Dreamer

Greetings everyone,

Winter decided to come a week early around here dumping snow and ice on us Sunday night closing schools and making the already busy week even more hectic for me. Round two is expected to come at rush hour on the way home today – ice falling from the sky. Most people I know aren’t real fond of the unexpected. I think that’s why so many people get so gung ho over the sovereignty of God; they can just say it was God’s will, regardless- as if that puts a coating of o-tay on everything.

I think even in enveloping ourselves in that type of mentality we are trying to keep some semblance of control for ourselves. In some theological caniption fit we are trying to play God by saying He’s sovereign. It also tends to lessen our responsibility. But truth is none of those things are said in scripture.

I have no problem with God being sovereign. If the world is going to have any meaning God must be sovereign. What I would say is that the thing that we try to pass off as sovereign isn’t sovereign enough. We want him to only be sovereign over religion but scripture seems to indicate that he is sovereign over every area of life.

Now while our sovereign or even our non sovereign God is too small I think that we also exalt ourselves to highly in comparison. In some sense we have blurred the lines of what it means to be in Christ and we think that we just might have a bit of the sovereign God in us. We just might BE a tiny bit of God. It’s easy to do because we are always blurring the lines between God the son and the son of God.

We are in fact losing ground that the council of Chalcedon gained for us in 451 AD. You can read their decision for yourself at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Chalcedon

The gist of it is that God the son and the son of God are to be acknowledged inone body but two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one Person and one Subsistence, not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and only begotten God, the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ; as the prophets from the beginning [have declared] concerning Him, and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself has taught us, and the Creed of the holy Fathers has handed down to us.

In everyday language what that says is that man and God are never to be confused and they weren’t confused in Christ. He was both things at the same time without any co-mingling at all. Jesus the man was like us in all ways and so that means that he never used the power of God the Son while he was on earth – NEVER. If he had then he would NOT be like us in every aspect but sin. Jesus the man was dependent upon God the father sending the Holy Spirit to work through him in all that he did. It is the sacrifice of Jesus the man that saves us. God did not die- God cannot die. Death is the result of sin. God cannot sin. It is opposed to his very nature which is perfection.

I say all of this because sometimes things need to be clarified. We lose sight of the fact that we are creatures and not God. I’ve been seeing billboards around Nashville that deny the very words of Jesus when he says that no man knows the hour or the day when he will return. These signs very blatantly say WE CAN KNOW and then proceed to proclaim that Jesus is coming back on May 21, 2011.

I really get sick of human beings sometimes. We can be so arrogant. We do that every time we try to reinterpret or even rewrite the scriptures in our own image. That is not a conservative or liberal problem both sides equally try to reshape the scriptures after their own image: Because of course we are the image of god right? We are gods walking the earth. We may never be so bold as to say that but that’s how we live. We seek after ourselves. We bow down to our will even when we read and interpret the scriptures because when it comes down to it we are all that matters. It is our intellectual understanding of the word of God that saves us not the power of God. It is we who save ourselves. It is we who are sovereign.

Bull.

I think this is why Jesus over and over again pointed out that it was our actions and not our words that mattered in the long term. You can say the sinner’s prayer and remain a sinner. You can say I will go and then not go. Worship means nothing apart from obedience. In fact, worship apart from obedience is sin. Worship in the modern sense is not bowing down (which is worship in the ancient sense) –obedience is the only bowing down that matters.

Now no where in this rant am I suggesting that we are saved by works. I certainly do not think that highly of humans. It is not possible for you or me or anybody that is a descendent of the first Adam to be saved by anything they do. Salvation is by grace and grace leads to obedience. Grace that doesn’t lead to obedience isn’t grace.

Rebellion against God is the essence of human works after the fall. Submission to God and his law is the nature of grace. By that I don’t mean an outward obedience. That is basically the same as saying I will go but not going. Grace changes your heart. Grace changes who you are on the inside. Cleaning the outside of the cup doesn’t take care of the vomit on the inside of the cup. Grace cleanses you from all rebellion against God.

Grace makes you like Jesus the man who humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Can we seriously think that we can do anything less?

Perhaps you are thinking of me with the words of Supertramp as you read this: Dreamer, your nothing but a dreamer. Can you put your hands in your head oh no.

And maybe I am a dreamer. I know I can’t do the obedience thing on my own. On my own I don’t want to be obedient in the least bit. But God, the true sovereign God can put his hand inside my head and my heart and give me the power of the Holy Spirit so that I can walk in obedience. It is grace that, even when I say no I will not, go pulls my lazy butt up out of the chair and makes me go.

It is true that there’s not a lot I can do.

But it is just as true that with God all things are possible – even getting my rebellious butt up and moving down the path of life.

I would encourage you to be a dreamer. Dream something really big: Dream obedience in every thought, word and deed. Learn to truly worship. Learn to abide in heaven (where obedience is 24/7) while walking through hell (where disobedience is 24/7).

Grace and obedience to you all,

Brad