SACROSANCT: secure from violation, profanation, assault, or trespass GOSPEL: the good news of Jesus Christ, who rescues us from the wrath of God and secures for us His eternal favor
Yesterday I wrote a post called “His Face Never Changes” in which I called attention to the male tendency to mask our weaknesses by maintaining a calm, cool demeanor. “Never let ‘em see you sweat” is the facade that many men use to gain social capital with other men. Unfortunately many Christian perspectives on masculinity do not make a break from this fleshly commitment. The current Christian emphasis does not work toward, or even allow, a ‘gospel vulnerability’ that learns to find strength in weakness (click here to see what I mean). Instead most Christian teaching joins right in, accentuating a kind of “John Wayne/Don Draper” approach to Christianity. Don’t cry. Don’t admit weakness. Don’t admit failure. Never let ‘em see you sweat. Get stuff done for the kingdom. Sadly, this works for a while. It is very appealing. It sounds good: Let’s go kick some butt for Jesus. But, in the end, this emphasis unwittingly legitimates masculine anger, pride, and arrogance. It also affirms shame and guilt as a proper motivational tool. Currently, I feel that this perspective is causing a lot of damage to churches, families, and to the cause of the gospel. There is much fire, but very little heat.
We simply can’t address a “secular” brand of pride, anger, and masculine arrogance by replacing it with a “Christian-ized” brand of pride, anger, and masculine arrogance. That is not the gospel. It’s a deformed version of masculinity. We Christian men desperately need to recover Jesus’ gospel emphasis on strength that is gained through weakness. “Blessed are the poor…” (Matthew 5:1-12); “If any man wishes to gain his life, he must lose it…” (Matthew 16:25); “Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up (James 4:6-10).”
One helpful book that I have read this past year has been very helpful along these lines – “Leading with a Limp” by Dan Allendar. Dr. Allendar points out that “God’s criteria for choosing leaders runs counter to conventional wisdom. Our culture equates strength with effectiveness, but God favors leaders who know the value of brokenness. They’re not preoccupied with protecting their image, they are undaunted by chaos and complexity, they are ready to risk failure in moving an organization from what is to what should be. God chooses leaders who aren’t deceived by the myths of power and control, but who realize that God’s power is found in brokenness.”
Although this is a book specifically geared toward “leadership” it has given me invaluable help in developing gospel perspectives in my own personal walk with Christ as well as informing my ministry to men. In the meantime, I pray that the Spirit of Christ will correct the current Christian emphasis of overt ‘anger’ fueled masculinity that is presently hindering the proper ministry of male leadership in our churches. I also pray that we men learn how to come out from behind the fig leaf protection of “Don Draper cool” so that our shame can be healed and our hearts strengthened with the courage of gospel love and self-sacrifice.
Yet, underneath the confident veneer, a torrent of emotion rages – anger, lust, shame, envy, apathy, insecurity, and grief. So many men that I have known suffer from this kind of internal confusion. This is why so many men experience mid-life crisis, feelings of suicide, and an inability to express themselves. This is also why men generally do not like to cry. If a tear falls, the dam is likely to burst. They simply are unwilling to go there. They are too afraid of the consequences of allowing weakness. Too afraid of showing vulnerability. So, they toughen up and keep going…until…they can’t go anymore. And when this happens, when the clay feet of feigned fleshly confidence crumbles, when the jig is up, when the thin veneer of “Don Draper cool” gives way – it’s a disaster.
Christ teach us humility. Teach us to come out of hiding. Teach us the gospel strength that is found in weakness. Teach us that only Jesus can cover our shame.
The Christian band Waterdeep wrote a song around the theme of one of my favorite verses of scripture. Jeremiah 29:11 says – “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” This is good news for those who know Christ. We attempt to make our plans. We try to write our own story. We see ourselves as ‘the good guy’. Everyone else – they are the ‘bad guys.’ The lines of this script are all false. Yet, I keep the lies flowing. I pose as one who is devoted to Christ. I pose as a righteous man. But the words of this play are weighed in the balance and found wanting. I am a blind paperback writer. Jesus is so good to take the pen out of my hand. He has plans for me. He is writing the story. Plans to love, plans for hope, plans for glory.
Follow along with the lyrics…
You talk of hating war But where’s your own peacetime?
You don’t love anymore – All my children
You linger in your mind everyone’s so unkind;
But you forget about the mines you laid on your land
I know the plans I have for you
I know the things that I want for you to do
I know the plans I have for you
and it hurts sometimes to see you blind
You read up on the lies and keep them in motion.
So clever the disguise of devotion
You tell Me there’s no time. But there you stand joking
But you forgot that I’m the one Who weighs the words you’ve spoken
I know the plans I have for you
I know the things that I want for you to do
I know the plans I have for you
And it hurts sometimes to see you cry
I drew this on Saturday May 12, 2012. Shame causes us to recoil inside of ourselves. We feel naked, exposed, and hopeless. Praise Christ, the gospel lifts us out of our shame.
Zephaniah 3:19 says, “…I (God) will take off your disgrace, I will remove your reproach, I will deal with your oppressors and gather your outcasts, lifting them out of their shame.”
“We don’t need fewer trials, we need more Jesus.” – Justin Woodall
Justin Woodall is a fellow pastor and colleague at Surfside Presbyterian Church. A couple of days ago while we were talking, Justin said, “You know man, we don’t need fewer trials, what we need is more Jesus.” So true. Later Justin wrote a post on this thought. Click here to give it a read.
Have you ever thought about the words to the Walt Disney theme song? ‘When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are. When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true.’ I believe that those who trust in Jesus have set their faith in a dream that will come true. When we, with tiny ‘mustard seed’ faith, set our hope in Christ, we will continually be amazed at the overwhelming response of our God. In the end, I don’t believe that wishes start with us at all. Even faith is a gift that comes from God. It is God’s faith/wish that germinates in our hearts, at first a small seed that, almost without our knowing it, slowly grows into a huge tree of life, reminding us that there is something more. When Christ takes residence in our lives, His work is so subtle, yet it is forceful. He plants Himself in the middle of our barren lives, and over and over, almost out of nowhere, when all hope seems lost, He proclaims that our faith/wish in Him has not been in vain. He is with us! Saving us from sin. Plucking us from despair. Cheering our hearts. Filling us with love. And the power of this inviolable faith/wish endures – filling us with hope, encouraging us to keep trusting in Christ, knowing that He will rescue us again and again until we finally behold Him face to face. This grand moment – when our faith becomes sight – is a wish that will one day be gloriously realized…
Worship is not primarily ascribing ultimate value and lordship to God. Worship is recognizing the ultimate value that God already possesses and bowing before the lordship that God already has.
During this spring season many of our people at Surfside PCA are going through the small group material “Not a Fan.” This is a great study that puts emphasis on being a “follower” of Christ and not just a distant spectator. This great study strikes at the very heart of what it means to worship God. Worshipping God is not simply ascribing worth to Him and then walking away. Worship “sees” the splendor of God’s value and is moved to joy. Worship doesn’t say that “Christ is Lord” because it intellectually adds up or because everybody else says so. Worship says Christ is Lord because it sees Christ’s scars and beholds Christ’s glory. Worship does not simply know about the Cross, worship kisses the Cross of Jesus and finds comfort only in its shadow.
Psalm 139 is one of the most well-known and glorious songs in the Bible. Yet, there are a few verses toward the end of the psalm that are often avoided or disregarded. Yet, these important verses are a key to understanding the astounding context of David’s lament. In this sermon, I seek to recover these verses so that we might gain a greater understanding of how boldly and honestly the believer may approach the throne of grace.
Recently I have been reading Jack Miller’s book“The Heart of a Servant Leader.” On page 59 we read a letter that Jack wrote to a young pastor who encountered resistance to his teaching on how the grace of Christ is designed to change hearts. Jack writes…
“One irony that strikes me is that so often people who emphasize the third use of the law(reminding believers of the mark at which we are to aim, namely Christ – Tim’s ad)are really not great law keepers themselves. For example, I have noted that sometimes church members given heavy doses of the third use of the law have little idea of the inner nature of the law as a delighting in God. I have also noted a tendency to exclude the tongue and a a critical spirit from consideration as well, so that you can get the irony of believers defending the law with a harshness that itself breaks the law! What sinners we can be!But I do think that the Heidelberg Catechism(see question 32 – Tim’s ad)and the Belgic Confession have an excellent emphasis on faith and sanctification. It is also interesting to see that (as best I can recall) the Larger Catechism speaks of the third use of the law and relates its role to breaking us and driving us to Christ. Add that emphasis, and grace follows. For what it is worth, here is how I see the theological emphasis of English Puritanism 1. Know your enemy – the word, the flesh, the devil; 2 – Know your personal limitations – your own particular fleshly characteristics and habits; 3 – Know your Friend – the grace of God in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.
In “Theological Thoughts” I take some time to describe my different theological perspectives. This entry has to do with how the three approaches to theology relate to one another.
Question: What is the proper way in which the schools of Biblical Theology, Systematic Theology, and Practical Theology relate to one another?
There is an ongoing debate between the proponents of Biblical Theology, the proponents of Systematic Theology, and the proponents of Practical Theology (From here on identified as BT, ST, and PT). The debate is commonly focused around the question “Which theological discipline should be held as central and how should they relate to one another. STs, BTs, and PTs each have a different approach to theology.
I love the song “Joy” by Page CXVI. It was written by Tifah Phillips as a lament to Christ after her father died of cancer. (Here is the link to her story ab0ut how the song was written – http://blog.pagecxvi.com/post/683764188/joy). Tifah took the song “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, down in my heart” and she rearranged it into a lament. She recognized that joy is something that is beyond mere happiness. She understood that true joy, if it is to become true and loving, must be mingled with a sorrow that shares in the sufferings of Christ.
So often I find that we Christians do not know how to be sad. We tragically believe that the joy of Christ does not allow for sadness or tears or pain, feeling that an expression of sadness is a denial of Christ. We mask our sadness by wearing a veneer of happiness. Or we avoid sadness by harboring deep bitterness and anger. In a weird paradox, we often do both at the same time.
All the facts are summed up in this year’s Superbowl. This graphic is especially dedicated to all my close friends under 29 who hate Eli Manning. I simply want you to know what factors contribute to your misguided perspective.
All of Christianity is gift oriented. Have you ever thought about that? None of what we receive is earned or deserved. Jesus Christ is a gift. The Gospel is a gift. Righteousness is a gift. The Spirit is a gift. The delight of the Father is a gift. The church is a gift. Worship is a gift. Preaching is a gift. The Sacraments are a gift. Prayer is a gift. Heaven is a gift. Love is a gift. Hope is a gift. Faith is a gift. I could keep going. The scriptures teach that even the idea of our salvation is a gift from God. Ephesians says that “while we were dead in our trespasses and sins, because of God’s great love for us, He mercifully brought us to life, even while we were still dead (Ephesians 2:1-5 my paraphrase).” Wow! Did you catch that? We were dead, smothered in sin, captive slaves of the evil one, with no hope of even thinking to ask for help, but God brought us to life. Many good theologians accurately teach that before we could even think to repent of our sins, God had to bring us to life first. Ephesians 2 certainly affirms that viewpoint. This is true of our salvation in its beginning and it is also true of our walk this moment. And so, we repented because Christ first brought us to life. Repentance is a response to God’s work. So salvation and repentance are a gift from God that turn us to the gift of God.
It is more than enough that Christ should love us and call us friends. But it is absolutely astounding that he calls us his ‘beloved.’ He is not simply interested in salvaging our lives. His is determined to ‘glorify’ us…to perfect us in the image of Christ. So much so, that even our worst moments, our most hideous scars, even our most atrocious actions, will be redeemed and made into something beautiful. As His artist’s hammer chisels away at the hard wood of our sin and our flesh, he is designing something beautiful, not just of the stump, but also of the shavings. Nothing of our true selves will be lost. Nothing that is touched by his glorious fingers will pass away.
In commemoration of Martin Luther King’s life I would like to post this video. It’s awesome! It’s a documentary featuring Pastor John Piper as he walks through his personal story of growing up with segregation in the South. His personal story boldly champions the transforming power of the gospel and the beauty of racial diversity and harmony in Christ.
I don’t know if you have noticed (of course you have), but our country continues to be in a pretty serious economic recession. This financial crisis has affected every area of American society and culture. Over the past several months, I have talked with a number of families and individuals who are feeling the impact – retired couples who have lost more than half of their retirement nest egg, craftsmen who have nothing left to build, real estate agents who have no buyers or sellers, and small business owners who have gone belly up. There are a good number who are facing the reality of losing their home, losing their automobiles, and to be sure, some are even having a difficult time putting food on the table.
In the midst of these challenges, we approach Christmas – the season of buying and selling and giving gifts. I think it is safe to assume that this is not good news for most of us. In fact, instead of a time of celebration and cheer, the Christmas Season may feel like a swift kick to the head of a guy who is already down. If you identify with what I’m saying, allow me to offer a word of spiritual encouragement.
Yesterday I wrote a post called “His Face Never Changes” in which I called attention to the male tendency to mask our weaknesses by maintaining a calm, cool demeanor. “Never let ‘em see you sweat” is the facade that many men use to gain social capital with other men. Unfortunately many Christian perspectives on masculinity do not make a break from this fleshly commitment. The current Christian emphasis does not work toward, or even allow, a ‘gospel vulnerability’ that learns to find strength in weakness (click here to see what I mean). Instead most Christian teaching joins right in, accentuating a kind of “John Wayne/Don Draper” approach to Christianity. Don’t cry. Don’t admit weakness. Don’t admit failure. Never let ‘em see you sweat. Get stuff done for the kingdom. Sadly, this works for a while. It is very appealing. It sounds good: Let’s go kick some butt for Jesus. But, in the end, this emphasis unwittingly legitimates masculine anger, pride, and arrogance. It also affirms shame and guilt as a proper motivational tool. Currently, I feel that this perspective is causing a lot of damage to churches, families, and to the cause of the gospel. There is much fire, but very little heat.
