Our Firm Foundation

If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? (Ps.11:3)

Over the years, I have read Psalm 11:3 believing that the implied conclusion of the matter was that in this scenario “the righteous can do nothing”.  That conclusion seemed self-evident when one tries to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to this generation. “We are living in a post-modern culture” we are told, and so the message of salvation has to be “modified to the times”. This position has always troubled me, but more-so now that I’ve learned a bit more of what “pre-modern, modern and post-modern” society actually means.

Briefly, since Christ, a pre-modern world view accepted the Biblical narration of the world system and has generally been the world view of most civilized societies up until the mid-1600’s.

The Modern world-view has a more skeptical view of the Bible, and relies heavily on the “Scientific Method” an obsolete standard for spiritual matters.  This world-view cast doubt on many Scriptural truths. Scriptures that were once considered absolutely true began to be redefined as mythical or allegorical. The concept of “truth” itself was loosened from its mooring suggesting that truth is “relative”. This gave birth to the “post-modern” worldview.

The devil’s proposal “Hath God really said…?” drifted through halls of academia like an intoxicant settling in the minds of those who now unfortunately stand in many American pulpits. The post-modern society that we are perceived to be living in is the fruition of the doubt cast upon the Word of God, the casting of truth onto the ground (Dan.8:12/Is.59:14), and the introduction of an “anything goes” mentality that confounds logic.  It is a cultural and religious upsweep that gathers all religions into one and judges the true Christian faith as divisive and antiquated.  It is this “world view” that dominates the times that we are now living in.  

While there are currently other religious beliefs that also claim exclusivity, these are, according to Scripture, under the sway of the spirit of this world, and will in due time, join forces against Christianity. (Dt.32:17/1Cor.10:20/1Jn.5:19) Christian persecution is on the rise world-wide.  It is the preaching of the cross of Christ and His resurrection that offends the devil and magnifies Jesus. Calvary is an absolute historical truth marked by the spilled blood of our Lord Jesus Christ that is an everlasting testimony to all of creation of His victory over the devil and his works.  Those who hold a modern or post-modern worldview cannot fully receive this truth. Although they may ascent to this doctrine, they do not live their lives under this banner. We are called to bear witness of the truth, not to modify it. Occasionally words may be necessary.

The post-modern version of Jesus Christ is not the Christ of the Bible. It is man’s attempt to reach others with the message of God’s love, but it is powerless to save. There is no conviction of sin and there is no repentance, the prerequisite to God’s forgiveness. Truly if the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? The remedy to that dilemma is found in the remaining verses of this Psalm. The Lord is in His holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven, His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men, the Lord tests the righteous…For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright.(Ps.11:4,5,7) When we suffer through various trials, we gain experience with the Lord and learn to trust Him. Double-mindedness is eradicated and stabilizes us (James1:8), and we are given a new heart and Spirit (Ez.11:19;18:31;36:26/Heb.10:16/2Cor.1:22). 

Ours is to trust the Lord, pray for discernment and walk in obedience to His Word. God will not confirm a counterfeit Christ, molded to fit the times. He will confirm the truth (Mk.16:20). The Lord is in His Holy Temple, and we are that Temple. (2Cor.6:16/Eph.2:19-22) God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself.  Christ is in us to continue that work. (2Cor.5:19) As we yield to Him, He will bear the fruit through us. (Jn.15:5)

DJ

“A dead Christ I must do everything for; a living Christ does everything for me.”

 Andrew Murray (1828-1917)

Seasons

A friend of mine visited me a few years back, and noticed that I had a “thing for trees”. She noticed a few pictures around my house that showed bare deciduous trees in the winter, and inquired about them.  Some people prefer trees with blossoms such as we see in the spring, or broad green leaves providing shade from the summer’s heat, or a colorful palate of oranges, reds and yellows that burst forth in the autumn, but for me, the winter tree has a beauty that is indescribably unique. I never actually noticed the trees in the winter, unless they were covered with a layer of ice and sparkled in the sunlight, until the Lord spoke to me of hope in the dry seasons of life, and He used the winter tree to do it. 

The trees in the winter stand isolated, reaching heavenward, seemingly lifeless. They are void of leaves or other ornaments of beauty, and appear naked against the landscape.  They bear up during blizzards and because they are leafless, they are not greatly moved in the storms. The covering of leaves would in fact make them weak and vulnerable to breaking and so while the winter tree almost appears abandoned it is in reality, by the forethought of God, protected from the elements of this world.  I remember the day the Lord showed me the absolute beauty of the lace-like branches, bare and naked, against the sky.  It was the most beautiful I had ever seen a tree to be.  We are a bit like that.

 To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven (Eccl.3:1).  “Everything” includes our life and our walk with the Lord.  There are seasons where we feel connected to the Lord and all is well, and other seasons when we feel spiritually “dry”, walking through a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. (Ps.63:1) When we go through these dry seasons, we often become perplexed and wonder if we’ve done something that broke our sense of communion with the Lord.  It is important to examine ourselves to see if we have sinned against God, and to ask Him to reveal anything in our lives that may have offended Him and created a break in our fellowship.  Certainly being imperfect, we will probably come up with a few things that we suspect may have caused the sky to become as brass to our prayers, but having confessed them, we claim that promise that if we confess and repent of our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse of all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) If the dry spell is due to sin, this remedies the problem if we are sincere.   

However, not all such desert experiences are due to sin and are, in fact, a part of the normal Christian life.  Such seasons have been called “wilderness” or “desert” experiences.  We learn of our weaknesses in such times and our dependence upon God. This is important to understand because we have an adversary who would love nothing more than for a Christian to become discouraged in such seasons of life.  I’ve come to believe that all discouragement is from the devil, who is the father of lies.(Jn.8:44)  The only weapon against lies is truth.  

The Word of God is the Sword of the Spirit, our weapon (Eph.6:17), and when discouragement creeps in we search for the truth in Scripture to counteract the lie, and cleave to it.  This is how we exercise faith. This is how we learn experientially the faithfulness of God.  If we never had the dry, winter season stripped of our ornamental coverings we would not learn of His faithfulness or the power of the Word of God against all discouragement.  The Lord your God has set the land before you, go up and possess it…do not fear nor be discouraged (Dt.1:21) If God commands us not to be discouraged, He also has provided for our need so that we are not discouraged.  Faith grows when it is exercised, and the promise of spring reassures us that this is just a season through which we all must pass.

DJ

Broadway

I saw a tunnel deep and dark
beneath a bridge in a public park.
Beyond my vision I could hear
the sounds of a party
clinking glasses and cheer.
The entrance was broad and groomed to invite
the young and the old ventured in out of sight.
I paused for a moment only to see
the only one hesitating seemed to be me.
I gingerly entered as others passed by
they were talking and laughing, yet
I wanted to cry.
I could not understand why I wanted to mourn
the entrance was broad, the pavement well worn.
The deeper I traveled, I saw more hesitate
but others seduced them saying "this is your fate".
There grew thistles and vines
that entangled the feet. The air became heavy
and was no longer sweet.
A panic set in as I saw others snared
who were trying to leave what they
never had feared.
The clanging of glasses that the darkness had covered
was the gnashing of teeth, I soon discovered.
The roaring of laughter that I heard within
were the cries of remorse of those
deceived by sin.
A melody played hauntingly over-head
"I did it my way" it mocked, the song of the dead.
A glimmer of light shown through on my side
and I rushed to it wanting a place to hide.
The crevice was narrow, difficult and steep
but upward I climbed away from the deep.
Often I tired as I struggled alone,
but hope would engulf me as I carried on.
"I am the way" was the song I now heard
"the Truth and the Life, just abide in My word."
"My Savior" I grasped at His hem to survive.
Where once I was dead, I now was alive.
He held on to my hand and would not
let me go. "This is the way" I beckoned to the lost
souls below.
On occasion I heard relief in a sigh as
another escaped the place where souls die.
As long as there is breath, there is hope for new birth
A new life joined to the King of Heaven and Earth.
This way, fellow pilgrim, not easy, I know,
but better than hell where the other souls go.
The rewards are far better than
the wages of sin
Ask, knock and seek
He will let you in.