Tag: you are here

One of the key ideas we explored yesterday is that marriage is about the mission. But what does that actually look like in real life? Watch below to be inspired by three ordinary couples who are living out this truth in surprising and powerful ways.

God is pleased with a marriage that doesn’t dwell and consume itself and get caught up in its own roots and vines, but is seeking to reach out to the world around it and have an actual, lasting impact for His kingdom.”

This past Sunday, we talked about how important it is for us to read the Old Testament within the context of the covenants. In particular, from the book of Joshua onwards, everything we read takes place within the context of the Mosaic Covenant. Keeping this covenant in mind—especially the blessings and curses of this covenant which are spelled out in Deuteronomy 28 & 30—is absolutely crucial for making sense of the rest of the story.

We considered some examples of this on Sunday, but here’s another one: do you remember Jabez from 1 Chronicles 4? Apparently his birth wasn’t too pleasant, and so his mom essentially named him “Pain.” But then we read that Jabez “called upon the God of Israel, saying, ‘Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!’ And God granted what he asked” (1 Chronicles 4:9–10).

Jabez was praying that God would give him more land and keep him from suffering. In other words, he was praying for material, physical blessing. And that was okay for him to pray for, because material blessing and freedom from suffering was a part of what God had promised them in that covenant (Deuteronomy 28:1-14). Jabez was essentially asking that in spite of the “curse” of his bad name, God would still keep His covenant promises to him.

Therefore, the way that we should apply Jabez’ example to our lives is not to pray his prayer verbatim, even though a very popular book a few years ago recommended this. Instead, we should ask, “Which covenant are we a part of? What are the promised blessings of this covenant?” And then we will ask the Lord to fulfill those promises to us. This line of thought will lead us towards passages like Ephesians 1:3-23, in which the Apostle Paul lists our New Covenant blessings in Christ, and then responds in prayer.

A second example of this principle at work is found when we consider God’s words to Solomon in 2 Chronicles 7: “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:13–14).

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard this passage applied to us today, taking it to say that if we Christians will confess our sins, then God will bring blessing and prosperity to our land, which must be Canada. But this passage was not addressed to New Covenant Canadians; it was addressed to Old Covenant Israel, and in it, God was simply repeating and reminding Solomon of His covenant promises from Deuteronomy 30:1-10.

While these specific promises of Deuteronomy 30 may not apply to us New Covenant Christians, that doesn’t mean that this passage has no meaning to us. We should apply this passage to ourselves by remembering that God Himself has not changed, and so He will be faithful to fulfill the promised blessings of the New Covenant to us.

“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15:4).

For many people in the world today, work is a necessary evil. They see it as something they have to do so they can pay for the stuff they really want to do: watch movies, enjoy their hobbies, spend time with friends, travel. This is what we might call the “TGIF” mentality.

We’ve seen this week that the Bible’s teaching on work points us 180° in the opposite direction. Work isn’t something we have do to so that we can get on with our life; work is our life. Good works are literally what we’ve been created for (Ephesians 2:10).

An important question is raised by all of this: what about rest and leisure? Are we ever allowed to take time and relax? Is watching a movie or spending a day at the beach even allowed in the Christian life?

Common-sense wisdom would suggest the answer is “yes.” Life is a marathon, not a sprint, and if we want to make it for the long haul, we need to pace ourselves.

We also see an instructive pattern in the Old Covenant. Taking one day in seven to rest was a command (Exodus 20:8-11), and there were several other layers of divinely-instituted rest woven into Israel’s life. (See Exodus 34:21-24 & Leviticus 25:1-22 for examples.) Work was to be sustained by regular rest.

In the New Covenant, we are not bound to observe the Sabbaths and Feasts (Colossians 2:16-17), and yet we’d be foolish to ignore the wisdom of these patterns God established for His people. After all, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for … training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16–17). One of the ways that the Old Testament Scriptures equip us for every good work is by showing us the importance of regular rest.

However, it bears repeating again that work is not something we need in order to enjoy rest; rather, rest is something we need in order to be able to give ourselves more fully to our work.

I recently read an article in which renowned theologian J.I. Packer wrote of his enjoyment for light reading—especially detective novels. And the question that Packer himself asked is, “[Should I] repent of time wasted in…light reading?” His answer was a clear “no”: “If overloaded academic and literary people never read for relaxation, their brains will break…Light reading is not for killing time (that’s ungodly), but for refitting the mind to tackle life’s heavy tasks (that’s the Protestant work ethic, and it’s true).” ¹https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/j-packer-reads-mystery-novels-defense-light-reading/

I believe that Packer hits the nail on the head, and his statement about killing time is one we should thoughtfully apply to ourselves. Do we use rest and hobbies and leisure to kill time? Or, do we understand that killing time is ungodly (see Ephesians 5:15-16), and instead use our rest and hobbies and leisure, as needed, to rejuvenate ourselves so that we can get back into the game?

If we are truly devoted to good works (Titus 3:8, 14), we can say “Thank God it’s Friday.” But we’ll say it genuinely, and with perspective. We’ll say it because we’re looking forward to using our weekend both for rest and for good works. And we’ll also be thanking God when it’s Monday, and we get to go back to work for the glory of God.

We heard on Sunday and here on the blog this week about the intersection between our “normal” work and the good works which God has called us to give our lives to.

It’s important to recognize that at many stages in world history, people didn’t have a lot of choice as to what kind of “normal” work they did. The job market wasn’t always as wide open as it is for us today. This is especially true when we think about the slaves and bondservants whom Paul wrote to (Colossians 3:22-25, Ephesians 6:5-8, 1 Corinthians 7:21-24, Titus 2:9-10). They had no choice but to do what they were told. And it would have been encouraging for them to hear that their work, whatever it was, mattered for eternity when they did it for Jesus.

But many of us—especially those of us who are younger—have a lot more choice in the kind of work that we will do. And so I would encourage all of us to consider ways in which we can make our “normal” work line up with our good works as much as possible. If you have the freedom to choose what kind of work you’ll do, why not choose work that allows you to do as much good work as possible, and which connects as closely as possible with God’s purposes for planet earth?

I have a book on my shelf called 80,000 Hours, published by an organization of the same name. Their goal is to help people make a difference with their careers, and so they ask questions like, “what are the world’s most pressing problems?” and “which jobs help people the most?” The goal, according to them, is to choose a career that will do the most good for the world.

To my knowledge, these folks aren’t Christians and aren’t operating out of a Biblical worldview. I disagree with many of their specific suggestions. And yet I believe that this way of thinking is on the right track. If you get to pick what you do, why not pick something that does as much good as possible?

What would it look like for followers of Christ to think this way within a Biblical worldview? Yes, it’s true that all of our work (as long as it’s not sinful or harmful) can honour the Lord and count for eternity. We know that so many of our “normal” jobs have eternal impact, like we discussed on the blog here this week.

But if we have the option, why not choose a job that lets you do as much good work as you can? Parents, as you talk to your children, why not encourage them to choose a career that puts them as close to the front lines of the mission of God in the world as possible?

Making these kinds of choices is easier than ever in today’s globally-oriented economy, in which so many “normal” jobs are valuable assets around the world. I love hearing stories about mechanics and bankers and teachers who choose to move overseas and do their “normal” work in a part of the world untouched by the gospel. I love hearing about university students who intentionally get a degree in a field that will give them access to an otherwise restricted country. These people might not look like your typical missionaries, but they are in that country—working their jobs, building relationships, starting conversations, using whatever opportunities they have—for the sake of the gospel.

This is just one example of a way to more intentionally connect your work with the good work God has called us to. Have any suggestions of your own? Any questions about how you could do this more yourself? Send me a note; I’d love to talk.

The New Testament repeatedly reinforces the goodness of work, and sometimes in surprising ways. One such case is in Luke chapter 3, where we find John the Baptist preaching his message of repentance to the crowds. And in verse 12 we read that “tax collectors also came to be baptized and said to him, ‘Teacher, what shall we do?’” Similarly, verse 14 tells us that “Soldiers also asked him, ‘And we, what shall we do?’” (Luke 3:12, 14).

Tax collectors and soldiers were a key part of the Roman force which was occupying Judea at that time. To the Jewish people, they were the oppressors, the enemy. These were the guys who made them pray and long for the Messiah.

And so we might expect radical, repentance-preaching John to tell these guys to quit their jobs. To stop collecting money for the Roman government. To stop fighting Rome’s wars and oppressing Judea. To lay down their moneybags and swords and become a part of God’s people.

Instead, what does John say to the tax collectors in verse 13? “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.” In other words, be a good tax collector. Be ethical. But keep doing your job.

And what does he say in verse 14 to the soldiers? “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.” In other words, be a good soldier. Don’t abuse your position.

John does what nobody expected him to do. He refuses to say that these guys’ jobs were inherently bad. Repenting of their sin didn’t mean leaving Rome’s employ.

That much is clear. But there’s actually a lot more going on here behind the scenes, especially regarding these two particular jobs of tax collecting and soldiering. To begin to explore that, consider Galatians 4:4, which tells us that “when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son.” There was a reason God waited until He did to send His son. The time had to be “full.” Certain things had to be ready, in place.

A significant part of that readiness was the Roman Empire. It’s easy for us to forget that throughout those 400 years of history in between the Old and New Testaments, the world was in upheaval. The Babylonian Empire had been taken over by the Persian Empire which was conquered by the Greek Empire which fell apart and fought amongst itself until the Romans took over.

Yet even then there were constant civil wars between the different Roman generals, riots in the cities, and tension across borders. In the hundred years before Christ was born, Rome descended to a place of almost total lawlessness. And all this meant that the world was a dangerous place—especially when it came to travel and communication. Pirates made the seas dangerous, robbers made the roads dangerous, and angry revolutionaries meant the cities were often little better.

But around 30 BC, Caesar Augustus began to accumulate power for himself, uniting Rome as an Empire and becoming it’s very first Emperor. He used his new power to bring stability and peace to the Roman Empire, ushering in a period known as the Pax Romana (the “Peace of Rome.”) What he was able to accomplish has been referred to by some historians as a miracle.

Augustus hired a professional army to stop riots and keep the peace. He established patrol squads to clear the seas of pirates, making shipping and sea travel safer. He built a huge network of roads that connected the whole Empire together, and had them patrolled with soldiers, making distant travel easier and safer than it ever had been. He established a courier service to deliver news and documents around the Empire. He worked to regulate the food supply.

All of this took money, of course. And so Augustus reengineered the taxation system to make it safer and more efficient, and he ordered Empire-wide censuses so that he could accurately tax the provinces.

“In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered…” (Luke 2:1).

Yes, this first Emperor was the Caesar Augustus of Christmas-story fame. And it was this Roman Empire into which Jesus was born. And it was also this Empire into which Jesus sent His disciples, saying “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19)

And go they did. In an astoundingly short period of time—mere decades—the gospel spread and took root all over the Roman world. This rapid explosion of the church is yet another “miracle of history” from that period of time.

If you’ve read through the book of Acts, you’ll be familiar with Paul and his missionary journeys. He travelled far and wide by land and sea. He wrote letters and sent them all over the Empire, and was able to receive money from a great distance.

What we might not realize is that none of this was possible, at least at that scale, before that point in human history. And yet it was possible then because of the Pax Romana. Because of Caesar Augustus. And more specifically, it was possible because of Caesar’s tax collectors and Caesar’s soldiers. 

Tax collectors were the ones who funded the whole thing. They collected the money which made it possible for Rome to build the roads hire the soldiers, who in turn did their part of keeping the roads and seas safe, and the cities peaceful.

So do you see how this all connects up? God used Caesar Augustus, and his tax collectors and soldiers, to get the world ready to receive the gospel. They prepared the way for Jesus’ representatives—the Apostles—to carry His good news far and wide.

This adds so much irony to John the Baptist’s interaction with these two groups. We know that John’s mission was to “prepare the way of the Lord” so that “all flesh” would “see the salvation of God” (Luke 3:4, 6).

And whether they knew it or not, those tax collectors and soldiers had the exact same job. They, too, were preparing the way for the Lord. They were levelling the paths and making it possible for all the world to hear about God’s salvation.

And this meant that their work had significance. Their jobs weren’t just futile and pointless. God was using their “normal” work to enable His gospel to spread and His church to grow.¹A similar perspective is shared by the Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 2:1-4, where prayer for government leaders is connected to the church’s role in the Great Commission.

If you think about it, the same can be said about so many of our jobs today. I once saw a list of all of the jobs required to get one missionary onto the mission field. It was astounding. So much “ordinary” work is needed in order for the “spiritual” work to take place.

Or think about what’s happening right now. I’m typing these words on a computer, and you’re reading them on a device, each of which required thousands of hours of research and development—and thousands of people working on assembly lines—to produce.

What about the last time you read the Bible? Think about the trees harvested, the pages printed, and everything else which made that possible.

Or just remember the last meal you ate. It didn’t fall from the sky. God kept His promise to provide for you (Matthew 6:30-33) using the “ordinary” work of farmers, truck drivers, and grocery store workers, not to mention the engineers and construction workers who designed and built the roads and the trucks and the grocery store itself.

It’s absolutely staggering to step back and consider all the “ordinary” work that has been required for every “spiritual” experience we’ve had in our lives. And this helps us understand a big-picture truth: because Jesus is at work building His church on planet earth, so much of our work actually means something now. It’s no longer vain and meaningless, like the writer of Ecclesiastes lamented. Every day, God uses our ordinary work to do His eternally-significant work.

And this is surely at least one reason why the tax collector and solider were not told to quit their jobs. God was going to use their jobs for the most important thing in the world. And so, their work mattered for eternity.

If you have a job, think about your work. What does it contribute to the world? Who does it help? What does it enable? It might not take you very long to think of ways that God can and will use your work to do His own work.

I trust this perspective will be energizing and encouraging to you in all your work this week and beyond.

“[God] has begun a new creation through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. When Jesus burst from the tomb on that first Easter, he was the first man in the new creation. By believing in Jesus, we are joined to him. We become part of the new creation [2 Corinthians 5:17]. We form the new humanity [Ephesians 2:15] which God is creating.

“Unlike the first creation, where God began by making the world and afterwards made creatures to live in his world, in the new creation he has begun by creating the new humanity and afterwards he will make the new world in which they are to live.”

Peter J. Gentry & Stephen J. Wellum, Kingdom through Covenant (Wheaton, Ill: Crossway, 2012), p. 780.

Our main verse from Sunday, 2 Corinthians 5:17, is a very interesting passage to try and translate from its original Greek into English, because the original is so abrupt. The first part of the verse literally says, “if anyone is in Christ, a new creation.”

By stating things in such a direct way, Paul is underlining that the New Creation is really here: no qualifications, no apologies.

It’s like if I said to my son, “When you’re done your school work, playtime.”

By using as few words as possible, all the focus is put on the arrival of that one, wonderful thing. It’s almost as if Paul is wanting to shock us into seeing how real and how dramatic this really is.

The New Creation is really here, and we’re really a part of it. May God grant us the faith to see and believe this today!

On Sunday, I mentioned that Psalm 110:1 is quoted in the New Testament more than almost any other Old Testament passage. This verse is so significant because it answers an all-important question: if Jesus is the son of David, then where is He? Answer: right where Psalm 110:1 says we should expect Him to be.

Below, you can read some of the ways that this verse is referred to by Jesus and the authors of the New Testament. Hopefully, this helps you understand even more what King Jesus is doing right now, how important Psalm 110:1 is in helping us understand this, and what this all might mean for us as His subjects.

“Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, ‘What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?’ They said to him, ‘The son of David.’ He said to them, ‘How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet‘ “? If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?’ And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.” (Matthew 22:41–46. See also Mark 12:36 & Luke 20:42.)

“This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” ‘” (Acts 2:32–35)

“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” (1 Corinthians 15:20–26)

“I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.” (Ephesians 1:16–21)

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” (Colossians 3:1)

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.” (Hebrews 1:1–4)

“And to which of the angels has he ever said, ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet‘?” (Hebrews 1:13)

“Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man.” (Hebrews 8:1–2)

“And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” (Hebrews 10:11–14)

“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.” (Hebrews 12:1–2)

“Jesus Christ… has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.” (1 Peter 3:21–22)

In this past Sunday’s message, I made the statement that “there must be zero tolerance among us for attitudes of racism or nationalism.”

Perhaps you’re unsure of what I meant by that last word—“nationalism.” Maybe you’ve heard it used as an antonym for “globalism,” which is certainly not the sense I had in mind. So what is “nationalism”? The Encyclopedia Britannica defines it as an “ideology based on the premise that the individual’s loyalty and devotion to the nation-state surpass other individual or group interests.”

Mirriam-Webster defines it like this: “loyalty and devotion to a nation especially: a sense of national consciousness exalting one nation above all others and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational groups.”

According to these definitions, I hope it’s clear why Christianity and nationalism are incompatible. As followers of King Jesus, our primary emphasis should never be to promote the culture and interests of our country, but rather the interests of the Kingdom of God. Similarly, our devotion and loyalty to Christ must be greater than all other loyalties—including our loyalty to our country. Because, as Hebrews 11:13 says, God’s people have always been “strangers and exiles on the earth.” Similarly, 1 Peter 2:11 refers to us as “sojourners and exiles.” And Philippians 3:20 reminds us that “our citizenship is in heaven.”

And like we heard on Sunday, Christians should have a special interest in those from other nations, because God does, and He’s told us to have the same (Matthew 28:19).

Of course, this doesn’t mean that Christians can’t be patriotic or practice good citizenship. It doesn’t mean that Christians should be apathetic about political issues like immigration policy or state sovereignty.

What it does mean is that the interests of the Kingdom of God should take first place in our heart, and that we view all of these other issues—and all of the individuals represented by these issues—through the lens of the Great Commission, which is to say, God’s heart to bless the nations.

In Genesis 11, the Babel-builders say to themselves, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth” (Genesis 11:4).

You just need to read the next few verses to hear how that ended. Short version: not well. There’s humour in the fact that God had to “come down” to see the city and tower (Genesis 11:5), and He was not at all interested in their plans to make a name for themselves.

There’s rich irony, then, in the fact that this chapter ends by introducing us to a man from this very same part of the world (Genesis 11:27-28) who hears the following promise from God: “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great” (Genesis 12:1–2).

“I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn; do not lift up your horn on high, or speak with haughty neck.’” For not from the east or from the west and not from the wilderness comes lifting up, but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another. 

Psalm 75:4–7, ESV.

There’s a familiar Christmas carol which has a fourth verse we don’t often sing. “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” concludes with these incredible words:

Come, Desire of nations, come! Fix in us Thy humble home:
Rise, the woman’s conquering Seed, bruise in us the serpent’s head;
Adam’s likeness now efface, stamp Thine image in its place:
Second Adam from above, reinstate us in Thy love.

I trust those last two lines strike you as especially meaningful after Tim’s sermon on Sunday. They are a direct echo of 1 Corinthians 15:45, 47 & 49: “Thus it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being’; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit… The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven… Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.”

This Sunday, we’ll be considering how Christ is the serpent-crushing offspring of Eve. As we prepare our hearts to hear that word, let’s ponder and pray that second line from this verse: “Rise, the woman’s conquering Seed [Offspring], bruise [crush] in us the serpent’s head.”

I’m looking forward to Sunday, and trusting you are as well!

This upcoming Sunday, our journey through the storyline of the Bible will finally bring us to Jesus. We’re going to be singing a new song in our service this week (and over the coming weeks) to celebrate how Jesus is the culmination of all that we’ve seen in the Scriptures so far. It’s called “Hail to the Lord’s Anointed.” You can listen to the song in the video below, and can also read the lyrics here.

This song’s melody and arrangement are new, but the words are from a hymn over one hundred years old, which was itself an adaptation of Psalm 72. As we learned in the sermon about the Davidic Covenant, Psalm 72 is full of references that clearly connect the Son of David to the promised one spoken of in Genesis 3:15 and 22:17-18. As this page explains, “Psalm 72 is a prayer for blessing upon God’s anointed king, probably intended for use in a liturgy for coronation. Later Jewish traditions and the early church saw in it a description of Messiah’s righteous reign.”

“Hail to the Lord’s Anointed” is masterfully written, and makes clear who the words of Psalm 72 are really about: Jesus Christ, David’s greater Son (Matthew 1:1). Can’t wait to sing it with you on Sunday!