oasisCHURCH

Backseat Bible Lesson

Normally on their way to school each morning April prays with and for the kids, but this morning their trip came complete with a drama and live sermon illustration along with their prayer. Here's how it went down.

Just down the road about a quarter of a mile from our house in The Plains there is a new home being built, and this morning the concrete was being poured. The concrete truck was in the road, taking up the lane April was driving in. But because it is not a busy road, April checked to see if any cars were coming, and when she saw there wasn't, she slowly began making her way around the concrete truck. Suddenly, she began to hear a man screaming and yelling his head off, using profanity and all sorts of colorful language, so she stopped. Apparently this fellow was on the sidewalk and he was there to direct the traffic, in plain clothes, with no flag or any signal whatsoever to indicate he was there to direct. So April rolled down her window and began apologizing, saying that she did not realize he was directing traffic. But this man continued his rant, calling my wife a barrage of inappropriate names while my 8-year old and 6-year old were sitting in the backseats listening. Finally, she drove off (albeit remembering the company name on the side of the concrete truck).

When she called me to tell me about it I asked her how the kids reacted. She said they were a little freaked out that he was calling her the names using the "F word" and "S-H word" as Brock put it. April herself wasn't affected much. She's become pretty resilient. After years of ministry she has learned to take insults well, so she's had plenty grains of salt. LOL.

The best part is what just happened a few minutes ago. When we went upstairs to read the Bible and pray with Brock and Kaylee I asked them to tell me about what happened this morning. Brock told me his version of the story, and then he said, "Mom prayed for that man on the way home from school today."

I asked, "Do you know why she did that?"

He paused for a moment, then said, "Because of the Golden Rule?"

"Well, sort of," I said. Then I opened up to Matthew chapter 5 and read these words:

"You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

"You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven."

I told him that the reason why his mother prayed for a man who shouted profane words at her and called her all kinds of awful names is because his mother loves Jesus and desires to honor him. And the way we can best honor Jesus is to do what he tells us to do in the Bible. If we really love Jesus then we will do what he says. It is common for everyone else to yell back, or to call names, or to try to have such a man fired from his job. But we are called to live and to behave differently from everyone else in the world. And when people see our actions and ask why, it gives us an opportunity to glorify God even more by sharing with them that He is the motivation for our desire to bless even though we have been persecuted.

So my kids learned a new word today (well, actually several new words, LOL). But the word I am talking about is "persecution." I know what they saw and experienced this morning is nothing compared to the persecution so many are facing in the world for Christ's name. But what they experienced did provide us with a lesson. And hopefully this little backseat Bible lesson will stick with them the rest of their lives, so that if and when they are faced with even stronger persecution, they will remember their mother's example.

Weekend Getaway Pictorial

April and I had a wonderful time together on our weekend in Cleveland. Here are few photos from the trip.

I love this picture of my beautiful wife. She wasn't ready when I snapped it, but it is one of my favorites.

This one was taken for my son, Brock. He loves Lebron.

The Severance Hall, home of the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra. On Saturday night we saw them perform The Four Seasons by Vivaldi.

A little Irish pub in Port Clinton, where we had Sunday lunch.

A very old Baptist church building next door to our hotel. All the houses were covered with ice-cycles, some were 3-4 feet in length.

Notice the variety of items you can purchase at this one-stop shop. These are the stores you find only when you decide to take a short cut in the city.

Thank you, Oasis, for giving us this enriching and refreshing weekend.

God's Providence (Part 2)

In an email to a friend yesterday I had the privilege of sharing some insight that I have gained from reading Dr. John Piper's newest book, What Jesus Demands from the World. The chapters are actually a list of 50 different demands Jesus spoke, found in an exploration of the four Gospels. In doing so, Dr. Piper assumes first that the Gospels are true and they are unified. It also assumes that Jesus is not just someone who sets an example for us or does something for us, but he is God and has authority to make demands of us.

In this post I will be taking some words from one of the chapters, Demand #18: "Do not be angry—trust God’s Providence." It is based on Matthew 5:21-22 and Matthew 10:28-31. Because his outlook in that chapter was so encouraging to me as I read, I would like to share some of it here in light of yesterday's post on God's Providence and also in light of anything you may be going through at the moment which causes you to be angry, frustrated, confused, anxious, or concerned. When we say the words, "God is in control," do we really believe what we are saying? Or perhaps we believe it but only to a certain extent. The question I want you to ponder is: How much control does He really have over His creation and over the circumstances His creation encounters?

Below is a portion of the email, with the quotes from Dr. Piper's book.

One of the greatest truths that Jesus taught to help us be free from sinful anger is the truth of God’s all-encompassing providence—His wise and sovereign control over all things for the good of His children. The rise and strength of our anger should be governed by our trust in God’s providence—that He is ruling over the evil that makes us angry and will not let anything occur with us that is not ultimately good for us (even though it often does not seem as such).

The rage that could rise in our hearts when we are treated unjustly and when we watch loved ones treated cruelly is natural and strong. Interestingly, Piper points out, that when dealing with these kinds of threats, Jesus spoke directly to our fear, not our anger. But the implications for anger are plain. He said in Matthew 10:28-31, And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

The point here is, first, the smallest details of life on earth are governed by God—not a bird falls to the ground apart from Him. And the second point is that God is near, and His acquaintance with our situation is total—even the hairs on your head are all numbered. The conclusion is: Nothing will come to pass apart from His wise and loving providence over your circumstances. Don’t fear. And don’t be angry in a way that contradicts your confidence in God’s care over your life. God’s providence should change the way we experience circumstances that would otherwise be totally infuriating.

We have the assurance that God’s providence will govern all the evil that comes against us so that His good purposes are fulfilled. Yes, evil is being done. But it does not have the last say, and in the end even serves God’s hidden designs.

Rejoicing In Persecution

One of the clearest illustrations of how God's Providence overcomes the controlling effect of anger is Jesus' command that we rejoice when we are persecuted unjustly. He says, "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5:11-12). Few things would ordinarily make us angrier than unjust treatment. Not only are we being hurt by this reviling and persecution, but Jesus emphasizes that it is "evil" and it is "false." These are the factors that tend to infuriate us.

But Jesus transforms that ordinary, understandable emotional experience of anger. Although he recognizes that the normal response of any human being would naturally be anger; meaning that we all have the "right" to be angry about this, Jesus demonstrates what happens with our "rights" when he is Lord of our life (my added thought). Instead of saying, "Be legitimately angry" or "Try to control your anger," he says the most incredible thing imaginable: "Rejoice and be glad."

Rejoicing does not mean that we approve of the treatment. It does not mean that we stop thinking it is unjust. It probably does not mean there is no anger whatsoever. Some kind of holy anger--strong emotional disapproval--may be emotionally compatible with joy. The human soul in the image of God is that complex. And we know, from all that Jesus taught us about God, that God experiences anger and joy simultaneously because he sees and responds perfectly to all evil and all good at the same time.

Our joy in the presence of persecution is possible because of God's Providence. Not a hair of your head will perish (when they kill you). Not a bird (or a hateful blow to your head; or a hateful word of slander to your name) falls without the will of the Father. Providence governs your suffering. And in the end, "Your reward is great in heaven." That is Jesus' argument why joy and not anger can dominate our experience of persecution: "Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven" (Matthew 5:12).

Last night these things came to mind as I was singing with Brock and Kaylee before their bedtime. The song we were singing was "Blessed Be Your Name" by Matt Redman. Whenever we sing songs together I usually like to take time to explain the words to them, where it is found in the Bible, and why we sing them (side note: this practice has certainly helped me to discover songs that are more biblically grounded and speak truth as well as move our spirits to worship).

Anyway, when we were singing the line, "You give and take away, you give and take away. My heart will choose to say, Lord, blessed be your name," we stopped and talked about what that means. I explained to my kids that Matt Redman borrowed that line from the book of Job in the Bible. I told them the story of Job, how he was wealthy and felt very blessed by God. But God allowed Job to be used, perhaps as a reminder to Satan for how strong the relationship of faith in God is and how man's loyalty to God does not reside in the number of earthly blessings we are given. I told them about how in an instant all of Job's earthly blessings began to be removed from him one by one.

His sons and daughters, and property, and animals, and servants, and nearly everything he cared about on earth was taken away in the most amazingly treacherous set of circumstances one could ever imagine. And Job's response was why we sing the song. He cried out, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21). And the author of the book then gives us this incredible reminder. I wonder if we truly understand the significance of this added line at the end of chapter one? He says, "In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong."

He did not charge God with wrong? But he recognized that God was still in control of the situation. That God can give (which we usually always attribute as a blessing to us), and that God can take away (which we usually always attribute as evil toward us). And we can recognize that both of those things come from God without being in danger of accusing God of wrongdoing.

How can that be? It must be because when we are seeing things as "wrong" and "terrible", God is using those very things for good, and He is accomplishing His good purpose in us, even when our circumstances are awful.

When Job became physically sick, with sores all over his body, he responded by saying, "Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" Then the author of the book again tells us that in saying this "Job did not sin or curse God with his lips."

So I reminded my kids that even in their most awful times of trial and pain, God is still involved and he is working in it for good. Do we always know how exactly that is happening? Nope. Can we always see clearly what He is doing in our times of pain? Nope. Job couldn't see it either. He did not know what was going on behind the scenes. He did not know that countless millions would still be reading and being edified by his story to this day.

The bottom line is this. I believe in God's Providence. My trust is not in a God who has no control over his creation. Nor is it in a God who may have control over his creation, but chooses not to exercise it because he would rather we do everything down here on our own. My trust is in a God who can and does have control over the most minuscule details as well as the most significant ones. And because of that I sleep well.

God's Providence

In Book One, Part IV, Chapter 16 of John Calvin's Institutes of Christian Religion (abridged version), a book I have been working through lately, he says some very insightful and magnifying things about the Providence of God. Below I have quoted a few snippets. The language may be a little dated, but see if you can work through it and notice the riches of what he is saying:

It would be cold and unfeeling to picture a God as a temporary Creator, who completed his work and then left it. Here we differ from the unbeliever in asserting that God's power is obvious in the ongoing world situation as well as in creation.

Without reference to God's Providence we cannot understand the full force of what is meant by his being the Creator, however much we may seem to understand it with our minds and confess it with our mouths. The carnal mind, when it has glimpsed the power of God in creation, stops there. At most it considers only the wisdom, power and goodness evidenced by the Author of such work, or some general factor on which the power of motion depends and which keeps the world going. To sum it up: it imagines that everything is maintained by the divine energy infused into them at the beginning (emphasis mine). But faith must go far deeper.

After realizing there is a Creator, it must then infer that he is also Governer and Preserver, not just because he can produce a kind of general motion in the machine of the universe, as well as in each of its parts, but because by his special Providence he sustains and cares for everything he has made down to the smallest sparrow!

God claims omnipotence for himself, and wants us to acknowledge it. God's omnipotence is not futile, idle, and inactive as some theologians pretend, but caring, effective, energetic, and always active. It is not an omnipotence which can only serve as a general influence in uncertainty (like ordering a stream to stay inside a prescribed channel), but one which focuses on specific and definite events. God is accepted as omnipotent, not because he has power whether he acts or not, nor because by some general instinct he maintains the order of creation, but because, in controlling heaven and earth by his Providence, he so overrules everything that nothing happens without his approval.

The believer's comfort in trouble is that everything they endure is ordained and commanded by God and that they are in his hands. If God's rule is over all his works, we would be foolish to restrict it to the natural order of things. Those who keep God's Providence within narrow limits, as if he let everything be carried along by some constant law of nature, not only deny him his glory but deprive themselves of a valuable doctrine. Nothing could be more pathetic than the thought of man at the mercy of unpredictable elements.

Knowing that God is in control of his creation, and knowing he is always GOOD in all that he does and allows; this causes me to sleep well and to trust him in all circumstances, that everything he decides to do or allows is ultimately going to work toward his good purpose.

Chris Tomlin Concert + Bad Weather = ....

Well, I am sure nearly everyone is keeping a close eye on the impending weather for the Ohio Valley region. In short, it does not look good for Tuesday, which is concert day for the 18 people who bought Chris Tomlin tickets.

So here’s the deal. If they cancel the concert, then a refund will be available to us. I have linked Ticketmaster’s information regarding cancellations and refunds. HOWEVER, if they do not cancel the concert, the tickets are ours (yours) whether we go or not. There is nothing we can do about it from that point.

So I guess I am saying, until we hear an official word from either Chris Tomlin (watch his web site) or from Veterans Memorial Hall in Columbus then we are all on our own judgment regarding what we do.

Let’s also pray that this storm is not as bad as predicted. Perhaps the temperatures will stay high enough to make it rain only. I know that is a real possibility for the regions along the Ohio River.But Columbus is another story at the moment.

Regardless, God is sovereign over even the most inclement weather, and we can appreciate what He does or allows, and we certainly trust Him and love Him all the same!

Commentary: James 3:13-18

¹³Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. ¹⁴But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. ¹⁵This is not the wisdom that comes down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. ¹⁶For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. ¹⁷But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. ¹⁸And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

 What is wisdom? 

 I believe that there are two kinds of wisdom: The wisdom of humanity and the wisdom of God. Verses 13-18 show us the inherent fault in the wisdom of humanity. Humans, in their natural state, are sinful and fallible creatures. Some self generated wisdom may actually be good but eventually our fallen state will prevail and we will, somewhere along the line, pervert wisdom. So how do we distinguish between Godly wisdom and human wisdom? The verses cited above are going to help us understand how to do that very thing. James’ words will also help give us a clear perspective on how to exercise that wisdom in a way that glorifies God and edifies others.

 The Meekness of Wisdom

 Verse 13 reveals something very important about showing ones works. When James asked his opening question, “Who is wise and understanding among you,” I immediately answered that question in my own mind. Several people from the fellowship of Oasis leaped into my brain. Why is that? I think it is because such individuals personify what James says after his question. Such people, by their good conduct, lead lives that reveal the work that they are doing for God’s glory and they are doing it in a manner that is representative of the meekness that must dwell within a person if they seek to show their works with Godly wisdom. Such persons do this not because they have some desire to see their name lauded among their peers, but rather they long to see God’s glory revealed even further. But there is also a warning bundled with the wisdom that we find in verse 13.

 Verse 14 warns us that if we show our works out of selfish ambition or if we do anything out of jealous motivation then we will be guilty of being false to the instructions of God’s truth. This is sin. God’s great truth, his powerful presence, and his undeniable status as Lord of Lords, King of Kings, stand out like a glaring light in a deep darkness to say that the things that God has accomplished and will accomplish are the only things in this life that are worth boasting in. Should we fall into the trap of boasting out of jealousy or selfish ambition, we will find ourselves steeped in something wretched. Verse 15 describes this trap as earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. To be knowingly guilty of any of these things would be to set ourselves up as enemies against God’s purpose. I hope that no Christian alive would say, “I can live with that.” But this isn’t just a lesson for the believer. This concept is universal whether a person believes or not. The truth of God is not affected by unbelief. So this lesson is relevant to all. I would hope that it would be a call to those who don’t believe to wake up and consider the consequence of defying the God that the Bible describes.

 Jealousy and Selfish Ambition

 Verse 16 says, “For where jealousy and selfish-ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.” I want to take a brief moment to draw out these two concepts to illustrate the cancer that lives inside each of them when they are in the hands of human beings.

 Let’s first begin with the word jealousy. You might be thinking, “Doesn’t the Bible speak of God’s jealousy towards us?” You’re right. As a matter of fact there is a verse in chapter 4 of James (verse 5 to be exact), that says that God yearns jealously over the spirit that He has made to dwell in us. So why is it that God’s jealousy is acceptable and human jealousy is not? We learned earlier in James that God is the father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. God is perfect. He perverts nothing. He is holy. He does not quake or quiver at anything. He is not variable. He does not change. All that flows from him is good because He is righteous and sovereign in all things. Therefore, God’s jealousy is holy and righteous not perverse and wrong. Humans do not possess all these Godly qualities. Whenever the Bible speaks of jealousy in the hands of humans it is always bad (Acts 13:45, Romans 13:13, Galatians 5:20…just to name a few). So we must guard ourselves very carefully when it comes to something like jealousy. Do not allow jealousy to make you boast and be false to the truth.

 Selfish ambition is something that I can relate to very well. There is a span of 4 to 6 years of my life (late teens to mid twenties) where I was desperately lost in a pit of selfish pursuits. I sought out the comfort of alcohol only to find a lot of empty bottles and hazy memories. I sought out the comfort of women only to find emptiness at the end of every brief encounter. This stage of my existence was like a weird stage of limbo. Though I was enrolled in a specific program at college, I felt like my life was aimless in many ways. I was having a lot of fun but in retrospect that fun never really took me anywhere. I remember my last few years of college well. I was working two jobs. I taught music lessons in the evening and I worked a sometimes brutal day job of manual labor. During the days I used to daydream about being far off somewhere. I used to dream about having lots of money and doing all the things that I’d always wanted to do. My entire day would be consumed by such thoughts. Some days it would bring me down but then it was always easy to round up a few of the guys, get drunk and reminisce about the good old days. So many wasted days chasing selfish ambition. Selfishness is really the dark side of ambition. Ambition in and of itself is not a bad thing. Ambition can actually be quite a good thing if it is motivated by a will to do God’s work. So whenever you desire to do something in ministry or other pursuits I think you have to ask yourself the question, “Is this about me or is it about God?” Justifying our motivations can be tricky and we need to be on our guard against deceptions. This is yet one more reason to be steadfast in the word of God. It is also further evidence that our lives need to daily revolve around the business of the Father’s work. We must invest our lives into God.   

 The Wisdom From Above

 Verse 17 says, “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” 1 Corinthians 13 is a long list of what love is and what it is not. James 3:17 is a list of what wisdom is and what it is not. I draw out the comparison of these two verses to point you to the fact that the Biblical authors were intensely passionate about being clear in their presentation of God’s instruction for His people. One of the best ways to do this is to give people a list of do’s and don’ts. You can go through 1 Corinthians 13 one item at a time and if you are lacking in any one of those areas it may be a red flag that you don’t understand the Biblical perspective of love. The same concept applies here in James. You can go through James 3:17 one item at a time and if you are lacking in any one of the areas presented, then you may not have a Biblical understanding of wisdom.

 Is your wisdom pure? In other words, is your wisdom free from bias? Is your wisdom free from conceit? Is that wisdom developed in a spirit of prayer, worship, and humility before God? If it is not then it has no hope of being pure.

 Is your wisdom peaceable? Are you patient, caring, and loving with your wisdom? Do you seek to reveal the heart of God in your wisdom? Do you seek to make peace with your wisdom? If you do not do these things it will be impossible for your wisdom to be full of peace.

 Is your wisdom gentle and open to reason? Do you remain teachable in your wisdom? Are you stubborn or gentle in the way you display your wisdom? Is your mercy full of wisdom? Do you seek only to bear good fruit from your wisdom? Is it your desire to make the riches of God’s glory known with the wisdom that comes from Him? Are you impartial or fair in your wisdom? Do you seek all sides of things before you render counsel? Is your wisdom born out of sincerity? Do you genuinely care about the purpose of God and how he reveals himself in your life and the lives of others? If we have missed any of these things, we have missed the wise counsel of James regarding Biblical wisdom.

 What is the true purpose of wisdom?

 To begin this thought I want to take back to the time of Solomon. 1 Kings 3 tells the story of God coming to Solomon saying, “Ask what I shall give you.” Solomon’s response is remarkable. Please go to 1 Kings 3 now and read it so that you can truly appreciate the depth of the great king that was Solomon. Solomon’s request to God comes in verse 9, “Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” God was so pleased with his response because he asked nothing for himself. He asked only for the ability to lead God’s people as God desired it to be done. God granted Solomon’s request. He also gave Solomon that which Solomon did not ask for. God gave Solomon wealth and honor such as the world had never seen. The true nature of wisdom is not about personal honor or gain. True wisdom reveals the great vastness of God gloriousness. Wisdom should serve the purpose of God. Wisdom should be concerned with the Father’s work. So when we seek wisdom we must first understand that its fundamental purpose is not to serve us but rather to serve God.

 Make Peace

 Verse 18 brings this riveting chapter to a close like this, “And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” In all things we must seek the righteous will and discernment of God. We must sow that into our everyday actions. Some may say, “Isn’t it a bit contradictory to talk about a harvest of righteousness sown in peace by those who make peace when the early Old Testament is filled with so much war that was directed by God?” It is true. There are difficult parts of the Old Testament that can cause us to struggle with this notion of peace. Why did the Israelites have to take the promised land by force. Could God not have made it all happen through diplomacy? I’m going to stop myself with that thought because I think such thoughts do something to a person. I think what happens when such thoughts are brought to bear is that people, in some way, begin to elevate themselves to a place of honor and wisdom that they do not deserve. I will always encourage people who think they know how to do things better than God to simply go to the closing chapters of Job and read. It is so preposterous, almost laughable if it wasn’t so tragic, for anyone to think that they have something to laud over God in His sovereignty. What I do know is this. The design that God spun into action has worked itself out according to the counsel of His own will. This design has made grace available to all who put their faith in Jesus. It seems to me that His design is working out rather well. Colossians 1:20 tells us that Jesus is making peace by the blood of His cross. If Jesus is making peace by the blood of His cross, do you not think that it might be at least a little bit wise to seek to be the kind of person who sows peace? This is yet one more example that James provides us with that proves to us that mercy will always triumph above judgment. Remember James earlier words, “For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy.”

 In the next section of this commentary we will begin delving into the dangers of worldliness. The word “worldliness” may conjure up a few things in your mind but I would first challenge you to go to chapter 4 of James, read it, then reflect on how the Bible defines worldliness. Not every traditional definition of the word will hold up under the hefty scrutiny of the Bible.

 More is coming soon…

 All my love

 Chad

      

New Features, New Pages

You will notice that there has been some new features added to the web site this week. Some of the links on the left are still a work in progress, but our goal is to have all the pages complete and working by next week. Take a few minutes to browse around and look at the new content that has been added so far.

Hebrews 1:3

"He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,"

The most recent new worship song that has been introduced to our fellowship has been "Hebrews 1:3", a song written by Chad Dodson. I know Chad would never write a post like this himself, so I decided to write it. I also know that I can write this post, which praises Chad for giving us this amazing song, and have no fear that it will go to his head or that the glory will be misplaced. We know that Chad's heart is to glorify God in his song-writing and worship leading, and there is no question about that whatsoever.

Hebrews 1:3 is an amazing verse because it proclaims an essential truth about Jesus Christ, and it reminds us of why he is the center of our affections and our worship. It says that when you see Jesus, you see God. He is the exact imprint of His nature. If you take out a quarter from your pocket, how do you know it is a quarter? Because it is the exact imprint of other quarters you have seen and held in your pocket. The Hebrew writer tells it's readers that what they saw in the human being named Jesus was actually the radiance of the glory of God, an exact imprint of His nature. Want to know what God says? Listen to Jesus. Want to know what God does? Watch Jesus. They are one and the same.

Most analogies for this (such as my quarter analogy above) are quite imperfect and can even distort the real truth of the radiance of His glory if pressed too far. But let's try this one: Jesus relates to God the way the rays of sunlight relate to the sun. There is no time that the sun exists without the beams of radiance. They cannot be separated. If you put a solar-activated calculator in the sunlight, numbers appear on the face of the calculator. These are energized by the sun's radiance, but they are not what the sun is. The rays of the sun however are an extension of the sun. We see the sun by means of seeing the rays of the sun. So too we see God the Father by seeing Jesus for they are one God.

So how important is Jesus? Hebrews 1:3 answers that for us.

I know Chad does not have the song "Hebrews 1:3" recorded for us to post here yet, but I am beginning a campaign for that to be his next recording project. I have been singing this song for 8 days now (ever since the first time I heard it), and I can't wait to have a copy of it in my iPod.

In the meantime, here are the lyrics:

A dying son birthing righteousness
For the Father, for His Father’s renown
All have fallen low
All have failed to see
But mercy through grace
From the Father, to honor Him as He

Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God
All the universe stands by the power of His word
When He died He brought all I could not see
Without Him

For all You are
All in joy should raise all the praise that you deserve
For Your splendor, Your immaculate renown
Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God
All the universe stands by the power of His word
When He died He brought all I could not see Without Him

All hearts open here
See the grandeur, greatness, vastness of the King
You’re astounding; breathtaking
You’re astonishing; awe-inspiring
That’s You, I love you Lord, that’s You
That’s You, I love you Lord, that's You

I love singing this song. It's melody is so inviting. There are certain songs that when they get into your head you just cannot stop singing them ("You Make Everything Glorious" by David Crowder is one of them). Hebrews 1:3 is one of them. I don't want to stop singing it. Right now my top two favorite songs to sing in worship to God are both written by our own worship leader: "Sovereign God" and "Hebrews 1:3".

So let all boasting be in the Lord. Because He is the one who puts the new song in our hearts. He is to be credited for the lyric, the melody, and most importantly, the purpose and reason behind why we sing them. And thanks to those whom He calls to be faithful messengers so we can share in what He has given us.

Thank you, Jehovah God, for giving us Hebrews 1:3.

Thank you, Chad, for giving us Hebrews 1:3 to sing back to Him as praise and acknowledgement of our thankfulness and awe for what He has done.

Commentary: James 3:1-12

¹Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. ²For we all stumble in many ways, and if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. ³If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. ⁴Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. ⁵So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.

How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! ⁶And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. ⁷For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, ⁸but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. ⁹With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. ¹⁰From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. ¹¹Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? ¹²Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

A WARNING TO TEACHERS

“Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” The opening to chapter three seems like something of an odd transition from “For as the body apart from the Spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” But we must first need to understand where James is heading with his opening statement. James is going to break into an examination of “the tongue”, a.k.a how we use our words. James is beginning with a specific example, i.e. teachers, and from there he’ll transition into a more general discussion on the tongue.

Anyone who wishes to assume a place of instruction to the church body, at any age level, must first come with a great reverence for the nature and word of God. James isn’t saying, “Don’t become teachers.” This would be a foolish statement and it would be contrary to the rest of scripture. What he is saying is that if you desire to teach then you must first understand the full weightiness of what it means to teach God’s word to others. If you take it lightly then you could do immeasurable amounts of damage even if you have the best of intentions. Most people are designed to follow but few are designed to lead. We would probably all agree that it takes a certain kind of person to lead and this is not a position that many people aspire to. There is a great and unique kind of gravity that comes with teaching others. If you mess it up then you will have much to answer for because if you’re leading people away from the light of God’s truth rather than leading them toward it, not only are you committing sin, you are leading others down a path of self-indulgent sinfulness. I think this is why James says, “…for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” If you have sinned in your guidance of others and have in turned caused those who trust your word, not so much the explicit word of God, to live non-God centered lives, then woe to you when the deeds of your days are counted and judged. I have taken this warning very near to my heart ever since I have started teaching. Anyone who teaches must take careful pains to preach only what God’s word explicitly details. This is what I mean when I say teach with reverence. So with every word we speak about God we must do it in the spirit of venerating the vast greatness of the Lord that is ruler of our lives. 

ALL STUMBLE  

Verse 2 gives support for verse 1. You can almost imagine a question between verse 1 & 2. What other reasons should cause us to tread with great caution when we seek to teach? Verse 2 would be the perfect response to that question. This verse illustrates,very aptly,the natural fallibility that exists in the verbal dealings of all people. “For we all stumble in many ways, and if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his entire body.” There is no area of our lives where we can say that we are perfect. It is in fact a mere statement of truth that we all stumble in many ways. Our usage of language is no exception to this rule. It is true that we may exhibit great discipline in varying areas of our lives but there is always a place in everyone’s existence where they exhibit very little self-discipline. One of the most commonly found undisciplined areas of our lives is our usage of language. By language I don’t mean ill use of grammar or bad dialect. I’m simply referring to how we speak. What do we talk about? What do our words dwell upon? How do our words affect others? This isn’t just discussion about gossip. That is a short sighted perspective of this section of James. While gossip could certainly be, and most likely will be, discussed in this section, it is not the overriding theme of importance to grab onto.

The great point of realization in this section is that the tongue is a like a rogue member of our body that can easily and greatly cause us to fail in our worship and service of God. We must first acknowledge that our tongue is a natural force of failure. From there we must proceed to the question of, “How do we combat the nature of the tongue?” James responds to this by giving us many illustrations of how the tongue is weak. We must first understand the nature of a thing before we can truly know how to challenge it. So let’s discover that nature.

DEFINING THE NATURE OF THE TONGUE

The latter half of verse 2 says that if someone does not stumble in what they say then they are perfect and able also to bridle the entirety of their body. This implicates that the tongue is responsible for much sin that goes on in our lives. Ask yourself if you find this implication to be a mere illustration of truth or a gross overstatement of what the tongue can do. If we could “tame the tongue” could we really better combat the nature of sinful flesh? James seems to be indicating that this is true.

Consider James first of two examples: “If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well.” This is a very practical illustration. Many of us have probably seen horses guided around by bits that have been harnessed into their mouths. If the horse is tame you will see for yourself that the horse’s whole body is guided, essentially, by that bit in their mouth.

Example 2: “Look at the ships also: though they are so large and driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.” This is yet another highly practical illustration. Ships are huge but without the guidance given to them by their rudder (which is comparatively smaller than the whole ship) they would be at the mercy of the seas that drift them.

The point of these two illustrations is to serve as a support for what James says in verse 5, “So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.” From this point forward James is going to transition his message to a broader audience and deal specifically with how the tongue affects our lives. Though the tongue may seem like a small and insignificant part of the body, we must realize that it can be a giant in the worst and best ways. Words mean so much to people and I think that many of us underestimate how important our linguistic abilities are to our every day existence. If I suddenly could not speak tomorrow, my career as a teacher would be over. I would no longer be a worship leader. My whole structure of communication would change. My life wouldn’t, by any means, be over but a major transition would have to occur in my life in order to communicate with the speaking world around me. It is so vital that we take care with our language. We must seek to glorify God with our language and this is vastly more difficult than most people realize or are at least willing to admit.

The Tongue Is A Fire: “How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life and set on fire by hell.” The metaphor of the tongue as a fire is quite true. Our words can be so consuming and damaging to others that there is a very real danger that the things another person says to you can do permanent, or least hard to repair, damage. What’s worse is that James tells us that the tongue is a harbinger of unrighteousness. The thought of being sinful in any area of our lives should trouble us. We must always take great care to speak only in God’s perspective of truth. If we fail to do that then we open up our language to a filthy causeway of unrighteous usage.

What is James implying when he says that the tongue is “set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life and set on fire by hell”? I believe that James is trying to illustrate how the tongue can infect your whole body and your entire course of life. The detrimental affect of this is that it gives sin an opportunity to rule in every area of your life. This causes us to be false to God’s truth and to fail in our worship of Him. This is a state of being that no Christian alive should desire to be in. Sin is a horrible, powerful, and pervasive device of the enemy. The enemy can use sin so effectively and this is evidenced very sharply in the case of misuse in language. To combat this we must seek God’s word to understand how we can glorify God through language. We must seek to understand how language helps reveal the righteousness of God. We must also develop a great care and patience for when and how to speak. All of our words must first proceed from a love of God and a desire to see His will accomplished in the world. If our words begin to proceed from anywhere but there we should immediately stop ourselves to refocus on the majesty of God and how we honor him with our words. It is only then that we should proceed forward in speech. This is vital to choking out the sinful nature of the tongue. Our goal in this struggle should be to discipline our tongue so that it could serve the greater and higher purpose of God.

There is yet one more thing in this verse that must be addressed. James uses the phrase “set on fire by hell” at the conclusion of verse 6. What, precisely, does this mean? When we consider the word “hell” our mind may automatically jump to a few different places. We may think of a place of eternal separation from God as well as the dominion of Satan. The Bible teaches us that Satan is the father of lies and that every word that comes from his mouth is a lie (John 8:44). Jesus says that from the beginning Satan was a murderer and a liar. We see in the book of Genesis, chapter 3 to be exact, that Satan (the serpent) came to Eve and deceived her with words. Satan made a compelling, though false, argument and tempted Eve to sin and Eve led her husband into this sin as well for both ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The cataclysmic effect of this is well known to both Christian and non-Christian alike. Words continue to be a colossal tool of the enemy. I’m sure it delights all that is evil every single time that we sin with our language. I’m sure it delighted Satan in the garden when Eve fell for his repartee of deception and I’m sure that he was doubly gratified when Adam fell into this snare. The external danger of words is as deep and darkly seeded as the internal danger. The story of Adam and Eve shows us the external danger, and consequence, of words. Speaking lustfully of a man or woman who is not your spouse would be an example of the internal danger, and consequence, of words. Some people say that words are only words and that they cannot harm you. The Bible is quite clear that this is a foolish and dangerous perception of language.

I want to leave this section with one final note and it is a historical side note that I believe will help you better understand the biblical usage of the word “hell”.  In the original Greek the word translated as “hell” in the bible was the term Geenna or Gehenna. This term actually referred to a geographical location near  Jerusalem. It was a valley where the filth and dead animals of the city were dumped and burned.  This particular usage of the word, depending on what translation you’re reading, occurs over 10 times in the New Testament. Those reading it would have understood that “hell”, known to them as Gehenna, was referring to a terrible place of wretched stench and death. This, however, does not indicate that the Bible never speaks of a literal hell. The Bible speaks explicitly about a real hell and not just real world locations that we can view today on a map. Consider 2 Peter 2:4, “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until judgment;”. Though hell is being translated from the Greek word genna, the context makes it obvious that the hell being referred to is a place not necessarily of this earth. It is difficult to know the full breadth of hell because the Bible gives us somewhat limited descriptions of it. Granted, the Bible has given us more than enough context to understand the general severity of hell but like most things, reading about it and seeing it with your very own eyes are two entirely different things. Though this may not contribute greatly to what we’ve been discussing here in James my hope is that you will find some of this information helpful in discerning the Biblical perspective of hell. Hell is something that many people have questions about and it is our duty as Christians to be as informed as humanly possible about things such as these.

Can The Tongue Be Tamed? “For every kind of bird and beast, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” The answer to the question which opened this section is this: No. Verse 8 of chapter 3 very clearly says this. So the question then becomes, “If we can’t tame the tongue then what hope do we have of controlling it?”

The original Greek term that is translated as “tame” is the word “damazo” which means to tame, curb, or restrain. Notice the word that is not used in these definitions. You don’t hear the word “discipline”. Being tame and being disciplined are not at all the same thing. To be tame means to be changed from a wild or savage state to a docile one. Discipline is the act of training oneself to behave in accordance with rules or expectations. While we cannot tame the tongue I do believe that we can discipline the tongue. One of the primary lessons to draw from the entire letter of James is the fact that we must discipline our lives. James is urging us to live up to an expectation. He is urging us to understand what God expects of us and then do whatever those expectations require. The tongue is no different. But how do we do this?

Before we can truly combat something we must first be able to identify what it is that we are to combat. Therefore, if we do not first understand the nature of the tongue how can we ever hope to discipline the slithery thing? That is why James draws some distinctions in these verses. Human beings are capable of taming many things. Birds, varying beasts of the forests, reptiles, and sea creatures are all example of things that can be tamed and have been tamed by human beings. Yet the ability of humans to tame things should not go to our heads.  Though we can tame many things outside of the body, so many people have an immensely difficult time disciplining their personal faults. Why is this? In a way it’s a mystery, yet in another way, if we are transparent enough with ourselves, we will see that many of our failures to discipline aspects of our character have largely to do with our own ignorance, stubbornness, and foolish pride. This has certainly been true in my own history and I can tell you that this admission is far from easy for me to make. It is essential for us to first understand that the tongue is a fire, a deadly poison, and a herald of unrighteousness. Coming to grips with those things will help us understand what we are up against. This will, in turn, help us understand exactly how and where we need to discipline our tongues. Comprehending the nature of the beast will assist us in killing it day in and day out.

Duality Must Not Exist In The Tongue: “With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things out not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.” The lesson here is exceedingly simple yet very difficult in application. All the examples in verses 9-12 show us how a lack of discipline in the tongue can create a tremendous contradiction in the life of a Christian. How can we say, “God is glorious and wonderful,” yet in the same day also say, “I know this is terrible to say but that woman has never been faithful to a single man she’s ever been with…she’s always been kind of a whore.” How can we bless God then turn around and curse one of His created ones? It doesn’t make sense. This simply must not be. We can look in nature and find that certain things just don’t go together. A spring will not pour forth both fresh and salt water. It simply doesn’t work that way. Fig trees don’t produce olives. Nature doesn’t work like that. Grapevines don’t produce figs. It is logistically improbable. A pond won’t be half salt water and half fresh water. Things such as this do not occur. Why then should blessing and cursing exist in the same mouth? The Bible says that it shouldn’t.

Before I close out this section of the commentary I want to talk briefly about the word “cursing”. In the original Greek this word was “katara”. The definition for this word means to execrate, imprecate, or curse. I had to look the first two of those words up. To execrate means to utterly detest, abhor, abominate, damn, or denounce. Those words, hopefully, give you a better idea of how this word is defined. To imprecate is to invoke or call down evil (curses) upon a person. A curse is the expression of a wish that evil, doom, misfortune, etc. would befall a person. So when you see, “From the same mouth come blessing and cursing,” please don’t be foolish in thinking that this is referring to the usage of profanity. I’m not saying that profanity is or should be acceptable but I also don’t think it needs to be a place of stumbling either. I occasionally use a profanity but I have to admit that this study of James is convicting me with a stronger passion to rid myself of that part of my language. From a cultural perspective we know that profanity is not tolerated in school systems and it is not acceptable in public places of business, not to mention the myriad of other places where it is considered taboo to use profanity. Therefore I have more often asked myself the question, “What is the point of using profanity at all?” Profanity is an extraneous part of language. There is no setting I can conceive of where profane words are the only possible choice of vocabulary. So why use them? I find myself unable to answer that question. Considering all that has been discussed here, it makes me take a much harder look at the turns of phrase I choose to exercise.

In the next commentary I will be concluding chapter 3 with a discussion on wisdom as defined by the letter of James. We will be specifically covering verses 13-18. Ask yourself a few questions:

(1) What is wisdom?

(2) Is there a difference between earthly wisdom and the wisdom that comes from God? If so what is the primary difference?

(3) What kinds of things cloud our perception of wisdom?

Those are just a few things to get you started. We will delve into some of these in a few weeks.