Archives for June 2016

“Doing the right thing for the wrong reason is always wrong.” The first time I heard Dr. Bryan Chapell say this it gave me pause. An extended pause. I didn’t like it because I know my motives for doing something “right” might not always be aligned with biblical truth. They might not always be the purest. Now I wholeheartedly agree with Dr. Chapell.

A few years ago I had the privilege of delivering the Sunday morning sermon at a fairly large church on the west coast. My topic was God will never, never, never punish a believer for their sin. If God still punishes us, or our families, etc., for our sin, then Jesus did not bear all our sin on the cross. His punishment in our place was only partially effective. But because it was 100% effective, as a believer I never obey to avoid punishment. I obey to experience the love that He already has for me (John 15:10).

As Sue and I were walking out to the parking lot after the second service, we were following  a couple that had no idea the guest pastor was right behind them and could hear every word they were saying. They were roasting me! The bottom line of their disagreement was if God doesn’t punish us for our sin, we will never be motivated to obey. This meant they were not obeying to enjoy the love of God that Jesus had earned for them, but rather their acts of “obedience” were acts of self-protection. Protection from a God who discounted the work of Christ on the cross and was still displeased with them. They were basing their behavior on a lie. On disbelief.

There is an important principle here. What if sin does not lie simply in the act, but in the reason, the motive, the disbelief behind the act? If I serve my friend, on the surface it may appear to be a right thing to do. But if my motive is to get something in return, my serving is not right. It is manipulation. It is a selfish act. It is wrong.

Jesus reiterated this principle when he said, “Isaiah was right about frauds like you…  ‘These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their heart is not in it'”  (Mark 7:6, The Message). They appeared to be doing the right thing, but for wrong reasons. They were frauds because their acts were fraudulent. They were wrong. “Doing the right thing for the wrong reason is always wrong.”

So what do we do? We act out of a desire to honor God and a motivation of love…for God and others. And how do we grow in our love? By immersing ourselves in the love God has for us…and then we find ourselves loving because He first loved us.

QUESTION:  What are your thoughts? Leave a comment.

 

 

 

 

 

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Lets remember the context. Jesus had been preaching the gospel of the kingdom to a great crowd and healed every disease among them. As a result there were no doubt a lot of brand new disciples in this crowd he was now teaching. They needed to know two things right from the start.

First – even though they had suffered extensively, they were now going to experience a second kind of suffering that was completely new to them.

The New Testament teaches two kinds of suffering. There is suffering because we live in a fallen world – the suffering that follows natural disasters and the awful suffering that accompanies so many diseases. Added to this is the suffering inflicted upon individuals because of the evil nature of people…shootings, assaults, robberies, etc.

But now Jesus tells them of a new suffering that would be theirs. This would be a suffering for righteousness’ sake; persecution for being a follower of Jesus and for being united with him. Peter talks about this suffering for righteousness’ sake, about being slandered and reviled for living out our godly convictions and for treating others with a Christlike behavior (I Peter 3:13-17). He adds that this should be normal and so don’t be surprised (I Peter 4:12). It comes with being united with Christ.

Once again this beatitude is not a standard we need to live up to in order to be blessed. It is a bold statement of the grace of God that is ours. And our experience of His grace will always be greater than the suffering. In the midst of our suffering we also experience life in the Kingdom of God.

“God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you are ready for anything and everything…” (II Cor 9:8, The Message).

PS– This takes us to the last Beatitude. Here is a suggestion: go back and review how each one is a statement of God’s grace and not a standard we must live up to in order to be blessed. Then take some time to thank God for His incredible grace towards you…that you never need to earn it. You just get to experience it.

 

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God” (Mt 5:9). Apart from the gospel of grace, being a peacemaker is a job you do not want. It’s horrible.

Why? When two parties are not at peace with one another there is a strong disagreement between them. Each feels they are right and the other is wrong. And the issue is so important and the feelings so strong that the relationship is broken. Often it is more than simply a broken relationship, there is animosity and hostility.

Enter the peacemaker. Into division, hostility, bitterness, strife and anger. It is hard to keep peace, but it is exponentially more difficult to bring peace where there is none.

And in this situation – what is the role of the peacemaker? To begin with he enters as neither parties friend. Then he attempts to help them see where they are wrong, where they need to act differently as a result of their convictions, or where they need to change their convictions, feelings, objectives, etc. Usually each party in some way has to change and not get their own way. They have to give up being totally right. Often each party feels like they lost…at least to a degree.

And so the peacemaker leaves as neither parties’ hero. They leave lonely, isolated and friendless. And then here comes the grace of God eliminating their aloneness – reminding them of their true identity as sons of God and that they are a part of the ultimate family. And even better than that – they are reminded that God is their Father!

Being a peacemaker is not a standard we have to live up to to be blessed. It is a reminder that as we live in the world as representatives of the ultimate peacemaker, we will experience the same treatment Jesus did. And as we experience rejection and at times hostility, God’s comes to us in our frustration and loneliness and blesses us just as we are.

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