Need I go further to state the obvious that I would most likely not be spoken to, except to fetch some water, or to refill a pen, or to prepare a meal. For in the courts of these blessed men, I am nothing more than a subservient. I am not one deserving attention or even one who has earned an ear. I have not studied like these men. I have no letters besides my name indicating a level of intelligence. I haven’t earned a reputation that is worth mentioning. I haven’t even committed any significant works or experienced any heroic feats. I have not been the forerunner of any revival or led any mission.

In many ways and for many reasons, I am not equipped to write any book – much less a biblical exposition. My communication skills lack in many respects, My intellect trumps only that of a child. Yes, there is no one less qualified and less worthy to communicate the truths that our Lord has so wonderfully made available in His Word.

Still … I pick up a pen and humbly express.

Maybe it is not bravery. Maybe it is pride that drives me. I have a deep motivation to communicate to those around me that would not otherwise read the great works that pack my shelves. Maybe, I am just arrogant enough to think that they would read mine instead. Maybe.

Regardless of the reason (for only God knows truly) my prayer is that the Lord illuminate Himself through things that I pen. Whether I am the talking jack ass or the impatient prophet, He is able to accomplish His will. I am not sure of my own heart, but I am sure of that.

Mixed among those many great works on my shelves are several greater books, or should I say, greatest books. For they are the penmanship of God. They are the collections of the greatest writings ever to be written. In fact, these books are the focus and inspiration of all those other great books. These books are the superior ones. They are divine. They are the Word of Christ. And for each of those great books that sit and watch my every move, there is a greater book that judges even my deepest thoughts that no man can know. My friend, the Word of God is sharp enough. In fact, it has already judged me.

By the grace that this book reveals, I am one who stands confidently among those greats on my shelf. I never assume to be one of their stature and genius, but I do realize my small role in this large plan. It may be too small to have any earthly significance, but with an eager heart and privileged conscience, I take up my pen.

If anything, I ask that the Lord grant me some insight as to not embarrass myself so severely that these men doubt I even own their works. And above all, I ask that the Lord of all be pleased and delighted at my effort.

And so I pen.

I’m being told, although not all of the tests are complete, that I have some over-activity in my spleen and surrounding organs. Doctor’s believe that this is a sure-case of liver disease.

The liver is responsible for filtering the blood, making bile (a substance that helps digest), helping the body transport energy, making proteins, storing iron and other vitamins, helping break down and recycle red blood cells. It is an important part of the body. If it is not functioning right, these things lack and so does the rest of the body.

For the past six years, my liver has been deteriorating and its responsibilities have suffered. It wasn’t obvious to me, but the signs were there. I’m 32 and not an alcoholic drinker. So, I chalked it up as one of those things we do when we get old. Apparently, not.

The news has moved us and our friends to deep prayer. My wife is taking the most of it. She sometimes considers the worst things first. This is true today. I am hoping that she and myself are reminded each day of Psalm 121. The doctors are here to help. The family is here to comfort. The friends are here to assist. But our help comes from the Lord.

The journey to Jerusalem was through the surrounding hills. The Jews went there to worship the Lord. “I lift up my eyes to the hills,” says the writer. “From where does my help come?” (Ps. 121:1).

God is the maker of the heavens and the earth. He is mighty and powerful. He knows of our suffering and never sleeps. Nothing happens to us without His knowing and without His sovereign hand. He keeps us from evil. He is our help. He is our Lord. And He is capable.

As Hebrews says, “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). We will trust in the Lord for our future. We do not make it for He already has. We are journeying to Jerusalem and He is keeping us along the way. One day, we will reach our destination. And until then, we will trust Him.

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

Psalm 121

This is obviously sacrilegious. God is our overcomer. Praise is our response to His overcoming. But this is just a side-rant. It is not where my mind is at the moment. Still, by the end of my rant, this will be revisited. It is definitely a sad conclusion of the subject about which I wish to rant.

Psalm 91:1-2 was the primary text for the sermon. This was where it began. It reads: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

The preacher’s translation, most likely the King James, rendered the word “shelter” as “secret place.” Thus, he correlated it to what he called the “Three Dimensions of the Tabernacle.” In this thought, the third dimension, being the Holy Place where the offerings were made by the priests, was the secret place. He was arguing that we can overcome our stress by involving ourselves in intimate worship of God.

To that point, and by parenthetical insertion, I would stand by his side with the argument that worship can help us overcome stress. But, it is much more of a diversion than something more lasting. Worshipping God diverts our attention to what matters most – namely, the Lord and his glory. This diversion is good and holy. But it is temporal.

We should regularly practice worshipping God to bring our meditations upon Him. But, the reality of having to regularly practice tells us that it is not a inner, eternal transformation. For example, practicing stewardship by giving to the church is a good practice and it helps us overcome selfishness and hoarding. However, until we are understand what it means to be godly stewards and how we are granted the privilege to take part in the Kingdom by our giving, we have only made a temporal practice, an outward thing. We are pragmatic. We give, but not necessarily from the changed, persuaded heart. Likewise, worshipping is drawing near to the Lord and drawing near to the Lord is our way of defeating the devil (Ja. 4:7-8). But, when we have ceased drawing, we have then re-acquired our stress. Our brains can meditate on only one thing at a time – unless you are my wife. But this is not what the preacher appeared to be saying. (On the other hand, it was unclear as to what exactly he was saying, so it is possible that this was his end as well, although the argument didn’t appear this way.)

He called the intimate moment of worship, the secret place. Then, he moved through a few passages where secret was translated. Unfortunate to him, Psalm 91 was his first passage and his foundation. Why is this unfortunate? Because the word “secret place” not the appropriate idea in the context. It is better translated as “shelter” like it is in the ESV, NIV, NASB, NLT, and others.

To the preacher’s credit, the word can mean secret place, hiding place, and the like. But it is meant to refer to a covering or shelter by which someone is hid from danger. The emphasis is not on the secrecy, but the structure.

We should be mindful of the text. First, we are reading a psalm. It is poetic literature. It uses figurative and fanciful language. It is not to be interpreted with a strict literal meaning. It should be heard in a normal sense. A poem is a poem, not a narrative or an instructional guideline. It is lofty language designed to invoke emotion.

Also, we should note that this particular Psalm is a cry to God in the midst of danger. It is apparently written to Israel reminding them of God’s faithfulness and protection. They are facing “the snare of the fowler” and “deadly pestilence” (Ps. 91:3), “the terror of the night” and “arrow that flies by day” and “the destruction that wastes at noonday. (Ps. 91:5-6). There is also references of death in war, “a thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand” (Ps. 91:7). And the list goes on.

To combat this language, the writer reminds them that God will be a refuge and fortress (Ps. 91:2), will cover you with his pinions,” will take them “under his wings” as a shield and a buckler (Ps. 91:4). And, in a kind of summary statement, he writes, “Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place – the Most High, who is my refuge – no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent” (Ps. 91:9-10).

All of this language gives us the context of a protective place that we find in the Lord. It is not an actual building, but a reality of God’s power over the wicked and protection over the righteous. It is not a reference to a dimension in the tabernacle. Nor, is it something that is secretive to all people. Thus, the preacher should not say as he did, “If it is a secret, then we need to find out where it is.” No, the secrecy is not in that sense. It was figuratively hidden from the wicked and not from the righteous. It is not a place that we must find. It is a principle that is absolute and according to God’s purposes. We should not seek after it, but trust that it comes with the inheritance of salvation.

I believe that this is why the many translations render the word as “shelter” and “refuge” – because it is better understood this way. Is this place hidden? If we are to use this meaning, we must qualify it as meaning a place hidden from the arrows of the wicked. To say otherwise, would lead us into error. We shouldn’t teach that we should diligently find this place because it is hidden from us. If we conclude as the preacher did, that we enter this place by our singing, than we might convince ourselves that there is power in our voices and say as the song did, “Praise is my overcomer.” This is not what the Psalmist intended.

The power is in the Lord’s mighty hand by which he guards us from the fatal arrows of the wicked. He is our rescuer, our savior. Consequently, this diverts our meditations toward Christ and his work on the cross. In this magnificent work, God has covered us in righteousness, shielded us from the wages of sin, and placed in a shelter of refuge. Is this due to our singing? No, it is due to His purpose and grace.

It is possible that the point was made in the end, but at what expense? Can we slant the meaning of a passage in order to promote a godly end? I would say no – and say it strongly.

I have hidden the preacher’s name from you because this is not about him. But God has not hidden His refuge because it is about Him. Draw near to the Lord and the enemy will flee (Ja. 4:7). God is our shelter.

What does it mean? Our battle is against the snares of sin. We are bombarded each moment of each day with temptations. What do we do with them? How do we win these battles? The Puritan put it plainly by asking for God to help him remember “the dignity of my spiritual release, never be too busy to attend to my soul, never to be so engrossed with time that I neglect the things of eternity.”

The snares of life were mentioned earlier in the prayer as sloth and indolence, enticement of sinners, sensual pleasures, worldly possessions and vanities. All of these things are lures of the heart’s desires. They appeal to our mind in order to arouse our lusts. They beg of us relax and do not agonize, come and taste, long for other’s bodies, seek after temporal things, and be happy with the approval of others. Need I state the obvious? These snares are nothing more than distractions from the eternal prize that we have already received – salvation.

Yes, we are saved and have received Jesus, the greatest gift of all. We have all that we need and should desire. We have the Lord. Is there something else that we lack? To respond positively means that the Lord is not all, that something exists that is greater than he. Is such a thing true? Of course not. Yet, every time we give into these snares we are saying that there is such thing.

When someone (including ourself) suggests that there is more to life than salvation, let us be reminded of this fact. For when we lessen the dignity of salvation (and thereby lessen the dignity of Jesus), we disarm ourselves in the midst of the battle. We stand before our enemy called sin and we have no way to fight him off.

If we buy into this lie, we are sure to fall into sin – again and again. This is an injustice to ourselves. We should prize our salvation as we prize our Lord. When we do, snares are no longer so enticing. Rather, they are appalling.

My mind went there because such physical trouble I do not know here. My enemies, though I don’t know them, never rise against me with mighty arms and swords for battle. This is a kind of struggle I have never experienced.

On the other hand, there is a wonderful illustration here about a battle that I know very well. It is one that I face each day of my life. It is here that my enemies rise against me and say of my soul, “There is no salvation for him in God.” My enemies are the ways of the world, the riles of the flesh, and the temptations of Satan. Consider the third psalm.

“O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me;
many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God.

But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill.

I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.

Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.

Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people!”

If my mortal enemy is sin, then my immortal salvation is the Lord. My enemy rises against me and accuses me. But the Lord is my shield, my glory. He lifts my head. He hears my cry for salvation and He answers.

When I lay down to rest of my battles and woes, the Lord protects me and wakes me each time. And, this is the best part of it all, the Lord strikes all my enemies on the cheek and breaks the teeth of the wicked.

Indeed, my salvation belongs to the Lord. His mighty arm has broken the teeth of my enemy.

Some friends of ours are youth pastors at the church. And, my wife has often helped them with some of their creative responsibilities. The relationship has provoked me to think about many things in regards to ministry – especially that of young people.

(I am not a youth minister and don’t pretend to be one. However, I do have children, a Bible, and a working knowledge of how the two merge. I have spent many hours considering my role as a father and a teacher of our family and how to raise children up to be mature Christians in a very distracting world.)

One of the things that I have been considering lately is what we leaders set ourselves to know in order to be good trainers. What is it that we meditate on and spend our energies on to put ourselves into a position to raise up young believers?

The way you answer that question will say a lot about what your ministry will see in the future. If you so strongly desire to identify with your audience’s culture and be counted as fun and entraining, then you will spend much of your time experimenting and learning about the world. If you so strongly desire to help your audience understand the deep truths of the Bible so that they can withstand the trials and temptations of life, then you will spend much of your time studying and seeking the depths of the God’s Word.

One way will train your children to be children, your youth to be youth. The other way will train your children and youth to be mature adults. Still, some have convinced themselves that the two can merged whereby the toleration level is equaled. But this is not true.

A wise pastor once said, “If the people are ignorant of Christianity, don’t dumb down the Bible, smart up the people.” The idea is to reach down and draw the young crowd out of the water that they joyfully drown in, not jump in and play the same games.

I wonder if next time we sit in a leadership meeting or at the table with pastors, we should seek to examine that which our consumes our conversations. How much time do we spend trying to make our youth think that we are young and cool rather than mature and wise? How much of our time and energy is spent in drinking the pure water of Scripture so that we can satisfy other with it?

When the Corinthian church was becoming more childish, seeking to be entertained, they turned to those leaders who were more fun and exciting. Paul rebuked them and set himself apart from those leaders saying, “I, when I came to you brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom, for I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:1-2).

What do you know? What do you set your mind to understand? What is it that you are creative and energetic about for the sake of those who you shepherd? Is it true that you know more about MTV, celebrity gossip, new music and dances than you know about the Bible? If so, let your prayers be that your desires change and you persevered in knowing Christ. The lives of your young folks depend on it.

This was in my daily reading this morning and it really made me think. The first part of the verse (16:4) says that everything that is made was made by the Lord for a purpose. The word “its” refers to the object made. In other words, what God made has a purpose in its making. The grass was made to for the purpose that grass serves. The clouds were made for the purpose that clouds serve. Animals, molecules, scientific laws are all made for the purpose that they all serve. The same is true of all God’s creation, including people.

Of course, no thing has a purpose other than that for which it was made. And so the Maker of all things also made the purpose of all things when He made them. So the purpose is ultimately the purpose of the Maker. This is not to mean that the Maker is purposed as they are, but that the things the Maker makes have the purpose that the Maker desires. For this reason, some translations have the purpose for God like the King James Version which reads, “The LORD has made all things for himself.”

So, if the Lord made everything and the purpose of everything, then everything will ultimately serve Him in the way that He has made them to serve. This begs the question, “What about the wicked?” We wonder that because deep down inside we think that evil cannot glorify God who is good. But the oppostie is true.

God is glorified in the punishment of evil. This is called justice. It is an attribute of God. So, God has made some things to serve His purpose by glorifying him in showing off His great justice and holiness. The author wrote, “even the wicked [were made] for the day of trouble.”

Wicked people do wicked things. When they do wicked things, it is proverbially called, “the day of trouble.” Each day is the day of trouble because trouble is always happening. But the writer is referring to the troubling thing that the wicked do and saying that the wicked was made for such a moment.

Matthew Henry had this to say about this proverb:

Note, 1. That God is the first cause. He is the former of all things and all persons, the fountain of being; he gave every creature the being it has and appointed it its place. Even the wicked are his creatures, though they are rebels; he gave them those powers with which they fight against him, which aggravates their wickedness, that they will not let him that made them rule them, and therefore, though he made them, he will not save them. 2. That God is the last end. All is of him and from him, and therefore all is to him and for him. He made all according to his will and for his praise; he designed to serve his own purposes by all his creatures, and he will not fail of his designs; all are his servants. The wicked he is not glorified by, but he will be glorified upon. He makes no man wicked, but he made those who he foresaw would be wicked: yet he made them (Gen. 6:6), because he knew how to get himself honour upon them. See Rom. 9:22. Or (as some understand it) he made the wicked to be employed by him as the instruments of his wrath in the day of evil, when he brings judgments on the world. He makes some use even of wicked men, as of other things, to be his sword, his hand (Ps. 17:13, 14), flagellum Dei-the scourge of God. The king of Babylon is called his servant.

Let us remember then, that our Lord (by definition of who He is) made everything even the wicked for His purpose. What a mighty God we serve!

But recently, I have had to face this even more than usual. There are some teachings, although non-essential, that have bearings on essential truths. In other words, some disagreeable matters largely influence and permeate essential matters in some way.

For example, while you are certainly permitted to believe that man does share some part in the work regeneration by simply making a good decision that God would not otherwise equip or effect you in a way that causes you to make such decision, you might be in a heap of trouble saying that God is not sovereign over your will.

Now, there is no hiding the fact that I believe in the “doctrines of Grace” by which it is taught that the entire work of redemption (from the death on the cross to the submitting to Christ as Lord). And so I may not be articulating the view of man’s small, but realistic, ability to do choose God for salvation without God’s divine moving. But I think you get my drift.

If you do not believe that God is sovereign in all things and at all times (even over man’s will), which is permissible, then you may also believe that God’s hands are tied for one reason or another. The full blooded Calvinist would say that God’s hands are never tied. The Arminianist would say that God’s hands are tied with regards to the will of man (although they may argue that He tied Himself up).

This is not intended to be over salvation debate. I only mention that to provide an example of where our non-essentials can leak into our essentials. Having God’s hands tied would set his ties in the realm of sovereignty. Thus, you no longer have God, by definition. This is an essential of the Christian faith.

I may not be thinking all of this through as careful as I ought. Sometimes, the line between essential and non-essential are a little blurry to me. And at the moment, I find myself meditating on how to deal with these things – namely, how to deal with differences.

In a recent TableTalk article, by the same title, Dr. Roger Nicole poses three questions that we must ask ourselves (and in this order):

1. What do I owe the person who differs from me?
2. What can I learn from the person who differs from me?
3. How can I cope with the person who differs from me?

First, we owe all people love. Wether we are in disagreement or not, we are obligated to love them. And, as Rogers puts it, “We owe them to deal with them as we ourselves would like to be dealt with or treated (Matt. 7:12).”

How would I want to be treated? Primarily, I think that all people have a deep desire to feel as though their opinions have been heard and considered. There is little joy in being a part of a one-way conversation – especially when it is over different views. I can identify many times when I have been in such a conversation whereby my opponent dominates the “discussion” giving his or her views and never asking me of mine. I would like to be treated as one with opinions that matter as well.

Second, it is arrogant to think that we know it all, even if you agree with the theologians of past. Interpretation, often defined by how you explain something and not what you know of something, is often expressed in different ways. Semantics is everything. With so many different denominations and Christian people groups, terms and phrases mean different things to different people. So, at the least we could learn how to say something differently.

Still, there is always opportunities to learn from each other. We are not fallible. We have errors and we should be eager to change when these are brought to our attention. I have trained myself to be prepared to learn that I am wrong. This does not always happen, but it allows me to set my guard down for the sake of my brother. If I am wrong, then it is easier for me to adjust.

Lastly, and this is the big question, how can I cope with those who differ from me? If I am not sure whether a matter is essential or not, then it is probably not. I would never wonder over immediate essentials. I would never question their role in the Christian faith. So, if it is not easy to differentiate the two, then it is likely not essential. In fact, one of us may not be understanding it correctly or drawing out the full logical conclusion.

So how do I cope? I pray that God’s revelation be known. I am reminded of my need for God, both for understanding and for hope for full unity. I will argue in a manner that exalts God and His word and leaves my opponent sure of my own humility. I will join arms with them where we agree and make that our foundation of community.

Of course, this is easier said than done. It is truth on paper. It is another thing to put this in practice. Lord help us all.

But what is it that we mean when we say these things? Are we referring to the Bible? If so, which translation and which copy? Is it one particular language or is it the original manuscripts of which we have none? What do we mean when we talk about the source of life changing power?

Bibles can be found in hotels across the country. People touch them and see them. Some will read them casually and other will be more attentive. Others will go further and memorize and study to some degree. But the reality is, that not all people who come in contact with the written Word of God are sanctified.

This is true of all translations, versions, copies, and packagings. Evidently, it is not the books themselves. It is not the paper, ink, leather and cardboard. It is not even the words or punctuation. And it is definitely not in the commentaries and footnotes.

Rather, when we speak of the power of the Word of God, we are talking about something else. We may picture the collection of writings held in our hand or on our bookshelf, but we do not mean that those materials in and of themselves contain any spiritual power. A man can hold and read the Bible all day and never experience the sanctifying work of God’s Word.

The power is found in the meaning. When we say God’s Word, we mean to say God’s truth. What these printed copies communicate is a truth that was revealed by God Himself. Therein lies the power. The words that are found on the pages of our Bibles together form a thought to be understood and meditated. They are to be comprehended and committed to our memory.

These truths are to inform us of something we would otherwise not know. And the information itself is mysteriously powerful. Therefore, the closer we are to the information, the truths revealed, the more power we experience. The more we understand, the more we are transformed.

For this reason, one may argue that those who know little, discern little and are swept away by much. It is also true that those who sing a song with little truth worship less than one who sings the same song but knows much. In more day-to-day situations, one who knows little will suffer much to temptation, but one who knows much will suffer less to temptation.

It is true then to say that holy doctrine makes holy living. But we should not confuse knowledge of God’s truth here. One must be more than mentally aware. The demons know (Jam. 2:19). The knowledge of God’s truth is not gnosis, to use the Biblical Greek. It is epignosis. It is convincing and experiential understanding. It is taking the truth to heart. It believe that responds, not just acknowledges.

For this reason, our sermons, our teachings, our witnessing, our encouraging, our convincing, our correction, our discipline, must be saturated and consumed with this truth. In fact, it must come from it and then baptized in it. It must drip with divine meaning.

This is how we should communicate. Give your listener the explanation of what the Bible says and means and implies. And, with the help of the Lord, they can apply it. Preachers, bring the meaning of the Scriptures to your listener and bring the listener to the meaning of the Scriptures. Until then your preaching is short on power.

This year I have wrestled with this subject in an attempt to nail it down in a way that would make sense in my mind but I have fallen short of such goal. It is the puzzle is missing pieces but the frame of the puzzle is set. What I mean to say is that God did not communicate all that there is know about this subject, but has revealed that what He wants us to know. There is probably some things that our brains simply cannot grab hold of. Another reason why I have not yet completely understood it is just that my mind has not been exercised to the level that I can ascertain this truth. Whatever the reason, I recognize that, like Paul said, I am knowing in part, but will one day know fully.

Therefore, the power of God’s word is mysterious. I understand that when God speaks, things occur. For example, when God spoke all things into being, they became. Moreover, creation obeys his decree. Now, having God’s word wrapped in book form, we can read His truths and be changed by them through the renewing of our mind. There is power in God’s word – whether it is His audible word, living word (Jesus), or written word.

As I meditated on this subject for the past year, I focused on the power of God’s word in preaching. I have concluded that the more the written word is explained to the hearer, the more the hearer is changed (effected by the power it has). In contrast, sermons that are more from the preacher’s mind (although biblically correct) have less effect to the hearer if any.

Thus, I am finding it true what many have said throughout the years of the church – expositional preaching is more effective than other kinds. I find this to be true in experience and in idea. The less a preacher’s commentary and the more the Scripture, the more effective the message. This rests securely in my mind among the many passages that teach of God’s word being powerful as well as others where the authors rejoice in God’s word or taste it and see it to be tasteful and necessary.

The mystery lies in the answer to the question, “How?” This is likely something that God desires to keep to Himself for His own reasons and perogative – I have no quarrell with that at all. Nor do I lose any sleep due to my wondering. I am delighted that God knows more than I and that His power is far beyond my understanding. This mysterious power of God’s word reminds me of my need for His truth rather than man’s commentary.

I am convinced that the goal of preaching and teaching is to help the hearer understand what God’s word says, where it says it, how it says it, and why it says it. Then, and only then, is God’s power tasted and loved. So, while I can articulate this much about this divine power, I can go no further. The fact remains true, God’s word has power in and of itself. Any attempt to communicate something other, interjects the power of ourselves which is no power at all.