In the Grave He Lay

How can it be that the eternal God lay entombed in a grave on that day we commemorate today?
How did the eternal light lay in darkness?
How did the life of heaven submit to death?
How did the Word of Power bow his head to the silence of the grave?
How did the Overseer of the Church close his all-seeing eyes?
How did the Warrior King surrender His soul?
How did the blazing sun of glory lie cold and lifeless on a slab of stone?

Today is the day of mystery, of light and life concealed in darkness and death. 

Amazing love, how can it be
That you, my Lord, should die for me?

Love in Hopeless Places

Have you ever cared for a friend who felt hopeless all the time? Have you ever come across a person suffering severe depression or frequent bouts with despair?  Those are the moments when truth seems trivial, when advice seems callous. Grand depictions of God's glory come across like diatribes and sermons about hope are receive as hype.

What do you do when you come across a friend in the dark?  Tell them you love them. Tell them you'll be there for them no matter what happens, that you won't leave, that you'll be glad to hear their deepest fears and their most depressing doubts.  Tell them you want to hear about their pain until you understand it a little better.  Enduring love increases the capacity to hear truth.

And when you do speak, lace your words with small phrases of Scripture.  Don't overload the depressed person with four chapters, or a dense systematic argument.  Give them small sips from the fountain, a few words with a gentle tone.  God is faithful. Their spirit will get the taste for the Word and thirst for another drop
before long.

Gospel Comfort

My latest sin was covered by the blood of Christ.
My greatest sin was punished in the wounds of Christ.
My greatest need is provided by the righteousness of Christ.
My greatest dreams are fulfilled in the promises of Christ.
My greatest loneliness is ended by the invitation of Christ.
My greatest sadness is reversed in the inheritance of Christ.
My greatest ambition is provided in the glory of Christ.
My greatest calling is found in the voice of Christ.
My greatest identity is found in union with Christ.
My latest day is determined by the wisdom of Christ.


Hallelujah, All I Have is Christ 
Hallelujah, Jesus is My Life --Jordan Kauflin

Grateful for Sovereign Grace

Why am I grateful for Sovereign Grace, the family of churches I have enjoyed for the last two decades?

1. Sovereign Grace loves to proclaim and apply the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Other values are important, but none eclipses Christ and him crucified.   We want to know it, proclaim it, treasure it, share it, advance it.

2. Sovereign Grace loves exegetical preaching.  Exulting in the whole counsel of God for our doctrine and our standard of life is our privilege.

2. Sovereign Grace loves Biblical community.  Genuine friendships, Biblical fellowship, encouragement, practical care, and love is what we are seeking with one another.

3. Sovereign Grace loves the Holy Spirit. For over thirty years we have rejoiced in the new covenant blessing of the indwelling Spirit, empowering us for worship, service, and witness.

4.  Sovereign Grace loves humility.  We're not humble--anyone who has met us can easily find that out--but we are seeking to grow in humility, to understand where we can humble ourselves before the mighty hand of God.  Our leaders have dared to make humility a value--knowing that none of us will ever live up to the standard.

5.  Sovereign Grace loves the doctrines of grace.  Sovereign Grace is more than a name, it is a celebration of our dependance on God's grace for all things, from existence to salvation to eternity.

6.  Sovereign Grace loves church planting.  I have grown up into a movement that was planting churches before planting churches was cool--I am so grateful for the heritage, for the church planters who built that heritage, and for the model that we now enjoy for raising up new lampstands for God's glory.

7.  Sovereign Grace loves the reforming grace of God. Anyone who has traced our history over the last thirty years knows that we have reformed--sometimes in small areas, sometimes in major areas, sometimes smoothly, sometimes not.  Yet the historic and current leadership of Sovereign Grace has been willing to hold up our practice and theology to God's Word and change what we need to change.  This gives me so much gratefulness for the past and hope for the future.

8.  Sovereign Grace loves Biblical pastoral ministry.  We want pastors of courage and gentleness, of conviction and grace, and we want those pastors to be encouraged, envisioned, challenged, and equipped for the faithful care of God's people.  Anyone who has met a Sovereign Grace pastor knows we are not perfect!  But as a family of churches we love raising up men who will faithfully shepherd God's people. 

9. Sovereign Grace loves the glory of God. We want to know Him, love Him, and worship Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. This has led to a history of passionate singing and dedication to growth in godliness in our personal lives, our families, our community.

10. Sovereign Grace loves to believe in God's good purposes for His people into the future.  Whatever difficult moment we are in, whether individually, or as church, or as a family of churches, we love to talk about the perfect, sovereign plan of God.  We know that His plan for us cannot be thwarted by the power of hell or the schemes of man, that God will build His church, and that His people will be transformed into His image until He returns.

I am so grateful for the many churches and church movements that are also celebrating these values in our day.  But, for me, God has used this family of churches--the men and women and pastors and leaders of Sovereign Grace.  Of course God could have used someone else to transmit all of the values above, but for me He used Sovereign Grace. I am so grateful that He did.

I'm Not Ashamed of You

We are too often ashamed of fellow sinners. 
We love people when they're growing, when they're strong, when they're transparent, when they're popular. 
We love them when they love us, when they admire us, when they serve us.
But we're easily ashamed when they fail us, disappoint us, neglect us, or embarrass us.
When their popularity wanes, our affection cools.
When they fall into shame, we keep our distance. 
Perhaps we will help this failing person, if we are understood as the superior, the evaluator, the doctor with a patient, the policeman with the criminal. That kind of association is safe. 
But this is not gospel love. 
Gospel love gladly delights in the image bearer, even when they are broken.
Gospel love gladly embraces the prodigal, even when they smell of failure.
Gospel love gladly associates with the despised, even when they deserve their shame. 
Gospel love calls the sinner away from sin, but gladly calls them friend throughout their journey. 
No one's reputation is worse than my own--a sinner against a holy God, forgiven through atoning grace.
Every Christian should be ashamed of me, but so many of my brothers and sisters have not been.
If God is not ashamed of me, then fellow brother or sister, I must never be ashamed of you. 

Levitical Memories

Leviticus 23-25 describes God's plan for keeping his glory in continual commemoration among his people. In the Bible, forgetfulness of God is failure.  God's people are called to remember his holiness, his glory, his judgement, and most importantly, his salvation. God set up the calendar of the Israelites to reflect this priority.  Annual celebrations as well as daily practices were meant to keep God at the forefront of their minds and hearts.  His name is to be honored continually (24:10) and his image bearers protected (24:17).

The section culminates in the magnificent once-a-generation celebration of the Sabbath year (25).  In this year, property is to be restored to its original owners and the land itself is to take a rest.  God's people are to be restored to their inheritance.  No matter how far down the economic ladder some of the people had fallen, they would always know that in the end their inheritance was guaranteed to return to them in the Sabbath year.  God's inheritance might be neglected, it might even be forgotten, but it would be restored.  On the sabbath year, God's salvation leading to a promised land and a promised rest would be remembered again.

How are we doing keeping God's name and salvation in remembrance? Does our calendar commemorate his glory and his preeminence in our hearts?  Are we consistently celebrating our great redemption?  And do we believe that we have an inheritance, glorious, eternal, unfading, kept in heaven for us? 

Levitical Character

Leviticus 18-22 outlines the character God expects from his people.  Their sexuality, worship, love for one another, obedience, treatment of their children, and priesthood should all reflect their position as the holy people of God.  They have been set apart among the nations by God and their character is to reflect their new holy status.

The same is true for us.  We are not only delivered from hell and headed toward heaven. Every aspect of our lives should reflect the holiness of our God. We are a holy people.  A chosen nation. We are called to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect.  We offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to the Lord.  As the Lord is holy, so we are to be holy in all that we do.   Actually the Levitical character should be even more apparent in us, since the law of Christ has been written on our hearts.

A Faithful Pastor

Who is a Faithful Pastor?

He believes the gospel of Jesus Christ.
He fights for personal holiness.
He leads and loves his wife and children, if God gives him a family.
He proclaims the whole counsel of God.
He loves all of God's people.
He pursues growth in pastoral skill in private and in public. 
He shares the gospel and seeks an evangelistic church.
He loves new believers, old believers, doubting believers, and unbelievers.
He denounces the evils of the age. 
He is willing to care for a small church or a large church.
He is willing to care for a weak church or a strong church.
He is willing to be known or unknown for Christ.
He is willing to listen to criticism and he loves his enemies.
He is unwilling to sacrifice convictions for popularity.
He rejoices in those with greater and lesser gifts than himself.
He may or may not be an eloquent speaker, but he clearly teaches truth.
He may or may not be a brilliant counselor, but he clearly counsels truth.
He may or  may not be be a creative genius, but he loves creative Christians.
He may or may not be an administrative powerhouse, but his church is ordered by the Word.
He may or may not be well loved, but he loves the Savior.
He may or may not be remembered, but he will receive the crown of glory.
He may or may not consider himself a faithful pastor, but he will hear "Well Done."

Levitical Atonement

Leviticus 16 is perhaps the most famous chapter in Leviticus--the prescriptions for the Day of Atonement. God warns Aaron against coming into the most holy place of the tabernacle, except for once a year, and only when fulfilling the atonement requirements. Aaron must offer a sacrifice for himself and then present two goats as a sacrifice of atonement for God's people. One goat will be slaughtered before the Lord, the other sent off into the wilderness.  The two goats represent the double need of God's people--sin must be punished by death and it must be removed far from God's presence.  Leviticus 17 specifies that such sacrifices to the Lord may not be presented at any other place than the tabernacle of God's presence, and that the Israelites are to preserve this fundamental image of blood atonement by not eating any blood in their normal diet.

To repeat: No priest could approach God without offering a sacrifice for himself. Access to God's presence was limited to once a year.  The day of atonement had to be repeated yearly.

Let me say this more personally. Even if I were an Israelite in those days, I could not approach God on my own. I would be dependent on a human, sinful, weak, imperfect priest to atone for his own sins before he could atone for mine.  Atonement before God's presence would have to be repeated, again, and again, and again, lest I be consumed by my nearness to God's tabernacle. 

Reading Leviticus makes the new testament sing.

For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, 26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Heb. 9:24-26

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith Heb. 10:19-22

My priest is divine, eternal.  I can approach God in Him at any time, anywhere, by faith. His atonement is perfect, final.   I will dwell in the unveiled presence of God forever.