Experiencing God's Anger

Psalms 30:5 "For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime."

Some people picture God as eternally angry. He's so mad at sinners that he has fire in his eyes and lightning bolts coming out of his hands. He's so upset that he just can't wait to bring calamity on us and takes some sadistic pleasure in our pain.

Nothing could be further from the truth. God hates evil, that's true. There's a good reason for that: God is good and evil is bad. And who is the best judge of what is evil, us or God? For us to judge ultimately what is good or bad is like trying to describe a football game while viewing it from the bottom of a swimming pool. Water distorts our perspective, and so does living in a world already tainted by evil. Only God, who lives outside of that sin can accurately judge good from evil.

So anyway - back to my main point. Though God is actually a loving God he really does hate evil. And when we choose to do evil we can experience God's anger. It comes in the form of discipline. We experience difficulties and think God is punishing us. Actually he is trying to burn the evil out of us.

And like a parent who disciplines his or her child, God longs for the loving embrace after the tears have subsided. His anger lasts but a moment, but thanks to His mercy and grace found in Jesus Christ, his favor lasts for a lifetime. Rejoice in that today!

Pastor Tom

The Crucifixion Psalm

Most of us have read Psalm 23: The Shepherd's Psalm... you know: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want ..."

But have you ever considered Psalm 22? It's known as the crucifixion Psalm because of how closely it describes the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It's so close, in fact, that it becomes one of the proof texts for the crucifixion.

Let's just look at the phrases that closely match what happened many hundreds of years later:

(vs 1) My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Jesus spoke these words on the cross)

(vs 7) All who see me mock me;they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; 8 "He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him;
let him rescue him, for he delights in him!" (they shouted this to Jesus on the cross)

(vs 14) All my bones are out of joint (what happens to someone who is crucified)

(18) They divide my garments among them; and for my clothing they cast lots (the Roman soldiers who crucified Jesus did this exact thing, casting lots for Jesus' inner garment)

It's pretty amazing, really. Read the crucifixion account then Psalm 22. More than a coincidence? You bet!

Pastor Tom

The Fullness of Joy

I love the Psalms - they are such an honest outpouring of grief, sorrow, anger, and love and worship. Psalm 16 is especially wonderful, especially because of who wrote it: David.

David was a king. He could have had anything he wanted - money, women, power - whatever he wanted. David was also a warrior. He could kill you before you knew what hit you. If there was ever anyone who could proudly say they were a self made man no one could touch - it would be David.

Yet here he is in Psalm 16 saying things like:

"...in you I take refuge."

"I have no good apart from you."

"The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot."

Why? Why would the most powerful man in his nation be so lowly? He knew the secret - he was really nothing and God was everything.

"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

Without Yahweh all the power and prestigious meant nothing. David knew that all he could amass in this life would mean nothing unless he had a relationship with his God. And he knew that real satisfaction can be found nowhere else.

Read Psalm 16 - and realize that your joy is not full unless experienced with God.

Pastor Tom

Declaring Your Independence

I would call the United States of America today a post-Christian country. Though our founding fathers had faith in God and took all of the principals used to frame our Declaration of Independence and the Constitution from the Scriptures - we have now moved passed needing God because we don't need that "crutch" anymore.

Or, as Psalm 2 puts it: "The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed saying, 'Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.'" (vs 2-3)

Belonging to God is seen as a "cord" or a "bond." That's because God and his character seem so restrictive. In our society we want what feels good (sensuality) and what does good (practicality) FOR US.

That's all well and good if we see ourselves as first belonging to God and desiring to bring glory to Him. But when we become god ourselves we want to throw off all "restrictions". In reality we are only becoming slaves to the flesh and enemies of God.

The end for those with this opinion is pretty bleak: "You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel." (vs 9)

The flesh fools us into thinking that whatever feels good is good. We should desire God because He is the only thing that is truly good. I didn't make this stuff up. If God, who is the only One who is good, said this, I believe it:

"Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him." (vs 12)

Take refuge from the post-Christian world in Jesus Christ. Let His character become your character. You will find more freedom than any declaration of independence from God will ever get you.

Pastor Tom

As you read through the book of Job one of the things that really strikes out at you are the sheer number of words.

I mean really - these guys go on and on and on. Sure, the style of the writing is filled with allusions and metaphors and ideas all prettied up with word pictures, but it does seem a bit excess.

Turns out it is. If you take a look at chapter 38 - the first words spoken by the Lord in answer to all the words from Job's friends read like this:

"Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?" (38:2)

I love it! Its kind of like He is saying "If you don't know what you are talking about - shut up!"

It reminded me of a lot of words spoken today by people who really think they know what they are talking about. Just turn on one of the cable news networks. They have expert after expert that go on and on about this and that - and we believe them.

I've also heard religious and philosophical people go on and on about what God must be like and what life is like and the human soul and all of that.

To tell you the truth, it gets a little wearying. So then along comes God and in just a few words He cuts through all the garbage and right to the chase: man is sinful, God is holy.

The good news of course is that God is also merciful and loving and went the extra mile to buy you back, but its also a good lesson for us.

Ecclesiastes 5:2 Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.

James 1:19-20 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires.

Pastor Tom