Our Compassionate God

What is God like? Now, there’s a good question. If the God of the Bible is to be the center of our lives, then what could be more important than understanding what kind of person He is? It is sad to think that many Christians miss out on joys and comforts that are actually theirs because they do not understand their God very well.

Something from Jeremiah fits here.

Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord. Jeremiah 9:23-24

To understand God is to be a priority for us. There are many blessings for us to enjoy.

Obviously, this is a huge topic. So, let me narrow it down a bit for this morning using this from Psalm 103. Listen.

As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. Psalm 103.13,14

Baptized into the Name

This morning I'm going to talk about baptism. That makes sense since we just baptized Simon Peter and Nehemiah. And I have a specific goal in mind. I want to help you to be assured. Life can be hard, sometimes really hard. And one ingredient to being able to respond well to all of that is the ability to know who you really are. To be assured that you belong to Jesus and that He belongs to you. That's the goal for this morning.

So, a few moments ago I poured some water over the heads of Simon Peter and Nehemiah. At the same time, I said what Jesus commanded to be said.

I baptize you into the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Do those words mean anything or do anything? Or are they just empty 'religious words'? They actually are rather important. Something big just happened, and you are witnesses to it. The name of God was just placed on those two boys.

Let's consider this Bible theme of God's name. Here are some places in the Scriptures that make use of one aspect of that theme.

I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made. Isaiah 43:6,7  

Here, God is referring to Israel, His sons and daughters. And He is identifying them as those who are called by His name.

Then, there is this from Jeremiah.

Why should you be like a man confused, like a mighty warrior who cannot save? Yet you, O Lord, are in the midst of us, and we are called by your name; do not leave us. Jeremiah 14:9

This is an appeal. Jeremiah is crying out to God lest He abandon His people. And what is the basis of this appeal? 'We are called by your name.'

Then, there is this from Daniel.

O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name. Daniel 9.19

Again we see that God's people are called by God's name.

It's like the old tradition where when a woman marries she takes the name of her husband. This indicates that there is a relationship, a particular kind of relationship, between this woman and that man.

Likewise, there is a particular kind of relationship between God and His people. Christians can appeal to God based on that relationship. 'I need you. Do not be far from me. I am called by your name.'

When did this name change happen? It happened in their baptism. Listen again to Jesus' words.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit… 

Those who have been baptized have been given God's name. That's what those words that I said are about. And that's what has happened to Simon Peter and Nehemiah. You all saw it happen. They are now called by God's name.

Now, does this mean that once a person is baptized it's smooth sailing to heaven? Is it now all automatic? Absolutely not! Consider, again, marriage. Once those 'I do's' are uttered and the minister says, 'I now pronounce you husband and wife', does that mean that they will live happily ever after? Nobody knows. We'll have to wait and see. A relationship has been established. That much is clear. They are husband and wife. But how will that relationship work out? Time will tell. The same is true at a baptism. A relationship has been established. The baptized person is now one of God's people, called by God's name. Will it result in heaven? Time will tell.

So, what does the future of one of these new relationships hinge on? What will make the difference between heaven or hell, happily ever after or not so happily? I remember watching a football game some time ago. Between plays the camera would, at times, focus on one of the players on the sidelines. This one time it showed us the Steelers' safety Troy Polamalu. He was sitting on the bench talking with someone not in view. You couldn't hear anything, but this is what you saw. Troy took off his glove and pointed to his wedding ring. Now, I don't know what that other person was saying - was it some lewd comment? - but Troy responded quite clearly. 'Not interested. I'm married'. He didn't actually say those words, but that was the point of his gesture. The ring he received at his wedding was a sign of the relationship he has with his wife. He pointed to the ring as a symbol of all that his marriage relationship meant to him.

Likewise, you need to point to your baptism because of what it is a sign of, that you are in a relationship, too. You are in a relationship with Jesus.

So, with that in mind, consider your enemy, the devil. He schemes to drag you down, and if possible, to drag you away. He is the master of lies. And there are times when he gets some traction on your soul. There are times when you are being dragged down. What should you do? Imitate Troy. You point to your baptism. 'God has placed His name on me. It happened in my baptism. So, now I have a relationship with the living God. I am His son/daughter.'

Now, who is the audience of your little speech? The least important audience is the devil. He needs to hear you, but he isn't the most important audience. A more important audience is you. There are times when you need to do something or say something simply for your own sake. Troy's gesture probably affected him more than the person he was talking with. There are times when you need to hear you say certain things, things like, 'God's name is on me.'

But even more important than yourself as an audience is this third person: God. He is there and He is watching what is going on. And your little speech to the devil is at the same time an appeal to your God. It's taking Jeremiah's words that I quoted and making them yours.  I am called by your name; do not leave me. 

God sees when you respond to those temptations by pointing to your baptism and what it signifies. He hears the appeal. And seeing all of that, He acts. He blesses you. He blesses you because what He has just witnessed in your little speech is faith. Not faith in some water and words. But faith in the gospel promise that the water and words point to. You have been granted a relationship with God. He is your God. You are one of His people, someone called by His name.

In your baptism the name of God was placed on you. And as you work at keeping that relationship, God will act to do you good. He will bless you. There was no magic in Troy's wedding ring. It's what it pointed to that mattered. It's not the water that saves. It's faith in Jesus' promises that saves.

And how might that blessing show in your life? One way that it will show, one result of God’s blessing, is a greater sense that you really do have God's name on you. You really are one of His. Assurance. So, there is something of a cycle going on. Life gets hard. But you respond by looking to your baptism, believing the promises there, that you are now called by God's name. God sees and He blesses you. And your faith is blessed to become a little stronger, a little more confident, a little more assured. And you are a little more ready to face the next challenge. This is only one aspect of your baptism.

Here is one reason why I think that understanding your baptism in this way is very helpful. It has nothing to do with your feelings. How many suffer and struggle because of the times that they don't feel like they are Christians? They doubt and wrestle because of feelings that come and go for a multitude of reasons. And how can you fight against the devil when you're not even sure that God is your God? You don't feel that He is. But what I've just told you is not about feelings. It's about something that happened, something that was seen by others. You have been baptized into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. God's name is your name. That’s just a fact.

It's just like a wife who struggles with enjoying her husband because of how she is feeling about herself as a wife. The fact of the matter is that something happened on her wedding day. She married her husband. There is a ring on her finger that points to that fact. There are witnesses to that fact. She is married to that man. Being married or not is not the issue. The issue is whether she will act like the wife that she actually is, enjoying the promises her husband made to her on that wedding day.

The same is true for every Christian. The name of God was placed on you in your baptism. There are witnesses to that fact. The real question is not whether you are or aren't a Christian. The real question is whether you will act like the Christian that you are, enjoying the promises Jesus has made.

Let me say it again. Baptism does not save. It's faith in the promises signified by baptism that saves. And it saves not just in terms of heaven. It saves when it comes to dealing with life now. It saves by helping you to be assured of who you are. You have God's name upon you.

So, when life gets hard for whatever reason, this is what you do. Imitate Troy. He pointed to his wedding ring to say that he has a wife. Point to your baptism to say that you have a savior. Then, go and live like it.

Something Happened

What happened just a bit ago? Well, you could say that a couple of kids got wet. That would be accurate as far as it went. But is that all? You could also say that we renewed a church tradition. It's our custom to get little kids wet. And that also would be accurate as far as it went. Are we done now? Have we answered the question? Well, I hope that it's obvious that we're not done. There is more to what just happened than those things. And it's that 'more' that I want to talk about. But it's important that you know that my goal in this is not for you to become experts in understanding baptism. My goal is for you to make more progress when it comes to living as faithful disciples of Jesus. That's always my goal. Understanding more fully what just happened can help you in that.

The Nurture and Admonition of the Lord

We've just baptized little Reuben. A command that is often repeated in situations like this is,

         

And, fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Ephesians 6.4 [KJV]

It's familiar enough which means that the potential for misunderstanding goes up. We don't think about things that we know, or at least, we think that we know. After all, we know them. But what does that familiar command mean? Or to put it differently, what is supposed to happen to Reuben? What does it mean for his parents to bring him up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord? I think that that is a good question for Jon and Lisa to ponder. It's a question that we all need to ponder as we care for the children in our church. And that's why I'm going to answer it. But I need to warn you.

Baptize Your Heart

Deuteronomy 10.12-16

If this text sounds familiar, it should. I preached on it a month or so ago. That time I preached on one of the items in Moses' list, the fear of the Lord. This time I'm not going to focus on any one item on the list or even the list as a whole. The list will be included, but it won't be the focus of the sermon because it isn't the focus of the text. Instead, we'll work through the text and find its center and then see the rest of our text from that vantage point. So, let's start at the beginning of the text as see what we find.

The first thing to note is this language of 'require', '...what does the Lord your God require of you...' The implication of this phrase is not at all complicated, but it is most significant. God has expectations. He requires things. I point this out because this is something that far too many people have never considered. The all too common attitude these days goes something like this. 'Sure, I believe in God. He exists to help me out.' Few people would be so bold as to actually say it that way, but it is the common opinion out in the world these days. God exists for my sake. This explains why people so often get so angry at God when something terrible happens to them or to someone they love. 'Why did He let this happen to me!?!' The assumption behind that angry statement is that God is supposed to be there for me. It's His job to take care of me. The idea that He has requirements, expectations of us – beyond the occasional visit to a church – isn't even considered. So, as you encounter people like this, people who just assume that God is there for their sake, you might ask them, 'What do you think God requires of you in return for taking care of you?', followed up, of course, with, 'Why do you think that?' It might be a jarring question, and for that reason you need to be careful about asking it, but it might result in some rather fruitful conversations.

Our text also speaks to another group. The people in this group understand the idea of God having requirements. They look at our text and understand that God has expectations of them. And they recognize that that is appropriate, especially since they have expectations of God. It's something like a business contract. God has expectations of me and I have expectations of Him. If I keep my part of the arrangement I can expect Him to keep His. If they are a little sophisticated they might even label this a covenant relationship. These folk latch on to a text like this one. It answers the key question for this group. 'What are the things that I need to do to keep my end of the deal? Where can I find a list of things to do?' Is there a better text for that than this one? It makes perfect sense. To start off, there's to be proper respect and reverence for God. Then, we have all this about God's ways and serving Him and the commandments. All that boils down to things to do, like honor your father and mother, and things not to do, like adultery. And then there's this thing about being diligent in all of this, you know, doing it with all the heart. So, these folk look at our text and find exactly what they are looking for: a list of things to do. It's great because this group loves lists. It keeps things clear and objective. Just check off items on the list as you do them, and it's all good. And, in return, you get to enjoy a pleasant life since God will then keep His part of the bargain.

It needs to be said, though, that it's not always as smooth as that. Sometimes there are doubts. And these doubts pop up when life gets hard. That's when it does not appear that God is keeping His part of the bargain. Little bumps in the road are to be expected. But there are situations that no longer qualify as 'little bumps in the road'. That's when the doubts begin. Now, these people respond to this problem in various ways. Some redouble their efforts. Maybe they're not doing enough on their side of the bargain. Of course, there are others who begin to doubt the value of their arrangement with God. He doesn't seem to be meeting His contractual obligations. It needs to be said that there are some who give up on the whole thing. They may still continue some of their religious habits, but they are empty habits. Life at this point becomes very trying because hope, the hope of a pleasant life, dims.

The Spirit knows about these groups. That's why He wrote our text and its list of requirements. The message for the first group is clear. Yes, God has expectations. And you had better meet them. But when it comes to the second group, the message is different. It's particularly for the second group that the Spirit wrote this: 'Circumcise therefore your heart...' This statement mystifies the second group. It doesn't fit on a list. There's no objective thing to do, to be checked off. So, they wonder, 'What is this all about?' This is the center of this paragraph, the center of our text. Everything the Spirit has included in our text is tied to this. If we can understand what's going on here, the rest of the paragraph will fall into place. So, let's take a closer look.

To start with, remember Moses' audience. The book of Deuteronomy is a collection of Moses' final words to the church he had pastored for the previous forty years. Moses will soon die. Joshua is about to take the reins of leadership. Israel is about to cross the Jordan River and conquer the Promised Land. So, Deuteronomy is something like Moses' farewell address. These are his last words to Israel. Here, he reminds them, cajoles them, exhorts them and encourages them. Moses knows his audience, and he knows where they are tempted. So, he points to one thing that ties them all together as a group: their relationship with their God and in particular circumcision which is the symbol of that relationship. But as he refers to that sacrament he reminds them that the physical act of circumcision is not enough. That way of thinking about circumcision can only lead to a check list mentality. So, he exhorts them. 'Faithfulness is so much more than some check list. Deal with your heart! Circumcise your heart!' Now, just to be clear, when the Bible speaks of the heart it's not calling for some emotional response. The heart is not the seat of the emotions. It's the real you on the inside. It's where your desires, motivations, affections, hopes and dreams reside. What Moses is telling them is that if they would pursue their God aright, they will need to do it from the inside out. A check list mentality – something that only deals with the outside – will never do.

All of this gets to why I'm preaching to you from this text. As God's people we face many dangers, many potential pitfalls. One of them is becoming merely religious. It's the merely religious who like check lists. They see some objective religious things that can be checked off, things done not from within but merely externally, and they figure that doing that is good enough. Let me remind you of one of Jesus' parables about two men who were praying. The first man was all about check lists. He began with the list of things not to be done. 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men ... I'm not an extortioner [check], nor am I unjust [check]. I am not an adulterer [check] or a traitorous tax collector [check].' So much for that check list. But then there was the other check list, things that are to be done. 'I fast twice a week [check]. I even give tithes of all that I get [check].' This man was a member of God's Church. He had a relationship with the God of his fathers. Yet, his circumcision, the symbol of that relationship with his God, never touched his heart. Today, there are many whose bodies have been wet with the waters of baptism, the symbol of their membership in God's Church and of their relationship with the Father, and yet their hearts are bone dry, completely untouched by the sacrament. Now, please hear me when I say this: falling into that kind of mentality is a danger that we all face. None of us is exempt. Remember, we have an enemy who hates us. So, like Moses, I would exhort you to be careful. And lest anyone here not take this danger seriously enough, let me quote the Apostle. 'Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.' We all need to be careful.

Moses urges the people but not by giving them some rule to follow. What good what that be? It would just become another item on the list to be checked off. Instead, to motivate them to heed his call, he points them to their God. Listen. 'Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it. Yet the Lord set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day.' Do you understand what Moses is saying here? 'Consider your God. He is the God over all things. He is high and lifted up. He can do whatever He wants. And yet, whom did He decide to love? You! He could have chosen anyone, but He chose you.' And so, following Moses' lead, I exhort you in the same way. Consider your God. Of all the people that He could have chosen, He chose you. He decided to love you and to send Jesus to suffer hell for you. Can anyone here give me even one good reason why He should have done that to us but not to the many others whom He has passed over? Why are you going to heaven while so many others are going to hell? Consider your God. The person who gets this, even just a little, is someone whose heart has been baptized. Something has been stirred within. Mere religion – that check list mentality – just doesn't get it.

Moses has a second motivation for the people. Listen to this, especially the end. 'And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?' Did you hear that? Responding to God's call will result in your good. Your Father is not just dumping some requirements on you. Remember, He wants you to flourish. Being sure that your heart is baptized and grows in its baptism will result in much good for you. Your Father wants you happy. But that can only happen His way. Beware of the temptation of that evil check list mentality. Pursue your God from the heart. Pursue Him in this way and see how good He is to you.

The sermon thus far has only been descriptive. And it's important that I do that. But now you're ready to deal with the matter of what to do. And that is not complicated. Go back to what God requires. He wants you to fear Him, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve Him with all your heart and soul and to keep His commandments and statutes. As you take this list of things with you to do them, to do them from a heart that has been baptized, you will discover something. You will discover that you aren't able to do them, not really, not in the way that God requires. And that's a very good thing to discover. For one thing, that's evidence that you are not looking at the list in the way someone who is merely religious would. You understand this list as a Christian. You understand what God expects, and you know that you aren't meeting His expectations. You can't. Now, don't get all discouraged as you see your inability. That's what Satan wants. Instead, remember the Gospel. Remember that you have a Savior. Jesus has come. He has come to bless you. And one of His blessings is the gift of the Spirit. It's the Spirit who makes all this work. It's because of what the Spirit does that you see what it means that Jesus died for you and suffered your hell. It's because of what the Spirit does that you begin to get it, that you understand what the Father requires and how that is so much more than being merely religious. The Spirit must do His work. And He does. And bit by bit, it makes sense. You don't need to do that check list to somehow make God like you. Jesus has already fulfilled the requirements. All the expectations are already met. The Father already likes you. Jesus has come for you, and the Spirit makes that work in your life. And that's what the merely religious never get. They think in terms of a business contract. 'I'll keep my end of the deal, and You keep yours.' How foolish. But those whose hearts have been baptized know that there are no conditions to be kept. Jesus has taken care of all of that. So much for the check list. But then, interestingly, you return to the list and consider it. And it becomes even more interesting as you find yourself working to satisfying its requirements: fearing God and loving God and serving Him with all your heart and all the rest. But it's so very different now. You don't do it to try to make God like you. That's unnecessary. You do it simply because you love Him. No check list mentality here. Just love. And out of this comes much good. And one bit of that good is joy. You rejoice in your God. You see what He's done in Jesus and what He continues to do by the Spirit. You see His kindly grace at work in your life and in the lives of others. And you rejoice in that. And, over time, there will be more and more joy in your life. And that will be more than enough evidence that your heart has been baptized.