Our Own Image

In the beginning, God made man in His own image, and man has been trying to return the favour ever since.

The kind of god we want to worship is the kind who is pretty just like us – thinks like us, hates like us, feels like us – a projection of ourselves. But there is nothing more spiritually dangerous than a ‘safe Jesus’ that mirrors broken us. What we need is not another one of ourselves, but a God with power and might and knowledge completely beyond the bounds of human understanding and existence.

If you say that you can’t worship a God that you can’t totally understand, perhaps you’re only really interested in worshipping yourself. This started way back in Genesis 3, where the serpent suggested, and Adam and Eve accepted, that there was satisfaction, wisdom and beauty to be found outside of God. And since then, all of man has been deciding that some other thing or person will satisfy, enlighten and enthral more than God would.

But when we find the courage to take our eyes off ourselves, to stop digging around in the rubbish dump of our culture for any scrap that advertises such false satisfaction, and to turn our eyes upon Jesus, we will be transformed (2 Corin 3:18), made whole, and we will get all the satisfaction.

Means & Motive

Imagine the story of Ruth if Boaz was incredibly kind and gracious, but did not have the means or money to support Ruth and redeem her.

Or imagine he had all the resources at hand, but was completely indifferent to her.

It would have been an average, disappointing end. But the good news is that Boaz was good and he was able.

And Boaz being just a shadow of Jesus, imagine how good and able our God is. He has both perfect motive and endless means.

You see, God is so so good.

Give thanks to the Lord for he is good and his love endures forever. Psalm 136
Gracious and compassionate, abounding in love and showing faithfulness to generations. Psalm 145:7-9

But if he only loved us and had these wonderful precious thoughts toward us, but no power to act or intervene, then it would be nice, but what good would it really be?

But the beautiful news, friends, is that he has absolute power and authority and resources: means. He holds the universe in his hands. He speaks stars and planets into existence. He alone holds the ultimate ability to give and take away. 

Have a read of Psalm 145:3-6.

He is perfectly good and absolutely able.

So because of that, verse Psalm 145:13 onward (faithful to all his promises) can be true.

He is good and able when it comes to your salvation. Your provision. Your sanctification.

Why is that goods news?

Because it means that every single thing that occurs in your life has come to you through the filter of God’s goodness and his power.

And in no way to belittle the terrible struggles that some of you are going through, but yes, even that. Even in the darkest of nights, God’s goodness and power hold true.

And though we don’t understand, we have to, by faith, cling to that truth all our days.

In 2 Chron 20, the Israelites are facing terrible armies, with no earthly hope of surviving. I love how Jehoshaphat prays - we don’t know what to do but our eyes are on you.

We cling to his promises. We cling to his character.

Though, on this side of eternity, we may not always FEEL God’s goodness (it is still true, but masked and hidden in the brokenness of our world), after a little while we will see goodness face-to-face.

And that is our hope.

Relax

Ma Mademoiselle, it is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you tonight.
And now we invite you to relax, let us pull up a chair as the dining room proudly presents - your dinner!

An invitation to relax. To take a deep breath. An invitation to cast your burdens down on the only One truly strong enough to bear them all. A call to green pastures and quiet waters. To a restored soul.

Doesn’t that sound incredible? I know it’s definitely what I need. 

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11:28-30

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul.” - Psalms 23‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭

The Ground Began To Shake

Appearances of God are often accompanied by earthquakes. Mountains tremble. The rocks split. People quiver in fear, building foundations rattle, and the land rumbles. When the earth is visited by its true King, it shakes. Why? The glory of the Lord (Psalm 99:1).

Consider what happens when something glorious, heavy, and weighty descends upon something lighter, flimsier, and less substantial? Displacement. The heavy thing pushes the lighter thing to one side, and it (whether it wants to or not) has to move to make space for the heavy thing. If I jump and bomb into a pool, I displace the water, it cannot stay where it was. The weighty substance displaces the flimsy one, and the flimsy one shakes, gives way, and is forced to reorient itself around the new weight in town.

This is exactly what happens when the divine glory of God descends upon Mount Sinai or the temple or anywhere on earth. God displaces that which is trivial and temporary, and forces the earth to reorient itself around him. The earth trembles and quivers in response to the arrival of a far more glorious and substantial reality. 

A made-up God will leave your world undisturbed, conveniently aligning with your priorities without displacing anything, because ultimately you are more glorious than it is. The real God, however, will land in the middle of your life like an elephant crashing through the ceiling, displacing your sin, changing all your priorities, and forcing you to reorient yourself around the weight of His glory.

The two most important and hope-filled events in the history of the world, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, were both accompanied by earthquakes. When Jesus died, the earth shook and the rocks split (Matthew 27:51). When he rose on the morning of the third day, the same thing happened again (Matthew 28:2).

The Lord is more substantial than even the fiercest enemies we have: sin and death. Jesus died and displaced sin; rose and displaced death. The weighty glory of the unshakable Saviour crashed into the lightweight chaff of the enemy and displaced him forever..

When the King of the Universe enters the chat, everything on earth—the people, the mountains, the temple, the principalities and powers, even death itself—is shaken. But on and in Him we can stand firm.

“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe” (Hebrews 12:28).

In Whose Image?

 I recently saw a tweet by Tim Keller that said:

"If your god never disagrees with you, you might just be worshipping an idealized version of yourself."

Idealized and idolized. Am I too busy trying to make God agree with me and my agenda? 

As it says in Isaiah 55:8-9, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Because we are so inherently different, because God is so absolutely holy, of course He will often not agree with me. 

So I need to change my ways, and not try mold God into mine. He is God and I am not. I need to let God be God. After all, if he thinks exactly like me, is he really God, or am I just making him in my own image?

Be Holy

 "The lie we’re telling ourselves is that compromising holiness will ensure church growth. That’s false. Embracing and raising up those who are faithful and obedient, as witnesses to our culture, will attract the world. Without holiness, Jesus Christ can’t be seen in us by the world; and without love, the world will resist the truth of this holiness.”

— David Bennett

It's becoming increasingly tricky and challenging to be counter-culture as we try to hold to the holiness of Jesus while loving and living in our broken world. Reading this reminded me that, despite the difficulty and indignity it may cause, it's a cause absolutely worth giving my life to. 

"Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” — 1 Peter 1:13-16

God Is Love

"Love, I have come to learn, is not God. Flip that. God is love. The God revealed in Jesus Christ is the definition of love. This difference changes everything."

— David Bennett

God is love. (1 John 4:7-8)

God so loved the world. (John 3:16) 

God showed his love among us. (1 John 4:9-11)

God's unfailing love for you will not be shaken. (Isaiah 54:10)

The Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever. (Psalm 136:26)

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! (1 John 3:1)

The love of God is fierce and says, “I will not leave you as orphans” (John 14:18). But it also says, “Pick up your cross and follow me!” (Matt. 16:24). It’s not a cheap love; it is a holy love that changes lives.