What Is Wrong With You?

A question that has often been asked is, “What is wrong with us?”  If that question doesn’t burn in your heart from time to time, then your head is really in the sand.  The answer according the Bible is that to a great degree we underestimate something.

          You can point to just about any crime drama or Hollywood movie and see how predicaments are created because someone always underestimates the bad guys.  God tells us that we cannot afford to underestimate the nature of sin that lies within the human heart. 

          Genesis 4:7says, “But if you do not do right, sin is crouching at the door.  Its desire is for you, but you must master it.” 

          So what is wrong with us?  It’s not just sin, but it’s also our tendency to underestimate sin.  Consider sin’s ability to become invisible as it’s “crouching at the door.”  In other words, sin’s very nature is deceptive as it hides itself.  This word for “crouching” is almost always used of wild animals.  When I was a kid and didn’t fully recognize the uselessness of cats, we had a few cats around the place.  They were playful and mischievous and soft and cuddly, but if they ever spotted a June bug, suddenly they transported back to the jungles of Africa as they crouched down low with his gaze locked onto the prey.  He pushed himself down in order to look smaller than he really was.   

          God is telling us that our sin, by its nature, always looks smaller than it really is.  As a result, in the midst of your very ordinary life and very ordinary church, there is a wild beast.

          In this passage, Cain was experiencing what seems like some very ordinary and justifiable feelings.  Stinking Abel, he’s always been so straight laced and everyone’s favorite, and I’m tired of it. Those seem like very ordinary feelings, but Cain doesn’t see what’s at the heart of those feelings.  Because there is something crouching down in the midst of that very ordinary grudge, hiding itself from view. 

          Cain and Abel were brothers, and they both came to God with an offering.  Theologians tell us that the Hebrew word here speaks of a dedication offering, taking something that belonged to you and giving it to God as a symbol of your whole self and everything you have belonging to God.  It’s like giving your spouse a wedding ring.  It comes out of your possessions, but it’s a symbol of giving your whole self to your spouse.

          But what if a man offers a woman a ring, but the whole time he’s been dating other women?  She would say, “This isn’t love, this is bribery.  And you want all of me, but you’re not willing        to give me all of you.”

          So when you come to worship, and you give God your prayers, and you give God your offerings, unless you back it up with your life, it’s not love and worship.  Its bribery. 

          First John 3:12, “… unlike Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother.  And why did he murder him?  Because his works were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.”

          It was the works behind the offering that was Cain’s problem.  Cain was just like the average person in church today.  He wasn’t a drug dealer and he wasn’t running prostitutes.  He was merely a half-hearted person who wants to come to church and sort of pay God off, but when it comes down to living life, he wants to do it his way.

          Cain was like the man who submitted to God at church, but didn’t submit to God at work.  Or like the woman who submitted to God in Sunday school, but not in her home.  Like the teenagers submitting to God on Wednesday nights, but not to their teachers at school.

          On the other hand, Abel was whole hearted.  He strived to submit to God in every area of life, so God regarded Able and didn’t regard Cain. 

          As a result, verse 5, “Cain was furious, and he was downcast.” 

            At the heart of that ordinary half-heartedness is a demanding spirit with a dominating sense that God owes you.  In time, that can evolve into you trampling over other people because you feel like you’ve got a right to do so.  The wild beast that is at the center of ordinary half-heartedness is most clearly seen when life doesn’t go your way.

          When a worshipper of God finds life not going well, they may get confused or discouraged, and they may even grieve as they ask God why?  But when a briber of God finds life not going well, he or she gets exceedingly angry because they feel like they deserve better due to all their past religious activity. 

          This sin crouches and hides itself well.  Consider that the worst sins in your life look much smaller to you than they do to anyone else.  For example, if you have a great marriage or great friends who will tell you when you ask them, “What’s bad about me?”  You’ll be amazed at how clearly they can see things that you barely see or even notice. 

          Notice verse 7, “If you do right, won’t you be accepted? But if you do not do right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you.”

          Sins stay around and wait for you because their desire is to devour you.  For instance, when you lie, you’ll discover something happening inside you, because sin has an addiction element.  When you lie, you’ll find that you’ll want to lie again, and you’ll find that lying becomes easier.  When you ruin someone’s reputation, you’ll find that you want to ruin someone else’s reputation, and that ruining reputations becomes easier.  When you do something unthinkable, it’s amazing how fast it becomes thinkable.

          So at this point, you may be asking, “Why did I decide read this blog?  It is so depressing.”  One reason is because your sin is after you, and you’d better not underestimate it.  Secondly, you must realize you need a Savior. 

          Verse 7, “Its desire is for you, but you must master it.”  

          Notice we see hope as God appeals to Cain by asking, “Why are you furious? And why are you downcast?”  There have been too many Christians with an attitude toward sinners that was terribly condemning.  Yet God asked Adam and Eve, “Where are you?”  He asked Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry?”  And He says to Cain, “Let’s think about this.  Do you not see that your real enemy is not Abel, but it’s your sin?” 

          Cain was not miserable because of what had happened to him, but because of what was in him.  God comes to all of us and says, “Do you know why you’re cast down and so angry?”  Maybe you’ve been mistreated, but you’re not miserable because of what has been done to you.  You are miserable because of your response to what has been done to you.”

          It’s our self-pity, anger, bitterness, refusal to forgive, pride, or hurt feelings.  But when you realize that the misery you experience is due to how you responded, then you realize there is hope. 

          So God comes to you and challenges you to repent.  Because if sin is your problem, then you can master it, but if Abel is your problem, then all you can do is attack him.  If your spouse is your problem, then you can divorce or throw something, but if your sin is the problem, then there’s hope.  Even after Cain has killed Abel, there is still hope as God comes one more time.

          Verse 9, “Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”  God is not looking for information, He is looking for repentance.  Yet Cain reply shows that sin has devoured him.  “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s guardian?”

          God says in verse 10, “What have you done? Your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground!” 

          When we, in our sin, destroy relationships, destroy people, destroy reputations, the ruin of God’s creation cries out.  God takes Cain to the pool of Abel’s blood that cries out for justice. 

          But what if Cain had repented?  What if you repent?  What if you said today, “My problem is my sin.  It’s not what was done to me.  It’s not my spouse.  It’s not because I was born into the wrong family.”

          If you will repent, then God will take you to another pool of blood that is also crying out.  You see, the ultimate Abel, who was also hated for his righteousness, was Jesus. 

          Hebrews 12:24, “…to Jesus, and to the sprinkled blood, which says better things than the blood of Abel.”

          All human blood cries out that sin must be paid for, but the blood of Jesus cries out that sin has been paid for.  If you don’t repent, the ruins of all the people that you’ve hurt are crying out for justice.  But if you do repent, God takes you to the ruin of His Son which cries out, “Justice has been done and you can be forgiven.”

Help for the Wounded Spirit

          Among many adequate definitions, one way to describe wisdom is competence for the complex realities of life.  Our pride makes it very temping for us to try to boil everything down to simply evaluations.  Yet, the longer I live the more naiveté goes out the window as I realize that very few problems are as simple as I would like.

          Consider the complexities of the human heart.  We’ve all experienced very powerful and conflicting feelings that we’ve struggled to sort out and deal with adequately.  Feelings and emotions roil and rage and almost overwhelm us while we feel impotent in our efforts to change them.

          Proverbs 18:14 says, “A man’s spirit can endure sickness, but who can survive a broken spirit?”  The word for spirit is often translated as wind and it carries the idea of power and energy.  And when it is used in the context of the human heart, it speaks of our mental energy and emotional power to live life.  A person’s spirit is that part of them that should want to engage life and live life fully.

          But what happens when a person’s spirit is broken?  A broken spirit shies away from life with no desire for it and no joy in it.  Of course one person’s spirit can be more broken than another’s.  One can be merely discouraged while the other can have no more desire to live.

And when this Proverb says, “A man’s spirit can endure sickness, but who can survive a broken spirit,” it’s saying that when a person’s spirit is strong, one can endure physical afflictions, but a broken spirit can’t be endured no matter how physically healthy one may be.

          When Paul wrote to the New Testament churches, those churches were being persecuted as whole families were being taken to jail.  Yet, whenever Paul prays for them, he never prays that the trials would end or that families would stop going to jail.  Instead he says in Ephesians 3:16, “I pray that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man.”

Paul understood that if all your life is falling apart and broken, but your inner spirit is strong, then you are able to live life with strength.

          Now in light of this, do we understand the priority we must place on the health of our inner life?  Our spirit?  That part of us that can provide us with strength regardless of how difficult everything becomes?  Do you see how important it is to deposit grace into your inner spirit?  Proverbs reminds us that it is foolish to not give adequate attention to the health of our inner life.

          The question then becomes: what can we do to maintain good spiritual health?  Or what contributes to a broken spirit?  How do we get so powerless to manage our feelings and emotions until we are completely disheartened and despondent?

          The biblical answer is that it’s complicated.  The human heart, the inner spirit is complex and therefore requires wisdom.  First, a broken spirit may have a physical aspect as Proverbs 14:30 says, “A tranquil heart is life to the body, but jealousy is rottenness to the bones.”  Doctors have told us for years that poor emotional health can lead to poor physical health, implying also that poor physical health can contribute to poor emotion health.  Not getting enough sleep, a poor diet, a lack of exercise can all facilitate brokenness in spirit.

          Secondly, a broken spirit may have a relational aspect.  Proverbs 12:25, “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, but a good word cheers it up.”  I can’t tell you how many times I have had my countenance lifted by the kind words of the people to which I minister.  Yet the most valuable has always been my wife’s willingness to put her arms around me and make my leading of our home a joy rather than a battle.  And because of the relational nature, sometimes we just need the nearness and support of others.

          Thirdly, a broken spirit may have a moral aspect.  Proverbs 28:1, “The wicked flee when no one is pursuing them, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.”  This is your guilty conscience speaking when you know you done something wrong.  And even when no one is pursuing you, guilt can make you a defensive person in general.  When someone criticizes you, you may feel assaulted because you already have a bad conscience.  You constantly feel the need to defend yourself for whatever part you may have played in the deterioration of a relationship even though no one has accused you of anything.  Your guilty conscience can make you feel like you need to flee even if no one is chasing you.

          Fourthly, a broken spirit may have a philosophical aspect.  Proverbs 14:13, “Even in laughter a heart may be sad, and joy may end in grief.”  We all know that the fun will be over eventually.  The back yard barbeques and watching our kids grow and all the joys of life eventually come to a halt.  We all know that eventually someone in our family will stand at the final graveside.  Blasé Pascal said that one of the things that people think about the most while talking about the least is the fact that there is a death on the horizon that we cannot escape.  Unless you can find a philosophical category that helps you cope with death, no matter how much fun you have, sadness and grief are always waiting over the horizon.  Your broken spirit may be fueled by your lack of answers as you ask, “Why do I exist?  Why do I die?”

          If anything can be said about our inner spirit, we can say it’s complex.  You may need medicine, or love, or repentance, or answers, or a combination of all.

          Finally, a broken spirit may have a hope aspect.  Proverbs 15:13, “A joyful heart makes a face cheerful, but a sad heart produces a broken spirit.”  In the Bible your heart is that part of you that looks for something to live for, something in which to invest yourself while hoping that it will give your life meaning and significance.  And you say to yourself, “If I can get that, then I will feel like I matter.”  This verse reminds us that putting our hope in something, whether it be our success or a romantic relationship or the approval of people or raising a family, that those things will inevitably disappoint us.  And because that was the thing for which we lived, when it fail us, our spirits will break.

          Proverbs 14:10 says, “The heart knows its own bitterness, and no outsider shares in its joy.”  The ups and downs of your heart are so complex that no one else will really understand you.  Proverbs 16:2, “All a man’s ways seem right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the motives.”  Even you don’t understand your inner spirit completely.  In other words, there is no human being who can adequately assess all the emotional and spiritual turmoil you may be experiencing.  Therefore, if you don’t have a real sense of knowing God personally, and knowing His nearness to the brokenhearted, then in a real sense you on your own in this world.  One commentator said, “God is the only one who can walk with you in every dark valley and understand you completely.”

          Now let’s consider the healing of a broken spirit.  In Genesis there was a tree of life in the middle of the Garden of Eden.  Theologians tell us this tree represented the complete fulfillment of the human heart’s deepest desires.  Yet, as we read the account in Genesis, we see that the human race lost the tree of life.  Genesis 3:24, “He drove man out, and east of the Garden of Eden He stationed cherubim with a flaming, whirling sword to guard the way to the tree of life.”  When we decided to look away from God in an effort to find fulfillment elsewhere, we lost the tree of life.  We lost the one relationship that could truly meet our heart’s deepest desires.

          Proverbs 13:12 says, “Delayed hope makes the heart sick, but fulfilled desire is a tree of life.”  The things in this world we set our hearts upon in hopes of filling the emptiness inside will always leave us feeling emptier.  When we look into our hearts, we see that we are longing for something we’ll never find in this world.  But there is a tree of life that will do for us what no created thing will do.

          When Jesus died on the cross, he said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  This is a quote from Psalm 22 which has another verse that says, “My heart is like wax, melting within me.”  That verse is describing a broken spirit.  In other words, the cross became a tree of life as the Son of God was eternally crushed in spirit so that our spirit could one day be eternally healed.

          As devastating and as painful and as grieving as a wounded and broken spirit can be, it is only a shadow of that which awaits us in eternity since we have rejected our creator that we may pursue the creation.  Yet, this is what Jesus stepped into upon the cross.  Imagine what it was like for Him to experience the ultimate and eternal brokenness of which ours is only a shadow.  And He did it because He loves you.  My friend, trust in this Savior, the One who would rather go to hell for you than go to heaven without you.  And let the reality of this demonstration of His great love be what begins to heal your brokenness and fulfill your heart’s deepest longings.

Image Credit: www.goodsalt.com

First Baptist Allen on Alcohol

         

 Our church recently changed its covenant statement on the use of alcohol.  The old wording forbid church members from participating in the use or sale of alcohol, while the new statement forbids the abuse of any substance whether alcohol or drugs while abstaining from any behavior that might harm the conscience of another. 

          The key to dealing with doctrine and Christian ethics is to remember that sinful man, Christian or otherwise, is not a reliable guide.  Imagine if God left us to ourselves with no inspired word to guide us into his heart and mind.  We wouldn’t just have different denominations, but one’s Christianity would truly be a private affair as each individual would be left to determine for themselves what faith required.  I would likely be forced to plant the First Church of Chad Kaminski with me as the only member.

          Yet, by God’s grace and infinite wisdom, he has given us his word.  Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.”  Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."  

          It is so easy for the believer to not read his or her Bible and simply believe what seems right to them or what they’ve been told by someone else.  In the book of Acts, the Bereans are praised for not only being open minded, but for verifying everything by scripture.  Acts 17:11 says, "The people here were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, since they welcomed the message with eagerness and examined the Scripture daily to see if these things were so."  They cared enough about knowing the truth of God that they were willing to not only discuss matters of faith, but they double checked everything with God's word.  Let us do so now.

           In the Old Testament, the presence of wine was seen as a blessing.  Genesis 27:28 says, “May God give to you— from the dew of the sky and from the richness of the land— an abundance of grain and new  wine.  Deuteronomy 7:13 says, “He will love you, bless you, and multiply you.  He will bless your descendants, and the produce of your land—your grain, new wine.”  Deuteronomy 11:14 says, “I will provide rain for your land in the proper time, the autumn and spring rains, and you will harvest your grain, new wine, and oil.”
          Consequently, the absence of wine was seen as a curse.  Deuteronomy 28:39, 51 says, “You will plant and cultivate vineyards but not drink the wine or gather the grapes, because worms will eat them. They will leave you no grain, new wine, oil, young of your herds, or newborn of your flocks until they cause you to perish.”

Wine is described as a good gift of God.  Psalm 104:14-15 says, “He causes grass to grow for the livestock and provides crops for man to cultivate, producing food from the earth, wine that makes man’s heart glad— making his face shine with oil— and bread that sustains man’s heart.”  Ecclesiastes 9:7-9 says, “Go, eat your bread with pleasure, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already accepted your works.  Let your clothes be white all the time, and never let oil be lacking on your head. Enjoy life with the wife you love all the days of your fleeting life.”

          Wine is seen as an important image of joy and celebration and victory when the Messiah comes.  Isaiah 25:6 says, “The Lord of Hosts will prepare a feast for all the peoples on this mountain—a feast of aged wine, choice meat, finely aged wine.”

          And Jesus’ first miracle was to turn water to an over-abundance of wine, foreshadowing the coming banquet prophesied by Isaiah, while pointing to Jesus as the host of that future banquet.  Matthew 26:29 says, “But I tell you, from this moment I will not drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it in a new way in My Father’s kingdom with you.”

         On the eve of his death, Jesus sanctified a cup of wine as the "New Covenant in my blood."  (Luke 22:14-23)  Yet, as with any good gift that God provides, our sinful hearts can use it for evil.  So though wine is seen as a blessing, drunkenness is evil. 

Drunkenness alters our minds so we have no self control.  Ephesians 5:18 says, “And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless actions, but be filled by the Spirit.”  Titus 2:3 says, “In the same way, older women are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not addicted to much wine.”  1 Timothy 3:2-3 says, “An overseer, therefore, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, self-controlled, sensible, respectable, hospitable, an able teacher, not addicted to wine.”  1 Timothy 3:8 says “Deacons, likewise, should be worthy of respect, not hypocritical, not drinking a lot of wine.”

          It is not only clear that drunkenness itself is a sin, but it also leads to more sin.  Proverbs 20:1 Wine is a mocker, beer is a brawler, and whoever staggers because of them is not wise.”  Drunkenness leads to destruction and addiction.  Proverbs 23:29-35 says, “Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has conflicts? Who has complaints? Who has wounds for no reason? Who has red eyes?  Those who linger over wine, those who go looking for mixed wine.  Don’t gaze at wine because it is red, when it gleams in the cup and goes down smoothly.  In the end it bites like a snake and stings like a viper.  Your eyes will see strange things, and you will say absurd things.  You’ll be like someone sleeping out at sea or lying down on the top of a ship’s mast.  ‘They struck me, but I feel no pain! They beat me, but I didn’t know it! When will I wake up? I’ll look for another drink.’”

Unrepentant drunkenness is very serious in scripture.  1 Corinthians 6:9 says, “Don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or anyone practicing homosexuality, no thieves, greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, or swindlers will inherit God’s kingdom.”

          It is obvious that alcohol is in the realm of Christian freedom.  Yet it is also obvious that some should not drink.  Maybe they struggle with drunkenness or they are born with a proclivity to drunkenness or a personality that tends toward addiction.  Therefore what the Bible says about drunkenness is reason enough for many to avoid even a single drink.

Since this falls under the umbrella of Christian freedom, how should we behave under that umbrella?  Romans 14:14-23 says, “I know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. Still, to someone who considers a thing to be unclean, to that one it is unclean.  For if your brother is hurt by what you eat, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy that one Christ died for by what you eat.  Therefore, do not let your good be slandered, for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.  Whoever serves Christ in this way is acceptable to God and approved by men.  So then, we must pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another.  Do not tear down God’s work because of food. Everything is clean, but it is wrong for a man to cause stumbling by what he eats.  It is a noble thing not to eat meat, or drink wine, or do anything that makes your brother stumble.  Do you have a conviction? Keep it to yourself before God. The man who does not condemn himself by what he approves is blessed.  But whoever doubts stands condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from a conviction, and everything that is not from a conviction is sin.”

In other words, our conscience is not infallible, but if your conscience says it’s wrong, even if your conscience is misinformed, then violating your conscience with that behavior would be sin.  Therefore, if your conscience says drinking alcohol is wrong, then you should not drink.

Secondly, love should control your use of freedom.  Paul exhorts us to love one another in our thoughtful use of freedoms.  Choosing to drink around someone whose conscience is being wounded, or who is being drawn into something that they’ve spent years to get freedom from is not loving.  Our freedoms should not control us, but our love should control our freedoms.

And finally, God is the centerpiece of the Christian life, not your drink.  God’s good gifts are meant to point us to God, therefore worship God, not the good things that God gives us to enjoy.  If a nonbeliever came to your house where you enjoy a glass of wine with dinner, would they leave thinking, “Wow, they sure love their wine,” or would they leave saying, “Wow, they sure love their God.”

            Romans 14 allows for a difference of conviction on the use of alcohol because the church’s foundation of unity is not built around our views of this issue.  We just read Romans 14:17, “…for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.”  Therefore we can be convinced one way or the other in our own minds about this issue while being charitable to one another as we grow together in the same church.

            As a postscript, when our church decided to make this change to our covenant, we made sure not to add any wording that made it sound like we were promoting a certain use of Christian freedom.  In other words, we are not encouraging the use of alcohol for our members or anyone else.  And of course, we stand against the use of illegal drugs, as well as the use of drugs beyond a doctor's prescribed instructions.  
          But we are calling for that which God commands: love, sobriety and an addiction free life.