I guess here in Iowa we are still immune to those kinds of things though. I mean, we only recently jumped on the “gay marriage” bandwagon. If we’re lucky, we’ll have legalized polygamy before we can kill our children just because they are not a boy.

Also, I want to start posting the Sunday School lessons I am creating for my class called “Wonderful God, Mighty Savior”. Stay tuned for those.

==============================

Howdy y’all!

I think the only thing Notre Dame has going for it in terms of a defense for this is something that Victoria and Cheryl have already pointed out - Notre Dame’s inviting a newly elected president to speak at its commencement is a pretty long standing tradition: Eisenhower, Carter, Reagan, G.H.W. Bush, G.W. Bush, and now Obama. In fact, nine US presidents have been given honorary degrees as well. I doubt any of them agreed with Catholic teaching either - correct me if I’m wrong, but our only professing Catholic president was Kennedy.

That said, someone, sometime will need to step up and enforce the beliefs of a university that calls itself “Catholic” (or “Evangelical” for that matter.) This particular instance is not so much the fault of Notre Dame, it is the fault of a Magesterium that does not discipline its wayward children. If I were Catholic, I would not call the president of Notre Dame, I would attempt to call on the Pope to actually enforce what he should and bring the weight of the Magesterium down on not just the leadership of Notre Dame, but upon any person or group that claims to be Catholic while rejecting what their church teaches.

But it seems that Roman Catholicism is suffering from the same problem that Protestantism is - rejecting their authority with no discipline anywhere to be seen. The result is that when a church rejects its authority, you get a buffet style religion with no discipline. And this rejection does not discriminate - it happens across the board to every religious group.

Catholic universities rejecting Catholic teaching is nothing new. The same thing happens in Evangelical Seminaries (and universities that were originally “Christian” like Baylor.) The most blatant of these errors are found in the Northeast at the “Ivy League” schools. Harvard and Yale were originally Puritan, Princeton was Presbyterian, and in fact, the first rule in Harvard’s original student handbook was:

Let every student be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to consider well, the main end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ, which is eternal life, John 17:3; and therefore to lay Jesus Christ as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning. And seeing the Lord only giveth wisdom, let everyone seriously set himself by prayer in secret to seek it of him (Proverbs 2:3).

And Princeton’s crest still says “Dei sub numine viget,” which is Latin for “Under God she flourishes.”

The irony would be laughable if it weren’t so serious.

All this is a symptom of the problem though, not the problem itself. The problem is not “Religious universities are abandoning their roots”, no, the problem is that sinful man will not submit to Jesus. Maryanne is right to invoke the prophets. We forget that God is not only “love” but also “wrath” and “vengeance” and He will repay:

Deuteronomy 32:28-41 ESV
(28) “For they are a nation void of counsel, and there is no understanding in them. (29) If they were wise, they would understand this; they would discern their latter end! (30) How could one have chased a thousand, and two have put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had given them up? (31) For their rock is not as our Rock; our enemies are by themselves. (32) For their vine comes from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah; their grapes are grapes of poison; their clusters are bitter; (33) their wine is the poison of serpents and the cruel venom of asps. (34) “‘Is not this laid up in store with me, sealed up in my treasuries? (35) Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.’ (36) For the LORD will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants, when he sees that their power is gone and there is none remaining, bond or free. (37) Then he will say, ‘Where are their gods, the rock in which they took refuge, (38) who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offering? Let them rise up and help you; let them be your protection! (39) “‘See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand. (40) For I lift up my hand to heaven and swear, As I live forever, (41) if I sharpen my flashing sword and my hand takes hold on judgment, I will take vengeance on my adversaries and will repay those who hate me.

And yet, we somehow think America is immune to the wrath of God poured out against unrighteousness! I would be remiss, given this Easter season, if I did not lift up Christ and His life, death, and resurrection as our only hope. We must stand against Obama’s destructive policies where we can, but even he is not the problem. Only in calling this country to die to itself and turn to the Jesus it has rejected will any real change happen. We must pray that God would grant us repentance, because we have all gone astray…

Isaiah 53:3-6 ESV He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (4) Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. (5) But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. (6) All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned–every one–to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

The good news is that there is hope, but the answer is unpopular. That hope is found only in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Those of us who have our faith, hope, and love held firmly in God have been reborn by Him, and not with a seed that eventually dies, but with a seed that can never die…

1 Peter 1:22-25 ESV Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, (23) since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; (24) for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, (25) but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

…and through faith in Jesus and Him alone…

Acts 4:8-12 ESV Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, (9) if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, (10) let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead–by him this man is standing before you well. (11) This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. (12) And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

…we have assurance that we do not stand condemned…

Romans 8:1-6 ESV There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (2) For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. (3) For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, (4) in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (5) For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. (6) For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

…and we rely on God’s promise that though we are unfaithful, He is not…

1 John 1:8-10 ESV If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (10) If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

…and He who called us to Himself promises to never let us go…

Romans 8:31-39 ESV What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? (32) He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? (33) Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. (34) Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died–more than that, who was raised–who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. (35) Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? (36) As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” (37) No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. (38) For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, (39) nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

How fitting that all of this is coming to a head during this Easter season - the very holiday in which we are called to look back at the cross and empty tomb - the very hope of the world! I pray that God would convict us of this simple fact - that He never has nor ever will live in the White House, or any other temple built by men - He is on His throne! His kingdom will not be inaugurated through government or the military for His is a Heavenly Kingdom. Marla alluded to the fact that all of this trial and tribulation can cause worry, fear, and doubt, yet those of us who trust in God should not be anxious…

Philippians 4:5-7 ESV Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; (6) do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (7) And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

…because Jesus will never leave His people. He will carry them through because they have been born of God. He has sealed them with the Holy Spirit, and has guaranteed them a place in heaven.

Ephesians 1:11-14 ESV In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, (12) so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. (13) In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, (14) who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

For the one who has turned from their sin and placed their lives in the hands of Jesus, this is the best news we could ever hear! For the one who hasn’t, instead of hearing “well done good and faithful servant” on the day of judgment, they will hear these chilling words…

Matthew 7:21-23 ESV
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
(22)
On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’
(23)
And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

So, as we approach the celebration of the death and resurrection of the one who takes away our sins, since only God can see the hearts of men, I can’t think of a better time to ask - are you the “blessed one” of Romans 4?

Romans 4:7-8 ESV “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; (8) blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

Or are you a servant without a wedding garment?

Matthew 22:11-13 ESV
“But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment.
(12)
And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.
(13)
Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Please consider these things, not only for your sake, but also for the sake of your friends who are far from God and running further away each passing moment. Thanks for listening, and God bless us with repentance!

Jude 1:24-25 ESV Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, (25) to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

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One big negative associated with the contemporary Evangelical church today is the lack of doctrinal teaching. Fortunately, there is a groundswell growing among many of them addressing this issue, and I thank God every day that my church is strong in this area. There are places we need improvement, and we are striving for it, but I still don’t see us studying the ancient creeds of the early church. Instead of creeds, we have “statements of faith”, which serve a similar purpose. But, as times have changed, we need to state more in what we believe lest we be confused with some heterodox or heretical sect. The Evangelical Free Church recently changed its statement of faith for the better by beefing it up and making it stronger against heresies like Open Theism. However, in doing so, it is now a little long.

It seems as though the days of simplicity are over, and creeds like the one below are seen as inadequate or outdated. It’s really too bad…

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.

Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried.

He descended into hell.

The third day He arose again from the dead.

He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

Amen.

and Amen.

[Update!]

Well, it looks like I’m done for now. I found a cool program called Artisteer that creates a Wordpress blog design for you. After some heavy modification, I think I settled on something I like. The background was created by a cool program called Chaoscope. There are just a few tweaks I’d like to do (like making stuff transparent and fixing the header and sidebar) but I’m just not that motivated right now.

Romans 2:4 ESV Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

One purpose of God’s patience is to lead to repentance surely, but what is another?

Romans 9:22-24 ESV What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, (23) in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory– (24) even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?

So, God’s patience is twofold then - one to lead us to repentance, but the other to lead to wrath. Going back to Romans 2 for a second:

Romans 2:5 ESV But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.

God’s patience actually allows us to store up wrath for ourselves! Imagine that! And in the end, His wrath is either poured out on Christ…

Romans 3:21-26 ESV But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it– (22) the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: (23) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (24) and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, (25) whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. (26) It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

or on us…

John 3:36 ESV Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

And His wrath is born from patience. God has endured sin with longsuffering since that fateful day in Eden. Imagine the wrath that comes when He is patient no longer.

Imagine.

Today, October 5th, 2008 marked our first Lord’s Day celebration in our new facility!  For 50 years, we have been known as “Cedar Hills Evangelical Free Church” or CHEF as we lovingly referred to it.  God blessed us at that facility (which was built in a cornfield which is now a neighborhood with a school and all!) to the point that we needed more space to effectively minister His word to our community (and each other).  So, what better way to show our devotion to the God of the universe than by buying 28 acres of cornfield and building another church!  Today marked the end of 50 years of ministry at CHEF and the beginning of hopefully many more years of ministry at Stonebridge Church (www.stonebridgesite.com)

All I can say is “Wow!”  The worship, led by Pastor Phil, was wonderful, the message given by Pastor Randy was inspiring, Pastor Jason did a wonderful job getting us kicked off, Pastor Mark’s children’s ministry blessed my kids, and Pastor Patrick’s youth program was awesome (at least according to the youth), and the Sunday School class (I am tag-team-teaching a “Starting Points” class with Pastor Robin) was really fun.

Even with the congregational meeting we had after the second service, it was a wonderful day! 

I’m also pleased to report that another church - Cedar Rapids Family Church purchased our old building and had their first Lord’s Day service there today as well.  And, from what I heard, a different church is now worshipping where Cedar Rapids Family Church used to be!  Praise God for His goodness and vision for His flock!

Well, that wraps it up for me today.  I’ll be posting much more frequently in the future, but since I am teaching adult Sunday School, learning Greek, working overtime, and raising a family and a new puppy (an 11 week old Golden named Bear), expect some of the posts to seem as if written by a lunatic!

God By and God Bless,

Jeff.

Verse 1
My Savior’s sacrifice paid for all my sin
So in my suffering I look to the cross again
No need, no want, no trial, no pain
Can compare to this
The wrath of God, once meant for me
Was all spent on Him

Chorus
Before the Cross, I humbly bow
I place my trust in the Savior
Your finished work captures my gaze
You bore the wrath, I know the grace

Verse 2
In my darkest hour, Your presence is my peace
In my days of joy, Your grace carries me
Jesus, my Great High Priest
The One who pleads for me
My heart is filled with faith in You
Here at Calvary on my knees

Of course, it’s better with the music, but I know bupkis about music and putting the chords here would only confuse me.

Anyway, the reason I am even writing this is because, recently, I have returned to an author from my youth, Piers Anthony, to re-read some of the books I loved “way back when”. Xanth, Incarnations, Adept, these books were the stuff of dreams, and I really enjoyed them. Piers’ worldview came out in those books, but when I was in high school, not yet called on by the Lord, I was not concerned about seeing it for what it was…at all. How things change.

Now, 20 years later and 6 years after God saw fit to glorify Himself by saving me, Piers’ worldview stands out in his writings like a pantless Santa at Mardi Gras (well, maybe that’s not so odd after all)…I am still enjoying the books, but it is disheartening the ways in which many people are influenced by fiction. Just read a few of the comments on Amazon regarding “On a Pale Horse” (his first “Incarnations of Immortality” novel) and you will see what I mean.

Mr. Anthony also writes a newsletter which I just found out about. In his newsletter, he opines about various topics (from economics to religion to morality). Without re-posting his entire newsletter, here are some of the things he espouses in his most recent one (February 2006):

1. That nationalized health care is a good thing and corporations are evil

“With a national health care program, General Motors would save $1,500 per car and the health of the nation would improve; but the CEOs seem to be more interested in richly feathering their own nests.”

2. That Bush should be impeached

“Interesting email I received: Congressman John Conyers, Jr., is taking steps to begin an inquiry into possible impeachable offenses by the Bush Administration. Seems NBC is investigating reports that the National Security Agency (NSA) conducted wiretaps of CNN reporter Christiane Amanpour, whose husband served as a senior adviser to the John Kerry presidential campaign. Hm–that’s not the first time the spouse of a critic has been illegally targeted by this administration. But that’s the mere tip of this iceberg. I will watch with interest as it slowly brings the Titanic down.”

3. The recent tax cuts did nothing for the economy

“So if the government cuts taxes on the rich to stimulate the economy, it won’t work; the rich will just put more money in the bank or investments. They won’t spend it on more expensive peppers. That’s why the tax cuts of recent years have had minimal effect on the economy, and major effect on the number of billionaires extant. To stimulate the economy you have to put the money in the hands of the poor; they will use it to survive, having no choice. That’s what isn’t being done. So are those currently in power economic idiots? No, they know this. It’s that they want to reproduce their kind, and make more billionaires, buy more politicians, and [bleep] the poor. It is happening exactly the way they designed it. The economic idiots are the poor who continue to vote these [bleepers] into office.”

4. That God is impotent

“Okay, there is one species that’s worse: mankind. We delve into all corners of the world, exhausting resources, generating garbage and destroying wildlife, just because we can. At what point will God conclude that mankind is a mistake, and put out bait? Yes, of course I’m agnostic, so this is just a thought. But if I were religious, I’d be distinctly nervous. Is there a Heaven for those who ruthlessly despoil the world? I doubt it.”

5. Humanistic Materialism is the answer

“A new String Theory describes 10⁵⁰⁰ universes, which is a fair number. So how does this relate to the price of beans in Bohemia? It’s that the fundamental laws of our universe seem largely haphazard, coincidentally making it possible for life to evolve, and thus enabling our presence to marvel at it all. How can this be? The chances against such a coincidental collection of just-right laws are astronomical. If you’re religious, you don’t sweat it; God made this [junk] in six days, and on the seventh day he was pooped out. But I’m not religious, so I need a natural explanation. And that is this nearly infinite array of universes. You can do things with infinity that are difficult in more limited quarters. There can be every conceivable and many inconceivable variants of universe, each just a whisper of the memory of the odor of fecal difference apart. Somewhere in that vast array will be a universe where life is possible–and that is our universe. So it’s not chance but natural selection and evolution. Sorry about that, God.”

Even through all of that muck, the following excerpt was the one that caught my eye. It really proves what Scripture says about the natural man:

“Richard Vallance sent me a video that appeared in England and may not make it to uptight America: The Root of All Evil? The answer: Religion. I have pondered for decades whether religion has not brought as much harm as good to the world. I never joined a religion, not because I lacked a moral compass, but because I saw no clear consistent ennobling of participants brought about by religion. I did see evangelistic hypocrites, and historically there was the Inquisition, which was about as unJesus as anything could be. Well, this video’s thesis seems to be that there is no doubt: religion is evil. What about indoctrinating children into organized superstition rather than letting them grow up and make their own choices after studying the issues? Is this a form of child abuse? What about threatening children with Hell, literally, eternal torture, if they aren’t scared into being “good”? (What is it about those who proclaim their religion, and their affinity for torture?) The case is devastating, as an evangelical minister lectures the interviewer on his arrogance, showing astonishing arrogance himself. Why struggle with all the conflicting theories of Science, when you can settle for Faith with no thinking at all? What I find frightening is how many people of this nation do settle for just that. The video suggests that religion is in fact a dangerous virus, warping people’s minds with twisted “morality.” I remember a comment commentator Paul Harvey made decades ago: all over the world, people are killing people, in the name of religion. I do believe that were Jesus Christ to return to Earth today, he would reject the warmongers and moneychangers who are so freely taking his name in vain.”

His comment about being agnostic is the funniest as there is no such thing as an “agnostic”. Scripture plainly says that everybody knows that God exists; it is just a matter of degree as to how forcefully you suppress that knowledge (Romans 1-3). If you see him as a typical, socialist, leftist liberal, you can almost feel sorry for the guy. He is 71, his wife is about that old, they have health problems, they are on medication, and they are waiting for the end as it were. I can only pray that God will be merciful to him and grant him repentance that leads salvation…as a natural man, he doesn’t want it, cannot find it anyway, and will hate his eternity more than he hates religion.

Yes, Piers Anthony is a talented author in that he writes an entertaining story that makes the reader want to finish it. However, I think he should stick to what he does best – fantasy, and leave reality to those who are more qualified.

Solace in Sovereignty
With the events of September 11^th, 2001 just one year removed (and still fresh in our minds), I thought it might be a good time to reflect upon the events of that day and how we can find hope and meaning through it all. The world is definitely a different place now, and many people have had to adjust to a life full of doubts they could have never dreamed would plague them. Fortunately, for us who are being saved, we realize that the world, and all events in it, still has meaning. We may not see it, we may not believe it, but we can take solace in the fact that God is sovereign, and that is our hope.

I have heard people say “Where was God on September 11^th?” The answer must be “God was then where He is now and always will be…on His throne, governing all things…working for the good of those who love Him.” God was in control of the events of September 11^th, 2001 as He is in control of all other events on all other days, for “the Lord sat enthroned at the Flood, and the Lord sits as King forever” and “the Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all” (Psalms 29:10, 103:19).

Some people do not like to think of God in this way, saying that it makes God out to be uncaring or capricious. I say however, that if God is not sovereign over all, He is not sovereign at all, “for the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness” (1 Corinthians 10:26) and “the heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; the world and all its fullness, You have founded them.” (Psalms 89:11)

Some people either knowingly or unknowingly put God in a box by limiting His sovereignty to seemingly normal things (moving to a new city), seemingly little things (the cable went out just as some blasphemous teacher was speaking), or seemingly trivial things (ensuring my car does not run out of gas on the way to church). But even these seemingly little things can lead to great accomplishments for His kingdom, “and He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:26-27). But when it comes to horrific events like the terrorist attacks on this country, or the single most wonderful event in a person’s life, the salvation of the soul, they do not like to see God on His throne. Instead, He is reduced to a being who only reacts to events that he foresaw would happen on their own by saying things like “God foresaw it would happen and will use it for good” or “God had nothing to do with September 11^th, He is just going to use it; it was not in His plan! It couldn’t have been!”, or “God cast the vote for me, Satan cast the vote against me, and now it is up to me to cast the deciding vote.” In their own way, each of these statements takes God off of His throne and places Him the role of a stage hand in the play of life, helping out where he can, but ultimately just reacting to situations as they fall around Him.

Even though the thought that God simply “uses” horrific events seems comforting to some (it does seem like an easy way to “get God off the hook”), it is really the root of hopelessness; if God really had nothing to do with September 11^th, if it just “happened”, if God didn’t have it in His plan from the foundations of the world, then it had no meaning, no purpose, and that is not a very comforting thought at all! The comforting thought is that God has said “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.’” (Jer 29:11-12). Why we would accept an idea that makes the deaths of 3000 people meaningless is beyond me. This line of thinking ultimately leads us to seeing God as being either unwilling or unable to stop it; deciding to do the next best thing—“somehow using it for good”. God does not “use things for good”, He instead “causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). To be sure, the terrorists neither surprised God nor caused God to react to a condition He did not want to occur. Instead of trying to put God in a box and make Him a cosmic bystander, why don’t we see Him on His throne during times like these?

Scripture tells us that God “works all things according to the counsel of His will” (Ephesians 1:11), all things, not just some things, not just nice things, all things. Knowing that God purposed September 11^th for His purposes should be enough and it should bring us comfort in our time of sorrow. Those deaths were not meaningless; they occurred for a reason, and a good and just one at that “shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25). Ultimately all things happen because they glorify God more than any other possible outcome. Satan was allowed to have a measure of success over Job because it brought great glory to God and grew Job more than he could have dreamed:

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. And the Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” So Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.” Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord. (Job 1:6-12)

Likewise, Satan was allowed to have a measure of success against our country on September 11^th because it will glorify God more than if it had not happened. Be it a level of judgment, a wake up call, or the beginning of a great revival, we know that God will be glorified by it in the end. And the God honoring response to September 11th should be like Job’s as well when he “arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord’” (Job 1:20-21).

I have also heard many people talk about all of the innocent people that died on that day and how unfair it is. We must always remember that none of us is innocent in the eyes of a Holy God. We may be innocent as far as the world is concerned, and we should feel righteous indignation against the terrorists for what they did in that regard, but we must also remember what Jesus said:

There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:1-5)

The people who died in the attacks were no worse sinners than any of us. In fact, some of them were probably much better Christians than some of us. Even so, we must see these events as a somber reminder that life is a precious gift and each breath we take is a gift from God. We must remember to thank God always for every good gift He gives us. Knowing that life is so precious, we must turn our hearts towards those who lost family and friends, grieve with them, and mourn with them, but we must do so knowing we serve a God who comforts us and offers hope to His own, “but I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14)

We must also, however, realize that there is evil in this world that must be battled. The influence of Satan is strong, and when he attacks, we must “be angry, and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil” “because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.“ (Ephesians 4:26-27; 1 Peter 5:8-9)

Why do we put God in a box so often? Is it because we do not want to accept what it really means for God to be ultimately sovereign over everything? Are we scared to realize that we really do not control our lives? Do we really believe that “a man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9) How should we live knowing that God directs our steps, plans our times and boundaries, and has a plan for us, a plan devised in eternity past, for His glory and our benefit as His children? We must bend our knees, ask for forgiveness, and retreat into the loving arms of a Father who cares enough to bestow mercy on His rebellious children.

God’s sovereignty over all things is a source of great comfort for us. Because He is totally sovereign, we know that all things happen for a reason, that God actually purposes those things to happen for His glory and our ultimate benefit, and we need not worry. Jesus said “do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?” (Matthew 6:25-26) As far as this concerns God’s plan for us, we must be “confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). Paul had such a great perspective when, about his persecution, he wrote:

“For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:19-21)

When we cannot see God’s purposes and plans for us, we Christians can rest assured that He is doing the right thing and whatever He has in store for us will be to our benefit in the end. Knowing that “the Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.” (Psalms 9:9) Yes, in times like these, we must take great comfort in God’s sovereignty, knowing He will do right, knowing He loves us, knowing as Paul did:

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:28-39)