Seated with him in the heavenly places...

Below is a portion from the sermon I preached this week…I’ve been encouraged to blog my message, so I will break it up into a series of posts this week. I pray you will be edified by the Word of God.

God has ‘raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places…in Christ Jesus…’(Ephesians 2:6)

When God the Son took on human flesh in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, one of the most beautiful aspects of the incarnation, is the fact that God the Son, was choosing to identify with his people. In ways, and honestly in a way, that is a bit of mystery to us…Jesus took on our identity, and gave his people his identity. I think that’s why we see Jesus telling us to ‘abide in him…’ and that he will ‘abide in us’ throughout the New Testament. I think that’s what we see happening in the baptism of Jesus…I think that’s what we see happening as Jesus is lead into the wilderness…And I think (at least in part)that’s what Paul is getting at in Romans 6:3-8:

“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.”

I also think this is what Paul is getting at when he tells us that our life is ‘hidden with Christ in God”…in Colossians 3:3, and in verse 4 of Colossians 3, Paul says, “When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

So, Jesus, when he came to earth, he was identifying himself with his people.

Let me try and do a better job of explaining what I mean here…When Christ walked the earth, he lived the sinless life that we could not live. Christ, was perfectly righteous in the sight of God the Father, because we couldn’t be. When Christ went to the cross, he suffered the punishment for the sins of his people…and because of this…his people didn’t have to bear the punishment for their own sin…Christ did what we could not and what we cannot…And the beauty of it is…that because of Christ’s righteousness, because of his sinless life and obedience…because of Christ’s identifying with us, his people…we’ve been credited with this life and obedience.

When Christ went to the cross, he took on our sins…So all of our sin, was transferred to Christ. In a very real sense, our old selves died with Christ on the cross. Our sinfulness, our sins, died with Christ on the cross…

I think that’s what we see very plainly in the Romans 6 passage I quoted just a bit ago. And because our sin, our old selves, died with Christ on the cross…when Christ was made alive…when Christ was resurrected…we too were resurrected. When Christ was made alive, we were made alive…
And now, that’s what we see Paul getting at here in Ephesians 2:6…Our identity now as Christians is tied up in Christ. When Jesus was raised up and seated in the heavenly places…that’s where we as Christians, that’s where the church , the people of God are.

So, where were we? We were dead in our sins(Ephesians 2:1-3)…But now, our sins have been crucified with Christ on the cross…Our old selves are dead…Now, as Christ has been raised up, so too…we as Christians have been raised up. We’ve been seated with Christ Jesus in the heavenly places…

At one time our identities were wrapped up in the world…we chased after worldly pleasures…we followed after the spirit of the world…even after Satan himself…yet now…we are in Christ…we’ve been made new in Christ…we’ve been given a completely new identity.

Praise be to God for that…Amen?

I was thinking...

 

I was thinking...

That is always a dangerous thing.

I killed a spider today. Have you ever noticed when you kill a spider how it’s legs crumple in? Their bodies never really look flattened, their legs just sort of crumple in.

How will I look when I die?

What will be my final pose?

How often do you think about death? I’ve been thinking about it more lately. Some people said that today was going to be judgment day. I think they’ve gotten it wrong.

But do you ever think about death?

Like really think about death?

I killed a spider today. I didn’t think much of it. How often do we do that? We generally just squash them…perhaps clean up the mess…move along. How about driving? How many bugs are killed as we travel to our next destination. Death is everywhere. Yet we attempt with all of our might to ignore it…even if it comes at our own hands. Maybe we aren’t ignoring it, just not thinking about it.

Is that the same thing?

Probably not.

I killed a spider today. I thought nothing of it. This creature was alive, now he is not.

I have a friend who likes to fish, hunt, kill, skin, and eat what he kills. I wonder how often he thinks of death. To take a creature from one state to another. From a state of being, to...not being..

Or are they?

How often do we think about death? Why do we ignore it? It is such a huge part of life. If life wasn’t so big, death would be bigger…but life…life is life. If life wasn’t so important, maybe we’d think about death more. But perhaps death is the path to life. Now there’s a thought.

Rethinking Miracles

I once heard a pastor say that if something can be explained naturally, or scientifically...then it isn't a miracle. Miracles only occur when God supernaturally intervenes in the natural world and does something that can't be explained by anything other than God.

He used childbirth as an example...Many times a person will look at a newborn baby and exclaim, "How beautiful! Isn't she a little miracle?"...This pastor explained, that no, a newborn baby isn't a miracle...because it can be explained scientifically...it is a natural process.

For a while, this definition seemed logical to me. But, lately I've been wondering if my pastor friend may be off. Maybe, just maybe, my pastor friend's definition of a miracle is a little too narrow. Let me explain.

What is the natural state of things? Where was the universe before God came on the scene?

Oh yeah, it wasn't there...But God was.

So, the natural state of things is nothingness...Creation was a miracle. Before God gave order to all things, everything was in a state of chaos...But then God gave all things order. God giving order to things was a miracle. Existence is a miracle. The way things work, is a miracle. Science is a miracle.

I could go on and on with this...but it's late. My point is though, God is at work all around us. Creation as we know it, life as we know it...is a miracle. We are surrounded by miracles every day. The fact that you are alive is a miracle. The fact that I can breathe oxygen into my lungs is a miracle. We ought not take things for granted and try to explain them away with science, or by saying it is simply the natural order of things...

The natural order of things is nothingness...but God broke into the nothingness and brought forth all that we see. The  natural order of things is chaos...but God enters the chaos and brings forth order. The natural order of things is no life...But God exploded onto the scene and brought forth life....

Perhaps the greatest miracle of all is that he still does that with our souls. Apart from God, we are all spiritually lifeless. We are all spiritually dead...But God, he enters the death that we call life and shows us what real life is...he makes us truly alive, so that we can appreciate all of the miracles that we have around us on a daily basis.

The life we now live, as Christians, is anything but natural. The life we now live in Christ is certainly miraculous. This is the first miracle we must take hold of...and from there, our eyes are awakened to every other miracle there is.

I pray that we all might keep our eyes open with eager anticipation for the next miracle to cross our paths...and from there may we look past the miracle and gaze with longing at the one whom makes the miraculous possible.

Book Review:The God Of The Mundane

Matthew B. Redmond is a talented writer. I've been a long time follower of his blog, so of course I was thrilled to get my hands on his debut book 'The God Of The Mundane'. I had read the series of blog posts that would eventually lead to the book, and felt even as I was reading those initial posts, that what Matt was saying, the world needed to hear. I'm thankful that Kalos Press felt the same way. 

As I said, Matt is a superb writer. Because Matt is such a superb writer, this book is a joy to read. 'The God Of The Mundane' is the type of book that you can read, and get lost in. Once you finish, you'll want to read it again. Because of the content of the book, this is a book you need to read again.

Let me be up front. I don't agree with everything Matt says in this book. I don't agree with how Matt says everything in this book. And that is okay. Matt has indeed accurately diagnosed a huge problem within the Christian church, and the questions he asks are important. His voice is one that needs to be heard in the world of evangelicalism. The conversation that Matt has started is one that needs to continue, and all Christians, and perhaps Pastors in particular need to take note.

In the world of bigger and better and more radical Christianity...it's refreshing to read someone who wants to see and talk about the God of the everyday. It's refreshing to see someone who sees the eternal value of every inch of life. It's refreshing to see someone who understands the line between spiritual work and secular work doesn't really exist.

Again, I don't agree with all of the conclusions that Matt comes to...But, I certainly agree with Matt that there is a problem with how we are talking about faith, and how we view faith. True biblical faith isn't one size fits all, and it certainly doesn't look the same for each of us. I'm thankful that Matt has started the conversation, and I pray the conversation continues.

'The God Of The Mundane' will be out early next month, and is currently available for pre-order through Kalos Press. Click here for more info or to order.

Four Days Without Facebook-Reflecting

Last week I deleted my Facebook account. I have serious doubts as to whether or not this is a permanent thing. As a matter of fact, I'm certain it is not. I miss it.

As I debated deleting my account, I encountered many questions as to why I've chosen to delete it...and honestly, settling on one answer is pretty complicated.

The lowest common denominator I suppose is that I was beginning to get annoyed with all of the noise. Social media during a political season is not a pretty place. Everyone seems to think their candidate/candidates are the only ones who has the answers. If their candidates aren't elected, the world is doomed. This is an expected attitude for some folks...But for those who profess faith in a sovereign God...I don't think so...

And herein lies one of the problems...I think.

Everyone has an opinion. Everyone on social media has a platform. Everyone on social media feels the need to express their opinions...and everyone has that right. And I was getting sick of reading everyone expressing their opinions...As I'm sure many people were sick of reading me doing the same...especially as I expressed my opinion of others expressing their opinions.(So I blog about it?)

The political season pushed me over the top, but that certainly wasn't the only issue. I've been dealing with this for some time. I had grown tired of reading people gush over the ones they loved, of hearing about your cute grandchild and how cute and smart he is, of how wonderful everyone's life is, of how terrible everyone's life is...I had grown tired of people being fake...and people being too honest.I had grown tired of everyone's pettiness in pointing out every little flaw they could find in others...(Ironic, huh?)

I was so sick of it...I began questioning everyone's motives for why they posted what they posted. I began making character judgements and pointing out flaws...Not in public mind you...not even out loud most of the time....maybe not even consciously in my mind. But, it was happening. As I told a few friends of mine, I was beginning to have a hard time loving people.

This should never be...And I hated it.

And there is no excuse for it.

So my biggest problem, was not everyone else...it was me.

I didn't like what social media was revealing about myself, and my own heart. I was vain, I was prideful...my ego was over-inflated. It still is...And I don't know that it's going away anytime soon. But with God's help I'm working on it...

Ironically enough, all of these character flaws that were revealed to me ,and in me,  through social media...were at the same time making themselves more and more known in my 'real life'...I'm not saying social media created these flaws, or even made them worse...But I think it rather naive to think social media doesn't spill over into the real world and have a real impact on real life.

Ultimately I was a sinner who had much better access, and a much more convenient way to interact with other sinners...I didn't handle it well. I pray that if(when) I re-engage with Facebook, I'll do a much better job.

Just a few days before deleting my Facebook, I scribbled this down in a notebook:

"Sometimes I simply want to withdraw from the world until I've grown enough as a person to have something worth contributing."

When I wrote this, I didn't specifically have Facebook or social media in general in mind...But I think the same principle applies.

There is one thing I have noticed...Spending less time worrying about what others are doing on Facebook, I have much more time to enjoy my family. I have much more to contribute to them. This is a very good thing. And I pray that when I do join the Facebook fray again, I will intentionally strive to not lose that, and even more than that, that I will have learned how to contribute more to, and better edify the world of Facebook.

Talking About Faith

How we talk about our faith matters.

I was speaking with a friend a few nights ago, and as they often do, our conversation turned to spiritual matters. As we discussed, I don't believe I said anything untrue. I am convinced I was right. I spoke truth.

Truth is often hard to hear...

Still, I came away from the conversation convicted.

Did I speak in a way that painted God in the best possible light? Did my words draw my friend closer to God, or did they push her away?

There are certainly times where the Word of God does put up walls, and push people away. I think the Word of God does that by it's very nature...as all truth ultimately does. But the question is, did my words convey the love, mercy, and grace of God?

...or was I more concerned with being right?

I fear the latter may be the case.

Father,
Forgive me for all the times I don't accurately convey your love.
Forgive me when my words convey little of the grace and mercy that you possess and pour out.
Forgive me when I fail to bring you the glory you desire, and the glory that you so deserve.
Forgive me when I'd rather be right, than point people to you.
Amen.

New Blog: Providential Irony-Why?

I tested the waters yesterday, announcing that I was contemplating starting a new blog. I figured many folks would ask questions. I was right.

The big question was, 'Why?'

Well, I'm not totally sure. The short answer, and the easiest answer is, "Because I want to." This is probably not sufficient for most people. Honestly though, I'm not entirely sure myself, other than to say I had an overwhelming desire to do so, and I did have what I think are some pretty good reasons. Here are a couple...

I'm sensing right now in my life, there are many things I need to re-evaluate and refocus on. I confess, this is probably another case of the  'discontent' that often creeps into my life from time to time, but that doesn't change the truth that I do need to re-evaluate and refocus in several areas of my life. For me, in order to refocus it's always been easier to simply start over. This isn't always possible in life, but with this blog, it is. My writing is something I really want to focus more on. Therefore, I've chosen to start a new blog.

In refocusing on my writing, I think my writing will change. Whether it is true or not, I felt at times over at 'Striving With God' I was pegged in a bit. There we're certain things I could write about...a certain style of writing...certain subjects...perhaps even certain genres of writing I could tackle. Other things I wasn't always as comfortable with. I concede, this could very well be my feelings and insecurities only, but still, it's how I felt. I hope to be a bit more diverse here in what I write. Whether or not that happens, we shall see.

There may be even more reasons...In fact I'm sure of it. But for now, I think these are sufficient, for anyone who cares to read where we go from here.

The second question I anticipate is, 'What's up with the title?'

Very often in life, there are many truths that seem to be at odds with each other. The world is evil yet beautiful at the same time. Man can both kill and bring healing. Man can both love and hate, sometimes in the same breath. God is sovereign over all things, yet we cannot deny that we have real choices and decisions that we must make, and are held responsible for. It is often hard to reconcile these truths, yet, it is my feeling they can be reconciled, and as we look and explore the realities of who God is...I think we see the all powerful hand of God's good providence at work in all of it. Though things may not always be what they seem, they are as they should be...even if we can't figure out why, or how that is.

So, what happens with 'Striving With God'?

Well for now it is still there. For a while, I may use both blogs, and use it to point others here. I may leave it up...I may not. We shall see. There are many good posts there, that I would love to keep. I may integrate, and re-post those here. I want to blog pretty regularly, so, in having some stuff already written that I can re-post...that may help in that area, especially when life is busy, as it so often is.

So that is where we are right now. For those that followed me over at 'Striving With God' I hope you'll follow me over here at 'Providential Irony' as well.

I realize some folks may think that I'm taking myself too seriously here...And they would probably be right. But then again, I think most of us do. Especially if we blog. Bloggers and writers often take themselves too seriously. It's why we write. We think we have something to say that the world must hear. While I do think it's a dangerous mistake to take yourself too seriously, after all the world isn't going to end if they don't read your writing...I think it's an equally dangerous mistake to think you don't have anything worth saying.

Hopefully I have some things worth saying, I hope you guys will take the time to read it.