Heaven, Hell, & the Glory of God

I recently preached a sermon entitlled, "Hell, Adding Dimension to Hope," from 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 as part of our current sermon series, "Unwrapping Hope." The premise of the message was that just as the study of heaven helps Christians to better understand the hope that God has given them in salvation, the study of hell adds greater dimension to a Christian's understanding of hope.

I would like to take a moment to expound on a concept that I was only able to briefly touch on in my sermon. The connection of God's glory and hell. Within pop culture, hell is viewed as Satan's hangout spot. Within much of western Christendom, hell is overtly or inadvertently diminished by treating the subject with silence. Contrary to these two views, the Bible clearly teaches that hell is a real place that demonstrates God's glory.

God created heaven so that His unveiled glory could be demonstrated to believers. The awe of heaven will not be so much the beauty of heaven itself, (although the beauty will be beyond anything our finite minds can imagine), but the reality that one will be able to bask in the presence of God's unveiled glory. Simply put, God's glory is demonstrated through heaven by the fact that He can redeem sinners and make them holy so that they can experience His unveiled glory.

God created hell to punish sin with eternal righteous punishment. So then how does this reflect God's glory? Well, whenever we sin it is an attack on God's glory. God's response to this attack on his glory by punishing the offender is a demonstration of both His glory and the infinite value of His glory. This does not mean that God delights in a sinner suffering, but instead demonstrates that the infinite value of God's glory, His justice, and righteousness demand the ultimate penalty for sin be eternal punishment in hell. This is how John 3:17, "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him," fits with 2 Thessalonians 1:7b-8, "When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might."

Both the beauty of God's redemption and horror of God's judgment equally demonstrate His glory.

Praise God that he sent His Son to pay the penalty for sin by being an atoning sacrifice so that one might someday stand in the presence of God's unveiled glory.

Intellectual Honesty, Questioning God, & David Bazan

I enjoy music, the arts, and film, all of which demonstrate the creativity God has bestowed upon humanity. I recently picked up a new album by David Bazan, the front man for the now defunct indie rock band Pedro the Lion. I was a big fan of Pedro the Lion and enjoyed their creativity, intellectual honesty, and spirituality, so was quite excited to find that Bazan had put out a new album.

As I listened to the album I noticed a shift in Bazan’s worldview. I applaud Bazan’s authentic and frank discussions about his doubts of God, the Scriptures, and original sin; however when his questioning turned him into his own genius peppered with cynicism rather than coming back to a faith in God, I was quite disappointed.

Is it wrong to question or doubt God? The book of Job and much of the Psalms record people questioning God, his goodness, his power, and what He does. Questions are good, because God desires people who process and think. The problem is when one’s question turns them into their own genius and they begin to set the parameters for their own reality. This was exemplified in the fall of Adam and Eve. Was it wrong for Adam and Eve to question God?...Probably not. What was wrong however was when the questions turned Adam and Eve into their own genius and they placed their intellect above God.

Each of us experience times of questioning God. For me this has happened both at an intellectual level as I tried to wrap my mind around what I believed to be truth as well as, at an emotional level when my soul had been hurt. The important question is, “What do we do during seasons of doubt in our life?” The answer to this question is in Job 40:8 and 42:1-6. Job 40:8-9 records God’s response to Job after Job has questioned Him and states, “Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. Will you even put me in the wrong? Will you condemn me that you may be in the right?” God was saying, “Man-up and instruct me…condemn me so that you can justify your own genius.” God then gives Job a demonstration of his power. Job responds in 42:1-6 with repentance and confession to the majesty of God.

Just as with Job, may our doubts and questions towards God conclude in the arms of God.

Worship

Some of my greatest joys and most challenging moments stem from interaction with my daughters, Selah (3 ½ yrs.) and Kaiyah (2 yrs.). As a new parent I am continually trying to mold (otherwise known as con) my girls to do the right thing for the right motives. Through this process I am beginning to uncover what every veteran parent knows; it is much more challenging to help kids obey with the right motive than to just merely obey.


The book of Hosea records how God dealt with this same issues as He interacted with the children of Israel. The theme of this book is God’s loyal covenantal love for His people despite their unfaithfulness. Hosea 6:6 reads,

“For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather
than burnt offerings.”

God’s people had failed to understand His true desire for them. Instead of steadfast love and knowledge for God they brought him sacrifices and burnt offerings. So why did God want steadfast love? Had He not commanded them to bring sacrifices and burnt offerings? Yes, however the sacrifices were not an end in themselves. Instead, the purpose of the sacrifice was an outward demonstration of inner allegiance and love that their covenant with God demanded. The Hebrew word translated steadfast love in this verse is, hesed, which is the same word used throughout the Old Testament to describes God’s loyal covenantal love towards his people. God desired that they not only be obedient to His commands, but that their heart/motivation driving their obedience be right. Even though the Israelites continued the motions of worshiping God, their heart for God was nonexistent. This made the sacrifices and burnt offerings meaningless and offensive (Isaiah 1:11-20).


It is easy to get wrapped up into the motions of, “doing church”. Sometimes I have to step back and ask myself, “What is the driving force of my worship to God?” When we understand that our worship towards God should be an authentic response to His work within us, great freedom emerges. The driving force of our worship and obedience towards God becomes driven by love. May we not enter into worship with the wrong motives so as to relegate it to meaningless ritual, but instead may we live out the words of Hebrews 12:28-29, “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, for our God is a consuming fire.”

Forgiveness: Life in a Dysfunctional Family Part 6 -Genesis 42 & 43

There are times in life where it can seem that nothing would be sweeter than revenge. In Genesis 42 Joseph had the perfect opportunity to exact revenge on his brothers who he runs into when they came to Egypt to purchase food. Joseph, who is not recognized by his brothers, has supreme authority under Egypt’s Pharaoh and could easily have taken revenge on his brothers for selling him into slavery twenty years earlier. In an act of forgiveness however, Joseph forgoes the opportunity for revenge.

Although Joseph forgives his brothers, he chooses to not make himself known for the purpose of testing them to determine if they had changed. Joseph understood an important precept that although forgiveness is an obligation, trust should always be earned.


Passages like Ephesians 4:32 clearly teach that forgiveness is to be given freely even to those that are undeserving. Much like God forgave us while we were His enemies. This however does not mean that one should be just as quick to extend the hand of trust. People often take trust and forgiveness to be synonymous. They believe that forgiving someone also means fully restoring trust. Trust must be earned.


Remember the next time you are hurt to quickly offer forgiveness in an effort to demonstrate God’s own forgiveness in your life while allowing your trust to be earned over time.

God's Call: Life in a Dysfunctional Family Part 5 -Genesis 41

How do you view your future? When you think about what you want to accomplish and were you want to go, is God the driving force behind these aspirations, a bargaining partner, or an afterthought?


In Genesis 41:1-49, Joseph realizes that God had allowed the previous thirteen years of hardship to prepare him for an important task. In retrospect each hardship had brought Joseph closer to Pharaoh’s court where he was ultimately used to interpret Pharaoh’s dream and devise a plan to save all of humanity from starvation. Joseph’s consistency and faithfulness to God was an integral part of fulfilling God’s call for his life.


If you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, like Joseph, God has a special call for you. So how does one fulfill God’s call for their life? It begins with readiness and faithfulness. Joseph’s life exemplifies this truth as he spent thirteen years consistently loving and serving God in spite of tough circumstances.


What are you currently doing to be ready for God’s call?