The Journey Through the Wall

Click here to listen to the message given at New Testament Baptist Church based on my reflections of our study of Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero

John 18:15-18 (NASB) 
¹⁵ Simon Peter was following Jesus, and so was another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and entered with Jesus into the court of the high priest, ¹⁶ but Peter was standing at the door outside. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter in. ¹⁷ Then the slave-girl who kept the door *said to Peter, "You are not also one of this man's disciples, are you?" He *said, "I am not." ¹⁸ Now the slaves and the officers were standing there, having made a charcoal fire, for it was cold and they were warming themselves; and Peter was also with them, standing and warming himself. 


John 18:25-27 (NASB) 
²⁵ Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, "You are not also one of His disciples, are you?" He denied it, and said, "I am not." ²⁶ One of the slaves of the high priest, being a relative of the one whose ear Peter cut off, *said, "Did I not see you in the garden with Him?" ²⁷ Peter then denied it again, and immediately a rooster crowed. 

Romans 5:1-5 (AMP)
¹ THEREFORE, SINCE we are justified (acquitted, declared righteous, and given a right standing with God) through faith, let us [grasp the fact that we] have [the peace of reconciliation to hold and to enjoy] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). ² Through Him also we have [our] access (entrance, introduction) by faith into this grace (state of God's favor) in which we [firmly and safely] stand. And let us rejoice and exult in our hope of experiencing and enjoying the glory of God. ³ Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. ⁴ And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation. ⁵ Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us.

Rediscovering Sabbath - Winds Across the Water

Genesis 7:24 - 8:1 (NASB)



24 The water prevailed upon the earth one hundred and fifty days.  8:1 But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided.

Hurricane Irene arrived in New England yesterday.  In my little corner of the world it was entirely uneventful, not like in some parts of New England that experienced tidal surges, heavy rains and wind accompanied by river flooding.  We were mostly on the windy side of the storm.  And as you can see below, Irene produced tiny little whitecaps on our quiet little lake.
 

Our morning began with a hummingbird flying in front of our sliding door, perhaps hoping that our living room would provide safe haven during the storm.  At that juncture the wind was starting to kick up along with intermittent driving rain.

I've always enjoyed watching the patterns of ripples or waves caused by the swirling winds on our lake.  I don't know what it is about it, but I find it kind of whimsical, and I am thoroughly entertained by it.  Now don't get me wrong, having lived on Cape Cod all my life I have witnessed the tremendous power of the raging Atlantic.  I understand that is just a glimpse of God's power and I am totally awed by it.  That being said, even the midst of Irene, I experienced something different.  Something unexpected.  I experienced the peace of God along with an invitation to come and sit in His presence.

We lost power around 9:30 in the morning.  That removed all the electronic distractions that invade my spirit.  I could no  longer watch endless loops of hurricane reports.  There would be no views of newscasters standing near sea walls telling viewers not to venture near the sea walls like they were doing with the ocean waves roaring in the background.  There would be no viewing the circular patterns of the hurricane on the weather channel's radar.  No internet.  No checking email.  No Red Sox baseball.  Rather I was given the opportunity to observe the reality of my immediate world around me in the "quiet" of a hurricane!  It was a Sunday without church responsibilities.  It was an enforced Sabbath.

I realized I've never done Sabbath very well.  For years I've carried several responsibilities at church.  Even though I have been deeply blessed, at times it has felt like a second job.  But this Hurricane Irene Sunday would be different.

There were a couple of things that I observed and kind of marveled at.  One was that all the wave action and current seemed to go upstream on our river fed lake.  It was like God was saying, "I will do the unexpected, like part the sea so my people can safely cross."  Another thing I observed was that while all the other wildlife we enjoy on the lake took shelter, the ducks seemed completely unfazed by all that was going on around them.  They swam, they flew, they spent the day feeding in the lake in front of our apartment.  What makes them so different from all the other fowl on the lake?  I just drew a real peace from watching them.  It was like they understood what God meant when He said, "Be still and know I am God."  Or in Psalm 23, where David says, "He leads me beside quiet waters.  He restores my soul."

Noah and his family along with his precious cargo aboard the ark witnessed the complete devastation of 150 days of rain.  Then ...

1 ...God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided. 2 Also the fountains of the deep and the floodgates of the sky were closed, and the rain from the sky was restrained; 3 and the water receded steadily from the earth, and at the end of one hundred and fifty days the water decreased.
                   Genesis 8:1-3 (NASB)
 
Sometimes God uses wind to bring about change.  This was a different Sabbath for me.  I was reminded of how He longs to have fellowship with His children.  I believe He has called me make some changes in my life.  I need to experience true Sabbath more often.

Atheism

As seen on a Christian School bulletin board:

"Atheism - the belief that there was nothing and nothing happened to nothing and nothing magically exploded for no reason, creating everything and then a bunch of everything magically rearranged itself for no reason whatsoever into self-replicating bits which then turned into dinosaurs. -- Makes perfect sense."

Pleasantly Surprised

Acts 3:1-12 (NIV)



1 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer--at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. 6 Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. 11 While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade. 12 When Peter saw this, he said to them: "Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?
 

Well, today marks the end of a long journey for me.  Today I had my final checkup after several months of recovery and healing from eye surgery.  No more lying completely still, face down.  No more eye drops several times a day.  The healing process is declared complete.  The doctor was "pleasantly surprised" at how well everything healed.  He was "surprised" at the quality of vision I have in the repaired eye.  My vision in that eye without glasses is "better than expected."
 
For my wife, Lynne, it raised some questions, like, "What did you expect?"  But for me, I could only smile because I knew God had touched me and therein lies the "unexpected" result.  I had so many dear friends go to the throne God to ask for full restoration of sight.  Thank you so much.
 
What did I expect?  I think my answer would be, "Something unique."  I have learned in the last few years that it is not about me.  It really wasn't about my eyesight.  Rather it was about how God would display Himself.  How would He be glorified?
 
Was I surprised?  No, I don't think that is the word for it.  I don't really have a word for it.  I know that once again, today, I was touched by God.  Today, He touched my spirit.
 
Ephesians 3:20-21 (NASB)


20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, 21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

Lord, You Are Good, Everything You Do Is Good

Psalm 119:68 (NIV)

68 You are good, and what you do is good; 
 
Our former pastor would often start his prayer by saying, "Lord, You are good, and everything you do is good."
 
I've taken that as a launching point for many of my prayers as well.  It puts God in His proper place.  It puts me in my proper place as well.  Let me explain.
 
First, we agree with God that he is good.  Scripture teaches us that his creation was "very good." (Gen. 1:31)  From that point on, through the Old and New Testaments, we see God's acts of love, promise, protection and redemption.  
 
Secondly, it reminds me that what I read about in scripture, he continues to do today.  God does not change.  He is still good and everything He still does is good.
 
OK, so what about the bad stuff?  We live in a broken, fallen world with people who are broken and fallen.  Some folks are good-willed people prone to making poor decisions.  Others are simply evil in their intent.  David found himself in the  midst of his enemies.  They were people who sought to damage his reputation if not cause him physical harm.
 
Read carefully what David says to the Lord, in the midst of trial.
 
Psalm 119:68-72 (NIV)
68 You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees. 69 Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies, I keep your precepts with all my heart. 70 Their hearts are callous and unfeeling, but I delight in your law. 71 It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees. 72 The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.
 
I was listening to my iPod this morning and the words of a modern psalmist, David Crowder, caught my attention.

"And all of a sudden, / I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory / And I realize just how beautiful You are / And how great Your affections are for me / Oh how He loves us / Oh how He loves us / How He loves us all"

The phrase that jumped out at me was "these afflictions eclipsed by glory." 

This brings me to my third point.  If He is good, and everything He does is good,  then my afflictions aren't necessarily a bad thing.  I must surrender them to Him so that I may witness His glory.  It reminds me of my place as His child.  If I hold on to my afflictions, that is all I will see.  My afflictions.

My afflictions this year have dealt mainly with eye health.  I just received an excellent report and prognosis from the doctor after 3 surgeries and 8 months of recovery.  But I have to tell you, I would not change a thing about these past 8 months, because I now understand what it means to be suddenly "unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory."

Lord, You are good, and everything You do is good.

Solemn Assembly Continued - A Lifestyle of Confession and Forgivness

1 John 1:9 (NASB)

9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

How can we bring what we learned at Solemn Assembly into our everyday lives?  Dr. Paul Tripp gives us thoughtful insights into a lifestyle of confession and forgiveness in our marriages.  I would suggest that these insights apply to all our interactions with other people.

The following is excerpted from What Did You Expect? – Redeeming the Realities of Marriage by Dr. Paul David Tripp (pp. 80 – 83):

“[W]hat does it look like when we take the grace of confession seriously, to get the elephant out of the room and make honest admission of wrong the regular habit of a marriage? Well, here are the daily habits of a confession lifestyle.”

1. “We will be lovingly honest. …It requires a willingness to approach the other when he or she has acted or spoken in a way that God says is wrong. We must be committed to deal with such issues in a way that is driven by Christlike love. This means that before we can speak to the other’s heart issues, we first need to deal with the hurt, anger and bitterness in our own heart. Remember, truth not spoken in love ceases to be helpful because the message gets twisted and distorted by human emotions and agendas.”

2. “We will be humble when exposed. Humility when we are approached by the other means willingness to consider. It means quieting that background noise of our inner defense system. It means remembering that we have not yet arrived, that we are still sinners in need of daily grace, and that at this moment we are being loved by our Redeemer. Humility means the willingness to look in the mirror of God’s Word and being glad that whatever we see there is already been covered by the blood of Jesus.”

3. “We will not excuse. It is such a typical impulse for us all: someone points out a wrong and we are immediately filled with an alternative view that places us in a very different light. Refusal to excuse means resisting the urge to build arguments for our righteousness. It means refusing to turn the tables on the other, making sure that he or she knows that we are not the only sinner in the room.”

4. “We will be quick to admit wrongs. … We refuse to pout. We refuse to live in the silence of hurt, anger, and vengeance. When we have done wrong, we will be quick to approach the other and lovingly help him see what he has said and done. We will make our approach in the spirit of forgiveness and hope. We will refuse to let the ‘sun go down our anger’ (Eph. 4:26).”

5. “We will listen and examine. Each of us has to work to quiet our emotions and the self-righteous tendencies of our hearts. When approached, we all need to require ourselves to hear clearly and to think carefully. This means working to understand and consider. It means taking the light that is handed to us by the words of the other and shining it on ourselves, being willing to see things about ourselves that we have never seen before. Change is not only about admitting wrong; it is about progressively growing in self-knowledge. It is about developing a greater and greater grasp of the themes of strength and weakness in our marriage. It is about being ready, willing, and waiting to learn new things about ourselves and our marriage that will lead to lasting growth and change.”

6. “We will greet confession with encouragement. Few things crush a confession lifestyle more quickly than judgment. It is a tendency in every sinner to want the person who has hurt us to hurt in the way we have been hurt… Nothing encourages the courage of confession more than grace. If God were only a judge, nobody would confess anything to him. It is his goodness that leads us to repentance. His love draws us. His grace encourages us. His patience gives us hope… When we greet the confession with the same grace that we have been given by the Lord, we give the other hope to confess all the more.”

7. “We will be patient, persevering, and gentle in the face of wrong. The fact of the matter is that change is most often a process and seldom an event… Change is pushed upon us by a persevering Redeemer, who will not walk away from the work he has begun in both husband and wife. He will put the need of change before us in the most inopportune moments. He will not submit to our schedule or agenda for our day. He has not promised that change will be enjoyable each time or a comfortable process over the long haul. He has promised to stay near us, giving us everything we need, and he has guaranteed that we will be more than we ever thought we could be… He calls us to be patient. He calls us to be willing to wait. He calls us to continue when continuing is hard, and as we are continuing, to look for any way we can to incarnate his transforming love.”

8. “We will not return to the past. Sadly, many marriages are held hostage by the past. Every current discussion of wrong gets kidnapped by the failures and hurts of the past… The conversations don’t move toward resolution; each conversation is just a reminder of how bad things are and of how long they have been that way… So we establish a pattern of short accounts where a daily cycle of confession, forgiveness, and reconciliation settles issues, alleviating any need to address them again. And we will resist, in moments of hurt and anger, resurrecting what has already been resolved.”

9. “We will put our hope in Christ. Confession is all about hope. First, confession unavoidably leads us to give up hoping in ourselves. It calls us to abandon our trust in our own wisdom, righteousness, and strength. It welcomes us to admit how weak, selfish, needy, fickle, and rebellious we actually are. It faces us with the reality that we are still people in deep and daily need of rescue… So, we lay down the hope we had in ourselves, and we take up a new, brighter hope. This hope is at the cross of Jesus Christ… He became the perfect sacrificial lamb, taking our sins on himself, satisfying the Father’s wrath and purchasing our forgiveness… We can live in the liberating light of humility and honesty, a needy and tender sinner living with a needy and tender sinner, no longer defensive and no longer afraid, together growing nearer to one another as we grow to be more like him.”

What Did You Expect? - Paul Tripp Ministries

Solemn Assembly

Joel 1:14 (NASB)

14 Consecrate a fast, Proclaim a solemn assembly; Gather the elders And all the inhabitants of the land To the house of the LORD your God, And cry out to the LORD.
 
2 Chronicles 7:14 (AMP)

14 If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.
 
Psalm 66:18 (NIV)

18 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;
 
1 John 1:9 (NASB)

9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
 
Last Sunday our church gathered for Solemn Assembly.  The Solemn Assembly is a sacred service of prayer, confession, repentance and reconciliation.  I am sure that we will look back on this service as a turning point in the life and ministry of our church.  But even as we look at a specific time or event we are not called to remain there, but to move forward.  What is it that we can take with us that God taught us at Sacred Assembly?
 
It is important for us to remember that we left our sins, our differences, and our failures at the cross, never to be taken up again.  As Pastor Brooks reminded us, "to take them up again is to deny the power of the cross."