A Living Hope

    There is a story about an old man who one morning got to his bus-stop to wait for the bus. Shortly after a little boy joined him, stopped at the bus-stop, and then walked past him and went and stood further down from the actual designated bus-stop. The old man called out to the boy 'Hello lad, you are standing in the wrong spot. The bus always stops right here so come back and wait here'. The boy said no, that he was fine and would be OK. The old man insisted saying that in all his 30 years of waiting for the bus, it had never stopped anywhere else but at the bus-stop and still the boy refused to budge. He politely told the old man that he was not moving and would remain where he was. So the old man gave up feeling sorry for the little boy. He was sure to miss the bus. Then along came the bus. It stopped briefly where the old man was and then slowly moved only to stop right in front of the little boy. The little boy smiled and as he got on the bus, he stopped to look back at the stunned old man saying 'Sir, one thing I forgot to tell you was that the bus driver is my father and he had told me to wait right here!'

    Ah to have such certainty and such hope!  Ah to be able to say unequivocally, “I know I can stand right here, and all will be well.  I know things will be taken care of, so I do not need to worry.  I do not need to fret.  I do not need to be stressed or anxious.  I know, beyond a doubt that things will work out.”

    Now, there might be a few of you who would say, “I see what you are saying, pastor, but if we knew the future, that would remove all the excitement of wondering what is going to happen next.  There wouldn’t be any surprises or anything like that.  Knowing the future wouldn’t be all that great.”

    I hear what you are saying.  Believe me, I do, but I also know this: what you believe will happen in the future directly impacts how you live today.  Let me say that again: what you believe about the future directly impacts how you live today.

    Case in point: if you knew that you would win the lottery six months from now, would you change the way you looked at life and the things you did?  Of course you would.  If you knew you would die in a month, would it change the way you looked at life and the things that you did?  Of course it would.  Let me bring this home in another way; a way that is plausible for us around here.  If you knew that four days from now a squirrel would walk across the high lines and blow a transformer and that it would take three days to make repairs, would you keep doing the same stuff or would you prepare for what was happening?  Of course you would prepare.  What we believe about the future directly impacts how we live today.

    But there are a couple of problems here.  First off, we simply cannot see the future.  Our sight is far too limited to be able to grasp what will happen far into the future, so in one way, we are kind of doomed.  Yet, I also know that there is something about the human spirit which longs for and demands future possibilities.  We call this hope.  The human spirit drastically needs to hope.  I mean, do you know what happens to a person when the lose hope?  Do you know what happens to someone when they do not believe there is a future for them?  Yes, they become depressed, and eventually they die.  In the worst cases, they take their own lives.  We need to hope.

    But it is hard to have such a hope.  It is difficult, to say the least, to grasp and hold such a thing.  Why?  Because we are consistently disappointed.  We consistently are bombarded by bad news.  We are consistently fed images and stories of pain and suffering and injustice which lead us to fear; to worry; to anxiety; and a longing to find something, anything which will stem the tide of such things.  What do I mean by that?

    Well, I remember many years ago shooting fireworks off at my grandparents’ farm.  We used to love to do this, and my Aunt Lucy would feed our excitement.  She’d go out and buy a whole lot of fireworks, and we’d laugh and watch this stuff fly into the sky and burst into all the radiant colors.  We’d ooh and aah most of the time, but every once in a while we’d get a dud–which was met with a chorus of boos or...well...let’s just say that I remember my Aunt Lucy bringing a rather large bottle rocket out once.  It looked really, really cool.  We set that sucker up, lit the fuse, and stepped back.  We figured there would be some sort of huge explosion, but all the thing did was make a loud noise as it just shot up into the air.  There was no explosion.  There were no fireballs.  There were no pretty colors.  “Aw, hell,” my aunt said, “That was a waste of five bucks!”  Disappointment reigned on that one.  Not because it was a dud but because it just didn’t measure up.

    And that’s the thing about our hope a great deal of the time.  We tend to misplace it, and when we do, we find only disappointment.  And the worst part of this is the default position of our hearts is to misplace our hope!  The default position of our hearts lead us to put our hope in the wrong things because we are born sinful.

    Now, you might think I am crazy in saying that.  You may say, “Pastor, how in the world can a child be born into sin?  Kids don’t know right from wrong.  They have no idea how to choose between good and bad.  They can’t do wrong things because they are too small.  They are just innocent beings.”

    Let me address this in this manner:     Today, Hunter Hewson is being baptized.  This is their second rodeo with baptism, so I didn’t meet with them this time, but I did meet with them, just like I meet with all the families who are baptizing their children.  When I have everyone together, I ask them, “Who is the most selfish person in this room?” 

    There usually is a moment or two of uncomfortable silence, but then, most of the time, realization dawns.  The parents point at their child.  They see suddenly how selfish a little baby is.  When that baby wants food, what does it do?  When that baby wants to be held, what does it do?  When that baby is uncomfortable and wants its diaper changed, what does it do?  When anything is happening that the little baby doesn’t like what does it do?  It screams bloody murder!  Why?  That child expects you to take care of it. Why?  Because in that child’s universe, the universe revolves around that child.  You can call it an evolutionary mechanism to help us survive if you like, but giving it a scientific function doesn’t change anything.  That child thinks he or she is god.  We are born that way.  We are natural born idolaters.  Our hearts are not immediately tuned to God.

    And because of this, there are two things that happen. #1. We learn that other people are there to take care of us and address all our needs.  We begin placing our hope in others.  However, when others don’t address our needs, what do we do?  We turn to ourselves.  In the case of an infant, they cry until they are taken care of, and if they aren’t taken care of, they double their efforts and cry harder!  They take the initiative to make sure someone listens!

    Such is the case with most of us in life.  We place our hope in others, and when we are disappointed, we then turn to ourselves  I mean, I am pretty sure this morning each and every one of us here have experienced such disappointment.  Each and every one of us here have experienced such frustration.

    Maybe you spent 20 years or more working for a company, giving them your all and expecting them to continue to employ you until you were ready to retire.  Yet, you were fired or forced to resign because someone younger and cheaper was hired.  And you were disappointed.

    Maybe you voted for a particular political candidate expecting them to change the nature of how politics worked on the local, state, or national level, and then nothing changed–or this person was caught in a scandal–or the person actually voted for something you were against.  And you were disappointed.

    Maybe you started attending church in the midst of a personal crisis or a time of grief and anxiety.  You thought that people would reach out to you and help you; greet you warmly; and help you through the rough times; but they didn’t.  You found out they were hurting as well and consumed with their own problems.  Or they never even greeted you or made you feel welcome.  You left vowing never to come back because you were disappointed.

    Some of us learn this lesson the hard way.  You can never place your hope in people without eventually finding disappointment.  And even if you find someone you can trust; even if you find someone who lifts you up and is always there for you; even if you find someone who loves you and cherishes you to no end–I hate to break this to you–that person will eventually die.  And if you don’t die before them, you will sink into a level of depression that will consume you. 

    Sorry to be such a downer on this, but it is my job to tell you the truth.  And, of course, I am not the only one.  There are more than a few people who will tell you not to put your hope in others.  Instead, they will tell you, put your hope in yourself!  (Like that’s going to solve anything...)

    I remember watching the movie “Bruce Almighty,” and one of the main points at the end of this movie is brought forth by Morgan Freeman who plays the character of God.  He says to the main character played by Jim Carrey, “If you want a miracle, son, be the miracle.”  Think about that.  The statement basically says, “It’s all up to you.  Take control.  Take charge.  Make things happen.  You can make a difference and change everything around you.”  Anyone ever felt like you could accomplish this?

    Maybe you did.  Maybe you felt deep in your heart you could change the world, but eventually, you will run into disappointment in yourself as well.  I mean, perhaps at first you won’t.  You will be able to accomplish a few things within your sphere of reference.  But then, you may get a notion to think larger.  You may become disturbed about violence around the world.  You may become disturbed about kids using drugs in the community.  You may become anxious about the public school system, and you decide to get involved and make changes.  You start working only to find, folks have different ideas than you.  Folks undermine your efforts and subvert you.  You find that no matter how hard you argue that ISIS should be peaceful, they continue to kill and maim and destroy.  You find out that you can’t make as big a difference as you once thought.  You can only affect a few things–even though you would like to do more.  You find your limitations and you become disappointed you can’t do more.  Hope then fades.

    So, if you can’t put your hope in other people and you can’t put your hope in yourself: where can you put it?  Is there a place you can put your hope that will not disappoint?  Will not fade?  Will not die?

    1 Peter 1:3-5 says, “3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

    I want to go through this step by step because there is a lot, and I mean a lot packed in here!  Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who by His great mercy has given us–given us, mind you, a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Why is this so significant?

    First off, we need to see that God gives us this hope.  It is not something we can achieve or accomplish on our own.  It is given to us through a new birth, and this is the hardest part of it.  How are we born anew?  To be born anew means that something has to die.  We have to die.  As Jesus said, “For if you want to save your life you will lose it, and if you lose your life for my sake and the sake of the Gospel, you will find it.”  We have to die.  That selfish nature we are born with has to die.  And how is it put to death?

    It is put to death when we hear the Gospel.  It is put to death when we hear we are saved by sheer grace and not by our own efforts.  When you realize you cannot live the life you should live and that you are deserving of death, you are brought to your knees.  Yet, when you understand that Jesus has lived the life we should have lived and died the death we deserved, you know you have worth.  You know you have value, and you know you have hope?

    And where does that hope reside?  The resurrection.  For by living the life we should live and dying the death we deserved, Jesus opened the way for us to become children of God, and what do children get from their parents?  As Peter points out, we receive an inheritance that is  imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.  We have a living hope!  We know who we can trust.  We can trust Jesus!  We can hope in Jesus!  For in Him we have been reconciled unto God.  And in Him we see what the ending will be.  We see that our final destination will be resurrection to life eternal.  Not because of anything we have done but because we know the “bus driver” is our Father.  A Father who deeply loves us and was willing to die for us.

    “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all those who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world but that the world may be saved through Him!”  This is a hope that will never, ever disappoint, fade, or die!  May it capture our hearts!  Amen.

Having a God Complex

On a message board frequented by yours truly, I was accused a couple of times (by the same poster) of having a "God complex."

It would be easy to vociferously deny such a charge.  I think most of us readily would.  But, instead of denial, perhaps it might be worthwhile to think such a charge through.

First, let's ask: what is a "God complex?"

Googling the term brings up some interesting definitions.  Apparently, there is no one settled definition:

This website defines it as Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited.

The FreeDictionary:  A popular term for a personality flaw commonly seen in physicians, especially surgeons, who perceive themselves as omniscient—i.e., God-like—and thus treat others as mere mortals.

Definitions: God complex--A god complex is an unshakable belief characterized by consistently inflated feelings of personal ability, privilege, or infallibility. A person with a god complex may refuse to admit the possibility of error or failure, even in the face of complex or intractable problems or difficult or impossible tasks, or may regard personal opinions as unquestionably correct. The individual may disregard the rules of society and require special consideration or privileges. God complex is not a clinical term or diagnosable disorder, and does not appear in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The first person to use the term god-complex was Ernest Jones His description, at least in the contents page of Essays in Applied Psycho-Analysis describe the God Complex as belief that one is a god

Wikipedia cites the Definitions.net definition.

It's intriguing to think about these definitions and perhaps put them together in some sort of fashion.  I will do this to formulate my own definition of a "God complex."

Definition: An unshakable belief that one knows how the world operates and should operate, and that others who do not share the same thoughts are unintelligent, ignorant, and contemptible.

How's that for a working definition?  If you do not agree with this definition, then the rest of this post probably will not make much sense.  I invite you to offer your own definitions in the comments section.

For those of you still reading, I now invite you to ponder the accusation as I will.  Do I have a "God complex?"  Do I believe that I know everything and how everything should work.  Do I hold others in contempt when they do not share my view of the world?

Immediately, most of us, including myself respond, "Absolutely not!  I do not know everything.  I profess my ignorance!"

(Yet, do you say this because deep down you know this to be true, or do you say this because you know it is the right answer that one must speak in public?)

Despite my initial rebuke of the accusation, I must also give myself pause.  For do I not oftentimes believe I have the answer to what ails the world?  Do I not believe I have the correct interpretation of data?  Do I not believe if everyone else simply did as I did and thought as I thought, then the world would be a better place to live?

Be honest with yourself.  Brutally honest.

How many of us are guilty of doing exactly these things?  How many of us would like to write a prescription for the world and have it followed to a tee?  How many of us become angry or upset when others refuse to consider our prescription or point of view?

No one that I know escapes doing this.  No one.  

Do I have a "God complex?"  I most certainly do.  I would argue every one of us does, and our self-righteousness is deadly to our relationships, to our society, to the world.

The Christian view of humanity starts with the notion that each and every one of us are trapped by this innate selfishness--this innate desire to be God ourselves.

It was not the action of eating the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden which was the Original Sin.  Rather, it was the desire to be "like God," and not in a good kind of way.  Being "like God" in our ability to love unconditionally, forgive when spit upon, be creative, and so on is a good thing.  But wanting to be "like God" and function as the be all and end all is not.  It is the latter which gets us into mounds of trouble and has gotten us in trouble for generation after generation after generation.

But is there a way out of such behavior?  Is there a way for us to escape our "God complexes?"

Not if you aren't willing to see that you have one.  Not if you aren't willing to see that you try to place yourself as God and tell everyone what to do.  Not if you aren't willing to acknowledge that you at some level believe you know what is best and believe everyone else should be just like you.

Only when you are willing to acknowledge this and believe that it is wrongheaded--and that you are broken in this selfish desire are you ready to hear the message of grace.

And that is another lengthy post. 

The Knowledge of Good and Evil

"Why did God restrict humans when He placed them in the Garden of Eden?  Why didn't He want them to have knowledge?"

I've watched numerous Youtube debates between atheists and believers, and this question has popped up numerous times.  Several answers have been given.  Many of them rather adequate, but none I have heard take the following view.

First, the background text:

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. ¹⁶And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; ¹⁷but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.’  Genesis 2: 15-17

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God say, “You shall not eat from any tree in the garden”?’ ²The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; ³but God said, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.” ’ ⁴But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not die; ⁵for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ ⁶So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. ⁷Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.  Genesis 3:1-7

Why did God restrict knowledge?

Well, one must be a bit careful in asking this question, because as the story tells us, God did not restrict all knowledge.  He only restricted the knowledge of good and evil.  The knowledge of how things work.  The knowledge of beauty, the knowledge of love, the knowledge of trust, one could even argue scientific knowledge and the knowledge of the earth was open to humankind.   Only one type of knowledge was restricted: the knowledge of good and evil.

So, let's rephrase the question to reflect reality: why did God restrict the knowledge of good and evil?

Well, was there a need for such knowledge?

God had provided the man and woman with food, shelter, purpose, safety, and community.  There was nothing they lacked.  All was taken care of.  There was no need for the knowledge of good and evil.

However, there was need for the ability of man and woman to make a choice.  Without some sort of choice and free will, then there can be no relationship.  God does not desire a forced relationship but one of trust, and He trusted man and woman to obey one simple rule.  "Don't eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil."  You don't need this.  All is taken care of.

I mean, from a practical standpoint, what would our lives be like if we did not have to worry about what was good and what was evil?  What would our lives look like if we did not have to think through the consequences of our actions to see if they would produce good or evil?  How many of us stress over decisions knowing if we get them wrong, there will be negative results?  The knowledge of good and evil--even in the limited fashion we have them now--causes moral, ethical people angst and stress.

God did not want the pinnacle of His creation to bear such a burden; especially in paradise.

But as is the wont of human nature--we are never satisfied with what we have.  There is something that always wants more.  We cannot simply enjoy that which is around us and our situation in life no matter how good or how bad it is.  We cannot simply be satisfied that our needs are provided for--want takes hold.

"Eat of the fruit for then you will be like God knowing the difference between good and evil."

I can be like God.  I can have all knowledge then.  I will no longer be limited or have any boundaries.  I will be truly free.

Well, it didn't exactly turn out that way, did it?  Broken trust.  Broken relationships.  Blame game.

Here's a question I haven't heard ex posited on: if after eating the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, and knowing that blaming another for one's own actions is evil, why then did the man and woman do exactly this after eating?

Apparently, knowledge doesn't exactly lead to doing.  Furthermore, even if we have knowledge, human minds are limited in their ability to calculate fully the consequences.  We may think one thing seems good, but when implemented it becomes evil.  And something may appear evil but when implemented it brings about good.  Who but God can fully know good and evil?

And so, God kept it from us.  In paradise, we didn't need it.  And now that we have some idea of it, neither can we implement it nor can we fully grasp good or evil fully.

Seems like God was pretty smart in His restriction in that light.