The Load of the Lawyers and the Load of the Lord

Good follow up on our recent study of Luke 11:37-54 (particularly v46).

Christians and The Lottery

Is it okay for a Christian to play the lottery?

A few food-for-thought questions:

1) Is that the best way to state the question? How about asking it this way: Can a Christian glorify God by playing the lottery?

Some may say, "If I win the lottery, just think of how much I could give to the church!"
2) Do apparently good ends justify bad means?

3) Does 1 Timothy 6:9-10 have anything to say to the issue?

4) Can you picture Jesus playing the lottery?

You can guess my answer to the initial question. What's your answer?

Beware Dismissing Texts That Don't Apply To You

All Scripture is profitable, but not all Scripture directly applies to or addresses you.

If you are not a Christian and are reading the Bible, the promises of God for his children are really important for you to see, but they are not "yours" unless you are brought by faith into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. They function to show you the blessings of reconciliation with God and thus serve as an indirect, and winsome invitation to come to Jesus.

If, on the other hand, you are a child of God by faith in Jesus and you read the woes pronounced, for example, on Babylon in Habakkuk 2 or on the Pharisees in Luke 11, those warnings of judgment are not "yours" precisely because Jesus bore God's righteous wrath in your place on the cross. There is no woe left to pronounce over your life. You have been rescued from the wrath to come. Nevertheless, that does not mean that those texts are of no value to you.

So, how are they profitable? There are probably quite a few ways to answer that question. Let me just mention one, using a sentence written by David Powlison that I have found immensely helpful ever since the first time I read it. It's found on page 31 of his book titled Seeing With New Eyes: Counseling and the Human Condition through the Lens of Scripture.

…beware, the defining characteristics of evildoers are always the remnant tendencies and temptations of those who believe. (emphasis original)

Let's take one of those woes from Habakkuk 2 as an example of what I mean.

9 "Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house, to set his nest on high, to be safe from the reach of harm!

10 You have devised shame for your house by cutting off many peoples; you have forfeited your life.

11 For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam from the woodwork respond.

You are not (likely) part of a kingdom that brutally conquers and plunders other nations in order to fund your own security and luxury. And again, if you are in Christ, the blessing of God is pronounced over your life, not the curse. Nevertheless, "the defining characteristics of evildoers are always the remnant tendencies and temptations of those who believe." So, are there still tendencies in you to give way to temptation to selfish gain by evil or unjust means? How about cutting corners on your taxes? How about "little" compromises of integrity at work? Why are you tempted and, if you yield to them, why do you yield to those temptations? Is it not to gain (or protect) your own safety or security or standard of living? Do you see how verse 9 does not directly address you, and yet it does directly address you?

Look at verse 10. It might seem to be very "distant" from your life. It's not. The Babylonians grabbed this evil gain for the sake of their own glory. They were the great Babylon! They thought they were augmenting their glorious name by cutting off many peoples. Oh no. God was going to judge them and ultimately bring them down in shame for their evil "cutting off" work. In trying to save their own lives (pumping up the pride they had in their own power), they actually forfeited their lives. Do you see how profitable this verse is for you? You and I have a tendency and regular temptations to save our lives and our reputations (wanting to pump them up). That's pride. "The defining characteristics of evildoers are always the remnant tendencies and temptations of those who believe." As a Christian, can't you hear the echoes of Jesus's words in Mark 8:34-38 in this verse? If so, when you hear those echoes, Habakkuk 2:10 can serve to expose your shameful pride and lead you to repentance - even though it doesn't "directly" apply to you! The sympathetic vibrations of this verse with that of Mark 8 (among others), help us hear the message of a familiar biblical refrain: The emptiness of pride is hungry and looks to feed on and use others to get filled. The fullness that comes from God's grace humbles us and frees us to give our lives and serve others in love.

Finally, verse 11 probably seems more obscure and "distant" even than verse 10. But oh how helpful it is! Here's what it's saying: If you seek gain by unjust means (v9), to promote your own security and luxury, then you are building a haunted house. Let's say you do cheat on your taxes and receive a couple thousand dollars more in your return than is rightly yours. Then let's say you do a little home improvement with that money. You've really been wanting to do this project. In fact, truth be told, the hope of being able to do the project with your tax return put not a little leverage on your soul to "find" that money as you did your taxes. So what ends up happening with that lovely little home improvement project that you looked forward to enjoying? It will become a silent witness to your compromise. It will cry out against you.

Beware dismissing texts that "don't apply" to you. They are closer to home than you think. 

Teach Children The Bible is Not About Them

Yes, you read that right. And it's actually good news. Check out this wise counsel from Sally Lloyd-Jones, the author of The Jesus Storybook Bible.

I hope you read the whole thing (it's not long). It's an important reminder for us adults as well. She starts out by saying that she often asks children these questions:

How many [of you] sometimes think you have to be good for God to love you?

How many [of you] sometimes think that if you aren't good, God will stop loving you?

Did you raise your hand?

What Gifts Do You Value Most?

Martin Luther once said:

Riches are among the most trivial things on earth and the smallest gift God gives to a person.

Jesus once said:

"If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11:13)

There's a lot to ponder here. Among them is: could it be that one of the reasons we question (doubt) our Father's love for us is that we treasure the wrong things?

When NOT To Rejoice

If you are a Christian, God commands you to:

Rejoice in the Lord always. (Philippians 4:4)

That is not a cheap, pious platitude unrealistically out-of-touch with the hardness and heartbreaks of life in this fallen world. It means (precisely in light of the hardness and heartbreaks of life in this fallen world) He is THAT committed to your joy! It means his blood-bought promises are THAT sweet and powerful!

If you are a Christian toying with idolatry, God also commands you to:

Rejoice not...! Exult not like the peoples; for you have played the whore, forsaking your God. (Hosea 9:1)

That is not a hellfire and brimstone beating from God because he suspects one of his children is having some fun. That is a holy heimlich maneuver to keep you from choking to death. That is a loving rescue mission to yank you out of the abusive brothel of idolatry. It means your Heavenly Husband is THAT committed to your joy! He commands you to rejoice not in false-promise, forbidden fruit lies of lust so that you can rejoice deeply and freely in the sweetness and certainty of his covenant love.

James must have been thinking of Hosea 9 when he wrote chapter 4 verses 1-10 (emphasis added):  

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"?

But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

You may need to stop rejoicing today. If so, know that God commands it, FOR YOUR JOY.

Do You See a Pattern Here?

The (Loving, Life-Preserving, Joy-Protecting) Warning:

Genesis 2:16-17 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but 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 surely die."

Buying the Lies that Satan Sells & Ignoring the Warning:

Genesis 3:6 So 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.

The Result:

Genesis 3:7-24 Then...they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God ... [because they were] afraid

... To the woman he said, "I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you."

... to Adam he said, "...cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; ... By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

...therefore the LORD God...drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

"TAKE 2"

The (Loving, Life-Preserving, Judgment-Preventing) Warning:

Joshua 6:18 But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it.

Buying the Lies that Sin Sells & Ignoring the Warning: 

Joshua 7:20-21 And Achan answered Joshua, "Truly I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this is what I did: when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath."

The Result:

Joshua 7:24-26 And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver and the cloak and the bar of gold, and his sons and daughters and his oxen and donkeys and sheep and his tent and all that he had. And they brought them up to the Valley of Achor. And Joshua said, "Why did you bring trouble on us? The LORD brings trouble on you today." And all Israel stoned him with stones. They burned them with fire and stoned them with stones. And they raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from his burning anger. Therefore, to this day the name of that place is called the Valley of Achor.

The (Loving, Life-Preserving, Joy-Protecting) Warning:

1 John 2:15-17 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions--is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. 

... 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

Do you see the pattern here?
Will you have eyes to see the plot today?
To whom will you listen?


Pic credit: Copyright (c) <a href='http://www.123rf.com'>123RF Stock Photos</a>

How Provincial Is Your Prayer Life?

John Bryson: 

If Jesus answered all your prayers from the last 30 days, would anything change in THE World or just YOUR world.

HT: JT

Local "A Praying Life" Seminar

I've heard really good things about Paul Miller's book A Praying Life.



You may not be a big "reader," but we all need to become big "prayers." Paul Miller is doing "A Praying Life" seminar at Covenant Fellowship Church in Glen Mills, PA on Saturday, February 25 from 9am-3:30pm. The early bird registration has been extended to February 8. It includes materials, breakfast, and lunch for $15 ($25 after February 8). It would be a great follow-up to what we are learning in Luke 11:1-13.

Go HERE for more information and registration.