The Scripture says David was a man after God's own heart. Why? Was David perfect? No. Was he sensitive to the Spirit of God? Yes. David wasn't called a man after God's heart because of he was king, or his exploits, or even the strength of his character, necessarily. We know David sinned just like you and I.
But David always turned to God. When he was happy and experiencing great success - he looked to God and worshipped and thanked him. When he was troubled and in danger of his life - he looked to the God of Israel for protection and strength, calling the LORD his "strong tower." When he was frustrated and angry with what was happening around him and to him - he looked to God and addressed his anger directly to the Most High. And even when he had committed great sin - he looked to God.
Psalm 51 is an incredible look into the heart of David. We know that David looked to God during nearly all of life's circumstances because he so frequently would turn to God by grabbing his pen (or whatever writing technology he had back then) and witting his heart's prayers out for us to read. We read over and over in the Psalms David's heart's cry is to God.
What an example to follow. How often do you and I turn to God? When times are tough? But what about when times are good? Do we remember to thank Him and worship Him for the blessings? Do we remember to thank Him and worship Him for the trials and suffering in life? Do we address our frustration and anger to Him, knowing that only He holds the key to our frustration and our healing? Are we gut level honest with God like David was?
I don't want to idolize David. He was just a man, and clearly didn't get everything right - he was a sinner too. He needed the coming Messiah just as much as you and I need Jesus the Messiah who has come. But David is called a man after God's own heart, and that's something I'd like to cultivate about my own character.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Saturday, April 4, 2009
The Strong Man's House
I want to talk at some length about a passage of Scripture in Mark chapter three. The verse in question is verse 27, but to get an idea of the context, start at about verse 20 and read up to there.
I think verse 27 is very revealing in a way we often miss. Jesus says some remarks that we tend to get quickly and stay easily in our memory – “a house divided against itself cannot stand” – but we miss the “bottom line,” if you will. Verse 27 says, “No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.” We often gloss over this whole verse, passing it off as just a kind of random conclusion statement for the main point. But what if this verse was the main point? What if we’re really missing something here?
Why would Jesus go from talking about a divided house to talking about a strong man and plundering a person’s home for goods? Was Jesus secretly teaching His followers how to be crooks? Of course not. So what is the real point? Here’s my take:
The whole point of Jesus’ preceding remarks was that Satan could not be divided against his own power and be successful. What does Satan have to be successful in? Well, Jesus revealed that Satan’s mission was “to steal, to kill, and to destroy.” So clearly the devil has a goal, and this was the subject of the remarks made in the first part of this passage. Satan is the “strong man” being referenced in this metaphor.
What is the “strong man’s house?” The earth – the world. Jesus said at other times that “the Ruler of this world” was the devil. What he meant was not that Satan is God, but that Satan was the ruler over the present world system. We know the earth is the Lord’s and God is on the throne of the whole Universe. But Satan actually has been given certain power to influence the world for a time. Otherwise, how would we interpret Satan’s temptation of Jesus when the Luke and Matthew give the account that Jesus was in the wilderness being tempted by Satan and the Devil took Him to a high mountain showing Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, tempting Jesus by saying, “all this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whoever I wish. So if you worship me, all will be Yours.” To which we know Jesus resisted temptation saying, “Get behind me Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve,’” Himself quoting Scripture (see Luke 4:5 – 8)
We do know Satan is a liar and is called the Father of Lies, but his lie here was not that he had been given power over the world and could deliver it to others. His lie was offering it to Jesus as a substitute for what Jesus knew was His real destiny as the Son of God. If we assume Satan did not really have any power or authority to give to Jesus, how can we say Jesus really overcame temptation, as it would not have been real temptation, only deception? Jesus knew better than to believe the lie, but also fully realized that Satan meant business. So I think this shows that the “strong man’s house” is the world.
The final component to consider is the “strong man’s goods.” Well, actually the final component will be the “why” and “what” all of this means, but we’ll get to that in just a moment. What are the strong man’s goods? I believe there are some obvious things, but also that a lot of the meaning behind this is a hidden mystery only God can reveal and will over time. The obvious goods are all the glories of man, and the kingdoms of the world. Although we believe confidently those glories do not even compare to the glory of knowing God and the glory of His Kingdom, there still is a certain glory of man. In fact, the book of Revelation 21:24 even talks about this glory and how the Kings of the earth bring their glory with them into the Kingdom of the Lamb, those who enter.
So what does all this mean and why is it important? Well, simply put, I believe Jesus had every intention of stripping Satan of his power and his “goods” when He was in the middle of His ministry on earth, and fulfilled just that when He was crucified and raised. Jesus left His throne in Heaven and entered “the strong man’s house” when He came to earth. He conquered death when he was resurrected and effectively “bound the strong man” and stripped Satan of his power. When He left the Body (the Church universal) with “the Great Commission,” He was telling us to plunder the “strong man’s house” – to take back everything in Satan’s power and influence for God’s purpose and glory.
What does this look like in a practical application? The obvious has to do with people. People who have been living their whole lives – or just been taken captive – doing the work of the Devil. If Satan’s dominion is this present world system, then his goods are the people in it. Actual material goods are just things of perceived value. The real stuff of value is people – souls. God’s desire is that every soul belongs to Him, as His own child. Satan’s desire is that every soul is destroyed. So for believers to “plunder the goods of the strong man” is to win souls.
To another extent I believe there may also be nuances that are still hidden, that God may reveal to us corporately or individually as we seek Him. God would certainly also have us to live our lives with integrity, excellence and love in His name and by doing so we reclaim glory from Satan in God’s name.
As a final thought I want to underscore my point with something Jesus said to Peter when He commissioned Peter as a leader of the church. He told Peter that “the Gates of Hell would not prevail against the church.” We so often think of “the Gates of Hell” as being where Hell launches its offensive attack against God’s people. But a more accurate depiction of gates relevant to their purpose in this culture is a last line of defense.
You see if your army was at war, where were your gates? Your gates were right in front of your city walls. Your army was out fighting, but your gates were protecting your city. The gates of a kingdom were the last line of defense. They really did not represent an offense at all. If the army was being defeated, the city would close its gates to protect its people. So when Jesus speaks about the “gates of Hell,” the image we should be getting is more akin to the people of God storming the Gates of Hell and plundering its goods as we defeat the strong man’s army.
God’s people need to begin acting like an army whose Commander in Chief has already stripped their enemy of Hi s power and attacking all hell like soldiers. We need to realize that Jesus has called us and destined us to attack Satan so hard, they have to close the Gates of Hell to defend themselves. And “the Gates of Hell will not prevail against [the Church].”
I think verse 27 is very revealing in a way we often miss. Jesus says some remarks that we tend to get quickly and stay easily in our memory – “a house divided against itself cannot stand” – but we miss the “bottom line,” if you will. Verse 27 says, “No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house.” We often gloss over this whole verse, passing it off as just a kind of random conclusion statement for the main point. But what if this verse was the main point? What if we’re really missing something here?
Why would Jesus go from talking about a divided house to talking about a strong man and plundering a person’s home for goods? Was Jesus secretly teaching His followers how to be crooks? Of course not. So what is the real point? Here’s my take:
The whole point of Jesus’ preceding remarks was that Satan could not be divided against his own power and be successful. What does Satan have to be successful in? Well, Jesus revealed that Satan’s mission was “to steal, to kill, and to destroy.” So clearly the devil has a goal, and this was the subject of the remarks made in the first part of this passage. Satan is the “strong man” being referenced in this metaphor.
What is the “strong man’s house?” The earth – the world. Jesus said at other times that “the Ruler of this world” was the devil. What he meant was not that Satan is God, but that Satan was the ruler over the present world system. We know the earth is the Lord’s and God is on the throne of the whole Universe. But Satan actually has been given certain power to influence the world for a time. Otherwise, how would we interpret Satan’s temptation of Jesus when the Luke and Matthew give the account that Jesus was in the wilderness being tempted by Satan and the Devil took Him to a high mountain showing Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, tempting Jesus by saying, “all this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whoever I wish. So if you worship me, all will be Yours.” To which we know Jesus resisted temptation saying, “Get behind me Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve,’” Himself quoting Scripture (see Luke 4:5 – 8)
We do know Satan is a liar and is called the Father of Lies, but his lie here was not that he had been given power over the world and could deliver it to others. His lie was offering it to Jesus as a substitute for what Jesus knew was His real destiny as the Son of God. If we assume Satan did not really have any power or authority to give to Jesus, how can we say Jesus really overcame temptation, as it would not have been real temptation, only deception? Jesus knew better than to believe the lie, but also fully realized that Satan meant business. So I think this shows that the “strong man’s house” is the world.
The final component to consider is the “strong man’s goods.” Well, actually the final component will be the “why” and “what” all of this means, but we’ll get to that in just a moment. What are the strong man’s goods? I believe there are some obvious things, but also that a lot of the meaning behind this is a hidden mystery only God can reveal and will over time. The obvious goods are all the glories of man, and the kingdoms of the world. Although we believe confidently those glories do not even compare to the glory of knowing God and the glory of His Kingdom, there still is a certain glory of man. In fact, the book of Revelation 21:24 even talks about this glory and how the Kings of the earth bring their glory with them into the Kingdom of the Lamb, those who enter.
So what does all this mean and why is it important? Well, simply put, I believe Jesus had every intention of stripping Satan of his power and his “goods” when He was in the middle of His ministry on earth, and fulfilled just that when He was crucified and raised. Jesus left His throne in Heaven and entered “the strong man’s house” when He came to earth. He conquered death when he was resurrected and effectively “bound the strong man” and stripped Satan of his power. When He left the Body (the Church universal) with “the Great Commission,” He was telling us to plunder the “strong man’s house” – to take back everything in Satan’s power and influence for God’s purpose and glory.
What does this look like in a practical application? The obvious has to do with people. People who have been living their whole lives – or just been taken captive – doing the work of the Devil. If Satan’s dominion is this present world system, then his goods are the people in it. Actual material goods are just things of perceived value. The real stuff of value is people – souls. God’s desire is that every soul belongs to Him, as His own child. Satan’s desire is that every soul is destroyed. So for believers to “plunder the goods of the strong man” is to win souls.
To another extent I believe there may also be nuances that are still hidden, that God may reveal to us corporately or individually as we seek Him. God would certainly also have us to live our lives with integrity, excellence and love in His name and by doing so we reclaim glory from Satan in God’s name.
As a final thought I want to underscore my point with something Jesus said to Peter when He commissioned Peter as a leader of the church. He told Peter that “the Gates of Hell would not prevail against the church.” We so often think of “the Gates of Hell” as being where Hell launches its offensive attack against God’s people. But a more accurate depiction of gates relevant to their purpose in this culture is a last line of defense.
You see if your army was at war, where were your gates? Your gates were right in front of your city walls. Your army was out fighting, but your gates were protecting your city. The gates of a kingdom were the last line of defense. They really did not represent an offense at all. If the army was being defeated, the city would close its gates to protect its people. So when Jesus speaks about the “gates of Hell,” the image we should be getting is more akin to the people of God storming the Gates of Hell and plundering its goods as we defeat the strong man’s army.
God’s people need to begin acting like an army whose Commander in Chief has already stripped their enemy of Hi s power and attacking all hell like soldiers. We need to realize that Jesus has called us and destined us to attack Satan so hard, they have to close the Gates of Hell to defend themselves. And “the Gates of Hell will not prevail against [the Church].”
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Wanting To Follow Jesus
People who really know Jesus want to follow him. That may seem like a bold statement, but I think it’s really just logic. I mean, people who really truly know him want to follow him. They love him. How can you not? Unless you don’t really know him that well.
What I’m getting at is the difference between thinking you should follow Jesus, or knowing it’s the right thing to do, and really just having that deep down gut wrenching desire to be in his presence because you know it’s the very best place in the universe. It’s the difference between saying you’re a Christian because you believe in the Bible and because you think the Church just has got it right and not caring what anyone thinks about your faith in Jesus because you love him from your heart.
There’s nothing wrong with believing in the Bible and thinking that despite all its flaws the Church just has got it right. In fact if you are headed where I’m suggesting, I think those things will follow. But what I’m trying to pinpoint is something that if you miss, the other things that people say really may not get you as far as you think. What I’m trying to get at is that being a “Christian” is less about following something you know is right and more about following someone who you have come to truly love. Being a Christian really is about you and Jesus. Anything past that is missing the mark.
Now a case can be made for Christianity having also to do with affecting the world; showing love to others, reaching out to the poor and needy, and sharing the message of God’s love. But the foundation is actually not those things. The foundation is a changed heart through Christ. Uh – oh. That sounded a lot like Christianese jargon. What in the world do we mean when we say things like that?
What a changed heart is all about is the fact that without Christ our hearts are bad. Real bad. Actually more like wicked. But what happens is when we get a glimpse into who really God is by getting to know the person of Jesus Christ, and we begin to really understand God’s love for us, our hearts can’t help but be touched by how great his love truly is.
There are a lot of forces and systems at work trying to prevent you from truly understanding that fact. Systems that want to keep your mind dull, your heart numb and your attitude cynical so that it is very difficult for you to grasp how truly remarkable it is that God loves you. But when the Spirit of God truly breaks through into our dark hearts – a change takes place. A transformation.
That’s the difference between knowing or thinking that the Gospel is true, and really following God from a heart of love and gratitude for who He is and how much He loves you. It’s not that the two are mutually exclusive. It’s that so many Christians choose to live from somewhere they believe they are right versus a deeper version of faith, living from somewhere they are free to really love God.
Do you struggle with wanting to be a Christian? Do you sometimes feel like people who aren’t Christians have it easy or better than Christians? Are you a Christian just because you know it’s the right thing to do? You may be missing out on really knowing someone you are following.
Read: 2 Corinthians 5:17; Matthew 7:21-23; 1 John 4:16-19; Revelation 3:14-22
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