Made Whole in Christ

 

Torts are civil wrongs recognized by law as grounds for a lawsuit. These wrongs result in an injury or harm constituting the basis for a claim by the injured party.

There has been a great deal of talk this week about torts, or civil wrongs, both past and present.  Examples include an oil spill in the Houston ship channel that closed the port for several days.  Those who rely on goods imported to and exported from the Port of Houston may have grounds to sue.  This is reminiscent of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, exactly 25 years ago last week.  Exxon had judgments placed against it for a huge sum of money, but a federal judge and later the US Supreme Court reduced the judgement against them.  Many of the fisherman in Alaska say that the number of full-grown herring in the affected area have decreased significantly from the volume that had been there prior to the spill.

Another example is the recent mudslide in Snohomish County, Washington.  To date, 26 people are confirmed dead and many others are still missing.  This brings to mind the 2005 Hurricane Katrina disaster, and the losses it brought to New Orleans and surrounding parishes.  The litigation is still ongoing, as people are blaming their losses on shoddy engineering practices, negligent maintenance of the levies, and officials "looking the other way."  No one knows if the victims of the Washington mudslides will be able to successfully litigate, as they were aware of the risks of living there, and decided to build homes there anyway.  But you can bet that lawyers are busy now trying to find a responsible party with deep pockets.

A third news item this week involved certain cars that were finally recalled by General Motors, after 13 deaths have been attributed to faulty ignition switches.  It has come out that GM knew of this problem for more than a decade before deciding to do something about it.  This issue calls to mind the 2009 recall done by Toyota centered on unintended acceleration.  Several deaths were attributed to this engineering problem, and Toyota last year settled the pending cases for 1.1 billion dollars.

Many of you know that my day job is in the insurance industry.  I make indemnity benefits to claimants who are injured on the job.  If you will bear with me, here is another legal definition. (I promise to get to the point soon).

indemnity n. the act of making someone "whole" (give equal to what they have lost) or protected from (insured against) any losses which have occurred or will occur. (See: indemnify)

I am sure that the fishermen in Valdez, Alaska do not feel "made whole" by the reduced monetary judgement against Exxon.  Certain families in New Orleans are still homeless after almost 10 years.  And no amount of money offered by Toyota could counter the overwhelming sense of loss felt by the families of those killed.

Yesterday I was going about my business in my office, and the words to an old hymn came to mind.  "Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole..."  I haven't sung this hymn in ages.  In fact, I had to look up the words online to recall the rest of the song.  But somehow it fit--I was going about the business of indemnifying people for losses suffered, sometimes for accidents they themselves caused (although my state does not compensate for intentional acts, Workers Compensation is a no-fault insurance--it does not penalize for accidents caused by stupidity), and some who were injured through no fault of their own.  Yet the limits posed by the laws of the various states mean that no one is ever really "made whole" in terms of restitution.

The 5th chapter of Romans talks about the "first" Adam, through whom sin came into the world, and contrasts him with Jesus, the "second Adam" through whom comes redemption.  We are all intrinsically more like Adam than like Christ--we are all born with a sin nature. "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned." (Romans 5:12.)  Some lawyers might argue that this was a manufacturer's defect, but God, the perfect judge, would strike down that argument, since we were all created in His image.  Sin is a choice made by each man, although we are predisposed toward it by heredity. "For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17)

In other words, we are broken.  The template (Adam) was flawed.  But as the song goes, we all long to be made whole.  We have a strong desire to be perfect.  In ourselves, it is impossible; but with God, all things are possible.  He sent Jesus, the "second Adam", to be a new template, a better man. We can jettison the old man, and take advantage of God's grace to connect with the New Man, Christ Jesus.  By accepting His sacrificial give of atonement, we can be redeemed into a right relationship with God, not through our own righteousness, but in His alone.  "Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men." (Romans 5:18)

How do we turn in our old selves and become new?  Jesus answered this in John chapter 3: we must be born again.  We must step out of the darkness and into His light.  We must choose to follow Him. "Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the Name of God's one and only Son." (John 3:18). We cannot assume that God will replace our brokenness, redeem us, indemnify us, if we refuse to take His free gift.

We often see television commercials and billboards about joining a Class Action Suit if we think we were harmed by some defective product or service.  If you were harmed, but do not join the Class Action, then you are barred from receiving the benefit.  It does not come automatically--you must act.  In the same way, we must consciously put aside our sinful nature, and take on the grace of God through an act of faith.  It could be a public profession, or it could be a private prayer.

Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole;
I want Thee forever to live in my soul.
Break down every idol, cast out every foe;
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Refrain

Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow.
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Lord Jesus, let nothing unholy remain,
Apply Thine own blood and extract ev’ry stain;
To get this blessed cleansing, I all things forego—
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Refrain

Lord Jesus, look down from Thy throne in the skies,
And help me to make a complete sacrifice.
I give up myself, and whatever I know,
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Refrain

Lord Jesus, for this I most humbly entreat,
I wait, blessèd Lord, at Thy crucified feet.
By faith, for my cleansing, I see Thy blood flow,
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Refrain

Lord Jesus, Thou see that I patiently wait,
Come now, and within me a new heart create;
To those who have sought Thee, Thou never told “No,”
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Refrain

The blessing by faith, I receive from above;
O glory! my soul is made perfect in love;
My prayer has prevailed, and this moment I know,
The blood is applied, I am whiter than snow.

Refrain

---

Rescue me!

Rescue me! Oh take me in your arms
Rescue me! I want your tender charms
'Coz I'm lonely and I'm blue
I need you and your love too

Come on and rescue me
Come on baby and rescue me
Come on baby and rescue me
'Coz I need you, by my side
Can't you see that I'm lonely
Rescue me

Come on and take my heart
Take your love and conquer every part
'Coz I'm lonely and I'm blue
I need you and your love too

Come on and rescue me
Come on baby and rescue me
Come on baby and rescue me
'Coz I need you by my side
Can't you see that I'm lonely

Rescue me! Oh take me in your arms
Rescue me! I want your tender charms
'Coz I'm lonely and I'm blue
I need you and your love too
Come on and rescue me

 Now that I've planted that song in your mind, imagine Aretha Franklin (or Fontella Bass, if you're a bit older) singing this as a gospel song.  It's easy, really.  Take out the word "baby" and insert "Jesus", and you get the idea.  Go ahead.  Look back at the lyrics.  I'll wait.

This idea hearkens back to the original meaning of the term Salvation.  We are Saved by God's grace to good works (Ephesians 2:10).  Yet more recently, Christians seem to have lost sense of the term.  They are more apt to think of themselves as "saved" as in set apart, like pennies in a jar, for redemption at a future date.  We should all instead act as if we have been redeemed, and get out in circulation in the world.  Let the redeemed of the Lord say so! (Psalm 107:2).  Like Job, we can all say with assurance, "I know my Redeemer lives." (Job 19:25).

The two terms, Saved and Redeemed, really go hand in hand.  If you think about the two terms together, it really opens up the Word.  First, we are saved by grace.  This is a true statement.  God desired fellowship with us, so He graciously provided a way for it to happen.  But the mechanism of His grace was rather messy and very violent--it cost His Son his life.  So we are redeemed by the blood of Jesus.  Paul wrote to the Galatian church that Jesus Christ "gave himself for our sins, to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father." (Galatians 1:4)

Second, we have salvation from sin and hell.  The sacrifice of God's Son is the key to our deliverance.  But it is by  redemption that we do not have to follow the letter of the law to escape punishment.  "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.'  He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit." (Galatians 3:13-14).  We were rescued from the curse of the law.

Third, we are saved to eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord.  What joy heaven will be!  We want to keep ourselves holy, so that we are rewarded in heaven, and we can lay our crowns at Jesus' feet.

"And a highway will be there: it will be called the Way of Holiness.  The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it. No lion will be there, nor will any ferocious beast get up on it; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there and the ransomed of the Lord will return.  They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads.  Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away."  --Isaiah 35:8-10.

Colossians 1:13-14 says, "For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." By the act of redemption he rescues us from sin and its consequences--the blood of Jesus (the Sinless One) covers us by grace--not only to avoid eternal damnation, but to enter into the presence of God for all of eternity. And all God's people said--"Amen!"

Redeemed—how I love to proclaim it!
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed through His infinite mercy,
His child, and forever, I am. 

Redeemed, redeemed,Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;Redeemed, redeemed, His child, and forever, I am.

Redeemed and so happy in Jesus,
No language my rapture can tell;
I know that the light of His presence
With me doth continually dwell. (refrain)

I think of my blessed Redeemer,
I think of Him all the day long;
I sing, for I cannot be silent;
His love is the theme of my song. (refrain)

I know I shall see in His beauty
The King in whose way I delight;
Who lovingly guardeth my footsteps,
And giveth me songs in the night. (refrain)

.

The Luck of the Irish

"Here's champagne to real friends, and real pain to sham friends." --a toast attributed to Irish artist Francis Bacon

St. Patrick's Day, as celebrated in America,  is a sham holiday, with its emphasis on green beer and four-leaf clovers supposedly bringing the bearer good luck.  Green is a reference to Ireland, known as "the Emerald Isle" because of its verdant landscapes and lush greenery.  Four-leaf clovers, because usually clovers have three leaves, and finding one with four leaves is unusual.  The four leafed variety occurs in one out of every ten thousand or so, so the chances of finding one are slim.  If you do find one, you are said to be lucky.  The same cannot be said, however, if you find a man with six toes on one foot, or an albino goldfish.  If you are given a two dollar bill in change for a purchase you make, it is unusual; but you wouldn't be tempted to go spend the two dollar bill on a lottery ticket.  In this case, unusual does not mean "lucky."

In fact, many in America erroneously believe that the term "Shamrock" refers to a four-leafed clover.  Thus its association with good luck.  Good luck is an over-riding theme in our culture.  From the hope of good luck in the New Year's celebration, to superstitions such as wearing a "lucky" garment to an interview, or taking a talisman ("good luck charm") with you to the casino.  We even end our meals at a Chinese food restaurant with so-called Fortune Cookies, hoping that they will bring good luck. (This is a very American tradition: an American entrepreneur from New Jersey has gone to Beijing and opened American-style Chinese Food restaurants, which delights American-born residents, but he must always explain the Fortune Cookie to his native Chinese customers.)

In reality, the original Irish Shamrock (traditionally spelled seamróg, which means "summer plant") is said by many authorities to be none other than white clover (Trifolium repens), a common lawn weed originally native to Ireland.  According to legend, the shamrock was a sacred plant to the druids of Ireland because its leaves formed a triad, and three was a mystical number in the Celtic religion, as in many others.  St. Patrick used the shamrock in the 5th century to illustrate the doctrine of the Holy Trinity as he introduced Christianity to Ireland.

Christianity is not based on luck.  Luck is a "sham" rock.  Luck is not something you should use as a foundation for living.  In Biblical parlance, luck is like shifting sands.

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the wind blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.  But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash. --Matthew 7:24-27

Life happens.  It is not "bad luck" when storms come.  The Bible says that the Lord sends rain upon the just and the unjust.  The difference in outcome is not the severity of the storm.  It is the foundation upon which your life is built.  If your hopes of a solid financial future include winning the lottery, then you probably won't have a solid financial future.  That is what I mean by "sham" rock.

Instead, our lives should be built upon the Solid Rock, which is Christ the Lord.  Deuteronomy 32:4 says, "He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He."  2 Samuel 22:2-3 says, "The Lord is my Rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my Rock, in whom I take refuge."  Psalm 92:15 says, "The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him."  Isaiah 26:4 says, "Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the LORD, is the Rock eternal."

Historically, when people wanted to be associated with their family, or their father, they would us a surname with "son of", as in "Son of William", which became the surname "Williamson".  In Ireland, the traditional surname was "Of the House of...", or simply "Of"; this, of course, became the basis for the surname prefix O', as in "O'Grady" or "O'Roarke".  We who identify with the House of God, through the lineage of Christ are called Christian; it could very well have been "Christson" or "O'Christ".  God, through his Son Jesus Christ, should be the Cornerstone, the foundation upon which you build your life.  Do not trust in sham promises, bogus beliefs, false faiths.  Place your faith in the real Rock of Ages.

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.

Refrain

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

Refrain

His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.

Refrain

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh may I then in Him be found.
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.

Refrain

In whatever you set your hands to do, do all for the Glory of God

By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.  By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. --Hebrews 11:7

There is an old, old joke about a woman stuck in her home during a flood.  Fervently she prayed for deliverance, and believed in her heart that God would rescue her by His own hand.  At first, a large truck with four-wheel-drive and enough ground clearance to avoid flooding the exhaust drove up.  The driver offered to take her out of harm's way.  "No," she said. "God will save me."  As the water rose, she was forced to the second story of her home.  A boat floated by, and the boatman offered to let her float to safety with him.  "No," she said.  "God Himself will save me."  The waters rose still higher, and she was forced onto the roof of her house.  A helicopter flew by, and the pilot hovered over.  They dropped a rope ladder for her to grab hold of, to be flown to safety.  Adamantly, the woman shook her head.  "God Himself, by His power, will save me."  Finally she was overtaken by the rising water, and she drowned.  She stood before God, and he welcomed her to heaven, for she was a faithful Christian.  As grateful as she was, she couldn't help but ask, "Lord, why didn't you save me from the flood like I asked?"  God turned and said, "I tried three times.  You wouldn't take my help."

This story was recounted by a radio preacher I heard, who was preaching on Hebrews chapter 11, the Hall of Fame of Faith.  He spent a few moments on Noah before going on to other heroes of the faith also mentioned in the chapter.  The points he made were right on target:  God had promised to destroy the world, but He had provided an escape; Noah acted on God's command in order to save himself and his family, as well as all the animals; and no matter how hard it was to stay in the ark for 120 days (fighting seasickness and the stench of all those animals), neither Noah nor his family ever decided to bail out of the ark and swim for it--as hard as it was, it was better than being under water with the world.

As I am wont to do from time to time, I began to mull over the truths I heard in the sermon, ruminating on different ideas that came to my mind from Scripture I had read.  Expanding on what the preacher said on the radio, I looked for other examples of God giving a Plan, of man building the thing according to God's plan, and then after the thing was dedicated to God, man used it for his good and God's glory.  Along with the Ark of Noah, I thought about the Altar of God's Temple, and the Ark of the Covenant.

The Ark of Noah
Building the ark took faith.  It took foresight.  It cost Noah his friends.  Yet Noah was so faithful to God that he believed the problem that God posed to him--the world had become so wicked that God decided to wipe it out and start over.  Noah overcame this hurdle. (Face it, what evidence was there that the whole Earth would be flooded? Had it ever happened before? No.  Were there meteorologists around back then exclaiming that a tropical vortex would sweep in from the sea, and dump several meters of water in what would have been the "storm of the millennium"? No.  God said it; that was good enough for Noah.)

But after that, he did not panic, and take matters into his own hands.  I think I might have done that.  I like to run around like a headless chicken, wringing my hands and saying, "What shall I do?"  and then doing something stupid.  (I am being facetious--I don't like doing that, but it happens more than you know.)  Noah didn't get ahead of God.  He knew that God was faithful; He would not give us more than we could bear.  God would not warn us of a peril without providing a solution for it. That is God's nature.  Whenever He pricks your conscience, it is not to bring condemnation on you; it is to motivate you to do something different.  Stop living in the suburbs of sinfulness, stop hanging around the outskirts of shame, and start walking with Him.  Noah waited for God's direction, and he followed God's plan to the letter.

God was very specific in his instructions.  The ark was to be so high and so wide and so long, and made with this specific wood, and covered with pitch.  You couldn't follow those directions without breaking a sweat. You couldn't do it without getting your hands dirty. But Noah never threw up his hands and said, "God, it's too much--I quit!"  He didn't take shortcuts that would have endangered the mission of the ark.  He was faithful to God's commands, and God blessed him for it.

The Altar of the Temple
There was another time and place in the Bible where mankind had a need, and God had a plan.  Moses was the point man for the nation of Israel, and God spoke with him directly.  But the people that Moses represented were sinful.  They needed a way to be reconciled with God, or else they would be separated from Him--either in the present world, being like all the other nations who followed gods made with wood or stone, or in the afterlife where they would surely miss His heavenly presence.  So God instituted a system of sacrifices.  These sacrifices could not be done just anywhere.  God commanded that they be done in a Tabernacle--a portable structure that resembled the future Temple in Jerusalem (which, in turn, resembled the altar that is in heaven).  The Tabernacle had all sorts of instructions and measurements, and furnishings, and only certain people could serve in it.  I'm not going to spend time here going into all the requirements of the Tabernacle, but I would like to describe the Altar which God commanded them to build.

Moses, and the priestly tribe of Levi, knew that God was sinless. That separated Him from the people, who were sinful.  God allowed the people to transfer their sins to an animal--a bull, or a sheep--that by the shedding of that animal's blood, the people's sins would be forgiven. "In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin." (Hebrews 9:22).

Exodus 27:1-8 gives explicit directions on how to build the ark--what it is to be made of, the dimensions, the decorations, even how it is to be transported.  It served a vital function in the spiritual lives of the Jews, and it required an expert craftsman to construct it according to God's plan.  The craftsman could not take artistic license, and do with the design whatever he wanted to do.  And when putting the altar to its intended use, the priests were commanded to be hands-on.  You could not offer a sacrifice to God without getting it on you.

Now that we live in the New Covenant, where the Blood of the Lamb covers us, and we no longer need a priest to offer a sacrifice for us, we are still called to be hands-on followers of God.  He still has a list of instructions He wants us to keep.  If we mess up, we are forgiven.  But it is because of that very forgiveness, and the blood that was shed to secure it, that we want to follow closely in His footsteps.

The Ark of the Covenant
Again in Exodus, this time in chapter 25, there are explicit directions on how to construct a box, called an ark, that would serve as a memorial of God's precepts, His provision, and His promise for generations.  Inside this box, they were to put the ten commandments, the stone tablets that God had written with His own hand and that Moses presented to the people.  They were to put the rod of Aaron, that grew buds and flowered as a sign to Pharaoh and the magicians in Egypt that God was greater than their gods.  And they were to put a jar of manna, the bread of heaven provided by God for food to them as they wandered in the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land.

This memorial was so important that only the priests from the tribe of Levi could carry it.  It was not always kept in the Tabernacle, or the Temple later on.  On more than one occasion it was taken into battle as a token of God's victory.  More than once it was captured by the enemies of God, and placed in heathen temples.  But always it signified  Divine Providence, even when it was misused by people.

How has God shown His promises to you?  How has He provided? Is there a place in your heart dedicated to the memory of those provisions?  Don't ever lose sight of the fulfillment of His promises to you.  Some religions construct shrines as a memorial.  Some wear talismans to keep them from forgetting.  Others carry beads or memory stones, so that they will remember His words as they hold them in their hands.  Hebrews 8:10 says, "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord.  I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts.  I will be their God, and they will be my people."

Let God the Father be your Ark of Noah, keeping you afloat in a world of sin.  Let the Cross of Christ be your Altar of the Tabernacle, a place where you lay down your sins and are covered by the blood, so that your sins will be seen no more.  Let the Holy Spirit write God's laws on your heart, and keep those promises sacred, just like the Ark of the Covenant.

It's humbling to see yourself in Scripture

Isaiah chapter 28 speaks to so many.  Or rather, it speaks loudly to my many shortcomings and faults.  Maybe yours, too.

Pride
To the haughty and proud he says, "Woe to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim's drunkards....He will throw it forcefully to the ground.  That wreath, the pride of Ephraim's drunkards, will be trampled underfoot."  Everything you boast about--your wealth, your possessions, your beauty--all of it will burn.  By way of contrast, he says this:

In that day the Lord Almighty will be a glorious crown, a beautiful wreath for the remnant of his people.  He will be a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, a source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate. --Isaiah 28:5-6

I had to go to traffic court yesterday.  In my flesh, I started harboring a certain hatred toward the judge.  I recalled the episode of "The Big Bang Theory" where Sheldon went to traffic court and when his arguments failed, he insulted the judge.  I smiled.  I thought a moment about asking the judge, "Isn't your mother proud, putting you through law school so you could impose fines on these fine people, take time out of their day, and make them subservient to you so that the township can reap a few dollars."  But then I looked at the people assembled there.  They were guilty.  I was guilty.  There was only one woman there who pleaded not guilty, and she would have to battle with the prosecutor to prove herself innocent.  Humbly, I began to repent.  The judge was doing his job.  He was performing a public service.  He was standing up for law and order in our town.

Those who believe the Bible says we shouldn't judge are wrong.  We should discriminate between right and wrong.  We should judge among ourselves who is worthy of honor and who is not, who is in need and who is not.  And the caveat that Jesus said in Matthew 7:1, that everyone loves to misquote, is about being careful in our judgment.  Verse 2 says, "For in the same way you judge others, you yourself will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."  What a sad, sad world we would live in if people like the traffic judge I briefly stood before to enter my guilty plea, if people like that could read our minds.  "Oh, so you think I'm a failure? I'm at the bottom of the legal barrel?  You are no super success, yourself.  I sentence you to sit in a room with your more successful class-mates, and let them hurl insults at you for not being so successful."  Luke 6:37-38 places Jesus' thought more in context:  "Do not judge, and you will not be judged.  Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."  Put aside your pride, and seek justice for all, and help for those battling evil.

Dogmatic Orthodoxy
Back to our text.  Isaiah 28:9 and following start speaking to the dogmatic, the fundamentalists who believe you must work you way to salvation, to become righteous before He will accept you.  Verse 10 says, "For it is: Do and do, do and do, rule on rule, rule on rule, a little here, a little there."  We all know people like this.  We may even at time be people like this.  "You have to be like us to be a Christian," we may say.  In contrast, God says He came to give rest and refuge, not rules and regulations.

To whom he said, "This is the resting place, let the weary rest"; and "This is the place of repose"--but they would not listen.  So then, the word of the Lord to them will become: Do and do, do and do, rule on rule, rule on rule; a little here, a little there--so that they will go and fall backward, be injured and snared and captured. --Isaiah 28:12-13

When I was in high school, I viciously attacked other Christians, because I was trying to defend the doctrines of my own denomination.  If I had spent half the time sharing Christ's love with the lost that I spent haranguing  fellow Christians, there would have been a revival in my school.  I got so hung up on my own church's doctrine that I missed out on the message.

You may have seen the phrase, "Hoisted by his own petard."  It is a phrase found in Shakespeare's Hamlet that literally means, "Blown up by your own bomb."  Applied to this scripture, it is as if God is saying, "I really want to show you love, and give you rest.  I want you to relax and be who I made you to be.  But you have all these rules that you think you have to follow.  If you refuse to give up the rules, then fine: live by them until they crush you.  And when you are wounded and broken, come back and see me.  I'll still be here."

Living a Lie
Some people believe in a cause for which they are willing to die.  Some may see that as admirable.  It can only be admired if the cause is the cause of Christ.  Everything else is a covenant with death.  Verse 15 says, "You boast, "We have entered into a covenant with death, with the grave we have made an agreement....for we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place."  Many good people devote their whole lives to a cause, and then become disillusioned because the cause falters, or the leaders are found to be corrupt.  Not so with God:

So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed. --Isaiah 28:16

Of course we know that Jesus himself became the cornerstone.  1 Peter 2:7-8 says, "Now to you who believe, this stone is precious.  But to those who do not believe, 'The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone' and 'a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.' "  1 Corinthians 3:11-15 says, "For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.  If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, it will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light.  It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive a reward.  If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames."

There is a popular commercial series for Direct TV entitled "Get Rid Of Cable".  It has been much parodied on YouTube, so you have probably seen it.  Each spot starts with a problem posed by the Cable Company, and a person's reaction to it.  This reaction leads to improbable results, causing more ridiculous outcomes, like a person feeling powerless dealing with the cable company.  In this example, he end up dressing up as a superhero and not only causes injury to himself but places himself in an embarrassing position.  The tag-line is, "Don't fall in a sky-light and land on a dinner table; get Direct TV."  The sheer ridiculousness makes it memorable.  Next time you see one of those commercials, think about taking up a secular cause.  Think about pouring your entire body, soul and fortune into this cause.  Then think of the worst thing that could happen--the leader is disgraced, or the comrades in arms sell out to an evil idea.  Then think of God's Day of Judgement, when everything is tried by fire.  You will still be saved, but with the smell of fire and brimstone on your clothes.  Don't go to heaven with the smell of fire and brimstone on your clothes.  Base your life on the sure foundation of Jesus Christ.

Why does God allow evil?

British naturalist and environmentalist George Monbiot has made an interesting observation about wolves.  He has observed that Yellowstone National Park had been without wolves for some 70 years.  They were all killed off by 1926.  Since that time, the park became overrun with deer.  The deer grazed away the vegetation, which caused other destructive forces to have sway over the park.  Then, in 1995, wolves were finally reintroduced into Yellowstone, and the effects of what Monbiot calls "rewilding" were dramatic.

The wolves brought the deer population down to a sustainable level.  But that's not all.  Suddenly realizing that there were predators among them, the deer made some radical changes to their behavior.  They started moving more, and staying together in herds.  They began to avoid places in the park where they could easily be trapped.  Then, like dominoes falling, other strange changes started happening in Yellowstone.  The vegetation grew thick in the places where the deer were no longer congregating.

The increase in vegetation allowed more birds and beavers to move in.  The beavers built dams, which became habitats for otters, muskrats, ducks, fish, reptiles and amphibians.  The wolves also killed some of the coyotes.  With fewer smaller predators, there was an increase in the number of rabbits and mice.  These smaller animals boosted the population of weasels, hawks, foxes and badgers.  Meanwhile, ravens, bald eagles and bears fed on the carrion that the wolves left.

But that's not all.  The river patterns in the park began to change.  The regeneration of lush vegetation stabilized the riverbanks, leading to less erosion and straighter water flow.  So instead of winding back and forth, the river current grew stronger and straighter.  "The wolves, small in number, transformed not just the ecosystem of Yellowstone National Park--this huge area of land--but also its physical geography," Monbiot concluded.

But you all know that I am not an environmentalist, and this blog does not concern itself with naturalism.  This blog exists to encourage people spiritually.  So what possible spiritual meaning could be found in "rewilding" or reintroducing wolves in to Yellowstone National Park?  And what does any of this have to do with the question posed in the title, "Why does God allow evil?"

When I looked up "imagery of the wolf in the Bible", I was directed to http://www.zoocreation.com/biblespecies/wolf.html and a chapter of Wood's book, Bible Animals from 1875.  I found out more about wolves than I ever knew.  Sure, wolves are mentioned in Scripture, but indirectly.  No wolf ever attacked David's flock of sheep; where he writes of killing the lion and the bear, nowhere does it say he slew the wolf.  Similarly, lions are specifically mentioned as attacking Samson and other prophets.  We read of dogs that consumed the carcasses of Ahab and Jezebel.  Bears were called by the prophet Elisha and attacked the children who were mocking him for his bald head.

But in no case is the Wolf mentioned, except in a metaphorical sense; and this fact is the more remarkable, because the animals were so numerous that they were very likely to have exercised some influence on a history extending over such a lengthened range of years, and limited to so small a portion of the earth...Seldom seen by day, (the Wolf) lies hidden in its covert as long as the light lasts, and steals out in search of prey in the evening.  This custom of the Wolf is mentioned in several passages of Holy Scripture, such as that in Jeremiah 5:5,6: "They have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds.  Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them."  In this passage, the reader will see that the rebellious Israelites are compared to restive draught cattle which have broken away from their harness and run loose, so that they are deprived of the protection of their owners, and exposed to the fury of wild beasts.

So the Wolf symbolizes evil in Scripture.  Evil is something the Christian should avoid at all costs.   But without the presence of Evil in this world, we, the Sheep of His hand, would forget the Shepherd.  We would wander off, and stay in the lush valleys, near the still waters.  Like the deer in Yellowstone, we would eventually grow fat and lazy, and would see the vegetation disappear and the banks of the river erode, so that the waters would eventually dry up.

So knowing that we should avoid Evil, but realizing that God allows it to be present here, we should hold on to the promise found in Romans 8:28, that "All things work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose."  Like the deer learned to avoid the wolf, we need to learn to avoid evil.  Like the wolf, evil has several traits that, if learned, can help us detect and avoid it.  As Sun Tzu wrote in The Art of War, "If you know your enemies and you know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles....If you do not know your enemies or yourself, you will be imperiled."  So let us study the Wolf, and make connections to the Evil which we all need to avoid.

The Lone Wolf
A single wolf will not attack a herd.  But it will follow at a respectable distance, to study the herd, to learn their ways, and to search out their weaknesses.  We, then, should follow the scriptural admonition found in Hebrews 10:25: "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching."  You are less apt to be caught up in sin if you are involved in a Church, especially if that church teaches Scripture and encourages you to embrace Christ.

Nevertheless, even the most ardent believers, the most adamant church-goer cannot shake evil entirely.  Like the wolf, evil will follow at a respectable distance, waiting and watching for a chance to separate you from the pack and attack.  Be vigilant, my friend.

The Pack Attack
When hunting in a pack, wolves are bold, cunning and ferocious.  They will come together and strike at a herd of much larger, stronger animals, and they will not stop until they prevail.  They will always send a few to the outside perimeter, to cut off any who try to escape.  When they attack, they instinctively go for the parts of the body that are most vulnerable.  All of us have weaknesses, vulnerabilities.  If we find ourselves too far from the Body of Christ, we should beware.  And if we are in a Body that is under attack, we should look for unchecked sins.  Like God told Cain, who had just offered a sacrifice inferior to that of his brother, "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?  But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it." (Genesis 4:7).

In John 10:1-16, Jesus compares himself to a good shepherd, who watches over the fold.  If the wolves should come to take the sheep, he would rather give up his life that to let them succeed.  Contrast that with the false teachers, who are compared to bad shepherds; they are hired for money, but they have no interest in the sheep, and therefore will not expose themselves to danger in defense of the fold.  We need to make sure that the churches we join are shepherded by Christ, and good, strong under-shepherds (pastors).  If not, we are as vulnerable to attack as if we were not involved in church at all.

The Crafty Animal
Wolves will do whatever they can to avoid a trap.  In some instances, when they feel they are trapped, wolves have been known to "play dead."  Wolves prefer to hunt at night, under cover of darkness.  They are cunning creatures, preferring to steal upon its prey and take it unawares.

We should always be wary.  Matthew 7:15 warns us to watch for false prophets, who come appearing to be "in sheep's clothing", but are actually ravenous wolves.  The good news is that Jesus knows that there is Evil in the world.  Matthew 10:16 says, "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves."  He is there for us, there with us, willing to walk beside us through life's peaks and valleys.  He will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear, but he does allow us to be tempted.  He knows that there is Evil in this World, and for good reason--so that He can show His power and love in a way that will benefit us.

Ultimately, He will take us out of this world.  In the Heaven He has prepared for us, he promises in Isaiah 11:6, "The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them."

Sing sweet and low a lullaby till angels say Amen
A mother tonight is rocking a cradle in Bethlehem
While wise men follow through the dark, a star that beckons them
A mother tonight is rocking a cradle in Bethlehem

A little Child will lead them, the prophets said of old
In storm and tempest heed Him until the bell is tolled
Sing sweet and low your lullaby till angels say Amen
A mother tonight is rocking a cradle in Bethlehem

A mother tonight is rocking a cradle in Bethlehem
A mother tonight is rocking her Baby in Bethlehem

Temptation leads to idolatry, or victory

For no temptation--no trial regarded as enticing to sin [no matter how it comes or where it leads]--has overtaken you and laid hold on you that is not common to man--that is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not adjusted and adapted and belonging to human experience, and such as man can bear.  But God is faithful [to His Word and to His compassionate nature], and He [can be trusted] not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure, but with the temptation He will [always] also provide the way out--the means of escape to a landing place--that you may be capable and strong and powerful patiently to bear up under it. --1 Corinthians 10:13 (Amplified).

The current sermon series at Gateway Church has been amazing.  Called It Is Written, you can access the sermons at http://gatewaypeople.com/sermons.  The first sermon in the series showed how, when Jesus had fasted 40 days and then was tempted by Satan, he always responded with Scripture.  It Is Written.  The three temptations listed in the Bible (there were doubtless many, many more) had to do with three basic human needs: Provision, Protection, and Power.  The Bible speaks to each of these needs.

The fourth sermon in the series, just this past weekend, takes up the theme of temptation.  But it all ties in to another concept: Idolatry.  There are a lot of stand-alone verses in 1 Corinthians 10, and many of them deal with temptation. But what struck me, and I guess that I had never seen it before, was that the entire passage from verse 7 to verse 14 talks about idolatry.  Verse 7 starts, "Do not be idolaters, as some of them were."  Verse 14 ends with, "Flee from idolatry."  So the whole passage invites one to read each verse with a new set of eyes, from a different vantage point.

All said, there are three specific temptations listed, "such as are common to man."  I submit to you that succumbing to any of these temptations is tantamount to idolatry--that is, putting something else in place of God.  We may not worship graven images, but we practice idolatry when we allow anything to have control over our mind, will and emotions.  Let's look at these temptations that lead to idolatry in more detail.

Sexual Immorality
This is the most obvious of the three temptations listed in this passage.  Yet it is the most prevalent temptation of our day.  We have more opportunity, and less accountability, to indulge ourselves sexually now than ever before.  But don't think this is a new problem.  Paul warned the first century Christians in Corinth to avoid being tempted, starting in the second half of verse 7 and moving to verse 8.  "As it is written: 'The people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to play.'  We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did--and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died."

There are two Old Testament references here, the first one from Exodus 32.  In the first, Moses had gone up on Mount Sinai to receive the commands of the Lord ("It is written on tablets of stone"), and Aaron was left to lead the people.  The people convinced Aaron that something had happened to Moses, and that God was no longer relevant, so Aaron made them a golden calf.  The people had a feast day in honor of this idol, and then after they ate, they indulged in pagan revelry.  In this sense, sexual immorality was practiced as a form of worship to this golden idol.

The second reference is from Numbers 25:1-18.  The men of Israel at that time lived among the women of Moab, and started intermarrying.  When the Moabite women set up their households in the Israelite cities, they brought their idols, their images of Baal, with them.  The men of Israel not only allowed this, but began to practice pagan rites, which included sexual immorality.  It's a very graphic description--Phineas the priest, the grandson of Aaron, went in to the Tent of Meeting (what was used as the center of worship before a permanent Temple could be built).  There he found an Israelite man on top of a Moabite woman, and he drove a spear through both of them.  Due to the courage of Phineas, and his willingness to stop the degradation of the Tabernacle, God stopped the plague that had killed 23,000 people.

Now, many of us today might have trouble making a connection between them and us.  We don't have temple prostitutes, we don't engage in coitus as an expression of worship to a god or goddess, and we sure don't have capital punishment for adulterers--or idolaters, for that matter.  But we do indulge in all manner of sexual immorality.  The Greek word used in 1 Corinthians was pornomea, the root of our word "pornography".  Pornomea involves more than sexual images; it includes lewd acts, lust and adultery.  The sinfulness of it is in our gratifying ourselves; putting more effort into fulfilling our carnal desires than we do in keeping our marriage vows, or keeping ourselves pure for our future spouse--not to mention pleasing ourselves over pleasing God.  Remember, idolatry is putting anything or anyone (including yourself) above God and his holiness.

Tempting God
1 Corinthians 10:9 says, "We should not test the Lord."  The Amplified Bible puts it this way: "We should not tempt the Lord--try His patience, become a trial to Him, critically appraise Him and exploit His goodness--as some of them did and were killed by poisonous serpents."  Before we get into the Old Testament reference here, let's go back and study what it means to "test the Lord" or "become a trial to Him" or "critically appraise Him".  When Jesus was on this earth, teaching and healing and revealing God to so many people who had never had access to God before, the one group of people who stood in His way the most were the Pharisees.  They were certainly the most critical of Him.  And in Mark chapter three, the had accused Jesus of blasphemy.  Jesus took up their argument and turned it against them.  "I tell you the truth," Jesus said.  "All the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them.  But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin." (Mark 3:28-29)

When Satan tempted Jesus by taking Him to the pinnacle of the Temple and daring Him to throw Himself down, so that the angels would come to His rescue, Jesus said, "It is written, you shall not tempt the Lord your God."  Satan was in essence asking Jesus to put on a show, a circus act that would astound and amaze the people, but would not do them any good spiritually.  We do much the same thing when we wish for a ridiculous blessing: "If God really loved me, He would let me win the lottery."  This silliness can be forgiven.  But many play lotto with our eternity.  Many will say, "I know I should become a Christian, and some day I will ask God to save me; but not now."  Friend, you don't know what the future holds, or how many days you have left.  Don't tempt God, because pretty soon, it will be too late.

The Old Testament reference to the time when people were killed by poisonous serpents is found in Numbers 21:5-6.  In that story, the people of Israel started griping.  They spoke against God and against Moses, saying, "Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the desert?  There is no bread or water; and we hate this miserable food!"  On the small scale, they conveniently forgot that when they were in Egypt, they were slaves, and had to toil in the sun all day to earn their bread.  What they had now was freedom from slavery, and free food, provided by God Himself.  On the larger scale, what they were really saying was that God's plan was no good, that their plan would be better.  Again, this is idolatry--putting themselves in a position above God and His perfect will for their lives.  Much like the man who says he will trust in God some day, but not now.  He is essentially saying that he knows better than God what he should do with his life; that he would rather gratify his own desires now and put off following God, instead of bowing to God now and being subject to His will.  James 4:14 says, "Yet you do not know [the least thing] about what may happen tomorrow.  What is the nature of your life?  You are [really] but a wisp of vapor--a puff of smoke, a mist--that is visible for a little while and then disappears [into thin air]." (Amplified).

Complaining
The third example of a temptation that leads to idolatry is found in 1 Corinthians 10:10. "And do not grumble, as some of them did--and were killed by the destroying angel."  This is possibly a reference to the sons of Korah in Numbers 16.  When God set apart the people of Israel, He gave the rights and responsibilities of the Priesthood specifically to the Levites, the sons of Aaron.  The sons of Korah rebelled against this hierarchy, because they wanted to be priests themselves.  God's anger burned against them, and as an example to the people, God killed them.  A great chasm opened up in the ground and swallowed them.  But instead of humbling themselves before God and seeking His will for their lives, the people complained.  "Those people put to death yesterday--they were good and godly people," they said.  "There was no good reason to treat them like that."  In essence, they put themselves on the same level as God; they put God on trial as if they were a jury of His peers (forgetting that God has no equal).

Here is what happened next:

The next day the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.  "You have killed the Lord's people," they said.  But when the assembly gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron and turned toward the Tent of Meeting, suddenly the cloud covered it, and the Glory of the Lord appeared.  Then Moses and Aaron went to the front of the Tent of Meeting, and the Lord said, "Get away from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once." And they fell facedown. --Numbers 16:41-45.

Moses interceded for the people, and Aaron gave a sacrifice of atonement for them, so the wrath of God was turned back, but not before He had sent a plague that killed 14,700 people, in addition to those who had died because of Korah.

Many of us today shake our heads and cluck sadly at the news headlines.  "That should never have happened," we may say.  "Why do good people suffer?  Why do the wicked prosper?"  We tacitly agree that if we were in charge, things would be different.  We would certainly put an end to suffering.  We would steal from the rich and give to the poor, take the wealth of the 1% and distribute it evenly among the 99%.  We would make things fair for all, once and for all.

And this, my friend, is the spirit of idolatry.  Deciding we know better than God.

Let me tell you something else, my friend.  But for the blood of Jesus covering us, God would have wiped us all out centuries ago.  Just like Moses stood between God and the people, just like Aaron offering a sacrifice of atonement for them, Jesus gave His life to atone for us, whether we know it or not.  The time will come, however, when Jesus returns to gather up the faithful, those who overcame temptation and shunned idolatry. And when He takes His church out of the way, there will be nobody there to intercede for you.  God will judge you on how you dealt with temptation.  Did you put yourself and your needs, your desires, above God?  You will be humbled, you will be brought low.  There is no denying it: you will be judged.

God has provided His own Son as a sacrifice for your sin.  If you are covered by the blood of Jesus, God will turn away His wrath, and will not see your sin.  Jesus will be your means of escape, and heaven will be your landing place.

In the distance I can see the storm clouds coming my way,
And I need to find a shelter before it starts to rain,
So I turn and run to you, Lord,
You're the only place to go,
Where unfailing love surrounds me,
When I need it most.

You're my hiding place,
Safe in your embrace,
I'm protected from the storm that rages,
When the waters rise,
And I run to hide,
Lord in you I'll find my hiding place.

I'm not asking you to take away my troubles, Lord,
Cause it's through the stormy weather I'll learn to trust you more,
But I thank you for the promise,
And I have come to know,
Your unfailing love surrounds me,
When I need it most.

You're my hiding place,
Safe in your embrace,
I'm protected from the storm that rages.
When the waters rise,
And I run to hide,
Lord in you I'll find my hiding place.

So, let your people seek you,
While you may be found,
Cause you're our only refuge,
When the rain comes pouring down.

You're our hiding place,
Safe in your embrace,
We're protected from the storm that rages,
When the waters rise,
And we run to hide,
Lord, in you we find our hiding place...
Lord, in you we find our hiding place.

Read more: http://artists.letssingit.com/steven-curtis-chapman-lyrics-hiding-place-brf7fsb#ixzz2sVcNHsCs
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