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In our study of Genesis on Sunday mornings we come to the Towel of Babel this week. A sentence from Derek Kidner’s commentary has caught my attention as I prepare for Sunday. He wrote, “The elements of the story are timelessly characteristic of the spirit of the world” (Kidner, 118). The ancient story of Babel is “timeless.” It gives us a peak into “the spirit of the world” that is still with us today. What does Kidner mean? What do we learn about “the spirit of the world” from the Towel of Babel? First, it is important to understand the word “world.” The Bible writers use this word with different meanings or connotations. When John writes “God so loved the world” (John 3:16) and Jesus is “the propitiation…for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2), he is speaking about all the diversity of people. God loves all people from every ethnic group. God has given his son as the atonement for sin for all ethnic groups. There is a different meaning to the word “world” in verses like John 15:19 where Jesus says, “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you,” and 1 John 2:15, where the apostle writes, “Do not love the world or the things in the world.” In these verses “world” is not speaking about ethnic diversity, but a system of rebellion against God. The “world” is an anti-God state of mind that is prevalent in every human heart apart from Christ. ... Keep Reading

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. Philippians 2:3-11 As a member of the Men’s ministry leadership team, I want to see my brothers grow to maturity in Christ. How can I stir up my brothers and sisters to love and good works? (Heb 11:24-25) How can I pray about this as part of the men’s ministry? As part of the larger church body? At Oak Hills, as the visible body of Christ, how can the men grow in fellowship? Why must we grow in fellowship? How may this year’s men’s ministry impact the Oak Hills congregation—men, women and children? How can we reach the lost for God’s Kingdom?... Keep Reading

C.S. Lewis writes in The Problem of Pain, “We can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” This is a creative way to simply say, God speaks to us in our pain. This does not mean we ought to throw ourselves into pain; pain is inevitable in this world subjected to the futility of the curse on sin. Our response in pain ought to be to listen. What is God saying to us in our pain? David wrote Psalm 62 out of an experience with pain. He writes in verses 3-4, “How long will all of you attack a man to batter him, like a leaning wall, a tottering fence? They only plan to thrust him down from his high position. They take pleasure in falsehood. They bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse.” In this situation, David’s pain was the result of the hurtful words and actions of a group of people. We don’t know the specific situation, but we do know that David was attacked by others throughout his life. We all know the pain of personal attacks. Such pain can consume our minds and hearts, leading us to be distracted and melancholy, if not worse. In Psalm 62, however, David does not wallow in his pain and misery. He listens to God in the midst of the pain. The psalm is a journal entry of the lessons David learns from the pain he experienced. Let me catalog the lessons. ... Keep Reading

“…I stood on the island’s ocean shore and saw what there was to see: a pile of colorless stripes. Through binoculars I could see a bigger pile of colorless stripes. It seemed reasonable to call the colorless stripe overhead ‘sky,’ and reasonable to call the colorless stripe at my feet ‘ice,’ for I could see where it began. I could distinguish, that is, my shoes, and the black gravel shore, and the nearby frozen ice the wind had smashed ashore. It was this mess of ice—ice breccia, pressure ridges, and standing floes, ice sheets upright, tilted, frozen together and jammed—which extended out to the horizon. No matter how hard I blinked, I could not put a name to any of the other stripes. Which was the horizon? Was I seeing land, or water, or their reflections in low clouds? Was I seeing the famous ‘water sky,’ the ‘frost smoke,’ or the ‘ice blink’?” It’s probably just the recent cold snap that’s bringing this to mind as I composed this. But this passage from Annie Dillard’s “An Expedition to the Pole” has stuck with me ever since first reading it some fifteen or twenty years ago. The description of her disorientation on her trip to the Pole above the Arctic Circle is evocative of our own feelings of not being entirely sure where we stand sometimes. In her account, it was physical disorientation brought about by her surroundings at the time. But this sense of disorientation can occur to us in other ways.... Keep Reading

At the end of every year I find myself shocked at how fast the year has gone by. As we come to the end of another year, some of you may find yourselves ending this year drastically different than how you imagined. For some this has been a year of unexpected joys and for others a year of unexpected disappointments and sorrows. Wherever we may find ourselves at the end of the year, the Lord reminds us to turn our eyes upon him for he alone is our portion, hope, and life. As we ramp up for a new year, we are all in deep need of God’s wisdom and grace. I’d like to share a few reflections from Psalm 90. Our Refuge (v. 1-2) Moses begins Psalm 90 with the reality of where our true refuge is found. Many of us will tire as we continually seek to find a refuge in this life. We will seek it in our jobs, relationships, money, success, etc. Psalm 90 reminds us that amidst the changing moments and seasons of our lives, the Lord alone is our true, stable, and secure refuge. He alone is a faithful refuge from generation to generation (v. 1) and he is more firmly established, rooted, and unshakable than even the mountains (v. 2). The Lord is our everlasting refuge and we find our truest and fullest rest in him. ... Keep Reading

Every Advent season I listen to Handel’s Messiah several times through. Most of the time I just have it playing in the background while I am studying, preparing for a sermon, or working on email. Occasionally the lyrics or music catch my attention, and I focus on the Messiah. Several pieces are well-loved, like the Chorus singing Isaiah 9:6, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace,” And, of course, the Hallelujah Chorus, “Hallelujah: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Hallelujah!” ... Keep Reading

God is addressed by many different names throughout the Bible. Each name highlights a different aspect of God’s character or work. A name almost entirely unique in the prophet Isaiah is “the Holy One of Israel,” or, simply, “the Holy One.” We first hear this name in the prophet’s opening accusation against Israel: “They have forsaken the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged” (1:4). The significance of the name does not come out in this verse; therefore, the weight of the charge is not fully felt. The significance of the name “The Holy One of Israel” is clearly spelled out in what has been called the Book of the Servant. This Book encompasses chapters 40-55 of Isaiah, where we read the four servant songs. These passages exult the work of the faithful Servant of the Lord, who ultimately is Jesus. For example, Isaiah 42 calls us to “Behold my servant…a bruised reed he will not break.” And the best known servant song is found in 52:13-53:12, where we hear, “Behold, my servant shall act wisely…upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed” (52:13, 53:5). In the Book of the Servant (Isaiah 40-55), we find nearly half of all of Isaiah’s use of the name “the Holy One” (14 of 31 uses in the whole prophet). What is the connection between the name “the Holy One” and the work of the Servant of the Lord? What is the significance of this name? ... Keep Reading

At Oak Hills this year we have been slowly making our way through the book of Genesis. It has been a rich study of the foundations for this world God has created and for the covenant relationship God has established. When we dig into one part of Scripture, however, it is good to take a step back every once in a while to see the big picture. One of the most important guides for interpreting Scripture is understanding the unity of the Bible. From the beginning to the end, God is guiding redemptive history according to the plans he laid out before the foundation of the world. Therefore, we can ask, and benefit from asking, how does Genesis connect with Christmas? Let me answer that with five words. Creation. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1). In the Fall, all of creation was subjected to futility (Rom. 8:20). In Christ, there is a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). Jesus was born in a manger to reverse the curse of the Fall in order to bring about new creation. We can be thankful that the Fall was not the final word about this world. ... Keep Reading

Imitation of someone we admire is an effective way to learn. Children learn much by imitation of their parents. Athletes learn their sport by imitating all-star athletes or coaches. YouTube how-to videos have abounded on the principle that people learn best by imitating someone else. This applies to our spiritual growth as followers of Christ. First and foremost, we ought to imitate Christ, especially in suffering (1 Pet. 2:21). Even though humans, other than Christ, are fallible, we can learn by imitating those who are faithfully following Christ. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” So, let’s learn to give thanks by imitating Paul’s example in his letters. For what does Paul give thanks? As we consider Paul’s habits of giving thanks, we can be inspired in thankfulness. ... Keep Reading

The apostle Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” We could not receive a clearer statement that God wants us, even commands us, to be thankful. And yet, if we are honest, thankfulness is not natural. Like a child who is forced to say, “Thank you,” we may feel entitled to what we receive or we don’t see the goodness in what we receive. So, how do we fight a lack of gratitude and grow in thankfulness? Let me provide a step by step how-to guide for growing in thankfulness. Acknowledge that you do not deserve anything good. This is where the battle must start. Entitlement is the belief that I deserve better. Our culture is saturated with entitlement. In fact, it is embedded in sinful human nature. Is it wrong to desire better? Not necessarily. Is it wrong to believe I deserve better? Yes. Am I too harsh? Let’s allow Scripture to define what we deserve. Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Isaiah 64:6 says, “All our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.” And Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death.” In light of our sinfulness, we don’t deserve anything. This reality leads the psalmist to marvel at God, “What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” Recognize that everything you have is a gift. It doesn’t take long to recognize that we all enjoy good things in this life. If we don’t deserve anything good, why do we receive good things? The simple answer is that God is a gracious gift giver. In 1 Corinthians 4:7 Paul makes this point with two rhetorical questions: “What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?” And James simply states, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (1:17). And God’s gracious gift giving is not limited to people of faith. Jesus explains in Matthew 5:45 that God gives good gifts to all people, “For [God] makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” ... Keep Reading