Trinity

The Bible presents us with a mathematical dilemma when we study the nature of God. From the beginning we are told that there is only one God. That revelation became the doctrinal rally point of ancient Israel – “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4). And yet, also from the beginning, there has been a kind of uncontainable “plurality” to that one God. Not only do we find in Genesis plural pronouns for this one God, but even the Hebrew word for “God” is a plural noun—utilized as a grammatical singular throughout the Old Testament (i.e., Elohim). Then, when we turn to the prophecies concerning the Messiah, we find him described as a distinct person, and yet at the same time he is presented to us as the “Mighty God” and “the Lord” (Isaiah 9:6; Malachi 3:1; et al.). And when he arrives in the New Testament we read that the people who were chided and even threatened to only worship the one true God (Exodus 34:14) were repeatedly called to worship Christ from the time of his birth all the way through his post-resurrection appearances. Add to this that the Spirit of God is spoken of as a distinctive third person, who the Messiah said the Father would send to be our Helper (John 14:16-17), and you have the mathematical dilemma that God’s people have been grappling with for centuries. While some foolishly try to explain it away, humble Bible students have been left to worship this God who is far more complex than anything or anyone could possibly imagine. So boldly stand with God’s people throughout the generations, and take time today to admire and worship the mysterious God who is three in One.

For more sermons and devotionals on Trinity, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org. 

Proverbs and Parenting

When we read through the Proverbs we often forget that much of the book is framed as a parental plea to children. The collection commences with the words, “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction and forsake not your mother’s teaching” (Proverbs 1:8). Of course we ought to go to the Proverbs for God’s wisdom regarding our own lives, but what an overlooked resource when we fail to prayerfully read this inspired book with our children in view. Solomon boldly warns his child of the deceptive enticements of temptation (Proverbs 1:10), the corruptive influence of rebellious friends (Proverbs 1:15), the value of God’s painful discipline (Proverbs 3:11), the incomparable rewards of righteous choices (Proverbs 4:10), the repercussions of sexual sins (Proverbs 5:20), the enslavement of financial debt (Proverbs 6:1), the grief that a rebellious child brings to his parents (Proverbs 10:1), the shameful by-products of laziness (Proverbs 10:5), the incomparable joy a child’s wise choices bring to parents (Proverbs 23:24), and the necessity of the fear of God (Proverbs 24:21), just to name a few. So if the dialog with your kids has degenerated to “So, how was school today?” perhaps you should take a cue from the book of Proverbs and engage in the kind of conversation that your children could only get from a loving and godly parent.

Future Good

Because mature Christians have learned that all good things in this life come from God’s generous hand, they are usually careful to give thanks to him whenever they experience them. And so we should (James 1:17; Ephesians 5:20). But the Bible also calls us to learn to give thanks for the good things we’ve yet to receive – the ones we will experience in the next life! Colossians 1:12 says you ought to be “giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints.” The “inheritance” Paul has in mind is the unimaginable blessings and rewards that will be permanently lavished upon us when we enter into God’s presence (Ephesians 1:14; 1 Corinthians 2:9). This practice of thanking God ahead of time for the blessings we will receive in the next life has a way of producing a current surplus of endurance, patience and joy (Colossians 1:11-12). And that’s helpful, especially when the “good things” here and now are in short supply. Peter writes to a group of suffering and persecuted Christians about their extravagant “inheritance”, which is reserved in heaven for them (1 Peter 1:4). He then speaks of the transforming power of being thankful now for those future gifts, saying, “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials” (1 Peter 1:6). So let us add to our spiritual disciplines the daily practice of expressing our thanks to God, not only for the good he supplies day by day, but also for the incomparable good he will bestow when we see him face to face.

For more sermons and devotionals on Future Good, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org. 

Biblical Standards

Christians are often accused of defying logic and reason to become superstitious mystics when we run to quote our Bibles as the authority on what is true and how we should live. The problem with this accusation is that thoughtful Christians contend (perhaps not loudly or cogently enough) that it is supremely logical and reasonable to understand the Bible as God’s authoritative voice on life and reality. Christians are not asserting a belief in an illogical universe, but one that is best understood as the product of a transcendent and personal God, who can, and arguably has intervened in this universe from time to time throughout its history – the greatest and most dramatic intervention being the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And because the Bible specifically predicted that intervention centuries before it happened, along with a slew of other historical events, Christians have logically deferred to this Book as the avenue through which God has communicated to his creation. If then this God exists, and he has given us reason to be confident that he has spoken to us in the Bible, then it would be illogical and irrational for us to ignore his authoritative words in our quest for truth and in deciding how we will live our lives.

For more sermons and devotionals on Biblical Standards, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org. 

Pain and Sickness

The Bible promises us that this life will be punctuated with sickness and pain. For some it will be more chronic than others, but unfortunately for all of us there will be certain seasons of severe and almost unbearable discomfort. While we’d wish that God’s children were exempt, we must remember that for now, Christ has not granted us any such immunity. When sin entered the world God’s universal judgment included a physical reality that would be subject to disease, decay, and ultimately death (Genesis 3:16-19). While that may not sound like good news to our ears, it can certainly assure our hearts when we are tempted to ask, “Why is this happening to me?” So the next time you are pained, injured or ill, remember that mankind’s rebellion against God was the ultimate cause. And then be quick to remember that Jesus Christ came into the world to rectify the problem by satisfying God’s justice on the cross. This obviously doesn’t mean that we won’t continue to experience the varied effects of sin in this world, but it does mean that by the time God’s kids step into the next one, sin and all its related consequences will be nothing but a distant memory.

-- Pastor Mike

For more sermons and devotionals on Pain & Sickness, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org. 

Subtle Lies

It is not difficult for Christians to admit that deception is morally wrong, and that because he is a God of truth, “lying lips are an abomination to the Lord” (Proverbs 12:22). But unfortunately we are not always quick to recognize all the subtle forms lying takes in our everyday conversations. Consider the way we can toss around insincere compliments and words of praise, which, if pressed, we’d have to admit are “not entirely true,” simply to make ourselves appear pleasant, kind, gracious, or godly. The dictionary calls this kind of lying “flattery”, and God’s word explicitly equates those who “flatter with their tongue” with people who “speak lies” (Psalm 5:6, 9). Or consider the way we can embellish a story, pushing it just beyond the reality of what actually happened, to make our knowledge or experience seem more interesting, more exciting, or more commendable to others. This form of deception the Bible roundly condemns under the heading of “boasting.” Lastly, consider the way the facts get twisted when we craftily choose to augment and enhance “the evil” in a story to help cast our opponents in the worst possible light. The Bible calls this “slander,” and aptly groups this transgression with others that flow from “lying lips” (Proverbs 10:18). So let’s remove the artificial shades of abhorrence from our tailored definitions of deception and prayerfully seek to avoid every form that lying takes, always mindful of the high value God places on “truthful lips” (Proverbs 12:19).

-- Pastor Mike

For more sermons and devotionals on Subtle Lies, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org. 

Christ's Return

The Bible warns that many will ridicule us for our confidence in the second coming of Christ. “Where is he?” they will scoff, “It seems to be taking him a long time” (cf. 2 Peter 3:3-4). While we may respond defensively, inwardly a lot of Christians share their sentiment – especially when we revisit Christ’s repeated promise: “I am coming soon” (Revelation 22:7, 12, 20). Before we are tempted by the mockers’ skepticism, we ought to be careful to rightly understand the biblical promise. Peter offers two helpful explanations. First, he tells us that “soon” is obviously a relative term. God’s view of time is not our own (2 Peter 3:8). Ever since his ascension, Christ’s return is “soon to be accomplished” as the next big event on God’s agenda. Next, Peter reminds us that all that is preventing this world-changing event is the effortless command of God. With a single syllable, everything will change. This concept of “suddenness” is included in the sense of the ancient Greek word translated “soon”, and is the reason it is rendered “quickly” in some translations. To quote a Hebrew text concerning the end, God has said, “In its time I will hasten it” (Isaiah 60:22). As James taught, the “nearness” of his return is as simple as the swinging open of a door (James 5:9). And Paul adds that the end will come “suddenly”, like “labor pains upon a pregnant woman” (1 Thessalonians 5:3). So remember, if your anticipation of Christ’s arrival feels like the never-ending “pregnancy”, know that the end will come swiftly and suddenly, and then, at last, we will see Christ face to face.

-- Pastor Mike

For more sermons and devotionals on Christ's Return, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org.