Lent teaching series
Present Future
by Reggie McNeal

Here we are in February 2010 already! How are the New Year’s resolutions going? Still keeping up with the diet or fitness regime or new prayer or Bible reading plan? January has been quite an emotional time for me and many others. Visiting 2 of our 3 elders in the same ward at St. George’s and then meeting Sally in A & E with a triple fracture was not fun. I wasn’t surprised either, and yet still couldn’t believe it was happening. Those sorts of things, and the devastation from the Haiti earthquake provide a lot of food for thought. We can go into fear, despair, discouragement, confusion, or we can allow ourselves to be taken deeper into faith with God.

I am absolutely convinced that God does not send these things – he is not the cause – he does not send sickness – he doesn’t intend certain circumstances – BUT he is able to bring good out of them. And as Romans 8 teaches nothing is able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus: just read the list of things that can’t separate us from Him, it’s staggering. The Bible doesn’t promise that no bad thing will ever happen to us if we follow God (a better life yes, but not one devoid of challenges). Jesus followed the father and was crucified, Paul followed Jesus and was persecuted, and had a ‘ thorn in his side’, but he kept on following, kept on preaching the kingdom and doing the works of the kingdom [healing other people is not dependant on our own good health, but on the One we’re in covenant with!]. And so what is our response to these challenges? Is questioning OK? Is it OK to be angry with God? Of course it is, as long as we follow David’s pattern in the Psalms which is to surrender our anger before it becomes bitterness and humbly submit to God, praising him for his goodness. Questioning is fine, as long as it results in answers that are biblical and helpful, and doesn’t result in cynicism and a seedbed of doubt. And of course into all this we thread our sometimes flimsy faith in the One who is never flimsy. Confident that while we may not be walking strong (or even walking) He is and even carries us (ala the ‘Footsteps’ poem).

If you follow me on all of that, you may ask what this means to the idea of God’s sovereignty – that he is in absolute control and charge of everything? It’s a good question and this discussion shows I think we need to revise the common understanding of sovereignty of 20^th century Christianity. Of course – God is sovereign- in charge over all things etc. But that doesn’t mean that everything that happens is His will. If we take that view we’re in the Islamic realm of determinism: where all that happens is God’s will. Jesus called us to pray ‘Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven’, meaning right now God’s will is not done like it is in heaven (not perfectly because of sin and evil), and we are to pray and act to see that more of God’s will does happen. God calls us into partnership to bring his wonderful way of life to earth, through our actions, prayer and lifestyle.

So as I said good night to Sal in hospital, with her leg in more pieces than it should be, we felt close to god, that he was with us, and that he was doing some special things in the midst of it all. Since the operation, there’ve been many challenges, BUT we have been overwhelmed by people’s generosity, some of which you will never know – but god has taken care of everything, and we have been so blessed I struggle to find the words. The sense of community and time spent with people has been so precious. We’re truly grateful God’s placed us in MBC and it’s a privilege to call this home.

And so we carry on – pick up where we left off, which was a New Year message of Repent – of changing our thinking and returning to God, and of expecting great things from Him, and attempting great things for Him. Bring it on Lord!

Great Themes of the Bible
Covenant and Kingdom
Gav Murray