God Doesn't Work for Burger King

A couple of weeks ago as we prepped to launch "Promise Island" VBS, I helped prep our church by taking on the text for the for the first day's theme: "I Am With You."  I preached the famous Shadrach, Meshach, and A Billy Goat (at least that is what I thought as a kid) story from Daniel 3.

The story continues to build the author's case for God (Yahweh) as the cosmic sovereign. In my message I built upon the books' theme by stressing: Your level of obedience and boldness is directly tied to the depth of your trust in God's sovereignty. You can hear the message here, but as with all sermons I had to nip and tuck as I pursued a fluid and cohesive piece, which means I was forced to leave out thoughts, ideas, and ramblings. This post is a rambling that failed to make the team.

Before Burger King hired the creepy big-headed King who kept popping up in people's beds, backyards, and children's bikes (Isn't that illegal?), the chain sold their product with the motto: "Have it Your Way!" I like that. Days would be sheer bliss if everyone's motto for me was, "Have it Your Way!" If my kids woke up and said, "Have it your way, Dad!" Or if my boss said, "Charlton, have it your way!" If the cop who pulled me over, "Sir, you were going 95 in a 45, but have it your way." If all church members said, "A 45-minute sermon? Have it your way!" If the U.S. Olympic committee said, "Although you have never run fast enough to compete in the mile at the high school level, we would like for you to represent the U.S. in London for the 1500 meters. Have it your way!"

We like it our way, and our consumeristic culture and natural inclination toward self-centeredness blend into a deadly concoction of self-absorption and entitlement. We begin to function as if God stands behind the BK counter sporting his hat, taking our prayers, and responding with a "Have it your way!" The entitlement mentality limits God's sovereignty. It makes God's sovereignty dependent upon his answering my prayers according to my specific requirements. The moment he doesn't, "I guess God isn't that powerful after all. I guess he doesn't care about my family or me. Maybe he doesn't exist."

I'm not minimizing the problem of evil. It's clear things are not right in the world. Brokenness screams from all corners of the globe. Scripture gives us room to question God, to be angry, to shout and yell, and even throw a temper tantrum. There is dissonance between a sovereign and good God and the state of the world. But too often, we doubt God's sovereignty not because we are wrestling the larger questions of evil, but simply because he did not look smilingly across the counter and say, "Have it your way!"

Apparently Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego never ate at BK.  When Nebuchadnezzar (I bet he got picked on as kid. That's probably what fueled his aspirations to become a ruthless dictator) threatens them with death by fire for refusing to bow to his golden idol they respond,

"Your threat means nothing to us. If you throw us in the fire, the God we serve can rescue us from your roaring furnace and anything else you might cook up, O king. But even if he doesn't, it wouldn't make a bit of difference, O king. We still wouldn't serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up." 

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had no doubt that God is sovereign, that he rules over the birds of the air, the fish of the sea, and even Nebuchadnezzar and his magnificent kingdom. But they also believed that God's sovereignty was not contingent upon him saving them. His sovereignty did not rest on whether their prayers were answered according to their requirements.

God does not lose control because I don't get what I want and God does not lose control because I do not understand what he is doing. Yes, I have permission to question, to shout, and to be frustrated. God welcomes such honest banter but perhaps before I call God's goodness and sovereignty into question I should assess my motives. Is my desire really for God to reign over HIS kingdom or do I simply want a God who says, "Have it your way"?

Knowing the Unknowable

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1)  

 

I've known that little verse since I was kid.  I'm sure at some point my Sunday School Teacher gave me a smiley face sticker for memorizing it.  I can still quote it, but in spite of having it etched on my memory it took years to understand it.

I believed faith was "confidence that God would grant my requests and answer my prayers if I believed hard enough and refused to doubt."  But once you receive what you have requested, faith is no longer required.  Now you have proof, evidence, hard data. 

Faith is not believing you will receive your requests, but rather believing that God is who he says he is, that he will keep his promises, that he will keep his promises in spite of the lack of proof, evidence, and hard data. Real faith is not receiving what you ask for but rather when your whole world is caving in, when evil has mounted your head as a trophy on its Wall of Victory, when every voice in every part of your life is screaming, "GOD is DEAD! He is a liar.  He is a human creation to make Hopefuls out of the Hopeless"... you are able, in spite of the evidence against him, in spite of reason, in spite of the overwhelming circumstances...to rise, and to declare, "God is faithful.  He keeps his promises. He is trustworthy."  Faith is, "being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see"...and may never see this side of life.

Hebrews 11 gives examples to support this understanding of faith:

• Noah believed God when he said there would be a flood to the point of building the precursor to the Titanic (Coming soon the release of The Flood in 3D)
• God promised Abraham he would have children like stars in the sky but when Abraham died it was more like "Children like the Brady Bunch."  Although Abraham died not seeing the fulfillment of God's promise, God was still faithful after his death, and Abraham believed him.
• Joseph believed God would lead the people out of Egypt but he died before it ever happened, and yet God kept his promise many years later.
• Moses and Israel painted lamb's blood on their door frames because they believed God would destroy the firstborn of the unpainted homes. And he did!
• Joshuah and the Israelites marched around Jericho because they believed God would do as he promised and bring the walls down on the 7th day!
• They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.  (Heb. 11:37-40)

Hebrews 11 argues that faith means believing God will keep his promises even when all circumstances and evidence point to the contrary...even when he fulfills his promises after your death. "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we may NEVER see... this side of life." Just because you don't experience the fulfillment of God's promises in your lifetime does not mean he will fail to keep them. Chapter 11 encourages the reader to trust that God keeps his promises no matter what your experiences.

And so Hebrews moves from this chapter on faith to, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses..."  Witness of what? Witness of God's faithfulness! Witness like Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joshua... witnesses who testify from the other side of life that God is faithful - ALWAYS!

When your loved one dies, when you lose your job, when your spouse leaves, when your friends betray you, when you are ostracized at work, when you are depressed...and as a result you doubt God's love...when he seems like he won't come through, when it feels he has deceived you, when it appears he has deserted you - listen to all the witnesses!  Listen to...

•  Noah, "The rains DID come.  The water DID rise."
• Abraham, "Although I never saw it with my own eyes God DID make me into a nation!"
• Joseph, "Even though I was long gone, Israel did walk to freedom out of the most powerful nation without having to raise a sword. There was an Exodus."
• Moses, "God's messenger did kill the firstborn of the unpainted houses!"
• Joshua, "The walls did fall!" 
• Mary and Peter, "Jesus did rise from the dead!"

So... can you hear them?  When your faith is shaky, rest on theirs.

Jegodsus

Marcion blew a head gasket!  A piece of hardware must have come loose in that noggin of his.  Doesn't he know that you cannot work for a church and ask ridiculously honest questions.  He was a bishop for Pete's sake,  a bishop in the Second Century and as he read through the Bible he noted some discrepancies between God in the Old Testament and God in the New Testament.  He did not have the nerve to diagnose God with multiple personality disorder so he suggested two gods in scripture: the lower class God of the OT and the good God of the NT.  And what does The Bishop get for taking off  the blinders and wrestling with some of the confusion about God?  -A platter of excommunication with a side of heretic.  Nice knowing you Marc!

Now, while I don't agree with Marcion's conclusions, I think I would enjoy a breakfast conversation with him over some Eggs Benedict and Kenyan Chai.  Because there are things about God that confuse me, that make me angry...

1. God tests Abraham by commanding him to sacrifice his son?  Whether he ever intended to let him do it or not... still. (Gen. 22)
2. I feel sorry for the Exodus Pharaoh because although half of the time he hardens his own heart, the other half of the time God hardens his heart.  How do you win that one? (Ex. 9:12)
3. God's command to punish the Amalekites by killing everything: men, women, and CHILDREN (I Samuel 15:1-4)
4. "The next day an evil (harmful) spirit from God came forcefully upon Saul." (I Sam. 18:10)
5. Or, one of my favorites, when God sends a deceiving spirit into the prophets' mouths in to lure Ahab into the battle of his demise. (I Kings 22:19-23)
6. The Book of Job... uh, where do I start?

There are things about God that are disturbing, things we often don't talk about on Sunday AM, or read to our kids before nighty-night.  I know, I know, "You don't want to serve a God who you can fully understand.  His ways are beyond our ways.  God works in mysterious ways!"  I get that, but I think sometimes Christians use those bumper-sticker sayings to be intellectually and faithfully lazy.  God has a history of revealing himself.  He wants us to KNOW him.  So what do I do with confusing aspects/tactics of a God who wants me to know him intimately yet is far larger than my minuscule brain; a God who sometimes seems to step outside of his self-definition - "God is Love;"  a God who, at times, I wouldn't want to meet in a dark ally... what do I do?  I don't have a sure answer.  I tell you what I do  right now.  I turn to Jesus.

Sometimes God appears inconsistent, but then there is Jesus.  He is consistent.  He says, "This is how life looks, life as it is designed to be lived," and then he lives it.  You look at that wandering homeless rabbi and you start naming all the cliches "That guy walks the talk, practices what he preaches..."  Jesus makes sense; I cannot get away from it.  And then Colossians 2:9 says, "For in Christ ALL the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form." and then John says (1:18), "No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son who himself is God... has made him known."

When I am confused by God, when I am angry because I cannot figure him out, when scripture seems to present different perspectives of God, the whole story of God and God himself points me to Jesus.  Jesus is God saying, "I know I'm confusing the heck out of you right now.  I know you don't get it.  I know you think I've lost my mind, but look at Jesus.  That's me, God.  Right now some things don't make sense, but I'm Jesus: the one who heals the leper with a touch, the one who forgives the prostitute, the one who feeds the hungry crowds, the one who cuddles the babies, the one who empties myself on the cross!"  When God is far off and I cannot see what he is doing, I look through Jesus and things get clearer.