Author Archives: Syd Brestel

Unknown's avatar Syd Brestel 5:10 am on September 5, 2019
Tags: Upper Room Discourse, What is truth?, Who is God?   

Asking the Right Question

If I knew for sure that I would die tomorrow…I would strongly desire to spend my last night with my family and closest friends.

Wouldn’t you?

That’s exactly what Jesus chose to do. He shared a meal with His disciples, but none of them had any idea this would be their last meal with Jesus. John records these tender events for us in chapters 13 through 17 of his gospel. We call it “The Upper Room Discourse.”

The dinner begins with snippets of conversation about the day’s activities, but the atmosphere changes when Jesus rises to wash the feet of these proud men. Shame morphs into suspense when Jesus announces that one of them will betray Him that very night. There were only two natural responses to a statement like that: Either assume Jesus is mistaken, or try to imagine who is guilty.

Can you visualize the moment? Suspicious eyes dart from face to face, but nobody dares to ask. Except Peter, of course, who signals for John to ask Jesus. Judas is candidly exposed as the traitor. John’s account says that “as soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night” (John 13:30, niv).

Contemplate those last three words: “It was night.” Can you sense the foreboding? This was more than an ordinary night. It was much darker than that. This was spiritual darkness. It was Satanic.

We can understand and appreciate the conversation that followed by considering the questions tumbling from the disciples’ mouths. Each question reveals their deepening confusion and grief. The questions will evolve from Peter’s curious, “Who’s the traitor?” to the most profound question in life.

            After Judas departed to pursue his evil plot, Jesus began to talk about being glorified. Affectionately addressing them as “My children,” He said, “I will be with you only a little longer.” The word translated “little” is the Greek word micron, from which we get our English word micro. This is significant because whatever Jesus was predicting was going to happen very soon. Not centuries later. Not days. I believe Jesus was talking about tomorrow’s crucifixion and the resurrection to follow on Sunday. A cross, a grave and resurrection would result in great glory.

Peter asks another question. It was a question I would have considered asking if I had been there in the Upper Room that night: “Lord, where are you going?”                                   

Jesus responded, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.”  Now try to wrap your mind around that response. If Jesus was referring to His crucifixion, remember thatHe would also predict Peter’s death by crucifixion (John 21:17-19).

Still in a fog, Peter responds, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” At this point, it seems to dawn on Peter that something violent is imminent—prompting him to declare his intent to defend Jesus, even to the death.

It’s a noble response. But when Jesus replies, it almost sounds sarcastic. “Will you really lay down your life for me?” He then adds, “I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”

Before we condemn Peter, let me point out that when Jesus said, “I tell you,” the pronoun you is plural. Each of the eleven would deny Jesus in some degree that night. Check out John 16:32, where Jesus warns that each man would scatter, leaving Him alone in the hour of His greatest sorrow.

Jesus encourages them to not be afraid but to trust God, “I am going there (toHis Father’s House) to prepare a place for you.” We have all come to love those comforting words. He assures His disciples that He will return and take them to be with Him.

His affirmation that they already knew both the route and the destination initiated another question.

This time Thomas asks for clarification, “We don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”  Sounds like a logical question, but I sense a tinge of anxiety in his voice. After all, if they were supposed to follow Jesus, they needed to know the destination. I am so grateful Thomas dared to ask his question, because Jesus’ response has become one of the most quoted verses in all of Scripture. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Jesus explains that if they really knew who He was, they would also know the Father and added, “From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

Still confused, Philip blurts out, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” In that one request, Philip asks the big question that every person must face. We want to know if there is a God what God is like. The answers to those questions are game changers. If there is no God, we are the product of chance and there is no reason to be good and no standard for determining what is good or bad. And since there is no life after death and no judgment to come, let’s pursue all the pleasure we can squeeze out of our short lives.

But then again, what if there really is a God? What then?

Perhaps you have prayed, at one time or another, “God, if You are there, reveal Yourself so that I can believe.” That was Philip’s request, but much more intriguing was Jesus’ response: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.”

Think about it this way, Philip asked for evidence or truth about God—and the Truth, THE Truth, was standing right in front of him. Irrefutable evidence that Jesus was truly the way, the truth and the life was sitting at the table with the disciples.

They had spent almost three years sharing meals with Jesus, watching Him heal lepers and the crippled and those born blind. They had witnesses Him raising Lazarus from the dead, walking on water and feeding multitudes. What more was needed to validate Jesus’ amazing claim?

After thirteen radio interviews about the book, God in His Own Image, almost every interviewer has asked me to respond to a statement like this: “I love the God of the New Testament, but not the angry God of the Old Testament.”

My response is two-fold: Have they read the older Testament? For that matter, have they truly read the Newer Testament? The same God is revealed in both. Yahweh in the Old Testament is patient. His love is unbreakable. He prefers to respond with mercy but will mete out appropriate justice. Jesus in the New Testament is both a lamb and a lion. The gentle shepherd riding a donkey and the King of Kings with blood-stained robe mounted on a war horse rendering severe judgment. Jesus knew how to effectively use the whip, in righteous anger, to cleanse the Temple—His Father’s House.

Philip wasn’t only person in the Bible who asked for proof. Pilot asked Jesus, “What is truth?”

The answer remains the same: Truth was standing right in front of Pilate and Philip.

If you want to know God, consider Jesus. John wrote, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

I share a link to an exceptional song by the group, Acappella. Take time to listen, and note who the focus is upon in each of the three verses.

Pilot, Stephen…and yourself.

Unknown's avatar Syd Brestel 4:00 am on August 8, 2019
Tags: Marvelous grace, reconcilation, relentless love   

A Great Movie Never Filmed

As a Bible teacher, I love to teach about and from the Bible. I love to dissect complex truths and present them with simple words so people can understand.

In my early ministry Paul’s epistles were my favorite because they present truth in a logical manner. In later years I have enjoyed helping students appreciate the Bible as great literature. I didn’t say the Bible was just literature, but that it is great literature.

No matter your favorite genre, whether presented in the pages of a book or on the large screen or small screen, chances are you can discover its roots in the Bible.

If you like romance, try Ruth or Esther for a good chick flick. If you want epic warfare, there’s plenty of that in the older testament and The Revelation. Enjoy poetry? The Psalms and many of the prophets’ sermons were composed by consummate wordsmiths. If you are a thinker and like philosophy, try Ecclesiastes or Job to help answer the riddle of life.

Did I hear you ask, “Where’s the comedy?” Satire drips from lips of several biblical characters, but for a real belly laugh consider these words describing a renegade prophet: “And Balaam rose up in the morning and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab. … And the ass saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside …” (Numbers 22:21, 23, kjv). Here we meet a talking donkey who understood the perilous situation better than the fool on his back.

We all enjoy a good drama, especially those that drain salty water from our eyes. I believe one of the greatest dramatic short stories ever written is recorded in Luke 15. We tend to call it the story of the prodigal son, but this is not his story nor is he the leading character. Rather this is the story about a compassionate, patient father whose love for his son can never be broken. There are only four characters in the story: a father, two brothers and a servant.

When I taught from this story at the Shepherds House several months ago, I challenged the men to help me make this story into a script for a movie. Here on the Front Porch Swing, let’s imagine we are producing a “made for television” movie based on this story. Let’s try to get inside the heads of the characters—to experience their emotions as the story unfolds.

What motivated the younger son to request his share of the inheritance while his father was still living? Was there sibling rivalry making home unbearable? Or was he simply tired of the dirty work of managing a farm? Did he have itching feet to explore the world—to see if the grass might really greener beyond the fences?

How might such a crude, insensitive request impact the father? Were tears streaking the father’s face as he watched his youngest disappear on the horizon? It’s your movie, so you decide.

Was the son whistling as he skipped down the path toward freedom? Did he pause to look back one last time to see if dad was still on the porch? Perhaps the jingle of the money in his pockets was music to his ears. As miles passed and borders were crossed, did he feel exhilarated in his new adventure?

Entering the big city with all the new sights and smells, did he check into the best hotel and spend the night out on the town? What kind of new acquaintances did he make, and what drew them to become his friends?

Meanwhile back at the home ranch there is an empty place at the table and a hole in the father’s heart. A cloud of grief filled every room. Imagine the old father kneeling by his bed praying for his son night after night, and wetting his pillow with tears.

Out in the far country, the scene has changed for the young rebel. Drought has come, and the son soon expends all his inheritance in pursuit of his new life. Like his money, his friends are gone. So where is he sleeping tonight? Famine-like conditions make life miserable for this immigrant kid in the big city. And what is that strange, uncomfortable sensation in his midsection? Is this what they call “hunger”? Seeking employment for the first time in his life (and without a resume), he settles for herding pigs, unclean animals he didn’t have to deal with back on the homestead.

Finally, groveling with the pigs for sustenance, he “comes to himself” and says, “How many of my father’s hired hands have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!” Consider those last lamenting words, “starving to death” and describe his physical appearance compared to the day he skipped down the road and out the front gate wearing the best sandals and robe.

The broken lad continues, “I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’” Is that a true statement? Yes! He continues to refine his repentance speech, adding the line, “make me like one of your hired men.”

Then comes the moment when he leaves the pig pens behind, turns on his heel, and begins the long walk home. Back to his father. What is his emotional state now compared to the day he declared his freedom to be and do whatever he pleased? Night after dusty night he sleeps beside the path. Day after day he moves closer and closer to home; old familiar sights greet his eyes. Increasing shame weighs on his shoulders and drags at his feet.                  Early one morning, just like every other morning, the old father sits on the front porch watching, hoping–even imagining—his wayward son’s appearance down the pathway.

But this morning it is no daydream. It’s real. He sees the unmistakable figure of his young son plodding down the path. (Cue the dramatic music.) Filled with compassion and casting dignity to the wind, the old man pulls his robe high above his knees running as fast as his old legs can carry him.

This is the moment the son dreaded for days on end. But it is also the moment the father prayed for unceasingly. Two bodies meet on the path. Two hearts race with anticipation.

The son begins his recitation, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and you and am no longer worthy to be called your son…” Before he can complete his speech and bargain for a second chance, the father throws his arms around his son, kissing his dirty cheeks. Fearing and deserving the worst, the son discovers grace—amazing grace. A ring is placed on the boy’s finger. It’s a statement. This is no hired hand or second-class citizen. This is my son.

The rest of the story seems almost anticlimactic. A celebration breaks out and carries into the night. Everybody is happy except one. The older brother has never physically left home, but has remained a stranger in his father’s house and a stranger to grace—trapped in his own resentment and self-righteousness.

This story has universal appeal.  Each of us is a prodigal. We have all sinned against God and are not worthy of being called His child. Truth be told, we deserve spiritual death and separation from God. We live our lives experiencing alienation from God and from one another. Sin has introduced words like guilt, shame and alienation into our vocabulary.

Consider these lessons from this story:

It’s not what we have done, but what we will do that matters.

It’s not where we have been, but where we are going.

It’s not why we left home, but where we belong.

It’s not how long we have stayed away from home, but how soon will we return.

It’s not how unworthy we are feeling, but how much our father loves us.

It’s not what we plan to say, but what our father will say to us.

It’s not what we deserve, but what our father offers: amazing grace.

Unknown's avatar Syd Brestel 3:02 am on August 1, 2019
Tags: encouraging words   

The Power of a Word

Sticks and stones may break my bones,

but words will never hurt me.

Proverbs are short, pithy statements meant to impart nuggets of life wisdom.

The Book of Proverbs in the Bible has such wisdom by the trainload, and you can bank on it.

But not every “old saying” is wise.

The threadbare proverb quoted above was apparently meant to teach a child how to brush off taunts and insults. It has probably been making the rounds of streets, sidewalks and playgrounds across the English-speaking world for hundreds of years.

If only it were true. If only the proverb actually worked in today’s culture of toxic bullying. Words may not leave visible bruises, but we all know from experience that words can bruise our ego and squash our spirit—possibly for years. As a red-haired boy with more than my share of freckles I certainly received my quota of verbal taunting, especially during the two years we lived in Akron, Colorado after moving from our farm in Nebraska. Being the new kid on the block whose father was a preacher made me a marked man.

Words are much more than ink on paper, more than sounds formed by lips and air moving over vocal cords. Words are tools to create beautiful art—a novel or a love song or a hymn of praise.

But as we all know only too well, words can also wound and kill.

Solomon understood the power of a word:

A word fitly spoken

is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.

Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold

is a wise reprover to a listening ear.

Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest

is a faithful messenger to those who send him;

he refreshes the soul of his masters.

(Proverbs 25:11-12)

Solomon understood the power of words to skillfully create something beautiful, like custom designed jewelry. It’s easy to imagine Solomon speaking here about compliments and expressions of praise. But that isn’t the whole story. Note the word “reprover” in the fourth line above. Sometimes the appropriate response may actually be a word of rebuke or correction. I don’t think he was talking about a careless “in your face” rebuke—which often results in denial and counter-attack. I think the passage is speaking of a wise word of caution, intended to prevent a heartbreak or casualty down the road. David said it this way in Psalm 141:5: “ Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness; let him read rebuke me—that is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it.”

Here is another instructive word:

Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down,

but a good word makes him glad.

(Proverbs 12:25)

When life is tough and we are ready to throw in the towel, a word of encouragement can be a game-changer—or a life-changer. Sometimes a simple word of encouragement to a child from a parent or a teacher can be like a shaft of sunlight breaking through the clouds.

Just be careful with your words, remembering the inherent power they possess. Think before you speak. When someone you know is wrestling with grief and loss a listening ear or a warm embrace is often more appropriate than words of advice. Consider how the voluminous and wrong-headed counsel of Job’s friends was more like rusty knife blades than healing salve.

On the other hand…

To make an apt answer is a joy to a man,

and a word in season, how good it is! 

(Proverbs 15:23)

An appropriate response shared at the appropriate time can refresh the one who hears it. I recall how God has sometimes used something I said—some off-hand comment that seemed totally insignificant to me at the time—to make a real difference in the life of a friend. I freely confess, however, the many times I should have said something but didn’t, or should not have said something, but did anyway.

When dealing with conflict, an appropriate word spoken in the right spirit can defuse the atmosphere, but a hasty word spoken in anger is like pouring gas on a smoldering fire. As Solomon noted: “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1).

            How many domestic conflicts could be defused if only one “combatant” raised the white flag by lowering the decibel level and volatility of the vocabulary? It takes two to tangle, but it takes only one to choose humility and reconciliation over conquest.

When I counseled as a pastor, I referred to Ephesians 4:25-32 more than any other text in the Bible. Paul challenged his readers to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called….” (See Ephesians 4:1-3).

This new way of thinking and living is demonstrated by our speech and actions toward one another. Ground zero in communication is to always speak truthfully. We are to decisively put away anything that smacks of deception or falsehood.

But there are several ways of lying, aren’t there? We can deceive one another with a simple shrug of the shoulders, without ever forming a sentence containing an outright untruth. At other times, we might choose to remain silent to avoid speaking truthfully. We’ve all been there.

As with the proverbs above, Paul demonstrates the power of words to heal or hurt. He writes: “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29).

Every word in that scripture is significant. Note that not even one “corrupting” word (some translations use the word “unwholesome”) is ever appropriate.

Some words are like a virus that can infect and destroy a relationship. Paul instructed Titus to teach “sound” doctrine. The Greek word translated sound is the source for our English word hygienic. A word can be either healthy or unhealthy; it can heal or infect. Paul isn’t referring here to crude locker room banter; he tackles that later in Ephesians 5:3-4. When he speaks of “unwholesome” words, he means the words we might use in the heat of the moment in order to shame or beat someone down. This is when we fling common terms like “always” or “never” as weapons meant to sting or wound or manipulate. Accusations like “you always do that” or “you never…” are seldom true, but the listener receives the message that they are hopeless losers. Over time we build scar tissue to dull the pain—or just give up trying to please the other person altogether.

The alternative to unwholesome and unhealthy speech is to choose words that encourage our build up. Words that give grace are always appropriate. Before I release that hurtful zinger dancing on the tip of my tongue, I should stop to consider what the listener needs to hear, rather than what I feel like spouting.

One word in a dark moment can break the spirit of a child or spouse—or encourage them to succeed. I know because I have been on both ends of the conversation. I have felt, and can still feel, the sting of a careless word. I also have felt the shame and regret of a word I selfishly unleashed.

Before I close our conversation on the front porch today, I offer another thought about using words appropriately. Silence is not always golden. Sometimes it’s just cowardly yellow. When God provides a natural (or perhaps supernatural) opportunity to express our faith in Christ, let us be prepared to “give an answer for the hope within” us (1 Peter 3:15).

Peter nails it, doesn’t he? Let’s live and communicate with such consistency that people take note we speak a different kind of language than the brutal, cynical, and sometimes-gutter-level language of the day.

Then, be ready.

Have your story about God’s amazing grace and kindness in your life thought-through are ready to share.

Let the hope of Christ be on the tip of your tongue.

Unknown's avatar Syd Brestel 9:00 pm on February 2, 2019
Tags: Last days, Prophecy, Second Coming   

Is the Bride Ready?

A friend recently asked me how many funerals and memorial services I have officiated after more than 45 years of pastoral ministry.

“Many,” I replied. Then I surprised my friend by adding, “But I really prefer memorial services to weddings.”

“Why?” he asked.

I went on to explain that people usually come to memorial services with a deep sense of need. They’re ready to hear eternal truths. In the presence of death, some are ready to make changes in life. People ought to be just as aware of their need for God at a wedding, but mostly they’re just distracted. They’re curious about what the bride will be wearing when she comes down the aisle.

Of course everything is well rehearsed, and meant to run like clockwork.  In premarital counseling I tell couples (somewhat jokingly) that the ceremony is hers to plan. The groom just needs to show up and do as he’s told.

I have never officiated a wedding when we had to wait for the groom. He usually walks in with me. But there have been several weddings where everyone waited patiently for the bride to appear. The dressing room for the bride, I suspect, can be a whirlwind of activity. Her hair must be just right, the veil securely in place, and the train firmly attached. The list of preparations goes on and on, because her entrance is what everyone anticipates. At the first sight of the bride or the first rustle of her beautiful gown, everyone stands.

With these things in mind, I want to turn our attention on the Front Porch to a far more significant subject than a wedding ceremony: the return of our Lord Jesus Christ to earth.

Prophecy about the second coming or return of Jesus has periodically been a front-burner topic among Evangelical believers. In the 1960s and 70s, the second coming was a hot topic, driven by books and prophetic conferences. Hal Lindsey’s 1973 book, The Late Great Planet Earth, was popular and influential, selling over 28 million copies by 1990.

As a new and very young pastor I was caught up in the prophetic current of the day. I could draw all the “right” lines on the prophetic charts and defend the pre-millennial and pre-tribulational view. I was so convinced of the imminent return of Christ that one of my articles, published in The Shoppers Compass, a paper distributed to every home in Morrow County, was titled, “The Sound of The Seventies—a Trumpet.” Obviously, this was a reference to the trumpet announcing Jesus’ return.

Books about the end times still sell well, as authors and TV preachers continue to beat the prophetic drum. Some of those teachers and preachers have gone off the rails, however, by attempting to set a firm calendar date for the Lord’s return.

It will never work. Jesus said it wouldn’t.

I still believe Christ will literally return to earth to rule and to mete out judgment, because that is clearly taught in Scripture. Jesus promised to return. After His resurrection, while His followers watched Him ascend into heaven, they heard the angel ask why they were standing there, mouths agape, gazing up into the clouds. Then the angel promised that this “same Jesus” would return someday in the same manner—visibly and bodily.

So we wait and watch. Like a congregation craning their necks, waiting for the beautiful bride to appear and to approach her groom, true believers are to be watching for our Lord’s return to receive His bride, the church. He could appear any moment. We call that imminent. It could be today or tomorrow or any day. We don’t know and can’t predict just when He will appear. But we can be assured that He will come as He promised.

Questions fly: Will He precede or follow the great Tribulation—or maybe come in the midst?

Two things are certain: Those prophecy prognosticators with their opposing views can’t all be correct, and may all be wrong. Second, we can be certain it will happen just as God Has promised and planned all along.

Would I still compose and publish that article about the sounds of the 70s? Certainly not with the confidence and audacity I had as a very young pastor trained and deeply engrained as I was in one particular prophetic school of thought. Back then I was convinced (or so I thought) that Jesus would return momentarily and a time of great tribulation would shake the world and every civilization to the core. Since then, men who once wrote books “proving” a pre-tribulation rapture of the church are now writing books suggesting Jesus will return in the middle of the tribulation period. I wonder, did God change His schedule? Of course not! Absurd!

Long ago, I surrendered my bold confidence that I had all the lines on my prophecy chart drawn correctly. I still believe Jesus is coming again. I still believe it could happen any day or moment. But these days when I am asked by a prophetic enthusiast about my position, I respond differently.

First, I try to point out that every prophetic utterance in Scripture is either preceded or followed by a “therefore.” For example, Jesus challenged His disciples to watch and pray when they saw world-shattering events taking place. We are admonished not to be anxious but confident and prepared like the “wise virgins” in the parable in Matthew 25. In other words, don’t get lulled into sleep while waiting. And don’t follow the logic of the critics in 2 Peter 3:3-4 who confidently mock something like, “Where is His coming? Nothing has changed; nothing will. His return ain’t gonna happen!” Jesus, having affirmed that “heaven and earth may pass away, but my words will not pass away,” warned against falling into the same deception as the generation preceding Noah’s flood.

Then I consider John’s warning: “But we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure” (1 John 3:3-4, esv)

So where do I stand on the questions about Jesus’ return? I do have my opinions about the time and circumstances, but mostly I just hold onto the confidence that He will return, because He said He would. My job isn’t to know all the details, my job is to be prepared for His coming.

What I truly believe about Jesus’ return will be evident in my daily life—in my choices and actions. In other words, don’t ask me to tell you what I believe about the return of Jesus, rather watch me. See if I truly anticipate His imminent return or am simply spouting the party line.

I wonder…. If we who claim to believe in Jesus would put our actions where our mouths are, how might the contemporary Church be transformed? Would it affect our preaching? Would it impact the way we share our resources with the hungry and with our persecuted brothers and sisters around the globe? Would it influence my choice about how many of my material possessions are necessary or even justified? Would we lay aside our denominational prejudices? Would the divorce rate and sexual failures within the church drop if we believed Jesus might return today? Would pastors be hesitant to preach about hell if they really believed Jesus might return before the message concluded?

Granted, those are some tough questions. But they are also necessary if we want to speak with integrity when we talk about our hope in the imminent return of Jesus.

Is the bride ready—if her Bridegroom returned today? What’s the state of our preparation or anticipation?

That’s the question.

Our lives will reveal what we really believe about our Lord’s return.

“Everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”

What I am reading: 2 Samuel

AI Superpowers China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order by Lai-Fu Lee

Letters to The Church, Francis Chan

Unknown's avatar Syd Brestel 4:00 pm on January 26, 2019
Tags: good books, , Tozer   

Who Said Theology is Boring?

When old men sit on the front porch or on a park bench, they reminisce by repeating the same old stories over and over. So pardon me, an old man, if I repeat myself from time to time. Did I ever tell you I love to read books? Often I will be winding my way through more than one book at a time. Perhaps one is too heavy so I take a break to enjoy something lighter.

I discover some, if not most, of my best ideas for a sermon or this blog come from a book. When I do uncover such an insight, I give the author credit where credit is due. For example, A. W. Tozer, a self-taught theologian, has written several books about a heavy subject matter but in a easy to read manner. Every Christian ought to have a few of Tozer’s works* in their personal library such as The Knowledge of The Holy or The Pursuit of God.

To that list I add a small book that I recently discovered. It’s titled, Jesus: The Life and Ministry of God the Son. This book, a collection of insights from Tozer, may be the clearest and most readable theology about Jesus Christ. The chapters are short in length but long in practical insights. Moody Publishers released the book in 2017. Tozer ministered in the early to mid 20th Century, but his words still resonate with everybody who has a passion to know and love God.

If you are one of those persons who assume theology is boring, I believe this book just might change your mind. To help whet your appetite I share a few insights from the book, giving credit to Tozer and the God who saved him and equipped him to become a prophet in our generation.

In chapter five, “The Mystery of the Incarnation,” the author unwrapped insights that tweaked my curiosity and made me stop to cogitate before pushing onward through nine pages of scattered nuggets rich with truth. He wrote, “The living God did not degrade Himself by this condescension. He did not in any sense make Himself to be less than God…. Instead of God degrading Himself when He became man, by the act of incarnation He elevated mankind to Himself.” (p. 50)

Tozer continues, “Then, too, there is another thing that we can know for sure about the acts of God—and that is that God can never back out of His bargain. This union of man with God is effected into perpetuity!”(p. 51) Jesus, the God-Man can never, observes Tozer, “de-incarnate Himself.”

This concept filters through the rest of the book, emphasizing that everything Jesus did while living here on earth and everything He is doing today as the exalted One at the right hand of the Father was done and is being done as the God-Man.  When Jesus calmed the storm or healed the leper, He was one of us, but filled and empowered through the Holy Spirit. When He cried “I thirst” and “My God, My God, Why have You forsaken Me,” Jesus was one of us.

On page 113, Tozer quotes 1 Timothy 2:5-6, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time” (emphasis mine). Tozer continues, “This should be counted as a great victory for the Christian believer in our day, Jesus is a Man and He is enthroned at God’s right hand. That is significant!”

Emphasizing the importance of truth or doctrine Tozer writes, “If we would know the power of truth we must emphasize it. Creedal truth is coal lying inert in the depths of the earth waiting release. Dig it out, shovel it into the combustion chamber of some huge engine, and the mighty energy that lay asleep for centuries will create light and heat that can cause the machinery of a great factory to surge into productive action. The theory of coal never turned a wheel nor warmed a hearth. Power must be released to be made effective.” (p. 114-115)

Yes, Tozer was writing prior to coal falling into environmental disfavor. But his point is clear. Theology, treated as theory, is merely ink on paper. Put it into action in your life, however, and let there be light!

So here is my challenge for 2019: Dig deeply into God’s Word and apply its truths in your life. Develop a reading plan. Add a few books filled with meat and potatoes as comfort food for the troubled heart and as energy for the weary soul.

Let me also encourage you to share here on the Front Porch what you are reading and  have found helpful. Perhaps we can encourage one another as we wade through the swamps and trials—as well as the mountain peaks and wide vistas—of the new year.

Perhaps, you will even consider reading God in His Own Image: Loving God for Who He Is not What We Would Like Him to be. Moody Publishers will release the book June 2019. My wife, who is rarely ever wrong, knows the author and recommends the book.

*A. W. Tozer wrote over 25 books. The Holy Spirit used a street preacher in Akron, Ohio to bring Tozer, as a teenager, to faith. The rest is His story.

What I am Reading:

Letters to The Church, Francis Chan

AI Superpowers China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order, Kai-Fu Lee

Unknown's avatar Syd Brestel 2:20 pm on January 21, 2019
Tags: integrity, marital commitment, unselfish love   

To Love, Honor and Cherish

Never have I witnessed a more demonstrative, physical display of affection in public. It was so obvious that I found it distracting. Often I was almost oblivious to the wonderful musical performance taking place on stage.

I usually release a weekly post on The Front Porch Swing, but the display of affection has resulted in this “bonus” blog today.

He, the infatuated man, proudly escorted his loved one to their seat with a broad smile as if they were the only persons in the packed auditorium (sanctuary in this venue) of First Assembly of God Church in Fortmyers, Florida. He made certain his lover was comfortable before standing behind and in front of her combing her hair that had been disheveled by the brisk wind outside. He bowed low before her hugging her and kissing her with same proud smile on his face. She had his complete, undivided attention as they waited for the concert to begin.

Throughout the concert he seldom turned his eyes away from her. He would lean into her, holding her face between his hands, while singing the lyrics of the song being performed by The Martins, a Christian musical group. If the audience was invited to stand for a particular song, he would step in front of his lover and grab her body in full, frontal embrace while singing enthusiastically to her.

Sadly, it often seemed his lover was almost oblivious to his attention. Occasionally she would look at him and weakly, almost imperceptibly, respond. But, during a set of songs focusing on God’s faithfulness in the midst of trials, Bill removed his glasses and buried his face in his hands. Everything about his body language screamed sadness and weariness; it was as if he was grieving the lack of her response to his affection.

Finally, she turned to look at her lover as if she understood his emotions and the pure fatigue of unremitted affection.

I struggled trying to sing the lyrics to the hymn Amazing Grace as I empathized with him.

Throwing aside all my natural inhibitions, I approached the couple as soon as the final song was concluded and the applause had abated. I introduced myself; he responded saying his name was Bill. He introduced me to his lover, Patti. I commended Bill for his unselfish devotion to Patti.

Bill proudly responded that they will have been married 54 years this coming March and then added that Patti has had a serious of strokes over the past years. Then he reached down to speak softly to he as he prepared to push her wheelchair back out of the sanctuary of First Assembly with the same broad smile and obvious pride over Patti that he had displayed upon entering two hours previously.

Now there is a man of his word – a man of integrity. Almost 54 years ago he stood before God and witnesses promising to “love, honor and cherish” Patti through times of “sickness and health till death.”

I ask God for grace, should it be our lot in life, to follow Bill’s example, by loving and cherishing Mary with the same unselfish devotion.

Bill was also a reminder that Jesus loves His bride with unselfish devotion. He loves you and me no matter how broken or disheveled we may become. When I can’t respond, Jesus understands. When I am so weary, Jesus is there to give strength untill death unites me with Him forever.

 

What I am reading:

Reflections on the Psalms, C. S. Lewis

AI Superpowers China, Silicon Valley and The New World Order, Kai-Fu Lee

Unknown's avatar Syd Brestel 11:04 am on January 19, 2019
Tags: final judgement, , mercy   

Does God Grade on The Curve?

Last week, in the classic Peanuts comic strip reruns, Linus and Charlie Brown are deeply involved in a theological question. Linus asks Charlie if God will grade us on a percentage or a curve after we die. Charlie responds with confidence, “On a curve naturally.” Linus questions Charlie’s confidence to which the latter responds, “I’m always sure about things that are a matter of opinion.”

Charlie Brown’s response reflects the opinion of many people today. I emphasize the word opinion because that is exactly what it is whenever people try to figure out God on their own terms. It usually ends up in the same place: We imagine Him to be like us and think like us.

We have been created in God’s image, and we try to return the favor by creating God in our image. None of us, however, not even the greatest minds, can accurately describe God. Unless God reveals Himself to us, we will fail to understand Him. Note that I use the personal pronoun “Him” with a capital H. That is because I believe God has introduced Himself to us in the Bible. God is a Person, not an influence or part of the creation. He is transcendent, which is another way of saying He is out of this world. He is unique and beyond human comprehension. Yet He is also personal. He loves us and became one of us in the person of Jesus Christ.

But let’s return for a moment to Linus’ honest question about God grading on a curve. Like Charlie Brown, many people prefer that kind of God. They don’t want a God who is righteous—always doing everything by the book and never bending the rules. In their estimation, that kind of God would be too harsh to be good.

The point of today’s visit on the Front Porch Swing boils down to this: How can God be good if He condemns a person to Hell? To be good, some believe God must grade on the curve. He should look at our good intentions, rather than our words or deeds. He should (if He is really good) realize how difficult it is to never do the wrong thing or always do the right thing. Like an elderly benevolent professor, God should grade us on the curve. Perhaps that is what you believe as well. But let’s think about that.

Would an earthly judge be considered good if they ignored the very laws they had sworn to uphold? Would they be a good judge if they excused a convicted murderer, just because he had also done good things in the community—maybe donating to local charities or volunteering at the public library? If a judge rendered sentences based on the reasoning that a person’s good deeds justified or excused an act of pre-meditated murder, would you respect that judge? Would they be a “just” judge if they put a murderer back on the streets? Of course not! We want the judge to carry out justice, to punish the convicted felon, not to release him just because he had also done good things.

So why would we expect anything less from God? If He is the supreme judge and righteous (always doing what is right), shouldn’t He apply the Law consistently? To expect God to bend the rules and grade on the curve is to make Him unrighteous and unholy. He would not be good. He would be evil.

I illustrate with an extreme example. Would God be good if He judged Hitler based his supposed positive motivations? Hitler wanted to raise Germany out of the depressive results of the Treaty of Versailles following World War I. His nation had been so utterly broken by the terms of that treaty that it seemed she would never rise again. Hitler’s methods and his motivations were clearly evil. Hitler’s hellish attempt to destroy the entire Jewish race and to create a united Europe under the authority of Germany was incalculably evil—and probably satanic. But what about his “good intentions” to rebuild his broken nation?

Should God judge Hitler on the curve and give him less than the F he deserves? Of course not! That wouldn’t be fair or just.

So why should God judge me any less fairly? I too am a law breaker—even though I have never robbed, raped, or murdered. But have I hated and lusted? I certainly have. Have I lied to save my own skin? Guilty as charged. According to the Book, I am guilty. I am a sinner deserving separation from God both here-and-now and for eternity. That is what the Law requires. God, the judge, will not grade me on the curve for the bad things I haven’t done or for the good things I have done. Serving as a pastor for over 45 years won’t earn one point on the final exam. I deserve a failing grade. I deserve death and separation from God forever. I deserve Hell, just like Hitler.

So if God never grades on the curve and if everybody is a sinner, a lawbreaker deserving death and hell, how can I ever hope to enter heaven? One thing is certain; Peter won’t be standing there jangling his keys and asking me what I have done to deserve entrance. There won’t be a cosmic scale there to see if my good deeds outweigh bad behavior. I deserve to hear the righteous Judge say, “He is guilty. Send him away where he deserves to live forever in hell.”

Okay, that sounds harsh. Even in my ears. But that’s also the way it is. I didn’t write the book nor can I adjust the Law to suit my fancy. But I can appeal to God’s mercy and grace. I can admit my guilt and repent or turn away from trying to stack up brownie points. I can and have placed my faith and complete confidence in the fact Jesus died in my place and paid my debt in full. The sentence against me has been served; the Law has been satisfied. The Judge can remain just and righteous when He pronounces me innocent of all charges against me and goes a step further by pronouncing me as righteous as His Son who paid my debt.

That is the doctrine of justification by grace through faith. That is biblical truth.

Here’s the bottom line: God cannot be good or remain good by ignoring or bending the rules. But He was good and perfectly righteous when He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to cancel the debt that I owe by serving the entire death sentence in my place. Now that is the most amazing good deed possible!

Sorry, Charlie Brown, God doesn’t grade on the curve, and really, I’m glad about that. Why? Because He can only be good if He is also just. He can only remain just if He enforces the Law faithfully and fairly. And somehow, in the wonder of His mercy, He has found a way for this failing student to pass the test and enter into His heaven.

That’s Reality with a capital “R.”

That’s also Grace with a capital “G.”

 

 

 

 

Unknown's avatar Syd Brestel 2:14 pm on January 18, 2019  

Lessons fromThe Furor over The Gillette Razor Commercial

Do you ever receive a blog post or something on social media that you feel necessary to pass on to others? Recently I received one that I want to pass on to my readers on The Front Porch Swing.

I subscribe to three Christian blog sites that provide daily insights into contemporary issues from a biblical perspective. One of these sites is desiringGod.org . The others are provided by Christianity Today and World Magazine.

The January 18, 2019 desiringGod.org post, “Grooming the Next Generation, Did Gillette Miss a Spot?” by Greg Morse, is one that I encourage you to check out.

Perhaps you are aware of the furor over a recent television commercial by Gillette. Negative responses are double those in support of the commercial. The public debate is whether Gilllette is encouraging or discouraging male dominance and/or abuse.

Morse writes with such eloquence, in my opinion, about the feminizing of men in our culture today. I share a quote: “Godly men are neither severe nor effeminate. They have a sword, but use it against the dragon, not the princess in the castle.”

Why not check out desirngGod.org today and search for the 1/18 blog? I believe you will find it worth the effort. Perhaps you will even be encouraged to subscribe (it is free) to receive the daily releases from John Piper and other staff members.

Thanks for taking time to read this post today. I write as I sit in sunny Cape Coral Florida at my wife’s brother’s home. They have nor front porch swing but sitting by the pool is a great alternative.

Syd

Unknown's avatar Syd Brestel 5:15 pm on January 12, 2019
Tags: amazing grace, cheap grace   

Rhinestones or Diamonds?

If offered a diamond or a rhinestone as a gift, who would opt for a rhinestone?

Yes, both reflect light. Both are used in jewelry.

So why do we value one over the other?

In the book, God in His Own Image, I write about God’s grace and mercy. His grace is beyond amazing and His mercy immense. Everyone can fall in love with a God like that. Many of our traditional hymns and contemporary praise songs are focused on God’s mercy or grace.

We love to praise God for His softer attributes such as love, grace and mercy. In the process, however, I wonder if we have lost proper reverence for God? He is also holy and just, and will not excuse willful disobedience when we fail to do what we what He has commanded or choose to do what He has forbidden. Either way, it is called sin.

God commands us to love one another—even our enemies. He clearly directs us to pursue justice for the weak and vulnerable among us. Jesus summarized the commandments as loving God and loving other people. Loving is doing the right or proper thing.

We are also commanded to worship only God and to treat His name with respect. Idolatry is forbidden. We are commanded to speak truth (never lie), respect property (never steal), respect life (never murder) and honor marriage (no adultery).

Not one of us has kept all the commandments. Not one person, except Jesus, has never lied, envied, or spoken evil about another person. The apostle Paul summed it up neatly with the words, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” We have missed the mark and have also broken the rules. Each one of us is guilty; we are condemned because there are consequences for our actions. Paul wrote, “For the wages of sin is death.” That sounds pretty severe, doesn’t it?

Those are the rules. I didn’t write them or make them up. God did. He is the judge determining the sentence. He is just and righteous; He will not bend the rules. He is not a doting grandfather saying, “Boys will be boys” and excusing our actions. Even so, I wonder if we have treated God like that doting grandpa by thinking or saying, “God is too good, too loving and too kind to punish.”

A pastor who worries about offending sensitive ears may not come right out and verbally describe God as a kindly, soft-hearted grandfather. But if that same pastor never speaks about God’s holiness and judgment and refuses to teach about hell, doesn’t it amount to the same thing?

The attributes of the living God are not products in a supermarket. We really can’t pick or choose our favorite attributes about God to the neglect of others.

To do so is to create God in our image.

To do so is to worship an idol.

In Romans 11:22 Paul writes, “Note then the kindness and severity of God.” Did you catch that? God is both kind (gentle and loving) and severe. We hear so little about God’s severity today. Hell has essentially been deleted from our vocabulary. Have we created a “safe” god we can manage or “buddy up to”?

Yes, let’s continue to sing about and talk about God’s indescribable love. Let us sing about His incomparable grace. His grace is as amazing as John Newton described it in his wonderful hymn, Amazing Grace. Newton, who once dealt with human trafficking of African slaves, admitted in his own words that he was once “blind,” but by the grace of God gained his sight. He was once lost, but then miraculously found and rescued.

Newton never lost the wonder of God’s grace and mercy; nor should we. Let us sing and boast about God’s grace. But the very words grace and mercy have no meaning if God is not also holy and severe. If God does not judge sin, I don’t need His mercy. Because God is holy and just, I deserve death and hell and desperately need His mercy. Praise God for His mercy that spared me from His wrath and justice. Praise God for His grace that lifted me from the pit and canceled my debt and made me His child forever!

I love and praise God for His severity revealed in His righteous wrath, because it is God’s holiness and justice and righteousness that make His grace so amazing! His severity makes His kindness precious. His holiness and justice are like black velvet upon which His mercy and grace sparkle like diamonds in His light.

When we focus on God grace and mercy while neglecting His holiness and righteousness, we have made those indescribably precious attributes into cheap rhinestones, not the unimaginably costly diamonds they truly are.

Today we are offered nothing less than the unspeakable gift of God’s grace. Grace purchased with the most precious substance in the universe: the blood of Jesus Christ, freely given to save, redeem and restore us.

Never, never settle for a cheap substitute.

Unknown's avatar Syd Brestel 5:44 pm on January 5, 2019
Tags: Biblical truth, Legacy, passing the baton   

When The Patriarch Falls

On a recent early morning climb, my friend Troll and I had just reached the summit of Bessie Butte, a 500-foot cinder cone near Bend. The view from the top can be majestic, but on this morning something was different. It seems an old friend had fallen. A tall, familiar Ponderosa Pine lay at our feet—undoubtedly succumbing to a ferocious windstorm three days earlier.

Our venerable old pine had been the tallest of a half dozen trees that had survived a fire almost two decades ago. The tree stood proudly for years until it was struck by lightning. From that point on, it began to die, becoming just a skeleton of what it had once been.

Even so, it stood taller than its peers… until it finally bowed to the wind.

IMG_0022 (2)

I am standing by the Fallen Patriarch with the sunrise igniting everything.

I felt sadness as we walked around it. Roots, long dead, were exposed in the recently churned soil. The old patriarch of Bessie Butte that had survived storms and fire and lightning blasts had fallen at last. For me it was a time of reflection about my own life.

Reading through the books of Deuteronomy and Joshua, I was impressed with how both books wrap up with an old patriarch challenging the next generation to finish strong. In fact, the entire book of Deuteronomy consists of Moses’ last words to the new generation of Israelites who had survived the 40 years of wandering.

In the pages of this fifth book of the Bible, Moses rehearses the exodus from Egypt, the amazing Red Sea crossing, the manna gathered fresh each morning and the military victories on the east side of the Jordan. After highlighting these acts of God’s faithfulness and power, Moses challenges the people to renew their covenant with God. Blessings would flow if they obeyed the covenant, but disobedience and a retreat to idolatry would result in severe discipline, even to the point of being exiled from the land.

Moses, the patriarch and oldest survivor, challenges the nation to choose life, before handing the baton to Joshua.

After the people renewed their commitment to God, with heaven and earth as witnesses, God called Moses to the summit of Mount Nebo where he would view the Promised Land from a distance. There on the summit, the old patriarch, weathered by 120 years, fell to the inevitable forces of time, just like that old Ponderosa on Bessie Butte.

The book of Joshua records the conquest and settlement of the Promised Land. The book closes with Joshua, nearing 110 years of age, calling the nation together to rehearse the miraculous ways the Lord had led them out of Egypt and through the wilderness. Joshua challenged them to put away all idols and renew the covenant they had made with God back in Moab. Hear Joshua’s final challenge to the nation:

“Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15, NASB)

The people renewed the covenant with, and Joshua recorded it in the book of the Law and raised up a stone as a witness to their commitment to serve only Yahweh. Joshua 24: 31, reveals the impact or legacy one person can have on succeeding generations.

“And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua and of the elders who survived Joshua, and had known all the deeds of the Lord which He had done for Israel.” (NASB)

I wish that story ended like a classic Disney movie, “And they all lived happily ever after.” But, it doesn’t. The baton was dropped during the hand off to the next generation as described in Judges 2:7-10.

7 And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of the Lord which He had done for Israel. 8 Then Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of one hundred and ten. 9 And they buried him in the territory of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. 10 And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel. (NASB)

Legacy has always been important. Our lives are like a relay race with one generation passing the baton to the next. That hand off is the most critical part of the race.

Abraham had passed the baton to Isaac. Isaac to Jacob. Jacob to his 12 sons. Generations later, Moses passed the baton to Joshua who passed it to the new generation now living in the Promised Land.

Finally, Jesus passed the baton to His disciples. Paul charged Timothy to equip faithful men who would in turn equip other men. We, as Christ-followers today, must pass baton to the next generation. How are we doing?

Surveys of professing Christians in America reveal a general to severe ignorance of basic biblical truths. I can’t help but wonder…in our efforts to be politically correct, are we failing to pass the baton to the next generation? Have we taught our youth to study the Word and to apply it? Do they know what it means to be a Christ-follower? For that matter, do their parents understand?

I was reminded by the skeleton of that old Ponderosa that someday, perhaps soon, I will take my last breath. People may gather to remember my life and share anecdotes. The question will be, “What was his legacy? To whom did he pass the baton?”

Yes, this may seem a bit morbid for a blog post, but it is the fact of life! Someday, like that old Ponderosa, each of us will succumb to the forces of time. In the words of a song, “May those who follow after find us faithful.” Will they discover evidence of our faith in the things we leave behind?

Today, on Bessie Butte, scores of young Ponderosa pines are struggling to survive. Perhaps the day will come when old Bessie will again be reforested. I won’t be here, but if I was able to talk to trees, I would remind these saplings that once upon a time, a giant ancestor stood proudly on the summit daring the wind to blow harder.