The Royal Baby and the Humiliating Birth of Christ, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords

This week a royal baby was born and the world has been buzzing with a mixture of curiosity and awe. This first born son of Kate Middleton and Prince William is in direct line to the British throne and in all likelihood, will one day be king. The sensation around his birth brought to mind the birth of another “Royal Baby.” The incarnation of Jesus Christ, revealed some two thousand years ago, was a more quiet event – and in many ways, a humiliating one.

In the birth of Christ, we find a pre-existent King – the very God of very God; He is full of grace and truth (John 1:14), co-equal and co-eternal with the Father, “by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him” (1 Colossians1:16).  This is the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords! And yet He conceals His deity, leaves His glory and submits to the limits of flesh as the humble son of a peasant girl living in subjection and abject poverty. Simply amazing! It is the mystery of what of the J.I. Packer calls the great act of condescension and self-humbling.

You would remember of course that this great act of condescension is not limited to His birth but is the reality of His life. Mary’s lowly baby does not grow up to opulence but quietly grows in wisdom, stature and favor with God and man(Luke 2:52); He lives a sinless life and in the end suffers the humiliating death of crucifixion. All this for what, some might ask?

The Scripture states that in the fullness of time, the Father sends His Son, born of woman, to redeem His enemies and make them children of God (Galatians 4:4-5). Simply put, “It pleased the LORD to crush Him and put Him to grief … he was crushed for our iniquities; the chastisement that brought us peace was upon Him (Isaiah 53:5-10). This Royal Baby was born to be crushed that we might be raised up. He was made poor that we might be made rich. He took on sin on the cross that we might be clothed in His righteousness. He descended that we might ascend one day in Him to partake in His exaltation and His glory (Romans 8:16-17; Philippians 2:9-11). And this also was pleasing to the Father.

As the world celebrates the birth of England’s royal baby, I am reminded of the humble birth of a King, wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. And while there were no flashing cameras to greet Him, we know that the sky itself shown with the glory of God, the adoring voices of multitudes of angels bellowed from the heavens (Luke 2:8-14), and gifts testifying of His majesty were brought from afar (Matthew 2:1-12). This was indeed the very God of very God! For even in themidst of His great humiliation, His exaltation and glory is seen! Oh come, let us adore Him!

Grown-up Prayer Requests, Part 1

My husband blogs at http://antiordinary74.blogspot.com and recently posted some thoughts on our daughter and prayer. Enjoy!

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The last few months of fatherhood have been exciting and rewarding.  As my wife and I count down to our daughter Jael's 2nd birthday next Wednesday, its only natural to reflect on the milestones we've seen over the last 51 weeks.  One of the many milestones is the beginning of clear speech.

For sure, Jael has learned ways of getting her point across before she discovered words.  But its exciting to witness how she makes the connection between words/names and the objects and persons they describe or refer to.  I have also taken note of the first word that I have heard her use with extreme emphasis and intentional regularity.  That word?

EEEEEAT!

She knows what shoes are and if I ask her to go get her shoes, she'll gladly get them.  But she won't say "shoe".  She knows what brushing her teeth means, but she won't say "brush" or "teeth".  She's aware of other words too, but she hardly uses them.  But when it comes to food and eating, she's got that locked.

It makes sense, of course, because it's an immediate need.  It's also a legitimate need.  Not to mention the fact that it also brings her great pleasure to eat just about anything that her mother lovingly provides.   Since hunger comes suddenly and is both imperative and pleasurable to address, it is all important to learn how to attain the answer for all three.  We can see then, how a child is motivated to learn how to communicate with the goal of satisfying these three things.

You can finish this article at: http://antiordinary74.blogspot.com/2013/07/grown-up-prayer-requests-part-1.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2Fstjjb+%28Contra+Mundum%29

Amen

My daughter is well into her 20^th month and the words are starting to pour in. Among them is the word “amen,” which she repeats at times after prayer. I was highly amused to hear this word among her firsts. I know of course that her understanding of it is quite limited. To her, “amen” is mostly a word she’s heard enough to mimic – much like “hi dada” and “eat.” I would say however that, unlike these other words and phrases, “amen” is directly associated with our prayers to the LORD. And so for that reason alone, I am glad to hear it among my daughter’s first words. If for nothing else, it means that we are praying for her often.

As a whole, prayer is becoming an increasingly vital part of my life. I go through seasons when I pray more frequently than others. But in practice, prayer ought to be habitual for the Christian. The Bible is not without its exhortations on this point, see: Luke 11:1-13; Luke 18:1-8; Philippians 4:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:17.

I recently heard a sermon by the late James Boice on Ephesians one. Highlighting verse sixteen, he explained that while God is sovereign and orders everything according to His perfect will, He nevertheless accomplishes those purposes through the instrument of prayer. God works through means, and one of those means is the God-honoring prayers of His people. What an astounding truth! The LORD uses the prayers of His own to advance His kingdom and fulfill His will on earth (Matthew 6:9-10). What a great salvation we have!

Convinced of this then, the Christian ought to be encouraged, even compelled, to pray with persistence. In his book, Knowing God, J.I. Packer states: “People who know their God are before anything else people who pray,” and not only this, but “their zeal and energy for God’s glory come to expression…in their prayers.”[1] Daniel’s prayer in Daniel 9:1-19 serves as the example for this point. And what an incredible prayer we find there.

The context for it is the Babylonian captivity of Judah. After noting from the Scriptures that the end of their judgment was imminent, Daniel does something that has always astonished me. Rather than celebrating the coming victory, he instead goes before God in fasting and in sackcloth and ashes. His concern is for God’s name, kingdom and will in the promised deliverance of a yet sinful people. Packer explains that while “the prophet understood from the Scriptures that the foretold time of Israel’s captivity was drawing to an end… he [also] realized that the nation’s sin was still such as to provoke God to judgment rather than mercy.”¹ And so he confesses the sins of his people (9:5-6, 9-11, 14 -16); pleas for salvation based solely on God’s righteousness (9:7, 14, 16); and begs for mercy for the sake of God’s own name (9:16-19). This is a rich prayer packed with the gospel and certainly one that reflects the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous that avails much.

I say amen to it. Like Daniel, I understand that the salvation of my daughter belongs solely to God who alone is righteous. Her deliverance from innate sin will be the result of His extended mercy, ultimately for the sake of His own name. And so with great contrition, humility and a burning hope, I will call to Him daily in prayer for her redemption. I say amen to that too … and listen for a little voice to echo it back. 

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[1] Packer, J.I., Knowing God, Monergism Books, pg. 28

Overcoming Fear with an Even Greater Fear: A Confession

“The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread” Isaiah 8:13.

I had several encounters over the past week that left me quite disappointed in myself. One in particular, was a remarkable opportunity to explain the gospel to someone.  But instead, I acquiesced to the politically correct voice to simply encourage this person with some “safe words.” How cowardly! 

As I went about grieving over my seeming faithlessness, I was met by Isaiah 8:11-13. And what a fascinating truth it brought. In that passage, the LORD warns Isaiah against the common fears of his age. Verses 11 and 12 state:

“This is what the Lord says to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people: ‘Do not call conspiracy everything this people calls a conspiracy; do not fear what they fear and do not dread it.”

A prudent caution from the LORD. Its goal however is not to exhort Isaiah to live without fear but rather to relinquish all his “slavish creature-fears in the reverential fear of God.”[1] Verse 13 states: “The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread.”  So in short, Isaiah, don’t fear what others fear, but let your dread and regard be for The Lord Almighty who is holy.

The picture then is not overcoming the first fear with some wonderful jolt of courage but rather making that first fear a trivial thing in light of an even greater fear: the fear of a transcendent and holy God – One who is far removed from you and me in righteousness. He is perfect beyond our understanding. He is awesome in His majesty, absolute in His justice and fearsome in His glory (Isaiah 6:5, Luke 5:8). He is a God to be feared! What an insult to regard someone else’s perception of me over His honor! What a sin!

I’m grieving over my sin today and mourning over the offense it is to God’s glory (James 4:8-10). I understand that my hope for overcoming rests alone in God’s sanctifying power. So I’m drawing close to Him in fervent prayer, not for fearlessness, but for a consuming and reverential fear of Him that makes all other fears inconsequential. 

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[1] Divine Conduct and Saint Indeed, John Flavel

As High as the Heavens are Above the Earth

A few nights ago, my daughter, who at times struggles with sleep, woke up in the middle of the night. It had been a weary day for me and I was hoping for some sound rest. I’ve come to find out however that my baby’s cry can overcome my deepest sleep and is no match for my most intense exhaustion. I hear her and all sleep fades. So it was on this particular day.

I waited for some time to see if she might ease back into sleep. When she persisted in crying, I staggered from my bed and into her room. I attempted to lull her back to sleep and as I held her, I wondered if God hears His children in the way I hear my daughter’s cry. Do my tears grip His attention in a like manner? Does He rush to check on me when my cries rise up to Him? This midnight scene in my daughter’s room seemed a fitting analogy for God’s own care for His children. But for some reason, I couldn’t think of the Scripture that would settle this as true in my mind. I let the thought go and proceeded to soothe my daughter to sleep.

Hours later, dizzy with tiredness, and still holding a sleepless toddler, I decided that it was time to quit. The loving mother had hit her limit; I placed her in the crib and left the room – thankfully, I heard no crying! As my head hit my own pillow, something suddenly made sense. My expression of love for my daughter – while there might be some small parallels – is miniature when compared with God’s love for His children. The scale is simply not the same. As much as I love my daughter, I fail, I tire, and I even give up. But God is God! He never sleeps nor slumbers (Psalm 121:4) nor lacks for anything. He is perfect in His power and perfect in His love for and commitment to His own. Psalm 103:11 states: “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him.”

I have had moments of deep sorrow in my life and was like a restless child crying in the night. The LORD heard me and He came near. He encouraged me with His Word and comforted me with His presence. He did not leave me. I remembered God’s great love as I laid in bed that night. And just as sleep came to silence these thoughts, the Scripture I had hoped for earlier suddenly came to mind: “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!” Isaiah 49:15.

Why I Called my Baby a Sinner

I wrote a post on January 1 in which I called my toddler a sinner. The comment was made in passing and left unaddressed with the promise to discuss on another day. Today is that day and this is that post so let’s discuss. Why did I call my baby a sinner?

To begin, the statement doesn’t come as a result of some particularly unscrupulous behavior of my daughter. On the contrary, my little one is among of the most agreeable toddlers I’ve known. Like most her age, she has moments of unbridled insistence and will fuss and complain when she doesn’t get her way. These however succumb easily to our rebuke (and/or soothing) and she usually turns from her misbehavior with little hesitancy. On the whole, she is a delight to parent; we love her deeply and have enjoyed life with her these 18-months.

So why do I call her a sinner? The short answer is that she is. She is a sinner. Like all human beings before her and like those who will come after her, she was conceived in sin and brought forth in iniquity (Psalm 51:5). Charles Spurgeon once said that: “As the salt flavors every drop in the Atlantic, so does sin affect every atom of our nature. It is so sadly there, so abundantly there, that if you cannot detect it, you are deceived.” There are few of us so deceived as to deny the reality of our sin. After all, “Who can say, ‘I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin”’ (Proverbs 20:9)? The Bible is crystal clear on this point. It states plainly that “all have sinned and have come short of God’s glory” (Romans 3:23). In fact, left to ourselves, there is no one who seeks God, no not even one (Romans 3:11-18)!

We are the descendants of Adam after all. And as physical traits are passed on from one generation to to the next, so is Adam’s sin inherited by all generations after him. We are therefore born in sin and according to his flesh. The Apostle Paul teaches that “The mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:7-8, emphasis mine). What an amazing thought! Allow yourself for a moment to consider the fact that outside of Jesus’s righteousness, you are unable to please God.

This inability makes sense, of course, when we consider Paul’s other words in Ephesians 2:1-2. He states that “you were dead in your trespasses and sin, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world.” A dead person cannot be anything but dead for s/he is void of life. We are born sinners, spiritually dead at birth with no righteousness of our own to justify us before God. For this reason, “no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again” (John 3:3). The spiritually dead person is brought to life – given new birth – by that same power that raised Christ from the dead and is made alive together with Christ Jesus (Colossians 2:13). This is our Christian hope and joy – the Good News of the Gospel.

And it is for this reason that I call my daughter a sinner. She must know that her “ability” to please God will not come from her own effort, strength or “goodness” (see The Benefit of Being Clueless). Her hope for salvation rests alone in God’s work through His Son who paid the debt of her sins and opens the door for her into new life with Him. My daughter’s “work” in all this is to believe by grace in the One God has sent (John 6:29). And so - with care - I will help her to understand that she is a sinner. As her mother, my aim will not be to condemn, embarrass or belittle her. But with great faithfulness, humility, affection for her and commitment to the gospel, my prayer is that she would not be among those so deceived as to deny the reality of their sin.  

Judges 19 and the Rape of a Delhi Woman

By this time, you may have heard the story of a young Indian woman, gang raped on a moving bus in Delhi. She was a 23-year-old university student, returning home from a movie with a male companion on Sunday, December 16, 2012. They boarded a bus which had five or six men as passengers. The men robbed the woman and her friend, taking everything including their clothing, assaulted both with metal rods, and brutally raped the young woman for two hours. With their appetites satisfied and their amusement cooled, they threw the two out of the bus, naked into the street. The young woman died thirteen days later from injuries to her brain and intestines.  

An absolutely shocking and deplorable story that has sparked outrage across India and the world. I'm sad to say however that it is not a new tale. I know of another disturbing account almost identical to this one. It is told in the book of Judges, chapter 19. There you will find another young lady, also traveling in the company of a male. You will discover a mob of perverted men, overtaken by their lust and determined to rape. You will encounter an apathetic community unwilling to assist the stranger. There too is told the story of the violent public rape, torture and eventual murder of a young woman. You also find a larger community in outrage (read their strange cause of justice in Judges 20 – 21).

Horrible and striking parallels! Almost uncanny, but with one difference – Judges offers a plain and clear reason for the atrocious act. We are told there that: “in those days, Israel had no king and everyone did what was right in their own eyes” (See Judges 17:6, 18:1, 19:1 and 21:25). In fact, this statement is repeated throughout the end of the book, often with a story as if to prove its truth.

“In those days, Israel had no king and everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” But how could this be? Yes, I know that this is the book of Judges and Israel’s monocracy doesn’t begin until 1 Samuel 8 –two whole books away – but Israel always had a King. The LORD Himself was her King (Numbers 23:21; Deuteronomy 33:5). He was their God and Israel was His people. A nation redeemed from slavery with mighty acts of judgment and called to bring glory and honor to their Redeemer’s name as a people set apart to reflect His holiness (Exodus 19:3-6). And yet we read here that “in those days, Israel had no king and everyone did what was right in their own eyes.”

I’ve heard Ravi Zacharias say that “if there is no Moral Law Giver who is transcendent to you and me, then there is no moral law by which we must dictate our lives except the moral law that we invent for ourselves.” While these Israelites never denied the existence of God, to them He was another “small god,” not a transcendent and supreme sovereign to be obeyed. As such, they were free not to fear Him. They were free to exercise their creativity in inventing their own standards. They were free to blur the lines until the public rape, torture and murder of a young woman was said to be “right in their eyes.”

A few weeks ago, a young Delhi woman was publically raped, tortured and murdered with no body to help her. Few (if any) would consider this right. On the contrary, most will experience sorrow, anger and even rage at hearing the news. I heard it and felt these emotions myself. But Scripture demanded that I dig deeper. I woke up with the picture of the Judges 19 woman in mind. I saw in that story the reality of our world. A world intent on doing what is right in its own eyes and so never ceases to do wrong. One opposed to a transcendent Moral Law Giver and so makes laws (against rape) while rejecting the One who gives intrinsic value to the person that law seeks to aid. A world that is resolute in “wiping away the entire horizon and unchaining the earth from its sun. [And in so doing,] it plunges continually, moving backward, sideward, forward and in all directions” (Nietzsche, The Parable of the Madman).

With our own wisdom as our guides and our human depravity its vehicle, how far can we go? What dehumanizing yet “well-reasoned” moral codes will we yet invent? And what world will they mold? Are stories like this one just the tip of the iceberg? I’m reminded here of the finishing stanza to Steve Turner’s brilliant poem, Creed: “If chance be the father of all flesh, disaster is his rainbow in the sky, and when you hear “State of Emergency”, “Sniper Kills Ten”, “Troops on Rampage”, “Youths Go Looting”, “Bomb Blasts School”, it is but the sound of man worshiping his maker.”

So who is your master? At its core, this post is meant more as a challenge to its Christian reader than as a commentary on the world. Like the Israelites of Judges, we too were redeemed from slavery (in this case, slavery to sin) and are called to bring glory and honor to our Redeemer’s name as a people set apart to reflect His holiness. Let it not be said of us that “in those days, the Christians had no king and everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” The world is “wiping away the horizon” but you must be alert. Pray and mine the Scriptures. Let your heart be governed by the transcendent Moral Law Giver. Cling to the Word as your Master. Let the gospel be your ruler and Christ your King.

Warning to Self: Don’t Make your “Godly Offspring” your Idol

I heard my daughter’s heartbeat at 10 weeks gestation. The midwife told us that 10 weeks was still quite early and she prepared us for the possibility of not hearing that little thump on that visit. But the sound was loud, crisp and perfectly clear as soon as the Doppler device was applied.  My daughter’s heartbeat was music to me ears on at day. I loved it then, as much as I love her four teeth grin today; not to mention her contemplative, determined, yet easily pacified ways. She is an all together adorable, sweet little sinner (a post to come later on that) who makes her mother’s heart beat.

I love my child easily and naturally and of course there is nothing wrong with that. But I also have a heart that is desperately idolatrous and prone to leave the God I love. Whenever I place my full satisfaction in something created, whenever I wholly delight my mind in something made, whenever I wrap my value and success in anything apart from Christ, I have molded an idol.  And regrettably, these self-made gods are readily produced. For my heart – while regenerated, justified and being sanctified– is inherently corrupt and when unguarded easily wanders (Romans 1-3).

I can’t be naive then to think that my natural love for my daughter cannot morph into worship. And beyond that, my desire to raise her into a godly offspring can itself be idolized. This latter point is more covert but just as real. Perhaps it hides well under the Biblical mandate to train and admonish our children in godliness (Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 6:4). We agree of course that this commandment to Christian parents is good and true but in our weak attempt to follow suit, we can make the “godliness of our children” our ambition, pride, joy, and achievement – all this as oppose to obeying God purely for His pleasure, glory and the honor of His name. Leslie Leyland Fields provides a quote in her 2006 Christianity Today article that epitomizes this idea. She writes:

In Reclaiming the Body: Christians and the Faithful Use of Modern Medicine, authors Brian Volck and Joel Shuman confront the question in a chapter entitled, “What Are Children For?” After tracing the effect of an increasingly intrusive medical technology that reduces conception and the building of a family to a consumer choice, they warn, too, against a nearly opposite trend—the temptation to worship children and life as uniquely sacred. “Only God, who gives each of us life, is sacred. Christians must therefore respect life, but not worship it.”

This post then will serve as my personal warning to self. Mother, do not make your child your idol. Love her deeply as a parent ought to love her child; love her but do not worship her. Train her up in the way she should go; instruct her in the fear and admonition of the Lord; impress upon her the commandments of the LORD; pray fervently for her salvation, but do not make the hope of a godly offspring your idol.

And pray. Caution your heart and pray. Ask for God’s grace to tear down the intruding idols. I end here with that prayer – one inspired by Pastor Tim Keller’s sermon on the Gospel and Idolatry: Lord, please help me to love Jesus more than my child. I know that this will only happen as I worship, pray and think deeply about the gospel. Give me grace to remember that Jesus Christ is my Great Lover, Savior and King.  Help me to understand, know and cherish the gospel that it may pull my heart to Christ and make Him the chief joy of my affections. I don’t want to love my child less, I want to love her more – with an unwavering love that displays and glorifies your own enduring passion for those that are your own. Amen.