Category Archives: This Christian Life

Not Alone in this Christian Life (1 Kings 19)

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Have you ever been in a situation where you found yourself in the midst of a large group of people and you were there feeling very alone – totally different than the rest of folks in that place? In November of 1986, I flew to London to set up the details for leading a youth missions music team to England the following summer. I traveled with the director of the mission agency on Kuwait Airlines – an airline most Americans were afraid to fly, but which fit the mission budget especially well.

The cross cultural experience began on the airplane. It was a Boeing 747 full of people, but I am not exaggerating when I tell you that my friend and I were the only Anglo-Americans on that fight. It was a flight beginning in Newark and going to London, Kuwait and ultimately Bangkok. It was a virtual United Nations on that flight, with people and children sleeping in the aisles, etc.

A university student from Pakistan was seated next to me, and I struck up a political / international issues conversation with him. After a while, he asked me, “What are your views on the nation of Israel?” … to which I looked around me and quietly whispered to him, “I don’t think my views on Israel would be very popular on this airplane.” He looked around also, and quickly grasping the situation said, “I think perhaps you might be right, let’s talk about something else.”

Some years ago I was invited to a Williamsport area event that honored women in sports, and I was in fact given an award at the event for coaching the girls cross country state champions. This was an event by the women, of the women, for the women! I was the only male who made it to the front of the room! It felt kind of silly and awkward.

Maybe that is how you often feel in your world as a believer in Jesus Christ, seeking to live out the values of Scripture. Maybe you feel all alone, totally going against the current. Isolated!

Elijah felt that way! He had just gotten done challenging the hundreds of prophets of Baal and seeing them wiped out by God. Of course, this made Queen Jezebel really angry. Elijah panics and runs away as far as he can into the wilderness and hides in a cave, where God asks…”What are you doing here, Elijah?”

1KINGS 19:14 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

The following answer of the Lord has always stuck me as rather humorous. Actually, God does not really deal with Elijah very specifically… he basically just gives him another job to do. I can almost imagine the Lord rolling his eyes at such a whining and wimpy answer.

1KI 19:15 The LORD said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel–all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.”

Elijah thought he was all alone, when if fact there were 7,000 others who shared his values.

And you are not alone. God has His people everywhere. And God wants His people to be united and spend time together, to encourage one another for the inevitable times we are in single combat against the enemy.

And God also has made it so that we may be a part of what He is doing in the world. We may be players in the story He is writing. How many authors allow the reader to be a living part of the adventure?  … to be a partner with the hero of the story?  You have to admit, that is pretty cool way to live this Christian life!

Just Feet of Clay, Getting Into Step (Galatians 5)

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It is one of those 90/90 days of the summer – heat and humidity, that is. The grass has to be cut; it can’t wait any longer!  The calendar is full of appointments and meetings; so it is now or next week. You do it. You are soaked. You have 15 minutes to eat lunch, shower, and be in the car to the next appointment. There is no time to cook, but you are hungry and hot. Inside the freezer compartment is a half-gallon container of Breyer’s Butter Almond ice cream. It is only half gone. The only things higher than your temperature and hunger are your cholesterol numbers and excess pounds.  … Ah!… worry about that tomorrow, and you empty the container and run! The spirit was willing but the flesh was weak.

The flesh is weak. Our experience in this Christian life regularly tells us that we are not made of very substantial stuff. And in fact, the Scriptures on a number of occasions refers to us as clay…

2CO 4:7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

The flesh is weak. Each of us know it all too well. It is one thing to run from bad guys who pursue us…like wicked people and demons and the sort. But it is so discouraging to realize that the pursuit of evil is perhaps more often sourced inside ourselves! Man, that is frustrating! Paul understands, and writes it better than perhaps anyone ever has…

RO 7:14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do–this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.  21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God–through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Wow! That is candid! And we all know IT IS TRUE! Our failures are not because we want to fail. We desire to live well for God in righteous attitudes and deeds. But this “thing” inside us takes us down again and again. Gosh! We are wretched! Ugh!

But Paul immediately references the answer that is there – also within us – Jesus Christ our Lord!  Where else might we turn?  How do we have what Paul calls “the life of Jesus” within us?

Jesus told his disciples near the end of his earthly time with them that he would send the Spirit to not just be with them, but be in them. This indwelling of the Spirit is the common experience of the Christian in the church age, a reality not generally known by the saints of God in previous ages. So, Jesus lives in us in the form of the Spirit. The issue therefore becomes one of yielding control and authority to that inner strength, versus yielding to the inner strength of the flesh and sin nature.

GAL 5:16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

GAL 5:19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

GAL 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.  

Don’t you just love that last statement? Keep in step with the Spirit. Remember the old show, “Gomer Plye, USMC’?  Remember Gomer in the introductory clip having trouble getting his feet into rhythm with the marching company, and Sargent Carter screaming into his ear? That is how we look so often when walking with the Spirit, and seeking to see the life of Christ lived out in us. It is time to get in step… and by doing so, we thwart the pursuit of evil, and we live well in this Christian life.

The Beer Party World (1 Peter 4)

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I have a great many wonderful memories about high school and that period of my life. But I also have some very painful reflections, even all these years later. I did not attend a really huge school, as my graduating class had only 129 students. I would compare my school to Clear Spring High School relative to the composition of the community and student body. To my knowledge, there was only one other Christian in that group of 129, though I know some have come to know the Lord since then.

My good memories come from the classes and school days, and particularly the sponsored after school extra-curriculars. The bad memories come from just about everything else beyond that.

It seemed to me that most of my classmates lived for the weekend… to anticipate a beer party somewhere and then to talk and gloat about what happened until the next adventure came around. I remember early evening returns to the school from away games where the camaraderie was great; but the entire scene would change as I was the one person left behind to simply go home, as the rest of them went out on a drinking binge.

I have memories of lying awake in the middle of the night and hearing emergency vehicles going out the primary connecting country road we lived on … wondering who of my school friends might have crashed into a tree this time. It was so pervasive, I almost developed a 6th sense about what was happening. I recall one Friday evening where I got up in the middle of the night, went downstairs and watched out the window for the ambulance to return past our house toward the hospital. My mother heard me go down the steps and followed to see what was wrong. I told her that I felt certain someone I knew was hurt; and sure enough – a couple of them had crashed into a stone wall just a few miles up the road. They survived with few serious injuries, though none the wiser. I knew I did not want to be any part of that scene, but I also knew I was pretty much all alone in my values. It was often a depressing time.

Do you often feel alone in your world, completely out of step with the majority of people around you? The reason for that is because you are! You have been called out of this world and into the kingdom of His Son. That is what the Greek word for “church” literally means. “Ekklesia” is the combination of two words… “ek” = out of, and “kaleo” = to call. So you are part of a fellowship of people called out of the rest of the world to be a part of God’s family.

This sense of being a square peg in a round hole, and being disliked for it, is common-ground experience we share with Christ. Jesus said…

JN 15:18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

I remember one particular occasion of being dropped off at my home after a high school game by an older teammate who could drive, and him saying, “You don’t go out drinking to the parties do you… man, you are so stupid… you don’t know what you are missing.”  The world is amazed that we would not just follow along in their patterns. Here is how Peter spoke of it…

1PE 4:1 Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. 2 As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. 3 For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do–living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. 4 They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you. 5 But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

It really is a beer party world. And it is a challenge for us all, but especially our teens, to see the temporary and foolish nature of this world. We need to focus on the eternal… to make that focus the main idea we identify from the God’s grand story in order to live successfully in this Christian life.

1JN 2:15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the world–the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does–comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

The Axis of Evil (2 Corinthians 11)

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A few years ago, President Bush termed a handful of hostile countries around the world “the axis of evil.”  These were nations led by people who are wicked at the core of their being. But there is a more awful axis of evil to be found in the legions of cohorts in association with Satan.

Most Christians know and believe that there are such beings as demons. But many probably do not know of their history or activity.

Demons are angels – originally created by God as His messengers and servants – who followed Satan in rebellion against God at some point in eternity past. They now serve their new master, knowing their time is limited and their destiny is one of a fixed and certain destruction.

There is a balance for us to maintain in terms of our view of the demonic realm and their influence and power.

On one hand, we in modern America downplay and disregard (or sublimate) the reality and activity of the Satanic host. We are the odd ones out in the world, as most of the rest of the world, particularly the third world, openly experiences and acknowledges the active reality of the supernatural.

On the other hand, we need to guard against the thought or presumption that the kingdom of darkness is an equal combatant with the kingdom of light. Though Satan and his ilk are granted temporary powers and authorities, their doom is sealed. (And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross – Colossians 2:15)  So, we do not need to be overwhelmed by this foe. The resources for our regular victory over this supernatural axis of evil is very much at our daily disposal, which is particularly clear in the Ephesians 6 passage we referred to in the previous devotional.

However, it is good for us to know that the techniques used by this foe are not always those of raw evil. We need to remember the strategy often used by these forces is to mask evil with that having the outward appearance of good.

2CO 11:13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.

Among issues where Satan may masquerade as good are those related to the big three of worldly temptations – sex, money, and power. Failures in such categories do not usually happen randomly or impulsively. Rather, it is the end result of an erosion of a mind fixed on God. It happens over time, as one begins a pattern of rationalizations and mental gymnastics to convince oneself that the aberrant behavior has justification within the special parameters of the current situation. “This extra relationship is actually good for me because it encourages my self esteem.”  “The extra money I am gaining will enable me to give more to God’s work.”  “It is too bad I had to roll that guy’s head, but he was an obstacle to the progress we need to make, and God put me in this position.”

We also need to place within our thinking the great interest Satan has in our current generation. He will not go down without a fight. He will seek to “take out” multitudes with him in the course of his own destruction. I believe it is biblically undeniable that we live in the broad category of time known as “the last days.” And in such a context, we may surely expect heightened Satanic activity.

1TI 4:1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.

Indeed, Satan and his cohorts are granted powers we need to respect with wisdom and balance; but the ultimate victory in the story is ours. There is nothing possessing higher trump than what we enjoy in our relationship with Jesus Christ. The journey of our great calling in Christ is a treacherous one, but our relationship with the hero of the story insures our ultimate victory over the pursuit of the axis of evil.

RO 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Enemy Plans and Intentions (Ephesians 6)

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As I had mentioned in a previous devotional, I recently read a book about World War I naval conflict. The British Admiralty (the United Kingdom equivalent of the American Department of the Navy) had an espionage room called “Room 40”. They had broken the German naval communication codes and were very often aware of the intentions of their enemy long before they were put into action.  On one occasion the British Grand Fleet, knowing in advance about a planned German offensive, actually put to sea five hours before the High Seas Fleet of Germany launched.

As God’s people, we have a great enemy in Satan. Though we are not able to see him specifically, we are not uniformed about his methods and schemes. Paul said it this way to the Corinthians…

2 Cor. 2:10 If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven–if there was anything to forgive–I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, 11 in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.

We do not need to be unknowledgeable about Satan’s schemes, though many of us apparently are. The Bible is a sort of “Room 40” for us. Satan’s techniques are not new, as compared to his methods over the generations. Peter warned his readers with these words…

1PE 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

A lion never rests for long; it is always considering where its next meal may be. We have all seen those television nature programs with the lion lurking, looking for the vulnerable gazelle that strays a bit from the herd or loses its sense of caution and respect for imminent danger. The picture is a colorful one that we should certainly heed. And note also that this danger is not unique to us or to our setting or our generation. It is the common experience of believers around the world.

Imagine you were being stalked by a person, an enemy of your life that desired to see you fail in a whole variety of ways. Imagine that person showed up at your workplace from time to time; and every so often you saw him outside your house window. What would you do? Well, certainly you would go to a higher authority concerning the problem. You would want to understand why this person hated you so significantly. And you most definitely would have a strategy to deal with this threat to your life.

Well, this actually is your situation! You do have an enemy in Satan that wants to see you fail in many places of your life. He, or his emissaries, are out and about your life… looking into your activities for a crack in your armor. You need to go to a higher authority in trusting God. It serves you well to have a working understanding of Satan and his schemes. And you surely need a strategy. So here is a biblical strategy session…

EPH 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

The pursuit of evil is a part of the big story, and a part of your story. It is popular in our generation and within Western Civilization to deny the reality of such. Don’t be that foolish.

The Ultimate Enemy (Isaiah 14, Ezekiel 28)

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A couple of years ago, for some light reading I really got into the Sherlock Holmes series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and read the entire thing. The turns of phrase of an English author from a century ago are nothing short of really cool!

Of course, Holmes had many enemies and villains come across his path, but none as dastardly as the evil Professor Moriarty. When Holmes first reveals to the dear Dr. Watson the characteristics of this wicked creature, he describes him this way…

“He is the Napoleon of crime, Watson. He is the organizer of half that is evil and of nearly all that is undetected in this great city. He is a genius, a philosopher, an abstract thinker. He has a brain of the first order. He sits motionless, like a spider in the center of its web, but that web has a thousand radiations, and he knows well every quiver of each of them. He does little himself. He only plans. But his agents are numerous and splendidly organized. Is there a crime to be done, a paper to be abstracted, we will say, a house to be rifled, a man to be removed—the word is passed to the Professor, the matter is organized and carried out. The agent may be caught.  In that case money is found for his bail or his defense.  But the central power which uses the agent is never caught – never so much as suspected.”  (from The Final Problem in Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes)

The biblically literate person cannot read that paragraph without thinking how very much of it could apply to Satan, the great enemy of the biblical hero, Jesus Christ. Consider the similarities… the source of the bulk of all evil, the great mind and power, the sinister nature of the personality, the web of organization, an association of confederates, the seeming immunity from arrest and prosecution, etc, etc.

The presence of Satan is revealed early in Scripture, appearing in chapter three. He raises doubts about the goodness of God, displaying his position as the enemy of righteousness. Originally created as the most extraordinary of the angelic host, his history of rebellion against God is recorded in passages from two of the major prophets…

Isaiah 14:12 How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! 13 You said in your heart,    “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. 14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”

 Ezekiel  28:14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. 15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. 16 Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned.  So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. 17 Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor.  So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.

Many years ago, a favorite professor of many of us who attended Philadelphia College of Bible was Ron Showers. Professor Showers wrote a marvelous little booklet that has surely been out of print for decades now called “What On Earth Is God Doing?”  This booklet spoke of the plan of God through the ages, with a special emphasis on the activity of Satan to thwart God’s purposes step by step. From the temptation of Adam and Eve, to the introduction of murder…  From the plan of the fallen angels to intermingle with the human race (Gen. 6), to the tower of Babel with evil human leaders, and multiple efforts to destroy God’s chosen people… all the way down to the death of Jesus – Satan has worked to prevent the redemptive ministry of Christ, and he works now to negate its application to people even of our generation.

Satan is the enemy of God. He is the enemy of Jesus. He is your enemy and passionately hates you! Our theme switches now to consider the pursuit of evil that is a part of all great stories, is part of the biblical story, and is therefore a part of your story as well.  Looks like you need to journey on with us!

Guaranteed Victory (Revelation 19)

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I like winning things, and my overly-competitive nature is the stuff of local legend. From my high school cross country coaching career, I think the video is still out there on the internet somewhere of the day my best runner was out-kicked at the finish line of the state championships. The clipboard in my hands at that moment ended up in multiple pieces.

During several of those 13 years of coaching I had a girls team that was truly a rare powerhouse. Winning meet after meet, only the very best teams in much larger schools had any chance of beating them. In our division in Maryland, even if every other school in the state combined as one, my girls would probably still win the title. I liked it that way! Knowing we were going to win made everything about it a lot more fun and relaxing.

That is how it is with our hero, Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate guaranteed winner. I am not sure I could stick with this faith adventure in the midst of such a sinful world if I did not right now know the end of the story. A lot of circumstances do not seem fair and do not make sense, even with knowledge of how things end; but I know it will all culminate in the establishment of righteousness and justice.

I remember in elementary school being taught to read a book by starting with the first chapter, then going to the last chapter, and finally reading all the stuff in between. That always seemed kind of dumb to me. But maybe it really does make sense! Once in a while when I’m reading a novel and I begin to really like a character, I’ll look at the back of the book to see if the person is still alive and part of the story. It makes me less stressful about what might happen to him or her in the meantime.

That is similar to how I am able to find peace in a bonkers world. I have read ahead to the end of the book. Jesus wins in the end, and I am on his team… so, I am going to keep my eye on the ball and enjoy playing the game.

Revelation 19:11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:  KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Walking in Your Hero’s Footsteps (Philippians 3)

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When I was a little boy, I had a hero – my brother-in-law – who had just married one of my much older sisters.  He was, and still is, a real gem of a guy. My grandmother was aware of my veneration for this new addition to our family, and like the great matriarch that she was, she took him aside one day and said, “That little boy idolizes you, so you’d better watch everything you say and do in front of him.”  I know my brother-in-law is a sinner theologically speaking, but I can’t quite picture it actually happening! I wanted to grow up to be like him. I didn’t quite make it… I could never be that nice of a person.

Did you have a hero when you were growing up? It is rather quite common to look up to someone and wish to be like him or her.

Paul said to the readers of the first letter to the Corinthians, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (11:1). He told the Ephesians, “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (5:1-2).  The word for “imitators” is the same word from which we derive “mimic” in English. Look to God and mimic what you see. But, you can’t see God! True! But you can gain a picture of Jesus Christ that is quite detailed. He is the exact representation of God (Colossians 1:15).  He is the visible explanation of God (“explanation / made known” is the word from which we derive “exegesis”… which is a detailed examination and explanation of the meaning of something)… John 1:18 – “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.”

How well do you follow the example of Jesus Christ and walk in His footsteps? Do you do it well enough that someone else may see it in you and make you a part of the pattern for their walk? You do have influence. Others do look at you. There will be people, probably in younger generations than you, who will look to you and walk as you do.  Will they look like Christ?

PHP 3:7 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ–the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead… PHP 3:17 Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.

The Greatest Hero Ever (Luke 22:24-27)

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Presidential Election Day. This is not a day for the humble of the world to be recognized, though someone may be humiliated and have to concede, making warm statements about their opponent that they do not truly believe in their heart. The candidates attempt to portray themselves as ordinary Americans… folks who hunt geese, eat McDonalds hamburgers, and have such a soft spot for children that it drives them to have to kiss every baby they see (kinda gross!).

But the fact is that any thoughtful person knows neither of these individuals is ever very ordinary. An incumbent president probably has not opened a door for himself or driven a vehicle in many years; and honestly, we really don’t see many financially ordinary folks who make it to this level.

I really do not begrudge a wealthy guy being my president. In fact, it is really a good thing that someone who has had to shuffle vast amounts of money and fight nasty business battles be the one to run our country, versus a peon like me.

Jesus is a walking, visible definition of power and strength. But what makes our hero the greatest is His new definition of what is true greatness. He told the disciples one day after hearing them argue over who among them was foremost, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35)  The Gospel of Luke records the account this way…

LK 22:24 Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. 25 Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. 26 But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.

There is something so very compelling about a leader who yields his rights and instead takes a lower place. An excellent book on World War 1 naval conflict called “Castles of Steel” talks about the Commander in Chief of the British Grand Fleet – Admiral John Jellicoe. He was universally loved by all who served with him because of his caring ways and his personal knowledge of the name of every last seaman on his flagship – the Iron Duke.

There were occasions in our home over the years when the boys degenerated into an argument about who should be taking a turn this time to fold the laundry or empty the dishwasher. A couple of times I did not intervene in the conflict but simply rather got up and started doing it myself … which quickly sent a message to each boy and usually solicited universal assistance.

John 13:1 It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. 2 The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

Compelling leadership!  We do not serve a master who is unable to understand us.  He came to live with us, and be one of us.

HEB 2:14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death–that is, the devil– 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. … 17 For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Looking at the leadership at the top levels of authority in our country and world, I am going to keep Jesus Christ as my hero. He is the greatest! I can relate to Him with a sense that He will understand me and my struggles a whole lot more than some guy on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, the United Nations in New York, or at NATO headquarters in Belgium! Jesus is the greatest hero!

Heroes Are As Old As Dirt (Colossians 1:13-20)

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It is true to say that heroes are as old as dirt. The earliest remaining stories from human antiquity are of heroic figures (Greek mythology, etc.)

A man named Joseph Campbell has written a book on this subject that talks about the concept of the “monomyth,” defined as the general framework providing a description of the significant elements of the world’s mythology. In a single sentence from his book “The Hero With A Thousand Faces” he says, “The hero ventures forth from the world of the common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.” (p. 30)

Do you see what Campbell is saying? He is postulating that all stories have the same common framework or elements, particularly as regards the “hero” figure. Though I’ve not read more than excerpts from his book, I’d bet that he would say the story of the Bible is just another similar mythical story of antiquity… only the names and faces are different.  Here is another paragraph…

“The mythological hero, setting forth from his common day hut or castle, is lured, carried away, or else voluntarily proceeds, to the threshold of adventure. There he encounters a shadowy presence that guards the passage. The hero may defeat or conciliate this power and go alive into the kingdom of the dark (brother-battle, dragon-battle; offering, charm), or be slain by the Opponent and descend in death (dismemberment, crucifixion). Beyond the threshold, then, the hero journeys through a world of unfamiliar yet strangely intimate forces, some of which severely threaten him (tests), some of which give magical aid (helpers). When he arrives at the nadir of the mythological round, he undergoes a supreme ordeal and gains his reward. …  The final work is that of the return. If the powers have blessed the hero, he now sets forth under their protection (emissary); if not, he flees and is pursued (transformation flight, obstacle flight). At the return threshold the transcendental powers must remain behind; the hero re-emerges from the kingdom of dread (return, resurrection). The boon that he brings restores the world (elixir).”

As we have often shared in varied sermon series about the overarching story of the Bible, there indeed is a common thread between all grand stories. And there is a good reason for that thread – all stories borrow from THE STORY that God is writing … a story that features Jesus Christ as The Hero. The biblical story is not just another tale, nor even just the greatest of tales; it is THE story of stories from which all others borrow without realization.

So, who has the best hero? We could talk a lot about Zeus or Hercules or whomever. But that is not what we are about. And besides that, when they get set alongside Jesus Christ, they really are a bunch of little “girlie-guys.” Look at how Paul talks about a real hero…

COL 1:13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

While looking at this passage, we may by observation note the following list of statements about Jesus Christ…

  1. He is the one who has made possible the redemption of all people from the death sentence of sin.
  2. When you look at Jesus, you see a visible representation of the invisible person of God.
  3. He is supreme over all creation in authority and importance (that is the idea of firstborn – it is a word of rank, not order of accomplishment).
  4. He is the creator! He made all things and all powers wherever they be, or however impressed they are with themselves.
  5. He is before, above, and beyond all things… and is the glue that holds all things together.
  6. He is the head of the church… the body of those who inherit everything with him.
  7. He is the first to rise from death and claim that victory for himself and others.
  8. God is very happy to have the sum fullness of all that defines God to exist in Christ in bodily form.
  9. It is through Jesus and His accomplishments on the cross that all the craziness ruining a perfect, created order is reconciled again forevermore.

Case closed!  No other hero is in the same league!

Romans 16:25 Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, 26 but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him– 27 to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ!  Amen.