Powerball Mania

As of yesterday, the Powerball jackpot had reached $550,000,000.  And today's news indicates that winning tickets have been sold in Arizona and Kansas City.

Playing the lottery is actually a huge gamble.  Now I know you can buy a Powerball ticket for a mere $2.  It's not that spending $2 is a “huge” deal.  What’s enormous is the risk that, if you did win, your life would unravel in chaos and isolation and disaster. 

Just consider some of the big winners of recent years.  Of course, there are stories of careful millionaires who've invested their winnings wisely and kept their heads on straight.  But there’s also a lot of sorrow and human wreckage strewn along Lottery Lane.

• In 2006 Sandra Hayes split a $224,000,000 Powerball jackpot with a dozen co-workers.  She later said, “I had to endure the greed and the need that people have, trying to get you to release your money to them.  That caused a lot of emotional pain.  These are people who you’ve loved deep down, and they’re turning into vampires and trying to suck the life out of me.” (source)
• In 2002 Jack Whittaker of West Virginia hit the Powerball jackpot:  $315,000,000.  But later, as a devastated man, he lamented how his windfall was to blame for his granddaughter’s fatal drug overdose, his divorce, hundreds of lawsuits, and an absence of true friends. (source)
• In 2009 James Groves of New York City won a 50% share of the Mega Millions $336,000,000 jackpot.  But promptly thereafter he was flooded with calls from friends and acquaintances wanting money.  “It’s a dream turned into a nightmare.” (source)

I could go on with stories of lottery winners’ lives ruined by bankruptcy, cocaine, pros­ti­tution, violence, and suicide.  But I’ll spare you.  My point is simply this:  Americans were lining up to buy 6.3 million tickets per hour yesterday (source) because they yearn for joy—for pleasure, for true happiness.  In fact, the human heart is spring loaded to seek happiness—God made us that way.  We've been designed to crave maximum delight in the all-satisfying presence of the Lord, here and now by foretaste, and one day with unspeakable joy in eternal presence of Christ!  But in this world we also lust after idols—after what’s created rather than the Creator, delights that don’t last, rewards that can never really satisfy our deep longings. 

John ends his first letter this way:  “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”  So guard your heart:  don’t let yourself run after this world’s fleeting pleasures, but pursue the glorious joy of Christ with all your strength.  How foolish and sad it would be set your heart on a passing payoff.  Frankly, today’s jackpot—whether we speak of money or status or power or fame (etc.)—isn’t worth a thing compared to “Jesus priceless treasure.”  The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up.  Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field (Matthew 13:46).
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John R. W. Stott, 1921-2011

Tributes to the late John R. W. Stott are appearing quickly following his death yesterday (see, e.g., here, and here and here, to name a few; see also the NY Times). It seems many people have tremendously appreciated this gifted, clear-headed, and courageous evangelical pastor.

If there's one thing that has characterized Stott's preaching and teaching, it's CLARITY. Not only was he an outstanding communicator who could make himself understood, but (most importantly) he had a gift for helping students of Scripture recognize the structure and argument and compelling case of countless biblical texts. And yet, his clarity was matched with URGENCY--when you heard him speak, you knew that the Lord and his Word meant everything to this Christ-exalting leader.

I first heard him speak at Urbana '79 where he lectured from Romans 5-8 and helped all of us restless college students stop and pay close attention to God's brilliant Word.

In the 1980s his powerful, penetrating message on leadership (printed as the final chapter in Issues Facing Christians Today) was like a gracious explosion in my life--especially the section on "vision" (unfortunately, I can't dig up the audio of this lecture!).

Stott's commentaries on The Sermon on the Mount and Paul's Letter to the Ephesians are among his many excellent writings that have helped me think carefully about God's coherent and beautiful written revelation.

His passion for mission resulted, among other things, in his service as the primary author of The Willowbank Report of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, a pivotal essay on the gospel and culture. His heart for God's world also led him to establish a scholarship program for majority world Christian leaders enabling them to pursue academic training in preparation to teach and lead the church in many places around the globe. Visit the Langham Partnership website and John Stott Ministries for info on the works he founded. Note that several audios of his messages can be accessed at his church, All Souls Church, in London (and see also the MP3 library at Monergism). Amazon lists 109 books for "John R. W. Stott."

I thank the Lord for how he's used John Stott to challenge and encourage me in the study of the Scriptures!

[originally posted at www.forthejourney.blogspot.com]

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Taking stock at summer's end

As we venture into September, here are some of this past summer’s headlines: health care reform, Ted Kennedy, Taliban, Farrah Fawcett, Afghanistan elections, suicide bombings, Swine Flu, Cash for Clunkers, District 9, cool-then-steamy weather, President Obama, Pedro Martinez, Michael Vick, Michael Jackson, release of Lockerbie bomber, American Idol, unemploy­ment, California bankrupt, Usain Bolt, Serena Williams, Tour de France, Lyme Disease, Gaddafi, Susan Boyle, Tiger Woods, Transformers, Caster Semenya, Roger Federer, L. A. wildfires, Harry Potter…

My guess is that for many of us these things have been on our minds, grabbing our attention. And amidst the flurry of all such things current-immediate-relevant-newsworthy, I’d also guess that many of us have been seeking to keep God’s Word and our hope in Christ vividly before us. But it’s a battle. The battle is to keep from thinking that all those flashy headlines really matter in the end, and to guard and feed our affections for Jesus Christ.

The Enemy works hard to undermine your faith in at least two ways: by frontal assault to destroy belief in the Lord, or by a round-about attack that makes stars and trends and sports and fashion and self-image and all kinds of fleeting things appear so meaningful that Christ seems kind of like a distant shadow, like something beige. If you pour your heart’s passion into temporal pleasures (i.e., ones that don’t center on God or last eternally), you’ll ruin any appetite for ultimate joy in the Lord.

Here at the end of the summer 2009, what is it you long for? What’s your passion? What moves you? Despite all the “stuff” clamoring for your attention, I urge you to turn your mind and heart to Christ, to spend time (alone, and with loved ones) focusing on the wonder of the Lord through his Word, and to fan the flames of our sure hope in the future return of Jesus. After all, remember that he’s coming back precisely for those who eagerly await his appearing! “Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” (Heb 9:28). Look to Christ!

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Yearning

C. S. Lewis said,

"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."

(quoted in John Piper, The Dangerous Duty of Delight, p. 8).

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Soul Food

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4, ESV).

“More to be desired are they [i.e., God’s words] than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb” (Psalm 19:10).

The Word of God is a priceless gift we have in our hands: do you cherish it? Do you go to the Scriptures for soul food? Do you study and meditate, do you listen to the Lord and respond in prayer? Is the Bible sweet to you—is it treasure? There is more to the Christian life than joyfully diligent Bible study, but never less!

Satan is always at work tempting us to bypass God’s Word:

• "There’s no time for serious Bible study in my schedule"
• "I’m no scholar—it’s too hard to understand"
• "The Bible doesn’t inspire me—it’s not relevant to my life"

Satan has a lot of lies, those are just a few. And people fall for them! I hope you don’t. You make time for food, right? Skipping the Bible leads to spiritual starvation. The daily news is relevant, right? How much more pertinent to your life and eternal joy is the news of God’s greatness and grace?

The bottom line is that authentic Christianity involves trusting in Christ—we’re saved by faith (Eph 2:8-10). How is faith gener­ated and sustained? “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Rom 10:17). Reading and wrestling with the Bible is how we grow in faith; as we spend time with Jesus Christ via the pages of Scripture, the Lord arouses faith / trust / devotion in our hearts. By contrast, failing to dig deep in God’s Word and study it carefully destroys faith.

Let’s be candid: Does the Bible receive your undivided, eager attention on a regular basis, and are you involved in groups or classes that help you dig deep into the treasure of Scripture? Or are you walking away from Christ? It’s one or the other.

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Look Up!

We’re all painfully aware that the mood of our day is downcast. We’ve been shaken by the collapse of trusted financial institutions and Fortune 500 corpor­ations. Slip-sliding global markets have sent us scurrying home to stuff the few dollars we have left into the mattress. And job security is a thing of the past. This propels us into a panic and guard-the-fort mode—and followers of Christ are not immune to this temptation.

And that’s exactly why we need the Lord’s gracious help to look up—look up from our dismal doubts and worst case scenarios, and look into his radiant face. Here’s the bottom line: in hard times, God is NOT honored when we sink into fear, circle the wagons, and ignore his powerful presence. Look up: “Lift up your eyes!”

“I lift up my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven” (Ps 123:1). “Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing” (Isa 40:26). “Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, ‘Behold your God!’” (Isa 40:9).

So times are tough—that’s true, humanly speaking. And you need help? So do I. We all need help to avoid falling into the swamp of self-preservation; we all need help to look up and rivet our heart’s attention on the all-sufficient, all-satisfying Lord: “I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth” (Ps 121:1-2). “One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple” (Ps 27:4).

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Palm Sunday

I find Palm Sunday unsettling.

Of course, outwardly the picture of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem is exhilarating. Crowds of followers with visions of victory cheer the arrival of royalty: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:38). But do his fans see that Jesus weeps for the unrepentant city (19:41)? Probably not—too busy celebrating.

But then, consider their deafening silence in the days to follow. The cheering crowds, the festive throng casting palms and coats on the road before King Jesus—where do they go? As the soldiers march out to the Garden of Gethsemane in a plot to abduct Jesus, where are all his followers, and where are their energetic praises? As Jesus prays, where are his trusted men, the inner circle of Peter, James and John? Answer: sleeping (22:45). As the grim events of the week unfold, the only shouts are from enraged masses crying out, “Crucify him!” (23:21).

Hymn writer Henry Milman picked up this dissonance (1820):

Ride on, ride on in majesty
As all the crowds “Hosanna!” cry:

Through waving branches slowly ride,

O Savior, to be crucified.

Ride on, ride on in majesty,
In lowly pomp ride on to die:
O Christ, your triumph now begin
With captured death, and conquered sin!

Ride on, ride on in majesty—
The angel armies of the sky
Look down with sad and wondering eyes
To see the approaching sacrifice.

In fact, this seemingly innocuous event, Palm Sunday, pierces to the soul. It’s a subtle rebuke of my fickle faith and your fair-weather discipleship. Receive the Lord’s rebuke today, his good discipline. For the Father disciplines those he loves (Heb 12:6).

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Bibliolatry?

What about this idea that Bible-based evangelical Christians are really worshipping The Good Book and thus committing “bibliolatry” (i.e., making an idol of the Bible).

In keeping with the example of the Berean Bible study superstars, we need to engage in vigorous, eager, careful exam­ination of the Scriptures (the Bereans did this “daily,” and we should do the same, Acts 17:11). Receiving and proclaiming the Word of God is the way to shut down itching ears and the false teaching they crave (2 Tim 4:1-5). Flipside: failing to preach and receive the Word faithfully is a great way to unleash unsound, dangerous messages in the church. Want to mess up the body of Christ and ransack people’s souls? Then let itching ears dictate the message; preach what is popular; avoid disturbing anyone with God’s bold truth.

So does a high respect for the Bible compel Christians to commit bibliolatry? Not at all. In fact, committing bibli­olatry is a sure sign that one has not taken the Bible seriously enough. Because if you read and meditate on and truly take in the message of the Scriptures, you’ll see clearly that a zeal for truth without a love for the One who speaks ultimate truth is utterly unacceptable. The only way a professing Christian could practice bibliolatry would be by failing to really know and follow what the Bible says—and that failure would be grave indeed.

Don’t get me wrong: the risk of bibliolatry is real, and the Enemy takes a certain devious delight by infecting church people with this twisted satisfaction. If we love study, ideas and possessing know­ledge but don’t really love Jesus; if we savor facts but don’t revel in the company of Christ … that would be deadly. But don’t throw out the baby with the bath water! We’ll still love the Bible if we love Christ, and we’ll still love the Bible if we worship God alone! Because the Bible is the “place” the Lord speaks to us—it’s his voice! How could we possibly not long to hear from the One who has forgiven and adopted and loved us? How could we fail to cherish his Word—the lamp that lights our way (Psalm 119:105)?