General – Simply True

Confronting failure

What is the solution to our all too frequent failures to live as people who belong to God? We’ve not wanted to fail, but we have. It may have been envy, or pride, or an angry outburst. It may have been the lack of the virtues that reflect the Jesus we know. All of us have weaknesses—sins that seems to cling to us (Heb. 12:1).

The pain of failure is very real. More importantly, the loss to God’s glory is very real.

It’s important to get the answer right here. We seem to be on uncertain ground. Sin is not just an accident, something we can correct with a bit more effort. Satan has sought to move us onto his ground. Following our own heart has become more important to us than what God wants.

And then, the law that’s been written on our hearts tells us that we’re out of order. It can make us wonder who we really are, and to whom we belong. It may make us question if we have a right to ask for forgiveness yet again.

The verse from Hebrews that I referred to above, about sin clinging to us, is followed by this statement, ‘…let us run the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus…’. Here’s where we need to start.

Part of Satan’s strategy is to get us focused on ourselves. That way leads down, not up. We need to be looking to Jesus who is not just the author of our faith, but also its perfecter. He’s died for us. And he’s now seated beside God, directing everything—including us when we’ve failed.

This is exactly what’s happening during the time when Peter denies the Lord. Jesus explains the situation to him before it happens: ‘Satan demanded to have you that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned, strengthen your brothers’ (Luke 22:31-34). Jesus couldn’t have made a clearer claim to be managing everything during this period of Peter failing.

And then, at the very time Peter fails, Jesus looks at him. We can be sure that he is looking at us too, when we fail—looking with understanding. And we need to look to him—not run in another direction.

Paul confronts this issue in Romans 7 and 8. He writes a section about not doing the good he wants, and doing what he doesn’t want to do (7:14-25). And he writes it in in the present tense—suggesting that he writes from personal experience. He knows that his failures are breaking God’s law. And they make him confused (v. 15), confined (v. 23) and wretched (v. 24).

This is what he feels. But notice, it’s not who he is.

Daringly, Paul says his sinning isn’t him! It sounds like the excuse a child might make when caught doing something wrong. But God has given him—and us—a new identity. Who we are is not changed when we do something wrong.

We’re God’s children. We’re not related to him because we please him. Everyone who trusts in God’s Son is given the right to be called a child of God. And this Son of God has taken into account our whole life of sinfulness. He’s accounted for everything we did years ago, everything we’re concerned about now, and everything we will do wrong in the future.

All of this—past, present and future sin, has already been condemned. Jesus was condemned in our place. That’s why the condemnation we feel now is not coming from above. God’s finished with the condemnation for all who trust his Son.

The condemnation we feel is coming because we’re still wanting to behave well without being dependent on Christ. And Satan takes advantage of that and plays his nasty games with us.

What we need when we sin, more than anything else, is humility. Failure can drive us to an anger-based severity. Our pride has been dented and we want to recover.

If we do this, we’re virtually saying that we don’t need a Saviour. We may have been grateful to him for getting us going, but not aware of how we are going to need this Saviour all our lives.

So, when we find we’ve failed to do what God wants, we need to preach the gospel to ourselves. Our sins are washed away. We’re not being condemned—not by God.

And then, the Holy Spirit is leading us on to a better way.

Paul describes this new life as ‘the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus’. The Holy Spirit is taking the things of Christ and showing them to us. He’s showing us our sins being washed away. He ignites love in us—love for Christ, for people around us. And he shows us how to live.

This is the power that sets us free from ‘the law of sin and death’. We are freed from law being in charge. And freed from its threatening. We belong to Christ and are ready to live fruitfully for God (Rom. 7:4). This is our new identity.

We need to make up our mind to follow what the Spirit is showing us.

His joy in bringing to us what Christ has done is infectious. It won’t seem so hard to do what God wants, or to steer away from temptations. He teaches us to call God our Father. This new life doesn’t have a legal basis but a familial one.

So, which ‘law’ or principle are we walking by? Are we dragging ourselves from one failure to another, or descending upon our life with the freedom of ‘the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus’?

The failures that grieve us may be the failures we need to have. Everything we pass through in life is designed to throw us back on the Saviour to whom we owe our life. And our unwanted sins awaken us to the reality that we need the Holy Spirit’s constant renewing of us.

While our eyes are on Christ and we are relying on the Holy Spirit, we will know who we really are. And we will grow in producing all the qualities that God looks for in us. Love, joy and peace will return. Patience, kindness and goodness will grow. People will see faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. And Christ himself will see the fruit of what he’s done for us. And he’ll be satisfied (Isa. 53:11). What we think of ourselves doesn’t matter a hoot. It’s his pleasure that matters.

Jesus—Son of God

It’s good for us that we know the names and titles given to Jesus. They help us to know him, rely on him and worship him.

As we’ve seen, those who believe in Jesus know him as Leader and Saviour, they cherish him as the Christ who fulfills all God’s promises, and they honour him as their Lord. When the apostles speak of Jesus, they usually include one or more of these titles.

But Jesus is also the Son of God. As a title, it doesn’t appear in the New Testament as often as those above, but it’s always used in significant ways. We could say that calling Jesus ‘Son of God’ takes us to the heart of who he is.

But first, it’s helpful to know that this way of talking about Jesus has a history. Adam has been referred to as God’s son.[i] Then, God calls Israel his son.[ii] And the Messiah God promises to send is also identified as God’s son[iii].

So, when Jesus comes among us as the Son of God, he is all that an Adam should be—a true human being. He is all that God’s people should be—living by the word of God.[iv] And he accomplishes all that God has promised his Messiah will do.

But for Jesus, ‘Son of God’ is not just a title. It’s a relationship. It’s who he is.[v] God and Jesus are Father and Son—from eternity and to eternity. He doesn’t become God’s Son when he steps into our history.

As we would expect, it’s Jesus who tells us most about this.[vi]

When he’s only twelve, he expects his parents to find him in the house of his Father—God.[vii] This is natural for him. Mary must remember the story of his birth. She knows that her husband isn’t the father. An angel has told her that her child will be ‘holy, the Son of the Most High’, or, ‘the Son of God’.[viii]

When Jesus is baptized, God speaks to him audibly. ‘You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased’.[ix] This identifies Jesus as the coming King of Psalm 2. But Jesus hears his Father acknowledge him, warmly and publicly.

All of the known prayers of Jesus (except one he prays from his cross) are addressed to God as his Father. For example, he rejoices when his disciples report on their preaching tour.[x] And he explains that no-one really knows who he is—except his Father. That’s intimacy. And, apart from him, no-one knows his Father either—unless the Son chooses to reveal him to them.

Jesus calling God his Father is very surprising to those who hear him. No-one else is doing that. In fact, the Jews find it offensive. He’s claiming to be equal with God.[xi]

John writes his whole Gospel to show that ‘Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God’.[xii] And he begins his book with with an explanation of what ‘Son’ means.[xiii]

He is the Word of God—that is, God speaking and acting and revealing himself. He is God. All creation comes into being through him. He is the life and light that we all need.

And now, this Son of God has become flesh. He’s a human being.

None of us have seen God. But this Son of God is side by side with his Father God—intimately! And he’s revealing God. It’s through him that we know that the God of all the earth is Father, and Son. And later, that he’s Spirit too. God is a community of persons.

Jesus demonstrates what Son of God means by the way he lives, and so becomes a light shining into our dark places.

For example, he doesn’t need the approval of others. He doesn’t depend on the protection of the state. He is free to place others before himself—even in the most extreme of situations. He does this because he lives and loves in the certainty of his Father’s love.

All of us, by nature, have suspicions about God, want to avoid him and even get rid of him. Our lives become confined to what we can see and do. But God sends his Son among us to set the record straight. He’s a perfect representation of his Father[xiv]—full of grace and truth.

All that we’ve looked at here is a sample of what God wants to show us. We’ll spend our whole life discovering who this Son of God is—and all of eternity too.

And now, among the various ways that Jesus is spoken of as Son of God, here are two that stand out.

First, God’s Son has come to be an offering for sin

When Jesus talks to Nicodemus, he likens himself to the image of a snake on a pole that Moses erected. People could look at this and be healed of their snake bites.[xv] It’s a vivid story. And Jesus says he also will be lifted up on a pole so people will have a place to look and be saved.[xvi]

John explains this to us. Jesus is the Father’s only and beloved Son. But God so loves the world that he sends this Son for us, so that we will not perish.[xvii]

The Son of God is not just on our planet to give us advice. We’re lost. We’re rebels. We’re dead. We need a rebirth![xviii]

Then, moving on to the teaching of the apostles, Paul, on several occasions, links Jesus being Son of God with him being the offering for our sin.

We are reconciled to God by the death of his Son.[xix] God sends his own Son among us, sinless, but wholly vulnerable to the ravages of what sin can do to him—and does do to him.[xx]

God condemns sin—all of it, while his Son is bearing those sins. And we who trust him are washed clean![xxi]

So, Paul now chooses to live by faith in the Son of God who loves us and gives himself up for us.[xxii]

Very wonderfully, God’s Son has broken into our selfish world to show us what God is really like. And to show us what life is really about. Being Son of God is all about him being full of grace and truth.[xxiii] It’s about turning enemies into friends.

Second, the Son of God creates a fellowship with God that we can share

Like parents who encompass their children in the love they have for each other, God’s Son comes to tell us what life in the divine family is like.

Jesus describes this union as being in each other. It’s love language and deeply personal. Being ‘in’ another person is being focused on them rather than being focused on ourselves.[xxiv]

Jesus has been teaching and demonstrating this life for us. He’s the way, the truth and the life of his Father. In other words, he’s wanting us to recognise the Father in the way he goes about being the Son.[xxv] And he’s wanting us to come into the fellowship in which he lives.

A little later, Jesus tells us that the Spirit and he and the Father will come and reside in the apostles who have come to love him and obey him.[xxvi] And he includes us all when he says, ‘If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him’.[xxvii]

The truth of our sharing in the relationship of Father and Son needs to work its way through all of the duties and relationships we have. Jesus is insistent that we love one another. In the hours before his arrest and trial, he mentions it nine times.[xxviii]

So, being a Christian is a life of fellowship with God’s Son.[xxix] And God’s sends the Spirit of his Son into our hearts so that we can say ‘Father’[xxx]—with the same intimacy Jesus would have used in Aramaic (abba).

Clearly, we need to grow and mature in this new life we share with the Son of God. We are members of God’s family—his church, and by coming to know the Son of God fully, we grow up to maturity, together.[xxxi]

If God doesn’t tell us what it means to be human beings, we’re left with theories and chance. It’s a bleak landscape. We can divert ourselves for a while, but in the end, it’s all for nothing.

But Jesus says, ‘If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.’[xxxii] Human life without the Son of God becomes ridiculous. We’re walking in the dark. Worse than that! We’re being led around—unwittingly—by Satan!

The truth of Jesus being the Son of God is not an idea to implement. It’s a power to submit to. God has raised Jesus from the dead to proclaim to everyone that this is his Son. And when we trust this wonderful and mighty Son of God, we are transferred from the tyranny of darkness to the kingdom of the Son he loves.[xxxiii]

Clearly, we need to turn away from making up an identity of our own. The Son of God has come to our planet. By the announcement of his truth, he comes to us. He gives us understanding so that we may know him. And live in him.[xxxiv] This is the reality for which we are all made. And it is the privilege to which we are called.[xxxv]

[i] Gen. 5:1 with 5:3. Also, the acknowledgement of Jesus as God’s Son is followed by a genealogy that finishes with Adam as son of God (Luke 3:22-28).

[ii] Exod. 4:22-23; Jer. 31:9

[iii] Psa. 2:7

[iv] Notice the way that Jesus ‘relives’ Israel’s journey in the wilderness, and quotes the commands given to Israel at that time in his own time of testing (Matt. 4:1-11).

[v] Some believe that Jesus having a ‘Father’ is a metaphorical way of speaking. Sons, they say, are born, and Jesus could not be God if he was born. But reasoning from our experience doesn’t work. God is not like us. We are like him. So, God has a Son—eternally. We reflect that and have children—in time.

[vi] Over 200 verses in our Gospels mention the Father and the Son, over half of them in John’s Gospel.

[vii] Luke 3:49

[viii] Luke 1:31-35

[ix] John 3:22

[x] Luke 10:21-22

[xi] John 5:18

[xii] John 20:31

[xiii] John 1:1-18

[xiv] Also Col. 2:9; Heb. 1:2-3

[xv] Num. 21:5-9

[xvi] John 3:13-15

[xvii] John 3:14-18; also 1 John 4:10

[xviii] John 3:5-8

[xix] Rom. 5:10

[xx] Rom. 8:3

[xxi] 1 John 1:7; 2:2

[xxii] Gal. 2:20

[xxiii] John 1:14

[xxiv] John 14:16-26

[xxv] John 14:6-9

[xxvi] John 14:17

[xxvii] John 14:23

[xxviii] John 14-16

[xxix] 1 Cor. 1:9

[xxx] Gal. 4:6

[xxxi] Eph. 4:13

[xxxii] John 8:31-38

[xxxiii] Col. 1:14

[xxxiv] 1 John 5:20

[xxxv] 1 Cor. 1:9

A top-down view of Christmas (and some thoughts about the new year)

This is a personal greeting to all of you who connect with ‘Simply True’ as articles appear.

May our Lord and Father bless you during this Christmas season!

God is full of surprises. So, I hope you may find it to be so. And, of course, many of his blessings are received through what he reveals to us in his word.

To help us see what Christmas looks like from above, I’ve included a poem below. Feel free to share it with others if you’d like to.

But first, here’s a comment on where we’ve been, and an anticipation of the next series.

Interest in the articles on creation has been broad and sustained. Obviously, I’ve been pleased to have your company! But it’s been especially pleasing to share with you our Creator’s delight in his works and his confidence about its future. These things are vital for our joy and our witness in the world.

In the new year, I’ll begin a series on the authority Jesus exercises as Lord. Peter says ‘God has exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Saviour’.[i]

How much we need him to lead us, and to save us! It’s an authority that begins from the bottom, not the top. It makes something new, and doesn’t just recycle old stuff. Jesus leads us to repentance, and to forgiveness. And it’s what we need in a world that’s lost its way.

I hope you can join me again. You can register if you like (scroll down a bit on the home page). This means a copy of the article will land in your inbox whenever a post is available—usually every two or three weeks

And here’s the poem (based on Luke 2:8-14).

[i] Acts 5:31

__________________

It’s a busy, noisy night

For shepherds.

An angel disturbs their quiet and says

The world’s Saviour has just been born.

And then,

A mighty choir of them, excited to see such things,

Start singing about how good God is.

All this to waken them, and us,

To know God cares about our world—and acts.

These angels may not know

All that yet must be

Or how God will create

Joy in a world that’s sad,

But when they see this Child—

God’s Son in flesh,

They know this world’s Lord,

This Child’s Father,

Will make it happen.

‘Peace on earth!’

Angels see it coming in this birth.

And shepherds hear it first,

And see him first,

Just simple folks, to show

It’s not a thing we can deserve.

This joy will be for

All on whom

God makes his favour rest.

Grant Thorpe, Christmas 2014

Christ is risen! But where’s the Hallelujah?

We’ve just had our Easter celebrations and I found myself needing to be renewed, so as to give thanks with a full heart.

We can get distracted, self-sufficient or inward—looking at things that are seen and felt rather than things that are unseen and eternal.

So, here’s my answer to myself—what the Psalms would call ‘lifting up our hearts’, or what the apostles would call ‘setting our minds on things above’. This is not a study. It’s just telling the truth to myself—and to us all.

The first disciples are glad when they see their Lord Jesus alive again.[i]

I should say so! Their whole life has revolved around him for three years. They have hoped for eternal life through him. They have expected the restoration of God’s reign on earth. None of this will happen without his presence, or with the way they have behaved through this crisis! But now, he’s with them!

And he’s still here. He said, ‘I will be with you always.’[ii] Our Leader and Saviour is not a memory. He’s a presence.

So, speaking personally, here’s what it means that Jesus has been raised from the dead. He comes to me with all that he has achieved as God’s Son and my Saviour.

First, the resurrection of Jesus means I’m justified in God’s eyes[iii]. He sees that I’ve turned away from self-trust, and he’s happy to count me in on what happened to Jesus.

Here’s how this works out. Jesus pleases God—totally—especially in being the willing offering for our sins. So, God vindicates or justifies him[iv]. That’s what I’m sharing in. The Father has reason to be pleased with his Son. But because the Son carries me with him in his love—through death and into resurrection, he is also pleased with me—a grateful recipient of what he has done. I’m accepted—in the Beloved Son[v].

Like Peter, I’m aware of failures. But then, because of Christ’s resurrection, I’ve also been born again to a living hope. Christ’s alive, and so am I—alive to God and alive with a hope of transformation[vi]. Christ says to us all, ‘Peace be with you’[vii]. And like Thomas, I say, ‘My Lord and my God!’

So, I’m ‘all ears’ when it comes to the resurrection!

Second, Christ’s resurrection means I’ll also rise from the dead[viii].

The Father always planned that the resurrection of Jesus would be the first one of many[ix]. We are the rest of the fruit that will make Father and Son deeply satisfied.

This wouldn’t be important if I’m living as though I’ve got forever. But I’m ‘numbering my days’. It’s wiser to do that[x].

So, there’s no shame in my death. No victory for the accuser. And it won’t be a terminus. I’ve been given eternal life and will be raised up again[xi]—with a better body and a better location. In fact, my present flesh is not good enough to inherit what God has prepared[xii].

Knowing I’ll be raised from the dead is not just a consolation. It’s a victory. I’ll see the Lord! And there won’t be a reason to cry ever again. The whole creation will be what it was created to be—and I’ll be part of it. And then, even while I’m getting weaker, God sees to it that I’m being inwardly renewed[xiii]—getting ready for the big day.

I’m already living this eternal life[xiv]. So, right now, I can do things that will last forever[xv]. Life is full of purpose.

The difficulties along the way are lessened by knowing this. Jesus tells me to only deal with what must be done today[xvi]. And this leaves head space for the coming victory to shed its light back over my troubles—for God to fill my days with joy and peace in believing[xvii]. God is always doing something—for my good and for his glory[xviii].

Third, I have a narrative to live in that’s full of hope instead of pessimism.

Running and approving my own life, as Adam tried to do—is never workable. Rather, I’m free to live as God intended—receiving his gifts, his blessing and approval. And then, I will eat from the tree of life and live forever.

This world will never be a Garden of Eden. And my attempts to make the world perfect will never succeed. But Jesus has bruised Satan’s head. And the victory of Jesus, not the failure of Adam, dominates the narrative. He’s in charge.

Many around me drown their loss of immortality with ambition, self-indulgence, fun or bluster. But eating, drinking and being merry is what you do when you’re just expecting to die. Better by far to live in God’s story.

And so, I say, ‘Christ is risen. Hallelujah!’

[i] John 20:20

[ii] Matt. 28:20

[iii] Rom. 4:25

[iv] 1 Tim. 3:16; cf. Rom. 1:4

[v] Eph. 1:6

[vi] 1 Pet. 1:3

[vii] John 20:19, 21, 26

[viii] 1 Cor. 15:19-20

[ix] 1 Cor. 15:20-24

[x] Psa. 90:12

[xi] John 6:54

[xii] 1 Cor. 15:50

[xiii] 2 Cor. 4:16

[xiv] John 17:3

[xv] 1 Cor. 3:12-13

[xvi] Matt. 6:34

[xvii] Rom. 15:13

[xviii] Rom. 8:28, 37

Empty people finding fullness

Jesus begins his ministry by announcing that ‘the Kingdom of God is at hand’. He has come to implement all God has in mind for the world.

His kingdom will be an arena, not just for fixing problems and managing our messiness, but for creating lovers of God who are devoted to his project.

So, Jesus explains what people in this kingdom look like—very much like himself of course—because he is not just the King but the prototype of what a subject is.

This, of course, amounts to a declaration of war. People who don’t already love God will not be interested in his way of life. Even the birth of Jesus is seriously contested. The local man in charge kills hundreds of children in an attempt to head-off any competition for control.

Things haven’t changed much. In many countries, including our own, Jesus is downplayed and his people maligned as harmful. If God is for real, and if Jesus has come to reveal him, the world recognises a rival, meaning that those who believe in him should be cancelled.

We need to know who God congratulates for getting things right. Jesus teaches us a number of ‘beatitudes’ (Matthew 5:2-10). But the word usually translated ‘blessed’ actually means to be congratulated or happy.

First, the people who have chosen well and have a good future are those who are ‘poor in spirit’.

Jesus is not saying it’s good to be depressed. Rather, he commends the person who knows that everything they really need and value in their life is going to have to come from someone else. That’s how poor they are. They feel this deeply—they are poor in spirit

There’s a story in the Old Testament about the Queen of Sheba visiting King Solomon. She sees his wealth. She hears his wisdom. And we are told that there is ‘no more spirit in her’ (1 Kings 10:5). Alongside of him, her wealth and wisdom are nothing.

Jesus does this to all of us. For a while, we think we can run our lives, change some things around us, keep ourselves happy and anticipate a good life. This soon runs thin.

Then, we see Jesus. He is not living for himself but for his Father—God. He doesn’t restlessly accuse us. He understands that our bluster is shallow and that we are really empty. And, he gives himself to us, and we know this. We begin to see that he’s the rich one and we are those in need.

Jesus demonstrates how to live in a world God looks after. He heals many who are sick. He delivers some who have fallen into the hands of evil spirits. He knows what he’s doing. Even better, he knows what God is doing. He’s believable. He’s real.

That’s when we become ‘poor in spirit’. If our life is going to amount to anything, it is going to have to start and finish knowing he’s the one who gets things right. He’s dwarfed us in the way he lives and speaks. But he doesn’t make dwarfs of us. He promises we will inherit God’s kingdom. We’ll be God’s special people—and he will be in charge of everything.

That’s why we are to be congratulated now. The reward is coming. But the congratulation is for now. We’ve chosen well.

God being with us is normal

I can understand people thinking the story of Jesus Christ is a myth. It’s phenomenal to believe that the world’s Creator takes a human body and lives among us. But that’s what Christians believe. One of the names Jesus is called is ‘Immanuel’ (Matthew 1:22-23). It simply means ‘God with us’.

The real question is not how such a thing can happen but whether it is something we should expect to happen. And a related question is whether we want it to happen.

In fact, God has always wanted to be among us. In our earliest human story, creation is described as God’s garden, and he comes seeking Adam and Eve in the cool of the evening (Genesis 3:8).

Then, God tells ancient Israel to build a tent for him and pitch it in the centre of their camp (Numbers 2:2, 17). He wants to go with them as they travel (Exodus 29:43-46), and to live among them when they settle. They know he is there and where they can find him (Psalm 122).

God has spent a long time teaching the world that he wants to be among us—to give us leadership, protection and certainty. And when his Son is born in Bethlehem, John tells us that the Word (who is God) takes on our flesh and ‘camps’ among us (John 1:14).

If your world doesn’t include God, this sounds foolish. But if you look at what God has been saying to us from early times, this is what you would expect to happen.

Among Christians, the coming of Jesus is great news. But the first Christmas is not all peace and joy. God coming among us raises questions, fears, and sometimes, hatred.

It’s the same now. The announcement that God has come to live among us is met with disbelief or distain. At best, it’s regarded as a nice myth to inspire or comfort us.

We need to look at what actually happens when God sends his Son among—us a baby. It helps us understand what’s going on in our own communities.

First, look what happens to Mary (Luke 1:26-38).

An angel arrives. He says God has come to show her great favour. But she is agitated—well beyond her comfort zone.

But she doesn’t need to be afraid. She will have a baby who will be Israel’s King, the world’s Saviour—nothing less than God’s Son.

She’s not married yet, but God says her baby will be a miracle. ‘… the power of the Most Hight will overshadow you’. No-one can work out how this happens. It’s not natural.

But this is what it’s like for God to be near. We’re not in charge! But then, we’re not being condemned either. And we’re not being set up to perform wonders of our own. God is not someone to compete with. But he is someone to co-operate with.

Mary’s reply gives us all something to say when God draws near. ‘May it be so to me as you have said’.

The world isn’t just nature—or things happening naturally. We have a Creator. He’s around! From the beginning, God has been revealing that him being near is normal. We should get used to it! It needs to be our new normal.

Second, see what some shepherds experience (Luke 2:8-14).

There’s no mistaking that an angel makes a night visit to some shepherds, and that his message is from God. He’s literally shining. The shepherds are terrified.

The way to deal with God being near is not to domesticate him but to listen to what he has to say. There’ll always be something unmanageable about this.

Here’s the message. The King that Israel has been taught to expect—their Messiah—has been born in their own town. This is good news for everyone. They get the details of where to find the baby.

Then there’s lots of noise. Many angels worship God and announce the peace God is bringing to those who share with Mary in receiving his favour.

This is what it means for God to be near. We can’t understand the logistics but we need the message. He’s announcing peace with himself, and the resources to be at peace with others.

It will never be us that makes this peace. It needs to be him—present and in charge.

Third, notice how agitated it makes King Herod. From his point of view, Jesus’ birth is a political event. He’s a rival (Matthew 2:1-18).

‘Wise men’ from East of Israel find out—somehow—that a Jewish King has been born. They call, understandably, at the palace, asking to see the new King.

Jesus can’t be hidden. He is world news. He attracts attention, and antagonism. Pilate does some research, gives directions to the visitors, and, deceptively, asks them to let him know what they find. He’s not interested in worship. He’s interested in cancelling Jesus.

Herod illustrates that taking authority to ourselves—as though God were not around—is dangerous.

Herod murders all Bethlehem’s children under two years of age. He needs to protect his tenuous kingdom—the peace he is trying to create by having people under his authority. This is the price the world pays for rejecting God coming to be among us.

So, here’s the new normal.

God has come among us—as a human being. He’s announced his way of peace with us. His way of going about this is not natural, or what we would do.

It’s not even what we like. We want God to leave us alone. And when we finally get an opportunity to do what we want with God, we kill him.

But then, Jesus reveals God—fully. While he is dying, he asks his Father to forgive those who are killing him (Luke 23:34).

The God who has come among us as a baby is still a human being—God, with human flesh. Except, now, raised from the dead, he’s been seated next to his Father, to superintend the peace he established.

This is certainly not natural. But it is God’s normal. And he is asking us to join him in the peace he makes. So, happy Christmas to you all. Just don’t expect it to be natural.

Saved from futility

‘What’s the use?’ We’ve probably heard that said, or said it ourselves. Nothing’s working and our time’s being wasted.

An old Greek myth tells the story of Sisyphus who is punished by being made to push a stone up a hill, only to have it roll down again when he nearly gets to the top. And he must do this forever! We now call a job that’s laborious and useless ‘sisyphean’.

That’s what life in this world is like—without God. Useless. And Christians have been saved from the futile ways we learn in this world (Ephesians 4:17-20).

In times past young believers were worshipping idols. And, of course, calling something a god when it can’t hear, think or act is futile. Nothing is going to happen by talking to it or offering it a bribe.

And the kind of life that grows from worshipping idols is also futile. There is nothing above us to lift us up. There is only a recycling of the mess we are already in.

Our own world dismisses giving reverence to God—any god. But we haven’t stopped worshipping something. We’ve been designed to look up and to be in awe of something. And people still say, ‘I just had to do that.’ It’s part of our being human to be compelled by something greater than ourselves.

If we don’t know the true God through his Son, Jesus Christ, we’ll install something in his place.

One writer (I’ve put a link to his article below) thinks self-worship is now the world’s fastest growing religion. This ‘religion’ or ideology teaches that each person’s own thinking, their emotions and choices, goals, values and creativity must determine everything else.

But then, he says, ‘When we try to be our own sources of truth, we slowly drive ourselves crazy. When we try to be our own sources of satisfaction, we become miserable wrecks. When we become our own standard of goodness and justice, we become obnoxiously self-righteous. When we seek self-glorification, we become more inglorious.’

Paul would say the same now as he did a long time ago. Without the true God, our understanding is darkened, not enlightened. It’s ignorant, not informed. It’s hard hearted, not sensitive.

It’s into this situation that God sends Jesus to live, and die, and rise again. He has come to lift us out of all this. That’s why Peter talks about being rescued from futility (1 Peter 1:8-19). Without him, we are slaves.

If you believe that the only things that are real are physical, it may seem strange to hear your way of life called futile. That’s why it’s important to look at the light God has sent into the world.

The story is told of a rebellious sailor who is lowered down into the empty hold of his ship as punishment. He has no light, no company. Only bread a water let down on a rope each day. Several days go by and the sailor defies the call to change his ways and return to the deck. So, the captain lowers a lamp down instead of the food.

Now, the sailor can see his surroundings—the filth and the vermin, and himself as part of it all. Quickly he asks to be pulled up out of his prison.

The way we are brought up, the way of life around us, seem normal. We can become accustomed to shallowness, to lies, and lust, and hollow laughter. Until, that is, we see Jesus Christ.

The only way to be freed from the futility of this world is for someone to pay for us—to be bought like a slave. And then be set free. That’s what ‘redeemed’ means in what Peter says.

God knows we are in the dark. He also knows we like being in the dark. We think it’s the only way to stay in control of our lives.

But then, God lets us see how bitter we have become—by letting us human beings kill his Son. He lets us see the meaning of love by his Son asking for us to be forgiven. He shows us there is a new way by raising his Son from death. We can begin to hope.

This is what it means to be ‘redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors…with the precious blood of Christ’.

All that the world has when it doesn’t want God is cravings.

Interestingly, one of the world’s religions—Buddhism—is focused on shutting down desire because it is the source of all our unhappiness. But desire is part of being alive! We want things. That’s what gets us up in the morning. It’s what makes us work hard and take risks.

What makes desire a problem is that we do not have God as our Father. Nothing we get is ever enough. It wasn’t meant to be enough. Only God can be ‘enough’. Under him, our desires are governed. Without him, they become insatiable.

We try to have a full life by letting rip with whatever we want. But without God, we generate endless unrest. We find ourselves yearning for what isn’t ours, or boasting about what we’ve done (1 John 2:15-17). But it’s all a temporary ‘fix’. If it doesn’t come from the Father, it won’t last. It’s futile.

But then, what if we come to know God as our Father? Our passions are under his care. We listen to what he says. We copy the way of life lived by his Son. We have something that will last forever. It begins to feel solid—even in this world. It’s not futile. We’ve be rescued.

It doesn’t take much experience, and honesty, to recognise that something isn’t solid just because we can see it. Why not, every time to find yourself getting fond of this world, taking another look at Jesus, and what he has done. Ask why he took so much trouble to show us what’s real. Ask if you can afford to give your life for what is passing away.

You can hear my talk on this topic at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kb4sbuJsus

Article: Self Worship is the world’s fastest growing religion; Thaddeus Williams

Self-Worship Is the World’s Fastest-Growing Religion

Friendship is all about other people

The story goes of a man coming home from a party saying, ‘I was surrounded by friends, but none of them were mine.’ Many people experience loneliness—including some who appear to be ‘the life of the party’.

These experiences demonstrate that loneliness isn’t mended with company. In the real world, having friends involves thinking—thinking about others.

Perhaps this is why many have experienced amazing community spirit when a catastrophe strikes—a flood or fire or accident. Everyone focusses on what needs to be done and forgets about themselves. They begin to ‘discover’ each other.

So, here’s the real issue. If we are only thinking of ourselves, there’s no real relationship going on. The other person is only ‘present’ to the extent that they are meeting a need of mine. They may be thinking the same. Neither of us are being real. We are like ghosts trying to hug each other.

A relationship with someone else is not just a matter of chemistry, or sex, or common interest. It involves love, and this means seeing who someone is and what they need—thinking about them and how we may be a part of their lives.

Paul tells his friends at Philippi to think of others and not just themselves, and consider others better than themselves.

That’s good advice but it’s easier said than done. Selfishness runs deep and takes us back to thinking about ourselves. That’s why Paul points to how Christ has lived among us (Philippians 2:1-11).

It would be worthwhile reading some Gospel stories about Jesus. People called him a friend of sinners (Luke 7:34). That’s what we need—not someone who expects high standards, conformity, or agreement but a friend who knows who we are, what we can become and what help we need.

And the first need we have is to be forgiven. We don’t merely need people we can follow, or who like us. We need a Saviour. We need Christ’s encouragement, comfort, tenderness and compassion.

We need to belong to a whole group of people participating in a love that’s bigger than all the funny things that go on between us people. We need to be God’s children—together.

Believe me, what we read here fixes the problem. We have a quality of life that doesn’t depend on our friends being friendly or us being perfect! There’s something different that happens among people who receive forgiveness from God, and receive the gift of his Holy Spirit.

Paul also says we need to put away selfish ambition or conceit (v. 3). In business circles, people talk about ‘networking’—finding relationships that may further their interests. But that’s not friendship. Friends aren’t concerned with their own interests but the interest of their friend.

In fact, we are called to consider others better than ourselves (v. 4). This is nothing to do with us being better or worse than others. We are talking about considering others better than ourselves.

So, is all of this just a game? Do we just act in a certain way because that will make other people feel happier with us? Hardly. That’s hypocrisy, and eventually, hypocrisy shows!

Here’s why it’s so important to know how Jesus thinks. He has been thinking about us—not himself. And because he is thinking about us, we can be freed from always focusing on ourselves. We can have the same thought in our minds as Jesus Christ.

How can this be? Stay with this! It might seem like I’m trying to crack a problem with a heavy thump of Bible, but thinking about ourselves doesn’t yield easily!

The way Jesus thinks starts with him being equal with God. He is God. But he doesn’t think this fact needs to be defended. He doesn’t need to protect his rights or have his identity acknowledged. Simply—he’s God. He knows it. And he acts accordingly.

Here’s what he does. He ‘made himself nothing’. That is, he pours out all that he is—for us.

The Son of God becomes one of us—a human being. As God, he is in charge. But, as a human being, he is told what to do. He’s become a servant.

Then, the job he is given is to show us who God is. So, he shows us the ‘comfort of his love’, his ‘tenderness and compassion’.

It’s because we don’t know this that we have to protect ourselves. This is why we have to be surrounded with approving people. We’re not persuaded that God is friendly.

So, Jesus makes himself an offering for our sins. He’s already a servant, but he becomes a humble one and does the most despicable job you could ever take on. He’s nailed to a Roman cross. In our place.

This is the mind of Christ. He has come closer to us that we can come to ourselves. By being what he is—God, doing a human job—he’s shown us what it means to be human. He’s also shown us what it means to be God.

And then, Jesus is given the name above every name—that’s the name ‘Lord’, or God. There’s never been any risk of him losing his identity!

And there’s no risk of us losing our identity either when we think fondly about people around us—in just the same way we think about ourselves. If we’ve been united with Christ through faith, we have his encouragement, his tenderness and compassion.

So now, we are free to live, to love, to give and to share. It will seem risky. Sometimes, we may lose a friend rather than gain one. But we will always have Christ’s friendship.

Surely and certainly, we will discover the riches of relationships that flow from a reliable source—from no less than the God who made us to be like him.

It matters what you think

If you are asked, ‘What are you doing?’ you may say, ‘Just thinking.’ But we are never just thinking. What is going on in our heads—or not going on—affects what happens. Good thinking leads to good living.

It’s also true that if you are not thinking, someone else is doing it for you. And one day, you may resent giving your mind over to others—to musicians, playwrights, pressure groups or dictators.

But how does healthy thinking happen? I’m not trying to be an amateur psychologist here. I’m simply pointing out some directions we’ve been given to help us think well. They come from Paul, in his letter to the Philippians (4:4-9).

In human terms, if we are going to think well, we need to be inwardly happy—not depressed by our circumstances. We also need some confidence—so we are not embattled by rival opinions.

We need to be secure rather than anxious. And we also need lots of good options to choose from.

Many would agree with all this. Courses and therapies try to produce these states so that we can think and live well.

But Paul shows that these qualities arise from who God is, and from what Jesus Christ does. The world believes its enlightenment comes from our own history and experience. But we need to be enlightened by God speaking to us. Our thinking then becomes the way these unseen things become visible in the real world.

Let’s see how this works out.

First, Paul tells us to delight in the Lord—that is, the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are not just called to believe in Jesus Christ but enjoy him. A healthy mind starts by being happy, content, joyful—and Jesus Christ has given us good reason to do that.

Anyone who’s suffered with depression will tell you unhappiness is not healthy. It doesn’t lead to good decisions, or relationships or communities.

Because there’s a lot of trouble in the world, many would say we need to represent this in our attitudes and arts. For example, we have angry music, catastrophic news casts, dystopian novels and bizarre entertainment.

There’s lots in this world that’s going wrong. We can’t close our eyes to what’s painful or evil. Some things should make us speak up or try to change things. But if this is all we have, we tend to produce more despair than hope, more anger than action.

The Christian has a reason to be joyful. Jesus has died. Jesus has risen. Jesus is coming again. This is the framework for our thinking. The world has a Saviour. And we are part of what he is doing.

Notice, this joy is not something that happens to us. It’s something we decide. ‘Rejoice in the Lord, and again, I say, rejoice!’ We’re being called to embrace this. Some are waiting for their circumstances to change to give them some joy. God is giving us an opportunity to change our thinking. It could be that this will become the cause of a change in circumstance.

Paul describes himself doing this a little earlier in his letter. Things haven’t worked out well with his work. People are opposing him, competing with him. But he reckons that Jesus is still being made known. This makes him glad. Then he says, ‘And I will rejoice!’ (1:18).

This attitude helps him to think of things that will give joy to others (2:27-28).

We all need to find this source of inward delight. Is this what you have? Is this something you’ve been missing out on? Have circumstances been framing your thinking? What do you have that secures your happiness?

Think again of what you have in Jesus Christ—the forgiveness of sins, a place in God’s favour and purpose, a Father to approach and a goal to share. Set your mind on these things and see if life changes!

Second, our core confidence is that the Lord is near. So, we can be reasonable or gentle towards others.

In practical terms, if we know where we are coming from, we don’t need to get rattled by people with opposing views. If we’re sure of our ground, we don’t need to shout.

This is a big ask—given the frustrating and frightening situations and people we meet. But Paul has a reason: ‘The Lord is near.’ He could mean that Jesus is coming back again to put everything right. Or he could mean Jesus is here now. Both are true.

Jesus has confronted this world’s corruption and rebellion head on. He let the world kill him. And he did it for us. And God raised him from the dead and put him in charge of everything. And now, he is near. The situations we are facing are being managed by him and he has us in the middle of it for some purpose.

People say you have to be strong when confronted by something really difficult. That’s true. But the Christian is saying that someone else strong is near—Jesus Christ. That’s our strength.

Many Christians can tell us about their experience of going through difficulty and finding Jesus Christ more real and powerful than they ever did before. Their difficulty made Jesus Christ more enjoyable—not less. Their thinking changed. And they changed. And things around them started changing.

Third, we need to call on God for what we need—and not let them run on into anxiety.

Think about this. Something is wrong, threatening, damaging or impossible to manage. Isn’t fright and flight an appropriate response?

In lots of situations, putting ourselves out of harm’s way is the best option. But that’s not always possible. And then, there’s lots of reasons why we feel anxiety. We can’t always switch these feelings off with some positive thinking.

It helps a lot if we know there’s something we can do. We can pray.

Now, here’s something very interesting. When we learn to pray rather than give way to panic, God’s peace will be like a wall around us. Notice, he’s not saying we feel peaceful. He’s saying the peace of God is around us.

Our God is the ‘God of peace’ (v. 9). This is who he is. He isn’t flustered, altered or surprised by anything. He has decided how things will work out best and that is the plan he’s working on. It’s this peace—a lot bigger than what will fit in our heads—that will keep our hearts and minds.

God doesn’t make us clever enough to cope. Our thinking needs to be going on inside his thinking. There are some things we just can’t work out. We weren’t meant to. We are meant to pray. And God will keep our hearts and minds in Jesus Christ. That is, he won’t explain the complexities of everything. He will keep us trusting his Son.

That’s where we can find help for our mental health.

Fourth, we have a list of good things to focus on.

There are lots of things that are worthy of attention—things that are true, worthy, right, pure, lovely, admirable. The long list of similar words suggests that we won’t be stuck for things to dwell on.

There’s a Bible full of good things to read. But the list suggests people and events we are seeing, hearing, studying or sharing in. There are wonderful examples in people around us who do worthy things. We can seek out their company. Or we can read their stories. We can learn from what they discover and be encouraged

Of course, there’s plenty of things we can’t avoid seeing and hearing that are false, shameful, impure or ugly. We need to grieve over them. We may have to deal with them.

Again, the Bible has many sad and gruesome stories. However, if you read the whole story, you can see that they are told from the perspective of a God who deals with evil and promises good.

These impure, things don’t need to frame our thinking. So, we don’t need to feed on them and let them fester in our heads. We need to hate them and put something better in their place (Jude 22).

We need a mind full of good things if we are going to form proper assessments, make good choices and act well. And we need to seek them out, delight in them and let them shape our decisions.

Elsewhere, Paul tell us that God transforms us by the renewal of our minds (Romans 12:2). This happens by thinking that starts with what God has done, and looks at everything else from that point of view.

I hope these pointers help us on the way to some good thinking.

God knows what is good

God has given us, his people, 10 commandments to tell us how to live. They are given to Moses and to Israel first, but Jesus says he came to fulfil them (Matthew 5:17). He has made this law universal so that it can speak to all of us and shape our communities. I’d like us to see how this happens.

We all need someone to tell us what to do. Many will dispute this, but then, we don’t seem to be able to avoid it. If it isn’t God telling us what is good, it’s someone else. We are surrounded with it all the time.

The difference between God’s commands and those we make for ourselves is that God’s commands arise from who he is—and he is good. Ours arise because we always trying to fix a problem—and we are not good. Again, this latter point is disputed, but the number of rules we have to make is increasing all the time, so, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that there is a problem, and that the problem is us.

God is not trying to fix a problem. He is telling us who he is, and, because he is our Creator, he is telling us what is good for us. Moses says, ‘Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the Lord your God gives you for all time’ (Deuteronomy 4:40).

What God tells us to do is good in the sense that it works. It fits what we are and it enables us to live together in a way that benefits everybody. It’s not an ideology, a social construction invented by someone to solve a problem. It’s real, and really works.

It’s interesting to see where the ten commandments begin. They don’t start with, ‘You shall not…’ but with, ‘I am the Lord your God…’ (Exodus 20:2). His commands arise from him being in a relationship with us. He says to his people, ‘You belong to me and I belong to you.’

If we think that the way to have relationships is to get everyone doing ‘the right thing’—which means telling everyone what the ‘right things’ are—we wear people down and destroy real relationships.

Many children know what it is like having to perform in a certain way to secure the attention, approval or affection of their parents. But others have parents who have created a home where they know they belong. Their identity does not need to arise from how they perform but from belonging. They are beloved children. In that setting, they can hear what is required of them as something that will be in their interests to hear and do.

The same is true in a community. If we must conform to a certain set of rules to be heard or to have a place, we breed distrust, distain and social unrest. It doesn’t work—and it isn’t working.

God has made every human being in his image, so everyone has a place in it. It is because he is relating to us that he gives us his commands.

But God says more. ‘I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery’. He calls this redeeming them—that is paying the price to release them from their slave-masters. Israel belongs to God, not only because he made them but because he has made it possible for them to obey him.

We must look some more at how this happens, but for now, we simply note that God’s commands are given to people who have been released from the pressure of false gods—that is, anything that’s taken the place of God. They not only should obey him but they can, and even want to.

This has been the whole point of Jesus coming among us. He comes to save us. We get trapped by our own sins. We get caught by this world—and do what it wants rather than what God wants. This isn’t freedom. We have to do things.

But Jesus says ‘I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed’ (John 8:34-36).

If we know God is relating to us, that he has decided to love us, and that he is doing whatever is necessary to set us free from being trapped by what we have done, we will be able to receive his commands as his love reaching out to us.

So, commands might not be too bad after all! Certainly, those who realise God has made this world as a home for us, and who see what he has done to free us from our false gods, will listen to them with interest, heed them with diligence and find that it is good to be told what to do.