1. A man who had been married to his wife for 51 years tells an 18 year old young woman that he has only had sex with one woman in his life. But then he quickly adds, “But times have changed.”

2. A man altruistically helps out a returning captain from Iraq (Julia Roberts) to get home to her son but then it turns out that the benefactor is the gay lover of a recently outed NFL quarterback.

3. An older couple works through some severe issues and reconciles. 

But beyond that, I can’t think of any positive elements. 

In this PG-13 movie, three couples all awaken on Valentine’s Day in bed and…unmarried. One woman (Anne Hathaway) is a “professional phone sex worker” who is paying off her college loans while dating a yokum from Indiana. Another (Ashton Kutcher) proposes marriage to his lover (Jessica Alba) after awakening with her. (“Daddy, how did you ask Mommy to marry you?”) 

Another (Jennifer Garner) is sexually involved with a heart surgeon who claims to be divorced. But in reality, he is married and simply playing out his adulterous fantasies with another woman. 

All of this is presented as normal. It is not seen as sad or dysfunctional or out of step. But the message is unmistakable: that sexuality is NOT reserved for the marriage bed and the marriage bed (Hebrews 13:4). 

And then there is the seemingly ever present pushing of homosexual rights. In the closing moments of the movie, one of the closing statements in the movie, a sports announcer (Jamie Foxx) goes on the air and in quoting about the NFL quarterback who is now openly homosexual says, “Just as Jackie Robinson (the first major league baseball who was African American) but with the color barrier…you are breaking another barrier.” Thus, equating the commendable and noble civil rights movement with the homosexual movement. 

The message of this movie is normative sex is whatever you want it to be and it takes courage just to live. 

So, skip “Valentine’s Day” and watch “Cinderella Man” or “Gladiator” because this movie is dangerous and subversive in a cute and nicely packaged way.

“God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us so that in him, we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)  That is the central focus of all redemptive history. 

I underscored that in light of a recent funeral I went to when the hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul” was passionately sung. Because the press of time, the music director omitted the third stanza (While it was not an intentional denial of the centrality of the cross of the music director, I thought it underscored that it is easy to push the cross to the periphery and not have it central). Please, if you ever sing the glorious hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul”, do not omit stanza #3. 

The third stanza goes as follows:

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! 

In The Cross and Christian Ministry, D.A Carson makes the following insightful statement, “Somewhere along the way, we have succumbed to the temptation to displace the foolishness of the cross with the wisdom of strategic planning…I fear that the cross, without every being disowned, is constantly in danger of being dismissed from the central place it must enjoy by relatively peripheral insights that can take on far too much weight. Whenever the periphery is in danger of displacing the center, we are not far removed from idolatry.” (p. 26) 

I pray that we will continually and passionately pursue the Christ who is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 

Buster 

The totality of the lordship of Christ over all things. May we always glory in the greatness of the cross.

Hilton left a rich legacy of grace for his children and grandchildren. He and Rose evidenced a deep love for one another that was both compelling and instructive. I celebrate his life. 

I salute a man of consistency and joy. He will be missed here as he is celebrated in heaven.  

“Well done, good and faithful servant.”

John Piper has been the pastor for preaching and vision at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota for 30 years. He relentlessly produces Biblically-saturated and God-exalting books and articles. I deeply appreciate him and believe he is a gift to the people of God.

On another level I consider John to be a friend. Through the years we have spent time together and I have asked him numerous questions. He has preached at ECBC and led a pastor’s conference at our church.  The church he pastors, like ECBC, is a sponsoring church (“Hub Church”) for Campus Outreach. We also serve together on the board for the Gospel Coalition. (Which means we are part of a group of approximately forty men who spend three days together annually in Chicago.)

So his announcement this weekend regarding taking a leave of absence from May 1 to December 31 was incredibly news worthy (and personally disconcerting).  During this period he will cease from all writing and public ministry. This is what he wrote in part on the website www.desiringGod.com dated 3.28.10:  

“I see species of pride in my soul that, while they may not rise to the level of disqualifying me from ministry, grieve me, and have taken a toll on my relationship with Noel (his wife of forty-one years) and others who are dear to me. How do I apologize to you, not for a specific deed, but for ongoing character flaws, and their effects on everybody? I’ll say it now, and no doubt will say it again, I am sorry. Since I don’t have just one deed to point to, I simply ask for a spirit of forgiveness; and I give you as much assurance as I can that I am not making peace, but war, with my own sins.”

I have several thoughts regarding John’s statement:

1. It would have been easier (infinitely easier) to simply say “I have been at this ministry for thirty years and am tired. I need to step away and be physically refreshed and emotionally renewed by the Lord and hopefully to come back for 5-8 years of God-honoring ministry.” And that statement would have been true. In fact, earlier in the statement he said he needed a “reality check from the Holy Spirit”. He could have stopped with that statement regarding a “reality check” but he did not. And I am thankful because there are several lessons to learn from the statement. 

2. John’s incredible honesty should serve as a stark reminder that a general confession of sin will not deal with root issues that plague us, negatively impact those around us, and potentially harm the generations to come. In other words this statement from a man I enormously respect is like a flaming spear thrust at my own feet.  

3. We often classify sins as “front page” / ministry disqualifying sins and other failings as  “respectable sins” (to borrow a quote from a recent book by Jerry Bridges). The respectable sins are sins that can be tolerated because we are all sinners and we all struggle with sin and therefore we shrug our shoulders and say “my temper/arrogance/pride/unforgiveness/gossip… is no big sin”. And admittedly they are not on the same level as sexual abuse or murder. So we can wink at them and allow these common day issues to worm their way into the core of our being. But sin that is tolerated and not abhorred can destroy and bring deep sorrow to ourselves and those we love. So I am thankful for a man who is grappling with a respectable sin and cries out against the damage that it brings. As John says “I give you as much assurance as I can that I am not making peace, but war, with my own sins.” May that sentiment be the cry of my heart.    

4. I ask myself “Do I hate sin? Do I understand that I must kill sin or sin will drink down the joy and freedom that Christ purchased for me on the Cross?” As a beloved child of God whose acceptance and position is eternally determined by the embracive grace of the living God, do I grapple with these words of Jesus “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you loose one of your members than that your whole body to be thrown into hell.”–Matthew 5:29 (ESV)

    

5. Do I seek honesty, correction and input from my God sanctioned authorities (i.e. Sara and the elders)? Do I have friends who have the freedom to say hard things to me? Who is shepherding my soul? Are there people who know me well enough to raise warning flags? Or to use our Homeland Security Advisory System: Do I have circles of friends who will raise an alarm code “yellow” (elevated) or “orange” (high) before an issue approaches the “red” (severe)? 

6. I often say we are one dumb decision away from blowing it. But am I keenly aware that peacefully coexisting with marginal behavioral flaws can deaden my effectiveness and cause others to stumble?

See excerpt below from “Morning and Evening”

Spurgeon's Morning and Evening Morning, March 11

 “Sin ... exceeding sinful.”

Romans 7:13

Beware of light thoughts of sin. At the time of conversion, the conscience is so tender, that we are afraid of the slightest sin. Young converts have a holy timidity, a godly fear lest they should offend against God. But alas! very soon the fine bloom upon these first ripe fruits is removed by the rough handling of the surrounding world: the sensitive plant of young piety turns into a willow in after life, too pliant, too easily yielding. It is sadly true, that even a Christian may grow by degrees so callous, that the sin which once startled him does not alarm him in the least. By degrees men get familiar with sin. The ear in which the cannon has been booming will not notice slight sounds. At first a little sin startles us; but soon we say, “Is it not a little one?” Then there comes another, larger, and then another, until by degrees we begin to regard sin as but a little ill; and then follows an unholy presumption: “We have not fallen into open sin. True, we tripped a little, but we stood upright in the main. We may have uttered one unholy word, but as for the most of our conversation, it has been consistent.” So we palliate sin; we throw a cloak over it; we call it by dainty names. Christian, beware how thou thinkest lightly of sin. Take heed lest thou fall by little and little. Sin, a little thing? Is it not a poison? Who knows its deadliness? Sin, a little thing? Do not the little foxes spoil the grapes? Doth not the tiny coral insect build a rock which wrecks a navy? Do not little strokes fell lofty oaks? Will not continual droppings wear away stones? Sin, a little thing? It girded the Redeemer’s head with thorns, and pierced his heart! It made him suffer anguish, bitterness, and woe. Could you weigh the least sin in the scales of eternity, you would fly from it as from a serpent, and abhor the least appearance of evil. Look upon all sin as that which crucified the Saviour, and you will see it to be “exceeding sinful.”

Last night (2/27), I had the privilege of being the “officiate” at a wedding. The bride and groom are Christ followers. I have seen the bride grow from a little girl into a wonderful young woman in a home with a mom and a dad who tenderly love each other as they seek to honor Christ. She has two older brothers. Both are believers. The eldest brother is married and is intent in raising his children in the way of Christ in concert with his godly wife. These three children were raised in a home that was filled with laughter.

In going to the reception I encountered two young women in the parking lot who are sisters-in-law. Both are being significantly used of the Lord in raising wonderful children and seeking to advance his kingdom in Christ-honoring ways. At the reception the friends of the bride’s family rejoiced and were glad-and their joy was a joy birthed by years of earnest and mutual prayers at the throne of grace for their children and grand-children. Thank God for the body of Christ!

It was a glorious experience that filled me with hope. We need to recruit like-minded brothers and sisters who are Christ saturated, gospel loving people to pray for our children. Friends who will stand with us and enter the battle for the future generations as we stand shoulder to shoulder for the advancement of the Kingdom of the risen Christ in the lives of our children.

So I ask, “How can we labor to see our children walking in the faith?” Let me respond to that by giving you several pointers:

1. Pray and pray earnestly. Pray the promises of Scripture. Pray as a husband-wife team. And pray as a family. Prayer focuses our attention and it inflames our passions.


2. Continue to place your children in environments of grace and hope where Biblically-saturated Christ followers shine forth the joy, dignity and purpose that Jesus brings. (Thank you Reg and Steve for loving my 9 year-old son in “RAs” some sixteen years ago!) What a joy it was to see our ECBC children at the missions conference this weekend walking up and down the halls getting the autographs of missionaries who are taking the gospel to the ends of the earth. They are living in a “hero-appropriate” world.


3. Recruit other like-minded brothers and sisters to enter into a prayer covenant with you for the coming generations.


4. Laugh. Relax. Trust.
   • Laugh: Let your joy flow from you to your children. We serve a gracious Heavenly Father who has numbered the hair upon our heads.  And this God loves us with an everlasting embrace of love displayed in the life and work of Jesus. Rejoice.
   • Relax: Frettings and ulcers are inconsistent with the life of trust.  
   • Trust:  Parents have to sleep. The God of all glory does not sleep.
   
   
5. Teach your children to think biblically. From today’s headline news: “Why was there an earthquake in Chile?” “Why did the Taliban murder people with bombs strapped to their own bodies?” “Why is Simon Cowell engaged?”(What is the purpose of engagement and marriage?) “Why did an entertainer’s eighteen year-old son leap to his death yesterday?” (despair and hopelessness)
   • All of the above issues can be discussed in instructive conversations at mealtimes with your age-appropriate children.
   
   
6. Always, always, always run to the Cross. Do not raise “elder brothers” (Luke 15) who find their ultimate satisfaction and glory in academic achievements, athletic prowess, outward beauty or social advancement. Always point your child to the wonder of the Cross of Christ. And the soul stirring satisfaction of forgiveness of sins and the earth shaking wonder of the imputed righteousness of Christ freely given to us. The truth is plain, simple and unarguable: none of us measure up. All of us are broken, but Jesus bore our failures, blunders, and even stupidities, (i.e. sin) upon his shoulders on the Cross. And in the reality of Christ, all things hold together. Col. 1:15-17 underscores the fact that our hearts are restless until we find our satisfaction and joy in him.

Ultimately it’s all about the grace of the triune God poured into our lives. But I believe if we live in the above fashion that, in God’s providential kindness, one day we will stand at weddings and celebrate generational blessings with our children and our grand-children. My God give us a heart for the coming generations.

The consternation and furor surrounding this commercial had my curiosity piqued in the Himalayan stratosphere and when the commercial was aired, I thought, “Is that all there is to it?” It was a very gracious, kind statement that told people to go to the website sponsored by Focus on the Family. In the aftermath of the Super Bowl, Frances Kissling and Kate Michelmann wrote an editorial in The Washington Post that said, “We pro-choicers should produce an emotionally powerful ad of our own. It would depict a dozen different women, some rushing out to work, some washing dishes, some pushing a baby stroller. The message: “Making choices isn’t easy. But tough choices are what life is all about.” (Feb. 12, 2010) 

An emotionally powerful ad supporting the taking of life from the womb would be a stretch for any advertising agency. I thought, how would Planned Parenthood produce a nationwide commercial to rival the irenic, gracious statement made by Pam and Tim Tebow, “We stand with bravery and dignity for the right to choose death for an innocent life…We encourage people to choose to destroy life in the womb for the basis of personal convenience and gender selection.” I just don’t think that would sell. 

In the aftermath of this, I read one of the most outstanding articles I’ve ever read regarding the sanctity of life from The Weekly Standard, pp. 14-15, January 25, 2010, entitled, “Mugged by Ultrasound”. It tells several stories of people who were involved in the abortion mill who now are not. Let me relay a couple of statements from this article: 

We are introduced to Lisa Harris who was an abortionist endeavored to begin “breaking the silence” in the pages of the journal Reproductive Health Matters. When she was 18 weeks pregnant, Dr. Harris performed a D&E abortion of an 18-week-old fetus. Harris felt her own child kick precisely at the moment that she ripped a fetal leg off with her forceps: “Instantly, tears were streaming from my eyes- without me- meaning my conscious brain- even being aware of what was going on. I felt as if my response had come entirely from my body, bypassing my usual cognitive processing completely. A message seemed to travel from my hand and my uterus to my tear ducts. It was an overwhelming feeling- a brutally visceral response- heartfelt and unmediated by my training or my feminist pro-choice politics. It was one of the most raw moments of my life.” Harris concluded her by lamenting that the pro-choice movement had left providers to suffer in silence because it has “not owned up to the reality of the fetus, or the reality of fetal parts.” 

Dr. Paul Jarrett quit after only twenty-three abortions and his turning point came in 1974, when he performed and abortion on a fetus at 14 weeks’ gestation: “As I brought out the ribcage, I looked and saw a tiny, beating heart. And when I found the head of the baby, I looked squarely into the face of another human being- a human being that I had just killed.” 

We need to pray zealously for our country to awake to the horrific reality of abortion as a means of birth control and gender selection. We should pray for abortion providers that they would understand the sanctity of life and repent and find hope in the forgiveness that comes only in Christ. 

So, if I were an ad agency were asked to produce and uplifting, positive message for Planned Parenthood, I would…call in sick.

So what about joy? What is joy?

Let me give you a definition that may be a bit ponderous but think through it. Joy is a deep, durable, often inexpressible delight (1 Peter 1:8). In the splendor/glory of the triune God that occurs as we continually enter into the mystery of the crosswork of Christ. It is that which captivates our attention and compels us to be his people (1 Peter 2:9-10).  In Philippians 3:1, Paul tells the church at Philippi, “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.”  In commenting on this verse, Calvin writes, “The phrase, henceforward (finally- NIV) denotes a continued course, that, in the midst of many hindrances, they may not cease to exercise holy joy.” The concept of a “continued course” or a pursuit or a constant endeavor caused me to think much about the pursuit of joy.

So my conclusion, after studying and thinking through the biblical parameters, is that joy happens as we intentionally seek to live in the shadow of the cross.

Therefore, joy usually just does not fall upon us. It is a pursuit. Flannery O’Connor writes regarding joy, “Picture me with my ground teeth stalking joy, fully armed, too, as it’s a highly dangerous quest.” So joy is not the result of sitting on a beach and saying the same word repeatedly and repeating the same mantra ad infinitum. Joy comes as we sit on the same beach or a Starbucks or wherever and ponder the wonder of God becoming a man and burying my sin in his body as I think through scriptural texts. Joy comes as I progressively enter into the wonder of the cross.

In 1 Corinthians 1:24, Paul writes, “but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” So how do we work for the joy of others? By remembering, “it is by faith you stand firm”.  Not faith in my faith but faith in the finished work of Christ upon the cross as my substitute and now, the resurrected and ascended King. Joy in the reality of Christ brings stability, wonder, brokenness, laughter, and singing. To quote from my favorite hymn written by Charles Wesley:

Died he for me who causes pain
For me who him for death pursued
Amazing love, how can it be
That thou, my God, would die for me?

So stalk joy with gritty determination as you run to the cross. Preach the gospel to yourself daily. Let the eternal plan of the ages; the mystery fully unveiled: Christ and Him crucified, be the epicenter of your existence. Rejoice in the Lord is a safeguard for the Christ follower.

“Any joy?”