Faith Must Fight to Ignite
To be clear, I’m not talking about physical warfare but spiritual warfare. The same Gospel that brings peace with God brings war with sin. We must be prayed up in order to be built up, live in the Word so we don’t live in fear, and worship to drive out worry.
We cannot usher in utopia while things continue to decline, but God calls us to fight, not flee. He calls us to step out in faith rather than run like cowards because our faith ignites faith in others.
Are we igniting fear, or are we promoting strong faith in the midst of adversity? Worry comes when we put fear over faith.
The Best Way to Please God
Walking in faith trains spiritual muscles for spiritual battles. We don’t always know the exact course we are to take with absolute certainty, but faith provides hope for the journey. “The Lord never builds a bridge of faith except under the feet of the faith-filled traveler. If He builds the bridge ahead, it would not be a bridge of faith.” (Streams in the Desert)
Hebrews 11:6 reminds us that without faith it is impossible to please God and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. When God calls, faith answers.
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In John 6, the Jews demanded that Jesus prove Himself by performing a miracle like Moses had performed in giving their fathers manna. Jesus corrected them, explaining that it was not Moses, but His Father who gave them the manna. He further explained that He is Himself the manna or bread from heaven that would nourish their souls. The manna was a good gift from God that nourished the bodies of the Israelites for forty years before they entered the promised land. 

In John 6:48, we hear the first of Jesus’ seven “I am” statements. Six of these sayings include a predicate nominative—bread (John 6:48), light (John 8:12; 9:5), door (John 10:7, 9), good shepherd (John 10:11, 14), resurrection and life (John 11:25), and the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6 )—which tells us something about the person and work of Jesus. One of these sayings, John 8:58, has no predicate nominative, but stands as Jesus’ ownership of the divine name, “I am,” which the Lord revealed to Moses when the prophet asked to know God’s name (Ex. 3:14). The absolute statement in John 8:58, “Before Abraham was, I Am,” makes it clear that each of the “I am” statements of Jesus is an affirmation of His deity. Because the Jewish religious leaders did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, they judged this statement to be blasphemous. So, “they took up stones to cast at Him” (John 8:59). They understood the truth Jesus proclaimed about His divine nature, but they did not believe Him. As we will see as we examine the first of the “I am” statements, this unbelief is no small matter. Jesus’ words are a matter of life and death.
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life,” during a long conversation He was having with His followers (John 6:48). This discourse came just after the feeding of five thousand with five loaves of bread and two fish (John 6:5–14) and occurred just before Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles (John 6:4). Both events provide important context for understanding what it means for Jesus to be the Bread of Life.
At the Feast of Tabernacles, the people celebrated the care that God showed the Israelites in the desert after they were rescued from slavery in Egypt. The desert was not a hospitable place.
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The first seven beatitudes are difficult enough to apply in life, but it may be that persecution is the toughest of all. Whether it is that colleague at work who always has an insulting comment about your Christianity, or a member of your family that never lets up—it is difficult to suffer persecution. However, verse 10 reminds us that as we suffer in this life, we can look forward to the ultimate glory of heaven.

After Jesus called the twelve disciples they travelled together throughout Galilee while he taught the crowds and healed many suffering from a variety of diseases. Word of his miraculous ministry drew onlookers along with others seeking his healing power. He made paralytics walk. He loosed those shackled by the chains of demonic tyranny. He freed others enduring unpredictable bouts with seizures. The kingdom of God was coming in abundant glory as the gospel would be taken to the nations with freedom for evangelism enhanced by the binding of Satan. What an experience it was for the disciples to see the miraculous healing wrought by Jesus, but it was bewildering as well. Here were these twelve Jews whose vocations included everything from fishermen to a tax collector, none of which seems appropriate for apostleship, yet they were chosen for kingdom work by Jesus. They abandoned all to join this man they knew little about and whose many miracles were like nothing they had seen before. Thoughts raised by Jesus’ ministry anticipate the question asked later in Matthew, “What sort of man is this?” (8:27)

At this point in Jesus’ ministry his identity as the Son of God is yet to be disclosed, the demons knew it, but he instructed them to be silent. He ascended the mountain, sat down, was joined by the disciples, and he “opened his mouth” and taught. The term “opened his mouth” is indicative of the speaker’s authority and the solemnity of what is said. God had spoken to Moses on Mt. Sinai in an intimidating and fearful situation, but Jesus, the incarnate Word, sits with his disciples, speaks to them in a caring manner, and provides comfort and reassurance as he delivers the tough teaching of the kingdom of God.

Interpretations of the beatitudes follow.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (v. 3).

The “poor in spirit” are those who recognize their spiritual condition before God. Martin Luther was greatly distressed because he recognized the pervasiveness of sin in his life, and he came to poverty of spirit by realizing his impotence to remedy his sinful condition. Luther learned no one can be justified by the works of the Law. He knew he was a beggar before God and his only hope was justification through faith in Christ. Poverty of spirit should be a way of life for Christians because they recognize their dire condition apart from the grace of the gospel. One might think “the kingdom of heaven” is a reward for achieving poverty of spirit, but instead those who enter heaven recognize their inability to please God apart from the saving grace of Christ.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted (4).

Mourning is usually associated with sadness caused by the death of someone dear, but in this case, mourning is initial and continued repentance, sorrow for sin. As poverty of spirit brings recognition of the need for grace, so mourning for sin is sorrow for its continued presence. Paul’s exasperation expressed in “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Rom 7:24) as he bemoans the law of sin at war with the law of his mind illustrates mourning for sin. Mourning is comforted by the assurance of the gospel. It is knowing that the sheep of the Lord’s flock are securely in his hands that brings abiding comfort.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth (5).

Meek is not a word often used today. To be meek is to be a wimp, and no one wants to be a wimp. The definition of meek is “having or showing a quiet and gentle nature: not wanting to fight or argue with other people.” But Scripture says of Moses that he “was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth” (Num 12:3). This is the same man who threw down the tablets of the Commandments in anger at the sight of Israel’s idolatrous golden calf.
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Recollections of the Lord’s grace
Lord, I desire to bless Thy name for Thy former loving-kindnesses to me in the day of my trouble, in helping and standing by me when overcharged with affliction, and deserted by friends. What was I, and my father’s house? A poor insufficient creature, taken up with nothing but vanities of all sorts. Oh, what moved so holy a God ever to condescend to look upon me, and pass by so many much more worthy than poor undeserving me! Oh, praises be unto thee, O Most High! Oh that my tongue were employed through time in magnifying the holy name of so merciful a God!
Placing me among the godly
May not I say, His mercies are over all His other works to me? May not I sit down and admire free love? First, in inclining my heart to love Him and His people, and in casting my lot amongst the godly, and in bestowing a godly and kind husband on me (when I was left destitute without father or mother), and that He did so care for me as not to allow me to enjoy the desires of my heart, but was at pains to hedge in my ways with thorns. His infinite love did not allow me to sit at my ease, enjoying my pleasures in the day of Zion’s calamity, but prepared the way by smaller trials for greater.
Preparing me gently
Thou didst in Thy infinite wisdom, not at first cast me into the hottest flames of the furnace, lest I should not have been able to stand, but would in fright have fainted and turned back. But, oh, praise! praise be to Him who inhabits eternity, that condescended so far to me, a worm, as sweetly to train me up, in alluring me, and speaking comfortably to me, when I first entered into the wilderness!
Thou causedst Thy word to be to my soul as the honey and the honeycomb. Thou madest me sit under Thy shadow with great delight, and Thy fruits were sweet unto my taste; so that many a time which to onlookers was sad, was sweet to me. The Lord did so support and feast me in His banqueting house that I was made to rejoice in the midst of my tribulations.
Equipping me to stand strong
Likewise, Thou didst not allow me to go on with those who were indifferent in Christ’s matters, but with Thy rods Thou didst raise such a zeal and love on my spirit, and so filledst my mouth with arguments, that I could not see any thing like defection from, or wrong done, to any of Thy truth, without resenting, testifying, and contending against it. Thou madest at least this change in my heart, which was proud and haughty, much disdaining the converse of the poor, but Thou helpedst me to be denied to great folk, and to the reproach I suffered on that front, making the company of the poor that were godly in the land, dear unto me.
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You can experience a joy, a radiance, in even the worst circumstances. You can be going through the worst possible crisis, and you can still experience comfort and joy. The kind of joy that God offers isn’t diminished by difficulty and hardship; it coexists with difficulty and hardship. We can look to God in our struggles and experience joy and peace even in the middle of trials.

Advice can be valuable, but only if it comes from somebody reliable. But when you find someone who’s been through exactly what you’re going through, and they have something to say, their advice can be incredible.

If you are getting married, it is so helpful to talk to someone who has been married for a long time and is making it work.
If you’re going through joblessness, it helps so much to talk to someone else who’s been unemployed in similar circumstances.
If you are raising teenagers, it can be very helpful to talk to someone whose kids have gone through the same thing.
If you are going through a crisis, it is helpful to talk to someone else who’s been through a similar crisis and survived.

It can be so valuable to get good advice from someone who’s learned from a similar situation we’re going through.
David’s Circumstance
So here’s why it’s worth learning from Psalm 34.
There are 14 psalms that are linked to events that took place in David’s life. This is one of them. We read in the inscription of the psalm, “Of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.”
Two things to notice here.
First: David knows what it’s like to suffer! We find this story in 1 Samuel 21. You think you have problems? David was literally running for his life. He was in so much trouble that he fled to the land of the Philistines, his archenemies. How desperate do you have to be to flee to people who want to kill you? Even worse, he went carrying the sword of Goliath, a Philistine he had killed. When David was recognized, he escaped, barely, by acting like he’d lost his sanity.
Here’s the thing about the Bible. We are not the first to suffer. You name whatever problem you’re going through, and it’s probably not going to be crazier than what David went through before he wrote this psalm. It’s hard to out-crazy this story. David writes as someone who’s an innocent sufferer facing a really difficult situation.
But here’s the other thing to notice. The inscription says, “Of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech.” This is slightly confusing, because the Philistine king’s name was actually Achish. Abimelech shows up in Genesis 20. He was king in a similar area, but it was Abraham, not David, who dealt with Abimelech.
Why does Psalm 34 mention the wrong guy? Robert Alter, a Bible scholar, suggests that the editor was making connections. He saw some parallels between David’s story and Abraham’s story. A just man is threatened with imminent death, and God rescues him.
In other words, this is David’s story, but it’s part of a bigger pattern of how God treats his people. The future king of Israel is so desperate that he’s scratching doors and drooling all over his beard, and the editor says, “Yeah, this reminds me of some other times that God has rescued his people in some pretty strange circumstances.”
So this is a psalm written by someone who knows what it’s like to go through crazy times, and David has two messages for us.
Two Lessons
Here are the two lessons.
Learn from me (1-7)
In the first part of this psalm, he gives his personal testimony. He begins with a call to praise:
I will bless the LORD at all times;his praise shall continually be in my mouth.My soul makes its boast in the LORD;let the humble hear and be glad.Oh, magnify the LORD with me,and let us exalt his name together!(Psalm 34:1-3)
Then he gives the reason why he is praising God and calling us to praise God in verses 4 to 6:
I sought the LORD, and he answered meand delivered me from all my fears.Those who look to him are radiant,and their faces shall never be ashamed.This poor man cried, and the LORD heard himand saved him out of all his troubles.
What is David’s testimony? David’s testimony is not that he escaped from King Achish by his own ingenuity. He doesn’t credit his clever acting skills. He credits God. God was the one who delivered him, so God deserves the praise.
David sought Yahweh in a time of trouble. God answered and delivered him. He cried out, and Yahweh heard him, and saved him from all of his troubles. Tucked away, though, is an amazing promise in verse 5:
Those who look to him are radiant,and their faces shall never be ashamed.
Here’s what he’s saying. You can experience a joy, a radiance, in even the worst circumstances. You can be going through the worst possible crisis, and you can still experience comfort and joy.
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In this sacrament, we see God’s tremendous grace poured out for sinners regardless of the sinner’s ability to merit or accomplish anything. Whether baptism is received by a child of a Christian household, or by a new professing believer, in all cases when rightly administered, baptism is wholly about the promises of God given by grace and applied through faith in Jesus Christ. 

What are the Two Positions on Baptism?
Prior to being called into ministry I was quite convinced for about a year of the Baptist/Credo only position. Then for the last 16 years, I’ve been steadily growing as one convinced of covenant baptism. I have 4 kids who have all been baptized as soon as they were able. Over the last decade of pastoral and missionary work, I’ve been blessed to work alongside many brothers and sisters of various persuasions on the topic. Baptism is an important topic, but it is one I consider to be a secondary issue. This means that I can worship and attend churches that hold a different view on Baptism than I believe to be True. We as Christians, are called to be United in Christ and Baptism is not an issue to divide.
Covenantal Baptism
Covenantal, Family or Household baptism is the administration of the sacrament of baptism to those who are new believers or are newly born within the household of professing believers. In the Covenantal view, there is a continuation of the covenant promises of God to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob following the Apostle Peter’s words and example in Acts 2. The sacrament of baptism in the Covenantal practice displays God’s tremendous grace poured out on sinners who are without hope apart from God’s regenerating, salvific, personal work in the lives of those baptized.
Believers Baptism
Believer’s baptism is the administration of the sacrament of baptism to those who are newly converted and making a profession of their faith in Christ Jesus. Believer’s baptism is for those who have never before previously received baptism and are confessing their only hope in this life and the next as the grace of God through Jesus Christ.
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When we understand that honesty is the hardest part of overcoming addiction, this approach makes more sense to us. Yes, there are a myriad of steps they need to take after this. But that shouldn’t cause us to rush our loved one through the first, intimidating step of being honest with God, self, and others.

There is nothing easy about overcoming an addiction. As we explore what would be the hardest part of this process, I want to be careful not to minimize other parts of the journey. But when you talk to people who were once slaves to substance abuse and are now experiencing significant freedom, a common refrain emerges when you ask: What was the hardest part of your journey?
Before I offer an answer to this question, take a moment to reflect. What is your best guess?

Physical withdrawal symptoms
Loneliness that comes from severing ties with friends who are also fellow addicts
Figuring out what to do with the time formerly invested into the addiction
Learning new, healthy forms of entertainment
Managing the fallout of emotional and financial stresses caused by addiction

These are all real and all difficult factors. But they are often not the hardest. Actually, these challenge all come after what is commonly the hardest part of overcoming addiction.
So, what is the hardest part? Being honest. There is so much to be honest about when you’re overcoming addiction.

You must be honest with yourself—acknowledge the problem is “that bad,” that you need help, that the idea that you “could quit if you wanted to” is a lie, that your friends and family were being compassionate when they brought concerns to you, etc.
You must be honest with God—acknowledge that you desperately need his help, that his ways are better than your ways, that he isn’t “old fashioned” or “controlling” but liberating and life-giving, that it’s not good for you to try to overcome your struggle alone, etc.
You must be honest with others—acknowledge that you have lied to them, that your actions have impacted their life, that they were right, and you refused to listen, that you need their help, that what you used to call “help” was enabling, etc.

Why Honesty Is So Hard
When it comes to something as monumental as overcoming addiction, it is often the guilt and shame that comes with being honest that most impedes our efforts to engage in the process of change.
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Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record the story of the rich young ruler. This man had everything going for him and seemed to lack nothing. On the surface, it appeared that he was an obvious shoo-in for the Kingdom of God since he honored his parents, loved his neighbors, and kept the commandments. He had the opportunity to ask Jesus, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” After verifying that he obeys and keeps the commandments, Jesus said to him, “If you want to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” When the rich young ruler heard this statement from Jesus, he left grieving because he owned a lot of property and had great wealth.
On the outside, this man was climbing the workspace ladder to heaven. He said and did the right things, but there was a heart issue buried deep where no one could see it. This was an issue of idolatry, worship, and ironically, an issue of the first commandment, which he said he kept. This man could not give up his property and fell into a warning that Jesus had presented earlier in the gospel accounts.

God uses His people to encourage and to motivate us to fight the good fight of faith and faithfully finish the race. Are we training ourselves to be lovers of good? Or do we just give in to our sinful hearts and break others with what we say? There is so much wisdom in silence. In silence, we learn not to speak words that might hurt others. In silence, we become good listeners rather than unwise talkers. 

but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. (Titus 1:8)
This is just a portion of the passage containing qualifications set for overseers found in Titus 1:7-9. I would like to highlight on one key qualification: a lover of good. These Christlike virtues are to be exemplified by overseers as leaders of the church but it does not mean to say that it’s not applicable to all Christians as well. Paul said that we were to imitate him as he imitated Christ. (1 Cor. 11:1) So, the cultivation of these Christlike virtues are not just for a few but for all believers.
Are we lovers of good? Are we people whose hearts are bent to appreciate someone rather than condemn them? Are we people whose eyes are trained to see the good rather than the bad? Unfortunately, our evil hearts are bent to condemn, complain, and malign. Being a lover of good is not second nature to us. We need the help of God to train our hearts to be lovers of good.
Practically speaking, we can train ourselves to be lovers of good by appreciating evidences of grace in the lives of others.
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His sovereignty even over our very decisions and choices (including that to choose him) is good because it means none of our decisions and choices are the ones that ultimately derails his plans for the world, for his people or for us in particular. I am convinced that CH Spurgeon had it right: ‘The sovereignty of God is the pillow upon which the child of God rests his head at night, giving perfect peace.’

Some people really don’t seem to like belief in the absolute sovereignty of God. I don’t want to presume what, exactly, offends them about it. I just know that it does. But as an absolute sovereignty of God believer, I thought I would outline a few of the benefits that such a doctrine, if true, might bring us.
An Ordered Universe
If God is absolutely sovereign over all things, it means there is an ordered universe in which nothing ultimately happens by chance. The great thing about that is it means all things – even particularly difficult and heinous things – have some ultimate, good purpose behind them. It obviously doesn’t make the bad thing good in and of itself. Of course not. But it does mean the bad things isn’t just unremittingly bad. God does have a good purpose, in and ultimate sense, even in this.
Security in God’s Plan for my Life
One of the many handwringing things that Christians sometimes work themselves up about is whether they are “in God’s will”. There can be something about wondering whether we are “in God’s will” that has a habit of just totally hamstringing us so that we effectively don’t do anything at all. But a belief in the absolute sovereignty of God means I can’t walk outside of God’s will. Not in an ultimate sense. I can do what he tells me he doesn’t want me to do; I can walk outside of his preceptive will that way. I can do things that don’t make God happy; I can walk outside of his will of disposition that way too. But I can’t walk outside of his decretive will; what God ultimately intends to happen in the world.
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