A Rahab Christmas

But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho—and she lives among the Israelites to this day.

Joshua 6:25

Rahab was a sinner and a Gentile… yet she was welcomed into the people of God. This foreshadows Jesus’ ministry in significant ways. In Luke 5:32 Jesus says, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” And much later in 1 Timothy 1:15, the Apostle Paul says “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners...”

Too often we fall into the trap of thinking that God’s love, mercy and forgiveness are only for "good" people. People who have it all together. Church people. But Rahab’s story reminds us that God loves sinners too. And He sent His Son Jesus to be born in Bethlehem, to live and die, not to save the righteous but sinners!

That’s the scandal of the gospel and the scandal of Christmas. That the Almighty, Eternal, Holy God would love people like Rahab... and you and me. That He would send His son to die for people like us. People who don’t deserve His love, who aren’t worthy of His love, and have no claim to it.

As a Gentile, Rahab had no claim on the promises God had made to Abraham, and yet she was adopted into Israel. She became part of the people of God. And we find this theme of bringing the Gentiles into the people of God in the Christmas story as well. When Mary and Joseph bring baby Jesus to the temple to present Him to the Lord, Scripture tells us that Simeon took Jesus in his arms and said He would be “a light for revelation to the Gentiles...” (Luke 2:32)

Jesus came not only to save sinners, but to save sinners from both Israel and the Gentiles. And to make them one body, one people. This was Jesus’ mission, made clear even when He was a baby at the temple. And we find that hidden purpose of God hinted at, way back in the life of Rahab.

A Heritage of Faith

Hebrews 11 is sometimes referred to as the Hall of Faith chapter... a kind of hall of fame for the Christian faith. It lauds the faith of individuals like Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Rahab and others. But at the very end of the chapter, after telling us all about their great faith, the author of Hebrews says this:

These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Hebrews 11:39–40

None of those precious saints received the fullness of the promise. Not yet anyway. The complete fulfillment and culmination of all of that God has promised to His saints... waits for you and me and for countless other believers, so that only together with us will the believers of old be made perfect.

This is a tremendously helpful reminder that the Christian faith isn't truly “personal” in the strict sense of the word. It's communal. Your faith is connected to all those who came before you and to all those who will come after. You have a spiritual heritage that has been passed down to you by your spiritual ancestors. And now you have a responsibility to pass it down to the next generation as well.

Do you connect your faith to those who came before you? Do you read the great Christian books and treatises and sermons of the past? Or is your Christian faith shaped solely by the pastors, teachers and authors alive today? You are privileged to have access to the writings and sermons of many of the greatest Christian thinkers, preachers and missionaries of the last two millennia. You would do well to expose yourself to at least some of them.  

And what about the generation that will come after you? Are you doing anything to hand the faith down to them? You should be. Whether you volunteer with the children's ministry at your church, or pray for and minister to your own kids and grandkids, you have a responsibility to help pass the faith down to the generations that come after you. Through service, giving and prayer make sure you do your part to pass the baton of faith to those who will still be running their race long after you are gone.

The Church isn't Burger King

Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters.

Hebrews 13:1

When I go to Burger King, I go through the drive-thru because (1) I want to get in and out as quick as possible. And I’ve never once asked the person taking my order what his name is or started a conversation with him, because (2) I’m not there to build relationships. I’m just there to get what I want and get out. And speaking of what I want. Burger King is famous for the slogan “Have it Your Way.” So, when I go to Burger King, (3) I tell them exactly what I do and don’t want. I don’t like pickles. So, I tell them, “No pickles.” And if they mess that up and put pickles on my burger, then (4) I may not go back, because I’m the costumer and if I’m not happy with the service why would I go back?”

Now, some people treat the church the same way. (1) They want to get in and get out as quick as possible. If the church had a drive thru line, they’d use it. They don’t come for Sunday School, only the worship service, because they don’t want to be at church any longer than they have to be. (2) And just like me at Burger King, these people don’t ask anybody’s names. They don’t talk to anybody, because they aren’t there to build relationships. (3) And these people think Burger King’s slogan ought to apply to church. They want to have church "their way." So, if the sermon or the music isn’t how they like it, then they let someone know. They aren't afraid to give special orders for how they want their music or someone. (4) And since they see themselves as “the customer,” they think it’s the church’s job to make them happy. And if the church doesn’t do what they want, then they might just leave and find another church that does it "their way."

That’s what I call a Burger King view of the church. It isn't biblical. The Bible gives us a number of metaphors that help us think about the church rightly. One in particular is the Family.

Over 150 times, the New Testament refers to believers as brothers and sisters in Christ. And Hebrews 13:1 commands us to "love one another as brothers and sisters." For more on this view of the church check out (Mark 3:35, John 1:12-13, 1 John 3:1, 1 John 3:16)

Thinking of the church as a family leads to a very different outcome than thinking of it as a Burger King. When you realize that the church is a family, then (1) you stop wanting to get in and out as quick as possible. You stop looking for a drive-thru church experience. (2) You start caring about the people in your church. You want to know their names. You want to start conversations with them and get to know them. (3) And you instinctively get that in a family you can’t always have it "your way.” You have to consider other people’s needs and wants. And often you have to sacrifice your wants to meet their needs. (4) And, obviously, you don’t walk away from your family and go find a new one when you don’t get your way.

So, please understand me when I tell you that your church is a family! You aren’t a customer at church. You're a part of the family of God. So, don’t treat your church like a Burger King or a drive thru worship experience. Take the time to get to know your brothers and sisters in Christ. Learn their names. Build relationships with them. Stop trying to get in and out of church as quickly as possible. Join a Sunday School class or a Wednesday night Bible study. 

God didn't invite you to participate in a business transaction from arm’s length. He invited you into His family. Those are two very different things.

Futility (W.o.W. Rewind)

 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.

Hebrews 10:11

Does your life ever feel like an exercise in futility? Do you ever wonder why God allows you to stay stuck in your station in life with seemingly no hope of escape? Consider the Old Testament priests. Stunningly, the Bible tells us that a faithful priest under the old covenant was doomed to spend their life, day after day, offering the same sacrifices for sin over and over again that could never actually atone for sin. From a human standpoint this is the very definition of an exercise in futility. What a waste of time! But it wasn't. Even if the priests didn't know it, every single sacrifice offered in the Old Testament served a higher purpose than atoning for sin. Every sacrifice pointed forward to Jesus. So the priests didn't spend their lives offering pointless sacrifices, they spent their lives pointing forward to that more excellent sacrifice, Jesus. He offered a single sacrifice for sins by which we have been sanctified once for all (Hebrews 10:10, 12).

So what at first glance appears to be pointless is actually a beautiful reminder of what we are all supposed to do. We point to Jesus with our lives. Whatever circumstances you find yourself in, make sure your response points people to Jesus. You can be sure that no matter how great or how terrible your life is, God has allowed you to be in the exact place you are in so that you might point others to Him by your response. God appoints some to thrive that the world may see He is good. He appoints some to poverty so His goodness can be shown in providing for them. Some suffer that the world may see His tenderness and His power to rescue. Some are called to singleness so they can spend more time pointing others to Jesus. Others are called to families so they can raise up the next generation for Jesus.

Whatever circumstances God has put you in, He has put you there to point people to Jesus. So worry less about why God has allowed certain things in your life. You'll probably never be able to answer that question anyway. Instead, focus on how you are pointing others to Jesus in your circumstances, through your circumstances or even in spite of your circumstances.

Father, whatever my situation, help me point to Jesus with my life!

Fear Not Death

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

Hebrews 2:14–15

Alister McGrath, in his wonderful little book entitled What was God doing on the Cross?, has this to say about the fear of death and the believer. McGrath says, “Death has been tamed. John Bunyan makes this point forcefully in Pilgrim’s Progress, using a vivid storyline. Christian is walking down a road, when to his horror he notices a ferocious lion barring his path. There is no way that he can avoid the animal. Terrified, he draws closer. Then, to his delight, he notices that the lion is chained to a post. Someone has been that way before him, and tamed this fearsome beast. Although he must walk that same way, an earlier traveller has made the road safe for him. Someone else met the hostile creature before him, and disarmed it. Although the lion remains, the threat it once posed has been removed.”* 

That image of a lion chained to a post that we must all walk pass, perfectly captures what Christ has done to death. Death has been tamed! Yes, every believer must still pass through death (unless we live until Jesus comes back) but it can no longer hurt us! For the Christian, death is nothing more than a doorway we pass through on our way to Heaven.

Because, if you are a Christian, then Death is not final for you! Death will have no victory over you. It will hold your body captive in the grave for a little while…but not your soul. From the moment of your death your soul will be in the presence of your Savior right up until the moment of your resurrection. And on that day, your body will come up out of the grave again, in victory, and it will be made new and glorious and immortal. And you will live in that body for all eternity on the new heavens and the new earth.

What possible reason, then, could a Christian have to fear death? I understand having some fear of the process of dying. Sometimes dying can be painful and unpleasant. But we have been set free from a fear of death. So, when our time comes, let us seal our lives with one final testimony to our great faith in the gospel, and let us face our death with faith... not fear.   

*McGrath, Alister E. What was God doing on the Cross? (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers) 1992, p112

Striving After Holiness

For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

Hebrews 10:14

We are not perfect now. We still sin. And yet, this verse says that Jesus has already made us “perfect forever.” How can that be? 

This verse is talking about the sanctified perfection that believer's will experience forever in heaven which Jesus has already purchased for us. We only know that perfection in part now, but Jesus in us is the guarantee that one day we will know it in full. One day every Christian will be made perfectly holy forever.

‌‌This is an incredible promise that ought to encourage us in our fight against sin. If you are like me then you probably feel like you lose more battles with sin than you win. And it can be very tempting to throw in the towel and give up in your fight against sin. But this promise shows us one major reason why we shouldn’t give up. You shouldn’t give up fighting sin in your life because one day you will win the fight. One day you will be completely victorious. One day you will be made perfect, sinless.

‌‌Until that day, we strive after holiness. We attempt to live as aliens and strangers, pilgrims passing through a world that is not our own. We seek to live holy lives that are set apart and different from the world around us. ‌We continue to fight against the sin in our lives and we ask Jesus for help to do so.  

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I want to challenge you to pick one sin in your life to go to war with today. Pick something to cut or prune out of your life. Pick one way you can strive after holiness. 

Jesus Always Lives to Pray for You (W.o.W. Rewind)

 Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

Hebrews 7:23-25

 

When we find ourselves at a truly low point in life- perhaps at death's door or losing someone we can't bear to lose- we often turn to others for prayer. When our own strength fails, we want as many people praying for us as is possible. However we all know certain people whom we sense are nearer to God. We want these people praying for us most of all during our time of need. We somehow feel that if God will hear anyone's prayer, He will hear theirs. Knowing that they are lifting our needs up to the Lord gives us extra strength to press on. Who could this be truer of than Jesus Himself!?

Hebrews 7:23-25 presents the precious truth that Jesus is interceding for all those who have come to God through Him. How encouraging it is to know that if you are a believer then right now Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God the Father in heaven praying for you! Jesus is pulling for you! Jesus Himself is pleading with God on your behalf! Now, the word 'intercede' is one of those churchy words that we use a lot, but many people don’t really know what it means. To intercede for someone is to plead or advocate on their behalf. It is usually used in reference to prayer (as it is here). We intercede for someone when we lift up their requests to God on their behalf. So this passage tells us that Jesus is always praying for you and pleading for you to God. What a blessing! What a privilege! What an encouragement!

  

Not only is this true, but Jesus lives forever. He isn’t going to get tired and fall asleep while He’s praying for you. He isn’t going to give up. He isn’t going to die and leave you trying to convince someone else to plead your case to God. “He always lives to intercede for” you.

 

I believe that Jesus is pleading with God for both your ultimate salvation- that you would persevere in the faith and be proven to be one of the true children of God in the end- and that God would provide you with all you need to beat the power of sin in your life and become more and more like Christ.

What could make this better? Only one thing: if this Jesus who prays for you could actually understand your human weakness, the flesh that you have to battle against, the temptation that you face. If He could understand that, then He could better plead for you. Good news! Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.”

 

Jesus has walked in your shoes. He knows what it’s like to be tired, to be hungry, to be sick. He knows what it’s like to be discouraged. He even knows what it’s like to be tempted. And He sits at the right hand of God the Father in Heaven living forever to lift up your requests and your needs to the Father on your behalf. Praise God! So lift up your requests to God in Jesus’ name today and trust that He is praying for you and that the Father surely hears His prayers.

 

For further reading...

• John 17:6-26- This passage probably gives us a pretty good idea of what Jesus is praying for us, because it is the prayer He prayed for us before He was crucified.
• Hebrews 4:14-16- Check out Hebrews 4:15 in context.

Infantile Thinking

In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Hebrews 5:12-14

There are some Christians in our day who push back on the spiritual disciplines as being too legalistic for their liking. They actually scoff at the idea of reading their Bible every day, or memorizing Scripture, or fasting, or putting great effort into studying Scripture. When they think of such discipline all they see is Pharisaic attempts to earn God's favor. But this is folly!

It is true that any good deed can become a striving after legalism, but surely that does not mean that Christians should no longer commit good deeds! No! We are called to produce good fruit for the kingdom of God. We can't refuse to bring in the harvest now just because there is a possibility of doing so in a wrong way. That would be absurd! Instead, we should continue to bring in the harvest while being extra careful to do so rightly.

The same is true with spiritual disciplines. Just because it is possible to read your Bible daily and not really know God, doesn't mean we should stop reading our Bibles. Just because it is possible to fast and pray only to convince yourself that you are better than others, doesn't mean that we should no longer seek God's help in the manner He has prescribed for us. No! 

Hebrews 5:14 says, "Solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." Maturity in the Christian faith comes from constant use and training. It is wholly by God's grace, but it often encompasses and utilizes our efforts as His means. Be careful not to give in to legalism. Don't practice the spiritual disciplines to prove your worth. But DO practice the spiritual disciplines! Because they are the means God has given us to grow in our faith. So be careful to set aside time to read your Bible, study your Bible, memorize and meditate on God's Word, fast and pray, share your faith, serve the church, give sacrificially and everything else that is proclaimed to be good and right in God's Word. Work hard at growing in your faith. Watch out for legalism, yes, but guard against laziness and stunted growth just as fervently. Let us no longer be infants but grow in our walk with the Lord!

Laid Bare

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Hebrews 4:12-13 

God’s Word is living and active. It doesn’t just lie there. It has power to accomplish God’s purposes. 

God’s Word is like a double-edged sword, so sharp that it can cut through the most minute dividing lines. It can divide joints and marrow. It can even divide soul and spirit, two things which we often think are the same. So, God’s Word is like the sharpest and most exacting of blades.

The passage goes on to say that “everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” That phrase “laid bare” is really interesting, and it’s a beautiful picture of what happens to you and I when we come face to face with the power of God’s Word. Laid bare is the same word that was used of animals when they were sacrificed. It describes an animal being led to the slaughter with its head thrown back and its neck (the most vulnerable part of its body with the largest arteries) exposed before the sword of the slaughterer.

Now, that’s not a very endearing metaphor is it? But the truth it drives home is this... we all lie fully exposed and vulnerable before the greatness of our God and His powerful word. God’s Word is living and active and it overpowers us and it cuts us like a double edged sword, but we serve a good and loving Father who puts us in that position of vulnerability not to harm us but to heal us. Like a surgeon with His scalpel, God cuts us to heal us. He uses His Word to cut the cancer of sin out of our hearts. But in order for Him to do that we must be “laid bare” before him completely exposed and vulnerable.

So if you are tired of being overrun by sin and if you are willing to climb on the surgeon's table, then get more of God's Word in your life. Here's a link to the Bible Reading Plan my church is doing in 2021. Why don't you join us? 

An Apology for Faith (W.o.W. Rewind)

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation.

Hebrews 11:1-2

Do you remember that kid in your elementary school who believed in Santa Claus way longer than everyone else did? I do. At my school his name was Joshua, and he was a firm believer. His overzealous parents who had gone to extraordinary lengths to convince him Santa was real in order to squeeze a few more good Christmases out of him. He continued writing letters to Santa and getting responses into 4th grade or later. With each passing year instead of growing out of it, he seemed to only grow bolder in his confidence. The poor kid was a laughingstock.

The world isn't kind to childlike faith, is it? It is often perceived as gullibility or naivete. And in a world like ours it can make you an easy target. Take it from me. I have almost fallen prey to con men multiple times. Over time I have had to harden myself and learn to be more skeptical.

But this skepticism has taken a toll on my relationship with God. I don't doubt His existence or the truth of Christianity. Those were settled in my heart, in my experience, and in my mind long ago. But I find myself struggling to view any particular situation through the eyes of faith. I sometimes find it hard to believe that God is going to do some great work in a situation. I often feel like I am wasting my efforts. Instead of hoping for the best, or even looking to receive what God has promised, I often find myself expecting the worst. 

With this realization in my mind, I looked at Hebrews 11 with fresh eyes this week. I saw it for the first time not as a Hall of Faith- a list of all the great believers throughout history- but as an Apology for Faith- an argument for living by faith. As we read the chapter and the lives of those it references we find the following:

• From Abel's life we learn that God remembers faith. 
• From Enoch's life we learn that God is pleased with faith.
• From Noah's life we learn that God is patient with those who have faith. (I extrapolate this from both the many years it took for Noah to build the ark and from Noah's failure after the flood.)
• From Abraham's life we learn that God expects longsuffering faith and that he always rewards it, though on His own timetable.
• From Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Isaac we learn that God does test our faith.
• From Joseph's life we learn that God wants us to make plans and preparations in accord with our faith.
• From Moses' life we learn that God sets us free from fear by faith, that God gives us the faith to live for our future in Him and not for the present this world can offer us, that faith makes us bold, and that God does amazing things by our faith.
• Lastly, from Rahab's life we learn that God offers redemption to those who have faith.

While faith in the wrong things can be both naive and gullible, faith in God never is. In fact, faith in God is one of the most powerful forces for change our world has ever seen. So, let's give childlike faith another try. Remember what the Scripture says: “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame” (Romans 10:11).

Father, give me the faith of a child towards You. Help me to be confident in You that You might be pleased in me.

An Apology for Faith

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation.

Hebrews 11:1-2

Do you remember that kid who believed in Santa way longer than everyone else did growing up? I do. At my school his name was Joshua. He was a firm believer. His confidence had been bolstered by the extraordinary lengths his parents had gone to in order to squeeze a few more good Christmases out of him. This young man continued writing letters to Santa I would say at least into 4th grade if not later. I remember with each passing year we really expected he would grow out of it, but instead he seemed to grow bolder in trying to convince us that Santa was real. The poor kid was a laughingstock every year.

I bring this up not to start a Santa war but simply to point out one of the many ways in which our world doesn't reward childlike faith. In the real world childlike faith is often equated with being gullible. If you aren't careful it will make you an easy target and leave you embarrassed you were ever so naive. Over time this world we live in has hardened me. I have had to learn to be more skeptical as I have been embarrassed by my own gullibility and have even almost fallen prey to con men multiple times. 

I have begun to realize that this has taken a toll on my relationship with God. I do not doubt His existence or the truth of Christianity. Those were settled in my heart, in my experience, and in my mind long ago. But I do find myself to be a terrible skeptic when it comes to viewing any particular situation or difficulty through the eyes of faith. I sometimes find it hard to believe that God is going to do some great work in a situation. I often feel like I am wasting my efforts. Instead of hoping for the best, or even looking to receive what God has promised, I often find myself expecting the worst. 

With this realization fresh in my heart I looked at Hebrews 11 with fresh eyes this week. I saw it for the first time not as a Hall of Faith- a list of all the great believers throughout history- but as an Apology for Faith- an argument for living in faith by showing what faith produces. As we read the chapter and the lives of those it references we find the following:

• From Abel's life we learn that God remembers faith. 
• From Enoch's life we learn that God is pleased with faith.
• From Noah's life we learn that God is patient with those who have faith. (I extrapolate this from both the many years it took for Noah to build the ark and from Noah's failure after the flood.)
• From Abraham's life we learn that God expects longsuffering faith and that he always rewards it, though on His own timetable.
• From Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Isaac we learn that God does test our faith.
• From Joseph's life we learn that God wants us to make plans and preparations in accord with our faith.
• From Moses' life we learn that God sets us free from fear by faith, that God gives us the faith to live for our future in Him and not for the present this world can offer us, that faith makes us bold, and that God does amazing things by our faith.
• Lastly from Rahab's life we learn that God offers redemption to those who have faith.

So it turns out that when faith is placed in the right object it isn't shameful at all. In fact, faith in God is one of the most powerful forces for change our world has ever seen. So maybe it's time we all gave faith another try. Maybe we can learn to look at our circumstances through the eyes of faith again.

Father, give me the faith of a child towards You. Help me to be confident in You that You might be pleased in me.

Futility

And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.

Hebrews 10:11

Does your life ever feel like an exercise in futility? Do you ever wonder why God allows you to stay stuck in your station in life with seemingly no hope of escape? Consider the Old Testament priests. Stunningly, the Bible tells us that a faithful priest under the old covenant was doomed to spend their life, day after day, offering the same sacrifices for sin over and over again that could never actually atone for sin. From a human standpoint this is the very definition of an exercise in futility. What a waste of time! But it wasn't. Even if the priests didn't know it, every single sacrifice offered in the Old Testament served a higher purpose than atoning for sin. Every sacrifice pointed forward to Jesus. So the priests didn't spend their lives offering pointless sacrifices, they spent their lives pointing forward to that more excellent sacrifice, Jesus. He offered a single sacrifice for sins by which we have been sanctified once for all (Hebrews 10:10, 12).

So what at first glance appears to be pointless is actually a beautiful reminder of what we are all supposed to do. We point to Jesus with our lives. Whatever circumstances you find yourself in, make sure your response points people to Jesus. You can be sure that no matter how great or how terrible your life is, God has allowed you to be in the exact place you are in so that you might point others to Him by your response. God appoints some to thrive that the world may see He is good. He appoints some to poverty so His goodness can be shown in providing for them. Some suffer that the world may see His tenderness and His power to rescue. Some are called to singleness so they can spend more time pointing others to Jesus. Others are called to families so they can raise up the next generation for Jesus.

Whatever circumstances God has put you in, He has put you there to point people to Jesus. So worry less about why God has allowed certain things in your life. You'll probably never be able to answer that question anyway. Instead, focus on how you are pointing others to Jesus in your circumstances, through your circumstances or even in spite of your circumstances.

Father, whatever my situation, help me point to Jesus with my life!