Junk Food Should Taste Good

 Purpose is important. If something doesn't do what it should we either repurpose it or throw it away.

Today I had to throw something away.

It started with a morning trip to the break area for coffee. We have a machine in our office that will custom grind a single cup of coffee's worth of beans, and brew you fresh a cup! It's very good coffee. People will often place little "Take one" snacks out, and this Christmas season has been no exception. There's been an amazing array of cookies, cake, snack, other "Junque Food" available!

"Today" there were cookies

Perfect in shape and perfect in appearance, I gladly chose my portion, and my fresh cuppajoe, and returned to my desk to go about my day and be about business. I sipped the coffee, delicious, medium roast, fresh, and amazing!

I took a bite.

nope, nothing good happenin' here.

Folks, I didn't eat any more of these cookies. They weren't stale in texture, but the taste was as if they'd spent all year soaking in plastic wrap. It's hard to explain. They were off. Almost like there were old ingredients used to make these precious things, or that they'd been sprayed with saran wrap.

They weren't good for anything but to be thrown out.

I immediately thought about what Jesus taught in Matthew 5:13:" 'You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet."

That's what needed to happen to these cookies. They were untasty, and no matter how good they looked, I knew better than to take another bite. Jesus uses the example of salt because they didn't have the same salt we had, they had sea salt, and it was possible for the actual "salt" in their salt to be washed out leaving only the tasteless impurities behind. It looked right, but it weren't right. It would still poison the ground though, so it would be thrown out.

May I, in this New Year heed the warning, and be salty salt, useful in my place.

 Hello!

I have a new ongoing series on the Christian doctrines of salvation. Check it out!

https://basicorlando.blogspot.com/p/salvation.html

Right now, I'm up to 5 parts. There's at least 3 more in the works!

New Post on BASIC Blog

 Some time ago, I started a ministry to homeless people called BASIC.

BASIC Stands for "Believing And Serving In Christ". I started a blog over there that I used to propagate our prayer list, and to provide updates to the ministry's supporters. I would also post theological posts over there, including sermons and lessons I've done other places. now I'm in the middle of a series on the topic of Salvation.

it will be a multi part series, here's the first post:

https://basicorlando.blogspot.com/2023/03/brothers-what-shall-we-do-salvation.html

go and check it out, tell your friends.

Tired

I'm struggling with the where and when to post this. bear with me.... 

Today I am a special kind of tired. 

 Ever felt the pain of the day when the day begins? That's me right now. Over all, I'm pretty well rested. Got 6+ hours of sleep list night even though I'm on call. Didn't wake up once. I should feel good right? Well, I realized as soon as I woke up, I still have much the same work to do today that I did yesterday. 

It didn't get any less or easier, it's still there. 

It's the tired you get when you realize the work's not done. 

 It's never done. I'm just moving from one task to the next. I'm always expected to be certain things. We all are expected to be certain things. The labels I have on me weigh me down. Some I give to myself, some are given to me, all of them are mine and no one else's. 

You're this tired when you realize that the work is yours to do, and no one else's.

Contingency is an interesting concept to ponder and work with. On the one hand, nothing about my existence is necessary. I could have never been, or I could die tomorrow, and the universe can continue to exist. On the other hand, there's this work I'm doing raising kids, earning money, teaching others, hearing their concerns, all things that I have been called to do, but sometimes, I just want to embrace that contingincy. The world doesn't need me. I just want to feel rest. 

That's when the scripture comes in: 

I feel this tired when Hebrews 12:1 moves from being a memory verse at church camp to being the first verse in a page that convicts my efforts.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears. For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

(Heb 12:1-29) 

It's the tired that makes you thankful for grace. 

Deeply thankful for it. 

I can't sleep, exercise, rest, or share away this tired in me. I just need God's grace to help me endure. 

 

Father God, I am grateful for this unshakeable kingdom. I can rest there. Every day until I will bear with being tired. Tiredness and weariness in my bones can't compare to the rich peace you offer us in Christ. Please bear me over to that kingdom. In the name of Jesus I ask this AMEN.

Easily Distractible

In the teachings of "The Sermon on the Mount", a couple of things have always stuck out to me. First: The whole thing ends with the admonition to do the things written in it and not just hear them. We sing the song about wise men, foolish men, building houses, and tell each other to "build our house on the Lord Jesus Christ" but the verse has narrower application than just being like Jesus. Specifically, we are told to DO the things just mentioned in chapters 5, 6, and the previous part of 7. We can't have a life with a firmly built foundation if we don't love our enemies, if we don't control our senses, if we constantly worry about everything. This Sermon isn't meant to be known, or merely heard, it's meant to be practiced.

The second big thing that has always stuck out to me has to do with how we handle the non-believer's favorite passage of scripture: Matthew 7:1-5.

7 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.

--Matthew 7:1-5, ESV.

We're not to judge, but the focus, instead of being externally non-judgmental, is placed on becoming internally holy. We are not to condemn others, because we know what to do, and we don't do it, so start doing what Jesus has commanded, then we might understand how sin has trapped people. We all have a problem. Everyone, and I mean everyone, has that plank Jesus talked about in Matthew 7:3-5. Believers, non-believers, back-slidden and "Saint", our sinfulness has distorted our perception to the point where we are ever seeing but never perceiving. Further, our lack of discernment in our own lives can influence how others receive our message. People refuse to believe that the grace of God saves us if we never show grace. People don't accept God's love, because they don't see God's love in us. Furthermore, if we ourselves don't take care of the sin in our lives, it cheapens the Gospel in the eyes of those still caught up in the world, the pigs and the dogs.

Because we are crippled in our ability to perceive our flaws, we are susceptible to casting our pearls before swine. That's why Jesus' command to not judge is immediate followed by a command to be very judging.

⁶ Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

--Matthew 7:6, ESV
The Gospel is for everybody, Jesus' love is for everybody, but there is a difference I think between the believer and non-believer. The great temptation of modern Christianity is to presume that since everyone wants to be "Good Boy" that everyone's way to God is equal, and able to save. It's a common human way of thinking. In the field of computer programming, we have an expression: TIMTOWTDI. Pronounced "Tim Toady", it means "There Is More Than One Way To Do It", and it encapsulates the idea that a problem can have more than one solution. This is true when we consider things to which we can equally relate. Our reality flattens our relationships, so there becomes more than one route to along the same plane. Our relationship to God isn't like that though. There is a limited interchange between our existence and His. This is where TIMTOWTDI breaks down. There is not more than one way to get to Him because he is transcendent. We do not exist There until such time as we die, are buried, and raise again. First in baptism (Romans 6 talks about this), then in the future, when we die physically, and are given a new body in the resurrection. Finally, as we die to ourselves each day, sanctification takes us a little bit there each day.(SEEMINGLY RANDOM SIDENOTE CONNECTION: What will happen to us in the future is given greater precedence to what's happening now, what is happening now is directly related to what God did in the past, and what happened in the past was the plan all along. This is essential to my worldview)  We live for a different purpose. This is precious knowledge, and our best efforts at sharing this with others can be met with opposition because let's face it, people can be pretty horrible. Out of the same mouth comes both blesses and curses.

Sometimes it's very frustrating to deal with people who have things "Figured out man," who have deemed themselves experts in the field of religion. They quote Matthew 7:1 without hearing Matthew 7:5, much less with any consideration that they may be the pig or dog of 7:6. As we're sharing the gospel, we need to know our audience. How do they hear us? Are they dogs? Are they pigs? Many times a dog is pleasant to be around, and pigs are smart. Dogs hear without understanding, pigs eat without being filled. When you tell a dog a thing they don't understand (something like "Jesus is the only way to God"), they bark and attack: MATTHEW 7:1 YOU HIPPOCRITE! Try and give a pig real food (Jesus, after all, did say "unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink."John 6:53-56), and they will turn on you "ZOMBIE/VAMPIRE JESUS IS A LIE! I FOLLOW SPAGHETTI MONSTER, HE IS THE YUM!" They mock us because they have to.
Don't give them what's sacred.
Their destruction awaits them. Until them, keep the faith you show simple: ask, seek, knock for the opportunities to share faith. Pigs and dogs are easily distractible, lead them toward God's goodness. Let them find the way, and they will remember they walk on 2 legs not 4.

News, Podcasts, Gaggle of Google RADio stations.

February is exciting this year!
Lots of things are happening in my life.
I don't even know where to start.

1. Most exciting thing right now, Is that I got a chance to preach this last Sunday! I'll post some notes and maybe even embed a youtube video later.
2. The Podcasts I'm listening to sum up my life well, birds, radio, programming, and religion. I probably should post a review on each one I'm listening to right now, and how it's influencing the directions I'm taking in life. There's some intersections across several lines I'd like to share, The radio and programming podcasts will go here, because they serve (interestingly enough to me) as the point of intersection. Here's a partial list of what I'm finding really interesting:

• Two Bearded Preachers
• Ruby Rogues (ruby/ruby on rails)
• 100 Watts and a Wire.
• Out There with the Birds. 

I'm listening to more than this right now, mainly while at work, doing chores, or running. It gives my brain something in the background.

3. Life moves fast when your a father of four, you'd better be ready. My oldest turns 13 this year!
4. I'm planning on running another 5k in March, the Carillon Classic. Hee hee hee. In preparation, I'm running at least three days a week now. I'm also trying some dieting to put me into Ketosis. I'll try to update as I go along with that, if for any other reason than to keep myself on track.

Back to Bromeliads, Making Sense of Knowing Your Place

Recently, I posted about three species of bromeliads:

all three Tillandsias covered by my blog are somewhere in this picture

They are all common in Florida, especially in the Lakeland area where I live. Bet you can find some in your neighborhood.
Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides)
Ball Moss (Tillandsia recurvata)
Southern Needle Leaf (Tillandsia setacea)

Struck by their beauty, and in awe of how they lived, I listened for a deeper message. Sometimes, when you read God's word, you don't remember what you've read, until God shows you something He needs you to see, and then you will remember what you have heard or read.
These plants are not like other plants. They have a different place, and different food. Some plants live on the ground, roots deep in the soil. They have a job to do there. These plants live in trees, and their job is to be in that tree. When an air plant hits the ground, it soon begins to die. They have to stay above. People are like that, especially redeemed people.

Colossians Chapter 3 starts off like this:

1If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

We're called to set our minds on things above. We can't be down below. Just like air plants, we have to be in a different state of existence than the people who still live without Christ. To continue to exist as terrestrial plants means death for our Tillandsia, and so to, we have died in Christ and must live as something else.


Doing this isn't easy. It requires constantly pruning off that which wants to keep us down:

5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice,slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

Notice that when we "put off" the old self, something new, by necessity, takes it place. Once we were rooted in the world, but when we take up the old, we must be anchored to something else. Let's remember that our anchor is to Jesus, and that we are 'being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator'.

On That Night

On the night He was betrayed, Jesus ate with His Disciples.
On the night He was betrayed, He washed their feet.
He talked to them.
He scared them.
After giving them the cup and the loaf, he spoke some more to them.
John says that he told them very specifically the reason why they had no reason for fear:

John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

He didn't tell them He was going away to cause them fear, He told them because He went to prepare a place for them. He didn't tell them that they would scatter at His arrest because He wanted to shame them. He wanted them to understand, Jesus came to do God's will, and God's will would be done. In the world we certainly have trouble.
Sin traps us.
We forget who we are.
People let us down.
We walk through the world, and sometimes it seems we are unforgivable because of what we've seen or done.
Sometimes it seems like the world wins every time evil wins. 
Take heart. Jesus overcomes this world, and through this gathering together to partake of the meal He gave us, we remind ourselves that Jesus always overcomes the world.

My Confession

Scripture commands us to examine ourselves before we partake the Lord's Supper. John writes in his epistle on specific thing I think can help us understand what examining ourselves means.
1 John 1:5-10 says

⁵ This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
⁸ If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

As I've matured being a Christian, I've learned something, it's very helpful to have someone you can talk to about the sins you still commit. I think from reading this scripture we can understand that this is what God intends. God does not want you to go it alone. Practicing this Scripture is hard though. We've come to have a negative association with 'confessing'. Let's put that to rest today. I'll go first.

I'm not going to drag out a bunch of dirty laundry, or brag on my sins or tell you about all the things I do that seem like a great idea at the time, even if I know it's not part of God's will. I will tell you about something about myself that bothers me though, and I wonder if you can relate. Jesus told a parable about dirt once, and how the quality of the dirt affected the soil. There was hard dirt where the seed could not even find a place to grow. Next was rocky dirt, and seed could sprout there, but it soon withered when the heat came on because the roots were shallow. Third was ground where weeds had taken over, and buried the good plant, choking it out. Finally there was good dirt, and a crop could be grown. Most days I wake up, and I know I'm option three. My dirt is loose, relatively rock free, but these weeds! I know exactly what Jesus is talking about when he says that the worries of this life choke out the word of God. Have you been there too? That's my confession. I worry about this life and it keeps me from stepping out on faith when I know that's what God wants me to do. These weeds didn't come about overnight, I've been a Christian for over twenty-five years now, I've had plenty of burns, marks, unrealized dreams, forgotten promises, missed opportunities. Fortunately, I also know the cure for these weeds.

The passage that we read together is part of one of my all time favorite chapters of the Bible. I want us to read the whole thing together before we take the Lord's Supper today because I'm tired of the weeds and I want to share with you how we can help pull the weeds out of each other's soil.

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— ² the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— ³ that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. ⁴ And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

⁵ This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. ⁸ If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

In the beginning of the book of 1 John we see the key to getting the weeds out of our life: we bear testimony to what has happened to us, and what we've seen God doing in the world. When we do that, We will be encouraged to make more happen, to bring forth more fruit, then we have more story to tell. We'll come back to this table prepared, not because we spoke a prayer asking God to forgive us, but because we remembered what God did this week, whether in our lives, or the lives of our neighbours. Let's pledge to God when we take the bread and cup today to tell the story of what He's doing in us!

Mrs. Happy

I was sitting there in Church wondering what the scene must have been like in the Lord's presence Saturday morning. Jesus is there, and a sizable crowd has gathered some sitting and some standing, at the "pearly gates" awaiting something. I imagine that many of the faces I see are familar to me, maybe not as I knew them, but I know who they are, I've known some of these people all my life.
  Suddenly, a voice comes up from the edge of the crowd closest to the gate, "Here she comes!" As one, a great chord is struck, and crowd stands stands, faces the gates, and the crowd sings as one:

"Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creates here below,
Praise Him above ye heavenly host,
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Amen"

Know that song? I've sung it after communion service in churches all over the place, even sung it in Haitian Kreyol. The first time I remember hearing it though, has been at First Christian Church of Cheneyville, La. Mrs Margaret "Happy" Tanner struck the chord every week, we all stood, and all sang it together after communion service every week. Today however, Mrs Happy is the one coming thru "the gates", she's being welcomed into the Lord's Presence. I'm so glad to have known her, and I'm on the edge of tears thinking about her.

There's no tears left for her though. She won't cry, nor does she feel pain. Her arms are better, and her heart is healed. She doesn't look the same, but we will know who she is, and as she looks around, she sees many faces she knows.

I imagine the first person she recognizes is Jesus. I imagine the embrace, and the thunder in his voice "Welcome home, my good and faithful servant". I imagine she'll see Mr Buster, big happy grin on his face. She'll see other friends, some family, and faces from the far away places, people who were saved because of the time, money, and prayers she put into the Lord's work.

It's great there.

Here we mourn.

Not as others mourn, though.
Even now, our mourning becomes a song:

Praise God from whom all blessing flow...


Edit to add, Mrs Happy's obituary can be found here: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thetowntalk/obituary.aspx?n=emma-margaret-tanner-happy&pid=165327892&fhid=17436

Tradition, A Meal and Doing New Things

This is the communion meditation for Highlands Church of Christ, as given 10/7/2012:

Tradition plays an important role in how my family does things. I got to thinking about that when I was making hotcakes for everybody. My wife reminded me of how my life has been shaped by tradition later that evening. My first name is a traditional first name for my family. Hotcakes are a traditional breakfast. I grew up going to weekly fish fry suppers at Possum Hollow, and Sunday Dinners at Grandma, and Grandpa's house. When it is the fourth of July, it is time for a family reunion, and I look forward to my 80th birthday party, that's the big party in my family. Tradition is important, it keeps the family together, and tells the stories of where we have been.

Some people are against tradition, I don't understand why, but they feel like change is coming, and that change is good. I like change every now and again my own self. Sometimes change is needed and necessary. Something may be broke, and not fixable. Something could be worn out, or inadequate for the job you are trying to do. There is a danger here though, because change for the sake of change is a dangerous thing. From what I've seen in this world, things that change too quickly do not do well. Perhaps you've heard that bit of wisdom "It's not the fall that kills you, but the sudden stop at the end." I also know that a pond that is stagnant and unchanging will die, suffocated. Somewhere between rigid unchanging repetitive motion, and constant change is life. I think tradition helps us find that. The relationship we have with God is built in tradition. When used appropriately tradition calls to mind the past good that God has done for us, and calls us to do right. When done wrong, tradition condemns us, and enslaves us. I think it helps when we establish the right tradition. The right tradition begins in Scripture, with The Good News, the Gospel. The Gospel has been present since the fall of man, and is present with us until the day of the coming of the Lord. The message hasn't changed, listen to it:

1 Corinthians 15:1-11 (ESV)

1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand,  2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,  4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,  5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.  6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.  7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.  8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.  9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.  10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.  11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

 You see, this is our tradition! The tradition was initialized in the Garden of Eden when God promised the Crusher is coming. It was there when Jacob blessed his Children, and promised that the scepter would not depart from Judah. The Tradition was confirmed when Moses told the Hebrews to slay a lamb, and spread its blood on the lintel and doorposts. The tradition flickered, but was passed down through Isaiah during dark times, when he promised that the stump of Jesse would produce a branch that would bear fruit. The tradition came to Mary, and she was with a child even though she had no husband. The tradition lived in her son, who is the Son of God, the Prince of Peace, the Crusher, the Ruler, the Stump of Jesse, the Lamb of God. He made the tradition real and tangible on the night he was betrayed, taking bread, and calling it his body. He took a cup, and called what was in it his blood, the seal of the new covenant. Then he made that tradition the Final Tradition, offering himself on the cross for our sins. That's the key to what we proclaim when we take the bread and cup during this time. Christ has made us a promise. His body and blood for our sins, and we share in that tradition every week.

There's Strange and There's Providence

...and there's business as usual.
This is a little of all of the above.
Recently a Friend (see previous post for discussion on friendship) made a blog post about meeting a murderer. He's all the time doing crazy things.
Part of my Theology begins with the following assumptions:
There's Strange
There's Providence
and
There's Business as Usual.

I'd say that for Matt, his post illustrates all three. It's strange because these folks were just standing around talking, it's providence because Matt was right there, at the right time, with the right word, and it's business as usual because this isn't the first time Matt's had this conversation about Gospel presentation style, I have proof!
Here he is, circa 1999 (Maybe early 2000) talking to a member of "The Bible Baptist Church of Deland":

That's Matt on the left, with the backpack. Matt was feeding the homeless in downtown Orlando, sharing with them the Gospel, and some sack lunches. Often we would be able to have conversations with folks in Downtown. On Friday nights, these guys would be out there with a similar message to Brother Jed and Brother Micah in Matt's blog post.

"And a Friend's a Friend forever..."

I dislike that song.
A lot.
Recently I ran across this quoted statement on Facebook:

I am slowly and painfully learning that more people we come across in life will bear the title of "acquaintance" rather than "friend". Thank you to the few I hold so very dear.

I will be perfectly frank, the first thing I thought after reading that first sentence was:
"Thank God!"
Let me explain. I have lived a many different places in my youth. When you move around a lot you have to make friends quickly or be alone. I don't always like being alone with myself, I can drive myself crazy pretty quick. I'm probably driving some people crazy even as they read this. Usually, within a week of moving to a new place, I'm asking someone if I can be their friend. In this manner, I've had a lot of friends, most of whom are acquaintances and not friends, but that's a good thing. Concurrent with learning that true friends are hard to find, I learned that friendship is something intimate, and shouldn't be entered into lightly, nor should it be shared often. When I make a friend, I am very loyal to that person. I will not allow that person to suffer harm if I can help it. I will stand with them, stand up for them, follow them, lead them, counsel them, ask them questions, annoy them, and even suffer myself to be annoyed by them. This is different from being open with someone. To have community you need openess. Being open means you can say to someone "Hey, me too!" Openess begins with basic you're-alive-and-I'm-alive-and-we-are-both-people love, and ends in conversation. From there, you will need to decide on whether to make that person a friend. I'd say that I am ready to start becoming friends with someone when they've seen everything in my closet, and respond "Cool!", and I believe that I've seen everything in their closet, and can respond "Cool!" even if we both are a little uncomfortable with what we see.

I've been doing some thinkings about relationship formation, community, cohesion, society, individuality, and how it all orchestrates to enrich the kingdom of God.

• I've had to think about what happens when someone I've trusted betrays the work we've done together.
• I've had to accept myself when I've betrayed the work I've done with other people.
• I've had to think about 'my neighbor'.
• I've had to accept being alone.
• I've had to follow the rational, logical train of implication of Marriage: "The two shall become one flesh" (if 2 =1 then when you get married, you are still alone)
• I'm pretty sure I can't be a friend to myself because I'm my own worst enemy. I'll have to think about that some more.

In conclusion: Dear facebook poster: All is well! It's a good thing to have few friends.

Here's something that ROCKS! Consider it an apology for that atrocious song at the top:

Lyrics:
We place ourselves down in a position we think is safe,
the marks of the people that walk on us leave a trace,
of where we should act then they should react.
Brought up, and beat down, and then the luster lacks,
and stacks up on the minds of the ill-content.
Not every angel sent before you is even heaven sent.
We look into the eyes of the people that follow.
Time to follow the sheep the battle`s not won.

You`re just a snail, but you will never see
Surrounded by the circle of salt, that`s your destiny
You`re just a snail, but now you`ll never
Praying to God don`t let the wind blow

You lay your cards down and it`s a hundred and ten percent,
but then the thirty- five percent of the people who haven`t spent.
The time to get to know you as a person,
they just stand behind you backstabbing and straight up cursing.
Playing you down to be something that your not.
The forked tongue of the wicked rambles off piping hot killing you softly
but you will feel the sting for ever.
when was the last time your heart had been severed.

You`ve fallen twenty steps back to see what`s two steps ahead,
and then they kick you to the side of the road left for dead
because ther concern would be to not deal with ya.
To the rest of the open ears you know you have to paint a picture.
To open wounds and emirs them into salt,
there as stupid as chicken`s, but still it`s not there fault.
They just don`t know what it means to take it face to face, be long after.
Yes they leave a bad taste

Telos - The End

I have had what I would consider an interesting life.  Born into a Navy family full of travellers, I've had many opportunities to meet different people, experience different parts of the country and see different parts of the world.  One of my biggest desires in life is to share the connections I see between seemingly disconnected pieces of the puzzle known as "Earth" and "Life".  I believe in a God who has done, will do, and is doing strange things in an effort to help us see these connections too.  We all play a small part in something I've known as "Telos" or "The End" end meaning not a stopping point, but a purpose.  For a while I've seen myself in a role that has made me the proclaimer of "The Telos", a herald of the way, something most people refer to as 'preacher' or 'evangelist'.  I've spent hours preparing material that basically says the same thing over and over again:
0.  The Universe is apart from God, contrary to His Telos because humanity has made a Telos for itself despite the fact our knowledge of the implication of our self made Telos is limited, incomplete, and contrary to what has already been proclaimed.
1.  God Himself has made a Way of reconciliation and restoration to Him.
2.  Without that Way, you will not see His Telos in this 'Earth'
3.  This Way is through and along side of His Son Jesus, whom He sent as Himself in the flesh
4.  Your role in "The Telos" can only be realized as you walk the Way God has/will/is providing.


As I see it, ever sermon you hear will be about one of those five points. 
I could be wrong, but that's what I see.  Usually, when I preach, I try to combine points 1, 2, 3. I want to leave you walking along the Way. Point 4 takes the longest to workout, and accept because you will constantly be realizing your role in the Telos until the Telos is realized. Point 0 is obvious when observing the 'evil in the world', and overarches, influences, sometimes contradicts, sometimes reinforces each of the other points.

I want to help you understand that God's purpose for you is for Him and you to mold your self-made Telos into His Telos, to follow that Telos to it's finality, and to rejoice in the acceptance of its rewards.  


EDIT: I've seen Telos spelled Telos, Telios, and Teleos. I don't understand there to be any differences between them all, just  understand I am refering to The End of the Process in it's most generic consideration.

Chicken Wings & Jesus Things: Casey Anthony and Jesus...

Gravy's take on the whole Casey Anthony thing. He says all that needs to be said from a Christian perspective. He deals with the follow up:

Chicken Wings & Jesus Things: Casey Anthony and Jesus...: "Well the verdict is in and she was found not guilty on murder charges or child abuse. I have been, like so many, watching the trial and..."

Thanks Jim!
Those words need to be said, even though a lot of us may feel bitter about the decision.
Here's what I want to say from a justice oriented perspective (Christian as my worldview is). 

The Jury's Decision is the Correct Decision.

I know many of you are angry that I would suggest such a thing, and if you want, you can reread my posts on "String Theory" and Osama bin Ladin and you will understand why as a Christian I can believe such a thing.
Let me say it again:

The Jury's Decision is the Correct Decision.

Now pause again, and reflect, then say it outloud, and let the saying of it free you from the emotion of the verdict.  We have a justice system where it is supposed to be easier for the guilty to go free than for the innocent to be imprisioned.
Yet sometimes, even the innocent are imprisioned:
'Franky" Carillo
Lathan Word
Larry Osbourne
Cornelius Dupree Jr
Just a few.... just a few.
Now I believe in the death penalty, because I believe in justice.  I am however, and equal believer in grace. 
I thank God today that I live in a country where the burden of proof is supposed to rest on the Prosecution, and not on the defense.  A purely rational society shouldn't be arranged in this manner, you do realize that right? I thank God that I live in a country where I can be judged by a jury of my peers, because while justice is blind, we certainly aren't.
Heh.
If you want to mourn here, now is the time to mourn.
Please do so.

The Gravy Speaks on Marital Holiness

James makes some straightforward comments to all men everywhere!
Heed his words my brothers!

PS,
He's there to listen, and he's one of the best at understanding what you are saying I know.

Chicken Wings & Jesus Things: Men...protect your marriage and family...: "I want to have a heart to heart with men.   Men who have been washed in the blood of the Lamb.   Men who love Jesus and their family.   Chri..."

"Do Not Forget the Clamor of Your Foes..."

Psalm 74

1 O God, why do you cast us off forever?
Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?
2 Remember your congregation, which you have purchased of old,
which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage!
Remember Mount Zion, where you have dwelt.
3 Direct your steps to the perpetual ruins;
the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary!
4 Your foes have roared in the midst of your meeting place;
they set up their own signs for signs.
5 They were like those who swing axes
in a forest of trees.
6 And all its carved wood
they broke down with hatchets and hammers.
7 They set your sanctuary on fire;
they profaned the dwelling place of your name,
bringing it down to the ground.
8 They said to themselves, “We will utterly subdue them”;
they burned all the meeting places of God in the land.
9 We do not see our signs;
there is no longer any prophet,
and there is none among us who knows how long.
10 How long, O God, is the foe to scoff?
Is the enemy to revile your name forever?
11 Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?
Take it from the fold of your garment and destroy them!
12 Yet God my King is from of old,
working salvation in the midst of the earth.
13 You divided the sea by your might;
you broke the heads of the sea monsters on the waters.
14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan;
you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.
15 You split open springs and brooks;
you dried up ever-flowing streams.
16 Yours is the day, yours also the night;
you have established the heavenly lights and the sun.
17 You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth;
you have made summer and winter.
18 Remember this, O LORD, how the enemy scoffs,
and a foolish people reviles your name.
19 Do not deliver the soul of your dove to the wild beasts;
do not forget the life of your poor forever.
20 Have regard for the covenant,
for the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence.
21 Let not the downtrodden turn back in shame;
let the poor and needy praise your name.
22 Arise, O God, defend your cause;
remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day!
23 Do not forget the clamor of your foes,
the uproar of those who rise against you, which goes up continually!

I've stated before that there will come a post that talks about Justice and Judgment, today I want to share a few thoughts on a Psalm that begs God to do something about the unrighteous.

I find myself needlessly awake this morning, well not needlessly, I've got sick kids right now, and I'm not feeling too hot myself. It's been a rough day so far, and right now, it's only 7:00 AM! I read this Psalm often when I get down, for many reasons. It helps me keep perspective on a few things:
1. Vs 1-3; 10, 11: There's a difference between questioning God and asking God questions. The difference lies in the attitude of the heart. May my heart ask questions of God without questioning Him!
2. Vs 4-9: It's okay to tell God what's bothering you. You won't offend Him, or tell Him something new. When we tell God what's wrong in our hearts and mind, we make them ready for His deliverance!
3. Vs 12-17: Always remember what God has done for you. In the midst of sorrow, despair, or a lack of hope, it's most important to remember that God has already done many things for you! Name them, Thank God for them, and use them as a basis for making your faith in Him firm.
4. Vs 18-22: Once you've honestly told God what's wrong, and thanked Him for His past faithfulness, ask Him for deliverance now! It's ok to appeal to God from your heart!

Hopefully, my brief note here can encourage you. My kids are sick, and it's hard for me to take my own advice some times, so pray for me! Fortunately, they are still resting right now. I'm going to try and rest my own self.

Reflections on "The News" - Osama Bin-Laden is Dead

If you didn't hear, Osama Bin-Laden is dead.

Once upon a time I gave a sermon entitled "Do you really want it all to stop?"
Version one is on line in other places, I'll make you look for it. Revision two will appear here soon. It deals with injustice, and God's punishment for it. I've been working on it, but realized that in order to do a thorough revision, I would have to give people a basis for understanding my theology before they would understand what I was saying about "Bringing justice to this world."

So before reading this today you need to read these posts:

• Philosophy of Ministry
• And "Shirt, Tie, and Mohawk"

Then you'll be able to understand what I will briefly say about this passage:

8 Whoever plans to do evil
will be called a schemer.
9 The devising of folly is sin,
and the scoffer is an abomination to mankind.

10 If you faint in the day of adversity,
your strength is small.
11 Rescue those who are being taken away to death;
hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.
12 If you say, "Behold, we did not know this,"
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it,
and will he not repay man according to his work?

13 My son, eat honey, for it is good,
and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.
14 Know that wisdom is such to your soul;
if you find it, there will be a future,
and your hope will not be cut off.

15 Lie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous;
do no violence to his home;
16 for the righteous falls seven times and rises again,
but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.

17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles,
18 lest the LORD see it and be displeased,
and turn away his anger from him.

19 Fret not yourself because of evildoers,
and be not envious of the wicked,
20 for the evil man has no future;
the lamp of the wicked will be put out.

21 My son, fear the LORD and the king,
and do not join with those who do otherwise,
22 for disaster will arise suddenly from them,
and who knows the ruin that will come from them both?

Proverbs 24:8-22

I added some boldness to a couple of verses that highlight the simple point I want to make.

Christians aren't like other people, we should have a better understanding of justice. There's two things we need to remember:1. God gives the Government the sword for a reason. 2. When the sword falls, it's not a happy time, it's just a part of the inevitability of justice coming to the unrighteous.

Every time the sword is brought is sobering news because it's a reminder that a final judgment is coming, and there are many yet who are not ready for that day!
Let's make our hearts ready for the Day of the Lord!

"We're All Here Because We're Not All There"

WARNING!
This is a sneak peek at my devotional thoughts for Sunday morning's communion service. Last minute meditation givers are free to use it with proper attribution.

"We're All Here Because We're Not All There". I saw those Poignant words on a bumper sticker in Atlanta. It advertises the unofficial motto of a part of town called "Little Five Points". It's were all the weird hippies and cool kids hang out. I think what their trying to say is 'you gotta be crazy to hang around this place!' I would tend to agree. If you ever get there you might meet Wolf.

Wolf has been homeless a long time. Once upon a time I worked with a ministry called Jesus Place, and about 10-15 years before I came to work there, Jesus Place had a presence in Little Five Points. At that time, it's where a lot of homeless people and run away kids liked to hang out. Wolf was there then, and he was there when I started working with Jesus Place. Of all the things Wolf was famous for, the most famous was probably for sleeping in a tree in a park near Little Five Points. When I asked why he slept in a tree, his answer was "Because it's against the law to sleep on the ground." I'm pretty sure Wolf slept in that tree because he "wasn't all there."

I can relate to Wolf. I do things that make perfect sense to me that seem crazy to other people, especially when it comes to faith. Sooner or later, someone is going to think we are out of our minds for believing that our savior died, was buried, and rose again, furthermore, that he's coming back. Let's read 2 Peter 3:1-9:

1This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, 2 that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, 3knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, "Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation." 5For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
8But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
-English Standard Version

When we read our Bibles cover to cover, it's hard to comprehend the amount of time that passes between events. We forget that from the time the Israelites leave the promise land to the time that Jesus comes, is about fifteen hundred years. We forget that it took a little while for God to get mad enough at the world to destroy it in flood, and we forget that it took a little while for Noah to build the Ark. It may yet even be a little while longer before the Lord returns. Until then, Jesus wants us to do one thing together, the very thing we do together every Sunday morning. He wants us to remember the new covenant. We come together on the first day of the week to remember that one day, this world will pass, and there will be no more pain! We remember that our sins have been forgiven, and they will haunt us no more! We remember the awesome and powerful words Jesus spoke right before he departed from the disciples after rising from the dead: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Let's remember that we are all here, around this table, because we are not all there YET!

My Post about the Changing Seasons, and Spiritual Applications

My point is simple, "Things Change."

Romans 5:6-6:5
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die, but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. If, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

We are at that time of year called "Easter" by most everyone, "Resurrection Sunday" by the 'hardcore', "Passover" by the Jews, "Earth day" by the pagans, "Birthday" by some cousins of mine. It's a time of year where "Change" is clearly apparent:

Winter's gloom and grey
The Time is greening to Spring
Life begins again

Life begins again, but not in the same way. Sure some things look the same but there are some noticeable differences between this year and last. Last year, I had a different job. I was working as an "Environmental Sanitor," cleaning the corn line in manufacturing. Now I work within a completely different area of the company, doing things that are miles away from doing what I was doing a year ago. By and large, though, life is sort of like a Lorenz Attractor.

I first learned about Lorenz attractors studying chaos theory in high school. Short version: they are pretty pictures created by certain mathematical formulas when those formulas have specific values in key variables. If you look close enough at the pictures generated by the attractors you will see that they follow a similar path, yet that path is never retraced. I would argue that time is much like this, and the attractors in the year are Summer and Winter. Many people think that life is cyclical. I don't blame them. Life appears that way, until you discover Lorenz attractors. Then you realize that things aren't really repeating! I want to talk about differences, between old and new, and between living and dieing. I want to tell you from this passage that I've quoted above that God has brought us to a point where we decide whether to be attracted to death, or whether we will be attracted to life. Our eternal attractors are Adam, man of Death, or Jesus man of Life. Because God gives us the chance to choose life, let's choose it while we can. Unfortunately, this is a decision man has been choosing wrong, even from the beginning.

I am unashamedly an old school, whole Bible believing Christian. Some people would substitute the word "unfortunately", or "unthinkingly", or "foolishly" where I say "unashamedly", but that's not my fault, and I love them anyway. I believe in a literal Adam, and a literal Eve, and I believe that Eve considered the lie, but Adam allowed her to die.

Adam was in the garden with Eve when the Serpent tempted her(Genesis 3:6). He heard the arguments, he saw the source of the lie, he knew where they were, and what they were doing. No excuse for the boy! He sinned first by keeping silent, by watching the sin happen, by not defending his wife. Every man in my family knows that a poison tongue snake in the garden got to get a hoe to the head, especially if it talks! Adam knew that what the serpent was saying was wrong. He didn't defend, he stood by, and by standing by, allowed sin to take root in himself, and his wife. Ever since, we've been suffering from Adam's sin.

When Adam participated in the sin, death came as a result. Sin and death overcome us all. Adam's sin lead to Eve's guilt, Cain's sin lead to Able's death. A little earlier in Romans, Chapter 3, verse 23, we discover that all sin, and fall short of the Glory of God. Because of Adam, my sins lead to my death. Adam brought sin, and sin brought us death. Since Adam, there's been more sin! One man has irrevocably changed the history of the world by sinning. Such still happens today. Recently I read about a mother who drowned herself and three of her small children by driving into a lake. Supposedly, she tried to correct her horrible error, but she was too late. One of her kids escaped. Just one out of four. How can this happen? Why does this happen? When will the suffering stop? Because Adam stood and watched, Death has come into the world. The world is too broken to continue indefinitely, there must be a rescue, and a recovery. Fortunately, just as death was brought into the world through one man, so also, life has been brought into the world through one man.

Ambition is a funny thing. I originally started writing this post Good Friday, hoping to be done in time to publish it Sunday morning, Sunday has come and gone. *SIGH* On that Sunday morning, Christians every where celebrated an amazing event in human history. Jesus Christ rose from the dead! Jesus' bones aren't in the tomb. God chose to bring life back into the world through Jesus his son. "At the right time, Christ died for the ungodly". What marvelous words! I want us to look at three word phrases in that verse snippet that will illuminate the importance of the events of Easter:
1. "Right Time" - some things can only happen when conditions are right. There can be a deep study of the time when Jesus came to this earth, and about how it was the right time when he was born, right time when he grew up, and the right time when he died. I want to focus on the week he died, the passover week, because it will be clearly the strongest symbol to those alive with him at that time. Passover time was significant to the Jews (as it still is today) because it commemorates the time when the Jews came out of bondage in Egypt. From the time of Adam till the time of Christ, the world was held in bondage by sin. The book of Hebrews teaches that the sacrifices offered by the priests under the old covenant could not take away the sins of the people. Those sacrifices could only look forward to the time when they would be taken away. The passover meal was a remembrance of the shedding of blood that happened so that the Israelites could leave Egypt and go to Freedom in the Promised Land. It was and still is a homage to shed blood. In the original Passover (See Exodus 12 a lamb was slain, it's blood applied to the lintel of the door of the Israelite, and the lamb consumed by the members of the house. We have in Jesus, a lamb "without blemish" slain allow God's wrath to pass us by on our way to freedom.

2. "Christ" Christ means 'Anointed One'. You don't just up and anoint people for no reason. He didn't come by accident, he came with a purpose, God anointed him for the work he had to do. The first Gospel sermon was given by God himself in Genesis chapter 3:15 "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

3. "ungodly" Jesus' timing and purpose had to do with reconciling people who are without God to God. Jesus didn't come to feed people, or make the sick better. He wasn't some hippie social do gooder who wanted people to get along. He brought a message: "the Kingdom of God is at hand", and in bringing that message, he died for our sins! All of Jesus' actions, all of the miracles, all of the feedings, all of the travel, all of the dialogue served one purpose, to bring God to the ungodly. Without Jesus, you cannot know God beyond his Authority as creator, and his Role as Judge. When you put on Jesus, taking his sacrifice for your own, you know God as you could otherwise not know him, as a father! Galatians 3:23-4:7 echoes this sentiment. Many of the same words and ideas are presented, Jesus came at the right time, for a purpose, to take the ungodly and make them sons of God! Just as Jesus came at the right time, we also have a right time to become a son or a daughter of God.

The law given to Moses cannot convict me of my sins if I am in Jesus. Praise God it has no hold on me! I have experienced a washing away of sins in my life that Peter calls "an appeal to God for a clean conscience." Notice that God grants the appeal! The giver of the law has given me a clean conscience even though under the law I stand condemned! In Romans 6, Galatians 3 and 1 Peter 3 we see that a time comes when the seasons of our life change, we move from the dead of winter to the green life of summer. We go from being dead in our sins to being alive in the spirit. We go from guilty to having a clean and pure conscience before God.

I want to close today by re-quoting the last four (short) verses in the long passage I quoted in the beginning. I want to quote them again because it highlights the wonderful difference between the condemnation I had under the law, and the wonderful life in Jesus I have now, and because it shows us the time when God moves our equation from winter to summer:

"1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. "

AMEN!