Seek Love by Covering your Offender

Whoever covers an offense seeks love,

But he who repeats a matter separates close friends. 

– Proverbs 17:9

What are the 2 greatest commands in Scripture? The first would be to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and the second is like it; to love you neighbor as yourself. Now we are really good at loving ourselves right? I mean, everything we do, we do to make ourselves happy. Whether we eat or drink, we do all to bring ourselves joy. We need not work at loving ourselves. Daily though we struggle to live up to God’s command to love others just as we love ourselves. It’s hard right? It’s hard to love others, especially other sinners.

Our call here today in this Proverb is once again to love, and the way we love others is by covering one’s offense. So what is an offense? Simply put, an offense is any wrong done unto us. It’s something that causes a person to be hurt, angry, or upset. We often say, “I am offended that you would say such a thing”. Now obviously I think it’s safe to say that we have all been offended. And when you are offended, what is your natural tendency? What do you tend to do? Do you just cover it up? Doyou pretend that nothing happened? No, probably not. Not if you are like me. My natural tendency when someone wrongs me is to get even. To make sure justice prevails. “They will pay for this!” is my cry.

If I’m driving down the road and someone cuts in front of me, before I even know what I’m doing, I lay on the horn, speed up on their tail, and make some type of hand motion (hopefully without using any fingers). What naturally happens is that I seek revenge. Now what if this happens with one of our friends or family? Maybe one who is close to us offends us by some silly comment. We get offended and say something snarky back. What happens is that the offense is separating us, as sins of anger and bitterness creep in and take root. Before we know it the offense has separated us, fellowship is broken and God’s law is transgressed.

So the question is, “How do we cover an offense when we are full of rage?” I don’t know about you but I don’t have the magic button that I can push that just let’s me release all feeling. Well, we must look to God. We must look to Jesus Christ who became sin for us that we might become righteous in Him. We must look to the Gospel. God created us. We rebelled sinning against Him. We offended Him, yet He covered us with grace and forgiveness, with the blood of the perfect Lamb of God. If you think that the offense committed against you was big, and it very well might have been big, think again at how many miserable filthy sins you have committed against the Holy Creator God. Yet He still covers you. He still showers mercy and grace upon you! Meditate on the good news when you are filled with wrath; when you feel powerless to forgive your offender. God’s love will empower you to cover the offense and restore your relationship. “Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.”

I close with an exhortation from 1 Peter where the Lord’s people are surrounded by difficulty. Know that in times of trial it seems that our patience grows thin, and offenses are always on the rise.  In this situation Peter says “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” –1 Peter 4:8. Remember that it was Christ our Lord, our Savior who covered the multitude of our sins by taking the due wrath of God upon Himself. May we be filled with this love today, and may we cover those who offend us.

-J.C. Hahne

His Steadfast Love is Better than Life

Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. (Psalm 63:3, ESV)

In Psalm 63, as in much of David’s life, he was under the constant threat of his enemies. Much like Paul in the New Testament, opposition surrounded him. Persecution, suffering, and trials were never absent, and there was no promise that they would escape them. Did these men shy away in their faith? Did they curse God? Did their light dim or fade? No! But why? Or how? How could these men keep on rejoicing in the Lord in the midst of such uncertainty? Their very lives could be taken away at the blink of an eye. How did they persevere?

Because His steadfast love is better than life. Paul said, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain” Our identity, being found as His beloved children, gives us power to press on. Being found in His love is better than life, so that whatever we pass through, we know to whom we belong. What can separate us from His love? We all know the answer to that. Nothing!

Paul sums up his life by saying “to live is Christ”. For him to live is to be have Christ as the center of all things; to rejoice in His presence and comforts. But there is one thing better than that! The one thing that is better than living for Christ is to live with Christ; to be with Jesus in heaven, the place of fullness of joy. So death was never an obstacle. Death was the gateway to fullness of joy at His right hand. It is our hope, the end for which we live. To live is Christ, but to die is gain. There is no greater position than to sit in His steadfast love.

So back to Psalm 63:3. David’s lips will praise God through any painful circumstance because God’s love is better than life itself. The things of this world can not compare to the steadfast love of God. Stop and think today that if you are in Christ, there is now no longer any condemnation. We are His sons, His beloved sons. Children of the King, the Creator, the one who governs all things. There is no sting in death. No, there is victory in death as we will live in His steadfast love forever. Therefore, take courage and press on for His glory.

– J.C. Hahne

More from Calvin – Reforming the Church

A new friend of mine recommended that I read Calvin’s “The Necessity of Reforming the Church”. So, I am slowing going through it, reading and re-reading. Honestly it’s been a while since I picked up something that is so weighty, thus I see my need to retrain my attention span (or maybe it’s just that I’m reading at 12:30 AM). Anyway, there are some great quotes, and though I haven’t gotten too far into his appeal, I have been encouraged and am delighting in the doctrines of grace; the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Just thought I’d share a paragraph or two with you all… It really does produce a humble heart, thankfulness, and assurance which leads to true worship unto God.

Now, the knowledge of our salvation presents three different stages. First, we must begin with a sense of individual wretchedness, filling us with despondency as if we were spiritually dead. This effect is produced when the original and hereditary depravity of our nature is set before us as the source of all evil  a depravity which begets in us distrust, rebellion against God, pride, avarice, lust, and all kinds of evil concupiscence; and making us averse to all rectitude and justice, [it] holds us captive under the yoke of sin; and when, moreover, each individual, on the disclosure of his own sins, feeling confounded at his turpitude, is forced to be dissatisfied with himself, and to account himself and all that he has of his own as less than nothing; then, on the other hand, conscience (being cited to the bar of God) becomes sensible of the curse under which it lies, and, as if it had received a warning of eternal death, learns to tremble at the divine anger. This, I say, is the first stage in the way to salvation, when the sinner, overwhelmed and prostrated, despairs of all carnal aid, yet does not harden himself against the justice of God, or become stupidly callous, but, trembling and anxious, groans in agony, and sighs for relief.

From this he should rise to the second stage. This he does when, animated by the knowledge of Christ, he again begins to breathe. For to one humbled in the manner in which we have described, no other course remains but to turn to Christ, that through his interposition he may be delivered from misery. But the only man who thus seeks salvation in Christ is the man who is aware of the extent of his power: that is, acknowledges him as the only priest who reconciles us to the Father, and his death as the only sacrifice by which sin is expiated, the divine justice satisfied, and a true and perfect righteousness acquired; who, in fine, does not divide the work between himself and Christ, but acknowledges it to be by mere gratuitous favor that he is justified in the sight of God. From this stage also he must rise to the third, when instructed in the grace of Christ, and in the fruits of his death and resurrection, he rests in him with firm and solid confidence, feeling assured that Christ is so completely his own, that he possesses in him righteousness and life.”

Chew on that a few times. Praise be to Him who has overcome!

John Piper – Ever-Existing, Never-Becoming, Always-Perfect

This morning I was reading from Bob Kauflin’s book Worship Matters and I came across this wonderful quote by John Piper on the the ever-existing, always-perfect God. So here ya go…

From all eternity the ever-existing, never-becoming, always-perfect God has known Himself and loved what He knows. He has eternally seen His beauty and savored what He sees. His understanding of his own reality is flawless and His exuberance in enjoying it is infinite. He has no needs, for He has no imperfections. He has no inclinations to evil because He has no deficiencies that could tempt Him to do wrong. He is therefore the holiest and happiest being that is or can be conceived…. To share the experience – the experience of knowing and enjoying His glory- is the reason God created the world.”

– John Piper

I praise God that He has redeemed me to learn of His greatness. I await the day when hope becomes reality and my eyes will see and my mind will conceive His glory. I await the day when sin and its deception are done away with as I behold the glory of the LORD.

Reginald Heber – Holy, Holy, Holy!

Holy, holy, holy!

Though the darkness hide Thee,

Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see;

Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee,

Perfect in pow’r, in love, and purity.

– Reginald Heber

Oh that my eyes would see; that my mind would taste of the perfect nature of the triune God. You are Holy; perfect in power, love, and purity. Oh that I would know you LORD.

Amen.

His Favor is upon us

I was reading this morning from the Psalms and this verse caught my eye and brought comfort and hope to me.

For you bless the righteous, O Lord;

You cover him with favor  as with a shield.” – Psalm 5:12

What a great peomise to hold on to. As you may know we have been going through some tough times as of late. Uncertainty clouds our thoughts and vision. It’s always easy to get discouraged when we fail to see the big picture; that Christ redeemed us, made us righteous, and showers us with His favor for His glory and our good.  May I count it all joy as we face various trials and setbacks. He is working in us for the glory of His great name. Blessed be His Holy Righteous name. Amen!

Calvin Quoted #3 – Resembling God

There is nothing in which men resemble God more truly than in doing good to others.”

– John Calvin

It isn’t faithfully reading the Bible, praying, going to church, etc. No, it’s doing good to others. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:39. This is the very way Jesus lived.

If Jesus Christ told us, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9), then when we love, doing good to others, as Christ did, we thus resemble God and bring glory to His name. Jesus continued saying, “The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.” (John 14:10) The Father living in Jesus did His work, namely laying down His life for sinners, through serving, healing, and dying. Thi is what it means to be Godlike… Loving others, doing good to others, for He is love. He is Good!

The Worship Leader

So I’ve been enjoying reading Bob Kauflin’s book, Worship Matters, which is directed to worship (in song) leaders.  Yes, I guess that’s what we have to call them. The truth is that all who are involved in the church service are our leaders in worship, that is, the preacher, the one who prays, the one who plays the guitar or organ, etc. I imagine the head pastor should be called the worship leader if indeed you are looking for someone to fill that role. Anyway, I did enjoy the quote Kauflin shared by D. A. Carson.

I would abolish forever the notion of a ‘worship leader.’ If you want to have a ‘song leader’ who leads the part of  the worship, just as a preacher leads part of the worship, that’s fine. But to call the person a ‘worship leader’ takes away the idea that by preaching, teaching, listening to and devouring the Word of God, and applying it to our lives, we are somehow not worshipping God.”

D. A. Carson via Bob Kauflin, Worship Matters

I don’t want to be picky about the terms that we use these days, and I imagine it’s nothing to divide over, but they seem to be right. We are to worship God in all the things we do, and even through our actions, our loving our neighbor or enemies, we can be leading others in worship; in prizing God more than anything else. We probably are stuck with this term “worship leader” but let us not forget that we should all be leading others in worship of God, with or without a guitar in hand.

John Piper on the Soul’s Delight

Here’s a scary bur realistic quote for us all… Chew on it and go to God in repentance.

The true dimensions of a soul are seen in its delights. Not what we dutifully will but what we passionately want reveals our excellence or evil.”

– John Piper, The Pleasures of God

As I read this, I found even more that I must be totally dependent upon the gospel  for every good work that might flow from my soul. Jesus is Beautiful! Truely beautiful!!! And we are His! We are new creations in Him. As we consider His sacrifice for us may we be filled with delight to proclaim his excellencies. That His name may be exalted in this fallen world.

Sharing, Sharing, That’s what Christians do…

Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”

-Hebrews 13:16

After hearing of our great hope, of the “kingdom that cannot be shaken” –Heb 12:28, and the “city that is to come” -Heb 13:14, we are exhorted to “not neglect to do  good and share what [we] have.” We are exhorted to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, and encouraged to do so not by our own power to be good and obedient but by God’s promise to us. “I will never leave you or forsake you” -Heb 13:5. Being assured of God’s unfailing love we may say with confidence, in the midst of trials, lackings, and even the sinful desires of our selfish hearts, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

Is the Lord our Helper? Is He the one who sovereignly rules? Are not all riches His? Is our hope here in this world where we have no lasting city, or is it in the city that is to come?

Oh Lord, You have blessed us so greatly. May we see your blessing in making us your children by adoption. All that we have spiritually and physically is from you and for your glory so let us deny ourselves and serve one another for Your great name’s sake.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Hebrews 12:1-2

If it had not been for the Lord…

Just thought I’d share this Psalm with you all today…

Psalm 124

 1 “If it had not been the LORD who was on our side,”
         Let Israel now say—
 2 “If it had not been the LORD who was on our side,
         When men rose up against us,
 3 Then they would have swallowed us alive,
         When their wrath was kindled against us;
 4 Then the waters would have overwhelmed us,
         The stream would have gone over our soul;
 5 Then the swollen waters
         Would have gone over our soul.”
         
 6 Blessed be the LORD,
         Who has not given us as prey to their teeth.
 7 Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers;
         The snare is broken, and we have escaped.
 8 Our help is in the name of the LORD,
         Who made heaven and earth.

His grace is what sustains us. Where would we be if the LORD were not on our side. We certainly would be consumed by our enemies. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” – Romans 8:31. Praise be to Jesus who has taken our sins upon Himself! We have been adopted and thus His fatherly care is upon us.

J. C. Hahne

The Gospel

I’m trying to prepare a devotional that i’ll be sharing this coming week on what gives a Christian power to press on in the midst of hardship. If you know me you probably know my answer. It is the Gospel!!! Now, being that this is a gospel centered Blog, and that the gospel is the means to accomplish any good work, I thought it might be good to give a definition in my own words of what the gospel is. So here’s what I think.

The Gospel is this: That Christ came, lived, died, and rose again victoriously for His chosen people. He successfully paid the ransom for our sins in taking on His Fathers wrath upon Himself and imputing to us His righteousness. No longer does God’s anger hang over our head, rather His love and His blessing. He has transformed children of wrath into children of the Almighty God. Jesus was victorious and all authority has been given over to Him. He is the sovereign King, and He will be with us til the end of the ages! He has given us His Spirit to lead us and uphold us in our calling to love the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.

Oh how sweet is this good news. His people will fail not, for it is He who is faithful unto death. The promises are ours. His blessing is upon us! Amen!

J. C. Hahne

May Jesus Dwell in our Hearts

Well, I guess it’s been quite a while since I last posted… If you didn’t know we are on furlough in California for 2 months and thus it’s a little harder to keep up with blogging… But enough excuses…

In Ephesians 3:14 -21 Paul prays for the Ephesian church that Christ would dwell in their hearts and that they would be filled with the width, length, depth and height of His love. In other words, that they would be soaked with Jesus in their way of thinking. Paul then continues and gives thanks to God that He is able to above and beyond all that we could ever think or ask, and so we are filled with hope that He will sanctify His people.

In chapter 4 we find these words directly after his prayer…

“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

-Ephesians 4:1-3

If God is so good, so gracious, and able to do exceedingly more than we can imagine, then we ought to be humbled by His great love. We ought to walk worthy of His calling. His calling is to be set apart in holiness; to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves. We are to do this just as Jesus did it; with all lowliness, gentleness, and longsuffering. O, may Christ dwell in our hearts, for this is the only way in which we can have humble loving hearts. We must look at Christ in the Scriptures and commit our hearts and minds to prayer; that the Holy Spirit would enlighten us. We must treasure the Lord’s Day as we hear Christ preached to us, and remember all that Jesus did for us as we take part in the Lord’s Supper. We must be Christ-filled Christians. I guess that seems like an akward statement, but there are many that try to live a Christ-less Christianity.

“…that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God”

Ephesians 3:17-19

J. C. Hahne

Hard Times are for our Good

I was reading this morning on the Desiring God Blog, an article entitled, “Bad Times are Good for Missions” and I absolutely love how Piper sees God’s sovereignty in the midst of hard times. Obviously right now America as well as the rest of the world is going through economic uncertainty, but our God is sovereignly ruling and causing all the things to work for our good; for our sanctification. Despite having less money, Piper says that God’s peoples hearts will be enlarged to give more as they savour Him above all things. I particulary liked this portion of his post.

“During an economic downturn people… may be wakened to the brevity of life and the fragility of material things, and so may become more generous not less. And when they give under these circumstances, it will make Christ look all the more like the all-satisfying Treasure that he is.”

May God be merciful to us and open our eyes to see His beauty; to see that He remains the same, unchanging in His Faithfullness and love. May he be our all-satisfying treasure, and give us giving hearts in the midst of uncertainty. Amen.

J. C. Hahne

How will God be Worshiped?

How can God be worshiped? This morning I was reading from David’s song of repentance from Psalm 51, and I came across this verse that brought me to meditate upon what God desires from us. Verse 17 says:

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

God wants us broken before His holy throne. He wants us humbly bowed down admitting failure to live up to His standards. He will not despise the broken heart. David came humbly broken before God and was described by God as “a man after God’s own heart.” Truly there is none righteous, no not one! We have all sinned, and fall short of God’s righteous standard.

In the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector from Luke 18 we see this same thing. The one who is justified is not the self-righteous Pharisee, but the lowly tax collector; the sinner who cried out for mercy. After telling the parable Jesus goes on to say, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:14.

So how will you worship God? There is only one way. Come before Him with a humble, broken, contrite heart. God will not turn you away. Just as He did not despise David or Peter, He will not despise you as you bow before Him. May God be our only boast, for we are but sinners saved by grace. Any good thing that comes out of us is the fruit of His grace.

I now close with Jeremiah 9:23-24, “Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”

J. C. Hahne