# DashHouse.com > The blog, sermons, and books of Darryl Dash Public Ghost content for AI and LLM tooling. This file includes a bounded export of public pages first, then recent public posts. Append `.md` to any post or page URL to get the content in Markdown (for example, `/example-post.md`). ## Pages ### About URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/about/ Last updated: 2024-08-17T17:19:31.000Z My name is Darryl Dash. I’m married to Char and have two adult children. I’m also *oupa* (a South African term for grandfather) to one grandson. This site exists for ordinary Christians and pastors who want to grow. I want to share what I'm learning and encourage you. I want to remind you that your life really does matter. I’m the senior pastor of [Grace Fellowship Church East Toronto](https://www.gfceast.ca/?ref=dashhouse.com), and the cofounder of [Gospel for Life](https://dashhouse.com/gospel-for-life/?ref=dashhouse.com). I’ve written a few [books](https://dashhouse.com/books/?ref=dashhouse.com). I’m also a columnist at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/8wyD?ref=dashhouse.com). I earned a Doctor of Ministry Degree at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary under Haddon Robinson. I love reading, preaching, writing, and exploring. I’m pretty passionate about how God uses the ordinary: ordinary people, ordinary churches, and ordinary practices. I’m on a lifelong quest to become a humble, gracious old man. I started DashHouse.com way back in 1999. Please feel free to [contact me](https://dashhouse.com/contact/?ref=dashhouse.com). If you’re interested, please [sign up](#/portal/) for email updates as well so we can keep in touch. ### Books URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/books/ Last updated: 2024-10-22T22:15:34.000Z ![How to Grow](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2024/10/how-to-grow.jpg) ## How to Grow: Applying the Gospel to ALL of Your Life *How to Grow* by Darryl Dash offers a practical and gospel-centered method for spiritual growth. It helps Christians understand their current stage in the process and determine the next steps towards maturity in Christ. [More about How to Grow ?](https://www.gospelforlife.com/how-to-grow/?ref=dashhouse.com) --- ![8 Habits for Growth](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2024/10/8-habits-1.jpg) ## 8 Habits for Growth: A Simple Guide to Becoming More Like Jesus Darryl Dash presents transformative habits in his book *8 Habits for Growth*. By consistently practicing these habits, you can achieve lasting spiritual growth and become more like Christ. [More about 8 Habits ?](https://www.gospelforlife.com/8-habits-for-growth/?ref=dashhouse.com) --- ![Preach Well](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2024/10/preach-well.jpg) ## Preach Well: A Short Guide to Making Even the Average Sermon Much Better *Preach Well* by Darryl Dash is a practical guide for pastors and church leaders on effective preaching. [More about Preach Well](https://www.dashhouse.com/preach-well/) ### Sermons URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/sermons/ Last updated: 2025-09-10T15:20:22.000Z [Browse my sermons](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/sermons/) starting with the most recent ones. You can also use the index below or [search](#/search) for topics. #### Old Testament Sermons (click to open and close) - [Genesis](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/genesis/) - [Exodus](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/exodus/) - [Leviticus](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/leviticus/) - [Numbers](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/numbers/) - [Deuteronomy](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/deuteronomy/) - [Joshua](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/joshua/) - [Judges](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/judges/) - [Ruth](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/ruth/) - [1 Samuel](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/1-samuel/) - [2 Samuel](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/2-samuel/) - [1 Kings](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/1-Kings/) - [2 Kings](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/2-kings/) - [1 Chronicles](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/1-chronicles/) - [2 Chronicles](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/2-chronicles/) - [Ezra](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/ezra/) - [Nehemiah](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/nehemiah/) - [Esther](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/esther/) - [Job](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/job/) - [Psalms](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/psalms/) - [Proverbs](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/proverbs/) - [Ecclesiastes](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/ecclesiastes/) - [Song of Solomon (or Song of Songs)](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/song-of-songs/) - [Isaiah](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/isaiah/) - [Jeremiah](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/jeremiah/) - [Lamentations](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/lamentations/) - [Ezekiel](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/ezekiel/) - [Daniel](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/daniel/) - [Hosea](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/hosea/) - [Joel](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/joel/) - [Amos](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/amos/) - Obadiah - [Jonah](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/jonah/) - [Micah](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/micah/) - Nahum - [Habakkuk](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/habakkuk/) - [Zephaniah](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/zephaniah/) - Haggai - [Zechariah](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/zechariah/) - [Malachi](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/malachi/) #### New Testament Sermons (click to open and close) - [Matthew](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/matthew/) - [Mark](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/mark/) - [Luke](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/luke/) - [John](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/john/) - [Acts](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/acts/) - [Romans](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/romans/) - [1 Corinthians](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/1-corinthians/) - [2 Corinthians](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/2-corinthians/) - [Galatians](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/galatians/) - [Ephesians](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/ephesians/) - [Philippians](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/philippians/) - [Colossians](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/colossians/) - [1 Thessalonians](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/1-thessalonians/) - [2 Thessalonians](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/2-thessalonians/) - [1 Timothy](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/1-timothy/) - [2 Timothy](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/2-timothy/) - [Titus](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/titus/) - [Philemon](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/philemon/) - [Hebrews](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/hebrews/) - [James](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/james/) - [1 Peter](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/1-peter/) - [2 Peter](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/2-peter/) - [1 John](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/1-john/) - 2 John - 3 John - [Jude](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/jude/) - [Revelation](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/revelation/) #### Topical Sermons (click to open and close) - [Advent](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/advent/) - [apologetics](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/apologetics/) - [attributes of God](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/attributes-of-god/) - [Christmas](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/christmas/) - [communion](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/communion/) - [cults](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/cults/) - [Easter](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/easter/) - [eschatology](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/eschatology/) - [evangelism](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/evangelism/) - [Good Friday](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/good-friday/) - [Holy Spirit](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/holy-spirit/) - [Lent](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/Lent/) - [marriage](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/marriage/) - [Mother's Day](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/mothers-day/) - [New Year's](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/new-years/) - [Palm Sunday](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/palm-sunday/) - [prayer](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/prayer/) - [Sabbath](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/sabbath/) - [sexuality](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/sexuality/) - [Year of the Bible](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/year-of-the-bible/) #### Sermons by Date - [2025](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/2025/) - [2024](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/2024/) - [2023](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/2023/) - [2022](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/2022/) - [2021](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/2021/) - [2020](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/2020/) - [2019](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/2019/) - [2018](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/2018/) - [2017](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/2017/) - [2016](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/2016/) - [2015](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/2015/) - [2014](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/2014/) - [2013](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/2013/) - [2012](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/2012/) - [2011](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/2011/) - [2010](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/2010/) - [2009](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/2009/) - [2008](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/2008/) - [2007](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/2007/) - [2006](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/2006/) - [2005](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/2005/) - [2004](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/2004/) - [2003](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/2003/) - [2002](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/2002/) - [2001](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/2001/) - [2000](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/2000/) - [1999](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/1999/) - [1998](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/1998/) - [1997](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/1997/) - [1996](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/1996/) 🖊️ ****A Note on These Sermons** — I’ve been preaching for over thirty years, and most of the sermons I’ve preached since 1996 are posted here. Some of the 1,000+ sermons are good, but not all of them. I’ve learned a lot in the thirty-plus years I've been preaching, and I still have a long way to go. You can use these sermons as a resource, but I encourage preachers to create their own. Let God speak through your unique voice and experiences. ### Blog URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/blog/ Last updated: 2022-08-16T15:41:55.000Z Browse my blog starting with the [most recent posts](https://dashhouse.com/?ref=dashhouse.com). If you'd like, you can browse my blog by topic: [book reviews](https://dashhouse.com/tag/book-reviews/?ref=dashhouse.com), [Christian living](https://dashhouse.com/tag/christian-living/?ref=dashhouse.com), [church planting](https://dashhouse.com/tag/church-planting/?ref=dashhouse.com), [curated links](https://dashhouse.com/tag/links/?ref=dashhouse.com), [pastoring](https://dashhouse.com/tag/pastoring/?ref=dashhouse.com), and [preaching](https://dashhouse.com/tag/preaching/?ref=dashhouse.com). You can also [search](#/search) for topics. ### Gospel for Life URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/gospel-for-life/ Last updated: 2024-09-01T01:28:15.000Z Gospel for Life was created to help and encourage the work of making disciples. We provide disciple-making resources and encouragement: - [group coaching](https://www.dashhouse.com/group-coaching-with-gospel-for-life/) - [books](https://www.dashhouse.com/books/) (*8 Habits for Growth* and *How to Grow*) - an [online community](https://www.dashhouse.com/community/) - courses like the 8 Habits Challenge and [Helping Others Grow](https://www.dashhouse.com/helping-others-grow/) - a [podcast](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/podcast/) - a [blog](https://www.dashhouse.com/) - a [newsletter](https://www.dashhouse.com/newsletter/) - speaking engagements ## Values We are motivated by the following values: - **Scripture** — The truth of Scripture, which points us to Jesus, undergirds everything we do. - **Church** — The church is at the center of God’s plan for humanity. We act to support the ministry of faithful local churches. - **Encouragement** — Everyone needs encouragement. We aim to provide hope and encouragement to everyone we meet. - **Quality** — We aim to provide practical, high-quality resources and training. ## Principles ### God speaks through his Word. - Scripture is God-breathed. It helps us overcome error and grow in truth so that we become who God intends us to be. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) - Reading, understanding, delighting in, and meditating on God’s Word produces growth and life. (Psalm 1) - Christians are meant to believe and obey God’s Word. (Matthew 28:18-20) *Therefore, we focus on Scripture and help people love, understand, read, and apply it.* ### The gospel is the foundation of discipleship. - The gospel — the good news of what God has done through Jesus to rescue his people and creation — is the key to spiritual growth. It gives us everything we need to grow. (2 Peter 1:3-11) - The gospel is not just an abstract idea. It’s about the beauty and the glory of the triune God, and the life we have in Jesus. (Colossians 3:1-3) - Therefore, we keep returning to the gospel and its implications for our lives. *Therefore, we keep returning to the gospel and its implications for our lives.* ### The church is central to the Christian life. - God doesn’t intend for us to live as isolated individuals. He places us within his people, the church. (1 Peter 2:9-10) - We don’t grow in the abstract church, but in actual, committed, local, in-person gatherings of believers. (Hebrews 10:24-25) - The church — the ordinary, humble church — is more than we realize. It’s the household of God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. It’s how God shows his wisdom to the unseen world. (Ephesians 3:10; 1 Timothy 3:15) *Therefore, we emphasize the importance of the church to the Christian life.* ### The urgent task of the church is discipleship. - The church has been commissioned, with the promise of Jesus’ help and power, to make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20). - The church is designed to equip believers for ministry and maturity. (Ephesians 4:11-16) *Therefore, we help churches make disciples.* ### Discipleship includes every part of our lives. - There’s no “spiritual” part of our lives. God wants us to love him with all of who we are. (Matthew 22:37-40) - Discipleship is about what we desire, not just what we do. (Ezekiel 11:19-20) - Discipleship affects everything: our walk with God, our relationships, our work, our money, our leisure. (Romans 12-14) - We don’t find happiness by looking for it. We find happiness by seeking God.(Psalm 16:11) - Self-denial, not self-actualization, is the path to life. (Matthew 16:24-25) *Therefore, we help people love God with the entirety of their lives.* ### Godly habits help us grow. - Scripture teaches us work out our salvation with God’s help. We work as God works within us. (Philippians 2:12-13) - Scripture commands us to take repeated actions in order to grow and obey, and emphasizes the importance of discipline. (Deuteronomy 6:4-6; 1 Corinthians 9:27) - Habits are important, but they’re not the point. The point is ongoing spiritual growth and intimacy with God. (Luke 11:42) *Therefore, we help people build godly habits.* ### God uses ordinary churches and believers. - As we’re strengthened by the grace that’s in Jesus, we can entrust what we’ve heard to others, who will teach others. (2 Timothy 2:1-2) - Every believer plays a role. (Ephesians 4:12) - People learn as they imitate others. We need knowledge and relationships to grow. (1 Corinthians 4:15-17) *Therefore, we encourage churches and believers. With God’s help, they can make disciples.* **Download a PDF of our principles:** [PrinciplesPrinciples.pdf50 KBdownload-circle](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/files/2022/07/Principles.pdf "Download") ## Contact Us Email us at [info@gospelforlife.com](mailto:info@gospelforlife.com). ### Contact URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/contact/ Last updated: 2025-03-23T23:50:29.000Z Email me at [dsd@DashHouse.com](mailto:dsd@DashHouse.com), or fill out the form below: ### Terms of Use URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/terms-of-use/ Last updated: 2022-07-19T20:21:45.000Z The following Terms of Use are entered into by and between You and Gospel for Life, Inc. (“Company”, “we”, or “us”). 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However, by posting, uploading, inputting, providing, or submitting your Submission you are granting the Company, our affiliated companies, and necessary sub-licensees permission to use your Submission in connection with the operation of their Internet businesses including, without limitation, the rights to: copy, distribute, transmit, publicly display, publicly perform, reproduce, edit, translate, and reformat your Submission; and to publish your name in connection with your Submission. No compensation will be paid with respect to the use of your Submission, as provided herein. The Company is under no obligation to post or use any Submission you may provide and may remove any Submission at any time in the Company’s sole discretion. By posting, uploading, inputting, providing, or submitting your Submission you warrant and represent that you own or otherwise control all of the rights to your Submission as described in this section including, without limitation, all the rights necessary for you to provide, post, upload, input or submit the Submissions. **Links To Third Party Websites And Services** The Website may contain links to other Websites (“Linked Websites”). The Linked Websites are not under the control of the Company and the Company is not responsible for the contents of any Linked Website, including without limitation any link contained in a Linked Website, or any changes or updates to a Linked Website. The Company is providing these links to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement by the Company of the Website or any association with its operators. Certain services made available via the Website are delivered by third-party Websites and organizations. By using any product, service, or functionality originating from the Website, you hereby acknowledge and consent that the Company may share such information and data with any third party with whom the Company has a contractual relationship to provide the requested product, service or functionality on behalf of the Website’s users and customers. **Use Of Templates And Forms** The Company provides various templates and/or forms for download and/or sale on this Website. The Company grants you a limited, personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use our templates and/or forms for your own personal or internal business use. Except as otherwise provided, you acknowledge and agree that you have no right to modify, edit, copy, reproduce, create derivative works of, reverse engineer, alter, enhance or in any way exploit any of the templates and/or forms in any manner, except for modifications in filling out the templates and/or forms for your authorized use. By ordering or downloading Forms, you agree that the Forms you purchase or download may only be used by you for your personal or business use and may not be sold or redistributed without the express written consent of the Company. **Use of Paid Courses, Programs, and Associated Material** The Company from time-to-time provides various courses, programs, and associated material for sale on this Website. The Company grants you a limited, personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use our courses, programs, and associated material (collectively the “Courses”) for your own personal or internal business use. Except as otherwise provided, you acknowledge and agree that you have no right to modify, edit, copy, reproduce, create derivative works of, reverse engineer, alter, enhance or in any way exploit any of the Courses in any manner. By ordering or participating in Courses, you agree that the Courses you purchase or download may only be used by you for your personal or business use and may not be sold or redistributed without the express written consent of the Company. By ordering or participating in Courses, you further agree that you shall not create any derivative work based upon the Courses and you shall not offer any competing products or services based upon any information contained in the Courses. **Use Of Free Downloadable Content** The Company provides various resources on this Website, which users may access by providing an e-mail address. The Company grants you a limited, personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use our resources provided in exchange for an email address (the “Freemium Content”) for your own personal or internal business use. Except as otherwise provided, you acknowledge and agree that you have no right to modify, edit, copy, reproduce, create derivative works of, reverse engineer, alter, enhance or in any way exploit any of the Freemium Content in any manner. By downloading the Freemium Content, you agree that the Fremium Content you download may only be used by you for your personal or business use and may not be sold or redistributed without the express written consent of the Company. By downloading the Freemium Content, you further agree that you shall not create any derivative work based upon the Freemium Content and you shall not offer any competing products or services based upon any information contained in the Freemium Content. **Guests** The Company may, from time to time, provide information from a third party in the form of a podcast guest interview, interview on other platform, guest blog post, or other medium. The Company does not control the information provided by such third-party guests, is not responsible for investigating the truth of any information provided, and cannot guarantee the veracity of any statements made by such guests. Individuals who agree to appear as guests on any podcast offered by the Company agree to transfer all intellectual property rights they may have in any such interviews to the Company and further provide a license to any rights they are unable to assign. **Cancellation Of Subscription** Certain of the Company’s products and services are offered on an ongoing basis with a monthly or yearly subscription. Users may cancel subscriptions at any time by emailing info@gospelforlife.com. Your subscription shall be terminated immediately upon cancellation, and you shall not receive any refund. You shall not be charged after a cancellation. **Money Back Guarantee** For the sale of certain products, the Company provides a money-back guarantee. That money-back guarantee is governed by the following terms, except to the extent that the terms of a specific product or service provide otherwise. With respect to any purchase, you must request your money back within 30 days of the purchase. You may request your money back by emailing info@gospelforlife.com. That email must contain information about the product you purchased, the date of the purchase, and the email and name associated with any such purchase. You are not required to submit any proof that you have completed any work or meet any other requirements. Upon determining that you are entitled to a refund pursuant to this policy, the Company will promptly issue an instruction to its payment processor to issue the refund. The Company does not control its payment processor and will not be able to expedite any refunds. If you receive a refund of any purchase through this money-back guarantee, that shall immediately terminate any and all licenses granted you to use the material provided to you under these Terms of Use or any other agreement. You shall immediately cease using the material and shall destroy all copies of the information provided to you, including without limitation: video recordings, audio recordings, forms, template documents, slide shows, membership areas, social media groups limited to paying members, and other resources. Any customer may redeem a money-back guarantee from the Company only once regardless of how many products and/or services the customer purchases. In other words, after a customer has received a refund for any one product under this money-back guarantee, that customer shall not be entitled to a refund as to any other product or service purchased from the Company. **No Warranties** THE COMPANY MAKES NO WARRANTIES REGARDING THE PERFORMANCE OR OPERATION OF THIS WEBSITE. THE COMPANY FURTHER MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO THE INFORMATION, CONTENTS, MATERIALS, DOCUMENTS, PROGRAMS, PRODUCTS, BOOKS, OR SERVICES INCLUDED ON OR THROUGH THIS WEBSITE. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMISSIBLE UNDER THE LAW, THE COMPANY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. **Limitation of Liability** YOU AGREE TO ABSOLVE THE COMPANY OF ANY AND ALL LIABILITY OR LOSS THAT YOU OR ANY PERSON OR ENTITY ASSOCIATED WITH YOU MAY SUFFER OR INCUR AS A RESULT OF USE OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THIS WEBSITE AND/OR THE RESOURCES YOU MAY DOWNLOAD FROM THIS WEBSITE. YOU AGREE THAT THE COMPANY SHALL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY TYPE OF DAMAGES, INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, EQUITABLE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL LOSS OR DAMAGES FOR USE OF THIS WEBSITE. THE INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, AND SERVICES INCLUDED IN OR AVAILABLE THROUGH THE WEBSITE MAY INCLUDE INACCURACIES OR TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS. CHANGES ARE PERIODICALLY ADDED TO THE INFORMATION HEREIN. THE COMPANY AND/OR ITS SUPPLIERS MAY MAKE IMPROVEMENTS AND/OR CHANGES IN THE WEBSITE AT ANY TIME. THE COMPANY AND/OR ITS SUPPLIERS MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE SUITABILITY, RELIABILITY, AVAILABILITY, TIMELINESS, AND ACCURACY OF THE INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND RELATED GRAPHICS CONTAINED ON THE WEBSITE FOR ANY PURPOSE. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ALL SUCH INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND RELATED GRAPHICS ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OR CONDITION OF ANY KIND. THE COMPANY AND/OR ITS SUPPLIERS HEREBY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS WITH REGARD TO THIS INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND RELATED GRAPHICS, INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COMPANY AND/OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THE WEBSITE, WITH THE DELAY OR INABILITY TO USE THE WEBSITE OR RELATED SERVICES, THE PROVISION OF OR FAILURE TO PROVIDE SERVICES, OR FOR ANY INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND RELATED GRAPHICS OBTAINED THROUGH THE WEBSITE, OR OTHERWISE ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF THE WEBSITE, WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT, NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY OR OTHERWISE, EVEN IF THE COMPANY OR ANY OF ITS SUPPLIERS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF DAMAGES. BECAUSE SOME STATES/JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. IF YOU ARE DISSATISFIED WITH ANY PORTION OF THE WEBSITE, OR WITH ANY OF THESE TERMS OF USE, YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY IS TO DISCONTINUE USING THE WEBSITE. **Dispute Resolution** You hereby expressly waive any and all claims you may have, now or in the future, arising out of or relating to this Website, the Company, any and all contracts you enter into with the Company, and any and all of the Company’s products and services. To the extent that you attempt to assert any such claim, you hereby expressly agree to present such claim only in the state or federal courts that are geographically nearest to Toronto, Ontario, Canada. **International Users** The Service is controlled, operated and administered by the Company from our offices within Canada. If you access the Service from a location outside Canada, you are responsible for compliance with all local laws. You agree that you will not use the Company Content accessed through the Website in any country or in any manner prohibited by any applicable laws, restrictions or regulations. **Indemnification** You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Company, its officers, directors, employees, agents and third parties, for any losses, costs, liabilities and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) relating to or arising out of your use of or inability to use the Website or services, any user postings made by you, your violation of any terms of this Agreement or your violation of any rights of a third party, or your violation of any applicable laws, rules or regulations. The Company reserves the right, at its own cost, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter otherwise subject to indemnification by you, in which event you will fully cooperate with the Company in asserting any available defenses. **Termination And Access Restriction** The Company reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to terminate your access to the Website and the related services or any portion thereof at any time, without notice. To the maximum extent permitted by law, and you hereby consent to resolve any and all disputes arising under or related to this Website or the Terms of Use pursuant to the Dispute Resolution Clause above. Use of the Website is unauthorized in any jurisdiction that does not give effect to all provisions of these Terms, including, without limitation, this section. **No Joint Venture Or Other Relationship​** You agree that no joint venture, partnership, employment, or agency relationship exists between you and the Company as a result of this agreement or use of the Website. The Company’s performance of this agreement is subject to existing laws and legal process, and nothing contained in this agreement is in derogation of the Company’s right to comply with governmental, court, and law enforcement requests or requirements relating to your use of the Website or information provided to or gathered by the Company with respect to such use. If any part of this agreement is determined to be invalid or unenforceable pursuant to applicable law including, but not limited to, the warranty disclaimers and liability limitations set forth above, then the invalid or unenforceable provision will be deemed superseded by a valid, enforceable provision that most closely matches the intent of the original provision and the remainder of the agreement shall continue in effect. **Entire Agreement​** Unless otherwise specified herein, this agreement, along with the Privacy Policy and Disclaimer, constitutes the entire agreement between the user and the Company with respect to the Website and it supersedes all prior or contemporaneous communications and proposals, whether electronic, oral or written, between the user and the Company with respect to the Website. A printed version of this agreement and of any notice given in electronic form shall be admissible in judicial or administrative proceedings based upon or relating to this agreement to the same extent and subject to the same conditions as other business documents and records originally generated and maintained in printed form. It is the express wish to the parties that this agreement and all related documents be written in English. **Changes to Terms** The Company reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to change the Terms under which the Website is offered. The most current version of the Terms will supersede all previous versions. The Company encourages you to periodically review the Terms to stay informed of our updates. **Contact Us** The Company welcomes your questions or comments regarding the Terms: Gospel for Life PO Box 11 TORN STN C Toronto ON M6J3M7 Canada Email Address: [info@gospelforlife.com](mailto:info@gospelforlife.com) Effective as of May 24, 2018 ### Disclaimer URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/disclaimer/ Last updated: 2022-07-19T19:43:37.000Z This website is owned and operated by Gospel for Life Inc. (“Company,” “we,” or “us”). This Disclaimer, along with the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, governs your access to and use of DashHouse.com, including any content, functionality and services offered on or through DashHouse.com (the “Website”), whether as a guest or a registered user. Please read the Disclaimer carefully before you start to use the Website. By using the Website or by clicking to accept or agree to the Terms of Use when this option is made available to you, you accept and agree to be bound and abide by the Disclaimer. If you do not want to agree to the Privacy Policy, you must not access or use the Website. **For Educational And Informational Purposes Only** The information contained on this Website and the resources available for download through this website are for educational and informational purposes only. **Not Legal Advice** The information contained on this Website and the resources available for download through this website is not intended as, and shall not be understood or construed as, legal advice. While the professional at the Company are attorneys and the information provided on this Website relates to legal issues, the information contained on this Website is not a substitute for legal advice from a licensed attorney who is aware of the facts and circumstances of your individual situation. We have done our best to ensure that the information provided on this Website and the resources available for download are accurate and provide valuable information. Regardless of anything to the contrary, nothing available on or through this Website should be understood as a recommendation that you should not consult with an attorney to address your particular information. The Company expressly recommends that you seek advice from an attorney prior to taking any actions. Neither the Company nor any of its attorneys shall be held liable or responsible for any errors or omissions on this website or for any damage you may suffer as a result of failing to seek competent legal advice from a licensed attorney who is familiar with your situation. **Not Financial Advice** The information contained on this Website and the resources available for download through this website is not intended as, and shall not be understood or construed as, financial advice. While the professional at the Company are finance professionals and the information provided on this Website relates to financial issues, the information contained on this Website is not a substitute for financial advice from a professional who is aware of the facts and circumstances of your individual situation. We have done our best to ensure that the information provided on this Website and the resources available for download are accurate and provide valuable information. Regardless of anything to the contrary, nothing available on or through this Website should be understood as a recommendation that you should not consult with a financial professional to address your particular information. The Company expressly recommends that you seek advice from a professional. Neither the Company nor any of its employees or owners shall be held liable or responsible for any errors or omissions on this website or for any damage you may suffer as a result of failing to seek competent financial advice from a professional who is familiar with your situation. **Not Tax Advice** The information contained on this Website and the resources available for download through this website is not intended as, and shall not be understood or construed as, tax advice. While the professional at the Company are tax professionals and the information provided on this Website relates to tax issues, the information contained on this Website is not a substitute for tax advice from a professional who is aware of the facts and circumstances of your individual situation. We have done our best to ensure that the information provided on this Website and the resources available for download are accurate and provide valuable information. Regardless of anything to the contrary, nothing available on or through this Website should be understood as a recommendation that you should not consult with a tax professional to address your particular information. The Company expressly recommends that you seek advice from a professional. Neither the Company nor any of its employees or owners shall be held liable or responsible for any errors or omissions on this website or for any damage you may suffer as a result of failing to seek competent tax advice from a professional who is familiar with your situation. **Not Medical or Health Advice** The information contained on this Website and the resources available for download through this website is not intended as, and shall not be understood or construed as, medical or health advice. While the professional at the Company address health issues and the information provided on this Website relates to medical and/or health issues, the information contained on this Website is not a substitute for medical or health advice from a professional who is aware of the facts and circumstances of your individual situation. We have done our best to ensure that the information provided on this Website and the resources available for download are accurate and provide valuable information. Regardless of anything to the contrary, nothing available on or through this Website should be understood as a recommendation that you should not consult with a medical or health professional to address your particular information. The Company expressly recommends that you seek advice from a professional. Neither the Company nor any of its employees or owners shall be held liable or responsible for any errors or omissions on this website or for any damage you may suffer as a result of failing to seek competent medical or health advice from a professional who is familiar with your situation. **Not Professional Advice** The information contained on this Website and the resources available for download through this website is not intended as, and shall not be understood or construed as, professional advice. While the employees and/or owners of the Company are professionals and the information provided on this Website relates to issues within the Company’s area of professionalism, the information contained on this Website is not a substitute for advice from a professional who is aware of the facts and circumstances of your individual situation. We have done our best to ensure that the information provided on this Website and the resources available for download are accurate and provide valuable information. Regardless of anything to the contrary, nothing available on or through this Website should be understood as a recommendation that you should not consult with a professional to address your particular information. The Company expressly recommends that you seek advice from a professional. Neither the Company nor any of its employees or owners shall be held liable or responsible for any errors or omissions on this website or for any damage you may suffer as a result of failing to seek competent advice from a professional who is familiar with your situation. **No Professional-Client Relationship** Your use of this Website – including implementation of any suggestions set out in this Website and/or use of any resources available on this Website – does not create a professional-client relationship between you and the Company or any of its professionals. The Company cannot accept you as a client unless and until we determine that there is a fit and until various requirements, such as fee arrangements, are resolved. Thus, you recognize and agree that we have not created any professional-client relationship by the use of this Website. **User’s Personal Responsibility** By using this Website, you accept personal responsibility for the results of your actions. You agree to take full responsibility for any harm or damage you suffer as a result of the use, or non-use, of the information available on this Website or the resources available for download from this Website. You agree to use judgment and conduct due diligence before taking any action or implementing any plan or policy suggested or recommended on this Website. **No Guarantees​** You agree that the Company has not made any guarantees about the results of taking any action, whether recommended on this Website or not. The Company provides educational and informational resources that are intended to help users of this website succeed in life and otherwise. You nevertheless recognize that your ultimate success or failure will be the result of your own efforts, your particular situation, and innumerable other circumstances beyond the control and/or knowledge of the Company. You also recognize that prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Thus, the results obtained by others – whether clients or customers of the Company or otherwise – applying the principles set out in this Website are no guarantee that you or any other person or entity will be able to obtain similar results. **Errors And Omissions​** This World Wide Web Site is a public resource of general information that is intended, but not promised or guaranteed, to be correct, complete, and up-to-date. We have taken reasonable steps to ensure that the information contained in this Website is accurate, but we cannot represent that this Website is free of errors. You accept that the information contained on this Website may be erroneous and agree to conduct due diligence to verify any information obtained from this Website and/or resources available on it prior to taking any action. You expressly agree not to rely upon any information contained in this website. **Reviews** At various times, we may provide reviews of products, services, or other resources. This may include reviews of books, services, and/or software applications. Any such reviews will represent the good-faith opinions of the author of such review. The products and services reviewed may be provided to the Company for free or at a reduced price as an incentive to provide a review. Regardless of any such discounts, we will provide honest reviews of these products and/or services. You recognize that you should conduct your own due diligence and should not rely solely upon any reviews provided on this website. We will disclose the existence of any discounts or incentives received in exchange for providing a review of a product. If you would like more information about any such discounts and incentives, send an email to info@gospelforlife.com that includes the title of the reviewed product as the subject line. We will respond via email and disclose any incentives or discounts we received in association with any such review. **Affiliate Links** From time to time, the Company participates in affiliate marketing and may allow affiliate links to be included on some of our pages. This means that we may earn a commission if/when you click on or make purchases via affiliate links. As a policy, the Company will only affiliate with products, services, coaches, consultants, and other experts that we believe will provide value to our customers and followers. The Company will inform you when one of the links constitutes an affiliate link. All links to Amazon.com are affiliate links. You recognize that it remains your personal responsibility to investigate whether any affiliate offers are right for your business and will benefit you. You will not rely on any recommendation, reference, or information provided by the Company but will instead conduct your own investigation and will rely upon your investigation to decide whether to purchase the affiliate product or service. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. **No Endorsements** From time to time, the Company will refer to other products, services, coaches, consultants, and/or experts. Any such reference is not intended as an endorsement or statement that the information provided by the other party is accurate. The Company provides this information as a reference for users. It is your responsibility to conduct your own investigation and make your own determination about any such product, service, coach, consultant, and/or expert. **Testimonials** At various places on this Website, you may find testimonials from clients and customers of the products and services offered on this Website or by the Company. The testimonials are actual statements made by clients and/or customers and have been truthfully conveyed on this Website. Although these testimonials are truthful statements about results obtained by these clients and/or customers, the results obtained by these clients and/or customers are not necessarily typical. You specifically recognize and agree that the testimonials are not a guarantee of results that you or anyone else will obtain by using any products or services offered on this Website or by the Company. **Earnings Disclaimer** From time to time, the Company may report on the success of one of its existing or prior clients/customers. The information about this success is accurately portrayed by the Customer. You acknowledge that the prior success of others does not guarantee your success. As with any business, your results may vary and will be based on your individual capacity, business experience, expertise, and level of desire. There are no guarantees concerning the level of success you may experience. There is no guarantee that you will make any income at all and you accept the risk that the earnings and income statements differ by individual. Each individual’s success depends on his or her background, dedication, desire and motivation. The use of our information, products and services should be based on your own due diligence and you agree that the Company is not liable for any success or failure of your business that is directly or indirectly related to the purchase and use of our information, products, and services reviewed or advertised on this Website. **No Warranties** THE COMPANY MAKES NO WARRANTIES REGARDING THE PERFORMANCE OR OPERATION OF THIS WEBSITE. THE COMPANY FURTHER MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO THE INFORMATION, CONTENTS, MATERIALS, DOCUMENTS, PROGRAMS, PRODUCTS, BOOKS, OR SERVICES INCLUDED ON OR THROUGH THIS WEBSITE. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMISSIBLE UNDER THE LAW, THE COMPANY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. **Limitation of Liability** YOU AGREE TO ABSOLVE THE COMPANY OF ANY AND ALL LIABILITY OR LOSS THAT YOU OR ANY PERSON OR ENTITY ASSOCIATED WITH YOU MAY SUFFER OR INCUR AS A RESULT OF USE OF THE INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THIS WEBSITE AND/OR THE RESOURCES YOU MAY DOWNLOAD FROM THIS WEBSITE. YOU AGREE THAT THE COMPANY SHALL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY TYPE OF DAMAGES, INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, EQUITABLE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL LOSS OR DAMAGES FOR USE OF THIS WEBSITE. THE INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, AND SERVICES INCLUDED IN OR AVAILABLE THROUGH THE WEBSITE MAY INCLUDE INACCURACIES OR TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS. CHANGES ARE PERIODICALLY ADDED TO THE INFORMATION HEREIN. THE COMPANY AND/OR ITS SUPPLIERS MAY MAKE IMPROVEMENTS AND/OR CHANGES IN THE WEBSITE AT ANY TIME. THE COMPANY AND/OR ITS SUPPLIERS MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE SUITABILITY, RELIABILITY, AVAILABILITY, TIMELINESS, AND ACCURACY OF THE INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND RELATED GRAPHICS CONTAINED ON THE WEBSITE FOR ANY PURPOSE. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ALL SUCH INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND RELATED GRAPHICS ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OR CONDITION OF ANY KIND. THE COMPANY AND/OR ITS SUPPLIERS HEREBY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS WITH REGARD TO THIS INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND RELATED GRAPHICS, INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COMPANY AND/OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THE WEBSITE, WITH THE DELAY OR INABILITY TO USE THE WEBSITE OR RELATED SERVICES, THE PROVISION OF OR FAILURE TO PROVIDE SERVICES, OR FOR ANY INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND RELATED GRAPHICS OBTAINED THROUGH THE WEBSITE, OR OTHERWISE ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF THE WEBSITE, WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT, NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY OR OTHERWISE, EVEN IF THE COMPANY OR ANY OF ITS SUPPLIERS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF DAMAGES. BECAUSE SOME STATES/JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. IF YOU ARE DISSATISFIED WITH ANY PORTION OF THE WEBSITE, OR WITH ANY OF THESE TERMS OF USE, YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY IS TO DISCONTINUE USING THE WEBSITE. **Contact Us** The Company welcomes your questions or comments regarding the Disclaimer: Gospel for Life PO Box 11 TORN STN C Toronto ON M6J3M7 Canada Email Address: darryl@DashHouse.com Effective as of May 24, 2018 ### The Fine Print URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-fine-print/ Last updated: 2022-07-20T13:37:04.000Z - [Disclaimer](https://www.dashhouse.com/disclaimer/) - [Privacy Policy](https://www.dashhouse.com/privacy-policy/) - [Terms of Use](https://www.dashhouse.com/terms-of-use/) DashHouse.com is part of the ministry of Gospel for Life, Inc. All content Copyright © Darryl Dash ### Privacy Policy URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/privacy-policy/ Last updated: 2022-07-19T20:21:20.000Z Gospel for Life Inc. (“**Company**,” “**we**,” or “**us**”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting it through this Privacy Policy. This Privacy Policy governs your access to and use of DashHouse.com, including any content, functionality and services offered on or through DashHouse.com (the "**Website**"), whether as a guest or a registered user. When accessing the Website, the Company will learn certain information about you, both automatically and through voluntary actions you may take, during your visit. This policy applies to information we collect on the Website and in email, text, or other electronic messages between you and the Website. Please read the Privacy Policy carefully before you start to use the Website. **By using the Website or by clicking to accept or agree to the Terms of Use when this option is made available to you, you accept and agree to be bound and abide by the Privacy Policy.** If you do not want to agree to the Privacy Policy, you must not access or use the Website. **Children Under The Age Of 13** Our Website is not intended for children under 13 years of age. No one under age 13 may provide any information to or on the Website. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13\. If you are under 13, do not use or provide any information on this Website or on or through any of its features/register on the Website, make any purchases through the Website, use any of the interactive or public comment features of this Website or provide any information about yourself to us, including your name, address, telephone number, email address, or any screen name or user name you may use. If we learn we have collected or received personal information from a child under 13 without verification of parental consent, we will delete that information. If you believe we might have any information from or about a child under 13, please contact us at info@gospelforlife.com. **Information We Collect About You** When you access the Website, the Company will learn certain information about you during your visit. *Information You Provide To Us*. The Website provides various places for users to provide information. We collect information that users provide by filling out forms on the Website, communicating with us via contact forms, responding to surveys, search queries on our search feature, providing comments or other feedback, and providing information when ordering a product or service via the Website. We use information you provide to us to deliver the requested product and/or service, to improve our overall performance, and to provide you with offers, promotions, and information. *Information We Collect Through Automatic Data Collection Technology*. As you navigate through our Website, we may use automatic data collection technologies including Google Analytics to collect certain information about your equipment, browsing actions, and patterns. This will generally include information about your location, your traffic pattern through our website, and any communications between your computer and our Website. Among other things, we will collect data about the type of computer you use, your Internet connection, your IP address, your operating system, and your browser type. The information we collect automatically is used for statistical data and will not include personal information. We use this data to improve our Website and our service offerings. To the extent that you voluntarily provide personal information to us, our systems will associate the automatically collected information with your personal information. **Use of Cookies And Pixels** Similar to other commercial websites, our website utilizes a standard technology called “cookies” and server logs to collect information about how our site is used. Information gathered through cookies and server logs may include the date and time of visits, the pages viewed, time spent at our site, and the websites visited just before and just after our own, as well as your IP address. A cookie is a very small text document, which often includes an anonymous unique identifier. When you visit a website, that site’s computer asks your computer for permission to store this file in a part of your hard drive specifically designated for cookies. Each website can send its own cookie to your browser if your browser’s preferences allow it, but (to protect your privacy) your browser only permits a website to access the cookies it has already sent to you, not the cookies sent to you by other sites. The Company reserves the right to use technological equivalents of cookies, including social media pixels. These pixels allow social media sites to track visitors to outside websites so as to tailor advertising messages users see while visiting that social media website. The Company reserves the right to use these pixels in compliance with the policies of the various social media sites.​ **Third Party Use Of Cookies** Some content or applications, including advertisements, on the Website are served by third-parties, including advertisers, ad networks and servers, content providers, and application providers. These third parties may use cookies alone or in conjunction with web beacons or other tracking technologies to collect information about you when you use our website. The information they collect may be associated with your personal information or they may collect information, including personal information, about your online activities over time and across different websites and other online services. They may use this information to provide you with interest-based (behavioral) advertising or other targeted content. We do not control these third parties' tracking technologies or how they may be used. 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We will not require you to provide consent for any unnecessary processing as a condition of entering into a contract with us. **Contact Us** The Company welcomes your questions or comments regarding the Privacy Policy: Gospel for Life 1117 Queen Street West Toronto ON M6J3M7 Canada Email Address: info@gospelforlife.com **Our GDPR Representative** The Company employs the following party as its representative for handling General Data Protection Regulation Issues. Darryl Dash c/o Gospel for Life PO Box 11 TORN STN C Toronto ON M6J3M7 Canada Effective as of May 24, 2018 ### 8 Habits for Growth Resources URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/8-habits-for-growth-resources/ Last updated: 2024-08-22T14:09:08.000Z ![Make Time](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2022/07/Habit1-2.webp) ## Habit #1: Make Time Make at least 10–15 minutes per day to work through the **8 Habits for Growth* book, and once you’re done, continue practicing these habits. [Explore Resources](https://www.dashhouse.com/habit-1/) --- ![Rest and Refresh](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2022/10/Habit2-2.png) ## Habit #2: Rest and Refresh Build a rhythm of work and rest in your life on a daily and weekly basis. [Explore Resources](https://www.dashhouse.com/habit-2/) --- ![Engage the Bible](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2022/10/Habit3.png) ## Habit #3: Engage the Bible Engage the Bible by reading or listening to Scripture daily. [Explore Resources](https://www.dashhouse.com/habit-3/) --- ![Speak with God](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2022/10/Habit4.png) ## Habit #4: Speak with God Speak with God every day through prayer. Live your life in relationship with God. [Explore Resources](https://www.dashhouse.com/habit-4/) --- ![Worship and Belong](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2022/10/Habit5.png) ## Habit #5: Worship and Belong We’re meant to live our lives as part of God’s people, both receiving from and contributing to the lives of other believers. [Explore Resources](https://www.dashhouse.com/habit-5/) --- ![Care for Your Body](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2022/10/Habit6.png) ## Habit #6: Care for Your Body Care for your body for God’s glory, and so that you can love and serve others. [Explore Resources](https://www.dashhouse.com/habit-6/) --- ![Simplify and Prioritize](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2022/10/Habit7.png) ## Habit #7: Simplify and Prioritize Look for ways to simplify your life in order to keep your focus on the main thing. [Explore Resources](https://www.dashhouse.com/habit-7/) --- ![Go the Distance](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2022/10/Habit8.png) ## Habit #8: Go the Distance Begin to build a Rule of Life, a set of rhythms and relationships that fit your life. [Explore Resources](https://www.dashhouse.com/habit-8/) --- ![appendices](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2022/10/appendices.png) ## Appendices Download the “Using **8 Habits for Growth* in Your Church” and “Helping Others Grow” bonus appendices from **8 Habits for Growth*. [Explore Resources](https://www.dashhouse.com/bonus-appendices/) --- ![downloads](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2022/10/downloads.png) ## Wallpapers Download wallpapers containing the **8 Habits for Growth* for your computer or phone. [Explore Resources](https://www.dashhouse.com/wallpapers/) ### Newsletter URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/newsletter/ Last updated: 2022-10-11T21:24:01.000Z ## A Thought, a Quote, and a Resource **A weekly email to help encourage nonfamous faithfulness** “A Thought, a Quote, and a Resource” is a weekly newsletter delivered every Thursday. It contains: - something I’ve been thinking about - a good quote I’ve found - a resource worth sharing My goal is to encourage readers to stay faithful in their assignments, because nonfamous faithfulness glorifies God. [Subscribe](#/portal/) > Hey, man, just thought I’d let you know I’m enjoying your new newsletter. It’s succinct, thought-provoking, and at the right frequency. > **André** > I appreciate reading *A Thought, A Quote, and A Resource* …it’s one of the few manageable things that come my way. ... TQR is reliably nourishing, but I know I can sit down and read it in under five minutes…even if I’m chasing down a link or two. > **Chris S.** ### Downloads URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/downloads/ Last updated: 2026-01-06T18:34:30.000Z ### How to Grow: Applying the Gospel to ALL of Life [How to Grow Chapters 1 and 2How-to-Grow-Chapters-1-and-2.pdf372 KBdownload-circle](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/files/2024/08/How-to-Grow-Chapters-1-and-2.pdf "Download") ### Preach Well: A Short Guide to Making Even the Average Sermon Much Better [Preach Well (PDF)Preach-Well.pdf1 MBdownload-circle](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/files/2024/08/Preach-Well.pdf "Download") [Preach Well (ePub)Preach Well epub.epub1 MBdownload-circle](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/files/2024/08/Preach-Well-epub.epub "Download") [Preach Well (mobi)Preach-Well-1530713038.mobi2 MBdownload-circle](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/files/2024/08/Preach-Well-1530713038.mobi "Download") Please leave a review at [Amazon.com](https://go.dashho.us/XSj?ref=dashhouse.com) or your favorite bookseller. ### What I Believe About Ministry [What I Believe About MinistryWhatIBelieve.pdf456 KBdownload-circle](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/files/2024/08/WhatIBelieve.pdf "Download") ### More Downloads #### Workbook [Preaching ApplicationPreaching Application.pdf549 KBdownload-circle](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/files/2024/08/Preaching-Application.pdf "Download") #### Theocentric Preaching [Thesis - PublicThesis - Public.pdf2 MBdownload-circle](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/files/2024/08/Thesis---Public.pdf "Download") [Seminar NotebookSeminar-Notebook.pdf1 MBdownload-circle](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/files/2024/08/Seminar-Notebook.pdf "Download") [Theocentric Preaching WorkshopTheocentric-Preaching-Workshop.pdf46 KBdownload-circle](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/files/2024/08/Theocentric-Preaching-Workshop.pdf "Download") Theocentric Preaching Deep Dive by Google NotebookLM 0:00 /715.32 1× #### Other [The MillenniumThe Millennium.pdf298 KBdownload-circle](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/files/2025/05/The-Millennium.pdf "Download") See also [Understanding the Millennium](https://millennium.dashhouse.com/?ref=dashhouse.com) [Pastor Preach GodPastor Preach God.pdf205 KBdownload-circle](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/files/2022/10/Pastor-Preach-God.pdf "Download") [Evaluating the Emerging ChurchEvaluating the Emerging Church.pdf165 KBdownload-circle](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/files/2022/10/Evaluating-the-Emerging-Church.pdf "Download") ### Habit #1: Make Time URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/habit-1/ Last updated: 2025-08-28T01:55:33.000Z 8 Habits for Growth follows a behavior change model, consisting of three phases: - Preparation - Action - Maintenance This habit is part of the preparation phase. It’s foundational for all the other habits in this book. 💡 ****Big Idea** Make Time. Specifically, make at least 10–15 minutes per day to work through the **8 Habits for Growth* book, and once you’re done, to continue practicing these habits. ### Choose Your Actions Choose one or more of the following: - Pick a time of day when you’re alert and not likely to be distracted. Make an appointment with yourself. - Set an alarm to remind you of your daily appointment. - Post a reminder of your new habit where you’ll see it throughout the day. ### Suggested Resources #### **Resources on Habits** - [*The Power of Habit*](https://go.dashhouse.com/4RFb?ref=dashhouse.com)by Charles Duhigg is the first book I ever read on habits. It's entertaining and engaging. I still recommend it. - [*Atomic Habits*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvPC?ref=dashhouse.com) by James Clear is also a favorite. Clear outlines some simple guidelines for designing habits: make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, and make it satisfying. Bonus: I also love his [weekly newsletter](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvPD?ref=dashhouse.com). - [*Tiny Habits*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvPH?ref=dashhouse.com) by BJ Fogg is great at teaching how to shrink habits and make them doable. He also runs a [free Tiny Habits program](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvPJ?ref=dashhouse.com) that’s open to anyone. - [*Your Future Self Will Thank You*](https://go.dashhouse.com/4RFa?ref=dashhouse.com) by Drew Dyck is a great look at habits from a Christian perspective. #### **Resources on Making Time** - My top book on making time is [*Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day*](https://go.dashhouse.com/2grE?ref=dashhouse.com) by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky. I review it often. - I also really like Carey Nieuwhof’s book [*At Your Best: How to Get Time, Energy, and Priorities Working in Your Favor*](https://go.dashhouse.com/6WUu?ref=dashhouse.com). #### **Resources on Heart Change** - In [*How to Grow*](https://gospelforlife.com/grow/?ref=dashhouse.com), I explain that growth is about pursuing joy *and* transformed desires. - [*Pleasures Evermore*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvPQ?ref=dashhouse.com) by Sam Storms reminds us that the goal of the Christian life is the enjoyment of God. - Want to find out your growth stage? Check out the [Stages assessment](https://www.dashhouse.com/stages/). Have an idea, or need support? [Visit the DashHouse community.](https://www.dashhouse.com/community/) ### Habit #2: Rest and Refresh URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/habit-2/ Last updated: 2025-08-28T01:54:30.000Z You may be surprised to see Rest and Refresh as the second habit. We placed it here intentionally for a couple of reasons: - Most of us are way too busy, and we need to slow down a little to build our relationship with God. - The scripture places great importance on observing the Sabbath and taking the time to rest. It’s a gift from God. In fact, Adam and Eve’s first day was Sabbath. They rested before they got to work. 💡 ****Big Idea** God built us for a rhythm of work, so build rest into your life. Specifically, build a rhythm of work and rest in your life on a daily and weekly basis. ### Choose Your Actions Choose one or more of the following: - Pick a daily action (taking a nap or bath, going for a walk, reading a book) that brings you rest. - Brainstorm a list of activities that refresh you and make you feel more alive. - Make a list of activities that are pseudo-rest, that look restful but leave you drained (e.g., excessive social media scrolling, playing video games for too long, or binge-watching shows). - Pick a recurring date for a full-day Sabbath, and put it on the calendar. ### Suggested Resources #### **Bible Project Video** This [Bible Project video](https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/sabbath-video/?ref=dashhouse.com) helps explain what the Bible teaches about rest. #### **Resources on Sabbath and Rest** - [*The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvPV?ref=dashhouse.com) by Mark Buchanan is one of the first books I read on this subject. It’s still the first book I’d recommend to most people. - [*The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvPa?ref=dashhouse.com) by John Mark Comer is a timely book for many of us. - [*Reset: Living a Grace-Paced Life in a Burnout Culture*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvPe?ref=dashhouse.com) by David Murray is written for men who want to find a more sustainable pace, and [*Refresh: Embracing a Grace-Paced Life in a World of Endless Demands*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvPf?ref=dashhouse.com) by Shona and David Murray is written for women. - [*Zeal Without Burnout: Seven Keys to a Lifelong Ministry of Sustainable Sacrifice*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvPk?ref=dashhouse.com) by Christopher Ash is written for people in Christian ministry who want to pace themselves to last. - [*24/6: A Prescription for a Healthier, Happier Life*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvPl?ref=dashhouse.com) by Matthew Sleeth and [*Subversive Sabbath: The Surprising Power of Rest in a Nonstop World*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvPn?ref=dashhouse.com) by A. Swoboda are both helpful books on Sabbath. Have an idea, or need support? [Visit the DashHouse community.](https://www.dashhouse.com/community/) ### Habit #3: Engage the Bible URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/habit-3/ Last updated: 2025-08-28T01:58:44.000Z Out of all the habits you can develop, engaging the Bible is perhaps the most important. Donald Whitney, a leading teacher on spiritual disciples, writes, “No spiritual discipline is more important than the intake of God’s Word. Nothing can substitute for it. There simply is no healthy Christian life apart from a diet of the milk and meat of Scripture.” We want to provide you with some resources to help. 💡 ****Big Idea** Engage the Bible by reading or listening to Scripture daily. Engaging the Bible is essential to the Christian life. ### Choose Your Actions Choose one or more of the following: - Choose a format that works for you: paper, electronic, or audio. - Investigate Bible reading plans, and choose one that interests you and fits your schedule. - Find friends who want to read the Bible regularly, and form a group for discussion and mutual support. ### Suggested Resources #### **Bibles** ##### Paper Bibles Here are a few of my favorite Study Bibles: - [CSB Day-by-Day Chronological Bible](https://go.dashhouse.com/BcFu?ref=dashhouse.com) - [CSB Study Bible](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvPs?ref=dashhouse.com) - [ESV Study Bible](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvPt?ref=dashhouse.com) - [NIV Study Bible](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvPz?ref=dashhouse.com) - [NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvP%5F?ref=dashhouse.com) - [NIV Grace and Truth Study Bible](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvQU?ref=dashhouse.com) - [NLT Illustrated Study Bible](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvQ4?ref=dashhouse.com) Another option is a Reader’s Bible. A Reader’s Bible allow you to read the Bible without verse numbers, section headings, and translation footnotes, more like a regular book. For instance, check out the [ESV Reader’s Bible](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvQY?ref=dashhouse.com). If you like to write in your Bibles, then a [journaling Bible](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvQc?ref=dashhouse.com) is a great option. I also like the [ESV Scripture Journals](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvQj?ref=dashhouse.com). They provide separate volumes for each book of the Bible, with lightly lined blank pages next to each page of Bible text. ##### Electronic Bibles - [YouVersion](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvQs?ref=dashhouse.com) is one of the most-used Bible apps. - The [ESV Bible App](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvQv?ref=dashhouse.com) offers Bible text, audio, and optional study Bibles. - The Bible in One Year offers an app ([IOS](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvQy?ref=dashhouse.com) and [Android](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvR0?ref=dashhouse.com)) and [website](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvQw?ref=dashhouse.com). ##### Audio Bibles - I love the [Dwell app](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvR2?ref=dashhouse.com). There’s a subscription fee, but it’s worth it. - Another interesting audio Bible is called [her.bible](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvR4?ref=dashhouse.com), featuring female narrators. - Audible.com sells a good selection of audio Bibles, such as the audio version of the [One Year Bible](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvRE?ref=dashhouse.com). - Some of the apps mentioned in the Electronic Bible section also feature audio Bibles. #### **Bible Reading Plans** - Generate your own Bible reading plan with [Bible Reading Plan Generator](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvRI?ref=dashhouse.com). Choose your time frame, format, and the books of the Bible you want to read, then print it out. - Some Bibles are formatted to help you read the Bible in one year, along with supporting notes. For instance, the [CSB Chronological Study Bible](https://go.dashhouse.com/BcFu?ref=dashhouse.com) includes a reading plan with daily notes from Dr. George Guthrie. - [*The Bible in 52 Weeks for Men*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvRM?ref=dashhouse.com), along with the [small group workbook](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvRQ?ref=dashhouse.com), is a great resource for men. There's also a version of the [Bible for women](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvRc?ref=dashhouse.com). - If you’re looking for a challenge, try reading the Bible in [90 days](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvS0?ref=dashhouse.com). - The [Five Day Bible Reading Plan](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvS6?ref=dashhouse.com) helps you to read the entire Bible or just the New Testament in one year. - In [*How to Eat Your Bible*](https://go.dashhouse.com/3J57?ref=dashhouse.com), Nate Pickowicz suggests a seven-year Bible reading plan that allows you to read each section repeatedly before moving on to the next one. #### **Other Resources** - George Guthrie's book [*A Short Guide to Reading the Bible Better*](https://go.dashhouse.com/BSeE?ref=dashhouse.com) is an accessible handbook to help you better read God’s Word, whether you are new to the Bible or have been reading it faithfully for decades. Highly recommended. - I love the videos at [Bible Project](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvSB?ref=dashhouse.com) for understanding the books and themes of the Bible. - [She Reads Truth](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvSC?ref=dashhouse.com), [He Reads Truth](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvSD?ref=dashhouse.com), and [Kids Read Truth](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvSG?ref=dashhouse.com) put out some really helpful material. I’m constantly impressed by their resources. - We also recommend [*The Essential Bible Companion*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvSK?ref=dashhouse.com), which provides a two-page overview of every book of the Bible. - The [*NIV Compact Bible Commentary*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvSL?ref=dashhouse.com) is an inexpensive one-volume commentary on the entire Bible. - If you want to dig deeper, check out [*How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvSP?ref=dashhouse.com) or [*Seven Things I Wish Christians Knew About the Bible*](https://go.dashhouse.com/9-Xk?ref=dashhouse.com). - [Twelve](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvSQ?ref=dashhouse.com) is a free app for IOS and Android designed to keep each other accountable to read the Word of God every day. “Our simple app allows you to share a picture of what you read each day and have a conversation about it with everyone in your small group.” Have an idea, or need support? [Visit the DashHouse community.](https://www.dashhouse.com/community/) ### Habit #4: Speak with God URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/habit-4/ Last updated: 2025-08-28T02:00:00.000Z We don’t *have to* speak with God in prayer; we *get to* speak with God in prayer. It’s a gift, not an obligation. God loves to hear from his people. He invites us to come to him and tell him what’s on our minds, and to ask for his help in every area of our lives. The hardest part about prayer is often just getting started. This habit aims to help you see prayer as a regular part of your life, an action that we can regularly as we live in relationship with our Father. 💡 ****Big Idea** Speak with God every day through prayer. Live your life in relationship with God. ### Choose Your Actions Choose one or more of the following: - Choose a time each day to pray, and set a timer for five minutes. - Go for a prayer walk. While walking, spend time praying to God and telling Him what is on your mind. - Keep a prayer journal. Buy a paper journal or use a journaling app, and write your prayers to God. ### Suggested Resources #### **Books** - No book has helped me more with prayer than Paul Miller’s [*A Praying Life*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvSy?ref=dashhouse.com). Reading this book helped me stop seeing prayer as an obligation. It made me want to pray more. If you don’t want to read the whole book, [*Beginning a Praying Life*](https://go.gospelforlife.com/3Yy9?ref=dashhouse.com) is based on the bigger book, but only 64 pages. - Skye Jethani’s book [*What If Jesus Was Serious About Prayer?*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvT2?ref=dashhouse.com)is also very good. - Tim Keller has also written a [helpful book on prayer](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvT4?ref=dashhouse.com). - My friend Tim Kerr has written a helpful small book called [*22 Life Lessons on Prayer*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvTD?ref=dashhouse.com). Download it for free below. He’s also put together a book called [*Take Words With You*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvTG?ref=dashhouse.com) that includes over 2500 Scripture promises and prayers that you can use to fuel your prayer life. It's also available as a free download below. - If you want to experiment with praying at set times throughout the day, [*The Divine Hours*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvTI?ref=dashhouse.com) is a good place to start. [22 Life Lessons on Prayer (PDF)by Tim Kerr22 Life Lessons on Prayer.pdf2 MBdownload-circle](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/files/2023/07/22-Life-Lessons-on-Prayer.pdf "Download") [Take Words with You (PDF)by Tim KerrTWWY\_web.pdf5 MBdownload-circle](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/files/2023/07/TWWY%5Fweb.pdf "Download") #### **App** I enjoy using the [PrayerMate app](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvTK?ref=dashhouse.com) to help organize when I pray for people and ministries. Have an idea, or need support? [Visit the DashHouse community.](https://www.dashhouse.com/community/) ### Habit #5: Worship and Belong URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/habit-5/ Last updated: 2025-08-28T02:01:05.000Z Many today think that the Christian life is personal — it’s just you and God. The Bible presents a different picture. The focus of the Bible is God creating a community for Himself. Church isn’t an optional extra. It’s at the very heart of God’s purpose for us. In this habit, we’re going to explore the importance of worshiping and belonging, and how to take the next step. 💡 ****Big Idea** We’re meant to live our lives as part of God’s people, both receiving from and contributing to the lives of other believers. ### Choose Your Actions Choose one or more of the following: - If not part of a church, find some possible good churches near you. - Attend church every week that you’re able. - Join a small group within the church. - Pick someone in the church and look for a way to encourage him or her. ### Suggested Resources #### **Find a Church** Look for a good church near you through word of mouth, by asking a trusted friend or pastor, or by using one of these directories: - [The Gospel Coalition Church Directory](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvTQ?ref=dashhouse.com) - [9Marks Church Search](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvTn?ref=dashhouse.com) #### **Books** - “A Christian without a church is a Christian in trouble.” Learn why in [*Rediscover Church: Why the Body of Christ Is Essential*](https://go.dashhouse.com/5b3f?ref=dashhouse.com) by Collin Hansen and Jonathan Leeman. - Church is uncomfortable! In [*Uncomfortable: The Awkward and Essential Challenge of Christian Community*](https://go.gospelforlife.com/45kW?ref=dashhouse.com), Brett McCracken helps us learn to love the church, even when it’s challenging. - Sam Alberry’s book [*Why Bother With Church?*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvTw?ref=dashhouse.com) outlines what church is, why we need it, and how we can move closer to what church can be. - In [*Caring for One Another: 8 Ways to Cultivate Meaningful Relationships*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvT%5F?ref=dashhouse.com), Ed Welch helps Christians understand how to care for others through meaningful relationships within the church. - We often don’t give thought to how to prepare for corporate worship. Tony Payne’s book [*How to Walk Into Church*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvU2?ref=dashhouse.com) is the practical how-to guide you didn’t know you needed. #### **Articles** - I appreciated this article by H.B. Charles: [When It’s Time to Leave a Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvU5?ref=dashhouse.com) - This [post](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvU6?ref=dashhouse.com) explains how to leave a church to the glory of God. Have an idea, or need support? [Visit the DashHouse community.](https://www.dashhouse.com/community/) ### Habit #6: Care for Your Body URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/habit-6/ Last updated: 2025-08-28T02:02:33.000Z When God made physical creation, He pronounced it good. God made us embodied creatures, and He calls us to care for every part of our lives, including our bodies. Our bodies and souls matter to God. Our souls and resurrected bodies will exist for eternity. In this habit, we’re going to explore why our bodies matter, and how we can care for them well so that we honor God with our bodies. 💡 ****Big Idea** Care for your body for God’s glory and so that you can love and serve others. ### Choose Your Actions Choose one or more of the following: - Eat slowly. Savor every bite. Really enjoy food when you eat. - Pay attention to hunger signals, and pay attention to when you’re hungry and full. - Learn how to cook a tasty, nutritious new dish. - Buy a cookbook of nutritious recipes you’re able to cook. - Brainstorm a list of physical activities you enjoy and choose - one to try. - Set an alarm to remind you to get outside and go for a walk each day. ### Suggested Resources #### **Books** - [*Embodied*](https://go.dashhouse.com/4WvH?ref=dashhouse.com) by Gregg Allison presents a holistic theology of the human body. - If you have ever struggled with what it means to be a Christian in a physical world, check out Mike Wittmer’s book [*Becoming Worldly Saints*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvUn?ref=dashhouse.com). Wittmer explains how to bring your human and Christian lives together. - [*The Supper of the Lamb*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvUr?ref=dashhouse.com) is a quirky book, but an enjoyable one. It will awaken you to the wonder of God’s gift of food. - [*A Meal with Jesus*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvUt?ref=dashhouse.com) by Tim Chester examines the centrality of food to Jesus’ ministry, and how we can use food to show hospitality to others. - In [*Full*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvUv?ref=dashhouse.com), Asheritah Ciuciu helps us develop a healthier relationship with food through a stronger relationship with Christ. - I like Michael Pollan’s advice, “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” He develops this idea in his helpful book [*Food Rules*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvUx?ref=dashhouse.com). - If you want to cultivate fun in your exercise, check out [*No Sweat: How the Simple Science of Motivation Can Bring You a Lifetime of Fitness*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvUy?ref=dashhouse.com). - The Royal Canadian Air Force developed an [exercise program](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvU-?ref=dashhouse.com) that takes only a few minutes a day. I enjoy it. - I like books that help push beyond diet fads. One such book is [*You Can't Screw This Up*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvV4?ref=dashhouse.com). Simple and doable. **Other Resources** - The [Precision Nutrition blog](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvVg?ref=dashhouse.com) is a good source of information on good nutrition and related topics. - [Layman's Fitness](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvVh?ref=dashhouse.com) seeks to provide the man in the pew with the "What" and the "Why" of exercise and fitness for God's glory. - My wife provides gospel-based nutrition coaching for women through [livewholehearted.com](https://livewholehearted.com/?ref=dashhouse.com). Have an idea, or need support? [Visit the DashHouse community.](https://www.dashhouse.com/community/) ### Habit #7: Simplify and Prioritize URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/habit-7/ Last updated: 2025-08-28T02:03:40.000Z Chances are your life is full, maybe too full. It’s one reason why many are drawn to decluttering and minimalism. Deep down, we want to get rid of the clutter and focus on what really matters. In this habit, we’re not going to add something for you to do. We’re going to try to help you lighten your load. We’re going to look for ways to simplify your life so that you can prioritize what matters most. Habit #7 is designed to help you prepare to maintain the habits you’ve built as you look to the future. 💡 ****Big Idea** Look for ways to simplify your life in order to keep your focus on the main thing. ### Choose Your Actions Choose one or more of the following: - Create a list of distractions in your life. - Delete distracting apps from your phone. - Make a list of “most important activities” that you want to prioritize in your life. - Consider quitting something that isn’t a priority in your life. ### Suggested Resources #### **Books** - [*Simplify Your Spiritual Life: Spiritual Disciplines for the Overwhelmed*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvW7?ref=dashhouse.com) and [*The Freedom of Simplicity*](https://go.gospelforlife.com/4D5Q?ref=dashhouse.com) both deal with simplicity and spiritual disciplines. - I love the title of the book [*Crazy Busy*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvW9?ref=dashhouse.com) by Kevin DeYoung, and the content of the book is good too. DeYoung aims to deal with the heart of our busyness issue, not just the symptoms. - John Mark Comer’s book [*The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvPa?ref=dashhouse.com)is timely and important. Comer describes what hurry does to our souls, and offers practical suggestions on how to slow and focus on abiding in Christ. - [*Essentialism*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvWA?ref=dashhouse.com) and [*Effortless*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvWB?ref=dashhouse.com) are both books I’ve enjoyed. The first is about doing the right things; the second is about doing them in the right way. - [*An Unhurried Life*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvWC?ref=dashhouse.com) and [*An Unhurried Leader*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvWE?ref=dashhouse.com) both offer counsel on how to slow to focus on what matters most. - Bob Goff has written a helpful book called [*Undistracted: Capture Your Purpose. Rediscover Your Joy*](https://go.dashhouse.com/AToI?ref=dashhouse.com). - Cal Newport’s book [*Deep Work*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvWG?ref=dashhouse.com) helps us beat distraction at work, and his book [*Digital Minimalism*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvWI?ref=dashhouse.com) helps us rethink our use of technology. Have an idea, or need support? [Visit the DashHouse community.](https://community.dashhouse.com/invitation?code=J6G5C7&ref=dashhouse.com) ## Posts ### A Catechism on Technology URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/a-catechism-on-technology/ Last updated: 2026-09-08T05:00:04.000Z Here’s a short catechism on technology. I found it helpful to think through a biblical and theological perspective on this important topic. ## Technology and the Creation Mandate **1\. What is technology?** Technology is using knowledge and skills to make and use things and methods that solve problems, meet needs, and extend our capacities. **2\. Where did technology come from?** Technology is part of God’s mandate for humans to cultivate creation and rule over the earth (Genesis 1:28; Psalm 8:6). God created us in his image to cultivate creation’s latent potential. **3\. Is technology good or bad?** Technology is powerful. It can be used well to steward creation and promote human flourishing. But because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve, technology is cursed with thorns and thistles, and can tempt and shape us in harmful ways. ## Technology After the Fall **4\. How can technology tempt us?** Technology can tempt us to ignore God’s word, attempt to transcend human limits, and live independently of God, trusting in our own abilities rather than in him (Genesis 3:4-5; 11:1-9). It makes us feel like we can be everywhere, know everything, and fix every weakness rather than accept our creaturely limits. It promises quick power, but bypasses the slow process of growth that makes us wise, resilient, and loving. **5\. What does Scripture teach us about technology after the Fall?** Technology can serve God’s purposes in a fallen world (Genesis 4:17–22). The same tools can also tempt us to reach beyond our limits and seek security and significance apart from God (Genesis 11:1-9). Scripture shows that we can use technology for worship and faithful service (Exodus 31) or idolatry, turning our works into substitutes for him (Exodus 32). When we place our confidence in technology instead of the Lord, we are guilty of spiritual unfaithfulness, placing our hope in human power rather than in God (Psalm 20:7; Proverbs 21:31; Isaiah 31:1–3). **6\. How did Jesus and the apostles use technology?** Both Jesus and the Apostle Paul used technology in their vocations. Within their ministries, both Jesus and the apostles used technology sparingly, and not as a substitute for embodied relationships, the church, and personal ministry. ## Artificial Intelligence **7\. Is AI good or bad?** AI is both good and bad. AI is a form of technology, and it can be used faithfully or unfaithfully, in both helpful and harmful ways. **8\. What are some limits of AI?** AI can hallucinate (make errors). It tends to flatter and carries the biases of the people who built it. It can never worship, love, feel, or truly think. **9\. What are some good uses of AI?** AI can be helpful for tasks like coding, summarizing, researching, analyzing, and tackling tedious work. **10\. What are some unhelpful uses of AI?** It’s unwise to use AI without disclosure so that others believe the work is ours, to use it as a substitute for genuine creative work, to lean on it so heavily that our skills and judgment atrophy, or to use it as a substitute for real, human relationships. It’s also unwise to treat chatbots as persons, especially as a substitute for friends, counsellors, or pastors. **11\. What can AI never give us?** AI can never give us what we need most: love, sacrifice, and the capacity to worship. These are gifts that only God and humans created in his image can give. ## A Faithful Digital Life **12\. What makes it difficult to use technology wisely?** By its very nature, technology is more vivid, distracting, and falsely intimate than our analog lives. Technology also shapes us. Our daily digital habits, repeated over time, train our attention, imagination, and desires, often without us noticing. **13\. What are some questions we should ask when we use technology?** First, does this technology help me honour God and love my neighbour? Or is it tempting me to transcend my creaturely limits, put my trust in something other than God, and move me away from serving and loving people? Second, what is the hidden cost? Every technology contains a tradeoff, usually hidden, and not every tradeoff is worth making. Third, how is this technology shaping me? We must pay attention to how technology is changing our souls, and lean into practices like Scripture, prayer, worship, and Christian community that shape our souls toward Christ (Romans 12:2). **14\. What is our calling regarding technology?** God calls us to use technology with gratitude and discernment as faithful stewards, while keeping our worship, trust, and love fixed on God rather than on what we have made. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-511/ Last updated: 2026-09-05T05:00:47.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Any Human Ever](https://anyhumanever.com/?ref=dashhouse.com) > If you could draw a life at random from all of human history, what would it look like? Roll the dice, and see a genuinely random life, depicted as well as the data allow. [We Need Healthy Tribalism](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/need-healthy-tribalism/?ref=dashhouse.com) > This article explores the concept of healthy tribalism. [What a Church Can Do Before a Pastor Falls](https://www.challies.com/articles/what-a-church-can-do-before-a-pastor-falls/?ref=dashhouse.com) > There is nothing a church can do that is more important or effective than this: ensure that your pastor is qualified. [Plagiarism And The Preacher](https://proclaimanddefend.org/2026/08/30/plagiarism-and-the-preacher/?ref=dashhouse.com) > It is easy to read someone else’s message on Sunday morning. And AI can write sermons. [The Ministry of Saying Less | Biblical Preaching](https://biblicalpreaching.net/2026/09/01/the-ministry-of-saying-less/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Good preaching, teaching, leading, and counselling require not only knowing what to say, but knowing what not to say. My post at [Gospel for Life](https://www.gospelforlife.com/?ref=dashhouse.com): [Ask for Help](https://www.gospelforlife.com/ask-for-help/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The real issue is whether we will humble ourselves and admit that we need God’s help, and then live in daily dependence on him. My column at [TGC Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Learning From the Faithful](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/straight-paths/learning-from-the-faithful/?ref=dashhouse.com) > We need more people like this couple to show others what it’s like to walk with God without pretense and with great joy, even after experiencing all that life’s thrown at them. ### A Call to Care URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/a-call-to-care/ Last updated: 2026-09-01T05:00:42.000Z I received a [yunomi](https://kalonceramics.ca/products/mocha-and-blue-lidded-yunomi?ref=dashhouse.com) (a Japanese cup with no handle) a couple of months ago for my birthday. I love it. It was handcrafted by a [local potter](https://kalonceramics.ca/?ref=dashhouse.com). I asked for it because I wanted a daily reminder of the kind of work that I want to do. I don’t want to batch-produce content or add to the slop that’s flooding the Internet. I want to write, preach, and read slowly with love and great care. The more the world is flooded with cheap and mass-produced items, the more that this matters. I spoke to a furniture maker recently who decried the trend toward buying cheap, disposable furniture that’s replaced every five years. Few people are buying the handmade, solid-wood furniture he makes that will last a lifetime. The more the world has things we throw away, the more I like sitting on the solid wood chair in my living room. This chair has been here longer than I have, and it will likely last longer than I do too. According to [Pew Research](https://www.pewresearch.org/data-labs/2026/08/20/how-much-of-the-internet-is-written-with-ai/?ref=dashhouse.com), it seems that a third of new online content is likely written or substantially edited by AI. I’m guessing this number will grow. The more we have to wade through AI slop, the more human-written content will stand out. I think we’ll be able to tell, and I think it will matter. The same applies to preaching. As long as I can remember, preachers have been able to take shortcuts in the process of preparing a sermon. We can piggyback on the work of others, and now we can leverage AI in the research, writing, and evaluation of our sermons. Still, nothing will ever replace the preacher’s work and meditation on the text. I can tell when a preacher has sweated through the preparation process. I can tell when preachers have first applied the sermons to themselves. I can tell when a preacher (including me) has not, and there’s a world of difference. The more shortcuts preachers can take, the more valuable it will become when preachers do all the hard work necessary to not only prepare a good sermon but prepare their hearts as well. No shortcut will ever get you there. This is a call to care. It’s a call to inconvenience and inefficiency. It’s a call to bucking the trends, to developing one’s craft, to wrestling with God and the work he has given us to do. I would never say that it’s always wrong to use AI, but I would argue that some things matter too much to entrust the work to a machine. We need human writers. We need human preachers. We need to take a stand and fight against the flood of poor-quality work produced by machines that try to seem real. Instead, we should create what is genuine, human, and costly. The more we’re flooded with what’s cheap and commodified, the more our human work will matter. Never surrender the best of what it means to be human to a machine. The more machines do the work, the more we need people like you to write, preach, speak, create, and love in ways that machines cannot. ### Invited and Changed (Matthew 22:1-14) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/invited-and-changed-matthew-221-14/ Last updated: 2026-08-30T17:00:38.000Z **Big Idea:** God invites everyone in, but only those who are truly changed by Jesus belong at the feast. --- We used to get them in the mail. Now we get them by email. “We’re getting married,” the email reads, “and you’re invited to join us.” You click a link and find all the details, and then you have to RSVP. You know the drill. You check your calendar. You think about what you have to wear. You do all kinds of calculations, and then you click either “joyfully accept” or “regretfully decline.” You make a decision, and you live with it. Sometimes it takes some thought. Other times, there’s no question. If someone really matters to you, of course you’re going to attend! You’re going to cancel any other plan. You’re going to pay whatever money you need to pay. You know you just have to be there. ## The Kingdom’s Like a Wedding Feast According to Jesus, the kingdom of heaven is like that. Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son…” (Matthew 22:2). By kingdom of heaven, he means God’s power and rule breaking into reality. It’s where God’s kingly rule is acknowledged, and where his will is done. Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is like being invited to a wedding. When you’re a king, and your son gets married, it’s a big deal. It’s not just about the wedding of a prince and heir; it’s preparation for him to take the throne, and the start of a new royal family. Think about this. It’s “the greatest celebration imaginable thrown by the wealthiest person imaginable for the most honored person imaginable” (John MacArthur). So how exactly is the kingdom of heaven like this? One of the major themes throughout the Bible is that of the messianic banquet. Isaiah 54 and 55 describe a divine marriage where the Lord will prepare a feast of rich food and well-aged wine for all peoples on his mountain. The best food and wine is available free of charge. It’s not just a meal, but the start of a brand new creation with no more death, no more tears. Everyone’s welcome to attend free of charge. It’s what we can look forward to one day. In Matthew 22, Jesus is saying that this wedding feast is beginning. And Jesus is the son for whom the king arranges the wedding feast. All throughout Matthew, Jesus has called himself the bridegroom (Matthew 9:15). In other words, Jesus is the king who is taking his bride. His wedding marks the beginning of a new creation in which everything is set right. This is the culmination of redemptive history. Everything converges with this important moment in history as Jesus takes his bride. And what a party it is. Verse 4 says, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.” In those days, guests would be fed and cared for over seven days, and if you were a king, it could extend far beyond that. So this is a feast, a party, that is better than anything you could imagine. God’s kingdom is like a lavish, freely offered wedding feast celebrating Jesus the Bridegroom. It signals that God’s rule is breaking in and launching a new creation where all is made right. Everyone’s invited, so the only right response is to come and join the joy. I want you to think about that. You’re invited to be part of the best celebration in history, free of charge, as you come to Jesus. Everything is provided for you. You just have to come. As Isaiah 55:1 says: > Come, everyone who thirsts, > come to the waters; > and he who has no money, > come, buy and eat! > Come, buy wine and milk > without money and without price. The kingdom is like a wedding feast. That’s the first thing that Jesus tells us. But then he says something else. ## Not Everyone Wants to Come What do you do when you’re invited to the prince’s wedding feast? You attend! But that’s not what happens in this story. The king sends out notice of the wedding in verses 3 and 4\. Back then, you would get a preliminary invitation. But then, when everything was ready, you would get a second summons, saying, “Remember that wedding feast you were invited to? It’s ready. Come to the party!” Shockingly, they refuse to come. But then he sent other servants. What remarkable patience. He didn’t just give up on his guests when they refused his invitation. He absorbed their rejection and extended another gracious invitation to join the feast. But verse 5 says that they just went about their business and ignored the invitation. In that culture, this would have been unthinkable. This was more than rudeness; it insulted the dignity of the king who had counted on their attendance and graciously prepared food for them. It was a direct challenge to the king’s authority. It was absurd and unthinkable for anything like this to happen. But it gets worse. Verse 6 says some “seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.” No wonder the king responded as he did in verse 7: “The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.” Initially, the king responded with patience, but his patience will not last forever. The king tolerates rejection, but cannot tolerate rebellion and murder. The king’s patience has its limits. The king extends grace, but when that grace is rejected, it ultimately gives way to judgment. What Jesus does with this picture is to tell the story of Israel’s history, right up until that day. God sent servant after servant, prophet after prophet to Israel. But the people rejected what they had to say. They persecuted and murdered them. Even in Jesus’ day, messengers went out with the invitation. John the Baptist, Jesus himself, and the disciples went out with the message. But again, they were rejected. And ultimately, they killed Jesus. In his famous sermon in Acts 7, Stephen said: > Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. You received the law under the direction of angels and yet have not kept it. (Acts 7:52-53 CSB) Do not ignore or reject the invitation from the king. How you respond really matters. God’s kingdom is like a lavish wedding feast, signaling God’s reign breaking in to make all things new. But some refuse the invitation, leading to judgment. But then Jesus tells us something else, something surprising. ## The King Invites Unexpected People This is us in verses 9-10: > Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. The people who should have come don’t. So what does God do? He invites people who have no business coming. He invites the undeserving and unworthy. The king doesn’t invite only the worthy to the feast; he invites both good and bad. The feast was meant for the important people. All of a sudden, the hungry, hopeless, and perhaps even the homeless are invited. Those who had every advantage and claim are excluded, and those who never dreamt of being invited to the feast are included. This is how the kingdom works. God invites everyone to the wedding feast. You’re invited. He invites Jews and Gentiles, the worthy and unworthy, undesirables, tax collectors, and sinners. Everyone’s included. Surprisingly, God is honored in these people coming. The British preacher Charles Spurgeon talks about how this new plan made the feast even better. The place was full. The guests were happy to be there. Those who came were grateful because they realized they didn’t deserve to be there. They were more joyful and they enjoyed the food more than those who were originally invited. The king’s generosity was more on display. Spurgeon says: > Certainly, the occasion became more famous than it would otherwise have been. If the feast had gone on as usual it would have been only one among many such things; but now this royal banquet was the only one of its kind, unique, unparalleled. To gather in poor men off the streets, labouring men and idle men, bad men and good men, to the wedding of the Crown Prince—this was a new thing under the sun. Everybody talked of it. There were songs made about it, and these were sung in the king’s honour where none honoured kings before. The party was even better because of God’s generous invitation to those who didn’t belong. God’s kingdom is like a huge wedding party God invites everyone to join. Some people refuse, so God welcomes even the unlikely people instead. But there’s one more thing in this parable that we need to see. ## It's Not Enough to Accept the Invitation You would think the story would be over at this point. But the story takes a surprising twist in verses 11 to 13. > But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ When you attend a wedding, you know there’s a dress code. Back then, respectable clothing — probably white — was mandatory. Many believe that the host would furnish guests with clothing appropriate for the occasion. This made the one guest surprising. He came without a wedding garment. This was not a case of someone who didn’t have better clothes. This is a case of refusal or negligence. He insulted the king by not bothering to clean or change his garment. You can’t just accept the invitation; you must respond appropriately or you will be cast out of the banquet. Many false disciples think they belong. They have made a decision. They call him Lord. But without true repentance and faith, they will be cast out of the banquet. Faith isn’t just agreeing with Christian ideas, showing up at church, or making a one-time decision. It’s more than mental assent, emotional regret, or simply admitting you’ve sinned. Biblical faith is a Spirit-given, gospel-shaped turning from sin to God that reshapes your life. It means forsaking sin and putting on Christ, so that real change and lasting fruit become visible. Anyone can make a decision, pray a prayer, or ask Jesus into your heart, but that doesn’t mean you’ve bowed to King Jesus with repentant trust. You’ve got to put on the righteousness provided to you. You’ve got to respond in life-changing faith. **God invites everyone in, but only those who are truly changed by Jesus belong at the feast.** That’s what the kingdom of heaven is like. It’s a lavish wedding feast symbolizing Jesus’ kingdom where the expected guests don’t come, the uninvited do, and you must wear the provided robes of righteousness. Jesus concludes this story in verse 14 by saying, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” You’ve been invited, but that’s not enough. The question is: how will you respond? Will you blow off the invitation, as some in this story did? You must respond to the invitation in an appropriate way. Respond to his summons with repentance and right living, showing that you are one of his. Don’t miss the feast unmatchable feast that’s offered to anyone who truly and faithfully responds to the invitation you’ve been given. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-514/ Last updated: 2026-08-29T05:00:27.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [On Being a Self-Critical Christian](https://www.chrismartin.fyi/p/on-being-a-self-critical-christian?ref=dashhouse.com) > A lot of people like me, who are quick to critique and be critical of others, are firstly and most harshly critical of themselves. [Some Things Are Worth Holding Onto](https://mdadams.substack.com/p/some-things-are-worth-holding-onto) > In fact, the older I get, the more convinced I become that there are some efficiencies that are not improvements. [Teaching Theologically in an AI World](https://www.youthpastortheologian.com/blog/teaching-theologically-in-an-ai-world?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here is what I want to challenge you with: efficiency is not formation. [The Year Is 2083 and You Die Leaving Nothing Behind but AI Slop](https://newsletters.feedbinusercontent.com/1e6/1e6e4bdc200d90ef41f92b94437ab0ade9b37cd9.html?ref=dashhouse.com) > As you are lowered into the ground, OpenAI deletes your inactive ChatGPT account. [What Is a Liturgy, and Should We Have One?](https://jonathanthrelfall.com/2026/08/24/what-is-liturgy-and-should-we-have-one/?ref=dashhouse.com) > So the question is not: Will we have liturgy? It is: What kind of liturgy will we have? [Walking Alongside Parents of LGBTQ+ Identifying Children: A Call to the Church](https://harvestusa.org/walking-alongside-parents-of-lgbtq-identifying-children-a-call-to-the-church/?ref=dashhouse.com) > As the body of Christ, we have the privilege of entering into their suffering with compassion, hope, and faithful love. [My Father Spent Years Preparing His Boat for Journeys He Never Took. Now It May Finally Go Somewhere.](https://fishersofmen1.substack.com/p/adventurous-newlyweds-give-my-fathers) > Fourteen years after my dad bought his custom-built cruiser, an adventurous young couple may finally give it the life he imagined. ### Remember Your Baptism URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/remember-your-baptism/ Last updated: 2026-08-25T05:00:58.000Z We probably don’t do it as often as we should. Believer: remember your baptism. I can’t remember the day that I first trusted Christ, but I can remember the date of my baptism: June 29, 1980\. I remember standing in the baptistery, answering questions that my pastor asked me, and then being submerged under the water, and coming up again as the congregation sang another verse of the song “I Know Whom I Have Believed.” I consider this day one of two that I try to remember often, along with the date of my wedding. We should remember our baptism for two reasons. ## Remember Baptism for What It Means The [Second London Baptist Confession](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/publication-online/second-london/?ref=dashhouse.com) says: > Baptism is an ordinance of the New Testament, ordained by Jesus Christ, to be unto the party baptized, a sign of his fellowship with him, in his death and resurrection; of his being engrafted into him; of remission of sins; and of giving up into God, through Jesus Christ, to live and walk in newness of life. There’s so much packed into the meaning of baptism. I often think that if God merely forgave us of our sins, that would be enough to amaze us. But that’s just the beginning. He not only justified us, but he’s welcomed us into his family. He’s given us all the benefits of his salvation, including adoption, his presence with us, and unshakeable hope in the future. He’s united us to him. He’s made us new. And that’s just a start. If we meditated on all the benefits that are ours in salvation, we would be better for it. Baptism is one way for us to think about all of these benefits. Baptism is part of how we lay hold on all of these benefits. It’s part of how we become a Christian. As Bobby Jameson says, when we pull the lens back, we can “look at the process of conversion as a unified whole, baptism included. According to the New Testament, baptism is where faith goes public, which means it’s an integral part of becoming a Christian.” So when we meditate on our baptism, we’re meditating on the start of our life with God, and all the benefits that we get to enjoy as a result. ## Remember Baptism for What It Means *Today* Don’t just remember baptism for what it meant at the start of your walk with God; remember what it means for you today. Surprisingly, the Westminster Confession includes a section on improving our baptism. Commenting on this section, David Mathis [writes](https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/improving-our-baptism?ref=dashhouse.com): > Bringing to mind our baptism is a potent way of bringing ourselves back to the gospel dramatized in the baptismal waters. In calling to mind our own baptism, we remember not just the experience, but its significance in pointing to what Jesus has accomplished. Your baptism isn’t just a past event; it has continuing relevance for your life today. Don’t leave your baptism in your past. Remember it, and consider its ongoing relevance for the decisions, struggles, and temptations you face today. Your baptism is a single past event with profound, ongoing significance. Christian: remember your baptism, not just today, but often. It will bring blessing and encouragement to your walk with God. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-513/ Last updated: 2026-08-22T05:00:24.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [TGC, AI, and the Democratization of Competence](https://www.challies.com/articles/tgc-ai-and-the-democratization-of-competence/?ref=dashhouse.com) > I don’t think it is an exaggeration to suggest that the next world-changing technology is upon us in the form of artificial intelligence, and once again, there will be a time of negotiation and adaptation. [Don’t Be Ashamed to Be Old](https://www.challies.com/articles/dont-be-ashamed-to-be-old/?ref=dashhouse.com) > If the time has come for you to be old, don’t be ashamed of your age, for you are simply joining company with many of the grandest things in all the universe. [The Best Thing You Can Do for Yourself in 2026 Is to Keep a Daily Diary](https://bulletjournal.com/blogs/bulletjournalist/the-best-thing-you-can-do-for-yourself-in-2026-is-to-keep-a-daily-diary?ref=dashhouse.com) > The best part about this project is it doesn’t need to take a lot of time. [Why Pastors Should Say “I Don’t Know” More Often](https://karlvaters.com/i-dont-know/?ref=dashhouse.com) > People are more willing to trust leaders who are honest about their vulnerabilities than those who only show their strengths. [Five Words in a Known Tongue](https://newsletters.feedbinusercontent.com/681/6810127a808b0cd98ea094c1f50c650f1e5c4425.html?ref=dashhouse.com) > Our job is not to impress our people with how much we know. We can do so much better than that. [Fierce Wolves Will Come](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/article/fierce-wolves-will-come/?ref=dashhouse.com) > When we fail to make younger pastors aware of these realities, we lead them to believe they will experience the exception and not the rule. [What to Do When Authors We Love Sin](https://mereorthodoxy.com/what-to-do-when-authors-we-love-sin/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Our church library’s little cull started as a judgement on the work and ministries of certain authors, but it was more than that. [Themelios 51.2](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The August 2026 edition of Themelios is available for free My post at [Gospel for Life](https://www.gospelforlife.com/?ref=dashhouse.com): [How to Listen to a Sermon](https://www.gospelforlife.com/how-to-listen-to-a-sermon/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Cultivate such a high view of Scripture that it shapes how you prepare, listen to, and respond to a sermon. My column at [TGC Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Dear Younger Pastor, Don’t Rush](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/straight-paths/dear-younger-pastor-please-dont-rush/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Please learn from one of my biggest mistakes. ### You Have an Enemy URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/you-have-an-enemy/ Last updated: 2026-08-18T05:00:14.000Z Just a reminder: You have an enemy, and he hates what is good in your life. He probably hates your church. I say "probably" because Satan doesn’t hate all churches. But he hates churches that preach the gospel, that take his word seriously, that pursue true Christian unity and friendship, and that seek his glory. He will do everything he can to destroy and oppose such a church, often from within. He hates your family. Satan hates marriages that reflect the beauty of the gospel. He hates children because they mean so much to the Lord, and because children are often quicker than adults at comprehending the beauty and wonder of Jesus. Satan will do everything he can to destroy your marriage and your children. He hates the time you spend in Scripture and prayer. Satan doesn't mind an open Bible. He’s done some of his finest work among those who open and twist God’s revelation. But he hates a heart that trembles at his word (Isaiah 66:2). He fears even the weakest Christian who bows in prayerful reliance on our Father. Satan wants you to conclude that the Bible is boring and that prayer is a waste of your time. I could go on. Satan hates all in your life that’s true, honorable, just, pure, lovely commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8). It may sound surprising that we believe in a real, personal enemy who is opposed to God and his people, but Jesus did. Jesus spoke honestly about his nature: he’s a liar and a murderer (John 8:44). He’s the father of all lies. In fact, the way that he murders is through his lies. Paul spoke honestly about our spiritual opposition (Ephesians 6:10-20). In 1 Peter 5:8, Peter warned, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” As I say, this may sound surprising, but I believe you’ll either embrace Scripture’s teaching or you’ll be repeatedly surprised as you encounter his work in your life. None of this should alarm us, but it should prepare us. Satan is defeated. We can be put on God’s armor and stand against his themes (Ephesians 6:11), be sober-minded and watchful (1 Peter 5:8), and resist him (James 4:7). The one thing we dare not do is ignore him, because he thrives when we forget him and we’re unprepared for his schemes. You have an enemy. Life makes a lot more sense when we live in light of that reality. It shouldn’t mean that we live scared; it should mean that we live aware. It should cause us to keep an eye out for his attacks, and to never be surprised when we experience them. It should cause us to live in dependence upon God, and to long for the day when our enemy will be fully and finally vanquished never to attack again. Never forget that you have an enemy, and never forget you have One who defeated that enemy and will strengthen you when you experience the enemy’s attacks. ### The Kingdom’s Equal Grace (Matthew 20:1-16) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-kingdoms-equal-grace-matthew-201-16/ Last updated: 2026-08-16T17:00:49.000Z **Big Idea:** Grace isn’t a paycheck; it’s a gift. --- If you are a parent or you manage people, there is one phrase I guarantee you will hear: “That’s not fair!” Kids, workers, and all of us tend to look around the room. We see how others are treated compared to us and quickly notice where we feel we are not getting enough. It’s our way of saying, “I want justice. I want equity. I want to be treated with the same care and given the same opportunities as everyone else.” It’s a reflection of our longing to know that the rules are consistent, that we’re not being overlooked, and that we’re being treated. And, it turns out, we bring this into our relationship with God. Here’s an example. One of Jesus’ disciples, Peter, said these words to Jesus: “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” (Matthew 19:27). Think about the audacity of this question. Jesus had taught the disciples that being a disciple meant renouncing all possessions and following him. Now, Peter tries to negotiate with Jesus by saying, “What’s in it for me?” Instead of accepting Jesus’ call as a reward, Peter calculates the return on his sacrifice. This transforms discipleship from devotion into a business arrangement. Even worse, Peter thinks that he has special status. He seems to think that he’s done more and deserves more. Jesus had just finished teaching about self-sacrifice, and Peter follows it up with a question about what he’s going to get from following Jesus. Here’s what Peter shows us: it’s easy to focus on the wrong thing when following Jesus. Instead of following him because he is worth our devotion, we can slip into following him for what’s in it for us. We can begin to view Christianity as a transaction, and to think that God owes us for our devotion to him. We believe God owes us something. And when we do this, we lose the beauty of the gospel. We get trapped by self-interest when we should be amazed by the great kindness of a loving God who doesn't owe us anything but has given us everything. And to help us see this, Jesus tells a story. It’s a story that’s hard for us to accept, but is exactly what we need. ## The Story Here’s the story. > For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. (20:1-2). This landowner had a vineyard. The challenge with owning a vineyard is that grape harvesting couldn’t be scheduled in advance. The owner had to determine daily when grapes reached optimal ripeness for the best price, and when that happened, he needed workers immediately. So he goes out and looks for day laborers. Day laborers occupied the lowest rung on the socioeconomic ladder. Unemployment was so high that they would just wait around in the market, hoping that someone would come along and hire them. They didn’t have a lot going for them, except for when the grape harvest was ready. Then they had bargaining power because the landowner really needed workers to help him with the harvest. So early in the morning, the landowner went out and hired a bunch of workers. He offered to pay them each a denarius, which represented a standard day’s wage for a full twelve-hour workday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. All good so far. The day laborers got a job, and the landowner got his workers. But the landowner soon realized he needed more workers. He went to the market again at 9 a.m. and found more workers just waiting around, and he hires them. This time he doesn’t say how much he will pay them. He just says he will pay them what’s right. Why weren’t they hired before? We don’t know for sure, but the later workers say they were standing around because nobody had hired them yet. Maybe these were less desirable laborers. Maybe the landowner was trying to make sure he didn’t hire too many people for the job. But he kept going back and repeating the process. His first trip was at 6 a.m. Then we went back at 9, at noon, at 3 in the afternoon, and finally at 5:00, just an hour before quitting time. He made five trips to the marketplace in total, and the laborers worked anywhere from 12 hours to 1 hour before quitting time. What did he promise them? He promised the first batch a day’s wages. He promised the rest that he would pay them what was right. Here’s the shocking part in verses 8 to 10. > And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. At day’s end, the landowner paid everyone the same wage—starting with the men hired for the last hour and ending with those who had worked all day. Each one received a full day’s pay. Now picture yourself in the first group—tired, sweaty, twelve hours into the heat. You watch the landowner place a denarius into the hands of the latecomers, and you can’t help doing the math: “If they’re getting that much for one hour, this is going to go really well for me.” But then the ones who worked three hours received the same. So do the ones who worked six. And nine. And finally, you step forward—after twelve hours—and you’re given the very same denarius. It would feel deeply unfair, even unjust, like the landowner is treating unequal work as though it were equal. Everyone would expect that those who worked longer in harsher conditions would get more pay. They let the landowner know about it. > And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ (20:11) It’s hard to blame them, isn’t it? The landowner replied: > Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity? (20:13-15) The landowner makes two main arguments. First, he made a legal argument. He has fulfilled, to the letter, the legal obligation he made to each worker. He delivered exactly what he said he would. He hasn’t shortchanged any of the workers a single penny. But then he made a second argument, and it’s a moral one. He has the right to do what he likes with his money, and if he chooses to be generous, that’s his prerogative. “Really?” we want to say. It still doesn’t feel fair. It would have been shocking then, just as it’s shocking now. What employer runs a business like that? It sounds irrational—and it would create instant resentment on the job site. By ordinary standards, it isn’t just unconventional; it’s terrible business. If you paid this way all the time, you’d invite conflict, lose your best workers, and eventually go broke. And even if the landowner has the legal right to do it, the outcome still *feels* unjust. Jesus gives us this parable to unsettle and startle us so we realize something important about what it means to follow him. ## The Point Do you remember Peter’s question? “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” Here’s the mental framework that Peter had: God is like a cosmic accountant, tallying our efforts and distributing rewards proportionately based on our work. But here’s the truth that this story reveals. God’s gift of salvation is just and generous. Nobody deserves the grace we’ve been given. Rather than looking around and asking what’s in it for us, we should be amazed that we get anything at all because we don’t deserve anything. It’s all a gift. Think about the really great believers: those who have served God a long time and have sacrificed a lot for the kingdom. Think about those who have sacrificed most for God, particularly people who have devoted themselves to religious service or moral achievement. This includes those in positions of spiritual authority or those with exceptional moral track records. Now consider those who haven’t done as much. In Peter’s day, that would have included people like little children; a leper; two blind men; a centurion; a paralytic; a Canaanite woman; and a tax collector, to name just a few. These are “the last,” the ones no one else wants. No one thinks they’re worth hiring, worth investing in, or even worth noticing. They are the overlooked and unskilled, the oldest and weakest, the ones assumed to be least productive, and therefore most easily ignored. So what does God owe those who have worked hard and sacrificed so much? The same thing he owes those who have done little: nothing. We don’t earn a standing in God’s kingdom. Everything we receive is grace. Our place with God does not rest on human merit in any sense. We never deserve his favor—and if we start to think we do, we put ourselves in real spiritual danger, because we’ve forgotten that it’s all grace from beginning to end. There is no one who doesn’t need God’s grace, and there is no one beyond the reach of God’s grace. A visiting preacher once got a note: > I am in great perplexity. I have been praying for a long time for something that I am confident is according to God’s will, but I do not get it. I have been a member of the Presbyterian church for thirty years, and have tried to be a consistent one all that time. I have been the superintendent of the Sunday school for twenty-five years and an elder in the church for twenty years; and yet God does not answer my prayer. Can you explain why? Do you see his reasoning? “I’ve done all this for God; why isn’t God paying me back? Why isn’t he keeping his end of the bargain?” Here’s how the preacher replied: > This man thinks that because he has been a consistent church member for thirty years, a faithful Sunday school superintendent for twenty-five years, and an elder in the church for twenty years that God is under obligation to answer his prayer. He is really praying in his own name, and God will not hear our prayers when we approach him in that way. We must, if we would have God answer our prayers, give up any thought that we have any claims upon God. There is not one of us who deserves anything from God. Do you hear this? We must give up any thought that we have any claims on God. There is not one of us who deserves anything from God! That’s why Jesus says in verse 16, “So the last will be first, and the first last.” I love how one man (Michael Green) puts it: > Many Christians who have worked hard for God over a long period will have a lowly place in the kingdom because their motives were not purged of the ideas of merit and reward. Many poor Christians who came to faith only at the end of their life will be high in the kingdom because they knew they had done nothing to boast of, and never gave rewards a thought. They just responded to the unexpected love that sought them and accepted them. Grace isn’t a paycheck; it’s a gift. In the end, the only right way to respond to grace is to express amazement that God has given us grace at all. So here’s the answer to Peter’s question. Peter asked, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” Here’s the answer that this story gives us: you get the same thing every Christian gets and every Christian needs. You get grace that you don’t deserve, and a Savior you could never repay. So lay down the scoreboard, silence the grumbling, and let the generosity of God move you from entitlement to worship that God has chosen to save someone like you. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-512/ Last updated: 2026-08-15T05:00:32.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Ordinary Abundance](https://ordinaryabundance.com/?ref=dashhouse.com) > A modern apartment is full of things that once drew the same kind of awe. [Build Something That Outlives You](https://newsletters.feedbinusercontent.com/6b9/6b951b8069b115a3a6dc981ad705cb531d1a7d04.html?ref=dashhouse.com) > The greatest measure of whether or not you built well is what happens after you are no longer there to hold it together. [13 Tactical Steps to Take in Your Battle Against Sin](https://www.crossway.org/articles/13-tactical-steps-to-take-in-your-battle-against-sin/?ref=dashhouse.com) > This is mortal combat: Sin dies or we die. [The Ruinous Hatred of Flattery](https://zakmellgren.substack.com/p/the-ruinous-hatred-of-flattery) > “Subtle” sins of speech like flattery can be more dangerous than the obvious ones because they don’t tend to register on our radars like other sins do. [To the Parents Driving Home with an Empty Seat](https://www.challies.com/articles/to-the-parents-driving-home-with-an-empty-seat/?ref=dashhouse.com) > But now, as they make the journey back, the seat behind them is empty. [American Evangelicals Long for the Embrace of the Machine God](https://mereorthodoxy.com/american-evangelicals-long-for-the-embrace-of-the-machine-god/?ref=dashhouse.com) > No computer program can determine truth. But the authoritative-sounding voice and the ability to get an answer to any question that statistically feels right, even if it’s wrong, are beguiling. [The Benefits of Bivocational Ministry](https://byfaithonline.com/the-benefits-of-bivocational-ministry/?ref=dashhouse.com) > While full-time ministry offers important advantages, the benefits of bivocational ministry are often forgotten in our “specialized world”. [Literal or Symbolic? Reading Revelation Responsibly](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/literal-symbolic-reading-revelation/?ref=dashhouse.com) > As a rule of thumb, Revelation should be largely read and interpreted symbolically. ### Some Thoughts on AI URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/some-thoughts-on-ai/ Last updated: 2026-08-11T05:00:38.000Z If you’re going to talk about technology today, eventually you’re going to have to talk about AI. Here are some initial reflections. ## AI is Powerful I’ve found AI incredibly powerful in some use cases. In the past, I used to look for software solutions for many of the things I need to get done. Now, I often find it easier to [vibe code](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vibe%5Fcoding?ref=dashhouse.com) my own solution so that it does exactly what I need it to do. It’s also great at tackling monotonous jobs (“donkey work”), like pouring through a mountain of data, and equalling what any human could do in a fraction of the time. As Challies [observes](https://www.challies.com/articles/wise-and-helpful-ways-for-christians-to-experiment-with-ai/?ref=dashhouse.com), It’s great at summarizing, searching, researching, finding, and analyzing. Used well, AI can be powerful. ## AI is Limited AI is also limited, although it’s also improving. It seems to make the silliest and most basic mistakes sometimes. It hallucinates. It’s sycophantic, which means it has a tendency to flatter, something that’s built in by design. As someone [writes](https://silentroom.media/the-machine/very-expensive-mirror-always-agrees-with-you?ref=dashhouse.com), it’s a “very expensive mirror that always agrees with you.” When used for writing, it can improve bad writing, but only to a point. Eventually, it flattens it and sucks out most of the originality. Most of the time, it writes in a way that is neither bad nor brilliant. Of course, AI is arguably the worst it’s ever going to be today. It’s powerful but it’s limited. ## AI Has Biases [One study](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/ai-christian-benchmark/?ref=dashhouse.com) found that AI gives unreliable or incomplete information to the most common questions about the Christian faith. [Another study](https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/working-papers/measuring-perceived-slant-large-language-models-through-user?ref=dashhouse.com) shows a perceived left-leaning bias in LLMs. AI is designed by humans with a particular worldview, and that worldview inevitably becomes baked into the models. Often, that worldview does not align with Christianity. ## AI is Artificial It’s right in the name. It’s not intelligence; it’s *artificial* intelligence. It’s why one tech pundit insists on calling AI a robot. He wants to remind himself that he’s not talking to anything like a human; he’s talking to a machine that can’t love, feel, or even think. It can act like an artificial therapist or conversation partner, but it can never understand, care, or truly think. It’s more like a microwave than like a human. We should do everything we can to remind us of this reality. ## AI Can Use Us Rather Than Serve Us Picture a radiologist who’s trained to scan x-rays. One day, he’s replaced by an AI model that can scan x-rays faster. The radiologist becomes a second reader responsible to double-check the AI model’s work. In a sense, AI doesn’t work for him; he works for AI. At first, AI promises gains. It can do much of the work that we used to do. Soon, though, we lose those gains, because we’re expected to do more work, like Lucy and Ethel on the assembly line ([watch it](https://youtu.be/A2x8N4DjxnE?si=DEHDXs22F5CY4E2Y&t=88&ref=dashhouse.com) if you haven’t). Or, our work is outsourced to AI. AI. gives with one hand, but it often takes away with the other. ## AI Could Cause Certain Skills to Atrophy I once took three months off in the summer. When I began to prepare sermons again, I couldn’t believe how much my preparation skills had atrophied. It doesn’t seem to take long for our mental muscles to get flabby. [Andrew Noble](https://www.andrewnoble.net/p/using-genai-benefits-and-burdens?ref=dashhouse.com) cautions that when we outsource skills to AI, we begin to lose these skills. It’s like going to the gym and bringing machines to lift the weights for you. It will do the job, but it will also rob you of the benefits of the work it’s doing. ## Using AI is a Matter of Integrity Sometimes it’s okay to use AI. Other times, using AI can mislead others into thinking that we did the work. I think [Tim Challies](https://www.challies.com/articles/a-simple-way-to-ensure-you-use-ai-well-and-not-poorly/?ref=dashhouse.com) gets it right: use it, but disclose it. If you’re allowed to use AI for a particular purpose, be open about the fact that you’ve used it. ## AI Doesn’t Give Us What We Need Most We were made for relationships with others and with God. As [Andy Crouch says](https://amzn.to/4zasJac?ref=dashhouse.com), we were “born with the capacity for love, eyes wide open, looking for a face,” and this is how we will die. God made us to love, explore, create, and care. All of these are deeply human endeavours that can only be outsourced to machines at great cost. Only humans are able to love, sacrifice, and worship. These are the qualities we need to cultivate most in our lives, and to receive from others, and machines can’t help us. In other words, AI is a powerful technology, but it can never give us what we need most, and it can never replace what it means to be deeply human. Use AI if you’d like, with limits. It can be a powerful tool. But with your eyes wide open, and never surrender to the gradual disempowerment of strength, mind, heart, and soul. If you’re interested in reading more on AI, I’m currently reading [*2084 and the AI Revolution, Updated and Expanded Edition: How Artificial Intelligence Informs Our Future*](https://amzn.to/3UpL4Qv?ref=dashhouse.com). It’s a good one! *Adapted from a weekly note I send to* [*the church*](https://www.gfceast.ca/?ref=dashhouse.com) *where I serve as pastor* ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-510/ Last updated: 2026-08-08T05:00:44.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Drowning in Words, Parched for a Word From God](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/article/drowning-in-words-parched-for-a-word-from-god/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Nobody knows exactly when, but not long ago, or not long from now, the total written output of AI large language models will surpass the total written output of human beings for all time. [Reversing the Damage of Internet Reading](https://www.jvfesko.com/blog/2026/8/3/reversing-the-damage-of-internet-reading?ref=dashhouse.com) > There have been a number of studies that have proven that the Internet is re-wiring the brain. [What Unique Platform Has God Given You to Glorify Him?](https://www.epm.org/resources/2026/Aug/5/unique-platform-glorify/?ref=dashhouse.com) > No matter who you are, God has given you your physical and mental and spiritual gifts to provide you a platform from which to draw attention to Him. [The Porn Buster](https://gentlereformation.com/2026/08/01/the-porn-buster/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The key to addressing it is not simply removing access to unnecessary devices, installing Covenant Eyes on phones, or providing accountability. [The Slow Drift of Sexual Intimacy in Marriage](https://in.thegospelcoalition.org/article/the-slow-drift-of-sexual-intimacy-in-marriage/?ref=dashhouse.com) > This is the slow drift of sexual intimacy, and it is far more common in marriages than we like to admit. [What the Spurgeon Family Scandal Teaches Us About Failure](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/spurgeon-scandal-failure/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The Spurgeon family scandal offers valuable lessons on the nature of failure. [Keeping Faith in Summer](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/article/keeping-faith-in-summer/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Many of the weekly rhythms which, from September to June, stabilize our times of Bible reading, prayer, and reflection, begin to lurch. [Pastoral Time Guilt](https://www.biblicalcounselingcoalition.org/2026/08/03/pastoral-time-guilt/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Our greatest problem is not that we lack time but that we often fail to steward it according to God’s purposes. My post at [Gospel for Life](https://www.gospelforlife.com/?ref=dashhouse.com): [Spiritual Organization](https://www.gospelforlife.com/spiritual-organization/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Most of us blame our lack of spiritual consistency on weak discipline, but the real problem is that our lives aren’t intentionally organized with rhythms of communion, rest, and refreshment that make faithfulness sustainable. ### The Most Meaningful Work URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-most-meaningful-work/ Last updated: 2026-08-04T15:18:21.000Z Ironically, the older I get, the more I’m focusing on long-term plans. Take my [Big Idea Bible](https://www.bigideabible.com/?ref=dashhouse.com) project. I started in 2021 and thought it would take seven years. Now I think it’s going to take me ten years, until the end of 2031, until I finish the first phase. Even then, I won’t be done. I want to refine my work and fill my paper Bible — the one I use all the time — with the best of my notes from each of my Scripture journals. I have other plans, too. I’ve never embarked on such a long-term reading plan before, and I’m loving it. I have another, smaller project. In 2014-2015, and then again in 2018, I ran a lot of races. Then I got injured and stopped. Last year, I started running again. Last year, running felt mostly painful. I struggled through my half-marathon in October and didn’t feel good about it. This year, I ran an 10K in April, and for the first time in years, running felt good. I just completed another 10K, have another one soon, and another half-marathon in October. I’ve already signed up for another race next year. Running is more personal, and these goals are more short-term, but it’s helping me learn to sacrifice for goals that are months or more away. Then there are the books I want to write. I have ideas. I am working hard at moving those ideas from ideas in my head to actual projects that will result in something on the page. Only God knows if I will complete any of these projects. Sometimes I feel a bit foolish for taking on long projects like these, especially a ten-year project to work through the Bible. But if God wills, I want to do more hard things that take long periods of work but that will pay off more in the end. In his book [*How to Begin*](https://amzn.to/4fAtpOp?ref=dashhouse.com), Michael Bungay Stainer argues that we get to complete one big project every five years. For most of us, even if we’re young, that means we don’t have very many big projects left. Rather than shrinking back and attempting only small plans, I think that means we should pick the projects that really matter and invest in them. Start now, because these projects will take a long time, and you have less time left than you think. I thought about this the other day when I received a [new biography of Spurgeon](https://amzn.to/3SbOS7h?ref=dashhouse.com) by Ray Rhodes. It’s almost 700 pages long, and I can’t wait to read it. I don’t know how long it took Rhodes to write it, but I know that it took far more research and time than many would be willing to give. The results, I believe, will bless more people than we could guess, both now and in generations to come. The book cost Rhodes a lot to write; the payoff will be even greater for all of us. When you're young, you might think you have time for the quick and cheap things, like social media posts and AI-generated content, stuff that really doesn't matter. But even then, you have less time than you think. A lot of things can be done quickly and cheaply, but they’re not the things that will last. Think about the big projects you want to complete, the big books you want to read. There’s not much time left. Devote yourself to what’s costly and what lasts. “A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit.” Plant those trees. Some projects will only get done with a long timeline and lots of effort before the results are ever seen. The less time I have, the more I want to spend that time on the things that will last. ### Keep Praying and Don’t Lose Heart (Luke 18:1-8) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/keep-praying-and-dont-lose-heart-luke-181-8/ Last updated: 2026-08-03T00:12:10.000Z **Big Idea:** Because we’re needy and God is ready to help, keep praying and don’t lose heart, even if the answers take time. --- I want you to imagine for a minute having a problem with a huge company: Air Canada, GM, or Visa. You need to get this problem solved. You have two options: you can call the free customer service number. They say your call is important, but it takes a long time and makes you more frustrated. Or, because you happen to be friends, you can call the CEO’s personal cell phone number and ask them to handle it. Which one will you choose? I’m going with the CEO every single time. You probably don’t have the personal cell number of any CEO. But here’s the better news: right now, you have immediate access to the God of the universe. Let that settle for a moment. As Isaiah 40 says, this is the God who held the waters in his hand, measured the skies with his fingers, collected the dust of the earth easily, and weighed mountains and hills like they were tiny things on a scale. He sits above the circle of the earth—and we, impressive as we may feel, are like grasshoppers by comparison. To him, all the nations are like a drop in a bucket, like a speck of dust on the scales. He stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them like a tent to dwell in. He reduces princes to nothing and brings the rulers of the earth to emptiness. And you have access to him. This God—the One with limitless power and unmatched understanding—knows you, cares for you, and invites you to come to him, any time, day or night. You have access to him, 24/7. If this is true, and it is, why do we struggle so much with prayer? Why wouldn’t we constantly be asking God for help with everything we need? That is the question that the parable that we just read forces us to ask and answer. ## Praying While We Wait We’re in a series on the parables, and unlike some of the other ones, we don’t have to guess what the point of this parable is. Luke tells us in verse 1: “And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” Here’s one of the struggles we all face: we find it hard to pray. When we pray, God often seems quiet, and we start to lose heart. Discouragement creeps in, and over time, that discouragement causes us to simply stop praying. That’s a real spiritual danger. Even dedicated believers can find it hard to keep a regular prayer life, especially when doubts about God answering grow bigger than our faith that he will. It’s easy to get discouraged in prayer, and we eventually just give up. But I want you to notice the context of this story. While we all face the danger of giving up when it comes to prayer, there’s a particular danger that we face. At the end of Luke 17, Jesus taught that he will one day come back to this world and set things right. In Revelation 22:20, Jesus said, “Surely, I am coming soon.” In Revelation, John responds, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” That was almost two thousand years ago. Since then, generation after generation has prayed this prayer, but Jesus has still not returned, and the world continues to get worse and worse. We continue to experience suffering, rejection, and injustice. It’s easy to lose heart as we continue to wait for Christ to return, especially when life gets hard. In that context, Jesus tells a story. ## The Story Here’s the story. You have two characters, a problem, and a surprising solution. First, the characters: a judge and a widow. Take a look at the judge. Community courts were staffed by local, well-respected citizens. This was a man who would have been respected in his community, part of the elite. The problem: he lacked the two essential qualities for administering justice: he “neither feared God nor respected man.” According to Jesus in verse 4, he even bragged about it. This was especially dangerous because those seeking legal remedies typically had to offer substantial bribes to get their way. This judge doesn’t care what God says, and he doesn’t care about what people think. He’s only in it for himself and isn’t bound by normal social pressures. Then you have the widow. In the first century, when a husband died, his widow often lost the male protection and legal standing that had shaped her place in society. That made her exposed and easier to ignore. Money was a major problem. Widows did not automatically inherit their husband’s property. They might get their dowry back, but many still ended up poor. With few acceptable ways to earn income, they were often left with no steady support. Their options were limited. Some could remarry, return to their father’s home, or marry a brother-in-law. But many had no good option and had to depend on charity, often distributed through the synagogue. That’s why the widow in Luke 18 is so vulnerable. She has no power, no influence, and no backup plan. The judge lacks fear of God or concern for people and likely anticipates an unpayable bribe, leaving her without leverage or hope for justice. So what does she do? She keeps coming back. Verse 3 says she went to him again and again. And this wasn’t a quiet courtroom like we picture today. In that setting, justice was often sought in a noisy, crowded public space—full of shouting, jostling, and competing voices. If she was going to be noticed, she had to be relentless. She doesn’t flatter the judge or pad her words with polite titles. She simply pleads her case—repeatedly, loudly, and without backing down—until he’s had enough. In the end, he gives her what she wants, not because he cares about what’s right, but because he wants her gone. She wears him down, and he does whatever it takes to make her go away. That’s the story. A powerless, vulnerable widow who can’t buy justice faces off against a corrupt, self-serving judge. With no leverage but persistence, she keeps pressing him until he grants her request simply to make her go away. ## The Point So what’s the point here? Three things. ### Like the widow, we’re in need. We are like the widow in at least two ways: we are genuinely needy, and there is often no immediate solution. We are in need. We’re like the widow—no resources, no leverage, no backup plan. Our strength and stability are thinner than we admit; one phone call, one diagnosis, one loss can change everything. We face problems we can’t fix, burdens we can’t carry alone, and injustices we can’t set right by sheer effort. In a world that is under the influence of evil (1 John 5:19), Jesus tells us that a true Christian attitude is not to be self-reliant but to rely on him. When we stop feeling needy, we haven’t outgrown our need—we’ve just lost touch with reality. There is another way we are like the widow: there is rarely an instant answer. Sometimes we pray and pray, and God does not respond on our timetable. In that delay, we are tempted to quit—to conclude that persistence is pointless, that hope is naive, that faith is only for easier seasons. That is why Jesus asks in verse 8, “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” God’s faithfulness is certain; ours is not. When the pressure mounts and the waiting stretches on, will we keep coming to him, or will we slowly drift away? So, in one sense, we really are like the widow: needy, and often waiting. And that need will do one of two things. It will either drive us toward God or cause us to walk away. But here’s the second thing. ### Unlike the judge, God is just and ready to hear us. Here’s the most important thing to see in this story. God is nothing like the judge in this story. The point of Jesus’ parable is not that we should think of God like this judge. That’s actually the very opposite of the point of this story. The point of this story is that we should understand that God is nothing like the unjust judge. In verses 7 and 8, Jesus says, “And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily.” (Luke 18:7-8). Friends, your Heavenly Father is nothing like the unjust judge. - You don’t ever have to wonder whether God cares about you and your predicament. He knows, and he cares. - You don’t have to wonder about whether God hears you or not. God does hear you. He’s eager to hear from you. He loves to hear from you. - You don’t ever have to wonder what God thinks of you. “You are the center of your heavenly Father’s affection” (Paul Miller). He cares for you. He is for you. - You don’t ever have to wonder if God will give you justice and do right. You may need to be patient, but you can be confident that God hears you, and that God cares for you. God’s readiness to hear us is grounded in what Jesus has done for us. We don’t come to him because we’re worthy, persuasive, or persistent enough; we come because Jesus Christ has reconciled us to God. Jesus was treated with injustice so that we could receive mercy; he was shut out so that we could be welcomed in; he bore our guilt so that we could be called God’s beloved. Because of Christ, we don’t approach God as strangers begging for a hearing. We approach him as children coming to a Father who has already proven His love. I want you to hear this today. If you have turned to Christ in repentance and faith, God is for you. God isn’t like the unjust judge at all. It’s true that sometimes you can get justice even from an unjust judge. How much more will a loving, gracious God hear us and answer us with lovingkindness? Take heart. God is for you. His judgments towards you are based on his goodness and his love for you. So come to him, believing that he’s for you, and believing that he cares. And that changes things for us. - The widow was helpless, with no one to defend her. Those in the kingdom of God have a helper. God himself has promised to defend us. - The widow has no husband. She is alone. Those in the kingdom of God are married to God himself. He loves us. His heart is for us. We will never be alone. - The widow faces insurmountable odds. She isn’t sure that the judge will give her justice. Those of us in the kingdom of God never have to wonder if God will give us justice. We know that God will do right in the end. Like the widow, we come to God needy and often without an immediate solution in sight, praying through problems we can’t fix. But unlike the judge, God is just, attentive, and eager to hear us so we’re never truly alone. But here’s the main point that Jesus makes in this passage: ### Because of our need and God’s willingness to help, we should pray. Luke tells us the point of the parable up front: Jesus told this story “so that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” Here’s what happens to us: when we feel our need and don’t get an immediate answer, we’re tempted to quit. > Our need + no answer (yet) = we lose heart and stop praying But Jesus wants us to see something else: our need isn’t the problem—*forgetting who God is* is the problem. When we remember that God is good, just, and ready to hear his people, need doesn’t lead to prayerlessness; it leads to persistence. > Our need + God’s willingness = persistent prayer Here is what this story tells us: **Because we’re needy and God is ready to help, keep praying and don’t lose heart, even if the answers take time.** We began with an example: you can wait on the phone with customer service, or if you know someone, you can call the CEO directly, the one person who can really help. Jesus has made us family with him. Right now, the Spirit is praying for you when you are weak. He helps you when you don't know what to pray. Jesus says you will have real needs, but you don't have to struggle alone. You have direct access to the God of the universe. And God is not like the unjust judge. You don’t have to wear him down. If you are with Jesus, you approach a loving Father who listens to you and always does what is right—now and in the end, fully. So don’t lose heart when there’s a delay. Don’t stop praying. While we wait for Jesus to come back and fix everything, we keep coming—day and night—because our God is fair, our God is close, and we can always talk to him. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-509/ Last updated: 2026-08-01T05:00:01.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [How AI Calculators Become Our Companions](https://mereorthodoxy.com/how-ai-calculators-become-our-companions/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Technology is more than efficient — it's ecological — changing its users and our society according to its design. [Writing by Hand Is Good for Your Brain — Here's How to Do It](https://nealstephenson.substack.com/p/writing-by-hand-is-good-for-your?utm%5Fsource=substack&utm%5Fmedium=email) > When you write things down by hand you’re recruiting more of your brain, which is a good thing. My column this week at [TGC Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [What Does a Pastor Do All Week?](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/straight-paths/what-does-a-pastor-do-all-week/?ref=dashhouse.com) > While a pastor’s most visible work is the sermon, their hidden work is people. ### Build Their Ministry, Not Yours URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/build-their-ministry-not-yours/ Last updated: 2026-07-28T15:28:09.000Z Last week I listened to a [podcast episode](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/an-airport-ceo/id1707204412?i=1000776734413&ref=dashhouse.com) about what it’s like to be an airport CEO. During the interview, the CEO shared something that caught my attention. As part of redesigning the airport, she had to hire an architect, and the airport received 20–30 proposals. Almost immediately, they set aside the submissions that centered on the firm’s own credentials and prestige. They weren’t looking for an architect who wanted to showcase a signature style or reproduce an airport that could go anywhere. They sought a partner who understood Pittsburgh's unique needs and culture, and was committed to meeting the community's operational demands. One line in particular stayed with me: “We do not want an architect to build their airport in Pittsburgh. We want an architect to build Pittsburgh’s airport.” I enjoyed the entire interview, and the [podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/what-its-like-to-be-with-dan-heath/id1707204412?ref=dashhouse.com) as a whole is one I like. But that quote also got me thinking about pastoral ministry. When a church looks for a pastor, it doesn’t need someone who’s going to build a ministry *at* that church. It needs someone who will pastor *that* church. It needs someone who understands its people, carries its burdens, and is committed to serving its particular calling and context. There’s a big difference between these two approaches to ministry. I’ve made plenty of mistakes as a pastor, but one of the biggest, especially in my early years, was treating pastorates as platforms to establish myself and my ministry. I saw my first church as an arena: a place to preach, prove myself, and advance to the next opportunity. I did love the church, but my love was mixed with ambition. And that selfishness, however subtle, made me a lesser pastor than I should have been. I wish I could say that ended with my first ministry. Sadly, it didn’t. We’re never completely free of ego and self-promotion. The drift toward self can be quiet, gradual, and hard to detect, until we look back and see it for what it is. But when ministry becomes less about the pastor and more about how the pastor can serve the church, something beautiful begins to happen. We become what Jesus calls us to be: servants. We take up the towel. We learn again that leadership in the kingdom looks like foot-washing. Instead of assuming the church is privileged to have us, we begin to realize how privileged we are to serve the Lord in this way. We also learn to get out of the way, to make room for others to serve, to grow, and to use their gifts. Ministry stops being about our name, our ego, or what we feel we need to prove. It becomes about faithfulness to the calling God has given us. So don’t go to a church to build your ministry. Go because you want to build *their* ministry. Serve. A pastor’s ministry should never be about how great he is; it should always be about how great Jesus is, and how, by his grace, the pastor can lovingly serve the church that Christ has entrusted to him. ### Rich in the Wrong Things (Luke 16:19-31) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/rich-in-the-wrong-things-luke-1619-31/ Last updated: 2026-07-26T17:00:14.000Z **Big Idea:** Earthly comfort without Christ is spiritual bankruptcy. --- I have a problem, and I’m guessing you do too. I really like nice things. A couple of times, we’ve been able to stay at really nice hotels. I’m talking about five-star hotels. I love the feeling of luxury, of the extra service, the custom finishes, the feeling that you’re experiencing something above how you normally live. When I stay in a rundown hotel, I have to work to adjust. But when I stay in a luxury hotel, I spend zero time adjusting. It all comes so naturally to me. A few weeks ago, we were driving home from church. I noticed the car in front of me is a Maybach. I’d never heard of that before, so I looked it up. Maybach is a German luxury car brand owned by Mercedes-Benz. That car we saw probably sold for a quarter of a million dollars. I looked it up. Apparently you feel like a celebrity — like entering a private lounge that happens to move. Again, I don’t think it would take much to get used to driving one of these vehicles. I have a problem: I really like nice things. I can’t afford them, but I like them. So what’s the problem with that? The story we just read provides the answer, and I think it’s going to challenge every single person in this room. ## Two Characters In Luke 16:19 to 21, we’re introduced to two characters. First, we’re introduced to a rich man. Verse 19 says, “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.” We learn three things about this man: - He was rich. He had lots of money. - He could afford the best clothes. Jesus mentions two pieces of clothing. The first is purple. Purple was extremely expensive and functioned as a marker of elite status. The dye came from a tiny mollusk found along the Phoenician coast, and extracting it required such intensive labor that only royalty and the wealthy could afford garments dyed in this color. The choice to wear purple wasn’t incidental; it was a deliberate public declaration of his wealth and social position. Underneath, he wore fine linen, the most expensive imported Egyptian underwear, the most delicate and most expensive fabric known to the ancient world. Even his undergarments were marked by comfort, softness, and expense. - We also learn about this diet. He “feasted sumptuously every day.” Most people in his world lived on simple staples: bread, soup, maybe fruit. A feast was the kind of thing you expected at a wedding or a once-in-a-while celebration. But for this man, celebration wasn’t occasional; it was routine. He ate like a connoisseur, enjoying the finest food not as a rare treat, but as his everyday normal. He had everything we tend to want: security, comfort, freedom, and prestige. That’s the first character. Then we’re introduced to the second. > And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. (Luke 16:20-21) The first character is nameless in Jesus’ story, but this character has a name: Lazarus. And he couldn’t be more different. - He’s poor, not rich. - He was laid there, implying that he’s unable to move himself. It’s possible that friends laid him there, expecting he could get some help from the rich man. - He’s covered in sores, and he has dogs licking those sores. In Palestinian Jewish culture, dogs were seen as dirty scavengers, like rats. Their tongues would have hurt his sores, so their presence was more of a pain than a comfort. It would have also made him ceremoniously unclean. - He’s hungry. The rich man enjoys the best of food; this poor man longs to be a scavenger enjoying the rich man’s garbage once the feast is over. One man has everything. The other man has nothing. Who would you rather be? I don’t think there’s a doubt. Given the choice between an affluent life and abject poverty, I don’t think there’s a person here who would choose to be like Lazarus. ## The Extended Timeline But what if you extend the timeline? That’s what Jesus does in verses 22 to 31. The poor man dies. There’s no mention of a funeral or a burial. He was destined for a pauper’s grave at best. But in verse 22, we read that angels carry him to Abraham’s side. This is a complete vindication and reversal of Lazarus’s earthly status. Though he was invisible and abandoned in life, divine beings attend to him in death, affirming that God witnessed his suffering and honors his faithfulness. He is welcomed into fellowship with Abraham himself. The phrase “Abraham’s side” carries particular cultural weight. In a banquet setting, the most honored seat was nearest the host, reclining so closely that one’s head could rest near his bosom. Lazarus, then, occupies the place of highest honor and intimacy. He goes from poor to rich, from unknown to recognized, from excluded to included. It’s a complete reversal. What’s just as shocking is what happens to the rich man. Verse 22 says he dies and is buried. We can assume he had a lavish funeral appropriate for a man of his social class. As a rich man, he may have been buried in an elaborate tomb. But then everything changes. He enters Hades. In Jewish understanding, this is where the spirits of the dead went to reside. But it is not a nice place. He’s tormented. The rich man experiences torment with flames and unquenchable thirst. He is suffering, very thirsty, and "in agony in these flames." He can see Abraham from where he is buried, which adds to his pain. He knows what he has lost but cannot reach it. Not only is he suffering in hell, he can see heaven, and he can see Lazarus there. This is a complete reversal. The point is clear: a beggar—once sick and hungry, with no earthly pretensions—becomes rich in eternity. Lazarus is known by name. He is helped and comforted. The rich man—once healthy, wealthy, and enjoying the finest things in life—now suffers the worst torment in death, his last requests denied. Now who would you rather be? Jesus is making a point. If you take the short view, a luxurious life of comfort looks really good. But if you take the longer view, being rich isn’t about earthly comfort. It’s about having what matters eternally, and can’t be taken away. Eternal rewards far outweigh earthly luxuries. ## Every Request Denied What really lands in this story is the finality of the rich man’s spiritual poverty. He makes two requests, and both of them are denied. ### The First Request Request one in verse 24: “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.” He still thinks that his former position counts for something. He still makes requests like he’s in charge. He was so used to power in his old life and the clout his money gave him that he acts as if things are unchanged even in Hades. He does not repent and thinks that he can order Abraham to send Lazarus to be his lackey. This detail reveals that he recognized Lazarus and knew his name! He could not have been unaware that Lazarus was lying at his gate. Though he never spared a thought for Lazarus’s needs during his lifetime, the rich man, self-centered even in death, thinks he should minister to his suffering now. He asks Abraham to send the poor man on an errand, like he still has the power to call the shots and to boss people around. But none of that works anymore. His worldly advantages don’t count for anything in eternity. The reply comes: > Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us. (16:25-26) We learn a couple of important things here, things of eternal importance. First, God’s kingdom involves profound reversal. In this life, the man had a lot of money, and that isn’t the problem by itself. The problem is what he did with it. His spending revealed his heart: he used his wealth for himself instead of letting it become a means of loving God and loving others, and that had eternal consequences. Few things reveal our spiritual condition like how we use our money. He was rich, but when you strip the money away, there’s nothing left. He is exposed as financially wealthy but spiritually bankrupt, and that bankruptcy cost him everything. He wasn’t prepared for eternity. It’s as if Abraham is saying, “My son, you had your good things. But your good things were temporary. Now they’re gone, because in eternity I am the only good thing that lasts forever. And now you’re left hollow, gnawing in the dark, drowning in self-pity, filled with emptiness. That emptiness begins even now. It’s the beginning of hell.” Friends, our deepest poverty is met in Christ, and our truest riches are found in him. When Jesus is our main thing, not just someone who helps with our good things, we can let go of our comfort, face suffering without losing hope, and use what we have for lasting purposes. If you have Jesus, you have everything, even if you have nothing. If you have everything but don’t have Jesus, you have nothing. There’s also a sobering truth here: our eternal destiny is final. The chasm is not temporary or negotiable—it is fixed by God and cannot be crossed in either direction. No one from the place of comfort can come to help, and no one in torment can escape. That finality is underscored by the rich man’s unanswered requests. He asks for relief, then for a warning to be sent to his brothers, but both pleas are denied. The chasm doesn’t just separate locations; it seals outcomes. Choices made in this life carry consequences that death does not undo. Verse 26 presses the point home: eternity is not a second chance, but the confirmation of what we have chosen in time. God’s kingdom brings a great reversal: many who are rich in this world will be exposed as spiritually poor, while those who seem poor now may prove eternally rich. Christ alone is lasting treasure. And when death comes, our destiny is fixed—there’s no second chance to rewrite what we chose in this life. ### The Second Request But then there’s the second request in verses 27 and 28: “Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.” Abraham replies that Moses and the prophets are enough. But the rich man keeps arguing in verse 30\. “No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.” Again, the response: “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.” This teaches us something crucial: Scripture is sufficient. The rich man thinks that a miracle would work better than words from the Bible, but Abraham's answer shows the opposite. People who ignore the clear message of the Bible won't be swayed by amazing signs, no matter how fantastic they are. The problem isn’t a lack of evidence; it’s a hardened heart that won’t yield to what God has already spoken. The barrier to salvation is not the absence of proof, but the refusal to respond to the truth already given. ## What’s the Point? So what’s the point of this parable? It’s not that wealth is automatically sinful. The point is this: **earthly comfort without Christ is spiritual bankruptcy**, and many people won’t realize it until it’s too late. That’s why the time to respond isn’t someday. It’s now. If we’re honest, we all feel the pull of comfort. We like security. We like options. We like having enough—and then a little more. But the more we build our lives around what we have and what we want, the more exposed we become to real danger. We can possess every earthly advantage and still be spiritually empty. Yet if we have Jesus, we are not lacking; we are truly rich. Our deepest poverty is met in Christ, and our truest riches are found in him. Through the gospel, Jesus has given us something that is more valuable than anything else and that can never be taken away. Jesus isn’t simply a way to upgrade our lives; he is the treasure. He is the only “good thing” that lasts forever. The rich man spent his days gathering comforts that couldn’t follow him past the grave. But Christ gives what death can't take, what pain can't steal, and what time can't wear away: lasting joy, safe security, and a kingdom that won't fall. So the invitation today is both simple and urgent: don’t waste your life chasing temporary “good things.” Come to Jesus. If you have much, hold it loosely and steward it gladly for eternal purposes. If you have little, don’t despair—because in Christ you can be truly rich. And don’t measure your life by what you can enjoy right now, but by who you belong to forever. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-508/ Last updated: 2026-07-25T05:00:11.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [One Tool to Rule Them All](https://mereorthodoxy.com/one-tool-to-rule-them-all/?ref=dashhouse.com) > As soon as we scratch beneath the surface, we find the concept of the “neutral tool” beginning to break down. [Why Living Aware of God’s Presence Changes Everything](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/article/why-living-aware-of-gods-presence-changes-everything/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Growing in the passion and ability to seek God’s presence and power continually (1 Chron. 16:11) produces peace, holiness, dependence, and fruitfulness. [The Preacher's Life](https://www.covenantseminary.edu/theology/the-preachers-life?ref=dashhouse.com) > No matter how good a preacher any of us may be, we’re still a long way off from where we could be. Only prayerful, purposeful dependence on the Lord will get us there. [7 Steps to Identify & Raise up Future Pastors](https://www.logos.com/grow/min-how-to-raise-future-pastors/?ref=dashhouse.com) > One of the most important tasks of any pastor is to work himself out of a job. [6 Responsibilities for the Deacons of Every Church](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/article/6-responsibilities-for-the-deacons-of-every-church/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Scripture gives us a beautiful picture of deacons as qualified servants who help the church flourish through humble, practical, merciful leadership. [When Pastors Retire](https://digital.faithtoday.ca/faithtoday/library/item/07082026/4348818/?utm%5Fsource=ig&utm%5Fmedium=social&utm%5Fcontent=link%5Fin%5Fbio&fbclid=PAdGRleATNg4ZwZG9mAmV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDzEyNDAyNDU3NDI4NzQxNAABp%5F5YzM3UztyjAYy2G1zcgMBGDrJu2nXLVzA67FpfgW8vSbOPk3BGpdGq0SLo%5Faem%5F-DTPC7Xu5t-voKYYdgYw3g) > Beneath practical concerns lie deeper struggles with identity and purpose many pastors face during this transition. ### The Remarkably Ordinary Church URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-remarkably-ordinary-church/ Last updated: 2026-07-21T05:00:35.000Z I was on vacation this past Sunday and didn't have to be anywhere, so I got to visit another church. We ended up attending a remarkably ordinary church. We got there late. I was one of those people I criticize when they show up late at my church. It humbled me and gave me a bit of understanding for those who sometimes struggle to be on time. There was nobody to greet us. We went the wrong way and stumbled into a music practice for the next service. We were confused, but eventually someone found us and pointed us in the right direction. We ended up in a small chapel off to the side with fewer than 30 people present. The service was simple, with no singing, just a rich liturgy and a sermon that probably spoke a bit too much to progressive objections to the text. There was lots to criticize about the service, yet as I settled in, there was also lots to appreciate. The sermon was textual and pointed to Christ. The liturgy was rich and grounded in the centuries-old Book of Common Prayer, which I love. The sermon reminded me of my desperate need for nourishment in the gospel. It was all remarkably ordinary and imperfect, yet exactly what I needed. I praise God for remarkably ordinary churches. A few years ago, I visited a larger church while on vacation. There was nothing impressive about the service. It was the kind of service that could have happened almost anywhere. The singing was rich, yet unremarkable. The sermon was biblical and Christ-centred, yet humble. Everything about the service screamed, in the best possible sense, that they were a group of ordinary people doing ordinary things that pointed to a remarkable God. I walked away encouraged by this church. It seems that for decades they had been doing the same ordinary thing over and over again, faithfully, and God had honoured that faithfulness with gospel growth. I used to think we needed extraordinary churches. I don't anymore. I think we need churches that don't get tired of doing the same things week after week: gathering to sing, opening the word, praying together, hearing God's word, pointing to Christ, eating and drinking the bread and cup. This isn't an excuse for mediocrity or a call to offer God anything but our best. It's simply an acknowledgement that the focus should never be on ourselves or our skill. We should be getting out of the way as much as possible so we can direct our attention to our remarkable God and his gospel. It’s also a challenge for those of us who attend such churches. Sometimes we show up with unspoken demands that things impress us. Instead, we end up listening to imperfect preachers and average sermons, sometimes leaving disappointed. Stop focusing on what doesn't matter. Aim to be easily edified. Show up with the intention of glorifying God and being fed by everything available in that service. Last Sunday, I attended an ordinary church, and it did my soul good. I'm pretty sure that's what we need most. Keep showing up. Keep doing the same ordinary things that point to our remarkable God and the best news imaginable. It doesn't seem like much, but it's much more than we could ever think. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-507/ Last updated: 2026-07-18T05:00:06.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [3 Cautions About Chaste Masturbation](https://writetounderstand.substack.com/p/3-cautions-about-chaste-masturbation) > Nevertheless, it seems to me that the biblical teaching about sex, and sexual desires in particular, raises real concerns about chaste masturbation. [Playing to Not Lose](https://mbird.com/sports/playing-to-not-lose/?ref=dashhouse.com) > What would it be like to not be afraid of getting it wrong but be told by a coach, “Just go out there and play. You’ve already won”? [We Refuse It: A Manifesto on Generative AI Writing](https://www.douglasgroothuis.com/post/we-refuse-it-a-manifesto-on-generative-ai-writing?ref=dashhouse.com) > AI does much well, but it cannot write, and we must not let it master and denature us as writers. [Where Spiritual Growth Begins](https://www.gospelforlife.com/where-spiritual-growth-begins/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Spiritual growth begins with a desire for God and the intentional time to seek him. My column at [TGC Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [A Case for the Personal Library](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/straight-paths/a-case-for-the-personal-library/?ref=dashhouse.com) > A library, even a small one, is a precious thing. ### Called to a Small but Important Thing URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/called-to-a-small-but-important-thing/ Last updated: 2026-07-14T05:00:20.000Z Last week, we found ourselves in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, for a few hours. A friend suggested we visit [Nooks Gallery and Bookshop](https://nooks.gallery/?ref=dashhouse.com). I love visiting good bookshops, so it didn't take much to convince me. Nook's was bought a couple of years ago by [Shawn Smucker](https://shawnsmucker.substack.com/), an author who recently went viral for a [poem on AI](https://shawnsmucker.substack.com/p/please-use-ai), and his wife [Maile Silva](https://mailesilva.substack.com/), who has a [book](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mailesilva/from-here-to-you?ref=dashhouse.com) coming out soon. Knowing who owned it made me even more curious about the bookstore. The store was wonderful. It's relatively small, consisting of four rooms, including a large back room that's also an event space. You won't find many bestsellers there. Instead, you'll find a collection of carefully curated books, ones you might never discover unless you visit a bookstore like this. It also has a small collection of pottery from a local potter. We only spent an hour there. I was trying to be frugal and regretfully didn't buy anything. I don’t know why. But I'm already planning how to go back the next time I'm in the area. Afterwards, I started listening to the podcast that Smucker and Silva created called [So, We Bought a Book Shop](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/so-we-bought-a-book-shop/id1789158540?ref=dashhouse.com). They not only share their love of books but also give insight into what it's been like for them to buy and run the bookstore and bring it to where it is today. As I listen, my list of books to buy is getting longer. My one-hour visit to this bookstore brought me so much joy that I'm still thinking about it days later. I enjoyed a lot of things about my vacation last week, but visiting Nooks was one of my favorites. It reminded me of a quote I read somewhere — I can’t find it, but it sounds like it should be from Wendell Berry — about cultivating the little piece of land God has given you. That's what the owners of Nooks have done. They're cultivating a small, independent book shop on a particular street of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They’re writing and podcasting, which spreads their reach a little farther. But really, there’s something about them serving through a space that was a blessing to me, just as it has been to many others. I don't live in Lancaster and probably won't be back in their store for a while. But I'll keep listening to their podcast, and I’m grateful they're doing what they are called to do there, just as God has called us to do the same wherever we are. Our callings are different. I’m a pastor, not a book seller. You have your own calling too. But in a way, we’re all similar. We’re to put our hands to the small thing God called us to do, and pour our hearts into it too. If we all did the hard work, perhaps God would use our efforts in unexpected ways that would bless others without us even knowing about it. That's what they've done, and I believe it's what God has called all of us to do as well. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-506/ Last updated: 2026-07-11T05:00:54.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Gideon’s 9700](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/article/gideons-9700/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The titles that our English Bibles give for Judges 7 often miss the 9,700 and focus on the 300. [I’ve Pastored Small Churches. Here’s the Advice I Needed.](https://www.logos.com/grow/min-small-church-pastoring-tips/?ref=dashhouse.com) > What I’ve needed most—and what you need, too—is some sound advice. [10 Purposes for Our Suffering Found in 2 Corinthians](https://www.crossway.org/articles/10-purposes-for-our-suffering-found-in-2-corinthians/?ref=dashhouse.com) > God has purposes in our pain. [The Pressure to Try to Be Original Is Obnoxious and Ridiculous](https://griffingooch.substack.com/p/the-pressure-to-try-to-be-original) > Yet that constraint —the fact that we’re all stuck repeating & remixing ideas because we’re supposed to stay within the sandbox built by biblical theology— is a good thing. [Why Writing Regularly Might Help You Get on the Right Track](https://www.zingermanscommunity.com/2026/07/why-writing-regularly-might-help-you-get-on-the-right-track/?ref=dashhouse.com) > To say that writing has changed my life would be a significant understatement. ### Three Gauges Every Pastor Should Watch URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/three-gauges-every-pastor-should-watch/ Last updated: 2026-07-07T10:19:38.000Z I once heard a pastor I respected describe his experience with burnout. He ignored the early warning signs and slowly slid into despair. In the end, he had to take a significant stretch of time off, and recovery came slowly. Later, his doctor told him that if he had paid attention to the early symptoms, his recovery likely would have taken far less time. Since then, I’ve seen other pastors go through similar experiences. About fifteen years ago, a counselor who works with pastors offered his professional assessment that I was on the verge of burnout, and he urged me to take a three-month sabbatical. Pastoral burnout is a real and present danger. Chris Bailey’s book [*How to Calm Your Mind*](https://amzn.to/4eHLhXa?ref=dashhouse.com), while not written from a Christian perspective, helped me better understand what burnout is and why it happens. Bailey argues that burnout is more than mere exhaustion. He draws on the work of Dr. Christina Maslach, a leading researcher in the field, who defines burnout as “a prolonged response to chronic emotional and interpersonal stressors on the job.” According to Maslach’s research, burnout includes three core elements: exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficacy. In other words, burnout isn’t simply being tired. It also includes increasing negativity about our work and an increasingly sense that our efforts aren’t making a difference. Burnout is fueled by repeated, chronic stress. Over time, it reshapes not only what we feel, but how we see our calling, our people, and ourselves. Burnout can be an overused word, so we should use it carefully and not confuse it with ordinary fatigue. Pastors should work hard, and hard work by itself usually isn’t what breaks a person. The danger tends to grow when three gauges drift into the red: - **Workload —** We have to watch our capacity, not just our calendar. When our inner resources are being spent faster than they’re replenished, we can keep producing, but with less patience, creativity, resilience, and delight in God and people. - **Cynicism —** When we don’t process disappointment in a healthy way, cynicism takes root and our hearts subtly harden. Compassion decreases, irritability increases, and we begin to feel that things will never get better. For pastors, cynicism is especially dangerous because it robs us of the ability to love the people we're called to serve. - **Inefficacy —**Inefficacy is the creeping sense that our work isn’t making a meaningful difference, and is often compounded by criticism. Since the results of ministry can be slow, hidden, or mixed, it’s easy to think that our hard work is a failure. Our joy fades, and endurance becomes difficult. Working hard isn’t the problem. Many pastors can carry seasons of intense labor without burning out, as long as there’s meaning, support, recovery, and a shared load. Burnout tends to take root when the work becomes unrelenting, when our hearts begin to grow cold, and when we start to believe that our work doesn’t make a difference. So pay attention. When a day off doesn't relieve your exhaustion, when cynicism starts to color your private thoughts about others, and when you feel increasingly ineffective, don't ignore it. Those aren’t merely personal struggles; they’re pastoral warning lights. They don’t necessarily mean you’re failing. They mean you’re human, and you’re being invited to make wise adjustments before you break. ### When Love Has Limits (Luke 10:25-37) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/when-love-has-limits-luke-1025-37/ Last updated: 2026-07-05T17:00:06.000Z **Big Idea:** Loving God means that we cannot place limits on whom one must love as a neighbor. --- I know you’re a deeply loving person. I see it week after week in the way you treat others. So here’s what I want to ask: is there anyone you feel is not worth your love? We don't announce it, but we carry around an internal calculus, a sense of who's worth the effort, who deserves our sympathy, who has earned care. And somewhere in that calculus, there are people we've quietly written off: - The one whose politics feels like a threat to everything you cherish - The person who always seems to be in mid-crisis, so that every interaction feels like it’s slowly draining you - The addict who’s burned every bridge and is living on his third “last chance.” - The public moral failure whose repentance feels suspiciously timed - The coworker who’s difficult in ways that feel almost intentional - The person whose theology is “off” enough that you’ve gently demoted them in your heart - The family member who took and took and never gave back None of us would stand in a church service and announce, “Those people don’t deserve love.” But we’ve learned to keep our distance, to set boundaries. We’re loving people, but deep down, we know that our love has limits. And that’s where the parable this morning presses in and challenges all of us. ## Two Questions ### Question One The parable arises from an interaction Jesus had with a lawyer, a term that Luke used to describe the scribes in Jesus’ day. This was a highly trained Torah scholar, an “expert in the law,” who studied, interpreted, and applied Scripture and its received traditions to everyday life. He functioned like a blend of theologian and legal expert, skilled at defining terms and setting the boundaries of obligation. And here was his question: “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He showed proper respect. Back then, teachers sat, and students stood out of courtesy. But Luke identifies that his intentions weren’t sincere. The lawyer asked this question to test Jesus. The lawyer believes he’s part of the in-crowd, and he wants to know how to stay there. Jesus responds with his own question. He asks the man, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” Two questions: content and interpretation. The content is clear. He quotes the Shema from Deuteronomy 6:4: > And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27) Shema is simply the first word of the passage. In Hebrew it means “hear” or “listen”: “Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one.” It became the daily rhythm of Jewish faith—recited morning and evening. Children learned it first; adults bound it to their bodies in phylacteries and fixed it to their doorframes. So when Jesus asks about the greatest commandment, the expert answers with the words he has prayed his whole life: love God. Then he adds Leviticus 19:18: love your neighbor. He doesn’t need more information; he already knows the right words by heart. Everyone did. The youngest scholar in the synagogue knew the answer. So Jesus replies, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live” (10:28). He’s right. The standard is clear: love God fully, love your neighbor truly, and you will live. The problem, of course, is that none of us has ever kept those two commands with an undivided heart. We have not loved God with everything we are, and we have not loved our neighbor with a steady, selfless, wholehearted love. We have not done what God requires. He has the right answer, but he hasn’t faced his real problem. What he should have said is, “Lord, have mercy on me. I know your law, but I can’t keep it. I don’t love God the way I should, and I don’t love my neighbor the way I love myself. Tell me how a sinner like me can be saved.” Instead, he asks a second question. ### Question Two Here’s what the scribe asked as his second question: “And who is my neighbor?” (10:29). In other words, “Okay, I’m called to love my neighbor. How can I tell who is my neighbor and who isn’t? How can I spot the people I’m supposed to love?” It seems many in that period treated “neighbor” as a fellow Israelite, someone inside the covenant community. In practice, that often pushed Samaritans, foreigners, apostates, and resident outsiders to the margins, as though they fell beyond the reach of the command to love. The circle had clear boundaries: some were “in,” and many others were “out.” After all, we reason, you can’t help everyone, so you draw the line somewhere. We ask the same question today. We know we should love the people closest to us, but we quickly start managing love by narrowing it. We keep our distance from the inconvenient, the complicated, the different, or the ones who have hurt us. We rarely say, “Who is my neighbor?” out loud, but we ask it with our calendars, our attention, and the quiet lines we draw around our mercy. And that’s where Jesus’ parable comes in. ## The Compassionate Samaritan ### Scene The scene is the steep road from Jerusalem to Jericho, a long descent into the desert, a trip that weighed on your legs and was not taken lightly. It winds through the harsh Judean wilderness: sun-baked limestone, narrow ravines, blind turns, and caves in the cliffs, with little shade and long stretches of isolation. The trip typically took five to seven hours on foot, so it wasn’t casual. It was also infamous for robbery, so well known that Jesus’ listeners would have felt the danger the moment he named the road. ### Characters Then you have the characters. You have the victim, a man who is robbed. He’s stripped, beaten, and left for dead. Then you have a priest and a Levite. Many priests and Levites actually lived in Jericho. It was a prosperous city, comfortable for families. They commuted to Jerusalem for their Temple rotations. So the priest and the Levite in Jesus' story are not random passersby. They are men who walked this road regularly. They would know exactly what it looked like when something had gone wrong on it. Then you have a Samaritan. The Samaritan would be the person in the story who got booed as he was introduced. The hostility between Jews and Samaritans ran for centuries: deeply theological, deeply personal, and felt on both sides. Samaritans were a mixed population that Jewish people in the south never fully accepted as legitimate heirs of the covenant. Traditions warned against Samaritan food and contact, and many travelers took longer routes to avoid Samaritan territory altogether. “Samaritan” could function as a slur. You have a victim, two good guys, and someone you would hate just because of who he is. ### The Tension Who would you expect to be the good guy in the story? In Jesus’ story, the first response comes from the top of the hierarchy. The priest walks by. He is a decent, religious man who has just finished serving God in the Temple. He sees the victim, and he keeps walking. We don’t know why. Maybe he feared becoming ritually unclean from touching someone who may be dead. Maybe he was cautious; the same robbers could have pounced on him too. Then you go down a little in the hierarchy. A Levite walks by. A Levite was part of the Temple workforce. Levites played supporting roles. They were essential but not quite at the top. He acts the same way the priest did, probably for the same reasons. He stays as far away as possible and avoids any contact. Then you go way down the hierarchy. You would expect the next step down to be an ordinary Jewish layman: priest, Levite, ordinary Israelite. That's how the structure worked. The punch line was supposed to redeem the common person against the religious professionals. Jesus doesn’t take the next obvious option. He goes as low as the story can go, to the least expected neighbor: a Samaritan. In Jesus’ world, he’s the disqualified one: outsider, unclean, unwelcome. And yet he stops and shows compassion to the very kind of man he would’ve been expected to avoid—a wounded Jewish stranger. The Samaritan’s actions are costly. He cleans and wraps the wounds. He puts oil and wine from his supplies on them. He lifts the man onto his own animal, likely getting blood on himself, and walks the road with him. He brings him to an inn, stays the night to care for him personally, and when he leaves he pays the innkeeper two days’ wages to cover the man’s needs. Then he adds the line that makes the generosity unmistakable: “Whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.” He doesn’t just help in the moment; he takes responsibility for the outcome. He stops on the most dangerous road in the region. He gives of his own provisions. He gives up his ride and protection. He spends them freely on someone who can’t repay him. He commits to future costs he cannot calculate. He crosses every boundary with no promise of a good outcome. It’s completely unexpected, and it’s shocking even today. Jesus hasn't just answered his question. He’s done even more. He's taken everything the lawyer used to organize his moral world — insider and outsider, clean and unclean, worthy and unworthy — and turned it over completely. Jesus asks, “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” Notice what he does. The lawyer asks, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus flips it: the real question becomes, “Will I receive help, even from someone I’ve labeled unclean, wrong, or enemy?” The story doesn’t just expand the definition of “neighbor.” It turns everything upside down. Notice what Jesus does here. The man sees himself as someone ready to help others. Jesus recasts him as the one who needs help. He flips everything upside down. Instead of being the hero, he asks the man to consider being in need. And this is actually a closer picture of what we're like. We think we're so ready to help others, but the reality is all of us are going to need help ourselves. What if you were bleeding out on the road, helpless and running out of time, with only hope for mercy from someone who owes you nothing? Would you want grace then? The man can’t even bring himself to say, “The Samaritan.” Instead he says, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus responds by saying, “You go, and do likewise.” In other words, we may even need to receive a lesson from someone we’d rather avoid. Instead of spending our energy trying to craft a tighter definition of “neighbor,” we need to get moving and love the people God has placed right in front of us. You can’t define your neighbor; you can only *be* a neighbor. Whenever someone in real need crosses our path, we should respond with compassion and help as we would hope to be helped, even if that person isn't someone we would typically choose to love. As one Methodist commentator (Joseph Benson) said two hundred years ago: > Show mercy and kindness to everyone that stands in need of your assistance, whether he be an Israelite, a heathen, or a Samaritan, and when works of charity are to be performed, reckon every man your neighbor, not inquiring what he believes but what he suffers… Let us attend to and diligently put in practice our Lord’s advice to this lawyer; let us go and do likewise, regarding every man as our neighbor who needs our assistance. **Loving God means that we cannot place limits on whom one must love as a neighbor.** After all, this is how Jesus loved us. When Jesus came to our aid, we weren’t dying; we were dead. Jesus didn’t just cross the road to help us; he left heaven for us. It took him more than a day or two and a few day’s salary to gain our salvation. It cost him his life. > Jesus traveled a much greater distance, to help people in much greater need, at much greater cost. He is equally committed to seeing our salvation through to the end, for he has promised to come back and carry us all the way to glory. (Phil Ryken) Now this Good Neighbor says, “You go, and do likewise” (Luke 10:37). Be a good Samaritan to the people you meet along life’s way. Who is the person that needs your help that you’d rather ignore? Don’t excuse yourself. Don’t look away. Don’t keep your distance. Stop. Draw near. Help. And don’t step in only to step out again. By God’s grace, stay with it and follow through until the work is finished. And don’t do any of this to earn eternal life, but because eternal life has already been given to you. When you were beaten, bloodied, and left for dead, Jesus came to you and showed you mercy. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-505/ Last updated: 2026-07-04T05:00:19.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [How to Live Simply and Give Generously](https://www.epm.org/resources/2026/Jun/29/live-simply-give-generously/?ref=dashhouse.com) > True simplicity is not just about saying 'no' to material things; it’s about saying 'yes' to God. [You Don’t Want to Be Internet Famous](https://aaronarmstrong.co/you-dont-want-to-be-internet-famous/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The allure of fame, of making a name for ourselves, is nothing new. [What About Pet Idolatry?](https://www.epm.org/resources/2026/Jul/1/pet-idolatry/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The problem is almost never with the object of our affection, but that we love it more than we love God. [The Secret Place](https://mereorthodoxy.com/the-secret-place/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Paul intentionally restrained his rhetorical excellence so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. [Pastor’s Job Description: Four Essential Responsibilities of a Shepherd](https://www.9marks.org/article/pastors-job-description-four-essential-responsibilities-of-a-shepherd/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Your work can be summed up in one biblical word: shepherding. [Serve the Meal: Why Preachers Must Trust the Word](https://ftc.co/resource-library/articles/serve-the-meal-why-preachers-must-trust-the-word/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The preacher’s task, therefore, is not to compensate for Scripture’s weakness but to faithfully serve its power. [Why Spiritual Maturity Takes Time (and Why That’s Good News)](https://www.gospelforlife.com/why-spiritual-maturity-takes-time-and-why-thats-good-news/?ref=dashhouse.com) > If you feel stuck or disappointed with how slowly you’re changing, take heart: God often grows us “by little and little,” and even our setbacks can become part of his gentle work in us. My [column at TGC Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [How to Recognize and Evaluate Good Preaching](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/straight-paths/how-to-recognize-and-evaluate-good-preaching/?ref=dashhouse.com) > When a church needs a pastor, they usually come up with a list of desired qualities. One of those qualities is good preaching. The problem: it can be hard to agree on what good preaching means. ### What It’s Like to Leave the Church You Planted URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/what-its-like-to-leave-the-church-you-planted/ Last updated: 2026-06-30T05:00:31.000Z In 2023, after ten years of planting Liberty Grace Church, I stepped down as its pastor. It was a bittersweet evening. We celebrated a decade of watching God at work, and yet we also felt the sadness of leaving a church we deeply loved. We carried some uncertainty too. We wanted the church to thrive, but we didn’t know exactly how God would provide for its next chapter. Since then, I’ve been asked two questions repeatedly: why did we leave, and what was it like? ## Why Did I Leave? There wasn't one reason; there were many. I've [previously written](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/straight-paths/when-should-a-pastor-quit-a-church/?ref=dashhouse.com) about how to know when it's time to leave a church. Here's my attempt at explaining why I felt it was time for me to go. The biggest reason was what was best for the church. After leading the church for ten years, I worried about staying too long. From day one, I wanted to set the church up well for its next pastor. I knew the church would benefit from someone different from me with a different set of gifts who could do what I couldn't. I also knew the church needed to take on new, ambitious projects, and that it might be best for someone else to take them on. For a long time, I prayed that God would send a younger pastor with different gifts to take over. I've seen some pastors stay too long, making it harder for someone else to come in later and take their place. Around that time, I read [*From Strength to Strength*](https://amzn.to/4faqM5u?ref=dashhouse.com) by Arthur Brooks. Brooks suggests that as we get older, we need to shift our energies from doing to investing. I had been doing a lot and sensed it was time to move from being the primary doer to investing in others who could do the work of ministry. Trusted friends also gently affirmed that a move might be timely, good not only for the church, but for me as well. I was 55, and I sensed that if I didn’t make the transition then, it would only become harder later. In the end, it wasn’t one decisive factor but a growing convergence of many. To be clear, I didn’t leave because I stopped loving Liberty Grace, or because something had gone wrong. I stepped aside to make room for new leadership, allowing the church plant's work to grow beyond me. In God’s kindness, he answered that prayer by providing a good pastor in Godfrey, someone quite different from me, and exactly what the church needed. The main reason I stepped down was because I believed it was best for Liberty Grace, and time has confirmed that instinct. I’m deeply grateful for what God has done, and continues to do, now that I’m no longer there. ## What Was It Like to Leave the Church? One word: bittersweet. It was hard to leave a church that meant so much to us. It should always be difficult for a pastor to say goodbye, but it was especially so with a church we had planted and carried so closely in our hearts. It was difficult for another reason as well: we didn’t know what would happen after we left. Although I had tried to help with succession, there wasn’t someone to take my place when I stepped down, and I knew the elders would be carrying a heavy load as they searched for the right person. We also knew finances could be a challenge in the months ahead. Most of all, we loved the people. For that reason alone, leaving felt like a real loss. At the same time, we were stepping into uncertainty ourselves. We didn’t know exactly what we were walking into at the new church where I had accepted a call. Beginning a new pastorate is always risky. God’s kindness has made the new church a joy, and we’re grateful to be there, but we felt anxiety about starting over, building trust, and learning a new community. And yet, our final night was sweet. We reflected on the past ten years, recalling the joys and heartbreaks of planting a church, moments of faithfulness, and surprising grace. One of the most meaningful moments of our final service came when a friend stood to speak, someone who had been part of Liberty Grace for a while but had not made a commitment to Christ. She spoke about the banner that hung outside that described Liberty Grace as a church for sinners, skeptics, and saints. She admitted she had been skeptical of that claim at first, but over time she had found it to be true. That moment captured why we planted Liberty Grace: to bring the gospel to people in Liberty Village, especially those who had never been to church or considered Christ. So that evening, alongside grief and uncertainty, we felt deep gratitude. It was a privilege to watch God at work in that place and among those people. Transitions are always hard, and leaving a beloved church is harder still. I'm grateful that Liberty Grace continues, and thankful that we can rejoice in God's work there while serving joyfully at GFC East Toronto. ### The Nature of the Kingdom (Matthew 13:24-52) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-nature-of-the-kingdom-matthew-1324-52/ Last updated: 2026-06-28T17:00:40.000Z **Big Idea:** Jesus’ kingdom faces opposition, seems small, and is worth everything. --- If you follow Jesus long enough, you’ll eventually have to face the gap between what you hoped for and what you’ve actually lived. Here’s what never changes: Jesus is worth everything. The longer I walk with him, the more beautiful he becomes. The longer I sit with Scripture, the more I’m convinced of its depth and power. And the longer I live among his people, the more I’m steadied by the quiet evidences of grace I keep seeing. And yet, if I’m honest, it hasn’t unfolded quite the way I expected. Sometimes the kingdom doesn’t look much like a kingdom. The church can feel bewildering—real godliness alongside real disappointment, people who don’t seem to fit, and wounds we never expected to receive among God’s people. I expected holiness and found a mess. And on top of that, the work often feels small, unimpressive, and easy to overlook. Evil can seem unchecked. God can feel slow, distant, or silent. And discipleship costs real things, until we finally name the question we’d rather avoid: Is this worth it? Is this going anywhere? If it hasn’t hit you yet, it will at some point: Jesus and his church probably won’t be what you expected. What do you do with that gap? The parables we just read meet us in that tension. They show us that none of this should surprise us. This is how the kingdom comes in the present age. And they give us this steady word: even when Jesus’ kingdom isn’t what we expected, it’s still worth joyfully giving up everything to have it. ## What Jesus’ Kingdom Is Like Let me set these stories in their context. Matthew 13 sits near the centre of Matthew’s Gospel and roughly midway through Jesus’ public ministry. It’s not the beginning. Crowds are already large and opposition is already organised. And it’s not the end. Jesus hasn’t yet turned decisively toward Jerusalem. It’s a hinge point. And the disciples are feeling the strain. By now, the shape of Jesus’ ministry is clear, and so is the resistance. John the Baptist is in prison. Jesus has pronounced woes on whole towns for their unbelief. The Pharisees have moved from questioning him to plotting against him, and then to their most blatant verdict of all: accusing him of casting out demons by Beelzebub. By the time chapter 13 opens, two things are unmistakable: the religious establishment has reached its decision, and the crowds are wavering. The disciples are still with him, but it’s not turning out the way they expected. So Jesus offers a series of stories that tell us that **Jesus’ kingdom faces opposition, seems small, and is worth everything.** ### Jesus’ kingdom faces opposition (13:24-30, 36-43) In verses 24–30, Jesus tells a story about a farmer who sows good seed in his field. But while everyone is asleep, an enemy slips in and sows weeds among the wheat. The weed Jesus likely has in view is a kind of ryegrass (often called darnel). Not only was it a weed, but it also carried a fungus that could destroy the wheat. Early on it looks almost identical to wheat, and only becomes obvious once the heads appear. That’s why the servants don’t notice the problem until “the grain appeared.” When they finally see what’s happened, the workers are baffled. Didn’t the master sow good seed? How could the field be full of weeds? The master’s answer is simple and sobering: “An enemy has done this.” So the servants ask the obvious question: should we pull the weeds up now? But the master forbids it. The roots are tangled together, and if they rip out the weeds they’ll tear up the wheat with them. For now, the good and the evil must grow side by side. At harvest, separation will be possible and final: the wheat gathered in, the weeds removed and burned. Jesus explains what this means in verses 36 to 43\. Jesus is the farmer who sows seeds. The field is the world — not the church, but the world. The good seed are the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are those who are evil. The enemy who sows the weeds is the devil. And the harvest is the end of the age. And here’s the point: don’t be surprised by opposition to Jesus’ kingdom. The kingdom will face opposition because we have an enemy. The disciples witnessed John the Baptist in prison, the Pharisees turning hostile, the crowds uncertain, and "weeds" appearing everywhere. The disciples had questions. Why do so many refuse to believe even as the gospel is preached? If Jesus is truly Savior and Lord, why doesn’t everyone see it? If the kingdom has drawn near, why do believers and unbelievers still live side by side, and why doesn’t God simply remove the wicked now? What kind of kingdom allows resistance to continue? We have questions too. Why does the world still feel so dark? Why does Christ’s cause seem so often opposed and impeded? Why do churches, missions, and schools sometimes falter instead of flourish? Jesus’ answer is not panic, but patience. He teaches us to expect continued hostility from those who reject him, and to live with the dissonance of the “already” and the “not yet.” The kingdom is truly here, but not yet here in fullness. This is what kingdom growth looks like in a contested world. God will deal with evil decisively at the harvest. Until then, he patiently allows the kingdom to grow in the same field where opposition grows too. So don’t be surprised. The weeds will be destroyed, but the kingdom will not. Jesus’ kingdom is opposed. Don’t be surprised when that happens. Second: ### Jesus’ kingdom seems small (13:31-33) In verses 31–33, Jesus tells two brief parables that make the same point from two angles. First, the mustard seed. It’s one of the smallest seeds his hearers know, yet it can grow into a large, tree-like shrub in a single season, providing perches for birds.. That image likely echoes Old Testament pictures (like Daniel 4) of a great tree providing shelter, hinting that God’s kingdom will outgrow and outlast the kingdoms of this world. The point is simple: small beginning, surprising outcome. Then Jesus pairs it with the leaven. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened” (13:33). The leaven is small, almost invisible once it’s worked into the dough, but its influence is total. And the amount of flour is enormous—enough to feed a crowd. What starts hidden spreads quietly, steadily, and irreversibly from within. Together, these parables speak to anyone discouraged by the kingdom’s apparent weakness. Yes, the kingdom can look small, slow, and easy to dismiss. But don’t let the smallness fool you. It grows, it permeates, and it will not be stopped. So far, Jesus has told us to expect two things at the same time: Jesus’ kingdom is opposed, and it’s seemingly insignificant. Then: ### Jesus’ kingdom is worth everything (13:44-46) We’re going to look at two more parables in verses 44 to 46. In the first, a man stumbles upon treasure hidden in a field. In Jesus' time, that situation was normal. There were no banks or safety deposit boxes. When danger came, people would bury their valuable items, sometimes never coming back to get them. So when this man finds the treasure, he hides it again, sells everything he has, and buys the field. It sounds extreme, until you see what he’s gaining. The second parable makes the same point from a different angle. A merchant searching for fine pearls finally finds one of surpassing value. Unlike the man in the field, he isn’t surprised by accident. He’s reached the goal of a long, careful search. And his response is the same: he sells everything to obtain it. The point is simple: the kingdom is worth everything you have. It’s so valuable that no sacrifice is too great, and no price is too high. Even when it looks weak and small, its worth is limitless. As John Piper says: > The kingdom of God is so valuable that losing everything on earth, but getting the kingdom, is a happy trade-off. Having the omnipotent, saving reign of Christ in our lives is so valuable that, if we lose everything, in order to have it, it is a joyful sacrifice. ## How Will You Respond? So far, Jesus has told us three things: Jesus’ kingdom is opposed, seemingly insignificant, and worth everything. In this age the kingdom will be opposed, it will often appear small, and yet it is so supremely valuable that the only sane response is to give up everything gladly to have it. And then Jesus tells two final parables that press the question on us: how will you respond? In verses 47–50, Jesus paints a scene anyone near the Sea of Galilee would recognize. A fisherman casts a dragnet and pulls in a mixed catch until the net is full. Because a dragnet gathers everything, the sorting always comes later: the fishermen sit down, keep the good fish, and throw away the bad. Jesus says the kingdom is like that. For now, the net is wide and the catch is mixed. But a day is coming when God will sort what is genuine from what is not, just as surely as wheat is separated from weeds, and good fish from bad. And that brings the question to us with weight and urgency: how will you respond? Will you dismiss the kingdom because it looks small and contested? Or will you receive it as the greatest treasure, more valuable than anything else you could hold onto? How you answer really matters now, and it will really matter in the end. In fact, it determines everything. Then Jesus turns and asks, “Have you understood all these things?” (13:51). Do they see why the kingdom meets such resistance? Do they grasp its surprising shape and surpassing worth, its small beginnings and its glorious end? Do they feel what’s at stake? With maybe a little too much confidence, they answer, “Yes.” And then Jesus leaves one more story that calls for a response from them and from us: > And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” (13:52) Here’s what he’s saying: if you understand the Scriptures—both the promises of the old covenant and what Jesus has now revealed about his kingdom—don’t hoard that insight. Bring it out. Put it to use. Share it so others can see and understand, too. What’s Jesus’ kingdom like? Right now, it’s heavily opposed, seemingly insignificant, and worth everything. So respond. Respond by understanding what Jesus’ kingdom is like. Respond in faith and repentance to the good news of the kingdom while you still have time. And respond by helping others understand the surprising and glorious nature of Jesus’ kingdom too. Sooner or later, you’re going to be surprised by what Jesus’ kingdom looks like. Jesus wants to help. Don’t be surprised by the opposition. When you see weeds in the field—opposition, hypocrisy, suffering, and the stubborn presence of evil—don’t conclude the kingdom is failing. It’s supposed to be like this. Keep trusting that the Judge of all the earth will do right, and that the harvest is coming. Don’t be surprised or discouraged by the smallness of the kingdom. The mustard seed and the leaven mean your faithfulness is never wasted, even when it looks hidden, ordinary, and unimpressive. Keep praying, keep serving, keep gathering with the church, keep speaking of Christ, keep doing the next right thing. The kingdom grows in quiet ways before it ever looks obvious. Never question the value of Jesus and his kingdom. Jesus is not one treasure among many; he is the treasure. Respond with repentance and faith now, while the net is still being drawn in, while the invitation is still open. And finally, don’t hoard what you’ve come to see. If you understand what Jesus’ kingdom is like—opposed, small, and priceless, then bring that treasure out for others. Speak it, teach it, model it, and pass it on. In a world confused by appearances, one of the most loving things you can do is help someone else see the kingdom clearly. Jesus’ kingdom faces opposition, seems small, and is worth everything. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-504/ Last updated: 2026-06-27T05:00:38.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [A Lot of Christian Tech Criticism Is Missing Three Important Things](https://www.digitalliturgies.net/p/a-lot-of-christian-tech-criticism?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are three things I’ve noticed that tend to be missing from a lot of Christian tech criticism. [What Does a Healthy Small Church Look Like?](https://karlvaters.com/healthy-small-church-look-like/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Small churches can be healthy churches. [What Makes Leaders Frustrated or Chaotic?](https://ericgeiger.com/2026/06/24/what-makes-leaders-frustrated-or-chaotic/?ref=dashhouse.com) > A lack of courage results in frustration. [The Myths of Accountability and Confidentiality: A Warning to Pastors](https://www.samstorms.org/enjoying-god-blog/post/the-myths-of-accountability-and-confidentiality:-a-warning-to-pastors?ref=dashhouse.com) > Simply put, never underestimate your capacity for being deceived. [The Importance of Vacation](https://www.jvfesko.com/blog/2026/6/22/the-importance-of-vacation?ref=dashhouse.com) > One of the most important things you can do as a pastor to prolong your ministry is to take vacations. [Where Should Complementarians Draw the Line?](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/article/where-should-complementarians-draw-the-line/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Every church in our day faces this perennial question and will, at some point, need to find an answer on which they are willing to stand. [The Phoebe Hoax](https://cbmw.org/2026/06/22/the-phoebe-hoax/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Never has more been made of so little than what egalitarians make of Paul’s mention of Phoebe in Romans 16:1-2. ### How to “Affair-Proof” Your Marriage URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/how-to-affair-proof-your-marriage/ Last updated: 2026-06-23T05:00:22.000Z As a pastor, I’ve presided at a lot of wedding ceremonies. Few couples expect that an affair might one day threaten their marriage. Sadly, approximately 1 out of 5 men and 1 out of 8 women report cheating while married. The emotional damage is severe, and full reconciliation, if it even happens, can take years. It makes sense for a man to take as many steps as possible to affair-proof his marriage. The Book of Proverbs offers some wise actions you can take. ## Cultivate Your Own Marriage The first step is to proactively cultivate and enjoy your own marriage. Proverbs 5:15 and v. 18-19 (CSB) say, “Drink water from your own cistern, water flowing from your own well… Let your fountain be blessed, and take pleasure in the wife of your youth. A loving deer, a graceful doe—let her breasts always satisfy you; be lost in her love forever.” Scripture doesn’t just allow for healthy sex in marriage; it commands it! Ray Ortlund [writes](https://amzn.to/4vtjRu2?ref=dashhouse.com), “The wisdom of God is saying, ‘When you get married, drop your inhibitions, and go for it… Make \[sex\] fun and frequent!’… The point is for a man to be crazy in love with his wife.” God could have made procreation boring. Instead, he made it to be a source of pleasure and intimacy within marriage. Don’t lose the wonder of the gift of married sex. Treasure your wife and cultivate enjoyment of sexual intimacy in your marriage. ## Cultivate Your Walk with God Proverbs offers a surprising way to fight adultery: delight in God and His commandments. “For a command is a lamp, teaching is a light, and corrective discipline is the way to life. They will protect you from an evil woman, from the flattering tongue of a wayward woman….” (Proverbs 6:23-24 CSB). One of the best things that any man can do to prevent adultery is to stay close to God. An affair is usually downstream from other things in our lives that have fallen into disrepair. It’s often a symptom of a deeper issue. The best way to prevent an affair is to maintain a healthy heart by cultivating our relationship with God so that we’re walking closely with him. ## Guard Your Thoughts Affairs always begin in a man’s mind and heart first. Proverbs 6:25 warns, “Don’t lust in your heart for her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyelashes.” The first place to fight temptation is in our minds. Don’t begin to desire someone in your mind; don’t dwell on the temptation. Fight temptation while it’s in its earliest stages, before the thoughts become lodged in your mind and have a chance to develop into actions. ## Consider the Consequences Affairs seem exciting, but the price is always greater than we can afford. “The one who commits adultery lacks sense; whoever does so destroys himself” (Proverbs 6:32 CSB). The consequences of sin are always greater and more devastating than we could imagine. It can rob you of everything that matters to you and hurt those you love most. Don’t just consider the excitement; factor in the cost. It’s just not worth it. ## Recognize the Pattern Affairs tend to follow predictable patterns. Proverbs 7:6-23 describes such a pattern: 1. Temptation presents itself. 2. An opportunity comes to pursue an illicit relationship. 3. It looks like there won’t be any negative consequences. 4. The affair happens, and then the damage is done, but it’s too late. I’ve seen this same pattern repeat itself endlessly. Familiarize yourself with this pattern so you can recognize it when it happens to you. The time to act is in the earliest stages. Run for your life from temptation. Take drastic action. Don’t fool yourself: you won’t be any different than the others who’ve fallen into this pattern. Recognize it so you can avoid it. ## It Could Happen to You I used to think that only bad husbands had affairs. But Proverbs screams to us: it could happen to *you*! You’re never more in danger than when you think you’re *not* in danger of falling into sin. Avoiding affairs isn’t a one-time choice. It’s a commitment to a lifetime of keeping our marriage vows, cultivating our relationship with our wives and with God, guarding our thoughts, considering the consequences of sin, and staying alert to the patterns that will lead us into sin. But God is faithful. He will help us if we ask Him. He will help us pursue healthy marriages and give us the grace we need to fight sin, as well as the grace we need when we do sin. While you should do everything possible to avoid having an affair, there’s even grace for those who fail, although God’s grace doesn’t remove all the pain or consequences. For God’s sake and yours, act now to affair-proof your marriage. *Originally published at* [*Impactus*](https://www.impactus.org/articles/how-to-affair-proof-your-marriage/?ref=dashhouse.com) ### Why Parables? (Mark 4:1-20) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/why-parables-mark-41-20/ Last updated: 2026-06-21T17:00:03.000Z **Big Idea:** The message of the kingdom brings a great harvest, but only in hearts that are really ready to accept it. --- Every week I preach, I receive feedback, some informal, some structured. But there's one thing I never want to hear: 'We had no idea what you were saying.' And yet that's exactly what happened to Jesus. In Mark 4:10, after Jesus told a parable, his own disciples pulled him aside and asked him to explain what he meant. Jesus responded: > To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that > “they may indeed see but not perceive, > and may indeed hear but not understand, > lest they should turn and be forgiven.” > (Mark 4:11-12) Jesus tells us something important about his parables. Parables have a double purpose: revelation and concealment. We tend to assume parables are simply teaching tools, illustrations designed to make the truth easier to grasp. But Jesus says something much harder. The parables — and really, Scripture as a whole — have a sorting function. They distinguish those to whom the kingdom has been given from those to whom it hasn't. Parables do more than inform; they reveal. They reveal what’s going on in our hearts. How we respond to these parables matters far more than we might think. ## The Story To understand this fully, we need to step into the story Jesus told in Mark 4. Notice the setting. Verse 1 tells us that a large crowd had gathered to hear Jesus preach. He stepped into a boat and sat, taking the posture of a rabbi, while the crowd pressed in along the shoreline to listen. As Jesus looked out over those faces, he saw a remarkably diverse group of people. He was aware not only of their differences, but of the whole spectrum of receptivity before him. Some were edging toward faith; others were quietly hardening in their unbelief. This was a spiritually mixed crowd. Verse 2 says, "And he was teaching them many things in parables." What exactly is a parable? Simply put, a parable is a short, fictional story drawn from everyday life that unveils a spiritual truth about God's kingdom. It makes one dominant claim, and it makes it unforgettably. Parables open us up to heavenly realities hiding in plain sight. Parables are not merely heartwarming illustrations. They are deeply polarizing. They push you in one direction or the other. They either draw you closer to Jesus or push you farther away. A parable never leaves you exactly where it found you. "They are sparks from that fire which our Lord brought to the earth” (Edward Armstrong). In verse 3, Jesus issues a call: “Listen!” That call is more important than it may appear. It’s not just a call to listen to the parable; it’s the actual point of the parable. It’s a call to ongoing spiritual attentiveness. That’s where Jesus begins. A sower goes out to sow. Don't picture a wealthy landowner overseeing his estate. Imagine a farmer with seeds in a pouch or tucked in his clothes. He walks his land and spreads the seeds with wide, sweeping motions. It was not a precise operation. Modern farmers target only fertile ground. Back then, the seed fell where it fell. And so it lands on four kinds of soil, as we read in verses 4–8: - **The path** — Footpaths cut through fields in those days, but they were no place for seeds to take root. The ground was packed hard by countless passing feet. The seed sat on the surface, exposed, and the birds made quick work of it. - **Rocky places** — This wasn't a field strewn with stones; it was a thin skin of topsoil stretched over bedrock. It looked promising. Seeds would actually sprout there, but with nowhere to sink roots and no moisture to draw from, the first hot sun scorched them into nothing. - **Thorns** — Thorn plants and thistles don't share. They are persistent, aggressive competitors, and they win. Notice the progression. The first seed never even germinates; the birds take it before it has a chance. The second germinates, but withers almost immediately. The third actually grows, but gets choked out before it can ever bear fruit. Yet all of it is redeemed by what happens next. - Some seed falls on **good soil**. With deep roots and steady moisture, it doesn't just survive; it produces. Thirty times. Sixty times. A hundredfold. The harvest is staggering, more than enough to make the whole scattered, imprecise, seemingly wasteful process worth every seed. That’s the story. Jesus closes it with a summons in verse 9: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Again, that is a call to pay attention to the parable, but it’s more. It turns out to be the point of the parable itself. For most people listening, that’s the end of the story. They’re left wondering what all of this means. Not even the disciples understand what Jesus means by this story. ## How We Listen What is Jesus telling us in this story? He’s already given us a hint, because in verse 3 and in verse 9, he’s called us to listen. There’s only one variable in this story. The sower is constant. The seed is constant. The variable — the only variable — is the condition of the ground that receives it. The seed is powerful. It has the potential to produce an extraordinary harvest. Seeds look small, but they contain the potential to produce a surprising amount of life. In verse 14, we read that the seed in this story represents the word, the message of the kingdom of God. Here’s one of the things we’re supposed to see: the word of God is powerful. The word is not an inert object. It contains within itself everything needed to produce the harvest. The word carries divine energy that operates independently of the messenger's skill, personality, or persuasive skills. Never underestimate the power of God’s word. God's word has the same creative energy that called light into existence out of nothing. It is alive and active. It penetrates. It convicts, comforts, corrects, and restores, often long after being spoken, in ways unseen by the sower. What looks like a handful of scattered seeds, in reality, contains unbelievable power. The question isn’t about the power of the word. The question is about the condition of our hearts. In verses 14 to 20, Jesus describes what the different soil conditions in this parable represent. There are four ways to hear God’s word. ### The Path > And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. (4:15) For some, the word is like seed scattered on a hardened path — it never takes root. Before it has a chance to sink in, Satan snatches it away. This is the picture of a hardened heart: closed, resistant, and unreceptive to what God has to say. There is no soft soil, no openness, no room for truth to take hold. The message simply bounces off the surface and is quickly gone. This is no accident. Satan strongly works against God's word. Whenever it is shared, he tries hard to take it away from the minds and hearts of those who hear it. Satan knows what's at stake. The message of the kingdom shares that Jesus lived, died, and came back to life. It says that forgiveness is real and anyone can find new life if they accept it. He will do anything to keep a person from absorbing that truth into their hearts. So let me ask you a hard but necessary question: Do you have a hard heart? Do you live as though you can get by without God? Does the word simply bounce off you, like seed off a well-worn, compacted road? The hardened heart is a sobering place to be, but it is not the only kind of heart Jesus describes. The second kind of soil looks far more promising on the surface, but looks, as we'll see, can be deceiving. ### The Rocky Ground > And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. (4:16-17) Others are like seed sown on rocky ground: they receive the word with immediate joy, but their roots never go deep. When trouble comes, when the cost of following Jesus becomes real, they fall away just as quickly as they came. It is possible to be genuinely excited about God without ever being truly changed by him. An emotional response to the gospel is not the same as a transformed heart. I heard of a man who rushed up to his pastor after a service, eyes filled with enthusiasm. "I gave my life to Christ today!" he declared. The pastor's response was quiet and measured: "We'll see." At first, that might sound cold, even discouraging. But that pastor understood something important: genuine faith is not just a moment of decision. It is a life of endurance. True faith endures not because we are strong, but because the One we trust in has already conquered sin and death on our behalf. True belief doesn't just happen suddenly; it starts small, grows deep, and stays strong even when tough times hit, and they always do. The rocky-ground listener has the spark, but not the soil. The joy is real, but it has nowhere to go. Two soils down, and neither has produced lasting fruit. But the third soil is perhaps the most dangerous of all because it looks, for a long time, like the real thing. ### Thorns and Thistles > And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. (4:18-19) The third listener receives the word, but never fully surrenders to it. Like seed sown among thorns, the word takes hold, but so does everything else. Jesus names the thorns clearly: the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for more. Together, they paint the picture of a divided heart — one that makes room for Christ, but not enough room. Worry crowds out trust. The pursuit of wealth whispers promises it can never keep. The never-ending desire for more — more comfort, more status, more of everything — slowly chokes what used to seem like real faith. This is the warning of the thorny ground: a heart captivated by the world cannot be fully captivated by Christ. Many start off strong, but over time, the love for the world becomes intense, and faith slowly fades away. The first three soils share something in common: the word is heard, but never truly received. For some, Satan snatches it away before it can take root. For others, shallow soil means the first sign of hardship is enough to uproot whatever grew. For still others, the noise and pull of everyday life slowly crowd out what once seemed so promising. A casual hearing, it turns out, is no hearing at all, and the cost is enormous. But Jesus isn't finished. There is one more kind of listener. ### Good Soil > But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold. (4:20) This heart is different. The word doesn't bounce off its surface. It doesn't wither under pressure. It isn't strangled by competing desires. This is a heart that is open, receptive, and willing, one that hears the word, welcomes it, and allows it to go deep. And the result is fruit. It's not just a friendly gesture toward faith, but a real change in life. This change shows in better character, steady obedience, and good actions that come easily from a strong foundation. Jesus describes this kind of hearing as ongoing and attentive, the opposite of careless or distracted. The good-soil listener keeps listening, keeps learning, and keeps producing good results. These results come from a life changed by the good news of Jesus. This is what a disciple looks like. And the harvest Jesus promises is nothing short of extraordinary — thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold. When the word is truly received, the yield is far greater than anything we could produce on our own. The difference isn’t the sower. It’s not the seed. It’s how you hear. Everything depends on your receptivity to the word and to Jesus. It’s all about the state of your heart, and your willingness to receive God’s word. This passage shows that **the message of the kingdom brings a great harvest, but only in hearts that are really ready to accept it.** Every week, God speaks through his word. There’s no question about its power. The question is: when God speaks, how do you listen? God’s word reveals, but some won’t understand. That’s by design. It all depends on the heart of the one who hears it. So what kind of soil are you? The hard heart, where the word never gets a chance? The rocky ground, where the excitement fades when things get difficult? The thorny soil, where life's distractions slowly crowd Christ out? Or the good soil — open, receptive, willing to let the word go deep and do its work? Here's the good news: you don't have to change your own heart. That's what Jesus came to do. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus makes our hearts new. You can come to him right now — hard heart, rocky ground, thorns and all — and ask him to do what you cannot do for yourself. Hard ground can be broken up. Rocky soil can be cultivated. Thorns can be cleared. But that requires honesty, the willingness to sit before God's word and ask, what is it finding in me? "When God speaks, something always happens" (Darrell Johnson). The only question is what is happening in you. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-503/ Last updated: 2026-06-20T05:00:36.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [A Case Against Christian Doomerism](https://mereorthodoxy.com/a-case-against-christian-doomerism/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The world is nowhere near as uniquely bad as you think it is. [Confessing Sin, Then and Now](https://mereorthodoxy.com/confessing-sin-then-and-now/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The words and phrases we use to confess our sin imply something significant about our understanding of sin. [The Terrible Possibility Of Adultery](https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-terrible-possibility-of-adultery?ref=dashhouse.com) > Our little sins can add up to big sins with big consequences. [The Biblical Difference Between Misplaced Shame and Well-Placed Shame](https://www.crossway.org/articles/the-biblical-difference-between-misplaced-shame-and-well-placed-shame/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Whether we have a hand in honoring God or dishonoring God makes all the difference. [Technology Is Fast, Sanctification Is Slow, and Claude Can’t Do It for You](https://www.challies.com/articles/technology-is-fast-sanctification-is-slow-and-claude-cant-do-it-for-you/?ref=dashhouse.com) > I suspect AI is going to move in on our lives in similar ways, or possibly even more substantial ones. [Fellow Father, You Are Not a Failure](https://aaronarmstrong.co/fellow-father-you-are-not-a-failure/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Failing and being a failure are different things. [4 Convictions You Should Never Preach Without](https://www.crossway.org/articles/4-convictions-you-should-never-preach-without/?ref=dashhouse.com) > If these convictions about Scripture are not in place and operating in your hearts, I do not think you should be allowed to preach. ### Fight the Tyranny of Results in Ministry URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/fight-the-tyranny-of-results-in-ministry/ Last updated: 2026-06-16T05:00:52.000Z A dangerous belief poses a threat to us and our ministries. It’s the belief that we’re responsible for getting results. It doesn’t sound like a dangerous belief. In almost any other venture, it’s reasonable to expect results. I never want to hear my investment advisor tell me that he doesn’t think it’s his job to get results. You might think the same happens in Christian ministry, but there is one big difference: we can't control the results, no matter how hard we try. (Actually, my investment advisor can’t control the results, either. We have much less control than we think.) “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth,” Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 3:6-7\. “So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” We struggle to believe this. For sure, we have work to do. Paul details the work that he and Apollos did. But they weren’t responsible for the growth. That’s God’s job. Paul and Apollos had two things in common. First: they worked. Second: their work was useless unless God gave the growth. “Both he who plants and he who waters are completely dependent on God—and on each other,” observes David Prior. We’re just servants that do what he asks us to do. Servants don’t get to brag. We also don’t get to measure our own ministries. Paul didn’t, because he knew only one evaluation matters, and it’s not ours (1 Corinthians 4:3-5). In fact, Paul says that when we measure and compare ourselves to others who serve, we show that we lack understanding (2 Corinthians 10:12). It’s not only a dangerous game; it’s a stupid one. We should work hard. If you are a pastor, you should command and teach, set an example, to devote ourselves to things like the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, and teaching. You should make progress in these things, and you should watch your life and doctrine (1 Timothy 4:11-16). The list is long. God has given us much to do. But you’re not responsible for what God does with all of these. You may serve in a big church. You may serve in a small church. Things may go well. Things might not go well. If things don’t go well, you’re in very good company. You join many of the prophets, apostles, and saints throughout history, and Jesus too. Give thanks that you get to share in his suffering. If things do go well, be careful. Don’t take credit. One of the biggest risks in ministry is pride. A sure way to become proud is to believe that you are the reason your ministry is doing well. I’m not saying that results don’t matter in ministry. They do. They’re just not up to us. Be faithful. Cultivate humility. Work hard. Do the things God has called you to do. Give it your all. But quit thinking you’re responsible for the results. Believe that God counts differently than we do. Keep serving. Encourage others. If the results don’t come, remember that your ministry still matters (1 Corinthians 15:58). If the results come, refuse to take credit and give glory to God. Most of all, just keep going and leave the results up to God. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-502/ Last updated: 2026-06-13T09:00:10.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [You Can Conform to Christ Even If You Don’t Conform to Me](https://www.challies.com/articles/you-can-conform-to-christ-even-if-you-dont-conform-to-me/?ref=dashhouse.com) > To conform to Christ, we do not need to conform to one another. [Why Hot Takes Are the Enemy of Conviction](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/forgotten-how-stay-convicted/?ref=dashhouse.com) > We often mistake having an opinion for having taken a position. Then we mistake taking a position for having done something. [The Humbling I Needed](https://yourmomhasablog.com/2026/06/05/the-humbling-i-needed/?utm%5Fsource=rss&utm%5Fmedium=rss&utm%5Fcampaign=the-humbling-i-needed) > Pride in parenthood is not only bad for kids, it’s not founded. [Restlessness](https://www.chrismartin.fyi/p/restlessness?ref=dashhouse.com) > We’re a restless people, especially the younger ones of us. [The God of Small Churches](https://churchmansquill.com/the-god-of-small-churches/?ref=dashhouse.com) > God took a letter written to thirty people in a house and gave it to the world. [A Rule of Life for Your Phone](https://the-undistracted-disciple.netlify.app/post.html?slug=a-rule-of-life-for-your-phone&ref=dashhouse.com) > The phone does not need to be the enemy. But it does need a place. [Please Use AI - By Shawn Smucker - The Courage to Live It](https://shawnsmucker.substack.com/p/please-use-ai) > Be sure to use AI when making your next, I don’t know, meal plan… My latest column at [TGC Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [More Than a Game](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/straight-paths/more-than-a-game/?ref=dashhouse.com) > According to Cardus, sports gambling brings financial, psychological, emotional, relational, and physical harms, particularly to young people and vulnerable populations. ### When Innovation Isn’t the Answer URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/when-innovation-isnt-the-answer/ Last updated: 2026-06-09T05:00:22.000Z I recently asked an equities investor what he thought of a well-known publication. "It serves as an excellent contrarian indicator," he said. “I read it to find out what I don’t believe.” It made me laugh, but it also made me think that this is a good way to approach many ministry resources. When I read that effective ministry needs innovation or new trends, I follow my friend's advice and do the opposite. A.I. is the future of pastoral ministry? I lean into the analog and the personal. Someone's come up with a new theological insight that nobody's ever seen before? I dig up an old commentary. A new way of doing church or a new kind of Christianity or a new perspective on Paul or something else? I go looking for what’s old. Effective ministry isn't found by looking for the new and novel or adopting new techniques. It's found in the faithful things that pastors have been doing for centuries. This problem isn’t new. I was shocked the first time I read [*Preaching and Preachers*](https://amzn.to/3RZB4wg?ref=dashhouse.com) by Lloyd-Jones, based on a series of lectures he gave in 1969\. People said preachers needed to adapt, Lloyd-Jones says, because modern people supposedly don’t listen like earlier generations. “I maintain that this new kind of thinking about these matters is entirely wrong… It is wrong in general, first of all, because it is wrong in fact, and it is wrong in experience. It is wrong in its whole psychological understanding of the situation.” People haven't changed, and ministry hasn't changed either. Lloyd-Jones believed that we should speak to the people of our day, but he also warned against falling: > …into the grievous error of adopting modern psychological theories to such an extent that we evade the truth, sometimes to protect ourselves from the message, and certainly often to justify methods that are not consistent and consonant with the message which we are privileged to deliver. Elasticity, he wrote, has its limits. It's a mistake to think that innovation is the key to effective ministry. More often than not, the opposite is true. Go back to the same things pastors have been doing for hundreds of years, the same things that God has promised to bless, and keep doing those things faithfully until the end. The world is full of promised upgrades and “proven” strategies. I’m not impressed. Instead, keep going. Keep doing the plain, time-tested things God has called you to do. Stay faithful, and let your suspicion of trends grow. Read old books. Root yourself in what is deep and durable, not what is new and loud. When the newest blog post tells you to change everything, let it be a warning. Remember to go back to prayer, the Bible, the ordinary means of grace, and love for your people. Faithfulness is not flashy, but it is fruitful, and it will last long after the trends are gone. ### The Future of Israel (Romans 11:11-32) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-future-of-israel-romans-1111-32/ Last updated: 2026-06-07T17:00:23.000Z **Big Idea:** God has not abandoned Israel, and the same mercy that reached you is the mercy that will one day reach them. --- Here's a loaded question: when I say the word "Israel," what comes to your mind? Few words today carry more emotional and ideological weight. Chances are, you had one of three reactions: - **Strong Support** — Israel is a legitimate democracy with a right to self-defense. The biblical and historical ties to the land are real, and October 7, 2023 only deepened that conviction. - **Sharp Criticism** — The Jewish people and Israeli government policy are not the same thing. Military actions in Gaza, settlement expansion, and disproportionate force demand serious moral scrutiny. - **Exhaustion** — You'd rather not go there. The conversation feels unresolvable, emotionally costly, and socially risky, especially in a church or diverse workplace. Wherever you landed, your reaction points to something worth noticing: Israel has never been a neutral topic. But before Israel was a political flashpoint or a news headline, it was a theological story, and that story is still unfolding. In Romans 11, Paul argues that what God is doing with Israel is directly connected to your salvation, the mission of the Church, and the mercy of God toward all people. Most of us have strong opinions about Israel. Far fewer of us have sat with what God says about Israel. That's what makes this passage so important. Paul pulls back the curtain on a divine plan so purposeful, surprising, and soaked in grace that should move us beyond reaction and debate, and bring us to something far better: worship. ## The Question At the heart of this passage is one piercing question: Has God abandoned Israel? Is Israel a chapter God has already closed, important once, but no longer relevant to what he's doing in the world? There’s a reason why this question came up in Romans. In the early church, Gentiles were coming to faith in large numbers, but very few Jews were. Over time, that imbalance began to breed a quiet arrogance among Gentile believers. If Israel was largely rejecting the gospel, they reasoned, then perhaps God was finished with Israel altogether. Perhaps the Jewish people had been replaced, and Gentiles now stood at the center of God's purposes. This raised a deeper question, one that cut to the very character of God. If he had turned his back on Israel, what did that say about him? Could his word be trusted? Had his promises failed? And if God could walk away from Israel, what would stop him from walking away from anyone else? This matters because we need to understand what God has planned for us and Israel in the world. ## Paul’s Answer So let’s look at Paul’s answer. But let me warn you: Romans 11 is one of the most rewarding — and most demanding — chapters in all of Paul's writings. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones called it one of the "great and notable chapters in the whole Bible," yet was quick to admit it is also one of the most difficult. Has God abandoned Israel? Paul answers in three ways that help us understand God’s plan. Here’s Paul’s first answer: ### God's plan is bigger than you imagined (11:11–16) > So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! (11:11-12) Paul's question is blunt: Has God rejected his people forever? His answer is equally blunt: Absolutely not. Paul uses the strongest negation available in Greek, used fourteen times throughout Romans precisely to rule something out as impossible. Yes, Israel stumbled. Paul knew this firsthand. In city after city, synagogue after synagogue, the Jewish response had hardened into rejection. The same leaders who crucified Jesus had persecuted his followers and chased Paul across the empire. But Paul calls it a stumble, not a fall. It was part of a plan. He traces three movements: - **Israel's rejection** opened the door for the Gentiles to receive salvation. - **Gentile blessing** was designed to provoke Israel to jealousy — and draw them back. - **Israel's return** will unleash even greater blessing on the world. Paul talks about “full inclusion,” which we’ll return to in a moment. God isn’t done with Israel yet! This isn't abandonment. It's a story still unfolding, one where God's mercy keeps reaching further than anyone expected. Then Paul says something important to the Gentiles: > Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches. (11:12-16) Paul gets practical. He turns his attention to the majority in the Roman church, the Gentile believers. He has already established that the gospel is "the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:16). His pattern was consistent: he always brought the message to the Jewish people first, and when they rejected it, he turned to the Gentiles. Now he reveals something remarkable: his passion for Gentile ministry isn't just about the Gentiles. He hopes their salvation will stir a holy jealousy in his Jewish brothers and sisters, drawing them back to God as well. It's like a boomerang: Jewish rejection opens the door to Gentile salvation, which in turn becomes the very instrument God uses to bring Jewish people home. Then, in verse 16, Paul offers an image that seems puzzling at first, but it's actually quite beautiful. In Paul's day, Jewish households would set aside a small portion of dough as an offering before baking bread. That act of dedication consecrated the entire batch. Paul applies this picture to Israel: Abraham is that first portion, the holy root from which the whole tree grows. Because the patriarchs were set apart by God, the nation that springs from them remains consecrated to God as well despite their failure. Their failures don't cancel God's faithfulness. He isn't finished with them yet. Let me ask you: are you living with too small a view of God's plan? It's easy to shrink God's story down to the size of our own experience: our church, our community, our people. But Paul is painting on a much larger canvas. God is orchestrating the salvation of Jews and Gentiles across centuries, using stumbling and returning, rejection and acceptance, all as instruments in his sovereign hands. Your faith is part of God's plan for Israel. Paul says Gentile salvation was meant to provoke Israel to jealousy. Don't write Israel off. God hasn't. Let this passage widen your prayers. Pray for the Jewish people. Pray for all nations. God’s plan is bigger than you imagined. But then Paul answers by making a second point: ### God's plan calls you to humility, not pride (11:17–22) In verses 17–24, Paul introduces a powerful image: an olive tree. The tree represents God's people throughout history, both Jew and Gentile. But Paul does something striking with it. The tree is originally Jewish, yet some of its natural branches have been broken off. We as Gentiles were wild branches, grafted in to take their place. Here's what each part of the image means. The root is Abraham. The broken branches are generations of Jewish people who rejected the Lord. The grafted branches are believing Gentiles. Most Jewish people have not believed in Jesus as their Messiah and have therefore been cut off from the spiritual blessings that were rightfully theirs. Meanwhile, Gentiles — who had no claim on those blessings at all — have entered into them entirely by faith in Israel's Messiah. We didn't earn our place. We were invited in. And that's precisely Paul's warning: you were grafted in, not born in. Turning to the Gentile majority in Rome — and to us — he says, "Do not be arrogant toward the branches" (v. 18). From this image, Paul draws out three sharp applications. - **Don't boast.** "Do not become proud, but fear" (11:20). Gentiles are beneficiaries of Jewish rejection, not deserving recipients. There is nothing to be proud of here; only gratitude. - **Remember who holds you up.** The root supports the branches, never the other way around (11:18). You do not sustain your standing before God. He sustains you. The moment we forget that, we've already begun to drift. - **Don't presume on God's grace (11:20-22).** God is love, but he is also holy and just. The breaking off of natural branches should give us pause. Faith perseveres in humility; presumption is what fails. Just as unbelief caused natural branches to be cut off, arrogance and self-righteous unbelief can lead to the same. If he didn’t hesitate to cut off dead branches of the original tree, he won’t hesitate to cut us out either. This isn't a call to anxious doubt; it's a call to live in reverent, honest dependence on God. It’s easy to drift from “I was invited in” to “I belong here.” But Paul won’t let us do that. We are wild branches, held not by our own strength but by the grace of the One who grafted us in. There is no place for spiritual pride, no place for judging others, and no place for thinking that God owes us anything. Just wonder. Hold your place in this tree with open hands and a grateful heart, because you didn’t grow here. You were planted by a Savior who is gentle with weak faith, and strong enough to keep what he grafts in. Paul has shown us that God's plan is much bigger than we thought. Our role in it asks for humility, not pride. Now he brings us to his third point: ### God's plan ends in mercy for everyone (11:25–32) In verse 12, Paul talks about Israel's full inclusion. In verses 23–24, he says the broken branches *can* be grafted back in. Then in verses 25–26, he calls it a mystery: "A partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved" — because, verse 29 says, "the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." What does Paul mean by “all Israel will be saved”? People usually land in one of four views: - **View 1 — Jews are saved apart from Jesus (a separate covenant path).** Romans 11 doesn’t allow that: there’s one olive tree, and salvation is through the Messiah—not a second track. - **View 2 — “Israel” means the Church.** That would make “all Israel” mean all believers (Jews + Gentiles). But in Romans 9–11 Paul has been speaking mainly about ethnic Israel; switching definitions right here feels forced. - **View 3 — “All Israel” means the remnant across history.** God saves Jewish people in every generation, and that’s true. But Paul’s language about the hardening lifting and branches being grafted back in points to something more than a steady trickle. - **View 4 — A future, large-scale turning of Jewish people to Christ.** Before Christ returns, God lifts the hardening and many Jewish people come to faith in Jesus. This is the most common view among commentators. I believe View 4 is the best reading for a few reasons. First, “Israel” should mean the same in both sentences: if ethnic Israel is mentioned in verse 25, then it is also what Paul means when he says, “and so all Israel will be saved” in verse 26\. The second point Paul makes—“life from the dead” helping the world—feels too dramatic to be just a slow and steady flow of Jewish converts over many years. Third, Paul underlines it as a headline truth: “I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery”—his way of saying, “Don’t miss what God is doing here.” Paul appears to be referring to a time in the future, close to Christ's return, when the hardening is removed and many Jewish people will turn to Jesus. They will do this not through a different way, but through the same mercy that saves everyone: faith in the one Savior. > Israel itself, now lapsed in unbelief, will turn back — from rejection to acceptance, from cut off to redrafted, from disobedience to obedience, and from partial and temporary hardening to faith. ([Fred Zaspel and Jim Hamilton Jr.](https://amzn.to/4fs9xNJ?ref=dashhouse.com)) There will be a reversal. God's calling is irrevocable. He will not abandon his people. That truth should humble us, shape our prayers, and fuel our passion for the gospel, including with Jewish people. God’s story isn’t over. Israel’s rejection of Jesus isn’t total; God always keeps a remnant. Israel's rejection of Jesus is not final; restoration is coming. The story isn't over. It never was. Romans 11 is a call to three simple things: wonder, humility, and trust. - Wonder — because God's plan is far bigger than we can imagine, weaving together Jews and Gentiles in ways that should expand our prayers and deepen our worship. - Humility — because we didn't earn our place in this story; we were grafted in by grace, which means pride has no home here. - And trust — because the God who has kept every promise to Israel is the same God who holds our lives. His mercy is the first word and the last word, and that is more than enough to rest in. God has not abandoned Israel, and the same mercy that reached you is the mercy that will one day reach many of them. Give thanks for your salvation through Jesus, and look forward to the day when God will save all kinds of people to be his forever. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-501/ Last updated: 2026-06-06T05:00:20.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [The Pope Drops Spiritual Knowledge on AI](https://michaelfbird.substack.com/p/the-pope-drops-spiritual-knowledge) > The Pope warned that while AI is a powerful tool, as with all technologies, it is not a morally neutral tool. [What Is Magnifica Humanitas All About?](https://www.wyattgraham.com/p/what-is-magnifica-humanitas-all-about?ref=dashhouse.com) > Magnifica Humanitas argues for a prudential and humane approach to emerging technologies like AI. [The Delightful Duty of Married Sex](https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-delightful-duty-of-married-sex?ref=dashhouse.com) > Paul makes clear that married sex is a mutual duty for a husband and a wife. [Clarity + Courage = Conviction](https://ericgeiger.com/2026/06/03/clarity-courage-conviction/?ref=dashhouse.com) > There is a difference between leading from convenience and leading from conviction. [The Pastor as Anti-Professional](https://articles.theshepherdsrefuge.com/p/the-pastor-as-anti-professional?ref=dashhouse.com) > I must consciously reject the idea that conforming to the external, polished appearances often associated with professionalism is a mark of success. [Nine Marks of a Healthy Paragraph: Practical Suggestions for Improving a Pastor’s Writing](https://www.9marks.org/article/practical-suggestions-for-improving-a-pastors-writing/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Matt Smethurst offers nine practical suggestions to help pastors improve their writing. ### Stop Believing Your Best Years Are Behind You URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/stop-believing-your-best-years-are-behind-you/ Last updated: 2026-06-02T05:00:33.000Z A few years ago, I ran a series of races and felt pretty good about my performance, until I showed the results to a friend. He immediately noticed something I'd missed: I was running the second half of every race slower than the first. "You're doing it backwards," he said. "The goal is to run the second half faster. If you've prepared well and paced yourself right, the second half should be your strongest." That insight stuck with me. I think about it often. Our culture prizes youth, and for good reason. There's real glory in those early years: boundless energy, open horizons, a future stretching out full of possibility. It's an exhilarating season, even though it's filled with stress and uncertainty. But I wonder if we've badly misjudged the later years. We frame them as a time to ease up, slow down, and coast toward the finish. I think we have it exactly wrong. What if a man's later years are meant to be his strongest? What if they're not for winding down, but for our greatest contribution? If we've prepared well, the second half should be when we run our best race. ## You Will Experience Decline Let's start with what we can't avoid: physical decline comes with age. Ecclesiastes 12:1–6 paints a vivid picture of old age as a gathering storm, a house slowly breaking down. Hands tremble. Vision dims. Strength fades. No matter how well we eat, how much we exercise, or how carefully we live, we can't escape this reality. Our bodies will weaken. It's happened to every man before us, and it will happen to us. According to [Arthur Brooks](https://amzn.to/4e0S9xi?ref=dashhouse.com), this decline starts earlier than we think: > Here is the reality: in practically every high-skill profession, decline sets in sometime between one's late thirties and early fifties. We work hard to acquire skills, and they make us successful, but we can expect a significant decline to come as soon as this season of life. Paul puts it bluntly: “Our outer selves are wasting away” (2 Corinthians 4:16). Every man past forty knows exactly what he means. We can slow the decline, but we can't stop it. Decline is coming for all of us. But that's only half the picture. ## You're Also Being Renewed Paul doesn't stop at physical decline. "Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16). While our bodies inevitably weaken, something else can be happening: a deep, daily spiritual renewal that far outweighs what we're losing physically. I've seen this firsthand. Without exception, the people who've shaped my life most profoundly have been older believers. When I was young, I could outrun every one of them. I had more energy, better reflexes, fewer aches. But they possessed something I didn't: A depth of soul, a settled strength, a hard-won wisdom that can't be rushed. That's why you can run the second half of life better than the first — not physically but spiritually. Your later years can be your years of greatest impact. Think of the wisdom you've gained, the character you've developed, the faith you've tested and found true. Your later years are when it all comes together. This is when you run your strongest race. ## A Plan for Later Years As you get older, expect physical decline. Try to hold it off as long as possible, but be realistic: you'll never be able to keep up with those who are young. But **refuse to believe that your best years are behind you.** Instead, ask God to allow you to run the best part of your race in the later years. Keep growing in your relationship with the Lord. Cultivate genuine relationships with those younger than you. Love them well. Invite them into your life not as a project, but as friends. Share honestly about what God has taught you through decades of following Him, through successes and failures alike. By your 60s and 70s, you've accumulated something irreplaceable: decades of experience and judgment forged only through time. You likely enjoy stronger emotional regulation, richer relationships, and a deeper capacity for meaningful connection. The pressure to prove yourself has lifted. You'll have greater freedom. Use it intentionally. You're now a man who can synthesize a lifetime of learning into wisdom that genuinely serves others. Yes, you may have more doctor's appointments. But you also have more to offer than ever before. Don't be a man who wastes these years. They may prove to be your most fruitful. Plan with God's help to make the second half of your race the best half. *Originally published at* [*Impactus*](https://www.impactus.org/articles/stop-believing-your-best-years-are-behind-you/?ref=dashhouse.com) ### When God Doesn't Look Faithful (Romans 11:1-10) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/when-god-doesnt-look-faithful-romans-111-10/ Last updated: 2026-05-31T05:00:29.000Z **Big Idea:** God's faithfulness does not depend on our ability to see it. --- At some point, we have to face an uncomfortable problem: God's promises to Israel don't seem to have come true. And that matters because if God didn't keep his promises to Israel, why would we trust him to keep his promises to us? In the Old Testament, God made big promises to his people: a nation and land with Abraham, an everlasting throne with David, and a new heart and full forgiveness with the New Covenant. These weren't suggestions. They were sworn commitments from a God who does not go back on his word. Now look at history. Their hold on the land has always been contested. The temple has been gone for nearly 2,000 years. No king from David's line has sat on a throne since the Babylonian exile in 600 BC. Nothing in human history, not even the modern state of Israel, matches the wide vision that Isaiah spoke about. Many people in the nation were spiritually lost in Old Testament times, and most did not accept the Messiah when he arrived. Today, only around 2% of Jewish people believe in Jesus. ## The Question So what do we do with that? What happened to God’s promises to his people? How do we explain the grand promises God gave to Israel with what we see in reality, not just today, but throughout history? Paul faces this head-on in Romans 11:1: "I ask, then, has God rejected his people?" The phrase "cast away" carries weight. It means a final, total dismissal, a decision to have nothing further to do with them. It’s like what God did to Saul in the Old Testament in rejecting him as king (1 Samuel 15:23). Has he given up on Israel? It would be easy to come to this conclusion. If the Jewish people are God's chosen, why do so few believe while Gentiles stream into the church? Has God's word failed? Has his purpose collapsed? These are not just historical questions; they are deeply personal ones. If God made clear promises to a certain group of people and those promises seem unfulfilled, the issue doesn't just stay in the past. It reaches into your life right now. Every promise God made to you, every hope you have, and every prayer you trust him with — all this relies on whether God really keeps his word. So the answer to this question matters more than we might think. ## Paul’s Answer Paul's answer is immediate and emphatic. “I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means!” Paul then establishes that God's rejection of Israel is not total by offering three converging lines of evidence. ### Personal Evidence (1b-2a) > For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Paul himself is Exhibit A. He was a full-blooded Israelite — a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. He had also been the church's most dangerous enemy: calculating, relentless, and complicit in the murder of believers. He was so feared that after he changed, only Barnabas, a very kind man, was willing to support him. And yet God went after him. He met him on the Damascus Road, stopped him in his tracks, and brought him, struggling and protesting, into the kingdom. He didn't just save Paul. He made him an apostle. As long as even one Jewish person has come to faith in Christ, no one can credibly claim that God has abandoned his people. Paul's story alone dismantles that argument. And this is where the gospel comes into full view. The same kindness that changed Paul — who had blood on his hands and was hurting others — is the kindness available to anyone who wants to accept it. Jesus lived the life we couldn't live and died the death we deserved. He rose again, proving that God keeps every promise he makes. If you've never trusted him, today is the day. Come as you are. Notice Paul's words in verse 2: "God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew." He chose them, not because of anything they did, but simply because he decided to. And he will not walk away from that choice. Scripture has always been clear on this: > For the LORD will not forsake his people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you a people for himself. (1 Samuel 12:22) > For the LORD will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage. (Psalm 94:14) Paul presents his own story as evidence that God has not abandoned Israel. But then he offers a second line of evidence: ### Historical Evidence (2b-6) > Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. We think we see the full picture, but so did Elijah. If there was ever a moment to believe God had abandoned Israel, it was then. The nation was in a spiritual free fall. The worst king in Israel's history sat on the throne. Worship of the Lord had been effectively outlawed. Prophets had been silenced. The people were indifferent at best. The entire nation stood under God's judgment. No wonder Elijah concluded he was the last faithful Israelite standing. He came to God in despair because of how bleak things looked. It looked just as bleak in Paul's day. Honestly, it doesn't look that much better for us. This is true whether we talk about how many Jewish people believe in Jesus or the general state of Christianity today. But God corrected Elijah. Things were not as hopeless as they appeared. Elijah was not the last faithful Israelite. Not even close. God had quietly, graciously preserved a remnant of seven thousand who had never bowed to Baal. He preserved a remnant then. He preserves one now. Think about what those seven thousand people looked like. They weren't gathered somewhere. There was no meeting, no way to even know the others existed. Ordinary people — a farmer in the Jezreel Valley, a woman near Samaria — each quietly refusing to bow. No one saw them do it. No prophet knew their names. And yet every morning they made the same small, invisible choice: *not today.* Elijah thought he was alone. He was wrong by seven thousand. If you’re curious if God keeps his promises: he kept them for a whole nation even when only seven thousand out of maybe 200,000 were still following him. He can keep his promises for you too. Elijah's mistake was treating what he could see as the whole story of what God was doing. That’s our problem too. Paul makes his point: "Even so, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace" (11:5). In Paul's day, that remnant included the thousands of Jewish believers who filled the early church. We didn't deserve it. We can't earn it. God does it by his grace. No matter how dark the moment, God has always kept a remnant. Noah's family survived the flood. Joseph preserved Israel through famine. Elijah thought he was the last one standing — God told him seven thousand remained. The exiles who returned from Babylon were the faithful remnant through whom God continued his story. God has never stopped preserving a remnant from among the Jewish people throughout the history of the church. But Paul is quick to anchor this in verse 6: none of it is because of merit. The remnant is preserved by grace. The word “grace” appears four times in verses 5 and 6\. It’s entirely by God's doing. We didn't deserve it. We can't earn it. God does it. It's grace, all the way down. It’s not because of Israel's faithfulness or human effort. The remnant exists because God chooses it, not because the remnant earns it. Has God abandoned his people? No. Paul’s testimony proves it. The historical evidence proves it. But there’s one more line of argument. ### Scriptural Evidence (7-10) Verse 7 provides Paul's summary: “What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened…” Israel as a whole pursued righteousness but missed it. The elect — those chosen by grace — received the message and believed. The rest were hardened to it. The nation did not obtain what it was looking for, but within that nation, a remnant did. And this, Paul insists, is nothing new. He looks at Israel's own Scriptures to show that this pattern of hardening appears throughout history of redemption. In verse 8, drawing from Deuteronomy 29:4 and Isaiah 29:10, he writes: > “God gave them a spirit of stupor, > eyes that would not see > and ears that would not hear, > down to this very day.” Then, in verses 9 and 10, he quotes from Psalm 69:22–23: > And David says, > “Let their table become a snare and a trap, > a stumbling block and a retribution for them; > let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, > and bend their backs forever.” Paul's point is simple: some people in Israel have hardened their hearts before, and this doesn't mean that God has left them. It has always been this way: some believe, some are hardened. This is the pattern of redemptive history. Now Paul draws all three lines of evidence together. His own story shows that God is still extending grace to Jewish people. Elijah's story reminds us that there is always more happening beneath the surface than we can see. The Old Testament shows that even though many people miss God's plan, it has not stopped God from working strongly through those he has chosen. Has God abandoned his people? The answer, from Paul's life, from Israel's history, from Scripture itself, is an unqualified no. Some of you believe God is faithful — to other people. You can follow Paul's argument, nod along, and still quietly wonder if you're the exception. Here's what Paul would say: you're not arguing with him. You're arguing with a God who stopped a man on a Damascus road — mid-persecution, blood on his hands — and said, I choose him. Not because of what Paul deserved. Because grace doesn't wait for that. The remnant wasn't preserved because they were the strongest. They were preserved because God kept his hand on them even when they couldn't feel it. That's how this works. It doesn't require your awareness to operate. God's faithfulness has no footnote that excludes you. ## What This Means A few weeks ago, I returned from England, where I witnessed something encouraging: what they call a quiet revival breaking out among young people. Thousands of them gathering to pray through the night. Gen Z showing up hungry for Jesus, buying Bibles, their lives being turned upside down by the gospel. I was so encouraging for me to hear the stories and to see God at work. But here's the thing I kept wrestling with: what do we do with that joy? And more importantly, what do we do when the stories stop? What happens when the all-night prayer meetings are over? What do we do when the pews are empty, and God seems distant? Paul is answering exactly that question in Romans 11. The temptation, in seasons of blessing, is to let what God *is doing* become the foundation of our confidence. We start to trust the revival rather than the Reviver. In times of quiet or tough times — like losing something important, a bad news, or many years of prayers with no answers — we face a different temptation: we focus on what is not happening and think that God has stopped helping us or, even worse, that he has left us. Elijah made that very mistake. He looked at the emptiness around him and declared himself the last man standing. He treated what he could see as the full measure of what God was doing. And God gently corrected him: I have kept for myself seven thousand. The story was never as bleak as it appeared. Here is what Paul wants us to hold onto: **God's faithfulness does not depend on our ability to see it.** His work is never as absent as it appears. In good times, give thanks, but put your confidence in the God behind the blessing, not the blessing itself. In tough times, stay strong, because even if you can't see it, God is always helping, always working, and always keeping his promises. From Abraham to Elijah to Paul to you, the thread of his faithfulness has never once broken. The world is moving toward its intended end. His plan unfolds exactly as he designed it. He is that kind of God. He makes promises and never breaks them. You can trust him today, no matter how today is. He has not rejected his people. He has not rejected you. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-500/ Last updated: 2026-05-30T05:00:36.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [The State of Theology: Canadian Survey Now Available](https://www.ligonier.org/posts/the-state-of-theology-canadian-survey-now-available?ref=dashhouse.com) > The results are now in, and they’re sobering. [AI Is the Perfect Tool for Celebrity Christian Authors](https://katelynbeaty.substack.com/p/ai-writing-tool-celebrity-christian-authors-book-publishing-industry) > The publishing industry has ceded so much ground to high-profile authors who don't or can't write. [An Ounce of Clarity Vs a Pound of Cleverness](https://www.digitalliturgies.net/p/an-ounce-of-clarity-vs-a-pound-of?ref=dashhouse.com) > In writing, an ounce of clarity is worth more than a pound of cleverness. [I’m Not a Writer Says Pastor Who Writes Hundreds of Sermons](https://buildingjerusalem.blog/2026/05/26/im-not-a-writer-says-pastor-who-writes-hundreds-of-sermons/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Let’s get one thing clear: just about every pastor is a writer. [Why Don’t Our Sermons Change People?](https://achalmersblog.com/2026/05/22/why-dont-our-sermons-change-people/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Sermons are often 90% information and 10% application. [Take It on the Chin](https://www.jvfesko.com/blog/2026/5/26/take-it-on-the-chin?ref=dashhouse.com) > To stand, take criticism, and yet remain silent is not a sign of weakness but rather spiritual maturity. [Running and the Pastorate](https://gcdiscipleship.com/article-feed/running-and-the-pastorate?ref=dashhouse.com) > There is much correlation between running and the pastorate; both require dedication, focus, solitude, and discipline. ### Does an Unbelieving Child Disqualify a Pastor? URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/does-an-unbelieving-child-disqualify-a-pastor/ Last updated: 2026-05-26T05:00:19.000Z If a pastor's child rejects the gospel, must that pastor step down from ministry? It's a question more pastors and churches will face than we might expect. I recently heard a pastor with young children say that if any one of them did not come to faith in Christ, he would resign. I can think of a number of well-known pastors whose adult children have walked away from the faith. Some of us will face this question ourselves, or we'll walk alongside a pastor in our church who does. It's a question worth thinking through carefully, before the moment of crisis arrives. The question centers on Titus 1:6: > This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you— if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, *and his children are believers* and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. The key phrase is "his children are believers." The Greek word is πιστά, which can carry either the sense of "faithful" or "believing." This raises an important interpretive question: does this verse require that an elder's children hold personal faith, or simply that they live obediently under his household? The answer, as it turns out, is not as straightforward as we might hope. ## The “Believers” Position The main argument for the “believing” position seems to be lexical: Paul usually uses to word to designate Christians as believers (2 Corinthians 6:15; Ephesians 1:1; Colossians 1:2; 1 Timothy 4:10, 12; 5:16; 6:2). After surveying how the New Testament uses the word, John MacArthur concludes: > The faithful are believers and the believers are faithful. They’re interchangeable. To take the word “faithful”, pull it out of the believing context, isolate it as if it only meant submissive to the father’s leadership without believing what the father taught would be to distort the word. Those who hold this position also advance other arguments: for instance, that if Paul meant “faithful,” it would be redundant for him to then specify that they’re “not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination.” Also, if his own children have not come to faith under his ministry, that raises legitimate questions about his capacity to shepherd a congregation toward Christ. The ESV, NIV, CSB, and NASB all advance this view. ## The “Faithful” Position Others, like [Justin Taylor](https://www.9marks.org/article/unbelief-elders-children-exegesis/?ref=dashhouse.com) and [Timothy Miller](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/article/unbelieving-child-and-qualified-elder-a-case-for-faithful-children-in-titus-16/?ref=dashhouse.com), πιστά should be translated "faithful" rather than "believing/believers” for a number of reasons: - Lexically, πιστός carries a passive sense in the Septuagint, in Josephus, and in the majority of Paul's own usage, meaning "reliable, trustworthy, faithful within a given role." That core meaning did not inherently connote religious belief until the post-apostolic period. The Gospels reinforce this: in Matthew 24:45, 25:21, and Luke 12:42, the word describes household servants who simply perform their duties well, with no implication of inner spiritual conviction. - Every other qualification in Titus 1:6–9 measures the man himself: his character, his conduct, his competence. Faithful children fit naturally into that pattern, reflecting whether he can lead his own household with integrity. Believing children, however, would stand alone on the list as the only qualification contingent on someone else's response to the gospel. It’s outside his direct influence and, arguably, outside the criteria Paul appears to be establishing. - Since 1 Timothy and Titus run as parallel passages, imposing a significantly stricter standard in Titus would be unexpected, and particularly burdensome given the Cretan context, where virtually all potential elders would have been relatively recent converts. On this reading, the elder's children must be considered faithful, and the phrase "not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination" serves not as a separate requirement but as the concrete definition of what that faithfulness looks like in practice. ## Coming to a Conclusion Which view is correct? William Mounce is probably right that "a decision is not easy." Even so, the arguments for the "faithful" reading are more compelling. The lexical evidence is strong, and the logic that elder qualifications measure the man himself, not how his children respond to the gospel, carries real weight. As Miller observes, the faithful interpretation raises few applicational challenges, while the believing interpretation tends to create more problems than it resolves. D.A. Carson puts it plainly: "I think what it is saying here is *not* that they must believe. After all, grace doesn't run in the genes. At the end of the day they must be faithful, not wild, not profoundly disobedient." At minimum, we should hold our conclusions with humility and resist imposing them too heavily on others. Above all, this discussion should move us to pray: for the unbelieving children of faithful parents, and for the sustaining grace of God toward those who love them and wait. ### Why Don’t People Believe? (Romans 9:30-10:21) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/why-dont-people-believe-romans-930-1021/ Last updated: 2026-05-24T16:00:19.000Z **Big Idea:** Understand why people don’t believe, understand the gospel, and then bring them the good news. --- To be a Christian means that you will experience a new kind of pain that you’ve never experienced before. It’s a pain that Paul explains in both Romans 9 and 10\. Here’s the first time he describes that type of pain from Romans 9: > I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. (Romans 9:1-3) Here’s the second time he describes that type of pain, found in the passage we just read: > Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. (Romans 10:1) When you come to faith in Christ, you will discover a pain you never anticipated — the deep ache of concern for those who do not yet believe. This burden grows so heavy that, like Paul, you may find yourself willing to trade places with unbelievers if it meant they could be saved. Guard your heart against indifference. The hardening of our compassion toward those who have rejected the gospel is a quiet tragedy. Paul felt this weight so profoundly that he declared he would willingly forfeit his own salvation if it meant his people might be brought into the family of God. As Spurgeon says: > If they die unsaved they will have for ever to endure the wrath of God, that my soul feels, and desires to feel more than ever, a continual heaviness of heart concerning every unsaved soul that still lives. God grant us more of this heaviness of spirit. May we be deeply pained by that dread, awful, overwhelming, I will even dare to add, horrifying thought of souls being lost for ever. This is our pain. So why don’t people believe, and what do we do about it? Those are the two questions that Paul answers in this passage. Let’s look at these two questions. ## Why Don’t People Believe? The first question before us is this: why don't people believe? Paul is addressing this question with a specific group in mind: his own people, the Jewish nation. These were a people chosen by God, entrusted with his revelations, and recipients of his most sacred promises. Yet despite every advantage, they had not believed. How could that be? The question remains as urgent today as it was for Paul. We should never lose our concern for the Jewish people — God's covenant people — and their need for the gospel. But the question does not stop there. It reaches into our own lives and circles close to home. What about the people we love? The friend who once sat beside us in church. The family member who has heard the gospel more times than we can count. The colleague who dismisses faith with a polite smile. Why have they turned away? Why don't they believe? Paul offers two reasons: they rely on works, and they reject the gospel. ### They rely on works (9:31-32) Romans 9 and 10 draws a sharp line between two radically different approaches to righteousness: one worked up through human effort, one received as a gift through faith in Christ. This is not merely a first-century Jewish problem. It is the universal human default. It’s the instinct every one of us is born with. The gospel speaks directly into it. It confronts our most deeply embedded and most socially acceptable sin: self-righteousness. No people in history were more spiritually privileged than the Jews. They had the knowledge of God, the law, the promises, and the covenants. And yet they missed Christ entirely. In fact, Paul says in Romans 9:31-32, the Gentiles, who had none of those advantages, ended up ahead of the Jewish people. > What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. What happened? The problem wasn’t a lack of zeal. Romans 10:2 says, “They have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge." A person can burn with genuine zeal for God and still not be saved. Sincere belief in the wrong thing does not make it true; it just sends you running down the wrong road even faster. Weak faith in the right object is sufficient. Passionate faith in the wrong object is fatal. The Pharisees are the clearest example. They fasted twice a week, prayed, tithed even their garden herbs, and tracked every rule with exhausting precision (Matt. 23:23). Yet they missed the gospel entirely. It’s like a rich young man that Jesus once met who confidently claimed to have kept every commandment. Jesus revealed he hadn’t even kept the first one. He thought he was morally good, but he didn't love God. He loved his record. Israel's law-keeping was meticulous but fundamentally misguided. They forgot that the law was never meant to be a performance system; it’s supposed to be a response to God's covenant love. This error is not uniquely Jewish. It is deeply human. None of us are immune. Paul shows us the problem: even the most religiously privileged people can miss salvation entirely by trusting their own performance. You may think you’re good enough. You’re not. Nobody will ever be good enough. Our righteousness isn’t enough. It’s only when we stop relying on our own righteousness that we have any hope of being saved. Why don’t people believe? It’s because they rely on their own performance. But there’s a second reason Paul gives for why people don’t believe: ### They reject Christ (10:1-4, 18-21) One reason Israel trusted in their own works, Paul explains, is that they stumbled over Jesus. Their failure was not merely moral or religious — it was Christological. They rejected the very One the law was pointing them toward. Isaiah had already proclaimed that those who trusted in God as the Rock would be kept safe, while those who rejected him would be crushed. He and other writers of Scripture were looking ahead to Christ Jesus as that Rock. For those who trust in him, he is a Rock of salvation. For those who reject him, he becomes a Rock of destruction. This is precisely what Paul means in Romans 10:4 when he writes, "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." The word *end* here does not mean cancellation — it means destination, fulfillment, culmination. The law was never an end in itself; it was always heading somewhere. It was a road, and Christ is where it was always going. Once you've arrived at the destination, you don't keep driving the road — you live in what the road was leading you to all along. Paul presses this further in verses 18 to 21 by drawing on a string of Old Testament passages to make a sobering point: Israel's problem was not that they hadn't heard. For generations, God had been calling them. The problem was that they refused to answer. And so, in his sovereign grace, God extended his invitation to those who would receive it. Why don't people believe? They trust in themselves, or they turn away from Christ. More often than not, it's both — two sides of the same coin. If you're not a believer, Paul's answer is simple: neither being good enough nor being spiritual enough will bring you to God. Christ is not one option among many. He is where the whole story was always heading. He is not waiting for you to clean yourself up. He came down to meet you, and he is still calling. If you are a believer, this is a warning worth heeding. It is possible to be active in ministry and still quietly trust your own record before God. Check what you are actually resting in. The call is the same for all of us: stop trying to earn what can only be received. Christ is not the reward for the righteous; he is the refuge for those who know they are not. ## Two Things We Can Do That's why people don't believe: they trust in their own works, and they reject Christ. So what do we do about it? Verses 5 to 17 give us the best news we will ever hear, and two things we can do with it. ### Believe the Gospel (10:4-13) Romans 10:4–13 is one of the most glorious summaries of the gospel in all of Scripture, and at its heart stands one magnificent truth: God has already done everything necessary for your salvation. Paul makes this clear in verses 6–7, where the righteousness that comes by faith speaks in striking terms: > Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down) "or 'Who will descend into the abyss?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). You do not need to scale the heights of heaven or plunge into the depths of death, because God has already done both. God the Son came down from heaven and took on flesh. God the Father raised him from the dead. The work is finished. It is complete. And because it is complete, the gospel is closer to you than you might think. Verse 8 says the word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart — that is, the word of faith we proclaim. You don't have to earn it or travel far to find it. You can receive it right now, by placing the full weight of your trust in what Jesus has done for you, both inwardly in the heart and outwardly in confession: > If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. (10:9–10) And in case you're wondering whether this promise is really for you, Paul closes the passage by throwing the doors wide open: > For the Scripture says, 'Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.' For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' (10:11–13) No one who wants to believe is left out. The word everyone means exactly what it says. So here is the first thing you can do: believe this yourself. Delight in it. The promise of verse 13 carries no asterisk, no fine print, no list of qualifications you must first meet. If you have been relying on your own goodness or your own record to make you right with God, this passage is an invitation to stop. Christ has already done what you cannot do. There is nothing left for you to contribute except your need. So come to him as you are, trust what he has done, and receive what he freely offers. That is the first thing, and it is the most important thing. ### Tell Others (10:14-15) But here’s the second thing you can do: tell others. Or, putting it a different way, get yourself some beautiful feet. > How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” (Romans 10:14-15) Paul's logic is airtight: no one believes a gospel they've never heard. The chain is unbreakable — no preacher, no message; no message, no hearing; no hearing, no faith; no faith, no salvation. When you share the gospel, you step into the role of Isaiah's herald. In the ancient world, a messenger's feet weren't beautiful because of how they looked — they were beautiful because of what they carried. A soldier sprinting home with news of victory was welcomed with joy that matched the magnitude of his message. The feet were glorious because of their cargo. To have beautiful feet is simply this: to be a sent person, carrying life-giving news to those who haven't yet heard it. Some will reject it. That should grieve us. But we carry the greatest news ever announced. Believe it deeply. Tell it freely. Your feet will be beautiful — and God may use you to change someone's eternity. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-499/ Last updated: 2026-05-23T05:00:42.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Do Less to Do More](https://www.chrismartin.fyi/p/do-less-to-do-more?ref=dashhouse.com) > The problem is that much of what goes into how we work today is not actually productive it’s just busy. [Self-Obsession Is a Formula for Unhappiness](https://www.epm.org/resources/2026/May/20/self-obsession-unhappiness/?ref=dashhouse.com) > When I’m thinking most about Jesus, not me, I’m most happy. [Why You Should Stop Buying "New" Books](https://sacredslang.substack.com/p/why-you-should-stop-buying-new-books) > I want you to take a break from reading new books. [Artificial Preaching: The Temptation of AI](https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/artificial-preaching?ref=dashhouse.com) > We need to be warned that relying on artificial intelligence instead of the Holy Spirit must eventually end in defeat. [AI Is Not the Culprit](https://firstthings.com/ai-is-not-the-culprit/?ref=dashhouse.com) > In my view, academia has been so debased for so long that the harm done by the latest debasements through AI involves no great loss. [How to Listen to a Sermon: A View From the Pulpit and the Pew](https://searchingforacity.blogspot.com/2026/05/how-to-listen-to-sermon-view-from.html?ref=dashhouse.com) > So naturally I've had some time to think a bit about how to preach and how to listen, since I am spending a lot of time these days doing both. [Pray to the Lord of the Harvest](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/pray-lord-harvest/?ref=dashhouse.com) > You’d think the command that would follow would be something like 'So get to it! Enlist the workers and get out there!' My post this week at [Gospel for Life](https://www.gospelforlife.com/?ref=dashhouse.com): [Four Keys to Unlocking a Lasting Bible Reading Habit](https://www.gospelforlife.com/four-keys-to-unlocking-a-lasting-bible-reading-habit/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Before you give up on daily Bible reading, there's something you need to know: you might only be one dial away from unlocking it for good. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Four Kinds of Churches](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/straight-paths/four-kinds-of-churches/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Only four kinds of churches exist. ### Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/divine-sovereignty-and-human-responsibility/ Last updated: 2026-05-19T05:00:58.000Z Scripture teaches two truths. They seem to contradict each other, but both stand true. **First, God is sovereign.** It’s one of the major themes of the Bible. He reigns over all things — every creature, every event, every moment — with absolute authority, according to his own will, for his own purposes, with no external constraint, no rival power, and no possibility of failure. As R.C. Sproul observed, not a single molecule in this vast universe operates outside of God's sovereign control. You see this all throughout Scripture in verses like these: > I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. (Job 42:2) > All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?” (Daniel 4:35) > In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him *who works all things according to the counsel of his will*… (Ephesians 1:11) **Second, humans are responsible.** Humans make real choices. Our decisions aren’t illusory or coerced, and we are without excuse for our actions (Romans 1:20). Some passages present both truths together. The hardening of Pharaoh's heart is described three ways in Exodus: - God hardens Pharaoh's heart (Exodus 4:21, 9:12, 10:1, 10:20) - Pharaoh hardens his own heart (Exodus 8:15, 8:32, 9:34) - Pharaoh's heart was hardened — passive, no agent named (Exodus 7:13, 7:22, 8:19) All statements are true. The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart is simultaneously God's act and Pharaoh's act at the same time. Acts 2:23 also holds both truths together: “This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.” God ordained it. Men did it. Both are fully true. Neither cancels the other. John MacArthur called these [twin truths](https://www.gty.org/sermons/43-15/twin-truths-gods-sovereignty-and-mans-responsibility?ref=dashhouse.com) that run parallel and never come together or intersect. We can’t harmonize them because the human mind is incapable of understanding God. “All I can tell you is that in the Word of God, these truths run parallel. And the answer is to believe them both with all your heart.” Theologians over the years have agreed that the tension exists, but they haven't always agreed on how to handle it. Some attempt to resolve this tension theologically. Open theism wrongly claims that God does not know future choices because they are truly open until they are made. This idea limits God's all-knowing nature to protect human freedom. Molinism, or middle knowledge, says that God knows what each person would choose freely in any situation. He uses those situations to achieve his goals without taking away human freedom. Some say it is an antinomy: two truths that seem to contradict each other but are both true. This is similar to how light acts as both a wave and a particle at the same time, making it hard to fit into one clear idea. For instance, [ J.I. Packer ](https://learn.ligonier.org/articles/molinism-101?ref=dashhouse.com)[writes](https://amzn.to/4tIxQdS?ref=dashhouse.com): > An antinomy exists when a pair of principles stand side by side, seemingly irreconcilable, yet both undeniable. There are cogent reasons for believing each of them; each rests on clear and solid evidence; but it is a mystery to you how they can be squared with each other. You see that each must be true on its own, but you do not see how they can both be true together. John Piper [disagrees](https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/a-response-to-j-i-packer-on-the-so-called-antinomy-between-the-sovereignty-of-god-and-human-responsibility?ref=dashhouse.com) with this view. He argues that God's control includes not only situations but also what people decide. God doesn't coerce people against their desires; he governs the very desires from which choices flow. People always act freely, doing what they most want to do, and that wanting is precisely what God ordains. We may never fully untangle this tension this side of eternity, and perhaps that's the point. God is sovereign. We are responsible. Both are fully, undeniably true. The goal isn't resolution but faithfulness: to believe both truths and let them shape how we live. His sovereignty frees us from anxiety. Our responsibility keeps us from passivity. We pray with confidence in a God who reigns, and act with purpose knowing our choices truly matter, because they do. ### The Tension That Leads to Trust (Romans 9:19-29) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-tension-that-leads-to-trust-romans-919-29/ Last updated: 2026-05-17T16:00:33.000Z **Big Idea:** God is sovereign, we are responsible, and he gets all the glory. --- Few questions have puzzled more people across more centuries than this: If God is truly sovereign over all things, how can human beings be genuinely responsible for their choices? The Bible teaches that God is sovereign, completely, absolutely, without exception. There is not a maverick molecule in the universe. He is omniscient, knowing all things, including future events. He is omnipotent, accomplishing all his purposes without resistance. He actively governs history toward his appointed ends. Nothing surprises him. Nothing escapes him. But the Bible also teaches that human responsibility is real. Our choices matter. We are fully accountable for our sin, commanded to repent and believe, and warned of coming judgment. Nowhere does Scripture treat our decisions as illusions or our actions as the movements of puppets on a string. So how can God be sovereign, and yet humans bear genuine guilt? It's more than an academic puzzle. It surfaces in the most unavoidable questions of life and faith: Is God the author of evil? Does prayer actually change anything? If the elect will certainly be saved, why preach? This isn't just an intellectual problem. It's the silent grief, the unanswered prayer, the prodigal child, the friend you've lost. Some of you aren't asking this question in your head; you're asking it in your gut. It's an age-old question, and this passage helps answer that tension. ## The Question That Crosses the Line We have been studying Romans, and in this chapter, Paul is facing a tough question about the gospel: if salvation is "the power of God for everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:16), why do so few Jews believe? Romans 8 declared that nothing can separate us from the love of God. But can we trust that if God appears to have abandoned the very people through whom his plan of salvation came? Has his word failed? And if it has — if God didn't keep his promises to Israel — what hope do we have that he'll keep them to us? That's the question Paul must answer. And how he answers it shapes everything we believe about God's faithfulness, his sovereignty, and our security in him. Paul's answer is clear: God has not failed. His promises were always meant to be received by faith, even for Jews. God has always been the one who determines who receives his mercy, and he has every right to do so. As verse 18 puts it, "He has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills." God owes no one salvation. It is entirely an act of grace. And in both his mercy and his judgment, God is displaying the full range of his glory. But that raises an uncomfortable question, one Paul himself anticipates in verse 19: "Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?" In other words, if God is the one who hardens people, how can he then hold them responsible for being hard? If they're simply doing what God ordained, how can God judge them for it? This isn’t just an honest question; this is an attempt to blame God and to evade our responsibility. It shows how we can use the conflict between God's control and our choices to avoid blame. We don’t want our spiritual state to be our fault. We see ourselves as victims, and we think someone else — maybe God — is to blame. This is a question that crosses the line. ## Three Reminders This is a serious accusation against God, and so Paul answers with three reminders that all of us need. ### Remember who you are and who God is (9:20-21) Paul doesn't answer the question directly. In a sense, he doesn't need to, because he already has. The question is based on a wrong idea: that the people God judges are just unlucky victims, helpless players in God's plan. But that is not why anyone is judged. People are not passive. God has never condemned an innocent person. As J.I. Packer said: > The Bible never says a sinner misses heaven because they are not elected, but because they do not want to repent and believe.” The reason people face judgment is not because they were helpless; it’s because they are sinners in willing rebellion against him. No one can stand before a holy God and plead innocence. So instead of revisiting that argument here, Paul takes a different approach entirely: he calls us back to a right view of God, and a right view of ourselves. Look at what he says in verses 20–21: > But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? Paul references Isaiah and Jeremiah to emphasize that, like a potter with his clay, God has sovereign authority over every nation, including Israel, for his purposes. And then Paul turns that truth directly toward us. Here is his message: there is a categorical difference between God and man. Not merely a difference in degree, but in kind. It is fundamentally inappropriate for the created to sit in judgment of the Creator. The very question is out of order. Paul is saying: know your place. The creature has no standing to charge the Creator with wrongdoing. We must not assume we occupy the moral high ground from which to assess God. His ways are not just slightly above us — they are infinitely beyond us. Like a potter working his clay, God has the right to form what he has made, to do as he pleases with sinful men. We need a vision of God that recognizes he is right in every decision he makes about his creation. Paul is not condemning honest questions brought before God. He's blaming the mindset that can easily enter our hearts — that we are equal to God, that he must explain himself, and that we can scold him. Questions are legitimate, but there is a fine line between asking and accusing. Never become a critic of God. Never mistake your limited understanding for a standard by which to measure his. Remember who you are and who God is. Here’s the second corrective truth that Paul gives us, and it’s an application of the first. ### Trust God even when you don’t understand everything about him (9:22-23) These may be the most difficult and weighty verses in the entire Bible. They address why evil exists and how God's sovereignty relates to it. The context is the potter who creates some vessels and destroys others. Is God just to pass over most of Israel (vv. 6, 8)? To choose Jacob over Esau (v. 13)? To raise up Pharaoh and harden his heart (v. 17)? Before going further, a warning from John Calvin: go beyond what Scripture says here, and you'll find yourself in a labyrinth you cannot escape. So we must stay close to the text. Hear what Paul says: > What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— Paul identifies two groups: vessels of wrath and vessels of mercy. God is sovereign over both. He is sovereign over everything, including evil. He is the Potter. He designs the vessel, yet the vessel is flawed, guilty, and deserving of wrath. You see this in Scripture: God hardened Pharaoh's heart. At the cross, God was sovereign over Herod, Pilate, the Jewish leaders, and every event surrounding the death of Christ. Nothing is outside his control. And yet humans are fully responsible. The vessels of wrath bear real guilt. No one who faces God's judgment will be able to say they don't deserve it. Pharaoh was morally accountable for every choice he made, even as God hardened his heart. As John Stott put it: "If anyone is lost, the blame is theirs. If anyone is saved, the credit is God's." This is what Paul calls us to hold: these people are genuinely guilty, and God is sovereign over them at the same time. This is an antinomy: two truths that appear contradictory but are both fully affirmed. The mistake is letting one swallow the other. As J.I. Packer warns, we're tempted to stress human responsibility in a way that excludes God's sovereignty, or affirm God's sovereignty in a way that destroys human responsibility. We must hold both. Here's Paul's second point: God is glorified through both. He is glorified when he endures the rebellion of the wicked with patience. He is glorified when he judges. He is glorified when he saves. Every human being who has ever lived will glorify God actively or passively, willingly or unwillingly, in heaven or in hell. And here's what should amaze and humble us: the only difference between the vessels of wrath and us is the mercy of God. We deserved his wrath. Yet for reasons that have nothing to do with our worthiness, he chose us. As Spurgeon said: > I believe the doctrine of election because I am quite certain that if God had not chosen me, I should never have chosen Him. And I am sure He chose me before I was born, or else He never would've chosen me afterwards. He must have elected me for reasons unknown to me for I never could find any reason in myself why He should have looked upon me with special love. So, I am forced to accept this great biblical doctrine. Here’s Paul’s point: God is sovereign; humans are responsible; he gets all the glory. We don’t understand how this all works together, and that’s okay. He’s God and we’re not. The challenge is to remember that we’re not God, to refuse to stand in judgment over him, and to thank him for his mercy as we plead for people to turn to him. As you consider this issue, remember who God is and who you are, and trust him even when you don’t understand. There’s one more truth Paul wants us to grasp: ### Remember that God’s plan has never failed (9:24-29) Remember where we started. The question this passage answers is this: has God’s word failed? Is the fact that many Jews don’t believe evidence that God can’t be trusted? In verses 24-29, Paul answers this question with an unequivocal no. It’s always been God’s plan to do exactly what he’s doing: to save some, not all, Jews, and to also save Gentiles. This isn’t new. This has been God’s plan all along. God has prepared some of us for salvation “not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles” he says in verse 24\. And then in verses 25 and 26 he quotes from Hosea. First, from Hosea 2:23: > “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’ > and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’ ” Then from Hosea 1:10: > “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ > there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’ ” This isn’t new. Hosea’s words were written 800 years earlier. It’s always been God’s plan. And just in case, Paul also quotes Isaiah. In verses 27 and 28, he quotes Isaiah 10:22-23: > And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” Finally, in verse 29 he quotes Isaiah 1:9: > And as Isaiah predicted, > “If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring, > we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah.” So what is Paul's point? He shows that the covenant community would be both smaller and bigger than his Jewish friends thought. It would be smaller because only a small group of Israel would be saved, and bigger because Gentiles would be completely included. That one idea answers two concerns at the same time: that God has failed Israel and that including non-Jews is something new. Paul's answer to both is the same. The prophets said so all along. God can be trusted. His plans never change. They’re always reliable. **God is sovereign. We are responsible. He gets all the glory.** This has always been his plan. So what does it mean for us? We stop playing God and start trusting him. We pray, choose, and live with seriousness, because our choices are real. And yet we rest, because God is sovereign over every outcome, including the ones that break our hearts. Here's what should humble us most: the only difference between us and those who face his wrath is mercy. We didn't earn it. We didn't deserve it. He chose us before we ever chose him — and the Son himself satisfied justice for all who trust in him. His promises have never failed. His purposes have never been derailed. His mercy has never run dry. Jesus stands ready to receive anyone who turns to him. We may not always understand his ways. We're not meant to. We’re not God. The clearer we see his power, fairness, and amazing grace, the more we understand that praising him is not just the right thing to do. It's the only thing we can do. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-498/ Last updated: 2026-05-16T05:00:49.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [The Best Way to Resist Temptation](https://sethlewis.ie/2026/05/13/the-best-way-to-resist-temptation/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The best way to resist temptation is to fix your eyes firmly on the One who already defeated it. [The Dangerous Days Past Middle Age](https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-dangerous-days-past-middle-age?ref=dashhouse.com) > Perhaps the sifting question for the aging Christian is, 'Am I killing sin, or have I just traded one destructive path for another?' [12 Theses on Fasting and Feasting](https://mereorthodoxy.com/12-theses-on-fasting-and-feasting?ref=dashhouse.com) > What follows is an attempt to distill that clarity with a few important distinctions about fasting and feasting. [We Love to Talk About the Things We Love](https://justinhuffman.org/2026/05/12/we-love-to-talk-about-the-things-we-love/?ref=dashhouse.com) > When you speak but little of Christ, it is a sign that you love him but little. ### Make It Costly URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/make-it-costly/ Last updated: 2026-05-12T09:00:27.000Z If you know me, you know I'm not a big fan of conferences. I've been to too many, and their value is often questionable. This past week, I attended a conference in London and sat in on four breakout sessions led by Andy Crouch. After the first one, I messaged my wife to tell her it might be the best workshop I'd ever attended. By the fourth session, I had to revise that verdict: it was even better than the first one. In fact, all four were exceptional and will stay with me for a long time. What made them so good was that they were the fruit of long, sustained thinking at a conceptual level, then carefully translated and applied to everyday life. There was little fluff. Each session was dense, substantive, and clearly the result of hard thinking and many hours of work. During the fourth breakout, Andy ran out of time and tried to wrap things up, but the four hundred or so people in the room wouldn't let him. They kept him going well past his allotted time just to hear the rest of what he had to say. I kept thinking about that afterward. It's never been easier to do half a job and pass it off as acceptable. AI-generated content is everywhere, and most of us are talented enough to wing it, trusting that people won't notice. But when you encounter something that is the product of costly work, it's unmistakable. The best work takes time. It resists shortcuts. It emerges from sustained effort and practice, and that's what makes it so much more valuable than anything quick and convenient. In the coming years, we're going to face a flood of cheap ministry. There are so many shortcuts to producing work that's almost good enough, but falls short of what it should be and what people deserve. As content gets cheaper and easier to make, we need to do the opposite: put in hard work and real thought. This isn't only about workshops, writing, or sermons. It's everywhere. Zoom calls are easy and have their place. On the other hand, face-to-face meetings are inconvenient, time-consuming, and costly, and so much better. Caring for people at a surface level is quick and clean. Truly loving others, investing in them, praying for them is costly, inconvenient, sometimes frustrating, and so much better. Of course, there’s a place for shortcuts and for using artificial intelligence. The less significant something is, the more these tools can help, and we should feel free to use them there. I'm genuinely grateful for technologies that make relatively unimportant things easier. But for the things that truly matter, pay the price. It's worth it. You can get by with shortcuts. But you don't really want to. Costly work will increasingly stand out in a world drowning in cheap substitutes. So pay the price. Make it costly. Choose inconvenience on purpose. Do the hard work when it matters, even when it's slow and frustrating, and you will have something worth saying in a world full of noise. ### What Matters Most (Philippians 3:1-11) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/what-matters-most-philippians-31-11/ Last updated: 2026-05-10T22:00:56.000Z **Big Idea:** What matters most is not what you've achieved, but who you know: Jesus. --- What truly matters in life? What will bring you lasting joy? These are questions worth sitting with because we are all, in some way, searching for joy. It's why we get up in the morning. God created us to pursue something meaningful, something that will satisfy the deep longing we carry within us. And here's what may surprise you: that longing is not a problem. The Bible never tells us to stop pursuing joy; it invites us to pursue it *rightly*. The real question isn't *whether* to seek joy, but *where* to find it. This passage presents two paths. Only one leads where we truly want to go. ## The Quest for Joy Philippians 3:1 opens with a surprising command: *"Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you."* The command is simple and direct: rejoice in the Lord. But don't miss the fact that Paul has already said this three times in this letter in 1:18, 2:17–18, and 2:28\. This is the fourth time. Paul isn't being repetitive for lack of something to say. He is being intentional. He says as much: writing it again costs him nothing, and hearing it again *does something* for them. It steadies them. The word "safe" here carries the idea of stability: a firm footing on uncertain ground. It’s worth pausing here. Paul tells us to pursue joy. He does more than that: he tells us that joy is not just a feeling to be chased; it's a foundation to be built on. The Philippians' stability depended on how seriously they took this command. And so does ours. So here it is, and it’s a command: rejoice in the Lord. It’s not a suggestion, but a command. It’s not as a distant ideal, but as something available to you right now in Jesus. This is where lasting security is found. This is where joy takes root. Rejoice. ## Two Paths, Two Destinations That sounds good, but the question remains: how do we actually rejoice? Wanting joy and knowing how to find it are two very different things. Paul doesn't leave us guessing. In the next lines, he presents two paths. These are two very different ways to seek meaning and happiness in life. Every one of us is on one of these two paths. One of them looks promising but leads nowhere. The other, though it may surprise us, leads to the joy God genuinely desires for us. ### The Path of Achievement The first path is the one we usually want to take: the path of achievement. This means seeking happiness through degrees, success, and hard work, focusing on what you've done and who you are. It shows up everywhere. The student convinced the right degree will make life meaningful. The professional chasing the next promotion. The parent whose worth rises and falls with how their children turn out. The person curating a life that *looks* successful, because looking the part feels close enough. But it shows up in church too, and it’s especially dangerous here. This is about a believer who bases their security on how often they help, how much they give, how long they’ve been a Christian, and keeping a secret score to see if they feel okay with God. The details differ. Degrees, titles, moral performance, religious résumés. But the logic is always the same: if I can just achieve enough, I will finally feel secure. Paul couldn't be clearer: this path never works. In fact, he says a couple of things about this path. #### Be careful about teachers who promote it. "Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh." (3:2) In Paul's day, teachers were telling people that acceptance before God required something beyond Jesus: circumcision. But the moment you add anything to grace, salvation is no longer built on Christ's finished work alone. It becomes a transaction. And that, Paul says, is not a variation of the gospel; it is no gospel at all. Anyone who tells you that you need "something plus Jesus" is preaching a different gospel. Whether it's a religious rite, a cultural background, or sheer self-effort, the addition itself is the corruption. Paul says “look out” three times in a single breath, reaching for his sharpest language: *dogs* (the unclean, the dangerous), *evildoers* (those who lead others to harm), and *those who mutilate the flesh* (a pointed rebuke of the very practice they required). This is not theological hairsplitting. The stakes are the gospel itself. Be careful about teachers who promote this approach to life. But that’s not the only danger. #### Be careful when you choose it. Paul doesn't just warn us about false teachers; he turns the mirror on himself. The problem is not just false teachers. The problem is us. > If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. (3:3–6) Paul's résumé was extraordinary. Right heritage. Right tribe. Right affiliation. Right record. He wasn't just participating in the path of achievement — he was winning by every measurable standard. And then he walked away from all of it. > But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ… I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. (3:7–8) Notice what he doesn't say. He doesn't say his résumé amounted to zero, neutral, a wash. He says it went into the negative column. His best achievements weren’t just worthless assets; they were liabilities. Every credential, every achievement, every point of religious pride wasn’t just zeroed out, but instead ended up working against him. The same is true for us. I’m so tempted to base my worth on my performance, my record, my obedience, but it doesn’t work. Put all the good things you do to gain God's favor and every success you rely on for confidence in the loss column. Not because effort is evil, but because trusting in that effort is a subtle form of arrogance. It’s the quiet claim that we can bring something to God that obligates him to us. If you're still clutching that résumé before God, it won't hold up. The résumé has to go: not reluctantly tucked away, but surrendered, along with honest acknowledgement of the pride it took to build it. Let me ask you: What is the ground of your confidence? Your background? Your moral record? Your years of faithful service? These things aren't the path to joy that you need. They are the wrong foundation. And deep down, you already know: they’re a foundation like that keeps you anxious, not at rest. There has to be another way. The path of achievement doesn’t work. There’s a much better path. ### The Path of Knowing Jesus If the way to a life of lasting joy isn't found in our own achievements, what is? Paul points us to something far greater in verses 8 and 9: > Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith… Here is the only path to a stable, enduring joy: knowing Christ Jesus as your Lord. Paul sees every benefit, every qualification, and every sign of value as a loss when compared to the much greater treasure of knowing Christ. Whatever the world considers praiseworthy or beneficial, Paul calls it rubbish — human excrement — by comparison. Christ is the only asset worth holding. He is infinitely more valuable than anyone or anything else. Consider everything you have going for you on the one hand, Paul says. It’s nothing. It’s actually a liability, human waste. Then think about Jesus on the other hand. There’s no comparison. Think about the kind of person Jesus actually is. There is no one like Jesus. He is a strong friend to sinners, a supporter of his enemies, a protector of those who can't defend themselves, and the one who makes things right for those without excuses. No one will ever love you like Jesus. He gave his life for you. He is so much better than anything else this world has to offer. Consider what will matter fifty billion years from now. Not your degrees. Not your reputation. Not your accomplishments. Fifty billion years into eternity, you will either be pleading Christ or you will have nothing to show at all. The only thing of any lasting value is Jesus. Without him, you have nothing. There are only two possible paths to stable joy: achievements or Jesus. Only Jesus gives us the joy we need. ## How to Take This Path So how do we take this path? Paul tells us what the path of finding joy in Jesus looks like: > that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. *(3:10–11)* Paul names three active pursuits that define what it looks like to take the path of knowing Jesus. #### A Daily Pursuit of Jesus Thirty years after his conversion, with churches planted and two-thirds of the New Testament written, Paul's deepest longing remains to know Jesus better. That tells us everything about what Christianity actually is. It’s not just information to master or a checklist to complete, but moment-by-moment communion with Jesus. It’s intensely relational and experiential. The more we know him, the more we see his glory, and the more we gladly give everything to him. The mark of someone who truly knows Jesus is a growing hunger to know him more. There is no "enough Jesus for now." The more we taste, the hungrier we become. We want more and more of Jesus. #### A Daily Reliance on the Spirit’s Power Paul says he wants to know the power of the resurrection. What is he talking about here? Romans 8:11 tells us that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead — the Holy Spirit — is at work in believers now. Paul wants to live inside that power for his sanctification, endurance, joy under pressure, freedom from sin's dominion. Real Christianity is not self-improvement in religious clothing. It is a life changed by the Holy Spirit who brought Jesus back to life. The Spirit is active in the life of every believer. We do not have what it takes to live the Christian life on our own, but the Spirit does. We need to get to know the Spirit more. Paul wants to know the Spirit’s power more and more in his life. But there’s one more thing Paul says is part of the path of following Jesus: #### A Different View of Suffering Paul's third longing is the most surprising: "the fellowship of his sufferings." Make no mistake: the Christian life is hard. There will be lots of trials. Paul, for instance, writes this letter from prison. Suffering is not a sign that something has gone wrong with your faith. It is the normal Christian life. But here’s the extraordinary thing: God is at work in our sufferings. Our sufferings bring us closer to Jesus. God accomplishes something through our sufferings. He uses them for his glory and our good. In the pain, we find something more precious than comfort — we find him. His life becomes more real to us, not less. So what is the Christian life like? It’s finding stable joy, not through our accomplishments, but by getting to know Jesus. That’s where joy is found. It’s living daily with the person of Jesus with the power of the Spirit even when things get hard. The result, he says, is that we may obtain the resurrection of the dead. I think Paul’s talking about our future resurrection, but he’s probably talking about more than that. He’s talking about how Jesus’ new life can be present in our lives today. We can live as if we are new people in a world that is struggling, even now. God intends for you to have joy. And he's shown us the wrong way to find it: earning it through achievement. Joy comes from something else entirely. It comes from knowing Jesus. Think about the person who has been performing for God for years, serving, giving, showing up. If you asked them honestly, the peace never quite comes. The scorecard never settles. That's achievement at work, even in a faithful heart. Think about someone who seems to have a perfect life. But beneath the surface, they feel a constant worry because what they have could be taken away. The answer isn't doing more. It's knowing Someone who has already done everything. His name is Jesus. Not a set of beliefs about him. The living, present person of Jesus — available to you right now, not when you get your act together. Right now. The invitation is simple, just costly. Open your hands. Release the résumé, the record, the religious performance, and receive what you were made for: a relationship with the God who knows you fully and loves you completely. This is where joy lives. Not in what you've accomplished. In him. There’s no better place to live. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-497/ Last updated: 2026-05-09T09:00:36.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Eight Myths About Heaven That Many Believe](https://www.epm.org/resources/2026/May/6/eight-myths-about-heaven/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are eight persistent misconceptions about Heaven. [‘Suggested for You’: 5 Values AI Suggests](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/values-ai-suggests/?ref=dashhouse.com) > One of the most powerful technologies mankind has ever created is generative AI. What are some of its suggestions? [The Most Powerful Words You'll Ever Write: Spiritual Formation for Writers](https://janacarlson.com/spiritual-formation-for-writers/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Our ultimate calling isn't to build a platform, but to become more like Jesus. [Fight Sin by Feasting on God’s Goodness](https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/fight-sin-by-feasting-on-gods-goodness?ref=dashhouse.com) > Christianity is more than a list of duties to obey; it is a life of delight to enjoy. [The Pastoral Virtue of Avoidance](https://ftc.co/resource-library/articles/the-pastoral-virtue-of-avoidance/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Paul teaches a pastoral virtue of avoidance—showing that sometimes the wisest form of engagement is careful restraint. [A Letter to Those Discouraged By Fallen Pastors](https://zakmellgren.substack.com/p/a-letter-to-those-discouraged-by) > If doubts assail you, let me remind you… First, the story of these brothers is not over. [No Little Places: The Council of Nicaea and Pastoral Ambition](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/council-nicaea-pastoral-ambition/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The church fathers worried that ambition would run rampant if transfers were allowed. ### Attend to the Holy Spirit URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/attend-to-the-holy-spirit/ Last updated: 2026-05-05T09:00:16.000Z Jack Miller walked away from everything: his role as pastor, his position as professor. Depression had hollowed him out, and the frustration of seeing so little change in the people he served had worn him down to nothing. For weeks, he could barely do more than weep. But in those quiet, broken weeks, something began to shift. The problem, he slowly realized, wasn't the church. It was him. He had been laboring for his own reputation, craving the approval of people more than the glory of God. He repented of pride, of fear, of the deep hunger for human approval, and returned to his calling. Rather than simply picking up where he left off, Miller took his family on an extended sabbatical to Spain, where he immersed himself in the missionary promises of God woven throughout Scripture. And there, something else broke open in him: > He also realized in a new way that the promise of the Holy Spirit’s help, comfort, and encouragement was not just for the disciples of long ago; it was for every Christian. He returned to ministry changed. He felt new freedom in his life and new power in his preaching. It marked a decisive turning point. Miller was Presbyterian, not charismatic, but he learned to pray like a man desperate for God. *"Fall afresh on us, Holy Spirit; mold us, remake us, and fill us till we shine with the joy of Christ!"* ### Not the Only One In [*Preaching and Preachers*](https://amzn.to/42beJ0I?ref=dashhouse.com), Martyn Lloyd-Jones traces the centrality of the Spirit in the life of Jesus and in the proclamation of the early church. Some argue that this kind of Spirit-empowered preaching belonged exclusively to the apostolic age, an argument Lloyd-Jones refuses: > The whole Scripture is for us. In the New Testament we have a picture of the Church, and it is relevant to the Church at all times and in all ages. > What we read of in the New Testament is equally possible and open to us today; and it is our only hope. Lloyd-Jones did not shy away from naming two dangers facing the church. One is charismatic excess. But another danger poses an even graver threat: > The quenching of the Spirit is the commoner source of trouble at the present time. I do not hesitate to assert that the state of the Christian Church today is mainly due to it. ([*The Christian Warfare*](https://amzn.to/4cZWcJt?ref=dashhouse.com)) > > God save us from being so afraid of the false that we quench the Spirit of God, and become so respectable, and so pseudo-intellectual that the Spirit of God is kept back, and we go on in our dryness and aridity, and in our comparative futility, and helplessness, and uselessness. ([*Revival*](https://amzn.to/48ELcA6?ref=dashhouse.com)) > > The greatest of all needs today is the flame, the fire the power of the Holy Ghost in individual Christians and in the Church as a whole. (*The Christian Warfare*) Lloyd-Jones longed for what only the Holy Spirit can produce — power in the pulpit, and revival in the pews. ## John Stott's Advice John Stott saw it too: > The Christian scene today in the Western world highlights the importance of attending to the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. The lack of divine energy and exuberance in most congregations, even some of the most notionally orthodox, is painful to see. The current quest for church renewal, whatever true renewal might be (and one problem today is that so many have no idea), demands that we get clearer in our minds about the divine Renewer. ([*Keep in Step with the Spirit*](https://amzn.to/4n3mFum?ref=dashhouse.com)) After seasons of spiritual coldness, Stott observed, God sovereignly acts through his Spirit to restore what was nearly lost, making his presence undeniable, breathing life into Scripture, purifying his people, and reviving his church. Stott's counsel is worth heeding: *attend to the Holy Spirit.* The Spirit does not belong to one corner of the church. He is for all of us. Study the doctrine, yes, but don't stop there. Seek his power. Pray with expectation. Long for revival. Refuse to let charismatic extremes become the reason you hold back from pursuing the Spirit's fullness in your life and ministry. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-496/ Last updated: 2026-05-02T09:00:03.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Becoming an Interesting Person](https://sethlewis.ie/2026/04/29/becoming-an-interesting-person/?ref=dashhouse.com) > I want to learn how to be one. [A Husbands Favorite Subject](https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/a-husbands-favorite-subject?ref=dashhouse.com) > Too many men are concerned with ‘understanding women’ when they should be concerned with understanding one woman. [Practical Advice for Reading OT Narrative](https://www.wyattgraham.com/p/practical-advice-for-reading-ot-narrative?ref=dashhouse.com) > For the past twenty years, I studied, taught, and reflected upon biblical narratives. [4 Axioms for Leaders](https://www.spiritualtheology.net/p/4-axioms-for-leaders?ref=dashhouse.com) > Leaders leap first. [Assessing the Strength of Our Preaching](https://buildingjerusalem.blog/2026/04/29/assessing-the-strength-of-our-preaching/?ref=dashhouse.com) > I wonder, as you look at this list, where you are stronger and where you are weaker? [Themelios 51.1](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/themelios-51-1/?ref=dashhouse.com) > This special edition of Themelios (spring 2026) is dedicated to D. A. Carson for his work in the field of biblical theology. Themelios has 239 pages of editorials, articles, and book reviews. ### The Rewards of Ministry URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-rewards-of-ministry/ Last updated: 2026-04-28T09:00:17.000Z When Paul describes ministry to Timothy, he reaches for three images: soldier, athlete, and farmer (2 Timothy 2:3–6). Each one carries the weight of suffering. Soldiers forgo civilian comforts. Athletes submit to the rules. Farmers endure grueling, relentless work. I've spent years meditating on these images, which Paul himself commends: "Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything" (2 Timothy 2:7). But while each image highlights the cost of ministry, each one also points beyond it: to reward. The soldier wins the approval of his commanding officer. The athlete who competes well receives the crown. The farmer who labors gets the first share of the harvest. As C. K. Barrett put it, "Beyond warfare is victory, beyond the athlete's effort is the prize, and beyond agricultural labor is the crop." Ministry involves suffering. But ministry also leads to reward. Embrace the suffering with an eye fixed on what faithfulness produces. I keep returning to that final image, the farmer. “The hardworking farmer ought to be the first to get a share of the crops" (2 Timothy 2:6). Kent Hughes captures the farmer's life well: > The farmer's life involved: 1) early and long hours because he could not afford to lose time; 2) constant toil (plowing, sowing, tending, weeding, reaping, storing); 3) regular disappointments—frosts, pests, and disease; 4) much patience—everything happened at less than slow motion; and 5) boredom. That sounds painfully familiar to anyone in ministry. Long hours. Slow, invisible progress. And sometimes, despite every effort, the crop fails anyway. Yet Hughes continues: “The hardworking will be first in line for the reward, and the reward will far outweigh the toil." The farmer's labor feeds others, but first he gets to enjoy the fruits of his work. Ministry often feels like hard work with little visible reward. Every now and then, we catch a glimpse of what God is doing beneath the surface, but more often than not, it feels like we're sowing into the wind. And yet, if you keep working, the harvest will come. You'll get to enjoy some of that harvest now, and even more later. You'll hear the testimony before the baptism. You'll see the couple whose marriage has been transformed. You'll watch the young man who quietly reports that years of faithful biblical preaching have changed his entire life. These are your crops. You're meant to enjoy them. Don't think that ministry will be easy, that results will come fast, or that every effort will clearly succeed. There will be nights when you fall into bed exhausted, wondering whether anything you did that day made a difference. Paul says it does. One day, you'll see the full harvest. You'll receive the first share of what God grew through your faithfulness. Ministry is hard work that demands real suffering. But it is also deeply rewarding work. Don't quit. A harvest is coming that you cannot yet see, and you'll be among the first to enjoy its fruit. ### If God is For Us (Romans 8:31-39) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/if-god-is-for-us-romans-831-39/ Last updated: 2026-04-26T22:00:47.000Z **Big Idea:** Nothing can defeat you, deprive you, condemn you, or separate you from God's love. --- Here's a question for every personality test and dating profile: how many tabs do you have open right now on all your devices? The average person has somewhere between 9 and 11 browser tabs open at any given time. Some people keep just a few. Others have dozens, maybe hundreds, scattered across every device they own. Your tab count likely shows more about who you are and how you live than any test could. People with few tabs open often marry those with many tabs open. They do this to spend their lives driving each other crazy. According to Paul in this passage, the Christian life only needs two tabs open. If you hold on to these two realities, you will have everything you need. You need both, but if you have both, you will be able to face your life with confident hope no matter how hard things get. ## Two Tabs **Tab One:** Difficulty. Lots of difficulty. Christian, you can expect your life to be hard. Take a look at this passage and you will get an honest assessment of what life will be like. There are two categories of difficulties that this passage mentions. Verse 35 mentions tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, and the sword. Paul knew firsthand what he was talking about, because he had experienced all of these except possibly the last one. He then quotes Psalm 44:22, in which God’s people cry out to him after suffering defeat from their enemies. In other words, Paul is saying that the experience of suffering as one of God’s people is not unique. Believers still face suffering, even because they are faithful to God, just like God's people in the past. But that’s not all. In verses 38 to 39, Paul lists all the bad things that any Christian might face. He mentions every force that can come against a Christian: death, life, angels, leaders, things happening now, future things, powers, and the heights and depths. Paul is throwing the kitchen sink of everything that stands against us as Christians. He names every difficulty that a Christian may face, and reminds us that some of our opposition is supernatural. Christian: expect suffering in your life. Not just a little, but a lot of suffering. This includes many difficulties and tough challenges. That’s the first tab you need to keep open in your life. If you don’t have this tab open, you won’t understand how hard life can be. **Tab Two:** Here's the other tab you need to keep open: since God stands with us, no opposing force against us will prevail. He cares for his people, keeps them safe from all enemies, and will one day give them eternal life in a new creation. No matter how difficult life becomes, God's people are always the objects of his loving care. You need both of these tabs open in your life. Expect suffering in your life, massive suffering. But know that no matter what happens to you, you are held by a God who loves you, stands with you, and will bring you safely home. No enemy — not sin, not flesh, not decay, not death, not shame — can prevail against you. No power in heaven or on earth can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Nothing can thwart his purposes or rob you of your final glory. ## Five Unanswerable Questions Today, we’re coming to the end of one of the greatest chapters in the entire Bible. This paragraph concludes not only this magnificent chapter but Paul's entire argument so far. Every human being stood under God's wrath, and yet God acted through Jesus to justify guilty sinners. If you are in Christ, there is no condemnation for you. He has given you a completely new way to live, poured his Spirit into you, and adopted you as his own child. And he will finish what he started. This is the beauty of what God has done in saving you. As Paul concludes this amazing chapter, he asks a question: “What then shall we say to these things?” (8:31). With this question, Paul signals that he’s drawing his conclusions from what he’s said in this chapter. He’s saying, “In light of what I have been teaching, what conclusions follow?” Paul draws his conclusions in the form of five unanswerable questions. Each question connects to the one before. It goes from creation to the courtroom, then to the cross, and finally to God's unbreakable love. Together they form one of the most powerful sustained arguments in all of Scripture. These questions tell us how we can live with assurance with both the reality of ongoing suffering and an unshakable confidence in God’s enduring love. Here are the five rhetorical questions Paul asks in Romans 8:31-39. ### If God is for us, who can be against us? (8:31) That’s the first question. If you took only the second half — "Who can be against us?" — the answer is, “Where do I start?” The unbelieving world is against us; persecution is something we can and should expect. Our own flesh is against us, with remaining sin and desires that war within us. The devil and his demons are against us. We do not fight against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12). Satan is a roaring lion seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). Death itself is against us. We have no shortage of enemies. But that is not the question Paul asks. Paul asks, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" And that changes everything. If God is for us, and he has foreknown, predestined, called, justified, and glorified us, who can stand against us? There is no answer to that question. All the powers of hell may set themselves against us and still they cannot prevail, because God is on our side. As James Montgomery Boice puts it: > It is as if Paul is challenging us to place all the possible enemies we can think of on one-half of an old-fashioned balance scale, as if we were weighing peanuts. Then, when we have all the peanuts assembled on the scale, he throws an anvil onto the other side of the balance. That side comes crashing down, and the peanuts are scattered. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Who can stand against God? The answer is “nobody.” Nothing can defeat us if the Almighty God of the universe is on our side. If God is for us, who can be against us? Nobody. Absolutely nobody. Second question: ### He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? (8:32) Paul answers with what Mark Dever calls perhaps the most comforting verse in the entire Bible. He makes an a fortiori argument, a form of reasoning that says if something is true in the greater case, it must be true in the lesser. If a father pays $500,000 in tuition to put his daughter through medical school, he is not going to complain about buying her a $30 stethoscope. Paul's argument is this: if God was ready to give up his Son on the cross and made the biggest sacrifice for our salvation, is there anything he would keep from us now? Whatever you need, he will give you, because he has already given you his Son. Spurgeon puts it this way: > What must it have cost God to give up his Son to die for his people?… All the wants of all of us put together could only make one little drop in comparison with the tremendous ocean of benevolence which flowed out of God’s heart when he spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all. As we look at Christ, whom God has given to us, we must believe that, with him, he will give us whatsoever we need. He has already given you his best. He is not going to hold anything back from you now. So far Paul has established two things: no enemy can prevail against you, and no good thing will be kept from you. Now he pushes even deeper with his third question: ### Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? (8:33) Questions three and four return us to the courtroom. Who will bring charges against us? The temptation is to answer with a long list. Our conscience, for one. The devil, who never stops pressing charges. Scripture calls him "the accuser of the brothers" (Revelation 12:10). He is always ready to say: there you are, failing again, as evil as ever. And no doubt there are plenty of other voices willing to point the finger. But none of those charges can be sustained. Why not? Because God has chosen us, and God has justified us. Every accusation fails because Satan is arguing his case before a Judge who has already decided in our favor. We have already been cleared in this courtroom. The verdict has been rendered. The charges will not stick. Then Paul asks a related question: ### Who is to condemn? (8:34) Even if a charge were somehow filed, who has the authority to pronounce condemnation? Paul's answer is stunning: the one person who could condemn is instead the one pleading our case. “Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.” The one person who could condemn — because he bore the sin — is instead the one pleading our case. Paul closes off both ends of the courtroom. No charge can stick because God justifies. No sentence can be handed down because Christ intercedes. No cosmic court can undo what God has done. Martin Luther once said: > You should tell the devil, ‘Just by telling me that I am a miserable, great sinner you are placing a sword and weapon into my hand with which I can decisively overcome you; yea, with your own weapon I can kill and floor you. For if you can tell me that I am a poor sinner, I on the other hand, can tell you that Christ died for sinners, and is their Intercessor … You remind me of the boundless, great faithfulness and benefaction of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ … to Him I direct you. You may accuse and condemn Him. Let me rest in peace; for on His shoulders, not on mine, lie all my sins. No enemy can prevail against us, no good thing will be kept from us, no charge can be made to stick, and no condemnation can be handed down. And Paul is not finished yet. Here’s his fifth and final question: ### Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? (8:35-39) This is the climactic question, and the answer is what one commentator calls "the highest rung in the ladder of comfort." Who can separate you from the love of Christ? Paul scans the horizon. He goes through pain and struggles, facing powerful forces from above. He moves through all dimensions of time and space, naming the worst things that could come between us and Christ's love. And his conclusion is unambiguous: not one of them can do it. Stack every destructive force against you. None of them can sever you from the love of God. John Stott says: > The apostle hurls these questions out into space, as it were, defiantly, triumphantly, challenging any creature in heaven or earth or hell to answer them or to deny the truth that is contained in them. But there is no answer, for nobody and nothing can harm the redeemed people of God. Christian, you are secure in the Savior because of the promises of the gospel. No enemy can defeat you. No good thing will be denied to you. No accusation can be proven true. No judgment can be given. Nothing in all of creation can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. God is for you, he will provide for you, he has cleared you, Christ intercedes for you, and nothing can ever take you from his love. **Nothing can defeat you, deprive you, condemn you, or separate you from God's love.** > How wonderful, how glorious, how secure is the gospel! Those who are in Christ Jesus are as secure as the love of God, the merit, power, and intercession of Christ can make them. They are hedged around with mercy. They are enclosed in the arms of everlasting love. (Charles Hodge) So keep those two tabs open. Tab one: the Christian life is tough. Paul wants you to expect not just regular pain but strong, ongoing struggles coming at you from all sides, including unseen opposition. Tab two: you are held by a God whose love is stronger than every enemy, every accusation, and every force in heaven or on earth. The God who is for you will never stop being for you, and nothing in all creation can take you from his love. These truths are not reserved for the mountaintop; they are meant for the valley floor. When the diagnosis is frightening, God is for you. When the marriage is strained, Christ is not your accuser but your Intercessor. When grief sits heavy and words won't come, nothing in that sorrow can separate you from his love. When the enemy rehearses every past failure, remember the verdict has already been handed down: justified, cleared, held. Whatever form suffering takes — relational, physical, spiritual — you face it not as someone abandoned, but as someone anchored. No force in heaven or on earth can loosen that grip. Keep these two truths together, and they will give you something the world cannot offer and cannot take away: the freedom to look your life honestly in the face, knowing that the God who gave his Son for you will never, ever let you go. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-495/ Last updated: 2026-04-25T09:00:15.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [The Modern Flattening of Sin—and What We Lose](https://newsletters.feedbinusercontent.com/740/740fc405853b804e629b1403d3633baf3e917b22.html?ref=dashhouse.com) > We need a vision of sin large enough to require the gospel. [12 Reasons Why Correcting With Gentleness Is One of the Hardest Parts of Pastoral Ministry](https://www.crossway.org/articles/12-reasons-why-correcting-with-gentleness-is-one-of-the-hardest-parts-of-pastoral-ministry/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The idea of gentle instruction with repentance as a goal might seem straightforward. [Is Sunday a Sabbath, a Secular Day, or Something Else?](https://www.gracebc.ca/blog/2026/4/22/is-sunday-a-sabbath-a-secular-day-or-something-else?ref=dashhouse.com) > How should a Christian understand Sunday, and what, if anything, makes it different from every other day? [Preachers: Make Your Sermon Both Accurate and Impactful](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/article/preachers-make-your-sermon-both-accurate-and-impactful/?ref=dashhouse.com) > How do we prepare sermons that are doctrinally solid and spiritually life-shaping? [Random Thoughts About Preaching and Being Preached To](https://www.challies.com/articles/random-thoughts-about-preaching-and-being-preached-to/?ref=dashhouse.com) > In my experience, sermons tend to grow in quality more by subtraction than by addition. [Brothers, Aspire to Be Lay Elders](https://www.9marks.org/article/brothers-aspire-to-be-lay-elders/?ref=dashhouse.com) > For those who are biblically qualified for the role, serving as an elder is a great blessing to the church and a worthwhile use of your time and gifts for the sake of Christ’s kingdom. [Repairing the Ruins: Why AI Can’t Replace Education| National Catholic Register](https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/schnell-repairing-the-ruins?ref=dashhouse.com) > In an era when AI can write anything, authentic education must go beyond the mere production of words. ### No Spirit, No Christian Life URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/no-spirit-no-christian-life/ Last updated: 2026-04-21T10:41:25.000Z Someone once told me I didn't talk about the Holy Spirit much in my preaching. It stung because they weren't wrong. It may have been a blind spot, and I suspect I'm not the only one. We simply don't speak about the work of the Holy Spirit nearly as often as we should. I believe part of the problem is that when the Spirit is mentioned, people quickly start arguing about the charismatic gifts. But that's far too narrow a lens. Romans 8 makes it impossible to stay there. Without the Holy Spirit, we are powerless to live the Christian life, and this chapter shows us exactly why. Romans 8 is one of the most cherished passages in all of Scripture. Spurgeon called it "the cream of the cream of Holy Scripture." What's remarkable is that at its heart, the chapter is primarily about the work of the Holy Spirit. Paul mentions him directly about twenty times, making Romans 8 one of the chapters with the most mentions of the Spirit in any New Testament letter. The passage is filled with his ministry. - The Holy Spirit makes our new life in Christ possible, freeing us from the old patterns of sin that once defined us (vv. 1–10). - The Holy Spirit makes possible our future resurrection (verse 11). - The Spirit indwells us and helps us put sin to death (verse 13). - The Spirit leads us to live in a way that’s pleasing to God (verse 14). - Through adoption by the Spirit, we are not just forgiven sinners; we are loved children, with the right to call God our Father (verses 14–15). - The Spirit helps us in our weakness, praying for us when we can’t. He knows exactly what we need, and unlike us, he always prays according to God’s will (verses 26-27). - Although he’s not mentioned explicitly, the Spirit is active at every part of our salvation from foreknowledge to glorification. He is the one who enacts our salvation and applies every one of its benefits to our souls (verses 29-30). Paul bases his entire case for assurance firmly on the work of the Holy Spirit. No Spirit, no Romans 8\. No holiness, no spiritual power, no sense of belonging, no confidence, no help when we are weak. We’d be lost without his ministry every moment of our lives. John Blanchard gets it right: “A Christian may not always be conscious of the Holy Spirit’s presence, but he would not even be a Christian in his absence.” Another saint, William Macleod, said, “The work of the Holy Spirit is as needful as that of Christ.” I never want to hear again that I don't talk about the Holy Spirit, because living a Christian life is just not possible without him. He is the reason we can open the Bible and understand it, pray and be heard, receive all the benefits of salvation, and engage meaningfully in the life of the church. Where would we be without him? I'm grateful we never have to find out. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-494/ Last updated: 2026-04-18T09:00:26.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [5 Ways Christians Can Navigate a Challenging Workplace](https://learn.ligonier.org/articles/5-ways-challenging-workplace?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are five ways Christians can have a healthy approach to challenging workplaces. [The Discipline Of Staying In Bed](https://stephenmcalpine.substack.com/p/the-discipline-of-staying-in-bed) > I am counting down the mornings left to lie in bed next to Jill. [Not Everything Needs to Be Useful](https://www.chrismartin.fyi/p/not-everything-needs-to-be-useful?ref=dashhouse.com) > Perhaps our concern ought not to be with the product of the technology but with what using the technology does to us. [AI and the Creation Mandate](https://michaelfbird.substack.com/p/ai-and-the-creation-mandate) > Perhaps instead, it is a tool for human flourishing and a partial fulfilment of the mandate for humans to take charge of creation. [How to Trust God’s Timing for Your Writing](https://janacarlson.com/trusting-gods-timing/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Maybe he’s still teaching me things I need to know before I write the article he wants me to write. [Pastor, Productivity Begins with Dependence](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/pastor-productivity-dependence/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are seven practical considerations that can help you grow in productivity by growing in dependence on God’s Spirit. [The Pulpit Is Not the Place to Lay Out Various Interpretive Views](https://buildingjerusalem.blog/2026/04/16/the-pulpit-is-not-the-place-to-lay-out-various-interpretive-views/?ref=dashhouse.com) > There is a place I am not convinced we ought to be laying out all the options; namely, the pulpit. ### The Crisis Every Pastor Will Face URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-crisis-every-pastor-will-face/ Last updated: 2026-04-14T09:00:55.000Z I have a theory: every pastor will go through a crisis. The people will turn against him. He will face significant opposition. He will be brutally attacked and discouraged. He may even get fired. It seems this is the rule, not the exception, in pastoral ministry. Hopefully, it won't happen to you more than once, but it should be expected. The question is, what do we do when we face such a crisis? Jeremiah 15 gives us some clues. ## A Servant’s Complaint As you're probably aware, Jeremiah didn't have an easy ministry. His prophetic office led him to be hated. Even his own family rejected him. People plotted against his life and he faced bitter opposition. He felt so discouraged that he despaired of life itself. He wished he hadn’t been born (15:10-18). None of this was Jeremiah’s fault. Jeremiah was obedient. It wasn't a sign that he was doing something wrong. He was true to his calling. This is the nature of ministry. We’re not in charge of how people respond. Sometimes God gives us hard tasks where we feel alone and people don't react kindly. We may also face rejection from those who are close to us. It could happen to you. In Jeremiah's case, the opposition really got to him. He became so discouraged that he despaired of his life and began to accuse God of letting him down when he needed him most. He compared God to a brook that dries up in the summer and can't be relied upon (15:18). His discouragement left him despairing of his own life and distrustful of God. You may experience similar feelings. Ministry can make us feel hopeless and even lead us to start doubting the God who called us to serve him. ## God’s Answer How did God respond to Jeremiah's discouragement? God responded in two ways: with a rebuke and a recommissioning. First, he rebuked Jeremiah severely. Jeremiah had gone too far in his self-pity and had neglected his responsibilities. The Lord called him to return and promised that if he did, he would be restored (15:19). Scripture allows honest complaints to the Lord, but we shouldn't cross the line of accusing God in our despair. But God didn't only correct Jeremiah; he gave him a new mission with words that were very much like those from when he first called him (15:20-21; compare to 1:18-19). God promised to protect him, deliver him, and strengthen him for the tasks ahead. Paul says something similar in 2 Timothy 2:1: “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” If we're going to survive in ministry, we need God's strength, and God is always ready to give us all the strength we need to fulfill our tasks. Pastor, don't be surprised when ministry is hard. There will be times when you feel discouraged and defeated. There might even be times when you despair of life and begin to lose hope in the God who called you. Don't sin in your discouragement. Instead, ask God to recommission you and protect you. Suffering in ministry is normal, but the unbearable weight of ministry and the sustaining grace of God go hand in hand. Keep going, and don't despair. ### There’s More (Romans 8:11-17) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/theres-more-romans-811-17/ Last updated: 2026-04-12T22:00:22.000Z **Big Idea:** The gospel doesn't just forgive you; it gives you the Holy Spirit, who lives in you, empowers you, leads you, adopts you, and assures you. --- You've probably seen a late-night infomercial. The host unveils something remarkable, and just when you're convinced it can't get better, he leans in: "But wait — there's more!" It's a throwaway line designed to move product. The gospel is quite different from that, except for one thing: what God gives us in Jesus is truly much more than most people understand. Coming to Jesus means receiving forgiveness and eternal life, and that alone is staggering. When Jesus died, he bore your sins on the cross. When he rose, he conquered death. If you are in him, your sins are gone, your standing before God is secure, and your future is guaranteed. The work of Jesus at the cross is the foundation of everything. But there’s more. Much, much more. When you come to Jesus, you don't only receive forgiveness and a future. You receive the Holy Spirit. That's what Romans 8 is about. The Spirit is the dominant figure in this chapter. He’s mentioned nearly twenty times, not as a theological concept to admire from a distance, but as a living presence actively working in you right now. And the Holy Spirit makes a difference in your life. He has a ministry. In fact, the passage we just read surfaces five of those ministries. If you have ever felt empty inside, trapped in habits you can't change, unsure of your path, or not sure if God is on your side, what you are about to read will help with all of that. Here’s what the Holy Spirit does is doing for you. ## The Holy Spirit Indwells You (8:11) > If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. God doesn't simply forgive us and keep his distance. He moves in. The very same Spirit who indwelt Jesus now permanently resides in every person who has trusted him. He doesn’t dwell in you occasionally. He doesn’t dwell in you only when you get your act together. He takes up permanent residence in you. How close does God desire to be to you? So close that he actually lives within you. And here’s the implication Paul draws out from this: because the Spirit of life dwells in you, your death is not the end of your story. Your body will die. That much is certain. But the Spirit who raised Jesus from the grave on Easter Sunday lives inside your mortal body too. What he did for Jesus, he will do for you. The power that pulled Christ back from death on the third day lives inside imperfect, surrendered you, not because of anything you’ve done, but entirely on the merits of Jesus. You are never alone. You are never without resources. He is here, and he is yours. That's the first ministry of the Holy Spirit. He indwells you. Here's the second: ## The Holy Spirit Empowers You (8:12-13) > So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. We have a problem. Paul names it plainly: the flesh. When he talks about the flesh, he’s not talking about your physical body. He’s talking about the old nature with its cravings and patterns. Even though he’s saved you, the flesh still exerts some influence on your life. Lloyd-Jones describes how this works. “The flesh is the cause of all our troubles. It makes us sin, brings us into misery, and into the realm of death." Our flesh is bad news. But Paul makes a glorious point: we don’t have to live according to the flesh anymore. Why? Because we’re no longer debtors to the flesh. It has no more legal claim on you than a debt already paid in full. There’s a new way to live now. When your flesh comes calling, you can remind it that you no longer live by it anymore. It’s like the tyrant that has been replaced by a rightful king on the throne. The deposed tyrant hasn't accepted the verdict. He is outside the walls, probing for weaknesses, looking for any gate left unguarded. He has no legal claim anymore, but he hasn't stopped fighting. But you can tell the tyrant, “You don’t belong here anymore. You’ve been dethroned. I owe you nothing.” This allows you to put to death the deeds of the body. Present active tense. Keep on putting to death. This is not a one-time decision but a daily, holy aggression toward sin. John Owen's warning has stood the test of time: *"Be killing sin, or sin will be killing you."* Do not treat sin as an inconvenience to be managed. It is a predator. Deal with it accordingly. How do we do this? The Holy Spirit. Paul says to put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit. The Holy Spirit will empower you to battle sin. As Ray Ortlund puts it, "The Holy Spirit is the one who transforms sin-tolerating people into sin-killing people." The Spirit indwells you, and now he helps you in your ongoing battle with sin. You have to fight, of course. But you don’t fight on your own power. You would never win. But he’s given you all you need to battle sin. You don't need a breakthrough moment or a new technique. God has already placed everything you need within you. The Spirit is not cheering you on from a distance. He is in the battle with you. When temptation comes against you, you can say, “I owe you nothing. Not only that, but I don’t fight you alone. I have the Spirit with me, and he will help me put you to death. He’s got way more power than me.” The Spirit indwells you. The Spirit empowers you in your fight against sin. Here's the third ministry of the Holy Spirit: ## The Holy Spirit Leads You (8:14) > For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. One of the most practical questions a believer asks is this: how does God actually guide me? It’s easy to look at this verse and think that Paul is talking about the Spirit leading you in terms of who to marry, what job to take, what house to buy. We often think that we need to reply on circumstances, inner impressions. Or the right signal in order to be led by the Spirit. But Paul says that being led by the Spirit of God is characteristic of all who are sons of God. Don’t skip over what Paul says. Being a son of God is an incredible privilege. In the ancient world, the eldest son received the entire inheritance. Daughters and younger sons had no legal claim. Paul takes that structure and dismantles it with the gospel. He says you are a son. It doesn’t matter who you are. If you are in Jesus, you have full access to everything the Father has given the firstborn. You are an heir. All of this is true of those who are led by the Spirit. Paul is talking about the kind of leading that characterizes the Christian life. To be a Christian means that the basic orientation of your life is to follow the Spirit. Galatians 5 puts it this way: "Keep in step with the Spirit." This is the entire Christian life: falling behind a leader, matching their pace, moving in their direction toward Jesus. At its core, this is what it means to be a Christian. The Holy Spirit takes up residence within us. He empowers us to battle sin. He invites us to follow his leadership as he leads us to Jesus. He’s gentle. Lloyd-Jones writes, "There is no violence in Christianity. What the Spirit does is to enlighten and persuade." He calls. He woos. He waits. He will keep leading. The only question is whether we are keeping in step, and whether we are living as who we already are: sons and daughters of the living God. The Holy Spirit indwells. The Holy Spirit empowers you as you fight sin. The Holy Spirit leads you every day to pursue Jesus. Here’s the fourth ministry of the Holy Spirit in your life: ## The Holy Spirit Adopts You (8:15) > For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” What Paul has said so far is amazing. But these last two ministries of the Holy Spirit are my favorite. There are two ways to live. One is to live as a slave, unsure of your condition. The only reason slavery worked in Roman times is that slaves knew they could be brutally punished if they stepped out of line. They could be beaten, branded, or crucified at the owner's complete discretion. The owner didn’t have to prove an offense, or follow a process. There was no legal protection. The system ran on fear. That is not the Christian life. You are not a slave; you are an adopted son. J.I. Packer calls this the highest privilege that the gospel offers. Why? Because it reveals that God isn’t just a Judge who sets you free; he is a Father who loves you and delights in you. “To be right with God the Judge is a great thing, but to be loved and cared for by God the Father is a greater,” he writes. Think about this. He loves you. You belong to him. You are part of his family. You’re not a slave, you’re his child with all of the privileges that go along with this. How does this work? Through the Spirit of adoption. The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead and declared him the Son of God is the one who brings believers into that same family as adopted sons and daughters. But there’s more: ## The Holy Spirit Assures You (8:16-17) > The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. The end of verse 15 said that the Spirit enables us to approach God in prayer in the most intimate of familial terms, just as a child would talk to his father. As Tim Keller put it, “The only person who dares wake up a king at 3:00 AM for a glass of water is a child. We have that kind of access." But verses 16–17 go further. There will be moments when you wonder if any of this is really true, if you're really forgiven, really loved, really a child of God. It sounds almost too good to be. That's exactly where the Spirit meets you. He doesn't just give you the position of a child; he assures you of it. Not as a theological argument, but as a felt reality. You may have experienced this already: an unexpected sense of God's presence that stopped you in your tracks, a moment when all doubt went quiet and you simply *knew* you were his. You may have been moved to tears. You may have felt something settle deep in your chest — a certainty you couldn't manufacture and didn't have to. The Spirit does that. He makes the love of a Father feel like the love of a Father. This is the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the Christian’s life. Believer, **the gospel doesn't just forgive you; it gives you the Holy Spirit, who lives in you, empowers you, leads you, adopts you, and assures you.** If you are in Christ, let this settle into you today. You are not on probation. You are not hanging by a thread, hoping God doesn't change his mind. The Spirit of the living God dwells in you, fights alongside you, leads you, has adopted you, and will personally assure you that you are loved. That is not a feeling to chase; it is a reality to rest in. On your worst day, none of it changes. And if you're in a season where doubt is loud and God feels distant, don't run from him; run to him. He is your Father, and the Spirit will meet you there. But if you're not yet a believer, I want you to hear this clearly: this is what you're being invited into. Not a religion. Not a set of rules. Not a distant God who tolerates you from afar. A Father who wants you close — so close that he would send his Son to bring you home, and his Spirit to live inside you. That is the gospel. And if it sounds too good to be true, that's exactly what the Spirit is here to show you: that it is true, and that it is for you. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-493/ Last updated: 2026-04-11T09:00:52.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [The Genius of Dirt](https://sethlewis.ie/2026/04/08/the-genius-of-dirt/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Look more closely, and you’ll discover that the dirt under our feet is a never-ending gift of God’s generous genius. [Don't Mistake Dating For Marriage](https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/dont-mistake-dating-for-marriage?ref=dashhouse.com) > Let me offer three warnings to help you date for the benefit of your soul. [Wear Your Own Armor](https://sola.network/article/wear-your-own-armor/?ref=dashhouse.com) > So yes, learn from Matt Chandler, Tim Keller, Rick Warren, and more. Have multitudes of teachers. But learn the base principles and not simply pass down strategies. [Elders Take Low Seat](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/elders-take-low-seat/?ref=dashhouse.com) > In Jesus’s kingdom, the way up is down. [Letter to a Future or Current Pastor’s Wife](https://www.biblicalcounselingcoalition.org/2026/04/06/letter-to-a-future-or-current-pastors-wife/?ref=dashhouse.com) > It is a privilege to serve God and His people through your husband’s service as a pastor. [AI Christian Benchmark](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/ai-christian-benchmark/?ref=dashhouse.com) > What happens if AI gives unreliable or incomplete information to the most common questions about the Christian faith? ### The Sermon Is Over. The Word Isn't. URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-sermon-is-over-the-word-isnt/ Last updated: 2026-04-07T09:00:50.000Z It's the Tuesday after Easter. If you're a preacher, it's time for some proverbial Wittenberg beer. In March 1522, Martin Luther preached a sermon about the power of Scripture: > I simply taught, preached, and wrote God's Word; otherwise I did nothing. And while I slept, or drank Wittenberg beer with my friends Philip and Amsdorf, the Word so greatly weakened the papacy that no prince or emperor ever inflicted such losses upon it. I did nothing; the Word did everything. Tuesday mornings have a way of making us second-guess ourselves. Our sermons rarely land the way we hoped. We feel the gap between what we intended and what we delivered, and we quietly wonder if any of it mattered. Luther cuts through that fog. The power belongs to Scripture. We play a part, but it's not really about us. After we step down from the pulpit, the word keeps working. We do nothing; the word does everything. Here's what that means in practice: the sermon you preached last Sunday is still doing its work. It may not have been your best, and that's okay. Do your best as a preacher, but remember that you’ll always fall short. The preached word doesn't need our best to accomplish God's purposes. It changes hearts, draws people to Jesus, and keeps spreading long after we've moved on. Paul says it plainly: even when he's in chains, the word of God is not (2 Timothy 2:9). Jonathan Leeman [captures it well](https://amzn.to/4twsnqP?ref=dashhouse.com): "God's Word, working through God's Spirit, is God's primary instrument for growing God's church." The Word is more powerful than our programs, strategies, or personalities. Read and mediate on Hebrews 4:12 and 2 Timothy 3:14-17 to remind yourself of the power of God’s word. So put down the second-guessing. Go drink your Wittenberg beer. God is still at work through the imperfect preaching of His word. We did nothing; the word did everything. Praise be to God. ### The Verdict’s In (Romans 8:1–11) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-verdicts-in-romans-8111/ Last updated: 2026-04-05T22:00:05.000Z **Big Idea:** A new verdict — not guilty! — and a new lifestyle is yours because of Jesus. --- We live in a world haunted by condemnation, and it comes from three directions. The first is **cultural condemnation**. You feel it when you scroll through someone else's highlight reel and something tightens in your chest. You notice it in the bad comment, the tough review, and the feeling that no matter how hard you try, it's never enough. Culture runs a relentless audit on our looks, success, productivity, and parenting, and the verdict never changes: not enough. The second is **subjective condemnation**, that quiet but persistent whisper that something is fundamentally wrong with you. It happens at 2 a.m. when you think again about the talk you messed up, the parent you didn't become, and the rules you couldn't keep. The Bible reading plan abandoned by February. The number on the scale. The career that stalled. And even those who tick every box eventually hit the wall Solomon described with unflinching honesty: Vanity of vanities. Everything is vanity. Achievement doesn't silence the whisper. It just raises the stakes. The third is **spiritual condemnation**, and this one runs deepest. It's often felt as a vague but weighty sense that we are not right with God, that something between us and him is broken. Romans 1–3 names what we already sense: we fall short of God's glory and stand condemned under his righteous law. We cannot meet his standard. Most days, we can't even meet our own. Together, these three voices cast a shadow over everyone trying to earn their salvation, their significance, their worth. They converge on the same verdict: You are not enough. You never will be. And there's nothing you can do about it. We turn to perhaps the most wonderful chapter in all of Scripture, what Spurgeon called "the cream of the cream of Holy Scripture." It tells a far better story: a new verdict, and a completely new way to live. ## A New Verdict (Romans 8:1–4) Here is the new verdict over your life if you are in Jesus: > There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us… Paul doesn't say there was no cause for condemnation. There was: sin itself. Romans has laid bare the exceeding sinfulness of sin. Our rebellion against God has made us guilty, and that guilt is precisely what condemns us. But now there is no condemnation. This is the present position of every person who is in Jesus Christ. It follows the cry of the previous verses: "Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:24–25). These four verses sum up chapter 8: a clear judgment that cannot change for anyone who believes in Christ Jesus: No condemnation. Not now. Not ever. We were condemned sinners, subject to the outpoured wrath of God. Then Jesus entered this world, died for us, and bore that wrath in our place. Every Christian's standing before God is always: not guilty. Your sins — past, present, and future — have been dealt with at the cross. How did this happen? Notice the critical words in verse 3: "For God has done…" This is entirely God's work, not ours. The entire Trinity has been at work in your life: - **God the Father** sent his own Son in the likeness of sinful man, fully God, fully man, without sin. - **God the Son** gave his life as a sin offering. He "condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us." This is the atonement we celebrate this Easter weekend. Jesus died in our place, turning aside God's wrath, so we might stand before him clothed in Christ's perfect righteousness. He was no mere example; he bore the full weight of our condemnation on the cross. - **God the Holy Spirit** has set us free from the law of sin and death that once ruled our lives apart from Christ. The Spirit liberates us and produces a new quality of life in every believer. The Triune God has done everything necessary to deliver us from sin's penalty and power. Jesus took on all the blame so completely that nothing anyone might say about you — not a person, not the devil, and not even your own guilt — can ever make you unacceptable to God. Jesus Christ has paid for it all in full. Not only that, but the Holy Spirit now lives in you, cleansing and changing you from the inside out. The new covenant has the Spirit writing the law on our hearts, providing new desires and abilities. This verdict is only for those who are in Jesus. Two classes of people exist: those in Christ Jesus, free from condemnation, and those not in Christ, still under it. Pause on that phrase: in Christ. If you have turned to Jesus, this is your identity now. Your old self, with all its sin and condemnation, is finished. You are united to him. And he is someone worth being united to. He welcomed the ones everyone else had written off. He spoke gently to the broken, the ashamed, the ones who had used up every second chance. He saw the worst of people and moved toward them. That is who you are now in. There is no safer place, and no better person, to be found in than him. If you have turned to Jesus in faith, this is his word over your life. As Savior and Lord, he cancels the record of debt against us (Colossians 2:14). No court in the universe can overturn it. This truth frees believers from all striving and all pressure to become something they are not. Your identity is secure in Jesus. You have everything to do, and nothing to prove. Do you understand this verdict? Martyn Lloyd-Jones warned us: most of our troubles are due to our failure to grasp the truth of this verse. The accuser whispers about your failures, stokes your impostor syndrome, and says, "God has definitely given up on you." But God's verdict in Christ silences every one of those whispers. Think of a father looking his son in the eye and saying, "I love you because you're mine." Not because of behavior. Not because of performance. Because of belonging. That is how God loves everyone who is in Christ Jesus. The voices of condemnation we've talked about are real. Some of you walked in this morning already carrying their weight. But the gospel speaks louder. Culture says not enough. God says not guilty. Your heart rehearses your failures. God says no condemnation. The accuser says you are defined by your worst moments. God says you are defined by whose you are. You belong to Jesus. This is not a promise for your best days; it is the fixed reality of every day you are in Christ. You can stop trying to please an audience that will never be happy. You can stop hiding from a shame that you took on at the cross. And you can stop working for a status that you have already been given for free. The verdict has been rendered. It cannot be appealed. It will never be reversed. Not because of what you have done, but because of what he has done. That's the new verdict spoken over all who are in Jesus. ## A New Lifestyle (8:4–11) There's a new verdict over our lives: no condemnation. And according to verses 4 to 11, there's also a new lifestyle that we get to enjoy. Verse 4 continues: > …who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. *(Romans 8:4–8)* Paul draws a sharp line through humanity, not by sex, culture, class, or race, but by the orientation of the heart. All of human life can be reduced to two ways of being: living in the flesh, or living in the Spirit. Two kinds of people. Two orientations. And which one we live from determines everything. The first is to live according to the flesh: to live in a way that is fully compatible with the fallen, corrupt nature we inherited from Adam. Life according to the flesh sets the mind on the things of the flesh, produces death, is hostile toward God, cannot submit to God's law, and cannot please God. Apart from Christ, we are not neutral toward God. We are hostile, empty, and unable to change. We are inclined away from God. We are attracted to smaller things and we do not have the ability to change ourselves. Dead people don't need a crutch; they need resurrection. The only hope is rescue. And that is exactly what God, in his great love, provides. But there’s another way: life in the Spirit. God doesn't leave us in the ruin of our old nature. He gives us a **new disposition**: where there was once hostility toward God, there is now desire for him and a settled sense that this world is not our home. He gives us a **new direction**: the Spirit now dwells within us, convicting, illuminating, and producing a life increasingly bent toward God's glory. And he gives us a **new destiny**: life and peace, not only as future hopes but as present realities that will culminate in resurrection, when every part of us will finally and fully please God. The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead guarantees it. These are not simply different behaviors. They are fundamentally different orientations to life itself. What is Paul driving at? He tells us in verses 9 to 11: > You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. We used to live according to the flesh. Our thinking was drawn toward sin. We were spiritually dead, hostile to God, unable to submit to his law or please him, and there was nothing we could do to change that. But something changed. The Spirit of God came to dwell in us. This is the stunning reality that is true of every believer: the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead on that first Easter morning now lives in you. He has changed you from the inside so that you think differently, so that you are spiritually alive instead of dead, so that you are moving in the direction of true righteousness. And there is even more. The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead will one day raise your mortal body from the dead too. Paul isn't saying you're perfect. You're not. We all have a long way to go. But he is saying that God has fundamentally changed the disposition, direction, and destiny of your life in Jesus Christ. You don't live the way you used to. He is changing you from the inside out. He hasn't just removed the sentence of condemnation. He is transforming your character. And one day, that work will be complete. **A new verdict — not guilty! — and a new lifestyle is yours because of Jesus.** Easter Sunday is the day God posted his verdict on an empty tomb: not guilty. Death could not hold the one who bore our condemnation. And because he rose, the condemnation is gone. Not managed. Not deferred. Gone. The Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead now lives in you, if you belong to him. He hasn't just acquitted you; he is remaking you. And one day, when he raises your mortal body as he raised Jesus, the work will be complete. You have nothing to prove and nothing to fear. Live like it. If you're not yet in Christ, hear this: the condemnation Paul describes is real, but so is the rescue. Jesus didn't come for people who have it together. He came for the condemned. He came for you. Turn from your sin. Trust in him: his death in your place, his resurrection as your hope. The verdict that seemed so far away becomes yours today. No condemnation. Now and forever. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-492/ Last updated: 2026-04-04T09:00:59.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Did God Forsake Jesus on The Cross?](https://www.logos.com/grow/witw-did-god-forsake-jesus/?ref=dashhouse.com) > In both Matthew and Mark, it’s one of Jesus’s final utterances, intentionally placed near the climax of the passion narrative. [He Is Risen—So What? 20 Things Jesus’s Resurrection Accomplished](https://www.logos.com/grow/jesus-resurrection-significance/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Christ’s resurrection demonstrates the remarkable power of God. [Does Heaven Move More Slowly?](https://sethlewis.ie/2026/04/01/does-heaven-move-more-slowly/?ref=dashhouse.com) > I wonder what it would look like to move through the world more like a Mary? [Hope for Those Who Have Made Sex an Idol](https://www.jenoshman.com/jen-oshman-blog/2026/3/29/hope-for-those-who-have-made-sex-an-idol?ref=dashhouse.com) > When men and women in the church give in to sexual sin and even become accustomed to it or addicted to it, they feel overwhelmed by humiliation and guilt. [4 Axioms from Spurgeon’s Leadership](https://www.newchurches.com/article/4-axioms-from-spurgeons-leadership/?ref=dashhouse.com) > If we boil down his profound insights on leadership, we can create four simple axioms or truisms that apply to church planting and all of pastoral ministry. [The Unexpected Legacy of a Youth Ministry Failure](https://cpyu.org/2026/04/01/youth-ministry-faithfulness/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Hearing the latest chapter in this decades-long ministry story a few weeks ago blew me away as I thought about God’s kindness, mercy, faithfulness, and grace. [It’s a Risk To Be in Front of a Room](https://www.challies.com/articles/its-a-risk-to-be-in-front-of-a-room/?ref=dashhouse.com) > If it has always been a risk to be the person at the front of the room, how much more today, when a single errant word, embarrassing flub, or theological mistake can make its way around the world at the speed of social media? ### Look and Live (Numbers 21:4-9; John 3:14-15) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/look-and-live-numbers-214-9-john-314-15/ Last updated: 2026-04-04T01:00:15.000Z **Big Idea:** Salvation comes by looking in faith to Christ crucified, believing his death is God's remedy for your sins and the death you deserve. --- It’s on virtually every ambulance, hospital, and medical uniform: a serpent coiled around a pole. You’ve seen it thousands of times. Most people assume it’s purely Greek: the staff of Hermes, messenger of the gods, or the rod of Asclepius, the god of medicine. And they’re not wrong. But the symbol is older than Greece, and its deepest roots run through a desert, not an Olympus. The answer takes us to an extraordinary moment in Israel’s wilderness wanderings, one that speaks directly to us today.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Let's look at the story and what it means for us. Here’s the story, and I have to warn you: it’s a bit surprising. ## The Problem The story unfolds some 3,400 years ago. Forty years earlier, Israel had escaped slavery in Egypt. Since then, they'd wandered the wilderness while an entire generation died off. Now Aaron, one of their key leaders, had just died. Edom — the nation descended from Esau, Jacob's own brother — had refused them safe passage through their land. Blood relatives had turned them away. It forced a longer, harder route around the border, and the people were exhausted and angry. They turned on God and Moses. We read in Numbers 21:4-5: > From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” They had grievances: the wilderness, the lack of food and water, even the manna God provided daily. This was the seventh time in Numbers they'd brought the same complaint. Nothing satisfied them. Their discouragement led to something more serious: complaining against God himself. They wished he had never saved them, never brought them out of Egypt, never made a covenant with them at Sinai. They resented his mercy, questioned his sovereignty, and refused to trust his word. This was, as one preacher (Tim Keller) says: > ...a character assassination of the goodness of God, a disbelief in the love of God, a disbelief that God is out for your good … That fell in the heart through the Serpent into our hearts in the very beginning, and it’s mistrust of God, it’s a refusal to believe God is good to us, that God loves us, that he’s out for our best, that is at the very bottom, and that’s the cancer that makes us believe we have to stay in control of our lives and we can’t trust God. We’ll obey God as long as it looks practical. Grumbling runs deeper than bad attitudes. It exposes unbelief at the heart level. According to Romans 1:21, this issue goes to the heart of our spiritual problem. Ingratitude is the first step away from God. Grumbling is ingratitude given a voice, declaring that God's provision isn't enough and he cannot be trusted. Complaint without thanksgiving leads to spiritual blindness. We're not so different. All of us have experienced God's blessings. Yet we grumble when life doesn't meet expectations. Our discontent reveals the same unbelief, the same refusal to honor God with thanksgiving. Over three thousand years later, the human heart remains unchanged. ## God’s Judgment That’s the problem. How does God respond? We read in Numbers 21:6: “Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.” In each of the previous times that the people complained, God sent his judgment. Early incidents brought immediate but limited judgment: for instance, fire at the camp's edge. As complaints continued, judgments became more severe: plagues, nationwide consequences, mass death. By the time we get to this event, there was no warning at all. The Lord removed his protective hand. For the first time, Israel experienced the hostile forces that had surrounded them all along. Moses later described the wilderness as "the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions" (Deuteronomy 8:15). Until now, God had shielded them from these dangers. He let them experience life in the wilderness without him. They saw again that he had always been their loyal shepherd and protector. As recently as the early 1900s, Lawrence of Arabia recorded his time in this same desert. His guides killed some twenty serpents per day—horned vipers, puff-adders, cobras, black snakes—so many that his party feared every step. The serpents had always been there. God had simply kept them at bay. Why did they now experience these snake bites? As one scholar (S.R. Hirsch) writes: > The sole purpose of the snake bites…was to make the people see the dangers that lie in wait for them at every step in the wilderness, and to make them realize that it was only God’s miraculous power that had kept these dangers away from them, so far away that they did not even have an idea of their existence. Israel faced fiery snakes, named for their venom causing intense inflammation and burning pain, possibly also for their reddish-copper coloring. The bites were lethal. People started dying. The cobra was Egypt's chief deity, worn on Pharaoh's crown as a symbol of divine power. Israel kept complaining they wanted to return to Egypt, so God gave them a taste of what they were asking for. Romans 1 describes one of God's most severe judgments: he hands us over to what we want. Israel wanted Egypt; God sent serpents that brought Egypt's deadly power right into their camp. This wasn't God losing his temper. It was far more terrifying—God stepping back and saying, "You don't want me? Fine. Experience life without my protection." When we complain against God, we're demanding he remove his hand. We don't realize how many dangers he shields us from every moment: physical, spiritual, relational. We grumble about what we lack while blind to how he guards us at every turn. But if we persist in rejecting him, he may give us exactly what we're asking for. We'll discover that what we thought we wanted leads only to death. Our complaints are a dangerous rejection of the only source of life. ## The Cure We've seen the problem: Israel's grumbling revealed unbelief in God's goodness. We've seen God's judgment: he let them taste the Egypt they longed for, bringing death through fiery serpents. Now the question: What's the cure? > And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us.” The people cried out, acknowledging their sin and begging for mercy. This is repentance: not just wanting relief, but turning from the sin itself. Then we read what happened: > So Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live. (Numbers 21:7-9) Moses prayed, and God answered with a remedy that made no sense: fashion a bronze serpent, lift it on a pole, and anyone who looked at it would live. The cure mirrored the judgment. They had to look at the very thing killing them. John Calvin called it "a mode of preservation so discordant with human reason, as to be almost a subject for laughter." It makes no sense. It seems so primitive, the stuff of legends. Zero therapeutic value. No medical logic. The cure looked exactly like the curse. That was the point. It wasn’t that the bronze serpent had any inherent power. In fact, we read later had to be destroyed because people worshiped it (2 Kings 18:4). To look at the serpent meant turning in faith from their problem — the serpents biting them — to God’s solution. They had to stop trying to protect themselves and trust God's word. They had to trust God to do for them what they couldn’t do for themselves. The cure was absurdly simple: look and live. No medicine. No ritual. No good works. Just look. That act of looking was faith. Those who refused died, not from venom but from unbelief. One night, almost 1,500 years later, Jesus unfolded what this means for us today. He said this: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man \[referring to himself\] be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life" (John 3:14-15). Moses raised that serpent high, and all the dying Israelites had to do was look and be saved. We've been bitten by the serpent and poisoned by sin. The punishment is death. But Jesus entered the world to be lifted up on the cross and bear the curse our sins deserve. He took the venom of our rebellion into himself so we wouldn't have to die from it. The sinless Son of God became sin for us, absorbed the full weight of God's judgment, and exhausted it, so that everyone who looks to him can live. **Salvation comes by looking in faith to Christ crucified, believing his death is God's remedy for your sins and the death you deserve.** Look and live. You don't have to clean up your life first. You don't have to master theology or conjure the right feelings. Kids don't need to understand big words—just know Jesus died for your sins and trust him. Even the worst sinner who looks to Christ will be saved. This is so simple. Will you do it? ## A Case Study One snowy Sunday in 1850, teenager Charles Spurgeon ducked into a small chapel. The minister couldn't make it, so an ordinary member of the congregation preached from Isaiah 45:22: "Look to me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth!" He wasn't eloquent. He mispronounced words. But that sermon that morning changed Spurgeon's life. He would become one of the greatest preachers in the English-speaking world. The lay preacher said: > This is a very simple text indeed. It says, 'Look.' Now lookin' don't take a deal of pains. It ain't liftin' your foot or your finger; it is just, 'Look.' A man needn't go to College to learn to look. You may be the biggest fool, and yet you can look. Anyone can look; even a child can look. Spurgeon later wrote: > I looked until I could almost have looked my eyes away. There and then the cloud was gone, the darkness had rolled away, and that moment I saw the sun. Spurgeon’s life was changed that morning. He was set free from what was killing him. For the first time, he understood that faith wasn't about doing something for God, but simply looking to and trusting what Christ had done for him. That same invitation stands today. The serpents have bitten. The poison is spreading. Death is certain unless you look to the cure God has provided. Jesus has been lifted high on the cross, bearing the judgment you deserve. Stop trying to save yourself. Look to him and trust that his death is the cure for your sin. Look. Believe. And live. ### Preacher: Keep it Simple URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/preacher-keep-it-simple/ Last updated: 2026-03-31T09:00:34.000Z This blog post is for pastors. It’s good advice anytime, but particularly on a day like Easter. It’s counterintuitive and yet important. Keep your preaching simple. It’s tempting to want to make our preaching sound sophisticated. We’ve studied the languages. We’ve read the commentaries. We’ve immersed ourselves in the text. We want to share all that we’ve learned. We also feel pressure from our congregations. We want people to think that we’re smart, educated, and deep. Because of this, it’s important to remember our assignment. It’s not to impress people or to say everything that could be said. It’s to feed our people with Scripture and help them encounter God. Don’t dumb it down, but don’t make it more complicated than it needs to be either. J.C. Ryle [wrote](https://amzn.to/4v5oSJy?ref=dashhouse.com): > To attain simplicity in preaching is of the utmost importance to every minister who wishes to be useful to souls. Unless you are simple in your sermons you will never be understood, and unless you are understood you cannot do good to those who hear you. Preach to be understood, which means that we must preach simply. Simplicity in preaching matters for several deeply practical and theological reasons. **It honors the nature of the gospel.** The gospel is gloriously simple: God saves sinners through Christ. Paul's concern in 2 Corinthians 11:3 was that the minds of believers would be led astray "from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ." When preaching becomes unnecessarily complex, it can obscure the very message it's meant to proclaim. Clarity *is* a form of faithfulness. **It serves the whole congregation.** A sermon that only the educated can follow has already failed a significant portion of the room. Jesus spoke to fishermen, tax collectors, and farmers, and they heard him gladly. Simplicity isn't dumbing down; it's communicating so that the grandmother in the back row and the PhD in the third row both walk away fed. The goal is comprehension, not impression. **It forces the preacher to actually know the text.** Vagueness hides in complexity. When you're forced to say one clear thing, simply and well, you quickly discover whether you actually understand what you're preaching. Simplicity is a discipline that exposes fuzzy thinking and demands theological clarity before you ever open your mouth. **It sticks.** People can only carry so much out the door. A sermon with twelve points is a sermon with no points. But a single, well-anchored truth, stated clearly, illustrated memorably, applied practically, can follow a person into their Monday morning. Haddon Robinson's principle holds: “A sermon should be an arrow, not a shotgun blast.” **It reflects humility.** Overly complex preaching can quietly become about the preacher demonstrating range, learning, and rhetorical skill. Simplicity is a posture of service. It says, “I'm not here to be impressive; I'm here to be useful.” The tension is that simplicity is harder than complexity. It takes far more work to say one thing clearly than ten things muddily. But that labor is worth it because the word deserves to land with weight, not get buried under the preacher's effort to sound thorough. Spurgeon said: > I fancy that I could preach a very fine sermon, one that would please gentlemen who are fond of oratory, but that highflown style of preaching seems to me to be wicked so long as souls are perishing; and *I am determined, as far as ever I can, to preach the gospel plainly and simply, so that everybody may understand it.* Preacher: preach the word, and preach it simply this Easter and always. ### The War Within (Romans 7:14-25) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-war-within-romans-714-25/ Last updated: 2026-03-29T22:00:27.000Z **Big Idea:** The war within you is real, but so is the grace that will carry you through it. --- There's a moment most of us know well, even if we rarely say it out loud. You wake up with the best of intentions. Maybe you even prayed before getting out of bed. You're resolved. Today will be different. You'll be patient with the kids. You won't mutter about the driver who cuts you off. You'll avoid temptation. You'll make godly choices. And then, somewhere between breakfast and noon, you do exactly what you promised yourself you wouldn't. Not out of ignorance. Not by accident. You knew better. You wanted better. And yet there you were, watching yourself do the very thing you despised — almost like a spectator in your own life. Ovid captured it centuries before Paul: *"I see the better and approve it, but I follow the worse."* We want to do good, yet we find ourselves making choices that contradict who we want to be — and what Scripture says is true of us. Can you relate? If so, this passage will show you that struggle is real, and it will give you hope. ## The Message of Romans 7 Here's the point Paul has made so far in this chapter: **the law is good; it just can't make you good.** The law reveals sin (7:7). It's holy, righteous, and good (7:12). The problem isn't the law — the law is an excellent gift from God. The problem is us. Our sinful passions are aroused by the law (7:5). Prohibition awakens desire. The very act of forbidding something inflames the appetite for it. Worse, the law exposes sin without curing it. It reveals what's wrong without providing a solution. What that means practically: the law is not your sanctification strategy. Moral effort based on being aware of the law won't win the battle; it will make it worse, because it fights the old nature in its own way. Self-discipline without the Spirit is merely refined self-reliance, often masked in religious appearance by the flesh. That's Paul's first main point. Here's his second, which he unpacks in verses 14–25: **we're not good even when we want to be good.** What Paul said in Romans 6 is absolutely true: we are no longer enslaved to sin; it has no ultimate power over us. And yet we still face an internal war. We genuinely desire to obey God's law, yet we're repeatedly overpowered by indwelling sin. Sin remains a resident power in the flesh, capable of hijacking our behavior even when the will is bent toward God. ## Who Is Paul Talking About? This is one of the most debated passages in all of Romans. Augustine changed his interpretation of it. So did New Testament scholar Tom Schreiner. That alone tells you something. It's a tertiary issue. Disagreement here doesn't divide mature believers. But don't mistake that for unimportance. How you land on it shapes how you understand what the Christian life actually looks like. The central question: Who is the "I" in Romans 7? Who is Paul describing when he writes in verse 15, *"I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate"*? Two main views: - **View 1 — The Non-Christian.** This is the struggle of someone still under the law with no power to obey. The misery is pre-conversion. This was Augustine's original view, and where many scholars land today. - **View 2 — The Christian.** This is the ongoing experience of a genuine believer — someone who loves God, wants to obey, yet still battles sin from within. Augustine later moved here, and it became the dominant view in the Western church. The stakes are real. If Paul describes a non-Christian, ongoing defeat is something believers leave behind. If he describes a Christian, that struggle is something believers live with — and learning to fight it well *is* what growth looks like. The case for View 1 is serious. Paul says he is "sold under sin" (7:14) and "captive to the law of sin" (7:23) — but he just spent all of chapter 6 arguing that believers are no longer slaves to sin. As Schreiner put it, Romans 7 describes total defeat — and total defeat isn't the Christian's story. Despite that, I'm convinced Paul is describing the genuine present experience of the believer. Two reasons: - **The verb tenses.** Verses 7–13 are past tense — sin *came*, *deceived*, *killed*. From verse 14 onward, everything shifts to present: "I *am* of flesh… I *do* the very thing I do not want." He uses "I," "me," or "my" roughly forty times, all present tense. The most natural reading is Paul talking about himself, now. - **The perspective.** Paul says two things only a believer can say: he *delights* in God's law in his inner being (7:22), and he sees clearly the depth of his own sinfulness (7:18). An unconverted person cannot do either. Romans 7 is the normal Christian life, not its totality, but a real and recurring part of it. You've died to sin through union with Christ. Its power has been broken. But you still live in a body that feels its pull. You still stumble. Without this reading, we end up ashamed, convinced something is wrong with us, that God is disappointed, that we should have it figured out by now. But Paul is saying: *this is what it looks like to fight sin while being transformed.* The Christian life isn't about pretending you don't struggle. It's about knowing you're loved and being renewed, even in the middle of the fight. ## A Realistic View of the Christian Life According to Paul, a realistic view of the Christian life involves three truths: ### Freedom from sin's power does not mean freedom from sin's presence. If you read Romans 6 without Romans 7, you might conclude that becoming a Christian means sin is no longer your problem. Paul argued that we are dead to sin, no longer its slaves. That is true. But chapter 7 gives the other side. In rapid succession Paul says: he is "of the flesh, sold under sin" (7:14); that "sin dwells within" him (7:17, 20); that "nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh" (7:18); that he is subject to "the law of sin that dwells in my members" (7:23); and that "with my flesh I serve the law of sin" (7:25). Paul says he feels controlled by a force beyond his control. This force doesn't completely overpower him or stop his wish to obey, but it consistently disrupts his attempts to do so. We live with competing desires. There is still an enemy outpost in our hearts. Sin is not merely external. The enemy is within. Sin continues to abide in the believer, but not to reign. It can tempt and seduce, but it does not rule. When we are saved, we receive new life and forgiveness, but sin is not eradicated. We live in an in-between period: delivered from sin's penalty and power, yet still awaiting final deliverance when sin will be neither present nor possible. The in-between poses real danger; though free from sin's dominion, a believer can still live as if enslaved to it. Notice how personal Paul makes this. Not an outside voice. Not a demon whispering. Paul says *I* — the law of sin that dwells in *my* members, sin that dwells within *me*. Your greatest enemy is not Satan. It is the sin within you. It is not to be trifled with. The believer's battle is strenuous and lifelong. Reject any Christianity that promises your best life now, or a higher-life state beyond remaining sin. Those views cannot be squared with Scripture, or with honest Christian experience. Freedom from sin's power does not mean freedom from sin's presence. Here's a second truth about the Christian life: ### The Christian life will be a daily battle. Paul doesn't soften it: > For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. (7:15) > For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. (7:18–19) > But I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. (7:23) From these three verses, Paul identifies three marks of the Christian life in the midst of ongoing sin. - **Confusion** — "I do not understand my own actions" (7:15). The believer is bewildered by his own behavior — doing what he hates, not doing what he intends. There is a gap between intention and action he cannot fully explain. - **Frustration** — "I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out" (7:18–19). The will is engaged but repeatedly fails. This is not indifference — it is the ache of someone who cares deeply and keeps falling anyway. - **Warfare** — "another law waging war against the law of my mind" (7:23). The Christian life is not a peaceful plateau. It is a combat zone. Two laws are in active conflict, and Paul describes himself as taken captive in the fight. Come to Jesus and you will experience confusion, frustration, and warfare. That sounds like a hard sell. But it is the truth, and, counterintuitively, it is also good news. You can take this to God and say, "I don't like this plan. I'd rather be done with the fight." But Scripture is clear about why God works this way. Progressive sanctification is not an oversight; it is the design. If God finished the work all at once, we would forget we needed him. The fact that we run dry every day is what keeps us returning to the source. God sanctifies us slowly and keeps us returning daily so we never forget where the fuel comes from. The daily need is not a flaw in the plan. It is the point of it. God is after our ongoing dependence, and through that dependence, his glory. The battle itself is also, in some ways, encouraging. Before Christ, sin wasn't a struggle; it was your master. You didn't war against it; you were owned by it. So if you are fighting sin, that is not a sign of failure. It is a sign of life. A corpse doesn't struggle. The internal conflict, the grief when you fall, the desire to repent and return: that is the Holy Spirit at work in you. Your struggle isn't proof that you're not a Christian. It's proof that you are. The Christian life is not an easy path. It is a long battle against an enemy that is very close to you. But you are not fighting alone, and you are not fighting as a slave. You are fighting as someone who has been set free, indwelt by the Spirit, and held fast by Christ. The struggle is real. So is the grace that sustains you through it. Keep fighting. Freedom from sin's power does not mean freedom from sin's presence, so the Christian life will be a daily battle. Here's the third truth: ### There is hope. Paul's cry in verse 24 captures what we all feel: "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" Feel the weight of this. That is who we are. Miserable. Helpless. Defeated. Condemned to death. What is our hope? It comes immediately: "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (7:25) Who is this one who answers the cry of "wretched man"? He is the one who, knowing the full weight of your sin, ran toward you. He is not reluctant grace; he is eager grace. Run to him. He will embrace you in your desperation. There is hope. A day will come when believers will be brought back to life in a body like Christ’s. There will be no more sin, either outside or inside us. Only perfect obedience, hearts that love God fully, actions that flow from unhindered affection. We will be fully and finally free. But we are not without victory in the meantime, as Romans 8 will show us. Even in the thick of battle, increasing victory is possible for those who walk by the Spirit. The solution is Jesus: not only the one who saved us, but the one who sustains us with all the grace we need to keep fighting, and the one who will complete the work. Feeling confused, frustrated, or like you are fighting the same fight as last week does not mean you are not capable. It describes you, as a believer. Paul knew this fight. Every honest Christian does. You are not fighting alone, and you are not fighting as a slave. You are fighting as someone who has been set free, indwelt by the Spirit, and held fast by Christ. The same Jesus who rescued you from sin's penalty is present with you in sin's ongoing battle — and he will not let you go. **The war within you is real, but so is the grace that will carry you through it.** Keep fighting. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-491/ Last updated: 2026-03-28T09:00:12.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Tiny Changes, Massive Payoffs](https://buildingjerusalem.blog/2026/03/25/tiny-changes-massive-payoffs/?ref=dashhouse.com) > There seems to be a real health benefit even in making relatively small changes to lifestyle and behaviour. [Legacy Over Platform: Six Things That Will Outlast Your Sermons](https://www.newchurches.com/article/legacy-over-platform-six-things-that-will-outlast-your-sermons/?ref=dashhouse.com) > What they will remember is the life that stood behind them. [The Will of God Isn’t a GPS](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/will-god-not-gps/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The goal isn’t simply to make the right choices. [When Your Spouse Stops Being Your Project](https://www.challies.com/articles/when-your-spouse-stops-being-your-project/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Many spouses remain stuck here almost indefinitely, trapped in the conviction that the transformation of their marriage lies just on the far side of the transformation of their spouse. [Counseling the Victim Identity](https://www.biblicalcounselingcoalition.org/2026/03/23/counseling-the-victim-identity/?ref=dashhouse.com) > A victim identity forms when someone begins to interpret their entire life primarily through the lens of what was done to them, while God’s redeeming work fades into the background. [Evangelism Is Not a Thing You Do](https://www.str.org/w/evangelism-is-not-a-thing-you-do?ref=dashhouse.com) > Evangelism isn’t just an activity for certain gifted people; it’s the natural overflow of a life lived in alignment with reality. [Before You Pick a House, Pick a Church](https://ftc.co/resource-library/articles/before-you-pick-a-house-pick-a-church/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Instead of asking, “Where will I live?” we should ask, “Who will be my community?” ### The Way of Repentance URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-way-of-repentance/ Last updated: 2026-03-30T00:17:36.000Z Repentance is hardly a welcome topic. It feels negative and uncomfortable, and it requires us to be a little too honest about who we really are. But Chris Brauns has an agenda: he wants us to repent *for our joy*. "We should meditate on and work out our repentance to know and experience the joy of those who have turned from crushing burdens to find rest in Christ, who deserves all glory." Brauns has written a helpful book called [*The Way of Repentance: Embracing God's Gift for a Transformed Life*](https://amzn.to/47npKz0?ref=dashhouse.com). Using the Bible, the Westminster Standards, and his strong experience as a pastor, he argues that repentance is not a heavy task but a gift from the gospel that brings true and lasting joy. The book is organized in two parts. In part 1, Brauns establishes the theological foundation. He defines repentance as "a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, does, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavor after, new obedience." He argues that repentance is not a human work but a gift God grants, inseparably linked to faith as two sides of the same coin. He also addresses the dual motivations for repentance: joy and holy fear. In part 2, Brauns turns to the practical. He argues that repentance is not only the way into the Christian life but the ongoing way of the Christian life. Progressive sanctification requires daily, specific repentance, not merely general confession. He introduces the ordinary means of grace as the God-ordained channels through which repentance is worked out. He teaches us how to evaluate repentance, to express repentance, and also how to receive the repentant, even when it’s not easy. I appreciate a few things about this book. It’s well reasoned. Brauns has thought deeply about this topic, and we benefit from his careful study and thinking. Second, it’s pastorally sensitive. Brauns has decades of pastoral experience, and it shows in how he approaches the topic. Third, it’s deep. Brauns leads us to a deeper understanding of Scripture, and also immerses us in other writings and confessions. I particularly appreciate the prayers of confession at the end of every chapter. The appendices in the book also provide help for those who want to go further in applying the lessons of the book. A couple of years ago, Samuel James [observed](https://amzn.to/4bvUcti?ref=dashhouse.com), "The ambient culture is practically begging for someone to articulate a theology of repentance." Brauns seems to have heard this appeal and answered. I frequently recommend and hand out copies of his book [*Unpacking Forgiveness*](https://amzn.to/40Mojqb?ref=dashhouse.com) because it’s such a good book on a needed topic. Now I’ll be recommending and handing out copies of this book, because it’s also such a good book on a needed topic. Brauns rescues repentance from its bad reputation and restores it to its rightful place among the Christian's greatest joys. This is a gift to be unwrapped daily, not a burden to be endured. It is the way home, and we'd be wise, and glad, to take it. ### What the Law Shows Us (Romans 7:7-13) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/what-the-law-shows-us-romans-77-13/ Last updated: 2026-03-22T12:12:06.000Z **Big Idea:** The law is good; it just can't make you good. --- Here's an important question: what role does the Old Testament law play in a Christian's life today? Not everyone agrees, and the disagreements run deep. Here's a brief tour of the major positions, from those who want to keep as much of the law as possible to those who want to leave most of it behind. - Theonomists believe God's law, including Israel's civil and criminal codes, should still govern nations today. It's a minority view, but a growing one, held with conviction. - A much larger group divides the law into three categories: moral, ceremonial, and civil. The moral law—the Ten Commandments—remains the Christian's rule of life. The ceremonial law is fulfilled in Christ. Civil laws hold wisdom but aren't directly applicable. This is probably the most widely held evangelical position. - Others argue the Mosaic Law was one unified package that Christ fulfilled and closed out. We're no longer under Moses but under the teaching of Jesus and the apostles. Most of the Ten Commandments reappear in the New Testament, so they still apply, not because of Sinai. - Still others draw a sharp line between Israel and the Church: the law belonged to Israel; the Church lives by grace, full stop. This is more than a theological sparring match. It touches each of our lives. It shapes how we read our Bibles, how we understand the gospel, and how we handle guilt. It quietly drives our moral convictions, our cultural engagement, and our public witness. This debate doesn't just happen in the classroom; it goes with us to work, when we vote, and at dinner. So how do we understand the law and how it applies to our lives today? That’s what this passage is going to help us understand. ## Three Things the Law Shows Us Last week, in Romans 7:1-6, we saw that Christians have a new relationship to the law. We’re no longer under the law. We were once married to the law. We have become dead to the law. So the relationship has been broken. Paul’s also taught that the law can’t justify a person, and the law can’t sanctify a person. Not only are we dead to the law, but the law can’t deliver us from sin’s penalty or power. Only Jesus can do this. You may be thinking that Paul has a pretty negative view of the law. This leads to a question in verse 7: “What then shall we say? That the law is sin?” In other words, what is the value of God’s law? Is the problem with the law itself? Paul’s answer is clear: “By no means!” Then he goes on to give us three things the law shows us. Here’s the first: ### The law shows us our sin (7:7). > What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” (7:7) Here's the first thing the law does: it reveals the extent of our sin problem. Most of us walk around thinking we're pretty reasonable, decent people. And there's a reason for that. When *we* mess up, we have the full story: we were stressed, sleep-deprived, blindsided, or just having a rough week. So we cut ourselves slack. But when *someone else* messes up, we don't have their backstory. All we see is the behavior, and we fill in the blanks with character. We judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their actions. That's why most of us genuinely believe we're better than average. We think we're pretty good. And because of that, most people simply don't see themselves as sinners. This is a dangerous blind spot, and the law breaks it open. It shows us not what we imagine ourselves to be, but what we're actually like. It shows us our true spiritual condition. The law uncovers the depths of our depravity. What's striking is that Paul reaches for one of the least visible examples: covetousness. Sins like dishonoring parents, killing, or stealing are observable; they involve actions others can see. But covetousness is a disposition, not an action. It lives beneath the surface. The law doesn't just regulate behavior; it diagnoses the heart. Even if you kept every external command perfectly, the heart problem would remain—and the law names it. We want what doesn't belong to us. And it's a serious problem, because covetousness doesn't stay quiet. It distorts our entire perspective and pulls other sins in behind it. Jesus warned plainly: "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions" (Luke 12:15). Left unchecked, we start measuring life by how much we can get. Covetousness doesn't just bend our behavior; it corrupts the soul. Puritan Thomas Watson called it "a moral vice which infects and pollutes the whole soul." Desire left unchecked and unconfessed doesn't stay small. It quietly rots everything from the inside out. You can be an outwardly good person, Paul says, but you’ve still got a problem, and the law shows you what that problem is. Evil thoughts are as sinful as evil deeds. The law shows our polluted thoughts; outwardly blameless, but inwardly a chamber of horrors. The law shows us our sin. But that’s not the only thing the law shows us: ### The law shows us our resistance to God’s authority (7:7-8) > But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. (7:7-8) Paul's point is clear: the law stirs our sinful nature to life. The fault doesn't lie with the law; it lies in our hearts. Sin hijacks the law and uses it as a launching pad for more sin. Before the law arrives, sin may lie quiet. But then the law draws a line, and something in us immediately wants to cross it. We want what we've just been told we can't have. Think of a "Get Off the Lawn" sign to an eight-year-old boy. It doesn't inspire respect for the grass; it makes him want to walk all over it. The law doesn't create the desire; it provokes what was already there. In Book II of the Confessions, Augustine talks about a small event from his youth: stealing pears from a neighbor's tree with a group of friends. What haunts him about it is precisely its irrationality. The pears were no better than his own. He wasn't hungry. He and his friends threw most of them to the pigs. There was no obvious payoff. That, Augustine argues, is the most revealing thing about sin. "I loved my own ruin," he wrote. “I only picked them so that I might steal.… I loved nothing in it except the thieving.” Augustine wasn't after pears. He was after the transgression. The desire to steal was awakened by the prohibition against stealing. Our hearts want to do what they're told not to do. We want sovereignty: to act without constraint or accountability, to grasp what isn't ours. Nothing has changed. The law says, "Don't covet," and our hearts whisper back, *That sounds exciting.* Sometimes we sin even when we know it's wrong and there’s no strong reason to do it. That's when sin clearly shows itself as a choice to turn away from God. Not a mistake, but a defection of the heart. Sin shows us our sin. It also shows us our resistance to God’s authority. And it does one more thing: ### The law shows us our desperation (7:9-11) > I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. (7:9-11) This next section is a little layered, so stay with me. It matters. A quick side note: Paul uses the word "I" throughout this passage. That might seem straightforward, but there's actually a significant debate among scholars about who he's referring to. We'll get into that next week. For now, just hold on to that question. What Paul is saying here is this: there was a time when he thought he was fine. He believed he had a good standing before God. He was confident in his own moral record. Then the commandment arrived, and it was a good commandment. Leviticus 18:5 says, "You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the LORD." The law is good. It was designed to lead to life. But for Paul, the commandment didn't produce life; it exposed death. It woke sin up in his heart. He found himself unable to keep what God required, and his self-confidence collapsed. The law brought him to the end of himself. He had to face what none of us want to face: that before a holy God, he was completely without hope, and he could not save himself. And yet, that is exactly where we need to be. When we reach the end of ourselves, we finally stop looking inward for rescue. We can't save ourselves. We need a Savior who can do what we cannot. So, is the law the problem? Paul is direct in verse 12: "The law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good." The problem is never the law. The problem is us. The law shows us our sin, our resistance to God's authority, and how we can't rely on ourselves. It holds up a mirror. We don't like what we see. But what we see is true. The law does its work by bringing us to the end of ourselves. And at the end of ourselves, grace begins. ## What’s the Problem? The problem isn’t the law. The problem is us. Verse 13 says: > Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. The problem isn't the law. The problem is what our sin has done with the law. Our sin took what was good (God’s law) and shows us our sin and how utterly sinful we are. The problem isn’t with the law; the law just reveals our problem. John Piper compares the law to a surgeon's scalpel. A scalpel is designed for healing. But sin snatches that instrument from the surgeon's hand and drives it into us. What was meant to give life becomes the instrument of our death. The problem isn’t with the scalpel; the problem isn’t with the law; the problem is our sin. **The law is good; it just can't make you good.** It was never meant to. Here’s what all of this means for us today. **First, don't devalue God's law.** Paul is clear in verse 12: the law is holy, righteous, and good. The law has no defect. We do. We need it because it shows our sins, our refusal to accept God's authority, and our complete inability before a holy God. **Second, use the law.** This passage shows us what every sinner needs: to be brought low enough to reach for the gospel. A woman once approached a preacher who was working through Romans. She held up her hand, index finger and thumb barely apart, and said, "You make me feel this small." The preacher looked at her and replied, "Madam, that's too big. Far too big. Don't you know that much self-righteousness will take you to hell?" He was right. The law was made to take away all our self-righteousness. It helps us stop trusting in ourselves and trust only in Christ. When you share the gospel, let the law do its job. It shows people that they can't save themselves. Everyone needs a clear understanding of their situation before they will accept help. **Third, and most importantly, run to Jesus.** When we finally see our true condition, we see something else: the beauty of what Jesus accomplished at the cross. He didn't come to improve us. He came to save us. He is our only hope, and there is nowhere else to run. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-490/ Last updated: 2026-03-21T09:00:48.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Here We Are Now ... (Entertain Us)](https://crookandpsalter.substack.com/p/here-we-are-now-entertain-us) > If you come to church for entertainment, you will always find better elsewhere. [The Three Stages of a Pastor-Congregant Relationship](https://newsletters.feedbinusercontent.com/f3f/f3f519eff60cf7235f744f9d0cf1f25f2203f390.html?ref=dashhouse.com) > Many pastor-congregant relationships follow a predictable arc. [Love the Hard Ones](https://www.reubenbredenhof.com/post/love-the-hard-ones?ref=dashhouse.com) > We come to a new congregation and quickly realize that our capacity for love is going to be stretched here too. [The Applause You’re Waiting For](https://ozanvarol.com/the-applause-youre-waiting-for/?ref=dashhouse.com) > What you can control is whether you showed up. > Not for the applause. > But for who you’re becoming in the dark. [The Danger of AI Isn’t Misinformation. It’s Mis-Formation.](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/danger-ai-misformation/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The spiritual danger of AI is that it might condition us to take shortcuts in the means God uses to form disciples. [Wise and Helpful Ways for Christians to Experiment With AI](https://www.challies.com/articles/wise-and-helpful-ways-for-christians-to-experiment-with-ai/?ref=dashhouse.com) > I am comfortable using it as an assistant, but not a substitute. [Read Everything](https://sacredslang.substack.com/p/read-everything) > There is one thing you can start doing right now that will have a dramatic impact on every dimension of your life. ### The Danger on the Other Side of Faithful Ministry URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-danger-on-the-other-side-of-faithful-ministry/ Last updated: 2026-03-17T11:50:30.000Z Gregory the Great wrote his [*Pastoral Rule*](https://amzn.to/4uwktPh?ref=dashhouse.com) in 590 AD. Most of it is about how pastors should live and lead. But he saved his final warning for something unexpected: what happens after you do everything right. It's a short chapter, and worth reading. ## The Trap of Faithful Ministry There's a particular danger that comes with faithfulness over time. The longer you work, the more you build: a history of honesty, a good reputation, and a calm belief that you can manage things. None of that is wrong, but Gregory saw what can grow underneath it. When a pastor's life is virtuous, the soul can quietly begin to rest in that virtue rather than in God. Prayer begins to thin out. Self-watchfulness relaxes. You become comfortable. The enemy doesn't come at you with obvious temptation; he comes with a much subtler one: *Look what you've built. Look what you've done.* The fall, when it comes, isn't dramatic. There's no scandal. The pastor simply stops needing God the way he once did. Perhaps nobody — even the pastor — notices. ## The Trap of a Good Sermon The second danger is more immediate. Preachers face it regularly. The sermon came together. The text opened to the listeners. The words landed with clarity. People were helped, maybe even changed. Somewhere on the drive home, or lying in bed Sunday night, there's a warmth in your chest. It feels like satisfaction, a quiet pleasure in the work. That feeling is not wrong, but it could go in a dangerous direction. If we’re not careful, satisfaction with what God did becomes enjoyment of yourself as the kind of person God uses. You're no longer thinking, “God was gracious today.” You're thinking, “I was good today.” The gap between those two thoughts is small, but the difference between them is enormous. Gregory calls it "a hidden delight in self-display," unseen by anyone, including ourselves. We prepared for hours, prayed, gave ourselves fully to the text and to the people. Deep down, despite all that hard work, we liked being in the spotlight. We liked having the words and being the one that others needed. This danger grows with competence. The preacher who has been preaching for twenty years and hardly ever has a really bad Sunday is more at risk than the younger, new preacher. Skill creates the conditions for a kind of pride that's almost invisible because it looks exactly like faithfulness. The soul stops being watchful. It rests. It assumes. The desperate neediness before God that marked the early years quietly fades. The preacher who once trembled before the pulpit now steps up with confidence, and the confidence becomes the problem. It’s not that confidence is wrong, but because the confidence has shifted its foundation from God to self. ## The Solution Gregory's solution comes down to one thing: **keep coming back to yourself honestly.** After a good sermon and a successful season, the pastor needs to focus not just on what went well but also on what didn't. This helps the preacher stay grounded. The preacher who just nailed a sermon on patience goes home to a marriage where he's still impatient. That gap is a gift. It helps us battle pride. Gregory also makes a point that is almost counterintuitive: God intentionally leaves pastors imperfect in small, stubborn ways. The pastor who still loses the same small fight after twenty years of ministry isn't failing; he's being protected. His ongoing struggle keeps him from growing too comfortable with his own competence. You can't take a victory lap when you're still losing the little battles. And then Gregory does something remarkable at the very end of the *Pastoral Rule*. After writing the definitive guide to pastoral ministry, he doesn't close with confidence. He asks his friend to pray for him and describes himself as a man giving directions to the shore while still drowning in the waves. Gregory takes his own advice and acknowledges his own weakness. Faithful ministry carries its own temptation toward pride. Keep serving, but keep returning to God with the same neediness you brought at the beginning. The grace that made your ministry effective is the same grace you still can't live without. ### What Rules Can't Do (Romans 7:1-6) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/what-rules-cant-do-romans-71-6/ Last updated: 2026-03-15T22:00:46.000Z **Big Idea:** Christ freed you from the law's crushing demands, not so you'd stop obeying, but so you'd finally obey from the heart. --- The problem is simple: we aren't who we want to be. There are huge gaps between the person you want to be and the person you actually are. The reason is simple: sin. Sin remains a present reality in every Christian's life, though its power and penalty have been broken. We're saved from sin's condemnation but not yet from its presence. Even the best among us carry at our core a capacity for hideous, breathtaking self-centeredness. So what do we do about it? One option is to lean harder on God's law. Try harder. Set stricter boundaries. Add more rules. Wake up earlier for devotions. Memorize more Scripture. Join another accountability group. Cut out the things that trip you up. Create a detailed plan and stick to it with iron discipline. This approach feels right. God's law is good. It shows us what righteousness looks like, and we genuinely need structure and discipline. But there's a problem with it. This passage will help us identify that problem and begin to show us a much better way. ## Why the Law’s Not Enough Paul has been building his case through Romans. The first three chapters conclude with a devastating verdict: everyone, whether religious or not, is guilty before God. No exceptions. No curve grade. We are all under his wrath, and we all desperately need his salvation. Then the gospel breaks in. Chapters 3 and 4 reveal the only way out: justification by grace through faith. Not by effort. Not by religion. By what Jesus accomplished on the cross — his death bearing our guilt, his righteousness credited to our account. In chapters 5 and 6, Paul can barely contain himself. He piles blessing upon blessing: peace with God, access to grace, hope of glory, joy in suffering, God's love poured into our hearts, freedom from sin's stranglehold. The gospel doesn't just rescue us from something — it delivers us into something breathtaking. And that message is so radical that misunderstanding is inevitable, with real consequences for how we live. Some listeners would have been deeply troubled by Paul's claim: "You are not under law but under grace" (Romans 6:14). Alarm bells would have gone off. For those wired to lean harder on God's law—to try harder, set stricter boundaries, add more rules—Paul's words sound dangerous. "You're opening the door to sin." Today's passage shows why the law won't solve your sin problem, why morality will never be enough, and why we need a better solution than simply trying harder. Paul makes three points in this passage. ### You are no longer under the law (7:1-4). Paul begins with a legal principle in verse 1: > Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? This is straightforward. The law has authority over you only while you're alive. Death releases you from all legal obligations. Relationships established and protected by law end when death comes. Law is for the living. The dead have no duties or obligations. Once you die, the law is no longer binding on you. Paul states this as a legal axiom, universally accepted and unchallengeable. That’s the legal principle. Now Paul applies this to marriage. > For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress. Paul applies this principle to marriage. While your spouse lives, you're bound by your marriage vows. But if your spouse dies, you're released from those vows and free to remarry. Death ends the marriage and changes your legal status. So far, so good. Laws bind the living; death changes everything. Here’s the application Paul wants us to understand in verse 4: > Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. Paul's central point is straightforward: when Christians die with Christ, the law's binding authority ends. That is why we are not "under law." We are released, discharged, freed from it. Paul drives this home by repeating it five different ways across verses 1–6. Before Christ came, we were bound to the law in an unhappy marriage. But because of their union with the crucified and risen Christ, believers are simultaneously like the husband who died and like the widow now free to remarry. Death ends the obligation. When your old self died in union with Christ, your obligation to the law ended—not something you accomplished, but something done to you. Justified people have died with Christ through faith, and that death is a death to the law's binding power. This does not mean Christians have nothing to do with the law, or that we can ignore it or toss it aside. That kind of thinking is dangerous. It means we are no longer under the law as a covenant of works. We are no longer trying to save, justify, or sanctify ourselves by keeping it. You are free from its condemnation. You did not negotiate your freedom from the law. You did not outgrow it or improve past it. You died to it, in Christ, through faith, by grace. The law still stands. It still reveals sin, still reflects God's holiness, still points to Christ. But it no longer governs you as a covenant of works. It no longer has the final word over your standing before God. That word has been spoken in the resurrection. So here is the application: stop trying to manage your relationship with God through performance. The believer who wakes up each morning trying to earn God's approval through moral effort is, in Paul's terms, still living as though the old marriage is intact. It isn't. You have died. You are no longer under the rigid demands and the condemning power of the law. Before you think Paul is giving you permission to coast, he's not. The law still reveals God's character. Disciplines still matter. Accountability still has a place. The question isn't whether we obey. The question is what fuels the obedience. Duty or delight? Fear or love? The law's demands or Christ's invitation? You are no longer under the law, Paul says. You died with Christ, and death ends the law's hold on you, so stop trying to earn what you already have. That’s his first point. Here’s the second. ### Being under the law never worked (7:5). Why is it good that you're no longer under the law? Because under the law, it never worked. Read verse 5: > For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. Here's the problem with being married to the law: it was never a healthy marriage. We think rules are what we need. But the law doesn't make us righteous — it actually stimulates sin in us. Here's how that works. Nothing makes you want to touch a surface quite like a sign that says "Wet Paint — Do Not Touch." Before the sign, you had zero interest in the wall. The moment you're told not to touch it, your fingers itch. A child walks past a closed door every day without a second thought — until a parent says, "Don't go in that room." Now it's the most fascinating room in the house. Drive a straight, empty highway and a sign reads 80 kilometers per hour. Something in you bristles. You weren't even going fast before, but now the limit feels like a challenge. This goes all the way back to Eden. An entire garden was available, but the one prohibited tree became the only one that mattered. The command "do not eat" made the fruit irresistible — not because it was uniquely appealing, but because the law awakened something in us that says, *I want what I'm told I cannot have.* That's Paul's point. The law is holy and good. It's not the problem; we are. Our sinful nature takes every commandment and turns it into an occasion for rebellion. The law ignites existing issues, much like a spark ignites dry tinder. So here's where Paul has landed. First, you are no longer under the law. Law-keeping was never designed to build a relationship with God. It can expose sin but cannot remove it; it can demand obedience but cannot produce it. When you died with Christ, that exhausting cycle ended. Second, it's a good thing, because in our fallen nature, the law doesn't restrain sin. It provokes it. Now, here's the third and final thing Paul tells us: ### You’re in a better marriage now (7:4, 6). Here’s the good news. Your relationship with the law has been ended, and you’re in a much better relationship now. Read verses 4 and 6: > Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God… But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code. Here is the good news. You were once bound to the law — a harsh, unwinnable relationship that demanded everything and gave nothing back. Now you belong to Christ. The wounds from that old life may linger, but the answer isn't to forget you were ever married to the law. It's to remember who you're married to now. Think about the most patient, undeserved love you've ever received. It doesn't begin to compare to what it means to belong to this husband. A woman trapped in a demanding, unwinnable marriage produces no joy or life. United to a loving husband, she flourishes. Our union with Christ — not law-keeping — produces spiritual fruit. Everything has changed. It gets even better. We now serve in the new way of the Spirit. The indwelling Holy Spirit is the defining mark of new life in Christ. He gives what the law could only demand. Here's what the Spirit makes possible that the law never could: - **Desire, not just duty** — regenerating us so that we want what God wants, making obedience love's expression rather than law's demand. - **Power, not just knowledge** — the law told us what to do, but the Spirit enables us to actually do it. - **Assurance, not just effort** — testifying that we are God's children, so we serve from a place of being loved, not striving to earn favor. - **Transformation, not just behavior management** — continually conforming us to the image of Christ, not patching the old self but making us new. The Christian life was never meant to be lived by gritting your teeth harder. The old way exhausts because it puts all the weight on you. The new way of the Spirit means you are not the engine — you are the one being carried. We work because the Spirit is at work in us, not in order to make God work for us. We serve freely, from a posture of release — not striving to get free, but living as those who already are. That's the difference the Spirit makes: we no longer serve a code; we walk with a Person. Does freedom from the law mean we can live however we want? Not at all. The law still reveals God's character and teaches the holiness he requires. But it no longer has the final word over our sins. God's law is good — but it can't make you good. Only Jesus can. **Christ freed you from the law's crushing demands, not so you'd stop obeying, but so you'd finally obey from the heart.** We obey not because the law demands it, but because Christ has won us. Not to earn salvation, but because we have it. Maybe you've never stopped running on the treadmill. You've always assumed God accepts people who perform. Here's the news: the same Christ who freed believers from that exhausting cycle is inviting you in. He didn't come to give you better rules. He came to give you himself. How do we deal with sin? Not by trying harder. Not by stricter rules and more willpower. That never worked. The answer is the gospel. Union with Christ. The husband who does in us what the law never could. Stop asking rules to do what only Jesus can do. You're in a new relationship now. And it will produce what the old one never did. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-489/ Last updated: 2026-03-14T09:00:39.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Welcome Back, Church Planting](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/welcome-back-church-planting/?ref=dashhouse.com) > “I’m very encouraged,” Vogel said. “I think we’re at the precipice of a really good change.” [What Happened to Our Pastor?](https://www.covenantseminary.edu/theology/what-happened-to-our-pastor?ref=dashhouse.com) > Why are so many pastors failing in these ways? Is moral failure among pastors really as much of an epidemic as it seems? How can we have confidence in our leaders amidst all the bad news [The Last Reformed Blogger](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/last-yrr-blogger/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Long after it was cool, Tim Challies kept blogging. [A Good Tired](https://dandarling.substack.com/p/a-good-tired) > Rhythms of rest are vital, but we shouldn't diminish the gift of hard work. [When Your Marriage Doesn't Make You Happy](https://jenpollockmichel.substack.com/p/when-your-marriage-doesnt-make-you) > If you want a guarantee of psychological satisfaction and happiness, I suggest getting a dog, not a lifetime partner to whom you commit in the sight of God. [Grief Can Pull Spouses Apart (But God Can Hold Them Together)](https://www.challies.com/articles/grief-can-pull-spouses-apart-but-god-can-hold-them-together/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Spouses often grieve differently, and these differences add to the already-grueling challenge of losing a child. [Three Marks of a Good Christian Book](https://www.challies.com/articles/three-marks-of-a-good-christian-book/?ref=dashhouse.com) > What makes a good book good? [Offline 23 Hours a Day](https://sive.rs/off23?ref=dashhouse.com) > Media silence creates a vacuum, which your own thoughts expand to fill. ### Forgotten, and That's Good URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/forgotten-and-thats-good/ Last updated: 2026-03-10T09:00:56.000Z I had a couple of experiences on Sunday that were surprisingly encouraging. First, I spoke at a neighboring church in the afternoon. I had spoken there once before, four years ago. Most people didn't remember me. Maybe one did, but it was mostly about my glasses. I showed up as almost a complete unknown. My introduction was simple: I'm a pastor, a father, and a grandfather. I preached and played my role but left knowing I was just another pastor filling in while the main pastor is on sabbatical. It doesn't mean my ministry there was unimportant; I trust that God works through the preached word whether people remember the preacher or the sermon. It just means I'll soon be forgotten, and that’s good. Then I rushed to [Liberty Grace Church](https://www.libertygrace.ca/?ref=dashhouse.com), the church I planted twelve years ago. We poured our lives into it but left two years ago, trusting God would raise up a new pastor and that the work would continue and thrive without us. I showed up for the new pastor's ordination and found a full church. I played absolutely no role in the service. Half the people there wouldn't have known who I was. The church is growing and thriving under its new pastor’s ministry, even accomplishing things I only dreamt about. This is exactly what we prayed for before we left. One person thanked me for laying the groundwork for what is happening now. In other words, my role was merely preparation for what God is doing now. When we left the church two years ago, I wanted it to grow and do better than if I had stayed as pastor. God has answered that prayer and more. I came home Sunday night feeling small in the best possible way. The calling of pastors is to serve. God uses us, but in the end, we're all replaceable. One day in the church where I currently serve, I too will be forgotten. God willing, I will be just one of many faithful pastors who’ve served and moved on. I heard an interview by Caleb Morell about his book [*Light on the Hill*](https://amzn.to/40m70vK?ref=dashhouse.com), in which he mentioned that churches are blessed by mostly forgotten men and women who lie in unmarked graves. That’s a great goal: to serve and leave our memory up to the Lord, knowing that even if we're unknown by others, we're known by him. Tim Keller wrote about [the freedom of self-forgetfulness](https://amzn.to/4ufjAe9?ref=dashhouse.com), but it’s not just self-forgetfulness that’s freeing. There’s also freedom in others forgetting you too, of being replaced and for the work going on without you, maybe even better than it did when you were there. Let's pray we faithfully play the role God has called us to play but that things aren't built around us and will do just fine when we're gone. We're all replaceable, and instead of being a threat to our security or identity, it's very good news. God will continue his good work with or without us and long after we're gone. ### Under New Ownership (Romans 6:15-23) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/under-new-ownership-romans-615-23/ Last updated: 2026-03-08T22:00:42.000Z **Big Idea:** Grace frees us from sin's tyranny into slavery to God, producing life instead of death. --- It's possible to take a theological truth so far that you distort it beyond recognition. One truth particularly vulnerable to this distortion is the relationship between grace and sin. Last week we looked at Romans 6:14: "You are not under law but under grace." This is glorious truth, and dangerously easy to twist. Remember your first night without a bedtime? Paul anticipates that same impulse in verse 15: "What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace?" Now that you're a Christian and no longer under the law, can you live as you please? After all, more sin generates more grace, so isn't more sinning actually good for showcasing God's mercy? It's dangerously easy to make peace with sin by thinking, "I know it's wrong, but I'm a child of God. He'll forgive me. I'm under grace." As one person wrote: > Free from the Law, > O blessed condition; > I can sin as I please > And still have remission. Every Christian wrestles with this tension. We've all been tempted to treat grace as a get-out-of-jail-free card rather than the power that breaks sin's dominion. Paul addresses this because it's a real temptation that threatens every believer's spiritual health. We need to see why this logic is not just wrong but spiritually deadly, and what grace actually demands of those who've received it. ## Four Lessons So look at what Paul says in this passage. Paul has four lessons for us: ### You’re enslaved to either sin or God. There’s no middle ground. (6:15-16) > What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? Paul challenges the idea that anyone can live free. Nobody can. He uses the powerful image of slavery to explain a fundamental truth: we all serve someone. Understanding the kind of slavery Paul references is important. We automatically think of the transatlantic slave trade, but Roman slavery was different. It wasn't race-based, slaves could earn freedom and citizenship, and Romans could even sell themselves into slavery to pay debts. While still oppressive, this system differs from the barbaric man-stealing we associate with slavery today. Paul uses this image to say everyone is a slave, either to sin (leading to death) or to obedience (leading to righteousness). There's no such thing as absolute human freedom. Only God is perfectly free. Your life demonstrates whose servant you are. Whom you obey is whom you serve. This is an either/or reality with no middle ground. Bob Dylan captured it perfectly: > But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed > You're gonna have to serve somebody > Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord > But you're gonna have to serve somebody. Everyone has a spiritual master. You may think you're in control, that you're your own person, but you're not. You're either a slave to God or to sin. There's no third category, no middle ground, no alternative. Ask yourself: who are you actually serving? Not who you claim to serve, but who gets your consistent obedience. Where does your time go? What commands your loyalty when it conflicts with God's will? Reflecting on your life choices—what you pursue, justify, or can't resist—reveals who really controls you. The question isn't whether you're enslaved, but to whom. That's the first lesson. We're all slaves. Here's the second: ### If you're in Christ, God has rescued you from sin's tyranny and made you his slave. (6:17-18). > But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. If you are in Jesus, this is your story, and it's glorious news. **Before:** You were a slave to sin from conception. You could not *not* sin. Sin's power drew you like iron filings to a magnet. You were dead in your sins, opposed to God, with no choice but to obey sin. You were completely free from righteousness—but that "freedom" was actually bondage. **But now:** God has liberated you from sin's tyranny, something you could never accomplish yourself. Your emancipation is entirely his work, prompting Paul's spontaneous outburst: "Thanks be to God!" You have been set free from sin and brought from death to life. **Your new status:** You are now a slave of righteousness under new ownership. But notice the stunning difference: you obey your new Master voluntarily and wholeheartedly. Your obedience flows from the heart, not from coercion. God has fulfilled His New Covenant promise from Jeremiah 31 by placing His law within you and writing it on your heart. Paul acknowledges this analogy isn't perfect: "I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations." The slavery image is imperfect because our relationship with God is stripped of slavery's oppressive elements. Yet the analogy captures something essential: the totality of God's rightful ownership and our complete allegiance to him. Think of someone who worked for years under a controlling, micromanaging boss. Every ping of her phone made her stomach drop. Every email subject line in all caps sent her scrambling. She knew that voice: demanding, belittling, never satisfied. It shaped her habits, her posture, even the way she checked her inbox at midnight. Then one day, she gets the offer of a lifetime. A new company. A new leader — one who values her, invests in her, and actually has her good in mind. She puts in her resignation and walks out free. But here's what happens next. A week into her new job, her old boss calls. Same tone. Same demands. "I need that report by five. Drop everything." And for a split second, her stomach drops again. The old reflex fires. She almost reaches for her laptop. But then she remembers: I don't work for you anymore. She doesn't owe him an explanation. She doesn't owe him compliance. She has a new employer, one worth serving. That's where we stand with sin. We know its voice. We've spent years conditioned to jump when it speaks. But the moment we came to Christ, we changed employers. Sin still calls, and it will sound familiar, but it has no authority over us. We can let the call go to voicemail. We belong to Jesus now: body and soul, in life and in death, to our faithful Savior. And he is a much better Master. Our new Master doesn't send all-caps emails. He doesn't demand with a clenched fist. He leads with nail-scarred hands. When you stumble in your first week on the job, he doesn't write you up; he picks you up. His yoke is easy. His burden is light. That's the One who owns you now. Serving him? That's not bondage. That's the deepest freedom we'll ever know. You have been set free from slavery and bought out of bondage. Jesus is your Redeemer who paid the redemption price with his blood. You belong to him now—body and soul in life and in death to your faithful Savior Jesus Christ. Slavery to God is freedom! Here’s the third thing Paul teaches us: ### This changes how you live. (6:19) > For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. Paul bases his command on your new status in Christ. God first declares what's true about you, then calls you to live accordingly. The command is twofold: **Stop serving your old master.** Don't present yourself to sin's service anymore. Sin wants to reclaim you. If you yield, you'll sink deeper into lawlessness; one sin leads to another. **Serve your new Master wholeheartedly.** Present your entire being to God with the same passion you once gave to sin. You've been bought at a high price. Hold nothing back: your time, money, ambitions, or relationships. As you practice righteousness, you'll grow progressively in sanctification—a lifelong process, not a quick fix. Sanctification is not passive like justification. It's not a sudden deliverance or merely "letting go and letting God." It requires your active participation. While sanctification is God's work, he accomplishes it through you, not apart from you. Philippians 2:12-13: "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act." As a Christian, you can now choose which master to obey because sin no longer owns you. If you keep returning to the same sins, the real issue is desire: you want that sin more than you want God. Your actions expose your heart's true allegiance. Now, some of you hear that and feel crushed. You're thinking, “I hate this sin and I keep falling back into it — does that mean I don't really love God?” No. The fact that you hate it is evidence of your new heart. The desire to be free is itself the fruit of grace. So live like someone who's been bought. When temptation suggests you can do whatever you want, remember: your old master led to your destruction, while your new Master sacrificed His life to save you. That sin you're contemplating? Your old master trying to reclaim you. That obedience you're reluctant to give? The natural response of someone who's been rescued. You don't obey to earn your freedom; you obey because you've been freed. The danger is selective obedience. If you pick and choose among God's commands, following only what seems agreeable, you're not truly serving God. I know this tension personally. There are areas where I still negotiate with God; where I want obedience on my terms. This passage won't let me do that, and it won't let you either. True disciples repent and change whenever they discover their ways clash with God's. Ask yourself: what are you holding back from God? That's where your battle for wholehearted discipleship will be won or lost. Here’s the fourth thing Paul teaches: ### This changes the outcome of your life. (6:20-23) > For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Paul contrasts your former life of bondage with your new life of freedom in Christ. In your former life, sin was your master. You were completely free from righteousness. You received nothing but shame, and the end was death. In your new life, God is your master. You have been freed from sin—true freedom is freedom to obey God. You receive the fruit of sanctification, and the end is eternal life. Believers still sin, but sin no longer dominates or defines their lives. Paul presents two sets of wages. First, the wages of sin. Sin is a wretched paymaster whose wages are deceitful, promising prosperity, pleasure, and freedom. The word "wages" refers to a soldier's daily pay, something earned and deserved. Death is the natural result of all sin. Sin pays the wages of death right now through broken relationships, addictions, and shame, may lead to premature physical death, and ultimately ends in eternal death. These wages are just—exactly what we've earned. Second, the gift of God. Salvation is a free gift, entirely by grace. Human works contribute nothing. Life is far more than physical existence; it is knowing God. We enjoy God's life right now in union with Christ and will dwell with God forever. This gift comes through Christ Jesus our Lord, who received the wages our sin deserved and gave us his righteousness. There is no other way to eternal life. Grace frees us from the tyranny of sin and leads us to willingly serve God. This ownership demands total obedience, leading to sanctification and eternal life instead of the shame and death caused by sin. **Grace frees us from sin's tyranny into slavery to God, producing life instead of death.** This passage is so practical in helping us understand how we can resist sin’s power and grow in godliness. Maybe you're hearing all this and thinking, “I’ve never actually come to Jesus. I don't know what it's like to belong to Jesus.” Today could be the day. Come to him in faith. He will take you in. If you have come to Christ, you belong to Jesus now. He bought you with his blood, broke sin's chains, and made you his own. That's not theory. It's your identity, and it changes everything about how you live this week. When temptation knocks, you're not powerless anymore. Sin doesn't own you. You can say no because you've been freed to serve a better Master. When obedience feels costly, remember what it cost Jesus to rescue you. That area you keep withholding from God reveals where the battle for your discipleship is happening right now. If you're in Christ, you're under new ownership. Stop living like you still belong to sin. Present yourself to God: your schedule, your money, your ambitions, your relationships. All of it. Hold nothing back from the One who held nothing back from you. This is the freedom you were made for: slavery to the God who is life itself. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-488/ Last updated: 2026-03-07T10:00:55.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Edgelords Won’t Inherit the Earth](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/edgelords-inherit-earth/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The edgelord’s currency is transgression, and his goal isn’t truth but reaction. [How Do I Know If I’m Idolizing Work?](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/how-know-idolizing-work/?ref=dashhouse.com) > We can reflect on whether our work glorifies God and loves others or if we've turned it into an idol. [The Thing Under the Thing](https://www.thebeehive.live/blog/thethingunder?ref=dashhouse.com) > What’s seen won’t change until what’s unseen does. [I Prepare Sermons 4 Weeks in Advance: Why I Started, How I Do It, and What I Think About It](https://www.josephfradosevich.com/2026/03/i-prepare-sermons-4-weeks-in-advance.html?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are three benefits of preparing further out. [25 Powerful Paradoxes of Life](https://newsletters.feedbinusercontent.com/cdf/cdf67d7025eeafd5a54f74c3d9f7580e2b60d289.html?ref=dashhouse.com) > Many of life's most powerful truths appear entirely contradictory on the surface. ### Why I Keep the Sabbath (Even Though I Don't Have To) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/why-i-keep-the-sabbath-even-though-i-dont-have-to/ Last updated: 2026-03-03T10:00:05.000Z Discussing the Sabbath feels odd because I believe Christians aren't required to observe it, as Jesus fulfills it for believers. ([Thomas Schreiner's article](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/schreiner-qa-is-the-sabbath-still-required-for-christians/?ref=dashhouse.com) explains why I hold this view.) Yet the Sabbath remains vital for five reasons. ## First, the Sabbath precedes the law. The Sabbath appears in Genesis 2:2-3, woven into creation itself, before God established his covenant with Israel. This creation origin implies an enduring principle, even though New Testament believers are not required to follow the old covenant command to observe the Sabbath. ## Second, the Sabbath pictures grace. God created Adam and Eve on day six. Their first full day was a Sabbath: rest before work, grace before effort. We work from rest, not toward it. We work from grace, not to earn it. The biblical story follows this arc: rest in the garden, corrupted by sin in Genesis 3, restored through the promised land, lost in exile due to disobedience, and renewed in Jesus' invitation to find rest. Hebrews encourages us to enter God's rest and promises that rest remains for God's people. The Sabbath stands as a gospel picture, not just a legal demand. ## Third, the law reveals God's concern for rest. The Ten Commandments are remarkably straightforward: don't worship other gods, honor your parents, don't murder, steal, or commit adultery. Yet embedded among these basics is a command to honor the Sabbath and keep it holy. "Holy" doesn't mean reserved only for religious observance; it means that it’s a day that’s set apart. As Richard Averbeck says, it's a day unlike any other. Surprisingly, this command is the longest of the ten. God closes every loophole because he knows we'll search for them. Everyone gets rest: you, your family, your servants, even your animals. Its central placement in the Decalogue shows that our rest matters deeply to God. ## Fourth, the Sabbath is an extravagant gift. Imagine your boss granting you ten extra weeks of vacation. After the initial suspicion wore off, gratitude would flood in. God gives us precisely that: 52 days annually, equivalent to ten work weeks. We treat it as burdensome obligation when he meant it as generous provision. ## Finally, we need rest. Even apart from ongoing obligation, the Sabbath makes sense because of our design. We're finite creatures who need rest. The Sabbath reminds us of our limits and calls us to find our rest in him. As Tom Schreiner writes, “It is wise naturally for believers to rest, and hence one principle that could be derived from the Sabbath is that believers should regularly rest.” I'm not a Sabbatarian in theology, but I am in practice. The Sabbath predates the law, pictures the gospel, matters to God, reflects his generosity, and meets our desperate need. It also helps us embrace our finitude and his provision. Observing it as a gift rather than a burden makes sense as we await the eternal rest we'll one day enjoy with him. ### Union with Christ (Romans 6:1-14) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/union-with-christ-romans-61-14/ Last updated: 2026-03-04T01:02:42.000Z **Big Idea:** Remember who you are now: someone who, with Jesus, has been brought from death to life, and live like it. --- Let me ask you two true/false questions: 1. When you became a Christian, your sins were forgiven. True or false? 2. When you became a Christian, you were freed from the power of sin. True or false? The first question comes easily. True. Romans 8:1 declares, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Our sins—past, present, and future—are forgiven. It's finished. Nothing can separate us from God's love in Christ. The second question? Not so easy. You hesitate because you don't see clear evidence of freedom from sin in your life or others'. Perhaps you struggle with arrogance, jealousy, or a critical spirit. Maybe an explosive temper, bondage to pornography, or selfishness that keeps you from loving others. Here's the good news Romans 6 brings this morning: Freedom is possible. You can break the patterns of sin that hold you back. That's what this passage is all about. ## Two Profound Realities This chapter is profound. The great writer Thomas Chalmers said that this chapter is the “passage of greatest interest in the Bible—as that in which the greatest quantity of spiritual light is thrown” on how our justification leads to obedience. It really is a profound chapter. According to this passage, two profound realities are true of you right now if you are in Christ Jesus. Here's the first: ### You are dead to sin’s power (6:1-2) Look at the question in verse 1: "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?" Where does this come from? Two verses earlier, in Romans 5:20, Paul said, "Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more." The more sin, the more grace. If that's true, wouldn't sinning more produce even more grace? Paul's answer in verse 2 is immediate and forceful: "By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?" Read that again. Paul says you have died to sin. You are dead to sin's power. The word "died" refers to a single completed action in the past. This already happened the moment you were united to Christ. Paul isn't telling us to strive to become dead to sin; he's announcing what's already true. #### What This Doesn't Mean This doesn't mean Christians become sinless or stop facing temptation. "If we say we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves" (1 John 1:8). Romans 6 shows believers still make daily choices whether to present themselves to sin or to righteousness. Romans 7 will address this continuing battle. Every Christian still feels the pull of the old nature. If we had completely died to sin's presence, Paul wouldn't need to command us not to let sin reign in our mortal bodies. #### What This Does Mean When you came to Christ, your old relationship to sin ended decisively. You didn't get an upgrade; you died. Sin's ruling power over you is broken. Dead people don't respond to commands. They can't. You no longer live under sin's authority. You can still be tempted and choose to sin, but you're no longer obligated to obey. You've moved from sin's dominion into the realm of grace. John Stott explains it this way: sin has not become extinct, but it has been defeated; not annihilated, but deprived of power. It may tempt you, but it no longer owns you. This changes how you face temptation today. When that familiar sin comes knocking—lust, anger, gossip, pride—you don't have to answer the door. You can say, "I don't belong to you anymore." You're not mustering up willpower; you're living out who you already are in Christ. The next time you're tempted, pause and remember: you died to sin's power. It can't force you to obey. You're free to choose obedience because grace, not sin, is your master now. You're dead to sin. That's a bold claim. It's a gospel reality, but it doesn't always feel like it, which is why we need the second reality: ### You are united to Christ (6:3-10) If you think the first reality—that you're dead to sin's power—is hard to believe, the second one will stretch you even further. Yet it's one of the most profound truths of the Christian life. As John Piper says, "If we can grasp what union with Christ means, we will be a very happy and holy people." Here's the reality: If you're a believer in Jesus Christ, you are united to him so completely that what happened to Christ is counted by God as happening to you. Jesus' past is now your past. Jesus' present is your present. Jesus' future is your future. You share in his death, his resurrection, and his present reign in heaven. His story is your story. His victory is your victory. You didn't just get inspired by Jesus or receive his teachings. You are joined to him—in Christ—and what is true of him has become true of you. Think about marriage. When you marry, everything that is your spouse's becomes yours. That's what happens when you come to Jesus. Paul highlights two ways we have been united to Jesus: #### We Have Died with Christ: Paul says it five different ways: we were **baptized into his death** (v. 3), **buried with him** (v. 4), **united with him in his death** (v. 5), **our old self was crucified with him** (v. 6), and **we have died with Christ** (v. 8). When you were baptized, you attended your own funeral. The old you died. The old you enslaved to sin's power is dead. The reason you are dead to sin's power is that when Jesus died, you died. This doesn't mean you no longer feel tempted or that you've reached sinless perfection. It means that in your truest identity—your union with Christ—you are completely dead to sin, both its guilt and its power. This is decisive, unrepeatable, and unchangeable. This is the foundation for all your warfare against sin and all your progress in holiness. #### We Now Live a New Life: Paul also says it five different ways: we **walk in newness of life** (v. 4), are **united with him in a resurrection like his** (v. 5), are **set free from sin** (v. 7), **will also live with him** (v. 8), and **live to God** (v. 10). You are alive in Christ—not only in your future resurrection, but right now. You share in Jesus' resurrection life today. As Galatians 2:20 says, "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me." Jesus' resurrection means he conquered sin and death. They could not hold him. Because you are united to Jesus in his resurrection, the same is true for you. The same glorious power that raised Christ from the dead has raised you. This is not something that will happen; it has happened. You are at this moment in newness of life. Whatever happened to Christ has happened to you through union with him. Your old self died once and for all with Christ. You are now alive to God, sharing in Christ's indestructible life. You died with Christ and rose with him. Sin's authority over you is broken. You now live in resurrection power, where grace, not sin, is your master. ## One Application (6:11-14) All of this leads to the first application in the entire book: “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (6:11). This is the first command in the book of Romans! Every other religion begins with the imperative: what you must do to gain God's favor. Christianity begins with the indicative: what God has done becomes the basis for what you do. The first command in Romans isn't a call to action; it's a call to reach a conclusion. Here's what Paul says: you are dead to sin and alive to God in Christ. Now live like it. Consider yourself to be who God actually says you are. Believe the gospel is true, and live accordingly. You can't just hold the doctrine; you have to live it. The key to holiness is fully grasping your personal union with Jesus Christ. What you believe about yourself shapes how you live. Think of yourself as a new creature in Christ. Remember who you are! Paul isn't telling you to pretend or believe something false. If you are in Christ, this is already true of you, regardless of how you feel. Continually ponder the reality of your union with Christ. What does this look like? Read verses 12-14: > Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. We're going to look at this more next week, but here's what Paul is saying. You are engaged in a holy war against sin. Sin is striving to control you through your fleshly appetites. Don't put your body parts at the disposal of the enemy. Don't yield an inch. Instead, devote yourself to God. Sanctification isn't merely avoiding sin but actively promoting goodness. Use your members as weapons of righteousness. Victory is assured because you're not under law but under grace. The law is powerless to make you holy. Grace makes you holy by setting you free from sin's dominion and empowering you to do good. Sin has no power over you, so don't give it any! You're free from its dominion, but not from its presence or influence, so don't give it any room. Instead, give everything—your eyes, ears, hands, feet, mouth, and mind—to the Lord. **Remember who you are now: someone who, with Jesus, has been brought from death to life, and live like it.** I often quote Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the great preacher in London from the 1900s. He was once asked, “When are you going to preach a series of expository messages on the Epistle to the Romans?” He answered immediately, “When I have really understood chapter 6.” It took him a decade, but eventually he preached it, and he said that understanding Romans 6 to be “one of the most liberating experiences in my Christian life.” I agree, and it can be your experience too. You died with Christ and rose with him; sin's authority over you is broken. You now live in resurrection power, where grace, not sin, is your master. Now live like it. You will battle sin this week, maybe today. Sometimes it feels hopeless. When temptation hits, preach the truth to yourself: "I am dead to this sin's power. I am alive to God in Christ." Then act accordingly. Live out the freedom you already have. You've been brought from death to life with Jesus. This isn't wishful thinking; it's gospel truth. Remember who you are now: someone who, with Jesus, has been brought from death to life, and live like it. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-487/ Last updated: 2026-02-28T10:00:55.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Blessed Are the Empty: How to Read the Beatitudes](https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/blessed-are-the-empty?ref=dashhouse.com) > The Beatitudes are invitations to a life of eternal joy. [If I’m Saved by Grace, Why Fight Sin?](https://www.crossway.org/articles/if-im-saved-by-grace-why-fight-sin/?ref=dashhouse.com) > On our own, we would be powerless to resist sin’s demands and pursue God’s commands. But we’re not on our own. [What Is Paganism?](https://sacredslang.substack.com/p/what-is-paganism) > I recently published an essay asking whether it was best to understand the culture of the global west as “pre-pagan or post-Christian?” One of the most common questions I received from readers of that article was a very simple one: What is paganism? [How Is AI Shaping You? Three Principles for Wise Use](https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/how-is-ai-shaping-you?ref=dashhouse.com) > Technology can extend or amplify the human proclamation of the gospel, but it cannot replace it. [Bringing Back Correspondence Hour](https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/habits/bringing-back-correspodence-hour/?ref=dashhouse.com) > While staying on top of one’s messages may not quite rise to that level for the non-presidents among us, it’s still a worthy social civility. It’s a way to become a class act — and instituting a correspondence hour can get you there. [Writing Is Pain, but Environment Can Help](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/writing-pain-environment-help/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Technology can extend or amplify the human proclamation of the gospel, but it cannot replace it. [Be the Predictable Pastor](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/article/be-the-predictable-pastor/?ref=dashhouse.com) > People don’t aspire to predictability. We value spontaneity and freshness above being conventional or routine. Yet a minister of the gospel should be this for his people: the predictable pastor. [Have You Read Any Stan Fowler?](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/reviews/have-you-read-any-stan-fowler/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Dr. Stan Fowler (1946-2025) may not be a household name among evangelicals, but he was a faithful voice of biblical wisdom in the Canadian evangelical church (and beyond) for decades. ### The Scandal of Particularity URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-scandal-of-particularity/ Last updated: 2026-02-24T10:00:58.000Z I've been reading [*How to Live a Meaningful Life*](https://amzn.to/4aSQoRd?ref=dashhouse.com) by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. It's not a Christian book, though one author is a believer. They argue we need to reframe how we think about meaning and purpose. They call one reframe "the scandal of particularity." We exist in a particular place, at a particular time, with specific constraints. Many of us assume something's missing in our lives, that we need something more or something else. But living well means embracing the here and now that appears in a specific time, place, and shape, something we can observe, engage, and build upon. > It's actually downright scandalous that the most wonderful and mysterious things we can imagine can only come to us through these profoundly small and even pedestrian peculiarities… Stop worrying if the best is yet to come and start celebrating the good that's right in front of you. *That's* where the best is found. Meaning isn't found elsewhere. It's found here in the particular and concrete events of our lives. The same applies to church. Church and pastoring have a beautiful particularity. We're tempted to resist it, but only when we embrace it do we begin to experience what church is meant to be. The beauty of church is that it's local. It's tempting to think about church in general, but we experience church through actual churches, not through some abstract concept. Actual churches have an actual address, a specific meeting time, and particular people God calls us to love and serve. This turns out to be harder than loving the idea of church. Pastors face the same temptation: to pastor people in general, which leads to generic pastoring. We produce sermons that read well online or sound good on podcasts. We build a social media platform or concern ourselves with issues that have nothing to do with our particular church. We get influenced by people who don't know our congregation and have nothing to do with our situation. I'm not saying we can't learn from others or that our ministry can't bless people beyond our churches. I am saying that's not the point. Get to know your church and serve there. If you're a pastor, pastor a particular people in a particular place. Their problems are your problems. You are their pastor and nobody else's. Your joy is to know them and their needs, and to preach what will help them. You don't pastor in general; you pastor in a particular place to particular people. Learn pastoral theology. Learn what's true of every church everywhere. Give yourself to the things God has commanded every pastor to do, then apply that to your congregation. Dive deep, know your people, your context, and their needs. Don't worry about what's happening online; discover the beauty of serving the few God has chosen for you. It's a far more rewarding way to pastor, and it's what God has called you to do. If you're a church member, embrace the joys and burdens of the particular church where God has called you to serve. Don't imagine the abstract or ideal church; embrace the church where you are. Love those people. Pray for your particular leaders. That is both the challenge and the joy of specificity. It's not just a restriction; it's a privilege. It gives us direction and keeps us focused on what God has called us to do. It's also where the beauty is. Embrace the scandal of particularity not just in life but in church too. ### Encountering God’s Holiness (Isaiah 6; Exodus 3:1-12) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/encountering-gods-holiness-isaiah-6-exodus-31-12/ Last updated: 2026-02-22T23:00:43.000Z **Big Idea:** God graciously uses crises to give his people a bigger view of his holiness, a clearer view of their sin, and a deeper understanding of forgiveness that compels them to serve. --- Everything feels like it's falling apart. Geopolitical shifts, multiple wars, cyber warfare, economic uncertainty, AI disruption, deepening polarization: it all seems out of control. When global experts were asked about the next decade, 57% predicted turbulence or chaos. Only 1% anticipated calm. But here's what I want you to see: we're not the first generation to face upheaval, and God has never wasted a crisis. In fact, some of his greatest works happen when our world is shaking. So what if this disruption isn't just something to survive, but something God wants to use? God has often used periods of disruption to accomplish something remarkable. I pray he does so now. Through two case studies, I want to show you what God has done in turbulent times, and what he may be doing in ours today. ## Two Case Studies Consider these two case studies. The parallels are striking. ### Case study one: the beginning of Exodus The Israelites were enslaved in Egypt under brutal oppression, but their population kept growing. When slavery didn't curb their population growth, Pharaoh resorted to genocide by ordering every Hebrew boy to be thrown into the Nile. Mothers gave birth knowing their sons faced execution. The people groaned under bondage and cried out (Exodus 2:23). This wasn't just physical oppression; it was designed to crush their identity and hope. ### Case study two: the beginning of Isaiah's ministry King Uzziah died after a 52-year reign that brought unprecedented prosperity and stability to Judah. His death created a national crisis. With Assyria rising to the north and Judah's political landscape shifting, the nation faced an uncertain future. Who would protect them now? Who would lead? The times were dangerous, and people naturally looked to human solutions and political alliances rather than to God. Both scenarios share a crucial pattern: human security collapses, creating a crisis that only God can resolve. Both moments represent the end of human solutions. Both left God's people vulnerable, afraid, and looking for answers in the wrong places. God often uses human helplessness to reveal his sufficiency. God wasn’t caught off-guard by these crises. This is the darkness against which God's deliverance shines. When our support fails, we realize that our true help comes from the Lord, not from rulers or political ties. The crises weren't accidents. They were divine setups for deliverance and revelation. ## Encountering God’s Holiness Here’s what God does in these times. Three things: ### God gives a bigger view of his holiness. > When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God… (Exodus 3:4-6) > God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” (Exodus 3:14) > In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. (Isaiah 6:1-4) What happens in both cases? Their vision lifts beyond their crises to the very presence of God. Both encounter the holiness of God. Holiness isn't merely an attribute of God; it is the very essence of God who dwells in unapproachable light. God's holiness refers to his absolute moral purity and the infinite moral distance between God and his human creatures. Not only is God holy, but in Isaiah 6 the seraphim call him, “Holy, holy, holy.” R.C Sproul notes: > Only once in sacred Scripture is an attribute of God elevated to the third degree. Only once is a characteristic of God mentioned three times in succession. The Bible says that God is holy, holy, holy. Not that He is merely holy, or even holy, holy. He is holy, holy, holy. The Bible never says that God is love, love, love; or mercy, mercy, mercy; or wrath, wrath, wrath; or justice, justice, justice. It does say that He is holy, holy, holy, that the whole earth is full of His glory. God is infinitely holy and self-existent. When he reveals himself to Moses, he declares his name: I AM. He alone possesses life within himself—uncreated, eternally unchanging. He depends on nothing and no one, remaining constant across all time. Imagine standing on the sun's surface, where temperatures reach 10,000 degrees, rather than viewing it from 93 million miles away. You wouldn't just be uncomfortable; you'd be instantly consumed. That's a picture of God's holiness. He doesn't just possess moral purity; he radiates it like heat. He's not distant or cold; he's so pure and good that sinful humans can't endure his presence without his grace. That’s the holiness of God. What they needed most in this moment of crisis is a fresh vision of God, and so do we. What is the need of the hour? A life-changing encounter with the holiness of God. When asked what is the greatest singular need for the church today, R.C. Sproul responded, “to know who God is.” When asked what is the greatest singular need for culture today, he responded, “to know who God is.” What do we need? To paraphrase Kevin DeYoung, we need a God who is holy, independent, and unlike us—a God who is good, just, full of wrath, and full of mercy. We need a God who is sovereign, powerful, tender, and true. We need a God with edges. We need an undiluted God who makes us feel cherished and safe, and small and uncomfortable too. We need a God who works all things after the counsel of his will and for the glory of his name. We need a God whose love is lavish and free. We need a God worthy of wonder and fear, a God big enough for all our faith, hope, and love. In a time of crisis, we need a bigger view of the holiness of God. But that leads to the next thing that God does: ### God gives a clearer view of our sin and a deeper understanding of forgiveness. You can’t see the holiness of God without also seeing the depth of your sin and your need for forgiveness. Exodus 3:6 says, “And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.” One commentator says: > Holiness endangers the sinner because the holiness of the Lord is not a passive attribute but an active force… The trepidation humans feel before the Lord is not, therefore, the trembling of the lowly before the Almighty or the created before the Creator, but the fear of sinners endangered by holiness. (Alec Motyer) R.C. Sproul calls this “the trauma of holiness.” The holiness of God is terrifying because we are not holy. Isaiah faced the same fear: > And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:5) Isaiah believed he was ruined, lost. Why? Two reasons. One is his unclean lips and his presence with others who have unclean lips. The other is the surpassing holiness of God. It is a good but scary thing when the depth of our sin is revealed to us. “When we have seen God, we then begin to feel and know what we are” (John Calvin). As my wife reminded me recently, we have more in common with the worst sinner than a holy God. Have you encountered the holiness of God? One way to know that you have is that you see your own sin. You have no chance of standing before a holy God. But seeing our sin is only the first part. We need a solution to sin, which is what we find in verses 6 to 7: > Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” We need God's remedy for our sin. In Isaiah 6, a seraph takes a live coal from the altar, which is used for daily offerings, peace offerings, Yom Kippur sacrifices, and Passover lambs. This coal, drawn from where countless sin offerings ascended to God, touches Isaiah's lips. His iniquity is removed. His sin is purged. God has made provision for what Isaiah could never fix himself. The cleansing comes not through personal effort but through divine grace alone. The coal from the altar in Isaiah's time foreshadowed the cross, where Jesus became our ultimate sacrifice. Let the weight of your sin drive you toward the cross, not away from it. That's where guilt is removed and sin is atoned for—not by your effort, but by his costly grace. Tim Keller once said something that’s always stuck with me. We usually pick leaders who are confident, competent and successful. But what we really need in a leader is someone who has been broken by the knowledge of his or her sin, and even greater knowledge of Jesus’ costly grace. That’s what happens with Isaiah. The more we see God’s holiness. Ministry begins with recognizing and confessing our need for forgiveness and our dependence on God. The more we see our sin. The more we see our sin, the more precious the gospel becomes to us. What does God do in turbulent times? He gives us a bigger view of his holiness. He gives a clearer view of our sin and a deeper understanding of forgiveness. There’s one more thing he does. ### God calls someone to his service. > Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt. (Exodus 3:10) > And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “ ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” (Isaiah 6:9-10) Both Moses and Isaiah were given hard tasks. In fact, Moses argued with God about the assignment that he was given. Isaiah would accomplish something through his ministry. For centuries, Isaiah’s words have shaped the church. But in Isaiah’s day, he would meet with little success. But that’s okay. He was summoned by a holy God with an important mission. He was part of God’s solution for a turbulent time. He had seen God’s holiness and his own sin. He had been cleansed and pardoned and had a deeper grasper of God’s grace. And then he was sent. **God graciously uses crises to give his people a bigger view of his holiness, a clearer view of their sin, and a deeper understanding of forgiveness that compels them to serve.** What about you? In turbulent times like ours, God doesn't call us to find better strategies or stronger leaders. He calls us to encounter his holiness. When we do, everything changes. We see him as infinitely greater than our crises. We see ourselves as far more broken than we realized, yet far more forgiven than we dared hope. And we discover we've been summoned into his service for such a time as this. Make it your mission to cultivate a bigger view of God. Spend time in his presence through Scripture and worship until his holiness overwhelms you. Don't run from the conviction of your sin; let it drive you to the cross where Jesus has already paid for your guilt. Then ask God, "What would you have me do?" He's not wasting this disruption. He's calling ordinary people like us, aware of their weakness and his grace, to be part of his work in these days. Will you answer? ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-486/ Last updated: 2026-02-21T10:00:15.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Three Things That Make Temptation Flee](https://jacobrcrouch.wordpress.com/2026/02/16/three-things-that-make-temptation-flee/?ref=dashhouse.com) > When I turn my eyes to the cross, I see the great sacrifice of God. [Seven Truths to Help You Prepare for Suffering](https://www.str.org/w/seven-truths-to-help-you-prepare-for-suffering?ref=dashhouse.com) > If the only thing we know absolutely, positively for sure about our future is that we are going to suffer and then die, we should prepare for that! [When You Push Past Your Limits Instead of Trusting God - Staci Eastin](https://stacieastin.com/ignoring-our-limits/?ref=dashhouse.com) > When we ignore sleep and rest in the name of productivity, rather than doing our best and leaving the results to God. [What Comes After Expressive Individualism?](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/what-comes-after-expressive-individualism/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Keller wondered whether the next phase of our culture would be a strange hybrid: expressive individualism blended with group-based identity politics. [5 Ways Pastors Can Grow in Their Preaching](https://www.crossway.org/articles/5-ways-pastors-can-grow-in-their-preaching/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Mere training cannot compensate for absence of gifting, but we all have a responsibility to “fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you” (2 Tim. 1:6)—to nourish, exercise, and develop it—so that our ministry can become increasingly effective and bring glory to God. [Should Struggling Christians Abstain from Communion?](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/how-not-fence-communion/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Is calling Christians to a private self-audit before the Lord’s Supper, or encouraging them to abstain if their consciences are unsettled, a valid application of Paul’s teaching? [Bring Your Pastoral Regrets to God](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/bring-pastoral-regrets-god/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Most every week I’m seeing, hearing, or learning something that I might do differently or better or not even at all if I returned as a lead pastor. These insights sometimes lead to regrets. ### Six Months in Isaiah URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/six-months-in-isaiah/ Last updated: 2026-02-17T10:00:37.000Z Ray Ortlund once wrote, “Suggestion: Since the Bible is probably too big a book for us to master it all in one lifetime, in addition to many annual read-throughs, choose one OT book and one NT and spend the rest of your life drilling down really deep there. Mine: Isaiah, Romans. Both are addictive.” “I have never met anyone who knew the Bible too well,” says Ortlund. “It deserves a lifetime of daily attention. Few things deserve that.” I’ve spent the past six months working through Isaiah for my [Big Idea Bible project](https://www.bigideabible.com/about/?ref=dashhouse.com), and you can see the results [here](https://www.bigideabible.com/isaiah/?ref=dashhouse.com). Ortlund is right: Isaiah is addictive. It’s hard to overstate its importance in the Bible. It’s the most quoted prophetic book in the New Testament, and its themes reverberate throughout Scripture. It’s also highly applicable today. It was written during a time of shifting geopolitics when it was easy for God’s people to worry and take matters into their own hands. Isaiah’s message: trust God. He’s sovereign over the most powerful nations and the most chaotic world events. Fear and obey him, and you have nothing else to fear. Isaiah mixes confrontation and comfort. The book stands out for so many reasons. It contains some of the most memorable verses in Scripture, like this one: > Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: > though your sins are like scarlet, > they shall be as white as snow; > though they are red like crimson, > they shall become like wool. > (Isaiah 1:18) It also contains some significant prophecies of the coming of the Messiah, like this one: > For to us a child is born, > to us a son is given; > and the government shall be upon his shoulder, > and his name shall be called > Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, > Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. > (Isaiah 9:6) It beautifully describes the work of Jesus: > But he was pierced for our transgressions; > he was crushed for our iniquities; > upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, > and with his wounds we are healed. > (Isaiah 53:5) What’s fascinating is not just the verse itself, but where Isaiah places it. The second section of the book (Isaiah 40-66) has three sections (Isaiah 40-48, 49-55, and 56-66). Isaiah 53:5 stands at the very center of the central part of the second part of the book. In fact, I love the way Isaiah speaks to both his present day in the first part of the book (Isaiah 1-39) and to future generations in the second part of the book (Isaiah 40-66). The second part of Isaiah includes so many highlights: - God’s comfort to Judah when they felt abandoned by God in Isaiah 40 continues to comfort God’s people today. He is willing and able to deliver his people. His purposes are good, his power unlimited, his strength available to anyone who needs it. - The famous Servant songs (Isaiah 42:1-9; 49:1-7; 50:4-9; 52:13-53:12) that describe the work of Jesus. - The invitation for all to join God’s feast free of charge (Isaiah 55) speaks to God’s provision for our deepest needs. - Isaiah’s portrait of the new heavens and the new earth (Isaiah 65:17-25) is echoed in Revelation and provides hope for every Christian. There’s so much more. I could spend hours on God’s welcome to the formerly excluded (Isaiah 56:1-8) and his call to tremble at his word (Isaiah 66:2). I recommend a deep dive into Isaiah for anyone wanting to know God's word better. If you're interested in my Big Idea Bible project, visit [my page on Isaiah](https://www.bigideabible.com/isaiah/?ref=dashhouse.com). I guarantee you that your investment of time in this book will pay off. I'm grateful for Isaiah and for the message of challenge, comfort, and hope the prophet brings us today. I’ve only scratched the surface of this amazing book. ### The Assurance of God’s Love (Romans 5:6-11) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-assurance-of-gods-love-romans-56-11/ Last updated: 2026-02-15T23:00:49.000Z **Big Idea:** God's love, proven by Christ's death for his enemies, guarantees the complete and eternal salvation of all who are in Jesus. --- Romans 5:5 contains one of Scripture's most staggering truths: "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Paul paints a picture of lavishness. God's love has been, and continues to be, poured out in our hearts until they overflow with divine affection. The Holy Spirit himself serves as the personal agent of this love, dwelling in us to represent God's very heart toward us. This isn't merely divine pity. It's not even God's kindness. As Spurgeon said, "It is not compassion, nor tenderness, nor pity, but it is love, which is something more than all these." If you are in Christ Jesus, God loves you. > The Lord loves you. He has a complacency and a delight in you. You give him pleasure ; he watches for your good; you are one of his household; your name is written on his heart. He loves you… He that made the heavens and the earth loves me! He whose angels fly as lightning to obey his behests, the tramp of whose marching shakes both heaven and earth, whose smile is heaven, and whose frown is hell, loves me! Infinite, almighty, omniscient, eternal, a mind inconceivable, a spirit that is not to be comprehended; but he, even he has set his love upon the sons of men, and upon me. ([Spurgeon](https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/sermons/the-perfuming-of-the-heart/?ref=dashhouse.com)) Most of us struggle to believe anyone would truly love us, especially if they knew our real faults, fears, and hidden sins. This drives us to earn acceptance by projecting a better version of ourselves. But that's not love. True love means complete acceptance and wholehearted service of the other. No wonder we find it nearly impossible to believe God could love us at our worst. Many of us carry wounds from love that failed. Someone claimed to love us, but their love proved to be a feeling rather than a commitment, and feelings fade. Paul cuts through all this. God knows you completely, yet he loves you lavishly. This isn't a fluctuating emotion but an eternal commitment; a benevolent disposition that moves him to pour out both physical and spiritual blessings on those made in his image. This is grace. And the highest expression of this love is God's selfless gift of himself to us in Jesus Christ. This is life-changing if we understand it. There’s nothing like the feeling of being loved. My goal today is to simply work through the six verses we just read and ask four questions that will help us both understand and feel the reality of God’s love for us. ## Four Questions Here are the four questions that help us understand the depth of God’s love for us. ### When did God decide to love us? Verse 6 contains a phrase worth pausing over: "For while we were still weak, *at the right time* Christ died for the ungodly." What does "at the right time" mean? Christ's death was no accident or emergency response. It was planned from eternity. Galatians 4:4-5 says, "But *when the fullness of time had come*, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons." God's love for you isn't a recent development. Before you were born, before anyone knew your name, before you committed your first sin, God planned your salvation. This wasn't Plan B. This was his eternal purpose unfolding in history. God planned this mighty way of salvation before the very foundation of the world, before creation or time. Salvation is not an afterthought; it is part of God's eternal plan. This demonstrates the constancy and eternality of God's love. ### How deserving were we? Did you deserve it? Consider how Paul describes our condition: - **"while we were still weak" (5:6)** — We were utterly powerless to save ourselves. Humanity possesses no strength to impress God or contribute anything to its own salvation. We were weak, sickly, unable. - **"ungodly" (5:6)** — We were unlike God. Though created in his image to live for and reflect his glory (Genesis 1:26-27), sin defaced that image so thoroughly that we became unrecognizable as his image-bearers. Our intellect, reason, and capacity for communion with God were all marred beyond recognition. - **"while we were still sinners" (5:8)** — We were offenders, trespassers, ones who missed the mark. We deliberately flouted God's law, rebelled against him, chose our will over his, and made ourselves guilty. - **"while we were enemies" (5:10)** — We harbored deep hostility toward God. Worse still, we stood guilty before him, reprehensible and deserving of his wrath. How deserving were we? Christ died for us not because we were lovable, good, or righteous, but because we were sinners. The recipients of God's love weren't lovely or even neutral. They were enemies deserving judgment. Yet God's love reached down to the unlovable, pursuing those who fled from him. This reveals that God's love springs from his character, not from anything attractive in us. When did God decide to love us? God planned your salvation from eternity, making his love for you not a reaction to your need but the unfolding of his eternal purpose. How deserving were we? God's love springs from his own character, not from anything in us. He loved us when we were weak, ungodly, sinful enemies who deserved only his wrath. ### What did God's love cost him? How much did it cost the one who loved you? The greater the sacrifice, the deeper the love. An afternoon of time and sweat shows one degree of love. A life given shows another. What, then, did God's love cost him? Verses 6 and 8 answer plainly: "Christ died for the ungodly... while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." The cost of your salvation was the death of God's sinless Son in your place. As Romans 8:32 says, God “did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all…” Jesus died the death you should have died so you wouldn't have to. This was no easy, sentimental love. It was costly love, paid at the highest price imaginable. This is proof of sin’s severity. It shows us the devastating weight of sin. It required the death of God's own Son to redeem us. The infinite price paid by a sinless Savior measures the true extent of our guilt. Here’s the amazing news: Jesus gave his life for us willingly. God's love for you is entirely unwarranted and unconstrained. It originates in him, flows from him, belongs completely to him. This is the purest and holiest of all loves. He simply chose to love you. He doesn't love you because you believed in his Son. He loved you while you were his enemy, and therefore he sent his Son. The cross, with all its shame and ignominy borne by one entirely innocent, stands as the supreme demonstration of God's love. Death is the ultimate act—the final, irreversible gift—and God held nothing back. - When did God decide to love us? Before time began. - How deserving were we? Not at all. God loved us when we were weak, ungodly, sinful enemies deserving only wrath. - What did God's love cost him? Everything: the death of his sinless Son as your substitute. One more question: ### What does God's love secure for us? Verses 9 to 10 tell us: > Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. God's love shows its magnitude in what it accomplishes: you need not fear final condemnation. You will be saved from God's wrath. Paul's logic in Romans 5:9 moves from greater to lesser. God justified us through Christ's blood while we were still his enemies, which is the costlier act. He will certainly save us from future wrath, which is the easier. Having sacrificed his Son to reconcile enemies, will he abandon friends? He will not. Much more, he will save them. Our salvation rests on God's unchanging love, not our grip on him. The reasoning stands firm: - God loved us as enemies. Will he stop loving us as children? No. - Christ died for us as sinners. Will he fail to keep us now that we're justified? No. - We were reconciled through his death. Will we not be preserved by his resurrection life? Yes. Salvation's security comes from God's character and Christ's finished work. Performance doesn't anchor it. This truth doesn't excuse sin—it fuels grateful worship and obedience. These verses also show us that salvation has three tenses: - Past: You are saved from sin's penalty because Jesus paid it all. - Present: You are being saved from sin's power in this life. - Future: You will be saved from sin's presence entirely. Your past, present, and future are secure. Paul's aim is to increase your assurance that God is for you and will be for you through all your tribulations and through the last great outpouring of wrath on the world. Right now, you can enjoy peace with God, the ability to withstand accusations, standing in God's grace, and rejoicing in the anticipation of God's glory. The love of Christ that led him to the cross is the same love he has for you now and forever. Because God has already done the hardest thing—justifying you through Christ's blood when you were his enemy—you can be certain he will finish what he started. When doubts come, when life shakes you, when voices tell you you're not good enough, remember: the God who sacrificed his Son for his enemies will not abandon his friends. Your salvation doesn't depend on your performance or your ability to hold on. It depends on Christ's finished work. This means you can face tomorrow without fear, endure today's trials without despair, and rest tonight knowing the love that brought you to the cross will carry you all the way home. God is for you, and he will be for you through everything that comes. ## So What? Verse 11 gives us one natural “so what” from these amazing truths: “More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” The word 'rejoice' (or 'exult') is strong. It means to boast, glory, or delight with great joy. This isn't mild contentment; it's exuberant celebration. And the object of this joy is God himself. Friends, rejoice. Everything that needed to be done has been done. The pressure’s off. The price has been paid. Your salvation has been accomplished, and you are secure forever. Not only has God saved you, but he loves you. You a delight in God because of all of these truths. I love what one preacher (John Stott) says: > We should be the most positive people in the world. We cannot mooch round the place with a dropping, hang-dog expression… No, “we exult in God.” Then every part of life becomes suffused with glory. Christian worship becomes a joyful celebration of God and Christian living a joyful service of God. So come, let us exult in God together! God's love, proven by Christ's death for his enemies, guarantees the complete and eternal salvation of all who are in Jesus. When you understand this truth, it changes everything. Theologian D.A. Carson writes, “The love of God is not merely to be analyzed, understood, and adopted into holistic categories of integrated theological thought. It is to be received, to be absorbed, to be felt.” Augustine said something similar: "If you do not wish to die of thirst in this desert, drink love. It is the spring that the Lord wished to put here in order that we may not faint on the way." Romans 5:6-11 reveals how deep God's love runs. While we were powerless, ungodly, sinful enemies, Christ died for us. This was no reluctant duty but the outpouring of divine love. Through his death we are justified, reconciled, and saved from wrath. Through his life we are kept secure. Through it all, we are brought into joyful fellowship with God himself. This passage dismantles every fear and doubt. If God did the harder thing—saving enemies—he will certainly do the easier thing: preserving his children. Our salvation is as secure as God's love is unchanging, and that love was proven at the cross. Let this truth reshape your life, deepen your worship, and fuel your witness. God's love is incomparable, Christ's work is sufficient, and your salvation is secure. Rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-485/ Last updated: 2026-02-14T10:00:02.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Our Annual Winter Sadness](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/article/our-annual-winter-sadness/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Around 15% of Canadians will report at least a mild case of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). [Survivor, Life Without the Phone, and the Shock of Coming Back](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/survivor-life-without-phone/?ref=dashhouse.com) > We don’t have to be slaves to our technology. We have agency. We have freedom. [My Current Approach to AI](https://newsletters.feedbinusercontent.com/f60/f60c3ba7da57e82bc7cca3d2fae3ef11a2b5884a.html?ref=dashhouse.com) > My advice on AI is a little paradoxical. [Artificial Theologians](https://gcdiscipleship.com/article-feed/artificial-theologians?ref=dashhouse.com) > The temptation to be an artificial theologian is not new. [Christian Community Is Not About Your Comfort](https://feedpress.me/link/10439/17275149/christian-community-is-not-about-your-comfort?ref=dashhouse.com) > The desire for community often leads Christians astray because our picture is distorted. [Healthy Organization Isn’t Optional for Local Churches](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/healthy-organization-not-optional/?ref=dashhouse.com) > When church operations are weak, ministry is fragile. [There Is No Such Thing as Private (or Online) Communion](https://buildingjerusalem.blog/2026/02/10/there-is-no-such-thing-as-private-or-online-communion-2/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The question of private communion periodically rears its head. ### How to Love Your Wife Through the Rough Patches URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/how-to-love-your-wife-through-the-rough-patches/ Last updated: 2026-02-10T10:00:32.000Z The first 12 years of our marriage were happy, at least for me. But in year 12, I discovered my wife had been accumulating a list of hurts and resentments. One day, she had had enough, and she let me know about them. It took some time and counselling for us to work through these issues. We’ve been married for 35 years now, and it’s not the only time we’ve hit rough patches. We’ve been through periods of health struggles, depression, tensions, misunderstandings, difficulties, and parenting challenges. Sometimes it felt like our marriage difficulties were unbearable. I wanted a way out, but there wasn’t one. It’s not that our marriage has been particularly hard. In fact, I think we have a good marriage. It’s just that life is hard, and so is marriage. Even the best marriages will struggle at least occasionally. If you’re married, you will hit rough patches. We all think we’re exempt, but we’re not. You’re going to need a strategy to love your wife through the rough patches. It will never be easy, but here are a few biblical principles that have helped me. ## Expect Difficulties When we married, we vowed “to have and to hold, from this day forward; for better, for worse; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health; until death do us part.” To be honest, I expected the “better, richer, and healthier” options to play out more. I don’t think I’m alone. Marriage counsellors talk about something called “idealistic distortion,” particularly before and in the early years of marriage. It’s when a person views their relationship unrealistically and overly positively. They think they will escape the problems common to other marriages. This causes them to ignore potential problems and can lead to disappointment and conflict when the problems inevitably come. The Bible is realistic about the problems we will face in marriage. Marriage is good, but a married man “will have trouble in this life,” Paul says, and he will be “concerned about the things of the world—how he may please his wife” (1 Corinthians 7:28, 33). Marriage is a gift, but a demanding one. It will require you to take on problems that you wouldn’t have if you had remained single. I’ve found this to be true. I’m glad I married, but I’ve learned that the vows I made mentioned the “worse, poorer, and sicker” times as well as the good ones. When you hit a rough patch, don’t be surprised. It’s completely normal. It’s part of what it means to be married. ## Get Comfortable Being Naked As a kid, I used to snicker at Genesis 2:25: “Both the man and his wife were naked, yet felt no shame.” I don’t snicker anymore. I don’t think Genesis is only talking about physical nakedness. It’s talking about something much more. It means a sense of safety in the presence of the other, with nothing to hide. One scholar [writes](https://amzn.to/3NVZuVD?ref=dashhouse.com), “There was between them an openness and a unity, not masked by guilt, not disordered by lust, not hampered by shame.” Unfortunately, Genesis 2:25 describes life before the Fall, when it was possible to be vulnerable and unashamed without risk. Sin has now entered the world, and we rarely experience this openness anymore. Part of marriage is that you just can’t hide the things that you might want to hide. Your wife will get to know you better than anyone else, including both the good and the bad. This will occasionally lead to shame and embarrassment. This gets even worse in the rough patches. It’s tempting to try to hide rather than face the vulnerability that comes with being completely naked with another, especially when life is hard. Don’t. Refuse to hide, and commit to working back to the safety God intended for us to enjoy within marriage. I saw a post on social media that I found insightful (a rare occurrence!). It [said](https://www.threads.com/@the.willetts/post/DQpg%5F6iklJY?ref=dashhouse.com), “Marriage will reveal every single bit of unfinished business you have. Emotionally, spiritually, and otherwise. If you’re not ready to be in the dojo of personal development in the pursuit of the most rewarding dynamic in life, don’t get married.” That’s good advice. Marriage reveals us at our best and our worst, and if we’re going to survive marriage, men need to get used to being exposed and vulnerable, especially when we’re tempted to hide. ## Set a Limit on Your Love One of the most important things you can do as a husband is to set a limit on your love. Yes, you read that right. You need limits on your love. It’s just important that you set the right one. So, what limit should you set in your marriage? Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:25: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” Husbands, you never have to love your wife more than Christ loved the church. How much did Christ love the church? He gave up His life for her. When you’ve done the same for your wife, you can stop. As my wife sometimes tells me, “You’re not dead yet. Keep loving!” That’s the standard for us as we experience the inevitable rough patches of marriage. Don’t be surprised. Work on getting comfortable with being more vulnerable and exposed than in any other relationship you’ve ever had, and refuse to hide. And then keep loving as extravagantly as Jesus loved the church. Stop when you’ve died for your wife. The rough patches will come, and they will be hard. These principles may not always make it easier, but they will remind you of what God expects from you as a man until, as they usually do, the rough patch ends. *Originally posted at* [*Impactus*](https://www.impactus.org/family/marriage/how-to-love-your-wife-through-the-rough-patches/?ref=dashhouse.com) ### The Benefits of Justification (Romans 5:1-5) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-benefits-of-justification-romans-51-5/ Last updated: 2026-02-08T23:00:13.000Z **Big Idea:** Our new position with God brings remarkable blessings. --- I want you to imagine inheriting a substantial amount of money. I’m not talking about a small amount; I’m talking about enough to change your life, pay off debts, and provide security forever. You’re notified that the inheritance is yours. You patiently wait. The check arrives in the mail, and you acknowledge it's real. You even tell others about it. But you never deposit it. Instead, you continue to struggle financially, working extra jobs, feeling stressed about bills, paying off your mortgage while feeling like you’re not really making progress, all while that massive amount of money sits unused in a drawer. Ridiculous, isn’t it? And yet I’m convinced that many Christians find themselves in a similar position. We’ve received massive benefits as a result of being justified by Jesus Christ. We’ve received much more than we could ever ask or imagine, grace upon grace, and yet many of us live without the confidence and boldness that comes from these benefits. Today we're beginning a new section in Romans. Paul has been building a careful case. In 1:18 to 3:20, he showed us our desperate *need* for justification: we stand under God's wrath because of our sin. Then, in 3:21 through chapter 4, he revealed the *provision* of justification. The solution is found entirely in what God has accomplished through Jesus Christ. Through the gospel, God grants us right standing before him by faith alone, completely apart from our own efforts. The atoning death of Christ is the unchangeable foundation of our justification. God didn't wait for our improvement; he moved toward us while we were still his enemies. Our justification means we have a radically new status before God. But now Paul shifts his focus. Having shown us *how* we're justified, he's ready to show us the *benefits* of justification—the blessings that flow from our new standing. Paul is about to unveil an avalanche of benefits, showing us all that God provides through Christ. What we've been given isn't merely forgiveness; it's an inheritance that changes everything about how we live. ## Four Benefits The passage we just read is like a tasting menu. It’s just a sampling of the benefits we’ve received. My goal today is simple. I want to help you understand four of the benefits that belong to anyone who’s been justified by Jesus, and to help you live them out. ### Peace with God (5:1) > Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (5:1) Here’s the first benefit that you get to enjoy. It signifies the transformation that has taken place in your relationship with God. Here is your condition before justification: you were at war with God, not at peace. There was enmity between God and humanity. God was rightly wrathful against us because of our sin, as Paul has been pointing out. Every sinner was and is under his holy judgment and storing up more wrath for the future. That is the condition of every single person who has not been justified by Jesus Christ. But Jesus came and changed everything. What has changed? Through what Jesus did for us at the cross, your sins have been dealt with and are no longer counted against you. There has been a massive change in relational status between us and God. When Paul talks about “peace” he’s not talking about an internal state of mind or a feeling of contentedness. He’s talking about a transformation in our relationship from a state of war to a state of peace with God. All friction, fighting, and fomenting are finished forever. An eternal change in the relationship's status has occurred. This is not a one-time event but an ongoing, continually possessed, and exercised reality. We have peace with God. God has not only forgiven you but he has befriended you. This peace, this cessation of hostilities, means that you can feel peace in your hearts. It is both a fact and a feeling. I love how Jack Miller puts it: “There is nothing you can do to make God love you more.” Your objective reality is that you are at peace with God; now enjoy it. If you are not a Christian, you cannot make things good between you and God on your own. You need Jesus Christ, the only mediator between God and man. But if you have been justified by Christ, you are on good terms with God. He is at peace with you. You can live with a holy boldness and confidence because they have eternal peace with God and 24/7 access to him. God is on good terms with you. You are on good terms with God. This peace can give you peace. It is yours in Jesus Christ. Here’s the second benefit Paul mentions: ### Access to Grace (5:2) > Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand… (5:2) What does this mean: access by faith into this grace in which we stand? If you have been justified, you have entered a new way of living characterized by grace. Picture having a harsh, exacting boss. Nothing you do is ever good enough. You live in a continual state of stress knowing that no matter how hard you try you will not measure up, and your performance will be unsatisfactory. In fact, the harder you try, the worse it goes. Then picture that you enter a new workplace, and you feel like you can just breathe, where you are accepted and valued. You feel secure. That’s a little like what Paul is describing here. You used to live under the law. The law is very demanding. No matter what you do, you can never measure up. But now, declared righteous, we are no longer under the law. We are brought into a place of freedom, where we can breathe. This access is not occasional but continuous and secure; it is where we live, where we're standing, where we get to stay. Our daily experience is one of knowing we are fully accepted as a son by God, that he loves us, has good for us, and loves to be gracious to us. You live in a state of grace. God’s free giving to us does not stop when we become Christians. You have entered into grace and you continue to live in grace. It’s not like you fall in and out of God’s favor as some people believe. Your relationship with God It continues to be poured out on us so much that we can be said to live in a constant state of grace. You have peace with God and you have continuous access to a new state of grace. ### Hope of Glory (5:2) Verse 2 continues, “and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” This word “rejoice” is surprising. Paul has talked at length about the fact that the gospel excludes boasting. Because we contributed nothing to our salvation, we have nothing to boast about. But the word “rejoice” in this verse could be translated “boast.” Boasting is not wrong; what matters is the object of our boasting. What should be boast about now? We can boast in the absolute confidence we have in an absolutely certain outcome. That’s what “hope” means in Scripture. It’s not a wish; it’s a certainty. And what is our certainty? The glory of God: that we will one day see his radiant splendor. It will be the sight for which we’ve longed our entire lives. One day the curtain will be raised and we will behold the glory and beauty of God in Jesus. We will not only see his glory, but we will be changed by it. > It will be the most beautiful thing they can ever imagine! His glory will be so beautiful, and they will be so happy, that they will never be sad or disappointed by anything ever again. Their enjoyment of him will keep growing, without stopping or slowing down, forever and ever and ever. ([Samuel Parkinson](https://ftc.co/resource-library/articles/the-beatific-vision/?ref=dashhouse.com)) Peace with God. Access to a new and permanent state of grace. The certainly that we will one day see God and be deeply satisfied by him. There’s one more blessing that this passage says is ours because of Christ: ### Joy in Suffering (5:3-5) I liked what Paul was saying up until now. You would almost think that we get to live a trouble-free existence from now on. Not so fast. Paul tells us about one more benefit we enjoy as a result of our justification by Jesus: > 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, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (5:3-5) As a believer, you are going to suffer. Everyone suffers. What changes now that you’re in Jesus? You can find joy even in the middle of suffering, because you can know that your suffering accomplishes something. You can boast in your sufferings, because God works through your sufferings to bring produce something good in your life. The term "sufferings" is a general word for troubles, encompassing oppression, distress, tribulation, troubles of every kind. These are the difficulties Christians face by virtue of living in a fallen world, a consequence of the curse. There are thorns and thistles, pain and sweat. Troubles are a part of life for every human being, and Christians should never be surprised when they encounter them. But Christians are called to have an entirely different perspective on their troubles, even to rejoice or boast in them. Why? Because God uses our trials. There is a clear, sequential process: - Suffering produces endurance. It teaches us to persevere, to keep going, to hang on when enduring something painful. - Endurance produces character. This has the idea of being tested or approved. It matures us. It produces mature character that has passed the test. - Character produces hope. It reenforces our conviction that our future is secure as we see that God is at work in even in our sufferings. It assures us that the our future hope is not an illusion. “Just as resistance to a muscle strengthens it, so challenges to our hope can strengthen it” (Douglas Moo) This means that for a Christian, troubles are never wasted; every single one serves a good purpose by increasing the quantity and quality of your hope. We can know that God is always at work even when times are hard, even when we suffer. There are no useless trials. As if this wasn’t enough, Paul says in verse 5: “and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” It’s like, on top of all of these blessings, God gives us what we need most. We need to know that we’re loved. God pours out his love into our hearts. He does this by the Holy Spirit. This is the first mention of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, but it’s not the last. I want you to see that this is deeply personal. God gives the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, to dwell in every believer. God himself takes up residence within us. God himself comes to dwell in us. Amazing. And this is just a sample. Peace with God. A sure standing in grace. Confident hope in glory. Joy even in suffering. And at the center of it all: God's love poured out through the Holy Spirit himself. These benefits all have a common theme. They are designed “to show us the absolute character, the fullness and the finality of the salvation which comes to us in the way he has already described, namely, as the result of justification by faith” (Martyn Lloyd-Jones). It would be incredibly foolish to possess all these amazing benefits and ignore them. And yet many Christians appear to live without the confidence or boldness that comes from using these benefits. Paul wants to give us rock-solid assurance that these benefits are yours, and you can live with total confidence that you can enjoy them, a confidence that grows as you enjoy these benefits. Here's the beautiful truth: all of this is already yours in Christ. Not someday. Not if you measure up. Right now. You have peace with God; the war is over. You stand in grace, secure and favored. You possess a hope that suffering can't steal and a joy that pain can't extinguish. God's love has been poured into your heart, and the Spirit himself lives within you. Paul wants you to know this so deeply that it changes everything: how you pray, how you persevere, how you face tomorrow. So treasure these realities. Return to them again and again. Let them sink down into the depths of your soul until living justified becomes as natural as breathing. These are your blessings. Don't just acknowledge them. Live in them. Rest in them. Rejoice in them. Because they're yours, fully and forever. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-484/ Last updated: 2026-02-07T10:00:14.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Beware the 'Current-Events Man'](https://www.chrismartin.fyi/p/beware-the-current-events-man?ref=dashhouse.com) > A current-events man is that relative on Facebook constantly posting about the latest news coming out of the Oval Office. [Recovering the Mind of Christ: Why the Church Must Prioritize Theological Maturity](https://www.modernreformation.org/resources/essays/recovering-the-mind-of-christ-why-the-church-must-prioritize-theological-maturity?ref=dashhouse.com) > The church must recover the biblical view that theological maturity is essential to discipleship, worship, and witness. [7 Practices for Spiritual Progress According to George Whitefield](https://www.crossway.org/articles/7-practices-for-spiritual-progress-according-to-george-whitefield/?ref=dashhouse.com) > George Whitefield examined seven practices to encourage spiritual progress: reading Scripture, secret prayer, frequent meditation on Scripture, observing God’s providential dealings, watching the motions of the Holy Spirit, making full use of God’s ordinances, and keeping company with other Christians who were walking with God. [Reading Romans 7 With John Newton](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/romans-7-john-newton/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Newton understands Romans 7 to be the apostle Paul’s confession—applicable to all Christian believers—of his “utter insufficiency” to live dutifully or to withstand his enemies. [Unreasonable Hospitality and the Ordinary Work of the Church](https://mereorthodoxy.com/unreasonable-hospitality-and-the-ordinary-work-of-the-church?ref=dashhouse.com) > Ordinary faithfulness, carried out with deep care and love, reflects something of the heart of Christ. [Evangelical Pastors and The Challenge of Eastern Orthodoxy](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/article/evangelical-pastors-and-the-challenge-of-eastern-orthodoxy/?ref=dashhouse.com) > As I speak to pastors and ministry leaders across my city and online networks, I must concede that Eastern Orthodoxy does indeed represent a significant challenge to North American evangelicalism. Yet, this significant challenge is limited in scope. ### The Gift of Being Watched Over URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-gift-of-being-watched-over/ Last updated: 2026-02-03T10:00:48.000Z I was enjoying a breakfast on my terrace when my phone buzzed. The text from my friend Nathan read, “Are those strawberries?” I looked up and spotted him on a nearby balcony, watching us eat. He and his wife Sarah had just moved into our neighborhood to help plant our church, and apparently, he was keeping tabs on our breakfast choices. It felt a little awkward. Most of us like our privacy. But that moment reminded me of something we often overlook: we're actually called to watch over each other. At the church where I serve, our covenant includes this phrase: "I further engage to watch over you, my brothers and sisters, in brotherly love." It seems strange, but we promise to watch over each other. This is the commitment we make to one another. It’s a biblical commitment. The writer of Hebrews reminds us that we're called to "exhort one another every day" so that none of us become "hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." We're told to "consider how to stir one another up to love and good works" and to keep meeting together, "encouraging one another" as we see the day approaching (Hebrews 3:13; 10:24-25). This isn't passive. The language is intentional, even aggressive. We're meant to pursue each other, to get close enough that we can actually encourage and challenge one another. As Calvin once wrote, "Unless our faith is repeatedly encouraged, it lies dormant; unless it is warmed, it grows cold; unless it is aroused, it gets numb." This goes against everything our culture tells us. We're trained to keep a polite distance, to mind our own business, and to protect our privacy at all costs. But Scripture invites us into something different: to belong, to be known, to be encouraged, and sometimes to experience loving confrontation for our good and for God's glory. If we’re to watch over each other, we need to take two steps. First, we have to let people in. It’s not enough to keep people at arm’s length. We’re called to open up about our struggles, doubts, and the things that cause us embarrassment. It means actually letting people see the parts of our lives that we’d rather hide. You can go too far with this, but in my experience, most of us don’t go far enough. Second, we have to be intentional in watching over others. I know two friends who were on a prayer call together. One noticed the other seemed off. After the call, he reached out to check in. His friend wasn't okay, and that simple question opened the door to real help. It started with noticing, then acting. Someone around you could probably use a word of encouragement, a listening ear, or a gentle check-in. Pay attention to those around you. Watch over them, and look for ways to encourage and even sometimes even challenge them when you can. Yes, it might feel awkward at first, like being spotted eating breakfast from a neighboring balcony. But there's something beautiful about having people who watch over you, and about being someone who watches over others. It's not intrusion. It's love. ### Where Righteousness Comes From (Romans 4:13-25) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/where-righteousness-comes-from-romans-413-25/ Last updated: 2026-02-01T23:00:20.000Z **Big Idea:** Righteousness doesn't come through your own efforts; it comes by grace through trusting in what God has accomplished through Jesus. --- Right now, at this very moment, you have one of two futures before you: become righteousness, or face God's wrath. It doesn't matter who you are or whether you consider yourself a Christian. These are the only two possible realities ahead of you. If this is true, the most important question you face is: “How can I become righteous before God?” That question matters more than who you'll marry, what you'll do with your life, or where you'll live. Nothing compares to the urgency of this question. The problem? The way we think we'll gain righteousness turns out to be wrong. We need to set the right goal—becoming righteousness—but we also need to discover the unexpected path to get there. That's what today's passage is all about. ## How Not to Become Righteous (4:13-15) If you want to be righteous, here’s what *won’t* work: > For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. (Romans 4:13-15) Here’s Paul's argument so far: everyone, without exception, stands under God's wrath. Good or bad, we're all in the same boat. We can't fix this ourselves. The only way to be made right with God is through faith in Jesus, not through our own efforts at obedience. This is deeply humbling news: you're not good enough, and you can't make yourself good enough. Paul knew how much we would struggle with this reality, because he deals with a counterargument. What about Abraham? In verse 13, Paul says that Abraham got the promise that he would be heir of the world. This is an amazing promise. In Genesis 12, God promised Abraham: > And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. (Genesis 12:2-3) God promised Abraham offspring, fatherhood of a nation, an everlasting covenant, and land. But when God said "all the families of the earth" would be blessed through him, he had something bigger in mind: Abraham's descendants would inherit the whole world. Ultimately, Christ and his people will reign together over a new heaven and earth. That's an enormous promise. So how does Abraham receive it? Verse 13 shows two possible means: through the law or through the righteousness of faith. - **Option A:** Abraham obeys God's law perfectly. He earns it; God rewards. - **Option B:** Abraham receives the promise as a gift by trusting God. These approaches are diametrically opposed. You must choose one. So which is correct? Paul answers in verses 14-15: if you choose the law, you lose out. The law doesn't lead to the promise; it leads to wrath. God's law doesn't vindicate us; it condemns us because of our sinfulness. The problem isn't the law; it's us. If we're depending on the law to save us, we're in trouble. Paul already said this in Romans 3:19: "By works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin." The law doesn't bring salvation; it brings wrath. Verse 15 drives this home: "Where there is no law there is no transgression." Transgression means violating a specific command. The law creates the possibility of transgression, which makes us *more* guilty. If we try to become righteous through obedience, we're condemned by the very law we're trying to keep. Here's what won't work: we can't be righteous by keeping the law. This hits close to home because so many of us still operate as if the law can save us. We know the gospel intellectually, but we live as though God's acceptance depends on our spiritual performance. We think that if we read our Bible enough, pray enough, serve enough, or keep our sin under control, then God will be pleased with us and we'll be righteous. But Paul is telling us that this entire approach is doomed from the start. The law wasn't given to make us righteous; it was given to expose our unrighteousness. Every command we try to keep only highlights how far short we fall. This approach will never work. ## The Surprising Way to Become Righteous (4:16-17) So what’s the answer? Verse 13 has already given us a hint, but verses 16 and 17 will spell this out. Verse 13 mentioned “the righteousness of faith.” This means that God gives us righteousness not because we earned it, but simply by his grace through faith in Jesus. Now Paul unpacks this in verses 16 to 17: > That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. There are only two possible ways to become righteous. Paul has already explained that if we try to become righteous through our obedience, it leads to condemnation. The law and our condemnation are linked—pick up one and you pick up the other. Now he explains the other option: pick up faith and you get grace, because they too are linked. Grace is the unmerited favor of God apart from human works, and it comes to us by simple acceptance, which is faith. You have to choose. If you choose works, you get condemnation. If you choose faith—simply holding out your hands for God's gift—you get everything you were looking for. As Paul explains in verses 16 and 17, this applies to everyone who puts their trust in Jesus, right down to today: Jew and Gentile, religious and irreligious, moral and immoral. It's the only way anyone can be made right with God. All of this, according to Paul, doesn't depend on us. If it did, we would be in deep trouble. Instead, it depends on God, the one who gives life to the dead and calls into existence things that don't even exist. Our salvation is in very good hands. This is why our ultimate salvation is guaranteed: it rests on grace received through faith, not on our works, circumcision, law-keeping, or anything else we might do. It's founded on God's everlasting grace. If salvation depended on human abilities, faithfulness, or understanding, not a single one of us would arrive in glory. But our salvation is sure because it rests in God's hands and cannot fail. We can't earn it, but we can receive it through faith, and that's the only way to be saved. ## What This Looks Like (4:18-22) Let’s review so far. All of us have one of two futures ahead of us: to be counted righteous before God, or to face his judgment. If we want to become righteous, we can try to earn our righteousness through obedience, but that will never work. The only way to become righteous is to simply by receiving God’s grace through faith. But what exactly does this look like in practice? Paul answers in verses 18 to 22: > In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” How do we become righteous? By grace through faith. What does faith look like? Paul says: faith is believing and trusting a person based on that person's trustworthiness. Listen to what Paul says. God promised that Abraham would be the father of many nations. Abraham was 99 years old; Sarah was 90 and had never had a child. Picture Abraham, hands weathered and trembling with age, standing under a midnight sky filled with stars that God promised would outnumber his descendants. It seemed impossible. But then he remembered God, the sovereign Creator who made the world by his great power and outstretched arm (Jeremiah 32:17). On one hand, you have the impossible. On the other hand, you have the God who accomplishes the seemingly impossible. Which are you going to choose? Paul tells us something important here. Faith isn't primarily about the strength of our trust; it's about the character of the One we trust. Faith is grounded in who God is. I like how one preacher (James Montgomery Boice) puts it: > We are not saved because we have a strong subjective faith (that would focus the matter on us), but because we believe the promises of God regarding salvation, promises made known to us in the pages of the Bible. In other words, Christian faith is a Bible faith. Or, to put it in still other words, we are saved not because of our faith but because of God’s promises. True faith is receiving these promises and believing them on the basis of God’s character. Don't put your trust in your own obedience. Put your hope entirely in God. When you're tempted to despair, don't focus on the size of your faith; focus on the size of your God. Look at his track record in Scripture. Remember that he raised Jesus from the dead. Recall his promises to never leave you or forsake you, to work all things together for your good, and to bring you safely home. Our righteousness doesn't depend on perfect faith; it depends on a perfect God who keeps his promises. That's where real confidence comes from. Faith is simply trusting the One who is supremely trustworthy, and when we do, God credits us with righteousness as a gift. You may be wondering why we’re talking about all of this. In the end, Paul explains, he’s not talking about all of this for Abraham’s benefit. He’s talking about it for our benefit. Read verses 23 to 25: > But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Here's Paul's point: God credited Abraham with a righteousness that was not his own. But this truth isn't just for Abraham; it's for us too. When we believe that Jesus died to atone for our sins and that his resurrection proves the penalty has been paid in full, God credits us with Christ's righteousness. We can see all the reasons why we can’t be saved, but then we see the utter trustworthiness of God and put our faith and trust in him. **Righteousness doesn't come through your own efforts; it comes by grace through trusting in what God has accomplished through Jesus.** Friends, your future depends entirely on whether you're trusting in your own righteousness or receiving Christ's righteousness by faith. Maybe you’re thinking, “That can’t be true for me. I’ve failed too much,” or “Believing sounds too easy. Surely I need to do something.” This message is for you. If you've been exhausting yourself trying to be good enough for God, you can stop. The law was never meant to save you; it was meant to show you that you need a Savior. But if you'll simply trust that Jesus lived the perfect life you couldn't live, died the death you deserved to die, and rose again to prove your debt is paid, then God declares you righteous. Not because of anything you've done, but because of everything Christ has done. That's the gospel. That's grace. And that's the only hope any of us have. If you’re here today and wondering if this is really for you—whether you’ve been following Jesus for years, are stuck and don’t know how to move forward, or are maybe still deciding what you believe—even you kids listening, this offer is for you: trust him. Abraham believed God against all odds, and it was counted to him as righteousness. The same offer stands before you today. Will you trust him? ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-483/ Last updated: 2026-01-31T10:00:38.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [5 Reasons You Need Sabbath Rest](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/need-sabbath-rest/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Let’s consider five ways Sabbath rest reorients worn-out people toward what matters most. [Why and How to Give Up Your Smartphone](https://mereorthodoxy.com/why-and-how-to-give-up-your-smartphone?ref=dashhouse.com) > One student who went on to make permanent changes to his digital habits described his previous relationship to his phone as spiritually degrading. [7 Points of Wisdom for Physical Boundaries in Dating](https://pastormarc.substack.com/p/7-points-of-wisdom-for-physical-boundaries) > What do you need to set wise, God-honoring boundaries physically in a dating relationship? [Reaching the Lost Young Men—Part 1: Holistic Depornification](https://www.digitalliturgies.net/p/reaching-the-lost-young-menpart-1?ref=dashhouse.com) > There is a large group of American young men who are facing spiritual crisis. [A Theology of Wine](https://gentlereformation.com/2026/01/22/a-theology-of-wine/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Wine is not merely a social choice; it is a theological one. [12 Theses on Church Buildings](https://mereorthodoxy.com/12-theses-on-church-buildings?ref=dashhouse.com) > The health of a church is not necessarily connected with the quality of its building. [Pastor, Be Present](https://practicalshepherding.com/articles/pastor-be-present?ref=dashhouse.com) > What I can do is be present and available to show care to a man who was deeply hurting, and that, pastor, is enough. [The Art of Clear Teaching and Preaching](https://au.thegospelcoalition.org/article/the-art-of-clear-teaching-and-preaching/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The art of the best teachers and preachers is to take complicated things and make them simple. ### When Problems Seem Big URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/when-problems-seem-big/ Last updated: 2026-01-27T10:00:21.000Z My father used to live in England, so I visited often. On one trip, while touring historic sites in London, I found myself weighed down by problems back home. The problems had something to do with church, though the details escape me now. As I walked through those ancient landmarks, two thoughts crystallized. First, the world is vast. Nobody here knew the people or problems troubling me thousands of miles away. Second, my perspective was painfully narrow. My problems felt enormous in that moment, but I knew that a hundred years from now, even ten years from now, I wouldn't remember them at all. I return to those observations often. We habitually see only what's happening right now, and as a result, we're easily overwhelmed. We desperately need perspective: our lives are small, and this moment will pass. But we need a corresponding truth as well. I thought of this as I read Isaiah 51:12-13 this week: > I, I am he who comforts you; > who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, > of the son of man who is made like grass, > and have forgotten the LORD, your Maker, > who stretched out the heavens > and laid the foundations of the earth, > and you fear continually all the day > because of the wrath of the oppressor, > when he sets himself to destroy? > And where is the wrath of the oppressor? Our problems don't just seem huge; people seem huge. Our troubles loom so large that we forget how small people actually are. We lose perspective and forget that only the Lord deserves our fear, and that he has promised to comfort us. Spurgeon's insight on this passage is brilliant. He observes that we're often influenced by things not because of their actual size, but because of their proximity: > Objects often influence us out of proportion to their value because of their nearness. For instance, the moon is a very small insignificant body compared with the sun, yet it has far more influence over the tides and many other matters in the world than the sun has, simply because it is so much nearer to the earth than the sun is. He then applies this to our spiritual perceptions: > The life that is to come is infinitely more important than the life that now is, and I hope that, in our inmost hearts, we reckon that the things that are seen and temporal are mere trifles compared with the things which are not seen and eternal; yet it often happens that the less important matters have a greater influence over us than those which are far more important, simply because the things of earth are so much nearer to us. Heaven is infinitely more to be desired than any joy of earth, yet it seems far off, and hence these fleeting joys may give us greater present comfort. The wrath of God is far more to be dreaded than the anger of man, yet sometimes a frown or a rebuke from a fellow-creature will have more effect upon our minds than the thought of the anger of God. This is because the one appears to be remote, while, being in this body, we are so near to the other. We fear oppressors, "yet we forget the almighty God, who is on our side, who is stronger than all the oppressors who have ever lived, and who has all people and all things under his control." Why? Because we can see the oppressor with our eyes and hear them with our ears. We need "the joy and comfort which, though more remote, ought still to be more powerful over the mind and heart because of its real intrinsic greatness." What a needed reminder. (The [entire sermon](https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/sermons/needless-fears/?ref=dashhouse.com) is worth reading, especially for those who struggle with fear and worry.) Our problems seem big, but most aren't. They're just close. What we need is a bigger view of God. I saw my problems differently through the lens of geography and time; how much more should we see them differently when we look to the glory and power of the mighty God who comforts us? ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-482/ Last updated: 2026-01-24T10:00:25.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Have a Ministry of Small Things](https://reformation21.org/have-a-ministry-of-small-things/?ref=dashhouse.com) > In the pursuit of meaningful service for the Lord, we should remind ourselves that oftentimes the little things are the big things. [The Great Omission](https://www.christianitytoday.com/2026/01/bible-reading-plan-literacy-jen-wilkin/?utm%5Fmedium=widgetsocial&ref=dashhouse.com) > A Bible literacy crisis has flooded the halls of local churches and left many Christians unable to recall basic information contained in Scripture. [Older Believers Still Have Important Work to Do](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/older-believers-important-work/?ref=dashhouse.com) > In every season of life, Christians have an important calling and can contribute to the local church. [Will There Be Degrees of Reward in Heaven?](https://open.substack.com/pub/stevemathewson/p/steves-weekly-letter-6eb) > To put it another way, will believers be distinguished from one another for all eternity on the basis of their works as Christians on earth? [How to Deal With a Censorious Spirit](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/how-deal-censorious-spirit/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Only the gospel can heal us of a censorious spirit, because the gospel reveals a God who is not censorious but generous and gracious beyond imagination. [The Puritan Library: A Look at the Books That Shaped Them](http://rss.desiringgod.org/link/10732/17254656/the-puritan-library?ref=dashhouse.com) > The Puritans were such able theologians and physicians of souls because they were so committed to carefully studying Scripture in deep conversation with the best of church history. [David, Goliath—& Jesus? A Familiar Story’s Fourfold Sense](https://www.logos.com/grow/david-and-goliath-meaning-four-senses/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The story of David and Goliath is a classic test case for one’s hermeneutic. ### The Sin That So Easily Ensnares URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-sin-that-so-easily-ensnares/ Last updated: 2026-01-20T18:24:04.000Z I'm both encouraged and sobered by the reality of Hebrews 12:1, which speaks of "the sin that so easily ensnares us" (CSB). I’ve thought about this passage for years. I've reflected often on the cloud of witnesses from Hebrews 11, meant to encourage us as we run our race. They’ve run well; so can we. I’ve considered the call in Hebrews 12:1 to lay aside every weight so we can run with endurance. I've preached about looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. Yet only recently have I focused on a particular reality: we're always vulnerable to being ensnared or entangled by sin. The phrase itself is somewhat elusive. The word translated “ensnares” appears only here in the New Testament, and scholars suggest a number of possible meanings. While some interpreters argue the writer means habitual sins (recurring patterns of sin struggles in our lives), I believe he's describing something about sin's essential nature. Sin entangles our feet and slows our stride, hindering us from running the Christian race as we should. It’s not just habitual sin that can do this; any sin will entangle us if we’re not careful. It’s any sin. As Donald Guthrie writes, “It must not be supposed that any particular sin—a besetting sin—is in mind. It is rather sin itself which is the hindrance.” Sin remains a perpetual threat throughout the Christian life. No matter how far we've come, we can still stumble. We’re never beyond getting tripped up. A couple of weeks ago, news broke about a Christian author who confessed to serious sin. I've noticed a troubling pattern lately: moral failures increasingly involve older men. I used to think we reached an age when we were relatively safe from such snares. It was a convenient belief. It suggested I'd eventually arrive at a place of security. But experience and Scripture teach otherwise. I will always face this danger, and so will you. This truth shouldn't discourage us. After all, the writer to the Hebrews calls us to lay aside entangling sin. It’s possible. But it should make us vigilant. None of us is beyond the reach of temptation's grip. We must keep taking sin seriously. We must keep looking back at those who have already finished well. Even more importantly, we must fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. When we understand how easily sin ensnares us, we'll respond with less shock when others fall. More importantly, we'll guard ourselves against the same fate until we cross the finish line. I'm 58 years old. I don't know how much race lies ahead. What I do know is this: there's no room to coast. As long as I draw breath, I must remain alert. The good news is that Hebrews assures us many have already set an example, that Jesus will help us, and that running well is possible even in the face of persistent danger. Keep running. Stay vigilant. The race isn't over. Lay aside the sin that would trip you up, and finish well like so many before you. ### How God Has Always Saved People (Romans 4:1-12) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/how-god-has-always-saved-people-romans-41-12/ Last updated: 2026-01-18T23:00:14.000Z **Big Idea:** God's people have always been saved by grace through faith—nothing more, nothing less. --- The most important question we'll ever answer: How can we be made right with God? This is a one-question final exam. Pass or fail. Everyone faces it. There's only one right answer. And the stakes are eternal. Here's how most of us naturally want to answer: we can earn a right standing before God. It's how we answer everything else. Work hard. Beat the odds. Try harder. Do more. We bring the same playbook to God. But in the book of Romans, Paul argues the opposite. How can we be made right with God? There’s only one way, he says: by putting our faith in Jesus Christ and what he accomplished at the cross. Not our performance. Not our résumé. His finished work on the cross. It’s the only way. It’s the only right answer to the most important question we will ever face. This goes so completely against how we think that we have a hard time accepting it. Something in us wants to approach God based on our own righteousness, to believe we have something to contribute, to treat it like everything else in life. But this will never work, and Paul is going to show us why using two case studies. When we get Paul’s point, it changes everything. ## Two Case Studies In the Old Testament, two names tower above the rest: Abraham and David. Abraham was the father of the Jewish nation, the friend of God, the man through whom all nations would be blessed. He's the acknowledged father of God's people and, apart from Jesus himself, arguably the most significant person in Scripture. David was a man after God's own heart, the greatest king Israel ever knew. Under his reign, the nation reached its peak. He is the king from whose line the Messiah would come, the standard by which all future kings would be measured. These weren't ordinary believers. They were giants of faith. If you wanted to build a case that someone could contribute to their own salvation, that human righteousness could matter in the equation, these are the two people you'd choose. You can imagine the Jewish believers in Rome bristling at Paul's teaching: "Wait, Paul. What about Abraham and David? They were righteous. Are you saying their works didn't matter? You're dishonoring them!" This wasn't a minor objection. It cut to the heart of everything. If Abraham and David were exceptions to the gospel, then maybe there were other exceptions too. And if that were true, Jewish believers would have a legitimate advantage over Gentile believers—better lineage, better credentials, better standing before God. And yet look at what Paul says as he considers these two case studies. ### Abraham Take Abraham. Paul asks the question in verse 1: “What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh?” It’s a key question: did Abraham gain a right standing with God based by performing good works or keeping the law, or was he saved by grace alone? After all, rabbis taught that Abraham was justified by his righteousness. Think about his life. - When God said "go," Abraham left everything—home, family, security—immediately. No questions, no negotiations. This wasn't passive belief; it was costly obedience. Abraham proved his devotion by choosing God over comfort. - Abraham believed God would give him descendants even when it seemed impossible. The twenty-five year wait was itself a test Abraham passed. Each year without fulfillment was another opportunity to grow bitter or give up. Instead, Abraham stayed faithful. - Then there’s Abraham's greatest act. When God asked him to sacrifice Isaac — his long-awaited son, the carrier of God's promises — Abraham obeyed immediately. He submitted regardless of personal cost. In fact, some rabbis taught that the faithfulness of Abraham (and the other patriarchs) created a kind of “spiritual bank account” that later Jews could “withdraw” from when they needed righteousness. So is Abraham an exception? Was Abraham saved by his good works? If so, there’s a problem, Paul says in verse 2: “For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.” it would give us legitimate bragging rights for eternity. We could honestly say, "I earned this. I'm here because I was wiser, stronger, or more committed than others who fell short." Heaven would echo with the sound of self-congratulation rather than wonder at God's mercy. But that isn’t the case at all, even with Abraham. Look at what Paul says in verses 3 to 5: > For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness… How was Abraham saved? Not by his own works. He was saved because he "believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness." That phrase "counted to" matters—it appears repeatedly throughout this chapter. It's an accounting term describing how something gets credited to someone's account. Picture opening your bank app and discovering a deposit you didn't make. You didn't earn it. No one owed it to you. Someone simply chose to give it. This is where we encounter the theological term "imputed." Here's what it means: Just as Adam's sin is imputed to us through our natural connection to him, God imputes Christ's righteousness to those who belong to him. In a divine exchange, Jesus receives the credit for our sins while we receive the credit for his righteousness and all he accomplished through his suffering. That's what happened with Abraham. When he believed God, God credited him with righteousness he didn't possess. God treated him as perfectly righteous, not because he was, but because he believed. Paul pushes further. He says if you go with the works plan, you get paid what you're owed: "Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due." You don't want this. If you sign up for the plan where God pays you what he owes, you're in serious trouble—because the only thing God owes sinners is judgment. But there's another way: "To the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness." When we stop relying on our own goodness, when we quit trying to earn our salvation, when we simply believe and put our faith in Jesus—God credits us with a righteousness that isn't ours. There's only one way to be right with God, and it's been this way from the beginning. It doesn't matter how good you are. The only way is faith—holding out empty hands to receive God's gift. The only way is abandoning all hope in ourselves and what we can do, and believing in God's promise to save us through Jesus. This has always been the only way. Friends, this means we need to ask ourselves an honest question. When you think about standing before God, what gives you confidence? Is it that you're a decent person? That you've tried hard? That you're better than most? That you go to church, read your Bible, serve faithfully? Those things aren't bad in themselves, but if you're counting on them to make you right with God, you've missed the point completely. Abraham teaches us that the ground of our acceptance isn't our spiritual achievements. It's God's gift, received through faith alone. The most qualified person who ever lived couldn't earn this. So stop trying. Come to God with empty hands and a believing heart. Tell him you're abandoning the works plan and trusting entirely in what Jesus has done. That's how Abraham was saved. That's how we're saved too. It’s the only way we can be saved. ### David Okay, that’s one case study, but Paul gives us another one to drive the point home. Look at verses 6 and 7: > …just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: > “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, > and whose sins are covered; > blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.” What about David? We've already talked about his credentials: David was a man after God's own heart, Israel's greatest king, the one from whose line the Messiah would come. But David, too, was saved not by his works, but simply because God credited him with righteousness he didn't earn or deserve. David was a great man with great faith. He was also a great sinner, guilty of adultery and murder. His sins were so serious that God's law made no provision for them. There was no sacrifice he could offer, no ritual that could cleanse him. David had no right to God's pardon. He had no record of his own to trust in. His only hope was righteousness credited from outside himself, righteousness he could never produce. The same is true for us. So what does David say in Psalm 32? Not, "Blessed are those who are righteous and deserve to be saved." No. He says, "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin." There's only ever been one way to be right with God: faith alone in Christ alone. This was true in Abraham's day, in David's day, and it's true now. Any teaching that says otherwise isn't just wrong; it’s dangerous. There are only two ways to live. One is trying to earn your standing before God by trusting in your own righteousness. But this path leads to misery. Self-righteous people live weighed down, constantly performing, comparing, judging others, never quite measuring up to their own standards. They're either proud when they feel they're winning or anxious when they sense they're falling behind. And here's the brutal truth: it doesn't work. None of us are good enough. But there's another way, the only way that leads to life. True joy comes from admitting your sins and hearing Jesus say, "I forgive you. All of it. Completely." It comes from knowing that a righteousness you didn't earn has been credited to your account, not because you deserved it, but because you trusted in what Jesus did for you, what you could never do for yourself. ## One More Thing Paul's made his case, but the argument isn't over. He pictures someone raising an objection, likely a Jewish Christian troubled by where this is heading. Paul's logic seems to put Jews and Gentiles on equal footing, which feels wrong. After all, Abraham and David were justified by faith, yes, but they were also circumcised. So here's the question: Is justification available to everyone, or only to those who've been circumcised like Abraham and David? Do you need to meet certain conditions first before God will accept you? Listen to what Paul says: > Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. Here’s the key question: is circumcision part of the deal? Paul’s answers with a question: When was Abraham made right with God? If you study the Hebrew Scriptures, it was at least 20 years before he was circumcised. Abraham is actually an example of someone who was made right before God even though he hadn’t been circumcised. His circumcision was sign and a seal of his justification before God. So, Paul says, he is not only the spiritual father of everyone who believes whether they’re circumcised or not. He’s the spiritual father of both Jewish and Gentile believers. No ritual can save us. In the old covenant, circumcision was a distinguishing mark of God's covenant people. In the new covenant, believer's baptism is a distinguishing mark. Baptism is important, but it can't save you. It comes *after* being made right with God. How many of us secretly wonder if we've done enough to be accepted by God? We believe in Jesus, but we keep adding extras to the deal. Paul's point cuts through all of that: Abraham was made right with God *before* he did the thing that defined him as one of God's people. God accepted him first, then gave him the sign. The same is true for you. If you're in Christ, God has already declared you righteous. Baptism doesn't make you acceptable; it declares what's already true. Your obedience flows from being accepted, not toward being accepted. Stop adding to the gospel. You're already in if you believe. Now live like someone who's been declared righteous, not someone still trying to prove you deserve it. The most important question you will ever face is how you can be made right with God. Here is the only right answer according to Romans. **God's people have always been saved by grace through faith—nothing more, nothing less.** It’s never about doing more or working harder. It’s about resting in what Jesus has done for you, and coming to him in repentance and faith. Maybe you're tired of feeling you haven't done enough, or tempted to rest in your good works. Maybe you're haunted by the sense you've fallen too far behind. Hear this: the ground beneath your feet, if you're in Christ, is not your own effort but his finished work. Your failures won't disqualify you; your successes won't improve your standing. If you're clinging to your record, lay it down. If you're burdened by shame, step into the joy of forgiveness. If you wonder where you stand, hear God's verdict: counted righteous through Jesus, now and forever. Every story of salvation God has ever written—Abraham’s, David’s, yours, mine—is a story of grace received by faith. There’s no other way. The answer to “How can I be made right with God?” will never change: Jesus, by grace, through faith. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-481/ Last updated: 2026-01-17T10:00:41.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [4 Reasons to Love God’s Aseity](https://www.crossway.org/articles/4-reasons-to-love-gods-aseity/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are four reasons to love God’s aseity. [It Doesn’t Matter What You Remember](https://www.challies.com/articles/it-doesnt-matter-what-you-remember/?ref=dashhouse.com) > My satisfaction and sanctification are unaffected by my memory. I have been blessed, strengthened, edified, and encouraged, even when I don’t exactly remember how. [Disciples Make the Best Evangelists](https://www.youthpastortheologian.com/blog/disciples-make-the-best-evangelists?ref=dashhouse.com) > Let’s recommit ourselves to making disciples of the next generation, because disciples make the best evangelists. [The Making of a Mature Counselor: What We Learn from David Powlison](http://rss.desiringgod.org/link/10732/17253044/the-making-of-a-mature-counselor?ref=dashhouse.com) > With my friend David in view, consider with me for a moment the making of such a counselor. [Where the Gospel Still Costs Everything](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/article/where-the-gospel-still-costs-everything/?ref=dashhouse.com) > A few years ago, two Brazilian women showed up at the church I pastor and asked to look at our archives because they were writing a book about a missionary who was sent out by our church in the 1930s. [God's Wrath is Not a Problem](https://writetounderstand.substack.com/p/gods-wrath-is-not-a-problem) > Understanding God’s wrath reveals why the gospel is good news. [How Far Does an Elder’s Authority Go? - 9Marks](https://www.9marks.org/article/how-far-does-an-elders-authority-go/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Elders need to fine-tune the exercise of their authority by adjusting the dials of confidence and humility depending on the issue. [Searching For A City: The Story of a Name: "YHWH" or "LORD" in Christian Worship?](https://searchingforacity.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-story-of-name-yhwh-or-lord-in.html?ref=dashhouse.com) > In our worship and Bible readings, should we use the names Yahweh or Jehovah? [Sex Advice for Newlyweds](https://www.thisisfoster.com/p/sex-advice-for-newlyweds?ref=dashhouse.com) > This is written for newly married Christians, mostly in their twenties and thirties. ### When You Feel Discouraged After Preaching URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/when-you-feel-discouraged-after-preaching/ Last updated: 2026-01-13T13:31:51.000Z A well-known preacher, celebrated for his skill, was once asked how he felt after preaching. His one-word answer: embarrassed. It's something we rarely discuss: the discouragement many preachers experience after stepping down from the pulpit. Yet it's surprisingly common. If we're going to persevere in this calling, we need to learn how to navigate through feeling discouraged after we’re done preaching. ## A Common Struggle This struggle isn’t new. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, one of the greatest preachers of the last century, confessed, "I can say quite honestly that I would not cross the road to listen to myself preaching." Many of us can relate to Rev. John Ames, the main character of [*Gilead*](https://amzn.to/4aWnod0?ref=dashhouse.com), when he said: > I had a dream once that I was preaching to Jesus Himself, saying any foolish thing I could think of, and He was sitting there in His white, white robe looking patient and sad and amazed. That's what it felt like. We don't feel this way every week. But most preachers occasionally, even regularly, feel deeply disappointed with their preaching and sit down feeling discouraged. I once proposed ways to avoid this problem, but someone I respected corrected me. Discouragement, he said, is simply part of the preaching task. There's no way around it. ## What to Do When You Feel Discouraged After Preaching Here's what I've found helpful when discouragement strikes after preaching. None of these will eliminate the problem, but they've helped me respond faithfully. ### Expect It I'm no longer surprised when this happens. Don't be caught off guard; it’s a normal part of preaching. When discouragement comes, don't panic or assume you've failed. Recognize it as part of the territory and remember that your feelings about the sermon aren't necessarily an accurate measure of its effectiveness. ### Get Feedback A far better indicator is feedback from trusted believers. Make sermon review a regular part of your preaching rhythm. Ask other mature leaders what resonated in the sermon and where you could improve. Don't be threatened by this. We all have room to grow, and receiving constructive feedback alongside encouragement truly helps. ### Worship Worship Jesus both in your sermon and afterward. I've noticed the sermons I feel least discouraged about are those where I've magnified Jesus. The Holy Spirit blesses Christ-exalting preaching, and when I've glorified him well through the text, whatever else happened, my sermon has at least pursued the right goal. Make much of Jesus in your preaching, and when you sit down, you can rest knowing he has been glorified. Then push aside your self-critique and worship the Savior you've just proclaimed. He is able to take our weak preaching and accomplish much, not because our preaching is great, but because he is great and works through his word by the power of the Holy Spirit. ### Examine Yourself Part of my disappointment stems from how deeply I care about preaching. But if I'm honest, some of it flows from pride. I want to be seen as competent. I want people to think well of me. When we try to be impressive in our preaching, we're seeking the wrong person's glory. We'll never be completely free from the desire to impress, but we can become aware of this temptation and actively work to put it to death. ### See It As a Gift View post-sermon discouragement as a gift, not to yourself, but to the congregation. I learned this from James Pennington at the [Heritage Preaching Lectures](https://discoverheritage.ca/events/hpl-2025/?ref=dashhouse.com) last October. Pennington described the emotional and psychological cost of preaching as a gift the preacher gives to the congregation, one that often goes unseen and unrecognized. He noted that the creative, vulnerable labor of sermon preparation and delivery "is part of the cost that you pay, really the gift that you give to your congregation that they will never know. All the pain, all the anxiety, all the frustration." Pennington encouraged preachers to "normalize your emotions and recognize that's the process of being a preacher." These burdens aren't indicators of inadequacy but marks of faithful participation in God's creative work. It's just part of what's involved. Preaching is a peculiar task. Even the finest preachers feel dissatisfied with their sermons sometimes. None of us will ever become the preacher we hope to be, but neither can we trust our feelings as reliable judges. So work at your craft. Do your best. Recognize that dissatisfaction with our preaching is woven into the fabric of this calling. Keep magnifying Christ. Don't give too much weight to your feelings, and trust that God uses preachers like you. Keep giving your congregation the gift they don't even realize they're receiving. Press through discouragement and keep preaching. ### Three Gospel Implications (Romans 3:27-31) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/three-gospel-implications-romans-327-31/ Last updated: 2026-01-11T23:00:00.000Z **Big Idea:** The gospel humbles us, unites us, and teaches us the purpose of God’s law. --- Today I want to do one thing: follow the advice of the late businessman, investor, and philanthropist Charlie Munger, who said, "Take a simple idea and take it seriously." That's exactly what I want us to do with the passage we just read, one of the most important in all of Scripture. Paul's message in Romans 1:18 to 3:25 is clear: all humans are condemned and powerless before God, but through Jesus Christ, God has provided what we cannot achieve on our own. - We were guilty; God declared us innocent. - We were enslaved; God purchased our freedom. - We were under his wrath; Jesus absorbed it. Everything that needed to be done has been done for us. It's a simple idea, yet profoundly life-changing. It's the gospel itself. When you truly grasp what God has done for you in Christ, everything shifts. But understanding alone isn't enough. We must take it seriously and let it shape how we live. That's exactly what Paul does in this passage. He wants us to explore what the gospel means for everyday life. Paul explores profound truths in entire chapters, and we will dedicate our lives to understanding and applying them. ## Three Implications In the rest of chapter 3, he outlines three practical implications we can start applying today. ### The gospel humbles us (3:27-28). > Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Here's the first implication of the gospel in this passage: it eliminates our ability to boast. This matters so much that Paul addresses it here and returns to it again in chapter 4\. Clearly, he sees boasting as a critical issue. Why is boasting such a big deal? As John Piper puts it, "Boasting is the outward form of the inner condition of pride." And pride is our deepest spiritual problem—a fatal condition that's often invisible to us. Here's how pride shows up in our lives. We all anchor our worth in something: money, beauty, athleticism, power, intelligence. We tell ourselves, "This is why I matter. This is why I'm worthy of love." We even do this with our children, believing that if we measure up in certain ways, it proves our value. The real danger is when we bring this mindset into our spiritual lives. All pride is destructive, but religious pride is especially deadly. Driven by earthly pride, we pursue the validation of others. With religious pride, we're seeking God's approval—trying to convince him (and ourselves) that we're good enough. In Paul's day, people were tempted to boast in their Jewish heritage and their knowledge of the law. Today, we may feel proud of our spiritual practices, service, growth, morality, theology, faith, and even our suffering. The gospel entirely eliminates any basis for boasting. If we had contributed to our salvation, we would have reason to boast. But because we contributed nothing, we have nothing to boast about. How are we made right with God? Not by keeping the law, but by placing our faith in Jesus and receiving grace we could never earn. God accomplished our salvation without any contribution from us. He did it all. We had no part in achieving it. That means we can claim no credit. It's a pure gift. We can't even boast about our faith; that too comes from God. We have zero grounds for boasting. Why does this matter so much? Because nothing will destroy you spiritually faster than pride. Pride is grace's mortal enemy. It puts you back on a performance-based salvation plan, which is a dead end. Pride steals from God the glory that belongs to him alone. Nothing is more spiritually dangerous than religious pride. Let me ask you a question. What are you tempted to boast about spiritually? Is it how much you've grown? How faithful you have been? How much you understand? How hard you're working for God? Here's the liberating truth: you don't have to prove anything. You're already fully accepted because of what Christ has done, not because of what you've accomplished. When you catch yourself slipping into spiritual pride — and you will!— don't pretend it's not there. Confess it. Thank God that your acceptance comes from his grace, not your performance. Let the gospel humble you, and then let it lift you up. Nothing in your hands we bring; simply to the cross we cling. That’s the first implication of the gospel. Here’s the second. ### The gospel unites us (3:29-30). > Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. The first implication of the gospel is that no one can boast. The second implication follows closely: the gospel eliminates distinctions. Paul shows that, while everyone is guilty before a holy God, the gospel saves all people equally, without distinction. Consider the logic. It would have been natural for Jewish believers to assume they held a spiritual edge over Gentiles. After all, the Jewish people *did* possess genuine spiritual advantages, as Paul himself acknowledged earlier in Romans. They had the law, the prophets, and a clear understanding of God's expectations. Their privileges were real and significant. The situation in Rome made this tension even more acute. The Roman church began as a largely Jewish community, but when Jews were expelled from the city, everything changed. By the time they returned, the church had become predominantly Gentile. Jewish believers returned to find themselves as minorities in congregations they had established, possibly feeling spiritually superior while adjusting to this new situation. But Paul cuts through all of that with two decisive points. **First: there is one God.** Not separate deities for Jews and Gentiles, but one God over all. **Second: God saves through one way alone.** It doesn't matter whether you're Jewish or Gentile, Muslim or Hindu, atheist or agnostic. There is only one path to salvation. Verse 30 makes it crystal clear: How are circumcised Jews saved? Through faith in Jesus. How are uncircumcised Gentiles saved? Through faith in Jesus. Same God. Same way. Same grace. > One way to say this would be that God threatens religious pluralism with the glorious freeness of grace. He comes to every world religion and every personal religiousness or irreligiousness and says, I offer you the good news that you may have forgiveness of your sins and be reconciled to your Creator and have everlasting life by grace alone through faith alone in my Son Jesus Christ. I have already acted in history to remove my wrath and to take away human guilt. If you will have it as your loved and trusted treasure, it is yours. (John Piper) This truth should reshape how we see every person we encounter. If God shows no favoritism, neither can we. The gospel that reached us can also reach anyone, including neighbors with different political views, coworkers from other religious backgrounds, and spiritually indifferent family members. Salvation has never been about human advantage or merit. It's always been about God's gracious work through faith in Christ alone. When we truly grasp this, it changes how we see and love the people around us. It also means that everyone may come. Who can come to Jesus? Anyone can come. It doesn’t matter what your background is. It doesn’t matter what your sin is. The gospel is for you. There’s hope for the most religious person and there’s hope for the greatest sinner. If you come to Jesus, you will be received. There’s hope for anyone who comes to Jesus. The gospel eliminates boasting. The gospel eliminates distinctions. There’s one more implication of the gospel, and this time it’s not something it eliminates; it’s something it preserves. ### The gospel teaches us the purpose of God’s law (3:31). > Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law. It would be tempting to think that the gospel gets rid of boasting, distinctions, and the law. Paul has argued that we’re saved apart from the law, so it would make sense to think that we can just eliminate God’s law now. I had this experience at the first church I pastored. A couple come to me and asked, “Is this a church that believes the gospel?” I said, “Of course!” They asked again: “This isn’t a legalistic church, is it?” I said, “No!” A couple of months later, it turns out that they were engaged in some serious sin. I talked to them about it, and they said, “Wait a minute. You said that this was a church that believed in the gospel. We’re not into obeying the law!” They believed that the gospel overthrew the law. But Paul says this is unthinkable. He emphatically denies that he is overthrowing the law. He argues that the gospel actually upholds the law. What does this mean? Paul is going to explain himself more clearly later, but I think what he’s saying is this: the law has a purpose. The law, meaning the law of Moses, reveals the holy character of God. It exposes our sinfulness. It showed our need for salvation. And so it points to Christ. Not only that, but the law reveals the behavior that aligns with God’s holy character. We don’t keep the law to be justified before God. That would be a massive mistake. But once we’re justified by faith, God changes our hearts so that we begin to love the things that God requires in his law. Christians keep the Ten Commandments not to earn God's approval, but because they already have it through Christ. Jesus kept the law perfectly in our place, so we are fully loved and completely accepted. From that secure identity, obedience becomes our joyful response, not our anxious requirement. We honor our parents, tell the truth, and refused to steal, not to make God love us, but because he already does. We keep his commandments because we belong to him, and his ways are good for us. Our obedience comes from a heart changed by grace, demonstrating our identity and reflecting the character of the One we love. The law no longer condemns us; it guides us as a gift from a Father who knows what's best. This is obedience rooted in love, fueled by gratitude, and honoring to God. Don’t let the gospel rob you of obedience. Don’t depend on the law for your salvation, but don’t discard it either. We’re saved by the gospel so we can live lives of obedience before the One who saved us. Charlie Munger said, “Take a simple idea and take it seriously." That’s what Paul is doing here. Take the good news of the gospel seriously and begin to tease it out in your life. You will find that it does three things. It humbles you. It unites you on level ground with others. And it gives you a desire to please God through your obedience. Friends, the gospel isn't just information to understand. It has the power to transform every corner of your life. When you let these truths sink deep, they reshape how you see yourself, how you relate to others, and how you walk with God. - The gospel humbles you by eliminating reasons for spiritual pride, showing that your acceptance by God is based solely on Christ's work, not your own actions. - It connects you with everyone who comes to Jesus by faith, allowing you to view others with grace instead of comparison or judgment. - It gives you a heart that delights in God's ways, not out of fear or obligation, but from genuine love and gratitude. These aren't abstract theological ideas. They are meant to be lived out today, in your relationships, your struggles, and your daily choices. So let the gospel humble you. Let it soften your heart toward others. Let it draw you closer in obedience to the God who loves you. The gospel changes everything. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-480/ Last updated: 2026-01-10T10:00:52.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Be Careful How You Listen to Sermons](https://crookandpsalter.substack.com/p/be-careful-how-you-listen-to-sermons) > Listening to sermons is a life-or-death business that can either soften hearts or harden them, and how you receive the preached Word truly matters. [How to Build Spiritual Habits That Actually Stick (Even When Life Is Busy)](https://janacarlson.com/how-to-build-consistent-spiritual-habits/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Building spiritual routines requires intention and discipline, especially during busy seasons of life when connecting with God can often feel out of reach. [Why the Goal of Spiritual Formation Can’t Be Balance](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/goal-spiritual-formation-not-balance/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The pursuit of spiritual formation is often misdirected when balance is seen as the ultimate goal, overshadowing the deeper, transformative relationship with God. [Disciplines Don’t Save. Christ Does.](https://www.christianitytoday.com/2026/01/disciplines-dont-save-christ-does/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Michael Horton exhorts Christians to not confuse discipleship with the gospel. [We Have Dusty Bibles and New iPhones](https://kuzaapp.com/we-have-dusty-bibles-and-new-iphones/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Despite spending months on our phones, many neglect to invest time in reading the Bible, leading to a dangerous spiritual disconnect. [Satan’s Tactics Shouldn’t Surprise You](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/satan-tactics-surprise/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Understanding Satan's tactics is vital for Christians to remain vigilant and steadfast in their faith and spiritual growth. [The Freedom of a Lower Reading Goal – Ryanne Molinari](https://ryannemolinari.com/2026/01/02/the-freedom-of-a-lower-reading-goal/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Setting a lower reading goal can liberate you to engage deeply with literature, allowing for a more enriching and thoughtful reading experience. [The Danger of Loss of Wonder for Ministry Leaders - Eric Geiger](https://ericgeiger.com/2026/01/08/the-danger-of-loss-of-wonder-for-ministry-leaders/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Ministry leaders risk losing their sense of awe as the work of God becomes routine, potentially turning ministry into an idol rather than a joyful calling. ### Love the Church You’re In URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/love-the-church-youre-in/ Last updated: 2026-01-06T18:28:19.000Z I've been a pastor for 35 years across four churches. Over those years, if you asked how the church was doing, I could have given you two answers, both equally true. First: church is great. God is moving. People are growing. I see his grace everywhere. Or second: we've got problems. There's conflict, finances are tight, and we're facing challenges without clear answers. Here's what I've learned: both statements have been true in every season of ministry. It all depends on where you look. In any church, at any moment, we're experiencing God's blessings while also facing real problems. When I joined my current church, I was eager to exchange the pressures of church planting for the stability of an established congregation. A retired pastor friend offered me a warning I didn't want to hear: "Don't think you're moving to a better church. Your new church is probably wonderful, but it comes with its own problems and blessings." He was right. It's a good church. I don't regret moving to this new ministry. I've experienced incredible blessings here, more than I deserve. I’ve been freed from some of the pressures of church planting. But I’ve picked up new challenges too, and I’ve also lost some of the blessings of church planting as I’ve picked up other ones. Every church faces undeserved blessings and unsolvable problems at the same time. I'm learning two lessons from this reality. **First, love the church you're in.** Don't wait for it to be perfect before you start loving it. Don't scan the horizon for a better option. Every church has trade-offs. You'll never find one without problems. Paul's letters prove this. He never wrote to a trouble-free church, yet he usually began by celebrating who they were in Jesus and what Jesus was doing among them. In his letter to the troubled church in Corinth, marked by division, immorality, and confusion, Paul still expressed gratitude and genuine love for them. There are valid reasons for leaving a church, but being in an imperfect one with challenges isn't one of them. **Second, focus on what's good.** Like many people, I tend toward the negative. Given a problem and a blessing, I'll dwell on the problem. In church, this means that it's easier to spot what's broken and miss many of God’s blessings. Whatever we pay attention to grows in our perception. Focus on problems, and they loom larger than anything else. Focus on blessings, and suddenly you notice more of them. There have been seasons when I focused too much on problems and missed what God was accomplishing. I've learned from pastors who choose to highlight God's work without pretending problems don't exist; they deal with them, but they also refuse to dwell there. I want to be that kind of pastor. When people ask how the church is, I could recite a list of concerns. Instead, I want to honestly share what God is doing but mostly praise God for blessings I don't deserve. Love the church you're in. You'll never be part of a problem-free church, but you're likely in a good one with much to be thankful for. Don't let the presence of problems blind you to the blessings he’s given you in the imperfect church where God has placed you. ### But Now (Romans 3:21-26) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/but-now-romans-321-26/ Last updated: 2026-01-04T23:00:23.000Z **Big Idea:** But now God has done for you what you could never do for yourself. --- There is a question that every teacher hates to hear: “Will this be on the exam?” This is basically saying, “Is what you’re teaching me important enough that I should pay attention, or is it okay to go back to sleep and just ignore it?” If I was teaching a course on Romans, and you asked me about today’s passage, I would tell you that it is absolutely on the exam. Romans is one of the most important books in the Bible if you want to understand the Christian faith. And today’s passage is one of the most sections in the entire book of Romans. Somebody’s called it “a Bible within the Bible.” Martin Luther called it “the chief point, and the very central place of the Epistle, and of the whole Bible.” Dr. Leon Morris calls it “possibly the most important single paragraph ever written.” It’s hard to overstate the importance of today’s passage. It deserves our careful study and careful meditation. It gets to the very heart of Christianity, and if you get it, it will change your life. ## Four Questions We’re looking at just 7 verses today, just one, long sentence in the original Greek, just under 100 words. Yet it’s also one of the densest and most important sections of the Bible you will ever read. There are a lot of ways to approach this passage, but I think the best way to understand it is to ask four questions of it. Here’s the first: ### What Has God Done? (3:21-22) Verse 21 and the first part of verse 22 describes what God has done: > But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. Notice the first two words: but now. These two words mark one of the greatest moments of relief in all of Scripture. This is the hinge point on which everything hangs. For sixty-two verses—from Romans 1:18 to 3:20—Paul has hammered away at a single, devastating point: every person stands under God's wrath. He's been relentless, showing that no one escapes this reality. We spent five sermons unpacking this section because Paul wanted us to feel the full weight of our problem before he unveiled God's solution. Imagine you're drowning. Your lungs are burning, your arms are failing, the water is closing over your head. Then a hand breaks through the surface and pulls you up. That first gasp of air, that desperate breath—that's "but now." For sixty-two verses, we've been underwater. These two words are the lifeguard. That’s why these first two words are such a relief. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, “There are no more wonderful words in the whole of Scripture than just these two words ‘But now.’” These words signify a turning point, a change in our situation, and it’s all because God has done something. He’s done something that the Old Testament (the Law and the Prophets) anticipated, and it changes everything. What has God done? Remember what Paul wrote in Romans 1:18: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men...” That’s the before picture. That was our predicament before the good news that Paul is about to talk about. We were under the wrath of God because of our sin and suppression of the truth. That’s before. “But now the righteousness of God has been revealed.” This is what God has done. Everything changes. Why? Because instead of revealing his wrath, God now reveals his righteousness. Here’s what Paul is saying to us. What we deserved from God is his wrath. What he has given us instead is his righteousness. It’s a righteousness that has been manifested apart from the law. In other words, it doesn’t come from us keeping God’s law, because nobody has been able to keep God’s law. It is not acquired based on our obedience. Nobody is good enough. It doesn’t come from anything we do at all. There’s nothing we can do to get it. In every other religion, there’s something you have to do to convince God to save you. Only Christianity tells us there’s nothing we can do for God to save us. Help has to come from somewhere else. So how do we get God’s righteousness instead of his wrath? The answer is simple: it comes “through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” This is the greatest “but now” in all of history. We deserved God’s wrath, but what he gave us instead is his righteousness. We don’t earn it. We can’t earn it. We simply receive it through faith in Jesus. Anybody who believes receives what they could never obtain for themselves. What has God done? He’s changed everything by giving us his righteousness instead of his wrath. ### Why Was It Needed? (3:22-23) The last part of verse 22 to verse 23 describe why he needed to do this: “For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” This is one of the most famous verses in the book of Romans. I learned this as a child. It speaks to why God needed to give us his righteousness instead of his wrath. It is because the need for God’s righteousness is universal. As James Montgomery Boice puts it: > Spiritually “there is no difference” between us and even the most destitute of persons. As far as God’s requirements are concerned, there is no difference between us and the most desperate or disreputable character in history. There are no distinctions. There is no partiality. There is no exception. It’s not like some of us were close to obtaining our salvation on our own efforts and just needed a little boost. We’re all in the same situation. Nobody has lived up to God’s standard. The worst sinner falls short of God’s glory, and so do you. Everyone is unrighteous. Everyone stands guilty before a holy God. We’re all in the same predicament. What has God done? He’s changed everything by giving us his righteousness instead of his wrath. Why did he have to do it? Because we all needed the help. We all stood guilty before a holy God. We all needed the help. Here’s the third question: ### How Did He Do It? (3:24-25) God gave us his righteousness instead of his wrath. But how? Verses 24-25 tell us how God did this: > …and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. How did God give us his righteousness? Paul packs so much truth in just a few words. He gives us a salvation triangle with three key words that describe God’s salvation through the work of Jesus: - **Justification** — This is a legal term. The opposite of justified is condemned. Justified means that we are declared righteous by God. It says “are justified.” Not “being justified” or “will be justified.” You are justified. Done deal. If you're in Christ, God isn't waiting for you to get better before he declares you righteous. He's already declared it. How? As a gift, without any merit or performance on our part. It’s purely by God’s grace, his unmerited favour and kindness to those of us who don’t deserve it. If you are in Jesus, you stand justified and innocent before God. - **Redemption** — Justification was a legal term; redemption is a commercial term. It means to secure the release of someone or something by paying a price. So Paul says that not only have we been declared innocent in court, but our freedom has been purchased. The price has been paid to set us free. We have been purchased at the cost of Jesus’ own life from the bondage and condemnation of sin. - **Propitiation** — Justification is a legal term; redemption is a commercial term; propitiation is a religious term. It’s hard to understand, and it’s controversial. Romans 1:18 told us that the wrath of God is revealed against all ungodliness. God is justly angry at our sin. God cannot simply show mercy at the expense of his justice; something must be done to satisfy his just wrath. And so Jesus gave his life as a propitiation, a sacrifice that turned away God’s wrath and appeased his just indignation. Don’t miss the cost. It was enormous: “by his blood.” Christ took our place and absorbed God’s wrath against our sin. This passage opens our eyes to the richness and scope of what God has accomplished. You were guilty; God declared you innocent. You were enslaved; God purchased your freedom. You were under his wrath; Jesus absorbed it. Everything that needed to be done has been done for you. All that remains is to receive it by faith. This isn't abstract doctrine; it's the reality we need every single day. We are "justified by his grace as a gift." We don't earn it. We don't contribute to it. It's pure grace. This is the gospel I preach to myself daily. - **What has God done?** He's reversed everything, giving us his righteousness instead of his wrath. - **Why did he have to do it?** Because every one of us stood guilty before a holy God. We all needed rescue. - **How did he do it?** He declared you innocent. He set you free. He satisfied his own wrath. One more question: ### How Does God Justify Sinners Without Violating His Own Justice? (3:25-26) Read verses 25 and 26 with me: > This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Here’s what this passage says. All of this is to show God’s righteousness. Here he’s anticipating what someone might be thinking. Doesn’t all of this compromise God’s justice? How can God let us off the hook? Isn’t it a violation of his holy standards to pardon sinners rather than to judge them? Paul replies by explaining that, in the past, he passed over sins because of his forbearance. Until the death of Jesus on the cross, God gave his people signs of what he would do to save them, but none of these signs, none of these sacrifices, actually took away our sins. God simply delayed judgment, allowing people to live despite their rebellion against him. But this does not mean that God is the kind of God who will just overlook sin. He could not do this without compromising his justice. God found a way to uphold his justice and to pardon our sins at the same time through the perfect work of Jesus at the cross. God is both merciful and just at the same time because our sins have been paid for in full by the work of Jesus at the cross. This is the heart of the gospel. 7 verses. One sentence. No more than 100 words. And yet it contains the central truth of the Bible. It is perhaps the most important paragraph in history, and it will change your life if you really take it in. We deserved God’s wrath. All of us needed God’s righteousness because we’re all in the same predicament because of our sin. But if you come to Christ, Instead of his wrath, God gives you his righteousness as a gift. He declares you innocent. He sets you free. He satisfies God’s wrath. How do we get all of this? We don’t earn it. We don’t get it by our good deeds, baptism, or obedience, but through faith in Jesus. Friends, do you see what this means for you? Not someday, not in theory. Right now, this morning. If you're in Christ, you stand justified. You are free. God's wrath has been satisfied. This isn't something you need to achieve tomorrow; it's something to receive today. If you're here and you've never trusted Christ: This is for you. You don't need to clean up your life first. You don't need to understand everything. Romans 3:22 says it comes 'to all who believe.' That's it. Just believe. If you've been walking with Jesus for years but you're exhausted from trying to perform: You're fighting a battle that was already won. Stop trying to earn what Jesus already purchased. Here's what this passage is telling us: **God has done for you what you could never do for yourself.** You couldn't make yourself righteous. You couldn't pay the price for your freedom. You couldn't satisfy God's wrath. But Jesus did it all. This isn't just ancient history or theological theory. This is the most practical truth you'll ever hear. When you wake up tomorrow morning and the guilt over yesterday's failures starts creeping in, remember Romans 3:24\. You are justified by grace as a gift. When you're tempted to try harder to earn God's approval through your performance—remember Romans 3:22\. The righteousness of God comes through faith, not through your efforts. When you wonder if God could really love someone like you, remember Romans 3:25\. Jesus became the propitiation for your sins. His blood was enough. The question is never "Have I done enough?" The question is "Have I trusted in the One who has done all of this for me?" ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-479/ Last updated: 2026-01-03T10:00:31.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Today’s Thoughts Become Tomorrow’s Habits](http://rss.desiringgod.org/link/10732/17244447/todays-thoughts-become-tomorrows-habits?ref=dashhouse.com) > Tomorrow, you will have more thoughts like the ones you chose and approved of today. [The Spiritual Discipline Starter Pack for People Who Lack Discipline](https://www.crossway.org/articles/the-spiritual-discipline-starter-pack-for-people-who-lack-discipline/?ref=dashhouse.com) > If we want to grow in our awareness of God’s promises, we must draw near to him. [New Year’s Goal-Setting for People With Actual Lives](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/goal-setting-actual-lives/?ref=dashhouse.com) > What we need isn’t a better to-do list but a better grid for making wise decisions across every domain of life. [Does Jesus Have One Nature, or Two?](https://learn.ligonier.org/articles/does-jesus-have-two-natures-or-one?ref=dashhouse.com) > How are we to understand the union of a human nature and a divine nature? [Foot Washing: From Confusion to Clarity](https://gcdiscipleship.com/article-feed/foot-washing-from-confusion-to-clarity?ref=dashhouse.com) > The call is not to replicate the scene but to reproduce its spirit. [5 Ways to Honor an Aging Loved One (even When It’s Hard)](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/honor-aging-loved-one-hard/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Caring for an aging loved one is the most difficult thing I’ve ever done. [A Year-End Spiritual Review](https://www.gospelforlife.com/a-year-end-spiritual-review/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The turn of a new year offers a natural opportunity to reflect on what has been and prepare for what's ahead. Here are some questions to guide you through that process. ### Top Blog Posts of 2025 URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/top-blog-posts-of-2025/ Last updated: 2025-12-30T10:00:23.000Z Here, in order of traffic from highest to lowest, are a couple of lists of the top posts I’ve written over the past year. Thank you for reading. I’m grateful for the privilege of writing, and I feel doubly blessed that some bother to read what I’ve written. If you do want to keep up with what I’ve written, please sign up for my [weekly newsletter](https://www.dashhouse.com/#/portal/), or subscribe to the feed for DashHouse ([RSS](http://feeds.dashhouse.com/dashhouse?ref=dashhouse.com)) or my column at [TGC Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com) ([RSS](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/straight-paths/feed/?ref=dashhouse.com)). ## Top Posts at DashHouse [Things I Didn't Know About Marriage](https://www.dashhouse.com/things-i-didnt-know-about-marriage/) > Nothing will reveal so much about yourself as marriage. [You Probably Won't Get a Book Deal. We Still Need You to Write.](https://www.dashhouse.com/you-probably-wont-get-a-book-deal-we-still-need-you-to-write/) > Just because you won't sell 5,000 or 10,000 books doesn't mean that you don't have a message that can benefit many. [When U.S.-Canadian Tensions Run High](https://www.dashhouse.com/when-us-canadian-tensions-run-high/) > I'm convinced that we should resolve that, no matter what happens politically, both Canadian and American churches should continue to focus on the gospel of Jesus Christ and our common citizenship. [Essential Lessons for Young (and Old) Pastors](https://www.dashhouse.com/essential-lessons-for-young-and-old-pastors/) > Ministry involves doing a few things well over a long period of time and staying faithful at them. [Are You Correctable?](https://www.dashhouse.com/are-you-correctable/) > Sometimes it's better for us to hear a hard thing from a true friend than a flattering thing from someone who really doesn't care about us. [Those Who Are Genuine Among You](https://www.dashhouse.com/those-who-are-genuine-among-you/) > Divisions in the church can be part of God's sifting process. [Random Thoughts on Preaching](https://www.dashhouse.com/random-thoughts-on-preaching/) > There's a world of difference between a preacher who is walking with God and one who isn't. [Beth Anne's Bible](https://www.dashhouse.com/beth-annes-bible/) > This isn't just a Bible that can be replaced with another Bible or an app. ## Top Posts at The Gospel Coalition Canada [Pastors: Don't Tolerate Secret Sin](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/straight-paths/pastors-dont-tolerate-secret-sin/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Keeping your sin secret may look cheap now, but it will cost you in at least three ways: you'll carry the burden of a secret now; your conscience will be seared; and ultimately, you'll likely be found out when the price of confession is even greater. [Remembering Stan Fowler](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/straight-paths/remembering-stan-fowler/?ref=dashhouse.com) > He had the heart of a pastor and the intellect of a scholar. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-478/ Last updated: 2025-12-27T10:00:30.000Z Curated links for your Saturday reading: Bible Reading Plans for 2026 > A variety of plans from [Ligonier](https://www.ligonier.org/posts/bible-reading-plans?ref=dashhouse.com) and [Gentle Reformation](https://gentlereformation.com/2025/12/22/2026-bible-reading-plans/?ref=dashhouse.com) [Sermon Criticism](https://www.jvfesko.com/blog/2025/12/22/sermon-criticism?ref=dashhouse.com) > Critical remarks weigh ten-times more than compliments. [Pastor, Sharpen Your Axe: Why & How to Take a Sabbatical](https://www.logos.com/grow/min-pastor-sabbatical-guide/?ref=dashhouse.com) > While you were relentlessly slogging away, I was stopping to sharpen my axe. [How to Create a Body-Integrated Sabbath (or Christmas Break)](https://thebardowl.substack.com/p/how-to-create-a-body-integrated-sabbath) > The key has been to focus my entire day on activities that re-integrate my body and mind. [Themelios 50.3](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/themelios-50-3/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The new December 2025 issue of Themelios has over 250 pages of editorials, articles, and book reviews, all freely available in multiple formats. ### Things I Didn’t Know About Marriage URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/things-i-didnt-know-about-marriage/ Last updated: 2025-12-23T10:00:37.000Z I’ve been married for 35 years as of yesterday. Our marriage is now as old as most of the people I pastor. We were born in a different day: one before social media, cell phones, or even the Internet. In some ways, it feels like forever ago. In other ways, it seems like just yesterday. I still have a lot to learn about marriage, but here are some things I’ve learned along the way. ## Marriage is Revealing Nothing will reveal so much about yourself as marriage. (Parenting comes as a close second.) Before you get married, you can withhold part of yourself from others. All that changes when you walk down the aisle. Even if you try, your real self will be revealed, and there’s nowhere to hide. Marriage revealed sins I didn’t even know I had. It left me exposed in ways I hadn’t anticipated, and that turns out to be a very good thing. The best part is, after being ruthlessly exposed, that you discover what it means to be loved when marriage works as it should. ## Marriage is Hard I knew this, but I didn’t really know it. I knew that every marriage would weather storms, but I think I believed that only bad marriages would be hard. Now I know that even the best marriages are hard. When a bride and groom talks about for better and for worse, they’re really only expecting the better parts. The same goes for richer and poorer, and in sickness and in health. Mark my words: you will encounter plenty of both, and it will be harder than you think. Don’t ever think you’ll escape. Marriage is hard and it will cost you everything. ## Things Get Better When I say better, I’m not talking about a little better. I’m talking about a knock your socks off, I can’t believe how good it is kind of better. For most of us, we will pay the price early. We will have to sacrifice our selfishness, our expectations, and our dreams of what marriage will be. For a while, it will look like there’s little payoff. It’s at the moment that you stop looking for the payoff that you will experience it. When you stop expecting marriage to serve you and focus on serving your spouse, you will find that marriage starts to bring a joy and satisfaction that it never did when you were looking for it. The way to a good marriage is persistence, selflessness, and sacrifice, and in general, the reward is much bigger than you can imagine. ## Old Love Is Better Than Young Love Young love is exciting. It’s like a fire that burns on kindling. It’s quick and powerful, but it can quickly burn out. Old love is less exciting. It’s like a piece of hardwood that’s been on the fire for hours. You won’t see the same flashes of fire, but it burns with an intensity and heat that can’t compare. A fire built on kindling will quickly die; the embers of an old fire can burn for a surprisingly long time. Marriage is like that. As someone once told me when we got married, I would only discover what real love is after being married for 20 or 30 years. I only knew young love then; now I’ve learned something even more powerful. No wonder marriage is such a picture of the eternal romance revealed in the gospel. We’re exposed and yet somehow loved with a love we don’t deserve. We’re invited in to a relationship that cost Christ everything and that will also demand everything from us. We don’t do it for the payback, but the rewards are greater than we can imagine. And the love of God for us in Jesus turns out to be more powerful than any other kind of love. Marriage is costly but worth it. 35 years is just enough to get started. I’m looking forward to learning new lessons in the coming years if God allows. ### God’s Help for our Deepest Problem (Isaiah 9:1-7) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/gods-help-for-our-deepest-problem-isaiah-91-7/ Last updated: 2025-12-21T23:00:54.000Z **Big Idea:** God responds to our deepest need by sending a royal King to deliver us. --- Two months ago, a tropical wave originated in west Africa and moved to the Caribbean Sea. As it moved to the central Caribbean, it slowed down and became Tropical Storm Melissa. For days it moved slowly and erratically. It didn’t really go anywhere. Gradually, though, it became a Category 5 hurricane before making landfall in Jamaica at its peak intensity on October 28\. It was the most intense hurricane at landfall in the Atlantic basin. It caused torrential rains, landslides, and widespread flooding. It caused loss of life, severe destruction of homes and infrastructure, massive power and water outages, and deep economic damage, especially in coastal and farming communities. But I want you to think of those days when the storm was strengthening. They knew the storm was coming and there was little they could do. As Melissa strengthened into a Category 5 and turned toward Jamaica, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said publicly, “I have been on my knees in prayer.” He knew a tragedy was coming, and that the island that simply did not have infrastructure built for that level of force. A hotel owner fled to Kingston as he watched the sea and read the latest forecasts. He said: > Jamaicans are very deep in their faith… we tend to think that we can pray something away. And for the most part, we have been spared… At some point, the luck is going to run out, the blessings are going to run out. And I hope and pray this is not that day. But it is looking like it is that day. What do you do when you know disaster is coming, and you can’t do anything about it? That is the problem people in Jamaica faced a couple of months ago, and it’s the problem people in Isaiah’s day faced too. ## Disaster Coming The date was some 2,700 years ago. King Ahaz was on the throne in Jerusalem reigning over Judah. But a storm was brewing. A new superpower called Assyria was on the move, and it was expanding westward with ruthless efficiency. People were terrified. They would have heard the stories: whole cities in the north flattened; fields torched, orchards cut down; people impaled on stakes outside captured towns; leaders flayed or beheaded; survivors led away in chains with hooks through their lips or noses. They had already seen what Assyria could do in the northern regions of Israel, devastating the area and deporting its people. Now they knew they were next. And they knew what it meant. It was only a matter of time before they saw well-armed infantry, archers with composite bows, shield-bearers, heavy spearmen; chariots plus masses of soldiers from conquered nations. Even worse, siege equipment: battering rams on wheels with protective coverings, siege towers, ramps being built near your walls. In Isaiah 8, the prophet Isaiah prophesied that Assyria was coming, and compared Assyria to waters that would “sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass on, reaching even to the neck, and its outspread wings will fill the breadth of your land” (Isaiah 8:8). It was going to be bad. And the reason wasn’t just because Assyria was on the rise. The reason was because Judah had rebelled against God. They were in a desperate situation: under a covenant curse, sitting in a deep gloom of their own making, and facing a foreign threat that was going to devastate them. What would you do? You would probably do what Judah and King Ahaz did back then. You would have tried to come up with your own solution. 2 Kings 16:8 records what Ahaz did: “Ahaz also took the silver and gold that was found in the house of the LORD and in the treasures of the king’s house and sent a present to the king of Assyria.” Ahaz stripped the temple and tried to bribe the king of Assyria, but it changed nothing. They continued their sinful ways. They rejected God’s word. They continued to seek help from mediums and necromancers. Assyria was still coming, and Ahaz could do nothing about it. For a moment, think about what it would have meant to hear Isaiah say these words: “And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness” (Isaiah 8:22). Judah was about to face distress, hunger, rage, and spiritual darkness. It was a desperate situation with very little reason for hope. Earlier I asked a question: What do you do when you know disaster is coming, and you can’t do anything about it? Let me add to that question. What do you do when you know disaster is coming, and you can’t do anything about it, and your attempted solutions make things even worse? That is the problem that Isaiah 9 is designed to address. ## God’s Solution to our Greatest Problem Read 8:22 along with the first verse of chapter 9: > And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness. But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In a moment, everything changes from distress and thick darkness to no gloom or anguish. What changed? In chapter 9, God intervenes. God responds to our need by doing what we couldn’t do in solving our greatest problem. ### Help comes where we need it most (9:2) > But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. > The people who walked in darkness > have seen a great light; > those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, > on them has light shone. I want you to notice where the light will come. The northern tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali will be the first to see the light. What is so significant about these two tribes? They were at the very top of Israel, which is the direction that the Assyrians came. They were the first to face the oncoming Assyrian onslaught, the first to fall to the attack in 733 BC. And, Isaiah says, they are the very first place that will experience heavenly glory. It’s interesting that when Jesus began his ministry, Matthew 4:12-16 describes where he began. > Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea… Coincidence? No! Matthew goes on: > …so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled. > “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, > the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— > the people dwelling in darkness > have seen a great light, > and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, > on them a light has dawned.” The area that was meant to be destroyed, inhabited by Gentiles like Arameans, Canaanites, Hittites, Hebrews, and Mesopotamians, is where the light first appears. It was a place of diversity and religious confusion. The place of greatest darkness is the place where the light of God will shine. God meets us in our deepest need. The place of need ends up being the place where we experience maximum grace. God is not scared of the darkest places, our areas of greatest need. Help comes where we need it most. But then we see: ### Help comes through divine initiative (9:3) > You have multiplied the nation; > you have increased its joy; > they rejoice before you > as with joy at the harvest, > as they are glad when they divide the spoil. Note what verse 3 says over and over, referring to God. “*You* have multiplied the nation; *you* have increased its joy; they rejoice before *you*…” King Ahaz was looking everywhere for solutions. The help came from an unexpected source, rather than from brilliant strategy, military power, or alliances. It comes from God himself. We need to face the fact that there are some problems that are too big for us. There are some problems that we will never be able to solve on our own. No matter how hard we try, we will never be able to untangle some knots or devise our way out of certain problems. But these are the very areas where God is able to work. In a moment he is able to do what we could never do if we had a million years. He calls us to give up our frantic efforts to solve problems that are too big for us and to turn to him instead. Help comes where we need it most, and help comes not from our own efforts but through divine initiative. But then we see: ### This help deals our biggest problems (9:4-5) > For the yoke of his burden, > and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, > you have broken as on the day of Midian. > For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult > and every garment rolled in blood > will be burned as fuel for the fire. What problems does God promise to solve? The very problems that Judah was facing. In verse 3, God breaks the yoke of Judah’s burden, the rod of its oppressor. He just gets rid of their problems. In fact, he does it easily through a lopsided victory. He mentions the day of Midian. This refers to a story in Judges where Gideon’s small army defeated a larger one in Zebulun and Naphtali. 300 men achieved victory over tens of thousands. Assyria was coming with a bigger burden, but Isaiah says that the Lord will deal with it. It’s nothing to him. And then he says in verse 5 that he will destroy every instrument of oppression and warfare. Our struggle will finally be over. They won’t be needed anymore. All oppression and all injustice and all war and all savagery and all idolatry will be destroyed. It will all be gone. Help comes where we need it most, and help comes not from our own efforts but through divine initiative. This help will relieve our deepest burdens. But how will this help come? How will God send this help? ### Help comes through a baby who addresses all of our needs (9:6-7) > For to us a child is born, > to us a son is given; > and the government shall be upon his shoulder, > and his name shall be called > Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, > Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. > Of the increase of his government and of peace > there will be no end, > on the throne of David and over his kingdom, > to establish it and to uphold it > with justice and with righteousness > from this time forth and forevermore. > The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. This is surprising. God is going to provide help where it’s needed in a way that addresses our biggest problems…how? Through a baby. A child. A vulnerable child. But not just any child. Scholars believe the child's description may refer to King Hezekiah for immediate fulfillment, but it is so vast that it suggests a greater figure. They have to point to Jesus. The government rests on his shoulders. He can handle all the responsibility. When everyone else crumbles, he has what’s needed. Isaiah 9 reveals four powerful titles of Jesus: - **Wonderful Counselor** – More than a therapist, he is an extraordinary strategist who helps people escape hopeless situations, even those they created themselves. Jesus handles the problems that keep us up at night—finances, health, job insecurity, family struggles. He specializes in situations that look impossible to us. He also addresses our deeper needs: forgiveness, reconciliation with God, and adoption into his Kingdom. - **Mighty God** – When facing impossible odds, Jesus is the one to trust. He has all the power necessary for whatever problem you face. He defeats his enemies and proves himself dependable when everything else fails. - **Everlasting Father** – In Isaiah’s day, kings were called fathers. Jesus is the ultimate king, except his reign is everlasting. He is the kind of king who cares for his people forever. His reign never ends. He will extend his protective care of his people forever. You can rest in his Kingly care for you. - **Prince of Peace** – Jesus reconciles us to God even while we were his enemies. He brings health and wholeness to all who enter his Kingdom. His “counsel is wise, his power is divine, his love is fatherly, and his rule creates peace” (Ray Ortlund). Judah was facing an impossible problem. They were facing a problem they couldn’t solve. A storm was coming. Isaiah answers the question: what should they do about it? And the answer comes back: **God responds to our deepest need by sending a royal King to deliver us.** He is the One who came to do what we couldn’t do for ourselves. He stands not only as the answer to Judah’s problems but to our problems too. He comes to the darkest places to deal with our deepest issues. His name is Jesus. Turn to him. Trust him. Worship him. This is why Jesus came at Christmas. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-477/ Last updated: 2025-12-20T10:00:11.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [When People Leave Your Church](https://sola.network/article/when-people-leave-your-church/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Everyone will eventually leave one day, whether of their own volition or because the Lord calls them home, including pastors. [You May Not See the Fruit of Your Ministry](https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/you-may-not-see-the-fruit-of-your-ministry?ref=dashhouse.com) > Jesus’s distinction between *sowers* and *reapers* may help you keep your hope in him while laboring in hard, seemingly fruitless seasons. [When You Get Accused](http://rss.desiringgod.org/link/10732/17234141/when-you-get-accused?ref=dashhouse.com) > How should we respond when we face accusations, especially if they seem unwarranted? [You Are in the Circumstances in Which You Can Best Serve](https://www.challies.com/articles/you-are-in-the-circumstances-in-which-you-can-best-serve/?ref=dashhouse.com) > If there were a version of reality in which you could serve him better in different circumstances, you would be living in it right now. [Our Sorrows Keep Getting More Sorrowful and Joys Keep Getting More Joyful](https://www.crossway.org/articles/our-sorrows-keep-getting-more-sorrowful-and-joys-keep-getting-more-joyful/?ref=dashhouse.com) > As the shadows deepen, the promises of God shine their light ever more brightly. ### Favorite Books of 2025 URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/favorite-books-of-2025/ Last updated: 2025-12-16T10:00:30.000Z One of my greatest pleasures is reading. Here are a list of the best books that I enjoyed in the past year, along with a list of favorite reads from blogs that I follow. [***A Light on the Hill***](https://amzn.to/499K4VH?ref=dashhouse.com) **by Caleb Morell** This book is like a biography of a church. I love seeing how God worked in this church from its earliest days until now through both good times and hard ones. We often only see a short part of a church’s life; it was encouraging to take a step back and learn about the complete 150 years of a remarkable church’s history. [***The Spiritually Healthy Leader***](https://amzn.to/3KTgL0m?ref=dashhouse.com) **by Dave Wiedis** Every leader will face landmines in ministry. Wiedis helps us identify what he calls “ruling passions” and provides a practical plan for transformation. Pastors and other leaders must be intentional in pursuing spiritual health, and this book will help you do so. [***The Clay Pot Conspiracy***](https://amzn.to/44raAXZ?ref=dashhouse.com) **by Dave Harvey** The world values strength, but God often uses weakness in the life of a leader. According to Dave Harvey, our weakness + God’s power = resilient ministry. Harvey shares from Scripture and his own experience and encourages weary leaders to encounter God’s power in their weakness. [***Connecting Scripture***](https://amzn.to/4oVl6Oo?ref=dashhouse.com) **by G.K. Beale and Benjamin Gladd** This resource helps readers connect the New Testament to the overall story of the Bible by highlighting Old Testament quotations, allusions, and parallels. It includes book introductions, study notes, articles, charts, and infographics. I knew I wanted this New Testament tool the minute I saw it, and it hasn’t disappointed. [***Reagan***](https://amzn.to/48VddCy?ref=dashhouse.com) **by Max Boot** I listened to all 32 hours of this biography of the life of Ronald Reagan. It’s a fascinating look at a very likable but imperfect president and a very different time than the one we live in today. [***Tiny Experiments***](https://amzn.to/4iZphY5?ref=dashhouse.com) **by Anne-Laure Le Cunff** Goals are fine, but sometimes it helps to lean into other approaches like curiosity and experimentation. I enjoyed this book as a counter-intuitive guide to getting stuff done. [***The Next Conversation***](https://amzn.to/44t2yxL?ref=dashhouse.com) **by Jefferson Fisher** This book is a guide to managing yourself and having difficult conversations with others. It’s a remarkably practical and interesting book. [***Isaac’s Storm***](https://amzn.to/48DdefM?ref=dashhouse.com) **by Erik Larson** If Erik Larson writes a book, I read it. This one’s about the deadliest hurricane in history. Fascinating and disturbing at the same time. [***Gales of November***](https://amzn.to/3KBKYRz?ref=dashhouse.com) **by John Bacon** On November 10, 1975, the Edmond Fitzgerald went down on Lake Superior, taking all 29 men onboard down with her. I’d grown up hearing about this ship, but I never knew the details until now. What a fascinating and sad book. [***Try Hard*** ](https://amzn.to/44txnT5?ref=dashhouse.com)**by Max Kerman** I was surprised by this one. It was written in a local coffee shop by the lead singer of the [Arkells](https://www.arkellsmusic.com/?ref=dashhouse.com). It’s part memoir and part guide to the creative life. A good book for writers and musicians everywhere. Here are a list of recommendations from other bloggers I read: - [TGC Book Awards 2025](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/tgc-book-awards-2025/?ref=dashhouse.com) - [For the Church Book Awards 2025](https://ftc.co/resource-library/blog-entries/2025-for-the-church-book-awards-4/?ref=dashhouse.com) - [TGC Editorial Staff - Books We Enjoyed in 2025](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/editorial-staff-books-enjoyed-2025/?ref=dashhouse.com) - [Trevin Wax - My Favorite Reads 2025](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/favorite-reads-2025/?ref=dashhouse.com) - [Tim Challies - My Top Ten Books from 2025](https://www.challies.com/articles/my-top-ten-books-from-2025/?ref=dashhouse.com) - [Clearly Reformed - Top 10 Books of 2025](https://clearlyreformed.org/top-10-books-of-2025/?ref=dashhouse.com) - [Aaron Armstrong - My Favorite Books of 2025](https://aaronarmstrong.co/my-favorite-books-of-2025/?ref=dashhouse.com) - [Russell Moore - My 10 Favorite Books of 2025](https://www.russellmoore.com/2025/12/03/my-10-favorite-books-of-2025/?ref=dashhouse.com) - [Erik Raymond (TGC) - Top Books I Enjoyed in 2025](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/erik-raymond/top-books-i-enjoyed-in-2025/?ref=dashhouse.com) - [Kevin Halloran - My Top Ten Books of 2025](https://www.kevinhalloran.net/my-top-ten-books-of-2025/?ref=dashhouse.com) - [Keith Mathison - My Top 10 Books of 2025](https://www.keithmathison.org/post/my-top-10-books-of-2025?ref=dashhouse.com) - [J.D. Greear - My Favorite Books of 2025](https://jdgreear.com/my-favorite-books-of-2025/?ref=dashhouse.com) Here are the books that received multiple recommendations among these lists: - [*Everything Is Never Enough*](https://amzn.to/490TlOH?ref=dashhouse.com) by Bobby Jamieson - [*A Heart Aflame for God*](https://amzn.to/48Ts68z?ref=dashhouse.com) by Matthew Bingham - [*The Wide Wide Sea*](https://amzn.to/49ek0bS?ref=dashhouse.com) by Hampton Sides ### The Bad News That Makes the Good News Great (Romans 3:1-20) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-bad-news-that-makes-the-good-news-great-romans-31-20/ Last updated: 2025-12-14T23:00:33.000Z **Big Idea:** We need Christmas because we all stand guilty before God and can raise no objection, so we need a Savior. --- There’s nothing like a good courtroom scene in a movie. There are a lot of them. One of them is in the film *A Few Good Men*, in which the character played by Tom Cruise cross-examines a colonel played by Jack Nicholson. Nicholson finally erupts with the legendary line: “You can’t handle the truth!” It’s memorable, and I may have used that a few times in my own life to get out of a tricky situation. But that’s not the only one. I could name courtroom scene after courtroom scene from movies like *A Time to Kill* to *To Kill a Mockingbird* to *12 Angry Men* and more. Today we enter the courtroom for the final moments of a trial. Paul is prosecuting humanity, all of us. You and I stand accused. The lawyers are raising their final objections. Paul dismantles each one with precision, and then presents his closing argument. His arguments are devastating and yet unavoidable. No matter who you are, it’s crucial that you feel the weight of his argument, because as hard as it will be to hear, it will lead you to a very good place. ## Objections! (3:1-8) Let’s review Paul’s argument so far. In chapter 1:18 to the end of chapter one, Paul argues that Gentiles stand condemned before God. He argues that God's wrath is being revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness. Humanity's core problem is that we suppress the truth about God despite the fact that he has revealed himself clearly to everyone. As a result, God has given humanity over to the consequences of their rebellion through judicial abandonment. It’s a devastating picture of humanity that explains so much about our world. But that’s not all. In chapter 2, Paul turns to his morally upright readers, who are probably nodding along with Paul. He makes a surprising statement to them as well in 2:1 (CSB): “Therefore, every one of you who judges is without excuse. For when you judge another, you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the same things.” They don’t get a pass, because they’re equally guilt of the same sins, and their religious heritage won’t save them. Paul levels the playing field: no one—Gentile or Jew, pagan or religious—can stand before God on the basis of their own righteousness. Jews as well as Gentiles stand guilty before God and need a Savior. Paul’s arguments are devastating. You can tell that Paul understands that his readers don’t like what he’s saying because he begins to deal with objections they might raise. He’s already dealt with one in chapter 2, and now he deals with three more in chapter 3. I need to warn you: John Piper said, “I found this passage to be about as hard a paragraph to deal with as any in this letter. The difficulty of following the train of thought in this paragraph is enormous.” In fact, after preaching this passage, Piper preached an entire message called “[Why God Inspired Hard Texts](https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/why-god-inspired-hard-texts?ref=dashhouse.com).” Martyn Lloyd-Jones said that this is one of the most difficult paragraphs not only in Romans, but also in the whole Bible. But let’s see if we can understand these three objections and how Paul answers them. ### Objection #1: What happened to the advantages of being Jewish? (3:1-2) “Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision?” (3:1). In other words, God chose Israel out of all the nations. He made a covenant with them, and gave them circumcision as a sign and a seal. If Jews stand equally condemned before God, does all that go down the drain? Why did God to the trouble to choose Abraham and his descendants and set them apart? What happened to the edge they enjoyed? It’s a good question, and Paul replies, “Much in every way.” In other words, it’s not just a slight yes. It’s an emphatic yes. They have a huge advantage. Then he continues: “To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God” (3:2). In other words, there is a huge advantage to being Jewish. They were given the gift of God’s law. What an incredible gift. God revealed his mind, will, and plan to them. That’s not a minor advantage; that’s a huge advantage. Paul mentioned one advantage, but there are others: the covenants, God's presence in the temple, the promises, the prophets, and more. Paul acknowledges the advantages the Jewish people had, similar to how we benefit from being in church and reading God's word today. There are massive advantages to being part of a church. We have the Bible. You have so many good influences around you. The advantages are profound. But they’re not enough. An advantage can be wasted, but that doesn't mean it wasn't there initially. ### Objection #2: Isn’t God failing to keep his promises? (3:3-4) “What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God?” If Paul is right and Jewish people are still condemned before God, does that mean God has been unfaithful to his eternal covenant with them? If God’s people are unfaithful, doesn’t that mean that God is unfaithful? This is such an important question that Paul devotes three whole chapters to it, and we’re going to get to them much later in chapters 9 to 11\. He only gives a partial answer here. There’s a lot more coming. But here’s his partial answer: > By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, > “That you may be justified in your words, > and prevail when you are judged.” (3:3b-4) Paul’s words are strong. “By no means”! could be translated, “Not on your life!” God will never break his covenant. Israel may not have kept their side of the covenant, but God has been faithful to keep his side. David quotes from Psalm 51:4, from David’s confession of great sin, so show: the problem is not with God. God is faithful even when humans are faithless. ### Objection #3: Aren’t we doing God a favor by sinning? (3:5-8) Things are breaking down. The objections are starting to get silly. The questioning is becoming hostile and a little ridiculous. Read verse 5: > But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) In other words, judging makes a judge look really good. If judging my sin makes God look good, how could he be displeased with my sin? Paul is almost embarrassed to deal with this objection. But it comes in another flavor in verse 7: > But if through my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? And why not do evil that good may come? Isn’t my sin to God’s advantage? If my sin magnifies his holiness, how could God condemn me? My sin is dong God a favor! You can see how twisted this line of thinking is. The worse we are, the better, because my sin makes God’s holiness and grace look better. But Paul is clear in his response. “By no means” he says in verse 6\. He hardly has to refute them. Just restating these objections shows how ridiculous they are. They’re self-refuting. They’re just mind-games to evade our own responsibility before God. They’re absurd. There’s nothing more that needs to be said. No further debate is needed. The line of questioning is out of line. Paul’s made the case that Jews, and by extension religious people, stand condemned just as idol-worshiping Gentiles do. It’s not that they don’t have advantages. It’s not that God hasn’t been faithful to his promises. It’s just not enough. They still stand guilty before a holy God, and no amount of mind-games will erase that. These objections just seem like a desperate attempt to avoid what we know to be true. “Don’t play games with the Bible,” says John Piper. “Be as careful as you can in handling the Word of God.” Don’t resort to tricky reasoning and spin to avoid the inescapable conclusion that all humans stand guilty before a holy God. ## Closing Argument (3:9-20) Now we come to Paul’s closing argument. Here’s how he sets things up: “What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin.” That’s his main argument: despite their advantages, Jews have ended up no better off before God than Gentiles. Both are under sin. “The person who lives a life of tremendous immorality and debauchery, who fits every description of 1:18-32, and the person who is conscientious and moral are alike under sin” (Tim Keller). Then Paul weaves together a tapestry of quotations from verses 10 to 18 from all over Scripture, particularly the Psalms, but also Proverbs and Isaiah. > …as it is written: > (From Psalm 14:1-3 and Psalm 53:1-3) > “None is righteous, no, not one; > no one understands; > no one seeks for God. > All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; > no one does good, > not even one.” > (From Psalm 5:9) > “Their throat is an open grave; > they use their tongues to deceive.” > (From Psalm 140:3) > “The venom of asps is under their lips.” > (From Proverbs 10:7) > “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” > (From Isaiah 59:7-8) > “Their feet are swift to shed blood; > in their paths are ruin and misery, > and the way of peace they have not known.” > (From Psalm 36:1) > “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Here you have a complete catalog of human sin. How bad is it? Really bad. > …in the long history of the human race there have been only three basic views of human nature: (1) that man is well; (2) that man is sick; and (3) that man is dead… The third view, the one the Bible presents, is that we humans are not well, nor even sick. We are dead so far as our being able to do anything to please, understand, or find God is concerned. (James Montgomery Boice) Every part of us has been affected. It is not that we are as bad as we could be; it is that every faculty, every aspect of our character and conduct, including our mind, will, emotions, and affections, has been affected by sin. It’s reflected in how we speak. It’s reflected in the violence we commit against each other. It’s reflected in our posture towards God and our refusal to honor him. Turgenev, the Russian poet, caught it perfectly when he said, “I don’t know what the heart of a bad man is like, but I do know what the heart of a good man is like and it is terrible.” And so we’re left with the inescapable conclusion of Paul’s argument in verses 19-20: > Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. This is the conclusion of the previous 62 verses from Romans 1:18 on: Every single human being stands condemned before the judgment seat of God. He pictures humanity standing before God’s throne one day. We may have had speeches of self-vindication, speeches full of excuses, ready to present before God. But on that day, every word will be silenced. “No mouth anywhere in the world—from the primitive tribe to the university lecture hall—will be able to raise a legitimate objection against God’s judgment” (John Piper). God’s law won’t help us; it will only point out how far short we’ve fallen. Every one of us will stand guilty before a holy God. That’s Paul’s case. He’s answered every objection. He’s established an irrefutable case. All of us stand guilty. You may think, “This is the worst Christmas sermon I’ve ever heard.” But I’ve called this sermon “the bad news that makes the good news great.” What Paul describes here is the problem that made Christmas necessary. Paul’s argument is essentially a recap of all of human history from Genesis 3 to the end of the Old Testament. We could not get out of the mess we created. We needed a Savior. And so Jesus came to do what we couldn’t do. The chasm between holy God and sinful humanity couldn't be crossed from our side. We had nothing to offer, no righteousness to bring. But in the manger, God crosses from his side toward us. Jesus came to live the life we couldn’t, to be the one righteous person who will provide the righteousness needed for all who believe. He came to bear God’s wrath for our sins. Romans 1:18-3:20 shows us things are worse than we thought. But Jesus came to solve this unsolvable problem. Matthew 1:21 says, “He will save his people from their sins.” He is the Savior that we need. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-476/ Last updated: 2025-12-13T10:00:13.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Top Theology Stories for 2025](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/top-theology-stories-2025/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Looking back on 2025, we see a year of commas, not periods. Not much has been settled in the last year. [The Rise of AI Book Slop](https://www.challies.com/articles/the-rise-of-ai-book-slop/?ref=dashhouse.com) > May we be those who master our technology rather than letting it master us. [Why AI Writing Can't Compete](https://www.wyattgraham.com/p/why-ai-writing-cant-compete?ref=dashhouse.com) > AI writing is fairly obvious, not so much because it cannot mimic the style of an author, but because the authors who use AI writing all seem to write as if they are machines outputting “content” for efficient engagement. [40 Life Lessons From Turning 40](https://redeemingproductivity.com/40-life-lessons-from-turning-40/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Choose meaning over money, every time. [To Fight Sexual Temptation, Remember Christ’s Victory](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/sexual-temptation-christ-victory/?ref=dashhouse.com) > So many Christians struggle in this area. Is it possible to get victory over porn that lasts many years? The answer lies in our understanding of God and what we’ve been given in Christ. ### Changed By Love URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/changed-by-love/ Last updated: 2025-12-09T10:00:20.000Z I visited someone I greatly respect, an elderly saint whose husband passed away some time ago. This couple has been such an encouragement in my life, and I let her know how much they both meant to me. Her daughter, also present, let me know that her father wasn’t always that way. “What do you mean?” I asked. He had been one of the godliest people I know. It turned out that when he came back from World War II, he wasn’t such a nice man. I don’t know what he saw or experienced over there, but whatever it was changed him. He was surly and withdrawn. He wasn’t the man that I came to know later. I asked what changed. The daughter pointed at her mother. “She changed him.” The love of his wife helped him heal. I don’t know how long it took. I know it must have been hard. A veteran with what we’d now call PTSD and this war bride figured it out together and became the godly couple I knew later, two people who modeled grace and godliness to me. I learned a couple of things that day. First, saints weren’t born saints. Sometimes we see godly men and women and think they’ve always been that way. When we think this, we make a fundamental error: we attribute their godliness to them rather than to the Lord. True godliness isn’t a matter of personality. True godliness turns sinners into saints. Look at any godly saint and you will learn that they weren’t always that way. God grew them, and it took years, decades, for them to become who they are today. Second, I learned the power of love. Marriage sanctifies. It sanctifies as we suffer together. Our sins are exposed. We learn to be patient. We’re challenged through having to figure out how to live together. But love changes us too. Somehow God worked through the love of this young war bride to break through the impenetrable defenses of someone who had seen unspeakable things, and slowly, gently, and with great difficulty, he was dragged back to life. I’m glad I got to know this man at his best. I’m glad I got to see the difference that the Lord and his wife made in his life. As long as I live, I’ll be marked by the kindness he showed to me, the way he believed in me when I didn’t deserve it, and by his sincere and passionate love of the Lord. But I’m glad I got to know the rest of the story. I’m glad to have learned that he wasn’t always that way, that he once was a shell of the man that he one day became, and that God can work to bring healing and growth to someone who could easily have shriveled into nothing. I’m glad I learned something about the kindness and grace of God who gives us exactly what we need to grow into who he wants us to be through the kindness of his grace and the love of a good and godly woman. ### Our Spiritual Résumés (Romans 2:17-29) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/our-spiritual-resumes-romans-217-29/ Last updated: 2025-12-07T23:00:39.000Z **Big Idea:** Don’t trust in your religious accomplishments and advantages; trust in Christ alone. --- If you’re looking for a job, a standout résumé isn't just important; it's essential. Your résumé must clearly showcase your skills, experience, and achievements in a way that's specifically tailored to the position you want. When employers sift through dozens of applications, you want yours to communicate unmistakable value. A powerful résumé doesn't just earn you an interview; it demonstrates you're the perfect fit for the role. Ideally, your résumé should be so compelling that the employer can't possibly ignore you. But what happens when we adopt this approach with God? What happens when we present God with a résumé of all our spiritual skills, experiences, and achievements? Over these past months, we've been working through Romans. In the first few chapters, Paul constructs an airtight case for universal human guilt before a holy God. His argument unfolds methodically. First, he demonstrates how Gentiles stand condemned for suppressing divine truth. Then he pivots to show Jewish people fare no better despite their advantages. Paul's conclusion is inescapable: all humanity, without exception, stands accountable before a righteous and just God. But now he pictures someone pulling out their religious résumé. This person would have been tempted to say, “I agree, Paul. Things are really bad today. Look at the change in sexual ethics, the fundamental shift in values, the drift from our Judeo-Christian foundations, the world’s rejection of absolute truth, and the growing antagonism against Christianity. Things are bad. If God is a God of justice and wrath, he will surely condemn all of this. Keep preaching, Paul. The wicked of this world need your message. The drug dealers, the crime lords, the politicians—all, no doubt, will profit from your gospel.” “But leave me out of it! I am a very religious person, and my religious commitments exempt me from your blanket condemnations. I’ve been baptized. I’m a member of a good church. I give and serve. I’m one of the good guys.” Paul is going to make the same point: none of our religious advantages will save us. Any outward sign, even one ordained by God, is worthless unless it’s accompanied by in inward work of God’s grace in our hearts. Don’t trust in or rely on anything external as the ground of your acceptance with God. Don’t trust in anything but Christ for your salvation. ## Religious Advantages (2:17-20) What would the Jews of the day been tempted to trust as the basis of their acceptance with God? In verses 17 to 20, Paul lists the religious advantages that the Jews in Rome may have been tempted to think gave them a leg up on others. He mentions two, and they’re significant. You can see how they may have been tempted to trust in these things rather than in Jesus. ### Superior Knowledge (2:17-18) > But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law… In contrast to Gentiles, Jews had the clearly articulated law of God given to Moses. They had the Ten Commandments; Gentiles did not. God had revealed himself exclusively to Israel at Sinai. The Jewish people had a clear understanding of who God is and what he expects of humanity. They had a record of God’s dealings with his people for thousands of years right from Adam to Abraham right through to the prophets. They had so much knowledge of God, and they stood head and shoulders above everyone else because of this. This is similar to the advantages that we have today, except we’re even better off. For most of Christian history, believers possessed fragments of Scripture at best. Medieval Christians might hear portions read aloud during worship, but owning a complete Bible was unthinkable for ordinary people. The Reformers fought and died for the principle that every believer should have direct access to God's word. Today, we carry multiple translations in our pockets and barely think about it. I have a whole row of excellent study Bibles on my shelf at home. I can’t even keep up. Not only that, but we have access to the best preaching in the world. It used to be that you were stuck listening to whoever your preacher happened to be. If you were lucky, you could occasionally find a good preacher on Christian radio or this thing they had called cassette tape. Now we have instant access to the best possible preaching you can find in the world. This is an advantage. We are even more blessed than the people Paul addresses in this passage because we have even greater access to God’s word than they did back then. But that’s not the only advantage Paul mentions. Paul mentions another one in verses 19-20: ### Superior Position (2:19-20) > and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— Because they had a superior knowledge of God through Scripture, they claimed four advantages for themselves. They were, they believed: 1. A guide for the blind 2. A light for those in the dark 3. An instructor of the foolish 4. A teacher of infants They had a point. In a world of idol worship, pagan superstition, and wickedness, they were in a superior position to help others understand the truth about God. They were perfectly positioned to be who God wanted them to be, as described in Isaiah 42:6-7: > a light for the nations, > to open the eyes that are blind, > to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, > from the prison those who sit in darkness. Don’t miss this. They were right about their advantages. And if the Jews of Paul’s day had advantages, we have even more. We have greater access to God’s word; we have perhaps even more opportunity to influence the world with the truth we know about God. ## Question (2:21-24) But here’s the question Paul asks in verses 21 to 24: > …you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” Paul's question cuts to the heart: What are you doing with these advantages? Possessing the Bible, knowing about God, even teaching others—none of this matters if you're not obeying what you claim to know. The real issue isn't whether you know the Bible; it's whether you're living by the Bible you profess to understand. Paul essentially goes through the Ten Commandments, which prohibited stealing, adultery, and idolatry. The Jews preached against all of these, and yet Paul says, their behavior violated the very standards they preached. One commentator puts it this way: “When theft, adultery and sacrilege are strictly and radically understood, there is no man who is not guilty of all three” (C. K. Barrett). As a whole, the Jewish people did not keep the law they possessed and taught. The Jews had advantages, just like we do. But with greater privilege comes greater responsibility. The Jewish people could not claim to have lived up to the law they knew and taught. They’re guilty of doing the same things for which they denounce others. The result is that they fulfilled what Isaiah wrote in Isaiah 52:5: “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” Instead of being a light to the Gentiles, the Jewish people caused God’s name to be dishonored among the Gentiles despite all of their advantages. C.S. Lewis said, “When we Christians behave badly—or fail to behave well—we are making Christianity unbelievable to the outside world.” I feel this. Lloyd-Jones [says](https://amzn.to/4p3F2zk?ref=dashhouse.com): > Allow the Scripture to search you, otherwise it can be very dangerous. There is a sense in which the more you know about it, the more dangerous it is to you if you do not apply it to yourself… We must apply the truth to ourselves and be humbled by it. We must be very careful that we are not talking about things theoretically, without troubling about the application of them to our personal lives, lest thus unconsciously we may be dishonoring the God whom we claim to be worshiping and whom we desire to serve. This is Paul’s argument: if you know Scripture and enjoy some of its benefits, that is a clear advantage, but it still leaves you in a difficult position because you haven’t lived up to what you know. Divinely given privileges are not enough to guarantee acceptance by God. ## Objection! (2:25-29) In verses 25 to 29, Paul anticipates an objection that a good Jew might have raised at this point. Is it not true, someone might say, that God gave the Jewish people the covenant of circumcision? In Genesis 17:9-14, God gave Abraham and his descendants circumcision as the mark of their covenant with God. It was a surgical procedure performed among Jews on male infants who were 8 days old and a key part of their identity that gave them great assurance. Rabbi Menachem, in his commentary on the Book of Moses, wrote, “Our Rabbis have said that no circumcised man will see Hell.” Another said, “Circumcision saves from Hell.” The midrash Tillim says, “God swore to Abraham that no one who was circumcised should be sent to Hell.” Circumcision was seen as almost a passport to salvation. Not so fast, Paul says. > For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God. (2:25-29) Circumcision holds significance, but Paul emphasizes that its true value lies in the heart's transformation. While circumcision was intended as an outward sign of a personal relationship with God, Paul points out that genuine obedience from the heart is what matters most. In fact, Paul says something shocking: Israel’s failure to keep the whole law of Moses negates their circumcision, while Christian Gentiles can fulfill the Torah’s intent through faith in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit’s indwelling. Paul made a similar argument in Colossians 2:11: “In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ…” What matters most isn’t what a rabbi did to our bodies when we were eight days old; what really matters is what God has done to our hearts through Christ. Paul contrasts two paths: outward signs without inward obedience are meaningless, while true obedience from the heart is what God values. Ultimately, it's not about having the right marks but about doing the right things for the right reasons. It’s never about the externals; it’s always a matter of the renewal of the heart by the power of the Holy Spirit. Here’s what Paul is saying in this passage: your religious résumé is worthless. What you need is the same thing irreligious people need: for God to save you through the finished work of Jesus on the cross. **Don’t trust in your religious accomplishments and advantages; trust in Christ alone.** It’s so easy for us to focus on the wrong things. We can focus on and rely on externals too: that we know and study the Bible; that we’ve been baptized; that we’re members of GFC; that we take communion. These are all good things, but they’re not to be relied upon for salvation. In fact, our advantages can get in the way if they become the ground of our assurance. True salvation is a matter of the heart. The only thing that belongs on our résumé is this: that we realized we’re no better than anyone else; that we stood guilty before a holy God; and that we fled to Jesus for the forgiveness and the transformation we need. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-475/ Last updated: 2025-12-06T10:00:18.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [The Devil's Plan to Ruin the Next Generation](https://www.afterbabel.com/p/the-devils-plan-to-ruin-the-next?ref=dashhouse.com) > I’d watch their minds rot slowly, sweetly, silently. And the best part is, they’d never know it was me. They’d call it freedom. [Misunderstanding Porn](https://mereorthodoxy.com/misunderstanding-porn?ref=dashhouse.com) > Porn is not the same as physical sex and porn addiction is not merely a matter of sexual temptation. [Four Ways to Avoid Sexual Sin](https://www.crossway.org/articles/4-ways-to-avoid-sexual-sin/?ref=dashhouse.com) > For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil. [Can Satan Put Thoughts into Our Minds?](https://www.challies.com/articles/can-satan-put-thoughts-into-our-minds/?ref=dashhouse.com) > We probably need to stop short of being too confident in suggesting the means through which he does this. [5 Paradoxes Leaders Must Embrace](https://ericgeiger.com/2025/12/04/5-paradoxes-leaders-must-embrace/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Embrace the “AND” [Be Known, Not Impressive](https://barnabaspiper.com/2025/12/be-known-not-impressive.html?ref=dashhouse.com) > You can be impressive, or you can be known, but not both. [Preaching for Human Persons](https://mereorthodoxy.com/preaching-for-human-persons?ref=dashhouse.com) > The pulpit is not a platform for self-promotion; it is the “sacred desk” for the exposition of Christ’s Word. [Friends, Not Foes: How Biblical and Systematic Theology Work Together for Our Good](https://equip.sbts.edu/publications/magazine/friends-not-foes-how-biblical-and-systematic-theology-work-together-for-our-good/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Biblical and systematic theology are not foes but friends, for they work together to form whole disciples of Christ. ### Out of Season URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/out-of-season/ Last updated: 2025-12-02T10:00:44.000Z I had a friend who felt a little nervous in the early days of the young, restless, and reformed movement. “I’m not used to being trendy,” he said. “I don’t like it.” Those days have come and gone, but I get this point. I don’t trust the crowds; they’re usually wrong. I don’t want to follow them, because they’re fickle. If you follow what’s trendy now, you will exhaust yourself, and your ministry will lack depth. To be faithful means learning to be out of season a good deal of the time. A story from David Hansen’s book [*The Art of Pastoring*](https://amzn.to/4oo3WbZ?ref=dashhouse.com) haunts me. When his predecessor left the church, he left his library behind. Every single volume remained; he didn’t take one. The former pastor had some good reference books. Mostly, though, his library reflected the trends of his day. As each fad passed, he bought another set of books in an effort to keep up. He was a fine pastor, people said, and a capable preacher. The problem, according to David Hansen: “The movements he followed actually had little if any effect on his ministry, except in a fatal way: ultimately perhaps he confused following Christian movements with following Christ.” He’s right. The fads and movements can’t help you. The only difference they will make in your ministry is to weaken it. There are another set of actions, though, that are anything but trendy, but that will make a positive difference in your ministry even if nobody notices. Most of them will happen in secret. None of them will generate much buzz. They will require lots of focused attention and will bring little instant gratification but much lasting benefit to you and your ministry. Learn the languages. Read weighty books, including many that were written before you were born. Devote time in prayer. Prepare Scripture-saturated, prayer-filled sermons. Kill sin. Build solid pastoral friendships. Memorize Scripture. Raise up elders. Stay in one church for a long time, long after the itch to move has come and gone. In other words, ignore what’s trendy and build a weighty, grounded, biblical, faithful ministry whether people notice or not, and get a bit nervous when people do notice and think you’re cool. The best pastors I know refuse to be trendy. To be honest, they’re mostly a little bit quirky. They’re easily overlooked because they don’t try hard to be noticed. They do a lot of hidden things that go mostly unnoticed. They show up when they say they will, and they do so with hearts saturated in Scripture and brimming with prayer. They are far from perfect, but they are quick to own it and quick to repent. They rarely wow but they regularly deliver. They don’t ride the waves of trends and fads, but they build a ministry that only gets better over time. At first glance, they don’t impress. At second or third and fiftieth glance, you realize there’s more there than you first realized. They’re the kind of pastors who don’t say much, but say a lot in the little that they say. They are the pastors that stay faithful in and out of season. Be like them. Do the hidden things in secret that matter even if nobody notices. Avoid all the fads. Be faithful whether it’s trendy or not, and believe that faithfulness in the hidden things will help you serve more than following any fad ever could. ### Four Principles of God’s Judgment (Romans 2:12-16) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/four-principles-of-gods-judgment-romans-212-16/ Last updated: 2025-11-30T23:00:50.000Z **Big Idea:** God judges everyone impartially, and no one measures up, so salvation comes only through faith in Jesus. --- Ask most people how they can be right with God, and you’ll hear something like this: “I’m basically a good person. I try to live a moral life. I am kind to others. I’m not perfect, but on the whole, I think God will be pleased with me.” This is the typical response because we all instinctively know that goodness matters, and so we try to be good. We know that we’re not perfect, but we hope we will be good enough. Nobody’s perfect. Some people deserve judgment for their bad behavior. But we’re not like those people, and we’re basically good enough. Large-scale surveys reveal that most Americans think of themselves as “basically good” and believe goodness is enough. In worldview studies, most adults say they're generally satisfied with their moral choices. Researchers found that when people consider how to be right with God, they often rely on their own decency and efforts. But what if there’s a problem with this approach? What if being good, even if you’re really good, isn’t good enough? Look carefully, and there are some problems with this approach. How do you know if you’re ever good enough? What do you do with the incredible pressure of having to measure up? Perhaps most importantly, what do you do when you don’t measure up? We often think that it’s enough to try to be good, but that approach doesn’t turn out to be good news for us, because it sets up in impossible standard, and in the end, it turns out that none of us are good enough after all. ## Understanding Paul’s Argument We’re early in this series through the book of Romans. Here’s the message that Paul is communicating in the first part of this book from Romans 1:18 all the way through 3:20\. It’s the good news that comes before the good news. Our greatest problem is sin. All people everywhere, regardless of whether they’re religious or not, are guilty before God and live under his wrath. Paul is laying down this argument so that, as he says in Romans 3:19, “every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.” In the passage we’re looking at today, Paul is dealing with two kinds of people. The first are those who are religious. It was easy in Paul’s day for the Jewish people to cheer Paul as he went after the Gentiles, as he did in chapter 1\. It was easy to feel morally superior as Paul exposed the folly of idolatry and immoral behavior. “Go get ‘em, Paul!” So in chapter 2, Paul begins to challenge this attitude. Religious people are not immune to God’s judgment. We commit the same sins as those who aren’t religious, even though we have much clearer revelation. There’s no moral superiority when we stand before God. But Paul is also dealing with a second group of people. What about those who have never heard God’s law? What about people who don’t have the same access to the Bible that we have? What about the poor person in a far-off jungle who has never heard about Jesus Christ? Will God condemn him for failing to believe on a person about whom he has not even heard? Paul knows that our natural tendency is blame-shifting. We excel at shifting blame and excusing ourselves. It’s our natural tendency to evade responsibility for sin, and so Paul goes out of his way to refute our excuses. Here’s what Paul is going to show in this passage: Nobody can stand in the judgment, no matter how religious and good you are, no matter whether or not you’ve heard about Jesus. It doesn’t matter if you’re religious or not. All are guilty before God and stand under his wrath. Let’s see if we can understand Paul’s argument by unpacking what he says in four main points. You could call these the four principles of God’s judgment. Here’s the first: ### God doesn’t play favorites (2:11-12) The key principle is found in verse 11: “For God shows no partiality.” Paul reveals a fundamental truth about both God's character and our condition. God is perfectly just and completely impartial. He shows no favoritism based on race, status, or religious background. Everyone faces the same standard: his perfect righteousness. No one receives special treatment or exemption. We may imagine our intelligence, position, or acts of kindness will persuade God to make an exception, but God judges according to works. Every person will stand before him, and the question won't be about childhood church attendance, upbringing, or parental influence. We face judgment according to our deeds—believers and nonbelievers alike. Religious heritage offers no advantage. The only question that day: did we meet the righteous standards of a holy God? This impartiality reveals God's fairness and holiness. He doesn't overlook sin in one person while excusing it in another. No one can rely on heritage, good intentions, or status to stand right with God. His judgment remains impartial across all people and circumstances. This cuts both ways. The good news: we face a just Judge, unlike the flawed judges of this world who sometimes miss the mark. The bad news: we face a just Judge. No special exceptions await us, no strings to pull, no connections to leverage. We will all stand before a holy, just, and impartial Judge. His perfect justice means he gets every verdict right. But that same perfection means none of our usual advantages matter. The courtroom of heaven operates by different rules—God's rules, where righteousness alone determines the outcome. That's the core principle here: God shows no favoritism. In verse 12, Paul applies this to two distinct groups: "For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law." Some people never received God's law. They haven't read Scripture or learned the Ten Commandments. They had no special relationship with God—like most people today. These individuals face just condemnation. They will "perish" (eternal damnation) because they sinned. God won't punish them for violating a written code they never saw. Yet ignorance of God's written law doesn't exempt them from judgment. They still sinned in other ways. The second group possesses the law and lives under it. Their advantage—knowing God's standards—becomes their problem. They face judgment because they broke the very law they received. Their lives will be measured against the standard they knew. God justly holds them accountable for disobeying what they had seen and read. God never unjustly condemns anyone for what they never knew. Yet this leaves us all with the same dilemma: God, who is impartial, evaluates our lives and finds us all guilty of sin. The specific transgressions differ depending on our knowledge, but nobody escapes judgment. We all stand guilty before God—with or without the law. That’s the first principle of God’s judgment: God doesn’t play favorites, but that leaves us all with the same problem. We’re all left guilty before a holy God. Here’s the second principle of God’s judgment: ### Nobody will get off easier just because they *had* the Bible (2:13). Verse 13 says, “For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.” It would have been tempting for the Jewish people to pull out a very big advantage that they enjoyed. They had received God’s law. In fact, they were the only people to whom God had revealed the law. They had access to what deeds are required of them, and the rest of the world doesn’t, which at first seems like an unfair advantage. One rabbi said: “God willed to allow Israel to earn merits, and therefore he gave them much Torah and commandments.… In order to give Israel merits, it pleased Yahweh to make the Torah big and strong.” Similarly, the great rabbi Hillel stated that “where there is much law, there is much life.” For these rabbis, the law provides opportunities to accrue merit before God. They thought that it gave them a leg up with God. This would be like someone today saying, “I think I’ll be okay when I face God one day because I grew up in church and I memorized Bible verses.” But Paul is clear: any advantage this gives you is offset by the greater responsibility you have as a recipient of God’s word. Going to church, reading the Bible, sitting under the preaching of God’s word — none of that will give you an advantage on that day. *Having* the Bible isn’t the issue; *keeping* the Bible is. God doesn’t play favorites, and nobody will get off easier just because they had the Bible. Here’s the third principle of God’s judgment: ### Nobody will get off because they *didn’t have* the Bible (2:14-15) > For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them… You might think not having the Bible gives you an advantage—that you could stand before God and say, "How could I have known what you required without it?" But this reasoning quickly falls apart under scrutiny. Even the Canadian criminal code states, "Ignorance of the law by a person who commits an offence is not an excuse for committing that offence." More importantly, Paul argues that even without God's written law, you possess another law: the one written on your heart. Every human inherently understands right and wrong at some level. When God created us, he instilled a moral compass within us. He gave us a conscience, as verse 15 explains. This innate sense of right and wrong exists in everyone. Yet we fail to live up to even our own moral perceptions, let alone God's Law. No one will ever be able to stand before God and claim he has been unfair. Francis Schaeffer once described what he called an “invisible tape recorder” — we don’t have tapes anymore, but you get the idea. Imagine an unseen device hanging around each of our necks, quietly capturing every word we speak about others and the standards we expect them to live by. On the final day, God the Judge will remove this recorder and say, “I will judge you fairly, simply by playing back what you yourself have declared as the standard for human behavior.” Paul’s pointed question echoes here: “Do you think you will escape God’s judgment?” The honest answer is no. None of us can claim to measure up. We stand condemned, not only by God’s perfect standard but by the very standards we have set for others. This truth exposes the weight of our words and the reality of our accountability before a holy God. God doesn’t play favorites, and nobody will get off easier just because they had the Bible, just like nobody will get off because they *didn’t* have the Bible. Here’s the fourth and final principle of God’s judgment: ### Every single one of us will be individually and exhaustively evaluated by God (2:16). In verses 16, Paul talks of “that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.” One day, God will reveal all the things that we wish had remained hidden. Even our thoughts and motives will be revealed. This judgment will take place by Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead (2 Timothy 4:1). This is such a central teaching that Paul says that it is an integral part of the gospel. Wow. This is a lot. Here’s what Paul is saying. God treats everyone the same. No one gets a pass for having the Bible or not. Each of us will stand before him for a full and fair judgment. There will be no saying “At least I’m better than others” on that day. God judges everyone impartially, and no one measures up. It’s not enough to be a moral person. Good enough isn’t good enough. We will stand condemned because we don’t meet God’s standards; we don’t even meet our own standards. Nobody will be able to argue with God’s judgment on that day. Our goodness won’t be good enough, and we will know that we deserve God’s judgment. But there’s good news. God is doing us a big favor. Imagine being charged with a serious crime. You meet with your lawyer and throw out some defense strategies. “Argue that the Judge is unfair!” No, your lawyer says, that won’t work. “Argue that I went to law school!” No, your lawyer says, that makes it even worse. “Argue that I didn’t know the law!” No, your lawyer says, ignorance of the law isn’t a valid defense. One by one, your illegitimate defenses are taken away. Then your lawyer leans forward. "I know a defense that never fails." This is Paul's strategy: stripping away our worthless defenses to reveal the only one that matters. While we stand condemned by our own standards and God's perfect law, God provides an undefeated defense: Jesus Christ. He lived the perfect life we couldn't and took our deserved punishment. When we trust him, God counts Christ's righteousness as our own instead of our sins. This is the "my gospel" Paul references in Romans 2:16—justification through faith, not works, but grace alone. The question isn't "Am I good enough?" but "Have I trusted the One who is good enough for me?" Heaven's courtroom will be perfectly just, yet filled with mercy for those in Christ. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-474/ Last updated: 2025-11-29T10:00:07.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Godly Leaders Go Low and Aim High](https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/godly-leaders-go-low-and-aim-high?ref=dashhouse.com) > More than once, I’ve reflected on the fact that leadership isn’t nearly as glamorous as people think. [Negativity Bias and the Praying Imagination](https://www.caseymccall.com/p/negativity-bias-and-the-praying-imagination?ref=dashhouse.com) > Don’t let negativity bias prevent you from celebrating what God is doing. [Should I Stay or Should I Go? T.T. Shields, Benjamin Beddome, and Pastoral Transitions](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/article/should-i-stay-or-should-i-go-t-t-shields-benjamin-beddome-and-pastoral-transitions/?ref=dashhouse.com) > There can be a strange vibe of secrecy surrounding a pastor’s move to a different church. I wonder if there is a better way? [Processing Not Always Good](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/processing-not-always-good/?ref=dashhouse.com) > When we overprocess experiences and encounters, we artificially prolong their lives with unnatural ingredients. [The Hard Way Is the Easy Way](https://redeemingproductivity.com/the-hard-way-is-the-easy-way/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Every time we choose temporary comfort over doing the hard thing, we aren’t avoiding the pain; we’re just putting it off. [The Gospel Coalition 2025 Book Awards](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/tgc-book-awards-2025/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Congratulations to the winners of the 2025 TGC Book Awards. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [The Problem with Leaders](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/straight-paths/the-problem-with-leaders/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Isaiah gives us a case study of two kinds of leaders along with a message we need to hear today. ### The Blessing of Plurality of Pastors URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-blessing-of-plurality-of-pastors/ Last updated: 2025-11-25T10:00:17.000Z Pastoring is a privilege. You get to see God work in people's lives. You experience the joy of watching people grow. And you discover what's really going on beneath the surface. But man, it can get heavy. Jonathan Levin hits the nail on the head in [this article](https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/godly-leaders-go-low-and-aim-high?ref=dashhouse.com): > More than once, I’ve reflected on the fact that leadership isn’t nearly as glamorous as people think. You pour yourself out, pour yourself out, pour yourself out. You make yourself vulnerable to anxiety, blame, and worry. The pressures and stresses land on you. The toughest questions come to you. You bear the blame when things go wrong. It’s easy to spend a day, week, or month putting out fires started by others. You find yourself required to serve continually — whether you want to or not. Sometimes it feels like you're constantly responding to other people's issues, carrying more burdens than seems reasonable, trying your hardest but never quite winning, and knowing that most people will never understand some of the burdens you're bearing. It's a privilege, but it's a heavy one. A few months ago, we had a particularly challenging elders' meeting. The pastoral needs in our congregation were unusually high. Most of the challenges we discussed had no clear solution. We desperately needed God to work in the lives of various people in our congregation. It's not that our congregation is worse than any other; in fact, I feel blessed by our congregation. It's just that people are messy, and we happen to be in a season of particularly unique challenges. The next day, as I reflected on the meeting, I realized that we were doing hard work, but it was the right kind of work. If I’m going to carry burdens, these are the right kinds of burdens to carry as a pastor. But I was grateful that I wasn't bearing these pastoral burdens alone. I was so thankful for the plurality of elders that God has given us. I didn't grow up with a plurality of elders. I saw a single pastor carry the load by himself. We believed from Scripture that plurality was biblical (, but I never saw it practiced. Over the years, I've been in various situations. Most recently, I planted a church and relied on pastors from neighboring churches to serve as our ad hoc team of elders. I missed having a plurality within the church; people who knew and were known by our congregation and could help carry the shepherding load. Now, I find myself in a church with a very healthy plurality of elders. So many times in recent months I've looked around the room and praised God that I'm not alone, that we can bear these burdens together, that they can see things I would miss, that they can challenge me and offer insights that I don't have. I praise God for this plurality. I can't imagine living without it. If you're a pastor, you're going to carry the weight of souls, as Spurgeon once said. As much as possible, don't try to do it alone. Work towards a plurality. Get other elders in place. Read books like Dave Harvey's [*The Plurality Principle*](https://amzn.to/4pACqt3?ref=dashhouse.com) to help you put it into practice. Whatever you do, no matter where you're starting now, work towards a plurality of elders. You need it. And when you have a healthy plurality, it will be a blessing to your soul. ### Where to Turn in Crisis (Isaiah 26:1-6) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/where-to-turn-in-crisis-isaiah-261-6/ Last updated: 2025-11-23T23:00:04.000Z **Big Idea:** In crisis, trust in God for the security, peace, and protection that you need. --- I’ve been spending a lot of time in Isaiah lately. I really hope that one day we can go through this book together. Here’s what the first part of Isaiah (chapters 1 to 39) is all about. - **Situation:** Isaiah was written in a time of severe crisis for Judah. For some time, Judah was in pretty good shape, but now that had all changed. They were in big trouble. The world had shifted. The Assyrian Empire was aggressively expanding westward, systematically conquering nations and deporting populations. For Judah, this created an existential threat. It looked like they were about to get steamrolled. - **The theological perspective:** What was happening in the world wasn’t just random. God is active in history. Isaiah identifies the crisis as God's direct judgment on Judah's covenant unfaithfulness, with the Assyrian threat serving as God's instrument of discipline. In other words, their problem wasn’t just the Assyrians; it was God’s judgment against their sins. - **The question:** Where would God’s people turn for hope in a time of crisis? Would they trust God to save them or come up with their own strategies of self-salvation? You can see how relevant this is for today. - **Situation:** We often face crises. Our lives may seem fine, but everything can change suddenly, leading us into an overwhelming existential crisis. - **The theological perspective:** Let me be clear. The people in Isaiah’s day knew the reason for the crisis they were facing because Isaiah told them. We just don’t know. We don’t have a tidy explanation for what God is up to. But there is one insight we can hold on to as we learn from Isaiah: God is up to something. God is always at work, even in difficult situations, and nothing is beyond his control. - **The question:** Where will we turn in this crisis? Will we trust God for help, or will we come up with our own strategies to handle this situation? In other words: We’re going to face crises. We know that God is at work even in these crises. How will we respond? When our world implodes, where will we turn for the help we need? Judah failed the test. They trusted in political alliances and shored up their defenses, fortifying the walls and the water supply. But they didn’t succeed. We will never succeed when we take matters into our own hands when we face a crisis. Self-reliance is never the answer. Mark my words: if we turn to our own strategies or to people for the help we need, it will never work. We will never get the help that we need. But in Isaiah 26, Isaiah tells us where we can turn. Isaiah 26 highlights the end of history, when all human power ceases and only the city of God remains. The passage we just read is all about anticipation. Isaiah believed that despite our current pain and confusion, history is guiding us to a time when evil will end, God’s reign will be supreme, and his people will be eternally safe. And Isaiah has four messages for us in the first six verses of Isaiah 26\. Here’s the first message: ## There’s only one place we can find the security we need (26:1). > In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: “We have a strong city; he sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks.” Remember: They faced a crisis. Jerusalem was not secure. They responded by trying to make it secure through building projects. Chapter 22 describes what they tried to do: > In that day you looked to the weapons of the House of the Forest, and you saw that the breaches of the city of David were many. You collected the waters of the lower pool, and you counted the houses of Jerusalem, and you broke down the houses to fortify the wall. You made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool. But you did not look to him who did it, or see him who planned it long ago. (Isaiah 22:8-11) They knew they were in trouble, so what did they do? Three things: they got their weapons out. They repaired the wall. And they tore down houses between the two walls of the city and filled them with water like a moat for extra defense. But none of that worked. None of that was enough. They could never make their city strong enough for what is coming. Listen: When we face a crisis, we try our own building projects. We try to build defenses. We come up with our own strategies to save ourselves. But they never work. They are never enough to provide a real defense for the crises we will go through. We may also be tempted to run elsewhere to escape the trial. The people in Judah could have said, “We’re out of here.” But that’s just another human strategy of self-salvation that will fail. Whenever we try to run from the problem, it’s just another form of self-trust. Isaiah makes it clear they can run, but the only place they can run that will help is to him. Don’t run away from crisis; that never works. Run to the Lord in crisis. So where do we go for the security we need? We look to eternity, to the strong city that God is building, to the walls and bulwarks that God is building. They will be enough. They will provide the security we need. Nothing will be able to touch us there. Right now we live in the city of man. It will always be disappointing. We will always feel insecure here. We will never be able to build the defenses we need. But God will build them. One day Zechariah 2:5 will be true for us: “And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the LORD, and I will be the glory in her midst.” We need to hear this in the middle of every crisis we face. Quit building your own defenses. Quit thinking you can come up with your own solutions for the security you crave. You can’t build that city, but God is building it. He will give his people peace and security after their long suffering and many failures. It’s the only place where we will get the security we need. Friends, please don’t waste this crisis. Please don’t come up with your own strategies and solutions. There's only one place to find the security you need, and that's in God. His salvation is like a mighty city where we can live permanently and safely, now and forever. Every other strategy will crumble. That's the first lesson. There's only one place where we can find the security we need. Here's the second lesson: ## The way in is trust (26:2). How do you get in this city? There are watchmen. Not everyone can get in. But verse 2 addresses the watchmen and tells them who is admitted to this secure place: > Open the gates, > that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in. There is an open invitation to enter this city. The gates are not closed. The city is secure, but there is a way to enter. It reminds me of Revelation 21, which says that the gates of the heavenly city “will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there” (Revelation 21:25). This is amazing news. I’ve been in situations where what I need is locked up and inaccessible to me. It’s frustrating, and it’s not even as important as this. The keys are locked in the car. You’re locked out of your house. It’s intensely frustrating when this happens. This is not the case with God. What you want is right there if you want it. The gates are open wide. But not everyone gets in. Who gets in? The one qualification for entry is trust in the Lord. The ground of admission is being right with God. And the evidence of being right with God is that it has changed your life. If you have experienced grace, that grace will show up in how you live. The only way we’ll be able to get in is not our faithfulness to the Lord but his faithfulness to us Here’s what Isaiah is saying: Don’t build your own defenses. Instead, flee to the only place that is safe. And you can get in. The doors are wide open, but only for those who are right with God by faith as evidenced by a changed life. Turn to God to find the security you need. The way in is trust. Here’s the third lesson Isaiah teaches us: ## If we trust him, we’ll experience his peace and protection (26:3-4). Verses 3 and 4 describe one possible outcome of your life if you enter this city: > You keep him in perfect peace > whose mind is stayed on you, > because he trusts in you. > Trust in the LORD forever, > for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock. Here’s what life looks like for those who trust God: perfect, unbroken peace. In the Hebrew, it’s “peace peace.” It’s a way of emphasizing the quality of peace that God’s people will enjoy. This peace is the real thing. Matthew Henry says: > Thou wilt keep him in peace; in perfect peace, inward peace, outward peace, peace with God, peace of conscience, peace at all times, in all events. Trust in the Lord for that peace, that portion, which will be for ever. Whatever we trust to the world for, it will last only for a moment; but those who trust in God shall not only find in him, but shall receive from him, strength that will carry them to that blessedness which is for ever. Let us then acknowledge him in all our ways, and rely on him in all trials. We will experience peace because God is an everlasting rock, as stated in verse 4\. Think about this metaphor. What does it mean that God is our rock? A rock has some characteristics we need: - **Permanence:** Unlike shifting sand or unstable ground, God's nature never changes. His love, faithfulness, and promises remain constant regardless of our circumstances or feelings. When life feels chaotic, he remains our fixed point. - **Protection:** In ancient times, people fled to rocky cliffs and caves for safety from enemies or storms. Similarly, God provides shelter from life's spiritual and emotional storms. He's our hiding place when we're overwhelmed. - **Strength:** Just as a house built on rock can withstand fierce weather, a life built on God's truth and character can endure trials. When we feel weak or unstable, we can lean on his strength. The rock doesn't move when we press against it; it supports our full weight without shifting. This is why we can experience perfect peace when we turn to God. He is our rock. Everything else will let us down; he offers the lasting protection and strength that we need. We can apply this by being patient and enduring uncertainty during difficult times, even when we don't see the whole picture. Judah had to endure and wait upon the Lord for a very long time. But when you have peace and protection, when you have a solid rock, you can endure trials. What is God calling us to? Patient endurance. God is calling us to trust in him and to find peace and strength in him, and then faithfully and patiently endure in this season. There’s one more lesson Isaiah has for us: ## If we don’t trust him, we’ll be laid low and trampled (23:5-6). But if you don’t turn to God, there’s another outcome referenced in verses 5 and 6: > For he has humbled > the inhabitants of the height, > the lofty city. > He lays it low, lays it low to the ground, > casts it to the dust. > The foot tramples it, > the feet of the poor, > the steps of the needy. Isaiah is pointing out that the world looks really good right now. It looks like they have all the solutions. But all the powerful in whom we’re tempted to put our trust will one day be humbled. Everyone who is proud will be humbled, but the poor and the needy who trust in Christ will be saved. Isaiah spoke to his own people who were in crisis, and he’s also speaking to us. They were hopeless and didn’t know where to turn. They could think of a hundred different ways to save themselves. They could think of a hundred places to put their trust other than God. But Isaiah says: there’s only one place to turn in the middle of crisis. There’s only one place you can find the security you need. Worldly solutions will cost you everything and deliver nothing. The safety and security you need are offered to anyone. The gates are open. All it takes is trust in him. And once you turn to God for hope in the middle of crisis, here’s what you will find: surpassing peace and a rock that can’t be moved. Right now we’re going through a crisis. It is human nature to attempt to fix this through our own strategies or to run away. Isaiah’s shown us that neither of these will work. There’s only one place to turn for help, and that’s to the Lord. **In crisis, trust in God for the security, peace, and protection that you need.** This is a time to do two things. First, place all your hope and trust in the Lord right now. Don’t turn anywhere else for help. Patiently endure. And you can know, even when the world is falling apart around you, that God is at work even if we don’t understand it, that you are safe, and that it is well with your soul even in the worst of circumstances. Second, don’t do that alone. Don’t run away. I want to encourage you to lean in on each other instead of running away. Let's weep and grieve together and seek the Lord for strength and peace. So keep your thoughts focused on him. Don’t turn anywhere else for help. And you can know, even when the world is falling apart around you, that you are safe and that it is well with your soul even in the worst of circumstances. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-473/ Last updated: 2025-11-22T10:00:24.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Four Types of Christian Cultural Engagement](https://mereorthodoxy.com/four-types-of-christian-cultural-engagement?ref=dashhouse.com) > Four basic responses to this mixture of factors have begun to emerge amongst anglosphere Protestants. [Is Artificial Intelligence Demonic?](https://gentlereformation.com/2025/11/18/is-artificial-intelligence-demonic/?ref=dashhouse.com) > I wonder if what we're seeing with AI is in a sense worse. [Knowing Jesus: Stewards of Creation](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/knowing-jesus-stewards-creation/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Becoming a Christian hasn’t overridden my concern for the physical world; it’s breathed new life into it. [Grace Upon Grace: What Happened When John Piper Missed Our Conference](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/piper-missed-conference/?ref=dashhouse.com) > In Sweden, God was honored as the many attendees in Gothenburg were graced with the severe mercy of not being able to meet their spiritual hero, but looked to one another for the same inspiration and fervor they signed up to receive. [The Tried and True and Unsurprising Surefire Way to Find Happiness](https://griffingooch.substack.com/p/the-tried-and-true-and-unsurprising) > Everyone has some passage of Scripture they’ve found so mesmerizing that simply turning the words over in their minds brings a sense of wonder, peace, and wholeness. [When You Are Overlooked](https://revdaveharvey.com/2025/11/18/when-you-are-overlooked/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Has there ever been a time when you didn’t get the glory you thought you deserved? ### Evangelism Tips from Romans 1-2 URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/evangelism-tips-from-romans-1-2/ Last updated: 2025-11-18T10:00:01.000Z Have you ever felt the struggle of sharing your faith with others? Perhaps you've found yourself caught in circular arguments trying to prove God's existence, or you've been distracted by addressing individual moral choices rather than reaching the heart of the matter. Romans 1-2 offers us profound insights that can transform our approach to evangelism. Romans 1 and 2 gives us a profound understanding of humanity, both at the individual and cultural level. It also gives us some insights into how to share the gospel with those who don’t believe. Here are just a few insights, and how this passage transforms our approach to evangelism. 1. **People already know.** Every single person already knows that God exists and that he is good (Romans 1:19-20). This frees us from having to prove that God exists. The problem is not a lack of knowledge of God. Deep down, everybody already knows. 2. **The real issue is spiritual.** Human rebellion against God is rooted in our suppression of the truth, and our refusal to honour God as God and give thanks to him (Romans 1:19, 21). It’s a heart issue. 3. **The sins that we see mask the root sin.** Don’t get distracted by the individual sins of people around you. The root issue is a failure to worship God (Romans 1:26-31). All other sins are downstream of this primary sin. 4. **We’re all in the same boat.** Paul argues that idol-worshiping Gentiles and religiously observant Jews are in the same boat (Roans 2:1). Apart from Christ, all of humanity exists under the wrath of God and needs salvation. 5. **Everyone knows that they don’t measure up.** Even if they don’t know or understand God’s law, they have an internal sense of right and wrong and know that they fall short (Romans 2:14-16). 6. **We need bad news before the good.** Paul’s whole point in Romans 1:18-3:20 is to give us the bad news so we see our need for the good news. The gospel becomes beautiful as we understand our desperate plight and our need for salvation. Here’s what all of this means. The real barrier people face is not ignorance of God but the state of the human heart. Every person already has an innate knowledge of God’s existence and moral standards. Our task is not to prove God exists, but to lovingly expose the heart’s attitude and need for salvation. The deepest issue beneath outward sins is a failure to honour and worship God as God. Evangelism should therefore focus on helping people recognize this root problem, affirm the universal need for rescue in Christ, and move beyond secondary issues to the central message of the gospel. When people see their desperate need in light of their own conscience and God’s standards, the good news of salvation becomes truly urgent and beautiful. Evangelism is less about arguments and more about awakening spiritual need, addressing the heart’s rebellion, and patiently pointing all people, regardless of background, to the hope found in Christ. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-472/ Last updated: 2025-11-15T10:00:21.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Tempted to Be Exceptional in Ministry](https://barnabaspiper.com/2025/11/tempted-to-be-exceptional-in-ministry.html?ref=dashhouse.com) > We are tempted to pursue their levels of productivity, to take up habits in order to produce results like theirs. [Don’t Go Alone: Why Ministry Leaders Need a Good Shepherd Too](https://www.logos.com/grow/min-matthew-9-ministry-lessons/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Many go to school for years, dedicating countless hours to learning, and all out of a desire to enter ministry and care for others. [The Post-Literate Pastor](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/post-literate-pastor/?ref=dashhouse.com) > A digitally mediated, cloud-based scripturality will never have a serious chance of producing well-rounded disciples of Jesus Christ. [The Pastor and the Pundit](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/pastor-or-pundit/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Surveying the evangelical landscape these days, I sense that much of the frustration expressed across warring camps has less to do with methods or principles and more to do with temperament and callin... [God’s Threefold Call: “Come to Me”](https://gcdiscipleship.com/article-feed/gods-threefold-call-come-to-me?ref=dashhouse.com) > The Bible is full of invitations. [Is This the One?](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/erik-raymond/is-this-the-one/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Marriage has a way of refining and realigning our preferences. [Why Most People Wouldn’t Want God to Send Them to Heaven](https://www.gracebc.ca/blog/2025/11/12/why-most-people-wouldnt-want-god-to-send-them-to-heaven?ref=dashhouse.com) > If heaven doesn’t somehow eliminate the problem of sin, how could it still be heaven? ### Embrace the Hardship URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/embrace-the-hardship/ Last updated: 2025-11-24T21:04:15.000Z I didn't get discouraged very often as a church planter, but I did at least a few times. On one particular occasion, I visited a pastor friend of mine. My goal was to talk him into taking over for me. I wanted a break from the relentless pressures of church planting. I wanted somebody else to take a turn. I was feeling the reality of what it’s like to plant a church. As Ed Stetzer observes, it’s a long, hard slog. My friend heard me out. He listened carefully. He understood where I was coming from. And then he responded with these words: “You knew it would be hard. It is hard. Now get back to work.” I couldn't help but laugh, but it was the kick in the pants that I needed. To be sure, church planting is hard. Ministry is hard. If you don't believe that, read any of the pastoral epistles. Spend some time in 2 Timothy and meditate on some of the relational pain that Paul experienced. Meditate on 2 Timothy 2:1-7 and think about the call to embrace the suffering of a soldier, athlete, and farmer. Take Paul’s advice in 2 Timothy 2:7 and don’t just rush through these verses; really think about these things. Spend some time in 2 Corinthians, one of the most profound books on Christian ministry. Meditate on Paul’s sufferings (2 Corinthians 11:23-29) as well as his own infirmity (2 Corinthians 12). Consider the tense relationship that arose between certain members of the Corinthian church and Paul, its founder. Think about Paul’s plea to them in 2 Corinthians 6:12-13 (CSB): “We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. I speak as to my children; as a proper response, open your heart to us.” The reality is that all ministry has its challenges. In fact, all life has its challenges. That was really no surprise at all. What I needed to hear was that hard is normal and that it shouldn't dissuade me from the work that God had called me to do. I took my friend's advice. I got back to work. It was hard, but I kept at it, believing that it was worth it even when it was hard. I relate this story to another church planter friend. This week, he's feeling the same thing that I am. It's not catch-all advice; sometimes it's so hard that somebody should consider quitting. Most of the time, what we need to hear is that hard is normal. That we knew it would be this way. If you’re in a hard ministry, and you’re feeling a bit tired, that’s completely normal. Suffering is part of the job. You knew that going in. So just get back to work. Keep at it, even when it's hard, because everything important, everything that's worth it, comes at a cost. Keep paying the cost. Keep discharging your ministry. Embrace the pain, and get back to work. ### Handed Over (Romans 1:24-32) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/handed-over-romans-124-32/ Last updated: 2025-11-09T23:00:59.000Z **Big Idea:** When we refuse to worship God, God gives us over to our sin, and that sin distorts us as individuals and as a society. The only solution is the gospel. --- A couple of weeks ago, I heard about a friend who sensed something was wrong with his health. Facing long wait times, his son arranged for him to see a doctor in Buffalo. Once there, his suspicions were confirmed: he was diagnosed with a progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting his central nervous system. It’s an incurable condition. Yet, despite the difficult news, he felt grateful. The diagnosis brought clarity, and he’s now on medication to help manage the condition and improve his quality of life. Why would someone be grateful for such hard news? Because a correct diagnosis is essential. In fact, it’s the foundation for healing and restoration. Without it, we’re left guessing, addressing symptoms without ever tackling the root cause. It’s like trying to repair a car without knowing what’s broken. You can tinker endlessly, but the problem remains. The same principle applies to every area of life, whether it’s physical health, emotional struggles, or spiritual issues. The process of diagnosis can be uncomfortable, even painful. It forces us to confront what’s wrong, and that’s rarely easy. But it’s also a gift. Imagine living with an undiagnosed illness. The day you finally receive clarity, even if the news is hard, is a step toward hope. It marks the beginning of a path forward, where healing—whether physical, emotional, or spiritual—can truly begin. Romans 1:18-3:20 functions as a piercing and comprehensive diagnosis of the human condition, laying bare the universal problem of sin. Paul doesn’t pull any punches here. He challenges our illusions of righteousness, demonstrating that all humanity, regardless of background, morality, or religion, is guilty before God. It’s a sobering section, but it’s also foundational for understanding the gospel. But it’s essential that we understand what this section of Romans says. Without it, we can’t grasp the depth of our need for God’s grace or the magnitude of what Christ has done for us. Romans 1-3 reveals that sin isn't just an external issue; it's present in every human heart. It’s uncomfortable, even painful, to face the truth about our condition. But just as a medical diagnosis opens the door to treatment, this spiritual diagnosis prepares us to receive the cure: the righteousness of God given through faith in Jesus Christ. Only when we understand the weight of our sin can we fully appreciate the wonder of God’s grace. The bad news of Romans 1-3 is what makes the good news of the gospel so breathtakingly beautiful. ## Our Biggest Problem Here’s our problem according to the passage that we looked at last week. It’s actually our biggest problem. Humanity's ultimate problem is God's righteous wrath against our suppression of truth. God has revealed himself to humanity. According to Romans 1:18-23, God’s revelation has three characteristics. It’s clear, sufficient, and universal. - **It’s clear.** It’s not hidden or obscure. It’s plainly evident. Verse 19 says, “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.” God has made himself unmistakably clear through creation. The complexities of the universe, the beauty of nature, and the world's order all reflect his eternal power and divine nature. God has given us the ability to see his hand in everything he’s made. - **It’s sufficient.** Verses 20 says, “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” In other words, creation itself provides enough evidence for people to recognize God’s existence and his divine nature. General revelation doesn't provide all details about God, such as salvation, but is enough to make us accountable. Paul concludes, “So they are without excuse” (v. 20). No one can claim ignorance of God’s reality because his fingerprints are everywhere. - **It’s universal.** God doesn’t limit this knowledge to a specific group or culture. From the beginning of creation, every person, in every place, has had access to this revelation through the natural world. It’s not confined to those with access to Scripture or special revelation. Instead, it’s a universal testimony that transcends time and geography. But here’s our problem. Despite this, humanity has often chosen to reject this knowledge, exchanging the glory of God for idols (vv. 21-23). This rejection isn’t due to a lack of revelation but a willful suppression of the truth. The problem isn’t with God’s revelation; it’s with our response to it. This rejection isn’t passive; it’s active. It’s a deliberate suppression of the truth, a refusal to acknowledge what is plain to see. Our main problem comes from trading the glory of God for idols that can't fulfill us, which has distanced us from our Creator and brought us under his wrath. It’s an important diagnosis, but in today’s passage the news gets even worse for us. ## God’s Response Today’s passage answers an important question. What is God’s response to humanity’s suppression of the truth and our refusal to worship him? That is the question that verses 24 to 32 answer. And the answer is clear and horrifying. It comes in a phrase that’s repeated three times in this passage. > Therefore God gave them up… (verse 24) > For this reason God gave them up… (verse 26) > And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up… (verse 28) How does God respond to human ungodliness? He responds with what one person calls “judicial abandonment.” Here’s what Paul says: Since people suppress the truth about God, God ceases to restrain them. He lets them go headlong into their sins with and experience all the catastrophic consequences. The fundamental sin is a failure to worship him, and once we commit to that sin, it leads to all kinds of other sins. The failure to worship God is the root sin; everything else is the outgrowth of that fundamental sin. As John Piper puts it, all the evils of the world are rivers that flow from this spring. This fundamental sin is the source of all our problems. This was the first sin in the garden, and it’s the source of all of our problems too. Paul makes an important point in this passage. The refusal to worship God is the fundamental sin that leads to all other sins. The first commandment is this: “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). Later, Jesus gave us the greatest commandment in Scripture in Matthew 22:37-38: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.” Our fundamental task as creatures is to recognize God for who he is and worship him. But if we refuse to do this, God will let us go our way. He “withdraws his common restraints on our rebellion and gives us over to sink in the swamp we have chosen” (John Piper). James Montgomery Boice puts it well: > Man has wanted to get rid of God, to push him out of his life. In contemporary terms he is saying, “God, I just want you to leave me alone. Take a seat on that chair over there. Shut up, and let me get on with my life as I want to live it.” > And so God does!… > We think that by running away from him we will be happy, wild, and free. But it doesn’t work that way. Instead of happiness we find misery. Instead of freedom we find the debilitating bondage of sin. It’s like the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15\. The prodigal son demanded his inheritance, essentially telling his father, “I wish you were dead.” He wanted freedom on his own terms, apart from the father’s authority. And for a while, it seemed to work. He squandered his wealth on wild living, indulging every desire. But soon, the consequences of his choices caught up with him. He found himself penniless, starving, and humiliated, feeding pigs, an unthinkable situation for a Jewish man. His pursuit of freedom led him into deeper bondage. This is a vivid picture of what happens when we reject God. Like the prodigal, we think life apart from him will bring happiness and fulfillment. But instead, it leads to emptiness, misery, and the devastating consequences of sin. God gives us what we want, and it proves to be the worst thing for us. ## Getting Specific That’s the message of this passage. When we reject God, he gives us what we want, and what we want turns out to be very bad for us. But Paul gets specific in this passage about the effects of rejecting him. It’s interesting, because what Paul describes is exactly what you would have seen on the streets of Rome on that day. It’s what we see on the streets of Toronto today. Paul mentions three main categories of sins. ### Sexual Sins > Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. > For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. (Romans 1:24-27) In verses 24-27, he points out that rejecting God’s design leads to distorted desires, citing both heterosexual immorality and same-sex relations as examples. These sins aren't isolated; they relate to a deeper problem of idolatry—worshiping created things instead of the Creator. They reflect our disordered hearts, the result of the disordering of our heart-worship. Paul emphasizes that these behaviors are a direct result of humanity’s exchange of God’s truth for a lie. In particular, Paul mentions same-sex sexual activity. Why focus here? Ephesians 5:31–32 teaches that manhood and womanhood symbolize God's relationship with his people and Christ's relationship with the church. In this drama, the man represents God or Christ and is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. The woman represents God’s people or the church. And sexual union in the covenant of marriage represents pure, undefiled, intense heart-worship. That is, God means for the beauty of worship to be dramatized in the right ordering of our sexual lives. As Ray Ortlund puts it: > Married sex, with its intimacy and desire and pleasure and intensity and adoration and satisfaction and rest, is a glorious metaphor of heaven. To betray our Lord’s sexual ethics, to drag his amazing gift into the gutter, is to deny the most sacred reality of all, the marriage of the Lamb, given his prophetic purpose invested in married sexuality… What is at stake in our sexuality is nothing less than the gospel itself. Sexual sin, particularly same-sex sexual activity, distorts this gospel picture. It inverts God’s design. Human beings were created to experience sexual union with those of the opposite sex. Just as idolatry perverts the worship of God, sexual sin—including same-sex relations—violates God’s intended purpose for human sexuality. It's not just a rejection of God's commands but also a denial of the gospel message that marriage and sexuality represent. ### Relational and Social Sins In verses 28-31, Paul expands the list to include a wide range of sins that corrupt human relationships and society. These include: - Evil and greed: A relentless pursuit of self-interest at the expense of others. - Envy and murder: Resentment that escalates into hatred and even violence. - Strife, deceit, and malice: A breakdown of trust and harmony in relationships. - Gossip and slander: Using words to tear others down, whether in secret or openly. - Arrogance and boastfulness: Prideful self-exaltation that disregards others. - Disobedience to parents: A rejection of God-given authority, even in the home. - Foolishness, faithlessness, heartlessness, and ruthlessness: A complete lack of wisdom, loyalty, compassion, and mercy. No one escapes unscathed. Paul provides this list for two crucial reasons. First, he wants to make it unmistakably clear: sexual sin isn’t the only sin. All sins, like boasting, gossip, or arrogance, stem from disobedience to God and make us equally worthy of his judgment. But there’s a deeper purpose behind this list. Paul highlights the harsh reality that the problems in all aspects of life arise from humanity's rejection of God. Our refusal to worship him is the root cause of all sin. Wherever we find ourselves entangled in sin, it all traces back to this fundamental rejection of God. It is the sin beneath every other sin. One more category of sin: ### Cultural Approval of Sin > Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. (Romans 1:32) Perhaps most striking is Paul’s observation in verse 32: not only do people commit these sins, but they also approve of others who practice them. This shows how sin doesn’t just affect individuals; it creates a culture that celebrates rebellion against God. Here’s what Paul is saying in a nutshell. When we refuse to worship God, God gives us over to our sin, and that sin distorts us as individuals and as a society. ## The Good News After the Bad The diagnosis in Romans 1:24-32 is sobering, but it’s not the end of the story. God doesn’t leave us in the devastation of our sin. The bad news prepares us for the breathtaking beauty of the good news: God has provided a cure. Let me remind you of Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” There is a power that is greater than sin, and it’s able to save anyone who believes. There’s only one solution to our predicament, and it’s the gospel. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He stepped into the mess of our rebellion, bore the weight of our sin, and took the judgment we deserved. Through his death and resurrection, he offers us forgiveness, freedom, and restoration. The same God who gives us over to our sin is the God who, in his mercy, calls us back to himself. The root of our problem is a failure to worship God. But here’s the hope: when we turn to him, when we repent and place our faith in Jesus, He doesn’t just forgive us. He transforms us. He reorders our hearts, restores our relationships, and renews our lives. What sin distorts, God redeems. Will we continue down the path of rebellion, or will we turn to the One who offers life? The diagnosis is clear, but so is the cure. Jesus invites us to come to him, to lay down our idols, and to worship the One who alone is worthy. And when we do, we find what our hearts have been longing for all along: the joy, peace, and freedom that only he can give. The bad news of our sin is real, but the good news of the gospel is greater. Run to Jesus. Worship Him. And experience the life only he can give. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-471/ Last updated: 2025-11-08T10:00:18.000Z [Not All Reasons for Leaving a Church Are Created Equal](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/reasons-leaving-church-equal/?ref=dashhouse.com) > I suspect many leave for the very reasons God gave us the church in the first place [When People Leave: The Private Pain of the Small Church Pastor](https://karlvaters.com/private-pain/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Even if the church is large and growing, it can be hard when people leave. But when the church is small, each loss is much more painful. [Stay Put and Make Disciples: a Plea to Aging Saints](http://rss.desiringgod.org/link/10732/17202761/stay-put-and-make-disciples?ref=dashhouse.com) > Godly influence compounds when you invest deeply in a place. [The Tragedy of Artificially Intelligent Pastors](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/erik-raymond/the-tragedy-of-artificially-intelligent-pastors/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Just because you do something faster doesn’t mean it’s done right–or better. [Don’t Misread Proverbs 31: Discover Lady Wisdom](https://www.logos.com/grow/nook-proverbs-31-lady-wisdom/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The portrait of the so-called “virtuous” woman is about far more than wifely duties. It is, in fact, the personification of the timeless and ancient person we first learn about in Proverbs 8: Lady Wisdom. [To Understand Jesus Walking on Water, Turn to the Old Testament](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/jesus-walking-water-old-testament/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Mark’s logic works like a syllogism: Yahweh treads on the water; Jesus treads on the water; therefore, Jesus is Yahweh. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [The World Series and the Christian Life](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/straight-paths/the-world-series-and-the-christian-life/?ref=dashhouse.com) > If baseball players commit to discipline for a championship, how much more should we commit to Christian faithfulness? ### What Will and Won’t Exist in Eternity URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/what-will-and-wont-exist-in-eternity/ Last updated: 2025-11-04T10:00:15.000Z It’s interesting to think about what will and won’t be in the new heavens and the new earth. ## What Will Exist? I like good Indian food. Scratch that. I like all Indian food, as well as Korean, Thai, Malaysian…I could go on. I used to think that cultures, including food and languages, would disappear on the new earth. Scripture doesn't appear to support this. In fact, Revelation 21:26 says that people will bring the best of each culture to God. The resurrected Jesus ate food (John 21:9). We can expect to eat food on the new earth too. And there’ll be lots of culture to enjoy. “On the new earth we will see the real earth, which includes the good things not only of God’s natural creation but also of mankind’s creative expression to God’s glory. On the New Earth, no good thing will be destroyed,” writes Randy Alcorn. We can throw out our bucket lists because we’ll have forever to enjoy not just God’s blessings but the best of human culture. We’ll get to eat amazing food and take in some cultures we’ve never had time to experience in this short life. Want to learn a new language? You’ll have the time. That amazing meal I ate at the Indian restaurant a couple of months ago? It doesn’t compare with the food and culture we’ll get to experience on the new earth. Best of all, God will be there, and he will surpass any other blessing we experience for eternity. ## What Won’t Exist The Bible gives us a list of things that won’t be in Heaven (or the new earth). There won’t be any sea (Revelation 21:1). In the Bible, the sea represents danger and chaos (e.g. Genesis 6-7; Psalm 30:1; 69:1-3; etc.). We won’t have to worry about dangerous things that threaten us or our wives and kids. We’ll finally be safe from danger. There won't be a temple for meeting God, as we'll have direct access to Him. God will be the light, eliminating the need for the sun or moon (Revelation 21:22-23). God’s glory will outshine the sun and the moon. There won’t be mourning, crying, or pain. As guys, we don’t always know how to express our pain, but it won’t matter then because there won’t be any pain to express. There also won’t be any evildoers (Revelation 21:27). The only ones in Heaven will be those who’ve trusted Christ and are clothed with His righteousness. Everyone else will experience judgment away from the presence of His glory (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9). Everything bad in this life will be completely banished when God remakes this world. Our future doesn’t need to be fuzzy. In fact, it’s glorious. We will live in resurrected bodies on a renewed earth. Everything that’s wrong with this world will be banished. Everything that’s right will be perfected. Best of all, we’ll live in the presence of God Himself. We’ll discover that the greatest joy of eternity will be the presence of God, which will deeply satisfy our souls. I can’t wait for that day. *Adapted from a set of devotionals I wrote for Impactus (*[*What’s in Heaven?*](https://www.impactus.org/daily-devotional/whats-in-heaven/?ref=dashhouse.com)*,* [*What Won’t Be in Heaven*](https://www.impactus.org/daily-devotional/what-wont-be-in-heaven/?ref=dashhouse.com)*, and* [*Longing for Jesus to Return*](https://www.impactus.org/daily-devotional/longing-for-jesus-to-return/?ref=dashhouse.com)*)* ### What's Wrong With the World?(Romans 1:18-23) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/whats-wrong-with-the-worldromans-118-23/ Last updated: 2025-11-02T23:00:24.000Z **Big Idea:** Humanity's ultimate problem is God's righteous wrath against our suppression of truth, but Jesus Christ provides the only solution through the gospel. --- What’s wrong with the world? That may be one of the most important questions you ever answer, because how you answer will determine the solutions you pursue. People often answer the question, "What's wrong with the world?" in ways that reflect their worldview, experiences, and assumptions about human nature. Here are some common responses: - **Systems:** Many point to systemic issues like political corruption, economic inequality, or flawed institutions. They see the problem as structural, requiring reform or revolution to fix. - **Ignorance or Lack of Progress:** Some believe the issue is a lack of knowledge, education, or technological advancement. They see progress as the solution to humanity's problems. - **Cultural or Religious Differences:** People sometimes blame divisions between cultures, ideologies, or religions, suggesting that intolerance or tribalism fuels conflict and suffering. - **The Environmental Crisis:** With growing awareness of climate change and ecological crises, many point to humanity's exploitation of the planet as the root problem. - **Fatalism:** In some worldviews, the problem is seen as inevitable—whether due to fate, karma, or the natural order of things. Life’s just hard; we can’t do anything about it. This perspective often leads to resignation rather than action. - **Human Nature:** Others argue that the problem lies within us: greed, selfishness, or a tendency toward violence. This view gets closer to the truth, but it’s still not enough. This view often leads to calls for moral improvement or education. What’s really wrong with the world? The passage we just read tells us. It gives us God’s diagnosis of what’s wrong with our world, and it’s going to point us to the solution. ## Our Biggest Problem (1:18a) Our biggest problem is found in verse 18: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.” Our biggest problem is one that’s hard to accept: it’s the wrath of God. This may be one of the most unpalatable doctrines that we will ever encounter. Many people wrestle deeply with the concept of God’s wrath. They can’t reconcile a loving God with a God of wrath. It feels too harsh and unfair. The idea of a God of wrath and judgment and judgment is offensive to our ears. But in Romans 1:16-17, Paul spoke of the power of the gospel to save anyone who believes. It implies a question: saved from what? Verse 18 provides the answer: the gospel saves us from God’s wrath. In other words, it’s not so much about *what* we’re saved from; it’s *who* we’re saved from. We need to be saved from God himself, because God’s righteous wrath is already being revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. Our biggest problem, the one that the gospel must solve, is not unjust systems, ignorance, the environment, or any other problem, as serious as those may be. Our greatest problem is the wrath of God. I understand that we struggle with this, but that doesn’t mean it’s not true. Wrath does not mean temper tantrum. It’s not like God loses his cool. It’s not impulsive. As Becky Pippert puts it, “God's wrath is not a cranky explosion, but his settled opposition to the cancer of sin which is eating out the insides of the human race he loves with his whole being." Let me give you an example. I had lunch with a friend a couple of weeks ago. My friend works for [International Justice Mission Canada](https://www.ijm.ca/?ref=dashhouse.com). That organization works to combat human trafficking, slavery, violence against women and children, and police abuse of power. Over lunch, he was telling me stories of human trafficking and slavery, and I found myself getting angry. In fact, I love that part of their work is to not only rescue victims but to bring criminals to justice. You can’t hear about that kind of evil and not feel wrath. That’s me as a fallen, sinful person. God is holy, and his wrath is judicial. God in his justice administers wrath to those who deserve it. He would not be a just God if he was not filled with wrath at the sin, the cancer, that is destroying us and the world. It is right for him to be angry at sin. To paraphrase A.W. Pink, we are prone to regard sin lightly, to gloss over its hideousness, to make excuses for sin. But the more we study and ponder God’s abhorrence of sin and his frightful vengeance upon it, the more we realize sin’s seriousness and that God is right to be angry at sin. Notice that this passage isn’t just talking about God’s future wrath. It’s speaking about his present wrath. “The wrath of God is revealed…” Ever since we were expelled from Eden, we’ve been experiencing the consequences of sin. We experience pain, conflict, frustration, death, and separation from God into every part of life. God’s wrath is a present-day reality. We experience it every day. And it’s just a foretaste of the wrath that’s coming (1 Thessalonians 1:10). From the beginning to the end of the Bible, both in the Old and New Testaments, God shows his just anger towards sin. This is not due to being cranky, but rather a reflection of his righteous character in response to the sin we choose. As John Murray says, “Wrath is the holy revulsion of God’s being against that which is the contradiction of his holiness.” This is our biggest problem. ## The Reason for God's Wrath (1:18b) We’ve already hinted at this, but what is the reason behind God’s wrath? Paul tells us. Verse 18 gives us the core issue, and then he unpacks it. What’s the core issue? “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness *suppress* the truth.” The single sin that provokes God’s wrath is this: that we suppress the truth about God. To suppress means to hinder, stifle, obscure, or repress. R.C. Sproul suggests that we think of a gigantic spring or coil that requires all the strength in our body to push down and compress. I think of a beach ball that you try to stuff under water and prevent from resurfacing. It takes a lot of energy to hold that spring down or to hold that beach ball underwater. Despite our best efforts, it keeps bobbing to the surface. Paul says that’s what we do with God. We take the truth about God and suppress it. We can never get rid of it no matter how hard we try. We do everything to shove it away so we don’t have to deal with it, but we can’t escape. That’s the reason behind God’s wrath: because we know what’s true, but choose to suppress it instead. We know better, but we choose to stifle what we know because it doesn’t serve our interests. ## Objection (1:19-20) I can imagine an objection. Somebody might say, "What do you mean? I've been suppressing the truth. I didn't know the truth. I wasn’t raised in a Christian home. Nobody ever told me anything about God.” To which Paul says, "You still know.” Read verses 19-20: > For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. This is one of the key theological statements in Scripture. I’m sure you have wondered at one point or another, “What about those who’ve never heard about Jesus? How could God hold them responsible for their sins?” Here’s what Paul says. Creation reveals God so clearly that, even without the special revelation we have in Scripture, every person has an innate awareness of his existence and their obligation to worship him. God’s eternal power and divine nature are plainly seen in what he has made, leaving humanity without excuse. While this general revelation isn’t enough to save, it is enough to hold us accountable. It shows us enough of God’s character to prompt us to seek him, and failing to do so is a rejection of the truth that creation so powerfully declares. Look at the two things God reveals to every person through nature: - **His eternal power** — When Paul speaks of God’s "eternal power," he’s pointing to the reality that creation itself testifies to a Creator who is infinite, unchanging, and sovereign. The sheer scale of the universe, the complexity of life, and the laws that govern nature all point to a power far beyond human comprehension. It’s a power that has no beginning or end, a power that sustains all things. We intuitively get a sense of God’s power as we see what’ he’s made. - **His divine nature** — We also get a sense of God’s character: his goodness, wisdom, and majesty. Creation reflects his beauty and order, giving us glimpses of his perfection. Psalm 19:1 echoes this truth: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). Every sunrise, every star, every living thing is like a signpost pointing to the Creator. Paul’s point in Romans 1 is that this revelation is so clear, so undeniable, that no one has an excuse for ignoring God. Even without Scripture, people can see enough of God’s power and nature in creation to know that he exists and deserves worship. But instead of responding with gratitude and reverence, humanity often suppresses this truth. Paul teaches that every person has been given enough evidence to recognize that God exists and is real. The created world unmistakably displays God’s power and divine nature, leaving humanity without excuse. There are no alibis, no justifications, no explanations that can shield us from accountability before God. He has woven a testimony of his existence into creation itself, making our sinful actions fully our responsibility. At the deepest level, every human being knows that God is there, even if they suppress that truth. Every single person is “without excuse” under the wrath of God. Nobody can bring any legitimate protest against God’s justice in this matter. What’s wrong with this world is ultimately this: that people are perishing under the wrath of God with no appeal and no hope. They are without excuse. ## The Result (1:21-23) Our biggest problem is God’s wrath. The reason for God’s wrath is that we suppress the truth about God even though every single person intuitively knows enough truth about God. The final couple of verses describe the result of God’s wrath: > For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. (Romans 1:21-23) Romans 1:21-23 paints a vivid picture of life in Rome, but it’s not just about Rome. It’s a description of humanity’s spiritual condition when we turn away from God. In Rome, this would have been strikingly visible. The city was filled with temples, statues, and idols, symbols of human creativity and devotion, but also of spiritual blindness. The Romans prided themselves on their wisdom, their philosophy, and their achievements, yet Paul saw through it all. Beneath the surface of their sophistication was a rejection of the true God. They had traded the worship of the Creator for the worship of creation. This wasn’t just about physical idols, though. It was about the human heart. The Romans, like all of us, were designed to worship God, but when they rejected him, they turned to substitutes. Idolatry isn’t just bowing to statues, it’s giving ultimate worth to anything other than God. For the Romans, it might have been their gods, their empire, or their achievements. For us, it could be success, relationships, or comfort. The result is the same: a life disconnected from the source of truth and light. Paul’s description of Rome is a mirror for every culture, including ours. It’s a reminder that when we suppress the truth about God, we don’t become neutral. We become idolaters. And idolatry always leads to futility, darkness, and ultimately, judgment. Our greatest problem is not external; it’s internal. It’s not ignorance, systems, or circumstances, but our rebellion against God and the wrath that rebellion rightly incurs. Romans 1:18-23 confronts us with this sobering truth: we have suppressed the knowledge of God, exchanged his glory for idols, and are left in darkness. This is the root of all that’s wrong with the world. **Humanity's ultimate problem is God's righteous wrath against our suppression of truth, but Jesus Christ provides the only solution through the gospel.** What does this mean? Two things. If you are not a believer, you need to know grasp what Paul describes here as our greatest problem. And then you need to embrace the solution: that although we deserve God’s wrath, he has made a way for us to be saved from it. Jesus bore the penalty for our sin, taking the wrath we deserved, so that we could be reconciled to God. This is the good news: we don’t have to remain under God’s judgment. By faith in Christ, you can be forgiven, restored, and delivered from the wrath you deserve. If you are a believer, this should lead you to gratitude for the gospel. It should also lead you to realize: you don’t need to convince people that God exists. They know. The gospel is a message to be preached, not an opinion to be debated. Wisdom is needed to avoid pointless debates that are merely attempts to suppress truth. But it should also lead us to a holy urgency. As Charles Spurgeon said: > Oh, my brothers and sisters in Christ, if sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies; and if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay, and not madly to destroy themselves. If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let no one go there unwarned and unprayed for. The world’s greatest problem is God’s just wrath against our suppression of the truth, but the gospel offers the only solution through Jesus Christ, who saves us from that wrath. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-470/ Last updated: 2025-11-01T09:00:55.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [The Shift From Individualism to Mob Identity](https://newsletter.oalannoble.com/p/the-shift-from-individualism-to-mob?ref=dashhouse.com) > We’re witnessing a shift from an individualist culture to a crowd culture. [Follow Your Emotions and You’ll Find Your Idols](https://www.crossway.org/articles/follow-your-emotions-and-youll-find-your-idols/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Our emotions always point toward the true objects of our worship. [While You Sleep, Jesus Prays For You](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/sleep-jesus-prays/?ref=dashhouse.com) > While five minutes is too long for us, he pleads forever. [Dependence on Christ Is the One Thing That Can’t Be Taken From You](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/dependence-christ-cant-be-taken/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Several weeks ago, I spent time with a remarkable book on mental illness from a Christian perspective: A Quiet Mind to Suffer With: Mental Illness, Trauma, and the Death of Christ by John Andrew Bryan... [The Never-Ending Novelty of Staying With the Same Person](https://sethlewis.ie/2025/10/29/the-never-ending-novelty-of-staying-with-the-same-person/?ref=dashhouse.com) > It might seem counterintuitive, but I’m convinced that the only way to consistently experience true novelty in romance is to stick with one person for the rest of your life. [You’re Their Mom or Dad, Not Their Pastor or Evangelist](https://www.challies.com/articles/be-a-mom-or-dad-not-a-pastor-or-evangelist/?ref=dashhouse.com) > There are many people in this world who may serve as a pastor to your daughter, but she has just one father. [Being Sick Is a Project](https://www.productiveflourishing.com/p/being-sick-is-a-project?ref=dashhouse.com) > It turns out that being sick is a project, too. ### Unexpected Blessings URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/unexpected-blessings/ Last updated: 2025-10-28T09:00:36.000Z A year ago, we went on vacation to Lake Tahoe. We prayed that God would surprise us with unexpected blessings that week. We had nothing particular in mind except that we wanted to be refreshed and enjoy his creation. God answered that prayer, and it turned out to be one of the best vacations we've experienced in recent memory. Every day was full of surprises. One day, we decided to go for a hike. We weren't sure if we could finish the hike due to a lack of proper equipment, but we nearly completed it. The hike was beautiful. My mind regularly turns to some of the scenes we witnessed that day. I loved the beauty of creation and the joy of challenging our bodies as we explored God's good world. Another day, we were driving home on the east side of Lake Tahoe. We pulled over to look at the sunset, and it was breathtaking. A driver stopped to admire the view and shared that after decades on that road, the sunset was one of the best he'd ever seen. Blessings like this continued all week. On one hand, they seemed so ordinary, but God’s gifts often appear that way. We were so grateful for how he answered our prayer and blessed our vacation that week. Last week, we had another vacation, this time much closer to home. We checked the weather forecast and realized it was going to rain all week. On top of that, I was coming off a half marathon and battling a knee injury. I was limping. Uncertain about my injury and the bad weather, we prayed for unexpected blessings from God. He did. The weather turned out to be much better than expected. My knee felt better than expected, and I enjoyed a couple of easy hikes with Char. Some blessings were small. I wanted to watch a couple of shows without subscribing to streaming services, and I found them available at my stay for free. One of his blessings was big. Last Friday, I won tickets to the first game of the World Series for free. Our vacation last week was very different from the previous year, but God blessed us in many ways. It seems silly to write this. I’m not suggesting that God always answers our prayers in ways we expect or that he's obligated to give us these kinds of blessings. I realize many people are going through extraordinary suffering right now, and what I'm mentioning might seem incredibly trite. I've certainly experienced times when God hasn't answered prayer the way I've expected and where my hopes were not met. I'm discovering that God cares about the small things in our lives, and it's okay to pray about them without expecting specific answers. When he gives us eyes to see and we look around our everyday lives, we just might spot some ways God blesses us every day that we hardly notice. God is incredibly generous, and last week reminded us of his blessings in both big and small ways. I'm praying for the ability to see all the blessings God gives me, as they are more numerous than I often notice. ### Why We're Not Ashamed (Romans 1:16-17) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/why-were-not-ashamed-romans-116-17/ Last updated: 2025-10-26T22:00:35.000Z **Big Idea:** Never be ashamed of the gospel because it’s powerful, it’s for everyone, and it’s very good news. --- Picture the city of Rome around 57 AD. Rome stood as the undisputed center of the known world. It wasn’t just a city; it was the heart of an empire that stretched from Britain to North Africa, from Spain to the Middle East. With over a million residents, it was the largest city of its time, serving as a center of political power, military strength, and cultural impact. Imagine exploring the city. You would see the million people crowding the streets: merchants, soldiers, and travelers from all over the world. You would hear the sounds of hammers on stone, the creak of wagon wheels, and the chatter of countless languages. Nothing could compare to what you witnessed: marble temples shining in the sun, the Circus Maximus, where chariot races thrilled roaring crowds. You’d see aqueducts carrying fresh water into the city, a feat of engineering that seemed almost miraculous. You would be amazed by the well-constructed roads that showed Rome's desire to connect and control the world. Everywhere you turned, you would get a sense of permanence and power. The city of Rome was the pinnacle of human achievement at the time. Rome wasn’t just a city, it was a statement. It announced to the world that this was the peak of human achievement, where wealth, culture, and power came together. It was designed to awe, to inspire, and to remind everyone that Rome was the center of the world, and that it would last forever. And Paul couldn’t wait to preach there. In fact, he said in Romans 1:15, “I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.” Think about that. Paul aimed to enter the most sophisticated and powerful city on Earth with a message that opposed everything Rome represented. His message? The Roman gods were nothing. There is one true God. God revealed himself not through power or victory, but through a crucified Jewish peasant—a man betrayed by his people and executed by Pontius Pilate, a disgraced former governor of a small Roman province. Pilate himself had faded into obscurity, rumored to have taken his own life. And this man, Jesus, had been crucified—the most shameful death imaginable. Cicero, the renowned Roman orator, argued that crucifixion was so humiliating that it should never be mentioned by a Roman citizen. Yet Paul proclaimed that this crucified man had risen in victory. His divine love wasn’t displayed in dominance, the very thing Romans admired, but in weakness and sacrifice. To follow this crucified Savior was to embrace a message that seemed absurd and offensive to Roman society. Being a Christian in that culture meant facing social shame, but Paul confidently proclaimed that the gospel is God's power for salvation. But to Paul, it was the power of God for salvation. What the world saw as foolishness, Paul knew as the wisdom of God. And he was ready to proclaim it boldly in the very heart of the empire. And in the passage before us, Paul explains what his message is and why he’s eager to preach it. ## Why These Verses Matter It’s important that we understand these verses for three reasons. First, these two verses—Romans 1:16-17—are foundational to the entire book. To truly grasp the message of Romans, you must understand these verses, as they encapsulate the essence of the epistle. They serve as the thesis statement, summarizing the central theme and purpose of the entire letter. Everything Paul unpacks throughout Romans flows from the truths contained here. Second, these two verses changed history. Martin Luther, a monk troubled by his failure to attain righteousness through good deeds, found freedom when he understood their true meaning. He realized that righteousness is not something we earn but something God gives through faith in Christ. This discovery sparked a movement that brought the gospel back to the center of the church, highlighting salvation by grace through faith. Luther later wrote, "When I understood this text, the gates of paradise swung open, and I walked through." These two verses are the foundation of Romans and have undeniably shaped history. But their significance doesn’t stop there; they have the power to transform your life. They remind us that the gospel isn’t just good advice or a set of moral principles, it’s the very power of God to save and transform. This power has shattered addictions, restored broken relationships, and brought hope to the hopeless. These verses provide hope to both the most desperate sinner and the most respectable person. These verses offer hope and redemption, regardless of someone's past mistakes or struggles. James Montgomery Boice is right. These sentences “are the most important in the letter and perhaps in all literature. They are the theme of this epistle and the essence of Christianity. They are the heart of biblical religion. The reason this is so is that they tell how a man or woman may become right with God.” Romans 1:16-17 describes God’s unstoppable power to save and renew. It’s not just a historical truth. It’s a living reality that continues to shape the world, one transformed life at a time. These verses changed history because they change hearts, and through those changed hearts, they continue to change the world. ## Why Paul Wasn’t Ashamed Here’s Paul’s main statement: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel.” Paul had plenty of reasons why he might be tempted to be ashamed. Rome was the epicenter of power, intellect, and culture; a city that celebrated strength, dominance, and human achievement. The gospel presented a crucified Savior, a message that appeared foolish and weak to the Romans. The Romans prized honor and victory, but Paul's message focused on a Jewish man who was executed through crucifixion, the most humiliating form of punishment for the lowest criminals. The gospel's focus on grace, humility, and sacrifice contrasted sharply with Roman values of self-reliance, conquest, and glory. Paul was undaunted. Why? Not because Paul was fearless. Not because he was stubborn. Paul gives three compelling reasons in Romans 1:16-17 for why he is not ashamed of the gospel. Let’s look at them. ### Because it’s powerful When Paul wrote these words, the Roman Empire was at the height of its power, dominating the known world. Its military was unmatched in discipline, strategy, and technology. Rome’s roads symbolized its dominance, enabling the swift movement of troops and goods. The Emperor held absolute authority. Rome seemed unshakable, a juggernaut of military, political, and cultural influence. Yet, as Paul wrote to the church in Rome, he declared that true power didn’t belong to Rome—it belonged to the gospel. No empire, no authority, could rival the gospel’s power. Only the gospel can save, rescuing us from our greatest problem: sin. Salvation saves us from the penalty of sin, the power of sin, and one day will save us from the presence of sin. Through the simple yet profound message of Jesus’ death and resurrection, God brings spiritually dead sinners to life. Why wasn’t Paul ashamed? Because the gospel is powerful. When we believe the gospel’s power, we won’t be afraid of anyone. Here’s the second reason why Paul wasn’t ashamed. ### Because it’s for everyone It’s universal in scope. There are no prior qualifications. It’s for Jews who understood the Old Testament prophecies. But it’s also for idol-worshiping Gentiles. There are no limits. Anyone, regardless of ethnicity, social class, intellectual ability, financial status, geographical location. There’s hope for the most desperate sinner and the most respectable person. It’s for everyone, which is why Paul wanted to take it to everyone. Paul wasn’t ashamed because the gospel’s powerful, and because it’s for everyone. Here’s the third reason why Paul wasn’t ashamed. ### Because it’s such good news Verse 17 is so important. Martin Luther hated it until he understood it, and then it changed his life. > For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” Here’s why Martin Luther hated this verse at first. At first he took “the righteousness of God” to mean God’s strict, punitive justice that demands perfect obedience, Romans 1:17 sounded like a verdict against him, not a promise, so it fueled his terror and resentment. He felt exhausted and discouraged. Despite his confessions, penance, and attempts to obey, he was plagued by accusations. The verse deepened his despair before a holy Judge he could not please. But one day he understood what this verse means. “The righteousness of God” doesn’t refer to an unrealistic standard that God demands from us. It refers to a gift that God gives us, a righteousness that is not earned by human effort but is given by faith. This righteousness is God’s way of making sinners right with him, a gift that begins and ends with faith (“from faith for faith”). It’s a fulfillment of the Old Testament promise, as Paul quotes from Habakkuk 2:4: “The righteous shall live by faith.” God has always operated this way. Salvation comes solely from God's grace, not through works, and it is available to everyone who trusts in him. When Luther finally understood this, everything changed. What once condemned became pure good news. He described feeling “born anew,” as if “the gates of paradise” opened. Romans 1:17 became the key that helped him understand the gospel. Luther hated this verse when he thought it named the justice that punishes; he loved it once he saw it names the gift that justifies. God has revealed his righteousness. His righteousness is his saving action whereby he brings people into a right relationship with himself. This righteousness comes from God. It’s the perfect righteousness of Jesus given to us the minute we believe in Jesus. It makes us acceptable before God’s sight. It covers all our sins. It’s the only way we can be saved. The gospel shows us how we get this gift of righteousness from God: from faith and for faith. That’s another way of saying that it’s from faith from start to finish. We don’t do anything to earn it; we simply receive it. Why wasn't Paul ashamed to bring the gospel to the most powerful city in the world? Because the gospel’s powerful, because it’s for everyone, and because it’s such good news. Why should we not feel ashamed of the gospel at U of T, in our workplaces, at our children's schools, and among our secular, progressive neighbors? Because the gospel is the power of God for salvation. It’s not just another idea; it’s how God saves and changes lives. We shouldn’t be ashamed because the gospel is the only message that can truly transform hearts and lives. It can change your life today as you receive it by faith. It will provide you with the same unshakeable confidence in the gospel that Paul had, even when facing ridicule or opposition. Though the world may see it as foolish, the gospel is God’s unstoppable power to save and renew. No earthly authority can bring ultimate shame to those who live by faith in Jesus. If God has removed our shame, no one—not even the most powerful person—has the authority to put it back. We have no reason to be ashamed. **Never be ashamed of the gospel because it’s powerful, it’s for everyone, and it’s very good news.** ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-469/ Last updated: 2025-10-25T09:00:07.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [When Christian Formation Is Tough, What Will Keep You Going?](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/reward-christian-formation/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The goal of Christian formation is greater joy with God as we become more aligned with his character, his purposes, and his will. [In Defense of Different Gifts and Callings](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/defense-different-callings/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Holiness doesn’t have one look. From desert monks to modern missionaries, God delights in holy difference. [When You Don't Want to Go to Church](https://writetounderstand.substack.com/p/when-you-dont-want-to-go-to-church) > The church needs you. [Nine Steps to Find a Home Church](https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/nine-steps-to-find-a-home-church?ref=dashhouse.com) > Let me mention nine steps that you might take in searching for a home church. [On Expository Preaching](https://www.logos.com/grow/live-expository-preaching/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Expositional preaching seeks to get done in the sermon what God seeks to get done through this particular passage [Home Run Sermon Introductions](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/article/home-run-sermon-introductions/?ref=dashhouse.com) > A home run sermon introduction earns the interest of those listening. [50 Tips for Reading the Bible](https://www.gospelforlife.com/50-tips-for-reading-the-bible/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Whether you’re new to Scripture or looking for fresh ways to engage, these 50 tips will help you take the first steps on a journey that can transform your life. ### What a Privilege URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/what-a-privilege/ Last updated: 2025-10-21T11:11:58.000Z If you've ever run a race, you've likely seen supporters holding up signs as they cheer you on. Many of the signs are lighthearted and familiar: "Worst parade ever!" "Pain is just French for bread." "Therapy would have been easier." "All this for a banana?" But at the TCS Toronto Marathon on Sunday, one spectator held up a sign that stood out: "What a privilege!" It was a simple message, but profound. In the middle of the exhaustion and effort, it may not have felt like a privilege to the runners. It probably felt like hard work, maybe even misery. This woman's sign highlighted a deeper truth: the privilege of having the strength and opportunity to run at all. Running is a marvel. When you lace up your shoes and hit the pavement, nearly every system in your body works together. Over two hundred bones create the framework, while your muscles fire in perfect sequence to move you forward. Your heart doubles its workload, pumping oxygen-rich blood to hungry muscles. Your lungs shift from 12 breaths per minute at rest to as many as 50 during hard runs. Meanwhile, your brain orchestrates thousands of tiny adjustments to keep you balanced and efficient. Your body releases adrenaline for energy, cortisol for endurance, and those wonderful endorphins that make running feel so good. Your energy systems cascade from immediate power bursts to sustainable fat-burning. When you overheat, sweat glands activate while blood rushes to your skin's surface to cool you down. When you run regularly, your body changes. Your heart grows stronger. Your muscles adapt. Your bones strengthen. All of this happens without conscious thought, allowing you to simply enjoy the rhythm of feet meeting earth. All of this happens largely without conscious effort, allowing you to focus on the simple rhythm of running. It's a beautiful reminder of how fearfully and wonderfully we're made, with each system working in perfect harmony to support something as simple and profound as putting one foot in front of the other. What a privilege indeed. Our bodies are incredible. I spoke to a medical professional who helps people recover the ability to swallow. Swallowing is one of the most remarkably complex and precisely coordinated actions your body performs dozens of times each day, yet most of us never give it a second thought. What seems like a simple gulp actually involves over 50 muscles and six cranial nerves working in perfect harmony across multiple anatomical systems. What a privilege, and one we take for granted. Much of life follows this pattern: intricate in design, reliable in function, noticeable only in malfunction. Our days overflow with countless gifts we easily overlook. All of this is evidence of God's goodness. In the middle of running, parenting, working, pastoring, and living our ordinary lives, it is good to be reminded, "What a privilege!" God is so good in giving us so many gifts that we tend to overlook. Beyond the ordininess of simple things is the handiwork of a great God who deserves our praise. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-468/ Last updated: 2025-10-18T09:00:14.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Your Body Was Made to See Jesus](https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/your-body-was-made-to-see-jesus?ref=dashhouse.com) > The body is essential to our humanity. [Shame as the Vicious Trap of Sexual Sin](https://blog.newgrowthpress.com/shame-as-the-vicious-trap-of-sexual-sin/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Like salt water, sexual sin masquerades as relief hiding true impact. [What Is Homiletics? An Intro to the Art and Science of Preaching](https://www.logos.com/grow/hall-what-is-homiletics/?ref=dashhouse.com) At its core, homiletics helps us preach well and reflect well on preaching. [How to Prepare a Sermon: 32 Hacks for Preachers](https://www.logos.com/grow/min-sermon-preparation-tips/?ref=dashhouse.com) > After twenty years of preaching, I have collected a handful of insider “hacks” that can improve your sermon preparation and help you become a more effective preacher. [Was Jesus Tempted by Evil Desires?](https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/was-jesus-tempted-by-evil-desires?ref=dashhouse.com) > James says God cannot be tempted, but Hebrews says Jesus was tempted just like we are. How do these two passages fit together? Listen Now [The Return on a 100-Year Investment](https://gentlereformation.com/2025/10/14/the-return-on-a-100-year-investment/?ref=dashhouse.com) > We must remember that in the work of the Lord, often the results come through years and decades of diligent effort. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Hard Assignments](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/straight-paths/hard-assignments/?ref=dashhouse.com) > God sometimes gives us hard assignments. ### What Happens at Home URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/what-happens-at-home/ Last updated: 2025-10-14T12:43:20.000Z In most professions, one’s personal life remains private. But pastoring is different. It's more than a profession, and how a pastor lives at home profoundly impacts his ministry. According to Paul, what happens at home makes or breaks his ministry. **His marriage matters.** An elder must be "the husband of one wife" (1 Timothy 3:2, Titus 1:6). This is perhaps the most disputed qualification on the list. At the very least, it means that the pastor is not a polygamist. He is maritally and sexually faithful to his wife. He is a one-woman man. **His parenting and household management matters.** He must manage his household well (1 Timothy 3:4-5; Titus 1;6-7). His children are respectful and well-disciplined, not perfect but not habitually disregarding parental guidance. His children honor him, reflecting his loving and responsible spiritual leadership. **His hospitality matters.** Hospitality is a relational qualification that often begins in the home. An elder must be "hospitable" (1 Timothy 3:2, Titus 1:8), opening his home and life to others. This shows a generous heart and a desire to serve, both publicly and privately. According to Paul, the home is a proving ground for the pastor’s leadership (1 Timothy 3:5). If he can’t lead well at home, Paul writes, how can he be expected to lead God’s household, the church? The pastor’s home, as they say, is his first congregation. His home life is his primary ministry and a test of his qualifications for leading the church. To “succeed” in ministry and fail at home is to fail. I find this challenging. Often, it seems that family and ministry are pitted against each other. Early in my ministry, I allowed the demands of ministry to take priority over the needs of my family. Later, our family went through a crisis. I had to make a choice: I prioritized my family, even though it was tough to step back from ministry. I spoke to my supervisor about the tension I faced. “If you don’t care for your family right now, you have no business being in ministry,” he told me. We’ll never get the tension completely right, but if we’re not faithful at home, we can’t be faithful in our ministry at church. We also have to allow the congregation to get to know our families well enough so that they are able to evaluate if we meet these qualifications. As people get to know us, they can learn what it means to be a faithful husband and father, and they will get a picture of the gospel in action. These qualifications highlight that a pastor’s home life is not a separate sphere from his ministry; it is foundational to it. A healthy home models the gospel and provides credibility to a pastor’s leadership in the church. It’s a reminder that ministry begins with those closest to us. What happens at home matters. We’ll never be perfect, but we can be faithful. It matters more than we think. ### Introducing Romans (Romans 1:1-7) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/introducing-romans-romans-11-7/ Last updated: 2025-10-12T22:00:46.000Z **Big Idea:** Romans is from a gospel-transformed apostle who wrote to a gospel-created church about the gospel that changes everything. --- Today, we’re embarking on a study of the most important letter ever written. The book of Romans stands as the theological masterpiece of the New Testament, a profound articulation of Christian doctrine that has shaped both individual faith and church history for centuries. Martin Luther, whose own life was changed by this book, said that it is “the chief part of the New Testament,” and encouraged believers to "know it word for word, by heart, and occupy himself with it every day, as the daily bread of the soul." John Calvin said, “If we have gained an understanding of this Epistle, we have an open door to all the most profound treasures of Scripture.” According to two more contemporary theologians, “No other book of the Bible has so shaped and renewed the church and its thinking” (N.T. Wright and Michael Bird). And so we’re in for a treat. This journey through Romans will challenge us, yet richly reward our effort. Bring your Bible for cross-referencing, and commit to regular attendance to build understanding. The text requires careful attention and persistence in understanding complex sections. Your personal meditation, memorization, and study between Sundays will help deepen your grasp of these truths. Though demanding, this investment promises genuine transformation. The payback will be more than worth it. ## Why Study Romans? Why should we study Romans? Romans is vital for any church, but especially for a Canadian church today. Let me give you four reasons why. 1. Because it grounds us in the gospel—the very heart of our faith—in a time when so many are untethered from biblical truth. Paul wrote Romans to a divided church in a diverse, pluralistic city, not unlike the cultural landscape we face in Canada. His letter addressed tensions between Jewish and Gentile believers, offering a theological foundation to unify them. In the same way, Romans equips us to navigate the challenges of multiculturalism, secularism, and division in our own context. 2. Romans doesn’t just teach theology; it transforms lives. It answers the deepest questions people are asking today: How can we be right with God? Where do we find identity and hope? What does it mean to live a meaningful life? Paul’s explanation of salvation through faith in Christ cuts through the noise of self-help and moralism, offering the only message that truly saves and transforms. 3. For a Canadian church, Romans also reminds us of the power of the gospel to create a countercultural community. Chapters 12-16 show us how the gospel shapes relationships, fosters humility, and calls us to love and serve one another. In a society that often prioritizes individualism and consumerism, Romans calls us to live as a unified, sacrificial, and mission-driven body of Christ. 4. Finally, Romans equips us for mission. Canada is increasingly post-Christian, and many people lack even a basic understanding of the gospel. Romans gives us the tools to articulate the good news clearly and compellingly, showing how it addresses both personal sin and the brokenness of the world. It’s a book that not only strengthens the church but also sends us out with confidence in the power of the gospel to save. Romans is a theological anchor, a relational guide, and a missional charge. We need gospel clarity in a world characterized by confusion, anxiety, and spiritual disorientation. For a Canadian church navigating the complexities of our time, it’s not just helpful; it’s essential. ## Introducing Romans Today we’re going to dive into the first seven verses of this book, because these early verses set us up to understand the main theme of the book of Romans. If you understand these early verses, you will begin to have a grasp on the main themes that Paul is going to develop in this letter. I want you to notice three things that this passage tells us. ### It’s written by a man who was changed by the gospel (1:1). “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God…” We learn three key things about Paul in this verse: **He’s a slave.** Paul identifies not merely as a servant but as a slave—owned, not hired. This word conveys absolute ownership of his master, Christ Jesus. Paul surrendered all autonomy; he had become Christ's possession entirely. This same reality applies to all believers. "You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Christ purchased us with his precious blood. We belong wholly to him—yet paradoxically, in this surrender we discover genuine freedom. Becoming a Christian means acknowledging Christ's ownership. We receive our direction from him as Lord, relinquishing self-rule and independence. Our service springs not from obligation but from complete devotion and allegiance, recognizing we belong entirely to him. **He’s called to be an apostle.** God himself appointed Paul as an apostle. It was a divine selection, not self-designation. Jesus applied this term to the twelve disciples (Luke 6:12), with Paul later added to their ranks. Having encountered the risen Christ (1 Corinthians 15:3-8) and received direct commission to reach the Gentiles, Paul speaks with heaven's authorization. The apostolic office was limited to those who had personal encounters with Jesus. It was foundational for establishing the early church, and completed with the apostolic generation, so it no longer exists today. This apostolic authority was significant for the Roman believers who had never met him, just as it is for us today. His words come not merely as personal opinion but as authoritative divine instruction that commands our attention. **He’s set apart for the gospel of God.** Paul had been set apart for a specific task. Jesus said of Paul in Acts 9:15: “He is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.” In Galatians 1:15, Paul says that God set him apart for this purpose from his mother’s womb. This was always God’s intent for Paul’s life. God designated Paul as his gospel messenger—a role that perfectly positions him for the theological exposition he now begins. That’s Paul. He’s the author of the greatest letter ever written. Understanding who Paul is—his identity, calling, and mission—helps us grasp the weight and purpose of this letter. Romans is not just a theological document; it's a message from a man fully committed to Christ, divinely chosen, and dedicated to spreading the gospel. Romans was written by a man who was changed by the gospel. Here’s the second thing we learn: ### It was written to deepen our understanding of the gospel (1:1c-5). > …set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations… Here’s the subject of the book of Romans: the gospel. Already, in verses 2 to 4, Paul defines his gospel. He tells us two main things about the gospel. **The gospel is rooted in Old Testament promises.** The good news of Jesus grows from ancient biblical soil. The gospel didn't suddenly appear. It has deep historical roots. Hundreds of direct Messianic prophecies fill the Old Testament pages. Thousands more allusions, metaphors, and analogies point toward Christ. Jesus himself revealed his presence throughout these ancient Scriptures (Luke 24:27). The New Testament cannot stand alone. You cannot properly grasp its message without its Old Testament foundation. The gospel is rooted in Old Testament promises. He also tells us: **The gospel centers on Jesus Christ.** Luther observed: "Here the door is thrown open wide for the understanding of Holy Scripture, that is, that everything must be understood in relation to Christ." Calvin adds that "the whole gospel is contained in Christ," and "to move even a step from Christ means to withdraw oneself from the gospel." The gospel isn't merely an idea—it's a person. God's own Son stands at its heart. Notice the symmetry in Paul's description: - He was “descended from David according to the flesh” - He was “declared the Son of God in power according to the Spirit" These phrases capture the bookends of Jesus' earthly journey. God the Son became human to fulfill God's promise to David and the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah. In his resurrection, Jesus was publicly declared to be what he always was. His dead body coming to life served as God's announcement to the world of Jesus' divine sonship. As R.C. Sproul explains: "By what evidence do we believe that Jesus is the Son of God? By the testimony of God, who has declared Him to be His Son through the power of the resurrection." This opening passage reveals the book's central focus. In seven verses, Jesus is mentioned eight times using his name, pronouns, titles, or descriptions, including Son of God, descendant of David, Messiah, and Lord. It’s all about Jesus. He fulfills Old Testament prophecy and is divinely declared through resurrection. The gospel revolves entirely around Jesus—not Paul's invention, but the reality of God the Son becoming fully human while remaining fully divine. He lived perfectly, died substitutionally, and rose triumphantly. Through him we receive grace. This news transforms lives. Through him, Paul received his mission: announce this news to all nations so people might know these truths, accept them as fact, and trust Jesus personally. This passage calls us to respond to the gospel with our whole lives. If the gospel is rooted in God’s promises and centers entirely on Jesus, then it demands our trust, allegiance, and action. It means we must immerse ourselves in Scripture, seeing how all of it points to Christ and deepens our confidence in God’s faithfulness. It means making Jesus the center of everything: our decisions, relationships, and priorities, living as those who belong to him. It means proclaiming this good news boldly, sharing the hope of Christ with those around us. And it means living in the power of his resurrection, walking in newness of life with joy and purpose. The gospel isn’t just a message to believe, it’s a reality that transforms every part of who we are and how we live. Let it shape you, guide you, and send you out for his glory. We’ve seen that Romans was written by a man who was changed by the gospel. It was written to deepen our understanding of the gospel. There’s one more thing these verses tell us: ### It was written to a church that was created through the gospel (1:7). > …including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, > To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: > Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The Roman church emerged from the gospel Paul just described. This established congregation likely began with Jewish believers present at Pentecost. Acts 2:10 lists "visitors from Rome" among those who heard Peter's sermon and believed. These converts would have carried the gospel home, with Gentiles gradually joining to form a diverse community. That explains the human origins. The divine explanation runs deeper: they were "called to belong to Jesus Christ," "loved by God," and "called to be saints." The church's true foundation wasn't human effort but God's supernatural work—calling sinners to himself, loving them, and giving them grace and peace. We are Christians because God has set his love on us. What is Romans about? It’s about a gospel-transformed apostle who wrote to a gospel-created church about the gospel that changes everything. What does this passage mean for us? If the good news of Jesus was central to Paul, the centerpiece of Scripture, and powerful enough to transform Romans living in a godless world two thousand years ago, then it remains just as vital for us today. The gospel isn't merely a collection of ideas—it's about a person. It's about Jesus, who turns persecutors into apostles, sinners into saints, and enemies into beloved children of God. **Love the gospel:** Reflect deeply on all God has done for you. Let your heart be captivated by the beauty of his grace and the power of his salvation. **Live in the gospel:** Preach it to yourself daily. Remember its truths—your election, justification, sanctification, and glorification. Let it shape your identity and renew your mind. **Live out the gospel:** Adorn it with your life as God's child. Let your actions commend its truth to others. Live so your life reflects the gospel's beauty rather than discrediting it. **Let loose the gospel:** Share it boldly and widely. Proclaim its message to the lost with urgency and joy, trusting its power to save. **Believe the gospel:** Above all, embrace it as God's message for you. Trust its promises and rest in Christ's finished work. Never underestimate the gospel's power to transform lives and build churches. It's as unstoppable today as it was then. Build your life on it. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-467/ Last updated: 2025-10-11T09:00:38.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Take It on the Chin](https://www.jvfesko.com/blog/2025/10/5/take-it-on-the-chin?ref=dashhouse.com) > If you’re a pastor and find yourself under the fire of criticism, then you’re in good company. [A Brief Theology of Preaching](https://feedpress.me/link/10439/17181426/a-brief-theology-of-preaching?ref=dashhouse.com) > The primary task of the Church and of the Christian minister is the preaching of the Word of God. [Have We Sold Church Short on Deacons?](https://new-northern-souls.blogspot.com/2025/09/have-we-sold-church-short-on-deacons.html?ref=dashhouse.com) > The Bible is clear that work of deacons is vital to the health and smooth-running of the church, but in recent years there has been such a focus on developing word ministry in the church, it may be that we have sown the seeds of the practical failure of many churches for lack of deacons. [How Ministers Can Identify Scrupulosity](https://newsletter.oalannoble.com/p/how-ministers-can-identify-scrupulosity?ref=dashhouse.com) > Roughly 2% of the population suffers from OCD, and many people who are religious find that their OCD attaches itself to their faith, because the general rule of OCD is that it always attacks what you value most! [A Ministry Made in Secret: the Spiritual Habits of Robert Murray M’cheyne](http://rss.desiringgod.org/link/10732/17181304/a-ministry-made-in-secret?ref=dashhouse.com) > Private communion with God fueled a public ministry that had unusual power and attraction. [A Song on God’s Delight in Church Monotony](https://entrustedtothedirt.com/2025/10/08/a-song-on-gods-delight-in-church-monotony/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. ### Resist the Machine URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/resist-the-machine/ Last updated: 2025-10-07T09:00:57.000Z In his book [*How to Stay Smart in a Smart World*](https://amzn.to/4mSiT5o?ref=dashhouse.com), Gerd Gigerenzer poses a scenario. > Imagine a digital assistant who does everything better than you. Whatever you say, it knows better. Whatever you decide, it will correct. When you come up with a plan for next year, it will have a superior one. At some point, he says, you will probably cede control of your life to this digital assistant. You will let it manage your finances, write your messages, and even order products you didn’t know you needed. You would be happy about all of this because it would save you time and relieve you of work you no longer need to do. But where would you draw the line? Would you let it vote for you? Would you let it pick your spouse? Without setting boundaries, tech companies could take over your life, with digital assistants doing everything better than you. We’re not living within this scenario right now, but your life is increasingly being changed, and in some ways improved, by two kinds of digital assistants: AI and algorithms. AI gives us answers, automates our homes, and increasingly generates a lot of the content we read. Experts say that a majority of the content we read online is written with the help of AI. AI has also improved dramatically. While early AI-generated writing was clunky and subpar, it’s now surprisingly competent. But there’s a tradeoff. Human-generated content can be inconsistent. It’s sometimes brilliant, sometimes mediocre. AI-generated content is more consistent, but it rarely rises above mediocrity. It’s polished, but it lacks soul. Over-reliance on AI also comes with the risk of creative stagnation, where originality and depth are replaced by formulaic efficiency, and our writing abilities began to atrophy. Algorithms, the second technology shaping us, determine what we see. Social media platforms and shopping sites sift through billions of options to present the few they think we’ll engage with. When they work well, algorithms help us manage the overwhelming flood of content by tailoring it to our interests. But they also come with significant downsides. Algorithms are biased, creating echo chambers that amplify our existing views and increase polarization. They don’t just reflect our preferences; they shape them, often without us realizing it. Without careful consideration, we risk falling into the scenario Gigerenzer warns about, where machines create and control the content we see. It will feel convenient, even helpful, but at what cost? I'm not saying we should completely reject AI and algorithms. That's not realistic or necessary. Instead, we need to take deliberate steps to reclaim control. Prioritize human-generated content that you choose, not what algorithms select for you. Read real writers. Don’t rely on social media to dictate your reading list. Use tools like [Feedly](https://feedly.com/news-reader?ref=dashhouse.com) or [Feedbin](https://feedbin.com/?ref=dashhouse.com) to subscribe to blogs and newsletters that align with your values. Follow curators like [Tim Challies](https://www.challies.com/collections/a-la-carte/?ref=dashhouse.com) or my [weekly curated links](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/links/) to discover thoughtful, meaningful writing. Digital assistants have their place, but I’m not ready to let them both create and curate the content I consume. Stop the slop. Choose humans over machines. Resist the algorithm. We'll all be better for it. ### Unity Applied (Colossians 3:1-17) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/unity-applied-colossians-31-17/ Last updated: 2025-10-05T22:00:18.000Z **Big Idea:** Act out who you are in Christ by resisting division and living in unity. --- Here’s the tension we face in church. On one hand, we have been called to something amazing. Mark Dever and Jamie Dunlop [write](https://amzn.to/46wKK4P?ref=dashhouse.com): > Of all the ways that the gospel changes this world, the community of the local church is the most obviously supernatural. Its witness even goes beyond this world. “The rulers and authorities in the heavenly places” sit up and take notice, says Paul (Ephesians 3:9–10). They define local church community as “a togetherness and commitment we experience that transcends all natural bonds—because of our commonality in Jesus Christ.” It is amazing. It is supernatural. And it is real. And when you experience it at its best, it is life-changing. Let me give you one example. I grew up in a broken home. Our family went through a period of deep crisis. Our local church provided practical support in all kinds of ways. They dropped off groceries. They gave us money. When we didn’t have a car, they drove us to church. They checked in on us. They loved us. When we needed the church, the church showed up for us in a big way. That’s the one side of the tension we face. The church is an amazing, supernatural, and life-changing reality that we get to enjoy as believers. Here’s the other side of the tension: we are sinners. To quote Dever and Dunlop again, “he has left the task of displaying the glory of his *perfect* character to the very *imperfect* people of his church.” To be part of the church means that we need to face the reality that we will be disappointed with each other, and that each of us will, in our own way, also contribute to the imperfection of the church. Church is both a wonder and a challenge. It brings some of our greatest joys, yet it can also cost us deeply and wound us in ways we never expected. Today’s passage helps us navigate this tension in a way that fosters the amazing, supernatural, and life-changing reality of who we’re called to be as we live together with all the challenges that come with being sinners. ## Act Like Who You Are in Christ The message of the Bible isn’t to try harder on your own. Instead, the message of the Bible is to be who you already are. Everything that we’re about to see is built on the truths found in Colossians 3:3: “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Two truths about anyone who has turned to Christ in repentance and faith: - You have died. Through faith, you are united to Jesus Christ in his death. His crucifixion becomes our crucifixion. The old self—our sinful nature, our identity apart from God, our slavery to sin—has been put to death. It’s not just wounded or weakened, it’s decisively dealt with. So live as someone who’s already died to sin. Don’t let the old habits, desires, and patterns of life have any power over you. They no longer define you. - Your life is hidden with Christ. Your life is bound up with Jesus. Your old life is gone. The most important thing about you is that your life is inextricably linked to Jesus’. You have an identity in Christ, allowing you to live freely and reflect his character and love in all you do. That’s the basis of what follows. In light of these two realities, put to death what is earthly, he says in verse 5\. And then he lists a number of practices that are incompatible with who we are in Jesus. Then he says: > Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. (Colossians 3:9-10) Put to death what’s incompatible, and then put on what is compatible with your new identity. Then he mentions five attitudes, similar to the ones we looked at last week, because this is not a surface thing. It happens in our hearts. Put on: - Compassion: A heartfelt empathy that moves us to care deeply for the needs and struggles of others. - Kindness: A gracious and warmhearted disposition that seeks to do good for others in both words and actions. - Humility: A lowliness of mind that values others above ourselves and refuses to insist on our own rights. - Gentleness: Strength under control, showing restraint and grace in how we treat others, even when provoked. - Patience: A long-suffering attitude that endures difficult people and circumstances without frustration or anger. These attitudes are all an outworking of the truths that you have died with Christ, and that your new identity is linked to Jesus. This is who you are now, so live like it. ## Extreme Examples Paul explained how to fulfill our calling as a church despite our flaws as sinners. The key is to act like who you already are in Christ. Put on the attitudes that are compatible with who you already are in him. But I want you to notice how challenging this is. Read Colossians 3:11: “Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.” The church brings together people who otherwise would have nothing to do with each other. In Colossians 3:11, Paul's list highlights the significant divisions in the ancient world, such as cultural, religious, and social barriers that created rigid “us” and “them” categories. Greeks and Jews lived in perpetual tension. Greeks prided themselves on their cultural superiority, quickly calling others "barbarians," while Jews upheld their covenant identity, seeing Gentiles as spiritually unclean. Circumcision served as a clear division between Jews and Gentiles: for Jews, it was a sacred sign of God's covenant, while Gentiles found it confusing and offensive. The terms "barbarian" and "Scythian" carried the weight of Greek contempt. Barbarians were those who couldn't speak proper Greek, their speech sounding like meaningless "bar-bar" sounds to Greek ears. Scythians ranked even lower. Greek historians like Herodotus depicted them as brutal warriors who drank enemy blood, used human scalps as napkins, and fashioned skulls into drinking cups. Greeks saw them as the ultimate barbarians: violent, crude, and completely alien. When Paul wrote to the Colossians, "Scythian" meant the most uncultured and despised people you could imagine. Greeks already called non-Greeks "barbarians," but Scythians were worse than barbarians. They sat at the very bottom, so far outside civilization that Greeks compared them to wild animals. Slavery created perhaps the most profound divide. Slaves existed as property rather than people, their humanity diminished to their usefulness. Free people lived with rights and dignity that slaves could only imagine. The notion of these two groups worshiping side by side would have struck the ancient mind as absurd. These weren't abstract categories but flesh-and-blood realities. Each group carried deep-seated reasons to distrust or despise the others. Yet Paul's declaration cuts through it all: "Christ is all, and is in all." The gospel doesn't pretend these differences don't exist; it transcends them. It creates a new humanity where our primary identity isn't Greek or Jew, slave or free, but belonging to Christ. This vision demanded—and still demands—extraordinary grace to live out in community. We don’t get along because it’s easy to get along. God’s grace enables us to transcend the most extreme divisions that tear people apart. Once we come to Jesus, our differences stop being barriers, because Christ is all and is in all. ## Getting Practical We’ve seen that the church is amazing and supernatural but hard. The only way it works is if we act like who we already are in Christ. When we do this, we’ll overcome the most extreme divisions that tear us apart because Christ is all and in all. Paul concludes this passage with seven practical instructions for living in harmony as God's people. His instructions are deeply practical and relational, and they’re central to how God wants us to live together. Paul tells us to take seven practical actions. ### Bear with each other (3:13). This means to put up with the imperfections, quirks, and even offenses of others within the body of Christ. It's about staying in relationships with those who may frustrate us, choosing to show grace instead of giving up. It’s about patience and understanding, even when others frustrate us. It’s about remembering how much God has put up with us, and extending that same treatment to others. ### Forgive as the Lord forgave you (3:13). Forgiveness isn’t optional. It’s not based on our feelings or the worthiness of the person who wronged us. It involves releasing the person who wronged us from the debt of their offense. It’s a decision to let go of resentment, bitterness, and the desire for revenge. It’s an act of grace, mirroring the unmerited forgiveness God extended to us through Jesus. Just as Christ has forgiven us, we must forgive others, no matter the offense. ### Put on love (3:14). When Paul speaks of “putting on love,” he’s describing love as the supreme virtue that holds all other virtues together. It’s the crowning piece of the new wardrobe we’re called to wear as followers of Christ. Compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience are all essential, but love is what holds them together and makes them effective. Without love, these virtues lose their power and purpose. It's not just a feeling; it's a commitment to actively seek the wellbeing of others, even if it costs you personally. In practical terms, putting on love means choosing to act in ways that reflect Christ’s sacrificial love. It's about being patient with others during tough times and striving for unity despite our differences. Love is the ultimate expression of the gospel lived out in community. It’s what makes the church a reflection of Christ’s character and a witness to the world. ### Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts (v. 15). The word "rule" here suggests an umpire or referee. It means letting Christ's peace guide us in our lives, like an umpire, especially during conflicts. When this peace rules in our hearts, it shapes how we respond to others. It calms our fears, tempers our frustrations, and enables us to pursue unity within the body of Christ. His peace becomes the defining characteristic of our hearts and relationships. ### Be thankful (v. 15). Gratitude shifts our focus from what’s wrong to what’s right, fostering a spirit of joy and contentment in our relationships. Instead of dwelling on frustrations or differences, gratitude helps us see others as gifts from God. It reminds us that everything we have—including our brothers and sisters in Christ—is a result of God’s grace. Being thankful reduces criticism and grudges, and fosters encouragement, forgiveness, and support for others. Gratitude also creates a culture of joy and unity. A thankful heart is contagious. When we express appreciation for one another, it strengthens bonds and reflects the love of Christ. It’s a way of saying, “I see God’s work in you, and I’m grateful for it.” This kind of thankfulness doesn’t ignore problems, but cultivates a heart that sees God’s grace everywhere and reflects that grace in how we treat others. It’s a powerful way to live out the gospel in the church. ### Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you (v. 16). Paul emphasizes the importance of Scripture in shaping our community. Teaching, admonishing, and singing together are ways we encourage one another with God’s truth. When God’s Word shapes our hearts and minds, it naturally overflows into how we interact with one another. When God’s word shapes our hearts and minds, it naturally overflows into how we interact with one another. ### Do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus (v. 17). Every word and action should reflect Christ’s character and bring him glory. This last verse gives us a Christ-centered focus for all we do. When we speak and act in Jesus’ name and give thanks to God, our differences take a backseat to our shared purpose. We will have a culture where we’re quick to forgive, eager to encourage, and committed to building each other up. This is what God has called us to do. It’s not easy. Look around you. There is nothing that would have brought us together except for Jesus. We have every reason to divide and anger each other. And yet we died with Christ and our lives are in Christ. That allows us to live out our new identity. This means we should bear with others, forgive easily, love selflessly, let Christ's peace guide conflicts, stay grateful, base our relationships on Scripture, and use Jesus as the reference for all we say and do. **Act out who you are in Christ by resisting division and living in unity.** This is what it means to be bound together. I wish I could say that it’s easy. It’s not. Living this way allows us to treat others as Jesus treated us, showcase God's greatness to the world, and fulfill our calling as the church. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-466/ Last updated: 2025-10-04T09:00:45.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [The Problem Isn't Hell - It's Our Understanding of Justice](https://crookandpsalter.substack.com/p/the-problem-isnt-hell-its-our-understanding) > The seriousness of sin - and thus the punishment due to sin - is not measured merely by the sin itself but by the value and the worth of the one sinned against. [Always Together: A Lesson From the Early Church](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/early-church-always-together/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The early Christians sought one another out all week, not just on Sundays. [How to Pray When You Exercise](https://www.crossway.org/articles/how-to-pray-when-you-exercise/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Whatever body God has given you with its strengths and weaknesses is an occasion to thank him and to do so regularly. [Monk or Missionary: Christian Approaches to Social Media](https://mereorthodoxy.com/monk-or-missionary-christian-approaches-to-social-media?ref=dashhouse.com) > It seems to me that there are going to be two dominant postures toward social media moving forward, both legitimate and both necessary. They are *monks* and *missionaries*. [It’s Time for a Church Transition: Should the Pastor Leave, Hand Off, or Reboot?](https://karlvaters.com/church-transition-reboot/?ref=dashhouse.com) > So how does a pastor know when it’s time to leave, prepare for a hand-off, or walk with them through a rebirth? Here’s what I’ve learned. [Made For Approval, Just Not Theirs](https://gcdiscipleship.com/article-feed/made-for-approval-just-not-theirs?ref=dashhouse.com) > When you live for everyone else’s approval, you end up exhausted, fragmented, and hollow. Even if you get the applause, you never get to rest. The irony is that the ache itself isn’t wrong. It’s holy. You were made for approval—just not theirs. [How to Kill Cynicism](https://griffingooch.substack.com/p/how-to-kill-cynicism) > What follows is just my attempt to articulate how and why I’m trying to kill my own cynicism and commit to sincerity—and how you can too. My latest column at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [What’s Wrong with the Church, and What Do We Do About It?](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/straight-paths/whats-wrong-with-the-church-and-what-do-we-do-about-it/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The church’s problems aren’t solved by abandoning preaching but by remaining faithful to the ordinary means of grace. ### Cultivating Gratitude URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/cultivating-gratitude/ Last updated: 2025-09-30T09:00:26.000Z I live in an amazing condo. I married a girl I love. I spend my days doing work that’s meaningful to me. My fridge is full of food. And I still find myself grumbling some days. On one hand, I understand why. Life is hard, and all of us struggle. Even the good things can’t fully satisfy our souls. Ecclesiastes teaches us to enjoy life without expecting that the blessings of life will ever be enough. Only God can ultimately satisfy us. But why is it so hard to cultivate a grateful mindset? And what can we do to begin to build grateful hearts? ## Worse Than We Think A lack of thankfulness is worse than we think. When we struggle with ingratitude, we’re facing a symptom of a serious spiritual illness. God has been so gracious to us. We don’t deserve anything, and yet he’s given us so much. On top of that, he’s revealed himself to us and offered us his grace and forgiveness instead of condemnation. To refuse to give thanks under these circumstances reveals that something is seriously wrong with our hearts. In fact, Paul writes, “For though they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became worthless, and their senseless hearts were darkened,” he writes (Romans 1:21). We all know God, Paul argues. But we stubbornly refuse to glorify him or give thanks. Paul doesn’t see this as a minor flaw. He sees this as a sign that something has gone horribly wrong with our hearts. “When you say that he is not thankful to God, you have said about the worst thing you can say of him,” said Charles Spurgeon. Why is ingratitude such a problem? In his book *In Two Minds*, the British writer Os Guinness argues that doubt is a middle place between faith and unbelief. Because this middle place is unsteady, we’ll tend to move either towards faith or towards unbelief. Ingratitude will always push us towards unbelief, he argues. “Rebellion against God does not begin with the clenched fist of atheism but with the self-satisfied heart of the one for whom ‘thank you’ is redundant.” According to the Bible, ingratitude is the next-door neighbor to unbelief. ## The Solution The solution is simple. It’s to regularly practice the biblical command to give thanks. “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18). We don’t have to wait for a feeling of gratitude. Sometimes the feeling comes after. We just need to start by obeying this command regularly in our lives. The way Paul states the command indicates that it’s supposed to be a regular practice in our lives. Paul told us to give thanks *in everything*. We don’t have to give thanks *for* everything, but we can learn to give thanks in every situation, trusting that God is at work even when we can’t understand it. Your wife? Give thanks for her. You may find that your gratitude begins to transform your relationship with her. The same with your kids. Sometimes we go through challenging times with our children; they are still a gift from God, and we can thank God for the privilege of loving them, knowing that God loves them even more than we do. The same applies to our jobs and our bosses. We may have many reasons to complain, but we also have many reasons to give thanks. One day we may even long for the problems we have today. Paul teaches us how we can learn to become grateful. We become grateful by practicing it. Gratitude doesn’t start with a feeling. It starts by simply obeying the Bible’s commands to give thanks in everything. And we can start with whatever is going on in our lives right now, with our families, our work, and the people around us. We all have so many reasons to be grateful. Ingratitude is a serious danger to our souls. The place to start: simply give thanks, and repeat. Cultivate gratitude to God, because he is worthy of our gratitude and worship. *Originally published at* [*Impactus*](https://www.impactus.org/articles/cultivating-gratitude/?ref=dashhouse.com) ### Work Hard at Unity (Ephesians 4:1-3) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/work-hard-at-unity-ephesians-41-3/ Last updated: 2025-09-28T22:00:06.000Z **Big Idea:** Work hard at maintaining the unity that God has given us by cultivating the right attitudes. --- One of the challenging things about the Bible is that it doesn’t just command us to *act* a certain way toward each other; it commands us to *feel* a certain way toward each other. Take a look around. We’re a bunch of very different people. We have different personalities, different quirks, and different beliefs on all kinds of matters. It would be very easy for us to split apart over any number of things. Add to the fact that we don’t get to choose who comes to church. We’re kind of stuck with each other. Not everyone who joins a church is our kind of person. Every church I know includes some challenging or socially awkward people. And the Bible doesn’t command us to only act well toward each other. It commands us to feel a certain way toward each other. In other words, the Bible doesn’t command us to treat each other well with gritted teeth. It demands a certain attitude. A good example is Ephesians 4:31-32, which says: > Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. Notice the combination of attitudes and actions. Get rid of bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and slander, and all malice. Don’t let them take root in your heart, because if they’re in your heart they will eventually come out. Get rid of bad attitudes, and then adopt some good attitudes. He talks about being kind, but the kindness isn’t just an action. The kindness comes from being tenderhearted. Tenderheartedness stems from deep compassion within, not just superficial politeness. It reflects an internal feeling rather than merely outward actions. Paul is saying that “feelings of bitterness, resentment, and a desire for retaliation must give way to a warm and tender heart” (Clinton Arnold). To which we might say: Are you kidding me, Paul? It’s hard enough for me to act kindly toward difficult people. And now I’m supposed to feel warmly and tenderly toward them too? Yes, Paul says, but we need to back up to the start of chapter 4 to see how this works. ## A Turning Point Ephesians 4:1 says, “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called…” The "therefore" marks a turning point in Ephesians. Up to this point, Paul has been talking about theology. The first three chapters of Ephesians are all about what God has done. God has chosen us and sealed us with the Holy Spirit to the praise of his glory. We were dead in sins, but God graciously made us alive in Christ and made us one with former enemies in Christ. He’s made us members of his body, so that we are now the new dwelling place together for the Spirit. This became the driving force of Paul’s life and transformed the church into a theater of God’s glory. I like how James Montgomery Boice puts it: > With the possible exception of Romans, no New Testament letter contains a stronger or more exhilarating presentation of theology. Chapters 1–3 have spoken of predestination and election, adoption and redemption, the work of the Holy Spirit, rebirth, the work of God in joining people from all nations and all walks of life together in the one holy body of Christ, the church. This is so marvelous a section that Paul ends chapter 3 with a doxology. That doxology says: > Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21) In light of these profound theological truths, Paul calls us to live accordingly. He shifts from doctrine to duty, creed to conduct, and from theology to the practical realities of a transformed life. As Boice said, “He is telling us that doctrinal ‘input’ must be matched by an equal, practical ‘output’ of that doctrine in our lives.” It’s important to notice something about what Paul teaches. In Ephesians 1:10, Paul reveals God’s ultimate purpose: “to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.” This points to a future day when the entire universe and the whole church will be brought into perfect unity under Christ, the supreme head of all. While this cosmic unity awaits its full realization, Paul emphasizes in chapters 2 and 3 that this work has already begun. Through Christ, God has united Jews and Gentiles—people from vastly different ethnic, social, and religious backgrounds—into one new humanity. These individuals had different personalities, priorities, and backgrounds, yet they were united in their mission to achieve the church’s goal of spiritual and cultural transformation, as described in the opening chapters of this epistle. In other words, loving each other from the heart isn’t incidental to the gospel. It’s at the core of the gospel. It’s an essential part of what Christ came to do. ## Three Truths About Unity In light of the gospel that Paul has expounded in chapters 1 to 3, listen to what Paul says in chapter 4: > I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1–3) Here’s the call on our lives: to walk in a manner worthy of our calling. Our calling as believers comes with responsibilities. How can we walk worthy of our calling? In two ways, according to this chapter: by walking in unity and by living a godly life. We’re going to look at the first part today. We walk worthily of the gospel when we walk together in unity. Remember, this isn’t abstract. As they read this letter together, they would have been experiencing some of the tensions that made it hard. This is not abstract; this is an application of the gospel to something that they faced, and we face too. I want you to notice three things: ### It will take work. The central command is found in verse 3: “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” The NET Bible captures the idea well: “making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” This verse conveys both eagerness and effort. We should desire this unity; it’s something we should want to pursue. But it also requires hard work. The text assumes this task won’t be easy. Maintaining unity will demand significant energy and focus from the church. There will be challenges, confrontations, and difficulties along the way, but the responsibility remains. It calls for intentionality, effort, and diligence. Why will it require so much work? Because, as Don Carson explains: > The church inevitably gains more than its fair share of awkward and offensive people. Do you know why? Because no other group in society will have them. The church is bound to collect a disproportionate percentage of misfits because, by and large, the church is still a more receptive place for them than other places, and far from shunning them and squeezing them to the periphery, we ought to glory that Christ goes after the ignoble and the weak. It will take effort because God doesn’t call a homogeneous group of polished, like-minded individuals to form his church. He brings together a diverse group of people who normally wouldn’t have anything in common and might even annoy each other. He calls people with different personalities, beliefs, and quirks to be the church and to love each other. If it’s work, it’s not a sign that something is wrong. It will take a lot of effort. It’s meant to be this way. It will take work. Here’s the second thing I want you to notice: ### It’s not our job to create the unity; it’s our job to maintain it. We’re supposed to be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” We don’t have to create it; we have to maintain it. Our unity is a gift, freely given and already secured. It was purchased by Jesus through his sacrifice and granted to us by the Holy Spirit. This unity isn’t something we need to earn or strive to achieve. It’s already ours in Christ by virtue of the fact that God has made us one in him. We don’t have to work to get it, but we have to work to keep it. Imagine someone giving you a brand new car as a gift. You didn’t earn it, and you didn’t pay for it. It’s yours, freely given. But owning the car comes with responsibilities. You need to maintain it: change the oil, keep the tires inflated, and fill it with gas. If you neglect it, the car won’t function as it should. The gift remains yours, but it takes effort to keep it running smoothly. That’s how it is with our unity in Christ. Friends, we don’t have to create unity at GFC. We already have it. But we sure have to work hard to maintain it, because we will screw it up if we don’t work hard at it. It takes a lot of work. It will take work. Our job isn’t to create unity; our job is to maintain it. Here’s a third thing I want you to notice: ### It requires us to cultivate three attitudes. Look at the attitudes Paul mentions in verse 2: humility, gentleness, and patience. To maintain the unity given by God, we must actively work on cultivating these attitudes. - **Humility** — Humility keeps surfacing in this series, and for good reason. It’s not shyness or self-deprecation. As C.S. Lewis wisely put it, humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less. In Paul’s day, this was a countercultural virtue. The society around him prized honor and avoided shame at all costs. Humility, by contrast, stands in opposition to self-assertion and insisting on your own way. It’s about showing deference to others, prioritizing their needs, and seeking their best interests above your own. It’s a posture of the heart that reflects the very character of Christ. Paul wants us to understand, “I am not a big deal. God is, and others are, but I am not a big deal. It is not all about me!” - **Gentleness** — Gentleness is not weakness; it’s about self-control. It's about treating others with kindness, empathy, and gentle encouragement instead of harshness and criticism. It means channeling and controlling our natural responses so that they are helpful for others. Gentleness channels our impulses and reactions toward good, life-giving purposes, rather than destructive, life-draining ones. - **Patience** — Patience can be translated “suffering long.” God calls us to suffer long with each other, enduring with one another. It’s about making every excuse we can for others. It’s what Paul says in the rest of the verse: “bearing with one another in love” or “putting up with one another in love.” I love how practical this is. We need to cultivate the habit of putting up with each other rather than giving up on each other when it’s hard. It will take work. Our job isn’t to create unity; our job is to maintain it. It will require us to cultivate three attitudes: humility, gentleness, and patience. It will never be easy, but by doing these things, we will foster the kind of unity that’s central to the gospel and to what God is calling us to as a church. Work hard at maintaining the unity that God has given us by cultivating the right attitudes. Friends, the gospel doesn’t just save us; it joins us with people who will drive us absolutely crazy. And it calls us not just to be nice to each other, but to feel tenderly towards each other, and to love each other from the heart. This is impossible apart from the gospel. And even with the gospel, it will take a lot of work. Without intentionality, we will mess it up. How do we do this work? Remember you’re no big deal. Choose to control rather than vent your natural reactions so that they’re helpful for others, even those who drive you crazy. Be gentle, because remember: you are no big deal. And put up with others. Keep working at this and you will find yourself maintaining the precious thing that Jesus has purchased for us with his own blood. You will find yourself starting to love the people who otherwise would drive you crazy. Remember that these are the attitudes that Jesus has shown to us. He was a big deal, but chose to come humbly as a servant. He was gentle and kind with us. He puts up with us despite us giving him every reason to be done with us. These attitudes embody the way that Jesus has treated us, and he calls us to show these same attitudes to others. Next week we’re looking at the actions that flow out of these attitudes. But this is the place to start. Work hard at it. It won’t be easy. But as we do these things, God will make our church into a little mirror of the gospel, a small reflection of the way that Jesus has treated us. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-465/ Last updated: 2025-09-27T09:00:25.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Letter to a Brother Stuck in Pornography](https://philcotnoir.com/2025/09/17/letter-to-a-brother-stuck-in-pornography/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The gospel exists to defeat sin! [A Guide to Meaningful Worship](https://learn.ligonier.org/articles/guide-to-meaningful-worship?ref=dashhouse.com) > I got nothing from Sunday. Nothing from Sunday school, nothing from morning worship, and nothing still from evening worship. [Preachers: Here’s a One-Hour Change That Will Improve Your Sermons (And Lower Your Stress)](https://rickandlindareed.com/2025/09/24/preachers-heres-a-one-hour-change-that-will-improve-your-sermons-and-lower-your-stress/?ref=dashhouse.com) > But if you make the time and do the digging, you will give yourself and your people a precious gift. [3 Preaching Rules](https://nuakh.uk/2025/09/22/3-preaching-rules/?ref=dashhouse.com) > You should preach the gospel every week from the passage in front of you. [Three Foundations of a Discipleship Culture](https://research.lifeway.com/2025/09/24/3-foundations-of-a-discipleship-culture/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Programs can provide structure, but they aren’t the essence of discipleship. The heart of discipleship is life-on-life transformation. [Why I Will Never Use AI for Writing](https://sethlewis.ie/2025/09/24/why-i-will-never-use-ai-for-writing/?ref=dashhouse.com) > I will never share that privilege with a machine, no matter how insightful and helpful it may sound. [Can You Rely on AI for Theology?](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/podcasts/recorded/can-you-rely-ai-theology/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Not only were the answers different, but only two platforms nudged a searcher toward Christianity. ### Hard Times Are Fruitful Times URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/hard-times-are-fruitful-times/ Last updated: 2025-09-23T09:00:27.000Z I've given my testimony a few times. By testimony, I don't mean the safe, short version of how God has been at work in my life. I mean a detailed accounting of all of my life, including the parts that have been hardest. Every time I give this more detailed testimony, I'm humbled by the different seasons of suffering that I've been through. I don't think I'm alone. I think if all of us gave the full account of our lives, it would include many seasons of suffering. And yet, here's what I observe as I look back at my life: The hardest times are the most fruitful times. Let me give you a few examples. When I was young, my parents went through a separation and later a divorce. This was long before divorces became common in our society. Our family struggled. During that crisis, I saw the beauty of the gospel in my mother's life despite the difficulties. I also discovered the beauty of a local church and how they cared for a family in need. Much later, I was in a difficult ministry for a long time. There were a lot of reasons. Some of the fault was mine. It helped me identify sinful areas in my life, strengthened my theological beliefs, and improved my understanding of my fit in ministry. Out of that experience, God led me into church planting. I’m not sure I would have ever considered church planting without the disruption of a particularly difficult season of ministry. It brought one of my sweetest ministry seasons, despite the challenges. In the early days of church planting, we went through a significant personal crisis. The crisis helped my wife and me learn to pray together, something I had struggled with throughout our marriage. It's a practice that we continue to this day. The deep personal crisis taught us to rely on God and strengthened our marriage as we learned to endure challenges together. Likewise, the experience of church planting was both intensely hard and incredibly joyful. It's some of the hardest ministry we've done. And yet, it was also the most rewarding ministry we've done in many ways. It brought us great joy to sacrifice. As we worried if the church plant would succeed, we learned to trust God for his provision, to move out in faith, and expect God to act. And yet, out of these sacrifices, God brought us so much joy in ministry. I don't think the hard times are over. I'm expecting more, and that's okay, because God will continue his work in our lives. Here's what I've found: our hardest times have been our most fruitful times. I wouldn't want to go through all these periods of suffering again, and yet I'm grateful for them. It gives me confidence for the future, knowing that when things are hard, God is at work. He's working out his good purposes in our lives, even in the times that are hardest in our lives. ### Everyday Faithfulness (Colossians 4:2–6) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/everyday-faithfulness-colossians-426/ Last updated: 2025-09-21T22:00:35.000Z **Big Idea:** We have a responsibility to pray persistently, live wisely, and speak graciously so that our lives and words reflect Christ, and others come to experience his transforming grace. --- We’re in this small series on what it means to be the church. Specifically, we’re looking at some of the commitments we’ve made in our covenant. And there's a lot there. At first glance, you may think that becoming a Christian is a private matter. You may think that it’s primarily about making a commitment to God, and that’s certainly true. But there’s more to it. Becoming a Christian also means making commitments to one another. God doesn’t just save us in isolation; he saves us into a family. When we come to Christ, we’re not just reconciled to God, but also joined to his people. Salvation is deeply personal, but it’s never private. It’s relational. God adopts us into his household, making us brothers and sisters with others who belong to Christ. This means that Christianity isn’t just about “me and God.” It’s about “us and God.” The gospel creates a new community where we belong to one another, where we share life, and where we commit to love, serve, and grow together. This family isn’t perfect. It’s messy, inconvenient, and sometimes challenging. But it’s also one of the greatest blessings of the gospel. In the church, we find people who will walk with us, pray for us, encourage us, and even lovingly correct us when needed. We’re not meant to navigate faith alone. God designed us to thrive in community, where we can experience his grace through the lives of others and display his glory together. If that wasn’t enough, there’s another level too. Being transformed by the grace of Jesus involves not only a commitment to God and a commitment to his people. It also involves a new way of living in the world. Our faith in Jesus doesn’t just change how we relate to God and each other; it changes how we live in the world. That’s what we see in the passage we just read. Paul writes a group of Christians about how they can influence the world. That’s what God has called us to as a church: not just to commit to Christ; not just to commit to each other; but to play our role in the spread of the gospel. To paraphrase [Dick Lucas](https://amzn.to/47zlhdl?ref=dashhouse.com), this passage provides a practical answer to the question: What can an ordinary group of believers do to ensure that outsiders hear about Christ? It assumes that the church is committed to proclaiming the saving message both in word and in action, while recognizing that only a small number of individual Christians are specifically called to preach. It also highlights three ways our faith reshapes how we live together as a church, so that we can effectively point others to Christ. Paul gives us three actions. Here’s the first. ## Pray strategically (4:2-4) The place to begin in representing Jesus to the world is with prayer. > Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Paul tells us *how* to pray and *what* to pray. ### How to pray strategically How should we pray? Persistently, watchfully, and thankfully. - **Pray persistently:** “Continue steadfastly in prayer…” Make prayer a non-negotiable habit. Commit yourself to it. Let it become a regular rhythm of your life. Prayer is so central to God’s purposes for the universe and for us that Scripture repeatedly calls us to devote ourselves to it. Build prayer into the fabric of your days. Persevere in it. Don’t quit when it feels hard or fruitless. Treat prayer as the vital, life-giving practice it is. Pray with unyielding persistence, knowing that it truly matters. - **Pray watchfully:** “Being watchful in it…” We must stay alert in prayer because our natural tendency is to drift away from it without even noticing. Satan knows the power of prayer and will do everything he can to distract and discourage us. He’ll fill our lives with trivialities, convincing us that other things are more urgent. If we’re not watchful, we’ll grow careless, leaving ourselves vulnerable and spiritually unprepared. That’s why vigilance in prayer is essential. It keeps us grounded, focused, and ready to stand firm. - **Pray thankfully:** “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” Don’t approach prayer with panic or fear. Pray with gratitude, knowing that God is sovereign. The battle continues, but the victory is already secured. We don’t need to pray with clenched teeth or anxious hearts, we can pray with thanksgiving, resting in the assurance of God’s control as we navigate life in this world. That’s *how* we should pray: persistently, because prayer is vital, watchfully, because distractions and spiritual drift are real, and thankfully, because God is sovereign and the victory is already won. ### What to pray What should we pray? > At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. What should we pray? Paul highlights three key areas in verses 3 and 4: - **Pray for those who proclaim the gospel.** Some are gifted evangelists, while others are faithful, everyday witnesses. Pray for those specifically called to evangelism, even if you’re just an ordinary believer sharing the gospel yourself. Lift up those in our church and beyond who are particularly tasked with proclaiming the good news. Their role is vital, and they need our prayers. - **Pray for open doors.** Paul, writing from prison, doesn’t ask for personal freedom but for opportunities for the gospel to advance. Pray that God would open doors for his message to reach hearts, even in the most unlikely places. Ask him to create gospel opportunities for those who are proclaiming the gospel. - **Pray for clarity.** Paul asks for prayer that he would communicate the gospel clearly and effectively. This includes explaining who God is, humanity’s problem, Christ’s incarnation, death, resurrection, and his call to repentance and faith. These truths aren’t naturally understood, so pray for clarity in sharing them. Paul’s request reminds us that even the most seasoned evangelists rely on God’s help to make the gospel plain. What can an ordinary group of believers do to ensure that outsiders hear about Christ? Pray. Pray persistently to fuel God's mission, stay watchful to avoid distractions, and pray with gratitude, trusting in God's sovereignty for the outcome. Pray for gospel messengers to find open doors and to speak with compelling clarity, illuminating the life-changing truth of Christ. Prayer is central to the advance of the gospel. > To Paul, prayer is not simply an act of presenting one’s personal wishes and desires to God; rather, it is a way for believers to participate in the unfolding of God’s redemptive plan in history. ([David Pao](https://amzn.to/4pdOocp?ref=dashhouse.com)) Prayer is central to the purposes of God, because God loves to be asked. John Piper says, “God, the Creator of the Universe, who holds our life in his hands and rules the world, is the kind of God who loves to be asked for things.” If we want to make a difference in the world, prayer is essential. It’s not wasted time. It’s not it’s not just about how we live. It’s about speaking to God, asking him to advance the gospel and transform lives. Prayer is central to the mission of God. There’s a second way we can live to point others to Christ. ## Live wisely (4:5) > Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Walk in wisdom. How should you live your life among unbelievers? Wisely. This is the challenge for every one of us as we go into the world and interact with people who don’t know Christ and may even be suspicious of our commitment to him. To walk wisely means, as John Piper says: > …knowing what to do for the glory of God when the rule book runs out. It’s knowing how to become all things to all men without compromising holiness and truth. It is creativity and tact and thoughtfulness. It’s having a feel for the moment, and having an eye for what people need and want. You can see why we need prayer! Not only that, but Paul says to make the best use of our time. God will give each of us opportunities for witness, and when they come, we should make the most of them while they last. Live differently that people will ask questions. They will see something different about us, that our priorities are different. Live a life that will evoke questions. Use every moment you have to live this way. Living wisely means being intentional and thoughtful in how we interact with unbelievers, letting our lives reflect Christ in practical ways. For example: - At work, show integrity by being honest, dependable, and kind, even in challenging situations. - In your neighborhood, take time to build relationships—invite a neighbor for coffee or offer help when they’re in need. - In conversations, listen well, ask meaningful questions, and speak with grace, avoiding defensiveness or arrogance. Use every moment to live in a way that sparks curiosity about your faith. Let your priorities, actions, and words point to Christ. Make a difference in the world by praying, and by living wisely, making the most of every opportunity to live and speak in a way that reflects the beauty of the gospel and draws others to Christ. But there’s one more thing we can besides prayer and wise living. ## Speak graciously (4:6). > Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. There’s a question of interpretation in verse 6\. The verse says something like this: “Let your speech always be filled with grace.” Scholars debate what Paul means here. It’s possible that Paul is saying that our word (the gospel) should be full of God’s grace — in other words, that we look for ways to proclaim God’s message of grace as much as possible. Or it could be that Paul is simply saying that our everyday conversation be gracious as possible. We’re not going to solve that one, but I also think both contain some wisdom for us. Look for ways to share the gospel. But do so in a way that you listen and you’re ready to answer people’s questions. We don’t need to have all the answers. We just need to be ready to speak in a way that adorns the gospel and shows love to the people around us. Let me put this together. Here’s what this passage teaches us. **We have a responsibility to pray persistently, live wisely, and speak graciously so that our lives and words reflect Christ, and others come to experience his transforming grace.** Being part of the church is one of the greatest blessings of the gospel. God doesn’t just save us in isolation; he saves us into a family: a community where we belong to one another, share life, and grow together. The church may be imperfect and messy, but it's where we experience God's grace through others and showcase his glory in unity. But this blessing isn’t just for us, it’s for the world. Together, we’re called to be a witness to Christ. This means praying persistently for open doors and clarity in sharing the gospel, living wisely so our lives spark curiosity about our faith, and speaking graciously to point others to Jesus. Our collective witness—through prayer, integrity, and love—shows the world the beauty of the gospel and invites them to experience the hope we’ve found in Christ. When we live this way, the church becomes a light in the darkness, a community that can’t be explained apart from God. That’s part of our covenant together. That’s why our church covenant includes commitments like: maintaining family and private devotions, biblically educating our children, seeking the salvation of family and friends, zealously advancing Christ’s kingdom, living with integrity, avoiding evil, and being honest and faithful in all our dealings. These aren’t just ideals. They’re practical ways to live out the gospel in every area of life. Jesus didn’t just save us to live private, isolated lives. He saved us into a family, a community where we love, serve, and grow together. But this family isn’t just for us, it’s for the world. The gospel calls us to pray persistently, live wisely, and speak graciously so that others might see the beauty of Christ in us. If you’ve never trusted in Jesus, know that He lived the perfect life you couldn’t live, died the death you deserved, and rose again to give you new life. Turn to him today. And if you’re already part of God’s family, pray persistently, live wisely, and speak graciously so that our lives and words reflect Christ, and others come to experience his transforming grace. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-464/ Last updated: 2025-09-20T09:00:44.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Physical Bibles Are Homemade Apple Pie](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/article/physical-bibles-are-homemade-apple-pie/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Enjoy your personal Bible each Sunday just as you enjoy homemade apple pie. [Letter to a Brother Stuck in Pornography](https://philcotnoir.com/2025/09/17/letter-to-a-brother-stuck-in-pornography/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The gospel exists to defeat sin! [You Want to Be a Pastor? Letter to Aspiring Men](http://rss.desiringgod.org/link/10732/17151759/when-are-the-last-days?ref=dashhouse.com) > Pastoral ministry is a dangerous calling. [Preachers, Perfect Your Voice](http://rss.desiringgod.org/link/10732/17156168/why-does-god-ordain-so-much-evil-in-the-last-days?ref=dashhouse.com) > We are bound to use every possible means to perfect the voice by which we are to tell forth the glorious gospel of the blessed God. [Don’t Lose Sight of a Liturgy’s Primary Aim](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/liturgy-prayer-heart/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Overall, I’m encouraged by this renewal. But I do notice a common misstep. [The State of Theology](https://thestateoftheology.com/?ref=dashhouse.com) > What do Americans in 2025 believe about God, the Bible, and salvation? Ligonier Ministries and Lifeway Research partnered to find out. [Check Your Spiritual Vitals](https://www.gospelforlife.com/check-your-spiritual-vitals/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Check three spiritual vitals—regular Scripture reading, consistent prayer, and active involvement in a local church—to identify and address root causes of spiritual struggle. My latest column at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Stay Faithful, Avoid Fads](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/straight-paths/stay-faithful-avoid-fads/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The fads have changed but the calling hasn’t. Don’t chase any kind of fad and trust the ordinary means of grace. ### God Sometimes Gives Us Hard Assignments URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/god-sometimes-gives-us-hard-assignments/ Last updated: 2025-09-16T09:00:05.000Z Isaiah 6 stands as a pivotal chapter in Scripture. At a critical moment in Judah’s history, when the nation faced immense threats, God called them to trust him. Isaiah, who had witnessed the grandeur of King Uzziah’s earthly court, was given a vision of God’s heavenly court, a vision that changed everything. It’s one of the most breathtaking revelations of God in the Old Testament. Through this encounter, Isaiah gained a greater view of God’s majesty, a sharper awareness of sin, and a profound understanding of forgiveness as God prepared him for the weighty role of prophet. But Isaiah’s commission was anything but easy. God sought a messenger, and Isaiah, now cleansed, responded with readiness: “Here I am! Send me.” Yet the mission God entrusted to him was sobering. Isaiah’s message would primarily be one of judgment. > And he said, “Go, and say to this people: > “ ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; > keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ > Make the heart of this people dull, > and their ears heavy, > and blind their eyes; > lest they see with their eyes, > and hear with their ears, > and understand with their hearts, > and turn and be healed.” > Then I said, “How long, O Lord?” > And he said: > “Until cities lie waste > without inhabitant, > and houses without people, > and the land is a desolate waste, > and the LORD removes people far away, > and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. > And though a tenth remain in it, > it will be burned again, > like a terebinth or an oak, > whose stump remains > when it is felled.” > The holy seed is its stump. > (Isaiah 6:9–13) Isaiah’s preaching would harden hearts rather than soften them. Because of this judgment, the land and its people would face ruin. The judgment had already been decreed in heaven, but Isaiah’s ministry would bring it to pass on earth. The people’s refusal to respond to his message would itself be part of God’s judgment upon them. Isaiah’s calling reminds us that faithfulness to God’s mission doesn’t always lead to visible success. Sometimes, it means standing by the truth despite rejection, trusting that God’s plan will succeed even when things look bad. The last verse offers some hope: God still preserved a remnant. Even in the midst of a bleak passage, we see that God still has his people. In the New Testament, Jesus quoted this passage about himself, highlighting how people heard his words but didn’t believe. Some rejected Jesus’ words, and their hearts were hardened. The same pattern holds true for many of God’s servants. God’s assignments are not always easy. For reasons known only to him, he sometimes places us in challenging churches or contexts where visible fruit is scarce. We may face misunderstandings, criticism, or seasons of ministry that feel unproductive. Our churches might not grow, our preaching might not receive acclaim, and the work might feel overwhelmingly hard. But this isn’t a sign of failure or disobedience. It may simply mean that God has entrusted you with a tough assignment. If that’s you, take heart. You’re in good company. Isaiah faced this. Jesus faced this. Many faithful servants have walked this path. It’s normal to feel discouraged at times, but like Isaiah, you can remain steadfast in your calling. Even when results seem invisible, God is working through you, and your faithfulness glorifies him. In the end, his approval matters far more than human recognition or response. God doesn’t measure success the way we do. He calls us to faithfulness, not results. So stay faithful to what he’s called you to do, wherever he’s placed you, trusting that his purposes will prevail, even in the hardest assignments. ### Committing Together (Romans 12:3-8) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/committing-together-romans-123-8/ Last updated: 2025-09-14T22:00:09.000Z **Big Idea:** The gospel creates the church and calls believers to humble interdependence and sacrificial service as the unified body in Christ. --- Let me make what I think is a very non-controversial statement, at least in our church: the gospel is a really big deal. It’s the good news of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ: that Jesus took our place, bore our sins, and reconciled us to God through his death and resurrection. We’re saved not by our efforts, but by grace through faith in Christ alone. This good news is both deeply personal and gloriously cosmic. It transforms individuals by reconciling us to God and points to the ultimate renewal of all creation. The gospel isn’t just the starting point of the Christian life. It’s the foundation, the center, and the driving force behind all growth and hope. It’s the message we long to preach every week and the truth we want to shape every aspect of our lives. The gospel truly is a big deal. That’s very important, but it’s not very controversial. I think we believe that as a church. So let me make a more controversial statement: the first implication of the gospel is the church. The gospel doesn’t just reconcile us to God; it reconciles us to one another. It creates a people. In the epistles, the church is often the first application of the gospel. For example, in Ephesians, Paul spends the first parts unpacking the gospel’s riches. Then, before he's even done, Paul begins to apply this to the church. According to Paul, Christ’s death reconciles former enemies, creating one new humanity. The church becomes a living temple where God dwells, a foretaste of Eden restored. It shows God's diverse wisdom to spiritual forces. The church isn’t just a gathering; it’s a cosmic declaration of God’s redemptive work. And then in chapter 4, he begins to apply the gospel by saying, — let me paraphrase — “Now get along with each other!” In the New Testament epistles, the pattern is usually something like this: explain the gospel, and then apply it. And the first place to apply it is the church. We’re going to see this in today’s passage as well, which is in the book of Romans. For eleven chapters in Romans, Paul has been explaining the gospel. Romans 1–11 lays out Paul’s sweeping explanation of the gospel and its implications. Finally, chapter 12 shifts to application, calling believers to respond to God’s mercy by offering themselves as living sacrifices, renewing their minds, and living in unity as the body of Christ. And where does this begin? With the church. The first implication of the gospel is the church. We could spend weeks looking at Romans 12 to 16 and what it says about the church, and eventually we will. Today I just want to give us a sample by looking at Romans 12:3-8, because what it says is so central to why we exist as a church. Let’s walk through verses 3 to 8 and see what it says about how the gospel forms us as a church. Here’s the first thing we see: ## The gospel calls us to humility (12:3). > For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. (12:3) Paul explains that a renewed mind is characterized by humility. If you understand the gospel, there is no room for pride. If you are proud, it’s probably a sign that you don’t really understand the gospel. What does Paul mean here? He means that we shouldn’t entertain fantasies about our own importance. If we really understood the truth about our own sinfulness, and our need for God’s grace, we would think about ourselves with sober judgment. Earlier in Romans, Paul wrote that since Jesus died for the ungodly, no one should boast (Romans 3:23-4:5). Thinking that we’re a big deal is evidence that we don’t really understand the gospel. There should be no such thing as a proud Christian. How should we think of ourselves? Paul says, “According to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” This phrase can be challenging to interpret, and scholars offer different perspectives. One view is that Paul calls us to evaluate ourselves against the standard of faith—the gospel—that God has given to every believer. Another possibility is that Paul highlights how God graciously gives varying measures of faith, expressed through our spiritual gifts. Either way, both the faith to use our gifts and the gifts themselves are entirely the result of God’s grace. We can’t take any credit for them. How does the gospel prepare us to be part of the church? It humbles us. We are no big deal. If we think we’re a big deal, we don’t understand the gospel. We are simply sinners who have been transformed by God's grace, and we cannot take any credit for that. It’s all a gift. To truly understand the gospel, we must start with humility and avoid thinking too highly of ourselves. The gospel prevents us from doing so. We are not a big deal. What effect does the gospel have? It leads us to not think too highly of ourselves. This means helping others without wanting recognition, appreciating their gifts and contributions without jealousy, and being attentive and patient in conversations. It means prioritizing unity over personal preferences, forgiving freely, and resisting the urge to compare or compete. A humble church prioritizes God's glory over personal gain, embraces weakness as a way to showcase God's strength, and serves out of gratitude for his grace. The gospel calls us to personal humility. But there’s something else it calls us to: ## The gospel calls us to interdependence (12:4-5). > For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. (12:4-5) Do you notice the phrase "in Christ"? To be "in Christ" means that when you trust Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you are united with him in such a way that everything he is and has that can be shared becomes yours. His righteousness, relationship with the Father, power, and victory over sin and death are all shared with you. The only thing that isn’t shared is his deity, but everything else that can be given is yours. This union transforms your identity, secures your belonging, and empowers you to live a new life. It's not just a belief; it's the basis of your identity and how you live as a follower of Jesus. But then read the second part: “we, though many, are one body in Christ.” Our experience of being in Christ is never solitary. We experience all of this together as one body: “So we, though many, are one body in Christ.” Redeemed together. Justified together. Forgiven together. Created anew together. Every need met together. Loved by God together. Perfected together. Living forever together—all of this glorious unity is created in Christ and for the glory of Christ. Here’s the key: when you are united to Christ through the gospel, you are also united to every other believer. We are not isolated, independent followers of Jesus. Instead, every believer is joined to one another through our shared relationship with Christ. United in him, we are also united with each other, creating one body, family, and community. This unity is not optional; it’s the very essence of what it means to belong to Christ. We are not independent. We are not self-sufficient. We belong to each other. Scientists have confirmed that cockroaches can survive after losing their heads. This is because their nervous system, blood, and breathing are decentralized. A headless cockroach may remain alive, but it stands motionless until it starves. We, however, are not cockroaches. We have human bodies, and Paul compares the church to a human body. The human body needs every part to function well. While you can survive without a finger or eyesight, a healthy, thriving body requires all its faculties. In the same way, a healthy church needs every member and their unique gifts. We may give more attention to the head than the kidneys, or to the hands over the feet, but every part is essential. A functional body depends on all its parts, and a functional church depends on the contributions of every member. Being connected to the church means embracing the reality that you were never meant to follow Jesus alone. When you are united to Christ, you are also united to his people. The church is more than just an event; it's a family and a community where everyone has a place and contributes. This connection is not optional; it’s essential. God designed the church to be the place where we grow, serve, and experience his grace together. It’s where we find encouragement, accountability, and the joy of being part of something far greater than ourselves. This connection also calls us to a shift in mindset. Church is not about consuming spiritual goods or checking off religious boxes. It’s about committing to one another, even when it’s inconvenient or messy. Every member, whether visible or hidden, is essential to the well-being of the entire group. We are unavoidably tied together—bound together—in the church. When you’re connected to the church, you’re not just attending. You’re participating in God’s mission, using your gifts to build others up and being built up in return. We live out the gospel together, not as isolated individuals, but as a united community that demonstrates what it means to belong to Christ. The gospel calls us to humility. The gospel calls us to interdependence. There’s one more thing in this passage the gospel calls us to: ## The gospel calls us to service (12:6-8). > Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. (12:6-8) Now we see one of the reasons behind God’s design. He’s made us different so we can serve each other. You have a gift that the church needs. You are part of GFC because God has given you something that this church needs. You are not here only to receive but also to serve. To paraphrase John Piper, we are not contestants in a game where we try to beat each other, but different parts of a body where we try to serve each other. Paul lists seven ways that we can serve. It’s not an exhaustive list, but it’s a good one. One of them (prophecy) is a little more remarkable. It involves boldly sharing God's truth with the church, often needing a special gift from God for insight and communication. The rest are everyday activities: organizing, caring for the sick, teaching Christian values, encouraging others, sharing resources, leading, and being kind. They’re both ordinary and remarkable at the same time. They’re why God has put you here. The first implication of the gospel is the church. If you know the gospel, you understand that to be in Christ means to be joined to his people. And that looks like a call to humility, interdependence, and service. Here’s what I’m trying to get across: **The gospel creates the church and calls believers to humble interdependence and sacrificial service as the unified body in Christ.** Let me wrap this up. Why are we going through this series? Because if we get our view of the church from what we think or how the world operates, we’ll treat church as optional. We’ll show up as critics. We’ll check out when it’s hard. We’ll keep everyone at a safe distance. And we’ll expect to be served. If we see the church as the first application of the gospel, we’ll embrace our calling to live as a united body, dedicated to walking in love, advancing holiness, and serving sacrificially for Christ and the gospel. We will foster church growth and spiritual health, support biblical worship and practices, and generously help the poor while spreading the gospel. Together, we will embody the beauty of God’s grace and reflect his glory to the world. That’s who God is calling us to be. There is no greater privilege. You can live the other way if you choose, but then you’d just be another person living the world’s way. Or you can live out the first implication of the gospel by committing to the church in humility, interdependence, and service, and show the beauty of the gospel to a world that needs it more than anything else. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-463/ Last updated: 2025-09-13T09:00:10.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Respectable Sins in Christian Ministry](https://www.jenoshman.com/jen-oshman-blog/2025/9/10/respectable-sins-in-christian-ministry?ref=dashhouse.com) > We too often gloss over the evil within us. [Right-Sizing Your Ministry Expectations](https://rickandlindareed.com/2025/09/10/right-sizing-your-ministry-expectations/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Paradoxically, we should preach with both high and low expectations for the impact of our messages. [5 Things That Shouldn’t Be at the Center of Missions](https://www.crossway.org/articles/5-things-that-shouldnt-be-at-the-center-of-missions/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Any humanly-invented organization that assists in missions must remember that they are a bridesmaid, not the bride. [Writing Is Beyond Me](https://janacarlson.com/writing-is-beyond-me/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Writing well is beyond me. I can’t do it alone. [Don't Retire; We Need You](https://learn.ligonier.org/articles/dont-retire-we-need-you?ref=dashhouse.com) > So whether you remain retired from your career or not, please don’t retire from the next generation: we need you. [Reading as Rebellion](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/reading-rebellion/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Reading is the best way to rebel in a world that can glance at everything and gaze at nothing. [Three Biblical Principles for Christians After Charlie Kirk’s Death](https://www.youthpastortheologian.com/blog/three-biblical-principles-for-christians-after-charlie-kirks-death?ref=dashhouse.com) > The way parents and youth workers talk about this will matter just as much as the content of what we say. For that reason, I want to offer a few biblical principles that may help us collectively grieve and seek unity. ### Defensive Indifference URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/defensive-indifference/ Last updated: 2025-09-09T09:00:01.000Z Baseball has this fascinating concept called defensive indifference. It happens when a baserunner advances to the next base without the defense making any effort to stop them. This usually occurs late in a game when the outcome is already decided. It’s not counted as a stolen base but is seen as a strategic decision by the defense to avoid unnecessary risks, like an overthrow, that could complicate the situation. Last week, during the Blue Jays game against Cincinnati, I was surprised to see them allow a runner to advance without any resistance. It was the ninth inning, and we had a narrow lead. The game had already been tense and unpredictable, with the Jays giving up more runs and hits than they should have. I couldn’t help but question whether they could truly afford to show indifference at such a critical moment. It struck me that the same kind of indifference can creep into our lives. Sometimes we let small sins or temptations go unchallenged, thinking they’re insignificant or under control. We dismiss them as minor, not worth the effort to resist. But while defensive indifference might make sense in baseball, it has no place in the Christian life. Even the smallest sin can grow into something far more destructive if left unchecked. When it comes to sin, Scripture does not teach defensive indifference. Perhaps the most surprising example is in Matthew 5, when Jesus masterfully exposed the danger of what we might consider small sins. When we dismiss lust or hatred as minor or manageable, we’re essentially letting sin advance unchecked, like a baserunner moving to the next base without resistance. But Jesus warns that these seemingly small sins are anything but harmless. Left unchecked, they grow into destructive patterns that defile us and harm others. Jesus taught that we should take radical action to deal with them before these small sins got out of control. Scripture consistently calls us to be sober-minded and vigilant. Take, for instance, these words: “Be sober-minded, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith…” (1 Peter 5:8-9). Edmund Clowney captures the heart of this warning when he writes, “The danger to the Christian is that he will fail to resist.” In other words, the real threat is defensive indifference: a passive failure to engage in the spiritual battle. This is a catastrophic error, especially when we consider both the relentless enemy we face and the abundant resources God has given us to stand firm. Scripture teaches us that what seems small now can grow into something that can take us down later. There is no such thing as a small sin or a small temptation. Temptation thrives when we treat it casually. Scripture tells us to stay alert, resist the devil, and lean on God's strength. Christian, don't let indifference give sin a free pass. Every small act of resistance matters in the fight for holiness. Defensive indifference is a thing in baseball, but it should never be a thing in the Christian life. ### The Humble Church (James 4:1-10) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-humble-church-james-41-10/ Last updated: 2025-09-07T22:00:44.000Z **Big Idea:** Conflict in the church arises from selfish desires and pride, but God offers grace to those who humble themselves, submit to him, and allow his transforming power to create a unified, Christ-centered community. --- What advice would you give a church that was experiencing some conflict? I don’t ask this question because we’re facing conflict in our church right now, at least not more than usual. There aren’t any hidden messages here about things you don’t know about. I’m asking this question because we *will* go through conflict as a church, as well as all kinds of other issues. Conflict is inevitable. This is a problem that our church has faced in the past and will face again in the future, even though we’re not in a season of heightened conflict right now. The question is important to us right now, and it will be important to us in the future. What is good, biblical advice for a church facing conflict? It’s important for us to know before we face that conflict so we know what to do when we get there. ## A Closer Look at Conflict James, the half-brother of Jesus, wrote the book that bears his name to a broad audience, probably mostly Jewish Christians. It’s important to note this. James isn’t writing to a particular church, and so he’s not addressing particular problems that a certain church faced. He’s addressing issues that are common to all churches. One of these is conflict. James asks a key question in chapter 4, verse 1: “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you?” I've been doing this a long time, and I always hear two responses: a genuine concern or "they started it." In other words, whenever a quarrel or a fight breaks out among believers, it’s legitimate. I’m innocent. I’m simply expressing my concern or responding to what someone else has done. What’s the real reason conflict breaks out in a church? James tells us: > What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. (James 4:2-3) James uses very intense language. He doesn’t soften his language but uses alarming terms: wars, fightings, at war, kill, fight, wage war. > James chooses the vocabulary of war to express controversies and quarrels, animosities and bad feeling among Christians, not because there is no other way of saying it, but because there is no other way of expressing the horror of it. He is seeing the relationships of the church through the eye of God. (J.A. Motyer) What’s the root cause of conflict in the church? James is direct. The real reason behind all the other reasons is the passions that are at war within us. This is unflattering. James says that we have passions or desires within us. “When we want something badly enough, most of us are willing to sin in order to achieve or preserve it, or to sin when we don’t achieve or preserve it” ([John Henderson](https://amzn.to/3I4F75M?ref=dashhouse.com)). We want things. Not surprising. Here’s what’s surprising. He says that our desires are like soldiers that are ready to go to war at any time. “All our desires and passions are like an armed camp within us, ready at a moment’s notice to declare war against anyone who stands in the way of some personal gratification on which we have set our hearts” (Motyer). Again, when we’re in conflict with others, we would disagree with this. It would be hard to think that these words apply to us. But here’s the reality: the root cause of relational breakdown within the church is simple and disturbing. Our desires often become like soldiers, ready to go to war against others. The issue is a self-centered mindset. And if you start to go down that road, it’s the same road that leads to murder. It’s a matter of degrees, but we may be closer to this danger than we realize. It turns out this isn’t just a problem in our relationship with others. It’s a problem in our relationship with God as well. James says that even our prayers can be so contaminated by a selfish focus that God doesn’t answer our prayers. We can begin to use God for our own purposes, which leads to very serious consequences. This is hard, but it’s about to get worse. In verses 4 and 5, James goes even farther. > You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? (James 4:4-5) James calls the issue spiritual adultery. A misplaced love for the world and its values stirs up quarreling and conflict among God’s people. God longs for our hearts to be fully devoted to Him, and when we align ourselves with worldly desires, it grieves him deeply, like a spouse betrayed by unfaithfulness. Acting selfishly reflects the world’s values rather than the character of Christ. James is saying that our anger and irritation are signs that something is wrong in our hearts. The result is not only conflict with others, but hatred of God. It’s pride. “We quarrel and bicker because we love ourselves more than Jesus Christ” (John Henderson). Sam Allberry [writes](https://amzn.to/3V0HOZ5?ref=dashhouse.com): > The default setting for all people is to live with themselves at the centre. Ever since the first sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, this is what comes naturally to us. It is the very mentality for which we need forgiveness, for it pushes God from his rightful place. When Christians adopt this mindset, they are figuratively climbing back into bed with the world. It is not friendship with people in the world that’s wrong, but friendship with the values of the world. And God takes it personally—just like a husband who finds his wife back in bed with the thug she was dating before he had come into her life and rescued her from that awful relationship. Such a husband would have every right to be angry. And James is very clear that being unfaithful to God provokes his enmity. What looks small at first—quarrels and squabbles—is a symptom of a much more serious problem. It shows a self-centered attitude. A selfish focus is not a small thing. It’s what leads to the worst relational sins. It’s what leads to the worst sins. It is the worst kind of betrayal possible, not just against fellow believers but against God himself. Let’s get very practical here with something silly. Imagine that the person who buys our coffee started to use really bad coffee to save money. Some of us care about coffee because it embodies hospitality, which is essential to us. What began as a well-intentioned decision could easily turn into some mild conflict within the church. Here’s what James shows us. If that happened, the real issue is not the coffee. It’s pride, personal preferences, and a desire to be heard. The coffee beans are just the battleground; the real war would be happening in our hearts. The coffee bean debate would simply reveal a deeper alignment with worldly values: self-interest, pride, and a lack of humility. What seemed like a small disagreement is actually a symptom of hearts that have drifted from God’s priorities. It’s never only about the coffee. Coffee is just a lighthearted example. I could easily point to countless, more serious issues that churches face regularly: - Disagreements over worship - Conflicts about how church funds are allocated - Disputes about leadership decisions or direction - Differences in opinions about secondary theological issues And so on. The problem is rarely the issue itself; it’s our selfishness, pride, and failure to prioritize unity and love. Again, these are not the problems in a particular church. These are the problems in every church. This is not the problem that some of us have. We all have a tendency towards selfishness that can harm our relationship with God and with others in the church. ## The Solution This is very convicting. You, like me, might be feeling discouraged right now. James is turning up the heat. I’m almost scared of what he is going to say next. Until I read the next few words in verse 6: “But he gives more grace.” I don’t know about you. I needed that. Sometimes I realize how much sin is still in my life, which leads to despair. That's why I'm grateful that there is always more grace available than our sins. We need God’s cleansing grace, available through Jesus, to cleanse us from the sin of our selfishness and to reorient our hearts toward what pleases him. No matter our need, God always has more grace to give. We need this! The gospel offers profound hope to us when we see the selfish orientation of our hearts. God is able not only to forgive our sins but to transform our hearts by his grace. It's our only hope when we see the reality of our sin. God gives more grace if we're willing to humble ourselves and receive it. But grace changes how we live. Grace comes with responsibility. Read what James writes next in verses 6 to 10: > Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. Let’s see if we can get to the heart of what he says in this passage. Verses 6 to 10 describe the opposite of a quarreling community. It’s the only true alternative. It’s the God-given prescription for receiving God’s grace in abundance. You are either living in the ugliness of verses 1 to 5, or you are living in the grace of verses 6 to 10\. There are no other ways. Here’s the only alternative to a quarreling congregation and the only pathway to receiving God’s grace as a church: humility. In fact, a church that doesn’t possess this quality won’t receive God’s grace and will actually be opposed by God. What is humility? It’s dethroning our self-centeredness and realizing that we’re no big deal. Our desires and preferences are no big deal. God is a big deal. Life is about much more than us getting our way. Humility is actually a big relief. It frees us from the crushing weight of focusing on ourselves. In [*The Hobbit*](https://amzn.to/423fXLB?ref=dashhouse.com), Bilbo Baggins returned home and had a conversation with the wizard Gandalf. Gandalf told him: > “You are a very fine person, Mr Baggins, and I am very fond of you; but you are only quite a little fellow in a wide world after all!” > “Thank goodness!” Said Bilbo laughing, and handed him the tobacco-jar. Realizing that we are small and that our desires matter less than we believe is both true and refreshing news. What does humility look like? James gets practical. It looks like submitting to God, resisting the devil, drawing near to God, and repenting. It means acknowledging our sins sincerely, confessing them to our kind Father, and making significant efforts to overcome them. Humility means that we recognize our pride. It means that we examine what we value more than others and even more than Christ. And then we repent, receive his grace, and surrender to his will. This may mean losing the immediate relational battle or relinquishing the treasures we’ve clung to so tightly. Such attitudes and actions demonstrate true submission to God and firm resistance to the devil. The good news: God isn’t playing hard to get. He will always welcome his children who turn back to him from their sinful ways. Remember, this passage is not written to a particular church to address a particular problem. It’s written to churches in general to address a problem that every church will face. It’s written to address a problem that every Christian will face. Here’s what this passage is telling us: Conflict in the church arises from selfish desires and pride, but God offers grace to those who humble themselves, submit to him, and allow his transforming power to create a unified, Christ-centered community. There are two ways to live. The first comes naturally. It’s a way of life that characterizes the world. It’s to put ourselves first. It’s to insist on having our preferences met, of militarize our desires against others. This way of living can only be characterized by one word: pride. If we live this way, we will be opposed by God, and that terrifies me. But there’s another way of living that can be characterized by one word: humility. Humility is not one virtue among others; it is the very foundation of the Christian life. In the next few weeks, we'll discuss what it means to be united as a church. It starts with understanding that our biggest challenge is our self-centeredness. To become the church God desires, we must embrace humility, submit to God, repent for our selfishness, and let his grace transform us into a community that reflects his character and glorifies him. So, let’s respond. Let’s lay down our pride, our preferences, and our selfish desires. Let’s come to the cross, where grace flows freely, and find the strength to live in humility and unity. And as we do, let’s trust that God will do what he’s promised: he will exalt us, not for our glory, but for his. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-462/ Last updated: 2025-09-06T09:00:50.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [These Seven Biblical Truths Can Bring You Great Happiness](https://www.epm.org/resources/2025/Sep/1/seven-biblical-truths-happiness/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Ironically, it’s easier to be restored to a positive relationship with God than with any other being. [One Habit That Helped Me Stay Sane in My Darkest Days](https://www.gracebc.ca/blog/2025/9/3/one-habit-that-helped-me-stay-sane-in-my-darkest-days?ref=dashhouse.com) > Writing a prayer letter encouraged me in this principle and made me more grateful. [What Is ChatGPT (AI) For? And What Humans Alone Can Do](https://www.wyattgraham.com/p/what-is-chatgpt-ai-for-and-what-humans?ref=dashhouse.com) > Since we have an immortal and rational soul, humans alone can do what only humans can do, namely, contemplate intelligibles such as truth, justice, God, and angels. AI can never contemplate intelligibles, because humans alone have rational souls (animus / nous). [The Pleasures of Reading](https://blog.ayjay.org/the-pleasures-of-reading/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Books are not to be “gotten through”! Books are to be delighted in!! [Enjoying Your Own Decline](https://sethlewis.ie/2025/09/03/enjoying-your-own-decline/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Everyone declines, but not everyone declines with joy. [The Blessing of Godly Grandparents](https://learn.ligonier.org/articles/the-blessing-of-godly-grandparents?ref=dashhouse.com) > The Scriptures make clear the necessity for God’s people to pass down a godly heritage. Knowledge and commitment to the truth must be passed on to the following generations (see Ps. 71:15–17; 78:4–8).... [Remembering Dr. Stan Fowler](https://www.andrewnoble.net/p/remembering-dr-stan-fowler?ref=dashhouse.com) > I miss Dr. Fowler. I admired his clear thinking and his pastoral heart. I am inspired by his legacy. [Stan Fowler: Scholar, Servant, Singer](https://rickandlindareed.com/2025/09/02/stan-fowler-scholar-servant-singer/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Stan was a “scholar in service of the Church.” [Why a Boring Christian Life is Best](https://www.gospelforlife.com/why-a-boring-christian-life-is-best/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The best Christian life embraces ordinary faithfulness in Scripture, prayer, and church rather than chasing extraordinary spiritual experiences. ### Are You Correctable? URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/are-you-correctable/ Last updated: 2025-09-02T09:00:14.000Z “I have something I want to ask you,” my friend said. “How is your relationship with Paul?” I felt uncomfortable. I’d recently lost my cool with Paul. I was wrong, and everyone knew it. I’d taken some superficial steps to put things right, but I still hadn’t owned my mistake — actually, my sin. “I think we’re okay,” I mumbled, but I knew that my friend was right to ask the question. I needed a prompt to put things right. When someone corrects me, I automatically feel a little defensive. I think of all the reasons why I’m right and why the situation is more complicated than it appears. I want to come out looking like I’m not so bad, and that others would understand if they were in my shoes. I’m not alone. It’s not easy to receive correction from others. But being correctable is essential to our maturity and growth. “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but one who hates correction is stupid,” we read in Proverbs 12:1\. “Anyone who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever listens to correction acquires good sense” (Proverbs 15:32). And then there’s the verse that challenges me most: “The wounds of a friend are trustworthy, but the kisses of an enemy are excessive” (Proverbs 27:6). Sometimes it’s better for us to hear a hard thing from a true friend than a flattering thing from someone who really doesn’t care about us. I’m learning to appreciate being challenged by others. For one thing, I realize how much I need it. I’ve seen a few people who have made it clear that they don’t welcome correction. It’s ugly. When we don’t welcome feedback from others, we become blind to issues that are clear to everyone else. I don’t want to go there. I still struggle sometimes to receive correction. But I’m learning. Here are some practices that I’ve found helpful. **Take a moment before reacting.** Usually, I want to respond immediately, but my first response isn’t my best response. When I remember, I try to slow myself down, to breathe, and to listen carefully before I respond. **Assume good intentions.** Sometimes I tend to hear criticism as a personal attack. Usually, it’s not. Often, correction comes not because someone dislikes me but because they care about me and want the best for me. When I assume the other person cares for me and has good intentions, it’s easier to receive correction. **Reframe.** Charles Spurgeon, a preacher who lived in the 1800s, offered this advice: > Brother, if any man thinks ill of you, do not be angry with him; for you are worse than he thinks you to be. If he charges you falsely on some point, yet be satisfied, for if he knew you better he might change the accusation, and you would be no gainer by the correction. If you have your moral portrait painted, and it is ugly, be satisfied; for it only needs a few blacker touches, and it would be still nearer the truth. Even when the correction is off base, it helps to remember that we all have faults, and we can all stand to be corrected. Receiving correction is still hard. I don’t know if it ever gets easier. But I want to be a correctable person. I want everyone to know that I realize I have blind spots, and that I won’t attack them if they try to help me. By God’s grace, I’m growing in my ability to be correctable. *Originally published at* [*Impactus*](https://www.impactus.org/articles/are-you-correctable/?ref=dashhouse.com) ### What Married Love Requires (Song of Songs 8:5-14) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/what-married-love-requires-song-of-songs-85-14/ Last updated: 2025-08-31T22:00:57.000Z **Big Idea:** Marriage requires a love that is costly and unbreakable, boundaries that protect the relationship, and a pursuit that never ends. --- I’ve had the privilege of presiding over many weddings, and I love the entire journey. It's a joy to support couples from their engagement through premarital counseling to their wedding vows. I sometimes get to accompany them for years, seeing them build their lives, welcome children, and grow together. As I watch couples drive away after their wedding, I often wonder about their future. Will they experience more of the better or the worse, more of the richer or the poorer, more of the sickness or the health? How will they handle the challenges, joys, and trials of building a life together, aging, and navigating marriage? ## Three Requirements We’re in the grand finale of the Song of Songs. It’s a bit of a grand finale. Every character in the Song appears in the end, just like they do in a play. You have the couple, their companions, the brothers, King Solomon, and the mother. As one commentator (R. Davidson) writes: > We are witnessing something like the curtain call at the end of a play or musical. One by one the leading characters come forward, take a bow, and through a characteristic action or by a few well chosen words, recall what has gone before. Chapter 8 is a bit tricky. It’s very hard to trace the themes of this chapter with precision. But as best I can tell, this last part of the book ties some of the themes together and tells us three things that married love requires. They will vary from deep to practical, which reflects the essence of marriage. What does married love require? Here’s the first thing: ### An costly, unbreakable love (8:5-7) > Who is that coming up from the wilderness, > leaning on her beloved? > Under the apple tree I awakened you. > There your mother was in labor with you; > there she who bore you was in labor. > (8:5) "Who is that coming up from the wilderness?" echoes the wedding scene from 3:6, but now it’s just a woman returning to reality from the wilderness. Every couple faces this transition. Almost every couple goes from the excitement of a new relationship to the drudgery of alarm clocks, work demands, laundry, and bills. In the next few verses, you get an overview of everything that they’re going to face in their lives. It’s like their entire lives are collapsed into just a few verses: - marriage in the first part of verse 5 - sex in the second part of verse 5 - children in the third part of verse 5 - and eventually death in verse 6 What will help them adapt to reality and support them throughout their lives? Verses 6 and 7 tell us. It’s one of the most profound passages not just in this Song but in all of literature: > Set me as a seal upon your heart, > as a seal upon your arm, > for love is strong as death, > jealousy is fierce as the grave. > Its flashes are flashes of fire, > the very flame of the LORD. > Many waters cannot quench love, > neither can floods drown it. > If a man offered for love > all the wealth of his house, > he would be utterly despised. > (Song of Songs 8:6–7) What do they need? Love. This love is strong, invaluable, and reflects both the best of human love and God's profound love for his people. What kind of love do couples need? Couples need a love that is **enduring**. It's as strong as death and as unrelenting as the grave. It’s a love that is both intense and permanent. Just as death is inevitable and the grave is inescapable, true love is unshakable and enduring. It’s not fleeting or conditional; it’s a force that holds fast through every circumstance. They're going to need this kind of love, because everything in life will try to extinguish your love for your spouse. You need a love that’s stronger than all of the challenges that will come your way. You need a love that’s as strong as death. Second, couples need a love that’s **fiercely passionate**. It's like a blazing fire, the very flame of the Lord. They need a love that is both powerful and inextinguishable. This imagery captures love’s divine origin and also its consuming power. Love isn’t only a human emotion; it’s a reflection of God’s nature. It’s holy, passionate, and transformative, capable of igniting hearts and sustaining relationships through life’s challenges. Third, couples need a love that’s **priceless**. No amount of wealth can buy it, and no flood can extinguish it. Love is beyond material value and human control. It’s a gift to be cherished, not a commodity to be traded or manipulated. You need a love that is enduring, fiercely passionate, and priceless. That’s all. Talk about a high standard! But that’s not elite-level marriage. That’s what every marriage is going to need. Love is both a gift and a responsibility. If you get married, it is going to cost you all of your faithfulness, sacrifice, and devotion. It is going to cost you everything. Married love is a deep, lifelong commitment between one man and one woman, characterized by devotion and jealousy, lasting from their wedding until death. Nothing but the grave can separate two people who are thus joined together. If you haven’t married, don’t enter into this lightly. And if you are married, too late! This is what you’ve signed up for. If you’re overwhelmed by this, then that’s very good. You should be. Notice what verse 6 says: that “its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD.” This kind of love can only come from God. This kind of love reflects divine love. It previews Christ’s love for his bride. Aren’t you glad that, if you are a believer, Jesus loves you this way? Jesus’ love perfectly embodies these three characteristics, revealing the depth and beauty of God’s love for us. His love is death-defying in its permanence. Jesus didn’t just face death—He conquered it. On the cross, He bore the full weight of sin and death, and through His resurrection, He broke their power forever. Romans 8:38-39 reminds us that nothing—not even death—can separate us from the love of God in Christ. His love is unshakable, eternal, and unrelenting, holding us securely no matter what we face. His love is divine in its passionate intensity. The cross is the ultimate display of this. Jesus didn’t go to the cross reluctantly, He went willingly, driven by a holy, consuming love for his people. Hebrews 12:2 says that for the joy set before him, he endured the cross. His love is not cold or distant—it’s fierce, sacrificial, and deeply personal. It’s the very flame of the Lord, igniting our hearts and transforming our lives. Finally, his love is priceless beyond all earthly treasures. No wealth could ever purchase what Jesus freely gave. He left the riches of heaven, became poor for our sake, and gave his very life to redeem us (2 Corinthians 8:9). His love is a gift of infinite worth, offered to us not because we deserve it, but because of his grace. It’s a love that can’t be earned, bought, or measured. It’s simply to be received with gratitude and awe. In Jesus, we see a love that is stronger than death, fueled by divine passion, and of immeasurable value. This is the love that saves us, sustains us, and calls us to love others in return. It’s the love that changes everything. Jesus loves us this way. How do husbands and wives love each the same way? Marriages can reflect Christ's relationship with us by selflessly following God's commands in Ephesians 5, with the help of the Holy Spirit. What will your marriage need? It will need a costly, unbreakable love. But that’s not all. It will need something else: ### Boundaries with your family (8:8-10) Verses 8 to 10 are very interesting. The bride’s brothers, who haven't been seen since chapter 1, return and are very protective of her. They think she’s too young to be married, and they’re keeping her away from any guy: > We have a little sister, > and she has no breasts. > What shall we do for our sister > on the day when she is spoken for? > If she is a wall, we will build on her a battlement of silver, > but if she is a door, > we will enclose her with boards of cedar. > (8:8-9) They’re overprotective. They see her as single and needing protection even though she’s married. This seems farfetched, but it happens a lot. Marriage changes family roles, and families often struggle to adapt to the new dynamics. Fortunately, she knows how to speak up for herself: > I was a wall, > and my breasts were like towers; > then I was in his eyes as one who finds peace. > (8:10) Here’s what she’s saying: I’m no longer a kid. I’m all grown up. In fact, I’m married. She’s in an intimate and satisfying relationship with her husband, and they need to butt out. Often, I find, each individual has to speak to his or her own family to establish boundaries. Often, couples have to work hard together to figure out where the new boundaries will lie. Often, it means expressing something like what the woman told her family: "I’m married now, things have changed, and you need to accept my relationship." What will married love require? A costly, unbreakable kind of love, and boundaries with your family. There’s one more thing that married love requires: ## A lifelong pursuit (8:11-14) The end of the Song is a bit puzzling. In verses 11 and 12, someone — probably the woman — compares their love to Solomon’s: > Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon; > he let out the vineyard to keepers; > each one was to bring for its fruit a thousand pieces of silver. > My vineyard, my very own, is before me; > you, O Solomon, may have the thousand, > and the keepers of the fruit two hundred. Here’s what I think she’s saying. King Solomon has a literal vineyard that he rents out to tenant farmers. But she has a metaphorical vineyard for her husband only, and it can’t be bought. She will only give it to her husband. Her love can’t be coerced, but she will give it freely to her husband. And then the song ends, except it really doesn’t end: > O you who dwell in the gardens, > with companions listening for your voice; > let me hear it. > Make haste, my beloved, > and be like a gazelle or a young stag > on the mountains of spices. > (8:13-14) I love this ending. This is the last we see of this couple. What are they doing? Listen to what [Matt Chandler](https://amzn.to/4lvShq8?ref=dashhouse.com) says: > We conclude much as we began: with pursuit, desire, and hope. The Song started with the romantic hope of, “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!” (1:2) and ends with, “Keep leaping over those mountains! Get back to me! Keep pursuing me!” > What marks our relationships as men and women, husbands and wives, is the ongoing pursuit of one another for the glory of God and our eternal joy. Why? Because this is the way God designed it to work, and in God’s good design, our joy and his glory are found. The song concludes with three essential elements for every marriage: a deep, enduring love, adjustments in family relationships, and a continuous pursuit. Marriage is a beautiful gift, but it’s also a profound calling. It requires a love that is costly and unbreakable, boundaries that protect the relationship, and a pursuit that never ends. But here’s the truth: no marriage can thrive on human effort alone. Marriage love mirrors Christ's love for us—stronger than death, driven by divine passion, and invaluable. If you’re married, the good news is that you don’t have to do this alone. Jesus’ love for you is the source and sustainer of the love you’re called to show your spouse. When you rely on him, he helps you love selflessly, establish healthy boundaries, and continually pursue your spouse with joy and commitment. And when you fall short, his grace meets you there, offering forgiveness and strength to begin again. If you’re not married, this passage still points to the ultimate love story—the love of Christ for his people. Not many get to experience the kind of love described in this passage, but everyone who belongs to Jesus will. > God loves you with the living flame of love, and he’s always moving towards you so that it can burn more in your soul and replicate the same love within you. It is the flame of divine love that will take us through death to the other side, into the new creation. ([Julian Hardyman](https://amzn.to/3Hv81Mg?ref=dashhouse.com)) Whether single or married, we all long for a love that is unshakable and eternal. That love is found in Jesus, who gave everything to make us his own. Trust in him, and you’ll find the love that sustains not just marriages, but every part of life. This is the love that changes everything. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-461/ Last updated: 2025-08-30T09:00:49.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Why I Chose the Church With Worn-Out Bathrooms](https://www.jenoshman.com/jen-oshman-blog/2025/8/27/why-i-chose-the-church-with-worn-out-bathrooms?ref=dashhouse.com) > Their hearts and their budget were set more on people than on their facility. [What to Do After Your Pastor Preaches a Bad Sermon](https://brandon552.substack.com/p/what-to-do-after-your-pastor-preaches) > What do you do after your pastor preaches a sub-par sermon? What happens when your pastor is a *normal* guy who preaches *normal* sermons? > Here are a few practical steps. [How Much Church Can I Miss to Serve?](http://rss.desiringgod.org/link/10732/17126042/how-much-church-can-i-miss-to-serve?ref=dashhouse.com) > Serving children in Jesus’s name is beautiful and God-pleasing. Gathering for worship is crucial and soul-preserving. So, how much corporate worship should we miss to serve? [Accept God’s Invitation to Rest](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/gods-invitation-rest/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Resting purposefully is an act of rebellion, repentance, and faith. [Gentleness Is a Force to Be Reckoned](https://zakmellgren.substack.com/p/gentleness-is-a-force-to-be-reckoned) > Ask him to help you love your brothers and sisters in Christ with such sincerity that your interactions with them are marked more and more by gentleness, humility, and genuine care. This isn’t cowardice. > It’s love. [Avoid Weak Words](https://stevelaube.com/avoid-weak-words/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Below is a great infographic detailing some weak words and how to fix them. [Is Baptism More Than a Symbol?](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/reviews/is-baptism-more-than-a-symbol/?ref=dashhouse.com) > How does baptism function in the New Testament? ["A Theologian in Service of the Church"](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/article/a-theologian-in-service-of-the-church/?ref=dashhouse.com) > I know of no one who will be able to fill Stan’s shoes in this regard in Ontario in our deeply divided and contentious day. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Remembering Stan Fowler](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/straight-paths/remembering-stan-fowler/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Stan Fowler was a gifted theologian, pastor, and mentor whose faithfulness to Scripture and care for others shaped many lives, including mine. ### Don't Just Preach the Gospel at the End URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/dont-just-preach-the-gospel-at-the-end/ Last updated: 2025-08-26T11:33:42.000Z Every sermon should include the gospel. I agree with Charles Spurgeon, who said, “A sermon without Christ in it is like a loaf of bread without any flour in it. No Christ in your sermon, sir? Then go home, and never preach again until you have something worth preaching.” We can't afford to give moralistic sermons devoid of the gospel. The good news of Jesus needs to be the primary message that we preach and the centerpiece of every sermon. One way to preach the gospel is to include it at the end. I've done this frequently, and it can work. It works something like this: Preach the text, including the demands of the text. Near the end, explain how we're incapable of following the message of the text apart from the gospel. Show how we need the gospel and all its entailments if we are to have any chance of applying the message of Scripture. That can be an effective way of preaching the Bible, but perhaps there is a better way. Don't add the gospel to the end of your message. Instead, begin with the gospel and then preach the implications of the gospel. That seems to be the New Testament pattern. In most of the epistles, the first part of the message, or letter, is an explanation of the gospel. The second part is an application of the truths of the gospel, showing how it changes how we live. In Ephesians, Paul devotes chapters 1-3 to the gospel's foundations. In chapters 4-6, Paul switches to application, calling Christians to live worthy of this identity through transformed relationships, work, and spiritual battle. Romans follows the same pattern. In chapters 1-11, Paul unpacks the gospel, and in chapters 12-16 he launches into practical guidance for gospel-shaped lives of love, service, and unity. This consistent structure reveals the heart of Christian living: not striving for God's approval, but responding to God’s grace. The gospel indicatives comes first. The imperatives come second. I wonder if that might be a better way for us to preach. Start with the good news of what Jesus has accomplished, then demonstrate how we respond to it. Let the gospel be the foundation, not an afterthought tacked onto the end of the sermon. Show how it transforms every aspect of our lives, making it central to both the message and its application. As the epistles show, there are endless ways to approach this. The gospel is endlessly rich. The good news of what Jesus has done has so many facets that there's no need for it to become old news. We'll spend eternity exploring its riches, and we'll never tire of it. I’m not advocating for formulaic or predictable preaching. Our approach must flow from the text and address our congregation’s needs. But ultimately, I want people to walk away saying the gospel wasn’t just tacked on at the end. Instead, it was the foundation of the entire message, clearly explained and powerfully applied to how it transforms our lives. Spurgeon was right: “A sermon without Christ as its beginning, middle, and end is a mistake in conception and a crime in execution.” Don't just preach the gospel at the end. Make it the foundation of your entire sermon, and weave it into every part of your sermon. ### What Marriage is Like (Song of Songs 6:4-8:4) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/what-marriage-is-like-song-of-songs-64-84/ Last updated: 2025-08-24T22:00:57.000Z **Big Idea:** A healthy marriage deepens through conflict and pursues joyful, holy intimacy that’s a reflection of Christ’s steadfast love. --- I am a product of a single-parent home. For most of my childhood, I lived with my mother and my siblings but not my dad. For that reason, I never had the privilege of seeing what a healthy marriage looked like. I’ve only seen hints of what a healthy marriage looks like from other couples, but that’s not the same as experiencing it consistently. So I made a deliberate choice. When I went to seminary, I chose to live with a family. One of the reasons: I wanted to get married one day, and I knew that if I was going to be a decent husband one day, I had to learn what marriage looked like. I needed to see what it looks like to love each other in the everyday routines of life. I’ve discovered I’m not alone. Many people I speak to have not had the experience of witnessing a healthy marriage. Maybe you, like me, grew up in a single-parent household. You may have grown up with both parents, but you might not have fully understood how a healthy marriage functions. Key aspects include resolving conflicts, maintaining open and honest communication, respecting each other, and sharing joy and laughter. If you can relate to this, today’s passage can help. Song of Songs is such a helpful book because it shows us what dating looks like, what a wedding looks like, and even what conflict and tension look like after getting married. Today’s passage gives us an inside look at what a healthy marriage looks like. Specifically, a healthy marriage looks like two things: ## A healthy marriage is about a love that’s deepened through suffering (6:4-10). Last week, we looked at chapter 5, in which there was a bit of an interruption in the relationship between this couple. It seems that at least part of their fight might have been about their physical relationship. I love the realism of the Song of Songs. Disruptions, arguments, failed connections are part of the normal marriage relationship in this fallen world. It’s going to happen in every marriage. But handled well, conflict can be part of the process in which a relationship is deepened. In Song of Songs 6:4-10, post-conflict, the man praises his wife, particularly her beauty. But I want you to notice a couple of things. First, some of what he says is an exact repeat of his words on their wedding night. He says almost the same thing about her hair, her teeth, her temples, and her overall beauty. I love this. It’s as if he is saying, “You are still as beautiful to me as the day we married.” “He hasn’t changed in his fundamental view of her attractiveness,” writes [Iain Duguid](https://amzn.to/4oxCOss?ref=dashhouse.com). He found her lovely before, and he still does, in spite of their quarrel. But notice also that he modifies his praise a little. He omits some things, and he adds some things. What does he omit? He omits some of the more erotic praise of chapter 4\. He sounds much more family-friendly in these verses. But he adds some things too: In verses 4 and 5, he says: > You are beautiful as Tirzah, my love, > lovely as Jerusalem, > awesome as an army with banners. > Turn away your eyes from me, > for they overwhelm me… He compares her to the capitals of the northern and southern kingdoms. Why? We don’t know for sure, but we can guess. Because these cities were beautiful, but also because they are formidable or “awesome as an army with banners.” That’s why he asks her in verse 5 to turn away from him. He admires her, but he’s also a little scared of her. He knows he’s met his match with her. But then he adds one more thing in verses 8 to 9: > There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, > and virgins without number. > My dove, my perfect one, is the only one, > the only one of her mother, > pure to her who bore her. > (Song of Songs 6:8-9) As you can picture, Solomon would have had an impressive harem. His harem would have had three classes of women in descending order: queens, concubines, and young women. This man looks at all of them, and then looks at his wife, and he says, “You’re better than all of them. I would take you over all of them combined.” When he says that she’s the only one of her mother, he’s saying something like they broke the mold when she was born. Here’s what I think this passage is showing us. This couple has now settled into something a little more complex than their original attraction to each other. Their relationship is a little more complicated than it used to be. The couple has courted, married, experienced marital conflict and separation, and reconciled again. He now understands that she’s fierce, and he actually seems to be scared of her. With all they’ve been through, their relationship has deepened, not been damaged. He loves her as much as he did on day one, even as the nature of their love continues to change and mature. It’s costly. Some things have changed since their wedding night. Their love has matured—still passionate, yet deeper, richer, and refined by conflict. And that’s a worthy goal for any couple today as well. > The Song holds out a beautiful vision of marriage as it was meant to be: one man and one woman who have a deep and awe-inspiring union that is profound enough to withstand the struggles and strains that come along when two sinners live together. They have a bond of forgiveness and love forged out of the uniqueness of their commitment to each other on their wedding day, a dazzling love that will not let the other person go, even when they are driving each other absolutely crazy. (Iain M. Duguid) You want a healthy marriage? It’s going to involve everything we see in this book. There will be challenges and even times when you have to work through significant challenges to reconnect. But a healthy marriage involves returning to the newlywed joy that you once enjoyed, not because you’re naïve, but because you still see the beauty of that person even after you know them better than you knew them then. Knowing each other better doesn’t make you love them less; it actually deepens your love for one another. This is the goal for those of us who are married: that we will not stay the same as when our relationship began, but that our love will change but also deepen as it’s forged in the realities of life. Love is meant to change and deepen. A healthy marriage is about a love that’s deepened through suffering. Here’s the other thing that a healthy marriage looks like: ## A healthy marriage is about the pursuit of happy, holy sexuality (6:11-8:3). Even if you've witnessed a healthy marriage, the concept of healthy sexuality within it remains somewhat mysterious. This is only right. You see this in this passage. In verses 11 and 12, it seems that the woman goes to see if things are good in the garden or not. It seems that she is seeing if things are patched up between her and her husband. It turns out they are, and this begins the most passionate part of the entire book. Verse 13 suggests the man is inviting the woman to leave public spaces for a more intimate setting just for the two of them. Their intimacy is private. Chapter 7 reveals God's wisdom by offering a glimpse into the intimate dimensions of marital love, providing both guidance and a model for healthy, God-honoring sexuality that we could never grasp on our own. One commentator says: > God is willing to do what some commentators are not: to talk to us about our bodies and our sexuality. God is not embarrassed by such subjects, and neither should we be embarrassed by them. Equally, though, the Word of God is not crass and crude when it talks about sex. It treats the body with an appropriate poetic modesty and restraint that we should try to respect. (Iain Duguid) So what does a healthy marriage look like in this area? This passage teaches us a couple of things. ### First, it looks like the pursuit of sexual joy. Read this section, and it’s hard to escape a conclusion: there is a lot of joy. The man expresses his desire in verses 1 to 10, and the woman responds in verses 11 to 13\. There is a lot of enjoyment going on, as there should be. Proverbs 5:18-19 says: > Let your fountain be blessed, > and rejoice in the wife of your youth, > a lovely deer, a graceful doe. > Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; > be intoxicated always in her love. Do you hear what this passage is saying, and what Song of Songs 7 illustrates for us? > A spring of joyously bubbling sexual happiness between husband and wife. And that is sexual wisdom. Even as the years go by, she will always be “the wife of your youth.” You will always cherish her and rejoice over her as that dear girl who gave herself completely to you alone… > The Bible is saying, “When you get married, drop your inhibitions, and go for it in both quality and quantity.” That is a command of God… Proverbs 5 is adding, “Make it fun and frequent!” The word translated “be intoxicated” is used elsewhere for a man staggering down the street in drunkenness (Isaiah 28:7). The point is to be crazy in love together. That is the good and wise will of God. ([Ray Ortlund](https://amzn.to/4fCal0y?ref=dashhouse.com)) I like how [Ray Ortlund](https://amzn.to/4meBQzP?ref=dashhouse.com) puts it: “Every Christian married couple may rightly see, by faith, their heavenly Father raising his hands in blessing over their marriage bed.” It will take work. This doesn’t come easy in a broken world. God has given you the gift of enjoyment within marriage, as highlighted in Proverbs and Song of Songs. It is worth pursuing. But notice something else. ### It looks like intimacy that goes beyond the bedroom. If chapter 7 is about what happens in private, the first 4 verses of chapter 8 are about what it looks like in public. There’s more than just lust going on here. There’s a deep love that’s evident to anyone who knows them. > Oh that you were like a brother to me > who nursed at my mother’s breasts! > If I found you outside, I would kiss you, > and none would despise me. > I would lead you and bring you > into the house of my mother— > she who used to teach me. > I would give you spiced wine to drink, > the juice of my pomegranate. > His left hand is under my head, > and his right hand embraces me! If you see a family member in public, the woman observes, it’s acceptable to kiss publicly. But that’s not as appropriate with your lover. She wishes it were. She wishes that their love could be something that could be expressed appropriately even in public. There is a longing for their intimacy to be shared appropriately, both privately and publicly. She wants to blend the best aspects of marriage and family, sharing her love openly rather than keeping it private. So what does a healthy marriage look like? Many of us have not seen it firsthand. But this passage shows us. **A healthy marriage deepens through conflict and pursues joyful, holy intimacy that is a reflection of Christ’s steadfast love.** We all fall short of this. Every marriage. But this is what is worth pursuing. We at least know what the goal is supposed to be. And even better: as good as this relationship is, it’s just a pointer to something greater. This passage points us to a greater love: the love of Christ for his people. The intimacy, joy, and faithfulness in this couple's relationship reflect the perfect love of Jesus. Like a man who cherishes his wife despite conflicts, Christ’s love for us is steadfast and unchanging. He sees us fully—our flaws, our failures—and yet he loves us with a love that will never let us go. The gospel shows us that Christ pursued us at great cost, laying down his life to reconcile us to himself. His love deepens through our struggles, not because he changes, but because we come to know him more fully in the midst of life’s challenges. And just as this couple’s love matures and grows richer over time, so does our relationship with Christ as we walk with him. Marriage exemplifies the gospel truth of a covenant love that mirrors the beauty, sacrifice, and joy of Christ's love for the church. This is the ultimate love story, and it’s one we’re all invited to experience. A healthy marriage deepens through conflict and pursues joyful, holy intimacy that is a reflection of Christ’s steadfast love. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-460/ Last updated: 2025-08-23T09:00:37.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [A Word to My Students](https://blog.ayjay.org/a-word-to-my-students/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Sooner or later the time will come — perhaps in a job interview, or an interview for a place in a graduate program, or your second week in a new job that doesn’t have you in front of a computer all day — when your lack of the skills you claim to have will become evident, to your great embarrassment and frustration. [The High Price of Watching Nudity](https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/the-high-price-of-watching-nudity?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are my reasons for why I’m committed to this kind of radical abstention from anything I know is going to present me with nudity. [Finally Done With Porn](http://rss.desiringgod.org/link/10732/17120660/finally-done-with-porn?ref=dashhouse.com) > Since the affections aim at what we truly love, sanctification must transform our affections. [When You Can’t Listen to the Sermon](https://ftc.co/resource-library/articles/when-you-cant-listen-to-the-sermon/?ref=dashhouse.com) > We should still go to church even if we can’t listen to the sermon, because we must obey the Lord. [Should We Have Weekly Communion?](https://buildingjerusalem.blog/2025/08/21/should-we-have-weekly-communion/?ref=dashhouse.com) > On the day which is the Day of the Lord, gather together for the breaking of the loaf \[Lord’s Supper\] and giving thanks. [Top 5 Commentaries on Every Book of the Bible](https://learn.ligonier.org/articles/top-5-commentaries?ref=dashhouse.com) > Before proceeding to specific commentaries on each book, there are two older commentary sets that I highly recommend for every book of the Old and New Testament. [Preaching the Text When You Prefer a Different Translation](https://writetounderstand.substack.com/p/preaching-the-text-when-you-prefer) > When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: fear God and keep his commands, because this is for all humanity. [The Church Will Not Be Consulted](https://mereorthodoxy.com/the-church-will-not-be-consulted?ref=dashhouse.com) > In recent years it has become increasingly popular for churches of differing sizes, locations, and denominational traditions to make use of consultant services to find new ministers and staff for Christian institutions. [Themelios 50.2](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/themelios-50-2/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The new summer 2025 issue of Themelios has 204 pages of editorials, articles, and book reviews. [Counterintuitive Truths About Prayer](https://www.gospelforlife.com/counterintuitive-truths-about-prayer/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Prayer is about honest, simple communion with God, focusing on his presence and surrendering control rather than striving for perfection or following rigid formulas. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [When Should a Pastor Quit a Church?](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/straight-paths/when-should-a-pastor-quit-a-church/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Pastors should remain faithful to their congregations, leaving only when unavoidable or clearly wise ### My Favorite Blog Posts of All Time URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/my-favorite-blog-posts-of-all-time/ Last updated: 2025-08-19T09:00:34.000Z I follow around 150 blogs and skim through a couple hundred posts each week. Over the past decade, that adds up to more than ten thousand blog posts. Yet, only seven have profoundly impacted my life. Reading them again, I realize how many of them are simple, and yet they've shaped how I think, live, and serve. Here they are, along with a summary of each and why they stood out to me. [Gospel + Safety + Time = A Church Where Anyone Can Grow](https://go.dashhouse.com/B8l1?ref=dashhouse.com) > This is what our churches must be: gentle environments of gospel + safety + time. It’s where we’re finally free to grow. Ortlund excels at explaining how gospel doctrine creates a gospel culture within a church. (Check out [his book](https://amzn.to/4mHwJb1?ref=dashhouse.com) on this topic.) The short post makes it so simple and describes some of the ways that any local church can work at creating a gospel culture. [Something Profound in Our Generation](https://go.dashhouse.com/h8hL?ref=dashhouse.com) > When there are the two contents and the two realities, we will begin to see something profound happen in our generation. Take this post, and the one mentioned above, and you'd have a pretty decent philosophy of ministry. These two posts describe some healthy dynamics that should be embodied in any local church. [How Ray Ortlund Became Foster Father to a Generation of Church Planters](https://go.dashhouse.com/5hSG?ref=dashhouse.com) > “That’s what I want to be like. I don’t want to be the angry pastor. I want to be the pastor who’s really been affected by the love of Christ.” You're probably noticing a pattern. My top three posts are either by or about Ray Ortlund. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve shared this profile of Ortlund’s life, and for good reason. It resonates deeply with me for two key reasons: first, because God has used painful experiences to shape Ortlund into a more godly man and a wiser pastor, and second, because he exemplifies what it means to be on the path to finishing well. I’m profoundly grateful for both of these truths and how his life embodies them. Bonus: These podcast profiles of [Sinclair Ferguson](https://go.dashhouse.com/AVPa?ref=dashhouse.com) and [David Wells](https://go.dashhouse.com/h8gu?ref=dashhouse.com), also by Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra, offer equally rich encouragement. [God Will Hold You Through Your Habits](https://go.dashhouse.com/4F%5Fp?ref=dashhouse.com) > Your perseverance, under God, is in your habits. Heaven and hell hangs on habits. Show me a man’s habits, and you’ll give me a glimpse into his very soul. The habits you develop and sustain today will affect whether you persevere till the end or make shipwreck of the faith. I've authored a couple of books about habits, and I've spent a lot of time thinking about them. If I were to recommend one blog post on the importance of habits, it would be this one. I quote it frequently. It's a good one. [God Is on His Throne, Everything Is Going His Way, and He Loves Me](https://go.dashhouse.com/h8gL?ref=dashhouse.com) > These are simple yet profound truths. They define not only how we are in ultimately, but how we can be in the present. Talk about a blog post that conveys deep truths in a straightforward manner. Each segment of this statement is easy to grasp, yet transformative when applied. It's simple, yet profoundly moving all at once. [Run to the Tension](https://go.dashhouse.com/h8hJ?ref=dashhouse.com) > I've been teaching our leaders and our whole church to "run to the tension" as they lead and navigate relationships in our church and in our city. > When conflict, tension, and difficulty shows up, run to it. Face it. Deal with it. Lead through it now, not later. Most of us like to avoid conflict, but this actually creates more problems. This blog post helped recalibrate my approach to conflict. It's short. The formatting has been corrupted since it was originally published, but it's still a good one and worth reading, especially for anyone in ministry leadership. [The Gospel Frees You to Chill the Heck Out](https://go.dashhouse.com/h8hD?ref=dashhouse.com) > Don’t be lazy, but realize that Jesus Christ did not die and rise for you so that you would stress out about whether you’re being spiritual enough. So take a nap. Watch some television. The gospel frees you to chill the heck out. Jared took some heat for this title, but I like it. Some of us have a tendency to over-spiritualize everything. Jared challenges this tendency and tells us how the gospel gives us the freedom to take the pressure off. It's such a helpful reminder. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-459/ Last updated: 2025-08-16T09:00:03.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [How Social Media Shortens Your Life](https://www.gurwinder.blog/p/how-social-media-shortens-your-life?ref=dashhouse.com) > Social media platforms have been stealing our time using a sneaky trick: they’ve been speeding up our sense of time — effectively shortening our lives — so we think we had less than we did, and don’t notice some of it was pilfered. [Questions Every Pastor on Social Media Should Ask Themselves](https://www.logos.com/grow/min-pastor-social-media/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Your people don’t really need your social media presence, but they do need your actual presence. [What Does It Take for Pastors to Stay in Ministry?](https://research.lifeway.com/2025/08/13/what-does-it-take-for-pastors-to-stay-in-ministry/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Pastors, missionaries, and other ministers of the gospel are more resilient than culture gives us credit for. [6 Ways to Lead Better Bible Study Discussions](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/lead-bible-study-discussions/?ref=dashhouse.com) > I’ve observed a handful of habits that help facilitate meaningful and enjoyable Bible-saturated conversations. Below are six. [Busting the Church Planting Myth](https://benhein.substack.com/p/busting-the-church-planting-myth) > Are new churches really the "best evangelistic strategy"? If not, should we still start them? ### What Is a Marriage? URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/what-is-a-marriage/ Last updated: 2025-08-12T09:00:44.000Z Many people think they know the answer, but I’ve found we’re often not as clear as we should be. What is a wedding, and what is a marriage? It's important to base our understanding on what the Bible teaches to ensure it aligns with God's design. Lack of clarity about weddings and marriage leads to confusion in our personal lives, society, and the church. In his book [*Christian Ethics*](https://amzn.to/3GZMRWr?ref=dashhouse.com), Wayne Grudem provides this helpful definition: > Marriage is… a lifelong relationship between a man and a woman that is established by a solemn covenant before God. I’d add just one thing that he covers later in this book: that marriage takes place in a way that is recognized by society. Here’s how I’d define marriage: Marriage is a covenant relationship between a man and a woman, established before God and recognized by society, designed to endure for life. Let's break that down. - **Marriage is a covenant relationship.** Wedding vows are sacred commitments. That’s why it’s not enough to express love at a wedding (although that’s nice). Promises must be made that must be kept as the feelings of love ebb and flow. - **Marriage is between a man and a woman.** Same-sex attraction is not new, but the divine pattern is that marriage is a union between a man and a woman. This statement was uncontroversial until recently. I’m grateful for the many excellent books on this topic, like Sam Allberry’s [*Is God Anti-Gay?*](https://amzn.to/41pqAbi?ref=dashhouse.com) and Kevin DeYoung’s [*What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality?*](https://amzn.to/4m54kvT?ref=dashhouse.com) - **Marriage is established before God.** God performed the first marriage in Genesis 2\. In Matthew 19:6, Jesus says that God joins a man and a woman together in marriage. When a couple is married, it is ultimately God who joins them together. - **Marriage is a lifelong relationship.** Again, in Matthew 19:6, Jesus says, “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” In Romans 7:2, Paul says, “For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives.” God intends for marriage to be a lifelong commitment. - **Marriages are recognized by society.** When weddings take place in Scripture, they’re not private affairs. They’re public affairs in which the people in society recognize that a marriage has taken place. This looks different from culture to culture, but there is always a public element to marriage. In our culture, this usually means having a legally recognized official perform the wedding and registering the marriage with the government. Clarity on marriage matters because our culture swims in confusion about it. Whether married or single, we attend weddings as witnesses to something specific. We need conviction about what we are affirming. We also need to support those we love who are married, and if we’re married, to know what our marriage entails. Ultimately, each marriage offers a living portrait of Christ's covenant with his church. I like what [Ray Ortlund writes](https://amzn.to/3J1NfUW?ref=dashhouse.com): > All churches… have a gospel-motivated obligation actively to teach and honor and promote marriage, for the display of the gospel in our world of confusion and despair. If we love the preaching of the gospel from pulpits, then we will also love the display of the gospel in marriages. Churches must not be neutral or casual about what so rejoices the heart of God. ### What a Wedding’s Like (Song of Songs 3:6-5:1) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/what-a-weddings-like-song-of-songs-36-51/ Last updated: 2025-08-10T22:00:49.000Z **Big Idea:** A wedding is a regal, passionate giving of one to another that is blessed by the community. --- There’s nothing quite like a wedding. Even the most cynical among us can’t help but be moved when a groom stands at the front, waiting, and the bride begins her walk down the aisle. Their expressions and exchanged vows reveal that we’re witnessing something more meaningful than just the moment. And we are! Weddings give us a glimpse of something transcendent, something at the very heart of the universe. Ultimate reality is relational, and God created this universe with marital romance in mind. We just read a wedding scene that enhances our understanding of marriage and highlights the ultimate marriage that defines all others. What is a wedding? Three things. Here’s the first. ## A Wedding Is Regal Here’s the question that is asked in 3:6: > What is that coming up from the wilderness > like columns of smoke, > perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, > with all the fragrant powders of a merchant? A spectacle is approaching. They can see it from a distance. You can sense the anticipation as people look and try to figure out who and what it could be. Eventually, it becomes clearer what it is in verses 7 to 11\. It’s a palanquin or litter, as verse 7 calls it. You may have seen one in pictures. It's made for royalty. It's a carriage without wheels, carried by attendants on poles. It’s beautiful, according to verses 9 and 10\. It’s crafted from Lebanese wood with silver posts, a golden canopy, and purple upholstery lovingly embroidered by Jerusalem's daughters. And it’s being carried by 60 mighty men who are armed, experts in war. This is a spectacular scene. But who is in this palanquin? That is a little tricky to figure out. The simplest answer is that it is Solomon. After all, it’s described as Solomon’s palanquin in verses 7 and 9\. And the daughters of Zion are told to go out and look at Solomon in verse 11\. There are some hints, though, that it could be the woman arriving. Here's the main point. The book features a love story between a peasant couple, with the peasant man transformed into Solomon on his wedding day. Eric Ortlund [puts it well](https://go.dashhouse.com/fwWO?ref=dashhouse.com): > Instead of two rural peasants, the groom sees his bride like an exotic princess, while the bride sees her groom as no less glorious than Solomon himself… Their love elevates what may have been a very humble wedding into a royal one. The couple's grand wedding celebration resembles Solomon's in its glory. Isn’t that similar to what happens at a wedding? You’re used to seeing the couple in jeans and t-shirts. But on the wedding day, they’re transformed into royalty. They become nobility. This tells us something about the nature of marriage. A man and a woman coming together to exchange vows is noble and exhilarating. A wedding is regal. It reveals some of the nobility that God has given us. We should value marriage regardless of our own status because weddings showcase its nobility. A wedding is regal. Here’s the second thing we see: ## A Wedding is Passionate Chapter 4 to the first part of 5:1 describes the wedding night. This is the apex of the song, and the exact center. “It acts as a kind of fulcrum or centre of gravity about which other counterbalancing scenarios are suspended” ([Tom Gledhill](https://amzn.to/4oboJ3K?ref=dashhouse.com)). This is intentional. This book is structured with this scene at its center. For the first time, in verses 8 to 12, he refers to her as his bride. This chapter will showcase a new marital intimacy that they have long desired and are just starting to experience. In verses 1 to 7, the groom enjoys his bride’s beauty. That’s why he says in verse 1 and then in verse 7: > Behold, you are beautiful, my love, > behold, you are beautiful!… > You are altogether beautiful, my love; > there is no flaw in you. Some of his descriptions seem a little odd to us. If you take them literally, then she would have looked very unusual indeed. We’re supposed to remember that this is poetry, and that these are metaphors. For instance: - Her eyes shine with innocence and beauty behind her veil, like gentle doves (4:1). - Her hair flows thick, dark, and wavy, resembling goats cascading down a mountainside (4:1). - Her teeth stand perfectly white, evenly matched, and complete—like freshly washed sheep, each with twins, none missing (4:2). And so on. She looks absolutely perfect to him, and he’s captivated by her beauty. Even though there’s clearly some sizzle happening here, nothing here is dirty. Nothing in what he says is vulgar in any way. In fact, as [Jim Hamilton](https://amzn.to/40DQurF?ref=dashhouse.com) points out, there’s new creation language here. His language includes imagery of Noah's deliverance (doves), God's blessings of fertile fields and healthy flocks, divine victory at Jericho (scarlet thread), and a new Adam protecting Eden (David's tower). The marriage bed becomes a sacred encounter with God, like returning to Eden through a newly opened path. Listen to what Hamilton says: > If I were to adapt Solomon’s way of speaking to new-covenant realities and use this language to speak to my wife today, I might say something like this: > Your face is a visible expression to me of the blessing of God. > Seeing you I’m reminded that I’m redeemed and given life I don’t deserve. > Nothing matters more to me than Jesus and His Kingdom, and by God’s grace our marriage enacts these most important things in the world. > Gazing on your beauty is like looking out from the pulpit at a church full of people hungry for the Word of God, crying out, ‘Keep preaching!’ > Our union is like a trip into the new Jerusalem, where righteousness dwells. There’s a lot going on here that includes the physical but transcends the physical. There's more involved than just physical attraction. In verses 9 to 15, there’s an invitation to intimacy. But it begins with her eyes: > You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride; > you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes, > with one jewel of your necklace. > (Song of Songs 4:9) She’s his bride, but she’s also his sister. “His delight in her is as a whole person, not just a body” (Iain M. Duguid). In verse 12, he values being the first to share intimacy with her. > A garden locked is my sister, my bride, > a spring locked, a fountain sealed. Her purity makes her even more beautiful in his eyes. She has kept herself untouched, patiently anticipating their union. Tim and Kathy Keller emphasize that physically giving oneself is essential to fully committing to another person in a lifelong relationship. God designed it that way, so that we give all of ourselves away in the context of marriage. And then, finally, in verse 16, she invites him into his garden. They finally enjoy what they’ve been looking forward to experiencing for all this time that they’ve loved each other. In the first verse of chapter 5, the man expresses his joy at finally experiencing what they had anticipated. Feel the sanctity and power of this moment. We talked earlier about not waking up love until it pleases. There’s a power to love and sexuality that has to be carefully protected and guarded because it’s so powerful. But in its place, it’s powerful and holy. The Bible is not prudish. Again, this is the center of the Song of Songs. It is a holy moment. At the heart of a Bible book about love is a celebration of marriage and physical intimacy. They are united in heart, soul, and body. Their season of waiting is over, and their union becomes a moment of profound joy. The garden, once sealed and locked, is now open, and it is good. The Song of Songs illustrates that strong human relationships flourish within God's design for marriage, a covenant between a man and a woman. What is marriage? It’s regal, and it’s passionate. But there’s one more thing we see in this passage: ## A Wedding Is Blessed by the Community Marriage involves more than just a man and a woman; it also includes the celebration of their union by others, as noted in the second part of 5:1\. They say: > Eat, friends, drink, > and be drunk with love! The community joins in affirming their marriage and encouraging them to enjoy its delights. This is such a helpful reminder. Sex and marriage are never merely private matters or individual pursuits for personal gratification. They are gifts designed by God to be enjoyed within the larger framework of the community, reflecting his purposes and glory. When you attend a wedding, you’re not merely a guest or an observer. You’re part of the community that is supporting the legitimacy of what is taking place. You’re not just a spectator; you’re a witness and supporter of what is taking place. This part of the Song isn’t meant to be an exhaustive treatment of what marriage is like. It’s meant to be enjoyed. But I do find it so helpful in understanding the book’s view of what marriage means. **A wedding is a regal, passionate giving of one to another that is blessed by the community.** Here’s what this means for you. If you are in a relationship headed for marriage, this is what you’re aiming for: a regal, passionate giving of yourself to your beloved that is blessed by your community. If you attend a wedding, this is what you’re supporting. You're helping that couple in their regal, passionate giving of themselves to one another as part of the community that is blessing them. But wait. Weddings can approximate what’s described in this passage, but all weddings and all marriages fall short. We’re all flawed; we’re all sinners. Maybe you’ve already fallen short of the ideas of this passage through your own sin. Or there could be a number of other circumstances that could cause you to despair. > Maybe you’ve been married but it’s fallen apart. Maybe you’re divorced or single or widowed or for some other reason neither married nor to be married. Maybe you’re struggling with homosexuality and don’t think you could ever marry someone of the opposite sex. Marriage was not meant to be an idol. For that reason, I can say with confidence that even if you never marry, even if you never experience this kind of love in marriage, you can still be loved this way if you trust in Christ. What Solomon depicts in Song of Songs 4 will be fulfilled in the consummation of the relationship between Christ and the church. Trust Jesus, and everything Song of Songs 4 points to will be yours when He makes all things new. ([Jim Hamilton](https://amzn.to/45lKhSr?ref=dashhouse.com)) Marriage is a gift, but it's mainly a pointer to a greater marriage that's still to come. Picture having a reservation at a Michelin-starred restaurant. You know it's going to be extraordinary. On your way out the door, someone offers you a perfectly good granola bar. Do you reject it? Of course not. You're grateful for it. It satisfies real hunger and gives you energy for the journey. But you don't mistake it for the feast awaiting you. You don't skip your reservation because you had the granola bar. The snack increases your anticipation by reminding you of your hunger and the satisfaction that awaits. Our marriages work the same way. They offer genuine intimacy, companionship, and love. They meet real needs and reflect God's heart for relationship. But they also leave us wanting more—more understanding, more closeness, more permanence than any human relationship can provide. That longing isn't a flaw in marriage; it's marriage doing exactly what God designed it to do. It's whispering, "This is wonderful, but wait until you see what's coming." The granola bar doesn't compete with the feast. It prepares you for it. Marriage—even the best marriage—doesn’t compete with the wedding to come that is so much better. It just prepares us for it. And that marriage is coming for all who have turned to Christ. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-458/ Last updated: 2025-08-09T09:00:49.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [The Financial and Spiritual Principle of Compound Interest](https://www.challies.com/articles/the-financial-and-spiritual-principle-of-compound-interest/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Lessons learned when they are tiny do not easily fade but instead accumulate and bear fruit over a lifetime. [The Case Stott Made for Christian Social Involvement](https://www.crossway.org/articles/the-case-stott-made-for-christian-social-involvement/?ref=dashhouse.com) > If we are to be Christlike, we too should feel anger at injustice and compassion for its victims. [Selective Admiration: Why You Don’t Need Perfect Heroes](https://nesslabs.com/selective-admiration?utm%5Fsource=rss&utm%5Fmedium=rss&utm%5Fcampaign=selective-admiration) > When we abandon the myth of the perfect hero, something liberating happens: we stop waiting for perfect moral exemplars and start learning from imperfect humans. [Why Being Late to Church Matters](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/late-church-matters/?ref=dashhouse.com) > We’re not just showing up late; we’re missing the opportunity to fully participate in a practice the Lord has designed to form us as his people. [How Digital Tech Undermines the Value of Embodiment](https://www.crossway.org/articles/how-digital-tech-undermines-the-value-of-embodiment/?ref=dashhouse.com) > We are embodied creatures made in the image of God. [5 Truths About Your Physical and Spiritual Health](https://www.jenoshman.com/jen-oshman-blog/2025/8/6/5-truths-about-your-physical-and-spiritual-health?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are five truths that pertain to both our spiritual fitness and our physical fitness. [What Would Jesus Do for Exercise?](https://www.crossway.org/articles/what-would-jesus-do-for-exercise/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Let’s start by asking, “Did Jesus exercise?” and that will help us consider, “What would Jesus do for exercise today?” ### My 2025 Tech Stack URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/my-2025-tech-stack/ Last updated: 2025-08-05T09:00:40.000Z Occasionally, I like to share about the tech tools I use. I enjoy reading about the tools that others use; maybe some of my suggestions will be helpful for you. One caveat: the tools you already use may already be good enough. We often waste time searching for better tools instead of using the ones we already have. Here are the tools I currently use the most. ## Task Management: Things I love [Things](https://go.dashhouse.com/gqln?ref=dashhouse.com). I use it every day. I love how easy this task management app is to use. It meets my needs perfectly, and the device syncing works seamlessly. When it comes time to plan my day, I use Things as the basis for my analog to-do list. Somehow it works better for me to create a list on paper. For that, I use [Analog](https://go.dashhouse.com/gql-?ref=dashhouse.com) cards. ## Writing: Ulysses I spend a lot of time writing. Almost all of my writing takes place in [Ulysses](https://go.dashhouse.com/gqew?ref=dashhouse.com) (available for Mac, iPad, and iPhone). I like it for its simplicity and beauty. It exports to Word and PDF if you need to share your writing with others, and it publishes to most blog platforms as well. I use it almost every single day. ## Website: Ghost I’ve run this site since 1999\. Over that time, I’ve used a variety of platforms. My favorite by far is Ghost. It’s simple, fast, and easy to use, and it also includes the ability to manage subscribers and send out newsletters. The bonus: I don’t have to update plugins. Ghost just released a [new version (6.0)](https://go.dashhouse.com/gqnK?ref=dashhouse.com) that includes built-in analytics and more. You can use [Ghost.org](https://go.dashhouse.com/gqfW?ref=dashhouse.com) as the host, but I use [Magic Pages](https://go.dashhouse.com/gqfe?ref=dashhouse.com) (affiliate link). They have several packages available, including a lifetime hosting deal with just six licenses remaining. ## Reading Blogs: Feedbin I’ve used a variety of services over the years, but I’ve recently settled on [Feedbin](https://go.dashhouse.com/gqg8?ref=dashhouse.com) for reading blogs and newsletters. Effortlessly manage the blogs you’re interested in following, and take advantage of the provided email address to subscribe to newsletters. It also does a good job of helping you identify RSS feeds that no longer work, and tries to help you fix them. It's very fast. ## Email: SuperHuman Email can be a chore. [SuperHuman](https://go.dashhouse.com/gqgH?ref=dashhouse.com) makes it easier, mainly because it’s fast and offers a nice feature set. I’ve tried to find other options, but I keep coming back. It’s not cheap, but they do offer discounts to not-for-profits. It nearly makes email enjoyable. Nearly. ## Notes: Craft and MyMind [Craft](https://go.dashhouse.com/gqgQ?ref=dashhouse.com) is the space where I keep my own notes and also share documents like agendas and papers with others. It just works, and it’s nice to look at too. [MyMind](https://go.dashhouse.com/cvEY?ref=dashhouse.com) is where I store internet information and random PDFs to save for later. It’s more like a junk drawer, but the AI features help me find what I store later. I used to use Evernote, but I’m finding it too clunky. ## Creating Apps: Lovable This is new to me. I’ve created a couple of apps, one of which I plan to share, and I’m working on a couple more. [Loveable](https://go.dashhouse.com/gqh5?ref=dashhouse.com) helps me develop them using text prompts and AI. It’s amazing what you can create without knowing much about programming. ([Bolt](https://go.dashhouse.com/gqh6?ref=dashhouse.com) is another great option.) Too many apps can be confusing. These are the ones I use almost every day and enjoy. ### What Dating’s Like (Song of Songs 2:8-3:5) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/what-datings-like-song-of-songs/ Last updated: 2025-08-03T22:00:11.000Z **Big Idea:** Dating involves both the excitement of romantic pursuit and the challenges of managing powerful desires and resolving relationship issues before marriage. --- The tricky part of a romantic relationship is the awkward in-between phase after romance starts but before marriage. It’s exciting. In the first section of the Song of Songs, we learn that romantic love is a gift that brings intense desires that should be controlled. It's like a opening a dam. Once the fire of romance is kindled, it’s hard to keep that fire under control, which is why this phrase is repeated in the Song of Songs three times in 2:7, 3:5, and 8:4: > I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, > by the gazelles or the does of the field, > that you not stir up or awaken love > until it pleases. What does the writer mean? Everything — your desires, your friends, culture — will stir up your desires for love and marriage. These desires are created by God, and they’re good. But be careful about stirring up these desires, not because they’re bad but because they’re so powerful. Be careful about awakening romantic and physical desires prematurely because they are so powerful. Love is a powerful gift, so use it with intentionality, respect, and care. It’s implied, though, that eventually love will be stirred up, at least for many of us. What do we do then, especially in that period between when love’s awakened and when marriage takes place? That’s what today’s passage is about. ## The Dating Phase The couple in the Song of Songs is not yet married, but their love has awoken. It's essential to navigate this phase when love is strong, but marriage hasn't occurred yet. This passage teaches us about dating and the transition from love to commitment in marriage. This phase teaches us important lessons. Although dating is a lot of fun, you will experience two particular challenges in this phase according to this passage. Here they are: ### You will feel increasing desire that should not be satisfied yet. Verses 8 to 17 are primarily about two things: the joy of the pursuit, and also the difficulty of waiting. That’s a pretty good description of what dating is like. It is fun, and it is hard. Just a note as we begin to look at this section. Jim Hamilton argues, “This passage is one of the loveliest poems in all of the world’s literature.” It’s beautiful due to its literary style and its accurate depiction of this exciting yet challenging phase. The passage begins with a description of how the woman sees her lover. Read verse 8 and the first part of verse 9: > The voice of my beloved! > Behold, he comes, > leaping over the mountains, > bounding over the hills. > My beloved is like a gazelle > or a young stag. What does she see when she thinks of the one she loves? As [one commentator](https://amzn.to/44FTGW1?ref=dashhouse.com) says, she sees him as: > ...faster than a speeding bullet, stronger than a locomotive, leaping over not only tall buildings but entire mountains in his eagerness to get to her… We can almost pick out the large S emblazoned on the chest of her Superman as he bounds like a gazelle or a young stag. He’s graceful. He’s handsome. He’s strong. He’s fast. She’s in love! The problem arises in the second part of verse 9: > Behold, there he stands > behind our wall, > gazing through the windows, > looking through the lattice. What’s the problem? He’s outside. There's a physical barrier between them. They long to be together, but they’re not yet, and it’s hard. But then the man speaks. Read verses 10 to 13: > My beloved speaks and says to me: > “Arise, my love, my beautiful one, > and come away, > for behold, the winter is past; > the rain is over and gone. > The flowers appear on the earth, > the time of singing has come, > and the voice of the turtledove > is heard in our land. > The fig tree ripens its figs, > and the vines are in blossom; > they give forth fragrance. > Arise, my love, my beautiful one, > and come away. This is beautiful. The man basically says two things. It’s springtime, which is traditionally a good time for love. He previously said not to stir up love, but now spring is here. It’s time for love. And so he says, twice, “Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.” This seems to capture so much of what this phase is like. She idealizes him. He really wants to be with her. It feels like it’s time for love. But they’re separated. We’ve seen the image that she has of him. Look at the image that he has of her in verse 14: > O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, > in the crannies of the cliff, > let me see your face, > let me hear your voice, > for your voice is sweet, > and your face is lovely. She seems him as a gazelle or a young stag. He sees her as a dove hiding in the rocks. She has a sweet voice and a lovely face, but she’s hidden. What is the significance of her being a dove? One commentator (Iain Duguid) says: > Doves are timid creatures because they do not have much in the way of defence mechanisms: they don’t have claws or teeth, or even particularly speedy flight. For safety, they have to rely on hiding in inaccessible locations where, even if you can see them, it is hard to get to them. There’s a picture of beauty and vulnerability there. They both love each other. They both want to be together. They desire each other. But she’s holding back. She’s hiding. It’s not that she’s not interested in him. But maybe she’s playing a little hard to get. There’s a pursuit. And the pursuit seems to pay off in verses 16 to 17 when the woman says: > My beloved is mine, and I am his; > he grazes among the lilies. > Until the day breathes > and the shadows flee, > turn, my beloved, be like a gazelle > or a young stag on cleft mountains. She belongs to him. He belongs to her. There’s a voluntary mutuality and submission to each other. He’s grazing among the lilies. They’re ready for love. But then she says, “Turn, my beloved.” It's unclear if she's asking him to turn to her or to leave, but either way the problem is similar. They’re both longing for each other, but their longing goes unfulfilled. It’s not fully realized yet. In the first 5 verses of chapter 3, the woman really desires the man. It’s another scene of longing and desire. She lies in bed, but she can’t stop thinking of him. She even goes out looking for him, which was not a safe thing to do for a woman at night! She eventually finds him, and then we read: > Scarcely had I passed them > when I found him whom my soul loves. > I held him, and would not let him go > until I had brought him into my mother’s house, > and into the chamber of her who conceived me. > (Song of Songs 3:4) Most commentators see this as a dream. She longs for him. She wants him. She longs for marriage. But they’re still apart, and she can only dream of the relationship that she desires with him. That’s why the refrain is repeated in verse 5: don’t wake up love until it’s ready. This poetry beautifully captures the tension of dating courtship. Honoring God's design for sexuality in marriage leads to the balance of growing desire and necessary restraint, as described in these verses. The space between singleness and marriage isn't extensively addressed in Scripture, yet it's a reality that many of us navigate. During this evaluation period, physical attraction and emotional connection intensify naturally. This passage illuminates what faithful courtship feels like: a heart increasingly drawn to another while honoring God's boundaries. Expect frustration. It’s like driving with one foot on the gas and one on the brake. This tension isn't a sign of failure but evidence of both healthy attraction and godly commitment. Develop specific boundaries and accountability measures to navigate this season wisely. Remember that dating relationships are a season of discernment before the covenant of marriage. Thoughtful boundaries protect your heart and ensure that intimacy is meaningful within the permanent commitment of marriage. Maintaining boundaries can be difficult, but this tension builds your character and prepares you for the deeper union that God intends. Scripture speaks clearly on this matter. "Flee from sexual immorality," Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:18\. This biblical instruction isn't about restricting joy, but preserving it. God created sex as a beautiful gift to be celebrated and enjoyed within the protective bonds of marriage. The original Greek term for "sexual immorality" encompasses any sexual expression outside marriage. Sexual intimacy reflects the emotional and spiritual connection formed through a lifelong commitment. For those who aren't married, sexual activity remains a treasure to be anticipated, not prematurely unwrapped. If you've already crossed boundaries you wish you hadn't, grace abounds and a fresh start awaits you today. Establishing healthy boundaries involves more than just avoiding certain activities; it also means being aware of behaviors that increase desires that can't yet be fulfilled properly. These boundaries exist not due to a lack of value in intimacy, but because it's so precious that God has reserved it for the safety and commitment of marriage. One writer observes: > This can obviously be very difficult when dating. Sexual attraction and arousal are natural and normal parts of a dating relationship; in fact, it would be surprising if there were no attraction. It’s part of how God’s made you. We’re not told to flee from sexual *attraction*; we’re told to flee from sexual *immorality*. This is why it’s so important for couples to talk about physical boundaries in their dating relationship. While physical boundaries won’t save you from everything, talking about boundaries and putting them in place becomes a healthy expression of the purity that you desire for each other. Talk about why purity matters; talk about why you want to honour Jesus, and why it would be really precious to guard and look after each other in this way. ([Water for my Camels](https://amzn.to/4f4lqHq?ref=dashhouse.com)) Remember, you’re not married yet. You will feel the tension of unfulfilled desire, and that’s part of this season. Set clear safeguards. Take this seriously. Sexual sin is not only disobedience to God but a trap that can ensnare, wound deeply, and leave lasting scars. Yet, God offers both healing and forgiveness. His grace is greater than our failures, but the cost of sin is real. Guard your heart and honor him. Dating is exciting and fun, but it will awaken desires that should not yet be fulfilled. There’s one other challenge you will face when you date. ### You will face the challenge of issues that can derail your relationship. Read 2:15: > Catch the foxes for us, > the little foxes > that spoil the vineyards, > for our vineyards are in blossom. Here’s what you will find in every dating relationship: foxes. What do foxes do? This verse tells us. They spoil vineyards. In the springtime, the new growth on vines is fragile and easily damaged. You’ve got to protect the vines from foxes so that the new growth is protected. It’s the same in dating relationships too. The foxes represent threats to their relationship. They’re obstacles to that relationship developing. The text never defines what these foxes are, but we can guess what some of them might be: - Pride - Selfish desires - Extended family members - Former lovers - Unresolved baggage - Sinful habits John Henderson [writes](https://amzn.to/4eYEV42?ref=dashhouse.com) that the author of the Song of Songs: > …knew that selfish appetites and false idols at work in his heart and the heart of his bride had to be identified and driven away in order for their marital love and affection to grow and blossom. Enemies to a God-honoring union had to be ushered out. If the grapes of their vineyard were to fully ripen into marital fruitfulness, then dangers had to be cornered and fenced off. > Surely Solomon was speaking to the condition of their souls and not to actual physical land. He pointed to potential dangers in their relationship, not to the quality of their wedding decor. > …The critical labor for which He called was not external and physical but internal and spiritual. This remains true for us today. The most vital preparation for marriage is internal. That is some of the hard work that has to take place during dating. You will need to sort through the issues — many of them in your heart — that could derail your relationship. Dating will reveal the issues in your heart that need to be dealt with if you’re going to proceed in your relationship. Let me close this off and think about what this Song means for us so far. If you're single, avoid rushing into a romantic relationship, as it can create intense emotions that are difficult to manage. Let love remain dormant until it’s ready, because it’s a good but overwhelmingly powerful gift. Be content with your singleness for as long as God has you single. When dating, you're assessing if the person is a suitable marriage partner. Dating is enjoyable, but you will encounter two challenges: unfulfilled desire and other issues that can disrupt your relationship. This is what dating looks like. Fun, but also with some significant challenges that need to be overcome. **Dating combines the thrill of romance with the challenges of handling desires and resolving relationship problems before marriage.** Let me close by making three applications. First, we need help from others as we go through this phase. These challenges we've discussed are serious enough that you shouldn't face them alone. You need brothers and sisters who know you and can help you through these challenges. You need people who can remind you that you’re not married yet and assist you in addressing any internal conflicts that may pose challenges. If you don’t have brothers and sisters like that, you need them. We’d love to talk to you about how you can get more connected in this church so that you’re not going through these challenges alone. Second, we need God’s help. I’ve been talking this morning about not giving in to very strong desires, and in dealing with heart issues. Only God can give you the self-control you need. Only God can forgive your failures and your sins and your stumbles. God can help you root out the issues of your heart that need to be addressed. You need the grace and power that is available to you through Jesus. Receive the grace you need not just as a dater but as a sinner who needs God’s grace. Finally: pay attention to some subtleties in this text. Have you noticed how much garden imagery takes place in today’s passage? The song seems to take us back to the Garden of Eden, suggesting a deeper love than what we can currently experience. Yes, he’s talking about a man and a woman in love, but as he does so he points us to a desire that’s even stronger than that between a man and a woman. Romantic love is a shadow of the greater love that we have in Jesus. I like what Julian Hardyman [writes](https://amzn.to/46mGHdc?ref=dashhouse.com). If you have Christ’s love but don’t have a human relationship of romantic love and intimacy: > …you still have infinitely more than someone who is happily married with children and lots of friends. Infinitely more. If you are married, and/or have children and lots of friends, Christ is infinitely more precious and beautiful than any of them, good though those relationships are. Desire is God-given and leads us to Christ. All love leads to him, and he is the one who will guide us through challenges and fulfill our deepest desires. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-457/ Last updated: 2025-08-02T09:00:47.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Urgent](https://susanlafferty.com/2025/07/27/urgent/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Your greatest danger is letting the urgent things crowd out the important. [What Is Success?](https://www.jenoshman.com/jen-oshman-blog/2025/7/30/what-is-success?ref=dashhouse.com) > Success in ministry is abiding. Success in ministry is faithfulness to Jesus Christ. Success in ministry is persevering to the very end. [Practical Christian Guardrails for Humor and Joking](https://africa.thegospelcoalition.org/article/practical-christian-guardrails-for-humour-and-joking/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are two areas to be wary of to keep our humour from being destructive to the soul. [Read books, Not AI Summaries](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/read-books-not-ai-summaries/?ref=dashhouse.com) > If the next generation outsources reading to AI and, in the process, loses the capacity to decipher long-form text, what will that mean for biblical literacy and spiritual formation? [What is the Gospel? A Surprisingly Contested Question](https://www.logos.com/grow/hall-what-is-the-gospel-prophet-priest-king/?ref=dashhouse.com) > My argument is that the gospel is a prophetic message involving a priestly mechanism with a kingly goal; namely, the arrival of God’s kingdom. [Why We Must Be Gospel-Centered](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/article/why-we-must-be-gospel-centered/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The good news that Jesus died and rose again for sinners isn’t just a message we preach once and move on from. [Preaching Expectations](https://www.feedingonchrist.com/blog/post/preaching-expectations?ref=dashhouse.com) > Low expectations become self-fulfilling. [What’s Going on in Your Pastor’s Mind?](https://www.challies.com/articles/whats-going-on-in-your-pastors-mind/?ref=dashhouse.com) > If you have ever wondered what is going on in your pastor’s mind while he delivers his sermon, here are a few different possibilities—a few different options that may be playing on his second track. [Hope for Christians Who Struggle With Habits](https://www.gospelforlife.com/hope-for-christians-who-are-bad-at-habits/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Spiritual growth doesn't require natural habit-forming abilities. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Criticism Is Part of Ministry](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/straight-paths/criticism-is-part-of-ministry/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Ministry involves suffering and misunderstanding, but it is still worth it despite the pain. ### A Strategy for Handling Anxiety URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/a-strategy-for-handling-anxiety/ Last updated: 2025-07-29T09:00:32.000Z Anxiety permeates every aspect of our lives. The fast pace of life, constant comparisons from social media, and world uncertainties make many of us feel overwhelmed. Despite digital connections, many carry their burdens alone. Telling someone not to be anxious doesn’t help. In fact, it often backfires. That’s why Paul’s words in Philippians 4:6—“Do not be anxious about anything”—can feel almost impossible at first glance. Yet Paul doesn’t leave us with a command alone; he gives us a strategy. ## The Strategy: Pray About Everything Paul’s solution is both simple and profound: replace worry with prayer. “Do not be anxious about anything,” he writes, “but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” I like Paul’s logic: don’t be anxious about anything; pray about everything. Let’s break this down: ### Pray About Everything Nothing is too small or too big to bring to God. Whether it’s a parking spot, a difficult meeting, or a major life decision, God invites us to bring it all to him. Prayer isn’t reserved for the “big” things; it’s for everything. ### Pray Different Kinds of Prayers Paul mentions both “prayer” and “supplication.” The first refers to regular, ongoing communication with God. The second suggests urgent and sincere appeals. Our relationship with God can include both daily prayer and urgent cries for help. ### Pray with Thanksgiving Thanksgiving changes our perspective. Instead of dwelling on what we lack, it reminds us of God’s faithfulness: what he’s done, what he’s doing, and what he will do. Gratitude pulls us out of self-centered worry and reorients us to God’s goodness. ### Be Specific Paul encourages us to make our requests known to God. Yes, he already knows our needs, but there's something powerful about naming them before him. It reminds us that we are speaking to the Creator and Sustainer of everything, who can help us in ways we can't even imagine. The bigger our view of God, the smaller our worries become. ## The Result: God’s Peace Here’s the promise: when we replace worry with prayer, God’s peace will guard our hearts and minds. Paul uses the image of a sentry, a guard standing watch over our inner life. This peace cannot be manufactured by us; it goes beyond understanding. It’s a gift from God, rooted in our relationship with Christ. ## The Invitation Are you anxious? Most of us would say yes. Anxiety is a persistent reality for many, and while prayer is a powerful response, it doesn’t always mean the struggle disappears overnight. Paul’s words in Philippians 4:6-7 aren’t a quick fix; they’re an invitation to a process. The solution isn’t to suppress anxiety or pretend it doesn’t exist. Instead, it’s to bring your worries to God, again and again. Don't be anxious about anything; pray about everything. Come to God with what's weighing on you. Talk to him regularly. Keep coming back. Send up urgent requests when needed. Give your problems to the One who can actually solve them, and receive his peace in exchange for your anxiety. Replace worry with prayer, not as a one-time solution, but as a daily rhythm of trust. Replace worry with prayer to manage anxiety, trusting that God's peace will guard your heart and mind as you share your concerns with him. ### The Gift of Romance (Song of Songs 1:1-2:7) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-gift-of-romance-song-of-songs-11-27/ Last updated: 2025-07-27T22:00:05.000Z **Big Idea:** Romantic love is a gift, but it creates powerful desires that shouldn’t be unleashed too soon. --- The Song of Songs, like romantic love, is confusing and a little embarrassing. **It’s confusing.** I had no idea when I picked this book how confusing it is. We've just completed the Book of Revelation, which is likely the most challenging book in the New Testament to understand and interpret. Now we’re in the Song of Songs, which may be the hardest book in the Old Testament to understand and interpret. Let me give you some of the confusing questions that we need to face as we look at this book: - **Is it allegorical or literal?** Should we interpret it as an allegory of the relationship between Christ and the church, as many Christians have historically done, or as literal love poetry celebrating human sexuality and romance? - **Is it a coherent narrative or a collection of love poems?** Some see Song of Songs as a drama. But even then, it’s hard to tell if it’s a drama with two or three characters. It's unclear whether Solomon is the main character in the drama or if the shepherd takes the lead, with Solomon posing a threat to their relationship. Others argue that there’s no clear characters or plot structure, and it’s simply a collection of love poetry. It’s hard to find two commentators who agree. - **Where is God in the Song?** The Song of Songs is remarkable for its almost complete lack of explicit references to God. Unlike almost all other books in the Hebrew Bible, it does not mention the main names for God, except for one disputed instance. And so listen to scholars talk about how difficult it is to interpret this book. Ninth-century Rabbi Saadia compared the Song to "a lock for which the key had been lost." A 19th-century scholar (Franz Delitzsch) noted that "whatever interpretation principle one adopts, many passages remain inexplicable." Marvin Pope highlighted that no other text of comparable size in global literature has sparked such a wide array of interpretations. Daniel Estes notes that "scholars disagree on nearly every aspect of its interpretation," with "virtually every verse presenting challenges in text, philology, imagery, grammar, or structure." John Walton and Andrew Hill summarize the situation bluntly: "No Old Testament book has proven more perplexing for biblical interpreters." So it’s confusing. But here’s the other thing about Song of Songs. **It’s embarrassing.** My friend Steve Mathewson says, “The lyrics in the Song of Songs are somewhat embarrassing and border on being erotic.” If you don’t know what I’m talking about, stick around in this series and you’ll find out. No wonder it’s hard to find many sermons on this book! ### Why We're Looking at This Book The Song of Songs is confusing and embarrassing. So why are we going to be looking at this book? Lots of reasons, but let me just list two. **It’s Scripture.** 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says: > All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. This also includes the song. We believe that the Song of Songs has divine origin and can be used by God to teach us about healthy human love. It can rebuke some of our mistaken views of romantic love and sexuality. It can teach us God’s intent for a very important part of what it means to be men and women. We’re going to look at this book because it’s Scripture. Here’s the second reason we’re going to look at this book. **We need it.** Is there anything more confusing to figure out than romantic love? Dating apps, cultural pressures, and the differences between men and women highlight the need for God's wisdom on this important topic. If we don’t listen to God on this topic, we’ll listen to someone else. If God isn’t squeamish about this topic, we shouldn’t be either. Despite the challenges, it’s worth it to wrestle with this book. I believe we can understand it while acknowledging where we may disagree. We need the insights from this book about human relationships and its guidance toward our ultimate purpose in relationships. Whether you’re single or married, we need to understand the message of Song of Songs and what it means for us today. ### Setting the Stage Verse 1 says, “The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s.” Please be aware that this is a song. That tells us something about the genre of the book. It’s a literary text that was originally put to music. Think about some of the implications of this. It’s meant to be experienced emotionally, not just studied intellectually. There’s going to be some poetry involved. Instead of a puzzle to solve, it is an experience to enter into. As Eric Ortlund [writes](https://go.dashhouse.com/fwWO?ref=dashhouse.com), “The book does not reflect on love as much as express what it feels like from the inside.” We learn about love by seeing the world through the eyes of lovers. That’s how this song is going to instruct us. The phrase “Song of Songs” is a superlative, signifying that this poem is the greatest of all songs. Just as the Holy of Holies was the most sacred place in the temple, and the King of kings declares God as supreme over all rulers, this title emphasizes its unmatched excellence. Among all songs, this one stands above the rest as the finest. What does it mean when it says “which is Solomon’s”? It could mean that Solomon wrote it. 1 Kings 4:32 says that Solomon wrote over a thousand songs. But the original language isn’t clear. It could also mean "about Solomon," "in the style of Solomon," or "dedicated to Solomon" rather than "written by Solomon." Which is it? We don’t know for sure. I’m not going to be dogmatic about it, but I see some issues with viewing Solomon as either the author or the hero of this book because his actual life story contradicts the Song's message about faithful, exclusive love. As I’ve studied this book, let me tell you what makes sense to me, even as I acknowledge that it’s hard to find two scholars who agree. I believe this is a story about a couple—a man (likely not Solomon) and a woman. Their relationship unfolds with a sense of logical flow, moving from desire to marriage and beyond. I view this book as a story by an unknown author about two people deeply in love. The text not only celebrates their love but also reflects the deeper love between Jesus and his people. And I believe it’s a book that’s important for us to read. ## The Romance Begins The opening verses reveal a powerful sense of attraction. As we begin this book, we’re going to see that things are already very much underway. Let’s see if we can understand what this section teaches us as we see this couple in the early stages. There are three observations I want to make in this first scene of this book. ### Romantic love is a gift (1:1-4) The attraction between the man and woman in the opening of the Song of Songs is unmistakable and compelling. > “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! > For your love is better than wine…” > *(1:2)* What a beginning! The book wastes no time diving into the passionate emotions and longing between these two individuals. Iain Duguid [observes](https://amzn.to/4lzQPDI?ref=dashhouse.com): > The Song of Songs *is not primarily a book about sex, or a manual of dating tips, or an 'agony aunt' column of relationship advice. It is a book about desire from beginning to end—desire stirred, desire frustrated, desire satisfied, desire frustrated again—but above all, desire. The woman wants something—or rather, someone—with a passionate and breathless desire.* This passage vividly captures the female protagonist's longing for her beloved. Her senses are fully captivated. She is captivated by the fragrance of his anointing oils (verse 3) and the beauty of his name. She yearns for deep intimacy, desiring to be drawn into the privacy of his chambers (verse 4). Notably, her desire isn’t hidden; even her friends—her community—are involved, aware of and supportive of her affection for this man. Interestingly, the man himself doesn’t appear until later in verse 8\. Until then, he is only visible as the focus of her desire, enhancing the reader’s appreciation of her love. Romantic love is a gift! God is for it. It is part of God’s design for humanity. We often see it, along with sex, as taboo or unholy, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. God created desire, love, and intimacy as good gifts. They are to be celebrated and honored within God’s framework. Though Satan often seeks to distort or misuse them, their origin as divine blessings remains unchanged. And they are powerful. Desire awakens our most profound longings and engages all our senses. It is not easily contained. It overflows, stirring emotions and fueling aspirations for emotional and physical connection. Romantic love is a powerful, transformative force and a sacred gift that reflects God's design for human connection and joy. There’s a second observation we see in this passage: ### Romantic love creates powerful desires (1:5-2:6) In verses 1 to 4, we’ve seen the perspective of the woman, but we haven’t yet discovered the man’s thoughts. This changes in the next part. In verses 8 to 10 and verse 15, it becomes clear that the man is just as captivated by her as she is by him. Both express the joy they find in one another. They praise each other. In verses 5 to 8, we see one of the challenges keeping the couple apart: their obligations. Both are busy with their work. The woman labors in the vineyards, suggesting she’s a peasant girl enduring hard work and a difficult family. She also doesn’t conform to traditional beauty standards of the time. Meanwhile, the man works as a shepherd. Their love exists amid the demands of their daily lives. Yet there’s a sense of longing. The woman plays a key role in this passage, driving the narrative forward largely through her thoughts, as romantic love and desire often start in the mind. In verses 1:12-14, the woman imagines their future together. She lies in bed and fantasizes about being with her beloved. Though he’s not with her, she deeply yearns for him and envisions their love blossoming. They exchange praise for one another, and she uses imagery from nature to describe the growth of their love. By 2:3-7, they are feasting and embracing in her imagination, with the woman describing herself as “sick with love.” There’s so much figurative language here. Scholars debate how much to interpret sexually. She loves him deeply, which is pushing her toward physical intimacy and full commitment. If I'm correct that much of this is her imagination, her desires create a conflict between what she wants and what is possible at this stage in their relationship—a common tension many of us experience. Their love is strong and passionate, creating desires that are both beautiful and overwhelming. These desires, however, aren’t meant to be instantly gratified. Romantic love is a gift, and it unleashes powerful desires. ### Be careful about unleashing these desires too soon (2:7). Consider verse 7, a crucial warning that is repeated later in 3:5 and 8:4: > I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, > by the gazelles or the does of the field, > that you not stir up or awaken love > until it pleases. Romantic love is a beautiful gift, but it brings deep desires that should not be rushed. These desires require careful discernment and wisdom. In recent weeks, we’ve seen the power of water. I’ve been reading about a hurricane that took place in Galveston, Texas, in 1900, a storm that flooded the city with 8 to 10 feet of water. I was shocked to [read this](https://amzn.to/3THNA12?ref=dashhouse.com): > Waves swept through his neighborhood… Each embodied a destructive power nearly beyond measure. A single cubic yard of water weighs about fifteen hundred pounds. A wave fifty feet long and ten feet high has a static weight of over eighty thousand pounds. Moving at thirty miles an hour, it generates forward momentum of over two million pounds… Talk about power! Don’t underestimate the power of something as simple as a wave. Romantic love is like that. Don’t underestimate its power. It’s sacred and powerful, and it should be treated with the utmost respect and intentionality. Its immense power calls for thoughtful stewardship, not impulsive indulgence. While love and intimacy are unquestionably good gifts, their proper context—marriage—ensures they can be fully enjoyed without harm. Likewise, sex, an incredible gift from God, is intentionally designed to flourish in the safety and commitment of marriage. Do not rush into this sacred space before its time. Love should not be awakened prematurely, but rather allowed to mature and carry its physical and emotional significance within God’s intended covenant of marriage. I like how Jim Hamilton puts it: “People who believe what the Bible teaches about sexuality are sometimes viewed as killjoys, as those who won’t let others have any fun. That’s not it at all! We want people to have the *most pleasure* with the *least regret*.” That’s why it’s important to not unleash these desires too soon. Here’s what this passage teaches us: **Romantic love is a gift but creates powerful desires that shouldn’t be unleashed too soon.** Friends, God created romantic love and sexual desire. It’s a gift, and it’s a powerful one. God is for it. For singles: be careful about rushing into this gift, because it’s powerful once you do. Don’t play around with this gift. Take it seriously. Picture a fence around an electrical transformer that says, "Danger! High Voltage!" It’s not that the electricity is bad; it’s good, but it has to be used carefully. Don’t take romantic love lightly, because it is going to unleash desires that will create tension in your life once they’re unleashed. Be careful about rushing into this gift. For those of you who are dating: You’re living in this tension right now. Don’t be surprised that it’s hard. Your job right now is going to be how to manage that tension in a way that honors God. Get help. Take practical action so you don’t get swept away by what could easily overpower you. Be mindful of your desires and create strategies to ensure they don’t take you in the wrong direction until you can pursue them in a way that honors God. And let’s be honest. We need God’s grace in this area. Some of us need grace because we long for the kind of intimacy described in this passage, and we don’t have it. Some of us need grace because we’ve failed in this area and have regrets. God’s grace is for you. As much as this story is a story about a couple in love, it’s also a picture of a greater love story. Ultimately, every romance between a man and a woman will disappoint and then eventually end, but there’s one romance that never will, and it can be yours no matter if you’re single or married and no matter what regrets you carried in with you this morning. As one author [says](https://amzn.to/4lkEDHh?ref=dashhouse.com): > Christ is so infinitely sweet and beautiful and satisfying as to evoke a deep longing and a wild, mad desire. He wants us to love him with all the madness our souls are capable of. Human desire, human romance, crazy human love . . . all point us to something greater: Christ’s love for us, and the love he wants to give us for himself. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-456/ Last updated: 2025-07-26T09:00:19.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Where and How Do We Draw the Line?](https://clearlyreformed.org/where-and-how-do-we-draw-the-line/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are seven steps we ought to pursue in establishing doctrinal boundaries. [A Christian Vision for Exercise](https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/a-christian-vision-for-exercise?ref=dashhouse.com) > Our charge is to make physical exertion a means, among others, to spiritual health and joy. [Prerequisite Weakness](https://jacobrcrouch.wordpress.com/2025/07/25/prerequisite-weakness/?ref=dashhouse.com) > God chooses the weak. It’s a prerequisite to being used by God. [Don’t Overlook Sunday](https://buildingjerusalem.blog/2025/07/25/dont-overlook-sunday/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The principal means of growth for God’s people is the corporate gathering of God’s people. [Leader, Our Biggest Problem Is Not Other People](https://revdaveharvey.com/2025/07/22/leader-our-biggest-problem-is-not-other-people/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Our most significant problem(s) are rooted in the reality that we are sinners. ### We're Only Scratching the Surface of Scripture URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/were-only-scratching-the-surface-of-scripture/ Last updated: 2025-07-22T09:00:22.000Z If you have a couple of extra hours, or even if you don't, you really should listen to this interview with Jim Hamilton on the [Room for Nuance podcast](https://go.dashhouse.com/gJxZ?ref=dashhouse.com) ([Apple Podcasts](https://go.dashhouse.com/gJX2?ref=dashhouse.com) | [Spotify](https://go.dashhouse.com/gJX4?ref=dashhouse.com)| [YouTube](https://go.dashhouse.com/gJX6?ref=dashhouse.com)). It's about his [new book](https://amzn.to/3IUcaJM?ref=dashhouse.com) on the literary structure of the Gospel of John. I listened while I was exercising and kept wishing I had a pen to write down some of the insights. The podcast blew my mind. Even though I've read the Gospel of John many times and have even preached through it, I saw things and made connections I'd never seen before. I'm grateful for the scholarship of someone like Jim Hamilton and the insights he's given us. I can't wait to read his new book. I've read through the Bible numerous times. Right now, I'm taking a ten-year deep dive through every book of the Bible as I work on my [Big Idea Bible project](https://www.bigideabible.com/?ref=dashhouse.com). Yet, podcasts like the one I mentioned make me realize I could live hundreds of years and still only scratch the surface of the Bible. No matter how much we learn, there's always so much more. This should lead us to two qualities: humility and awe. First, humility. No matter how much we learn about Scripture, there's infinitely more to discover. Every time we open Scripture, we should start with the awareness that God is infinitely wiser than we are. His words are packed with so much that we'll always be kindergartners in the ways of the Lord. None of us are masters of Scripture; we're all beginners. This should give us appropriate humility as we approach his word. Augustine was right: “The Bible is shallow enough for a child to wade in, but deep enough for an elephant to swim in." Anyone can pick up the Bible and begin to understand it, but nobody, no matter how brilliant, can exhaust its riches. We’ll always have more to learn, and the more we learn, the more we’ll see that we have to learn. Realizing this should lead to humility, but it should also lead us to awe. Rather than seeing Scripture as the work of primitive people who didn't know very much, we should see it for what it is: skillfully written, beautifully crafted revelation from God through human writers. Picking up the Bible gives me a sense of wonder at God's infinite wisdom, who wrote something beyond human understanding. Really, listen to that podcast interview with Jim Hamilton. I think you'll like it. If it has the same effect on you, it will fill you with humility and wonder and help you understand the Gospel of John better than before. But even better, pick up the Bible. Devote yourself to a lifetime of reading and studying. Piggyback off the efforts of brilliant scholars. Ask for the Holy Spirit's help. Listen to good preaching. Keep making connections and keep digging. Fill your mind with wonder not only at the beauty of Scripture but at the greatness of our God. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-455/ Last updated: 2025-07-19T09:00:12.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Take a Closer Look at Noah's Ark](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/closer-look-noahs-ark/?ref=dashhouse.com) > When I studied the flood in seminary, I realized that the narrative is actually a depiction of what God did for the salvation of his beloved people. [God's Love Is Sufficient to Help You Fight Porn](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/gods-love-fight-porn/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Pornography breeds darkness, yet amazingly, God's grace remains sufficient for those in Christ Jesus. [Personal Growth Assignment: Pornography](https://counselingoneanother.com/2025/07/15/personal-growth-assignment-pornography/?ref=dashhouse.com) > According to Covenant Eyes, an average of 61% of the general population views pornography regularly (78% of men and 44% of women). [4 Questions Pastors Should Ask Before Using AI](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/questions-pastors-using-ai/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The pastoral office is personal—delegated to you, an undershepherd, by the Chief Shepherd. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Two Ways to Bless Churches This Summer](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/straight-paths/two-ways-to-bless-churches-this-summer/?ref=dashhouse.com) > One of the most underestimated ministries is that of the faithful, ordinary church member. ### When a Christian Leader Fails URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/when-a-christian-leader-fails/ Last updated: 2025-09-01T22:49:51.000Z The news made me feel sick. A pastor—a man I had respected—had been caught in secret sin. Even worse, he’d covered it up. When he was found out, he resigned, leaving behind a trail of devastation. Sadly, this hasn’t happened just once in my life. How do we respond when a Christian leader falls? What if it’s our own pastor? How do we navigate the doubt, make sense of it all, and move forward well? ## Face What Happened One of the first and most important steps is to face facts. It’s challenging to process difficult news, so we may be tempted to minimize the seriousness of moral failure, but denial is never a healthy response. We shouldn’t exaggerate the sin nor go digging for details, but we should acknowledge that something serious has happened so that we can begin to process it. A key in facing the situation is to separate forgiveness from consequences. Through the finished work of Christ, forgiveness is freely available to anyone who sins (Romans 3:23-24), but that doesn’t mean there won’t be consequences for sin. It’s important to realize that someone can be forgiven by Christ but still lose a job or relationships or even face criminal charges. Even forgiven sin can have consequences. When a Christian leader fails us, we can feel shocked and tempted to minimize what happened. Don’t do this. Face the reality of what happened so you can deal with it well. ## Remember: You’re in Danger, Too I used to think, “How could they?” Now I realize that all of us are capable of catastrophic failure (Romans 3:10-12). Every guy, no matter how godly, experiences temptation. In fact, we’re never more in danger than when we think, “It could never happen to me.” When I hear about a Christian leader failing, I take the opportunity to review my own life. Am I dabbling in sin? Am I allowing unnecessary temptation into my life? Do I need to shore up any of my defences? Do I have any secrets I need to share with a Christian brother or my wife? I also give my wife permission to ask me tough questions. We’re all capable of great sin. Christian leaders may face even greater danger because Satan knows how much damage he can cause the Church by drawing leaders into sin. Don’t look down on those who’ve failed. Instead, examine your own life and realize that if you aren’t vigilant, you are in danger, too (1 Peter 5:8). We’re all capable of great sin. Christian leaders may face even greater danger because Satan knows how much damage he can cause the Church by drawing leaders into sin. ## Pray and Encourage The sin of a Christian leader often leaves so much damage that it feels like a disaster site. It reminds me of a scene from the news: rescue workers sifting through rubble, looking for survivors. It’s hard to know what to do. I’ve found two responses helpful. First, pray. Pray for the leader. Pray for their family. Pray for all those who are wounded and affected. Pray for the church or ministry. Pray for the protection of other pastors and Christian leaders. There are some things only God can do, and so it’s necessary to cry out to Him for His help. God is good at bringing some good from even the worst circumstances (Romans 8:28). Second, encourage. If there are victims, see what you can do to support and strengthen them. Look for people around you who are discouraged, and tell them you care. I know someone who was planning on leaving their church and finding a new one closer to home. When the pastor failed, that person decided to remain at the church a year longer to encourage others not to give up. I want to be like that. I want to stay when others may be tempted to leave just so I can encourage others not to give up when it’s hard. ## Keep Looking to Jesus I asked someone why they stuck around after a Christian leader failed. “I didn’t join the church because of that person,” he said. “I joined because this is a church that takes Jesus seriously, and that hasn’t changed.” His response reminds me of something Robert Murray McCheyne once said: “For every look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ. He is altogether lovely. Such infinite majesty, and yet such meekness and grace, and all for sinners, even the chief! Live much in the smiles of God. Bask in his beams. Feel his all-seeing eye settled on you in love, and repose in his almighty arms.” People will disappoint us, but Jesus won’t. We can’t afford to put all our trust in people; they will always let us down. But Jesus is unchanging and sinless, and He will stay faithful even when others fail. A wise Christian leader once said that it takes two years for a church to recover from a leader’s moral failure. Recovery will take some time, and it will be hard. But be a man who can face what happened, remember you’re in danger, pray and encourage, and keep looking to Jesus. Christian leaders will sometimes fail. But don’t give up. People may fall, but God is still on His throne, and He can and will bring good out of even the most challenging circumstances. *Originally published at* [*Impactus.ca*](https://go.dashhouse.com/g7NR?ref=dashhouse.com) ### When You Feel Abandoned (Isaiah 40) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/when-you-feel-abandoned-isaiah-40/ Last updated: 2025-07-13T22:00:22.000Z **Big Idea:** God's plans for you are good, his greatness knows no bounds, and he invites you to connect your weakness to his limitless power, finding in him all that you need. --- Have you ever felt utterly hopeless? Sometimes, we encounter crises that make us feel alone and overwhelmed by our challenges. It can feel as though life is falling apart, with no relief in sight. What do you do when you lose someone you love and are overwhelmed with grief? When you're confronted with a sudden diagnosis or chronic illness? When a meaningful relationship comes to an end? When you lose your job and are overwhelmed by mounting financial pressure? Or when prolonged stress and exhaustion leave you feeling unable to cope with life’s demands? Struggles are more common than we think and can make us feel out of control, lose our sense of identity, and feel hopeless. This, too, is a part of life—even for Christians. We all go through seasons when it feels like our world has collapsed and hope seems distant. Today’s passage takes us into one of those times for God’s people. Today we’ll discuss Isaiah 40\. I wish we had more time to go through the entire book of Isaiah with you. Maybe one day soon. But the reason I’m taking us there today is that I sense some of us could use the message of this chapter. Some of us know what it’s like to feel crushed, to be, as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 1, “utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself” (2 Corinthians 1:8). Isaiah has a message for you. Isaiah 40 marks a new section in the book. Isaiah 1 to 39 addresses the southern kingdom under the reign of four kings: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, from the 780s to 680s BC. It has a message: God will judge his people for their sins. For instance, read the words of Isaiah 39:6-7: > Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the LORD. And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. Chapter 40 marks a major break in the book. Isaiah prophesies about future people who will face God's judgment during the exile from Jerusalem between 605 and 586 BC, when three waves of people were taken away and the city and temple were destroyed. Think about how devastating this would have been. The destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, seen as God's home, left people feeling abandoned and unsure of their identity as God's chosen ones. They faced deep grief, cultural loss, and practical challenges while rebuilding their lives in a new country. They would have felt an overwhelming sense of confusion, loss, homesickness, and spiritual crisis. Psalm 137:1 describes how they felt: > By the waters of Babylon, > there we sat down and wept, > when we remembered Zion. What can you do when it feels like you’ve lost everything and are utterly alone? This was precisely the reality faced by Isaiah’s audience in Isaiah 40\. They were exiles in Babylon, a people broken and burdened. Yet what Isaiah wrote to them offers profound hope and guidance for us as well. ## Three Truths for Times of Crisis Isaiah 40 unveils three powerful truths that speak directly to our feelings of abandonment and the crises we endure. These truths are not shallow answers or easy fixes. Isaiah spoke to people whose lives were in turmoil; they needed more than just superficial comfort. Instead, these are profound, life-giving truths from the heart of God, spoken to his people in love. In the face of your own hardship, we need to understand three things: ### First, you need to understand God’s intent (40:1-11) The opening verses of Isaiah 40 are likened to a symphony's overture, preparing the listener for a powerful message of hope. During their crisis, God reminds his people that he is still at work, cares deeply, and will fulfill his purpose of world redemption. Consider the beautiful words of verses 1 and 2: > “Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God. > “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, > and cry to her > that her warfare is ended, > that her iniquity is pardoned, > that she has received from the LORD’s hand > double for all her sins.” If you’re going through a hard time and feel abandoned, reflect on this: even after everything, God still calls them his people. He speaks words of comfort, not condemnation. Yes, their exile was a consequence of their disobedience, but that disobedience was not the final word. As Ray Ortlund beautifully puts it: “There is always an end to God’s disciplining of us, but there is never an end to God’s comforts for us.” Verses 3–11 amplify this comfort through three distinct voices: - Verses 3-5: A worldwide display of God’s glory is coming. A messenger will prepare the way for a new King, and a highway will be built. When this King arrives, the whole earth will witness his glory. - Verses 6-8: God’s promises are unfailing. Human promises often go unfulfilled—people are fleeting, unreliable. But God is not like us. As verse 8 proclaims, “The word of our God will stand forever.” Ortlund adds, “God means well, and he never fails… His kingdom is the only final inevitability in human history.” - Verses 9-11: Lift your eyes. God calls his people to behold him: “Behold your God!” He is mighty, just, and majestic—but also tender, caring, and gentle, like a shepherd who lovingly gathers and carries his lambs. In these verses, God speaks into the heart of his people’s crisis, not by dismissing their pain but by offering comfort, tenderness, and hope. He reminds them that their suffering isn’t the final chapter of their story. Dear sufferer, hear this truth: your pain is not the end of your story either. God has not abandoned you. He promises restoration and presents himself as your gentle shepherd. His promises are dependable, and his character unfailing. This is God’s intent: to bring comfort and restoration when the season of suffering has passed. But there’s more. Isaiah 40 also reveals a second profound truth that you need to understand: ### We need to understand God’s greatness (40:12-26) God’s intent is unshakable, but it’s only meaningful if he has the ability to carry it out. Verses 12 to 26 highlight God's immense greatness and power to fulfill his purpose for his people. Verses 12-26 paint a breathtaking picture of God’s greatness. It begins by asking rhetorical questions to highlight God’s unmatched power and wisdom. Look at what God reveals about himself. Verses 12 to 14 describe his **unlimited greatness over creation**. He not only created everything, but he governs all of nature right down to the smallest detail. If God is so great that he can hold all the waters in his hand, all the dust of the earth in a basket, and weigh all the mountains on a scale and the hills in a balance, he doesn’t need any help. He is infinitely wise and powerful. Verses 15 to 17 describe his **supremacy over the nations**. Verse 15 says that nations are like a drop in a bucket or dust on the scales. Verse 16 says that even the legendary forests of Lebanon are insufficient for a worthy burnt offering. Verse 17 says that all nations are as nothing before him. Add up all human power and might, and you have a piece of dust compared to the infinite power of a great God. Verses 18 to 21 say that if you leave God out of the occasion, all you’re left with are empty idols made with human hands that can’t even move. Verses 22 to 24 tell us that God is at work today in human affairs. We’re like grasshoppers. We’re not in control. Ortlund says, “The power brokers who seem so formidable to us, with their monumental egos and pretentious ambitions, are to God like little seedlings—scarcely planted—and God merely blows on them, with zero effort on his part,” and they’re gone. Verse 26 says that God attends to the smallest star in the distant sky. The one sextillion stars—that’s one followed by 21 zeros—in the observable universe were all made by him by the greatness of his power, and not one of them is missing. God is sovereign, eternal, and incomparable. He is the Creator, Sustainer, and Ruler of all. Nothing in creation rivals his power or glory. We can’t even begin to comprehend his greatness. It may look like the world is going to swallow us up, but consider how the world looks to God. It’s infinitesimal to him. He’s got it all under his control. That’s why God says in verse 25: > To whom then will you compare me, > that I should be like him? says the Holy One. Lift your eyes and trust in the God who is infinitely greater than anything we face. Behold the greatness of God. What are you worried about? His intent for you is good, and his greatness is unfathomable. We need these truths when our worlds are in chaos. We need to understand God’s good intent for us, and we need to understand God’s incomparable greatness. But there’s one more thing we need to understand. ### We need to understand and accept God’s invitation (40:27-31) Our problem is that we’re a lot like Isaiah’s intended audience. As they sat in exile, they believed the words of verse 27: “My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God.” They felt abandoned in their suffering, but it was only because they lacked perspective, which is our problem, too. Here’s the perspective we need: > Have you not known? Have you not heard? > The LORD is the everlasting God, > the Creator of the ends of the earth. > He does not faint or grow weary; > his understanding is unsearchable. > He gives power to the faint, > and to him who has no might he increases strength. > 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 40:28–31) In our feelings of abandonment, we need a grander vision of God. We need to grasp God’s eternal nature, limitless power, and unsearchable wisdom. Unlike humans, who grow tired and faint, God never grows weary. But he gives strength to the weak and weary, and he renews the power of those who trust him. Stop focusing on your limitations and problems and instead trust in the God who promises to sustain and empower us. But notice the invitation. It’s an invitation to the faint, for those who have no strength, for those who are exhausted and without hope. What is the invitation? To wait. What does it mean to wait? It means that in Babylon, you keep looking to God in hope that every one of his promises will come true. In the wilderness, you trust in God, believing that he is all-powerful and has good intentions for you. It means when you feel abandoned, weary, and discouraged, that you heed Isaiah’s call, “Behold your God!” It means living with confident, eager expectation, trusting in promises not yet fulfilled. If you have not trusted in this Lord, there is no one else like him. Come to him today through Jesus. He will receive you in your weakness and give you everything you need. We'd love to talk to you about how to do this. If you are in Jesus and you're overwhelmed today, know that he has not abandoned you. His plans for you are good, and his greatness is limitless. He invites you to connect your weaknesses to his power, offering you everything you need. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-454/ Last updated: 2025-07-12T09:00:00.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [A Time to Be Tired](https://sethlewis.ie/2025/07/09/a-time-to-be-tired?ref=dashhouse.com) > There is a time to save your strength—so that you can spend it more effectively in love and joyful service for God and others. [Three Excuses for Not Reading Your Bible](https://www.str.org/w/three-excuses-for-not-reading-your-bible?ref=dashhouse.com) > Seeking fellowship with God is what we’re created to do; like a newborn needs nourishment from mom, so we need nourishment from God’s Word. [Thirty-five Questions for Maturing a Christian Marriage](https://www.ccwtoday.org/2025/07/thirty-five-questions-for-maturing-a-christian-marriage/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The way you treat each other is the way you treat yourself, so seek to heal wounds and find out more about the spouse you love. [Not Just Roles: A Better Way to Study Gender in Scripture](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/not-rush-roles/?ref=dashhouse.com) > God created two image bearers, blessed them equally, and made them indispensable in carrying out his creation mandate. [The Solution for Church Decline Is Not Mega Church](https://newcreationinx.com/2025/07/05/the-solution-for-church-decline-is-not-mega-church/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Mega churches tend to breed consumers and spectators instead of servants; fans instead of sold-out followers. [Joy Among the Stoics](https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/joy-among-the-stoics?ref=dashhouse.com) > Augustine believed true happiness can only be found in eternal life, not through the self-sufficiency of Stoic virtue. [Become Who You Already Are](https://www.gospelforlife.com/become-who-you-already-are/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Christian growth is not about achieving a new identity through self-improvement, but about living out the transformed identity that God has already given believers through Christ's death and resurrection. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Two Ways to Bless Churches This Summer](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/straight-paths/two-ways-to-bless-churches-this-summer/?ref=dashhouse.com) > When traveling, find a good local church and show up ready to worship and encourage the congregation, learning from their ministry and carrying insights back home. ### We'll Never Get Tired of Seeing God's Face URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/well-never-get-tired-of-seeing-gods-face/ Last updated: 2025-07-08T09:00:03.000Z A year ago, in the dead of winter, we flew to Mexico and stayed at an all-inclusive resort. The food was plentiful. The beach was beautiful. It felt great to escape from winter and most of my responsibilities. A few days in, I found myself asking: Is this it? I first noticed it in the buffet. Although we had hundreds of options for food, I began to tire of the same options every day. I began to tire of the same room, the same beaches, and the same resort. I’ve seen this in other areas of life, too. No matter what we have, we eventually grow dissatisfied. The new job, the dream house, the latest gadget—they all fade. What once excited us becomes mundane, leaving us searching for new thrills. We’re always longing for something that lasts, something that truly satisfies. We always want more, but the more never gives us what we want. This is where Numbers 6 is helpful. The words are familiar: > The LORD bless you and keep you, > the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, > the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. > (Numbers 6:24–26) This passage encapsulates the essence of the gospel. It offers us everything we need: God’s blessing, protection, grace, and peace. It provides us with the only thing that can truly satisfy us: his face shining on us. It’s what we were made for. It’s what we ache for, even though we try to satisfy this ache with lesser things. Seeing God would be soul-satisfying in a way that nothing else could ever be. Sin prevents us from seeing God’s face, but Numbers 6 offers a blessing: God's people can be assured that his face is shining upon them. His disposition toward us is one of grace and goodness. Although this is very good news, it still doesn’t give us what we need most. We still desire to see God's face. And, according to Scripture, one day we will. Revelation 22:4 promises, “They will see his face.” One day, we will see the immeasurable riches of our infinite God. We will see God in his glory, and it will be the sight for which we’ve ached. It won’t satisfy us for a moment or two; it will satisfy us forever. David Mathis describes it as “eternal and dynamic—ever clearer and deeper.” Jonathan Edwards captures it beautifully: “After they have had the pleasure of beholding the face of God millions of ages, it will not grow a dull story, the relish of this delight will be as exquisite as ever.” This is what we were made for. That's why nothing else ever feels sufficient. The sunniest beach, the most luxurious meal, the most exciting achievement—they’re all shadows. They can’t bear the weight of our deepest longings. Only God can. Right now, we only get a foretaste of this reality. But one day, we’ll see God face to face, and it will satisfy our souls for eternity. Nothing else ever could. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-453/ Last updated: 2025-07-05T09:00:29.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [In Defence of Silly Summers](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/article/in-defence-of-silly-summers/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Last year, I dedicated the summer to growth. I created a plan to ensure my children would grow spiritually, physically, and academically. [What Should I Read Next?](https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/what-should-i-read-next?ref=dashhouse.com) > We read to learn, to rest, to deepen friendship with fellow readers, to enjoy the craft of skilled wordsmiths. [God’s Love Is Sufficient to Help You Fight Porn](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/gods-love-fight-porn/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Pornography dragged me into defeat, humiliation, and a sense of hopelessness. [Your Pastor Needs the Same Grace You Do](https://gentlereformation.com/2025/06/30/your-pastor-needs-the-same-grace-you-do/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Being ordained doesn’t save your pastor, because the saving grace of God in Christ does not flow through ordination, it flows through true faith. [Encouraging Your Congregation to Sing](https://matthewwesterholm.substack.com/p/encouraging-your-congregation-to) > Every worship leader faces the same challenge: How do you help your congregation move from passive listening to active singing? [Six Ways to Improve Your Church’s Prayer Meeting](https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/blog-entries/six-ways-to-improve-your-churchs-prayer-meeting/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Let the minister himself set a very high value upon this means of grace; let him frequently speak of it as being dear to his own heart; let him prove his words by throwing all his vigour into it, being absent as seldom as possible, and doing all in his power to give an interest to the meeting. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [You’re Not at the Finish Line Yet](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/straight-paths/youre-not-at-the-finish-line-yet/?ref=dashhouse.com) > True celebration and assessment happen only at the end of the race. Keep running. ### The Preacher's Trust URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-preachers-trust/ Last updated: 2025-07-01T09:00:09.000Z Every preacher faces a defining question when stepping into the pulpit: Where will I place my trust? This question reveals not only our understanding of ministry but also our view of God and ourselves. The weight of self-awareness is unavoidable. We know our sins, doubts, and failures. The harsh words spoken, the impatience shown, the prayers neglected—these memories often resurface as Sunday approaches. The psalmist’s words resonate: “If you, LORD, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?” (Psalm 130:3). Beyond this, the task itself feels impossible. Who can speak for the living God? Moses protested his inadequacy (Exodus 4:10). Isaiah declared himself ruined (Isaiah 6:5). The responsibility of proclaiming eternal truths is crushing when fully grasped. Yet the opposite danger is equally real: self-reliance. Our culture prizes skill and results. Seminary equips us with tools, and churches often measure success by metrics. It’s tempting to believe that with enough preparation and technique, we can achieve transformation through our own efforts. Both inadequacy and self-reliance miss the point. Scripture offers a better foundation. First, God’s Word carries inherent power. Isaiah assures us it will accomplish God’s purposes (Isaiah 55:11). Hebrews describes it as “alive and active” (Hebrews 4:12). Paul calls the gospel “the power of God that brings salvation” (Romans 1:16). God works through his word. It’s how he builds his church, and he’s chosen to include us in this work. As Darrell Johnson [observes](https://amzn.to/40xxE5h?ref=dashhouse.com), “Something always happens when God speaks.” Even the weakest preacher, faithfully pointing to Jesus, participates in something far beyond their ability. Second, the Holy Spirit is at work. Jesus promised the Spirit would teach and remind us (John 14:26). Paul’s preaching relied on “a demonstration of the Spirit’s power” (1 Corinthians 2:4). The Spirit illuminates, convicts, and transforms in ways no human effort can replicate. It’s why Charles Spurgeon is reported to mount the stairs to the Metropolitan’s pulpit by repeating, with each step taken, “I believe in the Holy Spirit.” Without the power of the Holy Spirit, our preaching would accomplish nothing. But the Spirit has promised his help as we carry out this otherwise impossible task. This doesn’t excuse laziness. Preparation, prayer, and careful study remain essential. But our confidence rests not in these efforts but in the God who works through them. God often uses the weak to display His strength. Paul learned that God’s “power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Our limitations are not obstacles but opportunities for God’s sufficiency to shine. Preaching, then, is an act of paradoxical confidence. We are clay jars, fragile yet filled with treasure (2 Corinthians 4:7). We proclaim ancient truths with fresh power, trusting the Spirit to breathe life through them. This is the preacher’s trust: that God works through our inadequacy, so “your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power” (1 Corinthians 2:5). What a privilege to participate in God’s redemptive work. ### Why We're Called to the Nations (Psalm 117) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/why-were-called-to-the-nations-psalm-117/ Last updated: 2025-06-29T22:00:04.000Z **Big Idea:** We are called to the nations because God wants people from every cultural group to praise him because his love is great and his faithfulness endures forever. --- This is the shortest psalm with the biggest message. In fact, it’s the shortest chapter in the Bible. You can read it out loud in 15 seconds or less, but make no mistake: as Derik Kidner says, it “is great in faith, and its reach is enormous... The shortest psalm proves, in fact, to be one of the most potent and most seminal.” It has been called the "little giant" of the Psalter. Charles Spurgeon says that it’s “a very short Psalm if you regard the words, but of very great compass and most excellent if you thoughtfully consider the meaning.” The Holy Spirit is able to pack a lot of teaching in a small space. One writer identified five key themes in this chapter: the calling of the Gentiles, a summary of the gospel, the ultimate purpose of blessings, the responsibilities of God's people, and their privileges. This looks like a small psalm, and it is, but it’s so packed with teaching that Martin Luther devoted 36 pages to it. As we’re going to see, this small psalm is too big for some of Paul’s readers to have grasped. But if you grasp this psalm, it’s powerful enough to shape your life. So let’s look at this psalm. We’re going to discover two important truths. ## First, we discover God’s intent for the world. Verse 1 says: > Praise the LORD, all nations! > Extol him, all peoples! What is God’s intent for the world? This verse tells us: that he is praised by all nations; that he is extolled by all peoples. What does this mean? We don’t know exactly when this psalm was written. It seems likely to have been written later in Israel’s history, after their return to exile. Israel was never a really large or powerful nation, and it certainly wasn’t then. But it was God’s intent that people from every nation, every people group, not just in Israel but in every nation, praise and extol the Lord. Right now, as best as I can tell, there are 195 sovereign nations in the world. But that’s not what Psalm 117 is talking about. It discusses people groups—distinct communities with shared language, culture, traditions, and identity that set them apart from others. According to the International Missions Board, there are over 12,000 different people groups in the world. 4.8 billion people, belonging to over 7,000 cultural groups, have little to no access to the gospel. The situation is even more serious for some. Among the world's 12,000 total people groups, more than 3,000 are completely isolated from any Christian influence. These groups have no evangelical churches in their communities, and no missionary organizations are currently trying to reach them. 283 million people worldwide live in places where they may never meet an evangelical believer. Who is going to take the gospel to them? Psalm 117:1 tells us that it’s God’s intent that all people groups praise him. It is our privilege and joy to praise the Lord, but our responsibility doesn’t end there. We’re meant to enjoy God’s grace, and then pass it on. We will not be content with only praising the Lord. We will seek that others join us in magnifying him. We want others to praise him too. You see what this means? > The meaning and purpose of life, for nations as well as individuals, finds its fulfillment in praising God. In the presence of God, the political and national barriers disappear, and across the frontiers of countries and states, \[humans\] are linked together in a bond which unites them in God in fellowship with one another. (Artur Weiser) This is why we engage in church planting, church revitalization, and missions. If this is God’s priority, it should be our priority too. God’s intent is that every people group in the world praise Yahweh and extol him. That, as Jesus said, we would “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19); that “gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations” (Matthew 24:14). It’s God’s intent that all people groups praise and extol Yahweh. Here’s the second important truth we learn in this passage: ## Second, we learn the reason behind God’s intent. Why does God want all people to praise him? Why is God so concerned for his own glory among the nations? Why is God so radically devoted to being exalted by his people, to seeing to it that his glory is esteemed as the supreme value of the universe? It’s not because God is egotistical. Quite the opposite. It’s because God wants to “give you the greatest, most beautiful, most admirable, most satisfying reality in the universe — himself” ([John Piper](https://go.dashhouse.com/Tp9I?ref=dashhouse.com)). He continues: > That’s not egomania. It’s love. Because nothing will make us happier forever than to be with the greatest Person in the universe, to see his glory, and to be changed to be like him. This is why Psalm 16:11 says, “In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” > When all is said and done, and the history of the world is complete, and the new heavens and the new earth are established, and the infinitely joyful age to come is here, the ultimate joy, the ultimate climax of history for our aching hearts, is this: “We will see his glory.” And we will be transformed by it into the kind of people who can enjoy it fully and not be incinerated by it. In other words, “The reason God seeks our praise is not because he won’t be fully God until he *gets* it, but because we won’t be fully happy until we *give* it.” You could argue that the reason God wants us to praise him is because it is right and fitting for us. We were made to worship him. But there’s another reason for God’s intent that every nation worship him. It’s because he is worth of our praise because of his love and faithfulness to his people. > For great is his steadfast love toward us, > and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. The psalmist says you can look back at God’s steadfast love. I love that concept. Steadfast love refers to God’s promise-keeping love. “Steadfast love is the long, stubborn love of God” ([David Goetz and David Hansen](https://amzn.to/3EwVxBP?ref=dashhouse.com)). It’s a love in which “God stays faithful to us long after we have forfeited our right to remain in covenant with him.” It’s a love in which God refuses to give up on his people. The psalmist says that God’s steadfast love is great. The word *great* doesn’t simply mean that it’s amazing. It means that it’s strong; that it’s prevailed over all the obstacles that could have stopped it. Think of all the reasons God could have chosen not to love his people. His steadfast love for them, his covenant faithfulness, was so powerful that it overcame all of them. Look at the past, and you see God’s unrelenting determination to show his steadfast love to his people despite the fact that we give God every reason to abandon his commitment to his people. History shows that God’s promise-keeping love has overcome every obstacle that stands in the way. His steadfast love is great. But then look to the future and you will see that the faithfulness of Yahweh endures forever. God’s promise-keeping love has overcome every obstacle; he has bound himself to honor his commitments to his people forever. > Therefore, though thy sins be great, believe the text, and know that God’s mercy is greater than thy sins. The high heaven covers as well tall mountains as small molehills, and mercy can cover all. The more desperate thy disease, the greater is the glory of thy physician, who hath perfectly cured thee. (Abraham Wright) God’s love refuses to give up on his people despite all the obstacles, and his faithfulness can be trusted in all the years to come. This is the gospel: that we have given God every reason not to love us. We have sinned against him. And yet, out of sheer grace, he has determined to save a people to himself and stay committed to them forever. When others see how great and steadfast God’s love has been to undeserving people like us, it should lead some of them to worship God too. Evidence of God’s transforming grace in our lives should cause people to be drawn to that same transforming grace that’s available to them. Verses 1 and 2 show us that it was always God’s plan to bless all peoples through the Messiah, the Son of God, the savior of the world. It was always his intention that, through Jesus, all the families of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3). In fact, Paul quoted this psalm in Romans 15:11 to argue that the love and plan of God always included Gentiles. It’s never been just about one people group. All people groups of the world should praise God together. Why is it God’s intent that all peoples should praise him? Because he is supremely valuable. Just look at his steadfast love and his enduring faithfulness. God’s intent is that all kinds of people should come to know his enduring love and faithfulness, not only because he deserves their praise, but because every person was made to find their souls satisfied in him. [John Piper](https://amzn.to/417gD2u?ref=dashhouse.com) helpfully reminds us how central worship is to God’s agenda. Worship, he says, is both the goal and the fuel of missions: > Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever. > Worship, therefore, is the fuel and goal of missions. It’s the goal of missions because in missions we simply aim to bring the nations into the white-hot enjoyment of God’s glory. The goal of missions is the gladness of the peoples in the greatness of God. And so Psalm 117 simply ends with these words: “Praise the LORD.” The Lord deserves the praise of the whole world. When the nations of the world see God’s steadfast love and enduring faithfulness, they will join in and worship him too. **We are called to the nations because God wants people from every cultural group to praise him because his love is great and his faithfulness endures forever.** ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-452/ Last updated: 2025-06-28T09:00:33.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [So, You Can't Seem to Function Today](https://newsletter.oalannoble.com/p/so-you-cant-seem-to-function-today?ref=dashhouse.com) > The hounds of depression, rumination, anxiety, or memories hunting you down until you spend every waking moment running from them. [You Don’t Need Another Prayer Technique](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/dont-need-prayer-technique/?ref=dashhouse.com) > To overcome sluggishness in prayer, you don’t need another technique, you need a heart of humble dependence. [Marriage Advice I Wish I’d Learned Sooner](https://women.pcacdm.org/marriage-advice-i-wish-id-learned-sooner/?ref=dashhouse.com) > There are times in marriage when you should probably go to bed angry. [The Gift of Middle Age: Enjoy Your Lot](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/gift-middle-age-enjoy/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Receiving your lot rightly teaches you to care for the lot you have, not lust for one you don’t. [Wise Leaders Start Well](https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/wise-leaders-start-well?ref=dashhouse.com) > Finishing well is crucial in life and ministry, but it also matters how you start. [The Gift of What I'll Never Write](https://writetounderstand.substack.com/p/the-gift-of-what-ill-never-write) > Limitations are not killjoys; the mundane parts of life are sweet gifts from God. Life itself is a gift. ### Making Sense of the Trinity URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/making-sense-of-the-trinity/ Last updated: 2025-06-24T09:00:43.000Z “The doctrine of the Trinity is difficult and perplexing to us,” wrote [R.C. Sproul](https://amzn.to/4jZZBJS?ref=dashhouse.com). No kidding! As [Tim Keller](https://amzn.to/4eaauHG?ref=dashhouse.com) once said, the doctrine of the Trinity overloads our mental circuits. And yet it’s crucial that we understand the basics about the Trinity. For one thing, understanding what God reveals about himself is important. But the Trinity also makes a difference in how we live as Christian men. The Trinity holds two biblical truths at the same time. - **First, God is one.** “Listen, Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4). There are not multiple gods; there is only one true God. - **Second: this one God is three persons.** We see this in a number of biblical passages. For instance, Jesus told us to baptize people “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). Paul ended one of his letters, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14). Throughout the Scriptures, you see the three persons of the Trinity at work. God is one in essence and three in person. As the [New City Catechism explains](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/new-city-catechism/how-many-persons-are-there-in-god/?ref=dashhouse.com), each person is “the same in substance, equal in power and glory.” As an old hymn puts it, “God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!” It seems contradictory at first, but it’s what Scripture teaches. It’s not contradictory; it’s just beyond our understanding. [Kevin DeYoung](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevin-deyoung/the-doctrine-of-the-trinity-no-christianity-without-it/?ref=dashhouse.com) says that there are seven statements that capture the biblical teaching of the Trinity: 1. God is one. There’s only one God. 2. The Father is God. 3. The Son is God. 4. The Holy Spirit is God. 5. The Father is not the Son. 6. The Son is not the Spirit. 7. The Spirit is not the Father. “If you get those seven statements, then you’ve captured the doctrine of the Trinity—what it means when we say there is one God and three persons,” he says. It’s difficult to comprehend, and yet it’s essential that we grasp this important truth. Here are three reasons why the Trinity matters. ### It humbles us. I used to have a dog. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get my dog to understand certain things, because there’s a difference in our capabilities. But the difference between God and us is even greater than the difference between me and my dog. “The LORD is great and is highly praised; his greatness is unsearchable” (Psalm 145:3). It shouldn’t surprise us that God is beyond our understanding. We can know him because he’s revealed himself, but we will never fully comprehend him. I used to think that we would fully understand God in eternity. Now I believe that we will spend eternity getting to know God, but there will always be more to learn. Biblical teaching about the Trinity humble us. It reminds us that, however well we get to know God, God is far above us. We can still know God, but we will never fully understand him, and that should make us humble. ### It shapes the Christian life. [Tim Chester](https://amzn.to/4efcYVb?ref=dashhouse.com) writes, “There is a trinitarian structure to every part of Christian truth and Christian living.” The three persons of the Trinity work together. The Father initiated our salvation; Jesus accomplished it; the Spirit applies it. Jesus’ grace helps us experience the Father’s love, which leads to an ongoing fellowship with the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 13:14). As you read the Bible, pay attention to the work that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit do in the world and in your life. We also relate to the three persons differently. Generally speaking, we pray to the Father through the mediation of the Son with the help of the Spirit (Matthew 6:9; John 16:23; Romans 8:14-16). The more you look, the more the Trinity shapes how we live. ### It includes us. Before the world was made, the perfect community of love existed. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit communed with each other. Love lies at the centre of the universe. The reason God made the world was to extend that community of love. The God who is love (1 John 4:8) created us so we could be loved by him. You were made to share in this perfect relationship of joy and delight, enjoying the love that exists between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is the reason for your existence: to love the Triune God and to be loved by him, so that you can be deeply satisfied for eternity. The Trinity isn’t some abstract truth. It’s life-changing. It’s important because we’re meant to know God. It’s also important because it humbles us, shapes our Christian lives, and brings us into the community that existed before time. “At the center of the universe is a Relationship,” writes [Darrell Johnson](https://amzn.to/4eb72fU?ref=dashhouse.com). “And through Jesus Christ I have been included. And so have you.” We’ll never fully understand the mystery of the Trinity, but we can still grasp it and enjoy it. You’re included! *First published at* [*Impactus*](https://go.dashhouse.com/et0S?ref=dashhouse.com) *on August 13, 2024* ### What Revelation's Designed to Do (Revelation 22:6-21) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/what-revelations-designed-to-do-revelation-226-21/ Last updated: 2025-06-22T22:00:00.000Z **Big Idea:** Revelation is written to increase your confidence in God's plan, prepare you for Jesus' return, and make you long for his coming. --- We’re in our 27th and final sermon through the book of Revelation. If you’ve been here all along, we’ve just spent almost 20 hours trying to understand the book of Revelation. We've examined beasts, bowls, seals, and plagues. We’ve all been stretched to understand and to deal with what we don’t understand and also see differently. And now we have to ask: what’s the point of everything we’ve just read? What’s the takeaway? Why was Revelation written, and why did we spend all this effort going through this book? How is this supposed to change our lives? That’s what the end of Revelation tells us. Let me tell you what the purpose of Revelation is not. The purpose of Revelation is not to create confusion and speculation over the details of what we’ve just read. G.K. Chesterton supposedly said, "Though St. John the Evangelist saw many strange monsters in his vision, he saw no creatures so wild as one of his own commentators.” If all we do is walk away with our charts and interpretations of our view of the end times, we’ve failed. Understanding Revelation is important, but it's meant for more than just speculation and curiosity. What is Revelation supposed to do in our lives? Revelation 22 tells us. So let’s look at the three ways Revelation is to make a difference in our lives. ## It's designed to change your life by increasing your confidence in God's plan (22:6-9). There's something about living in this world that saps our confidence. Given the many interpretations of current events and our limited view, we urgently need a trustworthy source to explain what's happening and how to understand it. That's exactly what Revelation does for us. Read verses 6 to 9 with me: > And he said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place." > "And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book." > I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, but he said to me, "You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God." These verses establish a crucial truth: God's word in Revelation is trustworthy and will bless those who believe it. Why can we trust Revelation? Because we can trace its source directly: God gave it to his angel, who showed it to John, who recorded it for us. This didn't emerge from John's imagination—it came from God himself. Even the angel who delivered this message redirects our attention away from himself. Though we might be tempted to worship such a messenger, the angel reminds us he's simply a fellow servant. We should focus on God, who provides us with a trustworthy understanding of our world and the future. This trustworthy message culminates in Christ's return and blesses those who keep it. How does it bless us? - **Revelation changes how we see everything.** The world isn't what it appears. God reigns and is in control of history. - **Revelation reveals the full Christ.** Revelation shows Jesus in his glory. He is on the throne of heaven, and he is glorious, and he is coming back again. - **Revelation shifts our perspective.** From heaven's view, worldly things are temporary, while faithful suffering has eternal value. - **Revelation moves us to worship and courage.** It guides our worship, drives us to prayer, and removes fear by showing us where history leads. - **Revelation reorients our hope.** We expect God's justice and live for the new creation, not this broken world. Revelation is meant to transform your Tuesday morning commute, your bedtime prayers, your resolve during cultural pressure, even your dreams. This book is designed to change how you live by giving you complete confidence in God's plan. What do you do when the wrong guy wins the election? What do you do when another war breaks out? What do you do when you’re laid off, or when your investments lose half their value? What do you do when this world’s offerings start to win your heart? What do you do when they threaten to fire you unless you get on board with something that dishonors God? You remind yourself that God’s word is trustworthy and true, that there is more. When you have confidence in God’s plan, you don’t need to worry about the news. The news can’t tell you what’s happening in the world. It only gives you a partial, earthbound picture. You don’t need to panic over setbacks in your life. You don’t even have to worry about being killed. Understanding Revelation can change your perspective on life and the world, boosting your confidence even in difficult times. Keep reading and meditating on Revelation until it changes you. Revelation is designed to change your life by increasing your confidence in God's plan. You can understand what's happening in this world and live with unshakeable confidence. That's the blessing God intends through his trustworthy word. But that’s not all. There’s a second way that Revelation is meant to make a difference in our lives. It’s meant to ## It’s meant to prepare us for Jesus’ return (22:10-15). In verse 10, John receives a striking command: do not seal up the contents of this book. This contrasts sharply with Daniel, who was told to seal certain prophecies for a future time (Daniel 12:4). Earlier, John himself was instructed to seal what the seven thunders declared (Revelation 10:4). But now? The opposite command. These words of prophecy must remain open, accessible to all. The contents of Revelation are not meant to be secret—everyone should know what is coming. Verse 11 delivers a jarring reality check: "Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy." This echoes Daniel 12:10: "Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly." Here's the unsettling truth: don't be surprised when evil people persist in evil. The end is approaching, yet some will remain indifferent. Let them pursue their sin—but don't let their choices dictate yours. Stay faithful to God, even if you stand alone. Then Jesus himself speaks in verses 12-13: > Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Jesus' message is clear: stop worrying about the evil surrounding you. He is returning, and he will deal with evildoers in his perfect timing. Your responsibility isn't to fix the world's wickedness—it's to remain faithful. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, not on the darkness around you. Verses 14-15 present the final reality: > Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. Two paths. Two destinies. No escape from choosing. Inside the city: the new Jerusalem—paradise beyond imagination awaiting all who trusted Christ and surrendered to his transforming grace. Outside the city: eternal exile from God's presence, the fate of those who chose to embrace evil. The line is drawn. Final. Absolute. When time ends, every person will stand on one side or the other. One group gets justice. They receive exactly what their hearts craved and pursued. The other group gets grace. They receive what they never deserved through God's love in the gospel. These are blessed because their filthy robes were washed clean, and now they thrive in God's presence forever. The contrast is stark and terrifying. Those who sincerely repent and accept God's grace will receive endless blessings and true fulfillment in the presence of their loving Savior. Those who reject God's grace will face deserved judgment, experiencing endless misery separated from the Savior they dishonored. The question thunders: Which will it be for you? Will you stay trapped in your spiritual filth? Or run to Christ for cleansing? Will you be banished—forever locked outside the gates? Or will you wear a spotless robe, walking through those gates to feast at the tree of life in the King's presence? The time to choose and prepare is now. The time to prepare is now. Nothing—absolutely nothing—matters more than being ready for the day Jesus returns. So what is Revelation meant to do? It's designed to change your life by increasing your confidence in God's plan. It’s also meant to prepare us for Jesus’ return by presenting a binary choice before you, a choice we can’t escape. There’s one more thing that Revelation is meant to do. ## It’s meant to make us long for Jesus’ return (22:16-21). Read verses 16-21 and see if you can spot the repeated phrase: > “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. > I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. > He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! > The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen. There’s a lot in these final verses. You have: - **A reminder of Jesus' identity** — Jesus identifies himself as the "Root and Descendant of David" and the "bright Morning Star," confirming he's both the promised Messiah and divine. - **An open invitation** — The passage offers salvation freely to anyone who is "thirsty" - emphasizing that God's grace is available to all people. - **A reminder that Jesus is coming soon**— Jesus repeatedly says "I am coming soon," creating urgency and hope for believers. - **A warning** — There's a serious warning against adding to or removing anything from this prophecy. - **A benediction of grace**— The book concludes by blessing us and reminding us that everything depends on God's grace. The final verses of Revelation highlight key messages: Jesus is Lord, salvation is free, he will return, and we should live with hope. But there's one important phrase that is repeated over and over. It's this: Come. Look again at verses 17 and 20: > The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come… He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The Spirit and believers unite in longing for the coming of Jesus. But before Jesus comes, there's a desire in verse 17 that anyone who desires come to Jesus first. Friends, long for Jesus to come. If you’re thirsty, if you desire the water of life, don’t delay. Nothing else will satisfy. Come and drink the waters of life and be satisfied. Come to Jesus today. And believer, cry out for Jesus to come. It’s the last prayer of the Bible. It’s one of the shortest prayers. It’s the prayer to end all prayers. The prayer "Come, Lord Jesus!" asks for Jesus to return to end sadness, pain, suffering, and death, and to remove sin and make everything new. It’s a prayer to long for heaven. As Randy Alcorn says: > Nothing is more often misdiagnosed than our homesickness for Heaven. We think that what we want is sex, drugs, alcohol, a new job, a raise, a doctorate, a spouse, a large-screen television, a new car, a cabin in the woods, a condo in Hawaii. What we really want is the person we were made for, Jesus, and the place we were made for, Heaven. Nothing less can satisfy us. . . . We may imagine we want a thousand different things, but God is the one we really long for. His presence brings satisfaction; his absence brings thirst and longing. Our longing for Heaven is a longing for God. Friends, that is what Revelation is designed to do in our lives. It’s not written to satisfy our curiosity or so that we can argue over interpretations. **Revelation is written to increase your confidence in God's plan, prepare you for Jesus' return, and make you long for his coming.** As we close our journey through Revelation, don't let this book become just another study you've completed. Let it do what God designed it to do. Revelation wasn't intended to satisfy our curiosity about prophecy; it was meant to transform us into confident, ready, and eager people awaiting our Savior's return. The question isn't whether you understand every detail of what we've studied. The question is whether Revelation is doing in you what God intended it to do. May it be so, until that day when we see him face to face. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-451/ Last updated: 2025-06-21T09:00:39.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [AI and the Threat of Mutually Assured Boredom](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/ai-threat-boredom/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Boredom is not a problem to be solved but a signal that points us to the deeper longings of the human heart. [AI Promises a Kind of Ministry We Should Reject](https://www.chrismartin.fyi/p/ai-promises-a-kind-of-ministry-we?ref=dashhouse.com) > AI promises efficiency and productivity, but ministry is not about efficiency, it’s about presence, relationships, and the work of the Spirit. [Your Sermon Doesn’t Need AI](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/article/your-sermon-doesnt-need-ai/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The truth must be applied to the personality and experience of the preacher, placing God’s dealings with the preacher at the center of the process. [How, Then, Should We Read the Old Testament?](https://stevemathewson.substack.com/p/steves-weekly-letter-427) > May we take Scripture so seriously that we read carefully to understand the author’s intent and to see how it points forward to Jesus Christ, our Lord and King! [Be a Man-Pleaser, Not a Man-Pleaser](https://thecripplegate.com/be-a-man-pleaser-not-a-man-pleaser/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe. [Honoring God With Your Body: More Than a Health Goal](https://stacieastin.com/honoring-god-with-your-body-more-than-a-health-goal/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Our bodies are not our own, they are temples of the Holy Spirit, meant to glorify God in every aspect of life. [5 Ways to Help Prevent Pastoral Burnout](https://www.logos.com/grow/min-5-ways-to-help-prevent-pastoral-burnout/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Pastors must prioritize rest and boundaries to sustain long-term ministry and avoid the trap of burnout. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Pastors: Don’t Tolerate Secret Sin](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/straight-paths/pastors-dont-tolerate-secret-sin/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Pastor: there are worse things than losing your ministry position or the embarrassment of confessing a serious sin to your elders. ### A Murderer and a Liar URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/a-murderer-and-a-liar/ Last updated: 2025-06-17T09:00:47.000Z Imagine being offered a deal that seems too good to be true. Upon investigation, you discover that the person making the offer is a convicted murderer and a habitual liar. You would back away, realizing the deal is too good to be true and the person offering it cannot be trusted. Never do business with someone who is a proven murderer and liar, especially when you could be their next target. In John 8:44, Jesus reveals what Satan, our tempter and accuser, is really like. “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” Satan not only murders and lies, but his character is defined by lies. He once knew the truth, but he departed from it. All the evil we see in the world today comes from his deception. Satan has targeted the human race, and through his schemes, the world has fallen into ruin. All the conflict, sin, evil, and wickedness we see come from Satan's heart. Sin and evil originate from the one who tempts you. His agenda is the same: to corrupt and destroy you with an empty promise and a smile. He wants you to trade your birthright for some temporary pleasure (Genesis 25:34). There is no one more evil than the devil. There is no one less trustworthy than him. Since his rebellion, he has always tried to recruit others to defy God and ultimately harm our souls. Scripture says we are not ignorant of his schemes (2 Corinthians 2:11). We know his strategy. We understand that he makes promises he can't keep. He promises happiness but delivers misery, sorrow, and death. Sin brings temporary pleasure, but the price is always more than what we bargained. I'm surprised at how easily we trust Satan when he presents a tempting offer that seems appealing. Satan offers what seem like great deals, and it's often tempting to accept them. But we should know better. We don't make deals with anybody else with his character. Why do we keep making deals with someone bent on our destruction? This past week, I was saddened to hear that a friend believed Satan's lies and is now suffering the consequences of his poor choices. It's devastating to see the damage caused by his actions. All around us, we see carnage as a direct result of the lies of the evil one. When faced with temptation, it's crucial to remember its source. Never accept a deal from someone whose agenda is your destruction. Never trust a murderer and a liar. Never become business partners with him. Remember who the devil is. We need the Spirit's help to resist temptations, but it's helpful to remember the true nature of the one presenting those schemes as good deals. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-450/ Last updated: 2025-06-14T09:00:11.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Churchiness Is Back](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/churchiness-back/?ref=dashhouse.com) > The attraction for many young adults is precisely their *churchiness*—the unapologetic embrace of creeds, liturgy, and everyday embodied community. [Not My Church, but Yours, Be Built](https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/not-my-church-but-yours-be-built?ref=dashhouse.com) > Christ loves *his* church far more than we love *our* version of it, and that reorders every preference we carry through the doors on Sunday. [Rehabilitating Ministers: A Pastoral Imperative](https://andrewroycroft.substack.com/p/rehabilitating-ministers) > The fallen pastor is not a problem to be hidden but a wounded brother to be healed within the very body he once served. [Intentional Simplicity](https://jacobrcrouch.wordpress.com/2025/06/09/intentional-simplicity/?ref=dashhouse.com) > When distraction is the default, simplicity becomes a spiritual discipline that must be chosen, cultivated, and fiercely protected. [Am I Sanctified—or Am I Just Tired?](https://www.challies.com/articles/am-i-sanctified-or-am-i-tired/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Fatigue can masquerade as holiness, tricking us into confusing physical depletion with spiritual maturity. [The Mass Trauma of Porn](https://www.afterbabel.com/p/the-mass-trauma-of-porn?ref=dashhouse.com) > A generation has been catechized by pornography, and the psychic debris now litters everything from intimacy to public policy. [How to Restart Your Bible Reading (Without Waiting Until January)](https://stevemathewson.substack.com/p/steves-weekly-letter-187) > This is the time of year when many readers give up on their Bible reading plans. Now is the time to “go” for it and get back into the rhythm and routine of Bible reading. [We’re All Beginners at Prayer](https://www.gospelforlife.com/were-all-beginners-at-prayer/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Prayer is never mastered; it is only practiced by amateurs who keep showing up to a Father who already knows. ### Mastering the Art of Preaching Long and Short Passages URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/mastering-the-art-of-preaching-long-and-short-passages/ Last updated: 2025-06-10T09:49:30.000Z Preachers of sequential expository preaching often prefer specific lengths of Scripture passages. Some, like Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, delve deeply into narrow sections of text. For instance, Lloyd-Jones spent eight years delivering [232 sermons](https://go.dashhouse.com/e6T6?ref=dashhouse.com) on the book of Ephesians. Beginning this series at Westminster Chapel in London in 1954, he concluded it in 1962\. He preached two entire sermons on the first two words of Ephesians 2:4, and one of them is the most impactful sermon I've ever heard. Other preachers, in contrast, take a broader approach to Scripture. For example, I once preached through Hebrews and chose to cover all of Hebrews 11 in a single sermon. So, which approach is best? Every preacher should master both. At times, it’s valuable to preach from a small, intricate portion of Scripture. At other times, stepping back to address a larger passage provides a fuller perspective. Choosing the amount of Scripture for any given sermon should not depend on personal preference but rather on thoughtful consideration. When preparing to preach, I read the entire Bible book multiple times, focusing on its structure, flow, and main ideas. After outlining the book, I craft a tentative [big idea](https://www.bigideabible.com/?ref=dashhouse.com) for each of its textual units. These units, which naturally emerge from the structure of the text, typically become the foundation of my sermons. Narrative passages often involve larger units, while epistles tend to have shorter ones, sometimes only spanning a few verses. Lloyd-Jones's approach of preaching smaller-than-usual textual units proved fruitful, but duplicating such a method isn't realistic for most preachers. While I admire his ability, for most of us, it’s wise to at least cover a complete unit of thought in each sermon. This reveals the main message of the text, allowing us to share and apply it effectively in our congregations. A preacher's main job is to deeply understand a Bible book, including its overall message and how its smaller parts connect. This knowledge helps clarify each section's role in the book's narrative and in the broader context of Scripture. That said, there are times when zooming out provides significant value. Take the life of Joseph, for example. A preacher could summarize Genesis 37-50 in one message, highlighting its unity and main themes, or divide it into eight or more sermons. Both approaches have their merits. I’ve also been deeply impacted by preachers who have tackled entire books of the Bible in single sermons. One notable example is Mark Dever’s sermon series, which became the basis of his books [*Promises Made*](https://amzn.to/4mUgc4p?ref=dashhouse.com) and [*Promises Kept*](https://amzn.to/3ZpcplF?ref=dashhouse.com). A few years ago, I preached a survey of the entire Old Testament across [29 sermons](https://go.dashhouse.com/e6T6?ref=dashhouse.com). If I hadn’t changed churches, I had hoped to cover the New Testament the same year. Effective preaching requires adaptability. Using both detailed and broad approaches enhances your congregation's understanding of Scripture by providing varied strengths and insights. Preaching in both large and small portions balances the strengths and weaknesses of each style and adds variety, making sermons more engaging. Preach smaller, entire textual units, but sometimes also take a step back to preach the broader context. Push yourself toward what feels unfamiliar and challenging, rather than relying on what's comfortable. By doing so, you'll enrich your congregation and grow as a preacher. Learning to skillfully handle both granular and expansive approaches to Scripture will become a blessing to your church. ### What's Coming in the End (Revelation 21:9-22:5) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/whats-coming-in-the-end-revelation-219-225/ Last updated: 2025-06-08T22:00:08.000Z **Big Idea:** We can look forward to a new beautiful and secure city that’s better than anything before and that will satisfy us forever. --- What do we have to look forward to in the end? The answer to this really matters. I’m convinced that one of our greatest problems in the Christian life is that we don’t look forward to what’s coming as much as we should. Randy Alcorn [explains](https://amzn.to/43sTlnF?ref=dashhouse.com), “Some of Satan’s favorite lies are about Heaven… Our enemy slanders three things: God’s person, God’s people, and God’s place — namely, Heaven.” Satan wants us to be confused about what’s coming and to have inaccurate ideas so we don’t look forward to it like we should. Satan wants to extinguish our excitement about heaven. As [someone’s said](https://go.dashhouse.com/d5pL?ref=dashhouse.com), “We don’t think *much* about heaven because we don’t think *well* about heaven.” My goal today is that we’ll think better about heaven, and as a result that we’ll think more about heaven, because we really do have a lot to look forward to. ## Catching Up We’re in our last two weeks of our series through Revelation. Revelation has been stretching us these past few months in all the best ways. It’s written to churches who were an oppressed minority. Revelation shows us Jesus and what he’s up to in the world. Jesus is reigning now, and he is unfolding his plans in the world. One day he will return in victory to judge sin, reward his people, and establish his eternal kingdom on earth. So stay faithful now, even when you face hardship and pain. Since chapter 20, we’ve even getting glimpses of what’s coming in the end. What do we have to look forward to in the end? Here’s what Revelation has told us so far: - **Complete victory over evil** — God will totally defeat Satan and destroy both evil and death forever. - **Everything made brand new** — God will restore his people and remake the entire world from the ground up. - **Perfect relationship with Jesus** — Jesus will take his people as his beloved bride, uniting with them in an eternal marriage relationship. - **God living with us** — God himself will make his home among his people right here on earth. - **Endless joy and peace** — All who overcome through God's grace will experience perfect, eternal joy without any pain or sorrow. - **Complete healing and restoration** — Every hurt, every broken thing, every effect of sin will be completely undone and made perfect. There are so many ways you can put this. Jesus puts it this way in Revelation 21:5: “Behold, I am making all things new.” C.S. Lewis described it this way: “Death itself would start working backwards.” And again, “Heaven, once attained, will work backwards and turn even that agony into a glory.” J.R.R. Tolkien put it this way: “Is everything sad going to become untrue?” What’s coming is amazing. And we’re not even done yet! ## One More Picture The passage we just read gives us a longer description of the glories of what’s coming. He’s already given us one view; now he’s giving us another so we really get it. As we look at this passage, I want to remind you that Revelation is symbolic. We’re going to see that in some of the details as we work through this passage. But the symbolism tells us something real and profound. Today’s passage is the climax of the book of Revelation, but it’s more. It serves as kind of a bookend to the whole Bible, completing many of its themes and its storyline. This passage is steeped in allusions to passages in the Hebrew Scriptures, and completes many of the themes that started in Genesis 1-3. What do we have to look forward to? This passage tells us: ### A new beautiful and secure city (21:9-21) > Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. (21:9-11) Notice how the symbolism begins right away. It’s a vision of a bride, but it’s also a vision of a city, the New Jerusalem. According to verse 1, the New Jerusalem is also the new heaven and the new earth. So which is it: a new heaven, a new earth, or a New Jerusalem? It’s all of them. They’re all the same thing. How do you make sense of this? This vision is telling us what the new creation will be like. It will have the intimacy of a marriage with our Savior. It will be a place where we can live with God in safety and security. And it will be a new creation that’s completely renewed. These verses are packed with language and symbols that reject the picture of Babylon in Revelation 17 and 18 and instead recall the Garden of Eden, only it’s a city and it’s even better. It shows us that God's relationship with humanity is being fully restored in a new, perfected setting. Instead of a garden, however, the restored creation is now a glorious city, combining the innocence of Eden with the majesty, permanence, and community of a city where God dwells among his people. For instance, look at two of its features: #### It’s stunningly beautiful (21:11, 18-21). The new creation is breathtakingly beautiful, as described in Revelation 21:11, 18-21\. It radiates with the glory of God, its brilliance resembling an extraordinarily rare jewel, like jasper, clear as crystal. This divine presence illuminates the city, fulfilling Isaiah 60:1, which declares, "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you." The beauty stems directly from God’s presence, transforming the entire scene into a vision of awe. Moreover, this beauty extends to you, the believer. As Daniel 12:3 foretells, the righteous *"shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever."* This promise reveals a personal transformation, where you will reflect the divine splendor in the new creation. Looking closer at Revelation 21:18-21, the city is adorned with gold, precious jewels, and pearls in abundance. This echoes Isaiah 54:11-12, where God promises, "O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in antimony, and lay your foundations with sapphires. I will make your pinnacles of agate, your gates of carbuncles, and all your wall of precious stones." These materials symbolize not only beauty but also a restoration of divine design. Additionally, the jewels connect to deeper biblical imagery. They mirror the stones engraved with the names of Israel’s tribes on the high priest’s breastplate (Exodus 28:17-20) and some associated with the Garden of Eden (Ezekiel 28:13-14). This progression—from Eden’s treasures to the temple’s gold and jewels in sacred spaces, and now to their pervasive presence in the new creation—illustrates a culmination of God’s redemptive plan, where beauty and holiness are no longer confined but are everywhere. The new creation, as depicted in Revelation 21, is a place of unparalleled beauty, shining with God’s glory and adorned with gold and precious jewels. This splendor extends to the righteous, who will shine like stars, and reflects a restoration of Eden’s perfection and the temple’s sanctity on a grand, universal scale. It’s stunningly beautiful. #### It’s also eternally secure (21:12-17). The new creation is also eternally secure, as described in Revelation 21:12-17\. Verses 12 to 14 mention high walls surrounding the city, symbolizing strong protection. Each gate is guarded by an angel, ensuring complete safety for everyone who enters. This level of security is even greater than what was found in Eden. As Richard Baxter said, “Our first and earthly paradise in Eden had a way out, but no way in that we could find. But this eternal paradise has a way in... but no way out again.” Once we are inside, we are safe forever, with no fear of being cast out. An angel then measures the city with a golden rod, alluding to Ezekiel 40-41 where a new temple is measured as a sign of God’s promise to restore his people. The city is described as being 2,200 kilometers long, wide, and high—a massive cube about the size of the entire Roman Empire, and 250 times taller than Mount Everest, with walls 200 feet thick. These numbers are meant to show just how spacious and secure the city is. There will be room for all the saints from every tribe, language, people, and nation throughout history. The walls’ thickness and the sheer size of the city emphasize that God’s people will be completely protected and safe forever. Revelation 21:12-17 presents the new creation as an unbreakable fortress—eternally safe, vast enough to welcome all God’s people, and with no way of being lost once inside. These verses offer real hope for us today. When life feels ugly or unsafe, Revelation 21 promises a future that is both beautiful and safe in ways we can hardly imagine. God’s presence will fill the new creation with glory, and we will share in that beauty. We will also be perfectly secure, never facing danger or separation from God again. Knowing this future is waiting for us gives us strength for today. It helps us handle life’s troubles and inspires us to seek and share glimpses of beauty and safety, looking forward to what God has promised. What do we have to look forward to? A new, stunningly beautiful and eternally secure city. But this passage continues. It’s a new, stunningly beautiful and eternally secure city… ### That’s better than anything before (21:22-27; 22:3) The new creation is a city not only stunningly beautiful and eternally secure, but also radically improved beyond anything previously known or experienced (Revelation 21:22-27). These verses highlight what’s missing, except that what’s missing actually makes it even better. - **No temple (21:22)** — The temple traditionally signified God's presence. However, verse 22 states, "And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb." This isn't an absence, but an all-encompassing presence. The entire city becomes the temple, a universal Holy of Holies, because God and the Lamb's glorious presence will permeate every part of it. The most sacred space is no longer confined; it is the city. - **No need for sun or moon (21:23)** — While the sun and moon may still exist, their light becomes secondary. The city will blaze with the direct, unmediated glory of God. The same divine glory that once filled the tabernacle will now illuminate the entire new creation, making external light sources unnecessary. - **No closed gates (21:25-27)** — The gates of the city will remain perpetually open, symbolizing unhindered access for all who belong to Jesus, regardless of their nation of origin. This signifies constant welcome and perfect security, where the need to shut out danger or darkness no longer exists (though, as verse 27 clarifies, those who reject Christ will not enter). - **No more curse (22:3)** — The pervasive effects of sin will be completely eradicated. This means an end to the struggle for survival, and the disappearance of sickness, sorrow, and death, ushering in a state of perfect, untainted existence. This vision of the new creation shows us that God's ultimate plan isn't just to fix what's broken. It's to make everything better than it ever was. The new Jerusalem surpasses Eden, exceeds the temple's glory, and outshines every earthly city. It combines perfect beauty with absolute security, and then improves upon everything we've known before. God's presence won't be limited to a single building but will fill every corner of existence. Light won't come from created sources but from the Creator himself. The entire creation will be his holy of holies and his dwelling place. Access won't be restricted by time or circumstance but will be eternally open to all who belong to Jesus. And the curse that has plagued humanity since Eden will be permanently lifted. This is what awaits us: not just restoration, but transformation into something far greater than what was lost. This hope should fill us with joy and anticipation, knowing that whatever difficulties we face today are temporary, while this perfect future is eternal. What do we have to look forward to? A new, stunningly beautiful and eternally secure city that’s better than before… ### That will satisfy us forever (22:1-5) Three things are present in 22:1-5. The first is the **river of life**, which actually leads to the tree of life. > Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (Revelation 22:1-2) In Genesis 2:10, the Bible describes a river flowing out of Eden to water the garden. Ezekiel 47 picks up on this and pictures a river flowing from God’s presence that starts like a trickle but gets deeper and brings life. In the new creation there’s a river that also comes from God himself. Then you have the **tree of life**, just like in the Garden of Eden. To eat from the tree of life meant that you would not die (Genesis 3:22). But after sin, we lost access to the tree. But now it’s back, and the fruit is available all the time. It’s like the Garden of Eden except it’s even better. This image picks up on the river of life in Eden The tree of life produces luscious fruit that’s available all the time. It’s never out of season. We’re brought right back to God’s plan for creation, only this time we can’t mess it up. But that’s not even the best part. Verses 4 and 5 say that “**the throne of God** and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.” We will see God. We will behold him. It will satisfy us deeply, and we will worship him forever. We will belong to him. On that day we’ll have our greatest desires fulfilled. We will be back to Eden only better, living life the way it was meant to be lived in the presence of God himself. What do we have to look forward to? **We can look forward to a new beautiful and secure city that’s better than anything before and that will satisfy us forever.** Richard Baxter, a highly influential pastor in 17th-century England, constantly battled illnesses, including chronic cough, migraines, and various painful conditions, throughout his life. He once noted that from age 21, he was rarely free from discomfort for even an hour. At 35, during a severe illness, he began meditating on heaven, believing death was near. These reflections became his book *The Saints' Everlasting Rest*. After recovering, he committed to spending 30 minutes daily contemplating heaven, finding it transformative. He strongly encouraged his readers to do the same, believing it brought spiritual strength and perspective. Listen to what he said: > If you would have light and heat, why are you not more in the sunshine? For want of this recourse to heaven, your soul is as a lamp not lighted, and your duty as a sacrifice without fire. Fetch one coal daily from this altar, and see if your offering will not burn… Keep close to this reviving fire, and see if your affections will not be warm. What do we have to look forward to in the end? Satan doesn’t want us to be able to answer this question well. We need to think accurately about heaven so we can think about it often, and so it can change how we live now. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-449/ Last updated: 2025-06-07T09:00:08.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [When God Seems Hidden](https://gcdiscipleship.com/article-feed/when-god-seems-hidden?ref=dashhouse.com) > A sense of hiddenness is appropriate to God's nature. As Gregory of Nyssa says, "For how shall he be found whom none of the things we know declares—not look, nor color, nor outline, nor size, nor location, nor shape, nor conjecture, nor likelihood, nor analogy?" [Enduring unto Glory: How the Beatific Vision Serves Weary Pastors](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/beatific-vision-weary-pastors?ref=dashhouse.com) > Scripture routinely links suffering to the hope of glory. The promise of the beatific vision in glory doesn’t mean suffering isn’t real; it means suffering isn’t wasted. [Sermons Change Lives](https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/sermons-change-lives?ref=dashhouse.com) > Sunday after Sunday, through sermon after sermon, sometimes quietly and sometimes climactically, God brings his purposes to pass. [Understanding Therapy Culture from Different Generations](https://www.indiaanya.com/2025/05/31/understanding-therapy-culture-from-different-generations/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Real freedom begins when we lay it all at the feet of Christ because he sees us, knows us, and makes us whole. [The Ministry of Prayer: A Call to Love, Encourage, and Persevere](https://kevincarson.com/2025/06/01/the-ministry-of-prayer-a-call-to-love-encourage-and-persevere/?ref=dashhouse.com) > When we pray, we align our hearts with God’s, seeking his blessing and provision for others. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to this ministry of prayer, not because we know every need, but because we love as Christ loves. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [How Should We Think About AI?](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/straight-paths/how-should-we-think-about-ai/?ref=dashhouse.com) > AI can’t worship God. AI can’t treasure God’s word. AI can’t pray. It doesn’t have a soul. AI can’t grow in God’s grace. ### Beth Anne’s Bible URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/beth-annes-bible/ Last updated: 2025-06-03T09:00:48.000Z I remember the first time I saw Beth Anne's Bible. I didn't expect it to encourage and challenge me the way it did. Beth Anne is a member of our church. She's quiet, unassuming, and godly. She always has a smile and encourages people just by her presence. She's lived a life of godly faithfulness, and her example means a lot to our church. One day, I saw Beth Anne as I was getting ready for our worship service. She was holding her Bible in her hand. The binding was broken, and the pages looked worn. It showed signs of heavy use over many years. I've seen worn Bibles before, but never one like this. Having just had one of my Bibles rebound, I asked her if she would consider getting it rebound. I could see the horror on her face. “How long would that take?” she asked. When I told her it would probably take up to a couple of months, she looked horrified. “How could I go without my Bible for that long?”she replied. Of course, there are other Bibles, but that's not the point. This is Beth Anne's Bible. It contains God's word, but it contains more: her notes, and I'm guessing some stains from her tears. She can pick it up and quickly turn to many of its pages, having learned the layout of that edition. It’s like a scrapbook of her walk with God. This isn't just a Bible that can be replaced with another Bible or an app. It’s a Bible that has become part of her life, and she can't imagine being without it. Every time I see her Bible, I'm encouraged. Of course, we don’t have to follow her example. There’s no Scripture commanding us to get one copy of the Bible and mark it up and wear it down. But there are plenty of Scriptures about treasuring God’s word, and that’s what I see every time I look at Beth Anne and her Bible. On my shelf is an old Bible that I used in my young years as a Christian. I lived in that Bible. I got to know it so well that it almost became part of me. I replaced it, but I recall my time with that Bible as especially sweet. I’m working at getting to know the Bible I’m using today as well as I got to know that one. I love the idea of breaking in my copy of the Bible so it almost becomes an extension of who I am. But even more importantly, I want to be the kind of person who wears out Bibles. There's something powerful about someone who has spent that much time in the Bible, who clings to Scripture that tightly, so that his or her life is shaped by God's word. Beth Anne embodies a Psalm 1 kind of love for and delight in God's law. Every time I see her Bible, I'm reminded that I want that too. Beth Anne's Bible has been a surprising encouragement. It challenges me to love God's word as much as she does—and maybe wear out a Bible or two in the process. ### All Things New (Revelation 21:1-8) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/all-things-new-revelation-211-8/ Last updated: 2025-06-01T22:00:09.000Z **Big Idea:** God will make everything new, live with his people on earth, and give eternal joy to those who conquer by his grace. --- I had a problem, and it was a big one. Heaven seemed boring to me. I love this world. I love my life. I have a great family and friends. I enjoy great food. I get to go on vacation sometimes and see amazing things around the world. I love life so much that it's sometimes hard to imagine how heaven could be better. It sounds sacrilegious to say it, but it's true. Add to that the fact that I used to be really confused about heaven. Many are confused about heaven due to misunderstandings, unclear teachings, and varied biblical interpretations. What we do think we know doesn't sound that exciting. Theologian Michael Wittmer [writes](https://amzn.to/4kaZQSN?ref=dashhouse.com): > All things being equal, I’d rather continue the earthly existence that I currently enjoy. > I’d love to go to heaven—for a visit. It will be unspeakably exhilarating to stand in the presence of God and sing his praises—but to do nothing except this forever and ever? That’s a lot of rounds of “Shine, Jesus, Shine.” Perhaps you think I’m being unfair. Well, what else do people do in heaven but worship God?… > Heaven does sound boring. Here’s my problem: my life here on Earth, although full of problems, is actually pretty great, and I couldn’t imagine how heaven could be better. ## The End We’ve been studying Revelation since last September, and we’re coming to the end with just two more sermons after today. As you know, Revelation was written to seven representative churches in the first century. They were small. The Roman Empire was large. They looked like they were on the losing end of history, and they were suffering for their faith in Jesus. Revelation is written to reveal God’s “behind-the-scenes” perspective on the ongoing spiritual battle between good and evil. It aims to comfort, warn, and encourage believers to stay faithful during persecution, temptation, and suffering by showing that Christ has already triumphed and will ultimately conquer all evil. It’s meant to strengthen us for faithful witness by portraying God’s ongoing victory and the assurance of ultimate redemption. Today, we’re getting closer to the end, not just the end of Revelation but of Scripture and of history. Revelation 21–22 serves as the climactic finale of the Bible’s story, revealing God’s ultimate purpose and our future. I’m very excited to go through these final chapters with you over the next few weeks. Today’s passage introduces us to the end. What will the end be like? It's much better than our vague ideas of heaven and any experiences we have on earth. What will happen in the end? Three things: ### Heaven will come to earth (21:1-2) > Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. These first couple of verses are a radical readjustment of what we normally think about our future. You aren’t going to heaven. Well, you are, sort of. If you are in Jesus, you will go to heaven for a short time after you die, but that time will end when Jesus returns. But that’s only temporary. You’re not going to heaven permanently. There’s much better news according to verses 1 and 2: heaven is coming to earth. Verse 1 speaks of a new heaven and earth. This new heaven and earth is necessary because the first heaven and earth will have passed away. This comes right from Isaiah 65:17: “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.” We don’t know the details of how this will work, but God will somehow change the heaven and the earth so that it’s appropriate for what’s to come. It will somehow be different from what we experience now, but it will also be similar too. This passage talks about a few things that won’t be present in the new earth, and one of them is the sea. This seems like bad news for those of us who like going to the ocean for vacations, until you understand what the sea represents in Scripture. Back in Revelation 13, the beast came from the sea. In Daniel 7:3, which reads a lot like Revelation, four beasts come from the sea. In Job, a beast called the Leviathan, which seems to have Satan-like qualities, comes from the sea. It seems that Revelation is saying that we won’t have any of that on the new earth. No more chaos. No more forces that try to suck this world into darkness and disorder. No more sea. Verse 2 describes something amazing. Depending on when Revelation was written, Jerusalem was either in ruins or soon to be destroyed. But in verse 2, John sees Jerusalem coming from heaven like a bride prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Jerusalem, just like a bride on her wedding day, looks her best. As this new Jerusalem arrives, it can only be compared to how a bride looks when she arrives to walk down the aisle. The New Jerusalem shall descend in resplendent majesty, unblemished and pristine. Place your trust in him, and you shall find no corruption, no deceitful snares masked in false beauty. Gone will be the treacherous pitfalls and murky depths that once concealed danger beneath appealing facades. This holy city shall radiate with divine purity—immaculate, sanctified, and renewed. The ancient waters that used to harbor leviathans shall be no more, leaving no refuge for creatures of the deep. You’re not going to heaven. Heaven is coming to earth. We won’t escape earth. Instead, “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14). God’s plan isn’t about souls escaping to a spiritual heaven. It’s about transforming the earth so he can dwell with his people here forever. The Bible’s hope isn’t simply “going to heaven.” It’s about a new earth where heaven and earth become one, and God makes his home with us forever. But that’s not even the best part. There’s a second thing that will happen in the end: ### God will dwell with his people (21:3-4) > And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” We’ve already seen that there won’t be any sea in the new earth. No more chaos. Verses 4 lists a few more things that won’t be present on the new earth: - no tears - no death - no mourning - no crying - no pain All of these things characterize life in this world. Despite advancements and achievements, our lives are still defined by death, mourning, and suffering. None of these will be present on the new earth. But the absence of these negative things aren’t even the best part about the new earth. What’s even better? God will be there. The best part of heaven is that we will enjoy the relationship you were made for. We will enjoy God himself. God will dwell with his people. This happened once, temporarily, in Eden, but we lost it because of sin. It happened, partially, in the tabernacle and temple, and church. Jesus tabernacled among us for a short time (John 1:14). But on that day, God will dwell with us. Nancy Guthrie says, “And then he will come to us as a bridegroom so that our eternal marriage can begin. We’ll finally have the intimacy with him we’ve always longed for but have never been able to achieve or maintain. We will love him who first loved us.” John Piper once asked: > The critical question for our generation—and for every generation—is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ were not there? The answer has to be no. We wouldn’t be satisfied. The best part of heaven won’t be that there will be no more tears, death, mourning, crying, and pain, although that will be amazing. The best part is that God will love among us, and he will get rid of everything that has brought us sorrow. I can’t wait! Heaven will come to earth, God will dwell with us, and we will be eternally satisfied in him. But there’s one more thing that this passage says will happen: ### He will make all things new (21:5-8) > And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. (21:5-6) Notice what verse 5 says: “Behold, I am making all things new.” He doesn’t say, “I am making all new things.” Revelation 21-22 emphasizes that God is bringing about a complete renewal of creation, all humanity, and their cities. This is exactly what Isaiah 65:17 promised: “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.” It’s what Romans 8:21 talks about: “creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” The biblical vision describes a renewed and improved earth, where the best of this world is enhanced and free from pain, suffering, and death. “There will be no more cancer or depression, no more emergency rooms or children’s hospitals, no more SWAT teams or security screens, no more wars or funerals or hatred or sin” (Adam Ramsey). As [Randy Alcorn says](https://amzn.to/4iYp6e3?ref=dashhouse.com): > God does not promise us a non-Earth, but a New Earth. If the words New Earth mean anything, they mean that we will live in a place that is both new and earth, a place that’s familiar, yet transformed, just as we will be.” I love how D.A. Carson describes it in [*The Gagging of God*](https://amzn.to/3F7PmVu?ref=dashhouse.com): “The wealth of human cultures, purified from every taint of sin, will be brought in as well. The cultural diversity of the world is not destroyed; it is redeemed.” Or, in [a different place](https://amzn.to/4j3qXye?ref=dashhouse.com): “All that is best in human culture will be purified and brought in—not tossed away, but redeemed, so that the glory and honor of human achievement in all its variety pay tribute to the Great King.” John Bradford, an English martyr who was burned at the stake, often shared an interesting idea. He reflected that if God created such a magnificent universe for his enemies, then the world he must have prepared for his friends is extraordinary. It’s going to be incredible. But it’s only for his friends. > To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:6–8) If you are thirsting for God, you can have your thirst satisfied eternally in God free of charge. > Come, everyone who thirsts, > come to the waters; > and he who has no money, > come, buy and eat! > Come, buy wine and milk > without money and without price. > (Isaiah 55:1) Eternal satisfaction is freely offered to you because Jesus has paid the price. On that day, you will be able to say, in the words of the character in [*The Last Battle*](https://amzn.to/3HlANyh?ref=dashhouse.com) by C.S. Lewis: “I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now.” However, if you do not love God, you will not accept this freely given gift. You will be punished in the lake of fire with Satan, the beast, the false prophet, and others. The stakes are unimaginably high. What you desire most is freely available through Jesus right now and will bring you lasting fulfillment. Rejecting it means losing everything. We’ve already discussed what will be absent from the new earth: the sea, tears, death, mourning, crying, and pain. Now we recognize one more absence on that day: those who turn away from God’s grace. Here’s what this passage is telling us: **God will make everything new, live with his people on earth, and give eternal joy to those who conquer by his grace.** I once believed heaven would be dull. Let me tell you what isn’t dull: heaven descending to earth, God living among His people, and everything being renewed. I can’t wait for it. Can you? ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-448/ Last updated: 2025-06-07T01:51:44.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Scroll Less, Stroll More: A Summer Challenge to Leave Your Phone at Home](https://go.dashhouse.com/daBh?ref=dashhouse.com) > For your spiritual, relational, physical, and mental health, get off your phone and go for a walk. Give your fidgety fingers a break and let your feet get some movement in. Give your overstimulated mind a chance to make sense of things. Get far enough from your phone that you can pray, praise, and ponder. [Four Good Questions To Ask Your Tech](https://go.dashhouse.com/daCW?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are four questions I propose we ask of any technology that has become (or has the potential to become) deepl y embedded in our lives. [AI is Coming for Online Pastoral Education](https://go.dashhouse.com/daBk?ref=dashhouse.com) > In the coming days, an embodied ministry of the gospel is what will distinguish the church from an AI-dominated world. [Should Pastors Use AI in Sermon Preparation?](https://go.dashhouse.com/daAc?ref=dashhouse.com) > I get asked about artificial intelligence (AI) and preaching almost every week, so a couple months ago I decided to try to think more deeply and clearly about it. [Outlaw Pornography. Now.](https://go.dashhouse.com/daC0?ref=dashhouse.com) > Pornography’s very existence degrades human dignity and distorts God’s good design for sexuality. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Preach the Gospel, Die, and Leave the Results up to God](https://go.dashhouse.com/dd6D?ref=dashhouse.com) > Focus on faithfully sharing the gospel and living for God, trusting him with the outcomes and legacy beyond your control. ### Build On-ramps, but Help People Learn to Drive on the Highway Too URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/build-on-ramps-but-help-people-learn-to-drive-on-the-highway-too/ Last updated: 2025-05-28T09:00:01.000Z We have an on-ramp to a major highway near my house. It used to be awful. It was short, and you had to immediately merge into speeding traffic. It's since been improved. You no longer have to merge; you're just fed onto the highway in your own lane. It makes it so much easier for drivers to get up to speed safely and easily. But it's not foolproof. Sometimes I see drivers merge slowly or enter the on-ramp slowly, and then continue on the highway slowly. This creates a hazard for them and unsafe conditions for everyone else. To learn how to drive well on the highway, you need to learn how to enter a highway slowly and then quickly get up to speed. The same is true spiritually. ## Build On-ramps Some people fail to create on-ramps for those wanting to learn spiritual practices like Bible reading and prayer. If statistics are to be believed, many of our people aren't practicing these habits. In Canada, only one out of seven Christians reads the Bible regularly. My sense is that people struggle even more with their prayer lives. I'm convinced that the solution is giving practical guidance to believers on how to develop these habits in their lives. These are on-ramps. They should be doable. Many of our plans and recommendations don't take into account how hard it is to begin. So, I always try to keep things very simple for new believers or those who've never developed this habit. Help people create a practical plan. They don't have to follow the same intense Bible reading plan that you do. They shouldn't begin by aiming for an hour of prayer every morning. Give them a good study Bible. Help them develop basic skills for reading the Bible, including what to do when they get stuck. Give them a simple prayer structure that they can follow. Build good on-ramps for Christians to build these habits into their lives. ## Help Them Drive on the Highway On-ramps are good, but people can’t stay there. It's fine to merge, but at some point, you need to get up to speed. Help people start with good on-ramps, but then help people grow. They don't necessarily need to read more. Trevin Wax has written [a good post](https://go.dashhouse.com/cvlN?ref=dashhouse.com) on this topic. They should work on improving their Bible reading skills and discipline to cultivate a delight in Scripture, as described in Psalm 1. Help them progress from beginner to slightly better at prayer. (I have yet to meet many experts at prayer.) Encourage them to embrace their God-given freedom in building habits, but ensure they strive beyond a beginner's level. We should aim to progress in our reading of Scripture, meditation on its truths, and in becoming more prayerful. Sometimes in our efforts to provide on-ramps, we settle for everyone staying in the beginning stages. Build on-ramps, but help people learn to drive on the highway too. Don't settle for a church that's one or the other; you need both. Work at being a church that helps beginners but doesn't let them stay there. Build good on-ramps, but then help them get up to speed. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-447/ Last updated: 2025-05-24T09:00:44.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Why I Don’t Read Through the Bible Every Year](https://go.dashhouse.com/cvlN?ref=dashhouse.com) > A reading plan, even one that doesn’t take you through the whole Bible in 12 months, isn’t *less than*. It’s a good way to keep you listening for God’s voice as you read his inspired Word. [Not Every Sermon Is a Challenge](https://go.dashhouse.com/cs5E?ref=dashhouse.com) > Unless your church is uniquely bad at everything all the time, there must be some room for some encouragement somewhere. [7 Secular Sermons You Might Have Heard This Week](https://go.dashhouse.com/cxHI?ref=dashhouse.com) > A pastor may speak for an hour on Sunday, but secular voices are preaching to us for the remaining 167 hours of the week. > Here are seven secular sermons you might have encountered this week without even realizing it. [Is This the Way? A Review of Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer](https://go.dashhouse.com/cs5j?ref=dashhouse.com) > The central problem with *Practicing the Way* is that almost every significant part of the project depends on poorly interpreted biblical texts and superficial connections with (supposed) ancient precedents. [When You Don't Feel Like Going to Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/cs4h?ref=dashhouse.com) > Sometimes the most meaningful worship happens when we show up despite reluctance, allowing God to meet us in our weakness through the church community he designed for our spiritual formation. ### Advice for New and Stuck Christians URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/advice-for-new-and-stuck-christians/ Last updated: 2025-05-20T09:00:45.000Z If you are a new Christian or a stuck Christian trying to get back on track, I have some advice for you. My advice doesn't come from being an expert. I'm a fellow struggler myself, and I’ve had to learn these lessons the hard way. I've guided new believers and those who feel stuck, and I've found two pieces of advice particularly helpful. They're simple, and I hope they won't be too overwhelming for you. ## Get in the Bible First, and most importantly, get in the Bible. I can't emphasize this enough. Get a Bible if you don't have one. Choose a translation that you can understand, like the Christian Standard Bible (CSB) or the English Standard Version (ESV). If you can afford it, get a study Bible. I recommend the [CSB Study Bible](https://amzn.to/43mtei7?ref=dashhouse.com) because it's clear and the notes are very helpful. Get the Bible and get in it. It's impossible to overstate the importance of the Bible in the Christian life. The Apostle Paul writes: > All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) Only Scripture comes from God. Only Scripture can give us what we need to be built up and corrected so that we’re equipped for what God wants us to do. Likewise, Psalm 1 talks about a life built around what God reveals. It’s a life that flourishes. I often try to reflect on Psalm 1 and what it would look like for me to delight in Scripture the way the psalmist does. In our lives, we’re always going to face choices between what we think is right and what God has revealed to be true. Whenever we face this decision, go with what God says is right, which means getting to know what he’s revealed in the Bible. Lifeway Research shows that regular Bible reading is strongly linked to spiritual growth, but many Christians do not read their Bibles regularly. Get a Bible, get a good study Bible that you can understand, and start reading it. Decide to take it seriously and believe what it says is true; it will begin to change your life. You don’t need to understand everything right away. That’s an unrealistic expectation. Just dive in; it’s okay if you don’t understand everything at first. Keep going, and your understanding will grow over time. Ignore those who question whether you can trust or understand the Bible, or if it will make a difference. Believe me, it will. Get in the Bible. Read a little every day. Read systematically if you can. Make it manageable but do it consistently. Make the Bible a regular part of your life. ## Get Involved in the Church Here's the second piece of advice I'd offer: Find a good church and get involved. A lie we tend to believe is that we can live the Christian life on our own. It’s not true; we need the church. My best advice for new believers or those feeling stuck is to find a good church through online directories like [this one](https://go.dashhouse.com/cZDp?ref=dashhouse.com), and commit to attend every Sunday. Make it a priority in your life. Pray before you arrive so you'll get everything you can out of the service on Sunday. Lean into the Word and meditate on what it teaches you. Sing with others. But don't just attend a service. Get to know people too. Invite them into your life. Share honestly about your struggles and growth. Get input and advice from people who are farther ahead of you in their faith journey. Resolve that you won't live the Christian life alone. The church exists for his glory but also helps us grow. We need it. We weren't meant to live the Christian life alone; we were meant to be part of His people. Starting with these two pieces of advice will motivate you in your faith journey. Both pieces of advice are counter-cultural: The world will tell you to live your way and independently, but God teaches us to live according to his revelation and with his people. Lean into God's Word and live according to God's wisdom, and become part of his church. ### The End of Satan, Sin, and Death (Revelation 20) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-end-of-satan-sin-and-death-revelation-20/ Last updated: 2025-05-19T17:50:53.000Z **Big Idea:** God will ultimately defeat Satan, restore his people, and destroy evil and death. --- When I went to seminary, I studied under a brilliant professor who originally lived in Indiana. As I got to know him, I found out the story of how he ended up teaching in Canada. He was part of a denomination that held a particular view of the chapter we just read. To pastor in that denomination, you had to agree with their view. The professor accepted a ministry assignment in Toronto, which let him adopt a different perspective. He joked that he came to Canada as a theological refugee. He’s not the only one who faced this challenge. In fact, our church’s history is somewhat tied up in the debate over this passage. Twenty-five years ago, a pastor by the name of Paul Martin pastored a church on the west side of Toronto. He’d attended a school that held to a particular view of this chapter. He pastored in a denomination that held the same view. The issue was that Paul Martin changed his views, causing a disconnect with the church and denomination he served. This led to him beginning a church called Grace Fellowship Church, and a decade later, that church planted our church. We are here, indirectly, because of conflicting views over this passage. This chapter has been the source of a lot of division and dispute over the past two thousand years. It is one of the most debated chapters among Christians, often causing intense disagreements over its interpretation. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Interpretations of the passage before us are not a matter of primary doctrine. We can offer charity to believers who understand the details of this passage differently than we do. As one theologian (Louis Berkhof) said, “The doctrine of the millennium has never yet been embodied in a single Confession, and therefore cannot be regarded as a dogma of the Church.” Or, as R.C. Sproul once said, “I believe that when we get to heaven, we will find people there who held to all four millennial views—and they’ll all find out they were wrong about something!” So there’s room to disagree on this passage. I like what Ian Hales, pastor of one of our sister churches, says: “To divide over this is not a sign of biblical fidelity. It's a sign of spiritual immaturity.” ## Three Views That term “a thousand years” shows up six times in this passage. There are three major views of what this thousand years means. We could spend tons of time here, but let me give you just a brief overview. There are three major views of how to interpret this text: - Amillennialists believe that the thousand years are symbolic and are happening right now. Jesus is reigning right now spiritually through the church. Satan is bound, but not entirely powerless. - Premillennialists believe Jesus will return to create a real thousand-year kingdom on earth before the new heaven and earth are established. There are two types of premillennialists: historic, the older view from the early church, and dispensationalism, a more recent and popular perspective from the last couple of hundred years. - Postmillennialists believe the church will gradually change society, creating a peaceful and righteous golden age before Christ returns. This view sees the millennium as the culmination of Christian influence in the world. How you understand the thousand years will make a difference in how you interpret this passage. My goal today, though, isn’t to resolve the thousand years as much as I would like to do that. If you want to sort that out, I’d recommend reading a book like Bryan Chapell’s [*Are We Living in the Last Days?*](https://amzn.to/4iLlfRy?ref=dashhouse.com), or a worksheet I developed a number of years ago. [The-MillenniumThe-Millennium.pdf298 KBdownload-circle](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/files/2025/05/The-Millennium-5.pdf "Download") We may interpret this text differently, but we can't ignore its message. We may disagree over some of the details, but every single one of us needs the message of this text. My goal is not to answer all questions about the thousand years in this sermon, but to demonstrate how this passage addresses our biggest issues. Regardless of how you view the millennium, John’s purpose is to show God’s victory over our deepest needs. ## The Problem with the World This part of Revelation connects to themes from the beginning of the Bible. Genesis reveals the world's problems, while Revelation shows God's solution. What is the problem with this world? Let me summarize the problem in three words: Satan, sin, and death. - **Satan** — Satan shows up in Genesis 3 as the crafty serpent, humanity's great deceiver, and God's adversary. He uses manipulation and half-truths to drive humanity into rebellion against their Creator, setting the stage for ongoing deception, temptation, and destruction found in Scripture. - **Sin** — Genesis 3 reveals how sin fractured our world. A single act damaged humanity’s relationship with God and poisoned human nature itself. The result was devastating: people became separated from God and struggled to maintain healthy relationships with each other. Like a deep wound in the human heart, sin left humanity spiritually broken and lost. - **Death** — Death was not part of God’s original plan. Humans were made to live forever with God in paradise. Genesis shows that sin and death were unwanted invaders that disrupted God’s perfect creation. All of humanity is in danger of experiencing three kinds of death: spiritual death, physical death, and eternal death. That’s what’s wrong with the world. In Genesis 3, Satan tricks humanity into sin, severing our relationship with God and bringing spiritual, physical, and eternal death into a creation intended for everlasting life with him. ## What God Will Do In Genesis 3, we’re introduced to Satan, sin, and death. In Revelation 20, we see the end of Satan, sin, and death. This chapter wants to show us what God will do to solve this world’s greatest problems. Three things: ### God will defeat Satan. > Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while. (20:1-3) How did this whole mess start? It started with Satan deceiving humanity, and since then he’s been at war with God and with us. How does God respond to this? By imprisoning Satan. In this passage, Satan is thrown imprisoned and given a thousand-year sentence. For as long as Satan is imprisoned, for this thousand-year sentence, he’s not able to deceive the nations anymore. What does this mean? Regardless of which view you hold, this passage teaches that your greatest enemy will be imprisoned and restrained. The cosmic enemy described in Revelation 12:9 as "that ancient serpent, the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world" will be bound and made powerless. For believers who have faced spiritual warfare, this divine promise of Satan's complete restraint is very good news. Satan's power has definite limits. Our formidable adversary will ultimately be locked up and rendered powerless. As biblical scholar Jim Hamilton powerfully notes: "After long years and bitter conflicts across two Testaments and all of church history, the enemy of God and his people is finally seized. And he cannot break the angel's hold." This resolution to one of humanity's most ancient spiritual struggles offers profound hope to believers throughout the ages. And that’s not all. If you look at verses 7 to 10, there’s even better news. > And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Revelation 20 connects to Ezekiel 38-39, depicting a final global rebellion against God and His people. Nations gather for battle, but a heavenly fire quickly consumes them. Satan's final destiny is to be thrown into the lake of fire with the beast and the false prophet. Their punishment is explicitly described: “They will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (20:10). This eternal sentence reflects the magnitude of their crime against an infinite God. Your great enemy will be defeated. Satan has already been defeated at the cross, but he will be imprisoned and ultimately banished. That’s the first thing God will do. God will imprison and ultimately defeat Satan. Here’s the second: ### God will restore his people. God created humanity in his image to exercise dominion (Genesis 1:26-28). We were made to be royal priests, to rule the world on behalf of God. But sin got in the way, and after Genesis 3, we’ve been unable to fully carry out this mandate. But now, with Satan locked up, God does something amazing. In verse 4, John sees thrones. In verse 4, he sees: > …the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. Verse 6 says, “they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.” What is John recording here? People who were beheaded for their faith in Jesus are resurrected and reign with Christ in heaven. They will experience the joys Adam and Eve had in Genesis 2, which we have lost since sin entered the world in Genesis 3. You were made to be kings and queens, ruling and reigning. Sin has robbed us of fulfilling this role as we should. But sin won’t have the final word. This group of people will reign with Christ. And here’s the thing: Other Scriptures like 2 Timothy 2:12 and Revelation 3:21 and Revelation 5:10 teach that if you’re in Jesus, you will reign with Christ too. Satan will be imprisoned. We are kings and queens in Christ, and we will one day reign with Christ as we were meant to do. We will sit on thrones alongside our Savior. God will defeat Satan and restore his people to who they were meant to be. There’s one more thing God will do. ### God will destroy evil and death. > Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (20:11-15) This last section describes the judgment of the dead. The earth and heavens flee. The dead are summoned before the throne to be judged. God renders righteous judgment. The wicked—those whose names are not in the book of life—are sentenced to eternal, conscious torment. It's a scary day for those without Jesus, emphasizing the need to understand God's grace and his wish for everyone to seek him while there's still time. But it’s not all bad. Look again at verse 14: death and Hades are also thrown into the lake of fire. Death itself dies in the end. Death will die. What an end. The main message is straightforward: the enemies of humanity—Satan, sin, and death—from Genesis 3 will be defeated as God restores his people to glory. This morning, remember that God will defeat Satan, restore His people, and eliminate evil and death. For those who haven't embraced Christ: Where do you stand with God? The invitation remains open, but time is limited. Turn to Jesus now for forgiveness and eternal life; he won't reject anyone who comes to him. If you have trusted Jesus, there is very good news for you. **God will ultimately defeat Satan, restore his people, and destroy evil and death.** Regardless of how intense spiritual battles may appear today, victory in Christ is assured. Live with courage and faith, knowing that even when evil seems to triumph, God has already ordained the ultimate victory. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-446/ Last updated: 2025-05-17T09:00:24.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [The Destructive Power of Porn (and How to Break Free)](https://go.dashhouse.com/bGS3?ref=dashhouse.com) > If you’re struggling with pornography, here’s the good news. Jesus came to forgive you and set you free. Here’s where to begin. [People Expect It to Be Churchy](https://go.dashhouse.com/bGQr?ref=dashhouse.com) > It seems the churches that are attracting people at the moment are the, well, fairly churchy ones. [Could Scrolling Become the New Smoking?](https://go.dashhouse.com/bGRK?ref=dashhouse.com) > We’re humans, not robots—no matter how impressive artificial intelligence becomes. We possess agency. We can course-correct. [The Ruthless Elimination of Sloth: An Appeal to Young Men](https://go.dashhouse.com/bGSa?ref=dashhouse.com) > Kill the sluggard inside that tempts you to sloth, keeps you addicted to hobbies and scrolling, and lacks the self-respect to believe that maybe, just maybe, God might do great things through your hard work. [Make Something Heavy](https://go.dashhouse.com/b7PF?ref=dashhouse.com) > We're creating more than ever, but it weighs nothing. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Why Marriage Matters](https://go.dashhouse.com/b2So?ref=dashhouse.com) > Your marriage matters more than you think. ### Essential Lessons for Young (and Old) Pastors URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/essential-lessons-for-young-and-old-pastors/ Last updated: 2025-05-13T09:00:37.000Z I'm used to reading blog posts with titles like “What They Didn't Teach Me in Seminary.” Usually, the goal is to create buzz or sell a course or book. I don't want to add to that noise, but I'm going to write about a few things they didn't teach me in seminary that I think are important for a young pastor to know. ## First, aim to be boring. I don't mean your preaching should be boring, but your ministry should largely be pretty ordinary. Ministry involves doing a few things well over a long period of time and staying faithful at them. Mark Dever summarizes these things as: preach, pray, love, and stay. Learn to be a good preacher. Love the people God has entrusted to you. Be a pastor who prays, and with God's help, stay faithful. Stay a long time if you can. Trust the ordinary means of grace. Don't look for extra tactics, techniques, or secrets. Stay faithful to your charge. Engage in the ministry of the word over a long period of time. It probably won't look like much, but God will work through your ministry. You can always count on the fact that God will grow his church through his word. God will hear the prayers of faithful pastors. God will be at work as you love them and serve faithfully as a pastor. ## Second, guard your own heart. It's no accident that Paul told Timothy to guard his life and doctrine (1 Timothy 4:16), and as some have pointed out, that order is important. You can have all the right doctrine in the world, but if your heart is out of whack, you won't have an effective ministry. Proverbs 4:23 is helpful advice for pastors as much as it is for anyone: “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” I don’t mean that you should become overly introspective or self-focused. I do mean that you pay attention to your own personal godliness, and cultivating a heart that is growing in love for the Lord. Pursue a healthy soul. Learn to laugh at yourself. Take days off. Have a hobby. Build friendships. Guard against cynicism and sin. Read good books. Look after your body. Get outside. Take vacations. Aim to be a person who has no secrets, who repents regularly, and who basks in Jesus' love. If you're going to last long in ministry, you're going to need to watch your life and build a healthy soul. ## Third, prioritize your marriage. At one point or another, you will be tempted to neglect your wife for the sake of ministry. Don't do it. There may be seasons when you are busier in ministry, but talk about those with your wife in advance. Never give up the instructions that God has given you in Ephesians 5\. Love your wife and lay down your life to serve her. Or as 1 Peter 3:7 says, live with your wife in an understanding way. You made vows when you married her; keep them. Ministry is no excuse to break the wedding vows you made before God. ## Fourth, expect to suffer. Read 2 Timothy 2:1-13 often and meditate on it. Think about what the suffering of soldiers, athletes, and farmers has to teach you. Expect that you will go through at least one intensely difficult period in your ministry and prepare for it. Of course, you still won't be prepared, but perhaps, at least, you won't be surprised. It will be harder than you expect, but with God's grace, you will get through it. ## Finally, resign from measuring the impact of your ministry. We're continually looking for results, but worrying about them can distract from your ministry itself. Stay faithful to what God has called you to do and leave the results up to him. God may lead you into seasons of fruitfulness or periods of fruitlessness, which can be difficult to understand without recognizing God's providence. Trust in that. We need the Holy Spirit's blessing for effective ministry; without it, our efforts are in vain. That's my list of things they didn't teach me in seminary but that I wish I had known. It's not flashy, but I hope this helps prepare you for the reality of ministry and years of service with God's assistance. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-445/ Last updated: 2025-05-10T09:00:00.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Outbuild the Critics](https://go.dashhouse.com/YE6M?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here’s my challenge for pastors and leaders who want to reinforce the gospel’s centrality and renew the center: Outbuild the critics. [Your Pastor Isn't Your Therapist...And Your Therapist Isn't Your Pastor](https://go.dashhouse.com/YE6O?ref=dashhouse.com) > If you need therapy, get it. Some of us need it (I do), and many of us don’t. All of us need a pastor. All of us need a community of people who can be honest with us. [Back-to-Back Meetings Harm You, Your Effectiveness, and Your Team](https://go.dashhouse.com/YE6Q?ref=dashhouse.com) > Even if you were a bit more efficient with back-to-back meetings, the cost still may be too high. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Planting Churches in Post-Christendom Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/YDPo?ref=dashhouse.com) > Church planting is worth it, but we can’t rely on old assumptions if we hope to plant churches well today. ### Three Ways Weakness is a Gift URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/three-ways-weakness-is-a-gift/ Last updated: 2025-05-06T09:00:52.000Z In 2 Corinthians 12:10, the Apostle Paul wrote one of the most counter-intuitive sentences ever: “So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and in difficulties, for the sake of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” This sentence makes absolutely no sense. Who takes pleasure in things like weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties, even if they’re for Jesus? We normally try to avoid these things, and if we end up suffering them, we don’t usually take pleasure in them. And how does it make sense to say that when we’re weak, then we’re strong? That’s like saying that we’re skinny when we’re fat or we’re rich when we’re broke. Paul understood something that doesn’t make sense to us at first but is one of the most important lessons we can ever learn: Weakness may be our greatest strength. Your greatest asset may be your weakness. Weakness helps us in three ways. ## Weakness humbles us. Paul was a remarkable guy. He was smart. He was persistent. He wrote a lot of the New Testament. God used him to spread the Gospel throughout the Roman Empire. He had spiritual experiences that I’ve never enjoyed (2 Corinthians 12:2-4). In all this, he could have become conceited. Enter Paul’s weaknesses. They prevented Paul from becoming proud: “Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so that I would not exalt myself” (2 Corinthians 12:7). Paul saw his weaknesses as a gift that helped shield him from one of our greatest spiritual dangers: pride. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). Sometimes, guys want to look stronger than we actually are. We pretend like we can handle more than we really can. Weakness forces us to drop the charade and admit that this isn’t true, which can actually lead to a much better way to live. Weakness helps us avoid pride. It actually becomes a gift to prevent us from one of the greatest spiritual dangers: the danger of thinking that we’re more than we actually are. ## Weakness allows us to experience Christ’s strength. Just as a hybrid car runs on two energy sources—electric batteries and fuel—Paul ran on two energy sources: his own power and Christ’s power. But these two sources of energy were not at all equal. His own power was very limited. His weakness forced him to turn to another vastly superior energy source: Christ’s resurrection power, and this made all the difference. “Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me,” Paul wrote (2 Corinthians 12:9). “Paul’s utter weakness was the platform for resurrection power,” writes [Kent Hughes](https://amzn.to/4m3tpHJ?ref=dashhouse.com). Without our weaknesses, we’d probably live our lives sputtering on our own limited power. But because we’re weak, we learn to depend on the unlimited power of Christ to do what we could never do on our own. Picture trying to live off the energy of a 9-volt battery compared to living off the energy of the [Robert-Bourassa Generating Station](https://go.dashhouse.com/Y8LP?ref=dashhouse.com), a hydroelectric power station in northern Quebec, the most powerful underground generating station in the world. Which would you choose? Until we tap into Christ’s resurrection power, we’ll be living off our own weak power. Weakness will help us switch to a greater power source, giving us all the power we need for all the challenges we face. ## Weakness helps us serve others. As a result of his weakness, Paul related to others differently. He didn’t approach others in strength. He approached them from the perspective of someone who had suffered and often spoke of his weaknesses: “Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me” (2 Corinthians 12:9). I helped to start a brand-new church in 2013\. I had initially planned on starting the church based on many of the strengths I had built over years of ministry. But in the year leading up to the founding of this new church, I experienced more suffering in my life than I’d ever experienced before. As a result, the church began differently. Instead of a church based on my strength, we started a church based on our weakness and God’s strength. It helped me relate to people in the community differently. Instead of saying, “Come let us help you with our strengths,” our church was able to say, “We struggle too. Let’s come to Jesus with our weaknesses and ask Him for His strength.” “Your neediness, offered well to someone else, can be one of the great gifts you give to your church,” writes [Ed Welch](https://amzn.to/43cSw3v?ref=dashhouse.com). I’ve spent years fighting weakness. The irony is that weakness is actually our greatest strength. Don’t fight your weaknesses. Embrace them and allow them to humble you, help you tap into Christ’s power, and serve others. It turns out that the most muscular guys are the guys who embrace their weakness and God’s strength. *First published at* [*Impactus*](https://go.dashhouse.com/Y8KW?ref=dashhouse.com) *on September 17, 2024* ### The Marriage You Were Made For (Revelation 19:1-10) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-marriage-you-were-made-for-revelation-191-10/ Last updated: 2025-05-04T22:00:53.000Z **Big Idea:** Rejoice because of the marriage you were made for. --- I don’t know if you’ve ever had a friend who got engaged. You met this person’s future husband or wife, and you thought, “What in the world have they done?” It’s really awkward because you want to support your friend, but you have serious doubts about their decision. We know that getting married is serious. We know that getting married is about much more than the wedding. It’s about the start of a new life together. When you get married, your choice of spouse will dictate so much about the rest of your life. The Bible is very concerned with who you will marry, and that’s what today’s passage is all about. ## Background: The Seductress Let’s take a minute and catch our bearings here. We’re almost to the end of the book of Revelation. Here’s the message of Revelation in a nutshell: The sovereign Lord will return to fulfill his promises. He will bring justice, redeem his people, and unite believers with him for eternity. Until then, stay faithful and endure to the end. That’s what Revelation is designed to do in our lives. The purpose of Revelation is not to confuse us. The purpose of Revelation is to tell us how to live. Here’s one of the concerns that this book has for you. Revelation expresses some concern about your choice of partner. In chapters 17 and 18, we’re introduced to a seductress. Revelation is very concerned that you are going to fall for her. This seductress symbolizes worldly systems and values that draw us away from Jesus through moral compromise and sensual attractions. She is very persuasive. Imagine her dating profile. She is known as Babylon. She’s living her best life. Her carefully curated photos showcase designer labels and glittering jewelry. Her bio promises pleasure and power. She lists her interests as “building empires” and “making history.” She looks so good, and she’s persuaded many. But she’s not who she appears to be. She appears attractive but is spiritually empty and harmful, drawing people away from God and into destruction. Don’t fall for her. Don’t be deceived or drawn into spiritual compromise, but instead remain faithful, discerning, and devoted to Christ. Don’t worship the power and pleasure of Babylon. Worship God alone. ## Three Actions This leads us to Revelation 19\. Revelation 19:1-10 is about two scenes of rejoicing that take place after the final bowl of wrath is poured out. You can break this scene into three parts, and it gives us three actions to take. ### Rejoice because the seductress will be judged (19:1-5). > After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, > “Hallelujah! > Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, > for his judgments are true and just; > for he has judged the great prostitute > who corrupted the earth with her immorality, > and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.” > Once more they cried out, > “Hallelujah! > The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.” > (19:1-3) Again, we’re taken to heaven. John hears something. It’s the inhabitants of heaven, and they are overjoyed. They cry out, “Hallelujah!” which means “Praise the Lord!” Why? Because God has judged the seductress and has avenged on her the blood of his servants. As if this wasn’t enough, they cry out again in joy. Not only has she been judged, but her smoke goes up forever and ever. And then, in verses 4 and 5, they’re joined by the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures. All of heaven praises God because the seductress has been judged by God. No longer will God’s people face the temptation to be pulled away from worshiping the one true God. Revelation describes a future where those who resist the world’s temptations will finally overcome their struggles and leave behind corrupt powers for good. And all of heaven will explode with nuclear-powered praise. Revelation 18 and 19 describe two very different ways of responding to the end of this seductress. In chapter 18, you see those who fell under her powers say, “Alas! Alas!” It’s repeated over and over. If you give your life to this world’s systems and values, that’s what you will say one day. It will be horrible. Dedicating your heart to anything but God risks future despair, as worldly temptations will disappoint. There’s another way to respond, and it’s reserved for those who have put Jesus first. On that day, they won’t be crying out, “Alas! Alas!” They’ll be crying out “Hallelujah!” One day, God’s people will resist temptation and rejoice, as God will have judged the evil forces that distract us. What’s the first action to take? Rejoice, because the seductress will be judged. That’s the first action. Here’s the second: ### Rejoice because the Lamb will take his bride (19:6-8). The judging of this seductress isn’t even the best part. This is the best part. > Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, > “Hallelujah! > For the Lord our God > the Almighty reigns. > Let us rejoice and exult > and give him the glory, > for the marriage of the Lamb has come, > and his Bride has made herself ready; > it was granted her to clothe herself > with fine linen, bright and pure”— > for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. > (19:6–8) Another “Hallelujah!” This time for a different reason. This time the multitude praises God for different reasons: - First, for his reign. No more corrupt and incompetent governments. God will reign, and the world will finally be as it should be. - Second, for the marriage of the Lamb. What a scene that will be. Ray Ortlund says, “For the world at the end of history, the party’s over. For the bride entering eternity, the wedding celebration has finally begun and will never end.” We will finally belong to him. I want you to notice a couple of things here. First are the clothes. Verse 8 says, “It was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure.” The bride is given this dress. It’s a great picture. The day that we stand before Jesus, we won’t be wearing garments we’ve prepared for ourselves. We’ll be wearing radiant and clean clothes given to us by God himself, granted as a gift from God by his grace. We’ll be wearing our righteous deeds, but even those deeds will be a result of the transformed lives that happened by God’s grace. On that day, the wedding garments of believers represent Christ’s righteousness covering us and the good deeds that arise from lives transformed by his grace. But then consider the marriage itself. It says so much that when God describes his relationship with us, he uses marriage. Our marriages are just a shadow of the intense, perfect relationship Christ will have with us. Here’s the point of this passage: > If the Bible is telling us the truth about reality, then the universe we live in was created primarily with marital romance in mind. The heavens and the earth were created for the marriage of Adam and Eve. The new heavens and the new earth will be created for the marriage of Christ and his bride. The whole of cosmic reality exists as the venue for the eternal honeymoon of the perfect husband with his perfect bride in marital bliss forever and ever. This is the breathtaking claim of the Bible. ([Ray Ortlund](https://amzn.to/4lAKwQV?ref=dashhouse.com)) This is the teaching of the Bible. Isaiah 54:5 says: > For your Maker is your husband, > the LORD of hosts is his name; > and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, > the God of the whole earth he is called. Isaiah 62:4-5 says: > You shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the LORD delights in you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you. I always believe that the bride is the second most beautiful thing you can see at a wedding. What could be more beautiful than a bride? Only one thing: the groom’s face as he sees the bride come down the aisle. Seeing the groom’s love and delight in that moment is, to me, my favorite part of the wedding. That is what we will get to experience on that day. We'll be united with Christ forever in a celebration beyond anything this world can imagine. “Though he never married, Jesus knew he was the long-awaited husband of history” ([Marshall Segal](https://go.dashhouse.com/XRUT?ref=dashhouse.com)). No marriage on earth will ever fulfill us. But on that day, that will be the marriage we’ve waited for. We will be fully known, deeply loved, and destined for eternal joyful union with Jesus. Our true fulfillment comes from belonging to him, surpassing anything the world can offer. > Never has there been a more worthy bridegroom. Never has a man sacrificed more for his beloved. Never has a man gone to greater lengths, humbled himself more, endured more, or accomplished more in the great task of winning his bride. (Jim Hamilton) No wonder they cry, “Hallelujah!” You were made for this! What a day it will be. If you are a believer in Jesus, this is what you’re waiting for. He is coming for you. Look forward to this day. Prepare for this day. If you haven’t already come to Jesus, then turn to him today. There is no future better than the one that John describes in this passage. You’re invited. This wedding can be yours. We have three actions to take in this passage, and the first two are to rejoice. Rejoice because the seductress will be judged, and rejoice because the Lamb will take his bride. But there’s one more action to take in this passage: ### Be blessed because this changes your life today (19:9-10). Verse 9 says: > And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” There are seven “blessed” statements in Revelation. This is the fourth. These statements emphasize the blessings God offers to those who remain faithful, especially during challenges and opposition. They show who’s really blessed in God’s eyes. Here’s who is blessed in this passage: those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. If you’re in Jesus, that’s you. Jim Hamilton writes: > Those early congregations would have heard in 2:10 that suffering, tribulation, imprisonment, and even martyrdom awaited them. But because they are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb, they are blessed. Jesus is enough. He is enough in the face of inconvenience. He is enough in the face of cancer. He is enough in the face of persecution. He is enough in the face of imprisonment, and even death. God intends to show his glory by putting his servants through all these things, and when they rejoice because none of this can take Jesus away, people see that Jesus is enough. You’re blessed now, even when life is hard because, if you’ve trusted Jesus, you’re invited to this day. And it helps us get through anything now. These are the words of God. This will happen. If you’re in Jesus, you’re invited, and you’re blessed. The news is so good that, in verse 10, John is tempted to worship the angel. But the angel directs his attention right back to Jesus. And that’s where our attention should be as well. You were created for an eternal marriage that far surpasses any earthly relationship. Today, choose between the world’s empty promises or staying faithful to Christ, your perfect Bridegroom. Take heart in knowing that those who choose Jesus are truly blessed – not just in the future, but right now in the midst of life’s challenges. In Christ, we have a strong hope for the promised wedding feast of the Lamb, where we will be fully known, perfectly loved, and united forever with our Savior. Stay faithful until then. The marriage we were made for awaits, and Jesus is, and always will be, enough. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-444/ Last updated: 2025-05-03T09:00:07.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [20 Lessons from 20 Years in Ministry](https://go.dashhouse.com/Y2Mi?ref=dashhouse.com) > With the hope that these thoughts might encourage others, I’m sharing 20 lessons on 20 years in ministry. [Young Men Wanted: A Missions Call for the Unmarried](https://go.dashhouse.com/Y2N6?ref=dashhouse.com) > Common men, ordinary men, young men can do incredible things when they trust an all-powerful God. [God’s Guidelines for Sex Aren’t Arbitrary](https://go.dashhouse.com/Y2NM?ref=dashhouse.com) > In a world soiled and sodden with sex, God’s rules intend to uncoil our selfishness until we become enflamed with divine love. [The Devil Hates Context. Use it.](https://go.dashhouse.com/Y2Mb?ref=dashhouse.com) > Trample his temptations and accusations with the full word of God. [Write What’s Been Written](https://go.dashhouse.com/Y2NS?ref=dashhouse.com) > There are at least four biblical reasons to write what’s already been written. [Themelios 50.1](https://go.dashhouse.com/Y2NE?ref=dashhouse.com) > The new spring 2025 issue of Themelios has 227 pages of editorials, articles, and book reviews. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Planting Churches in Post-Christendom Canada](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/straight-paths/planting-churches-in-post-christendom-canada/?ref=dashhouse.com) > Church planting is worth it, but it demands more patience than before. ### Ministry: A Long Yet Short Journey URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/ministry-a-long-yet-short-journey/ Last updated: 2025-04-29T09:00:16.000Z Imagine becoming a pastor at age 25 and continuing your ministry until you retire around age 65\. That's 40 years. Four decades. Some two thousand Sundays, which is way more than a month of Sundays. I want to suggest that this is both a long time and a short time. ## A Long Time On one hand, forty years is a long time. It's ultramarathon territory, not sprint territory. It’s long enough that you will see trends come and go. You may perform the marriage ceremony of young couples, and later their children too. You’ll notice the context of ministry will change often, although ministry, at its heart, won’t change at all. You'll need a plan to sustain your soul over those 40 years. This means building a solid foundation, spending the time you need to get the training you need for pastoral ministry. Don't rush this stage. You're going to need lots of time for the many decades of ministry ahead. You'll need to withstand the temptations of the various stages of your ministry. In the early years, you'll need to resist the temptation of thinking that you know more than you really do. In the middle years, you'll need to guard against becoming cynical and bitter. In the later years, you'll need to guard against the temptation of coasting or becoming a grumpy old man. Plan for the long haul. Pay attention to your life and doctrine. Focus on your godliness. Know where you need help. Find people who tell you the truth. Tackle your specific sin issues. Prepare for a lifetime of service to God. ## A Short Time I want to suggest that 40 years is a short time as well. It will be over before you know it. When you start out, you'll think that you have all the time in the world to preach through most of the Bible and do all the things you want to do. Before you know it, you'll be at the end, and it will have gone by quicker than you thought. There are Bible books you haven't preached on, topics you haven't explored, themes you haven't discussed, and dreams you haven't realized. This should lead us to humility; no matter how long our ministries are, we'll never have time for all we want to do. It should also lead us to careful planning so that we fit in what matters most. It should also lead us to cherish the time God has given us. There will be a Sunday when you don't stand up to preach; there will be a day when you're no longer the pastor of a church, and that's okay. Your identity is much more than that of pastor; you are a child of God. Still, enjoy the time God has given you for this incredible gift. A lifetime of ministry is both a long time and a short time. Commit to being faithful for the long term, but remember how quickly time passes. Make the most of the brief ministry God has given you. ### Babylon and the Beast (Revelation 17-18) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/babylon-and-the-beast-revelation-17-18/ Last updated: 2025-04-27T22:00:15.000Z **Big Idea:** We are meant for relationship with Jesus, not with a seductress who’s trying to draw us away and is doomed for judgment. --- There’s something about certain cities that I really like. I love London, England. I love the history. I love visiting Metropolitan Tabernacle where Spurgeon preached. I love visiting Bunhill Fields, where John Bunyan and Susanna Wesley are buried. The British Museum, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey — I could go on and on. I love New York City: its restaurants, its shows, its history, its energy. I love Washington, D.C.: its iconic monuments, memorials, museums, and history. When you stand in the Rotunda of the Capitol Building and look up, it’s simply breathtaking. Cities like London, New York, and Washington, D.C., feel permanent and embody the best of human culture. They're built to endure for generations to come. Long after you and I are gone, people will walk the streets of these cities and admire the same things that we do. So it’s not hard to imagine what it may have felt like to walk the streets of Rome almost two thousand years ago. You step through the gate into a city that overwhelms your senses. Over a million people crowd this city. Gleaming marble temples stretch skyward, and the colossal Colosseum dominates the horizon. The streets surge with people—merchants in tunics, soldiers in leather and brass, and visitors from every corner of the empire. Various languages mix with the sounds of hammers, creaking wagon wheels on stone streets, and vendors calling out their goods. The scents of wood smoke, incense, fresh bread, and exotic spices mix with less pleasant urban odors. Imagine visiting the Forum with speakers delivering speeches and merchants trading, or watching chariot races at Circus Maximus in front of large crowds. Imagine admiring the city's impressive engineering: advanced hydraulics, heated floors, glass windows, and innovative concrete construction that enables massive domed buildings. Rome showcased ancient accomplishments through its engineering, culture, and ambition, characterized by stark wealth and poverty, remaining unmatched for over a thousand years. But the passage we just read states that Rome, along with London, New York, Washington, D.C., Toronto, and other human cultures that oppose God, will ultimately fall. ## Setting the Scene We’ve been in Revelation since September. I know we could say this every week, but we’re in a really difficult part. It’s rich. It’s deep. It can be puzzling at parts. It’s why so many people avoid the book of Revelation. We’re not used to apocalyptic literature and all the symbolism. It can be confusing, but that’s not even the hardest part. Wait until you understand what it’s saying. Today’s text is a good example. Last week, we looked at the seven bowls of earth from Revelation 16\. We saw that God's judgment against sin is certain, but those who trust in Jesus need not fear it — their sins were already judged when Christ died on the cross. Revelation 16 is terrifying because we see how serious God is about judging evil in this world. It’s awful. But now we come to chapter 17\. Chapter 17 amplifies the sixth and seventh bowls of chapter 16\. So these chapters are a continuation of God pouring out his wrath on a wicked world. Here’s what this passage will teach us: **We are meant for relationship with Jesus, not with a seductress who’s trying to draw us away and is doomed for judgment.** Let’s see if we can work our way through the message of the text. ## Understanding Revelation 17-18 Revelation 17 to 18 tells us three things we need to know. ### First, we face a seductress. Revelation is leading up to a wedding in chapter 19\. I can’t wait. But before the wedding, we face a temptation. We meet this temptation in 17:1-2: > Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk. You have this prostitute. She’s seated on many waters. Verse 15 explains what this means: “The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages.” She has a lot of power over a lot of people. When you read her description, it’s grotesque. According to verse 2, she’s been able to seduce the kings of the earth. She’s dressed in designer clothes with real gold and jewels and pearls. She’s holding a golden cup. She must be rich. She’s holding a cup, but instead of that cup holding fine wine, it’s full of the blood of those who have refused her. Also inside the cup is the evidence of the disgusting and degrading things she’s done. She’s had way too much to drink from this cup, and she’s intoxicated. In verse 3, she is seen alongside the first beast from chapter 13, representing Satan's power that opposes and persecutes God's people. Who is this woman? We don’t have to guess: > And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.” And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. (Revelation 17:5-6) Babylon has a long history in the Bible. It first appears in Genesis in the story of the Tower of Babel, humanity's initial organized rebellion against God. Later on, Babylon emerged as a physical kingdom that conquered and exiled Israel. Still later, Babylon became code for worldly opposition to God. It represents any system or society that stands against divine authority, leading people away from true worship and toward destruction. Babylon symbolizes organized human defiance against God, appearing in various forms throughout history. There is a strong and seductive force in the world that seeks to distract us from our intended partner. > Here’s a warning to the church: culture is a seductress, and she’s better at it than most of us think… John warned us, “Watch out for her. She’s prettier than you think she is. Watch out for her. She’ll seduce you. Be careful. (Matt Chandler) Revelation is flashing warning lights. Others have fallen for her, but don’t let her draw you away from Christ. As one preacher (C.J. Mahaney) said, “Today, the greatest challenge facing American evangelicals is not persecution from the world, but seduction by the world.” That’s the first thing we see in this passage. We face a seductress. But here’s the second thing we learn in this passage. ### We need to see what’s really going on behind the seduction. Verses 7 to 18 unmask this seductress for who she is. Don’t fall for her seduction. Recognize her so you can resist her and stand against her designs. So who is she? These verses are among the most complex and confusing in Revelation and possibly in the entire New Testament. But let's give it a try. The beast has seven heads and ten horns. These seven heads are obviously a reference to Rome, which was built on seven hills. But in verse 10, they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, and another who has not yet come. The beast is the eighth king who belongs to the seventh. And then you have 10 more kings who rule simultaneously in verse 12\. Are you confused yet? There are a lot of interpretations of this. Thousands of pages have been written on it. Nobody agrees. Instead of focusing on specific Roman emperors or historical figures, which often leads to confusion, we should see these symbols as reflections of common patterns of worldly power. The symbolism of seven heads, mountains, and kings represents complete or total authority. While Rome provided the immediate context for the original audience, the imagery extends beyond Rome itself. Mountains and hills often represent power in prophetic literature, such as in Daniel 2 and Jeremiah 51, where Babylon is referred to as a "destroying mountain." For the original readers, Rome (the "city on seven hills") was the clear example of this worldly power. However, the message extends beyond Rome to show a pattern that would continue throughout church history. The beast, with its seven heads, represents complete political power that opposes God's people. The mention of five fallen kings, one present, and one to come highlights the ongoing conflict between worldly power and God's kingdom. This helped the early church understand their struggles and prepare them, along with future readers, for ongoing opposition until Christ’s final victory. And what about the woman? We discover who the seductress is in verse 18: “And the woman you saw is the great city that has royal power over the kings of the earth.” This woman symbolizes Babylon, representing its essence across history—Rome at its height, as well as London, New York, and Toronto. It represents all the cities of the world. It represents fallen human culture in all its glory that is opposed to God and his values. We face a seductress. What’s going to help us resist being seduced by this temptress? To see what’s really going on. Behind the seductive powers of this world is a system that’s opposed by God. There’s a lot of evil going on, so don’t be seduced. See what’s really going on and the seduction will become ugly to you. It will lose all of its power. Okay. We face a seductress. But we need to see what’s really going on behind the seduction. There’s one more thing this passage wants us to know. ## That seductress is going down so stay as far away as possible. Revelation 17:16 is shocking: “The ten horns you saw, and the beast, will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, devour her flesh, and burn her up with fire.” That seductress who looks really good right now? She’s going down at the hands of evil itself. This is the thing about evil. It always turns in on itself. Tom Schreiner says: “Evil finally implodes and destroys itself from within.” It’s the beast and the then kings who destroy the seductress, but God is behind it. He always carries out his purposes in the world. The seductress will be destroyed. Evil always turns on itself. And chapter 18 is all about the destruction of this seductress. Here’s a sample: > Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! > She has become a dwelling place for demons, > a haunt for every unclean spirit, > a haunt for every unclean bird, > a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast. > (18:2) > And the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning. (18:9) Chapter 18 is about one thing: the total, complete destruction of the seductress. Those who built their lives, wealth, and identity in Babylon will lose everything. Kings and merchants who partnered with her will weep as they watch her burn, knowing their own doom approaches. Those who profited from exploitation will see their luxuries vanish. All their wealth, possessions, and securities will become worthless in a single day, leaving them in mourning. And so here’s the message to us in Revelation 18:4: > Come out of her, my people, > lest you take part in her sins, > lest you share in her plagues… She’s going down, so stay as far away as possible. Don’t get seduced by her. You’re already betrothed to another. Don’t fall for her deceptive attractions. I look around at the world. It's hard to look at Rome or Washington or New York and see anything but human culture at its best. That's where the real power is. That's what's going to satisfy. But there are two cities: Babylon and The New Jerusalem. We're not meant to be satisfied by Babylon in any of its forms. We can either have a relationship with the One who died to save us or engage in a dangerous fling with an evil seductress who will lead us astray. As Nancy Guthrie warns, "We can't allow ourselves to be seduced by a love that won't last." This world system is seductive. It draws people away from God through cultural achievement, luxury, and temporal power. It offers fulfillment apart from God, but it never delivers. The New Jerusalem, in contrast, represents those who have chosen to love and worship God above all else. No matter how grand human achievements seem, from ancient Rome to modern cities like New York and London, any system rooted in pride and opposition to God will ultimately fail. So come out of her. Don't be captivated by earthly glory and temporary pleasures. Empires that oppose God will eventually fail, while those who stay faithful will inherit eternal life. Keep waiting for the marriage that's coming. Live for a city that will never be destroyed. You were made for more than Babylon can offer. Don't get pulled away by anything less than God himself. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-443/ Last updated: 2025-04-26T09:00:21.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [The Power of Christ in My Inconsistent Life](https://go.dashhouse.com/Xb-V?ref=dashhouse.com) > Christ in you is a reality even when you do not *feel* that it is true. [A Short Prayer for Reading the Bible](https://go.dashhouse.com/Xb-W?ref=dashhouse.com) > When you sit down to read the Scriptures, make this prayer your own: *“More light, Lord!”* [Reading Revelation](https://go.dashhouse.com/Xhua?ref=dashhouse.com) > Reading the book of Revelation resembles playing the piano. It is easy to do poorly. [How Healthy Is Your Pursuit of Health?](https://go.dashhouse.com/Xhur?ref=dashhouse.com) > As we train our bodies rightly, we train ultimately for godliness. [How to Mentor](https://go.dashhouse.com/Xb-R?ref=dashhouse.com) > So how do you become a mentor? ### Lessons From a 147-year-old Church Plant URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/lessons-from-a-147-year-old-church-plant/ Last updated: 2025-04-22T09:00:45.000Z I'm not too far into Caleb Morell’s excellent new book, [*A Light on the Hill*](https://amzn.to/4cLH7uL?ref=dashhouse.com), the story of [Capitol Hill Baptist Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/XXBV?ref=dashhouse.com) in Washington, D.C., but I can tell you that I like it. I've listened to many podcasts about the book and the founding of this church. It's like a biography, but instead of a person, it's about a church. If God can use ordinary people, he can also use ordinary churches to make a big impact for his glory. Having been part of a new church, I'm especially interested in how Capitol Hill Baptist Church started. A few things stood out. ## Churches Often Start with Prayer The first is the role of prayer in the beginning of that church. The church grew out of a from a prayer group started by Celestia Ferris, a young washerwoman. “As they prayed, he answered—in ways that will only be fully comprehended in eternity.” [Liberty Grace Church](https://www.libertygrace.ca/?ref=dashhouse.com) was also birthed in prayer. After we moved into Liberty Village and began to spread the word about what we were doing. I met a lady who said she and her mother had been praying for years for someone to start a new church in Liberty Village. New churches often begin with prayer. That's the story of CHBC, and it's my experience too. ## Buildings Matter I also noticed how quickly the church moved to get property and build a building. They chose the highest spot in Capitol Hill they could find. I used to think buildings weren't so important. It reflects the view that buildings are secondary. Actually, they matter more than we think. CHBC scrimped to get property and were resourceful in finding building materials for their original building. We need people thinking about how to provide space for churches. It's a significant obstacle and an important one. ## Pastors Matter Too The third thing that encouraged me is the story of their first pastor. They called an experienced pastor, Joseph Whiting Parker, one of the leading pastors in the country. When he came, he later said if he had known how poor the church was, he couldn’t have come. It's good that he didn't know because he stayed with them. He feared that the church would die if he didn't help establish it. He could only stay for three years due to his health, but his initial ministry made a big difference. We need both young, scrappy church planters and experienced pastors to help launch churches. ## New Churches Are Fragile Churches are fragile in their early years. Within just a few years of starting, the church almost fell apart. Minor disagreements grew into a crisis that split the congregation. When it was over, the church had no pastor, heavy debts, and only sixty members left. Every church is fragile, especially so in their earliest years. Ultimately, every church is a church plant, even one that’s 147 years old. I'm eager to read the rest of the book; these four lessons from Capitol Hill's early years inspire me. The church I pastor now is also looking at revitalization and planting. I pray my church planting days aren't over, even if it looks different from when we started Liberty Grace. Whether we're talking about Capitol Hill's beginning, Liberty Grace, or some other venture, church planting is exciting. There's nothing like it. It's inspiring to see how God uses initial efforts to establish ordinary churches that can make a lasting impact for decades or even centuries. ### The Completion of God’s Wrath (Revelation 16) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-completion-of-gods-wrath-revelation-16/ Last updated: 2025-04-20T22:00:12.000Z **Big Idea:** God's judgment against sin is certain, but those who trust in Jesus need not fear it — their sins were already judged when Christ died on the cross. --- I bet you did not expect to read this text on Easter Sunday! There are two words that bracket the passage that we looked at last week and the passage we just read. The first of these words is a troubling one. It’s the word wrath. It’s central to the text we just read. In fact, you could say it’s the overall theme of the middle part of Revelation. The word appears at the start of the previous chapter, and it appears in the second last verse that we just read: “The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his *wrath*” (Revelation 16:19). This passage, from beginning to end, is about the wrath of God. It’s not just a mild wrath. Verse 19 talks about the fury of God’s wrath. What do you do with that? We can’t dismiss it. It’s all over Revelation. In fact, it’s all over the Bible. Let me give you just one example. 2 Thessalonians talks about the day: > …when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might… (2 Thessalonians 1:7–9) Those are not easy verses to read. This is a troubling concept to think about. What do you do with this idea? Then you have a second word that shows up in this section at the beginning and the end. “Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is *finished*” (Revelation 15:1). Then, in Revelation 16:17: “The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, ‘It is done!’” This is the final cycle of judgments. It’s the final expression of God’s wrath. And I would argue that this helps us not only understand a lot about what’s going on in Revelation; it also helps us understand the significance of Easter. Let me walk you through three questions this morning: - What’s this chapter about? - How can we make sense of God’s wrath? - What does this have to do with Easter? ## What’s This Chapter About? This chapter may be easier to understand than you think. This is the third cycle of judgement. Revelation describes seven parallel cycles, with each cycle adding unique details while echoing similar themes. This is the third set of seven judgments in Revelation. How do you make sense of the seven judgments in this chapter? These judgments are linked to a story from 1,500 years earlier in the book of Exodus. In Exodus, God sent ten plagues on Egypt to force Pharaoh to free the Israelites. We’ve already seen in that the seven trumpets echoed the plagues that God sent on Egypt. In this chapter, you see the same theme all over again. Except ,this time, it’s worse. The seal judgments affects a quarter of the earth. The trumpet judgments affected a third. These judgments affect everyone. The entire earth is decimated. It’s terrifying. Read what happens. Don’t forget as you read that this is meant to make you feel something. You’re supposed to squirm as you read about these judgments. They’re horrible. - In the first bowl, in verse 2, painful sores afflict those who worship the beast, recalling the plague of boils in Egypt (Exodus 9:8-12). - In the second bowl, in verse 3, the sea turns to blood, killing all sea life, similar to the Nile turning to blood (Exodus 7:14-24). - In the third bowl, in verses 4 to 7, the same theme continues. Rivers and springs become blood as judgment on those who shed the blood of the saints and prophets. - In the fourth bowl, in verses 8 and 9, the sun scorches people with intense heat, yet they curse God and refuse to repent. It’s not tied to a specific plague, but it reminds us of God’s power over creation. - The fifth bowl, in verses 10 and 11, is more targeted. Darkness engulfs the beast’s kingdom, just like darkness came over Egypt (Exodus 10:21-29). It caused anguish, but people still refuse to turn to God, just like Pharaoh refused to repent when he experienced these plagues. - In the sixth bowl, in verses 12 to 16, the Euphrates River dries up, preparing the way for armies to gather for the battle at Armageddon. John uses Megiddo, a place of Israel's past victories over enemies, to symbolize the final spiritual battle between Christ and Satan’s forces. There will be more on this bowl later. - In the seventh bowl, in verses 17 to 21, a final judgment brings earthquakes, lightning, and massive hailstones, devastating the earth and signalling the completion of God’s wrath. It reminds us of the Egyptian hailstorm (Exodus 9:13-35), but with next-level cosmic-scale destruction. The seven bowls in Revelation 16 are similar to the plagues of Egypt in Exodus, representing God's judgment on enemies and his deliverance of his people. The seven bowls in Revelation symbolize God's total judgment against evil, echoing the Egyptian plagues on a larger scale. The message is clear: Just as God judged Egypt to free Israel, he will also bring a final, more destructive judgment on global wickedness. These judgments demonstrate both God's supreme power and his absolute justice in defeating evil once and for all. “The holiness and righteousness of God is ultimate reality and never to be played with” ([Matt Chandler](https://amzn.to/4j0xQkU?ref=dashhouse.com)). Don’t mess with God. ## How Can We Make Sense of God’s Wrath? Let’s be honest. We face some challenges in understanding the content of this chapter. But the hardest part isn’t understanding the details of this passage. The hardest part is that we have a hard time getting our minds around the wrath of God. It's difficult for us to accept the idea of God's anger directed at the world, especially given its current suffering. Part of the problem is that we tend to think of God as loving with good reason. The Bible speaks regularly about God’s love and compassion. For instance, God reveals himself in Exodus 34:6-7: > The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin… What do you do with the rest of the passage, then? > ...but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation. All throughout Scripture, God reveals himself as loving and gracious. We like that, but we don’t know what to do with God’s wrath. As [Trevin Wax](https://go.dashhouse.com/X9V0?ref=dashhouse.com) pointed out recently, it’s really good news that God hates sin. God’s judgment is actually good news. He’s co-writing a catechism. Hear his question and answer: > How does God respond to sin? > God is not a permissive grandfather who winks at sin, but a perfect Father of fiery love. He hates sin because it defies his righteous character, disrupts our fellowship with him, and defaces us—his beloved image-bearers. He explains: > We’re pushing back against the idea that “it’s my job to sin; it’s God’s job to forgive me.”… > God isn’t a passive observer, indifferent to our rebellion. He isn’t a permissive grandfather who shrugs at sin. Nor does he sweep evil under the rug. Instead, Scripture reveals a God who thunders against sin, whose holy love demands he confront and destroy it. > God’s hatred of sin isn’t at odds with his love; it’s an expression of it. If sin separates us from the source of all life, leading to death, how could a loving God remain indifferent? His wrath isn’t cold, detached anger but the white-hot response of a holy, loving Creator who sees sin corrupting and destroying his people. If God stood passively by as sin disfigured those made in his image, then we’d have reason to question his love. > He must hate sin because not only is it an affront against his goodness, but it stands in the way of all he wants for us. He sees how sin wounds, deceives, and leads to death. What we see in this passage is how much God hates sin. He hates it so much that he must judge it, not by losing his cool, but by justly judging all that stands in rebellion against him, against all that is destroying his world and his people. God’s wrath is warranted and controlled, and it is real. Theologian [Leon Morris](https://amzn.to/3XQSA62?ref=dashhouse.com) argues that the wrath of God is God’s “strong and settled opposition to all that is evil.” It’s a strong and settled opposition “arising out of God’s very nature.” God’s wrath “is a burning zeal for the right coupled with a perfect hatred for everything that is evil.” God's judgment is good news because it shows he cares enough to actively oppose everything that damages his world and his people. His wrath isn’t impulsive; it's a rightful response of holy love against everything that corrupts and destroys the world. What’s this chapter about? God's complete and total judgment against evil. How can we make sense of God’s judgment? It’s his perfect expression of holy love against the evil of the world. There’s one more question I want to ask: ## What Does This Have to Do With Easter? This passage has more to do with Easter than you might think. There will be a day when God's wrath is poured out completely. If you're not a Christian, that day is still in the future. But if you've trusted Jesus Christ, that day already happened 2,000 years ago on Easter weekend. > Jesus was executed on a cross. He was counted as among the worst offenders. His death was real, and it was really terrible. He was an object of wrath. But not just of Roman and Jewish wrath; in fact, not mainly of Roman and Jewish wrath (John 19:11). Jesus was primarily the object of his Father’s wrath — the most just, righteous, and terrible wrath there is. And he became that object willingly, even when his every human impulse longed for escape (Mark 14:36). It’s the very reason he came. ([Jon Bloom](https://go.dashhouse.com/X9e8?ref=dashhouse.com)) Jesus took the Father's wrath for our sins and fully satisfied it, so we don't have to face the punishment described in Revelation 16. And then, Jesus was raised on Easter Sunday to show that his payment for our sins was sufficient and complete. Paid in full. Jesus' resurrection proves that his payment for sin on the cross was accepted. If his sacrifice had been incomplete or insufficient, death would have held him. By raising Jesus, the Father declared the debt of sin paid in full. It is finished (John 19:30). This sermon is about the completion of God's wrath, and there's a bit of a double meaning. The completion of God's wrath is a theme that shows up in this chapter. One day, God's wrath will be finally satisfied. But the completion of God's wrath is also a good term to describe what happened on Easter Sunday. At the cross, God's wrath was completed. That's very good news for anyone who trusts in Jesus. In Revelation 16, God shows his final wrath against the world's wickedness. But as we look at the cross, we see the final expression of God’s wrath for anyone who trusts in Jesus. We don’t have to fear the judgment of Revelation 16 because Christ has satisfied God’s wrath. At Calvary, God's hatred of evil and his love for sinners met perfectly. He poured out his judgment on Jesus rather than on us. The connection between "It is done" (Revelation's final judgment) and Jesus' cry "It is finished" (at his crucifixion) highlights a key truth: the same God who judges sin also loves humanity and sent his Son to bear that judgment. Through faith in Christ's sacrifice, we can avoid the coming wrath and receive eternal life instead. **God's judgment against sin is certain, but those who trust in Jesus need not fear it—their sins were already judged when Christ died on the cross.** ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-442/ Last updated: 2025-04-19T09:00:59.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [When Did Christians Start Celebrating Easter?](https://go.dashhouse.com/XRi4?ref=dashhouse.com) > Its origin is apostolic, tied to the Passover and rooted in the Gospel. [Is It Wrong for Christians To Choose Cremation?](https://go.dashhouse.com/XRj%5F?ref=dashhouse.com) > How should Christians think about this trend? Is this a question of faith? Is it wrong to cremate a body? [The Rule of 3](https://go.dashhouse.com/XRk3?ref=dashhouse.com) > One of the best prioritization rituals is defining three priorities every day, week, and year. [The Problem With Habits (and Why We Still Need Them)](https://go.dashhouse.com/XRDp?ref=dashhouse.com) > Spiritual disciplines, while necessary, risk becoming empty routines that distract from their true purpose: bringing us closer to God. ### Expository Preaching: More Than Verse-by-Verse URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/expository-preaching-more-than-verse-by-verse/ Last updated: 2025-04-15T09:00:20.000Z Many people claim to believe in expository preaching, but they often have different interpretations of what it means. Some people think that expository preaching means going verse-by-verse through a passage and explaining the details of the text. Some people call this the *continuous exposition* or the *running commentary* method. To be sure, this is a form of expository preaching, but it's not the only way. This method of preaching has its strengths. “Verse-by-verse preaching possesses a long, storied tradition,” [writes](https://go.dashhouse.com/XL5X?ref=dashhouse.com) Steve Mathewson. Preachers like Nehemiah, Origen, John Chrysostom, Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Harry A. Ironside, and Martyn Lloyd-Jones have used it throughout the centuries. Mathewson lists the strengths of this approach: - It digs deeply into the text. - It leads the preacher to follow the contours of the text rather than an artificial outline. - It tends to reveal the author's intent rather than to impose an idea upon the text. But this method faces some challenges too, according to Mathewson. Verse-by-verse preaching can miss the bigger picture by concentrating too much on individual verses, which can confuse listeners about the overall message. It can sometimes overload their sermons with technical details and linguistic information while neglecting practical application for modern life. It’s slow, causing preachers to focus on one Bible book for years, which may limit the congregation's exposure to other Scriptures. Verse-by-verse preaching can be helpful, but it’s not the only way. “Perhaps it has failed as much in the hands of its friends as at the hands of an enemy,” [writes](https://amzn.to/4jvPCMr?ref=dashhouse.com) Haddon Robinson. “Verse-by-verse preaching resembles playing a saxophone—it is easy to do poorly.” Verse-by-verse preaching is a *method* of expository preaching, but it’s not the only one. Expository preaching exposes the meaning of a particular Scripture passage, and then applies the meaning to the listeners’ lives. It allows the main message of the text to also be the main message of the sermon. You know you’ve listened to a good expository message when the preacher has allowed the text to shape the sermon. Effective expository preaching clearly presents the main idea of the text, explains its development, and shows its relevance to our lives today. This preaching approach emphasizes that the text should guide everything, but it doesn’t always go through each verse in order. Expository preaching is the parent; verse-by-verse preaching is one of its children, but it’s not the only one. You can begin at verse 1 and explain it, then move to the next verse, and then apply it as you go or at the end. But you can also analyze the entire text to identify its main idea and discuss how the argument is presented. Explain its significance, why it holds true, and its implications for our lives. I wholeheartedly support expository preaching, including verse-by-verse preaching when appropriate. Rejoice when the message is faithfully preached, explained, proven, and applied, guiding people to our Savior. There are various methods for expository preaching, and verse-by-verse preaching is just one option. ### Joy and Judgment (Revelation 15) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/joy-and-judgment-revelation-15/ Last updated: 2025-04-13T22:00:04.000Z **Big Idea:** Our salvation is characterized by both joy and judgment. --- We’re about to enter what some call Holy Week. We are about to walk through some of the most significant events of Jesus’ life and ministry this week: - his triumphal entry into Jerusalem; - his final evening with his disciples, in which he washed the feet of his disciples and instituted the Last Supper; - Good Friday, in which Jesus was crucified, dying as a sacrifice in the place of sinners, offering redemption and reconciliation with God; - Saturday, the period between Jesus’ death and resurrection; - Easter Sunday, which is about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, signifying Christ's victory over death and sin, and the promise of eternal life for those who believe in him. This is a significant week. If you want to understand the Christian faith, you need to understand the events that we remember this week. But there’s a bit of a tension we feel every year. You can sense it today. Today is Palm Sunday. On Palm Sunday, crowds welcomed Jesus to Jerusalem, laying palm branches and cloaks on the ground and praising him as the King of the Lord. This makeshift carpet reflected their belief that Jesus was the promised Messiah. But as Jesus approached the city, he wept over it and announced its judgment (Luke 19:41). Was Palm Sunday a day of celebration or a day of judgment? Both. You feel the tension of joy and judgment on Palm Sunday. And then you have Good Friday. On Good Friday, Jesus was shamed by being stripped naked. Nails were driven through his hands and feet. A crown of thorns pierced his head, and he faced a slow, agonizing death through blood loss and asphyxiation. His greatest suffering was spiritual; he carried the burden of humanity's sins and endured the punishment we should have faced. Jesus took upon himself the full weight of the Father’s wrath against our sins and completely satisfied it. This is the day that Psalm 118:24 talks about: > This is the day that the LORD has made; > let us rejoice and be glad in it. Good Friday. The day the righteous Son of God was crucified, a day when the wrath of God was revealed against sin and godlessness, and yet a day that we call good. Holy Week embodies this tension between celebration and judgment, between sorrow and joy. It runs through the entire week and captures the essence of God's redemptive plan. These two themes run through the passage that we’re looking at today too. ## Background to Revelation As you probably know, we’ve been going through the book of Revelation. Revelation reveals the spiritual reality behind worldly events, highlighting that God is in control, even amid chaos. Despite evil appearing to triumph temporarily, God is firmly in control of history. Through Jesus, we have secured our redemption, and God will ultimately deliver perfect justice. We can stay faithful and confident, knowing that God is fulfilling his plan and will one day bring His people to dwell with him forever. That’s what Revelation is about. Revelation 15 is part of the central part of the book that goes from chapter 6 to 19\. It’s about judgment. We’ve had seven seals and seven trumpets, and now we have seven plagues or bowls. I’ve argued that these series of judgments are three perspectives on the same thing, each one intensifying. The first set of judgments impacts a quarter of the earth, the second a third, while the final set is more total and comprehensive. These are not seven new judgments; rather, they are the same seven judgments viewed from a fresh perspective, yet with heightened intensity. They show God's wrath towards sin. That’s why we read in verse 1: “Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished.” Finished has the idea of being filled up or completed. Chapters 15 and 16 reveal the completion of God’s anger and judgment. You may be surprised that this chapter has two seemingly unrelated themes that we have to bring together. Chapter 15 is about two things. Here’s the first: ## Joy (15:2-4) > And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, > “Great and amazing are your deeds, > O Lord God the Almighty! > Just and true are your ways, > O King of the nations! > Who will not fear, O Lord, > and glorify your name? > For you alone are holy. > All nations will come > and worship you, > for your righteous acts have been revealed.” You wouldn’t expect a chapter that begins with God’s wrath to be so joyful. Let’s see if we can figure out what’s going on here. Verse 2 begins with a sea of glass mingled with fire, along with the people who had conquered the beast. What is this image about? We’ve already seen a sea of glass back in chapter 4 in God’s presence. This time it’s a sea of glass and fire; fire usually represents suffering. These people are in God’s presence as they’ve passed through suffering. They’ve conquered. Some of them are probably martyrs. Maybe some of them have died of natural causes. They all have one thing in common: they conquered the beast. Pause here: what a picture of death. We use various phrases to describe dying, including passed on, passed away, no longer with us, departed this life, and gone to be with the Lord. Here’s another one we can use for Christians who are faithful to the end: they conquered. Some of them were killed by the beast, but they were still victorious. Instead of viewing martyrdom as defeat, the early church celebrated it as victory. These believers triumphed by staying true to their faith despite intense pressure to surrender their beliefs. If you are in Jesus, and you stay faithful to the end, the day of your death will be the day you conquered. That’s what this is showing us. But the passage goes on, and as it does, it adds a deeper understanding to what’s going on. These people are singing. What are they singing? The song of Moses and the song of the Lamb. This brings to mind the day that Israel stood beside a sea and sang a song of praise to God in Exodus 15 for their deliverance. The Song of Moses and the Lamb in Revelation is a condensed version of the Song of Moses. It’s like humming the start of a song that brings an entire song to mind. This shorter version recalls the complete exodus story while pointing to humanity’s new exodus through Christ. It declares God as the true king of all nations, worthy of worldwide worship, in contrast to the beast's false claims to glory. This was also a joy that accompanied judgment. Israel sang this new song after God had judged Egypt. Joy and judgment go together. Here’s the first theme we see in this chapter: joy. Unbridled joy. Not a shallow joy that comes from the absence of problems. This joy exists alongside the terrifying anger of a holy God directing his righteous wrath at sin. This is a joy that has survived suffering and death. This is the joy of those who have conquered, a joy that is based on the greatness of God and the greatness of his salvation. What characterizes our salvation? Joy. Joy in heaven. Joy that centers on the greatness of God and his salvation. But that’s not all. There’s something else that characterizes our salvation: ## Judgment (15:5-8) > After this I looked, and the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven was opened, and out of the sanctuary came the seven angels with the seven plagues, clothed in pure, bright linen, with golden sashes around their chests. And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever, and the sanctuary was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the sanctuary until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished. (Revelation 15:5-8) Here’s the scene. We see the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven. It’s the heavenly equivalent to the tabernacle that was with Israel in the wilderness. And out of its sanctuary come four living creatures. They give to seven angels seven bowls of God’s wrath. And everyone is overcome with God’s glory. Nobody can enter the temple until the seven plagues are finished. We’re going to look at these seven plagues next week. But what I want us to see right now is how terrifying a picture this is. Heaven prepares for battle as God readies his final judgment. Like the plagues of Egypt, seven angels stand with golden bowls, poised to unleash God's power upon the earth. This awesome and terrifying scene shows divine justice about to unfold with unstoppable force. We’re going to return to this next week. What I want us to see right now is this: joy and judgment belong together. Revelation 15 highlights the joy of those who stayed faithful to Christ and overcame, as well as God's judgment on those who did not submit. We don’t praise God despite his judgment; we praise God because of his righteous judgment. Spurgeon said that God's wrath reflects the deep bass notes of his praise, affirming the goodness and righteousness of his reign. **Our salvation is characterized by both joy and judgment.** Today is Palm Sunday. On Palm Sunday, some 2,000 years ago, there was the joy of the arrival of the promised Messiah, the King, come to deliver his people. Alongside this joy was Jesus weeping and pronouncing judgment on Jerusalem. On Good Friday, there is the joy of full payment being made for the sins of all God’s people through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. At the same time, there is the judgment of God being unleashed upon the righteous sufferer, Jesus Christ. In all these circumstances, joy and judgment are tied together. Both are part of salvation. You can’t separate them when it comes to our redemption. I want to ask you today if you’ve come to terms with both joy and judgment. Do you have a robust view of the righteous judgment of God against sin? Becky Pippert explains this well: “God’s wrath is not a cranky explosion, but his settled opposition to the cancer… which is eating out the insides of the human race he loves with his whole being.” God's judgment is real and it's terrifying. We're uncomfortable with it, yet the Bible teaches it's a reality. It is part of God's very nature. It's not an angry outburst; it's his righteous and just judgment against those who refuse to bow to his holy name. The only way you can find joy in the face of God's judgment is through Jesus. You can only truly celebrate God's just judgment if you have received the redemption that Jesus offers. Have you come to terms with the judgment of God? Have you seen it as a reality that every person must face? But along with that, have you experienced the joy of those who have been redeemed? The joy of those saved by Jesus Christ’s sacrifice allows you to one day stand by the river of judgment and praise God for your salvation. Holy Week is about both joy and judgment. Our salvation is about both joy and judgment. Friends, come to terms with the righteous judgment of God. See him in his holy wrath and judgment, and then trust Jesus so that you can sing with joy because he is the just and holy God who has delivered you. Sing a song of praise to our great God. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-441/ Last updated: 2025-04-12T09:00:56.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Read Old Books More Than New Books](https://go.dashhouse.com/XH5G?ref=dashhouse.com) > For many people, it seems almost impossible to read old books, even though I have found they are much better for the soul. [The Missing Heart in AI-Generated Sermons](https://go.dashhouse.com/XH5H?ref=dashhouse.com) > Robots cannot worship. Therefore, relying on a robot to prepare your sermon is to excise an indispensable element of good preaching—the heart. [Handling Praise and Criticism in Worship](https://go.dashhouse.com/XH5D?ref=dashhouse.com) > Not all feedback is equal. Consider three categories of feedback: decisions, votes, and opinions. [Why Suffer Through the Struggle of Fasting?](https://go.dashhouse.com/XH5K?ref=dashhouse.com) > That’s why I fast; even though I hate the struggle, I love the God it draws me closer to. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [The Beauty of Being Nobody Special](https://go.dashhouse.com/XGZI?ref=dashhouse.com) > What we accomplish isn’t as important as our ultimate purpose, which isn’t about tasks or achievements but about continuing to love him still. ### It Only Gets Better URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/it-only-gets-better/ Last updated: 2025-04-08T09:00:14.000Z I was 23 years old and newly engaged. A man in his 50s spotted me after church and congratulated me. He also said something I've always remembered. You think you're in love now, he said, but you really don't know what love is. Wait until you've been married 30 years, then you will begin to understand what love is. I felt unexpectedly encouraged. Being young and in love is amazing, but I didn't mind being told that it only gets better. He was right, by the way. I've now been married 34 years, and I wouldn’t trade the marriage I have now for the one I had in the early years. Done right, with God’s help, there are joys in marriage that get better and deeper the more decades you spend together. The same applies to many other things. Youth has many advantages, like strength and energy. Getting older has some drawbacks, but it has its perks too. Having young children is great, but so is having older children and grandkids. Starting a career is nice, but so is gaining wisdom and experience. Starting good habits is okay, but enjoying the fruit of those habits, accrued after decades, is a joy. Looking back, there are many things I enjoy now that are the fruit of years of work. In a culture that values youth, I can honestly say there are many ways in which I would never want to go back. This makes sense biblically speaking; Scripture talks about reaping what we sow (Galatians 6:7-9). As one preacher noted, good sowing will bring good reaping. In Galatians, Paul is talking about financial giving, but the principle also applies to life in general. Actions have consequences; walking with God brings joys that accumulate over the years and, eventually, into eternity. Maybe that’s why Proverbs speaks of the benefits of getting older (Proverbs 16:31; 20:29). Getting older has some drawbacks, but it comes with some benefits that more than compensate. There are old guy benefits that should never be underestimated by the young. Many people see aging negatively, but there's beauty in loving the same woman for decades and enjoying the joy brought by grown children and their children. There’s something beautiful about many years of getting to know Scripture. There are advantages to having suffered and found that God is faithful in suffering, and that he brings something beautiful even out of the worst things we'll experience. There’s joy in having seen God come through before and knowing he can always be trusted. There are benefits to having suffered and learned lessons along the way. There are joys in walking with God for a long time, and finding that the more you know him, the more beautiful he appears. It’s not true for everyone, but generally speaking, it only gets better. Getting older comes with challenges, but it also brings many benefits that shouldn't be overlooked. ### The Story You Tell Yourself (Revelation 14) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-story-you-tell-yourself-revelation-14/ Last updated: 2025-04-06T22:00:42.000Z **Big Idea:** The stories of Christ’s victory, the spread of the gospel, and final judgment should shape how you live today. --- One of the most important ideas that we need to grasp is that we tell stories to ourselves about our lives and the world. Humans not only observe events but also give them meaning through the stories we tell about ourselves, others, and the world. These stories are subjective interpretations that help us understand our experiences, not objective reflections of reality. We create meaning by connecting unrelated events into cohesive stories that give structure and purpose to our understanding of life. For instance, you lose your job. The boss calls you in on a Friday and lays you off. You will craft a story about your job loss. For instance, someone might say: - "This is the worst thing that could happen to me," leading to feelings of despair and paralysis. - Or, "This is the push I needed to finally start my own business," which generates hope and motivation. - Or, "This is a normal part of today's economy. It's just business, nothing personal, which might lead to pursuing a completely different line of work." Same circumstances, but very different ways of interpreting those circumstances and finding meaning in the world. We are not passive recorders of life. We are storytellers. The stories we tell shape how we see ourselves and the world. Stories shape us. Stories influence how we interpret what’s going on around us. Stories help us make sense of the world. Stories become the interpretive grid by which we understand everything around us. If we’re going to live well, we need to pay attention to the stories we tell ourselves about what is going on. This is precisely why the Book of Revelation provides narratives that guide us in interpreting history. The purpose of these stories is to help us interpret the world accurately. A better story will influence how we live and shape our lives. ## Seven Histories We're in the central part of the book of Revelation. If you've been following along, you've noticed these patterns of seven that keep repeating: - seven seals (6:1-8:5) - seven trumpets (8:6-11:19) - seven bowls (15:5-16:21) Less obvious, though, are seven histories tucked between the seven trumpets and the seven bowls. Seven complementary accounts help us tell an accurate story about the world. They also help to shape our lives. The recipients of John's letter may have been tempted to tell themselves this story: > Look at the mighty Roman Empire – it controls everything and everyone. Our cities are dominated by pagan temples, emperor worship, and public ceremonies that mock our faith. Meanwhile, we Christians are just a tiny, powerless minority. Because we won't bow to their gods, we can't join the trade guilds or sell in the marketplaces. We're outcasts. Maybe staying faithful to Jesus isn't worth all this suffering and sacrifice. You can see how that story would make perfect sense and would deeply influence how they lived. That's why Revelation gives us seven different versions of history – seven better stories to help us reinterpret reality. Revelation offers a clearer view of reality, helping us align our lives with God's understanding of what is truly happening in the world. We’ve already seen some of these histories over the past week: - We’ve seen in chapter 12 that we’re part of a cosmic battle that began in the Garden of Eden. Satan is waging a war against God's people, but his defeat is certain, so stay faithful to the end. - In chapter 13, we see that Satan is trying to weaken Christian faith through severe government persecution and subtle cultural influences. Stay faithful until the end. In other words, the histories so far have taught us that history is not about the Roman Empire squeezing Christians. It’s much bigger. Satan is waging a cosmic war against God's people, using both government and subtle pressures to force compromise. Though this battle has raged since Eden, Satan's defeat is certain. Therefore, stay faithful to the end. ## What is History About? But now we get to chapter 14\. Chapter 14 gives us three more histories of the world that will help us understand the world. They’re different lenses through which to view what’s happening in the world. What is history about? History is about three things. ### First, it’s about the triumph of the Lamb and his people (14:1-5) John has just been describing the relentless attack of the dragon and his beasts. It's been bad news for two chapters. That is a true and helpful understanding of history. We need this perspective if we’re going to understand what life in this fallen world is like. But we also need another perspective, and that’s what verses 1 to 5 give us. Instead of a dragon or a beast, we see a Lamb. “Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads” (14:1). At the center of history is not a dragon or a beast but a Lamb in heaven. And here’s the amazing thing: the Lamb is not alone. The Lamb is accompanied by 144,000 individuals. This takes us all the way back to chapter 7, which also mentions the 144,000 who are sealed for protection by God. We saw this number is reflecting God's people, both old and new. 12 multiplied by 12, which equals 144, multiplied by 1,000 reveals the total number of God's people. In verses 2-5, John describes a magnificent sound from heaven. The voice he hears combines the roar of rushing waters, the crash of thunder, and the melody of harps. Before the Lamb, this heavenly chorus sings a new song—the triumphant anthem of the redeemed. John describes these singers as having pure hearts, faithfully following Jesus, being redeemed by his blood, and speaking unwavering truth. We see in Revelation 14 a glimpse of history's true course. While we currently find ourselves in the midst of a vast cosmic battle, this conflict is not the end of our story. The final chapter reveals a glorious destiny: God's followers are permanently sealed by Him, and the Lamb, not the dragon, reigns in history. What appears as defeat in earthly terms becomes ultimate victory for God's people. Those who faced persecution, martyrdom, and apparent destruction in Chapter 13 emerge triumphant. Christ, who appeared to lose everything on the cross but ultimately triumphed, shows that his followers can also find victory through suffering. The world sees defeat, death, and loss, but reality reveals victory, resurrection, and eternal life. Just as Christ was the firstfruits of resurrection, his followers will share in His victory. Even those who lose their physical lives for his sake will experience ultimate resurrection and triumph. This shows a complete reversal of expectations: those who seem to lose everything for Christ gain everything in eternity. The "losers" in the world's eyes are the true victors in God. Our future is secure and drawing near. Soon, we will stand with Christ on heavenly Mount Zion, singing a song that only the redeemed can understand. Despite our struggles, we will overcome this suffering and join many saved souls on God's mountain, singing a new song of salvation. This vision reveals what will ultimately be, and strengthens us to endure what must be for now. Our present struggles fade in significance when viewed through the lens of our assured eternal triumph. What's history about? It's about the triumph of the Lamb and his people. But it's about something else too: ### Second, history is about the proclamation of the gospel (14:6-13) Verses 6 to 13 are about three angels who bring four messages. The first angel calls all people to fear God and worship him. > Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.” (14:6-7) This message urges us to honor God due to His nature and impending judgment. This command invites grace as the angel ascends to announce an eternal gospel to everyone on Earth. The second angel announces the downfall of the wicked world system. > Another angel, a second, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.” (14:8) Babylon symbolizes the world's system that opposes God—a theme further explored later in Revelation. While God's people will stand victorious on Mount Zion, the great city of Babylon will crumble into ruins. This Babylonian system manifests in every generation as a seductive worldview that contradicts God's ways. Though its pleasures and values may entice us, embracing them leads to spiritual death. True worship of God becomes impossible when we are captivated by worldly systems and values. The message is clear and certain: Babylon's fall is inevitable. Avoid investing your life in things that are temporary and will eventually be lost. Commit yourself to what endures eternally. While every human kingdom will ultimately collapse, God's kingdom stands forever. Next, we encounter the third angel in verses 9 to 11\. The third angel announces everlasting punishment for those who worship the beast. > If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name. (14:9-11) It’s terrifying. We take no pleasure in teaching about hell, but we must not ignore it. The severity of hell's eternal punishment underscores the magnificence of salvation. This isn't to frighten you, but a reminder: those who reject Christ will face judgment, highlighting the value of salvation through Jesus. God created you with a specific purpose: to know him personally. As humans made in his image, we were designed for relationship with our Creator. However, our sins—our wrongdoings and rebellion against God—separated us from Him. That's why Jesus Christ died on the cross as our substitute, taking the punishment we deserved. Through faith in Christ, you can receive complete forgiveness for all your sins and restore that relationship with God. Then you have the application of this, and an encouragement: > Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. > And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!” (14:12-13) The application is twofold. First, persevere and endure even when it’s hard. Second, you’re blessed if you die in Jesus. Death holds no fear for those who trust in Jesus—they are blessed with eternal life. Christians endure present trials both for their future reward and, more importantly, to bring glory to God. The good news is that while the dragon has historically waged war through two beasts, something else is occurring simultaneously. God is waging his war through the proclamation of the gospel through the Church of Jesus Christ. History isn’t just the story of a cosmic battle involving dragons and beasts. It’s about the proclamation of the gospel around the world that has eternal consequences. What's history about? It's about the triumph of the Lamb and his people. It's about the proclamation of the gospel. It's about one more thing in this chapter: ### Third, history is about two destinies (14:14-20). The passage describes two contrasting images of God's final judgment in verses 14-20. The grain harvest symbolizes salvation, separating God's faithful followers (the wheat) from those who reject him (the weeds). This classification exemplifies both divine mercy and judgment. Second is the wine press—a severe image of God's wrath against evil. The text describes blood flowing from the press "as high as a horse's bridle, for 1,600 stadia" (about 200 miles). The image of blood flowing across a distance equal to Israel's length symbolizes the totality of God's judgment. Nothing will escape his perfect justice. Mark Dever highlights that this section imparts five important truths about God's wrath. It’s personal, certain, final, horrible, and right. - It’s deeply **personal**, coming directly from His character as a response to evil. - It is also absolutely **certain**—no one deserving judgment will escape, and it is completely thorough. - It's **final**. It's eternal and irreversible. There is no appeal. - It is terrible. It's described as fire and a winepress, and we shouldn't downplay its seriousness. - Finally, God’s wrath is **right**—it is morally just and fully reflects his perfect justice, witnessed by the holy angels and the Lamb without shame. This reality should remind believers to stand firm in persecution and live with an eternal perspective. The final judgment will permanently divide humanity: the saved will experience eternal joy, while the others will face eternal punishment. How we live now bears eternal significance. These metaphors show that history leads to either God's salvation or His judgment. There is no middle ground between these stark outcomes. What is the story you’re telling yourself about the world? We all carry an internal narrative about how the world works. You may prioritize a secular view of life, emphasizing living your best possible life over your roughly 83 years. The book of Revelation presents a view of history leading to Christ's victory, stresses the need to spread the gospel, and emphasizes humanity's choice between glory and divine judgment. The narrative you choose to believe isn't merely an intellectual exercise—it fundamentally shapes your decisions, values, and how you live. These differing worldviews provide unique perspectives on reality, and your choice between them greatly impacts how you live your life. The story you tell yourself changes everything. **The stories of Christ’s victory, the spread of the gospel, and final judgment should shape how you live today.** ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-440/ Last updated: 2025-04-05T09:00:48.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Don't Apply the Bible to Your Life. Do This Instead.](https://go.dashhouse.com/X3Sc?ref=dashhouse.com) > The Bible calls us to be transformed by the renewal of our minds. This is a better framework for thinking about the Bible than "applying" its principles to our lives. [Rebuilding for Renewal: The Importance of Sacred Spaces in Our Cities](https://go.dashhouse.com/X3Sn?ref=dashhouse.com) > The world needs sacred spaces—places where the kingdom is embodied, our worship shapes our imaginations, the weary find rest. [4 Causes of Division in the Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/X3Sa?ref=dashhouse.com) > The New Testament gives us several causes of division among God’s people. [Seven Points on the Careful Justice of Hell](https://go.dashhouse.com/X3Sv?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are seven of these points that I find myself often coming back to in conversations about eternal judgment. [What Does the Bible Mean When It Teaches Wives to Submit?](https://go.dashhouse.com/X3Sz?ref=dashhouse.com) > Many people cringe at the teaching that wives are to submit to their husbands. A clear understanding of this teaching will lead us to marvel at the goodness of God’s plan for marriage and society. [A Writer’s Prayer on Beginning a New Project](https://go.dashhouse.com/X3T4?ref=dashhouse.com) > Abba, Father, > thank you for the work you have given me to do, > for what I am about to write… My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Reflections on a Seminary’s Legacy](https://go.dashhouse.com/X2Q8?ref=dashhouse.com) > Behind a simple Toronto building is the story of a small seminary that went bankrupt but influenced evangelical Christianity in Canada. ### Random Thoughts on Preaching URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/random-thoughts-on-preaching/ Last updated: 2025-04-01T09:00:41.000Z In no particular order, here are some random thoughts on preaching. **First, one of the most important areas of focus for a preacher must be his own soul.** I agree with George Müller, who said that our first and greatest priority must be to make our souls happy in God. There's a world of difference between a preacher who is walking with God and one who isn't. A sermon can be impressive, and God can work through any pastor, even an ungodly one. However, nothing compares to the preaching of someone who has a close relationship with God. Watch your life and your doctrine (1 Timothy 4:16). **Second, never underestimate the power of preaching.** Don't listen to those who question its effectiveness. Measuring the impact of a single sermon is challenging, but if you believe in Scripture, you must also believe in the power of God's preached word. I get tired of hearing that preaching doesn't change lives. My life has been radically changed by the preaching I've heard. A steady diet of solid biblical preaching is transformative for both individuals and the church. Preaching isn't the entire ministry of a church, but it's hard to overstate its importance. **As a preacher, divide your time equally between studying the text and planning how to deliver its message.** Preachers can make mistakes in two ways. Sometimes they rush through the text and focus too quickly on how to preach it to the congregation. This skips the important work of understanding the text on its own terms. We need to understand what a message meant to its original audience and how it fits into the broader storyline and theology of scripture before sharing it with the church. Some preachers make the opposite mistake. They spend most of their time studying the text and not enough time thinking about how to apply it. Wise preachers dedicate plenty of time to both tasks. Take time to understand the text, and then consider how it relates to your congregation. **Next, don't just preach the text; rejoice in God and the truths you're preaching.** This is what John Piper calls [expository exaltation](https://amzn.to/3XAzeSz?ref=dashhouse.com). Some of the most powerful preaching I've heard is by preachers who are amazed by what they're communicating. They have a holy sense of awe and wonder about the incredible truths they get to proclaim. We should aim to be that kind of preacher—someone who's captivated by God's truths and can't wait to share them. **Next, be prepared for the wonder of what happens as you preach.** A unique transformation occurs when a sermon evolves from mere notes on paper into words spoken to a particular congregation, driven by the power of the Holy Spirit. It's hard to describe, but it's almost like the sermon comes alive. Good preaching takes off during the preaching event; it transforms from mere words into something powerful. It doesn't always happen, but I pray that it happens more often than not. When I enter the pulpit after prayer, having applied the message to myself and focused on my congregation's good and Jesus' glory, it happens more often. Pray that the Holy Spirit gives power to your preaching. **Finally, prepare yourself for the inevitability of discouragement.** Discouragement is just part of preaching. We could always do better, and there's always a sense that we are not equal to the task. Expect it; it's part of the course. Aim to improve, but don't get overly discouraged by discouragement. Satan seeks to discourage preachers who love God's Word and aim to glorify Christ while serving their congregations. The truth is we are weak and limited, and some of us are prone to being overly critical of ourselves. The encouraging news is that God has pledged to work through imperfect yet dedicated preachers who are resolute in their commitment to fulfilling their mission. Just expect discouragement and keep going. Preaching matters. Stay faithful to your task and trust that God will use you as you preach God’s Word to his people. ### Satan’s Strategy (Revelation 13) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/satans-strategy-revelation-13/ Last updated: 2025-03-30T22:00:23.000Z **Big Idea:** Satan seeks to destroy Christian faith through both forceful government persecution and subtle cultural pressure to compromise, so stay faithful to the end. --- You’ve probably heard of [*The Art of War*](https://amzn.to/4bBt1LS?ref=dashhouse.com), an ancient Chinese military treatise written by Sun Tzu, a Chinese general, military strategist, and philosopher. It's believed to have been written around 500 BCE. The book consists of 13 chapters, each focusing on different aspects of warfare and military strategy. It talks about strategy and planning, leadership, deception, and more. Despite its age, it’s a book that’s still influential today. It’s studied in military academies, business schools, and leadership programs worldwide. One of its key insights is this: "Know your enemy and know yourself, and you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.” Knowing your enemy's strengths, weaknesses, motivations, strategies, and resources helps you prepare for victory. Last week we looked at Revelation 12\. Here’s what we saw last week: - We’re at war. We're living in a spiritual war zone. Revelation 12 reveals the hidden truths of our daily lives, much like a movie where the plot becomes clear. - Satan (the dragon) is especially fierce now because he realizes he has already lost due to Jesus' victory and that his time is limited. Think of him like a defeated enemy making his last, desperate attacks. - Despite the battle, we're on the winning side. We are protected by God even in difficult times, and Jesus has already secured the victory through his death and resurrection. Having lost his war against Jesus, Satan now unleashes his rage on God's church. Like a predator changing targets, he sets his sights on those who follow Christ. Satan is waging a war against God's people, but his defeat is certain, so stay faithful to the end. But here's what we need to understand: When Satan stalks God's people, what's his game plan? What weapons does he use? What's his endgame? In other words, if we're going to stand firm in this battle, we need to know: What's the enemy's playbook and strategy? Chapter 13 delivers precisely that. Chapter 12 provides an overview of Satan's war against God's people, while chapter 13 focuses on how this battle plays out through two main figures in the dragon's army. Chapter 12 reveals the spiritual war in heaven, while chapter 13 brings it to earth, introducing Satan's two main agents of chaos. Here they are: ## The First Beast: Political Power Gone Wrong (13:1-10) In verse 1, John sees a beast rising from the sea. In the Bible, the sea is always a place of evil and chaos. So this is not good. But verse 1 would also ring a bell. This is not the first beast to rise from the sea in Scripture. This vision builds on Daniel's earlier vision from Daniel 7, over 600 years ago, where he described “four great beasts coming up out of the sea, each different from the others.” In Daniel 7, the beasts that come from the sea are governments. Daniel sees four earthly kingdoms in succession which are followed by the establishment of an everlasting kingdom. These were the governments from the Babylonian kingdom in Daniel's time to the Roman Empire in John's time. How does this first beast of Revelation 13 relate to the four beasts of Daniel? It’s like a composite of all the beasts that Daniel mentions. So what exactly is this beast? The clue lies in verse 1\. It wears royal crowns, symbolizing governmental power as noted in Scripture. Both Daniel and Revelation use beasts to represent something specific: political powers that fight against God and attack His people. Consider the history of empires: Egypt enslaving God's people, Assyria conquering Israel, Babylon exiling Judah, followed by Persia, Greece, and Rome. Each demanded complete loyalty. Each punished those who wouldn't bow. And this pattern continues today—any government that demands the allegiance only God deserves, and crushes those who refuse. This is the beast. Look at what this beast is like in Revelation 13\. It’s fearsome and blasphemous (13:1). But it’s also powerful (13:2). It mimics Christ both in its exercise in power, in coming back to life from a mortal wound in verse 3, and in the praise it receives in verse 4\. By the way, I think this beast coming back to life represents how persistent this beast is. It keeps coming back even when it looks like it’s gone. It keeps reemerging. This beast blasphemes and declares war on God’s people, according to verses 5 to 7\. According to verse 7, it has some authority for a period, which I believe refers to the church age between Christ's ascension and his return. This beast will wage war against the church, and those whose names are *not* written in the book of life will go after this beast. Verses 9 and 10 bring the point home: God’s people will endure opposition from this beast. They will be jailed and killed. But God’s people are called to endure despite this opposition. What does all of this mean? Revelation is telling us that one way that Satan will war against God’s people is through evil governments. Is this a future evil government during the end times, or are we experiencing it now? I believe this is something that will occur in the end times, yet we are also experiencing it now. 1 John 2:18 says, “Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.” 1 John 4:3 says that the spirit of the antichrist, which denies Jesus, is in the world already. 2 John 7 says, “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.” Look around. There’s a spirit of rebellion against Christ everywhere in our culture. Our world is filled with a mindset that stands against everything that Jesus represents. This anti-Jesus attitude runs deep, including in some governments. And Satan will use these governments to wage war against God’s people. Please hear what I’m saying. I am not saying that government itself is evil. In Romans 13, Paul explains that government authority is given by God, that it serves good, and that Christians should obey it. But here we get the other side of the picture. As [David Campbell](https://amzn.to/4kANdli?ref=dashhouse.com) writes: “This does not suggest that all human governments are evil. It does mean that the devil is continually trying to influence them in that direction. Sadly, he often succeeds.” Government is good, but Satan likes to take what is good and use it for his own purposes. Satan can take governments and weaponize them against Christians. In John's time, Christians encountered temples and shrines dedicated to emperors, like a large statue in Ephesus, and suffered economic repercussions for refusing to worship. Today, this takes place in places like North Korea, where Christians face imprisonment, torture, and even death for their faith. It happens in countries like Afghanistan and Iran, where converting to Christianity can be a death sentence. In India, Christians face harassment from misused anti-conversion laws, and attacks on churches and believers are increasing. Closer to home, this can take place as governments redefine morality in issues like euthanasia, abortion, gender and sexuality. But as [Matt Chandler](https://amzn.to/3FvQ3bc?ref=dashhouse.com) points out, the goal of this beast isn’t just to imprison or to kill us. According to verse 4, it’s to get us to worship the beast. > It simply wants us to worship the state, to pull our loyalty away from Jesus and put it on something that cannot ultimately help us or save us. This is his game, and he’s good at it. > I can only imagine the Dragon’s pride toward this beast. He has easily ripped us to pieces over the past few years. The pressure to pick a political side is nearly impossible to avoid in the current cultural environment… > The first beast is exceptional at drawing our allegiance away from Jesus and putting it on a political party or politician. Governments can be beneficial, but they become dangerous when they neglect accountability to God, distort morality, or try to take on God's role. Our allegiance is never to any government. We worship the Emperor of emperors, the King of kings. We belong to him; other kings may rage, but we bow only to one King. What’s Satan’s strategy? He will use governments to come after Christians by either persecuting them or drawing our allegiance away from him. That’s the first way that Satan comes after us, but there’s a second: ## The Second Beast: The Ideology that Supports It (13:11-18) Then we meet a second beast rising from the land. This creature is part of an "unholy trinity" along with the dragon (Satan) and the sea beast (political power), now adding the land beast. While it looks like a lamb - reminding us of Jesus, the true Lamb of God - its dragon-like voice reveals its true nature. Don't be fooled by its appearance. This deceiver performs miraculous signs with one goal: to trick people into worshiping the first beast. He imitates God’s power, just like the Egyptian magicians imitated Aaron’s power. Here’s the part you’ve been waiting for. These verses mention the mark of the beast and 666. > Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. (3:16-17) The mark of the beast! What is this? Back then, people were sometimes marked with tattoos: slaves, for example, or soldiers. Those marks have to do with identity. To whom do you belong? In Revelation 14:1, we see that the Lamb puts his mark on his people. He claims ownership of them. Revelation is pointing out that we either belong to the Lord or to the beast. There is no middle ground: we either belong to the beast or to God. The beast will demand loyalty, and we will pay if we don’t give the beast that loyalty, but we can’t. Our loyalty belongs to God alone. > This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666\. (13:18) Let's tackle the famous number 666\. Many scholars believe it's using something called gematria - an ancient code system where letters have number values. Think of it like a secret message: if A=1, B=2, and so on, you could write numbers that actually spell words. Both Jews and Romans used this system. When you convert the Hebrew letters for 'Nero Caesar' into numbers, they total 666\. Why Nero? Although he was dead when Revelation was written, he became a model of a cruel ruler who persecuted Christians. It could be that Revelation is saying, "Watch out for leaders like Nero—they'll keep coming." But we should be cautious here. While this explanation makes sense, it requires some mathematical gymnastics to make the numbers work perfectly. There's another way to understand it: > Six is one less than seven, and seven is the number of incompleteness. Six is one less than complete: almost there but falling one short… > Why then these three sixes, 666? Because three is also the number of completeness. Three sixes imply that the beast is completely incomplete… > The counterfeit unity wants to be God but never makes it. Always falling short—666\. (Darrell Johnson) What's this second beast all about? Let's follow the clues: First, it's a master of deception. It mimics Jesus but serves Satan. While the first beast uses brute force, this one uses lies and manipulation. It deceives people, creates 'holy' images for worship, and controls buying and selling with its marking system. Throughout history, this beast has taken different forms. In John's day, it looked like emperor worship and trade guild requirements. Later, it appeared as state religions propping up dictators, or ideologies like Communism and Nazism demanding total devotion. Think of Saddam's statues or Mao's propaganda posters—all demanding worship of human power. But today? It's often more subtle. As [Nancy Guthrie](https://amzn.to/4kBbPdG?ref=dashhouse.com) points out, it might look like: - Being forced to support causes that conflict with our faith - Facing pressure to display symbols that contradict our beliefs - Having our business targeted for holding Christian values The beast's offer remains the same: "Play along and prosper." It promises networking opportunities, social acceptance, job security, and material comfort. The price? Just a small compromise of your faith. This beast represents the cultural and religious systems that encourage people to follow human authority rather than Christ. Here’s the big idea I’m trying to get across: **Satan seeks to destroy Christian faith through both forceful government persecution and subtle cultural pressure to compromise, so stay faithful to the end.** Make no mistake—we're in a battle. Our enemy has two weapons: the hammer of government power and the whisper of cultural pressure. One forces, the other seduces. One threatens, the other tempts. Both aim to make us compromise our faith. Satan hasn't changed his playbook. Whether it's ancient Rome or modern times, his strategy remains the same: conform or pay the price. What's Satan's ultimate goal? It's simple—he can't stand to see you: - Loving Jesus with your whole heart - Following Jesus no matter the cost - Worshipping Jesus instead of this world's idols - Standing firm in faith until the end So let's do exactly what Satan hates and what God deserves. And what is God calling us to do? Revelation 13:10 makes it crystal clear: "This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness." Don't cave to government pressure. Don't give in to culture's seductive whispers. Keep your eyes on Jesus and stay faithful to the end. He is worth it. He alone is worthy of our worship. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-439/ Last updated: 2025-03-29T09:00:06.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Why Christian Men Need Friendship, Not Just "Accountability"](https://go.dashhouse.com/Wk2g?ref=dashhouse.com) > The age of the accountability group has been weighed and found wanting. It’s past time for something better. [When Christians Crash and Burn](https://go.dashhouse.com/Wk2d?ref=dashhouse.com) > Even though you could make the argument that the pilots were 99% successful, I say they failed completely. [The Midlife Crisis Is Dead. All Hail the Daily Midlife Crisis.](https://go.dashhouse.com/Wk2U?ref=dashhouse.com) > There are two identity anchors in that verse that can bring you through a crisis. [Biblical Theology Helps Explain Paul’s Sea Journey in Acts 27](https://go.dashhouse.com/Wk2a?ref=dashhouse.com) > This isn’t a narrative to skip but one full of rich canonical meaning. [How I Became a Writer](https://go.dashhouse.com/Wk2L?ref=dashhouse.com) > While every writer's story is different, one thing is the same—you gotta write. An article I wrote at [Gospel for Life](https://www.gospelforlife.com/?ref=dashhouse.com): [The Journey of Progressive Sanctification](https://go.dashhouse.com/Wk2H?ref=dashhouse.com) > In a world obsessed with instant results, discover why God intentionally designed your spiritual growth to be an imperfect journey rather than an immediate transformation. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Finding Hope in Overwhelming Ministry](https://go.dashhouse.com/WleF?ref=dashhouse.com) > The doctrine of resurrection offers profound hope and renewed purpose when facing the overwhelming challenges of caring for souls and leading a congregation. ### Lessons from Old Sermons URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/lessons-from-old-sermons/ Last updated: 2025-03-25T09:00:03.000Z I registered the domain DashHouse.com on July 25, 1999, the day before my 32nd birthday. I wasn't sure what I would do with the site, except that I wanted to write and post my sermons. For almost 26 years now, I've been doing just that, although some of my sermons go all the way back to 1996. I've been tidying up some of my old posts. It's not easy because there are so many. I've decided to start with my sermons since I've been posting them for so long. The tagging system needs improvement, and I'm converting some of my older sermons from bullet points to paragraphs. I know a sermon manuscript is different from a sermon. A manuscript is a lifeless document, while a sermon comes alive as it's delivered to a specific congregation. Still, I've learned a lot as I've gone back and tidied up these manuscripts, even doing some light editing. First, it really does take a while to learn how to preach. I had a few good sermons when I started out, but those ran out pretty quick. Then I had to learn how to prepare a good biblical sermon, not just once or twice, but every week. Looking back, I can see a huge variation in the quality of my sermons. Some were good, some were okay, and some were pretty bad. To a certain extent, that's to be expected. There are things we can do to lay a good foundation for our preaching, but I think Tim Keller was right when he said, "Your first sermons will be terrible, and your early ones won't be much better, but you can't begin the path to good preaching without walking through bad preaching." It takes a long time to learn how to preach a good sermon. When we're young, we need to be patient and give ourselves time to find our feet as preachers. Second, foundations matter. I had a good foundation but didn't maintain it carefully. When I graduated from seminary, I studied Haddon Robinson's book [*Biblical Preaching*](https://amzn.to/4hEMtc9?ref=dashhouse.com) and then tucked it on my shelf. I picked it up again 12 or 13 years later while studying under Haddon at Gordon-Conwell Seminary. For those dozen years, I had what I needed right on my bookshelf. I'd even read it but neglected an approach that would have helped my preaching more than almost anything else. Becoming a good preacher takes time, but it's crucial to focus on foundational teachings from books like Haddon Robinson's *Biblical Preaching* and Brian Chapell's [*Christ-Centered Preaching*](https://amzn.to/4c3BEiH?ref=dashhouse.com). I could have been a better preacher if I had paid more attention to what I learned and kept it in mind. The third lesson I've learned as I've gone through my old sermons is much more encouraging: God is gracious. The good news is God uses imperfect preachers who are still finding their feet and preaching sometimes wobbly messages. To be honest, things haven't changed too much. I think I'm a better preacher now, but I'm sure I'll look back on today's sermons and shake my head one day. It's still all of grace that God chooses to use any of us, whether we're new at preaching or seasoned. I praise God that he used some of those sermons that I preached over 30 years ago. They weren't all stellar. God was gracious. Power comes not from our preaching skills, but from God's word and the Holy Spirit. And that's good news for every preacher. Working through my old sermons has been an experience, and these lessons keep coming up over and over again. Few things can humble a preacher more than reviewing old sermons. Few things can encourage a preacher more than witnessing God's work throughout their preaching journey, shaping them and using their imperfect efforts for the church's benefit and His glory. ### The Long Defeat (Revelation 12) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-long-defeat-revelation-12/ Last updated: 2025-03-24T16:50:50.000Z **Big Idea:** Satan is waging a war against God's people, but his defeat is certain, so stay faithful to the end. --- In many ways, Polina lives like any other 12-year-old. She attends school, plays with friends, and tackles homework — the familiar rhythm of an 8th grader's day. Polina, who lives 100 kilometers west of Kyiv, experiences something most children don't: the sound of air-raid sirens interrupting everyday life. "Now I'm more calm about this signal because I've gotten used to it," she says, referring to her routine sprints to the shelter, which feel as normal to her as running for a bus. Her daily life balances on a knife's edge of uncertainty. Over 400 Ukrainian schools have been destroyed and 3,500 damaged in the past two years. Despite this, Polina strives for a sense of normalcy while remaining alert for further attacks. She does her math homework, but also knows the quickest route to safety. She trades gossip with friends, but keeps one ear tuned for warning sirens. This is childhood in a war zone — both ordinary and extraordinary at once. You, too, are living in the midst of a spiritual battlefield. Every day, whether you realize it or not, you're operating in a war zone. The challenges and struggles you face aren't random—they're direct consequences of this ongoing conflict. Why is everything so hard sometimes? Why is everything so broken? This chapter tells us. Don't be caught off guard when you come under attack; it's not a matter of if, but when. Understanding this reality should compel you to take decisive action to prepare and protect yourself in this ever-present battle. ## Revelation So Far We have been exploring the book of Revelation since September. Let's find our place in the book. Revelation is a letter written to the church that shows us what’s really going on in the world. And what is going on? Here’s all of Revelation so far in one sentence: God is on his throne; he is judging evil; and he calls his people to be faithful. - **God is on his throne.** We see this in Revelation 1 and 4 and 5\. It may not look like it, but behind the chaos and evil, God is reigning in heaven and is in control of all of history. We don’t need to be worried. - **He is judging evil.** This is the main part of Revelation: the seven seals and seven trumpets and seven bowls. You have these progressive series of judgments on the earth and its inhabitants, each series increasing in severity and scope. But that's not all—there's even more on the way! God will judge every evil, whether committed by individuals or corrupt world systems. - **He calls his people to be faithful.** You see this theme in the seven letters to the churches in chapters 2 and 3, and all throughout the book. Revelation encourages believers to stay true to their faith, resist temptations, trust God's promises, endure challenges, and anticipate eternal rewards. God is on his throne; he is judging evil; and he calls his people to be faithful. That’s what we’ve covered so far. But now we’re in the central part of the book in what may be the most pivotal chapters in the book. We’ve had the seven seals and the seven trumpets. Chapter 11 described the seventh trumpet, marking the start of Jesus' universal reign and God's presence among his people. “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15). God's judgments lead to the victory of his people, allowing them to enter the heavenly Promised Land as promised. That's the context. And it’s going to be repeated again, in an intensified way, in the seven bowls of Revelation 15-16. But first, we have the seven histories. From chapters 12, verse 1, through chapter 15, verse 4, we find seven distinct visions. These visions share the same story from different perspectives, spanning from Jesus' time on Earth to His future return. By understanding these seven parallel accounts, we can better make sense of the world today. Today, we’re going to cover the first and second of the seven histories, and it’s going to tell us that we’re part of a larger war that Jesus is going to win. ## Satan’s Rage Let’s look at what this first history tells us about what’s going on in the world today. We’re going to learn three things in this passage. First, what’s really happening in the world. Second, why it’s particularly bad now. Third, what we can do about it. ### First: what’s really happening now (12:1-6) Verses 1 to 9 describe the world the way it really is. It shows us that a lot of what’s happening in the world can be explained by a simple fact: Satan is outraged. Verses 1 and 2 describe a woman: > And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. (12:1-2) What a picture! You might think this woman is Mary, the mother of Jesus - and you'd be partially right. But she actually represents something bigger: all of God's people. Let me explain the symbols she wears. She's dressed in magnificent celestial imagery - the sun, the moon, and twelve stars. These decorations are not random. They connect directly to Jacob's dreams in Genesis 37\. Specifically, the twelve stars represent the twelve tribes of Israel. Notice the crown on her head? This links to Christ's promise to give “the crown of life” to those who persevere. Her pregnancy and labor pains hold symbolic meaning. In the Old Testament, prophets like Isaiah and Micah compared God's people yearning for deliverance to a woman in labor. This woman represents all of God’s people, both before and after the coming of Jesus. This woman also reminds us of Eve from Genesis. Remember God's words to the serpent in Genesis 3:15? “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15). This sets up the great conflict that runs through the entire Bible - a battle between two bloodlines. This pattern recurs often: Cain vs. Abel, Isaac vs. Ishmael, Jacob vs. Esau, and David vs. Goliath—whose armor resembled serpent scales. The core question becomes: Who is this promised child who will be born of a woman? Who will be the one to crush the serpent's head and make things right? This mystery propels the biblical story. Even Satan himself watches anxiously, wondering which child might be the promised one who will ultimately defeat him. The woman in our passage reminds us of the ancient promise made to Eve about victory through her offspring. Then we meet a very angry dragon: > And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. (12:3-4) Who is this dragon? This is easier to figure out. It's the devil, Satan, that ancient serpent from the Garden of Eden who deceived humanity. Throughout the Bible, terms like serpent, dragon, and leviathan commonly represent evil forces and Satan himself. The dragon is described as red, symbolizing his fierce rage and dangerous nature. His seven heads suggest cunning intelligence, while his ten horns represent power and authority. It’s also probably an allusion to Rome, which had seven hills and ten districts. The crowns he wears show his attempt to claim divine authority, which is why he's called 'the god of this age' and 'ruler of this world.' We see his destructive power when his tail sweeps down a third of heaven's stars. This imagery, drawn from Daniel 8, represents Satan's ongoing persecution of God's people throughout history. The message is clear - Satan is powerful, fierce, and persistently seeks to destroy those aligned with God. This dragon stands in direct opposition to God's authority. He's not just a spiritual threat - he works through earthly powers and systems to oppose God's people. The dragon is both a spiritual enemy and a symbol of worldly opposition to God's kingdom. Then you have the child: > And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days. (12:4-6) How do we know this child is Jesus? The text says he will “rule with an iron scepter,” a clear reference to the Davidic Messiah. Notice how Jesus' entire earthly ministry is captured in just two moments: his birth and his ascension to heaven's throne. Meanwhile, the woman - God's people - remains on earth facing the dragon's threats. She finds refuge in the wilderness, much like the Israelites did during the exodus. God protects her for 42 months, symbolizing Israel's journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. This tells us something important: while God's people journey toward their final home, they face ongoing spiritual warfare. Yet God promises to protect and care for them, even though they may face temporary suffering and persecution. This passage reveals the true events unfolding in the present moment. We’re at war! Like Polina who wakes up with air raid sirens going off, we live in a war zone. Satan is at war against God and his people. This explains so much about why life is so hard. We live in a time of war! That’s what’s really happening in the world. But, quickly, we learn two other things. ### Second: why it’s particularly bad now (12:7-17). Why is spiritual warfare so intense right now? There are two key reasons. First, Satan is already defeated. In verses 7 to 11, we see Michael the archangel overthrow the dragon and his armies, casting them to earth. This represents Jesus' victory over Satan through his death and resurrection. As Paul writes in Colossians, Christ has 'disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame.' Second, in verse 12, Satan knows his time is running out. Like a cornered animal, he's more dangerous because he's desperate. He can no longer attack Jesus directly, so he turns his fury toward God's people - the church. Satan is like a defeated general who, realizing he's lost, tries to create as much destruction as he can before his end. He's already beaten, but he's not yet finished - and that makes him particularly dangerous right now. Tolkien described our earthly struggle as "the long defeat." As he explained, "I am a Christian... so that I do not expect 'history' to be anything but a 'long defeat.'" Though Christ has already secured the ultimate triumph over Satan through his resurrection, we continue to fight through hardship and suffering until his return. We fight the long defeat because the final victory is coming. While Satan may win battles along the way, Christ has already won the war. Our victory in Christ is guaranteed, even if we must persevere through difficult times until that day arrives. In verses 13 to 17, Satan, unable to reach the woman directly, attacks God's people in a new way. The imagery reflects the Exodus story, showing how God protected Israel with eagle's wings in the wilderness, and similarly continues to protect His church. The dragon tries to destroy the woman with a flood from his mouth - but even the earth itself helps protect her. This flood embodies Satan's most powerful weapon: deception. Jesus speaks truth (symbolized by a sword from His mouth), while Satan spreads false teachings to mislead people. Remember how God rescued His people at the Red Sea? The earth swallowed up Pharaoh's army. This same God continues to safeguard His people even today. As Isaiah promises, “Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles.” Take heart in this promise: Jesus said, “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” Though we journey through our own wilderness, God will bring his people safely home. We live in a time of war. Satan is at war with God and his people. He’s furious because he knows he’s defeated and that he doesn’t have much time left. There’s only one more question to ask. ### Third: Here's what we should do. What should we do in light of this news? **First: don’t be surprised.** As Charles Spurgeon said, “When you sleep, remember that you are resting on the battlefield; when you travel, suspect an ambush in every hedge.” Do you feel like you’re under attack? As Andrew Peterson sings, do you feel the world is broken? Don’t be surprised. This passage tells you what’s really going on. **Second: rejoice that your enemy has been defeated.** Satan is on the attack, but you don’t need to worry. He has already been defeated. Read this passage over, and you discover that God has thwarted every one of his plans. We’re seeing his last gasps. We don’t need to be worried. Just wait a little longer. Satan is like a defeated predator—still dangerous, but fatally wounded. You don’t have to fear him any longer if you are in Jesus. **Third: hide in Jesus.** Read verse 11 again: “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” How did these believers overcome Satan? John gives us three reasons: - First, through Christ's blood, which freed them from sin. - Second, by boldly speaking truth about Jesus, even during persecution. - Third, by valuing faithfulness to Christ more than their own safety. So here's John’s encouragement: Trust in what Jesus did for you on the cross. Stay faithful to him, no matter what comes. Don't fear for your life—not even death can separate you from his love. Satan is waging a war against God's people, but his defeat is certain, so stay faithful to the end. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-438/ Last updated: 2025-03-22T09:25:00.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [The Paradox of Ease: Why Friction Is Good for You](https://go.dashhouse.com/WSLC?ref=dashhouse.com) > Without resistance, without friction, we will not be happy. Neither will we be good. [Things Change and Things Stay the Same](https://go.dashhouse.com/WSLF?ref=dashhouse.com) > As I have read, I have become fascinated by how many of today’s concerns were also the concerns of our forebears. [6 Things Discipleship Isn’t](https://go.dashhouse.com/WSLH?ref=dashhouse.com) > True discipleship involves wielding the Word and prayer to help those you’re investing in follow Christ. [Don’t Be Sorry for the Sermon](https://go.dashhouse.com/WSLN?ref=dashhouse.com) > If God still calls you to preach, stand up with whatever notes, voice, or limitation you possess and herald Jesus Christ. [How Marriage Vows Work](https://go.dashhouse.com/WSLL?ref=dashhouse.com) > A proper vow answers the question “What will you do?” not “How do you feel?” My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [One Day, One Faith: The Story of the Toronto Gospel Alliance’s Joint Good Friday Service](https://go.dashhouse.com/WTSu?ref=dashhouse.com) > In this culturally diverse city, this annual Good Friday service stands as a testament to the enduring power of the gospel. ### Death Is Not the Worst Thing That Can Happen to You URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/death-is-not-the-worst-thing-that-can-happen-to-you/ Last updated: 2025-03-18T10:25:37.000Z I really dislike the way Christians sometimes minimize death. We talk about it like it's no big deal. It is. Paul calls it the last enemy to be destroyed (1 Corinthians 15:26). It's a result of sin (Genesis 3:19). It's not natural at all. Death is ugly, and we should hate it. The whole reason Jesus came is to put an end to death. Contrary to what many Christians think, death is a big deal, and we shouldn't take it lightly at all. But death isn't the worst thing that can happen to us. This is evident throughout Scripture. In the Gospels, Jesus told us not to fear those who can destroy our bodies. Instead, we should fear those who can destroy both body and soul in hell (Matthew 10:28). The worst that people can do to us is kill us, but that’s nothing compared to what God could do to us if we are faithless. Death is something that in some ways we should fear, or at least hate, but it isn't what we should fear most. Death is no big deal compared to the destruction of our souls, which is far more consequential. Paul picks this up as well in Philippians 1:21-25\. To die is gain, he says. There are some benefits to death. When we die, we will get to be with our Lord. Paul says he can't decide. It's useful for him to stay and help continue his ministry to believers, but he would just as gladly go and be with the Lord. Paul's excitement about seeing his Savior makes him fearless in the face of death. You also see this in Revelation. Revelation is honest about the threat of martyrdom. “Be faithful unto death,” Jesus says (Revelation 2:10). The fact is that many believers throughout history have died for their faith. But over and over again, Revelation points out that death is not the worst thing that can happen to us. Those who die for Christ's sake will be vindicated in the end. Faithfulness in death is better than faithlessness in living. It's unlikely that I will be called to do this, but I should be prepared, and so should you. The church where I am a member calls us, “if called upon by my Lord, to hazard my life for the gospel's sake.” This isn’t an advanced requirement; this is the baseline commitment for each member. Every Christian is called to lay down their life for the sake of the gospel if necessary. Don’t get me wrong. I hate death, and I'm looking forward to the day when death will be no more. We should never grow comfortable with death; it's ugly. And yet, death is not the worst thing that can happen to us. Death is not our ultimate fear because of the resurrection; after all, we can look forward to eternal life. Our main concern should not be our own death but the danger of dishonoring our Master. That is a fate that is much worse than dying. ### Our Mission in a Time of Judgment (Revelation 10:1-11:14) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/our-mission-in-a-time-of-judgment-revelation-101-1114/ Last updated: 2025-03-16T22:00:12.000Z **Big Idea:** In a time of judgment, hold fast to God and his word, and boldly share the gospel because the resurrection is coming. --- It’s been a few weeks since we looked at the book of Revelation, so let me catch you up. We’re in the central part of Revelation. We’re almost halfway through. And the center part, from chapters 6 to 19, are about one thing: judgment. This part of Revelation describes three overlapping cycles of judgment: seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls of God's wrath. The main point is that our sovereign God is actively judging the wicked and saving His people throughout history. Our suffering isn’t meaningless. God’s justice will prevail. While human opposition to God may seem powerful, it will ultimately be defeated. God’s judgment is certain; his mercy persists for anyone who repents; and his victory is assured. If you get confused, focus on the main message of this part of Revelation. Though evil appears powerful now, God promises to both judge wickedness and show mercy to those who repent. God is sovereign over history, and he and his people will prevail. That’s my quick and dirty recap. One thing I pointed out a few weeks back is that, in every cycle of judgment — the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls — there’s an interlude between number 6 and number 7\. Today’s passage is right in the middle of the interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpets of judgment. The interlude addresses a crucial question: How should God's faithful people respond during this time of divine judgment? What role should believers play in this period of waiting, when the world appears to be descending into darkness? Revelation chapters 10 and 11 provide us with a clear directive. It gives us two visions that reveal two things we need to do. Here’s the first. ## Hold Fast to God and His Word (10:1-11) In Revelation 10, John encounters an angel coming down from heaven. He’s “wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire” (Revelation 10:1). He’s impressive, and some of the description reminds us of the glory of Jesus, but this isn’t Jesus. He’s a powerful angel, and he’s huge with “his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land” (10:2). He’s colossal. He’s not some powerless angel. His size symbolizes God's authority over the world and the importance of the message for all. And he has a little scroll in his hand. What is this scroll? We can’t be sure. It may be the scroll of chapter 5 that represents God’s plans for history. It could be the remainder of this book. At the very least, it’s related. I think it represents God’s sovereign plan for history, including the new heaven and the new earth. It’s what God will do. The angel calls out with a loud voice in verse 3. > When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.” (Revelation 10:3-4) On top of the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls, you have seven thunders. They’re probably similar. Thunder usually represents judgment. This is probably another series of God’s judgment on the world. But we don’t know, because a voice from heaven tells John not to write it down. There are some things God reveals; there are some things that God doesn’t reveal, and that we just don’t know. According to verses 5-7, we can be absolutely certain of this: God will fulfill his sovereign plans for history. “…in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets” (10:7). What is this mystery? Mystery in the Bible doesn’t mean something that is difficult to understand. It means something that was previously hidden but has now been revealed. What is this mystery that is being fulfilled? That God’s plan to create a people for himself from every people and nation is being fulfilled. He will unite all things under Christ, and he will judge all those who resist his reign. His promises are unshakeable, and his revealed will shall be accomplished without fail. But then something significant happens in verses 8 to 11\. John is told to eat a scroll that will taste sweet like honey but will become bitter in his stomach. This striking imagery isn't original to Revelation. It deliberately echoes an earlier prophetic vision from Ezekiel 2 and 3\. There, Ezekiel encounters a scroll unfurled before him, covered on both sides with "words of lamentation, mourning, and woe." Like John, Ezekiel is instructed to eat this divine document before delivering God's message to Israel. Both prophets experience the same initial sweetness, though John alone is warned of the coming bitterness. And then John is told in verse 11 that he “must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.” What does all of this mean? In this time of judgment, John and God’s people need two things if we’re going to be prepared. First, we need a vision of God that will take us through the hard times. We need the vision of God in this passage. God is on his throne; even his angels are colossal. He has promised that he will carry out his plans. They’re a sure thing. As Jim Hamilton says: > Be confident that God is Lord of all and will accomplish his purposes. The angel stands on the sea and the dry land, reminding us that all things are under Jesus’ feet. No terrorists, no rogue governments, no dictators, no usurpers of democracy, no kings, no tax collectors, no corrupt government officials, no hypocritical senators are going to stand in the way of God’s accomplishing his purposes… God’s purposes will still come to pass. God is Lord of history, and his will is going to be done. This is a word that we need right now in this world of chaos! How worried are you about this world? **Meditate on this passage.** Meditate on God, who is in control and who promises that his plan is unfolding for history without delay. **Second: Eat the scroll.** By this, I mean: take the words of God and ingest them. Study them. Think about them. Hide them in your heart. Let them delight you. Don’t just learn or study it; assimilate it, take it into your lives in such a way that it gets metabolized into your very body. If we’re going to stay faithful, we need to ingest God’s word. But as we do, be prepared that there will be sweetness and bitterness to it. It contains words of comfort, and it contains words of judgment. As you study God’s word, you will find that it will be both sweet to you. It will also give you a stomach ache. God's plan brings both comfort and challenges to believers. It's sweet because the gospel is sweet. It is comforting to know that God is in control and works all things for the good. However, following God often means facing hardships and trials, though these difficulties serve a greater purpose. This reminds us that the path to victory often involves going through tough times. But we need it. Ezekiel needed to ingest it; John needed to ingest it too. And so do we, if we we’re going to survive God's judgment. If we’re going to survive these difficult days, hold fast to God and his word. That’s the first thing we need to do. But there’s a second: ## Second: Boldly Share the Gospel (11:1-14) The interlude has two visions. We’ve just seen the first. Here’s the second vision, and it has two parts. Fair warning: this may be the most difficult and disputed chapter in Revelation. In verses 1 and 2, John is told to measure the temple. What does this mean? Again, this is piggybacking on a couple of stories from the Old Testament. In Zechariah 2, a man prepared to measure Jerusalem for rebuilding. In Ezekiel 40 to 47, a man with a cord and measuring reed surveyed the area inside and outside the temple. In both of these cases, what they were measuring didn’t even exist. These were visions that showed that God still claimed ownership; that God would restore what had been lost. He would not allow destruction to be the final word. And so it is here. I believe the temple had already been destroyed by the time John wrote this; the new temple had become the church. This vision is telling us that God claims ownership of the church. God is taking stock of his people so he can protect them all. He will watch over his people to the end. We are protected by God. But then in verse 2, you have the court outside the temple that is not measured, and that’s trampled by the nations for 1,260 days or 42 months. We face two questions here: - What is this court outside the temple? Again, interpretations vary. Some argue that it is part of the church that is trampled. Tom Schreiner argues that this refers to the outer bodies of believers. They may be killed. Others interpret this to be false believers, or just the world at large. I tend to think that this vision is telling us that God’s people are protected, but it doesn’t mean that we won’t suffer. We will go through a time of trial. It will get hard. - What is the 42 months? It comes from Daniel 7:25 and 12:7\. Again, Revelation is full of symbolism What does this signify? According to Numbers 33, Israel went through stages or stations as they traveled from Egypt to the Promised Land. They stopped 42 times. It was a time of testing. Later, Elijah prayed for the heavens to be shut over Israel because of their idolatry, and there was no rain for 42 months (Luke 4:25). I think this vision picks up on this. There will be a time of testing and suffering that God’s people will go through. I interpret the 42 months as the period from Christ’s ascension to His return. It will not be an easy time. It will be a time of testing and judgment. There’s so much to try to understand here. Let me just try to summarize it. The church will be protected, but we can expect to suffer. We will suffer. It will be for a limited time. There will be a period of terrible suffering that will come to an end. And what is going to happen in that time? Verses 3 to 14 tells us: there will be two witnesses. They’re also called two olive trees and lampstands in verse 4\. They will prophesy for this entire time. They will be protected by God so that nobody can harm them. But then, in verses 7 to 9, they will be killed by the beast before God raises them again and judges the world. Wow. What is this all about? There are two witnesses, because the word of one person isn’t enough. You need two in order to be believed. These two witnesses, olive trees, and lampstands represent the church. Between Christ's ascension and his return, we are tasked with preaching God's word during difficult times. Sometimes it will look really bad. Sometimes it will look like we’ve been defeated. Sometimes it will look like the church is all but dead. But even if we are killed for our witness for Christ, we will be raised on the last day and vindicated, just like Jesus. And, in the end, according to verse 13, some will perish, but many more will end up believing in God as they come to fear him and trust him. Let’s put this all together. What does this part of history look like? Judgment. Look all around you. Signs of God’s judgment are everywhere. And it’s going to get worse. God will judge the evil in this world. How should God’s people respond? They should do two things. One: Cling to who God is and what he’s revealed. Second: With God’s protection, tell the world the good news of a Savior who invites them to bow in repentance and worship. And if they kill you for it, big deal. Resurrection is coming. **In a time of judgment, hold fast to God and his word, and boldly share the gospel because the resurrection is coming.** ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-437/ Last updated: 2025-03-15T09:00:07.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Grow Deep: A Word to Young Men](https://go.dashhouse.com/WG6E?ref=dashhouse.com) > Relentlessly attend to what lies beneath the soil — your personal holiness and communion with the Lord. [Persevere in Prayer: Because No, It’s Not Easy](https://go.dashhouse.com/WHsY?ref=dashhouse.com) > Prayer isn’t meant to be comfortable. [10 Mistakes I Made When Learning How to Pray](https://go.dashhouse.com/WG6o?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are the mistakes I have made—and lessons learnt—in the 20 years since my second year at university. [Untangling Glory: How We Give God What He Already Has](https://go.dashhouse.com/WG6-?ref=dashhouse.com) > The Bible is filled with examples and exhortations to give God glory. But what do we mean by give? Since God doesn’t need it, what are we doing? [Your Body Is No Mistake: God’s Good Design in Our Design](https://go.dashhouse.com/WG6n?ref=dashhouse.com) > Whatever your particular struggle with your body, Psalm 139 addresses it by revealing the glory, finitude, and purpose of God’s design. [How to Draw Near to God Through Writing](https://go.dashhouse.com/WG6M?ref=dashhouse.com) > Since I learned to write as a young child, I have found writing to be an effective way to draw near to God. The more I write, the more I experience nearness to God because of it. [What’s a Trade War and How Did We End Up In One?](https://go.dashhouse.com/WG6Z?ref=dashhouse.com) > If you’re in the habit of praying for Canada, here are some prayer points you might keep in mind. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Beholding God’s Glory](https://go.dashhouse.com/WHLb?ref=dashhouse.com) > We can offer people what their souls are hungry for—what they’ve been longing for more than they know. ### Those Who Are Genuine Among You URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/those-who-are-genuine-among-you/ Last updated: 2025-03-11T09:00:59.000Z I've studied this passage many times before, but this time, a verse that's easy to overlook jumped out at me: “…for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized” (1 Corinthians 11:19). Paul is addressing the way the Corinthian church observed the Lord’s Supper. As you probably know, it was a mess. Divisions were rampant in that church. They were divided by personality cults and beliefs over food offered to idols. When it came to the Lord’s Supper, they experienced divisions according to socio-economic class. The more well-off in the congregation left the poorer members out of parts of the meal, and they didn't seem to care. Some were even getting drunk by the time that others in the church showed up. It seems that each person was more concerned with satisfying their own hunger and thirst than coming together as one to celebrate. The divisions at the meal celebrating the Lord's Supper made a mockery of its purpose, and Paul wasn’t happy. In the middle of this, Paul says something that I haven't paid much attention to in the past. Their division at the Lord’s Supper had one benefit, he wrote. It revealed the genuine believers in the congregation. This teaches us something important. Divisions in the church can be part of God's sifting process. When a church is unhealthy, those who desire God's glory stand out. Conflict in a church reveals what is in our hearts. One purpose of division and conflict is to reveal those who have God's heart, those who are genuinely his. It also reveals those who will one day stand under his judgment. Division in the church is undesirable, but God uses it to reveal who truly belongs to Him. God reveals the veracity of those who not only hold correct beliefs but also reflect the truth of the gospel in their behavior. As John Calvin says: > For in this way hypocrites are detected — in this way, on the other hand, the sincerity of believers is tried. For as this gives occasion for discovering the fickleness of those who were not rooted in the Lord’s Word, and the wickedness of those who had assumed the appearance of good men, so the good afford a more signal manifestation of their constancy and sincerity. Division is never a good thing, but through his providence, God can use even this for his glory. Through church conflict, he reveals those who are truly his. This is such a good insight for pastors. I can think of a recent conflict. It was tough for the church, but it had one benefit: it revealed those who were spiritually mature. They stood out. They became known as people in whom the Lord was at work and who could be examples for others. I hate church conflict; I hate when believers don't act as they should. God uses church conflict for good. It reveals the godly and it reveals issues; it shows people who are not who they appear to be. We shouldn't be surprised by conflict; we should expect it. And we should also look to what God reveals through periods of conflict. I'm so grateful that God uses even negative things in the church for his glory and to show those who are truly his. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-436/ Last updated: 2025-03-08T10:00:55.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Keep Reading Your Bible, Even If You Don’t Understand It](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/keep-reading-bible-understand/?ref=dashhouse.com) > If you’re trying to read the Bible cover to cover this year, don’t allow your interpretive questions to too regularly interrupt the reading process. Understanding will come over time. For now, just keep reading. [Brothers, We Are Not Political Pundits](https://go.dashhouse.com/W4sQ?ref=dashhouse.com) > We can be known for “prophetic” political commentary or we can be known for textually careful, biblically rich, theologically deep, church-focused gospel ministry. [Preaching from Brokenness](https://go.dashhouse.com/W4sF?ref=dashhouse.com) > How do we preach and minister from a position of brokenness? [Don’t Preach a Commentary](https://go.dashhouse.com/W4sH?ref=dashhouse.com) > Preaching that truly disciples a congregation is rooted in intimacy with the biblical languages, a knowledge of the rich history of interpretation, and sound exegesis. But this combination does not make a sermon. [A Beginner’s Guide to Reading the Bible](https://go.dashhouse.com/W4Gt?ref=dashhouse.com) > Reading the Bible can be hard. Here's how to get started. My columns this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [The Problem With the Church Today](https://go.dashhouse.com/W4H8?ref=dashhouse.com) > There isn’t just one problem, which is why we need the letters from Jesus in the book of Revelation. [Pastoring in the Badlands](https://go.dashhouse.com/W4H3?ref=dashhouse.com) > Ministry inevitably involves seasons of suffering and difficulty, often lasting longer than expected, but God remains faithful and accomplishes his purposes even in these badlands. ### When U.S.-Canadian Tensions Run High URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/when-us-canadian-tensions-run-high/ Last updated: 2025-03-04T10:00:03.000Z Tensions are running a little higher than normal between Canada and the United States ever since Trump took office. Donald Trump has repeatedly mocked our prime minister and stated that Canada isn't a viable nation. He’s expressed his intentions for Canada to become the 51st state. While funny to many Americans, this joke doesn't land well in Canada. Understandably, Canadians really have no interest in losing their nation. Today marks the start of new tariffs between Canada and the US if Trump's plans proceed. Canada has promised to retaliate. The Premier of Ontario has threatened to cut off Canada’s electricity supply to the United States. I've seen a lot of expressions of frustration with Trump's actions here in Canada. On Saturday Night Live, comedian Mike Myers captured some of the Canadian spirit. He revealed a T-shirt that said “Canada is Not for Sale” while making an elbows-up action. "Elbows-up" is a hockey term indicating that Canadians are ready to fight back as they feel increasingly threatened by the U.S. I can't remember a time like this before. Canada and the United States have enjoyed a close relationship. I think of Canada and the US like New Zealand and Australia. We are clearly the junior partner and like to maintain a strong identity that's partially defined by not being American. At the same time, we appreciate the United States and enjoy being close to this great nation. It's hard to know where things will go as the relationship between the nations continues to experience tension. As I was thinking about this week, my mind went back to 1995, a time when Quebec was voting to separate from Canada. The vote was very close, and it looked like the separatists might win. (The final vote was 49.42% to become sovereign, and 50.58% to stay.) Tensions ran high between Quebec and the rest of Canada. Everyone seemed to have an opinion. Around that time, our denomination held its annual meeting. A representative from Quebec presented a resolution for discussion. The resolution affirmed that, regardless of any developments between Quebec and the rest of Canada, our churches will maintain their commitment to each other. We wouldn't let politics divide us; we would remain united around what matters most—the gospel of Jesus Christ. Ultimately, our citizenship is in heaven, whether Canadian or American. I have strong feelings about what's going on right now, but these strong feelings don't matter as much as the gospel. I don't know what's going to happen, and I hope things don't get much worse. But I'm convinced that we should resolve that, no matter what happens politically, both Canadian and American churches should continue to focus on the gospel of Jesus Christ and our common citizenship. We won't let politics divide us. Yes, we may express our opinions in certain ways, but these can never eclipse the issues that matter most. A Quebecer taught me this lesson, and I'm glad because I need to practice it now. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-435/ Last updated: 2025-03-01T10:00:10.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [The Indispensable Inefficiency of Prayer](https://go.dashhouse.com/UaXm?ref=dashhouse.com) > For a Christian, one of the most effective uses of our time is an activity that looks to most people—and maybe quite often to ourselves—like one of the most inefficient. [Writing As You Read: A Different Approach to Bible Time](https://go.dashhouse.com/UaYt?ref=dashhouse.com) > As I read, I am writing out books of the Bible. [Don’t Talk About Yourself Like You’re a Machine](https://go.dashhouse.com/UaZ8?ref=dashhouse.com) > Whenever we adapt our language to the machine’s vocabulary, we can’t help but reimagine life in less-than-human categories. [Be Faithful Over Little](https://go.dashhouse.com/UaZS?ref=dashhouse.com) > You may not become a hero of the faith, but you’ll be a good and faithful servant of Christ. [Should I Use AI to Help Me Write Sermons?](https://go.dashhouse.com/UacT?ref=dashhouse.com) > Should pastors and ministry leaders use artificial intelligence as a tool to write their sermons and newsletters? [Don’t Preach a Commentary](https://go.dashhouse.com/UabA?ref=dashhouse.com) > Few congregations can absorb disparate facts while listening to exegetical preaching without an overarching theme or goal before them that these facts relate to. [Leading a Church Without Losing Your Soul](https://go.dashhouse.com/UaWb?ref=dashhouse.com) > Below are some strategies to help any pastor who wants to keep his soul. [Navigating Pastoral Leadership Crises](https://go.dashhouse.com/UaQA?ref=dashhouse.com) > I can't remember who gave me this advice, but it's held up to be true: “Every pastor will go through a leadership crisis. Just pray that it doesn't happen in your first ministry.” ### You Probably Won't Get a Book Deal. We Still Need You to Write. URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/you-probably-wont-get-a-book-deal-we-still-need-you-to-write/ Last updated: 2025-02-25T10:00:48.000Z The publishing industry is challenging. Not only do you have to be a great writer, but you need a big platform. In the end, you need a book that will sell. It's understandable. Publishers aren't charities, and they need to make money from their books. Publishing a book is a massive investment that costs a lot of money and involves significant risk. For this reason, it's difficult to be published. Unless you have a large following, or catch a break, you may face an uphill battle in getting your book published. And yet, I would argue, it's still important for you to write for at least a couple of reasons. First, somebody needs your writing. Just because you won't sell 5,000 or 10,000 books doesn't mean that you don't have a message that can benefit many. You don't need a large audience; a small one will do. Someone will likely benefit from what you’ve learned. Your writing will be a blessing to someone who needs it. There's also a huge benefit in writing for your own sake. Writing helps us think on paper. It helps us practice and develop your skill. The only way to become a better writer is to write. If writing changes nobody else, it will change you. But as it changes you, I’ll bet that it will also help others at the same time. Beyond that, it's never been easier to publish. Anyone can start a blog or open their own Substack. If you want to write a book, you can publish and market it yourself. Sure, it’s hard work, but so is publishing the traditional way. Nobody’s standing in your way. Years ago, someone told me that a well-written article will get more readers than most books. That was before the age of blocking any internet content, but the point still stands. You can write on the internet, and if you write well, your writing can have just as big an influence as many of the books you see in the bookstore. If your writing is good, or even if it’s becoming good, you will find readers. I agree with what [Barbara Ueland](https://amzn.to/4hRUtr2?ref=dashhouse.com) wrote a long time ago: “Everybody is talented, original and has something important to say.” You probably don’t have something new to write—pretty much everything’s been said already—but nobody’s said it quite the same way that you will, from your perspective. Please write. We need your voice. It's nice to publish a book, and if you want to, you should pursue that goal. If you can’t find a publisher, you can do it yourself. But you don't need to publish a book for your writing to be worthwhile. In an age where the publishing industry is not going to publish as many of our books as we'd like, we can still write to bless others and develop our craft. For this reason, please keep writing. And share your writing so we can benefit from it too. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-434/ Last updated: 2025-02-22T10:00:25.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Be Still and Wonder](https://go.dashhouse.com/UBCc?ref=dashhouse.com) > We may indeed have spiritual issues to address. But our first solution may simply be this: open your eyes and ears and wonder at the world God made. [Pastor, You Can Endure: 5 Reminders for When Ministry Is Hard](https://go.dashhouse.com/UBBh?ref=dashhouse.com) > To endure, we need the right expectations about the work we’ve been called to. Don’t sugarcoat the hard. Don’t deny the punches. Face it honestly. [My Posture Toward Readers I’ve Disappointed](https://go.dashhouse.com/UBDB?ref=dashhouse.com) > The question isn’t whether you’ll let people down but how you’ll respond when it happens. [Divine Impassibility: Does God Feel Emotions Like We Do?](https://go.dashhouse.com/UBBZ?ref=dashhouse.com) > The doctrine of divine impassibility has fallen on hard times. > In this article, I aim to define, defend, and delineate why the doctrine of divine impassibility still matters for our worship and spiritual comfort. [A Half-Right Theology? Examining John Mark Comer’s View of God](https://go.dashhouse.com/UBBW?ref=dashhouse.com) > Though well intentioned, God Has a Name minimizes the results of centuries of theological reflection by Spirit-filled believers. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Church Planting or Revitalization?](https://go.dashhouse.com/UAqI?ref=dashhouse.com) > Church planting or revitalization? Both. Let’s pray that God raises up people with a burden for both kinds of work. ### Beyond Being with Jesus URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/beyond-being-with-jesus/ Last updated: 2025-02-18T10:00:19.000Z John Mark Comer's book, [*Practicing the Way*](https://amzn.to/41leBMc?ref=dashhouse.com), is getting a lot of attention right now, and I appreciate much of the discussion around it. I agree with a friend that merging insights from the spiritual formation movement (like those of John Mark Comer and Dallas Willard) with Reformed principles could be highly beneficial. While I appreciate a lot of what Comer writes, I'm cautious about his premise: “Be with Jesus. Become like him. Do as he did.” This sounds sacrilegious, but I believe that being with Jesus isn't enough to change us. Who could argue with the importance of being with Jesus? And yet, as a recipe for godliness, it falls short. By itself, it doesn’t deliver the transformation we need. If we are going to become like Jesus, we do need to be with him, but it's not enough to change us. Just look at those who were with Jesus and didn't change. Exhibit A is Judas Iscariot. He spent three years as one of Jesus' disciples, witnessed his miracles and teachings firsthand, and yet ultimately betrayed him. Judas never underwent a genuine transformation of the heart. Exhibit B is Jesus' family and friends from Nazareth. They spent a lot of time with him and witnessed his teaching and ministry, yet rejected him due to familiarity. Someone even tried to throw him off a cliff (Luke 4:16-30). His family thought he was crazy (Mark 3:20-21). Many of Jesus' followers initially loved him but turned back when they heard his challenging teachings (John 6:66). They found his teachings too difficult to accept. Exhibit C, and the most convincing example to me, is Jesus' disciples. They fled when he was arrested and crucified (Mark 14:50). They became courageous and were recognized for their association with Jesus (Acts 4:13), but this transformation only occurred after they received the Holy Spirit following Jesus' resurrection (John 20:22; Acts 2). Yes, we need to be with Jesus and abide in him, but being with Jesus isn't what causes us to become like him. We need more. We need the Holy Spirit in our lives. Proximity to Jesus doesn't guarantee transformation. Comer seems to imply that Jesus is a good example, and spending time with him will influence our behavior. The problem: we need more than a good influence! Sometimes I worry that our approaches to spiritual formation rely too much on our own efforts. When it comes to sanctification, our efforts are important, but they are insufficient. Our work without God’s work is not enough (Philippians 2:12-13). The message of the Gospels isn't that more time with Jesus will turn us into who we should be. The message is that even those who spend the most time with Jesus need a transformation beyond themselves. They need to be transformed by the Holy Spirit; only then will they live like the one they know so well. Being with Jesus isn't enough. We need more. We need the gospel. Never assume that simply being with Jesus will transform you into his likeness; even those who were nearest to him required something more—something that is readily available to each of us if we seek it. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-433/ Last updated: 2025-02-15T10:00:07.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [C.S. Lewis On The Danger Of Getting Too Much News](https://go.dashhouse.com/Ty-b?ref=dashhouse.com) > We’ve reached the stage now where we can hear of every new battle, every devastating famine, every natural disaster and celebrity scandal on the other side of the globe more quickly and easily than we can hear what is happening with our own neighbours in our own community. [Counselor, Consider Becoming Comfortable with Silence](https://go.dashhouse.com/Ty-Z?ref=dashhouse.com) > Counselors like to talk, but sometimes, we are at our best when we remain quiet. [Breaking Gender Stereotypes to the Glory of God](https://go.dashhouse.com/Ty-d?ref=dashhouse.com) > It’s okay to express your gender in ways that don’t fit neatly into our culture’s box. [The Hidden Value of Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/Tyl3?ref=dashhouse.com) > The church might be the most underrated and under-appreciated way to grow spiritually. I found three good articles on John Mark Comer’s writings this week: [What Would I Say to a Young Christian Reading John Mark Comer?](https://go.dashhouse.com/Ty-i?ref=dashhouse.com) > I was asked to give a pastoral and general take. Here it is. [‘Practicing the Way’ in the Church: Analyzing the Comer Option](https://go.dashhouse.com/Ty-q?ref=dashhouse.com) > The massive success and appeal of Comer’s Practicing the Way shouldn’t be a cause for alarm. Rather, it showcases a hunger in our cultural moment. [The Ruthless Elimination of Paragraphs](https://go.dashhouse.com/Ty--?ref=dashhouse.com) > The paragraph is more than a literary convention. It’s a way of thinking. ### Drastic Measures Against Sexual Temptation URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/drastic-measures-against-sexual-temptation/ Last updated: 2025-02-11T10:00:25.000Z When it comes to sexual temptation, Jesus doesn't hold back. > You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell. (Matthew 5:27-30) It's hard to read this passage without feeling shocked. Jesus uses two illustrations to show the drastic actions we need to take to avoid sin. We don't just need to avoid sinful actions; we need to avoid sinful thoughts too. Our concern with purity is so important that we must be ready to cut off parts of our bodies to deal with this sin. When Jesus talks about our right eye causing us to sin, he's talking about lust. When he talks about our right hand causing us to sin, he's talking about our actions. He mentions the right side because, typically, it's the most powerful. We must take drastic action to deal with both sinful thoughts and sinful actions. Of course, cutting off or gouging out parts of our body won't solve the problem of lust. Jesus explains where the real problem lies in Matthew 15:19-20: “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person.” In the end, the problem isn’t our eyes or our hands. It’s our heart. We need to take drastic action to deal with our hearts, beginning with our need for God’s transforming grace. Then we must take violent, decisive measures to deal with our temptations. It's better to face the inconvenience of drastic actions than to fall into sin and apostasy. We must take drastic action against anything that leads us into lust, because our spiritual lives and eternal destinies are at stake. Many men and women, including Christians, struggle with porn. Lust has become a way of life in our culture. Sexual temptation is everywhere, including on our phones and computers. This isn't new; sexual temptation has been around since the first century and before. Sometimes I worry that we don't take this sin seriously enough. We think we can manage it with half measures. Jesus' words are important in two ways. First, we must see what's at stake. Sexual temptation presents a real and present danger to our souls. We can't afford to take it lightly; we must take the threat seriously and not make peace with this sin. Of course, we must remember God's grace. No sin is beyond God's reach, and forgiveness is available to us when we fail. Still, we can't afford to take the sin of lust lightly. Jesus' words also show that we need extreme measures because of the seriousness of this sin. I heard one pastor say he's probably okay 95% of the time, but for that 5% when he's vulnerable, he's taken drastic measures with filters to make the possibility of sinful actions difficult. We need to take sin that seriously—no half measures. As John Owen said, “Be killing sin, or sin will be killing you.” Jesus’ words on this topic are worth meditating on. Sexual sin is serious, and half measures won't do. Let's commit to taking drastic action, even at great cost, to pursue godliness in this area. --- I led a workshop on Strength and Courage in Purity this past weekend at the [Free Indeed Conference](https://freeindeed.ca/?ref=dashhouse.com). If you're interested, you can download my workshop notes below. [Free Indeed Workshop Handout — Purityfree-indeed-workshop-handout-darryl-dash-final.pdf497 KBdownload-circle](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/files/2025/02/free-indeed-workshop-handout-darryl-dash-final.pdf "Download") ### Judgment! (Revelation 8:1-9:21) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/judgment-revelation-81-921/ Last updated: 2025-02-09T23:00:36.000Z **Big Idea:** If you don’t know Christ, repent because judgment is coming. If you do know Christ, rejoice because judgment is coming. --- What is the hardest part of Revelation? You would think that the hardest part of Revelation is understanding it. There are so many things that are hard to understand and interpret in Revelation. You have different interpretative grids: - Preterists, who interpret Revelation in relation to first-century events - Historicists, who see Revelation as a chronological description of church history from the first century to the end of time - Futurists, who see most events as happening in the future, just before Christ's return - Idealists, who emphasize spiritual lessons and principles rather than specific historical or future events - And then people who blend all of these views That’s not all. You also have different millennial views, what different numbers like 144,000 or 666 mean, how to interpret the symbolism we find in Revelation. But I would argue that, although all of these are hard, they are not the hardest thing about Revelation. Ian Hales suggests that this is the hardest part of Revelation: > I would argue that it's the reality of what many think is an overly harsh reaction on the part of God. > The greatest struggle that people tend to have, not only with this book, but with God in general, is what we see right here. The unrelenting display of divine wrath and judgment on the world of unbelievers and idolaters… It shocks people. They can't comprehend that God would do something like this… > It's a hard concept to wrap our minds around. I mean, what kind of a God does this to the world that he created? I agree. The most challenging aspect of Revelation is its harsh divine judgment, which conflicts with our understanding of God as loving. ## Introducing Revelation 8-9 We’re continuing our series through Revelation. Revelation reveals what’s really happening in the world. In Revelation, we get a view of Jesus who reigns over all. Human governments aren’t in control; God is, and he’s executing his judgments, delivering his people, and will one day welcome them into his eternal home. But today, we’re in the middle of the book, which is about God’s judgment. I want you to notice the repeated cycles of judgment in Revelation: - In Revelation 6:1-8:1 we have the seven seals - In Revelation 8:7-11:18 we have seven trumpets - In Revelation 15:5-16:21 we have seven bowls In each of these cycles, God brings his judgment on the world. In each of these cycles, there’s a similar pattern of seven: 4, followed by 2 with more detail, followed by 1\. With both the seals and the trumpets, you have a long interlude between the sixth seal and trumpet and the seventh. In other words, these seem to be parallel. Rather than seeing them as consecutive, one happening after the other, it seems that these are parallel, describing the same period but from different perspectives. They’re replays, as it were, showing the same thing from different perspectives, but each intensifying. Each shows us the same period, spanning from Christ's ascension to his glorious return. ## We Need Judgment! To really understand this passage, you have to understand how it piggybacks on an earlier story in the Bible. In the book of Exodus, God’s people were in captivity. Things kept getting worse for them, so they cried out to God for relief from their captives. We read: > During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew. (Exodus 2:23-25) This is an incredibly comforting passage. In response to the prayers of God’s people, God heard them. What did he do? God began to execute judgment against the Egyptians through plagues. Why did he do this? Three reasons: to reveal himself as God, to save his people, and to judge the wicked. He did this so Israel would know that he is God, and that Egypt would know that he is God. The plagues showed God's power over different parts of creation and challenged the authority of Egyptian gods. The plagues increased in severity. In the end, God revealed himself, saved his people, and judged the wicked. Why is this important as we look at Revelation 8 and 9? In the first five verses of Revelation 8, God’s people cry out to him for judgment: > And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. (8:3-4) God’s people cry out to God for relief in this wicked world. And just like in Exodus, their cry for rescue came up to God. And God heard their groaning, God remembered his covenant. God saw, and God knew. > Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. (8:5) And what does he do? He sends plagues. Seven angels sound seven trumpets of warning: - Trumpet 1 in 8:7 sends hail and fire on earth, and mirrors the seventh plague in Exodus in which God sends hail and fire on the earth (9:22–25). - Trumpet 2 in 8:8-9 turns water into blood, leading to the loss of a third of the sea creatures and a third of ships. It mirrors the first plague in Exodus, in which God turned the water into blood (7:14-19). - Trumpet 3 in 8:10-11 leads to water becoming contaminated and bitter, again mirroring the first plague in Exodus (7:14-19). - Trumpet 4 in 8:12 leads to a third of the light from the sun, moon, and stars being darkened. It mirrors the ninth plague in Exodus that made it pitch dark in Egypt (10:21-23). Then you get an eagle flying overhead in 8:13, saying, “Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!” In the Hebrew Scriptures, eagles often serve as powerful symbols of impending destruction. Here, the eagle signals that the final three trumpets are especially bad, and indeed they are. They’re universal, strike directly at unbelievers rather than the environment, and involve demons. - Trumpet 5 in 9:1-12 involves the abyss being opened, with demonic locusts tormenting people for five months. It parallels the eighth and ninth plagues in Exodus 10:12–15, 21–23. - Trumpet 6 in 9:13–19 involves demonic angels killing a third of mankind along with a massive hostile cavalry of 200 million horses, a thousand times the size of Rome’s army at the time. It results in the death of a third of humanity. God’s judgment is terrifying! The seventh trumpet comes later, but first we get an explanation for all of these plagues in verses 20-21: > The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts. The reason God sent these plagues was to get people to repent of their wickedness, but they didn’t. When we planted a church, we found that the people who were open to God had faced some kind of tragedy. Their lives had fallen apart. They had been shaken to the core, and so they looked to God for help. This is what these plagues were intended to do, but they clung stubbornly to their sin and missed out on the grace that could have been theirs. ## Three Lessons What do we learn from all of this? Three things. ### First, you need a category for God as judge. In this passage, we see an unrelenting display of divine wrath and judgment on the world of unbelievers and idolaters. The extent and intensity of what is described here shocks people. They can't comprehend that God would do something like this. Earlier on I quoted Ian Hales. He asked, “What kind of God does this to the world that he created?” Here’s his answer: “Only a holy God… He is perfect, he is righteous. There is no sin or evil in him. God is good… God is only good because God is just.” If you don’t have a category for God as a judge, you don’t have an accurate understanding of who God is. Can you see God as not just a Father and friend, but also as one who hates sin and will judge evil? Do you have a category for the wrath of God? A.W. Pink points out that there are more references in Scripture to the anger, fury, and wrath of God than to his love and tenderness. 2 Thessalonians 1 says that the Lord will appear “with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might” (2 Thessalonians 1:7–9). God will reveal his righteous judgment against sin. Our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29). Again, A.W. Pink says, “Our readiness or our reluctancy to meditate upon the wrath of God becomes a sure test of how our hearts really stand affected towards him.” If you don’t understand the holy wrath of a just God who judges sin, let me suggest that you don’t really understand God. Second lesson from this passage: ### If you do know Christ, rejoice, because judgment is coming. This passage tells us that God hears your prayers. Just as God heard the cry for rescue from slavery of his people in Egypt, just as he heard their groaning, remembered his covenant, just as he saw and knew, God hears your prayers as well and judges the world as a result of what you pray. Sometimes it feels like our prayers don’t matter. Don’t ever believe that. God is attentive "to his people who cry out to him for justice and relief… He is not too busy to pause and take note of their plight. And though his answer may seem a long time in coming, according to his own wise timetable, he will not neglect their cries” ([Buist M. Fanning](https://amzn.to/3WBUebb?ref=dashhouse.com)). As Jesus said: > Will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:7-8) Rejoice that God has heard your prayers, that he will judge evil, that he will set the world right, and that you are completely safe in him because your faith and hope are in Jesus. Third lesson: ### If you don’t know Christ, repent because judgment is coming. This passage has given you a clear view of God as the just judge who will judge all evil. It’s also given you a clear view of his intent: that you would turn from your sins and trust in Jesus and avoid the judgment that is still to come. God’s judgment will come. Why not change? Why not put your trust in a Savior who came to deliver you from your sins and from the judgment to come? Turn to him today and live. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-432/ Last updated: 2025-02-08T10:00:48.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [No, I Don’t Want AI to Write for Me](https://go.dashhouse.com/TcQn?ref=dashhouse.com) > Technology can help us become better writers. But we shouldn’t be leaning on it for the heavy lifting. [The Church’s Opportunity When ‘Gentle Parenting’ Crashes](https://go.dashhouse.com/TcQu?ref=dashhouse.com) > The church will have a major opportunity in the years ahead, as young people come of age having been raised under the philosophy of gentle parenting. [Gen Z, Fight ‘Brain Rot’ by Reading Books](https://go.dashhouse.com/TcQv?ref=dashhouse.com) > Readers are those who can turn the page of history. [‘Practicing the Way’ in the Church: Analyzing the Comer Option](https://go.dashhouse.com/TcQi?ref=dashhouse.com) > The massive success and appeal of Comer’s *Practicing the Way* shouldn’t be a cause for alarm. Rather, it showcases a hunger in our cultural moment, as well as an exciting opportunity for local churches to prioritize an old ecclesial emphasis—spiritual theology—in a new way. [Thank You Gracious Church Members](https://go.dashhouse.com/TcQj?ref=dashhouse.com) > Thank you for helping make my ministry a joy. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [The Simplicity and Difficulty of Pastoring](https://go.dashhouse.com/TcQS?ref=dashhouse.com) > Pastoring is both simple and complicated. ### Preserving Wonder URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/preserving-wonder/ Last updated: 2025-02-04T10:00:18.000Z I see the same problem throughout my life. It happened in my marriage. When I got married 34 years ago, I couldn't believe how blessed I was. I watched my bride walk down the aisle and thought I'd pulled off the greatest heist. A few years later, I still loved her but often focused on her shortcomings. It took me a while to realize that I needed to work at preserving my wonder that God had blessed me with such a great wife. God called me not to be her critic but to love her as Christ loved the church. The same happened with the first church I served. I look back now and realize how blessed I was to pastor that church. I was 24 years old and knew very little. They put up with my early sermons and inexperience. They gave me lots of room and loved and supported me. Pretty soon, I began to grow frustrated with how slowly the church was changing. I wished for faster growth and a bigger ministry, instead of being grateful for that church. I began to grumble and long for more. The worst is in my relationship with God. My wife isn't perfect, that first church wasn't perfect, but God is. I have absolutely no reason ever to grow dull with who he is and what he's done for me. I'll spend eternity eternally satisfied with him. I'll never get tired of gazing at his beauty and worshiping him for who he is and what he's done. But I have to admit that my heart sometimes grows cold to realities that should never cease to amaze me. It's easy to become spiritually dull at truths that cause angels to wonder. One of the greatest tasks in life is never to lose our wonder. Call it hedonic adaptation, call it sluggishness, call it what you will. It's our responsibility to appreciate the wonders around us by waking up each day and asking God to help us recognize and value the good gifts we have. I've recently enjoyed a few minutes where I've looked around and realized how much God has blessed me. If God never gives me more than he does right now, I am a very blessed man. I'm blessed to have my wife and family. I'm blessed to be part of a great church. I feel grateful to preach and be a pastor. I'm blessed with good health and many of the good gifts God has given me. It would be tragic to miss out on this while wanting more. J.R.R. Tolkien once noted that a lamentable trait of human nature is our quick discontent with what is good. That is one of the dangers we all face, especially as we get older. We stop being amazed by things that are, in the literal sense of the term, wonderful. May God give us the ability never to lose our wonder at things that should continue to amaze and make us grateful. ### Who Can Stand? (Revelation 7:1-8:5) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/who-can-stand-revelation-71-85/ Last updated: 2025-02-02T23:00:59.000Z **Big Idea:** God will preserve his own people, and they will enjoy his protection and presence forever. --- Canadian preacher [Darrell Johnson](https://amzn.to/4h2SPT6?ref=dashhouse.com) calls this chapter the most comforting of all the visions contained in the Bible. But you have to understand what he means when he says “comforting.” > I am using the phrase, “most comforting,” both in the modern sense of the word, “creating a state of well-being,” and in the original sense of the word, “fortifying for courageous action.” The English word comfort comes from the Latin com-forte: com means “with”; forte means “strength.” To comfort is to give strength in order to be and do what one ordinarily could not be or do. This chapter is designed for real people who are facing hard realities. It’s written for Christians who want to obey God, but are facing significant costs for doing so. When Christians face suffering and even death, they need comfort in both senses of the word. We need a state of wellbeing in the middle of discomfort and suffering. And we need fortitude to stay faithful even in the midst of incredible pressure to cave on what God has called us to do. ## What to Expect We are deep into our Revelation series. Last week we saw that God is executing his plans for the world through Jesus. Jesus is opening the seals, which means that Jesus is executing God’s plans for human history. He is worthy to do so because he conquered through his death and is now bringing his rule and reign into the world. That sounds good! But last week, we saw what God’s plans for history involve. Here’s what happens as Jesus opens the seals: we experience war, civil unrest, economic hardship and inequity, disease, death, and persecution. That’s what we can expect in this part of history, not because things are out of control, but because God’s plans for judgment and salvation are unfolding in the world. Don’t be surprised when you open the newspaper and things look bad. Don’t be surprised when you hear of wars and injustice and economic disparity and death. Don’t be surprised that Christians will suffer for their faith and die. We’ve been warned. Life will be hard. In this passage, God is setting expectations for what life will be like. But it gets worse! When we left off last week, Jesus had opened the sixth seal found in 6:12-17\. The sixth seal is so terrifying that the earth shakes, the sun darkens, the moon turns red, and the stars fall. The sixth seal borrows from Isaiah, Ezekiel, Joel, and Jesus to describe the final day of judgment (Isaiah 13:10; Ezekiel 32:7; Joel 2:31; Matthew 24:29). It’s so terrifying that people pray not to God but to mountains and rocks, begging them to fall and crush them. They’d rather die than stand before the holy and just wrath of the Lamb. Chapter 6 ends with the question, “The great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (6:17). That's a great question! Who can stand? Chapter 7 gives us the answer, and it’s a comforting one: God’s people can stand. Every single person who belongs to Jesus can stand in the middle of the suffering of this world and in the final judgment. **God will preserve his own people, every single one.** ## Two Comforting Truths Chapter 7 is an interlude. Chapter 7 comes after the sixth seal is opened and before the seventh seal is opened in the first five verses of chapter 8\. In chapter 8, the Lamb opens the seal, and there’s silence in heaven for half an hour before God answers the prayers of God’s people for justice by hallowing his name and judging the world. Chapter 7 is the interlude between the sixth and the seventh seal being opened, and it’s designed to answer the question, “Who can stand?” In response to this question, Revelation 7 gives us two comforting truths. ### First, God will preserve his people (7:1-8). Chapter 7 begins with the angels holding back the forces of judgment: > After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea… (7:1-2) Judgment is coming! Angels stand at the four corners of the world ready to unleash winds of judgment against the world. But something has to happen first. What has to happen? Verse 3 tells us: “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” Further judgment is delayed until the servants of God are marked for protection from coming judgments on earth. And then you have a list of those who are being marked for protection in verses 4 to 8: “And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel…” (7:4). And then you have all of these names in verses 5 to 8. What do these names represent? Who is included among the 144,000? This is what you’re here to figure out! Remember that numbers in Revelation are symbolic. Some people believe that this is a certain number of Jewish people at the end of history. I believe it’s probably a number that includes the 12 tribes of Israel, representing Old Testament saints, and the 12 apostles, representing the people of God in the new covenant. 12 times 12 is 144, and then you have this multiplied by 1000, signifying completeness. This is the perfect, complete number of God’s people, all of them secure. Here you have the complete people of God from both the Old and New Testament. Who will be marked for protection? All of God’s people, every single one. All of them will be kept safe. > This is the complete number of Old Testament saints who looked forward and put their faith in the Christ who was promised combined with those saints in the New Testament era who look back at the cross and resurrection and put their faith in Christ. This is the true Israel, the church across the ages. Everyone is accounted for. And they are all sealed for protection. ([Nancy Guthrie](https://amzn.to/4gdIwdA?ref=dashhouse.com)) If you look carefully at this list, you’ll notice a few anomalies. He rearranges the order. Judah comes before Rueben, even though Reuben is older. Why? Because Jesus came from the tribe of Judah. He also omits some names (Ephraim and Dan) and includes Joseph and Levi. None of this is accidental. “Something has happened in the coming of the Messiah that changes the nature of Israel” (Johnson). Who can stand? If you are in Jesus, you can. Take comfort! Just as Israel was sealed for protection in the final plague by the blood of a Passover lamb, just as some were marked for protection from God’s judgment in Ezekiel 9, you have been sealed by God for protection. No matter how bad the world gets, no matter how much war, civil unrest, economic hardship and inequity, disease, death, and persecution take place, you are safe. God will preserve his own people, every single one. What does it mean that you are sealed for protection? It doesn’t mean that you won’t suffer or even die for Jesus in this world. It does mean that God knows who are his (2 Timothy 2:19), and they do not need to fear the day of the wrath of the Lamb. You are sealed by him. Many believers struggle with doubts about their faith's endurance. You might find yourself questioning, "Can I keep holding onto God through all of life's challenges?" This passage answers: while you may feel tempted to let go of God, if you are truly in Christ, he will never let go of you. The Spirit's seal is your guarantee that your faith will persevere until the end. This truth is particularly powerful for believers worldwide who face severe persecution. Our spiritual perseverance doesn't depend solely on our own strength, but on God's faithful grip on us. What an incredibly comforting message for all believers, both in times of trial and in daily life. No one or nothing can take you away from Jesus. You are safe in him. As Charles Spurgeon once said, “Child of God, you cost Christ too much for him to forget you!” The church in Revelation needed to hear this. God will protect every single one of his people. Not one will be lost. Who can stand on the day of the wrath of the Lamb? Who can stand in the final judgment? They can, because they are sealed and safe in him. That’s the first comforting truth we need: God will protect and preserve his people. Every single one. Here’s the second: ### Second, they will enjoy the presence and protection of God forever (7:9-17). Not only do we not have to fear, but we have lots to look forward to. Verses 9 to 17 give us a different view of the same group of people. The first part of the vision says that we will be saved from his wrath; the second part says that the people of God will enter into the bliss of God himself. The first is a picture of God’s people on earth; the second is a picture of God’s people in eternity. They will enter the presence and protection of God forever. > After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:9-10) Here we get a vision of the same group of people. Instead of symbolic language (144,000), we get a description of the vast number of people from every nation, tribe, people, and language. They’ve not only been sealed and protected through judgment, but now they are standing before the throne and the Lamb. They’re clothed in white robes, symbolizing that through Jesus they have been purified from sin. They are waving palms, symbolizing their festive celebration before the Lamb. Remember the question at the end of chapter 6? “Who can stand?” The answer comes in verse 9 as these people stand before the throne and the Lamb without fear. True worshipers can stand! Their praise goes to God and the Lamb. Why? Because salvation belongs to them. They didn’t earn their salvation. It wasn’t what they did. It was all of God, and so God deserves all the glory. Then, in verses 11 and 12, you have angels joining the worship, ascribing seven attributes to God. And then in verses 13 and 14, you have the question asked and answered: who are these people? > Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Who are they? They are those who have come out of the great tribulation. Tribulation means “crushing pressure.” In Revelation 1:9, John called himself a partner in tribulation. I don’t think this passage is referring to a seven-year future time of heightened suffering. We’ll get to that later in Revelation. Here I think he’s referring to the tribulation that every Christian can expect to experience. Paul wrote, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). Same word. All of those who live godly lives in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution, tribulation. And here’s the good news. Every single one of God’s people will not only be preserved, but will stand before God and the Lamb worshiping him for his great salvation. We zoom to the end of history, to our future, to what we will one day experience: > Therefore they are before the throne of God, > and serve him day and night in his temple; > and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. > They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; > the sun shall not strike them, > nor any scorching heat. > For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, > and he will guide them to springs of living water, > and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” > (7:15–17) Who can stand on the day of judgment? If you are in Jesus, you can, because **God will preserve his own people, and they will enjoy his protection and presence forever.** No wonder Darrell Johnson says this is the most comforting vision in the entire Bible. > We are sealed—we are made secure, not safe. Not insulated. In the nature of things that is not possible. But we are secure. No one, nothing, can take us away from Jesus Christ; we are sealed by his Holy Spirit. The second scene tells us that on the other side of the crunch lies a new world, wherein we experience unrestricted intimacy with the center of the universe himself. Together the two scenes give us the strength and courage to not run from the suffering at the intersection of kingdoms, to not give up, to not compromise even in the face of death. If you are in Jesus, this is your hope. If you are not in Jesus, this can become your hope today as you turn in repentance and faith to him. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-431/ Last updated: 2025-02-01T10:00:50.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Weary Pastor, Look to the Shepherd](https://go.dashhouse.com/TQpR?ref=dashhouse.com) > Even shepherds are like sheep and need the Shepherd’s care. [My Framework vs. Single Bible Text](https://go.dashhouse.com/TQpD?ref=dashhouse.com) > When it is my entire framework versus a single text of Scripture, the text must always win. [Against Cremation](https://go.dashhouse.com/TQpK?ref=dashhouse.com) > Cremation, as far as this writer is concerned, is no sin. It is rather a risk, not for the person who has died, but for the rest of us. [Your Phone Habits Aren’t Just About You](https://go.dashhouse.com/TQpG?ref=dashhouse.com) > You’re not an island. Your phone habits are never just about you. Our digital choices reflect our priorities. Our online actions have downstream effects. [Go Get Her: To Men Delaying Marriage](https://go.dashhouse.com/TQpO?ref=dashhouse.com) > Brothers, awake to the wild glory of marriage. Awake to the glory of a wife. Stop just thinking about it, and go to it right merrily. [Reimagining Seminary as Neo-Monastic Cohorts](https://go.dashhouse.com/TQpC?ref=dashhouse.com) > Instead of expanding and extending an ever-widening array of options designed for convenience, what if seminaries considered alternative approaches designed for deeper, richer, spiritual formation, flowing from theological education suffused by worship in community? ### The Best Parts of Being a Pastor URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-best-parts-of-being-a-pastor/ Last updated: 2025-01-28T10:00:51.000Z I think I know the worst parts of being a pastor. One of them is the hurt that’s involved. Every pastor I know, at some point, experienced the relational pain that Paul describes in 2 Timothy. The other worst part is the sense of one’s own unworthiness. Godly pastors know how far they have to go in their own sanctification, and have a deep awareness of their need for grace and strength to carry out the tasks of ministry. I know the worst parts, but the best parts are too many to mention. It could be the joy of spending time in God’s word. I just spent the day working through two chapters of Scripture as I prepare to preach. In a couple of weeks, I get to stand in front of God’s people and share what I’ve learned and how it applies to us. It’s an awesome task, and I can’t believe I get to do it. It could be the privilege of seeing God at work in the lives of people. I get to walk with people and care for their souls. I see some of their deepest struggles as well as their growth. I get to love people. It never gets old to see how God works among the people I get to serve. It could be knowing that God uses me despite my weaknesses. Almost every week, I am deeply aware of how little I have to offer unless the Spirit helps me. I’m amazed that he so often uses what I have to offer. It’s a reminder that our confidence is not in our own abilities, but in the Spirit working through the word. It could be the hidden beauty of the church itself. It looks so ordinary at first. Occasionally, though, we get glimpses of what’s really going on. These are saints, the household of God, the temple of the Holy Spirit, “the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). Look carefully at the church, and you begin to see a beauty that eclipses any earthly thing. Any of these would make pastoring a privilege. The fact that pastors get to enjoy all of these is unbelievable. Just over a week ago, I visited a church in Mexico City. They were celebrating their seventh anniversary. I heard the story of how God worked in the heart of the pastor to start the church. I heard stories of God’s provision and of the ups and downs of ministry. I heard stories of how God is at work in people’s lives. I watched as people poured out their hearts in prayer, pleading for God’s blessing on the service. I watched people worship. We ate together and laughed at the end. It was ordinary, profound, and beautiful at the same time. We get to enjoy something similar every week. There are a few hard parts about pastoring, but so many corresponding blessings too. God is good to allow pastors to enjoy these blessings. ### What to Expect (Revelation 6) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/what-to-expect-revelation-6/ Last updated: 2025-01-26T23:00:02.000Z **Big Idea:** Expect to suffer in this world, and put your hope in Jesus. --- When we had our children, one of the most helpful books we bought was called [*What to Expect When You’re Expecting*](https://amzn.to/4azf0Oo?ref=dashhouse.com). Yes, they had this book even back then. It was such a helpful book to understand what was happening at every stage of the pregnancy. This passage could be titled “What to Expect as a Christian.” This chapter helps us understand what life in this world will be like. This chapter will help us have accurate expectations and deep understanding of life in this world until Jesus comes back. If you want to know what to expect in life, you need the message of this chapter. ## Introducing Revelation 6 We're now approaching the challenging sections of Revelation. This is the part you’ve been waiting for. Preachers often preach up until Revelation 5, and stop before they get to this passage. But we need this passage to help us understand what’s happening in the world today. Let me set the scene for you. John wrote Revelation in the mid-90s AD while exiled on Patmos, during a time when the Christian church was small and persecuted, and the Roman Empire was at its height. So far, in chapters 1 to 5, we’ve seen three things: - Chapter 1 peeled back the curtain of history and showed us that history isn’t what it seems. Chapter 1 gave us a vision of Jesus who reigns in heaven. - In chapters 2-3, we discovered that Jesus has a message for the church. Let me summarize the message: stay faithful to Jesus no matter what. Stay loyal to Him despite persecution, false teaching, wealth, or apathy. - Then in chapters 4 and 5, we get a vision of the throne room of heaven. God sits on his throne in glory, and only Jesus can unfold God's plan for the world, including history's unfolding and the final judgment. That’s where we are so far. Revelation 1 to 5 reveals Jesus as both the glorious Lord of his churches and the worthy Lamb who fulfills God's historical plan. And that brings us to chapter 6. ## Opening the Seals In Revelation 5, the question was, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” The scroll symbolizes God's sovereign plan for history, judgment, and redemption, which can only unfold once it is opened. So who will open it? Who has the moral authority and right to implement God’s plans for history? The response is clear: Jesus! Jesus alone qualifies because he perfectly fulfilled God's will and redeemed humanity through His death and resurrection. When Jesus takes the scroll, all heaven erupts in worship, recognizing his unique right to reveal and execute God's plans. Then in chapter 6, Jesus begins opening the seals, setting God's plans in motion. “Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals…” (6:1). And here’s what we find in chapter 6 in one word: judgment. Perfect judgment. There are seven seals. Seven represents perfection in Revelation, so seven seals signifies God's perfect judgment on the world. Revelation 6 tells us what we can expect as we live in this world. Let me pause here to say that there are different ways to interpret the timing of what we read. Some see them as events that happened in Roman times. Others view them as future events before Christ's return. Most likely, they represent patterns that occur throughout history between Christ's first and second coming. These seals symbolize historical events and patterns from Jesus' first coming to his return. This describes what we can expect from this world as we wait for Jesus to return. It’s the unfolding of God’s plan for this world at this time. What does it look like? Judgment. Specifically, three kinds of judgment in this chapter, which covers the first six scrolls. Here’s what we can expect: ### Expect Human-Caused Disasters (6:1-8) In verses 1 to 8, the Lamb opens the first four seals. As he does, one of the living creatures around the throne shouts, “Come!” This summons the riders of four colored horses. Remember, Revelation is highly symbolic. These horses come from Zechariah chapters 1:8-11 and 6:1-8\. They go out in all directions to the four corners of the world. The four living creatures constantly praise God in chapters 4 and 5, and also call for his judgment on the wicked world. Here are the first four seals that Jesus opens. They’re all disasters caused by humanity: - Military conquest (White Horse, 6:1-2) — Many have taken this rider to be Jesus. But it seems more likely, that as one of the four, that this rider represents military conquest. Here you have a conqueror ready to go out and conquer, which you know will lead to trouble. - War and bloodshed (Red Horse, 6:3-4), including conflict among nations. - Inflation leading to food scarcity, famine, and poverty (Black Horse, 6:5-6). Luxury items are untouched, but the necessities of life are out of reach due to excessive inflation. - Death (Pale Horse, 6:7-8), including widespread mortality and destruction What do you see in verses 1-8? The things we read about in the newspaper every day. You have cycles of human disaster - conquest leading to war, which causes economic crisis, ultimately resulting in widespread death. It's a pattern of how human suffering often unfolds in sequence. You see it all throughout history, including today. Expect it. Notice that these come at Jesus' command, not from God's enemies. These disasters are forms of God's present judgment on a rebellious world, not just his future judgment. Current world troubles aren't random or controlled by evil. Jesus allows limited judgments that both address rebellion and bolster believers' faith. As Nancy Guthrie [writes](https://amzn.to/4h5AlAO?ref=dashhouse.com): > Rather than seeing judgment only as something that will happen at the end of time, we need to see that even now a world that has rejected and rebelled against God is experiencing judgment. It’s not yet the final judgment. That’s coming, but this world is experiencing a measure of that judgment now. But that’s not all. ### Expect Persecution and Martyrdom (6:9-11) The fifth seal represents persecution: > When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been. Here you have a picture of Christians who have been martyred for their faith. They’re crying out to God for justice. While they wait for God’s ultimate justice, they’re given white robes, representing moral purity. But they’re also told to wait. God’s full justice for their deaths will come, but not yet. What’s this teaching us? We can expect to be persecuted. Not only will the world experience violence and bloodshed, but believers can expect to persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ. The period between Christ’s resurrection and return is characterized by turmoil in the world and the advance of the gospel, but the advance of the gospel will not go unopposed. This is happening. It’s estimated that, today, 13 believers will be killed for their faith. And tomorrow. And the day after that. That is what it means to live in this world at this time. There’s one more seal in this chapter: ### Expect Final Judgment (6:12-17) The sixth seal brings cosmic disturbances, signaling the imminent judgment and the end of the age. > …there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (6:12-17) Earthquakes. Cosmic disturbances. Utter terror, worldwide panic, and fear of God’s judgment. The world is usually orderly. From molecules to weather patterns to astronomical cycles, we understand a lot about how the world operates. But in verses 12 to 17, the natural stability that the world enjoys is interrupted. Heaven and earth begin to fall apart. But, as we see in verse 17, what’s most terrifying isn’t the disruption of the natural order. It’s standing before the wrath of the Lamb. As D.A. Carson says, “What sinners dread most is not death, but the unshielded presence of the glory of God.” John writes to a small, beleaguered group of churches in modern-day Turkey. They’re facing all kinds of pressure. The Roman Empire is pressing in. The church is small and it looks very fragile. John has a message for them from Jesus himself: It’s going to get worse before it gets better. God is judging the world, and history is going to look very rocky, with wars, violence, death, and martyrdom. But it’s not because God has lost control of the world. It’s because God is very much in charge of the world, and Jesus is opening God’s plan for the world, which involves God’s judgment and ultimately our salvation. This represents two thousand years of history, and we can expect it to continue until Jesus returns. ## So What? So what? What does this mean for us today? Three things. ### First: don’t be surprised when life is hard. Friends, it’s going to get worse before it gets better. Don’t be surprised when you open the newspaper and things look bad. Don’t be surprised when you hear of wars and injustice and economic disparity and death. Don’t be surprised that Christians will suffer for their faith and die. We’ve been warned. Read Matthew 24\. Read this passage. Life will be hard. In this passage, God is setting expectations for what life will be like. ### Second, it will be hard because God is just. Why is life hard? Not because God is absent but because God is just. I love how James Hamilton [puts it](https://amzn.to/408tW1b?ref=dashhouse.com): > If you love God’s glory, it offends you when people take the good gifts he has given and use them against him. If you love God’s glory, it offends you when people refuse to honor God as God and give thanks to him. If you love God’s glory, you want to see justice done. > If you love God’s glory, it will not surprise you that when Jesus takes control by laying his hands on the scroll in chapter 5, the wrath of God begins to fall in chapter 6\. It will not surprise you. It will satisfy you. God has been patiently storing up wrath for all these long ages. God has been allowing crimes and injustices and blasphemies and abominations for so long, and he has been tolerating such lies and calumnies to be spoken about him all these years. Revelation 6 promises that one day the wrath will begin to fall. The debt finally comes due. Justice will be done. The wicked will give account. The righteous will be avenged. God will be glorified in his justice. Why is history unfolding the way it is? Because God is on the throne, and his plan to bring justice in the world is unfolding. We are experiencing the consequences of the world’s rebellion against a holy and righteous God who will judge evil. Jesus compared them to birth pangs (Matthew 24:8): they’re not pleasant right now, but it’s a necessary process followed by what’s coming that will be very, very good. This means that we should cling to our future hope. Cling to Jesus. And tell as many people as possible about him so they can put their hope in him too. Don’t be surprised when life is hard. It’s hard because God is just. Finally: ### Expect that in Jesus, we can stand. In verse 17, the terrified people ask a very good question: “Who can stand?” There’s an answer that comes in the next chapter: those who are in Jesus Christ can stand. If you’re in Jesus, you don’t have to fear anything that can happen to you no matter how hard life gets. Evil may seem to be winning now, but Jesus — who already defeated evil through his death on the cross — will return to save His people and eliminate all opposition. So buckle up. God's judgment is unfolding through human history, but those who trust Jesus can stand firm knowing that they’re safe in him. **Expect to suffer in this world, and put your hope in Jesus.** ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-430/ Last updated: 2025-01-25T10:00:14.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [The Ministry of Small Things](https://go.dashhouse.com/TCWU?ref=dashhouse.com) > In the pursuit of meaningful service for Christ, oftentimes the little things are the big things. [The Greatest Beauty I’ve Ever Seen](https://go.dashhouse.com/TCWc?ref=dashhouse.com) > Truly, I have seen wonders more beautiful than tongue or scribe could ever tell. And yet none of this represents the greatest beauty I have ever seen. There is something more wonderful, still, something that delights my eyes and thrills my heart. [A Prayer Meeting Like That Does Not Scare The Devil](https://go.dashhouse.com/TCWm?ref=dashhouse.com) > So often the prayer requests highjack the prayer meeting to the point that no prayer actually happens. [Enough with the Valorization of Doubt!](https://go.dashhouse.com/TCWL?ref=dashhouse.com) > We’re never told to celebrate our doubts but to press through them toward a fortified faith on the other side. [Building a Stronger Prayer Life](https://go.dashhouse.com/TD85?ref=dashhouse.com) > Discover how to transform your prayer life from a daily struggle into a profound, joy-filled conversation with a Father who deeply cares about every detail of your life. [Let Me Get Home Before Dark: Wisdom to Help Pastors Finish Well](https://go.dashhouse.com/TCW5?ref=dashhouse.com) > McQuilkin didn’t fear the ‘dark spectre’ of death, and he put into words the cry of my heart: ‘But I do fear . . . that I should stain your honor, shame your name, grieve your loving heart.’ [A Fallen Pastor and His Restoration](https://go.dashhouse.com/TCWB?ref=dashhouse.com) > Can a fallen minister ever be restored to office? Are there certain sins that permanently disqualify a man from ministry? Or, can a fallen minister return to office after sufficiently proving genuine repentance and restoration, regardless of the sin? My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Anatomy of a Moral Failure](https://go.dashhouse.com/TEGi?ref=dashhouse.com) > Extraordinary gifts and a powerful ministry are no guarantee of future faithfulness. We can serve God with passion, take a courageous stand, and see results in our ministry, but we’re still in danger of failing. ### Intellectual Depth Matters in Ministry URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/intellectual-depth-matters-in-ministry/ Last updated: 2025-01-21T10:00:53.000Z I still laugh when I think about an exchange I had with a border guard. “Why are you entering the United States?” he asked. I told him I was attending a study group to learn more about the Bible. He then asked how long I'd been a pastor. When I said over 30 years, he replied, “What could you possibly have to learn about the Bible?” Knowing Scripture involves lots of study. It includes learning hermeneutics, languages, textual criticism, biblical theology, knowledge of the Ancient Near East, systematic theology, church history, and more. It would take a lifetime to master any one of these subjects. A degree in seminary provides the beginning of a good education in these subjects, but there’s always more to learn. No matter how much we master, there's always so much more to discover. Becoming a student of Scripture is a lifelong task. Some of us lived in an era in evangelicalism that emphasized knowing these disciplines, but also taught us to hide them. The thought was that the average person didn't have the appetite for the technical details of seemingly obscure topics. Sermons became more centered on relevance, and we hid our studies to make our sermons intensely practical. Along the way, we may have not only started to hide these topics in our sermons but also to have de-emphasized the importance of learning these disciplines. Not only did our sermons turn practical, but our pastoral preparation turned practical too. Why learn these disciplines if what really matters is what’s practical? It may be that a kind of weakness crept into our preaching and the ways we do ministry. The [recent appearance](https://go.dashhouse.com/T9HY?ref=dashhouse.com) of [Wesley Huff](https://go.dashhouse.com/T9Hp?ref=dashhouse.com) on Joe Rogan’s podcast signals a change. I never thought I would see the day when subjects like textual criticism would be covered on not only a secular podcast but one of the most popular podcasts in the world. Rogan and Huff geeked out on obscure topics that just a short while ago we tried to hide and perhaps even began to neglect. All of this points to a deeper reality: we dare not abandon the disciplines required to understand and preach God's Word just because they happen to be out of style at the moment, just as we shouldn't begin to pursue them because they are now in style. We need to know God's word. We need pastors and scholars to devote themselves to these subjects whether they're popular or not. Nobody will be able to master them all, but we should continue to learn as much as we can, and we should value them. We need to be ready to answer the deep questions that both believers and unbelievers will ask because falsehoods are circulating out there. We need to have a firm grasp of the truth and be ready to speak when required. I'm grateful for those who devote themselves to serious study. Some of it may lurk in the background for years, but in a key moment, it will help to have a firm grasp of certain topics when they become relevant to a question being asked. Don't hide these disciplines; devote yourself to them. Resist the urge to dumb down our knowledge of the faith. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-429/ Last updated: 2025-01-18T10:00:38.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [What Are Your Plans For This Year?](https://go.dashhouse.com/T3of?ref=dashhouse.com) > I have no plans. > And yet God… [The Radiance of Real Holiness](https://go.dashhouse.com/T3p4?ref=dashhouse.com) > When we encounter sanctity, we’re drawn not to the saint but to the Savior. [iPhones, Idolatry, and Evil Spirits](https://go.dashhouse.com/T3or?ref=dashhouse.com) > If Satan wanted to invent a way to steal our attention, render our awareness of God obsolete, and control the message we live by, could he do any better than the intensely addictive iPhone and the algorithms that control what we encounter? [The Pleasure That Defeats Pornography](https://go.dashhouse.com/T3pC?ref=dashhouse.com) > The Bible uses fear and hope to draw us away from impurity. [The Lost Art of Preaching to the Heart](https://go.dashhouse.com/T3oE?ref=dashhouse.com) > The most faithful, fruitful, and transformational kind of preaching is aimed not primarily at the head or the hands, but at the heart—what we’ll call “affectional preaching.” [Sermon Prep: Not How Long, But Where?](https://go.dashhouse.com/T3oM?ref=dashhouse.com) > There will always be debates and opinions on preaching, but I’ve learned that good preaching rarely happens only in a study. ### Thankful in All Seasons URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/thankful-in-all-seasons/ Last updated: 2025-01-14T10:00:22.000Z There are a lot of things that I struggle with in winter. I don't love the cold. I don't love the gray skies. Most of all, I find myself struggling with the shorter days. I really miss sunlight during winter. For years, I've grumbled about winter. I've even joked that we all get one season to complain about, and I've chosen winter. If I'm honest, my complaining begins in September, as the first signs of fall come, and ends in May, when I see the first glimpses of spring. But this year, I've changed. I've been challenged about my attitude. It doesn't seem right to grumble throughout a good portion of the year that God has given us. If I complain about winter, I'm really grumbling for at least three, but probably more months of the year. This year, I've tried to change my attitude. Three things have helped. First, we happened to visit Lake Tahoe. Tahoe is an alpine paradise. It was cold, but we loved it. I began to see how beautiful winter could be as we hiked and saw the natural beauty of the area. It gave me a reset to begin noticing things that I overlooked because of the difficulty of winter, things that are really beautiful about the season I disliked. We ended up in Tahoe somewhat randomly, and I take this as a gift from God. He allowed me to experience something that would reset my expectations of winter. Second, I began to read a book called [*How to Winter*](https://amzn.to/40chgGr?ref=dashhouse.com). It's written by somebody who used to hate winter but has reframed how they see it and now enjoys it. I haven't completed the book, but I've absorbed the main point: there are many things to enjoy about winter, and if we choose to focus on the negative, we'll never get to enjoy the things that are legitimately good. This book has been helpful for me. We have a choice about what we notice, and my choice to grumble is neither honoring to God nor helpful for myself. Most importantly, I felt convicted. Scripture tells us to give thanks in all things (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Is it right for me to spend a good portion of my life complaining about something that God has given me? I began to wonder if my complaining was sinful. At the very least, my attitude of grumbling doesn't reflect a heart that’s grateful to the Lord for his many good gifts, including the gift of winter. This year, to my surprise, I've actually begun to enjoy winter. Driving home on Saturday night, it was cold and gray and slushy. The roads were slippery. Char and I got talking about how in just a few months, it would be broad daylight at the time that we were driving in the dark. And yet, I caught myself enjoying the moment. God has given us many good gifts, and even ones that we at first don't enjoy are still full of blessing if we choose to embrace them. And so finally, after many decades, I'm slowly learning to give thanks even in winter. It is indeed one of God's gifts. ### Our Greatest Need (Revelation 4) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/our-greatest-need-revelation-4/ Last updated: 2025-01-12T23:00:10.000Z **Big Idea:** Our greatest need is to know God, love God, delight in God, and make much of God. --- We have something in common, you and I. We want to know what truly matters in life. We aim to build our lives around something meaningful, something that will endure. We don't want to reach the end of our lives and realize we wasted them chasing things that don't matter. But that's not all. We want the same for our kids. We want to steer them away from distractions and dangers. We hope they invest their lives in what really matters, maybe even more than we do ourselves. We want our kids to pursue what is most important. Let me expand this vision further. As we begin a new year as a church, we need to focus on what matters most. It's easy for a church to get distracted by things that aren't important. This will only become harder as we face struggles, judgment, opposition, and obstacles. So let me ask you: What will keep us focused on what matters most? What will keep our kids focused on what matters most? And what will keep our church focused on what matters most? Well, this chapter of Revelation provides a clear answer. We need a vision of God who sits on his throne. And that’s exactly what this chapter gives us. This chapter gives us what you, your children, and our church needs most. This chapter gives us a vision of God who sits on his throne, and if we get this vision too, it could change our lives forever. ## Revelation So Far For the past few months, we've been studying the book of Revelation. Today, we're picking it up again after a break over Christmas. Revelation was written by John, the beloved disciple of Jesus, who also authored the Gospel of John and the three letters (1st, 2nd, and 3rd John). He wrote it in the mid-90s on the island of Patmos. It was addressed to a group of 1st-century churches in the Roman province of Asia, which is now called Turkey. However, it has a message for churches everywhere. At the time this book was written, the church was small and outnumbered, while the Roman Empire was very powerful. In Revelation 1, we get a vision of Jesus Christ. It's like the curtains of heaven are pulled back, and we get a view of Jesus Christ, our exalted and conquering Lord. And then in chapters 2 and 3, Jesus writes to seven churches, which represent churches in all times and all places. He has a message for these struggling churches. These churches have all kinds of strengths and struggles. He encourages them, confronts them with challenges, and calls them to be faithful. ## A Vision of God But now Revelation shifts. Jesus has spoken to his churches, but in chapter 4, John receives a second vision. And what is the vision that John receives? He receives a vision of God who sits on his throne. It's a vision that continues into chapter 5\. It's an adoration ceremony where John sees God in his glory. He witnesses the indescribable majesty and transcendent glory of God. Although John is in Patmos, he's transported to the throne room of heaven and gains a completely different perspective on what's happening in the world. Christians are not just a small minority; God rules from heaven, and his people are safe. John catches a glimpse of God's majestic presence, and this changes everything. In many ways, what happens in chapter 4 is similar to what’s happened before: - to what Moses witnessed in Exodus 34, when the Lord made his goodness pass before Moses and proclaimed his name to him; - to what Isaiah saw in Isaiah 6 when he saw “the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple”; - to what Ezekiel saw in Ezekiel 1 when, while in Exile in Babylon, he says, “the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God” (Ezekiel 1:1); - or to what Daniel saw in Daniel 7:9 when “thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat.” What do all these appearances of the glory of God have in common? The answer is they all happened when things looked bleak. Moses saw God's glory when the covenant was in danger after the people had sinned. Isaiah saw God's glory during a time of political turmoil, when the king died, the nation was on decline, and powerful nations were rising. Ezekiel and Daniel both saw visions of God's glory while in exile. Now, John sees a vision of God's glory when the church is small and struggling, and he himself is in exile. What do God's people need most when things look bleak? They need a vision of the glory and majesty of God. We’re not that different. As we’re struggling, as our lives unfold, the same realities that were true back then are true of us today, and we need these realities. As James Hamilton says: > You are surrounded by the glory of God. God is revealing himself in glory to you right now as we consider what chapters 4, 5 show us about the Creator and Redeemer. God reveals himself to you in his creation, which reflects his glory, and God reveals himself in a uniquely precise way in the Bible that he inspired. With the glory of God in creation all around you and with the Bible before you, you are surrounded by God’s glory. Drink it in and pray that God will set you free from the world’s idolatry, immorality, and godless way of interpreting life. Revelation 4 shows us four things. ### First, we see what’s happening right now. > After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” (4:1) This vision takes place while John is in Patmos. While he's in exile, he gets a picture of what's going on at that very moment in heaven. He gets a glimpse of what’s really going on in the world despite all appearances to the contrary. While on a rocky island in the Mediterranean Sea, Jesus pulls back the curtain, opens a door, and gives John a picture of what’s happening right now. ### Second, we see a glimpse of God’s glory. “At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne” (4:2). John sees two things: a throne standing in heaven and someone sitting on it. The throne represents the place from which the whole universe is ruled. Right away, we're comforted. Sometimes it looks like the throne of the universe is unoccupied, that things are in complete chaos. Someone has said it often feels like headquarters is vacant, that there's nobody in control, and that the powers of chaos, evil, and death are in charge. But John sees there is a throne. There is a place of power and authority over the entire universe. And it's not in Rome. The emperor's not sitting on it. The throne is in heaven. Heaven is the place of authority and power. But even better, we then read that there is someone sitting on the throne. Like Ezekiel in Ezekiel 1:26 or Isaiah in Isaiah 6, we get a glimpse that there is someone on the throne, someone who looks like a human being seated on it. And it's good news indeed for all of us. Heaven’s throne isn’t vacant. No power in this world is ultimately in charge. Someone much better is ruling over heaven and earth. But in verse 3, we don't get details of who is sitting on the throne right away. Instead, we see images of precious and beautiful gems. Why mention all these gems? Because they show the impressive value and beauty of what they describe. The one seated on the throne is surrounded by precious stones and the halo of a rainbow. It brings to mind the vision of Ezekiel 1:26-28: > And above the expanse over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance. And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him. Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. You get the sense that John has no words to describe the indescribable glory of God. He gives us an indirect vision of God. God is so sovereign and beautiful as he sits on his throne that we get hints of his beauty and glory. This vision shows us that God, who reigns over all, is inexpressibly glorious and beautiful. The throne is filled with beauty, transcendence, and the magnificent glory of God. ### Third, we see that God surrounded by heavenly beings. > Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. > And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night… (4:4-8) in verses four to seven. Twenty-four elders occupy thrones around God's throne, and they continually praise God and the Lamb. They wear white garments, symbolizing purity and holiness. Their golden crowns show their high status. John doesn't tell us who they are, and there are many interpretations about them. We don't know if they're angelic or human. We can't be sure if they represent Old Testament saints (the twelve tribes of Israel) plus New Testament saints (the twelve apostles) — the entirety of God’s people from all ages. John describes them but doesn't specify their identity. It's possible they are heavenly beings representing God's people, part of God's heavenly army. In verses five and six, we see flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and fiery torches, reminding us of God’s awesome presence at Mount Sinai. There is something like a glass sea—a gleaming translucent floor stretching out in front of God's throne. It's an amazing picture. Then in verses six and seven, we see four living creatures covered with eyes in front and back. This image comes from Ezekiel 1\. They form the innermost circle around God himself. They surround God, offering worship and service to him, guarding his purity and holiness. It's an astounding picture. We see God in all his glory, surrounded by heavenly beings, all within a context of indescribable glory. ### But then we that God is worthy of worship. They praise God for two things. In verse 8, they praise God for his holiness. > “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, > who was and is and is to come!” And in verse 11, they praise him for His creation of all things. > Worthy are you, our Lord and God, > to receive glory and honor and power, > for you created all things, > and by your will they existed and were created.” Why is God worthy of being praised? Because He is holy, holy, holy. This threefold repetition drives home His uniqueness. There's nobody like him. He's incomparable. He is the eternal, self-existent One who controls history from beginning to end. He is the One revealed in Isaiah 6:2-3\. He is the glorious, omnipotent, eternal God. But that's not all. He's also the creator of all things. The God we worship is the God who made everything. It is only right for us as creatures to offer our praise to God because everything was made by Him. Creatures who are utterly dependent on God's gifts must bow before our Creator's praise. And so it's only right in verse 10 that the 24 elders fall down before Him who is seated on the throne and worship Him, casting down their crowns before Him. The vision we see in this passage is amazing. It looks like the world is out of control and hopeless, but John shows us what he sees. The throne in heaven is occupied by a great and glorious God in his majestic and transcendent beauty. He's attended by heavenly beings who witness to the grandeur of his kingdom. He's surrounded by crowns, light, rainbows, lightning, and thunder, which help us understand the immensity of his glory. He is worshiped and adored because he has ultimate authority and control over all creation. He is worthy of our trust and devotion. He is worthy of our worship. He's glorious and beautiful beyond description and infinitely holy. ## Why It Matters What is the point of this vision? Why is Revelation chapter 4 so important for us? The reason is that it gives us a perspective we need but don't usually see. It's easy to build our lives around what we see with our eyes. It's easy to think the world is out of control and our lives are random. When things are hard, it's easy to stop believing in God and doubt if he's real. Then Revelation 4 comes along and shows us what's really happening in this world. God occupies the throne of heaven. He is infinitely beautiful and glorious. He is the center of all creation and is worshiped by angelic beings. There is nobody like Him. Nobody deserves our allegiance or worship other than Him. There's nobody worth building our lives around other than him. When we struggle or are tempted to build our lives around lesser things, this is the vision we need. Friends, what we need most is a picture of God in His glory on the throne. We need to see that the throne of heaven is occupied by one who is great and glorious, that things are not as they seem. There is one who is worthy of worship and praise, who was in charge of all history and is worth building our lives around. We need a right view of God. We need to see Him in His majesty, sovereignty, and goodness above everything else that exists. We need to bow before Him in worship and understand that there's absolutely nobody like Him. When we see this, it changes everything. As Ian Hales says, “We need to look behind the heavenly curtain in order to persevere through the earthly chaos.” Seeing God will change your life. When you see God as He is through John's eyes, you will realize that He's worthy of praise and worship. When you see Him, you will embrace His son, Jesus, who was slain and rose from the dead to save people from their sins and bring us into a relationship with this holy God. When you see God as He is, you will worship Him because He is worthy. We have something in common, you and I. We want to know what truly matters in life. Revelation 4 shows us what really matters in life. We need a vision of God who sits on his throne. It will change our lives when we get a glimpse of the glory of God. To paraphrase [Kevin DeYoung](https://amzn.to/40eRcf7?ref=dashhouse.com), what we need most is a vision of the God who is holy, independent, and unlike us — a God who is good, just, full of wrath, and full of mercy. We need a vision of God who is sovereign, powerful, tender, and true. We need a vision of God with edges, an undiluted God who makes them feel cherished and safe, and small and uncomfortable too. We need a vision of God who works all things after the counsel of his will and for the glory of his name. Give them a God, whose love is lavish and free, who is worthy of wonder and fear, a God big enough for all our faith, hope, and love. Do you have that? Our greatest need is to know God, love God, delight in God, and make much of God. See God in his glory. Come to him through his Son. And worship him! ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-428/ Last updated: 2025-01-11T10:00:48.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [How I Am Getting My Mind Back This Year](https://go.dashhouse.com/Si3s?ref=dashhouse.com) > Stop letting information, data, and technology lead you. Become human again. [What Does the Bible Say About Remarriage?](https://go.dashhouse.com/Si3r?ref=dashhouse.com) > Less than we hope, it turns out, when it comes to remarriage after a divorce. [Three Errors to Avoid With Your Bible Reading Plan](https://go.dashhouse.com/Si3g?ref=dashhouse.com) > Hearing from God is incredibly important, so I hate to see someone become discouraged in their attempt to start reading the Bible. To help out, I want to give three errors that I commonly see when folks start their Bible reading plan. [Is Eastern Orthodoxy the Next Big Thing for Young Men?](https://go.dashhouse.com/Si43?ref=dashhouse.com) > Evangelical Christians can learn from recent trends. Here are a few takeaways. [Why Preaching Requires a Human Touch](https://go.dashhouse.com/Si3z?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are some of the reasons that I think AI will have a negative impact on those who use it for their sermons. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [What It Takes to Learn to Preach](https://go.dashhouse.com/Shdm?ref=dashhouse.com) > Becoming an effective preacher requires more than just seminary training. It demands years of experience, carefully chosen influences, and an unwavering trust in God’s word. ### Ready for Turmoil URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/ready-for-turmoil/ Last updated: 2025-01-07T10:00:22.000Z Are you ready for what's coming? 2025 is expected to be a turbulent year. We have a change in government in the States that promises to be disruptive. World events are not very encouraging. It feels like our societal fabric is falling apart. Pick up the news, and things are anything but stable or ordinary. [George Friedman](https://amzn.to/4gD224j?ref=dashhouse.com) believes we are experiencing an unprecedented convergence of two significant historical cycles in American history. The first is an 80-year cycle of significant institutional and political changes, similar to those seen during the Revolutionary War, Civil War, and World War II. The second is a 50-year cycle that influences social and economic changes, such as the rise and fall of social classes and economic systems. These cycles are expected to peak in the late 2020s, causing disruption but ultimately leading to renewal. Even if Friedman’s theories aren’t correct, it’s not hard to guess that the next few years will be tumultuous. Buckle up. Are you ready? You can be. Psalm 90 is a prayer of Moses, and it makes two main points. **First, it reminds us that our lives are short, fleeting, and difficult.** Tough times are nothing new. We can expect to live in hard times. The reality is our lives are short and difficult. We shouldn't be surprised by tumultuous times; we should expect them. > You return man to dust > and say, “Return, O children of man!”… > You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, > like grass that is renewed in the morning: > in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; > in the evening it fades and withers. > For we are brought to an end by your anger; > by your wrath we are dismayed. > You have set our iniquities before you, > our secret sins in the light of your presence. > For all our days pass away under your wrath; > we bring our years to an end like a sigh. > The years of our life are seventy, > or even by reason of strength eighty; > yet their span is but toil and trouble; > they are soon gone, and we fly away. > Who considers the power of your anger, > and your wrath according to the fear of you? > (Psalm 90:3, 5-11) Bottom line: life is short and hard. We shouldn’t be surprised when life’s difficult. It was in Moses’ time, and it’s the same today. Don't expect to live your best life right now. That’s not how life works in this broken world. Crazy times are normal until Jesus comes again. **Second, it reminds us where we can find our hope in difficult times.** But Psalm 90 isn't a discouraging psalm. Although it teaches us what life is like, it's also a psalm of great confidence. The reason why is that Moses sees God for who he is. > Lord, you have been our dwelling place > in all generations. > Before the mountains were brought forth, > or ever you had formed the earth and the world, > from everlasting to everlasting you are God. > (Psalm 90:1-2) Because of this vision of God, he’s able to pray for God’s help even when life seems out of control: > Return, O LORD! How long? > Have pity on your servants! > Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, > that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. > Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, > and for as many years as we have seen evil. > Let your work be shown to your servants, > and your glorious power to their children. > Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, > and establish the work of our hands upon us; > yes, establish the work of our hands! > (Psalm 90:13-17) Look at what’s happening here, and you’ll be discouraged. Look heavenward, and you can hope, even when things look crazy. Although our lives are fleeting, God is eternal and in control. And so Moses is able to turn his attention to God, to plead for his mercy. Moses finds his hope not in how well life is going on earth, but in how well God is reigning in heaven. I'm convinced that God's people prosper most when circumstances in the world are at their worst. It's going to be a difficult year. It may be a difficult few years. We must keep our attention on the Lord and not on things of this world. Are you prepared for the turmoil? We can be. Our hope is in the Lord, and that is a very good reason to hope, even when the world is going crazy around us. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-427/ Last updated: 2025-01-04T10:00:52.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [How Healthy Is Your Soul?](https://go.dashhouse.com/SSdE?ref=dashhouse.com) > To get started, we might focus our attention on six of the most important areas of the Christian life: our heart, our habits, our hope, our enemies, our friends, and our neighbors. [The Best Seats at Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/SSdP?ref=dashhouse.com) > The subject of seating doesn’t sound very spiritual. But Jesus tells us it is. [Forget New Year's Resolutions. Do This Instead.](https://go.dashhouse.com/SSdg?ref=dashhouse.com) > I think a better way to grow is with a monthly dashboard. [Five Vows I Have Made](https://go.dashhouse.com/SSdl?ref=dashhouse.com) > This morning I opened the front cover of my Bible to review five vows that I made back in 1988. [What Does the Bible Say About Divorce?](https://go.dashhouse.com/SSd8?ref=dashhouse.com) > The Bible says much less than we want it to say on divorce and remarriage. And for that reason, divorce and remarriage require deep pastoral wisdom on the basis of what the Bible says about them. [Why Trying to Craft Perfect Sermons Will Lead to Pastoral Burnout](https://go.dashhouse.com/SSdI?ref=dashhouse.com) > One of the biggest threats to long-term effectiveness in pastoral ministry is burnout, and one of the biggest threats to burnout is perfectionism tendencies in sermon preparation. My column at [Gospel for Life](https://go.dashhouse.com/SSdu?ref=dashhouse.com): [Finding Your Rhythm in Bible Reading: A Beginner's Guide](https://go.dashhouse.com/SScS?ref=dashhouse.com) > Reading the Bible consistently will transform your life. Here's how to get started. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-426/ Last updated: 2024-12-28T10:00:09.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [The Collected Best Christian Books of 2024](https://go.dashhouse.com/SMOn?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are the ones that appeared repeatedly and, in a more subjective sense, seemed to generate the most positive buzz throughout the year. [Best of 2024: The Rise of Hyperpleasures](https://go.dashhouse.com/SMPC?ref=dashhouse.com) > Hyperpleasures, then, are not new. What is new, however, is the broadening of our hyperpleasures with the rise of our technological advances in the 20th and 21st century. [When the Growing Is Slow](https://go.dashhouse.com/SMPP?ref=dashhouse.com) > So as I sit by the Christmas tree that is now growing old, thinking about the year to come, I don’t have to be discouraged about slow growth. [It Is We Who Must Be Bent](https://go.dashhouse.com/SMOu?ref=dashhouse.com) > We must always pray that we would conform ourselves to the Word rather than conforming the Word to ourselves. ### Echoes of Jesus (Ruth 4) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/echoes-of-jesus-ruth-4/ Last updated: 2024-12-22T23:00:20.000Z **Big Idea:** God works through seemingly impossible circumstances and sacrificial love to bring redemption through a baby who is born in Bethlehem. --- On the morning of September 20, 1931, three English professors in their 30s walked along Addison’s Walk at Magdalen College, Oxford. You’ve probably heard the name of two of them: 32-year-old C. S. Lewis, who later wrote *The Chronicles of Narnia*, was friends with 39-year-old J.R.R. Tolkien, who later wrote *The Lord of the Rings*. On the walk, they talked about love and friendship. Lewis believed that religious stories like Christmas were human inventions, similar to pagan myths. Tolkien helped him see things completely differently. All other stories reveal longings that are fulfilled in the true story of Jesus. These stories were "good dreams" sent by God to prepare humanity for the true story of Christ. The Gospel fulfills the deep longings expressed in all these other stories. All other stories point toward and find their ultimate meaning in Christ's story. Jesus's story is the actual object, while other stories are mere reflections in mirrors. Similar themes appear in stories from different cultures and times because they all reflect the ultimate truth found in Christ. On September 28, 1931, just eight days after discussing Christ as the true myth with Tolkien, Lewis fully embraced Christ's divinity. Hear the key insight that changed the life of C.S. Lewis: every great story points to a deeper, more significant story. Themes like sacrifice, renewal, and love overcoming death recur because they reflect the greatest story ever told: the true story of Jesus. His story isn't just another beautiful myth; it's the historical reality that all other stories point toward. This is exactly what we discover in the book of Ruth. ## Ruth’s Story For the past few weeks, we’ve been looking at the story of Ruth in the Bible. It’s an amazing story. During a difficult time in Israel's history, Naomi lost her husband and two sons while living in Moab during a famine. When she decided to return to her homeland of Bethlehem, one of her widowed daughters-in-law, Ruth, refused to leave her side, famously declaring “Where you go, I will go; your people will be my people, and your God my God.” Upon arriving in Bethlehem, Ruth showed incredible initiative by gleaning leftover grain in the fields to support herself and Naomi, catching the attention of a wealthy landowner named Boaz, who just happened to be a relative of Naomi's late husband. Impressed by Ruth's devotion to Naomi and her strong character, Boaz began secretly protecting her and ensuring she had plenty to gather. Following Naomi's clever matchmaking scheme, Ruth made a bold midnight visit to the threshing floor where Boaz slept, essentially proposing marriage by asking him to “spread his cloak” over her — a cultural symbol for marriage and protection — leading to where we are in the story as we look at Ruth 4. This is an incredible story! It’s a story that relates to Christmas in a few ways. It happens in Bethlehem, and it all hinges on a baby who will be born who changes everything. But that’s not all. It’s also a story that echoes the greatest story ever told. ## Three Echoes of a Better Story In Ruth 4, we come to the end of this amazing story. Even better, we see how this story points to the story of Christmas in three ways. The gospel shows up over and over in this chapter in ways that show us what Jesus did at Christmas. We find three echoes of a better story in the story of Ruth. First: ### Ruth’s story is an echo of how God overcomes the obstacles that stand in the way of our redemption (4:1-6). Last week, we ended on a bit of a cliffhanger. Ruth proposed to Boaz, and he agreed to marry and redeem her. But there's a wrinkle. In chapter 3:12-13, he said: > And now it is true that I am a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I. Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, as the LORD lives, I will redeem you. We're left wondering, what's going to happen? Will this man come through and redeem her? If so, what will he be like? What happens to Boaz, who seems to be God's answer to her needs? In the first six verses of chapter four, we find the answer. In the morning, Boaz went to the gate and met this close relative. In the presence of the elders, he told him about the opportunity to buy back the land that belonged to their relative. The man agreed to redeem it. But then Boaz added an extra detail: the land came with Ruth the Moabite, the widow. He would have to perpetuate the name of her dead husband in the inheritance. That was too much for him. The redeemer said he didn't want to proceed with it. In verse 6, he said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.” This possible redeemer has his own interests at heart, not the interests of Ruth. You can feel the tension. What if this man had chosen to redeem Ruth? It would have ruined everything! This seems like a small detail, and yet it’s actually what provides so much of the suspense in the book of Ruth. Everything was at stake. Everything was at risk of completely falling apart. And so it is with Christmas. We’re taking a break from preaching through the book of Revelation right now. We’re going to get to this in a few months, but Revelation 12 contains a version of the Christmas story. A woman — representing the people of God — gives birth to “one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron,” meaning Jesus (Revelation 12:5). But “a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems” — representing Satan — stood before the woman as she gave birth trying to devour it. As I say, we’re going to get to this, but for now, just realize that even though we sing “Silent Night, Holy Night,” in one sense, it was anything but that. All hell was at war trying to destroy the Messiah and God’s people. From Genesis 3 on, Satan has opposed everything to do with your salvation over and over again. But God has overcome every obstacle standing in the way of the birth of the Messiah and your salvation. Satan has tried everything he can to foil the unfolding of God’s plan, but God has no equal. Just as God saw to it that Ruth was redeemed by Boaz, God will see to it that his people are redeemed despite all obstacles. God will overcome every obstacle that stands in order to save us. He did this with Ruth, and he has done this with Jesus. But that’s not all. ### Ruth’s story is an echo of Jesus’ sacrificial love (4:7-12). In verses 7 to 12, Boaz demonstrates his love by choosing to redeem Ruth. The closer relative, who could have been a redeemer, didn’t act as redeemer because he wanted to protect his interests. In contrast, Boaz isn’t concerned about protecting his interests. He gives himself selflessly to redeem Ruth. He attested to his intentions using the customs of the day, witnessed by the elders at the gate. He gave himself selflessly to redeem someone who had no options, a Moabite, not out of self-interest but out of love. And it resulted in blessing. The elders pronounce a threefold blessing on Ruth: > We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem, and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the LORD will give you by this young woman. (Ruth 4:11-12) Three blessings: two that bless this Moabite woman with fertility so she could play a role in the establishment of a significant family line in Israel; a line that would contribute to the tribe from which the Messiah would come. Remember: Ruth was a foreigner. She’d been married for years before. Against the odds, even as an outsider, they wanted her to play a role in the story of Israel, a story that would lead to the coming of the Messiah. But not only that, they also prayed that Boaz’s name would be renowned. God gave this blessing. “So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son” (Ruth 4:13). A baby is placed on Naomi’s lap. She’s one from emptiness to fulfillment. This baby changes everything. How did all of this happen? By God’s design, but also through self-sacrificial love. Self-sacrificial love brings outsiders and makes them insiders. Self-sacrificial love acts not out of self-interest but for the interest of others. Self-sacrificial love ends up blessing us with a blessing we could never have gotten on our own. And that’s just how Jesus loved us. At Christmas, Jesus demonstrated self-sacrificial love through the incarnation by voluntarily leaving his heavenly glory, willingly subjecting himself to human limitations and weakness. He subjected himself to human frailties like hunger, thirst, and fatigue. He lived among sinful humanity. Why did he do this? He came with a purpose: he came not to serve, but to serve and give himself a life of ransom for many (Mark 10:45). And he did it all so we could be blessed. We have been saved by love. Ruth’s story shows us that God will overcome every obstacle that stands in the way of our salvation. But it also shows us what love looks like. The same kind of love and redemption that Ruth experienced is the love that is available to anyone who puts their hope in Jesus. God works through seemingly impossible circumstances and through sacrificial love. But there’s one more way that Ruth’s story echoes the gospel. ### Ruth’s story is an echo of the baby born in Bethlehem who changed everything (4:13-22). Verse 17 says, “They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.” The original readers would have gasped. David! The greatest king of Israel. This is such an important detail that verses 18 to 22 give the family tree that leads to David. In the worst of times, a baby was born who changed everything, who led to the greatest king of Israel, one who would unite and establish the kingdom, the one to whom God would promise to establish his throne forever. This baby born to Ruth changed everything. But that’s not all. Matthew 1:7 mentions Ruth as part of Jesus’ family tree. She’s one of only five women who appear in Jesus’ family tree, most of them outsiders. This Moabite (non-Jewish) woman became part of the Messianic line. In the very town where Ruth had a baby, Mary had a baby who changed the world. God used Ruth, a foreigner who chose to follow him, as a vital link in bringing forth the Messiah through the royal line of David. Ruth is a great love story. But it points to the even greater love story of Scripture, the epic story of God who will save his people. Behind the scenes, God is working out his providential plan to bring King David to his throne, and to eventually his own Son, King Jesus, to save us. The story of Ruth is amazing, but it’s just an echo of a greater story of a God who will stop at nothing to save us; a God who saves us through self-sacrificial love; a God who sends a baby to be born who changes you, who changes everything. **God works through seemingly impossible circumstances and sacrificial love to bring redemption through a baby who is born in Bethlehem.** ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-425/ Last updated: 2024-12-21T10:00:02.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Think You Know the Christmas Story?](https://go.dashhouse.com/S9c1?ref=dashhouse.com) > It might be useful to reflect on a few common misconceptions about the Christmas story. Here are five of them. [Did the Son of God Leave Heaven When He Came to Earth?](https://go.dashhouse.com/S9c5?ref=dashhouse.com) > We don’t need the Son of God leaving heaven for earth in order for the incarnation to be worth singing about. [How the Sabbath Is Missional](https://go.dashhouse.com/S9c-?ref=dashhouse.com) > When we rest for God, we join him on mission. [Meet the Astronaut Who Left NASA to Help Support Healthy Churches](https://go.dashhouse.com/S9d7?ref=dashhouse.com) > In spring 2021, Capitol Hill Baptist Church (CHBC) in Washington, DC, had nine pastoral interns. > One was NASA’s former head astronaut. [Why We Need Beautiful Churches](https://go.dashhouse.com/S9dC?ref=dashhouse.com) > Why do we need beautiful churches? The simplest answer is: because God is beautiful, the universe he made is beautiful, and the gospel of lavish grace is beautiful. To willingly have ugly churches, then, is a kind of inconsistency, if not an untruth. [What to Do If You Have to Preach Extemporaneously](https://go.dashhouse.com/S9d2?ref=dashhouse.com) and [Helpful Hacks for Preaching from a Manuscript](https://go.dashhouse.com/S9d4?ref=dashhouse.com) > Tips for preaching under two very different circumstances [12 Fresh Ways to Read Your Bible in 2025](https://go.dashhouse.com/S9cd?ref=dashhouse.com) and [Best Bible Reading Plans for 2025](https://go.dashhouse.com/S95n?ref=dashhouse.com) > Two helpful articles from Tim Challies and Reagan Rose ### Top Blog Posts of 2024 URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/top-blog-posts-of-2024/ Last updated: 2024-12-17T10:00:07.000Z Here, in order of traffic from highest to lowest, are a couple of lists of the top posts I’ve written over the past year. Thank you for reading. I’m grateful for the privilege of writing, and I feel doubly blessed that some bother to read what I’ve written. If you do want to keep up with what I’ve written, please sign up for my [weekly newsletter](https://www.dashhouse.com/#/portal/), or subscribe to the feed for DashHouse ([RSS](http://feeds.dashhouse.com/dashhouse?ref=dashhouse.com)) or my column at [TGC Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com) ([RSS](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/straight-paths/feed/?ref=dashhouse.com)). ## Top Posts at DashHouse [The Difference Between Saul and David](https://go.dashhouse.com/KsdV?ref=dashhouse.com) > I’ve been studying 1 and 2 Samuel lately, and I’ve been surprised by how few differences exist between Saul and David. [Failure Happens Slowly Before It Happens Suddenly](https://go.dashhouse.com/PvSa?ref=dashhouse.com) > Moral failure is rarely an event. It’s more of a slow process that can be stopped if we catch it early enough, but that will become catastrophic if we let it go. [What It Takes to Survive Ministry](https://go.dashhouse.com/MKS0?ref=dashhouse.com) > The only way you’ll stay faithful to the end is if you’re strengthened by God’s grace that’s found in Jesus. So stay there. Live there. It will keep you to the end. [The Unknown Pastor](https://go.dashhouse.com/RTYm?ref=dashhouse.com) > Right now, in a small town you've never heard of, there's a pastor starting his day at the church. [Big Dreams Impress. Ordinary Faithfulness Delivers.](https://go.dashhouse.com/S0U6?ref=dashhouse.com) > Show me a big dream if you’d like, but what really impresses me is the ordinary faithfulness of hidden saints. ## Top Posts at TGC Canada [Focus on the Few Things That Matter](https://go.dashhouse.com/Nz6p?ref=dashhouse.com) > Few things matter than most. Excel in your career. But then remember what matters most is a growing love for the Lord that grows over a lifetime, and your faithfulness to the few people God has given you to love, and the few tasks God has given you to do. [Stop Counting and Have Fun](https://go.dashhouse.com/LX%5Fe?ref=dashhouse.com) > Stop counting: cultivate contentment for the people God has entrusted to your care. Have fun: enjoy the blessings of ministry that God gives you as a pastor. [How to Leave a Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/PAog?ref=dashhouse.com) > Consider how to let your pastors know. Don't sow division on your way out. Bless and thank people for the difference they've made in your life. Anticipate questions, and answer them beforehand. [The Accidental Church Planter](https://go.dashhouse.com/Q9zU?ref=dashhouse.com) > “If I’m here, if I still get life and breath, it’s for his purpose. It’s to seek first the kingdom of heaven. It’s his priorities, and that’s what I still want to be about.” [How to Bless Those Who Leave Your Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/PJ7H?ref=dashhouse.com) > It’s never easy when someone leaves a church, but when we bless people as they leave it can be a blessing not only to them but to the entire church, even when it’s hard to see them go. Thanks again for reading. I’m grateful. I’m taking a break until the New Year. I’ll continue posting my [sermons](https://www.dashhouse.com/sermons/) and [Saturday Links](https://www.dashhouse.com/tag/links/), but won’t be posting new columns on December 24 or 31. ### Finding Jesus in Ruth (Ruth 3) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/finding-jesus-in-ruth-ruth-3/ Last updated: 2024-12-15T19:00:00.000Z **Big Idea:** We are helpless outsiders until Jesus, our divine Redeemer, pays the price to give us new life and his love. --- The story of Ruth is one of the most beautiful narratives in the entire Bible. It’s rich with themes such as loyalty, kindness, humility, faithfulness, and redemption. It’s a rich tapestry of character qualities and moral lessons. It teaches us about loyalty, redemption, kindness, humility, hard work, and God's sovereignty. And, believe it or not, it teaches us a little about the meaning of Christmas too. The story starts in Ruth 1, where a woman named Naomi experiences a famine and loses everything except her foreign daughter-in-law. Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth had nothing. They had no prospects for the future, no rights, and no hope. Ruth, a foreigner, would have faced distrust due to her allegiance to other gods. In Ruth 1, we see that God works in our darkest moments and among the most hopeless people, even when it's not clear to us. But in Ruth 2, we found a bit of hope. God provided for Ruth and Naomi through a righteous man named Boaz and some seeming coincidences. We learned last week that God works in anxious times through God’s people and God’s providence. Even in moments when God appears to be absent, he is always present. And when things look hopeless, God is working behind the scenes for the good and happiness of his people. Today we focus on Ruth 3\. Ruth 3 is where everything changes in the story of Ruth. Chapter 3 is where the story goes from a story of gleaner and benefactor to that of potential marriage partners. Today I want to do two things: I want to experience some of the power of the story, and then I want to show how this story connects us with Jesus. ## The Story Last week, we saw that Boaz went out of his way to help Ruth. Not only did he protect her, but he sent her home with a lot of food, probably about 35–40 pounds of barley, enough to feed Ruth and her mother for up to a week. At the end of chapter 1, Naomi and Ruth are empty. At the end of chapter 2, they’re full. Something is happening in the story. I didn’t mention it last week, but Naomi gave Ruth an important detail about Boaz. It’s only mentioned briefly, but it’s one of the keys to the whole book. “Naomi also said to her, ‘The man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers’” (Ruth 2:20). A kinsman-redeemer was a male relative who had the responsibility and right to act on behalf of a relative who was in trouble, danger, or need. A kinsman-redeemer had a few basic duties, including these two: - If relatives became so poor that they had to sell themselves as slaves, the kinsman redeemer was responsible for purchasing their freedom (Leviticus 25:25-55). - When a married man died without having children, the kinsman redeemer could be required to marry the widow. Any children from this marriage would legally be considered heirs of the deceased husband, ensuring his family line and property rights continued (Deuteronomy 25:5-10). This practice helped preserve the deceased man's name and legacy within the community. You can sense a bit of hope. There were some problems as well. In Ruth's case, two things made the situation unusual: - Boaz wasn't a brother of the dead man - he was just a more distant relative. So it wasn't clear if he had the same obligations as a brother would have had. - Ruth was a foreigner (from Moab), and the laws about kinsman redeemers didn't specifically say anything about what to do with foreign widows. At the end of chapter 2, we’re left wondering if this little detail is going to end up meaning anything in the end. And then Naomi hatches a plan. The plan was bold and simple. The plan was simple. First, that Ruth would prepare herself by washing herself and anointing herself with perfume, and putting on her best clothes. These actions would symbolize moving from mourning to a state of readiness for a new chapter in her life. Secondly, Ruth would carefully plan the timing of her approach. She would wait until Boaz finished eating and drinking at the threshing floor. The threshing floor was where grain was separated from chaff, and landowners would often sleep there to protect their harvest. The timing was crucial - she was to wait until he was in "good spirits" after his meal. Then, Ruth would make her move. She would observe where he lay. She would approach him quietly after he’s asleep. She would uncover his feet and lie down in the place normally reserved for a wife. She would be saying to him, basically, that she wanted to be his wife. This was not a seductive act. By taking these actions, Ruth was making a culturally understood, non-verbal request for protection and marriage. She was working within the cultural norms while giving Boaz the opportunity to act as kinsman-redeemer. It was bold. It was risky. And Ruth did it. We just read the story, so you know how things turned out, but imagine how both Naomi and Ruth must have felt. Picture Naomi, filled with anticipation, anxiously waiting to find out what transpired. Picture Ruth quietly entering the threshing floor to carry out her plan. Imagine Boaz waking up in the middle of the night, trying to figure out who this was. Imagine hearing Boaz say these words: > May you be blessed by the LORD, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman. (3:10-11) In a short time, Ruth had gone from being a Moabite outsider with nothing to a respected woman and the possible future wife of Boaz. Things looked promising, but there was one complication. Boaz knew of someone who was an even closer relative, and he had the right of first refusal. Boaz agreed to look into things in the morning, but sent Ruth home with six measures of grain. This was a lot, probably about eighty pounds. But it’s significant that it’s six measures. Seven is the number of completeness. Six is incomplete. She’s almost there, but not quite. There’s promise, but the story still isn’t over. At the end of Ruth 3, we’re still waiting to see what happens. What a remarkable story this is! It keeps you on the edge of your seat. It works on so many levels. You've got ancient customs mixing with personal relationships, and legal matters blending with a love story. Big themes like redemption, faithfulness, and God's guidance run through it all. The characters truly stand out—Ruth demonstrates immense bravery, while Boaz embodies honor and offers steadfast protection. The writer includes just the right details to build suspense without saying too much. When you put it all together, it's masterful storytelling at its finest. But that’s not even the best part. The best part is how this story brings us to Jesus. The best part is how this story connects with our stories too. ## How the Story Brings Us to Jesus Here’s the really cool part of this story. This story is our story too. Ruth embodied the ultimate outsider - a widow, foreigner, and destitute woman in ancient Israel. Without money, status, or protection, she was forced to scavenge in fields just to survive. Far from home and everything familiar, she was vulnerable to abuse with no legal recourse. Her circumstances could hardly have been worse. And if you look at our condition in the Bible, we’re a lot like Ruth. “We need redemption because we are weak and helpless” ([Tony Merida](https://amzn.to/3ZeSxRn?ref=dashhouse.com)). We can’t solve our problem on our own. We’re helpless. As Tony Merida says: > In the New Testament, the need and helplessness of every one of us is clear. We are dead in sin and in need of new life (Ephesians 2:1-3; John 11). We are slaves to sin (Romans 5:12; 6:16-20, 23), unable to free ourselves and unable to serve God as we ought (Galatians 5:1, 13-15). We are alienated from God, having no fellowship with God (Ephesians 2:12-21). We are under the wrath of God, needing salvation by the grace of God (Ephesians 2:1-10). We are in the kingdom of darkness, needing to be transferred into the kingdom of light (Colossians 1:13-14). We are spiritually hungry, needing the living water and the bread of life for satisfaction (John 4; 6 – 7). We are blind, unable to see the truth of God and the glory of the Messiah (John 9). We are lost sheep, needing the Good Shepherd to rescue us (John 10). Just like a dead person cannot make themselves alive, we cannot fix our spiritual condition by ourselves. We need God to make us spiritually alive, which He does through Jesus Christ. We need a redeemer. So just as we find ourselves in the position of Ruth, we also see glimpses of Jesus in Boaz. To be a redeemer, you need two things: you need to be related, and you need to be willing. By taking on human flesh, He became our "brother" - close enough to redeem us, yet perfect enough to pay the full price for our salvation. Not only is Jesus related, he was willing. He willingly offered his life to redeem all those who trust him. Just as Boaz purchased Ruth and her inheritance to rescue her from poverty and provide for her needs, Jesus purchased us with his blood to redeem us from our spiritual poverty. Boaz points us to Christ's compassion and generosity. Just as Boaz extended kindness and protection to Ruth, a foreign outcast, Jesus offers His grace to all who are spiritually destitute. Just as Boaz redeemed Ruth from her destitution, Jesus redeems believers from their spiritual poverty and makes them his own . All this came at a cost. It cost Boaz financially. But there was more. Any children they had would be considered heirs to Ruth's first husband. This meant the inheritance would not pass to Boaz's own name but would maintain Mahlon's family line. It came at a cost, but Boaz was happy to pay the cost. It came at an even greater cost for Jesus. Just as Boaz gave up his wealth and accepted that any children would be considered heirs of Ruth's first husband, Jesus left His heavenly throne and sacrificed far more: he gave up heaven, took on human form, endured rejection, and ultimately offered his own life on the cross. Unlike Boaz's financial cost, Jesus paid with His very blood, bearing our sins to purchase our redemption. The love story of Ruth 3 isn’t just a love story between two people. It’s a picture of the greatest love story that’s ever been told. As someone’s said: > The real love story in this book is not about Boaz and Ruth, though. The real love story is behind the scenes. It is the love of God for his straying sheep… > This love took its fullest shape in the coming of Jesus Christ. His love for us took him much further than a grain pile at midnight. It caused him to leave the glories of heaven and … come as a baby to Bethlehem, where he found no refuge. Unlike Ruth, there was no place of rest for Jesus in Bethlehem, no godly Boaz to protect him. Instead, he had to make do with a temporary place in a stable, before he was driven out, having to flee for his life even when he was a baby. And this love caused Jesus to abandon his eternal glory and become a servant, someone who was of no reputation, despised and rejected by men. > This same love of God took Jesus all the way to the cross. There, in the midst of a darkness far deeper than any ordinary midnight, he offered himself up for the sins of his people. There he was abandoned by God the Father, who turned aside his face because he would not and could not look upon his own Son, disfigured as he was by bearing our sin. ([Ian Duguid](https://amzn.to/4g9ug6C?ref=dashhouse.com)) Jesus stepped down from his heavenly throne to fully identify with sinners, bearing burdens far greater than any outsider like Ruth. He willingly took on our sins, sorrows, and failures, carrying the weight of our ruined lives and spiritual death to the cross, where he bore our shame and died in our place. Through this ultimate sacrifice, he offers us his name, making us children of God and granting redemption to all who trust in him. His sacrifice was not because we earned it, but because of God’s immeasurable love and unwavering commitment to save sinners. Through Jesus’ death, anyone who believes receives eternal life. No matter how broken by sin we are, God invites us to surrender to him, become part of his family, and be clothed in Christ’s righteousness. Ruth’s journey mirrors this redemption, pointing to themes of waiting, love, Bethlehem, and a Savior’s birth, deeply connecting her story to Christmas. This is a story that calls for a response—will you acknowledge your need, come to your Redeemer, and seek his covering of grace? We are utterly helpless without him, yet through his sacrifice, Jesus restores us and grants the gift of eternal life. **We are helpless outsiders until Jesus, our divine Redeemer, pays the price to give us new life and his love.** ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-424/ Last updated: 2024-12-14T10:00:20.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [My Top 10 Theology Stories of 2024](https://go.dashhouse.com/RyhG?ref=dashhouse.com) > I don’t know what the future holds. But 2024 brought many surprises, some of them welcome for the church. [Ritual Isn’t the Enemy; Empty Ritual Is](https://go.dashhouse.com/Ryh9?ref=dashhouse.com) > We need rituals. Let’s leave empty ritual behind. [3 Reasons Why Evangelism Is a Primary Means for Spiritual Growth](https://go.dashhouse.com/Ryfi?ref=dashhouse.com) > Sharing our faith is critical to our spiritual growth and the lack of doing so impedes our Christian growth. [Pastoral Authority in the Age of Podcasts](https://go.dashhouse.com/RyhO?ref=dashhouse.com) > As pastors, we increasingly need to address not just Scripture’s teaching but an expanding universe of digital voices shaping our congregants’ understanding of faith [Themelios 49.3](https://go.dashhouse.com/RyhJ?ref=dashhouse.com) > The new December 2024 issue of Themelios has 234 pages of editorials, articles, and book reviews. [Take Heed Lest You Fall into an Affair](https://go.dashhouse.com/RygN?ref=dashhouse.com) > The reality that temptation is everywhere, even in your heart. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [What’s Done in Secret](https://go.dashhouse.com/Ry9S?ref=dashhouse.com) > On one hand, let’s thank God for the grace that covers sin. On the other hand, let’s never take that grace for granted and believe that what’s done in secret won’t be revealed. ### Best Books of 2024 URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/best-books-of-2024/ Last updated: 2024-12-10T10:00:45.000Z I didn’t read as many books as I’d hoped in 2024, but I read some good ones. Here are the top books I’ve read this year, and why I liked them. In no particular order: ### [The Hidden White House: Harry Truman and the Reconstruction of America's Most Famous Residence](https://amzn.to/3ZFqJXN?ref=dashhouse.com) [![](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2024/12/hidden-white-house.jpg)](https://amzn.to/3ZFqJXN?ref=dashhouse.com) I'm a little surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. President Harry Truman renovated the White House from 1948 to 1952\. Before the renovation, the White House was practically falling apart. The renovation was so extensive that it completely gutted and rebuilt the White House from the inside. The only thing left was the external shell of the building. This is a great story with a lot of interesting details and a somewhat disappointing result. It's good bedtime reading. ### [Unrequited Infatuations: A Memoir](https://amzn.to/4g5wbcc?ref=dashhouse.com) [![](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2024/12/unrequited.jpg)](https://amzn.to/4g5wbcc?ref=dashhouse.com) I thought Stevie Van Zandt was just a part of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, but I learned from this memoir that he's much more. He played a role in the fall of apartheid in South Africa. He's worked extensively behind the scenes in the music industry. And he's accomplished an incredible amount in his career as an actor and musician. I don't agree with many of his positions, and he's far from a Christian. But I sure do appreciate seeing somebody remarkably gifted and how he's used his talents. Overall, it was a very enjoyable read. ### [The Situation Room: The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis](https://amzn.to/3ZsFhc0?ref=dashhouse.com) [![](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2024/12/situation-room.jpg)](https://amzn.to/3ZsFhc0?ref=dashhouse.com) This is one of those books I knew I would want to read the minute I heard about it. We've all watched movies and TV shows that feature the Situation Room. This book takes you behind the scenes and tells you the real story. It features historic events from the time of President Kennedy right until the end of Trump's first term, including the Cuban Missile Crisis, the assassination of Kennedy and attempted assassination of Reagan, the 9-11 attack, the raid on Osama bin Laden, and more. It's a fascinating piece of American history. ### [Elisabeth Elliot: A Life](https://amzn.to/4g1MmXP?ref=dashhouse.com) [![](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2024/12/elliot.jpg)](https://amzn.to/4g1MmXP?ref=dashhouse.com) Elizabeth Elliot was a well-known Christian and the widow of her first husband, Jim, who was martyred for his faith. I thought I knew about Elliot, but her life turned out to be much different than I expected. She really doesn't fit neatly into any categories. As she grew older, she seemed to become more open and honest, yet still struggled in significant ways. I do wish this book had an abridged edition, but it was good reading and very encouraging to see how God was at work in Elizabeth Elliot's life. ### [The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon](https://amzn.to/41HakDN?ref=dashhouse.com) [![](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2024/12/lost-city.jpg)](https://amzn.to/41HakDN?ref=dashhouse.com) For a long time, Europeans believed that the Amazon, the world's largest rainforest, concealed the lost kingdom of El Dorado. Thousands died trying to look for it. This is the story of one explorer who ventured into the Amazon jungle to search for it and never returned. It's a great story, and it's hard to believe that it's actually true. ### [The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder](https://amzn.to/3ZJzmQU?ref=dashhouse.com) [![](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2024/12/wager.jpg)](https://amzn.to/3ZJzmQU?ref=dashhouse.com) This is the second story by David Grann that appears on my list. It's a tale of shipwreck, survival, and savagery. It's hard to imagine a period when empires were sending rickety ships with scarce supplies into an unknown world with the faint hope that they would return. Incredible story. Again, it's hard to believe it's actually true. ### [De-sizing the Church: How Church Growth Became a Science, Then an Obsession, and What's Next](https://amzn.to/4f9OtaO?ref=dashhouse.com) [![](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2024/12/de-sizing.jpg)](https://amzn.to/4f9OtaO?ref=dashhouse.com) This book is essential reading for pastors and members of small churches. We're often led to believe that small churches don't matter. In this book, Karl Vaters provides a history of the church growth movement and shows where it went wrong. He also highlights some of the negative effects of being obsessed with size. Finally, he offers practical steps on how we can pursue health, no matter the size of our church. I really appreciated this book. If you’re interested, I interviewed Vaters about his book on the [Gospel for Life podcast](https://www.gospelforlife.com/the-power-of-small-celebrating-effective-ministry-in-small-congregations/?ref=dashhouse.com). ### Books I Haven't Finished Yet Books I wish I’d read in time to include on this list are: - [Theo of Golden](https://amzn.to/3ZiA7yY?ref=dashhouse.com) — Trevin Wax listed this book as a favorite. I just started reading it, and I can see why. - [To the Tenth Generation: God’s Heart for Your Family, Far into the Future](https://amzn.to/3VpCrTO?ref=dashhouse.com) by Ray and Jani Ortlund — I pretty much want to read anything that Ray or Janie Ortlund write. In this book, they provide encouragement about why our families matter more than we think. It's such an important book to read. - [What It Means to Be Protestant: The Case for an Always-Reforming Church](https://amzn.to/3OKmsvO?ref=dashhouse.com) by Gavin Ortlund — Many of us have noticed a shift of evangelicals towards Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. In this book, Gavin Ortlund addresses this trend and provides a compelling case for Protestantism. I always appreciate Gavin's work, and I can't wait to read this one. - [The Harada Method: The Spirit of Self-Reliance](https://amzn.to/4gqOtVg?ref=dashhouse.com) by Norman Bodek and Takashi Harada — I first heard about this book because it describes a method that Shohei Ohtani used to develop his skills through goal setting. I don't love the subtitle, and you do have to work through what you like and don't like in this book, but I'm finding some really helpful things in it. If you're interested in a different kind of self-help book, then this book will help you look at your habits and make changes to become more disciplined and intentional in your life. ### God’s Answer to Our Needs (Ruth 2) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/gods-answer-to-our-needs-ruth-2/ Last updated: 2024-12-08T23:00:02.000Z **Big Idea:** In anxious times, count on God’s people and God’s providence. --- We live in a tough world, and many things seem beyond our control. The future looks uncertain. Do we have what it takes to not just survive but thrive? In a world that feels stacked against us, what will our lives become? Will we get the jobs we need? Will we meet the right people? Will our needs be met? How secure is our future? It's easy to feel like life is out of control. This uncertainty can quickly lead to overwhelming anxiety because we're unsure if life will turn out the way we hope. This is why we need the book of Ruth. ## Introducing Ruth Two weeks ago, we started exploring the story of Ruth. This story happened during the time of the judges, a tough period for Israel. Naomi went to Moab with her husband and two sons, seeking food and better opportunities. They spent 10 years there, but everything fell apart for Naomi. Her husband died first. Then, her sons married Moabite women, breaking God's law, and later both sons died. Naomi was left in a foreign land with only her two widowed daughters-in-law. Widows had no rights back then. When Naomi returned to Bethlehem, she felt utterly hopeless. She came back with one daughter-in-law, Ruth, feeling abandoned by God. Naomi had faced famine, displacement, and the loss of loved ones. By the end of chapter 1, she was completely devastated and out of resources. At the end of chapter 1, you’re left wondering: could there be any hope for someone like Naomi? Everything was against her and her daughter-in-law Ruth: - They were widows in a patriarchal society where women relied on male relatives for provision and protection. Losing their husbands left them vulnerable. - They were poor. They had no home or means of income and had to rely on the charity of others. - Naomi was an older woman with no hope of remarrying or having more children to support her in old age. She felt the tragedy of losing her husband and two sons very deeply. - Ruth was a foreigner from Moab, a nation with which Israel had a history of conflict. She faced potential prejudice and exclusion as an outsider trying to integrate into Judean society. - As women journeying alone, they were vulnerable to abuse, exploitation or attack. - Naomi was also dependent on Ruth's efforts to gather grain for their daily bread. As widows, poor women, foreigners (in Ruth's case), and unprotected females in that day, the odds were stacked against them. There was very little reason for them to hope. ## Our Hope in Anxious Times Again, when life is out of control, when we’re in desperate need and unsure of the future, what is our hope? What will prevent us from spiraling into paralyzing fear and anxiety? Ruth chapter 2 offers two key answers. When we’re in desperate need, and we have no assurance about the future, what can we count on? Two things. Here’s the first: ### We can count on help from God’s people. Naomi and Ruth are back in Bethlehem, and they’re hungry and desperate. But Naomi had a plan. > Now Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.” (Ruth 2:1-2) Here’s some background to what’s going on in this passage. God cares for the poor, so much so that in Leviticus 19:9-10, God’s law told landowners not to harvest their fields completely. They had to leave some crops behind for the needy and sojourners. This resembled an early welfare program. The poor could gather leftover crops after the main harvest. This work was tough, often done in hot weather, and not always safe. Not all landowners followed this law, making it risky, especially for a foreign woman like Ruth from Moab. She had no connections or protection. Ruth went out to glean, putting herself at risk, in hopes of finding a kind, God-fearing landowner who would help the poor as commanded by God. And there was no guarantee that she would find someone who followed God’s law, or that it would be safe. Remember, this was a tough period in Israel's history, during the time of the Judges. For 400 years, Israel faced serious decline. God's people were struggling and seemed no better than the surrounding nations who didn't know God. It was a chaotic world, and it seemed unlikely that anyone would come to help Naomi. But Ruth went out, and she found someone godly even in these godless times. In verse 3, she ended up in the field of a distant relative of Naomi’s. She had no reason to go to that specific field. Verse 3 says she just happened to go there. > So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech. (Ruth 2:3) In Hebrew, it means "as chance chanced," or as we might say, as luck would have it. It seemed completely random and out of her control. Yet, she ended up in the right place to meet a godly man. In verse 4, Boaz spoke to his workers. “And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, ‘The LORD be with you!’ And they answered, ‘The LORD bless you.’” Often in the Bible, a person's first words reveal what they are like. Here we see that Boaz honored the Lord and was respected by his workers. It is clear right away that she just happened to find a righteous man during evil times. By seeming coincidence, she just happened to come across a godly person. Not only that, but he noticed her and took a personal interest in her. In verses 5 to 7, he asked the foreman who she is, actually whose she is. He found out that she is the one that people have been talking about, the Moabite who came back with Naomi, who has nothing, who's been working hard all day. But he doesn't just notice her, which is amazing enough. He extended care to her. In verse 8, he commanded her to stay in his field and instructs his workers not to harass her. He treated her so nicely that in verse 10, Naomi asked, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” The answer: he’d heard about her, how she’d left her father and mother and native land and come to Israel. He then blessed her: “The LORD repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” (Ruth 2:12) As if it couldn't get any better, in verses 14 to 16, he invited her to a meal. She sits beside the reapers and she gets a feast. She eats until she's satisfied and even had some leftovers. Boaz went out of his way to protect her and care for her. He's the epitome of generosity. By the time she got home in verses 17 and on, she was able to report to her mother-in-law that she had met one of God's people, that she’d really been cared for by somebody who not only kept God's law but has taken particular notice of her. It's easy to get disillusioned with God's people, especially when there's so much bad news about them. It was the same in Ruth and Naomi's time. There was little reason to hope in God's people. Yet, Ruth found that God provides for us through his people. Even in tough times, God still has righteous followers. We need him to show his care through people like Boaz. When I was growing up, my family went through a crisis. We attended a very imperfect church with many faults. If I had to choose a church to support us, I wouldn't have picked that one. But looking back, God met our needs there. Despite its flaws, the people were exactly what we needed. God provided for us in ways we couldn't imagine. I've seen this pattern over and over. Even when the church seems untrustworthy, God brings godly people into our lives at just the right time. When I was young and in England, I couldn't count on my dad. He was the only person I knew in Europe and wasn't trustworthy. At 12, I felt vulnerable. Yet, when I went to church, I felt confident that even though I knew no one, I had family in the church. This is true for all of us today. One way God provides is through his people. He brings righteous individuals into our lives just when we need them. As Christmas approaches, remember this message. By the end of the Old Testament, things looked hopeless during a 400-year period of silence from God. But then, in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we find good, godly people during dark times of Roman captivity. We see Joseph, a righteous man who obeys God and cares for his wife at the cost of his reputation. We see Mary, a young and godly woman; Zechariah, John the Baptist's father; Simeon, who waited for Israel's consolation; and Anna, an elderly prophetess who worshiped day and night. In every age, even in dark times, God has His people. Have you discovered this? Have you realized that one way God provides for you is by bringing good people into your life at just the right time? Not only that, but you can be one of those people. You can be someone that God uses to help others who need encouragement and support. I don’t think Boaz thought he was doing anything remarkable. He was just being faithful. But God used him in the life of someone who desperately needed it. I’ve become a big believer in how God provides for us through his people. If you are in desperate times, you need his people. We all do. His people aren’t perfect, but one of the ways that God provides for us is through ordinary, godly people. And if we’re faithful in looking for them by staying connected with God’s people, God seems to have a way of bringing just the people we need into our lives. I’ve seen that in this church over and over again. When we’re in desperate need, and we have no assurance about the future, what can we count on? We can count on God’s people. But there’s a second thing we can count on, and it’s even better. Second: ### We can count on God’s providence. I mean everything I’ve said so far. We really do need God’s people. But if my sermon today was just about hoping in others during a crisis, it would be a very deficient sermon. Our hope must be more than that. In the book of Ruth, we see a greater hope, one that surpasses the help from others. Our ultimate hope is in God’s providence. In times of anxiety, we can trust that God is working behind the scenes for His glory and our good. Earlier, I mentioned from verse 3 that Ruth just happened to come to the right field. This invites us to see God's hand at work. She didn’t just end up there by chance; God led her there. And in that field, there wasn’t just a godly man by accident. God had been shaping this man’s character all along. Behind these seeming coincidences was God’s active care for Ruth, just as He cares for us. In verse 20, Naomi praises the Lord and asks Him to bless Boaz because God had not forsaken them. The kindness of Boaz was actually the Lord's kindness. It was God who provided for Ruth and Naomi and preserved Boaz for Ruth. The light of God's love broke through. God is kind and good to everyone who takes refuge under his wings. Our ultimate hope isn’t in people’s kindness but in God’s sovereignty, providing what we need when we need it most. For those who take refuge in God, they will find exactly what they need. God is not just in charge of our lives but all history, guiding everything to His purpose. John Piper defines God’s providence as: > …his purposeful sovereignty by which he will be completely successful in the achievement of his ultimate goal for the universe. God’s providence carries his plans into action, guides all things toward his ultimate goal, and leads to the final consummation. Ruth is a perfect example of this. In the darkest times, when hope seems lost, He provides for us. Our hope isn’t in our health, relationships, resources, or even our church — it’s in God and what He’s doing right now amid our difficulties. We can be confident that God is at work even in the darkest times, never abandoning His people and always working out his purpose in the world. The best part? The story of Ruth doesn’t end with her; it leads to Jesus' birth. Ruth is part of God's plan to bring a Savior into the world. Ruth is part of the Christmas story. Jesus came from Ruth's bloodline. The same God who worked behind the scenes in Ruth’s life was at work in bringing Jesus to this world. When Jesus was born: - He “just happened” to be born to parents from the right lineage in fulfillment of prophecy. He “just happened” to be descended from David’s line with full legal and blood rights to the throne. - A census “just happened” to take Mary to Bethlehem, as Micah prophesied. - Herod "just happened" to try to kill him, as prophesied in Jeremiah. - He “just happened” to arrive during the Roman peace (Pax Romana), when Greek was a common language, helping to facilitate gospel spread, a time when Roman roads and infrastructure facilitated gospel spread. Galatians 4:4 says, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son…” God “just happened” to work out all of these details at exactly the right time, just as he continues to do today. If God just happened to do this for Ruth, and he just happened to do this for the arrival of Jesus so that we could be saved through him, what makes you think that he won’t do this for you? The God who did all this, who sent his Son to save you, is at work in our darkest trials to accomplish his purposes. In all his mysterious ways, God is working for the good and happiness of his people. Even in tragedies and setbacks, God is quietly working to bring about greater joy. God is at work in the worst of times, laying the foundation for greater things to come, even when we can't see it. He was preparing the way for the Messiah through the dark days of the judges. God works through ordinary people like Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz during tough times and continues to work today when things seem darkest. Our hope is in God's active care and providence, knowing He provides exactly what we need and guides history to its ultimate end — and we get to be part of it. **In anxious times, count on God’s people and God’s providence.** ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-423/ Last updated: 2024-12-07T10:00:33.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: Top Books of 2024 > From [Kevin DeYoung](https://go.dashhouse.com/ReM8?ref=dashhouse.com), [Kevin Halloran](https://go.dashhouse.com/RePq?ref=dashhouse.com), [Russell Moore](https://go.dashhouse.com/ReQ9?ref=dashhouse.com), [Trevin Wax](https://go.dashhouse.com/ReMs?ref=dashhouse.com), plus [Christianity Today Book Awards](https://go.dashhouse.com/Rebw?ref=dashhouse.com), [For the Church Book Awards](https://go.dashhouse.com/ReUo?ref=dashhouse.com), and [The Gospel Coalition Book Awards](https://go.dashhouse.com/ReYY?ref=dashhouse.com) [What God Praises](https://go.dashhouse.com/ReZ7?ref=dashhouse.com) > We find God praising various churches in the book of Revelation (chapters 2-3). Embedded within each letter to these churches is something Christ commends in His servants. [Dear Pastor, Keep This in Mind When There Is “Too Much to Do”](https://go.dashhouse.com/ReYR?ref=dashhouse.com) > I’ve been asked if I have any suggestions for sorting out how to live when there is “too much to do.” [Produce Something Average](https://go.dashhouse.com/ReT6?ref=dashhouse.com) > The principle I want to cultivate, and practice, is simply to produce average things. But at least do it consistently. ### A Short Checklist for Preachers URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/a-short-checklist-for-preachers/ Last updated: 2024-12-03T10:00:09.000Z I heard a good preacher last Sunday. I know him well; he is a man of deep integrity who loves the Lord. I also trust his scholarship. He has been studying God's Word for a long time, and it shows in how he lives and teaches. When he stood up to preach, there was an urgency in his message. He cared deeply about two things: God's Word and us, the congregation. He spoke with passion, even when saying hard truths. I, along with the other hearers, benefited from his sermon. Listening to his sermon reminded me of a passage I read last week: > Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. (Titus 2:7-8) Paul tells us that preachers need to focus on two areas. We need both if we’re going to be effective preachers. ## Our Lives First, our lives should be models of good works. You can be a competent preacher and a great exegete of Scripture, but that’s not enough if you want to be a Christian preacher. You must show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works. This doesn’t mean perfection, otherwise nobody would measure up. It does mean that our lives should match what we preach. Those who know us best should be able to say that we are who we appear to be in the pulpit. We should long for holy lives, ones without secrets. We should be growing in our love of God. If you’re a Christian preacher, your life is part of your message. You can’t be a good preacher if you’re not a godly preacher. ## Our Message Second, Paul says our teaching must show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that can't be condemned. Preaching should reflect who we are with seriousness and gravity. Even if people disagree or struggle with it, there should be a sense that they must deal with the truth we proclaim. I’m struck by Paul’s use of the word *dignity*. In the original, it carries the sense of a serious life, of gravitas, and respectability. It doesn’t mean that you’re never funny. It does mean that, overall, you’re characterized by an earnest seriousness. You mean business. Martyn Lloyd-Jones once said, “I confess freely, I cannot understand a jocular evangelist … Go back and read the lives of the men whom God has used in the mightiest manner, and you will invariably find that they were serious men, sober men, men with the fear of the Lord in them.” To be an effective preacher means that we cultivate godly lives and a message that’s characterized by integrity, dignity, and sound speech. People should be able to tell as we preach that our lives line up with the message, and that we preach because we have something serious we need to say. This Scripture serves as a good checklist for all preachers. Are we living as models of good works? Does our life match our preaching? Is our preaching urgent and filled with integrity and dignity? I pray that these qualities increasingly show up in our lives and in our preaching. ### The Greatest in the Kingdom (Luke 22:25-27) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-greatest-in-the-kingdom-luke-2225-27/ Last updated: 2024-12-02T02:57:21.000Z **Big Idea:** The path to true greatness involves service and trials and follows the example set by Jesus. --- For our twentieth anniversary, we traveled to a resort in Jamaica. A limo picked us up at the airport. Upon check-in, we were served champagne, our preferences were noted, and we were informed that our butler would arrive shortly. Butler. I like the sound of that. I didn’t know what we would do with a butler, but I thought I might enjoy having one. We did. The butlers — we had two, working in shifts — made reservations for us at the resort’s restaurants. They anticipated when we might be thirsty, and brought us drinks. They even offered to iron our clothes, but I had to draw the line somewhere. I enjoyed having butlers. When we left, I signed up for the loyalty club, hoping to return. We never have. I’ll probably never have a butler again. Whenever I stay in a nice hotel, dine at a fancy restaurant, or rent an upscale car, I quickly become accustomed to the luxury. I sometimes joke with Char that we could use some household staff. I enjoy being served. It comes naturally to me. Here’s the reality: There’s something about us that likes being a big deal. Even in ministry, part of us wants to be a big deal. **The path to true greatness involves service and trials and follows the example set by Jesus.** ## The Path to Greatness According to Jesus, there are two ways to live. ### One Way Looks Good but Is a Dead End > The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors” (Luke 22:25). I get this. I’ve lived this. The recipe: Gain power and use it. Wake up in the morning. Look out for your own interests. Try to get others to serve you. Leverage what you have to make friends with the right people. Build a platform. Gain recognition and influence. Look out for yourself. Nothing’s changed in two thousand years. The reason Jesus described this way of living is that it’s how his disciples acted. “A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest” (Luke 22:24). Following Jesus doesn’t exempt us from this struggle. We may learn to hide it better than the disciples, but we all do this. Establish your place in the pecking order, and make sure you’re not at the bottom. Robert Greene offers some suggestions on how to live this way: > The key to power, then, is the ability to judge who is best able to further your interests in all situations. Keep friends for friendship, but work with the skilled and competent … Never trust anyone completely and study everyone, including friends and loved ones. Greene’s advice may seem extreme, but it accurately describes this first way of living. When we live to advance our own interests, we start to measure others based on how well they serve our interests. Those who can help are prioritized. Those who can’t help become expendable. Even our service to others becomes strategic: we help others when it will help us to get ahead, and when it puts people in our debt. But, according to Jesus, this looks like the path to greatness, but it’s a dead end. This won’t get us to true greatness. This path will make our names great, but it will leave us unsatisfied and empty. This is not the path to greatness. “Ambition in this life for greatness in this life will end up stealing your life” (Marshall Segal). ### The Other Way is to Live as One Who Serves In contrast, Jesus describes a second way to live: to embrace a life of service. “But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves” (Luke 22:26). Jesus isn’t against greatness. Instead, he redefines it. He teaches that the greatest — those in positions of leadership and influence — should become like the youngest. The youngest normally serve those with greatest seniority. Servants usually serve those who are great. Jesus flips how the world operates. Greatness isn’t measured by how others serve us. Instead, it’s measured by how we serve others. As one commentator ([David Garland](https://amzn.to/3AuJAv0?ref=dashhouse.com)) writes: > Honor is due God alone, so disciples must give up their fantasies of grandeur. They must also reappraise their ideas about power and greatness according to the pattern set by Jesus. Jesus’ model upends the norm. > Jesus sets up a series of contrasts and inverts the normal rankings: - we like the greatest; Jesus elevates the youngest (26b) - we like the leader; Jesus elevates the servant (26c) - we want to be the diner; Jesus elevates the table servant (27a) - in fact, Jesus makes himself the table servant (27b–c) > Jesus flips the ladder of success. The one who serves is greatest… The disciples are interested in titles; Jesus offers them towels instead. Greatness is not determined by how many serve you, but how you serve others. This involves suffering! You see this in verse 28\. There will be trials. The path to true greatness involves service and trials and follows the example set by Jesus. What does this mean in ministry? It means that the world needs more ordinary, faithful pastors. The world doesn’t need more big deals. It needs more men and women who are trustworthy, who are safe, and who love God and others well. The famous may get all the press, but it’s the unknown parent, the faithful pastor, the obscure church, the unheralded shift worker, and the praying senior who makes all the difference. As Charles Spurgeon notes, we face lots of competition when trying to advance ourselves, but we will face no competition in trying to live the way that Jesus describes: > There will not be much competition for the lowest place. If you become a candidate for that position, you will get it. There are not likely to be too many applicants for the post, and by degrees one and another will edge out; so I recommend you, if you really want the place that Christ would have you take, that is, the very lowest position in the Church of God, to go in for it, for you will get it. Life is not about becoming great or making a name for ourselves. It’s about becoming a servant. ## The Greatest Example The greatest example of this is Jesus himself. “I am among you as the one who serves,” he says (Luke 22:27). Jesus’ ultimate act of service was still to come: offering his life for others. But already he had lived a life of service. He didn’t live to please himself. He lived to please his Father, and he came to serve humanity. “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). I can’t get my head around this. Jesus, God himself, is the one person in history who was above serving others. The fact that Jesus came as a servant tells us something about God’s nature. God deserves our worship and service, and yet he chooses to serve us too. “Our God is a servant God,” wrote Henri Nouwen. “It is difficult for us to comprehend that we are liberated by someone who became powerless, that we are being strengthened by someone who became weak, that we find new hope in someone who divested himself… we find a leader in someone who became a servant.” Just in case we conclude that Jesus’ call to service will be unrewarded, Jesus reminds us where this kind of life leads. “You are those who have stayed with me in my trials, and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Luke 22:28-30). Jesus promised his disciples that their faithfulness would be rewarded in the age to come. The disciples longed for greatness; Jesus told them that they would get it not by striving for greatness, but by striving for servanthood. We lose nothing by giving our lives away in service, but we gain everything. As Marshall Segal writes, “Servants in this life will rule the next. Slaves in this life will be kings forever.” The night before he died, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, a task that was usually left to servants. “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet,” he says. “For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you” (John 13:14-15). We’re meant to serve just as Jesus served. Jesus’ act was an illustration of the greatest act of service that was to follow: giving his life away for us. In the same way, we’re meant to follow his example, giving our lives away to serve others. We serve others in the same way that he served us. ## The Path to Greatness The pathway to what we long for is in the exact opposite direction we think. It’s not in pursuing greatness; it’s in laying aside our privilege and serving others. It makes no sense according to worldly standards, but neither did the cross. It turns out that life in God’s kingdom is the exact opposite of how we normally think. Jesus doesn’t say that we should abdicate leadership roles, or that we shouldn’t use the power that we have. Our culture tends to distrust those who have authority; Scripture teaches that authority can be a good gift when exercised appropriately (2 Samuel 23:3-4). Our problem isn’t power. Our problem is when we use power to serve *ourselves*. According to Jesus, our lives should be characterized by humility, using our lives to serve others. We’re meant to not further our own interests, but to look for ways to advance others. Who is the greatest pastor? We don’t know. The greatest pastor is probably someone who is serving faithfully in a small, rural church, completely unknown to anyone but the few people entrusted to his care. My struggle with what the Bible teaches about servanthood is, in a word, selfishness. I want to be served. I want to receive; I’m hesitant to lay down my life to serve others. What a horrible way to live. I’ve seen others who want to be served, and it’s ugly. Sin always promises more than it can deliver. Choose to live a life in which you are god, and you will lead a very small life, condemned to a cycle of self-absorption and despair. The opposite is true. Jesus promised that we would find our lives by giving them away. I’ve known people who’ve lived this way. They don’t seem to be sad. The more they give, the more they tend to receive. We shouldn’t be surprised, since Scripture teaches this principle repeatedly. Sometimes I think we shy away from believing this truth because of its abuses. Skip the abuses, but cling to the underlying principle. “Love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great… give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:35, 38). I’m trying to overcome my addiction to being served. I want to live the way that Jesus describes: giving and serving others with abandon, trusting that this is the wisest and best way to live. When we live this way, after all, we’re reflecting the nature of God who has given so much so extravagantly to us. On September 8, 2022, Queen Elizabeth II died. Queen Elizabeth lived a life of extraordinary privilege. She lived in palaces and had servants to assist her with anything she needed. On her 21st birthday in 1947, before she became queen, Princess Elizabeth gave a speech that was broadcast throughout the Commonwealth. > There is a motto which has been borne by many of my ancestors - a noble motto, "I serve". Those words were an inspiration to many bygone heirs to the Throne when they made their knightly dedication as they came to manhood. I cannot do quite as they did. > But through the inventions of science I can do what was not possible for any of them. I can make my solemn act of dedication with a whole Empire listening. I should like to make that dedication now. It is very simple. > I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong. On the day Queen Elizabeth celebrated 70 years on the throne, she released a message to the public. “As we mark this anniversary, it gives me pleasure to renew to you the pledge I gave in 1947 that my life will always be devoted to your service.” She signed the message, “Your servant, Elizabeth R.” Queen Elizabeth may have enjoyed more privilege than we do, but she understood the purpose of the privileges we get to enjoy. God has granted us life and its blessings in order to serve. The true mark of greatness is not what we receive, but what we give. Living as a servant is the true mark of greatness. “The call to live and be great is a call to serve and even die” (Marshall Segal). **The path to true greatness involves service and trials and follows the example set by Jesus.** ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-422/ Last updated: 2024-11-30T10:00:46.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [10 Theories of the Atonement](https://go.dashhouse.com/RSkJ?ref=dashhouse.com) > Over the centuries, theologians have articulated several different theories or models of the atonement. Most of the models get something right, though some are much closer to the mark than others. [You Already Work a Christian Job](https://go.dashhouse.com/RSmD?ref=dashhouse.com) > Vocation dignifies all legitimate efforts. [Unequally Yoked in Business?](https://go.dashhouse.com/RSkQ?ref=dashhouse.com) . “Pastor, should I start a business with an unbeliever? Would it be wise for me to partner with this person or not?” [The Coddling of the American Funeral](https://go.dashhouse.com/RSm8?ref=dashhouse.com) > The coddling of the American funeral is a tragedy worth grieving. As Christians, we should ponder death with more grief and more hope than our unbelieving neighbors. [Prepare to Speak on Sunday](https://go.dashhouse.com/RSmQ?ref=dashhouse.com) > When we who fear the Lord speak to one another this Sunday, what will the Lord overhear? [You Must Be Baptized to Receive the Lord's Supper](https://go.dashhouse.com/RSlp?ref=dashhouse.com) > This baptismal prerequisite for partaking of the Lord’s Supper is thoroughly biblical and for that reason has been the consistent practice of the church since its earliest days. [Benefits of Writing Sermons (Really Really) Early](https://go.dashhouse.com/RSl0?ref=dashhouse.com) > I do think there are some distinct advantages to writing your sermons as far in advance as I do. Here are some of them. ### The Unknown Pastor URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-unknown-pastor/ Last updated: 2024-11-26T10:00:59.000Z Right now, in a small town you've never heard of, there's a pastor starting his day at the church. He sits alone in his office, preparing a sermon, answering emails, and planning pastoral visits. He doesn't make much money and isn't well-known. Sometimes he wonders if his work is worth it, but he keeps serving. Long ago, this man had big dreams. He wanted to make a difference, inspired by famous pastors. But unlike them, he's remained mostly unknown and often unappreciated. Many in his church love him, but not everyone. Some people criticize his sermons for being too long or too short. Others don't like his wife. Some compare him to past pastors they preferred more. Despite this, he continues to serve. Today, he's feeling weary and questioning whether his ministry has made a difference. He’s facing the same stresses: unpaid bills at home, endless meetings at church, a growing task list, and the administrative tasks that always find their way back to him. He’s been at it so long that he knows the rhythm of the year, and each year he wonders if he has the energy to go through the cycle again. He's been at it for a long time without seeing the changes he hoped for. Yet he keeps going. He knows he'll never be famous or build a big platform. His church website isn't impressive; he inherited a mission statement for the church that he doesn’t like and can’t change. The church he pastors has some wonderful people, but it has its share of quirky people too. The church has grown. Some people have come to faith in Christ. But more have transferred from the church across town. This pastor wonders if, one day, these people will leave his church, just as they left the church before. His dreams are simple: to serve faithfully, grow in love for Christ, and help others do the same. He wants to keep loving his wife, and he wants his kids to know the Lord. Some days he’s not sure how well he’s doing at any of this. One day, when he retires, few will notice. People will say nice things at his party and quickly move on to find a new pastor. He'll join the many who served before him and were forgotten. But this pastor is faithful and loved by God. He's been placed in his church to serve on God's behalf. Behind all the scandals and famous pastors, there are many like him—serving quietly, often discouraged but still dedicated. As I get older, I admire these pastors more and more. They set the example of what a true pastor should be: not ambitious for fame but faithful in service. This pastor represents what most pastors are like—faithful servants behind the scenes. I'm grateful for him and others like him. We need more of them. I pray that as he sits in his office today, he knows that his ministry matters to the Lord and is a blessing to people. We are blessed to have pastors like him. ### When God Seems Hidden (Ruth 1) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/when-god-seems-hidden-ruth-1/ Last updated: 2024-11-24T23:00:59.000Z **Big Idea:** God is actively at work in the darkest times and among the most hopeless people, even when it's not obvious to us. --- We’re starting our Christmas series a little early this year because next week we’ll be hearing from Paul McDonald. We’re also walking through an unusual book in the Bible as we head to Christmas. We’re looking at the ancient book of Ruth. Does it ever seem like God is hidden? We go through times when God is very real to us. There’s an old hymn that says: > Heav’n above is softer blue, > Earth around is sweeter green! > Something lives in every hue > Christless eyes have never seen; > Birds with gladder songs o’erflow, > Flowers with deeper beauties shine, > Since I know, as now I know, > I am His, and He is mine. That is our experience some of the time. But sometimes it seems that we live in a world God in which God is distant, where there’s one tragedy after another. We often question whether living for God has any real value or if our lives can make a meaningful impact. Sometimes it seems that God has hidden his face and there’s little hope, and there’s nothing we can do about it. If you know what I’m talking about, the book of Ruth might be for you. ## Tragedy (1:1-5) Let me tell you about Ruth. Ruth lived in the time of the Judges when there was no king in Israel. If you know about this time, you understand that it was one of the darkest times in Israel’s history. This 400-year period took place after the people had settled in Israel, but before they had a king. They kept falling into a cycle of disobedience to God, oppression by foreign powers, repentance, and deliverance through a judge. It was a time of political instability, tribal rivalries, and conflicts with neighboring nations. Things kept getting worse. Everyone acted as their own king and acted as they pleased. By the end of the book, Israel is no better than the worst of the sinful nations around them. Everything seems hopeless. It seemed that God's plans for his people were failing, that he was absent, and that the situation wouldn’t improve. The events of the book Ruth took place around this time. Things were bad with Israel, but in Ruth we zoom into not the entire nation but one particular family, and things are bad with them too. Verse 1 tells us there was a famine in the land, likely a sign of God’s displeasure on Israel. Due to the famine, a man and his family left Bethlehem, which means "house of bread," and moved to Moab, a land of foreign gods. They became refugees. God had told his people to stay distinct from the surrounding nations. It doesn’t seem like a great decision, but maybe they believed they had no choice. Sure enough, things get worse. Elimelech, the husband, died, leaving behind Naomi and her two daughters. Naomi’s name means pleasant or lovely or delightful, but her life wasn’t any of those things now. Naomi became a widow. She joined one of the most disadvantaged and marginalized groups. She faced poverty, few rights, a low social status, and to top it off, she was in a foreign land. It was a bad time, and Naomi’s personal situation had gone from bad to worse. But she still had her sons. They married Moabite women, which was contrary to God’s word (Deuteronomy 7:3-4). Moabites were bad news for God’s people back then. They wouldn’t have been allowed in the temple. They had the reputation of leading God’s people astray. Marrying Moabite women was bad news. Sometime after, in this ten-year period, her sons died too, leaving her not only widowed but childless. As an Israelite widow with no sons, she was vulnerable and unprotected. She lost everything. Ruth 1 is a downward spiral of tragedy. By the end of chapter 1, it looked like all hope is gone. Ruth faced poverty, hardship, and possibly even slavery. Society had cast her aside, and she belonged to the unwanted class. She wondered what she could do to survive in her difficult situation. And God seemed completely absent. Naomi served as a microcosm for Israel. Is there any hope? Would the Lord ever redeem someone like her, someone like Israel? We have no control over the times in which we live. We might be living in dark times and facing a desperate situation. We may feel at times that God has abandoned us. We can influence our situation, but some events are beyond our control. We, like Naomi, may find ourselves in a position we never hoped to face without any reasonable prospect of hope. ## Decision (1:6-18) So Naomi made a decision. She decided to go back to Israel. “Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the LORD had visited his people and given them food” (1:6). But first, she tried to convince her daughters-in-law not to follow her. Surprisingly, most of chapter 1 is about Ruth trying to convince her two daughters-in-law to stay while she goes back. There’s nothing random in Scripture, so you have to wonder why the author spends so much time here. She blesses them. She pleads with them. She succeeds in convincing one of them to return. But not Ruth. Why is this such a focus in the story? I think it’s because of two reasons: **First, it’s to underline Naomi's hopelessness.** She’s completely lost hope, and she doesn’t want to drag anyone else down with her. > Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me. (1:11-13) Hear the pain. Hear the hopelessness. The writer wants us to see how bad things had become for Naomi. **But there’s another reason why the writer spends so much time on this part of the story: because it gives us the first note of hope.** In a hopeless story, we get the first glimmer of hope. Read verses 16 to 18: > But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more. Here we have the first sign that God is at work. Ruth renounces the polytheism of the Moabites and embraces the monotheism of the Hebrews. She invokes the name of Yahweh in verse 17, the covenant name of the God of Israel. Things aren’t as hopeless as Naomi thinks. Ruth left her own family and land. She made one of the greatest possible commitments you could make in the ancient world. She moved to an unknown people with their own language and customs. She pledged to go and stay even after Naomi dies. Going meant she probably had few prospects, but she went. She took the Lord as her own. What Paul wrote later of the Thessalonians is true of Ruth as well: “you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (1 Thessalonians 1:9). God is at work! When tragedy strikes, when our life unravels, when God seems hidden, it’s so easy to conclude that things are worse than they really are. When Naomi had completely given up hope, God was still working. In fact, what we’re going to see in this book is that God is always at work, often behind the scenes, and nothing can stop him. We only occasionally get a glimpse of what he’s doing, but God is always at work in the world to accomplish his purposes whether we see it or not, no matter how badly things appear to be going. ## Back to Bethlehem (1:19-22) Verse 19 says, “So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem.” In the darkest of times, when there appeared to be little hope, Naomi and Ruth arrived in Bethlehem. The journey would have been anywhere from 65 to 80 kilometers, mostly uphill. The trip would have taken days. It was a far enough trip to walk, and the cultural distance was even greater. Look what happens when they arrive. > And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, “Is this Naomi?” She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the LORD has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?” The town buzzed that Naomi is back. The ten years had taken a toll on Naomi, and it was probably clear by how she looked. The townspeople don’t even mention Ruth. It’s like they decide they’re not even going to acknowledge her. Naomi told them to stop calling her by her name, which meant pleasant, and instead to change her name to bitter. Naomi saw nothing good about her situation. She was the very definition of failure. Naomi doesn’t see the full situation. She hadn’t yet seen that God is at work in everything that’s happened. She’s in for a surprise. In the darkest of times, God was at work in every detail of her life. God may have seemed hidden to Naomi, but it doesn’t mean that he had stopped working. The story is just getting started, but there’s no question that God is at work even though Naomi can’t see it yet. You may be wondering why we’re preaching through Ruth this Christmas. It’s because sometimes it looks like God is hidden. Sometimes it looks like the days are dark. Sometimes, through a series of choices we made and the things that happen to us, we run out of hope. We look around and can’t see any evidence that God cares for us. But look carefully, and you may find evidence that God is still at work. He’s still rescuing people from worshipping false gods so they can worship Yahweh himself. Look even more carefully, and you may discover that God never stopped being faithful to his people even when we can’t see it. God is preparing Naomi and Ruth for a child to be born in Bethlehem, a child who will play a decisive role in the history of the world. They can’t see it yet, because they can only see their part of the story, but God knows what he’s doing. If you’re empty, if you’re bitter, if you’re resourceless, if you’ve lost hope, that’s no impediment to God. It’s just like God to bring someone who has lost all hope and someone who’s not even one of God’s people to the point of desperation, and bring them to the place where they can see God work out his faithfulness to his people. Naomi and Ruth are about to see that God hasn’t abandoned them after all, because a baby was about to be born in Bethlehem in a very dark time, and this baby, as we’re going to see in coming weeks, was going to change the world. How like God to do this! Because God is still bringing people who are at the point of desperation, who’ve lost all hope, to a point of desperation where they can realize three things: - God never stopped working, even when they couldn’t see it. - He loves to include those who are outsiders and those who have lost all hope. - One baby born in Bethlehem can change everything. It changed everything for Naomi and Ruth. And it can change everything for us as well. Next week we begin Advent. Advent is a season of expectancy and longing in a dark world. Will things get better? Is there any hope in a world of darkness and in our lives of hopelessness? Ruth screams the answer: Yes! The Sovereign God of the universe is at work even in the darkest of times, even when we can’t see it, and even with the most hopeless of people, and he’s working out his grand story through the birth of a baby in Bethlehem. Father, I want to thank you for your mysterious providence. We don’t understand why God’s people suffer like they do. But we cling to the reality that you are always at work even when we can’t see it. Thank you that you have a way of working even among those who’ve lost hope, even among those who don’t belong. You include them in your story. You let the empty and the desperate into your grand story, and we are thankful. Most of all we’re grateful for the story that will unfold in Ruth, a story that will result in the birth of a baby in Bethlehem, which will eventually lead to the birth of a king named David, which will eventually lead to the birth of Jesus. Thank you that Ruth’s story is our story. Thank you for Jesus, who did everything to give the empty and desperate hope and life and salvation. So Lord, help us to see that you’re always at work, even in the darkest of times, even when we’ve lost hope, because a baby has been born in Bethlehem who changes everything. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-421/ Last updated: 2024-11-23T10:00:30.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Make the Most of Sunday Mornings](https://go.dashhouse.com/RIVG?ref=dashhouse.com) > By resolving to come hungry and leave full, we position ourselves to grow. And by resolving to come early and stay late, we position ourselves to serve. [10 Mistakes I’ve Made in Preaching](https://go.dashhouse.com/RIVU?ref=dashhouse.com) > I would like to share with you 10 mistakes I’ve made as a preacher, with the hope that you would learn from them and make progress. [Pray Till You Pray](https://go.dashhouse.com/RIVM?ref=dashhouse.com) > Moody Stuart gave 3 instructions on prayer which I’ve found helpful. [Immaturity, Memorials, and Maturing](https://go.dashhouse.com/RIVO?ref=dashhouse.com) > Something as silly and relatively inconsequential as a bunch of old articles is also a gift to me. They are a reminder that I am, in fact, maturing. [Should We Practice the Way with John Mark Comer?](https://go.dashhouse.com/RIVR?ref=dashhouse.com) > I found myself enjoying the book and recognizing why Comer is so influential. But that does not mean I am without criticism. [Should We Call God Yahweh Instead of LORD?](https://go.dashhouse.com/RIVA?ref=dashhouse.com) > While I am technically okay with using the word Yahweh instead of LORD, we should not simply use Yahweh and not LORD, or else we will miss the inner logic of the apostolic proclamation as found in the New Testament. [Jonathan Edwards and the Body: Integrating Physical Health into Spiritual Life](https://go.gospelforlife.com/RCog?ref=dashhouse.com) > In the latest episode of the Gospel for Life podcast, Myles Holmes and I explore how Jonathan Edwards integrated physical health practices—like diet, sleep, and exercise—with spiritual discipline, emphasizing the importance of honoring God with our bodies without being legalistic. ### Not That Different URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/not-that-different/ Last updated: 2024-11-19T10:00:24.000Z At 30, I found myself pastoring a church, a significantly larger congregation than the first I’d pastored. To be honest, I felt overwhelmed and a little insecure. A member from our church, who had studied in the States and served at a well-known megachurch, approached me with words that would stick with me. He said, "The prominent pastors may seem very gifted, but they're not. They’re gifted in one or two areas, and they get to use those gifts. They’re also pretty bad at other things. You’re not much different from any of the big church pastors that I’ve gotten to know.” His message wasn't that I was particularly gifted, but rather that none of us are. As he got to know the senior leaders of this large church, he discovered that the truth about all of us. We’re all gifted in some areas, some in more noticeable ways, but we’re otherwise quite average. The member wasn't implying that I was particularly gifted. He was saying that none of us are. Most of us are just average. Nor did his comment mean that any of us can serve anywhere. To be honest, I think I was probably too immature to serve as pastor of that church at that time. What he was saying is that we need to get rid of the illusion that God can use other people, but he can't use someone like us. Reflecting on this 27 years later, I've learned more about my strengths and weaknesses. Age brings the benefit of self-awareness. I can mostly identify where I’m gifted and where I'm not. I want to grow, but I realize I may not excel in some areas no matter how hard I try. God gives us gifts in certain areas that may come easily to us but are difficult for others. Simultaneously, we’re also weak in other areas, highlighting our need for community. The church, as Paul discusses in 1 Corinthians, is built so we need each other. “For the body does not consist of one member but of many,” Paul writes. “ If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.” (1 Corinthians 12:14, 19-20) This means a couple of things. First, we should never be discouraged. God has gifted us with something the church needs. We all have a role to play. God gave us gifts for the good of others and for his glory. We don’t need to feel insecure. Use whatever God has given you to serve others. Secondly, we should remain humble. No matter how visible or impressive our talents might be, we aren’t fundamentally different from others. Our gifts are from God, and they’re paired with a fair share of weakness and need. In public roles, we should stay humble, recognize our weaknesses, and rely on all church members, especially those we may consider less important (1 Corinthians 12:21-25). Ultimately, we're all pretty much the same, each with strengths and gifts and needs. We don’t have anything we haven’t received, and all that we’ve received is for the good of others and for God’s glory. Nobody’s excluded from serving; everyone’s needed, but nobody’s a big deal. Nobody can be proud. Nobody should be discouraged. God grants us gifts to serve the church and glorify Him. Embrace your role in the church with humility and courage. Remember, you are not better than others, and you need them as much as they need you. ### The Self-Sufficient Church (Revelation 3:14-22) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-self-sufficient-church-revelation-314-22/ Last updated: 2025-06-18T10:06:22.000Z **Big Idea:** Trade our self-sufficiency for what only Jesus can provide, allowing us to receive what we truly need: Jesus himself. --- We had a GFC Essentials class a couple of weeks ago. It’s a class that introduces GFC to people who are interested in joining. Whenever I meet someone who’s new to GFC, I’m happy for them. I say that because I was new to GFC just a year ago. We’re not a perfect church by any means, but I’ve been watching this church for a long time now, and it’s a good one. I could make a list of all the strengths we have as a church: - We’re young. Well, you are, anyway. - We’re biblical. We really care what the Bible has to say. - We’re passionate. - We have amazing people. - We prioritize substance over style. We’re not an ordinary church. For whatever reason — mostly God’s grace — God has blessed this church in an unusual way. Here’s where I’m going with this. These strengths can, if we’re not careful, become our downfall. A church can become complacent and overly self-sufficient, which poses a spiritual risk. ## Introducing Laodicea Today, we're discussing Jesus' final letter to the Laodicean church from the book of Revelation, as we continue exploring the seven letters. Let me introduce you to this church. Laodicea was an ancient city located in modern-day Turkey that had great historical and biblical significance. It was located on a plateau near the Lycus River valley and was a key trade and commerce center. Laodicea was an important trade city in its day. It was on the road that connected the Roman Empire to India. If you wanted to go to India, you had to go through Laodicea. Laodicea was a wealthy city famous for four things: its textiles, banking, medical school, and water shortages. Because of its location, it lacked a reliable water supply. To address this issue, the Laodiceans constructed an extensive aqueduct system that brought water to the city from hot springs located several miles away in Hierapolis. There’s one other detail about Laodicea that’s important. The city experienced a severe earthquake around 60 AD. After the earthquake, the city demonstrated its wealth and self-sufficiency by declining financial aid offered by the Roman Empire. Instead of accepting the assistance, the Laodiceans chose to finance the city's reconstruction using their own resources. This decision showcased the city's pride, financial stability, and independence. It was a city with a lot of strengths, a lot of pride and self-sufficiency, and not great water. What about the church? We don’t know a lot about this church other than from this letter from Jesus. In Colossians 4:13, Paul wrote that Epaphras, who was part of the Colossian church, “worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis.” Epaphras may have founded the Colossian church and was a key evangelist for two other communities in the Lycus valley. ## Who Jesus Is Jesus has an important message for this church. But first, Jesus introduces himself to the church in verse 14: “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.” “In this last of the seven, Jesus gives us the clearest statement of who he thinks he is and why he has the right to come on as strong as he does” ([Darrell Johnson](https://amzn.to/3CbJecS?ref=dashhouse.com)). Darrell Johnson points out that in every other letter, Jesus introduces himself in terms of what he *has* or *does*. But to Laodicea, Jesus introduces himself by who he *is*. - He is the Amen. Amen comes from a Hebrew term that means *surely*. It’s a way of viewing someone or something as valid and binding. Saying “amen” is a way of indicating that something is completely trustworthy. That is the essence of who Jesus is. He can be completely trusted. - He is the faithful and true witness. This echoes Revelation 1:5, which describes Jesus as "the faithful witness." Jesus is a faithful witness to who God is because he is God. The word true means genuine as opposed to counterfeit. Jesus is the genuine article. He genuinely and truly shows us what God is like. - He is also the beginning of God’s creation. This doesn’t mean that Jesus was created. It does mean that all creation had its beginning in him. “He is the source, the first principle, the moving cause of all of life — of the first creation and of the new creation… Everything in the universe has the stamp of Jesus on it. From microscopic existence to the far-flung reaches of interstellar space, it all bears the imprint of Jesus” (Johnson). That’s who Jesus is. Why does Jesus reveal himself in such glorious terms? Because, as we’re about to see, he has something to say to this church. Not only does he have the authority to speak to this church, but who he is is exactly what this church needs. ## Jesus’ Message Here’s Jesus’ message to the church. No commendations as with most of the other churches. Jesus gets straight down to business in verses 15 to 17. > I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. Remember the four unique things about Laodicea? One is that they didn’t have a natural water source. They brought water to the in from hot springs located several miles away in Hierapolis. The mineral-rich water started out hot. It was also rich in calcium carbonate, which would have made it taste a little chalky, bitter, and flat. By the time it reached Laodicea it would have tasted unpleasant and un-refreshing. And Jesus says that this is a good picture of the church, that the church is so unappetizing that it makes him want to spit them out of his mouth. Jesus picks up on the other unique characteristics of this city: its textiles, its banking industry, its medical school. Jesus says that despite its wealth and banking, they’re poor. Despite their medical expertise, famous for its ophthalmology and eye ointments, they were blind. Despite their clothing industry, they were naked. The very things that made them proud were the source of their downfall. Jesus puts his finger on the problem: they were self-sufficient and self-satisfied. They thought they had it made. This is deadly for a church. There are few things worse than a church that’s self-satisfied. One of the worst things that can happen to a church is that it thinks it’s something, that it begins to think that it’s something special. When we begin to find our strength in anything other than Jesus, we’re in danger. Spurgeon observes: > It was the general, unanimous feeling, from the minister down to the latest convert, that they were a most wonderful church… that is they could look back upon years of great prosperity and progress in their past history; and at that present time, if they were not absolutely perfect, they were getting close to the edge of it, for they had “need of nothing”; they did not know of anything which the church lacked; they had the best deacons, the best elders, the best members, always ready to do anything and everything that was proposed to them. They were rich, and increased with goods, and had need of nothing. The present was all right, the past was eminently satisfactory, and they had reached a point of all but absolute perfection, for they needed nothing… > They were sincere in this glorying… But now see what was their actual state: they were altogether mistaken. One of the greatest dangers is a church that has real strengths, but that can begin to trust in these strengths and not even know it. A church can begin to trust in its strengths and begin to overestimate itself. What a horror to be a church like this, where Jesus is ready to spit the church out of his mouth, and where he’s standing on the outside wanting to be let in, and they don’t even know it. ## Jesus’ Prescription Jesus has a prescription for this church. Two of them, actually. ### Stop being so self-reliant. To the city that refused help, to the church that thought they had everything they needed, Jesus says in verse 19, “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.” Stop thinking you have everything you need! The first step to health for a self-reliant church is to realize they don’t have what they need, but they can find what they need in Jesus. Despite their wealth, they don’t have the spiritual riches they need. Despite their textiles, they’re naked. Despite their medicine, they can’t fix their blindness. But Jesus can! All they have to do is receive with empty hands what only Jesus can give. But first they have to turn away from themselves. What does it mean to buy the things they need from Jesus? It doesn’t imply they have any means of payment. I think it’s a reference to Isaiah 55:1: “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” Come buy what you can only get for free. Jesus is willing to give it to you. And it’s much better than what you have. It’s gold that’s been refined. It’s the purest gold. They’re white garments that hide our shame. It’s eye balm that gives us the eyesight we really need. > The risen Lord is saying to the Laodiceans, and to us: If you will just recognize your poverty, I will enrich you with my riches. If you will just recognize your nakedness, I will clothe you with my garments. If you will just recognize your blindness, I will make you see with my eyes. (Johnson) In fact, Jesus’ words of rebuke are not because he’s stopped loving the church. In verse 19 he says, “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.” Jesus’ intention is for that they stop being so self-sufficient, so apathetic, and return to him. Stop being so self-reliant. Here’s his second prescription: ### Open the door to Jesus. Verse 20 says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” What a verse. You may have heard this offered as an evangelistic call to unbelievers. It’s a beautiful thing if someone hears this verse, and through it becomes a Christian. But that’s not the context in which Jesus said these words. Jesus is on the outside of that church, and he wants back in. Not only does he want back in, but he wants the intimacy and honor and acceptance that come with eating together. If they stop being so self-reliant, if they let Jesus back in, he’ll not only give the church what they need, but they’ll know his presence and enjoy a close relationship with him. If that wasn’t enough, look at what verses 21 and 22 say: > The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Jesus grants the church a relationship with him, allowing it to share in His authority and resources. GFC is a great church, and that scares me. Because a great church can easily become a self-sufficient church and not even know it. We should exchange our self-sufficiency for what only Jesus can provide, ultimately gaining what we need most: Jesus himself, the reliable witness and source of all things. That’s who we really need. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-420/ Last updated: 2024-11-16T10:00:02.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [You Can’t Life-Hack Your Way to Holiness](https://go.dashhouse.com/R8ik?ref=dashhouse.com) > The center of spiritual formation isn’t about what you do or the practices you adopt—it’s about the Spirit forming you into Christ’s image. [Is Stoicism a Friend of Christianity?](https://go.dashhouse.com/R8ic?ref=dashhouse.com) > I’m concerned about the trend among Christians to embrace stoicism as a way of dealing with the challenges of modern life. [When Offences Come: How to Forgive and Move On](https://go.dashhouse.com/R8ii?ref=dashhouse.com) > How do we move from offence to forgiveness, especially when the moment keeps coming to mind? [The “Plus One” Approach to Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/R8im?ref=dashhouse.com) > In addition to the Sunday morning worship service, pick one thing in the life of your congregation and be very committed to it. [Humbly Admitting We Are Vulnerable to Sexual Temptation Is the First Step to Avoiding a Fall](https://go.dashhouse.com/R8iq?ref=dashhouse.com) > A fall is preceded by a lack of alertness to danger and a failure to take the necessary steps to escape danger. [The Leak (a poem)](https://go.dashhouse.com/R8ia?ref=dashhouse.com) > Today I have a poem for you that is inspired by true events in our home. We recently discovered that a slow leak behind the shower had done enormous damage inside our bathroom walls without us realizing it. As I considered what had happened I noticed a connection between our home and our hearts. That’s what this poem is about. ### The Good News About Bad News URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-good-news-about-bad-news/ Last updated: 2024-11-12T10:00:26.000Z I’m no stranger to bad news. Believe me. Live long enough, and you’ll get your share of bad news too. I don’t want to slap a happy face on bad news either. Some news is simply awful. Life is hard. Anyone who reads Job, the Psalms, Ecclesiastes, or plenty of other passages understands that suffering is real, and it’s okay to buckle under the weight of suffering. The Apostle Paul himself spoke of suffering so much that he despaired of life itself (2 Corinthians 1:9). This world isn’t the way that it should be. The Christian message is not that you should deny the reality of bad news or its impact on you. Scripture is surprisingly about how bad this world can be, and its effect on us. The Christian message doesn’t deny the reality of bad news, but it does give us some good news about bad news. Specifically, it reminds us of three things that are true for those who know Christ. ## God is With You It doesn’t matter what you go through. You won’t be going through it alone. God himself has promised to be with you. He never turns his back on you even when you go through the worst circumstances. It seems that some of the recipients of the letter written to the Hebrews may have been worried about money. Maybe they faced financial hardship because of their commitment to Christ. The writer told them to cultivate contentment with whatever they had — no easy task then or today. It’s always easy to want more, to worry about the future, to fear bad financial news, and to want a more comfortable life. The writer quoted Psalm 118:6 to his readers: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Talk about a profound truth. No matter how hard things get, you can count on God’s active presence in your life. This can bring us confidence no matter what we go through. As the writer to the Hebrews continues, “So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:5-6). One day you will face your ultimate trial alone. No one will be able to walk with you when you die. Even then, God won’t abandon you. You can count on his presence then, just as you can count on his presence now no matter what you’re going through. ## God is Using Your Trials God also uses what we go through — even the worst of what we go through — for our own good. Somehow, God is able to take the worst situations and bring some good out of it. Actually, a lot of good. James wrote: > Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4) God uses our trials for our ultimate good. That’s why so many who go through trials eventually say that they wouldn’t want to go through them again, but they are grateful for them because of what they learned. I wouldn’t trade some of what I’ve gained from trials for the comfort I missed. God uses our trials for our good. ## Your Trials Will Be Worth It Somehow, our trials will one day be worth it. 2 Corinthians 4:17 never fails to encourage me: “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison…” Our afflictions right now are light and momentary compared to what George Guthrie calls the eternal tonnage of glory that’s waiting for us one day. It’s like our small trials prepare us for glory that’s we can’t even imagine now. It will all have been worth it. The Bible doesn’t deny the existence of hardship. It doesn’t tell you not to feel honest emotions. But it gives us good news about bad news. God is with you, and he won’t abandon you. He will use your trials; they’re never without meaning. What you’re going through now is preparing you for a future you can’t even imagine. Hold on to this good news whenever you receive bad news. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-419/ Last updated: 2024-11-09T10:00:03.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [‘You Shall Surely Die’?](https://go.dashhouse.com/QxFn?ref=dashhouse.com) > God told Adam that he would “surely die” if he ate from the forbidden tree. He and Eve did not immediately return to the dust upon eating the fruit, but they did experience death in other forms. [Leave Church a Little Tired](https://go.dashhouse.com/QxFe?ref=dashhouse.com) > “I hope you leave Sunday morning deeply encouraged by the gospel — and I also hope you leave kind of tired.” [A Comforting Verse for Unimpressive, Not so Great Preachers](https://go.dashhouse.com/QzF4?ref=dashhouse.com) > The power is not in our showiness. The power is not in our rhetorical skill and oratory. The power is in the gospel message itself. [The Church’s Unsung Hero: The Persevering Sunday School Teacher](https://go.dashhouse.com/QxFL?ref=dashhouse.com) > Look around your church and find the unsung heroes. They don’t want you to sing their praises. They’ll be perfectly content if you direct that praise to the God who called and equipped them for ministry. [Lessons From George Muller](https://go.dashhouse.com/QxFz?ref=dashhouse.com) > Countless Christians since Muller’s day have discovered there are life lessons to be learned from God’s grace in and through this man’s faithful ministry. Here are just a few, collected from his own journal entries at the time. ### The Key to Reading the Bible URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-key-to-reading-the-bible/ Last updated: 2024-11-05T10:00:54.000Z I'm often surprised by Jesus' straightforwardness. Jesus frequently confronted religious leaders and ordinary believers of his time for their misunderstanding of Scripture and lack of faith in its message. > Jesus said to the Sadducees, "Is this not the reason you are wrong, because **you know neither the Scriptures** nor the power of God?" (Mark 12:24) > “O foolish ones, and **slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!** Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" (Luke 24:25-27) > Jesus, speaking to Nicodemus, asked, "Are you the teacher of Israel and yet **you do not understand these things?**" (John 3:10) > “**Have you not read** what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him... **Or have you not read** in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless?" (Matthew 12:3-5) Jesus emphasizes that religious leaders and those knowledgeable about the Scriptures should understand them deeply, not just superficially. Sometimes in the New Testament, key theological ideas come from small grammatical details. In Galatians 3:16, Paul makes an argument based on a grammatical point in the Hebrew Scriptures. Jesus reveals himself as Messiah by drawing attention to the proper interpretation of Psalm 110 in Matthew 22:24\. Jesus wanted them to understand the Scriptures deeply and draw important conclusions, not just read them. I’m currently preaching through the book of Revelation. Revelation has confused a lot of people, and many have spent a lot of effort trying to understand its message. But the key to understanding Revelation is right in front of us. Revelation doesn't directly quote the Hebrew Scriptures, but it has 404 verses and makes about 500 allusions to the Old Testament. That’s an average of 1.25 per verse. To understand Revelation, we need to understand the Hebrew Scriptures. (Fortunately, we have [tools](https://amzn.to/3C98noV?ref=dashhouse.com) to help us.) It turns out that the key to reading the Bible well is reading the Bible. Repeatedly, deeply making connections and piecing things together. We read with the intent of deeply understanding its details, not just casually or devotionally. We can’t get there overnight, but we can get there slowly as we keep reading, re-reading, and meditating on Scripture. Read the Bible once, and you'll probably feel confused. Read it ten times, and you'll start to get a feel of the terrain. Read it fifty times, and you'll begin to see connections you'd never noticed before. Read the Bible over a lifetime and Scripture will start to shape your mind. There will always be more to learn, and it will be a joy. I have friends who’ve just moved back to Toronto. They’ve moved to the wife’s childhood home. One day, the husband corrected the wife on her planned route to where she wanted to go. She looked at him. “I grew up here. I know this area like the back of my hand.” She had knowledge of the place that he didn’t, and she was right. That should be our goal with Scripture. Slowly over time, we can get to know it like we know the things that are most familiar to us. The only way to get there is to read and slowly build up a deep knowledge of God’s word. The key to reading the Bible is to keep reading the Bible. The more we do, the more we’ll be able to read it with the understanding that we need. ### The Self-Deceived Church (Revelation 3:1-6) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-self-deceived-church-revelation-31-6/ Last updated: 2024-11-03T23:00:05.000Z **Big Idea:** Guard against spiritual lethargy by staying close to Jesus. --- In Revelation 2 and 3, Jesus addresses seven churches. Jesus understands the state of each church and addresses them individually with praise, corrections, potential consequences for ignoring him, and promises for those who listen. These seven churches are meant to be representative churches. “It turns out that the seven churches of Asia embody every major issue with which the church has struggled in every age in every cultural setting” (Johnson). And so, as we read these letters, we’re meant to consider what these letters have to say to us. Today we get to the fifth of the seven letters, and the one that scares me the most. Why do I find this letter particularly scary? Here’s why: because this church was in denial about their true spiritual condition. From all appearances, this church appeared to be doing well. As you read this letter, you get the sense that they would have rated themselves highly as a church. And yet Jesus’ message to the church is almost entirely negative. In fact, Jesus’ evaluation of the church is so scathing that this letter departs a little from the structure of the other letters. Their situation is so critical that Jesus begins to instruct them on the corrective actions they must take almost immediately. Here’s the thing about this letter that scares me the most. This church should have been in better condition than some of the others we’ve looked at. There are no doctrinal problems that need correction. There is no mention of opposition or persecution. In fact, this is the only one of the seven churches with no mention of hardship or hostility. Yet they are still in desperate spiritual condition. This letter scares me because it’s possible for a church to look successful, for a church to believe they’re doing well, for a church to hold to sound doctrine, for a church to face little external pressure to compromise, and for that church still to be in critical condition. “Churches can appear healthy on the outside, but many are living off the reservoir of past faithfulness and blessing” ([David Campbell](https://amzn.to/4dYbKMi?ref=dashhouse.com)). This letter scares me because, as [Darrell Johnson](https://amzn.to/40btFfm?ref=dashhouse.com) puts it, we are always on the brink of losing it. ## Introducing Sardis Let’s back up a little. Let me introduce you to Sardis. Sardis was a city with an illustrious past. You’ve heard of Midas, the figure from Greek mythology, best known for his ability to turn anything he touched into gold. His wife turned to gold. His kids turned to gold. His food turned to gold. He couldn’t eat, because everything he touched turned to gold. Eventually, he begged for this ability to be taken away from him, and so he instructed to wash himself in a river near Sardis to rid himself of the golden touch. Sardis was known for its wealth, largely derived from its strategic location, fertile lands, and the nearby Pactolus River, which was a source of gold. Sardis was one of the first places where coins were minted and used for trade. Sardis had also been the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia, which was a major power in the region during the 7th and 6th centuries BCE. It was at the crossroads of major trade routes. Even later, it remained an important city under Persian rule and later during the Hellenistic period. There’s a piece of this city’s history that may be relevant. In 546 BC, Cyrus the Great marched on Sardis. The city was considered well-fortified and difficult to capture. However, a Persian soldier saw a soldier accidentally drop his helmet from the battlements and then retrieve it by using a hidden path. The Persians used this path to infiltrate the city, catching the defenders by surprise. Ancient commentators blamed Sardis’s tragic fall on “a lack of vigilance in its defenders.” A similar attack happened a few hundred years later. One unobserved and unguarded weak point, one chance in a thousand, was all that was necessary to deliver a crushing blow to the arrogant citizens of Sardis. By the time that Jesus wrote to the church in Sardis, the city was a shadow of its former splendor. It was a city in decline. The once brilliant city now showed decay. Ironically, one of the most prominent features of the city was its cemetery. It had become a city of peace — not the type of peace won through battle, but “the peace of the man whose dreams are dead and whose mind is asleep, the peace of lethargy and evasion” (William Barclay). It was a city that had once been glorious, but had seen better days. They had fame in the past, but they had faded, and they didn’t even know it. ## Jesus’ Message to Sardis Jesus has a message for this church. It’s a message that contains three parts: the condition of the church, the remedy, and encouragement. ### The Church’s Condition > And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. > “‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.” (3:1) Again, there are no doctrinal problems that need correction. There is no mention of opposition or persecution. In fact, the church in Sardis was known as an active, vigorous congregation, characterized by good works and charitable activities. And yet, despite the lack of doctrinal problems, and despite the lack of opposition, there is something striking about Christ’s letter to the church at Sardis. There are no words of commendation. The church is not what it appears to be. It looks like it’s alive, but Jesus tells them their true spiritual condition: they are dead. It may be, in fact, that this church wasn’t being persecuted because there was no need for Satan to oppose the church. This is a solemn warning for every church. Just as the city had been rich and had fallen into decline, just as the city had been considered impregnable but had been taken twice, the church had a reputation for being rich, impregnable, and alive, but they were actually dead. This is a church that thinks it’s strong, but it’s in critical danger. We are always in danger of dying and not even knowing it. We can be a busy church, a church with a good reputation, and still fall into this trap. In fact, the church that thinks it’s in good condition may be in the greatest danger. The church that thinks it’s impregnable may be most in danger of collapse. The church that has had an illustrious past may be in the greatest danger of coasting on its past success rather than walking with God today. C.S. Lewis said something that applies here. This is one of the most profound quotes I’ve ever read. “Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done.” You can’t coast on yesterday’s faith. Our faith and obedience in Jesus must be renewed every day. Every Christian, every church, must make a fresh commitment to trust God, as if starting anew, regardless of any past spiritual progress or achievements. Trusting God is not a one-time event but a daily practice. We can’t coast on past spiritual accomplishments. We need a daily, humble, and present-focused approach to faith. GFC has an amazing history. God has been so good to this church. But we can’t rely on yesterday’s faith, yesterday’s prayer, or yesterday’s sacrifice. We must follow God today, or we’ll die without knowing it. Darrell Johnson compares the Christian life to waterskiing. Drop the rope and it’s over. Actually, you’ll be able to go for a few seconds before you sink, but you won’t go far. That’s how it is with Jesus. The minute a church drops the rope, we’re done, no matter what’s happened in the past. Don’t rely on yesterday’s faith and obedience. Hold on to Jesus today. ### The Remedy We need to look at the remedy Jesus gives this church. The letter to Sardis jumps straight into Jesus' concern for the church without any commendation, which is unlike the other letters. What should a church do that looks good outwardly but has lost its spiritual vitality? > Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. (3:2-3) Here’s how we find our way back. Four things: - **Wake up.** Remember that Sardis had been defeated twice at night because of a lack of alertness. Jesus tells the church in Sardis to wake up, to stay watchful. It’s not a one-time thing; it’s an ongoing action. We must stay vigilant on an ongoing basis against the danger of spiritual lethargy. - **Strengthen what remains** — Even though the church is all but dead, we’re about to see that there were some small signs of life. Jesus tells the church to strengthen those. The small bit that’s left is on the verge of dying, but Jesus holds out some hope. Act fast while there’s still time. Look for signs of hope, and build on those. - **Remember what you’ve received and keep it** — This is always the cure for spiritual inadequacy. Go back to what you received in the beginning. Go back to the truths you’ve been taught. Hold on to the message that was preached. Don’t let it go. Keep it. Guard it. Change your downward spiral by going back to what you first had and guarding it with your life. - **Repent** — This is a summary of the entire message Jesus has to the church. Repent. Change your downward spiral. Change your direction. Get back to what you once had and don’t let it go. The message is urgent. Jesus reminds them of how the city has been taken twice in the past by stealth at night. He says, “If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.” If they don’t pay attention, they will be taken again. This time it won’t be the Cyrus the Great or Antiochus the Great who takes them; it will be Jesus himself. ### Encouragement I hope you see why I find this letter so disturbing. We’re always in danger of losing our spiritual vitality. We can’t coast on what happened yesterday. I don’t want to rely on what’s happened before and end up spiritually dead without even knowing it. How kind of Jesus, though, to end with a note of hope, even with a church like the one in Sardis. > Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ (3:4-6) Even this church still has some who are faithful, who haven’t soiled their garments. The imagery builds on the wool industry in Sardis. Jesus sees these faithful believers, these few. He knows their name. He sees their faithfulness. And he promises three rewards: - When Jesus returns, they will walk with him in triumphant procession wearing robes of white. - Their names will appear in the book of life, and they will not be blotted out. Their names will be written in heaven eternally. - And Jesus will confess their names before the Father. All of this is only possible by the sustaining grace of Jesus. To those who refuse to be lulled to sleep, who keep walking with Jesus, they will experience eternal reward. This is what I want for us. I don’t want to coast. I don’t want to rely on yesterday’s faithfulness. I don’t want to let go of the rope. I don’t want us to die and not even know it. **Guard against spiritual lethargy by staying close to Jesus.** There are few things more tragic than a church that thinks it’s alive, but that Jesus says has died. Let’s not let this happen to us. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-418/ Last updated: 2024-11-02T09:00:03.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [A Rule of Life](https://go.dashhouse.com/QjTi?ref=dashhouse.com) > I like the emphasis on a rule of life, but I don’t like what often appears to me like a random buffet-line of spiritual practices that seem to have no inner-logic to them. [Three Ways We Might Find Our Biases Driving Our Biblical Interpretation](https://go.dashhouse.com/QjU9?ref=dashhouse.com) > There are some tell-tale signs that our biases might be overtaking our reading of Scripture. [Student Ministers, the Christian Life Is More than Passion](https://go.dashhouse.com/QjUE?ref=dashhouse.com) > Shouldn’t we long for a generation to be on fire for God for a lifetime, not a roller coaster of ups and downs or swinging between hot and cold? [Good Sermons Sometimes Hurt](https://go.dashhouse.com/QjUH?ref=dashhouse.com) > Deeply biblical preaching can often cause deep but good and necessary pain. [The Surprising Rescue of the Country’s Most Beautiful Baptist Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/QjUT?ref=dashhouse.com) > Nearly a century later, attendance at Tremont Temple had shrunk to around 70 on a good week. The preaching wasn’t expositional. Financially, it was failing. [5 Reasons I Love Being a Pastor](https://go.dashhouse.com/QjU1?ref=dashhouse.com) > There are so many blessings in being a pastor, so many reasons I count it one of the greatest privileges of my life, so many reasons to thank God for being a pastor, and so many reasons I love being a pastor. ### The Long Race URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-long-race/ Last updated: 2024-10-29T09:00:03.000Z I can run a 5K race, but I don’t enjoy it. The pace is fast and short, which suits other runners more than me. I could run a 10K with preparation. I also don’t love it because the pace is also fast. My sweet spot, if I’m prepared, is the half-marathon. It’s long enough for a slow, steady pace, and yet short enough that it doesn’t require more training than I’m prepared to take on. A full marathon is something altogether different. In terms of preparation, a full marathon is much more than double a half-marathon. Training plans are generally lengthy. The weekly mileage is more. The mindset and mental preparation are different. You need different strategies for fueling, hydration, recovery, and rest. Marathon speed work targets running economy, fatigue resistance, and the ability to maintain race pace for extended periods. Don’t get me started on ultra-marathons! You prepare differently for each one of these races. If you’re going to run a marathon, you have to prepare differently from running shorter races. I’ve noticed a lot being written these days about maximizing for short races. Lifestyle influencers and online gurus offer tips for how to win at life. I’ve noticed that many of them are young and have few commitments. They’re not focused on the kinds of things that make for a life well lived. They’re focused on reaching the kinds of goals you want to reach in the first half of your life. These tips are fine for reaching short-term goals, but we need something more. We need to learn from people who’ve run the long game. I want to learn from those who have learned to run the longer race with endurance and who are still running well in their later years. They probably won’t be running at the same pace as those who are focused on shorter races, but that’s fine. I want to learn how to find a sustainable pace that I can keep for a long time. The problem is that the short game influencers are everywhere. They’re often the ones producing videos and courses. They’re on social media. Often, they’re not shy about self-promotion. Those who run the long game don’t seem to push themselves in the same way. You have to seek them out. They’re not as flashy. They’re impressive, but only after you look below the surface. I am impressed by those who love their spouse after 50 years of marriage, and by those who continue to grow in love and holiness despite living in a broken world. The people we need to learn from most probably won’t come screaming at us for attention. Instead, we have to seek them out and learn. Don’t be fooled. Don’t fall for the marketing techniques of those who only want to help you win the short race. Short races are fine, but we need something more important. We need to learn to run the longer race. Look for those who’ve been running well for decades. Seek them out. Ask them questions. Learn from their wisdom. Pray that you will be able to follow their example and run the long race too. ### The Tolerant Church (Revelation 2:18-29) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-tolerant-church-revelation-218-29/ Last updated: 2024-10-27T22:00:05.000Z **Big Idea:** Don’t accept pressure to compromise; the consequences can be serious, but following Jesus brings great rewards. --- According to [Stephen McAlpine](https://amzn.to/3YgOSSn?ref=dashhouse.com), a pastor in Australia, we’re the bad guys now. Culture has not only rejected the gospel, but the gospel we share is often seen as bad or even dangerous. We live in a time that overlooks spiritual realities and is increasingly hostile to once-accepted beliefs. British author [Douglas Murray](https://amzn.to/48kxcKj?ref=dashhouse.com), who is gay and atheist, notes that our major narratives have been collapsing for over 25 years. We have a new religion focused on individual freedom and the celebration of personal authenticity, no matter the cost. It is a religion that runs counter to the gospel of Jesus. But if you stand against this religion, you will be viewed as not only wrong but dangerous. The gospel is "the most liberating, hope-filled news the world has ever seen," according to McAlpine. However, it can lead to problems at work or school as it may challenge prevailing beliefs. What do you do when you are viewed as the bad guy? What do you do when your adherence to Jesus causes people to view you as intolerant or hateful? How should we respond when pressured to support agendas that conflict with our commitment to Jesus? This is not an entirely new situation. This seems to be the situation that Christians in Thyatira faced too. ## Introducing Thyatira We are studying the book of Revelation. We are examining letters in which Jesus addresses seven churches in today's Turkey. In the passage we just read, Jesus addresses the fourth of the seven churches. He addresses the church in Thyatira. Let me introduce you to Thyatira. Thyatira was an inland medium-sized city and an important commercial center. Though it's the least significant city of the seven mentioned in Revelation 2 and 3, it receives the longest and most challenging message. Two things stand out about this ancient city: First, it was known for its trades. It had coppersmiths, tanners and leather workers, potters, slave traders, bakers, bronze-smiths, and textile workers. Lydia, who’s mentioned in Acts 16:14 as a “seller of purple goods,” was from Thyatira. Because it had so many trades, it also contained a number of trade guilds. Thyatira had more trade guilds than any other city in Roman Asia, with each guild dedicated to a patron deity. Second, Thyatira was known for its gods. It had a number of shrines to local deities. In fact, beside all the trade guild deities, they had two deities they worshiped as sons of Zeus. We don’t have a lot of archeological details on Thyatira. It’s now the modern town of Akhisar. But we know the church existed in this city full of trade guilds and idolatry. And Jesus has a message for the church. In verse 18, he introduces himself: "To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like flames of fire and whose feet are like polished bronze.’" This is the only time in the book of Revelation that Jesus is called the Son of God. Jesus is asserting his divine sonship here. Jesus references descriptions from 1:14-15, which draw from Daniel's vision in Daniel 10:6\. His eyes are like flames of fire; he has a searching gaze that no-one can escape. His feet are like burnished bronze; he has feet that will crush his enemies. Jesus shows up resplendent in his divine glory, and yet he shows up with authority and as judge. And he has something to say to that church and to us. ## Commendations Jesus has some commendations for the church in Thyatira. Look at verse 19: “I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first.” Jesus commends their works, and mentions four of them: their love, faith, service, and patient endurance. This is a church which has some significant strengths. They’re loving. They have faith — they’ve maintained their trust in God despite going through difficult times. They help others. And they’ve patiently endured trials despite the hardships they’ve faced. In contrast to the church in Ephesus, which had regressed over time, this church was moving forward. Their later works are better than the first. They’re not only doing good things, but they’re growing in doing good things. They were getting progressing instead of declining as time went on. As we’re about to see, this church also has some serious problems. It's interesting that the two churches with the biggest issues, Ephesus and Thyatira, also get the most praise from Jesus. Why? Because Jesus is so gracious to his church. I love how Jim Hamilton puts it: > It is important to recognize that Jesus knows and acknowledges the good in each of these churches, even when he is going to address serious problems in the churches. Sometimes when we go to address problems, even ones that are not so serious, we fail to see and acknowledge the good things that may be happening. Jesus is encouraging this church. They have problems, but those problems don’t keep him from seeing and commending the fruits of the Spirit in their lives. Let’s cultivate an ability to see and commend the fruits of the Spirit in each other’s lives, even if we do have serious things we need to go on to address, as Jesus does here. ## Concern That’s what’s going well in the church. So what’s the problem? > But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. (Revelation 2:20–21) Let’s figure this out. They tolerate a woman named Jezebel. Jesus uses the name of one of the greatest villains of the Old Testament and applies it to this woman. We read about the Old Testament Jezebel in 1 Kings 16 to 21\. She was the wife of King Ahab, and she promoted Baal worship. She taught people that foreign gods would bring economic prosperity. She was such a bad influence that 1 Kings 21:25 and 26 say: > There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the LORD like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited. He acted very abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the LORD cast out before the people of Israel. There was someone in the church that was acting just like Jezebel. What was she doing? Verse 20 says she claimed to be a prophetess — she claimed to speak for God — and she was a teacher. She was seducing people in the church to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. What does all of this mean? Jesus writes to this church and warns them about someone from within the church who is leading them astray. The problem probably isn’t only literal sexual immorality but spiritual infidelity, spiritual adultery. She’s leading them to compromise their faith, probably by participating in certain rituals of their pagan culture. It’s likely that this woman was teaching you could worship God in your private life, but then make compromises in their public lives. [Nancy Guthrie](https://amzn.to/4eVBZE2?ref=dashhouse.com) explains: > Thyatira was a market city and was “dominated by trade guilds that oversaw its various industries: wool, linen, dyes, clothing manufacturers, leather works, pottery, bakers, and bronze works.” Each guild paid homage to pagan gods. Christians who worked in these trades would have been pressured to participate in sacred festivals to these pagan gods, which would have included eating meals in their temples and participating in sexual liaisons with temple prostitutes. > Evidently there was an influence in the church, perhaps a woman in the church claiming to be a prophetess, who was encouraging the believers in the church to go ahead and participate in the feasts and the sexual ceremonies. Calling her “Jezebel” was a way of connecting the nature of her influence in the church to the Jezebel we read about in 1 Kings who urged the Israelites to worship Baal and Ashteroth alongside the Lord, which also involved sexual liaisons at the pagan shrines. Essentially, the message of this person to those in the church was that they could do everything their fellow citizens of Thyatira did. You can please God and go along with the world, she seemed to be teaching. You can believe what the Bible says but keep your beliefs private and go along with whatever’s required for you to blend in. And some people seemed to be buying this within the church. Jesus said that he had already given her time to repent, but she hadn’t repented, and she was still influencing people in the church. There are many today who urge compromise between what Scripture teaches and what the world believes. It’s easy to argue that we bend a little to accommodate the world until we realize that “the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze” is watching. And he has something to say to the church that’s being influenced to waver like the church in Thyatira. ## The Warning Here’s the warning Jesus has: > Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works. (2:22-23) Jesus doesn’t mess around with this kind of compromise. Jesus has eyes like flames of fire, and he searches our minds and hearts. If they don’t repent, they’re going to suffer and die spiritually and possibly physically too. They can continue to compromise with the world’s values because it looks like the consequence-free option, but it’s not. In fact, the consequences are severe. You may be wondering, “Does Jesus mean that they will literally die?” We don’t know for sure. In Acts 5, God struck Ananias and Sapphira dead. In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul said that some ate and drank the Lord’s Supper improperly and drank judgment on themselves. “That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died,” he said (1 Corinthians 11:30). Certainly it seems that the consequences of disobedience *can* lead to death. But to be honest, that is preferable to the other kind of death that could be in view. Spiritual death is even worse. Our spiritual lives are at stake. If we follow Jezebel, we’re in danger of spiritual death, which is far worse than physical death. But notice Jesus’ grace. Jesus warns us. He even gave this false teacher a chance to repent. Jesus is full of mercy. Even in his most challenging message, his arms are extended to those who hear his message and receive his grace. Some in that church thought they could compromise a little on their faith and avoid the negative consequences. Jesus tells them: you don’t avoid the consequences through compromise; instead, you sign up for more severe consequences from Jesus himself. I think of the early church leader Tertullian, who rebuked a believer for participating in idolatry because of his business. The man defended his sin, saying, “After all, I must live.” Tertullian answered, “Must you?” That’s the message Jesus brings. We always have options. It’s far better to choose to obey Christ, even if it costs us our lives. ## The Promise But here’s the promise to those who resist the temptation to compromise. > But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. Only hold fast what you have until I come. The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. And I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (2:24-29) No other burden. Only hold fast. Stay faithful to the end, even if it costs. And then Jesus quotes from Psalm 2:9: “You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” Jesus claims to be the one that Psalm 2 talks about, who rules over the world. But amazingly, he says that if we’re faithful to the end, we will rule with him too. Right now our bosses and tribunals rule over us, but there is a day that we will rule over them with Christ. Even better, he will give us the morning star. Who is the morning star? Revelation 22:16 says that Jesus is the bright morning star. Stay faithful to the end, and you will get something better than the approval of others or even the privilege to rule the world with Christ. We’ll get Jesus himself. When we see who Jesus is, what he did for us at the cross, how he welcomes sinners to come to him, how he cares for the church, how he conquers and rules, how he will one day come again and allow us to rule with him, how could we not stay faithful to him no matter what it costs? We’re the bad guys now. Following Jesus may cause others to view you as bigoted and dangerous. It could cost you your job. But don’t give up. **Don’t tolerate those who tell you to compromise, because the consequences of compromise are severe, and the rewards of obedience to Jesus are more than worth it.** As McAlpine writes in his book: > You can accept that, in this time and this place in history, we just might have to put up with being the bad guys. And that can drive you back into the community of God’s people and to all of the richness that dwells there, thanks to the unity gifted to it by the Holy Spirit … You can go forward together to engage with the world bravely and courageously and with love and concern: to continue to be all that Jesus has called us to be even when all the world sees is a black hat coming in its direction, and humbly but resolutely to hold out a different story and a better way and a happier ending. > We worship a God who delights in reversing roles: lifting up the humble and bringing down the proud, filling the empty and sending the full away empty-handed. We look to the God who will one day welcome us with love and joy. We wait for the day when he will say to those whom the world said were the bad guys, “Well done, good and faithful servants”. > That’s a good ending. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-417/ Last updated: 2024-10-26T09:00:16.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [First Up: Get Your Soul Happy in God](https://go.dashhouse.com/QVRW?ref=dashhouse.com) > Mueller's great discovery was that 'the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day is to have my soul happy in the Lord. [The Long Defeat of History](https://go.dashhouse.com/QVRR?ref=dashhouse.com) > The Christian view of history is a long defeat – though with an ultimate victory where everything sad comes untrue, where our Father below will be reunited with our Father above, where all the dragons will be slain and every tear will be wiped away. [Why We Won’t Spend Eternity in Heaven](https://go.dashhouse.com/QVRc?ref=dashhouse.com) > It’s far more biblical to state we will ‘spend eternity on the new earth. [There but for the Grace of God Go I](https://go.dashhouse.com/QVRa?ref=dashhouse.com) > The grace of God is no mere forgiveness for our inability to love God and others. It includes forgiveness, of course, but it does not simply "let us off" or "let us be." [Navigating Discipleship in a Post-Everything World: Insights from Daniel Im](https://go.gospelforlife.com/QO2o?ref=dashhouse.com) > Daniel Im discusses the increasing spiritual openness among younger generations, urging the church to adapt its discipleship and leadership strategies in a post-everything world. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Same Old](https://go.dashhouse.com/QTzd?ref=dashhouse.com) > We need more of the same old. Stop innovating, and go back to the basics. ### Diagnosing Your Preaching Problems: Examining Exegesis, Heart, and Delivery URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/diagnosing-your-preaching-problems-examining-exegesis-heart-and-delivery/ Last updated: 2024-10-22T09:00:14.000Z After a dozen years of preaching, I hit a wall. I knew something was wrong with my preaching, but I didn’t know how to fix things. Part of the problem is that I didn’t have clarity about what was wrong. Looking back, I wish that I had instituted a regular [sermon review process](https://go.dashhouse.com/QOds?ref=dashhouse.com), or even used some good [diagnostic questions](https://go.dashhouse.com/QOd1?ref=dashhouse.com) to put my finger on the problem. I thought the problem was my delivery. I asked a mentor for feedback, which was a little unfair since he didn’t regularly listen to my preaching. He raised the possibility that the biggest problem may not be my delivery. He was right. Preachers must focus on three areas of preaching. When trying to troubleshoot, it can be helpful to identify which area needs the most attention. ## Exegesis Good preaching begins with the text. The preacher is duty-bound to communicate the message of Scripture, and to make that the main message of the sermon. As Peter wrote, “If anyone speaks, let it be as one who speaks God’s words” (1 Peter 4:11). This is the foundation of a good sermon. Unless we get this right, nothing else matters. In my younger years, I often rushed through exegesis to get to the sermon. I began to erect an imaginary wall in my sermon preparation. For half of the process, I couldn’t think about *how* I was going to preach the text. I forced myself to focus solely on the text itself and what it meant to the original audience, how it fit into the Scriptural story, and how it pointed to Christ. Preaching isn’t all about homiletics. Until we get the message of the passage right, no amount of homiletical technique will help. The foundation of a good sermon is an accurate exegesis of the text and the determination to shape the sermon around the message of the text. ## Heart I appreciate [Haddon Robinson’s definition of preaching](https://amzn.to/4eTKgc8?ref=dashhouse.com): > Expository preaching is the communication of a biblical concept, derived from and transmitted through a historical, grammatical, and literary study of a passage in its context, *which the Holy Spirit first applies to the personality and experience of the preacher,* then through the preacher, applies to the hearers. The text must first be applied to the personality and experience of the preacher. One of the preacher’s greatest challenges in preaching is the preacher’s own heart. In his book [*The Heart of a Preacher*](https://amzn.to/3Uh985m?ref=dashhouse.com), Rick Reed reminds us that “the hardest work of preaching is the heart work it requires. But while heart work is demanding, it’s also glorious.” We shouldn’t stand up to preach until we’ve preached the message to ourselves, and until we’ve worshiped our way through the text and encountered the holiness of God and the grace of Jesus. ## Delivery Finally, a sermon should be delivered well. A skillful preacher understands how to speak clearly, to handle transitions well, to restate the main point, and to allow the text to speak to the congregation. A good preacher aims to avoid distracting the audience from the message of the text and how it applies to them. That’s it. Those are the only three main areas of focus for every preacher. When trying to diagnose your preaching problems, it can help to identify which of these three areas needs the most attention. The good news is that if your sermon communicates the message of the text, you’ve preached that message to yourself, you are walking with God, and you communicate that message skillfully, you’ve preached a good sermon. We’ll never preach perfect sermons, but we can preach good, biblical, helpful sermons. As we focus on these three areas, God uses imperfect preachers for his glory and for the good of the church. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-416/ Last updated: 2024-10-19T09:00:07.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [It’s Better to Die Than Hinder the Gospel](https://go.dashhouse.com/QJJY?ref=dashhouse.com) > Our goal, Paul says, is to remove every obstacle to the good news. He would rather suffer anything than hinder the gospel of Christ. [The World Doesn’t Need You to Be Angry](https://go.dashhouse.com/QJJX?ref=dashhouse.com) > Remember, if Jesus said we’d be known as his disciples by our love for one another, what does it tell the people around us when we are as hostile and divisive as everyone else? [Where Does Happiness Originate?](https://go.dashhouse.com/QJJg?ref=dashhouse.com) > I believe it’s vital that we not leave our children and future generations of Christians to figure out for themselves that God is happy. [How Pulpit Supply Helped a City](https://go.dashhouse.com/QL6h?ref=dashhouse.com) > “What’s happening here is just the normal ministry of the Word and prayer,” he said. “None of these churches have great big fantastic ministries or platforms. It’s small churches doing things together, and that is changing the landscape of New England. [Can I Submit to My Elders Thoughtfully?](https://go.dashhouse.com/QJJe?ref=dashhouse.com) > Scripture requires us to be both submissive and thoughtful. [4 Common Marketplace Leadership Sayings That Don’t (Fully) Apply in Ministry](https://go.dashhouse.com/QJJd?ref=dashhouse.com) > The context of the local church must always be remembered by us (ministry leaders) when we consider applying insights from other contexts. [Book Lending as Spiritual Formation](https://go.dashhouse.com/QJJT?ref=dashhouse.com) > What I don’t know for sure is how many of my books, or I hate to think of it, Brent’s books are still out there in the world, maybe doing good or maybe doing nothing at all. Come home my little friends. ### The Glory of Good Work URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-glory-of-good-work/ Last updated: 2024-10-15T09:00:26.000Z I first experienced it when watching [It Might Get Loud](https://go.dashhouse.com/QD4R?ref=dashhouse.com), a documentary featuring the career and music of rock guitarists Jimmy Page, the Edge, and Jack White. The three guitarists met on a Los Angeles soundstage, talked about music, and played each other’s songs. I’m not a musician, but I shouldn’t have loved it, but I did. Watching three great musicians talk about their craft is enthralling. I’ve noticed the same reading Bruce Springsteen’s memoir [*Born to Run*](https://amzn.to/4832Snv?ref=dashhouse.com) and Steve Van Zandt’s memoir [*Unrequited Infatuations*](https://amzn.to/3NlSWfn?ref=dashhouse.com). I woke up in the middle of the night a few days ago and couldn’t get back to sleep. I started reading Van Zandt’s description of how to produce songs, and the five ways that an artist can make a cover song their own. Again, I shouldn’t be interested. I have no plans to produce songs or to perform anyone else’s sounds. But the book relaxed me. I’m glad Van Zandt cares about such things. Watching someone do good work brings joy. So does hearing someone talk about how they do something difficult that’s worth doing for the good and enjoyment of others. Proverbs 22:29 says, “Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.” God made us to enjoy seeing people who are good at their work. I’ve watched a graphic designer recently; I love how skillfully she completes a project. I enjoy seeing the work of skillful painters, carpenters, bakers, tailors and seamstresses, architects, beekeepers, metalworkers, poets, and writers. In the past week, I’ve listened to a podcast about a [blueberry producer](https://go.dashhouse.com/QD4t?ref=dashhouse.com), a [mac and cheese restauranteur](https://go.dashhouse.com/QD4v?ref=dashhouse.com), and a [sock merchant](https://go.dashhouse.com/QD4w?ref=dashhouse.com). I found all of them strangely satisfying. When we do good work, we’re imitating God who, as Tim Keller put it, “made the world not as a warrior digs a trench but as a craftsman makes a masterpiece.” We’re using gifts from God (Exodus 31:1-4). We’re also often creating beauty in the world, and we could all use more beauty. This means a couple of things. First, find your craft. If you have a skill or even a hobby that you enjoy, aim to do really good work for the sake of the work itself. You may not think you’re doing Christian work, but your skill can bless others and also point to the creativity and generosity of our God. Writers: excel at writing. Artists: draw and paint. Musicians: write and perform good music. Use these gifts from God and work at them. Second: enjoy the craftsmanship and skill of others. Don’t settle for the mass-produced commoditization of cheaper and quicker; look for people who’ve worked hard at skills that take years to develop. Attend symphonies, operas, ballets, and rock shows. Go to art galleries, buy nice bread, and if you’re able, buy the odd piece of clothing that was made by someone with care. Produce and enjoy good work. Don’t lose your wonder at the skill of those who are skillful at their work. The world could use more beauty. ### The Persecuted Church (Revelation 2:8-11) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-persecuted-church-revelation-28-11/ Last updated: 2024-10-13T22:00:20.000Z **Big Idea:** When persecuted, take courage because Jesus knows, Satan is limited, and your suffering will be worth it. --- The numbers are staggering. Over 365 million Christians face significant persecution and discrimination for their faith, according to [Open Doors](https://go.dashhouse.com/PtuO?ref=dashhouse.com). 1 in 7 Christians around the world are persecuted worldwide. Last year, almost 5,000 Christians were killed for their faith. Almost 15,000 churches and Christian properties were attacked. Over 4,000 Christians were detained. Because it’s hard to get our mind around numbers, sometimes we need to hear stories, stories like: - Amila, a single mother in Sri Lanka, who is determined to follow Jesus and raise her daughters to know him. When she became a Christian, her husband left them and she moved in with her mother and sister to have help with childcare. She faces hostility and mistreatment from her family, as well as relentless pressure to return to her previous faith. - The wife of a pastor in Laos in Southeast Asia, along with her two children. Her husband had been warned to stop preaching and promoting the gospel, but he refused. On July 23, two men wearing masks parked a motorbike in front of his home. They asked for the pastor’s whereabouts from some children who were by the entryway of the house, which he overheard. He went out front and greeted the visitors. They proceeded to shoot him six times. - Or a 19-year-old girl in Uganda, whose father burned her with a hot flat iron and hot water because she had put her faith in Christ. The numbers are staggering, and the stories are crushing. What would keep these 365 million Christians faithful to Christ in the face of suffering? What will keep us faithful to Christ if we’re ever exposed to similar forms of suffering? Jesus’ message to the church in Smyrna is going to help prepare us to face this kind of suffering. ## Introducing Smyrna Let me introduce you to the church in Smyrna. It was just 56 kilometers north of Ephesus, and connected by a Roman road, making travel between the two cities relatively easy. It survives today as Izmir, the third largest city in Turkey that’s full of beaches, bazaars, and amazing archeology. Smyrna was known as “the Crown of Asia” and “the Flower of Asia.” It had been rebuilt and destroyed a few times. It was a thriving commercial center and was regarded as one of the four chief cities of Asia. But the church in Smyrna had a problem. Jesus didn’t have a problem with the church. In fact, it’s one of only two of the seven churches in which Jesus has nothing negative to say. There are no warnings or rebukes to this church. Imagine Jesus examining our church and writing a message and having nothing negative to say! That would be amazing. This church had a problem, but spiritually they were doing quite well. Jesus had no criticisms to make of this church. So what was their problem? Verse 9 tells us: “I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.” This church was suffering at the hands of its opponents. The word tribulation can be translated “crushing pressure.” They were a church that faced intense pressure from opponents who wanted to destroy them. What was the nature of the pressure? Slander, particularly from the Jewish community. It seems that the Jewish community in Smyrna wasn’t very excited about the presence of Christians in the city. Romans had come to an understanding with Jews. Generally speaking, they wanted every people group to worship Roman gods. They had come to accept that this was a no-deal for Jews, who would rather die than stop worshiping the Lord. No other group had that exemption. It may be that the Jewish community exposed the Christians and said, “Look! They’re not worshiping the Roman gods, and they’re not one of us!” They slandered the Christians, which resulted in their persecution. This is not a benign persecution. Behind this persecution, Jesus says, is Satan himself. Not only that, but Jesus tells them that things may get worse. Jesus says in verse 10, “Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death…” Imagine hearing that! Jesus doesn’t give them assurances that things are going to get better. Instead, he tells them that things may actually get worse. Some of them were going to be imprisoned. Some of them could expect to die for their faith in Jesus. Here’s the thing we need to realize. At some point, we may be experience persecution. Our membership covenant says that we will, if called upon by our Lord, hazard our lives for the gospel's sake. The fact that we have not yet experienced this kind of persecution is a blessing, but not a guarantee. There may be a time in which we are called to join the 365 million Christians around the world who are suffering high levels of persecution for their faith. And if this happens, it doesn’t mean that we’re doing something wrong. Jesus may have nothing negative to say about our church. It will be because Satan hates churches. Satan hates GFC East. He would like nothing better than to shut us down. Things will make a lot more sense when we realize how much Satan hates us and wants to destroy us. Satan hates churches. So if we’re ever called upon to suffer, we shouldn’t be surprised. In fact, we should probably be surprised that, up until now, we really haven’t experienced this kind of persecution. ## Jesus’ Message to a Persecuted Church What does Jesus have to say to a church that is experiencing this kind of persecution? Three things: ### First, he knows (2:9). I can’t get over what he says in verse 9: “I *know* your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.” Jesus knows. Imagine how this church must have felt hearing this letter read out to them. Imagine them hearing the rebuke to Ephesus, and wondering what Jesus might say to them as they faced crushing pressure. And then imagine hearing him say, “I know.” And he did, because Jesus knew what it was like to suffer. He’d been there too. We serve a Savior who suffered and died for us to save anyone who comes to him from their sins. Jesus not only suffered; Jesus had died, which is why Jesus says, “The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life” (2:8). And so when Jesus says, “I know,” he really means he knows because he’s been through suffering and persecution too. But that’s not all he means. We’ve already seen that Jesus stands among his churches. In Revelation 1:13, we read that Jesus stands among the seven golden lampstands, which represent the seven churches. Jesus stands among his church. This should bring comfort to every church. Jesus knows. Friends, Jesus knows GFC East. He knows everything about it. Why? Because we are his church, and he stands among us. He cares more about this church than any of us do. Whatever we go through, we can always count on the fact that he knows, and he cares. Jesus knows. Here’s his second message to a persecuted church: ### Second, Satan is limited (2:10). “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation.” (2:10) The bad news: you could suffer for your faith in Jesus. You may suffer economic hardships for your faith. You may be socially excluded. You may go to prison. You may even die. The good news: you don’t need to worry about it! Do not fear. Take courage. As Jesus says elsewhere, death isn’t the worst thing that can happen to you. “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). As someone has said, “We are all going to die. We may as well die for a good reason.” Satan can throw his worst at us, but the worst he can do is temporary. Not only that, but it’s also under God’s control. Death isn’t the worst thing that can happen. Jesus suffered death, and it actually ended up being the best thing that could happen. He triumphed over death, and everyone who trusts him will triumph too. Jesus calls what we’re going through a test. Here’s more good news: God takes what Satan throws at us and actually uses it for his own purposes. Satan sends persecution as an attack; God intercepts it and uses it as a trial to show the genuineness of our faith and to improve and refine us. This is another reason why we don’t need to be afraid of the trial, because there’s nothing that Satan can throw at us that God can’t use for his own purposes. What Satan meant for evil, God uses for our good. Not only that, but our suffering is limited. Jesus says they will face crushing pressure for ten days. Here’s another example of how Revelation uses numbers. I don’t think that the ten days here is literal. Most numbers in Revelation are used symbolically. It’s referring to a brief time. Our sufferings have an expiration date. They won’t last forever. No matter how serious our suffering may be, it will be short-lived. Here’s the good news: > What is clear is this: Jesus Christ is in control. The political and religious forces have free will. The spiritual forces of darkness have free will. But they exist only by permission of God and their power is limited by God. Evil is on a leash. Its pressure has a limit. “Ten days,” says the Lord. > Knowing that can help us keep going. The One who loves us will never allow more than we can bear. “Ten days.” D. T. Niles of Sri Lanka puts it this way: “Although our endurance may be tested to the limit—‘unto death’—there is a limit to the test.” ([Darrell Johnson](https://amzn.to/4ep1mya?ref=dashhouse.com)) What does Jesus say to the persecuted church? When persecuted, take courage because Jesus knows, and because Satan is limited. But there’s one more thing that Jesus says: ### Third, your suffering will be worth it (2:10-11). How can persecution possibly be worth it? Listen to verses 10 and 11: “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.” If this life is all that there is, suffering makes no sense. But this life isn’t all there is. Those who endure suffering will receive the crown of life. Jesus uses the image of the laurel wreath that was given to those who finished the race. If we are faithful, we will receive a crown that can’t wither or fade. We will receive eternal life itself, an eternal reward that outweighs any suffering we can experience now. And we won’t be hurt by the second death. Nobody can escape the first death unless Jesus comes back first. We all will physically die. But those who trust Jesus and endure to the end will escape the second death, the spiritual death. Friends, our sufferings in this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). “This light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17). What does Jesus say to the persecuted church? Indeed, what does he say to every Christian who may be called upon to suffer for him? **When persecuted, take courage because Jesus knows, Satan is limited, and your suffering will be worth it.** Don’t settle for a comfortable faith. Take courage, and be willing to suffer. After all, Jesus knows what it’s like. He suffered for us! He’s got Satan on a leash. And he will use our suffering for our glory, and will give us his eternal reward if we stay faithful to the end. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-415/ Last updated: 2024-10-12T09:00:39.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Does the Bible Say Anything about Going to Church?](https://go.dashhouse.com/Q942?ref=dashhouse.com) > Does the Bible say anything about going to church? Let’s explore seven different answers to that question. [Elisabeth Elliot, the Valiant](https://go.dashhouse.com/Q94E?ref=dashhouse.com) > I, for one, am deeply encouraged by holy men and women whose stories are full of “ironies, contradictions, inconsistencies, imponderables.” [10 Diagnostic Questions for You and Your Spouse](https://go.dashhouse.com/Q93x?ref=dashhouse.com) > What are some other questions that can help diagnose the health of our marital life? Here are ten that may prove useful. [One Question I Ask Myself Everyday](https://go.dashhouse.com/Q93s?ref=dashhouse.com) > In my journal, I have a page dedicated to daily reflection. I set aside time each day to reflect on the previous day. [5 Ways to Encourage Your Pastor](https://go.dashhouse.com/Q93v?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are five practical ways in which you can be an encouragement to your pastor. [The Power of Small: Celebrating Effective Ministry in Small Congregations](https://go.gospelforlife.com/Q3fM?ref=dashhouse.com) > I interview Karl Vaters about his book [*De-sizing the Church: How Church Growth Became a Science, Then an Obsession, and What's Next*](https://amzn.to/3YmskRL?ref=dashhouse.com) My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com):[The Accidental Church Planter](https://go.dashhouse.com/Q9zU?ref=dashhouse.com) > How a Phys Ed teacher fostered a family of church plants in Saskatoon and beyond ### That You May Be Glorified in Him URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/that-you-may-be-glorified-in-him/ Last updated: 2024-10-08T09:00:26.000Z Sometimes a phrase in Scripture jumps out at me even though I’ve read it many times before. One of them is 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12: > To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Most of this prayer, which is part of the opening to the letter, is typically Pauline. Paul prays that we walk worthy of our calling; that we fulfill every resolve for good work and every work of faith by his power. The goal of all of this: that the name of Jesus may be glorified in us, all by God’s grace. Profound, glorious, but also somewhat in line with what you’d expect. But one phrase jumps out at me: “so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, *and you in him*…” Wait. I understand that we want the name of Jesus to be glorified in our lives, but what his this about us being glorified in him? In the end, both Jesus and his church will be glorified. While we exist for God’s glory, God is willing to share some of that glory with us. In the end, we can look forward to being glorified in Jesus, not because of anything we’ve done, but because of his grace. He’s already begun to change us. When the work is complete, as D.A. Carson says, “he will be glorified in them (in us) on account of what we have become by his grace. We will be glorified in him on account of what he has done for us.” God seems to be willing to share so much with us. We will reign with Jesus (2 Timothy 2:12; Revelation 5:9-10). Jesus will judge the earth. He will “break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel” (Psalm 2:9), but so will we (Revelation 2:26-27). We are co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17); as [John Piper puts it](https://go.dashhouse.com/Q4bl?ref=dashhouse.com), everything in the world will one day belong to us because it belongs to Christ. “Everything that God ever made is yours.” And we will be glorified in him. Sometimes I think our view of what God is doing is too small. It’s hard to comprehend how glorious all of this is and will be. Yes, it’s all about God’s glory, but the blessings that come from seeking God’s glory are unbelievable for us as well. Never make the mistake of underestimating what God has promised to do. Scripture gives us this information so we can grasp the greatness of our salvation, and so that this anticipation shapes how we live today. A few simple words at the end of one of Paul’s opening prayers gives us a glimpse of God’s mind-blowing agenda for his people. ### The Church That Lost Its Love (Revelation 2:1-7) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-church-that-lost-its-love-revelation-21-7/ Last updated: 2024-10-06T22:00:29.000Z **Big Idea:** The sign of a faithful church is enduring love for Jesus. --- I don’t know if I have a favorite church in the Bible, but if I did, it would probably be the church in Ephesus. Let me tell you what I like about it. Here’s what we know about the church in Ephesus. Ephesus was the fourth-largest city in the Roman Empire. When John wrote Revelation, the population would have been about 225,000\. It was an urban center, a world-class city. It was a major financial center, and home to the Pan-Ionian games. It had a temple to the goddess Artemis, considered one of the seven wonders of the world. It had an amphitheater that could hold more people than the Air Canada Centre. It was a center of business, politics, and religion. It was one of the most important cities in the eastern Mediterranean. It’s just the kind of city I would have loved. That's the city, but what about the church? The church was founded by the apostle Paul (Acts 18:19). His coworkers Priscilla and Aquila helped the church grow. It was such an important church that Paul returned there and spent another two and a half years (Acts 19:1-10). Paul spent more time there than in any other church. And then Paul left his spiritual son Timothy to lead the church. Church tradition says that Timothy continued to pastor there until he was murdered by the Romans. Then, according to tradition, the apostle John took over, the same John who wrote the book of Revelation. It’s here, according to tradition, that he wrote the Gospel of John. Tradition also says that John brought Mary, the mother of Jesus, with him. It became the center of the entire Christian movement. Darrell Johnson [says](https://amzn.to/3XSYYdd?ref=dashhouse.com): > Can you imagine what it would have been like to worship on Christmas Eve with Mary in the congregation? > What a church! Founded by the apostle Paul, nurtured by Priscilla and Aquila and Timothy, pastored by the apostle John, and home to Mary, the mother of Jesus. I would have loved this church! And out of all the churches, it’s this one that Jesus addresses first. ## Letters to the Churches We’ve just begun a series on Revelation that is going to take us right to next May. Revelation is a lot of things. One of them is that it is a letter, a letter to a group of churches. Jesus has a message for the church, and he addresses seven churches in particular. Why these seven? There were more churches around than just these seven. He refers to them as representative churches. We’ve already seen that John uses the number seven a lot. Seven is the number of completeness. In addressing these seven churches, he is addressing the complete church. “It turns out that the seven churches of Asia embody every major issue with which the church has struggled in every age in every cultural setting” (Johnson). The seven letters are going to follow a similar pattern. Jesus has a message for his church, and it’s important that we listen. Verse 1 says, “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write…” We have to wrestle with what this means. Jesus has already mentioned the angels of the seven churches in the previous verse (1:20). Who are these angels? We don’t know for sure. Angel can mean messenger, so some think that Revelation is talking about the pastors, who would have been the main messengers in the church. But every other time angel is mentioned in Revelation, it’s talking about an actual angel. The inference: it seems that each of the seven churches has an angel assigned to it. Again, Revelation peels back the curtain and shows us what is really going on, including that angels are actively involved in the life of the church. There’s more going on than meets the eye. Pay attention to who is speaking to the church. “The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands” (2:1). Jesus holds the church. The church is under his care; he will not let them go. Not only that, but he walks among the churches. He knows us intimately. Jesus is actively engaged with his churches. He knows us, both our successes and our struggles. He doesn’t stand apart from us; he stands among us. What a comfort to know that our Lord stands among his churches. Jesus puts angels over his churches. Even better, Jesus stands among his churches. He’s actively involved with us. He knows and cares for you, GFC East. ## Commendations Jesus has some commendations for the church in Ephesus. Specifically, he has four: - “I know your works, your toil” (2:2) — They’re an active church. This is a church that is busy with activity. They’re not lazy. Toil has the idea of strenuous and exhausting labor. This is a church that works hard. - “and your patient endurance” (2:2) — This is a church that has persevered through hard times. They’ve been knocked down, but they keep going. They haven’t given up in the face of adversity. - “and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false” (2:2) — This is a church with doctrinal discernment. They had encountered false teachers and rejected them. In verse 6, he mentions the Nicolaitans, a sect that seemed to promote false teaching. The Ephesian church knew how to reject false teaching. - “I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary” (2:3) — They didn’t just start out strongly. They had been going now for forty years through some hard times, and they hadn’t yet faltered. This was a good church. As John Stott describes them, they were “energetic in their service, patient in their suffering, orthodox in their faith.” What could possibly be wrong with a church like that? Yet, “the Lord looks with a piercing eye of flame and discovers a great flaw.” ## Concern Here’s the flaw that Jesus identifies: “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first” (2:4). This church had everything going for them except for the most important thing. This was such a serious problem that it threatened the very existence of the church. Verse 5 says, “If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.” This is a potentially fatal condition for a church. The church that had been used to bring light into a dark place might be cast into darkness themselves. Jesus says that, over the years, they had abandoned the enthusiastic, authentic love for Christ that they had. A subtle but serious erosion had taken place. As Al Martin says, “Their heads were correct in their judgments, their hands were busy in service, but their hearts had become cold, lacking true affection.” They were all hands and head, but no heart. They had the veneer of busy outward activity that masked the decline that had taken place internally. Perhaps few would have noticed, but Jesus did, and he expressed serious concern. It is a fact that our affections in any relationship seem to cool over time. If you are a follower of Jesus, at some point you became aware of your sin and your guilt before a holy God. You also became aware of what Jesus did to save you from your sins. If you’re like me, you were overwhelmed when you realized all that Jesus had done for you. At some point, if you came to Jesus, you were earnest. “There was not a single thing in the Bible, that we did not think most precious; there was not one command of his that we did not think to be like fine gold and choice silver” (Spurgeon). The songs we sing were real to you; you could hardly believe as you came to the Lord’s Supper what Jesus had done for you. It’s like what God said through the prophet Jeremiah: “I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride…” (Jeremiah 2:2). But now, as Spurgeon puts it: > Now your religion has lost its lustre, the gold has become dim; you know that when you come to the Sacramental table, you often come there without enjoying it. There was a time … whenever you heard the Word, it was all precious to you. Now you can grumble at the minister… > Again: when we were in our first love, what would we do for Christ; now how little will we do. Some of the actions which we performed when we were young Christians, but just converted, when we look back upon them, seem to have been wild and like idle tales. There was a time that your love burned hot for the Lord. Sadly, though, we can remain doctrinally pure and busy and slowly lose our affection for God. One of our greatest dangers is that we slowly lose our love for God and not even notice. It’s a danger that all of us face. When this happens, it’s a spiritually dangerous condition, and Jesus advises us that corrective action is needed. ## The Prescription and Promise What’s the corrective action? Three things in verse 5: “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first.” - **Remember** — Reflect on what you have lost. Recognize your condition. Think back to the early days. Remember the love that you once had for Jesus Christ, and look in comparison at the present situation. Maybe those memories will re-inspire you to get to that point again and recover what you’ve lost. Begin with acknowledging the truth: that you’re not where you used to be. - **Repent** — The word repent in verse 5 means to change your course. It suggests a continuing attitude of changing your ways. Remember the relationship you once had, and now begin to think differently about your relationship with Jesus Christ. Change your schedules, habits, and commitments. And do it on an ongoing basis, not just once. - **Do the works you did at first** — Do the things that restore and build that love relationship with God. Sometimes our actions come before our feelings. For a couple who has fallen out of love, that means do what you did when you first fell in love. Buy gifts for each other, go on dates. For a believer who has lost his or her love with God, do the things that will rekindle that love. Worship with God’s people. Get in his word. Pray. Serve. Establish a regimen that will keep you in that first-love relationship with Christ. Here’s the promise to the church if they take these actions: “To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” (2:7). The tree of life represents God’s provision for our deepest needs. It’s a theme that began in the Garden of Eden, where the tree of life provides healing and life forever to anyone who eats from it. We lost access to the tree of life because of sin, but God is restoring it to us in the new creation. When we rekindle our love for God, we’re promised that we will one day get to eat from the tree. We will experience ultimate deliverance, restoration, healing, and life on that day. What’s the call to us? “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (2:7). Jesus wants us to heed this message, examine our hearts, and to take corrective action if necessary. **The sign of a faithful church is enduring love for Jesus.** We can do everything right as a church, but if we lose our love for Jesus, nothing else matters. Even great accomplishments without love amount to nothing. We can have great worship services, excellent theology, great ministries, solid preaching, and yet fall short of what God wants from us. The greatest commandment is to love God with our entire being (Matthew 22:36-40). Nothing matters more. And when we see how much Jesus has loved us, and that he is here right now standing among his churches, holding us even now, how could we not rekindle our love for Jesus? ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-414/ Last updated: 2024-10-05T09:00:44.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Clearing Up Confusion About Humility](https://go.dashhouse.com/Q0Pj?ref=dashhouse.com) > Don’t get high. Don’t put yourself in the center. Instead, put others there. Get low and off-center. [How (and Why) to Greet like Paul](https://go.dashhouse.com/Q0Ps?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here’s how (and why) to greet like Paul. [Why Gen Z Men like Me Are Staying in Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/Q0Pp?ref=dashhouse.com) > At church, Gen Z men are still being called to sacrifice in a culture that taught them to live for themselves. [Grief and Gratitude When a Church Ends](https://go.dashhouse.com/Q0Pf?ref=dashhouse.com) > Not every ending is a failure because longevity may not be God’s intention for every church. [AI, Writing, and Human Creativity](https://go.dashhouse.com/Q0PX?ref=dashhouse.com) > The act of writing, if it is to survive and thrive in Christian settings, must reclaim its identity as a creative and human expression. [A Case for Christian-ese](https://go.dashhouse.com/Q0Pd?ref=dashhouse.com) > We dishonor people when we treat them as if they can’t handle the biblical words, and we dishonor God when we speak the words He has given us hesitantly. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Advice to New and Aspiring Pastors](https://go.dashhouse.com/P-UQ?ref=dashhouse.com) > Six things I’d do differently if I started over again ### Failure Happens Slowly Before It Happens Suddenly URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/failure-happens-slowly-before-it-happens-suddenly/ Last updated: 2024-10-01T09:00:17.000Z In 2017, I ran a bunch of races: 5Ks, 10Ks, and half-marathons. I had a blast. I’d finally trained well and was enjoying my new hobby. Near the end of the season, I bought a new pair of running shoes. Soon after, I found myself injured. I went to the physiotherapist. “How did this happen?” I asked. I figured she would blame the new pair of shoes. Instead, she told me the truth. “This injury has been slowly developing for the past 50 years.” The injury revealed itself suddenly, but it had been slowly developing for decades. I think about that often. We’re no longer surprised when we see a catastrophic moral failure. Quite often, we ask ourselves, “How did this happen?” We begin to look at the circumstances that led to the failure and try to figure things out. Most of the time, the failure has been in the works for decades. Seeds began to grow much earlier that have finally grown big enough for everyone to see. Moral failure is rarely an event. It’s more of a slow process that can be stopped if we catch it early enough, but that will become catastrophic if we let it go. Perhaps that’s why Scripture keeps giving us similar warnings: > **Watch and pray** that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. (Matthew 26:41) > Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands **take heed** lest he fall. (1 Corinthians 10:12) > Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. (Galatians 6:7) These verses all follow the same theme: look out for failure before it happens. Pay attention to the actions that precede moral failure. Anticipate them and deal with them. Don’t be surprised. Failure will find you unless you anticipate that it will come, and take decisive action to avoid it. We should never be surprised by failure that’s been years in the making. We must identify the underlying seeds of this failure and act decisively to address them before they escalate and lead to our downfall, as unattended, they will undoubtedly cause significant harm. None of us are immune; all of us are in danger. Don’t mess around or wait until it gets worse. Deal with it now before it’s too late. I’ve been thinking about some questions: - What secrets do I have? Sin thrives in secrecy. Not everyone should know our private struggles, but someone should, or we’re in grave danger. - What sins are growing in my life that I think I can handle now, but that will overpower me if left much longer? - What sins do I turn to under stress or when I’m fatigued? Do others know them? Do I have a plan to deal with these temptations and sins before I get to the point of being stressed or exhausted? - Where am I vulnerable? How can I deal decisively with certain temptations so they don’t take me down? My running injury developed over time. Most of the time, so does moral failure. It's better to anticipate failure and address it proactively to avoid harm to ourselves, others, and dishonor to God. ### What's Happening in the World? (Revelation 1:9-20) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/whats-happening-in-the-world-revelation-19-20/ Last updated: 2024-09-29T22:00:19.000Z **Big Idea:** To really understand what’s happening in the world, we need to see the presence of the risen and glorified Jesus. --- What’s really going on in the world? It really depends on where you get your news. I follow an account on social media called [All Sides](https://go.dashhouse.com/PO8K?ref=dashhouse.com). The tagline is, “Tired of media bias? Expose yourself to different perspectives.” It covers news stories, and then gives examples of how the left, right, and center cover those stories. It’s fascinating to see the same news stories, the same events, covered in very different ways depending on the perspective of the one reporting the news. The result is that when you ask someone about what’s going on in the world, it will really depend on the sources they’re listening to that inform their interpretation of what is happening in the world. ## Two Perspectives As we study Revelation, we’re faced with a question: what is happening in John’s world? We’re just starting a study on a book of the Bible called Revelation. We’re still in the very first chapter. And John gives us two very different views of what’s happening in his world as he writes this letter to the churches. This is going to help us not only begin to understand Revelation, but it’s also going to help us understand what’s happening in our own worlds. ### Perspective One The first view of what is happening is in verse 9: > I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. Here’s the first view of what is happening in John’s world. This is an accurate and true view, but it’s only part of the picture. In verse 9, we meet the author behind this book: John. He gives himself a brief description: “your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus.” Who is this? He’s obviously someone well known enough that the recipients of the letter knew who he was, and trusted his authority. We have a couple of other hints. The Roman authorities obviously take him seriously enough that they view him as a threat. His use of the Hebrew Scriptures seems to indicate that Greek was not his first language. This is why tradition, from the earliest days of the church, says that Revelation was written by John, the friend of Jesus, the author of the Gospel of John and the epistles of John. As he writes this book, John would have been very old. This would have been some 60 years after Jesus ascended to heaven, so John would have been a very old man. That’s the author. Then we get a view of the situation. We read that he “…was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” Scholars believe that Revelation was written sometime in the 90s A.D. Here’s what was taking place around that time. Christians in Asia Minor — around the modern-day nation of Turkey — faced opposition and harassment for their faith. Idolatry was everywhere. As a Christian, you could pay a price for refusing to participate. You could be ostracized. It could hurt your ability to earn an income. It could even lead to imprisonment or death at the hands of local officials. And things could get even worse: Christians knew that wider persecution could break out at any time. John writes that he’s “on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” Patmos is a small, rocky island off the west coast of Turkey. Tradition says that John was there because he was banished to the island as a punishment for his ministry. So what’s going on in the world? Christians are feeling the heat for their faith. Following Jesus could be dangerous for your reputation, your career, and your life. And that’s just the start; things could get worse. That’s what’s going on as John writes this letter. That’s an accurate but partial view of what was going on at the time. ### Perspective Two But that’s just one view. In verses 10 to 20, John gives us a second perspective. John reports that he was worshiping one Sunday morning when he heard a voice behind him. This wasn’t a mystical experience. John really experienced what he’s about to describe. > ...and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.” (1:10-11) Whoever is speaking can’t be ignored. His voice is loud and commanding. And the speaker has a message for seven churches, churches that John knows well that are not too far away. John turns around to see who’s speaking, and who does he see? John sees what’s really happening in the world. - Perspective one: Christians are facing persecution, and John is in exile staring at a pile of rocks. - Perspective two: Jesus is exalted and firmly in control. Jesus, not the Emperor, not the town officials, not the opposition, is in control. That’s the whole point of Revelation. As [Darrell Johnson](https://amzn.to/3XKPot3?ref=dashhouse.com) puts it: > How does Jesus respond? He lifts the cover; he pulls back the curtain. Jesus responds with a revelation; with an apocalypse; with an unveiling of the unseen reality of the present. God responds by giving John a powerful vision of who Jesus is. ([Darrell Johnson](https://amzn.to/3XKPot3?ref=dashhouse.com)) What’s going on in the world? Jesus is about to show John and us. And what we’re going to see is very encouraging. Let me ask you: what do you see? If you just see what’s going on with your eyes and ears, you’re only seeing part of the picture. If you’re only seeing your circumstances and trials, I’m afraid that you don’t really see what’s actually happening in the world. If you read the newspaper and think you’ve got a good understanding of world events, you’re missing a very big part of the picture. You need what Revelation offers. You need Jesus to show you what’s really happening. You need Jesus to pull back the curtains to show you what’s really going on in the world. ## A Vision of Jesus So what does Jesus reveal? Himself. “Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man…” (1:12-13) John turns around and sees Jesus, the same person who lived in Palestine with him some 60 years before. But this time he saw a completely different side to Jesus. He saw Jesus as he really is. John mentions that Jesus is “like a son of man.” John’s making a reference to the prophet Daniel, who’d had a vision hundreds of years before: > I saw in the night visions, > and behold, with the clouds of heaven > there came one like a son of man, > and he came to the Ancient of Days > and was presented before him. > And to him was given dominion > and glory and a kingdom, > that all peoples, nations, and languages > should serve him; > his dominion is an everlasting dominion, > which shall not pass away, > and his kingdom one > that shall not be destroyed. > (Daniel 7:13–14) In other words, John sees Jesus as the one Daniel prophesied hundreds of years earlier: the central figure in all of history; the One to whom all kingdoms of the world will be given; the One to whom God has given dominion, glory, and a kingdom that will never be taken away. So what does Jesus look like? John describes eight characteristics in verses 13 to 16: - His clothing: “clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest” — Jesus is clothed as the great High Priest. He’s clothed as the King. - His head: “The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow” — Jesus is like the Ancient of Days. He is God himself. He’s seen kingdoms and empires come and go. He’s ageless. He’s timeless. He’s eternal. - His eyes: “His eyes were like a flame of fire” — His eyes convey knowledge and insight. His eyes are penetrating. He really sees us. - His feet: “his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace” — This is a flashback to another vision that Daniel had in Daniel 10:6\. Jesus’ feet reflect both his glory and his stability. Others have feet of clay. Not Jesus. “All other kingdoms rest on shaky feet. His kingdom rests on feet that endure forever” (Darrell Johnson). - His voice: “his voice was like the roar of many waters” — Jesus speaks with awesome authority. - His right hand: “In his right hand he held seven stars” — Many believed the stars controlled human events. But the stars don’t control Jesus; Jesus controls the stars. He has a glorious authority. - His mouth: “from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword” — Christ’s words are capable of judging the world and the church. He can cut right through the heart and discern what’s really going on. - His shining face: “his face was like the sun shining in full strength” — Jesus has a divine radiance that will one day fill all of creation. We can no more look upon his glory than we could look upon the blazing sun. What’s really going on in the world? Whoever looks like they’re in charge isn’t really in charge. We don’t really need to be afraid. Jesus is glorious and fully in charge. As Darrell Johnson puts it, “The presence of the risen and glorified Jesus is the great unseen reality of the present. Right here. Just behind a very thin veil.” Having seen Jesus in all his glory, John’s response is completely understandable: “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead” (1:17). We need to see Jesus in his glory. If we did, we would fall down in worship and awe before him. ## Jesus Has a Message This passage wraps up with the words of Jesus, the exalted King and Lord. Jesus says three things: - First, don’t be afraid. “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades” (1:17-18). Whatever you’re facing, you don’t need to be afraid. Jesus is fully in charge. He’s already defeated our worst enemy. We have absolutely nothing to fear. - Second, he is going to tell us something. “Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this” (1:19). Jesus is about to show us what’s really going on in the world, and he wants us to listen. I’m ready. Who wouldn’t be after an introduction like that? - Third, Jesus is present with the church. “As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches” (1:20). Jesus stands in the middle of his church. He walks among them. He has authority over them. We’re not left alone. Jesus is very present with his church. GFC, Jesus is close to our church today. He is not remote; he is with us, and he has a message for us. What’s really going on in the world? One perspective is that there are a couple of serious wars going on; inflation has crept up the past few years; politics is messy; the church in the west is in retreat. That’s one perspective, and it’s the one we usually see, but it’s very incomplete. Here’s another perspective. Jesus stands in our midst, and he is glorious. He’s clothed as a King and as your Priest. He’s seen kingdoms come and go. His eyes blaze like fire. His kingdom is strong and unmovable. When he speaks, his voice roars. He is in charge of the world and the church. His face shines in glory. He’s conquered sin and death. And he has something to say to his church. Until we see the presence of the risen and glorified King, we won’t understand what’s happening in the world. But once we see him, we can stop being afraid. And we can listen carefully to what he wants to say. “Listen to his call, look to his glory, live by his power, stand up for him, stand in awe of him, and stand firm in him” (Ian Hales). ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-413/ Last updated: 2024-09-28T15:38:29.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Lessons from Mark Dever’s 30 Years at Capitol Hill Baptist Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/Pk2R?ref=dashhouse.com) > Asked what his vision for ministry was, Dever gave an answer that has become a staple of his ministry: preach, pray, love, and stay. [Is There a Better Way to Respond When Sin Is Exposed?](https://go.dashhouse.com/Pk2M?ref=dashhouse.com) > When someone we esteem sins, it’s okay to say nothing online. In fact, it is usually better when we don’t. Instead of posting, pray. [The Complexity of Calling](https://go.dashhouse.com/Pk2U?ref=dashhouse.com) > I find it very helpful to think of our "calling” as Christians in terms of three layers of living the Christian life. [Can I Submit to My Elders Thoughtfully?](https://go.dashhouse.com/Pk2W?ref=dashhouse.com) > Scripture requires us to be both submissive and thoughtful. ### Slow and Costly in a World of Fast and Cheap URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/slow-and-costly-in-a-world-of-fast-and-cheap/ Last updated: 2024-09-24T09:00:19.000Z First, the algorithms took over. Some algorithms are beneficial. I enjoy seeing Amazon’s recommendations based on the purchases I’ve made. Sometimes I discover new accounts I want to follow. The algorithms are a serendipity machine, sometimes allowing me to discover things I wouldn’t have on my own. However, we have lost something valuable within the algorithms. We’re not seeing what we’ve chosen to see. We’re seeing what social media wants us to see, and it’s not always beneficial. Now, A.I. is taking over. Again, A.I. has its uses. It's easier now to create new words, images, videos, books, and sermons that are well-written but lack depth and emotion. I’m worried about a world in which A.I. and algorithms are in control, and we’re reduced to passive consumers. There’s a solution. I heard this insight on the [Stay Forth podcast](https://go.dashhouse.com/PY0M?ref=dashhouse.com), and I couldn’t agree more: > People are seeking things that are rare and valuable right now. In a world of cheap and fast, people desire slow and well-crafted." Pastor: aim to preach a well-crafted sermon. Bring a manuscript to the pulpit that’s been stained with tears. Plead with God for your people. Love those God has called you to serve. Labor inefficiently for your people and for the good work God has given you to do. Go for long walks without headphones and pray through the issues that your church faces. Refuse to take shortcuts so you can become a workman who doesn’t need to be ashamed of his work (2 Timothy 2:15). Christians: look for people to love. They don’t need more screens. They need faces. Scan those who haven’t talked to a soul in days and give them your full attention. Don’t look over their shoulders for someone more important. Be all there and care. Young Christian: cultivate offline habits. Read books. Ask people, not algorithms, for what to read next. Read old books. Strive to be an old soul by staying grounded and not getting caught up in current trends. Think in decades. Work your way slowly through Scripture. Meditate on it. Cultivate the kind of life that will bear fruit for decades. Pray in private where nobody can take notice. Memorize Scripture. Turn off the screens and work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Cultivate a close walk with God. Writers: write slowly. Refuse to become a content machine. Play at it. Work at it. Enjoy it. Care about it. Learn the craft of writing over time, and surprise us with insights that delight and help. Readers: don’t let the algorithm tell you what to read. Learn how to use RSS to follow the best blogs and stop following the rest. Read hard things without A.I. simplifying them for you. Read books, not just posts. Find a few favorite authors and read everything they write. In a world of fast and cheap, choose slow and costly. You won’t see the payoff immediately, but the results, I’m convinced, will be worth it. ### Why We Need Revelation (Revelation 1:1-8) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/why-we-need-revelation-revelation-11-8/ Last updated: 2024-09-22T22:00:02.000Z **Big Idea:** We need to learn what’s really happening in the world so we can live with God’s blessing. --- We’re beginning a journey today that is going to take us all the way into next year. We’re starting one of the most interesting and challenging books of the Bible. We are embarking on our journey through the book of Revelation. Revelation is going to seem unfamiliar. Someone’s said it’s like entering a foreign country. It’s full of symbols that are hard to understand. It’s a sensory book. Someone’s said it’s “like something Dr. Seuss might have thought up after a sleepless night reading Stephen King.” Revelation is going to challenge us. And yet, as we’re going to see today, the payoff is huge. It’s not a book that’s meant to confuse or divide us. It’s a book that’s meant to help us. David Campbell [writes](https://amzn.to/3XyV0q2?ref=dashhouse.com), “Revelation is not a handbook to last-day events. It is a pastoral letter written to Christians of every age and generation on how to live lives faithful to God and Christ in the midst of all the challenges a hostile pagan world throws at them.” This is meant to be a very practical book. The Canadian preacher Darrell Johnson [says](https://amzn.to/4efCM2t?ref=dashhouse.com) that the Bible ever became illegal, as it is in some parts of the world, and he was allowed to keep only one book of the Bible for personal use, he would, without hesitation, keep the book of Revelation. Why? No book of the Bible presents the gospel as powerfully as this book does, he says. In no other book of the Bible do we see Jesus as clearly and compellingly as we do in this last book. “And no other book, in all of human literature, crystallizes what it means to belong to and follow Jesus in this world.” Today I want us to dip our toes into this book by looking at the first 8 verses. These verses answer two questions for us: what is this book, and why should we pay attention to this book? ## What Is This Book? (1:1-2) That’s the first question we need to ask: what is this book? The first two verses tell us: > The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Here you have two important pieces of information that we need that are going to set us up to read this book well. It tells us what this book does, and where this book came from. #### What this book does What kind of book is it? It’s a revelation. The word could be translated apocalypse, which has come to be associated with the end of the world or catastrophic destruction. But that’s not what apocalypse means in the Bible. Apocalypse means to uncover or unveil something that was previously hidden. And this is so important for us as we start Revelation. Right away we have a great description of what Revelation is designed to do. It’s meant to reveal something that we need to know if we’re going to understand the world. How do we know what’s going on in the world? I open up the news app on my phone. I can go online and find out what’s going on with world events any time I want. But sometimes I go deeper. I read long-form journalism, or if I want to go deeper, I pick up a book on current events. That’s how we normally figure out what’s going on in the world. But Revelation does something. It tells us that if we really don’t understand what’s happening in the world because we’re missing some important information. And then it unveils what we’ve missed. It shows us some realities that we could never figure out on our own, but are absolutely necessary if we’re going to understand the world. It lifts the veil between heaven and earth, so we see a fuller picture of the way that God’s working out his plans for this world. Revelation unveils what’s really happening. It shows us: - the resurrected and glorified Christ - hidden angelic and demonic forces behind what’s happening in the world - the ugliness of the world’s system - the hidden beauty of God’s people - God’s plan for the renewal of all things In other words, if you just rely on news to figure out what’s going on in the world, you’re missing out. You’ll never understand what’s happening in the world. Revelation is written to tell us the true story of what’s happening in the world and what will happen in the world. It describes earthly events from heaven’s perspective. That’s what this book does. #### Where this book came from There’s a second question that verses 1 and 2 answers about Revelation. Where did this book come from? Verse 1 says it’s the revelation of Jesus Christ. He’s the ultimate source. It’s a revelation given by Jesus. But then John goes on to explain how he received it. John gives the chain of communication. God gave Jesus the revelation. Jesus made it known by sending his angel to John. John — most likely the apostle John who wrote the Gospel of John and 1, 2 and 3 John — served as a faithful witness and relayed this message to seven churches in Asia Minor, and ultimately to us. What we’re about to read is not something that originated in someone’s imagination. What we have in Revelation comes from God himself. So if you want to understand what is happening in the world from God himself, you’ve come to the right place. That’s why we need the book of Revelation. That’s what this book is about. It unveils what’s happening in the world according to God himself. What’s what this book is about. But here’s the next question that the introduction answers. ## Why Should We Pay Attention to It? (1:3-8) Why should we pay attention to it? Two reasons, according to verses 3 to 8. ### First, God promises a blessing to those who read it and keep it (1:3). Verse 3 says, “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.” This is the first of seven beatitudes or blessings in the book of Revelation. Here’s what it says. If you read these words aloud, if you hear them, and if you keep what’s written in them, you will be blessed. Let’s unpack this a little. This is a book to be read aloud and heard. Nancy Guthrie [says](https://amzn.to/3XdEyu2?ref=dashhouse.com): > It was written in such a way that when those in the churches of John’s day heard it read to them, they would be able to get its message. That means it was written to convey a message and stir the imagination rather than to trace an argument. It was written to evoke worship, confidence, anticipation, and hope in those who heard it read to them. It was written for listeners to get a sense of the big picture rather than obsess over the details. And the same goes for us. This is a sensory book. Listen to it. Don’t obsess over every detail. Engage with it using all your faculties. Imagine being in one of the seven churches in Asia Minor hearing it for the first time. Imagine their circumstances: they were churches facing two challenges, one external and one internal: persecution and complacency. Imagine hearing this letter for the first time and thinking, “I’ve never heard anything like this before!” Really listen to it, and allow it to begin to shape your perception of what’s going on in the world. But don’t just listen to it. Verse 3 promises a blessing to those who not only hear but keep what is written in it. This is a book that’s meant to lead to obedience. It’s mean to change our lives. God promises a blessing to those who take its message to heart and who change their lives in light of its message. Revelation is the only book of the Bible that begins with a blessing and ends with a warning. If you want God to bless you, then you need to hear and obey the message of this book. But there’s a second reason why we need this book. ### Second, it brings us right into the presence of God Himself (1:4-8). I think it would be really cool to get a letter from the Apostle John. Imagine going to work the next day. Someone asks, “How was church?” You answer, “Good. Really good. We got a letter from John.” “John who?” “Oh! I thought you’d know. Jesus’ favorite disciple, the last surviving apostle, the guy who wrote 20% of the New Testament. That John.” That would be pretty cool, and that’s exactly what happened based on verse 4: “John to the seven churches that are in Asia…” But it gets better than that. John brings greetings from someone even more important: > Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth… John brings greetings from the eternal God, from the Holy Spirit — seven represents perfection, and so John is talking about the perfect Spirit — and then from Jesus Christ himself. Jesus, the faithful witness who tells us the truth about the world and what God is doing. Jesus, the firstborn of the dead, the only One who has conquered death, and who is our own hope beyond the grave. Jesus, the ruler of kings and queens, presidents and prime ministers and all other authorities. That Jesus sends his greetings of grace and peace. Even cooler than getting a letter from John is to have the triune God send greetings. You wouldn’t think it could get better than that, but it does. John praises God as he recounts what Jesus has done, and will do: Here’s what he has done: > To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. That’s Jesus. Think about this: Jesus loves us. Jesus is the One who has freed us from our sins, and not only that but made us a kingdom of priests. That’s what he as done. But that’s not all. Here’s what he will do: > Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. Right away we’re brought into one of the main themes of the book. God is fully in control. He is on his throne. He knows his people. It may not look like it, but everyone will one day see him and bow before him. He will judge them. He is in control of history. Everything is going his way. And, to close this section, God the Father interrupts and vouches for everything we’re about to read: “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” God, who is sovereign over history, who is self-existent and eternal, who has all power, has a message for us. God himself is pulling back the veil and revealing to us what’s really happening in the world. He wants us to see the world from his perspective. This is what God wants to do. That’s why we need Revelation. We need God himself to reveal what’s happening in the world, so we can live with his blessing no matter what’s going on in the world. So buckle in. There’s a lot to come. But let me just stop here and ask you what would change in your life if these first 8 verses were true. What if God himself has revealed what is going on in the world? What would happen if we saw history from God’s perspective, and really knew that Jesus loves us, and is not only in control of history but sends us his grace and peace? The world doesn’t know it, but we do. God is working behind the scenes, and he’s promised to bless us, and he’s letting us see what he’s doing in the world. And that changes everything. --- You can download a short introduction and outline to Revelation below. [Introduction and Outline of RevelationRevelation.pdf168 KBdownload-circle](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/files/2024/09/Revelation.pdf "Download") ![Introduction and Outline](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2024/09/Revelation.png) ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-412/ Last updated: 2024-09-21T09:00:33.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [They Knocked Down a Church in My Neighborhood](https://go.dashhouse.com/PUS7?ref=dashhouse.com) > Why do I mourn the loss of this one church building? Two reasons. [Satan’s Schemes are No Match for God’s Providence](https://go.dashhouse.com/PUSA?ref=dashhouse.com) > While Satan thought he had pulled off a huge victory in preventing Paul from returning to Thessalonica, he was instead defeated by the providential turns in Paul’s life and ministry. [Go Into All The World And Make Friends](https://go.dashhouse.com/PURj?ref=dashhouse.com) > Friendship is one of the primary goals and richest rewards of missions. [Why Paul Is a Complicated Missionary Model](https://go.dashhouse.com/PUR7?ref=dashhouse.com) > Any attempt to build a methodology from Paul’s ministry must reckon with the reality that he wasn’t your average missionary. [Is That Person Male or Female?](https://go.dashhouse.com/PURO?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are three ways to determine whether someone is male or female. [When Young Kids Ask Questions About LGBT+ Adults They Know](https://go.dashhouse.com/PURB?ref=dashhouse.com) > How can we answer specific questions that bring the message of the Bible and the message of the world into conflict, such as, “Mom, can two daddies get married?” ### Breaking the Anger Chain URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/breaking-the-anger-chain/ Last updated: 2024-09-17T09:00:53.000Z I felt furious. We shared a car. Every night, my wife would call me to tell her to come pick her up at work. I would drive 15 minutes to her office and wait. Again. As the minutes ticked on the clock, I’d feel my blood pressure rise. I didn't get why I had to stop my day and drive for 15 minutes when she just needed to take an elevator and press a button. I shared my feelings honestly with Charlene, but that didn’t help. She didn’t have much to say. ## The Anger Chain Back then, I really felt like the blame was all on my wife’s side. I had a right to be angry. Clearly, she was wrong, and I was right. Looking back, I can identify a chain that led to my anger: - **Desire:** For Char to meet me when I arrived in a timely manner. - **Trigger:** A long wait almost every time I picked her up. - **Thought:** “I don’t deserve this. How could she be so thoughtless?” - **Action:** An explosion of anger on the way home. - **Consequence:** A frosty relationship and no progress in finding a resolution. My desire wasn’t bad. To this day, I don’t mind if people show up when they’re supposed to. And I didn’t have much control over the trigger. I still can’t figure out how to make everybody show up for me when I want, and having children taught me it’s never going to happen. The first two parts of the anger chain are fine. I just never thought about the last three parts of the chain and how they were really about me, not about the external situation. My thoughts were all about me. I became very good at pitying myself. I forgot what Scripture said: “Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life” (Proverbs 4:23). I’ve learned that when I think only about myself and begin to throw myself a pity party, it turns the heart into fertile ground for some pretty nasty things to grow. When Paul lists the works of the flesh, half of them belong to the anger family (Galatians 5:19-21). My actions didn’t reflect the vows that I’d made to Char to love, cherish, and honor her. They didn’t reflect the kind of love that Paul described: “Love is patient, love is kind” (1 Corinthians 13:4). I wasn’t reflecting a single quality of Paul’s fruit of the spirit in my thoughts or my actions (Galatians 5:22-23). And the consequences weren’t what I wanted either. Rather than helping to solve the problem, I just made it worse. I was sure Charlene was the problem. She contributed, but the real problem was me. I needed to change. ## The First Step It can take years to change patterns. Looking back, I’m embarrassed at how I reacted to the simple irritant of having to wait for my wife. I had a valid concern, but I just didn’t handle it well. I nurtured anger until it crossed the line and became sin. I wish I could tell you that I changed quickly, but life doesn’t work like that. God has grown a more loving, kind, and gentle heart over decades, and as my wife will tell you today, he still has more work to do. Growth takes time. But the place to start is by owning our role when we get angry. When we get angry and sin, and think our outbursts are justified, that’s part of the problem. Repentance and real change begin with understanding that we can ask for God’s help with our thoughts and actions in response to what happens to us, and then asking God and others for help, and admitting when we get it wrong. The first step is humility: admitting that the problem just might be me. God is gracious. He gave my wife the grace to put up with a grump like me. And, by his grace, he’s growing more patience in my life. And he’s not done with me yet. *Adapted from an article that I wrote for* [*Impactus*](https://go.dashhouse.com/PORp?ref=dashhouse.com) ### Share in Suffering (2 Timothy 2:1-10) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/share-in-suffering-2-timothy-2/ Last updated: 2024-09-16T09:44:25.000Z **Big Idea:** Share in suffering for the sake of the gospel. --- As you may know, we don’t have a fancy car. Our car has two rare features: a CD player and a manual transmission. But otherwise, our car has no cool features. I occasionally rent cars. And here’s what I’ve found: some of the new cars are pretty cool. One of the things that I notice is all the driving modes that these new cars have: - Eco Mode - Sport Mode - Comfort Mode - Individual Mode - All-Terrain or Off-Road Mode - Snow or Winter Mode - Adaptive or Smart Mode - EV Mode This is all so confusing. My car only has two modes: on and off. When I drive one of these new cars, I feel a bit of anxiety. Which of these modes is right? I just want to drive the car! ## Suffering Modes I have a theory regarding both your life and mine. There are only two modes in which we can live our lives. You don’t have a choice. You’re going to live in one or the other. - **Suffering mode** — This is the default mode of life, not just for the believer but for everyone. Suffering is an inevitable part of everyone's life. Everyone's. - **Purposeful suffering mode** — This is the willingness to choose a life of suffering for a higher purpose that makes the suffering worth it. It redeems the suffering. I’ve been here for almost a year now. I am thankful to be part of this church. I’ve learned a couple of things. First: this church has suffered. Some of you haven’t been around for all of this, but some of you have. This is a good church, but the past three or so years haven’t been the easiest for our church. And so our church has been in suffering mode for a while. But here’s what else I’ve learned. Some of you have been in suffering mode in your lives as well. As I’ve gotten to know you, I’ve come to realize the burdens that many of you carry, burdens that not everyone knows about, but burdens that are real and significant for you. Suffering mode has its purposes. James 1:2-4 says that suffering tests our faith, producing endurance and maturity. 1 Peter 1:6-7 says that suffering proves the genuineness of our faith. Hebrews 12:5-11 says that suffering is like parental discipline that shapes our character. 2 Corinthians 1 says that our suffering helps us comfort others. And passages like Philippians 3:10 and 1 Peter 4:12-13 tell us that suffering helps us to get to know Jesus better. So if you’re in suffering mode right now, it is purposeful. I’m convinced that we need to learn how to suffer better. We can’t avoid it, we won’t enjoy it, but we can learn to rejoice in our sufferings, as Romans 5:3-5 says. We need to learn how to suffer well. So we’ve probably largely been in suffering mode, which, as I said, is the default mode not just for the believer but for everyone. But I also want to suggest that it’s probably time as a church to flip the switch and leave suffering mode. We’ve been in that mode long enough. What does that look like? It doesn’t mean switching to comfort mode. There is no comfort mode in the Christian life, at least not yet. That day will come, but we’re not there yet. It means switching to purposeful suffering mode. ## For Which I Am Suffering What do I mean by this? Read 2 Timothy 2:8-10 with me: > Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. If you asked me, I’d probably say that I don’t really have a life verse. But if I did, it would be this passage, particularly verse 10\. This passage gripped me as a teenager. I knew that I was going to suffer for something. Nobody escapes suffering in this life. But I had a choice. I could suffer for the sake of a higher purpose. This verse changed my life. Let me try to unpack these few verses for us. Paul has just told Timothy to suffer. We’re going to get to what he said about the kind of suffering he talks about in just a minute. Timothy faced pressures just like we did, but Paul called him to purposely pursue a particular form of suffering for a good reason. We’ll get to that in a minute. In verses 8 to 10, Paul gives an example of what it looks like to choose purposeful suffering. He gives his own life as an example of this. Here’s what he says. First, he begins with Jesus. “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel.” Paul draws Timothy’s attention to Jesus. Jesus is the offspring of David. He’s the One promised in Scripture who would come to reign. And yet he came to suffer for a purpose. He suffered and died to save a sinful people. But that’s not the end. Jesus was raised from the dead and vindicated by the Father. This phrase is short, but it encapsulates the entirety of Paul’s message. If we’re going to suffer well, we have to begin with Jesus. We don’t just need the example of Jesus. We need to experience the gospel that Paul talks about here. If you have never met this Jesus, today is the perfect opportunity to change directions and put all of your trust in him. Remember Jesus. We want to be a church that continues to remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David. We want this gospel to be preached and believed and trusted every week. We want this to be the center of our church. Paul experienced that good news, that gospel, and he says it’s for this gospel that he suffers. Paul’s suffering was probably worse than most of what we’re going through. He says that he is suffering as a criminal. The word criminal means Notice: Paul’s suffering is purposeful. As Paul writes this, he is in prison for the sake of the gospel, bound as a criminal. What kind of suffering did Paul experience? Criminal is a rare term. It was normally used for brigands, insurrectionists, and murderers. What horrible thing did Paul do? He preached the gospel. Even though he’s innocent and has rights as a Roman citizen, he’s chained as an enemy of Rome. And Paul says it is so worth it. Why? They can lock him up, but they can’t lock up God’s word. Even as Paul is sitting in jail, God’s word continues to spread throughout the entire Roman Empire. It continues to spread throughout the world. The gospel can’t be stopped. It’s worth suffering for. That’s why we don’t have to get discouraged. Church is hard? That’s okay; the gospel is unhindered. People let you down? Yes, of course. But the word continues to spread. No matter what happens, the gospel continues to spread unhindered, and it is so worth it to be part of this even when it gets hard. Let me put it this way. There is a kind of suffering you will experience that you can’t choose. You will face trials. You will face difficulties. You’ll get sick. You’ll experience anxiety. You’ll get hurt. People will talk about you. Your kids will give you trouble. You’ll get fired or laid off. You’ll go through financial difficulties. Church will disappoint you. Pastors will disappoint you. I don’t know what will happen in your life. What I do know is that you will suffer. You won’t be able to choose this suffering. It will come for you whether you look for it or not. God will use it for your good, but it will be hard. But there is a second kind of suffering you can avoid if you want to. It’s suffering for the gospel. It’s doing hard things for the sake of Jesus. You can avoid this suffering if you want to, but you shouldn’t. This is the kind of suffering we should endure for the sake of the gospel. You’re going to suffer for something. Why not suffer for something like the gospel? Why not lay down your life for this? It’s worth moving from suffering mode to suffering for the sake of the gospel. That is worth jail. It’s worth mistreatment. It’s worth trials. It’s worth whatever it takes. You may be wondering, “Wait. Is there some kind of limit to the suffering that I should endure for the sake of the gospel?” Let Paul answer in verse 10: “Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.” What is Paul willing to suffer? Everything. Why? Because it’s worth it for the sake of what God does through those who are willing to suffer for the sake of the gospel. ## Three Kinds of Suffering I’ve been abstract so far. What does this kind of suffering look like? It looks like the normal Christian life. What Paul describes in verses 1 to 7 is incredibly ordinary. “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus,” he says in verse 1\. Keep relying on God’s grace that is found in Christ Jesus. We never outgrow this. Keep coming back and depend on Jesus every day of your life. Rely on Jesus for everything for the rest of your life. And then, pass on your faith to others. “…and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2). This was written to Timothy, but it applies to all of us. It involves elders, but as the faith is passed down to other believers, they transmit it too. “Paul expects the church’s elders and deacons to lead in this task. Still, every disciple, male or female, whether a formal or informal leader, may aspire to transmit the faith” (Daniel Doriani and Richard D. Phillips). Whatever you received, pass it on. Just as someone else helped you to Jesus, help others to Jesus too. But let me tell you: it will involve suffering. Paul gives us three images of the kind of suffering it will involve: soldier, athlete, and farmer. ### Shift your loyalties like a soldier “Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.” (2:3-4) Soldiers suffer. It’s part of the job. They often sleep on the ground. They endure heat and cold, hunger and thirst. Soldiering required total commitment. Soldiers didn’t get involved in anything that distracted them from being soldiers. When Paul wrote this, you couldn’t marry during your term of service. People would serve for up to twenty years; about half survived long enough to retire. Christian, you’re in active service right now. You’re not on reserve or back at the base. You’re on the front lines When you follow Jesus, your priorities shift from the normal things that people worry about — living a comfortable life and getting ahead, for instance — to pleasing Jesus no matter what it costs. You don’t get to choose how you live anymore! If your life doesn’t reflect different priorities from people who don’t follow Jesus, you’re doing it wrong! We don’t get to decide how we live anymore. Jesus decides. Our loyalties and priorities have changed. Your life is no longer your own. You live to please him, not yourself. This will stretch you and cost you your comfort. It means you’ll shift your loyalties like a solider. Paul gives us another image: ### Discipline yourself like an athlete “An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.” (2:5) Athletes live according to a couple of sets of rules. One set of rules has to do with training: listening to your coach, showing up at practice, doing the drills, conditioning your body. Some athletes back then would have to swear that they’d trained the required number of months before they were allowed to compete. You can’t be an athlete if you don’t do the work that nobody sees. But then there’s the work that everyone does see. You have to play by the rules of the game. Sprinters have to stay in their lanes. Hurlers must toss javelins with fixed dimensions. Pitchers must use a regulation baseball. Soccer players must not kick opposing players. If you don’t follow the rules, you can’t play the game. What kind of suffering is he talking about? We have to follow the rules of Christ. Obedience matters. We need to train ourselves in the habits of grace like taking in Scripture, praying, and staying involved in church. Again, discipline to train and follow the rules involves a certain kind of suffering and self-denial. That’s part of what it means to follow Jesus. And there’s one more thing. ### Work hard like a farmer “It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.” (2:6) How does a farmer suffer? A farmer suffers from hard work. Sacrificial labor. Hustle. But the hard work pays off. The hardworking farmer gets rewards that the lazy farmer doesn’t. But it involves suffering: months of hard work, even when the farmer’s tired, even when the results are a long way off. And, as every farmer knows, the results are unpredictable. The crop isn’t always as good as one might have hoped. What does it look like? It looks like “Really hard work. For a really long time. In a really hard place.” ([*What Church Can Be*](https://link.dashhouse.com/MiD?ref=dashhouse.com)) That’s what it looks like to follow Jesus. Share in suffering by shifting your loyalties like a soldier, disciplining yourself like an athlete, and working hard like a farmer. And then Paul does something I don’t think I’ve seen him do anywhere else. He says in verse 7, “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” It’s almost like he’s saying: don’t rush past this too quickly. Really let it sink in. The normal Christian life is going to be hard. You’re going to suffer. And then, in verses 8 to 10, he gives us his testimony. He says that he’s signed up for this kind of suffering, and it’s landed him in jail. And, he says, it’s so worth it. And he invites us to join him in that kind of suffering too. So here’s what I’m saying today. It has been a hard few years for our church. We’ve been in suffering mode. And, to be clear, we’re going to continue to suffer. The same in your personal lives: life is hard, and it will continue to be hard. You will continue to suffer. But there’s a kind of suffering that can be so redemptive that you can sit in a jail cell and say, “This is hard, but it is worth it.” There’s only one kind of suffering like that, and it’s suffering for the gospel. And so let’s move out of suffering mode into purposeful suffering mode. **Share in suffering for the gospel.** Let’s live the ordinary Christian life when it’s hard. Let’s invest in people and pass on the faith. Let’s dream about planting and revitalizing churches. Let’s shift our loyalties like soldiers, discipline ourselves like athletes, and work hard like farmers. And then, like Paul, we’ll be able to say, “I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.” ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-411/ Last updated: 2024-09-14T09:00:27.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Beware the Anesthetized Life](https://go.dashhouse.com/PJVl?ref=dashhouse.com) > Is it possible that in all our therapeutic attempts to anesthetize ourselves from feeling pain, we’ve also numbed ourselves to the experience of joy? [Will You Love Jesus in Five Years?](https://go.dashhouse.com/PJVj?ref=dashhouse.com) > Our hearts and desires are not givens but pliable and plastic. We are ever shifting and re-forming in tiny increments that snowball over time. [In Defense of a Rule of Life](https://go.dashhouse.com/PJVv?ref=dashhouse.com) > In a recent article, Phoenix pastor Erik Coonce critiqued the idea of a rule of life, with particular attention paid to John Mark Comer’s articulation of the idea. Unfortunately, his article is an excellent example of why the Gospel-centered movement actually needs concepts like a rule of life as articulated by someone like Comer. [Pastoring, Productivity, and Priorities](https://go.dashhouse.com/PJVs?ref=dashhouse.com) > Learning to prioritize your most important tasks, and then tailoring your best energy to complete those tasks for God’s glory, is the essence of pastoral productivity. [How to Create a Church Sabbatical Policy](https://go.dashhouse.com/PJVr?ref=dashhouse.com) > To ensure your church staff has the opportunity to benefit from sabbaticals, consider these ideas. [Use Psalm 2 to Calm Your Political Anxiety](https://go.dashhouse.com/PJVw?ref=dashhouse.com) > When political anxieties rise in you, filter the drama through God’s eternal purposes expressed in Psalm 2. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [How to Bless Those Who Leave Your Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/PJ7H?ref=dashhouse.com) > Whether you like it or not, people will leave your church. Here's how to bless them as they go. ### In Defense of a Rule of Life URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/in-defense-of-a-rule-of-life/ Last updated: 2024-09-10T09:00:58.000Z I had just finished speaking about the habits that every Christian needs to develop to grow. Every believer needs to be in God’s word. Every believer needs to pray. Every believer needs to be part of a local church. Every growing Christian practices these habits. Usually, when a believer stalls, I find that they’ve let go of one or more of these habits. But it’s not enough to know *what* habits to practice. We have to go farther and decide *how* to practice these habits. The conference leader assembled a panel after I had finished speaking. The panel contained a young adult in university, a young parent, a slightly older young professional, a middle-aged worker, and a retired person. The leader said, “We’ve heard about the habits that every Christian needs to practice. Now I want to hear how you work this out in your life.” Every person on the panel answered differently, depending on their circumstances, life stage, and personality. Some read Scripture in the morning; some in the evening. Some prayed in structured ways; others wrote prayers; still others were spontaneous. They all participated in the life of the church, but their commitments to particular ministries varied. I found myself encouraged. We all need to practice spiritual disciplines, but we enjoy some freedom in how to do so. It’s going to look similar for most of us, but each individual has to figure out how to make these disciplines work in his or her particular life. In other words, we all need something like a Rule of Life. ## What’s Wrong with a Rule of Life? Last week, Erik Coonce wrote an article called [What's Wrong with a "Rule of Life"?](https://go.dashhouse.com/P8xZ?ref=dashhouse.com) It’s a helpful article that makes some good points, and if you’re interested in this topic, you should probably read it. Coonce questions whether our approaches to the Christian faith are too influenced by “our hyper-focus on individuality and a ‘bespoke’ lifestyle.” Fulfillment isn’t found through optimizing our lifestyles. True human flourishing is found in submitting to God's moral law as summarized in the Ten Commandments. Self-made rules may transform our behavior, but we need our hearts to be changed. We should be wary of following the culture of the day. Character and contentment come from seeking to live by God’s commands, and God gives us grace that enables us to do so. It’s hard to disagree with many of these points. Inasmuch as a Rule of Life is another attempt to find self-fulfillment by optimizing our lives, it’s doomed to fail. This *can* be a problem when creating a Rule of Life, and I appreciate Coonce’s perceptive critiques of that approach. ## Why We Still Need a Rule of Life I’m not ready to throw out the idea of a Rule of Life, though, for three reasons. **First: it’s not a modern idea, but an ancient one.** Developing a Rule of Life may be trendy now, but it dates back to the fourth century and has continued throughout church history since then. Surely we can aim to avoid some of our modern distortions of the idea without losing the idea altogether. **Second, it’s not about life optimization but love.** One day, while driving with a church historian who focuses on the Church Fathers, we got talking about the idea of a Rule of Life. My friend emphasized that the idea of a Rule of Life is not that we live our best lives. The idea is that we need to intentionally pursue ways to grow in our love for God and others. That, not self-optimization, is the purpose of a Rule of Life. **Third, we all need to work out how to follow God.** For instance, I’ve preached so many messages about the importance of reading and being shaped by Scripture. Someone once challenged me, “I don’t need another sermon telling me what to do. I need someone to teach me how to do it.” A Rule of Life is simply a way that we work out what it means to implement the habits that every Christian must develop if we are to grow. I don’t care if you call it a Rule of Life. Scripture doesn’t command that we use that term. Scripture is concerned, though, that we work out our salvation with fear and trembling, and that we give careful thought to how we follow Christ and grow in his grace. Every believer needs to do that, and I don’t really care what you call it. I’m still a believer in the value of a Rule of Life when done well. Yes, every practice can be abused and twisted. The solution, though, isn’t to abandon good practices that can be done poorly. It’s to do them while avoiding the pitfalls. So yes, you should probably still develop a Rule of Life, even though I don’t care if you call it that. ### Where Does Your Help Come From? (Psalm 121) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/where-does-your-help-come-from-psalm-121/ Last updated: 2024-09-08T22:00:06.000Z **Big Idea:** Jesus is the helper of his people now and for eternity. --- We’ve been looking at psalms of courage this summer, and we’re finally at the end. We’re also at one of my favorite psalms of all. The question is: where will you turn for help when life gets hard? This is a question that’s highly relevant to some of you, because you need help, and you need it yesterday. You have bills you can’t pay, problems you can’t solve, relationships that need help. There’s a group of us here that are at the end of our resources, and we know we need help, and we’re not afraid to admit it. When I ask you where you turn for help, you’re not really surprised. You know you need to turn somewhere. There’s a whole other group here, though, that is going to be surprised by this question. Most of us go through life not knowing that we need help. Even if we did, we’re like the proverbial guy that won’t stop for directions. We may know we need help, but we’re not prepared to admit it to anyone else. When I ask you where you turn for help, you’re a little bit surprised. But the truth is, we all need help. And the psalmist asks: where will you turn for the help you need? Thousands of years ago, this question was asked on a fairly regular basis. Psalm 121 is one of the Songs of Ascent. These are songs of pilgrims who sang them during their journey to Jerusalem for one of the three yearly festivals. They’re songs that are meant to help God’s people as they travel to worship. The trip was sometimes dangerous. You had to walk or ride for miles. There were no real roads — those came later — but just well-worn paths across the valleys. > God had told them to go — to come where his presence was (1 Kings 8:10–11) — but the road was dangerous and uncertain. > Along the road, the people met threats above and threats below, most of which they could not see or predict. They were fully exposed to scorching heat and volatile weather. Robbers hid in the caves and hills, knowing exactly when to expect their victims. The people knew they had to go, but they did not know if they would all make it. Surely, some didn’t. So, they felt fragile, vulnerable, unsafe. ([Marshall Segal](https://go.dashhouse.com/Ox6M?ref=dashhouse.com)) Jesus himself would have taken this trip many times. This is a song for rough roads, both back then on the way to Jerusalem, and for us as well. ## The Question and Answer And the psalm begins with a question that the psalmist asks of himself. > I lift up my eyes to the hills. > From where does my help come? It’s possible that the speaker is looking to the hills in fear, scared of robbers who might be lurking there. But the term “lift up my eyes” is generally a positive one, as shown in Psalm 123: “To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens!” So it’s possible that the pilgrim is approaching Jerusalem. And he asks himself the question as he gets closer: where does my help come from? This is an important question for all of us to answer. Where does your help come from? Where do you get the help you need as you travel on dangerous paths on the way to your eternal home? We need to do an honesty check here. I recently read a quote that really got me. Family therapist Jay Haley famously told his clients, “I don’t address problems; I address attempted solutions.” What are the attempted solutions that you turn to for help? What friends and coping mechanisms and strategies help you when you experience danger or trouble or need help? I want you to think about this. How would you answer the question, “From where does my help come from?” The answer really matters. The truth is, when we get into trouble, our first response is not usually to turn to God for help. We have all kinds of other places we turn for the help we need. Where will you turn when your life falls apart, or you feel discouraged or despondent, or you face a problem you just can’t solve on your own? Here’s how the psalmist answered: “My help comes from the LORD.” That is a good answer! But what I love about the psalm is that he doesn’t stop there. This psalm is a meditation on why the Lord is so qualified to be the source of the help that we need. He doesn’t just give us the answer; he gives us the reasons why it’s good to turn to God for help. It’s important we learn the answer. Where does our help come from? The Lord. Jesus is the helper of his people now and for eternity. But it’s also good to learn the reasons for the answer. And the psalmist gives us three. ## The Reasons Why does our help come from the Lord? Because the Lord is a good helper for three reasons: ### He is a good helper because he is the Creator. Verse 2 says: > My help comes from the LORD, > who made heaven and earth. What qualifies the LORD to be our helper? He is the maker of heaven and earth. He is the Creator, and that makes him uniquely qualified to help us. The Lord is not some tribal deity. He’s not just some minor god with limited power. Think about who God is. As far as we know, the observable universe is some 90 billion light years wide, but we don’t even know. The Milky Way Galaxy alone has some 100 billion to 400 billion stars. God created all of it. How powerful is the Lord? We can’t even comprehend his power. He is very qualified to help you. We can always turn to the highest power in the universe, the Maker of heaven and earth, when we need help with our small problems. You can get right through to him. You have access to the Creator of galaxies, stars, and everything around you. You have access to the most powerful One in the universe, and he cares for you. The psalmist lifts our eyes “beyond the hills to the universe; beyond the universe to its Maker. Here is living help: primary, personal, wise, immeasurable” (Derek Kinder). There is no problem too big that God is not qualified to help. There isn’t an area of our lives that he isn’t powerful enough to help. Need a strong God? How about the one who created the Milky Way? Have medical problems? Doctors and scientists are still unraveling his handiwork as they study the human body. He knows more than they ever will. Need relational help? The Creator is the one who created you for relationship. God can help you in every aspect of your life since he is the Creator of everything you see. The Creator is more than able to help. Isaiah 40 puts it this way: > Have you not known? Have you not heard? > The LORD is the everlasting God, > the Creator of the ends of the earth. > He does not faint or grow weary; > his understanding is unsearchable. > He gives power to the faint, > and to him who has no might he increases strength. That is why we can trust the Lord. He is our Creator. We can rely on the One who has the power to meet all our needs in every aspect of our lives. That’s the first reason why the Lord is a good helper. He is a good helper because he is Creator. Here’s the second reason: ### He is a good helper because he is watchful. Verses 3 and 4 say: > He will not let your foot be moved; > he who keeps you will not slumber. > Behold, he who keeps Israel > will neither slumber nor sleep. One of the main ideas in this psalm is that God is watchful. The verb for guarding, watching, and protecting occurs six times. His point is clear: there is never a time that God is not watching his people. He pays very careful attention to them. In verses 3 and 4, the psalmist contrasts God to the gods of the Ancient Near East. In the Ancient Near East, gods were frequently depicted as sleeping. Humans need sleep; gods do too, they believed. One story from 1800 BC describes a god who was awakened by humans. He wasn’t happy that they woke him up, so he cut off their food as punishment. In another story, a god complains about his lack of sleep because of the noise made by his offspring. That is not the God that we worship! There is never a moment that he stops watching over his people. God never sleeps. He never nods off and stops looking after his people. God has a track record of dependability, of coming through for his people. He watches over Israel, and all his people, and never falls asleep at the switch. God is faithful to his people. As John Piper says, “God is a tireless worker… God is working for us around the clock. He does not take days off and he does not sleep.” We can sleep all night because God is up all night caring for us. God is not forgetful of his people for even one moment. God is able to keep watch over you at all times. It gets even more personal in verses 5 and 6 can say: > The LORD is your keeper; > the LORD is your shade on your right hand. > The sun shall not strike you by day, > nor the moon by night. Notice how personal this is getting. The psalmist started with God’s people. Now he’s talking about you. As Spurgeon put it: > He was always thinking upon us; and he is always thinking upon us. The infinite mind of God can think of all things at once. You and I, in thinking of one thing, often forget another; but it is not so with God. He is so great that his centre is everywhere, and his circumference is nowhere; and you, dear brother or sister, may be the very centre of God’s thoughts, and so may I; and all his redeemed may at the same moment have his thoughts fixed upon each one of them. Can you realize the wondrous truth that there never is a moment, night or day, in which the great mind of the Eternal ceases to think of you? Then, how safe you are with God always looking upon you! How happy you ought to be with God always thinking of you! Yea, how joyful you ought to be because, even if others forget you, he never does! He is not just watchful over his people day and night. He is watchful over *you* personally day and night. He watches over you day and night, so that nothing happens to you outside his purposes for you, which are good. This doesn’t mean that bad things will never happen. History is full of bad things happening to God’s people. But it does mean that he will never stop caring for you, never stop watching over you, never stop providing for you according to his will no matter what you go through. And nobody will ever be able to take away what matters most, because God is faithful to his people. As the Heidelberg Catechism puts it: > Providence is the almighty and ever present power of God by which he upholds, as with his hand, heaven and earth and all creatures, and so rules them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and lean years, food and drink, health and sickness, prosperity and poverty—all things, in fact, come to us not by chance but from his fatherly hand. Why is the Lord a good helper? He’s a good helper because he’s the Creator, and because he’s watchful over his people and of you. But there’s one more reason why the Lord is a good helper: ### He is a good helper because his care extends into eternity. The final verses take us beyond our immediate circumstances and remind us that God will watch over us into the future too: > The LORD will keep you from all evil; > he will keep your life. > The LORD will keep > your going out and your coming in > from this time forth and forevermore. Here’s what these verses tell us. He’s got you now, present tense. But he’s got you in the future too. He *will* keep you from evil. He *will* keep your life. He *will* keep your going out and coming in not just now but into eternity. It’s not just a promise for this life but for all time. God has promised good to his people throughout eternity. The God who created this universe, the God who created all things, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of Moses and David and Daniel is the same God who knows you by name. He knows your address. He saw what time you woke up this morning, and he knows what you ate for breakfast. God knows every detail of your life. Not only does he know it, but he cares. He’s interested in you. And he’s promised to go into your future with you, and he’ll never let you down. Friends, you have a Savior who can help you. We are kept safe by Jesus who will not let us go. Where do you turn to help? There’s only one place to turn. Turn to Jesus, who created all things, who never takes his eye off you, and who will keep you not just now but forever. He is qualified to be your helper. When we face troubles and trials, we never have to be afraid. We can take courage. He’s got you. Christian: the one who created all things is the one who loves you with an everlasting love, who knows you by name, who died for your sins, and will never let you go. And if you haven’t turned to him for help, you can turn to him today, because he is very qualified to be your helper. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-410/ Last updated: 2024-09-07T09:00:33.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [A Short FAQ on Sex and Gender](https://go.dashhouse.com/P9TT?ref=dashhouse.com) > In this first FAQ, we answer three important questions: what does it mean to be a person? Should we distinguish between gender and biological sex? And lastly, how can we help a person whose biological sex is ambiguous? [What to Cover in a New Members’ Class](https://go.dashhouse.com/P9TZ?ref=dashhouse.com) > What needs to be taught and shared in this class? A lot could be said, but I believe the following *must* be said. [Who Is Supposed to “Be Still and Know That I Am God”?](https://go.dashhouse.com/P9Ta?ref=dashhouse.com) > Who is God talking to? He is talking to his enemies. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [How to Leave a Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/PAog?ref=dashhouse.com) > Leaving a church is a significant decision. Here’s how to do it well. ### I Want an Old, Tattered Bible URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/i-want-an-old-tattered-bible/ Last updated: 2024-09-03T09:00:29.000Z One of our church’s members has an old, tattered Bible. I asked her once if she had considered sending it away to be rebound. She looked at me, shocked. She could never bear to be away from her Bible for that long, she said. I got thinking about her Bible. There was a day that I had an old, tattered Bible too. That’s changed now, but I want to go back. ## From One Bible to Many and Back Again The biggest reason I gave up my old, tattered Bible is that I changed versions, not just once but a few times. My original version was the King James Version. I still have it on my shelf. I love this version, but I’m also grateful for the newer versions that I get to use today. But switching versions came at a cost. For one thing, it meant that I got new Bibles. I changed my primary Bible version several times, from King James to New King James to New International Version to English Standard Version. And then I bought different editions of each of these versions. Although I’ve been using the ESV for years, I’ve also bought multiple editions: study Bibles, journaling Bibles, preaching Bibles, and more. I don’t have one Bible that I use all the time, or even one edition in multiple places. I don’t tend to use a Bible long enough for it to become old and tattered. I also use electronic versions. I love [Logos](https://go.dashhouse.com/P3x9?ref=dashhouse.com) and the ESV Bible app, and I’m going to continue to use them both. But this means that I’m not just using one Bible all the time, but many. I’ll probably never use just one physical Bible again *all* the time. I’ve benefited from the multiple versions and editions I’ve used. But I have to be honest: I’ve also lost something in all the changes. I’ve lost consistency in the verses I’ve memorized, and I’ve lost the benefits of having a paper Bible that I know inside-out, and that has years of notes and highlights in it. I’m working to get this back. ## My New (Soon to Be Tattered) Bible Late last year, I bought an [ESV Journaling Study Bible](https://amzn.to/475dHFb?ref=dashhouse.com). I sent it to [Scriptura](https://go.dashhouse.com/P3y0?ref=dashhouse.com) to be rebound with a beautiful leather cover with a strap. I’m in the process turning this new Bible into an old, tattered one by doing a few things: - I’m adding notes from my [Big Idea Bible project](https://www.bigideabible.com/?ref=dashhouse.com) to every passage (something that will still take a few years). - I’m highlighting the text using [the system Tim Kerr taught me](https://www.dashhouse.com/the-bible-in-40-days/). - Later, I’m going to add other selected notes from my [7-year Bible reading project](https://www.bigideabible.com/my-seven-year-bible-reading-project/?ref=dashhouse.com). - As I go, I’m going to add other notes from my Bible reading and sermons too. I am going to start taking it with me more so that I'm using this particular copy of the Bible more and more. As much as I want to know Scripture in general, I remember some of the advantages of getting to know a particular copy of Scripture really well, of making it my own, of being able to find passages quickly because I know it so well, and of accumulating years of notes, highlights, and tears within its pages. I don’t want to be legalistic about this. I just want to enjoy an old, tattered Bible again. I want to get to the point where this particular copy is so precious to me that I can’t imagine sending it away either. I want to break it in, if God allows, for the rest of my life. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-409/ Last updated: 2024-08-31T09:00:24.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [I Used To Dream Big Dreams](https://go.dashhouse.com/P1zh?ref=dashhouse.com) > Now, if I dream at all, it’s not of plaudits and trophies and not of awards and accolades. Rather, it’s of being faithful and finishing well. [The Weary Missionary: Four Ways We Endure Discouragement](https://go.dashhouse.com/P1-H?ref=dashhouse.com) > Especially in a cross-cultural setting, where trials take on new dimensions and missionaries can easily question God’s call, we need to learn the discipline of joyful endurance. [The Loss of Intellectual Curiosity — and Why It’s Dividing the Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/P34O?ref=dashhouse.com) > What would happen if the evangelical church expressed more intellectual curiosity with one another? I think we would discover four things. [When Bible Reading Doesn’t Produce a Neat and Tidy Takeaway](https://go.dashhouse.com/P1-A?ref=dashhouse.com) > For those who feel frustrated by their daily Bible reading, I have two short bits of advice. [How to Ask a Girl Out](https://go.dashhouse.com/P1-9?ref=dashhouse.com) > If you are rolling your eyes about whether or not we even need this article, you may be losing touch with the current cultural climate and the effects of the internet-age. [Themelios 49.2](https://go.dashhouse.com/P1-8?ref=dashhouse.com) > The new August 2024 issue of Themelios has 263 pages of editorials, articles, and book reviews. ### One Old, Good Book URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/one-old-good-book/ Last updated: 2024-08-27T09:00:23.000Z We don’t make enough money to go to fancy restaurants often. Once in a while, though, we manage to either get a good deal or we get invited to a restaurant that’s out of our price range. When the food comes out, I often look at what’s served and have two thoughts. First: amazing presentation! Second: that’s it for what I just spent? I often feel like I’ll have to stop at McDonalds on the way home to get a bit more food. But then I begin to eat the meal and realize that it’s on a whole other level than the kind of meal I normally eat. I also discover at the end that I’m satisfied. In fact, I’m more than satisfied. I feel like I don’t want to eat anywhere else because I don’t want to lose the sense of satisfaction that I’ve had from enjoying that quality of cooking. I feel the same way sometimes when I enjoy an old, good book. I’m a voracious reader. I often see new books and buy them. I’ve always got a book or two or three on the go. Occasionally, though, I pick up an old, good book, and it satisfies me more than a hundred mediocre new books. For instance, I recently picked up Iain Murray’s [*The Life of Martyn Lloyd-Jones*](https://go.dashhouse.com/OsL3?ref=dashhouse.com). It’s a “re-cast, condensed and, in parts, re-written version of the author’s two volumes” on the life of Lloyd-Jones. I’m only on page 66, but it already feels like it’s been a deeply satisfying feast for the soul. I find myself thinking the same thing as I read other books: Arnold Dallimore’s [biography of Spurgeon](https://go.dashhouse.com/OsLA?ref=dashhouse.com), the [book that Lloyd-Jones wrote](https://go.dashhouse.com/OsLE?ref=dashhouse.com) on the Sermon on the Mount, or many of the Puritan works. Some of them — particularly some of the Puritan works — require a little more work. The price tag, in terms of effort, is higher. They’re less flashy than many new books. But the payback is unbelievable. When I read the right older book, I sometimes wonder why I settle for so anything less. You can find new, good books too, but time has a way of filtering some of the mediocre books that don't measure up. Of course, most of us can’t survive eating five-star meals every day. There’s a place for ordinary meals. But there’s also a time to put away the everyday fare and enjoy a feast. I suppose the same is true when it comes to reading. It’s not wrong to read widely. There’s a place for ordinary books that are helpful but not exceptional. But why wouldn’t we take advantage of the more profound works and make them a regular part of our diet? Why not feast on the best books that the centuries have produced? Get what you can from social media, blog posts, and books that will come and go, but don’t make them the major part of your diet. Drop them if you must. Find the few old books that don’t have the same flash and sizzle, but that are worth more than a hundred mediocre books put together. Savor them. You can’t live on five-star meals, but you can live on five-star books that have stood the test of time. They will satisfy you in a way that other books won’t, and after you enjoy them for a while, you’ll lose your appetite for anything else. ### When People Oppose You (Psalm 56) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/when-people-oppose-you-psalm-56/ Last updated: 2024-08-25T22:00:18.000Z **Big Idea:** When people oppose you, remember that God is greater and cares for you, and then give thanks to him. --- Psalm 56:4 asks an interesting question: “What can flesh do to me?” The answer is, actually, a lot. Take this psalm, for instance. It was written by David, and people were doing a lot to make his life miserable. Verses 5 and 6 say: > All day long they injure my cause; > all their thoughts are against me for evil. > They stir up strife, they lurk; > they watch my steps, > as they have waited for my life. What can flesh do to me? David answers with a list of things: - They can twist your words - They can plot and conspire against you - They can lurk and wait for a chance to pounce and destroy The list of things that people can do to you is almost endless. Some of the biggest problems we will ever face come from what other people can do to us. At some point, you will be hurt by others. Someone will take something you said or did out of context and misrepresent you. Someone will decide they don’t like you and make life difficult for you. Someone at some point will spread lies about you. Someone will try to sabotage you, and it will hurt. I’m not saying this will happen all the time. But it will probably happen sometime in your life, and it will hurt, and you will have to figure out what to do. ## The Problem The inscription to Psalm 56 gives a description of one time that David faced this problem: > TO THE CHOIRMASTER: ACCORDING TO THE DOVE ON FAR-OFF TEREBINTHS. A MIKTAM OF DAVID, WHEN THE PHILISTINES SEIZED HIM IN GATH. In 1 Samuel 21:10-14, David was on the run from Saul, the king of Israel who wanted to kill him. David was so desperate to get away that he escaped to the land of his enemies, the Philistines. The Philistine king wasn't very smart, so it seemed like David would escape unpunished. However, the king's officials reminded him that David had killed Philistines. And here we get an idea of how David felt in this situation. We read in 1 Samuel 21:12: “And David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath.” David took these words seriously. He knew his life was in danger. Understandably, he felt afraid. Terrified. This led him to cry out to God for help: > Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me; > all day long an attacker oppresses me; > my enemies trample on me all day long, > for many attack me proudly. > (Psalm 56:1-2) David is in a tough situation. At home, he’s being pursued by Saul, who wants to kill him. He hasn’t yet built up the group of followers who will help him later. It was soon after this that David collected a group of 400 men around him who were in distress, in debt, and bitter in soul (1 Samuel 22:2). At this point, he didn’t even have that. He was completely alone and in enemy territory with people who were attacking him. What could flesh do to him? A lot. They could continue to alert the king to the danger that David posed. They could continue to trample on him, oppress him, and attack him. They could injure his cause, think evil thoughts, stir up strife, and look for an opportunity to pounce. As David writes this psalm, he’s overwhelmed, opposed, alone, and afraid. Again, I hope that you aren’t going through this. But I know that it can happen. Sometimes, for reasons we can’t completely understand, someone turns against us. They gossip about us. They might try to harm us. They spread false information. We try to reconcile, but they’re just not interested. This doesn’t have to happen a lot. If it happens even once, you will understand how painful it is. When people turn against you, it causes great pain. ## What David Does What does David do in this psalm? He reminds himself of two truths and then takes one action. There are two truths that can help us when we experience the deep relational pain of people who wish us harm, and then there is one action we should take. ### Two Truths Here are the two truths. #### First: God is bigger than our enemies. Look at what David says in verses 3-4: > When I am afraid, > I put my trust in you. > In God, whose word I praise, > in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. > What can flesh do to me? Again, read words that are very similar in verses 10 and 11: > In God, whose word I praise, > in the LORD, whose word I praise, > in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. > What can man do to me? Here’s the first truth: God is bigger than our enemies, and we can trust him and his word. Even when we’re in great danger, we can put our trust in God. You can put your trust in his character. When people turn against us, we may start to see them as bigger than they really are, and we might lose sight of the greatness of God. The people are so far out of proportion that we begin to see them and the threat they pose as even bigger than God. Think about how crazy this is. Ed Welch [describes](https://go.dashhouse.com/OYyi?ref=dashhouse.com) the problem: sometimes we allow people to become big and God to become small. > 1\. We fear people because they can expose and humiliate us. > 2\. We fear people because they can reject, ridicule, or despise us. > 3\. We fear people because they can attack, oppress, or threaten us. > These three reasons have one thing in common: they see people as “bigger” (that is, more powerful and significant) than God, and, out of the fear that creates in us, we give other people the power and right to tell us what to feel, think, and do. The only way to deal with this problem is to rightsize people. How do we make sure we're not seeing people as bigger than they really are? By seeing God as he really is. When we lose sight of God, fear of others intensifies. But when we fear God, we no longer have to fear what others can do to us. As Welch puts it, “The person who fears God will fear nothing else.” David begins to look at God and fear him, which leads him to say, “What can flesh do to me?” What’s the solution to fearing what others can do to us? Fearing God more. Grasp that God is on his throne. He is not worried about our enemies. If you belong to Jesus, he is with you. Nothing can touch you or harm you. Everything that happens to you is within his control. You never have to question even for a minute whether God is in control or if he cares. He is very much in control, and he cares for everything you go through. Look at him in his glory, and the threat that any mere human poses to you will begin to fade into the background. You can trust him even when people turn against you. Let me show you what David did. Three times, in verses 4 and 10, he says that he praises God’s word. What does this mean? It could be that David is recounting to himself the Scriptures. As he mediates on God’s word, he begins to be filed with a fresh vision of God. Scripture fills him with courage as he sees God for who he is, and David’s enemies begin to shrink in size. That could be what it means. In times of trouble, we too can draw assurance from God’s word that will allow us to see God properly. As we see God, our problems will get rightsized, and we will be able to say with David, “What can flesh do to me?” There's another option. David could be talking about what happened in 1 Samuel 16, when Samuel anointed him as king. The words that Samuel spoke must have seemed a long way off as David hid in a cave in enemy territory. But he believed that God’s promises were true, even as he waited years to see their fulfillment. But here’s what he knew: God is bigger than our enemies, and we can trust him. We serve a God who has never reneged on a single one of his promises. Even better: we serve a God who sent his Son himself to suffer at the hand of enemies so he could save us. Jesus demonstrated what it’s like to trust God when he was betrayed for you and for me. When Jesus suffered, he feared God more than his enemies, and because he did, all who trust him can be saved. Like Jesus, we can discover that God is bigger than our enemies, and we can trust him and his word. That is the first truth. But here’s the second truth that can help us when we experience the deep pain of people who wish us harm. #### Second: God takes notice of our sufferings and tears. > You have kept count of my tossings; > put my tears in your bottle. > Are they not in your book? > (Psalm 56:8) David was alone in enemy territory. This was not a great time in David’s life. But he found comfort in the truth that God knew what he was going through. I love verse 8\. What would have been written down back then? Not a lot compared to now. Kings would keep a record of significant events that occurred during their reign. In verse 8, David says that God keeps a record of David’s wanderings and his miseries. As he cries, David’s tears are so precious to God that God collects them in a bottle and preserves them. “God will never forget nor ever be indifferent to the cares of any one of his much-beloved people” (James Montgomery Boice). As another person (Christopher Ash) says, “Our heavenly Father will catch every one before ever it reaches the ground. He treasures the sorrows of Christ’s people, every one, as he treasured every tear of Christ on earth. Not one will be lost; not one will fail in its divine purpose.” God is very aware of what you’re going through. He takes particular notice. Your sufferings and your tears matter very much to him. David faced the deep pain of people who wished him harm. But then he reminded himself that God was bigger. Not only that, but he reminded himself that God took notice of his sufferings and his tears. ### One Action And then David took one action: > I am obligated by vows to you, God; > I will make my thanksgiving sacrifices to you. > For you rescued me from death, > even my feet from stumbling, > to walk before God in the light of life. > (Psalm 56:12-13) In the last two verses, David anticipates his deliverance by God. He vows to make a thanksgiving sacrifice. The purpose of this sacrifice was to give thanks to God for His blessings and deliverance. Part of the sacrifice would be burnt on the altar; part would be given to the priest; part would be eaten by the person who brought the offering, along with others as they celebrated God’s goodness. As David remembers what’s true about God, he determines that he will present a thanksgiving offering to thank God for delivering him. Thanksgiving and fellowship characterize those who trust in God even in the face of real danger. What can flesh do to you? A lot. You can be really hurt by the actions of others who don’t care for you one bit and who want to bring you down. But then you can remind yourself: God is bigger than they are. You can trust God and his word. He cares for you. He takes particular notice of your sufferings and tears. Just as the Father delivered Jesus from his enemies, he too will deliver you as you continue to trust in him. And so you can determine right now to offer your thanks to God for caring so well for you. You can determine to do this even in the middle of your problems. **When people oppose you, know that God is greater and cares for you, and then give thanks to him.** And as you do so, you can take the end of verse 9 to heart: “This I know: God is for me.” If you are in Jesus, he is for you! “He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything?” (Romans 8:32). ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-408/ Last updated: 2024-08-24T09:00:55.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [From Prospect to Retiree: Supporting Every Pastor on His Journey](https://go.dashhouse.com/On80?ref=dashhouse.com) > The five categories are Prospects, Players, Injured Players, Suspended Players, and Retired Players. Each category has specific conditions and needs that require proactive, preventative, and personal care. [If You Confess](https://go.dashhouse.com/On7C?ref=dashhouse.com) > We might describe healthy confession in four parts. [Sanctification Explained Simply](https://go.dashhouse.com/On7D?ref=dashhouse.com) > Sanctification isn’t a stairway upwards to higher and higher rungs of holiness. No, sanctification is a downward soul work. [Spiritual Inventory for Pastoral Visits](https://go.dashhouse.com/On7N?ref=dashhouse.com) > These questions are for the purpose of affording pastors the best possible opportunity to counsel and love their people. [4 Categories of Doctrinal Weight in Christian Theology](https://go.dashhouse.com/On7H?ref=dashhouse.com) > Some Christian doctrines are weightier than others. [Spurgeon’s Five Marks of a Healthy Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/On7J?ref=dashhouse.com) > These points are certainly a good place to start if we want to see a local church become healthier. [The Lord's Prayer (Westminster Expanded Version)](https://go.dashhouse.com/On7B?ref=dashhouse.com) > My friend Daniel Sturgeon, pastor of Stranraer Baptist Church, recently turned the Heidelberg Catechism's exposition of the Lord's Prayer into a prayer itself. [4 Goals For Good Writing](https://go.dashhouse.com/On7F?ref=dashhouse.com) > Whenever I write, I try to keep four goals in mind. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [How to Adapt to a New Generation](https://go.dashhouse.com/OmGA?ref=dashhouse.com) > How should we adapt to a new generation? Lightly, if at all. ### Love Your Neighborhood URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/love-your-neighborhood/ Last updated: 2024-08-20T09:00:26.000Z There’s something refreshing about loving locally. The first time I emerged from the Runnymede Subway Station in Toronto, I knew I’d discovered something different. I’d spent my entire life in suburbs, which had its own advantages. Bloor West Village, just off Runnymede Road, felt like something new. It was a village within a city, with residences, shops, businesses, and schools within walking distance of each other. There was nothing uniform or homogeneous about the area. It was messy, colorful, and my first introduction to neighborhood living. It’s where I took my baby steps in learning to love a neighborhood. You don't need to live in Bloor West Village to have this experience, but some communities make it more convenient. Christians are called to live in neighborhoods whether in the city, suburb, small town, or country. We must love our neighbors and be rooted in our time and place. Christians ought to be the best residents of neighborhoods there are. ## The Importance of Neighborhoods The poet Wendell Berry loved the farm and the small town. He argued that we benefit from what he calls the “agrarian mind”: “The agrarian mind is…local. It must know on intimate terms the local plants and animals and local soils; it must know local possibilities and impossibilities, opportunities and hazards. It depends on knowing very particular local histories and biographies.” Berry argued for a commitment to a particular place for a lifetime, conducting one’s work, recreation, and family in the same place and within a web of long-term, local relationships. He argued against an “industrial mind” characterized by pride, a lack of respect and gratitude for nature and limitations, and a tendency toward exploitation and greed. Jane Jacobs was an American-Canadian journalist who moved to Canada in 1968\. She wrote extensively on cities, showing that one could have an “agrarian mind” in an urban center. She argued for the importance of people who feel ownership of a neighborhood, showing commitment to the common welfare, watching the street, taking action if necessary. Political theorist Mark Mitchell reflects her teaching: > Ultimately, healthy communities will only be realized when individuals commit to a particular place and to particular neighbors in the long-term work of making a place, of recognizing and enjoying the responsibilities and pleasures of membership in a local community. These good things are not the unique provenance of agrarian or rural settings. They can and have been achieved in urban and town settings. Jacobs argued for the importance of foot traffic, street life, and a mixture of residences and businesses. These, she said, are crucial for economic vitality, safety, healthy human relationships, and a strong social fabric. It’s important to know your literal neighbors, to have a general knowledge of your larger community, and to contribute positively to the larger community. Both Berry and Jacobs argue for the importance of the local, being content to live in one place, building long-term relationships, and contributing to the larger community. Both argue against seeing neighborhoods as a commodity that can be used or discarded at will. Our own wellbeing, and the fabric of society, depends on the strength of our neighborhoods. ## Loving Our Neighborhoods The Bible has a lot to say about place. From beginning to end, God’s story is about the Earth as His creation under the care of humans, created to exercise dominion on His behalf. The Garden of Eden is the template; the job of humanity was to cultivate the earth so that the entire planet would be just as glorious a place to live. When sin entered the world, humanity was cast out of Eden, and we’ve been living in substandard neighborhoods ever since. We’re told that God will create a new Earth, and things will once again be restored to their original design. In the meantime, God instructs His people to live so that human life flourishes even in a broken world. Even when God’s people were exiled from their homeland, God commanded them not to withdraw: “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jeremiah 29:7). As one person put it, this applies even when God’s people find that their postal codes have them living in Satan’s precincts. Our calling when this happens is to continue to exercise dominion, seeking to cultivate where we live for human flourishing. Commenting on Jeremiah 29, Phil Ryken, formerly a pastor in Philadelphia, writes: > God hereby commands Christians to do anything and everything to further the public good. Seeking the peace of the city means being a good neighbor. It means shoveling the sidewalk. It means cleaning the street. It means planting a tree. It means feeding the poor. It means volunteering at the local school. It means greeting people at the store. It means driving safely and helping people with car trouble. It means shutting down immoral businesses. It means embracing people from every ethnic background with the love of Christ. Historian Rodney Stark argues that Christianity grew from a small movement in Judea and Galilee to the dominant religion in the Roman Empire largely because Christians were great neighbors. They stayed in urban areas during plagues to care for the sick, they didn’t fight against their persecutors, and they valued and empowered women. Christianity improved the quality of life of those who joined the church, as well as the community as a whole. Jesus’ command to love God and our neighbors is, he says, a summary of the whole law (Matthew 22:37-40). It’s a command to honor God, and to seek the greatest good of our neighbors, whoever they are. It’s a call to love our neighbors, and by extension, our neighborhoods. ## Our Problem With Place When it comes to loving our neighbors and neighborhoods, though, we encounter some problems. One is that we have a hard time confining ourselves to a place. The other is that we have a hard time loving the people in a place. We live in a mobile culture. As such, many of us have a hard time committing to any one place. We don’t plant deep roots. We live isolated from our neighborhoods, leaving them to shop, work, and worship. Our social connections are increasingly online. Place and location are often seen as irrelevant. This is a symptom of a deeper problem, says author and pastor Zack Ewsine in his book [*Sensing Jesus*](https://go.dashhouse.com/OWs1?ref=dashhouse.com). “Place exposes limits. Limits repulse the driven. The driven therefore struggle with the sense of place that Jesus had.” Jesus was content occupying a neighborhood. He owned the name Jesus of Nazareth. “The Holy One of God has a hometown. The shade giver has roots.” Eswine suggests our problem with place is as old as the Garden of Eden: it’s a struggle to accept our creatureliness. “Only God is omnipresent,” he writes, “and that same God humbled himself and became flesh and walked among us.” Overcoming this temptation is a central part of our calling: “God will give you a place to inhabit, which means that you get to become attentive to what is there where you are. This means that to dwell knowledgeably and hospitably in and toward the place God gives you is to glorify him. God will give you a few things that he intends for you to do in your inhabited place and with those people. To do what God gives you to do is to strengthen the common good and to glorify him.” We resist loving our neighborhoods, Eswine says, because our neighborhoods limit us. But we were meant to live within limits. Polish poet Czeslaw Milosz said, “One would like to astound the world, to save the world but one can do neither. We are summoned to deeds that are of moment only to our village.” As Berry and Jacobs argued, we thrive when we are rooted in a particular place. Loving our neighborhoods means that we learn to be content with the one place we inhabit, and learn to love our neighbors there. ## Our Problem with People Becoming content with one place isn’t the only problem. We also struggle with learning to love the actual people in our neighborhood. Most people love the idea of loving our neighbors, especially when “neighbors” remains an abstraction. There is no such thing as an abstraction in the Christian life, however. It’s always about a place and a people. Eugene Peterson writes: > So — spiritual theology, lived theology — not just studied, or discussed, or written about; not “God” as an abstraction but God in a participating relationship; not God as a truth to be argued; not God as a weapon to be wielded in the culture wars. Rather, the conviction that everything of God that is revealed to us is to be lived relationally in the dailiness of our human lives on this local ground on which we have been placed. Nothing disembodied, nothing impersonal, nothing in general. There is no Christian life that is not lived out in a particular neighborhood, among particular people. There is no loving our neighbor in theory; there is only the neighbor who actually lives in the unit beside me. It turns out that loving my actual neighbor is a lot harder than loving the theoretical neighbor in my mind. One of the hardest parts about loving our neighborhoods is that it makes real demands on our lives, and involves real people. Where I live, it’s learning to love the driver of the white Jeep who parks illegally out front, the neighbor who leaves garbage stuck in the disposal chute, and the ones who drop cigarette butts on my balcony. There are no abstract neighbors or neighborhoods; only real ones. We’re called to love the actual neighborhood in which we live, rather than the ideal neighborhood in our minds. ## Learning to Love My Neighbourhood Two years ago, our family grew frustrated with our lack of neighborhood engagement. We lived in one neighborhood; we worked in two other neighborhoods; our children attended school in another set of neighborhoods. Our lives were spread out over at least five different communities. Since then, we’ve moved into one neighborhood in downtown Toronto, one of 140 in the city. We now live, work, and worship in the same community. We walk almost everywhere. We see the same people on the streets and shops, and we’re trying to start a church that exists to serve the neighborhood. Our social circles are increasingly the people who live within a five-minute walk from where we live. We’re slowly learning what it means to be local, to know on intimate terms the place in which we live. We’re learning to commit to a particular place, enjoying the responsibilities and privileges of belonging to this community. We’re absorbing what it means to be local, content to live in one place, building long-term relationships, and contributing to the community. In our increasingly mobile and impersonal world, there’s something refreshing about people who stay in one place and learn to love locally. That can happen in the city, the country, or the suburbs. It will take intentionality, but it’s worth it. “God will give you a place to inhabit, which means that you get to become attentive to what is there where you are,” writes Eswine. Imagine what would happen if Christians across Canada took up this challenge and loved their neighbors and neighborhoods, and if churches committed to serving their neighborhoods. It could be that one of the greatest things we need to do is the one of the simplest things: to simply live in our neighborhoods and love our neighbors for the rest of our lives to the glory of God. *First published at* [*Impactus*](https://go.dashhouse.com/OWrk?ref=dashhouse.com) *on September 20, 2016* ### How to Handle Overwhelming Trials (Psalm 46) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/how-to-handle-overwhelming-trials-psalm-46/ Last updated: 2024-08-22T19:14:28.000Z **Big Idea:** When facing overwhelming trials, find your security in God, focus on your eternal home, and look to Jesus, not your problems. --- In your life, you will face two kinds of crises. One category is the kind of crisis you can manage on your own. It won’t necessarily be easy, but you’ll figure it out. Mortgage rates go up; you can trim your expenses and cover the increase. You get laid off; you can pivot and get a new job. Your marriage hits a rough spot; you get some help and work to improve it. There is a kind of crisis you can manage. It will be hard, but you can do it. But there’s another kind of crisis. This is the category of a crisis you can’t handle no matter how hard you try. I hesitate to even list the kinds of things that can happen that are far beyond our capacity to handle. Some situations are so overwhelming that no amount of strategy is enough to meet the challenge. Certain diagnoses, certain losses, certain calamities are so great that it feels like life has become unmanageable. And that’s the kind of crisis that Psalm 46 wants to address. ## A Psalm for Overwhelming Trials What’s the situation behind Psalm 46? We don’t know for sure, but scholars have a couple of guesses. Both of them have one thing in common: they’re overwhelming trials for which no human solution exists. First: In 2 Chronicles 20, a vast coalition of enemies banded together to attack Judah. The king at that time prayed, “We are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us” (2 Chronicles 20:12). No amount of strategy would solve the problem. No great speech would be enough to motivate the troops. They simply didn’t have the military power to respond to this threat. They faced a crisis they couldn’t solve. It was simply beyond them. Second: Others scholars guess that it might have been a situation described in 2 Kings 18-19\. Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, was one of the most powerful kings of his day. The Assyrians were a brutal and barbaric nation, feared by many. Sennacherib came and attacked Jerusalem with an army of 185,000 soldiers. Sennacherib had already crushed many neighboring regions, including the northern kingdom of Israel and several fortified cities of Judah, so Hezekiah faced overwhelming odds. Hezekiah faced psychological warfare and overwhelming military might they simply couldn’t match. We don’t know for sure if the background of this psalm is one of these two stories. It may have been neither of these. But we do know that this psalm is about an overwhelming trial for which there was no human solution. Verse 2 describes un-creation, when it looks like creation itself is in the process of coming apart: > Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, > though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, > though its waters roar and foam, > though the mountains tremble at its swelling. > (Psalm 46:2-3) The Bible teaches that the Lord created the earth in such a way that humans can flourish. In Genesis 1:2, the earth is described as formless and void — without structure and devoid of life. The rest of Genesis 1 describes God turning this formless and void creation into a place where humanity can flourish. Psalm 46:2-3 is the opposite of that. Verses 2 and 3 are about the world falling apart. Creation itself is coming apart at the scenes. Death and chaos are everywhere. This is not a solvable problem. The very foundations of the earth have been shaken, and chaos has come again. Everything is falling apart. Here’s my theory. You’re going to face many challenging crises you can face on your own. It will be hard, but you can muscle your way through them. But you are going to face a few situations that will overwhelm you, and it will feel like your world is falling apart. What do you do when you face a problem so big that there is no human solution, a trial so severe that it feels like the earth is falling apart? ## How to Handle an Overwhelming Crisis This psalm tells us three things. ### First, find your security in God and nowhere else (1-2). Verse 1-2 say: > God is our refuge and strength, > a very present help in trouble. > Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, > though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, > though its waters roar and foam, > though the mountains tremble at its swelling. The psalmist says that God provides two things for us in times of overwhelming crisis: refuge to shield us from danger, and strength to empower us when we’re weak. When the world is coming apart, and there’s nowhere safe to turn, there’s only one direction we can turn. Elisabeth Elliot was a missionary who suffered the loss of two husbands. The first was martyred for his faith. She swore she’d never remarry, but she did, and he too died, this time of cancer. It felt like her world was falling apart. She said, “Everything that has seemed most dependable has given way. Mountains are falling, earth is reeling. In such a time it is a profound comfort to know that although all things seem to be shaken, one thing is not: God is not shaken.” God is the only refuge we can count on when everything else falls apart. As Proverbs 18:10 says, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.” Not only is God a source of refuge and strength, but his help is also readily available. Verse 1 says that God is “a very present help in times of trouble.” You could say that God is “exceedingly available.” In a major city, you generally want to have a fire station within a 3-5 minute drive from where you live. Any more than that and they’re not going to be able to respond quickly enough to help you if you have an emergency. But the standard is 10 minutes and 24 seconds 90% of the time, which seems like a lot if your house is burning down. What is God’s response time? How far away is God when you need his help? He’s a very present help in trouble. His response time is exceedingly good. That’s why the psalmist says that he won’t fear when the world is falling apart. The Christian can remain fearless even when the world is coming apart because we have a refuge, strength, and help that is reliable and available at all times. I love how Spurgeon put it: > We never know what strength is till our own weakness drives us to trust omnipotence; never understand how safe our refuge is till all other refuges fail us. When the earth is removed, and the waters of the sea roar and are troubled being driven both from land and sea, we hide ourselves in God. Have you been there? I have. I have found that the psalmist is right. When you face an overwhelming crisis, everything else will let you down, but God won’t let you down. If you try to find your security anywhere else, you will be disappointed, but if you turn to God you will find the help you need. That’s the first thing that the psalmist teaches us. When you face an overwhelming crisis, find your security in God and nowhere else. “Our only, impregnable, accessible, delightful place of retreat is our God” (Spurgeon). He can handle your crisis. Here’s the second thing the psalmist teaches us. ### Second, focus on your eternal home (4-7). This is going to get a bit tricky, so let’s see if I can make sense of this. Verses 4 to 7 say: > There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, > the holy habitation of the Most High. > God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; > God will help her when morning dawns. > The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; > he utters his voice, the earth melts. > The LORD of hosts is with us; > the God of Jacob is our fortress. There are a set of psalms that focus on Jerusalem as the city of God, and this is one of them. So the focus in these verses is Jerusalem. This is why some scholars think that the background of this psalm is when Jerusalem was under attack. God came to the rescue of this city and protected it. There are a couple of problems with that. First, if you go to Jerusalem today, you won’t find that it what this psalm describes. The Temple is no longer there. In 70 A.D., the Romans besieged Jerusalem. They built a wall around the city, preventing supplies from entering and making escape impossible. In late July or early August of that year, they set the Temple on fire and destroyed it. Roman forces then systematically destroyed much of Jerusalem. Thousands of residents were killed or enslaved. If this psalm is only about Jerusalem, we have problems. But this psalm has a hint that it’s talking about another place where we should find safety. Verse 4 says, “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God.” There was never a river in Jerusalem. There was a water tunnel, but the psalm points us to something greater. James Montgomery Boice writes: > …the “city of God,” the theme of verses 4–6, is also a major theme of the whole of Scripture and concerns not only the security of earthly Jerusalem but also the nature and safety of the people of God throughout history. It has its culmination in the new spiritual Jerusalem, a symbol of heaven, which has been prepared by God as the final dwelling place of the saints. In this frame of reference the “river” of verse 4 is the river that flows from God’s throne (see Ezek. 47:1–12; Zech. 14:8; Rev. 22:1–2) and the “holy place” is the dwelling place of God in heaven. In other words, we will never fully experience the safety we’re looking for in this life. In fact, it will be hard for you to find a completely safe place in this world. Your ultimate place of safety is “the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). Some overwhelming trials will defeat you unless you take into account the city that God is preparing for you in eternity. If your hope is in this life only, you will be disappointed. But if your hope is in the city that God is preparing for you one day, you can have courage that can stand up even in the worst circumstances. An Early Christian named Justin Martyr wrote a defense to the Roman emperor and Senate of his day, calling on the emperor to stop persecuting the church. Listen to what he wrote to the Roman emperor and the Senate: “As for us, we reckon that no evil can be done to us... and you, you can kill, but not hurt us.” Isn’t that amazing? You can kill us, but you can’t hurt us. Justin Martyr knew that he was safe no matter what they did to him. He was beheaded in Rome after being arrested and refusing to renounce his faith in Christianity in the year 165\. But he maintained his steadfastness in defending his beliefs, even in the face of death, because he didn’t look for safety on this earth but in eternity, and we can too. Find your security in God. And look for safety not on this earth but in eternity. There’s one more thing we must do. ### Finally: Look at God more than your problems (8-11). Read verses 8 to 11: > Come, behold the works of the LORD, > how he has brought desolations on the earth. > He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; > he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; > he burns the chariots with fire. > “Be still, and know that I am God. > I will be exalted among the nations, > I will be exalted in the earth!” > The LORD of hosts is with us; > the God of Jacob is our fortress. If this psalm was written in either of the circumstances I mentioned — a coalition of enemy nations or almost a couple of hundred thousand troops trying to attack the city — then it would be easy to look anywhere but to God for help. That’s what crisis does. We turn inward. We look everywhere but the one place that we can find help. But that’s not what the psalmist does. He calls us to behold the works of God. God can handle any situation we face. And then we hear the very words of God: “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” I always thought that this was a command to believers, but it’s actually also a command to our enemies as well. Instead of attacking, they should see God for who he is and shush. As one [study Bible](https://go.dashhouse.com/OOof?ref=dashhouse.com) puts it, “This psalm calls the nations to surrender their weapons, and it calls the faithful to surrender their worry.” And then we’re reassured: God is with us. The LORD of hosts is with us; because of that, we never have to fear. And he is our fortress. He will protect us. The psalmist is saying: stop looking at your problems. Start looking at God. Where are you looking when you face a situation you can’t handle on your own? Friends, every promise in this psalm is yours in Jesus. When you have nowhere to turn, Jesus will be your refuge. He has promised that he will be with you always. We can have confidence that Jesus and his people will prevail. The problems we face are actually designed to drive us to him so that we learn to depend on him rather than on anyone or anything else. If you are in Jesus, you are safe. Satan and his demons can’t touch you once you belong to him. In Christ, we can survive any onslaught and persevere with joy. So take courage. **When facing overwhelming trials, find your security in God, focus on your eternal home, and look to Jesus, not your problems.** And he will bring you home. Father, You are the one safe place, the only abiding shelter in this windswept world. When all creation falls apart, you are our only place of refuge. You have us as your people, and you will keep us secure. In the end, only one kingdom will stand. So help us to trust in you and in the Savior you sent, so we may dwell with you in that heavenly city. In the name of that Savior we pray. Amen. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-407/ Last updated: 2024-08-17T09:00:16.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Live Among the Flock](https://go.dashhouse.com/OUIp?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are three reasons why I would encourage every pastor to teach his congregation the value of proximity. [The Healing Power of Confessing Sins to One Another](https://go.dashhouse.com/OUIw?ref=dashhouse.com) > In order to be fully known, we have to trust others with our stubborn sins and wandering love. And in so doing, our faith is built up stronger. [When Spiritual Disciplines Took Over My Life](https://go.dashhouse.com/OUIx?ref=dashhouse.com) > How can pastors and church leaders recognize and minister to a member wrestling with scrupulosity? [Navigating the Three Kinds of Doubt](https://go.dashhouse.com/OUI-?ref=dashhouse.com) > Typically, doubts fall into one of three categories — intellectual doubt, emotional doubt, and moral doubt — each posing its own unique challenges. [3 Common Postures People Assume at Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/OUJ0?ref=dashhouse.com) > Only one of those is unhealthy for you and unhelpful for the church. [How Do You Discover Your Spiritual Gifts?](https://go.dashhouse.com/OUJ2?ref=dashhouse.com) > How do we know what our gifts are? By asking two questions. [How to Host Your Own Personal Retreat](https://go.dashhouse.com/OUIq?ref=dashhouse.com) > A quarterly Personal Retreat is a great way to make sure that you continue to live your life in alignment with your vision and your values. ### It Takes Years to Grow URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/it-takes-years-to-grow/ Last updated: 2024-08-13T09:00:40.000Z Take a look at your body right now. Unless you’re really young, you probably see signs of decay. Our bodies start the process of aging and decline at a cellular level well before we notice any significant changes. Generally, this process begins in our late 20s to early 30s. During this time, the body's ability to repair and regenerate cells starts to decrease gradually. The rate of decline differs based on genetics, lifestyle, and overall health, but it impacts everyone. Eventually, your skin will change. Your hair may thin or turn gray, or it may even fall out. Your muscle mass and strength will decrease. Your vision and hearing will decline. You will experience cognitive changes and more. As the saying goes, “Eat well, stay fit, die anyway.” It’s inevitable. You will not only experience physical decline. Arthur Brooks [writes](https://go.dashhouse.com/7Opb?ref=dashhouse.com) about other kinds of decline that will take place: > Unless you follow the James Dean formula — “Live fast, die young, leave a good-looking corpse”—you know that your professional, physical, and mental decline is inevitable. You probably just think it’s a long, long way off…. > …in practically every high-skill profession, decline sets in sometime between one’s late thirties and early fifties. That is the downside. But there’s a positive side too. Paul writes: “Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16). As George Guthrie puts it, “The outward appearance of deterioration also masks a vibrant, spiritual, internal renewal taking place.” We think transformation will be quick, and sometimes it is. But generally speaking, God isn’t in a rush. There’s a certain kind of holiness and beauty that develops only after decades of walking with God. You can't microwave it. But when you see it, it’s a beautiful thing. We should cherish our elderly saints. Most of my spiritual heroes are saints who are in their older years. I think of a 99-year-old woman. She was one of the godliest people I knew when I met her in her late sixties, and she’s even better now. In a world that elevates youth, our churches should be known for honoring the aged and learning everything we can from them. It also means that we should aim, with God’s help, to become old, godly saints if God allows us to live that long. Godliness is not simply a function of age. I know old, brittle seniors too. Ask God to change you. Practice the ordinary means of grace. Suffer well. Repent often. Make it your life’s goal to grow godlier the older you get. And then wait patiently. Humble yourself: God still has lots of work to do in your life. You’re still early in the process. But hope in your God: he is very good at doing his work of transformation, even if it seems slow. It takes years to grow into holiness, but the results are beautiful, and God is faithful to complete that work as we depend on him. ### When You’re Spiritually Depressed (Psalms 42-43) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/when-youre-spiritually-depressed-psalms-42-43/ Last updated: 2024-08-11T22:00:55.000Z **Big Idea:** When God seems far away, preach to yourself and turn to him for help. --- If you know me, you know that I get pretty excited about talking about the habits we need to practice growing spiritually. It’s easy for me to get up and speak about the habits you need to build in your life if you are going to grow. I was teaching these habits a year ago at a church when the pastor raised his hand. He asked a question: What do you do when you practice all these habits, and you still get stuck? I wanted to say: You won’t! But I didn’t say that because it’s not true. Here’s what I did say. You can do everything right spiritually and still hit a wall because life is complex and hard, and we have to learn what to do in those times that we’re stuck, depressed, or just going through a hard time. Life isn’t simple, and the reality is that we’re all going to face periods in which we feel stuck or discouraged and God seems absent. That’s why we need Psalm 42 and 43. ## A Little Background But first, a little background. Why are we looking at two psalms together? There are a few clues that point to these two psalms originally being joined together. They share the same theme. They’re both written by the sons of Korah. Psalm 43 is one of only two psalms in the second book of psalms (Psalms 42 to 72) that lacks a superscript (the introductory lines at the beginning of the psalm). The Greek translation of the Psalms combines the two psalms. And Psalm 43:5 repeats the same refrain as Psalm 42 verses 5 and 11: > Why are you cast down, O my soul, > and why are you in turmoil within me? > Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, > my salvation and my God. And that gives you a pretty good idea of what the psalm is about. It’s about spiritual depression. Why is the psalmist depressed? The sons of Korah were Levites. They were part of the tribe that was assigned the responsibility to care for the temple. In particular, they were in charge of the temple music. And here are some of the reasons why the psalmist felt depressed: **He was forced to be away from the temple.** We often read the first couple of verses and think, “Oh, that’s so inspiring!” But verses 1 and 2 are not meant to be inspirational. They’re an expression of anguish. > As a deer pants for flowing streams, > so pants my soul for you, O God. > My soul thirsts for God, > for the living God. > When shall I come and appear before God? Verse 6 gives us a clue to his location. He was probably near the Mount Hermon range, almost a hundred miles away from Jerusalem. He felt far from home and far from God. But there’s another reason he felt depressed: **He was being taunted by unbelievers.** > My tears have been my food > day and night, > while they say to me all the day long,, > “Where is your God?”… > As with a deadly wound in my bones, > my adversaries taunt me, > while they say to me all the day long, > “Where is your God?” > (Psalm 42:3, 10) If you’ve ever lived in an environment in which people are actively hostile to your faith in God, you know how difficult it can be. It can be wearing on the soul. It can be devastating. **That is especially true when you can remember better days.** > These things I remember, > as I pour out my soul: > how I would go with the throng > and lead them in procession to the house of God > with glad shouts and songs of praise, > a multitude keeping festival. > (Psalm 42:4) Contrast this compared to how the psalmist feels now, battered by wave after wave: > Deep calls to deep > at the roar of your waterfalls; > all your breakers and your waves > have gone over me. > (Psalm 42:7) **And then he’s just plain dealing with difficult people.** > Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause > against an ungodly people, > from the deceitful and unjust man > deliver me! > For you are the God in whom I take refuge; > why have you rejected me? > Why do I go about mourning > because of the oppression of the enemy? > (Psalm 43:1-2) Not only is he dealing with difficult people, but he feels like God hasn’t really been a help to him. So there’s a lot going on. He’s far from home, feels far from God, is being taunted by unbelievers and difficult people, can remember when things were much better, and has lost hope. He feels overwhelmed and forgotten. No wonder he feels depressed. So what do you do? ## Dealing with Spiritual Depression Let me tell you two things that the psalm models for us. Remember: this isn’t easy advice. This isn’t going to fix your problems. It’s not two quick steps for overcoming spiritual depression. It’s better than that. It’s a good example of how to respond. I like it because it is from someone who knows what it’s like to go through spiritual depression. He models two ways to respond. ### First: Preach to yourself. Why does the psalmist repeat the same sentence three times? Because he is speaking to himself. He’s preaching to himself what he most needs to hear. > Why are you cast down, O my soul, > and why are you in turmoil within me? > Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, > my salvation and my God. > (Psalm 42:5, 11; 43:5) He doesn’t give in to depression or self-pity. He doesn’t try to medicate his pain through any of the pain medication techniques we try, like sin and pleasure. He doesn’t do what one person told me he does when he’s stressed or depressed: go shopping. Instead, as James Boice says, he takes himself in hand. He speaks to himself. He challenges himself. And he brings himself back to God. Rather than looking at his circumstances, he works his way back to God so that he puts his hope in God once again. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote a helpful book called [*Spiritual Depression*](https://go.dashhouse.com/OHnA?ref=dashhouse.com). In the book, he points out something important that is modelled so well in this psalm. He points out a problem: “Our danger is to submit ourselves to our feelings and to allow them to dictate to us, to govern and to master us and to control the whole of our lives.” Do you ever feel like that? That you’re at the whim of your feelings? Feelings are important. We shouldn’t ignore them; we should be informed by them, but they shouldn’t govern and master us. We will not live well if our feelings dictate how we should live. What we need to do, he says, is what the psalmist does in this psalm. Listen to what he says: > The main trouble in this whole matter of spiritual depression in a sense is this, that we allow our self to talk to us instead of talking to our self … *Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself?* Take those thoughts that come to you the moment you wake up in the morning. You have not originated them, but they start talking to you, they bring back the problem of yesterday, etc. Somebody is talking. Who is talking to you? Your self is talking to you. Now this man’s treatment … was this; instead of allowing this self to talk to him, he starts talking to himself, ‘Why art thou cast down, O my soul?’ he asks. His soul had been repressing him, crushing him. So he stands up and says: ‘Self, listen for a moment, I will speak to you’. Do you know what I mean? If you do not, you have but little experience. > The main art in the matter of spiritual living is to know how to handle yourself. You have to take yourself in hand, you have to address yourself, preach to yourself, question yourself. You must say to your soul: ‘Why art thou cast down’–what business have you to be disquieted? You must turn on yourself, upbraid yourself, condemn yourself, exhort yourself, and say to yourself: ‘Hope thou in God’–instead of muttering in this depressed, unhappy way. And then you must go on to remind yourself of God, Who God is, and what God is and what God has done, and what God has pledged Himself to do. Then having done that, end on this great note: defy yourself, and defy other people, and defy the devil and the whole world, and say with this man: ‘I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance, who is also the health of my countenance and my God’. There’s so much wisdom here. Preach to yourself. The reality is that you’re going to be preaching something to yourself anyway. When you wake up in the morning, you’re already preaching things to yourself. Many of the things we preach to ourselves aren’t helpful or true. What’s the alternative? Preach the truth to yourself. Question your narrative about things. Are you really seeing things accurately? Preach the reality of God: who he is, what he has done, and what he promises to do. Look at Jesus. Remind yourself of his perfect life, his sacrificial death, his triumphant resurrection, and all the promises he has made to you. Hope in Jesus. Remind yourself of the Holy Spirit, who has promised to seal and to aid every believer in Christ. Preach to yourself. Open God’s word, and preach the truth to yourself. Let me give you one example. It’s by a helpful book by Joe Thorn called [*Note to Self*](https://go.dashhouse.com/OHnt?ref=dashhouse.com). It speaks to all kinds of areas in which we need to preach to ourselves. Take this note, called “Jesus is enough.” > Dear Self, Are you satisfied? It is pretty obvious that the answer is often no. I am not saying it is wrong to want things in this life, but why do you find yourself so frustrated with the absence of those things? The problem is not that you want evil things. The things you want are generally good, or at least harmless in themselves. But more than wanting, you become frustrated by not having. You become jealous, envious, and discontented with your life. It is true; you need what you lack, but what you lack is satisfaction in Jesus. Have you done this? Stop listening to yourself and start preaching to yourself. Preach the truth about God to yourself, and lead yourself to respond to God and his gospel with all of your heart. It’s a discipline, and we have to do it. But, like the psalmist, we’ll have to do it multiple times for it to be effective. First: preach to yourself. Here’s the other thing that he does. ### Second: Turn to God for help. The help you need won’t come from yourself. That’s why we read in Psalm 43:3-4: > Send out your light and your truth; > let them lead me; > let them bring me to your holy hill > and to your dwelling! > Then I will go to the altar of God, > to God my exceeding joy, > and I will praise you with the lyre, > O God, my God. When you’re in the valley, ask God for his guidance. Ask God to return you to where you used to be. Ask him to return you to a place of praise with his people again. Here you see the importance of corporate worship. Ask God to return you, not just physically, but emotionally as well. Here is what the psalmist is saying. **When God seems far away, preach to yourself and turn to him for help.** The great remedy for what you’re going through is not in yourself or even in other people. It’s found in your God. This won’t solve every problem in your life, but in the middle of your problems you can preach to yourself and remind yourself what is true about God, and then ask for his help in restoring you. The same God who helped the sons of Korah will help you as you preach to yourself and turn to him for help. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-406/ Last updated: 2024-08-10T09:00:47.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Why Many New Pastors Don’t Survive Their First Five Years—and How We Can Fix This](https://go.dashhouse.com/OKJt?ref=dashhouse.com) > Newer pastors burnout generally not because regular preaching and teaching are more difficult than they expected, but because these activities too often happen under the stress of sharp conflict. [Every Good Parent Will Have Regrets](https://go.dashhouse.com/OJAd?ref=dashhouse.com) > What would I tell my younger self about parenting? [The Joyful Cost of Evangelism](https://go.dashhouse.com/OJAi?ref=dashhouse.com) > As I wrote this article, I considered what was most helpful for me when I first got started IN EVANGELISM [When My Old Testament Became Christian](https://go.dashhouse.com/OJAj?ref=dashhouse.com) > Getting the Old Testament right demands that we keep Christ at the center. [Is Every Sin the Same in God’s Eyes?](https://go.dashhouse.com/OJAp?ref=dashhouse.com) > Every sin deserves God’s wrath and curse, but not every sin is the same in God’s eyes. [Biblical Lists of Sins in Reverse](https://go.dashhouse.com/OJAl?ref=dashhouse.com) > 10 Commandments, 7 Sins of Proverbs, and 7 Deadly Sins in reverse ### Have You Thought Much About the Urim and Thummim? URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/have-you-thought-much-about-the-urim-and-thummim/ Last updated: 2024-08-06T09:00:16.000Z I don’t know if you’ve thought much about the Urim and Thummim. The first mention of them can be found in the book of Exodus 28\. In verse 15, God tells Moses to make “make a breastpiece of judgment.” The CSB calls it “an embroidered breastpiece for making decisions.” In verse 30, we read: > And in the breastpiece of judgment you shall put the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be on Aaron’s heart, when he goes in before the LORD. Thus Aaron shall bear the judgment of the people of Israel on his heart before the LORD regularly. They seem to be part of the breastplate worn by the high priest of Israel. We don’t know what they looked like. Some believe they were two stones — possibly gemstones — or other objects, possibly inscribed with symbols or words. We don’t know for sure. We also don’t know how they were used. Some think they were a form of lots, like casting dice or drawing straws. Some think that they spelled out answers. Others think that they had numbers on them, or that they had two sides, one saying “yes” and the other “no.” Others think they used colors. We don’t know what they looked like or how they were used, but we do know that the Israelites used the Urim and Thummim to get guidance from God. In 1 Samuel 14:41, Saul asked God to use the Urim and Thummim to reveal who had sinned. In Numbers 27:21, Joshua was told to stand before Eleazar the priest, who would ask God for guidance using the Urim. In Ezra 2:63 and Nehemiah 7:65, it says that some decisions were postponed until a priest with Urim and Thummim could ask God for guidance. The Urim and Thummim are only mentioned a few times, but they also seem to lie in the background of other texts like Joshua 7:14–18, 1 Samuel 14:37–45 and 2 Samuel 21:1\. Israel needed the Urim and Thummim to receive divine guidance. The Urim and Thummim were not used for everyday decisions or as a replacement for God's word, but for significant national matters to reveal God's will in response to the prayers of his people. This sounds strange to modern ears. We have three options: Option One: The Bible is a strange book written by people with primitive beliefs about God. Option Two: The individuals mentioned in the Bible were not only unsophisticated and innocent, but also imitated primitive customs from other ancient civilizations that engaged in comparable methods of divination. Option three: God revealed Himself using the Urim and Thummim and did other things that are hard for us to believe today. God spoke from a burning bush (Exodus 3). He parted the Red Sea (Exodus 14). He made the sun stand still (Joshua 10). He allowed a donkey to talk (Numbers 22). The Urim and Thummim fade into history. They’re mentioned one last time in Nehemiah 7:65, but it’s unclear if they were ever found or used then. But they raise an issue for us today. Either we live in a world in which only natural explanations make sense, or we live in a world in which God is active and the supernatural is not only possible but true. I don’t know if you’ve thought much about the Urim and Thummim, but it’s probably important that you do. ### Trusting God When Evil People Prosper and You Don’t (Psalm 37) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/trusting-god-when-evil-people-prosper-and-you-dont-psalm-37/ Last updated: 2024-08-04T22:00:46.000Z **Big Idea:** Don’t fret, but trust God when evil people get ahead and you don’t. --- Do you ever look at someone else and think, “Where did I go wrong?” I was sitting at a restaurant in Port Credit meeting with a friend. It was a beautiful day. As we ate, we watched yachts go by. Now, God has been good to me. He has given me many material and other blessings. But as the yachts went by, I felt tempted to envy them. Somewhere along the line, their lives took a different path than the two of us sitting there. It’s easy to look at the lives of others and feel like we want what they have. This isn’t just about material things, either. It’s easy to think that we wish we had their looks, personality, spouse, success, car, life, whatever. It’s especially hard when it’s someone who doesn’t seem to deserve what they have. If you can relate to that, this psalm is for you. ## A Wisdom Psalm Psalm 37 is a wisdom psalm. According to verse 25, it contains the wisdom of David in his later years: > I have been young, and now am old, > yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken > or his children begging for bread. It reflects the wisdom that David accumulated over his many years of living. It’s a psalm that reminds us of what we might find in the book of Proverbs. It wants to help us to learn to live well and to face a struggle that most of us will encounter. I want you to notice how kind God is. God knows the challenges that we will face. He knows our struggles, and he speaks to them. As Spurgeon says, “It is a Psalm in which the Lord hushes most sweetly the too common repinings of his people, and calms their minds as to his present dealings with his own chosen flock, and the wolves by whom they are surrounded.” This is one of nine acrostic psalms in the Bible. We looked at another one last week. An acrostic psalm is a poem where each verse or group of verses starts with consecutive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. It's meant to help aid memorization and add a layer of artistic design to the text. In this case, the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet mostly introduce every other verse with a few exceptions. The purpose of this psalm is to help us trust God when it seems that undeserving people are getting ahead when we’re not. It’s meant to help us with this very common problem. ### The Principle (1-7) Verses 1 to 7 give us the main idea of the psalm: **Don’t fret, but trust God when evil people get ahead and you don’t.** > Fret not yourself because of evildoers; > be not envious of wrongdoers! > (Psalm 37:1) The word *fret* is descriptive. The phrase “do not fret” — which means don’t be angry or indignant or fly into a passion — appears three times in verses 1 to 8\. So it’s not hard to pick up on the theme. Why would we be agitated by those who are getting ahead? Often, because they don’t seem to deserve it. It doesn’t seem fair that wicked people often get ahead, and good people often don’t. But here’s the principle: don’t get agitated about that. Don’t even worry about it. What’s the alternative? David tells us in verses 3 to 7: > Trust in the LORD, and do good; > dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. > Delight yourself in the LORD, > and he will give you the desires of your heart. > Commit your way to the LORD; > trust in him, and he will act. > He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, > and your justice as the noonday. > Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; > fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, > over the man who carries out evil devices! > (Psalm 37:3–7) This is a totally different way of living than getting agitated when others get ahead! Trust God. Delight in him. Commit your ways to him. Trust him. Be still before him. Don’t fret! What is David saying? I think we get a good idea of what he’s saying by taking a closer look at verse 4, which is often misunderstood: > Delight yourself in the LORD, > and he will give you the desires of your heart. Sometimes people read this and think that God is promising a trade-off: you delight yourself in him, and in return he will give you whatever you want. It’s taken as a kind of promise that you can get the life you want in return for delighting yourself in God. Anything I want, and it will be mine! The job you want, the husband or wife you want, the cottage you want. But what does it actually mean? It means something even better. Christopher Ash [puts it this way](https://go.dashhouse.com/Nsib?ref=dashhouse.com): > We may paraphrase the verse like this: If you delight yourself in the covenant Lord, if you love him, if you want above all else to know him and see his kingdom, if this expresses the deepest desire of your heart, then you may be sure that God will give you what you want. Do you want God? You will have God. Do you delight in God? You will enjoy God. If we want something other than God — a job, a spouse, a child, a healthy body, or whatever else we may want — we might not get it. But if we want what is ultimately satisfying — God himself — then we will get God, and God is not a consolation prize. God is what we need most. God is what will satisfy us most. Everything else is a consolation prize. Again, as Christopher Ash says: > If I love God more and more, if my heart desires God more and more, I will know God more and more, enjoy God more and more, delight in God more and more. And somehow, as I do that, the blessings that loomed so very large in my hopes are moved to the side of my affections. Oh, sure, I still want healing, a happy marriage, a successful job, or whatever it may be. It would be very odd not to want these things. But they are no longer central. What—or rather, who — fills the screen of my affections is God himself. God promises me God as I delight in God. ### The Reasons (8-34) Why should we take David’s advice? In verse 8 to 34, he gives us two reasons. Here they are: #### First: Because the wicked live short lives and then face God’s judgment. > For the evildoers shall be cut off, > but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land. > In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; > though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. > (Psalm 37:9-10) And then verse 20: > But the wicked will perish; > the enemies of the LORD are like the glory of the pastures; > they vanish—like smoke they vanish away. Take the long view, David says. When I lived in North Bay for a summer, they had these bugs called shad flies or mayflies. They seem to all hatch at the same time. For a day or two in the spring or autumn, they’re everywhere, covering every possible surface. But they don’t eat. Their lives are incredibly short. They usually live for about 24 to 72 hours once they emerge, and then they’re gone. The wicked are like that, David says. Don’t envy shad flies. The wicked are prosperous for a short time, but then they face the Lord. Their prosperity won’t last forever. David gives a second reason not to fret: #### Second: In contrast to the wicked, God cares for his own. > Better is the little that the righteous has > than the abundance of many wicked. > For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, > but the LORD upholds the righteous. > The LORD knows the days of the blameless, > and their heritage will remain forever; > they are not put to shame in evil times; > in the days of famine they have abundance. > (Psalm 37:16–19) I love what [one study Bible](https://go.dashhouse.com/Nskx?ref=dashhouse.com) says about these verses: “God watches out for them, and they learn that deep roots are more important than lofty branches.” They may not be as outwardly impressive, but they will have depth and stability even in hard times. It’s why the apostle Paul, who owned very little, could say that he owned everything (2 Corinthians 6:10). We may not have material possessions, but we have something greater: we have God himself. And then look at verses 23 and 24: > The steps of a man are established by the LORD, > when he delights in his way; > though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, > for the LORD upholds his hand. This doesn’t mean that you won’t go through problems, but it does mean that God will sustain you even when you stumble and struggle. I love the story of George Müller, the founder of the great faith orphanages in England in the 1800s. In the margin of his Bible, beside verse 23 — “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD” — Müller added the words “and the stops.” Apparently, Müller recognized that, for the believer, even apparent setbacks are ordered by the Lord and part of his gracious design. David’s given us the principle: Don’t fret, but trust God when others are getting ahead and you aren’t. He’s given us the reasons: first, their success won’t last long; second, God will care for his own people. Now he gives us one more thing: ### The Testimony (35-40) David has already given us a bit of a testimony in verses 25 and 26: > I have been young, and now am old, > yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken > or his children begging for bread. > He is ever lending generously, > and his children become a blessing. This was David’s experience. It may not be everyone’s. It’s not a guarantee. But David could say that he’s seen God has a consistent track record of caring for his own. In verses 35 and on, he continues. > I have seen a wicked, ruthless man, > spreading himself like a green laurel tree. It looked impressive! > But he passed away, and behold, he was no more; > though I sought him, he could not be found. On the other hand: > The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; > he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. > The LORD helps them and delivers them; > he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, > because they take refuge in him. When we look around, it’s really going to look like life isn’t fair. We’re sometimes going to ask ourselves, “Where did we go wrong? How come they’re doing so well, and I’m struggling so much?” David tells us: don’t get agitated about that. Take courage. The wicked are shad flies. But you’ve got something greater than what they have, something of eternal value that will last forever. You have God himself. “Take it from me,” David says. “I’ve lived a long time. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Don’t envy those who have a lot and disappear. Aim to be someone who delights in God and will be satisfied forever.” You know who did this well? Jesus. Jesus trusted God in a troubled world. Jesus delighted in his Father, committing his ways to him, delighting in him, and waiting patiently for him. Jesus did this, and in Jesus, we can too. We can run to the One who lived this perfectly and invites us to trust him with all of our insecurities, struggles, and doubts. Don’t fret, but trust God when others are getting ahead and you aren’t. Jesus lived this way, and if you come to him, he will help you live this way too. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-405/ Last updated: 2024-08-03T09:00:43.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [10 Errors to Avoid When Talking about Sanctification and the Gospel](https://go.dashhouse.com/O32J?ref=dashhouse.com) > In the course of faithful preaching and teaching all the positive truths found in a robust, thoughtful doctrine of sanctification should be publicly declared. [Reconciling Free Will and Divine Sovereignty: A Three-Dimensional View from a Two-Dimensional World](https://go.dashhouse.com/O6Ei?ref=dashhouse.com) > To claim that it is either free will and human responsibility OR meticulous divine determination is to choose which passages of the Bible you will prioritize. The Bible teaches both. [Clues in the Book of Revelation Tell You How to Interpret It](https://go.dashhouse.com/O6C2?ref=dashhouse.com) > The Book of Revelation tells us how it’s to be read, and if we would just follow its directions, we would benefit from the book and better understand its message. [9 Myths About Hell](https://go.dashhouse.com/O4Qd?ref=dashhouse.com) > There simply is no way around the truth of God’s wrath against sin. [On Headship and Roadtrips](https://go.dashhouse.com/O8tU?ref=dashhouse.com) > I think there may be moments of particular submission in my marriage, but I think more routinely, complementarianism speaks to tone, posture or flavour. It questions my attitude and my motives and has me lay aside my own hesitations or willfulness for the sake of the greater good. [Sunday Evening Exhaustion](https://go.dashhouse.com/O4R0?ref=dashhouse.com) > Rather than being replenished by Sundays, it’s easy to feel drained. ### Small is Underrated URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/small-is-underrated/ Last updated: 2024-07-30T09:00:19.000Z We’re impressed with bigness, but I believe that small is vastly underrated. ## Small Churches Take a small church. A small church is probably going to be a difficult church, not because there’s anything wrong with a small church in itself. The tough thing about attending or pastoring a small church is that some people will see that smallness as a failure. They will see a good small church as a failed big church rather than what it really is: a church that’s beautiful and holy at its current size. Pity the person who doesn’t see the small church the way that God does. Small churches, especially ones in small places, need to post these words from [Francis Schaeffer](https://go.dashhouse.com/Ado%5F?ref=dashhouse.com) somewhere where everyone can see them: “As there are no little people in God’s sight, so there are no little places. To be wholly committed to God in the place where God wants him — this is the creature glorified.” Small churches are underrated. ## Small Pastorates I wish I had heeded Francis Schaeffer’s advice earlier: “This is the way of the Christian: he should choose the lesser place until God extrudes him into a position of more responsibility and authority.” Pastors: seek small ministries. Don’t think you deserve a big church. Choose a small one and serve God there faithfully until he makes it clear that he’s moving you to a bigger one. Why? “First, we should seek the lowest place because there it is easier to be quiet before the face of the Lord,” Schaeffer explains. Bigger ministries come with more pressure and responsibility. Praise God for the blessing of peace and quietness in a smaller ministry. “Quietness and peace before God are more important than any influence a position may seem to give,” he writes. But there’s a second reason why we should choose a smaller pastorate. “The second reason why we should not seek the larger place is that if we deliberately and egotistically lay hold on leadership, wanting the drums to beat and the trumpets to blow, then we are not qualified for Christian leadership.” There is something within us that wants to be a big deal. Until we put this impulse to death, we’re not ready for pastoral ministry. Small pastorates are beautiful because we get to enjoy greater peace, and we get to fight our ungodly ambitions. We learn to serve and love where God has placed us. Small pastorates are underrated. ## Small Disciplines “Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God,” said William Carey. Fair enough. But, mostly, the Christian life isn’t about doing great things for God. It’s about practicing small disciplines. Open God’s word. Pray. Join a good church. Show up for worship. Fellowship with other believers. None of these are impressive, but they are all essential. Faithfulness doesn’t look like doing great things for God. Mostly, it looks like doing the things that nobody else will ever notice. We do them not because they’re impressive but because we seek the only One who will satisfy our souls. Small disciples are underrated. Small is underrated. Never look down on a small church, small pastorate, or small discipline. Embrace them. Our world’s obsessed with bigness, so look the other way and see the beauty of what looks unremarkable to most, but is actually glorious if you take a second look. ### God’s Goodness in Suffering (Psalm 34) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/gods-goodness-in-suffering-psalm-34/ Last updated: 2024-07-31T00:44:20.000Z **Big Idea:** Learn about God’s goodness in the midst of suffering. But don’t just learn about it; experience it yourself. --- Advice can be valuable, but only if it comes from somebody reliable. But when you find someone who’s been through exactly what you’re going through, and they have something to say, their advice can be incredible. - If you are getting married, it is so helpful to talk to someone who has been married for a long time and is making it work. - If you’re going through joblessness, it helps so much to talk to someone else who’s been unemployed in similar circumstances. - If you are raising teenagers, it can be very helpful to talk to someone whose kids have gone through the same thing. - If you are going through a crisis, it is helpful to talk to someone else who’s been through a similar crisis and survived. It can be so valuable to get good advice from someone who’s learned from a similar situation we’re going through. ## David’s Circumstance So here’s why it’s worth learning from Psalm 34. There are 14 psalms that are linked to events that took place in David’s life. This is one of them. We read in the inscription of the psalm, “Of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.” Two things to notice here. First: David knows what it’s like to suffer! We find this story in 1 Samuel 21\. You think you have problems? David was literally running for his life. He was in so much trouble that he fled to the land of the Philistines, his archenemies. How desperate do you have to be to flee to people who want to kill you? Even worse, he went carrying the sword of Goliath, a Philistine he had killed. When David was recognized, he escaped, barely, by acting like he’d lost his sanity. Here’s the thing about the Bible. We are not the first to suffer. You name whatever problem you’re going through, and it’s probably not going to be crazier than what David went through before he wrote this psalm. It’s hard to out-crazy this story. David writes as someone who’s an innocent sufferer facing a really difficult situation. But here’s the other thing to notice. The inscription says, “Of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech.” This is slightly confusing, because the Philistine king’s name was actually Achish. Abimelech shows up in Genesis 20\. He was king in a similar area, but it was Abraham, not David, who dealt with Abimelech. Why does Psalm 34 mention the wrong guy? Robert Alter, a Bible scholar, suggests that the editor was making connections. He saw some parallels between David’s story and Abraham’s story. A just man is threatened with imminent death, and God rescues him. In other words, this is David’s story, but it’s part of a bigger pattern of how God treats his people. The future king of Israel is so desperate that he’s scratching doors and drooling all over his beard, and the editor says, “Yeah, this reminds me of some other times that God has rescued his people in some pretty strange circumstances.” So this is a psalm written by someone who knows what it’s like to go through crazy times, and David has two messages for us. ## Two Lessons Here are the two lessons. ### Learn from me (1-7) In the first part of this psalm, he gives his personal testimony. He begins with a call to praise: > I will bless the LORD at all times; > his praise shall continually be in my mouth. > My soul makes its boast in the LORD; > let the humble hear and be glad. > Oh, magnify the LORD with me, > and let us exalt his name together! > (Psalm 34:1-3) Then he gives the reason why he is praising God and calling us to praise God in verses 4 to 6: > I sought the LORD, and he answered me > and delivered me from all my fears. > Those who look to him are radiant, > and their faces shall never be ashamed. > This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him > and saved him out of all his troubles. What is David’s testimony? David’s testimony is not that he escaped from King Achish by his own ingenuity. He doesn’t credit his clever acting skills. He credits God. God was the one who delivered him, so God deserves the praise. David sought Yahweh in a time of trouble. God answered and delivered him. He cried out, and Yahweh heard him, and saved him from all of his troubles. Tucked away, though, is an amazing promise in verse 5: > Those who look to him are radiant, > and their faces shall never be ashamed. Here’s what he’s saying. You can experience a joy, a radiance, in even the worst circumstances. You can be going through the worst possible crisis, and you can still experience comfort and joy. The kind of joy that God offers isn’t diminished by difficulty and hardship; it coexists with difficulty and hardship. We can look to God in our struggles and experience joy and peace even in the middle of trials. And then he gives us a theological truth you may find hard to believe. It’s found in verse 7: > The angel of the LORD encamps > around those who fear him, and delivers them. What does this mean? It means that God has promised to take care of us. There is never a minute that we are outside his care. The angel of Yahweh encamps around us, and he has helpers. John Calvin wrote: > …the angels encamp around (Psalm 34:7) the godly, and that not one angel only, but many, have been commissioned to guard every one of the faithful. Away, then, with the fanciful notion of a good and evil angel, and let us rest satisfied with holding that the care of the whole Church is committed to angels, to assist each member as his necessities shall require. If we knew this, we would never be worried or scared. It doesn’t mean that we will never suffer. It does mean that we will never go through a single moment in our lives in which God takes his eye off of us, in which God ceases to care or come to our aid. Behind the scenes, God is much more involved than we realize. As John Piper has said, “God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them … There is no power in the universe that can stop God from fulfilling his totally good plans for you.” This is my story, David is saying. Praise God, because he helps the righteous in times of trial. He comes to the aid of his people when they are in very tricky situations. His angels come to the aid of his people. Notice that David’s circumstances hadn’t changed. He was still a fugitive. He was still in danger. He was still alone. But in the middle of these circumstances, he found that God was faithful. David wants to remind us that it’s never our quick thinking or our clever strategies that deserve the credit when we survive difficult situations. God deserves the praise. It’s God who comes to the help of desperate people in desperate times. Not only this, but it’s God who not only helps us to survive these times, but who can actually help us glow in the middle of unbelievable difficulty. J.C. Ryle put it this way: > The everlasting arms are round about you. Lean back in them and know your safety. The same hand that was nailed to the cross is holding you. The same wisdom that framed the heavens and the earth is engaged to maintain your cause . . . Ah! reader, they are well kept whom Christ keeps. That’s David’s message in verses 1 to 7\. He wants us to learn from his experience. David has been through hard times, and he knows: God delivers his people, and so God deserves the praise. But David has a second message. Learn from my experience, he says, and then: ### Discover for yourself (8-22) The rest of the psalm is David turning to us, based on his experience, so we who are suffering can experience the same thing. Listen to what he says in verse 8: > Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! > Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! > Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, > for those who fear him have no lack! > The young lions suffer want and hunger; > but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. Don’t just take my word for it, David says. Taste of God’s goodness yourself. The famous preacher Jonathan Edwards said: > Thus there is a difference between having an opinion that God is holy and gracious, and having a sense of the loveliness and beauty of that holiness and grace. There is a difference between having a rational judgment that honey is sweet, and having a sense of its sweetness. A man may have the former, that knows not how honey tastes; but a man can’t have the latter unless he has an idea of the taste of honey in his mind. So there is a difference between believing that a person is beautiful, and having a sense of his beauty. Don’t just hear others talk about God’s goodness. Taste for yourself! It’s only when you act on what you know about God’s goodness that you will experience how good God truly is. How do you do this? The answer comes in verses 11 to 14: > Come, O children, listen to me; > I will teach you the fear of the LORD. > What man is there who desires life > and loves many days, that he may see good? > Keep your tongue from evil > and your lips from speaking deceit. > Turn away from evil and do good; > seek peace and pursue it. Here’s where you see what it looks like to taste God’s goodness. It’s not just something you sample. You will only taste God’s goodness as you surrender completely and totally to him. Fear him. Obey his commandments. This doesn’t mean that you earn God’s favor by your own efforts. It does mean that God’s agenda isn’t just to rescue from danger. God has a much bigger agenda: to have all of you, to change you. When you come to Jesus to taste of this goodness, it involves a surrender of your entire life to him. He wants all of you if you’re going to follow him. But when you do, look what you will experience. His eyes will be on you (verse 15). He will hear your prayers and deliver you from trouble (verse 17). He will be especially attentive to you in times of crisis when you’re brokenhearted (verse 18). He will deliver you from your troubles (verses 19 to 22). This may seem to you to be too good to be true. It doesn’t mean that you will never experience troubles. It does mean that when you experience troubles, you can still know that God remains fully engaged, watching and helping you. It may not make sense to you, but nothing will happen to you that will not work out for your good in the end and his glory even if it doesn’t seem like it now. The best example of this is Jesus. Jesus went through injustice. He was arrested and beaten. He deserved none of it; he was the ultimate example of an innocent sufferer. And yet, as he was crucified, John 19:36 says that they didn’t break his bones in a direct fulfillment of verse 20 of this psalm. Our lives are in God’s hands, and nothing will happen to us outside his sovereign care, even as we go through horrible difficulties. Take it from someone who knows. David went through all kinds of troubles in his life. David says: Learn about God’s goodness in the midst of suffering. But don’t just learn about it; experience it yourself. Whatever you’re going through, you can find out what David did: that God is good even in the middle of suffering. But don’t take David’s word for it or my word for it. Come to Jesus, and experience this yourself. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-404/ Last updated: 2024-07-27T09:00:23.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Keep Watch Over Souls: A One-Verse Charge to Pastors](https://go.dashhouse.com/NzBY?ref=dashhouse.com) > As doctors deal with the health of the body, pastors deal with the health of the soul. [Dear Pastor, in a Celebrity Culture, Your Call Is Contentment](https://go.dashhouse.com/NzCE?ref=dashhouse.com) > We want our work to be great so that people will see God’s greatness, not to show off our talents or to be greater than others. [How Pastors Can Encourage Others to Consider Vocational Ministry](https://go.dashhouse.com/NzBW?ref=dashhouse.com) > Why are fewer people today answering the call to vocational ministry, and what can pastors do to curb this trend? [Three Types of Reading (And Suggested Books for Each)](https://go.dashhouse.com/NzAS?ref=dashhouse.com) > To maintain my interest, I have found it helpful to divide books into three broad categories: slow, fast, and fun. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Focus on the Few Things That Matter](https://go.dashhouse.com/Nz6p?ref=dashhouse.com) > A focus on important things can distract us from what matters most. ### Two Kinds of Sin, Two Kinds of Prayer URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/two-kinds-of-sin-two-kinds-of-prayer/ Last updated: 2024-07-23T09:00:43.000Z When we think of sin, we don't typically think about the different kinds of sins that exist. Psalm 19 can help with that. It not only helps us understand two kinds of sin, but it helps us learn how to pray for each kind. > Who can discern his errors? > Declare me innocent from hidden faults. > Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; > let them not have dominion over me! > Then I shall be blameless, > and innocent of great transgression. > (Psalm 19:12-13) The psalmist talks about two kinds of sins, with a corresponding prayer for each of them. ## Sins of Ignorance First — and this is important — we’re not very good at spotting our own sin. “Who can discern his errors?” The implied answer: nobody. We’re often blind to our own sins. We are not good at recognizing when we make mistakes because, as Derek Kidner observes, they are so typical of us that we don't notice them. We need God’s law to help us, but even then, we’ll be blind to some of our sins. “He best knows himself who best knows the Word, but even such an one will be in a maze of wonder as to what he does not know, rather than on the mount of congratulation as to what he does know,” observed Spurgeon. We need God’s help. The psalmist prays, “Declare me innocent from hidden faults.” Perhaps his prayer is that God looks at his life and can’t find any hidden sins, but that seems unlikely. It’s more likely that this is a prayer for God to forgive him of the sins he commits in ignorance. As Spurgeon puts it: “O Lord, wash away in the atoning blood even those sins which my conscience has been unable to detect.” This is the first kind of sin: sin that we don’t even know about. And this is the first kind of prayer to deal with that sin: forgive me for these sins. ## Sins of Presumption But then David covers a second category of sins: presumptuous ones. These are the sins that we commit deliberately. Sometimes our sins aren’t hidden from us. We knowingly continue our actions, regardless of relying on God's forgiveness or ignoring his judgment. When we sin deliberately and presumptuously, we need more than a prayer for forgiveness. David prays, “Let them not have dominion over me!” We need forgiveness, but we also need to be set free from the power of willful, presumptuous sin. That kind of sin is so dangerous that we dare not take it lightly. It will kill us if we’re not careful. We will never be sinless. Praise God for the grace that’s available in Jesus that allows us to be blameless and innocent of great transgression. As we lean into that grace, let’s be aware of the two types of sin that can trip us up, and let’s use the two kinds of prayer as we battle these sins. ### Trusting God in Crisis (Psalm 31) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/trusting-god-in-crisis-psalm-31/ Last updated: 2024-07-21T22:00:08.000Z **Big Idea:** In crisis, turn to God, remind yourself what’s true, and then you’ll be able to help others take courage in God. --- Someone I know and respect went through one of the hardest crises of his life. He had reached the peak of his professional career. He’d had a solid track record of accomplishments. But out of nowhere, a powerful group of people turned against him and forced him out of his job. “It just about took me out,” he said. And so, for a year, their agenda was simple: “to try not to die, to pray, and to re-think at a profound level.” To this day, it’s still a difficult time for them to talk about. As a pastor, I’ve had the privilege of walking with people for over thirty years now. I’ve encountered many people like that. What do you do when you face a crisis that almost takes you out, that leaves you trying not to die, that leaves you rethinking things at a profound level? That’s what I want to talk to you about. ## A Versatile Cry for Help Today I want to look at Psalm 31\. It’s a psalm that cries out to God for help. It’s written by David. What’s the situation behind the psalm? We just don’t know. Some psalms give the historic situation, but this one doesn’t. David faced similar situations throughout his life, like when a city was going to give him to Saul in 1 Samuel 23, or when his own son turned against him later on. What is the situation that David faced? As I said, we don’t know the incident, but David tells us the problems he faced. He faced a conspiracy of enemies against him, so much so that even his friends deserted him. > Because of all my adversaries I have become a reproach, > especially to my neighbors, > and an object of dread to my acquaintances; > those who see me in the street flee from me. > I have been forgotten like one who is dead; > I have become like a broken vessel. > For I hear the whispering of many— > terror on every side!— > as they scheme together against me, > as they plot to take my life. > (Psalm 31:11-13) Whatever the problem, this psalm is pretty versatile. It’s been used by God’s people throughout the years as their own cry for help. - A later psalmist — perhaps David himself — re-used the first three verses in Psalm 71. - Jonah quotes from verse 6 when he’s trapped in the belly of the fish. - The prophet Jeremiah quoted from verse 13. - Jesus quoted verse 5 for his last words from the cross when he was abandoned by his disciples during his arrest. - Many Christians throughout history have also used this psalm, including individuals such as Saint Bernard, John Huss, Jerome of Prague, Martin Luther, Philip Melanchthon, and many more. One of the most memorable uses of this psalm was by John Huss, who was burned at the stake. The bishop ended the ceremony by saying: "And now we commit your soul to the devil." Huss replied calmly, “I commit my spirit into thy hands, Lord Jesus Christ; unto thee I commend my spirit, which thou has redeemed.” This psalm can be used by God's people in different crisis situations, such as death and betrayal. This psalm has given people — including Jesus — words to use in the middle of crisis. It can do the same for you and for me. ## Responding to Crisis How do we respond to crisis? David shows us three ways to respond. ### Turn to God as your only source of refuge. Where do you turn in times of crisis? Some of us try to escape. We dull the pain through food, alcohol, drugs, and pleasure. Or we turn to friends to help us. But David shows us that there’s only one place we can ultimately turn in a time of trail. There is only one true refuge, and that’s God. Only he will provide the refuge that we need when we go through times of trial. The theme of refuge keeps coming up in this psalm. David writes: > In you, O LORD, do I take refuge; > let me never be put to shame; > in your righteousness deliver me! > Incline your ear to me; > rescue me speedily! > Be a rock of refuge for me, > a strong fortress to save me! > For you are my rock and my fortress; > and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me. > you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, > for you are my refuge. > (Psalm 31:1-4) Over and over again in this psalm, the psalmist speaks of God as his refuge and says things like, “I trust in you” (Psalm 31:14). We will face this choice every time we go through a crisis. Be honest: where do you turn in times of crisis? We all have coping strategies that we use in times of trial. Here is the one thing that they all have in common, apart from God: they will let you down. Your friends will let you down. Friends are great, but they can’t provide the refuge that only God can. Pleasure and escape tactics provide a temporary coping mechanism, but they don’t provide any true place of refuge at all. We all need a secure place. When everything crumbles around us, we need one place that is safe, a place of security and protection. The psalmist points us to the only true place of refuge we will ever experience in times of trial: God himself. When you go through trial, run to him. Find in him everything you need. He will not let you down. So many passages reinforce this truth. The end of Romans 8 is a prolonged argument that God’s love for us is so secure that there is literally nothing in heaven and earth that can separate us from that love. God is a refuge that can withstand category 5 storms. His love for his people, shown through Jesus at the cross, is so great that you never have to fear that it will let you down. If you have trusted Christ, you are secure in him. He is your refuge. Everything else will fail you, but you can trust in him. If you haven’t trusted Christ, turn to him today. You will find him to be the refuge you need. Turn to God as your only source of refuge. That’s the first lesson. Here’s the second: ### Expect that you will have to remind yourself. Psalm 31 is a very interesting psalm. The psalmist makes the journey from despair to trust twice: once in verses 1 to 8, and again in verses 9 to 24\. One scholar (John Goldingay) notes: > If the psalm stopped after verse 8, it would be quite complete. It has pleaded with God to listen and act, declared faith in God, looked forward to what God could do, and looked forward to celebrating God’s standing our feet in a broad or dry place instead of the narrow or wet one where they now stand. Verses 9–20 could equally stand alone. Why? We don’t know for sure, but I have a guess. When you’re in a crisis, you can work yourself to a place of trust. You can finally get to the point where you have found refuge in God. But then you wake up the next morning, or something happens again, and you are in despair again. You have to work yourself back into trust over and over again. You even see this at the end of verse 2 and the start of verse 3: > Be a rock of refuge for me, > a strong fortress to save me! > For you are my rock and my fortress… He’s essentially saying, “Be a rock of refuge… For you are my refuge.” Which is it? It depends on how he feels at the moment. Sometimes he feels the reality of God as his refuge; other times he has to pray that God would become his refuge. As one commentator says: > Sometimes it takes the repeating of a prayer over and over for the people praying to believe what they are saying, especially when the situation doesn’t change immediately. And sometimes we have to repeat it over and over so that the voices of those who want to wash us away don’t drown out our hope. (Goldingay) Somehow, in the middle of a crisis, we have to keep working our way back to what we believe. You can’t just trust God once in a crisis. You have to keep working your way back over and over again to trust. Expect that you will have to remind yourself of what is true about God because you will forget it over and over again. Remind yourself of the truths of the gospel that we so quickly forget. Remember that God will never leave us or forsake us. I love how the Reformer Martin Luther put it: > Here I must take counsel of the gospel. I must hearken to the gospel, which teaches me, not what I ought to do, (for that is the proper office of the law), but what Jesus Christ the Son of God hath done for me: to wit, that He suffered and died to deliver me from sin and death. The gospel wills me to receive this, and to believe it. And this is the truth of the gospel. It is also the principal article of all Christian doctrine, wherein the knowledge of all godliness consists. Most necessary it is, therefore, that we should know this article well, teach it unto others, and beat it into their heads continually. We forget this daily, so we need to preach this to ourselves daily. We need to remind ourselves of the truths of the gospel. God is still gracious to sinners. He will receive anyone who comes to him with empty hands of faith. He will turn no-one away who comes to him in repentance and trust. And he will never let you go. Turn to God as your only source of refuge, and expect that you will have to remind yourself to do this over and over again. There’s one more lesson I want to point out from this psalm: ### Use the crisis to point others to God. Something interesting happens at the end of the psalm. In verses 1 to 22, he speaks directly to God in the middle of the crisis. He pours out his heart to God. He expresses his trust in Yahweh, talks about what he’s going through, and asks Yahweh to help him. But in verses 23 to 24, he turns from speaking to God and addresses God’s people. Listen to what he says: > Love the LORD, all you his saints! > The LORD preserves the faithful > but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride. > Be strong, and let your heart take courage, > all you who wait for the LORD! Here’s what happens in this psalm. David goes through a horrible crisis. He feels abandoned. His very life is at stake. He wobbles a little. Even when he trusts God, he has to preach to himself again because it’s easy to slip back into despair. But as he continues to trust God in the crisis, something happens. He gets to point others to God. There’s nothing like seeing a godly person go through trial, even imperfectly. When you see someone suffer well and find that God is good, they can stand up and point others to God too. They can tell others, “Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD!” In 2 Corinthians 1, Paul says that God “comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Corinthians 1:4). God never wastes our pain. As you trust God in the middle of your trial, and find God to be a secure refuge, you can point others to God because of what you have discovered about God in the middle of your suffering. I love how Spurgeon puts it: “All the saints are benefited by the sanctified miseries of one, if they are led by earnest exhortations to love their Lord the better.” Hard times are going to come. What should we do? **In crisis, turn to God, remind yourself what’s true, and then you’ll be able to help others take courage in God.** Earlier on, I mentioned someone who went through the crisis of his life. It left him simply trying to survive and stay alive, and that period lasted for some time. But out of that experience came his most fruitful years. He found God to be his refuge. It wasn’t easy, but God provided for him in that crisis, and as a result, he’s been able to point many others to God. He [credits everything to](https://go.dashhouse.com/5hSG?ref=dashhouse.com): > …the grace and mercy of God. I’m not joking… I’m so struck by God’s kindness and faithfulness, his steady patience… God is so patient and so gentle, so rarely confrontational. He’s provident, thoughtful, wise. His care is amazing. I cannot explain these last ten years any other way. Turn to God in crisis. Remind yourself of what’s true. And then God will use your sufferings to point others to take courage in God, so they can find that God is faithful too. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-403/ Last updated: 2024-07-20T09:00:57.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Is Temptation Sin? Not According to Martyn Lloyd-Jones](https://go.dashhouse.com/Nm-b?ref=dashhouse.com) > He considers it a Satanic deception to confuse temptation with sin, and this undermines the assurance of Christians that they are truly the children of God. [What Does the Bible Teach About Divorce and Remarriage?](https://go.dashhouse.com/NkTn?ref=dashhouse.com) > What are the common evangelical views on divorce and remarriage, and how do we evaluate them biblically? [Does Your Baptism Matter?](https://go.dashhouse.com/Nm5m?ref=dashhouse.com) > When is the last time you thought about your baptism? [Does Christian Sex Need Rescuing?](https://go.dashhouse.com/Nm-7?ref=dashhouse.com) > The most valuable role played by the protestor isn’t providing the perfect solution but highlighting the problem. [The Importance of Developing Writing Habits](https://go.dashhouse.com/Nn1B?ref=dashhouse.com) > You have to find a system that works for you, stick to that system, be willing to adapt when you need to, and don’t allow distractions to become derailments. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Why I’m Encouraged About the Future of the Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/NmAZ?ref=dashhouse.com) > I’m encouraged by what God seems to be doing among younger generations in the church. ### How Marriage Shows the Beauty and Poetry of the Gospel URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/how-marriage-shows-the-beauty-and-poetry-of-the-gospel/ Last updated: 2024-07-16T09:00:46.000Z “It was the breakdown of marriage that broke everything,” writes [Ray Ortlund](https://go.dashhouse.com/34Vi?ref=dashhouse.com). God created gender. He created man and woman, and he instituted marriage. All of this was a gift meant for his glory and for our joy. But things went horribly wrong in the garden. Yes, they sinned, but part of that sin was the breakdown in how marriage is supposed to function. Kent Hughes says, “Everything was upside-down. Eve followed the snake, Adam followed Eve, and no one followed God.” Both sinned. Their sins are similar, but they’re also different. As Victor Hamilton notes, Eve’s sin was one of initiative; Adam’s sin was one of acquiescence. To paraphrase Spurgeon they struck a match together and set the world on fire. Ortlund puts it so well: > The wife acting as the head, but not a wise head, and the husband acting as the helper, but not a wise helper — it was the breakdown of marriage that broke everything. The greatest glory in the universe (Genesis 1–2) became the greatest tragedy in the world (Genesis 3). All of this helps me to see the beauty and poetry of the gospel. If the story of sin is the story of a marriage gone wrong, the story of the gospel is a love story gone right. In Ephesians 5, Paul draws a line between our marriages and the relationship between Christ and the church. His point isn’t that Christ’s love for the church is a metaphor for marriage. It’s the opposite. It’s that our marriages are metaphors and illustrations for the eternal romance. To quote Ortlund again: > The eternal romance — not, in the final analysis, the love of the couple getting married but the love of Jesus for us and our joyful deference to him — the eternal love story is why God created the universe and why God gave us marriage in Eden and why couples fall in love and get married in the world today. Every time a bride and groom stand there and take their vows, they are reenacting the biblical love story, whether they realize it or not. The Son of God stepping down out of eternity, entering time, taking on flesh, pursuing and winning his bride as his very heart and body with his inmost, sincerest love so that he can fit her to be with him forever above—that dramatic super-reality is the breathtaking reason why human marriage exists. It is truly profound. And Christian married couples have the privilege of making the mystery of the gospel visible in the world today by living out the dynamic interplay of an Ephesians 5–quality marriage. A breakdown in marriage led to the mess we’re in. But God loves to redeem broken things. A marriage, functioning as it should, is a pointer to the way God has fixed and is fixing the mess we’re in. The world was ruined by a marriage gone bad, but God has chosen marriage as a powerful display of the gospel for everyone to see. What beauty. What poetry. How like a gracious God to redeem what, to us, looked irretrievably broken. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-402/ Last updated: 2024-07-13T09:00:25.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Heaven Remembered: Learning to Long for Home](https://go.dashhouse.com/NgpW?ref=dashhouse.com) > You can learn to think well about heaven by enjoying all the good things in this life now, lifting them as high as your imagination can go, and saying, *this, but better*. [The Happiest Person Alive](https://go.dashhouse.com/Nao7?ref=dashhouse.com) > We live in a time when a reacquaintance with God’s blessedness could prove extremely useful for pastors and their flocks. [What Does Psalm 37:4 Mean?](https://go.dashhouse.com/NgpV?ref=dashhouse.com) > Do you want God? You will have God. Do you delight in God? You will enjoy God. [Packer’s Dusty Puritan Discovery Still Guides and Helps](https://go.dashhouse.com/NXN7?ref=dashhouse.com) > Packer offers that the Puritans have these seven points of wisdom for present day Evangelicals. [Why Balance is Bad for Pastors](https://go.dashhouse.com/Nf-V?ref=dashhouse.com) > We need a new way of thinking about the relationship between family and ministry than “balance.” [How to Identify a Great Deacon](https://go.dashhouse.com/Nao6?ref=dashhouse.com) > Paul doesn’t seem too interested in what potential deacons are able to do. His focus is squarely on who they must *be*. [Is the Bible Pro-Slavery?](https://go.dashhouse.com/NXNB?ref=dashhouse.com) > I want to make the case that the Bible has been a powerful force for human dignity, human equality, and ultimately the undermining of slavery in all its forms. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Reading the News the Biblical Way](https://go.dashhouse.com/NgCw?ref=dashhouse.com) > Revelation is the book that we need when the news is hard to read. ### Don’t Mess This Up URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/dont-mess-this-up/ Last updated: 2024-07-09T09:00:05.000Z I’d flown to California. I was about to speak to a group of pastors and ministry leaders. As I made my way to the front to speak, the organizer whispered something into my ear: “Don’t mess up.” I remember that as spectacularly unhelpful advice. If anything, it threw me off as I began to speak. I could have used some encouragement or a promise to pray for me as I speak. I wasn’t expecting what he said. It’s not a great thing to say to someone as they get up to speak, but in many other ways, it’s not bad advice. Your walk with God? Don’t get fancy. Live close to Jesus. Read his Word. Talk to God about your life. Go to church. Repent and keep repenting. Let people into your life. You don’t have to do advanced things. Just keep doing the basics, and don’t mess up. Marriage? You don’t need to be the best husband or wife in existence. Just do what Scripture says. Read Ephesians 5:22-31 and 1 Peter 3:1-7 and ask for God’s help in applying your part. Resist the temptation to stray from your marriage vows. Don’t mess up. Pastoring? Watch your life and doctrine (1 Timothy 4:16). Stay close to Jesus. Love people. Preach the Word. Don’t mess up. Preaching? Your goal isn’t to preach great sermons. Great sermons can be more about you than about the job God has given you to do. Aim to preach good, biblical sermons. Study the text. Let it master you. Look for Jesus in the passage. Enter the pulpit with a word from God from the text that your people need to hear. In almost every area of life, your job isn’t to excel. It’s just to guard against messing up the simple things that God has given you to do. It’s staying alert to the temptations and dangers that will draw you away from doing the simple things God means for you to do. I used to think that a lot of my life would be spent trying to achieve greatness. Now I know that, mostly, life involves discharging the basic duties entrusted to me. Live as a disciple. Keep your marriage vows. Keep your ordination vows if you’ve made them. Watch what commonly trips others up, because those are the same things that will trip you up if you’re not careful. You and I aren’t so special, and Satan isn’t all that creative. We are not ignorant of his schemes (2 Corinthians 2:11). He keeps using the same old tricks because we keep falling for them. Don’t do it. Pay careful attention to how you walk (Ephesians 5:15). I picture an egg race, in which people try to win a race while holding an egg on top of a spoon. The first goal is to not drop the egg, because you’re disqualified if you do. The secondary goal is to be quick. But if you’re quick and drop the egg, you’re done. Don’t drop the egg. Don’t mess this up. There’s more to say than that, but it’s a good place to start. I wouldn’t tell someone this as they were getting up to speak, but otherwise, it’s really good advice. ### Gender in Everyday Life (Ephesians 5:25-33; 1 Timothy 2:11-15) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/gender-in-everyday-life-ephesians-525-33-2-timothy-211-15/ Last updated: 2024-06-30T23:20:09.000Z **Big Idea:** Embrace your gender in every area of your life. --- I can’t say that many blog posts have changed my life, but one did. It’s a short one written way back in 2011\. It’s just 124 words long, but it’s helped me a lot. [Here it is:](https://go.dashhouse.com/NK5-?ref=dashhouse.com) > Run to the tension. I've been teaching our leaders and our whole church to "run to the tension" as they lead and navigate relationships in our church and in our city. When conflict, tension, and difficulty show up, run to it. Face it. Deal with it. Lead through it now, not later. Our instinct is to ignore tension, but ignoring conflict now will only make for a bigger and messier conflict three months from now. We're used to running away from tension because we think the first signs of conflict mean the beginning of the end of a relationship. Not true. Conflict is normal in every relationship and navigating conflict with humility and direct communication makes relationships stronger and healthier. Run to the tension. I’ve found this to be helpful advice in leadership and in relationships, and also in how we read the Bible. Run to the tension. The Bible contains all kinds of teaching that we find difficult to understand or accept. Run to those passages. Our instinct is to ignore or downplay them, but these are the passages we often need the most. Don’t run away from them; run to them, because they have something important to teach us. That’s what we’ve been doing in this series. We’ve been looking at the subject of gender. Instead of running away from it, we’ve run to it. If you’re a member and haven’t listened to these sermons, I encourage you to go back and listen to the ones you’ve missed. Here’s what we’ve seen: - We’ve seen from Genesis 1 and 2 that men and women have dignity and differences that are designed for our good and our joy. - We’ve seen from Genesis 3 that sin, not God’s original design, has damaged the relationship between the sexes, and we experience the results every single day. - Then, last week, we saw from 1 Corinthians 11 that we need to hold on to dignity of women and empower them for ministry without losing the differences between men and women. Today, we’re going to want to get very practical and ask what this means in three areas of life: marriage, the church, and the world. ## Marriage (Ephesians 5:22-33) I want to look at marriage first because it’s such a great case study of how to get practical. Remember when I said that sin has damaged the relationship between the sexes in very particular ways? Ephesians 5 gives commands that deal specifically with this particular area of fallenness. It has something to say to wives, and then it has something to say to husbands. ### A Word to Wives > Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. (Ephesians 5:22-24) Here we have a command and two reasons. Here’s the command: submit to your husbands. What does submit mean? Here’s what it doesn’t and does mean. - It doesn’t mean you always agree with him. - It doesn’t mean that you don’t think for yourself. - It doesn’t mean that you stop trying to influence or speak truth to your husband. - It doesn’t mean that you are fearful of him. - It doesn’t mean that you obey. Paul uses the word submit, not obey. So what does it mean? It means that you “support, respect, and follow them as to the Lord” ([Kevin DeYoung](https://go.dashhouse.com/N7YF?ref=dashhouse.com)). It means, as John Piper [says](https://go.dashhouse.com/NOyN?ref=dashhouse.com): > …the disposition to follow a husband’s authority and an inclination to yield to his leadership. It is an attitude that says, “I delight for you to take the initiative in our family. I am glad when you take responsibility for things and lead with love. I don’t flourish when you are passive and I have to make sure the family works.” But the attitude of Christian submission also says, “It grieves me when you venture into sinful acts and want to take me with you. You know I can’t do that. I have no desire to resist you. On the contrary, I flourish most when I can respond creatively and joyfully to your lead; but I can’t follow you into sin, as much as I love to honor your leadership in our marriage. Christ is my King.” Why? Two reasons. Because of his headship and because of the Lord. The husband-wife relationship is a model of the relationship between Christ and the church. The pattern for relationship is not culture or patriarchy but the gospel. Ultimately, it’s done not to please the husband but to honor the Lord. > There is an analogy between the way she submits to Jesus Christ as Lord of her life and the way she submits to her husband as lord of her home. This is because God has made the husband to be head of his wife just as he has made Christ to be head of the church, which is his body. (James Montgomery Boice) This submission isn’t demanded by the husband. It’s freely given by the wife as an act of obedience to the Lord. I want you to notice that this is a reverse of the curse in Genesis 3\. Genesis 3:16 describes the effects of sin on the woman: “Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.” In Jesus, this is reversed. The wife’s desire is no longer contrary to her husband, but she is looking for ways to support and respect her husband. That’s what it looks like for the wife. But then: ### A Word to Husbands Paul uses 40 Greek words to speak to wives. Now he uses three times as many words to the speak to the husbands. Far greater instruction is given to husbands than to wives in this passage. You would expect that, having told wives to submit to their husbands, he would know tell husbands to use their authority over their wives. But what does he say instead? One command and then one reason. Here’s the command: “Husbands, *love* your wives … let each one of you love his wife as himself” (5:25, 33). Husbands are not commanded to rule over their wives but to love them. Don’t try to dominate her. Love her. Surely there must be a limit on this right? There is. Love her “as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Ephesians 5:25). If you haven’t died for your wife yet, you haven’t reached the limit. Love her like Christ loved the church. This is where you get a picture of what male headship looks like. It looks like love. As James Montgomery Boice said, “He is to love his wife as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. No woman will have much trouble submitting to a man who loves like that. No good woman will struggle hard against a man who is willing to die for her.” This is a reverse of the curse. Being a godly husband means that you take initiative to sacrifice for and care for your wife. I appreciate what D.L. Moody once said: “If I wanted to find out whether a man was a Christian, I wouldn’t go to his minister. I would go and ask his wife. We need more Christian life at home. If a man doesn’t treat his wife right, I don’t want to hear him talk about Christianity.” The reason why God calls husbands to love their wives this way is that God designed your marriage to portray the gospel. A good marriage is an illustration of the relationship between Christ and the church. Your marriage is meant to be a show-and-tell for the gospel. The whole mess started with a breakdown in the marriage relationship between Adam and Eve. That problem has been solved in the gospel, and in a poetic way, God allows our marriages to portray that gospel. Ray Ortlund says, “Every time a bride and groom stand there and take their vows, they are reenacting the biblical love story, whether they realize it or not.” Our marriages are not only transformed by the gospel, but they get to portray the gospel. ## Church (1 Timothy 2:11-14) Okay, that’s how gender plays out in marriage. How about the church? We already covered this a little last week. We need women in the church to use their gifts in both private and public roles. As I said last week, we need women who have the courage of Rahab. We need women like Priscilla in our congregation who can disciple others with good theology. We need partners in ministry like Phoebe, Euodia, and Syntyche. We need the ministry of both men and women within the church. At the same time, as we talked about last week, we need to hold on to the differences between men and women in the church. We looked at some of that last week. Today I want to highlight a passage in 1 Timothy 2 that speaks to this as well: > Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. (1 Timothy 2:11-14) As you can imagine, a lot of ink has been spilled on this passage. To do this text justice would take a lot longer than we have. Let me summarize what I think it means. - First, it begins with what women can and should do. Let women learn. That was not a common idea in that day. Women were not permitted to learn. Some segments of Judaism considered it sinful. Phil Ryken says, “Because a woman is a human being made with a mind in his image, God requires her to learn. It is her responsibility before God to become a student of biblical doctrine.” - Second, it talks about how women should learn: quietly and with submissiveness. Quietly doesn’t mean silently. It doesn’t mean, as we’ve seen in 1 Corinthians 11, that women can’t pray in public worship. It does mean a “kind of quietness that respects and honors the leadership of the men God has called to oversee the church” (John Piper). - Then it talks about the kind of role that women should not play: teaching and exercising authority. Again, so much ink has been spilled on this, but I take it to talk about the work of an elder. This is reserved not even for all men but only for certain qualified men. The reasons Paul gives go back to creation before the Fall, as well as the way Satan twisted the creation order which led to sin. In other words, male leadership isn’t based on culture or the Fall. It’s part of God’s original design. Putting this together: women should learn and use their gifts, just as men should. But it should be done under the godly leadership of qualified male elders. We’re going to tease out what this looks like in detail, but here’s how one church expressed this conviction: > … all positions of leadership and service are open to women, except for the authoritative teaching and disciplinary role that the Bible, in 1 Timothy 2:12–14, reserves for men … Aside from that function, women are encouraged to seek out all avenues of leadership and service … fully exercising their gifts for the greater benefit of the body of Jesus Christ. ## World (1 Timothy 2:15) Let me summarize what I’ve said so far. In marriage, wives freely submit by supporting, respecting, and following, and husbands love. In the church, both men and women learn and use their gifts, but qualified men who serve as elders. What about how we live in the world? For this we need to look at one of the hardest verses in the entire New Testament. “Yet she will be saved through childbearing — if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control” (1 Timothy 2:15). What in the world? There are at least six different views on what this verse means. I wish I had more time to unpack it, but I don’t. Instead, let me tell you what I think Paul is saying. Here’s what he’s not saying: that all women have to have children. Not every woman will marry; not every woman will be able to have children. I think what he’s saying, though, is this: one of the amazing things that women can do that men can’t is to have children. Value that! Of course, you can do more than that. Use your gifts. Serve alongside men to fill and cultivate the earth. But embrace your femininity. Men and women, as they serve in the world, should serve as men and women with all the unique ways that we are different. Enjoy and embrace your gender. When a woman embraces being a woman, and lives a life of faith, love, holiness, and self-control, it’s evidence of God’s work. In other words, don’t check your gender at the door. Men, live all of your life as a godly male. Women, live all of your life as a godly female. Don’t devalue the unique privilege of bearing children. In marriage, wives submit and husbands love. In church, everyone uses their gifts as godly male elders lead. In the world, we all do God’s good work while embracing our gender. In other words, embrace your gender in every area of your life. As [someone](https://go.dashhouse.com/NRb8?ref=dashhouse.com) has said: > The more distant, transactional, and functional the relationship, the less sexual difference matters. This is one reason why Christians should have no objection to women serving as the heads of corporations, nonprofits, government agencies, and more. You can serve in all kinds of ways in the world, but in the process — especially in the home and in the church — don’t lose sight of the valuable contribution that you can make as you live out God’s design for your gender. God made you a man or a woman in his image. He designed your gender for his glory. If you are in Christ, he saved you as a man or a woman. If you have not come to Christ, he wants to embrace and adopt you as a man or woman, dealing with all of your sins and regrets. He intends to use you as a man or a woman for his glory. And you will enjoy new creation forever as a man or woman. So embrace your gender in every area of life not just for the good of the world, but for the glory of God. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-401/ Last updated: 2024-06-29T09:00:21.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Train Your Body in Light of Eternity](https://go.dashhouse.com/NRx1?ref=dashhouse.com) > We often approach fitness and health from two extremes: apathy or obsession with our bodies. But the gospel of Christ frees us from either extreme and helps us focus our eyes on eternity instead of our waistlines. [No Problem Is Too Small for Prayer](https://go.dashhouse.com/NRw-?ref=dashhouse.com) > Ask God for his help. Give him your burden. Surrender your problem. He wants you to ask. [Is Gentle Parenting Biblical?](https://go.dashhouse.com/NSze?ref=dashhouse.com) > Underneath this style of parenting are unbiblical foundational ideas. [30 Pieces of Writing Advice from C.S. Lewis](https://go.dashhouse.com/NSy2?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are 30 pieces of writing advice from the man himself. They are practical, inspiring, clever, and true–just as you would expect. [Publishing Epistles: How the Apostles Wrote Their Letters](https://go.dashhouse.com/NRxT?ref=dashhouse.com) > Letter writing during the New Testament era involved several steps and included more people than is often assumed. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [How Raising Money Taught Me About Evangelism](https://go.dashhouse.com/NSri?ref=dashhouse.com) > Fundraising taught me about evangelism. ### On Making Friends Before You Need Them URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/on-making-friends-before-you-need-them/ Last updated: 2024-06-25T09:00:42.000Z I had a meeting yesterday. We had no agenda other than friendship. We have lots of reasons to meet. Our ministries are connected, but that’s not why we met. The primary reason we met is because he’s a friend. We made the appointment a while ago and then it got moved. As often happens, the timing couldn’t have been better. I needed a friend today. He listened and encouraged me. He gave me needed perspective. He’s going to pray for me. It was time well spent. [Laura Vanderkam](https://go.dashhouse.com/NKHS?ref=dashhouse.com) is right: people are a good use of time. Making time for friends doesn’t come easily. We all have more work than we can manage. It’s tricky to find time for two or more busy people to make time to get together. But it’s essential, and I try to do it often. The reason is because I need the friendships now. But that’s not the only reason. When I was a new pastor, I faced a crisis. A deacon in the church — we didn’t have elders back then — had been acting funny. One day he came into a deacon’s meeting and blew up at me. He began yelling at me, standing just inches from my face. I thought he was going to punch me. After a few minutes, he stormed off. I don’t remember much from that meeting. I can’t remember how it ended. I do know I felt bewildered. I didn’t know what to do. So, I called a friend. The next day, he took me for a really nice lunch and listened to me. I don’t remember anything that he said, but I know he helped me get through what could have been a very difficult time in my ministry. I had a friend on call before I needed one. We need friends, and the time to make them is now. You can’t be friends with everyone, but you need to be friends with someone. Choose your friends, and then prioritize them. Cultivate those friendships as if your life depends on it, because it probably does more than you think. John Sutcliff (1752-1814) wrote: > Christian friendship is the sweetest of all connections. It is the very life and soul of every other. Souls joined together with this heavenly cement are eternally united. Such acquaintance and intercourse are begun here below, but are to ripen and be perfected in the heavenly world. There, distance of place or difference of sentiment will never interrupt the communion of saints. “One of the great sources of spiritual strength is Christian friendship and fellowship,” [writes](https://go.dashhouse.com/NPL9?ref=dashhouse.com) Michael Haykin. If you’re going to last in Christian ministry or even in the Christian life, you’re going to need friends. Don’t wait until you need a friend, though. Make them before you need them. Even better, be a friend to others so that you’re ready to help them when they need it. We’re all busy, but make time for friends before you need them. ### Dignity and Differences (1 Corinthians 11:2-16) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/dignity-and-differences-1-corinthians-112-16/ Last updated: 2025-06-30T09:44:21.000Z **Big Idea:** Hold on to dignity, but don’t lose the differences between men and women. --- There are passages that you love to preach. And then there are passages that are easy to preach. If you didn’t guess already, this is a passage that is difficult to preach. It’s written to a different culture at a very different time, and it’s difficult for us to read. There are so many exegetical issues to untangle. And yet I believe it has an important message for us today. ## The Situation Here’s the problem that this church faced. The church had been gripped by a radical, counter-cultural elevation of women. That is a good thing, and it is something that I hope we experience in our church today. First-century Greco-Roman culture was very patriarchal. Women were primarily expected to manage the household and bear children. Women had little education, limited legal rights, and were viewed as inferior to men both intellectually and morally. In synagogues, women were not considered full members and had to sit behind a veil. Then comes this new movement called the church. They believed the Scriptural teaching that men and women are equal in personhood and value, having both been created in the image of God. They had Hebrew Scriptures that are “full of heroic women influencing history, exercising personal agency, and displaying a range of godly virtues” (Kevin DeYoung). For example: - The daughters of Zelophehad, who stood up for their families’ land inheritance (Numbers 27; 36) - Deborah, a leader of Israel who, along with the military commander Barak, led the Israelites to victory over the Canaanite army (Judges 4-5) - Jael, who drove a spike through an enemy’s skull (Judges 4:17–23; 5:24–30) - Ruth, who showed remarkable loyalty and devotion to her mother-in-law, Naomi, and to the God of Israel, and has a whole book named after her (Ruth) - Hannah, who proved herself to be more faithful than the high priest of Israel (1 Samuel 1-2) - Abigail, whose wisdom and diplomacy diffused a dangerous situation (1 Samuel 25) - The Shunamite woman , who appealed to the king for her house and her land (2 Kings 8:3) - Esther, who risked her live to save Israel from genocide, and who has a whole book named after her Then there’s the ultra-intimidating Proverbs 31 women. As Kevin DeYoung notes, “These are not wallflower women, just hanging about in the background. They are examples of strength, courage, and resourcefulness.” So picture these women, as new Christians, discovering their dignity. Picture them learning about how Jesus treated women. Jesus saw them. [One author](https://go.dashhouse.com/NH5q?ref=dashhouse.com) studied how Jesus treated women in first century culture and noticed how often Jesus restored dignity and honor to women. That’s what Jesus does. You get glimpses of how women were valued in the early church in some of Paul’s letters as he lists people who are his partners in ministry. You also see this in verse 5\. Women were actually encouraged to pray and prophesy in public worship. In his book [*The Rise of Christianity*](https://go.dashhouse.com/NH5s?ref=dashhouse.com), Rodney Stark argues that women were treated with a higher level of dignity and respect in the early Christian church compared to the broader Greco-Roman society. They participated in Christian worship. They served as coworkers in the mission. The church taught men to love their wives and to protect the sanctity of marriage. The early church condemned practices like infanticide and abortion, which were often used to control the female population. The church provided support for widows and orphans. All of this improved the social standing of women. Stark concludes, “Christian women enjoyed substantially higher status within the Christian subcultures than pagan women did in the world at large.” That seems to be the background behind this text. Women in Corinth had discovered they are not second-class in the Bible or in the church. One of my goals in this series is that we discover this too. We need women who have the courage of Rahab. We need women like Priscilla in our congregation who can disciple others with good theology. We need partners in ministry like Phoebe, Euodia, and Syntyche. Women are sisters in Christ, co-heirs of the grace of life, and valuable partners in gospel ministry. ## The Problem All of this is the background to the text that we’re about to study. The problem is that some women had grabbed on to the biblical teaching about their dignity but had lost the biblical teaching about the differences between men and women. Look at verses 4 to 6. > Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven. For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head. In that culture — as in every culture — there were cultural markers of masculinity and femininity. They were beginning to dress in ways that downplayed the gender differences. Paul wrote to help them realize that God gave us gender differences for his glory. Gender is a gift from God, and when we downplay our differences, we diminish ourselves and we dishonor God. The same danger presents itself to us today. We live in a very egalitarian age. Few people would question whether men and women are equal in personhood and value. We get that. But we’re in danger of losing the same thing the Corinthian church lost. We can lose sight of the glorious differences between men and women, and when we do, we lose something important, something we desperately need. Your gender exists for the glory of God, and is needed in your life and in the church. Craig Blomberg puts it well: “Yes, it is true that men and women are equal in Christ before God, but that does not mean that all differences between the sexes may be blurred.” Hold on to dignity, but don’t lose the differences between men and women. ## Two Important Warnings In fact, Paul gives two warnings as we think about this. ### First: Don’t lose headship (3-10) What Paul writes in verse 3 is both difficult to understand and difficult to hear in our egalitarian society. And there’s debate about whether it is referring to men and women in general, or to husbands and wives in particular. But let’s read the verse, and then let’s try to understand what it means. Verse 3 says: “But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.” There word *head* here means authority. Paul is saying that, as much as we recognize the similarities and value of men and women, we should be careful that we don’t lose the important truth of the headship and authority of man. There are three thoughts contained here: - God has authority over Christ - Christ has authority over man - Man has authority over women Her’s what he’s saying. Even though Christ is equal to the Father, in his humanity he subjected himself to the Father. Although he was equal, the Son joyfully chose to submit himself to the Father as a sign of humility and strength, not weakness. God has authority over Christ even though he is equal to Christ. Christ has authority over man. Man is not equal to Christ, so of course Christ has authority over man. Here’s the third statement that Paul makes that is important for us to hear in our egalitarian society: Man — at least in marriage — has authority over woman. Although men and women are equal, there is a difference in how they function. “In terms of what people *are*, men and women are equal; but in terms of what people *do*, there are distinct roles” (James Hamilton). God has created men and women as equal, but ordered them differently. Just as the Father and Son are equal but the Son in his humanity submitted to the Father, so men and women are equal, but God is glorified when men exercise their authority and women recognize not only their dignity but their differences. In verses 8 and 9, Paul roots his argument in God’s original design. In other words, this isn’t a bug; this is a feature. “For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.” There’s something in God’s original design that means that men and women have unique roles. This isn’t a result of sin. It predates sin. It’s part of God’s original design. Both are made in the image of God. Both are equal in personhood. But God created us to function differently. This is so important that, in verse 10, Paul says that the angels take some interest in this. When we gather for worship, angels are present, and they want to see that the divinely given order is reflected in how we relate as men and women. This is so different from how we normally think. And so here is the crux of Paul’s argument here: > How does a husband reflect the glory of God? Through loving leadership as the head of his wife. How does a wife reflect the glory of God? Through glad submission as the helper to her husband. In marriage and then in church, Paul says, men and women have equal value, but they have unique roles, roles that complement one another. (David Platt) In other words, submission and equality can coexist. At least within marriage and within the church, God has created men and women to be equal, but for men to play a different role in loving, sacrificial, godly leadership. Sidebar: One of the keys to understanding this properly is to understand what it means when we talk about head or authority. We tend to see authority as a bad thing. But authority, properly used, is a very good thing. Our kids went to a lot of schools. In each of these schools, the principal of the school was given a lot of authority. Here’s what I noticed: how the principal used that authority changed the whole atmosphere of the school. Good principals used their authority to serve and create a healthy culture within the school in which teachers and students thrived. Bad principals used their authority poorly, not to serve but to seize control for their own purposes. The issue was never that the principal had authority; it’s how they used that authority. When used property, it was life-giving and good for everyone. It’s the same in marriage and the church. The kind of authority that God gives is within the limits of God’s ultimate authority. It’s a God-given thing and it’s a gift. Its goal is to serve. As Jonathan Leeman [writes](https://go.dashhouse.com/NJ3f?ref=dashhouse.com), it doesn’t steal life but creates it. It isn’t unteachable, but seeks wisdom. It isn’t self-protective, but bears the costs. Good authority is sacrificial, truthful, just, merciful, and compassionate. Godly authority, as Leeman writes, protects the vulnerable, strengthens communities, and promotes human flourishing. So, in marriage, Leeman says, the husband’s authority means cultivating “oneness by leading and loving his wife in the shared work of earthly dominion, relying on her help, competence, and wisdom.” In the church, the authority of male elders is to “teach and exemplify … Christ’s new creation and kingdom life, giving oversight to an entire body and shepherding its members.” Godly authority is life-giving authority. It’s meant to give life. It’s meant as a gift. Paul wants the women to hold on to their dignity. He wants to them to use their gifts to publicly pray and prophesy. But he does not want them to lose the God-given gift of the differences between men and women. Women who willingly submit to godly men in marriage and the church are reflecting the same submission that Jesus demonstrated to the Father. It does not diminish them; it is their glory. Hold on to the dignity of woman, but as you do so, don’t lose the unique roles that both men and women play. “God calls men to humble leadership and women to glad affirmation of that leadership” (John Piper). Here’s the second warning that he makes in this passage: ### Second: don’t lose interdependence (11-12). This is not a put-down of women. Paul goes on to say in verses 11-12: > Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God. We need each other! Paul makes three supporting arguments here: - God made us to be interdependent and to work together. - Men, you wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for women! All babies come into this world through women. - Thirdly and perhaps most importantly, both genders are a gift from God. Gender is a gift, so embrace it and enjoy it for the glory of God and for your own good. Paul’s affirmed the differences between men and women, and now he comes back and underlines again that “with every difference, there is a kind of counterpoint of indispensability” (Piper). God has made both genders to work together. We need each other! We need to be a church that celebrates the dignity of both men and women, and that empowers men to humble, sacrificial leadership so that others can thrive, and that deeply honors women. When we lose this, we lose something important and life-giving. “The Bible’s teaching on manhood and womanhood is meant to be liberating and satisfying, not troubling” (Piper). ## Applying This Today Here’s how I would summarize what I’ve just said in one sentence: **Hold on to dignity, but don’t lose the differences between men and women.** Let me make three applications as we close. ### First: Women, we need you. We need you to see your value in Christ. We need you to use your gifts. We need your courage, your biblical ministry, your wisdom. We need you as valued co-workers in the mission that God has given us. This is not lip service. A sign of a healthy church is that women thrive. ### Second: Men, use your authority to serve. Authority isn’t bad. The issue isn’t whether you have authority. It’s how you’re using it. Men, please step up and exercise godly authority to serve, to sacrifice, to create life. Exercise sacrificial, truthful, just, merciful, and compassionate authority that allows others to thrive. And women, please encourage men as they do this. ### Third, see the bigger picture. All of this requires God’s help. We need our hearts transformed. Men, if you come to Jesus, you will learn from him what it means to serve the way that he did — to lay down your lives in humble service to seek the good of others, not yourself. Women, if you come to Jesus, you will learn the beautiful way of Jesus who submitted to his Father out of love and was not diminished at all. In fact, his submission became our salvation and the most powerful expression of love that the world has ever seen. In other words, “The relationships of Christian men and women become the mystery that displays the gospel to a watching world” (Stephen Um). With God’s help, let’s pray that we see this happen. Father, help us to be a church that holds on to both dignity and differences. Help us to value women and allow them to use their gifts. At the same time, help us to not downplay the differences. Help men to lead in sacrificial, life-giving ways. Thank you for Jesus, who taught us how to do this. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-400/ Last updated: 2024-06-22T09:00:07.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [The Power and Danger of Habit](https://go.dashhouse.com/NKNC?ref=dashhouse.com) > Make human nature work for you, but be on guard, because it always wants to stab you in the back. [The Uselessness of Prayer](https://go.dashhouse.com/NJMO?ref=dashhouse.com) > Prayer is useless, gloriously so, because prayer cannot be useful. Prayer is not an instrument, but an end. [What You Read Builds Who You Are](https://go.dashhouse.com/NJMb?ref=dashhouse.com) > Sit at the feet of the wise, not fools. [Seven Reasons You Shouldn’t Ignore Beauty](https://go.dashhouse.com/NJMW?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are seven reasons why beauty matters. [My Body Is Not My Own](https://go.dashhouse.com/NJMM?ref=dashhouse.com) > Oh, the paradox of this human body. How wonderful — and how terrible. [You Need a Qualified Pastor—Not Just a Charismatic One](https://go.dashhouse.com/NJMP?ref=dashhouse.com) > Charisma is helpful, important even. But I want to focus on other attributes that are even more important for the pastor: character, capability, conviction, and compassion. ### Impossible, Hard, and Easy URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/impossible-hard-and-easy/ Last updated: 2024-06-23T19:50:43.000Z The Christian life and ministry have something in common. Both are impossible, hard, and easy at the same time. The Christian life is impossible. Nobody can bring about the kind of transformation needed. No amount of self-effort will bring about the kind of change that a dead heart needs to come alive, or that a young life takes to mature. We rely on God’s help, or it will never happen. It’s not just impossible, but it’s hard. Growing in our faith requires discipline and effort. That’s why the Christian life is so often compared to an athletic contest. You don’t coast your way to growth; you have to work at it. But because it’s not up to us, we experience a power that’s not our own. Growth just happens as we abide in our Savior. He produces characteristics in our life that we could never produce on our own. He does the work; we have a role to play, and it’s hard, but we could never produce the kind of life that can come only by the Spirit. That’s why Scripture also talks about putting on the new man like we put on clothes. We don’t make the clothes; he does. We just put on what God has already done for us. The Christian life is impossible; God must do it. Christian growth is hard; we must discipline ourselves. The Christian life is easy; we take advantage of the work that God is doing and appropriate it for ourselves. The same thing is true in Christian ministry. I don’t know of a more impossible job. No human is up to the task. We dabble in matters much too holy for us to handle. No mere human can transform others or produce spiritual life. No mere human can adequately handle holy things. It’s impossible. It’s also hard. In 2 Timothy 2, Paul emphasizes how hard it will be, and then tells Timothy to think about it. Christian ministry will require everything you have and more. But it’s also easy. Martin Luther put it best: > I simply taught, preached, and wrote God’s Word; otherwise I did nothing. And while I slept, or drank Wittenberg beer with my friends Philipp and Amsdorf, the Word so greatly weakened the papacy that no prince or emperor ever inflicted such losses upon it. I did nothing; the Word did everything. … I did nothing; I let the Word do its work. What do you suppose is Satan’s thought when one tries to do the thing by kicking up a row? He sits back in hell and thinks: Oh, what a fine game the poor fools are up to now! But when we spread the Word alone and let it alone do the work, that distresses him. For it is almighty, and takes captive the hearts, and when the hearts are captured the work will fall of itself. Some parts are impossible. Some parts are hard. And some parts are easy because God does all the work. All of this brings a great humility to us. None of it is possible without God. But praise God who make the impossible possible, who empowers us to do what’s hard, and who produces fruit apart from what we could ever produce. What a gracious God, and what a profound mystery. ### Where Things Went Wrong (Genesis 3) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/where-things-went-wrong-genesis-3/ Last updated: 2024-06-24T15:44:06.000Z **Big Idea:** Sin, not God’s original design, has damaged the relationship between the sexes. --- Last summer, we were camping about half an hour east of North Bay when our car broke down. It really broke down. It was almost un-drivable. We faced three issues: - First, the immediate issue: how to get the vehicle home. - Second, diagnosing the problem, because you have to know what you are trying to fix. - Third, actually getting it fixed. We solved the first issue. It involved God answering prayer and some questionable driving decisions that turned out fine. But diagnosing the problem was a bit harder. We’re not mechanics, so we guessed wrong what the issue might be. But we’re not the only one. Our mechanic guessed wrong and ordered the wrong part, which we still ended up paying for, but in the end we got what we wanted. All three issues were solved. We got the vehicle home. We finally diagnosed the problem accurately. And we got it fixed at a price we could afford. I’m here to tell you that the same three issues apply to our discussion of gender. - First, we face immediate issues. These are the real issues that we face every day: questions of singleness and marriage, gender roles and differences, tensions between the genders, and other pressing issues. - But then we face the challenge of diagnosing the problems. What’s underneath the immediate issues? This is important, because if we make the wrong diagnosis, we won’t solve the problem. - And then we actually have to take the step of getting the issue solved. Today, I want to focus on the second stage. I want to focus on diagnosing the problem that causes many of the issues between the genders. What’s behind all the tensions between men and women — societal issues like harassment, stereotypes, and double standards? Closer to home, what makes it so hard sometimes for men and women to get along? We’ve got to come to an accurate diagnosis of the problem if we’re going to come up with the solution. ## The Wrong Diagnosis Here’s why I think this is so important. I think we often tend to misdiagnose the problem. We think and act as if the problem is the difference between the genders, which is why we often find ourselves trying to either erase the differences between men and women, or to devalue one gender or the other. There are few more issues that get more heated than this one. As [one person](https://go.dashhouse.com/NA8X?ref=dashhouse.com) points out, "Few topics have generated such heat or confusion as the 21st-century debates over sex, gender and male-female relations." Because we get the diagnosis wrong, we also get the cure wrong. For instance, you’ve heard the term toxic masculinity. There is such a thing as toxic masculinity. But it would be easy to think that the problem is masculinity itself. Masculinity is good! God came up with the idea. I love what one author writes: “Men become dangerous not because their masculinity is toxic but because their *humanity* is … In short, the answer is not to weaken men, but to help them grow stronger.” The problem isn’t masculinity in itself; the problem is sin. If we misdiagnose the problem, we’ll misdiagnose the solution. In other words, the problem isn’t what we think it is. Last week we saw that God’s original design for men and women is good — not just good but very good. We’ve seen looked at Genesis 1 and 2 and have seen that men and women have dignity and differences that are designed for our good and our joy: - Men and women have dignity — Both genders are made in the image of God. They’re equal in personhood and importance, and and it takes both genders to represent God in this world. - Men and women have differences — Eve was created both alike and different from Adam. They correspond to each other. Men and women have both similarities and profound differences, and yet those differences are meant to be a source of joy. Many of our problems today is because we let go of one of those truths: dignity or differences. We have to hold both together. Both men and women have dignity, but men and women also have differences. If we let go of the dignity of each gender, or ignore the differences between the genders, we will go wrong. The problem is not God’s design of men and women. That is a very good thing. If we think that erasing the differences is the solution to restoring dignity to both genders, then we’ve misdiagnosed the problem and we’ll come up with the wrong solution. We need to hold on to the dignity of both men and women and the differences between us. The problem doesn’t lie in our differences; the problem is elsewhere. ## The Real Problem Genesis 3 tells us what the real issue is. > Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. > He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. (Genesis 3:1-7) I want to make two observations. ### The problem began with the craftiness of our enemy, not with God’s design. You find a talking serpent. Revelation identifies the snake as “that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan” (Revelation 12:9). And what did that serpent do? He tempted the first couple to question God’s word and seize something that didn’t belong to them yet. He provoked them to distrust God and to decide for themselves what’s right and wrong. Rather than submitting to God, they try to take God’s place. As Spurgeon put it, they struck a match and set the world on fire with sin. Where did things go wrong between the genders? Not with God’s original design. God’s original design for men and women was good — not just good but very good. We dare not ignore the dignity of both men and women or eliminate the differences between them, because those differences are good. We have to look at where the problem began, and that isn’t with God but with our ancient enemy the devil. He introduced sin into the world, and as we’re going to see, sin affected the relationship between men and women. Second observation: ### Satan loves to exploit our differences against us. In Genesis 3, the man and the woman are different. Those differences are good, but Satan loves to exploit them. Notice that the serpent spoke to Eve. What’s interesting is that he spoke to her in the second person plural. In other words, Adam’s presence is implied, but he was quiet. In fact, verse 6 says that Adam was with her. Adam sat back and passively watched the whole thing happen. This is strange, because one of the differences between the man and the woman is that God seemed to give Adam the role of leading. You see this in a number of ways: - The creation order - The fact that Eve was created as a helper - The fact that Adam named Eve - The fact that Adam was given tasks before Eve was created - The physical differences between men and women — As Kevin DeYoung [observes](https://go.dashhouse.com/N7YF?ref=dashhouse.com), “The man, endowed with greater biological strength, is fitted especially for tilling the soil and taming the garden, while the woman, possessing within her the capacity to cultivate new life, is fitted especially for filling the earth and tending to the communal aspects of the garden.” - The biblical teaching that Adam, not Eve, represented the human race It’s hard to think about leadership before sin. We think leadership means one is better or that the one who isn’t leader is diminished somehow. But this kind of leadership doesn’t imply superiority; it implies responsibility and a duty to care. It doesn’t mean that Eve was in any way inferior. I think of this when I watch good dancers: in every dance couple, one takes the lead and the other follows, but the dance is beautiful and makes both of them look good. God made Adam to take responsibility, to, as Brant Hansen says, be a humble, consistent, dedicated keeper of the garden. He didn’t create Adam to be passive or harshly dominant. God created Adam to bless, and for Adam and Eve to work together as Adam served through by taking initiative. But Satan went after that. As Kent Hughes says, “Everything was upside-down. Eve followed the snake, Adam followed Eve, and no one followed God.” Both sin, but their sins are different. Victor Hamilton observes, “Hers is a sin of initiative. His is a sin of acquiescence.” Bryan Chapell notes, “Eve’s sin was not naïveté but a willful attempt to overthrow the creation order.” Part of Satan’s design is to exploit our differences, bringing disharmony between them. Both fail. Eve fails because she takes initiative in an unhelpful way; Adam fails because he abdicates his responsibility and is passive in an unhelpful way. Both are judged. As Ray Ortlund [notes](https://go.dashhouse.com/34Vi?ref=dashhouse.com), "The wife acting as the head, but not a wise head, and the husband acting as the helper, but not a wise helper — it was the breakdown of marriage that broke everything." Where did things go wrong? Things didn’t go wrong with our gender differences. Our gender differences are good. Things went wrong when sin entered the world. Sin entered the world when there was a breakdown in how men and women are designed to work together. God designed Adam to lead Eve in following God, but instead he passively followed Eve in distrusting God. Part of Satan’s design for our destruction was attacking our design as men and as women. The problem isn’t our differences. The problem, simply put, is sin. That is the real problem. ## The Effects of Sin The effects of sin are catastrophic. Things fell apart after the Fall. What was intended to be beautiful became a battleground (Genesis 3:12, 16). Sin distorted one of God’s greatest gifts to us, and we’ve been living with the consequences ever since. Not only does Adam blameshift and throw Eve under the bus, but God describes the effects of their sin. The results are devastating. ### Women experience the effects of sin in two areas. > To the woman he said, > “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; > in pain you shall bring forth children. > Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, > but he shall rule over you.” > (Genesis 3:16) God says women will experience the consequences of sin in two areas: - Childbearing - Her relationship with her husband One of the obvious differences between men and women is that women have the unique ability to bear children. It’s amazing. But now, this miracle and gift comes with pain and suffering. But that’s not all. Her relationship with her husband has now changed. There’s a lot of discussion over how to translate the last part of verse 16, but I think what it describes is a power struggle between men and women. Instead of a beautiful dance, it’s an ugly fight. The NET Bible gets it right: “You will want to control your husband, but he will dominate you.” We now live in a state of conflict and power struggle between men and women instead of what it was designed to be. And then there’s men. ### Men experience the effects of sin in two areas. We’ve already looked at the first. Instead of leading in a way that blesses and protects his wife, the man is now prone to dominating her. But his work of subduing the world is also more difficult because of thorns and thistles. > And to Adam he said,, > “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife > and have eaten of the tree > of which I commanded you, > ‘You shall not eat of it,’ > cursed is the ground because of you; > in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; > thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; > and you shall eat the plants of the field. > By the sweat of your face > you shall eat bread, > till you return to the ground, > for out of it you were taken; > for you are dust, > and to dust you shall return.” > (Genesis 3:17-19) In short, the things that are meant to bring blessing and joy — marriage, having children, and work — are instead sources of conflict and difficulty. Everything has been ruined by sin, including the relationship that men and women are supposed to enjoy. Here’s what I’m trying to say today: **sin, not God’s original design, has damaged the relationship between the sexes.** “God designed sexual difference *for* one another; sin takes sexual difference and makes it *opposed* to one another” (DeYoung). What God intended as good has instead become something that Satan uses against us. ## The Solution So what’s the solution? Two things. ### First, we need to be aware of how Satan will continue to exploit our differences. Satan loves passive men who fail to take initiative to bless others. Satan loves when men don’t live spiritually healthy lives, who don’t use their strength to care for those around them. Satan loves when we think men are the problem rather than thinking we need to strengthen men to be godly. Satan loves when women are devalued and mistreated and ignored. Satan loves when we forget the dignity of women. But Satan also loves when we think that godly masculinity is a bad thing, or when we blur the differences between men and women. We need men who are, as Brant Hansen writes, “keepers and protectors in our spheres of influence, whatever and wherever they are.” We need them to say, “Adam didn’t do the job. But with whatever I have, I’m going to do it. I have a mission, and I accept it.” The effects of Genesis 3 are still real. We need to be on guard against the ways that Satan tries to exploit our differences. We are not ignorant of his schemes. One of the best ways to do this is to be aware of his tactics, and to keep coming back to both the dignity of both genders and the differences. We’ve got to hold on to both. ### Second, we need the effects of sin to be undone. If the problem isn’t ultimately one of gender but one of sin, we need someone who can help us with our sin problem. His name is Jesus. Jesus is a man unlike any man. He was the only man to ever live without sin. There was no toxic masculinity about him. He valued women and treated them with dignity. They felt safe around him. And he used his strength to serve, to give up his life for you and for me. He welcomes sinners to come to him, and he changes them. He helps transform men so they’re not passive or harsh, and he helps transform women who love being women. He creates a community in which both men and women treat each other with dignity. And he creates marriages in which women submit to the loving, godly, self-sacrificial leadership of their husbands. He creates men who, as Brant Hansen says, champion the weak and vulnerable, use whatever strength they have to safeguard others and provide places for others to thrive. Sin, not God’s original design, has damaged the relationship between the sexes — and that’s just the problem that the gospel solves. If you get the diagnosis wrong, you get the solution wrong. So let’s focus on the real problem, and let’s thank God for the gospel that transforms us and solves that problem. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-399/ Last updated: 2024-06-15T09:00:45.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [The Pursuit of (Which) Happiness?](https://go.dashhouse.com/NE-T?ref=dashhouse.com) > Before you search for happiness — let alone codify the quest for it as an inalienable right — it’s a good idea to work out what *kind* of happiness is worth pursuing. [Enjoying the Many Flavors of the Word of God](https://go.dashhouse.com/NBef?ref=dashhouse.com) > The truth is that I’m a bit cautious about favoring one text over another since God intends them all to be treasured for the sacred and eternal value they all possess. The most obscure text of Scripture, rightly understood and contextualized, will say something to me of God and the gospel. [Let’s Stop Hyper-Spiritualising Christian Counselling](https://go.dashhouse.com/NE-V?ref=dashhouse.com) > Why do we fall into the trap of thinking that because we are Christians, every struggle we have has purely spiritual causes? It’s simplistic, unhelpful, and sometimes downright cruel. [Did Jesus Do Miracles As a Man by the Power of the Spirit?](https://go.dashhouse.com/NE-Z?ref=dashhouse.com) > One of the more frequent questions that I receive from students in my class on the person and work of Christ centers on whether or not the God-man performed miracles by His own divine nature or as a man working only by the power of the Holy Spirit. [Does Bach’s Music Prove the Existence of God?](https://go.dashhouse.com/NBey?ref=dashhouse.com) > The inconsolable longing we feel when we encounter true beauty, when the soaring symphony swells toward a melody’s resolution, is the window to another world, whispering to us, singing to us, “There is something more.” [The Upsides of Fundraising](https://go.dashhouse.com/NBe6?ref=dashhouse.com) > Fundraising gets a bad rap. Yes, it’s hard, even tedious work. But it is really an opportunity for deep Christian friendship and joy. It is an opportunity to increase one another’s eternal joy. [Seasons in a Pastor’s Life](https://go.dashhouse.com/NE-R?ref=dashhouse.com) > We pray this edition of Church Matters might help you to discern where you’re at, so that you might better prepare for what’s ahead. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Your First and Most Important Job](https://go.dashhouse.com/NE%5Fr?ref=dashhouse.com) > Your first and most important job is to make your soul happy in God. ### Ordinary and Extravagant Blessings URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/ordinary-and-extravagant-blessings/ Last updated: 2024-06-11T09:00:09.000Z Last Friday, I picked up our rental car. I got upgraded to a Mercedes-Benz, a car I’ll never be able to afford to buy. We traveled to Cambridge, an hour west of Toronto, to one of our favorite coffee shops. Once a week, Char and I try to find a coffee shop we enjoy and indulge ourselves with a good Americano and a treat. Because we were traveling, we added a lunch to our weekly date. Then we stopped at my mother’s, just an hour farther. She had offered to take us out for Indian food. We live in Toronto, where we have amazing Indian restaurants, so the bar is set pretty high, but the dinner was excellent, as was the time with my mother. I then stopped at my brother’s, a short distance away, for dessert, which included pecan tarts from a local farmer’s market and freshly picked strawberries. The next day, we traveled to Ann Arbor, Michigan. I was scheduled to speak at a church on Sunday, but we traveled a day earlier to enjoy the city. The weather was perfect, much better than expected. Our first stop was [Zingerman’s Deli](https://go.dashhouse.com/N7-k?ref=dashhouse.com), another place I love and visit every time I’m in the area. Lunch was amazing. After, we shopped. Char bought an item of clothing, and I found 7 vinyl records for less than $5\. I couldn’t believe the price. Then I picked up some packages I had ordered from Amazon. Books! We checked in at our hotel, where we’d stayed before. This time, the rooms were upgraded. We watched a good movie, and I had a good sleep. The next morning I preached twice. I appreciated the church, and my message was well received. We went out to lunch with someone we met at the church, and then drove home after buying ourselves a coffee and treat on the road. We crossed the border quickly, and we didn’t have to pay any taxes even though we were a little over our limit. Later, I reflected on all the blessings I’d enjoyed over the weekend: a luxury car, time with my wife, time with my family, amazing food, a town I enjoy, an updated hotel, the opportunity to preach, a warm reception from a church that didn’t know me, and hospitality from new friends. And new books. That’s just a start. If I thought about it much longer, I could come up with other blessings that I enjoyed this weekend. Sometimes we focus on the hard things in our lives, of which there are plenty. But we often forget how kind God is in giving us so many blessings. He isn’t stingy. He loves to suprise us with his good gifts. Many of these gifts would have been unthinkable to previous generations. In many ways, we live better than millionaires from just a hundred years ago. But we often miss the blessings not because there aren’t many, but because they’re too common. So I’m praying: Lord, give me eyes to see your good gifts. Help me to see how regularly you provide for more than my needs. Help me to see, amidst the problems of life, the ordinary and extravagant blessings you so regularly give. Help me not to miss your goodness. And give me, I pray, a very grateful heart. ### When Life Falls Apart (Lamentations 3:20-21) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/when-life-falls-apart-lamentations-320-21/ Last updated: 2024-06-09T22:00:03.000Z **Big Idea:** Expect that your life may fall apart. Express the pain to God. But then count on his character and his promises that will not change even when you can’t see it. --- What do you do when your life falls apart? I used to think, if you are a follower of Jesus, that your life would never fall apart. I guess I believed in a subtle version of the prosperity gospel. I knew we’d still experience problems: our cars would break down, we’d get stuck in traffic jams, that kind of thing. But I didn’t really have a category for our lives completely falling apart. I didn’t have categories for the big tragedies of life, things that only happen to other people, things like: - having a child take her life - experiencing crushing depression and anxiety - losing your business due to events beyond your control - having your kid go through a divorce and losing access to a daughter-in-law you loved, as well as to grandchildren who mean the world to you I could go on. I knew we would suffer. But I think I believed that our suffering would be small, and that God would protect us from really big things that could cause our lives to fall apart. I was wrong. There will come a time when you will suffer. Some of you are there right now. There will come a time when it feels like your life is falling apart. What do you do when this happens? What should we do when we’re going through a tragedy we never thought we’d experience, when, as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 1, we’re burdened beyond our strength and we despair of life itself? ## Three Lessons on Suffering This morning, I want to look at a little-known book of the Bible with you. It’s a book called Lamentations, probably written by the prophet Jeremiah. It’s going to give us three lessons on what to do when our lives fall apart. Let me get right into it with you. What should you do when your life falls apart? It gives us three lessons: ### First, expect it (3:1-18). I mentioned that we’re looking at a book called Lamentations today. You can tell why this book isn’t very well known. I looked up the definition of lamentation, and it means: > …an expression of deep sorrow, mourning, or regret. It often involves crying, wailing, or other vocal expressions of grief. Lamentations can be found in various forms, such as poetry, music, or written texts, and are used to convey profound emotional pain or sadness, often in response to loss or tragedy. You can understand why people wouldn’t be lining up to read a book like that. It can be uncomfortable to be around someone who’s going through deep pain. And it’s certainly uncomfortable to hear them express that grief, often in very raw terms. There’s a reason why Lamentations isn’t the most popular book in the Bible. Nobody loves to read a series of funeral dirges. Just look at the opening lines of the book: > How lonely sits the city > that was full of people! > How like a widow has she become, > she who was great among the nations! > She who was a princess among the provinces > has become a slave. > (Lamentations 1:1) Lamentations was written after the most powerful empire in the world came and conquered Jerusalem in 586 BC. You can read about these events in 2 Kings 24 and 25\. This was the worst thing to happen in the entire history of God’s people up until that time. God had promised the land to Abraham. David had conquered the city and made Jerusalem Israel’s capital. God had promised David that he would establish the throne of his offspring forever. David’s son Solomon built a temple there. It was where God lived on earth. Every king since David had lived in this city. It’s where the priests carried out all the sacrifices that God had commanded. But in 586 BC, after 500 years, the Babylonians completely destroyed the city, including the temple. The Babylonians carted off a lot of the people to Babylon some 700 miles away. This was probably the lowest moment in the whole history of the Bible up until that point. And so the author of this book writes a series of five poems reflecting on the disaster that had happened, expressing the pain and confusion that had followed the destruction of Jerusalem. Here’s the thing. If Lamentations was written by Jeremiah, he’d prophesied what had happened. He knew that Israel had deserted God. But he was still overwhelmed by what he’d seen. And so you get a whole book of lament. You get verses like the poem we’re looking at today in which the author struggles to find any hope: > I am the man who has seen affliction > under the rod of his wrath; > he has driven and brought me > into darkness without any light; > surely against me he turns his hand > again and again the whole day long. > He has made my flesh and my skin waste away; > he has broken my bones; > he has besieged and enveloped me > with bitterness and tribulation; > he has made me dwell in darkness > like the dead of long ago. > (Lamentations 3:1–6) Verses 1 to 18 are a description of the writer’s anguish. In verses 1 to 18, he takes the suffering of what happened in the city and personifies it as if it happened to him. He sees God as the cause of the suffering. He views God has his tormenter in verses 4 to 6, as a prison warden who won’t let him escape his pain in verses 7 to 9, as a wild animal who keeps attacking in verses 10 to 11, as a hunter who’s stalking him in verses 12 to 14. As a result, he loses all hope. He can’t take what has happened to him. He can’t find any solution to his pain. In verse 18 he says, “My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the LORD.” This is a vivid account of someone who is experiencing profound hurt at the hands of God even though he had done nothing wrong. This is one of the good guys! What he expresses in this chapter is what many of us will experience at some point in our lives: crushing disappointment and pain, darkness without any light, bitterness and tribulation, questions without answer. Don’t be surprised when you suffer. Expect it. There will come a time that you may feel tormented by God, cornered by God, attacked by him, completely without hope. It reminds me of Dr. Helen Roseveare, a famous English missionary who, one horrible evening, was brutally assaulted. She [wrote](https://go.dashhouse.com/M-4z?ref=dashhouse.com): > On that dreadful night, beaten and bruised, terrified and tormented, unutterably alone, I had felt at last God had failed me. Surely He could have stepped in earlier, surely things need not have gone that far. I had reached what seemed to be the ultimate depth of despairing nothingness. I hope you never go through this, but don’t be surprised if you do. Expect that your life could fall apart. Expect suffering as a normal part of the Christian life. Don’t buy into the belief that suffering is unusual or a sign that something is wrong in your life. I love what the British preacher Charles Spurgeon once said speaking of a believer who is in deep trouble. “This is no unusual position for an heir of glory,” he wrote. “A Christian man is seldom long at ease: the believer in Jesus Christ through much tribulation inherits the kingdom.” Expect it. But then Lamentations verses 19 to 20 gives us a second lesson. ### Two: Express it (3:19-20). In verses 19 and 20 he says: > Remember my affliction and my wanderings, > the wormwood and the gall! > My soul continually remembers it > and is bowed down within me. In verse 18, he says that his endurance has perished, and so has his hope from the LORD. Man, I’ve been there. But in the very next verse he cries out to God and asks God to remember his sufferings. His soul remembers it; he wants God to remember it as well. He pleads with God. This is one of the keys when you’re going through unbelievable pain: you’re going to express it to someone. It’s going to come out somehow. The writer here shows the best way to express it: express it to God. Bring it to his attention. Ask for his care for you. Ask him to remember what you’re going through. Even when you’ve lost hope in him, keep coming to him. The Bible is full of stories of people who are in anguish but come to God with their pain. I don’t know where I got the idea, but I used to think that I couldn’t express how I felt to God. But the longer you study the Bible, the more you see prayers like this expressing anguish to God and asking him to do something about it. There’s a reason why over 40% of the psalms are psalms of lament. They give us permission to express our anguish to God. We don’t need to minimize our pain or pretend it doesn’t exist. We can bring our pain to God. One author ([Mark Vroegop](https://go.dashhouse.com/2fqX?ref=dashhouse.com)) writes, “Lament is the honest cry of a hurting heart wrestling with the paradox of pain and the promise of God’s goodness.” I love that. We’re allowed to cry out honestly as we wrestle with the paradox of pain and the promise of God’s goodness. Expect suffering, but then bring that suffering to God and express it to him. Lamentations gives us one more lesson, and it’s found in the most famous passage in the entire book. Here’s the third lesson on what to do when your life falls apart. Expect it, express it to God, and: ### Three: Remind yourself of his character and his promises (3:21-24). There’s this book called [*The Moon is Always Round*](https://go.dashhouse.com/B-2V?ref=dashhouse.com). The book teaches a boy: What shape is the moon? It sometimes looks like a crescent, a wedge, or a squashed circle. But the father teaches the boy, “The moon is always round, even when you can’t see all of it.” That little boy is so excited when his mother announces that he’s going to have a sister. But he waited at the hospital to meet his little sister, but never did. He attended a funeral for the sister that he had never met. He didn’t understand it. But his father kept asking him, “What shape is the moon?” And he kept answering, “The moon is still round.” His Dad asked him, “What does this mean?” And the boy knew: “God is always good, even when it doesn’t look like it.” Though we sometimes see only a sliver of God’s goodness, and though he sometimes seems to be, like the moon, hidden or absent, God is still here. He is still good. No shadow can change his fullness or goodness. God is always good, even when we cannot see it, just like the moon is always round, even when we cannot see all of it. In verses 21 to 24, in the middle of his despair, the writer reminds himself: > But this I call to mind, > and therefore I have hope: > The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; > his mercies never come to an end; > they are new every morning; > great is your faithfulness. > “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, > “therefore I will hope in him.” > (Lamentations 3:21-24) In the middle of his pain, he reminded himself: God’s love hasn’t changed. God’s love and compassion don’t wear out, grow weak, or vanish. In fact, they are new every morning. They never run out. There’s an inexhaustible supply of God’s mercies that’s continually refreshed every day. Our whole world may fall apart, but God’s promises to us will not fail. His faithfulness to us does not change even when our lives fall apart. God has promised to save his people from sin, death, and destruction, and he’s promised that nothing can separate us from his love. “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32) Therefore, we can wait for him. Things may be bad now, but God will make them good again. Even when it doesn’t look like it, the moon is still round, God is still good, and we can count on him. Friends, life is hard, and God is good. No matter how hard life may be, the moon is still round, and God is still good. His faithfulness will never run out. You can lose everything, but you will never lose God and his promises. God hasn’t just given us lightweight promises that are only good in small trials. He’s given us unbreakable promises that are good for even the darkest of trials. **Expect that your life may fall apart. Express the pain to God. But then count on his character and his promises that will not change even when you can’t see it.** ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-398/ Last updated: 2024-06-08T09:00:21.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [3 Waves That Have Shaped Evangelical Churches (and a 4th on the Way)](https://go.dashhouse.com/N0rf?ref=dashhouse.com) > I want to describe these three waves and then point to the possibility of a fourth that’s picking up speed today. [Can We Forgive When the Offender Doesn’t Repent?](https://go.dashhouse.com/N2NW?ref=dashhouse.com) > Some theologians argue it’s wrong to forgive an impenitent offender, while others say it’s wrong not to. Let’s review the arguments for both options and see if we can find a solution. [7 Powerful Lessons Paul Teaches the Church About Weakness](https://go.dashhouse.com/N0sV?ref=dashhouse.com) > Consider these seven ways Paul encourages us to embrace weakness. [Holy Haggling: Learn to Pray like Abraham](https://go.dashhouse.com/M-GB?ref=dashhouse.com) > Abraham’s prayer has at least four characteristics that ours could stand to include more of. [When Is a Couple Considered Married?](https://go.dashhouse.com/N2Nf?ref=dashhouse.com) > God’s Word has a lot to say about marriage, what it is, and when it starts. [To See the Desert Bloom, Slow the Water Down](https://go.dashhouse.com/N2Iq?ref=dashhouse.com) > We need to rightly discern the context and the season of ministry in which we find ourselves. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [The Faith Is Built for Trials](https://go.dashhouse.com/N16b?ref=dashhouse.com) > God has given us a faith that doesn’t grow weaker under suffering but actually grows stronger through it. ### To Love a Place URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/to-love-a-place/ Last updated: 2024-06-05T00:21:26.000Z Stuart McLean was a Canadian radio broadcaster best known for his show The Vinyl Cafe. His show featured stories about Dave, as lovable but hapless owner of a second-hand record store, along and his family. The show ran on the radio for years, and McLean also published books based on the stories. You can still listen to many of the stories, and hear the background between them, in a podcast called [Backstage at the Vinyl Cafe](https://go.dashhouse.com/M-8D?ref=dashhouse.com). McLean didn’t just record the show in a studio. He took his show on the road across Canada, often featuring local musical acts. He’d arrive in a place a week before his show and live there, observing people, trying to discover the stories behind that particular place. I love listening to The Vinyl Cafe for a couple of reasons. First, I love the stories. Dave, after all, is very relatable. But there’s another reason I listen: I love the stories he told of the communities where he used to hold his shows. Sure, he pandered to local audiences. But he did something that’s increasingly rare: he becomes a student of the place that he visits, paying attention long enough to get a sense of the place. Then he stood before an audience of people who already love the place and told them what he discovered about it. By their applause, you can tell the audience felt both seen and appreciated. It’s nice to be known and valued. It’s nice to know that someone sees the place you live, sees its quirks and its uniqueness, and decides that they like it. A sense of place is easily erased in the age of the Internet. There was a time that our place shaped us; increasingly, we live as if pixels, not place, are what matters most. It’s easy to live and try to serve in a place without ever taking the time to learn its stories and to honor what makes it different from everywhere else. Some towns look remarkably the same. They have the same stores. I have the feeling: I’ve been here before. This town is just like the one I passed through twenty minutes ago. Stop long enough, and you begin to discover: this town is different. This place has a story of its own. This place is both like and unlike any other place. Haddon Robinson used to say that there is no such thing as a good sermon. There is only a good sermon for this particular congregation. Maybe there is no such thing as a good ministry. There is only a ministry to these people in this place. You can go too far in this direction, of course, but maybe we’ve going too far the other way. I want to learn to pay attention to where I live and serve, to learn its stories, and not become a pastor in general but a pastor of this congregation in this place. I want to pay attention to what makes this place unique. If a radio broadcaster did this well, I can too. I can learn to love a place and pastor in a place. ### God’s Original Design for Men and Women (Genesis 1-2) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/gods-original-design-for-men-and-women-genesis-1-2/ Last updated: 2024-06-03T01:06:27.000Z **Big Idea:** Men and women have dignity and differences that are designed for our good and our joy. --- Living in Liberty Village is very interesting. We see a lot of new condos being built. What I’ve noticed is that the initial stages of building a condo go slowly. They dig and they dig. They start by laying foundation piles, which are long, slender columns of steel or concrete that transfer the building's load to a deeper, more stable layer of soil or rock. And only then do they begin to build up. Laying a foundation takes a long time, but once you’ve got that foundation, the rest can go pretty quickly. Lay a good foundation, and you can build a tall structure very well on top of it. And that’s what we’re going to try to do in this series. We’re beginning a short series today on God’s design for men and women. Today, I want to take some time to examine the biblical foundation for understanding ourselves as gendered humans. In Genesis 1 to 11, Scripture gives us a foundational worldview that helps us understand him, the world, ourselves, and what’s wrong with the world. Genesis lays the groundwork for everything that follows: who we are, where we came from, where things went wrong, and what God is doing about it. If you want to understand who you are, and how God designed us, you need to begin in Genesis 1 and 2. ## Why We’re Looking at This Subject First, let me tell you why we’re looking at this subject. Two reasons: **First, understanding our humanity and our gender is one of the most important issues of our day.** We face a lot of questions about what it means to be human, what it means to be male and female, and what sex means. These questions are all around us. Beneath many of the issues around sex and gender is a much deeper issue: anthropology. What does it mean to be human — not just human but a gendered human? The Bible has a lot to say about this. We must establish a strong base to discuss questions about sex, gender, and other current issues. **Second, this is not only an important theological issue, but it’s a practical issue we face every single day.** We don’t just need theology; we need *practical* theology. What does it mean to be a Christian man or woman? What does this mean for our marriages, our work, and the life of the church? We are going to get very practical about some of these questions over the next few weeks. ## Three Foundational Principles To get us going today, what I want to do is, again, to lay some foundational principles. These principles are going to be so important for addressing some critical issues later. Here are three foundational principles: ### One: Humans have dignity. We could spend months unpacking just a few short verses: > Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” > So God created man in his own image, > in the image of God he created him; > male and female he created them. > And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26-28) I want to highlight three things here. #### Humans are the pinnacle of God’s creation. God created everything. But Genesis especially highlights the creation of humans. Three times in verse 27, it speaks of God creating us. As Francis Schaeffer writes, “It is as though God put exclamation points here to indicate that there is something special about the creation of man.” > Everything God had made up to this point—the unique glory of each galaxy; the countless stars, whose names and number are known only by him; the beauty of this world in its original state of pre-curse purity; the creative diversity of every living creature in the sky, on land and in the sea—all of it was a warm-up for the creation of the first two human bodies. ([Adam Ramsey](https://go.dashhouse.com/IWfz?ref=dashhouse.com)) “Humanity was God’s creative grand finale,” Ramsey says. When God created each part of creation, he pronounced it as good. It was only after God created humans that he declared that is very good. You have great value to God. But that’s not all. #### You were made in God’s image. The text declares and repeats that God made us in his image. What does this mean? In the ancient world, kings would place images or statues of themselves around the empire to represent their rule. An image is a representation of the king. And so God has made us to represent him in the world. He is the King, but we are little kings and queens who’ve been charged with representing him in the world. “God created us in his image so that we would display or reflect or communicate who he is, how great he is, and what he is like” (John Piper). One more thing I want to notice: #### You’ve been given work to do. God told the first humans to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it, having dominion over everything. This is called the creation mandate. It’s to, as Andy Crouch says, make something of the world. It’s to take the raw materials God has given us and creatively cultivate it so that the world and humanity flourishes, and God is glorified. Develop culture, build societies, and harness the world's resources in a way that honors God and benefits humanity. That’s the first principle we see today: humans have dignity. As Daniel Darling says, “Every human being — no matter who they are, no matter where they are, no matter what they have done or have had done to them — possesses dignity, because every human being is created in the image of God.” As C.S. Lewis said, “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal.” Every person you meet deserves respect, kindness, and dignity. Here’s the second foundational principle: ### Two: Your gender is an essential part of being human. Genesis 1:27 says: > So God created man in his own image, > in the image of God he created him; > male and female he created them. Right on page 1 of Scripture we learn that God created us as the pinnacle of creation. And part of that is our gender. In other words, to represent God well in the world requires both men and women. As Herman Bavinck says: > She is his equal and reflects God’s image just as much as he does … The uniqueness and richness of feminine qualities no less than those of the masculine capacities find their origin and example in the divine Being. Right from page 1 of Scripture, God endues both with great dignity and value. From the very beginning, God speaks to the dignity of both men and women. It takes both to image him in the world. “Sexuality is not an accident of nature, nor is it simply a biological phenomenon. Instead it is a gift of God.” (Victor Hamilton). It’s essential to bearing his image in the world. It takes both men and women to represent God properly in the world. If our sexuality and gender is central to what it means to be human, no wonder Satan loves to attack us in this area! If God gave us dignity as men and women, and gave us a job to do together, it makes sense that Satan would try to sabotage this area so that we didn’t live out our identity so we couldn’t work together to image him. Herman Bavinck puts it this way: > God is the Creator of the human being, and simultaneously also the Inaugurator of sex and of sexual difference. This difference did not result from sin; it existed from the very beginning, it has its basis in creation, it is a revelation of God’s will and sovereignty, and is therefore wise and holy and good. Therefore, no one may misconstrue or despise this sexual difference, either within one’s own identity or in that of another person. It has been willed by God and grounded in nature. It was then, and still is, willed by God; he is the sovereign Designer of sex; man and woman have God to thank not only for their human nature, but also for their different sexes and natures. Both are good, even as they both come forth from God’s hand. Together in mutual fellowship they bear the divine image. God himself is the Creator of duality-in-unity. In a couple of weeks, we’re going to return to this area. We were made as the pinnacle of God’s creation, endued with great worth, and our gender is part of that, but Satan loves to attack this. He wants to take one of God’s great gifts and turn it against us. Humans have dignity, and your gender is an essential part of what it means for you to be human. There’s one more foundational principle I want to look at this morning: ### Three: The differences between the genders are designed to help and bring joy. Genesis 1 gives us one view of the creation of the first humans. Genesis 2 gives us another. God had pronounced everything as good, but for the first time, God identifies something that is not good in creation. “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him” (Genesis 2:18). Notice who says that it’s not good. God says it. God identifies that male without female is incomplete. There’s something lacking in one gender without the other. He can’t complete the job God has given to humanity on his own. God doesn’t just identify the problem; he rectifies it. He decides to make a companion corresponding to him — neither identical or completely different. The words mean like and corresponding, equal and adequate. There’s no implication of inferiority here. The idea is of an indispensable companion, someone who’s like him and yet different so that she can supply what he’s missing. They correspond to each other. She’s not “a superior nor an inferior, but an equal,” writes Victor Hamilton. “The creation of this helper will form one-half of a polarity, and will be to man as the south pole is to the north pole.” And so God created woman. She was made from his side — the same bone, the same flesh, the same DNA. Because she was made from Adam, she also bears the image of God. As the Puritan Matthew Henry said, she was “not made out of his head to top him, not out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved.” And when he saw her for the first time, we have the first human words recorded in the Bible, and also the first poem: “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man” (Genesis 2:23). In other words, Adam was happy. He delighted in the differences between them. He was no longer alone. God had created exactly what he needed. ## Putting it Together There you have it: - Humans have dignity - Your gender is an essential part of being human - The differences between the genders are designed to help and bring joy Why are we starting here? Because, as we’ll see in two weeks, the world has become a mess. Humanity has fallen. We still possess our God-given dignity, but it’s been soiled. Through Jesus, God is restoring us to what we should be. As Dan Darling [says](https://go.dashhouse.com/Mr4s?ref=dashhouse.com): > Imagine, for a moment, if God’s people began to lead a new, quiet revolution whose foundation was a simple premise: every human being—no matter who they are, no matter where they are, no matter what they have done or have had done to them—possesses dignity, because every human being is created in the image of God. By God’s grace, our churches would change, and our communities would change. But in this mess, Scripture teaches us that gender is a gift, that you — as a man or as a woman — bear the image of God. Gender is God’s idea, and it’s a gift. He’s made us different, but the differences are designed to help us because men and women need each other. The differences are meant to bring us joy. That’s just the start. That’s the foundation; now we need to build on that foundation. **Men and women have dignity and differences that are designed for our good and our joy.** That’s God’s original design for us. And, when you think about it, none of this has been changed by the Fall, but all of this has been affected by the Fall. On one hand, nothing’s changed. Both men and women are still made in God’s image. Both still have dignity. And the differences are still designed for our good and for our joy. But the relationships between men and women have been affected by the Fall. Our ability to live out to God’s design has been affected. This is why we need Jesus to help us to live out his design in our marriages, relationships, and in the church. It’s one reason why we need the gospel. We need God’s help to transform us to live into who he created us to be. This is our foundation. This is God’s original design. We’re going to build on this, but let’s ask for God’s help in treating each other with the dignity God has given us, enjoying our gender as a gift from God, and giving thanks for the differences God has given us as men and women in this world. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-397/ Last updated: 2024-06-01T09:00:12.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [A Church Is a Dangerous Place to Be](https://go.dashhouse.com/MvRL?ref=dashhouse.com) > Contrary to many churches that try to communicate to its worshippers and visitors, I would argue that a church is first and foremost a dangerous place to be for anyone. [The Universal Experiences of Preachers](https://go.dashhouse.com/MvSe?ref=dashhouse.com) > My ministerial colleagues and my homiletics bookshelf attest to the non-uniqueness of each of these moments. [A Coward’s Guide to Evangelism](https://go.dashhouse.com/Mqu8?ref=dashhouse.com) > I'd like to offer seven suggestions for you to keep in mind as you consider how to get started in evangelism. [Understanding the Metamodern Mood](https://go.dashhouse.com/MvRY?ref=dashhouse.com) > For Christians and church leaders, knowing what this term describes—and especially how it finds expression in pop culture—will be helpful for our mission. [When to Teach Your Children About LGBT Ideology](https://go.dashhouse.com/MvV7?ref=dashhouse.com) > While I can’t provide you with an exact age to begin, there are five principles that will help you find the right time and approach for your family. [As for Those Rich in Books in This Present Age](https://go.dashhouse.com/MvVA?ref=dashhouse.com) > How can we in the West justify our embarrassing riches of good books in light of the global theological famine? My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Don’t Give Up on the City](https://go.dashhouse.com/LhTo?ref=dashhouse.com) > We need some to pay the cost of living in the city who could have a more comfortable life elsewhere. ### A Thought, a Quote, and a Resource URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/a-thought-a-quote-and-a-resource-88/ Last updated: 2024-05-31T16:19:18.000Z _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Why Char Loves Me URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/why-char-loves-me/ Last updated: 2024-05-31T16:08:57.000Z I sometimes ask Char why she loves me. She gives me the most frustrating answer: just because. My looks? Not surprising, but that’s not the reason Char loves me. My bank account? Don’t make me laugh. My ability to bring a smile to her face? I don’t think that hurts, but it’s not the main reason she loves me. The fact that I try to listen and care for her? She appreciates that, but it’s also not the primary reason she loves me. She loves me just because. One day I complained to her about this answer. I can think of 20 reasons why I love her. Why can’t she come up with a better reason to love me other than she just does? She told me that if she loved me because of my appearance, financial situation, or behavior, then her love for me would be weak and could change if any of these things changed. But her love for me was based on something more secure: she’d chosen and committed to love me no matter what, even if those things disappeared. I stopped complaining. Char’s answer to why she loves me isn’t what I thought. It’s better. The same applies to our relationship with God, but even more so. Why does God love us? We believe there are many reasons for this: God saw something in us, we deserve it, we work hard for his approval, or we are fundamentally good. But that’s not why God chose Israel, and it’s not why God chose us either. > It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 7:7-8) > Know, therefore, that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stubborn people. (Deuteronomy 9:6) God doesn’t love us because we deserve his love, which is good news, because if we had to deserve his love, we’d be in danger of losing it. God loves us simply because he’s chosen to love us. He’s taken the initiative. His love for us is based not on our character but on his, so we can rest secure. We don’t have to worry about being worthy of his love, because we’re not. But he loves us anyway, not because we’re worthy, but simply because he’s chosen to love us. “There is such love and such grace in the heart of God \[that\] if you understood the length and breadth and height and depth of it, you would never be discouraged,” said Jonathan Edwards. Christian: God loves you just because, and that’s very good news for all of us. ### The Gospel of the Blessing (Numbers 6:22-27) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-gospel-of-the-blessing-numbers-622-27/ Last updated: 2025-05-29T18:52:08.000Z **Big Idea:** God freely gives us what we need most as a gift, and it will satisfy us for eternity. --- One of the most important questions we can ever answer is this: What is the gospel? What is the good news for sinners like us that the Bible gives us? This is a crucial question that each of us must answer personally. We need to understand and receive the message of the gospel. It’s also crucial for us as a church. It’s essential that we’re clear about the gospel. In 2008, I went to The Dwell Conference in New York City. Tim Keller gave a captivating talk called "[Dwelling in the Gospel](https://go.dashhouse.com/Mldu?ref=dashhouse.com)" about Colossians 3:16\. Here’s what he said: > I like to make a thesis, and the thesis is that there's one gospel. One gospel. There is a gospel that we can outline. And yet, in the Bible, in God's sovereign purposes, this gospel never exists in just one form, but tends to exist in several forms. In other words, there’s one gospel. The Bible is very clear on that in passages like 1 Corinthians 15\. But even though there's one gospel, there are several ways that the gospel is expressed in the Bible. The gospel is so rich that it’s like a multifaceted diamond that sparkles in different lights. I want to suggest that the blessing we just read is, when properly understood, a beautiful expression of the gospel. Over three thousand years ago, God expressed his heart toward us by giving the high priest of Israel a blessing to pronounce on Israel: > The LORD bless you and keep you; > the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; > the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. > (Numbers 6:24–26) Every word of this blessing — just 15 words in the original Hebrew — crackles with meaning. Every word of this blessing ultimately leads us to Jesus. This is a blessing that is available to us in Jesus. Let me tell you three ways that this blessing shows us the gospel. ## First: It’s a gift. You don’t do anything to earn Aaron’s blessing. You don’t take any action to get the blessing. The blessing is simply given by a gracious God, and your only job is to receive it. You don’t earn it. You don't need to maneuver in order to obtain it. The blessing reveals the nature of the gospel: we do nothing to get it except to come to God with empty hands of faith and receive what he’s more than willing to give us. Friends, Israel back then did nothing to earn this blessing. God took the initiative in saving and blessing them. God made it clear that they contributed nothing to receiving this blessing. God explains to them why he chose them: > It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 7:7-8) Why did God love them? Simply because he chose to love them. They didn’t do anything to earn God’s love. They just got to receive it. I used to ask Char why she loves me, and she would give me the most frustrating answer: “Just because.” I think I wanted her to give me all the reasons why I was worthy of her love. One day she explained to me that if she loved me for any of those reasons, then her love would be subject to change. If she loved me for my money, first, I’d be in a lot of trouble, but also — what happens when I lose my money? If she loves me because of my humor, what happens if I stop being funny? But if she loves me just because — not because I’ve earned her love but because she’s chosen and committed to love me — then I’m on much safer ground. I simply get to receive her love. I don’t have to earn it. Why does God love his people? Just because. We don’t earn his love. We don’t earn his blessing. We never could. But he’s chosen to give it to us anyway. This takes all the pressure off you and me. You never have to worry about trying to be good enough to earn God’s blessing. God gives his blessing to people who *aren’t* good enough and who could never earn it if they tried. As Tim Keller said, “The Gospel is good news not good advice. Advice = what we should do. News = report of what was done for us.” Aaron’s blessing sets us straight: we don’t earn God’s blessing. We simply receive it. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones was a pastor in London. People would often come to him with problems. Sometimes he would ask them, “How do you know that you’re a Christian?” Many of them would answer something like this: “Because I’m trying hard to be a Christian!” That would set off alarm bells in his head. What they were saying is, “I think I’m a Christian because of what I’m doing.” He realized that many of them were basing their faith not on their efforts rather than the blessing that God offers that we simply receive. Friends, have you simply come to God with empty hands of faith and received his blessing, not because you’ve earned it but because Jesus has earned it on your behalf? The blessing comes at a cost, but you don’t need to pay that cost. Jesus already paid the cost. Jesus accomplished everything you need to be blessed. Now you just have to receive what he freely offers. You don’t have to do anything to receive God’s blessing. You don’t have to be good enough to receive God’s blessing. You simply need to come to God with empty hands of faith to receive God’s blessing. Aaron’s blessing encapsulates the gospel because it is a gift that we receive and that God graciously gives us through his Son. The gospel, like the blessing, is a gift from God that we simply get to receive. ## Second: It gives us what we need most. The Aaronic blessing gives us many things: God’s protection, wellbeing and wholeness even in the wilderness, and the privilege and responsibility of bearing God’s name. But at the heart of the blessing is God’s gracious face: > the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; > the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. > (Numbers 6:25-26) All our lives, we’re looking to be seen, known, and loved by God. We were made to ache for this, to know that God sees us, cares for us, and smiles on us. We long for the divine presence so glorious that not even Moses could gaze upon it. That’s what we need, and it’s the heart of the blessing. We don’t just need protection and wellbeing. We need God’s smile. And that’s exactly what the gospel gives us through Jesus. Spurgeon says: > When the sinner is washed in the blood of Christ, when the sinner is justified through the righteousness of Jesus, then the Lord looks upon him with pleasure. That very man who was an heir of wrath becomes a child of love; and he who must have been driven from God’s presence with “Depart, ye cursed,” is established in Christ’s heart with “Come, ye blessed.” And then he says this: > If God once makes his face to shine in the sense of his favour, he never takes that favour away. You may not see it; you may think he is angry with you, and in another sense he may be; but legally, and so far as concerns the law and its power of condemnation, there is not a single thought of anger in the mind, or feeling of displeasure in the heart, of God towards any one of those who rest in Jesus. > You are accepted in the Beloved. God seeth no sin in Jacob, neither iniquity in Israel. As he looks upon them in his Son, he sees them without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing. Right now, you can know that God looks on you, knowing the worst about you, and makes his face shine toward you. This is the blessing that we’ve received in Jesus. But that’s not all. It gets even better. Not only do we simply receive his smile based on the finished work of Christ, but one day we’ll see God’s face and be deeply satisfied for eternity. Something happened about six months before Jesus was crucified. He went up to a mountain with three of his disciples, and we read, “And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light” (Matthew 17:2). At that moment, the glory and radiance of Jesus was revealed in his humanity. God’s face literally shone upon them; God the Son literally lifted his countenance upon them. This is a preview of what we will one day experience. What we’ve longed for all along, we will see with our own eyes. In some ways, this is the entire storyline of Scripture in a moment: sinners are brought back into the glory of God’s presence. This is the whole purpose of the gospel. That’s what you have to look forward to. It’s what’s promised to us in Aaron’s blessing, and given to us through the gospel. As I said the other week, one day we will see God’s glory fully, and it will deeply satisfy our souls. It will be the most beautiful, soul-satisfying thing we’ve ever seen, and it will make us deeply happy. One day, we will see the immeasurable riches of our infinite God. We will see Jesus in his glory, and it will be the sight for which we have ached. It will not be satisfying for a moment or two. It will be so profoundly satisfying and beautiful that it will satisfy our souls for eternity. As Jonathan Edwards said, “After they have had the pleasure of beholding the face of God millions of ages, it will not grow a dull story; the relish of this delight will be as exquisite as ever.” The blessing encapsulates the gospel because it reminds us that the gospel is a gift that gives us what we need most: the shining face of God. But there’s one more way the blessing encapsulates the gospel. Not only is it a gift, and not only does it give us what we need most, but: ## It’s a preview of what’s to come. There’s a concept in theology called already but not yet. It means that we get to to experience, in a partial way, the realities of the gospel, but one day we will experience it fully. The kingdom of God is already present but not yet here in its fullness. In this life, you can experience in the protection of God, the smile of God, and a deep sense of wellbeing and wholeness in a partial way. But this is only a foretaste of what will happen when Christ returns. Then you will experience God’s complete protection. Nothing will be able to harm you. Then you will experience the reality of seeing God’s glory in its fullness. Then you will experience a deep sense of wholeness and wellbeing that you will never fully experience in this life. The blessing isn’t just something that you’re meant to experience here and now. You can experience it significantly now, but you will only experience it fully on the new earth. Aaron’s blessing is a preview of what your eternity will be like one day. Yahweh will bless you and protect you. Yahweh will make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. He will look with favor on you and give you peace. And so experience it now. Look for God’s peace even in the difficulties and trials of life. But long for that day when you will fully experience the promises given to you through this blessing. Michael Glodo writes: > Everything that was pronounced to Israel in the Aaronic blessing has been secured, is being given, and will be ours in fullness in what Christ has done, is doing by his Spirit, and will do at the consummation of the ages. Therefore, we receive the blessings of the Aaronic blessing by faith in contemplation of the person and work of Jesus Christ. **God freely gives us what we need most as a gift, and it will satisfy us for eternity.** The Aaronic blessing encapsulates the gospel. It’s a gift; receive it. It gives us what we need most, so enjoy God’s smile on your life today. And it’s a preview of what’s to come, so long for that day when you will experience this blessing fully. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-396/ Last updated: 2024-05-25T09:00:11.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [The Weighted Vest of Pastoral Ministry](https://go.dashhouse.com/MoMu?ref=dashhouse.com) > This is what pastoral ministry is like. It’s like living with a weighted vest on. All the time. And every now and then, usually on Sundays, someone slips an extra weight in there. [Pastoral or Academic Ministry? How a Pastor-Theologian Can Balance Two Loves](https://go.dashhouse.com/MoFr?ref=dashhouse.com) > There’s a spectrum of valid ways a pastor-theologian’s dual love may be expressed. [The Best Day of the Week](https://go.dashhouse.com/MoLN?ref=dashhouse.com) > I love Sundays, and here are five reasons why I think you should love Sundays too. [Mental Illness and Church Discipline](https://go.dashhouse.com/MdwC?ref=dashhouse.com) > How might we bring together our understanding of mental illness and church discipline? [Through the Valley: 8 Lessons from Job about Suffering and Comfort](https://go.dashhouse.com/Mm9M?ref=dashhouse.com) > I want to highlight eight lessons about grief and comfort from the book of Job. [Resisting Physician-Assisted Death Is a Gospel Imperative](https://go.dashhouse.com/MoFe?ref=dashhouse.com) > Physician-assisted death is held up as a solution to the problem of suffering; at bottom, it’s a solution to despair. And the solution is to end the person who’s in despair. > We know a better way. My column this week at The Gospel Coalition Canada: [An Underrated Ecclesiastical Virtue](https://go.dashhouse.com/MmbV?ref=dashhouse.com) > I’ve grown in my appreciation of an underrated ministerial and ecclesiastical virtue: humility. ### Daniel Looked on These Lions URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/daniel-looked-on-these-lions/ Last updated: 2025-08-12T10:37:09.000Z If you visit the prestigious Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, you’ll discover one of the nicer neighborhoods of the city. You may walk past a home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, or the former home of the Obamas. You’ll probably come across the University of Chicago, and if you do, you may walk past the [Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures (ISAC)](https://go.dashhouse.com/Miop?ref=dashhouse.com), formerly named The Oriental Institute. But you may have a hard time believing what’s inside the walls of this small museum. We visited last week. I took this picture of Char standing beneath two panels with striding lions taken from the Processional Way in Babylon, dating from Nebuchadnezzar II’s reign (604 - 562 BC). ![Striding Lions](https://cdn.magicpages.co/dashhouse.mymagic.page/2024/05/striding-lions.jpg) Striding Lions from ancient Babylon These are the lions described in a book in my library, Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Manners & Customs: > The great Ishtar Gate, probably over seventy feet high, led into Procession Way on the north… In the original arrangement, a section of paved road over two hundred yards long led into the Ishtar Gate. On either side of the roadway lions (sixty on each side), symbols of Ishtar, in molded glazed brick, in red, white, and yellow, lined the walls… > Anyone who walks through this part of the museum can imagine himself as Daniel or Ezekiel walking into Babylon to meet Nebuchadnezzar. But that’s just the beginning. You have The Sennacherib Prism, dating to 689 BC, in which Sennacherib describes besieging Jerusalem in 701 BC (recounted in 2 Kings 18-19 and Isaiah 36-37). Sennacherib had multiple copies made; three survive, and this is one of them. ![Sennacherib Prism](https://cdn.magicpages.co/dashhouse.mymagic.page/2024/05/prism.jpg) Sennacherib Prism One of the larger displays is that of the part of the interior of a [palace courtyard](https://go.dashhouse.com/Mip8?ref=dashhouse.com) of the Assyrian king Sargon II (721–705 BCE), who is mentioned in Isaiah 20:1. ![palace courtyard of the Assyrian king Sargon II](https://cdn.magicpages.co/dashhouse.mymagic.page/2024/05/court.jpg) palace courtyard of the Assyrian king Sargon II Side panels show Assyrian dignitaries, including crown prince Sennacherib, Sargon II’s son, who is mentioned 15 times in the Hebrew Scriptures. ![Sennacherib](https://cdn.magicpages.co/dashhouse.mymagic.page/2024/05/Sennacherib.jpg) panel showing Sennacherib of Assyria There’s so much in this small museum: a tablet containing the [Epic of Gilgamesh](https://go.dashhouse.com/MipF?ref=dashhouse.com) (1800-1600 BC), signets like the one described in Genesis 38:18, and two Canaanite gods (probably El and Baal) from 1400-1200 BC — the same gods that the Bible frequently warns against. ![Canaanite gods](https://cdn.magicpages.co/dashhouse.mymagic.page/2024/05/gods.jpg) Canaanite gods The Megiddo collection contains many artifacts from the time of Solomon, including a four-horned altar. It also contains a fragment of a Dead Sea Scroll, the only fragment on permanent display in the United States. The Egyptian collection is unbelievable, beginning with a colossal 16-foot statue of King Tut dating from his reign (1355-1346 BC). The Persian collection contains many artifacts, some dating to the reign of Xerxes I, commonly identified as Ahasuerus, the king in the story of Esther. Many of these artifacts come from the time of Daniel, Esther, Ezra, and Nehemiah. For instance, the colossal bull head, dating from this time, weighs around 10 tons, and was one of two guardian bulls that flanked the portico of the Hundred-Column Hall at Persepolis. ![Colossul Bull Head](https://cdn.magicpages.co/dashhouse.mymagic.page/2024/05/bull.jpg) Colossal bull head from Persia Char and I spent a couple of hours working our way through the museum, but we hope to return. It’s staggering to be able to see a collection like this, and to see items that people like Daniel might have seen. If you’re ever in Chicago, and you’re interested in biblical history and archeology, visit the Institute. It’s one of the world’s most valuable collections of ancient artifacts, and we loved it. ### God’s Name on You (Numbers 6:22-27) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/gods-name-on-you-numbers-622-27/ Last updated: 2024-05-19T22:00:24.000Z **Big Idea:** God has given you his name. He owns you; he bought you; you represent him. --- One of the most significant events of your life took place without you having much to do about it. One day, a long time ago, someone gave you a name. You were just lying there. They looked at you and made a decision about what you would be called from that point on. Maybe they’d already decided. Maybe they chose a name that was already meaningful. Maybe you reminded them of a certain name. But on that day, they gave you a name. And, for most of us, that name has shaped our identity from that point on. Another one of the most significant events of our lives happens as we receive another name. In Numbers 6, God instructs Aaron, the high priest, to pronounce a blessing on the people. This is a blessing from the heart of God himself. It’s a blessing that conveys his protection, his smile, and peace. It’s a microcosm of the gospel itself. And at the end of it, God says: “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them” (Numbers 6:27). In other words, what we have in this passage is not only a blessing but a naming ceremony. As these words from God himself are pronounced on the people, God himself puts his name on the people. The question is: what does this mean? This is not just something that Israel got to experience; it’s something that we get to experience too. Revelation 22:4 speaks of the new heavens and the new earth: “They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.” God’s name is a precious thing. A name represents the person and the totality of their identity. “Our name is not tangential to our being. It marks us and identifies us. Over time, as people get to know us, our name embodies who we are,” says Kevin DeYoung. So when God puts his name on his people, it’s deeply personal. God’s name can’t be separated from God himself. This blessing is meant not only to give you God’s blessing, but for God to put his name and his blessing on your life. But what does that mean? That’s what I want to look at today. It means three things. ## One: It means that God owns you. When God puts his name on us means so much. It means that he chooses to identify with us. It means that he identifies us as his people, the objects of his blessing. It means that he claims us as his own, that he marks us as his people. I love books. The first thing that I do when I get a book is to open the cover and put my name on the first page. Why? Because I love books so much that I don’t want other people thinking that my books are their books, and so I put my name upon it and claim it as my own. To put our name on something means that we claim ownership of that item and declare to everyone that we own it; that it belongs to us. And that’s what God does with his people too. God blesses them. He protects them, smiles upon them, and looks after them, and the whole purpose is this: that they become his. He writes their name on them. He claims them as his own. It goes with what God said to them earlier in Exodus 19:5-6: > “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel. God has made his people his exclusive possession. God’s people are his royal property. God is so committed to his people that he declares his ownership over them, that they belong to him. God states that everything already belongs to him — all people and people groups. And yet, despite this, his intention is “to bring close to himself a people that will join him for all eternity as adopted members of his family” (Douglas Stuart). Israel could go through the wilderness and know that they had a unique relationship with God that no other nation had. Similarly, if you are a follower of Jesus, you can go through your life and know what you also have a unique relationship with God. God has placed his name on you. This is the heart of what God intends for us. It’s why he saves a people: so we can belong to him. If you have trusted Christ, God wants you to understand that you belong to him. You are not your own. He has written his name on you as one of his people. You are part of his treasured possession. But this has a flip side. It also means that you don’t own you. The first question of the Heidelberg Catechism says this: > Q. What is your only comfort in life and death? > A. That I am not my own, but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death, to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. In his book [*You Are Not Your Own: Belonging to God in an Inhuman World*](https://go.dashhouse.com/MSaM?ref=dashhouse.com), Alan Noble says: > A proper understanding of our personhood requires we recognize that we are not our own. At our core, we belong to Christ. This doesn’t just mean that we give mental allegiance to Christ or discover our true identity in Him … belonging to His body, the church, and to our families and neighbors. An anthropology defined by our belonging to God is diametrically opposed to the contemporary belief that we are autonomous, free, atomistic individuals who find our greatest fulfillment in breaking free from all external norms. Our selves belong to God, and we are joyfully limited and restrained by the obligations, virtues, and love that naturally come from this belonging. You belong to God. You are his. He cares for you. You were purchased at a great price. But that also means that you no longer belong to yourself. You belong to him, so you live for him, not for yourself. No part of our lives belongs just to us. It all belongs to him. We don’t get to determine what is right and wrong. If you are a follower of Jesus, you no longer belong to yourself because you are his treasured possession, and you must do what he says. But here’s a second thing that it means. Not only does it mean that he owns you, but: ## Second, it means that he bought you. In other words, this blessing has a cost. You didn’t pay it, but God did. When he puts his name on you, it cost him something. What did it cost God to make Israel his people? God told them. Before telling Israel that they’re his treasured possession, God reminds Israel shat he did to make them his: “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself” (Exodus 19:4). God went to a lot of trouble to make them his own. That’s Israel. What about you? How much did God do to make you his own? 1 Corinthians 6 says, “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20). We were freed from slavery at the price of Jesus’ blood. When I was 23 years old, I made the biggest purchase of my life up until that point. I bought a diamond engagement ring. The reason is because I wanted Char to belong to me, and I also wanted to belong to her. And so it was nothing for me to pay a lot of money to get a ring, because she was that valuable to me. When God wanted to make you his own, he paid an even greater price. He paid with the life of his own Son. He has put his name on you, but the price of his ownership was high, and yet he was willing to pay it. There are more privileges of bearing God’s name, but that’s a good start. God has written his name over you. He’s declared that you are his own. He cares for you. He always takes good care of what’s his. And he also paid a high price to make you his own. You have the privilege of knowing these things and living in light of them. Because of that, you can be encouraged. You can know that you are not just some random person. You belong to God. You are God’s treasured possession. He cares for you. You are not an accident of nature. God has chosen you, saved you, and put his name on you. You exist under the umbrella of his care. Because you bear his name, you matter to him. The Puritan John Flavel said, “If we were to understand how dear we are to God, our relation to him, our value in his eyes, and how he protects us by his faithful promises and gracious presence, we would not tremble at every appearance of danger.” You belong to him. He is especially attuned to you because he cares for you so much. I love what Jesus says in his famous Sermon on the Mount when he gets to the part about worry. He talks about how birds don’t worry, and then he says, “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:26). Here’s one way of putting what Jesus says: birds aren’t God’s treasured possession, but he takes very good care of them. If he takes good care of creatures that aren’t his treasured possession, how much more will he care for you? You belong to God, and he takes very good care of what he owns. You have the privilege of knowing that God cares for you. You don’t belong to yourself, which turns out to be very good news, because he’s invested in you. He cares for you, because you belong to him. God has placed his name on you. This means that he owns you, that he bought you at great price. But it means one more thing. ## Three: It means that you represent him. Deuteronomy 28:9-10 says: > The LORD will establish you as his holy people, as he swore to you, if you obey the commands of the LORD your God and walk in his ways. Then all the peoples of the earth will see that you bear the LORD’s name, and they will stand in awe of you. (Deuteronomy 28:9-10) The fact that we belong to God isn’t just something for us to enjoy. It’s something that the world is supposed to know. Deuteronomy outlines all the responsibilities that come from our relationship with God, and one of them is the responsibility to represent God well in the world by obeying him. When we bear God’s name, we have a responsibility to act in such a way that brings God glory. You know this. You have a family name. You understand that how you act not only reflects on you, but on your family as well. In fact, this is probably what the third commandment means: “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain” (Exodus 20:7). We often think this is about blaspheming God’s name, but it’s more. One scholar writes: > Exodus 20:7 may mean to say, "You must never bear the name of the Lord your God frivolously." Thus, basically, one who "bears the name" is one who has God's name on them; that is, he or she is a member of the covenant God made with Israel at Sinai. What they do, therefore, represents God, and to do so frivolously in any part of their life is to dishonor rather than honor God…. > If one accepts this interpretation, the third commandment is metaphorical for the bearing of Gods name by the way they lived in ancient Israel. It applies to us in the same way. The word name can also mean "reputation." We can give the Lord a good or a bad reputation by the way we represent him in the world. ([Richard Averbeck](https://go.dashhouse.com/MStu?ref=dashhouse.com)) Christian, you represent God in the world. You bear God’s name. Don’t bear it in vain. Bring him honor in how you live. “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). The good news of the gospel is that God has done everything necessary to bless us through Jesus. Through Jesus we have the blessing we need: protection, God’s smile, and peace. But it also means that God has placed his name upon you. **God has given you his name. He owns you; he bought you; you represent him.** > You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. > Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and exiles to abstain from sinful desires that wage war against the soul. Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that when they slander you as evildoers, they will observe your good works and will glorify God on the day he visits. (1 Peter 2:9-12 CSB) ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-395/ Last updated: 2024-05-18T09:00:57.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Mental Illness Is Not a Sign of Immature Faith](https://go.dashhouse.com/MdwC?ref=dashhouse.com) > Mental illness is a result of the Fall, not because it is a sin, but because it is caused by the effects of sin. [Respond to Conflict like Francis Schaeffer](https://go.dashhouse.com/Mduy?ref=dashhouse.com) > The way we handle conflict among Christians is supposed to attract people to Christ. [Regulative Discipleship: Why a Full Calendar Doesn’t Necessarily Produce Mature Church Members](https://go.dashhouse.com/Mduq?ref=dashhouse.com) > If Scripture doesn’t command certain events, then we can *encourage* members to participate, but we should not *require* participation, or make people feel guilty for not participating. [A Small Church Is Still Part of the Big Mission](https://go.dashhouse.com/MdvI?ref=dashhouse.com) > Don’t let the size of the mission overwhelm your church or distract you from it. ### I'm Just Starting to Understand the Bible URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/starting-to-understand-bible/ Last updated: 2024-05-31T16:11:20.000Z I drove up to the United States border guard. I have a Nexus card, so I didn’t expect much of a problem. “Purpose of visit?” “I’m attending a study week.” “What are you studying?” “Just the Bible.” “Just the Bible?” he exclaimed. Point taken: there is no “just” the Bible. It is a book unlike any other, not even a book but a collection of books. Even if you’re not a Christian, you have to admit it’s amazing. But as a Christian, I see it as much more than a book. It’s my bread and nourishment. There’s no “just” the Bible. “What do you do for a living?“ he continued. “I’m a pastor.” “How long have you been a pastor?” “Over thirty years.” “You’ve been a pastor for over thirty years? What could you possibly have to learn about the Bible?” “You don’t know much about the Bible, do you?” I thought, but I decided it would be better to think these words rather than say them. The conversation continued for another five minutes. He wasn’t happy that I was entering the States to study the Bible. Maybe he didn’t like Christians. Maybe he was having a bad day. Maybe he decided he didn’t like me. Eventually, he gave me waved me on, and we were both glad to be done with the exchange. But I kept thinking. Just the Bible. Why did I say that? Maybe it just came out, but I had better never think that it’s *just* the Bible. Also, I thought, I wish he had understood that I could study the Bible another thousand years and still only be in the early stages of learning Scripture. The more I study it, the more I see how much I have to earn. Sometimes I read passages I’ve read hundreds of times before, and a new insight leaps off the page. I puzzle over passages, and find that the longer I look at them, the more they yield. I never finish looking at a passage and think, “Yep. Got that one down.” And then there are the relationships between passages, the allusions, the themes that run from beginning to end. I’ve been studying the Bible for a long time now, and it feels like I’m just getting started. Lately, I’m studying Revelation. In the early hours of the morning, I lie in bed, wondering whether to get up yet or sleep a little longer. And then I think: Revelation is waiting. I get up, and I spend half an hour or so filling in my knowledge of this book that I’ve read and even preached before. I feel like I’m adding layers: every day I add a detail here and a detail there, slowly building what I know until it begins to look like something. It’s a joy, and no matter how much I discover, it feels like there’s so much more to explore. I could spend a lifetime in one book of the Bible, and there’d still be more to discover. Just the Bible indeed. I don’t yet understand it despite years of study, but I’m on my way. I’ll keep learning and keep feasting on Scripture as long as God gives me breath. ### Wellbeing in the Wilderness (Numbers 6:22-27) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/wellbeing-in-the-wilderness-numbers-622-27/ Last updated: 2024-05-12T22:00:36.000Z **Big Idea:** It may not feel like it, but we can experience God’s blessing even in the wilderness. --- I want to take you back with me some three thousand years. You are in the desert. You’re one of 600,000 people trying to get by in a very inhospitable place. It’s like the worst camping trip ever. I love camping as much as anyone, but one of the best parts of camping is going home and enjoying the comforts of home. But this is like the camping trip that never ends. The trip was supposed to be two weeks long, but it has turned into a forty-year journey. However, our kids, not us, will be the ones to reach the final destination. I want you to imagine being with me on a particular day that’s not a very good one. You’re hot. It’s close to 30 degrees Celsius. You think back to before you entered the wilderness. Life was tough then, but at least you had better food. There’s not much water around, and you’re thirsty. This is your life. This isn’t a temporary setback that you will overcome. Things will never get better than this for you. You will spend your whole life moving tents and recalling your last delicious meal from a long time ago while struggling to survive in the wilderness. Eventually, you will die. This is your life, and it’s never going to get better. But that morning you’re close enough to see Aaron, the high priest, raise his hands over you, and hear him bellow these words: > The LORD bless you and keep you; > the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; > the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. > (Numbers 6:22-27) The tension we might feel is: this blessing sounds great, but what does it mean when you're living in the wilderness waiting to die? What is the meaning of God protecting us, shining his face upon us, and giving us peace in the middle of the wilderness? We're going through Aaron's blessing in this series. We've been studying these words that have been used for thousands of years, given by God as a blessing to his people. God promises to provide and protect us in the wilderness. He comforts us by showing us his face and being gracious to us. We’re going to continue exploring what this means as we look at the third line of the blessing today. But, at some point, we have to face this tension. This blessing seems way too exalted for our circumstances. Life was tough in the wilderness as they first heard this blessing, and it’s going to be tough for some of us to hear this blessing too. ## A Summary of the Blessing Let's quickly remember what the blessing is about. It's only three lines. Each line builds on the one before. It starts with a trickle and builds to a crescendo. It goes from 3 to 5 to 7 Hebrew words. In each of the three lines, God is the subject. He takes action. We are the recipients. And the action he takes is essentially that he has a favorable attitude towards us: - He blesses - He makes his face shine - He lifts up his face upon us That’s the first part of each line. The second part wishes that God does something positive for us: - He protects - He’s gracious — not just in attitude, but in terms of taking action for us in a gracious way - He gives wellbeing This is God’s heart for us. And because of who God is, the always accomplishes what he sets out to accomplish. This is what he intends to accomplish in our lives. Today we’re looking at the third line of the blessing in which God lifts us face upon us. It’s the opposite of God turning his face away from us. In other words, God looks at us favorably. He looks at me favorably. If you are in Jesus Christ, he looks at you favorably too. Pause there. I can’t quite get my head around this. There’s a paragraph in Marilynne Robinson’s book [*Gilead*](https://go.dashhouse.com/L%5FMl?ref=dashhouse.com). The main character is a preacher, and he says this: > I had a dream once that I was preaching to Jesus Himself, saying any foolish thing I could think of, and He was sitting there in His white, white robe looking patient and sad and amazed. That’s what it felt like. I can relate to that, can’t you? I think that’s how many of us picture God looking at our lives: patient, sad, and amazed. Deep down, we feel that God must be deeply disappointed in us at best. But God comes along and says that he looks favorably upon his people. He doesn’t look upon us with disappointment. He’s not shaking his head sadly when he looks at you. He looks at you favorably. His heart is one of favor and delight in you. That’s what the first part of the third line tells us. Christian, this is how God sees you. Spurgeon puts it well: > You know that he is not frowning upon you. He is reconciled unto you; you are reconciled unto him … as God looks upon Christ, and upon you in Christ, you are well beloved in him. Well now, as it has been, so it shall be; for if God once makes his face to shine in the sense of his favour, he never takes that favour away. You may not see it; you may think he is angry with you, and in another sense he may be; but legally, and so far as concerns the law and its power of condemnation, there is not a single thought of anger in the mind, or feeling of displeasure in the heart, of God towards any one of those who rest in Jesus. > You are accepted in the Beloved. God seeth no sin in Jacob, neither iniquity in Israel. As he looks upon them in his Son, he sees them without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing. This is how God looks at you today if you are in Christ Jesus. This leads to the second part of the third line of the blessing: “the LORD lift up his countenance upon you *and give you peace*.” God doesn’t just look favorably on you. There’s more. He gives you peace: shalom, which is not just the absence of conflict but “fullness of life and wholeness in all areas of life: material, familial, societal, and religious” (Timothy Ashley). That’s the blessing. God is moving toward you favorably through Jesus Christ. He is blessing you, and he looks at you with delight. He’s acting in your life to protect you, bless you, and give you wellbeing. This is his heart for you. It does lead to the question, though: what does this look like in the wilderness? ## What Wellbeing Looks Like Now I’m only going to give you a partial answer today. We’ll return to this again in two weeks and I’ll give you the rest of the answer. Whatever this blessing means, it does not mean an absence of trouble. Right now, some of you are going through excruciating realities. You, too, are in the wilderness. You may not feel like God’s blessing is on your life. Like the Israelites in the wilderness, there may not be much hope that things will get better in the future. The realities of life can be harsh. This blessing does not mean the absence of suffering. But it does mean that we can experience the reality of God’s favor and a sense of wellbeing and wholeness even in the middle of our suffering. These are realities that we can experience at the same time as we go through the harsh realities of life. Here’s the reality: we will only experience the blessing that God promises partially right now. There is a day that we will be out of the wilderness when we will experience the fullness of every blessing promised in this blessing. That day is coming. Part of the tension we feel is that we will never experience the fullness of this blessing right now. We will experience it fully one day. But we can experience, imperfectly and yet meaningfully, the realities of this blessing today in the wilderness. What it involves is something that we learned a few months ago as we looked at Hebrews. Hebrews 11 talks about a kind of double vision. It lists a bunch of people who lived pretty difficult lives. On one hand, they looked at their problems full on. They didn’t deny them at all. They looked at calamities, unfulfilled promises, insurmountable obstacles, opposition, and all kinds of suffering. They didn’t deny them. They weren’t immune to these harsh realities. Life was hard, and they knew it. But their spiritual double vision allowed them to see another reality: that they had “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). In other words, they saw with eyes of faith realities that you can’t see with your actual eyes. There are realities that are as true as what you see with your own two eyes, but you can only see them through the eyes of faith. That means that you can be in the wilderness and know that God is for you. You can look at the sin in your life and also see God’s favorable disposition toward you. You can go through real suffering and yet know deep, abiding wellbeing, not because your life is problem-free, but in the middle of the problems that you’re going through in your life. There are spiritual realities that are true even in the wilderness that you can only see with the eyes of faith. Let me give you an example from later in Scripture. When Jesus preached his most famous sermon, he began by identifying who is blessed in this world. “Blessed” is not just a spiritual term. Blessed means to be so favored by God that you’re happy and that you consider yourself fortunate. And who, according to Jesus, is blessed? Not the rich who have it all now, or the happy who are content with themselves, or the arrogant, or the sophisticated. Those who are blessed are those who poor in spirit, who mourn for sin, who are meek, who hunger and thirst after righteousness, who are merciful, who are pure in heart, who make peace and are persecuted. How does this make sense? It makes sense because there’s something even better than a problem-free, good life. There’s something better than five-star hotels, wealth, power, and prestige. There’s something that can bring deep peace even in the cancer ward or the funeral home. It’s something that a lot of people who have it all don’t have. It’s knowing that God is for you, that he will never leave you even in the deepest trial. It’s knowing that he’s using even your trials in the wilderness to accomplish something, even if you’re not sure what that is. It’s knowing that you are held in God’s hand no matter what happens to you. So you can look at your trails on the one hand. Look at them without minimizing them or denying them in any way. And, on the other hand, look at this blessing, and know that every word of it is true even in the wilderness. **It may not feel like it, but we can experience God’s blessing even in the wilderness.** Joni Eareckson Tada was paralyzed in a swimming accident when she was 17 years old. She’s lived in a wheelchair now for almost 60 years. For a while, she really wanted out of her wheelchair, but now she praises God for not healing her. She [says](https://go.dashhouse.com/MMN9?ref=dashhouse.com): > Does God miraculously heal? Sure, he does. But in this broken world, it’s still the exception, not the rule. A “no” answer to my request for a miraculous physical healing has meant purged sin, a love for the lost, increased compassion, stretched hope, an appetite for grace, an increase of faith, a happy longing for heaven, a desire to serve, a delight in prayer, and a hunger for his Word. Oh, bless the stern schoolmaster that is my wheelchair! > It’s all to the praise of deeper healing in Christ. Can God change your circumstances? Sure. But you can experience the blessing of Numbers 6 even in the wilderness. You can know that God is providing for you and protecting you, that he is favorable toward you. You can experience a deep sense of wellbeing even in a wheelchair or wherever you are, because you are seeing what human eyes can’t: that he is at work in your life, and that he loves you, and he will bring you safely home. Lord, thank you for Jesus, in whom all of these promises become true. Thank you that because we are in him, you look upon us with favor. Please give us this double vision. Help us to see not only our troubles in the wilderness, but also your blessing. And then, Lord, bring us safely home. In Christ’s name. Amen. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-394/ Last updated: 2024-05-11T09:00:37.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [How to Make Better, More Careful, More Persuasive Arguments](https://go.dashhouse.com/MVZ5?ref=dashhouse.com) > I want to suggest two ways we can make our arguments *harder*, which in this case means better, more careful, and more persuasive. [A Response to John MacArthur’s Statements on Mental Illness From a Family it Has Misjudged](https://go.dashhouse.com/MVZO?ref=dashhouse.com) > I primarily write this to those navigating mental illness in their child. [Institution Building Requires Virtue](https://go.dashhouse.com/MVYp?ref=dashhouse.com) > Unfortunately, during times of fear and turmoil, it is very easy for us to build institutions founded on vice rather than virtue. [Slouching Towards Saul When Selecting Leaders](https://go.dashhouse.com/MVZI?ref=dashhouse.com) > Pastors and planters — even parents — are responsible to identify potential in individuals and prosper that potential. That means selecting and raising up new leaders. How do we identify and prosper God-given leadership potential? [How Much Should Churches Pay Their Pastors?](https://go.dashhouse.com/MVYu?ref=dashhouse.com) > I propose that an elder board or search committee triangulate the following three numbers to come up with a reasonable salary. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/MMiB?ref=dashhouse.com): [The Weightiness of Worship](https://go.dashhouse.com/MWDl?ref=dashhouse.com) > We need churches that take God seriously and that refuse to resort to gimmicks to keep people interested. ### Holiness Here URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/holiness-here/ Last updated: 2024-05-31T16:11:39.000Z There are two kinds of books on holiness. One is the kind of book written by [R.C. Sproul](https://go.dashhouse.com/MSuH?ref=dashhouse.com), [J.C. Ryle](https://go.dashhouse.com/MSuD?ref=dashhouse.com), or [Jerry Bridges](https://go.dashhouse.com/MSuI?ref=dashhouse.com). These are good and important books, possibly even life-changing, but they’re also challenging. You can expect a bit of a workout, and it may even feel like you’ve entered a gym that really isn’t for people like you. And then there’s the kind of book written by my friend Karen Stiller called [*Holiness Here: Searching for God in the Ordinary Events of Everyday Life*](https://go.dashhouse.com/MBOz?ref=dashhouse.com). It’s the kind of book that’s written for those who may feel intimidated by the other kinds of holiness books out there. It’s designed to help us recognize the holiness in our lives here and now, even when we don’t feel that holy. [![](https://cdn.magicpages.co/dashhouse.mymagic.page/2024/05/holiness-here-2.jpg)](https://go.dashhouse.com/MBOz?ref=dashhouse.com) Right in the acknowledgments, Karen says, “People who know me well were surprised I was writing a book about holiness. I don’t seem very holy — in a stereotypical way — most of the time. But that’s part of the puzzle I was trying to solve.” If you’re interested in a book that explores holiness for people who don’t feel very holy, this book may be for you. Years ago, I sat down with Karen and talked about the kind of books I wanted to write to help people grow. Karen was supportive, but she asked questions that others didn’t. She had a gentle way of helping me translate my abstractions into something that might actually help people — not imaginary people or especially good people, but ordinary people, the kind of people who actually exist. She helped me think about what growth looks like for people who grow in fits and starts, and who sometimes find themselves stalled. Karen brings that same quality to this book. She’s honest about her own life with its beauty and ordinariness, its quirks, joys, and sorrows. She’s a skilled writer, which makes her book easy to read. She’s a careful thinker, which makes this book worth pondering. But she also refuses to peddle platitudes or clichés, which makes this book about as honest as any you will read. It felt like talking to Karen. She tackles important subjects like what holiness looks like with our bodies, money, and most demanding relationships. But she’s also honest about her struggles and setbacks. She helps us begin to see how holiness doesn’t always show up when we’re at our best, but simply as we get glimpses of God at work when we’re writing, parenting, dealing with difficult people, or just trying to get through the day. I put this book down occasionally to chew on some of her ideas. I highlighted this book frequently because Karen knows how to turn a phrase. I put this book down once with tears as she described the loss of someone she called a husband and I called a friend. I finished the book more aware of God’s holiness not just on my best days, but in the mundane moments of life. There are different kinds of books on holiness, and I’m glad Karen has written this one. It’s the book on holiness written for people who are scared to read books on holiness. I’m grateful for Karen, and I’m grateful for this book, and I think you’ll probably like it too. More from [Amazon.com](https://go.dashhouse.com/MBOz?ref=dashhouse.com) ### God’s Gracious Face (Numbers 6:22-27) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/gods-gracious-face-numbers-622-27/ Last updated: 2025-03-02T11:55:32.000Z **Big Idea:** God blesses us by letting us behold his glory, and it deeply satisfies our souls. --- What is the most beautiful, soul-satisfying thing you have ever seen? Maybe it was the eclipse. I was listening to [the story](https://go.dashhouse.com/MJdk?ref=dashhouse.com) of a retired astrophysicist nicknamed Mr. Eclipse. As a teenager, he was amazed by an eclipse and decided to spend his life traveling the world to see as many as possible. He’s travelled to Canada, Australia, Bolivia, Antartica, China, and India to see eclipses. For him, eclipses are kind of the organizing principle of his life. Listen to some of what he experiences as he watches an eclipse: > I think it's a sense of belonging, belonging to this incredible universe, both belonging and a humbleness — that how minuscule we are, and yet we're a part of this fantastic cosmic wheel of motion in the solar system. You almost get a three-dimensional sense of the motions of the Earth and the moon around the sun when you see this clockwork displayed right in front of you, this mechanics of the Eclipse taking place. It's almost like it lifts you up off the planet and you can look back down at the solar system and see how it's all put together. Why would someone dedicate their life to watching eclipses? Because there’s something deeply beautiful and satisfying in those two or three minutes of the totality of the eclipse, and our souls are desperately hungry to see something that satisfies our souls. Maybe it’s not an eclipse for you. But I’ve looked at mountains and sunsets and oceans with a sense of wonder. I’ve stared up at the sky and stared for an hour on a clear, dark night at the vastness of the Milky Way. But you don’t even have to go that far. Sometimes it’s enough to look into someone’s face. As Andy Crouch [says](https://go.dashhouse.com/7w9Z?ref=dashhouse.com): > All our lives, what we really have been looking for is blessing. We once lay on a mother’s breast, looking for a face. We were not looking for magic because we did not need it. All we needed was a person. One day we will come to the end of our lives. Whatever magic medicine managed to do will have come to an end. Our need at that moment will be just what it was the moment we were born. We were born looking for a face, a person. We will die looking for a face. Better than an eclipse or a mountain or a sunset is the ache we have to see and be seen, loved, and blessed. You and I were made for this. Our whole lives are a desperate search for this. And this is exactly what God offers us in the blessing we just read. ## The Blessing of God’s Face We’re taking a short look at a blessing that God has given. This blessing comes from the heart of God himself. It’s a three-thousand year old blessing for the wilderness, a blessing that we still need as much as ever today. Last week we looked at the first line of the blessing: “The LORD bless you and keep you.” This is like the start of the trickle as each line gets deeper and richer. But it’s still amazing. It speaks of Jehovah’s protection: if you are one of his people, he is active in your life, both providing you what you need and protecting you from evil. There is not a moment that he is not actively at work in your life, watching over you and keeping you by his omnipotent power. But today we come to the second line of the three lines in this blessing: “the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.” This is a blessing, again, in which God acts and we receive. And what does the Lord do? He does something that’s so important that it’s included in the next line of blessing as well. What is this part of the blessing about? It’s that we catch a glimpse of the face of God, and that it satisfies us. Let me give you some background, because this is an important theme in Scripture, and one we may not notice at first. And we have to go back almost to the beginning to see it. In Genesis 3, sin entered the world and caused catastrophic damage in every area of life. One of those consequences is found in Genesis 3:8: “And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the *presence* of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.” The word “presence” there is face. After sin, Adam and Eve hid themselves from the face of God. They were created to live in the presence of God, seeing the face of God, but after sin they had to hide themselves. Since then, we’ve suffered all of the effects of sin in every area. We no longer live in harmony with the world and with each other. We’ve experienced deep brokenness in every area of our life. Thorns and thistles. But the greatest consequence is that our relationship with God has been broken. We’re no longer able to live before the face of God, which is the very reason we were created. And so the first person who was born into this world of sin said to God, “Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden” (Genesis 4:14). Isn’t this interesting? Adam and Eve were expelled from God’s presence, and now Cain feels even more estranged from God. Time goes on. A swindler named Jacob one day finds himself wrestling with someone. As time goes on, he realizes it’s no ordinary man. It’s God himself. He manages to get a blessing from God, and we read: "So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, 'For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered'" (Genesis 32:30). Peniel means “face of God.” He didn’t see God’s face fully; God left before it was light, because no man can gaze on God’s face and survive. But for a moment, he experiences what we all ache for: to see God’s face — dimly, without much light, and just for a moment. But it was enough to change his life. This is what we ache for. We want back what Adam and Eve lost. We long to see the face of God. But we’ve lost our clear view of God’s face. Jacob gets a fleeting glimpse in the dark. Moses gets a glimpse, but only partially, because God tells even Moses, “You cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live” (Exodus 33:20). You may not even know this is what you’re looking for, but it is what we long to experience. That’s why we have verses like Psalm 27:8: > You have said, “Seek my face.” > My heart says to you, > “Your face, LORD, do I seek.” > Hide not your face from me. > Turn not your servant away in anger, > O you who have been my help. > Cast me not off; forsake me not, > O God of my salvation! > (Psalm 27:8-9) Or Psalm 31:16: > Make your face shine on your servant; > save me in your steadfast love! We want, we need, God’s face. Michael Glodo [writes](https://go.dashhouse.com/MJmo?ref=dashhouse.com): > We need to be seen and known by God to fully know ourselves. This interpersonal, relational need is the essence of our nature and its satisfaction is found in seeing and being seen by God. God made us with faces so that his could shine on ours. This is why the second and third lines of the blessing is so important: > the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; > the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. God is telling Aaron to bless the people with what they need most, what was lost in the garden: that they will see God’s face despite their sin, but instead of being destroyed by seeing God’s face, that they would experience his grace. Instead of being terrified by seeing God, the blessing is that they will see Jehovah’s countenance and receive his peace. That is truly what we need and long to experience. Of course, this is partially a metaphor. God is a spirit, and God does not have a body (John 4:24). I say it’s partially a metaphor, because God the Son does have a face, and we will see the face of Jesus one day. He will shine his face upon us. But even at the level of metaphor, the idea of God turning his face toward us communicates an important truth, and here is it is: God made us to long for his presence, to be deeply satisfied as we experience his presence. ## The Fulfillment of This Blessing So let’s talk about the fulfillment of this blessing in two parts: now and later. ### Now Here’s how you can experience this part of the blessing now. You and I are rebels against God by birth and by choice. We are sinners, not just because we do sinful things, but because at our core we love ourselves more than God. Because of this, we suffer all the tragic consequences of our sin, including the loss of the presence, the face of God. And yet we long for it. We look everywhere for substitutes. Our lives are spent looking in different places for what we lost — the only thing that will deeply satisfy us, which is the deep delight of God’s face shining upon us. But Numbers announces that God has graciously acted to save a sinful people, not because of anything they did, but simply because he is gracious. He chose them and saved them, and then he gives them this blessing: that they get what they’ve always longed for, that God turns his face on them and shines upon them, and it deeply satisfies their souls. This is a blessing not only for them but for anyone who puts their faith in Jesus. Anyone who knows their sin and turns to Jesus with empty hands of faith, believing that he’s done everything to make them right with God, can know that God’s face is shining on them. You’ll only get partial glimpses now, but you can know that God loves you, that he looks upon you with favor. As Charles Spurgeon said: > When our Lord smiles on us, we see the face of God—that face not veiled with frowns, but bright with smiles: a face full of love and favour, a face which was once turned away, but is now turned towards us in peace. “The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee.” Dearly beloved, is there any grace conceivable like the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ? and is there any light conceivable like the shining of the love of God? A few moments ago the fog surrounded this place, and we seemed as if we were descending into pitch darkness; but, in an instant, light poured in through yonder windows, and there was an immediate change; and now the sun is shining upon us — a thing to be noted in this rarely sun-lit land. In this I see a symbol of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. We come upon a period of gloom and deep depression, and midnight lowers upon our day; and then a breath of the heavenly wind chases away the fog, and the Sun of Righteousness rises, and the scene is changed. Let us have the favour of God, and all our troubles are less than nothing. That is what we can experience now through Jesus. The LORD will make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD will lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. It’s also why one of the things we talk about a lot at this church is beholding his glory. Our website says, “Our goal whenever we gather as a church is to behold more of him in order to behold our God, who is the true source of all joy and life.” Friends, this is our current reality. It’s partial but significant. We get to behold God’s glory and enjoy his smile right now. It’s what he made us to enjoy, and it’s ours. ### Later But we will enjoy it fully one day. Revelation 21:23 says, “And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.” One day we will see God’s glory fully, and it will deeply satisfy our souls. It will be the most beautiful, soul-satisfying thing we’ve ever seen, and it will make us deeply happy. One day, we will see the immeasurable riches of our infinite God. We will see Jesus in his glory, and it will be the sight for which we have ached. It will not be satisfying for a moment or two. It will be so profoundly satisfying and beautiful that it will satisfy our souls for eternity. It “will not be momentary or static, but eternal and dynamic — ever clearer and deeper” (David Mathis). As Jonathan Edwards said, “After they have had the pleasure of beholding the face of God millions of ages, it will not grow a dull story; the relish of this delight will be as exquisite as ever.” That is our hope. That is what we long for. **God blesses us by letting us behold his glory, and it deeply satisfies our souls.** We get to experience it now, dimly, but we will experience it fully one day, and it will satisfy your soul for eternity. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-393/ Last updated: 2024-05-04T09:00:42.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [The Path Away From Pornography](https://go.dashhouse.com/MN%5Fy?ref=dashhouse.com) > There is no “formula” for getting free from pornography, but I have witnessed common patterns in the way the Lord breaks people free from its chains. [Study the Bible in 5, 15, or 30 Minutes](https://go.dashhouse.com/MN%5Fi?ref=dashhouse.com) > Don’t let a lack of time or energy become excuses that prevent you from doing what’s most important: knowing and delighting in your God. [Why Daily Bread Is Better](https://go.dashhouse.com/MLPv?ref=dashhouse.com) > God wants us to trust his loving care, and he wants us to trust him daily. [Soft Discipleship Through Friendship](https://go.dashhouse.com/MO0A?ref=dashhouse.com) > Discipleship has already started as we interact organically with the relationships we have; all it requires is for us to have more intentionality with our conversations, and open our hearts to each other to share what God’s been doing in our lives. [The Great Man and the Local Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/MLPz?ref=dashhouse.com) > It is good to thank God for those few men and few women who have been granted high podiums and wide ministries, and who have made their mark on so many of us. We truly thank the Lord for them. But they are not the story of what God is accomplishing in this world. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Preach the Awkward Parts](https://go.dashhouse.com/MMiB?ref=dashhouse.com) > Welcome the awkward parts of Scripture. Do your homework, and preach them. ### What It Takes to Survive Ministry URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/what-it-takes-to-survive-ministry/ Last updated: 2024-05-31T16:11:55.000Z If you don’t think pastoral ministry will be hard, you’re wrong. Of course, it’s not the only hard vocation. Our congregations are filled with people who fill challenging roles. Pastoral ministry comes with many joys. My point, though, is this: it’s also filled with hazards and difficulties. If you suffer from idealism, pastoral ministry will beat it out of you. Paul says as much in 2 Timothy 2\. He calls Timothy to suffer, and then illustrates what suffering in ministry looks like by comparing it to the suffering of a soldier, athlete, and farmer. Then he adds, “Think over what I say” (2 Timothy 2:7). Don’t rush over the cost that will be demanded of you in ministry. How will we survive? I’ve been a pastor for over thirty years now. I’ve enjoyed so many blessings. I can’t believe that God chooses to use someone like me. It seems unbelievable that I’m supported by others to spend time in Scripture and prayer. I’m amazed that people have chosen to love me as they have. But I’ve also been through seasons of discouragement and conflict. I’ve been disappointed and hurt. I’ve felt my own limits. I’ve felt the weightiness of the calling. I’ve wondered what it takes to survive. There’s only one answer. When I was younger, I think I may have been tempted to see it as a throwaway line. The older I get, the more I see the depth of wisdom in Scripture. Before describing the cost of ministry, Paul begins with a simple line: “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:1). If you’re going to survive ministry, you need to be strengthened by the grace that’s in Christ Jesus. “Timothy is to find his resources for ministry not in his own nature but in Christ’s grace,” writes John Stott. “It is not only for salvation that we are dependent on grace (1:9), but for service also.” Pastor: gaze at Jesus long enough that you’re astonished by his grace. Never lose sight of how little you deserve and how much God has given you. Ask God to give you ongoing gratitude that decided to pour out his grace in your life. And then praise God for his grace in your ministry too. God has a limitless supply of resources that he’s happy to give you for every challenge in ministry, and he will give you exactly what you need. He’s not stingy. As one commentator (Robert Yarbrough) observes, he will come to your aid. He will help you through difficulties. He will make your ministry fruitful. Ministry will be hard, and the only way you’ll survive is to be strengthened by the grace that’s in Christ Jesus. It’s a grace that includes your salvation but extends beyond it. It’s a grace that will work through your own weakness and suffering, and will give you everything you need to discharge your ministry to the end. Don’t throw a pity party if you’re a pastor. Pastoring is a privilege. But don’t ignore what it will cost either. The only way you’ll stay faithful to the end is if you’re strengthened by God’s grace that’s found in Jesus. So stay there. Live there. It will keep you to the end. ### The Lord Bless You and Keep You (Numbers 6:22-27) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-lord-bless-you-and-keep-you-numbers-622-27/ Last updated: 2024-04-28T23:50:58.000Z **Big Idea:** God is active in your life, both providing you what you need and protecting you from evil. --- You’ve probably heard of the Dead Sea Scrolls. In 1947, Bedouin teenagers were tending their goats and sheep. One sheep wandered, as sheep do. The search for that sheep led him to a dark cave. He approached the mouth of the cave. They threw stone inside. To his surprise, he heard something shatter. Crawling through the entrance, he came face-to-face with enormous clay pots larger than him. He and his friends sold some of what they found to a dealer in ancient artifacts. Over the course of ten years, treasure hunters and archaeologists discovered many more scroll fragments in ten caves near the original site. These scrolls are the largest and oldest body of manuscripts relating to the Bible. It’s one of the greatest archeological finds. For instance, it contains the Great Isaiah Scroll, an intact copy of the book of Isaiah found in Cave 1\. The Isaiah Scroll is more than a thousand years older than our next oldest Hebrew manuscript of Isaiah, and it demonstrates how faithfully the Hebrew Scriptures have been preserved. The Dead Sea Scrolls are amazing, but they’re not the oldest documents ever found. In 1979, an archaeological team discovered scrolls that date all the way back to 600 BC. This is the oldest surviving text from the Old Testament. The team called this discovery “one of most significant discoveries ever made” for biblical studies. Written on this scroll are these words: > The LORD bless you and keep you; > the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; > the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. > (Numbers 6:24-26) In other words, the oldest document we have of any part of Scripture is this blessing. These words are three thousand years old. It’s one of the oldest poems in Scripture. And yet these words are still widely used today, usually at the end of church services. A couple of years ago, during COVID, they became the basis of a viral song you might have seen on YouTube. These ancient words have lots to say to us today, and I want to look at them with you and what they mean for us over the next few weeks. ## A Blessing for the Wilderness First, here’s a little background on this blessing. It’s in the book of Numbers. Numbers describes Israel’s wanderings in the wilderness in between Egypt and the Promised Land. It’s a journey that should have taken two weeks, but it took almost 40 years because of their sin. In the early part of the book, the nation gets ready to depart on their journey. During their preparations, God gave a very helpful set of instructions to help them prepare. And as part of those instructions, he told Aaron, the high priest, to use these words to bless the people of Israel. In other words, this is a blessing from God himself for the wilderness. As they go through the wilderness, they will need protection and blessing. The wilderness is not an easy place. People needed a blessing. One thing to notice is the placement of the blessing. It’s in Numbers 6, which prescribes a vow for a select group of individuals. But then God gives this vow not for a select group of individuals, but for everyone. This is the highest blessing, but it’s not a blessing for extra-holy people. It’s a blessing for everyone. The words are “are expansive and gracious, and they are inclusive of the whole community” (Ronald Allen). It’s interesting. The pronouns are singular. This is a blessing for all of God’s people, but it’s addressed to individuals in particular. > Surrounded by thousands of other pilgrims, individuals might feel lost in the vast crowd. With such a deliberate, repeated emphasis on the personal nature of these blessings, these travellers had no reason to doubt the concern of a loving God for each one of them. (Raymond Brown) This is a blessing for all of God’s people, but it’s a blessing for you in particular. Matthew Henry says that “we may take the blessing to ourselves, as if our names were inserted.” Think about this. God our Creator wants to bless his people. This is his agenda for us. This is a blessing for you as you live in the wilderness on the way to what God has promised. The thing we need to realize is that God’s blessing is unlike the blessing anyone else can give. When we bless someone, we are wishing them well. We’re hoping something for them. When God blesses someone, as Tim Keller says, “He doesn’t just wish the good. He achieves the good.” Or, as Spurgeon said, “When we bless God there is nothing more than well-saying and well-wishing; but when God blesses us, it is well-doing.” > When God says, ‘Bless you!’ there are infinity and immutability in it. There can be no limit to the goodwill of the infinite God. Our gifts are like a handful of pence. God’s gifts are so rich that I dare not liken them even to silver or gold. When Jehovah blesses, it is after the manner of his sovereign Almightiness. (Spurgeon) When God blesses us, it goes beyond words. God’s blessing always accomplishes what it means. But this isn’t a blessing that appears only once. It’s also echoed in Psalms 67 and 121\. It also introduces some of the key theme of Scripture, as we’re going to see in the next few weeks. This is an important blessing. And so, every day, Jewish tradition says that Aaron offered this blessing on the people after the offering of the morning sacrifice, when the lamb had been slain and consumed upon the altar. It was given in the wilderness, in the temple, and later, in synagogues. Today it’s used in churches all around the world. Although it was offered by Aaron, and later priests and pastors, “it comes originally from the Lord’s heart and hand” (Spurgeon). If you want to know God’s heart for you, then you only need to look at this passage. We need this blessing, and this blessing is for all of God’s people who are in the wilderness on their way home. ## Protection Today I want to focus on just the first and shortest line of this blessing, just three words in the original Hebrew: “The LORD bless you and keep you” (Numbers 6:24). This is the simplest of the three lines. This blessing builds. It starts like a trickle but then builds to a flow. But even at the beginning, there’s still so much here as it begins. Each of the three lines has the LORD as its subject. God is doing the action here. He’s doing all the work. We just receive. And in each line, the LORD does two things. In each of the lines, the first thing that the LORD does is move toward us; the second is that he acts for us. So here, the LORD moves toward us to bless us. What does he do as he draws near? He begins with a general blessing: the LORD bless you. This is broad and includes things like descendants, property, fruitful land, good health, long life, and more. But then he gets very specific and says, “The LORD keep you.” You can summarize this in one word: protection. God had already told Abraham, “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield” (Genesis 15:1). Now, God tells Aaron to offer them the blessing of his protection as they go through the wilderness and all its dangers. They faced hunger and thirst, enemies, animals, and themselves. God offered them protection from all of these. God has the power to preserve and protect us no matter what we go through. God is your omnipotent defender. He will give you what you need and protect you from harm. He knows exactly what you need, and he knows how to protect you from the dangers in your life. I mentioned that this blessing is repeated a couple of times in the Psalms. The Psalm that unpacks this part of the blessing the best is Psalm 121: > I lift up my eyes to the hills. > From where does my help come? > My help comes from the LORD, > who made heaven and earth. > He will not let your foot be moved; > he who keeps you will not slumber. > Behold, he who keeps Israel > will neither slumber nor sleep. > The LORD is your keeper; > the LORD is your shade on your right hand. > The sun shall not strike you by day, > nor the moon by night. > The LORD will keep you from all evil; > he will keep your life. > The LORD will keep > your going out and your coming in > from this time forth and forevermore. ## What This Means Let me talk to you for just a few minutes about what God’s protection does and doesn’t mean in your life. Here’s what it means: **God is active in your life, both providing you what you need and protecting you from evil.** God is the one who has promised to help you. He takes a personal interest in you, and watches over you. The LORD is present with you wherever you go. Nothing at daytime or at nighttime escapes his notice. Whatever you do, wherever you go, God is watching over you. The God who created this universe, the God who created all things, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of Moses and David and Daniel is the same God who knows you by name. He knows your address. He saw what time you woke up this morning, and he knows what you ate for breakfast. He knows what stresses you out, and he cares. God knows every detail of your life. Not only does he know it, but he cares. He’s interested in you. And he’s promised to go into your future with you, and he’ll never let you down. God is at work in the universe guiding all things to his ultimate purpose, and he cares for you. I love how John Piper puts it: > A nail sinks into a board because God planned for a hammer to hit it. A student makes an A on a test because God planned for the student to study. A jet flies from New York to Los Angeles because God planned for fuel to be available, wings to stay put, engines to thrust, and a pilot to know what he is doing. In none of these cases do we say that the cause was pointless—the hammer, the studying, the fuel, the wing, the engine, the pilot. Neither is prayer pointless. It is part of the plan. Friends, this morning I want you to know that God is that involved in your life. He is intricately involved in every detail providing for you, caring for you, protecting you, loving you. This is one of God’s great blessings that every Christian gets to enjoy. Nothing will ever happen to you outside his loving care for you. Nothing. The one who gave his Son for you will also give you all good things (Romans 8:32). That’s what God’s protection means: God is active in your life, both providing you what you need and protecting you from harm. Now here’s what it *doesn’t* mean: **It doesn’t mean that you won’t go through hard things that you don’t understand.** This is not an exemption from suffering and mystery. God gave this blessing to his people because they would go through suffering and experience things they didn’t understand. Greg Laurie explains it like this, “Here is my point. God could have kept them from the trial. God could have somehow airlifted Israel from Egypt to the Promised Land. He didn’t keep them from it. He clearly kept them through it.” God’s people always suffer. But God promises to always be with his people as they suffer. He doesn’t exempt them from trial, but he promises his presence in the trial. He will be with you too. To quote John Piper again: “God is sovereign over. . .suffering, which means it is not meaningless. It is not wrath. It is not ultimately destructive. It is not wanton or heedless. It is purposeful. It is measured, wise, and loving.” We may not understand everything we go through, but we can know that God is actively providing for us and protecting us in everything. So, receive this blessing today. If you are in Jesus, God has given this blessing that reflects his heart for you. It’s backed by all his power, and it’s for you as you travel through the wilderness: The LORD bless you and keep you. May you know that **God is active in your life, both providing you what you need and protecting you from evil**, and may this give you assurance even as you go through the wilderness. God is with you, and he will give you everything you need. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-392/ Last updated: 2024-04-27T09:00:09.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [God Can Work Through Anyone and Everything — Even You and Your Sin](https://go.dashhouse.com/MGX0?ref=dashhouse.com) > If you can truly grasp the idea that God has fully conquered *all* sin in this way—that his power and glory are undefeatable no matter how it looks at any one moment—then you will finally have rest from regret and discouragement. [Unsearchable Riches: 100 Facets to the Diamond of Christ](https://go.dashhouse.com/MFZe?ref=dashhouse.com) > He is inexhaustible. Unsearchably rich (Eph 3:8). Bottomless. We receive him, thinking he’s a pond, only to discover over time he’s an ocean. In him there is surprise after surprise. Endless discovery. Startling wonders around each bend… [Satan Hates Your Pastor](https://go.dashhouse.com/MGX6?ref=dashhouse.com) > Pray for your pastor because Satan hates your pastor. [4 Themes in Lausanne’s ‘State of the Great Commission’](https://go.dashhouse.com/MFa7?ref=dashhouse.com) > This week, the Lausanne Movement released “The State of the Great Commission,” a compendium of dozens of charts, graphs, and essays from more than 100 contributors around the globe, looking at world Christianity in light of current trends, with an eye to enhancing evangelical mission efforts in both declaring and displaying Christ in the world. [Wine in Communion](https://go.dashhouse.com/MGXA?ref=dashhouse.com) > The common practice of celebrating the Supper with grape juice or some other form of substitute for alcoholic wine is, to my mind, a serious departure from the biblical pattern. [Themelios 49.1](https://go.dashhouse.com/MFZf?ref=dashhouse.com) > The new April 2024 issue of Themelios has 262 pages of editorials, articles, and book reviews. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Deathbed Desires](https://go.dashhouse.com/M6rU?ref=dashhouse.com) > Picture lying in a hospital bed in your nineties. You’re unconscious, but you can hear what people are saying. Who’s in the room? What are they saying about you, thinking that you can’t hear? ### The Kid Who Got Noticed URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-kid-who-got-noticed/ Last updated: 2024-05-31T16:12:11.000Z The good thing about being six years old is that you can squeeze through a crowd. Which is what Jacob did. He pushed his way through past rows of villagers, bumping the odd arm, moving to the front with only a few protests. He could hear Jesus talking with his friends. Most of them didn’t have time to react. He made it almost to the front. “Where do you think you’re going?” a big man asked, standing in his way. Jacob froze. He didn’t know what to say and was about to make his escape, until he heard his name. “Jacob!” Was he hearing right? “Yes, Jacob!” Jesus, standing before the crowd, called his name. He pushed by the big man who blocked his way to get a better look, and found himself standing beside Jesus. A hundred eyes stared at him. Jesus smiled, took a breath, and continued to speak. “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Pointing at Jacob, Jesus said, “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus smiled, and Jacob started to smile too. But Jesus wasn’t done. “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.” The moment felt frozen in time. Jesus kept teaching. Jacob started to back away. He needed to get home and think about what had happened. He ran. He couldn’t stop thinking about the way he felt beside Jesus. It felt like Jesus saw him, that Jesus knew him. He couldn’t understand it, but he knew that nobody had ever talked about him that way before. It wasn’t just what Jesus said. It’s how he felt standing next to Jesus. He didn’t know how Jesus knew him, or why he spoke such words, but he knew one thing: he was only a kid. He mattered to Jesus. Jesus noticed even when nobody else gave him a second glance. --- I don’t know if that’s exactly how the events of Matthew 18:1-10 took place, but it was something like that. I don’t know who would have been more surprised: the child or the crowd. I do know that I — and I think most of us — tend to struggle with pride. I like to think that I’m a bigger deal than I really am. “Sometimes we learn humility because we seek it,” writes [Karen Stiller](https://go.dashhouse.com/MBOz?ref=dashhouse.com). “More often, it finds us sitting around thinking we are a little bit fabulous.” All I know is that I need this regular reminder. This story is so familiar and yet so new to me at the same time. Humility is the way. I don’t need to matter in order to matter to Jesus. I have lots to learn from a child. ### When People Don't Want to Hear About Jesus (Acts 4) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/when-people-dont-want-to-hear-about-jesus-acts-4/ Last updated: 2024-04-22T12:38:01.000Z **Big Idea:** Pray for courage to share about Jesus and to see opposition as an opportunity to talk about him. --- We have a serious tension, and here it is in a nutshell. On one hand, we want people to know about Jesus. If you follow Jesus, you probably want others to know about the good news of Jesus: God's Son lived, died, and rose again to make us right with God. This is such good news that we simply want everyone to know about it. But here’s the other side of the tension: we’re terrified to tell people about Jesus. There’s one simple reason: we aren’t sure how people will respond. People may not like that you talk about Jesus. You could encounter feelings of anger and ridicule. As evangelist Rico Tice says: > Many people really don’t like the gospel. Sometimes they express that politely; sometimes not politely at all; but they don’t like it… > I think that's the main reason why we don't do evangelism. Most Christians, when they first come to faith, want to tell others. Why wouldn't you?! It's brilliant—in Jesus you're in relationship with the living God; you have an answer to death; you have an answer to your sin; you have a point and a purpose to your life. But sooner or later — and in the west, it's happening increasingly soon-someone mocks you or wounds you or dislikes you. And because you're not stupid, you figure it out: *I don't want to get hit, and this keeps getting me hit, so something's gone wrong here. I'll stop doing this.* If that’s you — and I think it is a lot of us — today’s passage is going to help. But first, let me set the scene. We’re looking at Acts today. Acts tells the story of the spread of the gospel from a few people at the ascension of Jesus to the edges of the Roman Empire. Acts introduces us to how the church started and the gospel spread. It’s an incredible book. So far we’re in the early chapters. Dwain’s shown us the glory of the ascension and the birth of the church. Today, we encounter the first sign of trouble. And the trouble we see in this passage is going to help us as we understand the trouble that we may get into as we share the good news of Jesus. This passage teaches us three challenging truths about evangelism. ## First: Sharing the gospel will cause a reaction. I told you these were challenging truths! At the end of Acts 3, Peter is preaching a sermon in Solomon’s Porch on the east side of the Temple’s Outer Court. Peter had one simple message in his sermon: people needed to repent and put their trust in Jesus, who was the fulfilment of all of God’s promises. I wish we had more time to look at his sermon in Acts 3, but we don’t. It’s a simple explanation of who Jesus is, along with a clear call to respond in repentance and faith. How did the sermon go over? Acts 4 tells us: > And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand. (Acts 4:1-4) Here’s an important lesson we see in these verses: sharing the gospel will cause a reaction. It always does. In fact, we see two reactions in this passage: - **Some were annoyed.** In this case, the annoyance was quite severe, so much so that some of the leaders arrested them. If you share the gospel, some will get annoyed at you. They won’t like it. They will let you know in no uncertain terms that they didn’t appreciate what you shared. - **Some believed.** When I saw some, I mean five thousand. The message of Jesus is polarizing. Some will get annoyed; others will find it to be the news they were waiting for. Sharing the gospel will provoke a reaction. What does this mean for us? When we started Liberty Grace Church, we had no money. I had to go around and ask people if they would consider giving their money — a lot of it — to help get this church started. It was terrifying! But I came across someone who taught me a lot about fundraising. Here’s one thing she taught me: I’m not the fundraiser. God is. All I am is his assistant, going around finding the people he has already prepared to give. If someone says no or even gets angry, that’s okay. It just means that they’re not the ones. Just keep asking and you will find the ones that God has prepared. It worked! When someone said no, I didn’t get discouraged. I just went and asked others. And I found that, indeed, God had been preparing people to respond, and they were glad when I asked them to give because God had already been at work. The same thing applies when we tell others about Jesus. We’re not the evangelists; God is. When we tell others about Jesus, we can expect a reaction. And if someone gets annoyed with us, that’s okay. They’re not the ones that God has prepared. We just go looking for the ones he has. The gospel will provoke a reaction. Expect opposition, but don’t get threatened about it. Others will also respond. That’s the challenging truth we see in this passage. Here’s the second: ## Two: The reaction to the gospel may create other opportunities to share the gospel. Here’s the thing about the good news of Jesus: it’s unstoppable. If you try to stop it, you will actually end up helping to spread it. James Montgomery Boice says: > A good idea will always thrive and eventually permeate a culture. Perhaps you can slow it for a time. Maybe some good ideas have been stamped out temporarily by harsh rulers. But most have not been, and certainly you cannot stamp out Christianity. The rulers were trying to stamp it out. But what we discover in Acts, which we also find in later church history and see in our day too if we just look around, is that the more the church is oppressed, the more the gospel spreads. And that’s what you see in this passage. The next day, we read, they released the disciples and put them in front of four important members of the Sanhedrin, the supreme legislative, judicial, and executive body of Israel. You’ve got Peter, John, and possibly the guy they healed in chapter 3\. They’ve all just spent the night in prison. And then you’ve got the court, assembled in concentric semi-circles, a who’s who of important people. This is the same court that tried and condemned Christ. And they lay a trap. They ask a simple question in 4:7: “By what power or by what name did you do this?” If they answer with Jesus, they risk the wrath of this group. Feel the tension of this moment! Read what happens: > Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:8–12) What happens? Peter doesn’t just answer the question. He sees this as an opportunity to talk about Jesus. Opposition gives him another opportunity to talk about Jesus. Michael Hyatt says, “One of the best questions you can ask when something negative happens is this: What does this experience make possible?” That’s a hard question but a good one. When we tell others about Jesus and it causes opposition, it may make it possible for you to, once again, talk about Jesus. I’m not talking about being obnoxious. I’m talking about taking the opportunities that are presented to you. “Why did you have to bring up Jesus?” “Because of what he’s done, and because of how much he matters to me.” Even seemingly bad reactions can become springboards to once again sharing the good news of Jesus once again. Here’s what I’m trying to say: Telling people about Jesus will cause a reaction, which may lead to more opportunities to tell people about Jesus. Even opposition may give us more chances to talk about Jesus. But there’s one more challenging truth we need to see in this passage. ## Three: It will take boldness that only God can give. Why were they so bold? There’s a simple answer. We already read it in verse 8: Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit. We read in verse 13 that this led to boldness. They were just uneducated men, but they had the Holy Spirit, and that was enough. Well, that’s Peter and John. What about the rest of us? In verses 23 to 31, the rest of the believers pray for boldness: > “And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. (Acts 4:29-31) They didn’t pray for safety. They prayed for boldness. It’s the same prayer we get to pray today. Pray that you have the boldness to tell people about Jesus, and that you will see even opposition as another opportunity to talk about him. We can’t lose. If they get angry at us because of Jesus, that may just give us more opportunities to talk about Jesus. After all, we’re not the evangelists. We’re just looking for the people God has already prepared. And God loves to use people like you and me as his assistants as he does his work. The church in China faces lots of opposition, and yet it keeps growing. In 1982, some Christians in China were imprisoned, beaten and bound, but they kept preaching. One person describes what happened: > Many people hearing the Word forgot their food, their work, or even to return home. This went on until evening and still people had not dispersed. They preached until they were exhausted but still the crowds would not let them leave. > When the shops and factories closed, their employees also listened. However, then the authorities made a move, and laid hands on them, dragging them away one by one, binding them with ropes, and beating them… > But when they came to they continued to pray, sing and preach to the bystanders … > When the brothers and sisters in that region saw them bound and forced to kneel on the ground for more than three days, without food or water…but still praying, singing and praising the Lord, then they wished to share their persecution, be bound with them and cast into prison. So in this area recently the flame of the gospel has spread everywhere. There had never been a revival here before, but through this persecution this place has truly received the seeds of life. Even opposition can create more opportunities for the gospel to spread. That’s what happened in the early church. It’s what happened in China. It’s what can happen today. We’re just ordinary people who are sometimes scared of what might happen if we tell others about Jesus. But we’re exactly the kind of people God loves to use. **Pray for courage to share about Jesus and to see opposition as an opportunity to talk about him.** ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-391/ Last updated: 2024-04-20T09:00:17.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Gen Z and the Draw to Serious Faith](https://go.dashhouse.com/M6Gt?ref=dashhouse.com) > Today, if you want to attract young people, lead with the fine print. Shock them with the seriousness of a faith that requires rigor, a rule of life that brings structure for spirituality, grounded in the grace of the gospel. [“Brace Yourselves!“: The Reduction of Public Bible Reading](https://go.dashhouse.com/M6Hl?ref=dashhouse.com) > We need to renew our focus on the public reading of the Bible. [The Church Should Mind Its Spiritual Business](https://go.dashhouse.com/M6Gi?ref=dashhouse.com) > A variety of competing claims threaten to overrun and overwhelm the institutional church in our times. The call of the Lord to the church, the mission that he has given to the church, is an essentially spiritual one. [It’s Okay To Be a Two-Talent Christian](https://go.dashhouse.com/M6H2?ref=dashhouse.com) > Though to some God has given extraordinary minds, abilities, opportunities, and responsibilities, to most he has not. [When Elders Disagree: A Pathway for Pastoral Conflicts](https://go.dashhouse.com/M6Gx?ref=dashhouse.com) > How should fellow elders of the same church navigate dissent, discord, and differences? [TGC Announces New List of ‘Best Commentaries’](https://go.dashhouse.com/M6Gs?ref=dashhouse.com) > TGC Council members, staff, and expert writers have worked together to compile an annotated list of the best commentaries on each Bible book. ### You Don't Need a Bucket List URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/you-dont-need-a-bucket-list/ Last updated: 2024-05-31T16:13:02.000Z While in Belgrade, Serbia visiting missionaries, we figured we had time for one side-trip. After looking at the options, we picked Thessaloniki. Thessaloniki was a great pick. It’s not only a bustling city with great food with a great waterfront, but it’s packed with history. We walked where Paul walked. At the [archaeological museum](https://go.dashhouse.com/M1fv?ref=dashhouse.com), we saw unbelievable artifacts, not only from Greco-Roman times but from before. After two days, we boarded the plane back to Belgrade via Zurich. After leaving Zurich, the plane turned around. The pilot announced we were headed to Geneva due to broken wing flaps. After a very calm emergency landing, we found ourselves in Geneva, at the airline’s expense, with a day to explore. I headed right to [St. Pierre Cathedral](https://go.dashhouse.com/M1fy?ref=dashhouse.com), the home church of John Calvin, and the [Reformation museum](https://go.dashhouse.com/M1f%5F?ref=dashhouse.com) next door. It was one of my favorite days of the trip, and I didn’t even plan it. And that’s not to mention the short, unplanned half-day we got to spend exploring Zurich on the same trip. Nine days, four amazing European cities. We loved the history, the food, the culture. It’s easy to see why someone might need a bucket list with so much of the world yet to explore. And I suppose it’s okay to keep a list of places you want to explore, dreams you want to pursue — but you don’t need to. The Christian hope is not that we will leave earth, but that we will live as embodied creatures on a renewed earth. In his [excellent book on heaven](https://go.dashhouse.com/E-ky?ref=dashhouse.com), Randy Alcorn quotes Edward Thurneysen: > The world into which we shall enter in the Parousia of Jesus Christ is . . . not another world; it is this world, this heaven, this earth; both, however, passed away and renewed. It is these forests, these fields, these cities, these streets, these people, that will be the scene of redemption. Alcorn goes on to explain: > My understanding of Scripture suggests that the New Earth will include not only resurrected geographical locations but also resurrected cultures. The kings of the nations will bring their tribute, splendor, and glory into the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:24, 26). There will be not one nation but many. This reference gives us biblical basis to suppose that the best culture, history, art, music, and the languages of the old Earth will be redeemed, purified, and carried over to the New Earth. We don’t know exactly what the new earth will be like, but it seems that we’ll have just as much culture to explore then as we do now, except it will be even better. You don’t really need a bucket list. Or maybe, you need a different kind of bucket list: one that stretches into eternity. You will have endless time to enjoy all of God’s renewed creation along with the best of every culture. There will be so much to explore. Who cares if you can’t fit it into our brief lives here? An unexpected side-trip to Geneva was nice, but it’s nothing compared to what’s coming in eternity. ### A Personal Gospel Blessing (Hebrews 13:18-25) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/a-personal-gospel-blessing-hebrews-1320-25/ Last updated: 2024-04-14T22:00:04.000Z **Big Idea:** We need a personal blessing based on the gospel. --- Out of all the beginnings of books of the Bible, I think Hebrews may be my favorite. I admit it’s close. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). That’s really good. Or John 1: > In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:1-5) That is amazing. But I can’t tell you how much I love the beginning of Hebrews: > Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. (Hebrews 1:1-4) Right at the beginning of this letter, you have a soaring statement of who Jesus is. He’s incomparable. He is unique. And that sets the tone for the rest of the letter, which magnifies Jesus and demolishes all alternatives. So there are some great beginnings of books in the Bible, and Hebrews may be my favorite. But there are also some good endings of books in the Bible, and hands down, the ending of Hebrews is my favorite. The writer’s just given a well-reasoned, passionate plea for the church to treasure Christ. The stakes are high. He’s told them over and over that their eternal future’s at stake. How is he going to wrap up his written sermon? As it turns out, he’s going to wrap it up beautifully. Here are the two things I love about it. ## One: It’s personal. Years ago, John Piper wrote a book for pastors called [*Brothers, We Are Not Professionals*](https://go.dashhouse.com/L-Fc?ref=dashhouse.com). Hear his heart: > We pastors are being killed by the professionalizing of the pastoral ministry … Professionalism has nothing to do with the essence and heart of the Christian ministry. The more professional we long to be, the more spiritual death we will leave in our wake. For there is no professional childlikeness (Matt. 18:3); there is no professional tenderheartedness (Eph. 4:32); there is no professional panting after God (Ps. 42:1). Professionals can stand apart from a congregation and speak dispassionately. A true pastor can’t. A true pastor gets personal. And that’s just what you see in this passage. We still don’t know who wrote the book of Hebrews, but we know that they knew, and that it’s someone who cared for them. He wasn’t writing from a professional distance. So he writes: > Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you the sooner. (Hebrews 13:18-19) He writes as someone who needs prayer himself. He doesn’t just want to preach the gospel; he wants a life that’s lived in line with the gospel. And he wants to be with them. Can I just add this as a prayer request for myself? Pray that I never pastor as a professional. Pray that I live what I preach. And pray that I continue to love being with my brothers and sisters in the church. But then he adds a postscript in verses 22 to 25\. He wraps up the letter. He sends an update on Timothy. He sends his greetings. And he blesses them. This is a deeply personal closing written by someone who knows them, loves them, and wants the best for them. These last verses are important to us because they give us some clues about the author and recipients of this letter. But it’s also really valuable because it shows us the heart of the writer. This letter is deeply personal, just like the best ministry is personal. That’s one reason I love the end of this letter. But here’s the other reason I love it. Not only is it personal, but: ## Two: It’s a blessing based on the gospel. We’re going to spend some time on this in the next month, but we need blessing. We need someone who believes the truths of the gospel for us and applies them to our hearts. That’s what we get in this passage. The author crafts a farewell blessing that contains the essential elements of the entire letter. This blessing gives us just what we need to apply the message of the book to our lives. It’s a blessing based on the who, what, how, and why of the gospel. Let me break out this blessing in four categories: who, what, how, and why. ### Who? Christian, who is at work in your life? Here’s who. **The God of peace and power** — The writer prays to “the God of peace” in verse 20\. God is at peace with himself. God is at peace with himself, and he has made peace with us through his Son. The idea if peace here is more than just serenity; it’s deep wellbeing. We don’t live in a world of peace, but we have a God of peace. John Piper says, “Your Father in heaven is a God of peace. He is at peace with himself, and he is at peace with you. He is like a great ocean, calm in himself, and he gave his Son to suffer in our place so that we might have an eternal family of peace.” But he’s also a God of power. He “brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus.” The God who is at work in your life is the same God who raised Jesus from the dead. In fact, Ephesians 1 tells us that the same power is at work in you that was at work in raising Jesus from the dead. But that’s not the only person at work in your life. **The God of peace and power is joined by “our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep.”** So far in this book we’ve seen Jesus as God’s final Word, the creator, our sympathetic high priest, the mediator of a blood-bought covenant, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, and more. But now we see Jesus as the risen shepherd of the sheep. The role of a shepherd is to care for sheep, to lead, guard, and protect them. Jesus is a unique shepherd because he protected his sheep with his life, offering his life for them and triumphing over death in his resurrection. Here’s the blessing that Hebrews wants you to receive: The Father and the Son are at work in you, and they are very good at their work. You are not alone. The God of peace and power and your great shepherd Jesus is at work in your life, and God will not let you go. ### What? That’s the who. Now we get to the what. > Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, *equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight…* (Hebrews 13:20-21) Here’s what God is doing in your life and will continue to do: he will equip you with everything good that you need. God is very resourceful. The idea here is that God will supply everything that’s necessary for you to live the Christian life and please him. There’s the idea of making you complete in this passage. It also has the ideas of mending, restoring, perfecting, and equipping. God is doing all of those things in your life and more. Here we need to admit our utter dependence on God. Calvin said, “We are by no means fit to do good until we are made or formed for the purpose by God, and that we shall not continue long in doing good unless he strengthens us; for perseverance is his peculiar gift.” We need God; we have God, so we have everything we need. We’re in the middle of updating our condo right now. We’re replacing appliances and fixtures and painting. It’s slow. Sometimes it seems like nothing is happening. But it is. God willing, if you come to our place in a month or so, you’ll find that the work has been done. Do you ever feel like the progress is slow in your life? Sure. But make no mistake: God is at work. He could have done his work instantly, but he chose not to. He’s repairing you, equipping you, enabling you, and changing you. He’s providing everything that’s needed. God is doing a work in your life. Who? The God of peace and power, along with your great shepherd. What? He is equipping and enabling you. ### How? How is he doing this? > Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, *by the blood of the eternal covenant*, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, *through Jesus Christ… (Hebrews 13:20-21)* How is God doing all of this? By the blood of the eternal covenant and through Jesus. All throughout Hebrews, the writer’s been talking about the new covenant that’s been enacted through the ministry of Jesus. Now he reminds us: everything flows from this. Everything flows from the renewed heart and personal relationship we have through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Because of Jesus, you have boldness to approach God’s throne. Because of Jesus, you have full and final forgiveness of sins (10:18). You have "eternal salvation” (5:9), “eternal redemption” (9:12), and an “eternal inheritance” (9:15). It’s all about what Jesus has done for you. - Who? The God of peace and power, along with your great shepherd. - What? He is equipping and enabling you. - How? Through Jesus. Finally: ### Why? “….to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” (13:21) Here’s what it’s all about: the glory of our God. “To glorify God is the object of it all” (Spurgeon). Join all the angels and creation in worshiping him. That’s not only what our salvation is for; it’s what all life is for. Jesus atoned for our sins and instituted a new covenant. He deserves all the glory and praise forever. He has shown us his eternal plan of salvation and rain our hearts to him. And so he’s worthy of all praise and glory. After grasping our salvation, it’s the only thing left to do. You have been saved by God for the glory of God, and he made you for his glory. We have the incredible privilege of ascribing all worth to the One who is worthy of all praise. It’s all about his greater glory. And by the way, we do really well when we live for that glory. As one preacher said, “Our ship sails well to his glory” (Kent Hughes). What a great ending to an amazing book. **We need a personal blessing based on the gospel.** We’re meant to personally know that the God of peace and power, along with our great shepherd, is equipping and enabling us through Jesus for his glory. He’s at work in your life. He will not let you go. The writer has just preached this great sermon by writing this great letter, and now he wants to leave us with this personal blessing. Cling to Jesus. Never let go of him. But at the same time, recognize that he’s at work in you. He’s giving you everything you need. He’s completing his work. He’s doing it through Jesus. And he’s doing it for his glory. You will be blessed as you increasingly grasp what God is doing in your life. So, Father, give us eyes to know who you are: the God of peace and power. Help us to see your Son: our great shepherd who died and rose for us. Help us to know what you’re doing: that you’re equipping and enabling us to please you. And help us to grasp what it’s all about: your eternal glory. And Lord, as we grasp these things, keep us close to Jesus. Help us to cling to him forever and never turn our attention to lesser things. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-390/ Last updated: 2024-04-13T09:00:10.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Don’t Confuse Secondary or Tertiary With Unimportant](https://go.dashhouse.com/L%5FKE?ref=dashhouse.com) > The truth is, there are lots of tertiary things that will have a significant impact on your church. [Your Elders Will Fail You](https://go.dashhouse.com/L%5FQG?ref=dashhouse.com) > My elders have fumbled and failed at times. Your elders will too. That does not mean we sweep things under the rug or excuse sin. But we can show grace. [25 Questions a Christian Woman Should Ask Herself When a Man Starts to Show Interest](https://go.dashhouse.com/L%5FQK?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here’s a list of 25 questions we sometimes share with Christian young women who are evaluating the possibility of a relationship with a Christian man who has shown some interest. [New Earth Books](https://go.dashhouse.com/L-J%5F?ref=dashhouse.com) > Most (or all) Christian books written now won’t be written for “new-earth” dwellers since there will be no sin, illness, or anything imperfect to deal with. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [The Pressure’s Off in Ministry](https://go.dashhouse.com/L-ey?ref=dashhouse.com) > The pressure’s off. Play your role, and then go to sleep. God’s at work, and his cause will never fail. ### The First Step to Sin URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-first-steps-to-sin/ Last updated: 2024-05-31T16:13:22.000Z Researchers invited one hundred people to participate in a study. They put participants in pairs. The task: to guess how many coins were in a series of jars. One participant would be shown large images, while the other would see only small, fuzzy images. The person who’d seen the large images would help the person who saw the small, fuzzy images to make good guesses. The more accurate the guess by the person who had seen only the small, fuzzy image, the more both participants would receive. They put the first person — the one who saw the large images — in an MRI machine. The researchers then added a twist: they told that person that the other participant would get rewarded the most for accurate guesses, but that they would get rewarded most if the other person overestimated the amount of coins in the jar. In other words, they incentivized the person who saw the large image to lie. What happened? Most volunteers who saw the large images lied only a little at the start. As the experiment went on, the lies grew. By the end of the study, most volunteers guided the other person to vastly overestimate the number of coins in the jar. When researchers removed the incentive to lie, guesses became more accurate. Because the lying volunteers were in an MRI scanner, researchers were able to measure brain activity. At first, the parts of the brain that signal emotion, such as the amygdale, responded strongly, even though the lies were small. But with each lie, even as the lies grew bigger, researchers observed a reduction in the brain’s response. The more they lied, the easier the lies became. They became habituated liars. The first lie is the hardest. So is the first flirtation with someone who’s not your spouse, the first look at porn, or any other sin. We take a small step, not a big one, but it seems shocking to us that we could do such a thing. Slowly, though, it gets easier. We take bigger and bigger steps. Even though we’re taking bigger steps now, we react even less. Pretty soon, we feel hardly anything at all. Few of us set out to become habitual liars. Nobody wakes up one day and decides to become an adulterer or a porn addict. It happens gradually. The first few steps are hard, but then it gets easier until we hardly feel anything at all. In other words, it’s best not to tell the first lie. It’s best not to take that second glance, or to compromise even one time. The first step’s the hardest, and we can use that fact to our advantage. “Temptation gains power by persistent solicitations that beget thoughts that make evil less serious,” wrote John Owen. We grow comfortable with sin by degrees if we begin to entertain it at all. Cultivate a zero tolerance policy for sin. Nobody is sinless, but that doesn’t mean that we have to make peace with our sin. Don’t settle for a little sin, because once you’ve settled for a little, the door’s open for more, and pretty soon you’ll be overcome with sin while hardly noticing it at all. ### The Greatness of Jesus Applied at Church (Hebrews 13:7-19) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-greatness-of-jesus-applied-at-church-hebrews-137-19/ Last updated: 2024-04-07T22:00:23.000Z **Big Idea:** Jesus calls churches to follow godly leaders, guard their teaching, and suffer like Jesus. --- What is the greatest threat to this church? Years ago, Francis Schaeffer said: > The central problem of our age is not liberalism or modernism, nor the old Roman Catholicism or the new Roman Catholicism, nor the threat of communism, nor even the threat of rationalism and the monolithic consensus which surrounds us. All these are dangerous but not the primary threat. The real problem is this: the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, individually or corporately, tending to do the Lord’s work in the power of the flesh rather than of the Spirit. The central problem is always in the midst of the people of God, not in the circumstances surrounding them. In other words, the greatest threat — not just to the church but to the world — is not out there but in here. The book of Hebrews seems to say the same thing. We’ve been studying Hebrews. As the writer closes his letter, he’s showing us what it looks like to stand firm in Jesus. A few weeks ago, we looked at what it looks like to stand firm in Jesus personally from verses 1 to 6\. We said that the greatness of Jesus leads us to love, sexual purity, and contentment. But now we’re looking at what it looks like to stand firm in Jesus not just personally but as a church. This church faced serious threats from outside the church. Christians were facing persecution and imprisonment for their faith in Christ. They faced real dangers out there. You would think that the greatest danger they faced was out there. But they faced another set of dangers too, not out there but within the church. And that’s what this passage is about. Do you want to be a church that stands firm in Jesus? Here are three dangers from within and three actions we can take to neutralize them. ## One: Lack of Trust in Leaders (13:7, 17) The first problem is one that we may recognize, because it was common back then, just as it is now. We’re reading between the lines a little, but the writer addresses a problem that seems to have existed in that church: a lack of trust in leaders. That’s why he speaks to their relationship they have with former and current leaders. Listen to what he says in verse 7: > Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. (13:7) Here, the writer’s probably talking about their previous leaders. It seems they were no longer at the church. They may have already died. When he says to remember them, he’s not just saying to bring them to mind. He’s talking about remembering them in a way that affects how you live today. They taught God’s word faithfully. They showed you what it means to follow God. Consider them and how they lived, and continue to learn from them. Allow their example to shape their lives. Remember your leaders from the past. And then, in verses 17, he brackets the passage with another command. This time it’s about the church’s current leaders: > Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. Here’s what he’s saying: remember and imitate your past leaders, and obey and submit to your present leaders. Reading between the lines, it seems that this is something that some within the church were struggling to do. Let’s think about what this means before we apply it. The words obey and submit are very important here. They don’t imply blind followership. Obey means to obey with the connotation of being persuaded that the course of action is correct. Submit is also a unique word. It’s the only time this particular word occurs in the New Testament. It means to yield to another. In other words, these are not bullying words. As Jonathan Leeman observes, submission is never absolute and always has limits. In other words, the writer is not saying to do whatever the leaders say. He is saying to cultivate a general disposition of trust and submission to its leaders. I love how John Piper puts it: > Hebrews 13:17 means that a church should have a bent toward trusting its leaders; you should have a disposition to be supportive in your attitudes and actions toward their goals and directions; you should want to imitate their faith; and you should have a happy inclination to comply with their instructions. > Now you can hear that these are all soft expressions: “a bent toward trusting,” “a disposition to support,” “a wanting to imitate,” “an inclination to comply.” What those phrases are meant to do is capture both sides of the Biblical truth, namely, 1) that elders are fallible and should not lord it over the flock, and 2) the flock should follow good leadership. Let me talk about what this looks like here.. Sometimes I look around at this church and wonder: how did we get to be a church like this? I feel so grateful to be part of this church. Reflecting on verse 7, I have to say: God blessed this church through the leaders who shaped it God used Julian, Nabil, and Paul to shape this church into what it is today. And so verse 7 is very appropriate to us today: Remember them. Consider the outcome of their way of life. Imitate their faith. In other words, take the good that came from their ministry and continue to incorporate it into the DNA of the church. Just because these three men are no longer here at GFC doesn’t mean that we can’t take what they gave us and carry it into the future. Take their love of God’s word and their heart for hospitality, and continue to pursue those things as we carry on. At the same time, what about our current leaders? Verse 17 says: joyfully follow them too. God has given us elders: Brad, Keith, Nick, Jason, and myself. Cultivate trust in the leaders God has given to this church. Not because they’re perfect. They aren’t! Not because they won’t make mistakes. We will! But because a general disposition of happy trust in godly leaders is not only good for the leaders, but it’s good for everyone. It’s a virtuous cycle: Happy sheep make for happy shepherds, and happy shepherds make for happy sheep. Everyone wins. Verse 17 talks about the burden of leadership. You don’t know it until you experience it. To serve as an elder or a pastor is a very weighty thing. Every elder will one day give account to God for how they cared for the church. So don’t make their job harder by not cultivating the right spirit toward them!Cultivate a heart that’s inclined to follow your leaders. Human nature tends to view leaders with suspicion. Don’t fall into that trap. Cultivate a bent to trusting your leaders, because that will not only make their serious job easier, but it will be better for you too. As [Jared Wilson](https://go.dashhouse.com/6voS?ref=dashhouse.com) puts it: > It is my goal now, for as long as God would have me simply as a sheep and not a shepherd, to be as low-maintenance as I can manage for my church. When my pastor sees me coming … I want him not to inwardly sigh or tense up or have to marshal some extra patience or energy but to relax a little, smile, and feel safe… > Good church folks love, respect, and submit to their pastors. > This does not mean idolizing them, treating them like celebrities, or becoming yes-men. It doesn’t mean becoming our pastor’s rubber stamp committee. But it does mean giving grace not just to your fellow sheep but also to your shepherds. In fact, they may need more, as the responsibilities they carry are more burdensome and they will have to give a greater account before God. Submitting to your leaders means repenting of the impulse to “yes, but” everything they say, especially if what they say isn’t sinful. In matters of differences of opinion, it means being circumspect in how we voice our own. > …How can we work toward our leaders’ joy and not their anxiety? It’s no advantage to us to be a nagging pain to our pastors. They will have to give an account for how they pastored us. And we’ll have to give an account for how well we presented ourselves to be pastored. What’s the first danger we face? Not trusting our leaders. What’s the solution? Follow your leaders. Cultivate trust in them. Let’s keep the best from our past leaders, and let’s cultivate a willingness to follow good leaders. That’s the first danger and the first way to counter that danger. Here’s the second danger:. ## Second: False Teaching (13:8-10) This is the second danger the church back then faced, and it’s one we face today too. Read verses 8 to 10: > Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. The writer’s just spoken of the church’s past leaders in verse 7\. In verse 8, he says: stick to their teaching. Jesus hasn’t changed, so don’t go looking for new teachings. The leaders of this church may change, circumstances may change, but Jesus and his gospel will never change, so the same message that has been preached in this church since day one should be the message that continues today. Stick close to the gospel teaching that formed the church. That preaching is as relevant today as it was back then. The writer warns against “diverse and strange teachings.” If someone ever comes in with a new message, watch out! There should be a reassuring unoriginality in what’s preached. We don’t need new truths; we need to be reminded of the truths that have been taught by the church over thousands of years. Our job is to guard what we’ve been given in Scripture and passed down. What exactly is the false teaching he warns against? In their case, it probably had to do with dietary laws and feasts from Judaism. They were tempted to abandon Christ and to go back to Judaism. But he’s just spent the whole letter arguing that Jesus is better. Don’t leave Jesus for false teaching. You won’t get what you’re looking for! When you come to Jesus, you find grace, he says. You don’t get that from any kind of food or any other kind of teaching, so stick to Jesus. Don’t trade him for anything new. This is a second threat from inside the church. Satan likes to infiltrate the church and to introduce false teaching within it. One of the greatest problems the church faces isn’t attacks out there but corruption of the truth from within. Don’t let it happen here. Paul warned, “Fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them” (Acts 20:29-30). What did he say to do? Stay alert! That’s the same thing the writer of Hebrews says. Don’t be led astray. Make sure that what’s being taught here is the same Scriptural message that’s been passed down faithfully from Jesus, the good news of what Jesus has done. Don’t get led away by anything else. What are the dangers we face? - Lack of trust in leaders, so cultivate an attitude of trust in them - False teaching, so refuse to be led away from truth Here’s the third and final danger that we face in this passage: ## Third: The Desire for Respectability (13:11-14). > For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Here’s the final danger they faced: they wanted the approval of others. They wanted to be accepted. They wanted to be respectable. Following Jesus meant that they faced criticism and social pressure. And if they really cared what people thought, then it made it hard for them to follow Jesus. Just like today. Stand up and say that you’re a Christian, and people may look at you funny. You follow a Savior who was crucified and despised by the world. You believe some crazy things according to the world’s way of thinking. You’re one of those people? You may find yourself outside the circle of respectability. Just like Jesus, the writer says. Leviticus 16:27 described what happened on the Day of Atonement: “The bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place, shall be carried outside the camp.” So when Jesus made a sacrifice for his sins, he offered himself outside the camp. He was taken outside of Jerusalem, rejected and despised by his own people. Jesus suffered outside the camp; we have the privilege of joining him there. What’s the greatest threat to the church? It’s not out there; it’s in here. There are outside threats, but some of the greatest threats we face are the threats that will spring up from within. So: - Don’t distrust your leaders. Cultivate a general attitude of trust in them. - Don’t get led away by false teaching. Cling to the truth of Scripture about Jesus. - Don’t desire respectability. Follow Jesus outside the camp. **Jesus calls churches to follow godly leaders, guard their teaching, and suffer like Jesus.** That’s what it looks like, in practical terms, to stand firm with Jesus as a church. With God’s help, we can resist these dangers. With God’s help, we can cling to him because Jesus truly is above all, and he’s worth it. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-389/ Last updated: 2024-04-06T09:00:41.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [The Case for Holy Obstinacy](https://go.dashhouse.com/LuJP?ref=dashhouse.com) > An often overlooked element of Christian witness is holy stubbornness—the unbending refusal to go along with what the world says, no matter the cultural pressures or ramifications. [7 Tips for Reading the Book of Revelation](https://go.dashhouse.com/LuRa?ref=dashhouse.com) > As I’ve grown as a reader of Revelation, I’ve found the seven suggestions below invaluable. [In a Scrolling World, Are We Numb to the Resurrection’s Shock?](https://go.dashhouse.com/LuKM?ref=dashhouse.com) > Why are we numb to the resurrection’s shock and seemingly bored by history’s biggest event? [Pray for Your Pastor](https://go.dashhouse.com/LuJn?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are 15 things to pray for your pastors/elders/bishops. [Dealing with Criticism as a Preacher or Teacher](https://go.dashhouse.com/LuK4?ref=dashhouse.com) > While painful, criticism can actually bring great profit to preachers. The bruising can produce blessing — if we respond well. And the starting place for a healthy response to criticism involves developing a biblical view of correction. [5 Symptoms of False Humility](https://go.dashhouse.com/LuKC?ref=dashhouse.com) > While humility is a virtue we should celebrate and encourage, it’s essential to recognize how we may be expressing false humility. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [The Power and Danger of Habits](https://go.dashhouse.com/LvL-?ref=dashhouse.com) > Develop habits without becoming habituated to the beauty and glory of the gospel. ### A Jewish Rabbi, Emotional Sabotage, and Non-Anxious Pastoral Ministry URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/a-jewish-rabbi-emotional-sabotage-and-non-anxious-pastoral-ministry/ Last updated: 2024-05-31T16:13:40.000Z I met with a friend for lunch. When I mentioned the difficulties I encountered in ministry, he emphasized the significance of maintaining a non-anxious presence. "What does it mean to have a non-anxious presence?" I asked. “Tell me more.” It turns out he’d been reading Edwin Friedman’s book [*A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix*](https://go.dashhouse.com/Lqwz?ref=dashhouse.com). In fact, he said it was the best leadership book he’d read. I picked up the book too and found it to be a helpful resource for pastoral ministry. [![](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2024/04/failure-of-nerve-1.jpg)](https://go.dashhouse.com/Lqwz?ref=dashhouse.com) ## The Basics Friedman was an ordained rabbi, family therapist, and management consultant. Despite his background, his book has become popular among church leaders. He based *A Failure of Nerve* on the [Bowen systems theory of the family](https://go.dashhouse.com/Lqx4?ref=dashhouse.com). His key ideas include: - Crisis in leadership doesn’t come from a lack of information, skills, or techniques. It comes from a failure of nerve. In other words, leaders often choose safety and conflict avoidance over doing what’s right. - Organizations and groups are emotional systems, just like families. Leaders must understand and navigate these emotional dynamics. - Part of an organization’s emotional system is emotional sabotage: unhealthy behaviors that can often become patterns. - Effective leadership requires emotional maturity, self-differentiation, and the ability to remain calm and non-anxious in the face of anxiety. There’s lots more, of course, but these are the basics. I found some of these principles helpful in my own ministry. I found it challenging to implement these concepts and to integrate them within a Christian framework. However, I did realize the essential role of courage in leadership, as well as the importance of identifying unhealthy patterns within the congregation and learning how to take a principled stand while maintaining meaningful connections with others. I still have my dog-eared copy of *A Failure of Nerve* in my library, even after I purged most of my books. ## Applying Friedman to the Church I first read *A Failure of Nerve* [in 2010](https://www.dashhouse.com/2010810the-best-leadership-book-you-havent-read-html/). Since then, two books have helped to popularize his teaching for evangelicals. First, Mark Sayers wrote [*A Non-Anxious Presence: How a Changing and Complex World will Create a Remnant of Renewed Christian Leaders*](https://go.dashhouse.com/A4DC?ref=dashhouse.com) in 2022\. “Leaders who wish to be a non-anxious presence must keep their nerve and push through the backlash, sabotage, betrayal from friends and colleagues, criticism, and emotional pain, and keep growing toward the higher vision in a non-anxious way,” he wrote. [![](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2024/04/non-anxious-presence.jpg)](https://go.dashhouse.com/A4DC?ref=dashhouse.com) More recently, Joe Rigney has written [*Leadership and Emotional Sabotage: Resisting the Anxiety That Will Wreck Your Family, Destroy Your Church, and Ruin the World*](https://go.dashhouse.com/LqxT?ref=dashhouse.com). [![](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2024/04/leadership-emotional-sabotage.jpg)](https://go.dashhouse.com/LqxT?ref=dashhouse.com) Rigney writes: > As much as I appreciate Friedman, his theology and anthropology are lacking in some significant ways. He advocates a form of process theology, and his commitment to evolutionary biology is apparent throughout the book. As a result, readers have to wade through piles of dodgy theology and evolutionary gobbledygook in order to get the good stuff. What’s more, Friedman tends to operate with a specialized clinical vocabulary that often requires translation into more biblical language. What Friedman calls “self-differentiation with a non-anxious presence,” the Bible calls “sober-mindedness.” What Friedman calls “reactivity,” the Bible calls “passions.” “People-pleasing” and “fear of man” are the biblical terms for what Friedman calls “herding.” And so on. > This book is my attempt to do justice to Friedman’s insights while grounding them in the Scriptures, and extending and applying them in the home, the church, and the world. While it’s usually helpful to read the source material, Rigney’s book is a clear and helpful guide to applying Friedman’s concepts within a biblical worldview. I highly recommend it for pastors. I’m grateful for Friedman’s insights. We live in an incredibly anxious age. Many approaches to leadership focus on finding the right techniques rather than on courage and wisdom. Friedman has much to teach us. Whether you read *A Failure of Nerve* or one of the more recent books, I think you’ll find his insights helpful for pastoral ministry in an anxious age. ### Suffering Leads to Glory (Psalm 22:22-31) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/suffering-leads-to-glory-psalm-2222-31/ Last updated: 2024-04-01T22:02:32.000Z **Big Idea:** The resurrection means that Jesus is vindicated, you are included, and that God’s church will keep growing. --- If you were here last week, you know that the first part of Psalm 22 is anything but happy. Psalm 22 is the cry of a righteous person who is suffering for no fault of their own. It is intense. The psalmist feels abandoned and ignored by God, and taunted and despised by people. It’s a heartbreaking cry for God to listen. After describing his anguish, the psalmist cries out: > But you, O LORD, do not be far off! > you my help, come quickly to my aid! > Deliver my soul from the sword, > my precious life from the power of the dog! > Save me from the mouth of the lion! > You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen! > (Psalm 22:19–21) Why is this psalm in the Bible? For one reason, because this is our experience sometimes. Sometimes we will suffer innocently. Sometimes we will feel abandoned and ignored by God, and taunted and despised by people. Sometimes we’ll cry out to God to pay attention to our cries. This psalm gives language to how you may feel at some point in your life. “Lament is the honest cry of a hurting heart wrestling with the paradox of pain and the promise of God’s goodness” (Mark Vroegop). It’s given because you may one day need the words of this psalmist. But there’s another reason Psalm 22 is in the Bible. It’s in the Bible because it so accurately describes the suffering of Jesus, the ultimate innocent sufferer. It describes his anguish on the cross, so much so that as he hung on the cross he quoted, verbatim, the words of this psalm (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34). Not only that, but other details in this psalm show up on the day that Jesus was crucified. Close your eyes and read verses 16 to 18, and you would think the psalmist is describing the crucifixion of Jesus: > For dogs encompass me; > a company of evildoers encircles me; > they have pierced my hands and feet— > I can count all my bones— > they stare and gloat over me; > they divide my garments among them, > and for my clothing they cast lots. As one scholar says of this psalm, “More than any other passage of Scripture it penetrates into the actual suffering of our crucified Lord” (Alec Motyer). But here’s the other reason why I think this psalm is in the Bible. It’s in the Bible because it helps us understand not just the crucifixion of Jesus but the resurrection of Jesus. Written a thousand years before Easter Sunday, this psalm helps us understand what happened on that first Easter when Jesus rose from the dead. We’re not guessing when we say this. Hebrews 2:11-12 applies this second part of this psalm to Jesus. In other words, if you want to understand all the events surrounding the death and resurrection of Jesus and what it means for us today, you couldn’t do any better than to look at this psalm. It’s a portrait of the death and triumph of our Savior. In verse 21, something happens: > Save me from the mouth of the lion! > You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen! In verse 21, the innocent sufferer is rescued from God. The rest of this psalm describes what happened. It tells us that the resurrection means three things: ## First, the resurrection means that Jesus is vindicated (22:22-24) Read verses 22 to 24\. The psalmist says: > I will tell of your name to my brothers; > in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: > You who fear the LORD, praise him! > All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, > and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! > For he has not despised or abhorred > the affliction of the afflicted, > and he has not hidden his face from him, > but has heard, when he cried to him. On the cross, Jesus bore God’s wrath against the sins we committed. He willingly offered his life to make full payment for our sins. How do we know that the payment was sufficient, that God was satisfied with Jesus’ work? Because, as verse 24 says, God didn’t despise or abhor the affliction of Jesus. He hasn’t hidden his face from Jesus. He heard Jesus’ prayer and vindicated him by raising him from the dead. Jesus’ resurrection is a sign that God heard Jesus’ prayers on the cross and rescued him, that he didn’t despise or abhor what Jesus did on the cross. 1 Timothy 3:16 speaks of his resurrection this way: “He was manifested in the flesh, *vindicated* by the Spirit…” As one theologian writes: > …Christ’s resurrection says something. It is the announcement of his justification. He was vindicated of all the unjust verdicts against him, and he was vindicated with reference to his death, as he said, for sinners. He said he would give his life a ransom for many. He said he would give his life for the sheep. He said that by his death he would effect their forgiveness and bring them into fellowship with God. He said that in his death he would accomplish salvation for his people. And now in his resurrection God publicly announces that it is so. ([Fred Zaspel](https://go.dashhouse.com/LVft?ref=dashhouse.com)) To put it differently, Jesus wrote a cheque with his death, and on Easter Sunday that cheque cleared the bank. You can know that God accepted Jesus’ work at the cross because he raised Jesus from the dead. Do you ever doubt if Jesus’ death was sufficient to atone for your sins? God doesn’t, so you don’t have to either. The resurrection is proof that Jesus did the work that he set out to accomplish at the cross, and that work is sufficient for your need and mine, that God was satisfied with what Jesus accomplished at the cross. God heard Jesus’ cries at the cross and vindicated him, just as he will vindicate everyone who trusts in him. The resurrection resulted in vindication for Jesus. But that’s not all: ## Second, the resurrection means that you’re included (2:25-26) I love verses 25-26: > From you comes my praise in the great congregation; > my vows I will perform before those who fear him. > The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; > those who seek him shall praise the LORD! > May your hearts live forever! As the righteous sufferer is vindicated, he comes to worship God because he knows that God has delivered him. He brings a thank-offering that he’d vowed when he was in trouble. Here’s the way a thank-offering worked, according to Leviticus. A third was given to God. A third was given to the priests. And a third was used for a thanksgiving feast for you, your family, and your friends. The idea was to promote generosity and hospitality as a way of rejoicing in God’s goodness and strengthening yourself and others as you marked God’s grace in answering your prayer. And so the psalmist does this. He takes part of his sacrifice of thanks and invites others to join him. And who does he invite? Verse 26 tells us: the afflicted, and those who seek the Lord. As he gives thanks to Yahweh for delivering him, he throws a celebration, and who does he invite? Widows, poor, and the orphans in the community. It’s not just the righteous sufferer who gets to benefit from God delivering him; the afflicted benefit too. This is good news for anyone who feels poor and afflicted. Hebrews 2:11 takes verse 22 of this Psalm and says that we are part of the congregation that gets to celebrate the victory of Jesus over sin and death. Jesus’ vindication is good news for you and for me. Hebrews 2:11 says in relation to this psalm that Jesus is not ashamed to call us his brothers. Do you know what this means? Jesus’ victory means that we — even those of us who are struggling — we get included in Jesus’ victory over death. We have a place in the party. The benefits of Jesus’ victory aren’t just for the deserving and those who have everything together. The blessings of Easter are for everyone, especially for those who need good news. “What God has done for his suffering Servant will become a blessing to rich and poor, powerful and helpless” (Michael Wilcox). You’re included! You’re invited, even if you’re afflicted. As Spurgeon says, ”None are excluded from the sweep of this precious promise, provided they are really seekers.” Again, “The spiritually poor find a feast in Jesus, they feed upon him to the satisfaction of their hearts; they were famished until he gave himself for them, but now they are filled with royal dainties.” Easter means that Jesus is vindicated. It also means that you’re included. Anyone is who wants in. All the benefits of Jesus’ resurrection are available to you. Easter means one more thing. ## Finally, Easter means that God’s church will keep growing (22:27-31) How many people followed Jesus when he died? Not many. His disciples all abandoned him. A few women remained faithful. A few men buried him. If Jesus had stayed dead, I doubt many would be following him today. But what happened then? 1 Corinthians 15 tells us: > …he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. (1 Corinthians 15:5-8) Slowly, at first, people encountered the resurrected Jesus and believed. And then, after Jesus ascended to heaven, the number kept growing. One scholar writes: > …improbably, the movement was growing. In number, size, and geographical spread, churches were expanding without any of the probable prerequisites for church growth. The early Christians noted this with wonder and attributed it to the patient work of God … God used not influential or powerful people but obscure fishers and hunters to achieve a huge end … was uncoordinated, it was unpredictable, and it seemed unstoppable. (Alan Kreider) And it continues today. Today, the good news of Jesus has spread throughout the whole world. You are one of hundreds of millions of believers around the world who are part of those Jesus has redeemed. And the number keeps growing, especially in places like Africa and Asia, even in places like Iran where you’ll be persecuted if you become a Christian. God is growing his church. And it’s just what this psalm predicted. > All the ends of the earth shall remember > and turn to the LORD, > and all the families of the nations > shall worship before you. > For kingship belongs to the LORD, > and he rules over the nations. > All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; > before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, > even the one who could not keep himself alive. > Posterity shall serve him; > it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; > they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, > that he has done it. > (Psalm 22:27–31) God is saving a people for himself. Psalm 22 predicts the expanding proclamation of the gospel, and the growing and triumphant Christian church from a few to a great assembly to people who are yet to be born — untold generations to the end of time. You and I — all those who have trusted Christ and are part of his church — are included in that number. You are part of an ever-expanding congregation of saints who stand in worship before our King today and will worship him forever. And he’s not done yet. **The resurrection means that Jesus is vindicated, you are included, and that God’s church will keep growing.** What is left for us to do? Trust him. Come to the resurrected Jesus. He will receive you. Join the growing congregation of people who will worship before him and tell to coming generations about the goodness of our Lord. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-388/ Last updated: 2024-03-30T09:00:09.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [The Christian’s Hope Isn’t Complete without a Bodily Resurrection](https://go.dashhouse.com/LmKC?ref=dashhouse.com) > The future will be bodily glory. Our future will be bodily life. And therefore, Christians have this kind of hope to help them persevere. [How (and How Not) to Fight Sin](https://go.dashhouse.com/LhTl?ref=dashhouse.com) > How should we fight sin and temptation? [An Open Letter to the Church Member Hurt by Their Local Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/LkG-?ref=dashhouse.com) > Every church family hurts people one way or another. What the Lord has done is to arm us with wise, Christ-honoring habits of response. [The Awakening We Need](https://go.dashhouse.com/LmKE?ref=dashhouse.com) > Revival is a mighty surge of Spirit-given help for weak Christians like all of us. [Don’t Give Up on Physical Bibles](https://go.dashhouse.com/LhTo?ref=dashhouse.com) > Holding a physical Bible in our laps during worship has unique benefits. [What (Not) to Preach](https://go.dashhouse.com/LhTm?ref=dashhouse.com) > After wrestling hard with our text — and grasping its meaning in its context, in Christian theology, and in our lives — how do we decide what gold to leave on the cutting-room floor? [5 Preaching Tips from the Puritans](https://go.dashhouse.com/LkH8?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are five markers of Puritan preaching that can help you be a more faithful expositor and applier of God’s Word. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Just a Pastor](https://go.dashhouse.com/Lo2J?ref=dashhouse.com) > Sometimes I’m tempted to want to be more than I am, but when I’m thinking straight, I’m glad I’m just a pastor. ### Every Pastor I Know Struggles With One of These URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/every-pastor-i-know-struggles-with-one-of-these/ Last updated: 2024-05-31T16:13:58.000Z Every pastor I know struggles with one of two temptations. ### The first temptation is a poor work ethic. One pastor I knew was paid full-time, but told me that he had found a way to do his job in about four hours, including worship services. He told me that he parked the car in the church parking lot, turned on the lights of his office, and took a bus to watch movies during the day. That pastor may have been a little extreme, but I’ve met other lazy pastors: ones who are unaccountable with their time and take advantage of the freedom that their role offers in ways that lack integrity. Pastors should be known as faithful stewards of the resources God gives them, including time. When Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, he spoke of his hard work. “For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God” (1 Thessalonians 2:9). He spoke of the value of hard work in ministry (1 Corinthians 15:10; Colossians 4:13; 2 Timothy 2:6). If we’re going to make progress in our ministries, it’s going to require immersing ourselves in the work of ministry (1 Timothy 4:15). Some pastors struggle with a poor work ethic, and will have to give account to God for not working hard enough in ministry. ### The second temptation is overwork. While some pastors struggle with a poor work ethic, more pastors seem to struggle with overwork. They skip sabbaths and run ragged, working at an unsustainable pace. Some may brag about cutting corners, but more pastors tend to brag about ignoring their families and health to work hard in ministry. This kind of pastor wins approval from others because of their commitment to ministry. But this, too, is a form of laziness. In his classic book [*The Contemplative Pastor*](https://go.dashhouse.com/Lhe0?ref=dashhouse.com), Eugene Peterson wrote: > “The poor man,” we say. “He’s so devoted to his flock: the work is endless, and he sacrifices himself so unstintingly.” But the Word busy is the symptom not of commitment but of betrayal. It is not devotion but defection. The adjective busy set as a modifier to pastor should sound to our ears like adulterous to characterize a wife or embezzling to describe a banker. It is an outrageous scandal, a blasphemous affront.” Later: > I am busy because I am vain. I want to appear important. Significant. What better way than to be busy? The incredible hours, the crowded schedule, and heavy demands on my time are proof to myself-and to all who will notice- that I am important. > I am busy because I am lazy. I indolently let others decide what I will do instead of resolutely deciding myself. I let people who do not understand the work of the pastor write the agenda for my day’s work because I am too slipshod to write it myself. The pastor is a shadow figure in these people’s minds, a marginal person vaguely connected with matters of God and good will. Anything remotely religious of somehow well-intentioned can be properly assigned to the pastor. Overwork may be more socially acceptable than not working hard enough, but it works against the healthy soul needed to be an effective pastor. As I say, I don’t know a single pastor who doesn’t struggle with one of these two tendencies. In light of this, every pastor should know which temptation is more powerful for them. Be especially wary of the second, because, to paraphrase [Jerry Bridges](https://go.dashhouse.com/Lhe5?ref=dashhouse.com), it’s a more respectable temptation that may win you praise. Then, once you know your particular temptation, put measures in place to counteract it. Confess your temptation to others. Enlist their help. Put boundaries around your work. Know when to work hard, and when to rest. The world needs healthy pastors who work hard but know how to rest. Nobody gets there by accident. For the sake of the work that’s been entrusted to you, avoid the twin dangers of a poor work ethic and overwork. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-387/ Last updated: 2024-03-23T09:00:27.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Preachers, Aspire to Be Relentlessly Interesting](https://go.dashhouse.com/LfUd?ref=dashhouse.com) > I want it to be hard for a listener *not* to pay attention, because the sermon is so interesting it continues to pull them back toward the text. [Pastoring is Tortoise Work: A Lesson for the Young and Aspiring](https://go.dashhouse.com/Lf9P?ref=dashhouse.com) > Alongside your study of Scripture, theology, preaching, and ministry methods, befriend patience also. [Six Responsibilities for the Elders of Every Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/Lgut?ref=dashhouse.com) > What is the job description of an elder or of an elder’s board? [Why We Still Need People for Church Plants in Hard Places](https://go.dashhouse.com/LgDE?ref=dashhouse.com) > The reality is that nicer places have far more churches on the whole and so that a key priority for Christians and the church is to invest not just prayer and money in hard places, but people. [3 Parts of the Law: A Case for Continuity of the Moral Law](https://go.dashhouse.com/Ldaz?ref=dashhouse.com) > What should Christians do with the Old Testament law? Is it still binding on us? If so, which parts? And how do we know? [In the Beginning, Paul: How the Apostle Applies Genesis 1–2](https://go.dashhouse.com/Ldak?ref=dashhouse.com) > Joy *and* hope *come from reading Genesis 1 through Paul’s eyes and seeing how he applies it to struggling churches.* My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Prepare for the Last Ten Years of Your Ministry](https://go.dashhouse.com/LffM?ref=dashhouse.com) > I used to be a young pastor. That’s why I was a little nervous when an older pastor started attending the church where I served — not just any older pastor, but a legend. ### Buddy’s Rescue URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/buddys-rescue/ Last updated: 2024-03-19T09:00:19.000Z Buddy was the rescue dog I wasn’t sure I wanted. It was my idea. I sent my family to the pound to see if they had any black labs. I figured they wouldn’t, but they did — a Labrador-retriever, to be precise. Buddy came home to join our elderly lapdog who was nearing her end. It didn’t take long for us to regret bringing Buddy home. I don’t know what happened to Buddy before we got him, but he made life difficult. He scratched up doors. He broke through cages. He destroyed our carpet and part of a computer. He was going through money we didn’t have, and our patience was getting thin. I saw a drawing my young son made on a blackboard. It was a sketch of a dog, covered with an X. I had to agree. That summer, we went camping near Ithaca. We weren’t allowed to leave dogs unattended on our site, so I tied him outside a store while we picked up some food. When I got out, Buddy was gone. We never did find him on that trip. The dog pound didn’t take him. We returned home without that dog. I wasn’t done, though. I made up some posters. “Stolen!” they read with a picture of the dog. I mailed them to every veterinarian and dog pound in the area, but didn’t think I’d hear anything back. And then, a couple weeks later, I did. “Your dog is here,” she said. The person who’d taken the dog had showed up at a veterinarian’s clinic. They scanned the microchip, and the information matched. They’d found Buddy. “Here’s where you can find him,” she said, before giving me the address. I phoned the police. The police picked up the dog. I hopped in the car and drove to Ithaca. “Purpose of your trip?” the border agent asked. “Don’t bother asking,” I felt like saying, but I didn’t. “I’m going to retrieve a stolen dog.” The border agent looked at me and waved me through. Nobody could make up a story like that. Buddy and I got along famously after that. What changed? There’s something about losing something that makes you realize its value. Jesus told stories about people who lost valuable things — money and animals — and went to desperate lengths to find them (Luke 15). Even more valuable than a lost coin or animal is a lost person, and there’s a lot of joy when you get that person back. My dog is long gone. He lived a number of years with us before getting sick and dying. I miss him. He turned out to be a good dog after all. I think of him sometimes. The dog I didn’t want became the dog I desperately wanted back again. And if the return of a dog mattered that much to me, how much more is the return of a person to God even better? God cares about lost things too. Lost people. And because God cares, we should too. It’s a pretty good thing to see someone who matters so much to God come home. ### The Greatness of Jesus Applied (Hebrews 13:1-6) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-greatness-of-jesus-applied-hebrews-131-6/ Last updated: 2024-03-17T22:00:18.000Z **Big Idea:** The greatness of Jesus leads us to love, sexual purity, and contentment. --- Last week, someone asked me why I chose Hebrews as my first series here. I responded: I thought it would be good to begin with a book that’s so Jesus-centered. I agree with the British preacher Charles Spurgeon who said: > Of all I would wish to say this is the sum; my brethren, PREACH CHRIST, always and evermore. He is the whole gospel. His person, offices, and work must be our great, all-comprehending theme. The world needs to be told of its Savior, and of the way to reach him … Blessed is the ministry of which CHRIST IS ALL. That’s what we want for this church. It’s certainly what I want my ministry to be all about. I hope you’ve enjoyed Hebrews as much as I have. This week marks a switch in the letter, though, as we come to the final chapter. Chapter after chapter, the writer has been arguing: Jesus is better, so endure. Jesus is better than prophets, angels, Moses, Joshua, Aaron and the Levitical priesthood. He’s a better *prophet* though whom God declared his word, a better *priest* who accomplished the perfect work of redemption, and a better *king* who sits enthroned. He’s a better high priest, covenant, sacrifice, and a better rest. Don’t abandon Jesus for anything, because nothing is as good as Jesus. Because he is incomparably great, stand firm in him even in difficult times. Then we get to chapter 13, and the writer is going to show us what it looks like to stand firm in Jesus. Once we understand Jesus is better, how does that affect how we live? He covers two areas: our personal lives, and our church lives. We’re going to return to how to stand firm in Jesus as a church in a few weeks, but today we’ll ask: what does it look like to stand firm in Jesus in our personal lives? What difference does it make in our day-to-day living when we comprehend that Jesus is incomparably great? What does it look like to follow God as we come to Mount Zion, as we looked at last week? The answer in this passage comes back: it’s going to look very practical. In this passage, he describes what it looks like to trust Jesus’ work for us and to walk with him. What he describes here is what all of us when we turn from trusting out own goodness and trust what Christ has done to save sinners, and then endure in walking with him too. Three things: **the greatness of Jesus leads us to love, sexual purity, and contentment.** ## First, the greatness of Jesus leads us to love (13:1-3) > Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. (13:1-3) How does the greatness of Jesus show up in our lives? It shows up in the way that we love our fellow believers. This always seems to come first in Scripture. One of the surest ways to measure whether our lives have been changed by the greatness of Christ is how much we love other Christians. Loving others is an outflow of the love that God has shown us. Genuine Christians are characterized by love for their Christian brothers and sisters. And love isn’t just an abstract idea here. Bob Goff was right when we wrote a book called [*Love Does*](https://go.dashhouse.com/LVLd?ref=dashhouse.com). Love isn’t just something we feel. Love shows up through the actions we take. The writer mentions two in particular: ### Hospitality (13:2) “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Here’s what he’s saying: the greatness of Jesus leads us to invite strangers into our homes. Hospitality means making strangers welcome in your home, making them feel as if they’re friends. That sounds strange, so let’s back up. When we travel, I check Hotwire and TripAdvisor for hotel deals. And I check reviews. I’m looking for that sweet spot in the Venn diagram: great room, good location, affordable price. Once in a while I find it, and then I’m pretty happy with my purchase. Traveling back then wasn’t so easy. “First-century inns were notoriously immoral, unhygienic and expensive” (Raymond Brown). Christian travelers would need a place to stay, and so the writer presents the solution: invite them into your home. Use your home to serve other believers, because they’re not strangers. They’re your family. When I was a kid, I visited my father in England. My mother put me and my sister on an airplane so we could see my father for five weeks. I arrived in England at the age of 12 with my little sister. I knew exactly one person in the entire country: my father. And I wasn’t exactly sure I could count on him. I remember visiting a church in Margate. On that Sunday, I sat amongst strangers in a country in which I didn’t know anybody. I was only 12 but I could finally relax. Why? Because those people were my family. I didn’t know any of them, but I knew that I had family there, and if I needed, I could count on them to come to my aid and invite me into their homes. That’s what the writer is talking about. If you’re a Christian, you have family everywhere. You can show up almost anywhere in the world and know you have brothers and sisters who have your back. Even though they don’t know you yet, of course you’re welcome in their home because that’s what family does for each other. And so the writer reminds them, when a Christian brother or sister shows up, and you don’t know them, treat them like family. Have them over. Put them up if they need it. Meet their needs. Open your home. We have better hotels today, but the need for Christian hospitality is still there. We’re living through what some call a loneliness epidemic. I’ve talked to people recently who feel under-connected. We live compartmentalized lives. Our homes can be powerful tools we can use to love others. It’s such an important part of the Christian life that Paul says you can’t lead in the church if you’re not known as someone who has people into your home. Let me ask you: how many people could describe the inside of your home? How many can describe your cooking? “Are there any people you have entertained simply because you were looking on them as brothers and sisters in the family of God and have sought to minister to their loneliness or need for encouragement and support?” (Richard D. Phillips). This is a sign that we understand the greatness of Jesus. The writer refers to Abraham entertaining angels in Genesis 18\. I don’t think he’s saying that we can expect to do the same, but he is saying that if that happened, it wouldn’t be the first time! Show hospitality, and God will give you unexpected blessings. So have people into your home. It’s a great way to love others, which is an important way to show that you understand the greatness of Jesus. But there’s more. ### Prison Ministry (13:3) “Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.” In time of persecution, some Christians were jailed. Prison wasn’t a great place to be. Prisoners would depend on outside help to be able to survive. But it’s easy to forget the needs of those we don’t see. And it’s dangerous to visit believers in prison for their faith, because it could out you as a fellow-believer. But the writer says: remember them. Have the courage to visit them. How do we apply this today? Certainly, remember Christians in countries like Afghanistan, North Korea, Somalia, Libya, Yemen, Eritrea, Nigeria, Pakistan, Iran, and India where Christians face severe persecution, imprisonment, torture, and even death for practicing their faith. Pray for these believers regularly as if you were suffering alongside them. But expand this. Where are others suffering where you can help, even if it requires courage and sacrifice? The greatness of Jesus leads us to love other believers. It leads us to have them into our homes and to courageously serve them even when it’s difficult. Secondly: ## The greatness of Jesus leads us to sexual purity (13:4) Okay, this is getting personal. “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.” The original recipients of this letter lived in a sexualized culture just like ours. Some taught that you should avoid sex altogether. Others believed that, because men typically got married around the age of 30, you could pursue sexual pleasure both before and after getting married with a variety of sexual partners. So what’s right? No sex or promiscuous sex? Neither, says verse 4\. God is not anti-sex. He’s so for sex that he’s given it as a gift to be enjoyed in a lifelong covenantal union between a man and a woman. Don’t let people put marriage or sex down. Enjoy it in the context in which it’s meant to be enjoyed. I love how Ray Ortlund paraphrases the message of the Bible about sex: “When you get married, drop your inhibitions, and go for it … Make it fun and frequent!” Sexual purity is a battleground. It was back then, and it is now. Satan has taken this good gift and twisted it so we’re tempted to enjoy it outside of God’s design. He’s weaponized one of God’s greatest gifts. God sees this gift as so valuable that he promises to judge those who abuse it. The greatness of Jesus causes us to take this gift seriously too, to refuse to use it outside its God-given context. Friends, if you are struggling in this area, you are not the first. This was a struggle when Hebrews was written, and it’s a struggle today. Your struggle does not have to have the final word. Jesus loves to cleanse sexual sinners. There are a variety of measures you can take to battle sexual sin, every one of them rooted in the gospel of grace and the surpassing greatness of Jesus. Talk to an elder or a trusted brother or sister for help. Read books like [*Finally Free*](https://go.dashhouse.com/LVaC?ref=dashhouse.com) by Health Lambert or [*More Than a Battle*](https://go.dashhouse.com/LVaL?ref=dashhouse.com) by Joe Rigney. Refuse to coddle your sin secretly because you’re embarrassed. You’re not alone. Allow the greatness of Jesus to lead you to sexual purity, to protecting God’s gift of sex so that it’s enjoyed — really enjoyed — in the context of marriage. The greatness of Jesus leads us to love and sexual purity. There’s one more thing that it leads us to: ## The greatness of Jesus leads us to contentment (13:5-6) > Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, > “The Lord is my helper; > I will not fear; > what can man do to me?” > (13:5-6) Everything that he lists here goes against how we would normally operate. It’s not easy to love others by treating strangers like family or taking the side of prisoners. It’s not easy to learn how to control our sexual desires so that we use God’s gift of sex as he designs. And it’s not easy to be willing to lose money or property for our faith as some of these Christians might have done (10:34). Following Jesus may mean you turn down a promotion. Following Jesus means that you may lose your job, or even your profession. If that happens, that’s okay because you have everything you need because you have Jesus, and he’s promised you everything you need. > Whether I live in poverty or wealth, I will always be able to say with the Puritan who was stripped to nothing but a piece of bread and a glass of water, “What? All of this and Jesus Christ, too?” The long-term, worst-case scenario is that I will inherit a wealth that will never spoil, perish, or fade — the wealth being Jesus himself. (Scott Sauls) What does it look like when we grasp the greatness of Jesus? What does it look like when we see his utter beauty and glory, when we gaze at all he’s done to save sinners like us? This is not what we do in our own effort. This is how we respond once we’ve been captured by the surpassing greatness of Jesus. What does it look like to endure when we’ve seen such a great Savior? When we see the greatness of Jesus, it will lead us to love, sexual purity, and contentment. Come see his greatness, and then follow him as he brings these transformations into your life. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-386/ Last updated: 2024-03-16T09:00:39.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Atomic Habits and Bible Intake: How Tiny Changes Add Up](https://go.dashhouse.com/LYtN?ref=dashhouse.com) > Consider four ways Bible intake parallels diet and exercise habits and why even our smallest efforts matter. [Repent Boldly. It’s a Super Power.](https://go.dashhouse.com/LWn%5F?ref=dashhouse.com) > Repentance is a power, a strength. [Recognizing Generational Values That Could Divide Your Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/LWnx?ref=dashhouse.com) > As you minister to a mix of generational values and beliefs, remember they all need Jesus. Love them. Listen to them. Lead them. [I Am One of The Eighty-Five Percent Who Did Not Persist in Pastoral Ministry](https://go.dashhouse.com/LYtQ?ref=dashhouse.com) > Allow me to share my story, and if it is a familiar story to you, I pray that this will be an encouragement to your weary soul. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Stop Counting and Have Fun](https://go.dashhouse.com/LX%5Fe?ref=dashhouse.com) > Are you the pastor of a small church? Stop counting, and enjoy the blessings God has given you. ### A Checklist for Pastors URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/a-checklist-for-pastors/ Last updated: 2024-03-12T09:00:30.000Z Ministry may be complex, but so much of what’s important isn’t up for debate. Put the central pieces in place and you will be well on your way to focusing on what matters most. In 1 Thessalonians, Paul describes his ministry. In doing so, he sets describes the nature of his ministry while he served among them. His list provides a helpful checklist for anyone in pastoral ministry. Do you want a strong ministry? Ask yourself how you’re doing in three areas. ### A Pure Message Read 1 Thessalonians 1 and you’ll understand the power of the gospel. Once it took root in Thessalonica, it changed them from idol-worshipers to people of faith, hope, and love (1 Thessalonians 1:3, 9). They were just baby Christians under persecution, but they already served as examples to believers elsewhere (1 Thessalonians 1:7). All of this was a result of Paul’s relentless focus on the gospel in his ministry there. > For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict. (2:1-2) Paul made it clear that he avoided lies, corruption, and sneaky craftiness because he did not dare tamper with the gospel that had been entrusted to him (1 Thessalonians 2:3-4a). A good question to ask in ministry: Do we have boldness to declare the gospel? Do we have confidence in its power to change lives? Are we committed to the declare this gospel even when it means suffering and conflict? A good pastor is committed to the centrality of the gospel message, even when it costs. ### Pure Motives Some preached the gospel from motives that were less than pure (Philippians 1:15). God can still use them despite their motives. But Paul worked to keep his motives pure: > …so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed — God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. (1 Thessalonians 2:3-6) Paul identifies a two impure motives - a desire to please people - a desire for wealth Paul would have none of it. A good question to ask as pastors: Am I drawn to people-pleasing or money? How can I guard against an inordinate desire to please people or pastor for material gain? How can I preserve a commitment to serve even when it means displeasing people or taking a financial hit? ### Pure Methods Paul describes his methods of ministry in 1 Thessalonians 2:7-12). He served. He was gentle. He shared not only the gospel but his life. He worked hard. He lived blamelessly among them. > For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. (1 Thessalonians 2:11-12) Good questions to ask as pastors: Is my ministry characterized by service? Am I gentle? Am I letting people into my life? Am I working hard? Is my life blameless? A pure message. Pure motives. Pure methods. None of this is surprising, but all of it is powerful. Such a helpful checklist to use to measure our own ministries and to course-correct so we get back on track. ### A Tale of Two Mountains (Hebrews 12:18-29) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/a-tale-of-two-mountains-hebrews-1218-29/ Last updated: 2024-03-10T22:00:33.000Z **Big Idea:** Never try to approach God by trying to be good enough. It will destroy you. Through Jesus, receive his unshakable kingdom, and then respond in thankfulness and worship. --- Why should God accept you? That is a question that should concern all of us. When you get to the end of your life and stand before God, why should he look at you and say that you are acceptable? How can we pass the ultimate final exam, the only exam that truly matters, as our lives come under the scrutiny of God? How can we face that day with confidence, knowing that he will give us a passing grade? There are only two possible answers, and they’re really answers represented by two different mountains. We’re all headed to one of these two mountains, but only one will give us what we’re looking for, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. We’re near the end of a series through the book of Hebrews. The writer is encouraging us to keep following Jesus because he is so much better than anyone or anything else. This chapter is meant to change our lives. The writer of Hebrews wants us to run the race with endurance: to strip off everything that hinders us, to avoid losing what matters most for temporary pleasure, and to keep running the race despite suffering and hardship in our lives. His big goal is to help us cling to Christ and to keep following him to the end. In this section, he gives us two options for how we can get to the end and know that we’re okay with God. He gives us two mountains. We’re either going to one or the other, so choose carefully. Everything is at stake depending on which mountain you choose. ## Mountain One: Sinai (12:18-21) The writer takes us all the way to the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt to the events that took place in Exodus 19 to 20\. Israel stayed at Sinai for a total of 11 months, and one of the most important events in the entire Old Testament took place. Moses went up the mountain to be with God. Sinai was covered with a thick cloud, and God himself came to meet with Moses. Think about it: God had rescued them from Egypt, and now he came to meet with them and make them his people. But meeting with God is no small thing. Because God is so holy, they had to take precautions. God himself was hidden in clouds because his glory would be too great for them to see with their naked eyes. They had to wash their clothes and consecrate themselves in three days of preparation and examination. And even then, they couldn’t get anywhere near Mount Sinai because God is so holy and glorious. We read in Exodus: > And you shall set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death. No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot; whether beast or man, he shall not live.’ (Exodus 19:12-13) It was terrifying. We read what happened after the three days of preparation: > On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the LORD had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. The LORD came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. (Exodus 19:16-20) Even then, after Moses went up, God told Moses to go down and warn the people again not to come anywhere near the mountain because it was so dangerous to come close to a holy God. Friends, this is what it’s like to come into God’s presence. It’s dangerous. Astronomers have discovered a sun that they describe as the brightest star ever found in the universe. Not even a welder's helmet would help you face the light from this giant. The brightness of this star is some 10 million times greater than the light coming from our sun! > Think about that: The star, currently named R136a1, is not twice as bright as our sun, which would be overwhelming in itself if it were the sun that our earth orbited. It is not just 10 times brighter, which is a light so bright we can hardly imagine it. It is not a hundred times brighter or a thousand times brighter than our sun. It is not a million times brighter! This newly identified star is ten million times brighter than our sun! How can anything be that bright? > Thinking about this star gives us a sense of what the glorious presence of God is like, for Scripture says that God is a being who "lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see." (Craig Brian Larson) You and I cannot come into God’s presence because he is too glorious, too holy. It would kill us. He is “a God who is transcendent, majestic, infinite in righteousness … who blazes with a fiery, passionate love for Himself above all things. He is Creator, Sustainer, Beginning and End. He is robed in a splendor and eternal purity that is blinding. He rules, He reigns, He rages and roars….” ([*The God Who Smokes*](https://go.dashhouse.com/LOMW?ref=dashhouse.com)). That’s what the first mountain is like. If you want, you can approach God on that mountain, but you won’t survive. That’s what verses 18 to 21 describe: > …a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” What’s he talking about? He’s talking about approaching God on the basis of the old covenant, of trying to cleanse yourself and purify yourself for days, and still not be pure enough to approach the mountain. Here’s the problem: no matter what we do, approaching God on the basis of keeping his commands will lead to instant death. Nobody is good enough. Here’s the problem with approaching God under the terms of the old covenant. It would kill you. Only the high priest could approach God once a year, and only then after careful preparation and only after offering sacrifices. I don’t recommend approaching God hoping that you’re good enough, because it will destroy you. If you approach God on the basis of any other approach than the second mountain that we’re about to look at, you will perish. That’s the one way to approach God. You can approach God through Mount Sinai, but it will destroy you. So what’s the alternative? ## Mountain Two: Zion (12:22-24) > But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. (12:22-24) Here’s the only other way to approach God: to go to Sinai instead of to Zion. Notice the contrast: - Instead of the terrifying noise of a whirlwind, trumpet blast, and people carrying out in fear, you have the joyful praise of angels in festal gathering. - Instead of a trembling congregation, scared out of their minds, you have an assembly of people whose names are permanently recorded in heaven’s archives. It “communicates exultation, warmth, openness, acceptance, and relationship, set off in bold relief against the dismal portrait of the Sinai assembly” (George Guthrie). Don’t climb Sinai. You have a much better mountain to climb. What exactly is this mountain? It’s what God has given us not under the old covenant of the law, but under the new covenant of his grace. This is our new reality on the basis of the cross. What he’s saying is that Jesus has made a way for us to enter into God’s presence in a completely different way. Zion symbolizes a God who can be approached on the basis of the saving work of Jesus Christ, not on our own works. Zion represents the new way that God is relating to sinful people — not on the basis of their goodness but the goodness of Jesus. It represents grace, atonement, forgiveness. Don’t go to Sinai, he argues. It will kill you. Go to Zion, where you will find grace upon grace. “You can’t crawl up Sinai to get to God, but believe me, you can crawl up Zion” (John MacArthur). Going to Sinai with your own good works will kill you, but coming to God on the basis of Jesus’ death on your behalf will lead you into the joyful presence of God and his people. ## So What? (12:25-29) What’s the point of all this? Hebrews gives us two applications in verses 25 to 29: ### First: “See that you do not refuse him who is speaking” (12:25). Here’s what he’s saying. God has revealed himself in Jesus, who is the pinnacle of God’s revelation. If the stakes were high back in Moses’ day, they’re even higher now. One day God will shake not only a place in the Egyptian wilderness but all earth and heaven in judgment, so it’s even more important that we pay attention to Jesus. When God shakes heaven and earth, there’s only one place that will not be shaken according to verse 27\. That place is Mount Zion. If you come to God on the basis of the work of Jesus, you will stand in the only secure place in the universe on the day of judgment. You will not be shaken. Only see to it that you don’t refuse him who is speaking. Every week, we aim to point to the grace of Jesus as our only hope. Our only hope as sinners is to place all our trust in what Jesus has done to save us and to follow him. That’s the only way to stand on that day. That message does not come from us but from Jesus himself. See to it that you don’t refuse him who is speaking. The stakes couldn’t be higher. Put all your trust in Jesus today, so you can stand on that day of judgment. But there’s one other application. ### Second, be thankful and worship (12-28-29). > Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. What is the only appropriate way to respond to the good news that we can come to Mount Zion by the grace of Jesus and receive an unshakable kingdom? Thanksgiving and worship. What a God! When we see what God has done, draw near to our holy God who welcomes you through the finished work of Jesus, and then spend the rest of your life — the rest of eternity — thanking God and worshiping him for such a great salvation. **Never try to approach God by trying to be good enough. It will destroy you. Through Jesus, receive his unshakable kingdom, and then respond in thankfulness and worship.** ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-385/ Last updated: 2024-03-09T10:00:45.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Rejoicing over Judgment: Why God’s Wrath Is Good News](https://go.dashhouse.com/LSrD?ref=dashhouse.com) > The surprise is not just that the Bible speaks about God one day judging the world, but that his doing so is something to *celebrate*. [The Practical Use of Laments](https://go.dashhouse.com/LSkX?ref=dashhouse.com) > Laments Regulate Grief > Laments Reorientate Saints… [How to Pursue Pastoral Ministry](https://go.dashhouse.com/LSr5?ref=dashhouse.com) > Consider a two-part plan: Train privately. Practice publicly. [Find the Edge in Your Preaching](https://go.dashhouse.com/LP1m?ref=dashhouse.com) > How does this biblical text — its world of assumptions, attitudes, and application — cut against the grain of what passes for “common sense” in our world? [The Long View of Preaching](https://go.dashhouse.com/LSzo?ref=dashhouse.com) > It often takes the long view to see the effectiveness of preaching. [People Over Platform: The Heartbeat of Authentic Authorship](https://go.dashhouse.com/LSqv?ref=dashhouse.com) > Build people, invest in lives, and watch how your writing naturally overflows from genuine connections. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [We Need to Talk About the End](https://go.dashhouse.com/7rED?ref=dashhouse.com) > We should discuss the resurrection, the new heavens and earth, and the second coming of Jesus more than we do. ### The Triune God Helps Us With Sexual Temptation URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-triune-god-helps-us-with-sexual-temptation/ Last updated: 2024-03-05T10:00:11.000Z The Thessalonians lived in a city full of sexual temptation. Visitors arrived by land and sea, and sex and other pleasures were readily available. Greek culture allowed young men to enjoy a variety of sexual pleasures. “We keep mistresses for pleasure, concubines for our day-to-day bodily needs, but we have wives to produce legitimate children and serve as trustworthy guardians of our homes,” wrote Demosthenes, a Greek statesman and orator in nearby Athens. It’s hard to live faithfully as a Christian in a culture that’s full of sexual temptation, and yet that’s what Paul instructed the Thessalonians to do. We can live in a sexualized culture and honor God with our sexuality. In fact, the Triune God will help us. > …the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. (1 Thessalonians 4:6-8) - **“The Lord is an avenger.”** We will stand before Jesus one day and give account for how we’ve lived, including the area of sexuality. No matter how carefully our sexual sins are hidden today, everything will be revealed on that day. Sexual sin is a form of theft; it takes what doesn’t belong to us. God will avenge the wrong we’ve committed on that day. The judgment of Jesus is a strong incentive against sexual sin. - **“For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.”** We don’t avoid sexual immorality just because we will be judged. We also avoid sexual immorality because God is holy, and calls us to holiness. I appreciate Ray Ortlund’s approach in [*The Death of Porn*](https://go.dashhouse.com/5hSd?ref=dashhouse.com), in which he reminds us who we are and calls us to live up to it. “Your problem is that you haven’t stared transfixed at the grandeur of God’s lofty purpose for you.” We honor God with our sexuality because of who he is, and who he intends us to be. - **“Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.”** We don’t fight sexual temptation on our own strength. God has given us his Holy Spirit, who gives us new hearts and changes us from the inside-out (Ezekiel 36:27). The Spirit gives us the resources we need to battle sexual temptation. “As usual, Paul’s view of sanctification is strongly Trinitarian: sanctification is the will of God the Father, through the rule of God the Son, and by the power of God the Spirit, whom God gives through Jesus Christ (Richard Phillips). We live in a world that tolerates and promotes all kinds of sexual sin. Sometimes it feels like we face a losing battle. But we’re not the first to face this struggle. The judgment of Jesus, the holiness of God, and the resources of the Holy Spirit will help us honor God in this area. We have every reason to strive for holiness, even when our temptations and the surrounding culture are against us. “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality…” (1 Thessalonians 4:3) ### The Purpose of Trials (Hebrews 12:3-17) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-purpose-of-trials-hebrews-123-17/ Last updated: 2024-03-03T23:00:21.000Z **Big Idea:** Our trials are a tool that our loving Father uses to help us grow. --- A few years ago, our family entered one of the most severe trials in our lives. It’s not the first time we suffered, but it was the most intense time of suffering we’ve experienced. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. We would get the kids ready for school. When they were gone, we would sit on the couch, not knowing how we were going to get through another day. Sometimes we’d sit in silence. Sometimes we’d cry. We’d often pray, but our prayers weren’t articulate prayers. Our prayers were sometimes just simple requests for God to help us. That period lasted about four years. God was good, we learned a lot, but it was brutal. I’ve learned that we’re not alone. As Ray Ortlund comments on the book of Job: > I used to think that the book of Job is in the Bible because this story of suffering is so extreme, so rare and improbable and unusual. I thought the message of the book is, ‘Look at this worst case scenario. Now, come on. Surely in your comparatively small problems, you can find your way.’ I don’t think that anymore. Now I think that the book of Job is in the Bible because this story is so common. What should we do when we face troubles like this, when it feels like we’re barely hanging on? Some of you know what it’s like to experience extreme trials. You know what it’s like to lose a marriage, to stand at the grave of a loved one, to experience chronic illness. What do you do when you face this kind of suffering? Hebrews is written to a church in which some had experienced intense suffering for their faith. Their particular trial was persecution for the cause of Christ, something that you and I may face too. But what he writes also applies to other kinds of suffering too. In this passage, the writer tells us three things we can do when we face this kind of suffering. ## One: Consider Jesus (12:3-4). “Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted” (12:3). You are not alone! God the Son himself knows what it’s like to suffer. As verse 2 says, he endured the cross and despised the shame. Jesus understood what it was like to be betrayed by friends. He knew what it’s like to be unjustly accused. Jesus understood physical pain. But even beyond that, Jesus experienced a kind of pain that you and I never will. He bore the sins of all who those who call him Lord. Jesus experienced an even more intense level of pain than you and I ever will. In fact, that’s the point verse 4 makes. “In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” You’re suffering, but, unlike Jesus, you haven’t shed your own blood in the struggle against sin. If Jesus endured this greater trial, you and I can endure the lesser trial we’re facing. Consider the suffering of Jesus: > He was despised and rejected by men, > a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; > and as one from whom men hide their faces > he was despised, and we esteemed him not. > Surely he has borne our griefs > and carried our sorrows; > yet we esteemed him stricken, > smitten by God, and afflicted. > But he was pierced for our transgressions; > he was crushed for our iniquities; > upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, > and with his wounds we are healed. > All we like sheep have gone astray; > we have turned—every one—to his own way; > and the LORD has laid on him > the iniquity of us all. > (Isaiah 53:3-6) Jesus did this for me and for you. Jesus was willing to suffer for our sake. Jesus was willing to suffer the agony of the cross so that anyone who turned to him could be free from the penalty of sin. John Stott wrote: > I could never myself believe in God, if it were not for the cross. The only God I believe in is the One Nietzsche ridiculed as 'God on the cross.' In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it? I have entered many Buddhist temples in different Asian countries and stood respectfully before the statue of the Buddha, his legs crossed, arms folded, eyes closed, the ghost of a smile playing round his mouth, a remote look on his face, detached from the agonies of the world. But each time after a while I have had to turn away. And in imagination I have turned instead to that lonely, twisted, tortured figure on the cross, nails through hands and feet, back lacerated, limbs wrenched, brow bleeding from thorn-pricks, mouth dry and intolerably thirsty, plunged in Godforsaken darkness. That is the God for me! He laid aside his immunity to pain. He entered our world of flesh and blood, tears and death. He suffered for us. Our sufferings become more manageable in the light of his. Consider him, so “you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” When suffering, don’t lose heart. Don’t give up. You are not alone. Jesus suffered too. Consider Jesus and his sufferings. Remember his faithfulness and perseverance. Consider his willingness to suffer for you, and your sufferings may become more manageable in light of top his. But that’s not all. ## Two: Consider what God is doing in your suffering (12:5-11) One of the things that makes suffering difficult is that we don’t always see the purpose behind our suffering. If we knew what the purpose of our suffering was, it wouldn’t take away the suffering, but we’d at least know that it’s accomplishing something. In verses 5 to 11, the writer gives us a window into God’s purpose in our suffering. Here’s what God is up to in our suffering in one word: discipline. That is not an easy word to talk about because discipline is such a difficult topic. If you want to start a fight among parents, talk about your philosophy of discipline. The reality is, though, that children need loving, consistent, patient, and appropriate parental correction if they’re going to grow into maturity. Your suffering has a purpose. Your suffering is part of God’s discipline in your life to shape you and to make you into who he wants to be. Notice in this passage two characteristics of God’s discipline in your life. ### It’s loving (12:5-9) That’s the whole point of verses 5 to 9, which quotes Proverbs 3:5-6: > And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? > “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, > nor be weary when reproved by him. > For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, > and chastises every son whom he receives.” > It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? God’s discipline in your life is not punishment for your sins. The penalty for your sins has been paid, and he cannot demand it again. It’s not a sign that he’s ignoring us. In fact, the opposite is true. God is activity working in the trials of your life to accomplish his good. His discipline is not a sign of any change in affection for us, or our status as his children. Our destiny is secure; he is still committed to our good. In fact, his discipline in our lives is a sign that we are his children. An easy life may be a reason for concern. God’s discipline is a validating mark that we are indeed his children, and that he is committed to our good. That means we can yield to his discipline knowing that he’s at work in even the hard things that happen in our lives. Don’t dismiss it. Don’t grow discouraged by it. It’s a mark of God’s love in your life. It’s not “a sign of God’s anger or punishment but his favor and acceptance” (Tom Schreiner). His discipline in our lives is loving. There’s a second characteristic of his discipline: ### It’s designed to change us (12:10-11) > For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. I’m so glad the writer pointed out the obvious. Discipline isn’t enjoyable. Nobody likes discipline. We’d rather skip it altogether because it’s so hard. But the good thing about God’s discipline in our lives is that it is purposeful. It’s part of God’s plan to grow us into who he wants us to be. God knows what we need, and he’s able to use the suffering in our lives to shape us. I love what John Piper says: > God has a purpose and a design in what is happening to us … God is not a passive observer in our lives while sinners and Satan beat us up. He rules over sinners and Satan, and they unwittingly, and with no less fault or guilt, fulfill his wise and loving purposes of discipline in our lives… > What hostile sinners mean for harm, God means for good. What they will as hurtful, God wills as helpful. What they plan as destruction, God plans as salvation. What they design as a deterrent to faith, God designs as discipline for faith. I can see that in our intense period of suffering. I wouldn't want to go through it again, but God taught us so much in that time of trial It helped shape me in profound ways, and taught me lessons I desperately needed to learn. Oswald Chambers writes, “If you are going to be used by God, he will take you through a multitude of experiences that are not meant for you at all; they are meant to make you useful in his hands.” Your suffering has a purpose. Your suffering is loving, purposeful discipline from the Father that he is using for your good. What should you do when you suffer then? First, consider Jesus. Second, consider what God is doing in your suffering. There’s one more thing that this passage tells us to do in our suffering: ## Three: Stay in the race (12:12-17). Don’t let suffering stop you. Keep going. Jesus suffered, and God is at work in your suffering too. So keep going. We’re always tempted to quit when we suffer, but the writer tells us not to. > Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. (12:12-13) Keep following Jesus. Keep getting up every day in the middle of hardship and just keep running with endurance the race that is set before you. You need to know that some things will knock you out of the race. It’s not so much the trail as your reaction to the trial. Look at verses 14-17: > Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears. (12:14-17) If we’re not careful, we may allow a “root of bitterness” to spring up. The writer is thinking of Deuteronomy 29:18: “Beware lest there be among you a man or woman or clan or tribe whose heart is turning away today from the LORD our God to go and serve the gods of those nations. Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit…” If we’re not careful, we’ll begin to abandon God in our trials, which will lead to catastrophe. Don’t do it. We can also fall into sin. That’s why he mentions Esau, who sold something of lasting value for something that would only temporarily satisfy. That’s what sin is. Don’t trade what’s yours eternally for the sake of relief from temporary pain. Don’t get knocked out of the race by sin. What should we do instead? Consider Jesus, and consider what he’s up to in your life, and simply keep running the race. If all you can do is limp forward right now, that’s enough. God’s got you. The love of Jesus for you has not changed. Hang on to these realities even as he’s hanging on to you. **Our trials are a tool that our loving Father uses to help us grow.** Jesus suffered; you will too. But your suffering is purposeful. It’s evidence of his love and it’s designed to help you grow. So keep going. I never would have wanted the trail that we went through. You probably don’t want trials either. But you’re not alone. Your Savior suffered for you. Even in trials, your loving Father is at work, and he will use it for our good. Keep your eye on him. He will bring you safely home. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-384/ Last updated: 2024-03-02T10:00:24.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Thomas Was Not Judas: Counsel for Those Who Doubt](https://go.dashhouse.com/LKjl?ref=dashhouse.com) > What do you do when you are genuinely uncertain about your faith? [How Not to Be a Heretic](https://go.dashhouse.com/LKjM?ref=dashhouse.com) > One of the chief reasons for learning about heresies is that many of them persist, albeit in subtle ways. [7 Blessings Older Saints Offer the Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/LKjs?ref=dashhouse.com) > Older Christians have some of the most important lessons to teach the local church today. [Four Benefits of Inviting Evaluation of Your Preaching](https://go.dashhouse.com/LKja?ref=dashhouse.com) > Inviting critique and feedback from other preachers raises the bar. It serves as a mutual reminder that what we are doing is of eternal importance, and thus deserves our best effort. [When the Pastor’s Wife Wants to Quit](https://go.dashhouse.com/LKjn?ref=dashhouse.com) > If I could go back to my younger self, I’d tell her that little would bring her more sorrow than the local church. But I’d also say her suffering in ministry would absolutely be worth it. [Is Homosexual Sin Qualitatively Different from Heterosexual Sin?](https://go.dashhouse.com/LKnP?ref=dashhouse.com) > Fundamentally we are all in the same boat, under the same judgement, in need of the same Saviour, and promised the same help of the Holy Spirit after conversion to resist the desires of our fallen flesh. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Imitators](https://go.dashhouse.com/LH%5Fy?ref=dashhouse.com) > Imitate godly men and women, and let others imitate you too. ### Big Dreams Impress. Ordinary Faithfulness Delivers. URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/big-dreams-impress-ordinary-faithfulness-delivers/ Last updated: 2024-02-27T10:00:57.000Z Show me a big dream if you’d like, but what really impresses me is the ordinary faithfulness of hidden saints. I’d rather be in the company of a faithful pastor who’s served in a hidden church for decades than listen to the dreams of someone who’s never learned to serve faithfully in an obscure place. The world’s not changed by grandiose ambition as much as it’s changed by the ordinary, plodding faithfulness of people who will never be famous. I’m not telling you that you shouldn’t aim to do big things with your life. Set big goals. Follow big ambitions. Enjoy God’s good gifts. Just realize that these big things and big goals may set you on the wrong path if they distract you from loving the people God’s given you to love, and the church where he’s called you to serve. Don’t forget that God has primarily called you to do things that seem small: to love and serve others, and to occupy the place and time where he’s placed you. Never neglect the power of doing small things faithfully out of love for and worship of God. Someone once suggested to Wendell Berry that we do big things to fix the problems of the world. Berry would have none of it. “You can't put it all back together again. What you can do, is the only thing that you can do. You take two things that ought to be together and you put them together. Two things! Not *all* things.” “There is no big solution. It's broken! We're all complicit in a broken system, and it a broken world. The question isn't how can I fix it all. But how can I, with my own two hands, do good work, every day. And I find that immensely hopeful!” We can’t fix everything, but we can use our two hands to do the good work that God has placed before us. Sometimes that’s enough. God can fix the world. We just do what’s in front of us. It’s dangerous when we start to confuse our job with his. Big dreams impress, but ordinary faithfulness delivers. We tend to overestimate what can be done through large initiatives, and underestimate what can be done through ordinary obedience, persistent prayer, and sacrificial love. Just show up. Just be faithful with what God has entrusted to you. Engage in the ordinary means of grace. Love the people God has placed in your life. Get up everyday and be faithful, even when nobody’s watching. Repeat. Try big things too if you like. Just don’t expect them to satisfy your soul or to be more important than your everyday faithfulness. Aim to be obedient and to live fully in the place that God has put you. That will probably matter more than any big thing you can accomplish. Don’t try to change the world. Be faithful in the few things God has given you to do, and leave the results up to him. That will probably matter more than anything big you try to do. ### Run With Endurance (Hebrews 12:1-2) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/run-with-endurance-hebrews-121-2/ Last updated: 2024-02-25T23:00:53.000Z **Big Idea:** Endure by laying aside encumbrances and focusing your eyes on Jesus. --- I’ve never run a full marathon, but know that something happens at about the two-hour mark of running. Your body has enough glycogen stores to run for about 18 to 20 miles. But at that point, your body simply runs out of ready energy. It can convert energy from other sources — fats and proteins — but it’s not as easy. This is what runners call hitting the wall. Your legs will feel heavy. Your vision may go blurry. You may experience muscle cramps. You could even feel disoriented. There are some strategies you can use to avoid it, but you’ve got to be prepared for this if you’re going to run a marathon. The same thing is going to happen in your walk with God. You can run the race on your natural stores for a while, but if you follow God long enough, you’re not going to be able to finish on your own. You’re going to need a strategy to run with endurance when you no longer have what it takes to finish the race. We’ve been looking at the book of Hebrews for the past few months, and today’s passage focuses on the main problem that this letter is meant to address. > The book of Hebrews was written to a church that was getting old and was settling into the world and losing its wartime mentality and starting to drift through life without focus, without vigilance, and without energy. Their hands were growing weak, their knees were feeble. It was just easier to meander in the crowd of life than to run the marathon. ([John Piper](https://go.dashhouse.com/L0Ru?ref=dashhouse.com)) Like a runner hitting the wall, or a car sputtering on empty, this church was not on course to complete its course. They were drifting. They were neglecting. They’d gotten spiritually lazy. And the stakes couldn’t have been higher. Over and over, the writer offers warning after warning to the church. You can’t just coast and sputter in the Christian life and expect to make it to the end. You get the sense that the writer is trying to shake them out of their complacency. If you ever need to be reminded of what’s at stake in your endurance, read the five warning passages of Hebrews. They were in danger refusing to obey the voice of the living God who speaks in his Son. They were in danger of treating Jesus with utter contempt by crucifying him again, subjecting him to public disgrace (6:6). They were close to rejecting his new covenant sacrifice by which the work of atonement was completed (10:29). And he warns them: apostasy has catastrophic consequences. > For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. (10:26-27) So what do we do? What do we do when we hit the wall and we’re beginning to drift? The consequences are serious, but what do we do about it? Today’s passage answers this question. We don’t just need a warning; we need practical steps we can take, and this passage gives us two. Here’s the first: ## Lay aside every encumbrance (12:1). > Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us… (12:1) I was at a race in Burlington in the winter. It was freezing cold, so we all had blankets and winter parkas while we waited for the race to start. We prepared for the start of the race. When the race started, all the blankets and parkas came flying off. You don’t run a race with extra weight. You lay aside those weights because they will hinder you in completing your assignment. Verse 1 pictures the Christian life as a race. We’re surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. These are the people we looked at last week: flawed, weak, imperfect people who trusted what God says is true, even when it didn’t look like it. They ran the race. They finished the course. They’re meant to show us what it looks like to do this. The idea of witnesses carries a double meaning. There are two kinds of witnesses: witnesses who speak and witnesses who watch. I think he’s primarily talking about the first kind here. They’re witnesses primarily in the sense that they served as examples to us. They kept running when it didn’t look like they couldn’t win. They’ve shown us what it’s like to finish the race. We’re not alone; we’re not the only ones to suffer and endure. If they finished, we can finish too. They’re telling us, “It can be done!” John Owen said: > All the saints of the Old Testament, as it were, stand looking on us in our striving, encouraging us unto our duty, and ready to testify unto our success with their applauses. They are placed about us unto this end; we are ‘compassed’ with them. Run. They did it under incredible pressure. By God’s grace, we can do it too. So what do we do in this race? We lay aside every weight. Get rid of anything that slows you down. This includes two categories: ### Sins Lay aside the “sin which clings so closely.” I love his honestly. Sin does cling closely. It looks so enticing. But it will cost you the race. Never take sin lightly. Realize the threat that sin poses to finishing well. Lay it aside. Get rid of it. We tend to think of sin as not that serious. We’re against the big sins, but a lot of us get pretty comfortable with little sins. We think we can keep them out of control. The older I get, the more I see how damaging sin really is. We can’t make peace with sin. It’s like getting into your car and realizing that there’s a poisonous snake sitting on the passenger seat. You don’t wait until it’s convenient to stop to deal with the snake. You get out of that car. You realize that snake as a clear and present danger to your soul. The same with sin. Don’t ignore it. Don’t wait to deal with it. As John Owen put it, kill sin, or it will kill you. The Puritan Thomas Brooks said: > It is a sad thing to depart from God for a trifle. It is the greatest folly to venture hell for a small matter, and to break with God for a little … For the love of one little sin, some of have lost God, and their souls forever. Many times small sins are more serious. Great sins startle the soul, and awaken it to repentance, but little ones breed and work secretly until they trample the soul. Sin grows by degrees until you cannot prevail over it. What sin do you need to lay aside? Because of Jesus, you are free from both the penalty and the power of sin. Sin no longer has dominion over you. “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11). If you’re going to finish the race, lay that sin aside. What is it? It could be covetousness, hatred, laziness, lust, ingratitude, pride. Whatever it is, get rid of it. It will destroy it if you let it. If you are trapped in a pattern of habitual sin, don’t hide that sin. Declare war on it. Cultivate a desire to get rid of it. Ask for help. Fight that sin with discipline, a view on God’s grace, and with the power of the Holy Spirit. Make no room for that sin. Treat it like the snake in the car and get rid of it because it’s dangerous to your soul. But there’s something else to get rid of. ### Anything that slows you down “…let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely…” It’s not just sin. It could be any weight that slows you. In *Shoe Dog*, Phil Knight, the founder of Nike, describes how seriously they take the weight of their shoes. “One ounce sliced off a pair of shoes, he said, is equivalent to 55 pounds over one mile,” he writes. What is it that is not necessarily wrong but is slowing you down? Susanna Wesley, who raised two famous preachers (John and Charles) a few hundred years ago, taught her children: > whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes off the relish of spiritual things;—in short, whatever increases the strength and authority of your body over your mind, that thing is sin to you, however innocent it may be in itself. For her, sin was anything that slows you down in your pursuit of God. Hobbies can slow you down. Social media can slow you down. Lay aside sins, and lay aside even good things that are slowing you down in your pursuit of God. We’re in danger of not finishing the race. The first action we can take is to lay aside every encumbrance. Friends, please take this seriously. Please spend some time today thinking about what you need to lay aside so that you can finish the race. That’s the first action that we need to take. But that’s not all. The author identifies a second action we need to take as well. Lay aside every encumbrance, and then: ## Look to Jesus (12:2). > Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (12:1-2) How do we endure in the race? The writer’s just given us a whole chapter of examples of people who trusted God against the odds. He now gives us one more example, the ultimate example of one who ran and completed the race. Look to Jesus. He is our supreme example. Look to how he obeyed and honored his Father in even by enduring the cross. Jesus was willing to suffer. The writer is applying this to us: we must be willing to suffer too. The Christian life won’t be easy. Following Jesus will exact a price. But Jesus suffered, and God exalted him. Follow Jesus’ example and be willing to suffer too. But I’m so glad that Jesus is more than an example. I don’t just need an example. I need the power to follow that example. Verse 2 says that Jesus is not just an example. He is the founder and perfecter of our faith. If you are a follower of Jesus, he initiated your faith, and he will finish it. The source of your faith is also the completer of your faith. He began a good work in you; he will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6). The same Savior who finished the race will see to it that you finish the race too. Look to him. Get rid of every encumbrance, and look to Jesus as both your example and the source of the power you need to finish your race too. There’s so much at stake. You need to finish the race, but you can’t do it on your own. Like a marathon runner, you are going to run out of your own reserves of energy. You need a power outside of you if you are going to finish the race. The good news is that many have finished ahead of you. The people of Hebrews 11 finished well. The martyrs of the early church finished well. Famous preachers — Luther, Calvin, Wesley, Spurgeon — finished well. Missionaries — Carey, Taylor, Carmichael— finished well. You and I know people who have finished well too. With God’s help, let’s run the race before us with endurance. Don’t run to 95 yards and stop. **Endure by laying aside encumbrances and focusing your eyes on Jesus.** ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-383/ Last updated: 2024-02-24T10:00:52.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Undying Worm, Undying Men: The Eternal Horrors of Hell](https://go.dashhouse.com/LBbn?ref=dashhouse.com) > Today, some Christians seem embarrassed by the doctrine of hell. As such, they either omit discussing it, or they reinvent the doctrine and rob it of any real horror. Our Lord, however, was not afraid to talk about hell. [Pastoring a Transient Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/L9QP?ref=dashhouse.com) > How can pastors shepherd their ever-changing flocks to devote themselves to fellowship? [Why Was Jesus Baptized?](https://go.dashhouse.com/L9Q6?ref=dashhouse.com) > What did Jesus mean and what do His words tell us about baptism? [A Difference-Making Ministry for Any Christian](https://go.dashhouse.com/L7Go?ref=dashhouse.com) > What a preacher loves to see when he looks toward the congregation is listeners who are thoroughly engaged with his preaching. [The Beauty of ‘Gospel Awkward’](https://go.dashhouse.com/L7Gg?ref=dashhouse.com) > I yearn for more churches that know the beautifully awkward tension of being both a hospital for sinners and a school for saints. [Try to Be More Awkward](https://go.dashhouse.com/LBbG?ref=dashhouse.com) > Maybe we all need to embrace the awkwardness a little more on Sunday morning. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [The Ministry of the Weak](https://go.dashhouse.com/LB5C?ref=dashhouse.com) > The weakest and most demanding aren’t in the church by accident. It’s part of God’s design. ### Reprise: Why We’re Not Emergent URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/reprise-why-were-not-emergent/ Last updated: 2024-02-20T13:10:33.000Z Remember 2008? George W. Bush was finishing his term as president, and Barack Obama was battling John McCain to take over. We were in the middle of the Great Recession. Apple launched its App Store. And we were dealing with something called the emerging church. The emerging church is a distant memory now, but back then, leaders like Brian McLaren were trying to rethink not only the church but key doctrines of the faith. In early 2008, Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck released a book called [*Why We're Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be*](https://go.dashhouse.com/L425?ref=dashhouse.com). I somehow managed to book them for an interview. I still remember dialing them on Skype from my basement. 16 years later, the emerging church is dead. Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck are much better known. And I don’t think my interview existed anywhere except on my computer. So I dug it up, edited it, and I’m reposting it. Although some of the issues have changed, many of the ideas they talk about still apply. The interview also gives us a taste of what a 30-year-old DeYoung sounded like before he became as well-known as he is today. (I appreciate that he pushed back at the premise of one of my questions.) I hope you enjoy this old episode. You can listen below, or find [The Gospel for Life podcast](https://go.dashhouse.com/podcast?ref=dashhouse.com) on your favorite podcast app. ## Key Ideas - We must real-life struggles and challenges faced by individuals, such as helping a 45-year-old mom dying of breast cancer, rather than just giving generic spiritual advice. - It’s important to value both good doctrine and love within churches, as highlighted in the context of the seven churches of Revelation. - Never undervalue the worth and work of ordinary churches and uncool pastors. - If you want to fix the church, preach the word. ## Quotes "I think we would have been ripe for the picking, I guess, for the emergent church. And some of our critiques were, you know, that evangelicals didn't seem to care about the poor. They didn't seem to care about social justice. And I think that's probably what made the emergent church attractive at the time was, Hey, it looked like here are some folks like us who seem to care about this stuff, you know, who seem to be concerned about it." (Ted Kluck) “Visiting these uncool churches, thinking about the churches we grew up in, there are PhDs worshiping next to hourly workers and everything in between. And you just see this kind of really cool diversity and, you know, people learning from each other, people living their lives together in community." (Ted Kluck) “The Bible teaching that we've gotten has just been so meaningful and much more meaningful than any other kind of trendy demographic thing that you might look for in a church.” (Ted Kluck) “I think if we would stop chasing after relevance, we would be so incredibly relevant to our culture if we would be willing to be who we're called to be and be different, not in the way that we all have to dress differently and listen to different music, but we'd have a different ethic and ethos and culture. I think that's the relevance that really matters.” (Kevin DeYoung) ## Episode Links - [My 2008 review of the book](https://go.dashhouse.com/L42g?ref=dashhouse.com) - [ClearlyReformed.com](https://go.dashhouse.com/L42m?ref=dashhouse.com) (Kevin DeYoung's website) - [Kluckstack](https://go.dashhouse.com/L49D?ref=dashhouse.com) (Ted Kluck's website) ### Books mentioned: - [*Why We're Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be*](https://go.dashhouse.com/L425?ref=dashhouse.com) by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck - [*Facing Tyson: 15 fighters, 15 Stories*](https://go.dashhouse.com/L42E?ref=dashhouse.com) by Ted Kluck - [*Becoming Conversant With the Emerging Church*](https://go.dashhouse.com/L42K?ref=dashhouse.com) by D.A. Carson - [*The Truth War: Fighting for Certainty in an Age of Deception*](https://go.dashhouse.com/L42d?ref=dashhouse.com) by John MacArthur - [*Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality*](https://go.dashhouse.com/7Dpm?ref=dashhouse.com) by Donald Miller ## Transcript Download a PDF transcript of this episode. [Reprise: Why We're Not EmergentInterview transcript240220 Transcript.pdf310 KBdownload-circle](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/files/2024/02/240220-Transcript.pdf "Download") ### Hold Fast When You're Tempted to Fall Away (Hebrews 11) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/hold-fast-when-youre-tempted-to-fall-away-hebrews-11/ Last updated: 2024-02-18T23:00:55.000Z **Big Idea:** Trust what God says is true, even when it doesn’t look like it. --- Jennifer has a good job in finance. She is responsible for picking investments for clients. She’s on a team that has identified a good investment opportunity. The only problem is that this company, in Jennifer’s mind, doesn’t make a positive contribution to society but damages it. It conflicts with her convictions as a Christian. She could have gone ahead with the investment, but it would have violated her convictions. She wrestled with what to do, and in the end she decided that she wouldn’t veto the deal, but wouldn’t participate in any bonus that came from the investment. This is going to cost her financially, because that bonus is going to be big. She knows this may hurt her reputation among those who don’t share her convictions. William didn’t grow up in a Christian home, but he became a Christian about seven years ago. As he’s grown in his faith, he’s become convinced that God has designed marriage as a covenantal, lifelong relationship between one man and one woman that’s meant to signify the covenant love between Christ and his church. The challenge for William is that he experiences same-sex attraction. He’s lonely, and some of his friends think he’s crazy, but he believes that God’s revealed will for all people is chastity outside of marriage and fidelity within marriage. And so he’s committed to chastity, even though it means he won’t enjoy the partnership that he longs to experience. Ming grew up in a Christian home. She trusted Christ at an early age. She’s part of a good church. But some of her friends have deconstructed, and church has sometimes left her feeling hurt and disappointed. She’s second-guessing her faith and wondering if it might be better to take a break from church and maybe even take her faith a little less seriously. Jennifer, William, and Ming are all facing similar versions of the same thing. Following Jesus is hard. It comes with a cost, and at first glance it doesn’t seem obvious that it’s worth paying that cost. It would be so easy for all of them to take the other route because the advantages are so obvious, and it can be hard to follow Jesus when it costs. Hebrews 11 speaks to Jennifer, William, Ming, and us with a simple and urgent message: **Trust what God says is true, even when it doesn’t look like it.** - Trust what God says is true about storing up treasures in heaven and living for his approval, even when it means losing out on a big bonus and the approval of colleagues at work. - Trust what God says is true about sex, even when what he says about sexuality and chastity is costly. - Trust that God is worth following even when we’re hurt by others in the church and our friends are falling away. We’re in a series on Hebrews. Hebrews is written to a group of Christians who faced the temptation to abandon Jesus because the cost of following Jesus was so high. The writer has had one consistent message throughout the book: Jesus is worth following no matter what the cost because Jesus is better than anyone or anything else. When you see the incomparable greatness of Jesus, it will lead you to stand firm in Jesus even when it’s hard. That’s the main point of this book. When you see the incomparable greatness of Jesus, it will lead you to stand firm in Jesus even when it’s hard. The writer has been showing us the supremacy of Jesus, but in the chapter we just read, he does something else. He gives us examples of people who stood firm in their faith even when it was hard because they believed that the spiritual realities that God revealed are true, even when they couldn’t see them, and even when it would have been easier to not believe God. Let me show you what this passage says. ## Here’s what faith is (11:1-3, 6). > Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. (11:1-3) Here’s what faith is. Faith is believing that what God says is true, even when it doesn’t look like it. Faith is looking at what God says is true, even though we can’t see it, and then looking at what we can see that seems to contradict what God says is true, and then choosing to believe God. Faith means being sure about what God said is true. It’s rock solid confidence that you can trust what God says is true. Here are two categories of things that require faith: - Things hoped for — things in the future that have not yet happened - Things not seen — things that happened in the past that we didn’t see In verse 3, the writer gives an example of the latter — things not seen; things that happened in the past that we didn’t see. We weren’t there to see the universe created. Nobody was. So how do we know God created it? Faith. It means believing that what God has revealed in Scripture is true. > There are many other things in the past that we take on faith because we weren’t there to see them. Were you there to watch Noah build the ark? Were you there to see Moses lead the way through the Red Sea? Were you there to see Jesus die on the cross? These are all events that we embrace as true—by faith. (Michael Kruger) The same applies to things God has told us about our future. How do we know Jesus will return again? How do we know that to live is Christ, but to die is gain? How do we know that he will create a new heaven and a new earth? Faith. That’s what faith is. It means being sure that what God has said — about the past and about the future — is true, even if we haven’t seen it with our own eyes. In verse 6 the writer says, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” Faith is essential to following God. You have to believe God exists. You have to believe that God rewards those who seek him. A lot of people think that faith means taking a blind leap and hoping that it’s true. That’s not what the author is talking about here. He’s talking about moving into the reality that what God says can be trusted. Faith is stepping out on what God has revealed to be true, and living like it’s true. Another word for faith is trust. It’s believing what God says is true and living like it. Faith is holding on to what God says is true even when it doesn’t look like it’s true in the moment. Faith gives us an accurate perception of reality that allows us to endure trials. Faith is trusting what God says is true, even when it doesn’t look like it. That’s what faith is. ## Here’s what faith looks like (11:4-40). Now that we’ve seen what faith is, the writer wants to show us what faith looks like. He gives us example after example of what this looks like, and it all comes down to one thing: trusting that what God says is true, even when it doesn’t look like it. What I like about these examples is that almost all of them are flawed. Some of them are intensely flawed. It gives hope to me because I’m flawed too. You and I can follow Jesus even if we stumble as we do so. What I also love is that it’s not so much that these people aren’t the heroes. God is the hero. In every case, God is the initiator and they’re the responders. They simply believe that what God says is true and trust him even when it seems crazy, and we can too. What does it look like to trust that what God says is true even when it doesn’t look like it? - It looks like Abel, who not only worshiped God from the heart, but offered a blood sacrifice. He understood that sin deserved death, and brought a blood sacrifice, foreshadowing what Christ would do. Faith looks like coming to God the only way we can — through the blood of a sacrifice offered in our place. (11:4-5) - It looks like Enoch, who lived a life that was pleasing to God. Faith looks like resolutely following God and living closely with him. (11:5-6) - It looks like Noah, who acted on God’s instruction and built an ark even before he saw any evidence of a flood. It means obeying what God says even before we see the evidence that what he says is true. (11:7) - It looks like Abram, who doesn't even know where he's going, but God tells him to go, and he goes. He didn’t even fully experience God’s promise in his life, but he will in eternity, because God’s promises aren’t limited to our earthly life. He will make good on his promises for us well into eternity (11:8-16) - It looks like Sarah, who is too old to have children but knew God could do whatever he decided to do. (11:11-12) - It looks like Abraham, who had only one child, but was willing to trust God with his son’s life knowing that God always makes good on his promises. (11:17-19). - It looks like Isaac and Jacob and Joseph who trusted that God would make good on his promise to bless the world through their family line, even when it seemed very hard to believe this could come true (11:20-22). - It looks like Moses, who like his parents were willing to risk the wrath of the most powerful man in the world, and who was willing to walk away from the pleasures of the richest nation in the world, because he knew that God was better. (11:23-27). - It looks like Israel, who trusted in God’s salvation through the blood of the Passover lamb and their willingness to trust God, even when being pursued by their enemies (11:28-30). - It looks like a foreign woman who took God’s side over her own people’s side and was rewarded from deliverance from death (11:31). - It looks like a motley crew of people — judges and kings and prophets. They doubted and compromised and sinned and they suffered. Not all of their stories ended well, at least in the short term. Some of them were even martyred. They understood, as Spurgeon puts it, that afflictions are better in some cases than pleasures. And yet they believed what God said is true. The world wasn’t worthy of them, but God took notice, and God will reward them. (11:32-38) What do they all have in common? They trusted what God says is true, even when it didn’t look like it. And if they trusted what God says is true when it was hard, even though they were just people like us, why can’t we do it too? We can refuse to compromise our convictions at work. We can honor God with our sexuality and our relationships even when it’s hard. We can cling to Christ even when we’ve been hurt by the church and even when others are abandoning him, because what he says is true, even when it doesn’t look like it. I want to draw your attention to verses 39 and 40: > And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. “God had provided something better for us.” We’ve experienced something they haven’t: Jesus. His perfect sacrifice; his new covenant; his high priestly ministry. If they could trust that what God says is true even when it didn’t look like it, how much more should we be able to do the same? So look on one hand at all the things that are hard about clinging to Jesus: all the hardships, all the doubts. And then look on the other hand at God’s trustworthiness and all those who have taken God at this word. And then look at Jesus. And then move all your chips into trusting that what God says is true even when it doesn't look it, because we have more than they did, and he will never let you down. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-382/ Last updated: 2024-02-17T10:00:10.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Delighting in the Lords Day](https://go.dashhouse.com/L2bh?ref=dashhouse.com) > Dear friends, in the dry and weary wilderness that is life in a fallen world, the Lord has hewn out for you a Sabbath oasis, where you can drink form the streams of living water flowing cool and clear; where you can rest your souls beneath the shade of his mercy; where God himself will meet you to bless you and dress your wounds with the balm of his grace. Don’t run past the oasis. Run to it. Run to it and rest. [Christian Displays of Affection](https://go.dashhouse.com/L2bt?ref=dashhouse.com) > If the church is family, then everyone in the family should be greeted with tactile affection and welcome. [Take Heart! God Works Through Human Conflict.](https://go.dashhouse.com/L2Zs?ref=dashhouse.com) > The Lord can and does work in and through human conflict, repurposing even our flaws and failures for his greater plan. [Pastor, Don’t Waste Your Discouragement](https://go.dashhouse.com/L2ZH?ref=dashhouse.com) > Seasons of discouragement are inevitable for any gospel minister. It comes with the territory. But the Lord uses seasons of discouragement as seasons of growth. [One of the Most Important Ministry Skills That Nobody Talks About](https://go.dashhouse.com/L2bx?ref=dashhouse.com) > Running a good meeting still matters. And more than you think. [TGC Announces New Resource Hub for Pastors](https://go.dashhouse.com/L2a-?ref=dashhouse.com) > Our new TGC Pastors landing page focuses on equipping men serving in, or training for, pastoral ministry. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [The Preacher’s Two Voices](https://go.dashhouse.com/L0wo?ref=dashhouse.com) > Effective preachers communicate through their words and through their hearts. ### Would Your Life Make Sense If God Wasn't Real? URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/would-your-life-make-sense-if-god-wasnt-real/ Last updated: 2024-02-13T10:00:35.000Z Some things just don’t make sense if God isn’t real. Noah building an ark because God told him a flood was coming? Crazy — unless Noah actually did hear from God and took him seriously enough to obey him. Abraham leaving his religious convictions and land for a place he’d never been? It’s simply not done, especially when it means living as a foreigner in tents. It makes no sense, unless God actually did promise to give the land to his descendants, and an even better city to Abraham after death. When you’re born into power and luxury, you just don’t leave it. You especially don’t want to tick off the most powerful person not just in your household and the world — unless, of course, something is better than the fleeting pleasure of sin. Moses thought so, and he found God’s promises better than life in the royal household. It didn’t always work out. Some people took God seriously enough to risk their lives, but the risk didn’t play out, at least in the short term. They “suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment,” we read in Hebrews 11:36-38). “They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.” It makes no sense, unless God is real, and God will make good on his promises beyond this brief life. Following God should make no sense if you take God out of the picture. The things we do, the priorities we set, the sacrifices we make, the prayers we pray, the habits we cultivate — none of these should make sense if God isn’t real, and if he won’t make good on his promises. So don’t look to the world for cues. They live with a completely different set of assumptions. Don’t make decisions based on the same set of principles they believe. Don’t make decisions based on actuarial tables that predict the date of your death. Make decisions based on how they will pay off in light of eternity. Take the long view. Believe that some things will only make sense if you take the long view (eternity) instead of just years, decades, or even centuries. Be willing to be regarded as a loser here if that’s what it takes to grasp something far more long-lasting and satisfying in the future. Our lives should really make no sense if God isn’t real. But, according to Hebrews 11, a group of people lived who believed God was real, who took him at his word, and who made decisions that only make sense to those who take God seriously too. That’s what it means to live by faith. It’s not so much a blind leap of faith as much as a willingness to trust that God and his promises are true. I want to be like that, and I hope you do too. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-381/ Last updated: 2024-02-10T10:00:42.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [6 Ways to Find (and Protect) the Time You Need to Read Books](https://go.dashhouse.com/Ktxm?ref=dashhouse.com) > You don’t need to be a professional book reviewer to read a lot of books. And you don’t need to be brilliant either. But you do need to be purposeful and consistent. [Why We Always Need More Books on Every Subject](https://go.dashhouse.com/KtxH?ref=dashhouse.com) > Another Apologetics book? Yet one more Systematic Theology book? Do we need another Christian book on marriage? The answer is yes. The answer will always be yes. We will always need more books on every subject. [Why Churches Need Corporate Confession](https://go.dashhouse.com/Ktxh?ref=dashhouse.com) > What can churches offer to the lonely? One answer: the practice of public confession. [Building a Culture of Evangelism Takes Time, So Be Patient and Get to Work](https://go.dashhouse.com/KtxL?ref=dashhouse.com) — Part of the Latest [9Marks Journal](https://go.dashhouse.com/Kv4m?ref=dashhouse.com) > It takes time to grow a culture of evangelism. Hopefully some of these practices will help. So get to work; patiently pray and patiently wait. [The Single Most Encouraging Thing for a Pastor](https://go.dashhouse.com/Ktxb?ref=dashhouse.com) > If you want to encourage your pastor, learn as much as you can from the Word, put it into practice, ask the Spirit to work in you and commit to your spiritual growth. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Stand Alone](https://go.dashhouse.com/KvC-?ref=dashhouse.com) > We need godly leaders who refuse to shift their theology to keep up with the times. ### The Difference Between Saul and David URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-difference-between-saul-and-david/ Last updated: 2024-02-06T10:00:47.000Z I’ve been studying 1 and 2 Samuel lately, and I’ve been surprised by how few differences exist between Saul and David. Both started out fairly well. After Saul was anointed, God gave him another heart, and he even prophesied (1 Samuel 10:9-13). His early reign was characterized by a military victory (1 Samuel 11). But the cracks appeared pretty quickly: he offered an unlawful sacrifice (1 Samuel 13), made a rash vow (1 Samuel 14:24), didn’t follow God’s instructions in battle (1 Samuel 15), became unhinged around David (1 Samuel 19-26), and even consulted a medium (1 Samuel 28). His reign was characterized by pragmatism, blame-shifting, paranoia, and a refusal to repent. David also starts out well. Twice, he refuses to kill Saul when he has the chance (1 Samuel 24 and 26). He mourns the death of his enemies (2 Samuel 1). He enjoys early victories as king (2 Samuel 5 and 8) and leads people in worship (2 Samuel 6). He elevates a potential rival to the throne (2 Samuel 9). But he also makes an ambiguous decision by fleeing to the Philistines (1 Samuel 27). He takes a number of concubines and wives contrary to Deuteronomy 17:17 (2 Samuel 5:13). And he becomes an adulterer (or worse!) and a murderer (2 Samuel 11), leading to significant problems in his family. Near the end of his reign, God lashes out in judgment because of one of David’s decisions (2 Samuel 24). The big difference between Saul and David? David repents quickly (2 Samuel 12:13). He doesn’t blame-shift. He trusts God’s mercy even when he faces God’s judgment (2 Samuel 24:14). Simply put, David is a better repenter. I find this both humbling and encouraging. I’m humbled because even the best of us fail more than we’d like to admit. The best of us isn’t very good. I’m no longer surprised when I hear bad news about someone I respected or when even good people disappoint. Rather than being surprised by this, we need to see our own weakness and be sure that we put our hope in God, not in any person. But I also find this encouraging. God doesn’t use the perfect. He uses those who are quick to repent and throw themselves on his mercy. I want to learn to repent quickly. I’ve always appreciated these words from Tim Keller: > My dear friends, most churches make the mistake of selecting as leaders the confident, the competent, and the successful. But what you most need in a leader is someone who has been broken by the knowledge of his or her sin, and even greater knowledge of Jesus’ costly grace. The number one leaders in every church ought to be the people who repent the most fully without excuses, because you don’t need any now; the most easily without bitterness; the most publicly and the most joyfully. They know their standing isn’t based on their performance. That’s the difference between Saul and David in one line: “The number one leaders … ought to be the people who repent the most fully without excuses.” May God help us become good repenters. ### A Better Sacrifice (Hebrews 9:1-10:18) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/a-better-sacrifice-hebrews-91-1018/ Last updated: 2024-02-05T01:11:25.000Z **Big Idea:** Jesus’ sacrifice deals decisively with the enormous offense of our sins. --- At the heart of the Jewish and Christian faiths is something that is troubling to the human mind. At the heart of the Jewish faith is the temple with all of its sacrifices. If you read the book of Leviticus, you discover all kinds of sacrifices of all kinds of animals for all kinds of occasions. You have five different kinds of sacrifices, a parade of bellowing animals being butchered on the altar. > Imagine the sensory overload of this experience—the violent resistance of the animal, the spurting of blood, the feel of pulling the animal apart, the smell of its burning flesh and bones. Imagine the emotional and spiritual impact of offering this sacrifice, knowing that it was your sin that made this death necessary. And imagine the frustration in knowing that you’ll be back tomorrow or next week because you will sin again. ([Nancy Guthrie](https://go.dashhouse.com/KkU9?ref=dashhouse.com)) The tabernacle, and later the temple, were slaughterhouses. Jewish texts refer to priests wading knee-deep in blood. The ancient historian Josephus said that in one Passover he observed the slaughter of 256,500 lambs. Picture the blood, the smell, the noise of these sacrifices going on every day. Christianity also has a sacrifice at its center. At the center if Christianity is a cross. We’ve sanitized the cross. We wear it on necklaces and get cross tattoos. But the cross was a terrifying instrument of torture and execution. John Stott writes, “The cross will always constitute an assault on human self-righteousness and a challenge to human self-indulgence. Its ‘scandal’ (stumbling-block) simply cannot be removed.” The cross is so offensive that the idea of penal substitution — that Jesus took the full punishment for our sins as a substitute in our place — is rejected by many because they struggle with the idea that God would be so angry at sin, and that he would require a sacrifice to turn away his wrath. Here’s what I’m trying to get at: both the Jewish faith and the Christian faith have sacrifice at the core, an idea that strikes people today as strange and offensive. But here’s the message of the passage that we just read: we need a sacrifice in order to be right with God. Hebrews is written to a group of Christians who were tempted to drift back to Judaism because of how hard it was to live as a Christian. He’s just finished explaining how Jesus is better than the Old Testament rest, the Old Testament priesthood, and the Old Testament covenant. In fact, he’s said that the old covenant is obsolete. In Hebrews 8:13, he said: “In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” Here’s what the writer wants us to know in this long section that we just read. He wants us to understand two points. ## The Jewish system communicates some important truths (9:1-10). That’s the first thing that he says, and it comes up a number of times in this passage. In Hebrews 9:1-10, the writer gives us a crash course on the basic features of the Jewish system. He doesn’t list everything, but he lists three components: - **a place (9:2-5)** — You have a temple with two sections, each section having some key pieces contents that were full of symbolism to represent God’s presence and his salvation of Israel - **an offering (9:6-7)** — In the first room, the priests did certain things like replace the showbread and trim the wicks. But in the second room, the high priest went once a year to offer sacrifices for “for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people” (9:7). - **a limit (9:8-10)** — But you also have a built-in limit to the Jewish system. Verses 7 and 8 talk about the infrequency of access. Only one person could access the Holy of Holies, and that person could only enter one year. Baked into this system are limitations. As verses 9 and 10 say: > According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation. Every year, sacrifices would be made for their sins. They did it because God commanded. But it really didn’t deal with the guilty consciences of the worshiper. It pointed the reality of sin and its seriousness. It pointed to death as the consequence of sin. Sin brings and demands death. It pointed to God’s gracious gift of a substitute, allowing another life to be offered on our behalf. So it teaches some important lessons, but it didn’t really deal with their guilty consciences. As one song puts it: > Not all the blood of beasts > On Jewish altars slain, > Could give the guilty conscience rest > Or wash away one stain. The Jewish system communicated some truths — the seriousness of sin, death as a consequence of our sin, and God’s gift of a substitute — but it could never really deal with our guilty consciences. But here’s the second thing that the writer wants us to know. ## Jesus’ sacrifice is better (9:11-10:18). There is so much here, but here’s his essential point: what the Jewish system couldn’t do to deal with our sins, Jesus has done. In fact, he lists five ways that Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins is better: ### First: Jesus’ sacrifice was made in a better location (9:11) > But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation)… The Holy of Holies in the tabernacle only represented the presence of God. But Jesus didn’t enter the earthly tent like the high priests did. He entered the heavenly tabernacle itself. > Jesus did not just slip into the Most Holy Place amidst a protective cloud of incense to breathlessly perform a ritual sprinkling and then exit until next year. Instead, he came having given his own precious blood once and for all, and there he sat down at the right hand of the Father—never more to leave. (Kent Hughes) ### Second: Jesus’ sacrifice was more valuable (9:12-14). Not only did he make his sacrifice in the real Holy of Holies, but he made a much better sacrifice there: > …he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Jesus didn’t have to enter the Holy of Holies every year to make an offering. He did this one time, once for all. Why? Because he didn’t come with the blood of goats or bulls. He offered himself for our sins. No greater sacrifice could be made. He has paid the price to set us free. His blood is enough to purify our consciences before a holy God. No other sacrifice could have dealt with our sins once and for all other than the blood of Jesus. Jesus just had to make one sacrifice to secure our eternal redemption. If you come turn to him and trust him, his one sacrifice is enough to deal with all of your sins. Jesus’ sacrifice was made in a better location. Jesus’ sacrifice was valuable. But there’s more: ### Third, Jesus’ sacrifice enacted a new covenant (9:15-22). Of all the points the writer makes, this one may be the hardest to understand. Let’s see how we do. In order for some things to be enacted, a death has to take place. A couple examples are a covenant and a last will and testament. We’re more familiar with the last will and covenant. If someone writes you into their will, you don’t get anything until they die. If you go to a lawyer with someone’s will naming you as a beneficiary, you get nothing unless the person dies first. Hebrews 9:16-17 makes this point: > For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. Just like a last will and testament only occurs when a death has taken place, so does a covenant. That’s why in Exodus 24, when Moses gave Israel the covenant, and the people agreed, sacrifices were made. The old covenant was established with blood. To enact the covenant, “he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, ‘This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you’” (9:19-20). Until blood is shed, you don’t have a covenant. So how do we get to the new covenant? Whose blood is going to be shed to enact the new covenant that God is making with us? On the night when Jesus was betrayed, he took the cup and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” (1 Corinthians 11:25). Every time we celebrate communion, as we did today, we remember that the covenant was established on blood, except this time it’s not the blood of bulls and goats but a covenant enacted on the blood of Jesus himself. When Jesus shed his blood, he became mediator of a better covenant. That’s what makes Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins better than the Old Testament sacrifices, because it inaugurates a better covenant. ### Fourth: Jesus’ sacrifice is sufficient and final (9:23-28, 10:11-14). This is a little easier to understand. The parade of animals was ongoing. The sacrifices were never done because they never dealt finally and fully with sin. But when Jesus’ died for our sins, his sacrifice as sufficient and final for all who trust in him. > But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. (9:26-28) Christ’s death dealt with your sins fully and finally. Nothing more needs to be done. When he comes again, it will not be to offer another sacrifice or to exact one from you. It will be to grant final salvation for those waiting for him. Think about that term: “put away sin” in verse 26\. You know those sins that bother you? Jesus has put them away where nobody can find them anymore. It’s a hard thing to put away sin. The Old Testament sacrifices — thousands and thousands of bulls — couldn’t do it. Our own efforts couldn’t do it. But Jesus has done it. You can come to Jesus with all of your sins, and he will put them away. Jesus’ sacrifice is sufficient and final. This is such an important point that he returns to it later in chapter 10: > And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. (10:11-14) Think about the priests showing up day after day to sacrifice animals. Tony Evans observes that Old Testament priests were fighting a losing battle. Jesus did in one moment what all of them together couldn’t do over millennia. “The Old Testament sacrifices only had a one-year warranty,” says Evans. “But Christ’s sacrifice was eternal and, therefore, obtained lasting redemption.” By a single sacrifice he has done everything necessary to accomplish our salvation. We’ve covered a lot. Jesus’ sacrifice was made in a better location; it was more valuable; it enacted a new covenant; it was sufficient and final. There’s one more way that Jesus’ sacrifice is better. ### Finally: Jesus’ sacrifice was voluntary (10:1-10). In all the history of sacrifices, not one bull or goat volunteered. But Jesus volunteered. Jesus was not an unwilling victim. He willingly took our place. He applies the words of Psalm 40:6-8 to Jesus in 10:5-7. > He willingly, consciously, and intentionally gave his body for his people. This is another contrast with animal sacrifices. A lamb does not wake up in the morning and think to itself, “I’d like to die for sinners today.” Christ, unlike a lamb, did not die because he was forced into it; he went forward willingly. That is the picture of love. He was not just given for you; he gave himself for you. The sacrificial system was impersonal, distant, external—it was easy for it to become just a matter of performing the rites. But Jesus offered himself out of love. It was personal. (Michael Kruger) That’s what the writer wants us to know. **Jesus’ sacrifice deals decisively with the enormous** offense **of our sins.** The Jewish system communicated some important truths we need to understand about the God’s presence, the damage that sin does, and his gracious gift of a substitute. But it could never get the job done. Jesus’ sacrifice is so much greater for all the reasons he mentions. He has made the final sacrifice that deals fully and finally with our sins. At the heart of the Jewish and Christian faith is something disturbing: sacrifice. There is no part of the biblical faith that is more ugly or jarring than killing animals to take care of your sin. It offends our sensibilities. But it teaches us that our sin is so unbelievably ugly that it took the most vicious kind of death for us to see it. Take just one of your sins. Think about the cost of that single sin. That single sin alone is enough to warrant death. Now think of all of your sins. Think of the weight of them at their ugliest and worst. How could God forgive us for all that he has done? And the answer comes back: through the sacrifice of his Son who gave his life in our place and dealt fully and finally with our sins, putting all of them away. There’s no greater sacrifice. There’s no greater Savior. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-380/ Last updated: 2024-02-03T10:00:56.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Is Your Worship Service Otherworldly Enough?](https://go.dashhouse.com/KnoN?ref=dashhouse.com) > We won’t reach more people by eliminating the awe-inspiring elements that follow from an encounter with the living God. We’ll reach fewer, and the ones we do reach will experience less. [In Praise of Rote Learning: Why We Need Catechisms](https://go.dashhouse.com/Kltq?ref=dashhouse.com) > Let’s reconsider the beauty of rote learning. [The Power of Praying Together](https://go.dashhouse.com/KlvF?ref=dashhouse.com) > What might God do in your church if you committed to praying more together? [Pre-Evangelism: Building Relational Trenches](https://go.dashhouse.com/Kmt6?ref=dashhouse.com) > Pre-evangelism is like building trenches in the sand, giving the water of the gospel a channel to go in. [Respectable Sins in Christian Ministry](https://go.dashhouse.com/Klth?ref=dashhouse.com) > While we easily diagnose the sins of others, we too often gloss over the evil within us. [Identifying the Hidden Sin of Reverse Idolatry](https://go.dashhouse.com/Klti?ref=dashhouse.com) > Ask yourself these 15 questions when you sense anger rising in your soul toward someone you might see as your opponent or enemy. [Alistair Begg Meets the Politically Correct](https://go.dashhouse.com/Koka?ref=dashhouse.com) > Might Begg be drawing the line in the wrong place—too much in the direction of showing grace? Sure. Might I be drawing it in the wrong place—too much in the direction of maintaining truth? Again, yes. He risks confusing people. I risk hurting people. That’s why I think we both attempt to sort these out with fear and trembling and a willingness to be corrected. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [The Hardest Part About Ministry](https://go.dashhouse.com/Kkrr?ref=dashhouse.com) > The hardest part of ministry is also one of the best parts of ministry: people. ### The Beauty of Small Churches URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-beauty-of-small-churches/ Last updated: 2024-01-31T01:26:28.000Z I pastored two small churches for a combined total of 17 years. In the first small church, I didn’t realize how good I had it. The people were loving and patient. They gave me a chance to grow and learn the role of pastor. They let me make mistakes. They loved us in significant ways. But I felt bad about the smallness of the church. The church grew a little and then shrank a little. No matter how much we tried, it never became a medium-sized church, and I felt bad about it. Some years later, I had the privilege of starting a new church in a downtown community. I didn’t know what size that church would be. Because of the kind of community — especially because of the transience of the community — it remained small. But this time I was ready: I was able to recognize the beauty of the church even though it was small. We tend to value big things. Many times, we miss the beauty and significance of small churches because we believe that small churches are somehow deficient. I’ve increasingly come to believe that small churches, medium churches, and large churches are just different. One isn’t better than the other; each has sets of strengths and challenges. Churches of every size can be healthy; churches of every size are significant. Pastors and members of small churches don’t need to be discouraged. God is at work in even the most humble church. I recently had the privilege of meeting Ron Johnston, executive director of [Small Church Connections](https://go.dashhouse.com/KjQW?ref=dashhouse.com). When we talked, I knew right away that I’d want to interview him about the value and challenges of small churches in a culture that often values bigness. I hope this conversation encourages you about the value of small church ministry. You can listen to the podcast episode below, or find [The Gospel for Life podcast](https://go.dashhouse.com/podcast?ref=dashhouse.com) on your favorite podcast app. ## Summary - Ron traces the origins of the emphasis on church growth back to the Church Growth Movement of the 1950s. - He talks about his personal experiences as a pastor in small churches and emphasizes the importance of being content and appreciating the significance of individual ministry. - Small Church Connections aims to serve small churches across Canada through encouragement, support, retreats, and research projects. - Challenges faced by small churches include feelings of failure and difficulties in building quality leadership teams. - Small churches have strengths in their focus on relationships, intergenerational dynamics, and their collective impact on many people. - Ron encourages pastors and small churches to see their role as a divine calling and to keep going in their ministry, focusing on the rewards and eternal significance of their work. ## Quotes “I often say to small churches … that if I came back in a few years time, and they had grown enormously, and their budget was three times what it is right now, and they were running programs everywhere. I'll say you would not be one speck more valuable in the eyes of God than you are right at this moment, because you'd still be a part of the body of Christ.” (00:02:20 → 00:03:00) "No matter what the size of a church, ministry is to individuals." (00:05:09 → 00:05:14) "One of the things that I think is so incredibly important for anyone who's in some aspect of full time Christian ministry is that sense that God has called you, and that's why you're there." (00:06:34 → 00:07:37) "I've never met a small church pastor that didn't need encouragement." (00:10:15 → 00:10:18) "The rewards \[of being a pastor\] are second to none. When you see that young person really get turned on for God or you see that marriage come back together, or you see that person who started attending your church become a Christian or whatever it might be. We get to participate in some weddings and some of the most joyous times that there are. And we do it as part of what God is doing." (00:20:26 → 00:20:37) ## Episode Links - [Small Church Connections](https://go.dashhouse.com/KjQW?ref=dashhouse.com) - [Significant Church Small Church Research Study](https://go.dashhouse.com/KjQa?ref=dashhouse.com) ### Books mentioned: - [*The Call*](https://go.dashhouse.com/KjQt?ref=dashhouse.com) by Os Guinness ## Transcript Download a PDF transcript of this episode. [The Beauty of Small Churches — TranscriptA conversation with Ron Johnston of Small Church Connections240130-Transcript.pdf238 KBdownload-circle](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/files/2024/01/240130-Transcript.pdf "Download") ### Don’t Lose Your Wonder (Hebrews 8) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/dont-lose-your-wonder-hebrews-8/ Last updated: 2024-01-28T23:00:06.000Z **Big Idea:** Wonder again at Jesus, because the more we wonder at Jesus and his salvation, the less we’ll be tempted to wander from him. --- John Piper has said that books don’t change your life; paragraphs do. I agree, but I’ll go farther and say that even sentences can change your life. One such sentence is this one by Trevin Wax: “The church faces her biggest challenge not when new errors start to win but when old truths no longer wow.” There is so much wisdom in that one sentence. Our greatest challenge is not that we deny the truth but that we become bored with the truth. Wax continues: > R. R. Tolkien once said that the most regrettable feature of human nature is how quickly we become unsatisfied with the good. We receive good gifts from God and then grow bored with blessings. Spiritual dullness. Blurry vision. Hardness of heart. This is the challenge for the church. What happens when we lose our wonder? We start to drift from what should capture our attention. We start to long for lesser things. This is one of the greatest spiritual dangers that we will ever face. We’re in the middle of a series in the book of Hebrews. Hebrews is written to address a problem: people who had put their faith in Jesus began to drift back to Judaism. And the author writes this letter to focus their attention back on Jesus and to not settle for anything else. The writer has been focused on the Old Testament sacrificial system. It’s because this is the thing that was drawing them away from Jesus. He wants to show them that Jesus is so much better than the Old Testament system of priests and sacrifices. The thing that made it so alluring is that it was close to the core of their faith without being at the core of their faith. It was meant to point to Jesus, but it wasn’t the main point. The main point is Jesus, but they were tempted by the thing that was meant to point to Jesus rather than focusing on Jesus himself. What is it that might draw your attention away from Jesus? It’s probably not the Old Testament system of priests and sacrifices. But it’s something. And it may be especially dangerous if it is something that is meant to point us to Jesus but that isn’t the point. Beware of any substitute for Jesus, especially religious ones. When we lose our wonder at Jesus, we start to settle for secondary things, and those secondary things actually begin to threaten our souls. To paraphrase Trevin Wax, we face our biggest challenge not when new errors start to win, but when we lose our wonder at Jesus. Let’s follow the author’s argument in this passage. The author has one agenda: to help us realize that Jesus is so much better than the Old Testament sacrificial system. He is a better priest of a better covenant. And so he gives us three things about Jesus that should cause us to regain our wonder. Here’s the first: ### Wonder at where Jesus is as he represents you (8:1-2). You may have visited Jerusalem. It’s pretty amazing. It’s amazing to stand at the site of the temple in the Old City of Jerusalem and think of everything that happened there. Abraham stood there with Isaac his son. David stood there. Solomon stood there. Jesus stood there. High priests entered into the presence of God in the Holy of Holies in that location. For a thousand years, sacrifices were offered at that place. It’s amazing. If standing at the location of the temple is amazing, there’s something that should fill us with even more wonder. Verses 1 and 2 tell us: > Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. The author is saying: if you think that the high priest serving in the temple is amazing, you should think about where Jesus, your great high priest, is serving. The temple was only a shadow of the greater reality that we now get to experience. Our great high priest is not in some earthbound building. Our great high priest is in the very presence of God himself. Not only that, but he is sitting where no high priest has ever sat before: he’s seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven. Jesus is exalted and is sitting on heaven’s throne, and he’s there representing you before the God of this universe. Jesus does his work of mediation for you in the presence of God himself. The earthly tent was only a copy of the heavenly tabernacle. The high priest could only enter the Holy of Holies once a year to make atonement for the people. But Jesus doesn’t dwell in a copy of the heavenly tabernacle; he dwells in the presence of God himself. It’s not a building that Moses or Solomon or Herod built; Jesus dwells in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. And he’s not there one day a year. He is there continually in the presence of God representing you. You have a friend in high places. You have a high priest in the highest of places, on the throne of heaven itself. The One who sits at the Father’s right hand in glory being worshiped and adored by saints and angels is serving you. The writer is saying: why would you ever settle for earthbound priests in Jerusalem when you can have a high priest in the very presence of God himself? When we start to lose our wonder at that fact, we’ll begin to drift to lesser truths to the peril of our souls. “There are no lapses, no disaffections, no uneven devotion—only a loving constancy of intercession—serving…” (Kent Hughes). The One who represents you sits on heaven’s throne in the presence of God himself. Your representative could not be better placed to serve you and represent you before the presence of God himself. Don’t settle for anything less than that. Don’t drift to lesser truths or realities. Look to heaven where your Savior is representing you in the very presence of God himself. Don’t lose the wonder of that reality. If you have trusted Jesus, wonder at where Jesus is as he represents you right now. But that’s not all. There’s a second thing that should bring us wonder. ### Wonder at how Jesus is the substance of which everything that came before is a shadow (8:3-5). I wish we had time to look at the richness of the Old Testament system of priests and sacrifices. It’s full of so much meaning. - The temple represents the very presence of God among sinful people. Every detail is meant to teach us something about God and how he has made a way for sinful people to come into his presence. - The Old Testament priesthood represents our need for someone to stand before us and a holy God. The priests represented God to the people and the people to God. - The sacrificial system, with all of its intricacies, teaches us that the punishment for sin is death, but that God has provided a substitute to die in our place so that we sinful people can stand in the presence of a holy God. There is so much in the Old Testament system that teaches us things we need to know about God and how to draw near to them. But the writer says that all of this is just a shadow that points us to Jesus who is the substance to which everything pointed: > For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. *They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things.* For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” (8:3-5) Verse 5 is key: “They serve as a copy and shadow of heavenly things.” The old covenant temple, priesthood, and sacrificial system “mimics enough of the original to point God’s people to greater, heavenly realities” (George Guthrie). It’s the photocopy of which Jesus is the original. Don’t settle for the shadow; wonder at the reality to which the shadow points. Wonder that Jesus is not in some earthly temple but in the heavenly one. Wonder that Jesus is not some sinful mortal priest but a perfect priest who has conquered death. Wonder that he has not offered the blood of an animal but his own blood for your soul. You have “the reality and the substance of what on earth is only typical and temporary … Jesus is there in heaven, the true tabernacle where God himself dwells, and it is the goal of his superior ministry to bring us to where he is, near to God in heaven … When we come to Jesus, he brings us to God, to heaven, and to eternal life. He brings us home because he knows the way and has opened it for us” (Richard Phillips). Don’t lose your wonder that you get to enjoy the reality of which everything else before was a shadow. Wonder where Jesus is as he represents you. Wonder at how Jesus is the substance of which everything before was a shadow. There’s one more thing: ### Wonder at the better promises that you’ve been given (8:8-13). Verses 8 to 12 are one big quotation from Jeremiah 31:31-34\. It’s the longest quotation in the New Testament of an Old Testament text. The purpose of this quotation is to describe the ministry of Jesus, and how it’s superior to ministry under the old covenant. Verse 6 says, “But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.” How is the new covenant — the terms of the relationship that God makes with us — better than the old? If you read the Old Testament, you see that the old covenant didn’t bring the desired transformation in the people. But the new covenant is better. It does what is needed. The quotation from Jeremiah describes four ways that the new covenant is better: - **A new power** — “I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts” (8:10). The new covenant doesn’t just modify our behaviour. It changes us from the inside-out. He doesn’t just write the law on tablets; he writes in our hearts and empowers us to obey him. In the new covenant, his laws are internalized in our hearts. - **A new relationship** — “I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (8:10). Verse 9 points to the failure of the old covenant. “For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord.” The relationship in the old covenant was marred by the people’s disobedience. But in the new covenant, God has given himself to us and taken us as his own. - **A new community** — “And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest” (8:11). In Israel, there were believers and unbelievers. But God is creating a new community in which everyone knows him from the least to the greatest. - **A better forgiveness** — “For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more” (8:12). Under the old covenant, sins were not fully forgiven, because the blood of bulls and goats could never do the job. Sins were covered until the perfect sacrifice was offered for sin. Under Jesus, that sacrifice has been made, and now our sins have been dealt with finally and fully. There is no greater salvation that could be offered than what Jesus has given us in the new covenant. The writer wants us to lift “our eyes from earth to heaven, from our works of weakness to God’s works of power, from man’s enslaving religion to Christ’s liberating salvation” (Phillips). He wants us to wonder again at Jesus, because the more we wonder at Jesus and his salvation, the less we’ll be tempted to wander from him. And so today I have one application: look at Jesus and marvel at him. Don’t lose your interest in him. Don’t go looking for anything or anyone else, because there is nobody better than him. When you see Jesus and what he has done for you — that he represents you in heaven; that he’s the substance of which everything else was a shadow; that he’s given you even greater promises — you’ll never want to look anywhere else. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-379/ Last updated: 2024-01-27T10:00:29.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [8 Encouraging Trends in Global Christianity for 2024](https://go.dashhouse.com/Kghc?ref=dashhouse.com) > The 2024 Status of Global Christianity report provides at least eight positive trends that paint a picture of a healthy, growing global church. [Dear Pastor … Your Leadership Is Needed in the Pulpit](https://go.dashhouse.com/KggJ?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are just a few of the reasons we’re thankful to God for your leadership of his people through consistent and diligent Bible exposition. [Alistair Begg, Weddings, Wise Application and Adding Mandates to Scripture](https://go.dashhouse.com/KggB?ref=dashhouse.com) > If it isn’t specifically in the Bible, we can’t insist that our application is necessarily the biblically sanctioned, Spirit-sanctified application of the matter that applies to everyone, in every place, for all time, world without end. [Is ‘Gentle Parenting’ Biblical?](https://go.dashhouse.com/Khyx?ref=dashhouse.com) > If gentle parenting were just a mood board for solving parenting difficulties in nonconfrontational ways, I’d have nothing to say against it. But when you dig more deeply into the underlying concepts of gentle parenting, you find at least two that stand opposed to the Bible’s teaching about parenting. [Dear ChatGPT Users](https://go.dashhouse.com/KglN?ref=dashhouse.com) > As someone who has chosen not to use ChatGPT, I want to challenge you to consider how such a technology can inadvertently weaken your love for God and for others. ### But Her Too URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/but-her-too/ Last updated: 2024-01-23T10:00:47.000Z One of the hardest books I read last year is [*But He Said He Is a Christian: Journal Entries of a Young Christian Woman in an Abusive Relationship*](https://go.dashhouse.com/K1if?ref=dashhouse.com), written by [Rebecca K. Tan](https://go.dashhouse.com/Kbp%5F?ref=dashhouse.com). It’s a heartbreaking look at what it’s like for a Christian young woman to experience abuse by a professing believer. Because many of us have not experienced sexual abuse, we benefit from learning from the experience and reflections of someone who has. Tan is back with a second book, just released this week: [*But Her Too: Redemption in the Stories of Christian Women Mistreated and Abused in Dating Relationships*](https://go.dashhouse.com/Kbpr?ref=dashhouse.com). “After slowly accepting what had happened to me,” Tan writes, “I desperately wished I could talk to someone who could relate.” Sadly, many can, and this book recounts the stories of five women with similar stories. ![](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2024/01/but-her-too-2.jpg) The book, again, is hard to read. It contains course language and recounts violence and sexual activity, because the stories contain these elements. Again, this isn’t a book you will enjoy reading, but it’s a book you should probably read, especially if you are involved in church ministry, if you are a parent of a girl, if you’re a young woman yourself, or if you want to be more informed on this horrible subject. This kind of horror thrives in the darkness, and it’s helpful but hard to drag it into the light. As hard as the stories may be to read, this book leaves us with hope. In each case, the abuse happened at the hands of someone who claimed to be a Christian. Each story is different, and yet similar threads run through each of them. Each chapter includes a prayer for the person who tells her story. Even the stories offer hope. “I can say that Jesus conquered the dead and broken parts in my story and has made it beautiful,” writes one of the women. The stories are important, but Tan also provides two concluding chapters to help us reflect on what we read. Tan points us to the goodness of God. “Our God is not harsh, unjust, violent, or abusive. There is no evil in him. There’s no way a man can be as perfect as our heavenly Father, but we are called to reflect him. God is kind, merciful, slow to anger, patient, and abounding in steadfast love,” she writes. Abuse happens not because God lacks in goodness, but because the men in these stories sin. But we can have hope: “God redeems. He takes what others meant for evil and turns it for our good.” One of the most helpful chapters is the final one on walking alongside victims and sufferers. If you’re looking for good, practical advice on how to respond, this chapter will help you know what to do and say and what to avoid. I usually like to recommend books I enjoyed reading. This short book isn’t one of them. But I’m recommending it anyway because the subject is so important and affects so many. I wish this book didn’t have to be written, but it does. Push past the discomfort. Read this book and share it. I appreciate the women who shared their stories and Tan's skill in helping us understand, respond, and trust God, even when dealing with a difficult subject such as abuse. [More from Amazon.com](https://go.dashhouse.com/Kbpr?ref=dashhouse.com) ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-378/ Last updated: 2024-01-20T10:00:34.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Reflections on the Evangelical Fracturing, Ten Years In](https://go.dashhouse.com/KZR-?ref=dashhouse.com) > The story of Acts 29's trajectory will feel familiar to many of us outside of the network as well. Indeed it may serve as a small-scale model for much of the evangelical fracturing that began around 2015 and has continued through to the present. So it is worth considering why all this took place. [We're All Muzzled Oxen Now](https://go.dashhouse.com/KZRe?ref=dashhouse.com) > My concern, really, is not with pastoral wages at all, but with evangelical awareness of the powerful undercurrents in our society which are destroying family life and the wider social fabric with it. [Hate the Sin and Love the Sinner?](https://go.dashhouse.com/KZ67?ref=dashhouse.com) > Sometimes we hear the phrase, “God hates the sin but loves the sinner,” and wonder what to think. To make sense of this statement one would have to have a sophisticated understanding of how this can be both true and false or the different senses in which the statement may be true or false. [Must Every Christian Evangelize?](https://go.dashhouse.com/KZ3b?ref=dashhouse.com) > Church members sometimes wonder if they should just leave evangelism to the “professionals.” After all, isn’t evangelism a spiritual gift? > In this article I offer a quick guide for pastors to know how to answer them. [How Baptists and Christian Reformed Believers Speak Past Each Other on Baptism](https://go.dashhouse.com/KZ3M?ref=dashhouse.com) > I was asked to debate baptism with a Christian Reformed pastor. As we talked back and forth for more than two hours, it was clear how much we shared in common but also how Christians from our traditions can often misunderstand each other on this issue. [On Preparing for the Funeral](https://go.dashhouse.com/KZ3T?ref=dashhouse.com) > Heather and I visited a funeral director recently. His company was having a sale on funeral services and we wanted to get in on it before its expiry date. Before our expiry date too, I suppose. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Be Kind to Younger Pastors](https://go.dashhouse.com/KZ7N?ref=dashhouse.com) > Be the kind of Christian who is kind and gracious to young, earnest pastors who still have room to grow. ### Two Things I'd Change If I Wrote How to Grow Today URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/two-things-id-change-if-i-wrote-how-to-grow-today/ Last updated: 2024-01-16T10:00:48.000Z In 2018, my book [*How to Grow*](https://go.dashhouse.com/howtogrow?ref=dashhouse.com) came out. I’m still happy with it, but there are two big changes I’d make if I wrote this book today. ### First, I’d write about the role of suffering in growth. I talk a lot about habits in the book, which is good. Habits — or spiritual disciplines, if you prefer — play a big role in our growth. In fact, I’ve become even more convinced of their importance in our sanctification. But I wish I’d written more about the role that suffering plays in our growth. Looking back, the times that I’ve grown most are the times that I’ve suffered most. God uses the suffering of trials and his discipline to shape our characters and to help us mature. It’s what Paul talks about in Romans: > …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, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5:3-5) It’s not that I didn’t write about suffering in the book. It’s just that I’d include an entire chapter on the subject now. Suffering isn’t something that any of us desires, but I’m grateful that God uses suffering to produce growth in our lives through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. It’s one of the best ways that we grow, even if we don’t enjoy it. ### Second, I’d write about plateaus. Talking about habits is good, but I’d never want anyone to think that following habits is all that it takes to grow. You can practice all the habits — reading Scripture, praying, and participating in the life of the church, for instance — and still go through a period of spiritual struggle. Life is complex. People are complicated. You can practice all the habits well and still live in a spiritual desert. One of the reasons we have so many psalms of lament is because life is full of hardship. The psalmist often expresses that it seems that God has forgotten him. Even Isaiah talks about the hiddenness of God. “Truly, you are a God who hides himself, O God of Israel, the Savior” (Isaiah 45:15). As one hymn-writer puts it: > He hides himself so wondrously, > As though there were no God; > He is least seen when all the powers > Of ill are most abroad. We should expect this and not be alarmed. God is with us even when we can’t sense his presence. In fact, Hebrews is full of examples of people who trusted God against the evidence of circumstances. We’re called to trust him not just because we see evidences of his goodness, but even when God seems absent from our lives. I wish I’d written more about the inevitable plateaus we may hit as part of our growth. There may be times that God seems hidden, and our growth seems stalled, but God as at work even then. I’m still happy with this book. I hope it continues to be read. But these are the two changes I’d make if I wrote it today. ### Hold Fast (Hebrews 6:13-20) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/hold-fast-hebrews-613-20/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T14:56:12.000Z **Big Idea:** Cling to Jesus under pressure because you can count on his promises, and he will give you the stability you need. --- The year was A.D. 155, and the persecution against Christians swept across the Roman Empire. Finally, it came to Smyrna, an Ancient Greek city located in modern-day Turkey. The proconsul of Smyrna ordered that the elderly Bishop of Symrna, a man named Polycarp, be found, arrested, and brought to the public arena for execution. So they found him. They brought him before thousands of spectators screaming for blood. But the proconsul had compassion on this man who was almost a hundred years old. He silenced the crowd. He then gave Polycarp a way to save his life: "Curse the Christ and live,” he said. The crowd waited for the old man to answer. In an amazingly strong voice, he said, "Eighty and six years have I served him, and he has done me no wrong. How dare I blaspheme the name of my king and Lord!" They then burned the old man at the stake and pierced with a spear for refusing to burn incense to the Roman emperor. On his farewell, he said: "I bless you, Father, for judging me worthy of this hour, so that in the company of the martyrs I may share the cup of Christ." The writer of Hebrews has one agenda: to encourage his readers to hang to their faith in Christ when under unrelenting pressure to compromise. The original readers faced this pressure. They had been socially marginalized. Some of them had been imprisoned and lost their property for their faith (10:34). Even worse, more trouble lay ahead (12:4). It was going to get worse, not better. They were getting discouraged and losing heart. Why should they cling to Christ under this kind of pressure? We, too, face pressure to abandon our faith in Christ. We probably won’t be martyred like Polycarp. We may not even lose our properties. But we will probably be socially marginalized. It’s conceivable that some of us may face jail time for our faith. Some laws are forcing pastors and church leaders to change their message or face the consequences. It is possible that some of us could risk losing our jobs because our dedication to Christ conflicts with the expectations our employer has of us.And it might get worse. One of the urgent jobs that we face in the church these days is to prepare ourselves for what it might cost to follow Jesus in the days to come. Why should we cling to Christ under this kind of pressure? Because of an example, and because of two compelling reasons. ## An Example Here’s the example: > For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. (6:13-15) The example is Abraham. Why is Abraham such a good example? Because God made him a promise. In Genesis 22, God had promised him: > I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice. (Genesis 22:17-18) Here’s the hard part about that promise: Abraham had very little evidence, apart from God’s promise, that any of it was going to come true. On one hand, he had this promise from God. On the other hand, he had his circumstance, and there as not much in his circumstances to give him hope. In fact, his circumstances seemed to contradict God’s promise. Abraham’s whole life had been long and weary, with great doubts and obstacles. And now God gave him an enormous promise that he would never see fulfilled in his lifetime — in fact, that nobody would see come true for centuries. The promise on one hand, dire circumstances on the other. Which did Abraham choose? Verse 15: “And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise.” You get his point, don’t you? You see your circumstances on the one hand, and they’re not good. You see God’s promises on the other hand, and they are amazing. Which one do you believe? God’s promises every time. If you ever have to choose between what you see with your eyes and what God has promised to be true, always go with God’s promise. That’s what he’s saying. You can’t always trust what you see with your eyes, but you can always count on God’s promises. Sometimes we need to see this lived out. That’s what’s so good about the example the writer gives us. If Abraham could trust God despite all the obstacles, and despite never seeing the promise come true in his lifetime, why wouldn’t we trust God too? That’s the example the writer gives us. Friends, look at Abraham. He faced difficult circumstances. He sometimes wobbled in his obedience. But he patiently waited, and he obtained the promise. If we wait patiently, he’s saying, we can also count on God’s promises too. ## Two Compelling Reasons But he doesn’t stop there. He gives us two compelling reasons why we can cling to Christ, even when we face unrelenting pressure to compromise. ### Reason One: You can always count on God’s promises Every promise that’s made is only as good as the person who makes the promise. When someone who’s been married eight times stands before a justice of the peace and says, “I do,” you take their promise with a grain of salt because up until now they haven’t. You don’t necessarily accept a promise from an untrustworthy person because a promise is all about the character of the one who made the promise. But there’s a way around this problem. You can also swear on the basis of something that is greater. That’s why people swear on their mother’s grave, for instance. The assumption is that, even if their word isn’t trustworthy, you can count on that promise because they’re not just swearing based on themselves; they’re swearing on something even greater than themselves. The author makes this point in verse 16: “For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation.” If this is true, how did God guarantee his promise? In verse 13, he’s already said that there’s nobody greater than God by whom to swear, so there don’t appear to be many options. > So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. (6:17-18) What encourages us to hold on? Two unchangeable things: - **His promise** — We’ve already looked at that. You can take God’s promise to the bank because of the One who made that promise. But that’s not all: - **His oath** — God not only made a promise to Abraham but he has backed it with an oath. Kent Hughes writes, “His oath, though unnecessary, is the double assurance that he cannot lie. Truth has sworn by itself that its truth shall truly be fulfilled. There is no more possibility of God’s promises failing us than of God falling out of Heaven! His Word is eternally sealed with the double surety of promise and oath.” In other words, the promises that God made to Abraham — and the promises God made to us — are completely trustworthy. The money in your bank, up to $100,000, is guaranteed by the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation. The legal tender in your pocket, if you have any, is backed by the Bank of Canada. The promises God has given you in his word are backed by God himself, and you can’t have a more trustworthy guarantee. He’s never failed to keep any of his promises. Why should you cling to Christ even when you face unrelenting pressure to compromise? Because you can always count on his promises. Okay. We have an example of trusting God in the person of Abraham. We also have one compelling reason to cling to Jesus despite unrelenting pressure: because we an always count on his promises. We find one more reason in this passage to cling to Jesus even under pressure: ### Reason Two: Because of the security we have in Jesus Read verses 19-20: > We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. What a great picture for those who were tempted to drift away: we have an anchor. When we’re tempted to drift, when the waves are coming at us, when everything looks unstable, we have a strong and dependable anchor of our soul. It’s not a flimsy anchor. It’s a sure and steadfast anchor. It gives us the stability we need even in the middle of the storm. And so when life is coming at you trying to push you away, you can know you’re okay. Because you’ve got an anchor. That anchor is a person: Jesus. > The security of our souls rests firmly in the eternal, high-priestly work of Christ, by which he has entered into God’s presence on our behalf and made a way for us to follow. Our stability of soul thus stems from all the power and provisions to be found as we stand before the face of God. (George Guthrie) We need the warning passage that we talked about last week. We need to be reminded of what’s at stake when we get sluggish in our faith. But we also need the assurance that Jesus is our sure and steadfast anchor, and that we look to him and the promises of God for our hope. He saves sinners; he sustains his people; he is our hope from beginning to end. What’s the point of all of this? Why do we need this example and these two reasons to cling to Christ under pressure? Because we’re going to face pressure. We live in a time when it’s hard to be a follower of Jesus Christ. It hasn’t been that way in recent times in North American, but times when it’s relatively easy to follow Jesus are rare. They’re the exception. We’re entering a time when there will be a cost to following Jesus. We may face social pressure. Some of us may lose our jobs. Some of us may even go to jail. But we’ll at least lose face. And there will be all kinds of pressure on us to not believe in the promises of God. But Abraham believed, and he patiently waited. He never saw the promise fulfilled in his lifetime, but God kept his promise. Polycarp believed. He lost his life, but he kept something greater: he kept his eyes on the One who never let him down, even in death. He got what he hoped for in Jesus. **Cling to Jesus under pressure because you can count on his promises, and he will give you the stability you need.** We have exactly what we need to hold on to Jesus even when everything is coming at us. We have God’s promises that will never fail, and we have a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul in Jesus. Not only did he die for our sins and rise to give us new life, but he’s got us. He’s giving us all the stability we need. So, in light of us, verse 18 says, “we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.” Friends, hold fast to the One who is holding you fast. He’ll never let you go, so hold on to the one who’s keeping you safe. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-377/ Last updated: 2024-01-13T10:00:27.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Gospel Hope for North America’s Largest Unreached People Group](https://go.dashhouse.com/KTxI?ref=dashhouse.com) > “The gospel is the power of God,” Ethier said, “and we are amazed daily at what God is doing.” [Five Fears of Old Age](https://go.dashhouse.com/KUN2?ref=dashhouse.com) > Dear older saint, I need to join you in the fight against the fears of aging, and to do so by faith in future grace. [Dear Retired Pastor: Off with the Slippers, On with the Boots](https://go.dashhouse.com/KU0w?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are four lessons I’ve learned as a retired pastor. [Pastor, It's Time to Reevaluate Your Schedule](https://go.dashhouse.com/KUjd?ref=dashhouse.com) > With a new year on the horizon, now is an excellent time to go back to the drawing board and create a new weekly schedule for yourself. [Is Sunday Still the First Day of the Week?](https://go.dashhouse.com/KU0p?ref=dashhouse.com) > Calendars aren’t neutral. So when you notice the shift on your electronic device away from Sunday as the first day of the week, resist going along. [The Bible Is Too Inexhaustibly Interesting to Be Boring](https://go.dashhouse.com/KU0v?ref=dashhouse.com) > Embrace the additive nature of Scripture’s inexhaustibility. Linger on the familiar passages. Ask questions of those you’ve perhaps never read before. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [The Number One Thing You Can Do This Year to Grow](https://go.dashhouse.com/KQTq?ref=dashhouse.com) > If you want to grow in godliness this year, the number one thing you can do is to regularly read the Bible. ### The Unwavering Pastor URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-unwavering-pastor/ Last updated: 2024-01-09T10:00:26.000Z I really like Jonathan Dodson’s book [*The Unwavering Pastor*](https://go.dashhouse.com/BMTD?ref=dashhouse.com). I like it because Dodson is honest. When I first read one of Dodson's books, it felt like he understood my experience as a pastor better than I did. Dodson knows a pastor’s heart, a pastor’s anguish, and a pastor’s temptations. He shares his joys and struggles, and it makes me feel less alone. It may do the same for you. I like this book because it’s biblical. Dodson doesn’t just write from his experience; he brings the wisdom of Scripture to bear on a pastor’s experience. He’s a pastor who’s struggled with God’s word open in front of him. Because of that he provides good counsel for pastors who want to struggle well too. I also like this book because it grounds the pastor in the gospel. “Jesus bends down to minister to us,” he writes. “When we are low, he goes lower to lift us up. Jesus sympathizes with your struggle. Will you receive his strength and believe in his heart for you? Collapse into his arms if you have to and receive the ministry of Jesus!” What pastor doesn’t need that? I have a list of three books that I think every pastor should read, and this is one of them (along with [*Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor*](https://go.dashhouse.com/AGql?ref=dashhouse.com) and [*The Imperfect Pastor*](https://go.dashhouse.com/AGqk?ref=dashhouse.com)). If you’re a pastor, please read this book. If you sit under a pastor, please consider buying your pastor this book. It’s just that good. I had the pleasure of engaging in a delightful conversation with Jonathan Dodson on The Gospel for Life podcast, where we discussed this book and much more. You can listen to the podcast episode below, or find [The Gospel for Life podcast](https://go.dashhouse.com/podcast?ref=dashhouse.com) on your favorite podcast app. ## Key Ideas - Pastors experience betrayal and deep wounds in ministry that can linger and cause profound pain. - The book of 2 Timothy is rich for pastors in understanding the nature of suffering in ministry. - The gospel allows pastors to be honest about their weaknesses and struggles, following the example of Paul. - Spending time with wiser and more experienced pastors can provide valuable insights and correction for personal growth and leadership. - Pastors should prioritize caring for and spending time with those who have been sinned against or are suffering. - Suffering is a part of ministry, but it is worth it in Christ. Clinging to Jesus and seeking wisdom from seasoned pastors can help navigate challenges. ## Quotes "When we stand up and proclaim God’s word as true and authoritative, We are challenging idols, and behind every idol, there is a power, a satanic power, that Christ has yet shamed through the victory of the cross." “There are deep betrayal wounds that happen in ministry that just linger in their sting. Those relational wounds are of a frequency and depth in vocational ministry that aren't quite present in a lot of other jobs.” “The suffering makes us better pastors for several reasons. Primarily, it puts us in touch with a suffering Savior. We uncover his compassion for sufferers that we can't manufacture without experiencing it ourselves.” “Don't despair. Cling to Jesus. And remember, he is a suffering Savior with scars on his hands.” ## Episode Links - [Citizen’s Church, Texas](https://go.dashhouse.com/KPrE?ref=dashhouse.com) - [Gospel Centered Discipleship](https://go.dashhouse.com/KPrG?ref=dashhouse.com) - [Immanuel Nashville](https://go.dashhouse.com/KPrH?ref=dashhouse.com) - [Makoto Fujimura](https://go.dashhouse.com/KPrI?ref=dashhouse.com) ### Books mentioned: - [*Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor: The Life and Reflections of Tom Carson*](https://go.dashhouse.com/AGql?ref=dashhouse.com) - [The Unwavering Pastor: Leading the Church with Grace in Divisive Times](https://go.dashhouse.com/BMTD?ref=dashhouse.com) - [*The Imperfect Pastor: Discovering Joy in Our Limitations Through a Daily Apprenticeship with Jesus*](https://go.dashhouse.com/AGqk?ref=dashhouse.com) ## Transcript Download a PDF transcript of this episode. [The Unwavering Pastor TranscriptAn interview with Jonathan Dodson240109 Transcript.pdf271 KBdownload-circle](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/files/2024/01/240109-Transcript.pdf "Download") ### Don’t Stop Believing (Hebrews 5:11-6:12) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/dont-stop-believing-hebrews-511-612/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T14:57:46.000Z **Big Idea:** Spiritual sluggishness destroys faith, so keep growing to the end. --- It doesn’t take much work to come up with examples of people who have fallen away from following Jesus. In fact, it’s become a bit of a thing. Go on social media and use the hashtag #deconstructing, and you will come up with hundreds of posts. You can find books on how to deconstruct. Someone even tried to offer a course on how to deconstruct. And it’s a sensitive issue too. I read a post by a Facebook friend that lashes out at people who criticize those who are deconstructing. No wonder, I guess, because it touches on a very important and sensitive area of our lives. But it goes beyond social media. It’s more personal than that. Some of us have people close to us who used to believe in Jesus but who have abandoned that faith. Children, friends — even pastors. One of the saddest examples in Toronto is a man named Charles Templeton, who was pastor of Avenue Road Church, which later became Bayview Glen Church. Templeton was a close friend and preaching associate of Billy Graham. He effectively preached the gospel to large crowds in major arenas. However, intellectual doubts began to nag at him. He questioned the truth of Scripture and other core Christian beliefs. He finally abandoned his faith and made an unsuccessful attempt to persuade Billy Graham to do the same. Templeton resigned from the ministry and became a novelist and news commentator. He wrote a book against the Christian faith. Near the end of his life, suffering from Alzheimers, he said this: > He was the greatest human being who has ever lived. He was a moral genius. His ethical sense was unique. He was the intrinsically wisest person that I've ever encountered in my life or in my readings. He's the most important thing in my life. I know it may sound strange, but I have to say I adore him! Everything good I know, everything decent I know, everything pure I know, I learned from Jesus. He is the most important human being who has ever existed. And if I may put it this way, I miss Him. Templeton's eyes filled with tears and he wept freely. He refused to say more. How do you get there? How do you end up walking away from Jesus? This is not a new problem. One of the reasons that the letter to the Hebrews was written is because some were tempted to drift away from Jesus — not to atheism or agnosticism, but to Judaism. But they were tempted to drift nonetheless. Over and over in Hebrews, the writer warns the readers: don’t do it. Don’t walk away from Jesus. In today’s passage, he outlines three things we need to know: the problem that leads to deconstruction, the solution, and what’s at stake. ## The Problem (5:11-14) First, here’s the problem. The writer uses an unusual word in 5:11 and 6:12, the verse that open and close this section. Here’s the word: > About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become *dull* of hearing. (5:11) > And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be *sluggish*, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. (6:11-12) He’s going to get to how this problem plays out in a minute, but here’s the problem behind the problem: spiritual laziness or sluggishness. it’s a word that, when used in athletics, means that someone is out of shape and lazy. The problem is that the recipients had become slow and sluggish in their apprehension of the teaching of New Testament truth, and it caused some serious problems. How did the problem manifest itself? > For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. (5:12-13) They’d learned the elementary things of the faith, but they’d never moved on. The writer compares them to children who’d never moved on to adult food. It’s cute when kids act like kids. It’s not so cute when adults act like children. The same thing applies spiritually: it is a serious matter when someone who follows Jesus never moves on and grows. Sluggishness sets in, and as we’re going to see, this leads to some very serious problems. Here’s the problem that Hebrews describes, as [summarized](https://go.dashhouse.com/KN0a?ref=dashhouse.com) by John Piper: - They are drifting instead of rowing against the current of sin, and that means drifting backward toward destruction. - They are neglecting the great salvation they claim to have. - Their grip on joyful, zealous hope is slipping. - Their hearts are hardening to the truth of God’s Word. - Their conversation is losing its spiritual urgency. - Their ears are getting dull. - They are losing their desire to press on to maturity. - They are becoming weak and sluggish. - And the result of all this is that they are in danger of shrinking back from the beginning they had made, becoming hardened to spiritual things, falling away from the living God, and losing their souls. All of this simply happens through lazy neglect. It’s what happens on default mode. It’s where we will naturally end up without effort. Here’s the problem. You can’t stay at spiritual infancy and survive. Tom Schreiner [observes](https://go.dashhouse.com/JDaJ?ref=dashhouse.com): > The author does not believe there is a permanent state of spiritual infancy that believers can occupy. The entire purpose of the book is to warn believers about the danger of falling away … What worries the writer about the spiritual infancy of the readers is the danger of slipping into apostasy. He doesn’t contemplate the possibility of drinking spiritual milk for years and years and still obtaining eternal life. It is urgent, rather, to leave spiritual infancy behind, for one is either drawing nearer to God or falling away from him. Or, perhaps even more starkly, Mark Dever says, “The idea that something can be alive even though it has stopped growing is a curious idea, and I am not sure the New Testament is familiar with it.” If you are stuck at spiritual infancy, you’re in grave danger. If you’re not growing, your soul is at risk. Unless you take action, you’re on your way to falling away from the faith altogether. It’s a serious problem that must be corrected for our spiritual survival. That’s the problem. So what’s the solution? ## The Solution (5:14-6:3) The writer has been clear about the problem. He’s equally clear about the solution: > But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. > Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity… (5:14-6:1) Here’s the solution: move on from baby food to solid food for adults. It’s to grow in our knowledge of God through Scripture. What’s surprising are the things that the writer lists that we need to move beyond: > not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. (6:1-2) The list he offers is not something we consider to be simple at all, and yet the writer says we need to move beyond it. According to the author, every growing Christian needs to understand things like: - **repentance and faith** — that our only hope is to turn away from our sins and dead works, and then to put our complete trust in the work of Jesus Christ who took our sins and gives us his righteousness - **instructions about washings and laying on of hands** — probably that the ritual cleansing by water in the Old Testament had been replaced by baptism since Jesus, and that the laying on of hands in the Old Testament was also practiced in early Christianity as Christians to do with the gift of the Holy Spirit and setting people apart for ministry - **the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment** — that death is not the end; that our bodies will be raised incorruptible; that all will stand before the judgment seat of Christ These are the basics. We’re meant to move beyond them and grow in our knowledge of God through his word. We’re not meant to stay at the beginning. We’re going to get into some of the meat next week. Learn to hunger for that meat. Don’t settle for an elementary understanding of Jesus. We’re meant to keep growing. What does that mean for us? Don’t settle for what you knew about God last year. Keep growing. Dig into his word. As Augustine said, the Bible is shallow enough for a child not to drown, yet deep enough for an elephant to swim. Don’t settle for a wading in the shallow end. Learn to go into the depths. You could spend the rest of your live studying Scripture and you’d only be scratching the surface. Here’s the problem: spiritual sluggishness. Here’s the solution: growing in knowledge. There’s one more thing we have to notice. ## What’s at Stake (6:4-8) Listen to what the writer says is at stake: > For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. (6:4-6) This passage raises so many questions. Is it possible to be a genuine Christian and then to fall away, or does God preserve us to the end? This text is not teaching that you can be a genuine Christian and fall away. There are so many passages that teach that it is God who preserves those who trust him to the end. Take one example, for instance: > My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. (John 10:27-29) How reassuring! He will hold us. We rely not on our own ability to persevere but in God’s ability to keep us to the end. So what’s he saying here? I think what he is saying is exactly what Jesus said: “But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:13). There will be some who appeared to believe, but the fact that they didn’t keep growing revealed that they never really believed in the first place. As D.A. Carson puts it: > …it seems in all of these cases the New Testament writers, including the writer of the epistle to the Hebrews, insists that genuine saving grace, by definition, perseveres. But that means, then, that where you get a case like this one that does not persevere, you do not, by definition, have persevering grace. You can hear and receive the seed like the parable of the sower, and grow quickly, but then die just as quickly. You can be one of Jesus’ twelve disciples like Judas, preaching and performing miracles, and still end up lost. There’s a whole category of people who “receive something of the blessings of the kingdom, who do taste something of the powers of the age to come” (Carson) and who still end up lost. Don’t let it happen to you. But the writer ends on a hopeful note. “Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things — things that belong to salvation” (6:9). He knows them well enough to believe that they’ve genuinely believed. He’s seen evidences of grace. He’s hopeful and yet he’s concerned. And that’s where we end today as well: both confident in Christ, and yet concerned because we all can become spiritually flabby. Never take your faith in Christ casually, because if you do, it’s spiritually dangerous. Rest in the fact that God will keep those who are is, but also, as verses 11 and 12 say, “show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” **Spiritual sluggishness destroys faith, so keep growing to the end.** Father, we see the danger of falling away. We’ve known people who’ve fallen away. May we never settle for stagnancy in our walk with you. Thank you for this clear warning in your word. Help us this year to keep pressing to know you more. Help us to never settle for where we are now but to develop a hunger for a greater knowledge of you and your glory. As we rest in Jesus’ grip on us, help us not to fall into sluggishness. Help us to show the earnestness to have the full assurance of hope to the end. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-376/ Last updated: 2024-01-06T10:00:11.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [To the New and Nervous Scripture Reader](https://go.dashhouse.com/KO02?ref=dashhouse.com) > I heard you set a goal for the new year to read Scripture more faithfully. That’s great! But I was also told that now you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed. You want to be in the Word, but you’re just not quite sure how that’s going to work. I get it; and if I could, I’d like to offer you a couple of pieces of advice. [My Bible Reading Feels Flat — What Can I Do?](https://go.dashhouse.com/KO05?ref=dashhouse.com) > What if I read my Bible, but I don’t feel anything in my affections that resonates with the worth, the value, the preciousness, the beauty, the pleasures of what those words are supposed to communicate to my soul? [Dear Pastor . . . Don’t Undervalue the Sacraments](https://go.dashhouse.com/KNix?ref=dashhouse.com) > Could it be that many of us are wary of ascribing the sacraments a more central role in corporate worship because we have misunderstood what the sacraments are and do? [Why You Should Attend Church (in Person) This Sunday](https://go.dashhouse.com/KOWc?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are five incentives God gives every Christian to wake up and go worship with your local church. [Two Hats for Productivity](https://go.dashhouse.com/KN--?ref=dashhouse.com) > When I’m clearing my inbox, responding to comments in a doc, cooking lunch–these are chores. > The other hat, though, looks very different. ### An Update on My Seven-Year Bible Reading Project URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/an-update-on-my-seven-year-bible-reading-project/ Last updated: 2024-01-02T12:51:21.000Z In case you’re interested, I thought I’d give you an update on my [seven-year Bible reading project](https://go.dashhouse.com/KL08?ref=dashhouse.com). ## About the Project I started this plan in 2021\. My plan was inspired by Nate Pickowicz and his book [*How to Eat Your Bible*](https://go.dashhouse.com/3J57?ref=dashhouse.com): > Instead of plowing through a few verses and then speeding off to work, slow it down. Instead of laboring through the whole Bible in a year, go a little deeper. Instead of reading your Bible simply to check it off the chore list, change your mental approach—change your philosophy. Instead, take a longer view of learning your Bible—two, three, five, or even seven years. Make your end goal not merely to read the Bible but to know and understand it—to love and treasure it as God’s holy, sufficient, transforming Word. I pick a chunk of Scripture, usually about seven chapters at a time. I read it and highlight it. Every day, I go back to the same passage of Scripture and add notes with the help of study Bibles. I use [ESV Scripture Journals](https://go.dashhouse.com/3RIq?ref=dashhouse.com) to record my notes. At the end of two weeks, I try to come up with the [big idea](https://go.dashhouse.com/KL0B?ref=dashhouse.com) of each pericope (section) of Scripture. By the end of this project, I hope to have compiled notes on all of Scripture, and to have crafted a working big idea of each passage and each book. ## My Progress ### I’m Behind My seven-year project has become much longer. I’m about half a year behind. That means my project has likely become at least an eight-year project, but that’s okay. As God gives me strength, I’ll keep going. Right now, I’m finishing 1 Samuel. However, I have jumped ahead and completed some New Testament books as well. ### I’ve Started a Website I’ve also started a website for the project. It’s [BigIdeaBible.com](https://go.dashhouse.com/bigideabible?ref=dashhouse.com). It explains a little about the project, what a big idea is, and it lists my work so far. It still needs a lot of work — I haven’t completed book introductions for all the books I’ve completed, for instance — but I will keep updating it as I make progress through Scripture. If you’re interested, you can [sign up there](https://go.dashhouse.com/KL0W?ref=dashhouse.com) for updates. I’ll send out an email when I complete a book. You can also follow the project on social media ([Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094203093070), [X](https://twitter.com/bigideabible?ref=dashhouse.com), and [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/bigideabible/?ref=dashhouse.com)). ### I’ve Ordered a Bible I love the ESV Scripture Journals, but there’s a problem: the entire set isn’t very portable. So I’ve purchased an [ESV Journaling Study Bible](https://go.dashhouse.com/KL0d?ref=dashhouse.com). I like it, because it has just the right amount of study notes, and plenty of room to add my own notes. I’ve sent it to [Scriptura](https://go.dashhouse.com/KL0f?ref=dashhouse.com) to have a custom leather cover installed, along with a closure strap. When it arrives, I plan on transferring my key notes from this project over to this Bible. This will be my primary Bible from now on, and I hope to fill it with as much as I can from this project. I remember the days when I had one primary Bible. It became a key part of my life with notes and highlights. I could remember where certain passages fell on the page. It became a helpful tool. I miss that, and I’m hoping this Bible will serve that purpose again. So the project is continuing, and I’m enjoying it. It’s a lot of work, but it’s joyful work. I appreciate this different, slower way to read Scripture, and the fruit that it’s yielding in my life. I’d appreciate your prayers as I continue this project. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-375/ Last updated: 2023-12-30T10:00:18.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [5 Tips for Creating Healthy Bible-Reading Habits](https://go.dashhouse.com/KIGc?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are five simple steps to great Bible reading: [Reading Scripture Is a Walk in the Park: Bible Reading Plans for 2024](https://go.dashhouse.com/KHH-?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are some reading plans The Gospel Coalition’s staff have found helpful. [How Church Leaders Can Be a Nonanxious Presence](https://go.dashhouse.com/KHHe?ref=dashhouse.com) > Just as anxiety can cascade through a system, so too can peace and stability. [Should Pastors Encourage Secular Therapy? A Guide for Christian Ministry](https://go.dashhouse.com/KIGj?ref=dashhouse.com) > My goal in this article is to briefly consider a specific pastoral question: What is a wise approach to those in your church who see a secular therapist? ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-374/ Last updated: 2023-12-23T10:00:10.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [32 Random Thoughts About the Local Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/K9QF?ref=dashhouse.com) > Hence, today I’ve got a long list of brief, random (and unsolicited) observations and pieces of advice related to the local church. I hope there is something here that benefits you. [“Baptism Now Saves You”](https://go.dashhouse.com/K6dC?ref=dashhouse.com) > When such a person stands in the waters of baptism, we should also be willing to proclaim, “baptism now saves you,” even if we reluctantly have to follow it with a “but not like that.” [When A Pastor Falls](https://go.dashhouse.com/KB8m?ref=dashhouse.com) > A pastor who commits adultery sins in a greater way than a mere member of Christ’s church who commits the same sin. [Dear Pastor … Let’s Cultivate Honesty in Our Churches — Starting with Us](https://go.dashhouse.com/K6d8?ref=dashhouse.com) > Let’s not hide our need for Jesus. Let’s be unembarrassed for the world to know that our whole life is marked by this reality. [Jesus’ Eternal Sacrifice at the Incarnation](https://go.dashhouse.com/KB8o?ref=dashhouse.com) > The Incarnation marks the point at which Jesus offered a permanent sacrifice, eternally giving up certain things and permanently taking other things upon himself, for our sake. [The Collected Best Christian Books of 2023](https://go.dashhouse.com/KB8q?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are the books that appeared repeatedly and, in a more subjective sense, seemed to generate the most positive buzz throughout the year. [Editor’s Choice: The Best of 2023](https://go.dashhouse.com/KB90?ref=dashhouse.com) > Below you’ll see my annual list of the best videos, articles, and podcasts from The Gospel Coalition in 2023. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [The Pattern’s Interrupted](https://go.dashhouse.com/KBsz?ref=dashhouse.com) > At his birth, Jesus interrupted the pattern of hope and disappointment. When he comes again, he won’t just interrupt the pattern; he’ll break it. ### Top Blog Posts of 2023 URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/top-blog-posts-of-2023/ Last updated: 2023-12-19T10:00:43.000Z Here, in order of traffic from highest to lowest, are a couple of lists of the top posts I’ve written over the past year. Thank you for reading. I’m grateful. Note: If you haven’t already done so, please sign up for my [weekly newsletter](https://www.dashhouse.com/#/portal/), or subscribe to the feed for DashHouse ([RSS](http://feeds.dashhouse.com/dashhouse?ref=dashhouse.com)) or my column at [TGC Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com) ([RSS](https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/straight-paths/feed/?ref=dashhouse.com)). ## Top Posts at DashHouse [Don't Fall Into Ditches When It Comes to Preaching](https://www.dashhouse.com/dont-fall-into-ditches-when-it-comes-to-preaching/) > We can’t afford to make the mistake of devaluing preaching or devaluing ministries other than preaching. [The Life and Death of an Ordinary Saint](https://www.dashhouse.com/the-life-and-death-of-an-ordinary-saint/) > I say we need more like her, but I wonder if that’s true. Maybe we already have saints like this all around us if we just had eyes to see them. [Personal Update](https://www.dashhouse.com/personal-update-august-2023/) > I have some personal news to share. [Younger Christians Are Looking for Older Saints](https://www.dashhouse.com/younger-christians-are-looking-for-older-saints/) > Younger Christians are looking for older saints. Older saints: your ministry isn’t over. We need you. [Think Little](https://www.dashhouse.com/think-little/) > The world’s impressed with the big, the fast, and the popular. God seems to work with the small, the slow, and the hidden. ## Top Posts at TGC Canada [The Coming Pastoral Shortage](https://go.dashhouse.com/CHw2?ref=dashhouse.com) > We’re facing a shortage of pastors. I’m encouraged by the quality of people God is raising, but we need more. So pray and mentor, trusting God to provide for the church as he always has. [The Dearth of Church Planting in Toronto](https://go.dashhouse.com/Btow?ref=dashhouse.com) > Ten years ago, God raised up labourers for this harvest. But that was ten years ago. There’ve been a few since, but I’m praying that God raises up more. Just as God redirected Paul to Macedonia (Acts 16:9-10), I’m praying that God will redirect some missionary planters to Toronto. [The Benefits of Being the Old Guy](https://go.dashhouse.com/C8D1?ref=dashhouse.com) > May God give the church more old men and women who have nothing left to prove, and who can stand up and tell a new generation, “God is good. You can count on him. Now let’s go for it.” [How to Pray for Pastors](https://go.dashhouse.com/FLKi?ref=dashhouse.com) > How do we pray for spiritual leaders beyond asking that God blesses them and is with them? [Needed: Pastors Who Pastor](https://go.dashhouse.com/FTMc?ref=dashhouse.com) > However we structure our lives and ministries, we must take care so that, as much as possible, pastors are freed to do the work of pastoral ministry. Thanks again for reading. I’m grateful. ### Longing for New Creation (Isaiah 35) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/longing-for-new-creation-isaiah-35/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T14:14:46.000Z **Big Idea:** New creation will feature a rejuvenated world, changed humanity, and access to God himself, so take courage! --- When I was studying to be a pastor, I was invited to speak to a primary school class at a Christian school. The topic was heaven. I had to stand in front of a bunch of kids and tell them what heaven is like. It was awful. I knew heaven would be good, but I had no idea how to describe it. The thing about kids is that you can’t fake it in front of kids. They know if you don’t know what you’re talking about. And so I bombed that day. I couldn’t paint an accurate picture of what heaven is like. I couldn’t answer any of their questions, at least accurately. I left feeling devastated, because I knew that I should know better than what I did. We need to understand what eternity will be like. We are alive for only a short time here on earth. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you are meant to think a lot about the future. It’s supposed to get help get you through this life, which can be very hard. But here’s the problem: It’s hard to hope for something we don’t know very much about. So what I want to do is to give you a picture of eternity today, one that I hope will be exciting enough to give you hope no matter what you’re going through today. I wish that I had turned to Isaiah 35 back then. But we can turn to Isaiah 35 today. Isaiah 35 gives us a picture of what we can look forward to experiencing one day. Isaiah 35 is meant to point us to the hope that we can cling to in times of trouble. ## Why Now? Why look at Isaiah 35 today? Two reasons: **First, it’s Advent.** Advent is, as Trevin Wax writes: > …a time of preparation for the Messiah’s coming. We put ourselves in the place of the faithful Jews of the first century, awaiting with eager expectation for God to act decisively to forgive sins, to end their exile, to restore the world. And yet, we also await the Messiah’s return — Jesus’ Second Coming. One of the passages that’s often read in Advent is the one that we’re looking at today, Isaiah 35, a passage that looks forward to the future promised to God’s people. It’s a future that started with the first coming of Jesus, but will be fully realized at his second coming. But there’s another reason we’re looking at Isaiah 35. **We were made to long for the new creation.** You were mad with longings, longings which can’t be fulfilled in this world. No matter how good life gets, it’s not good enough. God made you for more. We go camping in the summer. I love it. I love the campfires, the lake, the beach. But there has never been a time that I’ve been camping that I haven’t been thrilled to go home, because home is so much better than camping. It has things like running water and doors and a roof. Paul Tripp observes, "I am persuaded that the whole purpose of camping is to make a person long for home." And then he continues, "Our world isn't a very good amusement park. No, it's a broken place groaning for redemption. Here is meant to make us long for forever. Here is meant to prepare us for eternity." This world will never satisfy. You were made to long for your ultimate home. ## What’s New Creation Like? So what will our ultimate home be? That’s what Isaiah 35 describes for us. In Isaiah 34, God announced that he would turn the nations — including the lush areas of Edom — into a wilderness. In chapter 34, God undoes creation in judgment. Isaiah 34 is about God’s judgment. God will rid the world of evil. But then, in chapter 35, you have what will take place after judgment. God describes our future in poetry. You may be wondering, "What’s Isaiah talking about in this chapter?" This is poetry, and it’s open-ended. Is he talking about the return from exile? The coming of Jesus? Eternity? I am going to argue that he’s talking about all of these. God gives us a glimpse of his ultimate plan. Some things in this passage will only be true in eternity. But he’s given us foretastes. Israel’s return from exile was one of them, and so was Jesus’ ministry. But some things in this chapter will only be true in a world that doesn’t exist yet, at least in this current state. This will be what God’s people will experience as a result of trusting in him. So what will it be like? There’s so much here, but I want to highlight three of the of the best features of this new creation. This is what we long for in advent: ### First: a rejuvenated world (vv. 1-2) God created this world, and he pronounced that it is good. The problem is that sin entered the world, and one of the consequences of sin is that God’s good creation has been cursed. > …cursed is the ground because of you; > in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; > thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; > and you shall eat the plants of the field. > By the sweat of your face > you shall eat bread, > ill you return to the ground… > (Genesis 3:17-19) That’s why Paul writes that “the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.” (Romans 8:22). The world isn’t what it should be. We live in a fallen, fragile world, and it’s because of sin. And we sense that the world isn’t what it’s meant to be. > There’s something about our life that ought to mean more than spawning more life. There’s something about sickness that ought to be cured. There’s something about calamity that ought to be prevented. There’s something about injustice that ought to be brought to justice. There’s something about death that ought not to be our ultimate end. ([Jon Bloom](https://go.dashhouse.com/K1Rv?ref=dashhouse.com)) We long for this to be fixed. The problem is that a lot of us don’t have hope that the world will be renewed. We picture eternity as being some immaterial world. But that’s not what Isaiah prophesies. Isaiah pictures a renewed and rejuvenating world that’s exploding with joy. > The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; > the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; > it shall blossom abundantly > and rejoice with joy and singing. > The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, > the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. > They shall see the glory of the LORD, > the majesty of our God. > (Isaiah 35:1–2) Eternity won’t be immaterial. God will rejuvenate creation. We won’t go to heaven, at least permanently. Heaven will come to earth. The thing that makes the world so lush, according to Isaiah, is the glory and majesty of God. God’s glory will make everything come alive. [Randy Alcorn](https://go.dashhouse.com/E-ky?ref=dashhouse.com) explains: > All our lives we've been dreaming of the New Earth. Whenever we see beauty in water, wind, flower, deer, man, woman, or child, we catch a glimpse of Heaven. Just like the Garden of Eden, the New Earth will be a place of sensory delight, breathtaking beauty, satisfying relationships, and personal joy. > We will not live in a sterile environment or float about among endless clouds with nothing to do. We will live on an all-new earth—just like this one, except free from storms, earthquakes, drought, floods, or any other disasters. Things will grow easily, and weeds and thorns will not exist. Animals will not harm us but rather look to us benevolently as their leaders and benefactors. God will rejuvenate the world. The curse that creation is experiencing will be over. But it gets even better: ### Second: a changed humanity (vv. 5-6). Not only will God rejuvenate creation, but we will be changed. Look at verses 5-6: > Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, > and the ears of the deaf unstopped; > then shall the lame man leap like a deer, > and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. What good would a rejuvenated creation be if we were still the same? It doesn’t matter how lush creation might be if we’re still stuck with rehab hospitals and cancer wards. But God promises to heal those with physical disabilities. Jesus gave us a preview of this in his ministry. We read: > And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them, so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. (Matthew 15:30-31) Why did Jesus heal them? Tim Keller said: > We modern people think of miracles as the suspension of the natural order, but Jesus meant them to be the restoration of the natural order. The Bible tells us that God did not originally make the world to have disease, hunger, and death in it. Jesus has come to redeem where it is wrong and heal the world where it is broken. His miracles are not just proofs that he has power but also wonderful foretastes of what he is going to do with that power. Jesus’ miracles are not just a challenge to our minds, but a promise to our hearts, that the world we all want is coming. Jesus gave us a preview of what is to come. Some of you have had family members die. There will be no need for funeral homes that day. Some of you have ailing bodies. You won’t when Jesus comes again. No matter what your experience of sin and death, you have reason for hope. This isn’t forever. But here’s where it gets even better. God will do more than heal us from what’s wrong physically. He will heal us spiritually as well. Isaiah uses physical disabilities as a metaphor for our spiritual condition (Isaiah 29:18). The good news is that God won’t just heal us physically, but spiritually. We will be changed. We will be glorified. We will be conformed to the image of God’s Son (Romans 8:29-30). God’s people will be presented “to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing” (Ephesians 5:27). Joni Eareckson Tada has spent 55 years as a paraplegic. You would think the thing that she hopes for most in the resurrection is that she will walk again. That is going to be amazing, but what’s even more amazing is what else will happen. > Don’t be thinking that for me in Heaven, the big deal after I get to see Jesus, is to get my new body, no, no, no I want a glorified heart! I want a glorified heart that no longer twists the truth, resists God, looks for an escape, gets defeated by pain, becomes anxious or worrisome, manipulates my husband with precisely timed phrases… That’s our future. God will rejuvenate the world, and we will be changed both inside and out. But that’s not even the best part. Here’s the best part: ### Best of all: access to God himself (vv. 8-10). What makes the new earth so great? God. Better than pearly gates or streets of gold or no more sickness and death, better than anything you can imagine, is the presence of God himself. We will have a direct road, an express route, to God himself, and nothing — no wild animal, no obstacle, nothing — will be able to block our direct access to God. Verses 8 to 10 say: > And a highway shall be there, > and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; > the unclean shall not pass over it. > It shall belong to those who walk on the way; > even if they are fools, they shall not go astray. > No lion shall be there, > nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; > they shall not be found there, > but the redeemed shall walk there. > And the ransomed of the LORD shall return > and come to Zion with singing; > everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; > they shall obtain gladness and joy, > and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. That’s what we have to look forward to experiencing. The return from exile was a preview. The ministry of Jesus was a preview. But this is our ultimate hope: that we will live changed, in a rejuvenated world, with direct access to God. ## How Shall We Live? In light of this, how shall we live today? Verses 3-4: > Strengthen the weak hands, > and make firm the feeble knees. > Say to those who have an anxious heart, > “Be strong; fear not! > Behold, your God > will come with vengeance, > with the recompense of God. > He will come and save you.” In light of this glorious future, here’s what we should do. Take courage. We’re still waiting. While you wait, while you’re confronted with dangers that look bigger than you can handle, take courage. Your waiting is temporary. Look to what’s awaiting, because he will come and save you. As one commentator says, we’re not talking grim determination here. We’re talking believing determination. We’re taking seriously what God says is true and believing that it’s true even though we can’t see It yet. We can help each other believe this. > All our lives we’ve just wanted to be happy. But all our lives something has always spoiled it. God is saying, “Trust me enough to follow me, and I will bring you home with singing. I will overwhelm you with a joy unbroken and unbreakable, and your sorrow and sighing will run for it!” (Ray Ortlund) Trust this God. Trust the One who sent his Son to save us. Trust the One who, with his Son, acted to make full payment for our sins. Trust this God who will make all things new. **New creation will feature a rejuvenated world, changed humanity, and access to God himself, so take courage!** Long for Jesus to come. Come, thou long expected Jesus! ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-373/ Last updated: 2023-12-16T10:00:18.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [My Top 10 Theology Stories of 2023](https://go.dashhouse.com/K2aw?ref=dashhouse.com) > This is the view of God’s mysterious providence from my little corner of the world. [Why the HR Mindset Can’t Condemn Genocide](https://go.dashhouse.com/K2ak?ref=dashhouse.com) > An overemphasis on HR-style processes can lead an organization to forget the purpose is to serve people. [Practicing Faith in a Post-Faith World: Five Ways to Respond](https://go.dashhouse.com/K2as?ref=dashhouse.com) > How do we live by faith in a culture losing its faith? [The Wholehearted Pastor: Why Men of God Pursue Purity](https://go.dashhouse.com/K2af?ref=dashhouse.com) > The high calling God has given us as pastors is obvious in the final word of our agenda-setting verse, 1 Timothy 4:12\. That word is *purity*. It’s a sure way any young pastor can gain the respect of people of all ages in his congregation. [Pastoral Oversight and the Musical Ministry of the Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/K2ai?ref=dashhouse.com) > However you choose to lead in this area, the same thing remains true: Pastors must lead in the musical worship of the church. [How John Piper Marks Up His Books](https://go.dashhouse.com/K4Y4?ref=dashhouse.com) > Know why you read. Know what you are reading right now. Then adapt your markings to fit your purpose. [Celebrate Christmas With the Cheer You Have](https://go.dashhouse.com/K2ar?ref=dashhouse.com) > The truth is, for a lot of people, Christmas is incredibly difficult. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Boring is Best](https://go.dashhouse.com/K2eT?ref=dashhouse.com) > Once we start relying on novelty and excitement, we are playing a losing game. When we focus on what some consider boring, we discover that it’s anything but. ### Best Books of 2023 URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/best-books-of-2023/ Last updated: 2023-12-27T22:27:04.000Z I get excited when people release their lists of favorite books from the past year. Here are some I’ve taken in: - [The Gospel Coalition](https://go.dashhouse.com/JzSY?ref=dashhouse.com) - [For the Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/JzSN?ref=dashhouse.com) - [Christianity Today](https://go.dashhouse.com/K0k9?ref=dashhouse.com) - [Trevin Wax](https://go.dashhouse.com/J-I1?ref=dashhouse.com) - [Tim Challies](https://go.dashhouse.com/K1C7?ref=dashhouse.com) - [Aaron Armstrong](https://go.dashhouse.com/JzSV?ref=dashhouse.com) - [Kevin Halloran](https://go.dashhouse.com/JzSW?ref=dashhouse.com) - [Russell Moore](https://go.dashhouse.com/J-H%5F?ref=dashhouse.com) - [David Kaywood](https://go.dashhouse.com/K2ae?ref=dashhouse.com) - [Erik Raymond](https://go.dashhouse.com/K4Ph?ref=dashhouse.com) - Sam Storms, parts [one](https://go.dashhouse.com/K9Q6?ref=dashhouse.com) and [two](https://go.dashhouse.com/KB8v?ref=dashhouse.com) - [J.D. Greear](https://go.dashhouse.com/K9Q8?ref=dashhouse.com) - [Russell Moore](https://go.dashhouse.com/KHOq?ref=dashhouse.com) - [Seth Lewis](https://go.dashhouse.com/KHHZ?ref=dashhouse.com) - [Acts 29 staff](https://go.dashhouse.com/KBrZ?ref=dashhouse.com) - [Justin Buzzard](https://go.dashhouse.com/KHWC?ref=dashhouse.com) I’m sure they’ll be more. [Bob Kellemen](https://go.dashhouse.com/KHWE?ref=dashhouse.com) has found a few. Here's a [collected list](https://go.dashhouse.com/KB8q?ref=dashhouse.com) of the best books put together by Tim Challies. Lists of books can be useful for finding good reads, but comparing our reading habits to others can be risky. I find this particularly true in my life this year. I wanted to read some demanding books this year, but never quite got to them, and that’s okay. They are still patiently awaiting on my shelf. They’re more patient than I am. Here is the list of the top ten books I did read this year: ### Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation by Collin Hansen [![Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation by Collin Hansen](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2023/12/keller.jpg)](https://go.dashhouse.com/Bz-3?ref=dashhouse.com) This book is at the top of my list for 2023\. I had no idea how many of the influences that have shaped me have been mediated by Tim Keller. I enjoyed observing God’s providence in the life of a preacher I admired. This book is not so much a biography of Keller as a bibliography of people who influenced him, and through him have probably influenced you too. More from [Amazon.com](https://go.dashhouse.com/Bz-3?ref=dashhouse.com) ### The Unwavering Pastor: Leading the Church with Grace in Divisive Times by Jonathan Dodson [![The Unwavering Pastor: Leading the Church with Grace in Divisive Times by Jonathan Dodson](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2023/12/unwavering.jpg)](https://go.dashhouse.com/BMTD?ref=dashhouse.com) Every pastor should read this book. Jonathan Dodson writes as a pastor to pastors. He understands what ministry is like, and he writes with honesty and compassion. I appreciate everything that Dodson writes, and this book makes the list of my top three must-reads for pastors. I plan on releasing an interview with Dodson about this book early in the New Year. More from [Amazon.com](https://go.dashhouse.com/BMTD?ref=dashhouse.com) ### A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them by Timothy Egan [![A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them by Timothy Egan](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2023/12/fever.jpg)](https://go.dashhouse.com/EefZ?ref=dashhouse.com) In the 1920s, the KKK gained popularity and power in Indiana and beyond due to the leadership of a charismatic psychopath. This book is fascinating and disturbing. If you want to be disturbed by where sin and prejudice can take us, read this book. More from [Amazon.com](https://go.dashhouse.com/EefZ?ref=dashhouse.com) ### Edwin Alonzo Boyd: The Story of the Notorious Boyd Gang by Brian Vallee [![Edwin Alonzo Boyd: The Story of the Notorious Boyd Gang by Brian Vallee](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2023/12/boyd.jpg)](https://go.dashhouse.com/K1ib?ref=dashhouse.com) In the 1950s, Edwin Boyd robbed 11 Toronto-area banks. He escaped prison twice, and frequented the same locations that I do today. This book is a fascinating look at Toronto history. It made me realize how much the city has changed even as parts of the city have remained the same. More from [Amazon.com](https://go.dashhouse.com/K1ib?ref=dashhouse.com) ### Confessions of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell [![Confessions of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2023/12/bookseller.jpg)](https://go.dashhouse.com/D1fU?ref=dashhouse.com) The ultimate bedtime reading. This is the memoir of a Scottish bookseller, full of quirky interactions with fascinating but ordinary people. It reminded me of pastoring. Not a demanding read, but a fun one. I wrote more about this book [earlier in the year](https://www.dashhouse.com/lessons-from-a-bookseller/). More from [Amazon.com](https://go.dashhouse.com/D1fU?ref=dashhouse.com) ### Faithfully Present: Embracing the Limits of Where and When God Has You by Adam Ramsey [![Faithfully Present: Embracing the Limits of Where and When God Has You by Adam Ramsey](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2023/12/present.jpg)](https://go.dashhouse.com/IWfz?ref=dashhouse.com) It can be hard to embrace our limits. Adam Ramsey, a pastor and gifted writer, helps us embrace the limitations of our place and time. A lot’s been written on this topic, but I appreciate Ramsey’s skill in addressing the topic. I interviewed Ramsey about this book [earlier in the year](https://www.dashhouse.com/faithfully-present/). More from [Amazon.com](https://go.dashhouse.com/IWfz?ref=dashhouse.com) ### The Influential Mentor: How the Life and Legacy of Howard Hendricks Equipped and Inspired a Generation of Leaders by Maina Mwaura [![The Influential Mentor: How the Life and Legacy of Howard Hendricks Equipped and Inspired a Generation of Leaders by Maina Mwaura](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2023/12/mentor.jpg)](https://go.dashhouse.com/JKYq?ref=dashhouse.com) I’ve long admired Howard Hendricks. It was fascinating to read a book about him — not quite a biography, but a reflection of the themes that showed up in his life. Hendricks is part of a disappearing generation, and we have lots to learn from people like him. I interviewed Mwaura about this book [earlier this year](https://www.dashhouse.com/the-influential-mentor-learning-from-howard-hendricks/). More from [Amazon.com](https://go.dashhouse.com/JKYq?ref=dashhouse.com) ### How to Stay Married: The Most Insane Love Story Ever Told by Harrison Scott Key [![How to Stay Married: The Most Insane Love Story Ever Told by Harrison Scott Key](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2023/12/married.jpg)](https://go.dashhouse.com/FLd2?ref=dashhouse.com) I didn’t think it would be possible to write a heartbreaking, funny story about infidelity. I hated and loved this book. It was painful to read, but also contained moments of beauty, redemption, and insight. Recommended for anyone who wants to understand the costly nature of love. More from [Amazon.com](https://go.dashhouse.com/FLd2?ref=dashhouse.com) ### But He Said He Is a Christian: Journal Entries of a Young Christian Woman in an Abusive Relationship By Rebecca K. Tan [![But He Said He Is a Christian: Journal Entries of a Young Christian Woman in an Abusive Relationship By Rebecca K. Tan](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2023/12/but-he-said.jpg)](https://go.dashhouse.com/K1if?ref=dashhouse.com) Another difficult read, but an important one. This book recounts a single woman’s experience with a man who claimed to be a Christina, but manipulated and mistreated her as their relationship developed. I wish a book like this didn’t need to be written, but it does. More from [Amazon.com](https://go.dashhouse.com/K1if?ref=dashhouse.com) ### After Steve: How Apple Became a Trillion-Dollar Company and Lost its Soul by Tripp Mickle [![After Steve: How Apple Became a Trillion-Dollar Company and Lost its Soul by Tripp Mickle](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2023/12/after-steve.jpg)](https://go.dashhouse.com/K1ig?ref=dashhouse.com) It’s hard for a company like Apple to survive the death of a leader like Steve Jobs. Culture changes. This book provides an inside look at how the company’s developed since Jobs died with a special focus on Tim Cook and Jony Ive. More from [Amazon.com](https://go.dashhouse.com/K1ig?ref=dashhouse.com) ### Bonus Book: How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen by David Brooks [![Bonus Book: How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen by David Brooks](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2023/12/know.jpg)](https://go.dashhouse.com/K1ij?ref=dashhouse.com) I just started reading this book, and it looks excellent. It’s about developing “the ability to see someone else deeply and make them feel seen — to accurately know another person, to let them feel valued, heard, and understood.” Always an important topic, and desperately needed today. More from [Amazon.com](https://go.dashhouse.com/K1ij?ref=dashhouse.com) ### The Gospel According to Isaiah (Isaiah 40:1-11) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-gospel-according-to-isaiah-isaiah-401-11/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T14:14:07.000Z **Big Idea:** There’s hope for us despite our sins because God will come, and you can count on it. --- Something one of my teachers said has haunted me for years. The teacher’s name was Haddon Robinson. He literally wrote [the book on preaching](https://go.dashhouse.com/EWRF?ref=dashhouse.com). He was once named one of the twelve most effective preachers in the English-speaking world. He taught hundreds of students how to preach. On top of that, he was a man of integrity. I once heard him say that out of all the sermons he’d heard preached, he had only heard a handful that explained the gospel clearly. That haunts me. This giant of a preacher, a man who’d listened to countless sermons, said that he’d only heard a few that did a good job of explaining the core message of the Bible: what God has done through Jesus to rescue us from sin. If there’s anything I want to do well in my preaching, it’s to clearly communicate the gospel. So I want to enlist the help of Isaiah, who gives us an outstanding announcement of good news in the passage we just read. I may struggle, but I’m pretty sure Isaiah won’t let us down. This is a passage that’s often read in the season of Advent. It has three pieces of very good news for us, and one action that it wants us to take as a result of that good news. So let’s look at this good, and what he wants us to do as a result. ## Three Pieces of Good News Here are the three pieces of good news. ### First: There’s hope for us despite our sins (1-2) Read the first two verses of chapter 40: > Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. > Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, > and cry to her > that her warfare is ended, > that her iniquity is pardoned, > that she has received from the LORD’s hand > double for all her sins. > (Isaiah 40:1-2) If you read the first 39 chapters of his book, you would realize that Isaiah has not been bringing Israel good news. He’s been talking to Israel about a serious problem: their sin. In the first 39 chapters, God, through Isaiah, confronts Israel of rebellion, idolatry, and injustice. He promises to judge them by sending other nations to conquer Israel. In fact, in the preceding chapter, Isaiah brings a word of judgment against their king Hezekiah (Isaiah 39:5-8). Israel would be exiled in Babylon. “Nothing shall be left, says the LORD” (Isaiah 39:6). In the first 39 chapters, we read almost nothing but judgment. Isaiah articulated that God and that he requires holiness of his people, but they fell short. By the end of chapter 39, we’re not left with much hope as we look at God’s people. Isaiah articulates our greatest problem: that we fall short of the very reasonable standards of a holy God, and that we deserve nothing but his judgment. In other words, the context for chapter 40 is our failure. In light of our failure, we are not prepared for the first words of chapter 40. Here’s the good news that Isaiah has for us: although we fall short, although we deserve nothing but God’s judgment, God speaks words of comfort to us. His intentions for us are good. His ultimate purpose is not our destruction but redemption. It’s not death but life. His ultimate goal is not judgment but restoration. Why? Because our warfare is ended (verse 1). The word warfare could be translated struggle. Their struggles, their time in exile has an expiry date. God will discipline Israel for their sins, but that discipline isn’t permanent. He will never abandon his people. Isaiah says that Israel’s greatest problem - their sin — has been dealt with. “…her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.” Their sins need to be paid for, but the payment that has been made more than covers the cost of their sin. Sin always comes at a cost. Someone must pay that cost. We didn’t make that payment; we never could. But Christ has made full payment for the sins of all who trust him, payment so abundant that there is no balance owed. As a result, God now speaks words of comfort to his people. Our sins are a serious problem. They are an affront to a holy God. But they will not have the final word. What is the final word? That God’s intentions for us are good despite your sins. And so if you have trusted Jesus you can: > “See in God not a frown but a smile, not distance but nearness. Even when we don’t act like the people of God, he still identifies with us: “… my people … your God.” He stills calls us “Jerusalem,” even when we’re far away in exile. > Do you have glad expectations of God? You may, even as a sinner. (Ray Ortlund) The gospel isn’t good news for the worthy. It’s good news for sinners. It’s that our sins won’t have the final word. Despite their sins, God still looks on his people with tenderness and compassion. There’s hope for us despite our sins. It doesn’t matter how much you’ve sinned. There’s nobody here who doesn’t need this good news, and there’s nobody here out of the reach of this good news. What is God’s word to you today? It’s one of comfort. Your sins are no obstacle to his compassion toward you, because full payment has been made for your sins. That is the amazing news that Isaiah expresses here: that God looks at us through Jesus not with a frown but a smile. He has tender words for you today, words of compassion and hope. But that’s not all. ### Second: There’s hope for us despite our sins *because God will come* (3-5). How does this hope come to us? Is it be our trying harder? Suffering enough to cancel out our earlier sins? No. Our hope comes solely from the activity of God. We do nothing to save themselves. God does everything. We simply receive. Read verses 3 to 5: > A voice cries: > “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; > make straight in the desert a highway for our God. > Every valley shall be lifted up, > and every mountain and hill be made low; > the uneven ground shall become level, > and the rough places a plain. > And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, > and all flesh shall see it together, > for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” > (Isaiah 40:3-5) Our hope is that God has acted. In verse 3, Isaiah hears a voice. Notice what this voice says. It says: **The Lord is coming.** ““In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” God is coming, so get ready. We could never come to God, so God is coming to us. He is coming to our aid. And he’s coming to meet us where we are: in the wilderness. “The whole world is like a desert,” writes Tim Keller. “There’s death, there’s disease, there’s war, there’s poverty, there’s strife, and there’s brokenness of all sorts. The whole world is like this.” But God comes into the wilderness to meet us. We couldn’t leave the wilderness to find him, so he entered the wilderness to find us. The Lord comes into the world to save us. **It also says that when he comes, he will bring radical change.** Valleys will be lifted. Mountains will be flattened. Uneven ground will become level. Rough places will be made into a plain. In other words, the Lord is going to fix things. Ray Ortlund writes: > He is talking about a new moral topography, a new social landscape. He is talking about the disruptive advance of salvation … He is talking about depression being relieved, pride being flattened, troubled personalities becoming placid, and difficult people becoming easy to get along with. He will bring the healing the world needs. We need radical change. I do. And that’s exactly what God will bring when he comes. There’s one more thing the voice tells us: **Everyone will see God’s glory.** “And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” Everyone will see God’s glory. It won’t be hidden. God will display his glory for everyone to see. In the first coming of Jesus, we’ve seen a little of this. John 1 says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and *we have seen his glory*, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” When Jesus came, we saw his glory. As Hebrews told us, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” (Hebrews 1:3). But this is just a preview. In his first coming, his glory was veiled. When Jesus returns, everyone will see his glory. In Titus 2:13, Paul says that we’re “waiting for our blessed hope, *the appearing of the glory* of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” Sadly, some ignore him after his first coming at their own peril. But he will be ignorable when he comes again. He will reveal his glory, and all flesh will see it. There’s hope for us despite our sin, but our hope doesn’t come from us. It comes from the arrival of a king who will come to us, who will bring radical change, and who will reveal God’s glory. Our hope doesn’t come from what we do. There is nothing we could do. Our hope comes from what God has done through Jesus. Our only hope is Jesus, who paid for our sins and conquered sin and death, who welcomes us to put all of our trust in him. He did it all; we respond by relying not on our own work but on what he did for us as we follow him. That’s why we celebrate Jesus’ first coming. But it’s also why we long for Jesus to come again. We want what Isaiah promises here. We want valleys lifted, mountains flattened, uneven ground made level. We want an end to injustice and war, and end to sin and conflict, death and tears. “Everything sad is going to come untrue and it will somehow be greater for having once been broken and lost” (Tim Keller). God himself came to us in the person of Jesus in the first coming and made full payment for our sins. He will come again to set this world right. There’s hope, and this hope comes from God, not from us. There’s a third piece of good news that Isaiah has for us. ### Third: There’s hope for us despite our sins because God will come, and *you can count on it* (6-8). Listen to verses 6 to 8: > A voice says, “Cry!” > And I said, “What shall I cry?” > All flesh is grass, > and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. > The grass withers, the flower fades > when the breath of the LORD blows on it; > surely the people are grass. > The grass withers, the flower fades… God knows what they will think. Why look to God when they can look to Babylon? Some talk about the Lord coming one day sounds nice, but what about now? What about the problems right in front of them? Sometimes we kind of believe what God says, but our circumstances look bigger. We can’t see past our current reality to see the hope that God promises. We can see our bills. We can see our marital problems. We can see our stresses. All of these seem much bigger than any promise that God gives us. God anticipates this and reminds us how temporary, fleeting, and unreliable all of this is. It’s like grass or flowers. It’s like the leaves of the trees that are all on the ground now. It’s all transitory. It’s a vapor. You can’t rely on any of it. But you can count on God’s promise. “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8). In this world, everything seems at first to be more reliable than God’s word. But don’t believe the lie. You can’t count on any of it. God’s word is the only thing you can trust. It’s the only thing that will last. Here’s God’s message in these verses: **There’s hope for us despite our sins because God will come, and you can count on it.** ## One Action Step What’s the action that Isaiah wants us to take as a result of this message? > Go on up to a high mountain, > O Zion, herald of good news; > lift up your voice with strength, > O Jerusalem, herald of good news; > lift it up, fear not; > say to the cities of Judah, > “Behold your God!” > (Isaiah 40:9) Here’s the one step that we can take in light of this good news: shout it! Live as if it’s true. Put all your chips in the face that there’s hope for us despite our sins because God has and will come. Build your life around it. And then let as many other people know about it too. You may think that you’re not a very good evangelist. You don’t need to be. You just need to be excited about Jesus. C.S. Lewis said: > The world rings with praise—lovers praising their mistresses, readers their favourite poet, walkers praising the countryside, players praising their favourite game—praise of weather, wines, dishes, actors, motors, horses, colleges, countries, historical personages, children, flowers, mountains, rare stamps, rare beetles, even sometimes politicians and scholars.… Just as men spontaneously praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in praising it: “Isn’t she lovely? Wasn’t it glorious? Don’t you think that magnificent?” … I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. So get excited about the Lord who comes, and let other people know about it. That’s the good news according to Isaiah. I’ve been so haunted by what Haddon Robinson said: that he’d heard very few sermons that articulate the gospel well. I’ll tell you one thing: Isaiah articulates the gospel well. There’s hope for us despite our sins because God will come, and you can count on it. Trust him, and let as many other people know about this good news too. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-372/ Last updated: 2023-12-09T10:00:04.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [9 Biblical Methods for Encouraging One Another](https://go.dashhouse.com/JzSR?ref=dashhouse.com) > The best way to learn how to encourage is to watch others do it. The Bible models this for us in a variety of ways. Let’s look at the examples and learn how we can we use this powerful tool. [Dead Orthodoxy](https://go.dashhouse.com/JuKH?ref=dashhouse.com) > There is a certain type of right thinking that is wrong. [DeYoung, Rigney, and the Moscow Mood](https://go.dashhouse.com/J-Jr?ref=dashhouse.com) > Let me begin by stating up front that DeYoung and Rigney are two of my favorite authors and thinkers, and so it should not be a surprise to hear that I deeply appreciated both of their articles. Many penetrating insights all around. Still, on the question of the “Moscow Mood” and its alleged dangers, these two voices I so deeply admire find themselves at odds. [Themelios 48.3](https://go.dashhouse.com/JzST?ref=dashhouse.com) > The new December 2023 issue of Themelios has 240 pages of editorials, articles, and book reviews. It is freely available in three formats. ### Introducing Early Church History URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/introducing-early-church-history/ Last updated: 2024-08-25T09:23:35.000Z When I first attended seminary, I had little knowledge of church history, and little understanding of why it might matter. My church history professor, Dr. Michael Haykin, changed that. Nobody can listen to Dr. Haykin talk about church history without feeling his excitement about this field of study. I began to learn more, but I still felt like I was only beginning to understand the subject. More recently, we’ve seen an explosion of books that make the subject of church history more accessible. But I’m still concerned that we don’t know enough, and that we’re living as if the church was invented in the 1980s, with only a few key events (like the Reformation) in our minds from the past two thousand years of the church. Perry Edwards has written a book called [*Introduction to Early Church History: The First 500 Years*](https://go.dashhouse.com/JvWR?ref=dashhouse.com) to help us. [![](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2023/12/early-church-history.jpg)](https://go.dashhouse.com/JvWR?ref=dashhouse.com) Edwards is pastor of [Living Way Baptist Fellowship](https://go.dashhouse.com/JwPe?ref=dashhouse.com) in Chipman, New Brunswick, Canada. He’s served as a lecturer for Carey Outreach Ministries for the past seventeen years. He’s taught courses on the early church and Reformation history in several different countries around the world. His new book is an accessible and interesting introduction to early church history. I enjoyed talking to him about his new book on the Gospel for Life podcast. This would be a great book to pick up for a church library, or to use as the basis for a course in your church. It would also make a good gift to anyone who wants to learn more about the history of the early church. You can listen to the podcast episode below, or find [The Gospel for Life podcast](https://go.dashhouse.com/podcast?ref=dashhouse.com) on your favorite podcast app. ## Key Ideas - We need church history to understand the theology of the church. - As we face increasing persecution, we can learn from how early Christians faced opposition, persecution, and even martyrdom. - The early church addressed many of the issues we face today. - Pastors can and should teach church history within the church. ## Quotes "The church didn't begin in the 16th century, but sometimes I think we have that impression as evangelicals." "We're not reading the Bible in a vacuum. We're not in the first century reading the Bible for the first time. We're reading it on the shoulders of those who have come before us." “I'm gripped by reading the stories of these early monks, and it causes me to think deeply and ponder and question my own commitment to the Lord. Have I given up everything for Jesus? What does that look like?” “Satan is not a very creative guy. He's always doing the same stuff over and over and over and over again. It seems to me it's the same heresies.” ## Episode Links - [Living Way Baptist Fellowship](https://go.dashhouse.com/JwPe?ref=dashhouse.com) ### Books mentioned: - [*Introduction to Church History: The First 500 Years*](https://go.dashhouse.com/JvWR?ref=dashhouse.com) - [*The City of God*](https://go.dashhouse.com/JwPc?ref=dashhouse.com) - [*Church History in Plain English*](https://go.dashhouse.com/JwP9?ref=dashhouse.com) - [*The Story of Christianity, Vol. 1: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation*](https://go.dashhouse.com/JwPU?ref=dashhouse.com) - [*The Story of Christianity, Vol. 2: The Reformation to the Present Day*](https://go.dashhouse.com/JwPW?ref=dashhouse.com) ## Transcript Download a PDF transcript of this episode. [Introducing Early Church History231205 Transcript.pdf295 KBdownload-circle](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/files/2023/12/231205-Transcript.pdf "Download") ### Longing and Lament (Isaiah 63:15-64:9) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/longing-and-lament-isaiah-641-9/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T14:13:34.000Z **Big Idea:** Longing and lament points us to our need for God to come. --- I want to talk about something that I don’t think I’ve ever talked about before in a sermon. I want to talk about the hiddenness of God. I don’t know if you’e thought about this either. Sometimes God seems distant and hidden, often when we need him the most. For instance, consider Dr. Helen Roseveare, a famous English missionary to the Congo. As a young woman, Roseveare told God, “I’ll go anywhere God wants me to, whatever the cost.” And she did. In 1953, she arrived in what we now call Zaire. She founded a training school for nurses, training women to serve as nurse-evangelists, who in turn would run clinics and dispensaries in different regions. She served faithfully for years. But civil war broke out in 1964\. She was placed under house arrest. And one horrible evening, she was beaten, and later, she was sexually assaulted. She later recounted: > On that dreadful night, beaten and bruised, terrified and tormented, unutterably alone, I had felt at last God had failed me. Surely He could have stepped in earlier, surely things need not have gone that far. I had reached what seemed to be the ultimate depth of despairing nothingness. Have you ever felt like that? Perhaps your circumstances have been different, but have you ever struggled with feeling forsaken or abandoned by God? Where is God when we are going through a crisis, and he doesn’t intervene? ## Introducing Advent I’m asking this because today is the first Sunday of Advent. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t grow up celebrating Advent, so a lot of this is new to me. But I’m grateful for Advent, because it teaches us to long. As Aaron Damiani [writes](https://go.dashhouse.com/BF5h?ref=dashhouse.com): > Don’t you long for justice, for the world to be made right? Deep down, many of us long for this more than cozy experiences or cool gifts. Advent teases this out by focusing on the second coming of Christ, the final judgment. One of my fellow pastors likes to say, “We’re not pretending to wait for baby Jesus during Advent.” Baby Jesus already came the first time in great humility. He has promised to return in great glory as a King and Judge. As he writes elsewhere, “Advent is a season of waiting expectantly for the coming of Jesus Christ, which will usher in his eternal reign of justice and peace.” The place to begin, then, is with our longing for God to make himself known when he seems so hidden from us. ## Longing and Lament Today’s passage is going to help us. We’re in an Old Testament book called Isaiah. Isaiah has already written about God rescuing the nation of Israel from exile in Babylon (Isaiah 40-48). He’s already prophesied about a servant coming who fulfills God’s mission and rescues God’s people from their sin (Isaiah 49-55). But even though they’re back from exile and vindicated by the servant, they’re still feeling the absence of God. They’re longing for more. Isaiah expresses two longings, and two laments. Let’s see if we can relate to them. ### Two Longings Here are the two longings that Isaiah expresses on behalf of the people. They are the same desires that I’m sure many of us have faced as well. **First, we long for God’s heart to be expressed to us.** Read Isaiah 63:15: > Look down from heaven and see, > from your holy and beautiful habitation. > Where are your zeal and your might? > The stirring of your inner parts and your compassion > are held back from me. Feel what he’s writing here. Read the Hebrew Scriptures and you see that God had been known for his love for his people. But now it seemed that God was holding back. God used to full of zeal for his people, Isaiah says. He was passionate in keeping his promises, and he had the power to do so. He was full of tenderness and compassion. But now it seemed that God was holding back. God seemed distant. Had God changed his feelings about his people? Isaiah longed for God to express his love to his people, but they just weren’t feeling it. They needed a fresh sense of the love of God for his people. They wanted to sense God’s zealous, powerful compassion for his people again. **We also long for God to act on our behalf.** Read Isaiah 64:1-3: > Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, > that the mountains might quake at your presence— > as when fire kindles brushwood > and the fire causes water to boil— > to make your name known to your adversaries, > and that the nations might tremble at your presence! > When you did awesome things that we did not look for, > you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence. > (Isaiah 64:1–3) Isaiah not only wanted God’s heart to be expressed, he wanted God to act on their behalf. Isaiah looks at the past and realizes that God’s presence would have made all the difference. God would just have to show his power and everything would have changed. God had done this in the past, but now they felt the absence of his power. In desperate times, they needed the intervention of God to help them in their desperate need. In 1735, God visited New England. Jonathan Edwards recorded what he witnessed: > The town seemed to be full of the presence of God. It never was so full of love, nor of joy, and yet so full of distress, as it was then. There were remarkable tokens of God’s presence in almost every house. It was a time of joy in families on account of salvation being brought unto them; parents rejoicing over their children as newborn, and husbands over their wives, and wives over their husbands … Our public assemblies were then beautiful … The assembly in general was, from time to time, in tears while the Word was preached, some weeping with sorrow and distress, others with joy and love, others with pity and concern for the souls of their neighbors. Some of us know what it’s like to live in an unusual season of spiritual renewal. But then we also know what it’s like to live with a sense of deadness, a sense that God isn’t as present as we’d like him to be. We long for more. I want you to notice these longings. They’re in the Bible. We’re allowed to long for a sense of God’s love. We’re allowed to long for God to act on our behalf. We don’t always have the answer for why he doesn’t, but Isaiah gives us permission to come to God and say, “We’re longing for more. We want more of your love and more of your power to show up in our lives!” ### Two Laments And then Isaiah also has two laments. Here are the two laments that Isaiah teaches us to express. **First, lament that our hearts are cold.** Read Isaiah 63:17 and 19: > O LORD, why do you make us wander from your ways > and harden our heart, so that we fear you not? > Return for the sake of your servants, > the tribes of your heritage… > We have become like those over whom you have never ruled, > like those who are not called by your name. It almost seems that Isaiah is blaming God for their disobedience. Maybe he sees God’s discipline as being part of the reason why they feel this distance from God. Maybe he just realizes that they need God’s intervention to return to where they should be. Then there’s one more lament: **Second, lament that we’re stuck in the same old sins.** Read Isaiah 64 from the second part of verse 5 to verse 7: > Behold, you were angry, and we sinned; > in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved? > We have all become like one who is unclean, > and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. > We all fade like a leaf, > and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. > There is no one who calls upon your name, > who rouses himself to take hold of you; > for you have hidden your face from us, > and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities. Do you ever feel discouraged by your sins? Do you ever feel stuck, like things aren’t getting better? Isaiah understands. We’re spiritually lethargic. We’re quick to fall into sins. Isaiah puts words to this frustration by expressing this lament to God. So that’s this passage: longing and lament. What do you do with this? What does this mean for our lives? ## Three Lessons I think there are three lessons for us in this passage today. ### First: this is where we live right now. In other words, there is nothing wrong with you if you feel a sense of longing and lament in your life. Let me quote a man named Thaddeus Williams, who is writing a book on the hiddenness of God: > Over the years I have spoken with thousands of Christians who harbor a totally unnecessary amount of shame, doubt, and self-worry over one particular issue. They don’t feel God anymore. God seems distant and unthrilling. The honeymoon has ended. They no longer feel the life-giving embrace of God’s felt presence and worry that they’ve done Christianity wrong and God has hit the road. Many would gladly give up a limb if only to feel God’s love again. Many overanalyze themselves silly trying to pinpoint where things went wrong, how the magic was lost. If only I read more, pray harder, do more, then I can conjure up my old spiritual euphoria. But nothing works. What am I, some kind of spiritual freak? > To make matters worse, they may attend a church service with happy-clappy major-chord worship anthems, surrounded by fellow believers who all seem so joyously swept up in divine romance. Everyone seems to be blissfully basking in the warmth of his goodness, while troubled believers shiver in the cold. They now not only feel disconnected from God but disconnected from brothers and sisters who are apparently far more connected to God. Christianity seems to work for everyone but me. It can be dreadfully lonesome. I know from experience. > Here is where the spiritual and social expectations of today’s church can generate a idyllic, spit-shined version of what it means to know God that, frankly, does not match what we see in the muddiness and complexity of scripture. Perhaps those whom churchy culture makes to feel most freakish are actually those who would be most at home sipping beverages with the often brooding authors of scripture. Isaiah 45:15 says, “Truly, you are a God who hides himself.” That is a Holy Spirit-inspired author of scripture speaking. > So that’s a first point to stop and absorb into your bones. If you feel like God is hiding from you and that you no longer feel the buzz of his presence then that has been a normal experience of people seeking to know God from time immemorial. You are hardly alone. There is nothing freakish about feeling like you are forsaken or abandoned by God. There has been what I believe to be a helpful trend in culture over the last several years, the effort to take the stigma out of mental illness. We must advance a Christian version of this phenomenon… > Sometimes life feels like there is no light at the end of the tunnel, just more dark tunnel. \[The Bible\] grants us permission to acknowledge that feeling. > All that to say, it does no good pretending to yourself or others that you are a spiritual superstar who exists in a perpetual state of spiritual bliss. Even Jesus said, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" This is where we live right now, and it’s okay to feel longing in your life. There’s nothing wrong with you if you do. ### Second, learn to lament. A book called [*Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy*](https://go.dashhouse.com/2fqX?ref=dashhouse.com) says: > Lament is how we bring our sorrow to God. Without lament we won’t know how to process pain. Silence, bitterness, and even anger can dominate our spiritual lives instead. Without lament we won’t know how to help people walking through sorrow. Instead, we’ll offer trite solutions, unhelpful comments, or impatient responses. What’s more, without this sacred song of sorrow, we’ll miss the lessons historic laments are intended to teach us. > Lament is how Christians grieve. It is how to help hurting people. Lament is how we learn important truths about God and our world. My personal and pastoral experience has convinced me that biblical lament is not only a gift but also a neglected dimension of the Christian life for many twenty-first-century Christians. You can express your grief to God. He invites you to do so. He even gives you words you can use to express your pain. Nearly half of the psalms are psalms of lament for the very reason that we need to learn to lament. But there’s one more thing. ### There’s an answer to our longing and lament. Read the first part of Isaiah 64:1 again: “Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down…” We need a visitation from God. That’s exactly what Jesus did for us at Christmas. Jesus answered our longings and came down. We needed God with us. We needed God to come and heal diseases, drive out demons, to touch sinners, and to die for our sins. But we long for more. We long for Jesus to come back again and set this world right. We long for the day that he will no longer be hidden, his love will be fully expressed, and the day of our lament will be over. Are you longing and lamenting today? If you are, that’s completely normal. Long for Jesus to come again. **Longing and lament points us to our need for God to come**, and that is exactly what he will do. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-371/ Last updated: 2023-12-02T10:00:03.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Hearing the Heart in Bad Theology](https://go.dashhouse.com/JuLJ?ref=dashhouse.com) > We can be wise and faithful counselors by recognizing that bad theology can reveal our counselee’s heart and then ask questions to better understand. [How to Get Ahead on Sermon Planning for the New Year](https://go.dashhouse.com/JqX-?ref=dashhouse.com) > As you prepare for the new year, here are a few sermon planning ideas that may help you get a head start on sermon preparation. [It’s About What’s in the Text](https://go.dashhouse.com/JtJJ?ref=dashhouse.com) > We are aiming to understanding *this* text, seeking to understanding what the author wanted to convey. Unless we are basing our interpretation of *this* text in *this* text we will run into problems. [Jesus Was Not Born in a Stable—and It Really Matters!](https://go.dashhouse.com/JuLA?ref=dashhouse.com) > In the Christmas story, Jesus is not sad and lonely, some distance away in the stable, needing our sympathy. > Rather, he is in the midst of the family, and all the visiting relations, right in the thick of it and demanding our attention. [I’m Never More Christ-Dependent Than When I’m Doing Deep Breathing Exercises](https://go.dashhouse.com/JuLV?ref=dashhouse.com) > Bodily interventions—interventions designed to address the fact that God created us as embodied-souls—are sacred interventions. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [The Reverse-Thread Bolts of Ministry](https://go.dashhouse.com/JtJW?ref=dashhouse.com) > God often works the opposite way that we think. ### The Pastor’s Reward URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-pastors-reward/ Last updated: 2023-11-28T10:00:44.000Z Pastoring is a privilege. One of the greatest privileges is the reward that awaits those who serve as pastors. ## The Crown of Righteousness Paul describes one reward in 2 Timothy 4:8: “Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” As Paul approached his death, he looked forward to the crown of righteousness he would receive from the Lord himself. His friends had deserted him; Nero would find him guilty; but the Lord would render the ultimate verdict and vindicate him for his ministry. Victors received wreaths expressing honor, achievement, and recognition. Paul looked forward to receiving this reward from the only one whose verdict matters: from Christ himself. But this reward isn’t exclusive to him or those in ministry. It’s for “all who have loved his appearing.” His is the only verdict that matters. Robert Murray McCheyne said: > How sweet it will be, when Christ puts on the crown on a sinner’s brow! The just God and Saviour! Angels will shout for joy when they see the righteous Jesus crowning the sinners for whom he died. He will finish our redemption. He was crowned with thorns; he has been an advocate crowned with glory and majesty; but another step, he is to put on the crown of righteousness. All heaven and earth and hell own him faithful and true, and righteous in all his ways. Oh! how sweet to be crowned by Jesus. I can’t wait for that day. ## The Unfading Crown of Glory In 1 Peter 5:4, Paul tells elders, “When the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.” Leafy crowns given after athletic victories or military conquests faded. In contrast, Peter says that the crown that elders receive will never fade. Human glory fades; the reward that elders will receive in eternity won’t. The work of pastoral ministry is difficult. We often feel inadequate. Peter directs our attention away from all that would discourage us to where we can find hope. As John Calvin says, “To prevent the faithful servant of Christ from being cast down, there is this one and only remedy, to turn his eyes to the coming of Christ.” The prospect of our future reward motivates faithful service today. ## Our Hope Our hope is the eternal reward that we will one day receive from Jesus himself. Recognition here is nice but not our ultimate goal. Congregations should value and honor pastors, but this won’t always happen, and the approval of people isn’t what ultimately matters. We get it wrong; we’re not always good at giving thanks. Even when we’re thankful, the rewards we offer are fleeting. No matter how well we serve, most of us will be forgotten before long. But an eternal reward awaits those who serve God. We aim for the only approval that matters. His “well done” will be enough. That is the pastor’s reward. Pastors will face challenges and hardships. They need motivation to keep going, even when it’s hard, and even when they feel like they don’t have enough. Both Paul and Peter give us a glimpse of that reward. Keep serving. Keep hoping for that day. It will keep you going now, even when pastoring is hard, and even when you feel like you’re not up to the task. Your crown is waiting, so keep going as long as he gives you breath. ### Your Representative in Heaven (Hebrews 4:14-5:10) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/your-representative-in-heaven-hebrews-414-510/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T14:12:50.000Z **Big Idea:** Jesus is the representative we need, so hold fast and draw near to him. --- I had a terrifying experience a few years ago. I got a traffic ticket. No problem, right? Most of us have had one of those. I decided to fight the charge. And so I went to court. It can’t be that hard. It’s not a criminal court. It’s just a traffic one. So I got there a little early. I waited for my name to be called. While I waited, they called other people up. Most of them were boring. But then they called one guy up. I forget the exact details, but the judge got really angry. He ended up suspending the guy’s license and sending the guy to jail. I sat there watching as the bailiff took him away in handcuffs, and as I watched, I heard my name being called. I was the next defendant to face that angry judge that had just thrown somebody in jail. It was at that moment that I thought, “I should have hired a lawyer.” I didn’t think I needed a lawyer for a traffic violation, but I was starting to rethink my decision. Maybe I needed someone to represent me after all and to keep me out of jail. We need a representative. You need one if you appear before an angry judge. And, according to this passage, you need one when you stand before a holy God. But that’s exactly what God has given us, which is very good news for every one of us here today. ## Hebrews So Far Right now, we’re working through the book of Hebrews. Hebrews was written to a group of Christians who were struggling spiritually. They were facing persecution. Some of them were tempted to abandon their faith and to drift away from Jesus and the church. And so the writer — we don’t know who — wrote this letter, and the letter has one theme: Jesus is better. Jesus is above anyone and anything else. Jesus is the pinnacle of revelation. Jesus is above angels. Jesus is better than Moses and Joshua. There’s nobody better than Jesus, so don’t abandon him. Don’t even get too close to the edge. Stick with him and stand guard. Because, as the previous passage says, we’re in the same danger as Israel centuries ago. We could fail to believe the good news about Jesus, drift away, and miss out on the blessings that God has prepared for those who trust him. The passage we looked at last week was intended to warn us: don’t miss out! The passage this week is meant to encourage us: hold fast your confession, and draw near. Here’s why we need this message. In the passage right before, the writer left us pretty exposed. Here’s what he said. > For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:12-13) God’s word reveals. God’s word is alive and active. As Spurgeon said, “It lays bare a man’s inmost secrets; yea, it discovers to him that which he had not even himself perceived. The Christ that is in the Word sees everything.” Nobody can hide when exposed by God’s word. Everything is going to be revealed. And here’s the problem, in verse 13: “all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” How do you feel about this? I know how I feel: terrified. If I need help to stand before a traffic judge, we really need help to stand completely exposed before a holy God. That’s where today’s passage begins. God has given us a representative so we can stand before a holy God. ## The Principles of Priesthood Hebrews 5:1 introduces us to the role of Old Testament priests. Their job was to represent Israel before God: > For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people. And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. (Hebrews 5:1-4) According to this passage, the Old Testament priests had four principles that allowed them to represent people before God. - **First, they were chosen from among the people (5:1).** To represent the people, they had to be one of the people. No angel, no other creature other than a human could act on behalf of the people. The priest has to be like those that he’s going to represent. - **Second, they offered sacrifices for the people (5:1).** Verse 1 says that they existed “to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.” That was their whole job. That was their whole ministry: to carry out the priestly sacrifices, the most important of which took place on the Day of Atonement when the high priest slaughtered one goat as an offering for the sin of the people, and then laid a hand on another goat, confessed all the sins of the people, and then sent the goat out into the desert on behalf of the people. By doing this, the high priest dealt with the people’s sin problems so they could stand before a holy God. - **Third, they have to be able to sympathize with the people (5:2).** “He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness." If a priest is going to represent people, they have to be able to understand from first-hand experience what it’s like to struggle. A harsh, judgmental priest is not what anyone needed. They needed someone who understands. - **Finally, the priest has to be chosen (5:4).** There’s no such thing as a self-appointed priest. It’s not an elected office. Aaron and his successors were always chosen by God. That’s the way priesthood works. Priests were divinely chosen to represent people before God. Because of their sin, Israel needed a high priest to represent them before God, to offer sacrifices for their sin. The priest had to be one of them and understand them, and also to be chosen by God, in order to carry out this important role. We need a representative as we stand exposed before a holy God, and God was gracious enough to grant Israel a series of priests who could fulfill this important role. But look at what the writer does as he writes this letter. He says that we’ve been given an even better priest than they were given. They didn’t know it when they received this letter, but the entire sacrificial system was about to end with the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem shortly after they received this letter. In any case, Jesus’ priesthood is even better. This is what is going to allow us to stand before God, even when we’re exposed. Jesus is an even better high priest. Why? The writer goes in reverse order: - **Priests and to be chosen by God. Well, Jesus was hand-picked by God for this role.** “So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you’; as he says also in another place, ‘You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek’” (5:5-6). We’ll return another Sunday to the Melchizedek theme. But notice here: Jesus didn’t take on the position of our high priest himself. He didn’t take on that glory on his own initiative. God appointed him to that role. He’s an even better priest, because his priesthood has no beginning and no ending. The same Jesus that Hebrews has talked about earlier — the exalted Jesus over all creation — has been appointed as our great high priest. - **Priests had to sympathize with the people. They had to be one of them. Well, Jesus sympathizes with us.** “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered” (5:7-8). Jesus knows what it’s like to suffer. Jesus suffered, and he passed the school of suffering. He knows what it’s like. As George Guthrie says, he graduated from that school and accomplished his mission. Are you suffering? Jesus understands. He is able to represent you to God. - **Priests offered sacrifices to God. Well, look at the sacrificial provision of Jesus our great high priest.** “And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him…” (5:9). The old priests used to offer animals as sacrifices. At the cross, Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice for our sins. He became the source of eternal salvation through his death. - **Priests come from among humanity.** Well, Jesus comes from among humanity. Jesus became human so he could represent us. In fact, he comes from an even older order of priests than Aaron’s descendants. He comes from the order of Melchizedek, which predates the Aaronic priests by centuries. In other words, Jesus is perfectly qualified to represent us before God. Israel’s priests pointed forward to his priesthood. He’s the high priest we need. How can we who are sinful and exposed stand before a holy God? We need a representative. Jesus is that representative, but he’s even better than the Old Testament priests. He is the representative we need. ## How to Respond How do we respond to Jesus, the representative, the high priest we need? Two actions: ### Hold fast “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession” (4:14). Hold firmly to the faith. Jesus our great high priest has gone into heaven and is representing us before God. He is our only hope. Stay close to him. Don’t even think about turning away from him. He is our only hope. We’ve been given a confession to hold onto, and as J.C. Ryle says, we’re “required to hold fast as if our lives depend upon it — for they do.” Don’t stray from Jesus and the truth about him. Hold onto him with all your might. But there’s one other way to respond to Jesus, the representative, the high priest that we need: ### Draw near > For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (4:15-16) We find it easy to run away from God. It’s not natural or easy for us to run to God. Our pride and our sinful tendencies tend to get in the way. But we don’t have to hide from Jesus, even in our need, even in our sin. We can run to him with confidence and find what we need when we need it. Instead of fear, we can approach with confidence, because it’s a throne of grace. I love how John Calvin put it: > The glory of God cannot but fill us with despair, such is the awfulness of his throne. Therefore in order to help our lack of confidence, and to free our minds of all fears, the apostle clothes it with grace and gives it a name which will encourage us by its sweetness. It is as if he were saying, Since God has fixed on His throne… a banner of grace and of fatherly love towards us, there is no reason why His majesty should ward us off from approaching Him. Friends, **Jesus is the representative we need, so hold fast and draw near to him.** ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-370/ Last updated: 2023-11-25T10:00:12.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [That Bible Verse You Don’t Like and What to Do About It](https://go.dashhouse.com/Jmad?ref=dashhouse.com) > When I come across a Bible verse I might not immediately like, here are three reminders I give myself to keep things in proper perspective. [Why the Church of England’s Same-Sex Marriage Vote Breaks My Heart](https://go.dashhouse.com/JmYd?ref=dashhouse.com) > The Church of England’s vote to bless same-sex relationships will ultimately harm those it means to help: people like me who experience same-sex attraction. [Bring Order to the Chaos: The Calming Force of Good Pastors](https://go.dashhouse.com/JmYo?ref=dashhouse.com) > This duel demand for initiative and patience, for effort and composure, captures well what Christ often requires of local-church leaders in the complexities of church life. [The Importance of the Pastoral Payer: Don’t Ditch It and Don’t Wing It!](https://go.dashhouse.com/JmYb?ref=dashhouse.com) > I am still growing in how to use this critical time in our worship service to best equip and encourage the variety of people who attend. [4 Feasts We Eat Every Week at Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/JmYr?ref=dashhouse.com) > Churches feast on God’s word during a worship service through at least four means: singing it, praying it, reading it, and hearing it preached. [The Great Commission Is Bigger Than Your Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/JmYg?ref=dashhouse.com) > How does your ministry reflect the fact that the Great Commission is far bigger than your local church? [Why You Should Wait to Go to Seminary](https://go.dashhouse.com/JmYl?ref=dashhouse.com) > If you’re considering seminary, or thinking about going back for another degree, here are four reasons it may be worth waiting. [Why You Shouldn’t Wait to Go to Seminary](https://go.dashhouse.com/JmYn?ref=dashhouse.com) > There are substantial advantages to pursuing seminary directly out of college when you’re still young. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [A Ministry of Weakness](https://go.dashhouse.com/JmpS?ref=dashhouse.com) > Don’t go looking for a ministry of weakness, but if God gives you one, don’t despise it either. He does some of his best work in the middle of our weakness. ### Know Your Work URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/know-your-work/ Last updated: 2023-11-21T10:00:57.000Z It’s a relief to know that God has given us certain work. I’m responsible to get that work done, but I can then ignore a lot of things that *aren’t* my work. - I’m responsible to know and love God. It’s my daily work and joy to cultivate my love for God and to know him and serve him better. He’s given me resources that I want to use for his glory. - I’m responsible to my family. I’ve promised to love my wife, and God has given me children (and now a grandson) to love and serve. - I’m part of a church. We have a membership covenant. I’ve bound myself to follow God and to keep the promises I’ve made to the other members of my church. - I’m an elder. I made certain promises to the church. I’m responsible to God to shepherd the flock that is among me (1 Peter 5:2-3). - I have a vocation. My paid role comes with a job description. I’m responsible to get that work done. - I encounter people every day. I’m called to love my neighbors. This is the work that God has given me to do. It’s challenging work; I don’t need more than this. But it’s noble work, and God has given me his Spirit to help me. But there’s other work that I’m free to ignore. - I don’t have to enter every controversy. - I don’t have to follow every news story. - I don’t have to have an opinion about every issue. - I don’t have to police every church. - I don’t have to keep up with every book, blog, social media post, or podcast. - I don’t have to follow every scandal within the church. - I don’t have to build a platform or become well-known. - I don’t even need to [listen to everyone’s opinion](https://go.dashhouse.com/Ji7t?ref=dashhouse.com). One day, we’ll all have to give account to God for the work that God has entrusted to us. The work he’s given us is challenging enough that we don’t need to worry about work that isn’t ours to do. I’m not saying it’s wrong to do additional work. By all means, read the news. Go on social media. Form and express opinions. Just remember that you don’t have to, and that sometimes these things that aren’t your work can distract you from the things that actually are. Knowing my work helps me with focus and contentment. I know where to direct my energies. It also allows me to be, as [Francis Schaeffer said](https://go.dashhouse.com/Ado%5F?ref=dashhouse.com), “quiet before the face of the Lord.” He explains: > Quietness and peace before God are more important than any influence a position may seem to give, for we must stay in step with God to have the power of the Holy Spirit. If by taking a bigger place our quietness with God is lost, then to that extent our fellowship with Him is broken and we are living in the flesh, and the final result will not be as great, no matter how important the larger place may look in the eyes of other men or in our own eyes. Always there will be a battle, always we will be less than perfect, but if a place is too big and too active for our present spiritual condition, then it is too big. Some things are our work. Some things aren’t. It’s important to know the difference, and to live in line with what God has called us to do. ### Don’t Miss Out (Hebrews 3:1-4:13) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/dont-miss-out-hebrews-31-413/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T14:11:34.000Z **Big Idea:** Israel only got a sample of what we get to enjoy, so don’t miss out on Jesus and all that he's given us. --- I feel like I know you well enough to share a fairy advanced Bible reading technique for the Hebrew Scriptures. It goes by the acronym HCTBSS. Sound complicated? Here’s what it means: How could they be so stupid? Here’s how it works. We read a story in the Old Testament. For instance, we read in Numbers 13 about the time that Israel approached the land that God had promised them from the south. They sent in spies, and 10 of the 12 spies came back and said they couldn’t take the land. They’d just watched God rescue them from slavery from the one of the most powerful empires in the world. They’d watched God perform miracle after miracle to set them free, and now they were terrified of some tall people. The HCTBSS method of interpreting Scripture is to shake our heads and say, “How could they be so stupid?” We know we would do better. This is such a versatile technique for reading Scripture that we can use it in the New Testament too. For instance, whenever the disciples blow it with Jesus — and there are plenty of examples — we can shake our heads and think, “How could they have been so stupid!” and think that we would have done a lot better. Today’s passage introduces us to a better technique for reading Scripture, particularly when we read about when people get it wrong. Here’s the technique that this passage teaches us: WITSD. It stands for “We’re in the same danger.” Whenever we’re tempted to read Scripture and think, “How could they be so stupid?” we should actually be thinking, “We’re in the same danger.” We’re not better than the people of Scripture. In fact, we’re just like them. We need to learn from their mistakes because we’re in danger of making the exact same ones ourselves. I want to show you this from the passage we just read. Here’s what I want to show you: two examples of disobedience, and then how to avoid making the same mistake ourselves. ## Two Examples of Disobedience Here are the two examples of mistakes that people made in the past in Scripture. ### The first has to do with Moses. Moses is a great figure in the Hebrew Scriptures. He led Israel from Egypt to the brink of the Promised Land. He built the tabernacle. God gave the law through Moses. God spoke to Moses face to face (Exodus 33:11). It would be hard to think of many people in the history of redemption who loom larger than Moses. But how did Israel do under Moses leadership? Not that well. In verses 7 to 11, the writer to the Hebrews quotes Psalm 95:7-11: > Today, if you hear his voice, > do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, > on the day of testing in the wilderness, > where your fathers put me to the test > and saw my works for forty years. > Therefore I was provoked with that generation, > and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart; > they have not known my ways.’ > As I swore in my wrath, > ‘They shall not enter my rest.’ ” Look at the interpretive technique that the writer uses in the verses that follow: > Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. (Hebrews 3:12-13) Do you see what he’s saying? We could make the same mistake! We’re in the same danger that they were. In fact, the writer argues that we’re in even greater danger. The first part of Hebrews 3 argues that although Israel had a great leader — Moses — we have an even better leader. Verses 1 to 5 argues that Jesus is superior to Moses. Verse 3 says, “Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses.” Moses presided over a house, the tabernacle; Jesus not only built that house but everything. Verse 5 says that Moses was a servant in the house, but Jesus is God’s son over that house. As great as Moses was, Jesus is much greater. And so the stakes are so much higher for us. They rebelled against Moses, but if we make the same mistake, we’re rebelling against somebody even greater than Moses. We’re rebelling against Jesus! We could make the same mistake they did, except against an even greater person: Jesus himself. Do you see the writer’s urgency here? He’s not holding a dispassionate theological study. He’s highlighting mistakes from the Hebrew Scriptures and trying to get our attention: we’re in the same danger! We could make the same mistake! The results were catastrophic for Israel. At the end of chapter 3, he says that every one of the rebels died in the wilderness. The wilderness where Israel wandered for 40 years was littered with bodies not just because people die, but because they rebelled against God and missed out on entering the land that God gave them. The danger for us is that we might have “an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God” (3:12). If Jesus is greater than Moses, how much higher are the stakes if we rebel against him? The stakes couldn’t be higher for us. You’re in danger, and I am too. Then we get to the second example. ### The second example has to do with Joshua. Moses died without entering the Promised Land due to his own disobedience. But God gave Israel another leader named Joshua. According to verse 2, Joshua preached the “good news” to them — the gospel, the gracious good news of undeserved grace. What was the message to them? That the land was there for the taking! All they had to do was enter in to what God had promised them. Joshua and Caleb told the people these words in Numbers 14:9: “Do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them.” How did the people of Israel respond to this good news? Verse 2 says, “For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.” It is not enough to *hear* the good news. We must respond in *faith* to the good news. They didn’t trust God wholeheartedly even though the good news had been preached to them. As a result they missed out on God’s promises. They didn’t enter the rest that God had given them because they didn’t respond in faith and believe the message that was proclaimed to them. He’s already quoted Psalm 95 twice in this passage, and he continues to quote Psalm 95 three more times in chapter 4, verses 3, 5, and 7: How does the writer apply this to us? He argues that they were offered the rest of the Promised Land, but we’ve been offered an even better rest. Hebrews 4:2 says, “Good news came to us just as to them.” But the good news — the gospel — that we’ve received is so much better. Think about what the writer’s already said in this letter so far: that Jesus became human, defeated death and the devil, died for our sins, and serves as our merciful and faithful high priest. What a message. Since our good news is even better than the good news they received, it’s so important that we receive this message by faith — that we embrace it with put all our chips in on this message that we’ve received so that we can enter our rest. We have to pause here and try to understand what he means when he’s talking about rest. There are all kinds of rest in the Bible. There’s the rest that God took at creation that he mentions in verse 4\. There’s the command to observe the Sabbath. There’s the rest of entering the land that God had promised. But all of these are just pointers to the ultimate rest that God gives his people. That’s why verses 8 to 10 say: > For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. God has a rest for his people, a rest that’s far better than just entering the Promised Land or enjoying your Sabbath. Don’t throw it away! Just as the people in Joshua’s day had the good news preached to them and missed their chance, we’ve had even better news preached to us. We get to enjoy part of this rest now. We get the rest from guilt and sin, because our sins have been placed on Christ. There is nothing more to be done for us to be made right with God. “Christ, by suffering in his stead, has answered all the demands of justice, and the believer’s heart is perfectly at rest” (Spurgeon). We also get the moments of rest and joy that give us a glimpse of what eternity will be like. But the ultimate fulfilment will be in eternity when our work will be completed. Our time of work and suffering will be over. Don’t miss it! Don’t blow your chance! The stakes are much higher for you. Don’t think, “How could they be so stupid!” Think, “We could make the same mistake.” Don’t let it happen to you. ## How to Avoid Disobedience How do we avoid making the same mistakes that they did in Moses’ day and Joshua’s day? Since we’re in danger, what do we do about it? What I love about Hebrews is that the writer doesn’t just give one answer. There’s no single solution to this question. There are a few things that we must do, and this passage mentions some of them. - “Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession” (3:1). “Consider Jesus.” You could translate this, “Rivet your attention on Jesus.” Consider him. Think about him. Notice him. Mediate on Jesus. Focus your attention on him. Robert Murray McCheyne said, “Believers should live in daily consideration of the greatness and glory of Christ.” Live in wonder at the glories of our Savior. - Be on guard for signs of an unbelieving heart. “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God” (3:12). We’re all in danger of being “hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (3:13). This is a gradual process that takes place without us being aware of it. So stay on guard. How is your heart today? Are you losing wonder of your salvation? Are you becoming jaded against the truths of the gospel? Are you becoming more tolerant of sin? “Take care!” the writer says. You’re in danger of making the same mistakes as the children of Israel, but the stakes are even higher for you. Don’t let it happen to you. - “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today” (3:13). We need each other! We came today to exhort each other because we’re all in danger of wandering. We’re all in need of exhortation and encouragement from each other. It’s one of the reasons we came today. I love how Raymond Brown puts it: “Believers are expected to exercise a daily, cheering ministry to other Christians … every member of the body of Christ should grasp opportunities in every day to speak the uplifting word and do the supportive thing for his Christian partners in Christ.” - “Strive to enter that rest” (4:11). Why? So you don’t fall by the same sort of disobedience. You will be found out if you wander because disobedience is fatal. “God’s word is living and active, judging and destroying those who turn against him. No creature can hide from God, for he is the all-knowing One as our Creator, and our lives are laid bare before him” (Thomas Schreiner). So work hard at entering that rest. Don’t think, “How could they be so stupid!” Think, “We’re in the same danger.” We can easily become like the Israelites who had so much and yet missed out on God’s blessings. We can be like the a thirty-one-year-old mother of two, who after attending two services where the gospel was presented said, “I’ve just realized I’ve been playing religion all my life. I’m active at church, I’m on committees, I’ve heard about the Crucifixion so much since I was a child that I’ve been numb to it. And I realized today that I don’t have a relationship with Christ.” Don’t let it happen to you! **Israel only got a sample of what we get to enjoy, so don’t miss out on Jesus and all that he's given us.** ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-369/ Last updated: 2023-11-18T10:00:49.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [4 Things to Remember When Talking About Your Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/JW8S?ref=dashhouse.com) > It never fails that when I’m at an event for pastors, during side conversations or breakout sessions, brothers start talking about sheep biting or wandering. Sometimes, the conversation remains innocent. But many times, it turns into sarcastic grumbling. These things ought not be so. [How to Use Prayer Meetings to Promote Catholicity](https://go.dashhouse.com/JV%5FY?ref=dashhouse.com) > Pastor, what kind of culture are you working to create for how your church regards other churches? Are you leading your church to be generous, hospitable, and friendly toward other churches? [Lamenting the Church Plant Fad](https://go.dashhouse.com/JLty?ref=dashhouse.com) > I have seen a genuine uptick in church planting taking its rightful place as a critical value for many denomination and mission organizations. It is right and a beautiful answer to prayers for our nation. > It also is in jeopardy of becoming a fad. [The Goal Is Authorial Intent](https://go.dashhouse.com/JdOg?ref=dashhouse.com) > When it comes to understanding the Bible, we are ultimately aiming to understand what the author was trying to convey. [Marriage Won’t Fix Your Porn Problem](https://go.dashhouse.com/JV0L?ref=dashhouse.com) > Don’t buy the lie that marriage will save you from porn. [Is There a Book in You?](https://go.dashhouse.com/JW4D?ref=dashhouse.com) > When I sit down with writers, I either put on my publishing hat or my author hat. Sometimes, I switch between the two, having been on both sides of the conversation. I try to help them understand what goes into the writing process so they can uncover whether their idea would make sense as a book or perhaps as a good column, essay, or blog post. Talking about your church, promoting catholicity, church plant fads, a ministry of weakness, and more ### The Influential Mentor: Learning from Howard Hendricks URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-influential-mentor-learning-from-howard-hendricks/ Last updated: 2023-11-14T10:00:33.000Z Hang around me long enough and you’ll probably hear me talk about Haddon Robinson. Haddon Robinson was author of *Biblical Preaching*, one of the best books on how to prepare a sermon. He taught hundreds how to preach. He served as seminary president and professor. But what struck me most about Haddon was his character. He was brilliant at his craft, but he was even more impressive because he was a godly and humble man. The same could be said for another man I never had the privilege of meeting: Howard Hendricks. Hendricks taught at the same school as Haddon Robinson. He also wrote books. And he also is known as someone who shaped many lives not only through his teaching but through his life. You know when you’ve met someone who studied under Hendricks, because his name will eventually come up. According to Maina Mwaura, author of [*The Influential Mentor: How the Life and Legacy of Howard Hendricks Equipped and Inspired a Generation of Leaders*](https://go.dashhouse.com/JKYq?ref=dashhouse.com), Hendricks equipped and inspired a generation of leaders, including some people you’d recognize. [![The Influential Mentor](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2023/11/9780802425836.jpg)](https://go.dashhouse.com/JKYq?ref=dashhouse.com) Hendricks taught over 10,000 students, wrote 23 books, and enjoyed 66 years of faithful marriage. It was my privilege to talk to Maina about the life and impact of Howard Hendricks on The Gospel for Life podcast. You can listen to the podcast episode below, or find [The Gospel for Life podcast](https://go.dashhouse.com/podcast?ref=dashhouse.com) on your favorite podcast app. ## Key Ideas - Howard Hendricks was described as a man of God who was both skilled and godly, leaving a deep impact on those around him through his character and teachings. - He had a significant influence on many people, including prominent leaders like Tony Evans, Andy Stanley, and others, demonstrating the importance of both skill and godliness. - His willingness to go against the grain, speak into cultural issues, and push for racial integration showcased his courage and commitment to doing what God called him to do. - Hendricks demonstrated honesty and humility by acknowledging his weaknesses and being reluctant to make ministry about himself, emphasizing the importance of serving rather than seeking recognition. - The podcast interview also highlighted the significance of expressing appreciation and encouragement to those who have influenced our lives, as exemplified by Howard Hendrix's impact on many individuals. - The interviewee, Maina Mwaura, shared personal experiences and reflections on how writing about Hendrix's life impacted him, teaching him to rely on God, serve faithfully, and recognize God's work in challenging seasons. - The interview provided valuable insights into the life and legacy of Howard Hendricks, emphasizing the importance of character, humility, courage, and the impact of genuine mentorship. ## Quotes “Howard didn't see himself as a brand man. He really saw himself as an ordinary man who he was asking God to use.” “We all have weaknesses, but God really does want to use those for his good.” “Why don't we encourage people? Why are we so slow to express appreciation to people?” “Good mentors open doors.” ## Episode Links [*The Influential Mentor: How the Life and Legacy of Howard Hendricks Equipped and Inspired a Generation of Leaders*](https://go.dashhouse.com/JKYq?ref=dashhouse.com) ## Transcript Download a PDF transcript of this episode. [The Influential Mentor231115 Transcript.pdf268 KBdownload-circle](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/files/2023/11/231115-Transcript.pdf "Download") ### Why Jesus Came and Suffered (Hebrews 2:5-18) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/why-jesus-came-and-suffered-hebrews-25-18/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T14:10:40.000Z **Big Idea:** Jesus became one of us to do what we couldn’t do for ourselves. --- Ten years ago, I had to store my library. If you know me, you know what a big deal that was. So my library went into boxes, and for ten years my books were stored in a basement where I couldn’t access them. Two years ago, I found room to unpack my library. And so I pulled them out of storage and began to sort which ones I wanted to keep and which ones I wanted to shelve. I knew it was a big job. I figured it would take a day, so I gave myself two days just in case. Five days later, I knew I was in trouble. Here’s what it looked like. The problem is that the very next day we had to use that room for something else, so I had to call in help. I came to Char and Josiah, and all day Saturday we worked at it and got the job done. I made a mess and realized I needed help to fix it. Have you ever been there? According to the passage we’re looking at today, we have all been there. We’re looking right now at a letter written to a group of Christians a long time ago. The letter is called Hebrews. The writer has just spent a lot of time showing us how glorious Jesus is. But in today’s passage, he has another message for us, and it’s basically this: we’re in trouble. We need someone from outside of us to come in and turn things around. ## The Problem: We’re in a Mess Here’s the situation. God had big plans for us. The writer of Hebrews has just been talking about angels, but then in verse 5 he says, “For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking.” In other words, angels are a big deal. They’re greater than humans. But they’re not the ones to whom God has subjected the world to come. To whom has God subjected the world to come? Humans! He goes on to quote the Hebrew Scriptures to talk about what God intended when we created humanity. The quote is found in Hebrews 2:6-8, and he’s quoting Psalm 8: > What is man, that you are mindful of him, > or the son of man, that you care for him? > You made him for a little while lower than the angels; > you have crowned him with glory and honor, > putting everything in subjection under his feet. > (Hebrews 2:6–8) We have a decision to make in our interpretation here. Is Hebrews talking about Jesus or humanity when it quotes this psalm? There’s been a lot of debate back and forth on this, and it’s a complicated issues. Fortunately it doesn’t change the overall thrust of this argument. But he seems to make a contrast in verses 8 and 9 which leads me to believe he’s talking about humans in verse 8 and Jesus in verse 9. Here’s what he’s saying: Who is this world — now and future — subject to? Unbelievably, us! This is unbelievable. This goes right back to Genesis 1\. Even though we are very finite creatures who get cranky if we don’t get enough sleep and who need to groom ourselves so we don’t develop body odor, even though we are dirt creatures, God has given us an important role in this world. You were made in God’s image, and summoned to rule the world on God’s behalf, and that includes ruling over the angels. You have dignity and purpose. Here’s the problem. We’ve made a mess of this responsibility. I don’t know if you’ve ever had that experience of being assigned work and knowing that you haven’t done a good job. Not only have we not done a good job, but we have completely and utterly failed. God put us here to manage and care for God’s creation, to bring out its glory and splendor. But we rebelled against him. The world is a mess. All you have to do is to open the news to see how badly we’ve bungled this. The reason is sin. Sin has damaged this world and our ability to play the role God designed us to play in this world. That’s why verse 8 says, “Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him.” That’s an understatement. Creation was meant to be subject to humanity, but it’s not. It feels like things are out of control. This is the tension we feel every day. This is the tension that the original audience felt as life was not really going their way at all. This is the tension we feel as we see the world spin out of control. > Human beings were destined to rule the entire world for God. Everything was supposed to be under the rule and dominion of human beings, but sin intervened to frustrate this rule. The subsequent argument will clarify that death (which is due to sin) thwarts human dominion over the world. The glory designed for human beings has not become a reality in human history. Instead, human history is littered with the wreckage of destruction and death—a world gone mad. ([Thomas Schreiner](https://go.dashhouse.com/JDaJ?ref=dashhouse.com)) This is the problem. God gave us a job to do, and we’ve made a mess of it. Our only hope is to get some help. And that’s just what God has provided. ## God’s Solution: Jesus Became One of Us to Do What We Couldn’t Do for Ourselves Verses 9 to 18 give us the solution, God’s solution. **Jesus became one of us to do what we couldn’t do for ourselves.** Look at verse 9: > But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. Chapter 1 has been all about Jesus being greater than angels. Now the writer gives us an amazing insight: the One who is greater than angels temporarily was made lower than the angels. He’s not only talking about his incarnation — what we’re about to celebrate at Christmas — but about his suffering and death. The exalted Jesus that we’ve been talking about became one of us and suffered and died. This is mind-boggling and yet it’s true. In other words, we were in trouble, so God sent help. The exalted one that we’ve been talking about these past couple of weeks joined us to give us the help that we desperately needed. Look at verse 10: “For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist” — the exalted one that we’ve been talking about in Hebrews 1 — “in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.” The part about being made perfect through suffering doesn’t mean that there was any deficiency in Jesus that needed to be corrected. It has the sense of completion: that Jesus completed the mission that the Father had given him. He became perfectly qualified and equipped to play the role that God had prepared for him. I want you to notice that word *founder* in verse 10, where it calls Jesus the founder of our salvation. The word founder there means more than you might think. It has the idea of leader. It was used in one place in ancient Greek mythology of Hercules, a champion. That's why, as one pastor (Steve Mathewson) explains, some would like to translate this "the champion of our salvation," almost like a superhero, the Superman of our salvation. Notice the contrast between Jesus and us. God gave us a role, and we failed. God gave Jesus a role, and he completed it. That makes him qualified. All humanity failed except for one: Jesus. He succeeded where we didn’t. That’s why Jesus came: to do what we couldn’t. Jesus became human to carry out an assignment from his Father. To do this, he had to become one of us. Verse 11 says, “For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers…” And then he quotes two Old Testament texts (Psalm 22:22 and Isaiah 8:17-18) that speak of Jesus’s solidarity with us. He stands in our midst. He stands, as verse 12 says, in the midst of the congregation. Jesus came and entered our mess. Jesus became human to do what humanity couldn’t do for itself. We failed, and so Jesus joined us as our leader to do what we couldn’t. What exactly did Jesus do when he joined us? Three things. ### One: He overcame death Verse 9 says, “by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone…” Tasted doesn’t mean sipped. It’s a Hebrew term that means to taste fully. He gulped it. He drank it all the way down. Verses 14 and 15 say: > Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. Only one person has gone toe-to-toe with death and won. Billions of people have died over thousands of years, but only one has died and come back to life. He’s defeated death and the one who has the power of death — the devil — so we no longer have to be afraid. If you have trusted Jesus, you no longer have to fear death because Jesus has defeated death. You can approach your own death without fear because Jesus has defeated death on your behalf. But that’s not all that Jesus has done. ### Two: He dealt with God’s wrath > For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. (Hebrews 2:16-17) What else did Jesus do? He not only defeated death, but he made propitiation for our sins. What does propitiation mean? Because of our sin, we deserved God’s wrath. It was right for God to express his wrath against our sin and rebellion. “To obtain our salvation for us, God himself met the demands of his holiness in Christ, which, because of the oneness of the Trinity, means he met the demands of his holiness himself” (Kent Hughes). Jesus died in our place. As our high priest he offered the perfect sacrifice — himself — so that anyone who trusts Christ no longer faces God’s wrath, because Jesus faced it for us. Jesus died to defeat the twin terrors of sin and death. But there’s one more thing. ### Three: He’s able to help you when you’re tempted “For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” (2:18). Has anyone been tempted in the past 24 hours? Of course you have. Do you know who’s able to help you? Jesus. Why? Because he’s been tempted too. Jesus never experienced temptation before he became human. He was sinless, but he sure knew what it was like to be tempted. “He didn't give in to that temptation,” writes Steve Mathewson. “But everything that you and I are tempted to do wrong, Jesus was, too. Because he suffered when he was tempted, he knows what it's like. He's able to help those who are tempted.” Jesus knows what we’re going through. He can help us. He understands. He can provide grace and mercy in our time of need. Here’s what this passage is telling us. God gave humans a role to play in this world, but we failed, and this world is a mess. But God sent Jesus to do for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves. He became our leader. He overcame death, dealt with God’s wrath, and — present tense — is able to help us with our struggles. Let me bring this home in two ways. Have you thought what it means that Jesus was willing to enter our mess and help us? There’s a famous story in our family. I won’t mention any names to protect the guilty. The story involves my nephews and nieces — mostly nephews — climbing a tank in the States. Everything was okay until the police came. “Whose kids are these?” he asked. The adult in charge claimed to have nothing to do with them. That adult was unwilling to enter the mess. We know that temptation, don’t we? It’s hard to run into the mess when one occurs. It’s much easier to run the way. Praise God that this isn’t what Jesus did. Jesus saw the mess that we created through sin. We deserved nothing but God’s judgment. We had no right to expect anything but his wrath. But instead, Jesus willingly entered the mess for you and for me. Jesus isn’t scared by your mess. He’s not turning away from you no matter how bad your life is or no matter how much you’ve rebelled against him. Jesus has never turned away anyone who came to him. Have you done this? You can do this today. Come to him. Don’t waste a minute. Jesus does not turn away from us. Jesus enters our mess. But let me also apply this in one more way. Sometimes I think there is no way that God could understand my struggles. But this passage says: God the Son more than understands. As Steve Mathewson says: > Was Jesus tempted to steal? I think he probably was tempted to steal from one of his father's clients in their carpentry business. Do you think he was tempted to cheat? I assume he was. Do you think Jesus was tempted to slander someone, to smear someone's reputation with his words? According to the writer of Hebrews, I think he was. Do you think Jesus was tempted sexually? I believe he was, according to what the writer says. He didn't sin. He didn't give in to that temptation. But everything that you and I are tempted to do wrong, Jesus was, too. Because he suffered when he was tempted, he knows what it's like. He's able to help those who are tempted. We made a mess. We needed outside help. Jesus became one of us to do what we couldn’t do for ourselves. What a Savior. What a God. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-368/ Last updated: 2023-11-11T10:00:30.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Church Planting: One Step at a Time](https://go.dashhouse.com/JHqJ?ref=dashhouse.com) > A new 9Marks Journal [Underrated People Every Church Needs](https://go.dashhouse.com/JHqR?ref=dashhouse.com) > 6 unsung heroes to thank God for [Jesus Is Better Than Working for Jesus](https://go.dashhouse.com/J9bE?ref=dashhouse.com) > The heart of Christian ministry is the person and work of Christ, not the person and work of the minister. [We Aren’t Called to Listen to Everybody](https://go.dashhouse.com/JHpK?ref=dashhouse.com) > There are only about four groups of people whose opinion I think matter (other than Jesus himself, of course). [We Have Sinned and Grown Old](https://go.dashhouse.com/JG3v?ref=dashhouse.com) > Give yourself some space to be curious again, to ask the questions you haven’t asked in decades. [What Happened to Our Mental Bandwidth?](https://go.dashhouse.com/JHqQ?ref=dashhouse.com) > Nearly all modern citizens are walking around in a state of bandwidth depletion, and the downstream effects of this cannot be underestimated. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/Ih2d?ref=dashhouse.com): [A Pastor's Temptations](https://go.dashhouse.com/JIQD?ref=dashhouse.com) > Looking back on my ministry as a pastor, I’ve faced a series of temptations. ### Better Application URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/better-application/ Last updated: 2023-11-07T10:00:32.000Z Application may be one of the hardest parts of preaching, even though it looks like the easiest. It’s easy to confuse applications that are certain for applications that are probable or even applications that are possible. Some things are commanded; many things aren’t, and the preacher had better not confuse the two. It’s also easy to preach imperatives that aren’t based on indicatives. Obedience flows from grace; what we do comes from what Christ has done for us. It’s sometimes easy to issue commands divorced from the gospel and the empowering work of the Holy Spirit. And then we have the challenge of applying to the particular people who sit before us. What does this passage have to say to *these* people? We all think application is easy, but it’s much harder than it may first appear. ## Better Application There are some things we can do to learn how to get better at application. ### Follow the Text The easiest application is the one that the text offers. Some texts offer direct applications. “Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church…” Preach those direct applications! Follow the leading of the text. Even then, application still requires skill. What exactly does it mean to love our wives? Still, at least the text points us in the right direction. Follow the direction of the text. ### Aim for More Expand the range of application. Most of us aim at behavior, but that’s only one option. Look for other applications: - **Beliefs** — What does this passage tell me to believe? - **Affections** — How does this passage call me to feel differently and worship differently? - **Behavior** — Only then should we ask how the passage calls us to act differently. I get the sense that most of us spend too much time talking about behavior and not enough time applying the text to our beliefs and affections, and yet Scripture spends a lot of time in these first two categories. ### Think About Your Congregation Your congregation has four kinds of people: ![four kinds of listeners](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2023/11/kinds-of-listeners.png) Within those categories, you have subcategories. For instance: - **Soft-hearted believers** include new believers, those who are eager to grow, mature and growing believers. - **Hard-hearted believers** could include those who are tempted, struggling, or backslidden. - **Soft-hearted unbelievers** include those who are investigating Christianity or who are sensing conviction. - **Heart-hearted unbelievers** include atheists, agnostics, and those who once professed faith but abandoned it. It helps to think of people in each category as you preach. Some pastors think of particular people in the congregation. Some may even look at the pictures of people who represent each group. However we do it, we benefit from thinking about the different kinds of people who will hear our sermons. ### Look for Pinch Points [Trevin Wax](https://www.dashhouse.com/eyes-wide-open-into-the-beautiful-truths-that-weve-been-given/) encourages preachers to ask, “Where does this text run up against the sensibilities of people in my congregation and in the culture we're living in?” Find that point, and you will find a major point of application. That’s why I often enjoy preaching passages in which Scripture seems to contradict what we normally think. It’s easy to create tension, which helps to maintain interest. It points the preacher toward the demands that the text places on the modern listener. ### Apply Throughout the Sermon Sometimes we wait to apply the truths we’re preaching to the end of the sermon. That can work, but it’s often more effective to apply the text throughout the sermon. Weave exposition and application rather than waiting to the end. ### Vary Applications Tim Keller taught about different categories of application. - Some of us are **doctrinalists**. We love to teach about doctrine and how the themes of Scripture resolve in Christ. - Some of us are **pietists**. We love to talk about how passages shape our relationship with God. - Some of us are **transformationalists**. We love to talk about the societal implications of each text. Scripture emphasizes all three, and so should our preaching. It’s important for us to know our bent and to include perspectives that we might otherwise miss. We need to avoid getting stuck in ruts and include other kinds of application than the kind we prefer. ## We Can Get Better Application is surprisingly hard, but we can get better. Let’s preach the text, and let’s apply it well for God’s glory and for the sake of those who hear us preach. ### Why We Should Listen to Jesus (Hebrews 1:4-2:4) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/why-we-should-listen-to-jesus-hebrews-14-24/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T14:09:48.000Z **Big Idea:** Jesus is better than angels, so if you’d pay attention to the message of angels, you’d better pay attention to the message of Jesus. --- I have a beef with people who say the Old Testament is boring. Every time I start to read the Old Testament, I’m captured by the story all over again. In the first pages, you’ve got beauty, love, tragedy, judgement, murder, more judgment, a brand new start, grace, and God’s plan to rescue the world. And that’s just the first few pages! The first twelve chapters of Genesis explain so much about the world today, and they’re anything but boring. But that’s just the start. You’ve got family dysfunction on a major scale, conflicts between world powers, tragic heroes, deliverance, grumbling, wars, repeating cycles of judgment, and more. The Old Testament is fascinating. It’s unrivalled in all literature, and it’s God’s word. And you have angels. Lots and lots of angels. Angels are part of God’s creation. We don’t know when they were created — perhaps the same time as the earth, maybe even before. They’re a higher order than humans, but much lower than God. They’re created beings. They’re not omnipresent. They can only be in one place at one time. They don’t know everything. But they’re still spectacular compared to us, which is why humans tend to freak out when they encounter an angel. They’re spirit beings. We don’t know how many angels there are, but they’re innumerable. Revelation 5:11 talks about angels “numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands.” There are good angels and bad angels, and they’re involved with us. Angels appear to humans throughout Scripture. Angels play a big role in this world and in our lives. > Angels work in the destiny of nations for the good of God’s people. Good angels withstand Satan while the word of God is being preached to the king of Persia (Zech. 3:1). They work in the protection of the righteous and encamp about them that fear the Lord (Ps. 34:7 8), and they deliver God’s people from their enemies (2 Kgs. 6:15–17). Angels deliver Peter from prison and reassure Paul in the great storm at sea (Acts 12:7; 27:23). They are given charge to keep the righteous in all their ways, and are ministering spirits to those who are heirs of salvation (Ps. 91:11; Heb. 1:14). Angels represent individuals before the throne of God (Matt. 18:10; cf. Dan. 12:1), and if heavenly angels are meant in Rev. 2–3, then they are given specific assignments to congregations of the Church. (Edward P. Myers, [Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible](https://go.dashhouse.com/J1t5?ref=dashhouse.com)) This is amazing stuff. A few years ago, I attended a study group with Tim Mackie, one of the teachers at [The Bible Project](https://go.dashhouse.com/J1tA?ref=dashhouse.com). The Bible Project was about to release its video series on [spiritual beings](https://go.dashhouse.com/J1tD?ref=dashhouse.com), and Tim taught a session one night on the topic. We went back to our rooms and our eyes were bulging. We don’t think enough about the reality of the spiritual world, and the ways that angels and demons interact with what’s going on in the world and our lives. It’s amazing. ## The Question So I have a question for you. If an angel appeared to you, would you listen? Here’s what we know. You’d be terrified if you realized it was an angel. We know that because it’s the pretty consistent reaction of everyone in the Bible who saw an angel and realized it. - Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, was initially afraid when he encountered the angel Gabriel in the temple (Luke 1:11-20). - The shepherds in the fields of Bethlehem were terrified when an angel appeared to them to announce the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:8-10). - The women who went to Jesus' tomb after his crucifixion were frightened by the presence of an angel who told them that Jesus had risen (Matthew 28:2-7). - The guards at Jesus' tomb also experienced fear when an angel appeared and rolled away the stone from the entrance (Matthew 28:3-4). - The apostle John was filled with fear when he saw a powerful angel in a vision on the island of Patmos (Revelation 1:17). - The prophet Daniel was overwhelmed with fear when he saw a heavenly being in a vision by the Tigris River (Daniel 10:5-9). You’d be terrified, but would you listen to an angel sent by God? I’d like to think so, but you can find examples of people who did and didn’t listen to angels in the Bible. Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, had an angel visit him twice, and he listened both times (Matthew 1:20-24, Matthew 2:13-15). In Acts we read: > Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. And he rose and went. (Acts 8:26-27) You can see examples of that in Scripture: an angel appears and communicates a message from God, and people respond in obedience. But you also see the opposite. Angels told Lot to flee Sodom, but they lingered (Genesis 19:15-16). Sarah laughed at a message from angels, although she may not have realized they were angels at the time (Genesis 18:12). But generally, I’d like to think that if I received a message from an angel sent by God, I would receive it. I know I’d be terrified. I probably wouldn’t sleep that night. But I hope I would listen to what that angel said. ## Who is Better Than Angels? Here’s why I ask this question. We’re looking at the book of Hebrews, and in the first chapter, the writer is assuming that his readers were much more aware of angels than we are, and that they were ready to pay attention to what angels said. He knows that they had a good knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures, and so they knew and respected angels. I don’t think the author is correcting a problem on the part of the readers — an unhealthy speculation about angels, or even worship of angels a problem that did seem to exist in other churches at the time (Colossians 2:18). I think he was basically recognizing that they had an appropriate respect for angels, and that’s a good thing. But then he asks: Do you know who’s even better than angels? And then he does what a good rabbi would do in a synagogue back then: he strings passage after passage to show that there’s someone even better than angels. So if they pay attention to angels, how much more should they pay attention to this one who is even better than angels? How is Jesus better than angels? He’s better in at least four ways: - **He has a better name (1:4-5)** — Names were important in that culture. In Jewish thought, a name signified one’s character and perhaps even their dignity. In verse 4, the writer says that Jesus has “become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs” (1:4). Jesus has a better name than the angels. What is his name? Son. The writer quotes Psalm 2:7 and 2 Samuel 7:14 to point to Jesus’ unique identity as God’s Son. The angels may be messengers, but Jesus is so much more. He is God’s Son. As an angel said in Luke 1:32-33, “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Angels are messengers, but Jesus is God’s Son, exalted to a royal position - **He’s worshipped and served by angels (1:6-7)** — Angels have a lot of dignity, but they don’t have as much dignity and honor as Jesus. Verses 6 and 7 describe two things that angels do that make them inferior to Jesus. He quotes Psalm 97:7 and says that angels worship Jesus, and he quotes Psalm 104:4 to say that they serve Jesus. Angels may be great to us, but they’re worshipers and servants to Jesus. He is much greater than them. They are in an inferior position to Jesus. That’s why verses 8 and 9 quote Psalm 45:6-7 and apply them to Jesus. Angels serve and worship; Jesus is served and worshipped. - **He’s enthroned (1:8, 13)** — The writer quotes Psalm 45:6-7 and Psalm 110:1 and says that Jesus is enthroned with a sceptre of uprightness, enthroned by God himself. Angels surround the throne, but Jesus is sitting on that throne. Jesus is greater than them. - **He’s Creator, not creation (1:8-13)** — Angels are like us. They’re created. Jesus is not like angels or like us. He existed before creation because he is the creator. Angels serve God to benefit God’s people, according to verse 14\. Their work is important. But it pales in comparison to Jesus’ authority. The writer takes two things that his audience loves: the Hebrew Scriptures and angels, and he uses them to show that Jesus is way better than angels. Angels are excellent creatures. Out of all the creatures who exist, they are the greatest. But there is someone far greater than the angels, and his name is Jesus. He is using an appropriate respect for angels and arguing from lesser to greater. “If you think angels are cool, you should take a look at Jesus!” ## What’s the Point? You might be thinking, “This is the strangest sermon I’ve ever heard in my life. What does any of this have to do with me?” I’m glad you asked, because in the first four verses of chapter 2, the writer tells you exactly what this has to do with you and with me. > Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. (Hebrews 2:1-4) Here’s what he’s saying. You’d probably listen to angels. They’re a pretty big deal. And if you didn’t listen to angels, you could expect just retribution. So what about Jesus who is a much bigger deal than angels? What are the stakes if we don’t pay attention to him, especially since the message is so well attested? **Jesus is better than angels, so if you’d pay attention to the message of angels, you’d better pay attention to the message of Jesus.** This is the first of five major warning passages in Hebrews, and it’s an important one. And it’s also a convicting one, because the author puts his finger on the real danger in verse 1: not *denying* Jesus, but simply *drifting* from Jesus. C.S. Lewis once said, “If you examined a hundred people who had lost their faith in Christianity, I wonder how many of them would turn out to have been reasoned out of it by honest argument? Do not most people simply drift away?” The truths about Jesus can become so familiar. We can get so distracted by other things. Slowly, we can just begin to drift, and the consequences couldn’t be higher. If ignoring the message of angels is dangerous, how could we ever begin to drift away from the message of Jesus? “How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” “Drifting is infinitely dangerous” (John Piper). And it’s so easy. As Trevin Wax [says](https://go.dashhouse.com/AmkS?ref=dashhouse.com), we face our greatest danger… > …not when new errors start to win but when old truths no longer wow. We receive good gifts from God and then grow bored with blessings. Spiritual dullness. Blurry vision. Hardness of heart. This is the challenge for the church. As he says later, “We wander when we lose our wonder.” So here’s the solution, in verse 1: pay attention. “Pay much closer attention…” Everyone in this room is in danger of drifting. There’s only one solution, and it requires ongoing action. Pay attention. The minute you stop, you’ll start to drift, and drifting is infinitely dangerous. Friends, there is nobody better than Jesus. And there is no greater message than the message of the gospel that Jesus came to bring: that Jesus has done everything necessary to undo the damage of sin in us and ultimately the world, and that he calls us to turn to him and trust him. The stakes are so high. Pay careful attention. Don’t drift away. Father, we see one of the dangers facing us. We’ve heard about Jesus, but we’re prone to drifting from that message. We wander because we lose our wonder. So help us to pay attention to the amazing truths of the gospel, and to the amazing person of Jesus. We wouldn’t ignore the message of angels, so help us not to drift from the message of Jesus. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-367/ Last updated: 2023-11-04T09:00:58.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [75 Theses on Pastoral Ministry](https://go.dashhouse.com/J7iA?ref=dashhouse.com) > After 10 years of pastoral ministry in the same church and years of serving church planters and pastors, I’ve compiled a list of things, or theses, I’ve learned—or wish I had learned sooner. [Leadership in the Church: Managers, Midian, and Moses](https://go.dashhouse.com/J8FH?ref=dashhouse.com) > God isn’t waiting on the next Peter Drucker; he already has faithful elders. [Why Not to Plant Churches](https://go.dashhouse.com/J7hg?ref=dashhouse.com) > Yes, plant churches. But do so after counting the cost. And then joyfully plunge forward. [The Half-Baked Sermon: Missing Ingredients in Much Preaching](https://go.dashhouse.com/IxAF?ref=dashhouse.com) > Mix the ingredients of your sermon, let it rise in contemplation, knead it thoroughly in prayer, let it prove in meditation, bake it well in your own heart, and serve it warm from the pulpit. [Good Preaching Can Be Such Hard Work](https://go.dashhouse.com/J25C?ref=dashhouse.com) > What exactly does the hard work of preaching entail? [The Common Grace of Conscience](https://go.dashhouse.com/J7iD?ref=dashhouse.com) > Do you know part of the human design is an internal alarm system? If it functions correctly, it raises an alarm multiple times throughout your day. It is the gift of having a conscience. [Mercilessness in the Name of Mercy](https://go.dashhouse.com/J8FX?ref=dashhouse.com) > True mercy doesn’t excuse or minimize sin. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/Ih2d?ref=dashhouse.com): [How God Uses Unexpected Churches](https://go.dashhouse.com/J5uB?ref=dashhouse.com) > Like the carpenter who builds priceless furniture out of driftwood, God builds a dwelling place out of the broken and unremarkable. We get to be part of it. ### The Lies That Bind URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-lies-that-bind/ Last updated: 2023-10-31T09:00:14.000Z Satan has one main strategy: deception. We tend to think that he works through bizarre manifestations, but he primarily works as a deceiver, and he’s very effective. Jesus said, “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44). We’re not always good at recognizing Satan’s lies, which causes great damage. Canadian pastor Chris Quiring has written a book to address this issue, and to help us learn how to identify Satan’s lies, trace them to their source, and replace them with God’s truth. The book is called [*The Lies That Bind: Exposing The Lies Keeping You From A Rich And Meaningful Life*](https://go.dashhouse.com/I%5FZz?ref=dashhouse.com). [![](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2023/10/lies-that-bind.jpg)](https://go.dashhouse.com/I%5FZz?ref=dashhouse.com) It was my privilege to talk to Chris about his new book on The Gospel for Life podcast. Quiring helps us understand how lies can entangle our lives and hinder us from living out our true identity in Christ. He draws a fascinating parallel to the art of forgery, where knowing the real thing — the true, pure, and authentic— enables us to detect and expose the counterfeit. You can listen to the podcast episode below, or find [The Gospel for Life podcast](https://go.dashhouse.com/podcast?ref=dashhouse.com) on your favorite podcast app. ## Key Ideas - We need to identify Satan’s lies, trace them, and replace them. - A community of other believers can help us spot Satan’s lies. - We tend to make decisions emotionally, not logically. This can be a danger when we’re tempted to follow lies that feed our emotions. - Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is something unspiritual. ## Quotes "The most dangerous enemy is the one you can't see." “There is absolutely no more effective weapon in our fight against the lies of the enemy than to get to know the word of God." "What you give your attention to will ultimately determine who you become." “Do you want to be discipled by YouTube's algorithm? Do you want to be discipled by culture at large, or do you want to be discipled by the word of God and the people of God?” "Sometimes the answer to a lot of our problems is simply to start changing our daily habits because that will accumulate... each individual decision in and of itself is not a life-changing moment, but they add up over time." "I've just been encouraged just to see the passion in people's eyes and hearts for a church and community, especially community. It's been really encouraging as of late to see the fire come back for some people, to see the light in their eyes, to see them prioritizing truth and community and being together and worshiping. That I think that's been a real encouragement for me in my own life." ## Episode Links - [Chris’s website](https://go.dashhouse.com/I%5FZs?ref=dashhouse.com) ### Books mentioned: - [*The Lies That Bind*](https://go.dashhouse.com/I%5FZz?ref=dashhouse.com) - [*The Art of War*](https://go.dashhouse.com/I%5FZ%5F?ref=dashhouse.com) - [*The Power to Change*](https://go.dashhouse.com/I%5Fa1?ref=dashhouse.com) ## Transcript Download a PDF transcript of this episode. [The Lies that Bind with Chris QuiringPodcast transcript231028 Transcript.pdf295 KBdownload-circle](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/files/2023/10/231028-Transcript.pdf "Download") ### Who is Jesus? (Hebrews 1:1-4) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/who-is-jesus-hebrews-11-4/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T14:12:20.000Z **Big Idea:** Because Jesus is incomparable, looking at him — really looking at him — can change your life forever. --- Think of the greatest people who ever lived: - Isaac Newton - Leonardo da Vinci - William Shakespeare - Albert Einstein - Gutenberg - Winston Churchill - Moses - David We could go on and on. Human history is full of great figures who have changed the course of history. Even though they’re gone, their names live on. Their contributions to the world continue to shape us today. “Who are these people, even the greatest saints, compared with Jesus Christ?” asks [Mark Jones](https://go.dashhouse.com/IeRE?ref=dashhouse.com), a pastor in Vancouver. > They are like a grain of sand compared with Mount Everest. > What is Samson’s strength compared with that of Jesus, who was raised in power? What is Solomon’s wisdom compared with that of the one in whom all the treasures of wisdom are contained? What is Methuselah’s age compared with the age of the one who inhabits the places of eternity? What are Paul’s visions of heaven compared with the sight of the Lord of heaven? What are Elisha’s miracles compared with the incarnation and resurrection of the God-man? There is nobody who ever lived like Jesus. Perhaps the most important thing you will ever do in your life is to get to know Jesus. If you’re investigating Christianity, you are so welcome here. We want this church to be a place where you can come and ask questions about who Jesus is. But it’s important that you ask the most important questions as you investigate Christianity, and the most important question you can ask is this: who is Jesus? Christianity rises and falls on that question. A lot of other questions are secondary or tertiary, but this one is central. Who is Jesus? Few questions matter more. But this is also an important question for Christians to ask. According to the Puritan writer John Owen, beholding the glory of Christ is “one of the greatest privileges and advancements that believers are capable of in this world, or that which is to come.” In other words, it doesn’t get any better than that! No matter who you are and where you are spiritually, it’s good for us to get to know Jesus. And today’s passage is going to help us. Long ago, someone wrote a letter to a group of Christians who were struggling spiritually. They were tempted to drift away from Christianity. To deal with this problem, the author began with one of the most beautiful sentences in all of Scripture. This sentence is about one person: Jesus. I want to be honest. We’re going to look at the portrait of Jesus in this passage, but we’re just going to be scraping the surface today. There is so much more that could be said from this one sentence in the passage. This is going to be a little like arriving at the Louvre in Paris and being told that you have five minutes to look around. I encourage you to go deeper than this sermon. Go home and spend some time in this passage. Meditate in it. Chew on it. Savor it. Chew on it like a dog chews on a bone. Don’t let any morsel of spiritual nourishment behind. This is going to give us what we need most. Whether you’re investigating Christianity or whether you’ve been a Christian for decades, there’s nothing more important than beholding the glory of Christ. There’s no more important question to answer than this one: who is Jesus? There’s no greater privilege, in this world or the next, than to gaze at the glory of Jesus. ## Seven Things to Know About Jesus So who is Jesus? This passage answers this question with seven things we need to know about Jesus. ### One: Jesus is the pinnacle of God’s revelation. “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son…” (Hebrews 1:1-2) We looked at this last week, so I won’t spend a lot of time here. God has revealed himself to us. We don’t have to wonder what he’s like. Over thousands of years, God has revealed himself to us in various ways. God wants us to know him. But before Jesus came along, God’s revelation was “partial, fragmentary, preparatory and incomplete” ([Raymond Brown](https://go.dashhouse.com/Ief%5F?ref=dashhouse.com)). But then Jesus came along. “In Christ he spoke fully, decisively, finally and perfectly.” Char and I sometimes talk to each other when we’re in different parts of the house. It really doesn’t work. I find myself saying, “What did you say?” But if it’s important, Char will get right in my face. She will look at me in the eyes and say whatever she wants to say clearly and perfectly so that I can’t misunderstand. Through Jesus, God speaks to us loudly and clearly. That’s what God has done for us in Jesus. Jesus is God’s ultimate word to his people. Jesus is the clearest revelation of what God wants us to know. ### Two: Jesus is God’s Son. Verse 2 calls Jesus “God’s Son.” We’re getting into deep waters here. Jesus is more than a great leader, a good man, a captivating teacher. He is God’s Son. In other words, Jesus is no ordinary man, but God himself. The writer’s about to unpack this more in some of the other things that he tells us. This alone makes Jesus worth looking at. Jesus is unlike any other human who ever lived, because he is God. This is the doctrine of the Trinity. > God is one God, but He is One God who eternally exists as three distinct persons — the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Each person is fully God. But the Father is not the Son, and the Holy Spirit is not the Father or the Son, but they are the triune God who is perfectly one and distinct in three persons. ([J.T. English and Jen Wilkin](https://go.dashhouse.com/IegL?ref=dashhouse.com)) When you look at Jesus, you are not just looking at another person. You are looking at God who became one of us. Jesus is God himself. There is more here in this single statement than we can ever understand. Spurgeon said: > If I were to try to explain it … I should but conduct you where I should soon be entirely out of my depth, and very likely I should drown all that I could tell you in floods of words. Deity is not to be explained, but to be adored; and the Sonship of Christ is to be accepted as a truth of revelation, to be apprehended by faith, though it cannot be comprehended by the understanding. You and I can’t understand its complexities, but we can look at Jesus and recognize that he’s far more than any other person who’s ever lived. He is: “God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God.” He is co-equal with the Father; though how that is, we know not. He stands in the nearest possible relationship to the Father, —a relationship of intense love and delight, so that the Father says of him, “This is my beloved Son.” Yea, he is one with the Father, so that there is no separating them. (Spurgeon) It’s amazing. But that’s not all. ### Three: Jesus is God’s heir. Verse 2 continues, “whom he appointed the heir of all things…” What this means is that Jesus will inherit not just this world but the entire universe. This text ties us right back to Psalm 2:8: > Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, > and the ends of the earth your possession. When he came to earth, he became poor for our sakes. “Though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). He had nothing. Jesus once said that he didn’t even have somewhere to lay his head (Matthew 8:20). When he died, even his clothes were taken from him. He was buried in a grave that didn’t belong to him. But then the Father made him heir of everything. This points us to the second coming of Christ, when God will subject everything to Jesus, and everything will become his. All of creation is moving to that moment. God has promised everything to Jesus. All of it will be his. It’s just a matter of time. Everything will be his. And here’s the thing: he will share it with us. Romans 8:17 says that we are “heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.” Because we’re co-heirs, because we are in Jesus, Jesus shares his inheritance with us. God’s people get to share in everything that belongs to Jesus. Jesus is the pinnacle of God’s revelation. He’s God’s Son and the heir of all things. But that’s not all. ### Four: Jesus is creator. Verse 2 says, “…through whom also he created the world…” This is taught over and over again in Scripture. > “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3). > “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” (Colossians 1:16) All of this — everything we see — is Jesus’ handiwork. They say that the universe has as many as two trillion galaxies. Each galaxy can have billions of stars. If you could travel at the speed of light, it would take an estimated 93 billion years to go from one end to the other. Jesus made it all. Not only that: ### Five: Jesus is God’s personified glory. “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” (1:3). Spurgeon put it best: whatever God is, Christ is. Jesus is the perfect, visible expression of God. In Jesus you see the love, mercy, justice, holiness, and goodness of God. Jesus gives us a trustworthy picture of the person of the Father. When you see what Jesus is like, you see what God is like. ### Six: He’s sustainer. “…and he upholds the universe by the word of his power” (1:3). Colossians 1:17 says, “in him all things hold together.” God didn’t just wind up the world like a clock and let it run. The world doesn’t just run by laws of nature. “He keeps the planets in orbit by his authoritative and effective word of power” (Brown). “If he did not speak it into continued existence, it would go back into the nothingness from whence it sprang” (Spurgeon). As G.K. Chesterton put it: > It is possible that God says every morning, "Do it again" to the sun; and every evening, "Do it again" to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. Jesus is the pinnacle of God’s revelation. He’s God’s Son, God’s heir, creator, God’s personified glory, and sustainer of the universe. But there’s one more thing: ### Seven: Having completed his work, Jesus is sitting at God’s right hand. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. (1:3-4) This last one is tricky because it contains two ideas. The first idea is what he’s done for us. He made purification for our sins. At Calvary, Jesus died in the place of sinners. He gave his life as a once-for-all sacrifice to deal with our sins. All of our sins were laid on him as he went to the cross. Jesus made provision for the removal of the guilt of all of our sins. If you are in Jesus, you stand innocent before God. Jesus’ righteousness has become your righteousness. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). So perfect is his work that he’s sat down at the right hand of God. Nothing more needs to be done. He sat down. And where he sat down is significant: he sat down at the place of highest honor, the place of exaltation. Think of all greatest people who ever lived. None of them compare to Jesus. Only Jesus is the pinnacle of God’s revelation. Only Jesus is God’s Son, God’s heir, creator, God’s personified glory, and sustainer of the universe. Only Jesus is exalted over everything after having made purification for our sins. ## Why This Matters I’m not used to preaching seven-point messages. When I learned how to preach, we were told that the hardest thing to preach is a list of things, which is just what I’ve given you today. If I were to summarize everything I’ve said in one sentence, here’s what I’d say: **Because Jesus is incomparable, looking at him — really looking at him — can change your life forever.** Here’s why this matters. We need to see Jesus in all of his glory. He’s incomparable. When we get a fuzzy picture of Jesus and what he's done, we begin to drift. When we get a clear picture of Jesus and his glory, it changes us. Jared C. Wilson put me on to this. I used to think we’re changed by believing and behaving. Those are important, but I missed something important: beholding. Keep staring at Jesus until it changes you. “The direct route to God-honoring behavior is born not of good behavior but of good beholding,” he writes. “our ability to actively and persistently follow Jesus will be centrally driven by our comprehension of his glory. Beholding Christ’s glory is the number-one directive for following Jesus. And, in fact, it’s sometimes the only effort we lousy disciples can muster up.” He talks about a sermon that wasn’t very good but that changed the course of Christian history. One day in January 1850, Charles Spurgeon woke up with a deep sense of his need for deliverance. Because of a snowstorm, his path to church was diverted down a side street. He ducked into a church for shelter where an unknown substitute lay preacher stepped into the pulpit and read his text—Isaiah 45:22—“Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else.” He wasn’t much of a preacher. Spurgeon actually called him “feeble” and “stupid.” But the sermon changed his life. Here is that the preacher said: > Now lookin’ don’t take a deal of pains. It ain’t liftin’ your foot or your finger; it is just, “Look.” Well, a man needn’t go to College to learn to look. You may be the biggest fool, and yet you can look. A man needn’t be worth a thousand a year to be able to look. Anyone can look; even a child can look. That morning, Spurgeon looked at Jesus, and it changed his life and the course of Christian history. That’s what Hebrews wants us to do: look. Look at Jesus in all of his glory. Anyone can look. Look long enough at Jesus and it will change your life forever. Father, thank you for Jesus. Thank you for who he is and what he has done. Thank you that he acted in love to save sinners by making purification for sins. He’s incomparable. There’s nobody like him. I pray for anyone here who is investigating Christianity. I pray that you would give them a clear view of Jesus, the One who lies at the center not only of Christianity but history. Help them look to Jesus and live. For those who have trusted Jesus, help us to behold him. Since beholding the glory of Christ is one of the greatest privileges and advancements that we’re capable of, help us to join the angels and saints who behold him. And may this beholding change us at our core. In Jesus’ name, Amen. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-366/ Last updated: 2023-10-28T09:00:48.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [The Pastor as Curator](https://go.dashhouse.com/IgZx?ref=dashhouse.com) > Curating resources is a crucial way to shepherd souls and maximize your influence. [Common Fallacies in an Age of Outrage](https://go.dashhouse.com/Ikc5?ref=dashhouse.com) > In addition to developing biblical literacy, we can ask ourselves if we’re falling for fallacies. Here are seven that are common in our public discourse. [Outdo One Another: The Dynamics of a Distinctly Christian Marriage](https://go.dashhouse.com/IkcE?ref=dashhouse.com) > What might mutual submission look like in a Christian marriage? In a nutshell, it is a marriage characterized by mutual respect, care, and service — a kind of quiet competition to put the other person first, a “please, let me get that for you” or “you first!” attitude. [Lessons Learned from a Church Planter’s Wife](https://go.dashhouse.com/IgZU?ref=dashhouse.com) > Below are five lessons I have learned in the decade since I first arrived in an unfamiliar city with my husband, who had the task of planting a new church. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [The Preacher’s Real Job](https://go.dashhouse.com/Ih2d?ref=dashhouse.com) > The ultimate purpose of a sermon is to facilitate an encounter with God. ### The Danger of Drifting and Neglect URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-danger-of-drifting-and-neglect/ Last updated: 2023-10-24T09:00:37.000Z Hedonic adaptation — our tendency to return to the same level of happiness regardless of what happens to us — is a gift. It allows us to endure hard things and still find peace despite the hardships of life. But it’s also a challenge. Sometimes we take things for granted that should continue to amaze us. Hedonic adaptation is one of the reasons we read passages of Scripture and shrug, why we sing some of the amazing songs of the faith (“Amazing love! how can it be That Thou, my God, should die for me?”) without feeling amazement at the words. It’s how we eat and drink at the Lord’s Table without feeling overcome by what we’re experiencing. The fight for spiritual health is the fight against hedonic adaptation. We must never let profound truths become mundane truths that fail to move our souls. ## The Danger Scripture addresses this problem. Hebrews 2:1 and 3 say, “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it … How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” Drifting and neglect seem like such strong words. We may be tempted to think that these are things that other people do, people who are farther gone spiritually than we are. We’re all in danger of drifting and neglecting. George Guthrie [explains](https://go.dashhouse.com/IePj?ref=dashhouse.com): > The word used here (*pararuomai*) could signify objects that slip away, such as a ring that slips off the finger, or objects that go in the wrong direction, such as a piece of food that goes into the windpipe. Perhaps the image closer to our author’s intention in this passage is that of a ship drifting, missing a harbor it intended to enter because of strong currents or winds. Neglect can mean something close to Ignore. Guthrie writes that means to “neglect through apathy or not to care enough about something (1 Tim. 4:14).” That’s exactly what happens when we begin to take for granted the amazing truths of the gospel: we drift. We start to move in the wrong direction. We neglect the things of God through apathy. We simply don’t care. The consequences are deadly. “How shall we escape?” the author asks. This is no small matter. Our souls are at stake. ## Preventing Drifting and Neglect How do we avoid this danger? “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it,” we read in Hebrews 2:1. The solution is simple but not easy: pay careful attention to the teaching of the gospel. - When we read Scripture, pay attention to the words we hear. They’re words of ultimate importance. - When we hear Scripture preached, lean in and pay attention. If the preacher is faithful, you are not hearing just any words but the very words of God. - When you sing the great songs of the faith, pay attention to truths you sing. Paying careful attention is the solution to our tendency to drift and neglect our great salvation. Not complicated, but also not a set-and-forget practice. Keep at it. Fight our natural tendency to take rich spiritual truths for granted. Pay careful attention. There’s a lot at stake: how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? ### The Antidote to Abandoning Your Faith (Hebrews 1:1-4) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-antidote-to-abandoning-your-faith-hebrews-11-4/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T14:09:08.000Z **Big Idea:** The antidote to abandoning our faith is riveting our attention on Jesus, because there’s no-one like him. --- Have you ever been tempted to walk away from Jesus and from the church? Maybe you’ve experienced church hurt. In 2004, Ray Ortlund Sr. became the pastor of a 2,500 member church. “A group of people in the church made it their purpose that I would not be their pastor any longer, and they succeeded in their purpose,” Ray [said](https://go.dashhouse.com/5hSG?ref=dashhouse.com). “It just about took me out.” Ray and that church split ways in February 2007, after which Ray and his wife Jani “took about a year to try not to die, to pray, and to re-think at a profound level.” Have you ever been through the kind of hurt within a church that you have had to spend a lot of time simply trying not to die, where you’ve had to rethink things at a profound level? Or maybe you’ve watched someone you trusted fall into sin. I somehow became casual friends with a fairly well-known pastor. We weren’t close friends, but I got to know him a bit. He took us out for lunch once. He led his church to support our church planting ministry. I still remember the Sunday night that I opened a webpage and discovered that he had fallen into sin. Not only had he fallen into sin, but he responded very poorly. I felt sick. I’m not naïve. I know we’re all vulnerable to sin. There’s nobody who is above bringing dishonor to God, but some of us know what it’s like to experience disillusionment after someone we trusted falls into sin. Or maybe you just feel the pressure from the world. One of my friends is a pastor’s wife. She used to work for an organization you would know. She found it hard to even admit at work that her husband is a pastor because of the questions — even hostility — that this would create. She felt the pressure to not reveal too much about her faith because it might endanger her livelihood. Some of us know what it’s like to feel the pressure to put our faith in Christ on the shelf during the week because of the complexities of following Jesus in a hostile world. Have you ever been tempted to walk away from Jesus and his church because of hurt, disillusionment, because you’re weary and disappointed with church life, or because it’s just not easy to follow Jesus in a world that’s increasingly hostile to him? If so, God’s word has something to say that we all need to hear. Starting today, we’re looking at the book of Hebrews. Hebrews was written to a group of believers who were temped to turn away from Jesus. There’s a lot we don’t know about this letter. We don’t know who wrote it. We don’t know exactly when it was written, although it seems to have been before 70 A.D. But chapter 10 helps us understand their situation: > But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. (Hebrews 10:32-34) They had faced some struggles. It had become hard to follow Jesus. As a result, they were tempted to abandon their faith in Jesus and return to Judaism. They had suffered for their faith, and yet they had stayed faithful. And yet some of them were starting to waver. They were beginning to wonder if following Jesus is worth it after all. From the warnings in the book, it seems that they were tempted to abandon the faith. Maybe you can relate. Maybe you are here today, having made a commitment to Jesus in the past, but feeling a little like that commitment is up for grabs now. If that’s not you, it may be at some point in the future. We’re all prone to wander. Nobody is immune. And so Hebrews has a message that we all need to hear. ## Two Truths to Focus Our Attention on Jesus What’s the antidote to abandoning our faith? Rivet your attention on Jesus. That’s just what you expected me to say, isn’t it? It sounds like the Sunday school answer. It’s just what you’d think a preacher would say. But Hebrews doesn’t just give us clichés or easy answers. What it gives us is perhaps the most articulate Greek sentence in all the New Testament with some of the most profound theological truths you will ever encounter. Somebody’s said that this may be the most beautiful sentence in all of Scripture. What we have in the first few verses of Hebrews is packed full of truth, enough that we could spend weeks understanding it. But this isn’t just a passage to be understood. These are truths to be believed and felt. These truths are meant to not just inform our minds but to capture our hearts. You could live off of these truths for not just the rest of your life but for eternity. What is it about Jesus that should capture our attention? So many things, but let’s focus on the two main truths that this passage gives us. ### First, Jesus is the climax of divine communication (1:1-2a) How could God ever communicate with us? We’re very limited creatures. I can’t even understand calculus, which some of you understand. How could we ever understand God? God would have to reveal himself to us in ways that we could understand. We depend on divine revelation to even have the first idea of who God is and what he expects from us. And that’s just what God did. So Hebrews begins: “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets” (Hebrews 1:1). What you have there is the entire Old Testament. - Long ago — God has not been silent. From the beginning of history he has been communicating to us. We don’t have to take educated guesses at who God is. We have a record of God’s revelation going back thousands of years. God is a God who speaks throughout history. - At many times — God did not just give us a data dump. He revealed himself over time, which is just how we reveal ourselves to each other as we’re building relationships. - In many ways — God used a variety of forms of revelation. He walked in the garden with Adam and Eve. He appeared in visions and dreams. He sent angels with messages. You even have theophanies, visible appearances of God to humans. You have “exhortations, stories, visions, dreams, mighty acts, breathtaking theophanies, and a still small voice, to name a few” (George Guthrie). - God spoke to our fathers by the prophets — Here you have the totality of the Hebrew Scriptures, God’s revelation to his people. What an amazing gift that God hasn’t left us guessing, that God has revealed himself so persistently and so graciously to his people. No wonder the psalmist says: > Your testimonies are wonderful; > therefore my soul keeps them. > The unfolding of your words gives light; > it imparts understanding to the simple. > I open my mouth and pant, > because I long for your commandments. > (Psalm 119:129-131) But all of this is simply the appetizer. The Hebrew Scriptures are the gracious revelation of God to his people, but God has given us something even better. He’s given us Jesus, who is God’s definitive and final revelation. “….but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (Hebrews 1:2). - God didn’t just speak in former days. He speaks in these last days. - He didn’t just speak to our forefathers. He now speaks to us. - He doesn’t just speak through the prophets. He’s spoken to us by his Son. - God has spoken in various ways, but he has spoken to us definitively in Jesus. Do you want to understand who God is and what he wants from us? Look at Jesus. The person of Jesus, the words of Jesus, and the acts of Jesus communicate God’s ultimate word to his people. Friends, if you ever start to waver, look at Jesus. Don’t look at the clichéd Jesus but the real Jesus revealed in Scripture. We need the real Jesus. Look at his willingness to come to earth and become one of us. Look at his words: words that call us back to him, words that attract the weary and downtrodden but warn those who peddle false religion. Look at his tender heart of compassion. Look at his love, love that serves, love that gives up his life to save us. Look at his triumph over sin and death, his victory that is also the victory of all those who trust him. There is no-one more compelling than Jesus. And Jesus shows us what God is like. He is the climax of divine revelation, so rivet your attention on him. What in particular should rivet our attention? Here’s the second main truth of these first few verses, and it gives us the reason why we should rivet our attention on Jesus: ### Second, Jesus is above all in terms of who he is, what he’s done, and where he ranks (1:2b-4) There’s so much in verses 2 to 4 that we need to come back to it next week: > …but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. Who is Jesus? He is heir of all things. He is One through whom God created the world. He is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact imprint of his nature. What has he done? At this very moment, he is upholding the universe by the word of his power. The two trillion galaxies in the observable universe? He’s upholding them all by the word of his power. Not only this but he became one of us and made purification for your sins. The Creator of this universe has personally intervened and died for your sins. Why is his current status? He is sitting at the right hand of the Majesty on high. He is reigning over history. Angels bow before him. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. Friends, there is nobody like him. He is incomparable. We dare not minimize him, package him, ignore him, use him, exploit him, or stereotype him. But we can worship him. We can rivet our attention on him and build our entire lives around him. I want to tell you what I want my whole ministry to be about: riveting our attention on Jesus. It’s what I want to do week after week after week. If you ever ask me what my sermon is about next week, I want to be able to say, at some level, “Jesus.” I never want us never to get tired of him. I want to look at him with you over and over again. I want all of Jesus for all of life. I want to keep looking at him with you until we become more like him. It’s what we need most. I need it and you need it. It’s what we’re all about as a church: beholding the glory of God in the face of Jesus who is the source of all joy and life. And that’s what I want to ask you to do today. Friends, we’re all in danger of wandering from Jesus. We’re all prone to wander. Church will let you down. So when the church falls short, look to the head of the church who will never let you down. Focus your attention on him. People will let you down. Keep loving people. Don’t become cynical about people. But also don’t put your faith in people. Put your trust in the only person who’s ever lived who will never let you down. Look to him. The world will try to draw you away from Jesus, so keep looking to the One who endured opposition, who has triumphed over evil, and is seated in a place of authority over everyone and everything. Look beyond this world to the one who rules over the world and all things. The church will let you down. People will let you down. This world will try to pull you away from following him. What’s the antidote to abandoning our faith? **The antidote to abandoning our faith is riveting our attention on Jesus, because there’s no-one like him.** Father, at the start of this message I said that these are not just truths to understand but truths to be felt and enjoyed. So I pray that you would rivet our attention on Jesus, not just today but for as long as we live and into eternity. Fix our eyes on Jesus. In his name we pray. Amen. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-365/ Last updated: 2023-10-21T09:00:57.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [A Healthy Church Is a Messy Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/IalL?ref=dashhouse.com) > No church is perfect, and every church, if it’s growing and the Spirit is working, is messy. [Partnering Together to Plant](https://go.dashhouse.com/IalB?ref=dashhouse.com) > While churches are independent and autonomous, they also are interdependent for the sake of those who don’t know the Lord. This is primarily accomplished through starting and strengthening churches. [The 5-Foot Bookshelf: 57 Great Books Every Christian Should Own](https://go.dashhouse.com/IcMY?ref=dashhouse.com) > Recommended Christian books for those with limited shelf space and a limited budget [Antidote: Five Strategies to Break Free of Porn’s Poisonous Grip](https://go.dashhouse.com/IalU?ref=dashhouse.com) > This article is simple: five key ideas and strategies that have been helpful to me and others in the fight against lust and pornography. [Start Preparing for December Now](https://go.dashhouse.com/IbkP?ref=dashhouse.com) > By preparing your heart, schedule, and leadership plans, December can truly be “the most wonderful time of the year.” My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Following Jesus Is Serious Business](https://go.dashhouse.com/IalV?ref=dashhouse.com) > Let’s never take lightly what it means to follow and serve Jesus. ### Faithfully Present URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/faithfully-present/ Last updated: 2023-10-17T09:00:46.000Z I had a sad moment this week. We had our real estate agent come to our condo to take a look as we begin to think about selling our place. We’ve lived in only a few places since we got married 32 years ago, and by far, this is our favorite. To think of selling this place fills us with some sadness, even though we know it’s time. Honestly, sometimes I want to be able to inhabit more than one place at a time. I’m glad I had just read Adam Ramsey’s book [*Faithfully Present: Embracing the Limits of Where and When God Has You*](https://go.dashhouse.com/IWfz?ref=dashhouse.com). [![Faithfully Present by Adam Ramsey](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2023/10/5fde86a2-5338-46d1-acfb-c4a11bda111d.__CR0-0-2021-625_PT0_SX970_V1___.jpg)](https://go.dashhouse.com/IWfz?ref=dashhouse.com) Ramsey talks about the two kinds of limitations that all of us face: location and time. We only live in one place out of 4.3 million unique towns and places on Earth. We are currently living in this specific moment among all the past and future moments. Our lives are short, and we will soon be forgotten. We can’t transcend our time and place. God calls us to be faithfully present in our time and place for his glory. Ramsey’s book is not one that taught me anything new. Instead, it’s a book that reminds me of a Puritan work. It takes a couple of significant thoughts and turns them over slowly in our minds, teasing out the implications in a way that can change our lives. Ramsey deals first with the limitations of being limited to one time. I liked this section, particularly when he discussed topics such as regret, changing seasons, rushing, and the feeling that time is passing quickly. The second section — place — is also timely for me. I’m leaving one place for another; I live in a body; I can maintain a limited number of relationships. Ramsey’s book couldn’t have been a better one for me to read. I get the sense that most of us are wrestling with these issues. Ramsey helps us recognize our finitude and find hope in the gospel. He writes: > Do not lament the shortness of your days or the changing of the seasons. Do not despair that you cannot freeze the best moments in time. Instead, press on in the power of the Holy Spirit, fully and gratefully alive to the short life God has given you. Receive each day as the limited-edition gift that it is. God does not promise you tomorrow. But he does promise you, in Christ, an everlasting life in his never-failing love. ## My Interview with Ramsey I was privileged to talk to Ramsey about his new book. Something happened in the interview that doesn’t happen often; I don’t know if you will pick it up if you listen to it. Ramsey applied the gospel in real time to the issues I raised in my questions. I found myself feeling challenged and encouraged by his responses as he applied the gospel to my soul. So here’s the interview. It marks the beginning of a new season of the [Gospel for Life podcast](https://go.dashhouse.com/podcast?ref=dashhouse.com). You can find it on your favorite podcast platform. You can also find the show notes and transcript below. I hope you enjoy it. ## Key Ideas - We’ve always struggled with the temptation to transcend our limits, but technology gives us new opportunities. - We need to live in reality, appreciate the ordinary, and find glory in the present moment. No more chasing constant "mountaintop experiences." - Living in the here and now means glorifying God in our current circumstances and surroundings. - Slowing down and finding rest amidst the chaos of our hyperconnected world is essential for our well-being and productivity. - Remember, God is always present with us, even in the midst of the most challenging times or seasons of life. ## Quotes We all have an idea in our minds of how we think life should go, and then real life happens. “We’ve only tasted the entree, the hors d'oeuvres of the fullness of life in God. We have the fullness of that life yet to come as the Kingdom of God breaks into this world, as the new creation becomes a new permanent reality.” “You're not awesome. You're loved, and that's awesome.” “While we should absolutely pray for and enjoy such mountaintop experiences with God, we need to, as pastors, we need to teach our people of the glory of the ordinary, the glory of plodding, the joy of simply being attentive to the life, the relationships, the geographic spaces that we inhabit, and to go, What does it look like to glorify God here in this space?” “The one thing that we owe absolutely to God is never to be afraid of anything.” (Charles de Foucauld) ## Episode Links - [Liberti Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/IWxy?ref=dashhouse.com) - [Adam Ramsey on X](https://go.dashhouse.com/IWx-?ref=dashhouse.com) - [Adam Ramsey on Instagram](https://go.dashhouse.com/IWx%5F?ref=dashhouse.com) ### Book mentioned: - [*Faithfully Present: Embracing the Limits of Where and When God Has You*](https://go.dashhouse.com/IWfz?ref=dashhouse.com) - [*Truth on Fire: Gazing at God Until Your Heart Sings*](https://go.dashhouse.com/7IB6?ref=dashhouse.com) by Adam Ramsey - [*The Imperfect Pastor*](https://go.dashhouse.com/AGqk?ref=dashhouse.com) by Zach Eswine - [*Principles: Life and Work*](https://go.dashhouse.com/Dri1?ref=dashhouse.com) by Ray Dalio - [*Honor: Loving Your Church by Building One Another Up*](https://go.dashhouse.com/IWy2?ref=dashhouse.com) by Adam Ramsey ## Transcript Download a PDF transcript of this episode. [Faithfully Present Transcript231017 Transcript.pdf273 KBdownload-circle](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/files/2023/10/231017-Transcript.pdf "Download") More from [Amazon.com](https://go.dashhouse.com/IWfz?ref=dashhouse.com) ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-364/ Last updated: 2023-10-14T09:00:34.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [How Joni Eareckson Tada Blessed Me (Forty Years Ago)](https://go.dashhouse.com/IH9j?ref=dashhouse.com) > For all she has done publicly, I suspect her greatest impact may be through personal interactions. [Lust, Idolatry and the Power of a Stronger Desire](https://go.dashhouse.com/IIpp?ref=dashhouse.com) > Both Moses and Jesus bind commands about true worship, idolatry, and lust together. A Point-by-point Response to the Film “Cessationist” > Sam Storms responds in [part one](https://go.dashhouse.com/IIuf?ref=dashhouse.com), [part two](https://go.dashhouse.com/IIuO?ref=dashhouse.com), [part three](https://go.dashhouse.com/IIqR?ref=dashhouse.com), [part four](https://go.dashhouse.com/IIqG?ref=dashhouse.com), [part five](https://go.dashhouse.com/IIq9?ref=dashhouse.com), [part six](https://go.dashhouse.com/IH9i?ref=dashhouse.com) (with more to come) [When Being Affirming Isn't Loving](https://go.dashhouse.com/IIpq?ref=dashhouse.com) Two events of the last week witness to a significant shift in the times in which we live. [Enduring Lessons from the Rise and Fall of Mars Hill](https://go.dashhouse.com/IIpu?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are some thoughts on some enduring lessons we should learn from those dramatic events in Seattle a decade ago. [Pastor, Not Entrepreneur](https://go.dashhouse.com/IIpv?ref=dashhouse.com) > Emphasizing the acumen of Wall Street and the values of Silicon Valley in what to look for in a planter distracts us from paying attention to the New Testament’s emphases — who a man is. [Men of Exemplary Faith](https://go.dashhouse.com/IIpw?ref=dashhouse.com) > Pastor, this world of tragic unbelief needs your exemplary faith. And we disheartened Christians need your exemplary faith. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Churches Helping Churches — A Proposal](https://go.dashhouse.com/IInr?ref=dashhouse.com) > Right now, I wonder if one of the most strategic things we can do in Canada is to build partnerships in which growing suburban churches intentionally help urban and rural churches that might otherwise not survive. ### Forgetting Our Family History URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/forgetting-our-family-history/ Last updated: 2023-10-10T09:00:08.000Z “Hobbits have a passion for family history,” we read in [*The Fellowship of the Ring*](https://go.dashhouse.com/IE-o?ref=dashhouse.com). That can be a good thing; we’re a lot better off when we remember lessons from the past. But a passion for family history won’t do much good if we forget it in times of trouble. When the band of hobbits approached a rock-chamber, they found old bones, empty jars, and broken pots, all signs of a troll-hole. At first, they wondered if the cave had been abandoned, but they soon discovered the presence of three large trolls, one stooping, and the other two staring at him. They were terrified, but they shouldn’t have been. Years earlier, these trolls had been quarrelling about the right way to eat thirteen dwarves and one hobbit. The wizard Gandalf tricked them. He got the trolls bickering and quarrelling so long that they were above ground after dawn, and turned back to stone. “That is what had happened to Bert and Tom and William,” we read in [*The Hobbit*](https://go.dashhouse.com/IE-l?ref=dashhouse.com). Frodo finally realized that the three trolls that had him scared were the exact same trolls that had been rendered harmless long before. “Well!” he said. “We are forgetting our family history!” > ‘You are forgetting not only your family history, but all you ever knew about trolls,’ said Strider. ‘It is broad daylight with a bright sun, and yet you come back trying to scare me with a tale of live trolls waiting for us in this glade! In any case you might have noticed that one of them has an old bird’s nest behind his ear. That would be a most unusual ornament for a live troll!’ > They all laughed. Frodo felt his spirits reviving: the reminder of Bilbo’s first successful adventure was heartening. The sun, too, was warm and comforting, and the mist before his eyes seemed to be lifting a little. They rested for some time in the glade, and took their mid-day meal right under the shadow of the trolls’ large legs. It’s not hard to see how we, like hobbits, are quick to forget our family history. So many of our battles have been won before us. “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him” (Colossians 2:15). But we live in fear as if these same enemies have the same power they used to wield over us. No wonder Scripture strikes such a helpful balance. We should be aware of the demonic opposition against us. “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour,” writes Peter (1 Peter 5:8). But it never tells us to panic. Instead, it tells us to resist him (1 Peter 5:9), and he will flee from us (James 4:7). He knows he’s defeated; we’re the ones who quickly forget. We need to know our family history. If we did, we would take the reality of evil more seriously, but we would also stand in the victory that’s already been won on our behalf. We don’t need to be afraid when we remember what Jesus has already accomplished for us. Many of the problems we encounter in the Christian life come from forgetting our family history. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-363/ Last updated: 2023-09-30T09:00:55.000Z I’ll be taking a week off. God willing, I’ll post again on Tuesday, October 10. Curated links for your weekend reading: [TGC Announces The Carson Center for Theological Renewal](https://go.dashhouse.com/HOXs?ref=dashhouse.com) > Today the Center launches with thousands of Bible and theology resources available and ready to search. But with translation projects underway and new resources under development, we’re just getting started. [The 28 Most Important Bible Events — and Why They Matter](https://go.dashhouse.com/HPhF?ref=dashhouse.com) > Understanding the most important Bible stories will help you get a bigger picture of Scripture’s overarching story and its key ramifications in all areas of life. > So what are the most important Bible events to grasp? [Five Blessings of Marking Up Your Bible](https://go.dashhouse.com/HUI-?ref=dashhouse.com) > I’m convinced there is just so much to gain by faithfully marking up a Bible during daily Bible study. [Sabbath for Moms: How to Practice Rest with Kids](https://go.dashhouse.com/HOWV?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are a few rhythms that have been a blessing in our home (and helped this mom find peace and rest in the midst of daily motherhood). [Online ‘Prophets’ Are More like Jonah than Jeremiah](https://go.dashhouse.com/HQtm?ref=dashhouse.com) > There’s always the danger of having a prophetic voice without a prophet’s heart. [When Jesus Comforts the Accused](https://go.dashhouse.com/HOWP?ref=dashhouse.com) > Real grace forgives us completely, and real love calls us higher. [My Favorite Pastors](https://go.dashhouse.com/HOWy?ref=dashhouse.com) > My favorite pastors are *my* pastors. [21 Simple Habits That Can Benefit a Pastor’s Overall Health](https://go.dashhouse.com/HOYV?ref=dashhouse.com) > These health practices can allow a pastor to make the greatest impact for the gospel and lead his family well. ### A Pastor’s Last Message to the Church URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/a-pastors-last-email-to-the-church/ Last updated: 2023-09-26T09:00:44.000Z Last Sunday, [Liberty Grace Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/lgc?ref=dashhouse.com) celebrated its tenth anniversary. I also [concluded my ministry](https://www.dashhouse.com/personal-update-august-2023/) as founding pastor. Last week, in my weekly email, I sent a final message to the church. --- In January of 2022, I received a copy of a friend’s last email to the church he pastored. That pastor — Pete Blundell — had some great things to say to his church as he finished his ministry there. I liked his email so much that I sent it out to Liberty Grace Church at that time. I never could have guessed that, twenty months later, I would be sending my (almost) last email to the church, and that Pete would be on his way to Liberty Grace to serve as interim preacher. Now I get to follow his example and leave you with some last words. **First, thank you.** Thank you for the incredible privilege of serving as your pastor. It has been the privilege of my life, and I am so, so thankful. **Second, never forget the central news we proclaim:** that God is full of grace for us despite our sin. You are made in God’s image. God cares for humanity so much that he sent Jesus to die in our place and rise again so that we could be forgiven, changed, and made his. No sin is too big. No person is too needy. If you have not yet turned to Jesus and trusted him, please don’t waste another minute. If you have trusted Jesus, you are in him. You couldn’t be more loved. Live the rest of your life out of who you are in Jesus. Really enjoy his love. **Third, take Jesus seriously.** You will never regret reading the Bible, talking to God about what’s going on in your life, and prioritizing showing up at church. It’s what every growing believer does. Trust God that as you pursue Jesus by doing these simple things over a lifetime, he will change you, and you will be a blessing to others. **Fourth, I hope you know this: Liberty Grace is kind of special.** Protect that. A lot of things will change at Liberty Grace, as they should. But some things should never change. Keep Jesus at the core of everything we do. Ask God to give you and the church a hunger for his word. Throw out the welcome mat for everyone who walks in the door. Continue to make the church a safe place for people to ask questions, share their struggles, and learn about Jesus. Demand that your leaders are focused on and committed to Jesus and his word. Become a member if you haven’t. And pray. Pray that God will do what only he can do in our community and in our church. And give. Give not because the church needs money, although it does. Give because God is worthy of everything that we have. Invest in what God is up to in Liberty Grace Church and beyond. You will not only help the church survive in a hard place, but you will be making a difference for eternity. **Fifth, remember that God can use you.** Most of us feel inadequate. That’s good, because we are. No exceptions. But those are exactly the people that God loves to use, because there is no other kind. Believe that God can use you. Be bold in serving him and loving others, and showing and telling the love of Jesus. We believe in the Holy Spirit, and he helps people like us. **Finally, be grateful.** What a ride. Life is hard, but God has given us so much, including the privilege of being part of his church. I am beyond grateful for the privilege of being part of Liberty Grace Church, and I hope I don’t get over this — or any other of God’s blessings — any time soon. On Sunday, we’re celebrating our tenth anniversary at 4 p.m. And the next day, we begin the next ten years with just as much joy and focus on Jesus as we can muster. What a privilege. Thank you, Lord. And thank you, Liberty Grace for being so good to me for these past ten years. --- In case you’re interested, you can watch a video (a shorter or a longer version) that tells the story of the first ten years of Liberty Grace Church. ### Tenth Anniversary Video (Short) ### Tenth Anniversary Video (Extended) ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-362/ Last updated: 2023-09-23T09:00:43.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Attack at Dawn: The Spiritual War Against Ordinary Devotions](https://go.dashhouse.com/HJRK?ref=dashhouse.com) > Ordinary devotions are nothing less than war. [Wander Away to Her](https://go.dashhouse.com/HJRL?ref=dashhouse.com) > In a blur of married and modern life, are we still awake to our *beloved*? Will we never pause to really see her who is beside us on this grand adventure? [The Secret to Loving Your Wife Better: Love Jesus Better](https://go.dashhouse.com/HJUO?ref=dashhouse.com) > After two decades of marriage, I have noticed a pattern: when I am closer to Jesus, I am usually closer to my wife. [You Probably Have a Good Pastor](https://go.dashhouse.com/HJRP?ref=dashhouse.com) > You probably have a good pastor. Treat him like a brother in Christ. [The Beatitudes Are the Cure for Pastoral Burnout](https://go.dashhouse.com/HJRM?ref=dashhouse.com) > The Beatitudes point to a coming day of blessing—a day when comfort, mercy, and the greatest gift of all, beatific vision (seeing God), will bring redemption to our scars. [Tension Holds Attention](https://go.dashhouse.com/HJRN?ref=dashhouse.com) > Tension in a message helps people stay attentive to the lesson. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Doctrine and Obedience Are Friends](https://go.dashhouse.com/HIqq?ref=dashhouse.com) > Never pit doctrine against obedience, because they’re friends. In fact, you can’t really have one without the other. ### Marriage is a Steel Trap URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/marriage-is-a-steel-trap/ Last updated: 2023-09-19T09:00:07.000Z The date was 1990\. I was a newly engaged seminary student. Just a few weeks earlier, I’d proposed to Char, and she’d accepted. We were planning our wedding which was going to take place just a few months later. I sat in the seminary classroom near the back. The subject: marriage counselling. The professor: a Christian counsellor. Notebook open, pen in hand, I couldn’t wait to learn about the journey I was about to begin. I wasn’t prepared for what he said. “Marriage is a steel trap,” he said. I looked up, not sure if I was hearing him correctly. The professor continued to explain. He’d enjoyed a good first marriage that ended with his wife’s death. Since then, he’d remarried, and found that his second marriage was a lot harder. In the first year of his second marriage, he found himself thinking that he’d made a terrible mistake. He knew divorce was not an option, but he found himself thinking of ways to escape. But he couldn’t. Marriage was a steel trap. You can get into it, but it doesn’t easily let you go. They stayed together and struggled. As they did, he found that marriage got easier. He learned to love his new wife. He began to enjoy their marriage. It was still hard and still required work, but being trapped together taught them to love each other, and they began to grow their relationship. “Marriage is the hardest, most challenging relationship you’ll ever have,” he explained. “It will demand everything from you and more. No relationship will frustrate you and challenge you as much as your marriage.” I gulped as he continued. “But marriage is also the most joyful and rewarding relationship you’ll ever enjoy,” he said. “You will find a depth of relationship in your marriage that you won’t find anywhere else.” I was young. Like most young couples, I saw the upside of marriage. On one level, I knew that marriage would be challenging, but I didn’t really think it would be *that* hard. The professor’s words that day were harsh, probably a little harsher than the words that I’d use to describe marriage. But they were helpful. Marriage sometimes does feel like a trap. Every couple will go through periods in which the only thing that binds them together are the vows they made to each other, vows which can’t be easily broken. Couples who keep those vows, even when those vows feel like a trap, often find that something beautiful happens as they endure the hardship. Things get better. They learn to love each other. God grows beautiful things in what looks like a garden of clay if we stick with it long enough and keep our promises even when we don’t feel like it. I was scared as I heard that professor talk that day. But his words helped me prepare for the part of the marriage vows I hadn’t taken quite as seriously: not just the better but the worse, not just for richer but also in poorer, not just in health but also in sickness. I’m grateful for his words. Marriage is costly, but part of the beauty of marriage is what can happen when we pay that price. I almost wish that every starry-eyed couple could sit in that class and hear how hard marriage can be, and yet what happens when we persist in that hardship and see God grow something beautiful. ### Good News, Satisfying News, and Unfinished Business (Ezra and Nehemiah) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/good-news-satisfying-news-and-unfinished-business-ezra-and-nehemiah/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T14:58:37.000Z **Big Idea:** God is committed to his people, and It’s satisfying when God’s people respond. But God’s people continue to fail, but hope is coming. --- We’re at an inflection point today, both in our journey through the Bible and in the story of the church. This year, we’ve been journeying through the story of the Hebrew Scriptures, and what a year it’s been. We’ve seen a lot. We’ve seen how this world began, and how it went wrong: - how God created of this world as good and beautiful - how we ruined the world through sin We’ve seen God launch a rescue plan to save this world and his people: - how he chose Abraham by sheer grace to bless the world - how Abraham’s family struggled, but how God made a nation from his descendants - how God rescued that nation from slavery in Egypt - how they rebelled against God even after their rescue, but God did not give up on them We’ve seen the ups and downs of this God’s people: - how God gave them a land - how God established a kingship that would never end - how that nation kept on rebelling against God no matter how many chances God gave them - how he sent them into exile because of their determination to disobey him What a ride. Understanding the Hebrew Scriptures is so important, because it explains so much about this world. It helps us understand why the world is the way it is, and what God is doing about it. But today’s an inflection point. For the past four weeks, we’ve been talking about the exile. The exile is the absolute low point of the story of the Old Testament. In 586 BC, the southern nation was attacked by Babylon, a major world power at the time. Thousands were slaughtered. Survivors were driven from their homes, and forced to live and serve the Babylonian empire far from home. Imagine life among people who’d killed your family and destroyed your nation. Even worse: imagine knowing that all of this is because God had enough of your wickedness. But today marks a turning point. I have good news, satisfying news, and unfinished business to share with you. ## Good News: God is Committed to His People First, the good news. We read it in Ezra 1:1-4: > In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: > “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the LORD, the God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem. And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.” This is good news, really good news. This is good news for a couple of reasons. **First, God is committed to his people.** Israel and Judah gave God every reason for him to turn his back on them. But God always keeps his covenant promises. His promises could be trusted back then, just like his promises can be trusted now. God shows grace and mercy to his people, and he refuses to let them go. Here, after all, is what God had promised way back in Jeremiah 29:10-14: > For thus says the LORD: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. Let me talk about what this means. When we look at ourselves, we have every reason to be discouraged. We are wobbly. We fail God so much. If we based our hope on ourselves, we would be in very rough shape. But Ezra and Jeremiah point us in another direction. Our hope is not in our ability to obey God. Our hope is in God’s commitment to his people. God is committed to his people. This is very good news. If you have trusted in Jesus for salvation, continue to pursue him. Continue to love God with all your heart. But remember that he is committed to you. He has bound himself to his people, and he will not let us go. God always keeps his promises. They never fail. You can trust his promises. You can trust him. Here’s the other reason this is good news. **God controls history to accomplish his purposes.** Ezra 1:1 says, “…the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia….” Amazingly, Isaiah had predicted this two hundred years before in Isaiah 44:28\. Not only were people allowed to return, but they took the vessels that Nebuchadnezzar had taken in plunder. Here’s the good news: God is relentlessly committed to his people, and he controls history to accomplish his purposes. That’s very good news for us today. ## Satisfying News: God’s People Respond But the news gets even more satisfying. Not only do the people return, but a lot of good things happen. I wish I had more time to go through all of them with you. - In Ezra 3, they rebuild the altar and begin rebuilding the temple. - In Ezra 6, after somewhere around 15 years, they complete the rebuilding of the temple and celebrate Passover. - In Nehemiah, they rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. All of this is amazing. But one of the most encouraging stories to me is what happens in Ezra 7 to 9\. In Ezra 7, Ezra restores God’s word to the people. We read in Ezra 7:10: “For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.” In Nehemiah 8 we read a little about Ezra’s ministry. > So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law… > And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood. And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground. (Nehemiah 8:2-3, 5-6) I would have loved to have been there. They read and teach God’s word for seven days. They celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles and remember God’s faithfulness in the wilderness. They confess their sins. They renew their covenant with God and promise to obey him. They celebrate over the finished walls of Jerusalem. After all that’s happened, this is a high point indeed. The good news is that God is committed to his people. Do you know what I love to see? People who respond to God’s grace in worship and love. It’s a beautiful thing when God’s people get a vision of God’s grace and begin to treasure his word. I love watching God’s people repent and turn to him again. You know what I want for this church? That kind of wonder at God’s grace. In the coming years, I want to hear that this church continues to grow in its love for God, that this is a church that treasures God’s word and responds in repentance and worship. I asked a pastor-friend this week for advice in my ministry. He said two things: preach God’s word, and live by God’s word. Sometimes it’s that simple. Get a view of the grace of God. Treasure and delight in God’s word. And respond to God’s grace in worship and repentance. Friends, pray for this for Liberty Grace Church. Pray that we are a church that never loses its amazement for Jesus and what he has done for us. Ask God to give us a high regard for Scripture and the strength to love and worship him. The good news is that God is committed to his people. The satisfying news is when God’s people respond by treasuring him and his word. But there’s one more thing. ## Unfinished Business: God’s People Fail I’ve really enjoyed this sermon so far. I love seeing God’s commitment to his people, and I love seeing God’s people respond. But today we’re getting to the end of the story of the Old Testament. And things don’t finish on a hopeful note. It leaves with unfinished business, with our real problem still unsolved. Things are looking good right to the end of Nehemiah. But in Nehemiah 13, Nehemiah takes a tour of the city. He discovered that some people haven’t kept their covenant vows. They renege on every promise they made. He finds the same old problems: the temple being misused; a lack of financial support for the temple; temple priests abandoning their posts to earn a living to survive; the Sabbath being broken; and intermarriage with people who didn’t believe in God. Despite God’s commitment to his people, despite the return to the land, despite the rebuilding of the temple and the city, despite them treasuring God and his word, they still didn’t change. Nehemiah ends on a bit of a downer. Is there any hope for God’s people? That’s where we end at the end of Nehemiah. It’s around this time that we hear from one last prophet in the Hebrew Scriptures: Malachi. Malachi has a message for the people. Malachi confronts the priests for their failure to serve God. He indicts the people for treating each other faithlessly, for profaning the temple, and for withholding their tithes. And then, silence. Silence for 400 years. But not before Malachi offers a teaser about what’s going to come. > Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction. (Malachi 4:5-6) In the last words before the curtain drops on the Old Testament, with all the ups and downs and a disappointing end, God tells them to look forward. Look forward to his coming. Look forward to the prophet who will come to prepare the way. Look forward to when God will restore covenant faithfulness to his people. **God is committed to his people. It’s satisfying when God’s people respond. But God’s people continue to fail, but hope is coming**, and that hope’s name — as you’ll see when the story continues 400 years later — that hope’s name is Jesus. Thank you, Father, for your commitment to your people. I pray that you would give us hearts to respond. Make this church one that treasures you and your word, and that responds in worship and repentance to all that you reveal. And when we fail, as we inevitably will, turn our eyes to Jesus. This is my prayer for this church with great gratitude for the privilege of serving her. May the story continue, and may it be all about Jesus. Amen. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-361/ Last updated: 2023-09-16T09:00:39.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Death and Dying: A Catechism for Christians](https://go.dashhouse.com/GRoN?ref=dashhouse.com) > With the advent of MAID or euthanasia becoming legal in Canada, Christians need to re-examine how they think about death and dying. To that end, we hope that this catechism will help you and your church more clearly understand what the Bible says about death and dying—especially as the eligibility criteria for MAID continues to expand. [Man Shall Not Live by Online Bread Alone](https://go.dashhouse.com/GLIz?ref=dashhouse.com) > We must never think an online worship service or watching a sermon on television is a genuine substitute for the physical gathering of believers in covenantal community. [In Praise of the Tiny Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/GLJ4?ref=dashhouse.com) > We will never know most of what God accomplishes in the small churches. [How the Doctrine of Glorification Helps Us Cultivate a Culture of Honor](https://go.dashhouse.com/GLJ8?ref=dashhouse.com) > When we see the glory in one another, gospel doctrine creates a gospel culture where men and women, with no gimmicks and no hype, dare to believe the reality of their salvation so deeply that they build a community of honor together, and it flavors an entire church. [Fundamentalism May Feel Safe, But It’s Shortsighted](https://go.dashhouse.com/GLJ6?ref=dashhouse.com) > Why is fundamentalism not a safe harbor when it comes to the Bible’s teaching on the church? [A Prayer Before Writing](https://go.dashhouse.com/GRoH?ref=dashhouse.com) > Lord God Adonai, > I am about to write. > I have nothing to say… My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [The Kind of Preaching We Need](https://go.dashhouse.com/GOeB?ref=dashhouse.com) > If you’re a preacher, don’t settle for the kind of advice the world can give. We’ve had enough of that. > Give people truths that will sustain them when facing death. Give them a vision of God. Help people encounter him and the gospel. Give them something great and glorious they can’t find anywhere else. ### The Best Part About Speaking at Dozens of Churches URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-best-part-about-speaking-at-dozens-of-churches/ Last updated: 2023-09-12T09:00:35.000Z In 2012, I began the process of starting a new church in Toronto. In the early years, I spoke almost every weekend at churches to raise financial and prayer support. It paid off: many churches and individuals supported us. Later on, years later, I met people who told me, “I pray for you and your church every day.” Over the years, I’ve had the honor of returning to those churches and giving them updates. To my surprise, I began speaking at churches for another reason. Liberty Grace Church started meeting at 4 in the afternoon, which left the mornings available. I used to decline speaking requests, but then I started accepting invitations from churches who wanted to learn about *[How to Grow](https://www.dashhouse.com/books/)* or *[Eight Habits for Growth](https://www.dashhouse.com/books/)*. Along with our elders, I structured my role so that I served 80% for Liberty Grace Church, and 20% speaking and writing. As a result, I’ve spoken in dozens of churches hundreds of times over the past decade, and I’ve discovered two of the best parts. One is the encouragement of seeing God at work in all kinds of churches. I’ve spoken in big churches, small churches, and everything in between. I’ve spoken in urban churches, suburban churches, and country churches. Most of the time, I feel really encouraged when I go back home. God is at work in all kinds of settings. Everywhere I go, I meet godly people who are serving sacrificially. I meet great pastors who will never be famous, but who are serving God and God’s people well. Read the news, and you may think that churches are all a mess, and that scandals are the norm. But if you visit churches as I have these past years, you discover the opposite: God is at work, and he has faithful churches and pastors everywhere. You can often tell the minute you walk in a church. You can sense something intangible and unmistakable. That intuitive sense if later backed up by evidence: a commitment to God’s word, a dedication to prayer, a determination to love, and lots of hard work. Most of the time, these pastors and churches feel like they’re not measuring up. The churches are humble. Few of them try to be big deals. But, in God’s economy, they are, and I am deeply encouraged by them. But that’s only one of the best parts of being an itinerant preacher. The very best part is returning home to my local church. I enjoy speaking at different churches, but nothing compares to entering my own local church, seeing the people I'm dedicated to serving, and experiencing the blessings of being a part of it. Often, after speaking at a church in the morning, I find myself saying to our congregation, “I am so blessed to be your pastor. I love being part of your church.” It's like going to other people's houses. I really enjoy visiting other people's families, but it makes me even more eager to return home to mine. I have been encouraged by speaking at many churches. God is at work in more places and ways than we often realize. It’s also deepened my appreciation for my local church. I love seeing God at work everywhere, and then seeing God at work in the church of which I get to be a part. ### How to Live in Exile (Daniel) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/how-to-live-in-exile-daniel/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T14:58:53.000Z **Big Idea:** To live well in exile, draw a line, hold a big picture of God, and believe that history is headed somewhere. --- There’s a thing in sports called the home field advantage. You know what it’s like to attend a game at home. At the Rogers Centre, most of the crowd is wearing Jays gear. At the start of the game, they announce the visiting team like they’re reading the phone directory. When they announce the Jays, it’s like they’re announcing an all-star rock band. The audience is very clearly on the side of the home team, and it makes a difference. A professor of computing and information conducted research and concluded that home field advantage exists, but may be declining. It probably has nothing to do with fans. It may have more to do with referee bias. Scholars seem to agree that the advantage exists, but it’s on the decline. Here’s the thing that we need to realize. Christians used to enjoy the home field advantage in western society. We used to have favored status. We used to have a privileged position, but that’s no longer the case. So what does it mean to play as the away team as the church, especially if we’re used to playing as the home team? What does it mean to not enjoy the support of the crowd? What does it mean when calls don’t go in our favor? How do we adjust to being cheered against? These are important questions we need to answer, because I think it’s safe to say that we no longer enjoy the home field advantage anymore. ## Life in Exile That’s why I’m glad we’re looking at the book of Daniel today. Daniel is someone who lived in exile in Babylon. That means he lived hundreds of miles away from the land that God had promised the people. In 605 BC, King Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Judah. He brought Daniel and his friends to Babylon along with other captives from the nobility. Nebuchadnezzar tried to decapitate Judah by taking its most important people away. Eight years later, he assaulted Judah again and brought ten thousand captives to Babylon. And then in 586 BC, he completely destroyed the city and brought more people from Judah to Babylon. What would it feel like to live in Babylon as one of the minority? As we’re going to see, Daniel and his friends faced tremendous pressure to assimilate to Babylonian culture. - Daniel and his friends had their names changed from Hebrew ones to Babylonian ones. - They were given an education in Chaldean language and literature (Daniel 1:4). - They were expected to eat Babylonian food and drink the wine, which went against their dietary restrictions as Jews. - They were expected to worship the Babylonian gods instead of the one true God. Every day, they faced the pressure to change to adapt to the culture. The pressure they faced was oftentimes so intense that their very existence hung in the balance; unless they compromised their devotion to God and embraced the Babylonian culture. It’s not hard to see why we have something to learn from Daniel today. Daniel shows us what it’s like to live faithfully even in exile. And here’s the good news: Daniel shows us that it’s possible to succeed in exile. You can live faithfully and receive God's blessings even in a hostile culture, just like Joseph did at the end of Genesis. It will come at a cost, but it’s possible, and this should encourage us. One of the most urgent tasks in the church today is to develop followers of Jesus who know how to live in exile. We need to develop the skill of living faithfully as God’s people when culture is trying to pressure us to adapt and compromise our faith. That’s why Daniel is such an important book for us to consider. ## Lessons from Daniel Here are some lessons we learn from Daniel on how to live in exile. ### First: Draw a line. Imagine the pressure that Daniel and his friends faced. As Alistair Begg [puts it](https://go.dashhouse.com/GFsa?ref=dashhouse.com): > …their nation defeated, their temple destroyed, and now living in the most glittering and powerful city in the known world. They were enlisted in the service of the king of Babylon — and they accepted it. Their education was that of Babylon — and they accepted it. Their names were changed to be those of Babylon — and they accepted it. Their food was to be that of Babylon — and Daniel and his friends drew the line there. We read in Daniel 1:8: “But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank.” What’s amazing is how far Daniel and his friends were willing to go. They didn’t resist a lot of their assimilation to Babylonian culture. They didn’t skip their Babylonian literature classes. They answered their Babylonian names. There are a ton of things we should embrace about living in a hostile culture. Our culture has so many things that are either neutral or good. The Bible doesn’t promote the idea of withdrawing from culture. Go out with friends to restaurants. Go to sports events and concerts. Read great literature. Watch TV shows. You have the freedom to do all of this with a clean conscience. But also know where to draw the line. Daniel is full of examples of this. - In chapter 1, they refuse to eat food that would undermine Jewish dietary laws. They just resolve they’re not going to do it. - In chapter 3, they refuse to bow down to an idolatrous image, and they’re sentenced to death for this. - In chapter 6, Daniel refuses to obey a royal edict not to pray, and is sentenced to death for simply praying to God. Daniel and his friends adapted where they could, but they also knew how to draw the line. Again, Alistair Begg says: > Given the pushback of twenty-first century secularism, you and I are going to face challenges. The crises will come; the moments will arrive when we are called to go with the flow of our culture rather than obedience to our God in the workplace, or on the sports team, or in how we raise our children, or in what we say from our pulpits, and so on. > Those crises will reveal what is inside us. Don’t assume you’ll stand firm in those moments. Equally, don’t assume you will have to give in. Resolve now. Think through where to draw the lines you will not cross. How do you know where to draw the line? Resolve now that you will not contradict God’s clear commands. That’s why it’s so important for us to get to know Scripture. Master it. Get to know what’s optional and what’s commanded, and resolve to obey what God has commanded no matter the cost. But we have to go farther. We have to refuse to compromise in areas that violate our consciences. Romans 14:23 says, “But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” What this says is that some things aren’t sinful. For instance, wearing makeup isn’t sinful. But if your conscience tell you that wearing makeup is sinful, then you shouldn’t violate your conscience. R.C. Sproul wrote, “if we act against our consciences, we are also guilty of sin. The sin may not be located in what we do but rather in the fact that we commit an act we believe to be evil.” So you’ve got to draw the line where your conscience tells you. It requires a lot of thought and prayer. But as Begg says: > We will be ready to wrestle with exactly where to draw that line, asking him for wisdom. At times the lines may be drawn in different places, but drawn they should be, and crossed they must not be. That is how we live faithfully in Babylon… So draw the line. Realize that there will be consequences. Daniel and his friends faced consequences. God delivered them, but their obedience wasn’t contingent on God delivering them. Daniel’s three friends said: > …our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up. (Daniel 3:17-18) Adapt where you can, but know that you will have to draw the line somewhere. And when you do, be prepared to pay the cost. Here’s the second lesson we learn. ## Second: Hold a big picture of God One of the books in my library is called [*When People are Big and God is Small*](https://go.dashhouse.com/GFtW?ref=dashhouse.com). That is a very good description of a problem that I have, and you might have too. Sometimes we face a lot of pressure because of how big people are. We see them. We feel the pressure of their presence. In those moments, God can seem smaller than them. That’s what we see in the book of Daniel. The pressures to disobey God come from powerful people. But one of the things that Daniel does is give us a big view of God. It tells us that the Babylonians aren’t really in charge. God is in charge. In chapter 2, Daniel stands before the most powerful leader in the world and prophesies that God is going to take away his kingdom. The rule of worldly leaders is temporary; God’s rule is eternal. In chapter 4, the most powerful king in the world becomes temporarily insane until he comes to his senses and realizes that God is God. > At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, > for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, > and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; > all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, > and he does according to his will among the host of heaven > and among the inhabitants of the earth; > and none can stay his hand > or say to him, “What have you done?” > At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me. > (Daniel 4:34–36) In chapter 5, another king is rebuked for his arrogance and removed from power. In chapters 7 to 12 of Daniel, there are visions that show how God's people will be victorious, despite the challenges they face in history and the opposition they encounter. One of the main lessons of Daniel is to draw a line. Obey God and trust him with the consequences. But another one of the lessons is to see God as big and people as small. Even the most powerful people are nothing before him. We need to see God as sovereign over every other sovereign, in charge of every other power, of working out history. We don’t need to worry because God is in charge. Draw a line and hold a big picture of God. There’s one more lesson. ### Finally: Believe that history is headed somewhere. Daniel is full of stories that are easy to understand. It’s easy to understand the stories of courage exemplified by Daniel and his three friends. It’s easy to understand a story about a king who goes insane until he recognizes God as God. But there are parts of Daniel that are hard to understand. Daniel 7 to 12 is a set of three visions and a prayer. If you have trouble understanding them, don't worry. Daniel himself could not understand the first vision until an angel explained it to him. If you read these chapters, it will be hard to understand all the details. Endless debates have taken place about whom the visions refer to. Some people think that the visions are about events that have already taken place. Some think that they’re talking about events to come. One thing is for sure: we may not understand the details, but the overall big picture is clear. God will confront evil. God will rescue the world and his people. God will bring his kingdom to earth. The main message of Daniel's visions is something we can all understand and agree on, even if we don't understand or agree on the specific details. And it should give us hope. God is working out his purposes in history. I love Daniel 7:13-14: > …and behold, with the clouds of heaven > there came one like a son of man, > and he came to the Ancient of Days > and was presented before him. > And to him was given dominion > and glory and a kingdom, > that all peoples, nations, and languages > should serve him; > his dominion is an everlasting dominion, > which shall not pass away, > and his kingdom one > that shall not be destroyed. Who is this? We don’t have to wonder, because in Mark 14:61-62, Jesus said that this refers to him. Jesus lies at the center of all history. The One who gave his life for us is the One who has been given dominion, a glory, and a kingdom, so that all people may serve him. His kingdom will never pass away. We can come to him and worship him in full confidence because of who he is. The invitation is open to you today to come to this Jesus. You can be part of his kingdom. You can have confidence that you are his as he works all things out according to his purposes. How do we live as the away team? **To live well in exile, draw a line, hold a big picture of God, and believe that history is headed somewhere.** And then we will live faithfully as his people even in the hardest times. Lord, give us this wisdom and confidence. We thank you for Jesus who is not only our Savior but our eternal King. Help us to trust him and serve him with all of our hearts. In Jesus’ name. Amen. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-360/ Last updated: 2023-09-09T09:00:18.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Is Pastoral Work Uniquely Difficult?](https://go.dashhouse.com/GGQs?ref=dashhouse.com) > No, yes, and it’s complicated. [5 Misconceptions About Dechurching in America](https://go.dashhouse.com/GGTZ?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are five misconceptions about dechurching that church leaders need to hear. [5 Ways the Digital Age Is Transforming the Way You Think](https://go.dashhouse.com/GGRN?ref=dashhouse.com) > The question is not whether we will be shaped by the Web; the question is, *How is the Web shaping us, and how do we respond?* [What Your Church Needs This September](https://go.dashhouse.com/GGQl?ref=dashhouse.com) > If you’re like me – tempted by the fast, famous, and fresh – here are some things we need to be reminded of this September. [Spiritually Hungry? The Church Service Is Your Main Meal](https://go.dashhouse.com/GGQw?ref=dashhouse.com) > Your individual devotional time — or “quiet time,” as we so fondly like to call it — is not meant to be your main source of spiritual nourishment. The church is. [‘Just Not Feeling It’: How Routine Awakens Devotion](https://go.dashhouse.com/GGR6?ref=dashhouse.com) > Under God, routines carve riverbeds in the soul where the streams of spontaneous love run deep. [The Brothers That Wrote a Sixth of the Psalms](https://go.dashhouse.com/GGRC?ref=dashhouse.com) > The next time you read one of the psalms written by the Sons of Korah, Asaph, Ethan, or Heman, give thanks to God for the glorious legacy of these musical brothers. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Keep Christianity Weird](https://go.dashhouse.com/GGEy?ref=dashhouse.com) > Don’t minimize the hard parts of Scripture; run to them. ### The Point of Thinking About Eschatology URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-point-of-thinking-about-eschatology/ Last updated: 2023-09-05T09:00:29.000Z There was a time when people cared — really cared — about eschatology. They held conferences. They formed denominations. They created study Bibles. Thinking about eschatology — the doctrine of what happens in the end times — was a big deal. No more. I hardly hear anyone talk about end times anymore. In some ways, that’s good. Sometimes we were a little too ready to fight over eschatology before. In other ways, it’s sad. I wonder if we really care as much as we should. I’m struck by what Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4:8: “Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” That verse challenges me. Do I love his appearing? Our future with Jesus is meant to be one of the controlling influences in our lives. Do we even think about it, never mind long for it and love it? If we had a bigger view of what’s to come, I suspect our lives today would be radically different. I got thinking about this recently as I studied Ezekiel 43\. Ezekiel has a vision of our future: God will recreate heaven and earth, and God will dwell with his people once again. Ezekiel’s vision is detailed, and it goes on for many chapters. The details matter. We should try our best to understand what Ezekiel wrote, and to piece it together with other passages of Scripture that speak of what will happen in the future. Of course, we should always model humility as we try to understand Scripture, but we shouldn’t just shrug our shoulders and say we’ll figure things out one day in the distant future. Pan-millenials (“It will all pan out in the end”) are taking the easy way out. We can do better. But we also shouldn’t miss the point. Why does God give Ezekiel all these details about what will happen in the future? God tells Ezekiel: > As for you, son of man, describe to the house of Israel the temple, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and they shall measure the plan. And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the temple, its arrangement, its exits and its entrances, that is, its whole design; and make known to them as well all its statutes and its whole design and all its laws, and write it down in their sight, so that they may observe all its laws and all its statutes and carry them out. This is the law of the temple: the whole territory on the top of the mountain all around shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the temple. (Ezekiel 43:10–12) Thinking about eschatology should help our holiness. It should make us hate sin. It should help us long for holiness. It should make us long for the day when our longings will become reality. Don’t shrug your shoulders when it comes to thinking about end times. Think about Jesus’ return. Study what Scripture teaches. But don’t do so just to criticize those who disagree with you. Do so because you love Jesus’ appearing, and because it will motivate you to pursue holiness. That’s the real point behind thinking about eschatology. ### When God Will Live Among Us (Ezekiel 43:1-12) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/when-god-will-live-among-us-ezekiel-431-12/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T14:59:08.000Z **Big Idea:** God will restore the world, and the center of this new creation will be God living with us, and this should change how we live. --- When you write a book that tells a story, there’s a formula you’re supposed to follow. First, you set the scene. You introduce the characters and the setting in a way that you begin to care about the characters. Then you introduce the conflict. No great story can exist without some form of conflict. You need the characters to get into some kind of trouble. For a good part of the story, you aren’t sure how the characters are ever going to get out of that trouble, but you want them to somehow triumph over their problems. When a story is good, that tension keeps you gripped while you figure out what’s going to happen. Then you have the climactic scene. Everything is on the line. It’s tense. But, in the end, the characters triumph over the problems. In a good story, the characters are transformed. They’re not the same people they were at the start of the story. They’re changed for the better. Then you have the happily ever after. The characters have faced the conflict and triumphed, and now they’re in good shape, and the story wraps up the loose ends and leaves you with a good feeling. That’s the shape of a good story. It’s the pattern that all the good stories follow. The important thing is that you can’t look like you’re following a formula, but generally, that’s exactly what every story does. So what’s wrong with Ezekiel? This year we’re going through the entire Bible as a church. We’re looking at passages that usually don’t get preached. Right now we’re right at the darkest period of the Old Testament. God is about to send Israel into exile. Along comes this guy called Ezekiel right before the exile begins. He warns Israel and gives them hope that restoration will one day happen. Ezekiel is a fascinating book. It’s puzzling. It’s gripping. It’s a little trippy at times. The one thing that it isn’t is boring. He gives object lessons. He lies on his left side for 390 days to symbolize how many years God’s people will be punished. He cuts his hair and burns part of it. He has all these weird prophecies. The one thing that he isn’t is boring. For a good part of the book, Ezekiel may be challenging, but also fascinating. And then you get to the end. At first glance, the end of the book is disappointing. The buildup is great. You’ve got a valley of dry bones that comes to life again in chapter 37, symbolizing the rebirth of the nation of Israel. You’ve also got an apocalyptic battle in chapters 38 and 39 that one commentator ([Iain Duguid](https://go.dashhouse.com/FzIj?ref=dashhouse.com)) says is “worthy of the climax to an action-thriller movie of the *Die Hard* genre.” And then things come to a screeching and head-scratching halt. In chapters 40 to 48 you have architectural specifications. You’ve got these very detailed descriptions of the dimensions of the new Temple. Let me give you a sample: > Then he measured the width of the opening of the gateway, ten cubits; and the length of the gateway, thirteen cubits. There was a barrier before the side rooms, one cubit on either side. And the side rooms were six cubits on either side. (Ezekiel 40:11-12) It goes on like that for a number of chapters. You’ve got to be kidding, right? But that’s not all. You’ve also got descriptions of what kind of sacrifices the prince may offer. Example: > This is the offering that you shall make: one sixth of an ephah from each homer of wheat, and one sixth of an ephah from each homer of barley, and as the fixed portion of oil, measured in baths, one tenth of a bath from each cor (the cor, like the homer, contains ten baths). (Ezekiel 45:13-14) You might wonder why Ezekiel finishes the book in a seemingly boring way after writing one of the most fascinating books in the entire Bible. He's like that dull person you know who enjoys telling you incredibly dull facts, such as the emission numbers of a 1988 Chrysler Fifth Avenue compared to a Toyota Tercel. You’re glad they’re having fun, but you want out of the conversation. One thing I’ve found in studying the Bible over the years is that sometimes the seemingly boring parts are actually some of the important parts. The parts that make you scratch your head, the parts that we’re tempted to skip over, actually have something important to say. Today’s passage is a case in point. In the middle of the seemingly boring end of the book of Ezekiel, Ezekiel communicates a message to us. And it’s one we need to hear. Here is the essence of the message. ## God Will Restore the World Where did I get this from? If you read chapters 40 to 48, you discover that Ezekiel’s vision is about nothing less than the reordering of the entire world. It begins with the recreation of his people in chapter 37\. But then you get this description of a renewed creation, of a heaven-on-earth place. It’s like if you took the Garden of Eden — the paradise of Genesis 2, before sin entered the world — and combined it with a new Temple. It’s not an earthy Temple. It’s not Solomon’s Temple or the second Temple of Jesus’ day. It’s a heavenly ideal that will become the new reality as God renews and restores the world. Remember the purpose of the Temple? The Temple is where God lives on earth. That’s why it was so important in Israel’s history. The Temple is where God lived with his people. So when Ezekiel gives this picture of this heavenly Temple, he’s saying that God will once again live with his people. Unlike the Temple of Ezekiels day, this will be a purified Temple with a restored priesthood that can worship God faithfully. At the center of this restored creation will be God’s holy people. In the Temple of Ezekiel’s day, walls surrounded the Temple to keep the people out. In the vision that Ezekiel has, the walls are there to keep people in, close to the presence of God. This is an amazing picture. You see echoes of this vision in Revelation too: > And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. (Revelation 21:2-3) What is the future of the world? God is going to restore it to what it should be. Our ultimate future is not heaven. Our ultimate future is a restored earth. As [Mike Wittmer](https://go.dashhouse.com/E-jU?ref=dashhouse.com) says, “We don’t hope merely for the day when we go to live with God, but ultimately for that final day when God comes to live with us.” We sometimes sing a song called “Is He Worthy?” It includes these words: > Do you feel the world is broken? (We do) > Do you feel the shadows deepen? (We do)... > Do you wish that you could see it, all made new? (We do) We have this longing for the world to be made right, for the world to be the way that it should be. Ezekiel tells us: God will restore the world. It will be the way that we long for it to be. A new heaven and a new earth will replace the old heaven and earth. God will make all things right. That is our hope. It’s what we can look forward to experiencing one day. That is why the end of Ezekiel isn’t boring at all. It’s describing what we long to experience. God will restore the world. But that’s not all. ## The Highlight of This New Creation Will Be God Living With Us Ezekiel 43 gives us an amazing picture. If you were here last week, you may remember the horrible vision that Ezekiel described earlier: God left the Temple. This is what led to all the other problems that happened. God had enough of his people. He left his dwelling place among them. He did so slowly, but he left. In chapter 43, the reverse happens. And it doesn’t happen slowly; it happens quickly. > As the glory of the LORD entered the temple by the gate facing east, the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the temple. (Ezekiel 43:4-5) God is back. He’s reclaiming his creation. That’s the highlight of this new restored creation. God is back, and this time for good. How do we know this? Because God says so. > While the man was standing beside me, I heard one speaking to me out of the temple, and he said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the people of Israel forever. And the house of Israel shall no more defile my holy name... (Ezekiel 43:6-7) The best part of this new creation is not just that the world is restored. It’s that God is there. The whole point — the longing of our souls — is God. I love how [John Piper](https://go.dashhouse.com/G68z?ref=dashhouse.com) puts it: > The critical question for our generation — and for every generation — is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ were not there? The answer has to be no. Heaven without Jesus isn’t heaven at all. The whole point of this restoration, the whole point of the gospel, is giving us God himself. It’s why Jesus came. It’s why God will remake the world. Piper continues: > The glorious excellencies and beauty of God will be what will forever entertain the minds of the saints, and the love of God will be their everlasting feast. The redeemed will indeed enjoy other things; they will enjoy the angels, and will enjoy one another: but that which they shall enjoy in the angels, or each other, or in anything else whatsoever, that will yield them delight and happiness, will be what will be seen of God in them. God will restore the world, and the highlight of this restored world will be God living with us. But Ezekiel gives us one more message. ## This Should Change How We Live Look at verses 10-12: > As for you, son of man, describe to the house of Israel the temple, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and they shall measure the plan. And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the temple, its arrangement, its exits and its entrances, that is, its whole design; and make known to them as well all its statutes and its whole design and all its laws, and write it down in their sight, so that they may observe all its laws and all its statutes and carry them out. This is the law of the temple: the whole territory on the top of the mountain all around shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the temple. (Ezekiel 43:10-12) What is the point of this vision? The point of the vision isn’t that we make charts about end-time prophesies. It’s not that we geek out on biblical interpretation, as good as that might be. The point is that we turn from our sins to God, that we treasure him, that we seek God because this new creation is coming. That’s the point of the gospel. It’s why Jesus died to make us new and to give us this hope. **God will restore the world, and the center of this new creation will be God living with us, and this should change how we live.** This is the highlight of what God will do. This is our hope. Lord, give us this hope. We long for the coming of Jesus. May this change how we live. In Jesus’ name. Amen. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-359/ Last updated: 2023-09-02T09:00:04.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [The Invention That Changed Everything](https://go.dashhouse.com/G7Ar?ref=dashhouse.com) > If I were to ask you to name the most important invention of the last thousand years, what would come to mind? [Number Your Days: Or Why Books Remind me of Death](https://go.dashhouse.com/G7As?ref=dashhouse.com) > Books speak before I even crack the cover, saying something like, “You’re running out of time, choose wisely.” [When You Don’t Want to Read Your Bible](https://go.dashhouse.com/G7At?ref=dashhouse.com) > If we limit our engagement to a “quiet time” format, we not only fall into false guilt and discouragement but also miss many creative ways of nourishing our souls with God’s Word. [Rediscovering the Joy of Writing](https://go.dashhouse.com/G7A%5F?ref=dashhouse.com) > How might you rediscover the joy of writing? As one who has rediscovered such joy several times over, I offer six suggestions. [Ligon Duncan Held an Umbrella](https://go.dashhouse.com/G7Av?ref=dashhouse.com) > This man who had every reason to want to be served, became a servant. [Serve in Children’s Ministry. It’s Bigger Than You Think.](https://go.dashhouse.com/G7B0?ref=dashhouse.com) > Want the gates of hell to tremble? Here’s an idea: serve in your church’s children’s ministry. [Fit for Office](https://go.dashhouse.com/G7B1?ref=dashhouse.com) > We do well to consider several reasons for why Christians, and pastors in particular, exercise. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [The Peril of Application](https://go.dashhouse.com/G6hD?ref=dashhouse.com) > Applying a text is more challenging than it appears. ### What I’ve Learned in the First Ten Years of a Church URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/what-ive-learned-in-the-first-ten-years-of-a-church/ Last updated: 2023-08-29T23:38:54.000Z Almost ten years ago, we held our first service as a [new church](https://go.dashhouse.com/lgc?ref=dashhouse.com). God willing, our anniversary service will take place on September 24, my last day as pastor of that church. Over the years, we’ve seen God move. I have so many stories of his faithfulness and provision this past decade. We still continue to see God move. That’s one of the things that makes it hard for us to move. Here are five things I’d do differently, and five things I’d do again. ## Five Things I’d Do Differently 1. **Assemble a stronger launch team.** We had great people, but many of them had dual allegiances. We were their second church. I would have worked harder at assembling a stronger and larger team right from the start. 2. **Learn the community.** I did all the research, but missed the implications of an important fact about our community: its transience. I *knew* it was transient, but I didn’t give enough thought to how this would affect our church. It was been one of the biggest factors shaping what ministry looks like in our context. 3. **Ask for more commitment.** I would have emphasized covenant membership right from the start, and raised the commitment level. In hindsight, I would have attended a [9Marks Weekender](https://go.dashhouse.com/EGmo?ref=dashhouse.com) sooner and applied what I learned. I would have asked people to stay longer, and challenged them to commit more. 4. **Raise more money.** I spent the first year sharing the vision and raising money. It helped a lot. Our prayer and financial partners have helped the ministry continue for many years. But for most of our history, we were living pretty close to the financial edge. I would have tried to build a stronger financial cushion if I started again. 5. **Pray.** I prayed these past ten years, but if I started again, I would pray even more. A lot more. ## Five Things I’d Do Again 1. **Risk.** John Piper is correct: [risk is right](https://go.dashhouse.com/G3fm?ref=dashhouse.com). Church planting is risky, but the risk is worth it. We need more people to accept the risks associated with church planting, and to celebrate the church plants that, humanly speaking, didn’t pay off. 2. **Move in.** We didn’t live far from Liberty Village, but it made all the difference to actually move into the community. We loved getting to know people. I aimed to become the community pastor. Based on the model we chose, I can’t imagine living elsewhere. 3. **Hang out with community members.** When we started, we spent a lot of time hanging around people who weren’t Christians. We had them over. We went over to their place. We attended parties. We loved it. I realized that for many years, this had not been part of my pastoral ministry. I’m so glad that it is now. 4. **Protect the church.** Early on, I realized I was responsible not to tolerate sin and dysfunction. I don’t love confrontation, but I realized we had to deal with issues as they came up before they became big deals. A few hard conversations, held early, have helped protect the church over these years. 5. **Enjoy the church.** Planting and pastoring can be like raising children: you don’t take time to enjoy it until it’s too late. Somehow, God allowed us to stop and enjoy — really enjoy — what we were doing. A friend gave me advice one day: stop counting, and have fun. Focus on what God is doing instead of what’s lacking. It allowed me to refocus from seeing only challenges to feeling grateful for where God was at work. It’s hard for us to come to the end of our time at Liberty Grace Church, but we’re excited about its future. God has been gracious in allowing the church to continue despite our mistakes. It has been both a challenge and an immense joy. ### Our Greatest Hope (Ezekiel 11:17-20) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/our-greatest-hope-ezekiel-1117-20/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T14:59:23.000Z **Big Idea:** Our problem is severe. The solution is that we need a new heart from God. --- Sometimes the worst parts of life are very closely tied to the best parts. Today I want to do something simple: I want to look at one of the worst moments in the entire Bible with one of the best promises in the whole Bible. The two belong together. The two give us a really good window into the Christian faith. So let’s look at one of the worst moments, and then let’s look at one of the greatest promises. ## One of the Worst Moments We’re looking at the book of Ezekiel today. Ezekiel was a prophet who served in the Babylonian captivity. In 586 BC, Babylon besieged Jerusalem. They completely destroyed the city, including the temple. The Babylonians carted off a lot of the people to Babylon some 700 miles away. This was probably the lowest moment in the whole of the Old Testament. But just before this low moment, Ezekiel comes along. Ezekiel was probably one of the first waves of people who’d been carried off into exile even before, some ten years before the destruction of Jerusalem, along with the royal family. So Ezekiel is writing just before Jerusalem is destroyed, but he’s already in Babylon. Just to warn you: what Ezekiel writes is trippy. > W. F. Albright describes Ezekiel as “one of the greatest spiritual figures of all time, in spite of his tendency to psychic abnormality.” Ezekiel’s behavior has been called many things: “pathological,” “psychic,” “schizophrenic,” “epileptic,” “catatonic,” “psychotic,” and “paranoid.” ([Mark Dever](https://go.dashhouse.com/BcM%5F?ref=dashhouse.com)) Ezekiel is pretty hardcore. The book is so strange that some Jewish rabbis wouldn’t allow young men to read his book until they were 30 years old because they were afraid it would be too hard, and perhaps too weird, for them. In the passage we’re looking at today, Ezekiel is in Babylon before the destruction of Jerusalem. And he has a vision. In chapters 8 and 9, Ezekiel gets a glimpse at the problem. He has a vision of the atrocities being committed in the temple. And then he begins to have a vision of what’s going to happen. He has a vision of the Babylonians coming to conquer Jerusalem, but that’s not even the worst part. Imagine that. The siege, the starvation, the death, the capture of the city, the destruction of the city — none of that is the worst part. What we’re about to read is the worst part. It’s even worse than the destruction of Jerusalem. Look what happens. In chapter 8 verse 4, we read, “And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there,” meaning in the temple. God was there in Jerusalem. God lived among his sinful people. In chapter 9, verse 3, we read, “Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub on which it rested to the threshold of the house.” That’s a little concerning. God’s glory moves to the threshold of the temple. But then in chapter 10, verses 18 and 20, we read, “Then the glory of the LORD went out from the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim … And they stood at the entrance of the east gate of the house of the LORD, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them.” The glory has gone from within the temple to the threshold of the temple to the entrance of the east gate of the temple. And then in chapter 11, verses 22 and 23, we read: > Then the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them. And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain that is on the east side of the city. God abandons the temple. Think about this. The thing that had made Israel Israel is that God had been with them all this time. Back when they escaped Egypt, the Egyptian army was close to destroying them. But God was with them as a pillar of smoke by day, and a pillar of fire by night. When Israel built a golden calf, God told Moses that he wasn’t going to go with them. But Moses cried out to God: > If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth? (Exodus 33:15–16) Moses knew that if they didn’t have God’s presence, they didn’t have anything. So God stayed with them. Eventually, they built the temple. On the day they brought the ark of the covenant to the temple, an amazing thing happened. “And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, a cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD” (1 Kings 8:10–11). God was present with his people. But then, in this vision, Ezekiel sees God move out. He no longer lives with his people, at least the people in Jerusalem. In chapter 11:16 we read that God goes to be with the people in exile in Babylon. For Ezekiel, the real problem isn’t when Babylon comes to destroy Jerusalem. That’s only a symptom of the real problem. The real problem is when God moves out. God had enough. > The fundamental reality that Judah had always relied upon, the presence of God in their midst in the temple on Mount Zion, is revealed to be now nothing more than a hollow shell. The glory of God has departed from their midst, leaving the city ripe for destruction. What that means is that those who seem to themselves to be in the better situation—in the frying pan rather than in the fire, those confidently depending on God’s commitment to Zion—are actually next on the menu. God has abandoned them to their doom. To continue the culinary metaphor, their goose is cooked. ([Iain Duguid](https://go.dashhouse.com/FzIj?ref=dashhouse.com)) I guess, in some ways, the destruction of Jerusalem was the worst event that happened in Israel’s history. But the even worse event that led to that destruction is here: that God left his people because of their persistent sin. God is gracious. He is patient. But if we persist in our rebellion against him, we will be left with an empty form of religion that God himself has abandoned. As Iain Duguid says: > God’s presence can be removed from a church, just as it abandoned the temple, leading to that church becoming nothing more than a hollow shell. Outwardly, everything may still seem to be in place, but without the internal reality of God’s presence it is merely a matter of time before the whole edifice collapses. This is, I would argue, the worst moment in Israel’s history, but it also goes long with one of the greatest promises. ## One of the Greatest Promises In the middle of this horrible vision of God abandoning his people, Ezekiel sees some hope. The exile is temporary, he says, and God is going to do something that God’s people desperately need. > Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: I will gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.’ And when they come there, they will remove from it all its detestable things and all its abominations. And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. (Ezekiel 11:17-20) Their problem was not the Babylonians. Their problem was not that they were in exile far from home. Their problem was not that they needed a self-improvement project. Their problem went much deeper. They needed new hearts. God promised them restoration — not just restoration to the land, but brand new hearts. God will not just undo the past. He will deal with the underlying issues that caused the problems. God promises to fundamentally change Israel’s relationship with him and with the land. Ezekiel gives a stunningly accurate diagnosis of our problem and a very hope-filled solution to our condition. Here’s the problem: A heart of stone. Our problem is not that we need a little self-improvement. Our problem is not that we need to try a little harder. The problem is that we have bad hearts. I’m no cardiologist, but a heart of stone sounds bad. A stony heart is dead, unresponsive to God. That’s our problem. Ezekiel has already spoken of this. “Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts…” (Ezekiel 14:3). An idol is anything that takes the place of God, and as John Calvin said, our hearts are idol factories. Ezekiel has also called the Israelites hard-hearted (2:4) and said they have stubborn hearts (3:7). Christianity is not about becoming a better person. It’s not about self-improvement. We’re beyond that. We need more help than that. Our condition is far too serious. The only solution is radical surgery, “the removal of the defective and fossilized organ and its replacement with a sensitive and responsive heart, ‘a heart of flesh’” (Daniel Block). And that’s exactly what God promises to do. Our new heart will be different. It will want to obey God. It will want to honor him. God doesn’t just change our behaviors. He changes our desires. He fixes our wanters. This is the worst moment. God withdraws his presence from his people in Jerusalem. But it also gives us one of the greatest promises. Not only will our sins be forgiven through the work of Jesus on the cross, but we will be changed by the power of the Holy Spirit. He will change us from the inside out. He will give us new hearts. How do we get these new hearts? We receive them. It’s the only way. We can’t turn our hearts from stone to flesh, but God can. We come to him with empty hands of faith and he completely remakes us. It’s what he loves to do. **Our problem is severe. The solution is that we need a new heart from God.** In [*The Voyage of the Dawn Treader*](https://go.dashhouse.com/FzVc?ref=dashhouse.com), C. S. Lewis tells of how a young boy named Eustace becomes a dragon—a very unhappy dragon at that. Eustace steals a gold armband and puts it on, only to find that his greed turns him into a dragon. And the armband is excruciatingly tight on his dragon foot. One night, in the midst of his pain and frustration, Eustace encounters a huge lion who tells the boy to follow it to a high mountain well. Eustace longs to bathe his aching foot in the cool water, but the lion tells him he must undress first. It seems silly to Eustace because dragons don't wear clothes, but then he remembers that dragons, like snakes, cast their skins. So Eustace scratches his skin, and the scales begin falling off—and soon his whole skin peels away. But when he puts his foot in the water, he sees that it is just as rough and scaly as before. He continues scratching at the second dragon skin and realizes there is yet another underneath. No matter how much Eustace tries to get rid of his scaly skin, he can’t. He needs help from outside of himself. Finally the lion says, "You will have to let me undress you." Eustace is afraid of the lion's claws but desperate to get in the water. The first tear is painfully deep as the lion begins to peel away the skin. Surely death will follow, Eustace believes. With the gnarled mess of dragon skin now cut away, the lion holds Eustace and throws him into the water. > It smarted like anything but only for a moment. After that it became perfectly delicious and as soon as I started swimming and splashing I found that all the pain had gone from my arm. And then I saw why. I’d turned into a boy again. You can’t fix yourself. Your condition is too serious. But there is one who can. The surgery is major, but it’s always successful. He will strip away everything that needs to go and give you a brand new heart. Lord, thank you for diagnosing our problem. And thank you for providing the solution. Thank you for not only forgiving our sins but giving us a completely new heart. May we all receive that from you and live in that new reality. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-358/ Last updated: 2023-08-26T09:00:31.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Pastors and Social Media](https://go.dashhouse.com/F-jb?ref=dashhouse.com) > If I were on a church’s pastoral search committee, one question I would have for each candidate is: > What social media accounts do you use, how often do you publish on them, and who in your life has total access to your page and your private messages and could confront you, if necessary, about anything on there? [Are You a Cheap Pastor on Social Media?](https://go.dashhouse.com/FonV?ref=dashhouse.com) > Pastoral counsel that leads to meaningful change should usually be earned through a relationship of trust that develops over time. ["God Knows I Love You"](https://go.dashhouse.com/FoxM?ref=dashhouse.com) > A pastor’s love to a congregation is essential to a happy and healthy ministry. [Being a Church Planter Is Not Always Exciting!](https://go.dashhouse.com/F-je?ref=dashhouse.com) > The majority of work for a pastor is in the same ballpark as the majority of work for a church planter. [Putting Down Roots: A Call to Young People](https://go.dashhouse.com/FpS0?ref=dashhouse.com) > How about this as a vision for your life? > Put down your roots deep and early. Commit to a local church for life. Then pass that vision on to the next generation. [The Gospel is the Main Application of the Bible](https://go.dashhouse.com/Fop0?ref=dashhouse.com) > We are all weak and broken and in need of a savior, and the gospel is the only solution that gets down to the very bedrock of our souls. Everything else is ancillary to that one main thing. [Keep Them from Sex: A Demon’s Plea for Abstinence](https://go.dashhouse.com/FoyE?ref=dashhouse.com) > Advice from a senior demon to a junior demon on sex My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [The Best and Worst Parts of Ministry](https://go.dashhouse.com/FzzD?ref=dashhouse.com) > The worst part of ministry is the relational pain. But, according to Paul, it’s worth it. ### Don't Begin With the Needs of Your People URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/dont-begin-with-the-needs-of-your-people/ Last updated: 2023-08-22T09:00:42.000Z I used to begin with the needs of people and then go to Scripture. I figured that the place to begin as a preacher is with the needs of the people in front of me. I still see the value in this approach. The wise preacher considers the needs of the congregation. We need to know our people and their struggles, and build a preaching diet that’s appropriate to the needs of our people. But there’s also a danger in this approach. Taken too far, the needs of people — not Scripture — will dictate what we preach and teach. There’s another way. Get to know Scripture. All of it. Dig deep into texts that are often ignored in the normal preaching diet of the church. Read the books of the Bible that are rarely preached. Don’t just read them. Dig deep and meditate on them. Pretty soon you’ll discover that they have a message to communicate, a message that we often miss because we don’t pay much attention to these parts of the Bible. You’ll see the way that these passages intersect with the needs of your people. You’ll soon be overwhelmed with how much of the Bible — every part of it — speaks to the human condition and to the hope we have in Jesus. Keep going. Let Scripture set the agenda. Follow its contours: its ups and downs, its low points and its high points. See the hope; feel the despair. As you read it, determine to let it set the agenda. Allow it to speak, and you will find that it speaks clearly and loudly to what people are facing today. And then preach that Word. Allow it to set the agenda. It will tackle issues you may have ignored, not because those issues aren’t relevant to your congregation, but you might not have thought of them. Believe that you don’t have to make the text relevant. Start with the assumption that it’s already relevant, and you just need to let it speak its message to people who desperately need to hear what it says. I’m discovering the beauty of passages that rarely get preached. Scripture contains a richness that’s unimaginable, that’s far greater than what we’d come up with when we set the agenda. Scripture is not some irrelevant book in which we have to find the relevant parts; it is a book in which every passage has more riches than you can extract in one or two sermons. Begin with the assumption that allowing the text to speak will be more relevant than any other kind of preaching, and you will discover a new and better way to preach. You won’t want to go back. Don’t get me wrong. Pay attention to your congregation’s needs. You will still need to do that. Just don’t let those needs set the agenda. Let the text set the agenda, and over a regular preaching ministry of months and years, you will find that it speaks to those needs in a far richer way than anything you could have come up with any other way. When Scripture speaks in its fullness, it speaks to the needs of our people. ### God’s Word to the Weary, Discouraged, and Ambitious (Jeremiah 45) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/gods-word-to-the-weary-and-discouraged-ambitious-jeremiah-45/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T14:59:37.000Z **Big Idea:** Life is hard, but God cares. Things might get worse, but it’s not about us. It’s about God. --- Alan Noble has written a book recently called [*On Getting Out of Bed: The Burden and Gift of Living*](https://go.dashhouse.com/FR0N?ref=dashhouse.com). Noble argues that normal life involves a great deal of suffering. “Tremendous suffering is the normal experience of being in this world. Beauty and love and joy are normal, too, but so is suffering.” He says what many of us have felt: sometimes, getting out of bed in the morning can be incredibly hard. That may sound incredibly pessimistic for some of you, but for others, it’s where you live right now. We will all go through times in our lives when we feel weary and discouraged. The story we just read is about a man who had every reason to feel this way. ## The Scene We’re going through the Bible this year. Right now we’re at perhaps the darkest point in the history of God’s people in the Hebrew Scriptures. We’re in the book of Jeremiah, prophet to the stubborn people of Judah. Jeremiah is called the weeping prophet because he had a difficult message to deliver. God was going to bring judgment on the next generation in Judah for their wickedness. In chapter 39, Jeremiah describes the complete destruction of Jerusalem. The city was besieged for months. Finally, it was captured and destroyed. The Temple — where God dwelt among his people — was razed to the ground. The king’s house was torn down. So were the walls of the city. Many of the inhabitants were either killed or taken into captivity. It was a complete and utter catastrophe. Mark this date down: 586 BC. Memorize it. It’s one of the most important dates in the Old Testament. It’s the year the Babylonian captivity began. It’s the year that the dream died. These were not good times. These were the worst times. It seemed like God had completely abandoned his people. The chapter we just read zooms in not on Jeremiah, but on his scribe Baruch. Baruch is an interesting person in the Bible. He’s a professional scribe, a literate person in an illiterate world. He would have been a bit of a big deal. > Trusted and admired, they got a key to the executive washroom. They parked their chariot close to the office. They had the number for the company membership at the Jerusalem City Club. They were on the inside. (Joel Gregory) Tradition says that he may have even been a royal scribe. The ancient historian Josephus says that he came from a distinguished family. His impression has been found among seals belonging to royal officials. Baruch is the only person in the Bible for whom we may have fingerprints. In 1975, a team of archaeologists acquired clay document markers — kind of like ancient bookmarks — from an Arab antiquities dealer. In 1986, they finally managed to decipher these markers. They found one that had the seal of Baruch, son of Neriah. Later, they discovered another marker that not only contained Baruch’s seal but also a thumbprint, likely belonging to the scribe himself. This is a real man, just like us. So you have this man who seems to be quite important. In Jeremiah, you see him writing down Jeremiah’s prophecies. It was hard work. And it was a difficult time to be alive. Jerusalem had fallen some 19 years earlier. They were witnessing God’s judgment on his people. For Baruch it was even worse. In chapter 36, we read that some of Baruch’s scrolls, containing Jeremiah’s prophecies, had come to the king’s attention. Someone read them to the king. In an act of outright rebellion, the king destroyed the scroll as it was read: > It was the ninth month, and the king was sitting in the winter house, and there was a fire burning in the fire pot before him. As Jehudi read three or four columns, the king would cut them off with a knife and throw them into the fire in the fire pot, until the entire scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the fire pot. (Jeremiah 36:22–23) He took his penknife and cut God’s holy word to pieces. He burned holy Scripture. All that work — the careful dictation of prophecy carefully written down on leather or papyrus, wrapped around wooden rollers — rejected. All of that work — weeks or even months — and all that it meant destroyed. Baruch lived in a discouraging time. He had a discouraging message. And his work brought discouraging results. He had very little reason to hope. His life may have been in danger because of his message. It’s in this context that we read Baruch’s words in verse 3: “Woe is me! For the LORD has added sorrow to my pain. I am weary with my groaning, and I find no rest” (Jeremiah 45:3). Baruch had sorrow on top of suffering. He was worn out and could find no respite or escape from his pain. He’d paid the cost of serving God, and he felt the pain. Can you relate to Baruch? There are times that everything seems to be going wrong, when we have every reason to feel discouraged. ## What God Teaches Us But look at what happens. ### First: God notices. Jeremiah 45:2 says, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch,” and then he repeats Baruch’s words of complaint. And here we see: God notices what we’re going through. You see this all throughout Scripture. Psalm 34:18 says, “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” Think about this. God has a lot going on. He’s running the 200 billion galaxies in the universe. Sometimes it seems like our problems are small — like “take a number and wait over there” small. Does God really care about me and my little problems? The Bible screams: yes! God sees. God cares. In fact, God not only comes near to us in our trouble, but he saves the crushed in spirit. Take another verse in the psalms. Psalm 56:8 says, “You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?” God is not only aware of our tears, but he stores them. It’s like when we’re crying, God comes with a bottle and collects our tears. They matter to him. He keeps track of our tossing and turning in bed. God really cares. Baruch had a beef. You know what it’s like to have a complaint. I’ve had a few myself recently, and it’s hard to get customer service. It’s hard to get anyone to notice you saying, “Hey! I need help over here.” But God notices. That’s why 1 Peter 5:7 says that you can cast all our anxiety on God because he cares for you. Are you weary and discouraged? This story tells us that God notices. God knows what you’re going through. God really cares. God cares. Here’s the second thing that God teaches us in this passage. ### Second: It might get worse. You might think that God would tell Baruch to practice some self-care. Take a week off. Go to the spa. Or that he would give him some reassurance. God loves you. All things work together for good. Sometimes those things are true. Sometimes we do need to take some time off and get perspective. Sometimes we do need to be reminded of God’s promises. But look at what God says to Baruch in verse 4 and the middle of verse 5: “Thus says the LORD: Behold, what I have built I am breaking down, and what I have planted I am plucking up—that is, the whole land … I am bringing disaster upon all flesh, declares the LORD.” Not exactly encouraging! But this is a necessary word for us. We tend to zero in on what’s happening in our lives. It’s like we’re the hero of the movie and everyone else is a supporting character. But God changes our perspective. He is up to something in the world. He is the hero of the story. What he is up to will affect us, but it’s not all about us. He’s accomplishing his purposes among the world. I’m reading Tolkien’s Fellowship of the Ring right now, and I love these words. Frodo has the ring, and Gandalf is telling him of the Shadow that has taken shape and is growing again. “‘I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. He wanted to live an easy, carefree life. He didn’t want to get caught up in events beyond him. But Gandalf replies: > ‘So do I,’ said Gandalf, ‘and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. And already, Frodo, our time is beginning to look black. Baruch is saying, “I wish I didn’t have to put up with all of these hardships!” God essentially tells him: you’re part of something bigger. Don’t forget the first point. God still cares. But God has a bigger agenda than our comfort. God is working out his purposes in this world. And even though he cares, we may be called upon to suffer not because God doesn’t care because he does. God cares, but things still might get worse. But there’s one more thing. ### Three: Remember that it’s not all about you. These words are at first deflating but then liberating for us. > And do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not, for behold, I am bringing disaster upon all flesh, declares the LORD. But I will give you your life as a prize of war in all places to which you may go. (Jeremiah 45:5) Do you want great things for yourself? Sure. Don’t we all? We want our names to be big. We want to be big deals. We want to serve God and be seen by others to be great. Man, I wanted this. I used to dream of doing great things for God, but most of those things also involved me becoming a big deal. But God tells Baruch: don’t aim for the kind of greatness that’s about making your name great. Aim for the kind of greatness that’s about making God great. Don’t base your happiness on how easy your life is or how big your name is. Base your happiness on the greatness of God and the privilege of serving him. It’s what Tim Keller calls [*The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness*](https://go.dashhouse.com/FTup?ref=dashhouse.com). “The essence of gospel-humility is not thinking more of myself or thinking less of myself, it is thinking of myself less.” > True gospel-humility means I stop connecting every experience, every conversation, with myself. In fact, I stop thinking about myself. The freedom of self-forgetfulness. The blessed rest that only self-forgetfulness brings. The only way we can think of ourselves less is by thinking of God more. It’s by having a bigger view of God, a greater amazement at the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ. As God becomes bigger, as the cross looms larger, we are freed to stop seeking great things for ourselves. We’ll be content simply by being his servants. That will be enough, because God is enough. **Life is hard, but God cares. Things might get worse, but it’s not about us. It’s about God.** The more we see the beauty of Jesus, the more we’ll be freed from making our lives about ourselves. The more we’ll experience the freedom of self-forgetfulness. So Father, give us that bigger view of Jesus. Help us to know you care even when things get hard, and that it really isn’t about us. Help us to live lives that are all about you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-357/ Last updated: 2023-08-19T09:00:51.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Seeking Revival Is the Pastoral Task](https://go.dashhouse.com/FUE2?ref=dashhouse.com) > In at least four key ways, pastoral ministry is a renewal-seeking enterprise. [Spurgeon on Building a Culture of Evangelism](https://go.dashhouse.com/FUDU?ref=dashhouse.com) > Spurgeon gives three basic principles for building a culture of evangelism: Patience, Pastoring, and Prayer. [The Two-Bar Strategy: How to Have Ambitious Goals Without Overwhelming Your Days](https://go.dashhouse.com/FUEh?ref=dashhouse.com) > How do we set ambitious goals without being disappointingly unrealistic in our daily plans? [Give Humble Counsel](https://go.dashhouse.com/FUEi?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are two helps for giving humble counsel. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Needed: Pastors Who Pastor](https://go.dashhouse.com/FTMc?ref=dashhouse.com) > Be careful of distractions that draw pastors away from the work of pastoral ministry. ### Don't Start the Race to the Bottom URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/dont-start-the-race-to-the-bottom/ Last updated: 2023-08-15T21:26:38.000Z I’ve heard Seth Godin use the phrase “race to the bottom.” Once you start to compete on being the cheapest, someone else can undercut you. You’ll find that you’ve entered a race based on cutting corners and getting the lowest possible buy-in from customers. He [warns](https://go.dashhouse.com/FP6V?ref=dashhouse.com): > …the problem with the race to the bottom is that you might win. > You might make a few more bucks for now, but not for long and not with pride. Someone will always find a way to be cheaper or more brutal than you. The same applies to ministry. Some parts of Scripture are hard to accept. We can downplay them and emphasize the parts of the Bible that seem more palatable and that don’t contradict our sensibilities. When we do so, we’ve entered a race to the bottom. Someone else will always find a way to make the faith even more palatable and inoffensive. Where are you prepared to stop? The best option is to never begin. Once you start becoming selective with Scripture, you’re entering a game you can’t win and don’t want to win. Don’t even start. The same applies to discipleship. Some (like me) argue that we should provide on-ramps for people to begin to learn spiritual disciplines. Start small and build. The problem is when we accommodate the Christian faith to what’s easy and manageable. Soon, the demands of discipleship are reduced to low-cost and low-commitment options. But someone down the road may offer an even cheaper version of discipleship. Once you start playing that game, you’re playing a game you can’t win and don’t want to win. Don’t even start. Godin proposes a different way. > The race to the top makes more sense to me. The race to the top is focused on design and respect and dignity and guts and innovation and sustainability and yes, generosity when it might be easier to be selfish. It's also risky, filled with difficult technical and emotional hurdles, and requires patience and effort and insight. The race to the top is the long-term path with the desirable outcome. Godin isn’t talking about ministry, but I think it applies there too. Decide to build a ministry around a radical pursuit of Jesus. Take Scripture seriously. Preach and read the parts that others ignore. Tackle difficult issues. Explain hard doctrines. Never apologize or explain away what Scripture teaches. Be willing to believe that when Scripture contradicts culture, culture (not Scripture) must bend. Build a church that calls people to take up their crosses, to lose their lives in the pursuit of Jesus. Where other churches lower the bar, raise it. Preach and model what it looks like to live lives of faithful, costly obedience. The more we race to the bottom, the more anemic we’ll become. The more we race to the top, the more we refuse to water down the faith, the more we’ll find that we’re in race in which we gain more than we lose. In fact, we’ll find that we gain a hundred times more back, both now and in the life to come, than anything we lose (Mark 10:29-31). We’ll reverse the trends we’re tempted to follow, and that will be a costly and beautiful thing that will pay off now and for eternity. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-356/ Last updated: 2023-08-12T09:00:41.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [The Godliness of a Good Night’s Sleep](https://go.dashhouse.com/FLD3?ref=dashhouse.com) > For those prone to productive self-reliance, the bed is a desk in God’s school of humility. [Our Missions Approach Is Too Western](https://go.dashhouse.com/FH1Y?ref=dashhouse.com) > If Western missionaries are to be faithful stewards of this treasure, we must avoid the individualism, egalitarianism, and consumerism that mark our culture. [Pray the Directory](https://go.dashhouse.com/FMBW?ref=dashhouse.com) > One of the practical things you can do to ensure that you pray for all of the people in your church is to pray through your church directory. [Where Have All The Theologians Gone?](https://go.dashhouse.com/FLDM?ref=dashhouse.com) > In my view, the church today is not producing enough theologians of the intellectual caliber of those who lived in the Medieval or Early Modern eras. Not even close. [Themelios 48.2](https://go.dashhouse.com/FLCI?ref=dashhouse.com) > The new August 2023 issue of Themelios has 227 pages of editorials, articles, and book reviews. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [How to Pray for Pastors](https://go.dashhouse.com/FLKi?ref=dashhouse.com) > How should we pray for our pastors and spiritual leaders? ### How to Autograph a Book URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/how-to-autograph-a-book/ Last updated: 2023-08-08T09:00:50.000Z How should you respond when you’re asked to autograph a book? I guess you sign it, at least if you are the one who wrote the book. But as you do, you battle the temptation to pride. One way to do this is to remind yourself of a biblical truth that helps you keep perspective. A Christian author from the past signed a book this way. Merrill Tenney was his name. He was a professor of New Testament and Greek, and author of several books. He was the general editor of the [Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary](https://go.dashhouse.com/FJQq?ref=dashhouse.com), and served on the original translation team for the New American Standard Bible. Tenney was known for his love of Scripture, his knowledge of ancient history and languages, high academic standards, and his affection for students. He also pastored churches, and he maintained an extensive speaking schedule at churches, conferences and colleges while teaching. One day, a student asked Dr. Tenney to autograph a book he had written. Reluctantly, Tenney signed the book. Later, the student found that, under his signature, Tenney had written a single Bible reference: Hebrews 10:38: > …my righteous one shall live by faith, > and if he shrinks back, > my soul has no pleasure in him. The writer to the Hebrews quotes from Habakkuk 2:3-4\. The Christian life demands faith, and that faith requires endurance. The stakes are high: if we shrink back, we’ll experience divine displeasure and miss out on God’s blessings. What a verse for Tenney to include underneath his signature. Walter Elwell and Robert Yarbrough [write](https://go.dashhouse.com/FJQr?ref=dashhouse.com): > Was Tenney living under a shadow of fear? Did he fail to realize that God is love and that Christians have no need to be afraid of God’s judgment? On the contrary, he knew the fuller truth. Knowing the Lord does not mean lapsing into a sloppy self-confidence that encourages laxness and excuses disobedience. Rather, it means exercising diligent faith out of a fierce desire to please rather than dishonor Christ. Tenney, confident yet not complacent, had taken to heart the exhortation that the writer of Hebrews issues. The stakes are high. We’re not done yet. It’s God’s assessment of our lives that matters most. The real test will be if we endure to the end. Tenney understood that his academic record, book sales, and reputation were not ultimate. He could sign books, but the opinions of those who wanted his autograph wasn’t what drove him. He lived for a higher goal and purpose: to live by faith and endure to the end. So build a ministry. Use your gifts. Bless others. As you do, realize you’ll probably receive recognition and acclaim from others. But don’t let that fool you. What you need most is a few of the ultimate purpose of your life: the commendation of God because you lived by faith and didn’t shrink back from following the One who saved you. Then you can autograph all the books you want, and remember what matters most, and avoid the trap of caring too much about the approval of mere men and women. ### God Fights (Joel) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/god-fights-joel/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T14:59:51.000Z **Big Idea:** God fights for his people, but he will fight against those who reject him. --- Have I told you what I really appreciate about people? I like people who care enough to fight. Don’t get me wrong. I *don’t* like fighting. I hate it. I avoid argumentative people who love to start squabbles. I don’t have time for that. There’s a line from the movie *1917*: “Some men just like the fight.” Avoid people like this. In fact, the Bible tells us to guard the church against people like this. “As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned” (Titus 3:10-11). Nobody’s got time for that. So what do I mean when I say that I like people who care enough to fight? I mean this: - I want to be someone who will do whatever it takes to fight for the wellbeing of the people I love. - I want to keep my wedding vow so badly that I will fight for our marriage no matter what it takes. - I want friends who love me enough to have difficult conversations and tell me the truth, even if it hurts. - I long for men and women who love God so much that they’re willing to suffer for him even when it’s hard. I could go on and on. I don’t have any time for quarrelsome people, but I have all the time in the world for people who care enough to fight for what matters most. ## The God Who Fights You may be surprised to learn that God has that kind of fight in him. God cares enough to fight. What do I mean by this? We’re well on our way through our journey through the Bible this year. Today I want to look at one of the minor — the smaller — prophets. In fact, it’s one of the smallest books in the entire Bible. We don’t know much about Joel. We basically know only one thing about him: his father’s name. We don’t know when we wrote the book. Joel doesn’t even tell us the details of the offenses of the people that led him to write this book. But one thing’s for sure: Joel is about a God who fights. God cares enough to fight. Think about this. This is very good news for us. God is not apathetic. He’s not shrugging his shoulders. He cares. He cares enough to fight. Joel tells us two ways in which God is prepared to fight. Here’s the first: ### God fights for his people. Joel’s pretty short. The first part of the book — chapters 1 to almost the end of chapter 2 — is about God fighting against and for his people. How did he fight? Joel 1:2-4 says: > Hear this, you elders; > give ear, all inhabitants of the land! > Has such a thing happened in your days, > or in the days of your fathers? > Tell your children of it, > and let your children tell their children, > and their children to another generation. > What the cutting locust left, > the swarming locust has eaten. > What the swarming locust left, > the hopping locust has eaten, > and what the hopping locust left, > the destroying locust has eaten. Verses 2 and 3 say that something catastrophic is happening. It’s so catastrophic that the old guys have no memory of it. It’s so extreme that they’ll be talking about it for generations. What is it? Verse 4 tells us: locusts — not just a mild version of pests, but an onslaught that led to the total destruction of the crops. Complete and utter crop failure. It would take years to recover. It’s hard for us today to imagine how serious this would be. But locusts continue to be a major problem today. They can cover vast areas, devastating crops and causing major agricultural damage. This can lead even today to famine and starvation. A swarm can eat millions of pounds of plants every day. The result is devastating: > The fields are destroyed, > the ground mourns, > because the grain is destroyed, > the wine dries up, > the oil languishes. > (1:10) This doesn’t sound too bad for us. You have to hear this verse as it would sound back then. > Grain, wine and oil were necessary for the staple diet of Mediterranean countries—the grain to make bread; the fruit of the vine as daily drink; olive oil for cooking, cleansing, soothing, lighting and much else besides. > So their whole way of life has been destroyed. We can cope with most things until our basic lifestyle is affected. (David Prior) It’s affected everything. But Joel says that this is just the beginning. In chapter 2, he warns of more bad news: > Blow a trumpet in Zion; > sound an alarm on my holy mountain! > Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, > for the day of the LORD is coming; it is near, > a day of darkness and gloom, > a day of clouds and thick darkness! > Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains > a great and powerful people; > their like has never been before, > nor will be again after them > through the years of all generations… > For the day of the LORD is great and very awesome; > who can endure it? > (2:1-2, 11) Joel is saying that the invasion of locusts is just a prelude to an invasion of a terrible army. There’s so much to unpack here, but here’s the main lesson Joel wants us to consider: God is prepared to fight for his people. God is so committed to his people that he is willing to use extraordinary means to get our attention. Look, life is complicated. I’m not saying that every time something bad happens that God is trying to get our attention. But he could be. Joel suggests that sometimes God will take dramatic action to get our attention, to awaken us from our lethargy, so that we turn back to him. God is willing to fight for us. He is more committed to our holiness than he is our comfort. Years ago, C.S. Lewis said, “We can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” So here’s the question: could God be fighting for you? Could he be using even the hard events of your life to get your attention so that you turn back to him? Could it be that God uses calamity to save us from an even greater calamity later? Because here is his agenda: > “Yet even now,” declares the LORD, > “return to me with all your heart, > with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; > and rend your hearts and not your garments.” > Return to the LORD your God, > for he is gracious and merciful, > slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; > and he relents over disaster. > (2:12-13) God’s ultimate purpose is restoration. His aim is to restore his people. Even the hard things that we go through are for our good. > Then the LORD became jealous for his land > and had pity on his people. > The LORD answered and said to his people, > “Behold, I am sending to you > grain, wine, and oil, > and you will be satisfied; > and I will no more make you > a reproach among the nations. > (2:18–19) God fights for us, not because he is against us, but because he is for us, and because he wants what is best for us, even when it causes us temporary pain. Singer-songwriter and author Jennifer Rothschild lost her sight due to a retinal disease. She hated it. > I thought, I'm not going to be able to drive a car. *I'm not going to be able to be an artist.* I remember the disappointment of that. And I questioned, *Are boys going to want to date me? How am I going to finish high school? Will I be able to go off to college?* Sitting in the back seat of our family car, I felt my fingertips and wondered if I would have to read Braille someday. Reflecting on this, she wrote: > One of the hardest lessons I've had to learn is that God uses painful circumstances in our lives for good. My hero, Joni Eareckson Tada, who has been in a wheelchair since she was a teenager, makes this point well when she says that God allows what he hates in order to accomplish what he loves. I know that God's heart is broken when he sees our hearts break. I believe that just as Jesus wept at Lazarus' tomb, Jesus weeps when he sees us cry tears of loss. I'm convinced that God is well acquainted with the sorrow and struggles that I experience. Yet, at the same time, he loves me enough—and this is why I'm so loyal to him—to let me encounter sorrow, taste bitter emotions, and feel loss. He trusts me to be a good steward of that sorrow. He loves me enough to let me experience that pain so that he can accomplish something he loves—which for me has been a deeper character and a more eternal perspective. “God allows what he hates in order to accomplish what he loves … He loves me enough to let me experience that pain so that he can accomplish something he loves — which for me has been a deeper character and a more eternal perspective.” Do you get this? Do you see that, right now, God could be fighting for you in your pain? That’s what Joel suggests: God cares enough to fight for us, and his agenda is to draw us back to him. That’s the first thing that Joel teaches us: God fights for us. But here’s the second: ### God will fight against those who reject him. That’s why the message of this book is so important. It’s much better to have God fight to get our attention now than to fight against us one day in his judgment. You can’t read Joel 3 without getting a sense of terror at what will happen to those who reject him: > I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land… (3:2) And then verse 16: > The LORD roars from Zion, > and utters his voice from Jerusalem, > and the heavens and the earth quake. > But the LORD is a refuge to his people, > a stronghold to the people of Israel. > (3:16) Joel helps us lift our eyes from our immediate crises to see the bigger picture, a picture with two sides. Those who turn to God can expect salvation and blessing. Those who persist in their rebellion can expect judgment and destruction. Friends, so much of the Bible is about the reality of the coming day of universal judgment. We will all stand before God, accountable for our sins. Judgment will be done, perfect judgment. How will anyone stand? There’s only one way. > Call on the coming Judge to be your present Savior. As Judge, he is the law, but as Savior he is the gospel. Run from him now, and you will meet him as Judge then—and without hope. Seek him now, and you will find him (for “he that seeketh findeth”), and you will then discover that you are looking forward to that future meeting with joy, knowing that there is now “no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1). ([J.I Packer](https://go.dashhouse.com/E-qU?ref=dashhouse.com)) God is a God who fights. **God fights for his people, but he will fight against those who reject him.** So call on him, and he will have you. That’s the message of Joel. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-355/ Last updated: 2023-08-05T09:00:26.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Efficiency in Churches](https://go.dashhouse.com/FH1e?ref=dashhouse.com) > Pastors aren’t managers, they aren’t CEOs, they are gardeners, they are shepherds. [Advice from a Retiring Minister](https://go.dashhouse.com/FH1r?ref=dashhouse.com) > Some words of advice for young (and old) pastors from John Samuel after 37 years of church ministry. [You Don’t Know When Your Last Sermon Will Be](https://go.dashhouse.com/F9xl?ref=dashhouse.com) > Every pastor will preach his last sermon — but unlike Jesus, most of them won’t know it. Here are a few examples from history. What I’ve Learned > From [Anglicans](https://go.dashhouse.com/F9xv?ref=dashhouse.com), [Baptists](https://go.dashhouse.com/FH1z?ref=dashhouse.com), and [Presbyterians](https://go.dashhouse.com/F9xt?ref=dashhouse.com) [Read Like a Christian](https://go.dashhouse.com/FArT?ref=dashhouse.com) > Let me commend five principles that help and challenge me to read like a Christian. [3 Ways to Pursue Sabbath When You’re the Pastor](https://go.dashhouse.com/FArN?ref=dashhouse.com) > When you’re the pastor, it takes a lot of work to embrace, let alone plan for, the reality of Sabbath. So, how can a pastor Sabbath rightly? [Ignore Strenuously](https://go.dashhouse.com/FFR6?ref=dashhouse.com) > There is power and leverage in not being inter­ested in the stuff everybody else is inter­ested in — the stuff other people insist is urgent. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [He Made It Almost to the End](https://go.dashhouse.com/FFX%5F?ref=dashhouse.com) > I don’t want to be faithful for most of my life and then blow it in the end. ### Personal Update URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/personal-update-august-2023/ Last updated: 2023-08-01T13:08:11.000Z I have some personal news to share. ### Concluding a Ministry On Sunday, July 16, I announced that I’ll be concluding my ministry at [Liberty Grace Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/lgc?ref=dashhouse.com) on our tenth anniversary Sunday at the end of September. I still can’t believe this news. We knew this day was coming, but it’s still hard for me to grasp. From the beginning when we helped start the church, we knew that, with God’s help, I would one day find a successor to take over my role. We’ve had the privilege of seeing God work over the past ten years. We love this church, and it’s hard to contemplate leaving, even though we believe it’s the right time. If you’re interested, you can watch my announcement below, or read a copy of what I said on that day. [ July 16, 2023 Announcement announcement.pdf 33 KB download-circle ](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/files/2023/07/announcement.pdf "Download") ### Beginning a Ministry Here’s the other half of my news: God willing, I will begin my ministry as senior pastor of [Grace Fellowship Church Don Mills](https://go.dashhouse.com/gfcdonmills?ref=dashhouse.com) this Fall. GFC Don Mills began some 13 years ago in the east end of Toronto. I’ve watched this church from a distance as it’s grown. It’s been exciting to see God at work in this congregation. This year, I had the privilege of speaking at their young adult’s retreat, and then preaching at their services a few times. During this time, God began to stir my heart for this church. After much prayer, discussion, and counsel, we began to explore the possibility, and things moved ahead. I’ve grown to appreciate so much about this church. They’ve enjoyed solid teaching and are hungry for more. We’re aligned theologically. They have a great team of elders and staff. And I’ve grown to really appreciate the congregation as I get to know them and as we see the potential for further ministry in this church in the future. I have very mixed feelings. I’m sad to leave a church I love and thrilled that God’s providence has led us to another great church in the city. ### Grateful It’s hard for me not to be grateful. I’m grateful for the privilege of planting and pastoring Liberty Grace Church for these past ten years, and for seeing God work in remarkable ways. We love the culture that’s grown at this church, and the people who’ve joined us. They’re answers to prayer. We feel blessed by God to have been able to spend these years at this church. We’re also grateful for Grace Fellowship Church Don Mills. We’re grateful for the elders, staff, and congregation, and for their hunger for God’s word. We’re incredibly grateful for the privilege of beginning to serve there. ### Please Pray I have two man requests. Please pray for these two churches. Pray that God provides a successor at Liberty Grace church, and that he provides for the church in this period of transition. Please also pray for GFC Don Mills as we begin our ministry there. And please pray that I am found faithful. Pray that I serve God faithfully: that I complete my ministry well at Liberty Grace Church, that I serve wisely and well as I begin my ministry at GFC Don Mills, and that God gets all the glory. We long for more good churches in Toronto, and for God to be glorified in the ministries of these and other churches in this city. ### What Will New Creation Be Like? (Isaiah 65:17-25) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/what-will-new-creation-be-like-isaiah-6517-25/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T15:00:07.000Z **Big Idea:** The new creation will be a place of joy and restoration, and we’re made to look forward to that day. --- When I was studying to be a pastor, I was invited to speak to a primary school class at a Christian school. The topic was heaven. I had to stand in front of a bunch of kids and tell them what heaven is like. It was awful. I knew heaven would be good, but I had no idea how to describe it. The thing about kids is that you can’t fake it in front of kids. They know if you don’t know what you’re talking about. And so I bombed that day. I couldn’t paint an accurate picture of what heaven is like. I couldn’t answer any of their questions, at least accurately. I left from that experience devastated, because I knew that I should know better than what I did. We need to understand what heaven is like. We are alive for only a short time here on earth. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you are meant to think a lot about heaven. It’s supposed to get help get you through this life, which can be very hard. But here’s the problem: It’s hard to hope for something we don’t know very much about. So what I want to do is to give you a picture of heaven today, one that I hope will be exciting enough to give you hope no matter what you’re going through today. We’re in a series through the entire Bible from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22\. Right now we’re in the part of the story in which we hear from a prophet named Isaiah, written some 2,700 years ago. Today we’re in the latter part of Isaiah, which is significant. The first part of Isaiah — chapters 1 to 35 — contain a lot of doom and gloom. The second part of Isaiah — chapters 40-66 — give us a lot more hope. Isaiah has a lot to say to Judah. He accuses them of sin. He calls them to repentance. He talks about God’s judgment. But he also provides hope: hope that God isn’t done with them, and that he will bring the restoration that we need. We’re in the hopeful part of the book of Isaiah today. In the passage we’re looking at today, God gives us a glimpse of what we’re waiting for. We need to hear this. ## Two Descriptions So what is our future like? You’re going to like this. Two things: ### It will be a place of joy. > For behold, I create new heavens > and a new earth, > and the former things shall not be remembered > or come into mind. > But be glad and rejoice forever > in that which I create; > for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, > and her people to be a gladness. > I will rejoice in Jerusalem > and be glad in my people; > no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping > and the cry of distress. > (Isaiah 65:17-19) I want you to notice a couple of things. First, Isaiah says that God will create a new heavens and a new earth. The new creation will not mean the end of the earth. It will mean the recreation of the heavens and the earth. We need to get rid of the idea of a disembodied, floating existence somewhere out there. Think about the recreation of the world, except as it should be. > The Christian hope is not merely that someday we and our loved ones will die and go to be with Jesus. Instead, the Christian hope is that our departure from this world is just the first leg of a journey that is round-trip. We will not remain forever with God in heaven, for God will bring heaven down to us. ([Michael Wittmer](https://go.dashhouse.com/E-jU?ref=dashhouse.com)) What is it like in this remade heaven and earth? Isaiah says that the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. “About five seconds into this new world, you and I will turn to one another and say, ‘Cancer, terrorism—what were they? Hmmm. Can’t seem to remember. No matter. Here we go!’” ([Ray Ortlund](https://go.dashhouse.com/E-jZ?ref=dashhouse.com)). Now I can get behind that. But that’s not even the best part. It will not just be a place where bad things are forgotten, it will be a place of joy. Verse 18 envisions this new heaven and new earth with a new Jerusalem at the center, and that it will be filled with joy. In this new earth, we get what we want and need most: God, and it will make us very, very happy. It will be what we’ve longed for all this time. The new creation will be a place of inexpressible joy. There’s this idea — I don’t know if you’ve heard of it — called the beatific vision. It’s something we don’t talk about enough. It’s the joy we will experience when we finally see God. Think of it this way. When you love someone, and you don’t see them for a long time, think about how you feel when you finally see them again. Simply seeing them can give you deep feelings of joy and satisfaction. Seeing them makes you so happy. Imagine what it will be like to finally see God! We will see Jesus in his glory, and we’ll realize it has been what our souls have ached for all this time. It will be profoundly satisfying. Jonathan Edwards writes, “After they have had the pleasure of beholding the face of God millions of ages, it will not grow a dull story; the relish of this delight will be as exquisite as ever.” We will never get tired of looking at our Savior. It will fill us with continual joy. It will result in perfect and permanent happiness. That’s the first thing Isaiah tells us. What are we looking forward to? Joy. We won’t remember any of the bad things that happened, and we will see Jesus, and it will make us permanently, perfectly happy for the rest of eternity. But here’s what else we see. ### It will be a place of restoration. Think about all the things that frustrate you and bring you pain. Think about infant mortality, short life spans, not being able to enjoy the things you thought you would, war and conflict, and more. And then look at the picture that Isaiah paints for us. Isaiah takes the things that rob us of our joy and flips them. Isaiah uses aspects of life that we know about to help us understand what it will be like then. We probably can’t fully understand what the new heaven and new earth will be like, so Isaiah uses images that we can understand so we get a taste of what it will be like. Premature deaths? Gone. > No more shall there be in it > an infant who lives but a few days, > or an old man who does not fill out his days, > for the young man shall die a hundred years old, > and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed. > (65:20) The power of old age and death will be abolished. Gone. Premature ends to things? I hate how summer goes so quickly. I hate that I’m leaving this church. I hate that so much of life is temporary. That won’t happen in the new creation. > They shall build houses and inhabit them; > they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. > They shall not build and another inhabit; > they shall not plant and another eat; > for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, > and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. > (65:21–22) Nothing we enjoy will be temporary. We won’t have to try to hold on. The gifts that God gives us then will be ones we can enjoy without end. God’s gifts will be durable. Do you ever feel like your work is never as good as you want it to be? That nothing turns out quite as well as you’d hoped? Do you ever feel like things are really fragile? No matter how good things are, we know that things can change quickly. Bad things come along and rob us of the things we love. Not then. > They shall not labor in vain > or bear children for calamity, > for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the LORD, > and their descendants with them. > (65:23) Do you ever feel like God is distant? That he’s keeping his distance from you? Not then. > Before they call I will answer; > while they are yet speaking I will hear. > (65:24) Do you ever get sick of war? Russia and Ukraine, the threat of increasing tensions with China. > The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; > the lion shall eat straw like the ox, > and dust shall be the serpent’s food. > They shall not hurt or destroy > in all my holy mountain,” > says the LORD. > (65:25) We’ll have joy, fullness of life, security, rewarding work, fellowship with God, and peace. Notice how many things we recognize in this new creation. Part of the reason why is because God gives us images we can understand. But another part is that the new earth will be a lot like our lives now, except restored; a whole lot better. > Just as a new car is a better version of an old car—but with all the same essential components (four wheels, an engine, transmission, steering wheel, etc.), so too will the New Earth be a far better version of the old Earth, but with the same essential physical components. ([Randy Alcorn](https://go.dashhouse.com/E-ky?ref=dashhouse.com)) There’s so much more you could say about heaven, but those are the two things that Isaiah emphasizes. Heaven will be a place of joy and a place of restoration. Our desires will be fully satisfied. Everything that is wrong with this world will be fixed. We will enjoy God’s gifts without threat or danger. ## How Should We Respond? The question is: how should we respond? I’ve been challenged by a verse recently as I’ve thought about it. The verse is found in 2 Timothy 4:8, where Paul writes: > Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. Paul couldn’t wait for that day. It was what kept him going with all of his troubles: being beaten, jailed, rejected, let down with friends. Paul kept his eye on the new creation. He couldn’t wait for Jesus to return again. Paul couldn’t wait to see Jesus and receive his crown of righteousness from Jesus on that day. And Paul says something else: we get to enjoy the same hope. But look at the last part of the verse. “…not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” The question is posed to us: do we love his appearing? Are we looking forward to the new creation? Isaiah and Paul are telling us: we should be! Our hope for the new creation should be what sustains us here and now. It’s what we were made for. I can’t wait for that day. I did not do a good job at that primary school that day. I get it. It’s hard to describe heaven. But Isaiah does a really good job of describing the new creation in a way that we can understand. **The new creation will be a place of joy and restoration, and we’re made to look forward to that day.** Do you? This is what Jesus came to give us: not just forgiveness but hope for a new heaven and earth. This is the work of restoration that Jesus does. Trust him. Hope in him. Live for that day. Thank you, Lord, for Isaiah. Thank you for this hope. Thank you for Jesus. Help us trust in him and long for this day. Amen. ### Responding to Anxiety (Psalm 3) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/responding-to-anxiety-psalm-3/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T15:00:22.000Z **Big Idea:** Look to him, cry out to him, give him your problems, and then go to sleep. --- When’s the last time you stayed up at night worrying about something? I don’t have to think too hard to answer that question. A couple of weeks ago, we had a tense situation unfold with someone. It was awful. It involved an angry person, lots of stress, and some difficult decisions about how to respond. I went to sleep mostly okay, but then woke up less than three hours later and was up the rest of the night. I was up from about 1:20 thinking about what had happened and trying to decide what I should do. I don’t suffer from sleeplessness that often, but I did that night, and I’m not alone. Under stress, our bodies release cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones are designed to help you respond to threats or challenges by keeping you awake and alert. However, they can also interfere with your ability to get a good night’s sleep. So most of us know what it’s like to lie awake at night because of stress. Stress affects sleep and can impact mood, energy, well-being, relationships, and decision-making. That’s why we need the psalm we’re going to look at today. How should we respond when facing threatening situations? We’re all going to face times of crisis in which our stress shoots through the roof, we feel our stress responses kicking in, and we lose sleep. It may come as we face hostility from others, circumstantial problems, tragedies, or personal sorrows. When you face these threatening situations, denial doesn’t really work. Simply ignoring your problems won't make them go away. As important as it is to stay positive, positivity will not give you what you need when you’re cornered. So how should we respond when facing a threatening situation? This psalm is going to tell us. ## The Situation Here’s the situation. Verse 1 says: > O LORD, how many are my foes! > Many are rising against me; > many are saying of my soul, > “There is no salvation for him in God.” So the problem is a big one. He has enemies, and they’re numerous, they’re active, and they’re very confident. David is cornered, and his enemies are feeling pretty good about their chances against him. The heading of this Psalm says, “A psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.” The events are found in 2 Samuel 15-16\. In these chapters, David faced the greatest crisis of his life. His own son — the son he still loved — betrayed him and led an insurrection against him. David had to flee for his life. Not only that, but one of his main advisors joined the rebellion. Nobodies taunted David and threw stones at him. David was on the run, publicly embarrassed, with his own son leading the rebellion against him. David lost everything, and his life hang in the balance. His own son wanted him dead. David faced betrayal, civil war, and the likelihood of death. He’s experiencing fear and anxiety. David was not exaggerating the threat against him. 2 Samuel 15:12 says, “And the conspiracy grew strong, and the people with Absalom kept increasing.” David was in big trouble. Imagine facing all of this. We’re unlikely to face anything exactly like what David faced. You’re not a king — at least, I don’t think you are — but many of you woke up today to a battle. Some of you know what it’s like to be the victim of rumors, lying, gossip, misrepresentation, maybe even violence, bribes, and stealing. You may not face a horde of enemies, but someone close to you may have betrayed you. You may not have experienced exactly what David did, but you can relate to his feelings of despair. I want to pause here and point out that this psalm gives us a window into what we can expect life to look like at least some of the time. The first psalms give us an introduction to the rest of them, and you can see a theme developing: - Psalm 1 introduces us to two ways to live, and shows us which we should choose. - Psalm 2 introduces us to the idea that God’s reign in this world will not go unchallenged. - Psalm 3 gets personal. *We* will experience trouble in this world. We will experience betrayal and all kinds of trouble. Psalm 3 gives us a picture of what we may experience in this world. We can expect trouble. We can expect anxiety. So if you’re experiencing trouble and anxiety, this psalm is for you. ## How to Respond How do we respond? David shows us how. He shows us how to do three things. ### First: look to God, and not just your problems. When I couldn’t sleep the other week, I picked up a [book](https://go.dashhouse.com/9nF4?ref=dashhouse.com) and read these words: “Anxiety shrinks your world. It can encroach on you and show you a false reality that life is much worse than it really is. Anxiety’s message: ‘There are only two options and they are both bad,’ or sometimes even ‘There are no good options.’” That hit me. Anxiety shrinks your world. When you’re anxious, all you can see are your problems. Our field of vision shrinks and all we can see are the things that are making us anxious. This is why what David does is so important. Look at what he says in verse 3: > But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, > my glory, and the lifter of my head. What does David do here? Something that’s really hard. He expands his field of vision to see not just his problems but God. God has never left him. God has not changed. When we’re anxious, all we see are the problems, which is why it’s so important for us to see what we might otherwise miss: that God has not changed. He is still our defense, our glory, and the lifter of our heads. There’s a book called [*The Moon is Always Round*](https://go.dashhouse.com/B-2V?ref=dashhouse.com). I love the book. The book teaches a child: What shape is the moon? It sometimes looks like a crescent, a wedge, or a squashed circle. But even when the moon looks like it’s not, it’s still always round. And just as the moon’s shape never changes, God’s goodness, even when his purposes are obscured, never changes either. Is God still good even when we can't always see it, even after the child's mother comes home from the hospital after a stillbirth and there is no baby sister? Even when we see only a sliver of God’s goodness, and he seems absent, God is still here. He is still good. No shadow can change his fullness or goodness. He is always good, even when we can’t see it. When we feel afraid, it’s hard to see God’s goodness or presence. But even when we can’t see it, it’s there. David helps us see beyond the clouds to the never-changing nature of God. He has not abandoned us. Even when we can’t see it, we have a shield against foes, a lifter-up of drooping heads, and a responder to prayer. Look to God, not just your problems. But that’s not all. ### Second, cry out to God. There’s so much in verse 4: > I cried aloud to the LORD, > and he answered me from his holy hill. There’s the crying part. David cries aloud to God. It’s an audible shout. David is honest with God. He needs God’s help, and he isn’t afraid to ask for it. We went through a crisis a few years ago, the biggest crisis of our lives. We went through a period of intense struggle. The most intense struggle lasted a year, although the whole period lasted four years. During that period, we learned to cry aloud to God. My prayers had been polite before then. Not during this period. My prayers became desperate. I had to learn to cry out to God, even if it was messy and raw. We had no other choice. Our prayers were prayers of desperation, because we had nowhere to turn. Paul Miller [writes](https://go.dashhouse.com/2frx?ref=dashhouse.com), “God wants us to come to him empty-handed, weary, and heavy-laden.” That’s not how we want to come to God. We want to come to God not needing him. But God loves when we come to him in desperation. You can come to God messy. You can cry out to him. He will not turn you away. Notice what happened when David did this: “he answered me from his holy hill.” David was still on the run. Absalom was still trying to kill him. Circumstances had not changed. But David already knew that God heard, and that God has answered. David wasn’t done praying. In verse 7 he prays: > Arise, O LORD! > Save me, O my God! > For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; > you break the teeth of the wicked. We don’t just pray once. In periods of crisis, our desperation will last awhile, and so our prayers of desperation will also last a while. You can cry around to God, knowing that he will hear you. Look to God, not just your problems. Cry out to God. He will hear you. But there’s one more thing. ### Finally: Lie down and go to sleep. Read verses 5 and 6: > I lay down and slept; > I woke again, for the LORD sustained me. > I will not be afraid of many thousands of people > who have set themselves against me all around. When we look beyond our problems and see God, and then cry out to him and know that he hears us, we can begin to experience something remarkable. We’re no longer carrying the problems ourselves, and we can go to sleep. My friend Tim Kerr puts it this way. 1 Peter 5:7 talks about “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” Tim told me to picture casting something into a pool. What do you do when you throw something in the pool? You’d better let go of it. If you hold on to it, you haven’t really cast it. But what do we do when we cast our anxieties on God? We continue to hold on to them still. But we don’t have to do this. When we cast our anxieties on God, we can let go of them. We don’t have to carry them anymore. And so we can go to sleep knowing that God is carrying the problems, so we don’t have to. As Jared Wilson put it years ago, “The gospel frees you to chill the heck out.” Go to sleep. You don’t need to carry the stress. God is present. God is your shield, glory, and the lifter of your head. You don’t need to carry it yourself because you’ve got someone much better equipped to carry the load. David doesn’t write this as a theoretician. David writes this in the middle of the worst crisis of his life. And yet he moves from anxiety to sleep as he brings God into view. It’s not easy. It’s not automatic. I know from experience that it’s a process that we need to repeat over and over again in the middle of trouble. But it’s what we need. Look to God, not just your problems. Cry out to him. And go to sleep. We’re all going to experience anxiety. That’s life in this fallen world. But we have somewhere to turn. We can turn to the one who is good, who is present, who is so for us that he gave his own Son to save us from our sins, and who promises that he is close to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). **Look to him, cry out to him, give him your problems, and then go to sleep.** ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-354/ Last updated: 2023-07-22T09:00:22.000Z I will post a sermon tomorrow and on July 30\. However, I will not write my regular post next Tuesday or share links next Saturday while I am on a short break. Curated links for your weekend reading: [What to Do When You Don’t Enjoy Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/E%5Fks?ref=dashhouse.com) > If you’ve ever wondered why sometimes church feels more like a burden than a blessing, here are five possible reasons why (and what you can do about them). [13 Principles for Teaching the Bible](https://go.dashhouse.com/E%5Fkp?ref=dashhouse.com) > Below are 13 principles for teaching the Bible every pastor and teacher should consider for every Scriptural text they teach. [Theology: The Missing Piece in Discipleship](https://go.dashhouse.com/E%5Fkg?ref=dashhouse.com) > If our understanding of the Great Commission is primarily a call to evangelism, we’ve forgotten a key piece: theology. [If Satan Took Up Marriage Counseling](https://go.dashhouse.com/E%5Fkj?ref=dashhouse.com) > And as I read the columnist’s response I thought, “I’m pretty sure that’s exactly how Satan would counsel if he was asked.” That got me thinking… [What Can the Metropolitan Tabernacle Teach Us About Women’s Ministry?](https://go.dashhouse.com/F0lE?ref=dashhouse.com) > In Lavinia Bartlett, we have an excellent model of what women’s ministry can look like in our churches. [The Advantage Of Being A Little Underemployed](https://go.dashhouse.com/F0lF?ref=dashhouse.com) > Taking time in the middle of your day to do stuff that doesn’t look like work is the most important part of your work day. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [A Neglected Duty](https://go.dashhouse.com/F146?ref=dashhouse.com) > Loving sometimes means that we exercise the ministry of rebuking. ### Understanding and Trusting Our Great God URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/understanding-and-trusting-our-great-god/ Last updated: 2023-07-18T09:00:08.000Z Sometimes a short question can lead to a profoundly life-changing answer. Take the question, “What is God?” I can’t think of a more important question to ask. The Westminster Shorter Catechism gives a succinct but rich answer: “God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.” It’s one of those answers that almost anyone can understand, but we’ll spend eternity learning the truths contained in this short, simple sentence. In *[Understanding and Trusting Our Great God](https://go.dashhouse.com/E-qm?ref=dashhouse.com)*, Tim Challies helps us consider the character of God as outlined by the Catechism. “To know God is to love him, and to love him is to have our hearts thrilled by him,” he writes. Challies has collected a series of quotes from a variety of writers, preachers, songwriters, and poets. Jules Koblun has created graphics, similar to those found at [SquareQuotes](https://go.dashhouse.com/E-oB?ref=dashhouse.com). As you work through the book, you get to enjoy the graphics and read a brief meditation on each quote. I’ve done enough writing to realize how much work is done in finding and arranging quotes on a subject, and then writing a meditation on each one. Designing graphics can also be challenging. This is the kind of book that looks deceptively simple, but there’s a lot more there than you may realize at first. This is probably not the kind of book that you’ll read cover-to-cover. It’s the kind of book you’d leave on the coffee table to flip through and enjoy. ![](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2023/07/71sMihew5HL-2048x1024.jpg) Here’s what I like about this book. - **It’s beautiful.** I grew up when not many Christian books were beautiful, which makes me appreciate beautiful books like this one even more. You’ll want to read this book just because it looks so good. - **It’s bite-sized.** You don’t have to read a whole chapter. You don’t even have to read Tim’s reflections on the quote if you don’t want to at that moment. You can just read the quote contained in the graphic if you’d like. - **It’s profound.** The truths contained in this book are powerful. No fluff. Lots of substance. Each page gives you enough to think on — meditate — for some time. J.I. Packer wrote his classic book *[Knowing God](https://go.dashhouse.com/E-qU?ref=dashhouse.com)*. I recommend you read it. It’s an accessible book, but it will take a bit of work. It’s worth it. You will be richly rewarded. Challies has written *Understanding and Trusting Our Great God*. It’s also a book with great thoughts about God, but it’s packaged differently. That packaging just may help people pick up this book more regularly. Get it. Put it on your desk or beside your couch. Flip through it in idle moments. Give it as a gift. If you want to know, love, and be thrilled by God, this book will help you, and you’ll enjoy it too. (See also my review of their earlier book *[Knowing and Enjoying God](https://www.dashhouse.com/knowing-and-enjoying-god/)*, which is also worth getting.) More from [Amazon.com](https://go.dashhouse.com/E-qm?ref=dashhouse.com) | [WTS Books](https://go.dashhouse.com/E-qp?ref=dashhouse.com) ### One Person Can Make a Difference URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/one-person-can-make-a-difference-hezekiah/ Last updated: 2023-08-01T15:02:32.000Z **Big Idea:** One person can make a difference by leading others to worship, trusting God in times of trouble, and repenting quickly when they sin. --- Are you ready for some good news? It’s summer. I’m ready for some good news. When things are bad, we have even more potential to do good. When things are bad, one person has the potential to bring change. One person can change the spiritual temperature of things. One person can make a difference. As we work through the Bible this year, we’re in one of the low points. Things have been bad. For over 200 years now, things have been rough in both Israel and Judah. Think about that. 200 years ago was 1823\. Canada didn’t exist. Fort York was still being used. The population of Toronto, or York as it was called then, was about 1,200 people. Imagine if the years between then and now were mostly bad. After 200 bad years, can one person make a difference? The person we’re going to look at today shows us: yes, one person can make a difference. Not a perfect, person, mind you, but a godly one, especially if that person trusts God. Let’s look at what helped this one person make a difference after so many nasty years. ## First, one person can make a difference by leading others to worship. If you read about the kings in this period of history, this is what you’d hear: “And he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD his God, as his father David had done” (2 Kings 16:2). You hear something like this for king after king. All the kings of Israel were bad, and half of the 12 kings before the one we’re looking at today were bad. Things were so bad that in 2 Kings 17, God uses the Assyrians to carry Israel into captivity. 2 Kings 17:18 says, “Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight. None was left but the tribe of Judah only.” Given all the bad things, it’s surprising to find a good king come along. Not just a good king, but one who calls the whole nation back to worship the one true God. > Hezekiah began to reign when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem … In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the LORD and repaired them. He brought in the priests and the Levites and assembled them in the square on the east and said to them, “Hear me, Levites! Now consecrate yourselves, and consecrate the house of the LORD, the God of your fathers, and carry out the filth from the Holy Place. For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done what was evil in the sight of the LORD our God … Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD, the God of Israel, in order that his fierce anger may turn away from us. (2 Chronicles 29:1, 3-6, 10) I love every word of this. One man comes to power. One man decides to go a different way than many of those who went before him. One man makes a difference. He got rid of the idols. He reinstated the Passover. He reorganized the priests. He brought reform to the whole way that Judah worshiped. One person called an entire nation back to worship God. And it had an effect! We read in 2 Chronicles 30:26, “So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David king of Israel there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem.” He led others to delight in God. You may be thinking, “Yes, but he was a king.” Fair point. You and I aren’t kings. But I’ve noticed that one person who decides to take God seriously can infect others. One person in a church can say, “Let’s lean in! Let’s stop playing games. Let’s take God seriously.” We’ve seen this at this church. There have been a number of times that one person has changed the spiritual temperature of the church. I wrote [this](https://go.dashhouse.com/AWZ5?ref=dashhouse.com) a couple of years ago, and I still mean every word. > I’ve been a pastor for a long time now. One thing I’ve learned: one or two people can make a huge difference in a church, both positively and negatively… > I’ve seen this over and over. One or two people can positively affect the entire feel of a church and lead others to faithfulness by their example. As a pastor, I can feel the difference when these people are present in the church… > A lot of us think that our influence is negligible. Never underestimate the power of living as a faithful follower of Jesus in a local church. Do radically ordinary things: show up every Sunday. Look for someone to encourage. Pray. Serve. Lean in during the sermon. Not only will you benefit, but others will see your example and begin to take these steps too. Given enough time, as others join you, God might shape the entire direction of the church through your example. > Sometimes low-maintenance believers don’t get much attention in a church. They just faithfully show up, serve, and encourage. But don’t overlook the power of what a few godly people in a church can do. Pray for them. Encourage them. Thank God for them. They may be easy to overlook, but they’re one of God’s gracious provisions to the church. When one person leads others back to worship, it makes a world of difference. That’s the first thing that Hezekiah did. Here’s the second. ## Second, one person can make a difference by trusting God in times of trouble. Who are you under stress? Who are you when things get hard? The thing I love about Hezekiah is that he didn’t just reform worship when things were going well. He also trusted God when it was really hard. In Isaiah 36:1 we read, “In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them.” This is a very big deal. Assyria was a major world power. They had already carried Israel into exile. It is ridiculously scary to have this happen. But that’s not all. They taunt Hezekiah publicly. The Assyrians actually claim that the Lord, the God of Israel, sent them to attack Judah. > “Say to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you rest this trust of yours? Do you think that mere words are strategy and power for war? In whom do you now trust, that you have rebelled against me? … Come now, make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them. How then can you repulse a single captain among the least of my master’s servants, when you trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? Moreover, is it without the LORD that I have come up against this land to destroy it? The LORD said to me, “Go up against this land and destroy it.” ’ ” (Isaiah 36:4-5, 8-10) What does Hezekiah do? He feels afraid, of course. Who wouldn’t? But then he prays. > Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: “O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God … So now, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the LORD.” (Isaiah 37:14-17, 20) How does God respond? > And the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. (Isaiah 37:36) > So the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all his enemies, and he provided for them on every side. (2 Chronicles 32:22) This isn’t the only time that Hezekiah faced a crisis. In 2 Chronicles 32, we read, “In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death, and he prayed to the LORD, and he answered him and gave him a sign” (2 Chronicles 32:24). Hezekiah trusted God, and God answered his prayer. What do you do when you face a crisis? One person can make a difference by trusting God in times of trouble. One person can demonstrate to others what it means to trust God in times of trouble. One person can show others that it’s worth trusting God when we face impossible situations. Ray Ortlund asks: > Are we shocking anybody by our faith? If God were to show us in one instant the full meaning of living by faith, we might all gasp and say, “Nobody can live that way, not in this world.” That’s why he keeps throwing our lives into upheaval. He wants us to experience what it’s like for him to come through when the only thing that will suffice is what is directly and immediately of God. Where do you turn when you face impossible situations? Hezekiah shows us where we can turn. We can always turn to God. One person can make a difference by leading others to worship. One person can make a difference by trusting God in times of trouble. But there’s one more thing. ## One person can make a difference by repenting quickly when they sin. Up until now, you may think that Hezekiah’s close to perfect. He is really good. He comes close to David as king, but like David, he’s not perfect. None of us are. He makes a major mistake. After God healed him, he sinned against God. 2 Chronicles 32:25 says, “But Hezekiah did not make return according to the benefit done to him, for his heart was proud. Therefore wrath came upon him and Judah and Jerusalem.” Hezekiah became proud. God hates pride. God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). But when Hezekiah repented, God heard his prayer. > But Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah. (2 Chronicles 32:26) Hezekiah’s sin was serious. It had a devastating effect on Jerusalem later. Sin still has consequences. But Hezekiah showed people how to repent. Sometimes we think that God can’t use us because we’re imperfect. Apart from Jesus, we’re all imperfect. We’re sinners. But we can also be repenters. We can be quick to turn back to God, to show to others what it looks like to turn to God when we sin. We can run to the cross, to the one who has made full and complete payment for our sins. Tim Keller once said: > ...what you most need in a leader is someone who has been broken by the knowledge of his or her sin, and even greater knowledge of Jesus’ costly grace. The number one leaders in every church ought to be the people who repent the most fully without excuses, because you don’t need any now; the most easily without bitterness; the most publicly and the most joyfully. (Tim Keller) Most of us think that our lives can’t make a difference. But God can use us, even — especially — in dark times like this. **One person can make a difference by leading others to worship, trusting God in times of trouble, and by repenting quickly when they sin.** ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-353/ Last updated: 2023-07-15T09:00:18.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [How to Evangelize Skeptics](https://go.dashhouse.com/EwbL?ref=dashhouse.com) > If we left the results to God, we would find that evangelism itself is simple. [How We May Have “The Apologist’s Creed” Wrong](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvY7?ref=dashhouse.com) > Our resilience in the face of trials becomes the most powerful opportunity for outreach we have. [Hospitality Is an Everyday Endeavor](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvYC?ref=dashhouse.com) > What if all of our interactions with people left them with a better sense of who Jesus really is? [When You Don’t Like Your Wife, Love Your Wife](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvYA?ref=dashhouse.com) > Whether you feel loved or unloved, whether your heart is warm toward your wife or cold, whether you’re finding yourself drawn toward her or pulled away, love her, serve her, bless her. [Goodbye Local Church?](https://go.dashhouse.com/EwbW?ref=dashhouse.com) > The marketplace mentality is working against ordinary congregations. [How Evangelicals Lose Will Make All the Difference](https://go.dashhouse.com/EvXk?ref=dashhouse.com) > What does faithful witness look like as evangelicals lose the culture? [Pastor, You Don’t Need to Work 60 Hours a Week](https://go.dashhouse.com/Ewa9?ref=dashhouse.com) > You don’t need to work crazy hours to plant or lead a healthy, fruitful church. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Take a Break This Summer](https://go.dashhouse.com/EwiV?ref=dashhouse.com) > Perhaps one of the most strategic thing we could do this summer is to get the rest we need so we’re ready to serve him again sustainably. ### Servants URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/servants/ Last updated: 2023-07-11T09:00:35.000Z Who are we? Servants: servants of God, and servants of others. It’s important that we remember that, because we easily forget. ### We’re Servants of God Jesus told us a story that helps us understand our positions (Luke 17:7-10). We owe God everything. He owes us nothing. We’re his servants. Even when we give him everything, we only give him his due. One of the keys to the Christian life is remembering who God is and who we are. We’re not peers. We don’t have an equal relationship. We don’t have the right to object to his decisions or protest his will. Our job is to submit to him. Whatever he asks is right. We can never give God too much because he owns everything. No matter how much we give to him, we’re simply giving him what we owe him anyway. But that’s not all. ### We’re Servants of Others. Jesus modeled this with his own life (John 13:14-15) and called us to follow his example. When writing to a group of people who are concerned with their rights. Paul wrote, “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them” (1 Corinthians 9:19). Phil Ryken comments, “The truest freedom comes when we become a servant of others.” We see this theme throughout Scripture. “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,” Paul writes, before describing Jesus’ life of humility and self-sacrifice (Philippians 2:5). In Galatians 5:13, Paul writes, “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” Serving others is a regular part of the Christian life. The best life is not a life of being served. The best life is one of giving away our lives to serve God and others. ### Servanthood in Practice What does this mean? Being servants has so many implications. Here are just a three: - Submit to God. He calls the shots, not us. This changes how we approach our entire lives. We’re not in charge; God is. - Love others. Look for opportunities to serve. Pray for them. God usually answers when we ask him to allow us to serve others. In every relationship, we have the opportunity to put others ahead of ourselves. - The real change must take place at the level of our attitudes. Pray that he gives us the mindset of servants, the mindset of Jesus himself (Philippians 2:5). - Don’t be surprised when this leads to you finding greater joy and life than when you lived for yourself (Matthew 16:25). Surprisingly, the pathway to joy is to stop looking for joy and to start looking to serve God and love others. I’m trying to overcome my addiction to be served. I want to live the way that Jesus describes: giving and serving others with abandon, trusting that this is the wisest and best way to live. When we live this way, after all, we’re reflecting the nature of God who has given so much so extravagantly to us. ### Injustice and Hope (Micah) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/injustice-and-hope-micah/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T15:00:39.000Z **Big Idea:** God cares about issues of injustice. God judges those responsible. But God will pardon those who turn to him. --- How would you like to be called a minor player? Minor sounds so dismissive, like you’re unimportant. Athletes get sent down to the minors. Actors get minor parts in a show. We refer to underage people as minors, meaning that you don’t have all the same rights as an older person. We would all probably feel upset if someone called us a minor player on the team at work. So it’s easy to think that, when it comes to the Bible, minor prophets means that they’re unimportant prophets. We’re working through the Bible this year as a church. We’re right in the part of the story when things get very bleak. God’s raised up a nation through which he’s going to save the world, but this nation has split into two, and neither of them are doing very well. It’s around this time that God sent a series of prophets to Israel and Judah. We call them major prophets and minor prophets. You have *major* ones, like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations (usually associated with Jeremiah), Ezekiel, and Daniel. But you’ve also got twelve *minor* prophets. You may think that these minor prophets matter less. It sounds like minor means that they’re, well, minor. But they’re not. That’s one reason why so many people who read the Bible can’t tell you much about the minor prophets. There are so many of them. It’s hard to keep track of them. And besides, why should we pay attention to a *minor* prophet anyway? But the word minor only has to do with the size of the book, not its importance. As we saw last week with Amos, and we’re going to see this week with Micah, the term minor doesn’t mean unimportant. It just means that they’re small. The book that we’re looking at today is just seven chapters, 105 verses. And yet we’re going to see that, although the size of Micah’s book is minor, his message is major and still speaks to us today. ## The Message of Micah So who is Micah? We don’t know a lot about him. We learn in chapter one that he’s from Moresheth, about 40 kilometers southwest of Judah. We also read that he served in the time of “Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah (1:1). That means around 2700 years ago. Verse 1 also tells us that his message was for both Samaria and Jerusalem — Samaria, the capital of Israel, and Jerusalem, the capital of Judah. So Micah’s message is for all of God’s people. So what does Micah have to say to Judah, and Israel, and us? If I were to summarize his message, I’d say that there are three things that he wants us to know. ### God Cares One of the questions we all wrestle with is: does God really care about the poor? When we read the news, it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed with the needs out there. Right now, there are 110 million people who are refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced persons around the world. That’s enough to fill the Rogers Centre over 2,000 times. That’s a lot of people. Does God care? And that’s not even the full picture. Closer to home, we see issues of injustice and poverty too. Canada is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, and it’s also one of the most water-rich. That’s why I was surprised to learn that 90 First Nations communities in Ontario don’t have access to safe drinking water. Even closer to home, we’ve got a lot of people in our city who are struggling with food insecurity, homelessness, and mental illness. The United Way reports that the number of poor Toronto neighborhoods is rising at a rapid rate. The income gap is widening and neighborhood poverty has intensified. Does God care about this? Does God care about issues of justice and poverty? Micah answers: he does. > These people are supposedly God’s people, but the godly are not to be found: they are swept from the land. Instead, murder is widespread. Rulers are corrupt. Justice is perverted through bribery. It’s a rich man’s world! > The rot of this land has gotten so bad that people cannot trust each other, not even spouses. The family has disintegrated. ([Mark Dever](https://go.dashhouse.com/BcM%5F?ref=dashhouse.com)) Micah makes a couple of accusations against them, particularly the leaders. First, he says they’ve become rich through theft and greed. > They covet fields and seize them, > and houses, and take them away; > they oppress a man and his house, > a man and his inheritance. > (Micah 2:2) God is not good when leaders abuse their power to exploit the poor. The other accusation is this: the leaders and even the prophets worked together to create systems of injustice. > Hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob > and rulers of the house of Israel, > who detest justice > and make crooked all that is straight, > who build Zion with blood > and Jerusalem with iniquity. > Its heads give judgment for a bribe; > its priests teach for a price; > its prophets practice divination for money… > (Micah 3:9–11) It’s one thing to face a corrupt leader. It’s another thing to encounter a corrupt system. Does God care about this? Micah says he does. God is on the side of the poor. He cares when injustice is done. That’s why he says these famous words in Micah 6:8: > He has told you, O man, what is good; > and what does the LORD require of you > but to do justice, and to love kindness, > and to walk humbly with your God? God cares about the poor and victims of injustice, and we should too. James Montgomery Boice said this: > Strange to say, however, in an age which boasts of thriving evangelical churches and more than fifty million persons who identify themselves as having had a “born again” experience, American church leaders have had very little to say to the city and its sins. God cares about this, and we should too. In Micah 6:8, Micah doesn’t ask God’s people for anything new. He asks them to follow the commands that he gave hundreds of years earlier. God cares about issues of justice and poverty, and we should too. ### God Judges What’s God’s response to those who practice injustice? He will judge. I don’t want to spend too much time on this, because we got a flavor for it last week when we looked at Amos. But just a preview of what’s coming. A very short time after Micah started prophesying, the Assyrians captured Israel and sent the people of Israel into exile. A few decades later, Judah was captured and exiled too. Why? Micah tells us. > Therefore I will make Samaria a heap in the open country, > a place for planting vineyards, > and I will pour down her stones into the valley > and uncover her foundations… > I will again bring a conqueror to you, > inhabitants of Mareshah; > the glory of Israel > shall come to Adullam. > Make yourselves bald and cut off your hair, > for the children of your delight; > make yourselves as bald as the eagle, > for they shall go from you into exile. > (Micah 1:6, 15-16) Why was Israel sent into exile? God’s judgment. Micah builds the case that God is just to judge Israel. In fact, it would be unjust for God not to judge Israel. One of the messages that we can easily lose these days has really stood out to me as I’ve read the Bible: don’t mess with God. Yes, God is gracious, but don’t ever think that we can presume on God’s grace. As Mark Dever says, “God wanted wrong rebuked and he would ensure that judgment came. He would use foreign military powers. He would use a decaying culture. He would do it himself.” The reason why? Because sin is so serious. As Dever says: > If you are a non-Christian, I expect that the book of Micah might seem severe to you. But then, the reality of sin is severe. Separating ourselves from God is severe. Every sin that we commit, according to the Bible, is a personal affront to God, a rebellion against his authority, a refusal of his wisdom, and a rejection of his love … God wants to rebuke wrong, especially the wrongs among his own people. God cares about victims of poverty and injustice, and he will discipline and judge those who claim to be his followers, but who pervert justice. God cares, and God will judge. But there’s one more really surprising thing in this book. ### God Will Restore The hard part for prophets is that God often uses them to judge sin. It’s not an easy role for a prophet! Sometimes we struggle to read the prophets because they can seem so negative, even when the judgment is warranted. Micah has its fill of hard things, but what really stands out to me is the hope that you find in Micah. It’s hopeful for people like you and me who need hope, who feel the heaviness of our sins and God’s judgment. Micah contains some of the beautiful prophecies of restoration and hope. > I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob; > I will gather the remnant of Israel; > I will set them together > like sheep in a fold, > like a flock in its pasture, > a noisy multitude of men. > (2:12) > It shall come to pass in the latter days > that the mountain of the house of the LORD > shall be established as the highest of the mountains, > and it shall be lifted up above the hills; > and peoples shall flow to it, > and many nations shall come, and say: > “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, > to the house of the God of Jacob, > that he may teach us his ways > and that we may walk in his paths.” > (4:1-2) Notice how specific he gets about our hope: > But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, > who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, > from you shall come forth for me > one who is to be ruler in Israel, > whose coming forth is from of old, > from ancient days. > (5:2) Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, Micah gives us amazing details about Jesus. Our hope has a name. His name is Jesus. Some prophets contain a lot of words of judgment and only a few words of hope. Not Micah. Micah heaps hope on top of hope in this book. Our sins aren’t the final word. Micah gives us two reasons to hope. The first is God’s character. > Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity > and passing over transgression > for the remnant of his inheritance? > He does not retain his anger forever, > because he delights in steadfast love. > He will again have compassion on us; > he will tread our iniquities underfoot. > You will cast all our sins > into the depths of the sea. > (7:18–19) What is God like? It’s in his nature to pardon our sins, to show us his steadfast love. He is “a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation” (Exodus 34:6-7). If you ever wonder if it’s in God’s nature to forgive you, wonder no longer. God’s character is to forgive. But there’s another reason to hope, and it’s God’s promises. > You will show faithfulness to Jacob > and steadfast love to Abraham, > as you have sworn to our fathers > from the days of old. > (Micah 7:20) God made promised to Abraham to bless the world. He’s not going to change his mind. There’s no God like God. No one else offers grace instead of judgment. God is willing to forgive sins and show mercy. Micah looks forward to a time when God’s people would turn in repentance to him and find God ready to forgive and pardon their offenses. Have you done this? I love the song we sing sometimes that sings of the grace that God offers us through Jesus: > What patience would wait as we constantly roam > What Father, so tender, is calling us home > He welcomes the weakest, the vilest, the poor > Our sins they are many, His mercy is more **God cares about issues of injustice. God judges those responsible. But God will pardon those who turn to him.** What a God. What a hope. Lord, help us to care about the things you care about us. Help us to realize that you judge sin. Help us to turn away from our sins and find hope in you, because who is a pardoning God like you? In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-352/ Last updated: 2023-07-08T09:00:12.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Why a Post-Christian World Needs Pastor-Theologians](https://go.dashhouse.com/EqBO?ref=dashhouse.com) > Christ uses pastor-theologians both to interpret the world and to transform it. [Gentleness Made Him Great](https://go.dashhouse.com/EqBJ?ref=dashhouse.com) > Both strong and gentle, David knows when to wield his strength and when to walk in gentleness. [Why Do Good Reformed People Suddenly Become Arminian When It Comes to Financial Support?](https://go.dashhouse.com/EqBL?ref=dashhouse.com) > Help faithful ministry, assess ministry success by faithfulness, and stop encouraging and applying a numbers-mentality. [When Your Life Feels "Too Small"](https://go.dashhouse.com/EqBQ?ref=dashhouse.com) > Ministry doesn’t have to look impressive for it to be impactful. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [A Time for Courage](https://go.dashhouse.com/Eq6P?ref=dashhouse.com) > Following Christ these days requires courage. ### Where Pastors Find Their Worth URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/where-pastors-find-their-worth/ Last updated: 2023-07-04T09:00:05.000Z A few years ago I heard a sermon by my friend [Scott Thomas](https://go.dashhouse.com/Ehul?ref=dashhouse.com). Thomas once led a large church planting organization, and he’s pastored large churches. Scott began his sermon by saying, “I experienced a great deal of success throughout my ministry—but it wasn’t worth it!” That got my attention. Thomas continued: > I learned to work hard from both of my parents. God ordained mankind to work. It is God’s plan, and it is good. But **I worked hard to prove my worth.** Growing up, I do not remember ever receiving love from anyone that was devoid of my performance. So I worked hard and long, not in rhythm to God’s plan, **but to be worthy of love**. As a result, I worked non-stop in ministry. As a youth pastor, I worked 70-75 hours a week. As a senior pastor (setting my own hours) I worked 80, and leading an international church planting network, I worked 84 hours, seven days a week, 364 days a year. I took Christmas Day off, at least most of it. The more I produced, the more I felt I was worthy of admiration and love. Thomas makes some good points here. **Pastors are tempted to get their identity and sense of worth from ministry success.** If church goes well, and people approve of us, we feel good about ourselves. If church doesn’t go well, and people dislike us, we tend to feel like failures. We’re often motivated by a desire to prove ourselves through our ministries. We weren’t meant to do this: our identity comes from somewhere else completely, and ministry success and popularity will come and go. **Even if we do succeed, ministry “success” isn’t everything that it’s made out to be.** I’ve talked to pastors of large churches. I’m grateful that God gives some people the responsibility for large ministries, but I don’t envy them. The bigger the church, the bigger the headaches. No matter how big your church, you could always grow larger. The treadmill never stops. Nobody has ever found the sense of worth they’re looking for through ministry success. **Building our worth on ministry success is likely to undermine the health of our souls and ministries.** It can turn ministry into a form of idolatry. It can lead us to overwork and ignore the health of our souls and the wellbeing of our families. It can transform ministry from a form of service and worship to a quest for self-fulfillment. In his excellent book *[The Imperfect Pastor](https://go.dashhouse.com/AGqk?ref=dashhouse.com)*, Zack Eswine writes about the suicide of a mentor and friend in ministry. “He could not see himself useful if he no longer held the position of pastor with the care for others that the position enabled,” he writes, before asking a haunting question: “Did I know that I could serve Christ humanly and significantly whether or not I was a pastor or leader in ministry?” Such a good question. Do we know — really know — that we’re loved apart from our pastoral ministry? The moment that we try to earn our identify from pastoring is the moment we lose the plot. Pastor, you are loved. You are not loved because you’re useful to God. You’re loved simply because he loves you. When God looks at you, he doesn’t see a worker who earns his approval. He sees his child. God could not love you more because you are in Christ Jesus. You don’t have to earn his approval; you already have it. Ministry can never provide for you what the gospel already does: your full and complete acceptance by God. You don’t have to do anything to make yourself worthy. Jesus has already done it. Jesus, not ministry success, is where pastors find their worth. ### When God's People Are the Problem (Amos) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/when-gods-people-are-the-problem-amos/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T15:00:55.000Z **Big Idea:** God’s people can be the problem just as much as the world, and Jesus is our only hope. --- I have a direct question for you: *who* do you blame for what’s wrong with the world? If you could snap your fingers, and a certain group of people disappeared from the world, and it would be a massive improvement, which group of people would you choose? That’s a hard question to answer, so I’ll go first. I have a book on my book list called [*A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EefZ?ref=dashhouse.com). It’s about a man named D.C. Stephenson, who was a conman, rapist, and a bigot. He became Grand Dragon of the state of Indiana, and who launched a strategy to bring the Klan out of the shadows, to recruit judges, prosecutors, ministers, governors and senators, and to have its message of intolerance endorsed from the pulpits of local churches, spread at family picnics and town celebrations. Because of his influence, the KKK recruited millions of members after decades of dormancy. He became one of the most powerful men in America in the 1920s. If I could snap my fingers, I would love to get rid of people like him. The world would be better off without racist conmen who spread bigotry in the world. I’d love to snap my fingers and get rid of anyone who’s still a member of the KKK or who’s trying to spread messages of racism. What about you? Who would you get rid of? Human traffickers? Members of the ultra-left or ultra-right? War criminals? If you can think of someone, you’re going to like the first part of the book we’re looking at today. It’s going to tap into our desire to see certain people get the justice they deserve from God himself. ## Introducing Amos We’re in this year-long journey throughout the Bible. We’re exactly midway, so well done for tracking with us so far! I hope you’ve been enjoying the process as much as I have. Today we’re approaching a critical point in the story. Let me back up a little. God created a rescue plan to save the world. As part of that plan, he chose a family, and he promised to turn that family into a nation, and through that nation he would bless the world. That family that became a nation isn’t doing so well at this point. They’d had some good years under King David and King Solomon, but now the kingdom had split into two: Israel to the north, and Judah to the south. And the northern kingdom hasn’t been doing so well. Instead of following God, they served idols. They didn’t serve or love God as God’s people. It was a time of moral and social collapse. It wasn’t all bad. Their traditional enemies were weak. Their former enemies weren’t bothering them as much anymore. The economy was humming. It was a period of unusual prosperity for Israel. But they weren’t heading in the right direction when it came to their walk with the Lord. And that’s when a man named Amos comes along. It’s about 80 or so years after the ministry of Elisha ended. Amos is one of the prophets that God sent to Israel, but he’s a little bit different from most of them. First: he’s a prophet to Israel, but he’s not from Israel. He’s from Judah. Second: he’s a “a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs” (Amos 7:14). He’s not part of the religious establishment at all. He was just a blue collar worker, and ordinary dude. So he’s an outsider with a prophetic message that probably would have resonated quite well when he first came to Israel with a message. ## A Popular Message So what was his message? Easy. Amos made a list of Israel’s enemies and delivered judgments against each of them. It would have been a message that went down easy. He begins with a blistering attack: > The LORD roars from Zion > and utters his voice from Jerusalem; > the pastures of the shepherds mourn, > and the top of Carmel withers. > (Amos 1:2) Remember that you’re from Israel, not Judah. Jerusalem is Judah’s capital, not yours. So when he begins by saying that the LORD roars from Jerusalem, you wouldn’t be sure where he’s going. Read the room, Amos! But the message is clear: God thunders from his residence in Jerusalem — they wouldn’t like that part — and is so powerful that it Mount Carmel, 115 kilometers to the north, withers at the sound of his voice. Have you ever heard a lion roar? It’s something that can give you a good shot of adrenaline, even if the lion is behind bars in the zoo. That’s what God is doing, Amos says, and it’s a pretty scary thing. The people would have liked what Amos had to say next very much. He begins to work through all the nations that surround Israel, like drawing a giant circle around the nation: - God’s going to punish Damascus (1:3-5) - God’s going to punish Gaza (1:6-8) - God’s going to punish Tyre (1:9-10) - God’s going to punish Edom (1:11-12) - God’s going to punish the Ammonites (1:13-15) - God’s going to punish the Moabites (2:1-3) - God is even going to punish Judah (2:4-5) This would be a little like if I wore a Leafs jersey at a Habs game in Montreal and stood at center ice and announced, “The Bruins are going down! The Senators are going down! The Leafs are going down!” The crowd wouldn’t like my Leafs jersey, but they really would like my message. But it would have been ever more resonant for them. Amos begins with a devastating critique of Israel’s enemies because of their wickedness. They, Amos says, are going down, and it’s not going to be pretty. ## A Surprising Twist But they wouldn’t have liked the next part. They wouldn’t have been ready for what Amos said next. > Thus says the LORD: > “For three transgressions of Israel, > and for four, I will not revoke the punishment… > (Amos 2:6) This would have been a shock. Amos went from condemning Israel’s enemies to condemning Israel themselves. As Amos worked through the surrounding nations, it’s like he was drawing a circle with Israel as the target in the crosshairs. This would have been an awkward moment. Imagine someone condemning Putin in Russia, and then condemning the Taliban in Afghanistan, and then saying, “You guys are in the same category. You’re under God’s judgment too.” Amos is telling something. What if the problem isn’t just the KKK or human traffickers or Putin? What if we are just as bad? What if God has a beef with us too? You may think, “Wait. We’re God’s people! We’re not in the same category!” But God is no respecter of persons. As James Montgomery Boice says: > Israel does not have any privileged position just because she has benefited from God’s past acts on her behalf. She is not God’s pet. If any irregularity exists, it is in the opposite direction, for the benefits of her history imply a greater obligation. As we’re going to see, God cares about justice, and God’s people don’t get a pass. In fact, Peter tells us, “it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God” (1 Peter 4:17). The God who roars doesn’t just roar against the problem people out there. God roars against his own people when we fail to live up to how he’s called us to live. ## Two Lessons from Amos There’s so much in Amos I wish I could show you. But let me highlight two of the most important lessons that Amos has for us today. ### One: God’s people can be the problem just as much as the world. Why was God angry at Israel? Amos gave a threefold critique in verses 6 to 8: > ….because they sell the righteous for silver, > and the needy for a pair of sandals— > those who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth > and turn aside the way of the afflicted; > a man and his father go in to the same girl, > so that my holy name is profaned; > they lay themselves down beside every altar > on garments taken in pledge, > and in the house of their God they drink > the wine of those who have been fined. > (Amos 2:6-8) What’s the problem? - They sinned against others by trampling on their rights. In particular, they sinned against the poor and vulnerable. - They disobeyed God’s direct commands, probably by engaging in sexual religious practices. Basically, they had adopted the sexual values of the world and had brought them into church. - In the very house of God, they perverted worship by going on drinking binges. We understand, I hope, that God cares very much about our relationship with him. He cares that we genuinely love him and serve him. But Amos is clear: God also cares about issues of justice. He cares how we treat the poor. He cares about our sex lives too. And we will not escape God’s judgment just because we call ourselves Christians. Later on, God tells them that their religious observances won’t save them. > I hate, I despise your feasts, > and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. > Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, > I will not accept them; > and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, > I will not look upon them. > Take away from me the noise of your songs; > to the melody of your harps I will not listen. > (5:21-23) God’s basically saying, “I hated your worship service. I couldn’t stand the songs you sang. I want no part of your church.” Why? Because God hates when we engage in religious practices externally while our hearts are far from him. God wants our hearts and obedience, not just our religious rituals. In fact, God is saying that God’s people are held to a higher standard. Because these were God’s people, he expected more from them. “You only have I known of all the families of the earth,” he says (3:2). So I have to ask: what would God say to us? Where have we mistreated the poor, disobeyed his Word, and distorted what worship is meant to be? God cares about this. We don’t get a pass. Amos warns us: God’s not just going to judge the world for its wickedness. God is going to hold us to account as well, and we’d better ask him to reveal what’s out of line. That’s one reason why we need the mirror of God’s word. It’s why we confess our sins each week. We want God to reveal what’s out of line and to change our hearts so we please him. Here’s the truth: God’s people can be the problem just as much as the world. We are sinners. We need repentance. But here’s the other central message that Amos teaches us: ### Second: Our only hope is Jesus. Most of the book of Amos is convicting. It’s an important book, because it exposes so many of our blind spots. I appreciate what James Montgomery Boice wrote about Amos: > The Book of Amos is one of the most readable, relevant, and moving portions of the Word of God … The book speaks powerfully against social injustices and religious formalism, and many who would otherwise read the book have been implicated in such sins and are condemned by it. It’s such an important book, but it’s a challenging one. Read the book to be challenged, but don’t read the book to be comforted, because you won’t find much encouragement in there. It gets so bad that a priest complains to the king about Amos, and they try to kick him out. No wonder. He’s scathing. The beginning of the last chapter, chapter 9, is called “The Destruction of Israel.” Amos doesn’t mince words. But then we get to the very end of the book of Amos which strikes a very different tone from the rest of what came before: > In that day I will raise up > the booth of David that is fallen > and repair its breaches, > and raise up its ruins > and rebuild it as in the days of old… > I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, > and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; > they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, > and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit. > I will plant them on their land, > and they shall never again be uprooted > out of the land that I have given them,” > says the LORD your God. > (9:11, 14-15) Over and over again, Amos talks about the day of the Lord, and it’s one of judgment. But this time, the day of the Lord is something different: a day of restoration. He promises a new king in verse 11 who will sit on David’s throne. He will bring a unity among the nations and a restoration of the earth. He will bring an end to the insecurity that plagues us today. The scope of the restoration is astounding, and God will do it. God calls us to repent. Amos is scathing in his critique of our sin. But then he reminds us: our only hope is the restoration that Jesus will bring. Imagine if you heard somebody playing Mozart, but they butchered it. You might say I’m never listening to Mozart again. But that would be ridiculous. The player doesn’t tell you how beautiful Mozart music is. The player only shows you how well they can play Mozart’s music. In a similar way, the church aims to play the music of Jesus, but we often get it wrong. But that doesn’t mean Jesus is wrong. It means that our playing has a way to go. But Jesus plays it perfectly. Jesus lived a life that we never could. Better yet, he takes our mistakes on him. He died for our sins in our feelings. If you look to the church, you will be disappointed. But if you look to Jesus, you’ll never be disappointed. Ultimately our hope is not ourselves. We are sinners in need of the Spirit's help. We need him to change us. I hope is in Jesus, the only one who is perfect, the only one who died for those of us who are imperfect. He is our hope. He will save us. He will change us. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-351/ Last updated: 2023-07-01T09:00:49.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [When Do You Shake the Dust Off Your Feet?](https://go.dashhouse.com/Efc%5F?ref=dashhouse.com) > How do we know if the place we are in now has reached a pearls before swine, dust-off-your-feet scenario? [How Christians Can Respond to Gender Dysphoria](https://go.dashhouse.com/Efbt?ref=dashhouse.com) > We are Christ’s ambassadors, messengers entrusted with good news for those with gender dysphoria. [Is There a Danger of Worshipping the Bible Instead of God?](https://go.dashhouse.com/EfcB?ref=dashhouse.com) > Seen properly, the Bible is not a competitor with God; on the contrary, it is our God-given means of knowing Him through His revealed truth. [Why Reformed Churches Need Contextualization](https://go.dashhouse.com/Efbm?ref=dashhouse.com) > Let’s explore why we still need contextualization and some ways we should embrace it in today’s church. [13 Pieces of Unconventional Preaching Advice](https://go.dashhouse.com/Efcn?ref=dashhouse.com) > What I want to share in this article is the preaching version of marginal gains. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [The Power of a Pastor Who Loves the Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/Ef8j?ref=dashhouse.com) > The church thrives when she’s loved by those who lead it. ### Develop a Plan to Read the Old Stuff URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/develop-a-plan-to-read-the-old-stuff/ Last updated: 2023-06-27T09:00:30.000Z I’m a sucker for new books. I get emails from some publishers highlighting their new releases, and no matter how much I know I don’t need more books, I’m tempted to buy them. Sometimes I do. But what I need more are old books. Nothing against new books. I’m working on writing another one myself. But I know the joy of finding a classic that’s stood the test of time and that speaks with greater depth and profundity than almost any new book written today. ## The Joy of Old Releases [Rob Eagar](https://go.dashhouse.com/EdMI?ref=dashhouse.com) is an expert on marketing books. In a recent email, he wrote about the secret of selling old books. Most contemporary authors only focus on selling their last book and ignore older ones they’ve written. Eagar takes exception to this practice. “Readers don't care about the age of your book. Readers only want to know if your book will be a satisfying read.” I agree, except we can apply what he writes to books that aren’t just a few years old but dozens or even hundreds of years old. We need to overcome our inclination to focus on the new. Instead of looking for *new* reads, look for *good* reads. There’s a good chance that some of the best reads won’t be new releases but old ones — really old ones that have stood the test of time. ## The Cost of Old Releases Here’s the problem with some of the old releases: they require work. Take *[The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification](https://go.dashhouse.com/EcI9?ref=dashhouse.com)*. John Murray called it “the most important book on sanctification ever written” and J. I. Packer has written that it is among the best books written on the Reformed doctrine of sanctification. But it’s also hard to read. So is John Owen. It takes work to read through what he’s written. It’s dense and challenging. But it’s also worth it. That’s the key: it requires more work, but the payoff is greater too. And it’s worth it. The more we get used to reading old books, the better we’ll be able to read old books, and the more we’ll enjoy the reward. (Maybe, by the way, someone needs to write a book based on *The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification* that makes it friendlier and easier to read, or at least introduces people to the ideas of this book, just like [James K.A. Smith](https://go.dashhouse.com/EdMP?ref=dashhouse.com) and [The Gospel Coalition](https://go.dashhouse.com/EdMQ?ref=dashhouse.com) did with Charles Taylor’s book *[A Secular Age](https://go.dashhouse.com/EdMR?ref=dashhouse.com)*. It’s a little shorter. It should be easier.) ## A Simple Way to Start One of the best ways to read old books is to look for books that have been updated and rereleased in recent years. For instance, Mark Jones has updated Stephen Charnock’s *[The Existence and Attributes of God](https://go.dashhouse.com/AiXL?ref=dashhouse.com)*. It will still take work to read, but it helps that Jones has modernized the language and written chapter summaries. Another option is *[The Wonderful Works of God](https://go.dashhouse.com/EcIH?ref=dashhouse.com)* by Herman Bavinck, or some of the [Crossway Short Classics](https://go.dashhouse.com/EcIP?ref=dashhouse.com). I’m grateful for the abundance of old books being rereleased. We need more. We don’t need to ignore newer books. Many of them are good too. But it’s helpful to balance our reading by reading old books too. They require more work, but the payoffs worth it. We don’t need new books as much as good books, and if you’re looking for a good book, chances are you’re looking for an old one too. ### Hope in a Time of Crisis (2 Kings 6:8-23) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/hope-in-a-time-of-crisis-2-kings-68-23/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T15:01:10.000Z **Big Idea:** God’s people are often in trouble, but God is kind and has all the resources they need. --- I don’t think I have to tell you that we live in interesting times. There was a time a few years ago that I thought things were getting better. The economy was humming. Interest rates were low. There weren’t any major wars. You could buy almost anything and get it shipped for free next day. I know things weren’t perfect, but it was easy to feel optimistic about the direction of the world. No more. We live in a time of what one person has called polycrisis: not just one crisis, but a series of overlapping, serious catastrophic crises: war, inflation, political upheaval, and more. It’s not just in the newspaper, either. It’s affecting all of us. We’ve barely begun to recover from the global pandemic, and we’re facing a new series of crises that can make life difficult. These are not easy days. And they’re not easy days for faith either. The Wall Street Journal did a [survey](https://go.dashhouse.com/EXpY?ref=dashhouse.com) a month ago and found that our values are changing. People are less confident that life for their grandchildren will be better than for them. Patriotism and community values are going down. And here’s something for us to consider: the percentage of people who believe that religion is important has dropped from 62% to 39%. The headline: “[America Pulls Back From Values That Once Defined It](https://go.dashhouse.com/EXce?ref=dashhouse.com).” People are losing faith in faith. Life’s not getting better. How do you hold on to hope in the age of polycrisis? ## Crisis in the Age of Elisha Let me introduce you to one of the men who served as a prophet in Israel a long time ago. His name was Elisha. He succeeded Elijah, the prophet that we met last week. He lived 3,000 years ago. He performed miracles like bringing a child back to life, multiplying a widow’s jar of oil, healing Naaman from leprosy, making iron float on water, and more. Just a reminder: we tend to think that a prophet is someone who predicts the future. Prophets sometimes did that, but that wasn’t their primary role. Prophets spoke on behalf of God. They called people back to the way God had called them to live. They critiqued societal injustices and corruption among the leaders and people of Israel. They called out unethical practices and behaviors that went against God’s laws. Elisha didn’t live in an easy time. Israel was going downhill fast. We read in this story: “Once when the king of Syria was warring against Israel, he took counsel with his servants” (2 Kings 6:8). We don’t know all the details, but we know that Syria was a formidable power. You know this because later in the story, in verse 15, Elisha’s servant is terrified by the army that surrounds the city. The Syrians were continually going into Israel, killing and raiding. They’d come, burn villages, kill, enslave, and carry away the women and children. Not a very fun thing to experience. So there’s the problem. Israel is going downhill. They face a difficult situation with a powerful enemy coming against them. What do we learn from this story? Three things. ### First: God’s people are often in trouble. We’re almost halfway through our yearlong series through the Bible. I hope you’ve noticed this theme so far. There’s hardly a time that God’s people aren’t in trouble: - In Genesis 3, they sin and are kicked out the garden. - In Genesis 18, they face the impossibility of the promises that God had made to them. - At the end of Genesis, they’re in captivity in Egypt. - In Exodus to Deuteronomy, they’re refugees in a desert. - In Judges, they’re threatened by the Canaanites. And we haven’t even got to the rest of the Bible yet. Things are going downhill. Soon Israel will be exiled, and after that Judah. We’re in the Old Testament for another dozen weeks or so. Without revealing any spoilers, let me tell you what to expect: God’s people will continue to be in trouble. By the time Jesus arrives, Israel is a small outpost in the vast Roman Empire. There’s hardly a time that Israel isn’t in a state of crisis. That’s the macro view. But you can look at individuals too. Throughout Scripture, God’s people seem to be in trouble. They’re falsely accused. They’re imprisoned. They’re made slaves. They’re under threat from foreign enemies. They’re the victim of evil plots made against them. Over and over again, God’s people find themselves in trouble. What does that mean? When you open the Bible and find Israel being raided by Syria yet again, you could say that it’s just another day in the life of God’s people. Read the end of the book of Hebrews and you discover what happened to some of God’s choices servants: > Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated — of whom the world was not worthy — wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. (Hebrews 11:35-38) Being part of God’s people does not exempt us from being in trouble. If you find that life is difficult — very difficult. 1 Peter 4:12 tells us: > Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. (1 Peter 4:12-13) Don’t be surprised at the fiery trial. Suffering is normal. In fact, God uses the suffering to shape us and make us more like Jesus. Never be surprised when you suffer in this world. God’s people often find themselves in trouble. But here’s what else we see. ### Second: But God is kind. What did Israel deserve at this time? Nothing. They were on a downward path, worshiping idols and neglecting God. Every king they had in Israel, the northern kingdom, was evil. Things would get so bad that, in just a few chapters, when God judges them, the author is devastating in his evaluation of Israel: > They despised his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the LORD had commanded them that they should not do like them. And they abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made for themselves metal images of two calves; and they made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal. And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings and used divination and omens and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger. Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight. (2 Kings 17:15-18) What reason did God have to come to Israel’s aid in the middle of being attacked by the Syrians? They certainly didn’t deserve it. But look what happened. Verse 8 says that the king of Syria would take counsel with his advisors. Before he could act on the plans that they made, Elisha the prophet would warn the king of Israel. We read: > But the man of God sent word to the king of Israel, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are going down there.” And the king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God told him. Thus he used to warn him, so that he saved himself there more than once or twice. (2 Kings 6:9–10) This is extraordinary. Imagine if every time Putin made war plans, Zelensky already knew about it. Why would God be so kind to Israel? Certainly not because they deserved it, but because it’s in God’s nature to be kind to his people because he is good and gracious. Imagine if God treated us as we deserve? God loves to come to the aid of his people. He doesn’t do it because we deserve it. He does it because he’s gracious. We can come to Jesus knowing that he’s inclined to come to our aid. He will not turn us away. He loves to help his people. Let me give you one example from more recent history. In the 1970s, many Christians in China worshiped in house churches. They had to change locations often to avoid crackdowns. When caught, the leaders would be arrested and sent to labor camps. At one meeting, those present had a very strong sense of Christ’s love and the Spirit’s presence. As the meeting concluded, a group of five unidentified individuals revealed themselves as undercover government agents and declared their intention to make arrests. But they’d had a change of heart and wanted to believe. God loves to thwart the plans of the enemies of God’s people and show his grace to people who don’t deserve it. We’re often in trouble. We certainly don’t deserve God’s help. But God loves to be gracious. Have you come to God, even though you don’t deserve it, and experienced his grace and help? I hope so. He will not turn you away. You can come today and he will help you. God’s people are often in trouble, but God is kind. There’s one more thing we see. ### Three: God has all the resources we need. As you can imagine, the king of Syria was ticked that his plans kept being leaked to Israel. I’d be frustrated too. He went looking for the problem and discovered that it was Elisha. So the king knew what to do: get rid of Elisha, and he could attack Israel by surprise. So in verse 14 we read, “So he sent there horses and chariots and a great army, and they came by night and surrounded the city.” The mission: to eradicate Elisha. When Elisha’s servant got up the next day, he freaked out. Who wouldn’t? Elisha. Elisha was not freaked out at all. > He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. (2 Kings 6:16-17) Sure enough, God saved Elisha from those sent to kill him. And Elisha treated them kindly. He fed them and sent them away. Even the enemies of God and his people were treated more graciously than they deserved. Here’s the lesson: God has all the resources we need. We just don’t have eyes to see them. We need to pray this too: Lord, open our eyes to see your presence, your care, your power. If we could only see. But we can. God answered Elisha’s prayer and opened the eyes of his servant. God is ready to open our eyes as well to see the resources he has prepared for us. **God’s people are often in trouble, but God is kind and has all the resources they need.** And so, Lord, please open our eyes. Give us eyes to see. And may we hope in you and then fear nothing else. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-350/ Last updated: 2023-06-24T09:00:09.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Why Build a Personal Library?](https://go.dashhouse.com/EZjD?ref=dashhouse.com) > I’d wager most of the book owners you know are like those I know, and probably like you or me: They own books for practical reasons any serious reader would recognize. I count at least five off the top of my head. [Thou Shalt Not Flatter (At Conferences)](https://go.dashhouse.com/EXvg?ref=dashhouse.com) > In my experience, flattery is the acceptable sin on the popular conference circuit and in social media circles where people are angling for approval from their superiors. [Why ChatGPT Can’t Produce Great Sermons](https://go.dashhouse.com/EY%5Fy?ref=dashhouse.com) > AI technologies lack the key requirement needed for great sermons. They lack a mind filled with the Holy Spirit. [Dangers in Exposing Cultural Sins](https://go.dashhouse.com/EZ0R?ref=dashhouse.com) > Expose, but then return quickly to the clean, clear, holy, happy air of the mountains of Christ’s fellowship. [Who Will Be the Missionaries to Western Culture?](https://go.dashhouse.com/EXvd?ref=dashhouse.com) > How should we minister in an increasingly urbanized world that embraces much of Western culture? [3 Motivations for Caring for Your Physical Body](https://go.dashhouse.com/EXvj?ref=dashhouse.com) > There are many motivations for taking care of our bodies, temples of the Holy Spirit who is in us. But here I will highlight my top three. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Not Just Another Sermon](https://go.dashhouse.com/EYT6?ref=dashhouse.com) > I pray that the preaching and hearing of God’s word never becomes routine. ### Don't Fall Into Ditches When It Comes to Preaching URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/dont-fall-into-ditches-when-it-comes-to-preaching/ Last updated: 2023-06-20T09:00:38.000Z I hear it often, although not as much as before: preaching is overrated. I sometimes see people quote Dallas Willard: “We have counted on preaching and teaching to form the life of the Christian. But this strategy has not turned out well. The result is that we have multitudes of Christians who can hardly get along with themselves, much less others.” Preachers love preaching, because they’re the ones that get to do it, they say, but it’s not producing the kind of spiritual maturity that it should, nor does it deserve as much prominence in the life of the church. I get concerned when I read statements like this. Yes, I’m a preacher, and I’m not neutral on this subject. Nobody is. But I’ve seen the danger of falling into one of two ditches when it comes to preaching. We do well to avoid both. ## Ditch One: Devaluing Preaching Some are so disenchanted with preaching that they devalue it. I sometimes see posts that question the value of preaching, and inevitably, I see a lot of likes. But preaching isn’t optional in the church. The form may vary, but it’s essential that someone open Scripture and declare and apply what God has said, and call people to respond. It’s not a discussion, although discussion may ensue. It’s proclaiming, declaring, and applying so that people hear and respond to what God has said. Our view of preaching is tied to our view of Scripture. The best kind of church has a high view of Scripture, and therefore a high view for the proclamation of what Scripture says. Preaching is not primarily about the preacher or about our needs or wants. It’s about submitting to what God has revealed, and allowing ourselves — corporately and individually — to be shaped by that revelation. We need a high view of Scripture and a high view of preaching. In fact, I would argue that a church will never be healthier than its preaching. As we’re about to see, preaching isn’t everything, but every time I find a healthy church, I also find a sound pulpit. I’ve never seen an exception to this rule. Never buy into the lie that preaching doesn’t really matter. Martyn Lloyd-Jones was right: “The most urgent need in the Christian Church today is true preaching; and as it is the greatest and the most urgent need in the Church, it is obviously the greatest need of the world also.” A church must value preaching — not just any kind of preaching, but preaching that is tied to a high view of Scripture that shapes how the congregation thinks, feels, and acts. God has spoken; we must listen and obey. ## Ditch Two: Devaluing Ministries Other Than Preaching We should value preaching, but we shouldn’t expect it to carry the entire freight of ministry within the church. Preaching is a central and essential ministry of the church, but it’s not the only one. “Sunday sermons are necessary but not sufficient,” [write](https://go.dashhouse.com/EUMk?ref=dashhouse.com) Colin Marshall and Tony Payne. > Sermons are needed, yes, but they are not *all* that is needed. Let’s be absolutely clear: the preaching of powerful, faithful, compelling biblical expositions is absolutely vital and necessary to the life and growth of our congregations. Weak and inadequate preaching weakens our churches … Conversely, clear, strong, powerful public preaching is the bedrock and foundation upon which all other ministry in the congregation is built… > When God has gifted all the members of the congregation to help grow disciples, why should we silence the contribution of all but one of them (the pastor), and think that this is sufficient or acceptable? We need the other ministries of the church, of believers ministering to one another. We’re good at extremes. It’s easy to fall into one ditch or the other. We can’t afford to make the mistake of devaluing preaching or devaluing ministries other than preaching. Don’t listen to the rumors that good preaching doesn’t matter. It’s central to the health and growth of the church. Value preaching, and then cultivate other ministries that allow the Word to shape all of church life. Don’t devalue preaching or the other important ministries of the church. ### Lessons From the Worst King (1 Kings 18) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/lessons-from-the-worst-king-1-kings-18/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T15:01:26.000Z **Big Idea:** Pay attention to your pain and the impotence of your false gods, and worship God instead. --- Have you ever seen a friend after a short period of time has passed? One of the questions that you will probably ask is, “What’s new?” I find that one of two things usually happens: - You say, “Nothing.” There are huge periods of time in our lives in which nothing really happens. You wake up. You go through another day. Rinse and repeat. - Or, you say, “Everything!” Sometimes you don’t see someone for a fairly short period of time, and you have to take a ton of time to catch them up on all the changes in your life. We’re going through the Bible over the course of a year from the very beginning to the very end. From April until last Sunday — over two months — we’ve been in one of the high points of Scripture. We’ve been looking at two kings: King David and his son King Solomon, and it’s been amazing. It’s been a little like sitting on a mountain at a scenic lookout. We’ve been able to linger a little, and there’s been lots to see. But the lingering is over. Things are moving at breakneck speed now. Last week we closed the chapter on Solomon’s life. Since then, so much has happened: - Solomon’s son Rehoboam succeeded his father and bungled things so badly that the kingdom split into two nations: the nation of Israel to the north, and Judah to the south. - In Israel, Jeroboam introduced idol worship to prevent his people from going to Jerusalem in Judah to worship. This caused a great divide between the two kingdoms. - Many kings ruled over both Israel and Judah during this period. Between Solomon and the king we’re looking at today, we have three kings in Judah, only one of whom was good, and seven kings in Israel, all of whom were bad. So things are generally not looking good. You have a divided kingdom, and most of the kings are bad. Between Solomon and the king we’re looking at today, To put it in perspective, today’s story takes place around 60 years after Solomon died, but a lot has happened. Things are going downhill. Things aren’t looking great. And then we get to today’s story. ## The Worst King You don’t have to guess what God thinks of the king we’re looking at today. It flat-out tells us: > In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri began to reign over Israel, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him. (1 Kings 16:29–30) And then it goes on to describe what made him so bad: > And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him. He erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria. And Ahab made an Asherah. Ahab did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him. (1 Kings 16:31-33) Talk about scathing. This is a nasty dude. In just sixty years you have a king who’s building altars for other Baal, the Canaanite god of storm and fertility. You also have a queen who’s killing off the Lord’s prophets (18:4). Things have reached a crisis point. But there’s a sign of hope. You also have a prophet named Elijah who suddenly appears in chapter 17, and we’re going to look at the interaction between Elijah and Ahab. ## Two Questions The interaction between the worst king and a prophet sent by God is so useful for us to consider. This is not just a story from a long time ago. This question has tons to teach us today. In particular, it causes us to ask two important questions. Here’s the first one: ### Will you pay attention to what your pain might be telling you? Elijah showed up with a message for Ahab. He predicted a drought. “Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, ‘As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word’” (1 Kings 17:1). This is devastating. They needed dew and rain. If they didn’t get any rain for years, it would be devastating for Ahab’s kingdom. It’s hard to imagine how it could survive. We learn later that this drought lasted three years and six months. Think about that. This year, we’ve been affected by wildfires throughout Canada, caused in part because of dry conditions. Imagine if it didn’t rain for over three years. But even then we’d be in better shape than Ahab because we can import food from other places where it has rained. Everything depended on getting rain. Everything. The food supply, the economy, everything. People’s lives were in the balance here. To have a drought like this would threaten everything. The consequences were severe. Why would Elijah make this threat? A couple of reasons. One is that Elijah knew his Bible. He knew that God has said: > Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them; then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and he will shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain, and the land will yield no fruit, and you will perish quickly off the good land that the LORD is giving you. (Deuteronomy 11:16-17) Elijah knew what God had said. When the people were unfaithful, God promised to discipline them, and one of the things he would use is drought. But Elijah also trusted God by praying. We also learn in James 5:17, “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.” What do we learn here? God is very good at getting our attention. This judgment was actually a kindness from God. Over 60 years earlier, Solomon had said: > When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, if they pray toward this place and acknowledge your name and turn from their sin, when you afflict them, then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel, when you teach them the good way in which they should walk, and grant rain upon your land, which you have given to your people as an inheritance. (8:35-26) “It was because of God’s kindness that he warned the king of the impending disaster,” writes [John Woodhouse](https://go.dashhouse.com/EOhI?ref=dashhouse.com). “The message opened up the possibility of repentance, and the prospect of repentance was the opportunity for forgiveness.” In other words, Ahab faced a question: would he learn from God’s discipline? Would he pay attention to what the crisis was teaching him? We face the same question: will you pay attention to what God may be teaching you as you go through various crises in your life? Hebrews 12 says that God “disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness” (Hebrews 12:10). This isn’t punishment. If you’ve trusted Christ, your sins have already been paid for. You will never be punished for your sins, because Christ has taken the punishment that you deserve. But God may use circumstances in your life to get your attention, to cause you to change direction. God is very good at getting our attention so that we learn the lessons he wants us to learn. Never miss what God might be up to when you suffer. It could be that God is trying to get your attention. It could be God’s discipline, which is designed to bring you to repentance. God is gracious enough to get our attention so that we realize we need to turn back to him. The pain in your life may be a gracious gift designed by God to bring you to him. Ahab never learned. Will you? Don’t miss the lessons your pain could be teaching you. Pay attention to what your pain may be teaching you. God can use your pain to bring the change that he desires in your life and to bring you to repentance. Here’s the second question: ### Will you pay attention to what your gods can’t do for you? I mentioned one reason why Elijah warned that Ahab’s obedience would lead to a drought. It was so that the pain would get Ahab’s attention. But there was another reason. It’s that Ahab worshiped Baal, who is the god of rain. Baal was responsible for making sure that drought never took place. Elijah was showing Ahab that his god couldn’t deliver on what he’d promised. He didn’t leave it at that either. In chapter 18, he upped the ante. He challenged Ahab to gather 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, Baal’s female consort. He wanted to establish once and for all that Baal couldn’t deliver what he’d promised. So he set up a challenge. They constructed two altars. They put a bull on each altar as a sacrifice but didn’t light it on fire. Elijah said, “And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the LORD, and the God who answers by fire, he is God” (18:24). He wanted to show that their god — the same god who couldn’t make it rain — also couldn't light a fire. What happened is sad. It’s a little comical, but also hard to read: > And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention. (18:26-29) If you underline your Bible, underline verse 29: “No one answered; no one paid attention.” If you worship anyone other than the Lord, you’re on your own. If you worship your career or a relationship or pleasure, if you put your trust in anything or anyone other than god, they will let you down. They won’t answer, they won’t pay attention. We’re all religious. We all worship something. But if you worship anything other than God, you’re on your own. Whatever you worship will let you down. But God won’t. Elijah not only set up the altar but drenched it with water. Baal had 450 prophets; Elijah was all by himself. But when he cried out to God, look what happened: > And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The LORD, he is God; the LORD, he is God.” (18:36-39) Friends, pay attention to what your pain is teaching you and pay attention to what your gods can’t do for you. And then pay attention to God, who alone deserves our worship, because there is no one like him. **Pay attention to your pain and the impotence of your false gods, and worship God instead.** The worst king has a lot to teach us. In his grace, God used Elijah to help Ahab face two questions. Would he pay attention to the pain? And would he see that his gods couldn’t help? Ahab wouldn’t listen. Will you? Will you turn to the one true God who is worthy of worship, and who is reaching out with his grace to you? Lord, help us not to miss these lessons. Thank you for persisting in showing us your grace. Give us ears to hear. In Jesus’ name. Amen. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-349/ Last updated: 2023-06-17T09:00:43.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Apologetics in an Age of Despair](https://go.dashhouse.com/EM%5FS?ref=dashhouse.com) > Exploring the nature of modern despair can open up fresh and exciting ways to make the hope of the gospel visible to those around us who so desperately need it. [Francis Schaeffer’s 4 Prescriptions for the Renewal of the Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/ERus?ref=dashhouse.com) > What will it take for the church to be renewed and the world to experience a profound move of God? [How Missionaries Persevere in Hard Places](https://go.dashhouse.com/ENeX?ref=dashhouse.com) > We can’t manufacture conversions, and we shouldn’t try — because the outcome is not on our shoulders. Our responsibility is simply to proclaim the life that God alone can give. [Nine Ways I’ve Seen Mark Dever Disciple Men and Raise Up Leaders](https://go.dashhouse.com/EKKK?ref=dashhouse.com) > What does Mark Dever do to disciple men and raise up pastors in the context of the local church? [Reclaiming the Remarkable Power of Liturgy](https://go.dashhouse.com/ERyN?ref=dashhouse.com) > Gospel-shaped liturgies stifle fear, resist forgetfulness, and fight idolatry. [7 Reasons to Slow Down During the Summer](https://go.dashhouse.com/ERux?ref=dashhouse.com) > Slow down your life, at least a little bit, during the summer months. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Why I’m (Mostly) Grateful for Social Media](https://go.dashhouse.com/EOuc?ref=dashhouse.com) > Social media is dangerous. It can lead you away from God. But, used well, it can also lead you to godly, smart people who love God and can help you follow him well. ### When Things Look Like They Can’t Possibly Get Worse URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/when-things-look-like-they-cant-possibly-get-worse/ Last updated: 2023-06-13T09:00:19.000Z I had a bad dream last week. When I told my son about it, he said, “Let me guess. Did you dream about a dam blowing up in Ukraine? Or about smoke from forest fires filling the sky?” Who needs bad dreams with all the bad things that are actually happening? My grandmother — one of the saintliest people I’ve ever known — used to say, “I can’t imagine things getting much worse. Jesus must be coming back soon.” I chuckle when I think of her words because things indeed seem to have gotten much worse. Ideas that would have shocked my grandmother in the 1970s have now become widely accepted and celebrated — sometimes even enforced — in culture even the church. Maybe it’s the news, which emphasizes the bad. Maybe it’s some of the trends that seem so worrying. Perhaps it’s the theological slippage that is so visible among some, or the trends that show movement away from key markers of orthodoxy and obedience. It could be some of the scandals, the nastiness of social media, and in general the sense that evangelicalism isn’t as healthy as it should be. And then there are the societal trends: increasing polarization, an aggressive push to more extreme views on both sides and the sense that the societal fabric is ripping. My grandmother lived through tumultuous times, but I think she would agree that these times aren’t much different. Sometimes I think things can’t get much worse, and that the pendulum will swing the other way. In other words, I’m hoping for a course correction. Just last week I told a friend, “Things can’t get much worse before people start to push back.” But I’m not so sure that I’m right. I’m working through Judges right now. Judges starts bad and gets progressively worse. Just when you think that things can’t possibly deteriorate, they do. By the end of Judges, it’s hard to feel anything but depressed. And then you turn the page to Ruth, a story that takes place in the time of the Judges. Things are bad, but God is still at work. He’s working through seemingly random circumstances — even negative ones — to carry out his plan. He still has righteous people like Boaz. God still shows his covenant love to his people even in the worst times. These are challenging times. It’s easy to get depressed about the condition of the world, and it’s right to cry out to God for mercy. If Judges teaches us anything, it teaches us that there’s no bottom to how bad things can get. That’s why I’m glad we have Ruth. In the middle of the worst of times, God is still at work. Even in dark times, God still has his people. We need the painful realism of Judges along with the assurance of God’s continued faithfulness in the story of Ruth. True, things are bad, and they might get worse. But God is still at work, and we can still live to honor him even in times like this. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-348/ Last updated: 2023-06-10T09:00:01.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [What to Know Before Serving as a Missionary in Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/EKIU?ref=dashhouse.com) > Canada is beautiful, but Canada is in desperate need of Jesus. We need people from inside and outside the country to take their role as missionaries seriously. [My Joy Depends on My Circumstances](https://go.dashhouse.com/EJsb?ref=dashhouse.com) > While unbelievers hope for happiness *from* the world, believers hope for happiness *in* the world as they enjoy God’s good gifts with grateful hearts. [We’re Commanded to Love Our Neighbors, Not to Make Them Feel Loved](https://go.dashhouse.com/EJse?ref=dashhouse.com) > Christians must no longer ask, “Does my neighbor feel loved?” (according to their standards) but rather, “Has my neighbor been loved?” (according to Christ’s Word). [The Upside-Down Metaphor: A Hermeneutical Critique of Josh Butler’s *Beautiful Union*](https://go.dashhouse.com/EJsf?ref=dashhouse.com) > Butler makes exegetical and categorical errors that lead him to at least two theologically problematic conclusions. [45 Quotes by Tim Keller](https://go.dashhouse.com/EIj1?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are forty-five quotes from twelve of his books. I’ll organize them by book title and let the quotes speak for themselves. [How Much Should Pastors Make?](https://go.dashhouse.com/EJsk?ref=dashhouse.com) > Don’t call a pastor who’s trying to get rich, and don’t be a church that’s trying to keep him poor. [Should My Church Staff Be Hesitant About Using ChatGPT?](https://go.dashhouse.com/EJcn?ref=dashhouse.com) > ChatGPT can be a useful tool for your church, but it should be used as a supplement to, not a replacement for, human roles and responsibilities. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [When Winsome Doesn’t Work](https://go.dashhouse.com/EJTR?ref=dashhouse.com) > We speak biblical truth in wise and gracious ways not because it works, but because God tells us to do so. And the week before (posted late): [Getting Our Joy from the Right Place](https://go.dashhouse.com/EEjg?ref=dashhouse.com) > Our ultimate joy doesn’t come from how well things go. Our joy is secure because it’s based on what can’t be taken away no matter how bad things get. ### The Inefficient Church URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-inefficient-church/ Last updated: 2023-06-06T09:00:22.000Z Seth Godin has an agenda. He wants you to do work that “can’t be automated, mechanized, or outsourced.” In other words, he wants to push you toward work that matters created by people who care. “Tools can create efficiency,” he writes in his new book *[The Song of Significance](https://go.dashhouse.com/EGmQ?ref=dashhouse.com)*, “but value can only come from … humanity, and the rare form of connection that comes from significance.” It’s messy work, inefficient work, sometimes slow work, but also important and glorious work: work that slows down enough to actually care. I’m all for certain kinds of efficiency. I just placed an online order to save a trip to the store. But I’m for the right kind of inefficiency: the inefficiency of caring enough to slow down and treat people like people, to know their names, and to actually care. I attended a [9Marks Weekender](https://go.dashhouse.com/EGmo?ref=dashhouse.com). They let us attend a member meeting at [Capitol Hill Baptist Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/EGmu?ref=dashhouse.com). On the agenda: voting people out of membership. Some had moved out of the city. Some had simply chosen to attend a different church. The efficient way to handle this agenda item would have been to prepare a motion voting them out of membership en masse. Easy. If you wanted to take the time, you could give a brief explanation outlining some of the reasons for the transfers. Moved, seconded, carried, and on to the next item. But that’s not what the church did. This church — a large one of around a thousand at the time — worked through each name one by one. They combined individuals in the same family but otherwise dealt with each person individually. This person came to us so many years ago. This is their story. This is where they’re going. This is why. We should pray for them. We should care. They refused to treat people efficiently. They chose to take the time and treat them like people, not like tasks to be completed as quickly as possible. I learned a lesson that night. It’s a lesson I remember often in my perpetual hurry and desire to get things done. It’s to slow down and refuse to treat people like widgets. It’s to sometimes — often — choose the inefficient route when it comes to people. Write the handwritten note. Make the visit. Pick up the phone. Slow down. Listen. A church that treats people like people, not just an aggregate of people or a crowd, is a church that will make a profound impact on the lives of many. And here’s the thing: it doesn’t matter how big or small you are. I’ve seen small churches treat people efficiently, and I’ve seen large churches (like Capitol Hill) take the inefficient route. It’s more of a commitment than a factor of size. By all means, send out the mass email newsletter. Preach to the crowds. Create systems of assimilation and pastoral care. Create ministries that are appropriate to the size of your church. But then purposely slow down sometimes and choose to become inefficient. Treat people like people. Refuse to automate or mechanize the care of souls. Slow down. It will be good for your people, and it will also be good for your soul. ### Echo of Love (Song of Solomon) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/echo-of-love-song-of-solomon/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T15:01:43.000Z **Big Idea:** Praise God for the gift of passion that’s an echo of an even greater love. --- One of the most uncomfortable moments I’ve ever had is at a conference a few years ago in Florida. A married couple was leading music. The male music leader turned to the female music leader, his wife, and read a passage of Scripture. She blushed. We all felt uncomfortable. What part of the Bible could make thousands of people cringe? The male music leader read from a particularly erotic section of the Old Testament book we call the Song of Songs or the Song of Solomon, and we all wanted to tell them: get a room! Some things are a little too intimate to share with a large crowd. We don’t know what to do with this book. If you’ve been around Liberty Grace Church, this is not the first time we’ve preached on this book of the Bible that’s so often neglected by churches, and that has been interpreted very differently in different eras of church history. As one [Old Testament introduction](https://go.dashhouse.com/E732?ref=dashhouse.com) states: > Perhaps no other biblical book has been read so differently from one time period to another. In the Middle Ages, very few would interpret the book in connection with human sexuality. Indeed, to do so was dangerous and could result in excommunication or worse … Today, most Christians find such an approach natural and sensible. However, is it correct to interpret the Song in such a “nontheological” manner? Why is a book that has such obviously erotic overtones in the canon? Those are two good questions. What is this book all about? And what in the world is it doing in the Bible? ## What's It About? So here’s what it’s all about: it’s Hebrew love poetry. No wonder the book is so foreign to us! Most of us aren’t used to reading any kind of love poetry at all, never mind love poetry that’s thousands of years old. Not only are we unfamiliar with this genre, but it’s strange to see something like this in the Bible: > Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! > For your love is better than wine; > your anointing oils are fragrant… > Draw me after you; let us run. > The king has brought me into his chambers. > (Song of Songs 1:2–4) At first glance, it’s not really hard to figure out what it’s about. It’s about a couple who’ve fallen madly in love with each other, and are full of desire for each other. The reason why this book makes us a little uncomfortable is that it is pretty easy to figure out what the author’s talking about, and some of it makes us pretty uncomfortable because it’s so erotic! So you’re going to be able to understand the overall theme of this Song. But let me give you a few hints that will help you as you read it, as I hope you do, that should help to make sense of the book. - **Relax and don’t worry too much about the plot.** Some of the approaches try to make sense of this book by finding a cohesive plot. But there are a few problems with this. There’s no obvious plot structure. It’s hard to even figure out how many characters are in the book. It’s probably better to just read the book as a collection of loosely related love poems rather than to try and figure out a story that probably doesn’t exist. - **Keep the main theme in mind.** Again, it’s better to begin with what we know and then move to what we don’t know. It’s really easy to get caught up in the details — for instance, what each part of the imagery means. But here’s the main theme: a man and a woman love and desire each other. That much is clear. Everything else is details. - **Be okay with the poetry being a little different.** We live thousands of years and thousands of kilometers away from the original context. We should expect that a poem we write today in Canada may seem a little strange to someone in the distant future in a different part of the world. So when the male in the Song of Songs says things like this to the woman — “Your neck is like the tower of David, built in rows of stone; on it hang a thousand shields, all of them shields of warriors” (4:4) — we should get the point that he’s saying something like, “You’ve got a very dignified neck, and I love your necklace,” and be okay with not including it in your Valentine’s Day card next year. So what’s it about? That’s not hard to answer. It’s a collection of erotic love poems that express love and desire between a man and a woman. But that leaves a second question we need to answer? ## Why Is It in the Bible? Let me give you three reasons: ### First, because God is God of all of your life including your sex life. This is probably the greatest lesson we need to learn from the Song of Songs. We think that God is God over all of our lives, but we have this idea that maybe God is a little squeamish about sex. We understand, of course, that he knows it happens, but we think that he’s not happy about it, and that he wishes it wouldn’t happen. The Song of Songs busts through that and communicates not only that God is comfortable with sex, but that he celebrates it because he made it, and that he is God over all of our lives, including the sexual parts. That, my friends, is one reason it’s in the Bible. Here’s Satan’s design. Satan wants to take God’s good gifts and weaponize them against us. Satan can’t invent any good gifts. All he can do is distort them. So Satan has taken sex and weaponized it against us. He’s convinced us that we have to enjoy sex on his terms because there’s no way God could be okay with us getting any pleasure from something like sex. C.S. Lewis described this in The Screwtape Letters, in which he imagines a senior devil writing to a junior one. The senior devil says: > Pleasure is his invention, not ours. He made the pleasures; all our research so far has not enabled us to produce a one. All we can do is to encourage the humans to take the pleasures, which our Enemy has produced, at times, or in ways, or in degrees which He has forbidden. And God busts in through the Song of Songs and reveals that God made us as sexual beings. He gave us sexual desires. He designed us to enjoy God’s good gift of sex. He’s not at all squeamish about it. In fact, he celebrates this part of our humanity because he invented it. God invented sex. God loves sex. God is not squeamish about sex. He gave it to us as a gift. Song of Songs teaches us to bring this part of our lives under his reign, and not to wall it off and think that God has nothing to do with it. God is God of all of your life, including your sex life. ### Second: You have permission to enjoy this part of your life. Why does poetry exist? One of the reasons that poetry exists is because it expresses emotion in a way that other genres can’t. So why does Song of Songs exist? Why is it even called the Song of Songs? Because sex and romance are packed with emotion. We basically have two ways to view sex in our culture today. - One is to make it an idol. An idol is basically something we value more than we value God himself. It’s to take something and make it more important than God, and to think that we can control it. This is one of the major things that people tend to do with sex: we idolize it. One way to know we’re idolizing it is if we refuse to submit our sex lives to God. This is elevating our sex lives above God. This is always dangerous because our idols will always let us down. - Another way is to treat sex as taboo. It’s to think that sex is dirty or off-limits. These are the two main ways that we tend to deal with sex, but Song of Songs gives us a third: to treat sex as a gift from God to be enjoyed under his rule. There’s a phrase that repeats itself throughout these poems. “I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or the does of the field, that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases” (2:7; 3:5; 8:4). This is an encouragement to wait until marriage to stir up the kind of passion expressed in this book. Don’t stoke that fire before you’re married, because once lit, that fire is hard to control. But once you’re married, the book teaches, go for it. This book takes a couple who desire each other, sends them on a honeymoon, and celebrates their passion. It teaches us that, within marriage, we should enjoy the sexual relationship with everything that we’ve got. I love how Ray Ortlund puts it: “The wisdom of God is saying, ‘When you get married, drop your inhibitions, and go for it.’” Sex isn’t meant to be either an idol or a taboo. Instead, it’s meant to be enjoyed within the gift of marriage. ### Finally: This gift points us to an even greater one. What I’ve just said excludes many of you. You may be unmarried, and you’ve just heard that God has given you a gift that you can’t enjoy because you’re not currently married. The reality is that, even if you’re married, there will come a time when you won’t be able to enjoy God’s gift of sexuality. So what does this book have to say to those of us who don’t get to enjoy sex? Sam Allberry is single, and he’s written a book called [*7 Myths of Singleness*](https://go.dashhouse.com/E7mX?ref=dashhouse.com), one that’s really worth reading for all of us. Here’s what’s interesting. One of Allberry’s favorite books is a book based on the Song of Songs called [*Jesus, Lover of my Soul*](https://go.dashhouse.com/E7mf?ref=dashhouse.com). I got curious about this book and got it. Here’s the thesis of the book: that “that Jesus loves me with the passion of a man for a woman, and that the Song of Songs illustrates this in extraordinary colours, scents and tastes, a music of words to set our souls on fire in response.” It’s not that the Song of Songs isn’t love poetry between a man and a woman. It’s that these love poems give us a window into a greater love: the love of Jesus for his people. Please don’t lose sight of the message of this book: it’s a celebration of romantic love. But we should also realize that every romantic relationship is an echo of the ultimate love relationship we were meant to enjoy, one in which we are known and loved by God. The book *Jesus, Lover of My Soul* says: “For most of us, let’s be honest, it feels strange to address Jesus as a romantic partner – a lover, fiancé, bridegroom, even a husband.” And yet, it says: > The Song tells us that whether single or married, our experience of human relationships will never match that of the lovers in the Song, nor be enough to fully satisfy us. It makes us long for a more than merely human intimacy, and gives a dramatic framework for us to experience that intimacy with Christ. Its poetry stimulates our imaginations to see how Christ loves us. I don’t know what you make of that. It can be hard to get our heads around. But it’s certainly one of the main messages of the Bible: that, as Ray Ortlund [says](https://go.dashhouse.com/E7oX?ref=dashhouse.com), “Marriage is the wraparound concept for the entire Bible … the Bible is telling a story of married romance.” Or as he also says, “Married sex, with its intimacy and desire and pleasure and intensity and adoration and satisfaction and rest, is a glorious metaphor of heaven.” If you are in Christ, you are loved. You are desired. The greatest romance is just a faint echo of the endless love that Christ has for his people. So praise God for the gift of passion. But praise God that it’s just an echo of an even greater love that’s pursuing us and that will never let us go. Thank you for the gift of love and sex, Father. Thank you that you are the creator and Lord of even our sex lives. And thank you that you love your people with an even greater love that will not let us go. May we all enter and experience that love. In Jesus’ name. Amen. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-347/ Last updated: 2023-06-03T09:00:26.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [The Ordinary Means of Grace](https://go.dashhouse.com/ECst?ref=dashhouse.com) > The Christian life is supernatural, but it is not always sensational. [Reading Well](https://go.dashhouse.com/ECwQ?ref=dashhouse.com) > It is easy to read without getting much benefit. Our eyes can skim over lots of pages and barely take much in. [Cessationist or Continuationist: Have Some Gifts Ceased?](https://go.dashhouse.com/EDzQ?ref=dashhouse.com) > Study your Bible, pray, read, discuss, and when ready, humbly get off the bridge on either the continuationist or cessationist side. [Are Digital and Physical Bibles Friends or Enemies?](https://go.dashhouse.com/ECt6?ref=dashhouse.com) > There is a difference between reading a print Bible and a digital Bible because the medium we use shapes how we interact with scripture. [Pastor: Help Your Congregation Navigate Gay Pride Month](https://go.dashhouse.com/EEKu?ref=dashhouse.com) > Pastor, consider how you might equip your church members to stand in truth and love during this month. [Defining Gender for Ourselves and Our Kids](https://go.dashhouse.com/E8d5?ref=dashhouse.com) > Whether we’re having conversations about gender with our colleagues or our kids, we need a better answer than anatomical differences and temporary job descriptions. [Let’s Turn Pride Month into Prayer Month](https://go.dashhouse.com/ECwE?ref=dashhouse.com) > Below, you’ll find a request and accompanying verse or passage to pray each day of June. ### We Need the Example of Robertson McQuilkin URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/we-need-the-example-of-robertson-mcquilkin/ Last updated: 2023-05-30T13:43:34.000Z We’re hungry for good examples. We need to follow the instruction of Hebrews 13:7 and find leaders who’ve finished well, and imitate them. One such leader is Robertson McQuilkin, former president of [Columbia International University](https://go.dashhouse.com/E6hP?ref=dashhouse.com). McQuilkin was born in 1927, in Columbia, South Carolina. His parents were pioneers of Columbia International University, then known as Columbia Bible School. His father served as the first president. McQuilkin met his wife Muriel Wengatz while studying at Columbia. They served together around the world, including for 12 years in Japan as missionaries. They raised 6 children. They eventually returned to Columbia International University. Muriel taught, and Robertson became the president in 1968\. The school thrived under his leadership. Columbia’s enrollment doubled, two radio stations were founded, the school received accreditation, and its reputation grew in the evangelical world. During the 1980s, though, Muriel began to change. She was eventually diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. In 1990, at the peak of his career, Robertson resigned to become her full-time caregiver. He did so because she was much happier when he was with her. He [explained his decision](https://go.dashhouse.com/E6gl?ref=dashhouse.com): > When the time came, the decision was firm. It took no great calculation. It was a matter of integrity. Had I not promised, 42 years before, "in sickness and in health …. till death do us part"? > This was no grim duty to which I stoically resigned, however. It was only fair. She had, after all, cared for me for almost four decades with marvelous devotion; now it was my turn. And such a partner she was! If I took care of her for 40 years, I would never be out of her debt. You can listen to part of his resignation speech below. McQuilkin was startled by the reaction to his resignation. Later, an oncologist explained to him, “Almost all women stand by their men; very few men stand by their women.” McQuilkin [experienced](https://go.dashhouse.com/E6gn?ref=dashhouse.com) “my dearest slipping from me, my eldest son snatched away in a tragic accident, my life's work abandoned at its peak.” He felt the weight of all of this, but remained faithful. Muriel stopped recognizing him in 1993\. She died in 2003\. After she died, he [said](https://go.dashhouse.com/E6gy?ref=dashhouse.com), “I don't see how I could have any more grief.“ But he also said, “I don't feel like I've given anything up. Our life is not the way we plot it or plan it. And so I guess all along I've just accepted whatever assignment the Lord gave me.” McQuilkin once wrote [a poem](https://go.dashhouse.com/E6h2?ref=dashhouse.com) expressing his desire to finish well. > It’s sundown, Lord. > The shadows of my life stretch back > into the dimness of the years long spent. > I fear not death, for that grim foe betrays himself at last, > thrusting me forever into life: > Life with You, unsoiled and free. > But I do fear. > I fear the Dark Spectre may come too soon > \- or do I mean, too late? > That I should end before I finish or > finish, but not well. > That I should stain Your honor, shame Your name, > grieve Your loving heart. > Few, they tell me, finish well… > Lord, let me get home before dark. He feared “the darkness of a spirit grown mean and small, fruit shriveled on the vine, bitter to the taste of my companions, burden to be borne by those brave few who love me still.” Instead, he wanted fruit “lush and sweet, a joy to all who taste; Spirit-sign of God at work, stronger, fuller, brighter at the end.” He wanted to finish well. McQuilkin passed away on June 2, 2016, at the age of 88\. His prayer — “Lord, let me get home before dark” — was answered. He was primarily remembered not for his professional accomplishments, but for his love for his wife. In an age of scandal and disappointment, we need the example of people like Robertson McQuilkin. It’s good to remember people like him, consider the outcome of their lives, and imitate their faith (Hebrews 13:7). May God raise up more like him. ### How to Live Well (Proverbs) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/how-to-live-well-proverbs/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T15:02:00.000Z **Big Idea:** Fear God, get wisdom, apply wisdom, and remember Jesus, the ultimate wisdom. --- What would you say to someone just starting out about how to live well? I wonder if you would say something like this 45-second commencement speech: > Dear graduates, > Today marks a significant milestone in your life. You have worked hard to reach this point, and I am proud of each and every one of you. As you leave this chapter of your life behind, I want to remind you that the world is waiting for you. > You are the future leaders, innovators, and change-makers. You have the power to make a positive impact on the world. It won't always be easy, but I urge you to never give up on your dreams. Believe in yourself and your abilities. > Continue to learn, grow, and challenge yourself. Don't be afraid to take risks and step outside of your comfort zone. Remember that failure is not the end, but rather a stepping stone towards success. > As you embark on the next chapter of your life, carry with you the lessons you have learned and the memories you have made. Take the time to appreciate the little things in life and cherish the ones you love. > Congratulations, graduates. I can't wait to see the incredible things you will accomplish in the future. That was only 45 seconds, but it contains so much of what we’re told these days about how to live a good life: - The world is waiting for you. - You have so much potential. - Believe in yourself. - Continue to grow. - Take risks. - Be grateful. These are the messages that we hear almost constantly in our day. I guarantee you’ll hear some of these messages this week. If you buy a self-help book, these are almost certainly the messages you’re going to read. But what does the Bible say? Does it agree with these messages, or is there a different and better way to live? That’s why I’m glad we’re looking at the book of Proverbs today, because it gives us God’s answer about how to live well in this world. ## An Introduction to Proverbs We’re going through the Bible in a year. Right now we’re in one of the high points of Scripture. Israel is at peak prosperity. Solomon is king, and he’s reigning over Israel. God has already given him so much wisdom. Last week we saw that God asked him what he wanted, and Solomon prayed for wisdom. In response, God said to him, “Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you” (1 Kings 3:12). God’s promise to Solomon came true. In the next chapter, we read: > And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore, so that Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all other men .. and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005\. He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall. He spoke also of beasts, and of birds, and of reptiles, and of fish. And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom. (1 Kings 4:29-34) There’s so much in this description. Solomon’s wisdom transcends both geographic and chronological boundaries. When it says that he spoke of trees, beasts, birds, reptiles, and fish, it’s not just saying that Solomon was an environmentalist. It’s portraying Solomon as a [new Adam](https://go.dashhouse.com/E1hU?ref=dashhouse.com). “At the heart of the king's duty is the tending and extending of a garden.” Today we’re going to look at some of the proverbs that Solomon left us. We’re going to look at the book of Proverbs, one of the wisdom books in the Bible. It’s a book of practical advice on how to live. ## How to Live Well So what’s the message of Proverbs? The goal of Proverbs is to give us wisdom — practical skill for living — in the world that God has created. It wants to help us think and act wisely. As the Bible Project [says](https://go.dashhouse.com/E1hx?ref=dashhouse.com), it’s a guide for flourishing and thriving in God’s world. One of the best things you can do is to read Proverbs regularly and to begin to memorize the Proverbs that are relevant to your life. Proverbs is meant to give you short, memorable phrases that will stick in your mind. What we’re going to do today is a poor substitute for actually reading and meditating on the content of the book. But let me give you a quick overview. Let me try to summarize the main messages of Proverbs on how to live well. What is the message of the Bible on how to live well in this world? Solomon wants us to understand four things: ### One: Fear God. Look at Proverbs 1:7: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” If you’re going to memorize one verse from the book of Proverbs, this is it. This is the message of the whole book in one verse. This is the first and organizing principle for everything else that follows. It presents a stark choice before us: - One is to be a fool. How do you know you’re a fool? You know you’re a fool if you’re above instruction — if you’re too good or too busy for it. Don’t be a fool. - What’s the opposite? It’s to fear God. That’s it. It’s a binary choice. It’s one or the other. You can be the wisest person alive, but if you don’t base your life on fearing God, you’re still a fool. In other words, living wisely on a horizontal axis depends on relating well to God on a vertical axis. If you want to live skillfully in the world, the place to begin is not by learning skills and techniques for living wisely in the world. The place to begin is by getting your relationship with God right. Everything else rests on that. To paraphrase Bruce Waltke, What the alphabet is to reading, notes to reading music, and numerals to mathematics, the fear of the LORD is to wisdom. This is where the wisdom of the Bible departs from all the advice you’ll hear in all the self-help books and commencement speeches. If you want to live well, you have to start with God. You have to fear God. This is a recurring theme throughout the whole book. It’s the primary message of this book. If you miss this, you miss the core of what it means to live well. So what is the fear of the Lord? It means having such a big view of God that it controls your life. Fearing God means that we recognize who he really is. John Piper [says](https://go.dashhouse.com/E1lU?ref=dashhouse.com): > The sheer majesty of God, as well as the holiness, and justice, and power, and wrath of God, cannot be approached in a cavalier spirit. It would be insane to think we can just stroll up to the Creator of the universe and have a cavalier spirit. We are blind if we think we can do that without trembling. When we realize that God is majestic, holy, just, powerful, and wrathful, bigger than anyone or anything else, then that will become the North Star of our lives. God’s bigness will become the controlling principle of our lives. We’re not talking about a cowering fear. We’re talking about becoming humble and teachable, standing in awe of God’s holiness and sovereignty, “acknowledging our own littleness, distrusting our own thoughts and willing to have our minds turned upside down” (J.I. Packer, *Knowing God*). This is the place to begin. Let me ask you: do you fear God? Have you come to the point in your life where you realize that having a right view of God is the thing that you need most in life? That what you need most is a desire to honor God? If you want to live well, this is the place to start. Base your entire life on fearing God. ### Two: Get Wisdom. The first 9 chapters of Proverbs have one agenda: to convince you that your main goal in life should be to pursue wisdom. This is not something that should be one of your priorities. This should be the main priority in your life. Take, for instance, these words from Proverbs 4:5-9: > Get wisdom; get insight; > do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth. > Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; > love her, and she will guard you. > The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, > and whatever you get, get insight. > Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; > she will honor you if you embrace her. > She will place on your head a graceful garland; > she will bestow on you a beautiful crown. What is the best thing you can get in your life? The most important thing you could possibly acquire is wisdom. How do you get wisdom? Proverbs pictures wisdom as coming for you. “Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice” (Proverbs 1:20). Wisdom isn’t hard to find. It’s looking for you. So how do you get it? You simply receive it. You listen to it. Derek Kidner says that this passage is saying, “What it takes is not brains or opportunity, but decision. Do you want it? Come and get it.” You have God’s wisdom right here. It’s free for the taking. The only decision you have is: will you receive it? During the coronation of Charles III earlier this month at Westminster Abbey, the new King was given a lot of things: a scepter, orb, crown, and a sword, and more. But he was also given a Bible. As he received this Bible, he was told, “Receive this Book, the most valuable thing that this world affords. Here is Wisdom; this is the royal Law; these are the lively Oracles of God.” That same wisdom — the most valuable thing the world affords — is free for the taking. Make the main pursuit of your life the pursuit of the wisdom contained in this book. It is the most valuable thing that you could ever own. This is a matter of life and death! This is no trivial matter. Fear God, and get wisdom. ### Three: Apply wisdom. The heart of Proverbs is chapters 10-29\. These chapters contain 375 short, pithy sayings that apply the fear of God and wisdom to every topic you can imagine: family, work, community, friendship, words, sex, marriage, money, anger, forgiveness, food and alcohol, and more. These proverbs are short and easy to memorize. They’re meant as a reference that we can turn to time and time again as we face various issues in our lives. The key to using this part of Proverbs is to realize that they’re general statements. They’re not promises. They describe how things generally work. Life is complicated, and things don’t always turn out as we expect, but these proverbs give us a general idea of how we should live. That’s why it’s so important that we master the content of these chapters. We should read them proactively. We should also search them for wisdom as we encounter different circumstances in life. We don’t just need to get wisdom. We need to apply God’s wisdom to every part of our lives. I encourage you to major in this book and let it guide your life. Fear God. Get wisdom Apply wisdom. There’s one more lesson that Proverbs gives us. ### Four: Look beyond Solomon to Jesus. Proverbs is amazing. Solomon is amazing. But even Solomon, the wisest human in history, failed to live according to his own wisdom. 1 Kings 11 records that Solomon turned away from the Lord and worshiped other Gods. > And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the LORD commanded. (1 Kings 11:9-10) If Solomon was wise and still messed up, what hope is there for the rest of us? But there’s good news: in Matthew 12:42, Jesus said, “Behold, something greater than Solomon is here.” The truth is that nobody has ever followed God’s wisdom perfectly, including Solomon, and we won’t either. Nobody has — except for Jesus. Pursue wisdom, but ultimately pursue the One who is the wisdom of God, the One who gave his life for us, the One who is “stronger than Samson, wiser than Solomon, and more devoted than David … in him, we find help" ([Garrett Kell](https://go.dashhouse.com/E7BF?ref=dashhouse.com)). We need God’s wisdom. But more than that, we need grace for when we fail to live up to God’s wisdom. That’s why we need Jesus. **Fear God, get wisdom, apply wisdom, and remember Jesus, the ultimate wisdom.** And then, my friends, you will live well. Thank you, Father, for showing us how to live. And thank you for giving us a Savior who helps us when we fail to live as we should. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-346/ Last updated: 2023-05-27T09:00:13.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Does Maturity Still Matter?](https://go.dashhouse.com/E5ey?ref=dashhouse.com) > The most effective mission is the one that flows out of Christian character. Anything less is a volatile compromise, and the bill will come due eventually. [The Freedom of Embracing My Weaknesses](https://go.dashhouse.com/D--x?ref=dashhouse.com) > As important as it has been to learn who God has made me to be has been learning, admitting, and embracing who he has not made me to be. [What Is a Church?](https://go.dashhouse.com/E2jI?ref=dashhouse.com) > We need to be a part of a church. A real church. A church to which we are accountable. A church that knows us. A church that can remove us from their midst if we start living like the devil while still calling ourselves a Christian. A church where we’ll participate and serve and love and be an integral part of the body. [What’s Expected of a Church Member?](https://go.dashhouse.com/E1uQ?ref=dashhouse.com) > In our membership process, we make 4 basic commitments to each other. Let me share what they are. [Is Baptism a Requirement for Church Membership?](https://go.dashhouse.com/E2m%5F?ref=dashhouse.com) > While baptism is never explicitly said to be a prerequisite for church membership, the following biblical factors lead to that conclusion. [What Tim Keller Taught Us: A Compilation of Tributes](https://go.dashhouse.com/E2kh?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here’s a selection of those pieces in chronological order (we’ll continue to update the list in the coming days and weeks). Something I wrote at Faith Today this week: [How Tim Keller Changed My Life](https://go.dashhouse.com/E0Ew?ref=dashhouse.com) > His ministry changed the direction of my life in significant ways. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [The Unknown Christian](https://go.dashhouse.com/E21W?ref=dashhouse.com) > We dare not forget the forgotten. They matter too. Their names will not be recorded in history, but their importance must not be overlooked. ### What I Learned from Tim Keller URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/what-i-learned-from-tim-keller/ Last updated: 2023-05-23T11:37:09.000Z By now, everyone seems to have tweeted and blogged about Tim Keller. (See [this thread](https://go.dashhouse.com/D%5FJ7?ref=dashhouse.com) for some of the tributes and essays that have been published over the past few days.) At the risk of over-saturation, I wanted to reflect on some of what I learned from Tim Keller’s life and ministry. ### You Can Be Orthodox and a Bunch of Other Things Too You can fill in the blank with this one. You can be orthodox and missional. You can be orthodox and reach post-Christian people in a secular society. You can be orthodox and long for revival. You can be orthodox and kind. I knew all of this conceptually, but few people modeled this as well as Keller. Who else has held on to confessionalism so well and also reached so many in a hard-to-reach area? Who else has had such a wide impact across denominational and theological lines? Who else has been kind and humble while doing so? I know all kinds of orthodox people, but few who have the combination of traits that Keller had in abundance. ### You Can Learn From Almost Anyone Keller was a voracious learner. He had the ability to read and quote widely. As Collin Hansen illustrates in his [recent book](https://go.dashhouse.com/Bz-3?ref=dashhouse.com), Keller read both broadly and deeply. He had a “God-given ability to integrate disparate sources and then share insights with others,” a trait that goes back to his college days. “He’s the guide to the gurus,” Hansen observes. “You get their best conclusions, with Keller’s unique twist.” When you learn from Keller, you learn from others too. He had the ability to read, synthesize, and pass on the best from what he himself had learned. He showed a unique ability to transform his learnings into something new. ### Preach to the Mind and the Heart Keller had an unusual ability. His preaching was professorial. He was smart and assumed that his listeners were too. He quoted from philosophers, literature, and the high arts, as well as popular sources too. Nobody could accuse him of being an intellectual lightweight. But he spoke to the heart. He believed that the sermon's purpose, to paraphrase Jonathan Edwards, is not just to tell people that honey is sweet, but to allow them to taste it. He wasn’t satisfied until people stopped taking notes and had an encounter with Jesus. He knew how to speak to the mind and engage hearts with the beauty and wonder of Jesus. ### Build Your Ministry on Character, Not Just Giftedness I graduated from Gordon-Conwell Seminary in 2007\. I was thrilled to learn that Tim Keller would be speaking on graduation morning at the President’s Breakfast that year. (I wrote a [post](https://www.dashhouse.com/2007516tim-keller-on-spiritual-fruit-and-ministry-html/) back then summarizing his talk.) His subject that day: the importance of building ministry on character, not just giftedness. He quoted from Jonathan Edwards, and spoke of his own ministry. HIs challenge couldn’t have been more appropriate. Given the scandals that have plagued Christianity since then, it couldn’t have been more timely. Keller seems to have lived that way. As Collin Hansen [writes](https://go.dashhouse.com/DzaN?ref=dashhouse.com), “I never heard Tim Keller speak a cross word about anyone else … Tim tried to find truth even in the barbs of his harshest critics … In the last three years, as I knew him better, I respected him more.” Keller wasn’t perfect, of course. But he was a man of character. The past few days have brought out story after story of his humility and kindness to so many. Although he was extraordinarily gifted, the real impact of his ministry wasn’t just his giftedness but his character. I could summarize so many other lessons I learned from his life — about church planting, cities, and the possibility of making your later years the most fruitful years — but these four stand out the most. I thank God for Tim Keller and all the lessons he taught me. ### Get Wisdom (1 Kings 3) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/get-wisdom-1-kings-3/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T15:02:16.000Z **Big Idea:** Build your life on who God is, who you’re not, and what matters most: God’s wisdom. --- If you could ask for and receive anything in life, what would it be? Some people might wish for different circumstances. You may want something that you don’t have. Maybe you wish you could go back and change something in your past. If you could ask for anything, what would it be? The 2005 television reality show "Three Wishes" asked that question in small towns across America. Then the producers made wishes come true, choosing three people to receive the one thing they wanted more than anything else in life. The application for the show said, "We are looking for emotional stories of people in need. We want to help deserving people — people who always help others, but never think of themselves.” Then it asked the big question: “If you had one wish in the world and could ask for absolutely anything from the heart, what would it be?” The television producers said that money was no object, which may explain why the show was canceled after only one season: making wishes come true can get very expensive. So let me ask you again: what would you ask? Suppose someone came to you with unlimited resources and made you that offer. What would you choose? That’s exactly the question that Solomon had to answer. ## Solomon’s Promising Start We’re working our way through the entire Bible this year. And we’re at the point where God’s plan to save the world by choosing a nation is on the upswing. The people now live in the land God promised. God had given them a king, not a perfect king, but a good king named David. And he’d made a promise to David: that he would not only build a house for David but that he would establish David’s throne forever. One of David’s descendants would always sit on David’s throne forever. Solomon was the first of David’s descendants to do reign on his throne. You know the feeling of having a new, young leader. Imagine the excitement: a new king is on the throne! He’s young; he’s full of energy. It’s a brand new start. But imagine the nervousness: how would he do? How would a young and inexperienced king perform? Would he have the skill and maturity to serve as a good king? Things got off to a good start. As soon as Solomon was firmly in control of the kingdom, we read these words: “Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father, only he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places” (1 Kings 3:3). Good start. The thing that Israel needed most was a leader who loved God. Nothing matters more. Love doesn’t just mean a feeling. Love is evidenced by obedience. So it’s even better when we read in verse 4: “And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.” Picture that. Picture the expense and work that would be involved in not just making a sacrifice to God, but to make a sacrifice of a thousand burnt offerings. Solomon is showing that he loves God and wants to obey and serve him. There are a few warning signs that show up in this passage. Solomon is off to a good start, but we also see some warning signs. > Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her into the city of David until he had finished building his own house and the house of the LORD and the wall around Jerusalem. (1 Kings 3:1) Not good. Israel had been rescued from Egypt. It’s probably not a good sign that Solomon becomes the son-in-law of Pharaoh. Marriage was a way to make an alliance with a foreign power. You also have Solomon worshiping God in high places. High places were typically used to worship false gods. The reason why he worshipped there, according to verse 2, is that Solomon hadn’t yet built a temple for God yet. You’ve got Solomon compromised. The primary influence in his life is someone who worships another god. Already in this passage, you have the seeds of destruction that will cause him trouble later in his life. But overall, things look pretty promising. There are a few warning signs, but the big picture is hopeful. Solomon loves the LORD and is committed to serving him. God’s promises to David are coming true. Things are looking really, really good. The future looks bright for Israel. ## The Question This makes the question that God asks Solomon in this passage really fascinating. Early in his reign, Solomon had a dream, and God gave him an invitation. Read verse 5: “At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, ‘Ask what I shall give you.’” Can you picture God asking you this? Imagine God asking you: what do you want me to give you? You could pick anything. What is it that you want? Picture the possibilities: - Good health - Wealth and financial stability - Love and companionship - Success and recognition - Happiness and contentment - Inner peace and spiritual growth - Fulfillment of their dreams and goals God didn’t put any conditions on his question. Picture all the ways Solomon could have responded. This would be a major test of his character. How he answered would show a lot about who Solomon is, as well as what would happen in is life. Think of all the things that Solomon could have asked for! How would you have answered God? If God asked you this question, how would you answer? Listen to Solomon’s remarkable answer. Solomon does three things. ### First: he begins with God. Read verse 6: > And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day.” Solomon’s request is based on his knowledge of who God is. If you’re going to answer what you would like most in life, you’ve got to answer that question based on your idea of what matters most. Whatever you think is most important will determine what you ask for. If your career is the ultimate good in your life, then you’ll ask for something career related. If pleasure is the ultimate good in your life, you’ll ask for something related to pleasure. Solomon begins by recognizing that the ultimate good is God. He begins with a very big picture of God, and this sets him off on the right foot as he makes a big prayer request to God. What does he recognize? He recognizes that God has shown great and steadfast love to David and that God has shown the same great and steadfast love to him. The place to begin in our quest for what we want most in life is to begin with God. Begin anywhere else, and we’re on very shaky ground. This is the place we have to begin. How do you decide what you do with your life? How do you make big decisions? If you begin anywhere except for where Solomon began, you’re beginning in the wrong place. You have to begin with God. Start anywhere else, and you won’t be able to answer this question well. ### Second: he acknowledges his own limitations. You’ve probably heard about the different stages of incompetence. These stages are: - **Unconscious Incompetence** — The person is unaware of their lack of knowledge or skill in a particular area. - **Conscious Incompetence** — The person becomes aware of their lack of knowledge or skill in a particular area. - **Conscious Competence** — The person acquires the knowledge or skill but must consciously think about it in order to perform it correctly. - **Unconscious Competence** — The person has acquired the knowledge or skill to the point where it becomes second nature and can be performed without conscious thought. Nothing is worse than the first stage: unconscious incompetence. They’ve named an entire condition after this stage: the Dunning-Kruger Effect. It’s when people lack the knowledge or skills to recognize their own incompetence. As a result, they overestimate their abilities and believe they are more competent than they actually are. In other words, it is healthy and spiritually mature to move from overestimating ourselves to actually admitting our need, and this is exactly what Solomon does in this passage. Look at what he says: > And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. (3:7-8) In other words, Solomon begins with God and then moves on to realize how much he needs God. What an amazing place to begin. Have you done this? Have you acknowledged that you don’t have what it takes? Humility is a great place to begin. The world tells us to begin by being a big deal, of asserting our greatness. Solomon shows us that the place to start is to realize how big God is, and how much we need him because we don’t have what it takes. Have you done this? It’s so freeing to recognize our limits and to ask God for his help. Solomon does one more thing: ### Third: he asks God for wisdom. Based on who God is, and his recognition of his limits, look at what Solomon asked for in verse 9: “Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” Amazing. Solomon asked for wisdom. Solomon basically asked for something not for himself, but so that he might serve the people of God. He wanted a discerning heart so that he would know what was right, and so that he would be able to serve God and the people well. And God is pleased with his request: > Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. (3:12-13) And he does! We see this right away in this chapter as Solomon faces a very dicey situation. And we will see it in the coming weeks as we watch Solomon’s life unfold. ## Your Question But today I want to press home this question to you: what do you want for your life? If you could ask God for anything, what would you ask for? What’s the ultimate good you’re chasing with your life? How you answer this question reveals much about you, and will determine everything about your life. Solomon gives us a template for how we answer this question: - Begin with God. You’ve got to begin here. Anything else is building your life on very unstable ground. Begin with who God is and what he’s done. The most important thing you can do is to build your whole life on who God is. Then: - Acknowledge your limits. Stop trying to be such a big deal. Admit that you can’t do it on your own; that you need God’s help. This is not a mark of weakness. This is the mark of true strength. Then: - Ask God for wisdom. Ask him to show you what’s right and wrong so that you can serve him and others. God will be pleased with this request. **Build your life on who God is, who you’re not, and what matters most: God’s wisdom.** That is the Christian life. We recognize who God is and what he’s done. We recognize our utter and desperate need for him. And we ask him to give us what we lack. That’s what we do to receive his salvation. It’s how we live our entire lives. Have you done this? You can do it today, and you can make this the way you live. Father, we want to live based on who you are. We want the most decisive thing in our lives to be the reality of who you are and what you have done. Help us, God. Give us a big view of who you are and how much you matter. And then give us the right view of ourselves. Help us to see that we need you. Help us to see that we come with empty hands, contributing nothing but need. We truly need you. And then give us your wisdom. Help us to see rightly. Help us especially to see Jesus rightly, who has everything that we need. Help us to turn to him. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-345/ Last updated: 2023-05-20T09:00:48.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [You Are Not Destined to Live in Quiet Times](https://go.dashhouse.com/DyNn?ref=dashhouse.com) > Humanity’s third major technological revolution is leading us into a future more promising and also more dangerous than any since the dawn of history. It’s coming faster than you think. [An Attribute of God That Isn’t Discussed Enough](https://go.dashhouse.com/Dwpz?ref=dashhouse.com) > Christian, this is an attribute of God that ought to make you say of him, *What a God!* He doesn’t need us, but he delights to give himself to us through the redeeming work of his Son. [Should We Curse Our Enemies?](https://go.dashhouse.com/Dwpo?ref=dashhouse.com) > Yes, Christians today can and should pray imprecatory psalms. [Serving God in Unglamorous Places](https://go.dashhouse.com/DyQ4?ref=dashhouse.com) > God calls most of his followers to serve him in unglamorous situations. [Time, Meetings and Working Out Whether to Meetup](https://go.dashhouse.com/Dvoj?ref=dashhouse.com) > I could have a full-time job just meeting up with people from outside of our church if I wanted. One has to be a little selective in meeting up with people externally and deciding what to do with outside parties. The question is, how do you decide? [Your Physical Health is a Spiritual Issue](https://go.dashhouse.com/DyOP?ref=dashhouse.com) > We cannot separate our physical health from our spiritual health. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Discipling People Through the Issues of Our Day](https://go.dashhouse.com/DwV3?ref=dashhouse.com) > To serve well, we must disciple people through the particular issues of our day. ### A Proverbial Life URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/a-proverbial-life/ Last updated: 2023-05-16T09:00:22.000Z On his 68th birthday, Kevin Kelly decided to give his kids advice. He wrote down [68 bits](https://go.dashhouse.com/Drhw?ref=dashhouse.com), one for every year he’d lived. He posted his advice on his website, and the post was more popular than he thought. He also discovered that he had more to say, so he kept writing down more advice each year. Recently, he compiled some of his best advice in a book called *[Excellent Advice for Living: Wisdom I Wish I’d Known Earlier](https://go.dashhouse.com/Dri5?ref=dashhouse.com)*. Don’t expect a normal book with chapters and a flow of thought. Expect a book of pithy sayings — proverbs — that give you quick insights that apply to your life. Some samples: - Learn how to learn from those you disagree with, or even offend you. See if you can find the truth in what they believe. - Being enthusiastic is worth 25 IQ points. - Always demand a deadline. A deadline weeds out the extraneous and the ordinary. It prevents you from trying to make it perfect, so you have to make it different. Different is better. Ray Dalio, a billionaire investor, has done something similar, although in a very different format. He’s published his book *[Principles](https://go.dashhouse.com/Dri1?ref=dashhouse.com)*. The book begins: > I’m passing along these principles because I am now at the stage in my life in which I want to help others be successful rather than to be more successful myself. Because these principles have helped me and others so much, I want to share them with you. It’s up to you to decide how valuable they really are and what, if anything, you want to do with them. The book’s a long one — 592 pages — and is written a little bit more like a traditional book. Dalio’s followed up with *[Principles: Your Guided Journal](https://go.dashhouse.com/Dri3?ref=dashhouse.com)*, which promises to help you create your own principles to get the work and life you want. He wants us to convert our experiences about how reality works to principles that we can refer to and pass on to others. I have a third book on my bookshelf that promises something similar, except for pastors. [*Ministry Mantras*](https://go.dashhouse.com/Dri7?ref=dashhouse.com) by J.R. Briggs and Bob Hyatt argue that mantras — pithy, catchy, significant, and easily remembered phrases — can cast vision and bring clarity in small, bite-sized portions. They’re right. Some of the mantras in the book are both catchy and profound. I’ve seen the power of a good leadership proverb. They can be overused or abused, but they can also help provide clarity and remind people of important truths. It seems that we’re made for proverbs — or, more accurately, that proverbs are made for us. They’re a helpful tool to remind us of what matters most. It’s one of the reasons I’m grateful for the book of Proverbs in Scripture. A proverb states a general truth in a way that’s pithy and easy to apply. Even back then, similar — sometimes identical — proverbs were common in Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Aramaic wisdom texts. But Scripture does us a favor: it gathers them under the rubric of building a life centered around God and provides practical instruction on how to live. A friend of mine is known for his wisdom. People often ask him for advice and ask him how he became so wise. His answer: he’s memorized almost all of the book of Proverbs. It’s shaped how he thinks and feels. We seem to need proverbs. They give us handles on truth and help us remember what matters most. I’m so grateful that God has met our need and given us his truth in many genres, including Proverbs. So buy books of proverbs. Benefit from them if you’d like. But, above all of them, treasure Proverbs in your Bible. Let God’s practical wisdom shape you, and you will develop the skill of living wisely and well in the world that God has created. ### David’s Confusing Finish (2 Samuel 24; 1 Chronicles 21) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/davids-confusing-finish-2-samuel-24-1-chronicles-21/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T15:02:32.000Z **Big Idea:** God is wrathful, sovereign, just, and merciful. --- I’ve got to be honest. Today’s passage is among the hardest that I’ve ever preached. I’m a little scared by the question and response time at the end, because this sermon may raise more questions than I have answers! The story we’re looking at today is found twice in the Bible in 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21. I want to look at it for two reasons. First, because some of you are going to read it this week in your Bible reading, and it’s going to confuse you, so it’s good to talk about it rather than skip over it. Second, because this is a good case study of how to handle a tough passage. We’re going to learn a couple of principles in this passage that will help us deal with other tough passages. The two principles are this: - Principle One: Ask the question, “What does this passage teach me about God?” This question helps us with so many of the tough passages that we deal with, including this one. - Principle Two: Begin with what we do know rather than focusing on what we don’t know. This passage will leave us with a lot of questions, but that’s okay because if we focus on what we do know in this passage, it will help us, even if we still have some unanswered questions at the end. So let’s do this. This passage is a tough one, but there are some things that we learn about God for sure that we all need to know. What does this passage teach us about God? Four things. ## One: God gets angry. This chapter is uncomfortable because it talks a lot about God’s anger. When we’re confused about a passage, a good question is always, “What does this passage teach me about God?” And one of the things that this passage teaches us so clearly is that God is a God who gets angry. The wrath of God is the behind almost every detail of the chapter. Take, for instance, verse 1: “Again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them…” Why was God angry at them? We don’t know, but he was. And then look at verse 15: “So the LORD sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning until the appointed time. And there died of the people from Dan to Beersheba 70,000 men.” God’s anger is real, and it is fierce. And that gives us trouble. We don’t like to think about God’s wrath. It’s a theme all throughout the Bible, but we don’t like it. If the Bible doesn’t shy away from it, neither should we. Nahum says: > The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; > the LORD is avenging and wrathful; > the LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries > and keeps wrath for his enemies. > The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, > and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty. > (Nahum 1:2-3) What does it mean that God gets angry? It doesn’t mean that God flies off the handle. God doesn’t have temper tantrums. J.I. Packer [explains](https://go.dashhouse.com/CCvS?ref=dashhouse.com), “God’s wrath in the Bible is never the capricious, self-indulgent, irritable, morally ignoble thing that human anger so often is. It is, instead, a right and necessary reaction to objective moral evil. God is only angry where anger is called for.” That hints at why God gets angry. God gets angry because his anger is the flip side of his love. Becky Pippert [explains](https://go.dashhouse.com/Df9a?ref=dashhouse.com), “Anger isn’t the opposite of love. Hate is, and the final form of hate is indifference. . . . God’s wrath is not a cranky explosion, but his settled opposition to the cancer . . . which is eating out the insides of the human race he loves with his whole being.” I need to ask you: have you come to understand God as a God who is angry with sin? Until you do, you don’t understand who God really is. If we are going to worship the God of the Bible, we have to come to terms with a God who is slow to anger, but who does get angry with pure and holy wrath. Here’s the second thing we learn about God in this passage. Not only is God holy, but: ## Two: God is sovereign. This one is confusing at first. Verse 1 says: “Again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, ‘Go, number Israel and Judah.’” We read that and have so many questions. How could God incite David to do something that, it becomes clear later in the chapter, is wrong? And what’s wrong with taking a census anyway? It becomes even harder to understand when you read the account of these events in 1 Chronicles 21, which says, “Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel.” You have David taking an action, but the authors reveal that both God and Satan were behind that action. So which is it? Was David a puppet? Was it God or Satan behind the action? It’s all so confusing! But it doesn’t have to be. There’s another passage that helps me understand this. In 2 Corinthians, Paul talks about what he calls a thorn in the flesh, a term that describes some kind of suffering that he has to endure. We don’t know what it was, but Paul didn’t like it. Paul calls it “a messenger of Satan to harass me” (2 Corinthians 12:7). But then he says that God is using it to keep him from being conceited, and when he asks God to take it away, God says no. > Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:8-9) Paul says that this thorn was given to him, and the implication is that it was given and used by God. But he also says it was a messenger from Satan given to harass him. It’s also like the book of Job, where Satan harasses Job but Satan can’t do anything that God doesn’t allow. There are so many passages in the Bible that say the same thing. This comes up in Joseph's story, where people meant evil, but God meant it for good. Or even in the crucifixion of Jesus. Peter says that Jesus was “delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God,” and yet at the same time, “you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men” (Acts 2:23). The Bible teaches us that there is no contradiction at all between God’s sovereignty, Satan’s actions, and human agency. This actually becomes very good news for us: Even Satan serves God’s purposes. In everything that happens, God is working out his purposes *without* turning us into puppets. We act freely. Satan is at work to try to destroy us. God is sovereign over all of it, and somehow is using all of this to work out his purposes. As John Woodhouse puts it: > Divine sovereignty does not diminish human responsibility; neither does human responsibility diminish divine sovereignty. The Lord had his purpose in what he incited David to do, without compromising David’s responsibility for what he did. How does all of this work? There are theories out there, but in the end, nobody knows. Isaiah 55:8-9 says: > For my thoughts are not your thoughts, > neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. > For as the heavens are higher than the earth, > so are my ways higher than your ways > and my thoughts than your thoughts > (Isaiah 55:8–9) We don’t have to understand all of this to be grateful that God is in control of this world, that everything is working out according to his plan, and that God can even take the intentions of Satan and our evil actions to accomplish his purposes in the world. This is very good news for us when we feel like the world is out of control. So God is wrathful. He’s sovereign. Here’s the third thing we learn in this passage: ## Three: God is just. It becomes clear that David’s actions are wrong. Even Joab, who’s a bit of a scoundrel, tries to stop him in verse 3\. But David gets his way. The whole process takes ten months. It’s only when it’s completed that David realizes that he’s done wrong. > But David’s heart struck him after he had numbered the people. And David said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O LORD, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly.” (24:10) What was wrong with David’s actions? We don’t know. People have theories. One of them is that David was relying on his military strength rather than on God. Maybe it betrayed a lack of trust in God. But we just don’t know. The text doesn’t tell us. And here’s the hard part for us: we don’t have to know. We don’t always know the reasons why God says something is wrong, and that can be hard for us. But when God says something is wrong, he is just and we can trust him. Elisabeth Elliott, a great missionary and Christian writer, once summed up what she learned with her entire life as this: > God is God. If He is God, He is worthy of my worship and my service. I will find rest nowhere but in His will, and that will is infinitely, immeasurably, unspeakably beyond my largest notions of what He is up to. We don’t have to understand all that he says. God doesn’t owe us any explanations. But we can trust him, because he is God, and he is good. How good is he? God gives David the choice of what he will suffer for his sin: - Years of famine - Months of losing a war - Days of pestilence Each punishment was shorter than the one before. But each punishment was presumably more intense than the one before. Which one would he choose? David didn’t choose by the length of time or by the intensity of the punishment. David chose the three days of pestilence because he would rather fall into God’s hands than in the hands of a foreign army. David says, “I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the LORD” (24:14). David knew that God is good, and that he could trust God, even God’s hand of discipline, more than he could trust anything or anyone else. Have you reached the point in your life where you realize that God is just? That he can be trusted when he disciplines us? One of the hardest things for us to realize is that God is good and just and that he can be trusted. It is better to fall into the hands of a just and compassionate God than to fall into the hands of anyone else. We can trust God, even in God’s severe mercies. As Tim Challies [writes](https://go.dashhouse.com/BMTc?ref=dashhouse.com): > God’s goodness means that everything God is and everything God does is worthy of approval, for he himself is the very standard of goodness. Those things that are good are those things that God deems good, that God deems fitting, that God deems appropriate … To say, “Thy will be done,” is to say, “Thy goodness be shown.” It’s to seek out evidence of God’s goodness even in the hardest of his providences. It’s to worship him, even with a broken heart. When we see God as just, we’ll learn to trust him over anyone or anything else, even when it’s hard. God is wrathful. God is sovereign. God is just. There’s one more thing we learn in this passage. ## Four: God is merciful. You can’t complete this story without seeing how it ended. At the end of this passage, we see God’s incredible mercy. Listen to what happens next: > And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was working destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. (24:16) “It is enough; now stay your hand.” Don’t make any mistake: God demonstrates his wrath against sin. But the implication in this passage is that the destruction seems to end before the three days are done. It was when the angel reached Jerusalem — the city where God had promised to establish David’s throne forever — that God stopped the destruction based on his mercy and his promises. And there’s an amazing detail in there. The place where the destruction stopped was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. He offers a sacrifice there. What’s so special about this place? 2 Chronicles 3:1 tells us that this is the place where Abraham was willing to offer his son to the Lord. This is the place where, a little later, Solomon’s temple will be erected. And it’s not far from the place where Jesus offered a perfect sacrifice. Jesus gave his life as a sacrifice for anyone who trusts in him. The mercy that God showed in this place reflects the mercy that God showed later at the cross, where God the Son took the wrath we deserved so that we could be shown mercy. **God is wrathful, sovereign, just, and merciful.** Worship this God. Never take him for granted. And trust him. There’s no God like him, and there’s no God who, through Jesus, shows us mercy when we deserve his judgment. Lord, thank you for revealing yourself in this passage. Help us not to make you in our image. Help us to see that you are wrathful, sovereign, just, and merciful. Thank you that in Jesus you said, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” The judgment has been rendered; we are spared from your wrath. May we trust you and praise you. In Jesus’ name, Amen. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-344/ Last updated: 2023-05-13T09:00:03.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Spotlight on Preaching](https://go.dashhouse.com/DlcD?ref=dashhouse.com) > If done right, preaching never produces a conscious moment of being in the spotlight. But it will put the spotlight where it belongs – on Him whom we preach. [Discipleship Should Create a Mature Community (Not Just Individual Stars)](https://go.dashhouse.com/DmxJ?ref=dashhouse.com) > Discipleship quite rightly involves both the individual and the community, the player and the team, so to speak. But curiously, in our current practices, we frequently flip the proper place of each. [Four Reasons Why Your Church Needs Interns](https://go.dashhouse.com/DmxK?ref=dashhouse.com) > You do not want to miss out on the riches that overflow from a valued group of interns. [Potential Dangers of ‘Applying Scripture to My Life’](https://go.dashhouse.com/Dpwy?ref=dashhouse.com) > My main concern with the language of “application” is that it can carry faulty — and harmful — assumptions about how we approach Scripture. Here are three. [You Can Learn AI Later](https://go.dashhouse.com/Dpwz?ref=dashhouse.com) > There's nothing you need to learn, or do, right now, other than be curious. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Give Them What They Can’t Get Anywhere Else](https://go.dashhouse.com/Do%5F0?ref=dashhouse.com) > They can find better music, better public speakers, and more advanced technology elsewhere. They don’t need more of that. ### Younger Christians Are Looking for Older Saints URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/younger-christians-are-looking-for-older-saints/ Last updated: 2023-05-09T09:00:41.000Z I suppose there’s such a thing as the sins of the young: impetuousness, impatience, anger, and lust, for instance. Left alone, these weeds will grow and make for an ugly and joyless life. But I also suppose there are sins of age. Perhaps these are just the sins of the young left to grow for a very long time. Older adults can become bitter, critical, and withdrawn. I have a theory that we can, to some extent, hide our sinful tendencies when we’re younger. We’re able to wear a mask, and it can take a while for people to find out what’s really going on in our lives. Live long enough and it’s hard to maintain that mask. Who we are will be visible for all to see. That’s why I’m grateful for those who have put off the sins that can grow as we age and have followed Christ faithfully for years. Because here’s the thing: younger Christians are looking for older saints. They — as a 55-year-old, I can no longer include myself in their number — are looking for examples to imitate. It’s a biblical concept, after all (1 Corinthians 4:15-17, 11:1; Philippians 3:17, 4:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:7-9; 2 Timothy 3:10-11). Over and over, Paul tells others to imitate him. We need examples to imitate, who show us what it’s like to become godly as we get older. To our shame, there was a period in which the aged were seen as unimportant in many churches. In direct contradiction of Scripture (Proverbs 16:31, 20:29; 1 Timothy 5:1), we valued youth. Through our actions, we told older men and women that they no longer mattered and that it was time for the youth to lead now. No longer. I sense the opposite in the church today: a desire for older men and women to emulate. When churches lack these older saints, they feel it. When churches have these older saints, you will often find younger saints drawn to them because they want to learn and be encouraged. I saw such a saint, a retired pastor, at church last Sunday. I spent some time with leaders the week before in the church. I asked them who was worth emulating in the church, and they all mentioned one man. I said that I hoped to meet him, and was assured that I would because this man would find me. Sure enough, on Sunday, he came to introduce himself and encourage me. The day after, he sent me an email thanking me for my sermon and signed the email, “Your new friend and brother.” This man may be retired from vocational ministry, but don’t think for a minute that his ministry is over. A church with such a saint is blessed; a church that lacks men and women like this is in desperate need of one. Because when we find someone like this, we see the fruit of the Spirit that has had decades to grow. We feel drawn to Jesus. We find hope that, by God’s grace, we might become such a saint too. Younger Christians are looking for older saints. Older saints: your ministry isn’t over. We need you. Show us what it’s like to follow God faithfully. Encourage us. The church needs you, and we’re more grateful for you than you could know. ### What the Church Looks Like on Mission (Acts 8:1-25) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/what-the-church-looks-like-on-mission-acts-81-25/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T15:02:51.000Z **Big Idea:** The church on mission often begins reluctantly, sometimes encounters surprising success, and is messy. --- A few years ago, God unsettled my family. I’d been pastoring at a church in the inner suburbs of Toronto, but things began to unravel there a little. To my surprise, we ended up moving into downtown Toronto into a young, professional, transient community. A friend of mine told me that it would be impossible to start a new church there. But we said, “Let’s see what happens,” and we just began to lay the groundwork for a new ministry in a secular part of the city. And we faced some things we’d never faced before. - We faced hostility. We faced complaints at community events because some people thought that a church had no place in the community. When we set up a social media account for our new church. Some guy started responding to our tweets with pretty hostile tweets about what he guessed we believed. I decided it would probably be best to meet him in person, so we met up at a Starbucks. My wife was terrified because that guy was not happy with me. It was my first time being criticized simply because of what he thought we must believe. - We faced weird situations. We took part in a community event. Then I found out that someone was going to be doing a nude painting at that event. I thought, “That’s weird.” We wondered if we should pull out. Then we found out that by nude painting, they didn’t mean that someone would be painting a picture of a nude person. They would actually be painting the body of a man who was naked. Nothing in my ministry had prepared me for this. - We faced confusion. We were asked questions I never thought we’d have to answer. One woman brought her dog to church. She came to me and said, “My dog is really into church. When I stand to sing, the dog stands. When I sit, the dog sits. When you preach, the dog falls asleep. Would it be okay if my dog took communion?” We’d been unsettled in our previous church. God used this to drive us into a new community. And as we entered that new community, we faced some weird things we’d never faced before — hostility, strange situations, and confusion among people who claimed to be Christian. That’s what often happens as the gospel moves into new territory. ## God’s Mission to Send and Save As a church, you’re looking at the book of Acts right now. Acts is the history of the early church. The Book of Acts tells the story of how the message of Jesus’ death and resurrection went from a small group of people in Jerusalem to a big group of people all over the Roman Empire. How did that happen? Acts is going to tell us. Today’s passage is about one of those inflection points in the book of Acts. Up until now, the church has begun to grow, but it’s all been about Jerusalem. But Jesus had said, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Jerusalem was good, but they had to take the gospel further. The problem is that we don’t always want to take new ground for the gospel. We’re going to see some of the reasons in this passage. Taking the gospel to new places means you’re going to have to leave what’s comfortable for you, and also that you’re probably going to find much sympathy, and you’re probably going to find a lot of weird stuff. ## A Portrait of the Church on Mission I love this passage. I remember preaching on this passage early in my own experience of taking the gospel to a new area. I can relate to this passage. This church gives us a portrait of the church on mission, and we can notice three things: ### First: The church on mission often begins reluctantly. Acts 8:1 says, “On that day a severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the land of Judea and Samaria.” This persecution was bad news. It already cost one man his life, and now the persecution was not just against a few isolated people but the entire church. Acts tells us that it’s a severe persecution, part of a systematic program to harass and oppress the church. It was against so many people for so much time that people began to leave Jerusalem and go to Judea and Samaria, taking the gospel with them. And that’s just how God works. God can take even the worst circumstances and use them to advance his purposes. He takes something bad — persecution — and uses it to help the church take the most significant step forward so far in the mission of the church. They go to Judea and Samaria. Samaritans were a people group that Jews hated and viewed as heretical, and the feeling was mutual. “God used persecution to move his people into the mission he had given them” (John Piper). I don’t know how it will work in your life, but I know how it worked in mine. God had to break through my comfort and apathy to propel me to take the gospel to a new area. “Comfort and ease and affluence and prosperity and safety and freedom often cause a tremendous inertia in the church,” says John Piper. But God can take even negative things and push us into mission. We’re often reluctant to move on mission. I think of a church not far from here that was praying about reaching their community. Somebody one day stood up as they were praying and said, “To be honest, I don’t really care about this community.” Others began to admit that too. They changed the focus of their prayers from praying for the community to praying for God’s heart for the community. A church on mission often begins with reluctance, but God can overcome that. By his grace, he can disrupt our lives and push us on mission. This may be very good news for some of you. Some of you may be experiencing a significant disruption in your life right now: a layoff, an unexpected move, or something else. It may be that God will use this disruption in your life just as he did in the book of Acts to advance his mission. God sometimes takes drastic action to move us out of our complacency and apathy, and he may be doing the same for you right now. The church on mission often begins reluctantly. Here’s the second thing we learn in this passage. ### Second: The church on mission sometimes encounters surprising success. These believers began reluctantly. They didn’t go on Samaria on purpose. But they were obedient. As they went, they took the Spirit with them. And, perhaps to their surprise, they began to see God move. > So those who were scattered went on their way preaching the word. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them. The crowds were all paying attention to what Philip said, as they listened and saw the signs he was performing. For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed, and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city. (Acts 8:4-8) Notice what happens here. Philip proclaimed the Messiah to them. This is the same message that is proclaimed from the pulpit here week after week: that God is holy, we are sinful, but that God sent his Son — the Messiah — to rescue us from our sins. He died in our place. He rose again to bring new life. We can come with empty hands of faith and trust him, and it changes everything. And that’s what it did. People’s lives were changed in supernatural ways. I love what verse 8 says: “So there was great joy in that city.” The spread of the gospel is the spread of joy. The same message that changed lives then is the same message we have. It’s the same Savior we proclaim. The same Holy Spirit who was at work in that city of Samaria is at work here today. As the gospel is proclaimed, we can expect things to happen. The gospel always does something. It hardens hearts, it softens hearts. It always does something. I’m calling this success. I know it’s not the only kind of success. I believe that success is simple obedience and trust in God regardless of the results. But it sure is nice when the gospel’s preached and people respond in surprising ways. In verses 9 to 13, we read that a prominent occultist came to faith. I love how verse 13 reads: “*Even* Simon himself believed.” Have you ever seen that? Sometimes God moves in such a way that the least likely people come to faith in Jesus Christ. The amazing thing is that the man God used is not an apostle. And yet God uses him to reach a completely new people group, one where God shows his power and lives are changed. When we began the process of starting a new church in downtown Toronto, God gave us some early responses. It was so encouraging. I remember meeting a couple of community leaders and thinking, “It would be so cool to see them become part of the church!” Within a short time, they were. We watched people who’d never been to church before begin to hear about Jesus, and we began to see lives transformed. We saw God move. It was so encouraging. We’re still seeing that today — not all the time, but just enough to keep us encouraged. But I would still sometimes complain about hard soil. I don’t know if you know that term. When pastors get discouraged, they start complaining that it’s hard soil — in other words, that it’s not a receptive area. One day I go to a meeting. The guy who led the meeting that day had no idea that I had been complaining about hard soil. Here’s what he said. “I am so sick and tired of hearing people complain about hard soil. I wish I heard more people talking about the power of the gospel.” He was thinking about Romans 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.” What if we believed that the gospel is powerful? What if we believed that we don’t have to be professional clergy to take the gospel to new areas? What if we just believed that God is powerful enough to change lives, just because that’s what God does as they encounter the good news of Jesus Christ? Two friends have been teaching me this recently. One of them just invites people recklessly to an evangelistic class we’re running, and so many of them come! Another said to me, “What if we stopped telling ourselves that it’s going to be hard, and just expected God will work?” That’s what we see in this passage. But here’s one more lesson we learn. The church on mission often begins reluctantly, but then can meet with surprising results. ### Three: The church on mission is messy. Remember Simon the occultist? He’s all in. We read in verse 13, “he followed Philip everywhere and was amazed as he observed the signs and great miracles that were being performed.” He was maybe a little too excited. It wasn’t long before they encountered a problem with Simon. He begins to think that he can capitalize on the power of the Holy Spirit, almost like he wants to replace his occultic power with the power of the Spirit. He offers money to the apostles for the power of laying hands on people and giving them the Holy Spirit. Why is this so serious? One commentator (Eckhard J. Schnabel) writes: > The attempt to buy (and sell) the gift of conveying the Spirit of God amounts to an attempt to manipulate God himself, which is not only impossible but a most serious sin. God’s good gifts can only be received with thankful hearts, not bought and sold and used for one’s own purposes. And so Peter rebukes him. > But Peter told him, “May your silver be destroyed with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this matter, because your heart is not right before God. Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, your heart’s intent may be forgiven. For I see you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by wickedness.” > “Pray to the Lord for me,” Simon replied, “so that nothing you have said may happen to me.” (Acts 8:20-24) Peter’s words in verse 20 could pretty literally be interpreted, “To hell with you and your money.” Peter didn’t mince any words in his reaction to this messy situation. Was Simon’s original belief in the gospel genuine? Was his repentance genuine? Who knows? It’s quite probable that it wasn’t. > He showed no sign of repentance, or even of contrition. Instead of praying for forgiveness, as Peter had urged him to do (22), he felt so incapable of praying, or so distrustful of his own prayers, that he asked Peter to pray for him instead. What really concerned him was not that he might receive God’s pardon, but only that he might escape God’s judgment, with which Peter had threatened him. (John Stott) Church tradition says that Simon went on to become a heretic and not a true Christian. What we do know is that, as we take the gospel to people, we’ll encounter some very messy situations. We’re experiencing this right now in our church. **The church on mission often begins reluctantly, sometimes encounters surprising success, and is messy.** And I love it. Because God invites all of us to join this mission. We’ve received the good news that Jesus has died in the place of sinful humanity and made us right with God, and then sent us on mission. He wants this church — he wants you — to join him on this mission. You may feel reluctant, but God can overcome that. Pray that he does. And then, as you start to live on mission, expect that you may see people respond to the gospel. And expect to see lots of messy situations. It’s not easy. It’s not clean. But I can’t think of a better way to live. Father, what you did in Samaria, do here. Disrupt us. Use us. Change lives as we tell others about Jesus. And yes, give us wisdom as we encounter messy situations. And in the process, would we see the gospel advance for your glory so that more and more people come to know Jesus as Savior and King of the world. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-343/ Last updated: 2023-05-06T09:00:10.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [The Beatific Vision](https://go.dashhouse.com/DdKX?ref=dashhouse.com) > One doctrine that you may never have heard of (but one that you really should know about) is the beatific vision. [Too Busy for Beauty](https://go.dashhouse.com/Dc44?ref=dashhouse.com) > Productivity is good, but our souls long for something greater. [Midlife and the Striver's Curse](https://go.dashhouse.com/Dc4O?ref=dashhouse.com) > I have unknowingly believed some lies. While always susceptible to them, they have a tendency to creep up with intensity in midlife. [Simple Ways to Cultivate Awe and Lower Your Stress](https://go.dashhouse.com/DdKZ?ref=dashhouse.com) > I’d like to consider some simple steps for experiencing awe in the daily rhythms of your life. [Hard Days Are Good Days](https://go.dashhouse.com/DjOv?ref=dashhouse.com) > Jesus is clear that on their best and worst days, children are forever rewards and gifts. [Discipleship Isn’t Just Informal](https://go.dashhouse.com/DjQ1?ref=dashhouse.com) > Discipleship isn’t only informal, but extends to the routine, weekly stuff most churches do too. [9Marks Journal: A New Christian Authoritarianism?](https://go.dashhouse.com/DkFE?ref=dashhouse.com) > This edition hopes to help you become more conscious of your political theology, pastor, so that you might better ascertain how it shapes your understanding of your job as well as the mission of the church. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Consider the Wonder of a Local Church](https://go.dashhouse.com/DduN?ref=dashhouse.com) > Don’t let its ordinariness fool you. Never lose sight of the beauty and the wonder of the local church ### Pray for Gospel Boldness URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/pray-for-gospel-boldness/ Last updated: 2023-05-02T09:00:28.000Z Ephesians is breathtaking. I don’t know of a better exposition of the gospel than the one we find in its pages. Paul articulates the gospel better than any of us could hope to do. He gives us a glimpse of God’s eternal purpose, and then applies that gospel to people who need to know what it means for how they live. Reading Ephesians, I might think that Paul has nailed the skill of articulating the gospel. Given this, I’m surprised to read these words at the end of his letter to the Ephesians: Ephesians 6:18-20 > To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. Paul is arguably the greatest theologian who ever lived. He wrote the Scriptures that help us understand our salvation. Not only that, but he was also the greatest missionary who ever lived. He relentlessly proclaimed the gospel all over the Roman Empire, even when it required suffering. And yet he asked prayer that he would have the right words, and that he’d speak boldly. If ever a person lived who didn’t ned this prayer, other than Jesus, it’s Paul, and yet we find him asking for this help because he believed he needed it. If Paul could ask for prayer like this, the rest of us can too. It’s one thing to articulate the gospel to fellow believers. I don’t mean that it’s easy. I remember my preaching professor Haddon Robinson say that he’d heard thousands of sermons, but not many that did a good job clearly explaining the gospel. Every preacher could use prayer for this. Pray for preachers. Pray that the good news of Jesus is central in every sermon, and that it’s explained and applied clearly and boldly. But Paul prayed for something else: that he would be given words to open his mouth boldly to proclaim the gospel to unbelievers. As a prisoner, he expected to have many opportunities to share the good news of Jesus at trials and hearings. Paul knew that it was one thing to craft an epistle about the gospel, and another to stand before a hostile crowd and speak as he should. Almost every day, we face opportunities to share the gospel. Sometimes they’re presented to us so clearly that we can hardly miss them. But we all know what it’s like to choke when the opportunity presents itself, to begin to fear what they may think, or just to trip over our words. But we’re not alone. We can ask for prayer from other believers. The Holy Spirit stands ready to help us. And with God’s help, we will not only say what’s helpful, but we’ll do so without shrinking back. If Paul could pray for this kind of boldness, we should too. ### Never Underestimate Sin or Grace (2 Samuel 11-12) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/never-underestimate-sin-or-grace-2-samuel-11-12/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T15:03:09.000Z **Big Idea:** Never underestimate the power of sin, our ability to rationalize sin, or the consequences of sin. But never underestimate God’s grace. --- If you boil down David’s life — his 70-year life — down to just a few events, you’d probably pick these: - First: David killed the giant Goliath with five smooth stones. It seems like almost everyone has heard this story. Malcolm Gladwell even wrote a book about it. We frequently talk about David and Goliath when it comes to the little guy beating the big guy. It’s one of the highlights of David’s early life, and it points us to our need for someone to deliver us. It’s a story that points us to Jesus. - Second: David wants to build God a house, but God decides instead to build David a house. This is a less well-known story even among Christians who know their Bible, but it shouldn’t be. It teaches us that God takes the initiative, not us. Even more importantly, it introduces us to the Davidic covenant, in which God promises that David’s throne would be established forever, a promise that’s fulfilled in Jesus, a descendent of David. - Three: the story we’re looking at today. These three events don’t represent the total of David’s life, of course. But they’re probably the three most well-known and important incidents of his life, with quite a few runners-up. Here’s the hardest story of David’s life to look at. It’s one of the most famous stories in the Bible, and it teaches us to never underestimate four things. ## First: Never underestimate the power of sin. The sin is described in just a few verses. David sees Bathsheba. David sends for Bathsheba. And then David sleeps with Bathsheba. It’s shocking how quickly and easily it happens. If you’re like me, you face some cognitive dissonance as you read this passage. > David was a man after God’s own heart. David was born again. David wrote divinely inspired scripture. David was blessed with wisdom and power. David enjoyed an everlasting covenant relationship with God. ([John Piper](https://go.dashhouse.com/DVtI?ref=dashhouse.com)) This is the man who wrote, “I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:8). So what chance do the rest of us have? For a long time, I thought that sin was something that bad people do. Something happened to me when I was a young adult. One of my favorite preachers fell into sin and disqualified himself from ministry. He wasn’t one of the slick televangelists. He was one of the good guys. I remember being shocked: was I wrong about him? How could this happen to a guy like him? Listen to what that man [wrote](https://go.dashhouse.com/9y0w?ref=dashhouse.com) in a section on myths we believe that put us in danger: > A second myth presumes that a broken-world experience can never happen to me. This is a version of the typically human notion that we can live above all the odds, take all the risks, and avoid all the consequences. We’re never more in danger when we think it can’t happen to us. Any of us is capable of the most heinous sin. In fact, the more we think we’re not in danger, the more danger we’re in. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:12, “Let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” I used to listen to a man I really respect. He’d preach every week and I’d listen to his sermons as soon as they came out. He’s retired now. I remember him saying something like this: I’m not hiding any secrets. I’m not covering anything up. But I’m about five minutes from completely destroying my life. What did he mean by this? He understood the power of sin. He understood that all of us — even the best of us — are not above making catastrophic choices. He understood that sin will kill us. Sin’s not safe. Sin will destroy everything you have. He understood what Tim Keller says: > The seeds of the most terrible possible atrocities, the capability of the worst possible deeds, live in every human heart, even the best people, even people who are converted by God. Whoever you are, even the best people who have ever lived are capable of this. The seeds of those things, the seeds of the worst possible deeds are right now in your heart. Do you understand this? If David could fall into this sin, it shows the power of sin, and that we’re in danger too. Here’s the next thing that this story teaches us. ## Second: Never underestimate our ability to rationalize sin. What does David do? He covers up. When Bathsheba gets pregnant, he concocts a plan to cover up his sin. When that fails, he compounds the problem by having Bathsheba’s husband killed, along with other soldiers too. When Nathan tells a story with parallels to David’s own sin, David is furious with the wrongdoer. He can see the sin in others so clearly. But David can’t see the sin in himself. Notice, by the way, how sin spreads. You start with a small sin, but it doesn’t stay that way. Sin compounds, and the interest rate is very good. Before you know it, you’ve got a bunch of sin to deal with when it only started with one. It takes a dramatic intervention from Nathan the prophet for David to finally get to the point of recognizing what he has done. David lied to himself to cover up his sin, which is exactly what we tend to do too. Never underestimate the power of sin, and never underestimate our ability to rationalize sin. When we sin, we face a choice: - Option one: to recognize the sin and our own responsibility in committing that sin. - Option two: to deny the seriousness of that sin and rationalize it. Option one is hard. And so we become experts in rationalizing what we’ve done. How do we do this? We justify or excuse our behavior. We had our reasons. There were extenuating circumstances. What we did was wrong, but when you look at the whole situation, things aren’t quite as bad as they first appear. “Nobody sins, and certainly nobody sins like that, without spinning a kind of web around you of rationalizations and defense mechanisms and self-deceptions,” says Tim Keller. He’s right. One prominent minister engaged in abusive behavior for over a decade and used ministry funds to enable that behavior. That is shocking. What is even more shocking is how he rationalized his behavior as a reward for his service to God. That’s what sin does. First, it overpowers us. Then, because we can’t face the severity of our sin, we deceive ourselves and rationalize sin. I keep seeing this over and over again. Sin is powerful. Even the best of us can fall into sin. And when we do, it’s so easy to minimize or justify our behavior and become blind to our sin. Jeremiah 17:9 speaks to the reality of our ability to deceive ourselves: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? “ We need to ask God to give us eyes to see our blindness. What is it in our lives that we’re rationalizing? Is there anything in your life that you know is wrong, but you’re justifying? Where are you lying to yourself? Where are you making excuses for something you know is wrong? Because we’re prone to self-deception, who are you allowing into your life who can challenge you and point out your sins? Are you asking God to reveal your sins? Never underestimate the power of sin. Never underestimate our ability to rationalize sin. ## Third: Never underestimate the destruction of sin. This is why sin looks so good. Sin promises pleasure with no consequences. It’s like a buy now, pay never plan upfront. But then you sin, and the bill comes due, and the bill is always way more than you and I can ever afford. Here’s the thing: you can choose whether or not to fall into sin. But once you fall into sin, you can’t control the consequences. And the consequences can be severe. Look at what happens in David’s life. David’s sin had massive consequences for himself, for others, and for the entire nation. God describes some of the consequences in 2 Samuel 12:10-14: > Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’ ” David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the LORD, the child who is born to you shall die.” A lost child. Conflict and sexual immorality within his own household. Continual war and conflict. Ultimately, the rest of David’s reign was undermined by this mistake. God pardoned David, but that doesn’t mean that there were no consequences for the sin that he committed. James 1:14-15 is right: “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” Sin looks so good on the front end, but when it grows, it brings forth death. When we choose sin, we also sign up for the consequences, and the consequences are always more than we think. Never underestimate the power of sin. Never underestimate our ability to rationalize sin. Never underestimate the destruction of sin. ## Finally, never underestimate God’s grace. I hope you see the seriousness of sin in this passage. These sins were serious! Murdoch Campbell writes: > David had committed two sins for which the Mosaic law provided no forgiveness. For deliberate murder and adultery death was the inevitable penalty. He knew that before God there was no forgiveness through any sacrifices which he might offer or any gifts which he might present. But notice what happened. 2 Samuel 12:13 reads, “David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the LORD.’ And Nathan said to David, ‘The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.’” Despite the seriousness of his sin, God takes it away. This is what God does: when sinners turn away from their sin and turn to him, he pardons and forgives. David doesn’t atone for his sin. He can’t. God simply puts it away. God has made a way for God to remove our sins from us. The Son of God, who did no wrong, came to earth and died condemned in our place so that we could be pardoned when we turn away from our sins and turn to him. This doesn’t mean there are no consequences for sin. David’s life was never the same. But it does mean that God pardoned him, blotted away his sins, and forgave him. I love what the Westminster Confession says: “As there is no sin so small but it deserves damnation; so there is no sin so great that it can bring damnation upon those who truly repent.” Or, as Richard Sibbes said, “There is more mercy in Christ than sin in us.” **Never underestimate the power of sin, our ability to rationalize sin, or the consequences of sin. But never underestimate God’s grace.** You may have committed a sin as great as David’s sin. But if you come to God as David did, you will find God to be as gracious with you as he was with David. Jesus has never turned away a sinner — even a great sinner — who came to him for mercy. Lord, help us to see the power of sin and our ability to rationalize sin. Help us to see its consequences. But then help us to see your mercy, and to run to you for your plenteous grace. In Jesus’ name. Amen. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-342/ Last updated: 2023-04-29T09:00:18.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Read the Bible in Bigger Chunks Too](https://go.dashhouse.com/DWif?ref=dashhouse.com) > Most approaches encourage reading and studying in a very short period of time. But do we miss something if we exclusively read in bite-size chunks? [Future Faith and ChatGPT](https://go.dashhouse.com/DWid?ref=dashhouse.com) > How can believers think clearly about the issues of faith and AI? Below I suggest two things that we will need to navigate the unknown path before us. [5 Steps to Break Free from To-Do List Overwhelm](https://go.dashhouse.com/DYQo?ref=dashhouse.com) > More important than getting things done is ensuring you are getting the *right things* done. And that’s where to-do lists can be less than helpful. [The Ministry of the Pew](https://go.dashhouse.com/DWii?ref=dashhouse.com) > If you know and love the Lord Jesus Christ, you have something to contribute to your local church every Sunday morning. [Themelios 48.1](https://go.dashhouse.com/DWiZ?ref=dashhouse.com) > The new April 2023 issue of Themelios has 261 pages of editorials, articles, and book reviews. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [The Times Are Different, Just Like Always](https://go.dashhouse.com/DXjJ?ref=dashhouse.com) > As Christians before have learned to meet the challenges of each age, we can too. ### Think Little URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/think-little/ Last updated: 2023-04-25T09:00:31.000Z In 1970, the author Wendell Berry wrote an essay called “Think Little.” Addressing the green movement, Berry argues that we tend to focus too much on making plans and making laws. “For most of the history of this country our motto, implied or spoken, has been Think Big,” Berry writes. But there’s a better way, and it begins on a much smaller scale. > But the citizen who is willing to Think Little, and, accepting the discipline of that, to go ahead on his own, is already solving the problem. A man who is trying to live as a neighbor to his neighbors will have a lively and practical understanding of the work of peace and brotherhood, and let there be no mistake about it – he is doing that work. A couple who make a good marriage, and raise healthy, morally competent children, are serving the world’s future more directly and surely than any political leader, though they never utter a public word. A good farmer who is dealing with the problem of soil erosion on an acre of ground has a sounder grasp of that problem and cares more about it and is probably doing more to solve it than any bureaucrat who is talking about it in general. A man who is willing to undertake the discipline and the difficulty of mending his own ways is worth more to the conservation movement than a hundred who are insisting merely that the government and the industries mend their ways. Those who occupy powerful positions play a big role in the world. But Berry argues that we tend to underestimate the role that the rest of us play. The action doesn’t only take place in places like Washington, D.C. or New York City. The real action takes place on farms, households, towns, and churches. So often, we’re focused on the big. I’m grateful for those who are faithful in big things. I just think it’s time we stopped overlooking what God does through the rest of us who aren’t powerful, connected, and leveraged. It’s time to move from focusing on what’s big and powerful to seeing what God can do through the ordinary, even when it doesn’t look like much. ## Take Care of Little Things Jesus told stories about people doing ordinary things. In one story, Jesus spoke of a household manager’s savvy use of money. Jesus concluded with words that underline the importance of how we handle our money, a very ordinary part of our daily lives: “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.” (Luke 16:10). According to Jesus, how we manage our money — an ordinary thing — is tied to our spirituality. Faithfulness and wisdom in everyday stuff matters. Later, Jesus tells a story of three servants who were entrusted with different amounts of money to invest on behalf of their master. One servant is given less money than the others, but he invests it wisely. We’re tempted to think that how he managed his investment wouldn’t matter as much because he was given less to invest. When his master returns, he praises the servant with the least money in a way that he doesn’t praise the others: “Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.” (Luke 19:17) “Some men think that religion lies only in great things,” said Charles Spurgeon. “It does not, for it lies also in little things. Take any one day of our lives; we eat, drink, rise in the morning, go to bed at night, there is nothing very particular about the day. Our life is made up of little things; and if we are not careful of little things, we shall not be careful of great ones. If we do not mind the little things, the great ones must go wrong.” I’m tempted to think of doing big things for God. It’s not hard for me to develop grandiose ideas of what I want to do with my life. Part of this is healthy. God put us on earth as his image-bearers. He created us to represent him on this earth and carry out his work. The problem isn’t our desire to do something great with our lives. The problem is with our definition of greatness. God put is in a particular place at a particular time. We can’t be everywhere at all times; we can only be here at this moment. God’s given us, in the words of William Faulkner, our own “little postage stamp of native soil.” Cultivating that space in our time has more power than we realize. It’s what God put us here to do. The world’s impressed with the big, the fast, and the popular. God seems to work with the small, the slow, and the hidden. Small, hidden faithfulness matters more than we could know. In our pursuit of big things, never forget the power of thinking little. ### Who Builds Whose House? (2 Samuel 7) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/who-builds-whose-house-2-samuel-7/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T15:03:25.000Z **Big Idea:** God takes the initiative in providing what we need. We simply respond. --- It’s amazing how much of the Bible comes in the form of a story. I used to think that these stories were pretty inefficient. God could have saved us a lot of trouble by giving us the main points that he wanted us to know. But that was before I realized the genius of God’s plan. We don’t need bullet points. We need stories. In fact, literary scholars and neuroscientists are discovering the impact that stories have on the human brain. A Wall Street Journal article by Allison Gopnik called "Want a Mind Meld? Tell a Compelling Story," described a variety of brain scan studies that show what stories do. They not only shape one's thoughts, but also foster a connection between a storyteller and listener. Other experiments have looked at how stories help develop neural pathways, and affect our relationships by altering how we order and understand information. We’re formed by stories. That’s one of the reasons we’re spending this year going through the greatest story in history, the Bible from beginning to end. We’re just at the part when the people God chose — the nation that became Israel — is getting its act together. They have a king named David. He’s amazing: - He’s fought a giant. - He’s taken the high road when unfairly attacked. - He’s finally become king, first of Judah and then of Israel. - He’s conquered Jerusalem and made it the capital city, united the tribes of Israel, and expanded its borders. - To top it off, he’s a man of God. He writes these psalms of worship to God that we continue to love today, psalms like Psalm 23: “The LORD is my shepherd….” The Bible must think that David is important because it devotes quite a bit of time to King David’s story in 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 Chronicles, and the Psalms. We’ve already spent a bit of time looking at two of the psalms that David wrote. We also looked at a major incident in David’s early life in which he defeated Goliath. We learned the importance of godly leadership, and that David’s godly leadership points us to Jesus. Just as David rescued Israel from Goliath, Jesus rescued us from sin and death. If you’re going to pick key incidents in David’s life, that has to be one of them. But today we’re going to look at a second major incident in David’s life. It’s found in 2 Samuel 7\. It’s not as well known as the story of David and Goliath, but it should be. This is one of the most important stories in the entire Bible. ## David’s Plans Here’s the situation. David has accomplished a lot. He’s far into his reign, and things are peaceful. But something isn’t sitting right with David. And so he turns to Nathan the prophet, one of his advisors, and says, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent” (2 Samuel 7:2). This is admirable. David is living in a house, probably a pretty nice house. We read back in 2 Samuel 5:11-12: > And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, also carpenters and masons who built David a house. And David knew that the LORD had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel. It does not seem right that David is living in a nice house while God only has a tabernacle. Think about the tent. It’s probably the same tabernacle that Israel had dragged around the wilderness all those years. By now it would be old, threadbare, and moldy. Not only that, but we read in verse 1 that Israel had rest from all its enemies. It looks like God’s people are finally where they need to be. All of God’s promises have been fulfilled. David had conquered Jerusalem, which nobody before had managed to do for very long. He lived in a beautiful house. The city was full of energy. It seems like only one thing is missing: for David to build God a house. I love this. Usually, when we hit periods of our life when things are going well, it’s easy to forget God. That’s not what David did. David realized that it wasn’t appropriate for him to live in a lavish home while the God who had given them so much lived in a tent. David probably was thinking about passages in Deuteronomy 11 and 12 that anticipated this day, when Israel would live in peace, and they would build him a dwelling place. David didn’t say exactly what he was thinking, but Nathan gave him a green light. “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you,” he says (7:3). It seems that David wanted to build God a temple. Nathan is like when someone wealthy comes to the pastor and says, “I’d like to make a sizable donation to the church.” Nathan doesn’t take much time to think about it. But then God turns him down. Read verses 4 to 7: > But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: Would you build me a house to dwell in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built me a house of cedar?’” In other words, God isn’t interested in David’s plans. God teaches David an important principle here: “God alone takes the initiative in the great turning points in redemptive history, and he will not have it any other way” (D.A. Carson). Or, as [Mark Buchanan](https://go.dashhouse.com/DV2H?ref=dashhouse.com) imagines David saying, “He would build my house, establish my throne, exalt my name. He did not need my little gestures to do likewise for him.” Think about all the major highlights in the story so far. Think about Abraham. Abraham didn’t step up and say, “Hey, God, I noticed that humanity needs some help. I wondered if I could play a role?” Absolutely not! God took the initiative and chose Abraham, a pagan idol worshiper, before Abraham even thought of God. In fact, when Abraham took the initiative to help produce an heir, he only caused trouble that still continues today. Or what about Joseph? Joseph didn’t say, “I think I’ll strategize a way to become a high-powered politician in Egypt so I can rescue God’s people in a famine.” He didn’t have that kind of plan or ambition for his life. He spent years being mistreated, sold into slavery, imprisoned on false charges, before God brought him right where he wanted him. God took the initiative, not Joseph. And what about Moses? Moses took initiative. We read, “He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand” (Exodus 2:12). Moses blew things, and ended up fleeing Egypt for years waiting for the dust to settle. Over and over again, we see that it’s God who takes the initiative. What a message to us with our plans to help God. I’ll never forget the story a preacher told of his son offering to help him rake leaves. He looked at the big piles of leaves and said, “Okay, if you want to help, that’s fine.” So his son came out. He jumped in the piles of leaves. He threw the leaves into the air. He buried himself in leaves. After an hour or so of this, the son said, “It’s okay Dad, you don’t have to pay me for helping you rake the leaves.” That’s what it’s like when we take the initiative to help God. We think we have something to offer God that he needs. As we’ll see later, there is a day when God will allow a house to be built by him, but that time is not now. God doesn’t need us. As Don Carson says: > He doesn’t go through the week saying, “Boy, I can hardly wait till Sunday. I haven’t been stroked recently. I’m a bit disappointed. I’m having a bad hair day because they used out-of-tune guitars instead of a decent pipe organ this week.” He doesn’t need us. He’s not psychologically or materially or spiritually or emotionally or intellectually dependent upon us. He’s the God of aseity. He just doesn’t need us. God alone takes the initiative when it comes to redemptive history. In one sense, we only ever respond to him. He always initiates first. How foolish to think that God needs us to do something for him. God always sets the agenda, not us. He takes the initiative. ## God’s Plans So those were David’s plans. What are God’s plans instead? What we read next is one of the high points in all of the Bible. God made a covenant, just as he did with Noah, Abraham, and Moses. > And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. (7:9-13) David wanted to build God a house. Instead, God tells David that he's going to build David a house. What does God promise instead? The promises God makes here are remarkable. This is one of the most important passages in the entire Bible. God’s promises here are key to understanding God’s story and what he’s doing in the world. God’s promises here help us understand what God has promised to us today. What God promises here is basically an expansion of his previous promises. Here’s the essence of the promise: that God will make an everlasting throne for David and his descendants. “I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” This promise is so important that it’s repeated in Psalm 89: > I will establish his offspring forever > and his throne as the days of the heavens… > I will not violate my covenant > or alter the word that went forth from my lips. > Once for all I have sworn by my holiness; > I will not lie to David. > His offspring shall endure forever, > his throne as long as the sun before me. > Like the moon it shall be established forever, > a faithful witness in the skies. > (Psalm 89:29, 34-37) This promise is key to understanding the story of the Bible, and the promises that we live by. Spoiler alert: Later on in the story, in 586 BC, Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar conquers Judah, destroys the Temple in Jerusalem, and exiles the Jews to Babylon. The David monarchy ends. God’s promises seem to fall. Except they don’t. Not quite 600 years later, a child is born, a descendant of David. An angel appears to his mother and says: > And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. (Luke 1:31-33) God promises David an everlasting throne and kingdom, and that promise is fulfilled in Jesus. And that’s why we’re here today. We keep thinking we can help God. But God shows up and says: let me help you. Let me give you what you really need: a King. Does that mean we have nothing to do? No. We can respond to this good news. We can respond by bowing to that King. We can respond by giving our lives to him and worshiping him. As John Piper puts it: > The mission of the church today is to submit ourselves to the Son of David who right now rules invisibly from heaven until he puts every enemy under his feet. And our mission is to announce the good news to people in every neighborhood and every nation that they can be happy subjects of Christ’s kingdom forever if they transfer their allegiance from the kingdom of this world to the kingdom of Christ. > To put it another way, personal holiness means learning the attitudes and customs of a new kingdom—the kingdom of Christ. And personal evangelism means telling people that the rightful king of the world against whom they have rebelled is willing to grant amnesty to all who return and live under his rule. This is the high point of David’s life. God takes the initiative in providing what we need. We simply respond. And respond we must with everything we have. Father, thank you for taking the initiative. Thank you for this King. May we submit to him. May we take comfort from his reign. May we announce this good news to as many as possible. May we look forward to his eternal reign. In Jesus’ name. Amen. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-341/ Last updated: 2023-04-22T09:00:21.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [4 Benefits of Developing Position Papers in a Ministry Context](https://go.dashhouse.com/DSSr?ref=dashhouse.com) and [2 Inabilities of Position Papers in a Ministry Context](https://go.dashhouse.com/DTKY?ref=dashhouse.com) > Going through the process of developing position papers increased our clarity, confidence, compassion, and consistency. [Pornography Poisons Everything](https://go.dashhouse.com/DSS3?ref=dashhouse.com) > Pornography, especially in the digital age, is an unmitigated disaster for every level of society. [Truthful Witness and the Transgender Debate](https://go.dashhouse.com/DTKW?ref=dashhouse.com) > How can we expect the next generation to be biblically grounded if we don’t explain and expound Christian conviction about the goodness and givenness of our bodies, if we fail to offer clear and coherent answers from Scripture about the nature of humanity and our gendered selves? [What Comes to Mind When You Think of Heaven?](https://go.dashhouse.com/DST1?ref=dashhouse.com) > How do we increase our desires to be in the new creation? Here are four ways to help ourselves and others along the journey home. [Martyn Lloyd-Jones, April Witkowski & the Myth of the Wasted Ministry](https://go.dashhouse.com/DSS%5F?ref=dashhouse.com) > We should not discount the ordinary means of grace at work now, believing that all is a waste until the arrival of the extraordinary. [How to Know If It’s Time to Leave Pastoral Ministry](https://go.dashhouse.com/DSS4?ref=dashhouse.com) > In hard seasons — or even in healthy seasons — how does a pastor know if he’s supposed to persevere or if it’s time to be done? [Leaving False Guilt Behind](https://go.dashhouse.com/DSSw?ref=dashhouse.com) > “Did you do what you could? Then Jesus finds your offering beautiful.” [Quietness vs. Prominence](https://go.dashhouse.com/DST8?ref=dashhouse.com) > Quietness of heart before God is more powerful than prominence of position before man. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Thoughts on Finishing Well](https://go.dashhouse.com/DSUc?ref=dashhouse.com) > The older I get, the more I want to simply finish well. ### Four Kinds of Books I Love URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/four-kinds-of-books-i-love/ Last updated: 2023-04-18T09:00:01.000Z There are so many books out there. We’ll never have time to read even the great books. We’ve got to prioritize. Here are four kinds of books I love. ## Deep Books The first kind of books I love to read are the deep ones. These are the ones that are work to read: joyful work but work nonetheless. These books are best read slowly, with a pencil, and with lots of time. Some are the kinds of books that should also be re-read. In his excellent book *[The Art of Pastoring](https://go.dashhouse.com/DQ6M?ref=dashhouse.com)*, David Hansen writes: > I stopped reading how-to books. Instead I read theology, biblical studies and church history. I alternated between the disciplines. These books from the classical disciplines of theology didn’t teach me how to do pastoral ministry, but they helped me immensely in my regular duties. I discovered that spending a day reading thirty pages of Karl Barth’s Dogmatics helped me more in my pastoral work than a hundred of pages of how-to literature. These are the kinds of books that can fuel one’s life and ministry. You don’t need many of these books. You just need to pick the right ones. They can go a very long way. ## Accessible Books The second kind of book I like translates rich theology in a way that’s accessible to the average Christian. “The applause-seeking theologian will often attempt to make something sound quite technical without really having a mastery of the technical,” writes [Ronni Kurtz](https://twitter.com/ronnikurtz/status/1647933173383274500?ref=dashhouse.com). “The servant-hearted theologian will often have a mastery of the technicalities of theology and communicate in non-technical ways for others.” I love books that take rich theological truth and communicate it clearly, showing its beauty and applicability to life. They’re no less theological, but they’re written for a different audience. We need to communicate truth for the academy; we also need to communicate truth to the average Christian sitting in the pew. ## Storied Books Other books are sneaky. They educate indirectly through story. For instance, some works of fiction shape the way we think about the world. C.S. Lewis [smuggled theology into fiction](https://go.dashhouse.com/DQ66?ref=dashhouse.com). Some books and series help us reimagine the world and communicate theology better than prose. Fiction isn’t the only form of learning from story. Biographies can also shape one’s thinking in profound ways. The right biography can change one’s life. ## Fun Books The final category of books that I love are fun books. This is the kind of book I read at night for no other reason than that they’re fun. For instance, I just picked up a [novel](https://go.dashhouse.com/DQIe?ref=dashhouse.com) that I read as a child and loved, and I’m in the middle of reading it again to try to remember what I loved about it. Some reading is worth doing for pleasure alone. Master the deep books. Learn from and share the accessible books. Allow yourself to be shaped by the storied books. And just enjoy the fun books, and don’t feel guilty reading them. I’m sure there are other kinds of books that other people love, but these are the four kinds that I love. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-340/ Last updated: 2023-04-15T09:00:02.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [3 Stages of a Pastor’s Life](https://go.dashhouse.com/DMyC?ref=dashhouse.com) > Finishing well means finishing with the fewest regrets. [Guidance for a Middle-Aged Pastor](https://go.dashhouse.com/DKur?ref=dashhouse.com) > A pastor I know recently prayed to the Lord for guidance. He was eager to be useful, he was aware that time was short, and his desire was to be faithful and fruitful in the King’s service. [How to Build a Theological Library on a Budget](https://go.dashhouse.com/D8%5FQ?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are some tips for building a library when you lack both cash and shelf space. [Anatomy of an Online Storm](https://go.dashhouse.com/DJvz?ref=dashhouse.com) > Over the years, I’ve been inside multiple organizations or close to people who have experienced online storms. I’ve never been in the direct path of a hurricane (probably only a tropical depression), but I assume if I continue to write and think out loud, my day is coming, whether it be next week or next year. [A Sexular Society](https://go.dashhouse.com/DJy9?ref=dashhouse.com) > In this secular world people get their identity from many things—work, success, family, sport, looks — the list is endless. > Or at least it used to be endless. But that list has narrowed largely to one single item — Sex. Not simply the act, but all that goes with it. It has been transformed into our sole source of identity. [4 Distinctions to Sort Through when Addressing Sin](https://go.dashhouse.com/DKps?ref=dashhouse.com) > My prayer for this article is that it would challenge us who are willing to address sin to do so in a more carefully thought-through way, allowing the whole counsel of God’s Word to shape our approach. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [The Challenges and Blessings of Planting in Toronto](https://go.dashhouse.com/DK%5Fk?ref=dashhouse.com) > Despite the challenges, planting a church in Toronto brings blessings. ### Uncle John URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/uncle-john/ Last updated: 2023-04-11T09:00:28.000Z Everyone needs a model in ministry. One of mine is my mother’s younger brother Uncle John. John Crocker served as a pastor for over 40 years. He first served as senior pastor of three churches in Indiana, California, and Illinois for 33 years. He then became the interim senior pastor of six churches in Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, and Nebraska for 7 years. He’s also written a [very helpful book](https://go.dashhouse.com/DJ07?ref=dashhouse.com) on the Lord’s Prayer. He’s now retired. I’ve been watching him for a long time, and his example has shaped my life in significant ways. Here’s some of what I’ve learned. ## He Loves God When you’re part of the same family, you get to observe someone when they’re unguarded. You can act one way in public, but who you are comes out in private moments. Here’s what I’ve observed about my Uncle John: he truly loves God. When I spend time with him, I get the sense that I’m spending time with someone who has spent time with God. In private, he is who he appears to be in public. He’s not perfect, of course, but he’s quick to repent and has spent decades growing in his walk with God. I remember him remarking one day that if he was called upon to preach in an hour, and had to divide his time between preparing his heart to preach and preparing a message to preach, he would spend most of his time preparing his heart. That shocked me, but I think he’s right. He models the life of someone who’s spent a lifetime preparing his heart to proclaim God’s grace, and it shows in how he serves. ## He Cherishes His Wife One of the things I love most about Uncle John is how he loves my Aunt Liz. They’re crazy about each other. When I see them with each other, they’re kind to each other. Their eyes sparkle when they talk about each other. They’ve both cultivated kindness, courtesy, and respect in their love for each other. Pastors often sacrifice their marriages on the altar of ministry. I love the way that my Uncle John has continued to love and serve his wife, just as Christ loves the church. ## He Preaches the Bible Uncle John doesn’t follow fads. His ministry isn’t characterized by what’s cool. He’s dedicated his entire ministry to guarding the good deposit, and faithfully passing it on through his preaching and leadership. I’ve never heard him preach a sermon that’s not driven by the text. He clearly explains and applies it every time. He does so with clarity and passion. You know exactly what you’re going to get in his ministry. He [preaches and teaches for a verdict](https://go.dashhouse.com/DJ0b?ref=dashhouse.com). He’s a Word-shaped man with a Word-shaped ministry. ## He Endured Hardship Anybody who’s been in ministry for four decades has endured some hardship. I’ve seen Uncle John go through the ups and downs of life and pastoring. I’ve seen him pay the cost. As he did, he provided a model for me of how to endure hardship in my ministry. In fact, Uncle John prepared me for some of what I’d face. When I went through situations, I’d been prepared by how he had gone through similar challenges. He showed me what it’s like to respond by trusting God and loving others, even when being treated unjustly. ## He Listens to and Encourages Others Some people make every conversation about them. They enter a room and the energy shifts to what they want to talk about. Not Uncle John. When he’s in the room, he’s doing one of two things: listening, or encouraging. He draws you out, wanting to know what’s happening in your life and what God’s teaching you. He’s also encouraging. I don’t think I’ve ever left a conversation with him without feeling more encouraged. He came to hear me preach at least once. I’m sure he could have pointed out many flaws in my sermon, and I would have been grateful for his advice on how to improve. What I remember, though, is how much he encouraged me. He looked for ways to think and speak the best of others. ## He Remembers How to Have Fun One of my favorite memories of Uncle John is when I visited him in California. He pastored a large church, and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to spend as much time with me that week as he’d like. He somehow managed to leave the office early one day and take me to Disneyland. We rode a roller coaster. I looked over and saw him laughing and enjoying a moment. I remember thinking: that’s how I want to be. I want to remember how to laugh and enjoy simple things like roller coasters, even as I get older, and even as the seriousness of life begins to crowd out the joy. The older I get, the more I realize that it’s rare to find someone who finishes well. Uncle John hasn’t quite finished yet, but he’s getting closer, and he’s served as an example to me of what it looks like to love God and serve well. I’m grateful for him. I wish you could know him as I do. I want to imitate him as he continues to imitate Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1). Praise God for faithful servants like Uncle John who show what it means to love God, love others, and serve well over a lifetime. May God give me the same grace. ### Hope When We Face the Worst (Psalm 27) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/hope-when-we-face-the-worst-psalm-27/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T15:03:40.000Z **Big Idea:** Desperate is normal. We can turn to God in our desperation, and we can find hope — resurrection hope — even as we face the worst. --- In 2010, for one of the first times in my life, I felt anxiety. I felt afraid. I don’t remember feeling that way before, and I don’t think I’ve felt that way very often since, but I felt it then, and it bothered me. I knew I needed to take some corrective action. And I did. I began to regularly visit with a counselor and spiritual director. I took three months off from ministry. I began to try to understand why I was struggling with fear and what I should do about it. And these words kept me going during this period of fear: > 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? > When evildoers assail me > to eat up my flesh, > my adversaries and foes, > it is they who stumble and fall. > Though an army encamp against me, > my heart shall not fear; > though war arise against me, > yet I will be confident. > (Psalm 27:1-3) I once heard someone say that when you’re in crisis, you should find a passage of Scripture and cling to it like a life preserver. This was that passage for me. This passage kept me afloat during this period of surprising fear in my life. We’re on a yearlong journey through the Bible, and we’ve got to the part where Israel has a king. Today’s passage was written by that king — specifically, the second king of Israel, King David. You’ll notice at the top of Psalm 27 that it says, “A Psalm of David.” David was not only Israel’s greatest king, but he was also its chief songwriter. Almost half of the Psalms — 73 of the 150 — were written by David. That’s why I want to pause here in our journey through the Bible to look at one of his psalms. First, we have to acknowledge how remarkable it is that the Bible contains a whole book of songs — 150 of them. The Bible doesn’t just give us information. It gives us music. > What he gave us are songs. He gave us poetry, which itself reflects the beauty of God himself and how he wants to enchant, allure, woo, and draw us up into him. > He is supreme beauty. He has given us these gorgeous poems to pray to lift us up into beauty—to change us, to glorify us, and lift us up in deeper glory. He wants us not to be drawn down in the way that sin is pulling us down in the gutter of this world. He wants to lift us up. ([Dane Ortlund](https://go.dashhouse.com/D3Vm?ref=dashhouse.com)) Here I want to look at one of these Psalms because I think this is really going to help us as many of us know what it means to experience anxiety. We know what it’s like to be full of fear. This psalm by David is going to help us. Not only that, but it’s very fitting for today. Today, of course, is Easter Sunday. I wondered where we would be in our journey through the Bible as we came to this special day. I’m glad we’re at this part of the Bible’s story because this psalm points us to the hope that we have because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. How do we respond to our fear? Here’s how. By embracing three realities: ## Desperate is normal. David isn’t having a good time as he writes this psalm. No wonder. As you read about David’s life, you see him go through a lot: - He was betrayed by his close friends. David's trusted counselor, Ahithophel, joined Absalom's rebellion against him (2 Samuel 15:12). - He was persecuted by his enemies. Saul, the first king of Israel, pursued David relentlessly and sought to kill him (1 Samuel 24:14). - He felt guilt and remorse for his sin. David committed adultery with Bathsheba and murdered her husband, Uriah. He suffered greatly from the guilt and consequences of his actions (2 Samuel 11-12). - He lost a child. As a consequence of his sin, David and Bathsheba's first child died shortly after birth (2 Samuel 12:18). - He had family problems. David's son, Absalom, rebelled against him and attempted to overthrow him as king (2 Samuel 15-18). - He suffered from illness and old age. In his old age, David suffered from physical weakness and illness (1 Kings 1:1-4). Just look at the problems in this psalm alone: - He’s pursued by enemies in verses 2 and 3. - He’s shut out from the house of the Lord in verse 4. - God seems distant from him in verse 9. - He’s forsaken by his father and mother in verse 10. - He’s slandered in verse 12. That’s why I’m glad we have David’s life in the Bible. It gives us a window into how hard life can be and how we should respond. I love how Jon Bloom puts it in an article called “[Desperate is Normal](https://go.dashhouse.com/D3Wo?ref=dashhouse.com)”: > The normal Christian life is embattled. It’s full of strange and difficult conflicts with sin and weakness within, and strange and difficult conflicts with spiritual and human adversaries and a world subjected to futility and frail brokenness without. > These experiences typically feel anything but normal. Battles with our sin, our frailty, other people, demons, and a broken world infected with evil can, at times, feel surreal, making us feel desperate. They trigger emotions connected to our particular fears, past hurts, sinful pride, griefs, and hopes that are distracting and sometimes debilitating. In this psalm, David says that he’s experienced some of the hardest things that life has to offer, and yet he’s found a way through. He’s been through far worse than you and I will ever go through, and yet he’s found a way to hold on to hope. That’s why we need to pay attention to this psalm, and it begins by being honest about how hard life can be. Think about how much of what David wrote applies to Jesus and the events that we’ve been thinking about this past Easter week. Jesus was pursued by enemies. He was forsaken by his closest friends and disciples. He was slandered. In fact, he is the [most slandered person](https://go.dashhouse.com/D3hV?ref=dashhouse.com) who ever lived. He was wrongly treated. The events of this past week show us that Jesus was no stranger to the kind of suffering we go through. He was a man of sorrows, aquatinted with grief. He went through all of this and more. If you’re going through a hard time right now, this psalm gives you permission to be honest about it. It normalizes suffering. We can be honest about how hard life is so much of the time. Desperate is normal. But here’s the next reality we see. ## We can turn to God in our desperation. This psalm is fascinating. A lot of people can’t figure it out. It’s hopeful and it’s desperate at the same time. “It is hard to know whether it is chiefly a psalm of confidence, written against the dark background of David’s many enemies, or chiefly a lament in which David cries out for help against implacable foes” (James Montgomery Boice). It’s because this psalm is both an honest expression of what he’s going through and a desperate plea for help. Here’s the help that David prays for and receives. He wants one thing: > One thing have I asked of the LORD, > that will I seek after: > that I may dwell in the house of the LORD > all the days of my life, > to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD > and to inquire in his temple. > (27:4) Here’s the thing you need to understand about this verse. When David wrote this, Israel had a tabernacle. It was where God made his home on earth among his people. It was nothing much at this point: just the same tabernacle that Moses had built and that had been carried all the way through the wilderness. Nobody could live there. You could visit, but you couldn’t stay. And yet David wants to live there. What he really wants is not the temple, but “to gaze on the beauty of the LORD.” Later, in verse 8 he says, “You have said, ‘Seek my face.’ My heart says to you, ‘Your face, LORD, do I seek.’” David is obsessed with God. He knows that God is the one he needs, the one he seeks. Here’s essentially what David is saying: > God’s home is the home I’ve been looking for in every home I’ve ever built. God’s beauty is the beauty I’ve been looking for in every bit of music, in every bit of art, and every bit of romance I’ve ever had. God’s face is the face I’ve been looking for in every encounter and relationship I’ve ever had. This is what life is about. I’ve found it. If I have this, I really have the only home possible. If I have this, I have the only safety possible. (Tim Keller) He’s right. Everything we search for is ultimately because we’re searching for what only God can ultimately give. We were made for God. When we’re going through hard times, the one thing we need — even more than a change of circumstances — is the only One who can satisfy our souls. If you get the beauty and presence of the LORD, you get everything you need in life. This is the desperate cry of David throughout this psalm. “For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the LORD will take me in” (27:10). David entrusted himself to God. He knew that God wouldn’t abandon him It’s what Jesus did as well as he approached the cross. 1 Peter 2:23 says, “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.” What David did in this psalm is exactly what Jesus did for us as well, and the results couldn’t be better: > He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (1 Peter 2:24-24) There is only one place to turn when you’re desperate, and that’s to the One who will never let us down. David knew this a thousand years before the cross. Jesus knew this as he went to the cross. How much more can we know this having seen all that God has done for us in Jesus. What you need more than a new set of circumstances is a deeper knowledge of the rock-solid reliability of the God who will never let you down. Trust him. Put your hope in him. Make him the one thing you seek when you go through desperate times. You can trust in him. Desperate is normal. We can turn to God in our desperation. There’s one more reality we discover in this psalm. ## We can find hope even when we face the worst. What good does it do to trust God in our desperation? Look at the empty tomb. Paul wrote: > And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name. (Philippians 2:8-9) Jesus faced the worst, but he trusted in God and was vindicated. He was delivered from death and all of his enemies. Jesus’ victory is our victory too. His resurrection is our resurrection. God has “raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6-7). Jesus faced the worst and triumphed, and his triumph has become ours as well. What was David’s hope as we faced the worst? > And now my head shall be lifted up > above my enemies all around me, > and I will offer in his tent > sacrifices with shouts of joy; > I will sing and make melody to the LORD. > (27:6) And then verses 13-14: > I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD > in the land of the living! > Wait for the LORD; > be strong, and let your heart take courage; > wait for the LORD! Psalm 27 points us to resurrection hope: that even our greatest troubles and enemies are overcome through simple trust in the Lord, who’s triumphed over all things, including evil and death. That’s why Peter could write: > According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3-5) The resurrection gives us hope — a living hope — that can’t be taken away, even when we go through hard times. There’s nothing we need more than this. This will help you through breakups and job losses and sickness and heartache and even death. I’m seeing my friends do this. They have hope in the middle of unbelievable difficulty because they’ve experienced the resurrection life of Jesus. You can experience that too. **Desperate is normal. We can turn to God in our desperation, and we can find hope — resurrection hope — even as we face the worst.** David did. Jesus did. And we can too. I love the prayer that a couple of authors [wrote](https://go.dashhouse.com/D3fW?ref=dashhouse.com) based on this psalm. Let’s pray this as we close. Lord Jesus, You are Light and Life… You have delivered me from sin and death; raised me to new life with You… Still, forces gather on the horizon… In the end, there is only one thing of lasting worth; one desire that burns within me: that I would continually live in, through, from, the center of Your love, dwelling in the secret place; perceiving Your wonder; beholding Your beauty; meditating on Your goodness… Quiet my heart; grant me patience in these afflictions. May faith arise in me as I draw near to You and wait to see You move. Amen. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-339/ Last updated: 2023-04-08T09:00:02.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [State of the Bible 2023](https://go.dashhouse.com/DCrp?ref=dashhouse.com) > American Bible Society is in its thirteenth year of conducting State of the Bible, asking American people their opinions and practices relating to the Bible. [The Importance of Porches](https://go.dashhouse.com/D3jy?ref=dashhouse.com) > Like the early church and the church throughout the non-western world, congregations in the West must learn to create their own porches or forecourts where people can enter a relational process and be prepared to hear and understand and perhaps embrace the gospel. [What Is the Bible to a Pastor?](https://go.dashhouse.com/D1o8?ref=dashhouse.com) > Thomas Murphy, pastor of the Frankford Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia from 1849 to 1895, wrote about what the Bible should mean to a pastor. [5 Reasons Your Church Needs a Statement of Faith](https://go.dashhouse.com/D3hn?ref=dashhouse.com) > Every church should be able to point members and visitors to a doctrinal statement. Here are five reasons why. [Redeeming Discipline](https://go.dashhouse.com/D2sI?ref=dashhouse.com) > When Paul lost his legalism, he did not lose his discipline. Not even a little bit. [Lead in Such a Way That the Wheels Won’t Come Off If You’re Not There](https://go.dashhouse.com/D3hM?ref=dashhouse.com) > We necessarily want to run things so that if we’re not there, the work can carry on. [The Best Preacher for You](https://go.dashhouse.com/D2sF?ref=dashhouse.com) > The best preacher for each of us is the one we know. And it goes the other way, too. The best preacher is the one who knows *us*. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Base Hit Preaching](https://go.dashhouse.com/D3g8?ref=dashhouse.com) > Don't miss what God accomplishes through ordinary sermons. ### Jesus’ Purpose and Our Response (Mark 14-15) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/jesus-purpose-and-our-response-mark-14-15/ Last updated: 2024-03-16T22:49:16.000Z **Big Idea:** Jesus purposely went to the cross, and we must respond. --- So much can happen in a short time. It only takes a very short time for everything to change, for our worlds to be turned completely upside-down. In Mark 14 and 15, we have what’s called the Passion Narrative of Jesus Christ. They record the events that took place the night before and the day of Jesus’ death. This is the climax of Mark’s gospel. Mark moves at a brisk pace as he records his account of Jesus’ life, but it’s as if he slows down here and walks with us scene by scene through the last hours of Jesus’ life before the cross. It’s as if time slows through all the events recorded in these chapters, and that it speeds up as the time as Jesus moves quickly to the cross. There’s so much here: - In Mark 14, you have the plot to kill him, his anointing, his last supper with the disciples, his arrest, and arraignment, and more. - In Mark 15, you have his appearance before Pilate, his conviction, his being mocked, as well as his crucifixion, death, and burial. So much happens in these two chapters that I could easily preach at least nine sermons on these events. So much happens in these two chapters. Everything changes. How do we make sense of everything that happens in these two chapters? Let me suggest two themes that stand out in these chapters. ## One: Jesus purposely went to the cross. One thing that stands out in these two chapters is how purposeful Jesus is. Jesus is not a victim of circumstances. It would be easy to assume that Jesus must have been caught up in circumstances beyond his control, that the plans of the religious leaders or the passion of the crowds led him to his death. Nothing could be further from the truth. In the events of these two chapters, Jesus remains firmly in control. He purposely went to the cross for us. Let me give you just a few examples: - When Jesus is anointed by a woman in the first part of chapter 14, he interprets the anointing in light of his coming death. He knows what’s going to happen. None of this is taking him by surprise. He knows exactly what’s going to happen. - And then Jesus celebrates the Last Supper for his disciples. He takes the Passover celebration and uses it to show his disciples what’s about to happen: that he is our Passover lamb. - Jesus knows what’s going to happen to his followers. In 14:27, he tells them that they’re all going to fall away. He especially knows what’s going to happen to Peter and Judas. None of this is taking him by surprise. Jesus knows everything that is about to take place. He is firmly in control. - In the Garden, as he prays, he’s overwhelmed by what’s about to happen, but then submits to his Father’s will, saying, “Yet not what I will, but what you will” (14:36). - He tells his disciples that his betrayer is coming before anyone knows in 14:42. - He fulfills Scripture over and over again in what happens and what he says (14:49; 15:34, 36). You read these two chapters, and you realize that Jesus is not being led to his death. Jesus is going to his death. The religious leaders, Sanhedrin, Pilate, crowds, and soldiers aren’t in charge; Jesus is in charge. As Jesus said in John 10:17-18: “I lay down my life … No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.” As Kent Hughes says: > Far from being crushed in the gears of history, Jesus was turning its wheels just as he wished. His death was no accident! In fact, the Last Supper and his words (“Take it; this is my body” and “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” vv. 22, 24) make no sense at all if Jesus was not master of his own death. Jesus maintained sovereign, premeditated, and detailed mastery. What does this mean? It means a couple of things. First, it means that Jesus’ death for us was no accident. Jesus knew exactly what he was doing. Just look at what he said as he celebrated the Passover meal with his disciples. He said, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many” (Mark 14:24). Here he’s alluding to Isaiah 53:12 which says: > he poured out his soul to death > and was numbered with the transgressors; > yet he bore the sin of many, > and makes intercession for the transgressors. Jesus went to the cross to offer his life for us. He did it to save you and me. Jesus shed his blood for our sins. He knew exactly what he was doing. He was determined to suffer for his people. Because he was in charge, at any point, Jesus could have chosen not to go to the cross. But he was determined to go to the cross. “He decided by his own authority when he would give himself into the jaws of sin and death and judgment” (John Piper). As someone (Tim Keller) put it, “Death could not come to Christ. Christ came to death, and he walked into our execution room.” Consider what Jesus faced. A few years ago, Mel Gibson released a movie called *The Passion of the Christ*. It portrayed the physical suffering that Jesus endured as he was flogged and killed. But the physical pain is nothing compared to the real suffering that he endured as he went to the cross. > No greater pain has ever been experienced on any level than the hell of Christ suffering in this moment. But why? Because he carried all of that pain, sin, guilt, and shame in that moment. Yet on a far deeper level he was forsaken and punished for us to reconcile us to God. (Tim Keller) All of our sins were placed on him at that moment. Jesus bore the judgment of God for all that we had done wrong. But Jesus was no victim. Jesus willingly went to the cross to die for you and for me. How amazing is it that Jesus did this for us! But that’s not all. A Savior who is in control even when his own life is ending is a Savior who can be trusted to sustain us in our darkest moments. Jesus’ mastery of the events of these two chapters shows us his sovereignty and his love. We can have confidence in him because he’s sovereign, and we can be comforted because of his resolute love. Jesus purposely went to the cross for us. But there’s another theme that also shows up in these two chapters. ## Two: We must decide what we will do with Jesus. If you read these two chapters, you notice how much Jesus is in charge. But you notice something else: everyone faces a verdict. What will they do with Jesus? We may think we want to remain neutral, but over and over, Mark forces the issue on us: - At the start of chapter 14, the religious leaders plot against Jesus, and some of those present grumble at the expense of the perfume used to anoint him, while a woman worships him. The question is placed before us: where do we stand? While we respond in love and adoration to him, or will we oppose him? - Jesus tells the disciples that they will all fall away, but Peter argues. In Jesus’ moment of greatest need, Peter, James, and John all fall asleep, and later Peter denies Jesus three times. The question is placed before us: Do we realize that we are faithless, and that our only hope is Jesus who remained faithful even when we abandoned him? - In chapter 15, Pilate asks the crowds, “What shall I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” (15:12). They answer, “Crucify him!” The question is posed to us as well: what will we do with Jesus? - As Jesus is crucified, we see people taunt him, but we also see a centurion who saw how Jesus died respond by saying, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39). We see women watching from a distance; we see Joseph of Arimathea wrapping his body and burying him in a tomb. The question is posed to us: Will we join the crowd of mockers, or will we recognize him for who he is? As Jesus moves purposely to the cross, we see people abandon him, and we see people worship him. The question comes to us: what will you do? As we face this question, I’m so grateful that there’s hope even for those who failed him in these chapters. Take Peter, who not only fell asleep on Jesus but who denied Jesus not just once but three times. What a bitter blow for Peter, who was so confident that he could be counted on. Peter had to realize that he didn’t have what it took, that he couldn’t count on his own goodness. His only hope was Jesus. Here’s the good news: it was for people like Peter that Jesus died. Jesus died for the struggling, the faithless, those who’ve let him down. Jesus died for people like you and me. My uncle is a pastor. Years ago, when I sensed a call to the ministry, I wrote to him and asked for his counsel. What would he say to a young want-to-be pastor like me? He replied with a letter I still have: preach and teach for a verdict: > If there is one appeal I would make to you, if you wish to be a teacher, it is this. Preach and teach for a verdict! Call people to action in obedience to God’s Word. Merely to inform is not sufficient. Make the human will your target in the power of the Holy Spirit. I can’t help but feel this is what Mark is doing in these chapters. He’s shown us what Jesus has done for us. He’s shown us that Jesus did all of this purposely for our sake. And then he’s calling for a verdict: what are we going to do about it? Will we trust him, or will we reject him? If I were to summarize the message of these two chapters, here’s what I’d say: **Jesus purposely went to the cross, and we must respond.** Jesus, fully in charge of everything that was taking place, went to the cross to offer his life for ours, to die in our place so that we could be made right with God. As he did so, we see all kinds of reactions from people. Some plotted against him. One chose to betray him. Some grumbled. His closest followers fell away. His most adamant follower denied him three times. The crowds cried out, “Crucify him!” Soldiers and thieves taunted him. But some worshiped him. A woman anointed him. A centurion acknowledged him to be the Son of God. Women looked on from a distance. Joseph buried him. Some rejected him, but some followed him. Mark is pressing in on us: what will we do? How will we respond to the one who purposely went to the cross to die for sinful men and women like us? So much can happen in a short time. In the space of a couple of days, all these events took place so that Jesus could die for us. A lot can happen right now too as we look to Jesus, as we come with empty hands and respond in repentance and faith, trusting Jesus and what he did for us that day. ### Lessons From a Bookseller URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/lessons-from-a-bookseller/ Last updated: 2023-04-04T09:00:15.000Z One of the habits I try to practice is reading for pleasure at the end of the day. In bed, before I go to sleep, I pick up books that I enjoy reading whether or not they serve any utilitarian purpose. One of the books I’ve enjoyed recently is *[Confessions of a Bookseller](https://go.dashhouse.com/D1fU?ref=dashhouse.com)* by Shaun Bythell, although it’s got me reading some of his other books as well. Most of his books follow a similar format: daily diary entries that describe the ordinary days of his life. Written with wry humor, I’ve not only enjoyed these books, but I think they’ve helped me as a pastor. Here’s why. [![](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2023/04/confessions-bookseller.jpg)](https://go.dashhouse.com/D1fU?ref=dashhouse.com) ## Because Work is Daily Most of Bythell’s work is routine: opening the bookshop, dealing with customers and staff, visiting people who have books to sell, repairing broken boilers, requesting help with broken software systems, moving books, posting books, dealing with online complaints, cooking food, and more. I’ve read about three years of his diary entries now. Bythell manages to describe the routine in such a way that you feel the mundane nature of work while glimpsing the glory of it. I once spoke about Paul’s description of ministry from 2 Timothy 2, in which Paul compares ministry to farming. I quoted [Kent Hughes](https://go.dashhouse.com/D1fa?ref=dashhouse.com): > The farmer’s life involved: 1) early and long hours because he could not afford to lose time; 2) constant toil (plowing, sowing, tending, weeding, reaping, storing); 3) regular disappointments—frosts, pests, and disease; 4) much patience—everything happened at less than slow motion; and 5) boredom. I mentioned that pastoral work involved everything in this list except for boredom. “Are you sure?” someone asked from the congregation. He was right. There’s a tedium to the weekly rhythms of the pastoral life, just as there is in everyone’s life and work. Seeing the mundane dailiness of a bookseller’s life helped me accept and appreciate the mundane dailiness of mine. ## Because People are Challenging Bythell is cheeky and has no problem describing the troublesome behavior of his customers. They ask stupid questions. They barter and complain. They stand in doorways so that nobody can move from room to room. They take books from shelves and put them back in the wrong place, or even worse, leave them lying around. Staff grumble and insult him, take unauthorized breaks, and generally cause trouble. It’s hard to feel optimistic about humanity when you work with the general public, he says. Most customers are great, but they’re not the ones that Bythell remembers. And it’s that way in pastoral ministry as well. People are great, and it’s a privilege to pastor them. But people can also be quirky, and working with them can be hard. Bythell gave me some laughs as I enjoyed the stories of his encounters with the foibles of others. ## Because Results are Meagre Each day’s entry includes the total of the online orders, the customers served that day, and the total till. For example: Online orders: 3 Orders found: 1 Till Total £126.60 9 Customers There are good days in the used bookselling business, but there are bad ones too, and the mediocre days tend to outnumber the great ones. He quotes R. M. Williamson, who observed in 1904: “The few who make fortunes by bookselling are not to be compared to the many who make no more than a modest livelihood.” Why sell books? For the love, not for the money. Some work is worth doing even if it’s not a runaway success. I’m glad Bythell continues his work, even if it’s not the most lucrative work available. ## Because They’re Funny I enjoyed these books simply because they made me laugh. Perhaps not everyone will enjoy Bythell’s dry humor, but I did. And sometimes we all just need a laugh. [Bythell’s books](https://go.dashhouse.com/D1fY?ref=dashhouse.com) aren’t high literature, but I enjoyed them. They gave me some perspective as a pastor, and they brought me some joy, just what I needed at this time. ### The Leader We Need (1 Samuel 1-24) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-leader-we-need-1-samuel-1-24/ Last updated: 2024-03-29T15:04:12.000Z **Big Idea:** We need godly leaders, especially One who will rescue us from our enemies. --- We do it a lot. The United States is doing it right now as they prepare for 2024\. The City of Toronto is doing it as we look for a new mayor. We do it in government, in business, in not-for-profits, and pretty much in any human organization. We’re on the lookout for a leader. We want, we need someone to lead us. We know the difference that a good leader makes. If you’ve ever experienced great leadership, you know how amazing it is. But we’ve also all experienced the results of bad leadership, and it’s very, very unpleasant. We’re going through the story of the Bible this year, and we’re right at the part where the need for a good leader has taken center stage. God created the world. We messed it up. But God launched a rescue plan through a nation called Israel. He grew them, rescued them, and gave them a land of their own. But they messed up. In last week’s readings, we saw how bad things became. Talk about depressing! The thing we kept reading in the book of Judges is this phrase, found in Judges 17:6 and repeated over and over again: “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Things are in crisis. Israel has no leader. All you have at the end of Judges is Israel in disarray, with rampant evil. You don’t have a unified nation. You have a loosely organized group of tribes living under poor leadership. It’s not even safe to travel between the tribes and villages. You’ve just got a collection of clans and tribes all over the nation with every tribe for itself, and with things in a big hot mess. How is Israel ever going to live faithfully as God’s people in the world? If I were to summarize 1 Samuel in one word, it would be this: leadership. But here’s the question: What kind of leader do we need? ## A Tale of Three Leaders 1 Samuel gives us a portrait of three leaders, each who teaches us something profound about the kind of leader we need. We learn three lessons about leadership from the book of 1 Samuel. ### First: We need leaders who are obedient and submitted to God. Let me introduce you to leader number one. His name is Samuel, and the book is named after him. 1 Samuel 1 to 7 is all about this leader, the last of the judges, supernaturally given by God to Israel. In chapters 1 to 7, you get the idea that things were still pretty bad in Israel. Let me give you two examples. The first is Eli, the high priest of Israel, and his two sons. If you want an example of the kind of leader you don’t need, look no further. “Now the sons of Eli were worthless men,” we read in 1 Samuel 2:12\. “They did not know the LORD.” They didn’t know God. They were greedy and lazy. They took advantage of their position for personal gain. They treated the offerings with contempt (2:17). And their father was unwilling to confront them. That is exactly the kind of leader that you *don’t* need. You also have Israel, which treats the ark of the covenant — the throne of God on earth — as a lucky charm, which gets them nowhere. But then you have Samuel, raised up by God. Over the course of decades, his entire ministry can be summed up by his devotion and love for God and his care for the people. Let me give you just some of the highlights of Samuel: - As a young child — “Samuel was ministering before the LORD, a boy clothed with a linen ephod … And the boy Samuel grew in the presence of the LORD.” (2:18, 21) - A little older — “And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.” (3:19) - Some twenty years later — “And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines … Then Samuel said, 'Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD for you.'" (7:3-5) - Even later — “Do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. For the LORD will not forsake his people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you a people for himself.” (12:20-22) What kind of leader do we need? We need a leader who is obedient and submitted to God. That’s the same kind of leader that we need today. It’s interesting that the New Testament teaches us the same thing. Writing to early churches, the apostle Paul tells the churches to appoint elders who are known for one thing: godliness. 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 mention character quality after character quality that churches should look for in their leaders. Here’s a summary of what he tells them to look for: godly character. Only once does he mention skill. We need leaders who love God and will back it up with their lives and consistently call people to love and serve God. I’ve always loved [these words](https://www.dashhouse.com/2007101tim-keller-what-are-the-risks-for-evangelicals-html/) by Tim Keller ever since I heard them: > My dear friends, most churches make the mistake of selecting as leaders the confident, the competent, and the successful. But what you most need in a leader is someone who has been broken by the knowledge of his or her sin, and even greater knowledge of Jesus’ costly grace. The number one leaders in every church ought to be the people who repent the most fully without excuses, because you don’t need any now; the most easily without bitterness; the most publicly and the most joyfully. They know their standing isn’t based on their performance. Do you believe this? This is the consistent message of Scripture from 1 Samuel right through to the New Testament. What kind of leaders do we need? Godly ones. We need leaders who are tender and submitted to God. But here’s the next thing to learn: ### We’re drawn to impressive leaders, not godly ones. 1 Samuel starts out okay with a godly leader, but by chapter 8 people want more. They want a king. Samuel tries to warn them, but they go ahead and appoint a really impressive leader. They pick a man named Saul. In chapter 9, we meet him. In chapter 10, he’s anointed as king. It was pretty exciting. We read: > And when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!” (10:23-24) In chapter 11, Saul defeats the Ammonites. In chapter 13, he defeats the Philistines. Saul’s not all bad. He actually has some good qualities. But you start to see problems too. In chapter 13, he directly disobeys what Samuel had told him to do. Instead of waiting for Samuel to arrive to offer a sacrifice, he decides to offer the sacrifice himself before going to battle. At a key moment, he decided to trust himself rather than trust God. This begins to set a pattern in Saul’s life. He disobeys God again in chapter 15, so much so that God says, “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments” (15:11). 1 Samuel shows us a multi-decade decline of an impressive but ungodly leader, and it’s not pretty. You can have the most impressive leader, but if that leader is not godly, it’s meaningless. You can have all the charisma and skill in the world, but it means nothing if it’s not submitted to him. As 16:7 says, “For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” We need leaders who are obedient and submitted to God, but we’re drawn to impressive leaders, not godly ones. There’s one more lesson we learn in 1 Samuel. ### We ultimately need a leader who will deliver us. So we’ve had an obedient, godly leader. We’ve had an outwardly impressive but ungodly leader. 1 Samuel presents us with one more leader. His name is David, and we’ll return to him again next week. But let’s just look at just one story, one of the most famous in the Bible, and one of the most understood. Israel is facing off against the Philistines. The entire reason they had a king was for this very reason. Back in chapter 8, they insisted, “there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles” (1 Samuel 8:19-20). And yet here they are once again against the Philistines, with a giant named Goliath taunting them, and their king helpless to do anything about it. You may know what happened. Young David, who’s already been chosen by God as the king to replace Saul, arrives on the scene. He can’t believe that nobody’s doing anything about this giant who’s dishonoring God. > And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. (1 Samuel 17:49) David is the king who went to battle on behalf of his people and delivered them. Here’s what I always missed about this story. I thought that we were supposed to identify with David in the story. We were supposed to go into battle trusting God and winning great victories. It was only a few years ago that I realized that we’re not David in the story. We’re the people who need to be rescued. We need someone to go to battle for us. We need a deliverer. That’s the point of the story. David acts as a substitute for his people. He offers his life and goes in weakness and wins a great victory for his people. Two thousand years ago, a better king entered Jerusalem with the purpose of offering his life. > God sent the ultimate David, Jesus Christ. He was weak. He was little. He didn’t save us just in spite of his weakness but through his weakness. He didn’t just save us from physical death like David did but from eternal death. He didn’t save us like David did at the risk of his life, but more than that: at the cost of his life. Here’s how he did it. He went into the ultimate valley of death. (Tim Keller) That’s what 1 Samuel is ultimately about: our need for a leader. David comes along and delivers his people, although, as we’ll see next week, even David disappoints. We need leaders. We especially need godly leaders, not just impressive ones. But even the greatest leader will disappoint. Our greatest hope is for the only leader who will never disappoint, and whose reign will extend throughout eternity. He is the leader we need. Father, we pray for godly leaders. We see in 1 Samuel the need for godly, obedient leaders who will serve you and lead others to do the same. We also see the danger of trusting in impressive leaders. Would you raise up godly leaders in our church and in the world who follow you. But we also realize that even the best human leader will disappoint. We need Jesus. Thank you that he went to battle on our behalf, that he represented us, won a great victory, and conquered our enemy. May we marvel at him as we enter this Easter week. And may we trust him. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-338/ Last updated: 2023-04-01T09:00:32.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Help! I Can’t Find Time as a Mom to Read the Bible](https://go.dashhouse.com/C%5F1Z?ref=dashhouse.com) > I’m a busy mom, and I have trouble finding time to read the Bible. Where do I start to carve out time for this? [How to Respond to Deconstructionist Social Media](https://go.dashhouse.com/C%5F1k?ref=dashhouse.com) > How do we who’ve been charged with shepherding younger generations respond to this new reality and the threat it poses to those in our care? [Is It OK to Fail in Ministry?](https://go.dashhouse.com/C%5F2F?ref=dashhouse.com) > Failing is inevitable in ministry. Here are two suggestions that will help. [Misconceptions About Humility](https://go.dashhouse.com/C%5F2Z?ref=dashhouse.com) > We often think of humility as a somewhat dreary virtue. We know we need it, but we don’t expect it to be much fun. [Largely Unknown, Never Anonymous](https://go.dashhouse.com/C%5F2J?ref=dashhouse.com) > Two key truths emerge from reflecting on these passages of Scripture that should bring us comfort if we fear the anonymity of ministry. [If I Can Do It, Anyone Can](https://go.dashhouse.com/C%5F3s?ref=dashhouse.com) > I don’t need to wait for a big break, or discover a secret key, or follow five fail-proof steps in a helpful video. I can invest in eternal treasure today, right here in my ordinary life. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [The Blessing and Curse of Ministry Fame](https://go.dashhouse.com/C-PI?ref=dashhouse.com) > I praise God for those who are famous for preaching the gospel. When I feel envious of them, I remind myself that I don’t need to be. It’s enough to know God and stay faithful. After all, the names of even the most famous among us will recede into history. ### Want to Grow? Pay Attention to These Three Things. URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/want-to-grow-pay-attention-to-these-three-things/ Last updated: 2024-08-25T09:24:39.000Z I’m fascinated by the topic of spiritual growth. I’ve even written [a couple of books](https://www.dashhouse.com/books/) on the subject. How do people mature in their faith? What habits and disciplines matter most? How can we help others grow? Why do some people grow and others seem to stall? The answers to these questions matter to every believer and every church leader. But it’s not enough to know how to grow in general. In his book *[A Short Guide to Spiritual Disciplines: How to Become a Healthy Christian](https://go.dashhouse.com/CyME?ref=dashhouse.com)*, Mason King argues that we need to pay attention to three dimensions of our lives: - **Our attention** — Who gets our attention? How do we manage the onslaught of digital distractions that overwhelm us? What we pay attention to determines the direction of our lives. - **Our emotions** — How do we process our emotions? How do we offer all of us — including our emotions — to God and learn to trust him with every emotion, even the difficult ones? - **Our limits** — How do we stop trying to do too much and live within our limits? Most spiritual growth books don’t discuss these three dimensions of our lives. It could be one of the reasons that many of us aren’t growing as much as we’d like. You may practice all the spiritual disciplines, but without practicing God’s presence in these three categories, your spiritual growth will be limited. ## My Interview with Mason King Mason King is a pastor at The Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas. He also serves as the Executive Director of The Village Church Institute, Groups, and Leadership Development. He is currently completing a Ph.D. in Church History from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and holds a D.Min. in Executive Leadership from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He’s also a husband and a father. King and I share similar interests. It seems that we may also face similar challenges. The section on limits, for instance, hit me hard. I highlighted this quote in the book, taken from a commentary on the Psalms that King read: “Putting wise limits upon our undertakings and our spheres is one of the most important and anxious things that we have to do. And one of the chief modern sins is attempting too much, and not being willing to keep ourselves strictly within the limits of what we can do really well.” I need to not only highlight that but post it on my wall where I can see it every day. I appreciated King’s take on a familiar subject. King draws attention to some important areas around spiritual growth that we often tend to miss. If you’d like a refresher on how to grow, I think you’ll enjoy this book. I was privileged to interview King for the [Gospel for Life podcast](https://go.dashhouse.com/podcast?ref=dashhouse.com). You can listen to the interview below, or download the transcript. [ 230327 Transcript A Short Guide to Spiritual Disciplines with Mason King 230327 Transcript.pdf 249 KB download-circle ](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/files/2023/03/230327-Transcript.pdf "Download") ## Key Ideas - Joy is found by submitting your life to God and living within limits while giving attention and emotions to God. Prioritizing sleep, rest, diet, relationships, and managing pressure and anxiety from others is key to avoiding burnout and being a people pleaser. - The metaphor of a tree runs through the book, emphasizing the importance of the lifelong pursuit of growth. - Digital technology acts as a pacifier, providing distraction and instant gratification at the click of a button. The ease of distraction can prevent individuals from feeling conviction and needing something outside of themselves for help. With constant access to stimulation, stillness becomes difficult to achieve which prevents individuals from hearing the still, small voice of God. - King identifies areas that are often neglected such as attention, emotions, and limits in his book, going beyond the basic spiritual practices. It's important to remember that emotions are real but not always reliable, and one should get curious about them and know how to move through them. ## Quotes “God is not waiting for a future version of you to love.” “It's hard to know ourselves when we won't slow down. It’s hard to create space to know God and to be known by God when we feel shame over emotions or we don't have emotional maturity and vocabulary. And if we're trying to do too much, we're trying to do more than a creature can. You're not recognizing God's good design for giving you rest.” ## Episode Links - [Mason King on Instagram](https://go.dashhouse.com/CyMh?ref=dashhouse.com) - [masonking.org](https://go.dashhouse.com/CyMp?ref=dashhouse.com) ### Books mentioned: - *[A Short Guide to Spiritual Disciplines: How to Become a Healthy Christian](https://go.dashhouse.com/CyME?ref=dashhouse.com)* by Mason King - *[Breaking Bread with the Dead: A Reader's Guide to a More Tranquil Mind](https://go.dashhouse.com/CyMI?ref=dashhouse.com)* by Alan Jacobs - *[How to Think](https://go.dashhouse.com/CyMN?ref=dashhouse.com)* by Alan Jacobs ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-337/ Last updated: 2023-03-25T09:00:54.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [‘Lord, Do It Again’: Tim Keller on Revival](https://go.dashhouse.com/Crg3?ref=dashhouse.com) > Revival is like an avalanche. You get a few sleepy Christians waking up, a few nominal Christians getting converted, and a few really interesting dramatic conversions from the community. And if there’s a real support of extraordinary prayer, those first little pebbles can turn into an avalanche. [There is Something Better than Never Suffering](https://go.dashhouse.com/CuEV?ref=dashhouse.com) > He will be your strength in the midst of your suffering, with sustaining grace to persevere. He is there, with you and around you and beneath you and over you and in you and beside you, and you are in him, and there is no furnace so hot that Christ will not walk into it with you. [What C. S. Lewis Got Wrong About the Cursing Psalms](https://go.dashhouse.com/CvjU?ref=dashhouse.com) > The cursing songs are a peaceful, petitionary participation in God’s promise to strike the seed of the serpent and restore the peace of the garden. [Crisis in Canada: Assisted Suicide](https://go.dashhouse.com/Cviq?ref=dashhouse.com) > Though our nation’s violence may primarily be carried out in the sterile rooms of hospitals, it is a grim reality. Behind closed doors, Canada is becoming a nation of state-sanctioned lawlessness and violence. [Don’t Worry About Your Ministry Brand](https://go.dashhouse.com/CvjJ?ref=dashhouse.com) > If we’re not careful, we can communicate that our unique story and calling is somehow more special than the rest of the global church. This is when distinctives can turn into a brand mentality that skews our vision of God’s Kingdom. [100 Simple Ways to Immediately Improve Your Life](https://go.dashhouse.com/CuES?ref=dashhouse.com) > Not every positive change in our lives needs to be a large one. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Bruised Reed Ministry](https://go.dashhouse.com/CvFc?ref=dashhouse.com) > Because he doesn’t break bruised reeds or snuff out smoldering wicks, neither should we. He welcomes them, and we should too. ### The Really Radical Book for Kids (and Adults) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/the-really-radical-book-for-kids-and-adults/ Last updated: 2023-03-21T09:00:23.000Z Parenting (and grand-parenting) comes with perks: you get to play with children’s stuff. Some toys today are much better than the toys we had when we were kids; some books are better. If you need an excuse to read these books or play with these toys, children come in handy. I’m a grandparent, but I don’t feel like I need an excuse. I’m currently reading a great children’s book *[The Biggest Story Bible Storybook](https://go.dashhouse.com/Csw%5F?ref=dashhouse.com)*, and it’s amazing. Not only did Kevin DeYoung do a great job in writing the material, but the illustrations by Don Clark are stunning. I don’t care how old you are: you will probably love this book. But now I’m adding another children’s book to the pile: *[The Really Radical Book for Kids: More Truth, More Fun](https://go.dashhouse.com/Csx6?ref=dashhouse.com)* by [Champ Thornton](https://go.dashhouse.com/Csxs?ref=dashhouse.com). Thornton writes this book for a reason. “Sometimes there seems to be a gap between Christianity and ‘the real world,’” he writes. “Sometimes it seems that Jesus belongs to church on Sunday but not the rest of the week, to religion but not real life.” This book is written to bridge that gap, to help kids enjoy and live wisely in the world God has made. “I pray this book will help the next generation live with God over all of life,” he writes. I think Thornton succeeds. He writes short chapters on fascinating topics that kids (and adults) will find interesting: ancient kings, legendary battles, and snakes and dragons. He describes unusual food to make, secret codes to break, fun crafts to try, and strange planes to fly. He also uncovers exciting ways to read the Bible, factual reasons to believe, stunning truths about God, and incredible examples of "radical" men and women who have gone before them and trusted Jesus in challenging times. The chapters are short, punchy, and interesting. The illustrations by Scot McDonald make the book inviting and colorful. ![The Really Radical Book for Kids](https://www.dashhouse.com/content/images/2023/03/Really-Radical-Book-for-Kids-Interior4__74106.jpg) But not only is this an entertaining book to read; it also covers some important topics well: how to make hard decisions, dealing with parent problems, how to become a Christian, how prayer works, why go to church, and more. It also provides helpful overviews of Scriptural topics and books of the Bible, like Genesis, Proverbs, and Romans. Scriptural truths are presented clearly and deeply. Thornton has a way of communicating that is accessible without sacrificing profundity. If you have a child or grandchild who’s eight or older, get this book as a gift. I’m pretty sure it will be a hit. But if you’re an adult who’s looking for a book to enjoy, you may enjoy this book as well. When I was a kid, I had a few books like this one. They contained interesting facts that fascinated me, and I read them repeatedly. They’re one of the few books from my childhood that have survived, but they lacked biblical truth. I wish I’d had a book like this as a child. It’s a great resource for kids of all ages who want to be fascinated with the world that God has made, and how knowing God is useful for all of life. More from [WTSBooks](https://go.dashhouse.com/Csx6?ref=dashhouse.com) | [Amazon.com](https://go.dashhouse.com/CsyW?ref=dashhouse.com) ### God Always Keeps His Promises (Joshua) URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/god-always-keeps-his-promises-joshua/ Last updated: 2023-03-19T22:00:49.000Z **Big Idea:** Against all odds, and despite all obstacles, God keeps his promises and gives his people rest. --- Joshua Bell emerged from the Metro and positioned himself against a wall beside a trash basket. By most measures, he was nondescript — a youngish white man in jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and a Washington Nationals baseball cap. From a small case, he removed a violin. Placing the open case at his feet, he shrewdly threw in a few dollars and pocket change as seed money and began to play. For the next 45 minutes, in the D.C. Metro, Bell played Mozart and Schubert as over 1,000 people streamed by, most hardly taking notice. If they had paid attention, they might have recognized the young man for the world-renowned violinist he is. They also might have noted the violin he played— a rare Stradivarius worth over $3 million. It was all part of a project arranged by The Washington Post—"an experiment in context, perception, and priorities—as well as an unblinking assessment of public taste. In a banal setting, at an inconvenient time, would beauty transcend?" Bell managed to collect a sum of $32 while performing in the subway station. The number of people who donated after pausing briefly was 27\. This was in stark contrast to Bell's previous concert where he played to a packed house at Boston Symphony Hall. Only three days ago, tickets for ordinary seats at the concert were sold out for $100 each. They missed what was right in front of them. I feel like the same is true about the book that we’re going to look at today, the book of Joshua. Other than a few popular passages, this book is usually ignored. Some parts are considered downright boring. But it’s got a message that we can’t afford to ignore. ## An Overview of Joshua We’re going through the entire Bible this year. Last week, we hit a major milestone. We finished the Torah or Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible. It’s the foundation for everything that follows in the Bible. If you don’t understand these books, it’s like walking into the movie theatre 15 minutes after the movie has started. “This would result in a nagging feeling that we were missing something, even as we watched to the end,” writes [Ian Vaillancourt](https://go.dashhouse.com/BsAu?ref=dashhouse.com). “It is impossible to fully enjoy a movie if we have missed the essential first part of the story.” It’s absolutely crucial that we understand it. Let me see if I can summarize the message of the Pentateuch in a nutshell. - God created the world and made it good. - We ruined it through sin. - But God made a covenant with a very flawed people so he could rescue the world. He did everything he could for them: he chose them, he made promises to them, he grew their numbers, he rescued them from slavery, gave them his law, and even lived among them despite their sin. What we’ve seen so far is incredible. It helps us understand God, the world, and ourselves. Understanding these first five books means that we get to arrive on time and “soak in the essential first act in the Bible’s grand story of redemption.” Today, we turn a corner. We’re looking at Joshua, which marks a transition from the Torah or Pentateuch to the historic books, also called the Former Prophets. These books include Joshua, Judges, 1-2 Samuel, and 1-2 Kings. Let me give you a bird’s eye view of Joshua: - In chapters 1 to 5, Israel enters the Promised Land under new leadership. Key term: go over. - In chapters 5 to 12, they conquer the land in two military campaigns. Key word: take. - In chapters 13 to 21, they divide the land. Key word: divide. - In chapters 22 to 24, they recommit to serving God. Key word: worship. That’s the book. They go over, take the land, divide the land, and worship. You can summarize the entire book in two sentences: Israel takes the land. Israel divides the land. You can see why some people struggle with this book. If you’re reading the Bible and you come across a book about Israel taking the land and dividing the land, you may wonder what this book has to do with you. The answer is a lot. But first, you have to get there by answering an important question: how does this book fit within the story that the Bible is telling us? ## What Joshua Teaches Us To understand Joshua, you have to understand the bigger story. The context for the story of Joshua is found all the way back in God’s promise to Abram in Genesis 12:1, right at the start of God’s rescue plan to save the world. “Now the LORD said to Abram, 'Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.'" Abram did exactly what God told him. And then in verse 7, we read, “Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your offspring I will give this land.’” In Genesis 15:8, we read, “To your offspring I give this land.” And then in Genesis 17:7-8, God said: > I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God. You can draw a straight line from these promises to the entire book of Joshua. The story of the Bible is God choosing his people despite the fact that they didn’t deserve to be chosen, showing them grace, and keeping his promises to them, even when they mess up over and over again. Why is taking the land and dividing the land so important to us? Because the land represented a promise that God made to his people a long time, some 600 years earlier. When Israel took the land and divided the land, it communicated an important message: **against all odds, and despite all obstacles, God keeps his promises and gives his people rest.** And that’s a message that we need to hear today. ## Highlights Let me lift three highlights from the book of Joshua that matter for us today. ### First: God does the heavy lifting. It would be easy to think that Joshua is about Joshua. It’s not. It’s also not primarily about the Israelites. They’re supporting characters. It’s about God. The emphasis in Joshua is not Israel’s military strategy or strength. It’s on God’s provision of the land. There’s no clearer example than the first city they faced: the city of Jericho. It was one of the oldest cities in the world, and the first obstacle they faced as they crossed the Jordan River. What was the plan to conquer the land? Here’s God’s plan: > See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor. You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days … On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. And when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him. (Joshua 6:2-5) Israel takes a passive role. God delivers his people; Israel needs to simply trust and wait. The plan makes no sense according to the wisdom of the world, but it’s how God operates. Right from the start, he teaches Israel that he will give them the land. Israel doesn’t work; it simply receives. Near the end of Joshua, God says to the people: > And you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho, and the leaders of Jericho fought against you, and also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. *And I gave them into your hand.* And I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites; *it was not by your sword or by your bow.* I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.’ (Joshua 24:11-13) That is such an important lesson for us today as well. How do God’s people get to enjoy God’s promised blessings? We don’t earn them. We don’t work for them. We simply receive them as a gracious gift from God. That’s still how God works. How do you get all the blessings God has promised to us in Jesus? You don’t work for them. You don’t earn them. You simply receive them. In every other area of life, we have to work ourselves to the bone to get ahead. Want to graduate with honors? Prove yourself. Want to get a job? Put your best foot forward and show them what you’ve got. Want to be an entrepreneur? Hustle. Want to be blessed by God? Stop wearying yourself. Simply come to Jesus with empty hands and receive. He will graciously give you what you need. Hear these words from Isaiah: > Come, everyone who thirsts, > come to the waters; > and he who has no money, > come, buy and eat! > Come, buy wine and milk > without money and without price. > Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, > and your labor for that which does not satisfy? > Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, > and delight yourselves in rich food. > (Isaiah 55:1-2) Friends, come to Jesus today. Stop working and simply receive. You don’t need to earn. Simply come to Jesus who has done everything for you and invites you to simply receive forgiveness and life and hope. ### Second: God doesn’t care for you in general. God cares about the details of your lives. I mentioned that Joshua 13-21 is about dividing the land. Joshua 13-21 is about all the details. Read these chapters and you’ve got a massive list of tribes and the cities and boundaries of each tribe. When we read these chapters, we yawn. These chapters can seem so boring to us. But I’m really struck by what [one podcast](https://go.dashhouse.com/Cmtp?ref=dashhouse.com) on the book of Joshua says: > When you get to Joshua 11–21, you’ll be tempted to speed-read. It’s just a long list of places and names you’ve never heard of. > But the original readers? They would have read it slowly, with tears in their eyes. Why? Because it includes them. It names their tribes, their cities. It shows God’s particular care for them. What could be better? Does God care about the details of your life? So much. Nothing has escaped his attention. If God is willing to get down to the details in the book of Joshua, he’s willing to deal with the details of your life too. He doesn’t care about you in general. God cares about the details of your life. God does the heavy lifting. God cares about the details. One more highlight. ### Three: Despite all the obstacles, God will keep his promises and give you rest. Think of everything that had happened from the promises God made to Abram and the taking and dividing of the land. Think of all the twists and turns, all the obstacles: - Abraham and Sarah’s infertility, which meant that the plan to make a great nation from Abraham was doomed from the start - Incredible family dysfunction, which God somehow used to put Joseph exactly where he needed to be to preserve the family when they were on the brink of starvation - Israel’s captivity to the most powerful nation on earth, which looked like an insurmountable obstacle - The sinfulness of God’s people, which tripped them up over and over again - The fact that the Promised Land was already occupied by a collection of city-states So many obstacles. And yet none of them stand in the way of God keeping his promises to Abram. God always keeps his promises no matter how many obstacles come along. Hear Joshua 21:43-45 and be encouraged: > Thus the LORD gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. And the LORD gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the LORD had given all their enemies into their hands. Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass. Hear this over your life as well, with all its twists and turns, with all the obstacles: not one word of all the good promises that the LORD has made will fail; all will come to pass. Why is Joshua so important? Because God always keeps his promises. He will do the heavy lifting; he will mind the details. You can be assured against all odds, and despite all obstacles, God keeps his promises and gives his people rest. What’s going on in your life today? You can trust God. He will give you everything he’s promised and more. Father, thank you for keeping your promise to Abram. Thank you for staying faithful despite all the obstacles and the twists and turns. Thank you for caring about the details. Thank you for keeping your promises and giving your people rest. Thank you that all your promises are yes and amen in Jesus. Because you always keep your promises, may we trust you with all that we have. In Jesus’ name. Amen. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-336/ Last updated: 2023-03-18T09:00:25.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [50 Thoughts on Preaching](https://go.dashhouse.com/Ckon?ref=dashhouse.com) > Without a clear, discernible, and simple structure, your sermon will feel longer than it actually is…. [Preaching from a Place of Fullness](https://go.dashhouse.com/Cmvn?ref=dashhouse.com) > I have preached from a place of emptiness and from a place of fullness, and the experience of the one makes me long for the other. [When a Beloved Pastor Falls](https://go.dashhouse.com/Cn4h?ref=dashhouse.com) > When a pastor or other church leader fails morally, church members often tend toward two types of responses. [What to Do When Revival Comes](https://go.dashhouse.com/Cjt2?ref=dashhouse.com) > Suppose genuine revival breaks out. What should my priorities be? [Why Read If You Forget Most Everything Anyway?](https://go.dashhouse.com/Cmvr?ref=dashhouse.com) > Reading enhances your filter, giving you knowledge and insight that will reverberate in your mind in ways you can’t perceive, offering a measure of wisdom and breadth you wouldn’t otherwise have. [Is Jesus Really My Friend?](https://go.dashhouse.com/Ckp0?ref=dashhouse.com) > With elements pointing to reciprocity, obedience, inequality, manumission, brokerage, and regency, John 15:13–15 describes a relationship that is not characterized by equality, but by subordination. [Names Nobody Remembers](https://go.dashhouse.com/Cn4b?ref=dashhouse.com) > Our names fit right next to the list of unknown names throughout history: men and women who helped rebuild the temple, gave to the early church, discipled children in the middle ages, taught in a schoolhouse in the 1800s, or ordered Grubhub for an ailing church member last week. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Why Christians Should Take Risks](https://go.dashhouse.com/CluP?ref=dashhouse.com) > Live as if the mission’s worth it, that God is at work, that what matters most is eternally secure, and it’s worth trading our comfort for what can’t be taken away. ### This Is God's Holy Word URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/this-is-gods-holy-word/ Last updated: 2023-03-14T17:18:46.000Z Every week, someone reads Scripture before the sermon at the church I pastor. They close the Scripture reading with these words: “This is God’s holy word.” The congregation responds, “Thanks be to God.” Last year, someone read a passage from 1 Corinthians 11 on head coverings, including these words: “But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God…” (1 Corinthians 11:3). Sometimes what follows a verse like that defuses the tension; sometimes it escalates. That week, the entire passage sounded foreign, perhaps even offensive, to our younger congregation in a progressive area. At the end of the reading, the reader declared, “This is God’s holy word.” Our people may have choked on it, but they replied, “Thanks be to God!” Sometimes I’ve asked our people as I begin to preach: do you really believe what you just said? When Scripture sounds foreign and regressive to our modern ears, are you willing to still acknowledge that we have just read God’s word and then give thanks for it? Are we willing to bow before Scripture when it contradicts and offends us? I attended a church last Sunday while on holiday. As the pastor read the Scripture, he asked the congregation to stand. I’ve seen this done before, and I like it. Later, my wife commented how much she appreciated this mark of respect. When God speaks, we don’t receive what he says with a shrug. We stand and pay attention. We show God deference, even with our bodies, to both honor God and to remind ourselves of what we’re hearing. This is always important, especially when God’s word contradicts what we want to hear. A friend recently reminded me of God’s words in Isaiah 66:2: “This is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.” That’s a good goal to set, both as individuals and churches. What I would give to live as a humble church, contrite in spirit, trembling at God’s word. Then I realize: that’s what I have by God’s grace, and I want that sense of humility and submission to deepen. I want that statement and response to resound, even when what we’ve just heard is not what we want to hear. Charles Brown, a minister in the Church of Scotland, describes what happened as God’s word was read during a time of revival: > “It was a common thing, as soon as the Bible was opened, after the preliminary services, and just as the reader began” — here, you will observe, it was the simple reading of the Word without preaching; yet such was the power upon the minds of the people, that “it was a common thing, as soon as the Bible was opened, after the preliminary services, and just as the reader began, for great meltings to come upon the hearers. The deepest attention was paid to every word as the sacred verses were slowly and solemnly enunciated. Then the silent tear might be seen stealing down the rugged but expressive faces turned upon the reader.… It was often a stirring sight to witness the multitudes assembling during the dark winter evenings — to trace their progress as they came in all directions across moors and mountains by the blazing torches which they carried to light their way to the places of meeting. The Word of the Lord was precious in those days; and personal inconvenience was little thought of when the hungering soul sought to be satisfied.” God give our churches this hunger for God’s word so we give thanks for it even when it challenges us. This, more than anything, may be what we need most. ### Saturday Links URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/saturday-links-335/ Last updated: 2023-03-11T10:00:33.000Z Curated links for your weekend reading: [Pastoring in a Pandemic: Of Grey Hair and Glory](https://go.dashhouse.com/CdyE?ref=dashhouse.com) > Love believes all things, and I’d like to believe that while my brothers who defied were acting in love, the same was also true of us who did not defy but did so out of love as well. [Tips for Getting Out of a Devotional Rut](https://go.dashhouse.com/Cd-L?ref=dashhouse.com) > We know reading God’s Word and talking with Him in prayer are precious privileges. What can we do when they seem just part of the day’s routine? [1 Percent of a Book Can Change Your Life](https://go.dashhouse.com/Cfe0?ref=dashhouse.com) > I do not remember 99 percent of what I read, but if the 1 percent of each book or article I do remember is a life-changing insight, then I don’t begrudge the 99 percent. [George Whitefield Tried to Kill Me](https://go.dashhouse.com/Cd-O?ref=dashhouse.com) > Walk before the Lord according to His Word, and don’t put pressure on yourself that doesn’t come from the conviction of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God. [God Cares for the Odd Sparrow](https://go.dashhouse.com/Cdyi?ref=dashhouse.com) > Wouldn’t it be sufficient for Him to tell us that if God cares for birds, surely He cares for us? Yet, He goes even further to tell us that He not only cares for birds, but He cares even for the worthless ones. [Thinking Something Nice about Someone? Tell Them.](https://go.dashhouse.com/CdyL?ref=dashhouse.com) > I think of it as my duty, when someone has made a difference in my life, to let them know. My column this week at [The Gospel Coalition Canada](https://go.dashhouse.com/straightpaths?ref=dashhouse.com): [Five Blessings of Pastoring](https://go.dashhouse.com/CfT4?ref=dashhouse.com) > Here are five blessings that most pastors get to enjoy. ### No Big Deal URL: https://www.dashhouse.com/no-big-deal/ Last updated: 2023-03-07T10:00:34.000Z I’ve got to be honest: part of me wants to become a really big deal. I want the followers, the platform, the influence. It’s why I keep returning to [these words](https://go.dashhouse.com/Ado%5F?ref=dashhouse.com) by Francis Schaeffer. > We should seek the lowest place because there it is easier to be quiet before the face of the Lord… > Quietness and peace before God are more important than any influence a position may seem to give, for we must stay in step with God to have the power of the Holy Spirit… > Take the smaller place so you have quietness before God. In his sermon “No Little People, No Little Places,” Schaeffer encourages those who feel inadequate: God uses weak people. “The Scripture emphasizes that much can come from little if the little is truly consecrated to God. There are no little people and no big people in the true spiritual sense, but only consecrated and unconsecrated people.” If you know you are weak, you’re well positioned for God to use you as long as you surrender this weakness to him. But Schaeffer also addresses those of us with the opposite problem, those who struggle with unrealized dreams of advancement. He tackles our pride and egotism. “This attitude, taken from the world, is more dangerous to the Christian than fleshly amusement or practice. It is the flesh.” The problem is that this egotism exists in every one of us. “Christian. In every one of us there remains a seed of wanting to be boss, of wanting to be in control and have the word of power over our fellows.” Schaeffer helps us respond to this desire by pointing to the alternative offered to us through Christ: that we become servants. As servants, we follow the example of Jesus and choose the lower place. “Only one thing is important: to be consecrated persons in God’s place for us, at each moment.” It’s okay to go unrecognized by the world when we known and loved by God. It’s okay to wash the feet of the humblest among us when Christ has washed our feet. It’s okay to serve only a small number of people when we see the dignity of the people Christ has called us to serve. Everything in the world tells us the opposite, which is why we must remind ourselves of these truths often. When you’re weak, you’re well positioned for God to use you, as long as you surrender that weakness to God. When you think your ministry is insignificant, you may be exactly where God wants you. Your ministry isn’t as insignificant as it may appear from the vantage point of heaven. This morning I opened Facebook — not always a good idea — and read these words: > Christian contentment, therefore, is the direct fruit of having no higher ambition than to belong to the Lord and to be totally at His disposal in the place He appoints, at the time He chooses, with the provision He is pleased to make." (Sinclair Ferguson) I’m not there yet, but that’s my goal. It’s a privilege to be no big deal. I’m praying that God allows me to believe that even when my pride is clamoring for more. _Includes the latest 500 public posts. Use `/sitemap.xml` for the complete archive of public content._