John Todd the Minister

Twenty five years ago I spoke at the funeral of the six year old son of my wife's cousin.  Ryan was a special little boy who died when an accident occurred with medications during his final recovery days of leukemia.  He was basically well until the accident occurred and then there was nothing that could be done to save his life.  Ryan was also a good friend of my son who was just six days younger than Ryan.
Where does John Todd come in?  In that sermon I told the story of John Todd and I will try to recall it now.
John Todd was a minister in New England during the nineteenth century.  One day he received notice that his aunt was dying and she was afraid of death.  John Todd wrote a letter to his aunt to reassure her that there was nothing to fear because death had been conquered by the Lord's death on the cross.  I am borrowing the rest of the story from a blogger who writes Gulf Gulf's blog.  This story comes from theologian John Claypool.

He tells the story of a child born in 1800 in Rutland, Vermont, named John Todd, who would go on to become a prominent Congregational preacher in his day. When he was six years old, his mother became insane and his father died. He was sent to live with an aunt who had never married and had no children and whom he had never seen before. The aunt turned out to be a very tender and loving person. He grew up well in her home. She put him through college and saw him into young manhood.

Some years after he was grown, John got word that his aunt was seriously ill and was, in fact, at the end of her life, and that as warm and tender and loving as he had been to John, she seemed petrified and terrorized at the prospect of dying. So John Todd, the grown man, wrote her this letter:

“It is now 35 years since I, a little boy of six, was left alone in the world. I will never forget the day I made the long journey to your house. I was disappointed that you sent your hired man, Caesar, to come and fetch me. I remember my tears and anxiety as I clung on to Caesar’s back as we started for my new home. I became more frightened as we rode along. ‘Do you think she will have gone to bed when we get there’ I asked Caesar. ‘Oh no,’ he said. ‘When we get out of these here woods, you’re going to be able to see her candle shining in the window.’ Sure enough, we rode out into the clearing, and there was your candle, and there you were waiting at the door, and there were your arms lifting me off my horse, and there was a fire you built for me in the fireplace, and there was a good warm supper, and there you were taking me to bed and hearing my prayers, and not leaving me alone until I had fallen off to sleep.”
“I’m reminding you of these things, now, dear Aunt, because soon God will send for you and take you to your new home. I want you not to fear that summons. I want you not to fear the strange journey or even dark messenger of death because I am sure at the end of the road you will find love and welcome. You will find that you will be as safe as here, safer indeed, in God’s love and care. Because surely, dear Aunt, God can be trusted to be as kind to you as you were to me. Love, John.”

God's strange ways

On Sunday evening Mike was teaching us from Isaiah 28.  Man was saying that what was being taught them by God was a lie, it was childish and it was boring.  They said that God was not about to judge them as Isaiah had said.  The problem was they didn't understand God's judgment.  They felt that if God judged them it would be by a sudden and violent calamity and since that wasn't happening then God's judgment was a myth.
I have seen many people take that same approach to God.  They say something or do something that they shouldn't and then pretend as if God will strike them dead for doing it.  They neither understand God or His judgment.  The sad thing is that Christians often think this way as well.  In Romans 1:18 we are told that the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness.  Paul then goes on to say that God gave them over to a depraved way of thinking. 
I disciplined my children when they were growing up because I loved them but if I didn't care about them or maybe even worse then I would have ignored them and let them do what they wanted to do.  Those that we love we discipline and if I as an imperfect parent acted this way how much more would our heavenly Father who loves us dearly and deeply discipline us. 

Lest we forget

Yesterday was Remembrance day and much has been written regarding those who fought for our freedom.  We need to always remember them.
However, I want to remember another One who died for our freedom, that is our Lord Jesus Christ.  He didn't die just to give us an example but by His death He purchased our freedom, freedom from sin.

King of my life, I crown Thee now,
Thine shall the glory be;
Lest I forget Thy thorn crowned brow,
Lead me to Calvary.

Chorus:

Lest I forget Gethsemane,
Lest I forget Thine agony;
Lest I forget Thy love for me,
Lead me to Calvary.

Just a Fridge

Last Sunday evening Mike was teaching us from Isaiah 65:24, "Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear."  He told us that the usual form is that God call, man responds, and then God directs but there are times when man call, God responds and then ...
A few months ago at the BfM store where we volunteer we sold a fridge to a farm for keeping some rare seeds.  It was a good fridge and it had been checked out but it died and the people were in a panic regarding their seeds.  We did not have a fridge available so we pursued every possible angle only to come up empty.  I told the day manager that God is as much concerned about our problem as we are so we stopped and prayed.  As soon as I said a closing "Amen" the day manager said, "We have a fridge, it is in our kitchen".  So we took our fridge and gave it to the farm until we could find a replacement.  None came in but the farm was content using our old fridge.
Then this week.  A mother had bought a fridge for her daughter who was moving into her first apartment.  The men delivered the fridge only to find out that it wouldn't go into the apartment.  All they could do was to bring the fridge back and offer the lady her money back.  While they were coming back with the fridge the farm phoned again to tell us that our old fridge had died and once again they were danger of losing their seed.  My wife was the day manager and didn't know that the fridge was coming back so she told the farm that we had no fridge but we would do our best to find one.  A few minutes later we had the fridge back, we phoned the farm and delivered a fridge to a very satisfied customer.  "Before they call I will answer."

Bucket List

Bucket list is a list of things you wish to do before you die.  It comes from the idea of "kick the bucket".  The sad thing is that many Christians fall into the trap of a bucket list.  They want to do things before they die so it becomes an obsession for them.  Lists like visiting every continent or eating at every McDonald's in the USA.  Whatever is on the bucket list becomes important.  Should Christians have a bucket list?  The problem I see with a bucket list is that it focuses on the big "I".  It is all about me and what I should do.  Is this the way a Christian should live?  Since when is going to every Caribbean country important?  Or fishing in the Yukon or skydiving or bungee jumping or whatever.  Some how we get things wrong.  Living our life is about what God wants us to do not about my fancies.  Yes, I may do many of these things but they are of little importance compared to what God wants from me.
I wonder if Daniel had a bucket list he would have had on his list to see lions up close or maybe Jonah wanted to go whale watching.  Peter maybe wanted to walk on water or John visit a Greek island.  You can be sure that these things were not on any list but they did them because they trusted their God.   

The Election

Since many people have offered their opinion and have said things very well then why should I add my opinion?  The election is over and the evangelical right is wondering what went wrong.  They are quick to point out that God is sovereign and He is still in control; that He sets up kings and removes them so why not accept the results?

I think God is telling us something that we should listen to very carefully.  Americans and Canadians put too much trust in the politics.  They feel that if they put the right person in power then things will be all right with the world.  I think that as evangelicals we must hear what God is saying to us.  I believe He is telling us that we cannot put our trust in our political leaders but we must repent of our sin and put our trust in Him alone. 

Some talk radio hosts were pointing out that if all evangelicals would have voted for the political right then Romney would have won.  What is wrong?

First, Christians are putting too much trust in their political leaders.

Second, Christians have an increasing secular world view and not a Biblical world view.

Third, Christians are too quick to take the wrong view of the mission of the church.  Yes, Christians are to work for the better of their world but the mandate of the church is to make disciples. 

Finally, Christians need to put their trust in God alone.

So does this mean that we should write off politics and social justice (whatever that means)?  No it does not but as we work for the betterment of our world we know who is sovereign and no politician or social program will save our world.

Who and What

When Brian McLaren was asked to define the Gospel he said:

The Kingdom of God is at hand [means] God’s new benevolent society is already among us...the phrase shimmers and glows in relation to the dominant social reality of Jesus time: the kingdom-oriented term “Christ” means “liberating king,” the one who will free God’s people from oppression, confront and humble their oppressors, and then lead both into a better day.

How does R. C. Sproule define the Gospel?

The Gospel is called the ‘good news’ because it addresses the most serious problem that you and I have as human beings, and that problem is simply this: God is holy and He is just, and I’m not. And at the end of my life, I’m going to stand before a just and holy God, and I’ll be judged. And I’ll be judged either on the basis of my own righteousness – or lack of it – or the righteousness of another. The good news of the Gospel is that Jesus lived a life of perfect righteousness, of perfect obedience to God, not for His own well being but for His people. He has done for me what I couldn’t possibly do for myself. But not only has He lived that life of perfect obedience, He offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice to satisfy the justice and the righteousness of God.


He goes on to say:

 For God to forgive you is a very costly matter. It cost the sacrifice of His own Son. So valuable was that sacrifice that God pronounced it valuable by raising Him from the dead – so that Christ died for us, He was raised for our justification. So the Gospel is something objective. It is the message of who Jesus is and what He did.

Thank you R. C. Sproule.  The Gospel is about who Jesus is and what He did.