Michael Kelley's Blog, page 236

Fridays Are For One Question

There’s a rumor going around that Burger King is beginning the testing phase of a bacon-flavored sundae:

I’m not sure what to think about this. On the one hand, I think our society is probably big enough, and we don’t need bacon and ice cream together.

However…

I have long held the hypothesis that bacon is one of those foods that, when added to anything, makes that thing better.

What can I say? I’m torn.

So on the subject of bacon, here’s today’s question:

“What’s the greatest dish you’ve ever had that involved bacon?”

5 Things the Gospel Has to Say About Disappointment

Disappointment is almost a daily part of life. You know the feeling – at its core level, disappointment is about unmet expectations. You have in your mind the way a relationship, a situation, an interview, a meeting, a conversation – pretty much anything – should go, and then it goes differently from that. You walk out of that situation feeling wronged somehow. Slighted.

There's a couple of ways it can go from there. One way is very bad. You can dwell on the way things should have been, and in so doing, feed the beast of bitterness inside you. Or, you can actively think on the truth of the gospel. You can apply what you know to be true about Jesus to that situation of unmet expectations.

So what might the gospel have to say about disappointment? Here are a few suggestions:

1. Your worth is determined not by the outcome of this situation. It's determined and set by the cross of Jesus Christ. So regardless of how this turns out, you are secure in Him.

2. Because you feel so disappointed right now, you can ask the Holy Spirit what that disappointment reveals about your heart. Perhaps you have placed this hope, this relationships, or this job in higher esteem than you ought. Repent, and return to your first love that still passionately loves you.

3. Praise God! Evidently, there is some pitfall in your future that you are not aware of. God, who is working for your good, sees and knows all things. Thank God that He is protecting you from yourself, for surely you would fall into some kind of sin or trouble had things worked out the way you thought they should. Thank God He's wiser than you are.

4. You do not have to be ruled by your emotions in this moment. You can choose joy in Christ. But learning how to do that only happens during seasons of disappointment. You are free, in Christ, to be okay in Christ.

5. Jesus loves you. He really, really does.

"Faith Limps" Bible Study

I wanted to tell you today about a Bible study that has been released based on my book, Wednesdays Were Pretty Normal: A Boy, Cancer and God. It's called Faith Limps: Trusting a Good God in a Broken World.

Whereas the book delves into the personal story of our family's battle with childhood cancer, Faith Limps is intentionally written toward a more general audience. It talks about difficulty and suffering that inevitably enters into any life, and how we might view that kind of difficulty through the lens of faith.

Here's the description from the back of the leader kit:

Pain, discouragement, and hardship afflict everyone, ravaging your sense of well-being and challenging your assumptions about life. Suffering brings you face-to-face with questions like:

- Where is God?

- Did I do something to deserve this?

- How can I trust a God who let this happen?

- Will life ever be normal again?

The Bible study includes a six session DVD in which I do some teaching on each session, a workbook, and a copy of Wednesdays Were Pretty Normal. My hope is that maybe you will pick up Wednesdays and immediately think of others in your church or community who might benefit from the message, and then be willing to lead a study that details some of the general principles you've found there.

If you're interested in learning more about the Bible study, you can find it here.

 

The God of "No" or the God of "Yes"?

I have lived much of my life thinking that Christianity can be summed up in a single word:

No.

The negative is the mark of the mature Christian. Or to put it another way, you can measure a person's devotion by what they are willing to say no to. Alcohol, drugs, sex, cursing – no, no, no, no. And if you are really good at saying no, then you are a good Christian. The issues with that kind of measuring stick are numerous, but the question I think for this morning is where does it come from.

Pride? Yep.

A desire to quantify your spirituality? Absolutely.

But also this – those who approach their faith like that do so because they are reflecting what they perceive to be the modus operandi of God. We are a people of the no because God is a God of the no. Now you can look through the Bible and see plenty of times when God says no about different issues of conduct. But the no is only the beginning point. It's not the end.

But wait, our hearts say. The Ten Commandments are all about saying no. Saying no to idol worship, saying no to adultery, saying no to Sabbath corruption. Where is the positive in these commandments?

It's on the other side of the no – in the love the commandments point us to. Jesus pointed us this direction in His commentary on these commandments, making sure that we understand that the physical act of saying no isn't enough. We need to not just say no; we need a new heart of love that looks past the love to the yes of the gospel.

God doesn't have us say no to adultery and stop there. He has us say yes to a love and grace filled marriage that is so fulfilling that we need not look elsewhere.

God doesn't have us say no to covetousness and stop there. He has us say yes to our riches in Christ that drive out our desires for trivial material things.

God doesn't have us say no to lying and stop there. He has us say yes to the truth and the freedom that it brings to all situations.

When Jesus commanded us to take up our cross and die, it wasn't so that we would lose our lives. It was so that we would find our lives, for Jesus knows that true life is only found on the other side of death. The glorious yes is the flip side of the coin we often leave with the "no" facing upward.

The path of self-denial is one that must be walked. But it's only the path. The destination is of self-fulfillment. Self-fulfillment when, having denied oneself, Christ is your all.

The Dark Knight Rises Lego Style

This is absolutely amazing. Someone – some brilliant, bored person – has recreated the entire trailer for the third installment of the Batman franchise entirely in Legos. So two videos: first of all, the trailer for the movie, followed by the Lego version:

I Am Barabbas

He's barely mentioned in the Bible, and yet his story, maybe more than any other, serves to explain the gospel. He is Barrabas.

Or rather, I am Barabbas.

Here is what we know about this man:

1. He was a rebel. One of his crimes was insurrection; he led a rebellion against the rulers of the land, the Romans.

I, too, am a rebel. Despite the benevolent rule of my King, I have both willingly and by my very nature participated in heinous acts of rebellion against the rightful rule of the God of the Universe.

2. He was a murderer. Apparently during his rebellion against the ruling authorities, someone died, perhaps at his very hand.

I, too, am a murderer. Not just of my fellow man, having wished them harm, but of Jesus Christ whose life I have chanted for through my varied and sundry acts of despicable sin. I have chanted along with the crowd, "Crucify! Crucify!" for I saw Him as a threat to my commitment to my own desires.

3. He, though guilty, was released and an innocent was punished in his stead. Barabbas was shocked to find that somehow, some way, all charges against Him had been dropped. Someone other than him was to die that day, though surely he deserved the punishment.

I, too, have been released. The punishment that was rightfully due to me has been handed down to another. Someone – an innocent man – has been crucified in my place.

I am Barabbas.

You, too, are Barrabas.

And now we stand with this man. Suddenly freed from condemnation. Blinking our prison-darkened eyes in the light of the sun of liberty. Facing the penalty of death, we now surprisingly stand free. Free to work. Free to enjoy. Free to live.

What will I do with this freedom?

And what will you?

When "Abba" Became "My God"

Yahweh.

We say it now with some casualness. It's another name for God, albeit in another language. It's become a helpful tool for sounding smart or spiritual – like a more official title for deity or something like that.

Not so to the Hebrews.

This was a holy name. THE holy name. The name that was so holy – separate – that it was never uttered. Never wholly written. In fact, we might even be pronouncing it incorrectly because it was never said out loud in ancient times.

Can you imagine, then, the outright scandal with some upstart rabbi showed up on the 1st century Palestinian scene not using this name, but referencing the God of this name with utter and complete familiarity.

Jesus called Him "Abba." Daddy. A term of affection.

No wonder they called Him a blasphemer. The gospels record again and again Jesus calling God His Father, all the while the onlookers marveled:

Where is the fear?

Where is the respect?

Where is the reverence?

Oh, they were all there, but something else was there too. There was love – both given and received. But there is one instance when Jesus didn't use this name for God. There was one moment when "Abba" became "My God."

As Jesus was suspended in the air, nailed to two cross beams, He felt the broken relationship with His Father as sin was thrust upon Him. The unthinkable happened, and Jesus responded by quoting Psalm 22.

"My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

"Abba" became "My God" at the cross.

But gloriously, "My God" also became "Abba" at the cross.

The unthinkable happened. Those held at a distance from God because of their sin suddenly had access into the unseen realms of glory. The far were brought near. The alienated were brought inside the house. The enemies became children.

And we now cry, "Abba, Father," precisely because He cried "My God."

That's what we celebrate today – this Good Friday. We remember today, of all days, that now we can gratefully approach God in the way Jesus did – as children do to their loving Father.

Jesus Isn't Afraid of that Smell

John 11 records one of the best known miracles of Jesus – the raising of Lazarus from the dead. And yet when you read the story in its entirety, you begin to see some of the great detail John recorded in order to put us in Bethany that day.

Take, for example, the fact that Lazarus had been in the grave for 4 days. That's pretty significant; a detail that was put there purposely by John.

Jewish folklore was that the soul would hover above the body for up to 4 days after death, looking for signs of life and a chance to return. But after four days of death, there was no hope. Decomposition would have started. The body would have begun to decay.

And the smell. Maybe that would have been the worst part. The smell would have been putrid. Abhorent. Disgusting. The body would be sealed inside a tomb to keep the smell of the dead away from the living.

The smell is the smell of death. Of rottenness. Of lifelessness. A sensory reminder that the situation was beyond repair.

But Jesus isn't afraid of that smell.

He strode boldly to the tomb and commanded that the stone be rolled away, but there were protests. "Lord, he already stinks. It's been four days," said the grieving sister.

"Don't roll the stone away. It's going to stink. Let us leave him alone; what good is there in confronting that smell? The smell of death?"

But Jesus isn't afraid of that smell. He inhales it deeply and then spits it back out. He's not afraid of it because He won't abide it. He reaches into the smell of death and produces the fragrance of life. He did it with Lazarus; He did it with me; and He's doing it countless times every day.

We recoil at the smell of death. Our stomachs turn. Bile comes up in our throats. But Jesus? Jesus beats back the stench of death with the fragrance of life.

And the dead come forth…

Where is your sting, death? That's what Paul asked. He asked because the sting is nowhere to be found. Jesus confronted it… and won. Because He did, He's not repulsed by the seeming stench of death. In that smell, Jesus sees the potential for new life.

Praise God as we draw nearer to Good Friday and Easter. Praise Him today, for He is the God who brings us out of the grave, just as He did His own Son.

There is No Such Thing as a Cross-less Christ

There is an ongoing discussion regarding professional athletes and the hall of fame for their respective sports. The discussion enters debate when an athlete should clearly be included in history because of their performance on the field, but they have some glaring incident or character flaw that plagued them during or after their career. Can such a person be admitted?

Some say yes – that the hall of fame's purpose is to memorialize exceptional performances on the field. Their personal life is insignificant.

Historians argue the same issue when evaluating presidential terms. Sure, he did wonderful things in the world and for the economy, but is his legacy tainted by accusations of sexual misconduct and explosive anger?

I'm not here to answer either question, but allow it to illustrate a question about Jesus this Easter season. For there are many who dearly love the teachings of Jesus in all their rebellious love and extravagant grace and audacious freedom, and yet do not want to talk about the cross. It's an unfortunate period to the story of this great teacher, and so we would do better to play up the teachings and play down the blood and the guts and the gore.

You might do that with athletes. Or even with presidents. You cannot do it with Jesus.

There is no "Christ" without the cross. But don't take my word for it. Take from Jesus Himself:

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"

They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"

Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."

Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven…" (Matthew 16:13-17).

Well done, Peter. That's the right answer. Amidst the wealth of confusion about the identity of Jesus, you nailed it. So right are you, in fact, that your answer could not have come exclusively by your own intuition or intellect – it was a gift from God Himself. But Peter did not understand the implications of calling Jesus the Messiah, or the Christ:

From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"

Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns" (Matthew 16:21-23).

Peter wanted a cross-less Christ. A great teacher. A charismatic leader. But a dead one? A suffering one? Unthinkable. That can't be right. But according to Jesus, the very idea that He might be Christ and yet not face the cross is blasphemous. An idea with demonic origins. It cannot be so – Jesus won't stand for it.

If you take the cross away from Jesus, you strip Him of His mission. You devalue His life. You nullify His authority. And You stand against His crowning triumph and glory.

Jesus withstood the taunts of the soldiers. He was silent before the mocking crowd and the preening government officials. But He will not remain silent when someone tries to separate Him from the very reason He came to earth in the first place.

There is no such thing as a cross-less Christ. As you continue to prepare for Good Friday and Easter, remind yourself of Jesus' willingness to take on the cross. Consider that this act was His choice, a willing submission, for the sake of us all.

What Would You Do If You Knew You Would Die on Friday?

- Speak honestly about what angers you (Matthew 23:1-36).

- Provide perspective to those around you (Matthew 24).

- Reflect on what really matters (Matthew 25).

- Have dinner with friends (Matthew 26:26-30).

- Let those around know how much you love them (John 13:1-20).

- Comfort your friends with hope (John 14).

- Pray (Matthew 26:36-46).