"The Narrow Road": Blogs By Shane Kastler

What Does GOD Look Like?...You’ll Find Out Soon Enough

This Sunday’s message will deal with the 2^nd commandment:  “Thou Shalt Not Make a Graven Image.” (Exodus 20:4-6) Obviously, it’s a “no-brainer” to most Christians that we should not make any statues that we bow down to and worship.  This brand of idolatry was fairly common in Biblical times….and is still common in many parts of the world today.  But the commandment is not simply against making images of “false gods”….it also includes making images of the REAL God, since part of the commandment forbids us to  make “any likeness of what is in heaven above.” (Exodus 20:4) 

            GOD is all powerful, all knowing, supremely sovereign….and UNSEEN.  He is invisible to our physical eyes, because He has chosen to be that way.  Indeed, God has ordained that it is only with “spiritual eyes of faith” that we are allowed to “see” Him in anyway.

             I think many people in our society struggle with this because we put such a premium on appearance.  Living in the technology age as we do, we expect someone to look a certain way, if we are to give them our praise or support.  Politicians spend a fortune hiring consultants who will help them project the right image.  They concern themselves with the right suit, the right hair style, the right voice inflection….all so they can appear to be fearless leaders, when in fact they may not be.  Richard Nixon lost the 1960 Presidential election to John Kennedy in large part because Kennedy looked so much more polished in their television debate, which was the first such debate ever televised nationwide.  Ironically, a man like Abraham Lincoln, who many consider our greatest President, would have no chance of being elected in our day and age.  He was tall, gangly, bearded, and ugly.  We wouldn’t like his “appearance.”  And the fact is, we might not like God’s appearance either.  Let me explain.

            God cannot be seen by man….unless God chooses to manifest Himself to man, which is exactly what He did.  In fact, God BECAME a man and “dwelt among us” in the person of Jesus Christ.  And we were so impressed with His appearance that we killed Him.  But Jesus did not come to dazzle us with His Physical appearance….He came to dazzle us with the GLORY OF GOD.  By His own choice, He came humbly and unimpressive in appearance. 

            So what did Jesus look like?  Well, He certainly wasn’t a blond haired, blue eyed Anglo-Saxon in a 3-piece suit.  He was born as a Middle Eastern Jew, who worked as a carpenter.  The closest thing we have to a physical description comes from Isaiah.  “He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.”  (Isaiah 53:2-3 NASB)  Incidentally, the only other physical characteristic we know of Him is that he had a beard (Isaiah 50:6), which will be a disappointment to the obsessive “clean cut” crowd among us.  Make no mistake; if you are impressed by physical appearance, then you would have been disappointed in Jesus.  BUT, if you’re impressed by DIVINE POWER…..then you would have worshipped Him for the God that He was and is. 

            We don’t really know what GOD looks like…..yet.   But one day we will.  The day is approaching in which He will be “coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him.”  Revelation 1:7 (NASB)  On that day we will ALL see Him….but we won’t all be happy to see Him.  Some will see Him as their Savior, and they will rejoice to behold the Lord in all of His Majestic Glory.  He will take us unto Himself and welcome us into His Perfect Pardise.  Others will see Him as the Divine Judge, who has come to shell out the final, eternal reckoning.  They rejected Him on Earth….and they shall suffer forever in Eternity.

            So, what does God look like?  You had better seek the answer with “spiritual eyes” rather than “physical eyes.”  God is Holy, Perfect, Righteous and Just.  But we are woefully sinful creatures.  Yet, God in His Infinite Holiness, is also Gracious and Merciful; inviting us to His table and promising our adoption if we will but repent and place our faith in Christ Jesus as Lord.  You cannot SEE Him…but you CAN have Him as your eternal King and Savior.  We will see Him soon enough, for the day is coming when His people will worship Him, bowing before His throne, at His very feet.  Then we shall see Him…..and our imaginations will be forever satisfied in Him Alone.

Are You Living An Apostle’s Life? The Lord, The Apostles, & You

O, for the life of an apostle!  Isn’t that every Christian’s dream?  To be like Paul or Peter or James or John?  Most Christians know that the Apostle’s life was far from a cakewalk.  In fact, the Apostle Paul catalogs the “pleasures” of apostleship in 1 Corinthians 4. 

“For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor. To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.” 1 Corinthians 4:9-13 (NASB)

As I studied this passage for our Wednesday night Bible Study…it occurred to me that the reason the Apostle’s life is so hard is simply because it is an imitation of the Lord Jesus’ life on earth.  For every phrase used of the Apostle in this list, you can look in Scripture and find examples of Jesus living it out.  In fact, I made a little chart showing some of the verses I’m talking about.  (If you have MS Word, you can download it by clicking here.)

            So Jesus came and lived on earth…and the Apostles were supposed to imitate Him.  But there’s one more step isn’t there?  WHO imitates the Apostles who are imitating Christ?  Paul answers that question 3 verses later:   “Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me.” 1 Corinthians 4:16 (NASB)  Why do we imitate Paul? He answers that in chapter 11:  “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1 (NASB)

            When you hear and read about the rough life the Apostle’s had, you may be tempted to sympathize (and rejoice) that YOU’RE not an Apostle.  And in one sense that’s true.  The Apostle’s saw the risen Christ.  You haven’t.  The Apostle’s wrote the New Testament.  You didn’t.  BUT-----You are called to live the same kind of life the Apostle’s were called to live.  Are you doing it?  Look at the list Paul gives in 1 Corinthians 4.  Does your life even come close to experiencing any of those things because of your devotion to Christ?  If not…then you might need to make some changes.  I’m NOT suggesting that you need to be a bigger jerk so people will be mean to you like they were Jesus.  I AM suggesting you be more like Jesus…and rest assured, the world at large will treat you like a jerk.  That’s how they treated Jesus….and that’s how they treated the Apostles.

            In closing….consider these verses….then examine your life to see if you’re following Christ everyday in the manner that you should. 

"Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.  Luke 14:27 (NASB)

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel.”  Romans 1:16

“Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 2:3

“For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:37-38 (NASB)

So……are you living the life of an Apostle?  Or are you living the life of the average American?  The choice is yours….but the lives lead to 2 very different destinations.  One destination is perfect.  The other destination is HOT!  But rest assured… they’re both eternal.   May God grant you wisdom as you examine YOUR life.

The Heavenly Woodshed: Whom The Lord Loves He Disciplines

This week’s message is going to be from Hebrews 12 on Divine Discipline.  “For whom the LORD loves He disciplines, and scourges every son whom He receives." (Hebrews 12:6)  How does God show His love to His children?  He disciplines them into staying on the road that leads to life.  We find comfort in the whip, because it drives us to the place of contentment in God alone.

            I know this doesn’t sound very positive to most people.  That’s because most people in our culture see a false division between discipline and love.  Many think that if they spoil their children and let them run wild, they are loving them.  And consequently, if they keep things from them, expect certain behavior, and punish them for disobedience they’re NOT loving them.  This is pure “psycho-babble” malarkey that comes strait from the pits of Hell.  (Does that sound too harsh? I assure it’s not.)  We live in a society that refuses to lovingly discipline children….which is why we live in a society where you can’t leave your kids alone for 5 seconds lest they be kidnapped, raped, mutilated or killed.  The undisciplined children of yesterday grow up to be the undisciplined criminals of today; who have been molly-coddled their whole life by physiatrists who tell them everyone else in the world (parents, society, poverty, etc.) is to blame for their destructive behavior.  OR—on the other extreme you have parents who simply scream, beat, and throw things at their kids anytime they step out of line.  Both extremes are a far cry from what is needed, which is loving discipline.  One of the BEST WAYS you can love your children is to DISCIPLINE them. 

            Discipline primarily involves two things, teaching and correcting.  In his book, Shepherding A Child’s Heart, Tedd Tripp (it’s not a typo, that’s how he spells “Ted”) writes about these two Biblical aspects of raising children, by dividing it into “communication” and “the Rod.”  Lovingly teach them the way they should go.  Then when they defiantly refuse to go the way you’ve told them, lovingly explain to them that disobeying their parents is also disobedient to God and that God will judge the evil doer, and bless the righteous.  Then, lovingly spank their little bottom so they’ll remember next time to obey Mommy and Daddy.  Once they're attitude has changed from "defiant" to "repentant," then give them a hug, let them know you love them, and don't hold their sin over their head for the rest of the day.  Move on with life.  If they're still defiant after the first swat....then it's time to forget the extra point and "go for 2."  If two swats doesn't work, then go for a third.  Do you see the pattern?  They will too sooner or later.  Even the most bull-headed kid, will eventually get tired of this routine and learn to obey or suffer the consequences.  Of course to be a good discplinarian you have to be both loving and consistent.  Parents sometims fail at this....but GOD never does, and He is our ultimate example.

            The above verse says that God “scourges” every son whom he receives.  What is a scourging?  It’s a Divine whoopin’.  God has taught us the way we should go.  We sinfully go our own way and do whatever our flesh desires; then God takes us to the heavenly woodshed to lovingly drive us to the path that leads to peace.

            My son recently asked me if God “spanks” grown ups who disobey.  I felt like I could answer unreservedly YES…He does.  It may not be with a switch, and it may not be on the bottom…but it stings nonetheless.  In this Sunday’s message, I’ll talk about three areas in which God disciplines his children:  spiritually, physically, and circumstantially.  Spiritually, he disciplines us at times by allowing us to be spiritually dry until we repent and confess of sin.  Physically, he strikes our flesh until we repent and confess of sin.  And circumstantially, he ordains circumstances in our life that are lousy, until we repent and confess sin.

            Immediately, you may bristle and say:  “Hey! Just because I’m suffering doesn’t mean God is disciplining me does it?”  No, of course not.  Old Testament Job is a perfect example of one who suffered righteously and was accused of being evil because of his sufferings.  In Bible days, it was common to assume that anyone suffering was being punished by God.  In OUR day, we’ve gone to the other extreme….we don’t want to believe God EVER punishes ANYONE for ANYTHING.  And yet….HE does.

            God’s judgment rains down on the sinner in temporal ways and will eventually be doled out eternally in Hell.  AND God’s discipline comes upon His children in temporal ways in order to correct them and make them more like Christ.  If you’re truly saved, then your eternal fate is sealed.  But God can and will bring trials into your life to discipline you and keep you on the “narrow road that leads to life.” (Matt. 7:13-14)

            On Sunday, I plan to give examples from the Bible and “real life” on how God disciplines, why He disciplines, and the end result of this discipline.  In recent weeks I’ve preached on suffering trials, and resting in God’s sovereignty.  But in all our suffering, we must also examine our hearts to see if any of the suffering is a result of sin we’re walking in, or harboring.  IF, you’re suffering as a result of sin then repent and rejoice!  The fact that God disciplines you PROVES that you’re His child and He loves you.  In fact, He loves you TOO MUCH to allow you to ruin your life completely.  That’s why the scourging comes.  And if you don’t learn you’re lesson from the first scourging…then you can probably expect more and worse scourging in your future.  It all depends on how thick your head (and how hard your heart) is.

            In closing, just remember….discipline is not mean.  Discipline is loving.  God disciplines us; and we in turn discipline our children….because if we fail to discipline our children, then God (and the American prison system) will.  Discipline may not seem too fun when you’re going through it…but God says the end result will be life, holiness, peace, and righteousness (see Hebrews 12:7-11).  But the blessings won’t come…unless the discipline does.  So don’t be discouraged when you’re disciplined.  But don’t be stupid either.  Don’t make excuses for your sin.  Don’t blame others for your behavior.  Don’t pretend like you’re perfect.  And don’t lash out at God in anger.  Just repent.  Change your ways.  And then enjoy the peace that comes from serving a God who loves you enough to occasionally take you to His Heavenly woodshed.

Minneapolis: Why Do Calamities Strike? A 6-Minute Video From John Piper

In the wake of the Minneapolis tragedy, the question will be asked anew, “Why does God allow tragedies like this to happen?” I have dealt with that question in a past blog, which you can read by clicking here. The short answer is that we live in a fallen and sin-cursed world; and tragedies are simply one manifestation of that harsh truth.

John Piper serves as Pastor of the Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis and has a teaching ministry called Desiring God Ministries. He has written some of the most powerful books every penned on the Glory and Sovereignty of God. Two that I would recommend are Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist and The Pleasures of God: Meditations on God’s Delight in Being God. The video team at Desiring God Ministries has posted a short (6 minute) video of the aftermath of the Minneapolis bridge collapse, with a voice over of Piper preaching on why things like this happen. I would highly recommend you watch it if you get a chance. Click here to go to the site, and then click twice on the play arrow when you get there.

This latest tragedy WILL NOT BE THE LAST that our world experiences. Let us hope and pray that multitudes will begin to consider eternal issues and turn to Jesus Christ, lest the next tragedy be their final downfall.