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Cute beautiful girl folded her hands in prayer. A woman asks God for help.
Ask Roger

How Can I Pray so God Will Listen?

by Roger Barrier & Brie Barrier Wetherbee
written by Roger Barrier & Brie Barrier Wetherbee

I try to have a regular prayer life, but I feel like my prayers hit the ceiling. I promise God I will change, and I end up doing the same things. How can I pray wisely and know that God will answer?

Sincerely,

Jaden

Dear Jaden,

Did you know that we can actually pray “foolish” prayers? Prayers that God will not take seriously? Prayers that are disrespectful to God? Prayers that He says He will not answer?

I’m sure you’ve heard some of these “halfway” type prayers:

“God, if you get me out of this situation, I’ll serve you forever!”

“If you get Hayden to like me, I’ll go to church every week.”

“God, if you give me an A on this test, I will never steal the answers from the smart kid’s paper again.”

“I won’t have an affair, if you make my wife less irritating.”

I didn’t expect that it was possible to pray a “foolish” prayer when I was a baby Christian. I knew—and still do—that God hears our every prayer. When He hears, He promises to RESPOND. But the response may be yes, maybe, not yet, or simply, no. Sometimes He may tell us the “why” behind His answers. And sometimes He already has … let’s take a look at Scripture to learn more.

King Solomon explains that since God is speaking to us continually, we would do well to stop and listen to what He has to say before we pray.

Solomon explains what a foolish prayer looks like in Ecclesiastes 5:1-7:

Watch your step when you enter God’s house.

Enter to learn.

That’s far better than mindlessly offering a sacrifice

Doing more harm than good.

Don’t shoot off your mouth or speak before you think.

Don’t be too quick to tell God what you think he wants to hear.

God’s in charge, not you—the less you speak, the better.

When you tell God you’ll do something, do it—now.

God takes no pleasure in foolish drivel. Vow it, then do it.

Far better not to vow in the first place than to vow and not pay up.

Don’t let your mouth make a total sinner of you.

When called to account, you won’t get by with

                 “Sorry, I didn’t mean it.”

Why risk provoking God to angry retaliation?

But against all illusion and fantasy and empty talk

There’s always this rock foundation: Fear God! (MSG)

FIRST, WE DON’T WANT OUR PRAYERS TO OFFER THE “SACRIFICE OF FOOLS” TO GOD.

The “sacrifice of fools” is living life or doing things that don’t please or impress God.

The Bible mentions several types of the “sacrifice of fools.”

1. Giving God our leftovers. (Malachi 1:10-15)

2. Giving God lip service without a changed life. (Ezekiel 33:31-32)

3. Making decisions without carefully involving God. (Judges 11:29-49; Matthew 14:1-12)

Our prayers, no matter what we’re asking or why, become “foolish” when we’re living in any one of these ways. Can you imagine that God wouldn’t take us seriously if we’re praying with pious words and living sinful lives? Or that He won’t grant us our heart’s desires if those desires are of the world? Or if we march forward in our own will even as we’re asking Him to do His?

NEXT, OUR PRAYERS MUST SHOW TOTAL COMMITMENT AND SACRIFICE.

Everything we do in our bodies is a sacrifice offered to God. 1 Peter 2:5 teaches, “You also, like living stones are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

The author of Hebrews applies this principle to prayer; “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.  And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased” (13:15-16).

Again, when we come before God in prayer, He looks at how we’re living before He answers. When we live as He calls us to live, He hears our prayers and responds. He delights in the sacrifice of His people … and He is “provoked” by the sacrifice of fools.

SO, HOW CAN I BEGIN TO PRAY WISE PRAYERS?

First, get your heart right before God. Read His Word. Chase after Jesus. Seek to grow spiritually. Fight against sin instead of conforming to it. Follow His calling for your life the best you can.

Next, listen and receive what God has to say.

God speaks in a variety of ways. His Word tells us that He speaks through the Bible, circumstances, signs and wonders, other people, preachers and prophets, the peace of God, the creation, His Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Recognizing when God speaks takes practice. We have to be quiet in order to hear Him. That’s not easy to do in our busy, noisy lives. It also takes an awareness of spiritual things, which means staying in a spiritual mindset (Philippians 4:8).

Third, process what you hear from God carefully, in accordance with your understanding of who God is and His priorities for your life.

 When you hear God speak to you in prayer, listen carefully. Be prepared to obey when you hear Him speak. That specific commitment has everything to do with whether or not God will hear and respond to your prayers. After all, what good is it to interact with someone if you know they’ll just ignore you?

Finally, apply God’s words to your life.

Hannah made a serious vow to God and kept it: “O Lord of heaven, if you will look down upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you, and he’ll be yours for his entire lifetime.” (1 Samuel 1:11 NLT)

God knew she was serious. She fasted and prayed for months, never leaving the temple steps. Her actions showed her serious intentions. Her heart was open to hear Him speak … and she made a commitment to obey, no matter the cost.

God answered her prayer, not only giving her a son, but a son who would be the spiritual leader of Israel.

Well Jaden,

I hope this is really helpful for you—not only to help you avoid foolish prayers but to pursue prayers that God will answer.

Love,

Brie

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Ask Roger

Ten Questions I Always Wanted to Know about Heaven

by Roger Barrier
written by Roger Barrier

Dear Roger,

 

I am so excited about going to heaven. I am ready for the rapture. I hope it comes right now! But I don’t know enough about heaven. Can you fill in some of the details for me?

 

Sincerely,

Julie

 

Dear Julie,

 

There are ten common questions I hear all the time from people who are seeking to know more about heaven. I’ve collected them here, along with some biblical answers and practical application. I hope they’re helpful for you!

 

  1. Why does God need to make a new heaven and a new earth?

 

Satan and sin have desecrated God’s creation. In fact, Satan has had access to the present heaven—both before the Fall and after. In Job chapters 1-2, Satan leaves earth bound for heaven and argues with God over the righteousness of Job. I’m certain that God has a perfectly logical reason for allowing Satan to approach him in heaven; but, for the life of me I can’t imagine why!

 

Regardless, God needs to make a new one that is free from all sin. Looking to Revelation, John says, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea” (20:11).

 

Notice that Satan is the “accuser of the brethren” and will not be cast down from heaven to earth until Revelation 12.

 

  1. If God is planning to make a new heaven and earth, what will happen to the old one?

 

Heaven and earth can be destroyed as easily as God first created it. Peter gives us a picture of this destruction in 2 Peter 3:7-13;

 

And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire.

 

But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire.

 

On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. But we are looking forward to the new heaven and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.

 

A hundred years ago, no one could figure out how this might happen. But today, secrets of the universe are on display.

 

Einstein’s simple but profound E=MC2 revealed that a little matter can be turned into an unbelievable amount of energy. In the same way, the discovery of the Hicks-Boson particle verifies that a lot of energy can produce a small amount of matter. Both point to an understanding of how the elements will melt and how internal fires in the depths of the sun will destroy everything.

 

Colossians tells us that Jesus Christ holds the universe together. One day, when Jesus lets go, it will all be burned to hell.

 

There will one day be a vast holocaust (see Revelation 21:8). But instead of emptiness, stillness, and lifelessness, God promises a new and glorious world emerging from the ruins (Revelation 21:15-21). God’s aim is transformation!

 

  1. How big is heaven, and what does it look like?

 

Again, look at Revelation 21. An angel literally measures the city “using human measurement”:

 

The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick.

 

You might ask, “Well, will there be room enough for all of us?”

 

Let me show you how much room there will be …

 

Heaven is symmetrical, laid out like a large cube. Twelve thousand “stadia” converts to

1,500 miles. Imagine an area that reaches from Maine to Florida, and the Atlantic Coast

to the Continental Divide … then raise that up 1,500 miles.

 

That means heaven is a city with 2,250,000 square miles … and that is only the bottom level! Based on ratio population of persons/square mile in Dallas, heaven could hold six billion people.

 

Australian engineer postulated that a city the size of heaven with the density of London could hold 100 billion people … and only nine billion people now exist on earth.

 

Right now, heaven has room for every soul that has ever walked upon the face of the earth since the beginning of time. And that’s only the first floor!

 

Next, John saw heaven and described it as a prism of light, jewels, gold, and pearls. It’s all transparent, and the light of God flashes through the entire dazzling spectacle throughout all eternity:

 

The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.

 

I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. (Revelation 21:18-23).

 

We will be able to see God and His glory from everywhere in the city. His presence indwells every inch.

 

Every biblical writer who had even a glimpse of heaven was totally overwhelmed. Each saw a large lake of ice or crystal surrounding a throne upon which was seated the white-haired Ancient of Days.

 

  1. Will we recognize our family, friends, and loved ones in heaven? Can we have relationships with people that we never knew on earth?

 

I am often asked about marriage in heaven. Many people who are delightfully married want to still be married in eternity. Matthew tells us that we may be with our spouse, but we will not be married to him or her: “At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven” (Matthew 22:30).

 

Paul tells the Corinthians that we will know others and be fully known in heaven: “Now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12).

 

We will recognize our loved ones more by who they are than by that they look like, because we will inhabit our spiritual bodies rather than our earthly ones.

 

It follows from Jesus’ teaching that we may form as many relationships and talk to as many people as we like (see Matthew 8:11).

 

When I go to heaven, I first want to have a talk with Jesus! After I talk with Jesus, I want to spend time with my family. Then, I’d like to talk to my closest growing-up church friends: Gary Courtney, who was my most intimate Christian friend; Randy; Larry; Mike; Becky and Allison. Then, there’s Albert Fox who mentored me to desire to be a man of God at any price. Along the way he taught me the Bible as well as quantum mechanics and relativity theory. Then, there are my religious heroes, like Charles Spurgeon. I’ll stop there. I could go on and on. So could you.

 

  1. What will we be doing with our time in heaven?

 

Two things will occupy most of our attention in heaven. First, we will spend a significant amount of time worshiping and praising God:

 

“Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” (Revelation 4:9)

 

Second, much of our time will be invested in fulfilling our God-given duties and responsibilities, based on the number and types of awards that we earned on earth as a result of our profitable or unprofitable service for Jesus.

 

These rewards range from being saved, to special assignments from Jesus, to what size of mansion that we will have (see 1 Corinthians 3:10-13; Matthew 25:14-30).

 

  1. Will we find healing and comfort in heaven?

 

Revelation 21:4 declares, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

 

Alexander McLaren used to say, “Please be kind to everyone you meet because everyone is fighting a battle.”

 

Sometimes, he paused in the middle of a worship service and invited the people to look up and down the rows of people. Then he would say, “Why don’t you say a word of comfort to those who are sitting around you? Everyone of them has needs. Sometimes overt but most of the time hidden.”

 

I once did the funeral of a man who had suffered a lifetime of physical pain and agony. I was standing beside the open casket when one woman said to another, “He looks so peaceful. He doesn’t have to suffer anymore.”

 

No more pain and suffering. Jesus will wipe away all of our tears.

 

  1. Will we have full understanding of spiritual and earthly things in heaven?

 

Think of all the questions that you want to ask Jesus when you get to heaven. We will be able to ask and receive answers to everything. However, I would imagine that many questions that seemed so important on earth will not be nearly as important to us when we get to heaven:

 

For now, we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. (1 Corinthians 13:12)

 

  1. Can my loved ones in heaven see me and know what’s happening on earth?

 

Many would say “No.” I will emphatically say, “YES!”

 

Let me give you several examples.

 

In Revelation 6:9-10, saints martyred during the Great Tribulation look down from heaven as they pray for God to exact revenge upon their murderers.

 

In Luke 15:7, Jesus reveals that there will be more rejoicing in Heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

 

In Luke 16, Jesus tells about the rich man who see his brothers on the way to hell. The rich man begged Jesus to let him go warn them.

 

I am often asked, “But, will it hurt my loved ones in heaven if they see me having troubles and trials on earth?”

 

I don’t know the answer to that. I trust that God has it all figured out.

 

When our daughter Jessie died, we said to Jesus, “Would you please tell Jessie that we love her with all of our hearts and are looking forward to seeing her in heaven? I believe that she knows.

 

  1. How will I get from earth to heaven when I die?

 

Jesus promised, “In my father’s house are many mansions. I go now to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you may also be where I am” (John 14:1-4).

 

Isn’t that fantastic? Not only does He promise to go up to heaven and get our room ready, He’s going to come back and get us and take us up there.

 

I love that the Lord doesn’t send someone else to get us. That’s such an integral part of His character. He does it Himself. The Lord’s not going to send someone else. He’ll come in person to get us and to take us home. How precious we must be for Him to do that for us!

 

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2)

 

  1. How can we get to heaven?

 

The first step to experiencing the love of God is to confess your sin, invite Jesus to forgive your sin and to come into your life and be your Savior:

 

“For God loved the world so much, He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

 

Surrender to Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. Place your faith in Him as the one who died on the cross in order to forgive all your sins. At the moment you receive Him into your life He gives the gift of eternal Salvation, as well as the gift of the Holy Spirit who indwells you in order to guide and empower your life (John 3:5-8).

 

Well Julie,

 

I hope this answers many of your questions about heaven. I look forward to seeing you there!

 

Love,

Roger

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Ask Roger

What Can We Learn about Treasures in Heaven?

by Roger Barrier
written by Roger Barrier

Dear Roger,
I’m a new Christian, and I have been reading in the Bible about the crowns, treasures, and rewards that Jesus will give to Christians who live God-honoring lives here on earth. Recently, I came across a passage where Jesus talked about storing up treasures in heaven. What exactly are the treasures in heaven He’s talking about? And how do I earn them?
Thank you, Ana

Dear Ana,

I took a survey of several thousand people, asking them your questions. I think you’ll relate to some of the answers I received:

“I don’t know what the treasures are—do they have something to do with the mansions Jesus promised for us?”

“I don’t get it. If our salvation doesn’t depend on ‘good works,’ why does Jesus tell us we have to earn something?”

“Don’t we get treasures if we do good things? Like every time I do something that the Bible tells me to do, that puts a ‘treasure’ in heaven?”

“Aren’t the ‘treasures’ just one of those parables? They’re not real?”

I understand the confusion! Yes, the treasures are part of a parable—a story Jesus told with simple examples to help us understand complex spiritual truth. But they’re also very literal, because they’re mentioned many other times in Scripture.

God’s Word also tells us exactly how to “store up” heavenly treasures while we’re here on earth, why earning them matters, and what they’ll eventually be used for in heaven. So, let’s dig in!

1. What are “treasures in heaven”? How do you store them up?

From one end of Bible to the other, storing up treasure in heaven is consistently associated with giving to people in need. In Luke 12, Jesus explained,

Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (12:33-34)

Jesus had just shared the parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:14-21). The rich man had an abundant harvest, but rather than giving a portion to those in need or sharing with the community, he simply built bigger barns. He saved it all for himself, saying, “Take life easy; eat, drink, and be merry” (Luke 12:19).

God immediately called the rich man a fool, saying that he would die, and his wealth would go to waste. Jesus concluded, “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:21).

His solution? Give to the poor.

To make it simple, let’s suppose that you earn $1000 a month.

You follow good biblical economics. First, pay your 10% tithe to God. Then, you pay taxes to the government. You pay all your bills and essential living expenses. You are out of debt on all depreciating items. You save 10% or more for the future.

Then, at the end of the month, you have $100 left. There are only two things we can do with that $100. We can either store it in heaven—by giving to those in need or supporting ministries that accomplish Kingdom work—or we can store it on earth.

Jesus challenged the ‘rich young ruler” who came to ask how he could become one of His followers; “Go, sell everything you have give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then, come follow Me” (Mark 10:21).

But WHY?

2. Caring for the poor identifies us as God’s people. He often uses our compassion to draw people to Himself.

Jesus taught His disciples how to live on earth so that the world would see Him in them:

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. (John 13:34-35)

The love He’s talking about isn’t a nebulous emotion. It’s an action. It’s not only in our hearts; it’s in our hands. We show love by caring for one another—by meeting each other’s needs.

One of my favorite truths about sharing the gospel is, “They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

When people are hurting, struggling to meet their basic needs for food, shelter, and medical care, they can’t think beyond the physical. Can you imagine sitting on the side of the street, not remembering when you last ate, when someone comes up to you and tries to start a deep conversation about spiritual things?

You can’t focus on anything but the rumble in your stomach. You don’t want or need to talk. You need a meal. Dr. Tony Evans said it well; “They don’t need your words! They need your refrigerator!”

But when we generously share what we have, meeting critical needs first, people are often willing to listen. They see and experience God’s love through us, and they’re drawn to Him.

One of the ways we “store treasures in heaven” is by loving others and introducing them to the Savior. We will see each one in heaven for eternity.

3. Earthly riches come with no guarantee that they will last. Moth, rust, and thieves will eventually take it all.

In Matthew 6, Jesus teaches:

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)

Jesus is saying that your earthly wealth and possessions will fail. They’re temporary. No matter how hard we try to hang on to them, they won’t last.

In Jesus’ day, wealth existed primarily in three forms:

First, if you had several changes of garments, you were considered to be wealthy. But the moths could eat up your clothes. Today consider the moth of “style” which can eat up your clothes. They won’t last.

Food was another form of wealth in those days. If you had grain and oil stored up, then you were considered wealthy. But rust could eat it up. “Rust” is the translation of a Greek word which literally means “the eaters.” It could include rodents, insects or even bacteria. Rust can eat away your food. Think about all the food in your fridge that goes bad before you have a chance to eat it! It won’t last.

Money existed primarily in the form of gold and silver. There were no bank vaults, so people tried to hide it or bury it to keep it safe, but thieves could easily find it and take it away. Even with the banking system, our wealth in money is dependent on many outside factors, from inflation to stock market fluctuation to the global value of currency. It won’t last.

Even if you’re able to stockpile wealth here on earth, you won’t take it with you when you die. It won’t last.

4. We cannot chase after both God and money. We have to make a choice.

Jesus divides all people into two categories: those whose goal is to store up treasures on earth and those whose goal is to store up treasure in heaven. He warns us,

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Matthew 6:24)

But, of course, Jesus knew that we would attempt to pursue both goals, didn’t He? He knew that all generations—even His trusted followers—would attempt to gather wealth for themselves AND please God or “do the right thing” by giving to those in need.

Notice what Jesus didn’t say: “It’s inadvisable to serve two masters … unwise … difficult.”

He said, “It is impossible!” We can’t do the impossible. No man can serve two masters, so we must make a choice between the two.

I am convinced that the typical 21st-century Christian is attempting to do the impossible.

The typical Christian will swear his allegiance to Jesus Christ outwardly. Make no mistake about it. He or she will identify with the church in its mission and ministries, be faithful to the church, teach Sunday School class, give to missions, etc.

But inwardly, he or she clings to the love of things. His or her heart is torn in allegiance between two masters.

No matter how faithful we look on the outside, God knows our hearts.

5. Just because we choose to follow Jesus doesn’t mean that our thinking is straightened out on this subject.

Unless we have made a conscious choice—asking the Holy Spirit to guide us—to think biblically about material things, we will fall right into the trap of materialism. It’s part of our sinful humanness, and it takes God’s work in our lives to change our priorities.

We will naturally swear allegiance to Jesus, but we will still hold onto our things at all cost.

We want to be Christians and we want to be materialists.

We want to store up some treasures in heaven, and we want to have some stored up on this Earth as well.

We are choosing the impossible option. We must make a different choice.

Jesus told us exactly what to do in Luke 12:14; “Watch out! Be on our guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

6. Not all treasure bound for heaven will end up in heaven. God will use some of it to meet our needs on earth.

It is a grave error to believe that treasure stored in heaven is reserved exclusively for eternity!

By urging His followers to store treasure in heaven, Jesus had no intention of denying them their earthly needs. He declared,

Why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:28-33)

If God clothes billions of flowers with a beauty that cannot be duplicated in the laboratory or in the textile mill, throws them all away, and does the same thing the very next day, don’t you think that He can put clothing on a Christian who is concentrating on storing treasure in heaven?

He knows that the believer who is concentrating on storing treasure in heaven has earthly needs. He will not overlook that fact. He will meet your needs.

But there is no promise in the Bible that God will meet your needs if your goal is storing treasure on earth. In fact, the whole thrust of this passage is that storing treasure in heaven is the only means of assuring that our earthly needs will ever be met. This is our only guarantee of security on earth.

Imagine that God has a bank in heaven, and we have deposited treasure in it. If you have a need, God utilizes those resources to meet your needs. However, if you have made no deposits in Heaven, God has no resources with which to work.

That may be why some of you are in financial trouble and your needs aren’t being met by God—and your prayers seem to bounce.

6. Are you afraid to store your treasure in heaven? Are you worried about not having “enough”?

You may be afraid to store treasure in heaven. You may be afraid that you are going to run out on the earth. You may be afraid of losing financial security here, or you may be afraid that you will miss out on some joy or pleasure from that money.

I think we’ve all asked, “Lord, if I’m not laying up treasures on the earth, what assurance do I have that my earthly needs will be met?”

Jesus knew that you were going to ask that. Let’s look back at Matthew 6:

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? (6:25-26)

This passage is a conditional promise. Notice that it hinges on the word, “Therefore.” In Greek, it means, “assuming.” Jesus is tying together everything he just taught:

“Assuming that you have made a commitment to store up treasure in heaven instead of on earth … assuming that you actively move possessions from earth to heaven, then all the promises that are about to follow will be yours.”

Notice that this is not a blanket promise. There is no promise that God will provide for the Christian:

…who sets his or her heart on laying up treasure on earth.

…who refuses to work.

…who overspends his or her income.

…who mismanages his or her money.

…who lives contrary to the biblical principles of finances, such as tithing or caring for the poor.

Do you follow what Jesus is saying here? “If you follow my instructions here, then you will never have to worry about having your earthly needs met.”

Ana, I know it takes faith to store treasure in heaven because we can’t see it or measure it or count it in our checkbook. It takes faith to believe that it is really there. I think that’s why Jesus declares, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom” (Matthew 6:32). He keeps His promises. Always.

Love, Roger

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Ask Roger

What is Happening in Heaven Before the Tribulation?

by Roger Barrier
written by Roger Barrier

Dear Roger,

There is so much talk and discussion these days about the antichrist, the Second Coming, the mark of the beast, and so many other end times subjects. I’ve never read or heard anyone talk about what’s going on in Heaven before the beginning of the Great Tribulation. Can you help me here?

Sincerely, Susie

Dear Susie,

When thoughts about Heaven flood your mind, what do you think of?

Most of us imagine that Heaven is someplace even more comfortable than Earth. We think that if we have $1000 here, we’ll have $10 million there. If our pillow is soft here, it will be really fluffy up there. If the music is soul-stirring here, it will be unimaginably beautiful there.

We are so earth-bound that without realizing it, we think that everything in Heaven must somehow be compared to the way we have it now—except that heaven will just be a whole lot better.

When Julie and I were in Hawaii, we’d say, “Is this Heaven? It doesn’t get any better than this.” But Hawaii is nothing like Heaven.

When Julie and I were in Switzerland, we’d say, “Is this Heaven? It doesn’t get any better than this.” But Switzerland is nothing like Heaven.

We could spend our lives dreaming about Heaven, but we would be wasting our time.

Why? Because moving from the realm of the seen to the unseen—moving from the creature comforts and tangible benefits we have on this earth—it is impossible for us to grasp a world without 24-hour cycles of day and night. No gravity. No sun. No moon. No stars. No night.

Nothing that we call the familiar will be in that unfamiliar, resplendent, glorious place. So with that truth in mind, let’s try to get a feel for what’s going on in heaven right now, even before the Great Tribulation takes place on earth.

Join me to look at Revelation 4:1-11, verse by verse.

Suddenly, the apostle John—who is isolated in a penal colony on the Mediterranean island of Patmos—is transported to a glorious non-Earth setting where he is told to write about things revealed to him. We can only imagine his frustration as he tried to put into words the indescribable scenes that unfolded before him.

Revelation 4:1

After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”

You’re thinking of a door, aren’t you?

Everyone has doors in their houses. But this is not a normal door with a knob and keys and hinges. It’s a moving entrance from earth to Heaven. The only way John can describe it is with a term we’re familiar with; a door. This entrance is available for those times when spiritual creatures, like angels, need to move up and down from earth to heaven.

In chapter one of Revelation, we learn that the One who speaks like a trumpet is the Lord Jesus Christ. That means the beginning of chapter four may well describe the Rapture described in First Thessalonians 4:16, “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God and the dead in Christ will rise first.”

So, the Lord Jesus Christ is serving as an escort throughout Heaven to show John into the portals beyond.

No one knows what Jesus will shout at the Rapture. Personally, I think that he will shout something like “Come up here!”

Revelation 4:2

At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.

Stop! You’re thinking of a piece of furniture. I understand. Because the only throne we have ever seen is a big, elegant seat—an enormous golden chair with stuff all over it and people sitting on it with stuff all over them. And it’s all about stuff.

But this is not about stuff. This is about the ethereal, invisible, ineffable world of the unseen where the Living God is enthroned. John is trying desperately to describe the awesome majesty of our God.

Revelation 4:3

And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne.

Jasper is a diamond; Carnelian is a red stone. Rainbow “like” an emerald – green – halo extended over all that he saw.

Notice that John makes no attempt to give us clear-cut anthropomorphic details.

God is often described as Light (Psalm 104:2). John sees Him as light; brilliant light shining from an awesome, nearly indescribable presence here in the throne room of Heaven.

Revelation 4:4

Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.

The metaphor, “dressed in white” is used throughout Scripture as a picture of Christ’s righteousness and forgiveness of sins.

Next, there are two types of crowns mentioned in the original Greek.

The first is a “diadema.” This is the crown of the king, encrusted with a multitude of precious stones.

“Stephanos” is the laurel wreath crown that comes from accomplishment, victory, and reward. It is usually made of plated leaves and ivy—you’ve seen pictures of them on coins. It is usually given out at athletic events, like the ancient Olympics.

These elders wear “stephanos” crowns.

Immediately, then, the question is, “Who are they?”

Frankly, no one knows. Pages of commentaries have been written, but everyone’s just guessing.

Some say they are the twelve apostles and twelve tribes of Israel. Others say they are the Old Testament Jews as well as the New Testament believers. Perhaps these 24 represent rewarded believers, chosen by the Almighty to reign alongside of Him in positions of authority.

If this is true, they could include any of us.

Revelation 4:5

From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.

Thunder and lightning can be scary! Think about a mom and dad as they put their five-year-old to bed. Later that evening, a ferocious thunderstorm begins. They thought their child would be terrified with all the light and sound.

But when they ran to her bedroom, they found their daughter standing on the windowsill, arms stretched out, smiling into the face of the storm. “Look,” she said, God is taking my picture!”

Perhaps the lightning and thunder described all of Heaven announcing God’s presence!

Revelation 4:6a

Also, before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

This sea is often pictured as glass, or crystals, or ice, or water.

This is one of my favorite passages in all the Bible because it reminds me of God’s deep love and concern for us.

In Psalm 56:8, David describes how God puts all of our tears into His bottle. I picture the sea surrounding God’s throne as the bottle which contains all the tears that we have shed throughout our lifetime.

Revelation 4:6b-7

In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle.

The gospel, the story of the life of Christ, is a singular message—yet we have four records of it from four different points of view, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

The animals John describes here are highly symbolic. They typify a decidedly different aspect of the character of Jesus Christ as delineated in each gospel.

Matthew presents Jesus as a king. He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah.

Mark is portrayed as an ox because Mark presents Jesus as a slave.

Luke pictures Jesus as a man, portraying the human side of Jesus.

John presents Jesus as an eagle because eagle stands for deity.

Revelation 4:8

Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night, they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”

What’s going on in heaven?

The four living creatures never stop saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”

This is describing an antiphonal sound. Have you ever sung in a large choir? Sometimes one side sings a part and the other answers. Then they sing together. That “ask and answer” is antiphonal voice.

Think of the contrast. They pray ceaselessly while we fiddle around on earth worried about our plans and our disappointments and our future and our money and our homes and our dreams.

Do you think that John right now is worried about supper on Patmos? Is he asking, “Did I close the door to my cave when I left, or did I leave it open?”

None of that matters!

It’s all about the heavenly Almighty! And the elders seated beside Him! And the angels shouting and praising in antiphonal voice! All are giving glory and thanks and honor to Him who sits on the throne.

Revelation 4:9-10

Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives forever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

There is a lot of activity in heaven!

Some are speaking ceaselessly. Some are kneeling. But when this sound comes, they’re caught up in it. They fall down before our awesome God, and they cast their stephanos crowns before the throne.

And best of all, everyone in heaven will realize that this is “not about me.”

What a magnificent moment it will be, as we who may be rewarded with a crown or two realize, this is not about me. This is not remembering my work. This is all about my God who gave me breath in my lungs, and a voice to speak, and thoughts to think and a direction to go. It’s all about my God.

And we all join in the praising.

Revelation 4:11

[The elders say] “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

Amen! That’s exactly the way it is.

It’s all for His glory, for His purpose. That’s why we were created. That’s why we’ve been made. That’s why we live. That’s why we exist at this very moment. That is all part of His plan. It is all for Him—our birth and death, our disappointments and achievements, our marriages, our failures, our every moment of life.

It is all about the One who is worthy to receive glory and honor and praise.

So, Susie, you may be asking, “What does this mean to me?”

I’ve often found that when we get hold of prophetic truth, it’s amazing how our everyday worries become less significant. Life looks very different from the perspective of the throne room.

Love, Roger

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Devotionals

Freedom from the Fear of Death

by Lysa TerKeurst
written by Lysa TerKeurst

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:55 (ESV)

Losing someone you love can cut into your heart so viciously that it forever redefines who you are and how you think. It’s what I call deep grief.

It strains against everything you’ve ever believed. So much so, you wonder how the promises that seemed so real on those thin Bible pages yesterday could possibly stand up under the weight of this enormous sadness today.

This is part of what makes talking about death so difficult. The mere mention of death and dying can stir up a tremendous amount of unresolved grief.

I remember standing at the side of a casket too small to accept. Pink roses draped everywhere. My heart stunned and shattered. There are still certain dates on the calendar that can trigger a flood of questions and pain surrounding the tragic loss of my baby sister. I imagine you have days like that, too.

But it’s not just grief that makes it hard. There can also be a lot of fear. Fear of other loved ones dying. Fear of our own death. Fear of what the process of dying might be like for us.

It can all feel so overwhelming and paralyzing.

How thankful I am that Scripture holds powerful truths we can remember when the fear of dying tries to keep us from truly living. We can feel afraid … but we don’t have to live afraid.

We are taught early on as Christians that “… the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23, ESV) and that Jesus came to pay that price for us. Hebrews 2:17 specifically says He came “… to make propitiation for the sins of the people …” (ESV). The definition of the Greek word used here for “propitiation,” hilaskomai, means both “to make atonement” and “to show mercy.”

I love how we see the mercy of Jesus on display in Hebrews 2:14-15: “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery” (ESV).

These words feel so very personal.

What grace and kindness, that Jesus would come to free us both from the power of death and the fear of it.

Donald Guthrie states in his commentary on Hebrews that it seems “paradoxical that Christ used death as a means of destroying the maliciousness of death.” But because death had become a reality for us as a result of sin, only the offering of Jesus’ sinless life could reverse this curse. (Romans 5:12-17)

Through His death, Jesus defeated death for us. And His resurrected body allows us to now declare, “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55, ESV).

This doesn’t mean our hearts won’t ever experience deep grief or feel the pain of loss this side of eternity. Even if you stripped a lethally poisonous scorpion of its venom, its sting would still hurt. But the scorpion’s strike would no longer hold the power to end your life. This is what Jesus has done. He has removed the fatality of death’s sting. He has given us the victory. (1 Corinthians 15:57)

For those who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord of their lives, death isn’t the end. It’s another beginning. Death is but a passageway at God’s designated time for us to finally escape this broken world full of imperfections and be welcomed to the home we’ve been longing for our entire lives. (Revelation 21:4)

I know how incredibly hard all this can be. But let’s hold on to the sweet knowledge that Jesus has already gone before us. We don’t have to be afraid.

And if you’re struggling with the piercing pain of deep grief right now? I’m so sorry, sweet friend.

Even when we know without a doubt that someday we will see our loved one again, the reality of deep grief is that it takes time. It takes prayer. It takes wading through an ocean of tears, only to discover one day that the sun is still shining.

Give yourself some grace, and keep clinging to the knowledge that God is near and every one of His promises is true.

Father God, death feels like one of the very worst things that can happen. And yet Your Word tenderly reminds us that it is only by our physical death that we can be resurrected in perfect union with You and receive our heavenly body. Thank You that Jesus willingly experienced death so that we can have eternal life. And thank You for meeting us in our questions and tears with Your kind presence and the hope of Your Word. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Re-printed from https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2021/07/15/finding-freedom-from-the-fear-of-death.

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Articles

Why Don’t We Talk About Death?

by Randy Alcorn
written by Randy Alcorn

Why don’t we talk about death? Why are we silent about the inevitable? Randy Alcorn shares his thoughts:

“There’s an old story of a slave who travels with his master to Baghdad. Early one morning, milling through the marketplace, the slave sees Death in human form. Death gives him a threatening look, and the slave recoils in terror, convinced Death intends to take him that day.

The slave runs to his master and says, “Help me! I’ve seen Death, and his threatening look tells me he intends to take my life this very day. I must escape him. Please let me leave now and flee on my camel so tonight I can reach Samarra, where Death cannot find me.”

His master agrees, and the terrified servant takes off on the fifteen-hour journey to Samarra.

A few hours later, the master himself sees Death among the throngs in Baghdad. He boldly approaches Death and asks him, “Why did you give my servant a threatening look?”

“That was not a threatening look,” Death replies. “That was a look of surprise. You see, I was amazed to see your servant today inBaghdad, for I have an appointment with him tonight in Samarra.”

While the imagery is pagan, the central moral of the story is biblical. “No man has power over the wind to contain it; so no one has power over the day of his death” (Ecclesiastes 8:8).

The time of our death is unknown to us. But the fact of our death is inescapable. We may spend our lives running from death and denying death, but that won’t stop death from coming at its appointed time.

As human beings, we have a terminal disease called mortality. The current death rate is 100 percent. Unless Christ returns soon, we’re all going to die. We don’t like to think about death; yet, worldwide, 3 people die every second, 180 every minute, and nearly 11,000 every hour. If the Bible is right about what happens to us after death, it means that more than 250,000 people every day go either to Heaven or Hell.

In his book Remember Death: The Surprising Path to Living Hope, Matthew McCullough writes this about the taboo of death in our culture:

When is the last time you heard a sermon about death, or heard the subject raised in a small group or a Sunday school class? We don’t talk about death anymore. Why not?

Geoffrey Gorer, an English sociologist, was among the first to examine this roping off of death from polite conversation. In a groundbreaking essay called “The Pornography of Death,” Gorer draws a telling analogy between the place of sex in the nineteenth century and the place of death in the twentieth century. Even as the prominence of sex has broadened—in conversation, in a mainstream television, in what kids are allowed to see and know—death has been shoved out of sight and out of mind.

In the 1870s, when death was everywhere, it would have been embarrassing to bring up sex at a dinner party. It would have been shameful to admit you think much about sex. It would have been irresponsible to talk to your kids about sex. But by the late 1950s, when Gorer wrote, the taboo had shifted. Death had already become in the twentieth century what sex has been to the nineteenth century. In the nineteenth century adults told children that babies came when storks dropped them at the front door. Those same children stood bedside as their loved ones died. Now kids learn that grandpa’s death means he’s gone to a place where he can play golf or go fishing all day. Meanwhile, kids have 24/7 access to sexual content in their Instagram feeds.

How about you? Have you and your family talked about the certainty of your deaths, and how that should impact your lives now? Not talking about death won’t postpone it a moment. Talking about death won’t bring it a moment sooner. But it will give us opportunity to be better prepared when it comes.

David said, “Show me, O Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man’s life is but a breath” (Psalm 39:4-5). Picture a single breath escaping your mouth on a cold day and dissipating into the air. Such is the brevity of life here. The wise will consider what awaits us on the other side of this life that so quickly ends.

Since life’s greatest certainty is death, it only makes sense to prepare for what lies beyond this life. Any life that leaves us unprepared for death is a foolish life. Matthew Henry put it this way: “It ought to be the business of every day to prepare for our last day.”

For more on the subject of death and eternity, see Randy’s books In Light of Eternity and Heaven.  For inspiring quotations about death and resurrection and Heaven, see Eternal Perspectives.

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Articles

God and Gender: A Balanced View

by Jeff Jones
written by Jeff Jones

 

This study is a comprehensive look at a difficult topic. Please read the article in its entirety. Although this article is specifically about homosexuality, all iterations of LGBTQ+ issues can be applied in these Biblical principles.

Gender issues fill the news and the political arena. Battle lines are drawn. Where does the church stand when it comes to combining Biblical truth and compassion? Here are my thoughts:

  1.   God loves gay people, and godly people do too.
  2.   God designed sex to be expressed between a man and a woman in the context of marriage. Any other sexual expression is, therefore, outside of God’s design.a) Homosexuality is a sin, not the sin.
    b) Homosexual behavior is sinful, but a same-sex orientation is not.
    c) Any sinful act or lifestyle is ultimately destructive to us and offensive to God.
  3.  God will always give strength for believers to face any temptation and has power to transform lives.
  4.  The church is to be a community of fellow strugglers who authentically and truthfully journey together toward greater wholeness and healing.

“Homosexuality is certainly a hot topic, and one that stirs up lots of emotion. That was illustrated to me a few years ago by a fellow senior pastor of a large church on the West Coast. He related a faux paus during one of his sermons.

The pastor was teaching about sexuality, and he opened his sermon by telling a story from his childhood, when he first realized that boys and girls really are different from each other. The first line of his message was, “The first time I realized my own sexuality…” They have three services on Sunday, and in the first service, he messed up a little bit. He said, “The first time I realized my own homosexuality…” He then caught himself, and corrected it, actually started over. During the second service, he was concentrating really hard, and actually shared with that service his earlier mistake. Then, on the third service, he said, “The first time I realized my own homosexuality…” and then went, “Acchh! I keep doing that!” Then continued, without making the correction. In this particular church, especially, this was quite a statement to make. Nobody heard a word he was saying after that. They just sat there, with their mouths hanging open. After a while, his worship pastor interrupted him and said, “You know how you keep messing up that first line. This time you messed up, but you didn’t correct it.” He then did.

 

Although it was a funny story, this pastor shared that it actually caused him lots of problems. Not everyone had a sense of humor about it, and some of his detractors spread rumors that it must really be true—a Freudian slip. People left the church over that, which shows just how sensitive this particular issue is. People in culture may have a sense of humor about it, but often in church that’s not the case.

 

So I want to cut through any tension and simply take a look at what the Bible teaches about homosexuality and what the implications are for us as Christ-followers. If you are uptight right now, just relax…take a breath.

 

Before we do look at the Scriptures, I do want to say a few important things. First, I am not an expert on gender issues and sexual identity. I don’t pretend to be. So, I am not going to be giving my expert opinions about those things, because I don’t have any. I am simply going to attempt to stick with what the Bible clearly teaches and try to be very humble about issues the Bible doesn’t address, such as are people born gay or do they become gay due to various environmental influences after birth. You or I can have opinions about that, and various researchers have opinions about that, but the Bible doesn’t answer that question, so I’m going to be very open and humble about that one. I don’t know, and there are other issues surrounding the topic in that same category.

 

Secondly, this whole issue of sexual orientation and identity is far more complex than many people try to make it. In doing the research I’ve done, I realize that this is a very complex issue, and I’ve been impressed with some Christian thinkers who seem to understand that and really very frustrated with others who try to make this whole discussion simplistic. I don’t want to make that mistake, and I also want to avoid making blanket statements about anyone, stereotypes that are unfair. Some of what I’ve read make these blanket statements from highly questionable studies on homosexuality about all gay people being a certain way or having a certain agenda. I don’t like it when people make such blanket generalizations about groups I am part of, such as evangelical Christians, and I don’t want to do the same to any other group. When we are in a group, we know how much diversity and complexity there is. When we are outside a group, it’s easy to make stereotypes. Let’s not do that, and in any follow-up discussions let’s not let each other do that. Slander is a sin that is listed as one of the top seven God particularly hates.

 

The last disclaimer I’ll make before moving on is this: because this issue is very complex, I am not pretending that I’m going to answer every issue on this topic in one article. My words are a discussion starter, not ender. With all that said, let’s isolate what the Bible clearly teaches about homosexuality and gender issues.

 

1) God loves gay people, and godly people do too.

 

God is not homophobic. God loves gay people. Do I really have to list a bunch of Bible verses about God’s love for humanity? God doesn’t love labels. He loves people. Whether people are gay or straight, Asian or European, black, white, Hispanic, male or female—he loves people, as they are. One thing that unites everyone in this room, whoever you are, is that God loves you with a crazy, unconditional love.

 

If God loves that way, then godly people do too. Anyone who doesn’t is just not godly. We describe our churches as a “come as you are” churches, because that’s the church Jesus envisioned and how he lived his life. Jesus would not want to go to a church where gay people aren’t welcomed with open arms.

 

I’ve been very impressed with gay people I’ve met here in our church who are so forgiving for the incredibly bad treatment that they’ve received all their lives, or at least after they came out, from people within churches. Often the church is the worst place to be. People who name the name of Christ are often the same ones saying horrible things or walking around with signs about how God hates gay people, how such people deserve hell. Often Christians act as if gay people are the enemy, and treat people that way.

 

Or even if it isn’t that blatant, we allow environments to exist where gay people are maligned or made fun of, where jokes and barbs are thrown around. And I’ll have to raise my hand on that one in my own past, where I have joined right into some of that. I used to laugh at gay jokes, until I became friends with several gay people, and then God convicted me of my sin toward them. After developing friendships with gay people, gay jokes were offensive, not funny. So, for those who are gay here today, and have been treated badly by people naming the name of Christ, I apologize. I can promise you that the God who grieved seeing how his Son was maligned and persecuted has also grieved seeing you maligned and persecuted.

 

Another pastor friend of mine in Grand Rapids did a great job of building an environment that welcomed those with any sexual orientation simply by doing a funeral. A family wanted a pastor in the area to do a funeral for their gay son who died with AIDS. Every pastor the funeral home called said no, until they got to my friend. He said, “I’d love to!” Just that one little display of love toward a group of people who have felt such hate from churches opened the door to reach hundreds of people for Christ. That’s the kind of environment Jesus wants to build, and any time we violate that we grieve the Holy Spirit who is at work in the church.

 

God designed sex to be expressed between a man and a woman in the context of marriage.  Any other sexual expression is, therefore, outside of God’s design.

 

To understand God’s design for human sexuality, let’s go all the way back to the beginning, to the book of Genesis, 2:18: The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

 

The Lord God made a woman, brought her to the man, v 24: For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

 

We learn a lot about God’s design right in these few verses. First, God created sex, and therefore sex is a really good thing. Two, He created humans with gender, male and female, and the suitable complement for Adam was a woman. Third, sex was not only designed for man and woman but in this committed relationship called marriage, where man and woman enter into a covenant relationship.

 

So, God’s design for sex was to be between a man and a woman in the context of marriage, as man and woman enter into a covenant relationship. Any sexual expression outside of that design is sinful and ultimately, therefore, destructive. Homosexuality is one departure from that design, because God did not create sex or marriage to be a same sex relationship. Since homosexuality violates God’s blueprint for sexuality, it shouldn’t be too surprising that when the Bible speaks about homosexuality it describes it as a sinful departure from God’s will for us.

 

Leviticus 20:13 says: ‘”If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable…

 

The same word is used in that passage to describe adultery, or sex outside of the marriage relationship, by the way. Romans 1:18 and 26-27 says: The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness…Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

 

There is not one example where homosexuality is mentioned in the Bible where it is condoned. Because it is outside of God’s design, it is always described as sin. That said, we need to remember some important things about this.

 

Homosexuality is A sin, not THE sin.

 

Let’s keep reading in Romans 1, that just talked about homosexuality in Romans 1:28-32: Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

 

That’s quite a list of sins, homosexuality being one of them…but one of them. Christians often put homosexuality on a sin pedestal so high, that people who struggle with sexual identity issues or who want to work through things, can’t. Sins like arrogance, materialism, gossiping, slander, are fine for people to struggle with, but often homosexuality is not even okay to be a struggle. Galatians is another example where homosexuality is one of many sins listed to avoid, but one of many. We are all sinners, and all of us on this journey toward wholeness and healing in our lives need to be free to be honest about our struggles and create environments where that can happen.

 

Homosexual behavior is sinful, but a same-sex orientation is not.

 

Another extremely important thing to remember in this discussion is that homosexual activity is sinful, but not the orientation that direction. This does get to the most common objection to what the Bible says about homosexuality: “This is just how I am made. If I could choose to be different I would be, but this is who I am. It’s not fair, how could God condemn me for just living out who I am?” I do not doubt the reality that many people have a strong same sex orientation that is just as strong as my opposite-sex orientation. Whether we are born with that or environmental factors contribute to that orientation, or a combination of that, is up for debate. However a same-sex orientation develops, that orientation is no different than any other kind of orientation someone can have toward a particular behavior or lifestyle outside of God’s will.

 

We are all sinful people, and that means we all have strong orientations toward things outside of God’s will for us, whether that’s pride, a bad temper, slander, gossip, materialism, pornography, alcohol abuse, a gambling addiction. Every one of us in this room has life struggles with sin, strong magnetic pulls away from God and toward sin. Having an orientation toward something doesn’t make it legitimate. I have strong orientations towards certain sins that are temptations I have to fight and struggle with, and work through, and so do you. We are all born depraved, sinful people, and we will struggle with sinful tendencies and temptations. We can’t just say, “Well, that’s just the way I am. I can’t control my anger. I can’t help it!” We can win over temptation and tendencies.

 

Just because we have an orientation toward something doesn’t mean we have to translate orientation into activity. And orientation, or temptation, is not sinful. The activity is.

 

The Bible says that Jesus was tempted in every way that we are. He knew temptation, but he did not know sin. He felt that strong pull, but did not sin. If someone has a strong same-sex orientation and preference, that’s not sin. Acting it out is.

 

Any sinful act or lifestyle is ultimately destructive to us and offensive to God.

 

God isn’t being mean here. He laid out a way of life according to his will because he wants us to find joy and meaning and hope and righteousness. Ultimately, any sinful path is destructive in our lives, not constructive. Because of that, I would not be a loving pastor to act like homosexual activity is no big deal, because it is. It, like all sin, dishonors God and harms us and our relationship with God.

 

A number of years ago, I was talking with a pastor friend of mine at a week-long training I was one of the speakers for. He was a pastor of a very large church in LA that had just been on the cover of Newsweek for their incredible ministry to those affected by HIV/AIDS. We took a walk together to talk, and I asked him about his ministry and how a church like ours could better show love to that population. He began to talk of the overlap between that group and those who were gay, how much hurt and distrust there is in the gay community toward church in general. I asked, “How can we do a better job loving those who choose to live a gay lifestyle?” He then said, “Please don’t call it a choice. For some of us, that’s how God made us.” “Oh,” I said. “Oh…” It took me aback, because I didn’t expect that. But we were friends by then, and I said, “James, if we are going to grow in friendship, honesty and authenticity has to be at the heart of it. I want you to be honest where you are coming from, and for me to love you well, I need to be honest as well. I believe choosing to live out that lifestyle is a choice, even though a person may have a strong same-sex preference that they would not have chosen, and that there is a distinction there. I also believe that anyone who goes down any path outside of God’s will is going down a self-destructive path, and I don’t want that for anybody I love. So, I want you to be honest, and I want the freedom to be honest in return, and then we can be real friends.” He said, “You know, I accept that. I get that you want what is best for me, and we might disagree about what that is, but I don’t want you to do anything less than what you said.” It’s not loving to be dishonest, but we can love those we disagree with as well.

 

God will always give strength for believers to face any temptation and has power to transform lives.

 

1 Corinthians 10:13 says No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

 

Sexual temptation is perhaps the hardest to fight, but God’s promise is real. He will strengthen us so that we can win over any temptation, and always provide a way of escape.

 

When it comes to same-sex orientation, this does seem to be a very powerful tendency. Over time, can God transform that? Sure he can, and there are stories of that happening, as people pursue counseling and engage loving community, that God actually changes that whole tendency and preference.

 

But often that is not what happens, as with any other orientation away from God’s will. I love hearing stories about people who struggle with addiction for example, where God just takes the desire away. Those are cool stories, but they are the rare ones.

 

My own experience with sinful tendency and orientation is that he has not taken all my sinful tendencies away. What he has done is given me strength to face them, as I am honest with God, honest with other supportive friends, as I flee tempting situations, and then trust God to be faithful. It’s actually in that weakness that spiritual growth happens, as we learn what it means to rely on God, as we learn what it means for him to be our strength.

 

Friends of mine with a same-sex orientation tell me that this is a strong orientation; there is no flip of the switch to change it. If there was, they would flip the switch. Therefore, unless God changes that orientation over time, then what are Christians with a gay orientation left with as an option? A celibate life, which is a hard reality.  Celibacy is a tough road, and can feel like a curse, like it isn’t fair. How could anybody live that way?

 

But let’s take a fresh look at this hard reality, because the nature of God’s redemptive power is that the hardest realities become the most profound opportunities. Stick with me a few minutes on this, and let’s turn in our Bibles, or the ones in the seat backs, to 2 Corinthians 12, where we learn that the things we struggle with most, that we want God to remove the most, might be the very things we become most thankful for in the end.

 

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10: No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.


To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

 

Paul describes both outer struggles, persecution and the like, and this inner struggle he had which he describes as a thorn in the flesh, something that Satan used to torment him, a real struggle in his life. We don’t know if it was a sin struggle, an emotional struggle, or a physical struggle, because he doesn’t tell us. It could have been any of these. Three times he prays fervently for God to take it away, and each time God said no, and then a final word: My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

 

This is a very profound reality for anyone who wants more than anything else to be godly. For anyone who wants more out of life than for it just to be easy.

 

Some of our struggles that we want so badly for God to remove, that we see as enemies to real life, may actually be the very things God will use to give us real life, real godliness, depth of maturity.

 

In Paul’s case, when he prayed for God to change him, to remove the struggle, God didn’t do that. And what Paul came to learn is that the struggle itself was the very thing God used to give him what he wanted most—real godliness. Struggles are not enjoyable, but the deeper the struggle the greater the opportunity for God to be strong in our weakness. When God allows a thorn in the flesh, when God allows a struggle, even as we pray for him to remove it, maybe the most gracious thing he can do is to not remove it, so that this profound growth can happen.

 

If you have been a Christ-follower for some time, chances are you have run into the writings of Henri Nouwen. Henri Nouwen was a brilliant man, a former Harvard professor, who later devoted his life to work with the mentally challenged. He is also arguably one of the godliest people of our generation and certainly one of its most profound writers on the Christian life. If you have never read a Henri Nouwen book, you really need to make that a goal for this year. If you do, it won’t be your last. What a lot of people don’t know, and what he wasn’t public about until the last years of his life, is that he was a gay man living a celibate life. His thorn in the flesh was a same-sex orientation that God never removed. Instead, God gave him the strength to live a celibate life, and in that struggle, incredible maturity and depth was born. That depth of understanding and intimacy with God does not come cheap. It only comes with struggle, allowing Christ to be strong in our weakness. Without weakness, there is no real growth.

 

Here’s where that takes me. For those of you who identify with Henri Nouwen with a same-sex orientation, that struggle may well be a gateway to a profound relationship with God and ability to impact others. In obedience, he chose a life of celibacy, because God never took that basic desire away. I believe that this particular struggle that we are talking about today, one of basic sexual identity, is one of the most difficult struggles a Christ-follower can face, but the deeper the struggle, the greater the opportunity.

 

I will never be a Henri Nouwen. I do struggle, and I am learning what it means for God to be present in that struggle and be strong in that weakness. But I don’t struggle at the same depth that he did, and that some of you have the opportunity to do. If you walk in obedience as he did, relying on Jesus for strength, you have the opportunity to be a Henri Nouwen in a way that I just don’t. And we need you to be. God’s redemptive powers are such that the best leaders, most profound writers and sages, will come from those who struggle with issues as profound as same-sex orientation that God might never remove.

 

In fact, that’s the only way such people can develop to be who they are. I’m not saying this is easy, but it is a profound opportunity.  You could get angry at God, or you could blow it off and live in disobedience, but what a missed opportunity!

 

The church is to be a community of fellow strugglers, who authentically and truthfully journey together toward greater wholeness and healing.

 

We are all just a group of fellow sinners and strugglers. We are all just a bunch of messed up people, on this journey together toward wholeness and healing and transformation. God accepts us as we are, and then he begins to transform us. All too often though churches become places that crucify honest strugglers rather than embracing them.

 

Chase Oaks must be a place where we can find real community, in life groups for example, where we can be honest and open about any struggle and find help and encouragement and healing and strength for the journey. Yes, it is a walk of obedience based in truth and holiness, but it must be one where we patiently help each other take each step and get back up when we fall.

 

This week, I received this email from a fellow church member, that puts a very personal face on this issue we are talking about:

 

Dear Mr. Jones, I wanted to thank you and the church for your Urban Legends series, especially the sermon about God not being homophobic. That truly means a lot to me. Ever since I have come to terms with my sexuality a couple of years ago, it has been hard going to church because I am wondering what people are thinking of me and if they are judging me. It happens to me every single day, but sometimes I feel it is the worst at church. It hurts knowing that you are a Christian but people don’t like you because your sexuality is different. Trust me, if it was up to me I would change my sexuality in a heartbeat. When I came out to my friends, I lost nearly all of them. I am grateful to still have my family though. Some people don’t even have that. In high school, before I came out, people were using vulgar slurs at me, shoving me against lockers, and even chanting death threats. It has gotten better since college, but it is still difficult. What is hard is that I can’t tell my younger sibling about my sexuality. I want to tell him, because he is starting to turn homophobic, saying that gay people are creepy and evil and deserve to go to hell. It hurts knowing that your own family is saying that about you…

 

He continues, but how do we love our brother well? Like all of us who struggle with whatever we struggle with, we point each other toward God, toward a righteous path, and we lovingly help each other take step after step. Henri Nouwen once wrote about such depth of friendship:

 

Henri Nouwen wrote these words:

When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing, and face us with the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.
– Henri Nouwen

 

For those with a same sex orientation, I admire you for sticking with me, but the truth is we all have some hard truth to hear on this message. But I do want you to hear something in conclusion. If that is your struggle, you are no different than any of us who also struggle with various other temptations and desires. Christ is working on all of us. You are surrounded by bad company here, a big collection of messed up people who are honestly seeking God.

 

Rather than shoving sin underneath the surface or just rationalizing a sinful path though, we are committed to bringing it out into the open and helping each other move toward healing and obedience and wholeness. God calls all of us to become something we aren’t naturally, which is like him. Whatever the nature of our struggle toward obedience, I hope you feel free to join fellow Christians in this journey.”

www.chaseoakschurch.org. Also view panel discussion: http://www.chaseoaks.org/2016/05/conversation-gender-dysphoria/

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