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Mission: Love One Another
I will never forget being ushered to the bedside of my great-grandfather Alvin Feldbusch. He placed his large, worn, and calloused hand on top of my head and prayed for me with a gravitas that gripped my attention. Even though I was a rambunctious, skinny little runt of about 8 years old, I will always remember some of the final words he spoke to me and the prayer he lifted up to the Lord as I felt the weight of his hand on my tiny “patch of fur.”
The man who had always given me more ice cream than my mother allowed and eagerly shown me all his snow-blowing and gardening gadgets, was now just days away from leaving us. I will never forget that he prayed I would be “a farmer in God’s harvest,” on God’s farm field. I wasn’t fully sure what he meant back then, but now I’m beginning to know…
You may have a similar story of final moments with a parent, grand-parent, or sibling… We lean in to hear what our loved ones will say during their final days on earth. We don’t want to miss anything or hurry over any detail or forget their parting wishes…
Final Hours with Christ
In my current preaching series through the Gospel according to John, we’ve arrived at the final hours before Christ goes to the cross. His disciples – these Twelve men – aren’t exactly sure what is going to happen but they’re beginning to get a glimpse of understanding.
Death and darkness are approaching. Uncertainty is beginning to set-in.
In the Upper Room, they celebrate a Passover meal with Jesus, the Last Supper. Of course, you and I know this is not the end, yet this is the last major recorded teaching of Christ to His disciples. Short pieces of commission instruction will be recorded following the resurrection, but Christ’s teaching in John 13-16 are the final riveting words for the disciples and for us on how we are to live and love, and have comfort and hope without Jesus Christ physically present and leading us down the path of life.
The Setting: Christ’s final teaching started with a radical object lesson: laying aside the rabbinic robes of title, position, and cultural sensibilities, He takes the position of a non-Jewish slave – a household servant – and washes his disciples feet. But after explaining the shocking implication about the object lesson, Jesus turns to preparing them for His departure.
Everything is going to be thrown upside-down; the crowds have already reached mass defection (see John 12:37, 42-43). But now it’s even closer; defection – betrayal – will come from within their closest circle. So Jesus wants them to know two vital truths so that they will continue in faith and on mission after He’s gone, and when the storm of public opinion smacks them in the face.
And here’s the central issue for them and us: What do we need to believe and do when everything around us seems like it’s breaking loose? What we believe always impacts how we behave. So let’s lean into these riveting words of Jesus in the Upper Room, just hours away from the cross…where we will hear we must believe about Christ’s mission and how that links direct to our behavior as Christ followers. Let’s turn to John 13:18-35…
A Prayer for Today…
Lord of all of heaven and earth, God of all grace and mercy,
Help me to love as Christ loved His disciples, in serving, in taking the lowest rank, in laying down His life for their sake,
And as Christ still loves, in saving the lost, in cleansing me from daily sins, in interceding for me, in healing me deepest needs, in filling up my emptiness, in granting me joy in pain, in giving me hope in place of fear.
So, by the power of the Holy Spirit, work in and through my life to display Christ’s love,
…when I am tired and feel unable
…when I serve without the praise of others
…when I go unnoticed
…when I can’t expect anything in return
…when I’d rather serve myself
…when I think another is less-than-deserving
…when I face opposition or even hatred
…when my strength is gone may Christ’s strength be made perfect in my weakness, so that I may keep loving and serving and thereby displaying the grace of God I have received in Jesus Christ. So as I have received may I, therefore, be transformed within for the spread of your Gospel across the earth, through You, in me, to the praise of Your glory. To You, my Father, through Christ my Savior, and by the Holy Spirit my Comforter, I pray, Amen.
Listen to the full audio message below entitled “Mission: Love One Another” (John 13:18-35) by clicking on the play button below or by subscribing to our iTunes podcast. This message was originally delivered at North Park Baptist Church of Grand Rapids, MI, on Sunday morning, February 22, 2015.
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Church = Family?
Family. I love the sound of that word. Why? Because I believe the word family embodies the picture of God’s plan for His people. Are we perfect? No. Do we always get along? Sadly, no. Do we have occasional squabbles and disagreements? Sure.
Yet these things are a natural part of family life, aren’t they? I’ve never run into a family that never had a moment of tension. Yet in our imperfections, as we progressively grow in the character of Jesus Christ, we know that the things which unite us are far more important than the things which may occasionally divide us.
Here is what God’s Word says about us: we’ve received “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,” we were chosen in Christ “before the foundation of the world,” and “in love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved” (Eph. 1:3-6). The many gifts and blessings poured down on us through God’s mercy are not just what we’ve received individually, but collectively as a part of God’s household (Eph. 2:19-22).
So a local church is not a restaurant, where individual Christians show up for a good meal and quickly return to living in separation from life together on mission with other believers. A Christ-follower in sincere covenant with other believers in a local church will also not loosely hop from “restaurant” to “restaurant” looking for a more appealing meal. No, the local church is not a restaurant; it’s a family. A family stays together, loves each other, and works together toward a central goal because they know the value of the whole is more than the sum of each individual part. And dare I say, the value of a local church is not in the sum of its pastor or pastors – it’s in Christ who is the Head of the Church, and this is seen through His love displayed in all the members together as one family in Him.
This is precisely why the apostle Paul exhorted the local church in Ephesus to…
“…walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:1b-6)
So in a culture filled with discordant and ruptured families, Christ’s saving grace has brought us into the one family of God. By the Spirit’s power, we can now live on His mission together in the harmonic notes of the Gospel. As individual people who’ve received God’s love in Christ, we can now collectively show God’s love to each other and display it to those who, perhaps, have never seen His love.
By the Spirit’s power, we can now live on His mission together in the harmonic notes of the Gospel.
Each local church membership directory does not merely represent a collection of names, faces, and job assignments – it displays a portrait of a family of believers living and worshiping together for God’s glory.
My prayer this year is that we will grow together in Jesus as we love one another and go reach the lost with the gospel of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer and Lord.
If you want to know a little more about our local church family, North Park Baptist Church of Grand Rapids, here’s a short video that explains our core mission as followers of Jesus:
Gather Grow Go from North Park Baptist Church on Vimeo.
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Hypocritical Piety and Sincere Worship
Hypocrisy always hides behind a guise of piety, but sincere worshipers hide and hold back nothing – because they know Jesus Christ knows everything about them and yet He still loves them.
God’s great and grand story captures not only my heart but also my imagination. So on occasion, I pull away from splicing and dicing beautiful narratives from God’s Word into 3 and 4 point sermons and instead utilize a dramatic first-person form of communication. Why color outside of the normal lines like this? Because I long for God’s people to be radically captured by the beauty and power of His Word, so that their hearts and lives are changed for His glory.
In the video below I walk through a re-cap of the first half of the Gospel of John, and then dive into the story of Mary anointing Jesus’ feet with perfumed oil and Judas’ hypocritical response (12:1-11), from the perspective of Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary.
Here’s the manuscript for those interested in the details of this exposition:
[SCENE 1] Christ’s Story begins to Unfold…(John 1-10)
Jesus. Man. God. The God-Man.
Word. The Word became flesh and moved-in to live among us.
Life. Light. In Him was Life and the Life was the Light of men.
John the Baptist took the witness stand and testified to the identity of Jesus.
Lamb. Lamb of God. The One who would take away the sin of the world. And the story began to unfold…
Jesus inaugurated his public ministry at a wedding celebration and turned water into the best wine. (Ch. 2)
Jesus walked the super-religious Nicodemus out of the darkness of spiritual ignorance and into the light of God’s Good News. (Ch. 3)
Jesus turned the sex-addict from Samaria into a Gospel-telling worshiper of God. (Ch. 4)
Jesus healed a royal official’s son, saving him from death’s door. (Ch. 4)
Jesus restored a man by the Pool of Bethesda who had been disabled for 38 years. (Ch. 5)
Jesus fed 5,000+ people near the Sea of Galilee with a supply of just 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. (Ch. 6)
Jesus walked on top of the water of the Sea of Galilee, showing His disciples His power over the elements of creation. (Ch. 6)
Through all of this, Jesus taught with authority and wisdom that amazed everyone – including the Pharisees and Chief Priests! (6-8)
Jesus healed a man who had been blind from birth. (Ch. 9)
And in all of this, everything that Jesus SAID and DID was pointing us toward who Jesus IS.
We were coming to know and see the grace and truth of God. He taught my sisters, Martha and Mary, and I. But more than what He taught us, He loved us. He knew everything about everyone – He knew what was in the heart and mind of every person (Jn. 2:24-25) – but He still loved us.
[SCENE 2] Lazarus’s Death and Resurrection (John 11)
But then a severe illness fell upon me like a giant iron weight. I grew so sick that I was unable to move or eat. The pain was so deep I couldn’t sleep and then suddenly…I was gone.
The last thing I saw were the faces of my dear sisters. Sobbing and tears overwhelmed them as they saw me slip from their grasp.
Their crying suddenly was drowned out by silence.
But then, after my body lie rotting in the tomb for four days – I heard a voice breakthrough – I heard HIS voice, the voice that could calm the seas and speak the world into existence:
“Lazarus, come out!”
Then I saw His face, the deep, true kindness of His eyes – I could see tears still in His eyes – but they sparkled brighter than the sun that shone on my face. A smile broke across His face – the purest of joys – when He said to the crowd gathered all around, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
In all of this, everything that Jesus SAID and DID was pointing us toward who He was and IS.
But after all of this, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and Chief Priests (Ha! You never saw those three groups all working together)[1] but this time…they threw up their arms and shouted in unison, “What are WE doing?” Jesus was doing many amazing miracles. The people were flocking to Jesus in droves! But what were they doing? Sitting on their hands? No more.
They planned together to finally arrest Jesus and put Him to death. Period. It is said that Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, shouted (amidst the scheming and bickering), “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” (11:50).
Little did Caiaphas know that his words were ordained by God and went far beyond what he could see. Jesus would die for the nation, “and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.” (John 11:51b-52)
You see, God’s sovereignty overrules human conspiracy every time. God’s sovereignty overruled the Jewish Leaders’ plans for self-protection with His plan of redemption (John 11:47-57) And God’s sovereignty overrules human conspiracy… every time (cf. John 11:51-53).
God is turning tragedy into glory…
[SCENE 3] The Passover is Coming
Jesus and His twelve disciples then left for a town called Ephraim, 12-15 miles northeast of Jerusalem near the wilderness. We would learn that everything Jesus did was on His specific timetable ordained by the Father, to fulfill all prophecy…[2]
Passover was coming now, the great celebration of God’s night of deliverance for the people of Israel out of Egypt. The Passover lambs would be slain, pointing to the Lamb of God who would come and die so that our sins would be passed over, erased, forgiven.
Crowds of faithful Jews were pressing into Jerusalem. The sounds animals baaing and bleating, children scurrying, parents shouting, they were all passing through little villages like ours, Bethany, just 2 miles from the great city, Jerusalem. But through all the din, there was a whisper among the people, “Is Jesus coming? What do you think? Will He come to the Passover feast at all?
Word had spread all over that the religious authorities had posted a death wish for Jesus. If anyone knew anything about where Jesus was, they were to immediately tell the chief priests and the Pharisees, so that they could send soldiers to arrest Him (John 11:55-57).
Jesus was going to die.
I was wondering, too, with the crowds. Would I see Jesus again? Would I be able to thank Him again? Oh to see His face and hear that voice again…
[SCENE 4] Jesus Comes to Bethany!
Then the news came! People were running ahead to let us know! Jesus was returning! Jesus was coming to Bethany!
6 days before the Passover celebration,[3] the day when the lambs would be slain and we would not only celebrate God’s deliverance of Israel out of Egypt, but also pray with anticipation for the promised Messiah, the Lamb who would rescue us and deliver us… and now here was Jesus and His twelve followers!
Our tiny village burst into celebration! I threw my arms around Jesus. Tears of joy welled up into my eyes. I could see tears in His eyes, too. Tears of joy… but a hint of sorrow, too. At the time I wasn’t quite sure why.
We, together with Simon, the leper, (whom Jesus had healed) decided to throw Jesus a big banquet – in thanks and praise for bringing me back to life again and teaching us the Good News of God’s kingdom!
My sister Martha, immediately gathered other people together to prepare for the big feast![4] She loves that sort of thing – she always loved to work and serve but now that Jesus had given us grace and truth – her service was a beautiful, joyful act of worship. She flurried around making sure everything was just so.[5]
I, Lazarus, was able to sit down at the head table with Jesus. We laughed and talked and ate and rejoiced…
[SCENE 5] Mary’s act of sincere worship and Judas Iscariot’s words of fake piety
But then my sister, Mary, did something totally unexpected. It was as if she knew something was to come that nearly all of us didn’t see. We missed it…
I was just about to bit into a piece of bread when she came in – full of tears in her eyes. I wondered what was wrong.
She hurried over to where Jesus sat at the table and knelt down at his feet.
All the talking and laughing immediately ceased.
Suddenly she broke open one of our family treasures, a sealed alabaster box filled with the purest perfume oil one could buy – a Roman pound, nearly 12 ounces as you might say here.[6] The fragrance was of pure nard, prepared from the roots and stems of an aromatic herb from northern India. It was worth as much as what most men could earn in an entire year of labor!
This pure oil was only used by the wealthiest of our society. It was kept to anoint Kings or rabbis or to perfume the bodies of our deceased upon burial.
And Mary poured it all out upon the feet of Jesus, anointing Him…
But then she knelt down and wiped his feet with her hair. Only the lowliest servants would clean the feet of guests. The strong, sweet fragrance filled the entire house where everyone was gathered.
It smelled like a thousand roses on a warm spring day… The pungent sweetness hung in the air.
Mary wept as she wiped the oils and cleaned the feet of Jesus… and she knew something that nearly all of us missed that night.
Suddenly, a cutting voice broke the silence, “Why was this ointment not sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor!???” I felt a pit in my throat as I whirled around to see who had said the words.
It was Judas Iscariot. He was right, so it seemed. This perfumed oil was incredibly expensive and it could have been sold to give money to the poor. Soon some of the other disciples started to agree with Judas (see Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-8). His words appeared pious, righteous. Jesus had taught us to feed and care for the poor, the sick, and the outcast.
Mary’s spirit broke. I saw her crumple down to the floor… she hid her face from the men.
But then Jesus spoke with a calm but firm voice, “Leave her alone. She has kept it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.” (John 12:7-8)
You see, Mary knew that every step Jesus took was one step closer to the cross, to His death, and His burial. In her sincere worship she was preparing him for death and burial. She was worshiping the Lamb who would be slain the very next week for the sins of the world.
My sin.
Her sin.
Your sin.
Jesus in our place.
We would find out that Judas Iscariot had walked with Jesus for three years but completely missed what Mary knew: Jesus was the Messiah, who would suffer as the Servant of all, in order that we might be brought to God.
The disciples discovered that Judas’ seemingly pious and righteous statement was actually a guise for his greed, for he was a thief. As the keeper of their moneybox, he would help himself to what was put into it. He certainly would have helped himself to the 300 denarii gained from selling the perfume.
Judas would sell off his association with Jesus for 30 shekels of silver, not even worth half the value of the oil that Mary lovingly and worshipfully poured down on Jesus’ feet.
She knew Jesus was just days away from the cross. He was just days away from burial and from the ultimate sacrifice – out of love for you and me.
[SCENE 6] The IMPLICATION
Hypocrisy hides behind a guise of piety but sincere worshipers hide and hold back nothing because they know Jesus knows everything about them… yet He still loves them.
Write those words on the tablet of your heart today.
God’s Word says:
“Christ died for sins, the just for the unjust so that He might bring us to God.” (1 Peter 3:18)
“But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
What Jesus SAID and what Jesus DID points toward who Jesus IS.
And today, for you and for me, He is calling us to sincere, true faith expressed in humble and devoted worship.
Judas sounded incredibly righteous but He completely missed what was really going on! Was all that perfume wasted? Vaporized?
The content of our worship may seem like a waste of time to the world, but it’s like a beautiful aroma to Christ. He is not looking for efficiency and productivity and a high-octane performance in our worship. No, God is looking for our all to be lovingly placed at His feet. Our time, our possessions, our schedules, our ambitions – all at His feet in worship.
Do you find yourself hiding behind pious and righteous sounding words? What religious masks are you hiding behind in order to protect your reputation or sound pious?
You see, the gathering of God’s people is not a charade where we parade around in our costumes and masks inspecting everyone else’s façade of holiness. No, God’s people, the Church, is a family brought together by a God who knows everything about you – about all of us – yet still loves us, and died and rose again to rescue us.
So remove your mask today. Drop the hypocrisy and the fake piety.
Respond to Jesus the Messiah in sincere worship today.
Footnotes
______________________________________
[1] The Sadducees and the Pharisees were fierce enemies in almost every respect. The Sadducees were the liberals of the day, denying the resurrection and the divine authorship of all the OT books besides the Torah. They were also cozy with the Romans through financial kickbacks and extortion. However, the Pharisees were the ultra-conservative legalists of the day who barely tolerated the Roman occupation and followed umpteen regulations to seemingly maintain their righteous standing before God. However, the Sanhedrin was comprised of mostly Sadducees (including the high priest and chief priest’s family), with a small but influential minority of Pharisees.
[2] Carson notes: “A large council […] is unlikely to be secure, especially if there are sympathizers in it. So it is not surprising that Jesus found out about the Sanhedrin’s decision and therefore . . . no longer moved about publicly among the Jews. To those with eyes to see he was making a theological statement: no human court could force him to the cross. Both the fact and the timing were simultaneously the Father’s determination and his own willed act (10:17, 18; cf. notes on 12:23ff).” Carson, D.A., The Gospel According to John, PNTC, pg. 423.
[3] Kostenberger remarks, “If John, as is likely, thinks of Passover as beginning Thursday evening (as do the Synoptics), “six days before the Passover” refers to the preceding Saturday, which began Friday evening.” (John, Backgrounds, pg. 119).
[4] The dinner was most likely in their home or in the home of Simon the Leper, but it may have been in a larger public setting. Remember, the last time Jesus was in Bethany he raised Lazarus from the dead. This shocking event would certainly bring the small village together in a grand welcome to the One who gave their brother and friend life again. The noun deipnon refers more the central meal of the day, similar (but not the same as our “dinner”). This may very well have been a festival type banquet in honor of Jesus’ return.
[5] Just think, the last time Jesus was in Bethany, Lazarus was rotting in a tomb and Martha and Mary were sobbing with grief. Then the Life broke through death and brought Lazarus back to life again. Jesus has been temporarily in Ephraim, but now returns to Bethany – now doubt with great fanfare. Can you imagine the greeting between Jesus and Lazarus? Can you hear the buzz humming across the village? “Jesus is returning, Jesus is coming back! We must give him a great dinner…” Kostenberger writes, “It is probably that Lazarus, Mary, and Martha provide the meal, though a large dinner in this small village, celebrated in honor of a noted guest, may well have drawn in several other families to help with the work.” (Backgrounds, pg. 119)
[6] The manner by which Mary expressed loving worship to Jesus was by using an extremely expensive bottle of spikenard perfumed oil from northern India, a litra (11-12 fluid ounces) to anoint the feet of Jesus, (v. 3a).
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Sun on Snow
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Give thanks to the God of gods, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.
To Him who alone does great wonders, for His lovingkindness is everlasting;
To Him who made the heavens with skill, for His lovingkindness is everlasting;
To Him who spread out the earth above the waters, for His lovingkindness is everlasting;
To Him who made the great lights, for His lovingkindness is everlasting:
The sun to rule by day, for His lovingkindness is everlasting,
The moon and stars to rule by night, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.
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The Blind Man and the Seeing Blind
Did you come to Jesus as a blind beggar or as a religious do-gooder? You have to come to Him as a blind-beggar – empty-handed – to receive sight and life in Him. We must see we are blind to receive true sight and life through Jesus the Christ…
God’s great and grand story captures not only my heart but also my imagination. So on occasion, I pull away from splicing and dicing beautiful narratives from God’s Word into 3 and 4 point sermons and instead utilize a dramatic first-person form of communication. Why color outside of the normal lines like this? Because I long for God’s people to be radically captured by the beauty and power of His Word, so that their hearts and lives are changed for His glory. In the video below I’m retelling the story of the man born blind…from his perspective.
The Blind Man and the Seeing Blind: John 9.1-41 from North Park Baptist Church on Vimeo.
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The Christ Candle
Christmas Eve – the night of anticipation. Every child awaits Christmas morning with eager, can-barely-hold-it-in excitement because of what is to come. Young children will scarcely sleep as they lightly doze off with dreams of cars, dolls, games, and various toys dancing in their heads. Parents will rest with smiles of anticipation as they think of the bright giggles and laughs they’ll hear from their children as they open all the surprises around the Christmas tree.
But all our hopes for tomorrow’s Christmas celebration can’t hold a candle to the white-hot fire of anticipation that consumed God’s prophets in the Old Testament era. They longed with every fiber of their being for the great day when God would send the chosen Rescuer, to save His people from their sins. The prophet Micah spoke as God’s mouthpiece about One who would come to shepherd God’s people:
“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be a ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity. …And He will arise and shepherd His flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD His God. And they will remain, because at that time He will be great to the ends of the earth. This One will be our peace.” (Micah 5:2-5a; cf. Matt. 2:6; NASB)
Yet this great Shepherd, the Good Shepherd would come first as a Suffering-Servant-Rescuer destined to die so that we, as sinners, could have peace with the perfect, righteous God… and live. Only the perfect One who is both fully God and fully man could offer the once-for-all payment for sins and seal it as completely sufficient for the sins of all mankind. This meant God Himself had to come. God foretold this Great Arrival through His prophet Isaiah:
“Therefore the LORD Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)
In Matthew’s Gospel, we discover that the title “Immanuel” means, “God with us” (1:23). And that is exactly what Jesus, the God-Man, did. God came down. He came to live among us. He came to die among us… as one of us, but also for us. He came so that through His death, we might receive new, eternal life.
When an angel appeared in a dream to Joseph, Jesus’ adoptive earthly-father, he said,
“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20b-21)
The white candle of Advent, the “Christ Candle,” reminds us that Jesus Christ is the pure, spotless, sinless Savior sent by the God the Father to take away our sins. Men, women, and children everywhere are offered rescue through the Rescuer who came down to us, to die for us, so that we could be brought to God. On this Christmas Eve, I invite you to place full trust in Jesus Christ’s finished mission of rescue, if you’ve never done so. If already you have, let’s rejoice together in Him, remember what He did, and anticipate the dawn of final redemption at His Second Coming!
By Michael J. Breznau. December 2014.
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Light Breaks Through
The darkness of sin enveloped our souls
Only faint shadows remained of Eden’s land void of toils
Once dwelling in the light of Eden’s oasis
Now sent from the presence of the Creator’s kind graces
We stumbled along the torn path of life
Groping and feeling our way through the strife
The anger, the hate, the pride rooted deep down in all places…
Kept its tentacles reaching across all time and spaces
Born in the rebellion of old Grandfather Adam,
we prove we’re his kin with each shake of the fist,
every sharp word,
and slit of the wrist…
The people of old knew their sad state…
And longed for the day when Someone might turn all the bad into good and change their wretched fate
But darkness clouded the minds of the masses
We rejected God’s prophets and love-letter messages
We threw them aside for the will of our flesh
And fashioned our own prophets who said, “Amen! Go have fun with the rest!”
God’s people foretold One would bring light to the darkness
But we went our own way, crafting gods in the form of our likeness
In the pool of reflection we claimed our own perfection
We preached the idea we had no need for redemption
But stumble, fall, falter we must
For the darkness overwhelmed us with lust
Lust for power, position, possessions, and pleasures…
We sunk down deep in the trash of our treasures…
The trail led us down into the muck of our pride,
…the stench of our sin
…the abuse of our bodies
…the hate of our hearts
…all proving again – we’re Adam’s next-of-kin
We were hurt so we turned to hurt others
Regardless that they were our brothers
Dog-eat-dog is the way of the beast and the way of the man
So fist-over-fist we fought our way through darkest abyss
Screams in the dark and longing for light
But our pride refuses to turn to what’s right…
Would we ever see with true sight?
Then without lightning, without fanfare,
With no trumpets or any rocket’s red glare…
To the outskirts of a dusty, little settlement on the edge of town…
There was born a Baby without any human renown
His parents were poor, His mother accused,
His country was treated by the Romans like refuse…
But there over the cattle and straw and dung
God ordained for a signal star to be hung…
Light was here! Light had come!
Prisoners in the dark dungeon of sin,
Now were offered salvation full and free in Him!
His messengers proclaimed to lonely shepherds:
“The Messiah is here! The Rescuer has come!”
To the Magi of the East, God was pointing people from the star to His Son
To all those walking in darkness, they were invited to come…
Jesus the Christ born in Bethlehem…
Offers forgiveness for all your pride and hate and sin:
He is the Way that brings us to peace
He is the Truth that sets us free
He is the Life that gives us light
God came for you and me.
Most princes, kings, and religious elite…
Had no need for this Jesus born off the beaten street
But the invitation remains for you and for me
Will you come to Jesus, the Light, and begin to truly see?
______________________________
“The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them.” (Isaiah 9:2; cf. Matthew 4:14-16)
“…And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations, to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon and those who dwell in darkness from the prison.” (Isaiah 42:6b-7)
“Because of the tender mercy of our God, with which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, to shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:78-79)
By Michael J. Breznau. all rights reserved. December 2014.
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Christ in Your Christmas
Over the last ten or fifteen years, various Christian lobbying and activist groups have been notifying me of the reality that many companies are “taking Christ out of Christmas.” So with great enthusiasm, I filled out petitions to various stores in order to encourage them to “keep Christ in Christmas.” After all, what is Christmas without a hearty, “Merry Christmas?”
The dull, placid remark, “Happy Holidays,” holds about as much cheer as “Grandma got run over by a reindeer.” And the thin veneer hung over the commercialization of Christmas and other associated holidays has become ever more sheer, so much so that I’m afraid my 5-year-old son is about ready to notice the proverbial emperor is no longer wearing any clothes. All sincere meaning seems gone…
Expectations run high but emptiness often trickles into our Christmas scene. Behind all the bright red bows, sparkling Christmas trees, and neatly wrapped packages we see ahead to the morning after Christmas morning, the dead batteries, and fast approaching…the day after New Year’s.
So we may donate money to “Christmas-saving” groups and receive a pin to wear, notifying persons we speak with that, “I say Merry Christmas, and so it’s okay for you to say it, too!” But I wonder how many of us – my family included – focus on Jesus Christ in our Christmas season?
Now don’t misunderstand me, I’m not saying that you’d be wrong to support these Christian organizations that lobby on behalf of Christmas. I love saying, “Merry Christmas!” to everyone I meet this time of year. My heart is warmed when I walk into a store and see the words “Merry Christmas” hung across the entrance. I am delighted when my children squeal with joy when they spot a Nativity scene displayed in a window, front yard, or city square.
Sure, we may say, “Merry Christmas” and donate $5 to receive a Christmas pin. We can energetically petition stores to put the name of Christ or the word “Christmas” back in their holiday displays.
But is Christ really in my Christmas?
How much is Christ in our Christmas? Historically, the word Christmas is an abbreviated form of Christ-mass, meaning the celebration of Christ – specifically in His first Advent. Yet is Christ actually remembered and in center-focus during our Christmas season?
Or is it really more about fulfilling everyone’s expectations for honey-baked ham, turkey, carols, presents, fruitcake, re-runs of Rudolph, and more? Are you stressed about your party schedule for work and extended family? Are you scrambling to figure out how you’re going to have enough money to buy the gifts your kids really want? Or do you feel lonely, even depressed about Christmas because a loved one is now gone, and they’ll never enjoy another Christmas with you?
Maybe during this Christmas season, what we need most is not a petition to Target or Wal-Mart to put the word Christmas back on display, but for you and I to fully receive Christ back into our Christmas. And maybe then, Jesus Christ, the source of true love, joy, peace, and hope will be on display in us.
When an angel of the Lord declared the most shocking message of all-time to a ragtag, outcast crew of shepherds on the fringes of society, it wasn’t a sermon of condemnation but a proclamation of joy:
“And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all people…” (Luke 2:9-10)
But how can these shepherds who were scared out of their pants (pardon the colloquial expression) have joy? And why does this angel have such good news that will result in great joy for everyone – even stinky, dirty shepherds?
One word: Christ.
Here’s the earth-turning, life-changing reason delivered from God’s holy messenger: “…for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior…” (Luke 2:11a)
A Savior – a Rescuer is here! And this Savior is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy: He was born in the city of David: Bethlehem. In Mathew’s account of the story, he recorded that King Herod – who was incredibly nervous and agitated about losing his throne – gathered all the chief priests and scribes together and asked them where the Christ, “the Messiah,” was to be born (Matt. 2:3-4). Their response unearthed an amazing parallel from a rather obscure Old Testament prophet named Micah. You might have to dust off the pages of your Bible as you look at this passage with me:
“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity…” (Micah 5:2)
The entrance of Jesus the Christ into the world was not a random occurrence or like a lotto ball that just happened to drop down the right tube. The day Christ moved into the neighborhood of fallen, sinful humanity had been planned before the earth was formed and prophesied hundreds of years before the Great Arrival. All the pent-up anticipation broke out into a broken world and light spread through the darkness.
But look again, carefully: the angel said the Savior was born for them – to save the shepherds. He came to save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21) and God didn’t make an exclusion clause for those who didn’t have their act together or who weren’t accepted by the so-called righteous people.
The Baby born in Bethlehem is a Savior…
For those who don’t have their ears clean and haven’t bathed in weeks
For those who can’t afford expensive clothes, new cars, or a house of their own
For those who have a bad reputation and have done some time behind bars
For those who haven’t been to a church service in years
For those who the so-called religious elite ignore and sometimes despise
For those who have a dark past they’re too ashamed to talk about
For those who wonder if God really cares they exist out on the pastureland of earth
For those who everyone else thinks is unimportant or a liability
For those who might carry chronic diseases and infections
For those who feel like they wear a scarlet letter because of past sins
For those who are rejected or ridiculed by people who claim to follow God
For those who are worn out from trying to measure up to people’s expectations
For those who are filled with sadness and tears because they think they’ll never be close to God or never know real love…
And who is this Savior… this One born in the city of David? God’s angelic messenger finishes the sentence: “…for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11b)
One word again: Christ. The title “Christ” signifies this little newborn baby is the Messiah, the Anointed One who has come to save and rule and shepherd the flock of God, the One who will restore justice and righteousness, and reign with truth and grace. He is the One who Moses foretold in Deuteronomy 18:15-19:
“The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him.” (Deut. 18:15; cf. Luke 24:27; John 5:46; Acts 3:22-23)
He is the One who Isaiah prophesied about in detail:
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.” (Isa. 7:14)
“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of Dave and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.” (Isa. 9:6-7)
He is the One who Jeremiah shouted about long before the Incarnation:
“‘Behold, the days are coming,’ declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely; and this is His name by which He will be called, ‘The Lord our righteousness.’” (Jer. 23:5-6; see also Jer. 31:31-34)
Ezekiel, Daniel, Micah, Zechariah (3:8-10) and others all pointed to the Messiah, the One who would come to save. Yet, we cannot overlook the already-but-not-yet tension in the prophetic thread running through the Old Testament to the birth of Christ in the New Testament. He is the Savior who is currently saving people from their sins and reconciling them with God. Yet He is also the Savior who will come and rescue, restore, and redeem all things to Himself at His Second Coming.
Already: Jesus Christ saves those who trust in Him for salvation, giving hope and joy for the unfolding of His future grace.
Not Yet: Jesus Christ will fully redeem us and rule over the renewed creation with justice and righteousness.
So look again at Luke 2:11: This Christ is the Lord. He won’t become the Lord over all when he returns to build His literal, physical kingdom on a renewed earth. He is already Lord over all and always has been. Right now, today, Jesus is the Christ and the Lord.
Back at the Ranch, i.e. Smelly Sheep Station
So this sweaty, tired crew of shepherds stands with eyes gawking, hands shaking, and hearts trembling. But the angel of the Lord isn’t finished with the message, he says:
“This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.’” (Luke 2:12-14)
They received an invitation to find and receive God’s gift, the gift of a Savior – Jesus the Christ. He is how these scared shepherds can receive joy. He is the reason why the angel’s message will result in great joy for everyone – even outcast shepherds.
And they immediately go find Him, look upon Him, and go tell everyone about Him (Luke 2:15-18).
The Gift For You
God sent His holy messenger to invite the shepherds to find His Son and receive His Gift – to receive His great joy – even in their sadness.
But Christ’s gift of joy is also for us. God invites us to receive the great joy of the Good News through Jesus the Savior. And in finding Him, we behold Him and receive Him as the only true Messiah who can save and bring joy in our sadness, grief, and tears. He, the only One who can wipe away your scarlet letter – never to be seen again, never to be talked about again, never to hold you back from His joy.
Here’s the amazing invitation at His incarnation: although He will one day return to restore all things, He – right now – offers to you and me and the shepherds, joy and peace with God through Him alone.
The Way Back to Christ in Your Christmas
The only way to find true love, joy, hope, and rest this Christmas (beyond the stress, emptiness, busyness, and negative cash flow) is for us to have Christ back in our Christmas. But how does this work? Is it putting up more overtly Christian decorations? Is it wearing more Christmas clothing? Does it mean singing more Christmas carols or reading more Christmas stories in the morning? Does it mean escaping the Christmas season altogether?
No, receiving Christ back into your Christmas (maybe for the first time) is not through something we do but through what He gives by what He has done.
Receiving Christ’s gift of joy in your sadness begins with hearing the message of great joy in Him, going to Him with all your sadness, brokenness, and tears, and then receiving Him in trust as the only One who can save, rescue, and give true, lasting joy.
And it is a gift, a gift only possible because of grace. Here’s how Romans 6:23 presented the Good News of great joy:
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 6:23)
God offers you this gift through Christ not to declare condemnation but as a proclamation of joy: a Savior came for you and He’s inviting you to receive Him, be redeemed through Him, and rejoice in Him.
Christ is waiting to enter your Christmas. Will you receive Him and His joy… today?
Listen to the 4-part series of full audio messages below by clicking on the play buttons below or by subscribing to our iTunes podcast. These messages were originally delivered at North Park Baptist Church of Grand Rapids, MI, on Sunday mornings: PART 1 – Dec. 7th 2014: “Christ’s Joy in Our Sadness” (Luke 2:8-18), PART 2 – Dec. 14th 2014: “Christ’s Rest in Our Stress” (Gen. 2:1-3; Matt. 1:18-23; 11:25-30), PART 3 – Dec. 21st 2014: “Christ Love in Our Emptiness” (John 3:16-21), PART 4 – Dec. 28th 2014: “Christ Hope in Our Fear” (Romans 8:18-30).
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Love in Design
Amid the convoluted messages about sexuality and marriage across the news networks and social media feeds, it’s easy to wonder if there is any solution or resolution for the conversation. Has God provided a clear, navigable pattern to follow?
Do you wonder how Jesus Christ would respond to questions like:
- “Can I sleep with my girlfriend, just so long as she doesn’t get pregnant?”
- “Is marriage really only between one man and one woman for life?”
- “Isn’t lust and porn okay as long as nobody gets hurt?”
- “If someone has same-sex attraction, does that mean they’ve been made that way by God? Does God think it’s okay?”
A Pattern in Design
On Sunday, Nov. 9th (6pm service) we at North Park Baptist Church began journeying into a study of what God says about our sexuality and His design for marriage. Here’s a quick glance at the line-up (audio podcasts now posted for messages 1-3 at the bottom of this post):
- Nov. 9 – God’s Beautiful Blueprints – Pastor Michael Breznau
- Nov. 16 – Counterfeits? Jumping to Home Plate: Pre-Marital Sex – Pastor John Nixon
- Nov. 23 – Counterfeits? LGBTQ meets FHL (Faith, Hope, Love) – Dr. Bruce Kalish
- Nov. 30 – Panel Discussion on Cohabitation, Lust, Same-Sex Attraction, Q & A, etc. – Michael Breznau, John Nixon, Bruce Kalish, and Heather Saturley
Our series on these important questions relates to a proposed amendment [Update: voted into our constitution as of 4.26.15] to our church constitution, relating to “Position Clarifications” and a “Marriage and Sexuality Position Statement” appendix, on which we plan to hold a congregational vote (4/26/2015): click here to access this document as a PDF: Constitution Position Statement and Appendix
Also relating to our revised and expanded “Position Clarifications” on Christian Liberty and Ethics, please go here to access further resources and the audio messages from our series “Liberty or License: The Moral and Ethical Implications of the Gospel.”
God’s Beautiful Blueprints
I had a great time kicking-off the series with two key portions of God’s blueprints for marriage: Genesis 2-3 and Ephesians 5:17-33. Below is the audio podcast of my message (I will post the other messages in the series as they become available). As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Also, here’s a video from Dan Stevers we used as the opening for our series. He does an excellent job capturing the essence of “the Story of Sex” with clarity and creativity:
Going Deeper
We also want to provide you with materials to go beyond what can be accomplished in just 4 teaching sessions. Therefore, here are 4 key resources that I highly recommend purchasing for further study. If you swing by North Park Baptist for one of the the evening sessions listed above, we have all these books available in our foyer display for the cheapest prices we could scrounge up on the internet. Here you go:
Listen to the full audio messages below by simply clicking on the play button below or by subscribing to our iTunes podcast. These messages were originally delivered at North Park Baptist Church of Grand Rapids, MI,
Part 1 – Pastor Michael Breznau: “God’s Beautiful Blueprints” (Gen. 2-3; Eph. 5:17-33) on Sunday evening, November 9th, 2014.
Part 2 – Pastor John Nixon: “The Truth and the Grace” (1 Cor. 6:13-20), Sunday evening, November 16th, 2014.
Part 3 – Dr. Bruce Kalish: “LGBTQ meets FHL” (1 Cor. 6:9-11, and selected passages), Sunday evening, November 23rd, 2014.
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Talking with God
The action of praying was somewhat of an enigma to me when I was a child and teenager. Sometimes I would hear people pray in ways that sounded amazing, as if they were speaking directly to their Father and hearing His responses. Other times I heard people pray a thousand terms that all sounded the same – with dozens of little “filler words” like “Oh, God,” “just,” and “like” – I was often guilty of falling into this cycle myself. Prayers like these seemed to circle more around the individual than a direct line of communication with the transcendent, all-powerful God of the universe.
Occasionally I would hear people pray with lots of emotion – that meant they were really super-spiritual – in my estimation back then. Their faces would get red as they shouted up at God with hands raised and sweat pouring down their foreheads. Still others would simply sit or kneel quietly for what seemed like hours.
When I was in India I saw the most fervent prayer I had ever witnessed. Hundreds of men, women, and children would kneel down with their faces on the ground and pray and pray and pray, and find such joy in simply communing with God. And I wondered what I had missed all my life…
And then there was me… I had a little rehearsed prayer that I would recite before eating a meal, I would often pray during church services, and I would pray regularly before I went to sleep each night. Sometimes I tried to pray like men and women whom I respected – so I would attempt to pray with fervent, visible emotion – and there were times the Holy Spirit moved deeply in my heart when I prayed with this kind of fervency. On other occasions, I would find myself on my knees in my bedroom feeling the weight of conviction pour over me as I asked God to forgive me for the sins I committed earlier that day, and God worked in my life through those prayers, too.
A Gearshift
When I was about 15 or 16 years old I started running a lot – and I mean a lot – I always liked to run, but this was something different. I began running nearly every day and taking longer runs every weekend, as I prepared for the next distance race I had written into my calendar. Each morning I would get up before sunrise, have a light drink of water, eat 2 or 3 baby carrots, prepare, stretch-out, and then embark on a fast-paced run.
And here’s where something unusual happened: I began to communicate to God while I was running and He would communicate with me. Now, I didn’t hear audible voices or receive new revelation from God. Don’t worry, I won’t be writing my own addendums to the Bible. God has already uniquely revealed His direct will and plan in His Word.
But here’s what my communication with God did look like…
I silently praised Him for the bright sunrise coming over the gentle farm-laden hills of mid-Michigan. I quietly thanked Him for the cool, clear air that I could breathe through my lungs as I sprinted up a small knoll. I reveled in the changing seasons God had beautifully arranged for us to enjoy – and I told Him how much I delighted in Him and what He had made. I worshiped Christ for giving the sparrows and robins and cardinals charming songs to float through the trees. I declared God as holy as I ran past a bubbling stream and rapidly growing cornstalks. And I began to see foretastes of His coming kingdom as I took time to notice the scope and grace of His creation and His saving grace toward me.
The more I saw God through what He had made, the more I realized how small I was and how often I failed to put Him on display in my everyday life. And so I would humbly repent of my failings, faults, and sin as I jogged past homes, farms, and forests.
But it wasn’t just a one-way monologue from me to God. God would speak to me through His creation and His Word. By His merciful love, God would often bring to my mind a passage or phrase of Scripture that would inspire me to greater praise or deeper conviction. The Spirit would give me comfort and peace in times of turmoil and stress. Sometimes I would be reminded of someone with whom I had neglected to share the hope of Christ or how I’d failed to demonstrate genuine forgiveness. There were moments when the Spirit would suddenly “turn the light bulb on” in my understanding of a paragraph I was studying in God’s Word, and there were times when an idea for ministry or business would come to mind that I simple knew was not from my own intellect or creativity. God was communicating to me through the general revelation of His creation and the special revelation of His Word.
Here’s how King David described God’s amazing message through general or “natural” revelation
“The heavens are telling the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their utterances to the end of the world.” (Psalm 19:1-4a).
:: A pattern of reflection on God’s creation and power ::
And in the same Psalm, David continues with a beautiful sonnet on God’s special revelation, the Scriptures:
“The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.” (Psalm 19:7-10)
:: A pattern of remembering God’s character and will ::
Yet we then find that the essence of this famous Psalm is prayer – David is describing God’s communication in His creation (natural revelation) and through the Scriptures (special revelation), but he closes the poem with His response to God:
“Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of my hidden faults. Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins; let them not rule over me; then I will be blameless, and I shall be acquitted of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14)
:: A pattern of repentance and response to God’s redeeming, forgiving grace ::
On my quick jaunts across the countryside, God was guiding me, comforting me, and reminding me of who He is, what He has done, and what He will do. He was drawing me to respond with prayer and praise through His beautiful creation and His inspired Word.
And that’s really what prayer is: communication. Praying is more than rubbing a Genie-bottle so we can get nice items from the Genie or some sort of divine fairy godmother. God is so much bigger and better than that and prayer is so much more important than developing a wish list that uses church-like terms or Christianized lingo.
Prayer is a divine gift we’ve received through redemption in Christ so that we can talk to the omnipotent Father who made us, knows everything about us, and yet still continues to love us. Pick-up the conversation today… He wants to hear from His children. You can talk to God. He’s ready to listen and respond.
I encourage you to take a moment to look up these other prayers to see God’s pattern for prayer: Matthew 6:5-15 and Ephesians 3:14-21
