“Now these three abide: anger, outrage, and fear—and the greatest of these is fear.”

That’s not in the Bible.

But sometimes I wonder if I think it is.

The United States House of Representatives just passed a health care reform bill that I and lots of other Christians opposed. Such legislation should concern us. There are some bad consequences for the weakest and most vulnerable among us, principally unborn children. But should it also concern us that so many of us are talking today about how afraid we are?

Is it a problem that some of us who are tranquil as still water about biblical doctrine and ecclesial mission are red-faced about Nancy Pelosi and the talking heads on MSNBC? Is it a problem that some who haven’t shared the gospel with their neighbors in months or years are motivated to vent to strangers on the street about how scary national health care will be?

It’s not that I think Christians should be disengaged from issues of justice (God forbid!). It’s just that I wonder if we wouldn’t represent Christ and his kingdom better if we did it with a certain tranquility of Spirit, a tranquility that signals we’re not afraid of the rise and fall of temporal kingdoms and their policies.

The words “do not fear” and “don’t be afraid” are among the most common phrases on the lips of our Lord—in both Old and New Testaments—and on the lips of his angelic messengers. I wonder why?

Isn’t it because “perfect love casts out fear” (1 Jn. 4:18)? Isn’t it because we “did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear” (Rom. 8:15)? Isn’t it because the Spirit prompts us not to “fear anything that is frightening” (1 Pet. 3:6)?

In fact, the Holy Spirit through King David, in a context far more frightening than that of our own, calls us to “fret not yourself because of evildoers” who will soon pass but “trust in the Lord and do good” (Ps. 37:1-3).

Here’s why this matters.

Most of us don’t preach “hellfire and brimstone” sermons anymore, on hell and God’s judgment. But hellfire is exactly what Jesus said we should fear. “And do not fear the ones who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul,” our Lord tells his disciples. “Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28).

Jesus not only teaches this; he lives it. Jesus doesn’t fear the crowds attempting to stone him. He doesn’t cower before Pilate. He isn’t afraid of the Sanhedrin. He’s confident and tranquil, even when he’s being arrested. But when he faces drinking from the cup of judgment of his Father, he sweats drops of blood.

If we were half as outraged by our own sin and self-deception as we are by the follies of our political opponents, what would be the result? If we rejoiced as much that our names are written in heaven as we do about such trivialities as basketball brackets, what would be the result?

So if what you’re afraid of is a politician or a policy or a culture or the future of Western civilization, don’t give up the conviction but give up the fear. Work for justice. Oppose evil. But do it so that your opponents will see not fear but trust, optimism, and affection.

“So now faith, hope and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:13).

Fear God and, beyond that, don’t be afraid.

-Russell D. Moore

www.russellmoore.com

There are numerous examples of Jesus explaining God’s Law in the Scriptures.

One prime example is located in Matthew 5: 21-26 (Part of the Sermon on the Mount)

Jesus starts out by establishing that murder is forbidden by God and should be punished. He goes further by explaining that it is forbidden to even have murderous thoughts or anger against another person unless it is righteous anger.

Righteous anger is permitted if God’s Honor has been damaged or if someone else has been wronged and damaged, apart from you personally. Unrighteous anger or forbidden anger is anger that is expressed in an attempt to retaliate for personal damage caused to the one that is angry.

Jesus goes on even further and addresses insults. Insults are seen by God as an attempt to cause abuse to the individual that has been insulted. We should be seeking God’s Blessings on people, not issuing damaging insults toward them.

Jesus also warns against calling someone “A Fool”. In the Hebrew tradition this was seen as calling a curse upon an individual. He also stresses that if anyone utters a curse he is in danger of being sent to Hell.

Jesus clearly explains to us in this scripture that (anger) is the seed of murder,(abusive language) contains the spirit of murder and (cursing language) implies a desire to murder.

None of these are traits that we as true believers should exhibit in our witness to unbelievers.

Jesus also addresses the condition that our heart should be in when we come to worship God.

He explains that issues that we have with others should be addressed and settled before we come to worship God. He uses the example of leaving your gift at the altar, settling with your brother, and returning to present it as an acceptable gift to God.

Jesus teaches here that God desires and receives forms of worship that are true and from a pure heart. Outside issues can affect the spiritual condition of our heart and our walk with God.

Last, Jesus addresses the fact that Courts are not the best way to settle issues.

It is better to approach those we have issues with, and settle on our own, in a spirit of love and understanding.

If we are wrong we should admit we are wrong, we should be quick to admit it, and we should make things right as soon as possible.

A repentant heart must be exhibited by a true believer that desires to be more Christ like in their walk with Jesus.

It seems that Jesus is asking a lot of true believers in these Scriptures. He is!

The amazing thing about this entire teaching is that the Holy Spirit is fully capable of helping us as believers to achieve what Jesus is asking. That is one of the reasons we have been given the Holy Spirit. Jesus never asks us to do anything that he will not provide a way for us to achieve it.

The help and answers we seek for life’s questions are found in Prayer and the Holy Scriptures.

Read and study your Bible daily and pray.

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks the door will be opened. Matthew 7: 7-8

Do you love the church? Romans 12:10 tells Christians to “Love one another with brotherly affection.”

The affection and love we’re to have for fellow-Christians is to be based on the work of Jesus Christ for us. It’s not about elitism, it’s not because Christians are better than anyone else, it certainly isn’t because Christians are necessarily more lovable. We love the church because we love the Savior who redeemed the church.

Acts 20:28 tells us that Jesus obtained the church with his own blood. Is this what your love for the church is based on? If it’s anything less, it won’t last long.

* Don’t love the church because of what it does for you. Because sooner or later it won’t do enough.

* Don’t love the church because of a leader. Because human leaders are fallible and will let you down.

* Don’t love the church because of a program or a building or activities because all those things get old.

* Don’t love the church because of a certain group of friends because friendships change and people move.

Love the church because of who shed his blood to obtain the church. Love the church because of who the church belongs to. Love the church because of who the church worships. Love the church because you love Jesus Christ and his glory. Love the church because Jesus is worthy and faithful and true. Love the church because Jesus loves the church.

Excerpted from the sermon “We Are Here to Love the Church” by Joshua Harris.

When God promises to work all things for the good for those who love him he means it.  While we may not verbalize it, oftentimes our hearts wonder if this promise is true.  The book of Ruth reminds us that providence is both sweet and bitter.  God may not always make our path easy, but it is sure to lead to blessing if we love him.

Below is a video of John Piper reading a section from his new book A Sweet and Bitter Providence: Sex, Race, and the Sovereignty of God.  If the book is anything like others of his that I’ve read it will be a blessing to your soul.

“Who are his people? We are eager to know who they are, and we are glad to find that his people need to be saved, and will be saved, for it is written, ‘He will save his people.’ It is not said, ‘He will reward his people for their righteousness,’ nor is it promised that he will ’save them from becoming sinners,’ but ‘He will save his people from their sins.’ . . .

If you are righteous in yourself, you are not one of his people. If you were never sick in soul, you are none of the folk that the Great Physician has come to heal. If you were never guilty of sin, you are none of those whom he has come to deliver from sin. Jesus comes on no needless errand and undertakes no unnecessary work. If you feel yourselves to need saving, then cast yourselves upon him, for such as you are he came to save.”

C. H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of the New Testament, I:4-5, on Matthew 1:21.

HT: Ray Ortlund

Below, Pastor John MacArthur shares an amazing story concerning the gospel and his football coach.

John MacArthur – Study Video from Together for the Gospel (T4G) on Vimeo.

May God give us the grace to share his gospel and live in such a way as to prove its power.

This month, ChristianAudio.com is offering John Piper’s Desiring God audio book for free.  Click here to get it!  You don’t want to miss out on this one.

Here is an excerpt from a great post by Al Mohler:

“We sin against Christ and we misrepresent the Gospel when we suggest to sinners that what God demands of them is moral improvement in accordance with the Law. Moralism makes sense to sinners, for it is but an expansion of what we have been taught from our earliest days. But moralism is not the Gospel, and it will not save. The only gospel that saves is the Gospel of Christ. As Paul reminded the Galatians, ‘But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.’ [Gal. 4:4-5]

We are justified by faith alone, saved by grace alone, and redeemed from our sin by Christ alone. Moralism produces sinners who are (potentially) better behaved. The Gospel of Christ transforms sinners into the adopted sons and daughters of God.

The Church must never evade, accommodate, revise, or hide the law of God. Indeed, it is the Law that shows us our sin and makes clear our inadequacy and our total lack of righteousness. The Law cannot impart life but, as Paul insists, it ‘has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.’ [Gal. 3:24]

The deadly danger of moralism has been a constant temptation to the church and an ever-convenient substitute for the Gospel. Clearly, millions of our neighbors believe that moralism is our message. Nothing less than the boldest preaching of the Gospel will suffice to correct this impression and to lead sinners to salvation in Christ.”

Read the rest here.

1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 (English Standard Version)
3For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;

Proverbs 29:11 (New International Version)
11 A fool gives full vent to his anger,
but a wise man keeps himself under control.

We are more than our feelings. Our fear, anger, hurt, and sadness do not control us, or, to be more accurate, they don’t have to control us. In truth we often do act on our feelings and allow them control over us, yet, with the power of God, we are able to act as we choose and not as our feelings may dictate. Emotions are fickle and often unpredictable; only a foolish person desires to have such an easily swayed leader. Rather than what we may feel from moment to moment, we chose to allow the will of God to guide our actions.

When I was a young teen my brother and I were exploring near our house when we came across a fire hydrant that had no cap on one side. The hydrate was apparently broken since no water was gushing forth from the opening. Being a young, stupid boy I was immediately overcome with curiosity and stuck my hand inside the open hydrant. I felt downward in the darkness as far as my arm would reach and found nothing of interest. So, I tried the other direction and reached upward; only inches above my hand I hit something spongy. Before I could process the feeling a terrible buzzing erupted from within the dark hole and wasps began pouring out like a hoard of cavalry thundering across the fields of Gettysburg to rain down destruction. I received my first stinging rebuff on the joint of my right thumb and then my brother and I were off. We ran with all the speed we could could manage; slapping, and screaming hysterically as we went. We were thousands of times bigger than any of those wasps and, truth be told, there really weren’t that many of them chasing us. Yes, the stings were painful, but we were in no great danger. We did much worse damage to our pride by running frantically down the middle of the road like crazed lunatics than any physical damage the wasps did to us. I ended up with about three stings and my brother and a few too. Had I thought to pick of the cap lying nearby and thrust it over the opening we would have fared much better in the end. However, it is not unusual in life to find the large and powerful running from the small. A housewife leaping upon a chair as a mouse scurries by or a classroom full of high school students breaking into pandemonium over a spider swinging down from the ceiling are not hard for us to imagine. I once saw a grown man held at bay by a chiwawa. Our emotions are like the wasps, mouse, spider, and chiwawa. They do have the power to hurt us, but we need not cower before them.

I choose to no longer be controlled by what I feel, but by what I know. I know that God loves me and wishes me to live a holy life. I know that God has provided all the strength I could ever need to live a life in accordance with His will. When I do fail to chose right, still I will not be overwhelmed by depression or despair, for I know that God has also provided grace.

*****

Believe God’s love and power more than you believe your own feelings and experiences. Your rock is Christ, and it is not the rock that ebbs and flows but the sea.

–Samuel Rutherford

Where there is no “moral gravity” – that is, no force that draws us to the center – there is spiritual weightlessness. We float on feelings that will carry us where we never meant to go; we bubble with emotional experiences that we often take for spiritual ones; and we are puffed up with pride. Instead of seriousness, there is foolishness. Instead of gravity, flippancy. Sentimentality takes the place of theology. Our reference point will never serve to keep our feet on solid rock, for our reference point, until we answer God’s call, is merely ourselves. We cannot possibly tell which end is up. Paul calls them fools who “…measure themselves by themselves, to find in themselves their own standard of comparison!”

–Elisabeth Elliot
Discipline – The Glad Surrender, Revell, 1982, p. 19-20.