Eutychus and the Television

Curious Eutychus has really been intrigued by the television. He first thought it was a box with a painting on the front - a painting that moved. But how could a painting move? High Definition technology is a bit ahead of Eutychus, but he is trying. And after all, life is much more than technology, right? Right? RIGHT?

After Eutychus mastered (well, mastering would be a bit of a stretch) the remote control he "surfed" (someone told him that is what he was doing, whatever surfing means) through 150 channels (whatever channels means). He learned about cooking omelets, watched "reality TV" (although Eutychus thought the persecutions under the Romans had a lot more to do with reality than swapping "mommies."). But there was a show he watched about a guy using a straw to suck "M-n-Ms" and carry them by means of suction with a straw depositing the M-n-Ms in another place. The longer Eutychus watched the TV, the more amazed he was that people would watch such a show. Could it be that the American culture was reduced to the absurdity of watching a man suck "M-n-Ms" with a straw.

For the first time, Eutychus started getting home sick. He thought of his brothers and sisters in Christ living in Jerusalem, an occupied city with Roman soldiers everywhere. He recalled the faces and the names of people who lived life everyday in the dusty, dirty streets of Jerusalem. He remembered the sermon Peter preached at Pentecost, and he thought of the hopes and dreams of Christians in the first century as they pondered taking the gospel to the world. Is it possible that 20 centuries later the wealthiest and most prominent culture and nation in the world is described by people watching a guy suck "M-n-Ms" on television. Eutychus pondered with amazement.

The Christian's Victory through Death

Today I want to talk to you about death, death for the Christian. I want us to think about death, not as a defeat or tragedy, but as victory and means by which the Christian goes into the glories of heaven. Let's look at John 14:1-6 and think about the Christian's victory through death.

1. Death cannot defeat the Christian because it did not defeat Christ.

Jesus is soon to face the cross in John 14, but there is no anxiety, no worry, no panic, and no fear. In fact, Jesus doesn’t even speak of the cross. Rather, He speaks of what He is going to do after the cross, after He dies. He is implying that death is not the end of Him, and He is implying that death will not defeat Him. He speaks of what He will do after He goes back to heaven, therefore He is affirming His resurrection and ascension – He is affirming His post-death victory and life.

2. The Christian possesses great joy as he contemplates death.

There is a sense in which the Christian feels the violent contradiction and violation of life in the essence and experience of death. Death is not part of God’s original plan for life. The Christian knows it and feels it. But at the same time, the believer knows, as he contemplates death, that death will not result in the cessation of existence, the termination of life, or the displacement of self. The Apostle Paul mocked death when he said, “Death, where is your victory; Death where is your sting?” Hebrews 12 says that Jesus endured the cross despising the shame, because of the joy set before Him on the cross. The Christian’s joy in death is to know that death is God’s instrumental means by which the believer enters into the greatest joy, peace, love, comfort, and beauty. The believer in death goes home to God and God’s love and eternal provision for him in Christ.

3. The Christian experiences transcendent glory beyond death.

It is impossible for us to fully contemplate how wonderful heaven, and the Christian’s heavenly experience, is. John spoke of heaven and its beauties in the Book of Revelation. Stephen spoke of heaven opening, and he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father. Jesus was standing to receive him. Jesus here says, “I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” Here is love to the maximum degree; here is our eternal, saving relationship with Christ fulfilled to the utmost. The Bride of Jesus, the church, will be in heaven without blemish, spot, or wrinkle.

Jesus said in John 17:24 in His prayer, “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see my glory, which you have given Me…”

Paul referred to this in 2 Corinthians 3:18 when he wrote, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit."

Finally, when John writes in the last chapter of Revelation (22:3-4) “There will not longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will no longer be any night…” The longing of Moses' heart, to see God's face and glory, is fulfilled in heaven. The great blessing of the Old Testament, "May His face shine upon you" will be fulfilled in the fullest extent in heaven. Hallelujah!

Application: John 14:1-6

· The eternal promise of the gospel fulfilled wonderfully and gloriously in heaven is absolutely and undeniably real.

o “If it were not so…”

· The promise of heaven, along with attending glories and blessings, should be our daily consolation and comfort.

o “Do not let your heart be troubled…"

· The certainty of heaven, for the Christian, is part of our belief in God and Christ

o “…you believe in God, believe also in Me.”

· The way to heaven and all of its joys is through Jesus Christ.

1. Christ’s active righteousness is applied by imputation on the cross.

2. Forgiveness of sin through Christ’s sacrificial, substitutionary atoning death on the cross.

3. Eternal life through Christ’s resurrection demonstrating His victory over death and sin and affirming His authority, power, and life as the Lord of all.

"Afterwards"

Hebrews 12:11 NASB, "All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, AFTERWARDS, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness."

The last part of this verse in the Phillips translation reads, "Yet when it is all over we can see that it has quietly produced the fruit of real goodness in the characters of those who have accepted it."

1 Peter 5:10 NASB, "AFTER you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you."

In the NASB translations of these two verses there are two words that stand out to me: "afterwards" and "after." The text is clearly indicating that sometimes the Christian's life is very hard to bear. This may either be the discipline of the Lord (normative or corrective discipline), or it may be as a result of the enemy's attack (see "suffering" because of Satan's attack, 1 Peter 5:9).

No matter what the Christian goes through in his journey, no matter what may be the experience in life's race, there is always an AFTERWARD for God's people. Suffering, heartache, sorrow, grief, and sadness are not the final words for Christians. We are a people who overwhelmingly conquer through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 8:37). Our God's grace is sufficient for the need of the hour (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). Tears may flow down our cheeks like rivers of sadness, but there is a joy in the end for God's people. The Psalmist said, Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5) . For the believer in Jesus Christ the night of sorrow, of despair, and overwhelming pain, gives way to the morning of gladness, goodness, and glory. This is true because there is always an AFTERWARD for God's people. God will never leave us in the Slough of Despond. Jesus promised His disciples His own joy (John 15:11). Nothing and no one can keep Jesus from bringing His joy to the hearts of His people.

Christian friend, when joy seems like the rarest of jewels, when the night of despair seems to be interminable, let us do the following:

• We must never judge our Lord's grace and love for us in the midst of great pain when our Lord's mercies seem rare and infrequent.
• We must remember, especially when we hurt, that God is working a plan beyond the scope of our knowing. We must trust Him with all our hearts and minds.
• We must learn to leave unanswered questions with our Lord and His sovereign wisdom.
• We must remember when our strength runs out to rest fully on God's strength and grace; these will always bear us up in the waves of adversity.
• Finally, we must force ourselves to believe, no matter how hard it may seem, that there will come a time when the present pain will end and the day will grow bright with joy. There will be an AFTERWARDS.

Curious Eutychus Attends a Global Warming Conference

As we pick up with our time-traveling hero, curious Eutychus, we discover that Eutychus has been invited by a consortium of environmental groups to attend a Global Warming Conference in Chicago. Eutychus is very curious about this because, other than being plopped down in St. Louis by some time warp, he has never been outside of Judea, and he isn't real sure what a "global" anything is. And he wasn't sure what a "warming" meant. He did remember the hot days he had spent in the summertime in the Judean wilderness. That was pretty warm. Once he tried to cross the Judean wilderness in the middle of July, a decision he soon learned to regret.

Eutychus was sitting in the St. Louis Lambert Airport waiting for something called a "flight" to take him to Chicago. A very serious looking gentleman sat beside him and began reviewing what looked like some very important notes. Curious Eutychus is...well...curious! So, he asks the man what he was doing. The scholarly looking gentleman turned his head toward Eutychus much like a turtle turning his head to survey a leaf of lettuce, and looking over his spectacles he said he was too busy to be disturbed by a commoner like Eutychus. Eutychus couldn't contain himself. He asked why the man was so busy. The man sighed loudly with what seemed to be exasperation and said, "I am Dr. Arrogantstein with the department of Socialististic Intervening Citizens Krafting Interpolate Deterministic Incremental Opportunities involving Total Subterfuge or SICK IDIOTS for short." He laid down his pen and papers as if to suggest that he would have to condescend to explain to this fruitcake about the obvious realities of the world. Dr. Arrogantsten explained, "I am part of a very elite group of world class scientists studying the undeniable and tragic effects of the extraordinary trend of global warming." Dr. Arrogantstein didactically said as if in a classroom, "You see, we have developed computer models that demonstrate beyond all logical doubt that the environment is being rapidly decimated by a right wing conspiracy to destroy all semblance of humanity and install a republican as King of the World." Eutychus got excited because he had just read a report in the newspaper about the very group in which Dr. Arrogantstein was a member. Eutychus, wanting to sound academic and well-read said, "Ah yes, I just read about your group in the paper. The report said that the data and the reports related to the computer models you have developed relating to global warming are fraudulent and lack the integrity of sound science. The report stated that your group had "stacked the deck" by manipulating the data to bring about the consequence you desire. Is that true?" "Well," replied Dr. Arrogantstein (looking like a boy who was just caught with his hand in the cookie jar), "I suppose we did stretch the research a bit, but it was all for a good cause. You can't just trust the average citizen to make the right decisions, you know. We have to "force", er...I mean "encourage" the population to make the right decision." "But," inquired Eutychus, "Aren't right scientific decisions and deductions made on the basis of solid science and proper interpretation of that science, and shouldn't the entire process be conducted with integrity without prejudice or bias?" Dr. Arrogantstein was a bit miffed with this obviously dense midwesterner who demonstrated a total lack of understanding of reality. He asked Eutychus quite abruptly, "Did you go to Harvard? Are you a card-carrying liberal? Have you ever been to Manhattan? Are you part of the elite who will overrule the common, hard-headed men or women?" Eutychus did not know what Dr. Arrogantstein meant, but he sensed he was supposed to say, "No." So, he did so. Dr. Arrogantstein smiled as if to placate an innocent ignoramus and said, "Son, you best leave the real issues to those of us who are smart enough to deal with them. Trust me, we are in a dangerous global warming trend that could change the entire meteorological climate overnight. I just hope we can make great paradigmatic changes before it is too late."

Eutychus looked up to the television screen to notice that their flight to take them to Chicago to the Global Warming Conference had just been cancelled for snow.

The Distortion of Wounded Feelings

Job 10:1-3, "I loathe my own life; I will give full vent to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul I will say to God, 'Do not condemn me; let me know why You contend with me. Is it right for You indeed to oppress, to reject the labor of Your hands and to look favorably on the schemes of the wicked?"

When we are hurting, grieving, sick, or distraught, then our emotions are a wreck. Damaged emotions are so effected by our pain that they are distorted greatly. This is indicated in Job's experience. He made the following miscalculations because of his pain:

• He thought God was oppressing him.
• He thought God was looking favorably on the evil plans of wicked people.
• He thought God was condemning him.
• He thought God was contending (opposing) him.

All of these false ideas seemed so real to Job because of his pain. His spiritual eyes were clouded by the mists of sharp pain and grief. He hurt so much that he said he loathed his life, and his soul was bitter.

Let's think about the following when our wounded feelings create an emotional distortion.

1. God's love for His people is constant; it never fluctuates or diminishes. There is nothing a child of God can do to make God love him more or less. When we feel unloved by God, remember how much God loves you. Christian friend, God demonstrated His love for His covenant people by sending the blessed second Person of the Trinity in human flesh as a sacrifice for their sin.
2. Our wounded feelings are inaccurate barometers of reality. What we feel is not necessarily what is true. We must learn to differentiate between what feels real and what is real. Reality is based on truth not feeling. We must learn God's holy Word (the Scriptures) in order to rightly understand reality when we are hurting. It is best to learn truth before you hurt, so that when pain comes you can reflect meaningfully and comfortingly on what you know to be true in the Scriptures.
3. Never make big decisions in a time of great pain. A wounded person makes poor decisions. When we are hurting deeply, attempt to refrain from making big decisions. Let time pass, try to get your emotional balance, before making big decisions.
4. Soak in the confidence of future glory. When a Christian is hurting, he is in the perfect position to reflect on the joy and majesty of future glory. Often present pain enables us to better anticipate the glory of eternity.
5. Do your duty trusting fully in God. It is best to not try to conquer the world when hurting. It is best, when hurting, to focus on what lies at hand. "What is my duty?" "What is my responsibility?" The answers to these questions will guide us as to best spend our time. We must act, work, live, and serve during times of pain. Do not soak in self-pity or self-loathing. It is better to be busy doing what we ought to do. As we do this, trust fully in God for the future.
6. Worship the Lord. There is nothing more calming, more correcting, more soothing, more inspiring in the Christian's life than true worship. In worship we see ourselves in the context of the greatness of God. In worship we see our sin in the ambiance of divine purity. In worship we see the light of the providence of God when we think nothing but darkness is all around. If you would be healed of heart, go worship.

Curious Eutychus meets a Feminist

Friend, I want to welcome you to a new series of contemplative ruminations of uncertain quality. Today begins the ADVENTURES OF CURIOUS EUTYCHUS! I take the name of this fictional character from the interesting young fellow who had the infamous experience of falling asleep during one of Paul's sermons in Acts 20 (not something one would like to have etched in one's legacy..."Oh, your the one who fell asleep during Paul's sermon; wink, wink!"). Well, Eutychus is now visiting us in the 21st century, and an interesting visit it is! He will meet some "peculiar blokes on this beach." Today, curious Eutychus meets a modern feminist.

Eutychus was reading in the newspaper about the recent Focus on the Family commercial that ran during the Super Bowl (Eutychus had to be really "brought up to speed" on what football was, but that is for another story) in which Tim Tebow (monstrously successful former football quarterback for the University of Florida Gators) and his mother express their pro-life story. The general sense of the story is that Mrs. Tebow (Tim's mom) was told when she was pregnant with Tim that she was in great risk during this pregnancy. The doctors in their "all knowing wisdom" (after all, anyone in a white medical smock knows what they are talking about, right? I think the medical smock is now the sign of authority similar to the clerical robe in the middle ages, but that is for another story as well) advised Mrs. Tebow to abort little unborn Tim. But Mrs. Tebow CHOSE to face the possible risks of the pregnancy and have little Tim, who turned out to be fine along with mother. This is where the feminists start to get angry, I mean, after all a woman who would CHOOSE to have her baby deserves to be criticized, right?!

Well, back to Eutychus...he was telling this story to an acquaintance of his at the local coffee shop called "The Double Dip Caffeine Trip All Hip Getting Ready for the Trip We Won't Let You Slip" coffee shop. As he told of the heroic CHOICE by Mrs. Tebow to continue the pregnancy and how everything turned out fine for both mom and her son, the young lady grew more and more agitated. As the story continued she began to glow red with anger and obvious indignation. Eutychus, not having been in the 21st century very long, was confused. When he inquired concerning her problem, she burst out, "Don't you understand you slime ball of male testosterone filled with overtly womanly hatred; you bigoted, arrogant, stupid, insensitive man full of all detestable manly irrational thought." Eutychus was stunned; he had not detected his own male stupidity by simply reading the wonderful story of the courageous story of a young mother CHOOSING life because of her love and belief. He replied, "I don't understand." She shouted with elitist fury, "Of course you don't understand. How could you understand the importance of a woman's CHOICE in a time of great struggle and fear. You pro-lifers are all the same; you haven't got the foggiest clue of what it means to be PRO-CHOICE!" Eutychus exclaimed, "But didn't Mrs. Tebow make her own CHOICE, and shouldn't we applaud her love and sacrifice for her child?" The feminist snootily retorted, "CHOICE! Having a baby is not a CHOICE. Don't you understand that you cannot be PRO-CHOICE unless you CHOOSE the CHOICE that pro-abortionists prefer!" Now Eutychus was really confused. He asked, "But isn't a CHOICE, a CHOICE, whatever the CHOICE is?" The feminist laughed with disdain and cried, "How stupid of you PRO-LIFERS! You don't even know CHOICE when you see one!"

Eutychus went on sipping his latte with a bit of skim milk and artificial sweetener, and wondered, "How is it that CHOICE is not CHOICE?" These are strange thinking people in the 21st century. He wondered if logic had made it to this point in history.

A True Example of Faith

If you are like me, I often feel that my faith needs a boost. I want to trust God, but sometimes it seems so hard to do. I think I am doing great until a test of my faith comes along, and suddenly I feel like I am in the kindergarten school of faith. One of the most encouraging passages on faith for me is the passage where Jesus said that faith need only be as large as a mustard seed, and that is enough. But even that size of faith is too large for me. I fall before the Lord and say with the man, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief."

Paul used Abraham as the example of true faith in Romans 4. What does faith really look like? How does faith act in the face of obstacles that threaten to undo it? Look at Romans 4:16-21 (NASB):

"For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace...to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all...in hope against hope he believed...without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb; yet with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able to perform."

OK, here is the gig - Hebrews 11:6 says one cannot please God without faith. Faith is just that important. But faith is not only a subjective trust in something one wishes to be true. Romans 10:17 says that faith comes from hearing the Word of God. God speaks His Word (the Scriptures) to His sheep, and Jesus' sheep hear the voice of their beloved Shepherd in the words of the Scripture. And as a result, the sheep believe Jesus and His Word. The sheep have faith in what Jesus says in the Scripture.

Faith says several important things. (1) Faith says, "I want to get God's Word right; I want to rightly interpret the Word of God." (2) Faith says, "I will rest my convictions, my hopes, and my expectations on what God has said in His Word; He cannot fail in any promise He makes." (3) Faith says, "I will trust God to bridge the gap from the promise of the Word to my personal human experience; I will not put demands on God, but rather, I will trust God to be true to Himself in fulfilling His Word." (4) Faith says, "I will not quit believing God no matter what I see or don't see, what I feel or don't feel; sight and feelings do not verify God." (5) Faith says, "I will smile always knowing that God will certainly come through to do what is best, wisest, and good for me."

But there is one more thing; something bothers me about the reference to Abraham and faith in Romans 4. If one reads the story of Abraham and Sarah and the promise of God, one realizes that there is a disconnect here. Abraham and Sarah tried to work out God's promise with their own rationale and in their own strength. They tried to accomplish God's will by conniving and scheming and working their own plans. And it failed MISERABLY! But when I read Romans 4 about Abraham and his faith, I see absolutely no reference to Abraham's failure of faith. Rather, Abraham is presented as a model of faith. Did God forget the failure of Abraham? No, but God chose to overlook the failure of Abraham. The greatest of people are rotten failures in the eyes of God. This is a given; no question or debate. Someone has rightly said, "The best of men are men at best." But God's grace moves beyond the failures of His people, and God shows His glory in their successes, because those successes demonstrate God's grace in the lives of His people. God is not keeping a book of your mistakes in order to "pound" you one day with judgment. All of your sins and failures are nailed to Christ's cross, and the debt has been paid in full. Paul may have called himself the chief of sinners, but God never called Paul that. To God, Paul was one of His chosen ones whom He loved with all His heart.

So, Christian friend, trust God, lean on God, rest in His promise and faithfulness. Stop beating yourself up for your failures, and live by FAITH!