Stray Thoughts: Faith and Hope

I am a word nerd. So, I think that it's so very important to be clear about the words that we use to understand life. Here are a couple of words that I think you need to be clear on. 

Faith: Accepting as true all that God says and acting on it. 

Here are two things to notice from that definition: 

Faith does not pick and choose what to believe from the Bible. It accepts all that God says. And, in fact, it is important to include all that God has said relative to a particular topic so that you can understand that topic accurately and thus live well. So, just to take one example, it is important to accept as true the fact that God has decided everything about your life before you were born AND the fact that you can make real choices for which God will hold you accountable. God speaks both facts.

Faith is more than accepting something as true. Satan accepts all of the Gospel as true. That 'faith' is worthless. And, sadly, that is the kind of 'faith' that too many have. A real faith, one that actually connects to Jesus, is very different. Real faith acts. So, when the Spirit points a saint to some aspect of the Gospel He wants that Christian to work on, real faith responds with action. Some shy away from that kind of faith because putting the truth into action can be very demanding. But Jesus warned us about that, didn't He?

 Hope: Hope is waiting for God to keep a promise. 

Here's a promise for you to hold on to as you grow older. 

Listen to me, house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been sustained by Me from the womb, carried along since birth. I will be the same until your old age, and I will bear you up when you turn gray. I have made you, and I will carry you; I will bear and rescue you. Isaiah 46:3-4

Groaning in Hope

We’re back in Romans 8 to look at the next bit of what the Apostle taught. In doing this I have a goal, a goal that covers a lot of territory. My goal for this sermon, and actually for any sermon I preach, is not to teach you something about the religion that you profess. My goal is quite different from that. My goal is to explain reality, to explain how life works. And that is my goal because that’s the goal of the Bible; not to teach about religion, but to teach about life. The Gospel is the only explanation of life that is true, through and through.

Today, we’re going to look at one dynamic of life that we all experience. We all have times when we struggle with life. To use Paul’s words that we are going to be looking at in a moment, we groan because of the troubles we face. That’s not some religious doctrine. It’s a fact about life. As Paul will explain, the right response to this is a lively Christian hope. And that, also, is not some religious response. It’s a response that understands life. You’re here this morning not to learn about God or to have some doctrine explained or for some other religious reason. Religion, in that sense, is just one small part of a person’s life. That’s not what we’re about. You’re here so that you can hear from God about how to live in this world as it now exists.

Now, with all of that in mind, listen to what Paul taught.

Scripture to Meditate On

Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:30-31

Isaiah reminds us of something that we all too often forget. There are limits to what we can do. We forget this so we push and push and push. As a result, we find ourselves 'faint and weary' and we 'fall exhausted'. How much better to accept these limitations and to live more sanely.

But there are all those things that need to happen! How will we get them done?

This is where Isaiah's word 'wait' comes in. But don't think of it as being passive as you watch life pass you by. This word includes the notion of hope. It's sometimes associated with that word. For example,

And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you. Psalms 39:7

We wait, placing our hope in Yahweh. Remember the Bible's definition of hope: waiting for God to keep a promise.

When I feel the pressure of time and the weight of things to do I have learned to recall to mind this promise.

… casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

I have found that as I, then, deal with what needs to happen, recognizing my limitations and hoping in Him instead of rushing about, my Father always makes sure that what needs to get done does get done. It may not feel exactly like mounting up with wings like eagles, but life works well and that without all the stress and bother that it used to have for me.

We need to see more of this in our rush about culture.

Not Put to Shame

Hope is a big deal. And that’s clear when you consider its opposite. Who wants to live a hopeless life? In fact, if a sense of hopelessness gets entrenched it will lead not just to depression but to suicide. So, having a sure hope really is a big deal. But there is a certain quality about hope that can be a problem. By definition, hope has to do with something that you don’t have yet. You’re hoping for that something, waiting for it, but you don’t have it. So, what if that hope is disappointed? What if what you were hoping for doesn’t show up? That’s a serious enough problem when it’s about your hopes for a pleasant Sunday afternoon nap. It’s much more serious when it’s about your ‘hope of the glory of God’. Paul knows this, and so he addresses it. Listen to what he wrote.

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame… Romans 5:1-5

Peace and Hope, Gifts of Grace

This morning we start a new section of Paul’s letter to the church at Rome. Having explained the Gospel that he preaches, Paul now begins to take up some implications and applications of that Gospel. Listen to what he wrote.

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Romans 5.1-2

We have been justified, declared acceptable to God. Our sin has been dealt with. And how has this come about? This is ours only by grace. When we were offered this gracious gift, we received it in the only way that it can be received, by faith alone. It is only as a person abandons any notion of being able to do anything to gain this gift but rather stops his trying and simply believes what God has said - that’s when the gift becomes his. And God’s message is not complicated. ‘There’s sin in your life. If you continue to live that way you will die. Jesus has come to rescue you from that death and to lead you into life. He promises to do this if you will repent of your sin and entrust yourself to Him.’

Now, there are consequences for those who believe God, really good consequences. Paul mentions two in what I read you. Here’s the first.

Does God Know What He's Doing?

I have been thinking about the slaughter of those school kids in Connecticut. Right now, there is wailing in so many homes where a child did the everyday sort of thing, he left for school, but didn't come home. And even in those homes where the children returned safely, what horrors. Consider the fears of parents who once thought that sending their kids to school was just a normal part of life. Will it ever be that again? The reality of the what ifs ('What if it was my child who would never return?') will oppress many. And then, think about some seven or eight year old who saw his best friend explode into a mass of blood and guts. How does a little kid deal with that? What happened in Connecticut is just evil, completely and horribly evil.

So, how do we respond to this? A person can try to ignore it or allow himself to be overwhelmed by it, or lots of options in between. It seems to me that one key element to how we deal with evil, this evil as well as all its other expressions, is to face this question squarely and then answer it: Does God know what He is doing? Whatever happens, good or bad, hits our world because God sends it. He is the Sovereign over everything. This slaughter of the innocents was sent by Him. And so, it is good and right to ask, Does God know what He is doing? Because of what He has taught me and what He has sent my way, I am able to look at the evil around me, and in me, and respond with, 'I trust You, Father.' I actually do think that He knows what He is doing. That does not mean that I know what He is doing. I don't. And that does not mean that I offer my response to Him and then let the evil just roll off my back as if nothing happened. Something has happened! Evil has once again done its ugly work. That is something that calls for tears. But I am rescued from despair because I trust the Father. In response, He gives me the ability to cling to hope. He knows what He is doing, and in the age to come I will be able to see what was going on in this horrific situation. And seeing that, I will be moved to praise Him for His wisdom, His love and His justice. How else can anyone deal with such ugliness?

A Funeral Sermon

I preached a funeral sermon today. This is the heart of what I had to say.

I thought it would be good to consider some of the wisdom of King Solomon, one of the wisest men of all time. So, let me read to you from

 ​​​​​​​​It is better to go to the house of mourning ​​​​​​​than to go to the house of feasting, ​​​​​​​for this is the end of all mankind, ​​​​​​​and the living will lay it to heart. ​​​

This is Solomon's perspective. To be sure, there are times to rejoice and to celebrate; times of feasting. But there are also other times, times like today, spent here, a place of mourning. And according to Solomon, it is sometimes be better to be experiencing a day like today instead of a day of celebration. Now, why is that? Why does Solomon say this? It's because, 'this is the end of all mankind'. One day we will die, each one of us. And Solomon's hope is that we 'will lay it to heart'. It is his hope that we will take the fact of our coming death seriously.

You see, once we die we will stand before God, and he will evaluate our lives. This has already happened to Dick. And it will happen to each one of us. The question to ask at this point is, 'What does God look for when he evaluates someone?' Jesus has told us. He said this in the Sermon on the Mount: 'You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.' God will be looking for perfection, complete and absolute perfection. But who is perfect? Are you? I am not, and I am quite sure that no one in this room is. Does that mean that we will all fail the test when God evaluates our lives? To fail is serious. Those who fail are condemned.

This is where Jesus comes in. He was and is perfect. And he offers his perfection to anyone who will become his disciple. So, while coming to Jesus is certainly about the forgiveness of our many sins, it is also about receiving his perfection. That is the only way any will pass God's test. Those who have entrusted themselves to Jesus will pass the test. They will have the required perfection, Jesus' perfection.

So, you can see why Solomon said what he did. It's good to come to a place like this, a house of mourning. It's good to pause and to consider whether you are ready to have your life evaluated by God. To all who are ready, all who follow Jesus by faith, he will provide perfection. Because of that the day of their death is a day of great joy for them. It is a day of happiness. And it is that because they know - they know - that when they stand before God to have their lives evaluated they will hear him say, 'Welcome home.' Because of Jesus' gift they will pass the test.

Pitiable

If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.  (1 Corinthians 15)

I think that it is safe to say that many Christians, if they were to stop and think about it, would say that it would be okay if there were no heaven after this life. They would say this life can be good enough - even if there is no more. I am not among them. If there is no new heavens and new earth, if there isn't the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting, if what the Gospel promises me for later is a fraud, then my life is a waste of my time. Eternity with Jesus as a perfected person enjoying all the other saints is the justification I give myself for the disappointments, struggles, heartbreak and loneliness of my life. I'm not saying that life for me now is horrible. It isn't. There are lots of good things to enjoy, and I do enjoy so many of them. But the enjoyment of those things cannot make up for what I lack, what I was made for, what I long for. And the only place where I will be able to experience any of that is as a renewed person in a renewed creation. If there is no resurrection of me and all of this, then I should be pitied for so many of the choices that I have made as I have tried to follow Jesus. And the Apostle Paul agrees with me.

Nostalgia

Two things have recently happened to me. First, I had some Coke [the soda not the drug!] made with real sugar instead of corn syrup. I’ve also discovered a website that plays music, whole albums, without interruption. These have come together to produce something unexpected: nostalgia. That Coke that I enjoyed is made the way that it was made when I was a kid. It tasted like an old memory. And the music that I’ve listened to at that website isn’t the latest from somebody or other. I’ve listened to old stuff. Right now, it’s Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’. The other day it was ‘Tommy’ by The Who. Nostalgia.

Now, this can be fine or not. It all depends on how I respond to the feelings of nostalgia. There is a part of me that responds with a, ‘life was so different then, so much simpler, so much easier’. That, of course, is a lie. My teenage years [‘Tommy’ era] were anything but simple and easy. Right now ‘For Emily, Wherever I May Find Her’ is playing. It is a love song. It was my song about whoever it would be that I would marry. Nostalgia.

To want to return to the past because it was somehow easier makes no sense. The world was just as fallen then as it is now. But to long for a time when life will be different, simpler, easier, that’s good. Even so, come Lord Jesus.

Learning

Real learning is hard. Book learning is easy. All you need to do is to be able to read and think. But the important learning is life learning. And learning about life is never easy and that’s because it takes much more than being able to read and think. At the heart of life learning is knowing yourself and knowing God. And we don’t do well at either. And that leads to much stress and disquiet. Here you are trying to learn about life and, because you know neither yourself nor God very well, what you end up with so often is just a bunch of confusion. And frustration. Jesus has come to teach us all about life. And that means that He has come so that we can get to know ourselves and our God. It’s still not easy. Life is still confusing – and frustrating. But, for one thing, there’s progress. That helps. It’s really encouraging to see that you’ve been able to learn some things. And that encourages hope. We don’t have hope just because we see progress. We have hope because Jesus has made promises that we really do think He’ll keep. But having seen Him keep some of those promises encourages us to think that He’ll keep the rest. There will still be lessons to learn once Paradise is restored. There will still be much to learn about ourselves and, to be sure, about our God. But there won’t be the confusion – nor the frustration. I’m looking forward to that.

Dealing with the Darkness

Matthew 27.32-50

If any portion of Scripture is especially holy ground, the accounts of Jesus' death certainly quality. Jesus' crucifixion is the turning point of all history. If there were no Cross then the course of human events is without any purpose. Life would make no sense. It would have no goal. And the crucifixion is also a moment in time that is filled with mystery. God, the Son, is alienated from God, the Father. What does that even mean? Is the Trinity somehow ripped apart? There is so much going on here. Last time we looked at the Cross we took a look at the torn curtain. Today, I want to focus on something else, something symbolized by the three hours of darkness. Jesus was utterly forsaken by the Father. As mystifying as that might be, it is also something that can give hope. Understanding something of Jesus' experience can be so very helpful for us when we encounter those times when life gets dark. Some of you wrestle with that more than others, but we are all confronted with it to some degree from time to time. The Spirit offers us help through Jesus' experience of the darkness. Listen to what He has to say.

Let's start with this. We all understand rejection. A young man asks a young lady to marry him, and she turns him down. He understands rejection. A father gives up on his family and simply walks out, never to return. His wife and children understand rejection. Like these, Jesus was rejected when He was dying on that Cross – except that it was worse. The Father seeing Jesus as the sinner that He became, rejected Him. He abandoned Jesus. And whatever it might mean for Him to endure the wrath of God against sin, Jesus experienced that wrath alone, utterly alone. Take a moment to consider what that must have felt like. For as far back as He could remember, Jesus enjoyed a closeness, an intimacy, with the Father that no other human has ever experienced. For as far back as He could remember. And then it was gone. And not just gone but suddenly destroyed. Instead of intimacy – violent rejection. Jesus found Himself in the outer darkness where there was weeping and gnashing of teeth, suffering alone. It was in the midst of that experience and in great anguish of soul that He shouted, 'My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?' That's the darkness of the Cross, being hurled far from the presence of God, being forsaken.

All of that becomes worth meditating on when you remember that you have tasted of the darkness. There is a spectrum here from having to deal with feeling a little down for a morning to suffering an overwhelming sense of dejection for day after day after day. I think that we all have had to deal with times that were more difficult than just a blue morning. But bring whatever experience of the darkness that you've suffered to Jesus' Cross, and see how you can be helped.

I think that I can say that when we are afflicted in this way, we are at least tempted to tell ourselves, 'No one understands what I am dealing with.' And that, of course, makes it feel worse. But it's not true. Jesus understands exactly what you're dealing with. However much darkness you have faced, He has faced more. And this is why Scripture can called Him a sympathetic High Priest. And that can be so encouraging. Though it feels as if no one understands, Jesus does. You are not alone as you deal with the darkness. And knowing that will encourage you to do something that He did. He cried out. 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken Me?' His cry to the Father was a cry of faith. Jesus is not uttering some empty words as so many do when they say, 'Oh my god.' He was actually crying out to His God, to the God who had pledged Himself to Him. Jesus was depending on the promise of the covenant, 'I will be your God', a promise made to Him and to all within God's covenant. And so, He cries out, 'My God, My God.' This is what you must do as you wrestle with the darkness. Call out in faith to your God. Cry out to Jesus who understands what you feel. Cry out to the one who can sympathize with you because of His own experiences. Once again we're back to the importance of honest prayer. As you wrestle with the darkness of this fallen place, there is something that you can do. You can confidently cry out to Jesus because of His promises to you and because you know He will understand. And as you appeal to Him for help, you know that His response to you will be right on target.

Let's look at this from a different angle. How did Jesus end up on that Cross? How is it that He found Himself confronted by the darkness? Back to the Garden; not the Garden of Eden but the Garden of Gethsemane. What did Jesus say there? 'Not My will but Yours be done.' It was the Father's will that Jesus be engulfed by suffering. Jesus wrestled with that, but ultimately He submitted Himself to it. Your experience of suffering isn't by chance or by accident. Whatever its immediate cause, the Father is the ultimate cause. Being confronted by the darkness is part of the Father's plan for you. For so many out in the world that is a repulsive thought. To them God doesn't bring about evil. He's supposed to make life happy. Now, that is actually true. It is His plan for you to be happy. But the route He has chosen so that you might achieve that goal is a route with much that is hard. If you would be happy you will need to taste evil. Jesus submitted to the Father's will and the evil that was a part of that will. And you must do the same. And just as Jesus did, you must submit to that will in faith and in hope. There is a kind of submission that is actually no more than just resignation. 'Okay, God, have it your way. I can see that you have it in for me. I give up. I won't fight you any more.' While the resistance has stopped, there is no faith here. But a submission that comes out of faith shows as trust. 'This is hard, but I want to follow Your path, Father. I will follow it – however hard it might get – because I trust You. Help me to do that.' That's submitting in faith.

Tied to this is a sense of hope. First, there is hope about the future. 'When I get to the end of all of this, when I get to the place where there is no darkness, it will be so good.' The hope of heaven helps us deal with life today. But that's not all. There is also a hope about the present. 'Jesus is doing something now. Even though I don't feel it, I know it's true. Jesus is doing something in this darkness, and it is something good.' There is a purpose now for your suffering. All of this is important because hope – for the present and for the future – tells you that it's worth taking that next step. And this hope is not just wishful thinking. That's what the hope of the world boils down to. But the Christian has something more. We hope because of Jesus. We are confident because of what He has promised. So, we have a good reason to hope. Jesus will keep those promises. Trust leads to hope. And hope is so important because hope is what keeps you going. The lack of hope is the beginning of death.

Let's move on to another aspect of all of this. As you face the darkness and wrestle with it you'll need to be on your guard. Your struggles present an opportunity for the devil. He took advantage of the situation when Jesus was hanging on that Cross. Listen to some who were passing by: 'You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the Cross.' Doesn't that sound a bit familiar? Let's compare it with something from the beginning of Jesus' ministry: 'And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”' Do you see what Satan is saying in both situations? 'Come on Jesus, You can get yourself out of this fix, whether it's needing something to eat or being rescued from death. All You need to do is work a little miracle.' Then there's this from the chief priests. 'He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the Cross, and we will believe in him.' Do you hear the taunt? 'You're nothing, Jesus. If you want to prove Yourself, get off the Cross. Then we'll believe in you.' And then there's this. 'He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, "I am the Son of God."' That is so much like the serpent in the first Garden with the same goal. Get Jesus to doubt God's good intentions. 'So, Jesus, where is your God now? Why hasn't He delivered You? Are You sure He cares?' All he needs is just a little doubt.

Satan attacked Jesus when He was confronted by the darkness. He will do the same to you. You need to be prepared for this so that you can defend yourself. But note that defense is something that you work on before the big battle, not during. So, feed your trust in God so that it might be strong and ready for the day of battle. That means, once again, lots of Bible and lots of prayer. Look for God's trustworthiness when life is good, and thank Him for it so that when you aren't able to see it quite so clearly you'll still have reason to believe that He is worthy of your trust. The key is to prepare for the battle before it begins. This is how Jesus did it. How often do we see Him respond to His adversaries by saying, 'It is written...' or by some reference to an Old Testament incident. And the Gospels are faithful to record Jesus' many times alone for prayer. Lots of Bible and lots of prayer. And that's why when He was consumed by the darkness on that Cross it was Scripture that came out of His mouth. His cry from the Cross is from Psalm 22.Three of His seven last words are Scripture. He prepared for the battle before the battle. And that is why He was able to win. If you would win in battle in your day of darkness prepare for it now. Lots of Bible. Lots of prayer.

One last thought. The time may well come when you will feel forsaken, abandoned, all alone. When you feel like that, the evil one will try to convince you that your feelings are accurate. But they aren't. A favorite promise of mine comes from Hebrews 13. 'I will never leave you nor will I forsake you.' In English it isn't proper to use a double negative, as in, 'I am not never going to do that.' But in New Testament Greek using a double negative is a way to emphasize that negative. There are two sets of double negatives in this verse. So, you could translate it, 'It is impossible that I would ever leave you. It is impossible that I would ever forsake you.' That is Jesus' promise to you. It may well feel as if you are forsaken. And Satan will be busy whispering in your ear, 'It's true. You are all alone. Deserted. No one cares. No one understands.' But Jesus cares, and He understands. You are not alone. Remember His promise. 'It is impossible that I would ever leave you. It is impossible that I would ever forsake you.'

But Satan does not give up easily. Do you know what he'll say next? 'But you are such a sinner. You don't deserve such a promise. How dare you claim to it?' It's at this point that you are to remind yourself how it is that you can justly cling to this promise and call it your own. You, though you sin greatly, will never be forsaken by Jesus because He was forsaken. When Jesus became a sinner with your sins, He didn't just feel forsaken. He was forsaken. For you. And in that moment of unimaginable darkness, your sin was dealt with. All of it. Forever. So, when Satan whispers in your ear that you still sin, don't deny it. Admit that he's right about that. But then tell him, 'But Jesus was forsaken, rejected by the Father, because of my sin. And because of what He did for me this promise is most certainly mine, though I still sin. Be gone, Satan. I belong to my faithful Savior, Jesus. You've got nothing on me.' Prepare for the battle.

The Apostle Paul told some young disciples, 'It is through many tribulations that we must enter the kingdom of God.' And that includes bouts with the darkness. But we know how it turns out. Because of Jesus we shall enter God's eternal kingdom. And in that hope we can persevere.

Practical Calvinism

I am reading a book on depression. As I read from it this afternoon I had two thoughts. The first is that I've never been depressed. Down times? Yes, but never depressed. And the second was that if ever there was a time when I should have been depressed it was when Linda died. But I wasn't. After worship my first Sunday back at Faith Reformed after Linda's death I said a couple of things to the congregation. One of them was this: 'God's plan for my life is good and wise and loving.' I came back to that phrase again and again, repeating it to myself and believing it. It is clear to me that being able to hold on to that simple but biblical truth made the difference. It was a great protection to my soul. I hurt – a lot – but I wasn't depressed. I wasn't mad at God. I wasn't confused by what was going on, even though I didn't know what God was up to. I had not used that phrase before Linda's death, but it was a Godsend, tailored for that time in my life. The Spirit gave me that gift so that I could keep on going.

Hope

I just read this and it struck a chord.

Hope, as you will find, is a skill that takes practice. There is no verse, pill, or possession that will make it magically appear. Reciting psalms that you have claimed as your own is part of that practice.

Ed Welch

Depression: A Stubborn Darkness

Not Disappointed

Romans 5.1-5

During the last two weeks' sermons - the one on, 'Commit your way to the Lord' and the other on the rich, young ruler - I mentioned the possibility of someone becoming disappointed. I had not meant to make that a theme, but since I did it seemed good to look at that more closely. And the reason I decided that should be obvious. There are lots of people who are disappointed, not just with this or that particular, but with life. Being disappointed is something that is more common than we would like.

We are familiar with people who inhabit the two ends of the spectrum. There are those who, for whatever reason, always seem 'up'. They are enthusiastic about everything, or at least they seem to be. Then, there are those on the other end. These are people who are angry and bitter. We knows these two types because they stand out. But there is this large mass of people in the middle, neither excited about life nor angry at it. It's not that life has dealt them some crushing blow. It's just that life isn't turning out as they had expected. They are disappointed with life. They still get up each day and do what needs doing. But there are no expectations of anything especially good to change the tone of their lives. They look forward to enjoyable vacations and the like, and they do enjoy them. But they know that life will be the 'same old, same old' when vacation time is over. Christians are not immune to this. We can become disappointed too, disappointed with life, disappointed with the Gospel. Again, it's not a matter of being crushed. Things are just not turning out as expected.

There are answers to this disappointment, answers in the Gospel. There are truths that believers - and unbelievers - can embrace so that they would not be disappointed. That's what we're going to look at today.

We're going to start with a translation question. I realize that this may seem academic, but it will actually help you to get the point of the text and to see how it speaks to this thing, disappointment. Some translations of the Bible render verse five like this: '... and hope does not disappoint...' And others have it this way: '... and hope does not put us to shame...' The fact of the matter is that the original word that Paul used can be translated in either way. What that means is that these two English words, disappoint and shame, have something in common that we need to see. So, what is shame about? Here is one scenario. Someone has made some big claim to people. But after all the bragging he can't make it happen. So, imagine a veteran athlete who brags that he will win the tournament. But, instead of that happening, he is eliminated in the first round, crushed by some rookie. Shame is what he feels as others comment on his foolish boast. Disappointment is similar. A claim is made, a boast, that this person cannot make happen. This is just like the example of shame. But the difference is that disappointment is not a matter of what others say about you and your boast. It is, instead, what you say to yourself, having expected so much and yet, failing so badly. In both, a boast is made that is not realized. The difference has to do with who is doing the talking afterward. A disappointed person reminds himself about the failure. Now, here's the point. Is there a boast in our text, a boast that might set someone up for disappointment? Yes, there is. There is a big claim being made here, one that often leads to disappointment. '... we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God...'


Let's take that apart. The word translated 'rejoice' is not the word that Paul commonly uses when he writes about joy. In fact, that word is translated differently in 1 Corinthians 1. 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.' In our text Paul is talking about a boast that the Gospel makes: the hope of the glory of God. The glory of God is whatever makes Him beautiful to us, whatever makes Him attractive, whatever it is that draws us to Him. Here, just think of Jesus. 'And we beheld His glory, glory as of the Father.' People were drawn to Jesus and that because of His glory, not some halo but what made Him beautiful. The Gospel's boast is that one day we will share in this beauty of God revealed to us in the life of Jesus. One day our lives will be completely transformed. We will be like Jesus. We will be beautiful like He is. In fact, according to the Gospel, we are in the process of being changed, of becoming beautiful right now. The Gospel makes many very large claims, large boasts. This is one of them. And it's exactly because of this very large claim that so many Christians are disappointed.

Imagine someone dramatically converted from a life of heinous sin. The focus of his life was completely on himself. He was given to the idolatry of his possessions. His sense of safety was directly tied to the size of his income. Personal success in his career was the driving force of his life. And then he becomes a Christian. His life is changed. The foolishness of his ways becomes clear to him. There is dramatic repentance. He embraces the boast of the Gospel that he will enjoy the glory of God. He lives in the hope of becoming more and more like Jesus. He feels God's love flooding his heart. Every day is like a revival. But after a while life seems to calm down. The excitement of the first days of his new life cools. The difficulties of daily life re-assert themselves. There are still the bills to pay, a job to do, people to deal with. And there is still his own sin that strangely hasn't disappeared. This lively hope of becoming more and more like Jesus fades a bit. And then it fades a bit more. And his sense of God's powerful love becomes more sporadic. And life feels ordinary. He isn't crushed. He isn't angry. He isn't tempted to jettison this whole Gospel thing. But he is disappointed. It isn't turning out as he had expected.

Now, if someone points him to our text, what does he tell himself? 'But I am disappointed. And I don't feel God's love poured out for me.' He might then say, 'Maybe my expectations were too high.' And he begins to settle for the same mundane existence that his neighbors endure.

What's the problem? It's a fact that the Gospel makes large claims, large boasts. Our text is only one example: the hope of sharing in the beauty of Jesus, starting now; the underlying assumption that God's love for us is a torrent flooding our lives, moving the whole process forward. These are large claims. Should we tone them down? Maybe opt for a bit more 'realism'? I really don't think so. There is a problem, but it's not with the Gospel. If it were, we should just dump it all and forget about this Jesus thing. There is a problem, and it's with our expectations - though not in a way that you might think. We take the first step toward a solution by looking at the whole of our text. Thus far, I've skipped over the middle verses. Listen again. 'More than that, we boast in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope ...' 'Tribulations' is another church word, a fine word that we use without thinking about it. Some translations use the word 'sufferings', but I think that is best reserved for another use. So, let's use the word 'troubles'. So, Paul tells us that we brag about our troubles. I grant you that this seems 'counter-intuitive' - to use the language of an old sermon. And it is 'counter-intuitive' - unless you're a disciple of Jesus.

We have all been taught to avoid troubles. We do what we can to keep them at arm's length. And we can do a fair job of it if we are careful and play it safe. If it happens that troubles come our way, we then do our best to minimize it and to get past it as quickly as we can. One result of all of this is that troubles are viewed as our sworn enemies and not something that we brag about. Another result of all of this is that hope, the hope of the glory of God, does not mature. The blossoms form at conversion but they never quite make it to the promised ripe fruit. And so, instead of a life filled with hope and it's ever-present companion, joy, life is a disappointment. For hope to grow, to mature, to become robust, troubles need to be faced and dealt with as a faithful disciple of Jesus. You see, according to the Spirit speaking in our text, troubles that are dealt with as a Christian lead to endurance which in turn leads to proven character, which likewise leads to hope, the hope of the Gospel, a hope that does not disappoint. That is a very large boast of the Gospel, and if it isn't true everything falls to the ground. Facing troubles as a disciple of Jesus is crucial if a person is going to avoid disappointment and enjoy what it means to know Jesus.

Everything turns on this 'facing troubles as a disciple of Jesus'. What does that mean? How does someone do that? I have three thoughts that I would ask you to think about.

First, if you would face troubles as a disciple then work at not being afraid. Fear is the great enemy of a ripening hope, particularly the fear of troubles. 'The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?' Good questions, no? The need of the day is for Christians who are fearless and that because of Jesus. We are all snared by some fear or other. If we do not challenge that fear our hope will not mature as well as it could. That fear will control us to one degree or other, and life may well become a disappointment. So, first work on not being afraid - not of anything. And the key to fearing nothing is fearing God.

Second, if you would face troubles as a disciple then heed the Spirit's command when He says, 'In all things give thanks.' And 'all things' includes troubles. Again, this is counter-intuitive. Yet, what a protection from Satan. He wants you to react to your troubles in fear, to see them as huge problems that block your way, and worse, threaten to destroy you. As far as he is concerned your best option is always panic. But the Gospel says: 'Jesus is the Lord over all, who is firmly committed to you. So, He will use even trouble for your good. All you need to do is trust Him.' One sign of trust: a heart that gives thanks. This doesn't mean that you need to be some stoic without feelings. Even as you give thanks, your heart might be racing, your palms sweaty and you're a little nervous about what is going to happen. But because you trust Jesus, you give Him thanks for what is going on because you know that He is doing something good. And, let me say incidentally, as you learn how to do this, your hope grows and your heart rate stays normal and you aren't nervous at all. You've learned by experience that the Gospel isn't lying.

Third, troubles can become and often are a weapon that Satan uses to attack your faith. He uses these situations to try to get you to entrust yourself to something other than Jesus, at least at the point of attack. So, you lose your job, or you get seriously ill, or your kid gets seriously ill. All of these, and many more, are situations that Satan will use to attack your faith at a specific point. You need to discern what specifically is being attacked and there assert to yourself and to Satan, 'I trust Jesus! At this specific point, when it comes to this specific issue, I trust Jesus.' So, what do you tell yourself if you lose your job? 'My family and I are going to be okay, at least for a while. I've saved up for this kind of situation.' Do you see the point of attack? Where is the trust being placed? Somewhere other than Jesus. Now, whether you have a lot in the bank or nothing there what you need to tell yourself - and Satan - is this. 'We're going to be okay because Jesus will take care of us. He made promises about situations like this one and I believe Him.' Be aware of the point of attack and right there respond wisely.

As you work on these things, you will develop endurance. That is, your faith will get stronger, better able to deal with greater troubles. From that you gain in character. Who you really are is put to the test. Passing the test proves that something of the beauty of Jesus is already in you. And from that comes hope, the hope of the glory of God, the hope of becoming more and more like Jesus, a hope that does not disappoint. And behind it all, moving the process forward, is the love of God flooding your life.

For some of you this sermon has been a reminder about things you are already doing, and, hopefully, an encouragement to continue in the same way. You are not disappointed. And that's really good. But some of you, I suspect, are disappointed. So, in light of what I've just preached, let me say this. I am not disappointed with life. And the reason for this is that Jesus has been good enough to send troubles my way. Because of His favor I have been able to face these troubles as His disciple. Through these troubles I have seen the endurance of my faith grow, my character purified, my hope become more solidly established. I believe our text, and it has changed my life. Things are turning out much better than I expected. If you are disappointed, let me encourage you to take some time to consider what the Spirit has said to you this morning. It's the Gospel. And it is so much better than what you can imagine.

A Song of Joy

I've been teaching the adult Sunday School class on how to meditate. We've done that by looking at a Psalm and taking it apart together. Sunday we were looking at Psalm 100 and the idea of joyful singing, when someone asked a question that went something like, 'How do you sing joyfully when life is hard and you don't feel up?' In response I opened a nearby hymnal and read the first verse of this hymn:

Whate'er my God ordains is right:
Holy his will abideth;
I will be still whate'er he doth;
And follow where he guideth:
He is my God: though dark my road,
He holds me that I shall not fall:
Wherefore to him I leave it all.

Whate'er my God ordains is right:
He never will deceive me;
He leads me by the proper path;
I know he will not leave me:
I take, content, what he hath sent;
His hand can turn my griefs away,
And patiently I wait his day.

Whate'er my God ordains is right:
Though now this cup, in drinking,
May bitter seem to my faint heart,
I take it, all unshrinking:
My God is true; each morn anew
Sweet comfort yet shall fill my heart,
And pain and sorrow shall depart.

Whate'er my God ordains is right:
Here shall my stand be taken;
Though sorrow, need, or death be mine,
Yet am I not forsaken;
My Father's care is round me there;
He holds me that I shall not fall:
And so to him I leave it all.

This is a song of joy. We sometimes sing it with tears because of the bitterness of the cup Jesus has placed in our hands. But we sing it and that because it is true, because it is our hope, because Jesus is made to look good as we do sing it. We need to learn more songs like this so that we can sing them, with joy, when life is hard and that to the glory of Christ and for the protection of our souls.

Life Is Difficult

Psalm 39

Life is difficult. That's the first sentence in what was, at one time, a very popular self-help book. In this, the author of that book, David, who wrote our Psalm, and all of us here heartily agree. But what do we do with that painful fact? What's the next step? Here, we part company with that modern author and consider, instead, what David has to say. And it is clear that for David this is no theoretical discussion pursued from the comfort of some easy chairs and only to be forgotten once the discussion is over. For David, the difficulties of life are not theoretical. They are staring him in the face. David is writing about his life, and his life is difficult. To be sure, he has enjoyed good times. But that doesn't change the fact that David's life is difficult. And so is yours. And that's why this Psalm is in the Bible. It is my hope that understanding this Psalm will help you to deal with the particular difficulties that you face from time to time so that you will deal with them in such a way that your life will actually make more sense to you. And as that happens, you will find your life shining for Jesus.

Let's not start at the beginning of the Psalm. We'll come back to the beginning a bit later. Let's start in the middle of the Psalm. It makes sense for us to start here because the key to dealing with the difficulties of life is found here. Listen to David. 'I am mute; I do not open my mouth, for it is You who have done it. Remove Your stroke from me; I am spent by the hostility of Your hand.' David is clear. God did it. Whatever it is that he is having such a hard time with - God did it. It didn't just happen. It's not even that God allowed it - as if He stepped back from ruling all of this and out of the blue comes this whatever. No, God did it. It is His stroke and the hostility of His hand that have brought about David's troubles. It's important that we see this because seeing this clearly is the first steep to hope, the first step to making sense of what is going on in our troubles.

David gets more specific. 'When you discipline a man with rebukes for sin, you consume like a moth what is dear to him...' God is disciplining David. As He does that David sees things which are precious to him disappear. God consumes them like a moth. This 'like a moth' is so instructive. Today, we are not plagued by moths as previous generations once were. Who here has moth balls in his closet? With the coming of polyester and its cohorts, the moth problem has faded. But in David's day moths were still destructive. But not quickly. They ate away at clothing and fabrics slowly. David is not complaining that his precious possession were destroyed in a sudden rush, going up in a puff of smoke because of some fire. No, they deteriorated slowly, over time. As an older person looks back over a lifetime he can remember the many once‑precious things that are no longer. They are gone. God, like a moth, has consumed them. But it isn't just dear possessions that fade away. It's people too. '... surely all mankind is a mere breath!' '...you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!' Out of this comes a request. 'Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!' David's God is disciplining him, pressing home the vanity of this life. This Psalm is a mini-Ecclesiastes. 'Vanity of vanity. All is vanity.' And it is that because of sin.

Now, we can look at the opening words of the Psalm. 'I said, “I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle, so long as the wicked are in my presence.”' It's important for us to understand what David is saying here. Let me translate. 'I did not want to say any of this. I was among the wicked. If I gave voice to my wrestlings, it would have provided them with another opportunity to blaspheme my God.' And then, he writes this. 'I was mute and silent; I held my peace to no avail, and my distress grew worse.' He tried to keep quite about all that was troubling him. He did not want to provide that opportunity to the wicked. But he could not. Life got worse and so much so that he couldn't keep it all in.

The wicked are those whose basic orientation is against God and whatever He is doing. They look for opportunities to express that opposition by sinning and mocking. David is not one of them. His words here are not words uttered in opposition to his God. David writes as one of the righteous as he struggles with his life. And so - and this is the point that I want you to get - there is no bitterness here. David has strong words about what is going on, but not bitter words. And that's why he can still say, 'And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.' And then this. 'Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears!' These are words of trust and not words of bitterness. David wrestles in this way, honestly expressing the thoughts of his heart to his God, so that he will not fall into the pit of bitterness. And he doesn't. There is an important difference between being honest with your God by expressing your struggles and doubts and wrestlings, and being bitter against Him. David is being wise by being honest. As a result, he does not cross that line into bitter rage against the Almighty, something that can only lead to greater sorrow.

David understands: his God is disciplining him because of sin. It doesn't have to be because of some sin he committed. A big part of God's discipline here is to make sure that David sees the sinful foolishness of his world and avoids it. David gets it. And so, he writes this. 'Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!' Consider the turmoil of many who think that safety and security can be found in having more. How foolish! How idolatrous! How sinful! David did not fall into that trap. But he needs to see it as the trap that it is. God's discipline does just that.

David also knows that though his experience of the discipline of his God is hard and that it really hurts, it is nonetheless an act of love. This is where many of you struggle. You understand that God as Father disciplines us, His children. And you also know that this is an act of love. But there is a certain emotional disconnect. It's as if God's disciplining has no warmth to it. It is cold and distant. He's disciplining because it's the right thing to do, but not because He especially cares. In fact, He just might be a bit annoyed with you that He has do do this disciplining thing. But consider something from Hebrews that fits here. The author is talking about Jesus. 'Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him...' Jesus learned stuff. (That is so helpful.) He had to learn obedience. (That is extraordinarily helpful!) But how? The Father perfected Him by causing Him to suffer - not just at the cross but throughout His life. Another name for this is discipline. Jesus was disciplined by the Father. Obviously, He wasn't disciplined because He had sinned. He was disciplined so that He wouldn't sin. The Father disciplined Jesus. Now, what do you think? Was there some emotional distance between the Father and Jesus, His Son? Did the Father do this just because it was the right thing to do, but not because He cared? Could the Father have been a little annoyed with Jesus because He had to do this disciplining? I hope the answers are obvious. When the Father disciplined David there was no emotional distance. And when He disciplines you He's not even a little bit annoyed. The same depth of caring that went into the Father's discipline of Jesus went into the Father's discipline of David. The same love that the Father had for Jesus He has for you. Remember that. Does this mean that discipline will hurt less? No. But it does provide help to accept it as a good gift from a Father who really does care about you.

Now we're ready for the end of the Psalm. 'Look away from me, that I may smile again, before I depart and am no more!' This might be a bit of a challenge to understand. This is what David is saying. 'Being in Your presence - Your holy presence - reminds me what is sad and wrong with this life. It reminds me of sin, mine and others, and how sin destroys everything. So, Lord, please step away from me so that I can forget for a while the great contrast between your holiness and this sinfulness, so that I can enjoy a little happiness for the remaining moments of my fleeting life.' There are two situations in Jesus' ministry when people made the same sort of request. First, there are the people who saw how Jesus rescued the man from the legion of demons. 'And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region.' And that is exactly what Jesus did. He left them. The Savior comes with power to rescue you and you ask Him to leave because you are afraid of His power. How sad. But then there's the incident with Peter. Jesus tells Peter to put out into the lake and cast his net. Listen to Peter's response. 'Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.' You can sense a little, 'You, the carpenter, are going to tell me, the fisherman, how to fish?' But he does it anyway. And then Peter catches a huge number of fish. In fact, there are so many that his net begins to break and his boat almost sinks. A second boat is called to help and it also almost sinks because of all the fish. Now listen to what happens next. 'But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”' Do you see what's happening? 'Lord, step away from me. Being in Your presence reminds me of my sin.' It's just like David. But does Jesus leave Peter? No. Listen to what He says. '“Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.' Instead of departing, Jesus invites Peter to a closer relationship. That is the fruit of the disciplining that is well received. A deeper acknowledgment of sin leads to a deeper knowledge of Jesus and that leads to a deeper joy, a deeper sense of security and a deeper experience of happiness. That's what happened to David and that's what happened to Peter. And that's what happens to you.

You will never arrive at a time when life is no longer difficult. Your neighbors hold on to an empty hope that such a day will arrive. All that's needed is a better job, a better education, a better house, a better bank account. These, they are told, will make life less difficult. That's a lie.

Life is difficult. It will be for as long as you are here. But your Father is at work in those difficulties of your life. He is at work drawing you nearer to Him so that you can enjoy Him more and more. And He does this because He likes you. It is the discipline of His love. So, as you deal with the difficulties of your life, remember David's words in the midst of this Psalm and in the midst of his life: 'And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.' That is a hope in God for this life and especially for the life to come when all difficulties will be gone.