WHY GOD GAVE US A MEDIATOR

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.  1 Tim. 2:5, R.S.V.

We all know it by heart: Jesus stands before the judgment bar of God, pleading His blood for our pardon.  He is our mediator.  Is there an implied reticence on God's part to accept the likes of us?  If Jesus were suddenly to stand aside, would God's face drop into a menacing scowl, His lips parting with words of our impending destruction?

Jesus said that the Father Himself loves us (John 16:27), that because He loves us so much, He sent His Son into the world, not to make sure we know how mad He is with us, but to help us understand that He has made provision for us to be reunited once again with Him (chap. 3:16, 17).  That provision is Jesus.

The problem always has been that we are afraid of God.  It started in Eden when our first parents hid from Him.  Having acted wrongly, they must have thought that He had come "gunning" for them.  Their fears were never confirmed.  Quite the opposite!  God told them of the plan He had to reinstate their friendship.  It involved a mediator.

But why a mediator?  Consider: We are afraid of God, afraid that when we do wrong He'll come gunning for us.  It makes us hide from Him--hide in our life's work, our pretended indifference, our religious pretenses.  We have many ways to hide.  And all because we do not understand that God's attitude toward us has never changed!  Our fears will never be confirmed.  Meanwhile, in His loving and practical way, God has addressed the problem that our fear creates.  He has kept His distance from us to calm our fears, sending Someone to explain to us the true situation.  (That Someone was even born as a totally helpless infant, as if to underscore the "safeness" of His person!)

God is safe!  In the judgment the blood Christ pleads is God's message to us that He's taken care of the results of our separation from Him.  As we begin to understand that we need not hide from God, Christ can finally step aside.  We no longer feel the need of having someone between us and the Father.  Christ will then be given another task.  He will be sent to bring us back into the Father's actual presence.

Amen.  Come, Lord Jesus!

FIG LEAVES OR LAMBSKINS

Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons.  Gen. 3:7, R.S.V.

Fig leaves and nakedness--they seem such quaint concepts, the kind of thing medieval artists would like to paint in dark tones.  But what might they mean to us today?  Did Adam and Eve's sin suddenly make their bodies unfit to behold?  Is there a deeper meaning to these symbols?

Do you know what it's like to feel naked in the presence of another?  Do you ever wish that you could hide all the secret fears and regrets, all the past failings and foolishness, that surely would embarrass you should others find out about them?  None of us enjoys having our soul exposed and vulnerable to the eyes and judgments of others.

And so we sew fig leaves together.  They come in all shapes and sizes too.  There is the young woman who has become a skilled flirt.  She craves the attention of the opposite sex because down inside she is fearful she may by unnoticed, unloved, unclaimed,  Flirtation becomes her attempt to hide the hurt, to cover the lonliness.

There is the young man who punctuates his language with slang and oaths, hoping in this way to make his words more powerful, his impact on others more stunning.  Yet he does not see that he is poorly covering his naked fear of being regarded as of no account.

The devil has a thousand fig leaves, each one promising to cover some nakedness, some gaping fear that is rooted in our separation from the Lover of our souls.  They all promise immediate safety from the gaze of others.  But they are all ill-fitting and awkward.  And we spend all our energies trying to keep them from slipping.

Our God, who is not scandalized by our nakedness, knows the inner longings of our souls.  He knows that our dread of exposure arises from Satan's lie that God will be disgusted with our weaknesses--and that we will be rejected by others should they see us as we are.  And so the Father comes to us bearing a smile and a hand-tailored garment, prepared at great expense.

"And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins, and clothed them" (Gen. 3:21, R.S.V.).  There is only one way you can obtain a lambskin, and that is by sacrificing the lamb.  The cross first covers, and then heals, our nakedness!

FRIENDS WITH GOD!

No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.   John 15:15, R.S.V.

Friends!  To call someone your friend is to be willing to be identified personally with that individual.  This is different from just being friends to someone--that can denote a certain amount of condescension and a definite separation of your persons.  To say that someone is your friend is to say that you not only like him, you trust him.

I am Jesus' friend!  If He were still here on this earth, He would seek me out so that we could spend time together.  I know that, before long, our conversation would center upon the Father, for that is what Jesus likes best to talk about.  And as we spoke together He would share with me the things that the Father wants me to hear (John 17:8).  He would remind me that the Father Himself loves me (Chap. 16:27).  As He continued to speak I would begin to understand: The Father considers me His friend, too!

To be Jesus' friend is a wonderful thing.  Why, we know that even little children are safe with Him.  We know that when Jesus was here He made Himself available to mankind.  He was touchable, reachable--but as to God the Father...

When I first began to conjure a picture of God in my mind, He was always seated in a heavy oak chair beside an equally imposing desk, with a bookcase full of thick dark books that reached to the ceiling as the backdrop.  At my approach He would turn His majestic head in my direction.  Though I could never mentally fill in the details of His face, He was not smiling.  I knew He accepted me, even cared deeply for me, but I felt it was strictly because of Christ.  I'd never stand a chance if it weren't for His intercession.  It had nothing to do with God liking me.

My picture of God has changed.  The heaviness and darkness are gone.  In my mind, He is out of doors, the wind gently blowing at His garments.  As I approach He moves quickly and eagerly toward me.  Though I still cannot fill in the details of His face, He is smiling.  Even more, I can almost hear Him saying, "I've been waiting for you!  I've so much to share with you!"

I am God's friend!

MERMAIDS AND THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE

But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not die."  Gen. 3:4, R.S.V.

Most of us have heard the ancient myth about mermaids.  The story has it that these lithe creatures, with the lower torso of a fish and the upper torso of a beautiful woman, would surface in the sight of passing ships.  Using their feminine charms, they would coax homesick sailors to join them in the brine for a sporting romp.

According to the old fable, more than one sailor found the appeal overwhelming, plunged overboard, and immediately met tragic results, not necessarily because this kind of romp was labeled as "sinful" but because sailors just aren't made to live under water.  To believe the mermaids was more than just an unfortunate mistake; it was deadly.

The problem with Adam and Eve in eating the fruit from the forbidden tree is not that they had offended the dictums of an arbitrary or jealous God.  Their mistake was not that they had eaten a fruit that God had labeled as "sinful."  Distracted by the promised enticements of the enemy, they (as did the sailors with the mermaids) ignored the fact that they simply could not live apart from union with the Life-giver.

Their mistake was more than a tactical blunder; it was a deadly delusion.  Just as sailors cannot breathe under water, so God's creatures cannot live apart from their ultimate Source of Life.

For centuries theologians have suggested that God simply picked two trees in the garden and arbitrarily said one of them was good and the other was bad.  Then He told His people that they could prove their obedience by eating only from the right tree.  The problem with eating from the wrong tree, of course, was that it offended God, allowing Satan to just sit back and grin while an angry God unleashed His wrath on sinners.  Or so the old theologians said.

The mermaid story is just a harmless old myth.  There is, however, no more fundamental question in the universe than whether God's creatures can live apart from a relationship with their God.  Is sin (that is, separation from God) really all that bad?  Will it really produce the second death?  Satan said that it would not.  God said that it would.  Who is telling the truth?

The answer was demonstrated in most dramatic terms on a rugged cross when Jesus showed the universe how bad sin really is.

DUST AND WATER MAKE THE RAIN

Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord; his going forth is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.  Hosea 6:3, R.S.V.

I love the spring rains!  Usually gentle, they gladden the earth with freshness, bringing moisture and life to dormant seeds hidden in the earth.  In today's text our good God likens Himself to spring rains.  But there is more to this passage than first meets the eye.  There is an invitation to press on to know Him, to understand how He has chosen to work.

What is rain?  Is it simply water in the sky?  Yes, and more.  It is water that has formed a droplet around a bit of dust.  That is our first clue: water and dust combined in such a way as to bring moisture to the earth--a parable in nature to teach us the ways of the Almighty.

The elements themselves are simple, and equally simple their metaphors: God has declared the truth about Himself to be like living water (John 4:10); "we are dust" (Ps. 103:14).  And His purpose is clear: "For it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain salvation upon you" (Hosea 10:12, R.S.V.).

The intriguing thing about rain is that it cannot be formed without the presence of dust.  The intimation, then, is that God does not bring the truth about Himself (who is our salvation) to this world apart from human involvement.  The perfect example of this is, of course, the incarnation of Christ.  In Him divinity and humanity were blended into a perfect revelation of the character of God.

In our modern world the most convincing argument in favor of God is our changed lives.  Enthralled by the genuineness of His love, we ourselves become more loving.  Esteeming His wisdom, we become more judicious.  Satisfied by His reasonableness, we are drawn to that which is rational.  Inspired by His innovativeness, we seek out discovery and growth.

Indeed, thoroughly persuaded that everything about God absolutely makes the best sense for our lives, we long for all the qualities of His character to become our own.  Moreover, we long to be united forever to Him whom we find to be altogether lovely.  It is by this union that God brings the truth of who He is to our world.  This is His sweet spring rain.

WHAT PLEASES GOD?

Without faith it is impossible to please him.  For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.  Heb. 11:6, R.S.V.

A young girl works diligently to clean her room before her mother arrives to inspect the results.  Mother surveys the handiwork and purrs her satisfaction.  "This really pleases me," she says.  Daughter later learns that Mother is pleased also by flowers on her birthday and by sweet willingness to obey.

How easy it is, then, for the daughter to draw conclusions about how to please God.  She is sure that God requires good behavior, or even special favors, in order to be pleased with her.  The word pleased implies that she has finally measured up to some standard of performance that He accepts as adequate.

But a mother's heart knows that this is not the case.  Mother is delighted not with the clean room, but with the daughter herself.  The birthday flowers are special, not just because of their color and aroma, but because of the warm mother-daughter relationship that they express.  It is not her daughter's performance, but her loving presence in her life, that brings the mother such delight.

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were enjoying the most perfect love relationship among themselves.  There is only one way in which a perfect love relationship can be enhanced, and that is by increasing the number of people who enjoy it!  And so the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit created the human race.  They wanted to share the delights of fellowship with more persons who are able to enter into that joy.

This informed, loving, mutually enjoyed fellowship is the essence of the faith relationship.  That is what Satan has destroyed in the Fall.  And that is what God wants to restore.  Nothing short of this will bring Him delight, for nothing short of this meets the purpose in our creation.

While it is not our performance but our fellowship that brings God delight, certainly nothing is more powerful to produce proper performance in His people than the vital reality of that very fellowship!

But Paul has yet another surprise for us in this text.  He says that God will reward those who earnestly seek Him.  But with what shall He reward them?  If they seek a fish, will He reward them with a stone?  If they seek God Himself, will He reward them with anything less than the very thing they seek--personal, life-giving fellowship with Himself?

RUINED BEYOND REPAIR

Now at last restore what was ruined beyond repair. Ps. 74:3, N.E.B.

All of us have had the experience of having something we really value ruined beyond repair.  Our dismay can be agonizing.  A sense of loss can dog or days, incapacitating us.  The worst of it is that we have no hope of recovery.

Enemy forces had destroyed the most precious thing known to Israel: the sanctuary.  However, more than the tabernacle lay in ruins.  Their relationship with God had virtually been obliterated because of their pursuit of the customs of the heathen nations around them.  As far as human resources went, it was a hopeless situation on both counts.

Nevertheless, as our text today indicates, the psalmist realized another factor: God!  He knew that God was intimately identified with His people, that His love for them went beyond their foolish and evil choices.  And because of this knowledge he found hope, not in circumstances but in God!

This is an important realization.  Many Christians wait for circumstances to improve before they "indulge" in hope.  When the worst happens and whatever they have been praying for is "ruined beyond repair," they are devastated.  Their faith is so weakened that they lose heart.  Some may even give up the whole Christain walk; others simply cease to function vitally, becoming denominational fixtures rather than "fishers of men."   Who can "fish" with no bait?  Who can hope without faith?

The wise man wrote, "Where there is no vision, the people perish" (Prov. 29:18).  In the truest sense, where there is no vision of who God is, people will lose hope.  My faith must rest in a Person--apart from circumstances.  Circumstances can reveal the workings of God, but they also can cloud my vision of Him.  Only when I come to know God--that He is fair and logical, trustworthy and loving, and intimately identified with me--will my faith and hope be in Him (1 Peter 1:21).

We may ask God to restore what is ruined beyond repair in our lives, knowing that He is well able to do so.  But let our hope be cast higher than the things we seek.  Let us fix in our minds the truth that God always intends the very best for us.  Knowing that the circumstances of our lives can in no way thwart His purposes, let us be full of assurance that He delights in our restoration.  Then we will not hope in vain!

COMMANDED OR ENABLED

Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.  Rom. 13:10, R.S.V.

The military model of obedience seems so promising!  If a drill sergeant can bark, "Flank, left!" to his squad and they immediately pivot in unison, then why can't a father yell, "Chew with your mouth closed!" to his kids and never again have to hear them slosh their vegetables?  If a colonel can shout, "Over that hill!" and see his troops charge, why can't Mom say, "Wash those dishes!" and see the suds fly?

The military model contains all the ingredients assumed necessary to make obedience happen: a person in charge, a clear command, and submissive people ready to follow orders.  What else does one need?  If the children aren't ready to follow orders, the parents only have to increase the threat of pain.

If the military model is so popular, then why can't a preacher accomplish marvelous results when he stands in the pulpit and essentially commands his congregation to stop sinning?  We may question whether the preacher and the military commander have much in common, since the insubordinate soldier can be court-martialed--a recourse denied to preachers (at least in this modern age).  But if you look closely, you will see that the preacher can "pull rank" on even a five-star general, for he can quote Scripture.  And we all know what Ultimate Authority is behind Scripture!

But does God Himself use the military model in solving the sin problem?  Is the command "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor" just the same as the command "Column, left!"?  Doesn't instant, unquestioning obedience represent the ideal for a Christian soldier?


The military model breaks down when we encounter today's text.  We know that it is possible to command a certain outward behavior.  But God promises more for us than mere outward compliance; He intends that we might be deeply and inwardly changed.  He wants His people not to be nervously jumping at the commands of a divine drill sergeant.  He wants us acting out--with the highest sense of freedom--the gald promptings of our own loving hearts.

And a loving heart is not commanded; it is enabled.  It is not ordered into action; it is loved into wholeness.  I do not see our Father shouting, "Stop your lying!"  I see Him, with warm heart and tender smile, loving my wounded heart into wholeness, making me so secure in His love that I no longer need to lie.

TRUTH IN ADVERTISING

He came to the disciples and found them asleep; and he said to Pater, "What!  Could none of you stay awake with me one hour?"  Matt. 26:40, N.E.B.

The lush sounds of happy voices singing in close harmony poured smoothly from the Christian radio station.  I listened carefully to the lilting lyrics, perfectly matched to the upbeat melody, trying to imagine what a non-Christian might feel and understand were he to hear the song.  "Just brush away your fears and forget your foolish fears, and you'll never be lonely again."

It seemed so inviting, so promising: Become a Christian and you'll never again feel sadness or loneliness.  If Christianity could always deliver what its "advertisers" promise, who wouldn't want to "buy it"?

But my memory tracked to a recent conversation with a Christian mother who had been abandoned by her husband.  Though her faith in Jesus remained strong, she wept tears not easily brushed away.  After years of closeness she was experiencing a crushing longing for human companionship.  And her grief was being compounded with guilt.  "As a Christian," she said, "I know I'm not supposed to feel so sad.  I know Jesus still loves me.  I'm letting Him down too."

And so we spoke of the feelings Jesus had on that lonely night as He agonized in the garden.  We spoke of how He longed to have His disciples join Him in prayer.  Not because He had any doubts about the effectiveness of His own prayers, but because He craved the warmth of caring, supportive friendship, and because He wished for His friends to be strengthened for the raging conflict to come.

He who grieved in the garden that night was none other than He who created us in His own image, and who said, "It is not good that the man should be alone" (Gen. 2:18).  He placed within each of His created friends a deep and wholesome longing for each other.  The agonizing and groaning of all creation originates in our separateness from God and from each other.  There will be no inner tranquility in any of us who long for closeness with estranged friends while those friends are still outside fellowship with us.

Our Father does not shame us for being lonely and frightened.  We need not be embarrassed to face the very needs that He placed in our hearts.  He does not plan to eradicate our humanity but rather to sustain it with His closeness while we walk through this dark planet of broken relationships.

THROW OFF EVERY ENCUMBRANCE!

We must throw off every encumbrance, every sin to which we cling.  Heb. 12:1, N.E.B.

For many Christians the concept of sin centers on an angry God.  "Jesus loves us, but God the Father...?  Didn't Jesus have to die to get God to accept us?  Sins are those things we do that make God mad--mad enough that someone has to pay the price, even though we stop doing them."

Though not painted with wild berry dye or adorned with carnivore teeth, these ideas belong to the heathen who serve their gods from fear.  To obey God because we think He will remove His protective care from us if we don't is only one step removed from offering incense to a wooden idol.  To say we obey God because we love Him, and still "know" that our obedience will incur His certain wrath, is to play a painful game of theological charade.

Realistically, if a branch is severed from the tree it will die, but not because the tree is angry at the branch.  When our first parents allowed their doubts about God to sever their relationship with Him, God knew that they had no other means of survival.  In order to give them (and us) the chance to understand this reality, God chose to allow that reality to be fulfilled on the cross.  But not for a moment was it vengeance.

Why, then, has God used such words as wrath and vengeance in Holy Scripture?  I think God meets us where we are.  We do the same with our children, explaining things to them in a way they can understand, fully expecting them to grow into far more adequate explanations.  To tell your college-age son that he needs to put oil in his car to keep it "happy" would be an insult to his intelligence.  (Will his car not run, then, because it is "mad"?)

The problem with sin is not that it makes God angry but that it encumbers us!  It keeps us from realizing God is our life Source.  More than that, He is our quality of life!  More than electricity in our brain, He is our encouragement to reason; more than strength to our limbs, He is our inspiration to climb to the heights.

God is interested in more than our survival; He is interested in the quality of our lives and, in direct relationship to this, the quality of our union with Him--our life source and our friend.