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Isaiah 28:16 – Trust and Dismay

This verse contains a similar thought to yesterday’s post.

Isaiah 28:16 says, “the one who trusts will never be dismayed.” Isaiah is speaking about one who trusts in the cornerstone established by God as the foundation for Zion. Peter quotes this verse in 1 Peter 2:6 and explains that this is a reference to Jesus who we as Christians believe is the Jewish Messiah.

Isaiah and Peter are saying that the one who trusts Jesus will never be dismayed. The conclusion I draw is that if I am dismayed it has to do with my lack of trust.

The question of the day is do I believe these promises? Do I believe that I can live a life in peace and without dismay? Do I really trust God for everything, or just some things? Do I choose to allow him to be in control and trust him for the outcome?

I choose today to look to God for my peace, live as though I am at peace and trust God and put away dismay.

Isaiah 26:3 – Perfect peace or the lack thereof

Isaiah 26:3 says:

You will keep in perfect peace
him whose mind is steadfast,
because he trusts in you. (NIV)

If I am steadfast in looking to God for my support and trusting in his goodness and mercy, I will be in perfect peace.

What does this say about the times when I am not in perfect peace? It says that when I am not in perfect peace, it is because my focus is in the wrong place.

Like Peter walking on the water, I’m OK when my eyes are fixed on Jesus. When I look at my circumstances or look to other people to validate how I am doing, my peace evaporates.

Peace is always available. If I don’t have peace, it is because I am not choosing well.

Machen on the Emergent Church

On a whim we stopped at a thrift store on Thursday, ostensibly to look for a night stand for our bedroom. This particular thrift store had more books than usual, among them I found a pamphlet by J. Gresham Machen entitled Christianity and Culture and two other items of interest. And no, there was no suitable night stand.

Ever since attending the “Missional Theology” conference at Biblical Seminary (Biblical in name only), I have been interested in the question of how the true Church should interact with 21st Century American Culture.
There was much discussion at that conference about what is called the “Emergent” church. This classification is difficult to pin down to any particular set of beliefs or strategies; the common thread seems to be the idea that the church should do a better job of relating to the “postmodern” culture in America.

While I am certainly on board with communicating the timeless truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in language that is understandable to a non-churched generation, there are elements of this movement that seem to think that there are no timeless truths and that new truths need to be developed. In fact, I can’t remember if it was stated at the conference or on a podcast, but I have heard one emergent leader say that we need to develop “postmodern Christianity.”

All this leads up to the last paragraph of Machen’s pamphlet:

“The Church is puzzled by the world’s indifference. She is trying to overcome it by adapting her message to the fashions of the day. But if, instead, before the conflict, she would descend into the secret place of meditation, if the by clear light of the gospel she would seek an answer not merely to the question of the hour but, first of all, to the eternal problems of the spiritual world, then perhaps, by God’s grace, through His good Spirit, in His good time, she might issue forth once more with power, and an age of doubt might be followed by the dawn of an era of faith.”

I am reminded of Paul’s words in Ephesians 6:12 where we are told that we do not fight with flesh and blood; our battle is a spiritual one that should be fought with spiritual weapons. Why should we expect a spiritual victory when we use the method of changing the message to appease men?

The preaching of the Cross has always been foolishness to non-believers (1 Corinthians 1:18). Yet, that is what we are commanded to preach. We dare not change this message simply because some find it offensive or antiquated.

Isaiah 14:24 – Cannot derail God’s plan

One of the greatest dangers to my spiritual equilibrium is when I am accused or I accuse myself of missing God’s leading and direction in the past. I am susceptible to this form of attack and the Enemy uses it frequently.

Perhaps this should be expected by one who was trained up within a legalistic system. Legalism presupposes that there is always only one correct choice and to do anything other than the correct choice takes one out of God’s perfect will. 

The attacks come when choices that seemed right at the time of decision then lead to difficulties. When the difficulties arise it is easy to think that perhaps I did not follow God’s plan and perhaps I made a wrong choice.

I am comforted by Isaiah 14:24. “Surely as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand.” (NIV)

By this verse I am encouraged that there is nothing I can do to derail God’s plan. When I am seeking Him and seeking to follow His lead, then even when the choice leads to difficulty I know that God is in it. When I work to gain some perspective on the difficulty I find that the difficulty has been used to change me for the better.

Ephesians 6:10 – The source of power

I ran across this quote attributed to Martin Luther in a commentary on Ephesians 6:10:

“If we wish to be strong and invincible, let the Lord Christ be your Strength; take hold of Him, and exercise yourselves in Him, that He is well known to you, and preserve His world in its purity, learn it diligently, use it daily, and impress it upon your mind and soul with such intensity that God’s Word and your heart by and by become one and the same thing, so that you may be sure in your confidence, more certain than of your own life. If you have done that, then you are really strong and firm and will remain unconquered and secure.”

Isaiah 8:12ff – What to Fear?

Much of current political debate focuses on fear. Each party preaches that if the other party gets or maintains power, certain disaster will result. While I have my own opinion as to which party comes closer to being correct, I bristle at the use of fear to prompt a vote.

Why do the politicians try to use fear as a motivator? It is because we all have fear. Fear is a consequence of being fallen and living in a fallen world.

For believers the solution is not to eliminate fear, but focus it correctly. Isaiah was told by God

Do not call conspiracy
everything that these people call conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear,
and do not dread it.
13 The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,
he is the one you are to fear,
he is the one you are to dread,
14 and he will be a sanctuary (Isaiah 8:12-14a).

The best way for the Church to impact culture is to be the Church and not part of any political party or movement. I am reminded that every time the church has gotten political power, it has gone badly for the church and for the world in which she functions.

To be the Church is to be focused on Jesus Christ and take Jesus at his word that our mission is to make disciples. The best hope for our country lies in the true Church rising up from within the organized church to live out the calling found in Scripture.

Impressions from Isaiah

In reading the opening chapters of Isaiah, I am struck by the similarities between my culture and Israel as described by Isaiah. The things that God condemns are commonplace in American society.

I suppose that in every culture in every age since the writing of Isaiah, readers have been able to identify some similarities between their culture and Isaiah’s. Yet I see an increasing drive in my culture to live without a prophetic voice. There is an increasing desire for spirituality as long as that spirituality does not include a transcendent Creator God who makes any demands.

For believers, the reading of Isaiah should provoke a need for repentance and at the same time draw us into the arms of the God who wants to “reason together” with us (Isaiah 1:18).

What should be striking is that if God condemned Israel and punished her for the perpetration of these sins, how can America hope to escape punishment? We have seen the fall of cultures more dominant than ours due to the internal weakness that these sins create. The breakdown of the family, the oppression of the poor (in the guise of helping them), sexual decadence and a failure to recognize absolute truth are all indicators of societal decline.

The only hope for our nation as a nation is for God to pour out his Spirit in a great revival. Our prayer must be focused on revival, starting with us individually, our churches and then our nation.

Isaiah 2:8 – Idols and Ayn Rand

I recently listened to a podcast that talked about the resurgence of the ideas of Ayn Rand in light of recent governmental decisions. Not that long ago I read again (or listened to) both The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged.

In Isaiah 2:8, Israel was condemned for having a land full of idols to which they bow down. In her books, Ayn Rand seems to suggest that we should bow down to those who create visible objects such as great works of art or skyscrapers.

It is one thing to acknowledge that man, being in the image of God, is called to create in imitation of our creator. It is another thing entirely to worship that man or his creation. In the former case, we can worship God who gives gifts to men. In the latter case we are doing what the Apostle Paul condemns in Romans 1:25.

We live in a culture that offers many potential objects of worship. My worship can be drawn away from God almost without a conscious choice on my part. Yet, I am constantly reminded that in the end, it is only my relationship with God that will bring any lasting satisfaction. There is no person, experience or thing that will provide lasting fulfillment.

Isaiah 1:19 – Willing and Obedient

I am struck by the combination and the order of these words found in Isaiah 1:19, willing before obedient.

I have read parts of The God Delusion and quickly figured out that Dawkins’ largest problem is an unwillingness to believe. His is not an intellectual issue, nor an evidence issue, it is a will issue. He does not desire or choose to be open to the existence of a creator God.

There is an old saying that I heard long ago. “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.” To back someone into a corner in argument may not change his opinion.

It is only the Holy Spirit who can muck around in a person’s will. I cannot change someone’s mind if they are unwilling to believe. God, however, can do exactly that as is evidenced by C. S. Lewis in his autobiography. I believe it was in Surprised by Joy that he acknowledged himself to have been the most unwilling convert.

May we all be willing to hear God’s voice as we seek to move forward in an increasingly hostile culture. It is only when we are willing that we can then become obedient.

Isaiah 1:13 – Meaningless Offerings

God commands the people of Israel to “stop bringing meaningless offerings.” I have always taken that to mean stop bringing offerings since you don’t really want to obey.

What struck me this morning is that it is only meaningless offerings that are to be stopped. The offerings become meaningless when there is inherent dishonesty in the bringing of them.

I take this to mean that in coming to worship, I should not be pretending to be something other than what I am through the week. And all through the week I should be offering my life in sacrifice to God.

In the text in Isaiah, God tells them what they should be about throughout the week in Isaiah 1:17. They should “seek justice, encourage the oppressed, defend the cause of the fatherless and plead the case of the widow.”

In Luke 6:46, Jesus asked why they call him lord yet do not do what he says. The same question should be asked today.

Technorati Tags: Isaiah,Offering,Sacrifice

John Donne – Holy Sonnet XIV

One of the benefits of having an English major in the family is that one gets exposed to authors and genres otherwise not encountered.

I am not one naturally given to the enjoyment of poetry. For me the small amount of poetry that I can appreciate has been an acquired taste. Often when I read poetry, I am like a farmer evaluating a Ferrari based on how many bales of hay it can carry. I cannot grasp the intent of the author.

So, when encouraged to read John Donne’s Holy Sonnets, I was pleasantly surprised by Sonnet number 14.

During a recent period of struggle, I saw Donne on the shelf and pulled it down to p. 252 where resides this Sonnet. Lines 3 and 4 jumped out at me:

That I may rise, and stand, o’erthrow mee, and bend
Your force, to breake, blowe, burn and make me new.

Donne captures some of the essence of Romans 8:28. I was reminded that even in the unpleasantness of life, God is still there, using the circumstances I am now in to shape me into a tool fit for his hand, if I allow the shaping.

These words make me think of the blacksmith shaping the metal through heat and blows, adding strength while shaping the object into usefulness. We live life between the hammer and the anvil.

Ecclesiastes 7:2-4 – Mourning is Better than Pleasure

2 It is better to go to a house of mourning
than to go to a house of feasting,
for death is the destiny of every man;
the living should take this to heart.
3 Sorrow is better than laughter,
because a sad face is good for the heart.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.

Jesus offers us a similar thought in the Beatitude found in Matthew 5:4 where he tells us that we are blessed if we mourn.

I suppose that it would not be healthy to go around dwelling on all the bad things that happen to me, my family, my community, my nation or my world. What I learn from these verses, is that it is just as bad to refuse to acknowledge that there are bad things to which the proper response is to mourn.

Jesus wept at the grave of his friend Lazarus (John 11:35). I believe that Jesus was weeping not only because of Lazarus’ untimely death, but for death that was not supposed to be. We were not designed to die, have disease and sickness, be harassed by “natural” disasters or in any other way experience pain and suffering.

Yet, for now, we are to experience all of these with the realization that this is not our permanent state. We are to mourn over the way things are with the hope that in Jesus we and our world can be redeemed.

Chesterton on Tyranny

Here is another quote that I gleaned from Eugenics and Other Evils by G. K. Chesterton:

The wisest thing in the world is to cry out before you are hurt. It is no good to cry out after you are hurt; especially after you are mortally hurt. People talk about the impatience of the populace ; but sound historians know that most tyrannies have been possible because men moved too late. It is often essential to resist a tyranny before it exists. It is no answer to say, with a distant optimism, that the scheme is only in the air. A blow from a hatchet can only be parried while it is in the air.

We are watching our freedoms erode. I am by nature somewhat apolitical, but I am reminded in this quote that action must be taken before the tyranny is fully developed. I am beginning to pray to seek God for what I am to do with regard to maintaining the freedoms that we currently enjoy.

While the Church is not called to drive political movements, we are called to be salt and light in our communities. I think that we can do a better job of living out our beliefs and speaking out when we see freedom being taken away without succumbing to the titillation of political power.

Every time the church has gotten political power, it has been bad for both the church and the community.

James 3:1 – The Responsibility of Leadership

I read this quote in a book by G. K. Chesterton entitled Eugenics and Other Evils:

I know that [eugenics] numbers many disciples whose intentions are entirely innocent and humane; and who would be sincerely astonished at my describing it as I do. But that is only because evil always wins through the strength of its splendid dupes; and there has in all ages been a disastrous alliance between abnormal innocence and abnormal sin. Of these who are deceived I shall speak of course as we all do of such instruments; judging them by the good they think they are doing, and not by the evil which they really do.

The point that struck me is that whenever a tyranny has been perpetrated, there are many who support the tyranny without understanding the consequences. We saw this in 1930’s Germany and we see this in the “politically correct” movement in the United States.


Chesterton is talking about Eugenics, but the same process is involved in every mass movement which perpetrates evil.

Those who choose to follow bear responsibility for their ignorance, willful or not. But the leaders who pursue evil and perpetrate evil bear a greater responsibility. This is why we are warned in James 3:1 that those who abuse their power will be judged more strictly.

Watch for another Chesterton quote tomorrow.

Psalm 46:10 – Be Still

We love to be busy. We are bombarded with so many things that need our attention. We get news and email on computers and hand held devices and have multiple ways to stay connected to people and events.

The church often increases our need to be busy. In many churches there are multiple programs that require staffing and pleas for additional help are frequent. Even those who are not desirous of being busy are bombarded with requests to become so.

Some of the busyness is fueled by pressure to make things happen. “If I don’t do it, it won’t get done” is often the reasoning. Some is fueled by expectations of employers and family members who are not reluctant to place demands on us.

Since the New Year holiday is a time for reflection and resolution, perhaps it is a good time to evaluate how much of what we take on is necessary. How much of my busyness is caused by a lack of trust in God? How much of my busyness is done to please men rather than God? What is my motive for the things I take on? How much of my business is in avoidance of what is really important?

In the midst of this, God speaks to us in a “gentle whisper” (1 Kings 19:12 NIV) and tells us to “be still” (Psalm 46:10) in the knowledge that He is God and is in control. I choose to take time to be still before God so that I am able to hear his gentle whisper as I read and reflect upon Scripture.

My experience has been that when I take the time to listen, I do hear and it becomes easier to differentiate what is important and what is not.