Heaven is an exclamation mark! .......... Parables 689

October 17, 2000

When writers scan newspapers, we notice things like typographical errors, spelling mistakes, and articles related to words, writing and grammar. A few weeks ago, I noticed one about punctuation. It was brief. It said, “The exclamation mark comes from a vertical version of the Latin word ‘Io’ meaning ‘joy.’ The vertical stroke was the ‘I’ and it was placed above the ‘o’ which eventually became a dot.”

That same week, while preparing to lead a Bible study on ‘heaven,’ I came across this quote: “In heaven, all our questions will straighten up into exclamation marks.” (Vance Havner)

I believe that in the economy and power of God, there are no coincidences. He juxtaposed these two thoughts to reinforce a biblical truth; heaven is a place of great joy. Since Christians also experience deep joy here on earth, I wondered if our joy has anything to do with heaven?

The Bible uses the word heaven in three ways. 1) the visible starry expanse above us, 2) a higher created reality we cannot see but where God is praised and served, and 3) the sphere or space of God’s very being.

Jesus said that the will of God is done perfectly in heaven, yet He came from heaven and brought heavenly blessings to us. Those who trust Him expect a heavenly heritage and look for a heavenly city where we will dwell with God forever, yet Jesus says that those who belong to Him also fellowship with God here on earth.

While we use ‘eternity’ and ‘heaven’ interchangeably, it seems eternity is entered through death and is a ‘leap’ from what we know here. Eternity has no limitations of time and space, and as long as we live here, we cannot know the eternal realm. However, there is a sense in which heaven is available to us right now. We can know the presence of God and even be included in the kingdom of God. Jesus described telling a Jewish leader named Nicodemus that, “no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

Nicodemus was a religious man yet he was not wise about eternal things. For him, the invisible heavenly realm would remained invisible unless he was made into a new person. But that was not all that needs to happen before people could understand heaven.

Right before His death, Jesus told His disciples that He would go away and prepare a place for them. Some think He meant taking that ‘leap’ of death into eternity so He could prepare heaven while He was gone. Yet Jesus did not remain dead. Instead, He was talking about going to the cross. In dying for our sins, He would prepare a place for us. His death opened up to us the realm of God, preparing that place and making it available to all who believe.

With sin, we cannot enter into the realm of a Holy God. But with our sin forgiven and cleansed, and our lives renewed by the power of the Holy Spirit, we can see and enter into His presence, just as Jesus told Nicodemus. In other words, before that great ‘leap’ of death into eternity, we can experience a taste of heaven right now, and that taste means great joy. An old hymn says, “Heaven came down and glory filled my soul, when at the cross my Savior made me whole; my sins were washed away and my night was turned to day — heaven came down and glory filled my soul.”

The bottom line? Even though we might still have some questions, for those who know Jesus, heaven is already an exclamation mark!

Hero Worship .................. Parables 428

July 5, 1994

The man with a gun to his head led over a dozen police cars along the Los Angeles freeway system. Live television cameras unfolded this emotion-charged drama right in our living rooms.

For the most part, the crowds along the highway seemed concerned that football star, O. J. Simpson, did not pull the trigger. To them, he was a hero, an exalted champion. Heroes do not kill themselves. They shouted words of support from opposite driving lanes. In the tension of the situation, people forgot he was a suspect who may have already killed two other people.

Within a couple of weeks, O. J. appeared more and more involved in the brutal deaths of his ex-wife and another person. Even so, some regard him as still a hero. He shone so brightly on the playing field, nothing can tarnish him in their eyes. “He must have been framed,” they say. They are loyal, no matter what their hero may have done.

Psychologists say we need heroes. We want someone bigger than we are to look up to, even to be our model, someone to pattern our lives after. For many, prominent athletes like O. J. Simpson fill that need. His die-hard fans indicate some will defend a hero, yet others quickly turn away in disgust at the first sign of mortal flaw.

What would happen if the hero were perfect? Would that guarantee complete and total loyalty? Would all become fans and none ever turn away disgruntled or disillusioned?

It seems logical to suppose a perfect hero would guarantee total commitment. Consider the Carpenter from Nazareth, Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “He was in all points tempted like we are, yet He was without sin.”

Here is a perfect person, according to God, He did no wrong. He was flawless, the ideal hero. But what does that mean?

Consider His power: He went against all challenges and conquered them. Violent weather, demonic forces, sickness, blindness, even death, was no match for this hero. However, sinlessness has nothing to do with power.

Consider His love and gentleness. Jesus never hurt anyone. He forgave the repentant, wept over the indifferent, warned those with hard hearts, and loved everyone to the point that He willingly died on the Cross to pay their penalty for their sins. This is closer to what sinless means, yet His actions of love are more a symptom than a definition.

Consider His virtue. He is described as being “full of grace and truth”, one who “went about doing good”, “the true light,” “the Bread of life,” and “the way, the truth, and the life.” Sinlessness is virtue, goodness in the heart. It is never disobeying God because there is absolutely nothing inside that is evil.

Jesus had a large fan club for a while but eventually everyone turned against Him. Maybe they wanted a hero with an extensive wardrobe, fancy house, several cars, and a swimming pool. Certainly they wanted one who could change their political situation. But most of all, they wanted a hero who would give without making any demands – and Jesus disappointed them.

He talked too much about how they should give up everything to follow Him, even their lives, and become “perfect, even as their heavenly Father is perfect.” Heroes are not supposed to do that.

So His fan club began to criticize Him. The imperfect resented Him. Soon the cheering crowd became a raging mob – and since Jesus would not put a gun to His own head (He had no reason to do so) they killed Him themselves. No one wants a perfect hero. A fallen, tarnished superstar will do.

The Perfect Man ................... Parables 187

October 18, 1989

The perfect man! He’s the hero on a favorite TV show. He never says anything wrong. He never does anything wrong. He’s clever, witty, good looking, quick thinking, hard working and drives a nice car. What more could a gal want?

But he’s not real. He is the product of a script and a director. He does what he is told and says only the lines given to him. He has a cosmetician who paints over his facial flaws, technicians who solve his mechanical problems and a staff of writers that get him out of every possible mess or problem he could encounter. A perfect man? Not likely.

While some gals dream on, imagining a “perfect 10”, most have to admit it’s impossible to find one. But it would be nice. No relationship problems, only perfect bliss.

Well, before the bubble breaks, there actually is a perfect man. He doesn’t quite fit all the criteria listed above though. He never owned a car. And there are no reliable photos or posters displaying his appearance so we don’t even know what He looks like. He probably worked hard at his trade (carpentry) but there is no record of that either. What we do know is that everything he ever said or ever did totally pleased God.

For some that don’t know the standard of God, that may not seem like a significant accomplishment. Yet God’s rating system goes much higher than our perfect 10. For instance, God says even unloving thoughts are sin, never mind unkind words and thoughtless actions. Let’s be honest, even TV heroes are not given that kind of character.

Lies, evil thoughts, unjust anger against another, selfishness, hate, jealousy -- all mar our hope for perfection. Furthermore, everyone, from a pagan in Africa to the godliest saint in the church, is guilty of something. But not this man. It is said of Him that “even though He was tempted in all points as we are, He was without sin.” That makes Him the only perfect man. Of course, I’m talking about Jesus Christ.

This started out alluding to love -- how did religion come into it? Well, I’m still talking about love. This perfect man offers perfect love too. Here are only a few characteristics of His love: First, it’s unconditional. That means that no matter what we do, He still loves us. His love is not earned or deserved; He loves because it’s His nature to love.

Secondly, His love is enduring, it lasts forever; not like human love, which has limits. His love is kind, patient and never keeps records of our mistakes. He rejoices when we do well, is saddened when we fail, but never gives up on us no matter how many times we let Him down. He holds no grudges and never reminds us of our mistakes once we acknowledge them to Him. In fact, He continually forgives them all.

We might fling “You just don’t understand” at most human lovers but not Him. He came to earth and went through whatever we go through so He knows how we feel. He even feels our pain with us. Whatever our ideas, problems, or concerns, we can take them to Him and He’ll never laugh at us, put us down, or make us feel rejected, inferior or worthless.

And His love is not mere words. That is, He doesn’t just say, “I love you” and then do nothing to prove it. He laid down His life for those He loves. And He did it without rose-colored glasses. He knew that many would turn around and mock Him for it, but He did it anyway. What more proof could anyone offer?

Those who have embraced the gift of His love enjoy His patience with our imperfections, but even more, we enjoy Him. He takes us into an intimacy of relationship where He fully shares Himself. No other man, TV heroes or otherwise, have His inexhaustible resources to draw from, His perfection of character.

Yes, there is a perfect man, only one.

Can you swim to Hawaii? ......................... Parables 127

I will never forget Donna. I met her when answering an ad in the paper for a drafting table. It turned out that she was selling her furniture to buy food.

I put my arms around her and together with her went through incredible disasters, calamities, and finally some joy. Her trials would fill a book, yet she could always find something that made her smile.

One day I asked her, “Donna, suppose you died and stood before God and He asked you why He should let you into heaven, what would you say?”

Donna responded, “I’m not bad enough to go to hell.”

While wondering just how bad she thought a person had to be to go to hell, I took Donna on a little imaginary trip to the west coast. I asked her to pretend that she and all of the people she knew were lined up along the coastline. Their task was to swim to Hawaii. I asked her, “How far would you get?”

She thought, then said, “About 200 yards.”

I told her that she would do better than I would. I’d drown when the first wave hit. But some good swimmers might make it 20 or 30 miles.

Then I asked, “How many would make it all the way?”

She said, “None. It’s too far.”

When she said that, I read this verse to her, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

I explained to her that God’s standard is perfection. Some people may come closer than others, but no one makes it. It is just too “far.” We cannot do it because of sin.

In fact, “sin” is from a Greek word meaning “to fall short,” like an arrow aimed at a target. That is, when anyone draws back their bowstring and aims at being good enough for heaven, all arrows land on the ground, far short of the bull’s eye.

I told her that God will forgive our failure and accept us jest as we are, but we also need the gift of perfect righteousness — equipping us for heaven — much like a swimmer would need special strength to swim half was across the Pacific or an archer extra power to hit a distant target.

Donna thought that hitting God’s target involved measuring her life by the bad she didn’t have. She wasn’t a thief or a murderer or anything terribly gross, so she must be okay.

But again, His standard is not a negative one made up of what we don’t do. Instead, He has a far more positive goal. He wants us to be like His Son, perfect in every way!

Occasionally someone comes along calling himself a Messiah. Others even claim to be Christ or that all are born with the “Christ-spirit.”

In reading Scripture and looking at humanity, I’ve come to the conclusion that only the hopelessly uninformed or hopelessly deluded could make such claims. Being Christlike involves humbly receiving Christ. We can’t do it.

Donna was glad to hear that God loved her just as she was. She asked His forgiveness for her shortfall and received the life of Christ.

She found out that heaven is not an attainment but a gift — from One who does not lower His expectations because we can’t meet them, but in mercy gives us what we need — Himself!

Donna also found that new Christians are not always able to act and react in a Christlike way. Time and trials provide her opportunities to “aim and shoot” at God’s target.

But He also gave strong assurance that someday, when she sees Him face to face, she will hit the bull’s eye and be ready for eternity. (See 1 John 3)

Donna’s trials have been numerous, but I’m sure if she were here and could read this, she would chuckle and toss out the challenge, “Target practice, anyone?”

Self-righteousness does not fly ...................... Parables 117

Johnny was more than a good pilot. He could fly so low over a potato field that angry farmers could thrust a pitchfork into the underside of the wing of his plane!

However, Johnny knew that student pilots don’t make it in the air force by returning to base with pitchforks sticking out their bottoms. So he dipped and rocked the plane. The pitchfork stuck fast. Desperate, he made low passes brushing the tree tops. It was still there. Finally, after several more attempts, Johnny left the evidence of his skill somewhere in a tree. He was in the clear, so he thought. But student pilots do not go back to base with tree branches wrapped around their landing struts either. Johnny’s flying expertise was his undoing.

S.R.P. is also more than good . . . at living. He looks at himself every morning in the mirror and says, “I thank God I am not like other people. I am as honest as the day is long. I am faithful to my wife. I discipline myself. I generously give to every charity that I can.”

S.R.P. has such a clean record that no one can fault him. He is good to his children, works hard, is a member of the local service club, and has a dog and two cats. He never yells at his neighbor and he smiles at the elderly. What more could anyone want? This guy is a moral ace.

If God were pleased with a nice clean life, S.R.P. would have it made. If freedom from stealing, lying, adultery and murder would do it, no problem; his ticket to heaven would be confirmed and God would meet him at the gate with open arms.

Unfortunately, S.R.P. forgot something. He assumes that the criteria by which he lives is the criteria by which God grants eternal life, but he did not check it out with God. He does not realize that God says, “All your righteousness is like filthy rags”; that a ticket to life forever with Him is not written on goodness, morality, or being Mr. Nice Guy. Just like Paul said of the Jews in Romans 10, S.R.P. is ignorant of God’s righteousness. He is writing his own ticket, not submitting himself to the kind of righteousness that comes from God.

S.R.P. (if you haven’t already guessed) stands for Self-Righteous Person. Proverbs warns that there is a way that seems right to a man, but the end of it is death. Surely, this is the way that seems right -- to do as good as possible -- and God will say, “Come on in.” Not so.

Only perfect righteousness can satisfy a perfect God. Perfect righteousness is found only in the perfect person, Jesus Christ. S.R.P. needs Him. Just like Johnny, a life flown high, low, or upside-down is not enough unless Jesus Christ is at the controls, trusted for His goodness instead of “doing it my way,” relying on our own capacity to do good.

Johnny’s air force career was put on suspension and eventually turned another direction. He didn’t make it as a pilot because he was too good. He thought, with his ability, he didn’t need to follow the rules.

Jesus said, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled.” It could happen in this lifetime . . . like it did with Johnny, or it could happen at heaven’s gate . . . when S.R.P. tries to get in with the wrong ticket.

Can anyone be perfect? ..................... Parables 054

“That’s impossible!”
 
“What is?” 

“Being perfect. The Bible even says so. We all fall short of the glory of God. No one is righteous before God, not even one.”

“That’s funny. Jesus said ‘Be perfect, even as my Father in heaven is perfect”.....
What perplexity for a serious follower of Jesus Christ. “Be perfect even though you can’t be” is more than a paradox. It is sheer frustration. Why aim at a bull’s eye that cannot be hit? Yet not aiming, and not hitting it, is disobedience. How can these contradictions be resolved?

The analogy that explains it most adequately, is that of joining the army. The status of a soldier, and the process of learning to do what soldiers do, is much like perfection, at least as God views it.
The person who signs up and takes his oath, is a full-fledged soldier from the moment of his acceptance. The private is no less a soldier than the 4-star general. But the new recruit’s problem is that he doesn’t know how to behave like a soldier. So boot-camp begins, and he learns the skills of soldiering. 

No one enters the army by putting on a uniform and marching around carrying a gun until someone proclaims him a soldier. Soldiers begin by becoming soldiers, and advance by learning how to act like what they already are. Being told, “You are a soldier” seems to motivate their efforts.

People who have been called by God into the spiritual army of believers are very similar. When they believe in Christ and receive Him, they are instantly perfected in Him. The Bible says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things have passed away. All things have become new.” (II Cor. 5:17) 

Given the fullness of Jesus Christ, a “spiritual private” has all that is needed to be what God requires. A new Christian is no less perfect, in God’s sight, than one who has walked with the Lord for many years. 

Like a solder, the person made perfect in Christ also has to learn how to act like what he is. He has to learn to behave in harmony with what God has put within, turning from old habits, and living as Christ.

Ephesians 2:8,9 say, “For by grace you are saved, through faith, and that is a gift from God. It is not of works, lest anyone should boast.” God accepts His “recruits” by grace through faith. No one comes into His army by putting on an outer uniform of piety and by doing good works. They begin by becoming Christians and advance by learning how to act like what they already are.

Ephesians 2:10 goes on to say that “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works...” which, without Him, are impossible. We can only do the perfect works AFTER receiving His perfect nature. 

So the answer to the paradox is that both sides of it are true, yet each must be given proper application.

God’s Word constantly reminds believers that “You are complete in Christ... You are holy... You are perfected in Him...” and these reminders motivate us to act like what we already are. But the Bible also reminds us from where our perfection comes. It is in Him, the One who lives in us, the perfect Son of God.

Standards ......................... Parables 024

In the past few weeks we have been made aware of standards. Some meat packing plants have failed standards. A roller coaster didn’t perform as it should have. Some students are writing standardized exams. Certain wage earners are demanding that their standard of living is maintained.
 
Standards are the gauges by which performance or quality is measured. We speak of high standards, a standard of excellence, lowered standards, and even double-standards. Comparison to a standard is such a commonplace activity that we do it daily, even hourly, without even being conscious of it.
 
Spiritually, there are standards too. Some people call the Ten Commandments the standard for morals and behavior. Others use the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.” Some would say the Beatitudes are the standards and still others would hold up the two great commandments, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.”
 
The most lofty standard was given by Jesus Christ when He said, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:24).
 
When we set our own standards, we can usually reach them. In some cases, if the standard is too high, those attempting to reach it are able to have it lowered, making it possible to hit the mark. I remember a school teacher telling me that the standard for city police in that state (in the U.S.) had been lowered so that they could include the required number of minorities - in order to fulfill another standard that had been set.
 
However, no person meets the standards of God. No one is perfect, no one loves God or others or themselves completely. Not one person is consistent in treating others as well as they want themselves treated, and all of us have broken the commandments, in thought if not in actual deed. We have missed the mark, fallen short of the target. We do not meet the standard. Scripture uses a short, three-letter word for that. It is called “sin.”
 
I talked about sin once to a group of children in Junior Church. One lovely little 4-year-old rolled her eyes and declared, “But I haven’t murdered anyone.” No, she had not. But she had written her own definition of sin, and changed the standard so that she could measure up to it. Have you ever done that? I have. Even doing that is sin too.
 
God, who never changes, established a standard that He will not change. But He is not heartless and indifferent to our failure. Instead, he offers to change us. “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you . . .  and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my judgments, and do them.”
 
Our part? Just ask Him.