Good Friday

As We Gather on Good Friday, many will talk to you about the pain that Jesus endured. That is very important and it was done well on this very Facebook live site on Sunday by Pastor Travis. But I want to talk to you about the theological ramifications of Good Friday. Lest you worry that I'm going to take out a chart and tell you why it had to be a Friday, or worse yet, why it was a Wednesday or Thursday instead of Friday, I am not doing that today. I do think there is a place for those kinds of discussions, but today I want to talk to you about the superior sacrifice and how that benefits us.

In 1998, the year of my wedding, I was with my father and we saw the previews for a movie named “Saving Private Ryan.”  My father was a sucker for military movies, especially military movies that exalt characters giving the last full measure of devotion for the benefit of others.  Largely because he thought it was a situation where humans could reflect the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.  Unfortunately, my father and I never got around to seeing that movie, but I will never forget the scene from the trailer, where Tom Hanks, in his dying breath, tells the Private Ryan that they spend the entire movie trying to save, “Earn this.”

Fortunately, for us, in our text today, we realize that there is absolutely nothing we can do to earn this sacrifice.  Nevertheless, in this epistle, which was written to believers from a largely Jewish background, we see them abandoning their New Covenant commitments to Jesus in favor of trying to earn their own salvation. The author systematically presents a case for the superiority of Jesus and the New Covenant.

In chapter 8, the author summarizes his argument that Jesus as the High Priest of a New Covenant is better than the Old, to me crescendo-ing at 9:12, where he asserts that it was not by the blood of goats and calves, but rather with His own blood.  We know that according to 10:4, it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin.  This allows us to parachute in to the climax of his point in 10:11-14, our text for today. This is decidedly superior in every way, and understanding this superiority provides the kind of motivation needed for every Christian, especially those suffering in the crucible of persecution, to persevere and remain steadfast in the faith.

To understand the superiority of the sacrifice we celebrate today, we must look at the sacrifice to which we are comparing it. “And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:” Every priest. Under the law of Moses, you had lots of priests. Twenty four orders of Levites, numerous priests in each order. To fulfill their divinely appointed office they performed their service, year after year after year, daily. By necessity, they could not leave their post. Each drew by lot his assignment and once finished the next took over. Not a day could go by without their offering sacrifices, again the blood of goats and calves or sheep and lambs, to secure atonement, the covering of the sins of the people, who time and again brought their animals for sacrifice to satisfy God's justice and secure forgiveness for their sins of all kinds.

Imagine that, for centuries. As one writer put it, rivers of animal blood flowed because of these sacrifices. The same continued after the time of Christ (and even after His resurrection and ascension) during the writing of Hebrews. The whole deal didn't cease until the destruction of the temple under God's judgment in A.D. 70. Now they served a purpose for sure. Hebrews 10:1 called them a “shadow of good things to come.”

Now, I am taking a class called Old Testament theology right now.  My professor, just yesterday, was talking about how we deliver an Old Testament message of theology.  Yes, we spend most of our time reading the Old Testament, but we cannot treat it like the New Testament doesn’t exist.  People in this church know that Pastor Randy likes to do a countdown to big days on the church calendar (or some of you look forward to celebrating days on the calendar, like a wedding).  One thing he never does is tell us how many days PAST certain days on the calendar we are.  We no longer need to look forward to things that have happened.  For example, my friend in this seminary class told us that he had only 65 days until his wedding.  We could all celebrate with him.  Yet, no one would feel the same way if I said I was married for 8,322 days.

Once the final sacrifice has come, there is no need for this SHADOW to continue. He offered a single sacrifice for sins for all time, Hebrews 7:27 “Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices!”  As Pastor Travis said in the aforementioned sermon, when Jesus used the words on the cross, “It is finished,” it was a legal adjudication. Nothing more needed to be done. So, when verses 12 and 13 say, “But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.”  Now, I imagine that when you hear this, you have visions of Jesus sitting in His Lazy Boy, waiting for those enemies to be delivered so they can function as an ottoman for his feet.  This is, in many ways, appropriate.  There is a very real sense in which Jesus could rest in a way that none of those other priests could.  Piper notes, “It means that God is satisfied with the sacrifice. God honors Christ with the seat at his right hand to show how fully He is satisfied with the debt paid for sin. This is a great picture to encourage us that our sins are fully dealt with.”

When my son was born, my mother bought me a little pamphlet style book called, “Tips for Tired Dads.”  This book was filled with ideas of things to do with your kids that is active with them, but allows you, as the dad to rest.  The book had some statement about how we sacrifice all day to work so they will not have to be without, yet we cannot abandon the relationship providing the reason we work for them. Jesus has the relationship with us as the reason He sacrificed for us.  Jesus’ sovereign reign over all things had begun upon His ascension into Heaven (How great a contrast to the earthly temple is that?)

However, this rest that you and I imagine is very different than the initial audience would have imagined.  The footstool mentioned in Psalm 110 and several times in Hebrews was not analogous to a relaxing piece of furniture that we use today, picked out at your favorite furniture store with the most attractive fabric. This is graphic imagery from ancient Middle Eastern warfare.  Victorious kings would symbolize their conquering ways by placing their boot on the necks of their vanquished enemies. Joshua 10:24 says, “And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them.” It's a word picture of total subjugation and submission.

If you are like me, you hear people (whether political, war pundits or even announcers for the NBA playoffs I like to watch) use the Expression we're going to put our foot on the neck of our opponents. This is the word picture that the author of Hebrews was expecting them to hear. Jesus was not merely the tired Dad I am at the end of a long day of work. He was the Conquering Hero that had won his sheep the eternal glory of victory through this one time Superior sacrifice!

So here's the point that further shows the superiority of Jesus' sacrifice in every way and why we should never turn our back on Him. His work on the cross in the once for all sacrifice has so thoroughly accomplished the work of redemption for all His own, that all He has to do in the meantime is sit at the Father's right hand, His kingdom reign already begun, is wait expectantly on high! He is waiting. We often see waiting as painful. Our anticipation (as mentioned before) often leads us to not relish the time between now and then. Waiting for our enemies to be vanquished can be painful. In the United States, we have enjoyed incredible liberty. We have been granted the right to worship God in our own way. However, we see some vestiges of that slipping away, and we worry. We see elected officials, take away these liberties, and we see ourselves ceding ground in spiritual warfare. Make no mistake, come they will, either by voluntary conversion, faith in Christ and the gospel message, or by compulsive subjection when He returns with myriads of angels when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord. Then the kingdom will be consummated, evil banished, the dead raised, and the new creation ushered in its full splendor, physical as well as spiritual.

Inherent within this is a warning that not all are friends of Christ. And a horrible and terrible judgment awaits.  Later in this chapter (verses 26-29), it talks about the punishment of those who are not believers.  So, if you are an unbeliever, please initiate a conversation with us through this page, and we’d love to tell you more about that.  But the final verse in our text today says it much better than I ever could, “For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.”  What a glorious word!  It means to be made complete, finished, or fitting.  Of course I, as an attorney, will continue to go back to Pastor Travis telling us that the legal case against us was finished at the cross.

Think about this.  The tense of the verb is important.  (You didn’t know we’d be hitting on grammar today).  He HAS PERFECTED.  This is a past act with ongoing circumstances.  Past in that Jesus has already accomplished everything.  How ongoing? For all time! Jesus' perfect priesthood, culminates in His sacrifice for all those who are being sanctified for all time!  We are set apart for God, to belong to Him and be used by Him, has resulted in our being made perfect in God's sight.

Richard Phillips wrote, “Popular Christian bumper sticker theology says, ‘I'm not perfect, just forgiven.’” Sinners like you and I understand this thoroughly.  However, in a very important sense, this is not true! In the eyes of God, you have been made perfect because you are in Christ! We are beneficiaries of His perfection. His righteous life is imputed to us, so that when God looks at us, He sees the perfect life of Christ!

Of course, there is a process that is not yet complete, but a Christian's sanctification is so certain of achievement that it is now viewed as accomplished: "You have been made perfect." We are perfect, fit, complete. This is our identity, our destiny, our reality. It is the spiritual gravity of every Christian's life to which we are being pulled and shaped and sometimes shoved by the Spirit of God living within us. We cannot escape it, and if we do, that simply bears testimony that we are not in Christ at all. Those who possess faith in Christ simply cannot go on living as they did before. We are different because of what has happened-not by a power that is from us, but a power that is from heaven, where Christ reigns for us and in us.”

This is the story of our lives that is so much better than the movie, “Saving Private Ryan” could ever be! As great as that movie may have been, the gift they gave Private Ryan (to come home and live with his mother, like his brothers could not) would one day go away or be obsolete. Private Ryan did not live forever. Private Ryan could not continue forever in the salvation Tom Hanks and his crew did. We, on the other hand, not only CAN do that with our gift, but we definitely will. It makes no sense for us to go back and try to earn our salvation, like many in Hebrews were doing. We will be living fruitful lives for God. So, sit down and rest, as God makes our enemies our footstools. So far as justification and forgiveness are concerned, rest is your proper place, and peace in Christ Jesus is your lawful portion! And, realize that the reason we can call this Good Friday is that because of Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice, “It is finished.” On Sunday, we will be able to say, “O Death, where is they victory? O Grave, where is thy sting?” The reason we can say those things in the Resurrection is because Christ accomplished the overcoming of our sins on that Good Day many years ago!

The Role of Torah in Proverbs

“It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one until you have read an old one in between.”  No book is written in a vacuum.  When we read books, if understanding the maximum amount of the information is important, then it is similarly important to understand why the book was written.  The ideological assumptions of this particular author are summed up in the Torah.  The Torah was the basis for all Christian thought at this time.

When most people hear the word Torah, they probably have no idea what it means.  But when most Jeopardy contestants hear it, they immediately associate it with Pentateuch, and many would say that it is a synonym with the word "law."  As a graduate of law school, I have a very unique relationship with the law, but I think it is fair to say that almost all scholars do not view the Hebrew law in the same way they view the statutes of the United States government.

Whether you are Dispensational, and view that the law does not apply today, or Covenantal, and view that laws pointed to Christ and are not necessary in the same way, almost all scholars look at this "law" as though it is no longer followed or enforced in the same way.  One thing that is undeniable is that these laws are good, wholesome, and from God.  So, if someone you for a word to describe things that aren't enforced as law, but are a nice way to live, a great word would be wisdom.

As we are looking at the wisdom of the Torah, Solomon clearly uses it as the basis point of where wisdom comes from.  Solomon is proposing that this is the secret to Israel's success. He paints a picture, where two women are vying for our attention throughout Proverbs with worship connotations. Both of these ladies offer a path to wisdom through the allegory of food. 

Lady folly is enticing sinners through the means of an adulteress.  We know that adultery is evil, but this would be adultery from the groom of the Torah - God himself.  And being unfaithful to him is not missing a word from a memory verse.  The effect of the Torah is where it changes your life.  While I am committed to Scripture Memorization, it is quite evident that the ratio of application to number of verse learned is not a mathematical constant.  Some people may as well just memorize Shakespeare.

Similarly, making a singular mistake may make you guilty of the whole law, but it does not disqualify you from a life of following the Torah.  When one's life is living out the Torah, that person shows an ability to live out a life of wisdom.  This is why, Dr. Sam Horn once said, "The opposite of wisdom is not ignorance.  It is wickedness."  Someone who does not live and apply the Torah is, in fact, wicked.

The Nature of a Proverb

Every culture has discovered truths with varying degrees of profundity.  In an effort to impart these truths, simple and profound statements have been given.  A proverb is a concise and memorable statement expressing an insight, observation, or piece of advice.  A portable saying in a memorable form expressing a general observation about life in a particular culture.

Proverbs is a unique book of the Bible.  It appears to me that no other book of the Bible is as quotable to non-Christians as Proverbs.  The nature of it being portable, quotable, and wisdom-filled make it useful to even the most anti-God intellectual.  I have heard many quote Scripture without knowing from whence the wisdom came.  This is consistent with the nature of a proverb.

On the other hand, I have heard some of those same people who attempt to discredit God.  In their attempt to justify using Proverbs, they reduce the authority of the book of Proverbs to African proverbs, Irish proverbs, Yiddish proverbs, folk proverbs, or any other of your favorite cultural proverbs.  To me, this is akin to a scientist who incredibly knows the ins and outs of how the earth works but he remains an atheist, believing that the very science he studied came about due to total chance.

A biblical proverb is going to give you an insight from God's vantage point.  Because of the nature of a proverb, it would seem obvious that in today's world, we cannot get every facet of the proverb that would have been understood by a Hebrew in the time that these Proverbs were first disseminated.  However, these observation of life have been filtered through biblical revelation.

Hebrew poetry tends to be more terse and concise, which often means we are not seeing things like articles or conjunctions.  There is also the use of satire, which uses humor to penetrate our mind, mocking certain behaviors.  These create aphorisms, where sometimes the whole truth cannot be easily conveyed.  This is why I like to think of much of the wisdom of proverbs being like golf clubs.

When you are on a putt-putt course, there is no choice of golf club, but when you become the seasoned golfer with a bag full of clubs, he has to apply the wisdom of what is the correct shot to determine which club to use.  Knowing proverbs is one thing, but being able to correctly apply them is where the real wisdom is shown.  Pulling out the correct proverb at the correct time is the correct application. 

Dr. Sam Horn once said, "The opposite of wisdom is not ignorance.  It is wickedness."  Those who would speak negatively about Proverbs are mostly doing so, not because they ignorant, but rather because they refuse to see the true source of Wisdom.  "In [Christ] are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge! (Col. 2:3)"

The Theological Message of Song of Solomon

Living in a post-Sexual Revolution culture, it is not typical within this culture to have any kind of sexual ethic.  Perhaps because of this, many conservative camps seem to have a lockdown on discussion of these things at all.  Yet God, in his Providence, gives a series of poems that tend to make us uncomfortable in church.

These love poems tell us something about the nature of God that is important enough to be included in the canon.  By its very inclusion in the Canon, it reminds us of a love that is purer than our own.  It speaks of the potential purity of human love.  There are four major, historical ways that this book has been interpreted.  While each of these four methods may have several sub-methods, I will briefly discuss each method.

The first method of interpretation is Typological.  Typology is a doctrine concerning the relationship of the Old Testament to the New Testament. Events, persons, or statements in the Old Testament are types pre-figuring or superseded by antitypes, events, or aspects of Christ or His revelation described in the New Testament. To me, the problem with interpreting it this way is that we don't seem to have a New Testament roadmap for this.  Without a roadmap, I think this method of interpretation is missing a very important element.

The second method of interpretation is Allegorical.  An allegory is a figure of speech in which abstract ideas and principles are described in terms of characters, figures, and events. It can be employed in prose and poetry to tell a story, with a purpose of teaching or explaining an idea or a principle. The objective of its use is to teach a moral lesson.  I think this method works best when there are obvious allegorical interpretations, which I think are lacking in this case.

The third method of interpretation is Dramatic.  This method suggests that this was intended to be performed (some views seem to think there are two major characters, while others have a third character).  I find less fault with this, as I think it could be performed as a dramatic production.  As Solomon had the best in so many categories, it is also quite possible that he would have the best dramas.  Nevertheless, I don't believe this is essential to its interpretation.  I just don't think this method of interpretation, if anything changes with it, is the way to go.

The final method of interpretation is Literal.  This method says that these Human Love Poems are to be taken at face value.  One of the basic principles of hermeneutics is that for any passage the plain, normal meaning should be chosen unless there is clear evidence to the contrary.  This is the method to which I subscribe.

Could it be that God intend for us to experience expressions of romantic and sexual bliss in marriage unapologetically?  Could it be that as we have been scared away from speaking with sexual bluntness, we are creating a sub-culture where we make it more taboo (and potentially more difficult to guiltlessly enjoy, even when approached properly)?  Could it be that there should be, at least in some situations, a frankness of discussion, like Song of Solomon, on the subject of sexual love within our churches?

I'm not sure which came first and which is the over-reaction, but I think both the normative cultural position and the position to which I have mostly been exposed are both too extreme.  At the same time, Song of Solomon seems to communicate a lesson on marital love that goes even deeper. Hence the Song of Solomon is instructive as well as literal poetry. 

Marriage points to an intended greater love.  Song of Solomon not only celebrates the dignity and purity of human love, pointing us to the greater love of Christ.  This love comes amid a world of sin.  In our culture, lust and passion are everywhere.  We are inundated with media bombarding us with temptations.  Many go astray by the fierce temptations that assail us, attempting to deter us from the God-given standard of marriage. This is certainly not limited to our day, as even Solomon himself was a product of such a fall.  His greatest of all Songs reminds us, in particularly beautiful fashion, how pure and noble true love is.

The Structure of Ecclesiastes

Is life worth living?  To the casual reader of Ecclesiastes it seems that the answer would be, "Yes, if you are successful."  Honestly, to a reader with American sensibilities, this seems super harsh.  While most of the Old Testament is written to God's people corporately, Ecclesiastes (like other Wisdom literature) is written to the individual.   To a reader with American sensibilities, this seems more appropriate or desirable

The structure proper is very simple.  A prologue, followed by a lengthy lecture, some may call a diatribe, but I prefer sermon, followed by an epilogue. Everything centers around this lecture by "The Preacher."  So, what are the elements of this diatribe?  He refers to a series of items as "vanity."  These things blatantly include wisdom, self-indulgence, living wisely, toil, wealth and honor, attempting to know God's Way, Life, and Youth or vigor.  If we read between the lines, that list would be much longer.

Many fights have been waged over this word that the King James translates "vanity."  I used to work with Dr. Dan Fredericks, who was on a translation committee for wisdom books of multiple versions that have come out in the 50 years before our time together.  His opinion ("temporary" as the correct word) was the minority opinion in each of those translations.  I do believe that as I read the book, that word leads me to the best conclusions of the text therein.

Now, whether you choose to believe that the pockets of applied wisdom come from things being vanity, meaningless, futility, soap bubbles, or even temporary may not matter.  So long as we grasp that those pockets of wisdom are pointing us to the right way of living.  I'm not sure I agree with The Byrds take that we should turn, but even the oldie Rock band understood that application in a sermon comes after setting forth observations.

While Job gains wisdom through his loss of everything, the Preacher is learning his Wisdom through having it all and realizing the folly of trying to gain peace through acquiring things. This is why this book can speak so directly to our American sensibilities, where hedonism reigns in our capitalistic society.  More than most books in the Bible, Ecclesiastes deals with the reality of the Fall on our every day lives.

GK Chesterton said that he was once better and worse than all of creation, but then God changed him.  After this, he realized that Christians are not made for this world alone.  The Preacher reconciles the futility of our life in the Fall.  However, I believe the overlooked (and essential) part to this Ecclesiastical concept of life is the phrase "under the sun."  This is why we, as Christians, live our life on this earth as homesick. A biblical balance of recognizing the good of creation, the awfulness of the Fall, and the hope we have in being recreated all working together helps us see the place of Ecclesiastes.

 We can trust this Preacher because he is living in a world, which we see so much like our own, that feel-good optimism is not the ultimate achievement, but rather that the temporary nature of our life is not final. "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.  For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil."  It is that World that we long for!

The Nature of Biblical Wisdom

A lot of people think that wisdom is a good idea, but not an essential attribute for proper Christian living. Almost like the idea that LeBron James would benefit from being able to shoot like Stephen Curry, but he doesn't need to do that in order to be great. This couldn't be further from the truth. We are literally commanded to be wise, just like we are commanded to obey and to be honest. This indicates that this is something that is attainable by all Christians, and when we don't attain it, we are disobeying God.

Dr. Sam Horn once said, "The opposite of wisdom is not ignorance.  It is wickedness."  The fact that this is so striking to us indicates that we have tremendously discounted what wisdom is in our culture.  We like to think that wisdom is merely what is gained by living for a long time.  While it is undeniable that wisdom ordinarily accompanies old age, that also makes wisdom much like physical deterioration or cancer.  This obviously sells it short, but even those who supposedly value wisdom, treat wisdom with much less reverence than does the Bible.  As a culture, we have flattened wisdom to knowledge.

What wisdom actually is, on the other hand, is the intersection of knowledge and zeal, turning right understanding into right action.   According to Bruce Waltke's interpretation of Proverbs 1 , Wisdom includes knowledge, understanding, subtilty, discretion, learning, and understanding.  While I'm tempted to merely regurgitate TS Eliot's Pyramid of Organisational Knowledge, I am persuaded that even it is flawed.  Because true wisdom requires not just knowledge (or any of the other virtues in Proverbs 1), but it must also include the acknowledgement from whence it came (Col 2:3).  Consider, a person with tremendous worldly "wisdom" who does not accept that true wisdom comes from Christ.  I believe I Corinthians 1 gives an answer for this.

It is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe."

There is certainly worldly wisdom available to those who are not redeemed, but much like the Heidelberg Catechism definition of good mandates that real good can only be attained by and through a saving faith in Jesus Christ, real wisdom is only available in the same circumstance.  The Bible references a wisdom generally meaning "masterful understanding" and "skill." Wisdom is used of technical and artistic skills (Exo 28:3; 31:6), of the arts of magic (Exo 7:11; Isa 3:3), government (Ecc 4:13; Jer. 50:35), diplomacy (1 Kings 5:7) and war (Isa 10:3). One also rules a nation by the ability to judge (1 Kings 3:28; Isa. 11:1-6) and to separate the guilty from the community (Prov. 20:26) and, through cleverness, to master people and situations (2 Sam. 14:2; Job 39:15,17).

While knowledge must be present within wisdom, it is a tremendous disservice to equate it to mere knowledge (incidentally, TS Eliot warns in the same hymn us against flattened knowledge to information, but that is a discussion for a different paper). Fools hate knowledge (Prov 1:22,29), and it is easy to see that life without it is much tougher. Wisdom allows a wide swath of people (of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues) to achieve what the world would say is impossible. Proverbs compares wisdom to an ant (Proverbs 6:6-8). Then, in Proverbs 30, big animals (lion, greyhound, and goat) as well as small animals (conies, locusts, and spiders) are added to the ant as exhibiting wisdom. In short, this book of Proverbs transforms a term that our culture neutralizes, wisdom, into the virtue that is the culmination of all other virtues.

The Purpose of Job

As I am crossing over to the phase of life where most of my anecdotes are from the perspective of a parent, rather than the perspective of a child, I often find myself giving the answer that drove me crazy as a child, "Because I said so."

The answer seems so arbitrary as a child.  It seems so inferior in its presentation.  It seems as though we are being left out of the decision-making for our own destiny, and we don't like it.  As a parent, it is exasperating to have more wisdom and have that wisdom questioned.  It is frustrating to have someone whose decisions clearly lead to devastation and despair attempt to engage you in an argument that his decision is better.

So, much like a dog chasing a mechanical rabbit, I delve into the book of Job, and I see that God is the ultimate parent.  God sees things that we don't.  I'm even willing to guess that there is still much to the story of Job that we, even if we've read the text twice in the last couple weeks, still don't know.

I also come into the reading with two truths behind me (hopefully I know more truths than two, but there are two specific things that I think I must accept before reading Job, and let's call them Isaiah 55:8-9 and Romans 8:28-29).  While I am tempted to ignore the bulk of the book completely and just comment on the parts at the beginning and the end where we see the Sovereignty of God more clearly on display, I fear that would make me just as error-filled as Job's "comforters."  To completely neglect the majority of the book would require me to inject my own thoughts about incomplete data.

Job had three friends that we hear from quite a bit—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. According to Maimonides, each of Job's friends represents a different position on divine providence: "Eliphaz represents the biblical or rabbinic tradition—Job is being punished for his sins; Bildad expresses the view of the Mutazillites—Job is being tested to receive a greater reward; and Zophar presents the view of the Asharites—Job suffers because of God's arbitrary will."

Now, I cannot speak for what the Jews, Mutazillites, and Asharites believed in the Middle Ages (or before), but I can clearly see that the general populace often looks for an explanation for God doing things.  Many people look for the easiest answer to explain a God that is too complex for them to understand or simply doesn't fit with what they want to believe about God.  

This is the underlying purpose of Job.  God is not made in our image.  God is not bound by our definition of fairness.  As we view God, sometimes we, like a child, think we know best.  We believe that our lives would be better if we did not lose family, friends, or finances.  We, however, see through the story of Job that God worked in this situation not to achieve the blessing of the creation, but rather, as the Creator, he had an inherent knowledge that surpassed Job's knowledge.

The certain reaction to this firm grasp of the obvious is to worship.  To begin to fathom the greatness of God, the very God who created a world so fantastic that we are but a speck in it, is to understand that this God must be worshiped.  When combined with the rest of Scripture, we can appreciate much more about God, but those are potentially discussions for another topic.

Grief 101

I am by no means an expert on this subject.  Fortunately, I had only two deaths in my life that were meaningful before my dad's departure last month.  One of those was my grandfather, who died when I was 5 years old and frankly I was was not exceedingly mature and the impact on me at that time was therefore not very profound.:)  The second was a man that I didn't meet until he was well into his eighties and I was honestly just thankful that I had the chances to learn from him that I did.  I also haven't had a life worthy of many other huge griefs.

Therefore, I am not writing this because I think anyone will learn or even needs to learn from my writing.  I am writing this because I realize just how poor of a friend I have been to those who are friends of mine, who lost someone.  I am writing because I never knew what to say to people when they were grieved by things that just didn't affect me very much.  Finally, I am writing because I am hopeful that it will be cathartic for me to put words to the page.

The first thing that has surprised me is that recovering from grief is not linear. In fact, it often is all over the place.  Much like many things in life, there are good days and there are bad ones.  I've made it through an entire day where my life almost seems normal.  However, that does not mean the next day will be more of the same.  I do believe that as time continues to march on and I build more memories with the people I have left, the impact won't encompass as much as it does.  But I learned from my father and the aforementioned death of his father that that pain never truly leaves and there will probably be days when my son becomes an adult that just make me sad thinking about how much I want my dad.

Sometimes being busy takes your mind off of the situation, but there have been a few times in just the short time I've had, where my busy-ness makes me think I need to tell my dad something or reminds me of a time we were working together.  As I pick up my phone, I realize that he won't be on the other end of that call.  I find myself suffering from intense malaise.  I have been so much less productive with my life, and it isn't that my dad is needed for me to do the simple things (like pay my bills), but rather that I just can't seem to be as excited about life in general.

I can only imagine how difficult it would be if I didn't have faith in God or the knowledge that my dad was with him.  Even that knowledge does not take away the reality that my life is forever changed.  While that knowledge makes me very happy for him, it still leaves me missing him.  Finally, I don't need the comfort of hearing where he is.  I imagine this is even more true for the atheist.  What we want, I believe, is someone to empathize with what we are feeling, not to tell us what he is feeling.

By the way, we all love hearing that people are willing to help, but I think a more appropriate statement would be identifying a precise way that you can help.  For example, I'll bring you dinner on Tuesday or we'll watch your kids one night or let me run an errand for you or this is how we can meet and reminisce about your dad.  No one in grief is likely to make a Rolodex of all the people willing to help and call them as the needs come in.  In fact, the needs are normally unknown.  I mean someone had to remind me to eat the other day.  Me!

Overall, the biggest thing is that I am not necessarily doing better today, just because my father's death is one day further away.  Today might be the first time I heard a song he liked in church or the 20th time I get into the car that used to be his or the first time I saw his favorite team play or the 800th time I run across something at work that he would be a great sounding board for.  The reality is that for 40 years of life, my dad was my confidant, my fan, my mentor, my accountability partner, my fellow cheerleader for our teams, my friend, and my father.

Life just won't ever be the same, and no matter where I know he is, I selfishly want him here.  I want him to see his grand-kids continue to grow (hopefully in the nurture and admonition of the Lord), and then see my grand-children do the same.  I want him to give me advice and be there for my mother, my sister, and me.  But most of all, I just want to see him.  And while I do not grieve as those who have no hope, I'm sure I'll continue to cry for me.  And I'm not sure that will be any different, even if I live another 40 years.

A Few Insufficient Words about Paul West

If you did not attend my father's celebration of life party/funeral, you must watch the video we showed.  At any rate, a few people asked for a copy of my remarks at the funeral.  Here they are.

For the first 18 years of my life (Do you remember back in elementary school or high school? when you are trying to get your identity.  When most of us are wondering what we will ever turn into)– yes that first 18 years of my life– I think everyone knew me as Paul's annoying son.  I was OK with that, I was proud of him, and I was never jealous of anything that he had.  That's probably because my father was the most generous man on the planet.

I was the son they had to put up with to spend time with the greatness of Mr. West.  But somewhere around the end of that childhood, something magical began to happen.  People started telling me that I would turn out just like my father.  I wore it like a badge of honor.  To this day when people tell me that I will end up like him, I get excited.  I think one person even tried to insult me with it, but I took it as such a compliment that it never stuck.

I had a tremendously enthusiastic and energetic father.  When I went to college, it was the one time in life when a majority of the people I knew and interacted with did not know me as the son of Paul.  Nevertheless, his impact was profound.  I remember his calls of encouragement and his championing my choices.  He flew me home to take the real estate exam.  He flew me home to watch my favorite basketball team (Shawn Kemp and the Seattle SuperSonics) in both Miami and Orlando.  He went to law school and told me I should go, too.  He congratulated me and was excited for me when Kelly and I got engaged.  I began to believe that “nothing great in life can happen without enthusiasm.” 

My father was about the most supportive man you could imagine.  He set me up for success in law school by buying me books for classes, hooking me up with an old high school friend of his who ended up being family to Kelly and me while we were in Tallahassee.  When I finally graduated from all my over-education, he hired me.  I’d go off and find other jobs, and he would re-hire me.  I never had to worry about a place to work, as he continued to provide for me even past when you would think it would be normal.

My father was a tremendous grandfather.  He began to move around less and was slightly less energetic, but he was a grandfather who had inside jokes with every grandkid.  He made each of them feel super special.  He continued to exhibit to me what it means to be a good father and husband.  He was an endless supply of love for all of us.  He truly rejoiced with us when we rejoiced and wept with us when we were weeping.

I feel blessed beyond measure that I had the most loving father.  I’ve read that many people struggle with a concept of God because their earthly fathers were not.  But through my father, I have easily learned what it means to have a God who gives us endlessly.  I see what it means to know a heavenly Father who likes to give good gifts, regardless of our worry.  I see what it is like to have someone who loves you, even when you are unlovable.  But the absolute best thing about my father is that when I tried to tell him stuff like that, he would merely say that he was a shadowy, in-a-glass, dark representation of Christ.  He was flawed, but his Savior was not. 

Throughout my life, I can hear my father quoting Scripture to me (and I still can hear his voice teaching me through Scripture).  You see the legacy of Paul West is not just that he knew a lot of Scripture (though he did), or that he encouraged all of us to learn Scripture (though he did that, too), or that he exemplified what a godly man looks life (once again, he did).  It’s that he did all of that concurrently while all the time saying that you could live like that through the help of his God.  And that has impacted my life so profoundly and I know it has impacted many of you in the same way. 

You see, his legacy will continue by us all applying the great things he taught us and becoming saints like unto him.  This is a precious occasion, as “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.”  The challenge for me is not to remember him fondly– that is easily done– but rather to live the life that he would be proud of and that can only be done by constantly going to the reservoir of God’s love as my dad has shown me to do.

I'm Chasing Ghosts

"Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you."

When I was younger, my father encouraged me to Bible Quiz.  Because of that, I learned many, many Bible verses.  While I complained about his nagging as a child, I find myself doing the exact same thing (though perhaps less lovingly) to my children.  This is because the momentary frustration of the time is not even worthy of being compared to the benefits I continue to observe from this blessing into adulthood.

Now, my father passed away yesterday, and the repercussions of that are going to be carried on into the rest of my life, as I begin to learn to navigate the next chapter of my life in this world without him.  How do I pay tribute to the man who shaped me more than can be expressed with words?  The reality is that I cannot.  

As my extended family came together this week to mourn the passing of my father, we told stories of our wonderful lives, because of him.  As the outpouring has come, we know that so many of you were impacted also, because he was a great man.  But, some of the people who were greatly impacted led to stories about how awesome my dad was that I didn't even know.  The reality is that he was not just a great man at home or just a great man in the public eye, he was always exemplifying Christ wherever he was.

While my grandparents could not have known 65 years ago when they named him after the apostle that he would turn out as fantastic as he did, the reality is that the above named verse, written by the man whose name he shared, is one that I will carry when thinking about him.  This is not just because in the sub-vocalization of this Scripture in my mind, the voice-over I hear is my father's voice. It is because I know that the things I need to do are those things that I learned, received, heard, and saw in him.


My good friend, David Poston, pointed out to me a few years ago that many modern Christians will say don't ever look at me, only look to Christ.  And while we would both affirm that salvation only comes from Christ, it is also true that the Bible affirms that God puts examples in our lives for the express purpose of our edification and training.  I was fortunate to have that example in my home for the first half of my life.

It would be difficult to shape someone more than my father shaped me.  Briefly, he is the primary reason I participate in Bible Quiz, he made/encouraged me to get my real estate license right after high school (much of my work centers around real estate), he encouraged me to go to law school, and he modeled being a wonderful husband and father to me.  I hope to be half that good of a husband to Kelly, and father to Jacob, Emily, and Julia.

And, this is why I am chasing ghosts.  My father left such an indelible imprint on this world that I find it impossible to believe he did it all in just 65 years.  I have no doubts that my father has heard, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant" and is with his Savior.  I also have no doubts that the only hope I (or any of us) have is that we allow God to do great things through us.  I also feel like I cannot possibly catch up to the legacy my father left.  But I know, with God's help, I will do all I can.  He gave me the name "West" in pristine condition, and I will try to keep it that way.

So, I got a Speeding Ticket

The title alone will grip most of you, especially those who have braved a trip or two in a car with me.  As far back as high school, a friend created a nickname for the handles in the car I drove, as he always felt the need to hold them.  Especially when on trips, I find the need to go faster as it cuts down on travel time and allows me to get to the hotel where I can order a pizza quicker!

 So, while I am admitting guilt in general, the frustrating thing about this ticket was that I was not guilty on this one occasion.  And, unfortunately, I feel like the person giving me the ticket knew I wasn't speeding.  I feel like this was a case of someone knowing that he could get away with giving me a ticket.  So, how did I come to this conclusion?  Well, here is the rest of the story.

I was traveling to a Bible Quiz event in Athens, Georgia.  I had my older two children in the car, and I departed from my home around noon.  Because of reasons I cannot pinpoint, I got in the car and started heading to Greenville, SC (most of my quiz trips in the car are headed that way, but it really is an excuse-less crime).  I was past Daytona (over an hour drive from the genesis of my trip) before I realized that I had completely dropped the ball.

At this point, I called my wife and asked her to look on the computer and see if it was faster to turn around and drive that extra hour plus or to cut over from I-95 westward sometime later in the journey.  Her quick research told me that it was faster to cut over on I-16 and then head up GA-19 to US 441.  So, that became our new plan, and my daughter (who was taking a road trip on her birthday—isn't she a glutton for punishment) would have to wait longer before using her birthday present (a tablet) at a hotel to watch children's movies.

So, travelling interstates is pretty standard and not worthy of extra care, so I am confident I sped a fair percentage of the time on them, but once I got off of I-16, I had to trek on a two to four lane road with which I was not familiar. Therefore, I was driving extra slowly.  Much of the road had a 65 MPH speed limit, which I adapted to by setting cruise control at 69 MPH.  (So, I am admitting to speeding a little).  There was a sign that said reduce speed ahead and intersection.  As soon as I saw that sign, I hit the breaks, not because I am a law abiding citizen, but because I did not want to get lost in a place I did not know, running low on gas, with two pre-pubescent children in the back seat, who are likely to fight if the situation turns negative.

Within a half mile, the speed limit reduced to 55 MPH.  I was heading up a hill, so while I do not know precisely how fast I was going at each instant, I am aware that I was gradually slowing down and I know that after the hill was a sign that said 45 MPH.  When I passed the sign I looked at the speedometer, which read 43 MPH (don't you love digital displays?) at the moment I crossed into the slower zone.  About a mile ahead was a stop light, next to which was a police officer.  As I traveled seven tenths of a mile, I pulled up to the stoplight, where I came to a complete stop and the police office pulled up right behind me.

As I sat there for what seemed like forever (the clock ticked off 4 minutes, and nary a car was anywhere in sight), the light eventually turned green again.  I took off, careful not to exceed the 45 MPH.  I got about a half mile down the road, when the officer turned on his lights.  I knew I had not sped since he was behind me and it had been greater than seven minutes since I had even been speeding the 4 MPH I knew about.  So, I am thinking of witty rebuttals and what I should say, and then began freaking out, as I had no idea where the rental paperwork had been put by my wife, when she packed my kids' things.

Officer Terns Fadley (or something close to that, which I cannot read off the ticket) came up and said "Give me your license."  My first thought was this guy is not a police officer, as I've been pulled over before (again, I speed with some frequency) and never had the guy not asked me what I had done or told me what I did.  However, with children, I didn't want to alert him that I would not cooperate.  Then, as he left with my license, I began to think that he just wanted to verify that I was a legitimate driver, as I was in the middle of nowhere with Florida plates.

However, fifteen minutes later, I began to wonder what was going on.  Some twenty seven minutes later, he came back, took 10 seconds explaining the ticket to me, dropped it off, and went back to his car.  Somewhere in that explanation I hear "seventy five."  I look at my ticket and he says I was going 75 in a 55.  Now, first, assuming that his radar equipment is able to check for speeds on the other sides of hills, I have no idea how he knows whether I was going that speed in the 55 or 65 MPH zone.  Second, why did he sit behind me for four minutes at the light and let me take off before pulling me over?  Third, why did he not show or tell me how he got me?  Finally, why did he say I was driving 75 MPH, when I never was on that road?

The problems with this are I cannot prove anything (I would love to see the video, as I am quite certain that he did not do what he was supposed to do, even if I had been guilty), I never go through this area (and, after this, I'll make sure it never happens again) and the cost to go defend it (even if I were guaranteed a win) would probably be greater than paying the stupid ticket.  So, why do I even talk about this?  Well, first of all, this is the first time in my life where I felt I was targeted.  I've lived a pretty good life, free of feeling like I was unduly targeted, but honestly, that is my feeling in this.  As I have sat on this for three weeks, I have only become more convinced of this fact.

This one time of small persecution is not even worthy to be compared with what many others have suffered, but I now feel that I have a greater appreciation with those who have suffered at the hands of institutional targeting, persecution, or harassment.  Maybe that is the lesson that I need to learn from this, though I am sure God also wants me to slow down regularly.

Why My Christmas may Look Different than Yours!

In the past, I have written posts about how my philosophy and thoughts about Christmas are “weird.“ Clearly, I am not in the majority of how people live and think about the Christmas holiday. I am comfortable with that. Here is the crux of my thoughts. I believe that any time you give children presents, the focus of the day (or season, even) becomes, for them, the presents. I like presents. I like giving my children presents (Matthew 7:11).

On the other hand, I don’t want to ever do anything to encourage my children to think that some earthly good is ever comparable with The Gift of Christ. In my (perhaps flawed) mind, juxtaposing presents with Christmas (whether on the day or shortly before) will naturally shift their focus. My desire for them is to use the entire holiday season as a celebration that culminates in the worship of our Lord on Christmas Day.

In my experience, items that are created merely for the purpose of accenting presents (like a Christmas tree) are things I do not include in my house. I love looking at Christmas trees, and we go to a Christmas tree farm every year. But we do not put one in our house to draw attention to the myriad of gifts our children receive.

Because I want to give presents to my children, and our culture does this around Christmas (or Chanukah), I like a compromise. This compromise would be the giving of gifts on New Year’s Day. New Year’s is a fun holiday that does not have a deeper meaning than the passage of time. Starting a year with a new thing would be cool; a resolution and a gift seem appropriate.

So, if you see me, you don't need to avoid talking about Christmas. I love Christmas, and if you talk to me about it at any length, I'll go on about how wonderful it is that the God of the universe decided to put on skin, live among us perfectly, and take our punishment. I'll even share joy with you about the great things you do for your friends and family. However, I would like to kindly request that gifts to my family and children be given at New Years. I know it isn't normal. I also know that I am required to answer to God for how my conscience is pricked in the rearing of my children.

While strange, I don't feel like this is a struggle unique to me and my family. As I watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas, I see them struggling with the meaning of Christmas. (Yes, we watch Christmas movies and listen to Christmas songs). I believe that the byproduct reality of a culture mesmerized by a system of deceiving people into a belief that a fictional character delivers presents, especially when juxtaposed with a capitalistic, materialistic culture, is that the focus will be on the presents.

My children might prefer to get their gifts a week earlier. They might be cursing me under their breath and behind my back. However, one thing that is certain is that they know that the meaning of Christmas is not about receiving some worldly good that they will hopefully appreciate for a while. And they don't just give lip-service to the birth of Christ being the reason, but they really know that in our household that is the way it is. And while I am sure many parents are able to do that in a variety of ways, the way I have chosen is to push back presents and do away with the things that point to them.

What Would You Do?

This week, I have been going through the inordinate displeasure of moving my office. Since the place into which I am moving will not technically be ready to go for another week, the problem is exacerbated. So, I hired a company to have four movers show up shortly after 7 AM yesterday at a rate of $189/hour. I had arranged to meet with the new owner at my current building yesterday afternoon after the stuff was removed, return the keys, and make everything work. I also arranged with the current owner at my new building. He was able to meet us yesterday to allow us to move into our new building (we still couldn't use the stuff for a week, but it would at least be stored in its permanent place).

So, why is this story of any interest? Well, the moving company first called yesterday to say they'd be in at noon, then 2 PM, then 4 PM, then eventually they would not come at all until today. This also means that I had to gradually reschedule my meeting with the new landlord at my current building and the current owner at my new building, creating frustration for both of them. The new building operator is unable to meet us at any time today and the operator of the old building is understandably miffed that we are not out at the contractually agreed upon time.

When the owner of the moving company called yesterday for the last time, he was apologetic. However, this morning, his crew showed up with only three movers at a rate of $169/hour. For those good at math, you realize that will probably increase the rate we will be charged. When my intern called this morning to point out this frustrating tidbit, the owner of the moving company told him to do something that is anatomically impossible.

Further, I now have to rent a storage facility to store the materials for a week or so and then I need to get movers to move it again next week. If I hire a different moving company, I will now have the fact that both will claim it is the other company who damaged my stuff. If I hire the same company, I am getting a company who apparently cannot show up when they claim and then gets snarly about it.

Because of the moving company not coming through on the agreement, I now have significant lost goodwill with the owner at my current place of business. I have the additional cost of a second move. I have the day I spent yesterday sitting in a packed (e.g., no up and running computer) office where I literally wasn't able to do work. I have the owner at the new building frustrated that he spent a day sort of on hold. I have an intern who was yelled at and treated miserably.

That intern believes that we should sue for damages. The owner at the new building feels that there is some yelling that needs to take place. Another friend has suggested that I go to the media. I just want this nightmare to end and for me to get a functioning office. So, I ask, what would you do?

EPILOGUE
Around 12:30 today, they finished unloading my stuff into a storage unit. At this point, They billed me $1,300. Now, if you do the simple math of $169 per hour times 4.5 hours, that would come to $760.50. I also gave a $50 deposit, which should have been credited. It also rained for about 45 minutes where they were unable to work. OK, when I called, I was sworn at by the manager, who then yelled at me. As I was not remaining calm at all, I said that I might need to sue him, when he then told me he would tell his guys to leave with my stuff. The police needed to come, but it was a less than ideal situation, to be sure.

Whom do You Wanna be Like When you Grow Up?

When professional sports playoffs occur, teams play each other between four and seven times to determine who the best team is, and because of that, the teams begin to know each other. The ebb and flow of a series allows for adjustments and then for people to complain about factors that people are against them in an attempt to adjust the outcome in the future. The teams can no longer surprise the other and, usually, the best team wins the game. This is one reason I like professional sports. They reward excellence. I get to see teams (particularly teams of approximately equal skill) go head-to-head in different environments with different circumstances as many as seven times, and upsets are usually because we over-estimated or under-estimated a team and not usually because of a lucky play or two.

The NBA Playoffs have been fascinating this year, setting many records for close games and close series. And just when you think home court did not play a role, home teams are winning almost every game in the conference finals. At any rate, these series are happening at a time in my personal life when I am bemoaning the wussification of society in general. I'm teaching a children's Sunday School class and coaching a Bible Quiz team, and I sit in awe at the things that parents complain about and the things that parents allow their children to complain about. I detest it when people are always blame-shifting and not "manning up" and taking accountability for their own junk.

Against that backdrop, I come into sports watching them very differently than I did ten years ago. I watch them with my children (well, mostly my son and whichever of my daughters feels she can weasel her way into a later bedtime if she agrees) and hope to find teachable moments. I love it when people take personal accountability for how they perform. David DuPree says, "You have to respect the referees, and can't blame other people for your actions. If you make mistakes it's either on me or on you."

So, with apologies to my Pacer fan friends, I must say that I have a new-found appreciation of the Heat. After Game 4 in which Miami led from tip to buzzer and never really felt in danger of not winning the game, Paul George blamed the refs. Roy Hibbert blamed the coach. Several players said Lance Stephenson had put them in a bad position, and overall, they just didn't take blame. After Game 5, where LeBron James played less than half the game because of foul trouble, when at least four of the fouls look fishy to me, LeBron did not blame the refs. He said he wanted to play more, but praised his teammates for giving him a chance to win.

I will not comment on the potential benefits of complaining about the refs at this point. Instead I will say, that I want to keep a copy of that LeBron interview. I want to show it to my son. I want to tell him that this is how you act like a man and take responsibility. This is how you act. This is what I want you to do when you feel like you've been wronged. It's the first step in peace making and it is a huge step in maturity. I personally believe you can learn a lot about a man by whom he blames when things go wrong. LeBron took the blame and did not complain. This is the way to behave in a world of finger pointing and blame shifting.

Sticks and Stones

It seems that the NFL is attempting to outlaw the use of a particular 'n' word. This seems to have created a little bit of a discussion on the word. People who look like me seem to be powerless to participate in the discussion, and for pretty good reason. Before you dismiss this as just another white guy telling black guys how to talk, I urge you to read the entire post and then criticize.

The only reason for this discussion is because of the imagery and history associated with the word. There are good reasons to stop using the word. It represents a time period (or more correctly, an aspect of a time period) in this country that is dark and not redeeming. Understandably, there is a reason to want to do away with this memory entirely. Of course, Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

By the same token, those who have taken that which is atrocious and turned it into a word of kinship, friendship, and camaraderie do not (understandably so) want to have their vocabulary stripped. I'm sure David Howard understands this also. To have words which represent a greater meaning stripped from usability can be a cruel thing.

I remember a scene from a Full House episode where Uncle Jesse was trying to use a word (apprehensive) that Michelle didn't understand and he had to go with scared. Now, that was done for comedic effect, but the reality is that the depth of meaning is not completely conveyed by scared, and often a single word can communicate more than we can with a dozen words not including it. This is why I think it can be tragic to eliminate words from one's vocabulary.

So, here I am with ambivolent feelings about using this word. I begin to realize there are many words that I feel our community would be better without using. While even the most heinous of words can convey meaning, the reality is that some meanings are better left un-conveyed. Nevertheless, eliminating a word or two cannot make that desired effect.

Making someone convey a different message can only be accomplished by changing their heart. And language, much as I appreciate its depth, ability, and necessity is not the most important thing. The most proper speaker of English can convey things with tone, movement, and even proper words that are not redemptive. This is why I feel any rule, mandate, or anything else to eliminate language is not getting to the heart of the matter.

The Beauty of God's Perseverance!

This post was originally written for my church's blog.

One of my favorite things to teach over in the Reformed theology class is Perseverance of the Saints. If you haven't joined a class, this week you can make a one-week cameo appearance in our class and I believe you'll love it.

The reason I love this class so much is that more than anything else studied, this concept is something that is tremendously enlightening and exciting. You see, the fact that it is God who preserves our salvation is incredibly encouraging. Knowing that my identity being cemented forever as a child of the one true King is enough to excite even the most doldrummed observer of the Christian faith.

The problem I usually see if that most people reduce this tremendous promise of Perseverance of the Saints to merely Eternal Security. While it is true that it includes the promise that our eternal destination is secure, to say that is all that is included in this historical truth is like saying that the only benefit of eating is sustenance. It is an invaluable, and perhaps even the most important, part, but it fails to grasp the entirety of the gift God has given us.

Surely, as we study the historical truth of Reformed theology, we realize that God gets complete credit for our salvation. When we know this truth, we understand that it being sustained is also to his credit. However, there is another glorious truth contained within this concept. Perseverance is not limited to the act of continuing. It also involves the journey itself.

In this case, we learn that God's perseverance of us does not just have to do with our eternal destination, but rather with the way we relate to him while still here. A former pastor of mine once said, "You were not elected you to go to Heaven. You were elected to live a righteous life to His honor and glory. Heaven is a by-product."

Our perseverance allows us to live lives that honor Him. It allows us to reflect our God in this life here. And learning about that can bring honor to our God is so exciting, how can I help but be super-enthused about it? This is a class we'll all enjoy!

Investing for the Future

As I was watching Friends recently, I learned what Ross Geller would do, if in fact, he won the lottery. Obviously, the comedic elements don't necessitate an actual answer, but the reality is investing is an important part of life. I've previously stated that investment is important. As a real estate professional, I am incredibly biased, but I believe real estate is a tremendous place to invest one's money.

Investing one's money is such a complicated subject that there is no way I could get into every nuance, even if I knew them all. While it can be used to increase one's current standard of living, I will address the concept of investing for one's retirement. While I believe it is possible (and even common) for one to idolize the concept of retiring, it is a worthwhile venture to plan for when working, as much and as often as you currently do, is (or almost is) impossible. The government has allowed several different ways to invest for retirement with tax benefits, including an IRA and a Roth IRA.

My primary thought is that most people do not know how to invest this retirement money in anything other than stocks. Stocks can be a fantastic investment and one of the pastors at my church, Mike Graham, can tell you how if his grandparents had listened to his 12 year old brother, they would be the richest family in the USA. Obviously, a tremendous amount of wealth can be gained by investing properly in stocks. I guess my main beef is that I have an MBA, feel like I understand relatively well how stocks work, and I can't name a single stock that I can (with any accuracy) predict what it will do in the future. This may be the primary way I display my ignorance, but it is where I live.

I believe the most under-used investment tool for IRA's in investing in real estate. So you ask, "Can my IRA really invest in real estate?" The answer is USUALLY Yes! I say underused, because I believe if a 100 person survey (Family Feud Style) were taken on what is a better investment-stocks or real estate, a certain number of people would say real estate. Whatever that number is (you've got one in your head at this point), the answer is probably more than 1. If it is, the concept is underused, because less than 1% of the population uses its IRA money on real estate.

If you are in that portion of the population that feels real estate is the better investment, but never considered using it for your own retirement account, contact NuView and set up a self-directed IRA. Then, call or email our office, so we can guide you through the specifics of choosing good real estate investments. Then, when you retire, you can have a healthy amount in your retirement account to make it fun to do things like travel, visit grand-kids, or just give your favorite blogger nice gifts!

Who's Guilty?

This week I had the blessing of being able to watch our legal system from an incredibly new and unique vantage point. I was called to jury duty. I always thought that since I went to law school, I would be exempt from jury duty. Alas, I was not. While the week I was originally assigned was in a few weeks, I will be assisting in a Bible Quiz at that time and, therefore, I needed to reschedule. I was rescheduled for this week, which wreaked havoc on my schedule for this week.

Jury Duty is a unique experience where you show up and sit in a room with about 800 other strangers. I was amazed that with there being 800 people that live in my county around me, I didn't seem to recognize anyone. At any rate, the moderator begins to send people to rooms in groups of 25. At about 2:30, my group was selected. Eighteen of us were chosen to be potential jurors. While I was not one of those 18, six were eliminated for various reasons and I was chosen to be on the panel of 18. After various questions were answered, seven jurors were chosen. I was in that group.

Therefore, I was able to see a criminal trial from the perspective of the jury box. This was an incredible experience. I saw that it matters how good your advocate is. The fate of this man was in the hands of a couple of attorneys in many ways. And both of these attorneys were fine advocates. They both did a good job, and they both advocated well. There was a judge who did a wonderful job also. I was actually quite encouraged by the show of professionalism in the courtroom. On a personal note, I thought about if this was something I might want to consider doing in my life. While that may be something to ponder and write about later, I will not let it deviate me here.

Above all of that, as jurors, we were instructed to observe the law. Observing the law, I wondered how many times I had fallen short of the legal standard in my life, both intentionally and unintentionally. While the laws of the state of Florida may be able to be followed, I thought about how much more significant my falling short of the laws of God is. I am chronically sinning. I can't seem to bumble through a single say without displaying this nature.

The difference between me and any defendant in the legal system is that everyone knows I'm guilty. My advocate has already paid the penalty for that guilt and given me imputed perfect following of the rules. This is something that no human court has ever seen, nor could it work very well. And, for that, I am incredibly happy!

Soup-er Bowl Sunday

This was originally posted on my church's website.

Our ministry is centered at a building in, and most of us are pleased to live in, Seminole County. Most people think of this as a relatively affluent county, where people are wise to budget

(for help with that, please attend our Equipping Hour class in the F1, where we have several experts guiding those who come into wiser choices with their budgetary decisions)

but that the average citizen is living in relative comfort. And while I would not dispute this, as compared to the world, when you learn that in our own backyard, there are a myriad of homeless students. There are a lot of children who don't get food.

Certainly there are many different ways to feel about this cultural and political phenomenon, but at the very least, we are commanded to be generous to those who are poor. We are commanded to exhibit the love of God, wherever we go. One of the very small things we can do, and have traditionally done as a church, is to give a big donation to a local food bank.

We have a historical relationship with the Seventh Day Adventist Church down the street, and we have started donating our collection to their food bank. They have done a wonderful job, and there is no dispute that they are in the same area of ministry as we are. We have benefited from many aspects of their ministry in the past and are pleased to continue a great working relationship with them. The differences we have are certainly less important, in this case, than the fact that we can minister together for the sake of sharing God's love.

Now, if you are anything like me, you have extra cans sitting around that are stuck from when you were in your fruit eating phase (which lasted about 22 seconds) or from when you decided eating beans would be helpful (which lasted about 36 seconds) or just when you decided that you would buy a Sam's portion when you had company for Thanksgiving. You want to clean out the pantry to make room for the food you'll actually eat, and you'd love to contribute to this food drive, but you always seem to forget while looking for your Bible and church clothes.

I'd love to appeal to your sense of competition and see which ministry or community group within the church could have the most participation. Instead, I'm going to appeal to you to have a real shot at attempting to see the hungry among us and offer him food. Do your best to contribute to the solution to a real problem. Do all you can to be the hands and feet of God in our community.

For the next three Sundays, culminating on the same date as the homonym of our event, the Super Bowl, we will be collecting cans. There will be a spot set aside by Paul Hunt, and we can put cans there throughout the time, so if you have the urge to stop by during the week, we can accept cans at that time also. And do your best to contribute all that God would have you contribute!

Sola Scriptura

A version of this was originally posted on my church's website.

We began our Reformed Theology class in Equipping Hour last week and it was a wonderful time of introduction into what our reformed faith is. Broadly speaking, Reformed theology includes any system of belief that traces its roots back to the Protestant Reformation. Among other things, Reformed theology holds to the authority of Scripture, the sovereignty of God, salvation by grace through Christ, and the necessity of evangelism.

Reformed theology teaches that God rules with absolute control over all creation. He has foreordained all events and is therefore never frustrated by circumstances. This does not limit the will of the creature, nor does it make God the author of sin. Christians are in the world to make a difference—spiritually through evangelism and socially through holy living and humanitarianism.

Of course, the Reformers themselves traced their doctrine to Scripture, as do we, as indicated by their credo of “Sola Scriptura,” so Reformed theology is not a “new” belief system but one that seeks to continue apostolic doctrine. This is a beautiful thing that we should never overlook. Yes, our Confession is fabulous, but all of it can and should be traced to Scripture. The Bible is the inspired and authoritative Word of God, sufficient in all matters of faith and practice.

While we are teaching this concept, we will point out that it doe not rule out human teachers or eliminate systematic theology. The Reformers often cited the works of Augustine, Tertullian, Jerome, Cyprian, Ambrose, and others-ranging from the early church fathers through Aquinas. They didn't, however, follow any of them slavishly, but they certainly took them seriously. This is the balance we will attempt to strike as we talk about the value of Scripture.

Sola Scriptura means that Scripture alone is the final court of appeal in all matters of faith and practice. It is an affirmation that “the whole counsel of God, concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture” and that “nothing at any time is to be added to the Bible, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men.”

There is ultimately no higher spiritual authority than God’s Word, so “the infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself. Therefore, when there is a question about the true and full sense of any Scripture... it must be searched and known by other places that speak more clearly.” But none of that means we’re obliged to discard the wisdom of godly men from ages past and require each man to try to discern truth from scratch by reading nothing but Scripture by himself. This often helps us, as midgets, to stand on the shoulders of giants and see far!

Feel free to follow our Reformed Theology class online!