Christ

Voices

/ brianhilton9 / 1 Comment

We live in a noisy world.

Billions of voices fill it.

The volume of worldviews and ideologies we encounter each day hums in our minds like voices in a packed stadium.

To hear the friend seated next to us at a game, we must stick our ears as close to their mouths as possible. Especially if you’re in Philadelphia! The same holds true when attempting to discern truth in a world filled with alternative voices.

Its easy to grow weary and become bogged down with complex questions. I’ve been there. Does the quantity of perspectives and beliefs mean there can’t be one correct one? Is it being arrogant to assert your belief as true? Is it the loudness or popularity of a voice that makes it accurate?

As the noise level rises, it doesn’t necessarily matter how disciplined your mind is or how dialed in your ears. The noise of this world will confuse, destroy, and intimidate those who call it home.

Everyone has beliefs. A belief, by definition, is something one holds to be true. It seems asserting your beliefs only becomes arrogant when someone else’s belief disagrees. Not everyone will literally come out and say this, but when we have a belief we long to convince others to accept, we say in our hearts:

“Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

Ironically, the same can be said of the belief that holds there is no absolute truth because everything is equally true. That belief is self-defeating because it relies upon the very thing it says doesn’t exist to survive and be accepted. Centuries of history show how popular opinion shifts and something held as true for centuries, such as the a geocentric view of the universe, can be proven false by a quiet minority.

So why is it when Jesus of Nazareth says,

“Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

we respond like Pilate, who asked,

“What is truth?”

In one breath we fight for truth and hold unswervingly to our definition of what is true. In another, we ignore the highly veracious accounts of Jesus’ life and join Pilate in asking,

“What is truth?”

In the book of John, Jesus describes Himself as the “good shepherd” who cares for His sheep. He does so by tending to their needs, even to the point of laying His life down for them. Despite such beautiful statements of His love for sinners, another central focus of the text is seen through repeated mentions of the shepherd’s voice. The sheep hear the shepherd’s voice and follow it because they know His voice. Others come and try to speak to the sheep but they don’t know those voices, so they don’t follow them.

In our noisy world, the voice of Jesus should be the one we lean in to hear like we do with our friends at an Eagles game. The one who claims doing so would be arrogant or narrow-minded should evaluate their treatment of what they believe.

We often long for the audible voice of God to come thunder to us and eliminate all need for faith; the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. God’s voice has graced human ears before as recorded by the Apostle Peter:

“For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,’ we heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.”

2 Peter 1:16-18

God the Father only speaks audibly to humans three times in the accounts of Jesus’ life. Two of the three times, He tells man that Jesus is his Son as Peter describes above. Jesus, as the Son, came to die in your place for the offenses stemming from your heart and committed against God. It’s this heart condition that alienates us from God and it’s faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus alone that brings us near and into the Good Shepherd’s fold.

You’ll hear many voices that say otherwise. The deceitfulness of that rebellion will sound enticing. Unbelief might sound more practical. Rejection might sound liberating.

However, if you take the time to open His word and listen to His voice, you just might find yourself to be “of the truth.”

Everyone is listening to someone.

Who better to then the King of the universe?

Scripture References:

John 10 – I am the Good Shepherd

John 18:37-38 – Jesus and Pilate’s exchange about truth

Matthew 3:17 & Matthew 17:5 – God speaks about Jesus

1 Corinthians 15:3 – Christ came to die for your sins

Matthew 15:18-20 – Sin comes from a mans heart and separates us from God

Ephesians 2:13 – Faith in Christ’s blood atonement brings you near to God

Jehovah Tsidkenu

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Standing outside courthouses across the globe is a lady as old as time. Her appearance differs depending on the cultural context, but her name is the same on every continent. Justice.

“Lady Justice” has personified judicial law for millennia, dating back to Roman mythology. In most architectural renderings she stands tall, blindfolded, and wielding a sword in one hand with a scale set in the other. Stoic and beautiful, she welcomes people into her courthouses where, theoretically, they will be met with justice as balanced as the scales she holds.

It takes one look past those magnificent statues to see that Lady Justice is only a figment of man’s imagination. Justice is perverted as the guilty are set free and the innocent prosecuted. We bicker over policy in an effort to rectify the system but fail to see the injustice in our own proposals. While our best attempts at justice do sometimes bring a temporal satisfaction and give us a glimpse of the real thing, everyone can agree that the scales Lady Justice holds, and the scales of the real world are two different things.

We rightly lament over this disparity and how it affects us, but we must place ourselves on the scale to see that amidst our own efforts, we also maintain an egregiously unbalanced scale.

This is the case even if we place our “own” moral code and rules to live by on the other side of the scale. We can’t live up even to that, so we begin to place “worse” people on the other side. Think the scum of society, be it a criminal or member of an opposing political party. If we can’t balance the scale, might as well come out on top, right? What we miss is the fact that the other side of the scale isn’t something we determine, but as evidenced by the conscience and a universal assent to moral responsibility, is a reality grander than human intuition.

Righteousness, or conformity with what is ethically and morally acceptable or “right” sits on the other side of the scale. We’re all aware we must one day step on the platform to see if the scales slowly bob up and down only to come to rest in perfect equilibrium. Why else would we care about justice in the here and now? If there is no scale of justice we must face, why attempt to do justly to others? Without the presence of moral obligation, there is no logical place for justice and order in society. Only chaotic depravity.

Recognizing this, we seek to build a resume of righteousness. We start with all those years we didn’t murder, rape, or rob somebody. Then, we bullet out the things we did for our community and those in need. Next, we include our spotless legal record. Finally, we place the cherry on top by pointing to the years we have spent with our families. Surely an unrighteous person couldn’t sacrifice what we did for loved ones, right? We submit our resume confident the scales will balance even if we had some slip ups along the way, which we don’t mind minimizing. What meets us, however, is the horrifying reality that the other side of the scale is far weightier than we ever perceived.

Our so-called “righteous” acts lay on the scale as the density of true righteousness suspends them high in the air, a laughable sight akin to a toddler’s best attempt at drawing a self-portrait. That’s really what we came up with? That’s what we consider to be righteous?

The righteousness on the other side is ethereal, a law of the universe only the Creator can fully behold. For it is His very identity, that which He shaped His creation after, that sits upon the scale. Holiness, justice, and righteousness are here defined. These are not merely characteristics of Almighty God; He is the essence of their being.

Only a righteousness of equal weight will balance the scales, and only a balanced scale will deliver the subject from the cost of true justice. This justice requires two deaths, first one’s body and secondly one’s soul. Just one broken statute or failure to mirror our divine Creator in holiness results in the same punishment as the one who’s record is stained with iniquity. His law is too perfect for sinners to comply satisfactorily.

Any deviation from the scales in His deliberation mirror our broken justice systems, and simultaneously corrupt not only true justice, but the Lord from whom it derives its life. It is an impossibility.

What then, is mortal man to do? All are guilty in this courthouse. Nobody can balance their scale. An eternal sentence awaits our dead souls with torment and wrath, our just reward.

It is here where another individual stands. The crumbles of our earthly Lady Justice lie scattered in the shadow of another, but He is no Roman mythological creature. He is not an idea personified. He is not made of marble and clay but of flesh and blood.

His name is Jehovah Tsidkenu.

It’s in His days that true justice meets full mercy. As tears pour down our faces and we cry out in agony while the scales sway lopsided, He cuts in front of us. He casts Himself into the pit as our verdict is announced by the Judge. He dies our death and puts His own righteousness on the scales.

It balances.

Both the punishment earned by our crimes against the Creator and the hope of personal righteousness are fulfilled in His kingship. As we stand naked before God crying out to Him, He rises from the depths and places His royal robes onto our backs. The case has been closed and our sentence fully served.

His name is an unfamiliar one to us in later generations, but it was clear to those who He first chose to reveal Himself. He made clear to His prophets that this name is not simply a title, but a promise. A promise to all who recognize their righteousness is equivalent to rags in the sight of our perfect Creator and ask Him to balance the scales for them. Its meaning is not trenched in mystery but beautifully simple.

“The LORD our righteousness.”

Only the God man offers you the righteousness needed to balance the scales and be acceptable to God Almighty. Toss your resume of righteousness in the trash, for that’s all it is in the LORD’s sight. Trust in such a resume will leave your scales unbalanced and notarize your death sentence.

Jehovah Tsidkenu offers to impart to you righteousness. His own. He has already served your sentence; you need only cry out to Him in trusting dependence. Then you’ll call Him, “The LORD my righteousness.”

Scripture references:

Jeremiah 23:6 & Jeremiah 33:14-16 – Jehovah Tsidkenu, The LORD our righteousness

1 Corinthians 1:30 – Christ Jesus became for us righteousness, sanctification, and redemption

Philippians 3:8b-9 – A righteousness extended to us through faith in Christ

2 Corinthians 5:21 – In Christ, we become the righteousness of God

Aphthartos, Amiantos, Amarantos

/ brianhilton9 / 1 Comment

What do you truly have?

It’s a question concerned with possession or affiliation. We frequently use the word “have” to describe our relationship to something. There are a variety of subjects in which we kick off our discourse with the words “I have.” Family. Employment. Romantic relationships. Material possessions. Wealth. The list goes on.

But do you truly have any of these things? This is a question that’s been heavily on my mind of late. I am not questioning the basic fact of relation or possession. I am more concerned with the longevity of that relationship. The things we comfortably say are ours – will they always be?

Shockingly, the answer is no for everything listed above. Think about it. A tree limb may fall on your car and total it in a matter of seconds. Your 401k account could be depleted in a single day of trading. You can lose your job at any time. Most tragically, those you love the most could perish in the blink of an eye. Every one of these things in a literal sense, are perishable.

Consider your very life. You can and will “lose” your possession of it.

This certainly isn’t a pleasant thought. Just the idea of losing these things breed our most paralyzing fears. This can drive us to several different places. To remedy the thought of losing something near and dear to us we may hold on to it so tightly so that it can’t conceivably be taken from us. Or maybe to save ourselves from any hurt, we don’t get attached to things and keep our distance. I think many of us fall somewhere in the middle, however. We try to “live life to the fullest” and go with the flow. But, if we’re honest, the fact that all things are temporary is a source of agony deep within our hearts.

It is here that we can begin to see the majesty of God’s promises in Jesus Christ. Through some simple comparing and contrasting, we see that there is something different about God’s promise of salvation and restoration in Jesus. I find the words of Peter in his first letter particularly encouraging:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” – 1 Peter 1: 3-5

Peter uses three adjectives to describe the “inheritance” a believer in Jesus is given through His death and resurrection. The first is imperishable or aphthartos in Greek. This word is often used to describe something that is not liable to decay or corruption. The next is undefiled or amiantos which often speaks to being free from natural deformation or the impairment of power. The last is unfading or amarantos. The main idea is something that is not simply long lasting but a thing that can’t cease to exist in any capacity. This word is also used to describe a certain type of flower that blooms every year. We know them as perennials!

The hope believers in Jesus have is alive as Peter states because it is in the one who rose from the dead after offering Himself as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world. He lives and so does our hope. We have this hope not because we toiled long and hard to take possession of it. Rather, we have this because it has been given to us. A gift from God. It anchors the soul of the born-again believer.

Woefully, the hope those who reject Jesus have is dead and false. It is in things that perish. While they may be visible, they are not eternal. They are not sworn on by the Most High as He has His promised salvation through Christ’s blood. We were made to need the true, living, everlasting God. Anything that falls short of Him is no possession at all.

Imperishable, undefiled, unfading. Is there anything we know that can be described in such ways? To the praise of God alone, the only one thing I have to my name qualifies. That is the promise of salvation through Jesus Christ, my living hope. This promise is for you too. Come to Him.

Scripture References:

1 Peter 1: 3-5 – Imperishable, undefiled, unfading

1 Peter 1:18-19 – Redemption with the imperishable & precious blood of Christ

Hebrews 6:13-20 – The highest oath, an anchor for our souls.

Matthew 24:35 – God’s words will never pass away

Romans 8:35,38-39 – What shall separate us from the love of Christ?

Fly Like An Eagle

/ brianhilton9 / 2 Comments

I look up to and respect Michael Vick, even if he is a convicted felon and dog murderer…and no, it’s not just because I’m an Eagles fan.  Why?

The first time I saw Michael Vick play football was during the divisional playoff round of the 2002-2003 season in which the Philadelphia Eagles played the Atlanta Falcons.  Vick actually played awful in the game, but I developed a certain admiration of him that evening.  Every time he touched the ball, his feet seemed to be literally engulfed with flames, torching the infamous Veterans Field turf wherever he stepped.  He was running so fast it was as if his feet were on fire and he was attempting to put the flames out by running at sickening speeds.  How could this dude be exploding out from under center, whipping around his tackle and burst into the Eagles secondary in a few measly seconds?  From that game on, I watched his career from a love-hate point of view.  I loved watching his animal like speed and agility and arm strength.  I hated watching his arrogant press conferences.  He continued to puzzle defensive coordinators around the NFL, but as he talks about in his autobiography, Finally Free, he was making his way down a very destructive and evil path.  

                On November 19th, 2007 Mike went to prison on a twenty-three month sentence for dog fighting.  Mike was one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL at the time, and this shocked and deeply angered many people.  Not just football fans, but everybody.  Animal activists were enraged and advocated the death penalty for Mike.  While many had different views on punishments, one thing most agreed on was that what Michael Vick did was evil.  Life went on for the rest of us, but as Mike describes in his book, he was in a stand still during his prison time…he was a “caged bird.”  That cage was opened in August 2009 when the Eagles signed him after serving his prison sentence and being cleared to play football again by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, but ultimately when he rededicated his life to Jesus Christ in a Kansas prison cell.          

                There is sooo much to process and consider with Michael Vick’s story, it is something that can be debated for days and days.  One thing that cannot be debated however, is that this man changed and not because of his doing.  Mike’s accomplishments on the football field with the Eagles in 2010 is not what makes his story interesting, it’s what went on in his heart.  God grabbed him where he was, and lifted him out of the disgusting sin he was indulging in when he turned his back on Christ upon entering the NFL.  His 2010 season shows how God richly blessed him and used him in the lives of many, including myself.  Mike lays it out for us in the eighth chapter of his book…

                “From the moment I first heard those prison doors slam behind me, I began to turn back to God-praying, reading the Bible, and recommitting my life to Him.  The only thing I could do was have faith and stay strong and to trust and believe that God would give me another chance”.  

                When he is talking about another chance, he is talking forgiveness.  Mike went from being one of the most beloved athletes to hated Americans in the course of a few months.  The forgiveness he NEEDED was from Christ.  It is the forgiveness we all need, and receive when we turn to him in faith and believe in his son’s death on the cross.  The forgiveness he DESIRED was from all his fans, friends, and family.  While many have forgiven him and many have not, it is troubling to think that some of those that have not call themselves “Christ-followers”.  It begs one question, its okay for God to forgive you of all your sins and call you his child but you don’t think it is fair for him to forgive and cleanse someone else?  Well for all the people who believe Mike Vick should never be forgiven for what he did, it isn’t up for you to decide.  We all have the same sentence, death.  We are all as much of a sinner as Mike and desire to be free!  Free from sin, free from evil, free from the deep wounds that lay in the depths of our hearts.  Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is the only path to the freedom we need and desire.  The wages of sin is death, but when we repent…

“You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.” Romans 6:18

“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.” Romans 6:22

Forgiveness is a beautiful and powerful thing.  Instead of the eternal death we have been sentenced to because of our incessant sin, we receive eternal life.  When we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us…and his mercies are new each day!  We must forgive, like we have been forgiven!  Live free.  Fly like an Eagle, free from sin and basking in the glorious riches God has for you!

 

 

 

 

 

A little validity….

How often do men come out of prison a better person than the one who entered prison?  Look at this statistic from the U.S. Department of Justice…

                “More than 650,000 ex-offenders are released from prison every year, and studies show that approximately two-thirds will likely be rearrested within three years of release.”

                Doesn’t sound like rehabilitation, does it? 

True rehab comes from Christ, and Christ alone.

Ear Candy

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Sounds are everywhere.
They are uncontained, unleashed and barbaric in our world. A man drops his change and quarters spin everywhere creating a soft ping sound to be ensued with the dancing of the metal against pavement, swirling around and around. A young boy playing on his hand held device saves his progress and produces a piercing da duh ding sound (He was playing Zelda by the way…). While attempting to fall asleep, the screams of sirens fill the room preventing any slumber.
What happens when sound gets coached, though? A coach that can recognize the strengths and weaknesses of each sound and put them in the best position to succeed. Instead of heading in separate directions and every sound being a ball hog, the sounds now work together toward the same goal, relying on each other to win. Each individual sound compliments the others and builds one another up. Soon, the sounds become united and intertwined and are no longer “sound” but now music.
Music is a team sport! A very powerful one at that. God used music created by his faithful Israelite people, led by Joshua, to bring down the walls of mighty Jericho allowing repentant Rahab and her family to exit unharmed. He also spoke through David in the book of Psalms which many current day worship songs are based off of. God gave us music and song as a gift. What happened though? Was the lyrical content in Biggie’s music a gift from God? Nope. But the art of his music was, though.
There are two parts to music…Content and Art. Most of today’s culture sacrifices content in a second in order for the pleasure derived by the art of the song. You may pass by someone on the street saying to his friend, “Dude, what does that even mean?” (They’re probably listening to Rick Ross). The friend, head bouncing up and down, makes known that “I don’t care, it sounds sweet!” Liking music ONLY because of the art is comparable to liking a food ONLY for how it tastes. On the other side of the coin though, content makes music have a purpose. Listening to a song that doesn’t have a purpose (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S22FHg2WS-w) may sound good and get your adrenaline pumping, but you’re giving so much up by doing so. The songs potential is not being fulfilled. That isn’t using music for God’s glory, and it is not how he intended it.
From personal experience, there is nothing better than beautiful art with a more beautiful lyrical content describing the truth of Jesus Christ. I know every time I listen to Lecrae, Tedashii, Trip Lee or Flame (to name a few). I will be greatly encouraged by the lyrical content and the great art these guys create with God’s strength. Each message is like a sermon pointing directly to the truth laid out in the Bible with a sick beat! What is better than that if you’re into hip-hop and have accepted Jesus as your savior?? I understand not appreciating it if rap isn’t your thing but I still know many people who never liked rap before until they listened to these guys. My 60 year old mother being one of them.
I’ve heard many of my friends and peers refer to new music as “ear candy”. I’ll admit it, sometimes when word of a new album or single, my ears will “water” just as taste buds do when you walk down the candy aisle in the local grocery store. Something is different with Christ edifying music, though. Ears are not the only thing being stimulated…the mind, body and most importantly, soul are also being nurtured. Candy isn’t very sustaining, however…Maybe a better name for this truth music could be “Ear Lasagna” or something….I don’t know.