WHAT IS THE ALTERNATIVE?

But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living.  But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.  Joshua 24:15, N.I.V.


Often, when faced with hard decisions, it is useful to ask, "What is the alternative?"  Your young son doesn't want to wash the dishes; the alternative is that he either eats off dirty dishes at the next meal or he hands the chore off to someone else.  Faced with those unappealing options, he just may wash them.  You don't feel like paying your income taxes--until you face the alternative.  It can be very sobering.


Many end up turning their backs on God almost by default; they just don't look straight at the options.  Joshua was using a very pointed technique when he asked the people to consider seriously whether they had a better alternative than to serve the Lord.

When we are asked to make a public choice, it is assumed that we can defend the choice with good reasons.  In favor of his choice, Joshua had just reviewed the evidence: "You know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God promised concerning you; all have come to pass for you, not one of them has failed" (Joshua 23:14, R.S.V.).  In the face of such evidence, one would have to be utterly foolish to turn away from such a God.

The people of Israel had the same evidence that Joshua had.  Yet, while Joshua was confident, they were hesitating.  We may not have to search beyond our own hearts to find the reason why.  While the Egyptian or Amorite deities had not taken better care of them than God had, to be honest, these pagan gods did promise a bit more immediate fun and sensual indulgence, both in their worship and in their daily practices.  And that, for many, tended to tilt the final vote.

It is hard for people who want to regard themselves as thoughtful to stand up and say, "I am trading long-range joy and eternal life for present pleasure trinkets."  It is just too crassly stupid.  That's why so many decisions against God have to be hidden behind drugged stupor, intemperate hours, or practiced illogic.

LOOKING FOR TROUBLE!

"For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.  2 Chron. 16:9, N.I.V.

He was out on the streets at night looking for trouble.  At the least provocation he started a fight.  Even his friends were wary of him, not knowing what might set him off.  They constantly tried to appease him by praising him and telling him how much they liked him.  In reality, they were terrified of him and would have avoided him if they hadn't needed his protection against other bullies.

As you read the above description, did you find even a faint similarity to your walk with God?  Do you see Him, as it were, walking the streets both day and night, looking for trouble?  And when He finds it, do you see Him chastising and belittling those involved into a fearful submission?  Do you praise God, hoping to appease Him?  Do you really like God?--or do you fear Him and wish you could avoid Him?  If only you didn't need His protection from Satan!

Let's talk about it!  Yes, God is out "looking for trouble"!  But His reasons are far different than we might have previously thought.  Our text for today says, "For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him."  His purpose is to heal, to strengthen and uplift, even when the trouble He finds is in you more than in the circumstances around you.  Being fully committed to God does not mean that we no longer are prone to inner trouble.  It means that we are totally committed to finding answers to all the inner conflicts we face as damaged human beings.  And we know that He is the answer!

We need never be fearful of having trouble in our outward lives or in our very souls.  To have really serious questions about church doctrines does not have to mean that we are ready to throw away our commitment to God.  To discover an awful weakness in ourselves does not have to equal a lack of dedication to Christ.  We do not need to experience a hot feeling in the pit of our stomachs as we realize that God sees the truth about us.  We can know that He's ready to strengthen us--to deal directly with the issues at hand so that we can get on with life.  That's just how He is!

PROCLAIMING LIBERTY

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me....He has sent me to set at liberty those who are oppressed.  Luke 4:18, R.S.V.


The first time I read this verse, I had just completed reading a history of the American Civil War--the war to end slavery in the United States.  It was thrilling to recall that so many people had given their lives, at least in some degree, to set others free.  It was easy, then, to connect the spirit of this verse with the acts of Christians to end slavery.  And thus I read it for many years.

Not until recently did I begin to discover how many different types of oppression the enemy has invented with which to crush the human race.  By design as well as by neglect, we have become skilled at foisting economic, racial, sexual, and religious oppression upon those too weak to fight back.  Perhaps more often we have practiced emotional oppression upon each other, even within the family and the church.

When we discover that it is the character of our Saviour to "set at liberty those who are oppressed," we are challenged to do more than say, "I'm glad they don't practice slavery here anymore."  Those who would represent Him aright must become alert to every occasion when the personhood of another is being stifled.  And they must hurt with him, even as Jesus does.

Walk onto a playground and listen to the children as they play.  Notice how often they lash out with cutting "put downs" of their peers.  Observe how parents speak to their children when they are upset, and ponder what it is doing to the self-esteem of those young human beings.   Remember the conversations in a college dormitory and recall how easy it was to cut down those not present to defend their uniqueness.

When we sense how readily we dismiss these oppressive acts as simply normal human life, we wonder if the liberating work of Christ should not begin by setting our own hearts free from the spirit of pettiness and calloused indifference.  How we need to pray for divine sensitivity to any word that cuts or belittles another!  Rather than being so often caught up in major doctrinal issues, we need to sense that Jesus will more potently be revealed to others by subtle personal interplay.  To fail to be sensitive to words or attitudes that oppress others is to misrepresent Him who came to liberate the oppressed.

LOOKING BEYOND THE "GOODIES"

Though the fig tree do not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.  Hab. 3:17, 18, R.S.V.

A number of popular media preachers today are offering a quickly accepted brand of religion.  They are boldly asserting that God's plan for every one of His children is that he be wealthy.  Not just comfortable, but outright rich!  Those who are not rich, they suggest, must not be following the formula earnestly enough.  Prosperity, to them, is not only a sign of God's favor; it becomes reason enough in itself to serve God.

Though this kind of blatant materialism seems crass in its most overdrawn form, we have to admit to finding it in lesser forms on other occasions.  A hailstorm flattens our crops, and we say, "Lord!  Why me?  What have I done to deserve this?"  A loved one dies an untimely death, and we protest, "But, Lord, he was a good man!"  We so readily see God as a wealthy dispenser of material and physical blessings to all who serve Him.  And when we serve Him, yet are not blessed, we feel cheated.

Habakkuk protested directly to God, complaining that Israel hadn't been all that bad as to deserve the Chaldean invasion that God had foretold.  Even as a prophet, he still wasn't immune from the reward-punishment scheme so commonly held by his people.  To him, something was wrong with God's plan not to bless the nation.  So he complained. (See chapter 1.).

The Lord's answer to him was surprising.  He did not say that a righteous person lives by, or even for, His blessings.  Rather, "the righteous shall live by his faith" (Hab. 2:4, R.S.V.).  The truly righteous person is one who is attached to Him, not to the blessings He can bestow.  He trusts God because of who He is, not because of the way God hands out that which man would call blessings.

When Habukkuk saw this larger picture, one that looks beyond the "goodies" we humans crave for our security, his own faith grew.  His closing testimony was that, regardless of what happened to his personal "creature comforts," his confidence in God would remain firm.  He would rejoice, not in the Lord's blessings, but "in the Lord" (chap. 3:18).

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.  Lam. 3:22, 23, R.S.V.


A husband and wife whose marriage had gone through some turbulent years were commenting on what had helped to hold them together.  "We were never both down at the same time," he said.  "When she was discouraged, I was optimistic; when I was troubled, she was steady.  I'm afraid of what would have happened had we both been alienated at the same time."

A relationship as close as marriage, needing much energy and creativity to keep it vital, will quickly sour if both parties lose their commitment at the same time.  In Jeremiah's bitter-sweet meditation, Lamentations, he freely admits that his people have wandered from their commitment to their Lord.  They have been unfaithful, restless, even rebellious.  Were their relationship with God to have been totally dependent upon their commitment, it surely would have died.

Knowing as he did that Israel's faith relationship with her Maker was absolutely necessary to her very existence, as well as to her people's eternal life, Jeremiah had cause to rejoice over God's faithfulness.  How glad he was that they were not both down at the same time.  In fact, Jeremiah was celebrating the good news that God never is down on His people, ready to annul the relationship for nonperformance.  Every morning presents a new discovery of His mercies.  He is the faithful one, regardless of our lack of loyalty.

Oh, how encouragingly this should speak to our hearts.  We who often treat our friendship with God with studied neglect, who catch ourselves after the fact having ignored Him for lesser attractions, and who are more aware of having hurt Him than of having brought Him delight--how glad we should be that He is the faithful one!

Some have been concerned that a God who never says "I quit!" when His people keep walking away might lead them to be indulgent and presumptuous--to keep on sinning and wandering, always counting on God to "be there" when they get back.  But God wants them to see that it is the wandering itself, not His possible rejection of them, that is so damaging.  Disloyalty to God and His ways has its own built-in hurts; God doesn't need to add to them by His being unfaithful to us.  Indeed, His faithfulness is intended to heal that hurting!

ONWARD, CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS!

Our battle is to break down every deceptive argument and every imposing defense that men erect against the true knowledge of God.  We fight to capture every thought until it acknowledges the authority of Christ.  2 Cor. 10:5, Phillips.

I cringe whenever I hear the newscasters from Belfast or Beirut identifying the various warring factions as "Christians," "Protestants" and "Catholics."  I wonder if the average listener simply assumes that Christians are in favor of killing fellow human beings as a means of settling differences.  Through the ages, however, Christians often have used military means for advancing supposedly spiritual causes.  It's not surprising that people would not be jarred to hear "The Christian militia today set off a car bomb, killing twenty-five civilians in a Beirut suburb."

Much of the imagery we use in our hymns and in our sermons, however, is based on military metaphors.  We have sung for decades "Onward, Christian Soldiers!  Marching as to war."  While it is definitely true that we are in a battle against principalities and powers, against spiritual wickedness in high places, it is just as true that the weapons of our warfare have nothing to do with compulsion.  And the victories gained never leave a reluctantly conquered foe.  As Paul said, "Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion" (2 Cor. 9:7, R.S.V.).

Paul is one who had learned the awesome, life-changing power of truth--truth that brings one the knowledge of God as He really is.  He used this weapon throughout his ministry and was constantly gratified by its power to bring about the desired changes in people's lives.  We never would have heard Paul simply commanding people to submit to his authority or to bow to his position of power over them.

Christians who resort to any form of force or coercion when seeking changes in their fellow humans simply have not tasted the immense power available to them through the presentation of truth.  Parents who seek simply to control their children, or husbands who demand unthinking submission of their wives are revealing how little they know about God's methods for accomplishing change in another's life.  They must reflect God's goal of having a people in whose hearts the principles of His law have been written.

When Jesus leads His redeemed through the gates of the New Jerusalem there will be no chains, no forced smiles.  They will be gladly, freely, following the Master whom they know and love.

WAS JESUS LIKE ME?

It was imperative that he should be made like his brothers in every respect, if he were to become a High Priest both compassionate and faithful in the things of God, and at the same time able to make atonement for the sins of the people.  Heb. 2:17, Phillips.

You are asked if you believe that Jesus is really like us.  That is, did He have the fallen nature of all humanity, that of Adam after the Fall?  Or was Jesus protected from these effects of sin?  Was He, as the second Adam, like Adam was before the Fall?

Now, before you vote, you should consider the following.  If you say that Jesus was like Adam was after the Fall, that He really did identify with humanity, then you are faced with a problem.  Doesn't having a sinful nature imply that He found sin to be appealing (though we all agree that He didn't give in to those urges)?  And it means for us the best victory we can hope for in this life is an ongoing struggle against sinful desires.

But if you vote for Jesus being like Adam was before the Fall, you haven't escaped all the problems, either.  It suggests that, though He was the spotless Lamb, He really isn't that relevant to us in our struggles against sin.  He wasn't burdened with this inherited anchor of a sinful nature as we are.  To be holy in His character, then, was vastly easier for Him.  The best we can hope for is to be covered with God's declaration of legal righteousness.

There Is, however, a third option.  As we have affirmed many times, the problem of sin isn't located in physiology or inheritance.  It has to do with one's relationship to God!  Jesus maintained that same loyal, unbroken relationship with His Father that Adam had before the Fall.  As regards the real sin problem, Jesus was like Adam was before the Fall--perfect and sinless.

At the same time, we can acknowledge that His physical and emotional being bore greater consequences from the sinful choices of others than did Adam's.  Thus He could indeed be made like His brethren in every way, yet without sin (Heb. 4:15), because He never broke the relationship!

The hope for each one of us is that, while still burdened with a sin-damaged humanity, we can have the same faith relationship with the Father that Jesus had.

THE WHOLE DUTY OF MAN

Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.  Eccl. 12:13, N.I.V.

You have been hired to be the executive director of a newly formed company.  You know you are going to be paid a terrific salary, that your employee benefits are very adequate, and that your office is comfortably and stylishly furnished.  What else could you possibly need to know?  Your duties of course!

We have been called to work for the Master.  We know that our reward is eternal life and that all the resources of heaven are at hand to help us.  What else do we need to know?  What duties are required of us?  Today's text makes it plain: "Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man."

It reminds me of another scripture found in Revelation 14:6, 7: "Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth--to every nation, tribe, language and people.  He said in a loud voice, 'Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come.  Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water ' " (N.I.V.).  Verse 12 describes those who accept this message as "those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus" (R.S.V.).  It appears that the whole duty of man involves nothing less than appropriating the eternal gospel to our lives.

Jesus was asked, "What must we do to do the works God requires?"  He answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent" (John 6:28, 28, N.I.V.).  And so it all begins to fit together.  To fear God is to respect and reverence Him--to believe Him!  But that cannot happen unless you know Him.  The way to begin to know Him is to learn His ways and to follow His guidelines.  And these guidelines were amplified in the person and life of His Son.  By looking to Jesus, you will see how reasonable and trustworthy God the Father is.  You will be able to speak to others accurately about who He is, which glorifies Him.

In a nutshell, our duty is to come to know and enjoy our wonderful Father!  Now, isn't that good news?

WHAT KIND OF POWER?

For I am not ashamed of the Gospel.  It is the saving power of God for everyone who has faith.  Rom. 1:16, N.E.B.

I could hear him coming even before his car rounded the corner into my driveway.  It was the muffled, throaty roar of a highly tuned engine, impatient with slow travel.  But the sleek, brilliant red car was enough to make any man's blood pressure rise.  It was a flawless De Tomaso Pantera Stage 3, one of the most exotic performance cars on the road today.  When he handed me the keys and said, "Take it for a spin," my knees went weak.

I topped sixty miles per hour before I shifted out of second gear.  It had the kind of power you feel shoving against your lower back.  In my timidness I slacked my speed quickly, but he assured me I had come nowhere near sampling its upper limits.  And all that power was available simply by pressing down the toes of my right foot!

Many times we Christians long for a power in our daily living that is just as tangible, just as muscular, and just as quickly available as that huge V-8 engine.  We wish for a divine magical shove in the lower back that would keep us away from a second helping of dessert.  We'd like a strong "hand" placed over our mouths when we are angry or over our eyes when we are lustful.  We ache for something that would kick us out of our chairs to shut off the TV.  And then we sometimes fault God for not providing just that kind of power when we needed it.

But salvation, at all its levels, is not a product of physical power.  It is not a sanctified shove toward righteousness.  It does not "make" us do something we don't want to do or have desires that we have not consciously chosen to relish and nurture.  God works through the power of truth that appeals to the intellect and the loyalties.  We are on Christ's side because we have seen the beauty of who He is, and we have chosen Him as Lord.  We embrace His lifestyle because we have found it to be sensibly appealing.  We love His Word because it appeals to the highest levels of our beings.  We open our hearts to His Spirit because, as a gentleman, He respects our freedom.  There is nothing of coercion in the kingdom of Christ, not even toward the right!

THE END OF ALL HURT

They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, says the Lord.  Isa. 65:25, N.E.B.


Christians look forward to the new earth for a number of reasons.  For one thing, all that hurts us will be no more.  Even the animals will no longer experience discord.  "The wolf and the lamb shall feed together and the lion shall eat straw like cattle'' (isa. 65:25, N.E.B.).  The second half of this text (referring not just to animals, but to all the inhabitants) reads, "They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, says the Lord."

What brings this state of harmony into existence?  Will the second coming of Christ radically alter the character qualities of those He comes to redeem?  Or will those who are to inhabit the new earth already have reached a place where they no longer are hurtful to one another?  Let's take a look at Hebrews 8:10,11: "For the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord, is this: I will set my laws in their understanding and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  And they shall not teach one another, saying to brother and fellow-citizen, 'Know the Lord!'  For all of them, high and low, shall know me" (N.E.B.).

It is our privilege to begin to know God now.  As we come to know Him as our best Friend we shall see that His law is the transcript of His character.  His ways shall become a very part of us, because we are so enthralled with the quality of life that is in Him.  We shall no longer feel the need to take care of ourselves--the root cause of our hurting others--because we shall no longer experience any emotional deficits.  Who He is shall so satisfy our hearts, so excite our intelligence, so motivate our actions, that we shall have no more misgivings about Him or about ourselves.

Freed from self-concerns, we shall be able to focus fully upon others.  We'll listen to what they have to say without interrupting to make sure what we think is understood.  We'll make sure they feel adequate without ourselves needing to grasp for our self-assurance.  All this is ours to know and become--before there is a new earth.  It is, as Jesus said, "because the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21, N.I.V.).