether or not your words and actions displease the Lord? It’s rather easy for us to observe others or to sit in judgment of others when we know what they’re doing is displeasing the Lord, but do we apply the same standard to ourselves? Do we frequently – daily? – find ourselves generally guided by a genuine desire to do what pleases the Lord? And, if that desire is there, is it fear-based or faith-based? Do we want to do the right thing only because of a moral sense of right and wrong that knows better, or do we want to do the right thing and please the Lord because our love for and devotion to him drives that desire?

Here’s another way to think about it: if displeasing the Lord doesn’t at all trouble us, then that should be troubling. If we don’t even think about or care that our sinful misuse of his gift of sex displeases God, then we stand on dangerous ground. We are in a place that runs the risk of forfeiting the grace in which we stand and exchanging it for a license to treat sex not as the gift God intended, but as a right to be used as we insist. Used in that way, what was intended as a gift ends up ushering in guilt. 

Suppose someone gives a gun as a gift to an avid hunter or a gun collector. That gun can certainly be utilized while hunting. It can be enjoyed at the shooting range. It can be a very thoughtful gift. But how do you suppose the giver of that gift would feel if that gun ended up being used in a school shooting or a murder? Absolutely dreadful. That wasn’t the intent behind the gift. It wasn’t supposed to be used for anything sinister or painful; it was intended to bring happiness and joy, to be the source of smiles, not sadness. 

Can you imagine God feeling that way to see his precious gift, intended to bring happiness and joy to husbands and wives, being instead the source of so much pain and sorrow and hurt? When we treat this gift as an escape, that is inevitably what will happen. Damage instead of delight. Enslavement instead of enjoyment. Service to self instead of service to spouse. And the Giver of the gift is left reeling by how many different ways sin can stain his good and perfect gift. Sadly, there are countless ways to have an unhealthy relationship with the gift of sex when it ends up being treated as an escape (rape/abuse/pornography/homosexuality/pedophilia/sex trafficking/prostitution/etc.), that’s a whole lot of sin that’s possible! And each and every case ought to either convict us or concern us. When we see any of this in the world, we ought to be deeply concerned that such sin makes a mockery of one of God’s precious gifts. When we see any of this in our own lives, we ought to be deeply convicted that we’re contributing to the problem by both sinning against God and further destroying his reputation in this world. When we see this in our lives, then we must apply the same words to ourselves that the Bible did to David: “the thing we have done displeased the Lord.”

Let us go back then – not to David, but to David’s Son, Jesus Christ. While the thing David had done displeased the Lord, David’s Son achieved what David could not. God the Father verbalized it both at Jesus’ baptism and again at his Transfiguration. On each occasion, the Father said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (Mt. 3:17; 17:5). Jesus Christ accomplished what David could not: he perfectly pleased the Father – which he did not for himself, but for us. For you and for me. See how Jesus changes everything in regard to our relationship with God’s gift of sex! He lived to please the purity expected by God, and he died to pay the price for all of our acts that displeased God. We are covered. We are clean. We are free to see and embrace the positives of this wonderful gift from God – to enjoy the pleasure and deep connection it brings within marriage and to appreciate the blessing of children it provides. 

That same freedom allows us to evaluate our view of this gift on a recurring basis. We do that by continuing to ask ourselves the same four questions regarding our relationship with sex. #1 – Can I go without it? #2 – Is this a topic I can discuss with a fellow Christian? #3 – Am I avoiding a long-term solution in favor of short-term satisfaction? #4 – Am I looking to creation for something that can only be provided by the Creator? Being willing to ask ourselves these four questions, coupled with the freedom we have in Christ, will help ensure that this wonderful blessing from God is not an empty escape by which we’re enslaved, but a treasured gift to be enjoyed.

Escape from Consumerism

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(1 Timothy 6:6-12, 17-19)

How much did you spend last month? How about last week? Yesterday? Some of us could probably provide an exact number, right down to the penny. Others have a pretty good general idea. Still others are clueless. This morning’s escape certainly includes managing money and spending, but it’s not limited to just that. If we’re going to see the value of this morning’s focus as we look at 1 Timothy, we have to be clear on what the real issue is. If we don’t pinpoint that, any one of us might end up concluding today’s message addresses an escape that really isn’t much of a problem for me. So as we continue looking at escapes to which turn for the real rest that only Jesus can provide, we want to be as clear as possible. Last week’s escape, chemical dependency, was rather straightforward. We talked about our relationship with drugs and alcohol and dug more into that topic in our small group discussion later in the week.

But how do we nail down today’s escape, which we’ve labeled as “consumerism?” Are we talking about our penchant for purchasing, our desire to shop and spend money? Or is this a greed issue that drives us to pursue more money and wealth? Or, do we need to take about an unhealthy obsession like hoarding and holding on to stuff unnecessarily? If we narrowed today’s topic down to any one of those categories or a number of others, then many of us would tune out, concluding that “I don’t care about getting rich,” or “I don’t even like shopping.” 

So let’s summarize today’s theme and Paul’s words to Timothy in this way: our relationship with stuff.  Every one of us has a relationship with stuff – the stuff we are inclined to throw out as being worthless, the stuff we hold on to that we can’t let go of, or the stuff we seek out when shopping – but we all have a relationship with stuff. And today we want to guard against becoming possessed by our possessions, against treating stuff as an escape, or looking to it for something it can never provide. 

An indifferent or disinterested attitude toward the potentially destructive grip stuff can have on us simply ignores numerous warnings from Scripture. There’s a reason Jesus talked about money and possessions as much as he did. There’s a reason Paul is talking about money in a very candid manner with young pastor Timothy in the verses from 1 Timothy. And there’s a reason we need to talk about it today, too. Because we need to be reminded that the real problem with stuff isn’t actually the stuff at all: it’s rather how easily our hearts gravitate toward it. It’s how easily and subtly we put Jesus’ words from the Gospel to the test, as if we’re going to prove him wrong and show him that we actually can serve both God and money, that we can have it both ways (cf. Mt. 6:24). But no one has ever proved God wrong in that department, and you surely won’t be the first. So rather than pursuing that fruitless task, let us instead deal with the real problem and address our hearts. 

Make no mistake, our relationship with stuff is an issue of the heart, a spiritual issue. Admittedly, however, we may struggle to see it as such. Why? Because of the way that stuff can make us feel, because of the rush we get when we purchase something. One author who’s consulted with Fortune 100 companies on the shopping habits of consumers contends that people don’t buy something because it’s necessary or even useful, but because of how it makes them feel. Some estimates suggest a 50% increase in online shopping during the pandemic. While certainly a good amount of that online shopping was because of limitations and restrictions to in-store shopping, there’s more to it. When so much of our lives were out of our control – online shopping provided a means by which we could still maintain some control. And it doesn’t matter who you are – male, female, young, or old – we all have different shopping patterns and have all experienced the same dopamine rush of “adding to cart” and “proceed[ing] to checkout” online or handing the cashier our CC or debit card after everything is rung up at the store. So the physical dopamine rush we experience when spending has a way of concealing whether or not a spiritual issue is the real concern. And the relationship we can have in general with certain material things – whether those items evoke fond memories of people or experiences – can cloud what can sometimes be an unhealthy attachment to things. 

There is another feeling that drives us when it comes to clinging on to too much stuff or not buying enough stuff: a sense of loss. Our perception of stuff is that if we let go of it, then we experience loss. And, if we don’t buy something or fail to purchase it in time, we experience that same sense of loss by missing out.

That fear of loss is what makes Pauls’ words stand out. Do you catch the irony in Paul’s words in verse 6? “But godliness with contentment is great gain” (v.6). When it comes to stuff, particularly when we shop, we fear we’re losing out if we don’t get a great deal or get the newest, the latest, the greatest. When it comes to saving things, we fear we’ll lose something by pitching it or donating it or giving it away. But Paul says there is a way to experience not loss, but great gain without buying a thing! He calls godliness combined with contentment “gain.” How does one get more or gain something without spending a penny? What does that look like? We have to start somewhere, and often this first step can be the most difficult.

If you’ve ever taken a CPR class or been instructed in basic care, you know that when a person is bleeding, whether it’s a scrape, a laceration, or puncture wound, or some other injury that causes bleeding, the first step is always the same: stop the bleeding. But when it comes to overcoming consumerism as an unhealthy escape, long-term success can be a struggle because we never bother to stop the bleeding. We may establish some new habits – using a budget, actually planning our offerings, or looking for ways to be more generous – but we do these things while at the same time continuing to spend and sinking ourselves more deeply into debt. That’s like slicing your finger while cutting up something in the kitchen and deciding that going for a run will help. Yes, going on a run is good exercise, but it’s not going to do anything for your finger! So establishing good habits without stopping the shopping – without stopping the bleeding – won’t result in the great gain of godliness with contentment. And it isn’t just shopping; if I can’t sort through the possessions I’ve accumulated over time and let go of them bit by bit, I haven’t stopped the bleeding.

How do we decide how if this is a problem for us, or how challenging it may be for us to stop the bleeding and stop purchasing everything in sight? How do we determine if it’s really a spiritual problem that I have in hanging on to too much? We figure out what is behind these desires. What is driving them? To provide us with some more internal insight, let’s revisit the four questions posed last Sunday, the questions we want to keep coming back to as we seek to rein in our unhealthy escapes. #1 – Can I go without it? #2 – Is this a topic I can discuss with a fellow Christian? #3 – Am I avoiding a long-term solution in favor of short-term satisfaction? #4 – Am I looking to creation for something that can only be provided by the Creator? These questions help us expose if we have an unhealthy relationship with stuff.

We can also take the “if only” test. How would you complete this statement? “If only I had ___________, then I would be happy.” Now, whatever you’d fill that blank in with, I want you to imagine having it. Or, simply look back to the last time you did acquire that “if only” object. From that point on, consciously track how long it took or takes until the next “if only” pops up in your head. Because that’s the thing: another “if only” will always pop up. “If only” is a lie. “If only” is phony. Don’t fall for the phony “if only” when it comes to thinking stuff will ever satisfy!

Now then, once we stop the bleeding, whether that means cutting up our credit cards, disabling Amazon from all of our electronic devices, or simply sorting through things we’ve been hanging on to for too long, then we seek to replace that unhealthy escape with a healthy one. Paul provides us with a healthy escape in verse 12: “Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” Doesn’t it feel pretty foolish when you find yourself looking for your sunglasses, only to have someone point out they’re on your head, or to frantically looking everywhere for your car keys – the ones in either your hand, your pocket, or your purse? It feels downright foolish to be desperately searching for something that you already have! 

So it is with eternal life. Why search, spend, shop for stuff that will never ever add up in worth to what you already have in Jesus: eternal life? Take hold of it. Embrace what is yours. Find real rest in what you already have, not in the pursuit of more stuff. How often over the course of a month, a week, or even a day, do you stop to ponder the reality of the gift of eternal life that right belongs to you in Christ? How often are you washed over with the always-refreshing newness of knowing your salvation is secure? There’s no sale you have to seek out, no great deal to stumble upon, no financing needed – not a penny from you; just the faith to receive what God offers free of charge. Put your wallets away. Keep your purses at home. Your life has already been purchased, your forgiveness paid for, and your eternity earned for you by Jesus – the same Jesus who has washed away your every greedy desire to find in consumerism what can only be found in Christ: true contentment. Take hold of the eternal rest that is yours right this very moment, and begin to experience what it feels like to have contentment wash over you.

Paul restates this healthy escape in another way in verse 17: “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” Put your hope in God. Wealth comes and goes, as does the enjoyment of it, but hope that is placed in God never disappoints. 

And we show that our hope is in him as we seek to live out his guidance in verse 11: “pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness” (v.11). Do you notice something about these pursuits? They cannot be bought. They cannot be purchased. But they can be pursued. And doing so is great gain, for the more of these we have, the more contentment becomes a natural byproduct of these qualities. And the more content we become, the less we need to turn to stuff as an escape; for contentment leads us to realize that we already have in Jesus what no possession or purchase can ever provide: real rest.

Escape from Chemical Dependency

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(Proverbs 23:29-35)

There is no vaccination that can protect you from tough times. We are not, nor will we ever be, immune to stress. We may have different triggers that set us off, different topics that test us, but trouble trails us from the day of our birth until our last day on earth. Our series for the next several weeks will challenge us to evaluate how we cope with trouble, how we handle hardship, where we are inclined to turn to help us deal with it. Where do we go when feel compelled to escape? Where do we turn when we are tired and need rest?

There are many healthy ways to cope or escape. Socializing with friends. Working out at the gym. Volunteering in the community. But the past 18 months have contributed to the problem by limiting the number of healthy ways we have countered rising stress levels. Socializing with friends to take our minds off the headlines has been limited. Closed gyms have limited physical activity to release stress naturally. In the process of not having our normal outlets to beat stress and decompress, many have turned to alternatives to cope. 

But, rather than finding a healthy alternative by which to cope, some are much worse off now than they were before. That’s because unhealthy escape is a double whammy – not only does it NOT deal with or address the underlying problem; it actually ends up adding another problem to the mix. Imagine if you saw a drowning person struggling to keep their head above the water. If you could, you’d throw them a life preserver to cling to and rescue them. But turning to an unhealthy escape is like tossing a drowning person a rope with a cement block tied to it. Not only will it do nothing to help them; it will actually do more harm than good. It made a bad situation much worse! So it is when we turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms for escape or for rest that can truly only be found in one place: Jesus.

Let’s talk for a moment about how not to approach this series. Let me discourage you from ignoring it because you don’t think any of it will apply to you. Being too quick to jump to that conclusion may itself be a warning sign that a particular coping mechanism is a blindspot for you that you don’t even see. Also, this series is not being offered to puff up your pride because you may not have a particular weakness that someone else does. Nor is this series intended to equip you to become better at judging others, whether inside or outside the church. Instead, listen for two. Listen for yourself, being open to the possibility that you may have some unhealthy escapes in your life right now that need attention. But also listen for others who definitely do. Listen so that you better understand the struggles others are facing, and so that you are better equipped not to judge, but to jump in and help however you can.

To serve as a bit of a self-assessment throughout this series, here are four questions we’ll keep revisiting to guide us in possibly exposing some areas of concern we might want to address. 

#1 – Can I go without it? This is a better question to ask than just asking yourself if your use of something is excessive. This is because quantity and amounts are subjective and every one of us is proficient at justifying just about any amount for any reason. But the real question should be can I do without it? Can I go without? 

#2 – Is this a topic I can comfortably discuss with a fellow Christian? Am I able to share my struggle? If not, what does that say about the gravity of the situation? If it is something I am comfortable discussing, that may be the best evidence that this isn’t a problem area, or if it is, that you’re already in the process of seeking additional help to work through it. But if you can’t comfortably discuss it with a fellow Christian, why not? Is your inability to do so an indicator that you’re hiding a problem? 

#3 – Am I avoiding a long-term solution in favor of short-term satisfaction? Would you stick with the same mechanic if you had to keep taking your car back to him after every time he worked on your car? If he was doing a good job of fixing the problem, you wouldn’t need to keep going back to him, right? So if whatever you turn to for escape is actually helping you overcome a problem, should you need to return to it more frequently or less? If I keep returning to it because the same problem persists, how effective is it in the long term? Have you become so attached to its short-term satisfaction that it has led you to stop caring about a long-term solution?

#4 – Am I looking to creation for something that can only be provided by the Creator? It might be a person. It might be a substance. It might be a place or an experience. Whatever it is, if I am placing on it the responsibility or the expectation of freeing me from my burdens and providing me with lasting fulfillment and satisfaction, I will be disappointed. The sooner we understand that about anything – about everything – the sooner we’re ready to look to Jesus for what only he can provide: real rest. We’ll revisit these four questions again this morning as we consider our first escape: chemical dependency. 

To anyone who has ever had too much to drink, whether intentionally or not, the imagery provided in the verses from Proverbs this morning is rather obvious. The author is clearly describing what it’s like to be intoxicated, to be drunk. Does it surprise you to find such an accurate description in the Bible – to find such vivid imagery of a sin? It kind of catches one off guard, doesn’t it? We’re typically a little more comfortable simply naming the sin and forbidding it than we are going into detail about what it’s like. It’s one thing to read through an account in the Bible in which a sin takes place, and another to poetically paint the sin in such detail!

Moreover, the path by which we arrived at this candid description was itself a bit of an unexpected turn, wasn’t it? We’re drawn in by the first several questions and are quick to mentally shoot our hands up in the air: “I have woe. I have sorrow. I have strife. I have complaints.” We are sucked in by the completely relatable issues being raised, so that wherever the author is going, we’re listening. 

Then the road begins to turn slightly: “Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?” (v.29b). “OK, I guess… are we talking about someone being beaten up now? Not getting enough sleep because of the degree of suffering? I’m still paying attention, but now I’m a little confused. Go on.”

“Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine” (v.30). And now we get it. The point being drawn out is that abusing alcohol brings about all of those things for which I had my hand up. It is the source of those woes, sorrows, strifes, complaints, and yes, the needless bruises and bloodshot eyes. The irony, of course, is that what wouldn’t shock us would be for someone experiencing woes, sorrows, strifes, or complaints to turn to a drink or two… or three or more as an escape. But the proverb isn’t condoning cocktails as a means of coping, but instead concludes that they are the cause of woe, sorrow, strife, or complaints. In other words, turning to alcohol as an escape from problems will itself only foment problems. What we turn to as a solution only compounds the problem. 

We could at this point highlight all the destructive consequences that can result from chemical dependence, whether by drink or by drug. You already know how lives can so easily be ruined by such things. We could point to all those bad things and wrap up this message – and each successive message in this series – with a similar theme of “See – don’t do these bad things because they’ll mess up your life.” For some that would be enough. 

But God is never as interested in your actions as he is in your attitude. And that’s the underlying issue. When we talk about chemical dependency and turning to drugs or drinking for escape, for rest, the heart is the real issue. So rather than wasting your time with that little back and forth dialogue in your head that goes something like this: “I don’t have a problem. I just like to relax once in a while with a drink or two. Just a little something to take the edge off of a stressful day. Just a little me time. I’m no alcoholic,” let’s evaluate our relationship with drinking or prescription/recreational/illegal drugs as a heart issue.

Let’s steer clear of extremes, pretending that the solution is found in simply prohibiting such things because of the damage they could cause. They aren’t inherently sinful (unless we’re talking about taking illegal substances, or if we’re underage, or if we’re disobeying parental rules) and can be enjoyed in moderation. So rather than resorting to the easy method of making everything black and white and pretending more rules will accomplish what only the gospel already has, let’s evaluate the relationship we have with such substances. After all, a person can still have an unhealthy relationship with certain substances without being an addict or alcoholic. How do we determine that? We look at our hearts. 

Since I can’t see your heart and you can’t see mine, we have to personally wrestle with the questions I raised earlier to help provide us with an honest assessment of where we’re at.#1 – Ask if you can go without it. #2 – Is this a topic I can comfortably discuss with a fellow Christian? #3 – Am I avoiding a long-term solution in favor of short-term satisfaction? #4 – Am I looking to creation for something that can only be provided by the Creator? 

Now all these questions can do is make real for us the possibility of a problem. What they don’t do, however, is address the solution. We often presume that a sterner preaching of the law is the solution to solving chemical dependency. It’s not. A better understanding of the gospel is. I’m free. I have in Christ what no chemical can cure or solve. Chemicals may temporarily numb my pain, but Jesus nullified my sin. I have a Savior who promised a permanent long-term solution that also offers short-term satisfaction.

“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24). Paul didn’t say, “Hey Christian, you need to or should crucify your flesh,” but that your flesh has already been crucified by virtue of Jesus’ crucifixion. Just as surely as he was nailed to the cross, so were your sins, and your sinful passions and desires along with them. There’s nothing for you to do other than to realize who you already are in Christ. And that isn’t an addict. It isn’t an alcoholic. It is a forgiven child of God. 

That current status is not something you have to achieve. Your flesh has already been crucified with Christ, which means you have real power to put off that old passion and desire. If it’s been nailed to the cross, then it doesn’t own you or control you. You are free to say no, free to embrace your forgiveness, free to stop falling for the lies of chemical escape that always elude you. You have in Jesus real rest, real escape from real problems. And more of Christ, not chemicals, will fill you with real rest. So heed Paul’s advice to the Ephesians: “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians. 5:18). There is no vaccination that can protect you from tough times. But there is salvation that can provide rest from them. Real rest. Escape that is eternal. Literally! 

Don’t Lose Sight of the Source of your Strength

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(Judges 13-16)

Like me, I doubt many of you can remember what it was like to not be able to walk or ride a bike. When we grow or learn a new skill, it’s easy for us to forget what it was like before we knew how to carry it out. We can also then forget or overlook those who helped us learn or acquire that skill or ability.

As we wrap up our series on Samson, that’s one of the things we want to take into consideration. But we want to remember not just those in general who have helped us get to where we are today, but that ultimately it is always the Lord who provides us with what is needed to accomplish or achieve anything through us (and oftentimes in spite of us!).

We see that in Samson. But as we close out our series on Judges, let’s take moment to recap the takeaways from each of the judges God raised up. Amidst the recurring pattern of Israel spiraling into wickedness and being handed over to her enemies as a result, the cry to the Lord for deliverance – no matter how disingenuous or short-lived it was each time – was answered by God in unique ways. Through Deborah and Barak, God reminded us that his promises don’t need to be propped up – they stand on their own because he has made them. Through Gideon the Lord showed that he can do a lot with a little. In the shameful example of Abimelech we saw what happened when God was not a part of the plan. Using Jephthah, God led us to reflect on the ultimate turnaround story, that he can bring rescue through a reject. Where does Samson fit in with all of this? He reminds us not to lose sight of the source of our strength. 

It’s really phenomenal when you think about it – how easily we swing from insecurity to overconfidence. Gideon displayed it. Remember how many times timid and insecure Gideon asked for a sign from the Lord to reassure him? Then, when all was said and done, insecure Gideon became too-secure-in-self Gideon and allowed an idol to become a snare. He wrestled with insecurity, but after the Lord worked out a divinely decisive victory against the Midianites, Gideon suddenly found himself looking in the mirror instead of to the Lord. 

We’ve been there. It starts out as a source of insecurity or weakness. Then, as we give attention to it, as we work on it, as we develop it or overcome it, it actually becomes a strength. At one point the sheer thought of speaking in front of even a few people was mortifying, but you’d never know it when you listen to the polished public speaker give a TED talk. The athlete who couldn’t even make the cut for the high school team ends up as one of the most successful to ever compete in the sport. He was a college dropout who went on to start up his own company and earn millions. We’ve heard all kinds of such stories – they are a dime a dozen. And if even on some smaller scale, we’ve likely experienced something similar that resulted in success later on.

The problem, though, is that in the midst of all of our hard work and our commitment and our success, we quickly gloss over the fact that it was God who granted it all, that He was and is the source of our strength and that only with his blessing could we have achieved any of it! It’s not unlike the mom or dad hiking up a mountain trail with their small child strapped in on their back. They make it up to the top, where the child excitedly announces, “I did it!” Mom or dad did all of the work, but you wouldn’t know it by listening to the child’s self-proclaimed achievement. 

The apostle Paul points out the absurdity of such a claim when he asks the rhetorical question in 1 Corinthians 4, verse 7, “What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” All that we are, all that we have, all that we achieve, is from God! Yet, like the little child carried to the top of the mountain, we are so quick to celebrate what “we” just did!

And it isn’t just a matter of spiritual amnesia, of forgetting to give glory to God by acknowledging him and thanking him for our growth, but it also leads us to look differently at others whose present situation might be exactly where our past situation was. How quickly we forget that we were once there and how impatient we become when they don’t exhibit the same strength that we now have! We don’t say it out loud, but we think to ourselves, “Well, it’s been a while since I’ve seen them at church, and it’s not because I’m the one who hasn’t been here every Sunday…” We might even express shock or surprise that someone else struggles with a particular sin that hasn’t troubled us for some time. We feel pretty good about our marriage as we look at others struggling to keep it together, forgetting that we’ve had more than our share of challenges, too. A weakness turns to a strength, and we arrogantly credit ourselves with the turnaround, rather than remembering that God is the one who worked it. We flex our own muscle instead of pointing to our Savior’s strength. 

Samson had gotten used to it. The Lord had endowed him with the strength of a superhero, and he had gotten used to it. It was his identity. He was the strong man, feared by the Philistines. So easily had he forgotten the source of his strength – the Lord. And so easily did he stumble when faced with his weakness: women. Twice, a combination of his attraction to the opposite sex and his self-confidence instead of his God-confidence resulted in Samson letting his guard down. The first time it led him to leak the answer to a riddle that eventually found its way to his enemies. The second time was a much costlier mistake – resulting in his hair being cut and being taken captive and having his eyes gouged out by his enemies. Had Samson more readily remembered the Lord and not been so quick to rest on his own laurels, perhaps he would have been more guarded in each case and not ended up being taken advantage of. 

But here’s the remarkable thing about God – he used Samson anyway! In both instances, it was the Philistines who ended up on the receiving end of the Lord’s wrath through Samson. At this point in the book of Judges, it shouldn’t surprise us at all that God still manages to carry out his work of deliverance through flawed individuals – it’s what we’ve seen again and again from him. So then, even when the individual fails to give glory to God, or at least is slow to do so, God doesn’t necessarily give him the pink slip and call on his HR team to hire someone else more worthy. God even uses those who forget to give him the credit to accomplish what he desires.

He still does today. God has used and will continue to use the secular world to serve his sanctified purposes. While the secular world won’t acknowledge God’s strength, that doesn’t keep God from using it to bless his people. He can do it through governments, through institutions and organizations, through relationships, through resources, etc. – all to serve his people and his kingdom. Through the world he shows his strength, even though the world doesn’t acknowledge him.

And through the Church, too, he shows his strength… or should we say in spite of the Church? The pastor refers to his church, as if he’s the one who built it. Church members refer to pastor so-and-so’s church, as if to overlook that God placed that pastor into that ministry. Christian leaders point to what they’ve achieved by this ministry plan or taking that approach, neglecting to credit God with the one doing all the work and blessing it with success.

The Lord is the source of our strength, and you know where he shows it best? In his Word and sacraments, where he pronounces forgiveness to Samson-like sinners who miserably fail again and again when leaning on their own strength. When our puffed-up pride is exposed and blown apart like a straw house, Jesus is there to pick up the pieces again and again with the mighty strength of salvation and forgiveness. It’s not in his polished six-pack abs – but in absolution – where God displays his muscle. Grace – not gold medals – is how God shows greatness. Forgiveness – not flexing – is how God demonstrates his strength. 

Samson was set apart by God from birth, but he failed to grow much at all in his faith by seeing the Lord as the source of his strength. He lost sight of the source of his strength. It wasn’t until the day of his death that he recognized it and in repentance humbly asked the Lord to grant him the strength for one final strike against the Philistines. God granted his request, and as the columns collapsed under Samson’s God-given brute strength, he ended up killing more Philistines by his own death than he did altogether during his life. 

Don’t make the same mistake. Don’t wait until your dying day to tap into the tools God gives you to maximize his strength. They’re at your disposal right now, every Sunday in worship, every day in the Word, every other week in the Sacrament. Let him strengthen you. Let God show you what he can do through his Church when we rely not on our own sham strength, but on the strength of our Savior and his salvation. We may not remember what it was like to not be able to walk or ride a bike, but let’s never forget that the Lord is – and always will be – the source of our strength.

Rescued by a Reject

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(Judges 11:1-14, 27-40)

Would you have done it? Would you have answered the call when they came pleading for you to come to their rescue? Or would you have stewed and ruminated on their words of rejection for so long that you couldn’t bring yourself to do it? Remember, these were the ones who coldly cast you out, rejecting you with the words, “You are not going to get any inheritance in our family, because you are the son of another woman” (Judges 11:2). It wasn’t your fault that dad had slept with a prostitute and you were the result, but it didn’t matter; they had rejected you. But now they were requesting you, begging you, needing you to come to their aid when under attack from the Ammonites. “Come, be our commander, so we can fight the Ammonites” (v.6). Would you have done it?

By now we’re used to some unique details and stories surrounding the judges the Lord has raised up for his people. Jephthah is no exception. What stands out most are two things: 1) he was rejected, only to later be requested for a rescue mission from the very folks who rejected him, and 2) he made – and carried out – a vow that not only tugs at our hearts, but also leaves us scratching our heads. Yet there is also something Jephthah has in common with the previous judges God raised up to rescue his people, which stands out because of its general absence among God’s people: Jephthah’s relationship with the Lord. Before even accepting the invitation to lead the battle against the Ammonites, he acknowledged that any victory would be because the Lord gave it (v.9). He then made it a point to show his dedication to the Lord in official capacity at Mizpah (v.11). In his message to the king of the Ammonites, he had recalled the background of how the Lord had led and directed his people to the land where they presently were (vs. 15-26). Finally, the vow he made to make a burnt offering to the Lord, although it ended tragically, was a type of sacrifice that Israelites would offer up to show their commitment and dedication to the Lord, which was sadly such a rare sight during these times of Israel’s history. 

As the account unfolds and we see how Jephthah responds to the pleas for deliverance, it gives us opportunity to consider our own actions in the face of rejection. We’ve all experienced it to some degree. It may have been the sting of being the last pick on the playground, where no one actually chose you, but they were stuck with you. It may have been a relationship in which you were rejected in favor of someone else. Your input was rejected for an upcoming project at work, and so you weren’t part of that team. You never felt – and maybe still don’t! – like you were good enough for one or both of your parents. 

But then something changed, either in their situation or yours, that resulted in a second opportunity. Now the ones who were so quick to dismiss you are the same ones who need you. The temptation is there, isn’t it – it would feel so good to get them back, to leave them high and dry and get even by turning the tables and telling them to go take a long walk off a short pier. “If I wasn’t good enough then, don’t come groveling to me now – go find someone else.” We relish the idea of seeing them get their just desserts.

We don’t, however, see that in Jephthah. Yes, he does initially remind them that they had turned him away in the past, but that was as much to convict them as it was to puff himself up. He didn’t let his own pride stand in the way of serving the greater good, and more importantly, his great God, by coming to the rescue of his people. He went and he seized the opportunity to show the Israelites what is possible when the spotlight is rightly restored on the only One who deserves it – the Lord.

Shame on us for the times we’ve let bitterness or pride keep us from serving someone else. How embarrassing that as God’s representatives, we have let resentment or the desire to get back at others get in the way of the greater good. We are so quick to accept God’s grace and forgiveness, his willingness to serve us no matter how many times we have rejected him by our sinful choices. But when we have opportunity to model the same spirit toward others, the stubborn, scorned sinner shows through instead of the grateful child of God who has been washed and forgiven and set apart for such acts of love and service!

And though the parallel is not explicitly drawn in Scripture, it is virtually impossible to consider Jephthah’s rejection and then rescue without seeing at least some reflection of Jesus’ rejection and rescue. We note how many times he gave his disciples the heads up that the Son of Man would be rejected, then suffer and die. But that very rejection was a part of the process of our redemption, our rescue. We, too, were rescued by a reject. Jesus was chosen by his Father to carry out our salvation, but the world rejected him. Nonetheless, in the way that only the divine hand of God can, he worked rescue through that rejection. He did that for you and for me, to forgive the ones who had rejected him, who have rejected others, and who have let pride rob us of loving service to others in the name of getting even or letting others get what we think they deserve. For such despicable thoughts and attitudes, Jesus was rejected. From such despicable thoughts and attitudes, we have been rescued. Not being held back by our own pride, we are now free to serve as Jephthah did, with the strength the Lord provides. 

Jephthah was not a hothead. He attempted to work through Israel’s situation with the Ammonites using diplomacy. The in-between verses that were cut out of today’s reading are the extended version of the message he had sent to the king of Ammon, attempting to very diplomatically address the concern he had over who possessed which land. When the king of Ammon made it clear that his mind was made up and there was no room for diplomacy, Jephthah led the Israelites to war. Those details, compared to the accounts provided in the instances of previous judges, are relatively short and sweet. “Then Jephthah went over to fight the Ammonites, and the Lord gave them into his hands. He devastated twenty towns from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith, as far as Abel Keramim. Thus Israel subdued Ammon” (vs.32-33).

Much more detail is provided regarding the troubling issue of Jephthah’s vow that preceded his success on the battlefield. “And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord: “If you give the Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the Lord’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering” (vs.30-31). While we can appreciate Jephthah’s commitment to the Lord, making such a vow – not knowing what he was promising – wasn’t his finest moment. We may have though nothing of it if an animal had greeted him, but it was no animal; instead, Jephthah’s daughter happened to be the one who came out the door to greet him at his triumphant return. 

There are two plausible possibilities that have been put forth to explain how Jephthah’s vow was carried out: 1) he sacrificed her as a burnt offering, which is the simplest and most straight-forward understanding of the text, and certainly the more troubling one, or 2) he dedicated his daughter to the Lord as a life-long virgin. There are far too many points and counterpoints in support of each view than can be discussed in a single sermon, many of them holding significant merit. While we would wish to hold up Jephthah in highest esteem, making preferable any plausible explanation that would allow us to avoid an ugly reality of a man of God sacrificing his own daughter to fulfill his vow, we don’t need Jephthah to have a pristine record before God – even if he is listed among the heroes of faith in Hebrews chapter 11. Why? Because God doesn’t need spotless individuals to pass a sanctification background check in order to use them for his purposes; God has always used flawed men to carry out his purposes. This ensures that no judge, but rather God himself, always remains the hero of the story. God is so determined to rescue, to deliver, that not even a flawed individual is going to keep him from carrying out his work. 

And though Scripture doesn’t explicitly direct us to make this comparison, how can a story about a father sacrificing his only child not direct our thoughts to THE Father sacrificing his own child to fulfill another vow, a promise of salvation and forgiveness for all people? There is a place for digging more deeply into this particular matter of Jephthah’s vow, but may it never overshadow or distract us from the promise fulfilled by the Lord when he gave up his own Son. Amidst the uncertainty of a vow in this account is the certainty of our salvation. We have a Savior who didn’t bear a grudge or resent those who rejected him. Instead, he rescued us.

As you consider this truth, do you have any lingering grudges or resentments against those who have rejected you? Is there any bitterness to which you are clinging? Compare your bitterness toward someone else with how Jesus has chosen to treat you. Let go of your bitterness, resentment, and grudges. Lavish on others the same love and forgiveness that your Savior has lavished on you. Amen.

When God’s Not Part of the Plan

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(Judges 9:1-25, 46-57)

I wasn’t planning on leading a group of 50 hikers to the top of Mt. San Gorgonio (11,500 elev.) this past week at Good Shepherd Bible Camp, but that’s what ended up happening. In hindsight, one of the biggest takeaways for me was the importance of planning. Making sure everyone stays in their group, has enough water and snacks, and knows what to expect is hugely important. 

As we continue our series in the book of Judges this morning, we also see how important planning is. Actually, not just planning in general, but planning that involves God. Or, as in the case this morning, what it looks like when God’s not part of the plan.

Previously in our series on the book of Judges, the Lord spoke to Deborah. The Lord also came directly to Gideon. Today, we see that the Lord did not come to Abimelech; neither did Abimelech seek out the Lord. And, while the time of the Judges can in general be characterized as a spiritual dumpster fire for the Israelites, Abimelech takes us to a new low. As we look at his particular cycle of the downward spiral of Judges, he shows us quite clearly what happens when God’s not part of the plan. 

Before we go any further, we have to address this reality: sometimes non-believers have it really good in life. Maybe that’s no news flash to anyone here, but we need to acknowledge and understand that so we don’t walk away this morning with the wrong idea that so long as God is in the picture, then life is a dream; if he’s not, then it’s a nightmare. It just isn’t true! Some non-believers have a fantastic life and many believers have one burden to bear after another. Why doesn’t God make life more miserable for the non-believer? There are two different ways he can use an abundance of earthly blessings for his eternal purposes. In one case he might desire that his kindness and generosity lead the non-believer to repentance (cf. Romans 2:4). He might also use an abundance of worldly blessings to lead the non-believer that much sooner to the conclusion that worldly wealth without the Lord is ultimately meaningless (cf. Ecclesiastes). So even when he’s good to the non-believer, his goal is still very much an eternal one that has the concern of souls as its focus. 

For you and me, then – for believers, God shows us what is a general truth in the life of the Christian, based on a real promise that Jesus made in Matthew 6:33: “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” In worldly terms, God’s generous goodness can shower non-believer or believer alike. But only a God-centered life will yield spiritual blessings and joys that can simply never be experienced when God’s not part of the plan. 

In Abimelech’s case, things got off to a selfish start. There is a noticeable distinction between this account and the two judges we have looked at previously. In each of their cases, God was a part of the dialogue with Deborah and Gideon. But he is nowhere to be found in Abimelech’s case – except when being rebuked by someone else. Abimelech wasn’t concerned about God’s wishes or will for his life – he wanted power, and he had a plan for how to secure it. With a little political prowess, he convinced the people of Shechem that they’d be better off being ruled by just one ruler – him – than some sort of divided rulership made up of his 70 brothers. Furthermore, since his mother was Gideon’s concubine from Shechem, he appealed to flesh and blood – he was one of their own! He went to the people and said, “Which is better for you: to have all seventy of Jerub-Baal’s sons rule over you, or just one man? Remember, I am your flesh and blood” (Judges 9:2). Abimelech’s plan was not guided by God in any way whatsoever – he got off to a purely selfish start.

How many times have we been stumped at that stage – the very beginning – because we, too, were far more interested in pursuing our plans rather than seeking God’s counsel on what he would have us do? Simply because we have faith in Jesus does not mean that it’s a given that we seek God’s guidance. A person may have saving faith in Jesus that ensures them a home in heaven, while also largely ignoring God’s guidance or direction for the better part of life. It may not be a matter of not knowing what God would have them do in a situation, but a consistent failure to actually act on that, to intentionally align their life with God’s guidance and direction. So while they see Jesus as Savior, he’s often left at the kiddie table when significant life decisions are being made. When a Christian considers a job offer or relocation opportunity without giving thought to the proximity of our nearest church, how much was God really a part of that plan? When I choose words or actions that dishonor God for the sake of my own popularity or attention, is God really a part of that thought process? When in general our approach is to plan first, then pray second and seek God’s blessings on our plans after we’ve decided what we want to do, is God really a part of those plans, or are we simply treating him like the stamp of approval we’d appreciate in order to move forward with our plans?  

Look at the result of Abimelech’s failure to include God in his plans. His selfish start resulted in godless gain. The citizens of Shechem pledged their allegiance to him with their checkbooks. What did Abimelech do with the money? “They gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith, and Abimelek used it to hire reckless scoundrels, who became his followers” (v.4). He hired thugs. He assembled a gang. It wasn’t as if Abimelech’s fine reputation had earned followers genuinely or that soldiers would be willing to valiantly die an honorable death for him. No, he paid punks to push people around. 

And that’s exactly what they did. But it wasn’t just bullying or scare tactics that he had his men carry out; he authorized them to murder his own flesh and blood. At his dad’s house no less, he turned a stone into a slaughterhouse where he put to death almost all of his brothers. Only Jotham, Gideon’s youngest son and Abimelech’s youngest brother, escaped.

Ever notice how things rather quickly go from bad to worse when we do them our own way and God’s not part of the plan? Abimelech had established himself as a commander of criminals who had committed murder. After that, his little brother who had escaped his execution efforts proclaimed a pronouncement of judgment on him. We notice something else about Jotham’s prophecy against Abimelech: it’s the first time God is mentioned in the account. What Jotham essentially prophesies is that each of the parties involved in this whole shameful account – Abimelech and the people of Shechem who supported his rise to power – would get burned by each other. And that was exactly what happened. God turned the people of Shechem against Abimelech and they ended up throwing their support behind an adversary, Gaal, who was happy to bad-mouth Abimelech and welcome his dissenters (read through verses 26-45 of Judges 9 for those details). Long story short, Abimelech squashed Gaal and his men, forcing the people of Shechem to secure themselves inside the tower of the very same temple from which they first withdrew their financial support for Abimelech. There, trapped inside the tower, Abimelech burned alive a thousand men and women. But as he pressed on to the next city, where he encountered more citizens secured inside a tower, a woman lifted a millstone over the edge of the tower and cracked Abimelech’s skull, ultimately resulting in his death. 

Has it happened that way for you? Perhaps not to the extent of how it ended for Abimelech, but have you experienced things going from bad to worse when God was left out of the plans? A job offer or relocation that didn’t consider the location of a new church family results in at least a season – prayerfully not an eternity! – of drifting away from God. A greater concern over what others think of me than honoring God with words and actions results in sin becoming less black and white and more in the gray area as I justify my choices. I make my plans and then pray for God to bless them instead of praying for God to guide my process of planning in the first place and wonder why things seldom seem to work out the way I had hoped. Things can quickly, or sometimes even worse – very gradually – go from bad to worse when God’s not part of the plan. Abimelech’s story may hit frightfully close to home if we go the same route.

The fact that it hasn’t already, and that we can learn from this account in Judges, is a testament of how desperately God works behind the scenes to keep you as his own, even when we have allowed him to become an afterthought. This is grace: even when God’s not part of our plans, we’re always a part of his. Think of how often we include others in something with the expectation that they’ll do the same for us. We give someone a Christmas card only because we got one from them, or just to see if they’ll send one to us if we send one to them. We operate under the assumption that others will reciprocate our thoughtfulness when we include them. God didn’t wait for us to include him in our plans, but included us in his from eternity. From eternity, his plan of forgiveness and salvation included you, and nothing you can do will compel him to alter or change his plans. Jesus came on the scene to secure God’s plan for you. 

Abimelech raised himself up. Your Savior lowered himself. Abimelech appealed to flesh and blood to garner support. Jesus became flesh and spilled his blood to show you his love. And still today he gives his own flesh and blood for you in the Supper. Jesus was everything that Abimelech was not. Jesus was everything that you and I are not. No one in the world will ever devise a greater plan than God’s plan to save, a plan that included you. Your eternity is secure because his plan included you. Do you think it might be beneficial if more of your plans include him?