Worlds Apart

Have you ever thought about the idea that you are living on this side of glory? One day, as our hearts stop their rhythm, we will join our Father on His side of glory...that is; if we are in Christ. I'm amazed by this thought. Every day, I'm walking not just on the earth, but on the other side of glory from my Father. It's almost like I'm away from my future home. I'm a traveler, a foreigner, so to speak, in a land that is not mine. It reminds me of the feeling I have when I travel overseas. The sights, the people, the days are such a treasure to me. I don't really spend time complaining...because I'm drawn to a privilege of seeing a place that I know I'll only spend a small amount of time on. When I board the plane to travel home, I know I will have a welcome awaiting me. My favorite part of returning home is when the customs officer looks at me and says, "Welcome home."

Look at this amazing verse with me. "But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." Philippians 3:20. What an incredible truth! When I'm away from the States, I tend to have an attitude of joy and peace because I know that soon I will be returning to my home...the place I'm FAMILIAR with. This theological truth has challenged much of my thought process in the past few weeks. Please permit me to share with you in points to what's on my mind. I ask in advance for your patience in my rambling.

1. Paul writes to the church at Philippi with a challenge to remain true in the faith, to avoid false teachings, to count all things as loss in comparison to Christ, to be like minded, and to deny the desires of the flesh. When we get to this verse, the command leaps off the page at us...to see our citizenship, our place, our position, and our future home is in glory with our Lord.

2. Why do we live without this excitement? Why do people put all of their drama on their facebook statues to get attention...or live without joy? Why do we pour out selfish appeals for attention instead of pointing to the One that daily appeals for the souls of the lost? Why do we treat this place as our permanent misery instead of our temporary joy before our departure? In such a "me-centered" culture...and church, it doesn't surprise me that many hold onto their current position without any thought to the future joy that awaits.

3. Why do we act without hope? Why do we take any obstacle and allow that to point attention t ourselves instead of the hope that our Lord is in control? I wish I could go back in my life and take the struggles...and point them more to the Savior. Since I am truly waiting for His return or His final rescue in my life...it would make sense that I would point my obstacles to His Home...

4. Why do we step without purpose? Just like our vacation times...I've wanted to take every step toward making the most of the days. For example, I wanted to speak to new folks, visit new sights, and soak in more air. Since our home is in glory, we should take our steps with purpose...not in vanity, but in full obedience to the Great Commission.

5. Why do we speak without happiness? If we have a home waiting for us, then it would seem that our words each day should be centered on the anticipation of returning home. It should mean that our words should invite others to join us. Our words should be centered on returning home...to the point that our faith is indeed REAL to others.

6. Why do we neglect the Savior? It is only in Christ that we have a future home. He is our treasure. He is our sole delight. He welcomes us to His Father's glory. He gives us the greeting of, "welcome home." We should live in such a way that we look forward to His glorious appearing.

I want to close with a song by Jars of Clay that has really blessed my soul this week. This is an old song, but a treasured song of mine. Enjoy.


I look beyond the empty cross
forgetting what my life has cost
and wipe away the crimson stains
"dull the nails that still remain"
More and more I need you now,
I owe you more each passing hour
the battle between grace and pride
I gave up not so long ago
So steal my heart and take the pain
and wash the feet and cleanse my pride
take the selfish, take the weak,
and all the things I cannot hide
take the beauty, take my tears
the sin-soaked heart and make it yours
take my world all apart
take it now, take it now
and serve the ones that I despise
speak the words I can't deny
watch the world I used to love
fall to dust and thrown away

Soli Deo Gloria!

Dave

Led by the Lord...

On Monday evening this week, I began the process of my normal iPod shuffle uploading. It's been such a joy to listen to sermons while exercising at the gym. I successfully loaded two sermons onto the shuffle...along with 11 songs from the new Leeland album. After the loading was complete, I walked downstairs and taught the evening basement Bible Study. So far, all went according to my expectations.

The study was glorious and after praying with Brooke, I headed to the gym. As I walked inside the gym, I quickly put the headphones into my ears to listen to Francis Chan...Only to find that that the shuffle only had the Leeland songs! I probably skipped the tracks about 40 times until I gave up. Frustrated, I sat down on the bike and began the boring process of riding for 30 minutes while staring at TV shows that had nothing but teenage girl appeal. (I can't stand shows that have anything to do with the drama that I see for free on facebook.) I was mad. No sermons...and 30 minutes of nothing but riding and watching.

Doug walked over to me as his friends left the gym. Doug is a guy about my age that works out about the same time that I do each evening. He and his wife have a son that is about two years old. Doug carries with him a strong Jersey accent with Brazilian roots. A great guy. As Doug walked over to my area of workout (well, it was me and a bunch of older ladies...), he began to talk with me about...life. After a few minutes of casual talking, the door was opened for me to share with him of the Gospel. What a joy it was to talk for about 25 minutes (and what a tiring time as well) with Doug of the glories of my Savior. Doug and his family are really seeking the Lord right now and want to get plugged into a church. I pray I will see him again when I work out...and at church as I worship with my family. Please pray for Doug.

I left the gym and was thinking back to my iPod dilemma. If I had a sermon on that night...I probably would've given Doug just a minute of talk and then went back to the sermon listening. I truly believe the Lord took the sermon off my iPod so I could actually live out a sermon by talking about Jesus to my friend in the gym. I'm truly grateful that I had no sermon to listen to that evening. I'm truly grateful that I was led by the Lord to speak of the only good news that I know. The tomb is empty, the Savior is alive, and the atonement for my sins has been paid for. What a Savior.

The next day, I turned my iPod in the car as I was heading to teach at a high school. I wanted to listen to Leeland that morning. To my surprise, Francis Chan came on. Same iPod, no change, different day...glorious Savior.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Dave

There's just something about that Name

Last night was a deep joy in my soul. Worshipping my immortal Savior with my students is a treasure that I hold dearly. It amazes me how teenagers can gather together on a Wednesday night, to read an old book and sing songs of worship. What amazes me even more is the excitement many of them have in the process of worshipping their Savior. I don't see much of a "Mom forced me to be here" attitude in the room. I see passionate teenagers that love their Savior King. There's just something about the name of Jesus that draws attention.

Last night, I preached on the humanity and divinity of Jesus. We covered Luke 2:22-52. It was a large text to cover in just 40 minutes. With a weak voice and trembling knees, I felt the joy of the Mighty Spirit covering my lips to speak of the glory of my Lord. In true and genuine fashion, the students joined me with great concentration. Their joy and excitement draws me to WANT to preach...even with a suffering voice. There's just something about the name of Jesus that draws worshipful concentration.

After our service, Brooke and I joined the students at Taco Bell. I noticed a group of boys in the corner of the restaurant that were acting very antagonistic toward our group. I've seen these boys before in school as well as a few of them around my subdivision. I knew they were going to be bitter towards us in the restaurant from the time we were ordering our food in line. One of the guys was rude to Brooke...which caused me to say something to him. (I lose some of my preacher traits when it comes to protecting my sweet bride.) When the guys left the restaurant, they yelled to us, "We love Satan." It broke my heart. Brooke and I got into our car and talked about it on the way home. We both agreed that it was hard because they thought they were offending us. They didn't. They were pledging allegiance to the living adversary of the Most High. We weren't upset, we were hurt. If those boys don't repent and trust in the Living Savior, they will perish with the demon they jokingly claimed to love. Several thoughts came to my mind this morning about those guys as well as many I meet on a week to week basis. Please allow me to share some with you.

1. Making fun of Christians by claiming love for Satan contradicts the effort of opposition. For example, if one claims to love Satan, they must claim to have a belief in Jesus. Their idea of Satan comes from their understanding of Scripture (may be little, but still an understanding). If one believes in a figure known as Satan, they must believe in the figure of Jesus. So, to state a love for Him must mean they have rejected a Savior they know to exist. That is why the comment last night made me sad. Why be so foolish?

2. To love and embrace Christ is the purpose of worship. Students gathered last night in order to lavish their affections upon the Savior that shed His blood for their sins. When we pledge allegiance and faith in Christ, we receive the eternal riches of God's mercy and presence. We receive protection from His justice as well as adoption into His family (Ephesians 1:7, John 1:12).

3. Claiming love for God's adversary means you are willing to take the justice of God. This means you will join the demon you claim to love (or even in kidding...claim to love) in his punishment thru the justice of God (read Jude 1:6 and 2 Peter 2:4).

4. Claiming love for God's Son means you are willing to receive God's pardon for your sins. Instead of receiving His just wrath, you are receiving His love. (Romans 1-8, 1 John).

There's just something about the name of Jesus that draws me to worship. There's something about the name of Jesus that draws ridicule and bitterness. His Name is powerful and all together lovely (Psalm 8). One day, all the jokes and ridicules will be swept away with a blink of the eye according to Philippians 2:10-11. One day, we will see why His Name draws so much attention on this earth...It is the Name above all Names (Ephesians 1:21, Philippians 2:9).

There's just something about the Name of Jesus that strengthens my weak voice today. I love my Savior. I pray if you are reading this, you will join me in the chorus of worship. If you want more to chew on with His name, read Colossians 1.

An old song I used to sing with my family comes to mind with this post. I want to close out with offering them to you. Enjoy your Savior today.

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
There's just something about that name
Master, Savior, Jesus
Like the fragrance after the rain
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
Let all heaven and earth proclaim
Kings and kingdoms shall all pass away
But there's something about that name.


Just some thoughts. Soli Deo Gloria!

Dave

Celebrating His Greatness

I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
2Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.
3Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.
4One generation will commend your works to another;
they will tell of your mighty acts.
5They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.b
6They will tell of the power of your awesome works,
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
7They will celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
8The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.
9The Lord is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.
10All you have made will praise you, O Lord;
your saints will extol you.
11They will tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might,
12so that all men may know of your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
The Lord is faithful to all his promises
and loving toward all he has made.c
14The Lord upholds all those who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.
15The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food at the proper time.
16You open your hand
and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
17The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and loving toward all he has made.
18The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.
20The Lord watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.
21My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.
Let every creature praise his holy name
for ever and ever.

Psalm 145

We are approaching the college football bowl games. This is the time of year in which many fans will either celebrate the greatness over their team or the upset of loss. Stadiums will be packed to the max of fans that are chanting songs of praise for athletes that they probably will never meet. Much money will be spent over the next few weeks for the purpose of…celebrating a game. As I spent time today reading over Psalm 145, I was drawn to a song of celebration. Celebrating the greatness of God was central to David. Take just a few minutes and read all 21 verses of Psalm 145.

Celebrating the greatness of God is a glorious task that we are privileged to have. David begins this Psalm with a powerful proclamation of God as His King. The Psalm moves to daily celebration (v.2), unsearchable celebration (v.3), multi generational celebration (v.4), and majestic celebration (v.5-7). From these verses, we go into a description of the Lord’s character. Friend, He is truly gracious and merciful! The fact that we even have a voice to celebrate Him (v.21), is truly amazing to me.

He satisfies (v.19), He upholds (v.14), He is infinitely kind (v.17), and He is all loving (v.20). I could go on with a list of His greatness based on this psalm alone! So, why would any of us truly want to celebrate the greatness of others? Why would we worship teams, bands, movies, etc.? How can they truly measure up to the greatness of God displayed in Psalm 145? Today, celebrate His greatness. Live in His greatness. Enjoy His greatness.

Who do you have?

I remember as a child wanting several different things for Christmas. Some of those things were mixed with other things that are now sitting in my garage. Some of those things were cherished gifts that still remain on my heart. Please permit me to share one with you today.

In the 6th grade, Adidas soccer company made a line of jackets that several of my friends had. I remember for almost 3 weeks, coming to my parents and begging, "I HAVE to have this jacket!" Of course, I didn't have to own that jacket. Of course, it was materialistic. Of course, I was a typical, annoying boy that was begging for something that was self-centered. Of course, by grace, I look back now as an adult and laugh over the way I acted. I laugh, but I also weep, because I see that same attitude in some of my students in my church.

Christmas morning arrived. I woke up and ripped into my presents like a high tide smashing a surfer. I came to the last gift...and behold, it was the Adidas jacket! For the next few weeks, I wore that jacket everywhere! I would wear that jacket even if I didn't have to wear it! I wanted my friends to see my new prize. I wanted my family to see the true joy I thought I had in the jacket. After a few months when the momentary feeling went away, that jacket ended up in a closet and later given away. Why was it so important to me at that time?

What do you have? Who do you have? What truly is the desire of your heart? Will it pass away or be swept away like the foolish man who built his foundation on sand? (Matthew 7:24-27). Will it be like the fool who stores up for himself treasures on earth that are destroyed by moths and thieves? (Matthew 6:19-20). This morning, this rich verse was the meditation on my soul. I'd like to share it with you:

Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You. - Psalm 73:25

I pray you will wake up each day with this verse on your heart. I pray you won't get wrapped into an emotional frenzy of clinging to stuff that eventually fades away. I can promise you that I'm living testimony that so much of the junk that I wanted to HAVE in my life truly never satisfied. I am also a living testimony that the Living, Sovereign, Lord of this World completely satisfies! His wrath for your sin and mine was satisfied on the cross of His only Son. His mercy is satisfied when any sinner repents and turns to Jesus Christ. His joy is satisfied when we cling to Him and find Him to be our only true treasure. His glory is satisfied when we as His church shine His brilliant light to a lost and dark world.

What do you have? Who do you have? May this short verse strike a chord of a daylong worship service in your heart today.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Dave

Majesty of His Word

Last night, after I left the gym, I caught the last few minutes of a great sermon on Isaiah 66. This morning, as I awakened to pains in my body that probably shouldn't be there...I was brought to worship with one single verse. Take a minute with me and allow these words to soak into your heart.

"All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look; he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word." - Isaiah 66:2, ESV.

WOW. This is the only expression I have right now to offer to you! What a powerful display of God's concern and esteem over His children. Let's take just a moment today and break down some of these truths.

1. Humility. This is a tough word to speak. In Isaiah 66:2, as well as other passages of Scripture, we can see a clear blueprint that the Lord esteems humble followers. Our culture offers us self-centered pills to swallow. For example, we want the best education with the best salary for the best house in order to have the best circle of influence. We want our students to be the ones noticed in all the musicals and plays. We want our decisions to be considered in the church as well as the H.O.A. meetings. Friend, I've swallowed this pill with you! In fact, I see this pill around me almost daily! Why is it that humility is something we don't focus much on in the life of the church? Why is it that we can't examine passages such as James 1:27 (a passage I preached at a funeral service this past Sunday) or Philippians 2:5-11 (a passage the focuses on the humility of our Savior)? Why is it that we spend over $800 on Christmas day (not including all the presents and travel arrangements, according to Francis Chan), and yet over 1 billion of our population lives on under $2 a day? Friend, we all must repent of any self centeredness and focus on humble submission to the infinite treasure we have found in our Savior (Matthew 13:44).

2. Contrite in Spirit. What on earth does this mean? The idea behind the original Hebrew is a Spirit or heart that has been smitten. What causes us to be smitten? What captivates and captures our Spirit? What draws us to surrender daily? Do we give our hearts over to idolatry? College Bowl games, latest concerts, new books, athlete scandals, etc. What attacks our attention? Our Lord desires and esteems believers that are contrite in Spirit...in His Spirit. May we find our hearts contrite; in complete awe of His majesty and splendor!

3. Trembles at His Word. WOW. Does His Word really cause us to tremble? Do we take the same fear and amazement in our lives like the disciples had when they witnessed Jesus calm the storm simply by His Word? (Mark 4:35-41). Do we find joy in His Word like the writer of Psalm 119? Do we wait with great anticipation to read His Word and hear His voice daily? What causes us to tremble? I sometimes get nervous when I'm around "celebrities." I start to tremble when I have the quick second to speak to them. It's ridiculous. Why can't I tremble even MORE when I open up and read His Word? God esteems those that have a reverent fear and love for His Word. You can simply read Psalm 119:9-11 to get a glimpse of that. His Word draws the lost to salvation and saints to refreshment. His Word sets the captives free. His Word brings families together and binds marriages under His covenantal love. His Word heals broken churches and broken down ministers. May His Word cause us all to tremble...to sweet worship.

May we find majesty in His Word together; beginning today. Thank for you taking just a few minutes and reading with me. I pray you will find the majesty of His Word today!

Soli Deo Gloria!

What really is joy?

In case you haven't heard yet, my daughter's middle name will be Chara, which from the Greek New Testament translates, "joy." Lately, I've been thinking about what this word really means. When someone says, "I have joy," what does that mean? Do they have momentary happiness because their cards are all lined up? Do they have emotional celebration because they are loved, their kids are well behaved, or they've had success in their jobs? What does it really mean to have joy?

A great resource that I recommend you to read is found in a little book called, In Our Joy by John Piper. This small book will only take you a few hours to read. I'd recommend visiting www.desiringgod.org and order a few copies. They run only $1 each. In this small book, Piper offers beautiful Scriptures to remind us of our joy that we have in Christ. One verse that has been saturated on my heart is found in Matthew 13:44. In this verse, directly after the beautiful passage on the Parable of the Sower, Jesus offers us a taste of what true joy is. A man finds a treasure hidden in a field...leaves it there, sells all he has and buys the field! I'm sure many that saw the field were confused and perplexed to why he would make such a radical move. Who would really sell all they have and buy a field that seems to have nothing visibly appealing? Who would rejoice in such a radical decision? My friend, I would submit to you today that this man had true joy.

We lose the beauty and joy in the Gospel in church today. So often, I hear words that offer people to just trust in Jesus and walk forward. I hear words that don't fully articulate the grandeur of our Savior! True joy is found when you and I give up our selfish treasures, our selfish motives, our plans, our expectations, our goals; and we humbly sell them and receive the free purchase of Christ, our Redeemer. His blood on the cross and His glorious resurrection from the grave is our source of true joy.

There is a house down the road from me that has several Ford mustangs. It seems that everyday when I drive by the home, I see a man outside working and admiring his cars. Their garage is full of expensive models as well as a few outside parked in their driveway. I don't know anything about this man because he doesn't even live on my street. However, when I see him outside cleaning those cars, I wonder where his treasure lies. When he dies one day, who will receive those cars? Will those cars cause fights among the family? Will those cars be auctioned off in order to pay for potential debt or other issues? Was it really worth the time and effort to spend countless hours on them?

Jesus made it very clear to us about our joy when he spoke powerful words in Matthew 6:19-24. I'd encourage you to take some time today and read that passage. It basically teaches us that treasures in this world will be destroyed one day. However, our treasure, like the treasure in the field that the man rejoiced over, will never be destroyed. Friend, our treasure and our joy is in Christ. He is the only One that truly satisfies, truly saves, and truly gives our souls eternal happiness. You can simply read all of Matthew 5 to get that!

My sweet daughter is already a joy to me. I can't wait to meet her. I pray her middle name will magnify the eternal joy that I hope she will share with me in the glorious Savior.