Author: unspokenblog

Kiss The Son

“Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” Psalm 2:12

What would you think if I told you that Jesus was genuinely angry with some people?  Would that make you uncomfortable?  If so, why?  Why do words like wrath, anger, fury, or even holiness grate against people while words like love and peace sound more appealing to the ears?

If someone is uncomfortable using these words to describe God, this might be because the only thing they have ever encountered in life is sinful rage.  Yet Jesus’ wrath is just and should be celebrated because it’s good.  He only feels wrath over things that deserve wrath.  There is no such thing as unfair wrath with Jesus. Christ’s rage is holy. His fury is good and complete. Yes, His wrath is good.

How can God`s wrath be good? How is this comforting?

  1. Nobody wants to worship a wimpy God. We do not want a God who is soft on sin. If we are honest, an unjust God is not appealing to us. The murderer could always kill whenever and however. The rapist could forever rape freely. The liar could perpetually deceive you in the most devastating ways.  God allows this for a season, but, oh, how his wrath is kindled quickly! He will tread the vineyard of the wrath of God. No sin goes unpunished. He will not tolerate wickedness forever.  This truth does not allow us to point fingers. We must examine our own souls. God will not allow us to sin carte-blanche. God does not show partiality. He is ready to strike us down in our sins unless something drastically changes.
  2. The surprise of Christ is that we can kiss him. The shocking reality of the gospel is that Jesus should punish us, but instead offers the gift of grace. This gift was not free for him. It cost him dearly. Jesus paid for the gift with his own precious blood. God’s righteous rod of wrath struck down upon his body on Mount Calvary. Jesus bore the sins of the world upon a Roman tree.

Why the cross? Because God is holy and must punish sin. Upon Golgotha, God’s love and wrath mingle perfectly. The wrath of God which fell upon Jesus is good news for the believer.

Ironic isn’t it? Strange perhaps? Jesus is slow to anger… yet quick to kindle his wrath.

 “The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.” Numbers 14:18

There are two ways to kiss the Son. One can fall down anointing his feet with kisses (Luke 7:37-38).  Or one can attempt to kill Christ with a cold peck. (Mark 14:44-45).  The former is a broken sinner relying only on the mercy of God. The latter is a hardened sinner about to be broken on the wrath of God.

So friend! Kiss the Son lest He be angry with you. His rod and his staff will comfort you.

Sean Perron

To Know

One lazy Friday evening a few years back, my Mom and I picked up a movie called “Second Hand Lions.” Apparently, it was a story that chronicled “the comedic adventures of an introverted boy left on the doorstep of a pair of reluctant, eccentric great-uncles, whose exotic remembrances stir the boy’s spirit and re-ignite the men’s lives.” It sounded like the kind of story that my Mom and I would like, and my Dad and brother would hate. So, Mom and I, after successfully convincing ourselves that my Dad and brother might like it, rented it. At one point in the movie the two uncles and their nephew drive to a local restaurant to get some food. At the restaurant, Hub (one of the uncle’s) is harassed by a local hooligan who tries to steal some of his barbecue. Hub turns to his nephew and says, “This boy has been given everything but discipline. And now his idea of courage and manhood is to…ride around and irritate folks who are too good-natured to put a stop to it.” To which the hooligan responds, “Hey! Who do you think you are?!” Hub grabs the boy by the neck, stares him straight in the eye and says:

“Hub McCain. I fought in two world wars and countless smaller one’s on three continents. I’ve led thousands of men into battle with everything but horses and swords to artillery and tanks. I’ve seen the head waters of the nile and tribes and natives no white man had ever seen before. I’ve won and lost a dozen fortunes. Killed many men. And loved only one women with a passion that a flea like you could never begin to understand – that’s who I am.”

I remember watching this and having a rush of manly masculinity rush through my body. I dreamed of knowing myself in the way Hub knew himself. I boyishly fantasized for a brief moment about being like Hub: fighting in battles, seeing great things that no one has seen, winning many prizes, traveling to far lands, and being a amorous husband to one women and protecting her to death. But then I was sucked back to where I was, eating my chips and drinking my highly caffeinated beverage – fighting no battles, engaged in no romance, and living in a relatively small town in the middle of the cornfields of Ohio. As I sat back and thought about this brief fantasy I realized how silly it was of me to want to be able to tell people about me. When someone challenges me, I can’t answer like Hub. I’ve never been in a real fight, I’ve never traveled across an ocean, and I’ve never led thousands into battle across an ocean. For me, I can’t brag about what I’ve done. However, I can remind myself of who I know and what He’s done. The last thing a synopsis of my life would do is put a bunch of hoodlums to flight. So then, to whom shall I run when I’m challenged? Every day there awaits for me a new confrontation. Shall I look this world in the eye and say to them, “Do you know who you are messing with?! I am Spencer Harmon! I was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was home schooled through the eighth grade! I lived in the same town all my life! My Dad is a truck driver! My mother is a home maker! I read books! And I…I am a Bible college student!” No. This will not do. There is a rock that is far more sturdy than any story I can give. I would much rather, when the strains and weight of this world crash in, say this:

“He is the image of the invisible God.  He upholds the universe by the word of his power.  He made propitiation for my sins by his blood on the cross.  He rose victorious over death.  In him all things hold together.  He healed the sick.  He is highly exalted.  At his name, every knee will bow.  His kingdom is everlasting.  He never sinned.  He is sovereign over all things.  He is always faithful.  He is perfectly just.  He is coming again.  He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

There is an old Greek aphorism that reads, “Know Thyself”  This is a good thing.  We should know ourselves; yet, the knowledge of ourselves should drive us away from ourselves to our powerful Savior.  As C.S. Lewis puts it in Mere Christianity, “Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.”  Jesus is too powerful, too beautiful, too perfect, and too sovereign for you to try to find confidence in your own anecdotes of small victory. He is a rock, a refuge, a brother, a friend, and a champion for those who trust Him.

Spencer Harmon

Worldview

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31

Does the Bible change the way we look at sports, dating, music, sleep and free time? Christianity is much larger than Sunday morning or youth group. I have often slipped into the inconsistent framework of being a Christian by creed but an atheist in practice. Being a Christian involves your daily life. Jesus desires and demands influence in our daily lives. Going to church once or twice a week does not make someone a follower of Christ.  Jesus said, “Whoever desires to come after me, let him deny himself and pick up his cross daily and follow me.” (Lk 9:23) The Christian worldview is comprehensive.

“Whatever you do” is a pretty broad statement (1 Cor 10:31). How is it possible to glorify God in “boring” daily routines? It begins with the gospel and then connects to the glory of God. Jesus’ death on the cross has purchased every good gift we can experience in life (Rom 8:32). Everything we enjoy is a gift of grace that Jesus bought for us when He died on Calvary. “for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Cor 6:20). We cannot honor God without His help. Trusting in the cross changes everything we do. We have been set free from sin to properly enjoy life. How can we glorify God in whatever we do? We can glorify God above all things and in all things.

1. Above all things. Glorifying God is about calling attention to God. It is about bringing honor to Jesus. When we glorify God it makes Jesus look attractive to a lost world. Glorifying God involves showing that He is more valuable than everything. Here are a few practical questions to check your heart:

  • When you play football, is it clear to everyone that Jesus is more valuable to you than winning a game?
  • When you eat dinner, do you enjoy Jesus more than food or do your cravings command you?
  • When carrying on conversation with your classmates, do your words edify and make Jesus look good or tear down and exalt yourself?

I have a friend who reminds me frequently to “hold loosely.” Hold onto the things of this world in such a way that if God were to take them away you would still worship Him. My pastor often says that food, sex, family and ministries are good gifts but bad gods. Beware lest any gift becomes an “idol of the heart.” Enjoy Jesus above all things.

2. In all things. When a prisoner is set free from jail, he truly appreciates enjoying the warmth of the sunlight. He is thrilled to breathe fresh air and knows it is a precious gift that he does not deserve. Children are kings at enjoying the simple things of life. The Christian should also enjoy God’s gifts and realize they are free to enjoy them because of the gospel. Therefore, glorify God by playing basketball to the best of your ability. With the right heart, playing your hardest actually honors God. Worship God by enjoying every winning touchdown, ice cream, or day off from school. Laugh hard and live it to the brim. Enjoying God’s gifts makes Jesus look good!

God calls us to live an everyday life for the glory of God (1 Cor 10:31). This does not mean you need to force “Bible talk” into everything. God wants you to live life loving Him above all things and in all things. John Piper champions this topic in chapter three of Don’t Waste Your Life. He says every gift is a ray that points back to Jesus.

“The sunbeams of blessing in our lives are bright in and of themselves. They also give light to the ground where we walk. But there is a higher purpose for these blessings. God means for us to do more than stand outside them and admire them for what they are. Even more, he means for us to walk into them and see the sun from which they come. If the beams are beautiful, the sun is even more beautiful. God’s aim is not that we merely admire his gifts, but, even more, his glory.” (p.59)

He is the fountain from which all blessings flow. Living life this way gives you the highest joy because it is found in God. God has pleasures at His right hand that he offers to anyone who will taste and see His goodness. Why would anyone minimize the Christian life to only two days a week?

Sean Perron