The Magnificence of God’s Plan; September 14, 2018

Posted on September 16, 2018 by jgarrott

Romans 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!

We don’t usually think of Paul as a poet, but he certainly waxed poetic in this doxology. Some things just seem to demand a poetic response, and the omniscience and omnipotence of God certainly fit in that category. We get hung up on trying to deal with just a few things at once, and yet God deals with the entire universe simultaneously. We really can’t wrap our minds around that reality, when it is at the same time inescapable and undeniable. It’s no wonder many people retreat to a mechanistic view of things. Irreducible complexity requires a Creator, so He is pictured as a “divine watchmaker,” creating everything and then throwing it out into space and leaving it alone to run on its own. Frankly, that’s just another attempt to avoid moral responsibility, because the Biblical picture of a Father who is concerned and involved with His children involves too much accountability. It is only when we accept that He is love and He genuinely desires the very best for us that we can let down our guard and know that His will is indeed good, acceptable, and perfect. (Romans 12:2) It is significant that Paul’s description of God’s will that way comes immediately after this doxology!

I have certainly grown over the years in my grasp of this truth, but I know I won’t know it completely until I stand before God’s throne. I got in a discussion of this just a day or so ago on Facebook over the hurricane that is hitting the US right now. Someone was offended that I would even imply that God had sent the hurricane, and I countered with the statement that nothing can happen without God allowing it, but He certainly doesn’t desire everything that happens. We are so fixated on the material world that we can’t see subtraction as a blessing, which it sometimes is. I enjoy the material world right now, and delight to point out its wonders through photography, but I know I won’t miss it in the least when I am liberated from this body. As has been said, God is far more interested in our character than our comfort. That’s why Paul could say so famously, “We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” (Romans 5:3-4) My character isn’t perfect even now, but I would much rather be the way I am now than the way I was 50 years ago.

Father, thank You for Your patience with me, and for Your absolutely perfect plan. Help me trust You fully, knowing that no amount of human intelligence could grasp the totality of what You are doing. Help me be faithful in fulfilling the part that You have for me to play in Your plan, rejoicing to participate in Your name being acknowledged as holy and Your kingdom coming as Your will is done, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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The Jews and Israel; September 13, 2018

Posted on September 16, 2018 by jgarrott

Romans 11:20-21 Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.

In light of this chapter, I don’t see how anyone can defend either antisemitism or replacement theology. Replacement theology is the idea that the Church has replaced Israel in God’s plans, so the Jews and their nation are no longer relevant. That is precisely the arrogance Paul is warning against here. Using Paul’s word picture, every Christian should be deeply grateful for the Jewish nation, for they are the root stock onto which we have been grafted. Too many churches use the New Testament exclusively, when the New Testament would not exist without the Old. We are prone to forget that the early Church didn’t have the New Testament; they were in the middle of writing it! Even in this chapter Paul quotes the Old Testament several times. It is certainly true that there is no salvation apart from faith in Jesus Christ. Some Israel-backers act as though physical descent from Abraham is enough, but the Bible is clear that everyone needs a personal commitment to Jesus as Lord. However, everyone with a real grasp of the Bible will have a deep respect and gratitude for the Jews, and for the nation of Israel even today.

Thinking about it, my father’s academic credentials are an illustration of this. His PhD was in Biblical Greek, but his master’s degree was in Hebrew, and that preceded and underlaid his PhD. It is telling that I hadn’t even heard of replacement theology until several years ago when I first had the privilege of interpreting for Benjamin Berger, who was one of the pastors, with his brother, of the only Messianic congregation in the Old City part of Jerusalem. He wanted to make sure I didn’t hold to replacement theology before he’d let me interpret for him! Actually, I grew up taking pride in the fact that I was born the same year as the modern state of Israel, 1948, and even learned some Hebrew folk songs as a child. In seminary, by God’s amazing plan we were adopted into the Messianic fellowship and met with them every month for a pot luck dinner. They were amazed that I knew Hava Nagila better than they did! I am delighted to have brothers and sisters in Christ who are also physical descendants of Abraham. Ministering to the Japanese, I find many parallels between them and the Jews, particularly their extreme sense of racial identity. However, the Japanese and I are on the same footing as Gentiles, and we all need to be firmly grafted into Jesus Christ, the Jewish Messiah who died and rose again for all mankind.

Father, thank You for this reminder, and thank You for the rich heritage of faith we have through the Jews. I pray that all of Your children would recognize that heritage and rejoice in it with deep gratitude, so that nothing will stand in the way of the rest of the Jews being gathered into the Body of Christ, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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God is For Us; September 12, 2018

Posted on September 14, 2018 by jgarrott

Romans 8:31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Actually, the first part of this verse seems like an appropriate response to the whole chapter. There is so much marvelous truth contained here that it can rob us of words. Most things that seem “too good to be true” really are; there is a lie or deception or at least misunderstanding in there somewhere. However, God’s love and grace are infinite. It is very true that in our humanity there is plenty of room for misunderstanding God’s love and grace, but to the degree that we turn to Him in humility and gratitude, He will open our hearts to understand Him more and more. When we consider this verse we need to understand that the devil really is against us, and he will do all he can to steal, kill, and destroy what God has for us. However, he has nowhere near the power that God does, by very definition. God’s infinite and he’s not! At the same time, God doesn’t “spoil us rotten,” but as the perfect Parent guides us to grow in every area so that we will be more and more like His Son, our Savior. We do need to realize that “on our side” doesn’t mean He agrees with us in every argument we might have with someone. As any parent of multiple children knows well, we can know that one child is correct and another out of place while still loving and desiring the best for both children equally. The expression in this verse could be rephrased as, “God desires the best for me.” When we really get that through our heads and hearts, anxiety is a thing of the past.

I think I’m further along the road to grasping this than many I deal with, but that doesn’t mean I’m there yet. I get anxious too! As I write this, a very major hurricane is approaching the US East Coast, not only with high winds but also with anticipated flooding considerably inland. I’m grateful not to be there myself, but many people I care about deeply are right in the bull’s eye, so to speak. I am to pray that God’s purposes in allowing this will be fulfilled for each individual, both those I know and those I don’t, drawing each of them to repentance as they need it and full commitment to Jesus as Lord. We live in an extremely materialistic age, and events like this are reminders that things are just things, and we can’t take them with us anyway. I am to remember that God’s perfect will for each individual fits in perfectly with His will for each other individual. The biggest supercomputer in the world couldn’t keep track of all that, but God can and does. I am to pray that His kingdom come and His will be done in every detail, for His glory. That will certainly be the best thing for everyone involved!

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all that You are doing in and around us right here. Help me indeed not be anxious about anything, but release it all to You with praise and gratitude whether it feels good at the moment or not, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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The Spirit of God; September 11, 2018

Posted on September 14, 2018 by jgarrott

Romans 8:26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

There seems to be no limit to the things the Holy Spirit is involved in, but that should come as no surprise. After all, the Spirit is the invisible, active agent of the Trinity. Human language has a lot of trouble expressing the Trinity. We ourselves have physical bodies but are likewise mental/emotional beings, and we too have spirits. Those who insist on a strictly material view of the universe deny that we are spiritual beings, but that is their problem! The thing is, all of those different layers interact, even in us. Our emotions and thoughts are influenced by our bodies, with hormone production and the like, and the influence our minds and emotions have over our bodies is well known, with psychosomatic illness and sometimes incredible feats in times of emergency. Underlying all of that is our spirits, but that is much harder to prove by repeatable experiments. The body of evidence from those who have had near-death experiences has grown and is mounting. Many who have been through such experiences have observed things that can be confirmed as true, but which they could have had no knowledge of physically speaking. Children who have “been to heaven” and come back have known the number and gender of their mother’s miscarriages, for example, when they had never been told anything of the sort. Others have seen physical details that would have been entirely invisible to them had they not left their bodies. As I said, these aren’t repeatable experiments, but the evidence is pretty remarkable. When that is how we are, it should come as no surprise that God is the same way. Jesus was the physical manifestation of God, His Body, which makes it all the more important that the Church is spoken of as the Body of Christ, His current physical manifestation. Father God would be analogous to the mind, because that is the seat of the will, and God willed the universe into existence. (Thankfully, God doesn’t have to worry about hormones!) However, God too is Spirit, as Jesus said very clearly. (John 4:24) That’s why everything He does involves His Spirit. The marvelous thing about this verse is that it assures us that God’s Spirit helps us in our weakness. People, especially men, don’t like to admit they are weak, but facts are facts. Compared to God, any strength we might have isn’t worth mentioning! God has already provided for every one of our needs, and our time on earth is an adventure in discovering that provision.

My own knowledge and awareness of God’s Spirit has certainly grown over the years, and as a pastor I earnestly desire such knowledge and awareness for each of the people under my care. The Lord has made it clear I’m to speak on the Spirit Sunday, and this verse certainly needs to be included in that. I have neither the wisdom nor the strength to impart that knowledge and awareness on my own, so I too am dependent on the Spirit to help me in my weakness. The glorious thing is, I’ve experience that time and time again, so I can expect Him to do so this time as well. My responsibility is to be humble, submitted, and obedient, offering all of me for His use to impart to others what they need, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this clear reminder. Thank You for all that You are doing, and for including me in the process. Help me indeed be fully responsive to You, so that Your purposes may be fulfilled in and through me on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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The Holy Spirit; September 10, 2018

Posted on September 13, 2018 by jgarrott

Romans 8:15-16 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

This passage makes me wonder if there aren’t a lot of church members who have never received the Holy Spirit. Many indeed seem to be slaves to one sort of fear or another, and it’s very sad. In particular, they often seem to lack an awareness that they are children of God, and as this declares, that awareness is a major function of the Holy Spirit. They question then becomes, why haven’t they received the Spirit? Many “mainline” churches have so de-emphasized the Holy Spirit that there is deep-seated ignorance on the subject, but the Pentecostal churches that arose in reaction to that often seem to emphasize spiritual gifts to the exclusion of the Holy Spirit Himself. Both the assurance of salvation and the desire to evangelize become non-issues when the Holy Spirit is in control, and yet both of those are real problems for most churches. I think what is happening is that we address the symptoms rather than the cause. Practically every problem in Christian living is dealt with if we are filled and flowing with the Holy Spirit. Again, this isn’t the same as spiritual gifts. There are plenty of tongues-speakers who are caught in besetting sins! We need to be careful neither to grieve (Ephesians 4:30) nor quench (1 Thessalonians 5:19) the Holy Spirit. Rather, we need to be in step with Him (Galatians 5:25) in every area of our lives. If we will do that, the tricks of the devil will become ineffective and we will enjoy the abundant blessings God has prepared for us in Christ.

This is a major issue for me as a pastor. I have no question of my own position as a child of God, but I desire that in fullness for each of the members. As I’ve just written, I am so distracted by symptoms that I fail to address the root issue of being filled with and walking in step with the Holy Spirit. This makes it clear how I need to change my focus! The problem is, how indeed? I cannot force anyone to open their heart to the fullness of the Holy Spirit, but the Spirit Himself can be very persuasive. I need to pray first, then teach, then give opportunity for response, so that everyone in this church may rise above the mess and soar on wings as eagles indeed, (Isaiah 40:31) to be and do all that God intends, for His kingdom and His glory.

Father, thank You for this call to attention. Thank You that we’re expecting good attendance this next Sunday. Keep me from trying to make things happen in my own strength, but still be fully available and responsive to You, for You to do through me what You desire for this church, this city, and this nation, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Reigning; September 9, 2018

Posted on September 13, 2018 by jgarrott

Romans 5:17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

Frankly, Paul’s logic gets a little convoluted in this whole passage. The major point that I manage to come away with is that Jesus – His life, death, and resurrection – trumps everything that came before that, and that’s good news. One thing that Paul rightly keeps stressing throughout not just Romans but all his letters is that salvation is a gift of grace, not something we have earned or ever could earn. Here he is pointing out that Adam condemned all his descendants through his sin, but God’s gracious gift nullifies all of that, for those who will receive it. We have the proverb, “Nothing is more sure than death and taxes,” but in Christ, eternal life is even more sure. Physical death remains, until God makes all things new, (Revelation 21:5) but in Christ, spiritual, eternal life becomes a present reality. Paul uses the term, “reign,” to describe all this, but absolute monarchies are rare indeed at this point, so we don’t relate very well. Saying that death reigned simply means that nobody escaped, and we can understand and relate to that. However, Jesus DID escape, after having gone through death for us. That means that those who are in Him come out on top, regardless of what we go through in the mean time; we share in His eternal life. That is the best news there possibly could be!

I find myself almost regretting including this passage in the readings, out of concern that it will confuse people. However, the Holy Spirit can be trusted to explain this to all who are open to Him. I find myself reminded of one of the simplest choruses I ever learned: “We win, we win; Hallelujah! We win! I read the back of the book, and we win!” That’s all there is to it, but sometimes that’s precisely the message we need to hear. My faith has grown and matured over the years, but I am still subject to negative emotions and simple exhaustion. When those come, I need to remind myself, as I remind others, that Jesus has it all taken care of, so all we need to do is abide in Him. There is so much going on, on many different levels, that I am tempted to shout the title of a Broadway production of quite a few years ago: “Stop the World! I want to get off!” I need to remember that in Christ, I reign, and so rest, relax, and rejoice.

Father, thank You for speaking to me through this pretty dense passage. I pray that all who are using this Scripture list would likewise be blessed, hearing what Your Spirit is saying to them, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Suffering; September 8, 2018

Posted on September 9, 2018 by jgarrott

Romans 5:2-5 And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Verse divisions are arbitrary, and didn’t appear until the Geneva Bible around 1560. They make passages much easier to find, but they can also interrupt the flow of thought. Here, verse three makes it clear it is a continuation from what comes before. Rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God seems like a no-brainer. Who wouldn’t rejoice in that? However, Paul immediately ties in rejoicing in our sufferings, and that is where Christian thought differs from “natural” thinking. The Japanese translation is careful to use the same term for sufferings here as is used in Jesus’ famous statement in John 16:33. “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Paul wasn’t present in the upper room that night, but the Holy Spirit had said the same thing to him that Jesus had spoken before His crucifixion. The Japanese term is slightly unusual, not coming up with those characters when entered phonetically, because the first of the two characters is specifically the one for a patient, as in a sick person. Living in a fallen world, we aren’t guaranteed freedom from disease. Paul himself was acutely aware of that. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10) Here, he explains why God allows such things, even though they will be taken away when God makes all things new. (Revelation 21:4) As has been said, God is far more interested in our character than our comfort! Paul elsewhere points out, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-17) In other words, whatever is going on, we can rejoice!

This isn’t hard to teach on, and indeed it is a joy to do so, but it isn’t always easy to follow through in doing it. As often as I tell others about this truth, I still need to be reminded of it myself. That’s all part of doing God’s Word and not just listening to it. (James 1:22) I have occasional physical challenges, but my wife has a list of them, all the way up to Parkinson’s Disease. Often I’d rather I were the one in pain! However, all she has been through has given her a truly magnetic character, and people are drawn to her rather remarkably. The challenge is in seeking to point people to Jesus, instead of just to Cathy. The challenge for me is in encouraging her to rejoice, without making light of her suffering in any way. I’m not smart enough to do that but God is, and I’m to trust Him.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all that is going on in and around us. Sometimes it feels like a whirlwind! I ask for guidance and protection as we go to Kumamoto today, particularly with the forecast rain. Help us indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in You whatever is going on around us, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Hope and Faith; September 7, 2018

Posted on September 9, 2018 by jgarrott

Romans 4:18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

I don’t know how clear this is in Greek, but in English I think we have a hard time wrapping our minds around it. How often do we use the phrase, “Against all hope?” The Japanese expresses it as, “At a time when you couldn’t hope.” Paul goes to some length to point out just how hopeless Abraham’s situation was, but we still don’t think about it very often. Perhaps the most comparable situation was that of the disciples after Jesus’ crucifixion. Most if not all of them in fact did not believe, until Jesus personally appeared to them and demonstrated that He had risen. Interestingly, that should be a huge encouragement for us in whatever “hopeless” situation we find ourselves. God isn’t limited to the “possible!” We aren’t to be presumptuous or feel entitled, but if God said it, that settles it, period. Along with that, we aren’t to try to figure out how God might accomplish something. As He told Isaiah, His ways are indeed higher than ours, and His thoughts than our thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9) One time I gave a prophecy to a couple that they would have a child, but said that God wasn’t making it clear to me that it would be the man’s, genetically, but that it would be the woman’s. Since the woman had had a hysterectomy, they naturally thought I had completely missed the boat. However, not so long after that, the woman’s daughter by a previous marriage, who had gotten onto drugs, had a baby she obviously couldn’t care for, and the couple legally adopted the baby, fulfilling the prophecy. I had already left the area and come to Japan, so I didn’t find out about it until a few years later. They told Cathy they remembered the prophecy, and apologized for doubting me! The point is that God simply doesn’t fit into any box we imagine for Him, and we’re far better off just taking Him at His word.

Even having experienced things like that, I still have trouble maintaining faith and hope at times. Ministry in Japan can do that to you! After 37 years of ministry in Omura, our current Sunday morning attendance is under ten – and I’m not talking about age! God has given us a vision of Omura again being the foremost Christian city in the nation, as it was 500 years ago, but how He’s going to accomplish that is a total mystery to me. I’m not to be lazy, certainly, but I’ve got to remember that it can only happen by God’s power, not man’s. I’m to be faithful on a day-to-day, moment-by-moment basis, allowing Him to use me or not use me however He chooses, so that all the glory may be His alone.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me remember that You are just as capable of working with me as You were with Abraham, and that Your power is in no way diminished. I continue to pray for the salvation of the people of Japan, to whom You have sent me, for their sake and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Eternal Life; September 6, 2018

Posted on September 8, 2018 by jgarrott

Romans 3:22-24 There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

This is the perfect mirror to what came out yesterday about God not playing favorites. It is also another way of expressing God’s greatest provision for us, of eternal life through His Son. There’s no getting around the fact that God’s a giver! Job said that He gives and He takes away, (Job 1:21) but He never takes away anything we need for eternity with Him. Another way of saying that is that He takes away bad stuff, and when He takes away good stuff it’s always temporary. When He gives, it’s forever! (Romans 11:29) That’s a marvelous truth to hang onto. As long as we live on this fallen earth we experience loss of all sorts. However, that’s not the case in eternity with God. As Paul said so famously, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) It’s important to remember that eternal life begins the moment you repent and make Jesus your Lord by faith. We experience that only in very small measure on this earth, but even that little taste is glorious! There are many songs about the glories of heaven, and sometimes we really do long to be there instead of here, but fellowship with God doesn’t have to wait for heaven. When we choose to turn our hearts to Him and walk in step with His Spirit, (Galatians 5:25) His peace indeed guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7) Life on this earth has been spoken of as a “vale of tears,” and sometimes it can seem that way, but when our focus is on God, His eternal life, His righteousness, is manifested in us in the here and now, and that is glorious indeed. (1 Peter 1:8-9)

I need to be reminded of this from time to time too! As a pastor I deal constantly with people who can’t see past the end of their nose, and so are anxious about what might be three steps away. We aren’t given to see the temporal future, except occasionally in prophecy, but every believer can have a vision of eternity, and that should make us content with not seeing all the stuff in between. My parents have had a permanent change of address and my wife has paid a visit, so I have all the reason in the world to rest assured of God’s eternity, but I’m as human as anyone else, and I get irritated and frustrated and anxious. How foolish! Most of the time I really do enjoy living, and I’m grateful for that. I need to walk consistently in all that God has done for me in Christ so that I may lead others to do likewise, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder, and thank You for the rest of the message for Sunday. Help me get those notes into shape as You intend, so that Your Word may go forth clearly and accomplish everything for which You send it, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Favoritism; September 5, 2018

Posted on September 7, 2018 by jgarrott

Romans 2:6, 11 God “will give to each person according to what he has done”.
For God does not show favoritism.

20 centuries after this was written, I think most Gentiles have trouble grasping the emotional context of what is written here, but on the other hand, people really haven’t changed. Even today, the sense of difference between people groups can be intense at times. Paul is writing to directly confront that. He’s not being original here; verse 6 quotes both Psalm 62:12 and Proverbs 24:12. That’s a comfort, because it means that he isn’t deviating from what God has been saying all along. God does choose individuals and groups for specific purposes, as He so famously chose Abram and changed him to Abraham, but that doesn’t negate individual responsibility or individual opportunity. Right now the world political scene is being roiled by President Trump insisting on “America first,” which many are interpreting as “America only.” On the contrary, he is insisting on individual responsibility and accountability, and those who have been sidestepping those issues are upset. That is of course playing out on an international scale, but we deal with the issue constantly on a personal level. There are those who insist that their “victimhood” in one area or another excuses them from responsibility and accountability in other areas, when it doesn’t. One of the core messages of the Bible is the universal need for human repentance and God’s grace. The first four verses of this very chapter bring that out. We are very prone to accuse others of our own sins, and try to feel superior by insisting that they are worse than we are. Paul is saying that’s a total bunch of BS; we are equally accountable before God.

Growing up as an American child in Japan, many times I got away with doing things that would not have been permitted had I been Japanese. Looking back now, some of them were fairly remarkable, but I don’t think I was deliberately gaming the system. However, that and many other things contributed to an overall sense of privilege, of being special. On one level, every individual is special and precious in God’s sight, but on another level, as Paul says here, there is no favoritism at all. It was when I was hearing a testimony from a preacher’s kid about how he had come to realize that he couldn’t get into heaven by hanging onto his father’s belt that I had my own epiphany, an encounter with God that I explain as God tapping me on the shoulder and, when I turn, showing me a mirror so that I could see the blackness of my own soul. It was both devastating and incredibly liberating. When you think you are God’s “pet,” you don’t want to hear otherwise. God doesn’t have pets, but His love is poured out on all who will respond to Him in repentance and faith, in the obedience that comes from love. As I have discovered, that is far better than being God’s pet!

Father, thank You for this reminder. I feel like You want me to share this with the congregation, but I don’t know how to put it into a form that will really communicate. I ask for clear guidance and anointing so that we will all be built up and rescued from the lies of the enemy, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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