A couple of months back, I wrote a post
on the pronoun HE from Isaiah 40. We determined that the HE in verse 29
referred back to the One True Creator God of verses 9 and following.
Another pronoun situation popped up as part of my SS lesson to
the 3rd-5th graders at my church. This one uses the pronoun IT and had my Juniors
snickering, yet learning a very important lesson about in WHOM we place our
trust and not in WHAT we place our trust.
We can learn so many lessons at the expense of the Children of Israel, can't we?…if
we would learn those lessons!
In I Samuel 4 the Philistines had just attacked and defeated
the Children of Israel. The Children of Israel, who had adopted the idols of
their neighbors and continued to do evil in the sight of the Lord, were asking
why God had forsaken them. Then they had
this bright idea (see verse 3)! Let’s go to Shiloh and get the Ark of the
Covenant, “that IT may go with us and save us……….”
Catch that~the Children of Israel just said "IT will save us"~~~an object!
Although the Ark of the Covenant was an important symbol that God had them
build to use as a remembrance of His care and deliverance throughout their
history, it was never intended to become an object of worship.
Well, as you continue reading through chapters 4-7 of 1
Samuel, you will see that things didn’t
go so well after all. The OBJECT of their worship did not bring any good luck
or special blessings! In fact, according to the Philistines (and all the events
that took place in their lives after stealing the Ark from the Israelites), it
was a bad luck charm, and they did everything they could to get rid of it!
But, The Children of Israel seemed to learn their lesson this
time around. Notice 1 Samuel 7:8. The
Philistines were ready to attack Israel again. (One of my students caught this:
“If the Philistines were so convinced that the Ark of the Covenant was bad luck
for them why would they decide to attack the place that had it?!) It was all
part of the ‘comedy’ of this SS lesson!
Meanwhile, back to the Children of Israel in 7:8...
The Philistines were ready to attack. Israel was scared,
concerned, and worried. What did they do this time? Notice the pronoun they
used this time around! HE! They asked
Samuel to cry out to God “that HE may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines…!”
Maybe it is time we learned that lesson too. We don’t need
to be trusting in things, special objects, and/or places….We need to be
trusting solely in the Lord our God.
I will leave Psalm 20:7 as a final reminder…
Some trust in chariots,
and some in horses; but we will remember (trust) in the name of the Lord our
God!
What ITs are you depending on for ‘good luck’ or special
blessings? In what or whom are you placing your trust? Let’s stop depending on ITS and starting
trusting HIM.
Trusting in the Creator God,
Debbie
The Supreme Court has ruled on the much-awaited decisions on
same-sex marriage. How should your church respond? The first way is by
recognizing that marriage is not merely a public good, and it’s
certainly not simply a “culture war” political issue. Marriage is a
gospel mystery, the Scripture tells us, an icon of Christ and the church
embedded in the creation (Eph 5:32). When marriage falters, the gospel
is eclipsed. On the other hand, the conversation about marriage gives
the church the opportunity to point to a different word, the mystery of
Christ (Eph 3:4).
WHAT THE RULINGS SAY
- The Supreme Court ruled that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional. It was determined to deprive persons equal liberty protected by the Fifth Amendment.
- The Supreme Court ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act means that same-sex couples who are legally married will be entitled to equal treatment under federal law.
- The Supreme Court ruled that the defenders of California’s Proposition 8 did not have legal standing as private sponsors to appeal the federal decision to strike down the ballot.
- The Supreme Court ruling on Proposition 8 means that same-sex marriage may be allowed to resume in the state of California.
- These Supreme Court decisions mean that religious liberty challenges are soon to emerge in new and unprecedented ways.
WHAT HASN’T CHANGED
- Jesus Christ is still alive, and ultimately will bend history toward his kingdom.
- God, as Creator and Judge, determines the goal of human sexuality and the boundaries of marriage. The United States government, or any human state, didn’t create marriage, and can’t redefine it. The state can only recognize, or fail to recognize, what already exists: the one-flesh union that is the foundation of the family and every human civilization.
- The Bible addresses all of us as sexual sinners (1 Cor 6:18). We do not stand in judgment over others, as though we were righteous and whole.
- Our consciences and our churches are answerable to “another king, Jesus” (Acts 17:7) when it comes to matters of sexual morality and marital accountability. The First Amendment recognizes this free exercise of religion. Your congregation cannot be forced to perform same-sex marriages, to provide premarital or marital counseling to persons whose marriages you don’t recognize as biblical, or to jettison your membership requirements.
WHAT SHOULD YOUR CHURCH DO?
- Teach your congregation to avoid anger, outrage, or despair. Jesus tells us marriage has existed as a male/female one-flesh union “from the beginning.” This means marriage is resilient, regardless of what cultures do to minimize it.
- Love your gay and lesbian neighbors. They aren’t part of an evil conspiracy. They are, like all of us apart from Christ, seeking a way that seems best to them. Be kind, and respect all persons as image-bearers of God.
- Preach and teach on the integrity of conjugal marriage. Don’t assume your people understand the gospel foundations of marriage. Take this opportunity to point to the formation of healthy, gospel-shaped marriage cultures within your congregation.
- Repent of the ways our congregational cultures have downgraded marriage. If your church hasn’t addressed divorce, cohabitation, or fornication through proclamation and discipline, now is the time to repent and rework.
- Make your marriage convictions clear in your confession of faith. If your church assumes a definition of marriage, your confession of faith is now irrelevant. Defend your religious liberty by making your congregational conviction clear in your statement of faith.
- Make your marriage convictions clear in your church by-laws. Address what repentance and gospel fidelity looks like for those seeking membership, for those in good standing with your church, and for those who wish to be married in your church building or by the officers of your church.
- Stop laissez-faire wedding policies. Your church building is not a public space and your church ministers aren’t justices of the peace. Make clear that you will marry, and host weddings, only for those who have accountability to the people of Christ and to the Word of God.
The Supreme Court has ruled on the much-awaited decisions on
same-sex marriage. How should your church respond? The first way is by
recognizing that marriage is not merely a public good, and it’s
certainly not simply a “culture war” political issue. Marriage is a
gospel mystery, the Scripture tells us, an icon of Christ and the church
embedded in the creation (Eph 5:32). When marriage falters, the gospel
is eclipsed. On the other hand, the conversation about marriage gives
the church the opportunity to point to a different word, the mystery of
Christ (Eph 3:4).
WHAT THE RULINGS SAY
- The Supreme Court ruled that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional. It was determined to deprive persons equal liberty protected by the Fifth Amendment.
- The Supreme Court ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act means that same-sex couples who are legally married will be entitled to equal treatment under federal law.
- The Supreme Court ruled that the defenders of California’s Proposition 8 did not have legal standing as private sponsors to appeal the federal decision to strike down the ballot.
- The Supreme Court ruling on Proposition 8 means that same-sex marriage may be allowed to resume in the state of California.
- These Supreme Court decisions mean that religious liberty challenges are soon to emerge in new and unprecedented ways.
WHAT HASN’T CHANGED
- Jesus Christ is still alive, and ultimately will bend history toward his kingdom.
- God, as Creator and Judge, determines the goal of human sexuality and the boundaries of marriage. The United States government, or any human state, didn’t create marriage, and can’t redefine it. The state can only recognize, or fail to recognize, what already exists: the one-flesh union that is the foundation of the family and every human civilization.
- The Bible addresses all of us as sexual sinners (1 Cor 6:18). We do not stand in judgment over others, as though we were righteous and whole.
- Our consciences and our churches are answerable to “another king, Jesus” (Acts 17:7) when it comes to matters of sexual morality and marital accountability. The First Amendment recognizes this free exercise of religion. Your congregation cannot be forced to perform same-sex marriages, to provide premarital or marital counseling to persons whose marriages you don’t recognize as biblical, or to jettison your membership requirements.
WHAT SHOULD YOUR CHURCH DO?
- Teach your congregation to avoid anger, outrage, or despair. Jesus tells us marriage has existed as a male/female one-flesh union “from the beginning.” This means marriage is resilient, regardless of what cultures do to minimize it.
- Love your gay and lesbian neighbors. They aren’t part of an evil conspiracy. They are, like all of us apart from Christ, seeking a way that seems best to them. Be kind, and respect all persons as image-bearers of God.
- Preach and teach on the integrity of conjugal marriage. Don’t assume your people understand the gospel foundations of marriage. Take this opportunity to point to the formation of healthy, gospel-shaped marriage cultures within your congregation.
- Repent of the ways our congregational cultures have downgraded marriage. If your church hasn’t addressed divorce, cohabitation, or fornication through proclamation and discipline, now is the time to repent and rework.
- Make your marriage convictions clear in your confession of faith. If your church assumes a definition of marriage, your confession of faith is now irrelevant. Defend your religious liberty by making your congregational conviction clear in your statement of faith.
- Make your marriage convictions clear in your church by-laws. Address what repentance and gospel fidelity looks like for those seeking membership, for those in good standing with your church, and for those who wish to be married in your church building or by the officers of your church.
- Stop laissez-faire wedding policies. Your church building is not a public space and your church ministers aren’t justices of the peace. Make clear that you will marry, and host weddings, only for those who have accountability to the people of Christ and to the Word of God.
The Supreme Court has ruled on the much-awaited decisions on
same-sex marriage. How should your church respond? The first way is by
recognizing that marriage is not merely a public good, and it’s
certainly not simply a “culture war” political issue. Marriage is a
gospel mystery, the Scripture tells us, an icon of Christ and the church
embedded in the creation (Eph 5:32). When marriage falters, the gospel
is eclipsed. On the other hand, the conversation about marriage gives
the church the opportunity to point to a different word, the mystery of
Christ (Eph 3:4).
WHAT THE RULINGS SAY
- The Supreme Court ruled that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional. It was determined to deprive persons equal liberty protected by the Fifth Amendment.
- The Supreme Court ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act means that same-sex couples who are legally married will be entitled to equal treatment under federal law.
- The Supreme Court ruled that the defenders of California’s Proposition 8 did not have legal standing as private sponsors to appeal the federal decision to strike down the ballot.
- The Supreme Court ruling on Proposition 8 means that same-sex marriage may be allowed to resume in the state of California.
- These Supreme Court decisions mean that religious liberty challenges are soon to emerge in new and unprecedented ways.
WHAT HASN’T CHANGED
- Jesus Christ is still alive, and ultimately will bend history toward his kingdom.
- God, as Creator and Judge, determines the goal of human sexuality and the boundaries of marriage. The United States government, or any human state, didn’t create marriage, and can’t redefine it. The state can only recognize, or fail to recognize, what already exists: the one-flesh union that is the foundation of the family and every human civilization.
- The Bible addresses all of us as sexual sinners (1 Cor 6:18). We do not stand in judgment over others, as though we were righteous and whole.
- Our consciences and our churches are answerable to “another king, Jesus” (Acts 17:7) when it comes to matters of sexual morality and marital accountability. The First Amendment recognizes this free exercise of religion. Your congregation cannot be forced to perform same-sex marriages, to provide premarital or marital counseling to persons whose marriages you don’t recognize as biblical, or to jettison your membership requirements.
WHAT SHOULD YOUR CHURCH DO?
- Teach your congregation to avoid anger, outrage, or despair. Jesus tells us marriage has existed as a male/female one-flesh union “from the beginning.” This means marriage is resilient, regardless of what cultures do to minimize it.
- Love your gay and lesbian neighbors. They aren’t part of an evil conspiracy. They are, like all of us apart from Christ, seeking a way that seems best to them. Be kind, and respect all persons as image-bearers of God.
- Preach and teach on the integrity of conjugal marriage. Don’t assume your people understand the gospel foundations of marriage. Take this opportunity to point to the formation of healthy, gospel-shaped marriage cultures within your congregation.
- Repent of the ways our congregational cultures have downgraded marriage. If your church hasn’t addressed divorce, cohabitation, or fornication through proclamation and discipline, now is the time to repent and rework.
- Make your marriage convictions clear in your confession of faith. If your church assumes a definition of marriage, your confession of faith is now irrelevant. Defend your religious liberty by making your congregational conviction clear in your statement of faith.
- Make your marriage convictions clear in your church by-laws. Address what repentance and gospel fidelity looks like for those seeking membership, for those in good standing with your church, and for those who wish to be married in your church building or by the officers of your church.
- Stop laissez-faire wedding policies. Your church building is not a public space and your church ministers aren’t justices of the peace. Make clear that you will marry, and host weddings, only for those who have accountability to the people of Christ and to the Word of God.
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