A Poem of Longing

From our free Advent devotional, Darkness & Light

A Poem of Longing

by Scott Matson

December 7, 2018

             “In a dream, a vision in the night, when deep sleep comes over people as they slumber on their beds, he uncovers their ears and terrifies them with warnings, in order to turn a person from his actions and suppress the pride of a person.” (Job 33:15-17)

 Nightfall surrounds me,

Fearful terrors steal away

My hope and my joy.

God, don’t forget me,

The one whom You have redeemed.

Keep me in Your thoughts.

When comes our hope, God,

The promise which came from You?

We are still waiting.

Messiah’s advent

Means its joyous fulfillment.

The promise has come.

Reflection: Read Isaiah 9:2-7 and Revelation 21:1-4 and reflect upon God’s great promises to His people. Focus on how Israel awaited Christ’s first advent and how we now await His second advent.

Blessing and Cursing

The following is an excerpt from the free Advent devotional Darkness and Light - download and use it during this Advent season.

Blessing and Cursing

by Scott Matson

December 5, 2018

             Since Balak son of Zippor was Moab’s king at that time, he sent messengers to Balaam…Balak said to him: “Look, a people has come out of Egypt…please come and put a curse on these people for me because they are more powerful than I am. I may be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land, for I know that those you bless are blessed and those you curse are cursed.”(Numbers 22:4b-6a)

            Blessing and cursing: the words of divine promise given generations ago. Words which had proven true time and time again. But what’s this? One who would usurp the promise sought their harm. The king of that land threatened to curse God’s people. Hadn’t they seen enough trouble? They wandered through the desert, a people alone. No allies, no friends. Night and day, hot and cold, light and darkness all around them.

            But they were sustained by the provision of the One who told their great forefather to leave his home and go.

             They had left their home as well. That same One had told Moses to lead them out of Egypt. Now they were wanderers with nothing but the promise of divine protection and provision. But somehow that was enough. It had to be enough.

            “We should ask God to increase our hope when it is small, awaken it when it is dormant, confirm it when it is wavering, strengthen it when it is weak, and raise it up when it is overthrown.”

                                                                                                                         - John Calvin

Reflection: Listen to the song “God of My Everything” by Bebo Norman and reflect upon God’s faithfulness to sustain you in difficult times.

Darkness and Light

Advent. A time for silence, reflection, and an unhurried pace. Beginning December 2 and culminating on December 24, Advent reminds us that He who is truly God became truly Man to save us.

My wife, a few of my friends, and myself have a gift for you this Advent season: a daily devotional to help you set your mind and heart on Christ. Please download it and share it. We wrote this in two countries on two different continents and offer it to you.

Darkness & Light 2018 Advent Devotional

Preparing for Advent

As Advent approaches, our thoughts turn to Christ’s incarnation. That the eternal, timeless, infinite God would humble Himself and take on our frail humanity is a profound mystery. Yet it is also profoundly true.

In the 14th verse of the 1st chapter of his Gospel, John tells us, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” We are not capable of comprehending the humility that God displayed in His incarnation. However, because God’s nature is perfectly, completely, and finally revealed to us in Jesus, we know that humility is one of God’s attributes. Jesus said, “…the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

I’d like to focus on what I believe to be an often-overlooked aspect of the incarnation, and that is that God understands what it’s like for us to live in these bodies of flesh. Psalm 103 is one of my favorite chapters in all of Scripture, for in it God shows us that He understands us.

“The unassumed is the unhealed.” - St. Gregory of Nazianzus

Psalm 103:1-18 says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle. The Lord performs righteous deeds and judgments for all who are oppressed. He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel. The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust. As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. When the wind has passed over it, it is no more, and its place acknowledges it no longer. But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep His covenant and remember His precepts to do them.”

That is a rather lengthy passage of Scripture but I would encourage you to go back and read it in its entirety if you didn’t before. I love how our Father gives us a glimpse into His heart of compassion and lovingkindness that He has towards us.

Here’s the thing—as humans, we’re earthy. We were created from the dust of the earth. When we get hot, we sweat and smell bad. We wake up with morning breath and offend everyone within ten feet of us. We eliminate waste from our bodies, we get tired and have to sleep, we get hungry, and so on. And yet there is a beauty in all of this. For we humans are not merely of the earth—as Dr. Tim Mackie says, “we are dirt and divine breath.”

God is no stranger to our earthiness. He designed us this way, and even more than that, He entered into our earthiness! He fully understands us. Speaking of Jesus, Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” The eternal One limited Himself to linear time. He who is omniscient limited Himself to human knowledge. The omnipresent One confined Himself to a human body to be only one place at any given time…God humbled Himself and took upon Himself our earthiness and humanity. Philippians 2 teaches us that Jesus never ceased being God but He did voluntarily lay down the powers and privileges that come with deity (this is the doctrine of kenosis).

In conclusion, I think that sometimes we expect way more out of ourselves than God expects from us. We beat ourselves up so often when He has forgiven us through the finished work of the cross, and we forget that He has been touched with every weakness that we face, yet without sinning.

So as preparations begin for the start of Advent, take heart. The King of Heaven knows you, understands your weaknesses, and loves you in spite of them. The beauty of the incarnation is that God came near. He truly is Emanuel, God with us.

P.S. - My wife, myself, and a few of our friends have been writing devotionals for each day of Advent. Stay tuned…

On Thinking Biblically and Loving Others

On my heart has been the deep conviction of the Holy Spirit regarding how I view those who are different than me. Do I think biblically and in line with Jesus’ heart when I think of refugees, immigrants, those seeking asylum, Arabs (specifically Muslims), Democrats, Republicans (no, I don’t align with either political party), and others? In other words, do I view others the way God views them or the way I’ve been conditioned by news sources and political rhetoric not belonging in any pulpit? 

If our highest authority is the Word of God, we must submit our presuppositions and thought-choices to it over all other sources of authority and information. So, the question I’ve been having to ask myself, and the question that all of us who love and follow Jesus need to ask ourselves is this:

 Is what I think and how I feel about ‘them’ truly biblical?

  I’ve been broken-hearted as I’ve heard wonderful, well-meaning Christians talk about how they can’t stand Arabs. I’ve heard things like “let’s just nuke the whole place and get it over with” which makes me so sad. Jesus told us that we are to love our enemies and pray for those who despitefully use us (Matthew 5:38-48).

  If we as Christians are going to adopt a mindset that says we should just go in and destroy anybody who tries to mess with us, then how will those people…

1) Hear about Jesus? Jesus desires that all should be saved and come to repentance. Guess what? That includes Islamic terrorists. That includes Arabs who are not terrorists but who live in Israel. That includes you and me.

  2) Ever have a clue that Jesus loves them? If all they hear from Western Christians is a rally cry of destruction, war, and hatred, how are they ever to be saved? And yet our Lord told us that He desires that they would be saved and that we are to go to them in love and make disciples – not make target practice.

I fear that we as Christians in the West have adopted a mindset that has more in common with our government than our God. Do we realize that God is not an American? Do we realize that the agenda of God’s Kingdom and that of America are not the same? Do we remember that God couldn’t care less about our geopolitical ideals – He’s into saving people! The Gospel and the Kingdom are what matters. NOT our (or any nation’s) political agenda.

As Christians, our obligation is to glorify Jesus and present Him to this lost world. That means EVERY people group on the planet – not just the ones that are friendly and agree with us. “He came to His own, and His own received Him not” – what did He do in response? He loved them perfectly and died to atone for their sins. We students are not greater than our Master. We are called to follow in His example by loving the nations.

If we continue in this unbiblical and ungodly mindset, how will our children and future generations ever have any desire to evangelize the hard-to-reach peoples? They’ll just want to bomb and kill them rather than love and reach them with the Gospel. That’s so wrong. Lord help us.

At the Intersection of Theology and Philosophy

“Everything we learn – economics, philosophy, biology, mathematics – has to be understood in light of the overarching reality of the character of God. That is why, in the Middle Ages, theology was called ‘the queen of the sciences’ and philosophy ‘her handmaiden’.” ~ Dr. R.C. Sproul, Everyone’s A Theologian

Recently my wife and I relocated to Tulsa, OK, and I’m still trying to adjust to the humidity. Seriously, how can it be overcast and rainy and also feel like I’m standing on the sun whenever I go outside?! But I digress…

In the midst of all the transition and settling-in I’ve been preparing for a class which I’ll be teaching this upcoming semester at my new job. The topic of the class is worldview. Worldviews deal with the presuppositions (basic beliefs and assumptions) we hold regarding the world, life, existence, etc. Our worldview is the way in which we see the world and affects the way we answer life’s most basic questions – Who am I? Why am I here? What happens when I die? Is there any meaning to all of this?

Something I’ve come to greatly appreciate is the intersection of theology and philosophy at the heart of the Christian faith. The words themselves mean “study of God” and “love of wisdom” respectively. As Christians, we believe in an eternal, personal God who Himself is the source of all knowledge and wisdom. And this is not a belief which is merely a holdover from more primitive times and from which humanity has largely moved on. Billions worldwide claim Jesus as Lord and God, and thousands give their lives every year in martyrdom for this testimony. Our faith is rational and logical as well as mystical and transcendent.

Thus, when we approach life’s most profound questions from a Christian perspective, we can do so confidently.

“Therefore, there must also be something which is to all beings the cause of their being, goodness, and every other perfection; and this we call God.”~ St. Thomas Aquinas

Taken from St. Thomas’s Summa Theologica, the above quote gets to the foundation of a worldview known as Christian Theism. This is a worldview based upon the presuppositions that there is a God, He can be known, He has chosen to reveal Himself (more on this later), and by His grace mankind is able to receive His revelation. Holding to the historic Christian faith means that I affirm these presuppositions and that they are the basis of all I believe and confess to be true.

At the very heart of this worldview is the first and most basic presupposition: God exists. While the details of St. Thomas’s argument for the existence of God are beyond the scope of this post, he taught that since everything was created and has being, there must be an eternal and uncreated being who is the cause of everything’s existence. As he said, we call this being God.

“God replied to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.” ~ Exodus 3:14

Although Moses may not have understood all of the theological and philosophical ramifications of God’s proper name, God revealed something incredibly profound to him that day. And this passage in Exodus is the first place in the Bible where theology and philosophy intersect, as God’s self-revelation answers the philosophical questions relating to metaphysics.

The study of metaphysics is concerned with the nature of being and existence. For us who are Christians, we believe that one of God’s attributes is His aseity. This Latin word speaks of God’s self-existence. Everything in creation came into being at God’s decree, and was given being by God. However, God has intrinsic being within Himself. In other words, He did not derive His existence from some source outside of Himself, rather He is the source of being and existence! Whereas everything in creation exists, God is existence itself, and this is seen throughout the biblical record. God is He Who Is.

“I know that there’s a meaning to it all…a little resurrection every time I fall.” – Jon Foreman

Further, since God is the source of all being, wisdom, and knowledge, His self-revelation also answers philosophy’s questions relating to epistemology.

Epistemology is the study of knowledge. It is concerned with two primary questions. First, the nature of knowledge ~ what does it mean for someone to know, or fail to know, something? And second, the extent of human knowledge ~ how much can man really know of all knowledge that exists? Christian Theism teaches that God is Omniscient (all-knowing). He not only knows all things, but is in fact their source and creator. God is the author of knowledge. That takes care of epistemology’s first concern. Second, as the creator, the extent of God’s knowledge is infinite and limitless. This answers the second concern.

Finally, God’s self-revelation answers philosophy’s questions relating to ethics. Since God is the self-existent One and creator of all that is, He sets the standards of what is good and evil. The innate sense of morality within every person was given to him or her by God, whether they acknowledge this or not. And because God’s self-revelation is seen most clearly in the Incarnation (Hebrews 1:2), we know what He is like. Jesus revealed God perfectly to us, because Jesus is God. And Jesus is good. His character was flawless. Even His most bitter opponents were unable to bring a single valid accusation of sin against Him. (John 8:46)

To sum up, Christian Theism comes to the cultural table-of-ideas and enjoys a well-deserved seat. As Dr. James W. Sire wrote in his fabulous book The Universe Next Door, “Nothing is prior to God or equal to Him. He is He Who Is. Thus, theism has a basis for metaphysics. Since He Who Is also has a worthy character and is thus The Worthy One, theism has a basis for ethics. Since He Who Is is also He Who Knows, theism has a basis for epistemology. In other words, theism is a complete worldview.”

Thus, as Christians we can joyfully and confidently navigate life even in the midst of pain, tragedy, and evil, because we know that ultimately all things are moving toward their God-ordained end, and His purposes will prevail.

“In short, the most important aspect of the theistic concept of history is that history has meaning because God - the Logos, meaning itself - is behind all events, not only ‘sustaining all things by His powerful Word’ (Hebrews 1:3) but also ‘in all things…[working] for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose’ (Romans 8:28).”

From the Beginning

My good friend Matt Combe just released his first EP, "From the Beginning." It's a work of musical art which you should definitely download quickly!

Matt is a talented song-writer with a passion for Jesus and vocals to match.

The artwork is a piece of ancient art, produced by the Church to depict the eternal relationship between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

And, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to record the drums for this project.

So, check it out here!

Thank you, Dr. Sproul

Today, Dr. R.C. Sproul passed from this life into the next. Although the news did not come as a shock (Ligonier Ministries had been giving updates regarding his declining condition) I confess I feel some sadness tonight.

I first began listening to Dr. Sproul's teachings - via the Ligonier app - several years ago. I didn't come as a convinced Calvinist. I came as a student eager to learn about the history of the Church, and the notable men and women who have shaped it throughout the last two millennia. I got way more than I bargained for.

I began to learn about Augustine and Athansius, Boethius and Barth, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, and a host of others. I began to obtain a greater understanding of God's work in and through His covenant people. I learned about the intricacies of the Protestant Reformation, the importance of Scripture, and this great salvation given to us solely on the basis of God's free grace.

But most of all I learned more of who God is. If you've spent any time following Dr. Sproul's ministry, you know that God's holiness was one of his primary areas of focus. Isaiah's vision (Isaiah 6) laid the groundwork for much of what Dr. Sproul did, taught, and lived.

I have learned so much from him over the years. I will be forever grateful for the influence he's had on my life and ministry. And I rejoice with him now as he's left the Church militant and joined the Church triumphant.

So, until my voice joins in that one song around the throne that never ends, I celebrate all those in Christ who have gone before me. And specifically, I remember and honor the legacy and memory of Dr. R.C. Sproul.

To read more about his life and ministry, click here.

Ecclesia reformata et semper reformanda

Silence & Sound - Advent Devotional 2017

This upcoming Sunday (December 3) marks the beginning of Advent. Taken from the Latin Adventus, meaning "coming," Advent is a time when the Church both remembers and anticipates Christ's coming.

"Since the time of Bernard of Clairvaux, Christians have spoken of the three comings of Christ: in the flesh in Bethlehem, in our hearts daily, and in glory at the end of time."

In the tradition of keeping an Advent calendar, my wife, a couple of friends, and myself wrote some devotional thoughts to help you focus on Christ this season. To listen, rest, and be still. It's a free download, and our prayer is that God will meet you in a special way this Advent season.

Deo Patri sit gloria, et Filio qui a mortuis surrexit, ac Paraclito in saeculorum saecula

Download Advent Guide here

God's Delight in His People - Part 2

In my previous post I put down some thoughts about God's love for His elect and the delight He takes in us.

Romans 8:29 gives us the primary reason that God the Father elected those whom He would save - to conform us into the Image of His Son (sanctification). Our primary calling in this life is to become more like Jesus. That’s a pretty tall order. He is God Incarnate, and we are sinful human beings. It seems like an impossible process, and you know what? It is. It is completely impossible.

How can sinful human beings be made into the image of the Eternal God? By the Holy Spirit of God. That’s the only way. It is by God's grace alone.

The fact that God the Father chose you and me for this glorious process of sanctification - that began with justification and will end with glorification - is an absolute mind-blower. But here’s what’s even more crazy, and this is where I go when I’m feeling completely inadequate (which is pretty much every single day). God knew that you and I were and are completely unworthy for this calling.

He did not choose us because of something good that He saw in us. He did not choose us because He “looked down the tunnel of time and saw that we would choose Him” (a popular teaching in evangelical circles today but one that does not hold water Scripturally). Do you want to know the reason God chose you?

Here it is: He chose you because He chose to choose you. It was for the praise of His glory.

Read Ephesians 1:3-14 - that phrase, “the praise of His glory” appears three times, always talking about God’s purposes for saving us. He loves you and me because He chose to love us. Nothing more. Guess what? That is incredibly good news. Why? It is such good news because it means that God’s love for us was never based upon anything that has to do with us! That means that His love for us now and His love for us eternally will never be based on anything that has to do with us. His love for us and His election to Salvation is based on and grounded in His character, Nature, and purpose, all of which are eternal. God does not depend on you!! 

I’ll be honest here; I struggle a lot with this concept. I believe and understand theologically that God chose me, even knowing all of my sin, because it was His good pleasure and to the praise of His glory. But I struggle with really owning that truth. To be honest with you it has been just about the single biggest struggle relating to faith that I’ve had over the years.

But you know what? God knew that I would have even this struggle and He still chose me! I am so thankful for the fact that I serve a God who does not make His decisions about me based on my character and consistency, but rather on His own. I find nothing but grace, security, a sense of being loved beyond my comprehension, and sweet humility in the doctrine of election. To me it is a doctrine infinitely beautiful and comforting, and it makes me cry out to God with a heart that is grateful. What a great salvation!

God's Delight in His People - Part 1

I first began to write this during my flight from Chicago to San Francisco on my way home from London in 2015

What a fantastic trip to England! I was able to reconnect with some dear friends in Bromley (one of the 33 boroughs of London) and enjoy exploring London and Canterbury. I’m a total church history and historical theology geek so it was like a week of Heaven. This might seem like a strange way to introduce the above noted topic, but I did that on purpose.

I can honestly tell you that I enjoyed every single minute of my trip - well, other than the fiascos I faced at three of my four airports that day (Heathrow, O’Hare, and SFO) - and that my enjoyment was very important to God. Maybe that’s a strange thing for you to hear. Perhaps you’ve grown up in a church that emphasizes nothing of God’s delight in His people. I want to tell you right now that if you’re in Christ, the Father delights greatly in you. Don’t believe me? Read Zephaniah 3:17. That is one of the most amazing verses in all of the Bible.

I dare you to read that verse and then tell me that God does not delight in you or care about your joy. All throughout the Bible we read about God as a father, delighting in and rejoicing over His covenant people.

I’m writing this because I sincerely believe that many of us who are Christians live under a burden that has been placed upon us by the enemy of our souls, and that burden is a constant, underlying sense that God is not happy with us. I know that I have struggled with this for most of my Christian life, and that it is a crushing burden at times. It can quickly and easily suck the joy out of even the best day. If you and I do not know deep down that our Father is happy with us and that He delights in us because we have been accepted by Him in His Son (Ephesians 1:6) we will spend our days in introspection and self-condemnation. I can tell you from personal experience that this leads to despair and hopelessness. 

So why do we walk around, carrying this heavy burden of shame? I believe it has to do, at least in part, with the fact that it is so difficult for us to reconcile the twin facts that God is infinitely Holy and that we have been corrupted by sin. I know that God sees every thought, every intent of the heart, every bad attitude, every action, etc, and I start to freak out. How could He not be angry with me when I’m so full of sin? I echo the words of our brother, the Apostle Paul, when he said, 

“For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin” (Romans 7:14-25). 

Let that paragraph of Scripture really hit you and sink in deeply. Paul laments the fact that he finds himself constantly doing what he does not want to do (sin) and not doing what he wants to do (walk in holiness). Do you ever feel this way? I know I do. I love the Lord and sincerely desire to walk in a manner pleasing to Him, to serve Him, to keep Him and His Kingdom first and foremost in my life. But so often I find myself falling back into old sinful patterns of thinking, behavior, treating others without love, being selfish rather than others centered, etc.

Next time, we'll continue this thought and finish up with another look at the Good News.

The Humility of God, Part 2

So here’s a strange way to begin a blog post…

It is very important that we not become functional polytheists.

By that I mean we must remember that there is no division of nature within the Trinity. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are one in essence/nature (although three in person).

It is very important that we understand this, as many times we think of God’s saving love towards us in a way that makes us functional (as opposed to theological) polytheists.

Let’s unpack this. Many times we approach salvation theology—soteriology—by thinking the Father hates us, then Jesus comes along and calms Him down through His sacrifice, and then the Father starts to love us.

But no! That is a false dichotomy, created by us when we divide and separate the natures of the Father and the Son. That is an ancient heresy.

God is one—the Hebrew word is echad, and it denotes the idea of a compound unity. And because there is no shadow of turning in God (James 1:17), we know that all three persons of the Trinity think and feel the same way about us. So when we see Jesus doing and saying anything, that is a perfect reflection of the nature of the Father.

Jesus said,

Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise - John 5:19.

Now how does this relate to the cruciform nature (self-giving humility) of God which we discussed in the previous post? In Luke 12:37 Jesus told a parable about His servants being ready for His return. He told them (and thus tells us) that He will serve them (and us) in His Kingdom.

That is a scandalous thought.

God will serve us? Again, this testifies to the nature of God. Although He is the King of majesty and righteousness, the Lord of all creation and the God of the universe, He clothes Himself in humility.

Throughout the Scriptures, and especially the New Testament, we as Christians are exhorted to love one another and clothe ourselves in humility. Think of 1 Corinthians 13—this describes the nature of love. We know from 1 John that God is Love, and so 1 Corinthians 13 is a beautiful description of the nature of God. 

Now if you’re anything like me you can tend to think of God the Father as a tyrant, angry, hard and austere, etc.

The Reformer, Martin Luther, was terrified of God the Father, thinking Him to be nothing but wrathful and a harsh judge. Luther had trouble fully understanding the concept that when we look upon Jesus we are looking upon the Father as well (Luther also imagined Christ being wrathful and angry, but that’s more for a Church history post).

But what about God’s continual exhortations throughout the Old Testament to observe and obey His commandments? Does this not make God a harsh lawgiver, only concerned with our obedience? Some have mistakenly made this characterization of our Lord, but as He is faithful to do, God has answered this question clearly in His Word.

Reading Deuteronomy chapters five and six, I was once again blown away by the goodness of God. Check out this verse. It’s verse 29 of chapter five:

Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!”

Did you catch that? Why does God say He wants His people to obey Him? It’s not because God just arbitrarily wants us to obey Him because He is God and we are not (although that is absolutely true, and were that the reason it would still be more than sufficient—God is worthy of all obedience no matter His reasons). God wants us to obey Him, walk with Him, and keep His commandments because He wants it to go well with us!

He wants us to be blessed, and because He is good and loves us, He has placed certain parameters around our lives to keep us on the track of blessing. He knows what is good and bad for us and has given us commands to keep us on the track of blessing.

I have heard it said many times,

Sin is not bad because it’s forbidden. Sin is forbidden because it’s bad.

Reading those two chapters of Deuteronomy reminded me once again of God’s absolute goodness. He is for us! We see God’s character of love, humility, and servanthood on display all throughout the Old Testament. It almost sounds blasphemous to say that God has the character of a servant, but all of the Bible testifies to this. And again, Jesus is the complete, perfect, and final revelation of the Father (Hebrews 1:1-2). Jesus said of Himself,

…the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. - Matthew 20:28

So in these two chapters of Deuteronomy, as well as the above verse in Matthew, we see the revelation of the cruciform nature of God. Amazing.

In his song Love Comes Down, Matt Maher sings,

Oh glorious beyond all measure, bending low to wash His traitor's feet, people just like me.

Amen.

The Humility of God, Part 1

I really enjoy going to Starbucks on my day off, getting breakfast and coffee, and spending time with Jesus in Scripture. On one of those particular mornings last year, the twenty-first chapter of the Gospel of John was where I found myself. A couple of days previously He had been reminding me that when we look at Him, we see the Father. Jesus and the Father are one, and Jesus perfectly and completely reveals the nature of the Father.

Jesus said, He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

I think this is an aspect of the Incarnation that we can tend to overlook if we’re not careful. Jesus reveals what the Father is like in every way.

On this particular morning I was reminded again of the character of God while reading verse thirteen. It says that Jesus took the fish and the bread that He had been cooking on the shore and that He gave it to His disciples for breakfast. God made breakfast for them, and He served them! This is the thought that struck me again that morning. The God of all eternity joyfully served His own creatures. I don’t know about you, but that leaves me awestruck.

Now if you don’t know much about me, I’ll give you this little bit of info on my theological leanings. I’m a Protestant with a deep in interest in liturgical expressions of the faith a love of history. I’m a fan of Luther, Calvin, Aquinas, and Crysostom (although they all disagree at times). I love the 39 Articles of Faith that come from the historic Anglican tradition, and my favorite authors are all dead.

Now if you have any experience with historic Protestant (i.e., Reformed) theology, you know that one thing not often discussed in such circles is the humility of God as one of His attributes. But biblically there is no way not to see this. Amongst His many attributes, our God is humble. Just look at the narratives that run from Genesis to Revelation; God is constantly condescending to reveal Himself to His creation, and to love and be faithful to them. Any step on God’s part to relate to us and do anything for us is a step of condescension. How many kings leave their thrones to serve the least of these in their kingdoms? Well that’s exactly what the King of the universe has done time and time again throughout history, and most remarkably through the Incarnation. But not only did God demonstrate His love for humanity in His Incarnation—He also displayed His humility.

Last year I read a book by Dr. Glenn Kreider (Dallas Theological Seminary) called, God With Us: Exploring God’s Personal Interactions with His People throughout the Bible. In it he wrote,

"…there is something counterintuitive about the idea that God is humble and condescends toward His creatures. God is Sovereign; He is transcendent and wholly other. He is great in power and position. How then could He be humble? Isn’t humility a form of weakness? This would seem to be a misunderstanding of humility, but such thinking is widespread."

We tend to think that sovereignty and humility are mutually exclusive; that greatness and servanthood don’t go together. But the life and ministry of our Lord completely disproves those faulty notions. How many times throughout the Gospels did Jesus tell the disciples that true greatness lies in becoming the servant of all? Whom did Jesus say we must become like if we hope to enter the Kingdom? Children.

Jesus is God, Lord, King, and Creator. He plainly told His disciples that He is Lord and Master (John 13:13) and that He is worthy of all obedience. So, by extension, the Father is worthy of all obedience. Personally I believe that one of the greatest needs in the Church today is a higher view of God, particularly in His offices as Lord and King. The last thing that the Church today needs is a low(er) view of God. Dr. Steven Lawson, pastor and theologian, gets it right when he says that we need a high view of God.

But I also think that many times another truth about our God gets lost in this mix, that He is our Father and friend. I think that we in the Church have in some ways lost sight of the fact that God condescends to serve His people in humility.

We see in John 13 that Jesus, knowing that He was God, and that the Father had given Him all authority in heaven and earth, and that He was going to be returning to the Father in just a few days, used that power and authority to do something. What did He do? He washed the feet of his disciples (yes, even Judas’); in Jewish culture in the first century, this was the job given to the lowest slave in the household. Apparently none of the disciples had wanted to humble themselves and wash each others’ feet, so Jesus Himself did! Let this sink in for a moment. God Almighty, the all-glorious, eternal Sovereign of the universe voluntarily humbled Himself to do the lowest job in order to serve His disciples. In this we see Jesus reveal a beautiful aspect of the character of God the Father: He delights in serving His people.

So next time you’re reading through the Gospels, remember Jesus’ words:

He that has seen Me has seen the Father.

Want to know what God is like? Look at Jesus.

Welcome!

Welcome to my newly-launched website! Thank you for visiting. I plan to post regular blogs here, as well as a weekly podcast and personal updates. Also, I’ll be launching the music portion of this site soon. Also, there’s a link to my newly-released book on Amazon, so I’d love it if you checked that out!

It is my hope that as you spend a few minutes here, you will come away with a deeper appreciation of God’s love, music/travel, and all things related to Church history.

I’ll be posting a new blog update here soon, so stay tuned for that. And check out my first podcast on the iTunes store. It’s called Centuries and Saints.

Thank you, friends, for stopping by! I’m looking forward to interacting with you.