Posts

Posted on

The Freedom of Forgiveness

Imagine a man who feels conflicted because of anger and resentments inside. They are all-consuming. He talks to his pastor about it. He seeks help because he knows he has to learn to forgive. His mental, physical and spiritual health depend on it.

Imagine a woman who does the opposite thing. Instead of releasing her hatred, she remembers every negative thing that anyone has ever said about her. For over twenty years she has nursed grudges by recording grievances in a little book.

Then there is the wife of an abusive alcoholic who keeps on loving and forgiving him. When she was asked how she could do this she answered, ” I cannot look at him without seeing the desperate captivity that holds him. My forgiveness and love are his only link to God. How can I withhold it?”

Whatever you may think about these real-life examples, Jesus offers a powerful antidote to the toxic effects of hatred and bitterness. He says, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins” (Mark 11:25).

Forgiveness is what Jesus would do.

Our Lord’s teaching corresponds to one of the most frequently-emphasized themes of Jesus’ ministry. Over and over he said things like this. “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be the children of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:44). “So watch yourselves. If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them” (Luke 17:3-4).

Jesus lived what he taught. At the last supper he said, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28). As he was dying he prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

We who believe in Jesus are called to imitate him. “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps” (1 Peter 2:21).

Forgiveness is costly and difficult.

Jesus’ words are broad and inclusive: “If you have anything against anyone.” Forgiveness is like the cancellation of a debt: “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12).

Forgiving another person is not fair. It is not cheap. It is done for God’s sake, out of obedience to Christ. Forgiving is not excusing bad behavior. It recognizes that individuals are responsible for their actions.

Forgiving is not forgetting. There will still be memories of the hurtful event. These memories may still cause pain. We may recall the hurt, but we choose not to relive it by rehearsing old grievances.

Forgiveness is not tolerance. When we forgive, we are not condoning the offense or letting the other person off the hook. The offender is not getting away with anything. Forgiving does not deny or trivialize the pain caused by the offense.

It may or may not lead to reconciliation. For reconciliation to occur, there must be evidence of sincere repentance and reestablishment of trust. That takes time. Forgiveness is something we do for Christ and for our own healing and growth, whether or not there is ultimate reconciliation with the offender.

Forgiveness is a process.

Forgiving is not a one-time act. It involves repeated actions and decisions. When Jesus told his disciples to forgive “seventy-times seven times” (Matthew 18:22), he was saying that this is a spiritual discipline that we have to keep learning. We keep forgiving because he has forgiven us.

Several years ago in Alabama, three members of the Ku Klux Klan were upset with a jury verdict that freed a a black defendant. They were so filled with racial hatred that they decided to look for a black person to kill. They encountered 19-year-old Michael Donald, kidnapped him, and drove him out of town. They beat him, cut his throat, and hung his lifeless body from a tree. Then they burned a cross.

The three were eventually arrested and brought to trial. One of the offenders, Henry Hayes, was sentenced to death. Another, Tiger Knowles, was given a sentence of life in prison. Six years later, in a subsequent civil lawsuit against the KKK, Knowles was brought into the courtroom from prison. He had become a Christian.

Knowles approached the mother of the slain teenager. He stood before her and said in a quivering voice, “Mrs. Donald, I want you to know if I could change places with your son now, I would do so. Will you forgive me?”

“Son,” she said, “I’ve already forgiven you.”

Pastor Randy Faulkner

 

 

Posted on

Love Your Immigrant Neighbor

The immigration crisis is perceived as a security crisis. Perhaps it is. But it is also a political crisis. It points up the need for a comprehensive, humane and workable immigration policy, suited to our national interest.

It is a diplomatic crisis raising questions about U.S. policy toward neighboring countries in Latin America. In some of these countries, gang violence, human trafficking, and sometimes authoritarian governments, exploit the people. These factors prompt thousands of them to become refugees.

No person of compassion can fail to be moved by the plight of these people. If we still believe that human rights are a foundation of our American national character, then we will see this crisis as a humanitarian crisis.

Thomas Jefferson, in the Declaration of Independence, dated July 4, 1776, wrote the “self-evident” truth that all people are “created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights,” especially the right to life and freedom. This is a reason we speak of American exceptionalism and greatness.

This understanding of human dignity is rooted in the teachings of the Bible. It says God created mankind in his own image. Human rights are derived from the fact that human beings bear the image of God. This is what it means to be human. Human rights, dignity, and equality are bestowed by our Maker, not by any government.

If we believe and live by the Bible, this truth will influence our opinions about foreign policy, criminal justice, the rights of the unborn, economic policy, and political platforms. Biblical values should, I believe, guide our thinking about immigration and the refugee crisis.

Jesus quoted the Hebrew scriptures when he taught us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Justice and compassion for foreigners were priorities of the laws given through Moses.

For example, the words of Deuteronomy 10:18-19 are restated in different ways throughout the Bible: “He (God) defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you. . . . And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.”

Jesus teaches his followers that they serve him when they show hospitality to strangers (Matthew 25:35). If this Christian ethic governs our lives as individuals, then it makes sense to me that this same value system should influence our national policy. After all, we are a government “of the people,” and it is the beliefs of the people that inform our response to issues such as immigration.

The Bible provides us with a way of thinking about immigrants and refugees. Of course, we should be concerned about border security and the rule of law. This too is a moral issue. But obsessive fear, ethnic bigotry, and inflammatory rhetoric are contrary to the Christian way of living.

Those who are willing to be guided by the teachings of the Bible will recognize that immigrants have the same God-given human rights and dignity as those who were born here. Whatever conclusions “we the people” come to about immigration policy, should be influenced by these truths.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

 

Posted on

How to Have a Good Fight

Try this True/False quiz. (1) Some conflict in married life is normal. (2) Conflicts do not always result in arguments. (3) Unresolved conflicts damage marriages. (4) Each time an old conflict resurfaces, without resolution, the “problem” becomes more acute. (5) Managing conflict is a sign of emotional maturity.

How did you answer? In fact all five answers are true!

When I was pastor of Calvary Baptist Church of Covington, Kentucky, on two occasions the church hosted marriage enrichment conferences featuring Tim and Beverly LaHaye. They had an effective ministry to the hundreds of people who attended these conferences.

One of the reasons was their transparency. I was surprised when Dr. LaHaye admitted to the crowd that in earlier years he and his wife had struggled with unresolved conflicts in their marriage. He said that he’d had a problem with anger and she would respond with silence and withdrawal. “By the time we were 12 years into our marriage, we had become two strong-willed personalities of the opposite sex who lived in the same house, shared the same children, held the same spiritual values, but disagreed on almost everything else.”

He told how, through the ministry of Christian psychologist Henry Brandt, he confronted his anger, selfishness, and hypocrisy. As he surrendered to the Holy Spirit, God began to change their marriage from “joint bullheadedness” to love, joy and peace. LaHaye taught the congregation about the importance of facing conflicts with the help of the Holy Spirit and honest communication.

John Gottman wrote, “A marriage that endures is based on the ability of the husband and wife to work through the conflicts that inevitably arise in any relationship. Contrary to popular belief, it is no sign of marital health to claim, ‘we never fight.’ Growth comes through resolving differences.”

Stephen Covey wrote about a conversation he had with a man who was worried about his marriage. “My wife and I just don’t have the same feelings for each other we used to have. I guess I just don’t love her anymore and she doesn’t love me. What can I do?”

Covey asked, “The feeling isn’t there anymore?” “That’s right, and we have three children we’re really concerned about. What do you suggest?”

“Love her,” Covey answered.  The man responded, “I told you, the feeling isn’t there anymore. “Love her.” “You don’t understand. The feeling of love just isn’t there.” Covey said, “Then love her. If the feeling isn’t there, that’s a good reason to love her.”

“But how do you love when you don’t love?” “My friend,” Covey replied, “love is a verb. Love — the feeling — is a fruit of love, the verb. So, love her. Serve her. Sacrifice. Listen to her. Empathize. Appreciate. Affirm her. Are you willing to do that?”

He was right. It has been said that it is easier to act your way into a new way of feeling than to feel your way into a new way of acting. According to Covey’s explanation, and the Bible’s, love is an action. It is a sign of maturity to subordinate one’s feelings to unselfish loving actions. Feelings of love can be recaptured when we do that.

Our Lord gave guidance for when conflicts disturb our relationships. He said, “If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24).

Jesus makes several important points. First, he is acknowledging that there will be times when brothers and sisters, and husbands and wives, will have disagreements and offences. He tells us what to do about them. Resolving conflict is better than retreating from conflict.

Then he says, “Go.” Take the initiative. Make the effort. For husbands and wives, it may mean hiring a sitter for the children so the couple can go on a date to talk through some issues. It may mean admitting, “I’m not satisfied with myself and our lack of time together.” It may require an apology for words spoken or offending behavior.

Third, Jesus said to make it a priority. Do it now. Set everything aside to make things right. Relational conflicts can hinder our worship of God. We should seek reconciliation with others before we come to God in worship. Managing conflict is a sign of emotional and spiritual maturity.

It’s work. But it works.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

Posted on

Why Marriage Matters

Marriage is more than a piece of paper. The New Testament tells us that it is a covenant centered in Jesus Christ. It is an expression, in physical and relational terms, of the love of God. For this reason, it is said to be a “profound mystery” (Ephesians 5:32).

There are three great mysteries in Christian theology. One is the Trinity. Another is the incarnation of God in Jesus Christ. The third is the mystery of marriage as a picture of Christ and his love for the church. Marriage is more than physical attraction, more than emotional compatibility. The great goal of Christian marriage is spiritual one-ness, the relationship of a man and a woman centered in Jesus.

James Boice went so far as to say that no one would be able to understand the truest, deepest meaning of marriage who is not submitted to Jesus Christ. He said that no marriage could attain its true potential unless those in the relationship pursue it according to God’s standards.

Marriage matters because it teaches us who we are. Ephesians 5 says that Christian believers are God’s “dearly loved children” (v. 1), and “children of light” (v.8). As such, we are told to “find out what pleases the Lord” (v. 10) and live accordingly. Marriage holds up a mirror to our lives and exposes us to the reality of who we really are in relation to God’s word (vv. 3-21).

Professor Howard Hendricks was speaking at a conference and an eager young man came up to him after his talk. He called Hendricks “a great man.” On the drive home Hendricks turned to his wife and said, “A great man. How many great men do you know?” “One fewer then you think,” she answered. Professor Hendricks often told that story on himself to demonstrate that God gives good wives to husbands to help them keep their feet on the ground.

In his book Sacred Marriage, Gary Thomas wrote, “What marriage has done for me is hold up a mirror to my sin. It forces me to face myself honestly and consider my character flaws, selfishness, and anti-Christian attitudes, encouraging me to be sanctified and cleansed and to grow in godliness.”

Thomas Hart wrote, “In and through our spouse, God becomes real to us in human form. There is a flesh-and-blood person sitting next to me who flinches when she sees what should make me flinch, but doesn’t — and I see my hard heart exposed by her soft one.”

Marriage matters because it teaches us how to live. Ephesians 5:21-33 contains an eloquent, inspired description of Christ-centered marriage. “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ,” it says. This means that in a Christian marriage, each lives for the other. This contradicts abuse, permissiveness, independence, and selfishness.

Verses 22-24 describe unselfish wives. As they submit to the Lord, they adapt themselves to their husbands, who are assigned leadership in the home. The husband’s role is not authoritarian dictatorship, but loving, responsible servant-leadership.

Unselfish husbands (v.25) will love their wives as Christ loved the church, sacrificing their own interests, as necessary, as Christ sacrificed himself for the church. In this way, the Christian husband loves his wife, elevating, honoring, and serving her. Marriage teaches husbands to love their wives as they love themselves (v.33).

The ability to live unselfishly does not come naturally. It is supernatural. It comes from the Holy Spirit (v. 18). It is God’s Spirit who gives us the power to live unselfishly.

I read a beautiful story that illustrates this principle. It comes from an old Jewish fable about how the spot was chosen for God’s holy temple. Two brothers worked a common field and a common mill. Each night they divided whatever grain they produced and each took his portion home.

One brother was single and one was married with a large family. The single brother decided that his married brother needed more grain than he did, so at night he secretly crept over to his brother’s granary and gave him an extra portion. The married brother realized that his single brother didn’t have children to care for him in his old age. Concerned about his brother’s future, he got up at night and secretly deposited some grain in his single brother’s granary.

One night they met halfway between the two granaries, and each realized what the other was doing. They embraced, and as the story goes, God witnessed what happened and said, “This is a holy place — a place of love — and it is here that my temple shall be built.” It is this kind of unselfishness that should characterize a marriage.

Marriage matters because it has been created by God himself to make known his love in human relationships. In Christian marriage human beings discover themselves, discover each other, and learn to live together in a way that pleases God.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

Posted on

Functional Families in a Dysfunctional World

“The family has lost its way in America,” wrote counselor and author Gary Chapman. He was one of the featured speakers in family life conferences at Metropolitan Baptist Church in Oklahoma City when I was pastor there. We hosted these popular events in January for several years because of the obvious need for guidance for married couples and parents.

Judith Wallerstein was a research professor at the University of California at Berkeley. She wrote, “The kind of society we have in the future will depend on how we address relationships within the family.” She observed that the social forces supporting healthy family life are weakening.

Among these social forces are trends such as co-habitation. Couples living together without being married is now accepted as normal. Social psychologists play down the fact that this trend is a failure as a testing ground for marriage, with a much higher divorce rate among married couples who co-habited before getting married.

Other changes in moral norms include acceptance of non-traditional families, a culture of divorce, and widespread cynicism about traditional marriage. Millions of young adults, many of whom say they have never seen a happy marriage, are cautious about entering it.

Yet research on the American family indicates that lifelong monogamous marriage is associated with positive outcomes in every measure of social and emotional health. Children who grow up with a father and a mother do better in school, have better physical health, can expect to have longer lives, and have better economic advantages. “A stable, two-parent family is a child’s best protection against poverty,” said one researcher.

Many academic studies on family life research problems but offer little authoritative moral and spiritual guidance. This was one of the reasons we offered, in January, after the busy and stressful holiday season, an opportunity for couples to find practical help for their marriages and for their roles as parents. We believed that the best help would come from the wisdom of the Bible. It proved to be true for hundreds of couples and I am glad we did it.

For example, the Book of Proverbs is a treasury of ancient wisdom offering guidance for right living in the highest sense. It teaches that marriage is a covenant made with God (Proverbs 2:17). It is much more than a contract made with society.

Proverbs has much to say about parenting and the roles of parents in imparting wisdom to children (Proverbs 2:1-2; 3:1-2). This means that they will spend time together. Surveys of teachers and police officers conclude that the leading cause of teen violence is lack of supervision at home. Gary Chapman wrote that “the words ‘I love you,’ apart from spending quality time with a child, will seem like empty chatter. The parent’s words may be sincere, but the child will not feel loved.”

Healthy communication is another characteristic of healthy family life. Read Proverbs chapters 4 and 5 to see how sound teaching, guidance, and wisdom for living are imparted. Wisdom is the great goal (Proverbs 2:2-12). Wisdom is the knowledge and skill to follow in the ways of God.

Robert Lewis wrote, “Healthy families are characterized by strong, supportive, honest communication. They talk to one another about everything. They turn off the TV and ask questions. They are committed to Ephesians 4:28 — ‘Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment.'”

An atmosphere of appreciation is another trait that may be learned from the book of Proverbs. Note how many of the proverbs reflect honor to wives. “A prudent wife is from the Lord” (Proverbs 19:14). “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband” (Proverbs 12:4). Proverbs 31:10-31 is a famous tribute to the wife of noble character. Gary Smalley wrote that “high admiration is an anchor for relationships.” John Gottman of the University of Washington concluded a 25 year study of hundreds of marriages by saying that “one of the indicators of happy marriages is showing respect and honor.”

Spiritual commitment is woven through the Book of Proverbs. It is assumed to be the foundation of a life lived well. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10).

Unsurprisingly, this was one of the components of strong families that were identified in a major international research study led by Dr. Nick Stinnett of the University of Nebraska. He found six main qualities of strong families. They are committed to the family, they spend time together, they have good communication, they express appreciation to each other, they are able to solve problems in a crisis, and they have a spiritual commitment.

While not prescribing what that spiritual commitment should be, the researchers left the door wide open for good churches, pastors and parents to define it. It is summarized in Proverbs 22:6 — “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”

Pastor Randy Faulkner

 

Posted on

Revival in 2026?

I remember when, as the pastor of a local congregation, I asked the church to come together for corporate prayer at the start of a new year. We spent time in confession of sin. We committed the ministries of the church to the Lord. We prayed for our nation. We prayed for missionaries around the world. We prayed for unity and love to prevail in our congregational life.

We knelt. There are many postures associated with prayer in the Bible. One of them is kneeling. “For this reason I kneel before the Father,” Paul said in Ephesians 3:14.

Over 100 years ago in Wales a revival movement was begun through prayer. Thousands of people were brought to faith in Christ. The influence of the revival led to moral reform in towns and cities all over the country. Christians who had grown cold and indifferent in their faith became fervent again. They confessed sin and began to seek to please God by living holy lives. Churches were filled with eager worshippers. Newspapers published stories about the progress of the revival.

A young preacher named Evan Roberts had limited education, but he knew how to pray and to lead others to pray. God used him in a significant way to further the spiritual awakening. But chroniclers of the movement are careful to point out that it was not Roberts but the Lord Jesus who was the center of attraction. He knew, and the people knew, that he was not the secret of the success of the revival, but only one of the Lord’s chosen instruments.

If Roberts was invited to preach in a church or town, he said he would come on only one condition: that no announcement would be made as to where he would be speaking. He wanted the people to come to the meetings to meet the Lord Jesus, not just to hear him. And thousands came. Surely it was this kind of humble dependence on the Lord that made room for the Spirit to move. The spiritual awakening spread from Wales throughout England and to other parts of the world.

From this we learn that genuine revival is a supernatural intervention of God in the lives of Christians. It cannot be programmed or scheduled by humans. It produces repentance and confession of sin. It results in instant obedience to the known will of God. It produces changes (uncomfortable corrections) in the lives of God’s people. Revival is not the same thing as evangelism, but when God’s people are revived, many people are converted to Christ.

We cannot, by human means, produce a revival. But we may certainly pray for revival. No nation on earth is in greater need of a spiritual awaking than our own in 2026. What if individual believers began to pray for revival in their own lives? What if these believers gathered a few friends to pray specifically for God to revive them, and their churches? What would happen?

Jesus said he would be present when two or three gathered in his name. Believers would be built up by the “one another” encouragement of others. We would discover there is more than one way to look at an issue and to pray about it. We would benefit from the faith of others as we pray together. United prayer pleases God, especially when it is the prayer, “your will be done.”

Is it God’s will to send a revival in 2026? We may pray for it. The Welsh revival was a revival of prayer. God listens when his children pray.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

Posted on

“O God Our Help”

Psalm 90 is a psalm for a new year. It was written by Moses, presumably during the time the people of Israel were on their long 40-year march from Egypt to the Promised Land. It offers a perspective on the passage of time, the sweep of history from one generation to another. It says that God has been our help in the past and he will be our help in the future.

The English hymnwriter Isaac Watts wrote one of his finest hymns, “O God Our Help” as a paraphrase of this psalm. When Winston Churchill and President Franklin Roosevelt met during the second world war to establish the Atlantic Charter, they sang this hymn in a worship service. It was also sung at Churchill’s funeral.

Reading the psalm as a new year begins is a reminder that we are time-bound, but God is eternal. The psalm reminds us that God is holy and he must punish sin. It concludes with an affirmation of God’s unfailing love and the possibility of forgiveness.

The psalm speaks to us of time and eternity. It tells us to take a long view, to find our ultimate security, not in military or economic power, not in politicians, or the stock market, but in God himself. It reminds us of our weakness, and that the Lord is our strong shelter.

“Lord, you have been our dwelling place through all generations. . . . From everlasting to everlasting you are God. You turn men back to dust, saying, ‘Return to dust, O sons of men.’ For a thousand years in your sight is like a day that has just gone by” (Psalm 90:1-4).

The longest life on earth is but a “watch in the night,” or like the brief flourishing of grass which withers. The highly accomplished musician and actress Barbra Streisand was quoted as saying, “Life here is so tentative and short, that I want to leave something behind as proof that I existed.”

Psalm 90 goes on to give the reason for the universality of death. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). The psalm employs an intense vocabulary of judgment. Moses is acutely aware that all people are sinners and God knows all about it. The people of Israel are dying in the wilderness every day because of their willful disobedience against God (Numbers 14:23-35). Sin has terrible consequences.

“We are consumed by your anger and terrified by your indignation. You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence” (vv. 7-8). The Lord shines his spotlight into the dark corners of our lives. There are no secrets. He sees. He knows.

Thankfully, the psalm does not end with God’s furious anger against sin. There is hope for a new beginning. Moses prays, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (v. 12). Moses is not saying we should count the days until we die, but that we should make our days count for eternity. This is a prayer for wisdom.

This is a prayer that God will be compassionate and forgiving. “Relent, O Lord! . . . Have compassion on your servants. Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days” (vv. 13-14).

As we turn away from sin in humble repentance, God turns to us in mercy. The Psalm is a preview of the gospel. As we trust in Jesus and his sacrifice for sin, God gives his gifts of forgiveness and favor. After the dark night of Good Friday, joy comes on Resurrection morning. When we put our faith in the Son of God, he becomes our place of safety.

“O God, our help in ages past, / our hope for years to come, / our shelter from the stormy blast, / and our eternal home.

“Time, like an ever-rolling stream /  bears all its sons away; / they fly forgotten as a dream / dies at the opening day.

“Under the shadow of thy throne / still may we dwell secure; / sufficient is thine arm alone, / and our defense is sure” (Isaac Watts, 1708).

Pastor Randy Faulkner

 

Posted on

Advent: Jesus Came to Give Us Life

A few years ago a U.S. company sold a toy product they called the “Invisible Jim” action figure. It was called that because all the purchaser got was packaging. There was nothing inside the box! “Lack of darting eyes” and “realistic fake hair,” “as not seen on TV,” and “camouflage suit sold separately” were some of the boasts made on the package. The company said they received no complaints about the empty boxes.

For some people life feels like a gag gift: emptiness wrapped up in disappointment. Charlie Brown, in a famous “Peanuts” cartoon said, “Yesterday, for one brief moment I was happy. But just when I thought I was winning in the game of life, there was flag thrown on the play and life dealt me a blow.”

There is good news for those for whom the Christmas season is less than joyful. Good news for the disappointed, for the frustrated, for the lonely, for those whose lives feel empty. Jesus said, “I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

This is one of the “I have come” statements of Jesus. He tells us why he came to earth from heaven. When the Lord Jesus says he came to offer us real life “to the full,” he means life as it was meant to be, eternal life.

Candidly, Jesus is not promising a long life here on earth. Some people’s lives are cut short by tragedy or illness. He is not promising a life free of problems or pain. John 10:10 is not an expression of pious sentimentality.

Jesus is telling us that he came to give us a life that overflows. The life he gives is always more then we think it is. I wonder if he had a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face when he said this. He wants us to have life, real life, and he is the one to give it to us.

His words are echoed in two passages in Paul’s letters. The apostle wrote, “I pray that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have power with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of Christ.” Then Paul goes on to affirm that Jesus is able “to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:17-21).

This is a description of a life that overflows. It is beyond comprehension. It opens a door to the promised glories of heaven. It is possible because of what Jesus did for us on the cross.

Paul uses a similar vocabulary in a second text. “For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. . . . But where sin increased, grace increased all the more (Romans 5:19-20). “Grace abounded,” it says. It is an “abundant provision of God’s grace.” Grace increased all the more” (Romans 5:15, 17, 20). God’s grace has overflowed to us in Jesus Christ.

This super-abundance of grace means that life overcomes death, grace overcomes guilt, righteousness overcomes condemnation, and God’s free gift overcomes our debt and obligation. The life that Jesus gives is always more than we could ask or imagine.

This ever-increasing surplus of life is his own life in us. You may have seen a plaque on a wall that says, “Only one life, / T’will soon be past. / Only what’s done for Christ will last.” Ray Stedman said it may be better to say, “Only what Christ does in me will last.”

Imagine a father going into a toy store to buy his child a Christmas present. He sees a new educational toy. It comes unassembled. No matter how the child tries to put the pieces together, it won’t fit. The toy is designed to teach the child how to deal with the frustrations of life. This illustrates the human predicament. A life without Christ is incomplete, a life of futility. It is what Carl Jung described as “a neurosis of emptiness.”

A famous NFL star was interviewed on ESPN. He had just signed a 60 million dollar contract. He was quoted as saying, “I don’t sleep any better at night. Three Super Bowl rings and I still think there must be something greater for me. There’s gotta be more than this. What’s the answer? I wish I knew!”

An interviewer asked shoppers at a California mall, “What are you celebrating this Christmas?” One person answered, “I’m not celebrating anything. I’m just trying to survive.” There is a better way. Jesus came for such people. He came to die for such people. He gave his life to give us life, a life that overflows with God’s grace.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

 

Posted on

Advent: Jesus Came to Give Us Light

“I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness” (John 12:46). 

We are approaching the season when the nights are the longest and the days are the shortest, the winter Solstice. It is the time when the sun is at its lowest point in its apparent path across the sky. In pre-Christian cultures of the Northern Hemisphere, it was the time for festivals of light, when ancient peoples lived in spiritual fear and sought for ways to drive away the darkness.

Some of these pagan Solstice traditions were later incorporated into celebrations of Christmas: traditions such as Yule logs, feasting, evergreens, and the giving and exchanging of gifts. Christmas lights are also a charming and beautiful way to brighten the atmosphere when the dark nights are long.

In thinking about why Jesus came, it is important to remember the theme of light. The gospel of John refers to this several times. Jesus is the light of the world. The general theme of darkness contrasted with light is mentioned repeatedly in John. Jesus describes himself as the light of God who brightens the way to eternal life.

I read about a cave explorer who got separated from his fellow cave crawlers. To make matters worse, he accidently dropped his light, losing it in a pool of water. He was suddenly enveloped in total darkness. Panic set in when he could not find his way out of the maze of rock and mud. He was helpless without light. He lost his sense of direction so he forced himself to sit still and await the return of his team. After what seemed like hours they returned and found him.

Just as light is the most important single tool for a cave explorer, so the light of God in Jesus Christ is our only way to escape spiritual darkness. Jesus said he was sent to our dark world as light. He reveals God to us. He said that to believe in him is to believe in God and to see him is to see God (John 12:44-45). We do not have to wonder or speculate about what God is like. When we look upon Jesus, we see God revealed. We can see the way to God and eternal life.

He said, “I am the light of the world. whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). He said, “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness” (John 12:46). He said, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light” (John 12:35-36).

When you display Christmas lights on your house and hang them on the Christmas tree, when you light Advent candles, and observe a candlelight Christmas eve service, think of our Lord Jesus who said he had come as the light of the world.

Think of his words to us, “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven”(Matthew 5:16). In England long ago, lighted lanterns were hung in church steeples at night, and others in the front of houses. The watchman going on his rounds would call out as darkness approached, “Hang out your lights!” This is the call of Christ to his disciples in this Advent season: let my light shine through you!

Pastor Randy Faulkner

 

 

Posted on

Advent: Jesus Came to Save the Lost

I read the story of a pastor who went through a terrible moral failure. He wondered if he could ever be forgiven and restored. When feelings of shame and humiliation were at their peak, he went to worship, desperately seeking hope. He said he did not go to church then as a pastor or as a church leader. “I just went as someone sitting in the pew. I wanted someone who would assure me that there was a tomorrow, that there was grace available, that somehow I could regain my footing, and that one day I’d be a new person again.” He thought no one should ever have to leave a church worship service without hope for a new beginning.

This season of the year reminds us of the possibility of hope. Advent is the annual celebration of the coming of Jesus. We have the testimony from Jesus’ own lips about why he came into the world: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10). That is the offer of hope for a new beginning. Permit me to highlight three words: “lost,” “seek,” and “save.”

Lost

Our Lord said this about a man named Zacchaeus who was wealthy and politically connected. But something was missing in his life that riches and power could not provide. He was spiritually needy and he knew it. He wanted hope for a new beginning.

That is why he wanted to see Jesus. He was curious, so curious that he set aside pretentions of dignity and climbed a tree to get a better look. His name, Zacchaeus, means “righteous one,” but he was anything but righteous. He was a tax collector who was ripping off his own people on behalf of the Roman government.

The New Testament uses the word “lost” to convey a warning, that God sees people in their natural state as spiritually ruined and separated from him by sin. This is true of unenlightened pagans living in the darkness of idolatry. It is also true of sophisticated, well-educated, well-to-do moderns who have never humbled themselves before their Creator. Was Zacchaeus starting to feel the spiritual desolation of being lost?

One of the traditional scripture readings for the second Sunday in Advent is 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish (be lost), but everyone to come to repentance.”

Seek

This represents our Lord’s activity to solve the greatest human problem. He sought Zacchaeus and he seeks people today. Luke 19:1-9 tells the story of how Jesus sought Zacchaeus. He looked at where he was, up in the tree. He spoke to him. He called him by name. He invited himself into Zacchaeus’ life. Jesus took the initiative in the relationship. He sought him urgently: “I must stay at your house today” (v. 5).

Zacchaeus responded by welcoming Jesus into his home. I think this means that he also was opening his heart to Jesus.

Do I need to remind you that just as Jesus saw and spoke to Zacchaeus, he sees you, knows you, and speaks to you through his word? He wants you to open your heart to him too. He offers you hope and a new beginning with him.

Save

Jesus said on this occasion, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham” (v. 9). Abraham is always remembered for his exemplary faith. Jesus was saying that like Abraham, Zacchaeus had saving faith.

R.C. Sproul wrote, “Zacchaeus told Jesus he was going to give one half of his goods to the poor and repay anyone he had cheated fourfold. Here we have a bold and dramatic confession of sin, act of repentance, and confession of faith.”

Zacchaeus did not receive salvation because he did this good deed. He did the good deed because he wanted to give evidence of having salvation. Restitution was the right thing to do.

Jesus said the reason he came was to seek and to save the lost. To be saved it is necessary to admit that you are lost without him, that your sins have come between you and God. Jesus died on the cross to take away your sins. He asks you to believe on him and receive the gift of salvation.

What better time than now? What better day than today? There is hope for a new beginning.

Pastor Randy Faulkner