He Saved the World (And He Loves You)

 March 26, 2024.

12 Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.  13 Roaring lions that tear their prey open their mouths wide against me.  14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint.  My heart has turned to wax; it has melted within me.  15 My mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.  16 Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet. 17 All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me.  18 They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.  19 But you, Lord, do not be far from me.  You are my strength; come quickly to help me.  20 Deliver me from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs.  21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen.  22 I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise you.  23 You who fear the Lord, praise him!  All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!  Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!  24 For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.

-Psalm 22:12-24 (NIV)

During Holy Week, let’s reflect on the awe inspiring, transformative, limitless, divine and incredible love of God.  Let’s also reflect on and the ultimate act of God’s love as displayed through Jesus Christ on the cross.  Do you know how much God loves you?  Do you know how much God absolutely adores you and cherishes you?  Do you know how much God delights in you?  God loves you so much that he gave his one and only Son in Jesus Christ for you! (John 3:16).   Jesus did not come to condemn, but to save!  He came to save the lost and he came to save his elect.  Jesus came to save his children, his lost sheep!  Imagine this:  God absolutely refused to turn his back on you and the world.  Many of us remember John 3:16, but so few of us remember John 3:16 is needed because of John 3:19 – people loved darkness instead of light and because their deeds were evil.  God rightfully could’ve abandoned us all to sin and death, but he chose not to out of his love!

Now out of his great love, do you know how much Jesus agonized for our behalf?  Do you know how much Jesus suffered and endured for our behalf?  I believe movies like Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” does a pretty good job in visually showing how painful Jesus’ crucifixion was.  It’s a pretty gory scene.  I won’t get into all the flogging, all the beatings, and the other physical tortures Jesus endured for our behalf, but I find very few times people talk about the spiritual anguish that Jesus went through for us!

Just like with many topics in scripture, one passage in the entire Bible only accounts for one angle or one side of the story and thus, Psalm 22 only captures one side of the spiritual suffering that Jesus endured for us!

Psalm 22 not only describes the pain and suffering that David took at the hands of enemies, but also tells of a prophetic account of Jesus Christ’s sufferings being stripped naked and crucified.  I won’t get into David’s story today. – but in terms of Jesus Christ, very few people even mention the bulls of Bashan.  Bashan was the Old Testament version of the gates of hell and the gateway to the realm of the dead.  In other antiquity writings, it was known as “the place of the serpent” and is associated with Mount Hermon, thought to be where the rebellious sons of God (rebellious angels/false deities) first descended unto earth.  Amos 4 speaks about the cows of Bashan and perhaps speaking about the same false deities. 

Moreover, we know that Bashan represented all kinds of demonic and evil powers.  These are the enemies of God and his children since long ago.  And God allowed these powers of evil to overtake his Son upon the death of Jesus Christ.  This is part of the reason why Jesus echoed the same words of David at the start at Psalm 22, when Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46).  Here, Jesus was plunged into the heart of darkness and despair, and he felt separated from God the Father.  Evil and darkness surrounded him, let alone the entire world rejecting Jesus, including the disciples.  I’m reminded of the scene in “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe” movie when Aslan is handed over to his enemies. It’s a truly terrifying scene when Aslan is surrounded by all kinds of hideous and grotesque beasts in a pitch-black night. ***Spoiler Alert*** It’s well known that Aslan is a depiction of Jesus with the witch a depiction of Satan.

Now can you imagine that kind of pain and suffering?  Let alone the physical pain and suffering, but can you imagine taking on the rejection of the world, all the evil forces encroaching upon you and having their way with you, and then on top of it all, taking all of God’s supreme wrath?

This is how much God loves you!  God through Jesus Christ took all kinds of immense pain and suffering for you, and he did it willingly!

Thankfully, we also know it wasn’t the end.  When we read Psalm 68, we know that Yahweh (God the Father) conquered over all evil, death and darkness through his Son (Jesus Christ) being crucified. And we also know that to God’s glory, Jesus raised himself from the dead (John 2:19) that we can enjoy life with him eternally and everything is made right again – forever! (1 Peter 1:3).

…..so let’s gather our hearts and reflect on the amazing love of Jesus and what he went through for us.  And even better still, let’s give him thanksgiving and praise knowing that as great as the price was paid, how much greater is the miracle of the resurrection at Easter!  To God be the glory!  He is worthy of our praise!

Theology in the Background

It's true that sin completely separates us from God the Father, and it’s also true that Jesus was 100% sinless, but while on the cross Yahweh treated Jesus as if though he wasn’t sinless for our behalf (that’s the explanation for 2 Cor. 5:21 – to clarify, not that Jesus was sinful).  In other words, God poured out his entire wrath upon the blameless God-man (Jesus Christ), because all of our sins were imputed onto him and Jesus took the entire blame and penalty.  Adam imputed all sin unto mankind (Rom. 5:12), mankind imputed all sin unto Jesus (2 Cor. 5:21), and Jesus (through his atoning work on the cross) imputed righteousness back to his elected children (Rom. 5:19) - a triple imputation!  Yes, Jesus did all of that for you! He saved the world (And he loves you)!

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All Hail the King!

March 19, 2024.

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”  4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:  5 “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”  6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”  “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”  “Hosanna in the highest heaven!”  10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”  11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

-Matthew 21:1-11 (NIV)

Surely it’s a foreign idea to many of us having a king rule over us.  We have a Prime Minister, we enjoy autonomy, we enjoy freedom of expression and freedom of conscience and so the idea of having one person rule over us is something we’re not used to.  Canada and North America constantly promotes the idea of self-being and self-promotion.  Even when our main leader (The Prime Minister) and other leaders (teachers, principals, pastors, bosses, etc.) behave in mannerisms we don’t appreciate, we are free to openly ridicule, criticize and mock and often times with little or no penalty.  Perhaps people coming from other countries have a greater understanding of ruling hierarchy in places where kings, queens and monarchy are still present.  In European feudal times (9th – 15th centuries), everyone understood hierarchal authority and everyone understood they are serving the king who provided for his kingdom, took care of his kingdom, protected his kingdom and battled for his kingdom – for better or for worse, depending on if there was a good and just king.

Because of films and Hollywood, we picture kings coming back to their land, surrounded by an entourage of musicians, ambassadors, nobles, knights and a great cavalcade entrance, with everyone cheering and all eyes turned on the king.  Current Canada and North America has changed so much since feudal Europe and biblical times.  Surely in biblical times, people understood the importance of a king’s return and a king’s coronation – especially if it was the one, true king!  Especially in biblical times when the Roman Empire was unjustly ruled by Caesar and his underlings people expected and waited for the grand return and grand coronation of the one, true king!....the only problem is, it happened unlike they were all expecting!

Matthew’s account of the one, true king (Jesus) returning is the only Gospel to record the mare donkey.  No, Jesus didn’t ride on both animals, because that wouldn’t make sense.  Instead, as prophesied in Zech. 9:9, Jesus rode on the young colt with the mare probably guiding the colt.  There was no grand, fairy-tale cavalcade.  He was not greeted well in his own land, but he was praised and adored by the misfit outsiders that journeyed with Jesus along the way.  The outsiders cried out, “Hosanna” meaning “save now” and they called Jesus the Son of David, rightfully pointing out Jesus’ Messianic claim - but when we get to Matt. 21:10 the people of the city asked, “Who is this?”  They couldn’t even recognize the rightful king!

It's sad that even till this day, very few people realize and acknowledge Jesus’ sovereignty, rule and authority, let alone his holiness.  As we prepare for Holy Week and as a Christian, perhaps you’re realizing that you don’t quite fit with the rest of the world.  Just like in our text, Christians are misfits in today’s world.  That’s not by coincidence, but by divine election and design!  What is our response to Jesus today?  Crown him in coronation or ignore him in dismission?  May we recognize and throw ourselves at the feet of Jesus, crying out, “save now”!  He is worthy of our praise and the one, true KING is coming! 

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Survivor

March 12, 2024.

I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”? 4 And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6 And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.  7 What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened, 8 as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear, to this very day.”

-Romans 11:1-8 (NIV)

Friends, brothers and sisters of St. Andrew’s and community, this Saturday, March 16th at 1pm our congregation will be gathering together and then shortly after we’ll be meeting with the denomination’s “Special Committee”.  This will be a very important time in the history of our congregation to voice our concerns and display the heart, truth and grace of Jesus Christ.

Many of you know that because of the 2019 Remits B and C within the Presbyterian Church in Canada (PCC),  the doctrines on human sexuality has changed from a traditional view on marriage (marriage between one man and one woman) and now both accepting the traditional view on marriage and at the same time a liberal view on marriage (marriage between two people, regardless of gender).  There has never been a re-wording or changing of the biblical view of marriage in over 2,000+ years of Christendom, and suddenly this position is now imposed upon us.  In my opinion, this is a true test of faith.  Either we stick with scripture being infallible, inerrant, and inspired (the three “ins”) or we don’t.  Either we believe and constantly live out scripture is actually spoken by men, but carried out by the Holy Spirit and as such, it’s actually God through the Holy Spirit being the original source and author of scripture (2 Peter 1:21), and that we don’t read into scripture, but that scripture reads into us (Heb. 4:12, 2 Tim. 3:16-17).

Beloved, let us remain as the faithful remnant of Israel as true followers of Jesus Christ!

The word “remnant” is used many times in the Old Testament but only used two times in the New Testament in Romans 9:27 and Romans 11:5.  In Rom. 11:5, the Greek word leimma is used  to mean remnant.  In context and using the Greek Septuagint translation, our text uses hypoleleimmai, referencing 1 Kings 19:10 in Rom. 11:3, when it reiterates Elijah’s cry to God at Mt. Horeb, and thus the same root word.  The equivalent Hebrew word would be shaar, which not only means left behind, remained, and remnant, but it also means survivor or surviving remnant!

As the sole survivor of a terrible attack, Rom. 11:2 says that Elijah appealed to God and against Israel.  Doesn’t this sound familiar with the denomination that many of us once loved and once called comrades and at home with, and suddenly we’re the few “surviving remnants” that is staying true to scripture and staying true to God’s perfect word?  And much like Elijah’s story, who is left to fight on our side?  God’s answer to Elijah and to us here today is that God has reserved a faithful remnant chosen by grace (Rom. 11:5).  In other words, there are plenty of other survivors to join with!  Depart from the PCC? We’re not alone and there are other survivors!  Let this be a comforting reassurance then.  We may think we’re alone in this, but WE’RE NOT!  We may think we’re tired/weary, but God will RE-ENERGIZE!  We may not know what’s on the other side of this journey, but GOD KNOWS THE OUTCOME, as long as we’re faithful!  Please also find it comforting that you’re handpicked by God out of grace and not by merit!  If it were merit, none of us would be chosen or worthy!  Enjoy having God’s favour and do not be afraid.  It is because you have God’s favour that you shouldn’t be afraid for what the future holds!  Relax, because God has taken care of it! 

Dear survivor, keep surviving and with God’s help, surviving will turn into thriving!

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It’s a Good Time to Pray

March 6, 2024.

12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14 And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

-1 Thessalonians 5:12-18 (NIV)

Friends, a lot is going to happen over the next two months.  Holy Week is just around the corner, and with that we are encouraged to reflect on the miraculous work of Jesus on the cross and his resurrection.  That in itself is reason enough to realign ourselves to Jesus, connect with him and pray.

However and further to these events, we do have our congregation meeting with Presbytery’s Special Committee on Sat. March 16th (meeting at 1pm) and a Presbytery Meeting that we’re hosting on Wed. April 24th (meeting at 10am).  Everyone is welcome and highly encouraged to come out to both meetings.  Both of these meetings will be very important for the history of St. Andrew’s – and for this reason, could I ask that we gather our hearts to pray for our church as much as possible over the next 2 months?  Pray together in groups, pray individually, pray out loud, pray in silence….just keeping praying!

This is the tone that I believe Paul was trying to convey in his letter to the church in Thessalonica.  Here, Paul urges the church to remember the leaders (Pastors and Elders) that have been supernaturally ordained to care for you and the church.  Know that God has uniquely appointed and handpicked them for holy service.  Many of them labour to the point of near exhaustion, overseeing and standing before God’s flock (now just think about standing before our almighty and Holy God and how terrifying that is on behalf of others and accounting for others), and admonishing (rebuking)/instructing in the Word of God/God’s truths.  Do not take these people lightly or for granted; hold them high in your hearts with compassion and love, knowing they’re actually working for God. 

Also know that part of the role of Pastors and Elders is to remind the rest of God’s flock to not be idle in how you expand God’s kingdom on earth, not cause trouble, encourage those that need encouraging, help those that need extra help, and yes, be patient with everyone – I said everyone!  And always try to build each other up, not tear each other down. 

Just like Paul’s text in our reading, I want to personally commend our church Elders and special individuals that work incredibly hard behind the scenes to carry out God’s mission of sharing the lifesaving Gospel message to those in our church community and abroad.  This is holy, ordained work that is carried-out night and day.  God has supernaturally ordained and entrusted them to care for you and the congregation.  They need our prayer support.  Our entire church needs our prayer support.

Finally, actively find joy in the season that we’re in (rejoice always).  Find those precious moments and signs where God is telling us to stay on the course!  Personally, I see God’s favour in so much of what we do.  Our church keeps growing daily and not just in number, but I believe in spiritual maturity.  I thank God for that one (thanks in all circumstances), and I’ll say it again – just keep praying!  Please pray for our church!  We need your prayer support.  It’s a good time to pray!