Grace Alone

In the past six years since I became an avid road cyclist, July has become my favorite month of the year. Before moving to Texas it was usually the month in which I got more miles on the bike than any other. But that's not the reason it's my favorite. July is almost fully consumed by the Tour de France. This year it begins July 3 and ends July 25, and I try to watch it every day (if at all possible).

Bike racing is not particularly exciting, unless you are a cyclist. Then you understand what these men do. They ride every day for three weeks (with just two rest days) at an average of about 25 mph for about a hundred miles per day. During this time they will spend six days in the high mountains, climbing thousands of feet each day. You can only appreciate what it takes to complete such a race if you are a cyclist yourself, and have ridden your bike more than a hundred miles in a single day, or climbed a high mountain on your bike. Then, you can begin (and only begin) to appreciate how difficult the Tour is.

The goal of most professional cyclists is simply to complete the Tour successfully at some point in their career. Only a handful have realistic hopes of winning the Tour. A few will be able to dream of winning a stage (one day of racing). For most, the best they can hope for is to become a "super domestic" (or teammate) for a real GC (General Category) contender. If they are able to help their teammate to the overall win of the Tour de France, the financial rewards will be significant, because every GC winner shares his prize with his teammates.

At a celebratory dinner on the night the race ends the winning team dines in style and converses joyfully about the great moments in which the race was won. Envelopes are handed out to each team member by the GC winner with a portion of the prize. Naturally the amounts vary, depending on how much the individual team member contributed to the win.

What do you suppose the teammates' reaction would be if the envelopes were passed out and everyone got the same amount? Or worse yet, suppose the winner passed out envelopes to every rider in the Tour (regardless of which team they rode for) with equal amounts. What do you suppose the super domestics' reaction would be?

It would probably be much like the workers in the vineyard who had labored hard all day under the burning sun and received the same amount from the owner of the vineyard as the workers who worked only one hour at the end of the day. Matthew 20:11-12 says: "When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us.'"

What Jesus was trying to teach us is that God doesn't owe us anything. We cannot earn salvation by our hard work. We can never be worthy of spending eternity in the presence of God, considering our sinfulness. So God's gift of salvation is just that. It's a gift, by grace alone. He doesn't owe it to us. We don't deserve it. We didn't earn it. But out of His goodness, God gives it to us anyway.

The Bible tells us that there will be rewards in heaven, for those who have served God faithfully here on earth. It also makes clear that those rewards will vary. However, none of us will be jealous of another. Nor will we question the size of our reward, or anyone else's. Because then we will understand that these are rewards of grace. God doesn't owe it to us. He gives it freely. And we will receive it gratefully and joyfully, knowing that the only One who deserves the glory He receives in eternity is Jesus, who earned salvation for us all.

Like a Child

Cycling is one of those sports in which the youngest riders are not usually the best. Not only does it take time to hone your skills as a professional cyclist, but it also takes time to develop the endurance and tenacity required to win a multi-day stage race, like the Tour de France. For this reason, most races have a category for the youngest riders that allows them to compete for a prize, in addition to the general classification victory.

In Matthew 19 Jesus turns things upside down (as he often does) by saying: "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." (Matthew 19:14) In his Kingdom we must all become like the youngest of children in order to be "winners." What does He mean?

There are many things about God and His Kingdom that make no sense to the people of this world, things like, "Whoever wants to be greatest among you must be servant of all." Things like, "Whoever want to save his life will lose it." Things like the Son of God willingly laying down His life for sinful people. There are truths about God that we will never fully comprehend. Like the Trinity, One God in three Persons.

That doesn't mean we have to sacrifice our intellects to become Christians. The Christian faith is the most reasonable faith of all. We can use reason to understand how a just God must punish sin, and yet the same loving God will sacrifice His own Son to take our punishment for us.

Nevertheless, unless we are willing to accept some truths in a simple, childlike manner we will never have the faith we need to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. A little child willingly accepts what a loving parent tells them as being true. God wants us to accept His Truth with the same kind of simple faith. Then we will be ready to receive eveything He wants to bestow on us.

Greater by Far

Most group charity bicycle rides are on Sunday. Before I retired, therefore, I had to choose carefully which rides I would participate in. Generally I chose one ride per year to be away from my job as pastor, in order to pursue my passion as a cyclist. Actually, I was pursuing my greater passion every Sunday by preaching and teaching. Nevertheless, I would sometimes joke with people that I needed to get a better "union" because as a pastor I had to work every weekend and every holiday. "There's something wrong with this picture," I would quip. Actually, I felt privileged to proclaim the Good News for a living, and still do! There is nothing greater than being able to spend your full time studying God's Word and sharing it with other people. So even though I worked on Sunday, it was never really "work" to me.

When He was questioned about healing on the Sabbath, in Matthew 12, Jesus used the example of the priests who regularly violated the Sabbath by working, offering sacrifices on behalf of God's people at the Temple. Jesus went on to say: "I tell you that one greater than the temple is here." By this Jesus meant that His sacrifice was greater than the sacrifices offered by the priests at the temple.

That wasn't Jesus' only reference to something greater in this chapter. Later on Jesus chastised the Pharisees for demanding a sign. He told them that the only sign they would receive would be the sign of Jonah, who spent three days in the belly of the fish and came out alive. Jesus said: "now one greater than Jonah is here." By this Jesus meant that his death and resurrection would be a much greater sign than Jonah's rescue by God.

In addition, Jesus chastened the unrepentant people of his generation, stating that even the Queen of Sheba would condemn them, since she sought out the wisdom of Solomon. Then Jesus added: "and now one greater than Solomon is here." By this Jesus meant that those unrepentant people should listen to his wisdom, which was greater by far than Solomon's. In fact, Paul said in Colossians 2:3 that in Christ "are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

Why did Jesus state that in each of these cases one greater than the former example was there? I believe Jesus was claiming His threefold office of Prophet (One greater than Jonah), Priest (one greater than the temple), and King (one greater than Solomon). As our Savior and Lord Jesus fulfills each of these roles crucial to our salvation. As our Prophets Jesus speaks the True Word of God to us. As priest, Jesus offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for all our sins. As our King, Jesus rules at the right hand of God, governing all things for the sake of His Body, the Church. Thank God for our great Redeemer Jesus! He is greater by far than all, just as it's greater as a pastor to "work" on Sunday than the ride your bike.

Got to Tell Somebody!

If you've read my blog you've probably seen the picture at the bottom of the page. It's a picture of the fantastic bike that I ride as often as possible. It'a bike I could have never hoped to own. That 2008 Trek Madone 6.5 is a VERY expensive bike. It was a gift from my congregation in Tacoma, WA. I continually tell people about this gift. It's one of the greatest gifts I've ever received in my whole life. Totally unexpected. Totally over the top. Totally wonderful to enjoy for many, many years. I just can't keep it to myself.

Matthew 9 tells us about a number of people who experienced that same sort of gift from Jesus, one they just couldn't keep quiet about. "When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to men." (v. 8) "After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. News of this spread through all that region." (vv. 25-26) "Jesus warned them sternly, 'See that no one knows about this.' But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region." (vv. 30-31) "And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel." (v. 33)

Notice in particular how Jesus warned the blind men not to say anything, but they couldn't help themselves. It's actually in Mark's Gospel that we learn that Jesus instructed Jairus and his wife not to say anthing about their daughter being raised from the dead. (Mark 5:43) He gave them "strict orders" not to let anyone know about this. Yet Matthew tells us "News of this spread through all that region." They couldn't help themselves.

For years I've loved a song by Don Francisco that tells the story of the raising of Jairus' daughter. At the end of the song is this passionate chorus, sung over and over again.

I got to tell somebody, I got tell somebody
I got to tell somebody, what Jesus did for me...

You know he gave me life when my hope was dead
When there was grief he brought joy instead
I got to tell somebody, what Jesus did for me...

I think it captures beautifully what Jairus and his wife must have felt. They couldn't help themselves. They just had to tell somebody what Jesus did for them.

I hope that the same is true for you and me. I hope that we cannot help but tell others what Jesus has done for us. I hope that we display his grace in our lives to others over and over again. Because there is no greater gift than the grace of God in Christ Jesus our Lord!

The Right Faith in the Right Place

The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

I am amazed by the bike handling skills of professional cyclists! I have seen them take out a jacket from their back jersey pocket, put it on and zip it up while riding down a mountain descent at 40 miles per hour. I've seen them grab a feed bag while riding by at 25 mph in the midst of the peloton and shuffle through its contents, keeping what they want and discarding the rest before disposing of the bag itself. And all of this they do with no hands on the handlebars, frequently surrounded by other cyclists, or on unfamiliar terrain. They must have a great deal of confidence in their own bike handling skills or they would never attempt such feats! On the other hand, sometimes their confidence is misplaced, and they rub another rider's wheel with their own or misjudge a corner and a crash results. Unfortunately, those crashes almost always effect many other riders in the peloton, not just the rider who made the mistake.

In Matthew chapter 8 we encounter a man whose confidence is not misplaced. The centurion who comes to Jesus asks the Lord to heal his servant. Jesus immediately recognizes the faith that it took on the part of this Gentile to even make such a request, and agrees to come to his house and heal the servant.

The centurion's response is even more amazing, however. He draws an analogy between his own authority and Jesus', recognizing that just as he is under authority and does exactly what his superiors tell him to do, so he also has soldiers under his authority who carry out his commands. Thus, in complete humility, he confesses his unworthiness for Jesus to come to his house and instead asks Jesus to simply give the command and his servant will be healed.

When you think about the ramifications of this analogy, they are amazing. There was no need for the soldier to mention that he was under authority. He could have simply spoken of his authority over others to assert Jesus' authority to heal just by giving the command. The reason he draws the parallel to being under authority is to demonstrate his faith in Jesus as the Son of God. Jesus himself said, "the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me." (John 14:31) Certainly this Gentile who was not a part of God's chosen people was of the "world" before he came to faith in Jesus. He learned what Jesus wanted him to know, that Jesus is the obedient Son of God who does exactly what His Father commands.

Thus, the Centurion knew that his confidence was not misplaced. He knew that Jesus would not be stumped by his request, or lack authority to act from a distance on behalf of his servant. The kind of faith he demonstrated is amazing, even to Jesus, who says that He has never seen such faith even among all of God's chosen people. The Centurion's was truly the right faith in the right place.

When we put our faith in ourselves, or in other people, we can be sorely disappointed. But if, like this faith-filled Centurion, we put our faith in Jesus Christ, as God's own Son who can meet our every need under any circumstances, we will have put our faith in the right place!

Narrow Gate

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."

When I lived in Washington State there was a 15 mile paved trail near my house that I would frequently ride on. The Foothills Trail was used by walkers, runners, skateboarders, inline skaters, and of course, cyclists, but was restricted to any kind of motorized vehicles. In an effort to enforce this, whenever the trail crossed a road there were three large metal posts, one at either side and one in the middle of the paved trail. The posts were placed close enough together to prevent a car or an ATV from entering the path.

This was not a problem when I was riding on my own. However, sometimes I would pull my grandson in a trailer behind my bike. The trailer was wide enough to hold two children, and the wheels of the trailer would barely fit between the two posts. As a result, whenever I came to a street, I would have to slow way down and carefully thread my way between the two posts so as to not hit them with the trailer, which would have been disastrous for both me and my grandson.

I thought of this experience as I read Jesus' words above from Matthew 7:13-14. In fact, I thought in particular about Luke's account of Jesus' words. Luke quoted Jesus in this way: "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to." The Greek word for "make every effort" is "agonizesthe". It's the root of our English word "agonize."

Jesus said that many would try to enter the narrow door and would be unable to. Why? I envision a problem similar to the trailer on the back of my bike that caused me to "agonize" each time I passed between those posts for fear of hitting them. Some people want to enter into eternal life, but they do not want to repent of the sin in their lives. They think they can hang on to their sin and continue in it, yet somehow still be saved. But the only road we can travel while holding on to our sin is the broad road that leads away from God and toward destruction.

Others think that the way to enter eternal life is to show up at the narrow door laden with all the good works and kind deeds they have ever done, as though these will be their "ticket" to heaven. Instead, those good works in which they place their trust become a "wide load" that prevents them from passing through the narrow gate. Rather, we need to come to the narrow door empty handed, repenting of our sin, and trusting only in Jesus to save us. Then He will throw open the gates to heaven and welcome us in.

So don't waste time agonizing over whether you're "good enough" to go to heaven. Instead, agonize over your sin in heartfelt repentance. Then put your faith in Jesus who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Trusting in Him, you will find that one narrow road that leads to life, and by His grace spend eternity in heaven.

One Master

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money."

These words from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount were played out in real life during last year's Tour de France. Arguably the greatest professional cycling team manager in the history of the Tour, Johann Bruyneel, (whose teams have won 13 Grand Tour titles) had the two greatest current winners of the Tour on the same team, both Lance Armstrong (7 time winner) and Alberto Contador (2 time winner). As the race unfolded Bruyneel had to decide who the team was going to support in their effort to win the yellow jersey.

After Contador rode away from the rest of the contenders on a huge mountain stage, Bruyneel's decision became clear. He had to support Contador. If he had continued to try to support both Armstrong and Contador for the win, neither would have won and another team would have taken the yellow jersey. No one can serve two masters. If Bruyneel had tried to serve both Armstrong and Contador he would have failed them both. That's why when it came time for preparations for this year's Tour, Bruyneel went with one of the two, Lance Armstrong, on Team Radio Shack.

Jesus told us the truth in Matthew 6:24. You cannot serve two masters. If you try to serve God halfheartedly while your real goal is to obtain wealth, you will be sorely disappointed. If you get wealthy, your relationship with God will diminish, and you'll discover the emptiness of riches. If you seek to use your talents to serve God and glorify Him you may get wealthy in the process, but you will see your wealth as a gift from God to be used for His honor according to His will.

I'm convinced that the reason God commanded the tithe in Malachi 3:10 was simply because no man can serve both God and money. God understood that if we trust Him enough to give Him the first 10% of all that we receive, and truly believe that He is able to supply all our needs with the remaining 90%, then He really will be our One Master.

That's why God said, "Test me in this!" Once we've tested him we will recognize the joy and blessing of serving God as our One Master. But we have to test Him first. We have to take that big step of faith to give Him our tithe. As we do so, we will see Him provide our every need and we will also begin to experience the joy of laying up treasures in heaven.

This creates a positive feedback loop. As more of our treasure is dedicated to heavenly things, our hearts are more and more centered on the things of God. Serving God as our One Master becomes more and more natural for us. We rejoice to devote ourselves to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Ask yourself who can take better care of you and meet all your needs? God or Money? The answer is a no brainer. Choose your master wisely.

Ridiculous! Maybe not...

Could you imagine Lance Armstrong asking me for some tips on cycling? Even the thought of it is laughable. No more so, however, than Jesus coming to John the Baptist and asking to be baptized. John recognized how ridiculous it was right away. “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” he said. John recognized what was clearly declared a few minutes later when Jesus was baptized. The voice of God spoke from heaven saying: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Of course, it’s impossible to please a holy God if you are a sinner yourself. Jesus was not. Then why did Jesus want John to baptize him? Jesus knew that when he was baptized, His anointing with the Holy Spirit would mark the beginning of his public ministry as the chosen Messiah.

There was another significant reason for Jesus’ baptism, however. When John objected, Jesus said,“Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” How would Jesus’ baptism fulfill all righteousness, when he was perfectly sinless already? Isn’t baptism all about the forgiveness of sins? It certainly is, nevertheless, Jesus needed to undergo baptism in order to fulfill all righteousness. Although he was sinless himself, He had to identify himself with sinful human beings, so that He could take our place and be our Savior. In baptism our sins are washed away. But by His baptism, Jesus took our place and took our sins upon Himself. When He went to the cross, He took the punishment that we deserve, in our place. He suffered and died for our sins, so that we can be forgiven. Thus, the great exchange that was completed on the cross began here, at Jesus’ baptism.

I would love to trade places with one rider in the Tour de France for just one day (preferably on a flat stage!). It would be incredible to ride in the peloton. I would feel sorry for that rider, however, because if he wasn’t completely eliminated based on my time, he would at the very least lose a large number of positions in the overall standings. With his baptism, Jesus began the switch with us that cost Him a whole lot more than a place in the standings of a bike race. His baptism in our place ultimately cost Him His life.

When you take your shower tomorrow morning and the water runs over you, say a prayer of thanks that Jesus’ was baptized for you and that you were baptized into Him so that you can have the free gift of eternal life by faith in Jesus Christ.

Typical

I rode my bike early this morning, a short 15 mile loop that I typically ride when I want to be done in an hour or so. Only this morning's ride was not typical. It was faster than usual. Lately, my average speed is typically 14 mph. Today I averaged 16 mph. That's close to my average when I was at my lowest weight and peak of fitness. I hope that kind of pace can become typical again, but it will take some discipline and training on my part for that to become typical again.

Today, as I was reading Matthew 2 I came across something else that was "typical." It was an Old Testament passage that Matthew quoted in connection with the slaughter of the innocents in Bethlehem. In referring to the grief instigated by Herod's heartless attempt to destroy the Christ child, Matthew quoted Jeremiah 31:15. Matthew wrote: "Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 'A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.'" (Matthew 2:17-18)

Jeremiah's words refer directly to the grief of the Jews whose children were slaughtered when Israel was taken into captivity by the Babylonians -- a consequence of their idolatry against the Lord. Jeremiah's mournful words, however, are actually found in a hopeful context, one in which the prophet is foretelling God's future restoration of his people Israel. This restoration after 70 years of captivity, ultimately resulted in the birth of the Messiah.

When cries of grief arose from Bethlehem as a result of Herod's jealousy against the One born King of the Jews, Matthew recognized that the grief of the Jews whose children were slaughtered by the Babylonians was typical of the grief of the Jews whose children were slaughtered by King Herod in Bethlehem. Thus, the earlier weeping and wailing became a "type" of, or was typical of the later mourning by God's people.

The two events are tied together because the earlier grieving was alleviated by the restoration from captivity which led to the fulfillment of the prophesies of the Messiah. And the later grieving was alleviated because the Messiah himself was spared from Herod's sword, and was able to become the Savior of mankind by his death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead.

This is one of many, many Messianic prophesies that Matthew refers to throughout his Gospel. Some of those prophesies are like this one, "types" of the Christ to come or of events surrounding his coming. Many others are direct prophesies of Jesus Christ, his life, ministry, death and resurrection. We can thank God for these prophesies and their fulfillment. They give us great confidence that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the Son of God who came into the world to save us from our sins. And our response to this Good News should be typical -- praise and thanksgiving.

Right

We all like to be right. Most of the time, we're not. We could all recite a litany of mistakes, failures, neglected opportunities, sins, and regrets. Maybe that's why we delight in being right on those rare occasions when we are.

There's only one way we can truly be right, that is, right with God. Paul wrote in Romans 3:22: "This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe." Faith is what makes us truly righteous before God. It's also the only thing that can make us just or upright people, who live in accordance with God's standards.

Matthew describes Joseph as a "righteous" or "just" man. As a result, when he learned that Mary was expecting a child before their marriage was finalized he decided to divorce her quietly and not to disgrace her publicly by accusing her of adultery. He was doing what Luther said we should do in his explanation to the Eighth Commandment: "We should fear and love God that we may not deceitfully belie, betray, slander, or defame our neighbor, but defend him, speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything."

Joseph refused to think or speak evil of Mary. At first he could not bring himself to believe her story of the angel Gabriel's announcement, nevertheless he decided to put the best construction on everything, refusing to accuse her of adultery, and concluding instead that Mary must have been taken advatage of against her will.

When the Lord's angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, his faith took an even bigger step. Matthew tells us: "When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus." Not only did he willingly take Mary as his wife, even though he knew that the gossip would fly about their supposed premature union, but he was also willing to forego his rights as a husband and had no union with his wife until after Jesus was born. As a result, he was able in good conscience to affirm that Jesus was the virgin-born Messiah.

How was Joseph able to do the right thing? It's because he was right with God through faith in God's promises. Because of our sinful nature it's frequently difficult to do the "right" thing. That's when we need to live by faith and let the righteousness of faith empower the righ living that God asks of us.

In particular, we need to do the right thing when it would be easy to gossip, slander, or betray others, upholding God's command even as Joseph did. And we need to do the right thing even when others will speak evil of us as a result, just as Joseph did, obeying the angel's command to take Mary as his wife. Sometimes being right is hard. When that's true, we need to fall back on the righteousness that comes by faith to enable us to do the right thing.