Was Jesus Cool?

Isaiah 53:2 He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. ESV

This chapter of Isaiah talks about the Messiah. I would encourage you to read the whole thing and then tell me who you think the Messiah is. There is no mistaking the life and death of Jesus Christ in this chapter - no mistaking it at all.

But I want to just focus on this one verse. Contrary to movies and paintings, Jesus was just a garden variety Jewish man of the 1st century. He did not float above the ground (except when he walked on water), he did not glow in the dark (except on the Mount of Transfiguration) and he was just not that impressive.

Jesus isn't impressive, he is right. You should believe in him because of what he said and did, not because he is a charismatic leader.

Pastor Tom

You Don't Have to be Good

Alot of people think that God wants us to be good, to do better. If we do that then He'll be happy and will let us into heaven. The Golden Rule, the Sermon on the Mount, the Ten Commandments - all that stuff is a guidebook for us to follow.

Wrong!

God doesn't want us to do better because He knows we can't do better. The most incredible sacrifice ever given by man, the most wonderful act, the highest thought, the most beautiful creation - all are infinitely below the most common thought that God has ever had.

Sorry for the bad news - but it's actually good news. Read Isaiah 46:12

"Listen to me, you stubborn or heart, you who are far from righteousness: I bring near my righteousness, it is not far off, and my salvation will not delay."

If we'd just let go of the silly notion that man is basically good and admit that when left along we sink further and further into evil then we'd see that real goodness (righteousness) comes from God's character, not ours. The good news is that he offers that goodness to us in the form of salvation that he himself brings. And yes, that salvation comes only through Jesus Christ.

But let's just give up trying to be good and instead let God be good through us by his presence in our lives. Ask him to come live in you. Ask him to make you good. Guess what? He will.

Pastor Tom

Seek God in Vain?

"I asked God to help me and I got nothing!"

Perhaps that a statement you could make. Maybe things have gone really badly of late and you are frankly mad at God. Maybe you've been crying out to God but haven't heard an answer and are wondering if He is really there at all.

Isaiah made a statement that I'd like you to consider:

45:19 "I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, 'Seek Me in vain.' I the Lord speak the truth; I declare what is right."

In fact, the problem may not be with God at all, but with us. First, God says he did not speak in secret. So where did God speak? In the Bible. You may not like what the Bible has to say but if you want to hear God speak then that is the place to hear Him.

Secondly, you may have sought your own version of God and not gotten anywhere. I can make up all kinds of things about God (and many have) but that doesn't make it the truth. Again I come back to the Bible. Check it out, dig around, study - you will find it is the most accurate of all books and truly speaks with God's voice.

Jeremiah said "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" (29:13). Maybe the problem is that you are not ready to yield your will to the Lord, your life to God. Maybe God is speaking, we just aren't listening.

Pastor Tom

What Happens When Jesus Comes?

No, I'm not talking about the end times here. But to listen to many people today, this is what happens when Jesus Christ is mentioned:

Exclusion, hate, discrimination, narrow-minded thinking, dissension, arguing, and party-pooping.

People react to verses like this one from Isaiah 11:

4 "and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked."

I'd like to simply offer some context. If you read around that verse in Isaiah you get a better idea of what Jesus does when He comes into a life:

"3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, 4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;"

And look at the effect on others around Him:

"6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. 9 They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea."

This doesn't sound at all like the person people make Jesus out to be. The problem is evil. We as humans don't want to admit that there is such a thing and that it infects the human soul. Evil was not originally part of our nature and God, through Jesus, will purge it. He knows the difference between good and evil and knows that we will love the good if we can only be freed from evil.

Why not trust that when Jesus comes into your life that he brings peace and love. Give Him a chance!

Pastor Tom

Ruling over a Heap of Ruins

John Milton said it this way: "Better to reign in hell than serve in heav'n."

I ran into an interesting verse in Isaiah that reminded me of that quote from Paradise Lost.

Isaiah 3:6 "You have a cloak; you shall be our leader, and this heap of ruins shall be under your rule"

I won't go into the situation that surrounds this prophecy, except to say that Israel has disobeyed God, walked away from Him, and is suffering the consequences.

My point is that sometimes we want to be in control so badly that even ruling over a heap of ruins is superior to falling on our faces in repentance for our sins. Medical research has shown that our brains have a built in self-defending mechanism. That's why people like Hitler could justify genocide.

We don't like admitting we're wrong and we don't like admitting we need anyone or anything else. In the natural human nature we like to be king - of something - even if it's a pile of garbage.

Think about that a little. How important is control and power in your life? What are you willing to give up if asked? I'm not saying that God would ask you to sell everything, give to the poor and go to Africa - but what if He did?

Don't rule over a pile of ruins when you can serve in a house full of love and forgiveness, where God is King!

Pastor Tom

How Do We Know?

Science, for the most part, declares that there is no God and that all we know we know from observation, theory and experimentation. While I have a high degree of respect for science, there are limits that many scientists are unaware of.

Without going into a huge dissertation on the subject, I just want to introduce a verse that illustrates the point:

Ecclesiastes 11:5 "As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything."

We humans living on earth are like swimmers in a pool. From underwater you can look up at the sky and make certain conclusions, but due to the way light is refracted and reflected your perceptions may be distorted. We can observe certain things and make conclusions about them, such as the fact that gravity exists and its effects. But just as science does not really know what gravity is, so too we cannot make blanket conclusions that there is no God behind it all.

We simply don't have enough information or the ability to collect enough information to prove He does not exist.

So let's give Him the benefit of the doubt and believe that what He said is true. God and science can co-exist, as long as science knows its limitations.

Pastor Tom

The House of Mourning

Here's a somewhat strange verse:

Ecclesiastes 7:2 "It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting."

On its surface you would think "a place of feasting would be a place of joy and happiness while a place of mourning would be full of sadness and grief - why on earth would I go there?"

I had an unusual experience that sheds some light on this. Recently I found out that a colleague had contracted brain cancer. The man was an intellectual and far from God and far from even being open to hearing about sin and salvation through Jesus Christ.

I told the man's boss that he might become more open as his day of death approached. Sure enough, as the days on this earth grew short, the man suddenly not only became open but he received Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior.

Now imagine that place where he will soon die. It will be a house of mourning, but in that mourning will be great joy because now instead of an uncertain future this man's family will know where he is going - to heaven.

Sometimes the house of feasting attempts to hide an inner need. Better to be in a place where there is honest appraisal of reality rather than a cover up.

Pastor Tom

You Can Take it With You

How many times have we heard that saying? Did you ever wonder where it came from?

It actually comes from the book of Ecclesiastes.

5:15 As he came from his mother's womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand.

The world sometimes fools us into thinking that the toys we collect the money we sock away and the possessions that possess us will set us up for eternity. The ancient Egyptians believed this so much that the tombs of the Pharaohs are replete with supplies to help on the journey to the after life.

It's not true, of course. When we die we leave everything behind. Or do we? I would submit that the one thing we take with us is our relationships. God becomes the bridge to take us from this life into a place where we can enjoy not only our relationship with Him but with all those who love Him too.

It's just a small thought, but how much emphasis do we put on things that we will leave behind compared to time and energy on relationships that can last forever?

Pastor Tom

Attacking Sparrows

I used to work in a building where you walked up some steps to the front door. Each spring when you attempted to go in you would suddenly notice a flash of black go passed you, nearly knocking you off of your feet. For a while I ducked and ran, not knowing what in the world was attacking me.

My office happened to have a window that looked out over those front steps. One day I noticed other people doing the silly dance that I had done - trying to avoid the inevitable attack as they approached the front steps.

That's when I noticed the black flash going into a little hole in the side of the building. It was a sparrow. The bird was protecting its young from attack. We really weren't in any danger, but the speed of the bird's flight created a natural "fight or flight" response in us.

Verbal attacks are like that too. We're just going along and "bam!" - out of the blue someone says something meant to harm us, to weaken us, or to put us off. Like the sparrow attack, we respond with either fight or flight. We either push back with both barrels or we run away and cry. I'd like to propose another option:

Proverbs 26:2 "Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, a curse that is causeless does not alight."

After a while of ducking and running from those sparrows (yes, I did consider employing a baseball bat, but thought better of it), I just ended up ignoring them. I knew from experience and from watching that I was never in any real danger. They weren't going to actually run into me, so I just let them fly around me and I walked in at peace.

We can do the same with insults (or "curses" as the Proverb says). When someone hurls something at you like a fast moving sparrow - don't duck and run or swing back, just ignore them and go on your merry way.

It's the reaction the enemy is trying to get. So just don't give it to him. If Jesus has cleansed you then insults are no problem. Satan will accuse you, it doesn't mean you have to answer the charge.

Pastor Tom

What Makes You Happy?

"Whatever makes you happy." Have you ever heard that said to you before? It seems that we are a society obsessed with doing that which brings us pleasure. "If it feels good, do it!" is another mantra of today. The only problem is that reward of pleasure is often just an empty feeling until we fill ourselves again!

Take a look at this proverb:

Proverbs 21:17 Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.

So how do you square this verse with the Psalms:

Psalms 16:11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Are they two kinds of pleasure? Yes, I think so. In fact, the Hebrew words are very different. In Proverbs the word means "glee" from a root "to brighten up." Whereas in Psalms 16 "pleasure" means "to be agreeable."

See the difference? If we seek pleasure as a way to make us happy happy happy we will be empty empty empty. But if we seek the Lord and His presence, He will bring us the pleasure of His company and a fullness that cannot be measured.

Does this mean we should never be happy? No. My encouragement for us is to seek God first and count on His very agreeable pleasure, and let the happiness of this life be the transient thing it is.

Pastor Tom

Are You Correctable?

Proverbs 17:10 "A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool."

In my last post I talked about how the human nature is self protecting naturally. We justify our own ways and when questioned we become instantly defensive.

What would it be like if we carefully considered the constructive things other people give to us? When you listen to a Bible study, do you allow the Scriptures to speak rebuke to you? When a loving family member has a correction for you, what is your response? How about at work - do the changes your boss wants to make to your work hurt you?

Now I'm not saying that anything anyone says to you should be taken deep into your heart and acted on. But I think it is wise to allow the Lord to speak to your heart through others - ask Him how this word or this situation can make you more like him.

Pastor Tom

Words Words Words

Many times the last thing we pay attention to are the words that come out of our mouth. As human beings we are are reactionary almost by nature. If someone says something that hurts us or injures our pride we attack back using our mouths as sharp swords of destruction.

When it comes to the other side - getting what we want - we put ourselves in the best possible light, no matter what the truth is. In fact, recent scientific studies show that the human brain will self deceive in order to justify its actions. That's how we can have people like Adolf Hitler or Osama bin Laden who think their atrocities are actually a good thing.

I want us to consider some wisdom from the Proverbs:

Proverbs 12:16-20
The vexation of a fool is known at once,
but the prudent ignores an insult.
17 Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence,
but a false witness utters deceit.
18 There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
19 Truthful lips endure forever,
but a lying tongue is but for a moment.
20 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
but those who plan peace have joy. ESV

Notice the contrasts here: ignore an insult rather than instantly fight back with "vexation"; speak the truth and expect to hear the truth; use your words to bring healing rather than injury; you don't ever have to go back on the truth, but lies have no foundation in which to endure.

Finally, I love the end of verse 20. Let's plan peace with our neighbors, our friends, our family, our co-workers, and our enemies! Pray instead of parry!

Pastor Tom

'Fes Up!

Admit it now - sometime, somewhere you have done something stupid. Maybe you made a rash promise or done something dumb to someone else's stuff? I know I have. So what is your first reaction: damage control!

We don't like looking stupid, we don't like admitting mistakes, and we certainly don't like eating crow in front of other people. So instead we cover it up, we make excuses or we just bear up under the consequences. There is a better way.

Proverbs 6:1-3 "My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, have given your pledge for a stranger, 2 if you are snared in the words of your mouth, caught in the words of your mouth, 3 then do this, my son, and save yourself, for you have come into the hand of your neighbor: go, hasten, and plead urgently with your neighbor."

In essence what this Proverb teaches us is to take responsibility for the dumb things we do and actually go and talk with the people we hurt. You might look dumb but I tell you, your honesty will speak a lot louder for the Lord than your pride.

Pastor Tom

Before Sinning - Hesitate

Have you ever noticed that when temptation comes it demands to be acted on quickly? I know sometimes the temptation grows slowly over time, especially when you start to give ear to it, but often temptation wants us to jump on an opportunity - essentially to act before we can think.

There is an interesting saying in Proverbs 1:15-16 "My son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths, for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood."

We have a policy in our house never to agree to send money to someone calling over the phone. No matter how wonderful the opportunity or cause, we ask them to send something to us in the mail or by email. Why is that? Because in the moment it is often hard to make a reasoned decision. We want time to pray, and time to consider how are action will affect our budget.

That's good advice when it comes to temptation. Make a pact with yourself that when temptation calls for you to run, you'll walk, and think, and pray first. What might seem good in the emotion of the moment can have long term negative consequences.

Pastor Tom

Want to Feel Good?

I'm not suggesting running for ten miles, having a second (or third) latte, renting a comedy, or something like that. I have another suggestion as a "feel good" formula: praise.

Psalms 147:1 Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting. ESV

I love the three words used to describe the act of singing to the Lord: good, pleasant, and fitting.

It's good - it focuses us on the Lord, not our problems, and since God is good and has His good focused on us, it is also our good. It is pleasant. This is the Hebrew word for "delightful" or "sweet." It makes me think of sitting on a shaded porch with an ice cold glass of lemonade on a summer day with a good friend. Thirdly it is "fitting." The root word means "to be at home." When we are praising God we are at home, in the place that feels right; fits right.

So for today's feel good tip: lift up a song of praise to the Lord!

Pastor Tom

The Door of My Lips

Psalms 141:3 "Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!"

What a great prayer. How many times have we said something hurtful only to almost reach out with our tongue to grab the words on their way through our teeth so as to pull them back?

How many relationships have we harmed or destroyed because there is no guard over our mouth?

Later, Paul the Apostle will say "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs. (Ephesians 4:29)

Notice Paul says "according to their needs," not what we think their needs are. Sometimes we think someone needs a good talking to, but in reality it is coming from our own hurt, not for their benefit at all.

So, let's all pray that prayer of David and may God make that guard armed!

Pastor Tom

How Important is God's Word?

Sometimes I think we sort of downgrade the Bible. Maybe its because we don't understand it, or that parts of it seem out of date or downright harsh.

What we need to understand is that the Bible is God's way of communicating to us His character and our character and His plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. It was written by the Holy Spirit through men and women who lived in cultures and epochs very different from our own.

I won't get into a lesson on systematic theology here but the basic truths behind the Bible are applicable no matter who you are or where you live, though sometimes you have to do a little cultural translation for those truths to come out clearly.

My point for today is that God Himself puts a great deal of emphasis on His Word.

Psalms 138:2 "...for you have exalted your word above your name."

Pretty strong words. Until we stand before the Father face to face and can hear Him speak audibly to us we need to trust that everything we need to know is in His Word.

Pastor Tom

Sow in Tears, Reap with Joy

Psalms 126:5-6 "Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him."

Do you ever feel like what you do for the Lord is wasted? Do you pray, seeking the Lord for answers, do you study his Word and share the good things God has shown you? Do you seek His Spirit to fill your life and guide you in your every step? Then does it seem at times like all that effort, all that prayer, all that dedication and obedience is just wasted because you don't see any fruit?

Take heart. Sow away. Though you may not see it today, or even in your lifetime, the promise of God is that those things done for His glory will bear fruit and one day, either here or in heaven, you will rejoice with shouts of joy for the wonderful harvest God brings in for what you have sown.

Pastor Tom

Giving Back To God

Do you ever wonder what you can give back to God for all He has done for you?

Here is a simple suggestion from Psalm 116:

"What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord ... I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord."

Simply put, our gift to God for what He has done is taking a hold of his free gift, lifting it up for all the world to see what he has done in us, then lifting up thanksgiving in the form of worship to him.

God doesn't want or need anything from you. You cannot repay him, but you can glorify and praise him. If you haven't given your life to him, then do it now by taking the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, then worship and thank Him for it!

Pastor Tom

Be Careful Little Eyes What You See

Remember that old Sunday School song referenced in the title of this blog entry? I do. It's a cute song but has a great point that David comes back to in Psalm 101.

(2-3) "I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless."

Two great points here: often times we as Christians are careful to reflect the character of Christ in church, perhaps even at work or in the grocery line. But something happens to us when the doors close on our home and we feel like no one but our family sees us.

Sometimes we lose that drive to be like Jesus. Sometimes we let go of acting with integrity. Don't. Some of the greatest witness you have is when you are behind closed doors. I know this is a cliche but God really does watch us when no one else does. Wouldn't it feel that much better if we lived out our walk with Jesus as well inside as out?

Secondly, I really like this idea of not setting things in front of us that are "worthless." If you are watching something that is not going to help you grow in Christ, or perhaps is going to cause you to stumble, why do it?

I'm not into censorship or anything like that. I'm not saying don't watch TV or movies or go on the Internet. I'm just saying: be a little more careful. What you take in can affect you.

Pastor Tom