Seeing Clearly

It has been a while since I (Greg—Gary's dad) have posted. As God has revealed His awesome plans to more and more of His diligently watching children, He has also created a beautiful orchestra of voices to whom He has shown much.  

This post has been growing in me for sometime, until it finally overflowed into this post. I pray you are blessed with it as I have been.

Deception

Has there ever been a generation with as much deception as we have had? From the Manhattan Project, Oak Ridge, Oswald, Grassy Knoll, McNamara body counts, Roswell, Watergate, Nixon pardon, Iran-Contra, to 9/11. Of late, things like COVID-19 origins, vaccine safety, January 6th, Arizona election results, and dozens of train derailments stir robust debate and controversy. Perplexity and conspiracy abound.

Ask anyone. JFK's assassination: one shooter, or a conspiracy? Was the mob involved? LBJ? . . . and on and on. Debating these things is certainly not the purpose of this post and please refrain in the comments below; but you get the point: conspiracies surround the era in which we live.

I recall the U.S. military strategy before the invasion of Panama to arrest Noriega, and before both Persian Gulf wars—make lots of noise. Likewise, days before D-Day, military movements, flights, and communication on the airwaves were accelerated to a cacophonic level. When was the invasion coming? You could not predict it. You knew it was coming, just not when.

One reason we know the Lord's return for the bride is close is because of the frequency and severity of the birth pangs, prophetic "noise," and the many dangerous ledges we see all around. This level of tension and near-cataclysm is unsustainable, even in the short-term.

As a result of all the noise and deception, I find much distraction, confusion, and misguided effort. Many are worked up about various things and virtually everyone has turned off the news. It's just so much, so bad, divisive and fraught with error, that most have tuned out.

Still, others are chasing after every error, eager to "turn back the tide." That's not necessarily a bad thing. After all, the Restrainer still restrains, and we have a role to play in the restraint; still, balance and a focus on the mission is far more important. As my dad would say, "keep your eye on the ball." Let's not get too upset that in the last days they will call evil "good" and good "evil" (Isa. 5:20–21). We should expect all of this (see 1 Pt. 4:12). Let's continue to fight for truth with kindness, grace, and love. Let us of all people be the most relaxed, with lives marked by a supernatural Holy Spirit-led joy in the journey.

The prosperity gospel of the dominionists, the social gospel of the progressive church, and the unrelenting search for prophetic signs among even many of our own, are not the mission. Knowledge and prophecy will pass away (1 Cor. 13:8). While we search for signs about Him, the real search is for Him. Living a good life does lead to practical blessing; indeed, God does bless His children. Likewise, removing prejudice and barriers while lifting others up is also a good thing. And God is indeed communicating through signs; let's not ignore these things, but let's stay on mission.

Rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic is not the ultimate goal.

How are we spending our time? Looking for the latest sign? Chasing the weeds? Worried about the darkness? Concerned about the next pandemic, Ukraine, Russia, Putin, North Korea, China, economic signs, terrorism, or political futures? How about, rather, being at peace, ready to meet Him face to face, while taking others with us?

A few years ago, Jeff mentioned that as Satan gets pressed down and we get ready to ascend, we will be in tight, conflicted close quarters. Through this post I hope we might see God more clearly and not be tossed around by every wind that comes our way (Eph. 4:14).

(For some of you reading this late, the Great Deception is being spun by the authorities and media to explain away the sudden disappearance of millions of Christians, for that is indeed what has occurred and seven years of hell on earth have begun. Many deceptive explanations are being offered. Perhaps beautiful, powerful, and wise beings have appeared as your cute little E.T. friends. Maybe they are offering the world a solution. In reality, they are exactly what the Bible predicted: demonic fallen angels with a plan to destroy you. The Babylonian world system, antichrist, and false prophet are taking the reins of power and deception will be rampant, along with the deceptive soon-coming mark of the beast. Take it and you will perish forever—Rev. 14:9–12. Be aware of what's really going on.)

Who is He?

It seems to me God's humility can cause us to miss the gravity of His words.

Exodus 3:13–14 (LSV):

And Moses says to God, “Behold, I am coming to the sons of Israel, and have said to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they have said to me, What [is] His Name? What do I say to them?” And God says to Moses, “I AM THAT WHICH I AM.” He also says, “Thus you say to the sons of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.”

God could have used a thousand adjectives and then a million billion more... He simply chose one descriptor: "I AM." His greatness is unsearchable (Jb. 5:9; 9:10; 36:36; Isa. 40:28; just to list a few). God simply said, "I AM"; and now He's telling us all, "I AM coming soon" (Rev. 22:12).

Another example from Matthew 28:18:

And having come near, Jesus spoke to them, saying, "All authority in Heaven and on earth was given to Me . . ." (LSV)

That's a rather massive statement, don't you think? Matter of fact. No fanfare. Simple truth. Of the most monumental significance. "All authority—mine," Jesus says.

"I AM that I AM." It's understated and humble, yet profound beyond description. God: self-existent (Col. 1:17), all-powerful (Jb. 26:7–14), all-knowing (Isa. 46:10), thrice holy (Rev. 4:8), eternal and unchanging (Heb. 13:8). God is also love (1 Jn. 4:16). 1 John 1:5: ". . . in Him is no darkness at all." God, the self-existent, holy, perfect, three-in-one, dwelling in the utopian halls of eternity.

This eternal and characteristically immutable God made a change: He chose to share. That's what love does. It moves. It reaches. Love gives. Love always perseveres (1 Cor. 13:7). Love never fails (v. 8).

There it was... the great choice: should Divine Love share? Should very God of very God—living in perfect utopia and needing or wanting absolutely nothing—share Himself with us? Oh the putrid, rancid ocean of filthy sin and the unrelenting sea of insult. The pain. The heartache. The fight and the deception. Would it be worth it? Of course it would be. If God did not spare His own Son for us, He surely believes it's worth it. As for us: any journey, any pain, any struggle is worth any price to find ourselves resting in the presence of this God above all gods.

And so He did it...

Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?

Tell Me, if you know and have understanding.

Who determined the measurements [of the earth], if you know?

Or who stretched the [measuring] line on it?

On what were its foundations fastened?

Or who laid its cornerstone,

When the morning stars sang together

And all the sons of God (angels) shouted for joy? (Jb. 38:4–7)

Genesis 1: "In the beginning God . . ." He spoke and it was.

Of all the favorite verses of mine—John 3:16, Ephesians 2:8–9, 1 John 3:1–3, John 1:1–17, 2 Cor 1:22, 2 Cor 5:5, John 15:13, Romans 8:1, and on and on—I think this one takes the cake:

Genesis 1:28: "Let us create man in our image . . ."

The unchanging Holy One spoke, created, moved, shared, sacrificed; He spoke out of love and followed through with such selflessness, grit, determination, patience, and resolve, that I can scarcely fathom. Jesus "set His face" toward the end goal, knowing what He would suffer: Luke 9:51. The whole gospel is contained in that one verse. "Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me."

One long story of creating and sharing. The angels. The dominions. Light. The Heavens and the earth; and then most amazingly—the ugly mess that is us.

Acts 17:25: "And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything."

Rather, He shared Himself to give life, breath, purpose, provision, order, belonging, and every good and perfect gift to the least of the least, inviting us in to be His very own children for eternity future. God is not now nor has He ever been bored, lonely, narcissistic, or in need of praise or anything of the kind. He has always been in perfect communion within Himself. He gave because that's what love does. God does not need our praise.

My dad always used Quaker State Motor Oil. I don't much care, but have found myself committed to Pennzoil most of my life. With teenagers we have four cars around here (as you can imagine, my insurance bill is substantial). Each car holds about six quarts. 6 x 4 = 24 + 1 in the lawn mower. I am the proud owner of 25 quarts. I am grateful for my motor oil. I want it where it belongs and doing its job. When a car is low on oil, I can hear it. It doesn't sound right. I am not in love with motor oil, but when it's doing its job, I can hear it and as a result I know all is as it should be. In hearing the right sound each morning, I am satisfied.

Likewise, our praise is the only possible right sound given the utterly impossible, wonderful, and indescribable gift of knowing God; and more than knowing—being His very own children, "seated with Christ in the heavenly realms" (Eph. 2:6). God is GOOD! The greatest possible gift is His presence. "In His presence is fullness of joy" (Ps. 16:11).

He is perfect. We are not. Matthew 5:48, Romans 3:23, and Revelation 20:11 tell us that the standard is nothing short of perfection, and yet we stand before Him confident, boldly approaching the throne of grace because His perfection was gifted to us.

The right sound—PRAISE!! When we clearly know our broken, sinful, rebellious nature, and that His perfection was given to us—moreover, that the blood sacrifice of Christ has bridged the vast chasm between us and God—we ought to praise like an overflowing and ever-flowing river. Addictions are broken. Divisions are healed. Darkness flees. The gospel flows out of us. Hearts are healed and we see Him clearly.

1 Corinthians 13:12: "For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known."

God is not mad when we can't see. He came for truth (Jn. 18:37). He came to help us see clearly: that we are wholly bankrupt and God is wholly good, perfect, holy, and worthy. His sacrifice is completely sufficient.

In his waning years, John Newton, author of "Amazing Grace," humble pastor and former slave trader, offered the perfect summary of the right sound:

Although my memory's fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.

When we firmly hold these two truths, praise must flow out of us.  It's only in this great tension that the church moves into the darkness to bring light, love, and compassion.

If you are dry, with no story of redemption, freedom, and joy, perhaps you have forgotten or have let the two great truths drift too closely together, obscuring their distinction: "He is not that good, our sin is not that bad, or the sacrifice is not that sufficient." It is only the sick who truly know the weight of the gift (Lk. 7:47). Why do we so often see the vilest offenders offer the most sacrificial and pleasing praise, while the sanctimonious never get it?

Our language often revolves around our guilt, shame, fear, and despair as we know we are not Him and we wonder and worry about the Great Day. It is hard to be still and calm in the tension between these two opposites—His holiness and our sin—while resting in the free and all-sufficient gift. It is hard not to try and make ourselves better than we are, or not indulge the pharisaical head games of "I am in better standing than you because..." Rather, "Be still and know that I am God."

Be still and know that before you were born, all was created—the heavens, the earth, the plan of redemption—and the payment was already made. There is absolutely nothing you can do about it; nor is there anything you can add to it besides your praise and gratitude exhibited in worshipfulness and zeal for the mission.

The two great heresies: 1. He is not that Holy; 2. We are not that bad.

Perhaps you have forgotten (4:44).

Sometimes I wonder how God, the pure perfection, came and pursued the wretched, and was able to be at peace, full of joy and kindness. Wouldn't every part of His holy and perfect nature want to clean house (and some of it violently)? The world—obnoxious filth to the core (Ps. 40:2; Rm. 3:10–18). Yet when God showed up in the flesh, He was relaxed, sovereign, gracious, merciful, compassionate, kind, and patient. Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound!

Holding the Telescope

This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. (1 Jn. 4:10)

And we are as unclean—all of us, || And all our righteous acts [are] as garments of menstruation; And we fade as a leaf—all of us. And our iniquities take us away as wind. (Isa. 64:6)

We often wonder: how can God be good given how bad we are? How can God be good, powerful, loving, and worthy of praise when travesty abounds? From the prisons, cancer wards, gravesides, divorce courts, starvations, abuses, tortures, murders, Nazi ovens, school shootings, slavery, sex slaves, wars, killing fields, homelessness, conflict, pollution, toxins, and the race to nuclear winter, we wonder: where is God in this wretched silence? Is He really good?

We often see injustice, abuse, disaster, hurt, disease, and brokenness, and every fiber of us wants to move in and fix it, to bring life and light to death and darkness. God has put eternity in our heart and we want the world to be right. Yet that desire comes from Him; it's originally His desire. His plan to fix this mess is far better than our own. Our desire for right and declaration of wrong screams His existence.

The first answer: that's why He sent us, the Church. We are to be the hands and feet of Christ. The second: you owe someone around you a thank you. A big one. Actually you owe lots of them.  People were praying and begging for God's return in Auschwitz and Dachau. They wept in the Hanoi Hilton. They grieved at the funeral home and in the cancer ward. Heartbroken in the divorce court. Alone in the orphanage. Abused in a foster home. So much more could be said here. Yet God held back His wrath, His return, His justice, and His rescue so one more could know Him, so one more could join all of us who have been adopted into God's family and sealed as sons and daughters. Hebrews 12:1–2: This great cloud of witnesses has done greater things than these and has suffered mightily so you could know Him.

2 Peter 3:9: "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."

God is good. God's warnings and reminders of His free gift are everywhere. God's plan of redemption was in full swing way before you were created. Before God said the first "let there be," you were in the plan. Your redemption was the plan. You forever in God's presence was the plan. Christ's sacrifice and God's heartache were the plan. God, the creator, allowing the creation to touch Him and hurt Him was the plan.

Sadly, the rejection, the Fall, the separation, the Cross, the Church Age, and a lot of painful times were the only way for the promised plan to be fulfilled. This wasn't the easiest choice, but it was the best choice in eternity.

Your job: say "thank you" continuously and remind yourself every moment of every day to take every thought captive (2 Cor. 10:5) as you overflow with gratitude so as to pursue the greater mission.

The question is not "how could God forgive me?" but rather, "why did He create me and sacrifice in the first place, knowing in advance?" He said "let there be" and "let Us make" because He is good. The very fact that you are breathing screams His love. He knew fully, and He said "yes" fully, and He never ever quits. He can be fully trusted.

The plan was sealed before you were born, not in response to you, but for you. TETELESTAI! "It is finished!" Who loves and sacrifices like that? No one but Him! There are none like Him. None beside. He stands alone.

If I could paint a picture, it would be this: Christ in agony on the Cross. The Accuser spitting in His face. The worst possible idea—agitate the Sovereign, almighty Creator of Heaven and earth at the pinnacle of His anguish: God in agony and heartbreak as His beloved Son is being murdered. He turns His back lest His furious wrath kill us all. Twelve legions of angels in shock and awe—their King on the Cross. As Michael Card has said, "on this battlefield there are no rusty swords." One angel can chain a seven-headed dragon (Rev. 20:1–2) or slay hundreds of thousands of warriors like nothing (2 Kgs. 19:35). Twelve legions, swords drawn and sharp, fully ready to deliver their King of Kings from off that Cross, sending the whole stinking world straight to the abyss. One small nod from the King and it's over. Yet the tap out never comes.

God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and when He sets His mind to a thing—a cosmic creating, sharing, love-extending rescue plan—you can take it to the bank. For we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise as a deposit guaranteeing what is to come (Eph. 1:13; 2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5). He didn't quit then, and He won't quit now. It is finished and your salvation is absolutely assured. It is not about you. It is about Him.

Words fail to express the severity and unwavering, unrelenting, infallible depths of His love and resolve.

2 Peter 3:9: 

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

1 Corinthians 2:9: 

but according as it has been written: “What eye did not see, and ear did not hear, and on the heart of man did not come up, what God prepared for those loving Him”;

Romans 8:31–39:

What, then, will we say to these things? If God [is] for us, who [is] against us? He who indeed did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him grant to us all things? Who will lay a charge against the chosen ones of God? God [is] He that is declaring righteous; who [is] he that is condemning? Christ [is] He that died, indeed, rather also, was raised up; who is also on the right hand of God—who also interceded for us.

Who will separate us from the love of the Christ? Tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

According as it has been written: “For Your sake we are put to death all the day long; we were reckoned as sheep of slaughter.”

But in all these we more than conquer, through Him who loved us; for I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor messengers, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things about to be, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God that [is] in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:18:

I am convinced that any suffering we endure is less than nothing compared to the magnitude of glory that is about to be unveiled within us.

Ephesians 3:14–19:

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

Oh that we would know in every thought and fiber that we are truly His, truly forgiven, cleansed, adopted, sealed, seated, embraced, loved, accepted, cherished, favored, desired, planned for, cared for, heard, and enjoyed sons and daughters of the King of all kings. Some day soon, face to face, we will know even as we are fully known (1 Cor. 13:12). It's a reality so fantastic and wonderful that we dare not consider the thought, but so it is.

Lift your head, take a deep breath of joy, and smile. Let your joy pour forth like a river and let it shine. In every moment, in every thought and action, say "thank you"! He will not rest from His work until every heart sees clearly that love never fails.

 

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