Do You Know What It Says?

"God helps those who help themselves." Where is that Bible verse? The answer--no where. It's not in the bible,and it's not true. Yet, so many people quote sayings that aren't even in the Bible.

A recent article on CNN is about that very issue.

This is a great article that highlights the need to actually know what the Bible says. You cannot know what the Bible actually says if you never read, or study it.

Food is Good

Food is good. Food is not only good it is necessary. It is so necessary we will die if we go to long without food. Every morning I wake up and it doesn’t take long for me to begin thinking about food. What am I going to have for breakfast?
I have heard for years that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”. I don’t know about the science of that statement, but it seems to make sense. My body needs to fueled so that I have the necessary energy to go through the day.

Food is critical to a properly functioning body. This effects every part of our life. My brain, emotions, and muscles are all directly impacted by the intake of food.

I cannot live without food. That is why we think about food many times a day.

Jesus said to the disciples, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” What? The disciples were confused. They began to talk among themselves. “Hey Peter, did Jesus stop by 7-11 while we weren’t around?” “I don’t James, there was a grocery store back a couple of miles. Maybe he picked up a sandwich at the café.”
Wrong! That is not what Jesus is talking about.

“Guys, listen up…my food is to do the Father’s will and to finish the work.” (John 4:34)

This is in John 4. That chapter starts out with the classic encounter between Jesus and the woman at the well. He told her that He was the living water. Now He tells the disciples that His food is to do the Father’s will.

You can’t live without water, and you can’t live without food. That is the comparison Jesus is making.

Food is compared to doing the will of the Father. Jesus’ was nourished, energized, filled up, strengthened, and enlivened by doing the will of the Father.
Food is not optional, how come we so often approach obedience to God’s will that way? It is not optional. True, I may continue breathing and living today without focusing on the Father’s will – but that is not truly living. It is a poor substitute for the true, abundant life that God has for us. True life is when I walk with the Father in His will.

Food is good. Food is necessary. Every morning I wake up and think about food. Every day I must eat food. God’s will is good. God’s will is necessary. Every morning I should wake up and seek to submit my spirit to the will of God. Every day I must seek the will of God.

Did you know that God’s will is actually better than food? There is a level where the analogy between food and God’s will breaks down. It is possible to view and use food incorrectly. You can become a glutton of food, which is a sin. You can eat too much, or too much of the wrong thing. You can overeat and become overweight.

Not so with God’s will. We are supposed to be gluttons of God’s will. There is no such thing as overeating God’s will. The problem is not becoming obese on God’s will, but becoming too thin. So, watch what you eat when it comes to actual food, but don’t ever be complacently satisfied with knowing and doing the will of God.

In Evil Long I Took Delight

Here is the poem by John Newton that I quoted on Easter Sunday:


In evil long I took delight,
Unawed by shame or fear;
Till a new object struck my sight,
And stopped my wild career.

I saw One hanging on a tree,
In agony and blood;
Who fix'd His languid eyes on me,
As near His cross I stood.

Sure never till my latest breath,
Can I forget that look;
It seem'd to charge me with His death,
Tho' not a word He spoke.

My conscience felt and own'd the guilt,
And plunged me in despair;
I saw His blood my sins had spilt,
And help'd to nail Him there.

A second look He gave which said,
I freely all forgive,
This blood is for thy ransom paid,
I died that you may live.

Thus while His death my sin displays,
In all its blackest hue,
Such is the mystery of His grace,
It seals my pardon too.

With pleasing grief, and mourful joy,
My spirit now is filled,
That I should such a life destroy,
Yet live by Him I killed.

Rob Bell Reviews

The more I reflect on Rob Bell's book "Love Wins" the more disturbing it becomes. In fact, it is downright dangerous and cruel. That's right, cruel. It is cruel to see people heading towards danger and to tell them that it's not that dangerous.

Instead of continuing my review, there are some much smarter, wiser people that have done that very thing. Here are the best reviews.

John MacArthur is doing a series of blogs on Love Wins

Here

Here

Here


Dr. Al Mohler has a good review

Here

Frank Turk also has a good open letter to Rob Bell

Here

Mud Run - Pics

The race was in the shadow of Downtown Fort Worth. We started next to Lagrave Field...home of the Fort Worth Cats.




Brett and I before the Race








Some post race pics:

Mud Run - Post Race Recap

I survived!! And... it was awesome! The race was very challenging...I was sucking wind...the obstacles were a blast...and I had a great time with my pastor friend Brett Storseth...who, by the way, won! He led the race from start to finish! Incredible.

The race started off with a good mile run. There were a couple of small obstacles, just enough to get your heart pumping and weed out the really slow runners. The first major challenge was a swim across the Trinity river. I don't know what was the bigger challenge; swimming with army boots on, or trying not to think about what toxins were in that river?

After that swim there was a good 50 yard scramble up a steep hill. From that point on cardio was the issue. I had to slow down a few times but kept a decent pace. I think I finished 7th in my wave.

The worst obstacle: we had another swim across the Trinity, up a small bank, and then about a 150 yard plod through a mud bog of a feeder creek into the Trinity. The mud was sloppy, thick, and sticky. It was hard to walk through, I fell several times, and it would suck your feet down. The worst part was the stench - it had that putrid, old pond/sewage type of smell. It was exhausting to get through that bog.

The best obstacle: lots of them were fun...the mud crawls...cargo net...the platform jump into a pit of water...all were a blast and I wanted to do them again. I think my favorite was more of an accomplishment. It was the 9 foot wall. It was just far enough in the race that I was pushing for air and I hadn't thought about or practiced how to get over this wall. So, I ran and jumped and was able to get a grip with my hands...arms mostly extended, but I was stuck there. No momentum. The only thing I could think to do was throw my left elbow over the top...then I basically swung my legs up to the top...flipped head over heels...and landed on the other side on my feet...how did I do that? It hurt and I have a good bruise on the underside of my left arm as a badge of honor. But it was getting over that I enjoyed the most.

For most of the race I was in between groups. The really fast group, Brett and 5 others, outpaced me, and I was a good distance ahead of the group behind me. So, I got to run and do most of the course by myself. I kind of enjoyed that...just pushing myself...enjoying the challenge...it was fun.

Brett finished and came back to cheer me on and run alongside of me. I think he was a bit surprised that I was as far along as I was. It was a good encouragement to keep going and finish the last few obstacles strong. I did and my finish time was 1 hour and 24 minutes. Pretty good for an old fart.

Reflecting on the whole thing: the race was a great motivation for me to workout consistently in the few months before. I feel like I am in good shape - that is always a good thing. I love to compete...that was fun. It was a great challenge...and I got to do it with a friend.

When is the next one?!

Mud Run

This winter a friend introduced me to adventure racing. Perhaps a bit foolish, I decided to sign up for the DFW Mud Run. It is a 10k race with about 30 muddy, wet, challenging obstacles.
The race is this Saturday, April 9th.
There are two divisions, the competitive division and the non-competitive one. I like to compete, but that division ran on Sunday morning and I was unwilling to give up a Sunday to do that. So, I will compete in the non-compete division. Maybe it will make me look better.

I have always been athletic and worked our fairly regularly, but I never did much endurance running. I know that 10k is not that far for many, but will be further than I have ever run at one time.

I have been training now since about late January and have received some great advice from a few friends. My friend Dave Elliot (check out his blog here) gave me some good tips and advice. By the way he does another type of adventure/endurance racing that makes a 10k look like the salad before a 5 course steak dinner. My brother in law, Chuck, who runs the fitness boot camp (see here) has also been training me.

I feel like I am ready, but I know that I am not going to be too fast. My friend Brett Storseth, who got me into this, (pastor in Wichita Falls see here), has done lots of these and is going to smoke me at the mud run.

I feel like I am in good shape. Better shape than I have been in a while. It seems that I need something to motivate me to be consistent -- competing and not looking like a fool is some good motivation for me.

I'll let you know how it goes after Saturday.

Continuing our discussion of hell and justification...

In Jesus, and Him alone, the Justice of God is satisfied, and the Love of God is extended.

This leads us to consider a couple of other questions. If Jesus' death satisfies justice why is there still a hell? Does this mean that everyone automatically goes to heaven?

The belief that everyone goes to heaven is called universalism. This is essentially the position of Rob Bell. (His position is a bit more nuanced, but boils down to universalism)

You can come to that position, but just not from scripture. Jesus was clear that not everyone ends up in heaven. In fact, he says that most people will not end up in heaven.

But, if Jesus died for justice why do some still go to hell? The answer is that the gift of acquittal must be received in order to appropriate its benefits.

The biblical requirement for receiving the gift of pardon is repentance and faith. Jesus took the punishment, offers the gift, and gets to set the terms necessary for one to receive His gift. That is repentance and faith.

We must be clear about this. Reception of a gift is not a work to earn the gift. In fact, repentance and faith are a gift from the grace of God as well. If someone does not appropriate the pardon Jesus purchased then they forfeit its benefits forever. This is a tragedy. The gift is available and hell can be avoided. All one has to do is receive their pardon by grace through faith. If they don't, they will spend eternity in hell.

Imagine this: a person, JQ Everyman, has been walking down the broad path of life. JQ Everyman is handcuffed with his arms behind his back. He walks down a long hallway and comes to two doors. One door is big, broad. It is already opened. He can see down the path that this big door leads to. It is a broad path and there are lots of people ambling down this path. But, there is another door in front of JQ Everyman. It is a much smaller door and it is shut and locked. He is convinced that this door is the door to real life. But he can't open it, or go through it. It's locked and his hands are cuffed.
The owner of the door does something that JQ Everyman couldn't do for himself. The Owner comes and unlocks the door, and takes off his handcuffs. The Owner even opens the smaller door. JQ Everyman can see down this road. It is smaller, there are not as many people walking down it, but what he sees is truth, life, the Owner's invitation to walk with Him.

Then JQ Everyman turns away from the Owner and walks through the big door down the broad path that leads to destruction.

The story and analogy is far from perfect, but it is a bit similar to heaven and hell. Yes, Jesus satisfied the demands of a Just God and extends the love of God. But, if a person does not appropriate that by grace through faith/repentance, then they are walking down the broad road to destruction.

The jail door has been opened, the way to freedom is available if man would but repent and believe in Jesus. If not, they will spend and eternity in hell.

See Matthew 7:13-14

For review: God is Just and Holy. He would be perfectly justified in offering no one the opportunity of a relationship with Him and going to heaven. This because we are sinners. The fact that there is a way to be justified by Jesus Christ is the amazing love of God. He is both perfectly just and loving.
One cannot make a sound, biblical argument for the position of universalism.


Coming up next: some more thoughts about the reality of hell.

Argument From Justice - Part 2: Jesus and Justice

God is Holy and we are not. God is Just and His justice is perfect. He cannot allow crime to go unpunished for that would be unjust. The just punishment for our sins against a holy God is hell. That is what humanity deserves.

This means that there is a problem. The Bible talks about heaven. How can God remain Just and yet allow any sinful human to avoid hell and go to heaven?

Jesus is the Answer!

Jesus Christ took the punishment in our place. He paid the price we owed. In Jesus, God's justice was satisfied perfectly. Through Jesus a sinner can be acquitted while justice is upheld. Only God could devise such a perfect and amazing plan.

Here is how it works:

First of all, some might wonder why can't we pay for our own sins during this life? Is it possible for someone to do enough good deeds to balance out their sins against God? If that is possible then we could atone for our own sins. Maybe we could go so far to think that if we gave our life as a payment for our sins, wouldn't that be enough to procure acquittal?

No! Justice requires equitability. It must be equitable. Our good deeds, and even our very life is not an equitable payment for our sins. The reason our good deeds will never be good enough is because our sins have an infinite characteristic to them. Our sins are a violation against the infinite holiness of God. Equitability would require an payment, or sacrifice, that contains an infinite payment. As humans we are finite. Our good deeds are measurable and finite. Our own life is not an appropriate sacrifice because it is not infinite in value. This is a critically important truth that people need to grasp. You cannot pay for your own crimes against a holy God!

The problem we have requires a solution that is capable of meeting the infinite characteristics involved. This is where Jesus comes in. He is the infinitely perfect sacrifice to pay the punishment for our crimes. His life, and His life alone, can meet the requirements for the punishment of sin. Jesus is God. He is perfect in holiness and righteousness. He became man in order to die for our sins. He lived a perfect life and never sinned. When He willingly died on that cross He was the infinitely acceptable sacrifice for the payment of sins. The immeasurable quality of His person is what enables Jesus to satisfy the payment not just for my sins, but for others as well.

So, in Jesus, and only in Jesus, the justice of God is satisfied and His great love/grace/mercy are extended! Wow!

This raises some other questions: If Jesus' death satisfies justice why is there still a hell? Does this mean that everyone automatically goes to heaven?

Answer -- stay tuned!

The Argument From Justice

My dictionary app defines justice as “rightfulness, lawfulness, equitableness, or moral rightness.”

Granted that there are flaws in the justice system in America, it is still one of the best in the world. There is no system of justice in this world that has ever been perfect because they all involve fallible humanity. That is why there are occasions where the guilty go free and the innocent are punished. And yet, America has one of the most just systems in the world.

Let’s consider some hypothetical situations regarding justice. Consider a capital murder case. The criminal has committed multiple murders, brutally killing seven innocent victims. There is no doubt to his guilt. His fingerprints and dna are linked to all of the crimes. There are eyewitnesses to what he did. Guilt is not in doubt.

Then there is an unfathomable turn. The judge decides to pronounce the man innocent, and to let him go free. (remember this is s hypothetical)

If that were to happen people would be incensed and outraged. How could a judge who is supposed to uphold justice do such a thing?! That is criminal in and of itself. That is the opposite of justice. That criminal deserves the full punishment of the law. Such a judge would be downright evil to allow such a situation to occur. He would be thrown out of office at the first opportunity. We would not stand for that.
There has been a lot of discussion lately in the news and in the world of the internet about the Biblical concept of hell. The catalyst for this discussion was the release of a book by Rob Bell called “Love Wins.” In this book Bell is battling against the biblical idea of a real hell. His attack is nothing new(good review here). Many have wondered, “how could a loving God send people to hell?”

Besides the fact that the scriptures are unmistakable clear in teaching the reality of hell, let’s consider the argument from justice.

It is a flawed task to compare the justice of man with the justice of God. His ways, are not our ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts( Isaiah 55). For all the imperfections of human justice, God’s justice has no imperfections. He always does what is perfectly just. He can do no different.

People would be outraged if a human judge let a guilty mass murder off free. And yet people are outraged that God would NOT do that. God would be just, rightful, equitable and lawful. He is the epitome of true justice.

The response that people give to that would sound like this, “Yes, but we are not all murderers. What about all the innocent people? Do they really deserve hell just because they don’t accept Jesus?”

God would not send an innocent person to suffer for all eternity in hell. And yet the Bible is clear that hell will be filled to the brim with all kinds of people. This raises a more important question. Are there any innocent people in hell? Are there any innocent people?

The answer to both of those questions is “NO”. There are no innocent people. Let that sink in. There are no innocent people. Some might object, “I am not a mass murderer. Sure, I may have told a white lie, and do some things I shouldn’t have, but surely there is a difference between me and a mass murder?”

There is no difference. Compared to other humans, you might be a bit better. But the standard we are measured against is not humanity but God. God is infinite in Holiness and Perfection. His law is the perfect standard. This means that even the slightest infraction of His law is a crime against the infinite measure of God’s goodness. We are worse than mass murders.

That is why we deserve hell. That is why hell is a place of eternal torment. Our crimes of sin against God are infinite in measure. Justice requires equitability. The only equitable punishment would have to be eternal in measure. That is why hell is an eternal punishment.

That is true justice. For God not to do that would make God bad, and an evil judge. He is Holy, Righteous and Just. That’s why hell exists.

Coming: Part 2 – Jesus and God’s Justice