The Second Coming and Sanctification

Advent 2016 - Second Coming in 1 & 2 Thessalonians

The Second Coming and Sanctification

For the introduction to this series see. This will explain why this is my third post yet this is only the first week in Advent!

And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all, even as we toward you:
and the Lord make you to - just as salvation is the work of God received by faith, so this is also the work of God received by faith
increase and abound in love – they had begun their Christian life with love for one another and Paul prays that this love would increase and abound.
one toward another – for brothers and sisters, the church
and toward all – it is not “love your brother and hate your enemy” with us, no, we love the brethren and we love those outside the family as well.
even as we toward you – they would no doubt remember Paul’s love for them, which he reminded them of in chapter 2:
7 But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children:  8 So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.  9 For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God.  10 Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe:  11 As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children,  12 That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.

In v 13 we find what this prayer for increased and abounding love is aiming at
To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
To the end – this is the purpose, this is the goal of this prayer
he may stablish your hearts – establish, strengthen, make firm
unblameable in holiness before God - Holiness is not talked about much these days, but Paul was clearly a holiness preacher. He speaks of it often in both epistles.
First, we have to admit that unblameable in holiness before God is a possibility. After all, this was Paul’s inspired prayer for them.
Second, the holiness in view here is not that stuffy, starchy, sanctimonious caricature so often portrayed. No, this is a person who is increased and abounding in love. Love suffers long and is kind; does not envy; does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love is not hateful or ugly or mean-spirited. He is not saying such are without fault or error, but that such a person is unblameable in holiness with a love like this. If Paul prayed for them to have this kind of love, surely we can pray this for ourselves. When we notice something unkind, ugly, or mean-spirited in our hearts or attitudes, then we should pray that he would make us to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all so that we might be found unblameable in holiness...

at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints – here is our goal, to be unblameable in holiness before God at the coming of Christ. Coming is that word parousia. Have you noticed how Paul is painting a picture of the coming of the Lord? In chapter 1 it is merely, his Son from heaven. Chapter 2 it is, in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming. And here it is, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. He keeps adding details. And the detail added in chapter 3 is this, when Jesus comes he will be accompanied by all his saints. When he sallies forth in that great day, all his saints, from all the ages, will appear with him. This is no secret, this is not something hidden. The parousia of Christ will be visible, personal, in power, and with great glory! and what a retinue will accompany him! What an entourage! His glorious train will be all his saints! Hallelujah! Maranatha!

When Jesus comes, and all his saints with him, what about us who are alive and remain to that day? Where will we be? Ah, chapter 4 adds that detail!

Perspective

I thought it would be interesting t take photos of my backyard from three different windows. They were all taken Saturday at 9:20 in the morning. The distance from the window on the right to the window on the left is 30 feet.

When you look out each window you see a different part of the backyard. It is interesting how the yard looks different in each view. And you have a different feel for it when viewing from the different windows. That is perspective.

Which view is the truth?

They are all true because they all look out on the back yard. Not every look will be true - If you are looking at the front yard you simply are not looking at the backyard, no matter how sincerely you believe you are. But no matter which window you choose, if it is looking out on the backyard, you will see the backyard. Your view is true, but incomplete. That is perspective.

Is there a point to this? I’m sure one could be made, but I don’t have one. Friday night I was sitting out by the fire, pondering different things, and this was one of them. Saturday morning I took these photos. I just thought it was cool.

How would I be described politically?

We just had a presidential election and everyone had an opinion. The election is over yet people are still talking. Where do I stand in all this? How would I be described politically?


I'm so Progressive it will blow your mind - I believe Jesus is coming again to be King of all nations and He will reign in righteousness

2 Peter 3:13  we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

Psalm 72
2 He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment.  
3 The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.  
4 He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.  
7 In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.  
8 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. 
11 Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.  
12 For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper.  
13 He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy.  
14 He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight.


I'm incredibly Liberal - I love the saints, I love my neighbor, I love my enemies

Matthew 5:43-48  
43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.  
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;  
45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.  
46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?  
47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?  
48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. 

Matthew 7:12  Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. 

Matthew 22:36-40
Master, which is the great commandment in the law?  
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  
This is the first and great commandment.  
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. 

Galatians 6:10  As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.


I'm an arch-Conservative - I believe the Bible is the Word of God from cover to cover.

Isaiah 40:8   The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

Matthew 24:35  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

1 Peter 1:23-25   
23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.  
24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:  
25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. 

2 Peter 1:16-19  
16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.  
17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.  
18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. 
19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 


I’m very political. Jesus is King. The kingdom of God is my thing!

The Second Coming and Christian Service

Advent 2016 - Second Coming in 1 & 2 Thessalonians

The Second Coming and Christian Service

For the introduction to this series see

In the day when Paul would stand before the Lord to give account of his life and work, he would present the Thessalonians. They were his crown and glory and joy. God has promised to reward us for our labor for Jesus and they are Paul’s anticipated crown.

For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

“Here the Apostle bears witness that the Lord’s coming was a motive in his own ministry and the inspiring hope of his own loving service for the souls of men. As he tells us elsewhere, he expects to present his beloved people to the heavenly Bridegroom as a delightful trust, and to find in their joy his joy and crown. To the faithful elders Peter says in this connection, “When the chief Shepherd shall appear, you shall receive a crown of glory that does not fade away.” And a still more ancient promise declared that “they who turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars forever and ever.” There is one sense in which the souls we win for Christ shall be eternally linked with our happiness and reward, and be as jewels in our crowns of rejoicing.” (A.B. Simpson)

Amen. Are we laboring for the Lord? Will there be people in that day who will point to me and say, “Thank you, Lord, for Jeff, he spoke to me/helped me/prayed for me/fed me/clothed me, visited me”?

When and where will such a scene take place? Paul tells us!

in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming

in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ - This means we will stand before him. I mean actually, literally, face to face with Jesus! He will be there and we will be brought before him, into his presence. Oh what a day that will be!

at his coming – The word for coming is παρουσία, parousia. This is one of the three words used for the return of Christ. “παρουσία - the presence of one coming, hence, the coming, arrival, advent. In the N. T. especially of the advent, i. e. the future, visible, return from heaven of Jesus, the Messiah, to raise the dead, hold the last judgment, and set up formally and gloriously the kingdom of God. It is called in ecclesiastical writings the second parousia, and is opposed to the first parousia which took place in the incarnation, birth, and earthly career of Christ.” (Thayer’s Lexicon)

This parousia is his return from heaven to earth and will result in his physical, visible presence with us. And it is at this time that he will reward us for our service, our work, our labor, our faithfulness in this life.

The prophet Isaiah said:
Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. (Isaiah 40:10)

Later, in the book of Revelation, Jesus said:
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. (Revelation 22:12)

Hallelujah! Jesus is coming! And we will see him, and stand before him, his very presence, and he will reward our labor for him.

Maranatha!

A hymn for Thursday

Ooops! Last week there was no hymn for Thursday. I was out of town so I was unable to make a post. I make up for today that with two Fanny Crosby hymns. Both are great songs!
(There will be no post next Thursday since that is Thanksgiving.)

Redeemed

Once, when Fanny Crosby was asked, "Is there a special hymn written for your conversion experience?" she replied, "I would write many hymns to describe the joy of my salvation. The one that stands out the most to me right now is this one." And she began to sing in her beautiful soprano voice, "Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it."

You can hear it here

Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it!
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed through His infinite mercy,
His child and forever I am.

Redeemed, redeemed,
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed, redeemed,
His child and forever I am.

Redeemed, and so happy in Jesus,
No language my rapture can tell;
I know that the light of His presence
With me doth continually dwell.

I think of my blessed Redeemer,
I think of Him all the day long:
I sing, for I cannot be silent;
His love is the theme of my song.

I know I shall see in His beauty
The King in whose law I delight;
Who lovingly guardeth my footsteps,
And giveth me songs in the night.

Music: William J. Kirkpatrick, 1882

<>< <>< <><

Blessed Assurance
Based on Hebrews 10:22 " Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water."

Fanny Crosby was visiting her friend Phoebe Knapp as the Knapp home was having a large pipe organ installed. The organ was incomplete, so Mrs. Knapp, using the piano, played a new melody she had just composed. When Knapp asked Crosby, "What do you think the tune says?", Crosby replied, "Blessed assurance; Jesus is mine."

You can hear Alan Jackson sing it here

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long;
this is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long.

Perfect submission, perfect delight!
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels descending bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

Perfect submission, all is at rest!
I in my Savior am happy and blessed,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

Music: Phoebe Knapp, 1873

The Second Coming and Salvation

Advent 2016 - Second Coming in 1 & 2 Thessalonians

The Second Coming and Salvation

For the introduction to this series click here

1 Thessalonians 1:9-10
 9  For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;
10  And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, [even] Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

Here we have a glimpse into the preaching of the apostle. This is also a picture of their conversion.

Acts 17 gives us a summary of Paul’s brief ministry among them:
1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: 2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, 3 Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ. 4 And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.

Amen! We see his message – Jesus (who died and rose again) is Christ – and their response – and some of them believed. In 1 Thessalonians 1 we see just what it meant to believe that Jesus is Christ:

ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

There are three distinct yet related matters here.
ye turned to God from idols – believing in Jesus means to turn to God, to turn away from your idols. Obviously, Paul preached that their idols were no gods, that there was only one, living, and true God, and that they needed to turn from, give up the worship of, their idols, and turn to God. This involved repentance, changing the way they thought about God – there are not many, only one; and the ones they were worshiping were not him; and they must give up their former gods. Paul’s invitation was not simply, “If you want eternal life, raise your hand. I see that hand.” No. It was more like, “Jupiter and Diana and Venus and Mars are not gods. Jesus is the Son of God, he was crucified and raised from the dead. Believe in him; turn to the true and living God and turn away from these who are not gods.”

to serve the living and true God – believing in Jesus meant they were to turning to God to serve him. We have made serving God a specialty, that is, something a select few do – pastors serve God; when you work in the church you are serving God. The implication being, there are two classes of Christians, mere believers and those who serve God. But Paul describes the whole of the Christian life as to serve God. If you are a believer in Jesus you are a servant of God. This is what it means to believe in Jesus: previously, you did what you wanted, now, you believe in Jesus, you have decided to follow Jesus, you do what he wants you to do.

And to wait for his Son from heaven – Paul’s gospel evidently included the life of Jesus, the death of Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus, and the second coming of Jesus. And he must have warned them of the wrath to come as well. To believe in Jesus means you believe he came and ministered among us, he died, he rose, and he’s coming again. The gospel proclaims another kingdom, and by believing in Jesus we abandon this world and hope for the one to come.

What does this tell us about the second coming? 
to wait for his Son from heaven - wait means, ‘to wait for, expect, wait expectantly; basically, expectancy concerning a future event. And what are we waiting for? Jesus, who was raised from the dead. Preaching the second coming is as fundamental to the gospel as the resurrection. “The hope of the second coming of Christ was real and powerful with Paul as it should be with us. He alludes to this hope at the close of each chapter in this Epistle.” (A.T. Robertson)

his Son from heaven - this doesn’t tell us much about the manner of his coming, except that it will be from heaven. He died, was raised from the dead, ascended into heaven, and from thence he will return. Literally. Personally. Visibly. Come, Lord Jesus!

Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come – “It is the historic, crucified, risen, and ascended Jesus Christ, God's Son, who delivers from the coming wrath. He is our Saviour, true to his name Jesus. He is our Rescuer. It is eschatological language, this coming wrath of God for sin. It was Paul's allusion to the day of judgment with Jesus as Judge whom God had raised from the dead that made the Athenians mock and leave him. But Paul did not change his belief or his preaching because of the conduct of the Athenians. He is certain that God's wrath in due time will punish sin. Surely this is a needed lesson for our day. It was coming then and it is coming now.” (A.T. Robertson)

The gospel declares that he who was crucified was raised from the dead, and he who was raised from the dead is coming back. We believe it. This is our hope: Jesus is coming again! And we are waiting. The gospel is incomplete without the second coming. A few years ago I heard a plaintive song by Tim Hughes, which begins, “There must be more than this...” Yes, Mr. Hughes, there is - the King is coming! and we are waiting for him!

Now comes the test - Am I waiting for him? Am I expecting him? Am I waiting with anticipation? This is my hope. This is my politics. Maranatha!

One final note. I find it kind of cool that Paul’s preaching, as described here, so closely fits the Apostolic Faith revealed in the Apostle’s Creed:

“I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth: And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord: Who... Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: The third day he rose again from the dead: He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty: From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead...”

Amen.

Advent 2016

In the Old Testament, God established an annual calendar of feasts for Israel. This calendar, which followed the agricultural seasons, reminded the people of God’s salvation from Egypt. It was also a prophetic calendar, setting forth God’s promise of salvation through Messiah. Early on the Church established a similar calendar based on the historical life of Jesus Christ. By observing this calendar, the church is reminded each year of the life and ministry of Christ, and the salvation he brought.

In this calendar, the Church Year begins with Advent. Advent, from the Latin word meaning coming, is a season of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. The season offers the opportunity to share in the ancient longing for the coming of the Messiah, and to be alert for his Second Advent.

As pastor, I had a special teaching series for Advent, and I have continued this with my blog. This year I thought I would focus on the second advent of Christ using the Apostle Paul’s epistles to the Thessalonians. A.B. Simpson, founder of the Christian & Missionary Alliance, explains why these epistles are a good choice for such an emphasis:

“The New Testament epistles have, as a rule, some specific quality or characteristic by which they are known. Romans is the epistle of gospel truth; Corinthians of the Church; Galatians of grace; Ephesians of the highest Christian life; Philippians of the sweetest Christian life; Colossians of the Christ life, etc. The letters to the Thessalonians are the advent epistles. The one theme that runs throughout the two letters like a sort of golden thread and appears in every chapter in connection with some important and practical doctrine, is the blessed hope of the Lord’s coming. So prominently did this subject occupy the preaching of Paul during his visit to Thessalonica, that when his enemies brought charges against him before the rulers of the city, they made this the point of their accusation, that “these that have turned the world upside down have come hither also; . . . and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another King, one Jesus.” It is evident from this that the general impression received from his preaching in Thessalonica was that the Christ to whom he bore witness was a real King, and was coming again to establish a kingdom on the earth. Otherwise there would have been no possible ground for jealousy on the part of Caesar’s friends. Indeed, we know from the very first chapter of his epistle that he began with this theme in his first messages to the unconverted, and it was this that awakened their consciences while still heathen, and led them to turn “to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven.”

The fact that the letters to the Thessalonians were Paul’s earliest epistles, and that this subject occupies so prominent a place in them, makes it very plain that the doctrine of the Lord’s coming is not an advanced truth that can only be understood by deeply spiritual Christians. It is one of the primary doctrines of the Gospel, and is part of the very essence of the Gospel of the Kingdom.”
A.B. Simpson, Christ in the Bible: First and Second Thessalonians

Paul’s ministry in Thessalonica is described in Acts 17:

1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews:  
2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,  
3 Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.  
4 And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.  
5 But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.  
6 And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;  
7 Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.  

Paul’s message was summed up as, Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ. But his emphasis was also on Jesus as the returning King. We learn this from the reaction of his opponents and from the emphasis he places on it in both epistles to the Thessalonians. In fact, as Simpson observed, he mentions the second coming in every chapter.

The season of Advent is the four Sundays before Christmas. This year that is November 27-December 20. My plan is to feature one chapter a week, but, as there are 8 chapters in these two epistles, I need 8 weeks for that. So this year, Advent begins early! I will post a chapter every Tuesday, beginning tomorrow.

Here is my planned schedule:

November
15 1 Thessalonians 1 The Second Coming and Salvation
22 1 Thessalonians 2 The Second Coming and Christian Service
29 1 Thessalonians 3 The Second Coming and Sanctification
December 
6 1 Thessalonians 4 The Second Coming and Those Who Sleep
13 1 Thessalonians 5 The Second Coming and Times and Seasons
20 2 Thessalonians 1 The Second Coming and Suffering for Jesus
27 2 Thessalonians 2 The Second Coming and the Son of Perdition
January
3 2 Thessalonians 3 The Second Coming and the patient waiting for Christ

(The dates in red are Advent, the dates in purple are Christmas)

Two kinds of fire

This is the fire pit in my back yard. Monday morning I enjoyed a fire as I watched the day dawn. There were three logs then, the two on either side and another one at the back, forming a kind of pit. As you can see, that one is gone. I built the fire up against it, the log caught fire and continued to burn when the rest of the wood was gone. The flowers were from the arrangement I gave Mary for her birthday. They were old so I set them against the smouldering log, hoping they would catch fire. They did not burn, but the log did. When I saw that this morning, I thought, “There are two kinds of fire.”

What?

Yes, two kinds of fire.

One kind of fire affects only you. It is real enough, and hot enough, as evidenced by ashes being the only remains of the log, but only the log was burned. It did not and would not spread, despite my attempts to get it to flame up and engulf the flowers.

Another kind of fire ignites everything around it. That was the kind of fire I started with. It was burning, and as I added wood it engaged that wood and burned it as well. This kind of fire affects you and others around you.

And now the application – Is the fire of heavenly love burning in my soul? If so, which kind of fire is it?

A hymn for Thursday

For the next few weeks I am featuring hymns by Fanny Crosby, along with tid-bits of personal information about her.
When she was six weeks old, Crosby caught a cold and developed inflammation of the eyes. Mustard poultices were applied to treat the discharges. According to Crosby, this procedure damaged her optic nerves and blinded her. Her condition was inoperable and her blindness was permanent. She said of her blindness: "It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank him for the dispensation. If perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow I would not accept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about me." And, "When I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior."

Draw Me Nearer

She was talking with William Doane one night about the nearness of God and penned the words before retiring for the night. Hebrews 10:22 is reported as being a source of inspiration for the hymn. You can hear it here

I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
And be closer drawn to Thee.

Draw me nearer, nearer blessèd Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died.
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessèd Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.

Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.

Oh, the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God
I commune as friend with friend!

There are depths of love that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee.

William H. Doane (1875)

Is there no end of the inanity?

Inanity (inane) – empty, shallow, vapid. Wait, there’s more - foolish, silly, hollow.

Yikes! Why am I in such an uproar? Because this is one of those inane modern proverbs that reveals the emptiness of modern culture.

Before going further, let’s consider the word judge. Oh, there is not an uglier word to western ears than judge, but what does it mean?

1: to form an opinion about through careful weighing of evidence and testing of premises
2: to sit in judgment on : Try
3: to form an estimate or evaluation of;  especially: to form a negative opinion about *shouldn't judge him because of his accent*

Now that we are armed, let’s apply this modern maxim to a few scenarios . . .

You are in the parking lot of a large store. It’s a rather hot day. You see a baby locked in a car with the windows rolled up. Do you just observe and walk on? Or do you form an opinion of the situation (judge) and look for a solution?

Or even worse in our culture, You are in the parking lot of a large store. It’s a rather hot day. You see a dog locked in a car with the windows rolled up. Do you just observe and walk on? Or do you form an opinion of the situation (judge) and look for a solution?

You notice that your next door neighbors have a lot of visitors, especially late at night. After a while of observing, you determine (oh dang, there you go judging again) that your neighbors are involved in sex trafficking. Ah, but your philosophy is judge nothing...

Your friend confides in you that he likes to go to bars at night, meet women, slip them some kind of date rape drug and... Do you just observe his behavior or do you find this repulsive (judge) and seek to take some kind of action?

You meet someone who doesn’t have enough money to buy food. Do you just watch them starve (observe) or do you determine that this situation is bad (judge) and help them?

Where do you just observe everything and judge nothing? “Oh,” you say, “this is about science, not life.” Well, first it doesn’t say so, and second, does this really work in science?

You observe that people living in filth and not bathing often get sick more often than those who clean themselves. Do you merely observe this, take notes and write a book, or do you judge this to be an evil that should be addressed?

You notice a river is being polluted and all the fish are dying. Do you merely observe this, take notes, and make a video, or do you judge this to be an evil that should be addressed?

“OK, OK,” you say, “this is really about personal, moral choices. I will live the way I want, doing what I want, and you cannot judge me.”

THIS is where we want to be as a society. But, its only one way: I cannot say your choices are wrong, but you can lambaste me if I do. Explain to me again that judge nothing part . . .

Listen, there is right and there is wrong. Or, if you prefer, good and evil, righteousness and unrighteousness. As Christians, we are not like hall monitors, chaperones, or policemen, y’know, always correcting folks for everything they do. But we are witnesses to the truth of God.
“There are two ways, one of life and one of death; but a great difference between the two ways. The way of life, then, is this . . . And the way of death is this . . .” (The Didache or Teaching of the Twelve, chapters 1-5).

As Isaiah said,
Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Ah, but that’s judging, isn’t it? Calling someone wicked and unrighteous. But you know what? You can’t be cured until you’re diagnosed. So you go to the doctor. He observes you, takes tests and what all. Then he judges: “You have...” Next, he prescribes a course of action to restore you. Why is that wrong when it comes to your soul?