Inner Nerd Unleashed

I had a chance to unleash my inner nerd today.  I got to meet Stephen Lawhead tonight at the Barnes and Noble in Brentwood, Tennessee.  He is a fantastic author of historical fiction and fantasy, and he just released a new book.  The book, The Skin Map, is first in series called Bright Empires.

I had an enjoyable time listening to the reading, and getting to meet him.  He was a very gracious host, and spent time talking to each person in line.  I went just to get an autograph, so it was pretty exciting to actually talk to him, as well.

I have been a fan of his work since I read Taliesin in '96 or '97.  It was the first in a series of books about King Arthur.  At the time, I believe it was the longest book I had ever read.  I remember staying up all night to finish it.  It was so good I spent the next several days reading Merlin and Arthur.  Since then, I have read several of his books, and I really have enjoyed them all.  When ever I get the chance to read fiction, Stephen Lawhead's work is at the top of my list.  If you like historical fiction, fantasy, or science fiction, Stephen Lawhead has something that will enjoy. 

 

Thank you, Mr. Lawhead for taking the time to greet your fans and to share part of yourself with us.

FAQs Mondays: What is the Seventh Commandment?

Last week, we answered the question, "What is the sixth commandment?".  You can read that post here.  Now we turn our attention to answering the question, "What is the seventh commandment?".

Which is the seventh commandment?

The seventh commandment is, "You shall not commit adultery" (Ex. 20:14).

What is required in the seventh commandment?

The seventh commandment requires that we preserve our own and our neighbor's chastity in heart, speech, and behavior.  Paul states, "Flee from sexual immorality.  Every other sin a person commits is outside of the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body" (1 Cor. 6:18, ESV).  Later he states, "But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband" (1 Cor. 7:2, ESV).  Paul told Timothy, "Flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with all those who call on the Lord from a pure heart" (2 Tim. 2:22, ESV). 

What is forbidden in the seventh commandment?

The seventh commandment forbids all unchaste thoughts, words, and actions.  Jesus said,

You have heard it said, "You shall not commit adultery." But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown in hell.  And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.  For it is better that yo lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell (Matt 5:28-32, ESV).

Job said, "I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin?" (Job 31:1, ESV).  Paul urges, "Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy" (Rom. 13:13, ESV).  Elsewhere, Paul states, "But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among the saints.  Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which is out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving" (Eph. 5:3-4, ESV).

Summary

We have seen that the seventh commandment is designed to protect marriage.  Although the command only expressly forbids adulterous relationships, it extends far beyond the physical act alone.  The command to marital fidelity is designed to express God's covenant faithfulness to his people, as well as protect society for collapse.  Next week, we answer the question, "What is the eighth commandment?".

Sunday Recap 9-19-10

Morning:  The sermon, "Wisdom Is Better, But," focused on Ecclesiastes 2:12-16.  After failed attempts at finding meaning through examining wisdom, madness and folly, and pleasure, Solomon find's himself at back at square one.  After a thorough examination, he concludes that wisdom is better than folly because it allows you to see where your going.  Wisdom give you vision and focus, whereas folly keeps you stumbling in the dark.

However, the wise and fool both face the same fate.  In the end, Solomon fears that all his earthly endeavors will be forgotten.  The only hope for escaping this it to turn to the Lord. Our lives need a heavenly perspective to deliver us from death.

Evening:  We looked at the Fall (Genesis 3) in our Foundations class tonight.  We focused on these principles:

• God has an enemy.  The serpent in Genesis 3 is identified by John in Revelation 12:9 as the devil or Satan.  Traditionally, Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:11-19 have been understood to be addressing Satan.

• The chief tactic of the enemy is create doubt.

• Mankind chose their own wisdom over God's wisdom.

• Sin entered into the world through Adam, and death with sin. Paul explores this concept in Romans 5:12-21.

• It appears that dominion passed from Adam to Satan.  In Luke 4:5-7, Satan states that he has the authority to give away all the kingdoms of the world.  Jesus doesn't deny the truthfulness of the statement.  It also explains why he is called the "ruler of the kingdom of air" (Eph. 2:2, NIV); "the god of this age" (2 Cor. 4:4, NIV); and "prince of this world" (John 12:31; 16:11, NIV).

• Normal human leadership (government) reflects (dimly) God's character.

• Corrupt human leadership (government) reflects Satan's character.

• God condescends to man.  God speaks to us in ways that we can understand.  Although he is all-knowing, he asks questions.

• God is interested in real relationships.  Although God already knows the future and has numbered our days, he walks with us in time.  He interacts with his people in a very real way.  His presence is an inescapable reality.

• Disobedience is costly.

• The gospel was promised early in the human experience (see Genesis 3:15).  Jesus is the offspring of woman who crushed the serpent's head (authority), by stripping of his power through the cross.  The cross on which the serpent struck Jesus' heal.

• In distinctions, designed into mankind, will now cause conflict.  Humanity was made male and female.  They are distinct in their roles, and equal in value.  Man and woman complement each other, but now the structure is strained by the presence of sin.

• The Lord provides.

• The Lord is merciful.

• God willed to redeem mankind.  God was not willing to let all of humanity exist in an eternal state of death.

Godly Training

"Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths.  Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come" (1 Tim. 4:7-8, ESV).

It turns out that there is a lot of things in this life that are not worthy of our time.  Paul tells us that there are categories of knowledge that are not worthy of investigation (irreverent, silly myths).  He also instructs that bodily training, while of some merit, has limited value.  Bodily training does the body good in this life, making it healthier and thus last longer, but these bodies will turn to dust.

Godliness is the place in which we must spend most of our efforts.  "Godliness," Paul states, "is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come."  I'm not suggesting (neither is Paul) that we should neglect physical exercise.  There are spiritual reasons we should eat right and exercise (however, this post is focused on the training in godliness).  Daily exercise may prolong one's life, but it only postpones judgment.

Godliness may also prolong one's life, and it prevents judgment.  We enter into godliness when we place our faith in Christ.  From that first moment of faith, we should begin to build our lives in such a way that we are growing in godliness.

Paul's point here is that people (even ministers) pursue the wrong things.  They pursue knowledge for the sake of having knowledge, but they fail to discern whether it is true knowledge or not.  They pursue physical fitness, because they are dissatisfied with their size.  Yet, most of those same people are rarely disturbed by an atrophied spiritual state. 

They look at pride in their life and shrug it off.  They struggle with lust, and think "nobody knows."  They hate their neighbor without cause, but at least they haven't killed him.  They haven't "really" prayed in a long time, but they still rest easy.  They are so caught up in the business of life that they don't even realize that their love for Jesus is diminishing day by day.

It should be that way for us Paul says.  It is as if Paul said, "Nope. Not you, Timothy. You have to be different."  He is saying it to us as well.  Nope, not you.  You can't let your spiritual life languish.  Don't let it die.  Your called to be different.

Godliness is the path we are to follow.  When we imitate God, by trying to emulate his character, we are walking in godliness.  If we focus on moral uprightness, humility, grace, and mercy; then we can say we are living a godly lifestyle.   This is the kind of life to which we should devote ourselves.

All training that leads to godliness is worth the effort.  It is worth the blood, sweat, and tears it will cost.  Godliness comes with a promise for this life and the one to come.  Will you reach out and take hold of that promise?

Kept in Peace

"You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you" (Isa. 26:3, ESV).

What does it mean to be kept "in perfect peace"?  The term perfect is clear enough to understand.  It means that it is a full and flawless peace, it is utterly complete.  But what is peace?  The term translated "peace" in this passage is the Hebrew word, "shalom."  Strong's concordance says it is often translated as peace, but can include the ideas of prosperity, health, well-being, rest, safety, etc.

Peace is the state of existence where the individual is living within the context of a relationship with God where animosity is no longer present.  To be at peace with God means that we no longer abide under his wrath.  His anger towards our sin has been erased, through Jesus' death and resurrection, and now he is free to look upon us in favor.  Therefore, this peace with God affects the whole of our life. 

Again I ask, what does it mean to be kept in perfect peace?  It means that we are favored by God.  His loving grace rests upon us.  Because he favors us, we are preserved from his wrath.  This promise, spoken through Isaiah, comes in the context of judgment.  The city (most likely Jerusalem) is about to be left in ruins, and the inhabitants humbled.  However, the righteous have found a refuge, a strong city.  Salvation had become their impregnable fortress.  When his judgment is poured out on the wicked, God shields his people.

So then, who are his people?  His people are those whose minds are stayed on him.  That is, God's people are the ones who prove loyal to the end.  They have fixed their hopes on the Lord, and trust him to see them through.  Because they trust him, the Lord will not let them down.  He holds them, so they trust him.  As they trust them, he keeps them in perfect peace.  God's loyalty (steadfast love) generates loyalty (steadfast love) within his people.

Do you have peace with God?  Is your mind "stayed" on Jesus Christ?  Are you continuing to place you trust in Jesus as the sole source of your hope and righteousness?

Lead Your Heart

"The heart of a man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps" (Prov. 16:9, ESV).

There is a line in the movie, Fireproof, that says something like, "You can't follow your heart, because your heart can be deceived.  You have to lead your heart."  We want to believe that our heart is unaffected by the Fall, that it wants what is best for us.  But the human heart has been affected by the fall, and has its own interests at heart.

If we follow the plans of our heart, without serious reflection, we can get into deep trouble.  I'm not saying that we cannot trust any of our desires, but that we need to be cautious.  When we plan, we need to ask ourselves to what end we are planning.  Are our plans about self promotion and self interest? Or are they about glorifying God in our lives? Or do we say they are about glorifying God, so he will bless us?

He's not fooled by our clever tactics.  He sees through our charade.  It is wiser to turn to the Lord, and to ask him to establish our steps, to allow him to show us the plans he has for us.  His plans always turn out for his glory our our good.

Sit down with the Word and ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand it.  Read it. Study it. Meditate on it.  Pray it back to God.  Read it again.  Study it more.  As you do these things, allow the Word to form you, to shape you, and to challenge you.  Allow the Word to teach you God's plan, and then make it your plan.  Otherwise, the plans of your heart will come to nothing.

The Lord is ordering your steps, so step wisely.  Step up, and lead your heart.  If you don't, your heart will lead you, but not always to the place you want to go.

Becoming Worthy of Imitation

"You know how we lived among you for your sake.  You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit" (1 Thes. 1:5b-6, NIV).

It seems that the Christian motto these days is, "Don't look at me."  In an effort to appear holier or humbler than we are, we deflect attention away from our life.  However, Paul kept pointing to his life as a pattern which should be followed.  He even goes further by saying that following his pattern is the same as following Jesus.  To the Thessalonians he states, "You became imitators of us, and of the Lord."  He isn't saying they imitated both himself and Jesus, he was saying that by imitating him they were imitating Jesus.

It may be that our reluctance to use ourselves as an example stems from our dissatisfaction with our own person walk with Christ.  We don't believe we are good enough to be an example, and sometimes we are right.  But maybe we need to raise the bar a little higher.  Maybe we need to hold ourselves accountable for drawing nearer to God.  Maybe we should stop being satisfied with our anemic devotional lives, and start pursuing the Lord like he is the only good thing in the universe.

Some might counter, "But Paul was an apostle!"  That is true, and it provides a greater reason for obeying what he says.  It is apparent that Paul expects his audience to live in a manner worthy of imitation.  Our life should be so in tune with Christ that others can find him by walking in our footsteps.

The other side of Paul's statement, "You know how we lived among you for your sake," suggests that he immersed himself in the lives of the people he evangelized.  He was with them as a parent with a child.  He hovered over them, teaching them, in the faith, how to walk and talk.  He stood by them, correcting them, and encouraging them.  Paul used patterns deeply ingrained in the human experience (such as the parent/child relationship) as a structural bases for his interactions.

I came to faith in a context where I was supposed to ferret-out answers on my own.  I was given a King James Bible, a book on Baptist doctrine, and a lucky rabbit's foot.  Preaching centered on a clear-cut call to be "born-again," but often lacked further instruction concern what came next.  I am sure that most of the people I went to church were sincere.  They read their Bibles, the believed in Jesus, they prayed, but they often struggled to train new Christians to walk in obedience to Jesus.  I believe they loved Jesus and wanted others to love him, but they assumed people would learn the ropes without any hands-on training.

There are many churches in a similar situation today.  I find myself tempted to prepetuate this same kind of hands-off approach.  At times I have allowed myself to assume that new believers will take to the Christian walk like a fish takes to water and that they will be able to instinctively know how to do the right things in the right way.  But that runs counter to the biblical teaching.  Jesus commissions us to teach them everything he commanded.  We are taught to view new believers as babes.  Thus, the analogy that should drive our discipleship efforts is a parent with a baby, not a fish in water.

Paul acknowledged that their response to and growth in the gospel was the work of the Holy Spirit.  However, he appears to feel very comfortable with seeing himself as an instrument the hand of the Spirit.  Paul's walk in the Spirit, and the Spirit's fruit in Paul's life, provided the example the Thessalonians needed.  As the Spirit took a hold of them, they took a hold of Paul's example, and became a model for others to follow. 

What about you, could people walk like Jesus by following your example?  Are you nurturing those individuals you helped to come to faith in Jesus?  Who taught you how to pray? Study your Bible? Memorize Scripture?  Who are you teaching?

Note:  They didn't really give me a lucky rabbit's foot.