Should I expect a special message from God?

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When I was in college, a friend of mine grew uneasy. Should he keep dating Wendy, his long-time girlfriend, or did God have a better plan with someone else?

John decided to ask God for a sign.

Since he and Wendy enjoyed playing cribbage, a card game, he prayed something like this:

“God, if you don’t want me to date Wendy anymore, please give me a 29 hand.”

In cribbage, 29 is the most points you can score on your own with the five cards in your hand. The odds of getting a perfect 29 hand in a 2 player game are 1 in 216,580.

John got a 29.

Then John felt even more confused. Was God giving him a sign in answer to his prayer? Or was it all just an against-all-odds coincidence? Was the devil involved?

Neither of us knew. We all should know that God is a) under no obligation to tell people anything and b) not in the habit of providing direct verbal answers to prayers via, say, skywriting – John, break up with Wendy.

Yet couldn’t we ask God for a sign, at least occasionally? Hasn’t God ever given people signs?

Yes. God appeared to Abraham with a smoking firepot and a blazing torch to give him a sign (Genesis 15:8-17)

The LORD gave signs such as a staff that turned into a snake and a hand that turned leprous to help Moses reassure the Israelites (Exodus 4:1-9).

Gideon asked for and received a sign of a fleece that was dry while the ground all around it was wet with dew. The next morning the reverse happened (Judges 6:17, 36-40).

God showed King Hezekiah that he would not die from a dread disease; God made a shadow go backwards ten steps on a stairway (2 Kings 20:8-11).

On the other hand, Jesus orders us not to test God (Matthew 4:7). We should never demand a sign or message from God while thinking that if God fails to come through, we will refuse to honor him.

We should also never ask God for a sign about something he has forbidden. Don’t pray, then, “God, if you want me to move in with my boyfriend before we’re married, please do this or that.”

Instead, recall what Moses told the Israelites, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 29:29).

Unpack that:

  • God keeps secrets. There are many things he won’t tell you, even if you ask.
  • God has uncovered many things to us in the Bible. Confused? Facing a tough decision? Read and treasure God’s Word (Psalms 23 or Psalm 25 are great places to start). God’s Word lasts forever.
  • Whatever God has uncovered in the Bible will lead us to obey all God has told us to do. No Bible verse will lead us to disobey God.

What happened to John and Wendy, by the way? They broke up. Both later married other persons and had children. They remain happily married. Above all, they trust Jesus as their Savior.

Church is boring

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Years ago I was on the way home from church with my parents, after moving to a new city. I commented that the pastor’s sermon was harder to listen to than the pastor we’d had in our old town. My dad said, “Actually, this pastor’s sermons are less flashy, but I learn more.”

From that Sunday on, I started listening to see if I agreed. And, sure enough! My dad was right. I was college age at the time, and I can honestly say, I have never fallen asleep during a sermon since.

No, I’m not patting myself on the back. I’m just sharing with you the secret my dad shared with me: It’s all about content. I don’t go to church to be entertained. Doesn’t the idea of “entertainment” in church sound creepy, when you think about it?

So why do we go to church?

For one thing, we go to church to say we’re sorry for our sins and ask for forgiveness. I can’t say that’s exciting, but neither is it boring. It can’t fit into categories like that at all, when you really think about it.

We also go to church to learn more about God. It’s true, we’ve all had teachers who were more captivating than others. But then, going to class is really about mastering the material. Whether I passed or failed a class in school, it was mostly about me, the student – how hard I worked, how well I paid attention. And don’t we want to learn about God? It’s a pretty important subject to master!

But church is about more than putting knowledge into our heads, it’s also about getting food for our souls. When it comes to feeding your body, certainly some foods are more exciting than others. A Culver’s Butterburger thrills me! Green beans…not so much. I eat both, but fortunately I eat more beans than I do Butterburgers. Why? Because in the long run, it’s a lot healthier for my heart (and waistline)!

The same is true of the spiritual food I need to get at church. I need to hear from God that I have sinned. Even more, I need to hear from God what my Savior has done for me, and that through faith in Jesus I am forgiven. I need to be built back up spiritually after a bruising week. I also need to be equipped to face the coming week’s challenges.

Saying church is boring, is kind of like saying talking to mom and getting a hug from her is boring. Doesn’t that adjective seem out of place? Excitement is for Friday night. Forgiveness and Jesus’ love are what Sunday morning is all about.

What is a confession?

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Perhaps you’ve been frustrated from time to time in browsing through church websites wondering, “What does this church believe about ___(fill in your topic here)?” It takes a lot of time and work to find out what anyone believes in any detail these days! The ironic thing is that Christians want people to know and understand what they believe about ___. That is because we Christians believe that God works in us a desire to confess what we believe and proclaim it boldly. The Apostle Paul, who wrote much of the New Testament, had this to say about confessing our faith, “It is written: ‘I believed; therefore I have spoken.’ With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak” (2 Corinthians 4:13). In fact the Bible urges Christians to be able to express and confess their faith: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope you have” (1 Peter 3:15).

It’s no surprise then that from the earliest days of the Christian faith believers have sought to confess what they believe. Christians want to tell others the good news of Jesus in clear language so they may understand what God has done. From time to time throughout history Christians have found it advantageous to write down a summary or confession of their faith, so that believers and sceptics alike can read for themselves what Christians believe and stand for. These documents often became necessary when God’s Word came under attack from false teachers who sought to add, subtract, or even twist the Word of God for their own purposes. Written confessions of faith became rallying points for believers to stand united so they could give the reason for the hope they have.

Even though many of these written confessions are now centuries (and in some cases millennia) old, they are still relevant. Christians today can look back and see if they are in line with the beliefs and thoughts of the early church, or see if modern issues or objections have been raised before. They enable us to see how earlier generations dealt with struggles and issues of their times. Though all Christians claim to follow the Bible, confessions greatly assist us in seeing how they interpret the Bible. Today confessions can help us more quickly compare what we believe or what different churches believe about a given issue. Most importantly a confession gives a clear witness about Jesus Christ and how he saved us so that others might be saved too.

In the Lutheran Church there are nine historical confessions that Lutherans have adopted. For a list and description of written confessions that Lutherans believe make sure to read “What are the Lutheran Confessions?”.

How Does the Holy Spirit Work?

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Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.  When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to”  (Acts 16:6,7).

You can see the Holy Spirit working here.  He was clearly working to guide his first pastors to speak where they were to speak.  The Holy Spirit is here called the Spirit of Jesus.  That is exactly the work of the Holy Spirit … getting the message of Jesus out to people everywhere.

So you see how this works when you observe your pastor in your church.  When he got the call to be your pastor, the Holy Spirit nudged him in the same way he did the Apostle Paul in the Bible passage above.  The Holy Spirit wanted your pastor to come to your place and church and be your pastor … and tell you about Jesus.  That is the great work of this “Spirit of Jesus.”

But there’s more, much more. The Holy Spirit “calls, gathers, enlightens, sanctifies and keeps the whole Christian Church on earth.”  That’s the way Luther’s Catechism says it.  What a great work this Holy Spirit does!  Look at it all!

The Holy Spirit confines himself to working through tools, or means.  We call these tools “The Means of Grace.”

The Holy Spirit works through God’s Word, the Bible.  “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”  The story of Pentecost Day in Acts 2 provides a good example to show us how “faith comes from hearing” God’s Word.  Pentecost was the day the Holy Spirit worked and caused everyone there to hear the wonderful works of God in their own language.

The Holy Spirit works secondly through Baptism.  Almost every church window you have seen depicting the work of the Holy Spirit depicts the Spirit as the Dove, with the shell and the water droplets.  The Holy Spirit is at work in baptism!  Remember Jesus’ own baptism (and yours!).   Know that when baptism happened to you, the Holy Spirit was working there through the water and the Word to promise you life and salvation and forgiveness.

The Holy Spirit works thirdly through The Lord’s Supper.  When you were confirmed in the faith and said that you believed Jesus was your Savior and you promised to be faithful to him as your Lord, God’s Spirit was there that day too … working! “ No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:4).  You take the Lord’s Supper with other saints who believe Jesus as you do.  This confession and fellowship is the work of God’s Holy Spirit.

God’s Holy Spirit is working hard … for you!

Why memorize Scripture?

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Child:    “Why do I have to memorize this Bible passage?”
Parent:    “Because it is important.”
Child:    “Why?”
Parent:    “Because it is God’s Word.”
Child:    “But why memorize it?”
Parent:    “Because I said so!”

Have you participated in a conversation like that?  How would you respond to the child’s questions?  Christians know that memorizing the Bible is a good thing.  Some would even say that it is very important.   But why?  Here are some brief reasons to commit God’s Word to memory.

  1. Psalm 119:105:  “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”  Life can get very dark at times.  A promotion at work that we know we deserve doesn’t happen.  Marriages can fail.  Our children don’t turn out the way we had hoped.  Sickness is constantly plaguing us and death is just around the corner.  Where are we supposed to go for help?  Who is able to guide us through this mess?  God can.  His Word is a light that brings hope in the darkest moments of our lives.  Will you have a Bible when you need this light most?
  2. Deuteronomy 32:47:  “They are not just idle words for you– they are your life.”  God’s words are not idle.  They are not just ink on a page. God’s Word is living and active.  It’s powerful.  It gives life to the soul.  In fact, the Bible often refers to God’s Word as food for the soul.  It is terrible to go to work or school without our lunch.  It is far worse to leave home without God’s Word.  If you put it in your head, your soul can snack all day.
  3. 1 Peter 3:15:  “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”  One of the greatest reasons for us to commit God’s Word to memory is so that we can share it with others.  The Bible assures us that all of our sins are paid for and forgiven.  Jesus died so that we can live with him in heaven.  Because of Jesus, God has promised that all things work for our good.  When we see our loved ones suffering, despairing, and burdened with guilt, God’s Word can be of great comfort to them.  In fact, the same hope that we receive from it we can give to others.

Will you always have a Bible handy?  Will you always be able to read God’s Word?  No.  However, you don’t go many places without your head.  Memorizing Scripture is important.  It’s important because we constantly need God’s guidance, comfort, and peace.  Don’t leave home without it.

How can simple water do such great things in baptism?

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It is amazing that God promises blessings like forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38,39) and eternal life (1 Peter 3:21) from the action of water in baptism touching a person.  You might think that the water must somehow be special, almost magical.

But the water used in baptism is just simple water.  There’s nothing special about it in and of itself, even when it has been put to the holy use of baptism.  It’s not magical or holy.

When the water is used the way God tells us to use it (Matthew 28:19), however, it is the Word of God that makes the water a washing of rebirth by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5).  The Word of God is what God says.  When God talks, powerful things happen (Genesis 1:3).  When he promises something, he means it and it happens (Ephesians 5:25,26).

So when we say that the water of baptism connects us to Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:27), we are talking about the special promises of God that turn simple water into water used by God’s command and connected with God’s Word.

God promises forgiveness of sins and eternal life through faith in him (John 3:16).  Baptism does not replace that clear promise.  Instead, it applies that clear promise to individuals (Mark 16:16).  Baptized people never have to question whether God’s promises apply also to them.  They’re baptized, and water, tangible and verifiable, makes that clear and certain.

Old Testament priests washed themselves at a large basin in the Temple in Jerusalem before God declared them ceremonially clean to serve Him.  Today God washes us in baptism and declares us ceremonially clean to serve him through the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:21).

It’s simple water, but it does great things in baptism.

What is Hell Like?

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Most people think they know what hell is like. Ask them on a blast furnace August day how hot it feels. Search Google for graphics featuring hell and flaming infernos will fill your screen. The terrors of war are compared to hell. As is terminal disease, divorce, and a dysfunctional workplace.

The Bible uses similar pictures to describe hell. Jesus predicts how on Judgment Day his angels will throw those who have rejected him “into the fiery furnace.” He goes on to say that those in that furnace will weep and gnash their teeth (Matthew 13:50). Hell, then, is a place of abject sorrow and staggering grief. It is a place where people’s fate is horrific and unstoppable. That’s why they gnash (grind) their teeth to display their frustration, rebellion, and anger.

There are additional ways the Bible helps us relate to hell. In Jesus’ story about a rich man suffering there, he has the man describe the place as a torture chamber (Luke 16:24). Hell is pictured as a place of blackest darkness (Matthew 8:12, Jude 13). The Old Testament prophet Isaiah uses a metaphor Steven King would enjoy. He says the people in hell are perpetually consumed by worms (Isaiah 66:24).

The essence of hell is separation from God and his kindness, love, generosity, and care. It was from the depths of that separation that the sin-suffering Jesus screamed from the cross, “My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me?” Paul promises such separation awaits those who reject God’s grace. “They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord” (2 Thessalonians 1:9).

Gruesome pictures. Distasteful descriptions. But even worse is being there. Words are inadequate to capture hell’s excruciation, its anguish, its dread. Little wonder that Jesus urges us to avoid hell’s torture, torment, and terror at all costs: “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell” (Matthew 5:29-30).

Hell is what anyone deserves who has ever done anything wrong. “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law” (Galatians 3:10). Hell is the destination for all who believe they don’t need forgiveness or that they can earn their own forgiveness. That’s the price a lack of perfection exacts in the holy God’s court of justice.

How wonderful that God provides us a way to escape. He gives us a place to live for an eternity that is the polar opposite of hell. That is what Jesus is all about. The Bible assures us, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation…. God made him who had no sin [that’s Jesus] to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:17,21). With Jesus’ righteousness, heaven is ours.

Sure and Certain of the Unseen

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Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

It is amazing that with only a few clicks on a computer, we can dramatically alter photos. Such capabilities have led us to be a bit more wary. We find ourselves saying, “Unless I see it with my own eyes, how can I believe that it hasn’t been touched up? I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Often this cynical attitude can touch our spiritual life. How can I believe that God loves me and knows what is going on in my life considering all troubles and disappointments I have to deal with?

It doesn’t take much for us to see where one of Jesus’ own disciples was coming from when he replied, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it” (John 20:25). I’ll believe it when I see it.

That is in stark contrast to what we read in the Bible, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” How can we be sure and certain of things we can’t see, can’t prove?

Think of a father and child playing the game where the father stands behind the child and tells him to fall backwards. The child, unable to see his father, still trusts that he is there and is certain that his father won’t let him hit the ground. The child leans back and falls, fully convinced that his father will keep his word and catch him, because his father has always proved trustworthy.

“Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Though we did not see the creation or the crucifixion, though we were not present to witness the Savior rising from the Easter tomb, though we have not heard his actual voice forgiving our sins and promising his return, we believe.

How can we be so sure and certain? God’s word is true and trustworthy. Our forgiveness is certain because Jesus did die and rise from the dead. God’s love for us today and every day is sure. Every promise our Father has made about our eternal future, he will keep.

Faith is sure and certain of unseen things simply because it takes God at his word.

Is God up there?

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“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” – Genesis 1:1

“God, if you are up there, please show yourself to me.” Have you ever said that to God? Wouldn’t it be great if God just came down and showed himself to us?

God does show himself. In the first line of the Bible, God reveals himself to us.  He tells us that he made all things. He made the huge galaxies of the universe. He made the tiniest atoms. He made you and me. His creation demonstrates his power, creativity, wisdom, and tender concern for us.

Take time to notice and to marvel at all God made—the colors of the sky, the light of the sun and stars, the mosaic of leaves outside your window, the beauty of the landscape within your view. Consider how God made you. Think of how your body works—your eyes and ears, your arms, legs, fingers and toes, your brain.

However, God did not make the world and then stand back as a disinterested observer far removed from it all. He is “up there” watching over it all. He continues to care for us by providing for all our needs.

Sadly, we often don’t thank him for what he has done for us. We forget him. For that, God has every right to turn his back on us. Amazingly, he still cares for us. More than that, he came down to us and saved us from our wayward ways.  He came down in love in the person of his Son, Jesus, and rescued us. Jesus lived the perfect life of thanks that we should live. On the cross, he died the death we should die for our sins. He promises a new and perfect world where all who believe in him will live forever in perfect joy.

Is God up there? Yes he is! God is not only up there, he is in every inch of his creation. He is closer to you than your own skin. Does God love and care for his creation? Oh, how he cares! He sent his Son, Jesus, and rescued the world he has made. Look at God’s creation, and above all, look to Jesus and know that God is “up there” loving and caring for you.

How could God send someone to hell?

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How could God consign anyone to hell?  The fair response to that question is to ask another.  Who are we to judge the perfect God’s dealing with our lack of perfection?  For us to decide how to punish our sins is simply too self serving.  It’s no different than asking prison inmates to determine their own sentences.

In addition, that question is defective. Some prisoners hold the judge of their case responsible for their incarceration.  That is not honest.  People are sent to prison because they were found guilty of crimes.  When the judge pronounces sentence, he is merely applying the law to a lawbreaker.  The person who sends the lawbreaker to prison is the lawbreaker himself.

The same principle applies to people in hell.  God does not send souls to hell.  Our imperfect lives demand that sentence.   People send themselves to hell.  But people also choose hell when they reject God’s plea bargain.

The judge of the universe does not want any human being in hell (1 Timothy 2:4).  That’s why, instead of holding humans responsible for the sins they commit, he held his only Son responsible. The Bible says, when Jesus died on the cross, “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement” (Romans 3:25).  Jesus’ sacrifice atoned for our sin –  the picture is Jesus’ blood covering over our sin so thoroughly that all record of the sin disappears.

Hell’s existence does not lead us to determine God is too strict in punishing sin.  It testifies to his determination to snatch us from hell, to justify us (that is, pronounce us not guilty) “freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24).

But humans have the ability to refuse God’s love for them.  God’s respect for us will not allow him to rob us of that right.  Humans have intrinsic value because God himself created us.  He valued us so highly he sacrificed his own Son to forgive us.  For God to force anyone of us to go to heaven would deprive us of our ability to reject him.  It would dehumanize us, and it would transform human love into slavery.  For whoever chooses not to share in the forgiveness and eternal life Jesus gives, God provides an everlasting existence outside of his presence, outside of his love, beyond his peace and joy.  He honors our choice to say no to him – even as he invites and empowers us to say yes.

On a variety of levels the question, “How could God send anyone to hell?” is the wrong question.  The much better framed query is, “Do I trust that God has redeemed me for heaven in Jesus?”

What does the Bible say about hell?

It is an eternal place of punishment for those who reject God’s grace in Jesus.

  • Daniel 12:2  Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.
  • Matthew 13:49,50  This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
  • Matthew 25: 31,32,41  “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, … 32 he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats…. 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Humans escape hell’s punishment through faith in Jesus who suffered the punishment they deserve.

  • Isaiah 45:24  They will say of me, ‘In the LORD alone are deliverance and strength.'” All who have raged against him will come to him and be put to shame.
  • Ephesians 2:1,3,4,5,8,9 You were dead in your transgressions and sins… 3 We were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions…. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
  • 1 Peter 1:3,4  In his great mercy [God] has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you.