Take the Escape Hatch

“For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard [him];” (Heb 2:2-3 AV)

That “just recompence of reward” is the reason this writer is so grateful for the gift of salvation in Jesus Christ!  The writer of Hebrews is clear here.  The just recompense of reward for our sin is eternal damnation.  Our Creator created us to please Him.  We are to do that through obedience and faith.  When we fail, we fail the purpose for our existence.  What makes this failure worse than it could be is that the majority of our failure is founded in rebellion.  As disconcerting as the “just recompence of reward” is, the “escape” is its polar opposite.  As frightened as we should be at the possibility of our just recompense, we can rejoice even more at the escape that was provided.  One can only wonder how our lives would be had not the LORD provided the escape clause!  There may be consequences for our choices.  And there often are.  These consequences may be lived in this life and unavoidable until the next.  But there is an escape.  This escape is found in the person of the LORD Jesus Christ!

I can’t remember a time when I was ever in a life and death situation and needed an escape.  At least one that I caused myself.  This writer is rather cautious.  I am not a big risk-taker.  However, I do remember several situations that gained global attention.  Every now and again, we read of a pet or small child that falls down a hole.  Or we hear of a boater who suffers catastrophic failure and is afloat for several days to weeks before anyone finds them.  I remember the miners trapped in Chili.  It grabbed the attention of the entire world.  Thirty-three miners were trapped for sixty-nine days 2,500 feet down and three miles from the mine’s entrance.  The owners of the mine had repeatedly ignored safety warnings, and the mine collapsed.  Over the preceding dozen years, eight workers were killed.  A worldwide effort ensued to get these men up.  The rescuers had to drill another shaft down to where the miners were and build an elevator to bring them up.  As they were winched up one at a time, over five million people watched the rescue in real time.  The accident was caused by human neglect.  One might callously say that these men, who worked for a company that was known for safety violations took an unwise risk.  That might have been so, but I am sure they were grateful beyond words for the escape that finally came!

Our sin deserves the worst punishment that the Divine hand of God would decree.  Our punishment is well deserved.  We made those choices.  We ignored His law.  We went our own way.  Sometimes from ignorance of the law, but most of the time from the depths of our wicked and rebellious hearts.  We shook our fists in the face of God and told Him how we were going to live.  We flaunted our ability to make choices.  We dared Him to stop us.  We hated Him for confronting us in our evil ways and determined that He would never rule in our hearts and lives.  That is the nature of all mankind.  Yet God provided a way of escape.  He drilled the hole from heaven to earth.  He sent down His Son to be our payment.  Jesus died on a cross and bore the wrath of the Father.  He is our way of escape.  We are not trapped.  I am sure that after a few days, those miners realized just how trapped and helpless they were.  Even the manmade ladder that was supposed to be installed was missing.  There was no way out.  Not unless someone from above sent a way of deliverance.  That is exactly what Jesus did!  I shudder to think of what awaited me before Jesus saved my pitiful soul.  You, too, have the same way of escape.  The choice is yours.  You can get in the rescue pod with Jesus and come out of the pit, or you can stay there and suffer the consequences of your rejection.  Our recompense of reward for the sins accumulated over a lifetime is too much to fathom.  The way of escape is far better!

An Encouraging Rebuke

“These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.” (Tit 2:15 AV)

I am intrigued by what Paul means by “these things”.  We know that preaching, in general, follows the same rule.  We are to speak the entire oracles of God.  We are to exhort with the entire word of God.  We are to rebuke by the entire word of God.  That is Paul’s instruction to Timothy.  However, in this passage, it seems as though there might be particular things to which Paul is referring.  If Paul intended to refer to his entire letter to Titus, this verse would have appeared at the end of the letter.  Rather, it appears in a chapter with specific content.  The main idea is proper conduct of the saint within the status of their societal place.  The elder men and ladies are to teach the younger how to conduct themselves in both public and the home.  Servants, or employees, have responsibilities to which they should commit.  All the instruction is given in the context of the second return of Christ.  It is the hope of His return that Paul uses as the motivating factor to godly living.  When considering that rebuking in light of hope is the idea here, it brings significant considerations to the mind and heart of the saint.

Speak, exhort, and rebuke are three degrees of the same thing.  To speak here means to utter.  It is a casual conversation or a general call for mutual discussion.  To exhort means to call to one’s side.  In other words, if speaking is effective, the exhortation follows.  Two opposing sides have come together in a mutual agreement to discuss a matter.  Rebuking is to confute or admonish.  Once an agreement to discuss a matter is established, then the truth must be presented.  To confute means to prove to be wrong.  That comes first.  Admonish means to encourage to accept what is right.  Again, that follows a certain process.  We cannot encourage to accept what is right before we can establish what is wrong.  The point here is that Paul did not instruct Titus to use communication as the only goal.  It was the proper use of communication to encourage those in Crete to live Christlike in the hope of His return.

This is where I need to park for a bit.  The imminent return of Jesus Christ is not a popular topic of preaching.  Yet it occupies a significant portion of the entire word of God.  The promise that God will reign on earth is the hope of Israel.  They look forward to their Messiah.  The church looks forward to the return of Jesus Christ so that He alone is worshipped and glorified.  According to Paul, the imminent return of Jesus Christ is a motivation to deeper commitment to Christ.  Not the opposite.  If presented correctly, the church should double-down on living for Jesus.  Not the opposite.  It is a misunderstanding to think that preaching and teaching the return of Christ produces lacks saints in the pew.  This simply isn’t so.  The more we realize how close He is to His return, the less we will worry about the future.  The less we worry about the future, the greater the risks taken to fulfill the great commission.

Comforting Word

“Mine eyes fail for thy word, saying, When wilt thou comfort me?” (Ps 119:82 AV)

The writer equates the comfort that comes from God with His word.  And rightly so.  The LORD may speak is several ways, but it is His word that is our greatest source of comfort.  He may speak of His majesty and sovereignty through creation.  We see how the universe works is perfect synchronization, knowing that the hand of an infinite God planned it all and is running it all.  We can hear the comforting words sent by the hand of God through the words of those closest to us.  We can hear the Spirit’s prompting, feel His encouraging presence, and sense His Spirit bearing witness with our spirit.  We can have all these things by the gracious provision of God, but the word of God excels above them all.  His word is His greatest source of comfort.  That is why I love is so dearly!

Greeting cards are a special treat.  As I approach my later years, I appreciate them much more than in my younger years.  In my younger and more materialistic year's presents were better.  Now, whether it is a birthday, anniversary, a special day of recognition, or the holidays, greeting cards top my list.  Over the past twenty years or so, for different occasions, the children of the church write their own cards.  These are the best!  Some are humorous, but all are charming.  I get the delightful pleasure of seeing my ministry through their eyes.  What a precious gift!  October was pastor appreciation month.  Our church recognized the pastors of our work.  The cards we received still sit on my table as I read them over and again.  They bring a smile to my heart and face.  There is something about a written letter or card that is more valuable than spoken words.  They are the gifts that keep on giving.

The word of God is far more than a book of doctrine and nuggets of truth.  The word of God is His love letter to each of us.  Absent from His direct presence, He has given us His word that right from His heart that speaks to ours.  Only the foolish saint would refrain from reading it every day.  When we involve the Spirit in our reading, the pages come alive.  I was reminded of this very thing.  This past week has been a long one.  For those who love our LORD and want to see the foundation of our nation rise from the depths of secularism, things did not go so well.  But God never dies!  He is still on the throne!  He still reigns no matter how elections turn out.  Nothing new has happened.  Jesus is coming back.  No election can stop it!  Praise be to God.  It is His word that is eternal.  Not this world.  I, for one, am eternally grateful for His written word, which comforts my heart.

The Real Value of Doctrine

“Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;” (1Ti 1:9-10 AV)

Doctrine, as of late, has been treated like parts of a mystery puzzle that students of the Bible wish to put together.  They are divine facts that stir the mind.  What is seldom seen is Paul’s point to Timothy above.  If doctrine doesn’t change the life of the saint, then all it becomes is a bunch of mind candy.  If doctrine does not produce holy living, then it is nothing more than fascinating metaphysics that trips the mind.  What gives us a clue as to the value of doctrine are two words Paul uses above.  “Any other” tells us that doctrine is directly tied to how we live.  If doctrine is not applied to the choices we make, then we are being irresponsible with the doctrine God has given.  Note also that Paul does not differentiate the law and doctrine as separate.  Rather, he sees them as one and the same.  We tend to see the laws of God as different and apart from doctrine.  If they were a high school class, they would be two different classes.  Paul tells Timothy that the law was given for those without it, and the result is doctrine that leads to Christlike living.  The law cannot exist without doctrine, and doctrine cannot exist without law. 

The way we treat doctrine today is like an escape room type video game.  Many years ago, a game called Myst came out.  It was extremely popular.  It was a puzzle-solving escape game.  The player was the lone person on a secluded island, and the object was to escape.  There were hundreds of clues that had to be found.  These clues lead to a sequence of tasks that needed to be accomplished in sequence.  Failure to follow the clues and tasks in order could see the player confuse the board and he would have to backtrack.  There were a few of these that came out on Android systems just a few years ago.  The object was to solve whatever grand task had to be completed and it would take you to the next app.  They can be rather fun.  There is no timer.  There are no lives to lose.  One can take all the time he or she wants to solve the riddle.  In the end, solving the riddle became the point.

I am afraid that is what has become of our Bible colleges and Sunday school classes.  This is why the outlier subjects are so popular.  It doesn’t take much of an effort to find the newest YouTube poster who has come up with never before heard nuggets of the word of God.  The doctrines of the word of God are no longer the means to live for His glory.  Rather, the doctrines of the word of God are a source of curiosity and entertainment.  I have a book in my library that is an excellent book.  It is Old Testament law and Ethics.  My reason for buying are reading that book was to see how many of our nation’s laws are based on biblical precedent.  The result of reading that book was something different.  Until the serious saint takes the time to read, study, and internalize the word of God so that Christlike living will result is missing the point of studying!  We can wow the crowd with the newest theory of present-day giants, but unless we are surrendered to live a life that pleases God, this is useless.  We can write papers and books on topics that have challenged the church like election or predestination.  But unless these truths produce saints who reflect the character of God, they are pointless.  Paul tells Timothy that doctrine and righteousness go hand in hand.  Praise God!

Unreasonable Reason

“And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all [men] have not faith.” (2Th 3:2 AV)

This is quite interesting.  Often, we hear that reason and faith cannot coexist.  Yet Paul says that one who lacks faith is the one who is unreasonable.  It is often stated that people of faith lack reason.  In reality, it is just the opposite.  Those who lack faith have little reason.  As smart as the sceptic might think he or she is, the truth of the matter is that they are not as smart as they think that they are.  Some of the greatest thinkers of all of humanity concluded their reasoning with faith.  They came to the end of reason and learned that life cannot be lived totally within the confines of it.  They learned that reason, if honestly exercised, ends with faith, and those who refuse faith are unreasonable.  Whether we admit it or not, God created us to live in and by faith.  We do so without thinking about it.  We put our trust in things we cannot control, and although they may be predictable, they cannot be guaranteed.  Those who live by reason alone will come to the end of his or her natural life knowing that they don’t know.  They do not know what lies ahead once the heart stops beating.  No one or nothing has ever come back from the state of being dead to testify of what lies beyond except for one individual.  The physical evidence upon which reason rests is limited to our created universe.  It cannot go beyond.  So those with reason die in fear because they will not accept that faith is necessary.

The sun rises and sets every day.  It is so predictable and automatic we accept it as an absolute.  Yet faith is required to believe there is nothing in this universe that will ever disrupt it.  If I am a slave to my reason, I would have to assume that since the universe is so vast, and we have attained only an infinitesimal amount of knowledge from it, statistically speaking, there lies an object, force, etc that just might wipe out our sun.  Maybe even our galaxy.  Perhaps, there is an object beyond our ability to see which travels so fast that it would impact our sun before we had any warning.  The reasonable secularist takes by faith that the sun will rise tomorrow and has made plans thereto.  The secular atheist scientist goes into his or her lab and organizes experiments to find laws that do not change.  They base their research on a set of data that is predictable and quantifiable.  But who's to say it will always be that way and that the work the scientist does will not become obsolete as creation reorganizes itself in a moment in time?  If that moment in time is today, then why bother conducting any experiment?  The scientist takes by faith that the predictable and provable laws of creation will remain so that further research and learning can come of it.

The point is simple.  Since information is infinite and we are finite, reason can go only so far.  Therefore, it is a reasonable thing to accept some things by faith.  Some things cannot be proven.  An existence beyond death, outside of the scriptures, is one of them.  To think it an absolute that nothing remains after death takes a step of faith.  Why?  Because it is impossible for anyone to come back from nothing to tell you that nothing exists.  So, accepting no existence after death is, in itself, an act of faith.  Paul is absolutely right here.  Those who refuse to exercise faith in Jesus Christ are the unreasonable ones.  They think all things can be accepted merely by reason alone.  This is an error of the most fatal of all degrees.  Reason without faith will damn the soul to an eternity of hell.  Reason without faith is to deny one’s own life.  That is why Paul tells Timothy that those who refuse faith oppose themselves.  They live a life of contradiction.  They are confused.  They are arrogant.  They are without hope in this world.  May the Holy Spirit pierce their prideful hearts to be honest with what and who they are before reason condemn them to an eternity of pure destruction.

Protect Your Head

“But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.” (1Th 5:8 AV)

Those last four words are precious to me.  In the dark days in which we live, hope is at a premium.  Last night, I preached out of Philippians chapter three.  In verses eighteen and nineteen, we read of one of the few times that Paul mentions a contrary emotion to the joy that is so prevalent in that letter.  He weeps for his captors because he knows what there live is and will be.  We have a hope which the world does not have.  Paul reminds the church in Thessalonica that the saints are not reserved unto wrath.  This is in the context of the second coming of Christ.  We will not suffer judgment that is coming upon a world that hates God.  Like Noah, those who love the LORD will be removed and judged separately from those who hate Him.  The wrath of God is reserved for those who despise Him and His word.  So, it we understand this correctly, our hope is in salvation.  It is not in our current condition.  The world will always hate God and His word.  Even those who claim to know God and turn against His word are truly not children of the most High.  Unless they repent, they too will suffer the wrath of God.  But we have this hope of salvation.  And this hope is worn on the head.  It is represented as a helmet!

In my childhood, we rode our bicycles without helmets.  Then came along a government that believed helmets were a good idea.  They were probably right.  In the infancy of American football, leather was used as the material for helmets.  This got replaced by impact-resistant plastic.  Innovation today is trying to mitigate the impact of a tackle even more by introducing impact-absorbing materials.  In the infancy of ice hockey, the players played without helmets.  Even the goalie. That was insane!  Having suffered three concussions, I think I would have been better off with a helmet.  The masters behind the push for helmets understand that the human head is the most valuable of all assets.  If the head is injured, it risks the entire body.  Several years ago, I had to get a scan of my brain.  We found the residual evidence of those concussions.  They will be with me for my entire life and may eventually lead to complications further down the road.  The head is the most important part of the body.  We cannot replace it.  We cannot live without it.  We can have an iron lung or a mechanical heart.  But there is no replacement for the head.

Perhaps this is why the hope of salvation is described as a helmet.  It is the most important piece for hope to reside within.  If we lose hope in salvation, we lose all reason to endure.  If we forget that we are saved and on our way to heaven, then this life becomes more disturbing.  If we forget that we are saved and nothing can remove us from the love of God, then the terrors of this world will overwhelm us.  There is a bright day coming.  We see it darkly.  But soon the glorious light of God’s appearance will be all that we see.  There is no reason to lose hope.  There is no reason to surrender our joy.  It doesn’t matter what the future holds.  It doesn’t matter if the world’s hatred for Jehovah God only grows.  We have the hope of salvation.  We may be sailing on a tumultuous sea.  But the shore of God’s kingdom is right ahead.  Don’t hang the head!  Wear the helmet of salvation with hope and joy!  Praise be to God!

Allowing Peace

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.” (Col 3:15 AV)

This is an amazing verse because of one little word.  That word is ‘let’.  The most interesting thing about that word is that ‘let’ and ‘rule’ are complimentary in the sense that they mean similar things.  The word ‘let’ means “to be an umpire; to decide, determine; to direct, control, rule”.  The word ‘rule’ is the exact same Greek word.  It is one (let) yielding to the other (rule) so that peace resides within the heart.  This is a mutual agreement between the heart and the peace of God.  The heart is umpiring the call between anxiety and peace by deciding that peace will now rule and umpire anxiety.  Now, here is the profound thing.  Peace is not something that is manufactured and placed in the heart.  It already exists.  It is called the peace of God.  Not just peace.  It is the peace of God.  God is eternal, and so is His peace.  God is omnipresent, and so is His peace.  The reason we have no peace in our hearts is that we have umpired that peace to remain outside of our hearts.  We have controlled peace.  We have ruled that peace is not to be in the heart.  If I am reading this right and understanding it by the ministry of the Spirit, then peace reigning in the heart is a matter of allowing it.  Anxiety chases it away.  Fear closes the heart off from peace.  If we are to have peace, then peace must be allowed to enter and stay.

This time of year is challenging.  My wife loves the cold.  I hate the cold.  My wife hates the heat.  I breathe better with a bit of humidity and warmth.  Right now, our weather is between two extremes.  The heat of the summer is gone, but the cold of the winter has yet to come.  This means that the heat pops on during the night, but when the sun hits our windows, it is too warm in the house for my wife.  So we have this battle of wills.  She wants to throw open the windows at the first sign that the temperature is rising only to have me remind her that the heat lost has to be gained by a boiler firing all night long.  But I have to say, having the windows closed in both summer and winter, fresh air is something that cheers the heart.  We can sit in the uncomfortable heat of the house and become agitated, or we can open the windows and let a bit of fresh air that calms the spirit.  The fresh air is all around us.  But it stays outside unless a window is open.

This is a good example of the omnipresent peace of God waiting to be let in.  Our minds can only think on so much.  Our hearts are limited in the ability to feel emotions.  Our minds are preoccupied by earthly things, or they are comforted by spiritual things.  Our hearts have a difficult time entertaining opposite emotions.  Pride and humility have a hard time co-existing.  One rules while the other is subordinate.  Peace is a condition of the heart that has yielded to the hope in and the control of the LORD.  Peace is surrendering any strife that would rise against the perfect peace of God.  For there to be peace, arms must be rest silent.  A fight must end.  The conflict between worry and faith must have a winner.  Peace is often a matter of deciding who or what will rule in our minds and hearts.  Will Almighty God rule?  Or will our fears and anxieties?  Remember, for peace to rule in the heart of the saint it must be yielded to.  One must let the peace of God rule in the heart.