Honesty and the Psalms

D.A. Carson,  in his book The God Who Is There comments about how believers grow to appreciate the Psalms over the years because it resonates with their life experience. In my own reading of the Psalms over the past few months, I have developed a theory as to their enduring popularity: Honesty.

1. They are honest about Who We Are.  The Psalms let us peek into the heart, where there is joy, anger, regret, sorry and amazement. The word 'I' is used prominently, demonstrating how intensely personal the relationship is between a person and God.
2. They are honest about Life. Life isn't fair. We are messed up people, living among messed up people, trying to change a messed up world. No candy-coating.
3. They are honest about God. Does he seem uncaring? The Psalms talk about it. Does he defend those who take shelter with Him? The Psalms talk about it. Is He angry about things? Does He laugh? Does He care? The Psalms talk about these, too.

The honesty of the Psalms is like the genuineness of many of the testimonies I have heard over the past weeks in our men's weekly meetings. These testimonies are a unique reflection of God's work in one person's life. The sharing, in turns stumbling and startling, showed me how to look at myself, my life and my God.

We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. - 1 John 1:3

Psalm 59: The Banner of the Morning

I was thinking about the Star Spangled Banner this morning, that famous first question: "Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light...?" Sun rising; first rays penetrating the gloom; searching eyes. At the end of the night, who rules?

David, the author of this song, had reached the limits of his strength, in the day. Now the night approached, when he was tired and weak:

They return at evening, snarling like dogs, and prowl about the city. They wander about for food and howl if not satisfied. - Psalm 59:14-15

He also looks ahead to find out whose banner will fly with the sun's rising.

O my Strength, I watch for you; - Psalm 59:9a

While he sleeps and when his strength fades, he must trust. No amount of diligence, self-control and preparation can provide the guarantee that he will see the dawn. He (and we) must trust another. Looking forward, he predicts the night will end.

But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. - Psalm 59:16

There is an end to the night. The morning will dawn. God's banner will still fly. Consider your circumstances as the night, and trust God to take you through to the morning.

Francis Scott Key's famous song went on to become the national anthem of the United States. Most Americans know the first verse, but there are actually three more. Here is the fourth:

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand

Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

We will sing in the morning. SDG.

Psalm 56: Mercy for Everyday Circumstances

Be merciful to me, O God, for men hotly pursue me; all day long they press their attack. My slanderers pursue me all day long; many are attacking me in their pride. - Psalm 56:1-2

It just struck me as I was reading this yesterday that David is asking for mercy, not for sin, but for situation.
In my mind, mercy has always been associated with personal wrong-doing where there is a reprieve from the justice of another. In the case of God, we sin and, by his mercy, we have a repriveve from the just penalty for that sin. For example:

Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. - Micah 7:18

But in Psalm 56, God's mercy is demonstrated by diverting the natural course of events (i.e. his providence). That is, if things continued the way they would normally continue, David was going to be in real trouble. But God intervenes. In thinking abou this mercy it still has that same core characteristic of grace ("undeserved favor").

So, when in the course of normal events, we find ourselves in hot water, but then suddenly circumstances change, that is the mercy of God. And we can say "Thank you", as David did:

...I will present my thank offerings to you, for you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life. - Psalm 56:12b-13

Titus 1:1-5: Who Do I Say I Am?

(notes from sermon preached at Cornerstone on 8/9/10)

Who Do I Say I Am?

 

Titus 1:1-5

 

Introduction
When we get to the start of the book of Titus, we get one word: Paul. Just like we have a standard way of constructing letters, with the date in the upper right hand corner and Dear so-and-so and then the body of the letter and then Sincerely or Regards or Love, your-name, there was a standard letter format in the time when the book of Titus was written.

 

First, it would introduce the author of the letter, then, second, the recipient of the letter and then a greeting and then the main part of the letter. So let’s look at Paul’s.

 

Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness—a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, and at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior. To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. – Titus 1:1-4

Wow. And I thought I was doing good with Dear so-and-so. The introduction seems a bit weird because he calls Titus his “true son in our common faith”. So that sort of implies that they were close. But at the same time he gives us this big ol’ theological dissertation to introduce himself, like they had never met.

 

Based on what we know, it appears that Paul went on some sort of whirlwind tour of Crete with Titus, met some of the local church leaders, but had to run, leaving Titus behind to sort out the mess. So he wrote this letter to Titus, not only for Titus to read, but for the other churches on the island of Crete to sort of look over his shoulder. So while Titus didn’t need to see Paul’s credentials, the churches that Titus was visiting did. So, in a few short words, Paul introduces himself and his ministry.

 

 

First, he gives his position: He is a servant. He is an apostle.

 

Second, he gives his goal: faith in God and knowledge about becoming like God.

 

Third, he gives his motivation: hope of eternal life, hope of a brighter future.

 

Fourth, he gives his security: God himself.

 

Who are you? Stop for a moment and fill in the blanks on your page. Don’t try to be holy. I’m not going to grade these or anything.

 

 

 

I Am A Servant. I Am A Messenger (vs 1a)

Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ… - Titus 1:1a

Branding. Anyone who has gone to my house knows that there is one cabinet set aside for rare artifacts of one of the most successful retail outlets of the 21st century: Starbucks. If you go to my house, you know I am a devotee of coffee. Big mugs, small mugs, mugs from strange places, T-shirts., all telling you that Tim is really cool because he has endured great hardship to track down these items from around the world.

 

How do you identify yourself? Do you identify yourself by who you are or by what you do? When I walk over here to Brooks Elementary School, there are a lot of kids who say, “Oh, there’s Miriam’s dad!” When we visited Toronto last year, I was introduced as “This is Helen’s husband.” I looked at my brother’s Facebook page and he said, “I am a political science professor at such-and-such university.” Or I am “a computer programmer at such-and-such a company.” I am a member of Cornerstone.

 

We define ourselves by our relationships with other people and institutions. A big part of what we think about ourselves and how we behave depends on how we relate to others. I am a Shannon’s dad sort of person. I am a Helen’s husband sort of person.

 

When Paul identifies himself, he says: Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. Notice he defines himself in terms of God.

 

Now, for the original audience, these words were no unusual words. The word for servant here is doulos and means, literally, slave. This is different from the other word for servant, diakonos, which is where we get the word “deacon” an office in the church. A slave had no rights. A slave had no property. A slave had no will of his own, but obeyed the will of the pater potestas, the father or head of the household. The slave owner had absolute authority over the life, death, relationships, labor and happiness of the slave.

 

Paul defines himself as a slave of God. He has no rights. He serves at God’s pleasure. Whenever there is a conflict between what he wants and what the master wants, the master’s will prevails.

 

The other word that Paul used here is apostle. In the world of the Bible, apostles were messengers or representatives. And like messengers, you don’t pay attention to the messenger; you pay attention to the message and the sender of the message. In fact, John 13:16 says, “I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.” That word “messenger” (in the Greek) is that same word “apostle” (and the word for servant is doulos, slave).

 

So Paul is important, not because he is an apostle, but because he is an apostle of (or sent by) Jesus Christ. So he is sent by Jesus Christ. That’s the source of his message.

 

John Kenneth Galbraith, in his autobiography, A Life in Our Times, illustrates the devotion of Emily Gloria Wilson, his family's housekeeper: It had been a wearying day, and I asked Emily to hold all telephone calls while I had a nap. Shortly thereafter the phone rang. Lyndon Johnson was calling from the White House. “Get me Ken Galbraith. This is Lyndon Johnson.” “He is sleeping, Mr. President. He said not to disturb him.” “Well, wake him up. I want to talk to him.” “No, Mr. President. I work for him, not you.” When I called the President back, he could scarcely control his pleasure. "Tell that woman I want her here in the White House."[1]

Are you willing to sign over your rights to God? When you prayed, “Your kingdom come, your will be done” were you serious?

 

Are you willing to sign over your message to God? Some of you came in here wearing T-Shirts with the name of various vendors. You are carrying their message.

 

Say It: I Am A Servant. I Am A Messenger.

 

I Am A Faith Builder (vs. 1b)

…for the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness – Titus 1:1b

Why did Paul do this? Paul was a slave and a messenger with a purpose: He wanted people to trust God (that’s faith) and then know the truth so they could be more like God (that’s knowledge)

 

First, Paul is the sort of HGTV of faith. He is the faith builder. Extreme Makeover. Faith in God has tremendous consequences. Before you trust God, God is like the contractor who comes to your door to tell you that your plans for your home won’t meet code and the only solution is a bulldozer. You have tried your whole life to do the handyman routine. Shady characters try to offer a quick fix retrofit. But faith, true faith, is saying: I don’t know exactly the end result, and I’m not sure how I’m going to deal with the process, but I trust God. Some people say, “I’d believe in God, but I’m not sure what he’ll make me do.” Or “I’d believe in God but I don’t want to become all weird or something.” I don’t know where I am going or what I will be but I know as I know the one who takes me. That is faith.

 

Second, Paul is the faith remodeler. Before, he was like Extreme Makeover. Now he’s like Divine Design. Faith is the start of the process, because you have to trust Him before you’ll allow any changes. But faith is also the guide, as God takes you room-by-room for an in-home consultation. Friends, if God is cramping your style, then your style probably needs to change. You know what I’m talking about: those homeowners who keep trying to tell the designers what to do.

 

That’s where “knowledge of the truth” comes in. But the best teachers are those who make your mind alive with the topic. They are alternately funny, angry, corny or creative, intentional and spontaneous, but most of all they are persistent, because they feel compelled to get the truth into you.

 

Any student knows how to combat these teachers: they say, “I’m never going to need this in real life.” As Paul says that too,

 

"Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive. -- 1 Corinthians 10:23

There’s lots of people who know way more than they grow. There’s lots of people who think because they can means they should. There’s lots of people whose knowledge is just a means for warding off any sort of life change. There’s a lot of truth out there, though not quite as much as falsehood. Sometimes we talk about the gift of teaching. Let me tell you, if the teaching doesn’t lead to transformation, it ain’t teaching.

 

But I have a goal. I want to become like Jesus. I want all of my learning to lead to something. Not just snappy comebacks at Pharisees, but leading to a life of meaning and significance.

 

There are “teachers” like that in your life. Now it is your turn. Say it: I Am A Faith Builder.

 

I Am Forever

…a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life – Titus 1:2a

How does the raindrop compare with the ocean? How does the grain of sand compare with the beach? When we look at our lives now, it is hard to imagine what it would be like to be…forever. How does a single seed compare with the harvest?

 

When I said we should be a faith builder, that we need to step into the lives of other people to build their faith and grow them to be like God, most people here would agree that’s an admirable goal. But people’s lives are messy. As investments, people give uncertain returns; you are not sure that what you put into them will ever produce anything. Maybe we’d be better putting our efforts and resources elsewhere. Maybe we need to reserve some for ourselves.

 

This past week, I heard:

 

Jim Collins, author of Good To Great, describe an interview he had with Admiral Jim Stockdale, who had been the highest ranking United States military officer in the "Hanoi Hilton" prisoner-of-war camp during the height of the Vietnam War. Tortured over twenty times during his eight-year imprisonment from 1965 to 1973, Stockdale lived out the war without any prisoner's rights, no set release date, and no certainty as to whether he would even survive to see his family again. He shouldered the burden of command, doing everything he could to create conditions that would increase the number of prisoners who would survive unbroken, while fighting an internal war against his captors and their attempts to use the prisoners for propaganda.

 

"I never lost faith in the end of the story," he said, when I asked him. "I never doubted not only that I would get out, but also that I would prevail in the end and turn the experience into the defining event of my life, which, in retrospect, I would not trade."

 

Then his interviewer asked, "Who didn't make it out.'"

 

"Oh, that's easy," he said. "'The optimists.”

 

"The optimists? I don't understand," Jim said, now completely confused, given what he'd said previously.

 

"The optimists. Oh, they were the ones who said, ‘We're going to be out by Christmas.' And Christmas would come, and Christmas would go. Then they'd say, ‘We’re going to be out by Easter.' And Easter would come, and Easter would go. And then "Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again. And they died of a broken heart."

 

"This is a very important lesson. You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never afford to lose—with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be." [2]  

Life is filled with brutal facts. Life hurts. We damage each other, scar each other, break the spirit in other people. Our bodies and minds fail us, disease eats away at us, our money runs out, jobs dry up. We fail ourselves, we betray people and promises. Those are the brutal facts. We can try to dismiss them. We can ignore them. Or (as Admiral Stockdale said) we can face them “with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be” while, at the same time, holding onto the “hope of eternal life”

 

Why is the hope of eternal life important? Paul talks about it in another place:

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. – 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 

1. We will be what we are becoming. “Therefore do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” Now, everything decays. Everything falls apart. Everything breaks down. But Jesus didn’t just give his life for us, he gave it to us. For those who trust God, eternal life has begun now. That life is working its way out through our habits, our character, our personalities. The death of this body will be only a brief interruption in the unstoppable eternal life God has given us.
2. It will be worth it. The movie The Princess Bride says it best, “Life is pain, highness. Anyone who tells you different is selling something.” Life is not basically happy, punctuated by brief moments of suffering. Life is basically grueling, with brief intervals of joy. And then God sometimes asks us to carry the burdens of those around us. And then people take advantage of us. But it will be worth it. “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” Call it Life 2.0. That hope keeps us going. That hope says: every effort you put in for the kingdom of God is worth it.

 

IF I am forever, then there is no exhaustion of my life. IF I am forever, tomorrow can be a better me. IF I am forever, there is always another day’s strength coming. And another day after that. IF I am forever…

 

I Am A Believer

…which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time – Titus 1:2b

But that’s a big IF, isn’t it. How do you fix your eyes on something that is unseen anyway.

 

And Paul realizes it as he’s writing. That’s why he says: “the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time.” Paul rests his case on a fundamental assumption: God does not lie. Bedrock in his character is promise-keeping. That’s what covenants are. Another word for “Testament” is “Covenant” You have the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. The Old Promise and the New Promise.

 

All of this rests on God. One question. Three words. “Is God good?” The answer to that question will determine how you will react to him and his promises. If God is good, then he doesn’t lie. If he doesn’t lie, then his promises are valid. If they are valid, then eternal life is mine through Jesus. If eternal life is mine through Jesus, then my future is secure and I can live a sold-out, radical, no-holding back, God-fired-up life for God.

 

But, what if it’s all a fake?  Back in the Garden of Eden, the serpent started his attack, “Did God really say?” From there, the conversation continues in a carefully crafted attack on the character of God, never actually stating anything, but clearly calling God’s character into question. Is God really good? Is he holding back? Does he really have your best interests at heart?

That’s what the Bible is about. Even the devil’s own slander against God. It is a no-holds barred description of the interactions between God and man. Did the authors have an agenda? Yes they did. You want to know God? Pull his rap sheet.

 

That’s what your brothers and sisters are for. They help you keep perspective. Those folks further along in their spiritual journey can share how God worked with them through the good times and the bad. But you have to really know them so that they’ll share the real story.

 

Maybe you look at all of this and say: I don’t even if God really exists. Fair enough. God can deal with honest doubt. I say honest, because he doesn’t deal with professional skeptics. But to those who really want to know the answers, the Bible says:

 

…he rewards those who earnestly seek him. – Hebrews 11:6b

So let me ask you a question: What would convince you God exists? Be careful how you answer this, because I think God takes it seriously.

 

God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. – Acts 17:27

This Is The Time (vs. 3)

 

…and at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Savior – Titus 1:3

You may not have planned to be here today. You may not have planned to be here…ever. Be honest: Five years ago, I doubt you could have envisioned the chain of circumstances that have brought you here this morning. Whether you were born here or dragged here, you are not here by accident.

 

If you look closely, you will see the word “his” “his appointed season”. Jesus had an appointment with Paul, but I’m sure that Paul didn’t have it on his calendar. On his trip to Damscus, there was no little “bli-bling” from his BlackBerry with the 15 minute reminder: “Appt. with J.” No one told him that day would be the day that would change his life, because God had an appointment with him.

 

Joseph might just be a small town carpenter, but even he knew something was not square when his fiancé Mary told him she was pregnant and he wasn’t the father. The Bible says that:

 

Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. – Matthew 1:19

But that night, Joseph had an appointment with God. God changed his course, and he gave a home to the one who would be called Yeshua bar’Yusef (Jesus son of Joseph).

 

God has these appointments when our chosen path of least resistance diverges from his plans. It isn’t always an angel.

 

When I was 16 I had my future figured out. I graduated in 3 years from high school, was set to get my degree in History, then it was going to be off to seminary and then go back and work at my home church in Morgan Hills. Three years into my time at San Jose State, I ran into a guy from Campus Crusade, who encouraged me to get together for Bible Study. He was so persistent that I started to hide from him in the Student Union. I told him, “I’m really busy now with work and school. Maybe I’ll get involved in ministry after I graduate.” I thought I had it figured out, but God had a different plan. Less than a year later, my college career was on hold and I was in the Philippines as a short-term missionary.

 

You are not an accident. You are not a mistake. You are God’s precious workmanship. But some of us are living below the dignity with which God made us. You are not here by accident. Your life is not a mistake. You have been through what you have been through so that you can do what God needs you, uniquely, to do.

 

Ephesians 2:10 says:

 

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. – Ephesians 2:10

 

Maybe God wants an appointment with you, but you keep putting it off, sort of like me and my dentist. They keep calling to remind me and I keep rescheduling. Let me ask you, why are you treating God like your dentist? Could it be because you don’t want to hear what he’s going to say? Could it be because he might change you into something strange or make you do something weird?

 

My friends, God doesn’t make garbage and he won’t take you anywhere he wouldn’t go himself. But you don’t have to believe me, you have to trust God. You are his workmanship, his poem, his hand-crafted treasure. Make you strange? My friends, you are already strange. He is making you beautiful.

 

Do something weird? For you and me, this is the time. It is the appointed time. It is his life-giving message. This is the message of peace for families. This is the message of healing. This is the message of forgiveness. This is the message of purpose. This is the message that our shame was carried by Jesus and eradicated on the cross. This is the message of hope, embodied each time you share body and soul with those around you.

 

He has entrusted the message to you. This is the appointed time.

 

Maybe you’ve been thinking and God has changed your mind about who you are. Maybe you’ve heard it all before, how Jesus came to show us how its done, how he took a shameful death to pay for all of the shameful things that should have put us on that cross, how he came back to life to give us life, but it never clicked. Maybe you’ve been holding on to too many of your rights, but God is telling you to give him free reign. This is the appointed time to say:

 

I Am A Servant.

 

I Am A Messenger.

 

I Am A Faith Builder.

 

I Am Forever.

 

I Am A Believer.

 

 

This In The Place (vs. 5)

 

The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished… - Titus 1:5

 

Titus was left in Crete because Paul trusted him and because there was unfinished work. There was a leadership crisis. There was good doctrine, but it wasn’t translating into good lives. There were so many churches in crisis that Paul had to rush on, but he left this trusted man, Titus, behind. To “straighten out” the situation, because (1) he was convinced that the church is the life-giving hope of the world and (b) he cared about the people.

 

My friends, Jesus couldn’t be here today. Urgent business. So he left his trusted ones here in El Dorado Hills and Cameron Park and Rescue and Shingle Springs and Folsom to “straighten things out” because he cares. He has left you and me. You thought you are here because of job or family, health or circumstance, but no, you are here because God needs you here. And he needs you and me to care like he cares.

 

I am convinced that I am a bit smug. As long as my life is ok, as long as it’s not my kid or wife, not my neighborhood, not my friend, not my company; as long as the tanks aren’t rolling down my street, I just don’t really care. And if it inconveniences me, then I usually consider it beyond my reach.

 

Let me tell you the story of Rob. A few of the guys from the Men’s Ministry went out to Town Center and asked people there if we could pray for them. It was a Wednesday night and there were a couple of bands playing and it was there, under Regal Cinema, that we found Rob, sitting to the side of one of the amplifiers reading his book. When we asked if we could pray for him, he was a bit taken aback, but then told us he was a follower of Jesus and that he came out to Town Center be a witness rather than sitting at home. Then he told us how his heart was acting up, with heart palpitations and racing heart. We prayed for him and then left.

 

On July 6th I ran into Rob again. I re-introduced myself and asked how his heart was. He told me he was better now, but had spent July 4th in the emergency room because of his heart again. I asked him how he was feeling now. He said fine. He said, “You know I was just telling someone about you this morning.” “It hasn’t been easy, this whole heart thing, but you know I wouldn’t trade it for anything, because what God has taught me through all of this.”

 

You see, the funny thing is, I have seen Rob dozens of times, maybe more, around El Dorado Hills, where he works, and shopping in Raleys. But I never cared what happened to him.

 

There are hurting people in El Dorado Hills. There are desperate people in Cameron Park. There are disappointed and struggling and hurt and failing lives all around us and we wail about it in the abstract, but the truth is that we just don’t care. I don’t care. Care for orphans in India? Great! But I can’t even work up enough care for the little boy who in our area without his mother and whose family might lose their house. But Jesus

 

When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. – Mark 6:34

 

I am convinced that I have a radically different view of El Dorado Hills than God does. We see cars and nicely manicured lawns and tailored clothes. But God sees emotional and spiritual train wrecks. How do we reconcile this? It is intolerable. It is unconscionable.

 

I have given up trying to arm-wrestle my emotions into caring. So I am turning to the author of my soul, determined to follow him and asking him to break my heart for the same things that break his heart. That the condition of my neighbors, co-workers and town-mates will move me and my church to be the life giving, salt-tasting, blindness-erasing gospel of God.

 

Are you willing to pray that prayer?

 

[1] Cited by Houghton Mifflin in Reader's Digest, December, 1981.
[2] Edited from Willow Leadership Summit 2010 presentation by Jim Collins and from Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't, Jim Collins (Harper Buisiness: 2001)