CrossTalk: Champions

The biblical account of David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17) is more than an ancient underdog drama. The man-on-man fight between a 10 foot tall giant and the kid with a slingshot was, in fact, a battle of nations. Israel and Philistia (ancient Palestine) were at war. Large armies were lined up on both sides of the valley. They were prepared for a large-scale, bloody battle. Against this backdrop, Goliath made an offer. "Let's cut down on the carnage. Let's boil this whole thing down to one man from each army." The battle between David and Goliath was a battle between champions.

A champion is someone who takes up your cause. He is someone who fights for you -- on your behalf. This is the most important feature of the story. It reminds us of the bigger story throughout the whole Bible -- the story of Jesus. He is our champion. He takes up the cause of the whole human race. One Man does battle for us all.

A second feature of the story of David and Goliath is the appearance of each warrior. Goliath is huge, unnaturally huge! David is small, too young to be in the army, too small to do anything but watch the sheep and be a go-for. By this massive difference in size, God reveals to us how He always works. The appearance of strength does not translate to the certainty of victory. Nor does might mean right. Appearances deceive. When you look around the world and wonder were God is at work, you will usually find Him at the point where the enemies of God look hopelessly overpowering. God will be at work in the smallest, weakest and most insignificant.

Think of Jesus on the cross and you will get what I mean. Jesus was one, unarmed, unimportant Man. He was standing against the whole leadership of the Jewish religion and the entire strength of the Roman occupation. Jesus is David. Satan is Goliath. The odds against Him are off the charts. But here is where He accomplished the greatest victory as the Champion of the human race.

When you look around your world and see all the power and influence on the side of Satan's interests, do not despair. Do not second guess God's Word. Do not become frantic and seek for some compromise. Remember that this is always the way God enters into the battle. Trust Him. Pray for your Champion to win the victory for you. Then, calmly do whatever God has given you to do.

David refused the use of Saul's battle equipment (1 Samuel 17:38-39). Instead, He chose five smooth stones from the brook. For God does not fight with conventional weapons of war. Satan is not overcome by the strength of arms, or by the power of the will. David said to Goliath, “You come at me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts” (v. 45). Jesus did not win by the wounds that He inflicted on His enemies. He won by the five wounds that they inflicted on Him.

David did not win the battle against Goliath. The Lord of hosts won that battle. Little David came to Goliath in the name of the Lord. The Lord did all the heavy lifting. “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” (Luke 13:35). For Christ, alone, is your champion in the fight with Satan.

Living Lent

Whether or not you have been following the recent events in our Synod - events which made the national news - you will be heartened and encouraged by this video.

This is what Lent is all about. Jesus leads us to Jerusalem with its self-denial and humility in order that we might be raised to new life together with Him. I pray for you the same humble joy that President Harrison exhibits here.

He Remembers the Barren

The highlight of my week in Fort Wayne was meeting Katie Schuermann, the recipient of this year's Sabre of Boldness award.

She is the first woman and first layperson to ever win the award. Here is the reason she was nominated: Mrs. Schuermann is author of the book He Remembers the Barren, and had spoken to groups of women burdened like her with the affliction of barrenness. In the course of these meetings she soon found herself hearing from women who had turned to in vitro fertilization as a last resort to ease their pain. In spite of the sensitive nature of the matter, she felt constrained to tell the truth in love about the unacceptability of in vitro fertilization. For us who know that life begins at conception, there is really no ethical alternative than to reject in vitro fertilization, in whose process fertilized embryos are always discarded. For her to have the courage to say so in such circumstances, and to speak up for life, for which she has endured much grief and rejection, is commendable.

In addition to a book, Katie also maintains a blog by the same name. He Remembers the Barren.

CrossTalk: And A Happy New Year

“Happy New Year!” A week ago today we were greeting each other with this age old salutation. Did you ever wonder why? Why not “Merry New Year”? or “Solemn New Year”? or some other kind of New Year? Sure, nothing else has quite the right ring to it. But I think it goes deeper than that.

Think about the word “happy.” We all use it and know it as a good thing — a happy thing. But what exactly does it mean? Where does it come from?

It comes from an 800 year old English word “hap” which means a person’s luck, fortune or fate. From this word we get: haply, hapless, haphazzard, happen, happening, happenstance, happily, happiness and happy.

Given this background, it would seem that the word “happy” is a hold-over from some godless age. But wait, before you vow never to use it again, notice what happened when the Bible began to be translated into English. Instead of rejecting this word, the Christians knew that everything which happens, happens by God’s will. Even better, everything that God does is good.

It is for this reason that this entire word group took on a more ‘happy’ tone. No longer does it mean just blind luck, or fickle fate. Instead, it means good events, good things, and blessings. So Jesus says, “If you know these things, happy are ye if you do them” (John 13:17). And Job says, “Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth” (Job 5:17).

This brings us back to “Happy New Year!” When you say these words, you are wishing God’s blessings and joy to come in the next year. That’s what we want. It what you wish for those you love and what you hope for your own life.

Now that we’ve looked at the word “happy” we also have a much better idea of how happiness happens. Happiness is a result of God’s doing His will in our lives. Because everything that God does is good. That’s true even when He is correcting me through difficulties (remember Job 5:17 above).

When you are living according to Jesus words, you are guaranteed to have a happy new year. For “happy are you if you do them” (John 13:17). When you are praying for God’s will to be done, you are guaranteeing your happiness. Jesus says, “whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you” (John 16:23). These promises are absolute!

What could possibly make you happier? As you go forward into this new year, this is your certainty in the face of doubts. This is your confidence in the face of fears. This is your joy in the face of sorrow.

Your happiness does not depend on what things happen or don’t happen in your life. Rather, your happiness rests on the certainty that what happens in your life comes from God. With God’s Word in your ears and God’s will in your prayers, you can look forward to the very happiest of New Years.

Exceeding the Speed of Thought

In his clear and engaging review of the latest book advocating a new morality, Matthew J. Franck makes two necessary observations.

1. Unlike any other issue of social justice in the history of America (or the world) same-sex marriage has absolutely no history. No one ever -- Christian, pagan, homosexual or straight -- thought that homosexuals having the right to marry is a matter of social justice.

2. With the advocacy of same-sex marriage, it is less about respect and kindness toward homosexual behavior than it is about redefing the purpose of marriage. Instead of marriage existing for the sake of the children, every advocate of same-sex marriage contends that marriage is for the financial and social benefit of those who are married.

Read the full article here: Same-Sex Marriage and Social Change: Exceeding the Speed of Thought

CrossTalk: Cross and Culture

Now, more than ever, Christian citizens are worried and distressed. The world grows increasingly hostile to our outlook and decreasingly tolerant of our way of life. This is not new, but it is on the rise. Decades ago the darkness entered into pop music; then, onto the silver screen. Next it invaded the airwaves. Worse, it has entered our classrooms and actively seeks to uproot and supplant the values that we are working to give our children. Today it practically permeates all public and political life.

It is not only that the people are corrupt. That has always been true no matter how it was formerly covered up. What has changed is that the corruption, graft, dishonesty and vice is no longer covered up. Dishonorable behaviors that formerly ended the careers of politicians, athletes and entertainers are now excused, defended and even praised. This, in turn, has degraded our culture and emboldened attacks upon Christian lives which stand as a silent witness against all carnal living.

So what are we to think of all this? Should we simply give in and give up? Shall we roll with the flow and consider this “Brave, New World” as a necessary correction that can be adopted without altering the substance of our faith? Should we adopt the underhanded tactics of our culture and use them to fight fire with fire? Or should we retreat, give up hope, and consider ourselves abandoned by God? God forbid! None of these alternatives flow out of the cross of Christ.

Rather, the crucifixion of Jesus teaches us a deeper and more lasting lesson than any of these. On that day, Jesus was manhandled and reviled. He was beaten, spit upon, and falsely accused. He was called ungodly precisely for being God. He was accused of opposing the government even while He plainly confessed that Pontius Pilate received his authority from God Himself. Even though Pilate knew him to be innocent of the charges, he subjected him to the most cruel tortures. Even though Pilate washed his hands of Jesus’ blood, he nevertheless handed him over to be crucified.

Where were the right men doing the right things? His disciples fled. Peter denied him. Those who were left to determine His fate were godless and cynical men who couldn’t care any less about doing the right thing. But God was not absent from this. In fact, quite the opposite was true. God was right in the middle of all of this injustice, corruption and vice. Not as though approving it, but rather, accomplishing His good and gracious will through it.

The very people who are most scornful of God and His ways became His own instruments to accomplish His good work. The greatest goodness that God has bestowed on the world was not done through good men doing good things, but through the enemies of God doing evil things. That is why we call that dark Friday, Good Friday.

That is why we still look upon the cross with awe and wonder and hope. There God once showed that evil events and open rebellion against God does not and cannot thwart His good will. Nor does God abandon the field in the face of evil and rebellion. Rather, God stands with His people even — and especially — where the world has become thoroughly corrupt and godless.

The cross of Jesus reminds us that God creates good even, and especially, in the midst of evil. Christians should not be worried or distressed for themselves as the world spirals into evil and rebellion. For God has not abandoned the field. “He’s by our side, upon the plain, with His good gifts and Spirit,” today, more than ever.

Published in the Uinta County Herald on November 13, 2012

Confessing the Almighty Creator

Town Hall's Shawn Mitchell recently commented on the Marco Rubio fracas in an article titled, "The Left's Newest Inquisition: Deny Your God of Be Declared Unfit."

Their game is either to force Rubio to affirm a personal belief the earth is 4.5 billion years old—disturbing some of his religious supporters--or to mock and stigmatize him and others who could harbor any delusional uncertainty—damaging him with a different part of the electorate....The pack’s position, stretched to its logical end, amounts to demanding that politicians reject belief in God’s divinity and supremacy. That is, it countenances loyalty only to a god who exercises no will or power beyond passively upholding the principles set forth in Science 101.

There is truly "nothing new under the sun." (Ecclesiastes 1:9) This is exactly the same attack that Daniel faced 336 years before Christ. His political rivals "sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. Then these men said, 'We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.'" (Daniel 6:4-5)

Daniel response was a calm and humble confession of the Truth. Yes, this did lead to a night's stay in the Lion Motel (people go in but they don't come out). But Daniel lived to tell about it; and many in the Persian Kingdom came to see the Truth as a result.

God grant us to be Daniels in our day.